Europe’s 10 players trying to get to the PGA Tour face a tough road. Jordan Smith wants his chance
Tom McKibbin earned the th and final PGA Tour card from the Race to Dubai standings on the European tour last year He joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf in late January too late for the sportsman who was th on the list Jordan Smith to take his place and get a PGA Tour card Maybe it was just as well Of the nine players minus McKibbin who took PGA Tour cards this year only Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark has secured his U S card for Hojgaard the top qualifier among last year s class also is the only one so far to keep cards on both tours He is No in Europe and playing the DP World Tour Championship this week He also played in his first Ryder Cup Two tournaments remain for the other eight to finish in the top of the FedEx Cup or win to keep full status Thorbjorn Olesen is looking good at No in the FedEx Cup he also kept his European tour status at No Jesper Svensson of Sweden is at No No one else from that group is in the top Paul Waring of England had to effectively shut down his year in July with a shoulder injury Getting starts was not the concern Except for Waring who played times before his injury the average number of PGA Tour starts for the European tour graduates was about The bigger issue was no access to the million signature events with elevated FedEx Cup points Hojgaard played three of them two as the top qualifier from Europe and the Truist Championship as one of the top five players not already eligible in events leading up to it As for Smith He was annoyed by the circumstances of last year Everyone knew McKibbin was contemplating a jump to LIV Golf But the PGA Tour season had already started and the players were locked in Smith has noted getting to the PGA Tour is a big goal of mine It s just one of those things you have to take on the chin and use it as fuel to get one of those cards the next time Smith stated the Daily Mail in June Smith as of now is No in the Race to Dubai and holding down what would be the th spot to earn a PGA Tour card going into the season finale this week Smith has a -point lead over Martin Couvra of France and a -point lead over Daniel Hillier From LIV to the LPGA LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler made his first big hire as he builds an executive association bringing in Monica Fee from LIV Golf to be the chief sales and partnerships officer Fee will oversee the tour s global sales and partnership strategy which includes title sponsorships and commercial assets Monica brings incredible potential a ton of passion for golf and leading teams and a reputation for delivering results Kessler commented Fee was part of the executive organization that helped launch the Saudi-funded league She joined LIV Golf in December as senior vice president and head of global partnerships to oversee sales partner management and brand rise Previously she had spent years at CAA Sports in a key sales role The LPGA is at an extraordinary moment in its history one defined by momentum purpose and global opportunity Fee disclosed I m excited to help shape its next chapter by building partnerships that elevate women s golf and connect the LPGA s values with leading brands around the world Theegala s long year Sahith Theegala came into the season at No in the world With two tournaments remaining he is on the verge of falling out of the top Theegala had a neck injury in May that cost him about two months and forced him to withdraw from two majors the PGA Championship and the U S Open He returned at the British Open and missed his next three cuts Theegala is exempt for as a tournament winner but he is not in the majors next year His last top- finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for seventh in Napa California in September Broome honored Longtime Acushnet Company executive Peter Broome is the latest to be conferred an honorary member of the PGA of America the th person to receive the honor dating to Broome was senior vice president of the Acushnet Company To join former U S Presidents and other golf luminaries on this short list of PGA Honorary Members is humbling and overwhelming Broome explained It has been both a personal and professional honor and privilege to help and promote PGA members who are at the epicenter of the match My career led me to Acushnet which shared the same belief in the crucial role of the PGA Member Broome a Montreal native was an assistant pro at Canadian clubs while at McGill University He became a key figure in the golf industry worldwide during his years at Acushnet He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in August which led to starting the Bridge Foundation for research and healing of Lou Gehrig s complaint Divots Ben Griffin became the third straight World Wide Instrument Championship winner with a in the final round The LPGA Tour has granted a waiver for -year-old Gianna Clemente to compete in the Q-Series next month as she tries to earn a card Clemente first gained a measure of fame when she made it through Monday qualifying for three straight LPGA events at age This was the second straight year the Toto Japan Classic was shortened to holes because of weather The Tommy Fleetwood Academy is expanding in the United Arab Emirates Fleetwood already has one in Dubai Now he is opening another one at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi where he was runner-up last week Commercial property insurance company FM already an LPGA title sponsor with one of the largest non-major prize funds signed Lottie Woad to a corporate deal Woad won in her pro debut this summer and already is No in the women s world ranking Stat of the week Three of the five winners in the FedEx Cup Fall played on the U S Ryder Cup association Scottie Scheffler Procore Championship Xander Schauffele Baycurrent Classic and Ben Griffin World Wide System Championship Final word I m not going to sit here and just try to admire it I m going to keep using each event as fuel for the next one and continue to work really hard That s what Tiger Woods consistently did what Scottie Scheffler s doing I ve got to continue doing all the right things to be great Ben Griffin after winning in Mexico for his third title this year AP golf https apnews com hub golf Source
