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Everything You Need to Know About Sam Bennett, the Amateur Golfer Who Just Made History at the Masters

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies . When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.  

Published 07 Apr 2023

If you go through the Masters leaderboard after Day 1, you’ll see nothing but superstars at the top. World No. 3 Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Viktor Hovland are tied for the lead at 7 under par, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Jordan Spieth are all within striking distance.

But there’s also a player in contention with an (A) next to his name. That name would be Sam Bennett, a fifth-year senior in college who made Masters history with his bogey-free 68 in his first-ever round at Augusta National Golf Club .

So, who is this kid?

Sam Bennett is a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M

Bennett grew up in Madisonville, Texas, a small town just two hours north of Houston. His father, Mark, introduced him to the game of golf at the local nine-hole course in town, and he fell in love immediately.

Bennett went on to play golf at Madisonville High School, and he won the state championship as a senior in 2017. The following year, he chose to continue his golf career at Texas A&M.

As a junior, Bennett earned All-American honors and represented Team U.S at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup. He was named the SEC Player of the Year in his senior season and was a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award, given to the most outstanding college golfer in the country.

Sam Bennett won the U.S. Amateur to qualify for the Masters

If you’re wondering how Bennett made it to the Masters as an amateur, he won the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. The talented youngster defeated Ben Carr, 1 up, in the championship match to become the first Texas A&M player to win the U.S. Amateur title.

Sam Bennett has his father’s last message tattooed on his arm

The story of Sam Bennett can’t be told without mentioning the inspirational tattoo on his left forearm.

Bennett’s father, Mark, died in 2021 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. Mark’s final message to Sam before his death was, “Don’t wait to do something.”

“He was the reason why I started playing golf and why I wanted to be good to impress him,” Bennett told Golf Channel . “[Looking at the tattoo] is like a new pre-shot routine that I do now right before I’m about to hit it. I look at it and I’m like ‘Don’t wait to do something.’ It’s something that will always stick and he means the world to me.”

Sam Bennett makes history in his Masters debut

A historic round from @AggieMensGolf senior Sam Bennett 👏 He’s the only amateur in the last 30 years to record a bogey-free round at #theMasters pic.twitter.com/JhAFJJhK0O — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 6, 2023

In Bennett’s first-ever competitive round at Augusta National , he fired a 4-under 68 with no bogeys to put himself in contention after the first round. The amateur birdied his first hole of the day then made a chip-in eagle on No. 2 to start his Masters campaign 3 under.

Here’s the impressive history Bennett made in his first Masters round, according to a tweet from Carter Karels of GigEm247.

• Only amateur in 30 years to have a bogey-free round
• First amateur to place top 10 on Day 1 since 2005
• First amateur to card a 68 since 2001
• Tied for lowest Front 9 tally ever for an amateur (32)

Bennett looks to be a lock to win low amateur at the 2023 Masters, and when he decides to turn pro, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour.

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9 Things to Know About Sam Bennett, the Amateur Taking the Masters by Storm

• Author: Gabrielle Herzig

The amateurs are part of the narrative each year at Augusta National, as their inclusion is a core element of Masters tradition. But this year, one 23-year-old fifth-year college senior is the story.

Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett earned his spot in the Masters through his U.S. Amateur victory, and he’s using the coveted invitation to show that such a stage is exactly where he belongs . On Friday, Bennett finished with another 4-under 68. He sits in third place— four shots behind Brooks Koepka —a position that only two other amateurs have reached in Masters history.

“This is going to sound crazy, but before the week, everyone was talking about ‘I hope you get low amateur,’ this and that. I was like, ‘There’s seven guys to beat. That’s it? There’s a green jacket on the line,” Bennett said to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt in Butler Cabin.

Here are nine things that you need to know about the college star as he continues to make waves at the Masters.

1. Sam Bennett has a tattoo on his left forearm with a quote scribbled by his late father, Mark: “Don’t wait to do something.” The message is one of the last sentences Mark uttered before he passed away from a long and tragic battle with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2021. After his death, Bennett began to look down at the tattoo as part of his pre-shot ritual, carrying his father’s words with him

2. Bennett grew up in a minuscule town in rural Texas. Madisonville, located 40 miles northeast of Texas A&M, has 4,500 residents and two stoplights. He honed his game at a nine-hole course called Fannin Oaks—let’s just say the property is no Augusta National.

3. At the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, Bennett defeated several world-class players to reach the championship match against Ben Carr, who is also teeing it up at Augusta this week. He took down former Masters low amateur Steward Hagestad and current LIV Golf member David Puig before outlasting Carr in the 36-hole final, 1 up.

4. In February at the John Burns Intercollegiate, Bennett set a Texas A&M program and tournament record by shooting an 11-under 61 during the final round. He earned co-medalist honors at the event with an 18-under-par three-day total.

5. At the Spirit International in 2021, Bennett was involved in an odd rules snafu. On the first hole of his round representing Team USA, Bennett reached into his bag to find his 60 degree wedge, only to realize there was another 58-degree in the bag that wasn’t his. Instead, it belonged to one of his teammates, Stanford’s Rachel Heck, who had rested the club next to Bennett’s bag when she was applying temporary tattoos to his face. Bennett received a two-shot penalty for having a 15th club in his bag, but he still won the men’s event.

6. This PGA Tour season, Bennett has turned down sponsor exemptions into both the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational to compete alongside the Aggies in his fifth year at Texas A&M. The 23-year-old plans to turn pro following his final appearance at the D-I NCAA Championship, and he will use his seven allotted exemptions on the PGA Tour this summer. Taylor Ford will caddie for Bennett when he turns pro—a former looper for Stewart Cink.

7. Bennett already has some major championship experience under his belt. He made the cut in last summer’s U.S. Open at The Country Club, where he finished T49.

8. He is currently ranked sixth in the PGA Tour University rankings. The player in the first place position (currently Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg) will receive a PGA Tour card upon the conclusion of their senior season. Bennett’s Masters performance will likely improve his rank significantly.

9.  Bennett didn’t grow up as just a golfer. He played basketball, tennis and baseball throughout his high school years. 

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Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett moves up to No. 1 in PGA Tour college rankings

• Eagle staff report
• Oct 13, 2021

Texas A&M senior Sam Bennett moved up one spot to No. 1 in the PGA Tour University Velocity Global individual rankings this week, moving ahead of Texas’ Pierceson Coody. Bennett tops the list with 1,235.9 points with Coody now in second at 1,231.1.

A&M’s Walker Lee fell two spots to 41st (762.1 points).

The top-five finishers in the rankings will earn membership on the Korn Ferry Tour and players finishing sixth through 15th will earn membership on a PGA TOUR international tour.

Watch now as the My Aggie Nation Podcast crew looks back at Texas A&M's win over Alabama and ahead to Aggies' game at Missouri.

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Amateur Sam Bennett adds to his growing legend by carrying Texas A&M to NCAA Championship

Sam Bennett impressed at the Masters with a T-16 finish after being on the leaderboard all week.

Another major week, another impressive performance from amateur sensation Sam Bennett. No, the fifth-year senior at Texas A&M is not competing at the PGA Championship, but as the pros prepare to play at Oak Hill, this soon-to-be pro added to his pre-pro legend on Wednesday at the NCAA Salem Regional.

Bennett, who became a household name to golf fans by being on the leaderboard over the weekend at the Masters, was competing with his Aggie teammates at The Cliffs at Kiowee Falls in South Carolina. The top five teams after 54 holes earned spots into the NCAA Championship in two weeks at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., but the Aggies were in eighth place entering the final round. And as the team was playing the final nine holes, it appeared Bennett and Co. would see their 2022-23 college seasons end earlier than they had hoped, trailing the fifth-place team by as much as 14 strokes at one point.

MORE: The story of Sam Bennett's tattoo both inspiring and heartbreaking

But that’s when Bennett, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion known to play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, took things into his own hands, making five birdies for a back-nine 31 that gave him a final-round 65. Four of those birdies came on the final four holes.

It wasn’t just Bennett, however, as the other four Aggies made seven birdies on the last seven holes, the team going 11 under in that span.

Bennett’s birdie on the last hole meant that Aggies had caught Clemson for the fifth and final spot, resulting in a playoff to see who would advance to nationals. The way the playoff worked was all five players on each team played one hole, with the team that had the low aggregate score to par moving on. An eagle from Phichaksn Maichon and pars from the rest of the squad, including Bennett, were enough to hae Texas A&M win by one.

MORE: Sam Bennett sees first signs of Masters bump with new NIL deal

"I'm speechless,” said Texas A&M men’s coach Brian Kortan (who you might remember worked as Bennett’s caddie at the Masters.) “I can't explain it except for the guys never gave in. It was not looking good there for quite a while. Even with three or four holes left it looked improbable. Holy cow. The guys never gave in. The guys sort of new what we needed. They showed grit and determination. They didn't want it to end.”

Bennett’s closing 65 left him tied for eighth overall in the regional. The 23-year-old from Madisonville, Texas, ranks third the PGA Tour University rankings. As long as he doesn’t fall out of the top five after the national championship (which is an almost mathematical certainty), he will immediately earn a Korn Ferry Tour card that can be used for the rest of this season and for 2024. And given the notoriety he gained with his Amateur win and Masters performance, he’s likely to squeeze out some sponsor’s exemptions in PGA Tour events this summer. He’s also got spots in the U.S. Open and Open Championship thanks coming this summer.

But before doing that, he’s hoping he might be able to add an NCAA title to his resume.

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What happened to Sam Bennett? The top amateur at the 2023 Masters is back at the US Open

The american golfer and the texas a&m golf team varsity member, finished 16th overall and became the first amateur in the top 20 at the masters since 2005..

Bennett is a young golfer from Madisonville, Texas. He began playing golf on a public nine-hole course in his hometown and attended Madisonville High School, where he became a state champion in 2017.

In 2018, Bennett enrolled at Texas A&M, where he achieved All-American honors as a junior and represented the American team at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup. As a senior in 2022, he earned the SEC Player of the Year award and was a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award, given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the country. Bennett also set a school record for the lowest scoring average. He was named to the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup team and advanced to the final of the U.S. Amateur in August 2022 at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. He defeated Ben Carr, 1 up, to become the first U.S. Amateur champion in Texas A&M history. This win exempted Bennett from the 2023 Masters Tournament and 2023 Open Championship.

Sam Bennett took the golf world by storm just shy of a year ago. He was the first amateur to finish top-20 at The Masters since 2005. Bennett is still grinding away on the Korn Ferry Tour. We caught up with Sam after his opening round of 72 (E) at the Club Car Championship.… pic.twitter.com/GmfetXm9QW — Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__) April 4, 2024

Bennett also qualified for the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club, where he cut, finishing in a tie for 49th place. He played his first PGA Tour event, the Valero Texas Open, in 2021 but unfortunately missed the cut.

At the 2023 Masters, Bennett made history as the first amateur in 30 years to play a bogey-free round of 68 (-4) and score two rounds in the 60s. He became one of the top three amateurs on the leaderboard after 36 holes, with an amateur’s lowest 36-hole score of 136 (-8) since 1956. Although he fell to seventh place on the third day, Bennett still became the first amateur since 1964 to be in the top 10 in the final round. He tied for 16th place after a two-over 74 in the final round, which was still a remarkable achievement as it was the best Masters finish by an amateur since 2005.

Sam Bennett as a pro golfer

Bennett couldn’t receive his $261,000 prize money from the Masters tournament due to his amateur status. Unfortunately, he didn’t qualify to participate in Augusta this year, as he finished just a bit outside the top 12 needed to earn an invitation back.

Bennett turned professional in May 2023 after competing in the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. He played in several 10 PGA Tour events that year, earning $303,155 in prize money, partly thanks to sponsor exemptions. Bennett secured full membership on the Korn Ferry Tour by finishing in the top five of the PGA Tour University rankings. He has earned $68,055 in six Korn Ferry events and is ranked 28th in the standings, just making the top 30 cutoff to qualify for the PGA Tour next year.

In 2023 he made five cuts in 10 events including a T16 at the Masters Tournament, T20 at the RBC Canadian Open and T43 at the US Open. So far in 2024 he has played in one PGA Tour event where he finished T72 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March.

Former Texas A&M star Ryan Palmer is all Texan, and now he's in state's Golf Hall of Fame

As a PGA Tour member for 20 years, Ryan Palmer gets to walk some of the most sacred and grandiose landscapes in the world.

But while you can take the boy out of the Texas ranch, you can't take the Texas ranch out of the boy.

Just ask Mike Chisum, a former University of Texas golfer who has managed Palmer’s career.

“He may be on the course and on TV looking like he’s a country club boy, but down deep in his heart, it’s jeans and boots and football and barbecue. He is a true Texan at heart,” Chisum said in a video introducing Palmer on Monday as one of six inductees into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 . The event was held in San Antonio.

Palmer, who hails from Amarillo and played for Texas A&M, has played in 467 PGA Tour events, made the cut in over 300 of them and is now in the top 40 in PGA Tour career earnings.

Others honored during the ceremony included former University of Texas star Brad Elder, a pair of golf pros in Gordon Johnson and Ronny Glanton, as well as Barney Adams, the founder of Adams Golf, which founded the Tight Lies club series. Houston Country Club was also honored.

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“Our six inductees are incredible additions to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. The induction dinner was sold out two months prior to the event, a testament to how many people care for, and want to celebrate, this special Class of 2022." said Reid Meyers, the Hall’s board chair.

Also included in the day’s activities was the unveiling of a marker on the Texas Golf Hall of Fame's Walk of Fame at historic Brackenridge Park Golf Course. And it was announced by the Mayor Pro Tem of Amarillo, Freda Powell, that Oct. 17, 2022 was officially "Ryan Palmer Day" in his hometown.

“I will forever be indebted to this great state and to the game of golf,” Palmer said. “I’ll choose Texas over and over. It’s God’s country.”

Jordan Spieth gets taste of being worst in foursome

During an off week spent at home in Dallas, Jordan Spieth experienced something he wasn’t used to — being the worst player in a foursome.

This wasn’t golf — that would be near impossible for the three-time major winner and former World No. 1 — but a doubles pickleball match with partner Scottie Scheffler in the Celebrity Battle of the Paddle exhibition in Frisco. The PGA stars took on former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and John Isner, one of the top American tennis players during the Professional Pickleball Association’s PPA Tour Round Up.

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“It was a really weird feeling going in front of a big crowd knowing you were the worst on the court, and I didn’t like that at all,” said Spieth, noting that Scheffler plays pickleball, a combination of tennis, Ping-Pong and badminton, nearly every day and he had played less than 10 times. “I’m fine in front of a crowd if I know that I’ve practiced and I’m good at what I’m going to do. But I wouldn’t say like I’m bad, but when you’re the worst of the ones that are going to be on there and there’s like 500 people there, you’re like this kind of stinks, I don’t really enjoy this.”

The good news is, Spieth’s golf game has been trending in the right direction as he prepares to make his season debut at the CJ Cup in South Carolina at Congaree Golf Club this week. When he last competed, Spieth was a perfect 5-0 in leading Team USA to victory at the Presidents Cup, including his first victory in singles at either the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. (He was previously a combined 0-6-1.) Spieth, who won an hour’s drive away in April at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island and enters the week at No. 13 in the world, said he has found more joy in the actual work involved in improving than he has in the past while conceding there is more work to be done to achieve the lofty goals he still has for his career.

“I had some inconsistencies this year. Sorry, this last season. I didn’t have a great putting season by any means, but I also felt that ball-striking was a little more inconsistent than the previous year, and I knew why and I just needed a few weeks at home to try and figure it out. I kind of got to work right after East Lake and really tried to nail a lot in pre-Presidents Cup,” he said. “Then kind of the week leading in, I really started to kind of have things click a bit.”

More: A second Ryder Cup in Texas? It’s all but cemented at Frisco’s Fields Ranch

Texas events not among those ‘elevated’ by PGA

The PGA Tour is set to announce four additional tournaments with elevated status for 2023, Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch reported this week. The additions will bring to 13 the total number of Tour events designated as “elevated,” meaning the presence of the game’s biggest stars will be guaranteed as they compete for lucrative purses of at least $20 million.

In August, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced the first nine elevated events for the 2022-2023 season. Those were the Players Championship; three FedEx Cup playoff stops (FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship, Tour Championship); the three invitationals (Genesis, Arnold Palmer, Memorial); Austin’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play; and the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The four additional tournaments to be elevated this season are the WM Phoenix Open, the RBC Heritage, the Wells Fargo Championship and the Travelers Championship. 

What’s missing from the current list of elevated events is another Texas stop, meaning the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney and the Cadence Bank Houston Open at Memorial Park all missed the cut.

While the nine previously announced events will have elevated status every year, it’s expected that the four unveiled this week will rotate between tournaments each season, ensuring that every sponsor interested in paying for elevated status would be guaranteed the best possible field every few years.

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Hancock Golf Course back open for play

Hancock Golf Course was closed for overseeding on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, but reopened for play Thursday. The first location of the Austin Country Club, the nine-hole golf course was the first in Austin and is the oldest continuously operated course in the state.

Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock. Adam Schupak of Golfweek also contributed to this report.

Why Texas A&M product Sam Bennett is a reminder of NIL's growing benefit to college golf

A Duke Blue Devil and a Texas A&M Aggie walk up to a tee box, and, no, it's not the opening line to a poorly crafted bar joke.

That was the scene at Country Club of Jackson during the opening session of practice rounds Tuesday ahead of the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship. Alex Smalley – a 2019 graduate from Duke – and Sam Bennett – who finished his fifth year at Texas A&M in the spring – took the course together to prepare for Mississippi's annual PGA Tour event.

With the logos of their alma maters stitched on their golf bags, it was a reminder of the college game’s influence on the professional game. It also represented a changed landscape, due to NIL rules, that has given top amateurs incentive to continue playing at the collegiate level.

“For top golfers, it’s been cool,” Bennett told the Clarion Ledger on Tuesday. “The good players are able to take advantage of it and use their name, image and likeness to make some money. It’s been good for growing the game.”

How Sam Bennett's Masters finish boosted his NIL value

Bennett became a talking point in the sport after finishing as the top amateur in the 2023 Masters. He also topped numerous big-name professionals en route to a T-16 finish. Others to finish in that slot, including 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama, took home $324,000.

Bennett left with $0 because amateurs don’t earn winnings.

However, changes to NIL rules in recent years allowed Bennett to profit off his performance – thanks in large part to help from an agent.

“I’m sure you’ll see a lot more college athletes getting an NIL representative in school now,” Bennett said.

How PGA Tour is creating pro opportunities for college players

The PGA Tour has implemented other ways to try helping amateurs, such as the creation of PGA Tour University. The program was formed to help athletes make the jump from amateur to professional golf by providing incentives such as status on the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour Americas.

“What the PGA Tour has done with that is awesome,” Joel Dahmen, a Washington product, said. “… Ludvig (Aberg) just went from playing in college in May to playing the Ryder Cup. I think that’s an awesome deal. Giving guys a couple spots is always a good deal.”

Making jump from college to PGA golf 'is not cheap'

As is the case for many athletes of nonrevenue sports, not all NIL deals are equal. Some players don’t sign any deals. Some partner with local shops. Others, such as a premier quarterback, reap the benefits of incredibly lucrative opportunities.

Regardless, a chance to earn money for publicity generated in college finally exists – something that wasn’t in play during Smalley’s collegiate career, which overlapped with Zion Williamson’s one season at Duke. Williamson became the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

“Obviously, getting a little bit of monetary incentive from all that television time and whatnot would probably be beneficial for someone like that,” Smalley said.

“Professional golf is not cheap (to play),” he added. “When you’re first starting out, I think it’s obviously something you’d want to have a little bit of something in your back pocket starting out because it’s not easy.”

LOOKING FOR BACK-TO-BACK: Mackenzie Hughes set to defend Sanderson Farms title with hopes of earning Presidents Cup spot

The Sanderson Farms Championship will host, “University Day” on Saturday in which spectators are encouraged to sport their favorite team colors.

However, fans’ best chance to support their favorite schools and athletes may come in one color: Green.

“(NIL) is helping the game,” Bennett said. “It’s helping athletes. It’s good for college.”

Aggies Champ and Palmer climb the leaderboard in Round Two of The Masters

AUGUSTA, Georgia (KBTX) - Former Texas A&M Golfers Cameron Champ and Ryan Palmer both had standout performances Friday at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

Champ had 6 birdies and shot 68 (-4) in Round Two. After shooting 72 (Par) in Round One, Champ’s -4 through two rounds has him tied for 6th place.

6th birdie of the day from @Cameron__Champ . 👏 He’s 4-under & T5. pic.twitter.com/GqymNApcrY — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 9, 2021

Palmer also shot 68 (-4) in Round Two. His 74 (+2) in Round One puts the Aggie at -2 through the first two rounds and tied for 13th place.

Justin Rose leads the field at -7 after Friday. Coverage from The Masters continues Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CDT on CBS (KBTX-TV).

Copyright 2021 KBTX. All rights reserved.

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Notes: The players on this list are the greatest pro players that went to this school.

What players did in college is not factored into this list.

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9 Golfers From Texas To Compete In The Masters

The lone star state is well represented in the 2021 masters golf tournament, which tees off this week in augusta, georgia..

Payton Potter , Patch Staff

AUGUSTA, GA — The Masters Tournament week has arrived, with many of the best golfers around the world returning to the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia for the premier yearly golf championship. Included in the field of 88 golfers are nine who live in Texas.

• Cameron Champ , Houston: Texas A&M
• Bryson DeChambeau , Dallas: Southern Methodist University
• Charles Osborne , Dallas: Southern Methodist University
• Ryan Palmer , Colleyville: Texas A&M
• Patrick Reed , Spring: Augusta State
• Scottie Scheffler , Dallas: University of Texas
• Jordan Spieth , Dallas: University of Texas
• Jimmy Walker , Boerne: Baylor University
• Will Zalatoris , Plano: Wake Forest University

The golfers from Texas will join 33 others representing the United States. Forty-two Americans are among the field of 88.

Dustin Johnson is the defending champion, winning the 2020 Masters tournament that was postponed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. He could be the first golfer to win The Masters two years in a row since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002, as Johnson was listed Monday as a +950 favorite by Oddschecker, a site that tracks betting odds from various oddsmakers.

Find out what's happening in Across Texas with free, real-time updates from Patch.

Texans Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, and Bryson DeChambeau, both at +1000, have the next-best odds to win the four-day tournament, according to Oddschecker.

Woods, a five-time Masters champion, is not in this year’s field. He suffered a serious injury in a rollover car crash in February. Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, Zach Johnson, Larry Mize and Patrick Reed are the past champions in the field this year.

The Masters leaderboard will be updated as play begins Thursday.

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Schools with the most golfers on the PGA Tour

It's likely the casual fan of professional golf doesn't follow the collegiate version of the sport. But like the Dukes and North Carolinas of the college basketball world, there are plenty of college golf powerhouses that continue to produce, though not necessarily graduate, some of the game's best.

Here's a look at the most prominent colleges and universities currently producing those on the PGA Tour (a minimum of three golfers, based on 2018-19 full-time membership, excluding medical exemptions and also determined on overall success). They are listed from least to most.

Coached by former PGA Tour member Mike Small , the Illini are a perennial contender in the Big Ten. The school currently boasts three golfers on Tour, with veteran and 2020 Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker still the biggest name. He's splitting his time between the PGA and Champions, the latter where he's won two majors this season, including the U.S. Senior Open. Sticker also finished tied for 22nd at the Memorial. Fellow Illini Scott Langley, meanwhile, was sixth at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this year.

San Diego State

Xander Schauffele actually began his collegiate golf career at Long Beach State before transferring to SDSU after his freshman season. A standout as an Aztec, Schauffele has won twice on tour this season and placed within the top five at both the Masters and U.S. Open. Fellow Aztecs Scott Piercy is a four-time career Tour winner and J.J. Spaun had two top 10s and has made over $1.1 million this season through June. 

Texas A&M

Many consider young Cameron Champ to be the next big thing on the PGA Tour after winning the Sanderson Farms in October. Champ highlights a trio of quality former Aggies currently on Tour. Ryan Palmer , who transferred to Texas A&M following a freshman season at North Texas, earned his fourth career Tour victory while teaming with Jon Rahm to win the Zurich Classic in 2019. 

We saw former Tiger Lucas Glover make a nice run at the 3M Open over the weekend. The 2009 U.S. Open winner has overcome some personal issues and is still making a living on the Tour. Kyle Stanley. meanwhile, has a top 10-finish this season. And don't forget Sam Saunders, grandson of legend Arnold Palmer . 

Adam Scott, Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman make up a relatively small but certainly strong contingent of PGA Tour members from UNLV at the moment. The trio has combined to win more than 20 PGA Tour events over the years, and each is still able to contend during any given tournament. Of course Scott is the premier member of that group and the only one to win a major championship.

C.T. Pan's victory at the Heritage provided some major exposure for the Washington program, which began the season boasting four former golfers on Tour. Pan also finished in the top five at the Charles Schwab, while fellow Huskie Joel Dahman finished second at the Wells Fargo and has made nearly $2 million this season on Tour.

Things seem to be going well for the guys from Berkeley. Max Homa's victory at the Wells Fargo in May helped lead a group of four Golden Bear golfers on Tour, and Byeong-Hun An has won more $1.4 million this year. Michael Kim is also the reigning John Deere Classic champ. Then there is Collin Morikawa, who just turned pro and nearly won the 3M Open.

Adam Long and Kevin Streelman are half of the Blue Devil contingent on Tour — and the two most prominent. Streelman has a pair of Tour wins during his career and two top 10s this season. Long, meanwhile, won the Desert Classic back in January for his first PGA Tour victory. Fellow Dukies Wes Roach and Ryan Blaum have also had their moments.

The Crimson Tide are not only about football. Just ask Justin Thomas, one of four full-time Alabama golfers on Tour. Thomas is the biggest name of the group, but Bud Cauley is considered one of the greatest ever to come out of the school and has two two top 10s this season. Trey Mullinax, who helped the Tide to the national title in 2013 and '14, had three top-10 finishes in 2018.

Florida State

The current Seminole charge is led by Brooks Koepka . The former All-American is the No. 1 golfer in the world and a threat to win every time he tees off in a tournament. Three other Florida State products are on Tour, including Daniel Berger , who tied for second in Puerto Rico in February. Fellow Seminole Jonas Blixt was fifth at the Charles Schwab.

Of the six golfers on full-time, non-medical status from the Longhorns, Jordan Spieth is the flag bearer for the program at the moment. He's still aching to get back to his winning form but remains the class of Texas golfers on Tour, Jhonattan Vegas is a three-time winner on Tour and has three top-20 finishes this season. There is also plenty of potential surrounding Beau Hossler.

Arizona State

It's been a stellar season for those golfers from Arizona State, seven of whom are active in 2018-19. Former Sun Devils have four wins on Tour this season. It began with Phil Mickelson's triumph at Pebble Beach in February. Wins followed from Paul Casey at the Valspar and Jon Rahm as a duo at the Zurich Classic event. At the Travelers, Chez Reavie took home the title in June.

Georgia Tech

There are eight current, full-time Ramblin' Wreck golfers on Tour who fit our criteria for this list, and Matt Kuchar is top gun at the moment. The PGA Tour leader has won twice this season and ranks among the top five on the money list. Fellow Yellow Jacket Cameron Tringale has two top 10s in 2019, and 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink is still making money on Tour at age 46.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys' 11 national team titles rank second only to Houston (16), so it's no wonder eight former golfers from that program are currently making full-time money on the Tour. Rickie Fowler , Charles Howell III and Kevin Tway are the three most notable Cowboys at the moment, and each has won an event during the 2018-19 season. Golf fans also saw a glimpse of the potential of another Oklahoma State, with Matthew Wolff, the 2019 NCAA individual champ, winning the 3M Open weeks after turning pro.

Georgia won its last NCAA national championship in 2005, but that has not kept the Bulldogs program from producing quality PGA Tour members at a consistent rate. More than 10 former Georgia standouts are considered full-time Tour players with Keith Mitchell and Kevin Kisner posting victories this season. Former Masters champ Patrick Reed began his tumultuous collegiate career at Georgia before leaving for Augusta State, and Bubba Watson, two-time winner of the Green Jacket, has also called the Athens' school home.

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University

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Three share lead with first-round 63s at CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open

John Keefer carded a first-round 9-under 63 to share the first-round lead at the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open. (Jay Fawler/PGA TOUR)

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba – John Keefer, Michael Brennan and Neal Shipley fired rounds of 9-under 63 in the first round of the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open and share the lead through Thursday. Daniel Hudson is fourth after an opening round 8-under 64, and five players are T5 at 7-under.

Keefer earned status for the North America Swing through PGA TOUR University after he finished 25th in the Class of 2024. Keefer jumped into the top 25 after a T11 finish at the NCAA National Championship.

In 141 career rounds at Baylor University, Keefer had a cumulative stroke average of 71.45, the best mark in program history. Keefer was also a two-time All-Big 12 selection in 2022 and 2024 and set the Baylor program record for lowest tournament score at the 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, where he carded a 12-under 198 and finished T2.

Brennan earned status for the North America Swing after finishing 12th in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking. The Wake Forest alum turned in a 6-under 30 on the front nine and made two eagles in the first round.

Brennan became the first player since 2015-16 to earn back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) individual titles after earning co-medalist honors in 2024. The Leesburg, Virginia, native is tied with Curtis Strange for the third most wins in Wake Forest history with eight.

After making five starts on the PGA TOUR, Shipley made his second start on PGA TOUR Americas last week at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op. Shipley birdied his final hole to get to 9-under at Southwood Golf and Country Club.

First-round play was suspended at 8:28 p.m. CDT due to darkness with eight groups yet to finish. First-round play will resume at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, with second-round tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

About John Keefer (T1/9-under)

• Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
• Residence: San Antonio, Texas
• College: Baylor University
• Fortinet Cup (start of week): Second
• Has a cumulative scoring average of 65.52 through seven starts this summer, which is No. 1 on PGA TOUR Americas
• Has made the cut in all seven starts this summer since earning membership through PGA TOUR University
• Finished his collegiate career with the lowest stroke average in Baylor program history (71.45), besting Jimmy Walker’s mark of 71.55
• Named to the All-Big 12 team twice (2022, 2024)
• Only individual to be named Big 12 Men’s Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year three times (2022, 2023, 2024)
• Set tournament scoring record at 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional with a score of 12-under 198
• Finished T11 at NCAA National Championship, the best individual finish at Nationals in Baylor program history
• Became the fourth player in Baylor history to be named to the Arnold Palmer Cup team (2022)
• Recipient of the 2024 Scout McNealy Award, which is awarded to a member of the Baylor Men’s Golf team that exemplifies excellence in their everyday life

About Michael Brennan (T1/9-under)

• Birthplace: Leesburg, Virginia
• Residence: Leesburg, Virginia
• College: Wake Forest University
• Fortinet Cup (start of week): 35th
• Finished as the No. 12 player in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2024; earned exempt status for the North America Swing
• Tied with Curtis Strange for third most individual wins in Wake Forest program history; the only players with more in Wake Forest history are Bill Haas (10) and Gary Hallberg (nine)
• Shared individual co-medalist honors with fellow PGA TOUR Americas member Frederik Kjettrup at the 2024 ACC Championship; Brennan became the first back-to-back individual ACC conference champion since 2015-16
• Best finish of the season was at the Explore NB Open (T4)

About Neal Shipley (T1/9-under)

• Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Residence: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• College: Ohio State University
• Fortinet Cup (start of week): 119th
• Earned low-amateur honors at the 2024 Masters Tournament and U.S. Open; Shipley became the first player to earn the honor at both tournaments since Viktor Hovland in 2019
• Was named a unanimous selection to the 2024 All-Big Ten First Team
• Led Ohio State in scoring average in 2024 (71.35); led the Buckeyes in birdies with 150 in 37 rounds
• Made five starts on the PGA TOUR as a professional in 2024, with his best finish coming at the ISCO Championship where he finished T6

Competition notes  

• Course setup: Par 72, 7,311 yards; R1 average: 69.130
• Weather: Cloudy with a high of 79; wind from the southwest at 3-9 mph with gusts up to 19 mph
• John Keefer, Michael Brennan and Neal Shipley share the first-round lead at 9-under.
• Three countries are represented in the top five and ties: United States (6), Argentina (2) and England (1).
• Argentina’s Andres Gallegos and Tommy Cocha (T5/-7) are the low Latins after the first round.
• Noah Steele, Max Sekulic and Piercen Hunt are the low Canadians after the first round (T10/-6).
• Hole No. 2 – the 228-yard par 3 – was the most challenging hole at Southwood Golf and Country Club, averaging +.250.
• The field made 731 birdies in the first round.

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Keegan Bradley edges Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, wins BMW Championship by one shot

Bradley was the last man in the bmw championship field, yet won the tournament in dramatic fashion..

Wire Service

6:15 PM on Aug 25, 2024 CDT

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — The BMW Championship was one tournament Keegan Bradley never thought he could win, only because he didn’t think he would be playing.

Bradley was a bundle of nerves one week ago Sunday as he sat in a hotel room in Tennessee with his bags packed and his season seemingly over. And then he squeezed into the 50th spot in FedEx Cup in the final hour, the last man in Castle Pines for the next playoff event.

From biting his nails in Memphis to holding a trophy in Denver. What a week.

“I can’t even wrap my head around it,” Bradley said after an even-par 72 gave him a one-shot victory over Adam Scott, Sam Burns and Ludvig Aberg.

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Related: Keegan Bradley takes early BMW Championship lead, Scottie Scheffler in striking distance

He doesn’t have much time to let his seventh career PGA Tour victory sink in. This created possibilities Bradley never imagined a week ago.

He heads to Atlanta for the Tour Championship at East Lake, where Bradley — who went from No. 50 to No. 4 in the standings — will start four shots behind Scottie Scheffler at East Lake with a reasonable chance at winning the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize.

And that’s not the only cup in play.

Bradley became the first Ryder Cup captain — he was appointed U.S. skipper just over six weeks ago — to win a PGA Tour event in nine years. He is an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup next month in Montreal.

The BMW title moved him to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings. Only the top six automatically qualified Sunday, but Bradley is certain to be under serious consideration when Jim Furyk makes his six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship.

Related: Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott set Castle Pines record at BMW Championship

“I don’t know where that’s going to go, but I’m happy to play whatever role they want me to play,” the 38-year-old Bradley said. “I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans, but I’m proud to be in consideration.”

Consideration came from winning, and this a rock-solid performance in the mile-high air and in wind that left several players guessing how far the golf ball was flying.

Bradley had some help from the Scott, who was tied for the lead until starting the back nine with three soft bogeys, all with a wedge in his hand. He missed par putts of 7 feet, 6 feet and 8 feet to fall three shots behind. But it was the approach shots that hurt him.

“Ten, 11, 12 kind of blew it for me there,” Scott said after his 72. “I was in position with wedges on every hole and made three bogeys. That’s almost unthinkable, really.”

Burns had a Sunday-best 65, nearly holing a bunker shot on the 18th. Aberg was in position to close the gap until posing over a 6-iron into the par-5 14th right up until it splashed down, leading to a bogey from which he couldn’t quite recover. He closed with a 71.

Related: Keegan Bradley leads over Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott at BMW Championship

Bradley, who finished at 12-under 276, effectively sealed it with a 5-iron from 227 yards in which he took dead aim behind two bunkers to a back left pin and watched it settle on the firm green 16 feet away, the closest anyone was all day.

“As pure a golf shot as I’ve ever hit,” Bradley said.

He two-putted for birdie and a two-shot lead, allowing him a cushion and time to soak up chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from thousands who encircled the 18th green and paid tribute to the Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches. Bradley got a lot of those cheers this week.

Scott’s last chance really ended on the 15th. Bradley was in deep trouble in a back bunker, forcing him to play some 25 feet away from the pin. Scott was in the fairway, 101 yards from the pin, and his wedge sailed the green into deep rough. They wound up with matching bogeys.

The consolation for Scott was moving into the top 30 who qualify for East Lake.

Justin Thomas somehow made it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, even though he was already home in Florida in the same nail-biting spot as Bradley was a week ago.

Thomas needed plenty of help to get the 30th spot, and it came from former British Open champion Brian Harman and Alex Noren. Harman needed a par on the last hole to stay in the top 30 and made double bogey.

Noren, who has never made it to East Lake, was poised to finish in the top 30 when he holed a 25-foot par putt on the 13th hole and made birdie on the 14th. But he finished with three straight bogeys, the most damaging on the par-5 17th, the easiest hole at Castle Pines. He had to lay up from a drive in the rough and hit wedge into a bunker. He shot 75.

Bradley earned $4 million for his second title in the BMW Championship, also winning at Aronimink in 2018 when he was the No. 52 seed in what was then a 70-man field.

Bradley and Scott joined Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Chris Kirk (69) who moved into the top 30 to qualifying for the Tour Championship. They bumped out Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy.

Dallas native Will Zalatoris finished tied for 13th place at 5-under for the week. He shot 1-under in Sunday’s round. Scottie Scheffler was even on Sunday and 1-over for the week. Scheffler finished tied for 33rd place.

Find more golf coverage from The Dallas Morning News here .

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Keegan Bradley goes from last man in to BMW Championship winner

• By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
• Aug 25, 2024

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Keegan Bradley went from the last man in the BMW Championship to a winner Sunday, closing with an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory that opened up all sorts of possibilities he never imagined possible a week ago.

Keegan Bradley celebrates on the 18th green after winning the BMW Championship golf event at Castle Pines Golf Club, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in Castle Rock, Colo. 

Bradley pulled away from mistake-prone Adam Scott early on the back nine and delivered a clutch shot into the par-5 17th that all but sealed the seventh victory of his PGA Tour career, and the most unlikely.

He was biting his nails a week ago, needing help just to finish at No. 50 in the FedEx Cup and qualify for the second postseason event. And then he managed the mile-high air, the wind and the Sunday pressure to win at Castle Pines.

"It just shows why you've got to grind it out because you never know how fast it can switch," Bradley said on the 18th green, where he stood alongside his father. Mark Bradley, a longtime club professional, had never seen his 38-year-old son win in person.

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The victory moved Bradley from No. 50 to No. 4 in the FedEx Cup, sending him to the Tour Championship where he will start four shots behind Scottie Scheffler in a 72-hole chase for the $25 million prize.

There's also another cup in play. Bradley, the first Ryder Cup captain to win a PGA Tour event since Davis Love III nine years ago, moved to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings. The top six after the BMW Championship automatically qualified, and Jim Furyk gets six captain's picks. Bradley will surely be in the conversation after winning for the third straight year.

Bradley heard plenty of "U-S-A! "U-S-A!"" chants as he went along the back nine at Castle Pines, the loudest coming on the 18th when thousands of spectators were allowed to encircle the green for the final touch of a big week.

Scott, a runner-up at the Scottish Open last month, was tied for the lead until starting the back nine with three soft bogeys, two of them with a wedge in his hand from the fairway. He birdied the closing par 5s, but lost a big chance when he overshot the 15th green from 101 yards.

He closed with a 72, though it also moved him into the top 30 who qualifying for East Lake.

Sam Burns finished with a Sunday-best 65, including a bogey on the par-5 14th, and shared second place with Scott and Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, who let another good chance get away with too many Sunday mistakes.

Aberg was 12 under on the par 5s going into the final round, and he played them at even par. He closed with a 71.

Justin Thomas somehow made it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, even though he was already home in Florida in the same nail-biting spot as Bradley was a week ago.

Thomas needed plenty of help to get the 30th spot, and it came from former British Open champion Brian Harman and Alex Noren. Harman needed a par on the last hole to stay in the top 30 and made double bogey.

Noren, who has never made it to East Lake, was poised to finish in the top 30 when he holed a 25-foot par putt on the 13th hole and made birdie on the 14th. But he finished with three straight bogeys, the most damaging on the par-5 17th, the easiest hole at Castle Pines. He had to lay up from a drive in the rough and hit wedge into a bunker. He shot 75.

The 17th is where Bradley, who finished at 12-under 276, all but sealed it.

Burns had posted at 277. Aberg and Scott remained closed. Bradley hit a 5-iron between two bunkers to a back left pin on a firm green to 16 feet, the closest shot of the day. He missed the eagle chance, but it gave him a two-shot lead going to the 18th.

And while he missed a 4-foot par putt that only determined the margin, he reacted with energy that has come to be expected from the 38-year-old New Englander. He thrust his arm in the air and soaked up the "U-S-A! U-S-A!" chants.

Bradley earned $4 million for his second title in the BMW Championship, also winning at Aronimink in 2018 when he was the No. 52 seed in what was then a 70-man field.

Bradley and Scott joined Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Chris Kirk (69) who moved into the top 30 to qualifying for the Tour Championship. They bumped out Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy.

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The 2025 PGA Tour schedule dropped. Here’s what’s changing (and what it means for LIV)

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PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced the Tour's 2025 schedule on Wednesday in Memphis.

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If you’re bored by the nuance of Signature Event scheduling and shifting title sponsors and just want to tell your buddies that the 2025 PGA Tour schedule is out and they say, “cool, what’s changing from this year?” feel free to steal that two-word summary. Not much.

And if your buddies happen to follow up with a question, something like, “hey, what’s going on with that LIV-PGA Tour deal…?” you could probably use the same two words, with a caveat for safety. So far, at least, not much.

Don’t take my word for it, though. On Wednesday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was in Memphis at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to announce the schedule and was asked this question: 

Does the release of the schedule now indicate that there’s not going to be anything with LIV, at least through next year or ’26 or ’27?

Monahan needed just four words in response.

“I think that’s fair.”

If those short, sweet answers satisfy your curiosity, feel free to scroll along to whatever’s next. But if you want a little deeper dive into each of those two questions —  what’s changing on the PGA Tour and what’s going on with the LIV deal — well, let’s get into it.

The 2025 PGA Tour Schedule’s out. What changed?

On Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET the PGA Tour emailed its players tipping them off to the impending release of its 2025 schedule. An hour later they released the full thing. And, at first glance, the 2025 schedule looks a lot like the 2024 schedule.

So what does the schedule look like?

-There are 36 “regular season” events plus the three-event FedEx Cup Playoffs, which means the season again runs from January to August, not including the FedEx Cup Fall.

-Those 36 events are comprised of the four majors, the Players Championship, eight additional Signature Events, 18 full-field “normal” PGA Tour events and five opposite-field events (now called “Additional Events”).

-The Tour was keen to highlight that the schedule is “fully sponsored,” pushing back against the narrative that the Tour is in trouble with tournament sponsors.

-Monahan referred to 2025 as the “second year of this reimagined schedule,” so through that lens the continuity makes sense.

-The 39 events from January to August take place in 18 different states plus Puerto Rico as well as a handful of countries: the Dominican Republic hosts an opposite-field event, the national opens of Mexico and Canada are each PGA Tour events, the Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland is hosting the Open Championship.

What are the changes, then?

-The majors change every year, so let’s start there. The Masters will be played at Augusta National (okay, that’s not a change) while the PGA will head to Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, N.C., the U.S. Open goes to Oakmont Country Club just outside Pittsburgh, Pa., and the Open returns to Royal Portrush at the northern tip of Northern Ireland.

-The Wells Fargo Championship has become the Truist Championship; when Wells Fargo let its sponsorship expire, Truist recently signed a seven-year deal with the Tour to take over the Charlotte event.

-Because Quail Hollow is hosting the PGA, the Truist Championship — which is a Signature Event — will take place at the Philadelphia Cricket Club for 2025 before returning to Quail Hollow in the years that follow. Oddly, the Truist Championship at Philly Cricket Club (a Signature Event) will happen the week directly before the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow (a major) and in some ways it feels like they should just flip the venues and play the Truist at Quail Hollow and the PGA at Philly Cricket…

-The RBC Canadian Open will take place at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley for the first time.

-The Canadian Open (June 2-8) is also back in its place on the schedule the week directly before the U.S. Open (June 9-15), flipping spots with the Memorial Tournament, which is now one week earlier (May 26-June 1) and because the U.S. Open is at Oakmont you now have something of a Midwest swing, or a cities-kinda-near-the-Great Lakes swing.

-It’s been interesting to see how the Tour stacks Signature Events with majors. Do you put ’em before majors, after majors or steer clear altogether? For 2025 the Masters will again come the week before the RBC, the PGA will come the week after the Truist and the U.S. Open will happen the week before the Travelers, while the Open Championship sits on its own.

-The ISCO Championship, the opposite-field event formerly known as the Barbasol, will now be held at Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Ky., still the week of the Genesis Scottish Open.

-The BMW Championship, the second event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, returns to Caves Valley in Owings Mills, Md., where Patrick Cantlay outdueled Bryson DeChambeau back in 2021.

-The Signature Events made two tweaks: No. 1, they’ll mandate a minimum field size of 72 players. No. 2, Tiger Woods will have a special exemption to play whenever he so chooses.

What does this mean for LIV-PGA Tour negotiations?

Like I said earlier: so far, not much . And that seems significant. There’s surely far more going on behind the scenes, but whatever that “something” is does not seem to have the PGA Tour and LIV on the brink of a blockbuster deal. Monahan was asked Wednesday about negotiations with LIV’s backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Here’s how he sidestepped that question:

“There’s tremendous momentum [on the PGA Tour]. I think that’s reflected in the energy you see coming in the Playoffs, the ’25 schedule, and we’ve seen and continue to see a lot more innovation, and certainly the conversations with the Public Investment Fund are an important part of the journey that we’re on this year and that we’ll continue to be on, and as I’ve said before, you’ve heard some players comment on, we continue to be in regular dialogue. I’m encouraged by that. But I’m really not going to offer more than that and not negotiate in public.”

Let’s add testimony from a few other relevant figures. First from Patrick Cantlay, who is on the Tour’s board — though not its “transaction subcommittee”:

“Well, it’s definitely quieted down, and I agree with you, there hasn’t been as much chatter the last few months, which has been nice,” he said. “I think that’s just kind of the nature of it. There’s going to be ebbs and flows, depending on what kind of information comes out or what announcements.”

He added that “whenever we do get a meaningful update, that’ll come back to the board, and then I’m sure we’ll have a discussion about it.” Which implies that there has not been a “meaningful update.”

Then there’s Rory McIlroy, who isn’t on the board but is on the transaction subcommittee. Has it been eating up his time?

“I haven’t been on a transaction committee call since June, maybe, at the Memorial,” he said. “The players aren’t expected to hop on those Monday, Wednesday, Friday calls. I actually haven’t been on one — it’s been wonderful. It’s been great.”

I’m sure it has! But again, not encouraging in terms of progress.

Then there’s Phil Mickelson, who spoke last week about his time with the PGA Tour. He used the past tense describing the Tour, while he added he plans to be involved with his current franchise, the HyFlyers, “probably through the rest of my life.” That suggests he’s planning on a lengthy LIV lifespan.

“My focus has changed to building something different. I tried for decades internally to do it with where I was at, and I feel like this is a better way to go to achieve the things that I want to achieve in the game.”

So if you’re fired up for another PGA Tour season to look and feel like this one, there’s reason to feel good about the stability of the product. But if you’re waiting for reunification, for Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm at TPC Sawgrass, for peace in the golfing world, don’t hold your breath.

You can find the full 2025 PGA Tour schedule below this lovely Phil Mickelson video.

2025 PGA Tour schedule

Dec. 30-Jan. 5 The Sentry (Signature Event) Plantation Course at Kapalua

Jan. 6-12 Sony Open in Hawaii Waialae Country Club

Jan. 13-19 The American Express PGA West

Jan. 20-25 Farmers Insurance Open (Saturday finish) Torrey Pines Golf Course

Jan. 27-Feb. 2 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Signature Event) Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course

Feb. 3-9 WM Phoenix Open TPC Scottsdale

Feb. 10-16 The Genesis Invitational (Signature Event) The Riviera Country Club

Feb. 17-23 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld VidantaWorld

Feb. 24-March 2 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches PGA National Resort

March 3-9 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Signature Event) Bay Hill Club & Lodge

March 3-9 Puerto Rico Open (Additional Event) Grand Reserve Golf Club

March 10-16 The Players Championship TPC Sawgrass

March 17-23 Valspar Championship Innisbrook Resort

March 24-30 Texas Children’s Houston Open Memorial Park Golf Course

March 31-April 6 Valero Texas Open TPC San Antonio

April 7-13 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club

April 14-20 RBC Heritage (Signature Event) Harbour Town Golf Links

April 14-20 Corales Puntacana Championship (Additional Event) Puntacana Resort & Club

April 21-27 Zurich Classic of New Orleans TPC Louisiana

April 28-May 4 CJ Cup Byron Nelson TPC Craig Ranch

May 5-11 Truist Championship (Signature Event) Philadelphia Cricket Club

May 5-11 Myrtle Beach Classic (Additional Event) Dunes Golf & Beach Club

May 12-18 PGA Championship Quail Hollow Club

May 19-25 Charles Schwab Challenge Colonial Country Club

May 26-June 1 The Memorial Tournament (Signature Event) Muirfield Village Golf Club

June 2-8 RBC Canadian Open TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley

June 9-15 U.S. Open Oakmont Country Club

June 16-22 Travelers Championship (Signature Event) TPC River Highlands

June 23-29 Rocket Mortgage Classic Detroit Golf Club

June 30-July 6 John Deere Classic TPC Deere Run

July 7-13 Genesis Scottish Open The Renaissance Club

July 7-13 ISCO Championship (Additional Event) Hurstbourne Country Club

July 14-20 The Open Royal Portrush

July 14-20 Barracuda Championship (Additional Event) Tahoe Mountain Club

July 21-27 3M Open TPC Twin Cities

July 28-Aug. 3 Wyndham Championship Sedgefield Country Club

FEDEX CUP PLAYOFFS

Aug. 4-10 FedEx St. Jude Championship TPC Southwind

Aug. 11-17 BMW Championship Caves Valley Golf Club

Aug. 18-24 Tour Championship East Lake Golf Club

Latest In News

Tour confidential: lydia ko's hot run, mega-purses and keegan bradley…playing-captain, 7 surprising players to miss the tour championship, lydia ko's stirring open win was a reminder: she's not done just yet, keegan bradley wins bmw championship, first title since captaincy nod, dylan dethier.

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America , which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

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