Golf returns from the holiday's in 2024. PGA, DP World, LPGA Schedules..

Dawn is an hour away here in Toronto on New Years eve, the unprecedented rain and mild weather (6*c) over the last 5 days of 2023 have moved off leaving us dry, green around the freezing point (0*c) heading into the opening week of 2024, where I have been looking at the world of pro golf which returns from the Christmas break.

* Europe begin 2024 as Solheim and Ryder Cup champions, with captain Luke Donald returning in 2025.

*2024 is an Olympic year in Paris, so all tours are on a condensed schedule. Men: August 1-4, Women: August 8-11

* The PGA/DP World Tours and the Saudi Arabian PIF funded LIV have announced that talks originally intended to wrap up today (Dec 31 /23) regarding the new future of pro golf have been extended until April prior to the Masters, casting a giant question mark over 2024.

PGA Tour: 

• Schedule

That's when the men who have won on the PGA Tour in 2023 and the others from the top 50 from last year Fed Ex Cup standings, (59 total field in all) will gather on January 4/24 on the Plantation Course in Kapalua for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, one of 8 "signature events" worth $20m, significantly won by Jon Rahm last year, followed by the first full field event on Oahu, the Sony Open. 

The DP World Tour 

• The Tournaments

44 events in 24 countries across 5 continents over 13 months worth $148.5m (excluding majors) is the new look 2024 schedule. The Middle East in the UAE is where they gather on January 11/24 for the new Dubai Invitational, then the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. 

LPGA  was announced earlier this week. 

33 events for $116.5m up $70m from 2021 a 69% increase, begins in Orlando, Florida January 18/24 LPGA Tournament of Champions for the 2023 winners, followed by the new LPGA Drive On Championship in Bradenton. They then are off for a month, before the Asian swing beginning in Thailand, Honda LPGA February 22/24 followed by stops in Singapore and China.

Canadians 

PGA Tour:  (8) Corey Conners, Mac Hughes  Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith, Roger Sloan, Ben Silverman. (The men had 4 wins in 2023.)

DP World Tour (1) Aaron Cockerill

LPGA (5)  Brooke Henderson, (Alena Sharp, Maddie Szeryk, Savannah Grewal all from Q School). Maude Aimee LeBlanc (returns from injury)

More to follow..

Bryan Angus

DP World Tour : Looking back at 2023 by the numbers..

 DP World Tour 2023

As the end of 2023 approaches, we take a look at some of the key numbers from another action-packed year of golf.

Brian Harman

1

The inaugural edition of the G4D Open provided a world-class stage for the very best golfers with disabilities to compete in a major.

2

Having not won on the Rolex Series since its inception in 2017, Rory McIlroy won on back-to-back occasions in Dubai and then in Scotland.

3

The number of players in Team Europe to go unbeaten as the hosts regained the Ryder Cup. Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre all avoided defeat in 16½-11½ triumph over the United States at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

5

With his two Rolex Series wins, McIlroy ended the 2023 Race to Dubai as a five-time winner of the Harry Vardon Trophy.

It was also the number of wire-to-wire winners on Tour in 2023.

6

On six occasions, a play-off was required to determine the winner on the DP World Tour in 2023. The most recent happened in the early weeks of the 2024 Race to Dubai with Joaquin Nieman beating Rikuya Hoshino over extra holes at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in December.

It was also the number of albatrosses on Tour, with Paul Waring making the first of the year on the Rolex Series stage at the Abu Dhabi Championship as he holed his second shot at the par-five 11th from 202 yards with a six iron at Yas Links.

7

Matt Baldwin's seven-shot victory at the SDC Championship in South Africa in March was the biggest margin of victory all year.

9&7

Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg's victory over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in Saturday's morning foursomes in Rome marked the largest margin of victory for an 18-hole match, foursomes or otherwise, in the history of the Ryder Cup.

19

The number of first-time winners on the DP World Tour in 2023. Among those were England's Dan Bradbury, Sweden's Ryder Cup star Ludvig Åberg and six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa.

30

The number of holes-in-one over the past 12 months. Of the 25 that occurred during the 2023 Race to Dubai, Bradbury made three - equaling a record for one season last reached by Miguel Ángel Jiménez in 2015.

37

From a possible 49 tournaments, South Africa's Louis de Jager made the most appearances on the DP World Tour of any player in 2023.

60

Matt Wallace carded a 12-under-par 60 during the third round of the DP World Tour Championship in November, the low round of the year.

The Englishman's nine-hole score of 27, 12 birdies in his round and run of nine consecutive gains matched the best all-time records on the DP World Tour but after heavy rain overnight earlier in the tournament meant players could clean and place their ball on the fairways, his round does not officially enter the record books.

62

Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele wrote their names into the history books as the American pair matched the lowest round at a men's Major by recording the lowest score in the history of the US Open at The Los Angeles Country Club in June.

63

Tommy Fleetwood became the first man to shoot two rounds of 63 in a US Open, with his final round total in California matching his previous effort at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.

81

During the third round of the U.S. Open, the par-three 15th at The Los Angeles Country Club became the shortest par three hole in history, measuring 81 yards.

106

Brian Harman broke the record for the least putts needed to win an Open Championship, taking just 106 to beat Todd Hamilton’s 109 at Royal Troon in 2004.

600

Thomas Bjørn made his 600th start on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, when he teed it up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland in October.

722

At the very same event, David Howell overtook Miguel Ángel Jiménez and set the new DP World Tour appearance record with his 722nd event. He has since made his 723rd at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship on the 2024 Race to Dubai.

Marcel Siem

3038

The number of days between Marcel Siem's fourth DP World Tour title at the BMW Masters in 2014 and his long-awaited return to the winner's circle with victory at the Hero Indian Open in February.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

DP World Tour features six players with break out seasons 2022-23

 DP World Tour 2022-23.

Across 46 tournaments in 24 different countries, performance was as high as ever as the stars of the game competed on a global stage across 185 days of competition.

Among the many storylines in a memorable campaign were the breakthroughs into the winner’s circle for six who appear set to enjoy long careers at the top of the game.

Ludvig Åberg

• Age: 24
• Official World Golf Ranking: 32

This time last year, only the most ardent observer would have known of Ludvig Åberg. Now, however, he is a household name.

After a stellar amateur career, culminating with him becoming the first player to join the PGA TOUR directly from college via PGA TOUR University in June, Åberg made an immediate impression as a professional. In his fourth start in the paid ranks stateside he finished in a tie for fourth at the John Deere Classic.

His rapid rise to recognition continued with back-to-back starts on European soil, winning his maiden DP World Tour title at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

The very next day he was rewarded with a Captain’s Pick by Donald, who described him as a “generational” talent. Across his four matches, he delivered two points, including a 9&7 win alongside Viktor Hovland against Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka – the biggest victory in an 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history.

After becoming the quickest player to compete in a Ryder Cup after turning professional, Åberg focused his attentions on the PGA TOUR fall schedule where he claimed his first PGA TOUR title in record-setting fashion at the RSM Classic in November.

Having started the year at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic ranked outside the world’s top 3000, the 24-year-old finishes it comfortably inside the top 50. He is indisputably one of golf’s superstars.

Vincent Norrman

• Age: 25
• Official World Golf Ranking: 71

It’s been quite the year for Swedish golf talent in the men’s game. Aberg's former international amateur teammate Vincent Norrman is another to have enjoyed a breakthrough campaign.

Having made his professional debut on the DP World Tour at the BMW International Open in 2021, Norrman played almost exclusively stateside in 2022, earning his PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour.

But it is firmly in 2023 that he has earned wider recognition. Victory at the Barbasol Championship in a play-off in July saw him earn his first DP World Tour and PGA TOUR titles.

Less than two months later, he claimed his second professional victory at the Irish Open as a final-round 65 saw him charge through the field and win by one shot at The K Club.

And he added further credence to the belief he will become an integral component in a new cohort of young European golfers who will enjoy success internationally, boosted by him having playing rights on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ryo Hisatsune

• Age: 21
• Official World Golf Ranking: 79

Having earned his playing privileges on the DP World Tour for the first time through Qualifying School last year, Ryo Hisatsune enjoyed a memorable maiden campaign.

The Japanese started his career on the DP World Tour in style by sharing second place at the season-opening Fortinet Australian PGA Championship last November.

That was followed by top tens in consecutive starts at the Hero Indian Open and Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa in early 2023.

His highlight came shortly after turning 21, he won his first DP World Tour title at the Cazoo Open de France – becoming just the third Japanese winner in DP World Tour history after Isao Aoki and Hideki Matsuyama.

Hisatsune recorded seven other top-ten finishes as he finished his debut campaign in 17th position on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

He ended the season by sharing 18th position in the DP World Tour Championship as he secured dual membership with the PGA TOUR for the 2024 season, taking the tenth and final available card.

His achievements saw him recognized as the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, beating a strong list of contenders to the prestigious award.

Matthieu Pavon

• Age: 31
• Official World Golf Ranking: 96

While some make an early impact as a professional, for others their breakthrough can come after years of graft. Matthieu Pavon can look forward to playing on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR next season.

For the Frenchman, it is perhaps a realization he didn’t believe would come his way. He has played on the DP World Tour since 2016, and while he has finished in the top 100 on the Race to Dubai in every year barring one, a title had eluded him.

That was until the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid when he powered to a wire-to-wire victory in the Spanish capital.

He already had four top-tens in 2023, but his triumph in Spain provided him an added boost of confidence that he used in the remainder of the season.

Daniel Hillier

• Age: 25
• Official World Golf Ranking: 140

There were two winners on the DP World Tour from New Zealand in 2023.

One was a familiar figure in Ryan Fox while the other was a player competing in his first full season on the DP World Tour.

Daniel Hillier graduated from the European Challenge Tour at the end of last season and made the most of it, emerging as one of 18 first-time winners on the 2023 Race to Dubai.

His winning moment came at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, after he went eagle-birdie-eagle in a three-hole stretch on the back nine in the final round at The Belfry.

That result in turn went a long way to ensuring he made it to the DP World Tour Championship as one of the top 50 on the Race to Dubai where he finished ranked 30th.

Dan Bradbury

• Age: 24
• Official World Golf Ranking: 151

Having only turned professional midway through 2022, Dan Bradbury made headlines last November with a wire-to-wire victory on the opening weekend of the season.

Coming into the Joburg Open with no status, he became the player with the lowest position on the Official World Golf Ranking to win a DP World Tour event, starting the week  1,397th.

As if the silverware wasn't enough, his life-changing first victory in what was just his third start on the DP World Tour also secured him a spot in the field for The Open at Hoylake.

The Englishman made every cut in his first seven starts, with his fantastic run only coming to an end at the Thailand Classic.

A sequence of four consecutive top 20s towards the end of the season culminated with his debut appearance at the DP World Tour Championship.

He finished the 2022-23 season 36th on the Race to Dubai and he has since climbed the world rankings with an encouraging start to the new campaign.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Merry Christmas, Happy healthy New Year !!

I just wanted to take a wee moment to wish everyone all the very best this Christmas and as we say good bye (or good riddance) to 2023, a happy, healthy New Year 2024.

Recently I posted my 5000th article on this site, and those don't include my blog on the Fan590 where I wrote, produced and cohosted our Fairways golf show every Saturday morning at 7am from 1992 - 2011, most of that with Bob Weeks and Scott Metcalfe.

My father Bill who was with us for 97 years used to call me " the horizontal champ" when I was a teen because while he never used an alarm clock he was up at 5am every day for work and could never get me out of bed.

Little did I know I'd follow in his footsteps,, especially my 20 years at the Fan590 up at 3.30am six days a week, doing morning radio with Pat Marsden and John Derringer before Derringer left in mid contract to return to Q107.

Our PD Nelson Millman to whom I am forever grateful for hiring me in 1992, replaced Derringer with a guy called Don Landry who now writes for the Argos, and when Pat retired, Gordie Stellick joined us. Our very talented board op at the time Jeff Sammut has gone on to broadcast his own show on Sirius radio "Canada Talks".

All those years at the Fan, I always made sure after giving my time 24/7 to the station I took 2 weeks off over Christmas and New Years to be with the family, and sleep in !! You may remember we ran our pre recorded Year in Review on air to give as many staff time off, and of course we still had the Leafs games on at night with Joe Bowen and various partners over his career, Bill Waters, Gord Stellick and Jim Ralph..

As I get older, now semi retired, writing here and working 6 months with the City of Toronto, time flies by, especially when I am off the "clock" at work, the days are over before they start.

That reminds me how important it is to make the most of every day, how important to make somebody smile, help those around you less fortunate even in all the little ways, tell your family you love them, set a good example. Life as you get older is fleeting....

Take care of your health, exercise, even just a 30 minute walk daily or as often as you can, see your doctor regularly, eat properly, drink moderately because I know being a type 1 diabetic who has survived a 2008 brain aneurism, " you never appreciate your health until you lose it"

If you are young reading this here are two good tips: 

** Surround yourself with 1. A great partner who should be your best friend, one you respect

2. A great doctor to guide you   3, A great dentist who will always be there for the inevitable

 emergencies  4. A great lawyer to guide you with your interests at heart, not his money 

5.. A great mechanic, one who you can trust

** Take care of your money when you are young, it will take care of you when you are old.

As always, see you for a very interesting, game changing year in golf 2024.

Bryan Angus

Where will the line in the Saudi sand be drawn in 2024

All the recent kerfuffle over Jon Rahm turning the pro golf world on its' head with his reported $500m dollar deal with the Saudi backed LIV series led me to say that in 2024 not just the pro golf world, but the rest of the sporting world will have to decide on where the line will be drawn on how big the Saudi influence, control is going to become.

At the base of all their wealth : Saudi Arabia (Kingdom) supplies a reported 15% of this planets petroleum.

At the base of their controversy : Their shocking disregard of human rights, including against women, culminating in the highly publicized murder of a dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi ( a columnist for the Washington Post amongst his titles) who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul October 2, 2018 by agents of the Saudi government at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed Bib Salman. This created tension between the Saudi's and the USA who have been pressured to cut diplomatic ties.

In 2022 when Phil Mickelson stormed into the world headlines, joining the renegade LIV series after admitting "they were scary **&^^!! to deal with, the battle lines were drawn. Us  (the status quo)  vs the evil Saudi's

Now a year later all that is and will continue to be changing.

Consider the following heading into 2024.

* Cristiano Ronaldo is making $200m a year playing for Saudi soccer team Al Nassr

* the PIF wealth fund who offered Lionel Messi $500m (he turned then down) owns Newcastle FC in the English Premier League.

* they host a Formula 1 race and were interested in buying the entire circuit owned by Liberty Media Corporation who turned them down

* they are investing $5 billion into the Indian Premier League cricket

* Saudi Arabia Riyadh will host the 2030 World Expo

* they are hosting the 2034 World Cup (soccer) after Australia dropped out of the bidding.

* men's pro tennis tour ATP has a 5 year deal to host a premier tournament in Jeddah, and talks with the women's tour WTA are reportedly ongoing with Billie Jean King recently stating " I don't think you really change unless you engage"

* Saudi company Aramco sponsors 6 events on the LET (Ladies European Tour) the "Aramco Series" began in 2020

* the "Saudi International" (golf) began on the European Tour in 2019 and many world stars like Dustin Johnson took huge appearance fees to show up to support it.

It became the flagship event on the Asian Tour in 2022 sponsored by the PIF at Royal Greens G&CC in King Abdullah Economic City.

* negotiations now underway between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Investment Fund will shape the "new normal" in the world of pro golf in 2024 with the ultra rich Fenway Sports Group now in the financial mix. They own the Red Sox, Pittsburg Penguins, Liverpool FC and NASCAR RFK Racing .

* if the LIV series dissolves under the new normal, it may explain why Rahm and all the others regarded as greedy turncoats in 2022/23 (Poulter, Westwood, Garcia etal) decided to take the money on offer with the thought of returning to the fold in the near future.

* so where will the line in the Saudi sand be drawn ? 

opinion :

Recently regarded as "dirty money," "sportswashing", iconic, trusted and revered sports men and women who continue to have secured their and their families futures the easy way with guaranteed money from PIF are legitimizing what the rulers of the Kingdom have set out to achieve, being viewed as a much more diplomatic entity eager to improve, rather than the bad reputation they have in the world order.

My money says it's just a question of how much of the world's pro sports scene will the Saudis be allowed to buy. When will enough be enough, when endless billions are thrown into the greed associated with the western capitalist economy.

Like everything else time will tell, and as the saying goes " heals all wounds".. 

Lets hope common sense finally prevails....

Bryan Angus

It's Louis Oosthuizen with 2 wins in 6 days.... final results/prize money

 DP World Tour : AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. Results

Louis Oosthuizen made it back-to-back DP World Tour wins after prevailing in an enthralling final-day battle at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

The South African entered round four at Heritage La Réserve Golf Club with a one-shot lead but soon saw that disappear as playing partner Jacques P de Villiers 71 -14, England's Laurie Canter 68 -15 and the charging Sebastian Söderberg all staked a claim.

It was nip and tuck over a dramatic back nine in the Indian Ocean but in the end Oosthuizen's 69 was enough to hand him a two-shot victory over Canter at -17.

South African de Villiers, Swede Söderberg - who carded the lowest round of the day with a 63 - and England's Daniel Brown 65 finished at -14 one clear of South Africa's Jayden Schaper 69 -13.

Oosthuizen's victory also saw Min Woo Lee crowned the winner of the Opening Swing, handing the Australian US$200,000 and a place in the second part of the DP World Tour season - the Back 9.

The triumph at the weather-delayed Alfred Dunhill Championship last time out was Oosthuizen's first for five years but he now has two in six days, with this week's coming over a course he co-designed with Peter Matkovich.

"Golf is the strangest thing," he said. "The last five weeks I've not done a lot with golf, I've played a few rounds and when I got to Leopard Creek I was working on a small little thing. I started hitting it really good and I know I'm putting well and then I just carried on with that momentum.

"I started off very poorly and that errant second shot on 16 made it interesting but I hit a few good shots coming in... I'm glad I held onto it.

"I'm glad I could pull this off this week, it's sort of a dream come true being able to play a tournament on a golf course you helped design and end up winning it.

"This is the first event my daughters have been to where I won, this is very special."

edit *** That's it for the DP World Tour until the Dubai Invitational, January 11-13 2024 at Dubai Creek Resort.

However there is much to be resolved in the meantime, with the PGA Tour in talks with the Saudi backed PIF, and also a group of wealthy American Investors which will directly affect the DP World Tour.

It may also affect the future status of the two camps LIV vs PGA/DP World Tour who have the game under such disrepute, scrutiny and criticism from both the public and players. 

The endless money pit that the Saudi's are determined to throw at not just golf but pro sports in general will need to be addressed, their reasoning, and motivation by so few who rule their country. 

Giving away $300,000,000 to Jon Rahm is the latest example of undermining the finances of a pro sport (golf), where despite disparities that could be resolved, their memberships were making a handsome living with plenty of sponsorships and incentives to succeed.

Good sponsors are losing their star players, The Ryder Cup,, one of golf's crown jewels is being devalued. leaders like Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley are under acute criticism, greed has replaced charity..

In the words of so many concerned..  "pro golf right now is a mess "

europeantour.com 

Bryan Angus (edit)

Oosthuizen leads after 54 holes in Mauritius... Saturday scoreboard

 DP World Tour : AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Leaderboard

Louis Oosthuizen moved himself into pole position to make it back-to-back wins on the DP World Tour with a third-round 65 at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

The South African lifted the trophy last time out at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and five days later opened up a one-shot lead as he moved to -14 at Heritage La Réserve Golf Club.

Countryman Jacques P de Villiers was the nearest challenger after firing a 68 -13 two shots clear of England's Laurie Canter, who carded a 65 to get to -11 

South Africans Jaco Prinsloo 67 -10 and Jayden Schaper 67 -10 were then four shots off the lead.

Oosthuizen - who helped design this week's layout alongside Peter Matkovich - made three eagles in his round to go with four birdies and two bogeys.

"I think that was the first time I ever did three eagles in one round and I missed a short putt for eagle on eight," he said.

"I played really well, I got very lucky on number 12 finding my ball and then made a big putt for birdie, but all in all just played well.

"I was giving myself opportunities and I still feel like I'm rolling the ball good on the green so hopefully I can do the same tomorrow.

"I'm playing well so it's all going to be on how I manage myself and think process around this golf course.

"It's nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time to come here as the co-designer but Peter has done a phenomenal job."

South Africans Pieter Moolman and Lyle Rowe carded rounds of 69 and 70 respectively to sit at -9, a shot clear of countrymen Darren Fichardt 70 -8 and Dylan Naidoo 71 -8, Germans Marcel Schneider 73 -8 and Marcel Siem 70 -8 and England's Paul Waring 72 -8

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Swede Söderberg leads in windy Mauritius .. full scoreboard..

 DP World Tour : AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open 

• Leaderboard

Sebastian Söderberg will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open after conquering the wind to card a 65 on day two at Heritage La Réserve Golf Club.

Conditions were much more difficult than they had been in the opening round but Söderberg had the best of them in the morning and he took advantage by carding the lowest round of the day by two shots to get to -10.

German Marcel Schneider 67 68 -9 and South African Jacques P de Villiers 68 67 -9 were the nearest challengers, one ahead of defending champion Antoine Rozner 62 74 -8 and English pair Daniel Brown 68 68 -8 and Paul Waring 63 73 -8

A previous graduate of both the Qualifying School and European Challenge Tour, Söderberg claimed a maiden DP World Tour win in 2019 as he defeated Rory McIlroy, Kalle Samooja, Lorenzo Gigli and Andres Romero in a five-way play-off to win the Omega European Masters.

The Swede has not added to that tally since but six top tens meant he enjoyed his best season on Tour in 2023, finishing 25th on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

And he has brought that form to the Indian Ocean in his first event of the 2024 campaign, following an opening 69 which saw him two over after 11 holes with nine birdies in round two to top the leaderboard.

"I didn't think I would be where I am at this point yesterday," he said.

"It's an exciting course, there's a lot of holes where you can make eagles or doubles and triples, it's a nice variation.

"I'm treating this week as a chill week, a little vacation on the side so I'm just going to try and do the same. It may be harder when you're in contention but the plan is going to stay the same - I'll maybe have a couple of beers on the beach."

South Africans Dylan Naidoo 68 69, Louis Oosthuizen 68 69, Lyle Rowe 66 71 and Wilco Nienaber69 68 Portuguese Pedro Figueiredo 68 69 and Dane Jeff Winther 69 68 were at -7

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

PGA Tour Q School final stage.. live scoreboard ***EDITED after 72 holes.. Final results

 PGA Tour: Q School Leaderboard

There are 167 golfers left standing down in Ponte Verde at TPC Sawgrass all vying for their 2024 PGA Tour cards over 72 holes of stroke play on Dyes Valley Course (DV) and the Sawgrass Country Club (CC) Each player will compete on each course twice.

Sung Kang (Garry Smits Times Union)

The top 5 and ties win their cards, top 40 get Korn Ferry Tour conditional status

edit ******Bad Weather suspends play Monday finish

Thursday: Rain develops 60% in afternoon wind 20-30mph W-NW

Friday : slight chance showers wind gusting to 20mph W-NW

Saturday: Rain 90% all day wind E 10-20

Sunday: 

After the heavy rain hit NE Florida overnight, officials have been forced to suspend play at this PGA Tour Q School on Sunday, with a Monday finish scheduled to be played in threesomes off two tees (1st/10th) on both courses beginning at 845am.

There are 6 Canadians who have made it one way or another, here are their names and scores after 54 holes

Sudarshan Yellamaraju  T14 -4 71 69 68 68  Status on Korn Ferry Tour

Etienne Papineau   T38  -1  74, 67 68 70  Status on Korn Ferry Tour

Myles Creighton  T45  E 70 68 72 70

Thomas Giroux T113  +7 77 68 69 75

Stuart MacDonald  T102 +7 74 71 71 71

Jared du Toit  T119 +10 73, 72 71 74

Aussie Harrison Endycott 65 68 65 67 -15... owgr 366, is your winner with full PGA Tour Status.

Trace Crowe 2nd -11 69 65 68 67 

Blaine Hale JR 3rd  -9 67 66 67 71

Raul Pereda 4th  -8 70 67 66 69

Hayden Springer 4th  -8 66 69 68 69

These guys realized a dream and will have full PGA Tour status for 2024..

Bryan Angus 

Final event of the 'Opening Swing' in Mauritius...lots to play for...rd1 live scoring.

 DP World Tour : AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Leaderboard

This week sees the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing conclude with the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, with plenty of incentive and a host of opportunities for those in action.

As part of the new-look schedule for the 2024 season announced in August, golf’s global Tour announced there would be three new and distinct phases on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open sees the brand-new La Réserve Golf Links stage the seventh edition of the popular tournament, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is the sixth and final event in the first of the five ‘Global Swings’ that form the first phase on the 2024 Race to Dubai.

So far, Min Woo Lee, Joaquin Niemann along with non-members (LIV) Dean Burmester and Louis Oosthuizen have won titles on the DP World Tour/ Sunshine Tour so far this season.

Aside from the chance to lift the final piece of silverware in 2023, there are several new rewards to be claimed before the DP World Tour’s 13-month global odyssey takes a break for the festive period.

As with the four other ‘Global Swings’, the Opening Swing has its own Champion who will earn $200,000 from an overall $1million Bonus Pool.

Each swing champion will also qualify for each of the ‘Back 9’ events, which form phase two of the season and will run from August 2024 to October 2024.

Before that, the leading member (not otherwise exempt) from the Opening Swing will qualify for next month’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the opening Rolex Series event of the year. click here.

Heading into the final event of the Opening Swing, Lee leads the rankings for the six-event stretch after a stellar start to the campaign on home soil.

The Australian claimed his third DP World Tour title with victory at the season-opening Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, before following it up with a third-placed finish at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

But with Lee not in action this week, and 500 Race to Dubai points on offer for the winner, there are three players who mathematically can overhaul the World Number 34 and emerge as the champion of the Opening Swing.

They are Darren Fichardt and Renato Paratore, who both earned their return to the DP World Tour at last month’s final stage of Qualifying School, along with the talented 22-year-old Jayden Schaper.

Fichardt, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour, comes into the week fourth on the Race to Dubai after a runner-up finish at the Joburg Open on the opening weekend of the season.

Just one spot behind him is Italy’s two-time DP World Tour winner Paratore after he too finished solo second at the Investec South African Open Championship a week later.

Schaper, who sits eighth on the rankings, has been a model of consistency with three top tens in as many weeks on home soil in South Africa.

Having gained his full DP World Tour card for the first time ahead of the new season, he continued his excellent start with a seven-under-par 65 on the opening day's play at La Réserve Golf Links.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Christmas comes early for Mac Hughes...details.

The golfing world was collectively shocked last week when former OWGR #1 announced he was jumping to the LIV after years of deriding the PIF Saudi backed series.

The news took a different turn in the Hughes household with a Monday memo from the PGA Tour.

With Rahm relinquishing his PGA /DP World Tour memberships the final FedEx Cup Playoffs and Eligibility Points list for 2023 was re-shuffled, moving the Canadian stalwart up a spot from 51 to 50.

He automatically earns a spot in ALL eight $20,000,000 Signature Events including the Sentry in Maui this coming January.

You may remember he shot a 3rd round -12 60, finishing 2nd to record setting Ludvig Aberg at the RSM Classic back in the Fall Series in his last outing.

Recently he took to his Twitter account saying that the state of pro golf over the last two years of the PIF backed Saudi LIV series poaching top PGA/DP World Tour players, 'is in a sad place"

"Fans want to see the best compete against each other. Instead we are watching the top players split into separate camps, it's frustrating to watch. 

The direction its headed in now isn't healthy or good for the sport. I know many of you are upset with recent developments, I would be too.

Charity used to be a huge priority on our Tour, but it has taken a back seat. LIV has over valued the worth of golfers so much that it has ruined our perspective and pushed purses to unsustainable levels. The marketplace seems broken.

When I was younger I dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour, I wanted to play with the best, and when I got there I couldn't believe how amazing it was. We've had some issues over the last couple of years, but it still an incredible place to work.

The uncertainty for us has been really difficult, but I remain hopeful "he posted while also calling on the Tours' leadership to lead them back " to higher ground"

Bryan Angus

Oosthuizen wins Alfred Dunhill Cup, Cockerill T15.. final results, prize money..

 DP World Tour : Alfred Dunhill Championship Results

Play resumed early this morning at the Alfred Dunhill Championship with Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel tied for the lead through 7 holes at -16.

Louis shot -2 69 -18 for the win (255,000 euros) while his friend and colleague Schwartzel came in at E 71 -16 to finish runner up. (165,000 euros)

It was Oosthuizen's 10th DP World Tour title and first in 5 years. Both players have opted to play the LIV series for the last 2 years so haven't been seen much apart from major championships.

Both like Dean Burmester, winner of the previous 2 tournaments have been allowed to play despite their bans because the event is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour which they are members of. 

Aaron Cockerill had his best finish of the Opening Swing in South Africa, T15 69 72 71 70 -6 worth 20,280 euros ($29,621 cdn)

The tour flies to the island of Mauritius for the final event before Christmas,  AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. Cockerill is not listed in the field. 

Bryan Angus

USA edges Internationals to win World Champions Cup,,, final results..

 PGA Tour Champions : World Champions Cup ...

• Leaderboard  

The USA led by Billy Andrade and David Toms rallied in the Sunday singles to edge Ernie Els

and his International Team 221-219 with Darren Clarke and his European Tea 3rd with 208 points.

The Internationals had led in the afternoon singles until Toms managed to win 2 points on the

8th hole, then both he and Andrade got 1.5 points each on the final 9th while both Retief Goosen

and VJ Singh drove into trouble and made none to let a close match slip away.

" It stings right now" said captain Els, " it's unfortunate, I think we just let one slip away, but it

was great matches, great golf, the format works, the games were tight, evenly spread, nobody

really broke away"

Each player on the USA team won $100,000.

Bryan Angus

Edit ***** Play suspended for the day at Alfred Dunhill Masters...live scoreboard

 DP World Tour : Alfred Dunhill Masters 

• Leaderboard

The bad weather I've been talking about all week has arrived as forecast in Malelane, RSA and with the rain came thunder and lightning rumbling through the Leopard Creek course and the adjacent Kruger National Park, sending the animals, except for the frolicking elephants, looking for cover.

The leaders at -16, boyhood friends, Luis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel had played just 4 holes before lightning strikes suspended play. 

Both the 1430hrs and 1600hrs were later postponed due to lightning, before officials finally announced a Monday conclusion at 9.00am local time. (4.00am ET)

Weather

Play was scheduled to resume at 1430hrs GMT which is 9.30am ET.  However my look at the forecast which showed the rain socked in as of 3pm local at 100% well into the night, and on until Monday proved to be the clincher.  FYI Monday doesn't look great either, but perhaps the lightning will have blown through allowing play to restart

Nobody has completed their final round.

Aaron Cockerill made it through 14 holes at -2 for a T16 -6. He has 3 birdies,, just the 1 bogey so far with four holes to play.

Bryan Angus