Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Fortinet Championship (Sahith Theegala)
THIS WEEK: Sanderson Farms Championship, Jackson, Miss., Oct. 5-8
Course: The Country Club of Jackson (Par 72, 7,461 yards)
Purse: $8.2M (Winner: $1.476M)
Defending Champion: Mackenzie Hughes
FedEx Cup Champion: Viktor Hovland
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
X: @Sanderson_Champ
NOTES: This is the second of seven events of the FedEx Cup Fall that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 season. Nos. 1-50 after the Tour Championship locked in their positions. Nos. 51-60 after the Fall series will qualify for two signature events next year: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. The top 125 will be exempt into full-field events and The Players Championship, while Nos. 126-150 will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and conditional status on the PGA Tour next year. … Ludvig Aberg, who went 2-2-0 in his debut for the winning European team, is the only player from last week’s Ryder Cup in the field. … Hughes defeated Sepp Straka in a playoff last year for his second career win on Tour. He’s trying to join Dwight Nevil (1973-74) as the only players to successfully defend at this event.
BEST BETS: Aberg (+1200) is the heavy pre-tournament favorite despite still seeking his maiden PGA Tour victory. The cross-Atlantic travel following the dramatic Ryder Cup week is the primary concern, as the Swede is already being hailed for his excellent ball-striking. … Eric Cole (+2000) was the only rookie to advance to the BWM Championship and he also finished second at the Honda, although he is still seeking his first PGA Tour win. … Emiliano Grillo (+2200) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 35 and the only player who qualified for the Tour Championship. He tied for fifth here last year. … Hughes (+6000) hasn’t finished higher than T30 in his past 10 starts, but the defending champ is one of the most accomplished players in the field and did qualify for the playoffs.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Shriners Children’s Open, Las Vegas, Oct. 12-15
LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (Hae Ran Ryu)
THIS WEEK: The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America, The Colony, Texas, Oct. 5-8
Course: Old American Golf Club (Par 71, 6,517 yards)
Purse: $1.8M ($270,000)
Defending Champion: Charley Hull
Race to the CME Globe leader: Celine Boutier
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday, 12-2 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Friday-Sunday, 7:30-9:30 p.m. (GC — Tape Delay)
Streaming: Thursday, 12-2 p.m. ET; Friday, 4-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (Peacock)
X: @AscendantLPGA
NOTES: With six events remaining before the CME Group Tour Championship, Boutier holds a slim 22.78-point lead over Ruoning Yin. Both players trail Lilia Vu by 21 points in the Player of the Year race. Ryu holds a 229-point lead over Grace Kim in the Rookie of the Year standings. … Hull defeated Xiyu Lin in a playoff last year, while also tying the tournament scoring record of 18-under 266 first set by Cheyenne Knight in 2019.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Buick LPGA Shanghai, Oct. 12-15
PGA Tour Champions
LAST TOURNAMENT: Pure Insurance Championship (Thongchai Jaidee)
THIS WEEK: Constellation Furyk & Friends, Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 6-8
Course: Timuquana Country Club (Par 72, 7,005 yards)
Purse: $2.1M (Winner: $315,000)
Defending Champion: Steve Stricker
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stricker
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday-Saturday, 2-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (GC — Tape Delay)
X: @FurykandFriends
NOTES: Two events remain before the start of the three-event playoffs. … The 78-player field features six of the top seven in the Cup standings, including Stricker, who seeks his seventh victory of the year. Stricker has earned more than twice this season as much as No. 2 Bernhard Langer, who is also in this week’s field. … Phil Mickelson holds the tournament scoring record of 15-under 201 set in the event’s debut in 2021. Stricker won at 14 under last year.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: SAS Championship, Cary, N.C., Oct. 13-15
LIV Golf League
LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Chicago (Individual: Bryson DeChambeau; Team: Crushers GC)
THIS WEEK: OFF.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 13-15
–Field Level Media