Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: BMW Championship (Viktor Hovland)
THIS WEEK: Tour Championship, Atlanta, Aug. 24-27
Course: East Lake Golf Club (Par 70, 7,346 yards)
FedEx Cup Bonus Pool: $75M (Champion: $18M)
Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 12-1:30 (GC), 1:30-6 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday, 12-7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Twitter: @TourChamp
NOTES: The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the season-ending event. The staggered scoring system means Scottie Scheffler will begin the tournament at 10 under par, two strokes ahead of Viktor Hovland. … Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau share the longest active streak, having reached the Tour Championship each of the past seven seasons. … Rory McIlroy is the only three-time FedEx Cup champion (2016, ’19, ’22), and seeks to become the first player to win in consecutive seasons. His six career playoff victories is tied with Dustin Johnson for the most all-time. … Patrick Cantlay is trying to join McIlroy and Tiger Woods as the only two-time Cup winners. … U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark is among five players making their Tour Championship debuts. The others are Tom Kim, Taylor Moore, Nick Taylor and Adam Schenk. Kim is the youngest player in the field at 21, while Lucas Glover is the oldest at 43.
RK. PLAYER, STARTING SCORE
1. Scottie Scheffler -10
2. Viktor Hovland -8
3. Rory McIlroy -7
4. Jon Rahm -6
5. Lucas Glover -5
6. Max Homa -4
7. Patrick Cantlay -4
8. Brian Harman -4
9. Wyndham Clark -4
10. Matt Fitzpatrick -4
11. Tommy Fleetwood -3
12. Russell Henley -3
13. Keegan Bradley -3
14. Rickie Fowler -3
15. Xander Schauffele -3
16. Tom Kim -2
17. Sungjae Im -2
18. Tony Finau -2
19. Corey Conners -2
20. Si Woo Kim -2
21. Taylor Moore -1
22. Nick Taylor -1
23. Adam Schenk -1
24. Collin Morikawa -1
25. Jason Day -1
26. Sam Burns Even
27. Emiliano Grillo Even
28. Tyrrell Hatton Even
29. Jordan Spieth Even
30. Sepp Straka Even
BEST BETS: Scheffler (+140 at BetMGM) finished second last week despite shooting 5 under on Sunday after holding the 54-hole lead. He enters the Tour Championship at No. 1 for the second consecutive year, having finished second to McIlroy last year. … McIlroy (+350) enters the week with 28 consecutive rounds of par or better, the longest active streak on tour. This is also his highest start since the Starting Strokes format was introduced in 2019, and he has finished in the top 10 in four consecutive playoff events. … Hovland (+450) shot a course-record 61 to win last Sunday, adding to a strong year that included a T2 at the PGA Championship and a win at the Memorial. … Rahm (+800) finished second to Cantlay two years ago and held the FedEx Cup lead for 30 weeks until his T31 at the BMW. … Schauffele (+2800) won the Tour Championship as a rookie in 2017 and has finished in the top 10 in each of his previous six starts.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Fortinet Championship, Napa, Calif., Sept. 14-17
LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: ISPS Handa World Invitational (Alexa Pano)
THIS WEEK: CPKC Women’s Open, Vancouver, Aug. 24-27
Course: Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club (Par 72, 6,709 yards)
Purse: $2.5M (Winner: $375,000)
Defending Champion: Paula Reto
Race to the CME Globe leader: Celine Boutier
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 7-10 p.m. (GC)
Streaming (Peacock): Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 7-10 p.m.
Twitter: @cpkcwomensopen
NOTES: The 144-player field will be cut to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes. … Reto defeated Nelly Korda and Hye Jin Choi by one stroke last year, when the event returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … 2019 champion Jin Young Ko holds the tournament scoring record of 26-under 262. She is in the field this week along with fellow former champions Brooke Henderson (2018), Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), Lydia Ko (2012, 2013, 2015), Brittany Lincicome (2011) and Cristie Kerr (2006).
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Portland Classic, Aug. 31-Sept. 3
PGA Tour Champions
LAST TOURNAMENT: Shaw Charity Classic (Ken Duke)
THIS WEEK: The Ally Challenge, Grand Blanc, Mich., Aug. 25-27
Course: Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club (Par 72, 7,085 yards)
Purse: $2M (Winner: $300,00)
Defending Champion: Steve Stricker
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stricker
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (Golf Channel, tape delay); Saturday, 3-5 p.m. (GC); Sunday, 1:30-4 p.m. (GC)
Twitter: @AllyChallenge
NOTES: The 54-hole event is the 20th of 28 tournaments on the 2023 schedule, with six remaining before the start of the playoffs. … Stricker leads the standings with $3,593,060 in winnings, followed by Bernhard Langer with $1,659,355 … The 78-player field includes five World Golf Hall of Fame members: Langer, Retief Goosen, Davis Love III, Mark O’Meara and Vijay Singh. … 2021 champion Joe Durant holds the tournament scoring record of 17-under 199.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Ascension Charity Classic, St. Louis, Sept. 8-10
LIV Golf League
LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Bedminster (Individual: Cameron Smith; Team: Ripper GC)
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Season Leaders: Individual, Smith; Team, 4Aces GC
NEXT TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Chicago, Rich Harvest Farms, Ill., Sept. 22-24
–Field Level Media