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 (Max Homa)
THIS WEEK: Presidents Cup, Charlotte, Sept. 22-25
Course: Quail Hollow Club (Par 71, 7,576 yards)
Purse: N/A
Defending Champion: United States (16-14 in 2019)
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday, 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Friday, 11:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. (GC); Saturday, 7-8 a.m. (GC), 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 12-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (ESPN+)
Twitter: @PresidentsCup
NOTES: The United States holds an 11-1-1 record in the biennial event, which was postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The International team’s lone victory came in 1998, while the teams tied in 2003. … Due to LIV Golf players being ineligible for the event, a record 14 players will be making their Presidents Cup debuts. That includes eight for the International team, which also features a record five Asian players. These are the two youngest respective teams in Presidents Cup history with the International team averaging 28.8 years old and the U.S. team averaging 29.6 years old. Only two players on each team have competed in multiple previous Presidents Cups. … For the United States, Justin Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, while Max Homa won the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship at the course. Australia’s Adam Scott (3rd, 2006) and Hideki Matsuyama (T5, 2017) have the two best finishes for the International Team at the annual PGA Tour stop at Quail Hollow.
FORMAT: 30 total matches over five sessions, all worth 1 point for the winner and a 1/2 point to each team for a tie. The competition begins with five Foursome matches on Thursday followed by five Four-ball matches on Friday. Saturday will feature four Foursome matches in the morning and four Four-ball matches in the afternoon. The event concludes with 12 singles matches on Sunday. If the teams are tied in points after Sunday’s singles matches, they will share the Presidents Cup.
TEAMS (* denotes captain’s pick; # denotes debut)
International: Christiaan Bezuidenhout*#, Corey Conners#, Cam Davis*#, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim*, Tom Kim#, K.H. Lee*#, Hideki Matsuyama, Sebastian Munoz*#, Taylor Pendrith*#, Mito Pereira#, Adam Scott
United States: Sam Burns#, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Max Homa*#, Billy Horschel*#, Kevin Kisner*, Collin Morikawa*#, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler#, Jordan Spieth*, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young*#
BEST BETS: The United States is being offered at -700 at BetMGM, where the team is favored by 6.5 points at -125. The International team is being offered at +650 to win and at +100 as 6.5-point underdogs. … World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is being offered at +700 to be the top overall points scorer, followed by teammates Patrick Cantlay (+750) and Xander Schauffele (+800).
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Sanderson Farms Championship, Jackson, Miss., Sept. 29-Oct. 2
LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Portland Classic (Andrea Lee)
THIS WEEK: NW Arkansas Championship, Rogers, Ark., Sept. 23-25
Course: Pinnacle Country Club (Par 71, 6,438 yards)
Purse: $2.3M ($345,000)
Defending Champion: Nasa Hataoka
Race to the CME Globe leader: Minjee Lee
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday, 8-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel, Tape Delay); Saturday-Sunday, 12-3 p.m. (GC)
Streaming: Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 12-3 p.m. (NBC Sports App)
Twitter: @NWAChampionship
NOTES: The 54-hole tournament features a 144-player field that will be cut to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes. … Hataoka also won the event in 2018, when she set the tournament scoring record of 21-under 192. Hataoka hit a pair of hole-in-ones last year en route to beating Minjee Lee and Eun Hee Ji by a single shot. … Andrea Lee became the ninth first-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year. The average age of winners this year is 26.38. … World No. 1 Jin Young Ko remains sidelined while she recovers from a wrist injury.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: The Ascendant LPGA, The Colony, Texas, Sept. 29-Oct. 2
Champions Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Sanford International (Steve Stricker)
THIS WEEK: Pure Insurance Championship, Pebble Beach, Calif., Sept. 23-25
Course: Pebble Beach Golf Links (Par 72, 6,864 yards); Spyglass Hill (Par 72, 7,035 yards)
Purse: $2.2M (Winner: $330,000)
Defending Champion: K.J. Choi
Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday-Sunday, 9:30-11:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Twitter: @PureFirstTee
NOTES: There are six events remaining before the Schwab Cup is awarded. … The 79-player field will be paired with a junior amateur and two amateurs, with each team playing one round at Pebble Beach and one at Spyglass Hill. The field will be cut to the top 50 professionals after 36 holes, with the final round played at Pebble Beach and including the low 23 pro-junior teams and the 10 low amateur teams. … With wins in two of his past three starts, Stricker is third in the Schwab Cup standings behind Alker and Padraig Harrington. He is also one of five three-time winners this season, but is not in the field this week as he is helping the U.S. team at the Presidents Cup.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Constellation Furyk & Friends, Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 7-9
–Field Level Media