Sunday, December 22, 2024

TV Times: How to Watch the Memorial Tournament, LIV Golf Houston, LPGA in New Jersey

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PGA Tour: Memorial Tournament

Site: Dublin, Ohio.

Course: Muirfield Village GC. Yardage: 7,571. Par: 72.

Field size: 73 players.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.

FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.

Last week: Robert MacIntyre won the RBC Canadian Open.

Notes: The Memorial has moved dates as a signature event, now being held the week before the U.S. Open. This starts a three-week stretch of two signatures events sandwiched around the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. … Robert MacIntyre chose to withdraw and go home to Scotland after his Canadian Open victory. … The Memorial honorees this year are Juli Inkster and the late Tom Weiskopf. … Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun, who swept all the awards as the college player of the year, is playing on a special sponsor exemption. … The four regular exemptions went to Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar and Alex Noren, none on the PGA Tour policy board. Kuchar and Horschel are past Memorial champions. … Xander Schauffele is playing for the first time since winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla for his first major. … MacIntyre was the eighth first-time winner on the PGA Tour this year.

Next week: U.S. Open.

LPGA Tour: ShopRite LPGA Classic

Site: Galloway, New Jersey.

Course: Seaview Resort (Bay Course). Yardage: 6,190. Par: 71.

Prize money: $1.75 million. Winner’s share: $262,500.

Television: Friday, noon to 2 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Ashleigh Buhai.

Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.

Last week: Yuka Saso won the U.S. Women’s Open.

Notes: U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso is in the field. Her only two LPGA titles are the Women’s Open at Olympic Club in 2021 and Lancaster in 2024. … Se Ri Pak (1998) and In Gee Chun (2015) are the other players whose first two official LPGA wins were majors. … Karrie Webb is in the field under a Hall of Fame exemption. She last played on the LPGA Tour at the ShopRite Classic last year, missing the cut. She turns 50 in December. … One of the sponsor exemptions when to Gianna Clemente. She Monday qualified for three straight LPGA events in 2022 when she was 14. … Saso moved all the way to No. 6 in the women’s world ranking, all but securing a return to the Olympics. She competed for the Philippines in 2021. … Last week was the first time Japanese players finished 1-2 in a major. Hinako Shibuno was runner-up and is playing this week at the ShopRite.

Next week: Meijer LPGA Classic.

LIV Golf League: LIV Golf Houston

Site: Houston.

Course: Golf Club of Houston. Yards: 6,789. Par: 72.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Friday, 1-6 p.m. (CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (CW Network).

Defending champion: New event.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Last event: Brooks Koepka won LIV Golf Singapore.

Notes: This is the first time LIV Golf is playing in Texas. It returns at the end of the season for its team championship outside Dallas. … The Houston Open was played at the Golf Club of Houston from 2003 through 2019. LIV players who won the Houston Open there are Ian Poulter, Matt Jones, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey and Anthony Kim. … Bryson DeChambeau plays for the first time since his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship. … Twelve players from LIV have qualified or are exempt to the U.S. Open next week. … Jon Rahm has not won since signing up with LIV Golf last December. He is the only player to have finished in the top 10 at all seven LIV events this season. … DeChambeau (twice), Cameron Smith and Tyrrell Hatton are the only LIV players to register top 10s in the two majors this year.

Next event: LIV Golf Nashville on June 21-23.

DP World Tour and Ladies European Tour: Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed

Site: Helsingborg, Sweden.

Course: Vasatorps Golfklubb. Yardage: 7,295 (men), 5,772 (women). Par: 72.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $333,333.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Dale Whitnell.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Laurie Canter won the European Open.

Notes: The tournament features 78 players from each tour competing on the same course at the same time for equal prize money and one trophy. The women play from a set of tees that are roughly 1,500 yards shorter. … Among the past champions is Linn Grant, who is the only woman to be able to claim a European tour title. This version of the tournament is in its fourth year. … Jorge Campillo and Adrian Otaegui are in the field as they continue to chase the second spot for Spain in the Olympics. … Grant and Madelene Sagstrom are among the leading LET players in the field. … Seve Ballesteros won on this course in 1978. … This is the fourth course in Sweden used for the Scandinavian Mixed in its four years. … Dale Whitnell won last year for his first European tour title after 14 years and 106 starts on the circuit.

Next week on European Tour: U.S. Open.

Next week on Ladies European Tour: Ladies Italian Open.

PGA Tour Champions: American Family Insurance Championship

Site: Madison, Wisconsin.

Course: University Ridge GC. Yardage: 7,083. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.4 million.

Television: Friday, 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Steve Stricker.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.

Last week: Ernie Els won the Principal Charity Classic.

Notes: Steve Stricker is the tournament host and the defending champion, one of his six victories last year. … Ernie Els is in the field, coming off his first PGA Tour Champions victory of the year, and only the fourth of his career. … Padraig Harrington is not playing. The Irishman is to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday to start off the U.S. Open. … Among those getting a sponsor exemption are Wisconsin natives Skip Kendall and Mario Tiziani. … Stricker and Richard Green are the only players from the top 10 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings who have yet to win this year. … Corey Pavin is in the field. He won the last of his 15 titles on the PGA Tour in Milwaukee. … Stephen Ames remains the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year through 12 tournaments. … The U.S. Senior Open, the third major on the schedule, is in two weeks at Newport Country Club.

Next tournament: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on June 21-23.

Korn Ferry Tour: BMW Charity Pro-Am

Site: Greer, South Carolina.

Course: Thornblade Club. Yardage: 7,045. Par: 71.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.

Television: Thursday, noon to 2 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 9-11 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday-Sunday, 8-10 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay).

Previous winner: Adrien Dumont de Chassart.

Points leader: Tim Widing.

Last week: Kaito Onishi won the UNC Health Championship.

Next week: Wichita Open.

Other Tours

Epson Tour: FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, Battle Creek CC, Battle Creek, Mich. Defending champion: Siyun Liu.

Japan Golf Tour: BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup, Shishido Hills CC (West), Ibaraki, Japan. Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya.

Challenge Tour: Challenge de Cadiz, Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri, Cadiz, Spain. Defending champion: Sam Hutsby.

Sunshine Tour: SunBet Challenge, Gary Player CC, Johannesburg. Defending champion: Hennie Otto.

Legends Tour: Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy, Costa Navarino Resort, Pilos, Greece. Defending champion: New tournament.

Japan LPGA: Ai Miyazato Suntory Ladies Open, Rokko Kokusai GC, Hyogo, Japan. Defending champion: Chisato Iwai.

Korea LPGA: Celltrion Queens Masters, Seolhaeone GC, Gangwon, South Korea. Defending champion: Minji Park.  

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