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What is the PGA Tour Champions?

Learn the similarities and differences between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions

• DESCRIPTION Bernhard Langer, the champions tour money leader
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The PGA Tour Champions, commonly known as the Champions Tour, is the PGA Tour's professional senior tour, where the best golfers aged 50 and above compete.

Champions Tour Qualifying

In general, qualifying for PGA Tour Champions events is restricted to those players who finished in the top 50 of last year's competition and those age eligible players who are in the top 70 of the all-time money list from PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions events.

In addition, exemptions are given to members of the World Golf Hall of Fame and winners of previous PGA Tour Champions events. As with PGA Tour events, sponsors are also allowed to bring a small number of golfer's into a given event.

A select number of spots in Champions Tour events are also up for grabs each week through Monday qualifying , similar to other professional tours.

History of the Champions Tour

While senior golf tournaments, like the Senior PGA Championship, have been around since 1937, a formal PGA Tour for seniors was not established until 1980. Don January and Arnold Palmer were the tour’s first two winners.

The idea for a senior tour grew out of the highly successful 1978 Legends of Golf tournament at Onion Creek Club in Austin, Texas. The event featured competition from some of the greatest senior golfers at the time who competed in teams of two.

From 1980 until 2002, the tour was known as the Senior PGA Tour before transitioning to the Champions Tour until the latest name change to PGA Tour Champions in 2016.

A typical seasons on the Champions Tour consists of 26 events, mostly in the United States.

PGA Tour & Champions Tour Differences

While sharing many similarities with the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions has several differences.

One difference is the allowance of golf carts at some events. Most of the events take place over three rounds  with 54 holes and no cut instead of four rounds totalling 72 holes with a 36-hole cut on the PGA Tour.

While there are seldom cuts in the PGA Tour Champions events, three of the five senior majors play a standard four-round, 72 hole tournament with a 36-hole cut.

Senior Majors

Just like the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions has its own series of major championships. The senior majors include The Tradition, the Senior PGA Championship, the Senior Players Championship, the U.S. Senior Open, and The Senior Open Championship.

Charles Schwab Cup

Each year, the tour ends in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the final tournament in a three-tournament play-off series mirrored after the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.

The Charles Schwab Cup began in 1990 and took its current format in 2016, when the tour moved to a playoff format, and the top 72 players on the money list automatically qualify for the first playoff event.

There is also a Wildcard Weekend the week prior to the playoffs at the SAS Championship which allows for one player who finishes in the top 10 that week, but is outside the money list’s top 72, to advance to the playoffs.

The first playoff event is the Dominion Energy Charity Classic event at Richmond’s Country Club of Virginia James River Course. The second event is the Simmons Bank Championship at Pleasant Valley CC in Little Rock Arkansas, and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the final event, takes place at Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona.

Champions Tour All-Time Money List

Since the PGA Tour Champions inception in 1980, the circuit continues to grow. Lee Trevino became the first senior tour winner to win $1 million in 1990.

Hale Irwin is the winningest golfer in Champions history with 45 victories, but isn’t at the top of the all-time money winner list. There have been six golfers to surpass the $15 million mark, three have surpassed the $20 million and one player, Bernhard Langer, has made more than $30 million dollars.

As of the finish of the 2023 season, here are the top 10 PGA Tour of Champions All-time Money winners.

Image: Quinn Harris/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

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Meet the 5 players who earned their 2023 pga tour champions tour cards, share this article.

Five players earned their way onto the PGA Tour Champions this week at the Final Qualifying Tournament at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. Some have loads of experience on the tour to thank, others will have to work out the kinks as they continue their journey.

For starters, Richard Green, the man who won the event Friday, has just two PGA Tour Champions starts to his name. However, he’s won multiple times on the now DP World Tour.

David McKenzie, one of the players to finish T-3 and make it through, has made over 100 starts on the senior circuit, finishing runner-up twice.

Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee failed to qualify, but had an adventurous 4-under third round . PGA champion Shaun Micheel and Bob May fell short.

Meet the five players who earned PGA Tour Champions cards below.

Five cards secured. 😎😎😎😎😎 Pictured left ➡️ right: Richard Green David McKenzie Timothy O'Neal Wes Short, Jr. @CoopsGolf pic.twitter.com/ZT83tGqX2P — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) December 9, 2022

Richard Green — Medalist (18 under)

Richard Green of Australia poses with the trophy during Day Three of the WINSTONgolf Senior Open at WINSTONgolf on July 17, 2022 in Vorbeck, Germany. (Photo by Phil Inglis/Getty Images)

PGA Tour starts: 43 Best finish: T-4, 2007 The Open Championship PGA Tour Champions starts: 3 Best finish: T-41, 2022 The Senior Open Championship

Wes Short, Jr. — Second (14 under)

Wes Short Jr. hits his tee shot on the 4th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

PGA Tour starts: 94 Best finish: Win, 2005 Shriners Children’s Open PGA Tour Champions starts: 213 Best finish: Win, twice

Tim O’Neal — T-3 (13-under)

Tim O’Neal at the 2022 Ascension Charity Classic at Norwood Hills Country Club in St Louis. (Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

PGA Tour starts: 8 Best finish: N/A PGA Tour Champions starts: 2 Best finish: T-19, 2022 Pure Insurance Championship

Brian Cooper — T-3 (13-under)

PGA Tour starts: 0 PGA Tour Champions starts: 10 Best finish: T-43, 2019 Principal Charity Classic

David McKenzie — T-3 (13-under)

David McKenzie of Australia watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at The Country Club of Virginia on October 21, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

PGA Tour starts: 29 Best finish: Seventh, 2006 Valero Texas Open PGA Tour Champions starts: 102 Best finish: Runner-up, twice

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What you need to know for the 2023 pga tour champions season.

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The PGA Tour Champions will begin its 44th season this week in Hawaii, and there is an abundance of storylines to keep an eye on this year.

Steven Alker, the reigning Charles Schwab Cup winner, looks to continue his Cinderella run in 2023, which will be his second full season on tour. The 51-year-old New Zealander, who won four times in ’22, is looking to become the first repeat Schwab Cup champion since Bernhard Langer claimed the title in three consecutive years from 2014-16.

Speaking of Langer, he’s staring at history.

The 65-year-old German, who became the tour’s oldest-ever winner last season, has 44 senior tour titles — one victory away from tying Hale Irwin’s all-time record. Langer has strung together 10 straight multi-win seasons, and if the two-time Masters champion makes it 11 in 2023, he’ll sit alone at the top.

Langer is defying time. He finished sixth last year in the cup standings and won it in ’21. Father Time, however, is ultimately undefeated, and in November, days before winning the TimberTech Championship, Langer said he’s “closer” to retirement, but isn’t ready to shelve his clubs just yet.

Some of Langer’s biggest challengers for a seventh Schwab Cup will be 2021 Ryder Cup captains Steve Stricker, 55, and Padraig Harrington, 51, who both tied Alker for the most wins (four) in ’22. Stricker notched that feat despite missing nearly half of the season recovering from a mysterious illness.

Jerry Kelly, Fred Couples, Thongchai Jaidee, Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jiménez, who led the circuit last year in top-10s with 16, hope to follow up strong seasons. Ernie Els, Mike Weir, David Toms, K.J. Choi, Alex Cejka, Stephen Ames and 2021 Rookie of the Year Jim Furyk are looking to take home a trophy after a winless ’22.

Second-year players Y.E. Yang, Ken Duke, Tim Petrovic, Brian Gay and Robert Karlsson are aiming for their maiden wins, while former world No. 1 David Duval hopes for a bounce-back sophomore campaign after his best finish last year in 21 events was a T-31.

Several years ago, Notah Begay III and Justin Leonard both traded in their clubs for a microphone. However, after turning 50 last year and getting their feet wet on the PGA Tour Champions, they both headline this year’s rookie class.

Leonard, the 1997 Open champion, last played full-time on the PGA Tour in 2015, but called it quits after failing to record a top-10 in consecutive seasons. Begay, a four-time Tour winner, made his final Tour-sanctioned start in 2013, as back injuries took a toll on him. They both competed a little last year on the senior set, with Begay playing twice and Leonard four times.

Both still plan to fulfill their broadcasting duties with Golf Channel and NBC Sports and hope their double schedule won’t wear them down as try to recapture glory on the course.

“It’s a little bit of a juggling act,” Leonard said in September, “but I knew going in and I enjoy both things. It’s a great crew at NBC, but I’ve really enjoyed also getting back into playing and practicing ... It’s something that I didn’t really know I had missed.”

“I’m trying to schedule around my kids’ birthday parties and basketball games and things like that,” Begay said in October. “My NBC schedule, obviously I’m going to do a little bit of television next year. I took a look at the schedule and looking at somewhere between 12 and 15 events and hopefully make some of the playoff events. It’s a pretty full docket for me and I’m going to require some good organization. Do you know anybody that can help me?”

Begay and Leonard, however, won’t be the only notable newbies on the over-50 circuit this season. There’s the five Q-School recipients, which include Tim O’Neal. Plus, Tour winners Boo Weekley, Jason Bohn, Daniel Chopra, Brian Bateman and Stewart Cink are expected to make their debuts this year.

“I will probably sprinkle in a few [PGA Tour Champions] events, but my plan is to focus on PGA Tour golf for a while,” Cink, the 2009 Open champion who turns 50 in May, said at December’s PNC Championship.

But every season, you never know whose golf career can be given a second lease on life.

In August 2021, Alker was virtually unknown, never recording a top-10 in 122 career Tour starts. However, shortly after turning 50, he Monday qualified for the Boeing Classic and finished T-7. With the top 10, he got into the following event and then recorded six straight top-10s before notching his maiden victory.

Now, playing alongside a slew of regular major winners, Alker is arguably the face of the tour entering 2023.

2021 PGA Tour Champions schedule features 25 events, new events, playoff lineup for combined season

The PGA Tour has announced the 2021 PGA Tour Champions schedule, with the 50-and-up docket boasting 25 official events, with several new sponsors and tournaments.

The nearly $56 million schedule starts in Hawaii from January 16-18 with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

A new event is the Ascension Charity Classic, played in St. Louis before leading into the back stretch of the season. It was set to be played for the first time this year but was moved to 2021. The other new event is the Constellation Furyk and Friends tournament played Oct. 8-10 at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.

Four of the five PGA Tour Champions majors were cancelled in 2020, but they'll all return in 2021.

The US Senior Open is in Nebraska at the Omaha Country Club, with the Senior Open at Sunningdale. The Senior PGA Championship moves away from Harbor Shores in Michigan to Southern Hills in Tulsa, as it will continue to do in odd-numbered years.

The Morocco Champions has left the schedule, as has the Rapiscan Systems Classic, Mastercard Japan Championship and Boca Raton Championship.

The Charles Schwab Cup playoff has changed, with the Dominion Energy Charity Classic kicking off the proceedings with 72 players from Oct. 16-18. The Boca Raton Championship will have 54 players in Florida after a week off ahead of the 36-player Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club in Arizona.

The season will end a week earlier than the 2019 season.

2021 PGA Tour Champions schedule

• Jan. 21-23 (Saturday finish) -- Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Hualalai Golf Course, Ka'upulehu-Kona, HI, $1,800,000
• Feb. 26-28 -- Cologuard Classic, Omni Tucson National (Catalina Course), Tucson, AZ, $1,700,000
• March 5-7 -- Hoag Classic, Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, CA, $1,800,000 (canceled)
• Apr. 16-18 -- Chubb Classic, Tiburon Golf Club (Black Course), Naples, FL, $1,600,000
• April 30 - May 2-- Insperity Invitational, The Woodlands Country Club (Tournament Course), The Woodlands, TX (Houston), $2,250,000
• May 6-9 -- Regions Tradition, Greystone Golf & Country Club, Birmingham, AL, $2,500,000
• May 14-16 -- Mitsubishi Electric Classic, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, GA, $1,800,000
• May 21-24 -- KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, OK, $3,500,000
• June 4-6 -- Principal Charity Classic, Wakonda Club, Des Moines, IA, $1,850,000
• June 11-13 -- American Family Insurance Championship, University Ridge Golf Course, Madison, WI, $2,400,000
• June 24-27 -- Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, Firestone Country Club, Akron, OH, $3,000,000
• July 1-4 -- Dick'S Sporting Goods Open, En-Joie Golf Course, Endicott, NY, $2,050,000
• June 8-11 -- U.S. Senior Open Championship, Omaha Country Club, Omaha, NE, $4,000,000
• July 22-25 -- Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex, Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England, $2,500,000
• Aug. 13-15 -- Shaw Charity Classic, Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, Calgary, AB, Canada, $2,350,000
• Aug. 20-22 -- Boeing Classic, The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, WA, $2,100,000
• Aug. 27-29 -- The Ally Challenge, Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Grand Blanc, MI, $2,000,000
• Sept. 10-12 -- Ascension Charity Classic, Norwood Hills Country Club, St. Louis, MO, $2,000,000
• Sept. 17-19 -- Sanford International, Minnehaha Country Club Sioux Falls, SD, $1,800,000
• Sept. 24-26 -- Pure Insurance Championship, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course, Pebble Beach, CA, $2,200,000
• Oct. 8-10 -- Constellation Furyk and Friends, Timuquana Country Club, Jacksonville, FL, $2,000,000
• Oct. 11-13 -- SAS Championship, Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC, $2,100,000
• Oct. 22-24 -- Dominion Energy Charity Classic, The Country Club of Virginia (James River Course), Richmond, VA, $2,000,000
• Nov. 5-7 -- TBD Second Playoff Event, $2,000,000
• Nov. 11-14 -- Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Phoenix Country Club Phoenix, AZ, $2,500,000

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Breaking news, new york will host blockbuster manchester city-ac milan, barcelona-real madrid summer friendlies.

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Several of the biggest soccer teams in the world will take the pitch in the New York metropolitan area this summer. 

MetLife Stadium and Yankee Stadium will play host to two of the six matches that will be part of the 2024 Soccer Champions Tour, The Post has learned, which takes place from July 27 to Aug. 6 and involves European heavyweights Real Madrid, AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea. 

The two matches in the New York area pit Man City against AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on July 27 and Real Madrid against FC Barcelona at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 3. 

“Soccer Champions Tour is thrilled to return this summer with enticing matchups featuring some of the world’s most storied clubs for fans in the U.S. to witness the beautiful game at the highest level,” Commissioner of Soccer Champions Tour Joe Carr said in a statement. “With all five clubs possessing passionate supporters that span the globe, we’re pleased to unveil an exciting range of matches throughout the U.S., a market experiencing exponential growth in the sport’s popularity.”

Matches will also take place in Orlando (Barcelona-Manchester City), Chicago (AC Milan-Real Madrid), Baltimore (Barcelona-AC Milan) and Charlotte (Real Madrid-Chelsea) as part of the Soccer Champions Tour. 

New York has long been a summer stop for touring international clubs, but carries some extra significance as the metropolitan area gears up to host the World Cup final in 2026.

MetLife Stadium was selected by FIFA last month to host the coveted game, beating out AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, among other potential sites. 

With the World Cup coming to North America in two short years’ time, the profile of the sport is growing, and friendlies featuring some of the biggest teams in soccer can only help generate more interest. 

AC Milan boasts US men’s national team star Christian Pulisic on the roster.

Pulisic has been red-hot in his debut season with the Serie A club. He has 12 goals this season for AC Milan and has scored in four straight games recently.

It’s also fitting that AC Milan and Man City will make a stop at Yankee Stadium with both clubs having ties to the Yankees. 

The Bronx Bombers own a minority stake in AC Milan and they partnered with City Football Group – owners of Man City – in establishing MLS’ New York City Football Club, which plays part of its home schedule at Yankee Stadium. 

Manchester City faced Chelsea in The Bronx in 2013, days after MLS announced NYCFC would join the league as its 20th franchise.

Real Madrid, already boasting a lineup led by midfielder Jude Bellingham, is expected to add superstar forward Kylian Mbappé in a marquee move this summer.

The August match will be Real Madrid’s third time playing at MetLife Stadium and FC Barcelona’s second time playing at the home of the Jets and Giants. 

Barcelona last played in the area in 2022, when the Spanish giants faced the New York Red Bulls in a friendly at Red Bull Arena.

Pre-sale tickets for all matches will be available on March 25, and general tickets go on sale March 27 via the Soccer Champions Tour website .

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Join the GOLF team at Pinehurst this May

7 surprising things we noticed walking a Champions tour practice range

At the recent 2020 Cologuard Classic at Omni Tucson National in Arizona, I was able to catch up with some golf legends to see what equipment they’re using.

There are a few general differences between the Champions Tour and the PGA Tour. Most importantly, equipment contracts are much more flexible on the Champions Tour, so even players who have equipment deals with just one company can be free to use clubs from different OEMs. That means that bags are more eclectic than on the PGA Tour.

Also, Champions Tour players are bit more stuck in their ways than PGA Tour players. So, as you’ll notice below, Champions Tour players tend to use older equipment than others. (That’s music to the ears of golf gearheads.)

As such, let’s dive into my seven interesting equipment observations from the Cologuard Classic.

1. Bernhard Langer’s mixed set of irons

Bernhard Langer, who ended up winning the 2020 Cologuard Classic by two shots, employs a unique take on a “mixed set” of irons.

Combining blade short irons with cavity-back long irons isn’t uncommon , even on the PGA Tour. But using irons from different companies throughout an iron set is mostly unheard of.

Master craftsman Mike Taylor (now of Artisan Golf), who has worked with Langer for years on his irons, says that Langer sees each iron as a separate tool rather than part of a set. That’s why Langer has a TaylorMade RSi pitching wedge, Artisan Golf blade short irons (7-9 iron), an Adams Idea 6-iron, and Artisan Golf cavity-back 4- and 5-irons.

Langer truly individualizes each of his irons for the ultimate in precision, and it undeniably works for him.

2. Notice anything missing?

Walk on the range at a PGA Tour event and you’ll see nearly every single player with a portable Trackman setup behind them, tracking data on every shot they hit. That’s not the case on the Champions Tour. The only players I saw working with Trackman were Darren Clarke (who was using it to fit into a new fairway wood) and Rocco Mediate. Every other player was simply hitting range balls with no data feedback.

Curious, I asked David Toms why Champions Tour players opted for the old school way of hitting range balls:

“Part of it is a lot of us grew up without it. We never had it when we were playing the regular Tour. Most of us probably use it at home. I use it at home, I just don’t bring it out here,” he said. “My swing is not going to change a whole lot, even though I’ll work on things. If the Trackman tells me my swing is in-to-out, I probably already know that based on what my golf ball is doing. So we already know a lot about our golf games at this point in our career. Or you just aim right or aim left. I mean, right?

“Do [PGA Tour players] have one because the next guy has one? Do they have one because that’s their crutch? They have their teams now, their posses … for us, it’s more about that our whole career we spent trying to figure it out on our own, or with our caddie or coach. I think we all use Trackman to fit clubs. Sometimes you have to use it to fit clubs, but to sit here and practice with one? It’s not going to happen with me and it’s not going to happen with very many of us.”

3. That being said…

Maybe Champions Tour players aren’t terribly reliant on Trackman data feedback, but they aren’t against all forms of technology. Some players — like Tom Kite, pictured above — use cell phone video cameras to check up on their golf swings.

The answer is in the dirt, but sometimes it’s in the iPhone, too.

4. The Ping Eye2 wedge

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If you’re a fan of Ping Eye2 XG wedges, which were first released in October 2010, then you’d love looking into golf bags at a Champions Tour event. In just a 78-player field, there were several Ping Eye2 XG lob wedges, including the one in Chris DiMarco’s bag (pictured above).

When I asked Mark Calcavecchia why there was so much love for the Ping Eye2 XG lob wedges, he said, “They’re just so darn hard to get out of the bag.” Fair enough.

5. A rare look at Freddie’s setup

Fred Couples isn’t the biggest fan of people touching his golf clubs, which I can completely understand; you’d be surprised, he’s not the only one like that. That means that seeing up-close photos of his golf clubs is a rarity. Luckily, his caddie was nice enough to allow me to take photos of his irons and wedges as they sat in the golf bag. (I didn’t touch, I swear!)

These days, Couples is playing Bridgestone J15 irons, an old TaylorMade ATV 54-degree wedge, and a Titleist Vokey SM7 S-grind wedge. Enjoy the rare look at his equipment!

6. Game improvement

Here’s a photo you’ll likely never see from a PGA Tour event.

Not only were the Ping G20 irons released in 2011, but they’re designed for the game-improvement player. Some PGA Tour players may use game-improvement irons as a long-iron or driving-iron replacement, but a full set of them is rare. This category of iron is designed to help golfers gain distance and forgiveness, but they tend to sacrifice precision and workability.

The Ping G20 irons pictured above belong to Jesper Parnevik, but he was far from the only player in the field using a full set of game-improvement irons.

7. These guys can still rip it

Remember when I mentioned that Darren Clarke was using Trackman to test out fairway woods? Well, I caught a glimpse at his numbers.

No big deal, just a casual 3-wood that carried 268.2 yards and totaled 292.6 yards. Just because it’s the Champions Tour doesn’t mean these guys don’t still hit the ball hard!

To hear more gear insights from  Jonathan Wall  and True Spec’s  Tim Briand , subscribe and listen each week to  GOLF’s Fully Equipped  podcast:  iTunes  |  SoundCloud  |  Spotify  |  Stitcher

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Tracking 2024 march madness men's records by conference.

There are 10 conferences with two or more teams in the 2024 March Madness men's tournament. You can track their progress below.

Here are the current conference-by-conference standings, updated after Sunday's second round games. Last year, the Big East went 12-4, with UConn winning the national championship.

2024 NCAA tournament schedule, scores, highlights

Thursday, March 28 (Sweet 16)

• (2) Arizona vs. (6) Clemson | 7:09 p.m. | CBS
• (1) UConn vs. (5) San Diego State | 7:39 p.m. | TBS/truTV
• (1) North Carolina vs. (4) Alabama | 9:39 p.m. | CBS
• (2) Iowa State vs. (3) Illinois | 10:09 p.m. | TBS/truTV

Friday, March 29 (Sweet 16)

• (2) Marquette vs. (11) NC State | 7:09 p.m. | CBS
• (1) Purdue vs. (5) Gonzaga | 7:39 p.m. |TBS/truTV
• (1) Houston vs. (4) Duke | 9:39 p.m. | CBS 
• (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Creighton | 10:09 p.m. |TBS/truTV

Saturday, March 30 (Elite Eight)

• TBD vs. TBD

Sunday, March 31 (Elite Eight)

Saturday, April 6 (Final Four)

Monday, April 8 (National championship game)

• TBD vs. TBD | 9:20 p.m.

Tuesday, March 19 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• (16) Wagner 71 , (16) Howard 68
• (10) Colorado State 67 , (10) Virginia 42

Wednesday, March 20 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• (16) Grambling 88 , (16) Montana State 81
• (10) Colorado 60 , (10) Boise State 53

Thursday, March 21 (Round of 64)

• (9) Michigan State 66 , (8) Mississippi State 51
• (11) Duquesne 71 , (6) BYU 67
• (3) Creighton 77 , (14) Akron 60
• (2) Arizona 85 , (15) Long Beach State 65
• (1) North Carolina 90 , (16) Wagner 61
• (3) Illinois 85 , (14) Morehead State 69
• (11) Oregon 87 , (6) South Carolina 73
• (7) Dayton 63 , (10) Nevada 60
• (7) Texas 56 , (10) Colorado State 44
• (14) Oakland 80 , (3) Kentucky 76
• (5) Gonzaga 86 , (12) McNeese 65
• (2) Iowa State 82 , (15) South Dakota State 65
• (2) Tennessee 83 ,   (15) Saint Peter's 49
• (7) Washington State 66 , (10) Drake 61
• ( 11) NC State 80 , (6) Texas Tech 67
• (4) Kansas 93 , (13) Samford 89

Friday, March 22 (Round of 64)

• (3) Baylor 92 ,   (14) Colgate 67
• (9) Northwestern 77 , (8) Florida Atlantic 65  (OT)
• (5) San Diego State 69 , (12) UAB 65
• (2) Marquette 87 ,   (15) Western Kentucky 69
• (1) UConn 91 , (16) Stetson 52
• (6) Clemson 77 , (11) New Mexico 56
• (10) Colorado 102 , (7) Florida 100   
• (13) Yale 78 , (4) Auburn 76 
• (9) Texas A&M 98 , (8) Nebraska 83
• (4) Duke 64 , (13) Vermont 47
• (1) Purdue 78 , (16) Grambling 50
• (4) Alabama 109 , (13) College of Charleston 96
• (1) Houston 86 , (16) Longwood 46
• (12) James Madison 72 , (5) Wisconsin 61
• (8) Utah State 88 , (9) TCU 72 
• (12) Grand Canyon 77 , (5) Saint Mary's 66

Saturday, March 23 (Round of 32)

• (2) Arizona 78,  (7) Dayton 68
• (5) Gonzaga 89 , (4) Kansas 68
• (1) North Carolina 85 , (9) Michigan State 69
• (2) Iowa State 67 , (7) Washington State 56
• (11) NC State 79 , (14) Oakland 73
• (2) Tennessee 62 , (7) Texas 58
• (3) Illinois 89 , (11) Duquesne 63 
• (3) Creighton 86 , (11) Oregon 73 (2OT)

Sunday, March 24 (Round of 32)

• (2) Marquette 81,  (10) Colorado 77
• (1) Purdue 106,  (8) Utah State 67
• (4) Duke 93 , (12) James Madison 55 
• (6) Clemson 72 , (3) Baylor 64
• (4) Alabama 72 , (12) Grand Canyon 61
• (1) UConn 75 , (9) Northwestern 58
• (1) Houston 100 , (9) Texas A&M 95 (OT)
• (5) San Diego State 85 , (13) Yale 57 

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PGA Tour board member reveals ‘cute’ reason for yellow golf ball at Valspar Championship

Of the 148 players at this week’s Valspar Championship, Peter Malnati is the only one with a yellow golf ball, and you will love his reason why.

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PGA Tour Policy Board member Peter Malnati has played with a yellow golf ball for quite some time now.

It has not helped him much, as the former Missouri Tiger has four missed cuts and only one top-10 this season.

But he is in line to finish in the top-10 at this week’s Valspar Championship , where he sits in a tie for second through 54 holes.

Dubbed the “most colorful event” in golf for its sponsor, Malnati revealed why he now uses a yellow golf ball after his 3-under 68 on Saturday.

“Well, I started using it in Minnesota at the 3M Championship last summer,” Malnati said.

“I switched to it because, at the time, my three-year-old, who is now four, liked them. He’s kind of over it now, but it still makes me think of him, and that’s worth a smile or two, which is worth a lot out there for me.”

For Malnati, smiles have been hard to come by lately.

Between his struggles on the golf course and the negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) , the 36-year-old has had a stressful couple of years.

Yet, he finds a reprieve through his golf ball, which reminds him of his son.

But he also had plenty of reason to smile on the 18th green, where he saw his yellow golf ball pour into the center of the cup for birdie. He drained it from 31 feet to climb to 8-under, two behind leader Keith Mitchell .

“It feels really good to knock in a putt,” Malnati said.

“I hit it well today, and I wasn’t stuffing it in there tight all day, but I had a lot of looks on the back nine, kind of mid-range putts, and sometimes I get some of those to go, and I really hadn’t today. To make that one at the end, it felt really, really nice.”

Indeed, Malnati’s birdie on the 18th was his first par-breaker since the 7th hole . After bogeying the eighth, he made nine straight pars.

Now, he is in a position to do something special: win again on the PGA Tour.

“I can’t think of very many times where I’ve actually teed off on Sunday realistically thinking of winning the tournament,” Malnati added.

Peter Malnati is dialed in! Off the flagstick! pic.twitter.com/bDIeUTwJ6P — Playing Through (@_PlayingThrough) March 23, 2024

“Unfortunately, it feels special. Hopefully, it will feel normal by the end of the year, but it feels special, and it’s something that I’m really excited about. It’s why I work hard so I can have these opportunities.”

Malnati has only one career PGA Tour win, which came at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2015.

He has never played at Augusta National , nor has he qualified for The Open. His win in Mississippi qualified him for the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, but he did not make it to the weekend. He returned to the 2021 edition, and once again missed the cut.

A month later, he suffered the same fate at the U.S. Open , which Jon Rahm won at Torrey Pines.

It has been a tough few years for Malnati, grinding it out on the PGA Tour and struggling to keep his card.

But he has plenty to smile about on Saturday evening, and perhaps the golfing world will see him and his colorful golf ball win the most colorful event in golf.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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Meet the Final Table of WPT Rolling Thunder 2024

Wpt rolling thunder has reached its final table of six, with wpt champions club member michael kinney and brock wilson among those chasing overwhelming chip leader yungkyu song..

Players battled for three long days at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, and now we are left with just six remaining potential champions. There’s a WPT Champions Club member in Michael Kinney who hasn’t cashed on the WPT since 2005. There’s a seasoned pro in Brock Wilson , who boasts over $7 million in career tournament earnings.

But the prohibitive favorite has to be 25-year-old Yunkyu Song , who took over late on Day 3 and accumulated just shy of 60% of the total chips in play – more than everyone else combined, and 5.6 times as many chips as Kinney, who sits in second place.

Three Northern Californians – Casey Sandretto , Cody Wiegmann and Travis Egbert – round out the final six. They’ll all return to action at 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. EST) to battle it out for the $296,600 first-place prize, which includes a seat to the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. The action will be livestreamed on all WPT streaming platforms with hole cards up on a delay.

These are the prizes they’ll be playing for:

Before play resumes on the fourth and final day of WPT Rolling Thunder, let’s get to know all of our finalists a little better.

1. Yunkyu Song | 13,525,000  (135 big blinds)

Age: 25 Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea Hometown: Seattle, Washington Lifetime Live Tournament Earnings: $363,977 Biggest Lifetime Cash: $181,430, 3 rd , 2024 Borgata Winter Poker $800 Kick Off Deep Stack Other Prominent Scores:  9 th , 2024 Borgata Winter Poker Open $5,300 Championship for $61,319

When it comes to a dominating chip lead, you’re not going to see many final tables start as lopsided as things appear to be for Yunkyu Song heading into Tuesday’s finale at Thunder Valley. Song has considerably more than all five of his remaining competitors put together, and so they’ll have a significant uphill climb to catch him.

He began nine-handed play with 5.5 million and a moderate chip lead, and by the time he eliminated Mitchell Haverson in seventh place, he’d built his stack to over 13.5 million.

“It went pretty good overall I think.” Song said. “I think there were some unlucky spots, lucky spots…but I guess I got lucky in some big spots and unlucky in small spots.”

The 25-year-old only has live results dating back to the fall of 2022, and he’s been ramping up his level of success over the first few months of 2024. A pair of final tables at Borgata in January netted Song his two best results to date and over $240,000. A win on Tuesday would earn him more than that in a single swing, along with his first major title, a seat in the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas and a permanent spot on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.

End of Day 1 Chip Count: 66,500 (119/171) End of Day 2 Chip Count: 2,010,000 (1/32)  

2. Michael Kinney |  2,375,000 (24 big blinds)

Age: 56 Birthplace: Ketchikan, Alaska Currently Resides:  Sand Point, Idaho Lifetime Live Tournament Earnings: $1,155,805 Biggest Lifetime Cash: $629,469, 1 st , 2004 WPT World Poker Challenge Other Prominent Scores:  3 rd , 2023 $10,000 Seniors High Roller at WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas for $169,180; 11 th , 2004 WPT Championship for $83,165

Twenty years ago this week, Michael Kinney was in Reno, Nevada putting together the performance of a lifetime. After three days of poker, Kinney beat Paul “Eskimo” Clark heads up to win the Season 2 edition of the World Poker Challenge for $629,469.

He’d go on to finish 10th the following year in Reno, and that would be his last cash on the World Poker Tour for another 19 years.

“I just quit playing, and then slowly got back into it and it’s a lot more fun now,” Kinney said. “Before I was juggling work, and I’ve got a lot more time, My dad was down here playing from Alaska, and I met him down here.”

Kinney’s making the most of his return, clinching a spot at the WPT Rolling Thunder final table as the only previous Champions Club member. If he manages to come back and overcome Song’s massive chip lead, Kinney would be just the 37th player in WPT history with multiple titles.

While this is his first cash in a WPT Main Tour event since 2005, Kinney’s return to form began back in December. In the $10,000 Seniors High Roller run during the 2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, Kinney finished third for $169,180.

End of Day 1 Chip Count: 195,600 (18/171) End of Day 2 Chip Count: 1,035,000 (6/32)  

Cody Wiegmann | 2,175,000 (22 big blinds)

Age: 31 Birthplace: Iowa Currently Resides:  San Jose, California Lifetime Live Tournament Earnings: $659,522 Biggest Lifetime Cash: $113,800, 62 nd , 2021 WSOP Main Event Other Prominent Scores:  1 st , 2018 Wynn Fall Classic $1,100 No Limit Hold’em for $73,845; 26 th , 2017 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star for $30,590

At a few points during Day 3 of WPT Rolling Thunder, Cody Wiegmann was perilously short-stacked and in danger of going out short of the final table. A runner-runner flush during his last all-in of the day was a saving grace, and a big bluff in a three-way pot when action got down to eight players pulled Wiegmann back into the thick of things.

Like everyone else not named Yunkyu Song, Wiegmann has quite a challenge ahead at the final table on Tuesday. But as one of three players from Northern California, he’ll have an outsized cheering section once the final table begins.

“I get to have friends and family come up that lives in the area, and I’ll have my other friends watching from around here. My family’s in San Jose, so they’re going to drive up from San Jose, and I’ll have my uncle here [too].”

End of Day 1 Chip Count: 124,500 (57/171) End of Day 2 Chip Count: 505,000 (21/32)  

Casey Sandretto | 2,000,000 (20 big blinds)

Age: 37 Birthplace: Sacramento, California Currently Resides:  Sacramento, California Lifetime Live Tournament Earnings: $161,725 Biggest Lifetime Cash: $88,817, 3 rd , 2023 WSOP Circuit Northern California Main Event

Casey Sandretto has tasted success at Thunder Valley before. In what was far and away the biggest result of his poker career, Sandretto finished third in the WSOP Circuit Main Event at the property just over one year ago. That singular cash makes up more than half of his career live tournament earnings.

The 37-year-old Sacramento native will have a chance to multiply that total again on Tuesday as he chases the WPT Rolling Thunder title.

“It’s very exciting. This is only my second WPT I’ve ever entered,” Sandretto said. “I play most of the tournaments here and play cash games here, but mostly play cash games around town. I really don’t play too much outside of the area.”

End of Day 1 Chip Count: 141,000 (47/171) End of Day 2 Chip Count: 1,895,000 (2/32)  

Travis Egbert | 1,750,000 (18 big blinds)

Age: 23 Birthplace: Santa Rosa, California Currently Resides:  Windsor, California Lifetime Live Tournament Earnings: $419,742 Biggest Lifetime Cash: $77,440, 1 st , 2024 WSOP Circuit Northern California $3,250 High Roller Other Prominent Scores:  7 th , November 2021 Venetian Deepstack $1,600 Championship for $49,190; 10 th , 2023 WPT Gardens Poker Championship for $32,900

Like Sandretto, Travis Egbert’s biggest career success came at Thunder Valley. Two months ago during the WSOP Circuit Northern California stop, Egbert won a pair of WSOPC rings including a career-best $77,440 payout in the high roller.

During seven-handed play, Egbert flopped top pair and picked off a bluff from Kinney to lock down the final double-up of Day 3. Despite that pot, Egbert will start Tuesday’s final table with less than 20 big blinds.

At 23 years old, he’s the youngest player at this final table.  

End of Day 1 Chip Count: 285,500 (2/171) End of Day 2 Chip Count: 480,000 (22/32)  

Brock Wilson |  1,075,000 (11 big blinds)

Age: 29 Currently Resides:  Las Vegas, Nevada Lifetime Live Tournament Earnings: $7,098,758 Biggest Lifetime Cash: $619,536, 2 nd , 2019 partypoker Millions $25,500 Super High Roller Other Prominent Scores:  2 nd , 2022 PokerGo Cup $50,000 Event #8 for $416,000; 3 rd , 2022 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa for $411,678

The player with the deepest resume by far among the final six players at WPT Rolling Thunder also has the fewest chips. Brock Wilson has enjoyed success all over the world, from high rollers all the way down to the tune of over $7 million in results.

If he hopes to add the one thing that’s lacking from his lengthy list of accomplishments – a major title – he’ll have to do it against a chip leader with 13 times as many chips as him to start the day. But he’s not panicking by any means.

“One guy has a lot and everyone else is sort of jockeying, so my strategy is kind of to wait out some other stacks. I am the shortest, but I’ll pick my spots well and if I chip up I’ll be comfortably in second.”

Wilson almost didn’t get to this point at all. Sitting on a short stack, Wilson got into a three-way all in with the worst of it holding pocket sevens against pocket eights and ace-king. But a magical seven on the flop was enough to triple him up and keep him in the mix.

If there’s another triple-up or something along those lines come Tuesday morning, Wilson could pull himself right back into contention. He’s been on the big stage before, and come close to that major title on a number of occasions. He finished third on his quest for a WPT title in Tampa back in 2022, the same year he finished sixth in one of the toughest fields the WSOP has to offer in the $10,000 Six-handed No Limit Hold’em Championship.

“Winning one of these would mean a lot to me.”

End of Day 1 Chip Count: 123,000 (59/171) End of Day 2 Chip Count: 660,000 (12/32)  

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Sacramento's Casey Sandretto took a second shot as a poker pro and found success with his WPT Rolling Thunder victory for $246,600.

Casey Sandretto tops WPT Rolling Thunder for his first live tournament win, banking $246,600 and a spot on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.

In 2024 23-year-old Travis Egbert has made the final table of WPT Rolling Thunder and won back-to-back WSOP Circuit rings to become one of Thunder Valley's most formidable players.

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Peter Malnati: Golf fans 'sick' of LIV contracts, PGA Tour purses and money dominating men's game

PGA Tour Policy Board member Peter Malnati has discussed his emotional win at the Valspar Championship and why it resonated so much with golf fans; watch Malnati in action at the Houston Open live on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf

Wednesday 27 March 2024 17:45, UK

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Peter Malnati insists golf should return to focusing on storylines on the course and believes fans are "sick" of the money narrative currently dominating the professional game.

Malnati captured the interest of the sporting world with his two-stroke victory over Cameron Young at the Valspar Championship on Sunday, where he was reduced to tears after completing his first PGA Tour victory since 2015.

The 36-year-old's success came days after he and other members of the PGA Tour Policy Board attended a meeting with representatives from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls the LIV Golf League, as talks to unify the men's game continue.

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Money has frequently been a discussion point in recent years, with players making high-value moves to the LIV Golf League and the PGA Tour making significant improvements to its prize purses, leading to Malnati understanding why his victory resonated so much with fans.

"We can all probably remember when we were kids, and we were all kids at different times, but the things that moved us that we watched," Malnati said ahead of the Texas Children's Houston Open, live from Thursday on Sky Sports .

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"I remember watching [Michael] Jordan and the '97 [Chicago] Bulls, I remember watching Tiger [Woods] in the 2000 Masters. I didn't care one iota what Jordan's contract was. I didn't care one iota what the winner's cheque at the US Open was. I think people are sick of that.

"I think people are just sick of the narrative in golf being about, you know, contracts on LIV, purses on the [PGA] Tour, guaranteed comp on the PGA Tour. I think people are so sick of that.

PGA Tour: Latest headlines and highlights

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Valspar Championship: Sunday highlights

"They want to see people who are the best in the world at what they do it at a high level and celebrate that, celebrate the athleticism, celebrate the achievement.

"Obviously this is a business and to the top players who drive a lot of the value in this business, we've got to compensate them fairly. I think we're doing that above and beyond, and the narrative, the storylines, the conversation needs to come back to the product on the course and what we do.

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"I just feel like no kid when they were watching Jordan dreamed of having his salary, they didn't care about that. They dreamed of being in that moment, hitting that shot. I think that's what our fans care about too and that's what they want to see.

"I hope those tears that I was crying on that 18th green had nothing to do with my share of that, what was it, an $8.4m purse last week. My tears had nothing to do with my share of that.

"I'm going to enjoy it and we're going to use it to do a lot of good in this world, but it had nothing to do with that. And I don't think our fans care about that either. I hope that connected with some people and I do think everyone out here who plays and competes would agree with me on that.

"I just hope that the story that we tell can come back to the best athletes in the world competing on the biggest stage in the world and doing it to show off this amazing skill that we have that can be so entertaining for people. I want that to be our story."

Watch the Texas Children's Houston Open live all week on Sky Sports. Early coverage begins on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 8pm. The Masters is then exclusively live from April 11-14 exclusively on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.

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PAC Member Justin Thomas Demands ‘Long-Term’ Solution Amid PGA Tour’s Bizarre Valspar Championship Move

T he PGA Tour has its 13th event on its 2024 calendar, all set to kick off at the Copperhead Course. Yes, the Valspar Championship will see its first tee shot soon as the likes of Justin Thomas , and Xander Schauffele , among other professionals take part in the same. However, they are but a part of the field of 154 golfers who are aiming to grab the title. However, Thomas couldn’t help but speak out against the figures.

The golfer was taking part in a press conference ahead of the upcoming tournament on Wednesday, March 20. During the same, the PAC member was asked about the balance that the change in the number of players taking part in the PGA Tour event, which is otherwise usually set at 144, would bring. Interestingly, he sure did not shy away from answering the query.

Justin Thomas comes out candid on Valspar Championship field

“I don’t know what the answer is,” responded the 30-year-old to the curious question. But even so, he was sure there “has to be some kind of changes.”  Recounting his memories back when he came out, Thomas said, “There definitely is the Korn Ferry Tour category… and if you didn’t play well, I mean, there were times where guys wouldn’t get in nothing but a handful.”

Adding on, he admitted, “There’s something that’s got to be tweaked here and there too where it can, just something a little bit more consistent… to where you’re not having to do things like this,” as he alluded to the whole situation with the upcoming championship. Moreover, although the 2-time major champ agreed to accept the same as a temporary solution, he emphasized the need for another solution as he mentioned, ” I don’t know necessarily think that’s what the answer should be. I mean, it’s what the answer has to be right now, I guess, but not long-term, I wouldn’t think.”

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour event earlier in 2024, agreed to expand to include as many as 156 golfers. They did so to increase the playing time for as many fully exempt Tour members as possible. That’s not all, the men’s circuit will also witness a similar situation in the Texas Children’s Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open, which is set to kick off next week and the following one after that.

However, despite the Valspar Championship increasing its field size to accommodate as many fully exempt athletes as possible, misfortune couldn’t be kept away from a couple of them. Unfortunately, two golfers were forced to withdraw from the event after THE PLAYERS Championship.

Withdrawals plague the golf world

Tom Kim and Garrick Higgo were forced to pull out of the recently ended tournament, which is popularly deemed ‘The Fifth Major’ of golf. The former withdrew during the first round after the 17th hole on his front nine, citing reasons of an illness. Meanwhile, the latter was caught in a similar situation owing to a wrist injury that made him pull during the second round.

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That’s not all. Just a couple of days later, Kim went ahead to withdraw from the Valspar Championship, due to which another player, Trace Crowe, was roped in for his place on the field. However, the same couldn’t be said for Higgo’s place, as he announced himself pulling out on Wednesday, moving the total number of players to 154.

Unluckily, for players like Patton Kizzire and Kevin Chappell, who are the first and second alternates, will only be allowed to replace WD’s if the field drops below 144. Anyhow, the bizarre situation at the Valspar Championship might, at the end of the day, lead to more action on the greens. Regardless, it remains to be seen whether the expanded field means good for the circuit or not!

READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler Adopted a ‘Tiger-Esque’ Vibe: Ex-Coach Spots Vintage Tiger Woods in World No.1’s Triumph

The post PAC Member Justin Thomas Demands ‘Long-Term’ Solution Amid PGA Tour’s Bizarre Valspar Championship Move appeared first on EssentiallySports .

THE PLAYERS Championship, Round 3: How to watch, featured groups, live scores, tee times, TV times

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The 50th anniversary of THE PLAYERS Championship is underway at TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler looks to become the first golfer to ever go back-to-back at THE PLAYERS after his impressive triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The iconic island green also sees the return of former PLAYERS champion Rory McIlroy and reigning FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland.

Wyndham Clark holds a four-stroke lead after Friday at THE PLAYERS by matching his first-round 65 to reach 14-under. Xander Schauffele and Nick Taylor sit tied for second at 10-under while Matt Fitzpatrick and Maverick McNealy remain one back of them.

Round 2 was suspended due to darkness at 7:30 p.m. ET and will resume Saturday at 7:40 a.m. ET. Round 3 tee times will begin at approximately 8:20 a.m. ET.

Here's everything you need to know to follow the action.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET)

Television:

• Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC)
• Sunday: 1-6 p.m. (NBC)

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: A combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio :

• Saturday: 1-7 p.m.
• Sunday: noon-6 p.m.

FEATURED GROUPS (All times ET)

Marquee Group

• 10:15 a.m.– Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay

Featured Groups

• 9:30 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, J.J. Spaun
• 9:45 a.m. – Jake Knapp, Max Homa

Featured holes

• Hole 3 (par 3), Hole 12 (par 4), Hole 16 (par 5), Hole 17 (par 3)

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Ryan Fox makes PLAYERS history with eagle, ace run at TPC Sawgrass' 16th, 17th

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Purse breakdown: THE PLAYERS Championship