One of the perks of winning on the PGA Tour is better tee times.
One of the perks of winning on the PGA Tour is better tee times. Just ask Jake Knapp, who went from the outhouse to the penthouse in one week.
Knapp, a 29-year-old rookie who was working as a bouncer at a bar-restaurant in Southern California just two years ago to make ends meet, teed off in the third-to-last group of his wave last week in the opening rounds at the Mexico Open at Vidanta. That’s when the greens are bumpier and riddled with spike marks and the wind blows its hardest. None of that bothered Knapp, who won the tournament.
Along with the seven-figure check and a berth in the Masters, Knapp received primo tee times for the first two rounds of the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches alongside former world No. 1 and 2012 Cognizant Classic winner Rory McIlroy and defending Cognizant Classic champion Chris Kirk.
How did Knapp feel playing in one of the featured groups in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, alongside McIlroy, one of the game’s biggest stars?
Jake Knapp prepares to hit his approach shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the 2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at PGA National. (Photo: Jeff Romance/Palm Beach Post)
“Not nearly as nerve-racking as I thought it was going to be, to be honest,” Knapp said. “I met him this morning in dining and had some casual conversation, and he’s a super, super nice guy. So is Chris. It was just a good easy morning.”
Indeed, it was for Knapp, a UCLA product, who opened with a solid 3-under 68 at PGA National Resort’s Champion Course on Thursday, one stroke more than Kirk and McIlroy, who said of playing with Knapp that he “likes to put people at ease,” and four back of the co-leaders Chad Ramey and S.H. Kim.
Like many of today’s current crop of players, Knapp grew up idolizing Tiger Woods. He also admired the game of former world No. 1’s Luke Donald and Dustin Johnson. Knapp, who grew to become one of the longer hitters in the game, was short in stature as a kid and tried to emulate Donald’s wizardry with a wedge and putter until hitting his growth spurt as a junior in high school.
“Then as I started to hit it farther, started to transition more into the DJ category,” Knapp said. “Obviously over the last few years, a lot of people have tried to emulate Rory and just all the things he does on and off the course.”
McIlroy and Knapp shared a mutual admiration. While the Northern Irishman outdrove him on this day – an average of 327 yards for McIlroy to 319 yards for Knapp on the two measured driving holes – he couldn’t say enough good things about Knapp – an example of game recognizing game.
“He could definitely be a star. It looks like he’s got the full package. He’s obviously got the speed. He can control that speed pretty well. He hit some beautiful shots out there today,” McIlroy said. “He could be a superstar out here, for sure.”
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy said LIV defectors shouldn’t be punished if seeking a return to the PGA Tour. Not all of his fellow competitors share his latest view.
“The good thing is the decision’s not up to me,” said Rickie Fowler when asked his opinion after the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday.
But when pressed on the matter, Fowler took a firmer stance on the issue.
“I don’t think it’s a direct road,” he said. “I mean, they made decisions and there’s — there has to be something for it. Whether how small or big, that’s not up to me.”
Patrick Cantlay, one of the independent player directors on the Tour’s board, spoke only in broad terms on the topic.
“I think everyone’s divided,” he said. “It’s up to a group of us. I know players feel all over the board on that issue, and so my job as a player director is to represent the entire membership. So if something like that were to come down the road, I’m sure we would have to have a robust conversation around that topic.”
He added: “I haven’t really been putting a ton of thought into that until the moment comes because I’ve been trying to focus on what’s in front of me.”
Justin Rose, the defending champion this week, said it’s complicated, noting “there will never be a one-for-one ration where one guy feels good about everyone coming back because they got something and they didn’t.
“But I think ultimately, if this is all structured the right way, those guys coming back strengthens the Tour and everybody that’s now involved in this new structure is going to benefit from those great names coming back and being a part of the Tour. So you have to look at it objectively as well. Anything that’s going to strengthen the Tour in the long term is going to benefit the players now. From that point, you’ve got to get your head around that, I suppose. I don’t think there’s an easy reintegration anytime soon, but I don’t see that as off the table.”
McIlroy, once the most vocal proponent for the Tour, has softened his stance since saying in June that “the people that left the PGA Tour (for LIV) irreparably harmed this tour” and as a result there must be “consequences to actions.”
“If people still have eligibility on this Tour and they want to come back and play or you want to try and do something, let them come back,” said McIlroy during his pre-tournament press conference. “I think it’s hard to punish people.
“Obviously I’ve changed my tune on that because I see where golf is, and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV tour or anything else is bad for both parties. It would be much better being together and moving forward together for the good of the game. That’s my opinion of it. So to me, the faster that we can all get back together and start to play and start to have the strongest fields possible I think is great for golf.”
It didn’t take long at the Sony Open in Hawaii for news to spread among the Europeans in the field.
HONOLULU – It didn’t take long at the Sony Open in Hawaii for news to spread among the Europeans in the field that DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley announced he was leaving the circuit after eight and a half years in the role to join Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, as well as the city’s MLS and Canadian Football League franchises.
Pelley, who had been at the DP World Tour since 2015, came to golf from Rogers Media, where he oversaw its ownership of the Toronto Blue Jays. Since he never worked in the golf industry, Pelley brought a fresh perspective to the job and wasn’t afraid to step beyond perceived boundaries and break free of some of the sport’s long-held traditions.
Music and pyrotechnics on the first tee? Did it. A 40-second shot clock to improve pace of play? He signed off on the Shot Clock Masters in Austria in 2018. He signed Rolex to underwrite a lucrative series of tournaments and sold title rights to the circuit.
He also allowed Saudi Arabia to get its tentacles into golf with the creation of the Saudi International. Ultimately, Pelley chose to partner with the PGA Tour through its strategic alliance. It is part of the framework agreement with the Saudi Arabia’s PIF but has taken a backseat in the negotiations to the PGA Tour. Guy Kinnings, the current deputy CEO and executive director – Ryder Cup, will become the European Tour group’s new CEO effective April 2.
Here’s what several European prso had to say about his move.
What took place at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational was a new concept – and they want more of it.
NAPLES, Fla. – Rose Zhang wasn’t even born the last time the PGA Tour and LPGA held a mixed-team event. Ludvig Aberg was a mere 2 months old in December of 1999, when legends Laura Davies and John Daly won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.
For generations of players, what took place this week at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitation was a new concept – and they want more of it.
“We need to do this for the game of golf,” said Billy Horschel of bringing the two tours together. “We do a lot of stuff that looks out for the players, but we need to make sure we are taking care of the fans and thinking about the fans more.”
Speaking of fans, there were more at Tiburon Golf Club than at previous QBE Shootouts and CME Group Tour Championships. Cheyenne Knight teed off early with partner Tom Hoge and was surprised by the number of fans on the first tee. Ticket sales and concession sales doubled this week compared to last year’s QBE and hospitality sold out, according to tournament officials.
Knight hopes some of these local fans come back next year for the CME, where the winner will receive a $4 million first-place check, the largest in all of women’s sports.
Joel Dahmen marveled at the number of kids he saw this week, particularly little girls, far more than an average week on the PGA Tour, he said. He called watching Lexi Thompson’s ace on Saturday one of the highlights of his year, and said he’d like to see the Grant Thornton field expand from 16 teams in 2024.
“There’s no reason we can’t have more mixed-team events,” said Dahmen after Saturday foursomes. “There are so many events on the PGA Tour, ratings aren’t always amazing in some of those fields. To bring in the women’s game would be awesome.
“I was completely outclassed today by Lexi.”
Lexi Thompson of the United States and Rickie Fowler of the United States look on from the first green during the second round of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club on December 09, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Early week buzz at the Grant Thornton was overshadowed by U.S. Golf Association and R&A rollback news and Jon Rahm to LIV Golf drama, controversies that dominated the golf chatter on social media and beyond. The action at Tiburon, however, provided a much-needed escape from that which divides golf fans.
The Grant Thornton was a celebration of what unites – camaraderie, competition and inspiration. Thursday’s junior clinic with Amy Bockerstette, Jessica Korda, Leona Maguire and Dahmen epitomizes what golf can do for good. Bockerstette’s “I Got This Foundation” is one of the charities that benefits from money raised this week.
Walking onto the first tee Friday, Sahith Theegala turned to Dahmen’s caddie and noted how “cool” it was to play in the same group as Lilia Vu, the first world No. 1 he’d ever played alongside, and to partner with Zhang, a dominant amateur he predicted would be a future No. 1 on the LPGA.
“Me and Joel were joking that Lilia and Rose will be better than maybe we ever will be,” said Theegala, who won his first PGA Tour title at this year’s Fortinet Championship.
PGA Tour players admired the games of LPGA players all week, and it felt genuine. Former No. 1 Jason Day asked Lydia Ko about her wedge game, noting that he’d be trying to emulate his Kiwi partner during the offseason.
Major champion Justin Rose described his playing partner, Charley Hull, as an old-school player, detailing the way she shapes her iron shots. He called Hull “fearless” and described her short game as “unbelievable.”
Such praise goes a long way in building respect for female players who fight weekly for the attention of not just the sports world, but of those already within the golf landscape.
Justin Rose of England and Charley Hull of England talk on the second green during the first round of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club on December 08, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas DeFelice/Getty Images)
Rose, who founded and backed the Rose Ladies Series during the COVID-19 pandemic to give British players a place to compete, gets it more than most.
“You need fan awareness to have the pay equality,” said Rose. “Because obviously at the end of the day, it’s a commercial business. You need the eyes watching it to kind of make the TV dollars on the back end.
“So I think obviously fans being able to pick their favorite players, to be a bit more aware around the skill level around the women’s game, identify with the players and their stories – they’re more likely to watch going forward. I think this is absolutely one of those key events to help do that.”
Nick Taylor took note how the fans in Naples reacted with surprise to the women often hitting it closer than their male counterparts. There was no Shotlink available this week, but hopefully next year as the unique formats – particularly the modified fourball, where players hit drives and then switch balls – can provide some interesting data points.
Making Olympic golf a mixed event has long been talked about and came up once again in Naples, as did a larger mixed team event like the Presidents Cup.
“Looking at my grand ball, someone’s got to step up,” said Horshel.
“A team competition, Ryder Cup-style between the U.S. and Europe, or whether it be the U.S. and the world, men and women … I think that would be another home run for everyone involved. I think that’s coming down the line.
“If it’s not being talked about then I don’t know, maybe we need to change the people in the positions and get some more innovative thinkers in there.”
“Other than everything? Their poise is incredible,” said Nick Taylor.
NAPLES, Fla. – There are new fans out at Tiburon Golf Club for this week’s Grant Thornton Invitational. In fact, tournament officials say ticket sales and concession sales at the same venue as the QBE Shootout have more than doubled since the format changed this year to a mixed-team event.
Hospitality for the 16-team event and Saturday’s concert on the Tiburon driving range sold out.
That was always the hope, of course, that putting the PGA Tour and LPGA together would draw more interest.
For many PGA Tour players, this marks the first time they’ve teed it up in competition with an elite LPGA player, and it’s been an eye-opening experience.
Those who follow the women’s game closely have long said that male amateur players can learn more from watching the LPGA than the PGA Tour because it’s a more relatable game.
Golfweek asked several PGA Tour players in the field what they think male amateur players can learn from the women and aside from “everything,” here’s what they said:
Rose appears concerned for the future of his current employer.
NAPLES, Fla. — Justin Rose appears concerned for the future of his current employer.
“That’s a big signing,” Rose said Thursday about multiple reports Jon Rahm is leaving the PGA Tour to sign with LIV Golf. LIV made it official later in the day, confirming Rahm’s departure for the Saudi-backed, Public Investment Fund-funded golf league.
“He’s a big catch and a big loss. He weakens one side and strengthens the other. And I don’t know who else goes with Jon,” said Rose. “If it’s just Jon, that’s bad enough. What does that mean now to the trickle? If it’s Jon plus a trickle, that’s not good.”
Rose was at Tiburon Golf Club Thursday for the pro-am ahead of the 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-team event featuring top golfers from the PGA Tour and the LPGA. Rose, who lives in England, just experienced one of his greatest golf moments with Rahm, a Spaniard, as they teamed up to lead the European to victory at the Ryder Cup in Rome.
Now, Rose is not sure what Rahm – ranked No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 5 in the Golfwee/Sagarin Rankings – leaving the Tour means when it comes to a deal between the Tour and Saudi’s PIF, which finances LIV Golf.
Rose was asked if this could jeopardize that framework agreement that was announced six months ago: “100 percent,” he said.
“The fact that it’s maybe dragged its heels here a little bit maybe emboldened LIV to continue that recruiting process.”
Will a deal get made?
The origninal deadline for hammering out that deal was December 31. That is not expected to be met.
“The players didn’t necessarily want to accept the deal and that’s been a big part of the problem and now we’re going to have to live with those consequences. We’re still talking with the PIF about investing but are we willing to give them enough to comfort them in terms of not making LIV their biggest priority?
“The next month is going to be really interesting to see how it plays out. And this is going to be a big part of the jigsaw puzzle, seeing Jon go.”
Rickie Fowler, who in the past has shot down any rumors of his possible defection to LIV, also wonders when, and if, a deal is ever made.
“The timeline with the deal deadline being the end of the year, it’s hard to think that will go through,” Fowler said Thursday. “Division isn’t a good thing. I’m hopeful things will continue to work in the right direction for the good of the game. We’ll find out.”
Rose was looking for a sign from Rahm that the talk in recent weeks was baseless. But he was not encouraged with Rahm kind of going off the grid.
Rahm had opportunities to shoot down reports he’s joining LIV for more than $300 million and an ownership stake, but the silence, Rose said, has been “deafening.”
“A lot has had to happen for Jon to get to that point because I know he’s definitely one of the players that doesn’t necessarily only play golf for money,” Rose said. “But there’s a certain amount of money that becomes money that’s hard to ignore.
“I don’t think he’s a guy that sacrifices his level of play just for money. He obviously thinks there’s a future there and he is one of the lucky guys that is eligible for all the major championships so that’s probably a big factor and all his decision making.”
Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, is more interested in being eligible for golf’s biggest events including the majors and Ryder Cup. He’s also considered a future European Ryder Cup captain.
Besides, between the PGA and DP World tours, Rose has won more than $92 million in prize money.
But when it comes to Rahm, an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour who has made more then $51 million, Rose wonders what he is thinking when it comes to his legacy.
“I think Jon is a legacy focused player,” Rose said. “He really represents Spain in who he’s following there as far as Seve (Ballesteros) and Jose Maria (Olazabal). He knows where he sits in that framework of Spanish golf and world golf and European golf.
“I don’t think he was careless about this decision.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was conquered in three.”
That was one of many posts on the Ryder Cup Europe social media accounts to celebrate the team’s 16½-11½ win over the United States in the 44th playing of the biennial bash, held this year at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy.
The team celebrations with the Cup in the hours and days that follow are always fun to see, and European captain Luke Donald foreshadowed what would be a fun night in his interview with Golf Channel’s Cara Banks just minutes after Europe secured the Cup.
“We always do it right in Europe, we do it right,” said Donald with a smile. “We’ll have a few drinks.”
Did they ever.
The chants started with “Two more years!” for the captain and transitioned to cheers of “Ole! Ole! Ole!” and songs of victory on the team bus. Check out the highlights from Team Europe’s epic Ryder Cup celebrations.
Set your alarms because you won’t want to miss these final matches.
Set your alarms, folks. You don’t want to miss these final 12 matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
European captain Luke Donald and American captain Zach Johnson announced their picks for the 12 Sunday singles matches and a handful are appointment television, no matter the time.
Team Europe holds a 10½-5½ lead after the first four sessions, but the momentum appears to have swung back toward the U.S. after the Americans claimed Saturday fourballs, 3-1. The Europeans need four points to win the Cup, while the U.S. needs at least 8½ to retain.
Check out who’s playing who in the final 12 singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
After winning the Saturday afternoon fourballs 3-1, the U.S. trails 10 ½ to 5 ½ and will need to erase the largest deficit in Ryder Cup history if it is going to retain the Cup.
But we’re saying there’s a chance, especially after Patrick Cantlay birdied the final two holes, including a 30-foot birdie putt at 18, to flip his match.
“Hopefully have a ray of light and we can build on this session and try and pull off a big victory tomorrow,” Cantlay said.
Two years ago, the U.S. led 11-5 at Whistling Straits before cruising to a 19-9 victory. No team has rallied from more than a 10-6 deficit, but the U.S. only needs to reach 14 points to retain the Cup. In both 1999 and 2012, the winning side earned 8 ½ points in Sunday singles.
The U.S. showed some life winning the first two matches, but the Euros bounced back to win the third match and inch closer to extending the U.S. losing streak on European soil, which dates to 1993. It looked as if it would be a split of the session. That is until Cantlay’s heroics.
“Feels like we have momentum and we go kind of into the locker room laughing a little bit which just feels good,” Max Homa said.
Team USA failed to earn a full point in any match on Friday.
ROME — A tie has to feel like kissing your sister to the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
The Americans squandered opportunities to win three of the four matches in Friday afternoon’s fourball session, failing to win a single match on the first day of the 44th Ryder Cup, the first time that’s happened in Cup history, and digging themselves a big deficit.
After sweeping the morning foursome 4-0, the Europeans made three clutch putts at 18 to turn potential losses into ties. First, Viktor Hovland drained a 26-foot birdie putt to tie the first match of the session. In the next group, Jon Rahm drilled a 33-foot eagle putt to salvage a tie. Finally, Justin Rose buried a 9-foot birdie putt that capped off a comeback from 2 down with two holes to go. In the end, Team Europe jumped out to a 6½-1½ lead.
“One thing that we talked about a lot is just it’s not over till it’s over, and the boys did that, those three matches,” Matt Fitzpatrick said. “They all got something out of it when they could have easily gone the other way, and it just makes a big difference.”
Fitzpatrick almost singlehandedly won a full point in the only match that didn’t end in a tie. Entering the Ryder Cup with a chip on his shoulder, the Englishman showed his mettle in the biennial competition. In two previous Cups, he was winless in five matches. Not anymore.
Fitzpatrick put on a putting exhibition during Friday’s afternoon fourball alongside teammate Rory McIlroy. Fitzpatrick had yet to play a fourball match in his previous two Cup appearances; he made the most of his chance.
“You build it up to be this amazing thing that you wanted to be part of thinking that you’ll get a real good go at it, and obviously I never did, really,” he said. “So that’s obviously always something that’s sort of disappointing.”
Fitzpatrick and McIlroy dominated the team of Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, winning 5 and 3. It was a dream start for European Captain Luke Donald.
“Historic day, but we want it to be an historic week, so the job is certainly not done,” he said. “We will all celebrate an amazing day, but we’ll be back tomorrow morning with the goal of trying to win tomorrow morning’s session. We’ll be getting our guys focused to be back in the saddle, so to speak. But what a day.”
