Tag: Royal Troon

Altin Van der Merwe captures inaugural African Amateur Championship in playoff, earns spot in Open Championship

Talk about coming up clutch.

Sometimes scorecards don’t paint the full picture of how spectacular a shot or hole was for a certain player during a round of golf.

Altin Van der Merwe has a story he can tell the rest of his life after his triumph Saturday at Leopard Creek in Malelane, South Africa.

In the 2024 African Amateur Championship, Van der Merwe birdied the par-5 18th to earn his way into a playoff, then he birdied it again in said playoff to claim the inaugural title of the latest major amateur event and punch his ticket to the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He bested Texas sophomore Christiaan Maas and Ivan Verster, both fellow South Africans, to claim the trophy and win a historic championship in his home country.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Van der Merwe said. “I think it’ll kick in later. Right through the day, the two competitors I played with, two great friends actually, we went back and forth, back and forth. I think all three of us had the lead at one stage, then there was three holes, they didn’t go in, they didn’t go in, and then the last hole I just pulled a blinder out, and in the playoff I made a good two-putt. I can’t describe the feeling.”

Needing a birdie to tie Maas and Verster, Van der Merwe, 27, hit a spectacular second shot into the par-5 18th hole, giving him a chance at eagle and the win in regulation. It’s a putt he said he has hit many time before, but he couldn’t get it to fall. Nevertheless, he made birdie while Maas and Verster carded pars, and it was on to a playoff.

On the extra hole, it was again Van der Merwe carding a birdie while Maas, who a day before set the course record with a blazing 9-under 63, made par and Verster made bogey, sealing the victory.

Just last week, Van der Merwe won the Golf RSA International Amateur in a playoff. A week later with higher stakes, he did it again and punched his ticket to the Open Championship in July.

“I can’t wait,” Van der Merwe said. “Honestly, I can’t wait. It’s links golf, as well, so I’m going to be licking my chops out there with just a little sting 2-iron all day, and I just can’t wait until the time comes.”

On the women’s side, South African Kyra van Kan won the 54-hole event by nine shots over compatriot Bobbi Brown to clinch the title on a 1-under 215.

The 18-year-old earned places in the Women’s Amateur Championship, final qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open and The Investec South African Women’s Open in 2024, and the Lalla Meryem Cup and Magical Kenya Ladies Open in 2025.

LIV Golf’s David Puig punches ticket to 2024 Open Championship with Asian Tour win

Nine players have already qualified for the Open via the Open Qualifying Series.

David Puig is bound for Scotland this summer.

The 22-year-old Spaniard won the Asian Tour’s IRS Prima Malaysian Open at Mines Resort and Golf Club thanks to consecutive rounds of 62 on the weekend to earn not only his second Asian Tour victory in four months but also a place at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media], July 18-21.

The Malaysian Open was the first Open Qualifying Series event of 2024. The next is the PGA Tour’s 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, March 7-10. Six players have already qualified via the series. Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dan Bradbury earned their spots late in 2023 at the Joburg Open, while Joaquin Niemann, Rikuya Hoshino and Adam Scott earned theirs at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.

“It feels great, weird feeling for sure. We almost missed the cut. I was kind of playing good, but I kind of messed up,” said Puig, who was flirting with the cutline after the second round. “We actually finished round two good, and the weekend was just insane. I mean 18 birdies, no bogeys, in 36 holes was unbelievable.”

“And getting that Open spot is super cool, I came here for that,” he added.

Runner-up Jeunghun Wang will also join Puig at the Open, same with Denwit Boriboonsub, who finished T-3 with John Catlin but won the tiebreaker thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking. Puig and Boriboonsub will make their Open debuts, while Wang will make his third start after missed cuts in 2016 and 2017.

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What are the prize money payouts for the 38 tournaments on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule?

There’s nearly $400 million in official prize money up for grabs in 2024 on the PGA Tour.

There are 38 events on the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule, with 37 of them doling out $398,900,000 in prize money payouts.

The Tour Championship provides the biggest paydays to the lucky 30 who reach the season finale, but all of the money distributed at East Lake Golf Club is considered bonus.

So it’s the first 37 events of the season that the write checks – or shall we say, eletronic transfers – the big sums that count towards the official money list.

The Players Championship has the most official money at stake. There are eight signature events with $20 million purses. There’s the majors and the FedEx Cup Playoff events. Then there’s the best of the rest and finally the four opposite-field affairs.

To repeat, there’s nearly $400 million in official prize money and another $75 in bonus money up for grabs on the PGA Tour in 2024. Here’s a breakdown.

2024 men’s major championship venues including Augusta National, Royal Troon

Here’s where the best players in the world will be heading for the 2024 majors.

The year 2023 was an interesting one for the men’s golf majors with two of the four won by golfers claiming their first major championships.

At the Masters, Jon Rahm outdueled Brooks Koepka at Augusta National for his second major win and first green jacket.

Then, Koepka got his revenge and took home the trophy at Oak Hill for his third Wanamaker trophy and fifth major.

A month later, Wyndham Clark earned his first major after he outlasted Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler at Los Angles Country Club to win the U.S. Open.

And, finally, Brian Harman dominated Royal Liverpool for his first major title and earned himself the title of Champion Golfer of the Year.

As we move on from 2023, here’s a look at all four venues that will host men’s major championships in 2024.

British Open 2022: Golfweek’s Best ranking of the rota of host courses

How does St. Andrews, site of this week’s Open Championship, stack up against the rest of the course rota?

Each of the 10 layouts on the modern British Open course rota score highly in Golfweek’s Best ranking of top classic golf courses built before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland, as would be expected. But that doesn’t mean they all are equals.

Check out the rankings of each course on the modern rota below. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings, and they are included for each course below.

Dreaming of the British Open? Check out five incredible U.K. golf vacations

Want to play St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Royal Troon all on the same trip? Yeah…we thought so.

The 2022 British Open is just weeks away and the entire golf world is gearing up to go back home to The Old Course at St. Andrews.

We will all be glued to the coverage of the 150th Open Championship later this month, and most golf fans will daydream about playing St. Andrews and that fantasy golf vacation they’ve been putting off for years.

It’s time to turn those daydreams into reality. Along with our friends from Golfbreaks, Golfweek has compiled five spectacular U.K. golf vacations including trips to England, Northern Ireland and Scotland to play some of the oldest and most famous courses in the world.

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage

R&A confirms Royal Liverpool, Royal Troon will host Open Championship in 2023, 2024

The R&A has confirmed the dates and venues for the Open Championship in 2023 and 2024.

Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, the R&A has confirmed the dates and venues for the Open Championship in 2023 and 2024. The 151st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool from July 20-23, 2023 while Royal Troon will host the following championship July 18-21, 2024.

The announcement comes after the R&A juggled the rescheduling of this year’s lost Open Championship. The 149th Open remains on the books at Royal St. George’s and will be played July 15-18, 2021. That allows the 150th Open Championship to still take place at St. Andrews in 2022.

“We have been working closely with Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon and the relevant local agencies to reschedule the Championships,” Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said in a release. “We are grateful to everyone involved at the clubs and at our partner organizations for supporting our plans and showing flexibility to adapt their own schedules.  We can now look forward to seeing the world’s best players competing at these outstanding links courses in 2023 and 2024.”

When the Open heads to Royal Liverpool in 2023, it will be for the 13th time – and the first since Rory McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug there in 2014. Most recently, the top amateurs competed there in September 2019 for the Walker Cup. The Americans carried off a win on foreign soil for the first time since 2007.

The Open will return to Royal Troon, site of Henrik Stenson’s memorable final round duel with Phil Mickelson in 2016, for the 10th time.

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Why no five-year LPGA exemption for Sophia Popov? Commissioner Mike Whan explains

Sophia Popov’s status as a non-member winner – and the current COVID climate – affects her perks associated with winning AIG Women’s Open.

Sophia Popov became perhaps the best Cinderella story of the month — even the year? — when she won the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon on Aug. 23.

She was a Symetra Tour member, having missed out on earning her full LPGA card by one shot at last fall’s Q-School. She gained late entry into the Women’s British Open courtesy of a top-10 finish at the Marathon LPGA Classic.

Popov rode it all the way to a trophy and career-changing perks. Her status as a non-member winner – and the current COVID climate – limits those, however.

When Popov won at Royal Troon, she was granted instant LPGA membership. According to Category 3 of the LPGA’s priority status document, any player who wins a major as an LPGA member secures status for the next five years.

Therein went the overlooked detail of Popov’s situation. She was not an LPGA member when she won, thus she went into Category 7 on the tour’s Priority List, which is for non-member wins. If she had been an LPGA member, she would have gone into Category 3, which is for major winners.

Thus, Popov will hold full LPGA membership through the completion of the 2021 season.

Sophia Popov
Sophia Popov holds up the trophy after winning the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)

In addition to LPGA membership, another perk associated with winning the Women’s British Open comes in the form of major exemptions. Popov now has an unlimited exemption (at least through age 60) into the Women’s British Open and a five-year exemption into the tour’s other four majors.

But here’s the asterisk: She is not in the field at next month’s ANA Inspiration or the U.S. Women’s Open in December. Her five-year exemption into those events begins in 2020. That’s largely because the majors are out of order in 2020.

Popov is in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. That five-year exemption runs from 2020 through 2024.

LPGA commissioner Mike Whan addressed the Popov status issues on Friday in a video shot at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

The ANA Inspiration field was finalized in March to make to sure that players who qualified into the ANA were secure. In doing so, anything that happened after the field was set would be addressed in later years.

“You don’t have to like that, you don’t have to agree with me on that,” Whan said. “But that way, from the very beginning we knew that a winner there was going to qualify for the 2021 ANA.”

As for limited membership, Whan points out it has happened before – and recently.

“I’ve been commissioner 11 years. I’ve seen plenty of non-member wins at majors,” Whan said. “And I’ve seen almost all of those non-members go onto long and storied careers on the LPGA.”

According to the LPGA, In Gee Chun (2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Hyo Joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship) are among recent players who won a major championship and received a two-year LPGA membership. Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) would have received the same if she had accepted LPGA membership.

Whan said he would think harder about that situation in the off-season and whether it’s a regulation that needs an update. He would not, he said, change a regulation mid-season, “the Monday after an emotional win.”

Popov’s situation initially was reported by Golf.com on Friday. According to writer James Colgan, Popov was contacted by an LPGA official shortly after the trophy presentation at Royal Troon and informed she would not receive the five-year membership exemption.

“I definitely got a little bit frustrated about the whole thing,” Popov told Golf.com a couple of days after the Women’s British Open. “It’s tough because I feel like I deserve the full five years of exemption from the LPGA, but at the same time, I understand the regulations and the fact that they can’t change the rules for a certain player.”

Popov could potentially appeal the rule, an option other players have exercised in similar situations. Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson both used that avenue to gain LPGA membership after winning an LPGA event before they reached 18, the tour’s required age for membership.

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Opinion: Sophia Popov isn’t exempt into all the majors for 2020, that needs to change

Sophia Popov earned LPGA status for the 2020 season by winning the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, but should be in all 2020 majors too.

Sophia Popov became the improbable winner of the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, earning LPGA status for the 2020 season.

But that season won’t start until the Cambia Portland Classic because amazingly, she’s not in the ANA Inspiration field.

How is that possible?

Because the LPGA’s majors are out of order due to COVID-19, Popov’s five-year exemption won’t start until 2021. An LPGA official explained that since the ANA field was basically filled when the tour had to shut down, they’ve chosen to honor that field. The only exemption adjustment was changing the cutoff for top 20 on the money list.

But because Popov, 28, isn’t an LPGA member (she missed out on her card by a single shot last fall at Q-Series), her $675,000 earnings won’t count as official money.

The victory does put Popov into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. It does not, however, get her into the U.S. Women’s Open in December. Like the ANA, her five-year exemption into the Women’s Open begins next year at the Olympic Club.

How does a Symetra Tour player qualify for a major by finishing ninth at the Marathon LPGA Classic but yet a victory at a major championship doesn’t get her into the rest of the majors for 2020?

Surely there’s an exemption (or two) somewhere with Popov’s name on it.

Her story is too extraordinary to deny. A woman ranked No. 304 in the world who won three times on a desert mini tour during the COVID-19 break didn’t just win at Royal Troon, she marched to victory like a grizzled Hall of Famer.

It was a story for the ages, and fans want to see it continue next month at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Popov deserves that. Instead, the earliest she can get back out on the tour is Portland – the week after the ANA.

In this era of COVID-19 protocols and asterisks, why not make an exception?

“There was a lot of hard work behind it,” Popov said after the tournament, “a lot of struggles that I went through the past six years … I knew I was capable. I had a lot of obstacles thrown my way, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

“I almost quit playing last year. Thank God I didn’t.”

The major parade should just be getting started for the sensational Popov. The powers that be must make it happen.

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Sophia Popov looks to follow three Cactus Tour titles with major victory at Royal Troon

After winning three times on the Cactus Tour during the LPGA’s five-month break, Sophia Popov is now leading the AIG Women’s British Open.

Last fall Sophia Popov missed out on securing LPGA status at Q-Series by a single shot. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and qualifying school was canceled for 2020, Popov’s time on the Symetra Tour doubled to at least two years.

And yet, by a stroke of good luck and plenty of grit, she took advantage of every opportunity that was open to her – no matter how small – and played her way into a three-stroke lead in the year’s first major championship. How does a player go from winning a Cactus Tour event at Troon North in Scottsdale, Arizona, in May to leading the field by three at Royal Troon in Scotland three months later?

“Maybe this is the way it should have played out,” Popov said of her unusual journey to the top of the leaderboard at the AIG Women’s British Open.

Popov, 28, hit driver off the deck on the fourth hole to set up an eagle putt that set the tone for a bogey-free 4-under 67. Only three players are under par after three rounds at Troon. Popov sits at 4 under while Minjee Lee, among the best players on the LPGA without a major title, stands a 1 under alongside Jasmine Suwannapura.

Lindsey Weaver, who is using a pull cart for a fourth week in a row, joins Caroline Masson and Austin Ernst in a share of fourth.

The only player in the top 10 who has won a major is former No. 1 Lydia Ko. She trails by six.

Back to Popov, who came into the week ranked No. 304 in the Rolex Rankings, and her wild ride to the top. After winning three times on the Cactus Tour during the LPGA’s five-month break, Popov returned to the tour at the Inverness Club in July – as a caddie.

While players can use a pull cart on the LPGA for the rest of the year, caddies cannot. Popov carried van Dam’s staff bag around Inverness, soaking up everything she could from one of the longest players in the game with the sweetest swing. Popov particularly fed off of van Dam’s positive energy.

The next week, the two best friends shared Popov’s pull cart at the Marathon Classic as they were in opposite waves. Because so many international LPGA players decided not to come to Toledo, the tour filled the field with Symetra Tour players. That’s how Popov got in.

She tied for ninth that week to play her way into her second Women’s British Open. That stint looping for van Dam helped to change her perspective.

“I thought about the course a little bit more from a caddie perspective,” she said. “I said, ‘What is the smart decision to make here?’ You know, I’m someone who tends to be very aggressive. I go at pins. But do you have to be? No, not really.”

After the Marathon, Popov, who played college golf at USC, flew back to Phoenix to compete on the Symetra Tour where she came in second. She arrived in Scotland on Tuesday and played her first practice round at Royal Troon on Wednesday. This week she has boyfriend, Maximilian Mehles, on the bag. Mehles graduated from Kentucky in May and planned to turn professional before the pandemic hit. The pair met on the German National team.

To help keep the nerves to a minimum for the next 24 hours, Popov said she’ll keep her phone on airplane mode and stay off of social media.

“Please, no one text me,” she said, laughing.

Typically fast-paced about everything, Popov hopes to take things slowly the rest of the day and tomorrow. She has long thought she had the game for this type of stage, it’s the space between the ears that needed the most work.

“Honestly, I have plenty of mental games that I do on the golf course,” said Popov, “and a lot of them include staying quiet and no negative talk, whether it’s out loud or not.”

Weaver looked like she needed someone to talk to – to celebrate with – after she holed-out a spectacular shot for par from the hay on the 12th hole. Because she usually takes local caddies on the LPGA and those aren’t allowed this year due to COVID-19 protocols, Weaver decided she’d go solo for this opening stretch of tournaments.

“Usually I kind of have almost a stranger there with me normally,” she said, “so it’s just me by myself. It’s fine. I kind of like it.”

Lindsey Weaver prepares to plays her third shot on the second hole at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)

Weaver’s fiancé, Zach Wright, is staying with her parents this week in Ohio while he competes on the Korn Ferry Tour. He tries to keep up with her rounds on YouTube on the 45-minute commute to the course. The couple bought a house in Dallas during the break, though the pandemic created quite the hurdle.

“Less than 24 hours before we were supposed to close on our house, they were like, ‘Yeah, you guys can’t close on your house because you both are unemployed,’ ” said Weaver.

Because neither could prove when they’d be starting work again on their respective tours, Weaver’s dad had to co-sign on the house. Weaver said a big reason they chose Dallas is because the job market is so great for her degree in finance, and it wasn’t long ago that the Arizona grad thought she might quit professional golf.

“But yeah, I’m not doing that,” she said of going to a 9-to-5 desk job.

Judging by this week, she won’t be anytime soon.

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