Here’s what pros have to say about Tiger Woods’ first course to host a PGA Tour event

The wind is the course’s main defense. Tiger emphasized shot-making and strategic decision-making.

LOS CABOS, Mexico — Tiger Woods doesn’t do many firsts these days in professional golf but he has this week as this marks the first time that a PGA Tour event will be held on one of Woods’ designs (with senior design associate Beau Welling).

With dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean and natural arroyos, mature vegetation and native dunes, El Cardonal at Diamante, which ranks T-33 on Golfweek’s Best Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic Islands and Central America list and hosts this week’s World Wide Technology Championship, is a par-72 course measuring 7,363 yards and will rank as one of the tougher walks on Tour.

The wind is the course’s main defense. Tiger emphasized shot-making and strategic decision-making. The course’s variety of hole angles, including the par-5 14th, which offers the rare alternate fairway, challenging green complexes and diverse shot values provide a testing ground that requires players to think critically about their approach.  It’s a course that invites players to showcase their versatility and creativity, in line with Tiger’s approach to the game and what made him one of the best to ever peg it up.

“I set up the golf strategy to make golfers think and make choices,” Woods said on the course website. “There are going to be different ways to play every hole. Angles of approach are going to be very important and will dictate the type of shots you should consider. I love this kind of golf.”

The course boasts a magnificent panorama of dunes, fairways, and ocean views that blend with the surrounding natural vegetation. Here’s what the pros have to say about Tiger’s first completed design and first course to host the PGA Tour.

Cameron Young, Sahith Theegala, Ludvig Aberg highlight 2023 World Wide Technology Championship field

Michael Block is also in the field.

After a week off, the PGA Tour heads south for the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico.

It’s the first of the final three events on the FedEx Cup Fall Series for 2023.

The Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante Cabo San Lucas plays host for the first time. It’s a par-72 track measuring 7,452 yards.

El Cardonal ranks 26th on the Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 courses in Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands and Central America list. It’s one of 11 courses in Cabo on that list. It’s also the first golf course designed by Woods, opening in 2014.

Russell Henley claimed his title at El Camaleon Golf Club near Cancun in 2022. Joining him in the field are Cameron Young, Sahith Theegala, European Ryder Cupper Ludvig Aberg and PGA Championship fan-favorite Michael Block. This will be Young’s first start since he tied for 15th at the BMW Championship. Theegala already has a win during the FedEx Cup Fall at the Fortinet Championship, his first Tour win.

Find the complete field for the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship below.

Sahith Theegala, Cam Young and Keegan Bradley join TGL as team format changes

There are now 19 players signed on for the TGL.

Last Thursday, TGL announced that Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton — all members of the winning European Ryder Cup team in Rome — were joining its roster.

On Wednesday,  TGL announced three more editions to the Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy-led league: Sahith Theegala, Cam Young and Keegan Bradley.

The total amount of players in the league now sits at 19.

In addition, the Sports Business Journal reported that each of the six teams will roster four players but only three will play in matches, allowing each team to use a rotating lineup. It was earlier stated that 18 players would be a part of TGL, three for each team. You can find all 19 players here.

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See Sahith Theegala’s winning golf equipment from the 2023 Fortinet Championship

Here’s what Sahith Theegala used for his first PGA Tour win.

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A complete list of the golf equipment Sahith Theegala used to win the PGA Tour’s 2023 Fortinet Championship:

DRIVER: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Black Gen 4 60 TX shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Sahith Theegala’s driver” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/Vm2v5a”]

FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G430 Max (18 degrees adjusted to 16.5)
with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Sahith Theegala’s fairway wood” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/GmR4yr”]

IRONS: Ping i210 (3) with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 85 shaft, Ping Blueprint S prototype (4-PW), with Project X 6.5 shafts

WEDGES: Ping Glide 4.0 (50 degrees), with Project X 6.5 shaft, (54 degrees) and Glide 2.0 (58 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Sahith Theegala’s wedges” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/anr9ob”]

PUTTER: Ping Karsten TR 1966 Anser 2

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Sahith Theegala’s golf ball” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/k0J1Kn”]

GRIPS: SuperStroke Flatso 1.0 (putter)

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The wait is over: Sahith Theegala wins Fortinet Championship for first PGA Tour title

The wait for one of the best young stars in the game to get his first victory is over.

Following a stellar rookie season on the PGA Tour, many thought the 2022-23 season would be a breakout one for Sahith Theegala.

The 25-year-old California native had a good year, though it wasn’t as good as his first on Tour. He tied for second at the RSM Classic last November and had seven top-10 finishes, but he finished 31st in the FedEx Cup standings and missed out on the Tour Championship.

Earlier this week, Theegala said he was eager to play again, and it’s easy to see why.

Theegala finally got over the hump, capturing his first PGA Tour victory Sunday at the 2023 Fortinet Championship in Napa, California. Theegala finished at 21-under 267 at Silverado Resort’s North Course, and the wait for one of the best young stars in the game to get his first victory is over.

“It doesn’t feel real. It’s probably not going to set in for while,” Theegala said. “But man, that was a lot of good golf, and that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I had so many family and friends cheering me on, and just the support I have is mind blowing. I go to bed at night these last few days and I’m like, I can’t believe how many people are cheering for me and rooting for me.

“But man, this feeling is incredible. And I couldn’t have done it without my whole team and everyone out here. This is such a team effort, and for me to just put it together like this, it means the world, it means the world to me.”

In the final round, Theegala shot 4-under 68, including three birdies in his first five holes to take control. He led by two shots heading into a final round, and the winning margin was two after a closing bogey, but it didn’t matter.

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Justin Thomas, who was in the group at T-2 before the final round, shot even-par 72 on Sunday and finished at 15 under and solo fifth. Max Homa, a fellow United States Ryder Cup team member with Thomas and the Fortinet Championship’s two-time defending victor, finished at 13 under and T-7.

Rookie S.H. Kim finished solo second at 19 under.

Although it doesn’t count as an official PGA Tour victory, Theegala won the QBE Shootout last December with partner Tom Hoge. However, there’s no doubt about his victory Sunday in wine country.

After he finished his round Sunday, Theegala’s family was there to celebrate. They walked along every hole in the final round and were boisterous in their support.

“They meant everything,” Theegala said. “Just like the way I am, I kind of keep my head down and keep going and stay focused, but I secretly just loving the cheering. It gets me fired up. And just knowing that I have that support no matter the good golf or the bad golf, they just have my back and I hope they know that I have their back, too.

“I can’t even express how I feel. It’s a team win. It’s not just a win for me, it’s a win for the whole family and everyone.”

Sahith Theegala on verge of first win among third-round takeaways at Fortinet Championship

Sahith Theegala is closing in on his first PGA Tour win.

The first event of the FedEx Cup Fall is shaping up for a fantastic finish.

Following Saturday’s third round of the 2023 Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, California, there’s numerous names in contention to win a title, including Justin Thomas, who was using this week as a tune-up before the Ryder Cup in two weeks.

In the group near the top of the leaderboard includes numerous PGA Tour winners, but there are also many who are searching for their first Tour victory. With plenty at stake for the 2024 season and beyond, there’s bound to be excitement Sunday in wine country.

Here’s everything you need to know from the third round of the Fortinet Championship.

Sahith Theegala loves California, JT lurking among second round takeaways at Fortinet Championship

Here’s what you need to know from Friday’s second round at the Fortinet Championship.

The first event of the FedEx Cup Fall has reached the weekend, and the leaderboard is strong with 36 holes in the books.

Ths second round of the 2023 Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa, California, is complete, and there’s a California kid in front along with a PGA Tour rookie searching for their first victory. Meanwhile, a pair of U.S. Ryder Cup members, including the event’s two-time defending champion, are in position to make a weekend push.

The Fortinet Championship is the first of seven fall events on Tour, where players will battle it out to earn spots in signature-event fields at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

Fortinet Championship: Photos

Here’s what you need to know from Friday’s second round at the Fortinet Championship.

Here’s how the Grant Thornton Invitational (the new PGA Tour-LPGA event) will work

The 32-player field will be comprised of 16 PGA Tour and 16 LPGA players competing for a $4 million purse.

A co-sanctioned event between the PGA Tour and the LPGA at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida had already announced some spectacular pairings, with the likes of Rose Zhang and Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau and Nelly Korda, Rickie Fowler and Jessica Korda, and Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson all set to team up.

The Grant Thornton Invitational is set to debut Dec. 8-10 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, as part of the Challenge Season.

It will be the first mixed-team co-sanctioned event between the two tours since John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic in 1999.

The 32-player field will be comprised of 16 PGA Tour and 16 LPGA players competing for a $4 million purse. The three-day event will be televised by NBC and Golf Channel.

The Grant Thornton replaced the QBE Shootout, which was founded by Greg Norman in 1989 and had been played in Naples since 2001. Last year, Theegala teamed with Tom Hoge to win the event, coming from two down in the final round to edge Ryan Palmer and Charley Hoffman.

This week, the three playing formats for the Grant Thornton were unveiled in a piece written by our network partners at the Naples Daily News:

Friday, Dec. 8: Scramble format

In this round, each player hits a tee shot and then the team selects the ball to be used for the next stroke. From there, both players hit their next shots from that spot. This process continues until the ball is holed.

Saturday, Dec. 9: Foursome (alternate shot) format

This is the most traditional of the three days, adhering to a format that is consistently featured in both the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup. Each team’s players alternate hitting shots with the same ball until the ball is holed. One player will tee off on the odd-numbered holes, and the other tees off on the even-numbered holes.

Sunday, Dec. 10: Modified Four-Ball format

This final round will feature a format new to team play and a twist on traditional Four-Ball. In the modified format, both players tee off, and then they switch balls for their second shots and play that same ball until it is holed. The lower score of the partners is then counted as the team score for the hole.

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2023 Fortinet Championship odds, course history and picks to win

The PGA Tour is back.

After a brief hiatus, the PGA Tour returns to action this week in Napa, California, at the Fortinet Championship.

Max Homa, who was recently in Rome with the United States Ryder Cup team on a scouting mission of Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, returns to Silverado Resort’s North Course as the two-time defending champion.

The 32-year-old comes into the week with five straight top-20 finishes: T-12 (Scottish Open), T-10 (The Open), T-6 (FedEx St. Jude), T-5 (BMW) and T-9 (Tour Championship). After struggling mid-summer, Homa is back to the form we saw from him in the late winter and spring of 2023.

Ryder Cup teammate Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala and rising star Akshay Bhatia join him in the field.

Golf course

Silverado Resort and Spa (North Course) | Par 72 | 7,123 yards

2022 Fortinet Championship
A general view of the 15th hole during the second round of the Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort and Spa North course on September 16, 2022 in Napa, California. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Course history

Betting preview

Rose Zhang, Sahith Theegala team up for the Grant Thornton Invitational

Now this is a fun pairing.

Rose Zhang has taken the women’s game by storm since turning pro earlier this year, grabbing a win at the Mizuho Americas Open in her first professional start and finishing inside the top 10 of three of the four major championships she played in after leaving the amateur game behind.

Sahith Theegala has yet to enter the winner’s circle, but thanks to his infectious personality and appearance on Full Swing, the Pepperdine product has quickly become a fan favorite on the PGA Tour.

The two young stars will be teaming up this winter at the PGA Tour-LPGA co-sanctioned event at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, the Grant Thornton Invitational.

Other teams have already been announced, including Tony Finau/Nelly Korda, Rickie Fowler/Jessica Korda and Corey Conners/Brooke Henderson.

The three-day event will be held Friday, Dec. 8 through Sunday, Dec. 10