PGA TOUR
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Chiba, Japan.
Course: Accordia Golf Narashino CC. Yardage: 7,041. Par: 70.
Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Purse: $9.75 million. Winner’s share: $1,755,000.
Defending champion: New event.
FedEx Cup leader: Lanto Griffin.
Last week: Justin Thomas won the CJ Cup.
Notes: Tiger Woods makes his first start in his 23rd season on the PGA Tour, needing one victory to reach 82 wins and tie the career record held by Sam Snead. … This is the PGA Tour’s first official tournament in Japan and the fourth Asian country where it has played for official money. … Justin Thomas has won in two of his last four starts. He has not finished worse than 12th in his last eight tournaments worldwide. … Rory McIlroy is playing for the fourth time since winning the FedEx Cup, all in Europe. … The tournament is co-sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour, and 10 of its members will be part of the 78-man field. … Ryo Ishikawa is playing on a sponsor exemption. … PGA champion Brooks Koepka is the only major champion not in the field. …. Woods lost in a playoff at the Dunlop Phoenix in 2006, his last official event in Japan. … The PGA Tour has one more stop on the Asia swing next week in Shanghai before returning to North America.
Next week: WGC-HSBC Champions and Bermuda Championship
Online: www.pgatour.com
___
LPGA TOUR
BMW LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Busan, South Korea
Course: LPGA International Busan. Yardage: 6,316. Par: 72.
Television (tape delay): Thursday-Friday, 1:30-5:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Purse: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.
Defending champion: New event.
Race to CME Globe leader: Jin Young Ko.
Last week: Danielle Kang won the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
Notes: Danielle Kang moved up nine spots to No. 9 in the Race to CME Globe with her second straight win in Shanghai. … Kang became the 11th player to go over $1 million this year on the LPGA money list. … Kang is the fourth American to win an individual LPGA event this year. … Jin Young Ko has finished out of the top 10 once in her last six tournaments on the LPGA Tour. … Former U.S. Women’s Open champions Paula Creamer and In-Gee Chun are playing on sponsor exemptions and cannot earn points toward the Race to CME Globe. … Hinako Shibuno of Japan is the only major champion this year not playing in the new tournament in South Korea. … Kristen Gillman tied for third, her best finish of her rookie year. She has three other top 10s. The LPGA rookie award already has been won by U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6.
Next week: Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship.
Online: www.lpga.com
___
EUROPEAN TOUR
PORTUGAL MASTERS
Site: Vilamoura, Portugal.
Course: Dom Pedro Victoria GC. Yardage: 7,191. Par: 71.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 6:30-8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Purse: 1.5 million euros. Winner’s share: 250,000 euros.
Defending champion: Tom Lewis.
Race to Dubai leader: Bernd Wiesberger.
Last week: Nicolas Colsaerts won the French Open.
Notes: Matt Wallace at No. 29 is the highest-ranked player in the field, with Eddie Pepperell (No. 46) the only other player from the top 50 in the world. … Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer give the Portugal Masters two former No. 1 players. … Oliver Fisher last year became the first European Tour player to shoot 69. … This is the final event of the European Tour schedule played in Europe. The tour moves to China, Turkey and South Africa before concluding its season in Dubai. … The tournament dates to 2007. Richard Green of Australia won in 2010 and remains the only non-European to win. … In 12 years, the Portugal Masters has never been decided by a playoff.
Next week: WGC-HSBC Champions
Online: www.europeantour.com
___
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Last week: Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
Next week: Invesco QQQ Championship.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Scott McCarron.
Online: www.pgatour.com/champions
___
OTHER TOURS
Challenge Tour: Foshan Open, Foshan GC, Foshan City, China. Defending champion: Victor Perez. Online: www.europeantour.com/challengetour
PGA Tour of Australasia: Victorian PGA Championship, RACV Cape Schank Resort, Melbourne, Australia. Defending champion: Aaron Pike. Online: www.pga.org.au
Sunshine Tour: Sibaya Challenge, The Woods at Mount Edgecombe, Durban, South Africa. Defending champion: Louis de Jager. Online: www.sunshinetour.com
Japan LPGA: Nobuta Group Masters, Masters GC, Hyogo, Japan. Defending champion: Sun-ju Ahn. Online: www.lpga.or.jp
Please read our comment policy before commenting.