PGA TOUR
RSM CLASSIC
Site: St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Course: Sea Island GC. Seaside (Yardage: 7,005. Par: 70) and Plantation (Yardage: 7,060. Par: 72).
Prize money: $6.6 million. Winner’s share: $1,188,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Tyler Duncan.
FedEx Cup leader: Dustin Johnson.
Last week: Dustin Johnson won the Masters.
Notes: Even with a Masters in November, the following week is at a seaside resort. It’s Hilton Head Island in April, about an hour north along the Atlantic coast. … Masters runner-up Sungjae Im is among 40 players in the field who were at Augusta National last week. … Joaquin Niemann is in the field. He missed the Masters last week because of a positive test for the coronavirus. Niemann already is eligible for next April’s Masters. … There are 20 Europeans in the field, 11 of whom have played in the Ryder Cup. … Tournament host Davis Love III is not playing this year because of ongoing neck issues. … Three of the last four tournaments at Sea Island have gone to a playoff. … The RSM Classic usually is the final official PGA Tour event of the year. Still to come is the Mayakoba Golf Classic a week after Thanksgiving. … Kevin Streelman has slipped just outside the top 50. The top 50 at the end of the year get into the Masters in April. … Davis Thompson, the No. 1 amateur in the world, is playing on an exemption.
Next tournament: Mayakoba Golf Classic on Dec. 3-6.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LPGA TOUR
PELICAN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Belleair, Florida.
Course: Pelican GC. Yardage: 6,268. Par: 70.
Prize money: $1.5 million. Winner’s share: $225,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel-Tape Delay).
Defending champion: New event.
Race to CME Globe leader: Danielle Kang.
Last tournament: Ally McDonald won the Drive On Championship-Reynolds Lake Oconee.
Notes: Jin Young Ko, the No. 1 player in the world for the last 68 weeks, makes her first LPGA Tour appearance since the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship one year ago. She has been home in South Korea since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ko is playing three straight tournaments through the U.S. Women’s Open. … The tournament is new to the LPGA Tour schedule and was originally to be held the same week as the PGA Championship in May. … U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 also is making her return to the LPGA Tour. She last played the Women’s Australian Open in February before the tour began shutting down its Asia swing because of the pandemic. … The field also includes Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson. … Two of three major champions this year are playing - Women’s British Open champion Sophia Popov and Women’s PGA champion Sei Young Kim, the No. 2 player in the world. … The tournament will be on tape delay because of being in the same time zone as the PGA Tour along the Georgia coast.
Next tournament: Volunteers of America Classic on Dec. 3-6.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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EUROPEAN TOUR
JOBURG OPEN
Site: Johannesburg.
Course: Randpark GC. Yardage: 7,506. Par: 72.
Prize money: $19.5 million rand ($1.27 million). Winner’s share: $3.25 million rand ($213,234).
Television: Thursday, 2-5 a.m., (Golf Channel); Friday, 5-10 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5-9:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Shubhankar Sharma in 2017.
Race to Dubai leader: Patrick Reed.
Last week: Dustin Johnson won the Masters.
Notes: The tournament was last held in December 2017 when it was tri-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, European Tour and Asian Tour. It now is part of a three-week swing in South Africa. … Shubhankar Sharma won the last event, part of his two victories in the season that landed him an invitation to the Masters. … The tournament dates to 2007. … Charl Schwartzel is a two-time winner. He is playing the PGA Tour this week. … Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who tied for 38th in his Masters debut, is in the field. At No. 60, he is the highest-ranked player in the Joburg Open. … M.J. Daffue is playing. He has made it into six PGA Tour events this year, mostly through Monday qualifying. His best finish was a tie for 12th in the Sanderson Farms Open. … Americans have won all three majors and both World Golf Championships that were played this year, all of which are part of the European Tour schedule.
Next week: Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/
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OTHER TOURS
Japan Golf Tour: Dunlop Phoenix, Phoenix CC, Miyazaki, Japan. Defending champion: Shugo Imahira. Online: https://www.jgto.org/pc/TopPageEng.do
Ladies European Tour: Saudi Ladies Team International, Royal Greens Golf & CC, Economic City, Saudi Arabia. Defending champion: New event. Television: Tuesday-Thursday, 7-10 a.m. (Golf Channel); Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
Challenge Tour: Challenge Tour Grand Final, T-Golf & CC, Mallorca, Spain. Defending champion: Francesco Laporta. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
Japan LPGA: Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open, Elleair GC (Matsuyama), Ehime, Japan. Defending champion: Hinako Shibuno. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/
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