Australia's Steve Allan fired a 7-under-par 65 on Saturday at Mission Hills Country Club to seize a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Galleri Classic in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

• The 51-year-old Allan, who got in the field because Steve Stricker withdrew Monday due to a bad back, matched his lowest Champions Tour score to put himself into position for his first title on this tour. Allan credited countryman Cameron Percy, who shared the first-round lead, with helping him this week.

  "Nice to be really striking the ball well," Allan said. "I had a good first round last week but, as the wind picked up, and it wasn't even that windy. I struggled with it last week and had a little adjustment this week. I got a tip from Cameron Percy the other day, which helped, and I've been hitting the ball really well. So even though the wind was picking up, I was a bit more confident than I was last week."

  Alln holds a one-shot edge over Tag Ridings, who tied the tournament record for lowest 18-hole score as he produced a 9-under 63. That equaled the mark set last year by Ricardo Gonzalez. Neither Allan nor Ridings have status on the Champions Tour, so they have extra incentive Sunday.

  "It's a big boost of confidence (to shoot a 63)," said Ridings, who earned a spot via Tuesday's open qualifier. "But, more than confidence out here, you need status. I'm here to do something good tomorrow and work that out. ... Every step of the ladder is a big deal."

  The 50-year-old Ridings, playing his second Tour event, climbed one shot ahead of New Zealand's Steven Alker, Australia's Percy and Jason Caron. They're all at 8-under-par as Alker, the reigning Charles Schwab Cup champion, matched Allan's 65.

  First-round co-leader Bernhard Langer dropped four shots off the pace as he followed his first-round 67 -- equaling his age -- with a 1-under 71. Miguel Angel Jimenez delivered the day's third 7-under 65 to recover from his first-round 73 and pull within four shots of the lead.

  "I finished almost like a pure black horse instead of a donkey," Jimenez said.

  Defending champion Retief Goosen of South Africa is tied for 16th at 4 under.

  Rocco Mediate and Mark Calcavecchia withdrew in the second round due to injury, the tour announced.

  --Field Level Media

K.H. Lee withdrew prior to his second round at the Houston Open on Friday due to a back injury.

• The 33-year-old South Korea native carded a 5-over 75 in Thursday's first round at Memorial Park Golf Course.

  Lee's eventful opening round included four birdies, five bogeys and two double bogeys.

  Lee has two career wins on the PGA Tour, both coming at the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2021 and 2022.

  --Field Level Media

Taylor Moore withdrew from the Texas Children's Houston Open prior to the start of the tournament due to a rib injury.

• Moore, 31, is ranked 82nd in the Official World Golf Ranking and has one PGA win on his resume, the 2023 Valspar Championship.

  Last year in the Houston Open, Moore shot 11-under and finished in a tie for second place at Memorial Park Golf Course.

  --Field Level Media

The top two players in the world are in the field for this week's Texas Children's Houston Open, which tees off Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.

• It also represents the final opportunity for players to earn automatic spots into next month's Masters through the Official World Golf Ranking, so there is plenty on the line in Texas this week.

  Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

  TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOUSTON OPEN

  Location: Memorial Park Golf Course (Par 70, 7,475 Yards)

  Purse: $9.5M (Winner: $1.71M)

  Defending Champion: Stephan Jaeger

  FedExCup leader: Rory McIlroy

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ET

  X: @TCHouOpen

  PROP PICKS

  --Tony Finau to Beat J.J. Spaun (-110 at DraftKings): Spaun has a pair of runner-ups over his past three starts -- including at The Players -- as he has risen to 27th in the world rankings. Meanwhile, Finau is coming off a MC and a T36 in his past two starts. But the 2022 champ in Houston has a strong track record at Memorial Park, where he and Scheffler are the only players with multiple top-5 finishes.

  --Jason Day Top 30 Finish (+110 at BetRivers): As a standard full-field event, the field isn't chock-full of marquee names beyond Scheffler and McIlroy. Day posted a T8 at Bay Hill before withdrawing from The Players due to illness. He did finish T50 at The Genesis, but that was against a much deeper field.

  --Stephan Jaeger Top German (+110 at DraftKings): Jaeger obviously feels comfortable at Memorial Park, and he has hung around the first page of the leaderboard multiple times this year already. Matthias Schmid (+280) can't be discounted after a T6 in Puerto Rico and a T28 last week, but he also has five missed cuts in nine starts this year. The other two in this prop are Jeremy Paul (+330) and Thomas Rosenmueller (+650). Paul finished T22 at the Valspar, where Rosenmueller missed his fourth cut in his past six events.

  2025 Prop Pick Record: 12-18-1

  BEST BETS

  --Scottie Scheffler (+350 at DraftKings) finished one shot off the pace here last year and is seeking his first victory of 2025. He leads the field with 13 percent of all money wagered backing Scheffler to snap his "drought" this week.

  --Rory McIlroy (+650) has already won twice in 2025 but is making his debut at Memorial Park. The Northern Irishman claiming a top-5 finish this week has been the most popular top-5 play at the book.

  --Tony Finau (+3000) won the event in 2022 and tied for second last year.

  --Min Woo Lee (+3500) has been a popular longshot, drawing 7 percent of the total money -- equaling McIlroy's support from the public. Lee is coming off a T20 at The Players, where he was firmly in the mix until a 78 on Saturday.

  --Stephan Jaeger (+4500) has already won at Memorial Park and has a T6 in Mexico and a T20 at The Players among his past four starts.

  --Alex Smalley (+5500) has yet to win on tour but has been knocking on the door with six T21 or better finishes in his past eight starts. The other two were MCs.

  NOTES

  --Memorial Park will play host to the event for the fifth consecutive year.

  --The field includes 20 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. The top 50 players in the OWGR after this week who are not otherwise exempt will earn spots into next month's Masters. In the field this week are No. 52 Michael Kim, No. 53 Ben Griffin, No. 61 Eric Cole and No. 66 Si Woo Kim.

  --Houston native Matthew Riedel will make his event debut as a PGA Tour rookie. It's his seventh start since earning his card with a T4 at last year's Q-School, with his best finish to date a T26 in Puerto Rico.

  --Field Level Media

Field Level Media's Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.

• PGA TOUR

  LAST TOURNAMENT: Valspar Championship (Viktor Hovland)

  THIS WEEK: Texas Children's Houston Open, March 27-30

  Course: Memorial Park Golf Course (Par 70, 7,475 Yards)

  Purse: $9.5M (Winner: $1.71M)

  Defending Champion: Stephan Jaeger

  FedExCup leader: Rory McIlroy

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ET

  X: @TCHouOpen

  NOTES: Memorial Park will play host to the event for the fifth consecutive year. ... The field includes 20 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. The top 50 players in the OWGR after this week who are not otherwise exempt will earn spots into next month's Masters. In the field this week are No. 52 Michael Kim, No. 53 Ben Griffin, No. 61 Eric Cole and No. 66 Si Woo Kim. ... Houston native Matthew Riedel will make his event debut as a PGA Tour rookie. It's his seventh start since earning his card with a T4 at last year's Q-School, with his best finish to date a T26 in Puerto Rico.

  BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+350 at DraftKings) finished one shot off the pace here last year and is seeking his first victory of 2025. ... Rory McIlroy (+650) has already won twice in 2025, but is making his debut at Memorial Park. ... Tony Finau (+3000) won the event in 2022 and tied for second last year. ... Min Woo Lee (+3500). ... Stephan Jaeger (+4500) has already won at Memorial Park and has a T6 in Mexico and a T20 at The Players among his past four starts. ... Alex Smalley (+5500) has yet to win on tour, but has been knocking on the door with six T21 or better finishes in his past eight starts. The other two were MCs.

  NEXT TOURNAMENT: Valero Texas Open, San Antonio, Texas, April 3-6

  LPGA TOUR

  LAST TOURNAMENT: Blue Bay LPGA (Rio Takeda)

  THIS WEEK: Ford Championship, Chandler, Ariz., March 27-30

  Course: Whirlwind Golf Club, Cattail Course (Par 72, 6,661 Yards)

  Purse: $2.25M (Winner: $337,500)

  Defending Champion: Nelly Korda

  Race to the CME Globe leader: A Lim Kim

  HOW TO WATCH:

  TV/Streaming: Thursday-Friday: 6-7 p.m. ET (NBC Digital), 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Digital); Saturday-Sunday: 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)

  X: @LPGA

  NOTES: The 144-player field will be cut to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes. ... All five winners on tour this year are in the field. ... Last year's inaugural edition of the event was contested at Seville Golf and Country Club. Whirlwind previously played host to a Korn Ferry Tour event from 2001-05. ... Korda has a pair of top-10 finishes in two starts this year, including a runner-up at the Tournament of Champions. She has six consecutive top-7 finishes dating back to last season. ... Gabby Barker, the first female Native American professional golfer, received a sponsor invitation this week along with seven-year LPGA Tour veteran Maria Fassi.

  NEXT TOURNAMENT: T-Mobile Match Play, Las Vegas, April 2-6

  PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

  LAST TOURNAMENT: Hoag Classic (Miguel Angel Jimenez)

  THIS WEEK: The Galleri Classic, Rancho Mirage, Calif.

  Course: Mission Hills Country Club (Par 72, 7,165 Yards)

  Purse: $2.2M (Winner: $330,000)

  Defending Champion: Retief Goosen

  Charles Schwab Cup leader: Jimenez

  HOW TO WATCH:

  TV: Friday: 10 p.m.-1 a.m. ET (Golf Channel - Tape Delay); Saturday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m. (GC)

  X: @GalleriClassic

  NOTES: The 54-hole event features a 79-player field with a combined 310 PGA Tour titles. ... Goosen is one of seven World Golf Hall of Fame members in the field. He is joined by Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal and Vijay Singh. ... David Toms set the tournament scoring record of 200 while winning the inaugural event two years ago.

  NEXT TOURNAMENT: James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, Boca Raton, Fla., April 4-6

  LIV GOLF LEAGUE

  LAST TOURNAMENT: Singapore (Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC)

  THIS WEEK: OFF

  Season Leaders: Individual: Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC

  NEXT TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Miami, April 4-6

  --Field Level Media

Despite a history of acrimony between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, one of the original defectors to the rival league made supportive comments at the conclusion of the inaugural TGL season on Tuesday night.

• Phil Mickelson, who left the PGA Tour in June 2022 for upstart LIV Golf, responded to a post on X praising TGL, an indoor simulator golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that also features other PGA Tour stars.

  "That's great news! It would be great for golf if this were to succeed," Mickelson wrote. "The golf fan is the most loyal fan in sports.

  "Buy a ticket, walk miles and see a fraction of the action," he continued, "but this could allow the golf fan to buy a ticket, sit down and watch 100 (percent) of the action just like other sports. It could really be good for the game if it's compelling."

  Atlanta Drive GC won the first TGL championship, 4-3 over New York Golf Club on Tuesday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The winners -- Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay -- split a purse of $9 million, with New York receiving half that amount.

  Atlanta won the first match of the best-of-three series on Monday, which left the New York team of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young needing to sweep both scheduled matches on Tuesday.

  Mickelson, 54, won 45 PGA Tour events, including six major titles, en route to a World Golf Hall of Fame career. His exit for LIV Golf, bankrolled by Saudia Arabia's Public Investment Fund, as well as the defection of other stars, including Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, put Mickelson in opposition to his former tour and its players.

  The PGA Tour and PIF have been in deliberations since coming to a "framework agreement" in June 2023 to merge assets and coexist.

  --Field Level Media

Rory McIlroy insists he's not looking past this week's Texas Children's Houston Open, even with the Masters Tournament coming around the corner.

• McIlroy will look to record his third win of the season this weekend when he tees off on Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course. The World's No. 2 golfer is making his first appearance at the tournament since 2014.

  "I just want to get a card in my hand and shoot scores and hopefully get myself in contention and try to win another golf tournament," McIlroy said on Wednesday. "It's not as if I'm playing here this week and thinking about two weeks' time. I'm here, I'm in the present, I'm trying to do my best this week and trying to win this golf tournament."

  The Masters will be played April 10-13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

  McIlroy, 35, began the season with a victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am before emerging triumphant in the Players Championship on March 17 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

  "I'm obviously playing well, I want to keep playing well, so I think every round you play where you see good things you're sort of filling up that confidence bucket a little bit, so I want to see that," McIlroy said. "I still -- look, it was great to get a win a couple weeks ago but I still feel I could have played a lot better. I tried to poke holes in a lot of my game last week and think about things I could do better, and there were definitely things that I could work on or do better.

  "It's a good opportunity to go out and see if some of the work I did at home and I'm continuing to do here, hopefully it's all going in the right direction."

  McIlroy has four major titles and 28 career PGA victories on his resume, however he is 10-plus years removed from his last major title after winning four in a four-year span. The Masters is the only prize missing from his career Grand Slam.

  --Field Level Media

Atlanta Drive GC staged an unlikely comeback from a steep deficit to win the inaugural TGL championship in style, 4-3 over New York Golf Club on Tuesday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

• After failing to win any of the first 11 holes and falling behind 3-0, a combination of precise execution and good tactical use of the "hammer" propelled Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay to victory.

  Horschel sank a critical 17-foot double-breaking putt at the 14th to collect two points and pull Atlanta into the lead, before teammate Cantlay iced it with a deft pitch shot stone dead at the final hole.

  The winners split a purse of $9 million, with New York receiving half that amount.

  "I said it multiple times: It's my ... house," Horschel said. "This is something different than what we play every week. We want to entertain; that's what this is about. It's been great to be with all three of these guys."

  Atlanta won the first match of the best-of-three series on Monday, which left the New York team of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young needing to sweep both scheduled matches on Tuesday.

  "We did not want to go to another match. We're all just thrilled that we're not playing right now," Horschel said.

  Added Thomas of the season overall: "It's completely exceeded my expectations. The competitiveness, once the playoffs got here, it was not chippy, but it was competitive. We wanted to win."

  For so long it looked like New York would take it to a Game 3, as Atlanta could not buy a putt and the Big Apple team cruised to an almost but not quite insurmountable lead.

  In front of a raucous crowd at the indoor arena, there was even a moment of controversy as Schauffele threw the hammer, an orange towel, just as Thomas was about to place his second hand on the putter grip for an 11-foot putt at the eighth hole.

  Under the rules, once the player has addressed the ball it's too late for the hammer, but the rules official deemed Thomas did not have both hands on the putter, so the hammer stood.

  Atlanta declined to accept it and Thomas conceded the hole without putting, which gave New York one point to go 2-0 up.

  The lead did not last.

  Lamented New York's Young: "The short game in here is what wins you matches, and unfortunately we just didn't have anything go in tonight."

  --Field Level Media

If a deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund is to be finalized after close to two years of deliberation, one of the major questions that must be solved is the fate of LIV Golf.

• The PIF and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, established its footing in the professional golf world by bankrolling LIV Golf and peeling away several major stars from the PGA Tour, including Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and most recently Jon Rahm. The Saudi contingent came to a "framework" agreement to merge assets with the PGA Tour back in June 2023, but it was light on details as to how LIV Golf could coexist with the tour.

  Former major winner Webb Simpson, a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, told Sports Illustrated this week that it took some time for the tour and its partners, including new investors Strategic Sports Group, to get "an understanding more of who (Al-Rumayyan) is, what he wants, what he's trying to accomplish with LIV."

  But Simpson admitted there are major obstacles in the way of reunifying the men's professional game, namely how LIV is incorporated into the schedule going forward.

  "To me, it's hard to get your mind around the team concept," Simpson said in an interview published Monday. "I've gotten that feedback from golf fans. You can get your mind around the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup once a year. But the franchise model or Formula 1 model on the PGA Tour ... it's hard to see a future in that."

  Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner, has sat on the tour's policy board for more than two years. The 39-year-old suggested in the interview that paring back the LIV schedule to a few events a year may not appease Al-Rumayyan and the Saudis.

  "I'm not on the transaction committee (which deals directly with the PIF), so I don't know how Yasir is with other forms of TV golf, where we incorporate PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the LIV tour," Simpson said. "It's complicated.

  "We've presented, at least at the board level, other team options that aren't just franchises like they have for the whole year. More like different points on the calendar where there is an appetite for fans to see some type of team stuff. Then it goes back to the idea that the beauty of a team sport is you get behind that team for the season. You ride their highs and lows. Is four times a year really going to work? Will that satisfy what Yasir wants?"

  Simpson also hinted that merely communicating with the Saudis has been a challenge.

  "It seems like there is a little bit of a breakdown in communication," Simpson said. "On our side, when questions are asked of us, we get answers right away. We've been diligent. I don't know if the same is true on their side. That part has been kind of frustrating."

  But Simpson did say that those in negotiations know that the highest priority for the fans at this point is to piece back together a schedule that gets the likes of DeChambeau, Koepka and Rahm playing the most important PGA Tour events again.

  "We also know the fans have said a million times they want to see Bryson and Rahm play in the best tournaments," Simpson said. "They don't want to see us at Valspar this week and them at Singapore last week. That's not good for the game of golf.

  "We're throwing out different ideas of how we incorporate them back in. There's only a few guys who have any eligibility out here but they're the best players. And I think the appetite for the average PGA Tour member to see a legitimate path is quicker than maybe we once there. ... I think people are over the shock value of (LIV Golf)."

  --Field Level Media

Tony Finau said Tuesday that he's focused on the task at hand -- that being continuing his success at Texas Children's Houston Open.

• Finau, after all, won the event in 2022 and finished tied as a runner up last year.

  This week, Finau will look to record for another strong showing at Memorial Park Golf Course while also fine-tuning his game with the Masters fast approaching.

  "Anybody that asks me about my schedule, I always make sure they know I'm playing Houston and it's a good golf course," Finau said. "I don't think that there's a better prep golf course leading up to the Masters than Memorial Park. It's a big golf course. I think they try to set it up where it's similar to Augusta National maybe to have guys play. I know that was the case many years ago when it was at other golf courses.

  "But I don't think that there's a better course to prepare for something like Augusta National than here."

  Eventual Masters winner Scottie Scheffler ended up tied with Finau last year in Houston, one stroke behind winner Stephan Jaeger. Finau and Jaeger will be paired with Thomas Detry for the first two rounds.

  Finau, 35, admitted Tuesday that the look of Memorial Park Golf Course is appealing to him.

  "I think as a golfer, a lot of us are very visual players and there's certain golf courses that just look good to our eyes compared to others. I would say this is one that for me to me looks pretty good to our eyes so I'm able to play it I think consistently, at least over the last couple years," he said.

  "And then having won somewhere, I think that gives you the extra confidence that you need to know that you've done it on this golf course before and no matter your form, this is a place that you've won and obviously you should play well at."

  Finau is ranked No. 32 in the world. He owns six career wins on the PGA Tour, most recently the 2023 Mexico Open.

  While Finau is no stranger to the golf course, he's also going to be seen in a different sport on Friday. He is scheduled to throw out the first pitch prior to the game between the Houston Astros and the visiting New York Mets.

  "This will be my first, first pitch I'll be throwing out on Friday, so I look forward to it," he said. "I haven't held a baseball in years, so maybe I should practice over the next couple days.

  "My goal is to not throw it in the dirt. That's pretty much all my friends have told me if you throw it in the dirt, you'll never hear the end of it, so I'm going high and hard. We'll give it a shot on Friday. I'm really looking forward to that and happy the Astros asked me to do that."

  --Field Level Media

Sergio Garcia's missed 3-foot putt cost him a spot in The Open Championship.

• Playing Sunday in the final round of the International Series Macau in China -- a stop on the Asian Tour -- Garcia needed to finish in the top three to qualify for The Open at Royal Portrush. But the miscue on the short putt on No. 18 at the Macau Golf and Country Club left him in fourth place.

  Garcia shot a 65.

  Instead, Garcia's fellow LIV golfers Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, Patrick Reed and Jason Kokrak captured the three spots available for The Open, to be held in Northern Ireland on July 17-20.

  Had Garcia made the putt, he would have tied Kokrak and advanced based on a tiebreaker.

  Garcia, 45, has never won The Open but has been the runner-up twice (2007, 2014). He has played in the event 25 times, making 20 cuts, most recently in 2022. He has 10 finishes in the Top 10.

  He will have other opportunities to qualify for The Open as the spring progresses.

  One of the ways is through his play in LIV Golf. The individual points leader on the LIV circuit following the LIV Dallas event in June will qualify. If that leader is already in the field, the spot in The Open falls to the next eligible player.

  Garcia stands third on the individual points list, but the two players ahead of him -- fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm and Chile's Joaquin Niemann -- already have qualified.

  --Field Level Media

Legendary golf personality John Daly shared an update on his health over social media, approximately two months removed from undergoing emergency surgery for a hand injury.

• Now, Daly appears on par to be ready to compete Friday at the Champions Tour's Hoag Classic held at Newport Beach Country Club in California.

  "It's good to be back. It's been a little brutal, but the hand's about 80 percent," he said in a video post. "So figured I'd come here. I love playing in the Hoag Classic. Every year, the guys are so great. So we'll see what happens."

  Daly, 58, also revealed that he has undergone 16 surgeries in the last four years due to tangled tendons.

  "(The doctor) doesn't understand how I played last year," Daly said. "But he put it back, attached it to the forefinger or something. Sixteen surgeries in four years, I've lost count pretty much."

  A five-time PGA Tour winner, Daly won the 1991 PGA Championship as well as the 1995 Open Championship.

  --Field Level Media

Scottie Scheffler has not been shy about pointing the finger at LIV Golf when assessing the fractured state of professional golf.

• Speaking on a pre-Masters conference call on Wednesday, Scheffler ventured from missing the competition of the golfers who departed for LIV to an all-out blame session.

  "I definitely miss the competition," the top-ranked golfer said. "They got some pretty good players on their tour. I still think the PGA Tour has by far the best players in the world. The depth of our fields and the competition that we have is still hands down the best competition that there is in the game of golf. That's why I'm still playing on the Tour. I love the competition. I wish some of those guys had stayed, but at the end of the day, they made their choice. They knew the consequences of that decision, and I'm not here to change their minds. I hold no ill will toward any of those guys that left.

  "They did what they wanted to do, and I can't control their life. I'm not going to sit here and say they should have done something differently. They made their choice. If we want to figure out why the game of golf is not back together, go ask those guys. Go to wherever they are playing this week and figure out when the game is going to come back together."

  The game will come back together at The Masters in three weeks.

  Scheffler, 28, mastered the tournament in Augusta, Ga., for the second time in three years last April with a four-stroke win over Sweden's Ludvig Aberg.

  That victory was one of many last year for Scheffler, who was the first player to win seven official PGA Tour events in a calendar year since Tiger Woods in 2007.

  He became the first player to go back-to-back at The Players Championship, won his second career major title at the Masters and earned his other five wins at signature events: the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament, the Travelers Championship and the season-ending Tour Championship.

  Though not a tour event, Scheffler captured the Olympic gold medal for men's golf at the Paris Games. He also helped the United States defeat the International team at the Presidents Cup in Montreal.

  This year has started off vastly differently for Scheffler, who tied for 20th at 4-under at last week's Players Championship. He refuses to use a hand injury that cost him the first month of the season as an excuse, however.

  "Each day, my hand continues to improve, my body continues to get back to where it needs to be," Scheffler said. "And you know, I think my swing is coming around as well. So I'm definitely excited about the improvements that I'm making. The results this year have been decent. I feel like I'm really close to playing some really nice golf again."

  --Field Level Media

Patton Kizzire withdrew from play during the first round of the Valspar Championship on Thursday due to a back injury.

• Starting on the back nine at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course), Kizzire recorded three bogeys over his first eight holes before opting to call it a day at the tournament in Palm Harbor, Fla.

  Kizzire, 39, finished in 10th place at this tournament in 2023.

  A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, Kizzire's last victory came at the Procore Championship on Sept. 15, 2024.

  Also on Thursday, Paul Waring opted to withdraw prior to the start of the tournament due to a shoulder injury.

  --Field Level Media

Angela Stanford is moving up to the captain's chair for the U.S. team in the 2026 Solheim Cup, which takes on Europe in the Netherlands next year.

• Stanford, 47, competed in the Solheim Cup on six occasions as a player and vice captain in each of the past three.

  "I'm extremely grateful to be named the next American captain for the Solheim Cup and join a list of my heroes in the game. I've always believed that I represent more than myself on the LPGA Tour, and there is no greater honor than representing your country," Stanford said in an LPGA statement Thursday morning. "I consider this the pinnacle of my career, and I'm looking forward to leading our players to the Netherlands in 2026.

  Stanford replaces Stacy Lewis, who guided the U.S. team in the past two Solheim Cups.

  "Angela Stanford will certainly be a wonderful captain for the U.S. Team at the 2026 Solheim Cup," said Liz Moore, interim LPGA commissioner.

  "Angela has always been a spark on and off the course, a true leader and a dedicated partner to her teammates. It's now her time to take the helm of the U.S. Team, and I have no doubt that she will lead her squad to a successful week in the Netherlands."

  Stanford is a Texas native who joined the LPGA Tour in 2001. She has recorded seven career LPGA victories including one major -- the 2018 Evian Championship -- before retiring from full-time competitive golf after the 2024 season.

  The next Solheim Cup will be contested from Sept. 11-13, 2026, at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands.

  --Field Level Media

The PGA Tour's Florida Swing rolls on with the Valspar Championship, which tees off Thursday at Innesbrook Resort in Palm Harbor.

• While it lacks the event status of Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass the past two weeks, Innesbrook's Copperhead course is among the favorite tour stops for several players. With a field highlighted by Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas, our golf experts break down the tournament and share their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

  VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

  Location: Palm Harbor, Fla., March 20-23

  Course: Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course (Par 71, 7,352 Yards)

  Purse: $8.7M (Winner: $1.566M)

  Defending Champion: Peter Malnati

  FedExCup leader: McIlroy

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.

  X: @ValsparChamp

  PROP PICKS

  --Sam Burns to Beat Xander Schauffele (+110 at DraftKings): Neither player enters in particularly good form, but at least two-time winner Burns is playing a track that he has had tremendous success on in the past -- despite missing the cut here last year.

  --Corey Conners Top 20 Finish (+120 at BetRivers): This is a strong potential payout for a player who has a pair of top-10s in a signature event and at The Players the past two weeks.

  2025 Prop Pick Record: 11-17-1

  BEST BETS

  --Tommy Fleetwood (+1100 DraftKings) has finished T22 or better in 14 consecutive worldwide starts as he still seeks his first stroke-play victory in the United States.

  --Xander Schauffele (+1200) called the state of his game "gross" as he has scuffled to a T40 and a 70th in his first two starts back from a rib injury, but did shoot a final-round 65 here in 2024 and is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 3.

  --Sepp Straka (+1600) has been as consistently competitive as anyone to begin 2025, with last week's T14 adding to a win at the AmEx and a T5 at Bay Hill.

  --Justin Thomas (+2000) has three top-10s in his past six event starts, and he has said Copperhead is among his favorite courses on tour. He hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship. He is third at the book with five percent of the money backing Thomas to break his winless drought this week.

  --Sam Burns (+2200) has one top-20 result in seven starts this year and missed the cut at The Players, but he has won this event twice.

  --Michael Kim (+3000) is already making his 10th start of the season. Fatigue is a concern, with a missed cut last week following five consecutive top-13s.

  --Corey Conners (+3500) is a two-time winner on tour who has quietly finished solo third and T6 in marquee events the past two weeks. He leads the field with 16 percent of the money and five percent of all bets at DraftKings backing Conners to claim his third tour win this week.

  --Lucas Glover (+6000) is coming off a T3 at The Players as he makes his 20th start in this event.

  NOTES

  --The field includes 18 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including eight of the top 25.

  --The ninth hole will play from the No. 11 tee this year to add length to the hole and to bring bunkers into play.

  --Malnati seeks to join Paul Casey (2018-19) and Sam Burns (2021-22) as the third player to successfully defend a Valspar title in the past seven editions of the event.

  --Neal Shipley, the low amateur at last year's Masters, is in the field on a sponsors exemption. He is joined by Luke Clanton, who earned an exemption by winning the 2024 Valspar Collegiate Invitational before earning his PGA Tour membership through University Accelerated. He is eligible to accept membership upon turning professional at the conclusion of his junior season at Florida State. Blades Brown, 17, will make his fourth start of the season. He tied for 34th at the Mexico Open in his lone made cut this year.

  --Vijay Singh set the tournament scoring record of 266 in 2004, while Padraig Harrington set the 18-hole record of 61 in the first round in 2012.

  --Field Level Media

For Xander Schauffele, there's no place like the road.

• Schauffele is playing this week at the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course of the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. He's there, working to find his game after being sidelined six weeks because of an intercostal strain in the rib cartilage on his right side.

  "As I feel sort of better and better, just need to get some reps under my belt. Competition golf is not the same as trying to play golf at home. It's been a process, and I'm pretty determined to play better."

  At No. 3 in the world, he's the top-ranked player in the Valspar field, signing up at the last minute.

  Schauffele has played in two events in his comeback, not finishing to his standards.

  Two weeks ago, he finished 4-over and tied for 40th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Last week, at The Players Championship, closing rounds of 77 and 81 left him 13 over and in 72nd.

  "I didn't think it was going to be this tricky. Maybe I'm being a little impatient, it's been two weeks of tournament golf for me, coming off of pretty much zero golf," Schauffele, 31, said.

  "I have expectations and I think my team has expectations and just try to be professional through and through. But that includes shooting better scores."

  He shot the better scores in 2024 and had high expectations for 2025.

  In 22 events last season, he made the cut in all of them. He had 15 top-10 finishes, was the runner-up three times and won twice -- at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.

  The Masters Tournament is quickly approaching, set for April 10-13 at Augusta National Golf Club. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion; Schauffele finished eighth, 10 strokes back.

  Valspar could be his final tournament before the Masters.

  "I think everyone around me would like it to be, yeah. I mean, I need to play better tournament golf," Schauffele said. "I think the Masters is demanding, Augusta National's demanding, and you imagine you would like to, you would rather play good golf going in there than not."

  He has a limit on how many balls he can hit on the range, and that's difficult for him to stick to. Schauffele has learned that patience doesn't come easy for him.

  "I did blow that out of the water last week," he said. "Didn't feel amazing after it, to be completely honest, but fortunately got a good team around me to reel me in. I'm trying to be smart about how I'm going about things, and I definitely feel, I feel like a kid again. I feel like I want to hit a million golf balls and sit out here for until 8 o'clock every night, but I got to be smart about it."

  --Field Level Media

Scottie Scheffler didn't stray too far from his initial version when pondering what would be on the menu for the traditional Champions Dinner during Masters week.

• The 2025 Masters menu consists of cheeseburger sliders served "Scottie style," meatball and ravioli bites, and firecracker shrimp as appetizers, followed by Texas-style chili.

  For the main course, Scheffler selected the option of wood-fired Cowboy ribeye steak or blackened red fish served with sides of macaroni and cheese, jalapeno creamed corn, soy glazed brussels sprouts and chipotle-lime roasted sweet potatoes. And for dessert, a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie with vanilla bean ice cream.

  Sound familiar? Well it should. It's very similar to what Scheffler chose two years ago as the 2022 Masters champion, save for the absence of tortilla soup and a different take on the preparation of steak, brussels sprouts and potatoes.

  Scheffler, 28, mastered the tournament in Augusta, Ga., for the second time in three years last April with a four-stroke win over Sweden's Ludvig Aberg.

  This year's tournament is from April 10-13.

  --Field Level Media

PGA Tour members are voting now through April 14 to elect two co-chairmen for the Player Advisory Council.

• Rickie Fowler, Maverick McNealy and Keith Mitchell were announced as candidates Tuesday, selected by the player directors.

  The two top vote-getters will replace current player directors Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson on Jan. 1, 2026.

  Beginning in 2026, only one PAC chairman will be elected each year to serve a four-year term on the PGA Tour Policy Board. In order to transition to the new process, the player who receives the most votes will become the PAC chairman and serve a four-year term, while the player with the second-most votes will be the PAC co-chair and serve a three-year term.

  "In examining the governance process to better reflect the organizational changes made over the last several years, improved alignment has been a part of those discussions," said Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner. "These governance changes will improve year-to-year continuity among the six Player Directors and allow the Policy Board to make informed decisions more quickly and effectively."

  In addition to Malnati and Simpson, the other player directors are Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott, Camilo Villegas and Tiger Woods.

  --Field Level Media

Akshay Bhatia has withdrawn from this week's Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla.

• No reason was given for Bhatia's withdrawal from Valspar.

  The 23-year-old American tied for third place Sunday at the 2025 Players Championship, finishing just two shots behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy, who defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff Monday.

  Withdrawing from the Valspar field keeps Bhatia from playing six times in seven weeks. He is also sitting out next week's Texas Children's Houston Open but is expected to defend his Valero Texas Open title the following week, just ahead of the Masters starting April 10.

  Bhatia, a two-time PGA Tour winner, is the first person who participated in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National as a kid and went on to make a Masters field. He competed at Augusta for the first time as a 12-year-old in 2014.

  --Field Level Media

With the leaders midway through their final round Sunday, play was suspended at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., due to lightning in the area.

• Heavy rain also started to fall in the final round, which saw starting times moved up and the bottom portion of the leaderboard forced to start their rounds on the 10th hole. The field also was playing in threesomes Sunday.

  After trailing third-round leader J.J. Spaun by two strokes, Rory McIlroy moved into the lead Sunday by going 4-under par through his first 11 holes to reach 12 under for the tournament just before the horn sounded to suspend play.

  McIlroy jumped from a tie for fifth place into the lead on the back of three birdies and an eagle 3 at the par-5 second hole. He had a bogey at the par-4 seventh hole.

  Spaun was one shot behind McIlroy after he was 1 over through 10 holes.

  McIlroy won the 2019 Players Championship and has finished in the top 10 four times in the tournament.

  Bud Cauley, who was alone in second place overnight, was at 2 over through 10 holes and was at 9 under for the tournament.

  Heavy rain arrived on schedule at just after 1 p.m. ET and was forecasted to be heavy through 5 p.m. before tapering off slightly by 7 p.m. Sunset is set for 7:34 p.m. on Sunday.

  If the completion of the final round is delayed until Monday, the forecast calls for clear skies but with winds of up to 25 mph into the afternoon.

  --Field Level Media

Keegan Bradley doubled his season total for holes-in-one on Sunday after recording an ace on the par-3 13th hole at The Players Championship in Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.

• Amid a smattering of rain, Bradley used a 7-iron to launch his tee shot onto the green at TPC Sawgrass. His ball bounced a couple of times to the left before dropping into the cup from 153 yards out for his fourth career hole-in-one on the PGA Tour.

  Bradley's hole-in-one on Sunday came exactly one month after his ace on the par-3 third hole at Torrey Pines South during the final round of the Genesis Invitational.

  Sunday's ace moved Bradley to 6-under overall and 4-under for his final round. He finished with bogeys on his final two holes on Sunday to end up 2-under for the final round and 4-under for the tournament.

  Per PGA Tour Communications, Bradley's ace was the 13th on the 13th hole at TPC Sawgrass in the history of The Players Championship and the 44th overall in the tournament.

  Bradley, 38, has seven PGA Tour titles on his resume, including the 2011 PGA Championship. He also is the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain.

  --Field Level Media

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It was a case of damage limitation in difficult, wind-swept conditions Saturday at The Players Championship, where J.J. Spaun emerged with a one-shot lead after the third round.

• The 34-year-old Californian, who earned his first PGA Tour win at the 2022 Valero Texas Open after 147 career starts, hung tough to card a 2-under-par 70 at the TPC Sawgrass for a 12-under total of 204.

  Spaun led by two after sinking a 30-footer for birdie from off the green at the par-5 16th. He then stumbled with a three-putt bogey from long range at the iconic 17th hole before saving par with a 25-foot putt at 18 to stay one shot ahead.

  Bud Cauley, who earned a spot in the PGA Tour's flagship event after Lee Hodges withdrew on Monday, was alone in second at 11 under after firing a sparkling 6-under 66, while Lucas Glover (71) and Alex Smalley (72) were at 9 under.

  World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, two strokes off the pace overnight, stayed in the title hunt with a 73 that included three birdies and four bogeys. The Northern Irishman was in a tie for fifth at 8-under par with Akshay Bhatia (75) and Canada's Corey Conners (66).

  Spaun, who has posted two top-three finishes in eight PGA Tour starts this year, was very happy with his position heading into the final round after mixing five birdies with three bogeys on Saturday.

  "I've been playing really well this year, so I can't say I'm particularly too surprised, but I'm definitely glad to be in a position to have a chance to win the golf tournament tomorrow," Spaun said. "All I can do is keep pushing forward and see where we all add up tomorrow.

  "I was hitting really good quality golf shots from tee to green and just giving myself looks and not really being in stressful situations. Keeping the ball in front of me, keeping it in the short grass for the most part. I drove it well."

  Spaun seized the outright lead for the first time after recording a two-putt birdie at the par-5 ninth, and then moved two strokes clear with a birdie at the par-4 12th, where he sank a 6-footer.

  "I was just trying to hit it close to pins but only when we knew we had the right club and the right wind to do so," he said. "If not, then we were just going to hit it to 30 feet and try to make one. I did that a couple times, and I think that's the key to playing in really tough conditions, especially around a course like this."

  Scoring was not at all easy for the late starters as winds strengthened from 15-20 mph in the afternoon, with gusts up to 34 mph. The scoreboard fluctuated wildly, and six players held at least a share of the lead.

  Cauley, a 34-year-old who is hunting his first victory on the PGA Tour in his 207th career start, moved into second place on the leaderboard after reeling off three consecutive birdies from the par-4 15th, where he drained a 28-foot putt.

  "It was tough today," said Cauley. "Seemed like every hole was a challenge with the wind and just trying to somehow get it on the fairway and get it on the green and roll in a putt.

  "I feel like the most important thing is just putting the ball in the fairway. I've been driving the ball pretty well all week and I've also been putting well. ... Yeah, it was a great round. Always great to finish that way, too, birdieing three of the last four."

  McIlroy, who won the Players Championship in 2019 and owns four top-10s at the venue, felt that he had played better than he scored.

  "All the bogeys I made were really soft," McIlroy said. "Three-putt on five. Sort of made a mess of 12, three-putted 13, three-putted 17.

  "Most of the dropped shots were from around-the-green mistakes rather than tee to green. I felt like I hit the ball pretty well, controlled my flight. It was nice to make a birdie on 18 at least and see one putt go in," McIlroy added, referring to his 9-foot putt at the par-4 18th. "Not out of it by any means. The wind is supposed to still be blowing tomorrow, so yeah, it was nice to birdie that just to get one closer to J.J. on the last."

  Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, the reigning champion who is bidding for an unprecedented third successive Players victory, stood at 5 under and a tie for 16th after a 72 that included two bogeys in his last three holes.

  "It was a tough finish for me," said Scheffler. "I felt like I did some good things there towards the end and just the shots weren't going exactly where I thought they were going to. ... I did a pretty good job managing it most of the day. It was just really tough out there."

  The biggest early move on Saturday came from Jacksonville resident Danny Walker, who earned a late berth in The Players field after 2016 champion Jason Day withdrew before the start of Thursday's opening round due to an illness.

  The 29-year-old Walker, who had advanced to the weekend right on the cutline, took advantage of the calmer morning conditions by firing a bogey-free 66 that propelled him up the leaderboard to 7-under overall and a tie for eighth.

  "It's always a little stressful when you're right on the cut line, and once you make the weekend, it's easy to free it up because you don't have anything to lose," said the PGA Tour rookie, who reeled off four birdies in his outward nine. "I can't go backwards, you can only move forwards at that point.

  "I played really well the last 10 holes or so yesterday to finish the round. I was able to just keep that ball-striking momentum going into today."

  Due to inclement weather forecast for Sunday afternoon, the PGA Tour moved up start times for Sunday's final round, with the field teeing off in threesomes from 8-10:01 a.m. ET. Those lower on the leaderboard will start their rounds on the 10th hole.

  --Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media

Justin Thomas came within one par of breaking the TPC Sawgrass course record on Friday at The Players Championship -- but a water ball on the final hole led to a bogey and the two-time major champion settled for a 10-under-par 62 and a share of the mark.

• Tom Hoge shot the first 62 at Sawgrass in the third round of the 2023 Players, when Thomas happened to be his playing partner. Flash forward to Friday, when Thomas -- who was in danger of missing the cut following an opening-round 78 -- was one errant shot from turning in the first 61.

  Despite his tough finish, Thomas was proud of his outing.

  "That was one of the best rounds I've played, for sure," said Thomas, now 4 under par for the tournament and tied for 29th, seven behind leaders Min Woo Lee of Australia and Akshay Bhatia.

  Thomas birdied 11 of his first 17 holes Friday without a bogey. He made a dramatic, 18 1/2-foot birdie putt at the Stadium Course's famed par-3 17th hole that slowly broke from right to left.

  But after hitting his tee shot at No. 18 into the right-side rough, Thomas' recovery attempt rolled off the fairway and into the water.

  The ensuing penalty stroke made it nearly impossible for him to make the par save necessary to break the course record, but Thomas gave it his all, sticking his pitch shot inside 2 feet to set up a tap-in for bogey.

  "I just wanted to make another birdie, and then once I missed the fairway, birdie is kind of out of the question," Thomas said. "And then I was trying to hit something short of the green there and the rough grabbed the face enough to have it shoot out straight left, and with the momentum of that ball, it's obviously going in the water.

  "But I very easily could have hit it where I wanted to, hit a really good pitch or chip and a really good putt and not gone in and made the same score. I'm in no way, shape or form letting that dwell on the great round I had today."

  Thomas set a course record with 11 birdies in a single round. He also tied the tournament record for biggest improvement from round to round by beating his Thursday score by 16 strokes.

  Thomas, who hasn't won on the PGA Tour since his come-from-behind victory at the 2022 PGA Championship, made the turn Friday in 5-under 31 and then sank four consecutive birdies at Nos. 11-14 to put the record in reach.

  "It was just staying present, just focus on what I'm doing, not focusing on what could be, where the ball could go, anything," Thomas said. "Just step up on 1 tee and I'm trying to hit the fairway. How am I going to hit the fairway and just execute that. Just do it. So on and so forth.

  "In my opinion, it's one of the hardest things to do."

  The round was made all the more impressive by Thomas' horrendous stretch during the first round. Starting on the back nine, he had three bogeys, two double bogeys and one triple bogey between Nos. 17 and 7.

  "I was obviously upset about my score. The score sucked. It was absolutely terrible in every way, shape, or form. But it was a fluke. It was the worst driving and iron play I've had, I think, probably in a round in my career. In a year that I've been playing some pretty good golf, I would say throwing that out, it's an understatement. But I was way more frustrated and upset with how I was mentally."

  --Field Level Media

Wyndham Clark withdrew from The Players Championship in the middle of his second round due to a neck injury.

• Clark had just finished closing out his front nine of the second round with a 4-over 40 when he was shown shaking the hands of playing partners Jordan Spieth and Danny Walker on the Golf Channel broadcast. It was later announced by the PGA Tour that Clark was dealing with a neck injury.

  A runner-up at TPC Sawgrass in 2024, Clark carded an even-par 72 in the first round Thursday. His second round started to come off the rails with a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 second hole. He added bogeys on two of the next three holes before closing out the front nine with four consecutive pars.

  Clark is eighth in Official World Golf Ranking while coming off a tie for 22nd at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. He joins Australian Jason Day in withdrawing; the 2016 Players Championship winner pulled out of this year's event on Thursday due to an illness.

  Spieth, who was originally scheduled to play the first two rounds with Clark and Day, played the back nine on Friday in a twosome with Walker, who replaced Day in the field.

  --Field Level Media