It's going to be much tougher than expected for Patton Kizzire to defend his title at the Procore Championship this week in Napa, Calif.

• The first event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Fall is normally skipped by players on Scottie Scheffler's level, but Scheffler and nine of his U.S. Ryder Cup teammates are on the property at Silverado Resort to use the event as a tune-up for the international competition later this month.

  Kizzire is taking the suddenly stronger field in stride.

  "I think it's great," Kizzire said Tuesday. "It's great for the tournament, it creates a lot of buzz. As the defending champion it's a little more incentive to play well and to get out there and do my best and play like I can play. It gives us an opportunity to win against a really strong field. I think it's fantastic for the tournament and I'm excited to see them here."

  Kizzire carded a 20-under 268 last year to win by five strokes while most of the PGA Tour's upper crust took time off. It was Kizzire's first win in more than six years and his third on tour overall.

  Asked whether Scheffler or one of his counterparts could break 20 under this week, Kizzire pointed out that he could score lower than he did last year, too.

  "But yeah, a stronger field means potential for better scores, but a lot of it depends on the weather and the condition of the golf course," he said. "Somebody's going to play well and make a bunch of birdies."

  Some Ryder Cup players were right behind Kizzire during a practice round Tuesday, and Kizzire, an Auburn graduate, relayed some banter he had with Alabama superfan Justin Thomas.

  "If somebody asks us if we spoke to each other during football season, I said, ‘Man, I don't really care anymore (about Auburn)'. I said Justin's about one or two more losses from not caring anymore (about Alabama). He said, ‘Yeah, you're right,'" Kizzire shared.

  "No, it's all friendly banter. Everybody's here to perform and play well and enjoy Napa."

  Scheffler and Thomas are joined by J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Harris English, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns at the Procore Championship. Xander Schauffele is missing the event due to the birth of his first child, and Bryson DeChambeau is ineligible as a member of LIV Golf.

  --Field Level Media

Tiger Woods was spotted testing out his swing on Tuesday in what can be construed as a positive sign that the 15-time major champion is considering a return to the PGA Tour.

• Woods, 49, was seen hitting balls on the practice range at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. He was working off the rust for the Nexus Cup, a charity event Monday and Tuesday that benefits Woods' TGR Foundation.

  Video was released over social media, marking the first time Woods has been seen publicly swinging a golf club since he underwent surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon on March 11. Fellow PGA Tour professional Will Zalatoris, who is working his way back from back surgery, was spotting next to Woods.

  The last official tournament Woods played was a missed cut at the 2024 Open Championship last July.

  Woods has long been plagued by health issues. He underwent his sixth back operation last September and he continues to deal with the effects of a 2021 car accident.

  There is no official timetable for Woods' return to competition.

  --Field Level Media

The PGA of America said it is monitoring the possibility that President Donald Trump may attend the Ryder Cup later this month and what impact his presence might have on the event.

• Trump's attended the men's singles final at the U.S. Open on Sunday, which led to a 48-minute delay in the match Carlos Alcaraz ultimately won over Jannik Sinner.

  Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account last month that he planned to attend the opening round of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 26 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague confirmed to The Athletic that the organization, which organizes the event, invited Trump.

  The organization said in a statement to Front Office Sports this week that no plans for Trump's presence have been confirmed.

  "While President Trump has indicated his interest in attending the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, specific details have not been confirmed," the statement read, per Front Office Sports. "As we get closer to Ryder Cup week, we will communicate any relevant updates that may impact the Ryder Cup experience. Our priority remains delivering a seamless, secure, and first-class environment for all our guests."

  The United States will take on Europe in three days of competition that run from Sept. 26-28.

  The 2026 PGA Tour schedule released last month included the return of an event to Miami's Trump National Doral, which played host to a tour event from 1962-2016. The PGA Tour left Doral after the event lost its title sponsor, and the PGA of America moved the 2022 PGA Championship out of Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey following the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

  LIV Golf has staged multiple events at Doral, and the league's chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was spotted in Trump's box at the U.S. Open.

  --Field Level Media

Xander Schauffele is not at the Procore Championship in Napa, Calif., with the rest of his United States Ryder Cup teammates in order to be at home in Florida with his newborn son.

• The rest of the U.S. team is in Northern California this week to squeeze in a final competition before the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., from Sept. 26-28. Even Bryson DeChambeau, who is ineligible for PGA Tour events due to his contract with LIV Golf, said he would make the trip to Napa to bond with his teammates.

  However, Schauffele confirmed to the Associated Press on Tuesday that he chose to remain in Florida after his wife, Maya, recently gave birth to a boy the couple named Victor.

  Schauffele clinched his spot on the Ryder Cup team with a tie for 22nd at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Aug. 10. He hasn't competed since the following week, when he tied for 28th at the BMW Championship to fall short of qualifying for the Tour Championship.

  Schauffele indicated at the time that he might skip the Procore Championship if he didn't think it would help him prepare for Bethpage Black. The 31-year-old has made only 15 starts this year after missing six weeks in January and February because of a strain in the rib cartilage on his right side.

  While Schauffele has yet to win and has only three top-10s in 2025, two of those came in majors -- a T8 at The Masters and a T7 at The Open Championship. He also remains third in the Official World Golf Ranking as well as the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, and Schauffele was long considered a lock to make captain Keegan Bradley's team even if he had not earned an automatic spot.

  Schauffele went 3-1-0 during the Americans' 2021 victory at Whistling Straits, but struggled to a 1-3-0 record in the United States' loss in Italy two years ago.

  --Field Level Media

Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy defeated Sweden's Joakim Lagergren on the third playoff hole to win the Amgen Irish Open on Sunday at The K Club in Straffan, Ireland.

• It marked McIlroy's first victory since the Masters in April, when he broke a 10-year-plus major championship drought and completed the career Grand Slam.

  It was also McIlroy's second time winning Ireland's national open, following the 2016 edition that also was held at The K Club.

  "I just feel so lucky that I get to do this in front of these people, the support has been amazing all week," McIlroy said. "So happy I could play the way I did this week and get the win."

  McIlroy, 36, and Lagregen started the day four shots behind France's Adrien Saddler, but McIlroy and Lagregen were part of a five-way tie for first heading into the back nine on Sunday. Lagergren took pole position by eagling the par-5 16th hole to shoot a round of 66 and turn in a four-round score of 17-under-par 271.

  McIlroy answered by making a 28-foot eagle putt at No. 18 to tie Lagergren with a 66 of his own.

  They replayed No. 18 and turned in matching birdies the first two times through. On the third go, Lagergren landed a shot in the water while McIlroy barely cleared the danger, setting himself up for two putts to win the playoff and the title.

  "To do what I did earlier in the year and then to come home and win my national open, no matter what happens for the rest of the year, that's a pretty cool year -- 2025's going to be one of the best, if not the best, of my career," McIlroy said.

  McIlroy has played on the DP World Tour since the PGA Tour season ended, with an eye on staying in form for the Ryder Cup later this month at Bethpage Black. He will try to help Team Europe win back-to-back Cups over the Americans.

  Spaniards Rafa Cabrera Bello (67) and Angel Hidalgo (71) tied for third at 15 under. Angel Ayora of Spain (67) and Saddier (74) tied for fifth at 13 under.

  --Field Level Media

A warning for time may have helped spoil a hot start for Rory McIlroy at the Irish Open in Straffan, Ireland, on Thursday, as the native of Northern Ireland finished his day with two bogeys across his final three holes.

• Instead of being in a tie for 12th, a few shots off the pace of co-leaders France's Romain Langasque, Spain's Nacho Elvira and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen (6 under), McIlroy sits in a tie for 50th at 1 under following his first round at the K Club.

  McIlroy wasn't shy about attributing his finish to the officiating, citing a lack of "common sense" when it comes to issuing pace warnings.

  A five-time Major championship winner (including this year's Masters), McIlroy attributed some of the difficulty in assessing time warnings to the size of the crowds his group attracts. As a headliner, he not only gets huge crowds from fans, but also several camera crews, which he feels can gum up the works.

  "I feel like it always happens," McIlroy said. "And I don't think they use sort of common sense in terms of, well, ‘of course we're going to lose ground because we're going to have to wait on crowds and wait on the two camera crews that are out there.' They should give us a little bit of leeway."

  McIlroy's playing group was put on the clock early on in their round by one official, then again put on the clock for the final three holes by a separate official. It was then that McIlroy began to struggle, firing a bogey on the par-4 seventh and another on the par-3 eighth before he managed to settle for par on No. 9.

  In contrast, he posted one bogey with four birdies over his other half round.

  "In all honesty, I felt a little rushed out there for the last 12 holes," he said. "There's just a lot more going on with our group than any of the other groups on the course."

  --Field Level Media

Rory McIlroy admitted to being confused over Sergio Garcia's decision to withdraw from the Irish Open after the latter was not selected to represent Europe's Ryder Cup team.

• "No, I don't (understand)," McIlroy said Wednesday, one day before the start of the Irish Open at The K Club in County Kildare, Ireland.

  "I mean, it would have been great for the tournament if Sergio played, but obviously, he was trying to keep himself sharp, I guess, if he did get a pick. He has the right to enter and pull out of whatever tournaments he wants to. As I said, Luke (Donald), has assembled a very strong 12 players, and I think the right 12 players, and I'm sure he's disappointed.

  "But you know, at the same time, I'm sure he wishes Europe well and wants us to win."

  Garcia withdrew from the DP World Tour event on Tuesday, one day after Donald revealed his six captain's picks. Garcia -- a 10-time Ryder Cup selection -- was not among them.

  "I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that team, and so I felt like mentally, you know, mentally it was kind of tough," Garcia said in an interview with the GolfMagic of the United Kingdom.

  "I didn't want to go there and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff, so I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family and do a couple of things, you know, some things outside of golf and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries."

  Garcia, 45, plays in the LIV Golf League, which hampered his ability to earn rankings points toward an automatic qualification. The Spaniard is the all-time leading point scorer in Ryder Cup history.

  Donald instead selected Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, all of whom were part of the winning European team at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome in 2023.

  The 45th Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.

  --Field Level Media

The Golf Channel has a pre-holiday gift for golf fans.

• That's the Golf Channel Games, a made-for-TV event the network officially announced Wednesday. To be held Dec. 17, the event will feature captains Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy leading their four-player teams in what is being called a "rapid-fire" team competition.

  It will be held in prime time at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., and televised on both the Golf Channel and USA Network.

  The players who will team with Scheffler and McIlroy, the top two golfers in the world, will be announced later.

  The Golf Channel Games have four innovations not seen in traditional competitions. This won't be stroke play or match play, as in other team events. Instead, the event is made up of the following:

  --Timed drive, chip and putt: Each player will try to drive a total number of yards, chip within a certain proximity to the pin, and hole a certain number of feet of putts.

  --14-club challenge: Closest-to-the-pin competition involving players from each team hitting from designated spots. The catch: they will use clubs from the same bag, and once a club is used, it is out of play. That includes the driver and putter.

  --Timed shootout: Team members will alternate shots on three holes, and players will be stationed in set places: one on the tee, one in the fairway and two near the green. The team with the lowest score in the shortest time wins.

  --Captain's challenge: McIlroy and Scheffler will hit shots from pre-determined , including a 50-yard pitch, a 100-yard wedge, from the bunker and greenside, 50-foot putt and a 10-foot putt. The player with the lowest total proximity to the hole wins.

  "We wanted to create a new golf event that was highly competitive, showcasing the best players in the world hitting specific shots and plotting strategy with a running clock," said Tom Knapp, executive vice president of golf and the general manager of the Golf Channel. "To have the opportunity to create an annual, end-of-season golf event which includes Rory and Scottie at one of South Florida's premier golf clubs, has been a treat. It should be fun."

  --Field Level Media

Yana Wilson is the fifth Epson Tour member to earn her 2026 LPGA card.

• Wilson, 19, is currently atop the Epson Tour's Race for the Card standings and second on the tour's money list at $138,581 after winning her second event of the season -- the Dream First Bank Charity Classic on Aug. 24 in Garden City, Kan.

  From Henderson, Nev., she has nine top-10 finishes in 16 Epson Tour events this season with just one missed cut.

  "It feels pretty cool. I mean, there's still more work to be done," Wilson said about clinching her spot. "I have other goals in mind that I want to achieve, so, you know, job not done."

  Wilson joins Melanie Green, Gina Kim, Briana Chacon and Japan's Erika Hara as the top-five competitors in the Race for the Card standings to already have clinched 2026 LGPA Tour spots. There are 10 spots still up for grabs with three events left this season.

  The final list of 15 golfers who earned LPGA cards will be determined after the Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, Calif., from Oct 2-5.

  --Field Level Media

Sergio Garcia has pulled out of this weekend's Irish Open, disappointed after not being selected as a captain's pick for Europe's Ryder Cup team.

• Captain Luke Donald revealed his six picks on Monday, with Garcia -- a 10-time Ryder Cup selection -- not among them.

  "I felt like I was so looking forward to being a part of that team, and so I felt like mentally, you know, mentally it was kind of tough," Garcia said in an interview with the GolfMagic of the United Kingdom.

  "I didn't want to go there and not be fully engaged in the tournament and stuff, so I just decided to take a little bit of time off and spend it with the family and do a couple of things, you know, some things outside of golf and just kind of reboot a little bit, recharge the batteries."

  The Irish Open begins Thursday at The K Club in County Kildare, Ireland.

  Garcia, 45, plays in the LIV Golf League, which hampered his ability to earn rankings points toward an automatic qualification. The Spaniard is the all-time leading point scorer in Ryder Cup history.

  He has 28.5 points and a 25-13-7 record. The leading American is the late Billy Casper, with 23.5 points and a 20-10-7 record.

  Garcia last played for Team Europe in 2021, a loss at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

  Donald instead selected Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, all of whom were part of the winning European team at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome in 2023.

  The 45th Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.

  "The call with Luke was fine but not the call I wanted, obviously, but the conversation was fine," Garcia told GolfMagic about the conversation he had with Donald.

  "Now, the only thing I can do is support the team from home. It's as simple as that. I'll be watching and cheering on the European team."

  --Field Level Media

Captain Luke Donald will bring a veteran Team Europe to the 45th Ryder Cup later this month at Bethpage Black in New York.

• Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick were named by Donald as captain's picks on Monday, six of the 12 players set to defend Europe's Ryder Cup trophy win over the United States in convincing fashion near Rome in 2023.

  They join the six automatic qualifiers: Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton.

  Of the group, only Hojgaard is a Ryder Cup rookie, and the team has a combined 32 Ryder Cup appearances. By contrast, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley's team includes four players making their debut on the Ryder Cup stage.

  Other than Hojgaard, all 11 played for Team Europe at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. The 12th player then was Nicolai Hojgaard, his twin brother.

  "I'm absolutely thrilled with the 12 that we have," said Donald, making his second consecutive tour as captain.

  "I couldn't be more excited to lead the gentlemen we have."

  Lowry and Rahm, the first two players announced by Donald, were considered shoo-ins to make the team. It will be the fourth appearance for both.

  Donald was full of praise for them.

  "He thrives on the biggest stages. His passion for the Ryder Cup is second to none," Donald said of Lowry, from Ireland.

  Rahm, a two-time winner of the LIV individual title, is the latest in a long line of great Spaniards in the Ryder Cup, taking the baton from Sergio Garcia. Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Garcia played in a combined 25 Ryder Cups from 1979 to 2021.

  "Jon sets the standard for us. He's meticulous in what he does," Donald said. "He's the first person up and the last person out of the team room. He understands the history of the Ryder Cup, and he wants to follow in the footsteps of the amazing Spanish players who have led the way."

  Aberg and Hovland made history in 2023 at Marco Simone, setting the Ryder Cup record for largest margin of victory in an 18-hole match when they defeated Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9-and-7.

  Aberg, from Sweden, was a rookie last time around, just three months into his pro career. He is happy to have the chance again at Bethpage Black from Sept. 26-28.

  "I definitely feel more experienced this time. Last year it was so short into my professional career," Aberg said. "It was the first time I experienced all of those things, in the locker room with all of those legends. And I knew I wanted to be on the team again."

  Hovland, a Norwegian, said he relishes the chance to play his individual sport as part of Team Europe.

  "This feels awesome. I can feel my palms getting sweaty," said Hovland, who will make his third consecutive appearance. "I'm just super excited to get going and to see everyone. ... Playing here makes you feel part of something."

  Straka, from Austria, was a Ryder Cup rookie in 2023. For Englishman Fitzpatrick, celebrating his 31st birthday on Monday, this is his fourth selection.

  Fitzpatrick didn't have his best PGA Tour season, finishing with five top-10 scores in 21 events. But his T8 at the PGA Championship kick-started his run to the Ryder Cup, as did his recent performance on the DP World Tour.

  "Matt said himself he didn't get off to the best start this year. But he has turned it around impressively," Donald said. "I challenged Matt to play the last two events in Europe and to get to the last group on Sunday this past two weeks shows you what he has."

  Bradley's American team consists of automatic qualifiers Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau, along with captain's picks Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.

  The 13th player could be the home crowd on Long Island. While Ryder Cups are known for over-the-top fan behavior, New Yorkers often take things a step further. But Rahm is ready.

  "The environment might be the biggest challenge, but it can be used in your advantage," Rahm said. "In my experience, New York fans can actually be quite fun."

  --Field Level Media

Charlie Woods carded his second recorded hole-in-one after firing an ace on Sunday during the third and final round of the Junior Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

• Starting the round on the back nine, Woods was even-par through 11 holes on Sunday before he covered the par-3 third hole with one shot from 177 yards out at TPC Sawgrass.

  Woods' first ace came while he played with his famous father, Tiger Woods, at the 2024 PNC Championship.

  The 16-year-old made that shot with a 7-iron to cover the par-3, 176-yard fourth hole at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Fla.

  --Field Level Media

Water restrictions due to drought conditions in Hawaii could put the PGA Tour's season-opening event in peril, after it was revealed this week the course that hosts the event will close for two months to spur recovery.

• Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii has hosted the PGA Tour's season-opening event, the Sentry, every January since 1999. But the resort will close to golfers for 60 days starting Tuesday, Sept. 2, to address an extended stretch of water restrictions that has limited the resort's ability to water its Bay and Plantation courses properly.

  In a statement released to the press, Kapalua general manager Alex Nakajima said the decision to close "was not made lightly," noting that the decision to reopen on Nov. 1 would be revisited on Oct. 15, pending the condition of the course.

  This decision has called into question, for some observers, the viability of the parched course to host the event next Jan. 15-18.

  "Our team is making every effort to restore golf course conditions to the highest level to host The Sentry PGA Tournament in January 2026," Nakajima said.

  This is not the only way Kapalua is working to restore its courses in West Maui, which has been dealing with drought conditions for two years. Kapalua's owner, Tadashi Yanai, recently joined a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple for allegedly mismanaging a ditch and stream system that transports water to the area.

  --Field Level Media

Tommy Fleetwood's dramatic Tour Championship breakthrough delivered big television ratings for NBC on Sunday.

• The network averaged 4.49 million viewers for the final round -- up 34 percent from 2024, according to the Nielsen numbers.

  England's Fleetwood claimed the FedEx Cup trophy and earned $10 million for his first victory on the PGA Tour in 164 starts.

  An audience of 3.36 million viewers tuned in to watch Scottie Scheffler capture the 2024 Tour Championship, per Front Office Sports.

  All three of the PGA Tour's playoff events saw significant ratings boosts this year for the NBC Sports platform. The final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Aug. 10 was up 71 percent from last year and the final round at the BMW Championship on Aug. 17 was up 43 percent.

  --Field Level Media

Keegan Bradley stuck with the job he was assigned, resisting the role he dreamed of, and will not be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup next month.

• Bradley, 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking, announced Wednesday the six captain's picks for the Ryder Cup to complete his 12-man roster for the 2025 event at Bethpage Black. Despite a ranking ahead of captain's picks Ben Griffin (17th), Bryson DeChambeau (18th), Cam Young (20th), Patrick Cantlay (21st) and Sam Burns (22nd).

  "The decision was made a while ago that I wasn't playing," Bradley said. "This was a really tough decision. All of these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto the team. It was an extremely difficult decision, but one I'm really happy with. I'm really happy with these six players. I'm glad it's over."

  Bradley said he didn't take comments from Rory McIlroy to heart because no one alive has ever done it. Bradley said McIlroy's assertion it wouldn't be possible to be effective as a player and captain was never discussed with U.S. vice captains or automatic qualifiers.

  "I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups. I grew up wanting to fight alongside these guys. It broke my heart not to play. It really did," Bradley said. "You work forever to make these teams. But ultimately I was chosen to do a job. I was chosen to be the captain of this team. My ultimate goal to start this thing was to be the best captain I could be. This is how I felt like I could do this. If it got to this point and it felt like the team was better with me on it, I was going to do that. I know 100 percent certain this was the right choice. These six guys, again, played so incredibly coming down the stretch here and made my decision a lot easier."

  Ryder Cup veteran Justin Thomas said he knows Bradley, 39, is "gutted" but took his pledge seriously to serve as the best captain above other duties.

  "Keegan said it perfectly," Thomas said. "It's going to be said so many times between now and the Ryder Cup, Keegan did and will do whatever he needs to do with the team."

  Bradley said it's "strange" his play-or-captain call received so much "hype, but the Ryder Cup is a big deal, apparently."

  --Field Level Media

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley will not compete in the event next month, failing to include himself in the six captain's picks.

• Instead, he announced Wednesday that Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns will join the six automatic qualifiers to represent the United States at the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York next month.

  "The decision was made a while ago that I wasn't playing," said Bradley, who finished No. 11 on the list of qualifiers. "The last 48 hours the team was set."

  He said the way the players he chose finished up the 2025 season made the decision easy for him.

  "All these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team," he said. "... I know 100 percent for certain this is the right choice."

  The six qualifiers are World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau.

  The team includes eight Ryder Cup veterans and four rookies -- Spaun, Henley, Griffin and Young.

  Thomas is the veteran of the group, making his fourth appearance.

  "He's the heartbeat of our team," Bradley said. "This guy was born to play Ryder Cup, especially at Bethpage Black."

  Another natural for the course is Young, a New York native who played events at the course growing up. His father, David Young, is a PGA of America pro in Westchester County, N.Y., about 60 miles from Bethpage Black.

  "To get the opportunity to represent the country and play in the Ryder Cup is something you dream of," said Young, who rated the selection to his first Ryder Cup team ahead of winning a PGA Tour event.

  "This Ryder Cup in particular, in New York, at Bethpage, is so special to me. I've been picturing the moment where I could possibly get a call and play on this team for a long, long time."

  Morikawa will be playing in his third Ryder Cup and is 3-0-1 on home soil. He said the secret to success at Bethpage is simple.

  "You have to play great golf," he said. "You have to hit great shots. You have to make putts."

  Griffin is second to Scheffler in top-10 finishes this year. He called making the roster the "biggest honor" bestowed on him in golf, adding it was an emotional conversation with Bradley -- and a call he couldn't have envisioned four years ago.

  "I don't think so. Going from a desk job, making my way back to the PGA Tour has been an incredible journey for me," Griffin said. "I appreciate the belief not only from Keegan but also the captains and other players for believing in me."

  Bradley went outside the top 12 in points to select both Young (No. 14) and Cantlay (No. 15), who will be making his third appearance. That veteran leadership is key, Bradley said.

  "This is where he thrives," Bradley said. "This is where we need him."

  Burns, Bradley said, earned his spot as the "best putter on the planet" and also because of his expertise at match play.

  The players in the top 12 not to be selected were Bradley (No. 11) and No. 10 Maverick McNealy.

  --Field Level Media

The LPGA Tour announced that it has signed a multi-year deal with cybersecurity company Fortinet to serve as the title sponsor for the Founders Cup.

• The tournament dates back to 2011 and honors the LPGA's 13 women who founded the tour in 1950.

  The 2025 edition was won by Yealimi Noh in Bradenton, Fla. in February with the U.S. Virgin Islands serving as a presenting sponsor. Cognizant had been the title sponsor for previous editions when the tournament was held in New Jersey.

  The 2026 Founders Cup is scheduled to be contested at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, Calif. from March 19-22. Fortinet has previously sponsored the PGA Tour's fall event in Napa, Calif. from 2021-23.

  "We're fired up to welcome Fortinet as the title partner of the Founders Cup and grateful for their commitment to elevating this historic event," LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler in a press release. "The Founders Cup is about honoring the 13 women who built the LPGA from the ground up, and there's no better stage for that than Sharon Heights -- a world-class course that will challenge and showcase our players.

  "Many of our athletes have deep ties to Northern California, and this partnership with Fortinet allows us to celebrate that connection while growing the game and inspiring future generations."

  --Field Level Media

Augusta National Golf Club announced Tuesday that winners of six national opens will earn invitations to the Masters starting in 2026.

• The Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and South African Open will see their winners awarded with a Masters invitation.

  The announcement was made in conjunction with the R&A, which qualifies golfers for The Open Championship through the R&A's Open Qualifying Series, which consists of 15 tournaments across 13 countries.

  Per Augusta National GC, the winners of the PGA Tour's seven FedEx Fall tournaments will no longer earn a free pass to the Masters if they haven't otherwise qualified. The fall tournaments are the Procore Championship, Sanderson Farms Championship, Baycurrent Classic, Bank of Utah Championship, World Wide Technology Championship, Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the RSM Classic.

  "The Masters Tournament has long recognized the significance of having international representation among its invitees," said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National GC and the Masters Tournament.

  "We, along with the R&A, have a shared commitment to the global game and are proud to work together. Today's announcement strengthens our organizations' collective vision of rewarding top talent around the world who rise to the top of historic national open championships. We hope this formal recognition shines a bright light on these players and the events they will represent at the Masters and The Open, beginning next year."

  Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, also issued a statement.

  "We share the same goal as Augusta National to offer places in both The Open and the Masters to players competing in national opens and by doing so to help to showcase and strengthen our sport in those regions," he said. "This creates an outstanding opportunity for players in all parts of the world to qualify and we firmly believe this will continue to enrich the quality of the fields in both major championships."

  Per the R&A and Augusta National, the opens identified are part of the Asian Tour (Hong Kong), Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour (South Africa), PGA Tour of Australasia and European tour (Scotland and Spain).

  A side effect of the Augusta National shift is that players in the LIV Golf League, who otherwise can play in the Masters only by special invitation, could qualify by winning the national opens. Joaquin Niemann of Chile, like other LIV golfers, is suspended from the PGA Tour but was invited to the Masters the past two years, partially due to the strength of his international schedule.

  The 90th edition of the Masters is scheduled for April 9-12. The 154th Open will be played July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale in England.

  --Field Level Media

Next month's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black won't be the last time Scottie Scheffler and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy go head-to-head this year.

• According to a Sports Business Journal report, Scheffler and McIlroy have agreed to be the marquee leaders of a made-for-TV, all-star event slated for December in Florida.

  Versant, the new media company spinoff of Comcast that controls USA Network, Golf Channel and some NBC-branded networks, will broadcast the event. Per the report, Scheffler is expected to captain a four-man Team USA squad while McIlroy would do the same for an international side.

  All of the golfers involved will hail from the PGA Tour, which is a switch from last December's made-for-TV night that pitted Scheffler and McIlroy against LIV Golf stalwarts Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

  Scheffler and McIlroy combined to win three of golf's four majors this year, with McIlroy's triumph at the Masters enabling him to complete a career slam. Scheffler, who has four major titles on his resume, has yet to win the U.S. Open.

  Scheffler and McIlroy also rank 1-2 in the official World Golf Rankings. If Versant and the event organizers wanted to round out the teams with the highest-ranked players, then Scheffler's team would feature No. 3 Xander Schauffele, No. 4 Russell Henley and No. 5 Justin Thomas. McIlroy's crew would include No. 6 Tommy Fleetwood of England, who just won the Tour Championship, No. 9 Robert MacIntyre of Scotland and No. 12 Justin Rose of England.

  --Field Level Media

Keegan Bradley, captain of the 45th U.S. Ryder Cup team, can take comfort in looking at these six names: Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau.

• Those are the Americans who qualified on points to represent the U.S. at the Ryder Cup, set for Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York.

  Those are six decisions he doesn't need to make. Who will fill the other six spots -- the at-large picks -- has left Bradley with expected anxiety.

  He will announce those selections Wednesday, and Bradley will spend plenty of time consulting with his vice captains until then.

  "It's going to be pretty wild. Whatever decision we make, we're going to have to live with it," Bradley said after the final round of the Tour Championship Sunday night in Atlanta.

  It's largely expected that Bradley will select the No. 7 and 8 players on the points list -- Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, both of whom attended a players dinner hosted by Bradley.

  The next six on the list are Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, Cameron Young and Bradley himself, who finished No. 11.

  The last playing captain in the Ryder Cup was Arnold Palmer, who had the honors in 1963. The U.S. defeated Team Europe 23-9 in Atlanta that year.

  What makes it so hard for Bradley is that he has so many options in front of him.

  "No matter what decision that I make here, I could have gone the other way easily, no matter what," he said. "The only thing I care about is on Sunday of the Ryder Cup, that we win the Ryder Cup. Then I'll know I made the right decision.

  "Until then, I won't know."

  Among the first eight, two are Ryder Cup rookies -- Spaun and Henley. In the next group of six, Harman has one appearance (2023) and Bradley has two (2012, 2014).

  If Bradley is looking for more experience, he doesn't have to venture far down the list to find it. The players occupying spots 15 through 17 -- Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark -- all were members of the 2023 team that lost 16 1/2-11 1/2 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome.

  McNealy said he would welcome a shot at his first Ryder Cup.

  "I promise you I gave it everything I had this year, and if I get a call that I'm on that team, I'll do everything I can to be ready on that first tee," said McNealy, 29, who had seven Top 10 finishes this year.

  He said he trusts Bradley.

  "A hundred percent. Nobody wants to win the Ryder Cup more than Keegan Bradley. I know he's going to make the decision that's best for the team."

  Griffin, 29, has two wins on the season. He made it clear he wants to add a share of a Ryder Cup victory to his 2025 resume.

  "It's going to be an anxious 24 to 48 hours," he said of the time he will wait to find out who was selected. "I wouldn't say stressful because I feel like I'm too blessed to be stressed. But definitely anxious just to see if I earned a spot on that team or not or if Keegan believes in me.

  "I know I've been able to handle some big moments this season. I know I'll be comfortable on that stage at Bethpage, and hopefully I can start practicing 48 hours from now and start getting ready for that Ryder Cup. That would be really cool, especially to represent the United States."

  On the European side, captain Luke Donald has these six automatic qualifiers on his team: Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton.

  --Field Level Media

Keegan Bradley has received resounding support from American players to be the playing captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Now, someone in a far higher office is in Bradley's corner.

• President Donald Trump posted to his social media platform Sunday to endorse Bradley for the 12-man team.

  "Keegan Bradley should DEFINITELY be on the American Ryder Cup Team -- As Captain!!!" Trump said on Truth Social, going on to announce that he'll be in attendance at Bethpage Black on Friday, the first of the three-day event on Sept. 26-28 in Farmingdale, N.Y.

  Trump wrote that he was invited by the PGA Tour. The PGA of America, not the tour, is the governing body that runs the biennial competition against Team Europe and confirmed that Trump will attend at its request.

  Bradley, 39, appears to be seriously considering himself for the team. That would make him the first playing captain at the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

  He was passed over for the 2023 U.S. team that traveled to Rome and lost a one-sided affair to Team Europe. In July 2024, he was appointed captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup and initially said that he would not spend one of his six captain's picks on himself.

  He changed his tune after winning the 2024 BMW Championship and the 2025 Travelers Championship. Ranked No. 13 in the world entering this week, Bradley was in contention on Sunday at the Tour Championship in Atlanta before fading to a final-round 70 and a tie for seventh place.

  "When I get done here, we're going to talk to my vice captains," Bradley said after his round. "We sort of put everything on hold the last couple days. I think they were trying to leave me alone. But we'll get in touch with them and get our final decisions together. Saw a lot of Americans play great today, which makes me happy."

  --Field Level Media

Legion XIII, Crushers and Stinger all advanced to the LIV Golf Team Championship finals with matching 2-1 victories on Saturday at The Cardinal at Saint John's in Plymouth, Mich.

• Spain's Jon Rahm defeated Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC 2&1 to advance top-seed Legion XIII out of the semifinals.

  "When it comes to me and Phil, neither one of us particularly had our best," Rahm said. "... From 11 on, I played fairly consistent and gave myself a good chance pretty much on every hole. It was just nice to make that putt on 17 and just not give him a chance to possibly extend the match to 18. That felt really good."

  Bryson DeChambeau delivered a birdie on his final hole for No. 2-seed Crushers to get past Talor Gooch 1 up and eliminate Smash GC.

  "I played well today," DeChambeau said. "Talor, hat's off to him. He shot 6-under, and it's not easy to beat someone when they shoot 6-under. He started off strong, 2-under for the first three. I had to kick it into gear."

  Stinger GC made its way into the final as the No. 7 seed by getting past Torque GC in the semifinals behind a 2 up victory by Dean Burmester of South Africa over Chile's Joaquin Niemann.

  While Saturday's semifinals included two singles matches and one foursome match, Sunday's final will turn to stroke play with all four players on each team contributing to the team's total score.

  "My team played really well (Saturday), but it's a different format for (Sunday), four scores counting," DeChambeau said. "I think these teams up here are incredible teams, incredible golfers, and it's going to be a tough test (Sunday) because it's scoring conditions out there for sure. It's about who makes the most putts and who wedges it close."

  In addition to Rahm's victory over Mickelson in the semifinals, Legion XIII received a 3&1 victory in two-on-two foursomes from Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland and Caleb Surratt over Andy Ogletree and Brendan Steele.

  The lone HyFlyers point came from Cameron Tringale, who defeated England's Tyrrell Hatton 2&1.

  DeChambeau clinched the match for Crushers, combined with a 2 up victory in foursomes from England's Paul Casey and Charles Howell over Jason Kokrak and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell. Brooks Koepka earned the lone point for Smash GC with a 1 up victory over India's Anirban Lahiri.

  Niemann's 2 up clinching win for Stinger came after South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa earned a 2&1 victory over Sebastian Munoz of Colombia and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico. The point for Torque came from Mito Pereira of Chile, who defeated Branden Grace of South Africa 4&2.

  "I think we all play to be in this situation, to have a shot at (the final)," Oosthuizen said. "(The team) had a rough season really, but made a big turn in Chicago. Then going into this week, we felt really comfortable. It's going to be go big or go home. We're going to try our best to upset everyone and see if we can get it done."

  --Field Level Media

The continuing strong play of Keegan Bradley is putting pressure on the U.S. Ryder Cup captain ... Keegan Bradley.

• The 39-year-old veteran is enjoying a strong season and it is feasible for him to select himself as one of his six captain's pick for the U.S. roster that will oppose the European team from Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.

  Bradley fired a 6-under-par 64 on Friday at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, leaving him tied for 14th place at 6-under 134. Bradley has had a strong season on Tour, winning the Travelers Championship in June and posting five top 10s and 10 top 20s. A finish of sixth or better would also set a career high in winnings. He entered the weekend with $7,581,145 in official money.

  He acknowledged that his pending choices won't be easy.

  "I'm ready for it," he said. "I know this is the biggest decision of my life."

  Bradley added, "I'm having a very hard time separating right now my captaincy and my play. For the past month it's been like this, but this week I'm trying so hard. But that's all I'm thinking about. Thinking about (Ryder Cup) pairings, certain things I want to say to the guys during the week. It's just difficult."

  The six players locked into spots on the U.S. team based on their points tallies are Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau.

  The players with the next-best point totals, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, are also considered virtual locks to get two of the remaining slots.

  Bradley could become the first Ryder Cup player-captain since Arnold Palmer filled both roles in 1963.

  "It's just really strange for me to be the captain," Bradley said. "... "I am looking at the board all day, not looking for me. I'm looking for where my guys are. It's just really odd," Bradley continued. "That's a really strange feeling. It's just sort of look at the (leaderboard), and I have no feeling of where I stand on the board, just seeing where our guys are, which is, that's the opposite of what we do every week.

  "I'm going to be really happy when this week is over. I've about had it with this whole thing (deciding captain's picks), so I'm ready to figure out what we're doing and get our team together."

  Bradley acknowledged he has received positive feedback from team members about him possibly being one of the players.

  "I don't think it counts because I think we have to get together as captain and vice-captains and look at the data, look at what's going on and make a decision based on what's best for the team," he said. "... To be honest, I feel like I'm still one of the best players in the world, so I figured that the likelihood of me being completely out of the picture was probably kind of slim."

  Bradley will announce his captain's picks on Wednesday. Other possibilities include Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns and Jordan Spieth. Akshay Bhatia and Chris Gotterup, ranked 19th and 20th in the Ryder Cup standings, have also generated buzz as potential wild cards based on their play of late.

  --Field Level Media

Stewart Cink shot a blistering 10-under par round of 62 and took a two-shot lead after the first round of PGA Tour Champions stop at The Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, Mich.

• Cink, who is second behind Miguel Angel Jiminez on the Charles Schwab Cup leaderboard, is two strokes ahead of Australia's Steven Alker and three clear of South Africa's Ernie Els.

  Australia's Mark Hensby carded a 6-under 66, while four others recorded 5 under scores. Dicky Pride, Bob Estes, Brian Gay and Australian Cameron Percy were all five strokes behind the leader.

  Cink shot 31 on both nines, collecting five birdies on both the outward and inward halves. He birdied five consecutive holes (Nos. 6-10) in the middle of the round and three straight holes (Nos. 15-17) coming home.

  Cink committed full-time to the tour just before winning the 2024 edition of the Ally Challenge.

  "It was all of my game today was really on point pretty well," said Cink. "I drove it nicely. I'm not going to show a lot of fairways hit because we hit a lot of balls that were like a foot in the rough, but on this course, it's a pretty narrow course and it's going to happen. I kept my ball in play, hit a lot of good iron shots.

  "And the one standout, probably outlier, was the putting was kind of like an almost embarrassingly good day on the greens. I felt really good out there, really stable. The ball was just rolling nicely and a lot of them went in. It was just one of those days."

  Alker, who is third on the Schwab Cup leaderboard, matched Cink by playing bogey-free golf. He also turned in 31, but made par the final four holes for a 33 on the inward half.

  The nine-time winner on the tour was dialed in on all aspects of his game.

  "Yeah, pretty much everything," said Alker, when asked what was working so well for him. "Bogey free's always good obviously. We didn't have much wind today, greens were receptive so we could kind of get after it. So tried to get out of the gates quickly and I did that. Just drive in the fairway and hit some really good iron shots. My iron shots, I tidied that up and then made some putts obviously."

  Cink has been on quite a roll, finishing third, second and second in his last three outings. He credits his preparation for his success.

  "I think you kind of create your own flow by preparation and I've been preparing for today for 25 years," he said. "So it's just the way golf is. You can't expect good things to happen on the greens, you just expect to do your preparation in trying to do the best process that you can and let the results take care of themselves and stay out of it, because in the end really it's just a contest to see who can get in their own way the least."

  --Field Level Media

Nearly 30 years later, the "Happy Gilmore" sequel seems to be bringing just that -- happiness -- to viewers in droves, with the Adam Sandler golf comedy setting a new record for the most single-week viewing minutes on a streaming platform.

• Nielsen streaming data shows that viewers spent 2.9 billion minutes watching "Happy Gilmore 2" in the first week after its July 25 release, per multiple reports. That number is the most recorded since Nielsen began covering a streaming top 10 in 2021.

  "Happy Gilmore 2" bested the previous record-holder, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," which garnered 2.2 billion minutes in its first week in December 2023.

  The Sandler-led comedy featuring a multitude of cameos from the sports world already broke Netflix's record for views by a movie in its opening weekend with 46.7 million.

  Among the celebrated cameos are many current and former golf stars, including Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Lee Trevino, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Will Zalatoris,

  Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, Bubba Watson, Nelly Korda, Nancy Lopez, Keegan Bradley and Tony Finau.

  --Field Level Media