Jon Rahm has officially been suspended by the PGA Tour for joining LIV Golf. That's not a surprise. The defection is good news for the likes of Mackenzie Hughes and Carl Yuan. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is telling players that Rahm's suspension means he is officially removed from the FedEx Cup list.Â
So much for peace and harmony in the world of golf. Jon Rahm's defection from the PGA Tour to Saudi-funded LIV shows just how fractured the sport remains, even as it faces an end-of-the year deadline to finalize an agreement that was supposed to make everything kumbaya. Only one thing is clear: The idea that two tours can somehow co-exist to the benefit of both is ludicrous. It's never worked in any other sport, and there's no reason to think that the PGA Tour and LIV can somehow walk this perilous tightrope. There's too much money involved, too many egos, too much potential power.
Scottie Scheffler gets another chance to win the Hero World Challenge. Tiger Woods has to settle with being happy about the way he feels. Scheffler made all five scoring putts from outside 12 feet. Two were for eagle. He shot a 65 to build a three-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick heading into the final round at Albany.Â
Tiger Woods looked better in the Hero World Challenge. It's just the finishing stretch that keeps holding him back. Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth share the lead. Woods is 10 shots behind in his first competition since the Masters. Woods had four birdies in seven holes at the start. But he dropped careless shots on the back nine of Albany. None was more surprising than sending a birdie putt off the green and into a bunker on the par-5 15th. Woods says he's rusty. But he hopes each day he gets a little better. Brian Harman is one shot behind.
Tiger Woods made a solid return to golf until he limped home in the Bahamas. That was more about his golf than his fused right ankle. Woods dropped four shots in a three-hole stretch toward the end and shot 75 in the Hero World Challenge. That left him eight shots behind leaders Brian Harman and Tony Finau. Woods' score was better than only two players in the 20-man field at Albany. He attributed his results to being rusty and lacking commitment. The big trouble came on the par-5 15th. He tried to punch out of a bush and made a double bogey.
Tiger Woods is making yet another return to competition. He says he will be playing in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas that starts Nov. 30. It will be his first time playing since the Masters in April. He withdrew after the third round and then had surgery on his right ankle.Â
Ludvig Aberg already has won on the European tour. Now he has a chance to pick up his first PGA Tour victory. The 24-year-old Swede shot a 64 on Friday to build a one-shot lead in the RSM Classic going into the weekend. He had a pair of two-putt birdies on the Seaside course at Sea Island Golf Club, one of them on a 394-yard par 4 where he hit over a marsh.Â
The final PGA Tour event of the season is off to a soggy start at the RSM Classic. Cameron Young is among the 65 players who finished before dark. He birdied his last two holes for a 6-under 66. That ties him for the lead with Eric Cole and Davis Thompson. They all played the Plantation Course. Matt Kuchar had a 5-under 65 on the Seaside course. British Open champion Brian Harman had a 1-under 71. But this was all about staying dry. There was an hour delay at the start and a 2 1/2-hour delay in the afternoon.
Camilo Villegas delivered key birdies that led to an emotional victory. Villegas outlasted Alex Noren and shot 65 to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship by two shots. It's his first victory in nine years. And it's his first win since his 22-month-old daughter, Mia, died of brain cancer in the summer of 2020.Â
Alex Noren had a great start and then had to wait until the end for a strong finish. It added to a 66 and a two-shot lead in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Noren had 11 straight pars after his great start. Two birdies toward the end of his round allowed him to set the tournament record at 15-under 127. He leads by two shots over Ryan Moore, Satoshi Kodaira and Ryan Brehm. Moore is at No. 140 in the FedEx Cup. Two weeks remain for players to finish in the top 125 and keep full PGA Tour cards next year.
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