Archive of posts tagged the Ryder Cup

Rahm reforms the LIV: a possible expansion

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Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago

The possibility of the LIV becoming part of the world ranking system seems closer than ever, given that last month the Saudi Super League reapplied to join the system. The system now has new leadership in South African Trevor Immelman and a more favorable context for evaluating the case amid the lull that has dominated the relationship between the circuits for some time now.

Jon Rahm spoke on the matter this Wednesday before taking part in this year's 12th leg of the circuit (6:15 p.m., Movistar Golf) at the Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago (USA). Whether more or less veiled or more explicit, the Basque native has gradually hinted that he would welcome certain modifications to the LIV format, particularly in terms of world ranking points, which would facilitate access to the top players for its players, currently limited to qualifying, invitationals, and the few exemptions its members still retain. But also, even though he hasn't said it publicly, the truth is that the tournament structure is more suited to his style of play on the PGA and European tours.

Rahm, statements

“There's an open process to enter the rankings, and once we're in, we can see what changes can be made to get the maximum number of points possible without losing our core. Let's say we currently have 20 points. If you add a fourth round, you'll go down to 25. It may or may not be worth it. It could also be a cut or something, but with the number of players we currently have and the team situation, I don't see it happening. Another thing would be to expand the league, say to 15 teams and 60 players. You can make it work. There are many possibilities I'm thinking about, but all of this is completely hypothetical because I haven't talked about it with anyone on the tour. But there are things we could do to get more ranking points if necessary, and surely the world ranking guys and Scott (O'Neil, CEO of LIV) have even more in mind that I can't think of,” Rahm commented on the matter.

Because the truth is that, if he were to make the cut, the number of points that the LIV tournaments could award would initially be rather small, given that the system assigns one point or another based on parameters such as the number of golfers playing, the number of rounds in the tournament, and the ranking of its participants, which in this tour's case has been severely affected by years of being unable to score points beyond their occasional appearances in tournaments on the Asian Tour, the European Tour, or the majors.

On the other hand, Rahm again addressed his situation regarding his eligibility for the European team that will face the US in the Ryder Cup next September. "There's nothing I can confirm or deny. Luke (Donald, European captain) communicates with me just as he does with others. I don't think he's assured anyone anything yet. It's too soon for that. He'll be waiting until the end of August, and in my case, I think I'm just another name on his list."

On a strictly sporting level, Rahm faces the need for a strong showing this week, combined with a poor performance from Joaquín Niemann, as he attempts to catch the Chilean at the top of the LIV annual standings. With the last three tournaments remaining, just over 37 points separate them, a surprising figure given that Joaco has been the clear dominator this season, in which he already has five wins to the Spaniard's none, who, in contrast, has been a prodigy of consistency when it comes to scoring top-10 finishes. He has achieved this at every stop except one, in Dallas, including two second places. In the team standings, his Legion XIII does rule the roost, having won four titles and well on track to reach the team final in Michigan in first place.

Poulter at risk of relegation: future uncertain

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Bubba Watson

A registered letter with no return receipt was sent by the new CEO of LIV Golf, Scott O'Neil, to Ian Poulter. No exceptions: either The Postman places in the top 48 of the 2025 rankings or he's out of a permanent spot on the Saudi tour. With two events remaining in the season, Poulter sits in 51st place.

Ian Poulter, news

The former Ryder Cup star is playing the 2026 event in Chicago this weekend and in Indianapolis next weekend. His hopes are slim: in 2025, the Englishman has a best finish of 13th in South Korea. In total, he has earned 4.5 points in the LIV rankings. Chilean Niemann, the dominant player this year, has a remarkable 206.8.

Scott O'Neill has made things clear, trying to regain his virginity and get LIV players back into the world rankings (and thus back into the Majors). This year, his tour will be played solely on merit on the green. No exemptions.

No exceptions like twelve months ago when, for unspecified "commercial reasons," then-boss Greg Norman fished out Bubba Watson. The American professional, captain of the Range Goats team, finished the 2024 season ranked 53rd. The same treatment was reserved for South African Branden Grace.

More than a hundred professionals from around the world are participating in this never-ending playoff, all chasing a contract. Plan B involves winning the International Series, the minor circuit of the Asian Tour: too bad Ian isn't even in the top 100 today.

According to The Telegraph, the Englishman's contract with the PIF expires on August 24th, at the end of the Grand Team Finals in Michigan. If things go badly (or even terribly), the Englishman could be limited to being the manager or non-playing captain of his team, the Majesticks, next year.

The full Majesticks team: Sam Horsfield, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Henrik Stenson (Photo by Cliff Hawkins / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
The Majesticks are not doing well. Also on the team with Poulter are Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood. The Swede is currently 47th in the LIV ranking, while the Englishman is 46th. Both are on the knife's edge.

It's sad to think of the most bitter scenario: three giants of world golf (Westwood was once number one in the ranking) and of the Ryder Cup competing against each other in the Qualifying Schools for a place in the sun.

In this evolving scenario, the DP World Tour is standing by. Poulter, Westwood, and Sergio Garcia left Europe two years ago, slamming the door, complete with written resignations. Henrik Stenson went further: first he accepted the appointment as European Ryder Cup captain, then he moved to the circuit, a sworn enemy of the DP and PGA. That confrontation now seems a long way off, thanks to a struggling European circuit jostling for greater visibility and sponsorship. Three players like Ian, Lee, and Henrik would still be very useful.

Scottie Scheffler wants to expand his festival

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BMW

The PGA Tour season enters its final stretch this Thursday. The FedEx St. Jude Championship kicks off, the first of three tournaments that will determine the 2025 FedEx Cup champion.

Three separate events—this week's St. Jude, next week's BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship in two weeks' time—will determine the victory of the tour's annual season. The winner of the Tour Championship will claim the tour title. On the other hand, this PGA Tour playoff is scheduled weeks before the Ryder Cup.

Scottie Scheffler, results

The points for the winners of these tournaments are quadrupled compared to the regular season tournaments, so 2,000 are distributed to the winners in the first two events, before the Tour Championship decides the champion. Furthermore, the various tournaments, which are played without a cut, are eliminatory: of the seventy participants at St. Jude, only the top fifty in the annual rankings will advance to the BMW. After that, the cut will be set at thirty for the final Tour Championship.

The winner of that last tournament will be taken into account to determine the FedEx Cup champion. However, as a novelty this season, the players' starting scores will not be taken into account the annual tour ranking. Everyone will start at par.

Thus, a total of seventy players, the best of the season in the FedEx Cup, have secured a ticket to a FedEx St. Jude tournament to be played at TPC Southwind in Memphis this weekend. All eyes will be on one man: Scottie Scheffler. The American, a strong favorite for the final victory of the season, enters this tournament as the solid leader of the annual rankings and in peak form.

The British Open champion just under three weeks ago, Scheffler returns with all eyes on him. He has won four of his last eight tournaments and hasn't dropped out of the top 10 since The Players in March. A testament to his absolute consistency.

As if that weren't enough, he's seeking his second consecutive FedEx Cup, a feat no one has achieved since the format's launch in 2007. It would be another milestone for a player who continues to shape the future of golf, with two majors (he also won the PGA Championship) and four wins this year, and is poised to be at full strength for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks.

Furthermore, Scheffler (4,806 points in the standings) will not have his greatest rival in the fight for the FedEx Cup, Rory McIlroy (3,444), in the opening tournament, which reaffirms his favoritism for this first tournament. The American and Northern Irishman have a solid grip on the top two spots in the annual rankings heading into the final tournament, a situation that has led a tired McIlroy to save his energy for the next two weeks.

Thus, Scheffler's biggest rivals in the first tournament are Sepp Straka (2,595 points), Russell Henley (2,391), and Justin Thomas (2,280). The world number one is aiming to make the final push to distance all his rivals by more than 2,000 points before the BMW Championship and, with that, lock down that top spot heading into the final event.

Of course, there will be no shortage of other big names. J.J. Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, and Hideki Matsuyama are, among others, candidates to win this first tournament beyond the annual rankings. Players like Matthew Fitzpatrick, Schauffele, and Jordan Spieth are nearing the top 50 positions that qualify for the BMW Championship, so there's a lot at stake starting this week.

The puzzling aspects of Cameron Young’s career that Smylie Kaufman can’t explain

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Cameron Young

Cameron Young surprised the public with a great performance at the last PGA tournament. The 28-year-old golfer was the dominant figure of the Wyndham Championship, and after many unsuccessful attempts to reach the trophy, this time Young succeeded. 

His victory caused an avalanche of reactions, and Smylie Kaufman was one of those who reacted to the American's impressive performance.

During his show, Kaufman had an interesting point, primarily surprised by Young's inconsistency. 

While in some moments he acts like a golfer who can make the very top of the golf scene, in the next moment, Young experiences a huge decline. 

Smylie is somewhat surprised, putting the accent on his aspects of the game.

“I had to chart this out, but I was that confused trying to figure out why Cameron Young isn’t as good as he should be, because we’ve seen all the flashes. At some point of his career, he’s been elite at something. He’s been elite at putting this year. He’s been an elite iron player. He’s been an elite driver of the golf ball,” he said, as quoted by The Golfing Gazette.

“Very good putting this year. He was average in his rookie year, so the year in which he comes onto the scene and is contending a bunch, comes second at The Open Championship, he was an average putter that year. He was a very bad putter the last couple of years. He was 145th and 154th.

It’s crazy. Every year, he’s good, average or bad at something. That’s the wild thing about this."

Smylie Kaufman talks about Cameron's statistics

Smylie reflected on Young's first year on Tour, stressing that he was an elite wedge player. However, in the previous two years, Young became average, experiencing a major decline. During the last performance, Smylie stresses, Young also did not excel when it comes to the wedge game, losing control. 

Looking back at the approach game, Kaufman believes things are equal, noting that Cameron lacks consistency in his game. 

Many are wondering if the 28-year-old will perform at the Ryder Cup, and the answer to such a question is difficult to give. 

Smylie still isn't sure if he should be part of the team at Bethpage Black, believing that Young has a lot of positives in the game, but also negatives.

Rickie Fowler admits he hasn’t done enough yet to secure a Ryder Cup spot

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captain of the US team

Rickie Fowler is playing at this week's Wyndham Championship, and many eyes are on him and his performance. The famous golfer has not been in great shape for years, and although some speculated that Fowler could make a breakthrough this season, it seems that Fowler has a lot of problems. 

In an interview with the media, the American golfer sent messages of reason, believing that he is far from his game. 

Rickie is not sure that he has done much to deserve to be part of the team, but he hopes to be at least a little more dominant in the coming weeks.

“I would say that I am definitely outside of consideration right now,” Fowler said. “There is still time to plead my case, but going back to executing, I need to go and play some good golf, and I need a really good stretch these next few weeks.

The team will be fine with or without me, but I haven’t quite done much of anything to say that I should be there. But it would be fun to go on a little run and see if that maybe sparks anyone’s interest.

But if we can’t, it’s part of it. You don’t make all of them. But they are fun to be a part of, and we will see if we can give ourselves a shot at it.”- Fowler concluded, as quoted by the Golfing Gazette.

What will happen?

It is hard to imagine that Rickie can be close to the US Ryder Cup, and it would take a miracle to perform at Bethpage Black. 

Rickie would probably have to celebrate at the next three events, but his only hope is Keegan Bradley, captain of the US team, whose pick could be Fowler. 

Fans are skeptical about it, but it is clear that Rickie certainly does not have serious expectations regarding the Ryder Cup.

One part of Wyndham Clark’s game gets high praise from Smylie Kaufman

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driver

Wyndham Clark has amazed the public with his performances in the last few weeks, and many are asking the question, can Clark be even more dominant? The famous golfer did not excel at the start of the season, having many problems in the game. However, performing at the Genesis Scottish Open, Clark showed his qualities, and he transferred his great form to the Open Championship, finishing as T4. 

However, Clark surprised the public with his decision to withdraw from the Wyndham Championship, and important figures in the golf scene reacted to this news. 

During his show, Smylie Kaufman reflected on Wyndham's decision, focusing primarily on some dominant aspects of this golfer's game.

“He’s clearly playing some good golf, has confidence in his game right now. He’s always been a really good putter in my mind, I think one of the most underrated putters on the tour really, especially if you give him enough putts from that 10 to 30 foot range, he’s going to make a couple a round. That’s how good a putter he is and how hot he can get,” he said, as reported by The Golfing Gazette.

Kaufman talks about Clark's decision

Kaufman is aware that this course is not conducive to his game, as the dominant aspects of Clark's game cannot be expressed in this tournament. 

Wyndham, on the other hand, is a golfer who analyzed the situation, having slightly different plans than some expected. 

It seems that he made a good decision, but time will tell how true that is.

“For him at Wyndham, it’s not really a good course fit at all because it takes his strengths out of his hands, which is his driving distance, how far he can hit it. But it also makes him play strategic golf where he can play that little tee down driver, just get the ball in the fairway, give himself opportunity with his wedges. He’s a bit of an inconsistent iron player I would say, and really from seven iron up, it gets a little erratic. But I think the wedges can be good at times."- he said.

He seems most focused on the Ryder Cup, wanting to win a place in the team. 

Whether he will succeed in this, time will tell, but it seems that there is not such a great chance at this moment.