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A14 sports
Wednesday 3 January 2024

Questions to contemplate for a new year on PGA Tour

By DOUG FERGUSON Who makes it to Paris for
AP Golf Writer the Olympics?
Of the two clear signs the The toughest squad to
PGA Tour is about to em- make in golf is the U.S.
bark on a new year at Ka- Olympic team, even if it's
palua, one is obvious: The not a team event. Only
magnificent view from the four players from the top 15
first tee of an 80-yard fair- in the world can go to Paris
way that seemingly drops for the Summer Olympics.
into the Pacific Ocean. Going into the year, eight
The other is more bizarre: Americans are among the
Jon Rahm sightings. top 15.
Rahm is the defending Xander Schauffele is one
champion at The Sentry, of them. He won the gold
except that all he has been medal in Tokyo and the first
defending of late is his de- step is simply getting a shot
cision to defect to Saudi- at any medal. Justin Rose
funded LIV Golf. The total won the gold in Rio de Ja-
compensation is probably neiro and didn't make it
in the neighborhood of the back to the next Olympics.
entire PGA Tour prize fund It gets even more compli-
for the FedEx Cup season cated with international
($402.4 million, not includ- players, particularly the
ing the majors). likes of Cameron Smith
There has been chatter of Australia, Joaquin Nie-
about his vacation suite mann of Chile and Thomas
at Kapalua and one con- PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan on the first tee box during the first round of the Tour Championship Pieters of Belgium. Olympic
firmed sighting of the Mas- golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Atlanta. qualifying is based strictly
ters champion at a high- Associated Press on the world ranking, and
end resort up the coast at field now includes anyone in March. There is no hard That adage about play- LIV doesn't get points for
Makena. who finished in the top 50 deadline, and it turns out ing better? That applies to that. Their only chance at
Such beautiful vistas, such in the FedEx Cup. Dec. 31 was just a date on Schenk. points is the majors, if they
a fractured landscape in The only player missing is a piece of paper. He was runner-up twice, are even eligible for them.
golf, with no end in sight. Rory McIlroy — and Rahm, Regardless of valuations including a playoff loss at Who will caddie for Tiger
The previous year began who has been suspended. and contributions by "mi- Colonial. He played his way Woods?
with LIV adding players that What to expect for 2024? nority co-investors," the big- into three majors. He not Woods gave his blessing
only ardent golf fans would Here are questions to con- gest question is the future only qualified for the Tour to Joe LaCava, his cad-
recognize. Six months later template: of LIV Golf and how and Championship, he was in die since late 2011, to work
came the shocking an- The Saudi Deal when — or if — the best contention going into the for Patrick Cantlay when
nouncement of the PGA Whatever defines progress players will be competing second round at East Lake. Woods had ankle fusion
Tour's agreement to be- was slowed by Commis- against each other outside He finished the year just surgery in April and his fu-
come commercial part- sioner Jay Monahan taking the majors. short of $5 million, more ture was murky as ever.
ners with the Saudi backer a month away to cope with Finding a fair way to in- than his previous five sea- Woods is optimistic that
of LIV Golf, contingent on exhaustion, congressional tegrate is one thing. Re- sons combined. He is in all he can play once a
finalizing the deal by the inquiries and private equity warding the players who the signature events this month, starting in February,
end of the year. groups wanting a piece of remained loyal to the tours year, along with all the ma- through the majors. Rob
Seven hours before the the action. The PGA Tour would seem to be far more jors. For players who are McNamara, a longtime
year ended, PGA Tour settled on Strategic Sports complicated. not in the signature events, business associate and a
Commissioner Jay Monah- Group, and Monahan sug- Who's Next To Leave? who feel as though there second set of eyes for his
an told players in a memo gested a deal with SSG was Still to be confirmed is is now a separate tour for swing, worked at the Hero
that there was no deal yet, farther along than anything whether Rahm gets his own the elite, they should use World Challenge and is a
only progress. Slow play with the Public Investment LIV team, and there are still Schenk as inspiration. That likely candidate for Riviera.
strikes again. Fund. moving parts among the could be them. Woods has used an Augus-
So the new year has the Monahan also mentioned 12 existing teams. Either Who will be the next Justin ta National caddie for pre-
feel of the old one, except SSG, PIF and the European way, the year starts high Thomas? Masters practice rounds.
on Thursday. The Sentry has tour as minority co-inves- on speculation about who Thomas is the best exam- That's an option.
ditched the second part tors. Golf Digest reported will be the next to defect to ple that even elite players And then there's his son,
of its title name — Tourna- any agreement ideally LIV. Brooks Koepka leaving have to earn it. He didn't 14-year-old Charlie. He's
ment of Champions — be- would be completed by in 2022 and Rahm leaving in 2023, missing out on the strong enough and could
cause the winners-only The Players Championship in December should make postseason for the first time. be an interesting choice
it clear that no departure He will not be suffering be- for the U.S. Open and Brit-
should be a surprise. Every- cause of his star power. ish Open (he might not be
one has a number. Thomas earned that from out of school in time for the
Who will be the next Adam winning two majors, a Fe- PGA Championship).
Schenk? dEx Cup and three money For regular caddies, John
Schenk had never finished titles. Sponsor exemptions Wood left caddying to be
higher than No. 71 in the to the signature events will an on-course analyst for
FedEx Cup in his five years not be hard to find if he NBC and Golf Channel. He
on the PGA Tour. He had needs them. is tight with Woods, knows
played in only two majors. That player a few years his game and could be an
He started the season at back was Rickie Fowler. Be- option for tournaments that
No. 176 in the world. fore him was Jordan Spieth. CBS broadcasts.q