Good morning, friends
Golf loves a full-circle moment. Rory McIlroy is coming back this week to the place where he won his first PGA TOUR event as a 20-year-old with a final-round 62.

Now he returns as a Masters champion, at the course that helped introduce him to American golf fans.

-Harry Carlisle

Cameron Young won the Cadillac Championship at Doral’s Blue Monster on Sunday, at 19 under, completing a wire-to-wire victory in the PGA TOUR’s first event at Doral since 2016.

Memorable moment: Young called a one-stroke penalty on himself during the final round after his ball moved on the second hole. That was about the only time all day he looked like he might slow himself down.

The PGA TOUR heads to the Truist Championship this week at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s another $20 million Signature Event, and the headline is obvious: Rory McIlroy is back.

McIlroy is making his first start since winning the Masters, and Quail Hollow is one of his favorite places. He’s won this tournament four times, more than anyone else.

Why it matters: This is the perfect tune-up question before the PGA Championship next week. Rory already has the major. Now we get to see whether he still looks sharp at a course where he’s historically been extremely comfortable.

Worth knowing: Scottie Scheffler is skipping this week, which means we won’t get the Rory vs. Scottie pre-major showdown.

Quail Hollow’s final three holes, Nos. 16, 17, and 18, are known as the Green Mile, and they’re one of the toughest closing stretches on the PGA TOUR. Since the TOUR returned to Quail Hollow in 2003, the first 15 holes have played heavily under par while the final three have played thousands over par.

LIV Golf is trying to look forward after the Public Investment Fund confirmed it will stop funding the league after the 2026 season. LIV has restructured its board, with Gene Davis named chairman, as the league looks for new outside investment.

Why it matters: This is the next phase of the story. Last week was about the funding shock. Now it’s about whether LIV can convince anyone else to fund a league that was built around Saudi money, massive contracts, and a team model that still hasn’t fully clicked with mainstream golf fans.

But the real question is can LIV become a normal business before the money clock runs out?

LIV says its 2026 schedule is continuing, but the future beyond that now depends on new partners, new money, or a much smaller version of the league.

Nelly Korda followed her Chevron Championship win with another victory at the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. One week after reclaiming world No. 1, she finished at 17 under and kept the run going.

Mikumu Horikawa won The Crowns in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, after chasing down Yusaku Hosono with a final-round 63. Horikawa started Sunday three shots back, then went seven under in the final round to win by one.

Why it matters: The Crowns is one of the Japan Golf Tour’s established domestic events, and this finish had the good kind of Sunday chaos: a low final round, a one-shot margin, and several recognizable Japanese names inside the top 10.

Mikael Lindberg won the Turkish Airlines Open for his first DP World Tour title. It took him nearly 13 years (70 tournaments) as a professional to get it.

Minhyuk Song won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in South Korea, taking the title in a playoff after three players finished tied at 11 under.

Why it matters: This was Song’s first professional win, and it came at one of Korea’s long-running golf events.

Grant Horvat, the Bryan Bros, and Play Golf Myrtle Beach launched a creator-golf competition with an actual PGA TOUR start on the line.

Ryan Ruffels won, beating a field of golf creators for a real PGA TOUR start

The twist: Ruffels isn't just a random YouTuber with a camera and a rangefinder. He was once one of Australia’s top young golf prospects, turned pro as a teenager, and has real tournament experience. That makes his PGA TOUR start feel less like a stunt and more like a very modern side door back into big-time golf

Grant Horvat, the Bryan Bros, and Brad Dalke are building Your Golf Tour, a creator-led golf league that started after Wynn Las Vegas came to them wanting a premier YouTube golf event. Instead of pitching one video, they pitched a full tour.

This has more structure than the usual creator-golf collab: teams, a draft night, wild cards, multiple stops, prize money, and a season-ending million dollar championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

The most interesting part is the wild card system, where captains can bring in new players at each event, including unknown golfers trying to break through.

The PGA Championship starts next week at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. That makes this week’s schedule more interesting than usual.

Rory McIlroy is tuning up at Quail Hollow. Brooks Koepka is getting reps in Myrtle Beach. Scottie Scheffler is resting. Those are three very different ways to handle the week before a major.

Why’s it matter? Well, it tells us that there’s no single “right” pre-major formula anymore. Some players want tournament reps. Some want rest. Some want a course they love. And the best players are now comfortable building custom schedules around whatever they want

Try our free golf crossword, built to be finished in just a few minutes.

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Problem. Before you hit the putt, a gust of wind moves the ball a few inches closer to the hole.

What do you do?

A) Play it from the new spot, because the wind moved it
B) Play it from the new spot, but add one penalty stroke
C) Take one penalty stroke and replace it
D) Replace it on its original spot with no penalty

D) Replace it on its original spot with no penalty

Under Rule 13.1d, if your ball on the putting green has already been marked, lifted, and replaced, and then natural forces like wind or gravity move it, you replace it on its original spot. There’s no penalty.

Why it matters: A lot of golfers think “wind moved it, play it where it stops.” That’s only true if you had not already marked, lifted, and replaced the ball on the green.

Key takeaway: Once you’ve marked, lifted, and replaced your ball on the green, that spot is protected. Wind doesn’t get to improve or ruin your putt.