Good morning. Tiger Woods walked into the Travelers press conference this week and did the rarest Tiger thing: kept it short.
The Tour used the moment to explain what it wants to become.
-Harry Carlisle
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER we’ll get into:
The PGA TOUR’s new two-tier model
Why TPC River Highlands flips the U.S. Open script
The Travelers trivia answer hiding in PGA TOUR history
PGA Tour
Tiger Woods appeared at Travelers week and helped introduce the PGA TOUR’s next competitive model.
He gave a short opening, kept the focus on the Tour’s new direction, then handed the room to Brian Rolapp, the Tour’s incoming CEO.
Starting in 2028, the PGA TOUR is planning to organize its future around two clearer lanes.
Championship Series: the top tier, where the best players play the biggest events.
Challenger Series: the earn-your-way-up tier, where players try to climb into that top group.
Translation: Right now, pro golf can feel like a spreadsheet with tee times. Some events are Signature Events. Some have cuts. Some don’t. Some stars show up. Some skip. Sponsor exemptions can put players into huge events. The playoff points system can be hard to explain without a chart.
The new model is supposed to clean that up.
The biggest events would have cuts again. Sponsor exemptions would go away in the top events. The season-ending [Tour Championship] would move toward match play. Players would have clearer ways to move up or fall down.
TRAVELERS
The Travelers Championship starts today at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
The timing works. Travelers is the final Signature Event of the PGA TOUR season. If the Tour wants a clearer top tier, this is one of the events that already looks close to that future.
It also flips the golf from last week U.S. Open
At Shinnecock Hills, par could feel like winning the hole. Miss by a few feet and the rough could take over.
River Highlands is shorter, faster, and more scoreable. It’s a 6,844-yard par 70, which is short by modern PGA TOUR standards.
Everyone expects birdies.
COURSE NOTE
No. 15 starts the chaos
The stretch to watch starts at No. 15.
The 15th is a 296-yard par 4. For a PGA TOUR player, that’s reachable.
The trouble starts when everyone thinks birdie is owed.
Go for it and you can set up eagle or an easy two-putt birdie. Miss in the wrong spot and the “easy” hole turns into a scramble.
Then comes the water.
No. 16 is a short par 3 over water. No. 17 bends around water on the right.
That’s the little sprint at River Highlands: reachable par 4, water par 3, water par 4.
How to watch it: if a player is near the lead on 15, watch the decision before the swing. Driver, layup, wedge number, safe side. That’s where the hole starts.
LPGA
Big number. Keep going.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is also this week at Hazeltine National.
The purse is jumping to $13 million, the largest total payout in women’s golf.
Hazeltine isn’t a small stage. It has hosted the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, and U.S. Open. So when the LPGA brings a major there, so it’s nice the prize money is feeling major too.
PLAY
Golf Mini: Your sample clue of the day is “The Big Easy, in golf.”
Travelers trivia
The [Travelers Championship] is played at [TPC River Highlands], a course famous for very low scoring.
In 2016, one player started Sunday tied for 70th, 16 shots off the lead, then shot the lowest round in PGA TOUR history.
Who was it?
BALL FLIGHT QUIZ
The flag on the green is blowing from right to left and slightly back toward you.
What should you expect?
A) A pure helping wind
B) A pure hurting wind
C) A crosswind with some hurt
D) A crosswind with some help
ANSWER
Jim Furyk.
Furyk shot 58 at TPC River Highlands in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship, becoming the first PGA TOUR player to post that number in competition.
Ball Flight Quiz Answer:
C) A crosswind with some hurt
QUICK HITS
Miles Russell
Rory McIlroy is skipping Travelers: Rory isn’t in the field while the Tour is selling a future built around the best players meeting more often. His absence is a useful reminder that a clearer model still needs stars to buy in.
George Bryan gets one step closer: George Bryan advanced through Open Championship Regional Qualifying and now heads to Final Qualifying for The Open. He’s still alive for a major championship spot.
Keegan Bradley gets the home-game test: Keegan returns as the Travelers defending champion. New England crowds don’t need much help getting loud, and this is about as close as Keegan gets to a true home game.
Lexi Thompson is out: Lexi withdrew from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with an ongoing hip injury.
