Connect with us

Blog

Is the PGA Tour Transitioning into a Team Format?

Avatar photo

Published

on

PGA Transitioning to Team Format?

The PGA Tour plans to create a series of lucrative, international tournaments that will offer guaranteed money to the world’s best players, we can reveal.

The Tour intends to stage between four and six events annually outside of the United States, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The series will begin in the fall of 2023 at the earliest, though possibly not until 2024. Details of the plan were confirmed to Golfweek by an industry executive familiar with the ongoing discussions. The executive requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The move will be seen as an effort by the PGA Tour to thwart the threat posed by the Super Golf League, a proposed splinter circuit financed by the Saudi Arabian regime that has been trying to lure players to global events with promises of huge signing bonuses and guaranteed cash. The Super League has tried to attract players for at least seven years with no success. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan made clear he will ban any member who signs on to a rival circuit, but has worked behind the scenes to devise ways to further reward his star players and dilute the risk of their splitting with the Saudis.

In April, Golfweek revealed the existence of an unannounced $40 million Player Impact Program, which will award bonuses to PGA Tour members deemed to most move the needle in terms of fan engagement. The annual program began measuring players’ impact based on a range of criteria in January. The player found to be most impactful at year’s end will receive $8 million, with decreasing amounts awarded to another nine stars.

Monahan also announced a strategic alliance with the European Tour (since rebranded as the DP World Tour) as they sought to unify their product against potential rivals. It is unclear what role the European circuit will play in the new overseas events staged by the PGA Tour but it is thought the two organizations will be aligned to not undermine Europe’s season-ending Race to Dubai.

ADVERTISEMENT

A spokesperson for the PGA Tour declined to confirm specifics of the new series when contacted by Golfweek.

“We’re absolutely always looking at our future product and schedule, with all options on the table as to fields, formats and tournament locations, especially considering our advancing Strategic Alliance with the European Tour,” the spokesperson said. “No details or decisions have been made at this time.”

While internal discussions are continuing on specifics, tentative plans call for between four and six events, with fields limited to 50 or 60 competitors and no halfway cut. It has not been decided if the fields will be determined by the Official World Golf Ranking or FedEx Cup standings. A range of format options are being considered, including the possibility of a team component.

“Nothing firm on formats yet,” the well-placed executive said, “but a team format is certainly one of the ideas on the table.”

A team element — albeit an ill-defined one — has been one of the Super League’s marketing pitches as it sought to gain traction with players and golf fans.

Asked to specify just how lucrative the new series will be for elite players, the executive said no cash figure has been finalized and that the focus is on providing guaranteed money rather than a traditional prize fund that players would compete for a piece of. The source likened the new events to an amped-up World Golf Championships swing that will ensure riches for elite players regardless of how they perform.

The new international tournaments will not replace the existing fall schedule on the PGA Tour — currently, nine events that begin in September after the conclusion of the FedEx Cup playoffs and run through mid-November. Those fall stops typically draw less than stellar fields as star players often take a break from competition after the playoffs before ramping up their schedules in the New Year.

A PGA Tour source told Golfweek that a mechanism will be devised to ensure players who compete in the overseas series will not be disadvantaged in the FedEx Cup points race as a result of having skipped the U.S. schedule.

“Top guys want to have a break from the FedEx Cup,” the source explained. “The setup would be so they don’t have to worry. If they play in these big events, the idea is they don’t fall behind in the FedEx Cup.”

The manager for one top 10 star who has been briefed on the plans welcomed the news. “The big guys will all perform and all get rewarded,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek.

Blog

One of the Greatest Putts in U.S. Open History?

JJ Spaun’s 64-Foot Walk-Off

Avatar photo

Published

on


When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.

But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.


1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst

Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.

Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.


2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.

ADVERTISEMENT

Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.


3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.

Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.


4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion

Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.

Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.


5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.

Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.


Final Thoughts

JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.

In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.


Continue Reading

Blog

The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots

Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

Avatar photo

Published

on

By

Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.

You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?

ADVERTISEMENT

The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?

Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?

Continue Reading

Blog

Meet The Canadian Open Qualifier Tied To ClickIt Golf!

“This week was incredible,” he said. “A dream come true.”

Avatar photo

Published

on

Josh Goldenberg doesn’t plan to quit his day job. But he had a great time dabbling in his old career.

ADVERTISEMENT

He gave up on pro golf, then qualified for his first PGA Tour event.

Read the full story here
https://golf.com/news/josh-goldenberg-rbc-canadian-open/?amp=1

Continue Reading

Trending

Click here to get all the latest golf news

Close