LPGA starts majors in Houston, PGA has teams in New Orleans

LPGA TOUR

THE CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: The Woodlands, Texas.

Course: The Club at Carlton Woods (Jack Nicklaus Signature). Yardage: 6,824. Par: 72.

Prize money: $5.1 million. Winner's share: $765,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-3 p.m. (Peacock), 3-4 p.m. (Golf Channel), 4-6 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Jennifer Kupcho.

Race to CME Globe leader: Georgia Hall.

Last week: Gina Kim won the Lotte Championship.

Notes: This is the first of five major championships on the LPGA schedule. ... The major had been played at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, since 1983. Chevron took over as title sponsor and moved it this year to near its headquarters in Houston. ... The new April date allows it to get away from college basketball's Final Four the week before the Masters, and it allows for network television coverage on the weekend. ... Defending champion Jennifer Kupcho had two more LPGA wins after her first major, but she did not finish in the top 10 in any of the other majors. ... Georgia Hall and Nelly Korda lead the LPGA this year with four top 10s in five tournaments. ... The field includes 42 of the top 50 players in the women's world ranking. ... The field includes seven amateurs. Rose Zhang, the No. 1 amateur in women's golf and winner of the Augusta National Women's Amateur, is not playing. ... The five major champions from last year came from five countries. ... Lydia Ko, the No. 1 player in the world, has not won a major since the 2016 ANA Inspiration.

Next week: JM Eagle LA Championship.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

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PGA TOUR

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

Site: Avondale, Louisiana.

Course: TPC Louisiana. Yardage: 7,425. Par: 72.

Prize money: $8.6 million. Winning share: $1.242 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

FedEx Cup leader: Jon Rahm.

Last week: Matt Fitzpatrick won the RBC Heritage.

Notes: This is the only team event on the PGA Tour. ... U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, coming off a win at Hilton Head, is playing with younger brother Alex. ... The field consists of 80 teams. ... The field features 11 players who played in the last Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. ... The last two U.S. Ryder Cup captains, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, are playing as a team. ... John Daly and David Duval are teammates, both regulars on the PGA Tour Champions. ... European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing with Edoardo Molinari, one of his vice captains. ... Cal alumni Max Homa and Collin Morikawa are playing together. ... Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the defending champions, are 6-3-1 as teammates in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. ... Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim are partners. They beat Cantlay and Schauffele in the Presidents Cup. ... No world ranking points are awarded, and the winners do not receive an invitation to the Masters.

Next week: Mexico Championship at Vidanta.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

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LIV GOLF

LIV GOLF-ADELAIDE

Site: Adelaide, Australia.

Course: La Grange GC. Yardage: 6,946. Par: 72.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday-Saturday, 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. (The CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. EDT (The CW Network-tape delay).

Defending champion: New event.

Points leader: Charles Howell III.

Last tournament: Brooks Koepka won LIV Golf-Orlando.

Notes: La Grange is the course where LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman won his first professional tournament. ... Three players in LIV Golf finished among the top four and ties in the Masters. Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka tied for second. ... Anirban Lahiri tied for second last week in the International Series-Vietnam on the Asian Tour. ... This is the first of back-to-back weeks for LIV Golf, in Australia and then in Singapore. There are three segments of consecutive tournaments this season. ... Dustin Johnson, who won the points list in the inaugural season, has only one top 10 in three LIV events this season. ... Peter Uihlein and Carlos Ortiz are the only players who have finished among the top 10 in all three LIV Golf events this season. ... Australia is hosting its first LIV Golf event and has been sold out for weeks. ... Sihwan Kim has finished last in the 48-man field in every event this season. ... Laurie Canter has played all three events as an alternate for injured Martin Kaymer.

Next week: LIV Golf-Singapore.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

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EUROPEAN TOUR AND JAPAN GOLF TOUR

ISPS HANDA CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Omitama, Japan.

Course: PGM Ishioka GC. Yardage: 7,039. Par: 70.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $333,333.

Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: New tournament.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last tournament: Jon Rahm won the Masters.

Notes: This is the first European tour event co-sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour. ... Ernie Els is in the field after tying for 56th last week in the RBC Heritage in South Carolina. Els has one Japan Golf Tour victory, 30 years ago in the Dunlop Phoenix. ... Christiaan Bezuidenhout is playing. This is his first European tour-sanctioned event of the year. ... The Japanese players in the field include Taiga Semikawa, who is coming off his third Japan Golf Tour win of his career last week. Semikawa won twice in Japan while he was still in college. ... This is the first of two straight weeks in Asia for the European tour. It is going to South Korea next week for a new tournament. ... The tournament is part of a relationship among the European tour, Japan Golf Tour and the PGA Tour. The top three players on the Japan Golf Tour will earn cards for the European tour next year.

Next week: Korea Championship.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

INVITED CELEBRITY CLASSIC

Site: Irving, Texas.

Course: Las Colinas CC. Yardage: 6,703. Par: 71.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.

Television: Friday, 9-11 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Scott Parel.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: David Toms.

Last tournament: David Toms won The Galleri Classic.

Notes: Kenny Perry is making his first PGA Tour Champions start in three years. He has been taking care of his wife, Sandy, who has Alzheimer's disease. ... The tournament has a 78-man field of PGA Tour Champions players and 40 celebrities playing in separate competitions. ... Dean Wilson will be playing alongside Annika Sorenstam, who is competing in the celebrity division. They are coming up on the 20-year anniversary of when they were in the same group at Colonial, where Sorenstam competed on a sponsor exemption. ... The PGA Tour Champions is coming off a three-week break. ... David Toms had two wins in 119 starting the 2023 season. He since has two wins in five starts this year and leads the Charles Schwab Cup. ... John Daly, David Duval and Steve Stricker are playing the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this week.

Next week: Insperity Invitational.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

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KORN FERRY TOUR

LECOM SUNCOAST CLASSIC

Site: Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

Course: Lakewood National GC (Commander). Yardage: 7,113. Par: 71.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: None.

Previous winner: Byeong Hun An.

Points leader: Ben Kohles.

Last week: Spencer Levin won the Veritex Bank Championship.

Next week: HomeTown Lenders Championship.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

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OTHER TOURS

Sunshine Tour: Tour Championship, Serengeti Estates, Kempton Park, South Africa. Defending champion: Tristen Strydom. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

Japan LPGA: Fujisankei Ladies Classic, Kawana Hotel GC (Fuji), Shizuoka, Japan. Defending champion: Sayaka Takahashi. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korea LPGA: Nexen Saint Nine Masters, Gaya CC, Gimhae, South Korea. Defending champion: Hae Ran Ryu. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/

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