Strong field as PGA Tour goes from seaside course to another

Tony Finau plays watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during first round of the CJ Cup golf tournament Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

PGA TOUR

WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CHAMPIONSHIP AT MAYAKOBA

Site: Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Course: El Camaleon GC at Mayakoba. Yardage: 7,017. Par: 71.

Prize money: $7.2 million. Winner's share: $1.296 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.

FedEx Cup leader: Sam Burns.

Last week: Lucas Herbert won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Notes: Mayakoba has become enough of a destination that it features the strongest field so far among full-field events. It has its strongest field since it began in 2007. ... Among those from the top 15 in the world are Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka. ... The field includes 10 players from the Ryder Cup, six of them from Europe, which includes Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter. ... This is the third consecutive PGA Tour event played outside the United States, following events in Japan and Bermuda. ... Foreign-born players have won the last four events on the PGA Tour schedule. ... The last four tournaments at Mayakoba have been decided by one shot. ... Matt Kuchar is in the field. He holds the tournament record at 22-under 262. ... Justin Thomas tied for 12th last year. ... Lee Westwood, Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau are the only Ryder Cup players who have not played since Whistling Straits.

Next week: Houston Open.

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

___

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

TIMBERTECH CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Boca Raton, Florida.

Course: The Old Course at Broken Sound. Yardage: 6,807. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $305,000.

Television: Friday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 5:30-8 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay); Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay).

Defending champion: Darren Clarke.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Bernhard Langer.

Last tournament: Bernhard Langer won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

Notes: The top 54 players in the Charles Schwab Cup qualified for the second of three postseason events. The top 36 after the TimberTech Championship will advance to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Phoenix. ... Bernhard Langer's victory in the first postseason event expanded his lead in the Schwab Cup as he goes for a record sixth title. He is virtually certain to stay atop the standings. ... Steven Alker made it to the second postseason event. He had to Monday qualify for his first PGA Tour Champions event just over two months ago. ... Tom Byrum got the 54th and final spot in the field by $3,868 over Kent Jones in 33 events held the last two years. ... Kirk Triplett goes into the tournament holding down the 36th spot in the Schwab Cup standings. ... Phil Mickelson is at No. 26 with just five events, three of them victories. He plans to play in Phoenix next week.

Next week: Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

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

___

EUROPEAN TOUR

PORTUGAL MASTERS

Site: Vilamoura, Portugal.

Course: Dom Pedro Victoria GC. Yardage: 7,191. Par: 71.

Prize money: 1.5 million euros. Winner's share: 250,000 euros.

Television: Thursday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 7-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: George Coetzee.

Race to Dubai leader: Collin Morikawa.

Last tournament: Jeff Minther won the Mallorca Golf Open.

Notes: Two tournaments remain before the European Tour ends its season at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. ... The Portugal Masters dates to 2007. Past champions include Lee Westwood and Shane Lowry. ... Rasmus Hoggaard spent two weeks in Las Vegas on PGA Tour exemptions. He returns to the European Tour and will play alongside his twin brother, Nicolai. They won in consecutive weeks this year. ... Robert MacIntyre was No. 49 in the world after his tie for 15th in the World Golf Championship in Tennessee. He has not earned any ranking points in his last six tournaments, four of them missed cuts. ... Matt Wallace won his first European Tour event at the Portugal Open in 2017. He will be playing his first European Tour event since the BMW PGA Championship in September.

Next week: Aviv Dubai Championship.

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

___

ASIA PACIFIC GOLF CONFEDERATION

ASIA-PACIFIC AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Course: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Yardage: 6,986. Par: 71.

Format: Stroke play (72 holes) with a 36-hole cut for top 50 and ties.

Defending champion: Yuxin Lin (2019).

Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 3-6 a.m. (ESPN2); Friday-Saturday, 5-8 a.m. (ESPN2).

Notes: Yuxin Lin will try to become the first three-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Lin and Hideki Matsuyama are the only players to have won it twice. ... The field includes Keita Nakajima, the No. 1 player in the world amateur ranking. ... The winner receives an invitation to play in the Masters, the British Open and the British Amateur. The runner-up is exempt into the Open Qualifying Series with a chance to play his way into the British Open. ... Hideki Matsuyama is the first winner to go on to win the Masters. ... Players from 29 countries that are members of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation make up the 120-player field. ... The tournament was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online: https://aacgolf.com/

___

LPGA TOUR

Last tournament: Jin Young Ko won the BMW Ladies Championship.

Next week: Pelican Women's Championship.

Race to CME Globe leader: Jin Young Ko.

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

___

OTHER TOURS

Japan Golf Tour: Mynavi ABC Championship, ABC Golf Club, Hyogo, Japan. Defending champion: Jung-Gon Hwang. Online: https://www.jgto.org/

Challenge Tour: Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Finale, T-Golf & CC, Mallorca, Spain. Defending champion: Ondrej Lieser. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/

Ladies European Tour: Aramco Saudi Ladies International, Royal Greens Golf & CC, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Defending champion: New event. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/

Sunshine Tour: PGA Championship, St. Francis Links, St. Francis Bay, South Africa. Defending champion: Darren Fichardt. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

Japan LPGA: Toto Japan Classic, Seta GC (North), Shiga, Japan. Defending champion: Jiyai Shin. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korean LPGA: S-Oil Championship, Elysian Jeju CC, Jeju, South Korea. Defending champion: Hye-Jin Choi. Online: https://www.klpga.co.kr/

Legends Tour: Senior Italian Open, San Domenico Golf, Puglia, Italy. Defending champion: Barry Lane (2019). Online: https://www.legendstour.com/

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports