Tour notebook: Davis Love III turns to experience, names Fred Couples, Zach Johnson assistants

Davis Love III of St. Simons Island, Ga., is captaining his first Presidents Cup in September. While it’s not his first international match-play rodeo (he is a two-time Ryder Cup captain, with a 1-1 record), Love is leaning on experience with his selections on Wednesday of fellow St. Simons resident Zach Johnson and three-time Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples.

The Presidents Cup will be Sept. 20-25 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

Couples was the Presidents Cup captain in 2009, 2011 and 2013 (all U.S. victories) and will be a captain’s assistant for the fourth time. Love and Couples were Presidents Cup teammates as players three times, and were partners for four victories in the World Cup.

Couples has a 9-5-2 record in the Presidents Cup as a player, and was 6-1 in the first two, in 1994 and 1996. He and Love are also two of five men to have won two or more Players Championships.

“Freddie and I have been great friends for over two decades and have enjoyed a lot of success in team competition,” Love said in a statement. “To add someone with his experience as both a captain and captain’s assistant to our 2022 team will be a wonderful benefit to our players, not to mention the relaxed, calming demeanor he brings to what can be a tense setting.”

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Gallery: Davis Love III over the years

Johnson was named the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2023 in Italy. He was a Presidents Cup assistant in 2019 after playing in the event four times, with a 10-6-1 record.

“Having played for Davis in past international events, I know how passionate he is about creating a tremendous atmosphere for U.S. players to have success, while also ensuring we are prepared to compete each day,” Johnson said in his statement. “I’m looking forward to doing all I can to help the team succeed in September.”

CBS posts strong ratings

Tiger Woods was finished with his final round before CBS came on the air for the final round of The Masters on Sunday and winner Scottie Scheffler was safely ahead for most of the day.

But the ratings for CBS were still Tiger-esque.

The final round coverage was the most-watched golf telecast on any network since the final round of the 2019 Masters when Woods won his fifth green jacket, and rating were up 7 percent over last year with an average of 10.173 million viewers.

The viewership went up to 12.443 million for the final hour (6-7 p.m.) and peaked at 13.16 million about the time Scheffler closed out his first major championship between 6:45-7 p.m.

The CBS Sports digital properties, led by Paramount+, registered record-setting streaming numbers for golf and Sunday was the most-streamed golf telecast ever for Paramount+, although CBS did not report specific numbers.

On NBC/Golf Channel, “Live From The Masters" averaged 419,000 viewers across more than 50 hours of live coverage, up 25 percent from 2021. Saturday’s six-hour daytime window averaged more than 1 million viewers between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the third most-watched "Live From The Masters" ever.

Spork passes away

There is now only one of the original 13 founding members of the LPGA left alive.

Shirley Spork passed away Tuesday at the age of 94 in Palm Springs, Calif. In addition to helping found the LPGA in 1950, she was one of the main forces behind the creation of the LPGA Teaching & Club Pro Division.

Spork, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, recently found out at the Chevron Championship that she would also become a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Spork will be the last founding member to be in the LPGA Hall of Fame. She was giving lessons into her 90s

“It’s a great honor,” said Spork when told she would be in the LPGA Hall. “I feel I’m very deserving of it, having developed the [LPGA] teaching division from 0 to 1,700 people.”

Marlene Hagge, 88, is now the only living LPGA founder.

Lewis partners with Money Pages

LPGA member Amelia Lewis of Jacksonville has signed a strategic partnership with Money Pages, a Jacksonville-based multi-media marketing company that helps local businesses reach their target audiences through direct mail, digital, and video marketing.

Lewis, a Bolles graduate and member of the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, said the relationship was a natural and praised Money Pages CEO Alan Worley.

“Alan and I hit it off — he’s a big golfer,” said Lewis. “We both saw a great opportunity to partner together. Alan and I are both Jacksonville-based entrepreneurs, and our passion for the city and local connection really bonded us. I’ve known about Money Pages my whole life. It is an iconic brand here in Jacksonville and I am thrilled to be partnering with them.”

Lewis will wear the Money Pages logo on her hat and golf bag.

No. 15 yields no eagles

Here is perhaps the strangest statistical oddity from the 2022 Masters: The par-4 10th hole, which almost always ranks as the most difficult on the course, gave up more eagles than the par-5 15th hole, which is the second-easiest behind No. 13.

Gary Woodland in the second round and Charl Schwartzel in the third round each holed out from the fairway in two shots at the 10th, which had never given up more than one eagle in the same tournament. And for the first time since 1965, no one made eagle on the 15th.

The 15th tee was moved back 20 yards and lowered, leaving a slightly uphill tee shot. Compounding matters at this Masters, the wind was west and northwest, into the players' faces, adding to the length and to the decisions.

Women’s Open entries climb

The U.S. Women’s Open received a record 1,874 entries for Pine Needles in June — and it was close.

The number of entries breaks by one the previous mark in 2015 when the Women’s Open was at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. The purse for the June 2-5 championship is $10 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PGA TOUR

Event: RBC Heritage, Thursday-Sunday, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

At stake: $8 million purse ($1,440,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner).

Defending champion: Stewart Cink.

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

Area players entered: Jonathan Byrd, Jim Furyk, Lanto Griffin, Brian Harman, Billy Horschel, Zach Johnson, Patton Kizzire, Russell Knox, Davis Love III, J.T. Poston, Sam Ryder, Cameron Smith, Hudson Swafford, Michael Thompson.

Notable: Cink opened with rounds of 63-63 and went on to beat Harold Varner III and Emiliano Grillo by four shots. … Leading the field are Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler. … Five-time champion Davis Love III of St. Simons Island, Ga., is making his 33rd start at Harbour Town.

LPGA TOUR

Event: Lotte Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Hoakalei Country Club, Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.

At stake: $2 million purse ($300,000 to the winner).

Defending champion: Lydia Ko.

TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday, 7- 11 p.m.).

Area players entered: Chella Choi.

Notable: Ko had weekend rounds of 65-65 and won by seven shots over Inbee Park, Leona Maguire, Sei Young Kim and Nelly Korda.

KORN FERRY TOUR

Event: Veritex Bank Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Texas Rangers Golf Club, Arlington, Texas.

At stake: $750,000 purse ($135,000 to the winner).

Defending champion: Tyson Alexander.

TV: None.

Area players entered: Chris Baker, A.J. Crouch, Taylor Dickson, Phillip Knowles, Carl Yuan.

Notable: Alexander shot 64 in the final round and came from five strokes back to beat Theo Humprey by one shot.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Experience counts: Davis Love III taps Fred Couples, Zach Johnson as Presidents Cup assistants