The three major American tours now all offer team tournaments.

The latest edition is the American Family Insurance Championship, organized by Steve Stricker and which will be held next year at TPC Wisconsin in Madison, a course co-designed by Stricker in the city where he lives.

The top 38 PGA Tour Champions players will choose their partner for the 54-hole event which includes two days of best ball with a second-round scramble format. The tournament will take place June 6-8 and has a $3 million purse, with players on the winning team each receiving $300,000.

“With this tournament moving to a new course in 2025, it’s the perfect time to try a new format as well,” Stricker said.

The PGA Tour’s team event is the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, while the LPGA Tour hosts the Dow Championship in Michigan.

There will also be the Grant Thornton Invitational Dec. 13-15 in Naples, Fla., for LPGA and PGA Tour players.

Lydia Ko and Jason Day return to defend their titles at Tiburon Golf Club, and the 16-team field has some depth. Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, returns to play with Tony Finau.

Korda, Ko and Lilia Vu are among the five players in the women’s world top 10. The highest-ranked man is Sahith Theegala, currently #13. He will play with Rose Zhang, 12th.

The LPGA has 14 of 16 players among the top 50 in the women’s world rankings (Jennifer Kupcho at 53 and Mel Reid at 374 are the exceptions). The PGA Tour has 11 players from the top 50. The list includes Billy Horschel (associated with Andrea Lee) and Matthieu Pavon in the 100% French partnership with Céline Boutier.

Jake Knapp is making his debut and will play with fellow UCLA alumna Patty Tavatanakit.

Norman’s future

It turns out that Greg Norman signed a four-year contract when he became CEO of LIV Golf Investments towards the end of 2021.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Norman revealed that his contract with LIV ends next August. Sports Business Journal recently reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was looking to replace Shark as CEO, although he would likely remain in a senior role.

“My commitment to LIV is unquestioned and my commitment to the future is also unquestioned. Time will tell,” Norman said. “Will there be a change in my role? My position and my role is to achieve 2025 and achieve our schedule and everything we need to do.

Norman also said he remains perplexed as to why the PGA Tour has never been willing to discuss the upstart league. He did not participate in negotiations involving the PIF and the PGA Tour regarding a possible investment.

“I tried to take the high road. We knew that what we had and what we were doing was right. Time and patience are our greatest allies,” Norman said, without mentioning Saudi money.

“Thirty-six tournaments (in three years), that’s nothing. The PGA Tour has been around for 56 years. And we did it in three years,” he said. “That’s why I’m optimistic about the future and where we will be in 10 years.”

Meanwhile, LIV has announced its second “promotions” event from December 12-14 in Saudi Arabia, during which only one player – compared to three players a year ago – will earn a place in the LIV Golf League.

The top 10 and ties will benefit from full exemptions for the international series events on the Asian circuit.

Turn off the lights in Vegas?

JT Poston won the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. The question now is whether there will be a tournament title to defend next year.

The Last Vegas Review Journal reported that Shriners was ending its title sponsorship, which dates back to 2007, at TPC Summerlin.

“We have enjoyed 18 great years as host and title sponsor of the Shriners Children’s Open,” said Bob Roller, Shriners vice president of athletics. “The PGA Tour has been a wonderful partner throughout our journey. »

He offered no further insight into the decision.

Sanderson Farms was set to end its title sponsorship in Mississippi until it decided to go there for at least one more year. The PGA Tour replaced title sponsors in Napa, California (with Procore) and Charlotte, North Carolina (with Truist).

It remains to be seen if he finds a sponsor for Las Vegas, or even if he stays on the schedule. This year’s schedule ranged from Utah to Las Vegas to Japan.

Mulligan for memories

The PGA Tour Champions have been considered golf’s biggest mulligan, and the focus has been on players in their 50s still capable of competing and winning more than $1 million or more each year.

Padraig Harrington sees things differently.

He won the Simmons Bank Championship for his third victory of the season and his 30th official title in five tours.

“I relive my glories here. I’m reliving my past victories,” Harrington said. “There was an incredible crowd here, there was a great atmosphere. Hitting those shots wasn’t just about winning that tournament, it was about reliving past glories in a way. I’m not saying validate past glories, but certainly relive them.

“Hey, I did it once and I was pretty good at it and I’m not too bad at it now.”

Ferry Korn 2025

The Korn Ferry Tour will again feature 26 tournaments, with some moving parts.

The Compliance Solutions Championship will be one of four Korn Ferry Tour Finals tournaments, replacing the Albertsons Boise Open. The tournament is held at the Patriot Club, just north of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Boise remains on the program, as it has every year since the start of the development tour in 1990.

Another new thing on the program: a tournament in Mexico, the PGA Riviera Maya Championship, about two hours south of Cancun, on the Gulf of Mexico. This will be the seventh and final event held outside the United States.

The Korn Ferry Tour always begins the year in the Bahamas, but the first event takes place at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island in Nassau. Golf Channel will broadcast 10 tournaments, including the opening events in the Bahamas.

Divots

Nelly Korda will win the LPGA Player of the Year for the first time as Ayaka Furue wins the Toto Japan Classic and decides Friday whether to play in next week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii. It would be the first time in 30 years that Americans have won the LPGA’s highest award in consecutive years. Lilia Vu won last year. … Charlotte Country Club won the 2028 US Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 2033 US Senior Open. … Zozo Championship’s Nico Echavarria became the seventh PGA Tour player this year to birdie the final hole to win in one fell swoop. … The International Crown, a competition between LPGA Tour countries, will be held next year at the New Korea Country Club. The event takes place every two years. …The R&A has announced an 11-year partnership with the Scottish Government and Visit Scotland. They will contribute 11 million pounds ($14.2 million) to the hosting of the British Open, the Women’s British Open and the Senior British Open in Scotland until 2034.

The statistic of the week

The PGA Tour anticipates that 31 of 43 tournaments scheduled this year will allow players to practice in the dark due to daylight and field size.

Last word

“It’s amazing to win a tournament that Tiger won. This is my second win, so I just need 80 more wins to catch up. But I’m on my way. — Nico Echavarria after winning the Zozo Championship. Tiger Woods won his 82nd and final PGA Tour title at the Zozo Championship in 2019.