Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Wyndham Championship (Aaron Rai)
THIS WEEK: FedEx St. Jude Championship, Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 15-18
Course: TPC Southwind (Par 70, 7,243 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $3.6M)
Defending Champion: Lucas Glover
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 12-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
X: @FedExChamp
NOTES: The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the first leg of the playoffs. The top 50 following this event will qualify for next week’s BMW Championship and all eight signature events in 2025. The top 30 players will qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship. … Rai is one of nine first-time winners on tour this season to qualify for the playoffs. Meanwhile, four rookies qualified for the first leg: No. 16 Matthieu Pavon, No. 47 Max Greyserman, No. 47 Jake Knapp and No. 67 Nick Dunlap. … This is the third time TPC Southwind has played host to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. … Victor Perez shot four rounds in the 60s at the Wyndham Championship to hold onto No. 70 in the standings and qualify for this week’s field.
BEST BETS: Scheffler (+330 at DraftKings) is coming off winning the gold medal at the Olympics. His six regular-season victories this year include the Masters, the Players and four signature events. … Xander Schauffele (+700) already has claimed the first two major titles of his career this year and is making his eighth consecutive appearance in the playoffs. … Rory McIlroy (+900) is a two-time winner this year and a three-time FedEx Cup champion (2016, ’19, ’22). … Viktor Hovland (+3000) has struggled to find consistency amid swing changes in 2024 and the reigning FedEx Cup champion enters at No. 57 in the standings.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: BMW Championship, Castle Rock, Colo., Aug. 22-25
LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Portland Classic (Moriya Jutanugarn)
THIS WEEK: Women’s Scottish Open, Ayrshire, Scotland, Aug. 15-18
Course: Dundonald Links (Par 72, 6,563 Yards)
Purse: $2M (Winner: $300,000)
Defending Champion: Celine Boutier
Race to the CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ET (Peacock), 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday: 8 a.m.-12 p.m. (GC/Peacock); Sunday: 7-11 a.m. (GC/Peacock)
X: @Womens_Scottish
NOTES: 36 players in the field competed in last week’s Olympic competition, including gold medal winner Lydia Ko. … This is the eighth playing of the event since it became co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour in 2017. … Originally opened in 1911, Dundonald Links was purchased by Loch Lomond Golf Club in 2003 and then by Darwin Escapes in 2019, with architect Kyle Phillips overseeing a pair of major renovations. This is the third consecutive year it has played host to the event. … The field includes 10 of 16 winners on the LPGA Tour this season. … Boutier won by two shots over Hyo Joo Kim last year.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: AIG Women’s Open, Fife, Scotland, Aug. 22-25
PGA Tour Champions
LAST TOURNAMENT: Boeing Classic (Stephen Ames)
THIS WEEK: Rogers Charity Classic, Calgary, Aug. 16-18
Course: Canyon Meadows G&CC (Par 70, 7,086 Yards)
Purse: $2.4M (Winner: $360,000)
Defending Champion: Ken Duke
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Ernie Els
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: TBA
X: @ChampionsTour
NOTES: This is the 19th of 28 events on the 2024 schedule. … Ames has closed the gap to $35,495 atop the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: The Ally Challenge, Grand Blanc, Mich., Aug. 23-25
LIV Golf League
LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf UK (Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: Legion XIII)
THIS WEEK: Greenbrier, WV, Aug. 16-18
Course: The Old White at Greenbrier (Par 70, 7,299 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Individual), $5M (Team); Winners: $4M (Individual), $3M (Team)
Defending Champion: Individual, Bryson DeChambeau; Team, Torque GC
2024 Leaders: Players, Joaquin Niemann; Team, Crushers GC
HOT TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday: 1:15 p.m. ET (CW App, LIV Golf Plus); Saturday: 1:15 p.m. (CW Network, CW App, LIV Golf Plus): Sunday, 1:05 p.m. (CW Network, CW App, LIV Golf Plus)
X: @livgolf_league
NOTES: This is the 12th of 13 regular-season events, which will be followed by the Team Championship in Dallas from Sept. 20-22. … The 54-player field will compete in a three-day event with shotgun starts. There are 13 four-player teams and two independent wild card players. … Friday’s opening round will mark the 100th competition day in LIV Golf history.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Chicago, Bolingbrook, Ill., Sept. 13-15
–Field Level Media