about 8 hours ago
Ben Griffin Jokes About Player Of The Year Nod As Scottie Scheffler Looms
Griffin capped his breakout, three-win 2025 season by landing among four PGA Tour Player of the Year nominees while he’s off getting married. Knowing Scheffler’s six wins and two majors make him a lock, he leaned into the joke, reposting a PGA Tour graphic with the caption, “There’s no way I lose this…” and happily embracing underdog status.
By Nischay Rathore
about 9 hours ago
Scottie Scheffler Leads Packed Hero World Challenge Board Into Friday Pairings
Scheffler headlines Friday’s second round at Albany in the Bahamas after a six-under 66 left him tied with Spaun, Clark, Bhatia and Straka atop the 20-man Hero World Challenge. He goes off at 12:08 p.m. ET with Conners, one ahead of Bradley. Clark–Spaun and Bhatia–Straka follow. Golf Channel airs coverage from 1:30-4:30 p.m. ET for viewers in the U.S.
By Nischay Rathore
about 9 hours ago
Rory McIlroy ‘Delighted’ To Make Australian Open Weekend After Wild Escape
After a second-round 68 moved him to two under, McIlroy admitted Royal Melbourne “played like a different golf course” in the wind and said he was “delighted to be here for the weekend… seven isn’t too far back.” Reflecting on his whiff under the trees, he called it “not one of my finer moments” but loved finishing with late birdies.
By Nischay Rathore
about 10 hours ago
Rory McIlroy’s Miracle Escape Keeps Australian Open Hopes Alive
After a whiff in the tea tree left him outside the cut line, McIlroy birdied 15, 17 and 18 at Royal Melbourne, highlighted by a soaring fade from wasteland to the par-5 17th green. His 68 took him to two under, inside the projected cut, while leader Neergaard-Petersen plans to “be in the thick of things on Sunday.”
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
about 13 hours ago
Tiger Woods Shares Putting Secrets In Bahamas Comeback Clinic
Cleared to chip and putt after October back surgery, Woods was already giving a putting clinic at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He told reporters his priority is simply “getting back to being able to play golf” before setting a schedule. Close friend Notah Begay says he’s in “tremendous physical condition” but walking four rounds remains the concern.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
about 14 hours ago
Rex Hoggard Says Tiger Woods ‘A Little Upset’ With Hero World Challenge Field
Woods hosts this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas while Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland compete on three continents. Analyst Rex Hoggard said, “I would be a little upset about this field… there was a time when you could pretty much guarantee most of the top 15 would be in this field.” He still understands players’ crowded global schedules.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
about 15 hours ago
Akshay Bhatia Turns Hero World Challenge Into Bahamas Wedding And Payday
After a bogey-free 66 at Albany, Bhatia will stay in the Bahamas to marry Presleigh Schultz. Guaranteed $150,000 this week, he said, “Yeah, I didn't really do much planning.” He added, “She's been through it all with me.” Schultz caddied when he won the 2022 Bahamas Great Exuma Classic and he could earn up to $1 million with victory.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
about 17 hours ago
Kristoffer Reitan’s 10-Birdie Blitz Sets Nedbank Golf Challenge Pace
Reitan fired a nine-under 63 with 10 birdies to lead the Nedbank Golf Challenge by three in Sun City. The Norwegian, starting his year on the DP World Tour after earning a PGA Tour card, birdied seven of his first 11 holes and finished by holing from the fringe at 18. Svensson, Armitage and Saddier sit three back after 66s.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
about 17 hours ago
Elvis Smylie, Ryan Fox And Carlos Ortiz Lead Windy Australian Open At Royal Melbourne
Smylie, Fox and Ortiz shot matching 65s to lead at six under in brutal Royal Melbourne winds on December 4. Smylie, the defending Australian PGA champion, said he used creativity and imagination to flight shots. Ortiz added, "You had to respect the golf course." McIlroy carded 72 after six bogeys but sits seven back with three rounds left.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
about 21 hours ago
Nelly Korda And Jeeno Thitikul Lead Golf’s Richest-Ever Era
Tennis still dominates the highest-paid women’s list, but golf’s stars are catching up. Sportico has Korda at $11 million, including $8.2 million in endorsements, while world No. 1 Thitikul earns $10.1 million, driven by $7.6 million in winnings and back-to-back $4 million CME titles. LPGA players will chase a record total $132 million across 31 events in 2026.
By Tanish Chachra
Read more
about 22 hours ago
How To Practice Like a Pro With Michael Jordan’s Coach Darren May
Golf Digest's Sam Weinman ditched mindless range rips when May put him through a Grove 23 wedge drill with shifting yardages and tight stakes, forcing a new shot every swing under ‘mental load.’ Flustered, he learned the gap between practice and training. For tour pro Yuxin Lin, the targets shrank, but the idea stayed: miss often, hit great, stay composed.
By Tanish Chachra
Read more
1 day ago
Ben Griffin Jokes About POTY Nod as Scottie Scheffler Locks Up Another Crown
Griffin’s not teeing it up this week; he’s getting married and found out he’s a PGA Tour Player of the Year finalist. The ex-mortgage officer owns three 2025 wins but knows Scottie Scheffler’s six-win, two-major season secures the Jack Nicklaus Award. Griffin reposted his stats with the caption, “There’s no way I lose this…” fully aware he actually will.
By Tanish Chachra
Read more
1 day ago
Jordan Spieth Targets Hero World Challenge as Swing ‘Gauge’ After Injury Layoff
Eleven years after blitzing the Hero World Challenge, Spieth returns via Tiger Woods’ invite, needing a reset. Now world No. 70 and winless since 2022, he’s testing his rebuilt, post-wrist-surgery swing. “I feel healthy… this is a good trial run,” he said. He added he wants to “hit the ground running” in 2026 without relying on exemptions.
By Tanish Chachra
Read more
1 day ago
Hero World Challenge Round 1: Featured Groups, Tee Times
Round 1 at Albany in the Bahamas starts Thursday at 10:46 a.m. ET with Akshay Bhatia alongside Aaron Rai, before Andrew Novak-Chris Gotterup and Harris English-Brian Harman follow. Corey Conners pairs with Sepp Straka, while Wyndham Clark plays Hideki Matsuyama. Defending champ J.J. Spaun goes with Sam Burns at 11:52, and Jordan Spieth-Scottie Scheffler anchor the field at 12:25.
By Nischay Rathore
1 day ago
How To Watch Hero World Challenge 2026 in the U.S.
The 20-man Hero World Challenge returns to Albany, Bahamas, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun, Justin Rose and more chasing a $5 million purse. U.S. viewers can watch on Golf Channel Thursday–Sunday (Thu–Fri 1:30–4:30 p.m., Sat noon–2:30, Sun 11:30–1:30) before NBC takes over weekend afternoons each day.
By Nischay Rathore
1 day ago
Rory McIlroy Targets Bounce-Back After 'Rollercoaster' 72 at Royal Melbourne
McIlroy called his opening 72(+1) at Royal Melbourne "a rollercoaster day," saying birdies kept being followed by bogeys as he fought crosswinds and early three-putts for a one-over start. He said the north wind "can hurt it or help it" depending on angles but felt he "limited the damage" and vowed to "get after it" in Round 2.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
1 day ago
Rory McIlroy Applauds LIV Golf’s Impact on Australia’s Big-Time Scene
McIlroy acknowledged golf’s fractured landscape but gave rare public credit to LIV while preparing for the Australian Open. He said the men’s game is “a little complicated” yet praised Adelaide’s LIV stop, calling it “absolutely incredible.” In a country “starved of big-time golf events,” he believes LIV has “done a really, really good job” energizing fans down under.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
1 day ago
Rory McIlroy Targets Royal Melbourne Glory and Lasting Legacy
Ahead of the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, McIlroy said he’s now chasing history more than records. He called Royal Melbourne “one of the most important venues in golf” and listed St Andrews and Pebble Beach among courses he still wants to conquer. He added he wants “more majors” and more Ryder Cups to build his 15-year legacy.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
1 day ago
J.J. Spaun Says Tiger Woods Made Him Feel 'Like He Knew Who I Was'
Spaun, now a U.S. Open champ and Hero World Challenge debutant, says his first Tiger encounter at Torrey Pines in 2017 still stands out today. As a rookie following a pro-am, he walked holes with Woods and talked golf. “He had no idea who I was, but he made me feel like he knew who I was.”
By Nischay Rathore
1 day ago
Rory McIlroy And Adam Scott Compare Royal Melbourne’s Demands To Augusta National
McIlroy, making his Australian Open return at Royal Melbourne, said its undulating greens and bunkering are “not too dissimilar to Augusta National,” praising Sandbelt golf as “some of the best in the world.” Scott agreed the course “gives you a lot of options” and “a little bit like Augusta,” stressing strategic risk-reward over routine target golf for players.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
2 days ago
Scottie Scheffler And Rory McIlroy Headline 2025 PGA Tour Player of the Year Race
Scheffler, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Ben Griffin were unveiled as the four nominees for the PGA Tour’s 2025 Player of the Year award, underscoring a season dominated by established stars. On the rookie side, Michael Brennan, Steven Fisk, William Mouw, Aldrich Potgieter and Karl Vilips will battle for top honors as the Tour’s next wave emerges.
By Tanish Chachra
Read more
2 days ago
Rory McIlroy Sets ‘Sacred Venues’ Goal as He Aims to Revive Australian Open
McIlroy, off his Masters Slam, says his new goal is winning at golf’s “most important venues” as he chases an Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. He’s committed to a two-year stint and wants the event restored as a standalone week; he says it “deserves to be” elevated. McIlroy says tour records matter less now than majors, Ryder Cups and legacy.
By Tanish Chachra
Read more
2 days ago
Keegan Bradley Calls Ryder Cup Loss ‘Darkest Time’ but Wants Second Shot as Captain
Bradley says the Ryder Cup defeat at Bethpage Black remains “the darkest time of my life… it just was a tough time. Still is.” Yet he insists he has “a gaping hole” he wants to fill and “would love to do it again” as captain — and even “come back and make the team as a player.”
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
2 days ago
Justin Thomas Blasts PGA Tour For Dropping New York And Chicago Playoff Stops
Thomas says players are unhappy the playoffs no longer visit New York, Boston and Chicago, calling the shift away from classic venues “not a good move.” On the No Laying Up podcast he said, “I can’t imagine one player who thinks it’s a good move missing those events,” urging CEO Brian Rolapp to “trim fat” and restore big-market atmospheres.
By Nischay Rathore
Read more
3 days ago
Viktor Hovland, Ryggs Johnston Headline Early Nedbank Challenge Round 1 Tee Times
Round 1 at Sun City starts overnight for U.S. fans. Featured groups include Premlall–Rozner–Johnston at 2:22 a.m. ET (10), Bezuidenhout–Mansell–Lindell at 2:44 a.m. ET (1), Jordan Smith’s trio at 3:28 a.m. ET (1), Migliozzi–Ferguson–Lacroix at 3:28 a.m. ET (10) and Hovland–Penge–Veerman at 4:12 a.m. ET off the 1st. All coverage airs on Golf Channel in the U.S.
By Nischay Rathore