PGA Tour to consider big changes to eligibility and small field sizes

PGA Tour to consider big changes to eligibility and small field sizes
The proposal sent to players Tuesday, and obtained by The Associated Press, was developed by the 16-member Player Advisory Council that has been crafting the changes since May. The driving force was to make a full PGA Tour card have real value. (AP)
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Updated 30 October 2024
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PGA Tour to consider big changes to eligibility and small field sizes

PGA Tour to consider big changes to eligibility and small field sizes

The PGA Tour is considering sweeping changes that would eliminate 25 cards through the FedEx Cup and shrink the size of fields, part of a plan to make golf’s biggest circuit even more competitive while reducing the time it takes to play and making it easier to watch.
Proposed changes include reducing by 10 the tour cards awarded to Korn Ferry Tour players and limiting the four Monday qualifying spots for fields smaller than 144 players. There would be two open spots for 132-man fields, none for regular tournaments of 120 players.
The proposal sent to players Tuesday, and obtained by The Associated Press, was developed by the 16-member Player Advisory Council that has been crafting the changes since May. The driving force was to make a full PGA Tour card have real value.
With so many eligible players — 125 from the FedEx Cup (or money list) had been the standard since 1983 — newcomers from the Korn Ferry Tour or Q-school often had to wait to see if there was room for them in tournaments.
If approved by the PGA Tour board at its Nov. 18 meeting, changes would start in 2026.
It would be the latest significant adjustment to the tour since the disruption of Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which began in June 2022. In the last two years, the tour has created $20 million signature events with limited fields and a postseason for only the top 70 players.
“The reality is that we’re all playing under different circumstances than we were four years ago,” PAC Chairman Camilo Villegas said in a telephone interview. “We had no competition. We were the best. All of a sudden we have competition and there are little shifts. The changes we’re proposing make a better product. What does having a PGA Tour card mean?”
The tour currently gives priority to tournament winners and the top 125 in the FedEx Cup, with greater perks depending on a player’s ranking. The proposal would give full status to the top 100 in the FedEx Cup, the 10 players eligible players from the European tour, the top 20 from the Korn Ferry Tour and five from Q-school.
There would be an additional spot lower down the priority list — behind such categories as PGA Tour University, life members and career money — for those who finished from Nos. 101 to 125. They are estimated to get in about 15 or so tournaments.
Villegas said the PAC was divided into four subcommittees, which he said allowed for more ideas and easier communication. Key to two main meetings was leaving behind self-interests.
PAC members range from Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas to Nick Hardy and Adam Schenk.
“Obviously there’s going to be casualties along the way,” Villegas said. “It is going to be harder. There’s not going to be 125 cards, but 100. There’s not going to be 30 Korn Ferry cards, but 20. I’m 190-something in the FedEx Cup. All these proposed changes can affect me, but it’s not about me. It’s about the game.
“We want to make the product as strong as possible for the sponsors, for the fans, for the players,” he said. “If we perform, there’s an opportunity to make an unbelievable living. You just keep working on your dream like you did when you were a kid.”
There also was the ongoing problem of slow play, which rules officials for years have argued was due primarily to too many players on the course. The field sizes would be 120 players before Daylight Savings Time, then up to 132 players and a maximum of 144 in the summer.
That’s for regular tournaments. The eight signature events with the $20 million purses would remain capped at 72 players, filling the field, if necessary, based on current form.
The proposal also suggested changes to the FedEx Cup points distribution, which Villegas said was inspired by a detailed analysis of board member Maverick McNealy. That mainly would reduce points awarded from the middle of the pack.
If approved, that still might not be the end of changes. The PGA Tour is in negotiation with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial backing of LIV — to become a minority investor in the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.
Villegas has not been involved in those meetings. He joins the PGA Tour board next year, replacing Jordan Spieth.
“If we do a deal with PIF, there are more changes to come,” he said. “I don’t know how those would affect the schedule, how that will affect the pathways.”


LA Galaxy strike early, hold off New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their record 6th MLS Cup championship

LA Galaxy strike early, hold off New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their record 6th MLS Cup championship
Updated 08 December 2024
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LA Galaxy strike early, hold off New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their record 6th MLS Cup championship

LA Galaxy strike early, hold off New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their record 6th MLS Cup championship
  • Greg Vanney: I’m just so proud of this group after the challenges that we (had) and the way they bounced back and competed as a group
  • Galaxy nursed their lead through a scoreless second half to raise their league’s biggest trophy for the first time since 2014

CARSON, California: Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic scored in the first half, and the LA Galaxy won their record sixth MLS Cup championship with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

After striking twice in the first 13 minutes of the final with goals from their star forward, the Galaxy nursed their lead through a scoreless second half to raise their league’s biggest trophy for the first time since 2014.

MLS’ most successful franchise struggled through most of the ensuing decade, even finishing 26th in the 29-team league last year. But the Galaxy turned everything around this season with a high-scoring new lineup that finished second in the Western Conference and then streaked through the playoffs with a playoff-record 18 goals in five games to win another crown.

“I’m just so proud of this group after the challenges that we (had) and the way they bounced back and competed as a group,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “We spent a lot of energy at the start, but I’m just so proud of these guys. They’ve cemented themselves as legends in this club.”

Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls, whose improbable postseason charge ended one win shy of their first Cup championship. With the league’s youngest roster, New York fell just short of becoming the lowest-seeded team to win MLS’ playoff tournament under first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz.

“I love these guys,” Schwarz said. “Some guys, they are crying. In the big picture, that’s a start. Sometimes when you lose the final, it’s tough, but you use this experience to create the next energy, the next intensity.”

The Galaxy won this title without perhaps their most important player. Riqui Puig, the playmaking midfielder from Barcelona who ran their offense impressively all season long, tore a ligament in his knee last week in the Western Conference final.

Puig watched this game in a suit, but his teammates hadn’t forgotten him: After his replacement, Gaston Brugman, set up LA’s opening goal with a superb pass in the ninth minute, Paintsil held up Puig’s jersey to their roaring fans during the celebration.

“I was really waiting for this moment,” said Paintsil, who scored his 14th goal of an impressive season. “I’m much more, 10 times faster than them, and Gaston saw the space. ... It was really a good thing. We did it for Riqui, and we did it for our family that came, and our supporters.”

Just four minutes later, Joveljic sprinted past four New York defenders and chipped home the 21st goal of his outstanding year as the Galaxy’s striker.

Brugman was named the MLS Cup MVP after a commanding performance in midfield. The Uruguayan hadn’t started a match for the Galaxy since Oct. 5, playing only as a postseason substitute before the final.

Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons. He was the MVP of the 2022 MLS Cup Final for the Galaxy’s crosstown rival, Los Angeles FC.

Nealis beat McCarthy in the 28th minute when he volleyed from LA’s penalty area.

The second half was lively, but scoreless. Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute, while LA’s Gabriel Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus nearly converted chances a few moments later.

The ball got loose in the Galaxy’s penalty area in the third minute of extra time, but two Red Bulls couldn’t finish.

After Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz received the MLS Cup that bears his name because of his steady financial support of the league during its shaky years, Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida carried the trophy onto a stage filled with his teammates for a celebration amid fireworks and confetti.

The Galaxy extended their lead over DC United (4) for the most MLS Cup championships in league history. The Red Bulls remain one of three original MLS franchises never to win the title, along with FC Dallas and the New England Revolution.

Vanney became the fourth coach to win an MLS title with two clubs. He lost three MLS Cup Finals as a Galaxy player, but won it as Toronto’s coach in 2017.

The Galaxy finished 17-0-3 this season at their frequently renamed suburban stadium, where the sellout crowd of 26,812 for the final included several robust cheering sections of Red Bulls supporters hoping to see their New Jersey-based club’s breakthrough.

Just last season, the Galaxy’s own supporters boycotted the team at certain home matches, fed up with years of mismanagement and no progress. But the club famous for employing global stars from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández swiftly rebuilt itself into a contender this season by spending big to get lesser-known young talents.

The Galaxy signed Pec from Brazil and Paintsil, a Ghanaian playing in Belgium. The duo combined with incumbent Serbian striker Joveljic to form a potent attack that could outscore almost any MLS opponent.

But the Galaxy also relied heavily on Puig, their Catalan catalyst and one of MLS’ best players. Puig stayed in last week’s game after injuring his knee, and he even delivered the decisive pass to Joveljic for the game’s only goal.


Thomas seizes one-shot lead over Sheffler at Hero World Challenge

Thomas seizes one-shot lead over Sheffler at Hero World Challenge
Updated 08 December 2024
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Thomas seizes one-shot lead over Sheffler at Hero World Challenge

Thomas seizes one-shot lead over Sheffler at Hero World Challenge
  • A victory on Sunday wouldn’t count as a 16th US PGA Tour title, but it would be a welcome payoff for Thomas’s recent work

MIAMI: Justin Thomas fired six birdies in a six-under par 66 on Saturday to grab a one-shot lead over world number one Scottie Scheffler heading into the final round of the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge golf tournament.
Thomas, who started the day two strokes behind halfway leader Scheffler, started applying pressure with four birdies on the front nine at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.
A 47-foot birdie putt at the 14th put him atop the leaderboard at 16-under and he made a three-foot birdie at the 16th to reach 17-under 199 through 54 holes in the unofficial event.
“I’m driving it great,” Thomas said. “I’ve had a lot of confidence with it. I feel like I’ve been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green.
“I’m still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that’s golf and we’re always going to say that,” added Thomas, who hasn’t won on the US PGA Tour since he claimed his second PGA Championship title in 2022.
A victory on Sunday wouldn’t count as a 16th US PGA Tour title, but it would be a welcome payoff for Thomas’s recent work.
“I’ve been progressing nicely, been working on all the right things,” he said. “(I) feel like I’ve been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that’s all I can do.”
Scheffler, whose eight titles this year included a second Masters green jacket and Olympic gold, had four birdies and a bogey in his three-under par 69.
His 16-under par total of 200 put him one clear of South Korean Tom Kim, who flirted with a 59 on the way to a 10-under par 62 for 201.
“I think it was decent,” Scheffler said. “I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today.”
With increased winds making things tougher, Scheffler called Kim’s 10-under round “pretty serious golf.”
Kim opened with four straight birdies and rolled in a 19-foot birdie at the seventh and a 23-footer at the ninth.
That was the start of a three-birdie burst, that included a 39-foot putt at the 10th.
A sub-60 round looked possible after Kim made three more birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th — rolling in a 22-foot putt from off the green at 16 to keep a sub-60 round in sight.
But he fell back with a double-bogey at the par-three 17th, where his tee shot found the greenside bunker and his second shot hit the slope and rolled back into the trap.
Kim produced one final flourish, however, holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie at 18.
“I felt like I did a lot of smart things,” Kim said. “Obviously I chipped it really good. I putted really well, did a lot of good things to keep my momentum going.”


Root reaches century as England set NZ mammoth 583

Root reaches century as England set NZ mammoth 583
Updated 08 December 2024
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Root reaches century as England set NZ mammoth 583

Root reaches century as England set NZ mammoth 583
WELLINGTON: Joe Root posted his 36th century before England declared on day three of the second Test Sunday, setting an enormous target of 583 for New Zealand to win.
Captain Ben Stokes made the declaration 30 minutes after the resumption, with his team having reached 427-6 in their second innings.
They rapidly added 49 to their overnight score in blustery conditions, allowing time for Root to complete a classy ton, before being dismissed for 106.
Stokes was not out 49 off 42 balls, with the pair having put on 100 for the sixth wicket from just 13.2 overs.
Root reached three figures with a spectacular reverse lap shot which flew over wicketkeeper Tom Blundell’s head off paceman Will O’Rourke.
The 33-year-old was dismissed later in the same over, edging a catch to Blundell, prompting an immediate declaration.
Stokes survived one chance when he blasted a straight drive back at seamer Matt Henry, who couldn’t grasp the ball.
The Black Caps have nearly three days to win the match but their chances are very slim given the historic difficulty of chasing even modest fourth-innings totals on New Zealand soil.
England lead the three-match series after winning the opening Test in Christchurch by eight wickets.

Bellingham and Mbappe strike as Real Madrid beat Girona

Bellingham and Mbappe strike as Real Madrid beat Girona
Updated 08 December 2024
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Bellingham and Mbappe strike as Real Madrid beat Girona

Bellingham and Mbappe strike as Real Madrid beat Girona
  • Bellingham opened the scoring before half-time and set up Arda Guler for Madrid’s second, before Mbappe produced a clinical finish for their third

GIRONA, Spain: Jude Bellingham inspired champions Real Madrid to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Girona on Saturday in La Liga, with Kylian Mbappe also on the scoresheet.
Los Blancos cut the gap on league leaders Barcelona to two points after the Catalans drew 2-2 at Real Betis, with Madrid having played one fewer match.
Bellingham opened the scoring before half-time and set up Arda Guler for Madrid’s second, before Mbappe produced a clinical finish for their third.
Both Bellingham and defender Ferland Mendy were replaced with apparent knocks in the second half, adding to Madrid’s injury concerns ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Atalanta.
With Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo sidelined, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti selected Bellingham and Brahim Diaz in support of Mbappe.
The French forward has been the focus of criticism in recent weeks and recently missed two penalties for Madrid, struggling to find the form which made him a star with Paris Saint-Germain and his country.
Girona, who ran Madrid close for the Spanish title for much of last season before eventually finishing third, started the stronger and Bryan Gil fired wide, with Donny van de Beek lashing over.
Madrid settled into the game and, keeping the hosts at arm’s length, began to create chances of their own.
Paulo Gazzaniga saved Brahim Diaz’s fierce drive from the edge of the box as the champions clicked into gear.
Bellingham broke the deadlock after 36 minutes when Diaz’s cross was blocked and the ball fell kindly to the England international, who fired home through a crowd of players.
After a quiet first half, early in the second Mbappe broke through and fired wide, although the striker had handled the ball to control it and if he had scored it would not have stood.
Madrid kept pushing and Gazzaniga saved well from Aurelien Tchouameni’s header from Luka Modric’s free-kick.
Los Blancos got their second in the 55th minute when Bellingham threaded through a fine pass for Guler, who rolled the ball home.
Bellingham hobbled off after sustaining an apparent knock in a challenge before Mbappe rattled home Madrid’s third.
After Thibaut Courtois saved well from Yaser Asprilla, Madrid burst forward on the counter-attack.
Modric sprang the French forward, who finished with aplomb from a tight angle on the right side of the area, across Gazzaniga into the bottom corner.
Madrid beat Girona 3-0 at Montilivi and 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last season and this victory was another which showed their superiority over the Catalan minnows.
Ancelotti will hope they can carry some momentum into the vital Champions League visit to Atalanta, for which Vinicius is expected to return from injury.
Girona, eighth in La Liga after a poor start to the season exacerbated by a host of injuries, welcome Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday.


Al-Hilal leave it late in spectacular win

Al-Hilal leave it late in spectacular win
Updated 08 December 2024
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Al-Hilal leave it late in spectacular win

Al-Hilal leave it late in spectacular win
  • The visitors ensured that Al-Hilal endured a frustrating evening at home
  • The champions and their fans were shocked in the seventh minute as Karim El Berkaoui put the visitors ahead

RIYADH: Al-Hilal defeated Al-Raed 3-2 on Saturday despite being a goal down with 88 minutes on the clock.
The late, late show in Riyadh means that Jorge Jesus and his men are just two points behind leaders Al-Ittihad as the Saudi Pro League takes a month’s break.
If thoughts had strayed to Real Madrid after the draw for the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday, the visitors ensured that Al-Hilal endured a frustrating evening at home, in a game that they dominated but were unable to make that superiority count — until the 114th minute.
The champions and their fans were shocked in the seventh minute as Karim El Berkaoui put the visitors ahead. It was a well-worked goal.
Mohammed Al-Dossari fired a low cross in from the right, and there was the Moroccan to get in front of Hassan Tambakti to steer the ball past Yassine Bounou. It was to be their last attempt on target for the next 70 minutes.
The hosts pushed for the equalizer but had to wait until just before the break to get back on level terms. It was a goal worth waiting for, however. Malcom looked up just outside the area and chipped over a perfect cross towards the far post for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. There was still work for the Serbian midfielder to do but his looping header was perfect, flying over the goalkeeper into the opposite top corner of the Al-Raed goal.
Al-Hilal continued to lay siege to the goal but just couldn’t find a way through and then, incredibly, Al-Raed restored their lead with 12 minutes remaining. Yahya Sunbul burst into the right side of the area and then shot across the diving Bounou to find the target and stun the home crowd once more.
Al-Hilal drew level once more with two minutes of normal time remaining thanks to Marcos Leonardo, who headed a Joao Cancelo cross emphatically home.
Still the hosts came forward and the winning goal came in the 114th minute, with defender Ali Al-Bulaihi sending the fans wild as he headed home a corner.
Earlier in the day, Gini Wijnaldum relieved the pressure on Steven Gerrard as the former Liverpool midfielder scored the decisive goal in Ettifaq’s 2-1 win, a first in 10 league games.
Al-Ahli beat Al-Taawoun 4-2 to move into fifth.