Series ending episode

CROMWELL, CT

Congratulations to Wyndham Clark and his team for a second US Open victory. I certainly can't think of two better venues to win our national championship than Los Angeles Country Club and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Much has been written about Clark, the fans, and the USGA. Outside of seeing how he continues to handle himself on and off the course, I'm interested to watch Wyndham's career evolve. Can Clark win a different major championship. Pundits pose the question often, can Wyndham keep it in play? Clark was one turn (or two) away from winning a PLAYERS in 2024. That's an accuracy contest. Surely, he proved he can play in the wind. That's a must on any resume going into an Open Championship. Golf is a unique game. The fact a man who hit a career low period can come back in 12 months and completely transform his game and mind is astounding. Let's hope all of the negative narratives surrounding Clark don't cause him to relapse and he continues to contend for championships. The putter and scrambling abilities are fun to watch.

If you take the North Fork ferry, it is approximately 106 miles from Southampton, NY to Cromwell, CT. A quick commute by PGA TOUR standards, the Travelers Championship is our next stop in 2026 and the final Signature Series event on the tournament calendar. A field of 72 players will compete in a no-cut 72-hole competition. There is $20 million in the purse, and $3.6 million up for first place. Speaking of the schedule, PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp spoke to the media on Tuesday morning and here's a quick summary of what he had to say.

• We will have more meaningful PGA TOUR events to cover and wager on. The changes are good. Forget the scarcity narrative, it's actually quite the opposite.
• Brian Rolapp's announcement can be broken down into four key elements.
  • PGA TOUR Championship Series
    • The PGA TOUR Championship Series will feature the PGA TOUR’s top performers competing head-to-head across the season.
    • There will be approximately 23-24 events, inclusive of THE PLAYERS Championship, major championships, season-ending events and international team events (Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup) with the season running approximately February through August.
    • PGA TOUR Championship Series regular season events will be contested as 72-hole stroke play events with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 (and ties), with consideration for special formats (i.e. pro-am), and a purse of at least $20 million.
    • The PGA TOUR Championship Series will feature fields of 120 players, on average, without an alternate list.
  • A new postseason!
    • The Boards approved a new structure for a season-ending model that includes retention and relegation for the following season, recognition for the season-long points leader and the introduction of match play into the postseason. ​
    • A new-look TOUR Championship will be contested across a rotation of prestigious courses, many of which the PGA TOUR would play for the first time. Details on the format and expected location(s) will be provided at a later date.
  • PGA TOUR Challenger Series
    • Running concurrently with the PGA TOUR Championship Series schedule, the PGA TOUR Challenger Series will feature a minimum of 20 events. ​
    • Approximately seven PGA TOUR Challenger Series events during PGA TOUR Championship Series off weeks will be elevated with increased consequence, benefits and exposure.​
    • PGA TOUR Challenger Series regular season events will be contested as 72-hole stroke play events with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 (and ties), and a purse of at least $4 million.​
    • The PGA TOUR Challenger Series will feature fields filled to 144 players, with the ability to reduce when necessary, due to constraints such as daylight.​
    • PGA TOUR Challenger Series membership eligibility and exemption criteria will be finalized by the Boards later this year.
  • Fall events (two types)
    • The fall schedule will include a limited series of elevated international events with top players from the PGA TOUR Championship Series, with the intent to deliver in partnership with the DP World Tour as part of the Strategic Alliance.
    • The PGA TOUR will develop a “last chance” series of 4-6 events in the fall, with a limited number of spots on the PGA TOUR Championship Series available for top finishers.

The next update to the 2028 PGA TOUR schedule will be communicated at the 2026 Tour Championship.

The Travelers Championship starts in...

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TPC 1980s

Year after year, I am infinitely impressed by Travelers’ ability to keep this Signature Series event a mainstay on the PGA TOUR. When you consider the calendar and course, it truly is one of the heaviest lifts on the annual tournament schedule. The truth is, players love it, the fans come out, and the community is 100% behind the event. Take TPC River Highlands. A par 70 layout measuring 6,844 yards. They threw millions into this golf course a few years ago, and the tournament scoring average over the last decade is still 17 under par. If you just count the Signature years, that average jumps to 20 under par! Pete Dye's 1982 design is more than outdated, yet following the brutal test of a US Open, it works. Even though it is a birdiefest, the fans get behind it, and they should. Few events have closed with a sudden-death playoff three times in the past five years. Two years ago, we had the Tom Kim - Scottie Scheffler battle with the protestors running out onto the eighteenth green. Last year, it was the Ryder Cup matchup of Tommy Fleetwood and Captain Keegan Bradley. Bradley is one to watch every time we come to Cromwell. Keegan has captured two of the last three Travelers mainly because he cares so much about playing in New England.

There's no doubt in my mind that the course is going to play soft. When that happens on TOUR, whatever the specific skills are we feature that week, only become more critical to contending. Walking the course yesterday, you can feel it underfoot. If the forecast were to clear up, maybe the course dries out slightly by Saturday and Sunday, but with more rain coming, keep an eye on 20 under par. Vegas set the winning score over/under line at 259.5 (-20.5). Wind and firm conditions are the only two factors that can curtail scoring on this outdated architecture. An average green size of 5,700 sq/ft is not nearly small enough when 65% of the approach shots come from 175 yards or less. The annual GIR average is above 70%. Dye's design tries with 68 carefully placed bunkers, 28 total acres of fairway, and five holes where water comes into play. For reference, Shinnecock Hills had 60 acres of fairway, and four of those five famous TPCRH water holes come over the final six on the scorecard. The seventeenth hole is a driving iron and a wedge, yet every year it somehow separates the leaders.
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TPC River Highlands is a top 10 predictable venue on the TOUR. Players who perform here do so year after year. That makes sense since the successful player skill set is so defined. Combine the leaderboard history with years of course analytics, and we can determine the best player fit. How will these guys show up after a brutal week at the US Open? Four straight days of rapidly changing conditions over a very physical walk. The mental expense alone would have most of the Shinnecock Hills contenders looking ahead to next week and home. Since the Travelers switched to a Signature event, the winners have had lackluster weeks at the US Open prior to winning. Bradley had a missed cut in 2023 and T33 in 2025, while Scottie finished T41 at Pienhurst #2 the week before winning. That T41 is Scheffler's worst finish in any tournament since the CJ Cup in the fall of 2022!

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How to win?

Practice range sessions have been easy for my PGA eyes to diagnose at TPC River Highlands. The players seem to be in recovery mode after a tough week out on the eastern edge of Long Island. As such, their sessions are specific and somewhat limited for the best players in the world. The Travelers has always been a decent middle-tier odds board betting event, and with Scottie playing, some of the posted value looks pretty good. Getting back to those practice sessions, I see a ton of wedge approach work on the range. Approach shots from 175 yards and in are limited to a seven iron or less for this entire field. More likely for a majority of players, it is an eight iron or less! Getting the best iron performers from the past few years and aligning them with current form is where I am starting. With predictable (soft) conditions and a limited amount of wind in the current forecast, approach play will have the largest influence on the leaderboard.
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Next on my list of practice area observations was tee shot preparation. TPC River Highlands historically has one of the greater penalties for missing the fairway. The reason for this may not be what you think. In some cases, the penalty for missing the fairway is high because you hit the ball in a penalty area. TPCRH is one of those venues that rewards players for hitting the fairway by allowing them to control spin on their approach shots. The last three winners have made an average of 25 sub-par scores during their trophy run. If you miss the fairway, the penalty comes in the form of par. With 11 holes holding a scoring average under par, every birdie opportunity counts. Remember the blueprint for PGA TOUR shoot-out weeks. For the winner to get to 20 under par (average of the last three years), they make 25 sub-par scores. Those 25 chances come from 36+ birdie putts. You cannot make them all. Start missing fairways, and you reduce the number of controllable lies to hit your irons.
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The short game practice area also gets a ton of action on Travelers Week. Much like missing fairways, if you miss a green, you cannot afford to make a bogey. Watching guys on course, TPCRH is one of those venues where players hit a bunch of around-the-green shots. There's a fun combination of closely mown and long rough lies. I think that is the best characteristic of this course. The lies around the green are varied and cause the guys to use their imagination. Witnessing any creativity on this homogenous TPC track is refreshing. The bunkers are straightforward and many of them lack the depth or the severity needed to be particularly hard for a Signature field of players. Soft conditions may increase the difficulty slightly as predicting soft and firm landing areas from close range can be guessing. Wet sand over a dry version also adds another wrinkle. The hallmark of a great around-the-green player is adaptability.
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Any event where 59 is on the table in every round is going to raise the influence putting has on the outcome. The least predictable of the four primary strokes gained traits, there is an opportunity to lean on T2G and pick a couple of players with a high ceiling on the greens. The mix of Bentgrass-Poa we see often in the Northeast rolls like a Bentgrass surface. If you are filtering for grain, keep it to Bent. This is one of the spots where I think course history combined with proven scoring at TPCRH can give us little clues as to who will pop with the putter. Find the trending player who excels on par 70 scorecards. That implies strong par 4 scoring and the ability to save par from all types of places. It also takes a special type of mindset to go really deep in more than one round in a 72-hole run. Looking for players who can compound scoring is important. Not all players can go sub-65 twice in one tournament. The same holds true for bogey avoidance in US Opens.
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The golf course is so soft. The first two days are going to be a sprint. First round scoring averages matter more this week for more than just FRLs. We want guys who have a tendency to get hot early. The forecast may change for the weekend, and if it does, having a lead will be a big advantage. That's the diagnosis for the Travelers. RTL took this one down last year, and both times with Keegan over the past three years. Let's get another one!

Outright Winners - Travelers Championship

LPGA

Next up

For the second time in as many weeks, we are diving deep into a major championship venue and field. Before we get to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, let's take a brief look back at the Meijer LPGA. AIG Women's Open Champion Miyu Yamashita made a birdie on the first playoff hole to defeat Lottie Woad. Woad was going for her second win in three starts. Yamashita fired a final round 64, tying the low round of the day, securing her third LPGA title. I doubt this will be the last time these two competitors meet late on a Sunday afternoon. Both under 24 years old, they have some years ahead of them. That was the third playoff to decide the Meijer in the last five years! Going up against the US Open is a useless endeavor, but if you did happen to catch the highlights, you saw an entertaining Sunday.
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After a two-week tour in Michigan, the world's best women head to Chaska, Minnesota. Hazeltine National Golf Club is no stranger to championship golf. In fact, the 2019 Women's PGA was played at this venue. That edition was won by Hannah Green. Green is having a major year with two wins already on her 2026 resume. Built in 1962 by Robert Trent Jones, Hazeltine National welcomes a field of 156 players competing for a $13 million purse. The largest in women's major championship golf! Well done, KPMG. Twenty-four of the top 25 players in the Rolex World Rankings are here to try and win the season's third major championship. Considering Nelly Korda has won the first two major championships of 2026, we know what the first storyline is coming into HNGC. The best women in the world are vying for a season Grand Slam. In my mind, she'll have to win this one and the AIG Women's Open to do it; sorry, Evian, you were late to this party.
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Korda is the betting favorite by a wide margin. We may need to get creative, as she is unbettable at +300. Unlike Scottie's 2026 campaign, this number one player in the world has been winning.

Major test

Hazeltine National Golf Club is a big kids’ course. Five of the 10 par 4s that make up this 6,760-yard par 72 layout are over 400 yards. The par 3s are manageable in length, but the 5s, three of those stretch over 530 yards. The club sits at almost 1,000 feet above sea level. Elevation will help the ball carry a couple of extra yards, but overall we are looking at a test that comes without a ton of roll. As you will see in the forecast, the HNGC region has been damp over the past 10 to 14 days. The 2016 Ryder Cup and two more PGA Championships during the Tiger years have been contested here. Reports from the property highlight healthy rough and a medium bounce. All 11 2026 LPGA winners are competing alongside 12 past champions. A few of those players crossover under both categories. They will be joined by eight PGA of America/LPGA qualifiers. The Men's PGA Championship always boasts having the deepest field in golf, and the women's edition is no different. The 36-hole cutline is no different as well. The low 70 and ties get to play the weekend.

Softer conditions will not hurt as the average green size at Hazeltine National is 5,000 sq/ft. Small targets by any tour's standard, they are covered in Bentgrass blades. Surrounding those greens (and fairways) are 108 bunkers. Eight holes have water in play and the fairways average 27 yards wide. If you study this scorecard and setting, you quickly realize it is an oversized accuracy contest. That poses a problem for the field. One of the longest players on the LPGA, Nelly, is also one of the most accurate. Hence, in eight individual starts this season, Korda has four wins and three second-place finishes. LOL, her worst finish is a T8. Truth be told, the PGA of America should be cheering for Nelly to play well. Not just for the TV ratings, but for history. Korda missed the cut in 2023 and 2024 in this event. Last year, the LPGA traveled to the PGA’s home in Frisco, TX, and the weather caught the tournament officials by surprise in their setup of the golf course. That shouldn't happen at HNGC. I expect a stout test, one that favors the best players. After all, who doesn't want the most marketable woman in golf to win their event?

How to win?

Let's take a trip back in time to 2019. Hannah Green won the Women’s PGA the last time it was played at Hazeltine National, but who were the contenders, and how can we use that leaderboard to our advantage? Here is the top 10 from that KPMG Women's PGA Championship:

• Green, Sung Hyun Park, Mel Reid, Nelly Korda, Lizette Salas, Danielle Kang, Hyo Joo Kim, Inbee Park, Mirim Lee, Lydia Ko, So Yeon Ryu, Megan Khang, and Ariya Jutanugarn

That is a very accuracy-heavy final leaderboard. Now some of those names may not be familiar to you, but rest assured those 13 women were accurate during that time on the LPGA. Many of them were major champions coming into Hazeltine National and I am sure that helped them contend on this course. HNGC spans 335 acres. Shinneock Hills was 200 acres and we all saw how big that property played. My first priority for picking players in the KPMG is getting the power-accuracy proportion correct. I'm favoring accuracy 67% over power 33%. The rough is really healthy and the greens are small. Contenders will be in the fairway to start. The good news, when it comes to Total Driving, that's one category that Nelly does need to lead. We are running with the longest and straightest players off the tee. When deciding between two players for any given bet, once again I'm going with the more accurate player.
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Fifty percent of approaches will be played from over 150 yards. Miss the fairway from that distance, and you're in trouble. Get closer than your opponents, and you have an advantage. The best mid- to long-iron players also possess the same complement of speed and accuracy. If Inbee and Ariya were in the same top 10, that tells us something. Park was one of the most accurate during her time on tour with an iron (or wood) in her hand. Jutanugarn was one of the most powerful. In today's terms, this is like comparing Lydia Ko and Haeran Ryu. Both can compete here. The best way to separate them is to start looking at a few more specific skills.
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With 5,000 sq/ft greens, scrambling, bogey avoidance, and birdie-to-bogey ratio matter. Who are the best players when saving shots matters most? The winning score in 2019 was nine under par. Green made 15 birdies and six bogeys that week. No double bogeys and just a few bogeys succinctly tell us what it takes. By comparing a couple of analytics that tell us who the best scorers are from 50 yards and in will further help us select those who will separate. Scrambling also includes the use of the putter. Having studied HNGC from the 2016 Ryder Cup, I also know that par 4 scoring is essential. Hannah was three under par for the week on the 4s. One of the very few players who played the 4s under par. The 3s and 5s present scoring opportunities, while the fours present challenges. Play the 4s under par like Green, and you'll win some green!
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Hazeltine National is a tough T2G test. Since the LPGA has limited data, taking the best T2G players will give us a nice baseline. Separating out the ball striking will also help us better understand who the best putters are. Of course, using only strokes gained putting doesn't always tell us the full story on the greens. Players can make putts at HNGC. Knowing who converts par-saving and sub-par chances is key. Strokes gained scoring, scrambling, and scoring average at this point in the season accurately reflect a player’s scoring capability. Finding the best Bentgrass putters over the past month plus as the LPGA visited New Jersey, Ohio, and Michigan was helpful as well. I then looked through the harder venues from 2026 and compared those leaderboards for common player trends. The end result of that study can be seen below.

Outright Winners - KPMG Women's PGA Championship

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