Golf

    Once again, there's a great diversity of talent in the Masters, with a cast of current PGA Tour players battling a group of the LIVers and a group of the old-timers.

    Justin Rose leads the way at Augusta National after round 1 with a great 7-under-par score of 65 over the famed layout which took out its wrath on many past heroes. Rose goes into today's fray with a three-stroke edge over Corey Conners, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg.  

    Among the LIVers, Bryson Dechambeau is best with a 3-under 69 and a tie for fifth, followed by Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson with 71s, Sergio Garcia at 72, Dustin Johnson with 74 and Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm with 75s. 

    The old guys are led by old reliable Freddy Couples with 1-under 71, well ahead of Angel Cabrera and Mike Weir with 75s and Jose Maria Olazabal with 77.

    The lone Gator in the mix is Billy Horschel with 77, and the Seminoles are Daniel Berger (71, tied for 11th) and Brooks Koepka (74). There are 95 players in the field and the very early projected cut is plus 2.

    Brian Campbell, Aldrich Potgieter, Isaiah Salinda, Aaron Rai, Ben Griffen. Those are the names of the top five finishers in the $7 million Mexico Open that wound up Sunday. Doesn't exactly ring a bell like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Ocalan Louis Oosthuizen and the new king, Scottie Scheffler. 

    Campbell won in Mexico over Potgieter with a birdie on the first playoff hole after they tied at 20 under par in regulation. But - aside from their families, did anyone care? Ever since the PGA LIV split, only Scheffler's unprecedented run lends any suspense to most events. 

    This week they're back on U. S. soil, unless Trump has changed the name of the country. The Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches begins Thursday at the PGA National Resort's Champion Course, a par 71 at 7,167 yards and there are a slew of familiar faces, like Webb Simpson, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar and Shane Lowry, to name a few.  

    Also in the mix are Gators Billy Horschel and Camilo Villegas, and Seminole Daniel Berger.  In recent events, Horschel finished ninth at Pebble Beach, 21st at the American Express and 51st at The Sentry. Berger tied for second in Phoenix, tied for 12th in the Genesis and tied for 21st at the American Express. 

    There's another million-dollar plus up for grabs, but it's just not the same. Maybe never will be. 

    Since returning to action after his unfortunate kitchen accident, Scottie Scheffler has finished tied for ninth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at 15 under par, tied for 25th at the WM Phoenix Open at 9 under par, and tied for third at the Tigerless Genesis Invitational at 9 under par, three strokes behind Ludvig Aberg.

    Scottie looks like he's ready again, but it's doubtful he can duplicate 2024, when he won nine times and was an easy Player of the Year choice. Scottie won't be in Vallarta, Mexico for this week's $7.1 million Mexico Open at Vidanta World, and neither will be the other big guns left after the LIV defection, and TV viewership promises to be at a minimum.

    The most notable of the Mexico group include Charley Hoffman, Emiliano Grillo, senior Padraig Harrington, Patrick Rodgers, who tied for third with Scottie last week, and Francesco Molinari. The rest are the same names and faces of the hopefuls, looking to get a victory to solidify their place on the exemption list. Jake Knapp, last year's winner, will be back: he was 19 under par in 2024 and collected $1,458,000 to ensure he won't be missing any meals in the near future.

    There are no Gators or Seminoles traveling south, both Billy Horschel and Daniel Berger have been having recent success. Berger tied for second at the WM Phoenix Open, tied for 12th in the Genesis, and tied for 21st at the American Express. Horschel tied for ninth at Pebble Beach, tied for 21st the American Express and was 51st at The Sentry.       

    The $8.8 American Express is at the halfway point in LaQuinta CA, and one of the veterans listed in the last entry here is a co-leader. Charley Hoffman is 16 under par, tied with Rico Hoey, nowhere near the list of the elderly.

    The AE is one of the few events that has a 54-hole cut, instead of the usual 36, so we won't know until late today who will still be standing for Sunday's finale. The early projected cut line stands at 6 under, so with birdies flying, it's probable that could go a few strokes higher.

    Among the veterans who look safe are Jason Day (-14), Justin Thomas (-13), Rickie Fowler (-13 after a Friday 62), and Tony Finau (-9). Matt Kuchar (-7), Zach Johnson (-8), Francesco Molinari (-7) and Brandt Snedeker (-6) need to be at their best to ensure a Sunday round.

    There are also a few who will have to be spectacular today in order to move on: Lucas Glover, Bill Haas and Jhonattan Vegas, all at 1 under, and Jason Dufner, at 1 over.

    The two Gators in the hunt are Billy Horschel and Camilo Villegas, both at 10 under and tied for 20th, and for Camilo, it's a major improvement over his recent poor play. Seminole Daniel Berger is also in a good spot at 9 under.

    After today, each player will have competed on all three tournament courses, with those still standing on Sunday playing the Pete Dye Stadium Course.

    No surprise. Scottie Scheffler wins the Jack Nicklaus Award as Player of the Year for the third year in a row, matching Tiger Woods' feat in 2007.

    Scottie just captured the $5 million Hero World Challenge and its $1 million prize, posting rounds of 67-64-69-63-263, 25 under par, and defeating Tom Kim (74-65-62-68) by six strokes and Justin Thomas (66-67-66-71) by seven. Kim earned $450,000, and Thomas $300,000. 

    Scheffler won seven PGA titles in all, including his second Masters, and he's only 28, so if all remains the same on the golf horizon, he'll probably break Tiger's money record - easily.  

    Aside from Scottie Scheffler, who is currently on the sidelines awaiting the January events in Hawaii, repeating in back-to-back tournaments on the PGA Tour is a rarity. Last year, Ludvig Aberg won the RSM Classic at St. Simon's Island; after three rounds over the two Sea Island courses this week, he's posted rounds of 73-64-71-208, 4 under par, and he's tied for 42nd heading into today's finale over the Seaside Course.

    Vince Whaley (67-68-63-198) and Maverick McNealy are deadlocked for the 54-hole lead at 14 under par, two strokes ahead of rejuvenated Seminole Daniel Berger (71-66-63-200), who is tied for third.

    Gator Tyson Alexander's card reads 70-71-71-212, even par, and he's tied for 65th; Camilo Villegas missed the cut with 75-71. The cut came at 1 under, and 67 made it.

    At last week's Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Tyson shot 73-65-68-73-279, 5 under, tying for 47th and grabbing a check for $17,584, same payday as Villegas, who shot 72-68-66-73. Berger's 73-67-70-73-283, 1 under, was good for a check for $15,111.

    The week before, at the World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo San Lucas, Tyson tied for 45th and collected $19,864, Berger tied for 20th and earned $84,960, and Villegas missed the cut. So Camilo is struggling, but as a recent tournament winner, he's safe for now, while Tyson and Berger are slowly padding their bank accounts.     

  Gators Tyson Alexander and Camilo Villegas and Seminole Daniel Berger contested the Black Desert Championship that concluded yesterday in Ivins, Utah, and all three will try again this week at the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas. 

    Matt McCarty won Sunday with 72 holes in 23 under par after opening with a 62, and took home a cool $1,350,000. Stephan Jaeger, who took the 36-hole lead with 65-63, held on for second at 20 under, worth $817,500. 

    Daniel Berger shot 72-65-65-70-272, 12 under, and tied for 35th, earning $37,350. Tyson shot 70-67-69-70-276, 8 under, and earned $17,400. Villegas missed the cut of 5 under with 69-74,  1 over.

    Two of the elderly turned up in Utah, 65-year-old Jay Don Blake, in his 500th PGA Tour event, and Mike Weir. Both missed the cut.

    Thee Shriners is played at the par-71 TPC Summerlin, at 7,255 yards. The purse is $7 million.    

    The PGA Tour kicks off its new campaign tomorrow in Jackson, Mississippi with the Sanderson Farms Championship, as a long list of bubble players seek to enhance their positions before Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and the rest of the Tour bigwigs end their vacations while awaiting their 2025 beginnings in Hawaii.

    The Sanderson has a healthy purse of $7.6 million, so the winner and those right behind him get off to a quick start in their bid to enhance their new standing on the FedEx Cup list. Luke List won it last year and cashed a check for $1,476,000, 

    There are two Gators in the field, including Tyson Alexander, who, in 2024, was unable to repeat the solid $1 million performance he turned in the previous season that enabled him to get his first shot at the Tour. The son of former long-time Gator coach Buddy Alexander may have a hard time finding places to play, so the early events are going to be very important to him. The other Gator is veteran Camilo Villegas, whose status is solid as a recent winner. 

    Seminole Daniel Berger, whose play fell off somewhat this past season, is also aboard for the tournament being played at the par-72, 7,461-yard Country Club of Jackson. 

    "The Scottie Scheffler Charity Golf Championship," more commonly known as the Tour Championship, winds up today at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and unless Scottie slips into the lake, the PGA Tour will hand him a gift of $25 million.

    Not that Scottie needs a handout, he's already earned $29 million in the season that is about to end, which has lifted his career total to nearly $72 million. So the $25 million gift, added to his career bank account, will put him at $97 million or so, and as long as LIV continues to buck the tour, he's a cinch to pass Tiger's record of $120 million in the near future. It ain't right.

    When the gurus of golf in the PGA office decided to make a handicap event of the Tour Championship (and give Scottie 10 birdies extra before the event even began Thursday), it greatly lessened the interest of golf's millions of fans for the tour's finale. 

    Scottie birdied four of the last five holes Saturday and is 16 under par going into today's 18. Add the 10-stroke gift from the tour and he's 26 under. Collin Morikawa is 21 under and realistically the only one with a shot to upset the leader. Sahith Theegala is next at 17 under and he'll be trying to catch Morikawa in search of the $12.5 million second prize. But he'll also be trying to hold off Xander Schauffele for third; Xander's 16 under and $7.5 million isn't a bad payday. 

    Gator Billy Horschel is 28th in the final field of 30 at 1 under, but he's not starving, either. Billy's earned $5 million this season, and $40.2 million since he left Gainesville. 

    What should have been a great finish to the PGA season has turned into a ho-hum, and I'll tune in once in a while between innings of the Yankees game. Unless Morikawa makes a couple of early eagles.  

    It was 15 years ago that Ocala's Ted Potter (pictured on this page) was partnered with Keegan Bradley for the final round of the Ocala Open at Candler Hills. Both were at 7-under 209. Neither won it, that honor went to Danny Ellis of Orlando.

    Here we are, 15 years later, and the same Bradley is atop the leaderboard in the BMW Championship, second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

    Bradley shot 6-under-66 in the opening round Thursday at the par-72 Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado, playing at 8,130 yards. He has a one-stroke lead over Hideki Matsuyama, and two strokes over Sungjae Im, Alex Noren, Adam Scott and Corey Connors.

    The field has been cut to the top 50 after Matsuyama's victory at 17 under last week in the FedEx Championship in Memphis, good for a payday of $3.6 million. He's the third-ranked player beginning the BMW.