The wait was worth it.
The official start of the 2026 PGA Tour began last week with the Sony Open in Hawaii.
It also marked the start of the 2026 PG Golf Pool, which includes many people who work for LostGolfBalls.com of which I contribute a blog.
I don’t remember when the pool started and whether I participated in the first year, but I am so dialed in to it. I don’t know how many times I am checking the leaderboard, particularly when there is no coverage in the tournament until later in the round. Because of the NFL playoff games last weekend, the traditional mainstream TV networks had no coverage, so I was constantly flipping to The Golf Channel.
While I can say I have never won the pool, which includes money accumulated by players picked in the season-long tournaments and a separate one for the four majors, I still maintain hope of cashing. Last week I picked Ben Griffin (Maxfli Tour X) and J.J. Spaun (Srixon Z-Star Diamond) – and you are only allowed to pick a player a maximum of two times – and felt good after both had good opening rounds. But they were victims of a tricky wind in round two. Though they both made the cut, their play continued downward in round three, as did my chances. Though they both rebounded in the fourth round, it was nowhere near enough to catch Chris Gotterup (Bridgestone Tour B X Mindset), who was on point with his all-around play in the final round. Only one player in the pool had picked Gotterup, and that’s how you separate yourself from the others in the pool – with a dark horse selection. Last year he failed to make the cut and missed nine of his first 18, but he came on strong later in the year. The big American established himself as a player to watch after winning the Scottish Open and placing third in The Open. He posted two top-10s afterward, including the Tour Championship. He is only on his third year on the PGA Tour. I think Gotterup could be a future star playing for the U.S. in international player.
THE AMAZING SINGH: Vijay Singh (TaylorMade TP5x) plays on the Champions Tour, but the 62-year-old native of Fiji took advantage of a loophole to play in the Sony Open. He is sixth overall in career PGA Tour earnings, and any player in the top-50 who has lost his Tour card is allowed to regain status in any one year of their choosing. Singh chose 2026.
The three-time major winner made the cut by one stroke – the oldest player to make a PGA Tour cut in three years after Fred Couples (Bridgestone Tour B RX yellow) made history in the 2023 Masters – and finished tied for 40th at five-under par, carding a final round one-under. Singh has made the cut in at least one PGA Tour tournament in four decades. Amazingly he has made 506 of 638 cuts in his PGA Tour career. He last won a PGA Tour event in 2008.
Truth be told I am not crazy about seeing a Champions Tour player competing in a PGA Tour event. The younger guns have too much power right off the tee, but the rules are the rules, so Singh decided to give it a go. I would be surprised to see him in the top-10 in any PGA Tour event this year, but Steve Stricker (Titleist Pro V1x) plays on both Tours, and every so often the 58-year-old still has flashes of game against players half his age.
