LostGolfBalls.com BLOG

Information and tips on everything golf ball related from the largest recycler of used golf balls in the world

Excited About Another Year Of The PG Golf Pool

Read More →

Posts by Tag

see all
All Posts

Excited About Another Year Of The PG Golf Pool

 

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.  
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko is an award-winning writer who has published nine books, three of them bestsellers. He has been involved in sports writing for more than 35 years and has interviewed many superstar athletes. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and enjoys watching golf and playing it.

Related Posts

Should Equipment Changes Be Made Public in PGA Tour Events?

Should equipment changes be noted publicly before a player tees it up in a PGA Tour event? While that may sound crazy, it is common practice in horse racing. Some bettors want all the information they can get. With gambling now a big part of sports, I don’t think it’s a crazy idea. Already this year we saw Collin Morikawa (TaylorMade TP5x) winning an event with a putter borrowed from another player. Chris Gotterup (Bridgestone Tour B X with Mindset) won two tournaments this year after changing ball. And remember when Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) went on a tear changing to a blade putter to a mallet putter?

Genesis Invitational Gives Us The Reality Of Sports

I’ve written this before and I’m repeating it because it never ceases to amaze me how televised sports is the ultimate reality show, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, as the now-defunct ABC Wild Word of Sports used as its intro. On the final hole of the Pebble Beach Open, Jacob Bridgeman (TaylorMade TP5x) was hitting a shot off of pebbles on the beach on the 18th hole. His ball ended up in the ocean and resulted in a bogey, tying him for eighth place when he was close enough starting the hole for a much better finish. I thought his spirits were crushed and dismissed him for the Genesis Invitational. So what does he do? Goes on a tear and headed into the final day, chasing a tournament record score. But he nearly frittered away the win, coming undone on the back half of the back nine and eking out a single stroke victory, and only because he parred a four-foot putt that must have seemed much longer because of the pressure. That’s drama, real drama, not manufactured reality. He won the event for the first time in his 66th tournament on the PGA Tour and only 65 days after marrying.

It's Time To Talk About Tiger Woods Again

Some thoughts on the world of golf with the Masters less than eight weeks away: When Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS) speaks, we all listen. As the host of the Genesis Invitational this week, Woods held his annual address about his health, career, playing in the Masters and the PGA Tour at large. Woods is gradually returning to swinging his clubs from his latest back surgery last fall, which naturally had reporters asking him about his playing status. He did not specify when he will return to playing again, yet he tersely and emphatically did not rule out playing in the Masters. “No,” he said. Woods has always tried to play in the Masters, no matter his physical condition.