As the leaves start to change and the temperature begins to drop, many of us are trying to squeeze in the last few rounds of the year. However, for the pros on the PGA Tour, the season is just starting to ramp up. With 10 tournaments scheduled for the fall, there will be plenty of golf on TV to hold you over until the return of spring. This week we take a look at these early-season tournaments and how they may affect the rest of the PGA Tour season.
The inaugural tournament of the season took place at the Silverado Resort and Spa played host to the Safeway Open in beautiful Napa, California. It was Brendan Steele who claimed the first victory of the ‘2017’ season with a one-shot win over Patton Kizzire. The top-10 finishers featured names like Paul Casey, Kevin Na, Justin Thomas and Phil Mickelson and with five players finishing within two strokes of the leader, viewers were treated to a shoot-out.
At the end of October, golf headed to South Asia for the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. This is a tournament certainly worth tuning in to, if only to catch a glimpse of a truly stunning golf course. Nestled against thick jungle, this course is unlike many others in the world and features an exciting and beautiful risk-reward design. The golf was equally as fun to watch with the average margin of victory in this tournament since 2012 standing at a mere 1.25 strokes. Last year Justin Thomas was able to squeak by Adam Scott to grab a one-shot victory for his only win of the 2016 season.
If you are one of the many who already miss cheering on Team USA at the Ryder Cup, then circle the weekend of November 24 on your calendars as defending champions Australia host the World Cup of Golf. The 2016 tournament will return to a 72-hole, stroke play, two-man team event. The first and third days of competition will be the foursomes (alternate shot) format and the second and final days are fourball (best ball) play. Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker will once again carry the torch for the Americans. They may not have won last year’s competition, but they certainly had the snazziest sweaters.
When it comes to big name winners, no other fall tournament matches the Hero World Challenge. Hosted by the Tiger Woods foundation, the tournament is comprised of the four defending Major champions, the top 11 available players from the Official World Golf Ranking, the tournament’s defending champion and 2 special exemption players chosen by the foundation. The list of past champions includes, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson, Graeme McDowell and Tiger Woods. This is not just one of the most exciting tournaments of the fall, but of the entire year.
Although most of us are seeing our golf seasons come to a close, the PGA Tour’s fall schedule offers ample opportunities to watch some of the best in the world ply their craft. From exotic locations, to exciting and different formats, the fall season has plenty to offer the avid golf fan. What event are you most looking forward to this fall? Let us know in the comment section below and as always, check out the selection on LostGolfBalls.com to fill all of your golf ball needs.
