I’m going through PGA Tour withdrawal. 

Because the PGA shortened the tour schedule a few years ago to lessen the time period of the four majors, the season is over far too soon for me. Yes, there is the FedExCup playoffs and the Tour Championship, but those three weeks pass by and then there is the lull in the schedule. 

And I’m not too interested in the FedEx Cup fall series, but all the main players are on hiatus until the new year. 

The annual PGA Golf Pool runs from the first tournament in January to the second-last FedExCup playoff tournament. I’ve been in the pool for several years and it’s fun to set your lineup from week to week and hope the players you pick do well. I was in third place last year at one point, then fell precipitously. 

As I often say since I’ve never cashed in the pool, there’s always next year. 

THE SOLHEIM CUP: Isn’t it time to either end the Solheim Cup or change the format? 

This week a team from the U.S. will play a team from Europe, a tradition that has a long history.  

Though the U.S. and Europe were once dominant, that’s not the case anymore, which means the 12 players being picked for both teams are not the best. Yes, American Nelly Korda (TaylorMade TP5x) is the dominant player in the world right now and leading the CME Globe Points list, but the U.S. has only two players in the top 20. Lauren Coughlin (Titleist Pro V1) is the other at 20th. 

Europe has only one player in the top-10, England’s Lottie Woad (Titleist Pro V1) at No. 7, and only two in the top-20, France’s Celine Boutier (Titleist Pro V1x) is the other at No. 16. There are only four in the top-30. 

The CME Globe Points list it is saturated by golfers from the Republic of Korea, Japan and China. Four of the top-10 on the points list are from Korea, including two in the top five, Haeran Ryu (TaylorMade TP5) at No. 2 and Hyo Joo Kim (Titleist Pro V1x) at No. 5. Eight are in the top-25. 

Japan’s Miya Yamashita (Srixon Z-Star) is No. 3, and Japan has four players in the top-25. 

China has one in the top-10, Ruoning Yin (Callaway Chrome Tour) is sixth. 

All this speaks to the advancement of golf in Asia, and the LPGA Tours that give players from their countries a chance to compete at a high level and advance to the LPGA battle tested. 

Now I know there is the gimmicky International Crown every year after the Solheim Cup for players from nations not eligible for the Solheim Cup. It only began in 2016 and there’s been five events so far — COVID interrupted the schedule. There are seven countries and one world team in the format. In some ways the International Crown in the equivalent of the men’s Presidents Cup, but the idea of having a world team seems a bit stretched. 

PRESIDENTS CUP AMERICAN TEAM: Last week I wrote that I thought Ryan Gerard (Titleist Pro V1) should have been picked for the American team. He had a good season, and though he didn’t win a tournament he had three seconds and third, the latter of which came in the Tour Championship. He was not picked. 

When I saw Justin Thomas (Titleist Pro V1x) was picked, I was stunned, though I guess I was naive. He did not win a tournament this year — hasn’t won in two years, in fact — and didn’t even qualify for the Tour Championship. But Thomas, or JT as he is often popularly referenced on broadcasts, has played well in these international events, and brings an emotional boost to his American teammates. He clearly shows it, cupping his ear to the crowd and waving his arms. 

That’s the reason American Captain Brandt Snedeker (Bridgestone Tour B) chose Thomas. I get it, his track record is an intangible. It’s a gut feel, a relative safe choice. 

But unless you give players, notably young ones, who are deserving based on their season, they will not get experience. It should be about merit and that alone. 

LIV GOLF NEWS: With the declaration that LIV Golf has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, why is there this notion that somehow the tour will resume next year under different financial backing? Some players are owed considerable sums of money, notably Jon Rahm (Callaway Chrome Soft X) and Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot). It’s been reported Rahm is owed some $7.5 million, making him the highest unsecured creditor. DeChambeau is owed some $5.8 million. 

Both will be lucky to get a fraction of what’s owed, but they’ve already pocketed millions from their contract, which came with hefty bonuses. 

There’s no way LIV Golf will be able to continue without those big-name players getting large sums of money. LIV Golf, like many other upstart leagues that tried to challenge longstanding leagues and, in some cases, merged, was a pipe dream. But it did force the PGA Tour to dig into its coffers and shell out money to its stars.