What's on This Week - Week 46

WEEK 46 – WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK

LPGA

Tournament: The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican

Dates: 13 November – 16 November

Course: Pelican Golf Club, Belleair Florida

Purse: USD $3.25M

Ozzies in the field: Grace Kim, Hannah Green, Steph Kyriacou, Cassie Porter, Robyn Choi, Gabbi Ruffels, Karis Davidson.

The final stop before the CME Championship and the last chance for players to get into the top 60 to play the season finale and also to secure playing rights for next season. Porter sits right on the bubble at 60th position so needs a decent week to get into next week. Choi (65) would love a high finish to squeak into the Championship.

The top 80 get full status for next season and after that is conditional status which equals less guaranteed starts. Davidson (82) needs a good week to get back into that top 80.

A lot of interest and media will be taken up by the presence of Kai Trump who plays on an invite. Hopefully that noise doesn’t drown out what should be a good week of golf with plenty on the line for professional. Also plenty of interest due to the high profile amateurs in the Pro-am headed up by WNBA star Caitlin Clark.

LET

A couple of weeks of for the top 70 on the LET before they head back to Spain for the season finale Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana presented by OYSHO at the Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf starting 27 November 30. Many who didn’t qualify for this tournament will be teeing it up in Q School in December.

WPGA

Nothing on the schedule until 27 November which is the next qualifier for the NSW Open.

PGA Tour

Tournament: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Dates: 13 November – 16 November

Course: Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda

Purse:USD $6.0M

Ozzies in the field: Harrison Endycott

Endycott basically needs to win this tournament to be able to paly the PGA tour next season. He currently sits at 215th on the FedExCup standings. Sure to be another unexciting week and most astute golf fans will be watching another tournament being played in Dubai.

PGA Champions Tour

Tournament: CharlesSchwab Cup Championship

Dates: 13 November – 16 November

Course: Phoenix Country Club, Phoenix, Arizona

Purse: USD $3.0M

Ozzies in the field: Steven Allen, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Cameron Percy, Michael Wright, Steve Alker (NZ)

The season ending championship for the US Seniors. Only the top 36 tee it up this week, so the Ozzie representation is pretty impressive. This means that these players have guaranteed their status for next year as only the top 36 retain their full card and there is no Q school. Basically this tour is closing shop to outsiders and trying to retain positions for those that played long term on the US PGA tour.

This promises to be a great week, especially watching how the Ozzies (and kiwi) fare. Steve Alker’s renaissance continues and he looks likely to win another Schwab Cup. The top five players can mathematically win the OOM but it looks like it’s Alker’s to lose. So as long as he has a half decent finish he should walk away with his third Charles Schwab Cup following his victories in 2022 and 2024. None of the Ozzies can accrue enough points to win the OOM.

DP World Tour

Tournament: DP World Tour Championship

Dates: 13 November – 16 November

Course: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai

Purse:USD $10.0M

Ozzies in the field: Elvis Smylie, Daniel Hillier (NZ), Kazuma Kobori (NZ)

And then there were 50. Well its actually 52 after the two Ryder Cup players not qualified, Ludwig Äberg and Shane Lowry get in the field. Number 51 in the rankings, Brandon Roberts-Thompson, also squeaks in as Viktor Hovland is not playing.

This should be a fantastic tournament. The winner of the tournament gets a handy USD $3.0M and the prize for the leader of the Race to Dubai at the end of this week is a bonus of USD $2.0M. Those finishing in the top ten of the rankings share the bonus pool of USD $6.0M.

The secondary battle will be for those players vying for one of the top 10 positions on the rankings that earn a PGA Tour card for next season. This category does not include those players already exempt on the PGA Tour, such as McIlroy. Currently Jordan Smith at no. 15 holds on to the last eligible position. Ozzie Elvis Smylie (20) and Kiwi Daniel Hillier (17) are both within striking range if everything false into place. Smylie’s final round of even par last week cost him a heap of points and might just see the top ten out of reach. But the Ozzie golf community will be willing him to a high finish and without any malice hoping that he finishes well ahead of Smith, Martin Couvra, Rasmus Neergard-Petersen and Hiller who sit above him in the rankings.

Legends Tour

A week of for the European Legends before they start their Asian swing in Cambodia on 21 November.

AUS PGA Tour

Tournament: Ford NSW Open

Dates: 13 November – 16 November

Course: The Vintage GC, Hunter Valley

Purse:AUD $800,000

The first week of a fantastic five weeks of golf on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

Lucas Herbert headlines the entry list for this years NSW Open. Other notables include Anthony Quayle, Daniel Gale, Jed Morgan and Declan O’Donovan who makes his first start as a professional.

Plenty of interest at the top of the OOM with Nathan Barbieri currently sitting at number 1 but he is being chased by Matias Sanchez, Jay Mackenzie and Cory Crawford. A massive prize for the ultimate No. 1 being a DP World Tour card. The previous 3 recipients of this Kazuma Kobori, David Micheluzzi and Elvis Smylie have all gone on to really good things on the DP World Tour. This season positions 2 & 3 get status on the secondary Hotel Planner Tour.

Difficult to pick a winner here but hard to go past Lucas Herbert who has been playing really well lately. Sydneysider Nathan Barbieri has been close a couple of times this season and it would not surprise to see him come through for the win this week.