Luke Clanton, the world’s top-ranked male amateur, will continue his pursuit of a PGA Tour card at this week’s Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, where he will compete on a sponsor exemption.
Clanton, a Florida State junior, can earn his card via PGA Tour Accelerated by making the cut in the tournament at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – 75 miles from his hometown of Hialeah. He could accept tour membership following this spring’s NCAA Championship or defer until after his senior season.
Clanton, who posted runner-up finishes at the tour’s 2024 John Deere Classic and RSM Classic, has missed two cuts and finished T15 at the Farmers Insurance Open this season. Clanton also announced on social media last week that he has signed an endorsement deal with Nike. READ MORE
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Jordan Spieth, who is working his way back into form following August wrist surgery, committed to play in the Cognizant Classic. It will be his first career start in the tournament at PGA National. In three 2025 starts since his return, Spieth has finished T69 at Pebble Beach and T4 at Phoenix while missing the cut at the Genesis Invitational.
During an interview on “The Smylie Show” podcast last week, Spieth said he was “a legit 4- to 6-handicap” two weeks before returning at Pebble Beach and revealed he and wife, Annie, are expecting their third child in July. READ MORE
Tony Finau will make his TGL debut as a fill-in for Los Angeles Golf Club in its match today against New York Golf Club. With Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood unavailable due to previous commitments, Finau will join Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala in the lineup for the 5 p.m. ET match against New York’s Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick in the indoor simulator league.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who has competed for Jupiter Links Golf Club in its first three TGL matches, will sit out its Tuesday match against The Bay Golf Club. Tom Kim, Max Homa and Kevin Kisner will vie for Jupiter against The Bay’s Min Woo Lee, Shane Lowry and Wyndham Clark at 9 p.m. ET. READ MORE
LPGA player Albane Valenzuela is advocating for a multi-tiered women’s world tour, with help from her father and the father of fellow LPGA pro Alexa Pano.
At the recent PIF Saudi Ladies International, Valenzuela met with LPGA interim commissioner Liz Moore and Ladies European Tour CEO Alexandra Armas to discuss the concept, according to a Golfweek report. Moreover, her father, Alberto, and Pano’s father, Rick, outlined the plan in a letter to the Trump Organization, the report said.
The concept would be to create a system of tiered events with different levels of prize money, along the lines of the WTA Tour in tennis, with the hope of Trump Organization involvement and Saudi investment. READ MORE
Tap-Ins
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have committed to defend their title at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April, tournament organizers announced. READ MORE
ONEflight International will be the co-title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. The tournament is slated for May 8-11 at Dunes Golf and Beach Club. READ MORE
The LPGA Tour has expanded the prequalifying stage of its Q-Series to three sites to accommodate players in different regions of the country. Prequalifying will be staged Sept. 24-26 in Indian Wells, California; Daytona Beach, Florida; and Denton, Texas. READ MORE
Immersive technology, media, and entertainment company Cosm and the PGA Tour will collaborate to present the 2025 Players Championship in “shared reality” at Cosm’s experiential venues in Los Angeles and Dallas. READ MORE
The LPGA Tour has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to recover unpaid money from its South Korean broadcast partner, JTBC. READ MORE
Chase Johnson won the Advocates Professional Golf Tour’s Black History Month Classic at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course last Wednesday. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity