what is a mini tour in golf

List of Professional Golf Mini Tours

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The life of a professional golfer isn’t always as glorious as you’d imagine. Many of the top players on television each week have climbed the ranks to reach their current status on tour. A main artery to the PGA and LPGA Tours is through mini-tours. This article will dissect some of the top mini-tours and what you can expect if you’re looking to take this route to the next level of professional golf.

Mini-Tour Golf 101

You’ll often hear that a professional golfer “came up through the mini-tours,” but do you really know what that means? Let’s go over a few basics.

Climbing the Ranks

Most players that are competing on mini-tours have the goal in mind to make it to PGA or LPGA Tour status. For those players that don’t qualify for tours such as the Korn Ferry Tour, which is the direct feeder into the PGA Tour, they’ll need to play on mini-tours to gain status and win money.

For some players, mini-tour life is short-lived. They win a few events, gain some additional sponsorships, and play their way above and beyond. For some players, however, mini-tour golf is the highest level they reach. They play week-to-week and bounce around to different tours based on what they can afford and qualify for.  

Entry and Payouts

Almost all of the financial aspects fall on the player. This includes travel, meals, lodging, and entry into the event itself. Considering mini-tour golf often leads players to compete in other countries, it can get costly. Some tours have a yearly entry charge as opposed to charging players by event. The competitor is almost always responsible for their costs as well as their caddie's costs for the week. Oftentimes, mini-tour players will seek sponsorship in the early going just to secure financing for their expenses.

Purses and payouts are strictly determined by the tour and individual event. You can anticipate a winning share of anywhere from $2,000 to $50,000 with low-funded tours obviously paying out less.  

Formats and Fields

Almost all mini-tour formats are stroke play over two or three rounds. If a particular event is a larger, marquee event, the field size will usually be a bit larger than normal. A normal mini-tour field will be below 100 players. How an event addresses the cutline, if one exists, is determined by the individual tour or event.

Most Popular Golf Mini-Tours

Here are some of the best golf mini-tours for players to consider.

Minor League Golf Tour

Founded in 2004, the Minor League Golf Tour has become one of the preferred tours for players to develop their games to reach the highest level. The tour aims to provide players with a lower cost option to compete, with payouts awarded to many in the field as opposed to being top heavy. The Minor League Golf Tour site notes that over $12 million had been awarded to over 4,000 competitors since its inception.

The tour offers several membership buy-in options from paying for a single event ($50) or a full year membership ($400). Men, women, seniors, and juniors of professional status are eligible as are amateurs with a handicap on 6.0 or less. Money leaders 

Events are played at courses throughout Florida such as PGA National and Abacoa Golf Club. A popular Minor League Golf alumnus is Brooks Koepka.  

Big Easy Golf Tour

South Africa has produced some of the biggest names in golf history. Gary Player, Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Retief Goosen, Branden Grace, and many others have all been a part of the South African success at the professional level. The Big Easy Tour (Altron Big Easy Tour for 2022) is a direct feeder to the Sunshine Tour and was named after Els when the tour began in 2011.

The tour consists of 10 events in a calendar year including a playoff and final. The average winner’s share for an event is around $1,500 and the tournaments are 54 holes with a cut after the second round. Big Easy Tour events are played at prestigious courses throughout South Africa including Centurion Country Club and Country Club of Johannesburg.  

IGT Challenge Tour

The IGT Challenge Tour is operated by certified PGA and R&A individuals and is made up of a series of 54-hole events that have a cut after two rounds of play. This tour is a direct feeder to the Big Easy Tour and also consists of 54-hole events with a cut after two rounds. The cost for membership is only $150 and even amateurs are allowed to earn up to $1,000 by playing in events if they don’t yet have professional status.

The GProTour began in 2013 and is a regionally based tour that serves North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Like other tours, the GProTour has a 54-hole format with a 36-hole cut. A season consists of around 20 events with each having a purse in the $60,000- $70,000 range. Events are played at courses such as Albemarle Plantation and Mimosa Hills GOlf & Country Club.

New members to the GProTour will pay $1,099 for a yearly membership. Each event also has three spots devoted to amateurs, where a $275 entry fee will get you into the field.  

The Epson Tour is the official development tour for the LPGA Tour. Up until 2021, it was known at the Symetra Tour and has graduated great players that have gone onto the LPGA including Nelly Korda, Stacy Lewis, Christina Kim, and countless others. The Epson Tour lowered its entry fee to $450 per event with winner shares hovering around $50,000 for a tournament.

As a direct line to the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour fields the best female players in the world that are nearly ready to make the jump to the highest level. Events are held at top-tier courses such as French Lick Resort and Sweetgrass Golf Club.  

The Alps Tour is a developmental mini-tour that serves Austria, France, Italy,Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, Morocco, and Egypt and is a direct feeder to the DP World Tour. The Alps Tour season consists of 18 events which span over many of the countries listed and the field size is typical in the 120-144 player range. The top-40 players make the cut after two rounds (three rounds total) and the minimum prize money is around $40,000. The 2022 season concludes at the Alps Tour Grand Final and takes place at Modena Golf & Country Club in Italy.

As the game of golf continues to grow, the number of tours and organizations offering players the opportunity to compete grows. If your aspirations are to be a professional player on the PGA or LPGA Tour, mini-tours are great places to begin your journey.

The List: Mini-Tours

The Challenge Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and Sunshine Tour are for golfers aiming at the major Tours, but what are the mini-Tours a rung below? BRENDAN BARRATT has the list.

There are a lot of very talented golfers desperately trying to make their way to the next level while spending as little cash as possible.

From driving cheap cars long distances between tournaments to sleeping in the front seat or staying in low-budget hotels, carrying their own golf bags and getting by without any real form of income other than prize money, it’s a far cry from the pampered lifestyles of the professionals on the PGA and DP World Tours.

To make matters more challenging, most of the Tours have relatively high entry fees and low purses, meaning that players are living hand to mouth – in the hope they can achieve their one big breakthrough.

Here are some of the mini-Tours that carry the hopes and dreams of golfers who, while relatively unknown, are better than any of us will ever be.

IGT Big Easy Tour

In South Africa, the IGT Big Easy Tour is the official developmental Tour of the Sunshine Tour. Launched in 2010, it offers players a good testing ground against professionals and top amateurs, as well as a direct avenue to the Sunshine Tour, with the top 10 players for the season earning their Tour cards for the following year. Notable graduates: Daniel van Tonder, Dylan Frittelli, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

PGA EuroPro Tour

Launched in 2002, the EuroPro Tour gives up-and-coming European golfers a platform to showcase their skills and play their way on to the Challenge Tour. It’s also had a few South Africans come through the ranks, including Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Thomas Aiken and Branden Grace. Notable graduates: Tyrrell Hatton (below) , Tommy Fleetwood.

Bushveld Tour

Another local developmental Tour, the Bushveld Tour offers one-day (18-hole) tournaments for amateurs and professionals. Entry fees are in the region of R1 000, meaning players need to realistically finish in the top 10 to cover their costs, which is a pretty solid grounding for life on the bigger Tours. Notable graduates: Jacques Blaauw

Pro Golf Tour

The Pro Golf Tour is one of four official satellite tours in Europe recognised by the DP World Tour as a gateway to the Challenge Tour, with the top five players at the end of the season earning their Challenge Tour cards. Founded in 1997, the Tour now has 16 tournaments across six countries and a total purse of €500,000. Notable graduates: Martin Kaymer

Another satellite Tour that leads to the Challenge Tour, the Alps Tour was launched in Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland in 2001. While the countries involved may have changed over the years, the basic premise has not. Notable graduates: Matt Wallace, Adri Arnaus

PGA Tour Latinoamerica, Mackenzie Tour, Forme Tour

In 2011, the PGA Tour took over the running of the Tour de las Americas, rebranding it as the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. A year later the PGA Tour took the reins of the Canadian Tour and it was renamed the Mackenzie Tour in 2015 as part of a sponsorship agreement. In 2021, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to support those players who had earned Mackenzie Tour cards but were unable to travel between the US and Canada, the PGA Tour launched the Forme Tour. Notable PGA Tour Latinoamerica graduates: Harry Higgs (below) , Keith Mitchell, Emiliano Grillo Notable Mackenzie Tour graduates: Tony Finau, Joel Dahmen

Symetra Tour

Formerly known as the LPGA Futures Tour, the Symetra Tour is seen as the official qualifying Tour for the LPGA Tour. With over 20 events and in excess of $3-million in prize money, it is a great breeding ground for the next generation of LPGA stars. To date, 435 LPGA titles have been won by former Symetra Tour players. Notable graduates: Lorena Ochoa, Inbee Park, Nelly Korda

Let Access Series

Launched in 2010, the Let Access Series is the official developmental Tour to the Ladies European Tour. By 2019 it had built up a head of steam, with 20 events and a total purse of over a million euros, but Covid-19 has taken its toll and the Tour was down to 14 events in 2021. Notable graduates: Carly Booth, Georgia Hall, Carlota Ciganda

Gateway Tour, All Pro Tour, SwingThought Tour

The US has a number of developmental Tours that rank just below the Korn Ferry Tour. The Gateway Tour, based in Arizona, California and Florida, the All Pro Tour and the SwingThought Tour (formerly known as the Hooters Tour) are three of the most popular, although there are many others. Notable graduates: Johannes Veerman, Shawn Stefani, MJ Daffue

– This article first appeared in the February 2022 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine. Subscribe here!

Article written by simon

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A Mini-Tour Primer

Everything you need to know about a dozen circuits, small and smaller.

The mini-tour landscape changed massively in 2012, when the PGA Tour introduced its international tours in Latin America, Canada and China (no longer operating). Those tours took players and money overseas, leaving the mini-tours in the States floundering. The two big mini-tours at the time, Egolf and Hooters, soon folded or were sold, and in their place, a lot of small tours popped up. These tours appear and often vanish just as quickly. 

If you are turning pro, looking for a place to test your game or just a golf nerd like me, here are a dozen mini-tours that are operating in the United States. 

All Pro Tour

Format: 72 holes

Entry fee: $950 for members; $1,350 for non-members (A season-long membership is $1,500)

Average field size: 100-plus, with bigger events getting almost 200

Geographic area:  Central U.S. mostly

Purse size: $ 100,000-$175,000; the fall season features three-day events with purses averaging around $50,000

Website: APT | All Pro Tour

Fun fact: Defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler played three events, with a best finish of T-5, in preparation for Q school in 2018. 

Dakotas Tour

Format: 54 holes

Entry fee: $840

Average field size: 60-75

Geographic area:  North and South Dakota

Purse size: $50,000-$70,000K

Website: The Dakotas Tour - Professional Golf - Professional Golf In The Midwest

Fun facts: The Dakotas Tour is largely considered the best economical option in mini-tour golf. Events often offer host housing for the players, and the pro-am format makes the purses player-friendly, meaning players collect a larger percentage of the money taken in than most other tours. 

The G Pro Tour

Entry fee: $920-$1,165

Average field size: 80

Geographic area: North and South Carolina and Georgia

Purse size: $50,000-$75,000; one event last season offered $93,000 

Website: GProTour (thegprotour.com)

Fun fact: When Brendon Todd was struggling with the full-shot yips, he played multiple events on the GPro Tour to work on his game.

Asher Tour (former Golden State/Outlaw Tour)

Entry fee: $750-$1,350; some are two-day/36-hole events

Average field size: 50-70; some of their bigger events have well over 100

Geographic area:  Arizona and California

Purse size: $30,000-$40,000; $100,000 for bigger events

Website: HOME (ashertour.com)

Fun fact: The Asher Tour runs one of the few events in which the winner gets an exemption into a PGA Tour event. The winner of the Reno Open, in late May, receives a spot in golf's fifth major, the Barracuda Championship. 

Emerald Coast Tour

Entry fee: $700-$850

Average field size: 25-40

Geographic area: Florida, Alabama and Mississippi

Purse size: $15,000-$20,000

Website: Home (emeraldcoasttour.com)

Fun fact : Doug Barron was playing on this tour prior to Monday-qualifying for, and winning, a Champions Tour event in 2019. He has since added a second victory on the senior circuit.

Rolling Red Tour

Format: 36 holes

Entry fee: $729-$869

Average field size: 20-30

Geographic area:  Southern U.S.

Purse size: $7,000-$10,000

Website: Rolling Red Golf Tour

Fun fact: The tour also hosts an 18-hole shootout, so players have two events in which they can cash. 

Florida Pro Tour

Entry fee: $300-$450

Average field size: 30-90

Geographic area: Florida

Purse size: $5,000-$20,000; its biggest event last season had an $85,000 purse

Website: Home - Florida Professional Golf Tour (fpgtour.com)

Fun fact: In the 2017 season, mini-tour legend Kevin Alywin started with three wins and two runner-up finishes. He won the money title that year with more than $29,000, nearly triple the total of the player in second. 

The BO Tour

Entry fee: $200-$700

Average field size: 20-35; a few have had upwards of 60

Geographic area: Southern California

Purse size: $3K-$20K

Website: The Bo Tour Event :: 2023 Professional Points (golfgenius.com)

Fun fact: The tour was founded by Steve “Bo” Boreri. If you want to play in an event, send him a text. For a long time he accepted cash and paid players the same day.

West Florida Tour

Format: 18 or 36 holes

Entry fee: $230-$950, the latter for 36-hole events

Average field size: 45-plus

Geographic area: West Florida

Purse size: $10,000-$20,000

Website: Welcome to WFGT (westfloridagolftour.com)

Fun fact: Christian Bartolacci has owned the West Florida Tour for 12 years and is largely a one-man operation. A PGA member, he handles registration, course setup and rules. 

Minor League Golf Tour

Entry fee: $235-$525

Average field size: 30, but some of the bigger events approach 100 

Geographic area: South Florida

Purse size:   $5,000-$20,000

Website: Professional Golf Tours - Mini Tours - Developmental Golf Tours - Women's Golf Tours (minorleaguegolf.com)

Fun fact: Sunny Kim, who has become a cult hero among the golf nerd population, has 86 wins and has earned more than $337,000 on this tour. 

Moonlight Tour

Entry fee: $120-$350

Average field size: 15-30

Website: Mobi | Hybrid Template (ogatour.org)

Fun fact: The Moonlight Tour has been around for over 20 years, and PGA Tour veteran Patrick Sheehan has racked up more than 300 victories. 

Carolina Mountain Tour 

Entry fee: $220

Average field size: 15-25

Geographic area: Carolinas

Purse size : $2,000-$5,000

Website: Carolina Mountain Professional Golf Tour (mountaingolftour.com)

Fun fact: On its website, the tour touts itself as the longest-running mini-tour in the U.S. It is beginning its 27th year in 2023.

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Golf Mini-Tour and Developmental Players Tips

by Dr. Deborah Graham | Mar 7, 2012 | Golf Mental Game | 0 comments

If you are like most golf Mini-Tour and Developmental Tour players , you know there are a ton of things to learn to get yourself ready for “prime time” on the major tours. And these tours provide a great place to do it.

Many exciting challenges and opportunities lay ahead for you. Not only will you get tremendous tournament experience, you will also get a great introduction to all the pros-and-cons, and ups-and-downs of life as a touring professional.

After the structure and predictability of being on a high school or college golf team, being a pro on any tour can be a bit of a shock to your system. And it can be a pretty wild ride, depending on how you handle it.

With the right approach, you can sharpen your skills and turn yourself into a super, tournament-tough competitor ready to take on the top pros. But if you let the golf mini-tour and developmental tours “beat you up”, you may find yourself questioning your sanity for choosing to take on this career.

Handle it well and there is much fun to be had, great people to meet, and invaluable opportunities to learn to develop your game.

Challenges Will Be Waiting

Just keep in mind there are challenges waiting and how they affect you will largely be up to you!

You might start by thinking of each and every challenge that you face as an “advanced class” or “on-the-job” learning opportunity for building your business. It’s hard, but if you can keep this attitude, you will do great.

Here are a few interesting challenges you might get ready for, if you have not faced them already:

Golf is Now Your “Job”

Taking your golf from an avocation to a vocation involves much more that just playing golf for a living. What a lot of people (including many golfers) do not realize is that you are now also building your own business!

Yes, it is glamorous and exciting! But it can take a lot more effort than just working on your game and playing in tournaments. And it requires a bit more of you than taking a nice, secure corporate job.

You are now a small business owner and you are the business. Besides the never-ending attention, you must give your game, you must learn to run your own business too. This can include:

• Learning to interview and select your support team which could eventually be a teacher, a mental coach, trainer, a caddie, a sponsor and/or an agent.
• Developing a “business plan” of sorts that lays out how you are going to run your golfing enterprise…your schedule, a budget, an accounting system, goals and a way to monitor progress.
• Finding a reliable banker/sponsor, if you need one, and putting a sound contract in place.
• And much more…

Note: Players who put their plan in writing make measurably more progress than players who just “wing it”.

If you need help getting organized we suggest you get the Golf Mental Game Builder Guide our tour clients use.

“When Are you Going to Get a ‘Real Job’ ?”

Have you been asked that question yet?

Surprisingly, even some of the most important people in your life may not take your decision to play the golf mini-tours seriously.

Perhaps they mean well, maybe some are even just a wee bit jealous, or they may grow weary of seeing you struggle when they say to you, “When are you going to get a ‘real’ job?”.

Ouch, that can hurt! Especially if you were just “beat up” on your last road trip, coming home with little to show for it except the experience you gained and the expenses you incurred.

Speaking of Money

You know very well the pressure Lee Trevino was talking about when he spoke the often repeated quote,

“Pressure is playing for $10. When you do not have a dime in your pocket.”

Because it can be very hard to make enough money from winnings each week on the mini-tours to cover expenses on the road–much less at home–you have to either:

• Spend your life savings and inheritance
• Work and play intermittently
• Live with and/or get support from your family
• Get a sponsor(s)

As you probably know, each one of these choices can bring on a complete new set of challenges.

Sponsors Can Make the Job Easier or Harder

If you are fortunate enough to have found one, you may have already learned the hard way that not all sponsors are made alike. Some are awesome sponsors who are totally professional, respectful and encouraging of what you are trying to do (and love being a part of your team).

And there are sponsors who are not.

You could easily find yourself in a situation where you begin to feel you are actually working for a “bad boss” who is ever questioning and critical, or into micro-managing your game and everything you do.

Make the Very Most of Your Opportunity on the Golf Mini-Tours and Developmental Tours

Whether your “ride” on the golf Mini-Tour or Developmental Tour is short or long, you will likely find it an extreme test of courage, confidence and commitment.

Look through the articles below to see if there are currently posted topics that might help you. Check back often for new ones.

Better yet, sign up for our free Golf Gimmees e-zine today and we will begin alerting you monthly to new tips, lessons and articles that will posted to help make your golf great.

We aspire to help make your experience on the mini-tours and developmental tours the very best by freely sharing what we have learned in our work with countless golf mini-tour and developmental tour players before you….many who have moved into the ranks of the world’s best players.

You can be one of them!

Written by Dr. Deborah Graham

Dr. Deborah Graham is a licensed Counseling Psychologist specializing in golf performance. Working with professional and amateur golfers from around the world, her client list includes almost 400 players on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and Champions Tour, 21 of which she helped guide to 31 major championships. She was recently chosen by Golf Digest to their first Top 10 Sport Psychologists in Golf list!

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Opinion & Analysis

The harsh realities of golf’s mini tours.

A casual golf fan who occasionally enjoys watching final round coverage of a PGA Tour event must have a skewed opinion about the lives of professional golfers, namely, that anyone with an oversized staff bag is living the dream. But for every Ian Poulter who owns a fleet of Ferraris and struts around like a movie star, there are plenty of golfers who practically live out of their Ford Fiestas and dream about getting their big break.

Golf outside the highest professional level is a proverbial cutting room floor. For every golfer who eventually plays his way to the big stage, there are thousands who don’t. It’s a harsh reality predetermined by the sheer fact that it takes a high degree of skill, stubbornness and certainly not least of all – luck – to earn a place on the PGA Tour.

The qualification process has remained largely unchanged since the PGA Tour was formalized in the 1960s. The most direct route, Q-School, allowed any golfer, amateur or professional with a handicap index of two or lower, to test their mettle in golf’s version of the Hunger Games. Anyone who didn’t survive Q-School could attempt to play his way onto the Tour by way of Monday qualifiers or sponsor exemptions, both of which are low percentage gambles that very few ever cash in on.

What has changed in the last couple of decades is the ever-expanding number of developmental tours that have raised their banners across the country. Although Ben Hogan isn’t officially credited with starting the first mini tour, the 30-city Hogan Tour, which began in 1990, is probably the most famous. The tour was set up to allow aspiring pros (many of whom were cash-strapped) to drive around from tour stop to tour stop in successive weeks, much like Hogan’s contemporaries had in golf’s yesteryears. Over the years the Hogan Tour (now the Web.com Tour) expanded geographically, upped its prize money and became to the PGA Tour what off-broadway is to aspiring actors.

The NGA Pro Golf Tour, more commonly referred to as the Hooters Tour, predates the Hogan Tour. It was started in 1988 by Rick (T.C.) Jordan who inherited some money from his family’s business in pharmaceuticals and made a lot more of it through real estate and restaurant opportunities. Jordan invested $6 million from his own pocket and ran the tour independently until ceding title sponsorship rights to Hooters of America, Inc. in 1994.

Over the years the Hooters Tour has graduated some notable alumni including major championship winners Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, John Daly and Zach Johnson.

Keegan Bradley, a graduate of the NGA Hooters Tour, won the 2011 PGA Championship and is one of the Tour’s best success stories.

And now that the Q-School has been revised to replenish the roster of the Web.com Tour, expect more players to take up a path of apprenticeship that could meander through the Pepsi Tour, over to the Peach State Professional Golf Tour, and everything in-between. With more than 60 tours in operation world-wide, the prevailing wisdom ought to be play hard and pack light.

So You Want To Run A Mini Tour?

Jeff Flees used to manage a mortgage firm in Worthington, Ohio. But his wife’s protracted health concerns led him to reevaluate his career prospects. Nowadays, he’s the president of a three-person operation that runs the nascent Flagship Golf Tour.

“I had a successful career in the mortgage banking industry for 16 years, however in 2011 my wife had two major surgeries, one of which was brain surgery to clip aneurysms she had been living with,” says Flees. “My wife is one of the most incredible, inspirational people you will ever meet or know. I felt it was important to take time off to be with her while she recovered. When the time was right, my passion for golf and experience with people in the industry led my to analyze the developmental tour business and start the Flagship Golf Tour.”

The first scheduled event will be played this summer at The Journey at Pechanga in Temecula, Calif. The single day, 18-hole stroke play championship will feature a $5,000 purse and will benefit a number of charities including the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. The entry fee for professionals is $300 ($200 for amateurs) and unlike many higher profile tours, there is no annual membership fee.

For those of us who have never played golf for a living, taking up membership on a mini tour is a significant expense when combined with standard tournament fees and general travel expenses. Existing tours with deep fields and decent purses can charge $1,000 or more for membership. That will help you get a bona fide member packet, a tour hat and access to practice facilities at host courses. To actually play in a tournament event, you’ll likely drop close to another $1,000. A single season on the NGA Hooters’ 2013 Carolina Series will run a pro golfer a little over $10,000 in fees (depending on whether or not they have pre-existing status on the tour). Sounds almost reasonable until you start factoring things like groceries and gas money, or taking a date out to a dinner and a movie.

By contrast, there’s next to no risk to play a Flagship Golf Tour event and the tour awards prize money to the top 33 percent of the field, which is consistent with the policy maintained by more established entities. The tour does differ significantly from many competitors in that tournament events are spread out nationally and a champion is crowned after 18 holes.

“We decided on the one-day 18-hole tournaments because they make more logistical and financial sense,” says Flees. “The benefit of a one-day, 18-hole event is that we can keep the expenses down and reduce the time commitment for everyone involved in the tournament. We respect what the more established tours are doing. We are not trying to directly compete with them.”

Whether the Flagship Golf Tour finds its niche and succeeds beyond the first couple of seasons is difficult to predict. The term “boom and bust” is often used to describe mini tours that have disappeared after some initial success. Not surprisingly, the pressure to succeed falls squarely on a busy owner’s shoulders. You’re expected to be equally adept at playing the role of savvy business manager and gregarious promoter. Some days call for negotiating contracts with vendors and sponsors. Other days you’ll be rubbing elbows with potential investors or stumping on behalf of your tour around the clock on Twitter.

For many business executives, running a mini tour is a labor of love (not to mention an expensive hobby).

Alex Spanos had a brief run lending his name to one of the preeminent developmental tours on the West Coast before scuttling the business after three years. Spanos was a scratch golfer in his youth and made his fortune in the construction services industry. He is better known for owning a majority stake in the San Diego Chargers football team.

Full field events on the Spanos California Tour featured sizable purses including a $250,000 cash grab called the A.G. Spanos California Open. Local boys Jason Gore, John Merrick and Peter Tomasulo had stints on the tour before moving on to play much bigger venues.

“I have always wanted to be part of a golf tour,” Spanos was quoted as saying. “My goal with this tour is to have it become the biggest and best in this state, if not the country, where young professionals and amateurs get the opportunity to show their talent and ability.”

Even in its final year of operation, the California Tour was arguably still growing. The tour signed Ameriquest Mortgage Company as a presenting sponsor, hired a San Diego area public relations firm to raise brand awareness, increased the number of events to 16 and set aside $2.5 million in available winnings. But they shut the tour down anyway. Perhaps that was the intention all along.

According to executives associated with Spanos, running the tour had become prohibitively expensive. It also didn’t help that a far more expansive developmental tour made a glitzy splash in 2006, promising tournament winnings to rival the PGA Tour.

Backed by the now defunct Greens Worldwide Inc., the U.S. Pro Golf Tour was expected to offer $300,000 for a standard event and as much as $5 million for one of its majors that would be played on a Donald Trump-owed course and broadcast on television by ESPN. There were rumblings about impending doom from the start and the tour folded after the initial season. In the process, the U.S. Pro Golf Tour defrauded hundreds of golfers who forked over thousands of dollars to participate in events that were never going to be staged.

As any professional golfer who has scrambled on the mini tours can tell you, there are plenty of similar misadventures that players have fallen victim to. Most of them are simply too obscure to grab the public’s attention, even within golfing circles. And in some ways, it’s a perverse right of passage.

The (Not So) Charmed Life Of A Professional Golfer

More than likely, you haven’t heard of Andrew Jensen. He’s just another golfer playing on the PGA Tour of Canada who’s had scrapes with success, failure, injuries and heartbreak. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

We pick up his story in March. Jensen has driven down to Florida, as far south from frigid Ottawa as his Pontiac G6 will take him. He intends to spend a month living in the Sarasota area getting into shape for a season that will play out primarily back in Canada. Except that the weather in Florida, in fact for much of the southern United States, isn’t living up to expectations.

Too many mornings in the Sunshine State start off borderline freezing; as for Jensen’s game, it’s not a whole lot better. In his first competitive event of the season, he shoots 2-over and misses the cut. Over the next several weeks his game starts trending in the right direction. He records his best finish on the Florida swing at TPC Prestancia in Sarasota. It’s a limited-field event of 28 participants playing for a purse that barely covers rent for a single-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Jensen has an opportunity to finish 2-under on the first day, but rinses two balls on the last hole for an ugly double. He plays marginally worse the next day, making three straight bogies on the front nine, carding a 75 and finishing three strokes outside of earning a paycheck.

Three events come and go and all Jensen has to show for it some middling scores. It’s a good blow to one’s wallet (and psyche), but Jensen has developed some thick skin over the years. He’s been playing professionally off and on since 2008. He’s taken time off to heal from injuries and to recover from periodic episodes of depression. And while it may be difficult to spin positives from his Florida swing based on scoring alone, Jensen is grateful to be playing golf regularly again.

“When I was playing injured in 2010 and playing bad . . . the debt was increasing fast,” says Jensen. “Golf was no longer fun, it was work, it was gambling to break even. My passion for the game left me very quickly but I tried to tough it out and keep playing regardless. That mentality bled into two awful seasons on tour and my eventual hanging up the clubs in 2011 to enter into the real world and start working and getting above water financially. Luckily, over time the passion came back.”

Jensen played competitively for the University of Ottawa and qualified to play for the Canadian Tour the year following his graduation in 2007. Although some golfers would have journeyed south to play in more seasonably warm conditions year-round, Jensen preferred to stay closer to home, not all that surprising for a person who habitually found comfort in maintaining rigorous routine.

Unfortunately, there was very little in the way of predictability to his first three seasons on tour. Jensen made the cut just twice in 14 events in 2008, making $870. He earned another $3,100 on the tour in 2010-11 and watched his confidence fade as debts rose.

 “When you can solely focus on the routine and the process, good play takes care of itself,” says Jensen. “When you have to figure out a way to pay the bills, it takes away from your routine.  Over the years, my play has struggled and consequently my funds have depleted, forcing me into off-season work in Canada over the winters. The routine has to switch to fitness, indoor practice, mental work, and above all a ‘real job.’”

His outlook rapidly declined in 2011. A family physician prescribed an anti-depressant medication that had an unintended side-effect of actually increasing suicidal urgings. Standing over a bathroom sink with a mouth full of anti-depressant pills, Jensen nearly took his life that September. Fortunately he spat the medication out and was weened off the anti-depressant a few weeks later. Through therapy, Jensen came to regard golf as a trigger for his mental issues.

“Every time I played poorly, it just kept getting worse and worse emotionally,” Jensen told the Ottawa Citizen in 2012.

Jensen isn’t the only golfer who has struggled with depression. The LPGA Tour’s Christina Kim was openly forthcoming about her own personal struggles in an interview with Golf Digest. Still, there aren’t many golfers, let alone athletes in general, that are willing to go public. It is habitually accepted that athletes need to maintain an edge over their competition. And nothing blows an athlete’s cover faster than revealing they have fears and doubts.

“The numbers on depression are staggering, it affects far more people than many believe,” says Jensen. “The pressure, isolation and competition in professional golf are massive triggers to get players down on themselves both on and off the course. From my experiences with mental illness it’s a hard road to play golf and keep things silent. The minute I came out with my struggles, the support and solidarity that came from fellow players was great. No one knows the struggles of a mini tour player better than a fellow mini tour player.”

Historically, the various developmental tours have left players to their own devices. Some tours offer discounts on sponsor-provided apparel and equipment, but rarely is sports psychology factored into any of the few membership perks enjoyed on tour. By offering player coaching from the outset, the Flagship Golf Tour is looking to differentiate itself even further from its more established competitors.

“We are working with excellent professionals who can offer our players guidance in these areas,” says Flees. “The players will get initial information and coaching made available to them free of charge, however if they wish to retain these professionals for additional assistance there would be a charge.”

The Flagship Golf Tour has developed a relationship with David Donatucci, a Titelist Performance Institute certified trainer a member of the PGA of America, as well as PGA member Rick Sessinghaus, a proven sports psychologist. It will be interesting to see how many players actually seek out coaching and if it spurs other developmental tours to consider similar service offerings in the future.

As Jensen can tell you from experience, playing on the mini tours is a grind. Reflecting on the past five years as a golf pro, Jensen says, “[The mini tours haven’t] taught me too much about golf itself, apart from the reality that making putts is everything. It’s taught me that I am very determined and driven, easily discouraged at times, but still very motivated. Hard work for five years really hasn’t gotten me too far in this game so I’ve learned I need to work smarter now.”

A Long And Winding Road

Imagine you’re 16 years old, living by yourself in California. Your preternatural golfing abilities land you a future spot on the University of Oklahoma golf team. Your stellar college play gets noticed and you make the Walker Cup team. After three years you leave school early and declare your intentions to turn pro. You receive a sponsor’s exemption into your first PGA Tour event and you finish runner up. A year later you earn tour card in your first go-around at Q-School and ultimately become a multimillionaire before the age of 22.

It’s almost a lock that most golfing careers will not pan out like Anthony Kim’s supercharged ascent to stardom. With any luck, you might be fortunate enough mimic James Hahn, who clawed his way onto the PGA Tour after spending nine years playing on the mini tours and supplementing his income selling ladies shoes at Nordstrom’s.

So if you are a talented golfer, what exactly are your chances?

In an unrelated sport, the NCAA has compiled statistics on the number of high school basketball players who continue to play professionally after graduating from college. Of the roughly 156,000 high school seniors who play basketball, 44 will be drafted into the NBA. Even at less than 1 percent, a basketball player has a better chance of filling one of the 350 or so roster spots in the NBA than a golfer has of sharing a fairway with Phil Mickelson.

Andrew Jensen doesn’t believe that a talent gap is keeping most mini tour players from propelling themselves to the next level.

“I think it has more to do with the off course hurdles than the competition,” says Jensen. “I’ve seen many great players pack it in because of their financial situation, the travel, or the time away from family, just to name a few reasons. I don’t believe players stop because they don’t think they have what it takes.”

There are thousands of golfers playing on the mini tours every year. What happens to the ones that don’t make it?

Perhaps some of them get a taste of success at the higher reaches of golf and regress. Others washout after only a few seasons on the road. Some quit playing and take up teaching while others quit the game entirely.

In spite of what is easily construed as abject failure, any player who has made it as far as the mini tours has an experience with the game that few golfers rarely come in contact with. It may not be the sort of ending that a Hollywood producer would dream up. But as golf announcer Gary Koch famously quipped, it’s better than most.

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Rusty Cage is a contributing writer for GolfWRX, one of the leading publications online for news, information and resources for the connected golfer. His articles have covered a broad spectrum of topics - equipment and apparel reviews, interviews with industry leaders, analysis of the pro game, and everything in between. Rusty's path into golf has been an unusual one. He took up the game in his late thirties, as suggested by his wife, who thought it might be a good way for her husband to grow closer to her father. The plan worked out a little too well. As his attraction to the game grew, so did his desire to take up writing again after what amounted to 15-year hiatus from sports journalism dating back to college. In spite of spending over a dozen years working in the technology sector as a backend programmer in New York City, Rusty saw an opportunity with GolfWRX and ran with it. A graduate from Boston University with a Bachelor's in journalism, Rusty's long term aspirations are to become one of the game's leading writers, rising to the standard set by modern-day legends like George Peper, Mark Frost and Dan Jenkins. GolfWRX Writer of the Month: August 2014 Fairway Executive Podcast Interview http://golfindustrytrainingassociation.com/17-rusty-cage-golf-writer (During this interview I discuss how golf industry professionals can leverage emerging technologies to connect with their audience.)

28 Comments

Mike Boatright

Jan 23, 2017 at 4:31 pm

Iv’e researched heavily these mini tours and have found the leaders to have a scoring average of say 65.66 etc.. The pga tour needs to get off it’s elitists ass and give these good players a legitimate chance! Any time you set up a format that requires you to either have a sponsor exemption or play great for 6 days straight just to make it on the minor leagues is kinda making it far fetched for the majority of good players who aren’t rich. They do have some monday qualifying events which is just a blood fest first you need to pre qualify to make it into the qualifier which is you vs 4 guys usually a 65 loses and a 64 wins,then you qualify for the monday and it’s the same story you shoot 67 on a windy day the other guy shoots 66. By then the winner is so tired and nervous from his start that he shoots 75 70 and misses the cut by one stroke how is this fair?

Jul 25, 2014 at 9:01 pm

Listen, if you’re good enough you will sail through Web.com Q School and be on that AAA tour. If you’re good enough there, you’ll be on the PGA tour. Much easier today. Web.com Q school doesn’t care if you went to Stanford or Truckee Meadows Community College.

jess robinson

Jun 7, 2013 at 12:31 pm

“Golf is happiness for Happiness is achievement. The father of achievement is motivation The mother is encouragement. The fine golf swing is truly achievement Man may lie, cheat, and steal for gain. But, these will never gain the golf swing To gain the golf swing man must work. Yet it is work without toil It is exercise without the boredom. It is intoxication without the hangover It is stimulation without the pills. It is failure yet its successes shine even more brightly It is frustration yet it nourishes patience. It irritates yet its soothing is far greater It is futility yet it nurtures hope. It is defeating yet it generates courage It is humbling yet it ennobles the human spirit. It is dignity yet it rejects arrogance Its price is high yet its rewards are richer Some say it’s a boy’s pastime yet it builds men It is a buffer for the stresses of today’s living. It cleanses the mind and rejuvenates the body It is these things and many more. For those of us who know it and love it Golf is truly happiness.” — Paul Bertholy

Frank Dolan

May 19, 2013 at 6:48 pm

Most authors make mistakes, specifically for those readers who look for mistakes. If you look past the mistakes, you will really enjoy the article. Another home run for you Mr. Cage. Keep those articles coming – I enjoy them tremendously.

P. S. – Did I make any grammatical errors?

May 11, 2013 at 7:43 pm

I never want to chase a dream. I just want to go to my 9-5 job and sit in my cubical all day and grind my teeth over the fact my wife is probably banging the pool guy that I pay with the money I saved from my boring conservative life…

When the day ends I want to put myself to sleep by correcting Blog articles on a golf website full of folks that can’t appreciate truthful information because they think they know everything…

May 10, 2013 at 4:36 pm

I enjoyed the article. There are a few segments I can relate to as well.

Steve Pratt

May 10, 2013 at 1:53 am

I thought this was a terrific article. It brought back good and bad memories of my experiences on various mini tours.

In my opinion, the author nicely captures the essence of life and struggles on the mini tours.

May 9, 2013 at 7:54 pm

Ian poulter will be broke and infamous in 10 years. They guy never wins except for the Ryder Cup which doesn’t pay. Normally the guys that got it dont flaunt it, and the ones that flaunt it don’t have it. Look at Warren Buffet compared to Donlad Trump. Trump has been bankrupt several times and sues publications that post his real worth which is about 1/10th what he says it is.

May 10, 2013 at 12:22 am

Donald Trump just inquired about your physical address, so he coulde serve you!!! Dont answer the door!!!

May 10, 2013 at 11:20 am

I think you’ll find that a lot of successful people have had bankruptcies in their past. That line of reasoning doesn’t make a lot of sense. Trump’s liquid worth is far less than his worth on paper, but that’s a pretty common thing for people who own a lot of stuff, rather than have a lot of money.

I’m no Poulter fan, but he seems to have an awful lot of cash for a guy that never wins.

sdgfhjkhgjkdfsfg

May 9, 2013 at 7:15 pm

the best line in the article: “But for every Ian Poulter who owns a fleet of Ferraris and struts around like a movie star, ”

Ian is a new money brat. It’s amazing how much that guy brags.

May 10, 2013 at 10:12 am

If there was one player I could punch in the face it would no doubt be IJP. By the way, the logo for his clothing line is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE… what designers is this guy hiring!?

Tool Status

May 9, 2013 at 4:09 pm

id probably tear up one of these mini tours, but id rather just spend my time with the ladies

May 11, 2013 at 10:17 pm

+! internet

May 9, 2013 at 3:51 pm

I blame these guy’s parents. There comes a time in everyone’s life when you can’t chase your dreams any longer. Sometimes we can’t see it ourselves and the worst thing you can have is parents and loved ones feeding in to that dream. I had a sister who wanted to be a doctor in the worst way but couldn’t get in to med school. I also had a roommate who longed to be a fighter pilot, yet didn’t have great eye sight. Both of these people were told by loved ones that it’s time to grow up and move on, and both are living happy lives because of it now. It takes a real man to admit when enough is enough and it’s time to move on.

May 9, 2013 at 9:12 pm

Why Should anyone give up on their dreams ever? You only get one shot at life, do what makes you happy and forget the “realists”. They will be the ones wondering what if and saying I should have when they are too old to live thier dreams. At least you spent your life working 9-5, for whatever that is worth…

May 9, 2013 at 10:55 pm

It’s selfish. These dreamers will end up with debt and families to pass it on to.

tsunamijohn

May 9, 2013 at 3:35 pm

Question nothing, just drink the Kool-Aid.

Minitourplayer

May 9, 2013 at 2:56 pm

So did the Flagship Tour pay for this article?

Zak Kozuchowski

May 9, 2013 at 3:27 pm

Minitourplayer,

Rusty is a wonderful writer with strong journalism instincts and morals. For you to suggest otherwise shows that you haven’t paid much attention to his previous work, or the GolfWRX Featured Writers program as a whole.

– Zak

May 9, 2013 at 8:34 pm

That…is your opinion, Zak.

I think it goes beyond sounding like an ad, but well-written? I wouldn’t go that far. It’s a few different “HARO” respondents he aggregated into an ambling, unclear rough draft of article. A good journalist doesn’t just take notes and format, he tells a captivating story.

What did he do instead? 1.) He spent a large portion of the article covering a mini-tour that hasn’t yet played a game. 2.) Profiled a Canadian golfer that briefly played in Canada, not U.S. Mini tours. 3.) Dropped a few names of past mini-tour players, yet didn’t expand on them. 4.) Threw in some generalizations about past tour players that may or may not have existed, been scratch golfers, and/or quit for up to 5 various reasons unrelated to their game. Not a single name, or proof backing up that theory.

All of that and I still have no idea what the Hooters, Pepsi or any other mini tour is really like. Maybe interview someone that’s actually been on one or more of the major tours and get a first hand account.

As it stands, if you read this article the only thing you’ll get out of it is “Guys. Even if you’re very, very good, if you can’t afford a nice round number like $10,000/yr – you will be forced to sell shoes at Nordstrom.”

tim roncone

May 10, 2013 at 1:13 am

when you choose to find a negative in something you will always fail to see the good or in this case understand whats he’s trying to portray. i really hope you have better things to do with your life than bash other peoples work. have a nice day tool.

May 10, 2013 at 11:46 pm

So…your response is somehow vindicated because I didn’t write an article? Who’s really the tool here? You didn’t bring anything to the table but a comment about a comment and in total frustration with your inability to make a point – a condescending remark.

May 10, 2013 at 9:55 am

Its basically a commercial for a brand new tour that no one has heard of

May 10, 2013 at 10:09 am

I disagree… I clicked on the article thinking it would in fact be a story about life as a mini-tour player and instead it was disjointed and unrelatable. It’s a shame.

On another note, I find it hard to believe that there are only 156,000 HS seniors playing basketball each year, but who knows.

May 10, 2013 at 11:18 am

I completely agree with you. Between the headline that feels kind of misleading, a lot of Typos (“There’s” as was mentioned above and a few other awkward choices) I don’t think this is a very good article at all.

May 9, 2013 at 2:13 pm

The word “there’s” is a contraction for “there is”. That being the case, you’d never write “there is plenty of golfers…”, “there is thousands who don’t.” or “There is thousands of golfers playing on the mini tours every year.” In these cases, you would say “there are” instead of “there is”. For the record, “…there’s next to no risk to play a Flagship Golf Tour event” is the correct use of “there’s”.

The contraction that you are looking for “there are” is “there’re” but besides being difficult to pronounce, “there’re” looks peculiar (and is incorrectly rejected by many spell-checkers). You are probably better off ditching a contraction for “there are”.

May 15, 2013 at 3:47 pm

That was a fun post to read. Thanks for the puncuation lesson.

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Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include  Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele , Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

• 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
• 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
• 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
• 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
• 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
• 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom hoge/maverick mcnealy +2500 ( draftkings ).

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 ( DraftKings )

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 ( DraftKings )

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide. 

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.  

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory. 

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second. 

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

• 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

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• Richard Bland

Fairways Hit

• Abraham Ancer
• Graeme McDowell
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Driving Distance

• Bryson DeChambeau
• Joaquin Niemann
• Dean Burmester
• Cameron Smith
• Louis Oosthuizen

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron smith +1400 (draftkings).

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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Steve Stricker WITB accurate as of the Zurich Classic. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, C4...

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Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.  Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura...

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Asher Tour Asher Tour About $(function () { $('[data-toggle="popover"]').popover(); });

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The ASHER Tour, formerly known as the Golden State Tour, was established in 1982 and is the longest running professional "Mini Tour" in the country.

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The CJ Cup Byron Nelson

TPC Craig Ranch

TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver: What you need to know

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: TaylorMade’s new BRNR Mini Driver, the company’s latest iteration of metalwoods that take a spot somewhere between downsized drivers and oversized fairway wood , is an appealing choice for elite swingers looking for alternative club off the tee. It features a carbon-fiber crown, high-strength titanium-alloy face and steel in the sole in its 304 cubic-centimeter size, which is more than 50 percent larger than typical fairway woods and more than a third smaller than typical titanium drivers.

PRICE: $450 (11.5 and 13.5 degrees).

3 COOL THINGS

1. Good, fast-swinging players don’t need 3-woods. The 3-wood shot off the fairway just isn’t all that common anymore. According to ShotLink data, the number of approach shots from more than 275 yards in the fairway on the PGA Tour is about 2 percent of all approach shots, the lowest by far of any approach distance tracked. Of course, what they do use their 3-woods for is as an alternative to their drivers on shorter or tighter driving holes. But typical 3-woods offer a more compact head that makes them easier to hit off the fairway but less forgiving and with a smaller area of the face that has maximum flexibility compared to the size of the BRNR Mini Driver (304 cc). TaylorMade's new offering also features a moment of inertia (forgiveness on off-center hits) that’s 40 percent greater than a comparable 3-wood, according to the company. Helping ball speed further is a cut-through slot in the sole and a titanium face made from the same high-strength ZATEC alloy found in the company’s Stealth Plus fairway woods .

2. Still, this super-sized fairway wood can be played off the deck. While the size and deeper face may not be immediately conducive to shots played directly off fairway turf (and a reminder that those types of shots with this type of club are again reserved for elite players), this latest version of the Mini Driver includes an enhanced sole design. Those with a sense of TaylorMade history will recognize the K-Shaped series of indentations and rails along the sole. It’s relatively similar to what was seen on the Bubble and TiBubble clubs from TaylorMade’s late-1990s era. The sole design improves turf interaction to allow for an easier glide along the turf for cleaner hits with BRNR Mini Driver’s larger footprint.

The BRNR Mini Driver already has seen action, getting the call from some tour players at the Masters (Bryson DeChambeau and Fred Couples) and last week at the RBC Heritage (Tommy Fleetwood).

"BRNR has been very popular in testing with tour players,” said Keith Sbarbaro, TaylorMade’s vice president of tour operations. “Players are always looking for a club that can be versatile and reliable off the tee, and BRNR checks both of those boxes.”

3. Staying true to TaylorMade’s adjustable past. This latest Mini Wood iteration might very well be TaylorMade’s most adjustable. In addition to the 12-way adjustable hosel that tweaks loft and lie by plus/minus two degrees, there are two sole weights in the front and back. Shifting the 13-gram, heavier weight to the rear increases stability for better forgiveness and higher launch, while putting the heavier weight in the front location produces a lower-spin offering with a flatter, more piercing trajectory.

"The BRNR Mini Driver is a modern interpretation of a classic driver, showcasing our long-standing heritage in the sport,” said Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s senior director of product creation for woods. “While it has retro aesthetics, it's no showpiece to hang in your office. It has the horsepower to attack golf courses and can be a major asset in the hands of the right golfer."

Find the ideal clubs for your game with our quick test below:

More from golf digest, trending now.

Course-management expert Scott Fawcett knows how we can all play smarter golf

H ow many times have you finished a round and said, “I should have shot lower today”? As a mini-tour player, Scott Fawcett was tired of making strategic mistakes, so when Columbia Business School professor Mark Broadie helped develop the PGA Tour’s Strokes Gained statistics in 2011, Fawcett created a quantifiable course-management system called DECADE Golf. Fawcett works with numerous PGA Tour players, and DECADE is used by more than 100 college golf programs.

Fawcett joined us for the Golf Digest Happy Hour , our live webinar series with golf experts offered exclusively for Golf Digest+ members. This Q&A, selected from the one-hour interview, has been edited for clarity and concision.

Michael: For someone new to the game, what are the takeaways from what you teach?

Fawcett: The first selection off the tee should be driver. There needs to be a very good reason not to hit driver. For approach shots, on average, shading toward the middle of the green is a good idea. Now this is where it’s hard because aiming at the middle of the green is quite often less optimal than aiming at the flag. There’s an inflection point between aiming at the flag and at the middle of the green that is optimal.

Around the greens, just don’t miss the green with a chip. It’s stunning how many two-chips per round a 5-handicap or higher has. Then, on the green, get really good at speed control.

Charlie: How can you work on DECADE concepts in practice?

Fawcett: Start being aware of the width of your shot pattern. In other words, how far offline are your misses? That’s what I tell college coaches when they ask how their players should practice. I say use your launch monitor to illustrate to your players that everyone has a shot pattern, and this is why we need to play committed to our DECADE targets.

Luke: How does a tour player’s driver shot pattern compare to that of a 10-handicap?

Fawcett: For a tour player, the distance between their farthest left shot and farthest right shot that they typically hit in an event is 70 yards. The shot patterns are so much bigger than you would possibly imagine. It’s mind-boggling.

Think of shot patterns like a triangle. If you hit the ball the same number of degrees offline, but you hit it only 200 yards versus 300 yards, your shot pattern is going to be narrower. For 10-handicaps who hit it 200 yards, they can hit it much more offline [in terms of degrees] and still have the same 70-yard-wide shot pattern. A course doesn’t need that much more room for an average or poor player because even though the ball is going more crooked, it’s going shorter, so the shot pattern is quite often about the same width as tour players.

Todd: Is length more important than putting?

Fawcett: I wouldn’t say length, but I would say driving. There’s just no doubt, and this is a hard one for people to trust. In 2011, when they first started releasing the Strokes Gained/ putting data, I couldn’t wrap my head around an eight-foot putt having a 50/50 make percentage. I couldn’t believe that it was so low. I wrote a thread on an online poker forum that was titled “Is Drive for Show, Putt for Dough really true?” That’s one of the main topics 100 percent of golf-stats nerds agree on: The stats don’t support that cliché.

I don’t like the question of “Is distance more important than putting?” but I would say driving is definitely more important than putting. Again, it is based on the fact that nobody is very good at putting. That’s obviously a tongue-in-cheek joke, but it’s not too far from the truth. Relative to your handicap, you probably putt about average. Tee shots are how you can start taking huge chunks of expected value off a hole.

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A mini-tour primer.

The mini-tour landscape changed massively in 2012, when the PGA Tour introduced its international tours in Latin America, Canada and China (no longer operating). Those tours took players and money overseas, leaving the mini-tours in the States floundering. The two big mini-tours at the time, Egolf and Hooters, soon folded or were sold, and in their place, a lot of small tours popped up. These tours appear and often vanish just as quickly.

If you are turning pro, looking for a place to test your game or just a golf nerd like me, here are a dozen mini-tours that are operating in the United States.

All Pro Tour

Format: 72 holes

Entry fee: $950 for members; $1,350 for non-members (A season-long membership is $1,500)

Average field size: 100-plus, with bigger events getting almost 200

Geographic area:   Central U.S. mostly

Purse size: $ 100,000-$175,000; the fall season features three-day events with purses averaging around $50,000

Website: APT | All Pro Tour

Fun fact: Defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler played three events, with a best finish of T-5, in preparation for Q school in 2018.

Dakotas Tour

Format: 54 holes

Entry fee: $840

Average field size: 60-75

Geographic area:   North and South Dakota

Purse size: $50,000-$70,000K

Website: The Dakotas Tour – Professional Golf – Professional Golf In The Midwest

Fun facts: The Dakotas Tour is largely considered the best economical option in mini-tour golf. Events often offer host housing for the players, and the pro-am format makes the purses player-friendly, meaning players collect a larger percentage of the money taken in than most other tours.

The G Pro Tour

Entry fee: $920-$1,165

Average field size: 80

Geographic area: North and South Carolina and Georgia

Purse size: $50,000-$75,000; one event last season offered $93,000

Website: GProTour (thegprotour.com)

Fun fact: When Brendon Todd was struggling with the full-shot yips, he played multiple events on the GPro Tour to work on his game.

Asher Tour (former Golden State/Outlaw Tour)

Entry fee: $750-$1,350; some are two-day/36-hole events

Average field size: 50-70; some of their bigger events have well over 100

Geographic area:   Arizona and California

Purse size: $30,000-$40,000; $100,000 for bigger events

Website: HOME (ashertour.com)

Fun fact: The Asher Tour runs one of the few events in which the winner gets an exemption into a PGA Tour event. The winner of the Reno Open, in late May, receives a spot in golf’s fifth major, the Barracuda Championship.

Emerald Coast Tour

Entry fee: $700-$850

Average field size: 25-40

Geographic area: Florida, Alabama and Mississippi

Purse size: $15,000-$20,000

Website: Home (emeraldcoasttour.com)

Fun fact : Doug Barron was playing on this tour prior to Monday-qualifying for, and winning, a Champions Tour event in 2019. He has since added a second victory on the senior circuit.

Rolling Red Tour

Format: 36 holes

Entry fee: $729-$869

Average field size: 20-30

Geographic area:   Southern U.S.

Purse size: $7,000-$10,000

Website: Rolling Red Golf Tour

Fun fact: The tour also hosts an 18-hole shootout, so players have two events in which they can cash.

Florida Pro Tour

Entry fee: $300-$450

Average field size: 30-90

Geographic area: Florida

Purse size: $5,000-$20,000; its biggest event last season had an $85,000 purse

Website: Home – Florida Professional Golf Tour (fpgtour.com)

Fun fact: In the 2017 season, mini-tour legend Kevin Alywin started with three wins and two runner-up finishes. He won the money title that year with more than $29,000, nearly triple the total of the player in second.

The BO Tour

Entry fee: $200-$700

Average field size: 20-35; a few have had upwards of 60

Geographic area: Southern California

Purse size: $3K-$20K

Website: The Bo Tour Event :: 2023 Professional Points (golfgenius.com)

Fun fact: The tour was founded by Steve “Bo” Boreri. If you want to play in an event, send him a text. For a long time he accepted cash and paid players the same day.

West Florida Tour

Format: 18 or 36 holes

Entry fee: $230-$950, the latter for 36-hole events

Average field size: 45-plus

Geographic area: West Florida

Purse size: $10,000-$20,000

Website: Welcome to WFGT (westfloridagolftour.com)

Fun fact: Christian Bartolacci has owned the West Florida Tour for 12 years and is largely a one-man operation. A PGA member, he handles registration, course setup and rules.

Minor League Golf Tour

Entry fee: $235-$525

Average field size: 30, but some of the bigger events approach 100

Geographic area: South Florida

Purse size:  $5,000-$20,000

Website: Professional Golf Tours – Mini Tours – Developmental Golf Tours – Women’s Golf Tours (minorleaguegolf.com)

Fun fact: Sunny Kim, who has become a cult hero among the golf nerd population, has 86 wins and has earned more than $337,000 on this tour.

Moonlight Tour

Entry fee: $120-$350

Average field size: 15-30

Website: Mobi | Hybrid Template (ogatour.org)

Fun fact: The Moonlight Tour has been around for over 20 years, and PGA Tour veteran Patrick Sheehan has racked up more than 300 victories.

Carolina Mountain Tour

Entry fee: $220

Average field size: 15-25

Geographic area: Carolinas

Purse size : $2,000-$5,000

Website: Carolina Mountain Professional Golf Tour (mountaingolftour.com)

Fun fact: On its website, the tour touts itself as the longest-running mini-tour in the U.S. It is beginning its 27th year in 2023.

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The cj cup at byron nelson qualifying results 2024.

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The Frank Files: Episode 2

No matter the weather and site, Davan again wins U.S. Open local qualifier medal

Former mini-tour player shoots seven-under 63 at vulnerable morris park.

 SOUTH BEND — When it comes to local qualifying for June’s U.S. Open golf championship, Mother Nature should know by now it’s not nice to fool Zionsville teaching pro Michael Davan.

A year after he won medalist honors on a snowy, cold and windy day at South Bend Country Club, the 34-year-old Davan, an IUPUI graduate and former mini-tour player, took apart the par-70, 6,623-yard Morris Park Country Club on a rainy, overcast and somewhat windy day with his seven-under-par round of 63, two off the course record. The round gave Davan medalist honors by three strokes over 22-year-old Caleb VanArragon, a fifth-year senior and the No. 1 player for Valparaiso University.

A new South Bend golf power? Tiny Trinity tops Penn by 7 shots to win Morris Park Invitational

“This is my third straight year qualifying in South Bend, and the first two have been colder and more windy than today,” Davan said after he bombed Morris Park’s long par-4 holes and undulating greens into submission with five birdies (at Nos. 2, 4, 7, 10 and 11) and an eagle hole-out at the 400-yard, par-4 14 th .

“Last year (when he shot 68 at South Bend), I teed off on (the par-3) No. 10 and the snowflakes were this big,” said Davan, who made a quarter-sized circle with his thumb and index finger. “Today, we had a little rain early, but there wasn’t a whole lot of wind afterward. I didn’t think it was playing as difficult as it can. With the wind and rain, maybe the greens weren’t as firm as they can be.”

Righting a wrong: A Notre Dame football coaching legend (finally) returned to where he belongs on campus

 VanArragon, who hails from Blaine, Minn., a 30-minute trip north of the Twin Cities, played the back nine in one-under 34 with a birdie at the 14 th  and then birdied Nos. 4, 5 and 7 in a front-nine, three-under 32 for a 66 in his first competitive trip around Morris Park, the Bob Dustin design which is 101 years young and can still hold its own against golf’s ever-changing equipment technology.

“This course is tough but fair,” said VanArragon, whose father earned a doctorate in philosophy from Notre Dame. “After playing Bermuda greens for the most part this season, it was nice to play on these bent-grass greens which are very good.”

The scores reflected the dart-board conditions. With Davan and VanArragon leading the way, 19 golfers shot one-under 69 or better. Current Bethel freshman and former NorthWood standout Earl Williams was one of nine to card 69. Among the five golfers who matched par 70 was Notre Dame assistant pro Alec Dutkowski, who resides in Elkhart and himself is a former NorthWood standout.

For a while Monday, it looked like this U.S. Open qualifier was becoming a Notre Dame Invitational as six of coach John Handrigan’s Fighting Irish roster participated and five recorded rounds under par. Sophomores Calen Sanderson of Newtown, Pa., and Nate Stevens of Northfield, Minn., each shot three-under 67s to get into a five-man playoff that determined which golfers would advance to the 36-hole sectional phase of qualifying in early June. 

Just missing were senior Angelo Marcon of San Francisco and freshman Jacob Modleski of Guerin Catholic and Noblesville, who both carded impressive 68s, and freshman Rocco Salvitti of Canonsburg, Pa., who shot 69. Graduate captain Palmer Jackson of Murrysville, Pa., carded a respectable two-over 72.

Joining Stevens and Sanderson in the playoff at 67 were 2011 Notre Dame graduate Maxwell Scodro of Lake Forest, Ill.; VanArragon’s 20-year-old Valparaiso teammate Anthony Delisanti of Sanborn, N.Y., a northern suburb of Buffalo; and 35-year-old former University of Indianapolis golfer Blair Webb of Zionsville.

It took four playoff holes — two visits to the 461-yard difficult 13 th  and two trips down the par-5, 528-yard 18 th  — to determine who would advance or earn the two alternate spots. All five golfers parred the first playoff hole before Stevens and Webb birdied the 18 th  and Delisanti joined them as the fifth and final qualifier with a birdie on his second visit to No. 13. 

Sanderson and Scodro then continued to determine who would be top alternate and both parred 18. But Scodro elected to seed the top alternate spot to Sanderson so he could make an early trip back home to suburban Chicago.

U.S. OPEN LOCAL QUALIFYING ROUND

Results from Monday’s local qualifying round at the par-70, 6,623-yard Morris Park Country Club for the 124 th  U.S. Open golf championship June 13-16 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2. The qualifiers move on to one of 13 final qualifying events (36 holes) May 20 or June 3; alternates may receive spots if a player withdraws from a final qualifying event. 

Michael Davan, Zionsville, Ind., 32-31—63 (-7); Caleb VanArragon, Blaine, Minn., 32-34—66 (-4); a-Nate Stevens, Northfield, Minn., 33-34—67 (-3); a-Blair Webb, Zionsville, Ind., 34-33—67 (-3); b-Anthony Delisanti, Sanborn, N.Y., 35-32—67 (-3)

1 st -Calen Sanderson, Newton, Pa., 34-33—67 (-3); 2 nd -Maxwell Scodro, Lake Forest, Ill., 34-33—67 (-3)

Did not qualify

68 (-2): Jacob Modleski, Noblesville, Ind., 35-33; Angelo Marcon, San Francisco, Calif. 35-33; Ryan Ford, Westfield, Ind., 34-34.

69 (-1): Earl Williams, Nappanee, Ind., 33-36; Peyton Snoeberger, Williamsport, Ind., 37-32; Nels Surtani, Noblesville, Ind., 33-36; Jacob Paine, Bloomington, Ind., 35-34; Justin Hicks, Fort Wayne, Ind., 35-34; Chris Devlin, 35-34; Mitch Davis, Bloomington, Ind., 35-34; Rocco Salvitti, Canonsburg, Pa., 37-32; Ben Marvin Egel, Elkhart, Ind., 36-33.

70 (E): Alec Dutkowski, Elkhart, Ind., 36-34; Zak Knoll, Commerce Township, Mich., 35-35; Jonny Enfield, Westfield, Ind., 37-33; Alex Bishop, Franklin, Ind., 37-33; Matthew Meneghetti, Schererville, Ind., 34-36.

71 (+1): John Kidd, New Riegel, Ohio, 36-35; Chad Gehres, Howell, Mich., 36-35; McCormick Clouser, Bluffton, Ind., 33-38; Johnny Watts, Fort Wayne, Ind., 35-36.

72 (+2): Carter Demske, Garrett, Ind., 37-35; Aidan Gutierrez, Valparaiso, 34-38; Chris Schultz, LaPorte, Ind., 36-36; Sam Weatherhead, Hartford, Wis., 36-36; Palmer Jackson, Murrysville, Pa., 37-35; Silas Haarer, Middlebury, Ind., 36-36; Herman Wibe Sekne, Oslo, Norway, 37-35; Ben Keil, 35-37; Peyton Richmond, Fort Wayne, Ind., 38-34.

73 (+3): Colin Sikkenga, Kalamazoo, Mich., 36-37; Brandon Heffner, Greenwood, Ind., 35-38; Ian Carroll, Indianapolis, Ind., 39-34; Adam Wood, Whitestown, Ind., 36-37; Mitch Bellam, Angola, Ind., 34-39.

74 (+4): Satchel Pierce, Union, Mich., 36-38; Kevin Tillery, Brownsburg, Ind., 39-35; Mitch Harrell, LaPorte, Ind., 39-35; Jonah Kumfer, Mishawaka, Ind., 39-35; G. Davis Boland, Louisville, Ky., 39-35; Cole Adams, Connersville, Ind., 39-35.

75 (+5): Sam Carraher, Crown Point, Ind., 36-39; Brady Wheeler, New Castle, Ind., 39-36; Fran Kiger, Crown Point, Ind., 39-36; Michael Sharp, Fort Wayne, Ind., 38-37; Blake Lawson, Warsaw, Ind., 42-33.

76 (+6): Brooks Korfhage, Louisville, Ky., 39-37; David Dahms, Ottawa, Ont., 39-37; Brayden Miller, Goshen, Ind., 37-39; Griffin Hare, Tipton, Ind., 40-36; Joey Ranieri, Zionsville, Ind., 40-36; Lane Zedrick, Fishers, Ind., 37-39.

77 (+7): Shawn Nuest, Belding, Mich., 38-39; Jack Burda, Fort Wayne, Ind., 37-40; Cody Bachelor, Pleasant Lake, Ind., 39-38; Bryce Beard, Louisville, Ky., 40-37; Dan Ellis, South Bend, Ind., 38-39; Akshay Anand, Issaquah, Wash., 36-41.

78 (+8): Eric Eberts, Coldwater, Mich., 39-39; Benjamin Divido, Elkhart, Ind., 40-38; Quentyn Carpenter, 39-39. 

79 (+9): Andrew Stineman, Chicago, Ill., 40-39; Yianni Kostouros, Crown Point, Ind., 39--40; Christian Groves, Yorktown, Ind., 40-39.

80 (+10): Spencer Mortola, Howe, Ind., 41-39; Benjarong Murray, Fort Wayne, Ind., 43-37.

81 (+11): Zach Burford, Crown Point, Ind., 41-40; Landon Snyder, Roanoke, Ind., 41-40; Danny Jeong, Carmel, Ind., 44-37. 

84 (+14): Keith Pasqualone II, Elkhart, Ind., 43-41.

85 (+15): Mike Winters, Bloomingdale, Ill., 43-42; Adam Horal, Carmel, Ind., 43-42; Reid Dassow, Indianapolis, Ind., 43-42.

86 (+16): Camden Church, Avon, Ind., 47-39.

Bolton: Embrace weather variable for this week’s Lone Star shootout

Golfbet News

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In a perfect world, we’d prefer to eliminate the unpredictability of the elements of an outdoor sport in favor of data sets that help us understand what our eyes are witnessing. But golf is an imperfect pursuit.

As detailed below, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson will be staged in conditions that, well, amount to the opposite of “golf in a dome” that often serves as the setting for The American Express in the Coachella Valley every winter. Sure, La Quinta, California, isn’t immune to rain and wind, but it’s typically a placebo compared to north Texas in springtime.

So it goes. Deal with it. Embrace the random.

While conditions should be OK most of the time north of Dallas, this still will be a week when it’ll feel like it’s going to be better to be lucky than good. That yields the chance to have some fun.

If your profile is to play it smart and safe, great. But if you’ve ever thought about being a little, say, counterintuitive, give that a go at TPC Craig Ranch. A shootout already is promised, so there’s that headwind for otherwise predictable results, but better-laid plans don’t necessarily apply when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Golfbet Insider Rob Bolton | THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson

At the end of every round and eventually the tournament, there could be a little to learn about the experience, so even if it doesn’t go your way, that’s still something to take forward for the next time the roof is open.

Since Monday’s Power Rankings, in which I always review the weather for the first time every week, the risk of inclement weather for Thursday’s opening round has increased. It includes a very good chance for thunderstorms. Because of the danger, bet the over on a delay at some point. Friday’s forecast is more favorable.

When this happens, it can be shrewd to stack based on the draw in DFS. While blending in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf is advised for the long haul, short-range considerations all but demand betting on the coin flip. You’re already in shark-infested waters, so you might as well jump in with a plan to sink or swim. Treading is only for also-rans.

Another change in the last two days is when the wind will challenge most. Because it’s always the hardest to predict, there are two types of gamers – those who have complained about it and those who will – and you know who you are. Moving Day on Saturday now presents as the best of the bunch, albeit for seriously breezy conditions for Sunday’s finale.

All in all, when the conditions are a crapshoot for a shootout, conviction in decisions is the driving force. Ignore the nuance, dismiss the edge and go all-in on the most compelling combination of factors for your sensibilities.

Power Rankings wild card

Keith Mitchell (+375 = Top 10) … Cashmere Keith has been a top-20 machine in 2024 and he hasn’t gone consecutive starts without one in his last eight starts. Prior to a T28 with Joel Dahmen at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Mitchell placed T14 at the Valero Texas Open for his sixth top 20 of the season. He remains a rock star off the tee and on approach, so the challenge has been wringing consistency out of the putter. Both of his previous appearances at TPC Craig Ranch were when it played as a par 72 (2021 and 2022) and he averaged 69.25. To consider qualifying for next week’s Wells Fargo Championship, he’d need to podium this week, but this finish would be just fine for us.

Other notables

Aaron Rai (+160 = Top English) … Man, what to do with this guy. The Brit always presents so attractively but he isn’t plus value for a finish unless you shop in the market for top 20s at +225, and he’s had only two of those in a dozen starts this year. That’s why to beat five others among his countrymen is the smarter move. (At +350, Matt Wallace is second-shortest among the subset.) Sits 13th on TOUR in greens hit and T32 in proximity.

Daniel Berger (+130 = Top 40) … At some point, he’ll be reinserted into the option to make or miss the cut, but we can’t complain about the kickback for this finish. No, he hasn’t reconnected with the firepower that pushed him to the front of the stage, but if you’re going to hedge on when he’s going to deliver again, you might as well lean in when his only finish at TPC Craig Ranch is a T3 in 2021. The long game is back so you’re relying on this being the week when he (finally) finds magic with the putter. Two top 40s in nine starts this season.

Taiga Semikawa (+225 = Top 40) … With Peter Kuest hogging the headlines among non-members at TPC Craig Ranch, it’s easy to overlook the 23-year-old from Japan who’s making his fourth PGA TOUR start of the season. He’s making the trip from a T24 at the ISPS HANDA CHAMPIONSHIP but his youth is a weapon against jet lag. He’s already a four-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour where he placed second in the Order of Merit in 2023. We’re not asking for a victory (at +25000), just a return to some form that rewarded his muscle off the tee and precision on approach on his home circuit last year.

NOTE: Not everything needs a setup. For a variety of reasons, these lines are too enticing to ignore.

• PARLAY: Thomas Detry, Keith Mitchell and Adam Schenk (+190 = All to Make the Cut)
• Aaron Baddeley (+200 = Top 40)
• Rafael Campos (+333 = Top 40)
• Nico Echavarria (+300 = Top South American)
• Nate Lashley (+125 = Top 40)
• Henrik Norlander (+230 = Top 40)
• Kevin Tway (+170 = Top 40)

Notable WDs

Patrick Rodgers … This is his second early withdrawal of the season (WM Phoenix) to go with his mid-tournament exit from the Valero Texas Open, but he’s 37th in the FedExCup with three top 10s among six top 25s. Look for him as well at Quail Hollow Club next week.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout … A T3 at the ISPS HANDA CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan on Sunday lifted the South African to 53rd in the Official World Golf Ranking, so he’s in terrific position to qualify for the U.S. Open when the top 60 gain entry at the conclusion of the PGA Championship for which he’ll qualify via the OWGR early next week. He also might sneak into the field at next week’s Wells Fargo Championship via the Aon Next 10, in which he’s currently ninth.

Charley Hoffman … Rests after a T4-T11 fortnight that lifted him to 59th in the FedExCup. Suffice it to say that the 47-year-old has capitalized on the opportunities yielded by long-range insurance of a career earnings exemption this season.

Membership notes

Erik Barnes … Will Zalatoris is a headliner among the comeback stories in 2024, but Barnes deserves similar attention. Now almost 13 full months post-reconstructive surgery on the MPFL in his left knee, he’s 87th in the FedExCup with a playoff loss at the Puerto Rico Open punctuating six paydays in nine starts. Has eight starts on a medical extension to collect 46.563 FedExCup points. (He’s closest to his goal among all golfers on medicals.) That would require no worse than a solo 19th-place finish (worth 47 points) at TPC Craig Ranch where he’s making his debut. Because he’s already cleared the threshold for conditional status, he’s eligible for the Playoffs even if he falls short of the target on the medical, but fulfilling the medical would promote him from the graduate reshuffle category to the Major Medical category. It also would grant him the opportunity to tee it up in every open without sweating the cutline for entry on conditional status.

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER today.

Rob Bolton is a Golfbet columnist for the PGA TOUR. The Chicagoland native has been playing fantasy golf since 1994, so he was just waiting for the Internet to catch up with him. Follow Rob Bolton on Twitter .

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2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson predictions, expert picks, odds, field rankings, golf best bets at TPC Craig Ranch

The pga tour returns to the lone star state this week as the latest full-field event takes center stage.

A busy stretch of golf continues on the PGA Tour this week as players travel to TPC Craig Ranch for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Taking to the par-71 layout for the fourth time in tournament history, players should expect ideal scoring conditions and plenty of birdies with a winning score potentially approaching 30 under.

Last year, it was Jason Day who emerged victorious as the Australian jumped back into the winner's circle for the first time in over five years. Now, he hopes to become the first golfer since K.H. Lee in 2022 to defend his Byron Nelson title

Day leads a large international contingent which includes Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Sungjae Im and a couple of Dallas-area residents in Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim. The Kims aren't the only local flavor to be making a tournament appearance; native Texan Jordan Spieth will also be in the field.

Spieth enters the Byron Nelson, a tournament where he made his PGA Tour debut as a high schooler many moons ago, without a ton of form. While the game has been tough for him, Spieth should relish the opportunity to play on home soil, especially since he nearly won this event a couple years ago. 

While two weeks still separate players from the second major championship of the season, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson will represent the last call for preparation for some as next week's Wells Fargo Championship welcomes a limited field to Quail Hollow for a signature event.

2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson schedule

Dates:  May 2-5 |  Location:  TPC Craig Ranch — McKinney, Texas Par:  71 |  Yardage:  7,414 |  Purse:  $9,500,000

2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson field, odds

• Jordan Spieth (14-1): The hometown kid has come close to taking down the Byron Nelson but has yet to add this trophy to his mantle. Spieth has found a little juice ever since the tournament transitioned to TPC Craig Ranch; he notched a top 10 in his first go around and finished runner-up to K.H. Lee in 2022. What he does this time is anyone's best guess as his form has been lackadaisical and his wrist has been nagging him. In his last seven starts, Spieth has one top 10, three missed cuts and a disqualification. He needs to find something in his game and fast.
• Si Woo Kim (16-1)
• Jason Day (20-1): The defending champion has been hit-or-miss since claiming his second Byron Nelson crown. While he has a number of quality results over the last year, Day has struggled with some consistency and arrives at TPC Craig Ranch looking to find something in his iron play specifically. The former world No. 1 has lost strokes on approach in four of his last five starts but has been buoyed by a strong effort from the putter. If he hopes to keep up in this birdie barrage, Day will need to squeeze more out of those scoring clubs.
• Adam Scott (22-1)
• Byeong Hun An (25-1)
• Alex Noren (25-1)
• Min Woo Lee (25-1): It hasn't been the best first full season on the PGA Tour for Lee, but he has flashed signs. He comes into Texas off a quality Masters start where he hit his driver brilliantly and found a little something with the irons. If those clubs continue to cooperate, Lee should have his way with the wide-open nature of TPC Craig Ranch. He's missed only one cut in 2024 but only has one top 20 -- a runner-up finish at the Cognizant Classic in early March.
• Sungjae Im (28-1): Im has been experiencing a difficult start to 2024, but he may be back on the upward trajectory following a quick trip to his native South Korea. The 26-year-old snatched a victory on the Korean Tour and continued a mini spurt of solid play that includes a T12 at the RBC Heritage. His game sets up well for TPC Craig Ranch, but between four straight weeks of action and worldwide travel, it may be a difficult ask.
• Tom Hoge (28-1)
• Tom Kim (28-1): Kim looks to be trending towards the type of player who picked off three early wins in his PGA Tour career. His iron play shined at Augusta National where he finished with a final-round 66, and he carried this over to Hilton Head where he finished T18. This marks Kim's third appearance in this tournament after finishing T17 in his debut and T34 a season ago.

2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson expert picks

Who will win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and which longshots will stun the golfing world?  Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets , all from the model that's nailed 11 golf majors and is up more than $9,000 since June 2020.

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