Browsing: holes

Michael Brennan has won three PGA Tour-sanctioned events this year, but you almost certainly missed them.

The 24-year-old Brennan won eight times in college as a star at Wake Forest. He finished 12th in the PGA Tour University Rankings in 2024, which earned him a spot on the PGA Tour Americas. This year, Brennan won three times on that tour during a summer heater. Those wins propelled him to the top of the PGA Tour Americas points list and punched his ticket to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2026.

But the long-hitting kid from West Virginia hopes to bypass the KFT and head straight to the PGA Tour.

Brennan is in the field at this week’s Bank of Utah Championship on a sponsor’s invite, and he’s making the most of the opportunity. Brennan opened with rounds of 67 and 65 to take the co-lead into the weekend. The 23-year-old made a double bogey on his second hole on Saturday at Black Desert Resort, but he quickly bounced back, playing his final 16 holes in nine under to get to 17 under and take a two-shot lead into the final round.

A win on Sunday would give Brennan a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour as well as spots in the PGA Championship and Players Championship.

In short, in 18 holes on Sunday, everything could change for Michael Brennan.

“It would mean a lot,” Brennan said after shooting a seven-under 64 on Saturday. “It’s been my goal growing up to play on the PGA TOUR. I know my parents showed me things I wrote in kindergarten what my dream job is. It was always to play professional golf and to do so on the highest level.”

Michael Brennan sets up eagle at No. 18

The Wake Forest product admitted he felt “a little nervous” as Saturday’s third round got underway. The double bogey on the second hole was frustrating, but he quickly stabilized things with a birdie on the fourth hole and then stuffed his second shot on the par-5 seventh to three feet to set up an eagle. From there, he was off and running on his way to a two-shot 54-hole lead over defending champion Matt McCarty.

Sunday will be a massive day for Brennan and his career. Yes, he has a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour next season, but chances to jump onto the PGA Tour are hard to come by. There’s no guarantee his ascent will continue in a straight line. As Brennan prepares for a potentially life-changing round on Sunday, he’ll lean on a simple motto that his agent always sends him.

“Treat it like it’s River Creek,” Brennan said of what his agent will text him. “That was a course I grew up playing and have some really, really fond memories playing with my family, brother, and a bunch of friends out there. That’s where I grew up basically was at the club. It’s a very kind of calming and peaceful place to me. So when I try to imagine I’m hitting shots, just a 7-iron I would hit at River Creek, makes me feel a little bit better out on the golf course.”

Brennan has built his two-shot lead with the driver. He leads the tournament in strokes gained: off the tee (5.912), driving distance (359.20 yards) and is fourth in driving accuracy (90.48%). He’s also ninth in putting and second in scrambling.

Brennan knows that anything can happen on a tournament Sunday.

Last year, he had a four-shot lead with nine holes to play during the final event of the PGA Tour Americas season. A win would have guaranteed Brennan a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour. He double bogeyed 13 and made a quad on 14 to finish T3. Brennan has said that he learned from that experience. While he was nervous on Saturday, he noted the nerves were no different from the ones he felt while leading and winning on the Americas Tour this year.

Sunday might be different. It might not. But Brennan plans to view the 18 holes in front of him as if they were on his home track and let the chips fall where they may. Eightteen holes to change everything.

“I have a great opportunity tomorrow, so try to take advantage of it, stay focused, but also play golf at River Creek,” Brennan said.

“We’ll see.”

Before he ever thought about routing a golf hole, David Gang was writing code.

A software engineer, he came to the game in his late 20s at a sleepy course near his home in western New York, sneaking in holes at dawn and dusk. He loved the solitude and the challenge. But it wasn’t until his son, Matthew, who has Down syndrome, fell for golf that Gang’s interest deepened into something else. A pivotal moment came during a pro-am at Sherwood Country Club in Southern California, when Matthew, then 8, got to walk the course with Tiger Woods.

“Tiger was so warm and welcoming; he basically invited Matthew into his world,” David Gang told me the other day. “It was a reminder of what a powerful force golf can be.”

Gang came away resolved to create a place that reflected the joy that he and Matthew felt when they played — an accessible, flexible and engaging course, rooted in camaraderie and a sense of belonging.

That vision has taken shape at Storm King Golf Club in the Hudson Valley, on a modest parcel in the shadow of a mountain of the same name. Revising an existing design by Chris Gray, Gang has brought an entirely new course to life, one that breaks with 18-hole convention but hews faithfully to the spirit of the game. The foundation is a walkable nine of roughly 3,000 yards, though the routing splinters and reconnects through an intricate network of tees and greens — five distinct nine-hole loops, more than 30 teeing options, and some 225,000 square feet of putting surface (more than double of what’s found on a typical 18-hole course), including double, triple, and even a quadruple green. The result is a kind of golf kaleidoscope, upward of 45 possible holes depending on the path you choose.

Storm King is a kind of golf kaleidoscope.

courtesy of storm king

Stitched over it all is a 19-hole short course that strings together par-3s across the property — a lighter, faster option for a quick loop or a spirited match with friends. Gang describes it as “golf, reimagined.”

He conceived of Storm King around three guiding principles: playability, maintainability, and sustainability. The turf is tended by robot mowers. The footprint is small, the inputs minimal. You can get around in little more than an hour or lose an afternoon trying new combinations. Post a score, or don’t — the real point is the company and the walk.

Gang is 69. Early in his career, he helped build AOL before launching his own software company, Brightspot. He’s done well for himself. Storm King is his way of doing well for others. Though the business plan is still in flux, it promises to be something of a hybrid, with fractional-ownership memberships that allow small groups to rent the course out for the day; select windows set aside for public access; and events with proceeds earmarked for charitable organizations.

This past weekend marked the first of those events — the Storm King Match Play Invitational — which featured a field of 32 adaptive golfers and wounded veterans, playing in support of Tunnel to Towers, a nonprofit that helps first responders and military veterans.

The course was buzzing. But, Gang says, “it still felt empty. We could have easily hosted 40 to 48 golfers playing simultaneously without hiccups.”

There will be time for that. Storm King is welcoming limited play by invitation through Nov. 15 before shutting down for the season. It will reopen June 1 next year.

Explore our all-new Course Finder

Golf courses near you? Search here!

Begin Browsing

JACKSON, Miss. — Steven Fisk said he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his first PGA Tour victory, and it took birdies on his last three holes Sunday to close with an 8-under 64 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Fisk and Garrick Higgo of South Africa finally separated themselves over the closing holes at the Country Club of Jackson, and they put on quite a show.

They were tied when Fisk missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 15th. That turned out to be his last mistake.

He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and Higgo said he heard someone in the crowd say, “Take that, Higgo.” The South African answered with a 12-foot birdie of his own — his fourth in a row on the back nine — and playfully put his finger against his lips with a smile.

Fisk hit wedge that danced around the cup and settled 3 feet away on the 17th. Higgo answered again with a wedge to just outside 3 feet. It appeared as though it would go down to the wire, except that Higgo’s short birdie putt caught the left lip.

Fisk pulled one ahead with the birdie and then left no doubt with an approach to 4 feet for one final birdie to win by two shots over Higgo.

Steven Fisk reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th green and shakes hands with Garrick Higgo. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

“I came out today with an attitude that nothing was going to stop me,” Fisk said during his Golf Channel interview on the 18th green. “I just felt like I’d be standing right here, right now, before the round started. I know I’m good enough. I thought I could do it.”

And he did, finishing at 24-under 264 for a win that carries big benefits for the 28-year-old who played his college golf at Georgia Southern and who played on the 2019 Walker Cup team at Royal Liverpool.

Fisk was at No. 135 in the FedEx Cup standings, destined to return to the Korn Ferry Tour unless he made up ground during the remaining two months of the Fall Series. Only the top 100 at the end of the season keep full cards.

He now has a two-year exemption through 2027, after it took him five years to get to the tour.

“To have some job security is pretty nice,” Fisk said. “It’s been a long, hard year.”

Higgo looked to have taken himself out of the mix with a bogey-bogey start to the back nine. But then he ran off four straight birdies to catch Fisk, and was poised to make it five in a row until the short miss at the 17th that cost him.

“My mindset was to birdie every hole,” Higgo said. “I almost did that. Steven did the same, so hats off to him.”

Danny Walker was tied for the lead early on the back nine, but he hit it into the water going for the green on the par-5 11th and made bogey, and then drove left into a hazard on the 17th that led to another bogey. He shot 69 and tied for third with Vince Whaley (67) and Ryder Cup player Rasmus Hojgaard, who had a 66-65 weekend.

All three of those players came away with a small consolation prize. Hojgaard was at No. 87 in the FedEx Cup, which is why he left the Ryder Cup celebration in New York for Mississippi. He went up 12 spots to No. 75.

The other two moved up 18 spots, Whaley to No. 84 and Walker to No. 86.

“I won’t be quite as stressed out, hopefully, around that 100 number,” said Walker, who had missed the cut in eight straight tournaments coming into the Sanderson Farms Championship. “You can just go to play to win, really. That will be a lot nicer feeling.”

Hojgaard, Whaley and Walker were among those headed for Japan for the Baycurrent Classic, the lone PGA Tour stop in Asia this year.

JACKSON, Miss. — Steven Fisk said he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his first PGA Tour victory, and it took birdies on his last three holes Sunday to close with an 8-under 64 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Fisk and Garrick Higgo of South Africa finally separated themselves over the closing holes at the Country Club of Jackson, and they put on quite a show.

They were tied when Fisk missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 15th. That turned out to be his last mistake.

He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and Higgo said he heard someone in the crowd say, “Take that, Higgo.†The South African answered with a 12-foot birdie of his own — his fourth in a row on the back nine — and playfully put his finger against his lips with a smile.

Fisk hit wedge that danced around the cup and settled 3 feet away on the 17th. Higgo answered again with a wedge to just outside 3 feet. It appeared as though it would go down to the wire, except that Higgo’s short birdie putt caught the left lip.

Fisk pulled one head with the birdie, and then left no doubt with an approach to 4 feet for one final birdie to win by two shots over Higgo.

“I came out today with an attitude that nothing was going to stop me,†Fisk said during his Golf Channel interview on the 18th green. “I just felt like I’d be standing right here, right now, before the round started. I know I’m good enough. I thought I could do it.â€

And he did, finishing at 24-under 264 for a win that carries big benefits for the 28-year-old who played his college golf at Georgia Southern and who played on the 2019 Walker Cup team at Royal Liverpool.

Fisk was at No. 135 in the FedExCup standings, destined to return to the Korn Ferry Tour unless he made up ground during the remaining two months of the Fall Series. Only the top 100 at the end of the season keep full cards.

He now has a two-year exemption through 2027, after it took him five years to get to the tour.

“To have some job security is pretty nice,†Fisk said. “It’s been a long, hard year.â€

Higgo looked to have taken himself out of the mix with a bogey-bogey start to the back nine. But then he ran off four straight birdies to catch Fisk, and was poised to make it five in a row until the short miss at the 17th that cost him.

“My mindset was to birdie every hole,†Higgo said. “I almost did that. Steven did the same, so hats off to him.â€

Here’s how the $6 million purse was paid out at Jackson Country Club in Jackson, Mississippi.

Danny Walker was tied for the lead early on the back nine, but he hit it into the water going for the green on the par-5 11th and made bogey, and then drove left into a hazard on the 17th that led to another bogey. He shot 69 and tied for third with Vince Whaley (67) and Ryder Cup player Rasmus Hojgaard, who had a 66-65 weekend.

All three of those players came away with a small consolation prize. Hojgaard was at No. 87 in the FedExCup, which is why he left the Ryder Cup celebration in New York for Mississippi. He went up 12 spots to No. 75.

The other two moved up 18 spots, Whaley to No. 84 and Walker to No. 86.

“I won’t be quite as stressed out, hopefully, around that 100 number,†said Walker, who had missed the cut in eight straight tournaments coming into the Sanderson Farms Championship. “You can just go to play to win, really. That will be a lot nicer feeling.â€

Hojgaard, Whaley and Walker were among those headed for Japan for the Baycurrent Classic, the lone PGA Tour stop in Asia this year.

What normally is a fantastic week of pro-am golf in the Home of Golf has been ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Amy. The lovable, celebrity-laden Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews has been reduced to just 54 holes as Saturday’s third round was postponed.

Sunday’s final round has thus been canceled as most of the U.K. and Northern Europe has been battling Storm Amy — the remnants of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, which managed to merge over the Atlantic.

What that means for the golf is that Scotland’s very own, Bob MacIntyre, is looking to add to his homeland trophy case. MacIntyre caught plenty of the worst of the wind on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, carding a second straight 66 to sit at 12 under and tied for the lead. MacIntyre said the weather was mostly as bad as he’s played in lately. He and the field were in place and ready to go with as many layers as needed, but high winds kept the course from being playable.

Photographers had a field day capturing players taking cover behind tournament signs, and MacIntyre using a massive, white hand-warmer pouch with electric heating. Metal fencing surrounding the driving range had been tipped over by high winds, which were the main delay of play on Saturday.

Getty Images

Getty Images

The Dunhill Links is a pro-am starring the likes of Bill Murray, Andy Murray — no relation, best we can tell — Piers Morgan, Catherine Zeta-Jones and many others. Groups play one round on St. Andrews’ Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, always playing the final round of the championship on the Old Course. With the final round now canceled, teams will still play the remaining course on their journey — it just might not be the Old Course, which was covered in water whenever it flashed across the broadcast.

MacIntyre’s best competition at the moment is Richard Sterne, who also sits at 12 under. Sterne was able to avoid some of the worst weather in his draw, but will now be playing in most of the same conditions as MacIntyre on Sunday.

“After all the years of playing here,” Sterne began, “sometimes you get good draws. Sometimes you get bad draws and today I got a good draw. Pretty happy with that.”

The South African will be up against the local fans, surely, with MacIntyre’s name on the leaderboard. Just four shots back is Brooks Koepka, who has been on a Euro trip of sorts. Koepka played both the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, missing the cut in both and even failing to break 80 in the second round of the Irish Open. Koepka then finished solo third at the French Open and is in position to contend Sunday in Scotland … so long as the weather allows.

The third and final round will kick off again at 9 a.m. local time, where the weather is currently calling for no rain, but 20+ mph winds, with gusts around 35 mph. To the victor go the spoils of a trophy, a photo shoot on the Swilcan Bridge … and hopefully a hot drink afterward.

HONOLULU — Akie Iwai shot an 8-under 64 in calm morning conditions Wednesday at Hoakalei Country Club to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship.

She played alongside twin sister Chisato.

“It was fun,†Akie said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, too.â€

The 23-year-old Japanese sisters have each won this year as tour rookies. Chisato broke through at Mayakoba in Mexico in May, and Akie won the Portland Classic in August.

On Wednesday, Akie birdied three of the first four holes. Then, after making six birdies in a nine-hole span, she closed with a bogey on the par-3 ninth. Chisati opened with a 70.

Fellow Japanese player Nasa Hataoka was a stroke at back at 65 with Gabriela Ruffels of Australia and Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.

“We played at 7:30 this morning and the wind wasn’t up,†Ruffels said. “I feel like the defense of this golf course is the wind, so having an afternoon tee time tomorrow, I feel like it’s going to be a bit trickier and it might be tougher to shoot a lower number.â€

Defending champion A Lim Kim of South Korea had the best round of the afternoon session, making four straight birdies on the back nine in a 66. Thai players Patty Tavatanakit and Pornanong Phatlum shot 66 in the morning.

Nelly Korda opened with a 69 in the afternoon, birdieing the first three holes, then offsetting two bogeys with two birdies the rest of the way.

“A little bit of an up-and-down round, but overall, happy to get it in at 3 under par,†Korda said. “Definitely have a long way to go to get in contention.â€

Coming off a seven-victory season, she hasn’t won this year and has lost her No. 1 ranking to Jeeno Thitikul. The tour has had a different winner in all 24 of its official tournaments this year.

Charley Hull matched playing partner Korda with a 69. Hull won the Kroger Queen City Championship three weeks ago in Ohio after Thitikul four-putted the final hole.

Brooke Henderson, the 2018 and 2019 winner at Ko Olina, shot 70 in the afternoon.

After the event, the LPGA heads to Asia for tournaments five straight weeks in Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.

The LPGA has canceled the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship after only 18 holes.

No player completed more than three holes of Saturday’s second round at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, because of heavy rain, and after an additional 3.25 inches fell overnight, tournament officials made the decision to scrap the remainder of the originally scheduled 54-hole tournament.

“Based on the weather forecast for the remainder of today and all-day Monday and Tuesday, it is highly unlikely that 36 holes could be completed to make it an official event,†the LPGA said in a statement.

With scores reverting to 18 holes, the event will be unofficial with no CME points awarded. The LPGA will later announce how the purse will be distributed.

“For now, please know that our partners at Walmart and P&G have generously committed to pay out more than what’s required in the event of a tournament cancellation,†the LPGA added. “In addition, they’ve also committed to ensuring every player receives compensation regardless of where they stand on the leaderboard after 18 holes of play.

Sarah Schmelzel and Minami Katsu each shot 8-udner 63 in the first round, while Alison Lee had reached 8 under after playing her first three holes Saturday in 1 under. Lee will now slide back to 7 under, along with five others.

Kevin PeltonSep 12, 2025, 08:00 AM ETClose Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers Developed…

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Luke Poulter had a day to remember Thursday at Cypress Point.Off early on the second-to-last day…