Golf News — Weekly Digest

Updated every Thursday with the week’s top beats from the pro tours.

Week of April 23, 2026 — Golf News Digest

Two of golf’s most distinct formats — the LPGA’s first major and the PGA Tour’s only team event — tee off simultaneously on Thursday as the Chevron Championship and the Zurich Classic both open their first rounds. Meanwhile, a bombshell Financial Times report confirming that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will not fund LIV Golf beyond 2026 cast a long shadow over the circuit, deepened by Bryson DeChambeau’s wrist withdrawal and reports of secret exit meetings during Masters week.

  1. Chevron Championship: LPGA’s major season begins at Memorial Park The LPGA Tour’s first major of 2026 opens Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston — a change of scene after three years at Carlton Woods. The $9 million purse, with $1.35 million going to the winner, signals the highest-stakes week on the women’s calendar so far this year. Defending champion Mao Saigo prevailed in a five-player playoff at the 2025 edition, and the world’s top five — Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda, Hyo Joo Kim, Charley Hull and Hannah Green — are all in the Houston field. Moving the event from the suburban Carlton Woods layout to a genuine city-park muni is a bold statement about the LPGA’s ambitions in a market that the PGA Tour’s Houston Open has already validated.
  2. Zurich Classic of New Orleans: 80 teams take on TPC Louisiana Running parallel this week at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, the Zurich Classic is the only officially sanctioned team event on the PGA Tour. The 80 two-man partnerships alternate between four-ball and foursomes formats across the four rounds. Notable pairings include the Fitzpatrick brothers — Matt fresh off his RBC Heritage playoff win paired with amateur brother Alex — plus Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry in a pairing that has raised eyebrows for its contrasting philosophies. Defending champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak are back to defend a title they earned here in 2025.
  3. DeChambeau wrist injury and LIV exit meetings add to turbulence Bryson DeChambeau withdrew before the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City last weekend, citing wrist discomfort after two rounds of play in which he sat 2-over and 16 strokes behind winner Jon Rahm. The withdrawal was already curious, but multiple credible outlets including The Mirror and GolfMagic subsequently reported that DeChambeau’s team held private meetings during Masters week to explore options should he choose to leave LIV Golf, whose 2026 contract expires at the end of this season. DeChambeau pushed back publicly, saying work on a new contract with LIV is ongoing and he has “not given up on that.” He intends to return at LIV Golf Virginia, scheduled for May 7–10.
  4. Saudi PIF to end LIV Golf funding after 2026 — and the CEO can’t deny it The week’s most consequential golf story was not on any leaderboard. Multiple major outlets — the Financial Times, The Athletic, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal — separately reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has decided it will not fund LIV Golf beyond the current 2026 season. CEO Scott O’Neil confirmed that the 2026 schedule will proceed “full throttle” and that funding is secure through December, but offered no assurance beyond that. The PIF has reportedly spent approximately $5 billion on LIV since its 2022 launch. Saudi domestic investment priorities have intensified in the context of regional economic pressures, and LIV — which has operated at a loss in a market that never fully embraced it — did not survive the audit.
  5. Aronimink counts down: PGA Championship three weeks away Construction crews at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, are working through the week as the club prepares to host the 108th PGA Championship, May 14–17. More than 200,000 spectators are expected across the four days — the most for a PGA Championship in recent memory. The course has been stretched and tightened for the pros, with fully carpeted hospitality structures with glass walls taking shape around the par-70, 7,237-yard layout. CBS Sports and PGA of America have jointly announced “The Road to Bandon,” a preview show timed around the PGA Professional Championship, building television momentum into Aronimink week.
  6. PGA Professionals chase 20 Aronimink berths at Bandon Dunes The PGA Professional Championship opens Sunday at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, with 312 club professionals competing for 20 coveted spots in the PGA Championship field. The Bandon Dunes setting — regarded as one of the finest links-style layouts in the United States — adds extra theatre to what is already a high-pressure qualifier. Professionals who navigate the April 26–29 event join a star-studded field at Aronimink where the defending major champion is Rory McIlroy, who arrives off consecutive Masters victories.
  7. DP World Tour lands in Shanghai for the Volvo China Open While the world’s attention is fixed on events in the United States, the DP World Tour opens the Volvo China Open this Thursday at Enhance Anting GC in Shanghai. The $2.75 million purse — offering $467,500 to the winner and 585 Race to Dubai points — is a significant mid-season opportunity. Defending champion Ashun Wu, who won the 2025 edition with a closing 65, leads a strong field headed by Eugenio Chacarra, Freddy Schott and Thriston Lawrence. McIlroy is not in the Shanghai field; his next DP World Tour commitment is expected to be the Cadillac Championship at Doral on April 30.

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Week of April 22, 2026 — Golf News Digest

Matt Fitzpatrick ended his title drought with a playoff win over Scottie Scheffler at Harbour Town, Jon Rahm took a commanding LIV Golf Mexico City victory, and the game’s attention is shifting toward Aronimink and the second major of 2026. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy has quietly stepped back from competition for a fortnight after his Masters triumph.

  1. Fitzpatrick edges Scheffler in Harbour Town playoff Matt Fitzpatrick claimed the biggest win of his 2026 season at the RBC Heritage, draining a 13-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th in sudden death to edge world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at Harbour Town Golf Links. Fitzpatrick fired a closing 1-under 70 to force the playoff, then converted with authority on the first extra hole. The victory earned him $3.6 million from a $20 million purse and reinforces his standing as a live contender at Aronimink next month.
  2. Rahm runs riot at LIV Golf Mexico City Jon Rahm was emphatically in a different class at Club de Golf Chapultepec, shooting a bogey-free 7-under 64 in the final round to win LIV Golf Mexico City by six strokes from compatriot David Puig. Josele Ballester completed an all-Spanish podium, while Rahm’s Legion XIII swept the team title by nine shots — their third Mexico City crown. The victory is Rahm’s second individual LIV win of 2026 and his 16th overall, making him the series’ all-time winningest player.
  3. Cink dominates the Senior PGA Championship Stewart Cink made The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida look comfortable, posting 19-under 269 and winning the Senior PGA Championship by six strokes from Ben Crane. The $540,000 winner’s share from a $3 million purse rewards a performance that was never in doubt after the opening two rounds. Cink continues to be among the PGA Tour Champions’ most consistent winners.
  4. McIlroy takes a break, Race to Dubai standings shift Rory McIlroy was absent from the RBC Heritage field — he has said publicly that Harbour Town does not suit his game — and has confirmed a two-week pause from competition following his second consecutive Masters win. The Augusta result moved him to second in the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World on 1,934.20 points. The Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral (April 30) is his likely next start, with the PGA Championship at Aronimink (May 14–17) the major on the horizon.
  5. Aronimink countdown: four weeks to the PGA Championship The sport’s focus is settling on Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, which hosts the PGA Championship for the first time since 1962. The par-70, 7,237-yard layout in suburban Philadelphia is expected to draw more than 200,000 spectators across May 14–17. McIlroy arrives chasing a consecutive Masters–PGA double; Scheffler, the world No. 1, arrives desperate to add major silverware to what has otherwise been a dominant 2026 season.
  6. World rankings — the two-man summit holds The official world golf rankings post-RBC Heritage confirm Scottie Scheffler at No. 1 and Rory McIlroy at No. 2. Scheffler’s playoff defeat to Fitzpatrick narrowed the gap only marginally given the points buffer he carries, but it marks another week in which he has not converted when the final hole mattered most.
  7. Menante takes maiden Korn Ferry title at Tulum Dylan Menante claimed his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the Tulum Championship in style, winning by six strokes over Blades Brown at PGA Riviera Maya in Mexico with a total of 19-under 269. First wins on the development circuit rarely arrive by such a comfortable margin, and Menante now has a PGA Tour card firmly in his sights as the season builds.

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