Morning 9: Rory: Player of Year 2 horse race | Tiger’s impact as player director | Tour Champ photos

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day on of the tour finale at East Lake gets underway.

1. McIlroy: Woods making an impact as player director

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”In the announcement, commissioner Jay Monahan said adding Woods to the board was an attempt “to restore any lost trust or confidence that occurred as a result of the surprise announcement of our framework agreement” in June. According to Monahan, the negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a for-profit entity that would include the Tour, LIV Golf and the European circuit are ongoing, but Woods’ impact on the board has already been felt.”

• “I think it’s meaningful that he’s on it, that he’s engaged. He’s certainly been spending more time on it than I have,” said Rory McIlroy, who is also a player director on the policy board. “He’s been talking to some people. He’s been talking to a lot of people. He’s really engaged in just trying to get the best outcome for the players on the PGA Tour. I think his difference has been felt already. I think it will only continue to – his presence on there will only continue to grow as we head towards that December 31 deadline.”

• “Officials are under pressure to reach a definitive deal with the PIF before the end of the year when the framework agreement expires. Unlike the original agreement to explore a possible deal – which was negotiated in secret with no input from players – a potential long-term deal would have to be approved by the entire policy board.”

2. Scheffler: Playoff format isn’t the best

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”The world No. 1 golfer still isn’t convinced that the Tour Championship, with its staggered-scoring format, is the best way for the PGA Tour to decide its season-long champion and winner of an $18 million bonus.”

• “I wouldn’t say that it is the best format to identify the best golfer for the year,” Scheffler said Wednesday at East Lake Golf Club. “Jon Rahm played some of the best golf of anybody this year and he’s coming into this tournament fourth and he’s 4 shots back. And, in theory, he could have won 20 times this year and he would only have a 2-shot lead.”

3. McIlroy: POY is a two-horse race

Golf Monthly’s Mike Hall…”McIlroy spoke to the media before the tournament gets underway, and said he thinks it’s between 2022 winner Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm for the Player of the Year award, with the Spaniard just in front with one event to play.”

• “He said: “I think Scottie’s won twice this year, Jon’s won four times, Jon’s won the Masters, Scottie’s won The Players. If you go on total wins – it’s hard because how can you not – it’s going to be really difficult because Scottie’s had – he could end up with the best ball-striking season of all time.”

• “He’s hit the ball as good, if not better, than Tiger hit it in 2000. Which is the benchmark for all of us. But I think Jon probably has a little more to show for his year.”

4. McIlroy: Lack of LIV players won’t hurt Europe’s chances

BBC report…”Rory McIlroy has said the absence of LIV players from Team Europe will have no bearing on their chances of reclaiming the Ryder Cup this year.”

• “European stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are ineligible after resigning from the DP World Tour.”

• “While American players are eligible, McIlroy does not think LIV players would boost Europe’s bid in Rome.”

• “No, I don’t think it would make a difference for us,” said the world number two.

5. Scheffler, Harman OK with Koepka on Ryder Cup team

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”As Brooks Koepka awaits a decision on whether he will be chosen for the U.S. Ryder Cup squad, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler and Open Championship winner Brian Harman, who have already qualified for the team, say they wouldn’t mind having him as a teammate, even after he left the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf League in June 2022.”

• “Koepka, a five-time major champion who tied for second at the Masters and won his third PGA Championship in May, fell out of the top six in the points standings this week, finishing 29 points behind Xander Schauffele for the final automatic spot on the team. Koepka will need to be one of Zach Johnson’s six captain’s picks if he is going to compete against Europe in Italy next month.”

• “Brooks? I mean, I looked at the points list the other night,” said Scheffler, who is first in Ryder Cup points. “I think he was 30 points shy? I think it was the equivalent of like $30,000 throughout the year. So if he played one tournament on tour, I think he probably would have been on the team.”

6. McIlroy’s mindset

Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee…”Majors notwithstanding, McIlroy is on yet another one of his career heaters. He comes into the Tour Championship in third place, starting three strokes behind leader Scottie Scheffler and very much a threat to capture his fourth FedEx Cup. (Another debate: whether it’s tougher to win a one-week major or a three- to four-tournament playoff.)”

• “Maybe McIlroy would be thriving no matter what the external circumstances, or maybe he’s swinging a little bit easier now that he’s no longer in the midst of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf battle. He brushed off a question about the United States Ryder Cup team possibly adding LIV players to its roster with a curt “I don’t think it would make a difference for us.”

• “But McIlroy is also, in his words, “less emotionally involved” in the business of pushing the PGA Tour forward, largely because what’s needed now is not what interests him.”

7. All 30 Tour Championship WITBs

Welcome to the only place on the internet you’ll see in-hand photos and WITBs for all 30 players in the Tour Championship! (Rory McIlroy’s bag pictured in the featured image)

• With the PGA Tour season wrapping up at East Lake this week, we wanted to do something a little different, and dare we say, momentous: full-field WITBs. (Yes, yes, we know it’s a lot easier to do the full field when there are only 30 guys in the field…)

• With that said, and without further ado, let’s get to the WITBs!

8. ‘A lot of work to do’ on PGA Tour-PIF deal

A.J. Perez for Front Office Sports…”Since the framework agreement announced in June, progress has been slow toward finalizing an agreement that would officially end golf’s divide between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed LIV, two sources with knowledge of the negotiations told Front Office Sports.

• “There’s a lot of work to do,” one source said.

• “The lack of movement has left some within the process questioning whether a final agreement can even be reached by the Dec. 31 deadline, which can be extended. The five-page framework was the first crucial step toward unifying the assets of the PGA Tour, LIV, and DP World Tour into one commercial entity that would have at least $1 billion in investments from PIF.”

9. Photos from the Tour Championship

• Check out all of our galleries from East Lake here.