Player calls for LIV truce

Golf fans, good morning! It has been an exciting weekend of action on all four tours.

Rory wins the top spot, 1 Rahm wins

AP report …”Rory McIlroy ended the year as Europe’s top-ranked golfer, for the fourth and first time since 2015. Jon Rahm won the DP World Tour Championship.

• “The Spaniard won by two shots over Tyrrell Hatton of England and Alex Noren from Sweden. This was his third victory in six years at Jumeirah Golf Estates.”

• “But McIlroy ended the season on top of the DP World Rankings after Matt Fitzpatrick was unable to complete the job.

• McIlroy had to win to become champion of the U.S. Open, and McIlroy could not be runner-up. McIlroy also needed to win to remain in the top seven.

2. PGA Tour: Svensson breaksthrough

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard The 28-year old Canadian shot a 6-under 64 Sunday at Sea Island’s Seaside Course. He beat Brian Harman, Sahith theegala, and Callum Tarren to win his first Tour victory at 19 under. Svensson made four birdies on the back nine of his round, including two consecutive on Nos. 16 and 17. 16 and 17 were able to lead by two shots to the 18th hole.

3. Ko wins $2 Million CME Group Tour Championship

NZ Herald report …”Lydia Ko has never won more than Sunday’s CME Group Tour Championship. She claimed the highest prize in women’s golf at US$2,000,000 and was awarded the LPGA Player of the Year.

• “Ko defeated Leona Maguire from Ireland in the final round. She took control with a seven foot birdie putt on 16th hole. Then, she closed with two-under 70 for victory by two shots.

• “… The 25-year-old Kiwi won the US$2m (NZ$3.25m), title in LPGA and was the third winner of the year. It is the largest prize ever awarded to a woman in women’s sports.

4. CME Group CEO is ‘exceptionally disappointed with LPGA leadership’

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols For the Tuesday evening dinner, the firm usually invites only a few players. Duffy requested that the houselights be turned on earlier this week so that he could acclaim the players. However, only those who were serving the dinner table were standing.

• “Not one player showed up.”

• Duffy said, two days later, “It’s a embarrassment for a company my size and an embarrassing situation for me personally.”

• “Duffy’s beef doesn’t lie with the players — it’s with the person at the helm.”

• He said, “I am extremely disappointed with the LPGA’s leadership.” “They need to get their act together, because they will lose people like myself over things like this.”

5. Love III: LIV must end hostile takeover

Alan Bastable for Golf Love was asked Wednesday by the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic at Sea Island, Ga., if he felt Norman should step down.

• Love stated, “I don’t know how I can answer that.” “Again, they might say, Hey, maybe it was a mistake, and maybe we should drop the lawsuit and stop stealing your players. Then we might want to speak to them but I don’t believe that’s their model.”

• “Love” was referring LIV’s antitrust lawsuit in which it seeks “punitive damages to the PGA Tour [for its tortious interference] with LIV Golf’s prospective business relationships.” The players LIV has lured away have come from all walks.

6. Captian Zach “No drama” Johnson

Garry Smits Florida Times-Union I love it all,” Johnson said. Johnson has been living on St. Simons Island ever since 2006. “Anything that has to do with Cup, I love it.”

• “And the captain also has a very important job, especially in the recent years: ensure that the preparation and attending is so thorough that the 12-man team can turn up each week to play golf. This will help to keep soap operas to an absolute minimum.”

• Johnson stated that he is a man who cannot stand drama and that it was his goal to avoid it during Wednesday’s news conference at the Sea Island Club. This week’s RSM Classic will be held there. It’s not always possible, it’s sometimes not practical, and it’s never going to happen. That’s No. 1. No. 2. I would say, “I just want to give guys the opportunity to enter the most difficult week in a very comfy manner.”

7. Player calls for truce

Jamie Hall, Bunkered Gary Player, made a passionate plea for peace between LIV golf and the PGA Tour. He stated: “Golf’s too good.”

• He spoke to IOL Sport during the Gary and Vivienne Players Invitational and said that he had no objection to people playing LIV golf.

• “It’s wonderful to give people the chance to make money even though they don’t have the time to play anymore. Most of them. They are going out with a new lease on life.

• “Golf gave us the opportunity to fulfill our dream of starting the tour and playing. Respect should be shown to all.

• “We must respect each other and continue our lives. You can’t expect to have the same facilities as the regular tour if you take the LIV tour. They are two completely different tours.

8. Pelley speaks out on the OWGR debate

Golf Monthly’s Matt Craddock….”Speaking to Nick Dougherty, European Tour CEO, Keith Pelley, covered an array of topics, with the Canadian clarifying the decision to change the Official World Golf Ranking System.

• Pelley explained, “Now, speaking at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ season-ending tournament on the Earth Course, that there was a lengthy study that involved four independent research universities. They came to the conclusion that the rankings did not reflect the actual performance by the players around the world.

• He said that the “result” was that we had implemented a new system. However, no matter what business area you are in, you evaluate, modify, tweak, and then, at our next board meeting, have these conversations.

• “I spoke to Rory and Jon, and although they had different opinions, we will bring both of those opinions to the board at the OWGR’s next meeting.”

9. Winning WITB: Adam Svensson

Shaft: LA Golf prototype

3-wood: Callaway Rogue ST (15 degrees)

Hybrid: Callaway Apex (18 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 100 6.5

Irons: Callaway X Forged CB (4), Callaway Apex MB (5-9)

Shafts: Project X HZRDUS (4), Project X 6.5 (5-9)

Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5 (46, 52, 56, 60)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design Palm Beach

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord