Kevin Sutherland has dropped out. Charlie Wi zoomed. Rob Labritz held onto the last spot despite making a bogey on the final hole.
The final and third event of the 2023 Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs has arrived. The top 36 players on the PGA Tour Champions standings after the TimberTech Championship will be competing at Phoenix Country Club.
The tour finale will be without drama for the third time ever, since Steve Stricker has already claimed the season’s crown . He won the title following the first playoff tournament, which he missed. He did not play this week either, but he said a few months ago that he would be playing in Phoenix from Nov. 9-12.
Bernhard Langer came in second place. Padraig Harrington finished third in points, despite winning the TimberTech by an incredible seven shots. He won the final tournament of the season in Phoenix, 2022. Steven Alker finished fourth in this year’s season. Ernie Els took the fifth place.
One up, one down
Charlie Wi was the only golfer to make it into the top 36. His final-round 64 put him in a tie with the second place finishers at TimberTech, and he moved up 35 places in the standings. Kevin Sutherland (winner of the 2020 Charles Schwab Cup Championship) dropped out of the top36 after a WD. He fell seven places to 41st.
Hanging on
Labritz’s score of 69-68-71/old course at Broken Sound was enough to get him through. He flirted with danger by shooting a 3-over-38 on Sunday’s back nine, which included a bogey on the final hole. He knew that bogey was enough, so he let out all his frustration after sinking the final crucial putt.
All the emotions @RobLabritzGolf is officially qualified for @SchwabCupFinale, and will maintain its full status next year. https://t.co/vjLnUSITGT pic.twitter.com/l952100vNE
— PGA TOUR Champions 5 November 2023
Stricker’s six victories this season would make the 72-hole Charles Schwab Cup Championship, which is a no-cut event, a four-day victory celebration. Stricker played 16 tournaments, was in the top 10 of 15 and finished runner-up 5 times. He only missed the top 10 after returning from his role as vice-captain at the Ryder Cup near Rome.
Stricker would be the first senior driver to earn more than $4 million in a single season if he finished last in Phoenix.
Qualifiers for the 2023 Charles Schwab championship
|
Pos |
Player |
| 1 | Steve Stricker |
| 2 | Bernhard Langer |
| 3 | Padraig Harrington |
| 4 | Steven Alker |
| 5 | Ernie Els |
| 6 | David Toms |
| 7 | Stephen Ames |
| 8 | Jerry Kelly |
| 9 | Brett Quigley |
| 10 | Alex Cejka |
| 11 | Miguel Angel Jimenez |
| 12 | Harrison Frazar |
| 13 | Y.E. Yang |
| 14 | Richard Green |
| 15 | Vijay Singh |
| 16 | K.J. Choi |
| 17 | Dicky Pride |
| 18 | Rob Pampling |
| 19 | Thongchai Jaidee |
| 20 | Paul Broadhurst |
| 21 | Darren Clarke |
| 22 | Joe Durant |
| 23 | Paul Stankowski |
| 24 | Ken Duke |
| 25 | Robert Karlsson |
| 26 | Mark Hensby |
| 27 | Justin Leonard |
| 28 | Colin Montgomerie |
| 29 | Ken Tanigawa |
| 30 | Steve Flesch |
| 31 | Retief Goosen |
| 32 | Marco Dawson |
| 33 | Mike Weir |
| 34 | Billy Andrade |
| 35 | Charlie Wi |
| 36 | Rob Labritz |
First five out
| 37 | Lee Janzen |
| 38 | Paul Goydos |
| 39 | Shane Bertsch |
| 40 | Scott McCarron |
| 41 | Kevin Sutherland |
