The Gamers: PGA Tour hopes for an additional big-name winner with LIV Golf stars lacking at TPC Sawgrass | Golf Information – KhabarSahiHai

The Gamers has produced a star-studded roll of honour lately, with the PGA Tour hoping for its star names to proceed that pattern this week at TPC Sawgrass.

The event is likely one of the greatest dates within the golf calendar and has beforehand been thought to be the unofficial ‘fifth main’ as a result of energy of discipline it has traditionally produced, though that standing can be referred to as into query as a result of notable names now lacking from the occasion.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler will headline the fiftieth version, the place he seems to be to grow to be the primary back-to-back winner of The Gamers, however the divide on the high of the lads’s sport means most of the sport’s greatest names will not be capable to characteristic since becoming a member of the LIV Golf League.

The PGA Tour’s continued exclusion of golfers who joined LIV Golf has hit the depth of the 144-man discipline this week in Florida, the place the winner will get a $4.5m share of a $25m prize purse, leaving the flagship occasion with out a few of the star enchantment seen in earlier editions.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the difficulty in his pre-tournament press convention, the place he insisted the circuit was delivering stronger fields than earlier seasons.

“Early returns for 2024 show that field strength, player participation, and access for full-field and signature events are strong and delivering on our expectations based on the modelled projections,” Monahan stated.

“Using data comparing participation from the top 50 and top 125 in the FedExCup standings in versus 2023, the strength of field at full-field events has improved by nearly 30 per cent. Better yet, the reimagined schedule is delivering the essence of the PGA Tour’s ethos: Pure competition which shows just how hard winning is.”

Which gamers are lacking?

Masters champion Jon Rahm would have been one of many pre-tournament favourites had he been eligible to characteristic, whereas Cameron Smith has been unable to return to TPC Sawgrass since his victory within the weather-affected 2022 contest.

Tyrrell Hatton misses out after threatening to grow to be the primary English winner of The Gamers final yr, ending second to Scheffler, whereas half of the highest 10 on the 2022 leaderboard have since gone off to hitch the Saudi-backed circuit.

Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson are former Gamers champions teeing it up within the LIV Golf League, with Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed all absent family names who added major-winning pedigree to The Gamers.

There are different LIV Golf names who would have beforehand been regulars at TPC Sawgrass, together with two-time runner-up Ian Poulter and in-form Joaquin Niemann, though the sphere does nonetheless nonetheless boast nearly all of the highest 50 within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

“You’ve got 144 players competing in this championship and they’re the greatest players in the world,” Monahan claimed. “That is the best tour on this planet. For those who’re a junior golfer wherever on this planet, that is the place the place you need to play. It is the very best expression of particular person achievement in our sport.

“There’s been disruption in our sport, but that is a constant, and we do that week-in and week-out. Strength comes from a number of different factors. It comes from the strength of your membership, and we consistently as an organization regenerate talent and create stars.”

Who has impressed this season?

The brand new-look calendar started with back-to-back shock winners, as Chris Kirk gained The Sentry and Grayson Murray claimed the Sony Open, earlier than Nick Dunlap grew to become the primary beginner to win a PGA Tour occasion since Mickelson in 1991 along with his success at The American Categorical.

DP World Tour graduate Matthieu Pavon earned a maiden victory on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open and US Open champion Wyndham Clark prevailed at a climate disrupted AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am, with Nick Taylor then successful the WM Phoenix Open.

Hideki Matsuyama grew to become essentially the most profitable Asian-born participant in PGA Tour historical past along with his Genesis Invitational victory, whereas Jake Knapp and Austin Eckroat added to the tally of first-time winners, earlier than Scheffler prolonged his benefit as world No 1 by successful the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Scheffler pulled away from a robust leaderboard on the ultimate day to assert a five-shot victory at Bay Hill, along with his leads so massive on the high of the world rankings that he’ll stay world No 1 no matter his efficiency at The Gamers.

Rory McIlroy is a former winner of The Gamers and chases a primary PGA Tour win of the season, having completed outdoors the highest 20 in every of his first 4 begins, whereas FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland, main winner Brian Harman and former world No 1s Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas amongst these trying to impress at TPC Sawgrass.

“While it’s still early in the season, there are also a number of stars and fan favourites who haven’t hoisted a trophy yet in 2024,” Monahan added. “They know it, and in talking to them, they’re looking to put an end to that narrative as early as this week.”

Might LIV gamers ever return to The Gamers?

Monahan stated that talks have been accelerating with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund – who bankroll LIV Golf – to finalise their Framework Settlement introduced final June, though no particulars have been confirmed about any potential pathways again for LIV Golf gamers to return to the PGA Tour.

“While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential,” Monahan defined. “It’s going to take time, but I see a positive outcome for the PGA Tour and the sport as a whole.

“It really isn’t in the most effective curiosity of the PGA Tour and our membership and for PIF for me to be speaking about the place we’re with particular parts of our discussions. I might simply stress the truth that we’re engaged, we’re making progress, however I am actually not at liberty to share any of the main points on that entrance.”

The Gamers Championship Stay

Thursday 14th March 11:30am

When is The Gamers stay on Sky?

Sky Sports activities Golf will as soon as once more be the house of The Gamers in 2024, with practically 60 hours of stay protection throughout event week and a bunch of additional content material out there so that you can get pleasure from. Stay protection begins on Thursday at 11.30am.

Bonus protection can be out there through the purple button for all 4 event rounds, with featured teams and bonus marquee teams there to get pleasure from each day alongside a particular featured holes feed.

Watch The Gamers stay on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports activities Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and extra with NOW.