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Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship gets underway.

1. Van Rooyen visits dying friend

Golf Channel staff report…”Following his emotional victory at the Wide Wide Technology Championship on Sunday, Erik van Rooyen said that he couldn’t wait to see his best friend, and give him a hug.”

• “Jon Trasamar, van Rooyen’s college teammate and roommate at the University of Minnesota, has terminal cancer and texted van Rooyen last week that he has less than three months to live.”

• “On Tuesday, van Rooyen, along with friends and other former teammates, including van Rooyen’s caddie, Alex Gaugert, visited Trasamar at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.”

• “Yesterday was special,” van Rooyen said Wednesday on “Golf Today.” “A chance to say our last goodbyes.”

2. Revisions to USGA handicap system

Notable changes to the World Handicap System for Jan. 1, 2024, via the USGA…

• “Inclusion of Shorter-Length Golf Courses Within the Course Rating System: The overall length requirements for Course Rating in the WHS will be significantly reduced. A set of tees on an 18-hole course may be as short as 1,500 yards [1,370 meters] to be eligible for a Course Rating and Slope Rating®, and a set of tees on a 9-hole course may be as short as 750 yards [685 meters]. This change is intended to expand the WHS to thousands of shorter length courses, including par-3 courses, and enable more golfers to obtain and use a Handicap Index.”

• “Use of an Expected Score for a Hole Not Played: Improvements have been made to the method used to handle holes not played, which will now be based on a player’s expected score rather than a score of net par. This new method will produce a 9-hole or 18-hole Score Differential that more accurately reflects a player’s ability. As golfers across the world are playing more 9-hole rounds, an expected score can also be used to convert a 9-hole round into an 18-hole Score Differential. For some countries, this means that 9-hole scores will be considered in the calculation of a player’s Handicap Index immediately after the day of play, rather than waiting to combine with another 9-hole score.”

• “Playing Conditions Calculation Adjustments Made More Frequent: The Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) has been modified to increase the likelihood of an adjustment for abnormal playing conditions. National associations were given discretion, beginning in July 2022, to introduce this revision within their computation platforms, which will be complete by April 1, 2024.”

• “Enhanced Guidance on Conducting a Handicap Review: The role of the Handicap Committee is vital to the success of the WHS and the Rules recommend that a Handicap Review is conducted regularly, or at least once a year to ensure a Handicap Index® remains reflective of a player’s ability. New reporting tools have been developed that national associations can incorporate into their handicapping software to assist Committees in conducting the review process effectively and consistently.”

3. Stricker WD with father in the hospital

Golf Digest’s Tod Leonard…”Because of a serious family matter, Steve Stricker will not have a chance this week to cap off his tremendous campaign on PGA Tour Champions. The 55-year-old issued a statement on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, which begins on Thursday in Phoenix, to be with his father, Bob, who was admitted into a hospital on Monday.”

• “I was eagerly looking forward to…competing in this event and capping off this season, which has been an incredibly special one for me, but a personal emergency has come up that requires me to stay home,” Stricker said. “My father was admitted to the hospital on Monday afternoon. He is currently receiving care and it is important that I am here for my family during this challenging time.”

4. How a 15-year-old earned a spot in this week’s field

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Betschart earned his spot in this week’s Bermuda Championship through a 54-hole qualifier, posting a final-round 68 and surviving a competitor’s missed birdie try at the final hole to gain entry. If a 15-year-old playing on tour sounds like a big deal, it is. Betschart is the youngest player to play in a PGA Tour sanctioned event in almost a decade since Tianlang Guan competed in a handful of events as a 14-year-old during the 2013 season. Along with Guan, only Michelle Wie West, Andy Zhang and Lorens Chan were younger than Betschart to make a start on the PGA Tour this century.”

• “While Betschart acknowledged he is feeling nervous ahead of this week’s start, he also pointed to a message that’s plastered on a bracelet.”

• “My sister made it before the qualifier. It says ‘the next shot’ on it,” Betschart said on Wednesday when speaking to the media. “And it’s just kind of a reminder to me, don’t focus on anything else except the shot that I have in the present moment.”

5. TGL co-founder confirms league’s top prize

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…“Many golf fans may view TGL, the forthcoming tech-infused league headlined by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, as some sort of hit-and-giggle event. But there will be some serious cash on the line.”

• “The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that there will be a total purse of $21 million on the line, with $9 million going to the winning team. And Mike McCarley, a co-founder of TGL and TMRW Sports with Tiger and Rory, confirmed those figures on this week’s Marchand & Ourand Sports Media Podcast.”

• “They’re playing for $21 million, the purse is $9 million to the winning team, so it’s legit competition,” McCarley said on the pod. “And these guys are some of the most competitive guys on the planet.”

6. Bryan Bros take Bermuda

From PGATour.com’s Sean Martin…”This week, George IV will make his PGA TOUR debut at the age of 35 while Wesley fights for his TOUR card at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. George, the better of the brothers during their amateur days, is finally getting his taste of life on TOUR after receiving a sponsor exemption into the event.”

• “I’ve always wanted just to say I played in a PGA TOUR event, and that’s going to be really cool,” George IV said last week during an interview for the “Talk of the TOUR” podcast from the trailer at Solina Golf Club, which they purchased this past spring.

7. Javelinas + golf course = mayhem

Jack Bantock for CNN…”Growling, clacking teeth, the rumble of hooves – as night falls at one of the United States’ most scenic golf clubs, sinister noises reverberate off the red-rock canyon walls.”

• “And when the Arizona sunshine breaks over Seven Canyons in the morning, the destruction is revealed. Sprawling mounds of ravaged turf blot the 7,000-yard course like open wounds, soil and grass strewn in all directions across otherwise pristine fairways.”

• “The perpetrators? Javelina, a pig-like creature with raking canine teeth whose capacity for chaos in the town of Sedona has seen them become a viral sensation.”

• “When you come upon them and see them, it’s like The Tasmanian devil,” Seven Canyons general manager Dave Bisbee told CNN.”

8. RIP Dale Reid

Michael McEwan for Bunkered…”Tributes have been paid to former Solheim Cup captain Dale Reid who has died at the age of 64.”

• “Reid, a two-time winner of the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit passed away at her home in Queensland, Australia, after a battle with cancer.”

• “A winner of 21 LET events – only Laura Davies has won more – the Scot played in four Solheim Cups, in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996, winning four-and-a-half points from 11 matches before guiding Europe to victory over the United States at Loch Lomond in 2000.”

9. LIV eyeing up current KFT host course

Brentley Romine for Golf Channel…”LIV Golf is reportedly targeting a tournament at another golf course with PGA Tour ties.”

• “Sports Business Journal first reported that The Grove in College Grove, Tennessee, outside of Nashville, is in discussions to host a LIV Golf event next year. The course, which was designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman, is also home to the Korn Ferry Tour playoff event, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, and was already on the schedule for Sept. 12-15, 2024, after hosting the event each of the past two seasons.”

• “GolfChannel.com has heard similar from a source close to LIV. The source stated a few days ago that LIV was “looking” at The Grove as a potential host site.”

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

1. TGL to feature shot clocks and timeouts

The details, via PGATour.com…

Shot Clock

• Players will have 40 seconds to hit their shot, or their team will receive a violation and incur a one-stroke penalty.

• The shot clock, displayed throughout the stadium, will be stopped and reset any time the following occurs:

• A player has completed their turn.

• A player incurs a shot clock violation and receives a one-stroke penalty.

• A player calls a timeout.

• A player incurs a Rules of Golf penalty.

• The TGL referee or booth official determines the shot clock must be reset to accommodate a special circumstance.

• The 40-second timeframe is based on a former USGA Local Rule and a current USGA Recommendation on pace of play.

Timeouts

• Each team will have a total of four timeouts per match. Teams can use two timeouts during Session 1 (Triples) and two timeouts during Session 2 (Singles). Timeouts not used during the first session will not carry over to the second session.

• For the team playing their shot, timeouts may be called at any point until the shot clock expires. Opposing teams may call timeouts to “ice” their opponents but must do so before the other team’s player has addressed the ball.

• A team member will signal or verbally call a timeout to the referee, who will acknowledge the call. A team cannot call back-to-back timeouts while on the current shot. They must wait until the shot is hit following a timeout before calling a second timeout.

Referee

• A referee will be on the course to administer TGL’s rules. Additionally, a booth official, who is an expert in the rules of golf, will be monitoring the action.

• The referee will be responsible for enforcing and managing timeouts, the shot clock and rules decisions.

• TGL’s rules will be rooted in the traditional rules of golf played on the PGA TOUR, as well as inherent local rules needed for the league’s unique competition format, technology, and venue.

2. Kraft rips Tiger-designed El Cardonale

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…“The 2023 World Wide Technology Championship marked the first time the PGA Tour has played a Woods design, and Kelly Kraft made known his negative feelings about El Cardonal at Diamante…”

• “About the golf, not sure where to start,” Kraft wrote on Instagram about the Cabo track. “All I will say is the PGA Tour could do a better job at picking courses to host these events. In my opinion this wasn’t my favorite course, and I’ve played on tour for a little while.”

3. Report: Possible Tour investors

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Last week, the author of “LIV and Let Die”, Alan Shipnuck, reported that John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group was preparing to make a “monster bid” to replace the Saudi Private Investment Fund’s potential stake in the PGA Tour.”

• “Now, Golfweek is reporting that there are five private equity companies vying to be a part of the deal for the PGA Tour.”

• “Those companies include Fenway Sports Group, Liberty Strategic Capital, Acorn Growth Companies, Eldridge Industries, and lastly, a group of influential individuals being referred to as Friends of Golf.”

• “The report indicates that those are the main parties interested, but that doesn’t mean smaller companies won’t go in on the deal with these groups to sweeten the offer.”

• “It’s highly speculated that Fenway Sports Group is still the most attractive suitor given their success in other sports including the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC.”

4. Schauffele criticizes father, calls for Tour leadership change

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking to “Today’s Golfer“, PGA Tour star Xander Schauffele said that he’d be open to a change in leadership on the PGA Tour.”

• “I wouldn’t mind seeing some new leadership take place on our circuit,” the 30-year-old said.”

• Schauffele cited a lack of trust as the reason why change might be good for the Tour.

• “I would be lying if I said that I have a whole lot of trust after what happened. That’s definitely the consensus that I get when I talk to a lot of guys. It’s a bit contradictory when they call it ‘our Tour’ and things can happen without us even knowing.”

• “It’s hard. I’m sure there are reasons for what happened, but at the same time, it puts us in a really hard spot to trust the leadership that did some stuff in the dark and is supposed to have our best interests at heart.

• “I am a bit in the dark still. I hate to sit here and hope for the best.”

• “The frustration from Xander seems to stem from the January framework agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Private Investment Fund, in which players were largely left in the dark.”

5. Bermuda Championship Monday qualifiers

PGATour.com staff…”In 2012, a 14-year-old Zhang burst onto the international golf scene when he became the youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open, eclipsing the prior mark set by Tadd Fujikawa (age 15, 2006). Zhang lost in a playoff at Final Qualifying but earned a tee time on Monday of tournament week after another player withdrew. Zhang, a China native who moved to Florida at age 10 to attend the IMG Academy, missed the cut at Olympic Club but generated buzz around his long-term potential. Zhang turned pro in 2018 after his sophomore season at the University of Florida, but he has made just two TOUR starts since his U.S. Open debut.”

• “He’ll add another this week. Zhang earned a spot at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship via the Monday qualifier (contested on Oct. 23), carding 6-under 66 and advancing in a playoff. Zhang has spent time this season on the Asian Development Tour, and he recently missed at First Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. A big week in Bermuda, though, could perhaps spark a career renaissance.”

• “Argentina native Martin Contini earned medalist honors at the Monday qualifier with an 8-under 64. Zhang, Danny Guise and Kyle Wilshire earned spots via a 5-for-3 playoff; the odd men out were Jimmy Jones and Alex Scott. The qualifier was contested at Omni ChampionsGate Resort (International) in Orlando, Florida.”

6.  Rory: I’d be very surprised if Rahm joined LIV

Reuters report…”When Jon Rahm announced he was backing out of TGL, the new indoor golf league spearheaded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, it ignited rumors that the Spaniard might be planning a leap from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.”

• “McIlroy doesn’t see it that way.

• “The four-time major champion spoke with reporters at a news conference for his TGL team, Boston Common, on Monday and said Rahm has given him the impression he is staying with the PGA Tour.

• “I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen,” McIlroy said. “I’m pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player.”

7. Rory wants merger to go through

Gabrielle Herzig for Golfweek…”McIlroy stood firmly in favor of the pro game repairing its current fractures and said the PIF’s involvement is essential to that outcome.”

• “No, I would prefer if—I feel like we’ve got a fractured competitive landscape right now. And I would prefer if everyone sort of got back into the same boat. I think that’s the best thing for golf,” the four-time major champion said.

• “So you know, I would hope when we go through this process, the PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement. Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services and their help.

• “But hopefully, when this is all said and done, I sincerely hope that the PIF are involved and we can bring the game of golf back together.”