On the Fringe

Cameron Young hits his tee shot on the third hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Column: Silver medals for Cameron Young don’t tarnish the talent

Cameron Young has seven runner-up finishes without winning on the PGA Tour. That’s a position David Duval knows all too well.

Scottie Scheffler speaks to the media after winning The Players Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Column: Scottie Scheffler has a big golf game. What he doesn’t have is a big head

FILE - Brice Garnett watches his tee shot on the second hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament, on Jan. 26, 2023, in San Diego. Garnett went from limited PGA Tour status to full access the next three years by winning the Puerto Rico Open. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Column: Brice Garnett shows why winning means just as much to the little guys

Scottie Scheffler reacts to missing an eagle putt attempt on the 15th hole during the second round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Column: Scottie Scheffler has been so good that it makes his putting look bad

Chris Kirk hits from the second tee during the first round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)

Column: Chris Kirk’s road to recovery included roommates and Yahtzee

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Xander Schauffele lines up a putt on the ninth green during the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in the Pacific Palisades area of, Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Column: Golf has a fractured landscape. Not even the majors can put it back together

Talk about a tale of two tours. One golf shop had TVs showing LIV Golf and the PGA Tour at the same time.

Fans in the gallery shout at players on the fifth hole during the third round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Column: Three days of noise and hype in golf will be followed by Tiger Woods playing again

Golf had three big events over the past three days. Their identity was loud noise and the hype to match. Who would have guessed the tamest would be LIV Golf?

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 14th hole during the third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Column: Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan have trust issues in golf’s big divide

The obnoxious money ruining golf was sure to create trust issues with the leadership. That hasn’t gone away even after the PGA Tour got a $3 billion deal with a minority investor.

Justin Thomas stops to take a photo of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. Good weather was expected to give way to rain for the PGA Tour's signature event. (AP Photo/Doug Ferguson)

Column: Pebble Beach trades heritage for $20 million elite status

Imagine the best in golf playing at the most scenic course in America. That’s what the PGA Tour has with Pebble Beach.

Nick Dunlap holds the trophy after winning the American Express golf tournament, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in La Quinta, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Column: Amateur Nick Dunlap arrived ahead of schedule. The richest path is forward

Nick Dunlap calls it a life-changer after 24 hours and he’s spot on. The 20-year-old sophomore from Alabama is only the third amateur in the last 68 years to win on the PGA Tour.

Grayson Murray holds the trophy after winning the Sony Open golf event, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Column: The last five weeks on the PGA Tour had something for everyone

Two winners on the road back from alcoholism. Another coping with the loss of his infant daughter to cancer while wondering if he could ever reach the big leagues.

Tiger Woods smiles on 1st tee during the final round of the PNC Championship golf tournament Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski)

Column: Tiger Woods and Nike was a partnership for a lifetime until it wasn’t

Tiger Woods has had two agents and three regular caddies in his 27 years on the PGA Tour. He has used four coaches and four brands of irons.

FILE - In a photo provided by LIV Golf, Jon Rahm, left, and LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman pose for a photo in New York on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Rahm announced Thursday he's joining LIV Golf. One of the Spaniard's biggest worries about moving was that he might get excluded from the Ryder Cup. Golf’s prestigious team event — which pits the best from the U.S. against the best from Europe and where none of the players are paid to play — was considered more-or-less off limits to those who defected to LIV, especially on the European side. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf via AP, File)

Column: Questions to contemplate for a new year on PGA Tour

The start of a new year on the PGA Tour feels a lot like last year. The golf landscape is just as fractured.

FILE - PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan on the first tee box during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Atlanta. Monahan's 2023 is best remembered for secretly negotiating a business agreement with the Saudi-backers of rival LIV Golf. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, File)

Column: Tales from the PGA Tour in a year mostly about money and surprises

The PGA Tour has its own version of D-Day. It was on June 6 that it announced a proposed partnership with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.

FILE - Viktor Hovland, of Norway, fails to get his ball out of the bunker on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club on Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Pittsford, N.Y. The previous day, Corey Conners was in the same bunker and also didn't get it out. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Column: Reviewing the year in golf based on shots from every club in the bag

One swing can win a tournament. Rose Zhang and Rory McIlroy know all about that. And one swing can lose a tournament.

In a photo provided by LIV Golf, Jon Rahm, left, and LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman pose for a photo in New York on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Rahm announced Thursday he's joining LIV Golf. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf via AP)

Column: Rahm goes back on his word. But circumstances changed

Jon Rahm is the latest player to go back on his word by joining LIV Golf. He was among the early proponents of the history and legacy the PGA Tour provided.

FILE - Spain's Jon Rahm, right greets United States' Phil Mickelson on the 1st tee during a practice round for the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The Open starts Thursday, July 20. Rahm has been saying that he plays golf for history and for legacy, not for money. And now he's playing for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League in a shocking departure from the PGA Tour. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)

Column: So much for peace and harmony in the world of golf as Jon Rahm heads to LIV

So much for peace and harmony in the world of golf. Jon Rahm’s defection from the PGA Tour to Saudi-funded LIV shows just how fractured the sport remains, even as it faces an end-of-the year deadline to finalize an agreement that was supposed to make everything kumbaya.

FILE - Jon Rahm, of Spain, walks over the bridge on the 12th hole during the final round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Augusta, Ga. Rahm said his 9-iron to the middle of the 12th green was one shot he'll remember. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Column: Major champions talk signature shots. And one that stands out to them

Jon Rahm all but locked up the Masters with an 8-iron he carved around the trees. What made him feel just as good was a stock tee shot in the middle of the 12th green.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with his Race to Dubai trophy after the final round of the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Column: The rich new PGA Tour is not about the haves and have nots. It’s the haves and have more

There’s a two-tier system in the PGA Tour. The top 50 in the FedEx Cup are guaranteed to play in eight signature events with their $20 million purses.

Ludvig Åberg, of Sweden, holds the trophy after the final round of the RSM Classic golf tournament, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in St. Simons Island, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Column: From Lubbock to sudden stardom, Swedish star Aberg not easily distracted. Even by LIV

Lubbock, Texas can seem like a lifetime ago for Ludvig Aberg. His last day at Texas Tech was on May 29.

FILE - Sebastian Munoz, of Colombia, and his caddie, Jose Campra, stand at the first hole during the final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, May 1, 2022. More than just a caddie, Campra is a teacher who helped Camilo Villegas get his game on track.(AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

Column: Camilo Villegas’s comeback was sparked by a caddie who loves to coach

Camilo Villegas made it back to winning on the PGA Tour, and he has a caddie to thank for that. Not his own caddie, and not just any caddie.

FILE - Erik van Rooyen, of South Africa, discusses his shot with caddie Alex Gaugert on the second hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament on Friday, April 8, 2022, in Augusta, Ga. Van Rooyen and Gaugert were University of Minnesota teammates with Jon Trasamar, their close friend who is hospitalized with cancer. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Column: Van Rooyen is a PGA Tour winner again. He prizes relationships as much as trophies

Erik van Rooyen has produced two timely victories on the PGA Tour. Both enabled the South African to keep his tour card. The latest one was about much more than that.

FILE - Japan's Keita Nakajima plays his tee shot on the third hole during the second day of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Friday, July 21, 2023. Nakajima is trying to decide if his best path to the PGA Tour is through Europe or the Korn Ferry Tour. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)

Column: Options abound for getting to the PGA Tour. LIV Golf offers a new wrinkle

The golf seasons are coming to an end and players who don’t keep their PGA Tour cards will have plenty of options.

Xander Schauffele, of the United States, holds his gold medal in the men's golf at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Kawagoe, Japan. Eleven players from the Tokyo Games are now with LIV Golf and will have a hard time making it back to the Olympics. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Column: Getting to the majors is tough for LIV Golf players. Making the Olympics is even harder

LIV Golf isn’t getting world ranking points and that makes it tough for its players to get into the majors.

Lexi Thompson follows through with her tee shot on the eighth hole during the first day of the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Column: There’s a place for women to play golf with men, not against them

Lexi Thompson had a remarkable week in Las Vegas and still missed the cut by three shots on the PGA Tour. Expectations will follow her back to the LPGA Tour.

FILE - Steve Stricker celebrates with the trophy after winning a Champions Tour golf tournament, Sunday, May 14, 2023, in Hoover, Ala. Stricker won three of the four senior majors he played this year and already has set a record for most earnings in a season.(AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

Column: Steve Stricker is having a record year with seniors. Now he’s contemplating the PGA Tour

Steve Stricker is winning so much on the PGA Tour Champions that he wonders how he would fare on the PGA Tour.

FILE -Xander Schauffele, of the United States, poses with his gold medal in the men's golf event with his dad, Stefan, at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Kawagoe, Japan. Schauffele's father caused a stir after the Ryder Cup by airing his complaints about the PGA of America.(AP Photo/Doug Ferguson, File)

Column: Team USA always comes home with some drama. Just never the Ryder Cup

The Americans never seem to return home with the Ryder Cup, only plenty of drama. This year is no exception.

FILE - European Ryder Cup team captain Seve Ballesteros congratulates Scotland's Colin Montgomerie after he holed a putt on the 17th green to go one up in his fourball match on day two of the Ryder Cup at Valderrama golf coursein Valderrama, Spain, Saturday Sept. 27, 1997. Europe won in Spain to start three decades of never losing the Ryder Cup at home.(AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Column: Ryder Cup is in America’s head. But it’s in Europe’s blood

The Americans have won more majors. The Europeans have been beating them more often in the Ryder Cup. There’s no connection between the two.

FILE - Kevin Kisner, right, listens to his caddie Duane Bock, before hitting on the 15th tee during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament on May 9, 2015, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The American caddie will be part of Team Europe when he works for Sepp Straka of Austria in the Ryder Cup in Italy. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Column: Duane Bock thought he would have the summer off. Now the caddie is going to the Ryder Cup

Duane Bock finally gets to caddie in a Ryder Cup and it’s not anything like he expected. For one thing, he’ll be working for Sepp Straka, not Kevin Kisner.

FILE - Kevin Kisner, right, and Max Homa celebrate a win over the International team in match play at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. Kisner stopped playing in June to work on his game and spend more time with family. He returns to the PGA Tour this week. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Column: Kevin Kisner is trying to work his way back. He reached out to Steve Stricker for advice

Kevin Kisner is getting back to work after finding himself at a crossroads on the PGA Tour. He was No. 31 in the world ranking going into the year.

Winner Ludvig Aberg of Sweden poses with the trophy of the European Masters Golf Tournament DP World Tour, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Column: Ryder Cup is the ultimate test for the unflappable Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg

Ludvig Aberg is sure to draw comparisons with Sergio Garcia in the Ryder Cup. Both are the only ones to play a Ryder Cup the same year they turned pro.

FILE - United States Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson attends a press conference on the occasion of The Year to Go event in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. Johnson will announce his six captain's picks after the Tour Championship. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Column: The Ryder Cup is more about popularity than performance with its six captain’s picks

Let the speculation begin. Six Americans have qualified for the Ryder Cup. Now it falls to Zach Johnson to make six captain’s picks.

Justin Thomas reacts to missing a birdie putt on the first hole during the second round of the Wyndham Championship golf tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Column: New PGA Tour model caters to big performances, not just big names

The new PGA Tour model has eight $20 million events that cater to the best players. But that doesn’t meant the biggest names. Justin Thomas is a reminder of that.

Justin Thomas tees off on the second hole during the second round at the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club Friday, July 28, 2023, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Column: On the verge of missing the playoffs, Justin Thomas learning about meritocracy the hard way

Justin Thomas made his PGA Tour debut at the Wyndham Championship when he was 16. That week was about big dreams. Now there’s a bit of desperation.

United States' Brian Harman poses for the media as he holds the Claret Jug trophy for winning the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Sunday, July 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Column: Golf’s majors delivered inspiring comebacks minus the drama

For edge-of-the-seat drama in golf’s four majors, pick another year. The only drama was Wyndham Clark having to two-putt from 60 feet to win the U.S. Open.