After multiple weather-related suspensions on Saturday afternoon, including because of lightning in the area, the third round of the ISCO Championship was halted due to darkness at 9 p.m. ET and is scheduled to continue at 8 a.m. Sunday.

• Chan Kim began the day with a five-stroke lead at 11-under par at Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Ky. He was 2 over through 12 holes to stand at 9 under for the tournament. Kim is one stroke behind Paul Peterson, who is 10 under through 15 holes to move four spots up the leaderboard at the PGA Tour alternate event. Twelve players were still on the course trying to complete the third round.

  Peterson carded seven birdies at Nos. 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 14 to counter bogeys at the par-4 No. 4 and par-3 No. 6. He sank a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 5 between those bogeys.

  Kim -- a journeyman who has won 10 titles between the Japan Golf Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour -- is seeking his first PGA Tour triumph. He shot 61 for the first round and 68 in the second.

  The leaders had yet to tee off when action was suspended due to lightning in the area at 1:24 p.m. and resumed at 3 p.m. When Kim did get going, he made pars except for a bogey on No. 6 for 1 over on the front nine.

  His lone birdie of the limited play came on a 14-inch putt on No. 10, but that was followed by bogeys at the par-4 Nos. 11 and 12 before play was halted.

  Play again was suspended due to lightning in the area at 5:10 p.m., and restarted at 7:05 p.m.

  Two players are tied for third place at 7 under when darkness fell, Luke List and England's David Skinns.

  List completed his round with a bogey-free 5-under 65. He birdied Nos. 2, 7, 8, 10 and 14, including a 26-footer at No. 7.

  "Yeah, it's nice to not have to come back in the morning, and I'll get a fresh start whenever we do tee off tomorrow," List said, adding that he didn't know if that gives him an advantage for the final round. "It's pretty perfect conditions right now, so some guys, the leaders get to play in a little nicer conditions for longer holes. But it's late, it's a long day for everybody and they'll have an early morning. So I don't know what the weather's going to bring tomorrow, but I'm happy with the way I finished."

  Skinns had an up-and-down 15 holes, with birdies at Nos. 2, 7, 9 and 15, and bogeys at Nos. 4, 6 and 11.

  --Field Level Media

Will the PGA and LIV Golf ever reunite? Some news released by the Official World Golf Ranking board of directors on Friday makes that result look a little less likely, at least in the near term.

• According to Trevor Immelman, chairman of the OWGR, the organization is currently reviewing LIV Golf's application for inclusion in those rankings, the submission dated June 30.

  "The OWGR Board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV's application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR's criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency," Immelman said. "We appreciate the interest of LIV Golf -- and all Tours -- in contributing to the global landscape of men's professional golf through OWGR. Further updates will be provided as the review progresses."

  LIV CEO Scott O'Neil released a statement in response, thanking the OWGR for its consideration in moving "the sport of golf forward."

  "We thank OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman for his continued leadership and willingness to move the sport of golf forward for the benefit of all players and most importantly, the fans," O'Neil's statement read. "LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game's most prestigious events. We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system.

  "We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season."

  LIV originally applied for accreditation in July of 2022, shortly after the league launched.

  That request was denied, and LIV golfers can currently only earn ranking points by competing in major championships and international tour events.

  That represents a bit of a conundrum for LIV golfers, who only receive invites to major championships after amassing ranking points, which are virtually unobtainable for them without competing in said events.

  Just two LIV players are in OWGR's Top 50: two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau at No. 15 and 22nd-ranked Tyrrell Hatton.

  --Field Level Media

The third round of the ISCO Championship was suspended at 1:24 p.m. ET Saturday due to lightning in the area.

• The leaders had yet to tee off when action was halted at the Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Ky.

  Chan Kim entered the round with a five-stroke lead at 11-under par.

  Only a handful of players completed their rounds Saturday before the suspension. The lowest scores among player to complete Round 3 are Chez Reavie at 1-over-par 211 (T47) and Frankie Capan III at 2-over 212 (T53).

  --Field Level Media

China's Yan Liu was hovering around the cut line when she was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play during the second round of the Evian Championship on Friday.

• Liu, who started her round on the back nine at the Evian Resort Golf Club, was playing the seventh hole when she was assessed the penalty, according to Golf Digest. She went on to double bogey the par-5 and followed it up with another bogey.

  Liu rebounded to birdie her final hole but missed the cut at the fourth major of the year by three shots.

  The penalty is part of the LPGA's attempt to improve pace-of-play issues that have been heavily criticized by several of the tour's marquee players. The LPGA updated its pace-of-play policy in February, implementing a fine for a player who is 1-5 seconds over the allotted time limit, a one-stroke penalty for being 6-15 seconds over and a two-stroke penalty for a player taking more than 16 seconds over the time limit.

  Liu is the second player to be assessed a two-shot penalty, joining Chisato Iwai, who during the Black Desert Championship in May was the first player to be handed a two-stroke penalty. In all, there have been four slow-play penalties since the new policy was issued, according to Golf Digest.

  Liu entered the Evian Championship in France ranked 107th in the Rolex Women's World Rankings. However, she has now missed five of her past six cuts.

  --Field Level Media

England's Charley Hull said she was feeling better Friday, one day after twice collapsing to the ground during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship in France.

• After the second collapse, Hull withdrew from the major championship. She said she has been bothered by a virus.

  "Not the @evianchamp I was hoping for," Hull said Friday on Instagram. "Been struggling with a virus all week but it got the better of me yesterday ... thanks to the medics who took care of me and to all those who have reached out with messages of support, it's really appreciated. Happy to say I'm feeling a lot better today, just gutted I can't play the weekend at such a fantastic tournament."

  Hull, 29, was 1 under through 12 holes before the collapse.

  Hull, ranked No. 19 in the world, was playing with World No. 4 Ruoning Yin and No. 5 Haeran Ryu. She received medical attention after going down to the grass before her tee shot and officials permitted the trailing group to play through while tending to the Englishwoman.

  Following a delay of about 15 minutes for treatment, the two-time LPGA Tour winner recovered to hit the tee shot but again went to the ground after completing her swing.

  She was helped onto a motorized cart fitted with a flatbed stretcher.

  Hull has never won a major tournament but she has often been a contender with nine top-10 finishes, including four top-three placements.

  --Field Level Media

Australia's Cameron Smith and England's Lee Westwood were in a five-way tie for the lead at 1-under par before the first round of LIV Golf Andalucia was suspended Friday because of windy conditions at San Roque, Spain.

• Smith was through 16 holes before play was halted, with Westwood through 15. Also tied for first place were Talor Gooch (through 10 holes), Joaquin Niemann of Chile (16 holes) and Branden Grace of South Africa (two holes).

  "It was windy the whole day really and got up the last probably couple of hours," Smith said of gusts that reached 33 mph. "Yeah, just kind of had to deal with it and get on with it. It was very tricky out there."

  First-round play is set to resume at 8 a.m. local time Saturday with the second round immediately to follow.

  Smith was at 4 under through 14 holes before he started to struggle with the wind, collecting a double-bogey 5 at the par-3 15th hole and a bogey at the par-4 16th.

  "It was definitely getting to a stage with three or four holes to go that everyone was pretty tired out there and angry to be honest," Smith said. "It was a very frustrating day. ... You can play this golf course with no wind and it's brutal. When you get 30-mph gusts, it's definitely not an easy place to get around."

  Westwood also was at 4 under through his first seven holes, but his hot start was disrupted by a double bogey at No. 8, followed by a bogey at No. 11. He recorded a par on his final four holes before play was halted.

  Niemann, who has won four times already this season, had a birdie at No. 4 then 12 consecutive pars before play was stopped.

  Bryson DeChambeau finished his round at even par and was tied for second place with Spain's Jon Rahm, who was through 14 holes. A group of 10 sat another shot behind at 1 over, including Phil Mickelson and United States Ryder Cup hopeful Patrick Reed.

  DeChambeau had three birdies with three bogeys and was at 1-under for the round before a bogey 6 at the 17th hole.

  Reed is coming off his first LIV victory June 29 at LIV Golf Dallas at Carrollton, Texas, winning in a playoff over England's Paul Casey, Japan's Jinichiro Kozuma and South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen.

  Defending champion Sergio Garcia of Spain was in a logjam at 2 over through 14 holes.

  Play was suspended at 5:07 p.m. local time and did not resume.

  This is the first European stop on the 2025 LIV Golf calendar.

  --Field Level Media

American Chris Gotterup delivered a course-record 9-under-par 61 to take a two-shot lead at the midway point of the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.

• The round included a 6-under 29 on the front nine to move Gotterup to 11-under 129 for the tournament.

  England's Harry Hall was alone in second place at 9 under for the tournament following a 6-under 64 in the second round. Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (65) was in a group of three tied for third place at 8-under, along with England's Matt Fitzpatrick (63) and Marco Penge (67).

  Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy improved three shots in the second round to a 65 and is in a group of seven at 7 under overall and tied for sixth place. McIlroy was the biggest mover in the group, jumping 27 spots.

  First-round leaders Sepp Straka of Austria and American Jake Knapp also ware at 7-under after each shot a 1-under 69. Another first-round leader, Victor Perez of France, was at 6 under following an even-par 70, while Nico Echavarria of Colombia plummeted from a tie at the top to a tie for 27th at 4 under following a 71.

  U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun failed to make the cut after a 72 that put him at 2-over par through two rounds. Scotland's Calum Hill was just one shot off the lead after the opening round but failed to make the cut after shooting a 7-over 77 on Friday.

  --Field Level Media

High winds brought a halt to Friday's opening round of the LIV Golf Andalucia event in San Roque, Spain.

• Gusts up to 33 mph produced unplayable conditions at Real Club Valderrama.

  Play was suspended at 5:07 p.m. local time as organizers were monitoring weather conditions before announcing a restart time.

  Five players shared the lead at 1-under par at the time of the stoppage, including England's Lee Westwood and Australia's Cameron Smith, both of whom were close to completing their opening rounds.

  This is the first European stop on the 2025 LIV Golf calendar. Spain's Sergio Garcia is the defending champion.

  --Field Level Media

By the time Rory McIlroy reached the sixth tee box, he could already sense he wasn't far from the danger zone at the Scottish Open on Thursday.

• After a 332-yard drive, McIlroy reached the green in two and had a putt for birdie on the par-4 first. He took five there after a three-putt for bogey, had another bogey at No. 5 and found a fairway bunker on the par-4 15th for a trio of boxes on the scorecard that tallied to a score of one-over with three holes to play.

  "I definitely finished the round better than I started it," said McIlroy, who closed the first round with three consecutive birdies and is 2-under going to Friday. "Felt like it was a bit of a slow start. I think when you come back over here, links greens, they're a lot slower than what we're used to."

  A three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, the 2023 Scottish Open champion finished fourth last July when he kicked off the tournament with a first-round 65. He shot 64 in 2023 to finish tied for third after the first round.

  McIlroy took the past two weeks off from tournament golf since missing the cut at 9-over at the RBC Canadian Open. He said earlier this week it was a great time for reflection and felt energy and reconnection from listening to the way others felt watching him win the Masters in April.

  But the question of motivation came up Thursday, particularly with the Open Championship at his home course Royal Portrush next week, but McIlroy said he's no longer in vacation mode.

  "I'm ready to play. The change of scenery has been nice," he said. "It's been nice to get back over here. That renewed my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the season."

  --Field Level Media

Even with the nickname "Captain America," Patrick Reed knows he's a longshot to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team as a competitor on the LIV Golf circuit.

• "I think it all comes down to next week at The Open," Reed said Thursday ahead of the LIV Golf Andalucia event at Real Club Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain.

  Reed, 34, currently sits No. 36 in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings, which only count LIV golfers' performances in the majors. The former Masters champion finished third at Augusta this year and T23 at the U.S. Open but missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

  In three previous Ryder Cup appearances in 2016, 2018 and 2021, Reed posted a stellar 7-3-2 record.

  "It's a hard one to answer," Reed said when asked about his shot at making U.S. captain Keegan Bradley's 12-man team for the September showdown at New York's Bethpage Black.

  "... Really the next couple weeks I have to play some solid golf, go out and contend on Sundays, have a chance to win golf tournaments, and if I do that, then hopefully Keegan picks me. But at the end of the day, because we only get the majors that have points for the Ryder Cup, it's an uphill battle.

  "The good thing is I feel like I'm in a good spot right now, as long as I go out and play well in the final major."

  Reed is coming off his first LIV Golf title at Dallas last month. The 4Aces GC member ranks fourth in the individual season standings.

  Reed's best finish at The Open Championship was a 10th-place showing in 2019. This year's final major begins next Thursday at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

  --Field Level Media

An opening eagle temporarily elevated expectations for Scottie Scheffler's first round at the Scottish Open on Thursday before windy reality came around the corner to keep the world No. 1 grounded.

• Scheffler shot an opening-round 67, three off the lead when he signed his scorecard at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. He was part of a marquee group with defending champion Robert MacIntyre and Adam Scott. Scott, who finished as runner-up to MacIntyre in 2024, shot 69 and was 1-under with MacIntyre a stroke better.

  The even-keeled Scheffler rated his first round as "not too bad" considering the conditions, but he will hit the pillow thinking about why he was unable to get "a little bit more out of" Round 1.

  "It definitely got a bit breezy out there at times -- not like it can really blow here but there's definitely a breeze. That's something that's got to be factored in on pretty much every shot," Scheffler said. "It was a good amount of wind to play on this course. It makes the course play really nice where you get rewarded for hitting high-quality shots and you get punished for hitting some poor ones."

  Starting his round on the 600-yard, par-5 10th, Scheffler striped his drive 352 yards down the center of the fairway and rolled his second shot from the front of the green, past the hole to leave a lengthy eagle try that found the bottom of the cup.

  Scheffler said MacIntyre, the local favorite, long has been a preferred playing partner. That's doubly true in links golf, where MacIntyre's background and experience on these tracks provides consistent guidance.

  "He's a great guy. Fun to watch him play some links golf. Feel like I learn some stuff from him out there," Scheffler said.

  MacIntyre's round started with misadventure on his third hole, the 12th, when marshals declared his ball was out of bounds. But MacIntyre felt otherwise and continued his search, ultimately discovering his ball was four feet inside any OB markers.

  "Thankfully I didn't listen to the marshals," he said. "Managed to find it a yard and a half inbounds, got the drop and made bogey. From there on, it was get back to the basics. Make sure we played a lot more the with wind because the ball is getting affected so much more here than it has been the last couple of months. But overall happy with that."

  --Field Level Media

Charley Hull withdrew from the Evian Championship in France on Thursday after collapsing at the No. 4 tee due to illness.

• Hull, ranked No. 19 in the world, was playing with partners world No. 4 Ruoning Yin and Haeran Ryu. She received medical attention after going down to the grass before her tee shot and officials permitted the trailing group to play through while tending to the Englishwoman.

  Following a delay of about 15 minutes for treatment, the two-time LPGA Tour winner recovered to hit the tee shot but again went to the ground after completing her swing.

  She was helped onto a motorized cart fitted with a flatbed stretcher. Hull reportedly has been battling a virus.

  A few hours later, Golf Channel reported Hull was feeling better and sitting upright in the player's dining area at Evian Resort Golf Club.

  Hull, 29, was at even par. She has not yet won a major and finished T12 in both the Women's PGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open in 2025.

  --Field Level Media

Since it became the fifth major of women's golf in 2013, the Evian Championship has crowned a litany of highly ranked champions. It's not a tournament where surprises tend to happen.

• This week, the likes of Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul will try to add their own chapters to this brief history as the championship begins Thursday at Evian Resort in Evian-les-Bains, France.

  World No. 1 Korda is still searching for her first win of 2025 after collecting seven titles in 2024. Thailand's Thitikul, ranked No. 2 in the world, has yet to win a major and is coming off a frustrating Women's PGA Championship, where she led each of the first two rounds before fading to a tie for fourth.

  Still, Thitikul is only 22 years old and will have more opportunities. The 26-year-old Korda joked this week that she doesn't recognize half the players on tour this year.

  "I feel like a grandma out here," Korda said. "But, yeah, that's the best thing about sports in general, is that you can never stay comfortable where you are because there is a new generation, new talent coming, and they're going to be better and have more knowledge."

  It's not strictly a young woman's game. Australia's Minjee Lee -- who at 29 qualifies as a tour veteran -- broke a 20-month title drought when she charged past Thitikul on the weekend to win the Women's PGA, her third career major.

  "I feel like there is so many that are so young now and that are so good," Lee said. "They're always pushing me and pushing all of us older girls. ... Obviously like I get motivation from that, but I think I'm much more self-motivated at the moment."

  Lee won her first major at the Evian in 2021. Other big names on the list of Evian winners include Canadian Brooke Henderson (2022), South Koreans Jin-Young Ko (2019) and In Gee Chun (2016) and New Zealand's Lydia Ko (2015).

  Celine Boutier became the event's first French winner in 2023, when she ran away with a six-stroke win.

  "I think every time European swing comes around, I'm very excited just coming back home, seeing my family and some friends and just feeling the energy, the atmosphere, it gives me a little boost and hopefully good energy," Boutier said. "If I can get going those weeks, I know I get some kind of momentum for the rest of the season."

  Japan's Ayaka Furue, just 24 at the time, pulled out a one-shot win last year. And women even younger than that are making themselves known in the game.

  Lottie Woad, a 21-year-old from England, is No. 1 in the world amateur rankings and dominated a field of Ladies European Tour pros to win the Women's Irish Open by six shots last week.

  "I'm just trying to carry on the momentum," Woad said. "If that means I can be in contention, that would be great. Just really just trying to look to play good golf and continue what I was doing last week."

  Evian Resort is a par-71, 6,504-yard course that overlooks Lake Geneva. Though perhaps overshadowed by the other majors in women's golf, it is known for its stunning views.

  "Hitting bad shots out here is not as bad as hitting it somewhere else," Korda said.

  --Field Level Media

Robert MacIntyre returns to the Scottish Open exasperated by the year gone by since he birdied the final hole to win his home country's national championship in North Berwick last July.

• But even with the condensed PGA Tour schedule -- which MacIntyre detailed as prompting the belief he can never take a week off - the Oban, Scotland, native said he's energized planting his feet on home soil to defend his tournament title.

  "As a kid growing up, I watched The Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and dreamed of playing in it," he said Wednesday, "and once I got playing in it, I'm thinking, let's win this thing. And obviously coming close. But last year, when that putt drops -- I keep watching it over and over again. I was struggling. My putting was up-and-down like a roller coaster. And when I struggle, I look at these moments, and I remember the highs when the putter does come, it really turns it on."

  MacIntyre defeated Adam Scott by one stroke, making up three shots over the final five holes to extend momentum he brought to Scotland last July after winning the Canadian Open with his dad on the bag.

  There is a little less in the way of a positive current behind MacIntyre this week.

  Still, he's 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking the day before teeing it up at The Renaissance Club in arguably the headlining grouping of the first round with Scott and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (3:28 a.m. ET Thursday).

  "It is surreal to know the path that I've gone on and the results that I've had," said MacIntyre of the awe factor of coming home to take on the world's best in a spotlight tee time. "As a kid growing up, you hit putts on putting greens to win this, win that, and I mean to actually be in the tournaments and have chances to really live the moments is all I can ask for. Whether you win it or not, it's like you've got the chance and they are special."

  MacIntyre said he'll be aided by having the Scottish Open trophy on a shelf but made it clear he's planning to be aggressive, take risks and play to win again this week.

  "I think the pressure is off, obviously, with me saying how much I wanted this golf tournament and we wanted to win this tournament," MacIntyre said. "I think the pressure is off on that side of it because I have won it now, but the expectation is not from me, (it's) from outside, the fans. No people within my team because they know it's a process and we do certain things. From the outside, the expectation is through the roof."

  Beyond defending his title, motivation will not be hard to locate come Thursday.

  By car, MacIntyre's hometown of Oban is around a seven-hour drive to Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. This week, it's closer to three hours and under 150 miles to reach the site of the Scottish Open on Cowden Hill Drive in North Berwick.

  "I want to keep this trophy every year until I stop playing. But again, I pitch up here, and I want to win," he said. "It's the Scottish Open, and it's my almost flagship event, I would say, after the majors. I want to win it. I hope if I don't win it, a Scottish player wins it. It's just a special, special golf tournament with an unbelievable field."

  There's enough fuel and energy from the support of the home crowd this week and next for MacIntyre to keep it in high gear. Eventually, he's looking forward to taking a long break and perhaps more time for reflection.

  "This season is log-jammed. If you looked at the locker room on the Sunday at the Travelers, everyone was dying to go home because it was just a long stretch. For me, I was out there 11 weeks, played 10 out of 11, was just running on empty," MacIntyre said.

  "It's such a big golf tournament; you're trying your best. It's difficult with how kind of condensed the season is now on the PGA Tour, especially. It's just log-jammed and you just feel like you can't take a week off because if you take a week off, you're going backward. It's difficult -- that side of it. But you've got to trust your schedule. You've got to trust that you're going to get your run.

  "But it is very, very tiring."

  --Field Level Media

Rory McIlroy and fun last crossed paths weeks ago, but the 36-year-old Northern Irishman vows to change that at the Genesis Scottish Open this week.

• He's now two weeks removed from his last competitive round and months removed his win in the Masters at Augusta National, snapping an 11-year drought in major championships.

  McIlroy enters this tournament more refreshed. He said he all but unplugged from the game the past two weeks following the intent to "sort of hide" and recharge. Following the Scottish Open, which McIlroy won in 2023 and scored a fourth-place finish last year, it's off to Royal Portrush and the Open Championship in his native Northern Ireland.

  "I think I've done a good job of that," McIlroy said Wednesday, recalling just one year ago when he said he couldn't recall his last holiday. "I missed the cut at Troon [at the 2024 Open] and went straight to Portugal, so that was my first holiday," McIlroy said Wednesday as he prepares for this week's Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. "One of my New Year's resolutions was to have more fun and I've really tried to do that."

  He continued:

  "Me and a bunch of friends went to Dortmund in January and watched the Borussi Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen game; we then stopped off in Istanbul for a night off on our way over to Dubai. (McIlroy's 4-year old daughter) Poppy's starting to learn how to ski, so we went to Montana in February and took a skiing holiday. Yeah, I think there's opportunities throughout the year that you can do these sorts of things. I think now at this stage of life that I'm at, I'm actually trying to build my schedule around those weeks instead of the other way around, trying to sort of fit them in here or can I take four days off."

  A green jacket that completed the lifetime grand slam in April was a crowning achievement. McIlroy hasn't been anywhere close to the throne since then.

  He finished T19 at the U.S. Open, T47 at the PGA Championship and left the RBC Canadian Open with a missed cut at 9-over -- not exactly championship form.

  To find it this week, McIlroy will have to contend with a field more loaded than previous iterations of the Scottish Open. With Genesis as a sponsor and co-sanctioned to raise the stakes for PGA Tour players chasing FedEx Cup points, McIlroy anticipated the rise of the event.

  "I think there's a lot that sets this tournament apart. I think a few of the changes that were made to the golf course over the years, I think the majority of the field like the golf course a little better than, say, back in 2019, for example. I know that Pádraig Harrington has made a few little tweaks here and there," said McIlroy, adding co-sanctioning with the playoffs approaching was a bonus because "it's sort of crunch time in that race ... so that's a big part of it."

  Then there's next week -- the Open.

  McIlroy played his first true round of golf at Royal Portrush and set the course record in 2005. Nostalgia aside, McIlroy assessed the Open at Portrush as a "mountain" he must climb.

  And the World No. 2 doesn't shy away from the significance a win at Portrush would carry, comparing it to taking a U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach or an Open at St. Andrews.

  "If venues in golf matter to you, it maybe puts a little bit more pressure on you," McIlroy said. "So yeah, I would love to win an Open at Portrush, absolutely. But it's like there's venues in the game that just mean a little bit more. ... Having Portrush from home and the experience I had there last time (2019), you know, I want to -- the Friday was amazing, the Thursday, not too much.

  "It's a little like (Novak) Djokovic won the Olympics last year. He knew that was (going) to be his final chance, and you saw the emotion and you saw how much it meant to him. You think about it, and you can't pretend that it's not there. But when you are on the golf course, you just have to go out there and play as if you're not playing at home and just play as if it's another golf tournament."

  McIlroy won the Open in 2014 and finished in every position in the top five by age 29. His previous turn around Portrush started with a first-round 79 before a thrilling second round for the home crowd and score of 65, narrowly missing the cut.

  --Field Level Media

J.J. Spaun continues his season of new experiences and new expectations this week at the Genesis Scottish Open.

• He enters the event as a first-time major winner after winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club last month. And he enters as a relative rookie on links courses, having played in this tournament just once, finishing T59 in 2022, and preparing for his first go-round in The Open Championship at age 34.

  The Open will be played July 17-20 at Royal Portrush in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

  "2022 was a great first experience playing, ever, in not just Scotland but the U.K. in general," he said Wednesday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.

  "Got a taste of what a different style of golf is here. More links style. More elements involved. So it was a lot of fun and I played OK. Kind of gave it my first run here. So I'm happy to be back."

  He said he has played links courses in the United States, calling them "probably not as proper as it is over here." And it's a big adjustment, figuring out how to tailor his game to the conditions.

  "It's a thicker wind," he said. "... As far as that goes and getting your trajectories down, and I think the other thing is getting dialed in with your spin rates because obviously into the wind that plays a huge part and how far that's going to carry into the wind."

  And the expectations as a major champion are new, too.

  "Yeah, there's some expectations, and I'm going to try to kind of dumb it down and just try to play golf, as simple and cliche as that sounds," the California native said. "But I know there will be some expectation. I'm just going to go out there and stick to my game and try to execute. That's all I can do."

  The U.S. Open win was the second for Spaun in his PGA Tour career. It was just the second time he'd played in the tournament, having missed the cut the first time around in 2021 at Torrey Pines.

  And while he is a tour veteran, he said life on tour is different as a Grand Slam winner.

  "It's been a complete 180. I've been out here for eight, nine years now, and you see the same guys but you kind of notice a little bit of change in tone or I guess more of like respect," he said. "You know, you kind of earn some respect out here, especially from the top guys. They engage a little bit more with you. Not that they are different with other players but you kind of feel you're at a different level now, winning a major.

  "It feels good to kind of earn that respect from my peers, and obviously the greatest players that are out here kind of acknowledging me and making me feel like I belong, which is huge for confidence and huge for self-belief. And it's nice to be out here, and that confidence goes a long way, whether it's off the course and on the course. The reception and the fans and spectators, it's been incredible. I still kind of can't fathom every time someone congratulates me for winning the U.S. Open."

  Spaun has played in 18 tournament this season with five top-10 finishes, including runner-up at The Players. Sometimes when he is in a reflective mood, he'll think about his unprecedented success this season, a year in which his $10 million in winnings are almost half of his career PGA Tour earnings.

  "It's just so cool to think about how far I've come, and how much I've achieved just this season alone," he said. "It's just kind of like this ascent to a more elite level that I never really thought I would maybe get there; eventually, hopefully, one of these days I would, but to finally do it, it's pretty crazy."

  --Field Level Media

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is in the middle of another sensational season with three wins in his last six events, including his third major at the PGA Championship.

• Discussing his ongoing success Wednesday as he prepared for the Genesis Scottish Open, Scheffler talked about the importance of staying out of his own way.

  "I try to do my best to live in the present," Scheffler said. "At the beginning of each year, I don't really set goals for myself. I have what I would describe as like dreams and aspirations. But day-to-day, I try to be present and try to get a little bit better at a time. I try not to think too far into the future and too far into the past. Just put in the work and see where that takes me."

  Scheffler arrives at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, having placed within the Top 25 in all 14 of his PGA Tour events this season. That includes his three wins and eight other top-10 finishes.

  Scheffler, 29, who hopes to make The Open Championship his fourth major trophy next week at Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush, said he is happy with his performance since recovering from hand surgery last winter. Happy, but not totally satisfied.

  "This game is quite difficult and sometimes it feels like you can perfect it but at the same time you don't get anywhere close. So, there's always stuff to work on and always stuff that I can improve on," he said.

  "I think this year, I've done a pretty good job mentally of staying patient with myself. ... I didn't get off to the start I was hoping for this year, but I think a lot of that had to do with hand surgery and having to take off the amount of time that I did. You lose a bit of progress physically and when it comes to golf in general."

  Scheffler tied for third in his most recent appearance at the Genesis Scottish Open in July 2023.

  He said growing up in Texas helped him deal with some of the conditions of the links courses, but not all of them.

  "We grew up in wind off but we didn't quite play in this type of firmness. I learned from a young age how to flight shots and hit all different types of shots," Scheffler said.

  "When we come over here, everything opens up for us. I get to use all that stuff did I as a kid. You did a lot less thought about positions in your golf swing and stuff like that. It's less about fundamentals and more figuring out how you're going to get the ball closer to the hole and all that other stuff washes away."

  --Field Level Media

Harris English may have to face the next two critical tournaments in the United Kingdom without his caddie, Eric Larson, whose decades-old prison sentence has proven a tough hurdle to overcome amid new travel regulations for Americans visiting the U.K.

• While Harris is in the U.K. for the next two weeks for the Scottish Open and the Open Championship in a bid to play in the Ryder Cup, Larson has been stuck trying to get an exemption to the new Electronic Travel Authority visa rules, which can refuse entry if an applicant has served 12 months or more in prison.

  Larson spent 10 years and three months in prison before being released from a halfway house in June 2006 after pleading guilty to sending friends cocaine. He was reportedly not a drug user or big-time dealer.

  After his release, Larson worked for Mark Calcavecchia, who reportedly helped him get back on his feet. Larson has since caddied for Anthony Kim in 2008, Jeff Overton in 2010 and English for the last eight years, including the last four years with English at The Open Championship.

  English, who only learned of Larson's plight three weeks ago, has been working hard to help Larson earn passage to the U.K., including reaching out to Warren Stephens, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.

  "It's just a matter of the right people seeing it," English told the Associated Press before his pro-am round on Tuesday. "I didn't understand how complicated the process was. Someone could see this guy had something in his past 30 years ago, he's been fine the last 20. How long does this stay with him?"

  In the meantime, English, who is No. 19 in the world and 10th in the U.S. standings for the Ryder Cup, had been using caddie Joe Etter, who currently works for Davis Thompson who is not playing in the Scottish Open. However, Etter will be needed in Northern Ireland with Thompson nabbing the final spot in the field for the Open Championship next week at Royal Portrush.

  "Joe was my Plan B," English said. "Now we're going to have to get a new Plan B."

  English is still holding out hope that Larson will somehow be able to make it to the U.K. given the effort by multiple outlets to vouch for Larson's credibility.

  "They (U.S. Ambassador Stephens' office) wrote a letter. The R&A wrote a letter. The PGA Tour wrote a letter. A charity event Eric works for in the States wrote a letter. It's not for a lack of effort," English said. "I think it could be sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere."

  --Field Level Media

Xander Schauffele was playing the best golf of his life at this time last year, two months after his major breakthrough at the PGA Championship and one week before capturing The Open Championship.

• Back in the United Kingdom for this week's Genesis Scottish Open, the World No. 3 has battled through a rib injury this year and has not finished atop the leaderboard since lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Troon.

  Schauffele has not played since tying for 61st at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago. His best finish in 2025 was a T8 at The Masters, and in the other majors, he finished T28 at the PGA Championship and T12 at the U.S. Open.

  "I was really beating up on myself for quite some time to try to get myself to play like I did last year and things of that nature, which isn't really how you're supposed to do it," Schauffele told reporters Tuesday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.

  Schauffele won the Scottish Open in 2022 and tied for 15th last year at the 7,237-yard, par-70 course, where the final tune-up for The Open Championship begins Thursday.

  Schauffele, 31, said that there's something about returning to playing a links-style course this week that puts him in a good head space.

  "There's some version of, I wish I could have come over here and played earlier in the year to be honest, just from a mental standpoint," he said. "Something about playing over here relaxes me a little bit.

  "... Something about being here, you start taking your hands off the wheel -- and that's how I played my best."

  Schauffele touched on a variety of subjects, including this September's Ryder Cup showdown and the possibility of U.S. captain Keegan Bradley playing with the team.

  "Clearly he's earning it," Schauffele said. "If you ask him, he's playing the best golf of his career. We just want our best 12 playing. I think that's sort of what it really comes down to. So he is just flying up the qualifying, that standings leaderboard. Would I be surprised if he got into the top six and it wasn't even a conversation anymore? I don't think I'd be very surprised and I don't think he would, either."

  Schauffele drew laughter a couple of times during Tuesday's Q&A session, including when he was asked how his life had changed as an Open champion.

  "I drank a little bit more than I normally do," he said.

  Schauffele also remarked on seeing his photograph as a past champion hanging near the bathrooms.

  "It was nice to see my photo out by the toilet. That was heartwarming. Summed up how I feel about what's going on right now," he said. "I actually chuckled when I saw that one."

  --Field Level Media

Colin Morikawa's two-week tour of Scotland and Northern Ireland will come with a new caddie as he partners with Billy Foster, according to the golf site "bunkered."

• Foster, of England, has worked for a slew of high-profile clients, the most recent of which was countryman Matt Fitzpatrick before the duo split earlier this season. Foster has carried the bag for Spain's Seve Ballesteros, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke and England's Lee Westwood.

  Morikawa and Foster first will work together at this week's Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club at North Berwick, Scotland. They will move on to the Open Championship at Royal Portrush from July 17-20.

  Morikawa won the Open Championship in 2021 at Royal St. George's in Sandwich Kent, England.

  After a split with caddie J.J. Jakovac earlier this season, Morikawa has used multiple options on his bag, including former Cal teammate K.K. Limbhasut at the Rocket Classic in Detroit last month.

  Morikawa, 28, is a two-time major winner who has six career PGA Tour victories, with his last at the Zozo Championship in October 2023.

  --Field Level Media

Ed Fiori, who won four titles on the PGA Tour, including the 1996 Quad Cities Classic that prevented Tiger Woods from his first victory, passed away from cancer on Sunday at 72.

• A native of Lynnwood, Calif., Fiori won his first title at the 1979 Southern Open, then added victories at the 1981 Western Open and 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic.

  Fiori is best known for his triumph at the Quad Cities Classic, now known as the John Deer Classic, when he defeated a 20-year-old Woods in the final round at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Ill.

  "You kind of root your playing partner on, he roots for you and maybe you can feed off each other and keep it going," Fiori said of how his two days went playing with Woods, who was participating in just his third event on the PGA Tour. "Playing with Tiger kind of raised my intensity a little bit. It brought my game up with it, I guess."

  Woods led Fiori, who was 42 at the time, by one shot entering the final round. Woods dominated Fiori off the tee, but eventually faded, opening the door for Fiori, who shot a 67 to hold off Andrew Magee for a two-shot win. Woods, who hit quadruple-bogey on the fourth hole, shot a 72 and finished T5.

  During Sunday's final round of the John Deere Classic, the PGA Tour reflected on Fiori's legacy and praised his determination in his fight against cancer.

  "Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro's pro," PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady said.

  "In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end.

  "He will be missed by all of us at the Tour."

  --Field Level Media

Andrew Putnam withdrew from the John Deere Classic midway through Friday's second round due to a back injury.

• Putnam, 36, started on the back nine and carded a double-bogey at the par-4 18th hole before pulling out.

  He was 3-over for his round after opening with an even-par 71 on Thursday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

  Putnam won his lone PGA Tour title at the 2018 Barracuda Championship. His best finish this season was a T6 at the RBC Canadian Open last month.

  --Field Level Media

The PGA Tour has restructured the distribution of playoff bonuses, including the FedEx Cup champion this season earning $10 million in prize money instead of $25 million as in the past two years.

• The new payouts from the $100 million total in bonus money -- first reported Wednesday by Front Office Sports and posted on the PGA Tour website -- were revealed weeks after an announcement in May that the Tour Championship's "starting strokes" format will be eliminated. The season-ending tournament in August -- for the top 30 following two previous playoff events -- will be a standard 72-hole stroke-play format at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

  The new three-tier system will reward golfers based on the FedEx Cup points standings after the regular-season finale at the Wyndham Championship (the top 10 splitting $20 million, with No. 1 getting $10 million), and after the second playoff event, the BMW Championship (top 30 splitting $23.93 million, with No. 1 getting $5 million).

  The Tour Championship winner will get $10 million of the remaining prize money ($57.08 million), with the rest paid to the other 29 players based on their finishes. Players ranked Nos. 31-150 will divide $17.08 million in deferrals.

  "To account for the increased volatility of the final event, reward season-long performance and recognize the significance of the FedExCup, the FedExCup bonus distributions for the top 30 positions were rebalanced," the PGA Tour posted on its website.

  Front Office Sports worked the scenario that if current points leader Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 at the end of the regular season and after the BMW Championship and then wins the Tour Championship, he will receive the same total of $25 he collected for winning the 2024 FedEx Cup.

  The tour also posted that there are no changes in 2025 for the Comcast Business Tour Top 10, which pays $40 million to the top 10 players in the standings at the end of the regular season. First place is worth $8 million, and each place earns less down to $2 million for 10th place.

  The bonus structure was led, per the Front Office Sports report, by the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council's business subcommittee, which consists of Maverick McNealy, Keith Mitchell, Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner, and is overseen and player director Patrick Cantlay.

  --Field Level Media

Max Homa needs a new hobby.

• The six-time PGA winner pointed to the importance of feeling refreshed and admitted to having trouble getting away from the game when he spoke with reporters ahead of the John Deere Classic on Wednesday in Silvis, Ill.

  So, the question is - what's the solution?

  "Golf, you're just so tied into results," Homa said. "Once you go down that path it's hard to stop, so it's not like tons of fun. I want to find something that's fun that I feel like I can get better at."

  The 34-year-old talked about getting into fishing - "That seems peaceful" - but also seemed to light up at the prospect of getting better at cooking, noting that it would benefit his immediate family.

  "When you have a 2 ½-year old ... I make a lot more meals than I was for myself," Homa said. "I'd like to get better at that. Treat my wife to not my typical home-cooked meal. Something a little bit better. I think I might get into that.

  "I can grill a little bit," he added. "I can make a decent sauce for pasta. But I'm not super great at it. Fortunately, my son eats chicken tenders, so he probably thinks I'm a great cook."

  But whether it's fishing, cooking or something else entirely, Homa is serious about finding respite to make sure his mental game is strong.

  "Hopefully when I get home next week, I'll get into something," he said.

  First, though, there's that little matter of the current task at hand.

  Homa, ranked just No. 99 in the world, is making his first appearances at TPC Deere Run in eight years, and his last appearance, in 2017, was less than inspiring, as he missed the cut.

  That was prior to his greatest run of success as a professional, as he won six tournaments between 2019-23 and got as high as No. 5 in the worldwide rankings.

  Lately, it's been more of a struggle. Homa is 122nd in the FedEx Cup race, and he has finished in the top 20 just once in his last 10 appearances (T12 at the Masters). The sports books place him at +10000 to win going into Thursday.

  Those odds haven't dampened his spirits, and he looks forward to playing a course conducive to birdies and one he feels he's been away from for too long.

  In particular, he's excited to interact with some of his fans. In keeping with the theme of food and cooking, one might even say he's looking forward to the nourishment they might be able to provide him.

  "I haven't had a very fun year and a half, but when you get a bunch of kids coming up excited to get your name on their hat, at least it makes you feel good inside," Homa said. "Even if you made a bogey, it's definitely something that kind of gives a nice reality check.

  "So like I said, I've just been super lucky with the support I've had for a while now. It's fun to come to a place I haven't been for a while and get to meet a lot of those people and feel the love and support here."

  --Field Level Media

With only five weeks remaining before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs, the John Deere Classic serves as a critical opportunity for players hovering around the cutoff bubble for the top 70 players who will qualify for the first leg.

• The event begins Thursday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., and our golf experts preview the event while sharing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

  JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

  Location: Silvis, Ill., July 3-6

  Course: TPC Deere Run (Par 71, 7,289 Yards)

  Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1.512M)

  Defending Champion: Davis Thompson

  FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

  X: @JDCLASSIC

  PROP PICKS

  --Zach Johnson to Make Cut (-120 at DraftKings): No one has played this tournament more times than Johnson, who will tee it up for the 23rd time at TPC Deere Run -- five more times than anyone else. Along with a win in 2012 and a trio of runner-up finishes, the former Ryder Cup captain has finished T26 and T35 the past two years.

  --Ben Griffin for Top 20 Finish (+108 at BetRivers): A two-time winner already this year, Griffin has also posted six consecutive top-14 finishes entering this week. The biggest concern here is fatigue as Griffin makes his 22nd start of 2025, but he should have little problem being a weekend factor against a mediocre field.

  --Michael Kim to Beat Ryan Gerard (-115 at DraftKings): Kim claimed his lone tour win to date at the John Deere and is enjoying a strong season that includes five top-15 finishes. Gerard is also up to 71st in the world rankings on the strength of seven consecutive made cuts that includes a T8 at the PGA Championship, but we also like Kim as a potential longshot winner this week at +5000.

  2025 Prop Pick Record: 20-23

  BEST BETS

  --Ben Griffin (+1600 at DraftKings) is a pre-tournament favorite for the first time, and for good reason. The highest-ranked player in the world in the field at No. 17, Griffin has already won twice this year and has six consecutive top-14 finishes.

  --Jason Day (+2500) is coming off a T4 at the Travelers for his fourth top-10 of the year.

  --Michael Thorbjornsen (+3000) finished T4 last week and it's just a matter of time before the former Stanford star wins on tour. He has been backed by 6 percent of all money wagered at the book on this week's winner.

  --Denny McCarthy (+2500) is still seeking the elusive maiden win on tour. He has come close numerous times and has a good track record at TPC Deere Run, where he has a pair of T6s and a T7 the past three years. McCarthy, who is coming off a 12th at the Travelers, leads the field with 12 percent of the money and 7 percent of the total bets backing him to win this week.

  --J.T. Poston (+3000) is a three-time winner on tour whose resume stacks up well against this field.

  --Aldrich Potgieter (+3500) notched his first tour win last week at the Rocket Classic after being denied in another dramatic playoff earlier this year.

  --Chris Kirk (+3500) lost in a playoff last week after posting a T12 at the U.S. Open.

  --Jake Knapp (+3500) shot a course record last week en route to a T4 and just needs to put together four solid rounds. He's tied with Griffin for the second highest percentage of the outright winner money as both have garnered 7 percent.

  --Nicolas Echavarria (+5000) offers very intriguing odds for someone who has won twice in the past nine months and is coming off a T6 in Detroit.

  NOTES

  --Notable players on the FedExCup Playoff bubble in this week's field include Kirk (No. 67), Davis Thompson (No. 70), Rickie Fowler (No. 72) and Karl Vilips (No. 73), who was the first player to sign as a brand ambassador with Tiger Woods' "Sunday Day Red." Fowler is playing the John Deere for the first time in 15 years, opting to compete in the U.S. instead of at the Scottish Open ahead of The Open Championship.

  --John Deere is the second-longest running title sponsor on tour (1998), behind only AT&T (1986), and has signed an extension to serve as the event's title sponsor through 2030.

  --The field includes the top three ranked amateurs in the world: Auburn's Jackson Koivun, Virginia's Ben James and Michael La Sasso out of Ole Miss.

  --Thompson, who set the tournament scoring record of 256 last year, is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend at the John Deere since Steve Stricker won three straight from 2009-11.

  --Field Level Media