Wyndham Clark kicked off the Travelers Championship with a stellar six-under 64, two strokes behind early first-round leader Austin Eckroat. But instead of talking about his great round, the highlight of his post-round talk with the media was about something else he kicked last week—the lockers in the Oakmont Country Club locker room.

https://t.co/DdClg8952U pic.twitter.com/b1bkezlT9B

— Tron Carter (@TronCarterNLU) June 15, 2025

“I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows,” Clark said on Thursday after a post on social media made the rounds of a destroyed locker. “I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened. But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of this year and things that come up. I still want to try to make the Ryder Cup team. I still am on the outside looking in for the FedEx Cup. So I’m starting to move on and focus on those things.”

Clark’s damage at Oakmont came after he missed the U.S. Open cut, shooting eight over the first two days. A bogey on 18 Friday resulted in him missing the cut by a stroke.

Since a T-5 finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open on March 30—his lone top 10 finish this year—Clark’s best finish was T-27 at the RBC Heritage on April 20.

Amid his struggles, Clark had to make a different apology coming on the heels of a dangerous club throw at the PGA Championship a month ago.

This is some absolute clown stuff from Wyndham Clark pic.twitter.com/UYAH0fFTXA

— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) May 18, 2025

Clark issued the following statement on social media:

https://twittee.com/Wyndham_Clark/status/1924511085094437252

On the heels of some calling for him to be banned at next year’s U.S. Open, Clark pieced together one of his best rounds of the year Thursday at TPC River Highlands. Following a two-under front nine, the 31-year-old notched three straight pars to begin he back nine before registering a trio of birdies on 13, 14 and 15. Following two straight pars, Clark concluded his day by birdieing 18, putting him in a great position to make a run for his fourth win on the PGA Tour and first since the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

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There have been calls for more transparency testing from the USGA in wake of Rory McIlroy’s driver failing a compliance test at the PGA Championship and McIlroy’s subsequent annoyance with how the news was leaked. However, don’t expect any changes on the public announcement front anytime soon.

In an interview with Golf Digest last week, the USGA’s Thomas Pagel asserted that elite golf does not have a problem with driver compliance.

“If we saw high numbers of failures, which we just don’t see, or we saw a high instance of serial numbers not matching, then perhaps we would consider testing the full field,” Pagel said. “And then also seeing that when these clubs are creeping over, we’re only talking about a microsecond or two when they’re being pulled, we just don’t see it as a great issue.”

Pagel also disputed the idea that making results public would be an improvement.

“It becomes a distraction for the player, becomes a distraction for the manufacturer,” he said. “A microsecond or two is not going to have any distance gains, but in the court of public opinion, especially those that may not be overly familiar and they’re just watching a major championship, they might assume that that player ort hat manufacturer is trying to get away with something, and we just don’t think that that’s the case.”

Speaking at Oakmont on Wednesday ahead of this week’s U.S. Open, USGA CEO Mike Whan reiterated Pagel’s talking points, and said the fallout from McIlroy’s Quail Hollow incident has only cemented the governing body’s approach to the process going forward.

“As a service to manufacturers, to the players and to the tours, we provide that. If I’m being honest with you, I think in terms of what happened at the PGA Championship, it made us more committed to not wanting to have this be the topic of the town because I think when you talked about a rules violation or somebody who’s playing with a hot driver, that gets so much more sensational than the reality,” Whan said. “I can tell you as a rules body, if we had concern about this incredible advantage, we would change the degree in which we test.

“But we think the testing that we’re doing now is commensurate with the size of both the issue and the size of the reality of the issue.”

Last week, McIlroy said he was “upset” about how the news of his test ultimately became public thanks to the media, especially since he knew Scottie Scheffler’s driver also failed at Quail Hollow.

“I knew that Scottie’s driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked,” McIlroy explained. “I didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted, either, because there’s a lot of people that … I’m trying to protect Scottie. I don’t want to mention his name. I’m trying to protect TaylorMade. I’m trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself. I just didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted at the time. With Scottie’s stuff, that’s not my information to share. I knew that that had happened, but that’s not on me to share that, and I felt that process is supposed to be kept confidential, and it wasn’t for whatever reason. That’s why I was pretty annoyed at that.”

MORE: Win each week and beat the heat at Five Iron Dubai

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Mere hours after shooting a final-round 75 in the final group of the Masters to tie for fifth place, four shots behind Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau was at Pinehurst Resort to commemorate his epic bunker shot that helped him win the U.S. Open last summer … over Rory McIlroy.

DeChambeau opened with a par and a birdie Sunday at Augusta National and took the lead by a shot after McIlroy opened with a double bogey on the first hole. DeChambeau didn’t have his best iron game all week and it finally caught up with him. A double bogey on the 11th hole and a bogey on the 12th hole put him out of contention for his first green jacket. McIlroy topped Justin Rose on the first hole of a playoff to capture the career Grand Slam.

We had @brysondech recreate “the shot”@PinehurstResort pic.twitter.com/cvTp0X760g

— Joe GolfTraveler (@GolfTravelerJoe) April 14, 2025

On Monday in North Carolina, DeChambeau was joined by hundreds of locals and shown a plaque next to the greenside bunker on the 18th hole at Pinehurst’s No. 2 course that reads, “Bryson DeChambeau blasted a 55-degree wedge from this bunker to 4 feet, setting up his winning put in the 124th U.S. Open Championship.” And it has the June 16, 2024, date along with a quote from DeChambeau calling it “the shot of my life.”

Just had @brysondech at @PinehurstResort for the commemoration of his plaque by the bunker on 18 pic.twitter.com/bDfbfIT9ig

— Joe GolfTraveler (@GolfTravelerJoe) April 14, 2025

Video also surfaced of DeChambeau attempting to hit that impressive shot again. It’s not clear how many times he attempted to hit the shot, but in the one video that appeared on social media, the ball landed on the front of the green.

Last summer, of course, DeChambeau parred the final three holes to top McIlroy by a shot, the last coming on the 18th when he got up and down from this bunker, making the four-footer for par. McIlroy missed two short putts for par on the last three holes to come up short.

Main Image: Ross Kinnaird

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The exponential increase is a testament to the powers that be involved in women’s golf recognizing the need to better reward the game’s best players on the game’s biggest stages. The total amount of prize money being played for on the LPGA Tour in 2024 is up to nearly $124 million, compared to $88.9 million in 2022. And the purses in the other four women’s majors have also seen similar growth in recent years. Take a look:

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship: $10 million in 2024, $4.5 million in 2021
AIG Women’s Open: $9 million in 2023; $4.5 million in 2020
Chevron Championship: $7.9 million in 2024; $3.1 million in 2021
Evian Championship: $6.5 million in 2023; $4.5 million in 2021

As for the winner’s payday in the U.S. Women’s Open, the champion on Sunday at Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Country Club will earn a record $2.4 million. Interestingly, the USGA decided to increase the winner’s payday in relation to the rest of the field, giving the champ 20 percent of the overall payout compared to 18 percent in previous years and the typical 15 percent on the LPGA Tour. Even if you don’t make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open, you’re still walking away with a nice return: $10,000, a doubling of the “stipend” given to pros leaving after 36 holes compared to a year ago.

We’ve charted the growth in the U.S. Women’s Open before, but it’s worth showing again if only to remind everyone that that the overall purse for the U.S. Women’s Open didn’t pass $10,000 until 1965, the 20th year of the championship. And a winner of the major didn’t make $10,000 until 1977.

Here’s a historic look at the prize money payouts in the championship for context about this year’s historic payday:

YEAR: WINNER, OVERALL PURSE, WINNER’S SHARE
1947: Betty Jameson, $7,500, $1,200
1966: Sandra Spuzich, $20,000 $4,000
1975: Sandra Palmer, $55,000, $8,044
1977: Hollis Stacy, $75,000, $11,040
1978: Hollis Stacy, $100,000, $15,000
1990: Betsy King, $500,000, $85,000
1995: Annika Sorenstam, $1 million, $175,000
2000: Karrie Webb, $2.75 million, $500,000
2014: Michelle Wie, $4 million, $720,000
2017: Sung-Hyun Park, $5 million, $900,000
2019: Jeuong Lee6, $5.5 million, $1 million
2022: Minjee Lee, $10 million, $1.8 million
2023: Allisen Corpuz, $11 million, $2 million

Here is this year’s full prize money payout breakdown:

Win: Yuka Saso, -4, $2,400,000

2: Hinako Shibuno, -1, $1,296,000

T-3: Andrea Lee, E, $664,778

T-3: Ally Ewing, E, $664,778

5: Arpuchaya Yubol, +1, $456,375

T-6: Ayaka Furue, +2, $365,406

T-6: Wichanee Meechai, +2, $365,406

T-6: Atthaya Thitikul, +2, $365,406

T-9: Rio Takleda, +3, $271,733

T-9: Minjee Lee, +3, $271,733

T-9: Sakura Koiwai, +3, $271,733

T-12: Hyo Joo Kim, +4, $205,709

T-12: Miyu Yamshita, +4, $205,709

T-12: Ruoning Yin, +4, $205,709

T-12: Jee Hee Im, +4, $205,709

T-16: Hannah Green, +5, $161,841

T-16: A Lim Kim, +5, $161,841

T-16: My Hyang Lee, +5, $161,841

T-19: Yan Liu, +6 $125,829

T-19: Charley Hull, +6 $125,829

T-19: Carlota Ciganda, +6 $125,829

T-19: Jenny Shin, +6 $125,829

T-19: Chisato Iwai, +6 $125,829

T-24: Jiwon Jeon, +7, $99,079

T-24: Wei-Ling Hsu, +7, $99,079

T-26: Aditi Ashok, +8, $86,542

T-26: Sophia Popov, +8, $86,542

T-28: Min Byeol Kim, +8, $86,542

T-29: Jin Young Kim, +9, $68,873

T-29: Albane Valenzuela, +9, $68,873

T-29: Pia Babnik, +9, $68,873

T-29: Sarah Kemp, +9, $68,873

T-29: Jodi Ewart Shadoff, +9, $68,873

T-29: Xiyu Janet Lin, +9, $68,873

T-29: Su Ji Kim, +9, $68,873

T-36: Kristen Gillman, +10, $54,338

T-36: Anna Nordqvist, +10, $54,338

T-36: Amiyu Ozeki, +10, $54,338

T-39: Hyunkyung Park, +11, $44,897

T-39: Jiyai Shin, +11, $44,897

T-39: Gaby Lopez, +11, $44,897

T-39: Yuna Nishimura, +11, $44,897

T-39: Yui Kawamoto, +11, $44,897

T-44: Megan Khang, +12, $34,495

T-44: Mariel Galdiano, +12, $34,495

T-44: Alison Lee, +12, $34,495

T-44: Asterisk Talley, +12, Amateur

T-44: Megan Schofill, +12, Amateur

T-44: Nasa Hataoka, +12, $34,495

T-44: Catherine Park, +12, Amateur

T-51: Gabriela Ruffels, +13, $26,595

T-51: Hae Ran Ryu, +13, $26,595

T-51: Danielle Kang, +13, $26,595

T-51: Yuri Yoshida, +13, $26,595

T-51: Alexandra Forsterling, +13, $26,595

T-51: Sofia Garcia, +13, $26,595

T-51: Ashleigh Buhai, +13, $26,595

T-58: Narin An, +14, $23,741

T-58: Celine Boutier, +14, $23,741

T-58: Amelia Garvey, +14, $23,741

T-58: Alana Uriell, +14, $23,741

T-58: Alexa Pano, +14, $23,741

T-58: Emily Kristine Pedersen, +14, $23,741

T-58: Maude-Aimee Leblanc, +14, $23,741

T-58: Kim Kaufman, +14, $23,741

T-58: Jeongeun Lee6, +14, $23,741

T-67: Adela Cernousek, +15, Amateur

T-67: Ai Suzuki. +15, $22,566

T-69: Caroline Inglis, +16, $22,095

T-69: Madelene Sagstrom, +16, $22,095

T-69: Marissa Steen, +16, $22,095

72: Casandra Alexander, +17, $21,625

73: Isi Gabsa, +19, $21,390

74: Akie Iwai, +21, $21,155

75: Cheyenne Knight, +22, $20,920

Main Image: Sarah Stier

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The duration of an earthquake can range from a few seconds to several minutes, but the tremors and aftershocks that have been rattling Peacock golf have lasted a few years now. And the foundation is weakening to the point where the network, gearing up for the Olympic Games this summer, does not appear ready for one of its premier golf events, the 124th US Open in June at Pinehurst.

Cost-cutting moves in sports production aren’t always noticeable. One fewer graphics here or the loss of a speed camera or editing machine there aren’t necessarily going to diminish coverage appreciably in the eyes of most home viewers. The production team knows the difference, however, and many of them at NBC and Golf Channel (which operate jointly under the Comcast banner) can’t believe what little has been left at the disposal of the brilliant long-time golf producer Tommy Roy. Every week during NBC’s recent run of events in Florida and Texas something else was being hacked as golf ratings flagged. The penny-pinching shouldn’t be surprising when the outlet opted to produce coverage of the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome—only one of the two most popular golf events in the world aside from the Masters—from Stamford, Conn.

One staffer joked that “pretty soon, we’re going to just do artist’s renditions of coverage as opposed to showing actual shots with a camera.”

Now, do you know what viewers do notice? Besides, that is, too many commercials. Faces and voices. The talent lineup. And this is where the shifting has been seismic. And mystifying.

Curt Byrum and Kevin Kisner shared the booth with Dan Hicks at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.

Lead analyst Paul Azinger was cut loose last November when the former PGA champion, through his agent, countered on an underwhelming one-year extension not knowing it was a take-it-or-leave-it offer. But Azinger, who along with Johnny Miller are the only men to sit in the analyst chair since 1990, was only the latest scalp.

The year before that, veterans Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch learned their contracts would not be renewed. Maltbie actually had one foot out the door before that, but Jim “Bones” Mackay returned to the caddie ranks with Justin Thomas in late 2021, leaving NBC short an on-course reporter. The bench got even thinner when major winners David Duval and Justin Leonard resumed their playing careers on the PGA Tour Champions and Notah Begay III cut back his TV commitment to also accommodate senior golf. Meanwhile, Peter Jacobsen, a semi-regular contributor, rarely gets called upon anymore.

And then there was the departure of popular quipster David Feherty, who walked out of the NBC compound at St. Andrews following the 2022 Open Championship and promptly jumped onto the LIV Golf League broadcast team. “David was the canary in the coal mine,” said one former colleague. “He left in the middle of his contract. Heck, it was in the middle of the year! And NBC didn’t lift a finger to keep him. It was just another number they could move off the ledger.”

It’s worth noting that Feherty, Azinger, Maltbie and Koch were the four highest-paid announcers.

Repeated requests to interview Flood were denied. Via text, Roy took a pass on personnel questions.

All of this wouldn’t necessarily indicate disarray were it not for Flood’s throw-it-against-the-wall approach to finding Azinger’s replacement. In house, Begay, Brandel Chamblee, Paul McGinley and Smylie Kaufman have taken turns in the hot seat, while Kevin Kisner and Luke Donald have been given tryouts. Mackay, still on the hook contractually for a few events this year, had to slide in at the Vidanta Mexican Open when Kisner and Geoff Ogilvy weren’t available. With Brad Faxon becoming a staple in the 18th hole tower, the network has transitioned to a four-man setup. There is little elbow room, let alone a sense of continuity, though host Dan Hicks, in the last year of his contract, Terry Gannon and Steve Sands hold things together. True pros.

In a reflection of growing desperation, Flood managed to lure Maltbie and Koch back for the opening two days of coverage of the Players. The rest of the NBC team seemed buoyed by their presence, but, oddly, neither was asked to stay the weekend.

Having gone through all the trial and error—and don’t even ask how those PGA Tour events felt about their involuntary involvement in the experiments—sources at the network say NBC is no closer to finding a successor to Azinger. The clock is ticking. The US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 that begins on June 13 fast approaches. A USGA spokesperson said an announcement on coverage plans—specifically who will be sitting in the lead analyst chair—will be made in a few weeks at US Open media day. Which might be another way of saying NBC has yet to be forthcoming with answers.

Imagine CBS Sports officials telling Masters chairman Fred Ridley seven weeks out that they’ll get back to him on their broadcast lineup.

What are NBC’s options? Well, Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion, apparently is out; he recently declined an offer, though perhaps in the interim NBC can talk him into it. Kisner probably isn’t an option after his history of criticism of the USGA. Donald at least brings decent credentials as a former World No. 1. Chamblee and McGinley are Golf Channel heavyweights on the “Live From” set. No point in weakening that program.

That leaves Faxon as perhaps the best viable alternative. Plus, he’s already on board. Zero additional overhead. Meanwhile, Maltbie and Koch reportedly will make an encore appearance at Pinehurst, supposedly for all four days this time. Is Mackay, once again out of the caddie ranks, also returning? He could not be reached for comment, but sources say he has been asked to further buttress the ground game, where the reliable Curt Byrum also can help out if he’s not calling holes.

The USGA transferred its broadcast rights from Fox to NBC/Golf Channel at the height of the pandemic in 2020 after Fox submitted a stunning $1.1 billion bid that began in 2015. That deal ended a partnership dating back to 1994, when NBC was able to pry the USGA rights from ABC, thanks largely to Roy being at the controls, then-president Dick Ebersol committing the resources, and former US Open winner Miller, brutally honest and a passionate champion of the USGA, serving as the voice of the telecasts.

The current deal, on which Fox still pays 30 per cent, expires in 2026. The exclusive negotiating period between the USGA and Comcast begins later this year and then is thrown open in ’25 if the sides can’t come to an agreement. Golf viewers would be right to ask how much Flood even cares.

Main image: Dom Furore

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The reigning LIV Golf player of the year has seen his Official World Golf Ranking plummet the past couple years due to the new league not being awarded world ranking points. Based on his PGA Tour performance in 2022, Gooch earned spots in last year’s Masters and Open Championship. He was also given a special exemption by the PGA Championship. But in 2024, the 32-year-old is not qualified for any of the four majors.

Gooch has also been ridiculed by Golf Twitter for his past comments that major champions might deserve asterisks by their names if they win without players like him in the field. Gooch was particularly upset at the USGA, which tweaked its US Open criteria last year resulting in Gooch being bumped from the field at LACC.

Gooch could have still tried to qualify for the event—like several other LIV players including Sergio Garcia, who made it to LACC and finished T-27—but declined. And he left no doubt that once again he will not be trying to qualify for this year’s event at Pinehurst.

RELATED: Rahm a model of consistency to start his LIV Golf career

At a press conference with his Smash GC teammates, a question was asked about the players’ plans for US Open qualifying. Obviously, team captain Brooks Koepka, a two-time US Open champ and the defending PGA champ, is all set. But another former US Open champ, Graeme McDowell, said he plans to try to qualify, as does Jason Kokrak. Then Gooch picked up his mic.

“I’m not,” he bluntly said before lowering back his mic, drawing a chuckle from Kokrak. Have a look:

Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell and Talor Gooch on whether they’ll be playing in US Open and Open Qualifiers: pic.twitter.com/IdeQk9e50T

— Jamie Weir (@jamiecweir) May 2, 2024

So there you have it. Talor Gooch will not be trying to qualify for next month’s US Open. And let’s just say it’s a pretty big lock that the USGA will not extend him a special exemption like it’s expected to for Tiger Woods.

Gooch is currently 10th in the LIV season standings after winning three times last year. The 2024 US Open is scheduled for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2.

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The 15-time major champ’s invite—and acceptance—was announced by the USGA in a press release.

“The US Open, our national championship, is a truly special event for our game and one that has helped define my career,” Woods said in the release. “I’m honoured to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete in this year’s US Open, especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game.”

Woods has won nine USGA championships during his illustrious career dating back to his amateur days. In addition to winning the US Open three times (2000, 2002 and 2008), Woods also won three consecutive US Junior Amateur Championships (1991-1993) and three consecutive US Amateur Championships (1994-1996).

See you at Pinehurst, Tiger. pic.twitter.com/yBQ47RrnW9

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) May 2, 2024

This is the first time the 48-year-old Woods hasn’t been exempt from qualifying for the US Open since making his championship debut as an amateur at Shinnecock Hills in 1995. He last played in the US Open in 2020.

Woods has lifetime exemptions into the Masters and PGA Championship as a past champion and can play in the Open Championship until he is 60. Winning the US Open, however, only comes with a 10-year exemption. And Tiger’s five-year exemption into the US Open for winning the 2019 Masters expired last year. 

RELATED: Why Tiger Woods wants to ‘ruin the logo’ of his new apparel line

Woods joins a list of legendary golfers who have received special exemptions from the USGA including Jack Nicklaus (seven times), Arnold Palmer (five times) and Tom Watson (five times).

Woods finished 60th at the Masters last month, his only full tournament of the year thus far. After, he said he planned to play in all four majors this year.

The 2024 US Open will be held June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2, a site where Woods finished runner-up in 2005 and T-3 in 1999.

Main image: Andrew Redington

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There are 84 players in the field at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club, with five expected to advance. It’s Charlie Woods’ first time attempting U.S. Open qualifying.

Interestingly, three-time U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods is not yet in the field for Pinehurst, but he is expected to receive the offer of a special exemption from the USGA over the next month.

In February, Charlie Woods drew heavy media attention when he entered a Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic. He shot 16-over-par 86 that included him scoring 12 on a par-4 hole.

Image: Mike Ehrmann

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The quartet of future championships include the 2020 US Girls’ Junior, 2034 US Amateur, 2038 US Open and 2045 US Women’s Open.

“This partnership with The Country Club gives juniors, amateurs and professionals alike the opportunity to vie for a USGA championship and etch their names in golfing history at one of the nation’s most iconic venues,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, in a press release. “We look forward to witnessing the incredible talent and passion that will be on display in the coming years.”

One of the USGA’s five founding member clubs, The Country Club last hosted the US Open in 2022 when Matt Fitzpatrick won the title by a stroke over Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler. The Englishman also won the US Amateur when it was played for the sixth and most recent time there in 2013. Fitzpatrick joined Jack Nicklaus as the only golfer to win a US Amateur and US Open at the same club.

When the US Girls’ Junior is held in 2030 it will mark 80 years since the only previous time the championship has been played at The Country Club.

By hosting the US Women’s Open in 2045, The Country Club will become just the 23rd course to have hosted the men’s and women’s national championship. Fifteen have already done so while another seven will accomplish the feat between now and 2045 before TCC joins them.

The Country Club/USGA championships
1902 US Women’s Amateur: Genevieve Hecker
1910 US Amateur: William Fownes Jr
1913 US Open: Francis Ouimet
1922 US Amateur: Jess Sweetser
1932 Walker Cup: United States
1934 US Amateur: Lawson Little
1941 US Women’s Amateur: Betty Hicks Newell
1953 US Girls’ Junior: Mildred Meyerson
1957 US Amateur: Hillman Robbins
1963 US Open: Julius Boros
1968 US Junior: Eddie Pearce
1973 Walker Cup: United States
1982 US Amateur: Jay Sigel
1988 US Open: Curtis Strange
1995 US Women’s Amateur: Kelli Kuehne
2013 US Amateur: Matt Fitzpatrick
2022 US Open: Matt Fitzpatrick

Main image: Boston Globe

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Now that the 2023 major season is complete, which of the 30 LIV Golf League members who teed it up in at least one of golf’s four biggest tournaments this year produced the best overall performance?

Well, only one of those players came away with a trophy, so the answer is easy. No LIV player had a better run in the majors this season than Smash Captain Brooks Koepka, who won the PGA Championship after tying for second at the Masters. He also made the cut in the last two majors.
As for the other 29 …

To rank the LIV players who competed in the majors, we came up with a relatively simple formula. For each $1,000 in prize money won at a major, a player receives 1 point. Thus, $50,000 in earnings is worth 50 points, $100,000 is worth 100 points and so on. The only caveat — a player must have made the cut to get those points.

While players do receive prize money at majors even if they don’t make the cut, for the majority of the majors, those purses are distributed evenly among all missed cuts regardless of score. For our purposes, we weighted points for missed cuts depending on how close a player came to the cut line. Missing the cut by one stroke = 5 points; by two strokes = 4 points; by 3 strokes = 3 points; 4 strokes = 2 points, and 5 strokes = 1 point. Players who missed the cut by more than five strokes received no points.

In using those calculations, here’s how the 30 LIV players ranked in the overall majors. And just a reminder — these are strictly unofficial rankings, purely a fun exercise in how to appraise the major starters.

1. BROOKS KOEPKA (5,057 points)
His PGA Championship win was worth 3,150 points, and his tie for second at the Masters worth 1,584 points.
2. CAMERON SMITH (1,637 points)
Most of his points came from a solo fourth at the US Open (991 points) and a tie for ninth at the PGA (465 points).
3. PHIL MICKELSON (1,622 points)
His tie for second with Koepka at the Masters was the big point-producer.
4. PATRICK REED (1,086 points)
Joins Koepka and Smith as the only LIV golfers to make the cut in all four majors this year. The majority of his points came from a tie for fourth at the Masters (744 points) and a tie for 18th at the PGA (214 points).
5. BRYSON DECHAMBEAU (965 points)
His tie for fourth at the PGA was worth 720 points. Also played well at the US Open with a tie for 20th (200 points).
6. DUSTIN JOHNSON (521 points)
A tie for 10th at the US Open gave him 435 points. Made the cut at the Masters and PGA. Alas, no need to discuss the Open.
7. JOAQUIN NIEMANN (376 points)
Finished in the top 20 at the Masters (261 points) and had a decent result at the US Open (108 points). Came close to the cut line in the other two majors (combined seven points).
8. MITO PEREIRA (286 points)
His tie for 18th at the PGA was worth 214 points.
9. HENRIK STENSON (233 points)
His only major start this year was at the Open Championship, where he tied for 13th, the best result among all LIV golfers at Royal Liverpool.
10. HAROLD VARNER III (215 points)
Tied for 29th in both the Masters (125 points) and PGA (90 points).
11. LAURIE CANTER (188 points)
Earned a spot in the Open through final qualifying and tied for 17th in his only major start.
12. ABRAHAM ANCER (170 points)
Finished consistently in the middle of the pack in three majors – Masters, US Open and Open.
13. SERGIO GARCIA (145 points)
Almost all his points came from a tie for 27th at the US Open.
14. THOMAS PIETERS (140 points)
He was middle of the pack in two majors — Masters and PGA — and made the cut at the Open.
15. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN (122 points)
Tied for 23rd at the Open to earn all his points.
16. TALOR GOOCH (100 points)
The current LIV Golf points leader made the cut in just one of three starts, tying for 34th at the Masters.
17. DAVID PUIG (85 points)
The 21-year-old from Spain made his major debut at the US Open and tied for 39th after a sizzling final round.
18. RICHARD BLAND (84 points)
The 50-year-old from England played in just one major, tying for 33rd at the Open.
19. SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ (49 points)
Was a qualifier for the US Open and tied for 49th.
20. CHARL SCHWARTZEL (48 points)
Tied for 50th at the Masters, a tournament in which he has a lifetime exemption thanks to his 2011 win.
21. DEAN BURMESTER (36 points)
Finished 54th in his only major start at the PGA.
22. SIHWAN KIM (32 points)
Tied for 62nd in his only major start at the PGA.
23. BRENDAN STEELE (5 points)
Came within a stroke of making the cut at the PGA.
24. ANIRBAN LAHIRI (4 points)
Came within two strokes of making the cut at the PGA.
25. MARTIN KAYMER (2 points)
The two-time major winner had to withdraw with injury at the PGA and was four strokes off the cut line at the US Open.
26. JASON KOKRAK (1 point)
Missed the cut by five strokes at the Masters.
T27. BRANDEN GRACE, KEVIN NA, CARLOS ORTIZ, BUBBA WATSON (0 points)
Na withdrew from the Masters mid-tournament with an injury, while the other three missed the cut in their respective majors by more than five strokes.

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