Women's PGA Championship and Travelers Championship lowdowns: Maguire, McIlroy and Lowry in action
KPMG Women's PGA Championship
Purse:
€10.45 million ($12m)/(€1.5m/$1.8m to the winner)
Where:
Frisco, Texas, USA
The course:
The KPMG Women's PGA Championship will take place at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, co-designed by Beau Welling and Gil Hanse, this marks the first women's Major championship played on the East Course. Fields Ranch East will also host the men's PGA Championship in 2027.
The field:
As you'd expect for the third women's Major of the season, a standout field headed by world number one Nelly Korda, who is receiving treatment on a neck injury. Lydia Ko heads into this week's championship knowing she can achieve the career Grand Slam with a win in the WPGA.
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Quote-Unquote:
'Obviously, with the injury that I had last year, every single time something kind of flares up in my neck now, I think I feel it a little bit more than what I used to' – Nelly Korda after suffering a neck injury in practice earlier in the week.
Irish in the field:
Leona Maguire is the lone Irish player in this third Major of the LPGA Tour season and is Patty Tavanakit and Joanna Coe (off the 1st tee at 14.17 Irish time).
Betting:
Nelly Korda heads the market at 8-1 ahead of the in-form Jeeno Thitikul at 9-1 and Ruoning Yin at 14-1. It may be worth looking down the market for value, however, and Japan's Rio Takeda looks well priced at 33-1 each-way.
On TV:
Live on Sky Sports Golf (from 4pm and 11pm).
The Travelers
Hideki Matsuyama practising at TPC River Highlands. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty
Purse:
€17.35 million (€3.15m to the winner)
Where:
Cromwell, Connecticut, USA
The course:
TPC River Highlands – 6,844 yards Par 70 – was designed by Robert Ross and Maurice Kearney and traditionally provides something of a birdie-fest on a course rated the third shortest on the PGA Tour schedule. Jim Furyk's 58 is the course record holder (final round in 2016) which is also the lowest round ever on the PGA Tour. The meat of the course comes late on, with the stretch from the 15th to the 17th created around a lake of four acres. Compared to last week's US Open challenge at Oakmont where winner JJ Spaun was the only player to finish sub-par, this week's tournament is liable to provide a birdie fest. Scottie Scheffler was 22-under in winning last year.
The field:
There are 45 players of the leading 50 in the official world rankings competing, headed by world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler for the last of this season's designated PGA Tour events. New US Open champion JJ Spaun, up to seventh in the world, will aim to continue his standout season while world number two Rory McIlroy will be looking to maintain the momentum of his 67 in the final round in the US Open.
Quote-Unquote:
'I missed this event last year, licking my wounds from Pinehurst, but I made a commitment to Travelers to be back this year. I'm excited to be back.
'I think the weeks after Major championships in these events sometimes when you're in contention and you're trying to win them, it can feel quite difficult to go play the next week. After a week like I had at Oakmont last week, where you're not quite in the mix but you might feel you find something in your game, you're excited to come back and play again.
'Yeah, looking forward to the week. This is the perfect sort of chaser for what Oakmont was last week, and nice to get out on a golf course where you feel you can make quite a few birdies' – Rory McIlroy looking forward to an easier examination than Oakmont as he goes birdie-hunting in Cromwell.
Irish in the field:
Rory McIlroy is paired with US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (15.35 Irish time), Shane Lowry is paired with Denny McCarthy (18.05).
Betting:
Scottie Scheffler is the market leader at tight odds of 11-4 on a course where he was a birdie machine a year ago while Xander Schauffele, a past winner, looks decent at 16-1. Rory McIlroy has yet to fire on all cylinders since the Masters in April which is reflected in longer odds that you'd expect at 12-1. Shane Lowry is a 40-1 shot but would need some improvement with the putter to make an impact. Denny McCarthy is worth a look at 80s each-way.
On TV:
Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm.
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