The PGA Tour season, the meat of the PGA Tour season at least, is over. Golf fans have already suffered through a week without any PGA Tour event at all, and some have to be asking just what is left to keep their attention after the four major championships on the men’s tour and the FedEx Cup playoffs are in the rearview mirror.
While the old adage that the PGA Tour never seems to end isn’t quite true anymore, there is still plenty of golf to keep fans entertained. For some fans, they will shift their attention to college football and the NFL on weekends, while sneaking in some golf viewing here and there.
Don’t be convinced that what happens between now and what should be two Tiger Woods appearances in December is golf that doesn’t mean a thing, though.
For instance:
The Fall Series
J.J. Spaun of the United States plays his shot from the 15th tee during the second round of the Procore Championship 2024 at Silverado Resort on September 13, 2024, in Napa, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
This week’s Procore Championship is in Napa is the only official PGA Tour event played in September this year. But there are seven more PGA Tour events through November, and while they aren’t major championships, they are important events. Golfers trying to get to the top 125 on the money list to guarantee an exemption for the 2025 season need to play well in these closing events. No, the big stars of the tour won’t be in most of the events – former U.S. Open-winning Wyndham Clark is the biggest name in Napa – but one or two will pop up through the fall.
The Solheim Cup
Carlota Ciganda of Team Europe plays her shot from the first tee during the Saturday Foursomes matches against Team United States during the second round of the Solheim Cup 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on September 14, 2024, in Gainesville, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The United States hasn’t been very good in the Solheim Cup in recent years, losing in 2019 and 2021 and tying with Europe in 2023. That means the last U.S. victory in the matches came in 2017. Perhaps the Americans can turn that around this weekend with a team that seems stronger than the Europeans. Captain Stacy Lewis certainly would love to get her U.S. team back in the winner’s circle.
The Presidents Cup
The opposite of the Solheim Cup, the American men have dominated the Presidents Cup to an 11-1-1 overall record. But the International teams seem to be getting closer and closer, losing by three points or less in three of the last five matches. This time the event is in Montreal, with plenty of Canadians playing for the team and one, Mike Weir, as captain. That might provide the strongest motivation yet against captain Jim Furyk’s American team in the matches Sept. 26-29.
European golf
The DP World Tour has eight events remaining on its calendar after this week’s Irish Open, including the DP World Tour Championship in November in Dubai. Many of the top players in the world will be competing, including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre. It could be a cavalry charge to the finish on the European Tour.
The LPGA
The Solheim Cup might be a highlight for the LPGA this year, but there are nine more official LPGA events on the schedule this year, concluding with the CME Group Tour Championship in November in Naples, Fla. In addition to the chase for player of the year – Nelly Korda should be able to claim that title this year – it might be the last time most golf fans see Lexi Thompson, who is leaving the tour as a full-time player at the end of this season.
The Epson Tour Championship
Played for the first time in the Coachella Valley at the Indian Wells Golf Resort, it might be easy to dismiss this as a championship on a tour few golf fans know anything about. But 15 LPGA cards for 2025 will be handed out at the end of this event, and the city of Indian Wells hopes that a strong showing of local fans might get the LPGA itself interested in returning to the desert. Tickets are cheap and the golf is pretty strong, so it might be worth a day to check out the rising stars of women’s golf.
Larry Bohannan is the golf writer for The Desert Sun. You can contact him at (760) 778-4633 or at larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @larry_bohannan.