PGA Tour’s $100m overhaul, shocking underdog, missing piece | Monday Finish

Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where I’ve been watching golf and feeling the subliminal urge to go tractor shopping. To the news…

GOLF STUFF I LIKE

An underdog winner.

What’s your favorite Brian Campbell underdog fun fact? That he’s the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour? That he has the lowest ball speed? That, entering Sunday, he had just one top-30 finish on Tour this season — and it was a victory? That he played just three events in 2022 and fell outside the top 1,500 in the world, part of a seven-year journey back to the game’s top level?

My favorite Brian Campbell underdog fun fact is that the final round of this week’s John Deere Classic fell exactly a decade — to the day — after his first-ever PGA Tour event, also the John Deere, which he played on a sponsor’s exemption while still a student-athlete at the nearby University of Illinois. Much has happened in those 10 years, which saw Campbell ascend to the PGA Tour but descend to the Korn Ferry Tour and stay there for much of that decade, good enough to stay but not to advance, stuck in professional limbo. Until this season, that is. Now, Campbell has two PGA Tour wins in just a few months. In a world where accomplished talents like of Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Young and Denny McCarthy are still chasing their first Tour title, that’s a remarkable achievement.

Two top-30s this season — and two playoff wins? That’s golf stuff I like.

WINNERS

Who won the week?

Brian Campbell won the John Deere Classic over Emiliano Grillo on the first playoff hole.

“It’s easier said than done, but what worked for me a lot was trusting a lot of things I used to do when I was a kid,” Campbell said of his journey. “Getting back to enjoying the game and loving the game for what it is and just having fun with it.”

Lottie Woad, the top-ranked amateur on the women’s side, won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour by six shots, running away from a field packed with pros.

Daniel Brown won the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany, his second-career victory on the circuit; he’s now up to 15th in the Race to Dubai.

Scott Vincent won the International Series Morocco; it was his first pro win since 2022. He now leads the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit and is second in the International Series rankings; winning the latter would earn him a spot in LIV Golf for 2026.

NOT WINNERS

But agonizingly close…

Emiliano Grillo came the closest to taking down Campbell; his hopes were undone by a misfired tee shot in the playoff and a pitching wedge that carried 180 yards, airmailing the green.

David Lipsky came next-closest; he made a brilliant eagle at No. 17 to tie for the lead before missing the fairway at No. 18 en route to bogey. He finished T3 alongside Kevin Roy, who birdied No. 18 to make a crucial jump in the FedEx Cup (No. 88 to No. 71).

Things got crowded behind them; six players finished T5 including Max Homa, who improved from No. 122 to No. 98 in the FedEx Cup. Nick Dunlap finished one shot further back at T11 after nearly five months without a top 40. Rickie Fowler (T18) improved to No. 68 in the FedEx Cup as he hovers at the edge of the playoff picture. He finished alongside Davis Thompson, whose final-round 72 sent him from the lead to T18.

SHORT HITTERS

5 brief bits of golf news.

1. Collin Morikawa has enlisted the help of battle-tested caddie Billy Foster after a short stint with Joe Greiner came to an end last week. Foster most recently worked for Matt Fitzpatrick; the two teamed up for a 2022 U.S. Open victory. Foster will carry for Morikawa at the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship. After that? We’ll see.

2. Jordan Spieth will be back in action at the Open Championship and fully healthy after a frustrating WD mid-round at the Travelers Championship, which he explained to Kay Adams was “just a weird neck spasm thing.” Spieth and his wife Annie are expecting their third child in the coming days; he’ll plan to head for Portrush after that.

3. Gary Woodland will round out Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup staff as an assistant captain, joining Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as the U.S. team transitions to a new generation of leadership.

4. Joe Hooks missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut in Detroit last week — but Michael Bamberger’s account of his week, and his story, is well worth your time.

5. The PGA Tour announced its revamped playoff payout system, distributing a total of $100 million across three installments instead of just one: After the regular season ($20 million), the BMW Championship ($22.925 mil) and the Tour Championship ($40 mil to the top 30, plus $17.08 million in deferrals split among players ranked 31-150).

After they eliminated staggered-start handicap strokes from the finale, this felt likely — otherwise the Tour Championship would just be a one-week shootout for $25 million — but we’ll see how it plays out in the coming weeks as pros vie for high finishes to get them into the playoffs and into better position for each respective payout. Also, remember the Comcast Business Top 10? That’s still a thing, dishing out $40 million at the end of the season.

That’s a long way of saying that, assuming Scottie Scheffler remains No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, he’s about to get $18 million for his troubles. And then play for a whole bunch more.

RYDER CUP WATCH

Campbell time?!

Probably not. For the second consecutive week, neither top 12 saw any movement; even as a two-time winner this season Campbell is up to just No. 28. Lucas Glover made an interesting move from No. 20 up to No. 16, but mostly there wasn’t much movement on the American side.

On the European side, Jordan Smith elevated his position to No. 13 after a runner-up finish in Munich; while tournament winner Brown jumped 17 spots to No. 22. Here’s where we stand:

TEAM USA RYDER CUP RANKINGS

1. Scheffler 2. Schauffele 3. Spaun 4. Henley 5. DeChambeau 6. Thomas 7. Morikawa 8. Griffin 9. Bradley 10. English 11. McNealy 12. Harman 13. Novak 14. Cantlay 15. Burns

TEAM EUROPE RYDER CUP RANKINGS

1. McIlroy 2. Fleetwood 3. Hatton 4. MacIntyre 5. Lowry 6. Straka 7. R. Hojgaard 8. Aberg 9. Rose 10. Hovland 11. Detry 12. Wallace 13. Smith 14. Norgaard 15. Neergaard-Petersen

Complete standings here.

ONE SWING THOUGHT

From Matt Kuchar.

One reporter asked Matt Kuchar to take them through what it’s like to be competitive when he’s twice the age of some of his competition. His response:

“I don’t know how to take you through it other than knowing you’ll get there. You’ll get there. Listen, I still feel like a kid. I still get excited to come to those tournaments.

“One of the unique things about the game of golf is every week we all start at even par, we all have a chance of doing something great.

“I think if you happen to be a professional baseball player and your team starts 10-40 it would be tough to keep going, but golf gives that you hope every week that you show up and you got a chance to do something great.

“So I show up here excited. I show up hoping to do something great this week.”

ONE BIG QUESTION

What’s pro golf’s summer missing?

I couldn’t be more fired up for the upcoming Scottish-Portrush 1-2 punch. And as a sicko I will watch plenty of 3M and Wyndham, just as I watched plenty of Rocket and John Deere. But it does feel like something is missing from this July-August stretch on the PGA Tour, where we’re left with just one major, none of the season’s Signature Events and a playoff structure constantly in limbo. So what is missing?

One answer would be “the PGA Championship” because there are plenty of people who would welcome its return to August. But let’s assume that’s stuck in May — I think the answer is “electric playoff venues.” I’d prefer to see East Lake and TPC Southwind earlier in the season and save August for a mix of courses that stir the soul. I’m originally from Massachusetts and I currently live in Seattle, so I’m biased, but a dose of northern golf in tournament-starved areas seems like a good place to start. The BMW Championship in Chicago was an incredible scene two years ago. We can do this, bit by bit.

ONE THING TO WATCH

Links golf szn.

No more scrolling, just settling in for a few minutes of Scottish goodness, via the DP World Tour:

NEWS FROM SEATTLE

Monday Finish HQ.

Some folks here say that Seattle Summer doesn’t start until July 4th. In fairness, I have generally not found that to be true — this may be one of many things Seattleites say so that nobody else moves here — but good grief do we have a slate of good weather on tap. I’m off to a coffee shop or a golf course or just to wander around and feel alive. Wishing you some of the same.

We’ll see you next week.

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.