Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend’s top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and start looking ahead to major season…
1. Trump won’t get a Turnberry Open anytime soon
Long before he pursued another occupation, Donald Trump fancied himself a golf mogul, and for the most part, his portfolio of elite-level courses all over the world bears that out. But Trump has never hosted a men’s major at one of his courses. He bought Turnberry — site of the Nicklaus-Watson Duel in the Sun in 1977, and Tom Watson’s near-miss in 2009 — in 2014 with the expectation and assumption that he would get an Open Championship in short order. Not so. Trump’s anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric on the campaign trail in 2015 cost him a spot in the Open rotation, and Turnberry hasn’t been considered since.
Now, the Open may have passed Turnberry by. The Telegraph notes that Turnberry’s attendance in 2009 was only about half of recent Opens, and access to the course on the Scottish coastline is limited and tricky. Fewer fans means less income for the R&A, which administers the Open and is dependent on the tournament for much of its annual revenue. Moreover, Trump himself is apparently part of the problem. Martin Slumbers, the former chairman of the R&A, said in November that “we will not be taking events there until we’re comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf.” Since it’s unlikely that conversation about any Trump-owned golf course will focus on golf for the foreseeable future, it’s unlikely Trump will see an Open at Turnberry any time soon, either.
2. Charley Hull remains golf’s greatest treasure
Lydia Ko won this weekend’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, adding yet another title to her Hall of Fame career. But there’s an equally good story a few strokes down the leaderboard: Charley Hull, who spent the weekend: 1. Firing up smokes, 2. Running 5Ks, 3. Puking, and 4. Nearly winning the tournament. On Saturday, Hull pursued her unconventional tournament prep technique: she threw up, then ran hard for three-plus miles before her round; she still managed to finish the round just one stroke off the lead. She faded on Sunday, but the fact that she was anywhere close to the top of the leaderboard was astounding.
3. Young phenom Clanton plays his way onto PGA Tour
Luke Clanton is a junior at Florida State. He’s also, thanks to his spectacular on-course performance over the last nine months, about to become a member of the PGA Tour. Clanton made the cut at last weekend’s Cognizant Classic, giving him the points he needed to earn an in-season Tour card through the PGA Tour University program. What’s most impressive is that Clanton hit the mark entirely through performance, not through points gained from awards. He’s made 11 starts on the PGA Tour and notched five top-15 finishes, including two runner-ups. Now that’s how you begin a career.
4. Roll TGL: Dunlap gets one-match contract for Atlanta
Alabama star-turned-pro Nick Dunlap is the latest player to jump to TGL for a one-match deal. Dunlap, who won a tournament as an amateur last year, will join Atlanta Drive GC on Tuesday for its final regular-season match; he’ll play alongside Lucas Glover and Billy Horschel. Fellow Alabama grad and Atlanta Drive player Justin Thomas will not be in attendance. Dunlap’s first opponent? None other than Tiger Woods and Jupiter Links. No pressure.
5. 59 ain’t what it used to be
On Thursday, Jake Knapp carded one of the finest rounds in PGA Tour history, a 59 that was just one stroke off the Tour’s all-time record. On Sunday, he still led the Cognizant Classic, and was preparing to become the first wire-to-wire winner at PGA National since 1996. But then came the 11th hole, and disaster.
Knapp put his approach shot into the water around the green. He needed three shots to reach the green, and another two putts to get in the hole. The triple bogey plummeted him down the leaderboard, from 1 to T6. Joe Highsmith would go on to win the tournament, and Knapp was left wondering what might have been.
“I wish I had that shot back on 11,” he said afterward. “I think other than that, I’ll think about the 59, obviously, but it’s not that that shot is going to haunt me or anything like that.”
Trophy of the Week: The Cognizant Classic
Joe Highsmith pulled off a remarkable feat at the Cognizant: He made the cut on the number, and then went on to win the entire tournament. The last player to do that? Brandt Snedeker in 2016 at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Highsmith’s reward: a big ol’ crystal trophy that looks like it would hold a ton of jelly beans … or baked beans, even. Be careful getting that thing home, Joe.
Mulligan of the Week: Rickie Fowler and the mouthy gallery
When it comes to galleries, professional golf constantly plays with fire. The sport wants the fans engaged … but not too engaged. Because then, you get scenes like this:
Rickie Fowler mixing it up with a mouthy fan, who must have said something about this putt
“Of course you know.”
Added, “that’s why you are in the stands.”
Ok Rick ! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/GaEDdfAtpq
— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) March 1, 2025
That’s Fowler reminding a fan that they’re in the stands and he’s the one in the arena. It’s one of those moments where you really would love to see what a regular dude would do with this putt. Probably roll the ball into a different time zone.
This week: Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf Hong Kong, Blue Bay LPGA in China, TGL regular season wrap: Monday and Tuesday.
