The new year and new seasons have arrived. There’s even a new league on stage for liftoff this Tuesday. It might be brutally windy and brutally cold where you are (it’s both where I am) but the screen brings us to the warmth and the sun. That’s uplifting.

I’m going to enliven Tour Rundown in 2025. When it’s a light week for events, I’ll preview upcoming ones on the major tours. I’ll add coverage to the one or two events that do take place, to bring us all one step closer to the action. If you want more, tell us about it in the comments. We’ll continue to workshop this crowdsource thing, to ensure that Tour Rundown is living its best, virtual life. Now, on to the show!

PGA Tour @ The Sentry: Matsuyama defeats Morikawa in championship flight

Early Sunday afternoon, I posted on social media that the consolation flight of The Sentry was shaping up for a dramatic finish. The insinuation (not a veiled one) was that Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa were matched in their own battle for the title to the first PGA Tour event of 2025. Indeed, that’s how it played out, as the pair were the only two to reach 30-under par over the four days.

The sexy Sunday hole on Hideki Matsuyama’s card was the third, where he holed a 107-yard wedge for eagle, to reach red figures on the day. The two holes that defined his performance were quite different. Matsuyama made his only official bogey on the seventh hole, then followed it with birdies at the eighth and ninth holes. That was the first glimmer of hope for Morikawa, but Matsuyama quickly snuffed the flame.

On the inward half, Matsuyama made a par at the three-shot 15th, but it had to feel like a bogey. Undaunted, he ripped an approach to a yard at the 16th, and drained the putt to reach -34. Two holes later, Matsuyama made his final birdie of the day, at the roller-coaster closer, and finished on 35-under 257. The 65 was his third of the week, and was two shots better than his pursuer’s 67. Morikawa fought bravely, but was never close enough to throw a scare into the eventual winner.

Oh, and in the aforementioned, consolation flight, Sungjae Im posted a 65 of his own to finish at -29, good for third place overall.

Buckets from the fairway! ?
@HidekiOfficial_ holes out for eagle and leads by three @TheSentry.

? NBC/Peacock pic.twitter.com/CxrX4NVjUc

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 5, 2025

TGL debuts in West Palm

Power centers shift in golf. The PGA of America moved its home from Palm Beach Gardens to Frisco. The LPGA shifted base from Sugar Land to Daytona Beach. The USGA built a southern space in Pinehurst. The Tomorrow Golf League (TGL to its friends) established itself this year on the campus of Palm Beach State College, in the elegant SoFi center.  For those in the know, December 2023 saw a power outage occur during construction of the domed playground, which ultimately forced a one-year delay of the league’s bow.

TGL is a simulator-based league, but the one you play on has little in common with what you will see on screen. The SoFi center has a massive screen (24X the size of a typical sim), and players will hit toward it from as far back as 35 yards. For shots around the green, squads will transition to a movable, flexible, putting surface with sand bunkers. Again, not the sheet of turf stretched over concrete, that you might find in your local dome.

Six teams of four golfers each, will compete on Mondays or Tuesdays, for the first month. In February, there will be a three-match day and a two-match day. Each team will face the others once during the regular season. Playoffs? You bet we need some stinkin’ playoffs! We’ll have more on that phase as the season continues.

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Precision is key on Pinery. An aggressive tee shot over the water will reward players with an ideal second shot on this lengthy par 5. pic.twitter.com/wcQnRO3nQO

— TGL (@TGL) January 5, 2025

Schedules for Other Tours

The PGA Tour shifts islands to the SONY Open In Hawaii at Waialae. That must be a tease for other, SONY Opens to come. The LPGA Tour debuts in late January, at its Tournament of Champions in Orlando. The DP World Tour fires up the engine on January 10th, with a team challenge. Korn Ferry circuit waves the green flag on January 12th in the Bahamas, while PGA Tour Champions loads the van at the Mitsubishi in Hawaii on January 16th. PGA Tour Americas has the latest start date, in late March at Argentina.

What do I love about this run of events? I’m a huge fan of non-traditional elements, and nothing is edgier than the back-to-back Bahamas events, running Tuesday to Friday, on Korn Ferry. I love caring about pro golf midweek. For a fortnight, I get that fix. I also love the team event on DP World Tour, that pits the Islanders against the Continentals. It’s not a featured team event, and it doesn’t have to be. How many great players never had an international cap, because of the exclusivity of Ryder, Prez, and Solly Cups? Playing for your country, your region, your town, is there anything more exhilarating? Nah.

“It went in twice!”

How rare is this from Casey Jarvis ? pic.twitter.com/xQDgC7G0Ua

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 5, 2025