Before Thomas, he had served Phil Mickelson for 25 years and whenever he found the six-time major champion resting, he would go back to NBC and take up his hobby as a reporter. He was also the voice of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Is Bones’ passion the only reason behind him now preparing to work as a lead analyst at the 2024 Mexico Open or there’s more?

Why has Justin Thomas’ caddie been chosen as the lead golf analyst for the 2024 Mexico Open?

The NBC Sports golf analyst, Paul Azinger, left a place vacant for the job after his contract expired. Ever since he departed, the media house has been looking for a replacement but has not yet found a permanent employee. Thus, a lot of different individuals have been taking up the role.

Kevin Kisner was the voice of The Sentry and the Phoenix Open. Paul McGinley was in the Hero World Challenge last year as a commenter and analyst. Then, Curt Byrum was handling the business at Sony Open in Hawaii, and Brandel Chamblee took up the role at American Express. 

Get ready to hear Jim “Bones” Mackay as lead analyst next week for NBC at Mexico Open. Told he’s committed to caddying for JT, who is taking the week off, and NOT throwing his hat in the ring to be permanent replacement for Zinger. Story here: https://t.co/uJTtgygnXC

— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) February 18, 2024

Thus, Justin Thomas’ caddie, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay has been chosen for the 2024 Mexico Open. However, the caddie has made it clear that his choice should not be interpreted as his career choice. He loves his caddie job and is devoted to his master. He was alongside the American golfer at the 2022 PGA Championship and also carried his bag at the recently concluded Genesis Invitational where he missed the cut.

At the 2024 Mexico Open, Bones will be an on-course reporter on Thursday and will share the booth with other commentators on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Apart from him, NBC has not disclosed any other name for the job role at Vidanta Vallarta. So, it is still a mystery who will take up the mantle at the Players Championship which the media house will cover as well. 

Also, Justin Thomas, who will not participate in the 2024 Mexico Open, might next appear at the Cognizant Classic. Thus, the caddie-golfer could be next seen at the end of February. 

The post Justin Thomas’ Caddie To Join NBC Sports As Lead Analyst At 2024 Mexico Open appeared first on The SportsRush.

The ongoing PGA Tour signature event saw Tiger Woods making his first start of the 2024 season. However, his debut tournament was short-lived as he withdrew from the tournament after the first round. Later on, Jordan Spieth was disqualified after the end of Friday’s round as he was found guilty of signing an incorrect scorecard.

Riviera Golf Course, which is known to test golfers’ skills, saw some big-name players making an early exit after they could not finish inside the cutline. The list of top players who missed the cut after 36 holes of play is quite long which includes the likes of Matt Kuchar, Sepp Straka, and many others.

However, let’s look at the top five big-name players who missed the cut at the 2024 Genesis Invitational:

1) Wyndham Clark

Just two weeks earlier, Wyndham Clark recorded his third PGA Tour victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, the reigning US Open champion had to leave the ongoing Tiger Woods-hosted tournament early after missing the cut on Friday.

The 30-year-old American shot two rounds of 71 and 73 and had an aggregate score of 2 over par. He missed the cut by a mere one-stroke margin at the 2024 Genesis Invitational.

2) Justin Thomas

The two-time PGA Championship winner was a last moment entrant at Riviera Golf Course. He had a pretty decent first three starts in the 2024 season. The American golfer finished T3, T6, and T12 at the American Express, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and WM Phoenix Open.

However, Justin Thomas could not hold on to his stellar form as he missed the cut line by two strokes at the 2024 Genesis Invitational. He started with a poor opening round of 75 and followed it with another over-par 73 round on Friday.

3) Matt Fitzpatrick

The 2022 US Open champion has been out of touch since the start of the 2024 PGA Tour season. He has been struggling in almost all aspects of the game of golf. At Riviera Golf Course, he missed out on his second cut of this season.

The current World No. 9 Matt Fitzpatrick missed out on entering the weekend’s play of the 2024 Genesis Invitational by three strokes margin. He shot two rounds of 75 and 71 at the Tiger Woods-hosted event.

4) Keegan Bradley

The six-time PGA Tour champ seems to be pretty much out of luck in the 2024 season. Earlier at the Sony Open in Hawaii, he lost a three-way playoff match to record his seventh victory on the Tour. Now, the 37-year-old American missed the cutline by just one stroke at the 2024 Genesis Invitational.

Keegan Bradley started his campaign at Riviera Golf Course with a par 71 on Thursday. However, he must be cursing himself for shooting two consecutive bogeys in the second round on the 15th and 16th holes. The former PGA Championship winner ended up scoring 2 over par 73 on Friday.

5) Nick Dunlap

Life is a boomerang! This sits well with the 20-year-old American who missed the cut in his second professional start at Tiger Woods-hosted event. Nick Dunlap became the first amateur player in the last 33 years to record a victory on the PGA Tour after he won the 2024 American Express. Soon after that, he decided to turn professional and since then things are not going too well with him.

Dunlap finished on the last spot in his first professional tournament, the no-cut AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Now, he shot two rounds of 70 and 75 to miss the cutline by two strokes at the 2024 Genesis Invitational.

All these five players will hope to finish better, or, at least, finish inside the cut, in the very next start they make on the PGA Tour. Till then, all eyes will be on the ongoing Riviera Golf Course event where Patrick Cantlay has entered the weekend with a huge five-stroke margin. Will he become the second wire-to-wire champion in tournament history? To know the answer to this question, fans have to be patient and watch the play.

The post Five Big Name Golfers Who Missed The Cut At The 2024 Genesis Invitational appeared first on The SportsRush.

The 82-time PGA Tour champion is paired with two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland who is invited to the event as one of the sponsor’s exemption. Interestingly, Woodland will be playing his fourth event since returning to golf after a brain surgery.

Below is the tee times and pairs list for the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Golf Course.

What Brand Will Tiger Woods Be Wearing At The Genesis Invitational?

Earlier in January 2024, the 82-time PGA Tour champion split with Nike after 27 years of association. Although there was no clarity on why the two parties ended their partnership, it was certain that Woods would be joining hands with some other apparel brand.

Just a few days before the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods announced a new clothing line named Sun Day Red in partnership with famous golf equipment manufacturer TaylorMade. The brand unveiled some t-shirts, hoodies, and shoes at the launch event. So, it is quite confirmed that the famous American golfer will be donning the new 15-stripe tiger logo clothes at Riveria Golf Course.

The upcoming PGA Tour signature event will be exciting to watch as Woods is making his 2024 season debut. The 15-time major champion looked slightly rusty when he last time teed up at the Hero World Challenge 2023. Now, he must be looking to gain some momentum before the Masters Tournament scheduled later in April 2024.

The post Who Will Tiger Woods Tee Off With At The Genesis Invitational? appeared first on The SportsRush.

But after the PGAT brought SSG on board with a whopping $3 billion investment in the newly planned PGA Tour Enterprise, this certainly closed the doors for Public Investment Fund’s entry, at least, in terms of financial aspects. This meant that any future hopes of LIV Golfers getting back on the PGA Tour is certainly far from being achieved.

When PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a merger with the PIF, it was said that he wanted them on board to shut down the league. However, things got even more complicated after the PGA Tour announced a $3 billion deal with the Strategic Sports Group.

However, as per the former DP World Tour CEO, Keith Pelley, the negotiations between the two parties are still on and things can not be ruled out. But some reports suggest that the talks between them have gone cold keeping the future of LIV Golfers hanging.

It is also said that the Public Investment Fund wants LIV Golf to be integrated with the PGA Tour and the players must be allowed to play on the Tour’s event. However, whether the PGA Tour is actually looking at these prospects is still unknown.

A few reports also suggest that players did not get bitter about having PIF on board. But they had only one condition that the players from the Saudi-funded league are left out.

What Did Players Say About The Possibilities of LIV Golfers Being Back On The PGA Tour?

Multiple PGA Tour players asked for a penalty of some sort of punishment for LIV golfers if they were allowed back. Player Director Jordan Spieth stated that there was no need for a deal with the PIF after the PGAT-SSG deal. However, he added that if the deal still happened it would solely mean for the unification of golf.

“I don’t think that it’s needed. I think the positive [of a deal with PIF] would be a unification [of PGA Tour and LIV players], but I just think it’s something that is almost not even worth talking about right this second. The idea is that we have a strategic partner that allows the PGA Tour to go forward the way that it’s operating right now without anything else.”

However, Rory McIlroy wished for the deal to happen to unify the game of golf. He urged both the parties, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, to “let bygones be bygones” and work together for the betterment of golf.

“We need to get everyone back together and try to forget about what’s happened in the past, let bygones be bygones and we all move forward together, and I think that’s what’s going to be the best thing for the professional game,” the Northern Irishman said.

Meanwhile, Justin Thomas expressed his discomfort about LIV golfers being back on the PGA Tour. He backed these thoughts by explaining that it would hurt a lot of players who stayed loyal to the Tour and decided to hold themselves from accepting lucrative offers.

“I think there’s a lot of us that made sacrifices and were very … whether it’s true to our word or what we believe in or just didn’t make that decision, and I totally understand that things are changing and things are getting better, but it just would … I would have a hard time with it,”

After a whopping $3 billion PGAT-SSG deal if the PIF are still brought on board, it would certainly be because of one sole reason; the unification of the game. So, all fans can do is hope for the best. If the deal is finalized between them, there are chances that LIV Golfers may be allowed to compete again on the US-based Tour. But what intensity of punishment is given to them is still unknown.

The post What Is The Future Of LIV Golfers After The PGAT-SSG Deal? appeared first on The SportsRush.

Thomas has come out in support of Rickie Fowler’s views of the League players getting punished if allowed to play on the Tour again. The two-time major champion claimed that only a “handful of players” from the league would make the Tour better, but, he was “definitely not in agreement” with them returning easily.

Justin Thomas Says Many PGA Tour Players Will “Have a Hard Time” If LIV Golfers Are Allowed To Return Easily

Rory McIlroy was one of the biggest spokespersons from the PGA Tour to discard the credibility of LIV Golf. However, earlier in January 2024, he made a sudden U-turn and said that the league and the Tour should work together to unify the game of golf. The Northern Irishman also added that the rebel players must not be punished if they ever make a return to the PGA Tour.

Many of the PGA Tour players opposed McIlroy’s views and now Justin Thomas has also come out in disagreement with the McIlroy.

“I would say that there’s a handful of players on LIV that would make the [PGA Tour] a better place, but I’m definitely not in the agreement that they should just be able to come back that easily.”

Justin Thomas backed his points by saying that the decision not to punish LIV Golf players would hurt a lot of players who made multiple sacrifices.

“I think there’s a lot of us that made sacrifices and were very — whether it’s true to our word or what we believe in or just didn’t make that decision, and I totally understand that things are changing and things are getting better, but it just would — I would have a hard time with it, and I think a lot of guys would have a hard time with it, and I’m sure we don’t need to convince you why we would have a hard time with it,” Thomas said.

However, the final decision would only be known if the Tour and the Saudi PIF struck a deal with each other.

The post Justin Thomas Rejects Rory McIlroy’s Views Of Letting LIV Golfers Back On The PGA Tour Without Punishment appeared first on The SportsRush.

Since winning his first tournament in 2015, there had not been a season until 2022 in which Thomas would have not recorded a single victory. Last season, it was the first time in seven years that Justin Thomas missed out on winning a single tournament on the PGA Tour.

However, the American golfer is high on confidence, especially, after shooting a blistering three-rounds of 68-67-68 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Justin Thomas Reflects On His Game Being On the Right Track

After shooting a spectacular round of 5 under 67 on Friday, the two-time major champion spoke in a post-round interview. He explained how more experimentations affected his game and now he was relying on focusing on his strength rather than experiments.

Justin Thomas didn’t win a single tournament on the Tour last year, thus, missing out the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which affected him a lot. He said,

“I got in, I felt, like bad habits in my swing, so just trying to get rid of those, just go back to kind of being me, playing my golf, my game. It’s very easy to kind of go … you can go down wormholes in this game pretty easily and make it very, very, very difficult. I might be in some areas a little bit like that, but for the most part that’s not me. I like to play golf, not golf swing and that’s what I’ve just been trying to do, I guess.”

Justin Thomas, later, said that he felt that his game was under a lot more control and he was not at all forcing things. The two-time PGA Championship winner said,

“Obviously, I feel like I have good control of my ball right now and I’m hitting it well. I’m not forcing things. I’m just trying to make sure that I’m missing it on the correct side. … I just think that stuff adds up over time.”

Thomas had been consistent at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He may be four strokes behind the leader, Wyndham Clark, but, his golfing skills are spectacular. And he can play some phenomenal games to jump on the top. The final round of the PGA Tour event has been postponed to Monday. The American would surely be hoping to play the final 18 holes in hopes of ending his winless drought.

The post After A Winless Last Season, Justin Thomas Confident And Back In His Groove At Pebble Beach appeared first on The SportsRush.

Interestingly, the 2024 edition of the tournament has replaced the Phoenix Open as one of the eight signature events this season. Henceforth, it has seen a 122 percent increase in prize purse compared to last year’s edition. In 2023, the tournament had a prize purse of $9,000,000 and the winner received $1,620,000 out of it.

Let’s look at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am prize money breakout:

Top Stars Playing At The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

The ongoing PGA Tour signature event has 80 professional golfers in the field. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, the Champion Golfer of the Year Brian Harman, and the recently turned pro and winner of The American Express, Nick Dunlap, are some of the top players to watch out for.

The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am also has its 2023 champion, Justin Rose. Other previous edition winners such as Nick Taylor, Tom Hoge, and Jordan Spieth are also on the field at Pebble Beach.

Fan-favorite golfers such as Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Sahith Theegala are also playing in the ongoing PGA Tour event. The 2023 US Open Champion Wyndham Clark, who was allegedly reported to join the LIV Golf league, is also present in California.

The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has completed two rounds and is gearing up for the third round. Ludvig Aberg, Thomas Detry, and Scottie Scheffler are jointly leading the table after the end of the first 36 holes. They are followed by Patrick Cantlay who is one stroke behind and is placed on solo fourth rank.

The American Express winner and recently turned professional golfer, Nick Dunlap, is playing in his first tournament since he turned pro, and is currently placed in the tied last spot on the table. While, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy is playing his first tournament on the PGA Tour in 2024. He has returned after winning DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic. But, the four-time major winner has been struggling and is ranked T64 on the leaderboard.

The third round of the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will start at 11:12 a.m. ET . Chris Kirk, Adam Hadwin, and Sepp Straka teeing off on hole No. 1. and Kevin Yu, Seamus Power, and Jordan Spieth teeing off on hole No. 10. The final two rounds will decide who will take home the win.

The post 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Prize Money, Purse And Field appeared first on The SportsRush.

 Jim Nantz went on to express his thoughts about Nick Dunlap’s feat. Let’s see what he said!

Jim Nantz Sings Praises About Nick Dunlap’s Latest Achievement

Nick Dunlap surpassed Sam Burns and Justin Thomas to win The American Express as an amateur after Phil Mickelson did it in 1991. This achievement landed him exemptions in all signature events and his PGA Tour card valid until 2026. 

Nantz, in an interview, stated how glorious Dunlap’s achievement was.

“What Nick Dunlap did, we know that it had been done in ‘91 by Phil and in ’85 by [Scott] Verplank, but it felt like a Roger Bannister kind of a moment because the game that has got more depth now. I think you could argue from one to 1,000—and I know he jumped 4,000 in the world ranking points—but there’s so much depth in the game.”

Added to that, he continued,

“There are so many good young players. I think that gives a lot of players the ability to say to themselves, ‘I can break the four-minute mile, too.’ If he can do that, I can do that. So I think it’s a harbinger.”

Moreover, Nantz thinks Dunlap will be an inspiration for other budding golfers, as Dunlap once looked up to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, which resulted in such an accolade. 

Even golf analyst Trevor Immelman said,

“he [Dunlap] was just playing with in the final group and these guys that he’s staring down trying to win for the first time when he’s a sophomore at Alabama. He’s staring some pretty stiff competition and handled himself so well.”

Seeing Dunlap’s execution of the game at such a young age, everybody is high on praises, and this golf star surely has aspirations after getting his PGA Tour card.

The post American Sportscaster Jim Nantz Calls Nick Dunlap’s PGA Tour Win A Roger Bannister Moment appeared first on The SportsRush.

The American Express has a field size of 156 players. 22 out of the top 50 players from the Official World Golf Rankings will be participating in the next PGA Tour event. Defending champion Jon Rahm will miss the tournament as he has joined the LIV Golf League and is ineligible to participate.

Current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, reigning US Open Champion Wyndham Clark, 2021 Players Championship winner Justin Thomas, and last Ryder Cup participants such as Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, and Robert McIntyre are some notable names in the field of the American Express 2024.

Other top stars such as Sam Burns, Billy Horschel, Shane Lowry, Tony Finau, Kevin Kisner, Charley Hoffman, and Zach Johnson will also be seen at the three courses of PGA West grounds of La Quinta, California this weekend.

What is the Prize Money Breakout Of The American Express?

The third PGA Tour event of the year will have a prize purse of $8,300,000 million. The winner of the tournament will receive a paycheck worth $1,512,000. He will also get 500 FedEx Cup points and 60 points on the Official World Golf Rankings. He will also be exempted from the Tour for the next two years and will earn an invite to the 2025 edition’s Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, The Players Championship, and The Sentry.

The American Express will follow a similar 72-hole format and a one-time cut will be made on the field after the end of the first two rounds. Only the top 65 players, including ties, will enter the weekend play and they will be eligible to earn bits and pieces of the left-out prize purse.

Let’s take a detailed look at the prize money breakout for American Express:

• 1 – $1,512,000
• 2 – $915,600
• 3 – $579,600
• 4 – $411,600
• 5 – $344,400
• 6 – $304,500
• 7 – $283,500
• 8 – $262,500
• 9 – $245,700
• 10 – $228,900
• 11 – $212,100
• 12 – $195,300
• 13 – $178,500
• 14 – $161,700
• 15 – $153,300
• 16 – $144,900
• 17 – $136,500
• 18 – $128,100
• 19 – $119,700
• 20 – $111,300
• 21 – $102,900
• 22 – $94,500
• 23 – $87,780
• 24 – $81,060
• 25 – $74,340
• 26 – $67,620
• 27 – $65,100
• 28 – $62,580
• 29 – $60,060
• 30 – $57,540
• 31 – $55,020
• 32 – $52,500
• 33 – $49,980
• 34 – $47,880
• 35 – $45,780
• 36 – $43,680
• 37 – $41,580
• 38 – $39,900
• 39 – $38,220
• 40 – $36,540
• 41 – $34,860
• 42 – $33,180
• 43 – $31,500
• 44 – $29,820
• 45 – $28,140
• 46 – $26,460
• 47 – $24,780
• 48 – $23,436
• 49 – $22,260
• 50 – $21,588
• 51 – $21,084
• 52 – $20,580
• 53 – $20,244
• 54 – $19,908
• 55 – $19,740
• 56 – $19,572
• 57 – $19,404
• 58 – $19,236
• 59 – $19,068
• 60 – $18,900
• 61 – $18,732
• 62 – $18,564
• 63 – $18,396
• 64 – $18,228
• 65 – $18,060

The American Express 2024 is certain to see a new champion this time because Jon Rahm has already been omitted from the field due to his new alliance with LIV Golf. The full-field PGA Tour event will surely be a delight for fans.

The post Where is the American Express Golf Tournament Played? From PGA Stars to Prize Money Everything You need to Know appeared first on The SportsRush.

Apart from them, eight top-rankers of the OWGR have promised their presence too. The list includes Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele. But the event will miss out on defending champion Jon Rahm after he moved to LIV Golf. For the venue, it has chosen PGA West Private Clubhouse & Golf Courses, and the purse is a whopping $8.4 million, a subtle hike from the last edition. This opportunity serves as a stage for Thomas to make a comeback.

Justin Thomas Seems Zealous About the 2024 PGA Tour Year

Justin Thomas started picking up his game after the FedEx Cup playoffs, where he couldn’t get selected. Then, he displayed the best performance at the Hero World Challenge with a T3 position. At the PNC, he looked optimistic about 2024 and willing to make a comeback in the winner’s circle. 

He said in an interview, “I learned a lot this past season. The number one thing is things are never as bad as people make them out to be. At times I was just a couple putts, shots, swings, here and there away from at least having a chance of making a run in the Playoffs.”

Added to that, he also continued,

“But it’s a fine line out here. Obviously, I did not have a very good year in terms of my standards, but it wasn’t maybe at the — where the results ended up…an eye on things that maybe got away from us.” 

Thomas has been doing quite well in the fall season. Apart from Albany, he also displayed quite a performance at Fortinet, where he secured a fifth position. As Thomas becomes better with his form, this opportunity is much deserved. 

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