Every Tuesday, SI Golf will rank nine newsmakers from the golf world. Sometimes, we'll cast a wide net. Tell us what you think on the SI Golf X account.
1. Scottie Scheffler: The world No. 1 did it again. He won a tournament—and put himself in the same sentence as Tiger Woods. What’s the stat this time? He joined Tiger Woods as the only other player since 1983 to have won six or more events in multiple seasons. Scheffler teed it up at the Procore Championship with nine of his Ryder Cup teammates in preparation for the Ryder Cup in two weeks and outduelled his teammate Ben Griffin for the victory. Was there any doubt?
2. Alex Noren: After tearing his hamstring tendon in January, the 43-year-old won the BMW PGA Championship (the DP World Tour’s flagship event) for his second win in his last three starts. A vice captain for the European Ryder Cup team, he beat every member of it at Wentworth. If someone on Team Europe can’t tee it up at Bethpage, will he bring his clubs to New York? As of right now, that won’t be the case, he said. But if the team were finalized a few weeks later, he’d likely be deserving of a spot.
3. Charley Hull: Amid an NFL Sunday, the Englishwoman had one of the best comeback stories of the year. Following a series of injuries and ailments this year, in which she’s still reeling from, Hull won the Kroger Queen City Championship after world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul’s four-putt on the 72nd hole. It’s Hull’s first LPGA title since 2022, and she is a record 25th unique winner on tour this year (there have been no repeat champions). One of the most affable personalities in the sport, golf is better when she’s winning.
4. Ben Griffin: The Procore’s 54-hole leader had a prime opportunity to force a playoff with Scheffler on the par-5 18th, but three-putted from 60 feet, missing a 6-footer for birdie. Still, the former mortgage loan officer continues his breakout season, and if it wasn’t for Scheffler, he might have four wins instead of two, with the world No. 1 edging Griffin both in Napa and at the Memorial.
5. Greg Norman: Farewell. The Shark acknowledged Thursday that he’s no longer with LIV Golf. Of course, he was named the league’s CEO in 2021 before Scott O’Neil assumed the position at the start of this year. However, Norman, 70, remained with the circuit until last week. In his announcement on Instagram, the two-time British Open champion hinted at future plans. Does that mean he’ll continue to rupture the golf world?
6. Jeeno Thitikul: With a one-stroke lead walking to the 72nd hole, the world’s top player four-putted from 50 feet, including missing a 5-footer and then a comebacker from 3 feet, for bogey. Then, Hull won with a birdie. Had Thitikul merely parred the hole, she would have been the LPGA’s first two-time winner this year. Instead, she provided one of the season’s most head-scratching moments, despite being 11th on tour in putts per round.
7. Lanto Griffin: This is what the PGA Tour’s fall series is about. The 37-year-old, after a series of injuries over the last few years, finished third at the Procore, moving from No. 142 to 98 in FedEx Cup points, with the top 100 after the seven fall events obtaining full Tour status on Tour for next year. In Griffin’s Golf Channel interview afterward, he was in tears and jokingly (but also not jokingly) admitted, “I kind of wish Scottie wasn’t here.” That raises a serious question, though; should the world’s best be allowed to play in tournaments meant for rank-and-file players to improve their status?
8. Jackson Koivun: It appears a star is born. The 20-year-old Auburn junior in his last four Tour starts as an amateur has posted results of T11, T6, T5 and T4. Now, with a top 10 in Napa, fresh off a Walker Cup win, he’s earned a spot at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Already locked up a Tour card, but deciding to stay in school, the golf world anxiously awaits the day he turns pro.
9. Luke Donald: So the European Ryder Cup captain gave each member of his team virtual-reality headsets to visualize the course while also simulating fan reaction. I mean, come on. The lead-up to the Ryder Cup has gone off the rails. Play the course a few times, have a few rounds under your belt in the weeks leading up to the event and be ready to go on the first tee. If players are going to preposterously start VRing matches (as if it’s going to help), then they should also do it ahead of each major, right?
Also considered: Adrien Saddier, Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Reed, Viktor Hovland, Pablo Larrazábal, Rory McIlroy, Nelly Korda
Dropped out from last week: Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Joakim Lagergren, Xander Schauffele, Alister MacKenzie, Stewart Hagestad, Mason Howell, Brooks Koepka, Thomas Bjørn
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wild LPGA Streak Continues With One of Year’s Best Comeback Stories.