It’s Jim Mora appreciation week in the golf world, but the real show is overseas at the AIG Women’s Open. Get your stamps ready!

Troon swoon

It’s a major championship week! The AIG Women’s Open, the ladies’ first major of the year, begins at Royal Troon early Thursday morning. AIG Women’s Open Tee Times

Royal Troon last hosted a major in 2016, when Henrik Stenson defeated Phil Mickelson in an epic Sunday duel. But while the club has held nine previous men’s Open Championships, this will be the first time it has hosted Women’s Open. That’s because until July 2016, the very month of Stenson and Mickelson’s battle, Royal Troon did not allow female members. The club voted to admit women just weeks before the 2016 Open, and two years later the course was awarded its first Women’s Open.

The event will be the only 2020 major championship outside of the United States, as this year’s Open Championship and Evian Championship were cancelled. It appears that Mother Nature was made aware of that fact, and she is set to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the competitors. The current forecast predicts heavy rain and gales throughout the weekend, so assuming the event doesn’t get called off, this should be a Women’s Open to remember.

An autumn across the pond

Two of the European Tour’s premier events, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, have new dates after being postponed earlier this year. The Scottish will be played October 1-4 and the BMW PGA the following week.

From a fan perspective, early October is a great time for the European Tour to dominate the calendar. The events will fill the gap between the September U.S. Open and the November Masters, and there will be little competition from the PGA Tour (no offense, Sanderson Farms). However, from a U.S.-based player perspective, the Scottish and the BMW PGA might not look terribly appealing. Jon Rahm, the reigning Race to Dubai champion, said on Tuesday that he couldn’t see himself traveling overseas until the pandemic dies down. If other Euros currently in America feel the same way, even the biggest European Tour events will probably lack their usual strength of field.

Quick Hooks

FedEx Cup updates actually mean something this week! The 2019-20 FedEx Cup Playoffs get underway with the Northern Trust. Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Sungjae Im are the cream of the crop at TPC Boston. Northern Trust Tee Times

Celtic Manor plays host to a second consecutive European Tour event this weekend. At the conclusion of this week’s ISPS Handa Wales Open, the top 10 not-currently-exempt point earners from the last five European Tour stops will earn exemptions into the U.S. Open.  Full Field

The Korn Ferry Tour heads to Ohio State’s Scarlet course for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, the second of three KFT playoff events. As with the European English stretch, the top five point earners from the KFT playoffs will be given spots at Winged Foot.  Tee Times

Speaking of Winged Foot, Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas did a loop around the West Course this week in preparation for next month’s U.S. Open. “It’s one of my favorite, if not my favorite course I’ve ever played,” said Justin Thomas. That’s a quote to remember come September 17.

Puma is just messing with us now, right?

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Playoffs!, Heath Slocum Appreciation, and Brad Bryant stories with Sean Martin

PGA Tour dot com’s Sean Martin joins Brendan for this Wednesday episode as Andy’s paternity leave commences. It begins with a quick golf book recommendation from SMartin before a dive into some Northern Trust and Courier Cup history and minutiae, including the time Billy Horschel had to run to the bathroom. There’s also a short Heath Slocum retrospective before running through the schedule for the week. That somehow devolves into stories about the Bryant brothers, Bart and Brad, who got into the Champions Tour event at Big Cedar Lodge as an alternate. Sean makes a one-and-done pick for Andy, which could go horribly wrong, and nominates his own event of the week. In news, they discuss Tiger stopping by Winged Foot and Jon Rahm potentially not playing any Euro Tour events this year in a defense of his Race to Dubai win. They conclude with some serious discussion on if a FedEx Cup is the best measurement, stat, or title to reflect the player who had the best season in professional golf. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

Whether you’re watching the Northern Trust or you’re playing a round of golf yourself, it’s always good to make sure your pants fit properly. Do so with a Fried Egg belt!