Monday Standings: No Cadet, No Problem for Hideki Matsuyama in FedEx Cup Playoffs

Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we review the weekend’s top stories from around the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and hold on for playoff season…

No shopping cart, no problem for Hideki

Golf has the strangest seasonal structure of any sport. Consider: The sport’s four most important tournaments take place over a period of approximately 100 days, from April to July. That leaves about 250 days for other tournaments, including the current FedEx Cup playoffs. And while the playoffs don’t have the cachet of the majors, they offer a substantial payday. What would you rather have, a green jacket or $18 million to win the playoffs? (If you’re Scottie Scheffler, the answer is “both.”)

The first round of the playoffs took place last weekend in Memphis and Hideki Matsuyama triumphed, but not without a few twists and turns before and during his round. On their way from Paris to Memphis after Matsuyama won the Olympic bronze medal – you know, standard stuff – his caddy and coach had their passports stolen, preventing them from following him to the United States. United. With the help of a substitute caddy, Matsuyama then came out and took a five-shot lead on Sunday before blowing it almost completely…then rallying with two birdies on the final two holes to take the first stop of the playoff playoffs in one go. Phew. Hideki might want a routine ride after this.

Scottish dominance for Coughlin

The LPGA is on its Scottish Open-Open Championship these two weeks, and Lauren Coughlin is doing her best to make sure it’s as drama-free as possible. The American claimed a four-stroke victory at the Scottish Open, her second victory in the last three weeks. Coughlin made three birdies in the final five holes to keep Germany’s Esther Henseleit – an Olympic silver medalist in Paris – back in second place. Check out this beauty of a closing birdie:

Next up: the AIG Women’s Open on a small course called St. Andrews. Maybe you’ve heard of it.

Rahm & Koepka’s Heavyweight Battle LIV

There are many reasons to lament golf’s current split, but this weekend provided the most pertinent: two of the game’s best battled it out all the way to the playoffs…and almost no one watched. Jon Rahm, fresh off an Olympics slump, couldn’t catch Brooks Koepka in a playoff at LIV Golf’s Greenbrier event, a heavyweight brawl that could and should have been much bigger and better . Koepka has now won five times on the LIV tour, and given that all talk of unification has slowed to virtually non-existent, it appears he will have the opportunity to add to that total in 2025 and the beyond.

Another future Spanish star wins Amateur title

Despite all the talent coming from Spain – Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm – no Spanish player has been able to win the US Amateur… until now. Josele Ballester needed every hole to hold off Noah Kent for the US Am title, putting him in rare territory and guaranteeing him entry into three of the four majors next year (as long as he remains an amateur, of course ). Ballester, who plays college golf at Arizona State (like Rahm and Phil Mickelson), had a 4-up lead over Kent with six holes to play, but let that drop to 1 on the 17th. He stabilized and won the biggest victory of his career… so far.

End of season cut lines loom

The most devilishly brilliant element in golf is the cutline – you play well or you don’t get paid – and while cutlines have lost their luster in recent years (thanks, LIV), it still exists a strong incentive to play well. The top 70 FedEx Cup points played in Memphis, but only the top 50 made it this week. And only the first 30 will access the Tour Championship. Max Homa, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Matt Fitzpatrick are among the big names who will need a strong week to continue. LIV has its own “drop zone”, where players outside the top 48 are “relegated” and must re-enter the circuit. Lurking around the cut line are Harold Varner III, Pat Perez, Branden Grace and Bubba Watson. It’s not quite “relegation” in the football sense, but it’s still a little extra boost to incentivize the players. Which is always useful.

The Mulligan: We’ve all been there, Sam

You know how it goes: bad things pile up, and soon after, someone or something has to pay. Sam Burns decided to punish his misbehaving driver on Saturday in Memphis, and here is the result:

A player cannot replace a club he damages, so Burns had to play the rest of the round without a driver. At least it didn’t completely collapse; he finished T5 this week and ranks 18th heading into this weekend, in good shape to qualify for the Tour Championship. Hopefully with a bag full of clubs.

Go away and ride ’em this week, my friends, and we’ll see you back here next Monday!