Golf Glance: Whistling Straits plays host to Ryder Cup drama

Field Level Media's Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.

PGA TOUR

LAST TOURNAMENT: Fortinet Championship (Max Homa)

THIS WEEK: Ryder Cup, Sept. 23-26, Sheboygan, Wisc.

Course: Whistling Straits (Par 71, 7,390 yards)

Purse: N/ADefending Champion: Team Europe

FedEx Cup Leader: Max Homa

HOW TO WATCH

TV: Friday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 8-9 a.m. (GC), 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 12-6 p.m. (NBC)

Streaming: Featured Matches (TBD): on Peacock, RyderCup.com, and the Ryder Cup app.

NOTES: The Ryder Cup was delayed from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. ... This is the 43rd playing of the event that began in 1927. ... The United States holds a 26-14-2 record in the Ryder Cup, but Team Europe has won nine of the past 12 events and leads 11-8-1 since the competition was expanded to include the entire continent of Europe. ... The U.S. holds a 17-4 record on home soil. ... Each team is comprised of 12 players. The U.S. team includes six rookies, with 37-year-old Dustin Johnson the veteran of the group as he plays in his fifth Ryder Cup. ... The match play format includes two days of eight matches, with four foursomes and four fourball matches. All 24 players then compete in 12 head-to-head Sunday singles matches. ... The average world ranking for the U.S. team is nine, compared to 30 for Team Europe. The average age for the U.S. players is 29.1 compared to 34.6 for Europe. ... This will be the first Ryder Cup since 1993 without Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods competing. ... Five Americans finished in the top 20 the last time the PGA Championship was held at Whistling Straits in 2015. ... Spain's Sergio Garcia holds the record for most Ryder Cup points all-time with 22.

TEAM EUROPE: Padraig Harrington (captain); Jon Rahm (2nd Ryder Cup), Tommy Fleetwood (2nd), Tyrrell Hatton (2nd), Bernd Wiesberger (Rookie), Rory McIlroy (6th), Viktor Hovland (Rookie), Paul Casey (5th), Matthew Fitzpatrick (2nd), Lee Westwood (11th), Shane Lowry (Rookie), Sergio Garcia (10th), Ian Poulter (7th).

UNITED STATES: Steve Stricker (captain); Collin Morikawa (Rookie), Dustin Johnson (5th Ryder Cup), Bryson DeChambeau (2nd), Brooks Koepka (3rd), Justin Thomas (2nd), Patrick Cantlay (Rookie), Tony Finau (2nd), Xander Schauffele (Rookie), Jordan Spieth (4th), Harris English (Rookie), Daniel Berger (Rookie), Scottie Scheffler (Rookie).

NEXT WEEK: Sanderson Farms Championship, Jackson, Miss., Sept. 30-Oct. 3

LPGA Tour

LAST TOURNAMENT: Cambia Portland Classic (Jin Young Ko)

THIS WEEK: NW Arkansas Championship, Rogers, Ark., Sept. 24-26

Course: Pinnacle Country Club (Par 71, 6,438 yards)

Purse: $2.3 million ($345,000)

Defending Champion: Austin Ernst

Race to the CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda

HOW TO WATCH

TV: Friday, 9-11 p.m. ET (Golf Channel, tape delay); Saturday, 1-4 p.m. (GC); Sunday, 12-3 p.m. (GC)

Streaming: Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Saturday, 1-4 p.m.; Sunday, 12-3 p.m. (ANBC Sports app and golfchannel.com)

NOTES: The 144-player field will be cut to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes. ... Nasa Hataoka owns the tournament scoring record of 192 set in 2018. Ernst posted 193 in beating Anna Nordqvist by two shots last year. ... Fifteen of 20 winners this year are in the field. ... Sponsor invites include Cory Lopez, Brooke Matthews and Alexa Pano. ... 2014 champion Stacy Lewis is in the field along with former University of Arkansas players Lopez, Matthew, Maria Fassi, Gaby Lopez and Alana Uriel. Current Razorback Kajal Mistry is also playing this week. ... The average age of winners on tour this year is 25.39.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: ShopRite LPGA Classic, Galloway, N.J., Oct. 1-3

Champions Tour

LAST TOURNAMENT: Sanford International (Darren Clarke)

THIS WEEK: Pure Insurance Championship, Monterey Peninsula, Calif., Sept 24-26

Course: Pebble Beach Golf Links (Par 72, 6,816 yards) Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Par 72, 7,035 yards)

Purse: $2.2 million (Winner: $330,000)

Defending Champion: Jim Furyk

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Furyk

HOW TO WATCH

TV: Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET (Golf Channel, tape delay); Saturday, 4-7 p.m. (GC); Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (GC)

NOTES: The 81-player field will each be paired with one junior and two amateurs in a team format, with all 81 groups playing one round at each course. Three events will be scored: (1) Professional; (2) Pro-Junior (gross); and (3) Amateurs (foursome net best ball with juniors playing to their handicap, with a max of 6 for boys and 8 for girls). Male amateurs and juniors will play from the white tees; female amateurs and juniors will play from the red tees. ... The low 50 and ties among professionals will join the low 23 pro-junior teams for the final round at Pebble Beach. ... Stuart Appleby will make his Champions Tour debut this week. He turned 50 on May 1. Also making his Champions debut will be 2018 Masters World Long Drive champion Eddie Fernandes. ... There are three tournaments before the playoffs. With Furyk service as a Ryder Cup vice-captain, Jerry Kelly, Bernhard Langer and Ernie Els each have an opportunity to pass him for the Charles Schwab Cup lead.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Constellation Furyk Friends, Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 8-10

--Field Level Media