VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Palm Harbor, Florida.
Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead). Yardage: 7,352. Par: 71.
Prize money: $9.1 million. Winner's share: $1,638,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.
FedEx Cup leader: Jacob Bridgeman.
Last week: Cameron Young won The Players Championship.
Notes: For a tournament that follows the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, the field is remarkably strong. Xander Schauffele is the only player from the top 10, but Valspar has nine of the top 25. ... The field includes 12 former major champions. ... Brooks Koepka has tied for ninth and tied for 13th in his last two PGA Tour events. He is in the field, meaning two players (Seamus Power and Matt Kuchar) were added to the field. ... Only two weeks remain before the top 50 in the world ranking not already eligible get Masters invitations. Among those on the bubble are Nicolai Hojgaard (No. 47) and Pierceson Coody (No. 52). ... The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is regarded as among the top tournament courses in Florida with occasional elevation and tree-lined fairways. ... Patrick Cantlay is playing for the first since he was runner-up in 2017 that sewed up his card as he returned from a severe back injury.
Next week: Texas Children's Houston Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP
Site: Menlo Park, California.
Course: Sharon Heights GC. Yardage: 6,542. Par: 72.
Prize money: $3 million. Winner's share: $450,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Yealimi Noh.
Race to CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul.
Last tournament: Mi Hwang Lee won the Blue Bay LPGA.
Notes: The LPGA returns to the U.S. after three tournaments in Asia. The Founders Cup kicks off a stretch of four big tournaments leading up to its first major of the year at The Chevron. ... A pair of major champions won last week when the LPGA was off. Hannah Green (2019 Women's PGA) won the Women's Australian Open and Jeongeun Lee6 (2019 U.S. Women's Open) won on the Epson Tour. Lee6 is an alternate for the Founders Cup. ... The field features eight of the top 10 from the women's ranking, missing only Green and Charley Hull. ... Nelly Korda plays for the first time since she won the season opener that was reduced to 54 holes. It was Korda's first win since 2024. She has played only 34 times on the LPGA the last two years. ... Sharon Heights is hosting top professionals for the first time. The club opened in 1962 and went through a renovation project that was completed two years ago. ... The LPGA last visited the Bay Area in 2021 at Lake Merced.
Next week: Ford Championship.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
LIV GOLF SOUTH AFRICA
Site: Midrand, South Africa.
Course: The Club at Steyn City. Yardage: 7,557. Par: 71.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $4 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 6-8 a.m. (FS1), 8-11 a.m. (FS2); Saturday, 6-11 a.m. (FOX); Sunday, 6-11 a.m. (FS1).
Defending champion: New event.
Points leader: Jon Rahm.
Last week: Bryson DeChambeau won LIV Golf Singapore.
Notes: This is the third week in a row for LIV Golf and its first event in South Africa. Officials say 90,000 tickets had been sold going into the week. ... Phil Mickelson makes his 2026 debut having missed the opening four LIV events with a family health matter. ... Through four events this year, LIV Golf winners have been a young newcomer (Elvis Smylie), a great comeback story (Anthony Kim) and its two biggest stars (Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau). ... 4Aces and Ripper are the only teams that have won this year, each with two team titles. ... The Club at Steyn held a tournament in 2022 that was co-sanctioned by the European tour and Sunshine Tour and won by Shaun Norris. ... This is the final LIV Golf event before the Masters. ... The home team for this event will be Southern Guard (formerly Stinger) led by Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester.
Next tournament: LIV Golf Mexico City on April 16-19.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
HAINAN CLASSIC
Site: Hainan Island, China.
Course: Mission Hills Resort (Haikou). Yardage: 7,637. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.55 million. Winner's share: $425,000.
Television: None.
Previous winner: Marco Penge.
Race to CME Globe leader: Patrick Reed.
Last tournament: Dan Bradbury won the Joburg Open.
Notes: The Hainan Classic begins the Asia swing portion of the European tour schedule with China and India before the Masters, followed by China and Turkey. ... Marco Penge won the first of his three European tour titles at Hainan Island last year. He wound up second on the Race to Dubai to earn a PGA Tour card. ... Thriston Lawrence of South Africa is the only player from the top 100 in the world playing in China this week. Lawrence is at No. 89 and is coming off consecutive missed cuts in South Africa. ... Calum Hill of Scotland had consecutive runner-up finishes during the Middle East swing in Bahrain and Qatar. He is in the field at the Hainan Classic and is at No. 10 in the Race to Dubai standings. ... Five players from Europe's winning Ryder Cup team finished in the top 10 at The Players Championship last week — Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood and Sepp Straka.
Next week: Hero Indian Open.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
COLOGUARD CLASSIC
Site: Tucson, Arizona.
Course: La Paloma CC. Yardage: 6,586. Par: 71.
Prize money: $2.2 million. Winner's share: $330,000.
Television: Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 10 p.m. to midnight (Golf Channel-Tape Delay); Saturday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel), 6-7 p.m. (Golf Channel app); Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Steve Alker.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink.
Last tournament: Zach Johnson won the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.
Notes: The PGA Tour Champions starts a two-week swing in the west (Arizona and California) before returning to Florida for the first major of the year at the Senior PGA Championship. ... This will be the third year at Paloma Country Club. ... Zach Johnson makes his second start since turning 50. He won in his PGA Tour Champions debut in Florida two weeks ago. ... The tournament began in 2015 after Tucson previously hosted a PGA Tour event that ended in 2006. ... Now in its 12th year, the Cologuard Classic has never had a multiple winner. ... The sponsor exemptions went to Mario Tiziani and Rob Labritz. ... David Duval won in Tucson in 1998, a year in which he won a PGA Tour event in the winter, spring, summer and fall. ... Stewart Cink still leads the Schwab Cup. ... Americans make up two-thirds of the field on the PGA Tour Champions this week. ... Fred Couples is in the field. He typically has played no more than 10 times a season the last couple of years.
Next week: Hoag Classic.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
Last week: Doc Redman won the Astara Chile Classic.
Next week: Club Car Championship.
Points leader: Ian Holt.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
Epson Tour: Orlando Health Championship, Grasslands Golf & CC, Lakeland, Florida. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Ladies European Tour: Australia WPGA Championship, Sanctuary Cove Golf and CC, Hope Island, Australia. Television: Saturday-Sunday, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. (Golf Channel app). Previous winner: Su Oh. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
Challenge Tour: DP World PGTI Open, Classic Golf & CC, Haryana, India. Defending champion: Quim Vidal. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/hotelplanner-tour/
Japan LPGA: V Point SMBC Ladies, Murasaki CC (Sumrie), Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Yuri Yoshida. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Xander Schauffele hits from the second tee during the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won Tuesday's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, edging out two sitting members of the U.S. House to advance to a November general election against Republican nominee Don Tracy, the former state party chair.
The retirement of U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, the Senate’s longtime No. 2 Democrat, triggered a competitive campaign on the Democratic side, drawing as candidates Stratton and U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, among others. Furious fundraising and sharp elbows marked the race, which tested the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. The governor, whose name has been floated as a 2028 presidential contender, backed Stratton.
The races were testing grounds for some of the biggest issues facing the Democratic Party, from support for Israel to immigration enforcement and the cryptocurrency and AI industries, as super PACs poured millions of dollars into the hotly contested primaries.
Most primary winners in the Democratic stronghold are expected to win in November, shaping a new generation of leadership in the state’s congressional delegation.
Stratton lagged in fundraising but had the powerful backing of Pritzker, who campaigned with her around the state.
He introduced her Tuesday night before her victory speech, in which she pledged to push for Medicare for all and higher wages, abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and “bring this fight straight to Donald Trump’s door.”
“We are ready to take our democracy back into our own hands,” Stratton told supporters gathered in Chicago.
The race featuring 10 Democrats was expensive. Krishnamoorthi dominated fundraising and was the first on television with ads in July. He started 2026 with over $15 million on hand compared with Stratton's $1 million, according to campaign finance records. Late last year, Pritzker put $5 million into a super PAC aimed at electing her.
Stratton lit into Krishnamoorthi at debates, particularly on the five-term Democrat’s voting record and donations from an ICE contractor.
Krishnamoorthi, who has called to dismantle the agency, said he donated the money to immigrant rights groups. In a concession speech Tuesday, he brought up his roots as an immigrant who born in India and raised in central Illinois.
“Only in this country can a kid like me serve in the halls of Congress,” he said. “And now we must come together as Democrats and as Americans to make sure that we return to the principles that made us a beacon of freedom and opportunity for the world.”
Rochelle Brockenborough, 64, said she voted for Stratton at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center in Chicago.
“I wanted to make sure there was no AIPAC money. That’s important to me,” she said, adding that U.S. tax dollars shouldn’t be used to support Israel.
Candidates touted ties to iconic Chicagoans including former President Barack Obama and the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died last month. However, an endorsement touted posthumously by Stratton caused a snag as Jackson’s family withdrew it Monday, saying the draft was not meant for public release.
In the GOP primary, Tracy, an attorney who led the Illinois Republican Party from 2021 to 2024, bested five other candidates. The state last had a Republican in the Senate a decade ago, when Mark Kirk was defeated by current Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Election officials hoped to see busy polls after statewide turnout in the 2024 primary was 19%, the lowest in more than five decades. Initial turnout estimates in Chicago were around 25%, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.
Dozens of candidates ran for five open seats in the Chicago area.
In Kelly’s 2nd district, which spans parts of the South Side and suburbs and dips into the central Illinois farmlands, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller emerged as the winner of a crowded Democratic field that included former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the late civil rights leader. Miller will face off in November against Republican Michael Noack, who was unopposed.
Miller was backed by AIPAC, and that support prompted retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, of the 9th District, to withdraw her endorsement of Miller.
The open seat in Krishnamoorthi’s suburban 8th District attracted eight Democrats and four Republicans. Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean won the Democratic nomination and advances to face Republican Jennifer Davis.
“People are ready for change, they want to see a functional Congress,” Bean told The Associated Press. “We haven’t had one in quite some time.”
Two other House members are retiring after long careers.
The 7th District of Rep. Danny Davis, who was first elected in 1996, covers parts of downtown, the West Side and suburbs. The candidate he endorsed, state Rep. La Shawn Ford won the nomination over a pool of candidates that included Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Chad Koppie won for the GOP.
The primary for Schakowsky's 9th District seat was the most crowded. Among the 15 Democrats, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss edged out digital creator Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine, who was also backed by AIPAC. Republican John Elleson won the party's nomination.
Speaking to supporters, Biss called Schakowsky, who endorsed him, his “political hero” and said the contest to replace her raised fundamental questions about Democratic Party priorities.
“Are we going to double down on our progressive values, or are we going to shrink away from protecting the most vulnerable?” Biss said. “We are going to stand up, we are going to fight.”
Another open Chicago area seat was that of Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who announced that he would not seek reelection citing health and personal reasons. The Democratic primary for the 4th District was uncontested after Garcia quietly schemed to place his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, on the ballot without any Democratic competition.
Patty Garcia, who is not related to the congressman, will face Republican Lupe Castillo, who also ran unopposed, in November.
Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune who was unopposed in his primary, is the first governor to seek a third term since the 1980s.
One of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics, Pritzker used his victory speech to tout his efforts to oppose the aggressive federal immigration crackdown in Chicago last year. He criticized Republicans' agenda, called Trump's presidency an “unmitigated disaster” and vowed to help Democrats across Illinois win in November.
“This is the fight of our lives,” he told supporters at a downtown Chicago hotel. “Everything we care about is under siege from Washington.”
Pritzker also made digs at Republican candidate Darren Bailey, a former state senator whom he handily defeated in 2022.
Bailey, who bested three other Republicans vying for the nomination, said he did things differently this time, including focusing more on Chicago voters.
On the campaign trail and in his victory speech, Bailey criticized Pritzker’s leadership, including blaming him for rising costs. Heading into November, he vowed to include Democrats “who felt left behind.”
“I want to work together to make Illinois government work again at all levels,” he said.
Associated Press journalists Mike Householder in Chicago and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., center, concedes as his wife, Priya Bala, looks on during an election night watch party after losing the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, left, hugs her daughter Cassidy during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Supporters react as election results roll in during a primary election night watch party for Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A pin reading "women for Juliana" is displayed during a primary election night watch party for Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton waves during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Democratic candidate for Congress, Kat Abughazaleh smiles as she walks to vote on Election Day at Chicago Park District Loyola field house in Chicago, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who is running in the Senate Democratic Primary Election, talks with election judges at Nerge Elementary School polling place in Schaumburg, Ill., Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic candidate for Congress, Kat Abughazaleh, center, casts her vote in a primary election for the upcoming midterms, in Chicago, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Patty García speaks during a news conference to announce her candidacy for the fourth district congressional race, Nov. 12, 2025, in Cicero, Ill. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
