Jordan Spieth reached the PGA Tour postseason for the 14th consecutive year, this time with a most curious achievement. He finished the regular season at No. 54 in the FedEx Cup despite not finishing in the top 10 in any of his 21 tournaments.
How was that possible?
For starters, top 10 really doesn't have as much relevance since 2008 when the Ryder Cup (thanks to U.S. captain Paul Azinger) went away from awarding points only to top-10 finishes.
Spieth had four finishes in the top 12, including the Masters and two signature events. Those four top 12s — the other was a tie for 11th in the Valspar Championship — accounted for 52% of his FedEx Cup points.
He played in all eight signature events this year, but he received only two exemptions — Bay Hill (tie for 11th worth 125 points) and the Travelers Championship (tie for 66th worth seven points). Take out those two sponsor exemptions and Spieth would have finished at No. 64 and still qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
And now he has to move into the top 50 after the first playoff event to reach the BMW Championship, which would get him into all the signature events next year.
To be sure, signature events are a big advantage to those who play them — 700 points to the winner compared with 500 at a regular tournament, and points are more than doubled through the 28th position. Beau Hossler didn't play a single signature event (or a major) and finished at No. 72, missing out on the postseason by 31 points.
No one cashed in like Adam Scott. He asked for only one exemption for the Genesis Invitational at Riviera and finished fourth (325 points). That helped get him in Bay Hill (tie for 11th) and he stayed high enough on the list to get into Doral (tie for fourth). Scott wound up playing six signature events and picked up 895 of his 1,218 points in the FedEx Cup.
He starts out the postseason at No. 29, assured of advancing to the BMW Championship, with an eye toward a return to the Tour Championship, which would get him in all the majors next year.
Spieth, meanwhile, hasn't made it to the Tour Championship since 2023. Odds are he will need his first top 10 of the year to get there.
With so much attention on youth the last few weeks, don't overlook Anna Huang. She made it through Ladies European Tour qualifying at age 16, and the Canadian has not missed a beat.
Huang was caught in a duel with Charley Hull on Sunday in the PIF London and held her nerve. Hull four-putted for double bogey on the 17th hole and Huang closed with an eagle to win by two. The 17-year-old now has four LET victories in the last 11 months.
When she won in Morocco in May, Huang became the youngest player with three LET wins, surpassing records previously held by Lydia Ko.
“I’ve always looked up to Lydia, she’s always been my idol growing up. There’s so much to admire about her game. She’s so calm and composed,” Huang said.
Huang's fourth victory allowed her to break into the top 50 in the women's world ranking at No. 43, and she moved to No. 2 behind Casandra Alexander on the tour's Order of Merit.
Golf will get an additional two hours of coverage on the weekdays at the opening two FedEx Cup playoff events without having to pay extra for it.
For the first time all year, ESPN will provide coverage from the FedEx St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship next week. Thursday and Friday rounds from the TPC Southwind will air on ESPN's primary linear channel from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. EDT.
The same will be the case for the BMW Championship at Bellerive in St. Louis, from 10 a.m. to noon for the first and second rounds. In both tournaments, Golf Channel will pick up the weekday coverage for four hours — starting at 2 p.m. the first week, 3 p.m. for the second week.
The Tour Championship, with only a 30-man field that typically starts around noon, does not have any additional coverage planned on ESPN.
ESPN+, a streaming service, has been the PGA Tour's provider for its featured groups.
Golf fans can debate endlessly whether Joaquin Niemann going to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League at age 23 hurt or helped his development.
But there is no arguing what it did for his wealth.
Niemann's career earnings in five years on the PGA Tour, with two victories, were $14,571,583.
In his five years on LIV Golf, where he has won nine times, the Chilean's individual earnings are $86,237,374 with one tournament left in the 2026 season. That does not include earnings for his Torque team or his signing bonus for defecting in 2022.
Megha Ganne makes her LPGA debut as a pro this week at The Standard Portland Classic with an exemption from winning the Inkster Award that recognizes the highest-ranked college golfer in her final year of eligibility.
Ganne was a four-time All-American at Stanford, which won two NCAA titles when she was there, and she won the U.S. Women's Amateur last summer at Bandon Dunes.
The award is named after Juli Inkster, who spent all four years at San Jose State, became the first player to win three straight U.S. Women's Amateur and went on to win seven LPGA majors and the career Grand Slam in her Hall of Fame career.
She is the seventh senior to win the award, following Carolina Lopez-Chacarra at Wake Forest last year. Chacarra, an LPGA rookie, recently won on the Ladies European Tour.
Webb Simpson is the latest assistant captain to be selected for Brandt Snedeker's U.S. team at the Presidents Cup in September, joining Jim Furyk and Keegan Bradley. Simpson also was an assistant in 2022 at his home course of Quail Hollow. ... Michael Brennan became the second straight Wyndham Championship winner to have a streak of five straight birdies in the final round. Cameron Young did it last year. ... Fenway Sports Group has acquired a team in the WTGL indoor league for LPGA players that debuts this fall in the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Garden, Florida. Boston Common Golf will join four other teams in the WTGL — Atlanta Drive, Los Angeles, New York and Motor City. ... Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson have combined to win eight of the 16 individual tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions this year.
Jackson Koivun is the first player to reach the FedEx Cup playoffs in the same season he accepted PGA Tour membership through the PGA Tour University ranking.
“To be in the prime of your career and be as good as I think I am, I think that’s very pathetic, disappointing. Just need to go home and completely reevaluate everything.” — Brooks Koepka after failing to reach the top 70 in the FedEx Cup to qualifying for the PGA Tour's postseason.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Captain Joaquín Niemann, of Torque GC, hits from the 16th tee during the first round of LIV Golf Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Bedminster, N.J. (Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf via AP)
Anna Huang, of Canada, drives off the 15th tee during the first round of the Women's British Open golf championship in Lytham St Annes, England, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Jordan Spieth hits from the ninth tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Minnesota voters will settle a moderate-versus-progressive Democratic U.S. Senate primary between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In the race for governor, Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy, leads a crowded Republican primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for the Democratic nomination.
The Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above establishment candidate David Crowley. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking to win Duffy’s former district.
And Republicans in South Carolina are casting ballots in a special primary election to replace the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on the state’s general election ballot. The crowded race has attracted top party members, including two congressmen and a former governor — but Trump has endorsed Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, a political unknown appointed to serve out the final months of her late brother's current term.
Here's the latest:
She had already been known as Lindsey Graham’s sister and lifelong supporter, but since her brother’s death a month ago, Darline Graham has been thrust into the political spotlight.
A day after the late senator’s sudden death was announced, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster named Darline Graham to serve the remaining months on his current term, which expires in January. She was sworn in the next day and took his spot on powerful committees, including Judiciary.
Days later, Darline Graham was among the candidates jumping into a special GOP primary to replace her late brother on November ballots. She’s appeared at various stump events and one debate, although Senate business kept her off the campaign trail as other hopefuls traversed the state.
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig has support from the party’s establishment, while Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is backed by prominent figures on the left including Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The primary will again take the temperature of Democratic voters a week after progressive Abdul El-Sayed won a bitter and divisive primary in Michigan that fired up the left and fueled anxiety among party leaders that Democrats will alienate moderate swing voters.
Craig says her record of winning repeatedly in a battleground House district will ensure the seat stays in Democratic hands. Flanagan says Craig hasn’t stood firm enough against President Donald Trump and wealthy donors.
Wisconsin voter Jesse Heer said Hong understands “what it’s like to live here and have to afford to live here.”
Heer, a 32-year-old business owner from Madison, said Hong’s focus on affordability issues was the top reason he voted for her. And he’s not buying the argument from other Democrats, including Hong’s more moderate challenger, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, that she will have a harder time winning in the general election.
“I think she’s a good candidate,” Heer said. “I think a lot of people agree.”
Hong voter Kelly McClurg, 40, of Sun Prairie, says Hong has shown “she’ll be able to push back more” on issues that Democrats care about, like affordability.
McClurg said if fellow Democrats believe in her, and don’t assume she can’t beat Republican Tom Tiffany, “she can win.”
Wisconsin voters who cast their ballots Tuesday for the gubernatorial candidate favored by more mainstream Democrats say they are confident the party will unite even if the progressive challenger wins.
David Zimmerman, a 79-year-old retired industrial engineering professor, voted for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Crowley is endorsed by Gov. Tony Evers and is seen as the pick of more moderate Democrats.
Zimmerman says he worries “a lot” about progressive candidate Francesca Hong’s ability to defeat Republican Tom Tiffany in November.
“I think she’s going to have trouble winning,” Zimmerman said.
But both Zimmerman and fellow Crowley voter Julie Martinson, 69, predict Democrats will come together even if Hong wins. They said they would vote for her in November.
“There’s no reason we can’t galvanize around her and get her in there,” Martinson said.
No Connecticut governor has served three consecutive terms in modern times. Former Republican Gov. John G. Rowland was elected to a third consecutive term in November 2002 but he resigned in 2004 amid a corruption scandal.
In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Lamont, 71, takes on state Rep. Josh Elliott, 42, who is running left of the current governor.
One of two Democratic governors who attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Lamont has carefully chosen which issues to criticize the Republican president on. That tactic has prompted complaints from more liberal Democrats in Connecticut.
The state is holding special primaries in four congressional districts after it won permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to change its congressional maps. The state tossed out the results of May primaries and scheduled the Tuesday special primaries using the new map.
Turnout for party primaries is typically low. It was 23% in the May primary and 10.7% for the June runoff. It is expected to be particularly low in a special late-summer primary, when people are unaccustomed to voting.
Six Republicans are seeking the GOP nomination in the redrawn 2nd Congressional District. The winner will challenge Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in November.
Republican candidates and party officials have been trying to promote the special primary and get voters to the polls. The primaries will be decided without a runoff.
Polling places opened across the state at 7 a.m. EDT, and voters have until 7 p.m. to cast their ballots.
It’s only been two months since South Carolina voters made their picks in the primary elections in June. But Graham’s sudden death last month set into motion a special primary to pick a Republican replacement for the general election ballot in November.
Candidates have only had a matter of weeks to campaign.
There were three days of early voting last week, and Tuesday’s special election also coincides with the first day of school in some areas, so polling places have changed for many who typically are assigned to vote at schools for summertime primaries.
The topsy turvy race pits democratic socialist Francesca Hong against the governor’s endorsed candidate David Crowley.
Hong has ridden a wave of support from liberals to bolster her insurgent campaign. Crowley had quit the race but got back in — with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement.
Crowley rejoined the race after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out last month amid a campaign finance scandal.
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes had the highest name recognition after a 2022 U.S. Senate run, but he also dropped out less than two weeks before the primary amid questions about inappropriate behavior.
In the Republican primary for governor, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has Trump’s endorsement and faces nominal opposition.
Progressive candidates for governor in Wisconsin and U.S. Senate in Minnesota are increasing the pressure on a Democratic establishment that has spent the year on its heels.
Today’s primaries come a week after Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s divisive and costly U.S. Senate primary. El-Sayed’s victory has energized the left while stoking fears among Democratic Party leaders that the shift to the left, particularly in battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin, will make it more difficult to win in November.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, greets supporters during a campaign event at the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Twin Cities Office in Minneapolis, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., candidate for U.S Senate, greets Merci Wolff and her daughter during a canvassing event at SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local #10 headquarters, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Campaign signs for Michael Alfonso, a candidate for U.S. House in Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, line the entrance to an event, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in New Richmond, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
David Crowley, right, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor talks with CJ Arthur, left, owner of WordHaven BookHouse during a campaign stop with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Ever, center, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Sheboygan, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
