Early days yet for sure, but Shane Lowry’s move to the top of the European Ryder Cup points qualifying table for the centenary match against the US at Adare Manor on September 17th-19th next year has come after a flying start to his quest to be part of Luke Donald’s team.
Lowry’s top-25 finish in the BMW PGA at Wentworth came on the back of his win in the Amgen Irish Open and has seen the Offalyman move to number one in the qualifying rankings, ahead of England’s Joe Deane, while Rory McIlroy’s tied-second at the DP World Tour’s flagship event propelled him to third in the standings.
The leading six players on the Ryder Cup points list on August 22nd, 2027 – the final qualifying event being the Husqvarna British Masters – will qualify for Team Europe. Donald will then select his six captain’s picks after that qualifying concludes.
Lowry’s schedule in the coming weeks includes a return to the Spanish Open on October 8th-11th before heading to the DP World India Championship in New Delhi having opted to skip the Alfrred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
Tour-bound Scotsman
The appropriately named Sandy Scott has become the latest player to secure graduation off the Korn Ferry Tour on to the PGA Tour for next season.
The Scottish player – a graduate of Texas Tech, where he had Ludwig Aberg was among his college team-mates – won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Ohio to earn his card, overcoming a four-stroke deficit headed into the final round.
Sandy Scott after winning the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Ohio. Photograph: Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The 28-year-old from Inverness surged to a breakthrough win on the pathway circuit with a closing 65 for a victory that jumped him to second on the Korn Ferry order of merit, guaranteeing his progress on to the PGA Tour for 2027.
He follows Ross Steelman, Doc Redman, Ian Holt, Alistair Docherty, Alvaro Ortiz, and Cole Sherwood as the seventh player declared Tour-bound from the Korn Ferry.
By the Numbers: €176,000
A nice financial legacy of the recent Amgen Irish Open at Doonbeg went the way of Make-A-Wish Ireland, the official charity of the tournament, which received a cheque for €176,000 through various fundraising initiatives during the week.
Word of Mouth
“My whole career, I’ve kind of had to do (things my own way). I wasn’t given scholarships. I had a walk-on. I had to earn my PGA Tour card the hard way. I was never given a sponsor invite opportunities. I just had to do everything the hard way.
“You know, being left off (the President’s Cup team) was obviously for a reason. I don’t know what that reason was, but I’m here now and there was a reason why we’re here. My caddie kept telling me that, and it’s crazy how this has happened. You know, everything does happen for a reason. I’m just super happy.” – JJ Spaun on being snubbed by US captain Brant Snedeker for this week’s President’s Cup in Medinah before winning the BMW PGA Championship.
On this day: September 22nd, 1991
Fred Couples made the most of some untypical errors in the final round by 54-hole leader Brad Faxon to lift the BC Open trophy at Endicott, New York, for his sixth of 15 career wins on the PGA Tour.
Couples started the day one stroke behind Faxon and recorded three straight birdies on the front nine to put pressure on the leader, who bogeyed the 11th and 13th holes and finished with a double-bogey on the 17th and a bogey on the last. It ultimately dropped Faxon back into a share of third, alongside Blaine McCallister.
There were no such mistakes from Couples, who fired a 68 final round for a total of 15-under-par 269, which secured a three-shot win over runner-up Peter Jacobsen.
A winner of the St Jude Classic in June, Couples’s second win of the season earned him a pay-day of $144,000.
Social Swing
Victory at Wentworth for J.J. Spaun. 🏆
A huge finish seals the BMW PGA Championship by two shots and makes it back-to-back wins for #TeamSrixon. 🔥
WITB:⁰Srixon ZXi5 4 iron⁰Srixon ZXi7 5-PW⁰Cleveland Golf RTX ZipCore (50°), RTZ (54° Full), RTX 6 ZipCore (60° Low) ⁰Srixon… pic.twitter.com/3OYa4yXFHa
— Srixon (@SrixonGolf) September 20, 2026
“Victory at Wentworth for JJ Spaun. A huge finish seals the BMW PGA Championship by two shots and makes it back-to-back wins for #TeamSrixon” – No surprise that the social media folk at Srixon were bigging up Spaun’s win at Wentworth.
“Always a fun week at the @BMWPGA at Wentworth in front of home crowds. Thank you for all the support” – Tyrrell Hatton.
What’s that??👂🏻 You’re telling me I’m going home!!! As in, HOME 🏠 🇦🇪 !!
It’s been a long 6 months living out of a suitcase. Played some great golf at times, some not so great. Nicely in position to finish the season strong, swing feels in a good place. 🏌️♂️
Home game next stop! pic.twitter.com/SUXMZfzXyP
— Dave Horsey (@DaveHorsey) September 20, 2026
“What’s that?? You’re telling me I’m going home!!! As, in HOME!! It’s been a long 6 months living out of a suitcase. Played some great golf at times, some not so great. Nicely in position to finish the season strong, swing feels in a good place. Home game next stop!” – David Horsey, the Abu Dhabi-based Englishman on finally getting to sleep in his own bed for the next stop on the Hotel Planner Tour next week. Horsey is currently 15th in the order of merit, just above the provisional cut to secure a full DP World Tour card.
In the Bag: JJ Spaun – BMW PGA Championship
Driver: Titleist GT3 (9°)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15°)
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (21°)
Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4), Srixon Zxi7 (5-PW)
Wedges: Cleveland RTX Zipcore (50°), Cleveland RTZ (54°), Cleveland RTX-6 Tour Rack Zipcore (60°)
Putter: L.A.B DF3
Ball: Srixon Z Star
Know the Rules
Q: True or false – If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated as yellow or red by the committee, it is treated as a yellow penalty area.
A: False. Under the Definition of Penalty Area in the rules, if the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the committee, it is treated as a red penalty area. Red penalty areas are usually marked with red stakes or lines.
Players have three relief options for one penalty stroke:
Stroke-and-Distance Relief: Play a ball from a relief area based on where the previous stroke was made.Back-on-the-Line Relief: Drop a ball outside the penalty area, keeping point X between the hole and the spot where the ball is dropped.Lateral Relief: Drop a ball within two-club lengths of the point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area. Play a ball from a relief area based on where the previous stroke was made.