All Times Central

EUROPEAN TOUR

BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Virginia Water, England.

Course: Wentworth GC (East). Yardage: 7,284. Par: 72.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 4 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6:30-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Purse: $7 million. Winner’s share: $1,166,667.

Defending champion: Francesco Molinari.

Race to Dubai leader: Shane Lowry.

Last week: Sergio Garcia won the KLM Open.

Notes: The flagship event of the European Tour had been held in May every year since 1975. It moved to September when the PGA Championship was moved to May and the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour ended in late August. … Molinari and Rory McIlroy are the only players to have won a major in the same year after winning the BMW PGA Championship. … McIlroy is playing a regular European Tour event for the third time this year. He is among three players from the top 10 in the world. … The winner is assured of 64 points because it is the flagship event of Europe. … Sergio Garcia is the only European from the top 50 in the world who is not at Wentworth. … Patrick Reed, Tony Finau, Billy Horschel and Andrew Putnam are among Americans playing. Reed is a full European Tour member, while Finau and Horschel are affiliate members. … Viktor Hovland of Norway is playing his first European Tour event as a pro.

Next week: Dunhill Links Championship.

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PGA TOUR

SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Jackson, Mississippi.

Course: Country Club of Jackson. Yardage: 7,460. Par: 72.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Purse: $6.6 million. Winner’s share: $1,188,000.

Defending champion: Cameron Champ.

FedEx Cup leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Last week: Joaquin Niemann won A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.

Notes: The tournament previously was held the same week as the World Golf Championships event in Shanghai. Now it receives full FedEx Cup points, and the winner gets an invitation to the Masters. … Brandt Snedeker (No. 41) is the highest-ranked player in Jackson. The last time he was entered in the field was in 2009, when it was the Viking Classic and was canceled by rain. … K.J. Choi is playing for the first time since the Memorial. … Akshay Bhatia is making his pro debut on a sponsor exemption. He does not turn 18 until January. Bhatia missed the cut in the Valspar Championship in March. … The field features three players who reached the Tour Championship — Corey Conners, Lucas Glover and Sungjae Im. … The tournament dates to 1986 when it was the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. … This is the fifth year the tournament has been played at the Country Club of Jackson. … The last five Sanderson Farms champions had never won on the PGA Tour.

Next week: Safeway Open.

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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

SANFORD INTERNATIONAL

Site: Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Course: Minnehaha CC. Yardage: 6,729. Par: 70.

Television: Friday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay).

Purse: $1.8 million. Winner’s share: $270,000.

Defending champion: Steve Stricker.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Scott McCarron.

Last week: Jerry Kelly won the Ally Challenge.

Notes: Stricker has decided not to defend his title. He has not played since July 14 in the Senior Players Championship at Firestone. … Kelly became the fourth multiple winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year, joining Scott McCarron, Bernhard Langer and Steve Stricker. McCarron leads the tour with three victories. … McCarron played in the final group for the sixth time this year. His closing 75 was only his third Sunday score over par this year. … McCarron still has a $492,083 lead in the Charles Schwab Cup with three events remaining before the three-tournament playoffs. … Along with winning last week, Kelly recorded his 10th finish in the top 10. … The sons of two major champions have received sponsor exemptions to the Sanford International — Gary Nicklaus and Dave Stockton Jr. This will be the eighth start by Nicklaus this year. His best finish was a tie for 29th in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

Next week: Pure Insurance Championship.

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LPGA TOUR

Last week: Europe won the Solheim Cup.

Next week: Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Race to CME Globe leader: Jin Young Ko.

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OTHER TOURS

Symetra Tour: Guardian Championship, Capitol Hill GC, Prattville, Alabama. Defending champion: Kendall Dye.  

USGA: U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, Colorado GC, Parker, Colorado. Defending champion: Kevin O’Connell.  

USGA: U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Forest Highlands GC, Flagstaff, Arizona. Defending champion: Shannon Johnson.  

Ladies European Tour: Lacost Ladies Open de France, Golf du Medoc, Le Pain-Medoc, France. Defending champion: Caroline Hedwall.  

Asian Tour: Shinhan Donghae Open, Bear’s Best Cheongna GC, Incheon, South Korea. Defending champion: Sanghyun Park.  

PGA Tour China: Zhuzhou Classic, Xiangshui Bay GC, Zhuzhou, China. Defending champion: New event.  

PGA Tour Latinoamerica: Sao Paulo Golf Club Championship, Sao Paulo GC, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Defending champion: Nicolas Echavarria.  

Staysure Tour: Paris Legends Championship, Racing Club de France, Paris. Defending champion: Gary Orr.  

Korean LPGA: All For You Championship, South Spring GC, Icheon, South Korea. Defending champion: So-Young Lee.  

Japan LPGA: Descente Ladies Tokai Classic, Shinnan Aichi CC (Mihama), Aichi, Japan. Defending champion: Kotono Kozuma.