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| Wednesday Sep 16, 2026 |
BILTMORE CHAMPIONSHIP ASHEVILLE TALKING POINTS
➡️ The inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville opens the FedEx Cup Fall at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, marking the PGA Tour's first event in the North Carolina mountains in more than 80 years. Contested nearly two years after Hurricane Helene, the tournament highlights ongoing recovery efforts in western North Carolina while launching an eight-event stretch that will finalize tour eligibility and signature event spots for 2027.
➡️ Sponsor exemption Brendan Valdes is making his first PGA Tour-sanctioned start since beating primary mediastinal lymphoma earlier this year. Diagnosed in January, the former Auburn standout entered remission in June before being declared cancer-free. Valdes was teammates with fellow field member Jackson Koivun on Auburn's 2024 national championship squad.
➡️ Genesis Invitational winner Jacob Bridgeman headlines the 132-player field as the lone competitor in Asheville who advanced to the season-ending Tour Championship. Bridgeman, a captain's pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup team, finished fourth in the FedEx Cup standings after earning six top-10 finishes across 23 starts this season.
➡️ Seven Presidents Cup players and three captain's assistants are competing ahead of the upcoming matches at Medinah Country Club. U.S. captain's picks Bridgeman and Koivun are joined by International team members Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Corey Conners, Nico Echavarria, Ryo Hisatsune and Nick Taylor.
POLL OF THE WEEK
PICK A SIDE
Which team will win the Presidents Cup?
>> Vote
Last week: Despite Great Britain & Ireland's stunning comeback to win the 51st Walker Cup Sunday, the United States still leads the series 40-10-1. Should the Walker Cup expand, similar to the Ryder Cup, so that Great Britain & Ireland includes players from continental Europe? | Results
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
THE ULTIMATE PARTNER
You are playing a member-guest tournament and you can choose any player — man or woman, amateur or pro, living or deceased — to be your partner. Who would you choose?
>> Respond
Last week: The United States holds a 13-1-1 advantage in the Presidents Cup. What changes, if any, would you make in an attempt to make it more competitive? | Read
➡️ PGA Tour will have an elite tier and outlines the path to get there and stay there
Doug Ferguson | Associated Press | Read
➡️ PGA Tour not contemplating path back for LIV players similar to Brooks Koepka
Doug Ferguson | Associated Press | Read
➡️ David McLay-Kidd 'ghost course' in Scotland for sale
Kristy Dorsey | Golfweek | Read
➡️ As LIV Golf seeks to stay alive, Jon Rahm says he’s learned a lesson
Nick Piastowski | Golf.com | Read
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RECENT DROPS
🎧 | ▶️ CONTENT CLUBHOUSE
One-Way Ticket: Alissa Kacar
Guests: Alissa Kacar, golf content creator, media personality and social media host of the former Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour.
Listen | Watch | Archives
▶️ GOLF INNERVIEW WITH ANN LIGUORI
Ireland golf boom: Championships put country in global tourism spotlight
Guest: Alison Metcalfe, executive vice president, North America, Tourism Ireland.
Listen | Archives
Buffalo Research's new Golf in Motion Monthly tracks year-over-year visitation trends across traditional golf facilities, off-course retail, golf entertainment venues and sporting goods retailers using anonymized movement data from approximately 30 million mobile devices.
Each monthly report is designed to provide the golf industry with a consistent, data-driven benchmark to help operators, brands, investors and industry leaders identify trends, and make more informed business decisions.
The report is free. Upon signing up, you will receive the updated monthly reports straight to your inbox.
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SEPTEMBER
29-30: Golf Inc. Strategies Summit, Hilton Head, South Carolina | Info
OCTOBER
1: Golf Inc. Strategies Summit, Hilton Head, South Carolina | Info
NOVEMBER
8-11: International Association of Golf Administrators Annual Conference | Info
9-11: Golf Business Network Leadership Summit, Pinehurst, North Carolina | Info
To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.
