Jeeno Thitikul greatness, Tour changes, Top 100 courses: Tour Confidential 

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Jeeno Thitikul, Craig Kessler, PGA Tour changes and more.

1. World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul won the CME Group Tour Championship, her third victory of the season, which also locked up LPGA Player of the Year honors and set a record for the lowest single-season scoring mark in LPGA history (her 68.681 bests Annika Sorenstam’s 68.696 from 2002). Still just 22, did this season get as much credit as it deserved?

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): If we’re asking that question, that should go to show how much work is in front of new commish Craig Kessler. Because averaging — averaging! — 68 is pretty damn good. That said, that also illustrates just how deep the LPGA was this year. I’ll definitely be interested to see what Thitikul does next year. There doesn’t appear to be anything that will slow her down, and a few majors could be next. 

Josh Schrock, news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): I think it went under the radar because she won only three times. Had she not four-putted to lose the Kroger and been run down by Grace Kim at the Evian, we probably would have talked about it more. Think Nick makes a good point, though, about the task ahead of Craig Kessler. There was a lot of talk this week in Naples about the LPGA “building stars.” Jeeno’s talent is undeniable. The LPGA needs to make sure more people know about her. 

Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Compounding all of these hurdles for Thitikul was that her incredible season came in the wake of Nelly’s seven-win 2024. How do you possibly follow that? It’s like taking the podium after Churchill or the stage after a Springsteen set. Tough acts to follow. I thought it was telling that Jeeno had no idea she’d broken Sorenstam’s scoring record. Shows you she’s laser-focused on the only thing that really matters: winning titles. As Nick says, Jeeno’s next mission: add some majors to her c.v.   

Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): Unbelievable consistency to own a stroke average that low, but the win total is a bit light. Annika won 11 (!) times in her record-setting year, and while the depth of competition is much better these days, it still feels like Jeeno left some meat on the bone. You’ve got to rack up trophies to garner attention in the mainstream. 

2. Craig Kessler has been the LPGA’s commissioner for less than a year but has already made some big moves for the league. Just recently he helped finalize a stronger partnership with Golf Saudi and, in the past few days, announced that beginning next year every LPGA round and tournament will be broadcast live on TV across the U.S. How would you assess what Kessler’s done so far, and what’s his biggest challenge come 2026?

Piastowski: Kessler has set the table. Now he just has to get people to sit down. (Hey, it’s Thanksgiving week.) The TV deal can’t be overstated — exposure is key. But the job now will be to give viewers a reason to watch. Interestingly, this is pretty much the same issue the PGA Tour faces — both are battling the interest game. But if you present the stories well — be it the tournament itself, a rivalry, a personality — folks will stay. The LPGA product is a very good one.

Schrock: He has been commissioner for 120 days and has hit the ground running. The broadcast deal is massive for the LPGA. If they want to have their breakthrough moment, people have to be able to watch it live and be able to follow it when they can’t tune in. His biggest challenge is finding a way to elevate women’s golf to a broader audience and building the stars who do that. I think that starts with a dominant star or stars winning and winning a lot to grab eyeballs the LPGA wouldn’t normally get. Kessler can’t make Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lydia Ko or anyone else win 10 times, but it would help! Kessler lauded Korda and Hull for showing up outside the ropes and becoming cultural figures. The LPGA certainly needs more of that, but if they want people who aren’t watching to watch, they need a transcendent star or stars to do their part inside the ropes. 

Bastable: Right, Josh, it’s pretty clear Kessler doesn’t just want talent — he wants talent that is willing to put in the extra hours off the course to help amplify everything that’s happening on the course. Having every round of every event televised is huge (even if CNBC isn’t exactly NBC), and I’m especially enthused by the efforts to improve the broadcasts themselves, with more cameras and better storytelling. The biggest challenge, as ever, will be finding ways to better bridge the divide between fans and players. Fans need to feel like they genuinely know the players. That’s how you grow engagement and loyalty and ratings.       

Melton: I’m impressed by what he’s done so far, but there’s a long way to go. It’ll take more than a little more air time to bring in new fans. 

3. Sami Valimaki won the RSM Classic as the PGA Tour put a bow on the Fall Series. We now know the top 100 players who earned PGA Tour cards for next season (and Nos. 101-150, who received conditional status). This was the first fall the Tour shrunk cards from 125 to 100. Now that you’ve seen how it shook out (and who got in and who didn’t), what are your thoughts on the change?

Piastowski: Can I say I still want to wait? I think we need to see how smaller fields and less cards will play out. Will we like the emphasis on the bigger names that could come now? Or will we be robbed of a few out-of-nowhere players? The drama on Sunday, where players battled to finish in the top 100, was good theater — 100 is a tighter window than 125, of course, so some talented players were scrambling. 

Schrock: I like the trim to 100 and honestly would like to see it trimmed a little more. It made the fall season have real stakes, but I think the PGA Tour needs to continue to tweak it so that zero players who are exempt can tee it up and the fall season becomes just for those truly playing for their jobs. 

Piastowski: Dang, I like Josh’s idea. 

Bastable: As a fan/spectating experience, I’m not sure it matters much whether the guys are playing for 125 spots or 75. The hook is that there’s something critically important on the line: the players’ livelihoods. Also, whether or not you like the reduction, you best get used to it, because this is where the Tour is headed: fewer cards, smaller fields and, most likely, fewer events. It all ladders up to Commish Rolapp’s scarcity plan: keep the fans wanting more.   

Melton: I love the idea of churning out under-performing players. If you aren’t playing well, you shouldn’t be guaranteed a place to play. Golf is the only sport where you can coast off your accomplishments from a decade before. We need a little more ‘what have you done for me lately’ mentality in pro golf. 

4. GOLF released its latest ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the World, a long-standing biennial celebration of the greatest designs around the globe. Pine Valley again led the way and 48 U.S. courses found their way onto the ranking. What’s your takeaway from this list?

Piastowski: That the pros tore up the list’s 56th course at the Ryder Cup. Kidding. Sort of. Fifty-two worldwide courses and 48 American ones — that’s a nice split. But really it’s confirming that I want to play round-the-clock golf at Lofoten Links. Or watch the Northern Lights after a round. Or both. [Emails editor, waits for response to stay a year in Norway.]

Schrock: The variety in style, location and design. There are just so many great golf courses. From Lake Bluff, Ill. (shoutout to Shoreacres) to Te Arai, New Zealand to the Old Course. I got to get out more. 

Bastable: I was shocked — shocked! — to see Pine Valley nab the top spot again. (I jest. I was not.) As ever with these lists, we didn’t see a ton of turnover, so I’m most interested in which courses make the biggest leap forward. This time around, that honor went to Shanquin Bay (up 31 spots to No. 64); Nick’s beloved Lofoten Links (up 22 to No. 66); and the Lido (up 20 to No. 48). That trio is now officially on my bucket list. Also, how ’bout spanking-new Childress Hall debuting at 73. Talk about a rookie of the year.  

Melton: My takeaway? I’m thankful to have played 10 of them — but I’d love to check the other 90 off the list. Maybe some day …

5. While most readers might never get an invite to play Augusta National or Shinnecock Hills, more than half the courses on the list welcome outside play. Based on your experiences, which accessible bucket-list destinations would you most recommend to our readers?

Piastowski: I’ll put on my native-of-Wisconsin hat here and say that the whole Sand Valley experience is great. Try to get on the Lido. Try to play all of the other ones. The whole complex is wonderful. 

Schrock: Nick goes native, and so will I. Just go play every course at Bandon. You won’t be disappointed. 

Bastable: C’mon now, gents, you both know the best public-access trips require a passport. Spend four or five days on any stretch of coastline in Great Britain and Ireland, and you’ll come with a whole new appreciation for the game.    

Melton: I’ve never returned from a trip to Pinehurst without a smile on my face. No. 2 may be the crown jewel, but with other gems like Nos. 4 and 10, along with The Cradle, it’s got a heck of a lineup.

6. It’s almost Black Friday! Please tell our dear readers one golfy item you love and are certain they will too. (And if they’re lucky, it’s on sale somewhere.)

Piastowski: On a deep, deep, deep level, the answer here is my health, and I’ll tell more about that at some point in the near future. But on the extreme comfortability level, go get yourself a Radmor Higgins 2.0 Hoodie. I’ve bought three over the past few years. Best sweatshirt I’ve ever owned. 

Schrock: I will also go the hoodie route (aren’t we an exciting group?) and suggest a Puma Cloudspun Golf Hoodie. It’s the most comfortable thing I own.

Bastable: This is a bit of a cop out because I don’t yet own the item I’m recommending, but I do know I desperately need a garage organizer for all my golf stuff. Currently my clubs, shoes, balls and other assorted golfy items are scattered around my garage like Solo cups and pizza boxes after a frat party. I need a solution (maybe you do, too?) and intend to find one soon!     

Melton: The Grooveit Mini Club Brush! Makes for a great stocking stuffer and a great addition to anyone’s golf bag.

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