For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Honda Classic gets underway in the Florida swing starts swinging.

1. Legal blow for LIV?

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”LIV Golf was dealt another blow in the ongoing litigation battle between the Saudi-backed circuit and the PGA Tour, as a U.S. District Court judge ruled on Tuesday that the tour can add Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, as defendants in the tour’s countersuit.”

• “Attorneys for LIV Golf had argued adding the PIF, the financial backer of LIV, would cause a delay to the case that would potentially harm LIV Golf players who had been suspended by the tour. However, Judge Beth Labson Freeman wrote that LIV failed to identify how exactly those players were being harmed.”

2. HOF finalists

PGATour.com staff report…”Jim Furyk and Padraig Harrington, prolific PGA TOUR/DP World Tour winners and headliners on PGA TOUR Champions, top the list of finalists for the World Golf Hall of Fame that was announced today.”

• “The late Tom Weiskopf, a 16-time PGA TOUR winner whose competitive career peaked with his victory at the 1973 Open Championship at Troon, and who later made his mark as a CBS Golf commentator and golf course designer, also made the list of finalists. So did Johnny Farrell, who learned the game as a caddie, won the 1928 U.S. Open, and went on to become the longtime head pro at Baltusrol Golf Club.”

• …”On the women’s side, longtime CBS Golf reporter Dottie Pepper is a finalist. She won 17 times on the LPGA Tour, including two majors. A fiery presence for the Americans, Pepper compiled a 13-5-2 record in six Solheim Cup appearances. Fellow finalist Cristie Kerr won 20 times, including two majors, and played in the Solheim Cup nine times.”

3. PGA Tour x LPGA Tour mixed team event

PGATour.com staff report…“The PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and Grant Thornton LLP today announced a new mixed-team Challenge Season event that will see LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR players compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament.”

• “The Grant Thornton Invitational is set to debut December 4-10, 2023, at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. The precedent-building event will allow players from the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour to compete for an equal prize and visibility – a format new to the current era of professional golf. The last time the two tours held an annual mixed-team competition was in 1999, when John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.”

• “The Grant Thornton Invitational’s 32-player field will be comprised of 16 PGA TOUR and 16 LPGA Tour professionals competing for a $4 million purse – with additional format details in development. The three-day tournament will be televised on NBC and Golf Channel.”

4. Remembering Hondas past

Via the Golf Channel Digital team…2012…”Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods teed it up in the 2012 Honda Classic, each knowing that a win would carry extra significance.”

• “For a 22-year-old McIlroy, it would elevate him for the first time to the world No. 1 ranking, becoming the youngest to move to No. 1 since Tiger was there at 21. For Woods, it would be his first triumph since 2009 and would answer the segment of golf fans who wondered if injuries and swing tinkering would prevent him from ever winning again (sound familiar, anyone?).”

• “McIlroy achieved his goal with a win, but not before Woods put on a charge, punctuating a closing 62 with a final-hole eagle. It was Woods’ lowest final-round score of his career, up to that point. Woods wouldn’t have to wait long to return to the winner’s circle, prevailing at Bay Hill later that month, the first of his three wins in 2012.”

5. Report: LIV Golf secures first major sponsor ahead of 2023 season

GolfWRX.com staff report…“On the eve of its first event of 2023, breakaway tour LIV Golf has landed its first global sponsorship deal.”

• “As reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, LIV has struck a deal with the shipping company EasyPost. Per the report, EasyPost is expected to be part of the broadcasts on the CW Network, and will be used in LIV Golf’s social content and on-course signage.”

• “Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Sam Hancock, VP of Growth at EasyPost said…We are thrilled to sponsor LIV Golf in 2023. Their innovative approach to golf will bring the sport to a broader range of spectators, and that’s something we are excited to get behind.”

• “We share the same mission, to modernize and innovate in our respective fields.”

6. Kaymer to miss LIV opener

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…”In the days leading up to the start of the LIV Golf League, the circuit has suffered a second injury below with the announcement that Cleeks GC captain Martin Kaymer will miss the opening tournament at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Club in Mexico.”

• The former World No.1 will be replaced by one of the seven players originally dropped for season 2 of the circuit, Laurie Canter. The news comes only two days after it was revealed that Hudson Swafford would be out for six months to recover from hip surgery.

7. DJ won’t watch Full Swing

Adam Woodard for Golfweek…”The Netflix series Full Swing that documented the lives of professional golfers in 2022 has captivated the golf world over the last few weeks.”

• “Dustin Johnson aside…The two-time major champion, who took his talents from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf last year, was featured in Episode 5 alongside U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, but has “zero” interest in watching the final product.”

• “Probably not. I’m just being honest,” Johnson said when asked if he would watch the episode in the future. “I watched them film me, so I don’t need to watch the episode.”

8. Best driver 2023

• A shameless plug for our Best driver of 2023 roundup. We interviewed a panel of expert fitters looking for the best drivers across three swing speed ranges (plus the most forgiving driver). Have a look at what real golfers are really being fit into by the best in the business.

9. Honda Classic Photos

• Check out all of our galleries this week from PGA National.