For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, and as day one of the RBC Heritage gets underway.

1. PGA Tour announces new fall schedule

The PGA TOUR today announced its schedule for the 2023 FedExCup Fall, consisting of seven official PGA TOUR events that will provide greater drama and more immediate consequence than ever before.

• The significant benefits to winning during the FedExCup Fall remain – including a two-year PGA TOUR exemption, 500 FedExCup points, entry to the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions and the PLAYERS Championship as well as eligibility into those Major Championships that have invited PGA TOUR winners in the past. Added drama comes as players utilize the seven fall events to lock up or improve their positions in the priority ranking and secure additional playing opportunities for the 2024 FedExCup Season, which returns to a calendar-year schedule (January-August).

• Those players who finish 70th or better in the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List through the 2023 TOUR Championship are exempt for 2024. But – new this year – players ranked No. 51 and beyond will carry their FedExCup Points from the Regular Season and first Playoffs event into the FedExCup Fall and continue to accumulate FedExCup Points to finalize eligibility for the 2024 season.

2. Put another way…

• Sept 11-17: Fortinet Championship, Silverado Resort, Napa,California

• Oct 2-8: Sanderson Farms Championship, C.C. of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi

• Oct 9-15: Shriners Children’s Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada

• Oct 16-22: Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino, Chiba, Japan

• Oct 30-Nov 5: World Wide Technology Championship, El Cardonal, Los Cabos, Mexico

• Nov 6-12: Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Port Royal, Southampton, Bermuda

• Nov 13-19: RSM Classic, Sea Island Golf Club, St. Simons Island, Georgia

3. Hoggard: Schedule must evolve

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Spieth’s eight starts before Augusta National is historically the norm for the 2015 Masters champion. What’s different this year is the competitive intensity the designated events added to that normal run-up.”

• “Five of the eight events leading up to the Masters were designated, including the WGC-Match Play two weeks ago, which, depending on how far a player advances, can be grueling so close to the Masters. Add in starts at The Players, Bay Hill and Los Angeles, which are all designated, and it should be no surprise that Rory McIlroy withdrew from this week’s RBC Heritage, which is also an elevated event.”

• “Players were allowed to miss one designated event this year, but this week’s stop on Hilton Head Island, S.C., is McIlroy’s second after he skipped the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and it’ll cost him a portion of his PIP earnings from last year. Whatever that financial penalty, it’s clearly not enough to change McIlroy’s mind and the Tour is likely anticipating more selective scheduling as the season wears on.”

• “It’s why the Tour will have fewer designated events next year – which includes the four majors, The Players, three playoff events, the Tournament of Champions and the three player-hosted invitationals (Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial) along with four other tournaments that haven’t been announced – and no minimum mandate.”

4. Tiger’s 1997 Masters ball fetches big money

Our Jason Daniels…”After a bogey on the fifth hole – his first in over 36 holes – Tiger handed his Titleist #1 to then 9-year-old Julian Nexsen, who subsequently had the ball and associated items auctioned earlier this month. The lot, auctioned by Golden Age Auctions, saw the hammer come down at $64,124.40.”

• “The auction site declared that Lot#5 of its Masters Week Auction came with “impeccable provenance,” claiming that, “unless Tiger himself or his caddie Fluff intentionally saved a ball from this historic final round (which we doubt), this may be the only confirmed golf ball from the final round of Tiger Woods’ first Major Championship victory.”

5. Cowherd: Phil, LIV were the big Masters winners

Our Matt Vincenzi…”On Fox Sports 1, host of “The Herd”, Colin Cowherd sounded off on his adoration for Phil Mickelson and the rest of the LIV Golfers who played well at the 2023 Masters.”

• “On Phil Mickelson: “He didn’t want to have to be in the grind and deal with all the Pro-Am stuff. He wanted to make money, play less and be treated like the rockstar he is. And guess what? That’s the best he’s ever looked. He was thin, his skin was good, his body looked great, his golf was amazing he was hitting his putts.””

• “Cowherd also declared that LIV Golfers proved their point by playing well at the Masters.”

• “I was rooting for Brooks and I was rooting for Phil Mickelson. I know a lot of you think they’re immoral and you don’t like them, but you know what? They proved their point.”

6. On Rahm’s irons

Our Andrew Tursky…”Aside from his swing style, another important factor in Rahm’s consistency is that he doesn’t mess around much with his iron set. Although Rahm spent time tweaking his Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver ahead of the Masters, he hasn’t changed his irons since joining the Callaway staff at the beginning of 2021.”

• “Rahm’s Masters-winning Callaway Apex TCB (tour cavity back) irons are bent a half-degree weak compared to the standard Apex TCB specifications, according to Callaway PGA TOUR rep Kellen Watson, who works closely with Rahm on his equipment needs.”

• “Rahm also uses what are called “soft-stepped” Project X 6.5 iron shafts. “Soft stepping” is a club builder trick to make the shafts play slightly softer than standard – the builder will put a 5-iron shaft in a 6-iron, a 6-iron shaft in a 7-iron and so on throughout the set to help achieve slightly more launch and spin. The combination of weaker lofts and softer shafts helps Rahm to hit the spin, launch and carry numbers that he wants while still allowing him to hit down on the ball and deloft the club at impact.”

• “When he came over [to Callaway], we found out quickly that we needed to have soft-stepped 6.5s in his irons,” Watson told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the 2023 RBC Heritage. “Usually what we do with all our guys is do a performance combine. We do about 60 shots using clubs throughout the bag and never two of the same shots in a row. So, it could go 4-iron to 9-iron, 9-iron to 5-iron, 5-iron to 6-iron, 6-iron to wedge. We capture all that data and it’ll give us pretty much everything we need to know. During that process, when he first came over, we did that, compiled the data, we ate lunch, then we went back after bending all the irons loft and lie wise, and we got to the numbers that are his current loft and lie. They might appear like they’re a half-degree weak from standard, but there is no standard on the PGA TOUR.

7. First Asian Tour event in Scotland

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…”The Asian Tour will visit Scotland for the first time as part of its UK summer swing.”

• “The Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews has been revealed as the second of this year’s UK-based International Series events, following last month’s announcement that Newcastle’s Close House would also host a tournament. The tournament will take place between 24 and 27 August with the St Andrews Bay Championship, the sixth International Series event of the Asian Tour season.”

8. Monty trolls Cantlay, Langer

9. Photos from the RBC Heritage

• Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!