For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans. as we gear up for another big week at Pebble Beach.

1. Ko, Thompson, Kang headline Saudi Ladies International

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“The Aramco Saudi Ladies International has announced that 13 major winners will be included in this year’s field, highlighted by World No. 1 Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, In Gee Chun, Danielle Kang and defending champ Georgia Hall.”

• “The event, which is the presented by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, takes place Feb. 16-19 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club and features an upgraded purse of $5 million. More LPGA stars are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.”

• “The 120-player field will feature 60 Ladies European Tour players, 50 from the top 300 in the Rolex Rankings and a maximum of 10 sponsor invites. The winner will receive $750,000.”

2. Full LIV schedule finalized

The official press release…”The first official season of the groundbreaking LIV Golf League will feature 14 events in seven different countries showcasing some of the top championship courses in the world, including a return to five venues that hosted tournaments as part of the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series. Centurion Club outside London, England (July 7-9), Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, New Jersey (August 11-13), Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago, Illinois (September 22-24), Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida (October 20-22) and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (November 3-5) will welcome back many of the sport’s biggest stars for the landmark season in the league’s official launch. In addition, fans in the U.S. will see LIV Golf’s innovative league at Orange County National in Orlando, Florida (March 31-April 2) and at Trump National Golf Club, Washington D.C. (May 26-28).”

• “These seven venues, alongside the seven previously announced dates and locations complete the 2023 LIV Golf League schedule: Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Course on Mexico’s Riviera Maya (February 24-26), The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona (March 17-19), The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia (April 21-23), The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore (April 28-30), Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma (May 12-14), Real Club Valderrama in Andalucía, Spain (June 30-July 2) and The Greenbrier in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia (August 4-6).”

• “We received tremendous feedback globally from fans throughout our beta-test year, with one resounding theme: LIV Golf’s team format, innovations, and festival-like events are delivering a one-of-a-kind golf experience,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman. “Last year helped lay the foundation for the future of golf at extraordinary courses that have hosted some of the world’s top competitions. LIV Golf’s schedule features fantastic venues and championship sites for our official league launch that will carry the sport into a new era.”

3. Get ready for Marcus Byrd

Adam Woodard for Golfweek…”Get familiar with the name Marcus Byrd, golf fans. You’ll see a lot of him over the next month.”

• “Last week Byrd was announced as the 2023 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption for the PGA Tour’s upcoming Genesis Invitational, Feb. 16-19 at Riviera Country Club, and he celebrated by winning the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational on Sunday at Torrey Pines.”

• “Byrd was the first-round leader after he opened with a 1-over 73 and then cruised to a five-shot win after a 3-over 75 in the final round. A former star for Middle Tennessee State and 2019 Conference USA Golfer of the Year, Byrd finished atop the standings for the APGA’s Farmers Insurance Fall Series back in November and now has three APGA Tour wins.”

4. Mize at the Masters

Doug Stutsman, Special to The Augusta Chronicle…”The 1987 Masters Champion has confirmed that the 2023 Masters — his 40th consecutive — will be his last.”

• “Mize, an Augusta native who lives in Columbus, Ga., hinted last April that 2023 could be his final competitive appearance, but after missing the cut with a Friday 78, he remained noncommittal about his future.”

5. Tour pro’s “legendary” eBay purchase

Our Jason Daniels…”Last week we were live from the PGA Show, reporting on all the goings-on at the annual gearhead junkie extravaganza.”

• “For those on tour, though, it’s not always about the shiny new sticks, with some preferring to stick with what works even if that means searching high-and-low for replacements.”

• “Last week 2011 US Amateur champion Kelly Kraft, who beat Patrick Cantlay at Erin Hills, turned up at the Farmers Insurance Open with a bag full of 2013 Callaway Legacy Black irons, something he bought on the second-hand market.”

• “During the Farmers Insurance Open, Johnny Wunder, the Tour Content Manager for Callaway Golf, posted a photo of said clubs on his Instagram account, commenting: “@kellykraftgolf went and bought these on eBay…and I respect the hell out of him.”

6. Trump throws weight behind LIV

Alan Blinder for the New York Times…“Former President Donald J. Trump’s golf courses will host three tournaments this year for the breakaway league that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is underwriting, deepening the financial ties between a candidate for the White House and top officials in Riyadh.”

• “LIV Golf, which in the past year has cast men’s professional golf into turmoil as it lured players away from the PGA Tour, said on Monday that it would travel to Trump courses in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia during this year’s 14-stop season. Neither the league nor the Trump Organization announced the terms of their arrangement, but the schedule shows the Saudi-backed start-up will remain allied with, and beneficial to, one of its foremost defenders and political patrons as he seeks a return to power.”

7. Lowry splits with caddie

Brian Keogh for the Irish Independent…”Shane Lowry is urgently searching for a new caddie in Ryder Cup year after an amicable split with Brian “Bo” Martin last weekend.”

• The Offaly man teamed up with Martin at the Portugal Masters in 2018 and after ending a three-and-a-half-year drought at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2019, the bearded duo formed a tight bond with the highlights their six-stroke win in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019 and last September’s bogey-free BWM PGA Championship win at Wentworth.

• The split with Martin was confirmed by Lowry’s management company Horizon Sports Management last night and the Irish Independent understands the pair had been considering the move for several weeks, believing their near four-and-a-half-year relationship had lost its “spark” or “chemistry”.

8. Rory defends Reed

Michael Schmitt for Planet Sport…”Reed, who has been at the center of several rules controversies throughout his career, found himself embroiled in yet another one at last week’s Dubai Desert Classic.

• “During the third round, Reed’s drive on the 17th hole at Emirates Golf Club got stuck in a tree and required binoculars to be identified. The ball was eventually found after a long search, allowing Reed to avoid playing a third shot from the tee, but several onlookers questioned whether the ball really could have been identified via binoculars, considering there were several other balls stuck in the same tree.”

• “I felt it was fine,” McIlroy said. “If it had been anyone else in the field it would have been a nonissue, but because of certain things in the past, people bring stuff up, which is maybe unfair in some ways. But again, it is what it is. I’ve stood and defended Patrick in some of the controversies. I don’t feel like he was trying to get any advantage.”

9. JT weighs in on jogger-gate