The tour’s fall prizes are staggering … just ask Austin Smotherman

Golf Digest

Whenever I put together power rankings for the majors, I like to group together every player whose last name ends in “Man,” as if they’re a single entity rather than distinct individuals: Max Greyserman, Jacob Bridgeman, Austin Smotherman, Ben Silverman and even Brian Harman. It’s a cheap joke, but who doesn’t love a cheap joke?

Unfortunately, the cheap joke has been obliterated this fall. Harman, an Open Championship winner, probably never belonged, but Jacob Bridgeman distinguished himself as both a tournament winner and a successful member of the Presidents Cup team (even holing the winning putt). Now Austin Smotherman has loudly proclaimed his own individuality by winning this weekend’s Bank of Utah Championship.

Previously, Smotherman was best known as a former roommate of Bryson DeChambeau at SMU (I bet he has some stories!), but by winning his first PGA Tour event in his 100th start, Smotherman has now taken a massive leap in his career. As Dave Shedloski documents in the feature below, the prizes for winning in these fall events now go way beyond the typical million-bucks-plus-two-year-exemption of the past (not that those were paltry rewards in the first place). Now, he gets a place in the Championship Series in 2028, which is massive for a guy like Smotherman who was previously on the bubble at best.

Come 2028, the tour will be split into haves and have-nots when it comes to the two-track format, and for Smotherman to guarantee himself a spot with the big dogs is both a career coup and a massive relief. The fact that he’ll now be exempt into the first two signature events of 2027 isn’t too shabby, either. Bottom line? Fall golf may be a bit of a sideshow, but the beauty of it still lies in how one week can completely transform a player’s life.

Austin Smotherman's long road leads to a PGA Tour victory in his 100th start

The pro's eyes were almost as red as the scoreboard when he tapped in to shoot 68 and win the Bank of Utah Championship.

By Dave Shedloski

What You Need to Know

Joel Beall

Jackson Koivun has joined TGL. The 21-year-old, who turned in a 2-0-1 performance at the Presidents Cup last month and captured the 3M Open in just his third professional start this summer, was announced as the latest player to join the simulator league on Monday. Koivun will be part of a new team, Motor City G.C., which also features Brooks Koepka. The third season of the tech-infused circuit will start at the end of December, with ESPN and ABC again picking up the broadcast rights.

Sam Weinman

Whatever you think you know about daylight saving, there’s probably plenty you don’t know. The issue is relevant now because President Trump is pushing the Sunshine Protection Act that would make daylight saving permanent, something PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp also supports since it would allow certain PGA Tour broadcasts to run later. So great, who doesn’t want more daylight? Well, it doesn’t quite work that way. The bill has opponents within Trump’s own party who argue kids would be going to school in the dark, and as we detailed a few years ago, though good for golf, there are mixed opinions about how it also affects energy use and even our sleep patterns.

Jonathan Wall

Titleist's 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls officially start their global tour seeding this week at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. However, several players didn't wait for the invitation. Neal Shipley switched at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, the PGA Tour's fall opener, then shot a career-best 62 on his way to a T-3, also his best tour finish. Doug Ghim added the new Pro V1x at the Bank of Utah Championship and played his first 54 holes in 22 under. Robert MacIntyre put the new Pro V1 in play for the first time at the Alfred Dunhill Links and finished T-6.

While this is the first week pros will get their "official" look at the balls, the groundwork began in early March at Bay Hill, where Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Ryan Gerard and Harris English tested final candidates in Tuesday practice rounds. Fordie Pitts, Titleist's director of tour research and validation, said the surest sign came when players began asking how soon they could use the ball.

As far as what's changed, Titleist hasn't detailed the specifics yet. Expect those to surface as the rollout moves across tours over the coming months. For now, the 15th-generation Pro V1 and 13th-generation Pro V1x are doing something familiar—showing up in staff bags before the official retail launch.