Entertainment
Doesn’t Deserve It’: Rickie Fowler & Jordan Spieth Face Heat Over Special Treatment From PGA Tour Sponsor
On most days, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are fan favorites. Their affable demeanor, suave personality, and past exploits as up-and-coming stars have left a lasting impact on fans. So, when it comes to Spieth and Fowler, fans mostly speak in positive terms.
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Join us on WhatsAppWhen these two get sponsor exemptions. Then, fans love these two PGA Tour pros with a combined 19 wins a little less. Or, maybe a lot less. Fowler and Spieth both have received multiple sponsor exemptions–the former five, and the latter four. Now they have another one. The Memorial, the penultimate signature event of the calendar year, has extended an invitation to both Fowler and Spieth.
In signature events, the top-50 from last year’s FedEx Cup standings, top-30 in the current OWGR table, current year’s tournament winners, top-ten in this year’s FedEx Cup standings, and top-five point earners in signature events are allowed.
None of these two fulfilled that criterion. Fowler is currently 99th in the FedEx Cup standings and 108th in the OWGR table. Whereas, Spieth is 49th in the FedEx Cup standings and 51st in OWGR. Fowler has four and Spieth has three top tens at Muirfield, but both missed the cut last season.
Both are currently teeing off at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Jordan Spieth opened with a 1-under 69, carding two bogeys and three birdies. He is now tied at T35. Whereas Fowler made even-par 70 to tie for T57, succumbing to two late bogeys on par-4 14th and 15th.
So, fans expected that these special spots at flagship $20 M-purse signature events would be reserved for some up-and-coming stars. When that didn’t happen (again), they didn’t hold back from venting their frustration.
Fans don’t see the rationale behind inviting Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth
Blasphemous. Unjustified. Undeserving. That’s how fans feel about the exemptions. While Spieth was somewhat spared–he has three top-tens this year–Fowler wasn’t. “Blasphemous that Rickie keeps getting into these things with a free pass,” commented one user. “#1 Player in the world for play exemptions!,” another user sarcastically wrote. A third joined: “Doesn’t deserve it. So stupid.”
Fowler has yet to net a top-ten finish this season. His best finish has been a T15 at the Truist Championship, the last signature event, where he entered via… yes, you guessed it right, sponsor exemption. Rickie Fowler once again got a special invite at the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut.
As did Jordan Spieth, throwing his fans into another year of anxious waiting before resuming the Grand Slam chatter. “If we are being honest: neither Rickie nor Jordan are ready,” one fan commented. Another one wrote, “Needs to start playing better to justify these lol.”
Notably, Fowler has refused to fan the flames of controversy when asked about the sponsor exemptions. Instead, the six-time PGA Tour winner said during the Truist Championship: “A number of exemptions this year, which I’m very, very happy for and appreciate it from the sponsors and the tournament directors.”
Clearly, fans don’t share the same sentiment. And this is not the first time exemptions into signature events have been a bone of contention. Last year, Webb Simpson’s entry via the backdoor to lucrative $20M purse events raised eyebrows among fans and even fellow players. This time, it’s Fowler and Spieth who are in the crosshairs with the fans.
The Memorial, a signature event hosted by Jack Nicklaus, will start on May 29. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.
Entertainment
Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture
The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.
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Join us on WhatsAppWith the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.
Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?
Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.
“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.
Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..
Entertainment
Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.
Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.
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Join us on WhatsAppIt’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.
These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.
Entertainment
Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses
It looks like LIV Golf is over.
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Join us on WhatsAppThe Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.
That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.
So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.
But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?
Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.
Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour
Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.
That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.
If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.
But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.
Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.
For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.
Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time
With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.
He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.
DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.
He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.
He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.
He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.
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