Former British Open champion Brian Harman is concluding his season with a sense of sorrow, as a close family friend remains in a coma following a tragic incident while attempting to save his 6-year-old son from drowning.
Last month, while Harman attended the Macao Open, his wife took their children along with family friend Cathy Dowdy to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for a holiday. According to Harman, while riding a boogie board, his son became caught in a rip current and was pulled out to sea.
Dowdy bravely entered the ocean to save the child but found herself struggling against the unexpectedly strong current. Another individual, Crane Cantrell, noticed the unfolding situation and went to assist.
“He managed to make it back safely, but Cathy has sustained severe injuries in the water,” Harman shared during a press conference at the RSM Classic. “She has been in a coma for nearly six weeks now, completely altering our lives down here.”
Local reports state that a lifeguard eventually rescued Dowdy and administered life-saving techniques until medical professionals arrived.
When Harman was questioned about his offseason, PGA Tour eligibility changes, and even trivial topics, he took the opportunity to highlight Dowdy’s heroism and requested prayers for her recovery.
“I felt compelled to use my platform to raise awareness of what Cathy and Crane did,” he expressed. “They sacrificed themselves to save my son, and it’s hard to find the right words to thank them. The selflessness shown in such acts for someone they are not related to is profoundly beautiful.”
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia has taken preliminary steps toward participating in another Ryder Cup.
Once a prominent player for the European team, Garcia resigned from the European tour after a tribunal concluded that the organization had the authority to impose fines and bans. Garcia declined to pay the fines, which rendered him ineligible for tour events.
Recently, with Luke Donald once again serving as captain for the European team, Garcia applied for membership for the 2025 season right before the deadline.
“He has settled his fines but still must endure his suspensions prior to rejoining the DP World Tour,” a spokesperson for the tour explained.
Garcia’s impressive victory at the Masters in 2017 still keeps him in high standing, and if he qualifies for the upcoming Ryder Cup, he will tie Lee Westwood and Bernhard Langer for the most appearances on the team, marking his 11th time. Following his return to the tour, Garcia, who will turn 45 in January, must prove himself on the course.
He finished 12th in this year’s U.S. Open, and his only other top-10 finish outside of LIV Golf was a tie for fifth in Oman earlier this year.
In other golf news, Nelly Korda clinched yet another major title, achieving an LPGA record by winning five consecutive tournaments and has already secured the LPGA Player of the Year award.
As the season concludes at the CME Group Tour Championship, Korda is seeking to surpass Lorena Ochoa’s record for the highest earnings in a single season, which was set in 2007.
Following her seventh victory, Korda has amassed earnings of $4,164,430, placing her just $200,565 shy of breaking Ochoa’s record. To achieve this, she must finish at least in fifth place at Tiburon Golf Club.
The stakes are high as every player in the 60-player field has a chance to eclipse Ochoa’s record, with the CME offering an impressive $11 million purse, including $4 million for the champion.
Two years ago, Lydia Ko nearly toppled the record, falling short by only $591.
In 2007, Ochoa secured her eighth win of the year at the season finale, which included a major title. During that time, the top prize for the Tour Championship was $1 million, and overall prize money for the year totaled just over $54 million, about half of today’s figures.
The ongoing divide in professional golf will once again be on display next month.
The Hero World Challenge, taking place in the Bahamas from December 5-8, will feature a 20-player lineup that includes notable names like Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Ludvig Aberg, and Wyndham Clark.
Simultaneously, the Saudi International will host players such as Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Patrick Reed, totaling 19 individuals from LIV Golf.
Additionally, the year will culminate in a highly publicized event in Las Vegas, where Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will face off against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, embodying the rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV.
On the LIV Golf front, while only nine tournaments have been announced for the 2025 schedule, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith are left waiting for a better pre-British Open preparation.
For the second consecutive year, LIV Golf will occur at Valderrama in Spain just a week prior to the Royal Portrush event.
Smith, who missed the cut at Royal Troon while defending his title, noticed the differing conditions between both venues.
“It felt like two complete opposites of golf,” Smith remarked. “It was really warm in Spain, where the ball traveled far, then transitioning to the chilly and windy conditions at links. It probably isn’t the ideal preparation.”
While Smith acknowledged it might not change for the foreseeable future, he hopes to have discussions with fellow LIV golfers about the scheduling.
Rahm tied for seventh at Troon, trailing eight shots behind the leader.
“After the Open, the realization hits that competing on a links course prior to the event is immensely beneficial,” Rahm admitted. He expressed awareness of the challenges involved in adjusting schedules, but wished to engage other players in discussion.
Lastly, Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand withdrew from The Annika tournament last week, resulting in her ineligibility for the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average since she didn’t participate in enough rounds. Thitikul had delayed her LPGA season start until April due to a thumb injury.
However, there was a silver lining: she secured the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, which includes a $1 million prize. This program selects one challenging hole per tournament that tests players’ strategic choices, and Thitikul outperformed Ruoning Yin, finishing 27-under par on those designated holes.
With this achievement, Thitikul becomes the fifth recipient of the award.
In brief updates, Edoardo Molinari, an assistant captain for the Ryder Cup and a participant in the 2010 matches, led 21 players through Q-school to earn a European tour card. British Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark also received a tour card. Kevin Kisner showed improvement by tying for 29th at the Bermuda Championship, marking his best result since a tie for 29th two years ago at the RSM Classic. Jason Day will be competing in the Australian PGA Championship this week, his first event since the Presidents Cup at the end of September.
In this week’s interesting statistic, Cameron Smith tied for third place in the Queensland PGA Championship and then second in the New South Wales Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Interestingly, he dropped one position in the world ranking following each performance.
Concluding with a sentiment from Rafael Campos who remarked, “Best week of my life,” after winning his first PGA Tour title just days after welcoming his first child with his wife.