Weekly Tour Review: Scheffler, Thitikul, Winther & Rahm’s LIV Future

Another week of professional golf, and once again the results only tell part of the story.

We had Scottie Scheffler reasserting himself at exactly the right time on the PGA Tour, Jeeno Thitikul producing a brilliant Sunday charge on the LPGA Tour, and Jeff Winther delivering the sort of home victory that means far more than another line on a career record.

And since I first put this week's review together, an even bigger story has developed around LIV Golf. Multiple reports now suggest Jon Rahm is expected to leave LIV after the 2026 season. It is important to stress that, at the time of writing, this is reported rather than officially confirmed by Rahm — but the story is substantial enough, and being reported widely enough, that it could become one of the defining moments in the latest chapter of professional golf.

So here are the results, the context and the stories that stood out to me this week — including what Rahm's possible departure could mean for LIV, the DP World Tour and potentially the PGA Tour.

PGA Tour — Scheffler strikes as the Playoffs begin

The FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind marked the opening event of the FedExCup Playoffs, and Scottie Scheffler arrived at an interesting point in his season.

For most players, a year containing a win, a collection of top tens and long periods around the top of the world rankings would be regarded as an outstanding season. Scheffler, though, has changed the standard by which his golf is judged.

Earlier in the summer there were even questions about why the victories had not arrived with the same relentless frequency we had become accustomed to seeing. His remarkable run of 78 consecutive PGA Tour cuts had also ended at the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

Memphis therefore felt like a timely reminder.

Scheffler won the FedEx St. Jude Championship at 17 under par, with rounds of 68, a superb 61, 68 and 66. When the Playoffs arrived and the pressure increased, the world's leading player found another gear.

That is perhaps the most impressive aspect of Scheffler's game. It is not always spectacular in the obvious sense. His strength is the repeated quality of his decision-making, ball-striking and mistake management. Across four rounds he simply keeps asking the field to match him.

The FedExCup Playoffs have also changed slightly this year, with the winner of the first two playoff events receiving 750 points rather than the enormous 2,000-point allocation used previously. The intention is to place more value on performance across the entire season while still rewarding players who peak at the right time.

Scheffler has now done exactly that.

The Playoffs move on to the BMW Championship, and Scheffler has immediately put himself at the centre of the conversation again.

LPGA — Jeeno Thitikul produces the Sunday round that wins tournaments

If you want a good example of what separates elite tournament golfers from simply very good players, Jeeno Thitikul's final round at The Standard Portland Classic is worth examining.

Thitikul closed with a 64 to win at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, finishing the championship at 22 under par.

That is the sort of Sunday golf coaches love to see because it is not simply about protecting a position. When the opportunity was there, she went and took it.

Thitikul has been regarded as one of the outstanding talents in the women's game for some time. Her swing has a wonderful combination of rhythm and speed, but increasingly it is the complete nature of her game that stands out.

There is also something worth noting about the growing strength of Thai golf on the LPGA Tour. Thitikul is part of a generation that has helped make Thailand one of the most significant forces in the women's professional game, alongside players such as Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn and Patty Tavatanakit.

For young players watching, the lesson is not simply that Thitikul shot 64. It is the ability to stay patient enough through the first three rounds to remain in position, then recognise when Sunday presents the opportunity to attack.

That balance between patience and aggression is one of the hardest tournament skills to develop.

DP World Tour — Jeff Winther's home win is the story of the week

For me, the most emotional result of the week came in Denmark.

Jeff Winther won the Danish Golf Championship at Great Northern, finishing at 15 under par and claiming his second DP World Tour title.

The numbers themselves are interesting. Winther began the final day four shots behind, and at different points during a chaotic Sunday eight different players held at least a share of the lead.

But the real story is Winther himself.

Fifteen years ago he was working as a greenkeeper. This weekend, at the age of 38, he won his national championship in front of a home crowd.

That is a wonderful sporting story.

His final round was far from straightforward. Early birdies were followed by dropped shots. He worked his way back into contention, reached 13 under and then, with Rasmus Højgaard charging alongside him, produced the decisive moment.

Winther holed a 31-foot eagle putt at the par-five 16th to jump to 15 under.

Almost at the same time Højgaard had chipped in for eagle at the 17th to draw level. Suddenly the home crowd had two Danes fighting for their national championship.

Winther's eagle proved decisive. Højgaard bogeyed the last and Winther safely negotiated the difficult closing holes to win by three.

The victory was only Winther's second DP World Tour title in 244 starts, nearly five years after his first.

It is also one of those victories that reminds us why national opens still matter. Professional golf can sometimes become consumed by prize funds, rankings, qualification pathways and tour politics. Yet watching a player win in his own country brings us back to something much simpler.

LIV Golf — the Rahm story may be much bigger than another tournament

This section has changed considerably since I first wrote the review.

Jon Rahm has just secured a third consecutive LIV Golf Individual Championship, an extraordinary record of sustained performance since he joined the league. Yet the discussion has quickly shifted from what he has achieved with LIV to whether he is about to leave it.

Reuters, citing reporting by The Telegraph, reported on August 13 that Rahm is expected to leave LIV Golf after the current season. Other golf publications have subsequently picked up the story, with reports suggesting people inside LIV are increasingly resigned to the possibility of losing one of the league's most important players.

There has been no official announcement from Rahm confirming his departure, so I think we need to be careful about presenting speculation as fact. But this is now considerably more than a social-media rumour.

And the timing is fascinating.

Rahm joined LIV before the 2024 season and has become central to the product. He captains Legion XIII, has won four LIV tournaments and has now finished first in the individual season standings three years running. Losing him would therefore be very different from losing a player whose best golf is behind him. Rahm remains one of the world's elite golfers and one of the most recognisable European players in the game.

The reports also arrive during a period of significant uncertainty for LIV itself. The scheduled season-ending Team Championship in Michigan has reportedly been cancelled, meaning Indianapolis is now effectively the conclusion of the 2026 season. There have also been reports around changes to LIV's funding and future structure.

Against that backdrop, Rahm's relationship with the DP World Tour becomes particularly interesting.

He has reached an agreement that allows him to retain his DP World Tour membership and Ryder Cup eligibility, involving the settlement of outstanding fines and a commitment to play the required number of DP World Tour events. That provides him with an obvious route back towards a more traditional schedule if he does decide that his LIV chapter is over.

Then comes the biggest question: could Jon Rahm return to the PGA Tour?

Nothing has been confirmed. But the professional game has already demonstrated that routes back can be created for players leaving LIV, and a player of Rahm's stature would inevitably make any potential reintegration a major story.

For me, this is potentially a pivotal moment for LIV.

I have said previously that I am not against the principle of an alternative tour. More playing opportunities, different formats and genuine competition within professional golf can be healthy. My issue has always been that whatever structure exists needs to work for the players, the fans and the wider game rather than simply creating division.

If Rahm does leave, the important question is therefore not whether it represents a victory for one tour over another. It is what his decision tells us about where elite players now believe the best competitive future lies.

A golfer at the peak of his career choosing to leave LIV voluntarily would be a very significant signal.

There is also an intriguing human element. Rahm has always spoken passionately about history, Ryder Cups and competing against the strongest possible fields. Whatever financial considerations accompanied his move to LIV, those competitive instincts have never disappeared.

For now, though, we wait for Rahm himself to speak.

Indianapolis runs from August 20-23. With the reports surrounding his future growing louder, Rahm may arrive as LIV's three-time Individual Champion while simultaneously facing questions about whether this will be one of his final appearances in the league.

That could make the golf itself only half the story.

What stood out to me this week

There is a common thread running through all four stories.

Scheffler continues to demonstrate the value of repeatable excellence. Thitikul showed the ability to accelerate when a tournament presented an opportunity. Winther reminded us that perseverance can produce extraordinary moments even deep into a professional career. Rahm has demonstrated remarkable consistency — but his developing story also reminds us how unsettled the wider professional game remains.

Those are useful messages for golfers at every level.

We often spend too much time looking for the spectacular improvement — the ten extra yards, the dramatic swing change, the sudden handicap drop.

Professional golf repeatedly shows us something slightly different.

The players who succeed most often tend to be those who can reproduce good decisions, reliable movement patterns and effective routines under pressure. They stay in tournaments long enough for their best golf to matter.

And away from the ropes, professional golf continues to evolve at extraordinary speed. Rahm's next decision could have consequences far beyond one player's schedule.

Next up we have the BMW Championship on the PGA Tour, the next LPGA stop, the Nexo Championship on the DP World Tour and LIV Golf Indianapolis.

Given the events of the last few days, Indianapolis could now be considerably more important than we thought it was a week ago.

Plenty more to discuss next week.