Taking on the World

The top 100 players on the NEXT Golf Tour's Order of Merit will enter Trackman simulators around the world today, competing for a $150,000 purse at Bethpage's Black Course.

Starting at 11 a.m. EST, Sir Nick Faldo will join Doug Smith in the virtual booth to call the action, while the highest ranked players in the virtual game tee it up for season-changing opportunities. I will join the broadcast team at 11:40 a.m. EST to discuss my round, and watch some of the action unfold. 

The NEXT Golf OOM winner will receive an exemption on the DP World Tour, and three exemptions on the Hotel Planner Tour (formerly European Challenge Tour). The OOM runner-up also earns three starts on the Hotel Planner Tour, while the winner of the Season Finale will receive a guaranteed spot in the 2025 LIV Golf Promotions event. The top-two male and female players will also take home a Trackman 4 device. 

The competition window opened yesterday and it's already a shootout: Iceland’s Aron Snær Júlíusson posted a 10-under 61, and four other players are tied at eight-under.

Someone’s career is about to change. Tune in and watch all the action live on YouTube. 

Five players to watch on Championship Saturday:

Viktor Nordwall: The 22-year-old Swede leads the OOM and has made nearly $50,000 on the NEXT Golf Tour this season. “It (winning the OOM) will help me play a lot more tournaments,” says Nordwall. “It is motivating me very much, of course, to play indoors during the winter, and to get one of the wildcards to the higher tours. It’s a very big opportunity.”

Rasmus Karlsson: The 29-year-old from Finland is 2nd on the OOM, with nearly $34,000 in earnings. “You feel the nerves, you feel the adrenaline going,” says Karlsson. “I mean, the exemptions to the DP World Tour, especially, would be an awesome experience. It would mean a lot to play on the Challenge Tour.”  

Mohan Du: The 23-year-old from China shot 10-under at Muirfield Village to win the third event of the season, and became the top-ranked female player on the OOM. “I’m very excited to be able to play the final round and have a chance to win the Order of Merit,” says Du. “I’ll be thinking if I can do it in here, I can do it out there too. Just have more faith in myself.”

Jordan Weber: Last year’s OOM winner gained experience on the DP World Tour and European Challenge Tour last summer. 39-year-old Weber hasn’t met his high standard recently on the NEXT Tour, but he’s due for a low one at Bethpage. “I can’t wait to play in it,” says Weber. “To see everyone up on the leaderboard playing when I’m playing and to see how things are changing – it’s going to be a lot of fun.” 

Matilda Cederholm: The 23-year-old Swede is the second-highest ranked female on the OOM. She shot 9-under in the season’s opening event at Liberty National for a T-6 finish, but will have to go even lower on Championship Saturday to win. “Ever since I was a kid I’ve dreamed about playing professional golf,” says Cederhold. “I’ve always just wanted to play against the best, but there’s been some ups and downs throughout the years. So my goal is to still play professionally, but I’m taking it one step at a time.”

‍