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William Moe on how fatherhood changed his perspective
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Written by Rob Bolton
When CEO and future PGA TOUR Commissioner Brian Rolapp announced the structure of the 2028 PGA TOUR schedule two weeks ago, he explained how Championship Series And Challenger Series will operate simultaneously, each with separate provisions and objectives. While the overall layout will be unprecedented, side events such as this week’s ISCO Championship have been a staple of the circuit throughout the 21st century. Like all the previous ones, this stop also serves as a timely example of possibilities.
Getting to the PGA TOUR is hard enough, but there is no other level higher than it, so winning here is the highest achievement in your career. When a tournament like the Genesis Scottish Open is played in the same week, the opportunity to break through to an official victory seems more achievable. For example, the ISCO Championship boasts the longest active streak of five first-time winners in the tournament.
Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky is hosting for the second time. It was a challenge in the debut, so the coronation will bring an extra level of satisfaction. For the detail where the champion is William Moe surpassed, and even more laid out in the list of those to contend with and others to think about.
- Bryce Garnett … Bye Davis Thompson And Christian Bezuidenhout appear at the top of the power rankings thanks in part to their success in additional competitions this season, with the veteran striker claiming two wins in the series during his career. He’s 2-for-2 this year with a T19 at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, but has since also improved to a T22 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and a T4 at the RBC Canadian Open.
- Jacob Skov Olesen … The southpaw didn’t make it here last year, but he was still looking for success as a rookie on the DP World Tour. Later in the season he would find it, finishing 41st in the Race to Dubai. With T2, T3, T4 and T5 on the board this year, he is currently ranked 27th in the rankings. Works best on grass and grass.
- Jungle … The 21-year-old Frenchman from France was a quick learner. Since turning professional in 2022, he has won the Alps Tour once, both that year and in 2023. Quickly moving up to the HotelPlanner Tour, he won again in 2025 and finished fifth in the Road to Mallorca. As a rookie this year on the DP World Tour, he is 49th in the Race to Dubai with two top fives and a T25 in his last six starts. His power as a striker is popular on the smaller Hurstbourne pitches, but he is far from a fully formed product that can be fairly classified.
- Josiah Gilbert … Jackson KoivunHis teammate, en route to his second national championship at Auburn University, will make his PGA TOUR-sanctioned debut at Hurstbourne. While Koivun left the collegiate ranks as the world’s top amateur, Gilbert is ranked seventh in the world amateur golf rankings, so the 21-year-old Australian native expects to play on the PGA TOUR University as a senior in 2026-27.
While the Genesis Scottish Open fields a full field of 156 competitors with an equal number representing the World Tour DP, this season’s ISCO Championship has reduced the field to 144. However, the familiar field of 50 DP World Tour competitors remains unchanged.
If a non-PGA TOUR member wins at Hurstbourne, he will have the opportunity to accept membership as a winner through 2027, but FedExCup points earned will not count toward the 2026 final results for him or any non-member who is eligible for special temporary membership. (However, points will be included in a non-member’s total to qualify for the top 70 non-member categories for 2027.) Meanwhile, if a PGA TOUR member wins the title, the normal two-year exemption (or one-year extension, if applicable) will apply, as well as the corresponding 300 FedExCup points.
Top 10 finishes on the PGA TOUR will qualify for next week’s Corals Puntacana Championship, which will follow the same non-member rules mentioned above. Non-members are not entitled to the same provision, with one exception. All DP World Tour competitors who finish in the top five at Hurstbourne will be guaranteed one of the 50 places among their competitors at Corales.
This is all about what happens after the dust settles at Hurstbourne, but the question of the tournament remains.
In his first game as host last year, Hurstbourne merely finished as the toughest par 70 of the 13 played in the minors last season. The average score was 71.118. A 36-hole low of 65 and a tie was 1-over 141, with Moe winning by one stroke at 10-under 270. The wind picked up a bit in the third round, but Hurstbourne presented as the sort of consistently fair and gritty test that touring pros respect.
From tee to green the challenge was challenging and rewarding. The average green area of bentgrass is only 4,750 square feet, so the accuracy of the approach has increased significantly. However, unlike other courses with smaller than average greens, Hurstbourne was even more challenging when it came to the ups and downs of par; thus why the score was high compared to everyone else. He finished second in his only par 70 of the season. Only Oakmont Country Club, host of the 2025 U.S. Open, was ranked higher.
Moe not only finished third on greens in the main event (averaging 13 per round), but also finished second in scrambling. This combination is hard to beat anywhere, but the first winner was also perfect in all looks from 6 feet onwards. He also ranked third in average distance of putts landed per round.
Moe’s formula for success will be difficult to replicate, but he’s back to try. Like many other players in the field, he withdrew from the Genesis Scottish Open in favor of the ISCO Championship. The previous rule requiring golfers to have access to their room at the Renaissance Club by a certain time no longer applies.
Moe and everyone else who returns for a second shot at Hurstbourne will see largely the same action with a par 70 that plays to 7,056 yards. The biggest difference is that the roughness of the bluegrass has been reduced by an inch to three inches, but the putting surfaces are again prepared to touch 13 feet, as measured with a stimpmeter.
Rain and boomers are all but promised at times throughout the tournament, but wind is not forecast to be much of a concern except for Friday’s scheduled second round. Daytime highs will easily climb into the 80s, with perhaps one in the 90s.
PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps each tournament. His speaking dates are listed below. He is also active as @RobBoltonGolf on Xwhere you can contact him.
- MONDAY: Power Rankings (Genesis Scottish Open)
- TUESDAY: Slippers (Genesis Scottish Open); Power Rankings (ISCO Championship); Experts’ Choice
- WEDNESDAY: Fantasy Insider
- SUNDAY: Points and payouts (Genesis Scottish Open); Points and payouts (ISCO Championship); Qualifications