Opinion & Analysis

Golfers who could shed the “best without” title at Oak Hill

Published

13 years ago

Aug 5, 2013

Every time a major championship rolls around, debate rages over which player is the best in the world without one. So far, 2013 has been especially kind to those players, removing the likes of Adam Scott (Masters) and Justin Rose (U.S. Open) from that list. Those two gents’ respective successes should serve as inspiration to the following players, who should be on everyone’s radar this week at Oak Hill as contenders for the Wanamaker Trophy and maiden major titles.

Matt Kuchar: #6 OWGR*

The highest ranked player in the world without a major, Kuchar does have the next-best thing: a Players Championship title, which he captured last May.

All of his most recent four wins have come in big-time events: The Barclays (2010), The Players (2012), the WGC–Accenture Match Play (2013) and The Memorial Tournament (2013). One of golf’s most complete players, “Kooch” has shown an ability to compete on a number of different courses, racking up top-10 finishes with abandon across the PGA Tour calendar in recent years. It would stand to reason, then, that he should get the job done on the biggest stage soon enough. Oak Hill may be the place.

Brandt Snedeker: #7 OWGR

One spot behind Kuchar, Sneds has settled into a similar role in the last couple years. He is one of the best putters in the world, and his ball-striking seems to improve every year.

His 2013 has been an especially torrid campaign: two wins, three other top-three finishes, and top-20 finishes in all three majors. He’s knocked at the door a lot, but major champions don’t knock — they break the door down. When will Snedeker let himself into the house of major champions?

Lee Westwood: #12 OWGR

Speaking of knocking on the door, Westwood seems to have worn a hole in the “Welcome” mat by now. At age 40, Westwood’s prospects continue to become more “Will he ever?” than “When will he?”

He squandered a perfect opportunity when his usually exquisite ball-striking failed him a few Sundays ago at Muirfield, marking his 16^th top-ten finish in a major championship career that spans parts of three decades. As good a player as he has been for so long, Westwood is starting to enter Colin Montgomerie territory as a player with a good career who has just never broken through when it’s mattered most.

Luke Donald: #9 OWGR

The same things said of Westwood may also turn out to be true of Donald in five years, when he is 40. He has half as many top-tens in majors as does Westwood, with an excellent opportunity going by the wayside this year at Merion in the U.S. Open, where Donald and other players yielded to Justin Rose over the weekend.

Donald is an opposite case to Westwood, with an excellent short game often forsaken by shoddy driving and iron play. Still, Donald was No. 1 in the world for a period in 2011 and 2012, which shows great potential. Could he turn that potential into hardware at Oak Hill this week?

Sergio Garcia: #18 OWGR

Ah, Sergio. In 1999, when you finished runner-up to Tiger Woods at Medinah, who would’ve thought you’d be on this list 14 years later?

It has been a long, strange trip with little true consolation outside of a 2008 Players Championship and five winning Ryder Cup campaigns for Europe. But those 17 major championship top-10 are becoming more of an albatross than a symbol of good play, aren’t they? Believe it or not, Sergio is only 33 years old, and Oak Hill should set up well for him this week. What do you say about erasing those demons, Sergio?

All five of these players are likely to appear on their respective sides for the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland. But will they own any more than the zero collective major titles they currently claim as a group? The answer begins to reveal itself this weekend.

*Official World Golf Rankings

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

Follow Club Junkie everywhere:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clubjunkiepod/
X: https://x.com/ClubJunkiePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clubjunkiepod
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@clubjunkiepod

Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag