Opinion & Analysis

Gilchrist: On Shanshan Feng, Short-Game Challenges at Pinehurst

Published

12 years ago

Jun 17, 2014

I am incredibly excited, since this week marks the beginning of the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst and it looks like it will be another great U.S. Open full of amazing gameplay and competition.

We already saw how challenging Pinehurst played this past week with Martin Kaymer winning on the men’s side, and the course is sure to present many challenges this week for the women as well. It will also be interesting to see how the USGA sets up and maintains Pinehurst No. 2, as it’s the first time ever that a U.S. Open has been played in back-to-back weeks for the men and women at the same course.

One of my top students, Shanshan Feng of China, whom I have coached since her days as a junior, spent this last week before the beginning of the women’s tournament at my academy in Howey in the Hills, Fla. preparing for golf’s ultimate test.

While Shanshan has never played at Pinehurst No. 2, we talked in length about the greens and on the runoff areas around the greens, which proved challenging to the most experienced PGA Tour players this past week.

While I didn’t want Shanshan to focus on the technical side of her game last week so close to a big tournament, we worked to reinforce a little more focus on the shot selection around the greens and how to handle the fast breaking greens that Pinehurst will present.

It is particularly important to always go for the right amount of loft when dealing with hard and tightly mown areas. Another key is ball position. Playing the ball back in your stance, especially around the greens at Pinehurst, will present a much easier option than hitting a high, lofted shot with the ball forward in your stance. The reason is that the sole of the club has less of a chance of bouncing off the turf before it strikes the ball.

Another situation to be very mindful of this week are long putts and the punishing breaks, which was another focal point of last week’s practice. The key here is identifying and being sure of the breaking point because the greens are so fast. If you’re just a fraction off with your direction or speed, you can end up off the green 20 yards away at Pinehurst No. 2.

To work on breaking putts, place a tee where you envision the breaking point to be. Aim the face of your putter at the breaking point and while hitting putts vary your speed to gauge the best combination of break and speed for making the putt or getting it very close to the hole. This will help you simplify reading and judging breaking putts, something that is crucial this week at Pinehurst.

Confidence and a player’s management of their game around the greens are going to be the deciding factors in this U.S. Open. Shanshan is confident coming into the course at Pinehurst this week and she was not afraid to share it with me.

“I have had three top-10 finishes in a row before this U.S. Women’s Open, so I think that I am in pretty good shape,” Shanshan said.

Shanshan has finished in the top 10 the last two years at the U.S. Women’s Open, so I also feel confident she will play well this week.

I advised Shanshan before the end of her training to keep in mind that it is essential to be fresh for this week, since it is likely that this tournament will have a winning score that is over par. The U.S. Open is always a mental and physical test.

I think that Shanshan has a challenging week ahead of her, but I believe that as long as she keeps her confidence levels high and can sink challenging putts, she can come out on top this week.

No matter the outcome, this week should be very exciting for all golf fans.

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.

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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