Tour News
7 storylines to follow during the 2015 Masters

Several big names are receiving grand attention going into the event, and no players are being more scrutinized than the two standard bearers of the sport.
But we already know those story lines, and we want this Masters week to be fun and fresh. What are some alternate plot points to ponder?
Below are the seven other story lines I am keeping track of this week.
Will Tiger keep smiling and hugging everyone?
So Woods’ game isn’t only looking good this week, according to reports, but he’s joking around, hugging people and receiving friendly nip grabs?
As Golf.com’s Alan Bastable astutely asked: Who is this guy? And what did he do with Tiger Woods? Apparently, a period away from the game and more time with the children has Woods more jovial and in a looser mood than anyone has seen from him in a long time. He’s even playing in the Par-3 Contest!!!
It’ll be intriguing to see if Tiger’s good mood is a short term facade or will continue as we get into the tournament and beyond. Yes, he’s happy now, but will this “new Tiger” still be present if he flubs a few chips or hits a few loose shots? We’ll be watching closely.
What will happen if Bubba does get in a fight in a parking lot?
We finally have a source of Bubba controversy not caused by the lefty bomber himself, and that would be the ESPN player survey which revealed that among his peers, Watson doesn’t appear very well liked (granted, not a huge surprise).
More specifically, when the polled golfers were asked which competitor they would not help in a fight in a parking lot, Bubba Watson was the No. 1 answer.
I’m curious, though. If Bubba did get in a fight on the Masters grounds this week, would his peers be as reticent to help as they say? Which players would be most likely to step in and aid Bubba and who would be especially predisposed to bystand?
In all seriousness, though, I’m still wondering if we’ll hear anything more throughout the week on this topic of players not liking Bubba. Something to note, especially if Watson gets into contention or wins a third Green Jacket.
How much better will Adam Scott putt with a long putter?
Much has been written about Scott’s success with an anchored stroke, and after one solid week and two difficult ones with the short flatstick, the Aussie has switched back to the long broom for the Masters.
Scott is certainly not the only anchorer struggling to adjust to the short putter ahead of the Jan. 1, 2016 anchoring ban. Whatever Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson say, in 2015 they’ve suddenly turned from quality putters to below average ones in switching away from the long putter.
The Aussie’s performance on the Augusta greens will certainly be something to look into, with the backlash using the anchored stroke can still produce. But, more importantly, if Scott’s long broom flatstick performs well this week, he could be tempted to revert to it the rest of the year. And Scott’s success there might lead other former anchors to start exploring that possibility as well.
Do we see Good Sergio or Bad Sergio this week?
Even for Sergio, the Spaniard has a peculiar history at this tournament.
He publicly bashed the course in 2009, stated that he wasn’t good enough to win a major after his Masters performance in 2012 and relayed some pretty pessimistic thoughts on his prospects after sharing the Masters first round lead the very next year.
All of that is Bad Sergio and he has seemed to surface a lot at Augusta in the past. But in recent times, he has been happier in his life and he stated last week that he had come to peace with the chase for his first major.
So maybe we will finally see Good Sergio — the relaxed, happy Spaniard near the top of the leaderboard — this week? Whatever the case, Good Sergio and Bad Sergio are both entertaining and add color to the event. And guessing which one will come out is always a big part of the fun.
El Nino’s game isn’t perfect for Augusta, as he doesn’t hit it particularly high, and as Rich Hunt noted, his mid- to long-iron play has been really off this year. But, as I said, Good Sergio/Bad Sergio is unpredictable and will be humorous to follow.
Can Fred Couples finally cure his weekend woes at Augusta?
Before anyone calls me a Freddie hater, what he has done at the Masters recently is absolutely remarkable. In his past five appearances at the tournament, all in his 50s, he has yet to place outside the top-20 and seems to be at the top of the leaderboard at some point every year. It’s been extremely compelling.
That being said, Couples, despite his early high place on these Masters leaderboards over the last five years, was not a factor on the back nine on Sunday in any of those attempts. Wouldn’t it be so much better if Freddie could be in the mix over the tournament’s final holes?
Couples backslide down the leaderboard in this stretch has almost always originated on the weekend, with his zero subpar rounds and three scores of 75 or worse on Saturday and Sunday since 2011. The 55-year-old still needs to perform well in the early days, but I’m never going to doubt him there. If he can keep it up on the weekend, though, we might be in for something special.
Which players are most desperate for a Masters win?
It’s always intriguing to see players who are frantically searching for a high place at the majors, and we have a few main candidates this week. The names that stick out are Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson.
Westwood is still trying to find that first major and he has finished 7th or better at Augusta four of the last five years. The course fits him, and with time running low to get the monkey off his back, he’ll be striving hard for the Green Jacket. Donald’s record at the Masters is not quite as robust but he shares the pain of not winning a major, and he faces the same battle against father time.
Mickelson may have five major championship wins but his game has sunk in recent years and he needs to be dialed in on his limited opportunities to accrue more majors and become an even bigger name in golf history before his play really deteriorates.
Will Rickie Fowler’s major success continue?
If you haven’t heard, Rickie Fowler did pretty well in the majors last year. It started at Augusta with a T5, and continued with subsequent T2, T2 and T3 showings.
However creepy adults in Fowler grab look, the 26-year-old American is a breath of fresh air for the game, and someone I’ve already argued makes no sense to antagonize.
Fowler’s form has been pretty average this year, but his long-hitting, high-ball game works well for Augusta. As I noted, all around players profile well here, and Rickie fits well there. His putting is streaky, but he can be streaky good there.
If Fowler could continue his fruitful ways in the majors, especially with a victory, his profile will continue to rise and he could start really challenging for the crown as brightest young star in the game.
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2025 3M Open

GolfWRX is live from the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities!
Back from our overseas journey, we have plenty for you to digest from Minnesota, including WITBs and in-hand looks at some pretty impressive putters.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #1
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #2
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #3
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #4
WITB Albums
- Luke List – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Isaiah Salinda – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Kaito Onishi – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Rickie Fowler – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Seamus Power – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Chris Kirk – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Vince Whaley – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Andrew Putnam – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Thomas Campbell – Minnesota PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Max Herendeen – WITB – 2025 3M Open
Pullout Albums
- Rickie’s custom Joe Powell persimmon driver – 2025 3M Open
- Custom Cameron T-9.5 – 2025 3M Open
- Tom Kim’s custom prototype Cameron putter – 2025 3M Open
- New Cameron prototype putters – 2025 3M Open
- Zac Blair’s latest Scotty acquisition – 2025 3M Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2025 Open Championship

GolfWRX was live this week across the pond for The Open Championship! Check out links to all our galleries from Royal Portrush below.
General Albums
- 2025 The Open Championship – Sunday #1
- 2025 The Open Championship – Monday #1
- 2025 The Open Championship – Monday #2
- 2025 Open Championship – Monday #3
- 2025 The Open Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 The Open Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 The Open Championship – Wednesday #1
Pullout Albums
- Cobra’s 153rd Open Championship staff bag – 2025 The Open Championship
- Srixon’s Open Championship staff bag – 2025 The Open Championship
- Scotty Cameron 2025 Open Championship putter covers – 2025 The Open Championship
- TaylorMade’s 153rd Open Championship staff bag – 2025 The Open Championship
- Shane Lowry – testing a couple of Cameron putters – 2025 The Open Championship
- New Scotty Cameron Phantom Black putters(and new cover & grip) – 2025 The Open Championship
- FootJoy x Harris Tweed limited-edition shoes – 2025 The Open Championship
- Nike “Open Championship” collection shoes, bags and hoodies – 2025 The Open Championship
Vadim
Apr 8, 2015 at 11:50 pm
Speith?!
Kevin Casey
Apr 9, 2015 at 12:12 am
See my response below to SJ.
SJ
Apr 8, 2015 at 11:24 pm
Rory?
Kevin Casey
Apr 9, 2015 at 12:11 am
As I said in the intro, these are kind of alternate story lines from the obvious ones. Rory going for the Career Grand Slam, Tiger’s chances at victory, Bubba’s quest for a third Green Jacket in four years and Spieth’s quest for a first all fall under the obvious storylines. Of course, those are all storylines I am watching for as well, but there’s no real reason to write about them because they have been expounded on elsewhere already so many times.
other paul
Apr 8, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Fingers crossed for fowler. Go Orange! My 3 year old loves orange because of him.