News

Erik Compton’s Golf Mojo

Published

18 years ago

Mar 26, 2008

What drives Erik Compton? How can he stare his future in the face and not blink? Why does he surprise his touring pro buddies by popping into the locker room at the Doral days after a heart procedure? How can he place himself in the public spotlight and unflinchingly answer such personal and probing questions?

I can only deduce one thing: He’s found golf’s mojo.

For those who don’t know, Erik received a heart transplant 16 years ago at age 12. Today, he faces increasingly serious issues that have drawn him irrevocably back to the place where he finds a large measure of peace and comfort: the world of golf.

Here is what Erik said to The Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte during one profound TV interview, “I think all these guys out there on tour—all the top players—they have so much magic. And it’s good for me to be around them for that to rub off.”

All of us know that golf has that certain “something” that can make pulses race and spouses incredulous. But I’ll tell you, when Erik looked Tim in the eye and said in essence that he sought golf’s magic power at this crucial time in his life, wow, that really opened my eyes. Suddenly, hundreds of years of golf addiction made sense.

What is mojo? Simply, mojo means “soul” or “life-force.” Most of us, I think, believe that our golf addiction comes from our strange proclivity for self-abuse in a green paradise. Erik sees things, I believe, quite differently. I believe that he sees the game, its verdant stage, and all its heroic players as a holistic and positive force, as something to seek in times of trouble, as valuable to his outlook and well-being. This is a remarkable thing for him to express, and a valuable thing for us to ponder.

In Erik’s view, he is not taking this life-journey alone. As he told Tim, “I have a girl’s heart. She’s taken me 16 years and she’s tired and I think she wants some peace.” He has often said that he’s living his life for two—for himself and for the girl who saved his life. “The hardest thing for me is realizing that I have to let some of that go if I get another transplant. Somebody else will be with me—again…that’s kind of hard for me to deal with a little bit.”

Some say that golf gives you heart. In Erik’s case, his new heart gave him golf. That girl allowed Erik to live a dynamic life wrapped in the embrace of golf’s newly discovered magic. Erik and golf formed a life-altering bond in 1992, during the rehabilitation following his heart transplant. He rose to become the top junior boy golfer in the nation, an All-American at the University of Georgia, a player on the Walker Cup team, and a member of the Nationwide Tour with his sights set on a PGA Tour card. Then, last September, emergency surgery unblocked an artery that would have certainly killed him. Most recently, on March 18, he underwent an angioplasty and ultimately had to have a defibrillator implanted in his heart. Then what? Then, four short days later, he was talking to Tim and spending a day at Doral with his buds.

Now at 28 years old, Erik’s heart is failing and he requires a another transplant. He will have to let the girl go. He is saddened, optimistic, and philosophical at the same time, while seeking solace amidst a steady supply of good golf mojo.

So, where laughter is the best medicine for some, for Erik I think it is a pured four-iron in the hands of a friend. Or, maybe I am romanticizing his words. Perhaps he travels to golf’s venue merely as a weary traveler might return home where he belongs. Still, if we’re talking about mojo, there’s no place like home. Or maybe for Erik, there’s no place like home on the range.

Photo by Dot Paul

News

WITB Time Machine: Phil Mickelson’s winning WITB, 2021 PGA Championship

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Phil Mickelson made history at the 2021 PGA Championship on Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. At 50, he became the oldest player to win a major, breaking Julius Boros’s record. Starting the final round with a slim lead, Lefty faced tough competition from Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen. He pulled ahead with key birdies and a standout 366-yard drive on the 16th hole. Finishing 6 under par and two shots ahead, Mickelson claimed his sixth major and second PGA Championship. Many saw his win as an inspiring comeback, showing that experience and determination can still lead to victory in professional golf — and, sometimes, age is just a number.

Driver: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (6 degrees @5.5 , green dot cog)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X (47.9 inches)

2-wood: TaylorMade “Original One” Mini Driver (11.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X

4-wood (Sunday only): Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (16) (Thursday-Saturday), Callaway X21 UT Proto (19 degrees @20.5, 25), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (small groove) (6-PW)
Shafts: (16) MCA MMT 105 TX, KBS Tour V 125 S+

Wedges: Callaway PM Grind ’19 “Raw” (52-12@50, 55-12, 60-10)
Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 S+

Putter: Odyssey Milled Blade “Phil Mickelson”
Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X (Triple Track)

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

More photos of Phil Mickelson’s WITB here.

News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

4 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

Jon Rahm +1300
Cameron Young +1500
Bryson DeChambeau +1700
Xander Schauffele +1850
Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Tommy Fleetwood +2600
Collin Morikawa +3500
Brooks Koepka +3900
Justin Rose +4300
Russell Henley +4600
Si Woo Kim +4700
Justin Thomas +4800
Robert MacIntyre +5300
Patrick Cantlay +5300
Viktor Hovland +5400
Tyrrell Hatton +5500
Jordan Spieth +5900
Sam Burns +6000
Hideki Matsuyama +6200
Adam Scott +6400
Rickie Fowler +7000
Chris Gotterup +7400
Patrick Reed +7400
Min Woo Lee +7800
Ben Griffin +8000
Sepp Straka +8400
Shane Lowry +9000
Akshay Bhatia +9200
Maverick McNealy +9200
Joaquin Niemann +9200
Jake Knapp +9200
Jason Day +9600
Kurt Kitayama +10000
J.J. Spaun +10000
Harris English +10500
Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
Gary Woodland +11000
David Puig +11000
Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
Jacob Bridgeman +12000
Keegan Bradley +12500
Corey Conners +14000
Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
Sungjae Im +15500
Sahith Theegala +15500
Harry Hall +15500
Alex Noren +16000
Thomas Detry +16500
Marco Penge +16500
Kristoffer Reitan +17000
Alex Smalley +17000
Wyndham Clark +17500
Sam Stevens +17500
Keith Mitchell +17500
Daniel Berger +18500
Ryan Gerard +20000
Nick Taylor +20000
Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
Dustin Johnson +21000
Pierceson Coody +23000
Aaron Rai +24000
Jordan Smith +24000
Angel Ayora +24000
Bud Cauley +25000
Matt McCarty +26000
Jayden Schaper +26000
Brian Harman +27000
Taylor Pendrith +27000
Ryan Fox +27000
J.T. Poston +27000
Cameron Smith +29000
Ryo Hisatsune +29000
Michael Kim +29000
Max Homa +29000
Denny McCarthy +29000
Tom McKibbin +30000
Rico Hoey +32000
Matt Wallace +32500
Ricky Castillo +33000
Haotong Li +33000
Michael Brennan +34000
Max Greyserman +36000
Stephan Jaeger +37500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
Aldrich Potgieter +40000
Andrew Novak +42000
Patrick Rodgers +42500
Daniel Hillier +42500
Max McGreevy +46000
Billy Horschel +48000
Chris Kirk +48000
Ian Holt +49000
Casey Jarvis +49000
William Mouw +50000
Steven Fisk +50000
John Parry +50000
Nico Echavarria +52500
Garrick Higgo +52500
John Keefer+55000
Matthias Schmid +57500
Austin Smotherman +57500
Sami Valimaki +60000
Andrew Putnam +60000
Lucas Glover +62500
Daniel Brown +62500
Jhonattan Vegas +75000
Emiliano Grillo +80000
Mikael Lindberg +85000
Adrien Saddier +100000
Bernd Wiesberger +100000
Elvis Smylie +110000
Stewart Cink +130000
Kota Kaneko +130000
David Lipsky +150000
Chandler Blanchet +150000
Andy Sullivan +150000
Joe Highsmith +180000
Adam Schenk +200000
Travis Smyth +200000
Davis Riley +225000
Martin Kaymer +400000
Brian Campbell +400000
Padraig Harrington +450000
Kazuki Higa +450000
Jordan Gumberg +450000
Ryan Vermeer +500000
Austin Hurt +500000
Tyler Collet +500000
Timothy Wiseman +500000
Shaun Micheel +500000
Y.E. Yang +500000
Michael Block+500000
Mark Geddes+500000
Luke Donald+500000
Bryce Fisher+500000
Jimmy Walker +500000
Jason Dufner +500000
Jesse Droemer +500000
Jared Jones +500000
Garrett Sapp +500000
Francisco Bide +500000
Zach Haynes +500000
Paul McClure+500000
Derek Berg +500000
Chris Gabriele +500000
Braden Shattuck +500000
Ben Polland +500000
Ben Kern +50000

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

5 days ago

May 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.