Tour News
5 Things We Learned from Day 2 at the U.S. Open

Those two (rain) barrels from Mother Nature’s Thursday blunderbuss continued to impact the 2016 U.S. Open on Friday. Half of the field won’t tee off in the second round until Saturday morning. Players continue to hole out shots from all over Oakmont, but no single golfer can do it repeatedly to separate themselves from the field.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned today.
63 isn’t out there
At least not for 18 holes. Maybe 16 or 17, but not 18. Johnny Miller’s magic number won’t be matched in 2016. Through two rounds of soft greens, there are way more high numbers than low ones. Midway through Round 2, Daniel Summerhays’ 65 is low by one (Andrew Landry opened with 66), and one of the 13 scores under par. On the opposite end… well, let’s not talk about that world of pain.
Putting IS the key statistic
Despite the new math and the moneyball stats of the Twenty-Teens, putting is where the dough is. Driving distance, driving accuracy and greens in regulation all have aberrant leaders in the tournament, but they don’t come close to the putting leaders. If you average under 1.5 putts per hole this week, you will finish in the top-10. Guys who roll the rock well are soaring up the leaderboard.
Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood will break our hearts this week
Well, hopefully just one of them. Talk about two of our personal favorites. Westy has always had that everyman quality to him, a guy you could have a pint with, a guy who loses weight, gains it back, gets divorced, keeps Tweeting, a bloke. Dustin is our Achilles, a guy born with so many athletic gifts (and the ability to grow a sweet beard), yet cursed by the heel that didn’t quite make it into the Intercoastal Waterway (his version of the Styx.) If one of them wins, it will take away the pain from the other’s loss. As of this moment, DJ is leading, Westwood is one back, and we are gathering tissue boxes by our sofa.
There is no Bear Trap or Amen Corner at Oakmont
The entire course is difficult! No stretch makes you fret and sweat, other than 1-18. Three holes (Nos. 4, 14 and 17) are playing under par, and that’s by fractions, like 0.04, 0.02 and 0.01. At the top of the torment scale are Nos. 1, 9, and 15; each averages nearly a half-stroke over par. Another seven holes average between one-quarter and two-fifths of a stroke over par. The common denominator? These holes are spread all over the course. Our advice: lock in, hope the weather holds, sign your card five hours later and pray for the best.
European guys like the U.S. Open
In addition to Westwood, seven more from the continent are inside the top-25. That means that one-third of the guys in the mix are from countries like France, Ireland, Spain, England and Scotland. Considering that two of the last three (Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer) are U.S. Open champions, and four of the past six (add Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell to the list) hail from the EEC, the Union, or whatever you like to call it, there’s a two-thirds chance in my mind that the USGA will send its championship trophy overseas in 2016.
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
Ronald Montesano
Jun 18, 2016 at 9:04 am
Sometimes confirmation is as important/same as learning. Yesterday was a “back on track” day for the USGA. After the dissolution of round one on Thursday, Friday was critical to move the event back toward a Sunday finish (not necessary, but certainly desirable.)
I don’t know, tP, that Euros are better suited/more familiar with, these types of set-ups. They tend to have fast and firm, less rough on their courses, although BSGs like the one I just made are neither valid nor optimal.
We had two “Henry Cottons” yesterday, from Summerhays and Oosthuizen. I like the chances of the latter more than those of the former, given that LO has won and nearly won majors, and understands the Sunday pressure of the final grouping.
ND Hickman
Jun 18, 2016 at 6:26 am
I’d love to see Westwood or Garcia break through in a major.
Vincent L.
Jun 18, 2016 at 7:02 am
+1 (or DJ)
tP
Jun 18, 2016 at 3:54 am
The Euros are more familiar with courses that have thick rough like this as they play these types of set-ups more often than the bomb&gouge set-ups we see on the PGA Tour
Philip
Jun 17, 2016 at 11:56 pm
Is putting the key statistic or how close one stuffs the approach?
Ronald Montesano
Jun 17, 2016 at 11:59 pm
Excellent point, Philip. Answer is, yes to both. Even if you stuff the approach, you still must make the putt. If you don’t stuff the approaches, the putts will be more challenging to make.