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Tiger Woods commits to Valspar Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Needing tournament reps and feeling well enough to get them in, Tiger Woods committed to next week’s Valspar Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational the following week.

The 42-year-old will tee it up four times in five weeks as he readies himself for Augusta National, where he last competed in 2015, tying for 17th.

The start at Bay Hill, where Woods has won eight times, was expected. Competing at Innisbrook, however, was a remote possibility. Recent murmurings, however, suggested Woods, keen for playing opportunities, could compete at the Copperhead Course.

Woods has never played the Valspar Championship, which has only been a full-field PGA Tour event since 2000, however he did tee it up at the venue for the mixed-team JCPenny Classic in 1996.

The 79-time PGA Tour winner competed most recently at the Honda Classic where he finished 12th, leading the field in proximity to the hole and placing third in driving distance. He missed the cut at the Genesis Open prior to that and tied for 23rd at the Farmers Insurance Open in his first action of the year.

“The more golf I’m playing tournament-wise, the faster I’m able to click into the feel of the round,” Woods said at the Honda Classic, indicating his desire to be sharp for the first week in April.

Tournament organizers have been preparing for the longshot possibility that Woods could be in the field for weeks.

“We’re going into what we call Tiger Mode,” Hollis Cavner, the executive director of Pro Links Sports, which manages the event, said. “Everything changes when he comes. We’ll have to beef up security, increase busing, concessions. Now it’s a whole different game. That’s the effect he has.”

Per ESPN’s Bob Harig, tournament director Tracy West got word from Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, just ahead of Woods’ Twitter announcement. The tournament is adding 6,000 parking spots and expecting an increase of upwards of 15,000 spectators per day.

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Mike Davis

    Mar 3, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    I heard a rumor that they are going to roll the back at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Tiger will play a ball that is formulated from coconut fibers. They are sourced from the Galápagos Islands. Should be interesting.

  2. Teigrob’s Taint

    Mar 3, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    Why so much hate? Can’t we all just get along. Party at Gerald’s house tonight. We can hit his Adams clubs from ‘02 on the launch monitor. He is playing playing a Distance Whip driver from the Golfworks.

  3. Larry The Lib

    Mar 3, 2018 at 11:40 am

    I now know why Tiger and Trump hang out and play golf together. They are both chasing the same tail!

  4. George

    Mar 3, 2018 at 10:57 am

    Here we go with the more reps garbage. Anything to make it sound more athletic.

  5. Teigrob's Taint

    Mar 2, 2018 at 10:55 pm

    Everyone is so hard on Tiger, he is such a great role model for our youth. He could be doing really bad stuff instead of partying with porn stars in Vegas. Hell, everyone cheats on their wife and lies like its nothing. Leave the poor guy alone!

  6. Dr. Golea

    Mar 2, 2018 at 8:58 pm

    Tiger has that pep in his step again. Blood spinning really works. You wrxer’s should try it!

  7. sid

    Mar 2, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    If we didn’t have Tiger to gossip about this website would go dormant… 😮

  8. Rob

    Mar 2, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    Yeah but he doesn’t move the needle anymore…??? Hahaha

  9. Dat 1 Guy on XM 45

    Mar 2, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    Here we go again. Poor Arnie is rolling over in his grave. Hide your daughters!

    • Realist

      Mar 2, 2018 at 3:17 pm

      Yep, because no one has ever messed up in their life. It appears he’s over it… you should move on too.

  10. Chuckster

    Mar 2, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    Yeah, more reps! That’s what my urologist said.

  11. dat

    Mar 2, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    This is exactly what he needs and what golf needs. Go TW!

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear

OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.

LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break

Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.

Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.

On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.

On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.

On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home

Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.

On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?

Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.

Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?

PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.

Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.

Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

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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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

 

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BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

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Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.

Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)

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