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GolfWRX Morning 9: USGA scrutiny begins | PGA Prez DUI | Tom Brady can putt

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7 years ago

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Good morning, GolfWRX members. As most of you are signed up for our newsletters, you likely already know that I’ve been sending this little Morning 9 roundup of nine items of note to start your day.

In case you’ve missed it, or you prefer to read on site rather than in your email, we’re including it here. Check out today’s Morning 9 below. Feedback is always welcome–send everything from news tips to complaints (hopefully more tips than complaints)!

If you’re not signed up for our newsletters, you can subscribe here.
By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

June 14, 2018

Good Thursday morning, golf fans. Enjoy the action from Shinnecock.
1. Don’t screw it up
For the reactionary par protectors at the USGA, as has been discussed ad nauseum, the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock has to go well. The combination of having, on some level, screwed up the last three U.S Opens and returning to venue where they definitely screwed up in 2004 only serves to accentuate this fact.
  • Accordingly, every decision the governing body makes this week will be heavily scrutinized. Not an enviable position to be in, to be sure.
  • An early decision to note, per Geoff Shackelford…USGA CEO Mike Davis: “We have purposely slowed the greens down a little bit today, knowing the kind of winds we’re going to get tomorrow…We’ve also changed up some of the hole locations, just to make sure they’re in areas that can handle this kind of wind.”
  • “I would also say that if we get some of the top winds that they’re predicting, it doesn’t matter how slow the greens are and how flat the surfaces are,” Davis said. “You will see balls blowing, and that’s just the nature when you get up into 30-mile per hour plus, which we might get gusts.”
2. Rory: Better safe than sorry (obviously)
After plenty of U.S. Open experience (and a win!) Rory McIlroy has settled on the right approach to dealing with a U.S. Open setup.
  • “I think I’ll adopt quite a conservative strategy off the tee,” McIlroy said. “You’re hitting into big targets. So even if you’re leaving yourself back and maybe hitting a couple of extra clubs into these greens, it’s not such a bad thing. I’d rather be doing that than hacking my way out of the rough.”
3. “Tom Brady can putt”
The Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady practice round was widely reported yesterday, now Rickie is adding some color to the reports with a few details on the round at Friar’s Head.
  • Will Gray of Golf Channel writes  “As is often the case with Tuesday matches involving Mickelson, there was a little something on the line. And after winning five Super Bowl titles, Brady can now also boast about the time that he teamed with a five-time major champ to take down the team of Fowler and Dunne.”
  • “I’ll tell you what, Tom Brady can putt,” Fowler said, adding that he was “on the wrong side of it” against Mickelson. “So if I can take that into this week, I think that’s the one thing I took off of him that will help me.”
4. PGA + DUI
PGA of America president Phil Levy was hit with a DUI. Look, I’m not here to sift through anyone’s trash or kick a man when he’s down, but it the firing of Ted Bishop over his infamous “lil girl” tweet (also while drunk) makes you think the next PGA prez may be a teetotaler.
Per Golf Channel:
  • “Levy, 57, was traveling on Highway 111 on June 7 when he veered off the road and crashed into a posted sign,according to a release posted on the county’s website.Officers responded to a call about the single-car crash at 11:22 p.m., and though he did not sustain any injuries, Levy showed signs of being under the influence, the report said. He was transported to an area hospital for evaluation and later booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio at 1:48 a.m.”
  • “Paul Levy has accepted responsibility for his terrible lapse in judgment,” a PGA of America spokesman said in a statement. “He has expressed deep regret and fully understands how irresponsible his actions were..The PGA of America will support Paul as he seeks counseling, faces the consequences of his actions and works through the legal process in the months ahead.”
5. Breaking 100 can be painfully easy (emphasis on painfully)
GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Tursky recently switched to southpaw in an effort to continue playing golf while saving his injured back.
He broke 100 for the first time from the left side of the plate and offers advice that includes
  • Ignore par
  • Don’t make triple bogeys
  • Limit your use of the driver
  • Don’t take risks
  • Treat every putt as a lag

Check out his piece for additional advice.

 

6. Best of U.S. Open week merch
Geoff Shackelford hit up the U.S. Open merchandise, well, mall, it’s pretty much a mall to check out the best of the wares.
He reported on nautical themage in abundance, a “Shinnecock Fescue Breeze” candle, and more.

Check out the piece.

7. Rory McIlroy’s “fun golf”
Taking the Zac Blair approach, Rory McIlroy has been playing more golf for fun lately following his father’s membership at famed Florida track Seminole.
  • “For maybe five or six years, I never played fun golf…It was all to do with getting ready to play tournaments. I didn’t understand people who went out and played a lot,” McIlroy said.
  • McIlroy recently played National Golf Links of America, Friar’s Head, and Garden City Golf Club.
8. Backstopping poll
Amid the furor over backstopping on the PGA Tour, after seeing plenty of venom related to the subject on Twitter, after reading Tour pros’ takes, I still wondered what the average golf fan thought of the practice.
  • So far, 41 percent of votes say it’s not really a big deal. 32 percent said they don’t care either way, and only 27 percent said it sure is a big deal.
9. Michael Williams talks to Hale Irwin
Hale Irwin joined GolfWRX’s 19th Hole podcast for a chat with Michael Williams. Subjects discussed include: Irwin’s epic victory at the “Massacre at Winged Foot,” the 1974 U.S. Open. Irwin also compares his contemporaries to the players of today in terms of talent and competitiveness.

Related Topics:

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.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. LOLer

    Jun 14, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    … and Tiger was driving under the influence of a 9-iron … 😀 😀 😀

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

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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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News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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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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WITB

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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...

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