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GolfWRX Morning 9: USGA nixes Bryson’s compass | Mid-season awards | What Tiger needs to tune

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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.

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.

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

July 6, 2018

Good Friday morning, golf fans. I don’t know if it’s brutal or better when the lords of time and space put a holiday in the middle of the week, but here we are, having made it to the end of it.  
1. Sorry, Bryson, no compass for you

 

Read it and weep, fans of drafting instruments. “The USGA has ruled that the use of a protractor (also known as a drawing compass) during a stipulated round is a violation of Rule 14-3a of the Rules of Golf,” read a statement from the governing body. “It is considered ‘unusual equipment that might assist him in making a stroke or in his play.'”
  • Golf Digest’s Joel Beall writes: “John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of rules, competitions and equipment standards, told Golf Digest that he had a 45-minute conversation with DeChambeau on July 3 explaining the association’s decision-making process regarding the use of the compass. In the end, Bodenhamer said, it was determined that the compass had the potential to “compromise a player’s skill and judgement.”
  • “With some of these sorts of devices, it can be difficult lines to draw on what’s permissible and what is not permissible,” Bodenhamer said. “But here, we drew the line there with Rule 14-3 [that the compass did not conform].”
2. A 61 in his Webb

 

…sometimes, you just want to fire off an awful pun, right? No? OK. Well, Webb Simpson fired a 9-under-par 61 for a one-stroke lead over Whee Kim at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.
  • He needed birdies on the par-5 17th and the par-3 18th for a 59, but parred both holes.
  • “I knew a 59 was in there, but it’s all right,” Simpson said. “Great start. Scores were good though, so you’ve got to keep the pedal down.”
  • …and on the LPGA Tour, Australia’s Katherine Kirk went lower but scored higher. Kirk carded a 10-under 62 to open the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.
3. Latest Tiger ratings boost

 

With respect to PGA Tour viewership, the Tiger Woods Effect remains in effect. Not that this should be surprising at this point, but it’s always interesting to see the numbers.
  • Sports Media Watch reported 3.6 million people tuned in for the final round of the Quicken Loans National on CBS, a 2.3 rating. That’s an increase of 92 percent in ratings and 89 percent in viewership over last year.
  • Impressively, in the 20 rounds Woods has played on broadcast television, every round but one yielded an increase in both viewership and ratings (the lone exception: the tape-delayed final round of the Memorial).
4. Meanwhile, at Ballyliffin…

 

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. What a name. A quick check on the action at Ballyliffin, c/o EuropeanTour.com.
  • “Joakim Lagergren, Peter Uihlein and Danny Willett all made early moves up the leaderboard as day two of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation got under way.
  • “Ballyliffin Golf Club was making its Irish Open debut at the fourth Rolex Series event of the season and while conditions were more overcast than they had been on day one, the northern coast of Ireland was still providing a stunning backdrop for links golf.”
  • “Swede Lagergren, American Uihlein and England’s Willett all picked up shots on the front nine to join overnight leader Ryan Fox at five under, a shot clear of fellow morning starters Dean Burmester, Russell Knox and Lee Westwood.”
  • Host Rory McIlroy was 2 under for the tournament through 10 holes at the time of this writing, three strokes back.
5. Mickleson gives Larry Fitzgerald a chipping masterclass

 

11-time NFL Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald was partnered with Phil Mickelson during Wednesday’s pro-am.
  • The Golf Channel’s Chantel McCabe caught Phil giving a 300-level tutorial on chipping to the famed wideout.

 

6. Jack’s Shinnecock solution

 

In his most recent 19th Hole podcast, Michael Williams asked Jack Nicklaus for his thoughts on U.S. Open setups in general and what transpired at Shinnecock in particular.
  • “Now, did they set up Shinnecock poorly? No. I don’t think they set it up poorly at all. I think Mike Davis did a pretty darn good job of it. I just think that because course conditioning has changed so much, and they have courses just on the edge…the setup lends itself-you saw scores on Saturday and Sunday in the mid 60s in the morning and the mid 70s in the afternoon…I don’t think they really wanted that.”
  • “I think if you back to Shinnecock again, I think the wise thing would be to redo the greens…not change them…but there’s nothing under those greens other than what nature had there….but with the way they do things today, that lends itself to not being able to be controlled. And they could redo those greens exactly as they are now and control the moisture level on those greens, then the setup that they had would work fine, and work fine in the morning and the afternoon.”

 

7. Shane Ryan’s awards

 

“Slaying the Tiger” author Shane Ryan is back for another round of partially tongue-in-cheek awards.
  • The “Comeback Player of the Year, Star Division” Award…This goes to Bubba Watson, and it’s not a hard call. Bubba had his worst year in more than a decade in 2017, and judging by his age (39) and his seeming level of disinterest and frustration, smart money banked on him spending the bulk of 2018 behind the counter of his candy store in Pensacola ordering Ted Scott to re-stock the Sour Patch kids. Instead, Watson beat his ennui and the medical issues that cost him 20 pounds, and came back to win at Riviera, the WGC-Match Play and the Travelers. That’s three wins (and counting?), the highest total of his career. All this on the doorstep of his 40th birthday, and a year spent wondering if he’d ever win again. Not bad!
  • The Rory McIlroy “Existential Crisis That We Would Really Like to See Resolved Very Soon” Award…Please come back, Jordan Spieth. To quote Harry Nilsson, I can’t live if living is without you.

 

8. How about Joaquin Niemann?

 

Let’s take a moment and appreciate how good has this guy been.
  • Niemann, 19, (19!) had his lowest score in nine PGA Tour starts this season. His boom-or-bust pattern has been incredible: three top-10 finishes, four missed cuts.
  • The young Chilean played the Greenbrier a year ago as an amateur, shot 64 in the final round and tied for 29th place. He fired a 7 under in Thursday’s opening round.
  • “I’m one of the youngest out here so I feel like I’ve got nothing to lose,” Niemann said. “My game was feeling really good and my putter was good. So all my game was good today.”
  • It’s as easy as that.
9. What Tiger needs to tune for Carnoustie

 

Perspective from Bob Harig, because two weeks out is high time to discuss TW’s prospects at the season’s third major. But really, with Woods done competing until Carnoustie, it’s time for the speculation to begin.
  • “Carnoustie? It has caused its share of fits to all in the two times Woods has played The Open there, and Woods was not exempt. He tied for seventh in 1999 and for 12th in 2007. He was not a final-round contender at either tournament.
  • What Woods said he’s working on: “”Basically, just trying to get efficient hitting the golf ball both ways and then getting comfortable hitting the ball down,” Woods said of what he has to do to prepare. “Carnoustie is an unbelievable driving golf course. You have to drive the ball well there, but also not your traditional in-out [links] golf course. It’s a lot of different angles, so a lot of different crosswinds. I have to be able to maneuver the golf ball both ways there efficiently. You just have to hit the golf ball well there.”
  • Harig on Woods’ putting: “This has been the big subject of late. Woods made the decision at the Quicken Loans National to put his trusted Scotty Cameron on the shelf in favor of a TaylorMade mallet-like putter that he says feels better to him at the moment. He all but confirmed he’ll be using it at The Open. He said the grooves on the face help get the ball moving a bit faster, a common problem for him on slower greens.”
  • “At TPC Potomac during the Quicken Loans National, the results were mixed. He was seventh in the field in strokes gained putting, a nice improvement from his struggles of late. That was mostly due to him making a good number of longer-range putts, an important factor that had gone missing. But he had some head-scratching misses as well, making just 9 of 16 putts from 4 to 8 feet and missing 13 for the week inside of 10 feet.”

More from Bob.

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. Steve

    Jul 6, 2018 at 8:54 am

    I think the big question here is what were Bryson’s parents thinking when they gave him a middle name that starts with the letter “A”?

    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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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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