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GolfWRX Morning 9: Lexi steps away | Questions for the PGA | 50 best locker rooms

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7 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)
July 26, 2018
Good Thursday morning, golf fans. .
1. Lexi WDs from British “to work on myself
Lexi Thompson withdrew from the 2018 Women’s British Open Wednesday.
  • She posted the following to Instagram: “It is extremely difficult for me not to play in this prestigious Major, but I realized recently that I need to take some time to work on myself. The events of the past year and a half (on and off the golf course) have taken a tremendous toll on me both mentally and emotionally. I have not truly felt like myself for quite some time.”
  • Thompson added she is “taking this time to recharge my mental batteries, and to focus on myself away from the game of professional golf. Thank you all so much for your continued support.”
  • The harshness of the spotlight is unimaginable for we average folk. Thompson took the ANA penalty last year tough, clearly, and her mother is battling cancer. Still just 23, Thompson has been in the public eye for a decade. Stepping away is more than understandable, and you have to wish her the best.
2. Questions for the incoming PGA CEO
Pete Bevacqua’s successor will have to answer some key questions, writes Dave Shedloski.
  • “The move comes at a curious time, with the PGA weighing one of its most consequential decisions in its history-a potential move of its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to Frisco, Texas-and with Bevacqua barely into a contract extension that was to run through 2024 and paying him more than $1 million annually, according to sources.”
  • “One of the more pressing is that the association’s contract with CBS Sports for broadcast rights to the PGA Championship expires after next year’s tournament. That will be the first year the championship is played in May (at Bethpage Black, in New York) thanks to Bevacqua accommodating the PGA Tour’s wishes to condense its season for a late August conclusion. Without the PGA of America agreeing to move its oldest championship from August, the tour’s grand plan doesn’t materialize.”
  • “Of equal importance is maintaining and improving services to the nearly 29,000 PGA professionals who comprise the largest sports organization in the world.”
3. Ryder Cup shakeup

Time is ticking on the Ryder Cup clock and captain Jim Furyk has some tough decisions to make, says Rex Hoggard.

  • “The eight automatic qualifiers will be set in 2 ½ short weeks, after the PGA Championship, a narrow window that makes at least half of Furyk’s team essentially locks.”
  • “From Brooks Koepka, No. 1 on the U.S. points, to Jordan Spieth, No. 6, there are few, if any, scenarios that could keep that half dozen from qualifying for this year’s matches, even with next week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (which is worth 1 ½ points for every $1,000 earned) and the PGA (2 points per $1,000) looming.
  • That essentially leaves the final two automatic qualifiers, currently held by Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, up for grabs. To give an idea of how thin the margins are between the Ryder Cup haves and have nots, Simpson overtook Bryson DeChambeau for the last spot when he tied for 12th at Carnoustie. DeChambeau tied for 51st in Scotland.”
  • Then the real fun of captains picks begins…
4. But what does it mean?
Credit to Geoff Shackelford for spotting this AdAge piece looking at the sponsor/ad implications of the highest-rated British Open in years.
  • “Among the markers who spent the most in order to bask in Tiger’s reflected glory were Mercedes-Benz, Geico, Rolex, Pacific Life, Travelers, U.S. Bank, Farmers Insurance, Toyota and Volkswagen. According to iSpot.tv estimates, Mercedes racked up some 60.6 million impressions during Sunday’s round, which works out to a very reasonable CPM of $25.60.”
  • “Callaway also got a fair amount of milage from the Open, as the golf gear brand throughout the four-day tourney was featured several times in NBC’s “Playing Through” ad format. Designed to keep viewers plugged into the action on the links while giving the sponsor a chance to shill its wares to a highly-targeted audience of golf enthusiasts, the split-screen execution offered a window on the goings-on in Carnoustie on the left side, while Callaway spokesman Phil Mickelson warned viewers that one of his Chrome Soft balls was about to pass through their living rooms.”

 
5. Molinari on Molinari
Eduardo Molinari weighed in on his brother’s Open win for EuropeanTour.com.   
  • “I started to think he could win it when he got to the turn. The two massive putts in my opinion were the par putts on the 12th and 13th, because he managed to stay tied for the lead. When you play the 14th, nine times out of ten you make a birdie there downwind, and if he did that on Sunday it would have meant he would go one ahead, which of course he did. He was playing well, so I was sure he wouldn’t make any bogeys on the last four holes. That meant everyone had to go and catch him, which is very difficult at Carnoustie.”
  •  “Francesco has always behaved well and been liked by other pros.  He puts in so much hard work that he’s earned the respect of everyone. In the end he deserved what he got a Carnoustie. It’s a privilege to have such a good relationship with Francesco, playing with him in the World Cup of Golf and The Ryder Cup, too. We’ve always been very close and help each other as much as possible. I hope this isn’t a unique win and that there will be more to follow.”
6. Golf’s best locker rooms
You can almost smell the mahogany and aftershave… 
  • Golf Digest, with its unfettered access, has put together a ranking of the 50 best locker rooms in America.
  • Even acknowledging that the list must necessarily be woefully incomplete and subjective, it’s a fun read.
  • No. 1: Seminole…“It is quiet, pleasant and elegant-one of the better places in Florida to change your shoes,” Dan Jenkins wrote in 1965. Not much has changed in more than 50 years. With 30-foot-high wood ceilings, taxidermy on the walls and gold lettering on boards listing winners of the club’s prestigious tournaments, you step back in time here.”
7. Power ranking: Canadian Open edition
Who doesn’t love a little power ranking? If for no other reason than to see how notoriously difficult golf prognostication is..
  • PGATour.com’s
  • Rob Bolton lines em up.Top 5: Kisner, Koepka, Hoffman, Finau, Johnson
  • Sidebar: I did a bit of research a couple of years back to see how Tour winners generally play in their start prior to a win. The answer: The vast majority either finish top 30 or miss the cut…for what little that may be worth.
8. Random stuff you find on golf courses
…anger management edition. 
  • Hooked on Golf’s Tony Klongbero posted a picture of half of a shaft standing erect in the fairway.
  • “If I pull this shaft out, will the remaining invisible part of the shaft and the club head come out of the ground with it?  I doubt it.”
  • “So what happened here?
  • My guess is some guy snapped.  Maybe he had some problems at work before the round.  Maybe he had some problems with his girlfriend, which his wife found out about.  Maybe he was driving it poorly and went OB right.  Maybe he just 3-jacked the last green. Maybe golf finally won the battle for his sanity.”
  •  Indeed. It’s always interesting to see the results of accident and rage on the links.
9. Gear Dive into “Tour Spec”
What exactly does the term mean?
For your listening pleasure, Johnny Wunder poses that very question to Fujikura Tour Rep Marshall Thompson.

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.

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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2 months 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

2 months ago

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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

3 months 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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