Connect with us

News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Tom Watson on the distance debate | Why don’t Canadians win the Canadian Open?

Published

7 years ago

on

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 27, 2018

Good Friday morning, golf fans. .
1. Watson: make the ball bigger
Tom Watson, British Open maestro that he is, had some interesting things to say ahead of the Senior Open this week.
  • Via John Huggan at Golf Digest…”The biggest change in the [professional] game has been the golf ball. You can say players swing faster because they work out and they are stronger. Yeah, that’s an element. But when they changed the golf ball in 2001 it was 29 yards different. Let’s say you hit drives on 14 holes, that’s over 400 extra yards. Add the extra distance you get with the irons and that’s maybe another 100 yards. So the course is 500 yards shorter.”
  • “And the solution? It is actually one that has been used before. Thirty-five years or so after the world of golf outside the United States switched from the 1.62 inch diameter ball to one 0.06 inches bigger-and so lost maybe 20 yards from drives as a result-Watson and Feherty approve of a repeat.”
  • “You could have one ball for the pros and let the amateurs play with anything they want,” Watson said. “Or you could play one ball in major amateur championships, as well as the professional tours. Yeah, we could do that. But I like Feherty’s response to it. I was talking to David at the Masters. He said: ‘Just make the ball bigger. That will make up the difference in distance.'”
2. Robert on the rocks

AP Report..“Robert Garrigus made a birdie after a rock saved his ball from water and had a one-stroke lead at 9-under 63 on Thursday when play in the RBC Canadian Open was suspended because of dangerous weather.”

  • “Hit it right in the middle of the water, and it hit a rock and bounced over the thing,” Garrigus said about the break on the par-5 13th…The American wasn’t as fortunate on Nos. 10 and 17 at rain-softened Glen Abbey.”
  • “Could have been 59 there if a couple putts didn’t lip out,” Garrigus said.
  • He made five straight birdies on Nos. 2-6, and birdied four of the last six holes — three of them par 5s.”
3. Why hasn’t a Canadian won the Canadian Open since ’54? Who knows.

Cameron Morfit says the answer to the question is unclear.

  • “As for Canada, though, it’s complicated. Patrick Oswald Fletcher was the last Canadian to win the Canadian Open in 1954, making him the first from the Great White North to win the tournament since 1914 and, ahem, not exactly opening the floodgates. Yes, Oswald acted alone. (Sorry.) Mike Weir nearly won in ’04, but Canada wept as Singh drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, then beat Weir in a playoff.”
  • “It’s going to end at some point,” Weir said of the streak when it reached its 60-year anniversary in 2014. “… It would be nice to get the streak over so we don’t have to talk about it.”
  • “On the plus side, there are 21 Canadians in the field this week. They are led by favorite son Weir and Adam Hadwin, who won the Valspar Championship last year and comes to Glen Abbey at a respectable 61st in the FedExCup. All four Monday qualifiers this week were Canadian.”
4. Reed vs. the camera crew
“I’m not going [hitting the ball] until y’all get the heck out of here,” Patrick Reed told a camera crew during the first round of the European Tour’s Porsche European Open in Germany.
  • Standing over his ball at Green Eagle’s 10th hole, the Golf Channel’s Instagram post shows Reed’s caddie, Kessler Karain motioning to someone and gesturing.
  • “You’re rattling change in your pocket. That’s why I’m pointing at you for,” Kerrain says forcefully.
  • Reed eventually says, “He lost privileges by going like that [rattling it in his pocket] with change],” before sending the crew further away.

See the video here.

5. Tiger in for the Bridgestone


Not like he was ever going to say no if he qualified…

  • Via Golf Digest…”a computing error was discovered, which bumped the 14-time major winner to No. 50 in the world rankings, thus earning an invite to Firestone.”
  • “On Thursday, Woods and his team officially committed to the tournament’s final stop in Northeast Ohio, which begins next week.”
  • “The Firestone confines have been friendly to Woods throughout his career. The 42-year-old has eight wins at the tournament, along with a runner-up finish and a total of 12 top-10 finishes in 15 starts. Alas, next week marks Tiger’s last chance to add to the trophy case from the Akron event, as the championship is moving to Memphis in 2019.”
6. How to totally lose your golf game
Funny stuff from Tony at Hooked on Golf
  • “No matter how bad you play golf, it can always get worse. You can quote me on that.  Here is the special Hooked on Golf Blog top 10 list to help you ruin what little golf game you have left”
  1. Play in a corporate or charity scramble. Please NEVER invite me to these.
  2. Take a lesson.
  3. Practice on mats. You can’t miss a shot. Seriously!
  4. Listen to the advice you got from the hack on the driving range wearing no shirt
  5. Buy the same golf clubs as the latest PGA Tour winner. WITB – What’s in the bag?
  6. Buy golf training aids on ebay. I recommend a $5 golf club stand a.k.a. tomato stand.
  7. Play in a group of bad golfers.
  8. Over-activate your glutes.
  9. Spend all your time practicing golf trick shots and posting them on your social networks, instead of practicing how to play golf.
  10. Play by the rules, if you actually know them.
7. JD: 69
Via Golf Channel…”It was looking a lot like 1995 on Thursday at the Old Course – at least for a few hours.”
  • “John Daly, who won the ’95 Open Championship at St. Andrews, got off to a brilliant start in Round 1 of The Senior Open. After a bogey at the second, he made birdie at the par-4 third and then made eagle-3 at the par-5 fifth. He continued that run with birdies on Nos. 6 and 7, and then added another at the par-3 11th.”
  • “Daly was at 5 under par and challenging for the lead. But the inward nine proved more difficult as players turned into a stiff wind. Daly bogeyed the 12th and 15th holes and parred in for a 3-under 69. He finished the day four shots off the lead, held by Kirk Triplett.”
8. Joh yeah
The eternally entertaining Tiffany Joh took a four-shot lead after a stunning opening-round 62 at the Ladies Scottish Open.
  • She made nine birdies. “I pretty much kept it in play and putted amazing,” Joh told the Ladies European Tour website. “I didn’t feel like I hit it particularly well, but I left it in the right places and had a hot putter.”
9. Club Pro Guy on tour?

Stephen Hennesey at Golf Digest with the news…”One-handed rakes, punch-out club twirls and Mexican drug cartel run-ins appear like they’re coming to the Web.com Tour’s Kansas City event in a few weeks. The tour announced on Wednesday that they have extended a special exemption into next week’s KC Golf Classic’s Monday qualifier to the Club Pro Guy, one of the best follows in golf social media.”

  • “Any golfer on social media likely follows the Club Pro Guy, a hilarious parody account run anonymously but has accumulated 60,000 followers for his dead-on humor about all things golf. The former Mexican mini-tour star has appeared on the Golf Channel a handful of times, in the pages of Golf Digest and on podcasts like No Laying Up and the Tour Junkies.”

“But every time, he’s managed to keep his identity unknown-with the Golf Channel blurring out his face. If Club Pro Guy does, in fact, take up the Web.com Tour on this offer, he’ll be showing his face in public. And we’re sure folks will share it on social media, knowing the fascination there is among CPG’s fan base.”

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.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Donald

    Jul 27, 2018 at 9:46 pm

    Canadians don’t have golf ball brains… they got hockey puck brains… and only the puny and old play golf in Canada. Curiously, Canada has many more golf courses per capita than the USA… go figure.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Omm

    Jul 27, 2018 at 6:19 pm

    It doesn’t have its own league of anything. Why do Canadian teams play in the US? NHL, MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB. Why doesn’t Canada separate itself from the US, and then may be its national pride and nationality will be stronger to spur on proper Canadian nationals to represent its “ country.” Of course you also should quit being a part of the Commonwealth if you want to be taken seriously as an independent nation.

    Reply Report comment

    • Omm

      Jul 27, 2018 at 6:21 pm

      And lets not forget that the Canadian Open is a PGA of America event. lol

      Reply Report comment

    • Donald

      Jul 27, 2018 at 9:52 pm

      Canada is a parasite country that depends on the USA for it’s existence. Annex the place and end their confusion and misery.

      Reply Report comment

  3. Omm

    Jul 27, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    It can’t make up its mind on whether to speak English or French

    Reply Report comment

    • Donald

      Jul 27, 2018 at 9:48 pm

      Oh, mostly speak English but are governed by the Fremch from Quebec. They are not a melting pot country like the USA… they are multi-cultural and have ethnic ghettoes splitting up the cities and country. Canada is a real basket case country that leaches off the USA… no more.

      Reply Report comment

  4. Omm

    Jul 27, 2018 at 6:13 pm

    Canada is not a country is why.

    Reply Report comment

    • Donald

      Jul 27, 2018 at 9:50 pm

      It’s like a slime coating on top of the USA. Annex them and put them out of their Fremch misery.

      Reply Report comment

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

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.

Continue Reading

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 28, 2025

By

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)

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.  Driver: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship

Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)

Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...

Facebook

Trending