Connect with us

News

GolfWRX Morning 9: John Daly Rd. 1 Euro Tour leader | The Song of BK & DJ | Island Green

Published

7 years ago

on
By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

August 24, 2018

Good Friday morning, golf fans.
1. Long John!
While he’s since put it in reverse (+2 through 14 on his second round, at the time of this writing), 52-year-old John Daly fired an 8-under 64 to open the D+D Real Czech Masters.
  • ESPN report…”American Daly, a former British Open and U.S. PGA champion who has failed to make the cut in a major since 2012, started strongly at the Albatross Golf Resort with birdies on his first three holes before adding two more to turn in five under.”
  • “The 52-year-old, nicknamed “Long John”, birdied three more times on the back nine to equal the course record, showing that his booming drive is still a powerful weapon.”
2. No. 1 & No. 2 start strong in “anonymity”
Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka turned in a pair of 67s to sit one shot off the early lead in the first round of The Northern Trust.”
  • “The Nos. 1 and 2 ranked players in the world, with Justin Thomas rounding out the threesome, played in relatively anonymity. There were crowds, sure, although most were sprinting ahead to see the next shot of Woods rather than the ones about to be played. But Tiger failed to muster much of merit, sluggish in his even-par 71, while golf’s Bash Brothers provided their share of impressive shots.”
  • “Better yet, in dissonant fashion. Although Johnson paced the early wave with seven birdies, and Koepka posting five red figures of his own, they broke par together on just one hole (the par-5 13th).”
3. More on BK & DJ
The No. 1, No. 2 pairing inspired Rex Hoggard to pick up his pen… He writes, “The much-talked-about exhibition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson later this year in Las Vegas may be generating headlines and interest, but from a purely competitive standpoint there’s not a better title bout in the game at the moment than Johnson and Koepka.”
  • “There’s the obvious drama created when the world’s top two players go head-to-head, along with the added intrigue of Koepka possibly unseating DJ in the world math this week. There’s also an interesting sidebar over the upcoming PGA Tour Player of the Year voting, although two majors certainly gives Koepka the upper hand in that match.”
  • “But it’s the duo’s unique relationship that creates the most compelling narrative….When they aren’t pounding drives ridiculous distances and winning Tour events – they’ve won a combined five times this season – Johnson and Koepka can normally be found working out together at the Joey D Performance Center in Jupiter, Fla.”
  • “There’s no bitterness or jealousy, simply an organic competition that drives both players….”In the gym, obviously working a little bit harder, trying to out-train him and he’s trying to out-train me, and on the golf course, I’m trying to out-perform him and he’s trying to do the same thing,” Koepka said…. “It’s been good for the both of us, so hopefully it continues for the next however many years.”
4. Ryder Cup dinner
No word on the menu, but Captain Jim Furyk broke bread with a few members of the team in New Jersey, Tuesday.
“I’m excited to go play a Ryder Cup over there [Europe], I remember in ’14 it being so crazy and honestly that kind of pressure that you feel every single hole really helped me in ’15 when I got in similar situations in major championships,” Jordan Spieth said. “It was another dinner with a great group of guys.”
5. Woods in neutral
Tiger Woods opened the Northern Trust with an even-par 71, rarely looking at an approach shot he felt comfortable over.
  • AP Report…”Professional golfers will tell you they had a “perfect number” to the flagstick after knocking an approach shot close, the yardage to said flagstick fitting precisely to the club in hand.”
  • “That cherished pre-shot data triggers confidence and trumps caution, allowing players to attack rather than protect, to swing fully and freely instead of trying to manipulate the distance with less than a full swing.”
  • “Tiger Woods received no such numbers at soggy Ridgewood Country Club in Thursday’s first round of the Northern Trust, the first leg of the FedExCup. With players allowed to lift, clean and place their ball in the fairway because of the damp conditions, Woods still was unable to control the flight and distance of his shots into the greens.”
  • “Just didn’t have the situations where I had the full club and I could go ahead and take a rip at it and start being aggressive and going after these flags,” said Woods, who is 20th in the FedExCup standings. “I kept having to play a little defensive because I was taking more club, trying to shape it and take spin off. Just one of those days.”
6. Why your practice swing doesn’t translate
Ah, one of golf’s eternal mysteries! Tim Mitchell explores why your “perfect” practice swing often doesn’t translate when you actually step up to the ball.
  • In short, Mitchell says your practice swing probably isn’t so perfect, and it may be a good indicator of the root flaw in your golf swing. “Look at what your club face is doing at impact. Study where the bottom of your swing arc is. Is the bottom of your arc where you want it to be when you’re taking practice swings? Are you taking practice swings starting where your ball position would be for the given shot? Look how you deliver your golf club. Is it on your desired swing path? Is it with your desired angle of attack? Study these components to ensure that your practice swing has an opportunity to perform more efficiently, and ultimately replicate your real swing.”
  • “The moral of this story: there are always reasons why your perfect practice swing doesn’t show up when you’re trying to execute your real swing, including the pressure to actually perform! But, if you fix the root cause of your swing and actually use a practice swing that works for the shot you want to hit, then you can replicate your practice swing and hit better shots, even under pressure.”

Mitchell’s full explainer.

7. Island Green
Aptly named, indeed. Golf Digest’s Christopher Powers filed a look at arguably the most interestingly named member of the PGA Tour’s internship program.
  • “A soon-to-be junior at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina who says his mom just wanted to name her son “something different,” Green heard through students and advisors about the tour’s internship program. With a little bit of golf in his background (Green was part of The First Tee of Greater Charlotte when he was younger), he gave it a shot and applied, unaware of the connection of his name to the tour’s flagship event.”
  • “I think we taught Island more about the island green during the interview process then he knew beforehand,” said Jim Clarke, the tour’s Senior Director of Human Resources who also oversees the internship program.
  • “According to Clarke, no one knew Island’s name when going through the first round of applications, the committee looking initially at blind resumes with no names or schools, just backgrounds and essays.”
  • “No one at the tour even knew until we started announcing the class,” Clarke said. “This wasn’t something that came from [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay Monahan like, ‘Hey, we need this guy to be here.’ When I called Island’s manager at first, he picked up and said What’s his real name? I said, I know, he’s going to get a lot of that this summer. But we go through applications, essays, a pre-recorded series of video questions they have to answer and then a live Skype call. So that helps narrow everything down, and outside of our admissions committee, people didn’t know we had an Island Green in the mix.”
8. For your viewing pleasure
GolfWRX’s resident equipment geek, Brian Knudson put together a handy 5-minute video tutorial on how to stamp and paint fill wedges. If you’ve ever wondered how it’s done, fire up Knudson’s 101-level guide.
9. New details in Woods-Mickelson match
Credit to Redditor babbage_ct for the scoop on the Woods-Mickelson playoff format, or lack thereof. Reportedly, the other possibility was a game of ping-pong.

 

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.

Click to comment

Leave a 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