Connect with us

News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Jordan Spieth’s putting ails cured? | Encouraging rounds played data | Johnny Miller retiring?

Published

7 years ago

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

August 30, 2018

Good Thursday morning, golf fans.
1. More support from the Tour for legalized betting
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard with the details…”Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) outlined his proposal for a federal framework that would govern sports betting on Wednesday.”
  • “Schumer’s proposal would require sports books to only use official league data to determine outcomes and that the sports leagues themselves should be involved in determining what bets would be accepted, which are both safeguards the PGA Tour has pushed for since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ban on sports betting in most states earlier this year.”
  • “The Tour, along with Major League Baseball and the NBA, released a joint statement late Wednesday, “As legalized sports betting spreads across the states, there is a need for consistent, nationwide integrity standards to safeguard the sports millions of fans love. We strongly support the legislative framework outlined by Senator Schumer and we encourage Congress to adopt it.”
2. Jordan Spieth’s putting woes…are gone?
Golfweek’s David Dusek points out that the difficulties that bedevilled one of the game’s great flatstick wielders seem to have vanished.
  • Spieth, via Dusek.… “If you look at the last month, which is all I need to look at this year, my putting has been fantastic,” Spieth said as beads of sweat dripped down his face. “I’ve been one of the top putters on tour.”
  • “He’s right. Spieth missed the cut at The Memorial in June, not because he putted poorly, but because his iron game let him down. Starting with that event, statistically, Spieth’s putting has been outstanding, with a daily strokes gained putting average in five events of 0.944. To give that number reference, if that was Spieth’s average for the season, he would rank second on the PGA Tour behind Jason Day’s 0.965.”
  • “Everything that I’m working on, I know what to do,” Spieth said. “It’s about actually doing it. The good news is that they are all trends that will serve me better, in the long run, going forward.”
  • “It was because of setup,” he said. “It’s not anything that anyone would have diagnosed in my stroke. It was because of how I viewed my putter in the setup. It’s not frustrating. I don’t really care what other people are saying. Why would I trust what anybody else says when I know exactly what’s going on? I didn’t know exactly for a little while, but I knew that it was in the setup. I’d set over the ball and it didn’t look right to me, then I had to figure out why.”
3. What makes a golf course…not terrible?
We’re not talking about top 100 tracks, but rather, enjoyable 18s. Digest’s Sam Weinman has a good take on what makes a course, well, not terrible.
Here are a few of his metrics.
“Good bones”: Like a once grand colonial fallen into disrepair, here you could squint from the first tee and detect the vague outline of greatness. A gently-winding dogleg cutting through the trees. A face bunker strategically guarding the right side of the green. It’s all there if someone could just put actual sand in the bunkers, and clean up the beer cans in the creek.
“Puttable greens: A golfer can tolerate all sorts of indignities across 18 holes, provided those holes conclude with a ball rolling end-over-end in the direction of a cup. Like a great dessert after a bad meal, true greens help you forgive everything that came before.”
  • “Variety: One way to combat a course’s shortcomings is by disrupting the monotony. A driver toward that pile of cinder blocks here. A hybrid short of the weird-smelling pond there. They say a good golf course should ask a lot of questions. Occasionally they’re just awkwardly phrased.”
  • “Errs on the side of forgiving: Let’s be honest, a golfer is far more capable of suppressing his inner architecture snob if he can string together a decent score. In other words, if you spray it right and find it, if you thin your approach but still watch it roll onto the green, you’re far less likely to get bogged down by strategic deficiencies. Who cares what it looks like, you might break 40 on the back!”
  • “Walkability: The only thing worse than a bad golf course is a bad golf course comprised of absurd elevation changes or tedious stretches between greens and tees. At least when walking, you’re privy to exercise and moments of quiet reflection, and you don’t have to trudge back across the fairway because you brought the wrong wedge. You’ll grade the whole experience on a more favorable scale, especially since they can’t ding you $25 for the mandatory cart.”
4. Johnny Miller retiring?
After nearly 30 years in the chair, NBC’s lead golf analyst, the irrepressible Johnny Miller,  may be stepping down..
  • “It’s been 50 years on the road, and part of me is saying, ‘That’s enough,'” Miller told the AP’s Doug Ferguson. “I haven’t gotten to that point yet. They’re still trying to convince me to keep going. So we’ll see. I usually listen to my gut, so to speak, and my wife. Right now, I am planning on scaling down even more. We’ll see what happens. Maybe I will say, ‘Hey, one more year.'”
5. Encouraging rounds played data
Golf Datatech, well, data, via Golf Digest’s Mike Stachura. (Was he “Bomb” or “Gouge”?)
  • “Rounds played numbers for July were down across the U.S. by 1.6 percent compared to July 2017, which might be the most misleading statistic in golf history next to Jeff Sluman holding the record for the longest drive ever recorded on the PGA Tour (473 yards, in 2003-yes, that Jeff Sluman and, yes, that 2003).”
  • “The slight decline in rounds played is remarkable in that it came in a month where many sections of the country were receiving buckets of rain that likely washed out entire weekends, even weeks of rounds. At the very least, it could close a course to golf carts, further chilling the incentive for some to play. So let’s look a little more closely at the numbers from Golf Datatech’s thorough research of the country’s golf in July.”
  • “First, 18 states showed more than a 2 percent increase in rounds played, almost equal to the number that showed more than a 2 percent decrease (21). But the real story again is precipitation and bad weather, which has plagued the golf business much of the year. While it is the sixth month of seven this year that rounds played were down, it is also the sixth month this year when temperatures in much of the country were colder (early in the year) or precipitation amounts were higher.”
6. Bryson vs. the robot
This morsel from L’Artiste about his ping pong prowess ahead of the Dell Technologies Championship…
  • “I used to practice at lunchtime with a couple buddies of mine against this little robot…We got a robot where this thing would shoot out the ball, different velocities, and different spin rates — this is what professionals practice with. We practiced every lunch period for a couple of years. And I got pretty good, needless to say.”
Just another reason he belongs on the Ryder Cup team…
7. What’s ahead for Brooke?
Golf Channel’s Randall Mell looks at what’s ahead for Brooke Henderson after her storybook Canadian Open win.
  • “Henderson jumped inside the top 10 with Sunday’s triumph, moving six spots to No. 8. While you won’t catch her coveting the No. 1 ranking publicly, she relishes a chance to get there. And she is in a great place now to make a run at it before the year is out.”
  • “Henderson is hot at an opportune time. She won in Portland in 2015 and ’16. There’s something about Columbia Edgewater Country Club that brings out her best….”I’m really excited to be back here in Portland, where, really, my career got started,” she said.”
  • “The victory in ’15 was Henderson’s first LPGA title. She was still a few weeks from her 18th birthday, and not yet an LPGA member, but she got into the field as a Monday qualifier. She ended up winning in an eight-shot runaway. She claimed LPGA membership with the victory.”
  • “After this week’s event, the women get a week off and then head to the Evian Championship for the year’s final major. That’s where Henderson could really put her signature on this season.”
8. For your listening pleasure…
A great guest on the TG2 podcast! Sean Toulon, Founder of Toulon Design and GM of Odyssey, joins the Two Guys Talking Golf podcast. He discusses getting his start in the industry, why he started his own putter company, why his diamond-milling face pattern works, blades vs. mallets, his famous Indianapolis design, the benefits of toe hang, and much much more.
9. A sign to be heeded?
While another user commented that the actual sign most often unheeded is probably, “No alcohol beyond this point,” Redditor Azione 81 suggested that the sign below is one of the most often ignored in golf. Whether that’s true or not, the point stands: #PlayItForward, folks!

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.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. TexRex

    Sep 4, 2018 at 1:10 am

    I’d like to Johnny Miller stick around. He’s always been candid, insightful, and extremely knowledgeable.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Law

    Aug 30, 2018 at 11:42 am

    That sign should be at every course and make it LAW in the US

    Reply Report comment

  3. Brad

    Aug 30, 2018 at 10:49 am

    speith yipped a 7″ putt…he is not fixed and will not be fixed until he goes further unconventional, hes pissed away this year.

    Reply Report 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