News

TaylorMade to skip 2019 PGA Merchandise Show

Published

7 years ago

Oct 22, 2018

The 2019 PGA Merchandise Show will be missing a very familiar face, as TaylorMade has announced that it will not be involved in the annual event. The news will come as a disappointment to many, as TaylorMade had previously created much buzz at the show, often showcasing their new product line with an elaborate exhibition each January at the event. At the 2017 PGAM Show, TaylorMade announced the news that Tiger Woods had signed with TaylorMade.

According to TaylorMade’s CEO, David Abeles, the decision to skip the event next year is due to ongoing investment into growth initiatives that will add value to the game of golf.

“After conversations with TaylorMade Professional Staff members and key leaders within the golf industry, we will be investing into growth initiatives that we believe will create even greater value for the game of golf. As a result of our additional spend, we have decided not to attend the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show.”

Abeles stated how TaylorMade’s lack of involvement in the show based in Orlando will present the opportunity for TaylorMade to invest in the “support of PGA Professionals across the country,” while also acknowledging how the news of TaylorMade’s lack of participation in the PGA show would come as a blow to many.

“While this may be disappointing to some, we hope that you appreciate our excitement to expand our partnership in new ways.”

Not since Acushnet (Titleist, FootJoy) decided to skip the event from 2004-2008 has the PGA Merchandise Show lost such a big name.

See what GolfWRX Members are saying about it in our forums.

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at gianni@golfwrx.com.

18 Comments

Bert Gwaltney

Nov 29, 2018 at 7:13 pm

I remember when Pig said, no thanks, didn’t hurt them at all.

Reply Report comment
DaveyD

Nov 11, 2018 at 11:51 am

Not really news. They gotta do what they gotta do.

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Rich Douglas

Nov 10, 2018 at 8:37 pm

I smell bankruptcy.

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Read

Nov 7, 2018 at 11:41 pm

Maybe they can use some of that “saved money” to run a show on the Golf Channel and let some amateur hacks design a driver for them…OR HAS THAT BEEN DONE?

Reply Report comment
RT

Nov 6, 2018 at 7:51 pm

That is maybe because —- Lack of something that’s really new and different or lack of funding ,or paying out too much for players ???? Either way it doesn’t matter I don’t play their product..

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B. Ferguson

Oct 27, 2018 at 8:18 pm

As an Adams fan, pardon my alligator tears . . .

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Golf Golf Golf

Oct 25, 2018 at 6:28 am

The show would be time wasted for TM to come out with 5 new models of irons in that week.

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bob carroll

Oct 24, 2018 at 10:35 pm

the show originally was for new product that was introduced at the show. before the internet, you had to go to the show to see all the new stuff. it was also a great vacation for the northern pro’s. go to the show, play golf in warm weather and write it all off. now there really is no reason to go unless you live up north.

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Garry Pierce

Oct 24, 2018 at 2:55 pm

My experience as a retailer.. Oct is when new products were released and I had the stuff in stock already. By the end of Jan. The “new line” was already 60 days into what I call the 180 main sales period. After that the wow factor is gone. The PGA Show was a “work” vacation I could right off. Half day st the show, 5 days of golf

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rymail00

Oct 24, 2018 at 3:38 am

Maybe they are realizing that all $$$ going into the PGA Show just isn’t worth the cost? With social media now a few “leaked pics” on twitter, Instagram etc. Stirs up as much buzz as or even more than stock PGA Show pics. At the show you hear everything about a club, but slow leaks makes people keep checking back in for a just a tiny bit of more details, and again it’s basically free.

Honestly like 5-6 years ago I was so amped for the PGA Show photos etc. but every year that pasts it’s just less and less interesting IMHO.

I’m curious if this will maybe make other large OEM’S start to reconsider spending all this cash that can be done over the internet for free with “leaked pics from pros etc.”

I dont know, just a thought.

Reply Report comment
Brad

Oct 23, 2018 at 10:37 pm

In other words, money is too tight at TaylorMade for them to attend the show. Given how many pros they are paying on the PGA to play their clubs, and that Adidas offloaded TM last year because of how that business was a drag on their bottom line – this is no big surprise.

The only thing that would surprise me is if TM is NOT bankrupt or put on the block again (for an even lower price) within the next 3-4 years.

Reply Report comment
- Robb
  
  Oct 24, 2018 at 4:44 pm
  
  Their business model has changed significantly since they were acquired last October. If they are sold again it will be for a profit not due to bankruptcy I promise that.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Joseph A Smith
  
  Nov 11, 2018 at 8:37 pm
  
  I see that you think the brand will tank. I disagree. There are a lot of smart people who work there. The PGA show literally costs TM MILLIONS (Plural). All I know is that I wish I had $425 million laying around- I would have jumped at that price. KPS will make them mean and lean and then flip them for double that in 4-6 years. Arguably the strongest tour staff (DJ, Rory, Day, Rahm, Rose (For the time being) and of course TW). They went big with the needle movers and cut back on sponsoring the 237th best player in the world. You know why? Nobody cares what driver that guy is playing. Callaway is top dog right now. That will change. If I were a betting man- Honma is the next brand to take off. Have a good night!
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

Oct 23, 2018 at 5:28 pm

Are they going to use the money they are saving by skipping the Show to invest in and promote 10″ diameter cups like a former TM CEO was suggesting to grow the game? hahahaha!

Reply Report comment
Tom

Oct 23, 2018 at 12:55 pm

Uh Oh, guess we now know how TM’s sales went this year.

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WITB Enthusiast

Oct 23, 2018 at 9:06 am

I actually like the thoughts…. “invest in the support of PGA Professionals across the country,” and “the decision to skip the event next year is due to ongoing investment into growth initiatives that will add value to the game of golf.” However, I will just say I’m VERY INTERESTED to see if this investment and growth initiative really add value. Will Taylor Made be putting all of those dollars to work or just saving them. That’s ok too…. maybe just not fully wanting to say they are trying to save money.

Reply Report comment
Scott

Oct 23, 2018 at 1:00 am

there is a mutual benefit to TM and the club professionals selling the kit to attend the show. This is very shortsighted CFO bean-counting management.

Reply Report comment
MAPA

Oct 22, 2018 at 10:30 pm

{{{{{{{ OMFG }}}}}}

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News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

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.

Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.

We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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.

News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

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)