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GolfWRX Morning 9: Kuchar’s working vacation | Golf’s costliest equipment switches | Golf’s most hyped

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8 years ago

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

November 9, 2018

Good Friday morning, golf fans.
1. Heckuva working vacation
Golf’s quintessential dad brings the family to Mexico with good results so far…
  • AP Report…”Matt Kuchar decided at the last minute to play the Mayakoba Golf Classic and made it look like a smart move Thursday….Kuchar missed only two fairways at El Camaleon Golf Club and kept bogeys off his card for a 7-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Dominic Bozzelli and PGA Tour rookie Kramer Hickok.”
  • “Kuchar has gone more than four years since his last PGA Tour victory. His 64 was his lowest opening round on tour since a 64 in the 2017 Phoenix Open.”
  • “It’s a bit of a working vacation,” said Kuchar, who brought his family to the resort. “I had a good time at the office, as well.”
2. Meanwhile, in Phoenix…
AP Report…”Paul Goydos and Tim Petrovic shot 8-under 63 on Thursday to share the lead in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, leaving points leader Bernhard Langer seven strokes back in the PGA Tour Champions’ season finale.”
  • “In sunny, 80-degree conditions at Phoenix Country Club, Langer parred the final nine holes for a 70. The 61-year-old German star opened with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 first, but had two front-nine bogeys.”
  • “Goydos also eagled the first and closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th. He won the 2016 event at Desert Mountain.”
3. And at Gary’s event…
The latest from South Africa…”Sergio Garcia saw his lead cut to three-shots midway through a low-scoring second day of the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player.”
  • “A remarkable 64 on day one of the seventh Rolex Series event of the season handed the Spaniard a four-shot lead overnight and he turned in 33 in round two to get to 11 under.”
  • “England’s Ross Fisher was putting together a brilliant round and he picked up seven shots in 12 holes to emerge as the nearest challenger at Gary Player Country Club, two shots ahead of countryman Matt Wallace, local favourite Louis Oosthuizen and China’s Li Haotong” (EuropeanTour.com)
4. …and at the Blue Bay
LPGA.com report…”Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 3-under 68 in Thursday’s second round and holds the 36-hole lead at the 2018 Blue Bay LPGA. After consecutive bogeys at holes 5 and 6, Jutanugarn reeled off three straight birdies at holes 7-9, and twice nailed back-to-back birdies on her inward nine, including a 15-footer from off the green to close out her round at No. 18.”
  • “I feel great,” said Jutanugarn. “I felt like I made lots of birdies because this course so tough. That’s why I feel like I make a lot of birdies.”
  • “At 7-under 137, Jutanugarn, who already has three wins this season, holds a three-stroke advantage over a trio of players at 3-under 141 – her older sister Moriya Jutanugarn, AmericanJennifer Song and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez. First-round leader Thidapa Suwannapura shot a 3-over 75 on Thursday and is tied for sixth going into the third round.”
5. The costliest equipment switches
Superb stuff from Jaime Diaz, here (on the eve of Justin Rose’s presumptive switch to Honma).
A taste…”Payne Stewart had won the PGA and U.S. Open when he left Wilson to sign a $7 million dollar deal with Spalding in 1994. Forced to use game-improvement perimeter weighted irons for the first time — as well as as the two-piece Top Flite ball — Stewart lost much of his distance control and ability to shape shots. He went from sixth on the money list in 1993 to 123rd in 1994. In 1995, Spalding allowed him to switch to a forged blade, and played better. But when he won the 1999 U.S. Open, Stewart didn’t have a club contract and was playing a mixed bag that included Mizuno MP-14 irons.”
6. Schedule switcharoo already working?
On the subject of switches, Rex Hoggard offers this perspective on the already apparent beneficial effects of the PGA Tour’s schedule shakeup.
  • “Although the major changes to the Tour schedule are still months away – with the first piece of the overhaul coming in the form of The Players Championship’s return to March – Monahan can already point to the earliest ripples of change.”
  • “You can see it on Thursday’s tee sheet at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, with the likes of Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler at an event that just a few years ago was very much an afterthought for the Tour’s best and brightest.”
  • “Real change doesn’t come to the fall portion of the Tour’s wraparound schedule until next year, when the lineup is expected to expand from eight events to as many as 11. But big changes in 2019 have prompted many, including Fowler and Spieth, to start exploring new options.”
  • “You are seeing right now at the first part of the season more top players playing and trying to get themselves in position as we flip the switch and get into the new year,” Monahan told GolfChannel.com. “It’s important not to be too far behind and to be in a solid position for the FedExCup.”
7. The Prince of Hype
Shane Ryan dusted off his hype-meter to determine who the hypiest of them all is (deciding between Cameron Champ and Bryson DeChambeau).
A taste…”To answer this important question, I’ve designed a hype-meter that pits the two against each other in various critical hype categories. Like DeChambeau, it’s scientific. Like Champ, it’s powerful. And like golf itself, the wearer of the princely crown shall be decided by the greatest format of all: match play.”
“Category 1: The Name…Bryson DeChambeau is an excellent name. It’s complicated, exotic and extravagant. It sounds a little like a masked medieval knight who wins a joust and then kills the evil king using chivalry. Translated from French, the surname means “of the fields,” which is apt for golf. It is, in most ways, good. But “Cam Champ”? Sorry Bryson, “Cam Champ” is iconic. It has echoes to short, legendary names like Babe Ruth and Tiger Woods, it works great in its longer form (Cameron Champ), and, well … it has the word “champ” in it. With its simple elegance, it makes “DeChambeau” look a little gaudy, like the name equivalent of Kramerdressing like a pimp….Score: CHAMP leads, 1 up”
8. Sybi steps in
PGATour.com’s Cameron Morfit…”Damon Green, caddie for Zach Johnson, went down with illness after 14 holes and could not continue in the first round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.”
  • “Sybi Kuchar, wife of Johnson’s playing partner Matt (7-under 64), took the bag for the last four, during which Johnson made an eagle and went 2-under to salvage an even-par 71.”
  • “He hadn’t been feeling well the last few days,” Johnson said of Green. “I’m assuming he was dehydrated, but I don’t know. Matt saw Damon struggling, and I did, too. He didn’t look right. PGA TOUR staff brought him in. I’d like to say it was the first time, but it’s happened like four times at Maui, NORTHERN TRUST at Bethpage, and a couple other places.”
  • Green later confirmed he was suffering from dehydration and received an IV.
How about ZJ kicking the man while he’s down!
9. Ryder’s joggers
Love ’em or hate ’em? Sam Ryder donned a pair of slim black joggers for the final round of the Safeway Open (in which he shot 62).
  • Greg Monteforte with a little background on the jogger maker, Greyson…”Founded in 2015 by Charlie Schaefer, Greyson has quickly gained popularity with TOUR players thanks to Schaefer’s creative and thoughtful designs. First worn on TOUR by Morgan Hoffmann, the brand has attracted Luke Donald, Kelly Kraft, Fabian Gomez, and rookie Kramer Hickok to its wolfpack

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.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. ogo

    Nov 9, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    Pro equipment changes reveals the difference between pro swing and the swing of 99.95% of the rest of golfers worldwide. If gearheads were able to ‘feel’ the pro swing they wouldn’t recognize what is happening. True muscleback blades are real golf clubs… not the rubbish being marketed nowadays.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Bob

    Nov 9, 2018 at 10:19 am

    Just go all the way and put these cucks in yoga pants.

    Reply Report comment

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

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Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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