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GolfWRX Morning 9: Better matchups than Tiger-Phil | Remembering the Skins Game | More arguments for watching The Match

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7 years ago

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

November 22, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving, golf fans. I’m truly thankful for all of you that open this email every day (and only slightly less thankful for those of you who only open it some days). But truly, wishing you the best this holiday.
1. Instead of Tiger-Phil…
Michael Collins put down the microphone and stopped posting to social media long enough to do a bit of writing for ESPN. He proposes alternatives to the Tiger-Phil match that he’d rather see. Good stuff!
  • “Patrick Reed vs. Jordan Spieth...I know Reed would do most of the smack-talking — until Spieth got to a boiling point. That’s what everyone would be paying to see.”
  • “Dustin Johnson vs. Brooks Koepka…You’ll have to keep checking your television to make sure it’s not on mute. It won’t be. Oh, it’ll feel like it though. Silence. That’s exactly how much talking will be going on. They might mumble a word or two to each other, and we know what that would sound like. So … Vegas side bet: Over/under on how many times you hear “bro” or “brah” is set at 125.”
  • “Justin Thomas vs. Ian Poulter…Here’s the rule: Neither of them can talk. Just let them be surrounded by hecklers and see what happens. Poulter’s hecklers are chosen from Twitter and Thomas’ come only from select Auburn fans.”
2. Meanwhile, in Melbourne…
BBC Report…”England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter hold a share of the lead after the first round of the World Cup of Golf in Australia. In the opening round of fourballs, the pair shot a bogey-free 10-under par round of 62 in Melbourne.”
“They are level with Australia’s Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith as well as South Korean duo Kim Si-woo and An Byeong-hun. The two-man teams compete in alternate shot foursomes in Friday’s round two.”
3. What the Tour will be watching during Tiger-Phil
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in May to overturn the 1992 federal law that banned commercial sports betting in most states created a bold new landscape for all sports leagues, but particularly the Tour.”
  • “Assuming we get to the right place with fan protections and using the right data, our sport is in such a unique position,” Monahan said. “You look at the stick-and-ball sports, you see the ball, there’s one ball and one group of players that are all in front of you. You can see everything on one screen.
  • “In our sport, you’ve got 78 players out on the golf course at one point in time and we’ve got a system in ShotLink that produces a significant amount of data and a significant amount of possibilities. Think about what that can mean for our game, for our fans, it’s exciting.”
  • Those possibilities will get something of a cold open on Friday when Mickelson and Woods tee off at Shadow Creek. Although some say The Match is a decade too late, it’s a perfect model for officials to gauge fan interest of potential “in-play” betting. Although the Tour doesn’t have any historical data about Shadow Creek, Mickelson’s track record from, say, 10 feet (he ranked 164th last season on Tour with a 33.8 percent conversion) is well documented.
4. Another defense of The Match
This time, it’s Adam Woodard at USA Today telling you why you should watch. Countless (like, 4) reasons, he says.
  • A bit of his argument…”Both players won a PGA Tour event last season. Mickelson won the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, an event where only the world’s best qualify, and Woods won the Tour Championship, the final event of the Tour season featuring the year’s top 30 players.”
  • “Sponsors put up the $9 million prize, but Woods and Mickelson will pony up some of their own money on side bets throughout the competition, with all the money going to charity. On Tuesday, Mickelson baited Woods into a $200,000 bet that he will birdie the opening hole. Expect plenty more just like that.”
  • “Other expected bets will be long drive and closest-to-the-pin contests, with both players also likely proposing money challenges on putts and up-and-downs. The bets will likely be in the range of $10,000 to $50,000 per wager.”
  • “Both players and their caddies will be wearing microphones. Drone coverage will deliver “camera angles that have never been seen before for a live golf event,” according to a Turner Sports press release. Real-time, hole-by-hole statistics on the screen will display the probability of different outcomes.”
5. Remembering the Skins Game
Excellent stuff from Alex Myers at Golf Digest remembering the dearly departed Skins Game.
  • He rounds up a few of the most memorable moments, including…”Tom Watson accused Gary Player of cheating…”For the most part, the Skins Game epitomized hit-and-giggle golf, but things got a bit testy between two of the game’s legends during the inaugural event in 1983. With $120,000 on the line on the 16th hole, Watson was overheard confronting Player about allegedly illegally improving his lie by patting down a root behind his ball. Here’s what New York Times columnist Dave Anderson wrote:”
  • “From 30 feet away, Tom Watson could be heard saying, ‘I’m accusing you, Gary … you can’t do that … I’m tired of this … I wasn’t watching you, but I saw it.’ Gary Player could be heard defending himself, saying at one point, ‘I was within the rules.'”
  • “Watson maintained his belief that Player-knowingly or unknowingly-cheated and issued a statement the following day that said in part, “If we overlook the rules, then the game as we know it would become something much less than it is. My greatest regret, though, is that this private matter became a public incident.”
6. Vic Open, featuring men and women, will be co-sanctioned by LPGA Tour (Euro Tour too)
AP Report…”Golf Australia says the 2019 Vic Oen, which features both men and women playing simultaneously, will be co-sanctioned by the LPGA tour….The men’s portion of the tournament has already been announced to be on the European Tour next year.”
“Golf Australia said Wednesday the Vic Open will be held at 13th Beach Golf Links west of Melbourne from Feb. 7-10….The Women’s Australian Open, which has been on the LPGA tour for eight years, will now be part of a two-week Australian swing.”
7. Jack Nicklaus, President Trump tee it up
AP Report…”President Donald Trump is spending the first day of his Thanksgiving break taking advantage of the good golfing weather.”
  • “White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham says the president was playing “a quick round” on Wednesday with golf legend Jack Nicklaus, Nicklaus’s professional golfer son Gary, and his grandson G.T.”
  • “The trip is Trump’s first of the season to his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he typically spends Thanksgiving, Christmas and many winter weekends.”
8. Top Tiger-Phil showdowns
Great stuff from the Golfweek staff rounding up the best Woods-Mickelson showdowns from the past two decades.
  • It’d be unfair to just poach their No. 1 entry, so here’s No. 2…”2007 Deutsche Bank Championship”
  • “This is, without a doubt, Mickelson’s most impressive triumph in a duel with Woods. Mickelson began the final round two back and Woods was three behind. With this duo paired together and playing well that Monday, it would ultimately come down to them.”
  • “Lefty piled up five birdies in the opening 10 holes and was so dominant early on that this appeared it would be a rout. In fact, Woods was five back of Mickelson with seven to play. But the pressure would intensify. Mickelson made a sloppy double bogey at the 12th and Woods buried a 40-footer for birdie at the 14th to cut the lead to two.”
  • “The climax arrived at the par-3 16th, where Woods stepped up and knocked his tee shot to 10 feet. Mickelson answered in the cauldron by stuffing his approach 6 feet under the hole. Woods rolled in his birdie putt, but Mickelson calmly buried his own to retain an important two-shot margin.”
  • “It was a huge moment for Mickelson – who would go on to win by two shots – proving he could outduel Woods as Lefty was in the major-winning phase of his career.”
9. The biggest influence on your child’s development in sports
Interesting piece, as our Thomas Devine, a junior golf instructor and director of the Future Elite Junior Golf Programme, weighs in on the most important elements in a child’s athletic development.
  • He offers this in conclusion…”Whilst participation development models that acknowledge physical, technical, and other assets do hold great value, a model that completely disregards any social aspects of development has to be questioned. Below are the important take home points”
  • “Social aspects underpin everything we do and an acknowledgement of unique social situations is paramount in youth development…Luck can often play a huge part in youth development…Children should not be judged or selected based upon something that is out of their control….Be aware of relative age effect/biological age…..(but, do not make it your priority as neurological age is more important than biological age!!…Talking to parents and children is the key catalyst to bridging the gap between development and social issues….The relationships we develop with children are critical to motivations and lifelong participation.”

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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. bill williams

    Nov 22, 2018 at 7:08 pm

    At least that five-some can walk and/or fly the golf course…. which is more than you can say about pot-bellied humans scurrying around in their golf carts.

    Reply Report comment

    • ogo

      Nov 23, 2018 at 3:25 pm

      Turkeys can’t fly…. only waddle and gobble… and get roasted…!!

      Reply Report comment

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

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4 weeks ago

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Jul 29, 2025

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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.

 

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

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4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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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)

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