Connect with us

News

Morning 9: Kuchar’s caddie speaks | Putter troubles topple TW | The worth of a caddie’s work

Published

7 years ago

on
By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)
  • February 18, 2019
Good Monday morning, golf fans.
1. Not the man from Kentucky you expected to be holding the trophy
Louisville, Kentucky native Justin Thomas began the final round of the Genesis Open with a four-stroke lead. He finished one stroke behind his fellow Bluegrass State denizen, J.B. Holmes.
  • AP Report…”Holmes closed with a 1-under 70, and that was enough to overcome Justin Thomas, who took 19 putts on the back nine at Riviera — three of them from 8 feet when he lost the lead for good — and shot 75.”
  • “They played 34 holes because of a seven-hour rain delay at the start of the tournament Thursday, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. The final day featured a wild shift in weather, from sunshine in the morning to complete 16 holes of the third round, brief rain when they teed off in the final round and wicked wind that made it tough to hole putts.”
2. Korda Slam!
Golf Digest’s John Huggan on Nelly Korda’s victory Down Under and her unique celebratory gesture.
  • “The scissor-kick was familiar. Joining her father, Petr, her brother, Sebastian, and her older sister, Jessica, Nelly Korda can call herself an Australian Open champion. Dad and little brother won their titles at tennis (1998 and 2018); the sisters on the golf course (Jessica winning in 2012).”
  • “More specifically, 20-year-old Nelly completed the family Grand Slam with a final-round 67 on the West Course at The Grange Golf Club to clinch a two-shot victory over defending champion Jin-Young Ko of South Korea…”
3. Meanwhile, in Perth…
Game story via EuropeanTour.com on the second non-traditional event in a row on the European circuit.
  • “Ryan Fox claimed a convincing 3&2 victory over Adrian Otaegui to win his first European Tour title at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth.”
  • “The New Zealander finished eight under after 54 holes of stroke play to earn a bye into the last 16 of the six hole knockout stages but he still had to come through 25 holes on Sunday to lift the trophy at Lake Karrinyup Country Club.”
  • “He needed three trips to the Shootout hole to beat Thai Jazz Janewattananond before claiming 1up triumphs over Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan and Ireland’s Paul Dunne”

Full piece.

4. Putter troubles topple Tiger
The thrills of Saturday gave way to the blahs of Sunday as the combination of fatigue and not being in contention added to a forgettable final-round performance for one Tiger Woods at chilly, blustery Riviera–a course that has been anything but “Tiger’s Alley.”
  • ESPN’s Bob Harig…”The effects of a long week, with cold, blustery conditions and delays due to bad weather and darkness finally caught up to him, Woods said, leading to a lackluster finish and a tie for 15th at Riviera Country Club — where he has now not won in 12 tries.”
  • “After getting to 3 under for his round through seven holes and to 10 under for the tournament, Woods could not manage another birdie the rest of the way, playing his last 11 holes in 4 over par and settling for a 1-over-par 72.”
  • “I got tired; there’s no doubt,” Woods said. “It was just a long week, and eventually I made a few bad swings. But to be honest with you, it was one of the worst weeks I’ve ever had on the greens. Six 3-putts is — I don’t think I’ve ever done that. And to have that many 3-putts and still shoot 6 under par — take away those 3-putts, I’m 12 under par. And if I make a few more putts, I’m right in the mix.”
5. You don’t know Matt!
That was, probably not surprisingly, the basic contention from Kuchar’s looper, John Wood.
The NY Post’s Mark W. Sanchez spotted Wood’s tweets Friday night.
  • “I don’t understand the need to tear down a guy who has spent his career trying to uphold the game and himself to some pretty high standards,” Wood wrote…”Nobody’s perfect. All we can do when a mistake is made is reconsider, apologize and make amends.”
  • …”Matt,his entire family and team have never been anything but generous,inclusive,respectful, and complimentary of me and the job I do for him…I wouldn’t work for someone I didn’t respect, or who didn’t value my opinion. To crucify for one mistake feels wrong.”
6. Baffled by altitude
Steve DiMeglio of USA Today and Golfweek, filing a report for the latter on the eternal mysteries of golfing at altitude as the Tour prepares to visit Club de Golf Chapultepec, some 7,800 feet above sea level, for the WGC Mexico.
  • “…”It took me until Sunday to get used to it,” reigning Players champion Webb Simpson said of his showing in last year’s event. After rounds of 72-70-73,  Simpson came home in 68 to tie for 37th. “I feel like I have a good understanding now of what I need to do this year.”
  • “Other players agree, as experience is the 15th club in the bag. The tight, tree-lined Club de Golf Chapultepec is an 18-hole riddle that demands constant evaluation as players figure out how far the golf ball will carry at altitude.”
I’d be remiss not to call your attention to our Ryan Barath’s meditation on the same subject in conjunction with a discussion of a Tiger Woods 3-wood switch.
7. Not to be overlooked, a W for MAJ!
AP Report…”Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Chubb Classic on Sunday for his seventh PGA TOUR Champions title, beating Bernhard Langer and Olin Browne with a 5-foot par putt on the first hole of a playoff.”
  • The Spaniard delivered this gem…”I’m working hard and I practice and go to the gym, apart from smoking and drinking,” Jimenez said. “This is what I love to do. I love to play golf. To me, competing is my life. I go to any competition, I want to win. I working for that.”
8. The worth of a caddie’s work
Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch considers the subject–with help from Fluff!– in the wake of the Kuchar-El Tucan fiasco.
  • “The debacle surrounding Matt Kuchar’s pay dispute with David “El Tucan” Ortiz has ignited plenty of commentary on the values of Kuchar, but not so much on the value of caddies. Part-Sherpa, part-psychologist, their contributions are often intangible. Caddies occupy a decidedly gray area not easily measured in dollars.”
  • “For starters, you’re carrying the bag. They ain’t gotta carry their clubs,” said Mike “Fluff” Cowan, one of the few celebrity members of the caddie corps on the PGA Tour. “It’s a second set of eyes, it’s a second opinion. You’re not always right. If we were right every single time, we’d want a lot of money. I don’t think it can be dismissed. As long as you’re not costing your man any shots, you’re doing your job.”
9. J.B. Holmes does not play golf quickly
Golf.com’s Josh Berhow rounded up some lowlights and remarks concerning the…exceedingly deliberate…work of one J.B. Holmes, Sunday.
  • “At the par-3 4th, Holmes stalked a birdie putt for more than 80 seconds.”
  • “Here is J.B. Holmes, going through all the maps and scales and typography data that he can find,” said Jim Nantz, setting the stage.
  • “The issue I have with that is not that he’s doing that, it’s that he had plenty of time to do that while Justin was getting ready for his shot or Adam was getting ready for his shot,” said on-course reporter Peter Kostis. “And he waited until it was his turn to play to go through his whole routine.”

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.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. dan

    Feb 18, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    Reading some of the shameful comments regarding ’El Tucan” received good money compared to Mexican Wages is sad to say at the least. We do not have any say as to what country were born. No more than who are our birth parents. The issue is the golfer whom he carried his bag has won 47 million on the PGA tour. That does not take into account millions in endorsement deals. I should also note you receive additional monies from some sponsors when winning a tournament. Having been in the shipping business my whole career I have traveled to countless countries. Haiti makes Mexico look like a financial paradise. The problem with Kuchar is flat-out disgraceful from a moral compass standpoint. He had not won using a regular caddie in over four years. Had he won with his regular caddie Kuchar would have forked over $130,000 along with additional travel expense monies. He then wins with a local caddie. The win scenario changed all bets prior deals. IMO KUCHAR or management team should have immediately paid 25% ($32,500) of his winnings. El Tucan would have been pleased. Instead KUCHAR paid this human being, a man born in a poor country a salary he deemed justified! SHAMEFUL. Stating a deal is a deal is an embarrassment! Then not having the brains to realize his incentive comments were made at the Genesis Open in LA which has one of the highest populations of Mexicans in the country. Simple shows he lives in a bubble. Bottom line KUCHAR for 2 decades has seemed like a STANDUP GUY. I think we all have made our own opinion if KUCHAR made a sincere genuine gesture. Regardless he made a horrific mistake & deserves the benefit of the doubt moving forward without any backlash. KUCHAR apologized and agreed to give 50k to EL Tucan. Which is life changing money in his world. Not only that from a positive angle I am sure more Americans who play the resort were he caddies will ask for El Tucan by name. Being a proud American I am confident if we get El Tucan for a loop we will give him way beyond a customary tip.

    Posted by Dan Joseph on Feb 18, 2019 | 10:46 AM reply

    Reply Report comment

Leave a Reply

Cancel 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