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Morning 9: Match Play Day 1 | Tiger on how big drivers have changed pro golf | More ANWA details

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6 years ago

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

March 28, 2019

Good Thursday morning, golf fans.
1. Match Play Day 1
Golf Digest’s Christopher Powers filed a day one recap from Austin CC.
  • Among his headings…Rory McIlroy dominates…”Fresh off a victory in the Players Championship, McIlroy picked up right where he left off on Wednesday, taking an early 1-up lead over Luke List with a birdie at the second hole. List hung in there, reaching the eighth tee still only 1 down, but back-to-back bogeys saw him make the turn 2 down to McIlroy, and Rory slammed the door from there. The Northern Irishman, who won this event in 2015 and has been a Ryder Cup stalwart over the years, won four of the next five holes, closing out List with birdies at 13 and 14 to win 5 and 4.”
  • “Upsets…When it comes to match play involving the best players in the world, it’s hard to call anything an “upset” or “shocking.” There are no UMBC over Virginia type moments in this event, but there are definitely some slightly surprising victories, and the biggest from Wednesday has to be Lucas Bjerregaard taking down Justin Thomas, 3 and 2. And Thomas never really had a chance to win…”
2. Tiger’s neck feeling good
Golf Channel’s Nick Menta writes that while Tiger’s neck feels “freed up,” he developed a new problem in his opening match.
  • …”Woods’ 3-and-1 win over Aaron Wise wasn’t all that pretty, but at least it wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, Woods thinks he might have hit the ball too well.”
  • “Joey says it’s a nice problem to have, but I was hitting my irons flush and hitting through the wind,” he said. “But I said, ‘This is not the time to be encouraging me like this right now. I just hit it over the back of three greens in a row.’ So I probably have to dial that down a little bit and figure that out.”
  • Woods made a number of references to his being pleased that the scores won’t matter after his opening match, when he technically yielded 1.2 shots to the rest of the field. But he nonetheless said he was encouraged by his driving and putting on Wednesday.
  • “My neck has been freed up a little bit, and I’m able to get into a better posture and that helps,” he said. “And because of that, I’m able to log in a little bit of practice time, which is nice.”
3. The T that felt like a W
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”After starting his day with a bogey at the first hole to slip 1 down against Billy Horschel, Spieth found himself in a 3-down hole after six holes. But he clawed back to tie the match through 13 holes. He then played Nos. 14 and 15 in 3 over par before rebounding with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to earn a half point.”
  • “It was big,” Spieth admitted. “He was winning the holes. He was making a lot of really long putts through the early part of that front nine. And luckily I had holes to go after that. And we did a good job of not letting that bother me. If he’s going to shoot 7 or 8 under, I’m going to try to shoot 6 [under] and make progress in that form.”
4. De-skilling the game?
An interesting quote grab and take from Geoff Shackelford.
“Just my read from his comments yesterday, which were similar to remarks made at The Players. But it sounds like he’s inching closer to thinking a de-skilling has occurred at the top level with 460 cc drivers.”
  • “Q. How would you describe the level of competition now in 2019?…TIGER WOODS: Well, I think that equipment has made it smaller.  The margin is much smaller than it used to be. Now look at these heads, 460 cc’s, you hit the ball anywhere on the face and have it go 300 yards.   Before it put a premium on good ball-strikers to hit the ball in the middle of the face each and every time. And there was a distinction between the guys who could do that and the guys who couldn’t.  And that’s no longer the case.”
  • “It promotes people swinging harder.  Teeing the ball higher, swinging harder and hitting the ball further.  And the old shot of hitting just a squeezier, low, heelie cut in play, that’s no longer the case.  Guys are trying to maximize distance off the tee, to try and carry that number 300, 320, 330 in the air.  And it’s become a game that’s played more up in the air than it ever used to be.”
5. Kuchar, Tucan tete-a-tete
Our Gianni Magliocco...”The Matt Kuchar-David Ortiz caddie pay dispute dating back to last year’s Mayakoba Classic came to an end last month, and according to a report from Golf.com, the two have since had a face-to-face meeting where both men apologized.”
  • “Per Michael Bamberger’s report for Golf.com, the two men met each other in the clubhouse at the WGC-Mexico Championship and apologised to each other. Speaking on the 40-minute meeting where the two men buried the hatchet, Ortiz told Bamberger in a phone interview alongside an interpreter that”
  • “Matt said, ‘Hey, David, how are you?’ I apologized for the (difficulty) the situation created. I told him it was never my intention to embarrass him, but I felt eventually I had to tell the truth. Matt also offered an apology. He said it was all a misunderstanding. He asked me how my family was. He showed me a picture of his family and a video of a hole-in-one made by one of his sons.”

Full piece.

6. ANWA details
Golf Digest’s Ryan Herrington with some new details on next week’s Augusta National Women’s Am…
  • …”World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez along with ANWA participants Sierra Brooks and Maria Fassi helped unveil the bowl that will be handed to the winner on April 6 during an appearance on the “Today Show” on Wednesday morning. It was part of a New York City media tour to help promote the new tournament.”
  • “The bowl was designed in collaboration with Tiffany & Co., and made from spun sterling silver and a 24K yellow gold vermeil. Among the design accents are the event’s logo and the namesake flowers for each hole at Augusta National.”
7. Perspectives on new PGA Tour gambling possibilities
Ron Green, Jr. of Global Golf post filed an in-depth look at where we could soon be with legalized wagering on PGA Tour events.
Quoting, Andy Levinson, senior vice president of tournament administration for the PGA Tour…
“Levinson said layers of oversight will be employed when the tour is fully invested in legal sports betting.”
  • “This is an industry that for as long as the PGA Tour has been around has been generating profits on the back of the PGA Tour and its product and its brand without a lot of oversight, without really any relationship with the organization. As this activity becomes more widespread, it does put more risk on the PGA Tour, more on the players,” Levinson said.
  • “But it’s also something we’ve done prudently and we have taken the steps over the last few years to make sure we had all of our ducks in a row before we really started to jump in and engage in this type of activity. We feel like we’re taking the right steps to mitigate a lot of this.”
  • “When the pieces fully come together, what will betting on PGA Tour golf look like?”
  • “It can be as simple as trying to pick the winner of each week’s tournament or as complex as wagering on each shot a player hits. It can be as simple or as complex as a bettor chooses to make it.”
8. Golf etiquette in crisis?
A cane-wagging full-fledged golf etiquette rant (with plenty of valid points), from National Club Golfer’s Steve Carroll.
  • A morsel…”Like some Brexiteer pining for the return of the Empire, I think I must have some rose-tinted specs on when viewing etiquette through the prism of history.”
  • “I often find myself sitting on the balcony yelling that I want to take my golf club back before getting into an almighty huff when faced with a litany of pitchmarks on a green.”
  • “I know you’re allowed to repair damage on the putting surface these days but I had one at the weekend that looked like a meteor had hit. Several species lay extinct around the crater.”
9. Meanwhile, in India…
European Tour report…
  • “Stephen Gallacher and Julian Suri fired opening rounds of 67 to take a share of the first round lead at the Hero Indian Open.”
  • “Gallacher has often flourished on tough courses throughout his career, and showed he had the measure of DLF Golf and Country Club last season as he recorded a top ten finish in New Delhi.”
  • “Fast forward 12 months and a sensational putt from off the green at the last handed him a closing eagle and a one shot advantage at five under.”

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. Alex

    Mar 31, 2019 at 4:35 am

    Tiger is right…but he sorta created this monster. Not his fault because in 97 he was flushing that pos cobra that nobody else could touch. I do think technology and fitness are results of tiger.

    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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