Connect with us

News

Morning 9: ANWA was a symbolic triumph (and symbolism matters) | A meditation on McIlroy

Published

6 years ago

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

April 8, 2019

Good Masters Monday morning, golf fans.
1. From Monday qualifier to tournament winner
Reality: Corey Conners is not an immensely popular or well-known golfer. As such (and especially the week before the Masters) enthusiasm for his victory was muted. Fair enough. However, we should stand up and applaud Conners not only for the W, but for the fact that he MONDAY QUALIFIED (firing a 68, one of four qualifiers) for the tournament. It’s an unthinkable achievement, really…and one that hasn’t occurred in nine years. Entering this week, only 17 of 51 qualifiers had made the cut in PGA Tour events…
AP Report…”He made three birdies in the final five holes, shooting a 6-under 66. He was 20-under for the tournament, winning by two shots over Charley Hoffman.”
  • “Next stop for Conners: Augusta, Georgia.”
  • “My wife got an email this morning letting her know we could check in for our flight back home,” Conners said. “I told her, `Aw, don’t check in yet. Maybe we can make other plans.’ Big change of plans. It was going to be an off week. I’m glad it won’t be.”
  • “Hoffman, the 2016 Valero Texas Open winner, shot 67 for 18-under on the week…Ryan Moore closed with an 8-under 64, a shot off the course record, and was third at 17-under…Si Woo Kim, THE PLAYERS Championship winner in 2017, led the opening three rounds but dropped to a tie for fourth with Brian Stuard (15-under) after an even-par 72.”

Full piece.

2. Ko wins ANA
Todd Kelly at Golfweek on the first major champion of 2019, Jin Young Ko…
  • “For the second day in a row, Ko saw a comfortable back-nine lead slip away, but a key birdie on the 16th hole allowed Ko to keep that lead and win the ANA Inspiration, the first major championship of the year.”
  • “I can’t believe. I’m still excited. I mean, I can’t believe it. I don’t know,” Ko said after the round. “Always I had a little bit nervous (in) all the shots. So I’m just try calm down and like, focus and have fun this week.”
  • “Ko managed a 2-under 70 on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club for a tournament total of 10-under 278. That was three shots better than Mi Hyang Lee, who also shot 70 on Sunday on a warm and windless afternoon in Rancho Mirage.”

Full piece.

3. Meanwhile, in Jordan…
EuropeanTour.com report…”Daan Huizing made golfing history by becoming the first player to win a full-field mixed professional tournament with his triumph at the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla.”
  • “The Dutchman began the final round at Ayla Golf Club two shots behind overnight leader Meghan MacLaren, who opened the world-first tournament with consecutive rounds of seven under par 65.”
  • “MacLaren started the final day strong, carding two birdies on her first three holes, but Huizing was able to slowly chip away at the Englishwoman’s lead, and by the time the two golfers reached the 13th tee, they were deadlocked on 14 under par.”

Full piece to see how Daan got it done.

 
4. Yes, it was symbolic, but symbolism matters
Such is the contention of Eamon Lynch in his reflection on the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
He writes…”Golf has an ignoble record on matters of inclusion, the residue of being a country club sport enjoyed by people disinclined to lower a ladder to others who aspire to share the privileges of membership. Exclusion long has been evident in formal policies – like corralling women into less desirable tee time windows – and informal practices, such as confining African Americans to the caddie barn or maintaining a discouragingly lengthy waiting list for prospective members who keep kosher.”
  • “That accumulated grime won’t be scraped away by one event, of course. Not even an event at Augusta National Golf Club. For many golf fans – and even more sports fans – the home of the Masters represents the pinnacle of the game, so what happens there has a disproportionate influence on golf’s image. It’s too early – by years, perhaps – to judge the impact of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.”
5. Big ratings for ANWA
Golfweek’s Bill Speros relays the ratings data…”The ANWA earned a .96 overnight rating on its Noon-3 p.m. Eastern telecast Saturday. That was the most for any women’s golf telecast since Brittany Lang beat Anna Nordqvist in a three-hole playoff to win the 2016 Women’s Open at CordeValle Golf Club.”
  • “The .96 rating also marked the most viewers of any amateur golf telecast – men’s or women’s – since the 2003 U.S Amateur men’s final. That was won on the 37th hole of a sudden death playoff by Australian Nick Flanagan.”
6. A meditation on McIlroy
Superb stuff from Vincent Hogan at the Irish Independent taking the measure of Rory McIlroy as he strives again for the career grand slam at Augusta National.
  • A morsel…”We still see him as the guy who can obliterate a field, as he did with that 16-under at Congressional in 2011. But can he win a Major arm-wrestle? Especially in this storied place with so many personal ghosts in the pines?”
  • “Sunday, last year, sets you wondering. Rory talked the talk, then unravelled after that missed eagle putt and was gone by the turn.”
  • “He picked a fight with a man who’d previously drawn something out of him at Hazeltine that – he admits – left him “a little tired, a little mentally fatigued”. Someone who is a natural street-fighter.”
  • “McIlroy thrives, not on anger, but momentum. On staying true to himself. On being focused, not edgy; clear-headed, not mean.”
7. Return of the Fooch
Justin Rose’s longtime bagman, who has been out of action since a mitral valve repair, will be back at it for the Masters
  • Brian Wacker at Golf Digest...”As Justin Rose teed off for a practice round on Augusta National’s back nine late Sunday afternoon, he had a familiar face on the bag. Caddie Mark Fulcher is returning for this week’s Masters after being sidelined the last three months following heart surgery in mid-January.”
  • “I could have come back at the Match Play [two weeks ago], but I thought why push it,” said the veteran looper who has spent the last 10-plus years alongside Rose after two decades on the LPGA Tour. “I’m very happy. It feels good to be back.”
8. Meanwhile, at Augusta National…
Doug Ferguson files a report from amid the cathedral in the pines
  • “Players began filtering in at Augusta National in the last few days even as they had to share the golf course. The inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur was held the previous two days, with 72 players practicing on Friday and the 30 players who made the cut competing on Saturday.”
  • “On Sunday, parts of the practice facility, the putting green and the 18th green were occupied by kids ages 7 through 15 for the sixth Drive, Chip and Putt.”
  • “With yesterday and today, the buzz is unbelievable,” Adam Scott said. “The kids are amazing, and it makes me feel like a kid again. As long as they’re still finding it fun, these kinds of things are so good. Just wait – one day, a Drive, Chip and Putt champion will be a Masters champion.”
9. 5 priciest charity golf auctions ever
Wisely, there are always big auctions ending during the week of the most-watched professional golf tournament of the year…and of course, there’s plenty of Masters memorabilia to go around.
Examining the not-for-profit auction space, Mike Dojc looked at online auctioneer CharityBuzz to determine the most expensive golf auctions the site has facilitated.
Here are 2 entries.
No. 3 entry…Private stay and golf at Albany, The Bahamas
Winning Bid: $40,000
Benefited: Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research
No. 2 entry…”Golf with Dustin Johnson”
Winning Bid: $75,000
Benefited: The Dustin Johnson Foundation

 

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.

Click to comment

Leave a 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