Connect with us

News

Morning 9: Rahm rallies | New President at Honma NA | Creamer ahead in France | Bubba’s mental coach

Published

6 years ago

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

July 26, 2019

Good Friday morning, golf fans. 
1. 62 strokes for a jetlagged Spaniard
AP Report…”Travelling from Northern Ireland to Tennessee has left everyone who played four rounds at the Open Championship fighting jet lag.”
  • “Rahm matched the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career with an 8-under 62 on Thursday at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, taking advantage of nearly perfect greens to open a three-stroke lead.”
  • “I was pretty exhausted Monday and Tuesday, and that’s why I decided not to do much on the golf course and just make sure mentally I was going to be ready to compete,” Rahm said.
  • “He spent about an hour on the putting green Wednesday. He didn’t step foot on the front nine, his back nine, until he made the turn, and he had five birdies on that side.”
Round 1 at the alternate Barracuda Championship was suspended due to lightning….Sweden’s David Lingmerth leads the Stableford event by 5
2. Creamer in front in France
Winner at the Evian Resort Golf Club as a teenager, Paula Creamer, who hasn’t finished inside the top 10 in a major since 2014 is at the head of the pack.
  • BBC Report…”Former world number two Paula Creamer carded a seven-under-par 64 to hold a one-shot lead after the first round of the Evian Championship.”
  • “American Creamer, who won the US Women’s Open in 2010, hit seven birdies without dropping a shot at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France.”
  • “Australian Minjee Lee was set to share the lead with Creamer, but hit a bogey on the last.”

Full piece.

3. Bubba turns to a mental coach
Plenty of jokes are being made, doubtless, but good on Bubba for recognizing an area for improvement and hiring someone to help…and who among us couldn’t benefit from a “mental coach to get our off-course life in order?”
  • Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker…”The 40-year-old 12-time tour winner said the decision was based on trying to help him deal with issues off the course in order to keep them from becoming a distraction on it.”
  • “I’ve got more junk going on in my life,” Watson said. “Car dealership, baseball team, apartment complex, candy shop, driving range, office buildings. I’ve got to make sure my RV gets to tournaments. I’ve got to make sure my kids are doing the right things at school. Got a beautiful wife that I’ve got to make happy. Just a lot more stuff going on.”
  • “I’d get rid of my wins in a heartbeat,” Watson said. “I’d work at a golf shop in a heartbeat if I had to take care of my family and everything. It’s good junk, but it’s a lot more junk than I had 20 years ago.”
4. Not putting well? Try changing your grip mid-round like Dustin Johnson…
Not really. Probably shouldn’t do that. Worked for DJ, though!
  • “In Thursday’s opening round of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, Johnson was bumbling along on TPC Southwind’s back nine (his opening nine), playing the stretch in a disastrous three over that included three bogeys, a double and two birdies.”
  • “So he decided then seemed as good a time as any to go from a conventional putting grip to a cross-handed one (left-hand low).”
  • “It couldn’t get any worse, so I figured I had to try something,” said Johnson. “It was, yeah, not very good and so going to the back, I don’t know, I didn’t decide to do it until I was literally about to hit the putt on [the first], which was my 10th hole. But sometimes you just need a little bit of change.”

Full piece.

5. McIlroy excited for 2026 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard with the Ulsterman’s remarks on Adare Manor, the just-confirmed 2026 RC host…
  • “The good times continued Monday when the European Tour announced the 2026 Ryder Cup would be played at Adare Manor in Ireland. It was particularly good news for Rory McIlroy, who helped lead the charge to bring The Open to Royal Portrush.”
  • “It’s going to be a great venue,” McIlroy said following his round at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. “It’s really cool and I’m so happy for [Adare Manor owner J.P. McManus] and his family and everyone involved with Adare that it’s there.”
  • “McIlroy was particularly excited about the prospect of playing a Ryder Cup in Ireland. The 2006 Ryder Cup was played at The K Club in Kildare, Ireland, a year before the Northern Irishman turned professional.”
6. Why Rory will never win the Masters
…in the mind of one columnist, at least, who sees much in McIlroy’s Portrush jitters…
  • Neil Squires of the Daily Express…”What he revealed raises serious questions about his capacity to close the deal at Augusta, join the five giants who have won the Grand Slam and make the leap into golf’s historic hall of fame.”
  • “McIlroy is one of the sport’s great talents. He has won 25 tournaments around the globe including four Majors, ranks No 3 in the world and has a record this year on the PGA Tour superior to anyone’s.”
  • “Send him out on a golf course with an empty head and he has the capacity to destroy it. But Portrush represented a heightened example of his inability to deal with his own emotional state when a tournament really matters to him.”
7. King to Taco Bell, Kawaja to top of Honma 
Per a press release from Honma…”Honma Golf is pleased to announce the promotion of Executive Vice President John Kawaja to President, North America. Kawaja will lead the North American team in addition to his roles leading global product and sports marketing.”
  • “Per an announcement from Yum Brands, Strategic Advisor Mark King has accepted a new role as Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell.”
  • “King was instrumental in several major North American Honma projects, including the relocation of headquarters from Cypress, California to Carlsbad, and in the assembly of a world-class leadership team. Honma extends its warmest congratulations to King and wishes him the very best in his new role. King will remain an ambassador and friend of Honma.”
  • “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such a fantastic team here in North America. Mark established a wonderful foundation of talent and culture and was instrumental in getting us to where we are today. I’m humbled to help lead this iconic brand into a bright future in North America,” said Kawaja.
  • “We accomplished a great deal in my time at Honma and I’m proud of all the strides we’ve made in a short time. The team we were able to assemble in North America has some incredible things planned and I’m excited to watch them grow. With John at the helm I have no doubt the best of Honma is ahead,” said King.
8. The man who has played all 119 major venues
Golf.com’s Josh Sens begins a feature you’ll want to eat every bite of this way…”In the 159 years between the 1860 British Open at Prestwick Golf, in Scotland, and the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, in Northern Ireland, 119 different courses have played host to what we now consider to be golf’s four major championships: the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. You could fact-check this on Google. Or you could confirm it with Joey Hines.”
  • “It took him nearly half his life, but Hines, who is 60 and the director of golf at Cape Fear Country Club, in Wilmington, N.C., has pulled off a feat that no other golfer is known to have equaled: He has played every major championship course in the world.”
  • “The quest began for Hines in 1990, when he landed a job at Northwood Club in Dallas. Knowing that Northwood had hosted the 1952 U.S. Open (winner: Julius Boros), Hines got to thinking, which gave way to an inkling that he was onto something, which evolved into a goal. As a junior, he had played Pinehurst No. 2, unaware that it had held the 1936 PGA Championship. Still, Pinehurst counted, so Hines had that going for him. Two major championship venues down. Only 117 to go.” 

Full piece. 

9. Caddyshack reigns
Golfweek Staff assembled much-needed awards for the finest in golf cinema…
“…on the 39th anniversary of its release, “Caddyshack” continues to resonate on and off golf courses everywhere.”
“In honor of Danny Noonan’s winning putt at Bushwood and the subsequent bacchanalia and debauchery announced by Al Czervik, we are presenting again our We-Cannot-Call-Them-The-Oscars Awards for the best in golf filmmaking.”
Caddyshack
Happy Gilmore
Tin Cup
The Legend of Bagger Vance
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Winner: Caddyshack

For the rest of the awards…  

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