Connect with us

News

Morning 9: Ranking the best shots since restart | Tiger’s troubles | ZOZO Champ stateside this year

Published

5 years ago

on

1. Ranking the best shots since restart
The singular Shane Ryan assembled his top shot from each tournament and then ranked them for good measure…
From…13. Ryan Palmer’s opening tee shot, Charles Schwab Challenge…
  • “Don’t call us hokey! At the time, when Palmer hit the first shot of the restart at the Colonial, nobody had a clue whether any of this would work. We had high hopes for an extended run, of course, but it seemed just as likely that a COVID-19 nightmare could strike and send us back into the golf-less abyss. Returning at all was a bold move, symbolized by Palmer’s first strike that Thursday, and not just for golf. In some ways, it symbolically took back some momentum for every sport and served as a blueprint for how this could work.”
To…
  • “1. Collin Morikawa’s drive on 16, PGA Championship…It immediately became one of the most memorable, if not greatest, shots in the history of the PGA Championship. You can read a fuller breakdown here, but you already know the story: It was a brilliant fade into the green at the drivable par-4 16th, setting up a monumental eagle. With it, Morikawa seized control of a crowded tournament and won the first major of his very young career. When you consider the stakes, it’s one of the most stunning pressure shots we’ll ever see. As jaw-dropping as Rahm’s putt on Sunday was, the magnitude of Morikawa’s drive made this one an easy choice.”
And Shane: Sorry to showcase the prize inside the Cracker Jack box. I was going to do 13 and 2, but you wrote so little about it (what is there to say, really, I know). Plus Morikawa’s shot, as it came in a major championship and given the quality almost necessarily transcends any of the other inclusions on this list.
2. U.S. Open field nearly finalized 
Golf Channel’s Will Gray…”Sixteen players have been added to the U.S. Open field, including 11 via the Official World Golf Ranking, meaning the all-exempt field for next month’s event at Winged Foot is nearly complete.”
  • “The top five players from the three-event Korn Ferry Tour points list gained entry into the season’s second major, a group that was headlined by Brandon Wu. Wu won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship Sunday and finished T-35 at last year’s U.S. Open, and he’ll be joined at Winged Foot by fellow KFT players Stephan Jaeger, Curtis Luck, Greyson Sigg and Dan McCarthy.”
  • “Another 11 spots were awarded via the world rankings from Aug. 23, a group that ranged in rank from Kevin Streelman (No. 48) to Matt Jones (No. 89). Joining them in the field will be Harris English, J.T. Poston, Joaquin Niemann, Thomas Pieters, Max Homa, Lanto Griffin, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Matthias Schwab and Alex Noren.”
3. ZOZO taking a detour to Sherwood
Golf Channel’s Nick Menta….”Tiger Woods won’t defend his Zozo Championship title in Japan. But he might well do it at an old haunt.”
  • “The PGA Tour officially announced Monday night that this fall’s event will move to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, and be temporarily rechristened the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood.”
  • “Per the Tour’s release, the move is the result of “unprecedented challenges” and “unique circumstances” – namely, the ongoing COIVD-19 pandemic.”
4. In search of his game…
ESPN’s Bob Harig on Tiger Woods’ recent difficulties…“He was never a final-round contender, playing dew-sweeping weekend rounds meant to try to find form that was fleeting.”
  • “Just missing the ball in the wrong spots here and there,” Woods said after his final round was completed long before the leaders teed off Sunday at Olympia Fields. “I certainly haven’t putted as well as I would have liked, and with the scores being as low as they have been, I just haven’t been able to shoot the low scores like I needed to.”
  • “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but you can boil Woods’ issues down to one glaring aspect that occurred in suburban Chicago: his inability to birdie a single par-5 hole at Olympia Fields.”
  • “…To not birdie a single par-5 hole encapsulates his troubles…”
5. Biggest drivers, biggest rewards?
Golf Digest’s E. Michael Johnson examines the question. The data dump and look at the numbers are impressive, but here’s a look at the relevant portion…”Heading into this week’s Tour Championship, 74 players are averaging 300 yards off the tee. The player ranked 100th in driving distance, Matt Jones, has a driving distance average that comfortably would have led the tour every year until 1997 and would have ranked in the top five through 2002. Meanwhile, the driving distance leader in 1985, Andy Bean at 278.2 yards, would not rank in the top 200 this year.”
“Do 2020’s numbers suggest the rush of power hitters has subsided, Bryson DeChambeau and his current all-time high of 323.9 yards, notwithstanding? Well, it is true that five of the top 10 on the money list are outside the 60 longest hitters on tour and three are outside the top 100. Of course, it has been an abbreviated season and several of the tournaments since the restart were played on courses where accuracy was perhaps at more of a premium compared to distance. Still, the average driving distance for the top 10 players on the money list is 305 yards, or about nine yards longer than the tour average this year. There also are five times as many players averaging 300 yards or more off the tee among the 30 headed to East Lake than there are players averaging less than 290.”
“Then again, it’s also true that one of the three players who is not ranked in the top 100 in driving distance but still ranked in the top 10 on the current money list is Collin Morikawa, the guy to win the only major played this year.”
 
6. Tiger amid the worst putting stretch of his career?
Our Gianni Magliocco took a look at the numbers and that’s what he found…”Much of Woods’ irritation with his game also looks to be in an area that has consistently been a massive strength throughout his career – on the greens.”
  • “Tiger has competed in 24 rounds thus far in 2020 and has racked up some unwanted records in that period.”
  • “After Woods gained +0.2 strokes on the greens at the Farmers back in January, the 44-year-old then went to the Genesis and produced his worst putting performance since Strokes Gained statistics began in 2004. Woods lost 8 strokes with the flat-stick that week, and post-lockdown, he hasn’t faired much better.”
  • “In the four events since Riviera, Woods has lost strokes on the greens all four times. That five consecutive tournament run of losing strokes on the greens is also a record for Tiger, who never had before lost strokes at as many successive events where strokes gained are recorded.”
7. Rory McIlroy’s WITB
A quick look at the Ulsterman’s sticks as he prepares to take on East Lake.
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (10.5 degrees @8.75)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei Orange AV Raw 75 TX (45.5 inches, D4)
3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 85 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7MB (3-PW)
Shaft: Project X Rifle 7.0 (6.5 in PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (54-09SB, 60-08LB)
Shaft: Project X Rifle 6.5
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Copper (34.25, 2.5 loft, 70 lie)
Ball: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord (58R 1+1, logo down)

 

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