Connect with us

News

Morning 9: USGA buys a second home | Koepka WD | PGA Tour POY nominees | Most common handicap is…?

Published

5 years ago

on

1. USGA’s “second home” in Pinehurst
Straight from the USGA’s press release..“In an effort to expand its impact in golf and extend its mission to champion and advance the game, the USGA will establish “Golf House Pinehurst” in North Carolina, to include a new equipment-testing facility, innovation hub, museum/visitor center and offices by 2023, and host five U.S. Open Championships in the golf-rich state by 2047.”
  • “The announcement adds four U.S. Open Championships to be contested on the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course – in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 – to the already scheduled 2024 event. The decision accelerates the USGA’s strategy to stage its premier golf championship at America’s most iconic venues with greater frequency. By doing so, Pinehurst Resort & Country Club will serve as the USGA’s first anchor site for the U.S. Open.”
  • …“The USGA’s plans for this significant new presence in Pinehurst elevates the Village’s reputation in the golf world and enhances North Carolina’s prestige as a destination for both businesses and tourists,” said Commerce Secretary Anthony Copeland. “Today’s news will add new energy to the leisure and hospitality services and significantly contribute to the long-term recovery of that important segment of our economy.”
2. Extreme heat, wildfires threaten ANA Inspiration
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“With the LPGA major shifting from the spring to September due to COVID-19, the tour decided to allow caddies to use electric carts or push carts at Mission Hills Country Club’s Dinah Shore Tournament Course for safety reasons.”
  • “I just thought, there’s really no reason not to take advantage of it,” said Austin, recent winner of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
  • “The heat isn’t the only concern. Smoke from California wildfires could put players in carts, too.”
  • “We’re continuing to monitor both the AQI (Air Qualify Index) and the temperature very closely,” said Chief Tour Operations Officer Heather Daly-Donofrio. “While we’re not out there yet, if it becomes clear from our medical team, and we’re also going to be working with the medical team at Eisenhower Medical, who’s a partner this week at the ANA Inspiration, if the high temperatures and the AQI converge to a point where we feel that’s unhealthy for walking … we have not ruled out carts for players on tournament days.”
3. PGA Tour POY nominees
PGATour.com staff…”Following Monday’s conclusion of the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs, nominees for PGA TOUR Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year were finalized by the PGA TOUR Player Directors and members of the Player Advisory Council (PAC).”
  • “The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA TOUR Player of the Year are (alphabetically) Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Webb Simpson and Justin Thomas. The nominees for the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are Harry Higgs, Viktor Hovland, Maverick McNealy and Scottie Scheffler.”
  • “The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who played in at least 10 official FedExCup events during the 2019-20 season eligible to vote. Award winners will be announced at a later date.”
4. Brooks Koepka WDs from U.S. Open
Ryan Lavner at Golf Channel…“Brooks Koepka announced Wednesday that he has withdrawn from next week’s U.S. Open.”
  • “Koepka hasn’t played since he missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 14. Slated to play The Northern Trust – his seventh consecutive start – he pulled out on the eve of the tournament, citing lingering injuries to his knee and hip.”
  • “Koepka’s tweet…”Unfortunately, I have decided to withdraw from next week’s U.S. Open.  I’m looking forward to getting healthy and competing at 100% again very soon.”
5. LPGA hopes to return to normal Q1 of 2021
Golf Channel’s Will Gray…“with the LPGA set to host its second major of the year this week in the California desert, commissioner Mike Whan is ready to get back to a sense of normal operations – even if it’s still months away.”
  • “Speaking with media ahead of the ANA Inspiration, Whan admitted that one of the most popular questions he faces right now from players surrounds scheduling: both what the rest of this year will look like and how next year’s calendar is shaping up. While he’s proud to note that no 2021 tournament title sponsors have left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Whan shared that playing schedule over the next few months is not yet set in stone.”
  • “The LPGA typically plays its Asian swing in the fall, but Whan is not optimistic that any LPGA events will be played this year on the continent. Tournaments in China and Taiwan have already been scrapped, and he doesn’t expect scheduled events in Japan or South Korea to receive “the green light” from their respective governments in the near future. As a result, he’s planning to add one and possibly two additional “Drive On” events in October while reshuffling the early part of the 2021 schedule to ensure as many domestic events as possible early in the year to avoid any issues with travel-related quarantine mandates.”
6. Sergio Garcia: In search of mojo 
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…“Garcia was motivated to make his first appearance at Silverado Resort and Spa, the kickoff event of the PGA Tour’s 2020-21 season, but he also was anxious to continue the quest to rediscover his game, which has been missing in action practically since the crowning moment of his career, when he won the Masters in 2017. It’s hard to fathom but Garcia has recorded just one top-10 finish in his last 18 Tour starts and is winless on Tour since donning the Green Jacket.”
  • “He’s here, in part, because his season ended prematurely after the Wyndham Championship, leaving Garcia three weeks to spend with daughter, Azalea, and son, Enzo, play some tennis and decompress. But now he’s recommitted to bringing his best to a season unlike any other, with six majors, a Ryder Cup, and 50 Tour events in all. He would like to jump-start his season this week.”
  • “It definitely would be nice to get some good mojo,” he said during his pre-tournament press conference. “I feel like my game, it feels pretty good. It’s just a matter of kind of getting things going in the right direction, getting the ball rolling nicely and kind of riding that good wave.”
7. Noonan!
Mark Cannizzaro at the NY Post…“Danny Noonan is going to caddie at the U.S. Open next week.”
  • “Well, kind of.
  • “Michael O’Keefe – the actor who played Danny Noonan, the young, impressionable caddie in “Caddyshack” – will carry a bag on Monday and Tuesday in practice rounds at the U.S. Open, The Post has learned.”
  • …“Danny will be caddying for Danny – Danny Balin, a 17-year Westchester resident who’s the head pro at Fresh Meadow Country Club on Long Island.”
 
8. USGA reveals average handicap
Our Gianni Magliocco…“The USGA revealed the most common handicap index for both men and women golfers living in the U.S, taking the data from the millions of people who have registered a handicap with the organization.”
  • “Per the USGA’s handicap index stats, the results show that 13 is the most common handicap index for men, with 5.42% of men fitting the 13-13.9 range for handicap index, and 5.41% fitting the 12-12.9 range.”
  • “The findings also show that the average handicap amongst men is 14.2″

 

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