News

Morning 9: Masters ratings | DJ’s master plan | The unique pain of die-hard Rory fans

Published

5 years ago

Nov 18, 2020

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt

Email me at ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com; and find me on Twitter and Instagram.

November 18, 2020

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.

1. Masters ratings are in

Michael McCarthy for Front Office Sports…”With golf’s greatest tournament competing head-to-head with NFL programming for the first time, the 2020 Masters plunged to new lows in TV ratings and audiences.”

“CBS Sports’ telecast of Sunday’s final round averaged a 3.4 TV rating and 5.59 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch. That was down 51% in ratings and 48% in viewership from Tiger Woods’ epic victory in 2019.”

“Dustin Johnson’s first Masters win generated the lowest-rated Masters Sunday since the pre-Arnold Palmer days of 1957, and the least-watched final round since that number started being tracked in 1995.”

“CBS’ Sunday Masters coverage was still the highest-rated and most-watched golf event of the year thus far, beating the 3.3 rating and 5.15 million average viewers for the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship won by Collin Morikawa in August.”

Full piece.

2. The pain of being a diehard Rory fan

Shane Ryan on the unique varietal of misery…”the fact that the whole show played out again—filling us with hope after we nearly gave up in the wake of that ugly opening round 75—was half sad, half infuriating, half wearying. Yes, that’s three halves. With Rory, we need them all. At least when Jordan Spieth fades, he has the courtesy to really fade, so you can reasonably set your expectations. Not Rory. Since his torrid 2014 stretch that made many of us think he was on the path to being on the game’s ultra-goats, has simultaneously remained one of golf’s absolute best players while missing that extra ephemeral something that makes a major champion.”

“That’s the problem, of course. Not that he never had it, and not even that he had it and lost it. It’s that he had it, and only kinda lost it.”

“When you combine his former glory with his personality—the following words have been written so much that they’re practically a cliche, but Rory is very intelligent and introspective by golf standards—it makes this shadow phase of his career, in which he is neither superlative nor merely good, tough to bear. To vanish for a period of years, as Spieth has, or as Martin Kaymer or countless others have done, is understandable. Golf is a hard game, and a psychological game, and even its great players are prone to disappearances and burnouts. But to seemingly lose about 7% of what made you great, and for that 7% to starkly redefine your professional experience for six years and counting, has to be the sharpest form of frustration. It is for his fans, at least—clearly, we still hold a torch. But for every late charge, for every “Rory comin’!” .gif, there’s always that errant shot to scuttle the fantasy, always that Thursday 75 to make the gap just a little too large.”

Full piece.

3. DJ’s plan

Golf Channel’s Mercer Baggs…“And while sitting in his green jacket, in which he does look pretty good, while talking about his victory for at least the fourth occasion – giving him time to process any of those pesky emotions – Johnson was pretty practical about his plan for the future.”

“He’s got Johnny Miller career numbers now. If he maintains his drive and his health, it could be a Tom Watson-type career (39 Tour wins, seven majors).”

“I feel like I’m not going to dial anything back. I feel really good about everything that I’m doing. I feel really confident in the golf game,” Johnson said. “I want to – my goal is to play for about, I don’t know, keeps getting shorter, but eight, nine, maybe 10 years, and then hang out with my kids and [fiancé] Paulina [Gretzky].”

“So until then, I’m going to work my butt off to be as good as I can.”

Full piece.

4. How Dustin got it done

Dallas Webster of V1 Sports ran the breakdown on DJ’s Masters win…”long drives are useless if they don’t also translate to greens in regulation. Johnson took full advantage of his driving performance by hitting more greens than anyone else in the field. Johnson hit 60 out of 72 greens in regulation, four more than his closest competitor. This adds up to more birdie putts than everyone else in the field, but Johnson was not just hitting greens. He was hitting it close. He also led the field in proximity to the hole. V1 Game can also measure proximity to the hole, highlighting just how solid the performance was. From 175-200 yards, Johnson averaged just 29 feet from the hole.”

“Johnson was long off the tee and accurate into the green, yet he still had to make putts and that’s an advantage he has never really taken during his career so far. Augusta’s putting surfaces are undulating and typically lightening fast. Bringing even the best putters in the world to their knees. Johnson has always been a streaky putter but his performance at Augusta was sensational. For the week, he had just a single three putt. He made all of his putts of six feet or less. He gained strokes putting for all distances less than 15 feet.”

Full piece.

5. The final word on Tiger’s Masters (and unfortunately that word is “pogostick”)

Daniel Rapaport at Golf Digest…”Woods still has the game to win majors. By that I mean: He can still hit all the shots. Watch him on the range, or in a practice round (when it’s warm out). He’ll even throw in little spurts like the one on Sunday, when he played Augusta’s last six holes in five under for the first time ever. The raw materials are there.”

“But having the raw materials isn’t enough. So much needs to go right for Woods to win these days. The course needs to be right. He needs to be on the right side of the draw. He needs to have four good body days in a row, which is far from a guarantee. And he simply cannot afford to have a disruption like the thunderstorm that delayed play on Thursday morning. With the shortage of daylight in mid-November, that three-hour delay meant Woods was going to have to play more than 18 holes on Saturday. The way it worked out timing-wise was awful: He had roughly an hour break between the last eight holes of his second round and the first hole of his third round—too much time to keep the foot on the gas, not enough time to do a full reset and restart the multi-hour process he needs to warm his body up.”

“Woods emerged from the clubhouse looking stiff as an old rusty pogostick, and that was that.”

Full piece.

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6. No. 1 Am in the world teeing it up at RSM

Davis Thompson will put a peg in the ground at Sea Island…Golfweek’s Julie Williams with a bit of background…”Thompson played the RSM Classic, the Tour stop at Sea Island Resort near his home in St. Simons Island, Georgia, in 2019. He finished 23rd that week. Traditionally, the winner of the prestigious Jones Cup gets the nod this week, but Thompson played the 2019 RSM despite finishing runner-up to Akshay Bhatia in a weather-shortened event that ended in a playoff. Since Bhatia had turned professional by the time the opportunity rolled around, the tournament committee reached out to Thompson, offering him an opportunity to play in the event as an amateur.”

“This year’s exemption came off a runaway, nine-shot victory at the 2020 Jones Cup. Things could not feel more familiar around this place, which Thompson said he has played 50 to 100 times.”

Full Piece

7. Cabot to build B.C. resort

Bob Weeks for TSN…“Cabot, the golf resort operator best known for its Links and Cliffs courses in Cape Breton, N.S., is set to announce a new Canadian course and resort in Revelstoke, B.C. The new facility, named Cabot Revelstoke, will be set in the Monashee and Selkirk Mountain ranges, known as a hotbed for skiing, especially heli-skiing. It will include world-class golf, resort hospitality and luxury real estate.”

Full Piece

8. (Way too) early look at 2021 Masters odds

This arrived in my inbox and, well, if you’re looking to lock in your 2021 Masters futures as early…c/o the oddsmakers at BetUS.com.pa…

Dustin Johnson +600
Rory McIlroy +850
Bryson DeChambeau +850
Justin Thomas +900
Jon Rahm +900
Brooks Koepka +1300
Xander Schauffele +1500
Patrick Reed +2300
Patrick Cantlay +2300
Collin Morikawa +2800
Hideki Matsuyama +2800
Tony Finau +2900
Bubba Watson +2900
Tyrrell Hatton +2900
Webb Simpson +3000
Matthew Wolff +3500
Jason Day +3500
Daniel Berger +3500
Tiger Woods +4000

Place your bets!

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

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.

Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.

We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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.

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

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)

GolfWRX

Morning 9: Masters ratings | DJ’s master plan | The unique pain of die-hard Rory fans

News

Morning 9: Masters ratings | DJ’s master plan | The unique pain of die-hard Rory fans

1. Masters ratings are in

2. The pain of being a diehard Rory fan

3. DJ’s plan

4. How Dustin got it done

5. The final word on Tiger’s Masters (and unfortunately that word is “pogostick”)

6. No. 1 Am in the world teeing it up at RSM

7. Cabot to build B.C. resort

8. (Way too) early look at 2021 Masters odds

Leave a Reply

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing

‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting

WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open

Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement

Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship

Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up

Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’

The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field

WITB

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship

Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

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Morning 9: Masters ratings | DJ’s master plan | The unique pain of die-hard Rory fans

1. Masters ratings are in

2. The pain of being a diehard Rory fan

3. DJ’s plan

4. How Dustin got it done

5. The final word on Tiger’s Masters (and unfortunately that word is “pogostick”)

6. No. 1 Am in the world teeing it up at RSM

7. Cabot to build B.C. resort

8. (Way too) early look at 2021 Masters odds

Leave a Reply

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News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing

‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting

WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open

Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement

Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship

Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up

Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’

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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

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