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Morning 9: U.S. Am update | “I’m a great putter” | New LPGA commish has a plan

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5 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt
For comments—or if you’re looking for a fourth—email me at ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com.
August 13, 2021
Good Friday morning, golf fans.
1. Reaching the round of 16 before the suspension of play
Ron Driscoll for the USGA…”Competing in his third U.S. Amateur Championship, Van Holmgren, 22, of Plymouth, Minn., earned two match-play victories on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club to reach the Round of 16 for the first time. Oakmont is hosting the championship’s 121st edition – its 17th USGA championship overall and record-tying sixth U.S. Amateur.”
  • …”Three other players completed Round-of-32 wins before play was suspended for the day at 6:35 p.m. It was the fourth weather delay in three days – totaling more than 10 hours. The rest of the Round-of-32 matches, all of which were in progress, are scheduled to resume on Friday morning, conditions permitting.”
  • “Austin Greaser, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio, who was a quarterfinalist in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at Inverness Club, also notched two wins on Thursday. The University of North Carolina junior eliminated Bo Andrews, 2 and 1, then rallied to defeat Xavier Marcoux, 3 and 2, in the afternoon after trailing by two holes through the first six.”
2. Getting creative
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”He’s played the first hole down the ninth.”
  • “He’s blown it over the church pews toward the fourth fairway on No. 3.”
  • “He’s hit down the opposite fairway on Nos. 10 and 11.”
  • “And to top it all off, he’s used the 12th fairway to play the 14th hole.”
  • “…Vick hasn’t been alone, though. Dozens of players are zigging and zagging around Oakmont’s rain-softened layout in search of better angles and to avoid penal bunker lips that often demand layups…”
3. “I’m a great putter”
Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”Russell Henley rose to the top of the Wyndham Championship’s leaderboard with a first-round 8-under 62 behind motivation from his cell phone.”
  • “For several years, Henley has had an alert set on his phone that tells him every morning, “I’m a great putter.”
  • “Yeah. I have [an alert] on my phone right now that says, ‘I’m a great putter,'” said Henley, who took 25 putts on Thursday. “You know, it’s weird, the first years I was on Tour, my ball-striking was kind of inconsistent and my putting was, I think it was top-10 the first couple years. It might have been [No. 1] in overall putting my second or third year.”
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4. The new commissioner’s 100-day plan
Amy Rogers for Golf Channel…“As part of Marcoux Samaan’s transition to leading the best female golfers in the world, she outlined a 100-day plan for not only herself but the LPGA as a whole. She says the plan is broken into three phases, beginning with a period of listening and learning. Marcoux Samaan first mentioned this strategy during the announcement of her appointment in May.”
  • “The second phase will encompass the outlining of a strategic plan for the LPGA. She intends to incorporate the values of the nearly 72-year-old organization, which is rooted in its founding by 13 women in 1950. Marcoux Samaan says the plan will be laid out over the course of the next three months. Upon completion of the 100 days, which also happens to coincide with the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in mid-November, Marcoux Samaan says the organization will be able to move into the third phase. This phase will see the execution of a template which will outline the LPGA’s goals moving forward.”
  • “OK, this is where we’re going to put our energy or most of our energy,” said Marcoux Samaan about how she intends to use the template. “But again, we’re going to keep doing what we do because it’s been pretty successful.”
5. Local favorite leads
AP report…”Michele Thomson of Scotland shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open.”
  • “Thomson, the 33-year-old Ladies European Tour player from Aberdeen, rebounded from an opening bogey with an eagle on No. 2. She birdied seven of her final 11 holes at Dumbarnie Links.”
  • “Probably had a little bit of a nervous start I would say,” Thomson said. “Obviously, being at the Scottish Open, it’s my fourth one now, but obviously still got the nerves off the first tee and hit a bit of a ropey drive and just made bogey from there, which was fine. Stood up on the second tee and just restarted.”
6. More front office maneuvering 
Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”Jon Podany, who spent nine years working for Mike Whan at the LPGA, has been hired by Whan as the new Chief Commercial Officer for the U.S. Golf Association, part of a tumultuous month at the top of the organization.”
  • “Podany was most recently a partner in two companies within the college sports industry, The Brandr Group (TBG) and CampusLore.”
7. Thorbjornsen on fire
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Thorbjornsen entered the week at Oakmont Country Club as the prohibitive favorite, still streaking from dominant victories at the Massachusetts State Amateur and Western Amateur. Ott, meanwhile, was still trying to build confidence after a prolonged slump.”
  • “While Ott appeared to be on his way to smothering the Stanford sophomore, leading 3 up through 12 holes, Thorbjornsen, as it turned out, was just slow cooking his opponent.”

 

  • “Five holes and five birdies later, and Ott was done.”
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8. Vice captain Rickie
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…While Fowler has an uphill climb to make the team on merit – he ranks 41st in the U.S. team point standings and only the top six automatically qualify – and his current form doesn’t suggest he’d be one of Steve Stricker’s six captain’s picks, Fowler said he’d be open to serving as a vice captain at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin for the Sept. 24-26 matches.
  • “With the position I’m in, age-wise, and yeah, I’d have to play my (rear) off the next few weeks to have a chance there, which like you said, it’s not out of the question. But yeah, if the team – if the guys wanted me there, I’d be there in a heartbeat,” he said. “They’re such fun weeks to be a part of whether you’re playing or not. Some of my favorite times have been when I’ve sat out and basically got to be there as, you know, a makeshift assistant captain in a way. You’re out there supporting the crew and being around.”
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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.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Unwoke

    Aug 15, 2021 at 11:05 pm

    At this moment, what could be better than sponsoring the LPGA?” said Marcoux Samaan about the growing push for women’s equality in sport. “We’re all working towards providing the most diverse and inclusive environments within our companies and [to] be able to use the LPGA as a platform, and commitment to that equity, I think is a huge opportunity.”

    Sounds like women’s golf is about to be “woke” as she is parroting the woke mantra. She wants “to use the LPGA as a platform”… good grief. Please leave it out of golf, this isn’t the NFL or the NBA.

    Reply Report comment

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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