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Morning 9: Saudi-backed tour taking shape…with Norman as commish | Names of the 8 | Buy Tiger’s putter

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4 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.
October 28, 2021
Good Thursday morning, golf fans.
1. Saudi-backed tour taking shape…with Norman as commish 
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”The veil of silence that has shrouded a proposed start-up circuit to rival the PGA Tour will soon be lifted, according to reports from multiple media outlets on Wednesday.”
  • “Representatives behind the proposed Super Golf League met with a select group of media in New York City Wednesday, although many details of that meeting remain unknown.”
  • “The reports did confirm long-talked-about rumors that Greg Norman would serve as commissioner of the Saudi-backed circuit, but those in attendance were asked to not publish specific elements of the meeting until next week.”
2. The 8 
Golfweek’s Riley Hamel…”For the best players in the world, any decision will be determined by aspirations in the game. A bank account with an incredible amount of zeros, or a legacy built by Tour success (accompanied by large paychecks, don’t forget)?”
“Dustin Johnson is one of eight players who have requested permission from the Tour to play in the Saudi International. Below is a full list.”
Dustin Johnson
Abraham Ancer
Kevin Na
Lee Westwood
Graeme McDowell
Jason Kokrak
Tommy Fleetwood
Henrik Stenson
3. You can own Phil’s PGA Championship-winning putter…sort of
Our Gianni Magliocco…”On Wednesday, Odyssey launched its small-batch release of Phil Mickelson’s iconic Odyssey Milled Blade “Phil Mickelson” flatstick.”
  • “Just 125 of the putters are up for grabs, with the flatstick built to the exact specs which Phil Mickelson used to win the 2021 PGA Championship.”
  • “Each putter comes with a certificate of authenticity personally signed by Phil Mickelson.”
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4. Cowgirls and Sooners
Riley Hamel for Golfweek…”Many know East Lake Golf Club as the host venue for the Tour Championship, the final stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour. However, the East Lake Cup, since its inception in 2015, puts the best teams in college golf on full display over the three-day event.”
  • “Tuesday, both teams from Oklahoma State made their respected championship matches. On the ladies’ side, Duke defeated Ole Miss to advance to the finals against OSU. As for the men, Oklahoma, ranked No. 1 in Golfweek’s Collegiate rankings, took down Pepperdine to move on.”
  • “We handled the wind very well,” Duke head coach Dan Brooks said after the Blue Devils’ win. “You know, I think I learned that they’re as good as I thought they were.”
5. “Could be a nightmare for endorsement deals”
Golfweek’s David Dusek…”Then there is the question of visibility for the brands themselves. Would a sizeable American golf equipment maker want to associate itself with a player who accepts a massive amount of guaranteed appearance money to play in tournaments organized and paid for by Golf Saudi and the Saudi royal family?”
  • “The “60 Minutes” report below about Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggiair last Sunday evening…”
  • “One industry insider told Golfweek that company officials are debating what they should do if a staff player decides to play in a Saudi series. The idea of requesting the player not wear the company’s hat and not use a bag with the company’s name being considered. In other words, if a staff player plays, he goes logo-less, to distance the brand from the player and the event.”
6. Gay at 50
PGATour.com’s Ben Everill…”The man who this week will be teeing it up in his 629th PGA TOUR tournament and whose 50th birthday will be in about six weeks smiled. “Because I haven’t hit a ball since Saturday,” he said.”
  • “That’s the longest time I’ve gone without hitting a ball before a tournament. It’s not normal for me.”
  • “Understood, and with that, Gay hustled to get a bus.”
  • “But the thought occurs that here in Bermuda, Gay has mastered the art of “not normal” and harken back to a year ago for definitive proof. It’s rare for 48-year-olds to win on the PGA TOUR, especially those who are relatively short of today’s supreme power, and most definitely those who have missed the cut in nine of their previous 11 starts over a period of five months.”
  • “Ah, but when Gay stuffed an approach to the 72nd hole and tapped in for birdie to force a playoff, then made a 10-foot birdie putt on that same hole a few minutes later to beat Wyndham Clark, arguably one of the PGA TOUR’s most unheralded success stories had registered his fifth career win, albeit for a variety of reasons that were “not normal.”
7. Another Tiger putter up for sale 
Our Matt Vincenzi…”Just a few months ago, one of Tiger Woods’ backup Scotty Cameron putters used during the 2000 season was sold at auction for a whopping $393,300. Now, there is a new Tiger Woods putter on the market that a sports investing firm thinks may dwarf the amount the backup Scotty Cameron was valued at.”
  • “The putter, which is currently available on Collectable, is connected to an iconic Anser-style model. Tiger used that style of putter in 1997 when he set multiple Masters records and won the event by an unheard of 12 strokes. The Newport TeI3 Teryllium is the only putter he has used to win a major championship other than the Newport 2 GSS he used to win 14 of his 15 majors.”
  • “However, the putter he used at Augusta that week wasn’t the only TeI3 putter that Tiger Woods used during the late ’90s.”
  • “According to Collectable, the putter that they are auctioning on the site is the putter Tiger used at the 1998 U.S. Open at Olympic Club and the BellSouth Classic. This means that it is most definitely a Tiger Woods-used putter, which of course, wildly enhances its value. Tiger won the BellSouth Classic that year, making this putter part of history as a putter used in one of Woods’ record-tying 82 victories.”
8. Time Machine: Greg Norman’s 1986 Masters WITB
Driver: MacGregor M85 Eye-O-Matic (9 degrees)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X400 (43.5?)
3-wood: Toney Penna (13 degrees)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X200 (42.5?)
Irons: Spalding Tour Edition (1- 52-degree PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: MacGregor hand ground (56 degrees)
Putter: Wilson 8802
Ball: Spalding Tour Edition 00 with SHARK

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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.

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

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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.

 

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News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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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)

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WITB

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