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PGA TOUR 2K23 review

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When PGA TOUR 2K21 was released, golf fans had been deprived of a PGA TOUR video game since Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR was released in 2015.  The game was a major step in the right direction for the future of golf video games, but needed work.

PGA TOUR 2k23 has improved it’s product in the two years since the 2K21 version was released. But are the improvements significant enough to justify buying the new game?

New Swing/New Game Modes

The game begins with a tutorial and allows you to choose a “3-Click swing requires you to hold and release the X button (PS5), and then tap the button twice to line up your swing path and club face angle. This new option doesn’t feel as realistic as swinging the club with the joystick, but it offers an easier method for more casual gamers.

PGA TOUR 2K23 also offers some new gaming options, highlighted by the “Top Golf” mode. The mode is fun in short stints and truly does replicate the feel of being at a “Top Golf” in real life. It’s a solid option for a player who wants to hit some golf shots without grinding in their My career mode for hours at a time.

MyPlayer

As we’ve grown accustomed to with the 2K franchise in NBA, MyPlayer is the focal point of the game. There are massive changes to MyPlayer in 2K23 as they’ve added both Archetypes and Skills to the mode. The Archetype allows you to build your player around a certain skill set such as player who bombs it off the tee or a player who does tidy work around the greens. Different “Skills” options are given in a progression tree and can be triggered during rounds to help improve your play. There are also “Momentum Skills” that can be earned mid-round through consistently accomplishing tasks such as hitting consecutive fairways.

MyCareer

The MyCareer mode allows you to start at Q School, the Korn Ferry Tour, Korn Ferry Tour Finals, or PGA TOUR. There are 17 courses in career mode that return from 2K21 along with three new courses, Wilmington Country Club, The Renaissance Club and St. George’s Golf. MyCareer builds off of the rivalry system it used in 2K21 and eventually requires you to defeat Tiger Woods in a rivalry once you’ve defeated the other pro’s. MyCareer also enables you to unlock different clubs and gear for your player, but it’s all cosmetic. The only changes with your player on the course are attributed to your Archetype and Skill in your MyPlayer.

The Verdict

The game certainly improves on it’s 2K21 predecessor. The changes in MyPlayer and MyCareer are significant and enhance the gaming experience. PGA TOUR 2K23 is undoubtedly the most realistic golf simulation video game ever made and it’s truly impressive how authentic being on the course feels while playing the game. Chipping and putting requires timing and precision, the lie you get in the rough is incredibly predictive of the shot you need to play, a ball above your feet will hook to the left and a ball below your feet will slice to the right. Just about everything on the course is authentic as can be imagined by hardcore golf fans. The graphics of the game are much smoother and more realistic than 2K21.

There are plenty of improvements to the game, but some of the additions fall flat. The “playable pro’s” are a welcome addition, but there is little to do with the players that is meaningful to the game. You can play a casual round with Tiger Woods at TPC Sawgrass, but after doing so a few times, the rounds feel a bit empty. Not being able to play against the pro’s is something I hope changes in future generations. The rivalry system is a little better than the previous version, but still feels a bit meaningless when all is said and done. Having to beat the player in match play or actually be able see their shots against yours in a tournament setting would do wonders for the franchise.

Additionally, the lack of major championship courses and licensing hurts the game. Not being able to play in The Masters, PGA Championship, The Open Championship, or PGA Championship makes the MyCareer mode feel unfulfilling.

Ultimately, the realism and authenticity of the on-course gaming makes the game worth buying. With competition now coming in the form of EA Sports PGA TOUR, the 2K product will unquestionably improve in future years.

Score: 7.3/10

19th Hole

‘Don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight’ – LPGA pro offers candid take following rough AIG Women’s Open finish

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An opening round of 77 left LPGA pro Jenny Shin with a mountain to climb at last week’s AIG Women’s Open.

However, fighting back with rounds of 69 and 67, Shin found herself six shots off the lead and just outside the top 10 heading into Sunday as she went in search of her first major victory.

Shin, who won the US Girls’ Junior at just 13, couldn’t back those rounds up on Sunday, though, and after playing her opening nine holes of the final round in level par, she then bogeyed three holes coming home to slip down the leaderboard and eventually finish T23.

Taking to X following the final round, Shin offered a frustrated and honest take on how she was feeling, posting: “Don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight. What a crappy way to finish.”

Shin has made 11 cuts in 13 starts on the LPGA Tour this season, but has been plagued by frustrating Sunday finishes throughout the year. Shin ranks 102nd on tour this year out of 155 for Round 4 scoring in 2025.

Miyu Yamashita won the 2025 AIG Women’s Open with a composed final round of 70 to win her first major of her career by two strokes.

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How a late golf ball change helped Cameron Young win for first time on PGA Tour

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Cameron Young won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday for his first victory on the PGA Tour.

Young dominated all weekend at TPC Sedgefield, running away from the pack to win by six strokes and put himself in contention for a Ryder Cup pick in September.

Ahead of the event, the 28-year-old switched to a Pro V1x prototype golf ball for the first time, following recent testing sessions with the Titleist Golf Ball R&D team.

Interestingly, Young played a practice round accompanied by Fordie Pitts, Titleist’s Director of Tour Research & Validation, at TPC Schedule early last week with both his usual Pro V1 Left Dot ball and the new Pro V1x prototype.

Per Titleist, by the second hole Young was exclusively hitting shots with the Pro V1x prototype.

“We weren’t sure if he was going to test it this week, but as he was warming up, he asked to hit a couple on the range,” Pitts said. “He was then curious to see some shots out on the course.  Performance-wise, he was hitting tight draws everywhere. His misses were staying more in play. He hit some, what he would call ‘11 o’clock shots,’ where again he’s taking a little something off it. He had great control there.”

According to Titleist, the main validation came on Tuesday on the seventh hole of his practice round. The par 3 that played between 184 and 225 yards during the tournament called for a 5-iron from Young, or so he thought. Believing there was “no way” he could get a 6-iron to the flag with his Left Dot, Young struck a 5-iron with the Pro V1x prototype and was stunned to see the ball land right by the hole.

“He then hits this 6-iron [with the Pro V1x prototype] absolutely dead at the flag, and it lands right next to the pin, ending up just past it,” Pitts said. “And his response was, ‘remarkable.’ He couldn’t believe that he got that club there.”

Following nine holes on Tuesday and a further nine on Wednesday, Young asked the Titleist team to put the ProV1x balls in his locker. The rest, as they say, is history.

Check out Young’s winning WITB here.

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

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Rickie Fowler fired an opening round of one-under par on Thursday at the Wyndham Championship, as the Californian looks to make a FedEx Cup playoff push.

Fowler is currently 61st in the standings, so will need a strong couple of weeks to extend his season until the BMW Championship, where only the top 50 in the standings will tee it up.

Heading into the final stretch of the season, Fowler has made an equipment switch of note, changing into new iron shafts, as well as making a switch to his driver shaft.

The 36-year-old revealed this week that he has switched from his usual KBS Tour C-Taper 125-gram steel shafts to the graphite Aerotech SteelFiber 125cw shafts in his Cobra King Tour irons, a change he first put into play at last month’s Travelers Championship.

Speaking on the change to reporters this week, Fowler made note that the graphite shafts offer “something that’s a little easier on the body.”

“I mean, went to the week of Travelers, so been in for, I guess that’s a little over a month now. Something that’s a little easier on the body and seemed to get very similar numbers to where I was at. Yeah, it’s gone well so far.”

Fowler has also made a driver shaft change, switching out his Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX for a UST Mamiya Lin-Q Proto V1 6 TX driver shaft in his Cobra DS-Adapt X, which he first implemented a couple of weeks ago at the John Deere Classic.

However, according to Fowler himself, the testing and potential changes are not done yet.

“Probably do some more testing in some different weight configurations with them once I get some time. Yeah, I feel like we’re always trying to search, one, to get better but are there ways to make things easier, whether that’s physically, mentally, whatever it may be. So yeah, I thought they were good enough to obviously put into play and looking forward to doing some more testing.”

Fowler gets his second round at TPC Sedgefield underway at 7.23 a.m ET on Friday.

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