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Morning 9: Tiger out of Hero I Ko’s return to number one I RIP Sandy Jones

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3 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com. On Twitter: @benalberstadt
November 29, 2022

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, with Tiger Woods and his legion of fans having to wait another week for his comeback after his latest WD.

1. Woods withdraws: Plantar fasciitis to keep TW out of Hero

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Woods announced Monday that he has developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot, forcing him to withdraw from his 20-man exhibition in the Bahamas that begins Thursday. Tournament officials said Sepp Straka will take Woods’ place in the limited field.”

  • “This was set to be a busy stretch for Woods, beginning with the Hero and followed the next two weeks with The Match alongside Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, as well as the PNC Championship with son Charlie.”
  • “But Woods said that he developed inflammation in his surgically repaired right foot in the run-up to the Hero and, after consulting with his doctors, decided it was best to focus on his hosting duties. He said Monday that he is still planning to compete in The Match and PNC, during which he can use a cart.”
Full piece.

2. Lydia Ko: No. 1

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”Lydia Ko has returned to No. 1 in the world for the first time since June 11, 2017. She replaces Nelly Korda. Four players have occupied the top spot in the Rolex Rankings in 2022, with Jin Young Ko spending the bulk of the season there.”

  • “On Oct. 31, LPGA rookie Atthaya Thitikul became only the second teenager to rise to No. 1. She spent two weeks there before Korda knocked her out after a victory at the Pelican Women’s Championship.”
  • “Ko, 25, became the youngest player – male or female – to ever reach No. 1 seven years ago at age 17. Tiger Woods previously held the record of 21, set in 1997.”
Full piece.

3. LIV lands Mayakoba

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…“The 16th edition of the PGA Tour visiting the Riviera Maya in Mexico, south of Cancun, which was played earlier this month, will be its final rendition. Golfweek has learned that the El Camaleon Golf Club, which has regularly hosted the World Wide Technologies Championship at Mayakoba is set to be the site of the first LIV Golf tournament in February 2023. Multiple sources have confirmed that an announcement is expected as early as Tuesday.”

  • “The decision to jump to LIV Golf makes sense given that Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, designed the course and has strong ties to the resort and tournament organizers. LIV Golf also has signed the most prominent Mexican golfers to its roster of players, including Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz.”
  • “LIV Golf Mayakoba is expected to take place on Feb. 24-26, 2023, and serve as the kick-off event on the 14-event schedule. It is the first golf course to leave the PGA Tour in favor of hosting an event on the upstart LIV Golf circuit.”
Full piece.

4. RIP Sandy Jones

PGA report…“The PGA is sad to report that its former Chief Executive and a hugely popular figure in golf, Sandy Jones, has passed away.”

  • “Sandy’s association with The PGA began in 1980 when he was appointed a regional secretary for Scotland. Eleven years later he became the Association’s Chief Executive, a role he held for 25 years.”
  • “He was also a President of the Golf Foundation and a chairman of The Ryder Cup Trust. The PGA is the founding partner of the Ryder Cup and, as a board member, he played a pivotal role in developing it into one of the largest sporting events in the world, introducing a charitable arm enabling revenues from the Ryder Cup to develop the game.”
Full piece.

5. Lavner: Woods should speak up again against LIV, and it’s in his interest to do so

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Even though he turns 48 next month, Woods’ voice resonates more than the others – he captured consecutive PIP titles despite playing just nine competitive rounds – and this was a chance to underscore why this was such a seismic moment for the Tour.”

  • “That’s why, with his appearance now limited to hosting duties, there’s plenty of intrigue heading into Woods’ Tuesday news conference at the Hero World Challenge. At the end of an acrimonious year, with the sports world listening, he can take his strongest stance yet.”
  • “Even if a few of Woods’ talking points will need to be refined.”
  • “Four months ago, at St. Andrews, he dismissed LIV’s 54-hole format as a senior tour prelude and disparaged the defectors for accepting guaranteed money upfront, asking, “What is the incentive to practice? What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt?” But every player, including Woods, has accepted appearance fees in the past, and a new Tour model with more no-cut events would be just another way for the Tour to line the pockets of its stars. The better they perform, the more money they make. That meritocratic aspect hasn’t changed, either on Tour or LIV.”
Full piece.

6. JT and Rahm join Tiger and Rory for Monday night golf

7. Crunch talks on the way

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…“Chief executives of the game’s main tours and the heads of at least three of the Majors will congregate at The Match in Florida next month to discuss the ongoing LIV Golf threat, according to a report from the Telegraph’s Golf Correspondent James Corrigan.”

  • “Bosses including PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the USGA Mike Whan and chief executive of the PGA of America Seth Waugh will be in attendance at the Pelican Golf Club on 10 December, where Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will team up against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the made-for-TV exhibition event.”
Full piece.

8. Webb’s win over Cam Smith

AAP report…”She might be semi-retired but Karrie Webb managed to do something this year that a lot of other golfers couldn’t – beat Cameron Smith in a round of golf.

  • “The pair are both teeing up in the Australian Open in Melbourne this week, for the first time male and female golfers playing on the same course at the same time for the same prize-money.”
  • “Their match was rained out with a few holes to play but Webb was ahead, with Smith paying up with a bottle of Grange.”
  • “I was ahead when we got rained out so he paid up,” Webb said on Monday following her practice at Victoria Golf Club.
  • “He brought over a bottle of Grange – if he’d told me on the first tee that was what we were playing for I probably wouldn’t have played so good.
  • “I had him sign the bottle and said I’m not going to drink this until one of us wins a big tournament and then two weeks later he did (at the Open) so now we’ve got to have a drink to celebrate.”
Full piece.

9. Garcia’s historic fall
Ryan Herrington for GolfDigest… “On Monday, for the first time since that maiden Euro Tour win, Garcia will fall out of the top 100, ending an amazing streak that has lasted 23 years and 21 weeks (1,221 weeks overall). It was a milestone first noted by Twitter’s resident OWGR guru, @nosferatu.”

  • “The fall was in part self-afflicted. When Garcia choose to jump to the LIV Golf circuit this summer, bolting the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, where he won 11 times, the former Masters champion was cutting off the potential for playing in OWGR ranked events. When Garcia, now 42, played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational in June he was still ranked 55th. But since then, while playing in eight LIV events, he’s competed in only four tournaments that offer OWGR points, his best finish at T-48 at the BMW International.”
Full Piece.
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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

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4 weeks ago

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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

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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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