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Morning 9: Tiger’s return | Enter the Dahmen | Go for it at 10!

Published

3 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com
February 16, 2023

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as Tiger Woods returns to action at Riviera!

1. Details: Tiger’s pro-am

Paolo Uggetti for Golf Digest…”Woods, who will play with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy in the first two rounds of the tournament starting Thursday, arrived at Riviera Country Club Wednesday before sunrise and practiced at the range with lights before his 6:30 a.m. tee time. At the time Woods teed off, the sun was just peeking out over the horizon and the temperature was in the low 40s. It remained there throughout the front nine holes while the wind picked up significantly. Woods, wearing what appeared to be several layers, looked cold but comfortable swinging.”

  • “During the first part of his round Wednesday, Woods’ gait looked more normal than it has in the past, with no noticeable limp, though he did appear to take his time and care walking up and down steep slopes. By the back nine, he did look to be walking more gingerly, avoiding putting too much weight on his ankle. After picking up his ball on the 16th hole, Woods did not play the rest of the way and took his time walking back up the clubhouse. He did not take a cart.”
Full piece.

2. Enter the Dahmen

Josh Weinfuss for ESPN…”Except, there are parts of their lives that make them quite different. Dahmen is in his seventh PGA Tour season, has made more than $10 million in career earnings and, starting Wednesday, will have his pre-baby life shared on “Full Swing” to Netflix’s 231 million subscribers.”

  • “It doesn’t make any sense,” the 35-year-old told ESPN.
  • “Armed with the bravado of a sleep-deprived dad, Dahmen is going to try to take advantage of his 15 minutes — or 44, if you watch the entirety of Episode 4, which is Dahmen’s, titled “Imposter Syndrome” — of fame.”
  • “I wonder if Netflix will give me a free subscription now instead of me paying whatever it is, $6 a month for it?” he said. “I’m going to take that one and go see if they’ll give me a free month, at least.”
Full piece.

3. LIVing on a Pereira

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Mito Pereira, who last year squandered a chance to become the first man from Chile to win a major championship and the first PGA Tour rookie to win one in 11 years, has officially joined the LIV Golf League.”

  • “Pereira, 27, and Sebastian Munoz, another PGA Tour member, were among four players on the Torque GC roster that was unveiled by LIV Golf on Wednesday. Captain Joaquin Niemann, who is from Chile, and former Arizona State star David Puig also are back.”
Full piece.

4. Looking forward to a dinner he’s not really looking forward to

Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…”The Champions Dinner is the most mannered moment at golf’s most genteel event, a place where Woods has been honored five times as the returning champion. He understands the intent of the evening. “We as a whole need to honor Scottie, Scottie’s the winner, it’s his dinner,” he insisted. But he clearly grasps that the broader context in which the dinner is being held cannot and will not be ignored.”

  • “There may be LIV players present on that Tuesday in Augusta with whom Woods (and other outspoken Masters champs, like Fred Couples) can be civil. Like Dustin Johnson, who took the money, resigned his Tour membership and walked away without friction. It will be tougher to keep his food down while seated across from former colleagues — as distinct from peers — who have accused him in court filings of conspiring illegally with the PGA Tour and dispatched subpoena servers in his direction.”
  • “Realizing the nature of what has transpired and the people that have left, just where our situations are either legally, emotionally, there’s a lot there,” he said, leaving a distinct impression that if asked he might decline to pass the salt to Sergio or the silverware to Reed.
Full piece.

5. “Good but not great”

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…

  • “Here’s my one-sentence review of Netflix’s golf documentary “Full Swing:” It’s good, not great…That probably isn’t going to make a billboard, but especially if you consider yourself a hardcore golf fan you might come away underwhelmed. The fact is, the golf fan isn’t the target audience; it’s geared toward welcoming a new audience to the game and I sincerely hope it succeeds to do for golf what “Drive to Survive” has done for Formula One.”
  • “Although I have my doubts…”
Full piece.

6. No laying up at 10!

Via the Golf Channel Digital team…“But the numbers have changed drastically in recent years. Just 49.5% of players went for the green at No. 10 in the 2014 Genesis. Since then, the percentages have steadily increased – to the point where nearly everyone is playing aggressively.”

  • …”But does going for the green lead to lower scores? The data is clear: yes, it does.”
  • “Here’s a look at scoring averages for those who went for the green and those who laid up, from 2015-20 at the Genesis (2021 and ’22 were excluded because the sample size of layups is too small). As you can see, players who went for the green, on average, score a quarter-stroke lower than those who didn’t.”
  • “These numbers hit across the entire field, from the top to the bottom. And, unsurprisingly, the top players in this week’s field have employed the aggressive go-for-it strategy at No. 10.”
Full Piece.

7. On Brooksy

From the Golf Digest staff’s Netflix Full Swing breakdown. Shane Ryan writes…”We have to talk about Brooksy. I don’t know if people are going to like him more after this—I suspect not—and I don’t even know if this presents an accurate picture of what his life is like on a day-to-day basis. But man, it was certainly a warts-and-all performance! You can tell he’s hooked on the idea of being a Jordan-esque (or Tiger-esque) badass, but the problem in golf is that nobody but Tiger ever stays on top for very long, and he simply can’t handle life in the middle. There’s a certain entitlement here, a certain neuroses, and a certain lack of perspective. You see a scene like the empty trophy case spots, and while it’s clear the vacancies are supposed to be inspiring, now the whole thing is just sad; not to get too ham-handed here, but it’s a pretty damn good metaphor for the emptiness he seems to feel at his core.”

  • “The great irony is that all his swashbuckling attitude works against him now that his prime is over. His decision to go to LIV is depicted here as an act of submission, like a dog showing its belly; he can’t go toe-to-toe with the Scottie Schefflers of the world anymore, so he’s surrendering. It’s not very Jordan-like, and Koepka may come looking at times like a bit of a whiner, but I also think he deserves credit for that level of openness with the cameras. I certainly didn’t expect him to admit that he was on a downward trajectory in his career, for one thing. This is one of those situations where I can’t wait to see what the general public says when the episode is released.”
Full Piece.

8. Tiger Woods WITB

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9 degrees @7.5)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Titanium (15 degrees @14.25)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees @18.25)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Irons: 2023 TaylorMade P770 (3-iron), TaylorMade P7TW (4-PW)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: TaylorMade MG3 Raw (56-12TW), TaylorMade MG3 Raw (60-11TW)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype

Grip: Ping PP58

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord 58R
Full Piece.

9. Photos from Riv

  • Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!
Full Piece.

Related Topics:

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

Published

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

By

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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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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