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Morning 9: Pros have say on rollback | LIV 72 holes in future? | Rickie joins TGL

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2 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

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

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Valspar gets underway.

1. Who is this MLR for, exactly?

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Where do the governing bodies envision the line being drawn between who implements this MLR, if enacted starting in 2026, and who doesn’t?”

  • “I think it’s safe to say we wouldn’t be suggesting this if we didn’t think this would be something we would utilize,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said Tuesday.
  • …”But does that mean every championship that the USGA or R&A conducts? According to the USGA, if the MLR is implemented, it would only adopt the new golf ball for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur, at least right away.”
  • “Beyond that, it is premature to determine, as we don’t have a fully written and finalized MLR for the game to react to, or our championship committee,” a USGA spokesperson told GolfChannel.com. “The MLR, by its very nature, gives the game the option to adopt.”
Full piece.

2. JT on rollback

Iain Carter for BBC…”Justin Thomas has heavily criticized plans by the R&A and United States Golf Association to restrict how far golf balls fly at future elite tournaments.”

  • …”You’re trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Thomas. “To me, it’s just so bad for the game of golf.”
  • “Recreational amateur golf would not be covered by the “Model Local Rule” that the R&A and USGA are recommending for elite golf use. Both organisations say they plan to implement the move at their majors – the Open and US Open in 2026.”
  • “The great thing to me is the fact that you can play the exact same golf ball that I play,” Thomas added. “That’s cool. For an every day amateur golfer, it’s very unique that we are able to play the exact same equipment.”
Full piece.

3. Sam Burns has his say

Colby Powell for Golf Channel…”Burns: “Personally, I think it’s pretty silly. I would say if you look at the last few years of golf, I think the game has grown tremendously. At the end of the day, no matter what it is, we’re an entertainment sport and I think, I don’t think people necessarily want to come out here and watch guys hit it shorter. They enjoy watching guys go out there and hit it 350 yards. I don’t see what the problem is with that. I think that’s a skill and I don’t really agree with trying to take that away.”
Full piece.

4. Bryson blasts rollback

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Another big name in golf that was unhappy with the possible rule change was former U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau is most known for his ability to hit the golf ball a ridiculously long way, so it’s not all that surprising that he’d be against a rule that would prevent the golf ball from going as far as it possibly could.”

  • “Bryson famously won the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot by six shots and did so by overpowering the golf course.”
  • “In an interview with Mike McAllister of LIV Golf, DeChambeau ripped the rules proposal, calling it “the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf.””
  • “If you could say I’m the complete opposite times 1,000, that’s what I would be,” the 29-year-old said.
  • “It’s a great handicap for us guys that have worked really hard to learn how to hit it farther,” he said. “Look, if they do it in a way where it only affects the top end, I see the rationale. But I think it’s the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf. It’s not about rolling golf balls back; it’s about making golf courses more difficult.”
  • “He added: “I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do. Everybody wants to see people hit it farther. That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do.”
  • “But again, it creates more conversation in a positive way than cutting it back and trying to make everybody equal. I’m all about equality. I’m not about equity on this front.”
Full piece.

5. Rickie to join TGL

Via ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Rickie Fowler is set to become the latest golfer to join TGL, the tech-infused golf league being fronted by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.”

  • “Fowler, who is ranked 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking, becomes the 12th player to commit to joining the league, which is scheduled to begin play in 2024.”
  • “TGL has now signed 12 of the 18 players who will compete on six three-man teams of PGA Tour players in match play on a virtual course that will include a short-game complex for chipping and putting.”
Full piece.

6. Chamblee’s take

Culled from a Twitter thread by the Golf Channel commentator…

  • “It seems to me that this proposal by the USGA and R&A derives from what a very small number of people, namely the executive committees of the USGA and R&A, think about how a very small number of players, namely the longest hitters on the men’s tour, play a very few number of holes, namely a few at The Old Course and Augusta National and perhaps the 10th at Riviera and they are willing to disrupt the entire golf world for their interpretation of how the game is broken and how it should be fixed, with no convincing evidence for their position.”
  • “The proposed new testing parameters for the ball will likely lead to a reduction in distance, not of 14-15, but likely 20-25 yrds when one considers that no player on tour in ‘22 averaged 127mph clubhead speed and no player on tour averaged as little as 2200 rpm’s of spin and the proposed launch angle of 11 degrees is higher than the 2022 tour average. As for the proposed bifurcation, it is essentially the USGA and R&A executive committees proclaiming that they don’t like how the professional game is being played. It is no small number of people who would argue that it is the PGA Tour’s call, and not the governing bodies, as to how the professional game is played. I don’t imagine Roger Goodell would allow an outside agency to dictate how he runs his business. And by playing the same equipment are spectators not better able to judge the athleticism of great players more accurately and be appropriately awed by the difference and isn’t that accurate depiction of the disparity between what they can do and the pros can do, part of the appeal of watching the best play?”
  • …”bifurcation of the ball means bifurcation of the equipment because these new balls will have unique characteristics that will require new golf clubs to accommodate and maximize the totally new launch conditions.“
Full piece.

7. McGinley’s perspective

8. Phil: LIV could move to 72 holes in future

Paul Higham for Golf Monthly..”Phil Mickelson says the agile and fluid nature of LIV Golf means that they would consider shifting to a traditional 72-hole format if it helped secure World Ranking points.”

  • “When we see something that can be better, we have the fluidity to make the change and make it better,” said Mickelson.”
  • “I mean, there’s a lot of specifics that we could look at and say, gosh, do we need to go to 72 holes to get World Ranking points or what do we need to do to be the best product but really it comes down to we provide the best product to fans, to sponsors.”
  • “Those are things we can talk about and again we have the fluidity to make changes if it’s in the best interests of the players or the league or for the fans or for the sponsors. But I don’t feel that that’s a pressing need right now, otherwise it would have been changed.”
Full piece.

9. Photos from Valspar

  • 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.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Chuck

    Mar 17, 2023 at 10:30 am

    It’s always been clear to me that when a golf ball rollback came, the world’s press would immediately turn to current Tour stars to get their hot takes.

    That is absolutely and precisely the wrong source for expert opinions. Those guys are the worst sources of expert opinions. It starts with the clear conflict most of them have, by being multimillionaire representatives of equipment manufacturers who might want to sue the USGA.

    It continues, with the fact that most of them are still young, in their twenties and thirties and fundamentally don’t know as much as they might about golf course architecture and golf administration.

    The one thing about this week that has really bothered me is the failure of the USGA and the R&A to hold a big, splashy daylong press conference and meeting to talk about why the ball rollback was needed and overdue. Four two-hour panel discussions. Panel One: Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw on the longstanding need for this intervention. Panel Two: Gil Hanse, Tom Doak and Martin Hawtree on the problems of tricking up golf courses in order to try to place a check on exploding technology performance. Why the best golf is open, firm and fast. Panel Three: Geoff Shackelford, John Huggan and Michael Bamberger on the sport-philosophy and aesthetics of golf. Panel Four: USGA technology experts on what they have learned in studying this problem for 20+ years.

    Bonus Evening Session: A two-hour Pro-Con debate, between Geoff Shackelford and Mike Stachura (Equipment Editor at Golf Digest).

    Enough news and quotes from big names to overwhelm the world’s golfing and general sporting press for a month.

    Reply Report comment

  2. PJ

    Mar 17, 2023 at 6:53 am

    The USGA is a joke. I hope that the goofball mfrs tell the USGA NO.

    Reply Report comment

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News

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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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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