News

Morning 9: Rahm wins the Masters | Brooks: LIV pros not ‘washed up’ | Tiger’s injury

Published

2 years ago

Apr 10, 2023

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, and as Jon Rahm basks in the glory of being the 2023 Masters champion.

1. Rahm conquers Augusta

ESPN Report…“Jon Rahm kept hearing how he was destined to win this Masters because so many Spanish stars were aligned in his favor.”

Sunday would have been the 66th birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros, Rahm’s idol and inspiration for playing. This year was the 40-year anniversary of the second Masters title Ballesteros won. If that wasn’t enough, caddie Adam Hayes was assigned white coveralls with No. 49 — April 9.

“I was told a lot of things about why this could be the year,” Rahm said, looking smart as ever in his new green jacket. “And I just didn’t want to buy into it too much.”

Full piece.

2. Koepka: LIV stars not washed up

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Koepka, a four-time major championship winner, came up short Sunday, losing to Spain’s Jon Rahm by 4 strokes. Koepka tied for second with three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, another LIV Golf captain, who carded a 7-under 65 in the final round to finish 8 under.”

“LIV Golf member Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, tied for fourth at 7 under.”

“We’re still the same people,” said Koepka, who missed the cut in his two previous Masters starts while recovering from a serious knee injury. “So I mean, I know if I’m healthy, I know I can compete. I don’t think any of the guys that played this event thought otherwise, either. When Phil plays good, we know he’s going to compete. Reed, the same thing.

“I think that’s just manufactured by the media that we can’t compete anymore; that we are washed up.”

Full piece.

3. Rahm’s quiet driver change

PGATour.com’s Sean Martin…”He is using the same type of driver head as at the start of the year – a 10.5-degree Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond – but switched into a different head and changed the hosel setting from NS to NS+1, which adds a degree of loft to the head. The increased spin from the added loft brought back Rahm’s preferred shot shape. The team at Callaway brought Rahm several different heads to help him find one that didn’t look too closed with the added loft.”

“In his first round with the new club, Rahm missed just one fairway over the final nine holes of his opening 71 at TPC Sawgrass.”

“We knew we were in a good spot, and then it was a bummer because he got sick,” Davidson said Thursday. “Last week, he was working with (instructor) David Phillips, and they had some unbelievable sessions. I think he shot 60 … last week in Scottsdale. We knew coming into this week that he was scoring well.”

Full piece.

4 Tiger’s worrisome injury

5. Did Jim Nantz make a LIV Golf joke?

Gabrielle Herzig for Sports Illustrated…”Koepka was forced to lay up on the par-5, leaving his third shot in the crosswalk that spans the 15th fairway. As the four-time major champion approached his shot, Nantz made a subtle, but genius joke about LIV Golf’s TV deal.”

“There it is right on the CW … the crosswalk,” Nantz said.

“The context: LIV Golf is broadcasted on the CW Network.”

Full piece.

6. Sam Bennett’s Dick’s run

Greg Gottfried for Golf Digest…”Despite all of that, the weather might end up being the thing we remember most. It’s been so brutal that it forced Sam Bennett to make a run to the local Dick’s Sporting Goods after the third round was suspended on Saturday.”

“After a subpar ending to his third round, Bennett admitted that he was taken aback by the low temps and grueling conditions to start the weekend. So much so that the amateur needed to buy some new clothes to prepare for the end of the third round and final round on Sunday.”

“Yesterday I had to go to Dick’s and get some warmer clothes, some Under Armours with the weather,” Bennett said.

Full piece.

7. Why the “5” incident wasn’t a penalty

Dan Wetzel for Yahoo Sports…”Koepka’s argument that he was just taking off his glove is suspicious. You can certainly remove a golf glove without fully outstretching your fingers. That said, he might have just wanted to do it that way at the time. It could be a coincidence.”

“A lack of hard evidence, though, makes the case too much for the Masters to convict anyone. It looks sketchy, but it might not be. Taking two strokes away in a major championship should require more than that.”

“Following the completion of Brooks Koepka’s round, the committee questioned his caddie and others in the group about a possible incident on No. 15,” the Masters said in a statement. “All involved were adamant that no advice was given or requested.”

“Consequently, the committee determined that there was no breach of the rules.”

Full piece.

8. Koepka rips pace of play on Sunday

Gabrielle Herzig for Sports Illustrated…”Both members of the final pairing—Brooks Koepka and eventual Masters champion Jon Rahm—are typically some of the faster players in professional golf.”

“On Sunday at Augusta National, the pace of play wasn’t exactly speedy, and Koepka didn’t shy away from pointing that out in his post-round press conference.”

“A reporter posed the question to the LIV Golf member: “You’re a pretty fast player, as we know. Curious your thoughts on pace of play this afternoon?”

“The four-time major champion’s response: “Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”

Full piece.

9. Winning WITB: Jon Ram

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees @11.3)

Shaft: Aldila Tour Green ATX 75 2.8 TX

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T (High Launch, 16 degrees @15.1)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

5-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T (18 degrees)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Irons: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)

Shafts: Project X 125 6.5 (4-PW)

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10, 56-12 @55.25, 60-10)

Shafts: Project X 125 6.5

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Grips: Golf Pride MCC midsize

Full piece.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

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.

Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.

We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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.

News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

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)