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Morning 9: Annika new ANGC member? | Morikawa’s putter shaft switch | More USGA champs for Pinehurst

Published

2 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour takes a rare week off from action.

1. Annika an ANGC member?

Adam Schupak for Golfweek…”Annika Sorenstam, winner of 10 women’s majors and 72 LPGA Tour titles, was recently fitted for a green jacket.”

  • “According to multiple sources who spoke to Golfweek on the condition of anonymity, Sorenstam, 53, officially became a member at Augusta National Golf Club earlier this month when the club opened for the current season. A spokesperson for Augusta National Golf Club declined to comment. Mike McGee, Sorenstam’s husband and manager, also declined to comment.”
  • “Augusta National has traditionally cited membership as a private matter and gone to great lengths to keep its membership list, which is believed to be in the neighborhood of 300 and includes a group of some of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen — and since 2012 women — private.”
Full piece.

2. Final 10 Grant Thornton Invitational teams announced

Via PGATour.com…”Tournament officials today announced the remaining 10 teams that will compete in the Grant Thornton Invitational set to debut Dec. 8-10, 2023, at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida.”

  • Charley Hull and Justin Rose
  • Megan Khang and Denny McCarthy
  • Céline Boutier and Harris English
  • Andrea Lee and Billy Horschel
  • Mel Reid and Russell Henley
  • Cheyenne Knight and Tom Hoge
  • Madelene Sagström and Ludvig Åberg
  • Allisen Corpuz and Cameron Champ
  • Ruoning Yin and Nick Taylor
  • Leona Maguire and Lucas Glover
Full piece.

3. Jackson Van Paris breaks through at St. Andrews

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Jackson Van Paris was a can’t miss junior player. Consistently in the mix in the biggest events, even as a 14-year-old at the 2019 U.S. Amateur, where he won a match to nearly break Bobby Jones’ record as the youngest to do so. Winner of two AJGA invitationals and the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in 2020. In same breath as, and often ahead of, contemporaries such as Gordon Sargent, Preston Summerhays and David Ford.”

  • “College golf, though, hadn’t come nearly as easy for the Pinehurst, North Carolina, native – that is, until recently.”
  • “Now a junior at Vanderbilt, Van Paris notched his first college individual win Tuesday at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate. Van Paris carded just three bogeys over two rounds around St. Andrews’ Jubilee Course, a tough layout made more difficult by cold and windy conditions, and his 9-under total left him three shots clear of runner-up and Vanderbilt teammate Cole Sherwood.”
Full piece.

4. More USGA championships for Pinehurst

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Six more USGA championships will be heading to Pinehurst in the near future, underlining the USGA’s commitment to making the North Carolina mecca one of the governing body’s anchor sites.”

  • “The USGA announced Tuesday that the 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2032 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior, 2038 U.S. Amateur, 2044 U.S. Women’s Amateur and a future U.S. Adaptive Open have been added to Pinehurst’s hosting slate.”
  • “Bringing more championships to a venue like Pinehurst is a testament to the USGA’s commitment to our long term partnership with the resort and our promise of expanding the presence of our organization in the area,” said John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA. “Pinehurst’s rich golfing heritage and commitment to excellence make it the perfect setting for all of the USGA’s world-class events. Their commitment to our Open championships is incredible, and now we are able to shine a light on the amateur game here as well.”
Full piece.

5. Morikawa’s putter shaft switch

GolfWRX for PGATour.com…”Prior to Summer 2023, however, Morikawa and Sweeney noticed that the differential between the lightweight TP Soto blade putter head, and the heavy graphite shaft, could be affecting his feel. Morikawa didn’t want the stiffness of the shaft to change, though, because he liked the consistency it added to his stroke.”

  • “So, Morikawa – and Sweeney – wanted an extra stiff putter shaft, but with an ultra-lightweight construction to better match with his TP Soto blade putter head.”
  • “The products that Morikawa tested included a Mitsubishi Diamana P-135 shaft, which uses the same weave and materials that the company uses in its flagship products, and the shaft is designed to reduce torque and increase stability throughout the stroke.”
  • “He liked it, but the shaft was still too heavy.”
  • “That’s when Mitsubishi got into re-design mode and built Morikawa a 1-of-1 prototype. According to the company, its designers were able to retain the same stiffness as the heavier model, while reducing the weight of the shaft to 105 grams.”
Full piece.

6. Nelly still searching

Kent Paisley for Golf Digest…”Oddly enough, this season, Korda doesn’t have a win of her own, but has posted seven top 10s in 15 starts, has been the No. 1 player in the world twice, and has represented the U.S. in both the International Crown and Solheim Cup. With four events remaining, Korda is staring down the possibility of a winless year during a non-COVID impacted season for the first time since her rookie season in 2017.”

  • “I think the season has been up and down,” Korda explained. “There have been really good finishes. At the beginning of the year golf felt really easy. Just was top-10-ing, and then I got injured and the momentum of my season really shifted. So kind of a little bit disappointing obviously, but that’s golf, right? You kind of have to ride the wave of it. You got to put your head down and sometimes work.
  • “I’ve been doing that, and I’m hoping for a momentum shift going into this week and then the last two in Florida as well. But, yeah, definitely a bit of an up and down year, which, you know, they’re sports, so I feel like athletes are always kind of in a spotlight, so when we have bad days they’re really magnified too. So unfortunately I’ve definitely had a few of those this year, but hoping to change that momentum.”
Full piece.

7. LIV said no?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”According to DP World Tour player Eddie Pepperell, LIV Golf rejected a potential deal with Jon Rahm prior to the 2023 season due to the Spaniard’s asking price being astronomical.”

  • “While speaking on “The Chipping Forecast” podcast, Pepperell said LIV approached about fifteen players asking what their prospective price would be to leave their current tour to join LIV.”
  • “I heard that Jon Rahm… I heard that LIV had approached 15 players this year asking them for a rough figure as to what would get them across and I was told that Rahm’s figure was so prohibitively large that LIV rejected it. So, make of that what you want.”
  • There has been some speculation that the reigning Masters champion would be open to joining LIV over the past few years. Rahm has defended his fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia’s decision to join LIV and said he believes the 43-year-old should be included in the Ryder Cup in the future and called Garcia’s ban “stupid”.
Full Piece.

8. Bubba on the up?

Eric J. Wallace for the Palm Beach Post…”Bubba Watson may not have been able to catch Bryson DeChambeau and Crushers GC at the LIV Golf team championship on Sunday, but a stellar final-round performance at Trump Doral Miami proved he’s still got the game to be a star in the future of the Saudi-backed league.”

  • “Watson shot 67 and his team, the pink-clad Range Goats, finished 9-under and two shots away from the team championship behind DeChambeau’s victorious Crushers GC.”
  • “I’m excited. I went bogey-free on the Blue Monster,” Watson said. “The whole goal was to play solid golf and help the team. And I did.
  • “What a year. The Range Goats came out of nowhere. We played great and just have to improve a little bit.”
Full Piece.

9. Brooks: People are afraid to be honest
Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…”Brooks Koepka has admitted that he choked during the final round of The Masters to finish runner-up with fellow LIV Golf player Phil Mickelson as Jon Rahm closed out the Augusta National title.”

  • “The 33-year-old made the admission in an interview with Golf Monthly, saying: “I don’t care what other people think. People are afraid to be honest. Nowadays, we try to put it softly so it doesn’t sound too bad, but you can’t tell me that’s not what I did.”
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

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

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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News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 28, 2025

By

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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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

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