It might have been easy to find distraction in NFL football games or Olympic winter events this weekend, but there was plenty of scintillating golf action across four tours to hold any golf aficionado‘s attention.  The PGA Tour has embraced content creators, and they got the week started at TPC Scottsdale with a Coliseum Challenge. Some might say that it is the formats and events that make the content interesting, but the right personalities add much to the event.

After that, it was up to the professionals to hold our attention, and they did precisely that. From three continents (Asia, South America, North America) four of the world’s tours celebrated warm-weather events that gave those of us in cold-weather climes a bit of respite. With the pros, it’s every bit the gear that matters, as much as the swing action. Tour Tech Rundown enters its second week with a deep look at what the winners are gaming. Get out your notebook and take some notes on what to buy next.

PGA Tour @ WM Phoenix Open: Gotterup and in, he did

Chris Gotterup has already proven that his 2025 campaign was no fluke. Two wins in four starts for the New Jersey native include a playoff win over former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama this week, at the loudest event in golf. Gotterup took the day-one lead with 63, then coasted for a few days before heating up on Sunday to the tune of 64. Matsuyama drove left on 18, into the church pew bunker, and took four more shots to get in the hole. On the sole playoff hole, he went farther left off the tee, into the water, and handed the victory to Gotterup.

Speaking of 18, it was one hole of 72, but it told an interesting tale. Five golfers tied for third at 15 under par, one shot out of the playoff. None of the five made birdie at 18 on Sunday. Not Scottie, nor Akshay, nor Si Woo, nor Nicolai. Of the quintet, Michael Thorbjornsen had the roughest walk-in. After an eagle at 15 brought him to minus 17, the young Stanford alum proceeded to bogey 16 and 17, dropping out of contention for a first victory. Matsuyama made a pair of bogeys at his Waterloo, but Gotterup? He made birdie in regulation to reach minus 16 and have a chance. In the playoff, he made another birdie to complete his victory march.

Gotterup’s current ranking of 16 might move him inside the world top dozen, although the man he defeated in overtime, Matsuyama, will also receive a boost. Hideki currently occupies 14th position, two ahead of the champion.

Chris Gotterup’s Gear Bag

Gotterup’s bag tour begins with a Ping G440 LST, but also includes a TaylorMade Copper mini driver and a Qi35 5 metal from the same company. His irons are Bridgestone Tour B 220 MB, and his wedges are a foursome of Taylor Made grinds, measuring 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees. Rounding out the sojourn is a TaylorMade Spider X Tour model putter.

DP World Tour @ Qatar Masters: Reed between the lines

Patrick Reed continues to make good on his bold pledge of becoming a world tour player once more. Reed left LIV after his contract was not renewed, and he has taken up residence on the DP World Tour. This week in Qatar, Reed took the lead through 54 holes and sought a second victory for 2026. The Georgia Bulldog began slowly on day four, and saw Finland’s Oliver Lindell surge to 15 under to take a one-shot lead. Lindell suffered a horrifying bogey-bogey-par-double stretch on the back nine and returned to a tie for fifth position with three other golfers.

Making moves were Jacob Olesen and Johannes Veerman. Olesen also reached the top position before fading slightly to a tie for third with Veerman. Calum Hill, a non-winner in last week’s playoff, notched four consecutive birdies coming home to reach fourteen deep and solo second. In the end, we saw Patrick Reed post a spotless back nine of three-under 33 to claim a two-shot victory. Reed ascended four spots on the OWGR list, and this week’s win ought to see him close in on the top twenty.

Patrick Reed’s Gear Bag

Reed decides on a head for his driver and plays around with shaft types until he is satisfied. He is not afraid to put a new shaft into competitive play. His Titleist GT3 is currently fitted with an Aldila Tour Rogue Silver shaft. Reed switched fairway metals from 2025 to 2026. His 3-metal is now a TaylorMade Qi35. As for utility clubs, Reed moves between a Callaway hybrid and a  Titleist 716 T-MB utility iron, depending on course conditions and demands. Irons in play come from the fabled Grindworks, a Japanese company on par with Miura and Honma. Wedges blend Cleveland and Titleist Vokey, while his current putter is a Scotty Cameron Tour Rat.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Astara Golf Championship: Saint Nicholas visits Colombia

The Astara was delayed a bit by weather on Saturday, forcing extra Sunday holes for many in the field. Included among those was 54-hole leader James Nicholas. The Yale alum from the Big Apple woke up on Sunday a shot behind Ashton Van Horne. After 11 holes to finish round three, Nicholas held a one-shot advantage over AVH. Also in the mix were first-round leader (61) Cristobal Del Solar and wunderkind Jackon Suber. Round four saw the sort of drama that tournament organizers dream up in the planning process. Norman Xiong went on a heater over the weekend, posting 65 and 66 to shoot way up the leaderboard. He reached 17-under par, posting an early clubhouse lead.

As so many players had so many holes left to play on Sunday morning, tee times were not reshuffled. Overday leader Nicholas went out in the penultimate group and made six birdies against three bogeys, through 17 holes. Ahead of him, Xiong had made birdie on the par-five closer, and Nicholas needed par to tie him, birdie to win. Behind him, the threesome of Van Horne, Mason Andersen, and Del Solar all figure in the top ten places, but none in the top three.

As of this week, Nicholas ranked 510 in the OWGR. His Bogota binge will certainly bring him inside the top 500, and possibly, much higher.

James Nicholas’ Gear Bag

We had to go back a few months to get a sense of what James Nicholas has in play. It’s always a bit tricky when golfers move between tours. Nicholas spent 2025 on both the DP World Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour, and appears to have that same arc targeted for 2026. Nicholas has equipment from the big three companies in his bag. A Callaway Elyte driver, paired with a TaylorMade BRNR mini driver, do the damage off the tee deck for Nicholas. In the fairway, it’s a TaylorMade hybrid, followed by Titleist through the putter with T100 irons and Vokey SM10 and WedgeWorks wedges. On the frog hair, Nicholas putts his faith in an Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird mini DB flatstick.

LIV Golf @ Riyadh: Elvis has kept the trophy

Jon Rahm seems to spend a fair amount of his time working through frustration. Earlier this year, he was not happy with LIV’s decision to add 18 holes to all events. This week, he seethed about the OWGR decision to award some points, but not many, to LIV events. Whether the resentment buoyed Rahm to a runner-up finish or kept him from a victory is anyone’s guess. What is certain is that the Basque behemoth posted 9 under on Sunday, and it took a heroic eight-deep to thwart his attempt at victory.

It was Elvis Smylie who did the thwarting. Smylie held a two-shot advantage over Rahm, heading toward the final round. No one expected Smylie to stand between Rahm and victory, but that is what Elvis did. After turning in three-under par, Smylie stepped on the gas, returning home with five more birdies. Rahm closed with five birdies in his final six holes, but it wasn’t enough to catch the young Aussie. Smylie dropped a place (133 to 134) in last week’s OWGR, but the win over Rahm should boost the young Australian toward the world top 100. As for Rahm, his current ranking of 97 should also improve.

Elvis Smylie’s Gear Bag

Smylie is a Titleist guy, with one exception. His driver (GT3), irons (T200) and wedges (Vokey SM10) are all courtesy of the Acushnet company. Add the putter (Cameron Newport GSS) and ball (ProV1x+) to the stable. The lone holdout is a a three metal from Ping. The G440 has a place in Smylie’s bag, but expect Titleist to present an option to get all 14 clubs bearing their name.