Connect with us

News

GolfWRX Morning 9: A troubling Tiger trend? | Did a PGA Tour pro cheat? | Major winners

Published

7 years ago

on

Good morning, GolfWRX members. As most of you are signed up for our newsletters, you likely already know that I’ve been sending this little Morning 9 roundup of nine items of note.

In case you’ve missed it, or you prefer to read on site rather than in your email, we’re including it here. Check out today’s Morning 9 below.

If you’re not signed up for our newsletters, you can subscribe here.
By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

 

July 2, 2018

Good Monday morning, golf fans. Breaking news: it’s hot.
1. Holy Molinari!
Tiger Woods, in the hunt as he made the turn, said he would have needed a back-nine 24 to catch Francesco Molinari. That’s just one of the many indicators of how good the Italian’s play was.
  • Tied for the lead entering Sunday all Molinari did was card a course-record 8-under 62. After a 50-footer for eagle at the 10th hole, he never looked back.
  • The win the first on the PGA Tour for Molinari, who is one of the steadiest global golfers.
(Pictured: a shot Bettinardi sent us of Molinari’s bomb-making putter)  
2. Tiger tales
There are two Tiger Woods narratives floating around this morning following his T4 finish at TPC Potomac. One, is that when Woods gets in position, as he has done a couple of times this year, he falters.
  • Via USA Today’s Steve Dimeglio…”Tiger Woods was charging up the leaderboard in Sunday’s final round of the Quicken Loans National, the red numbers on his scorecard matching the familiar final-round color of his shirt.The masses were stirring as Woods took aim at the leaders, cutting his six-shot deficit at the start of the day to four with his third birdie on the front nine at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm….And then came the recurring letdown.”
  • “Just as he did in the third round, Woods wilted in the heat index that reached into triple digits and became his own worst enemy. In a familiar scene that’s played out on the weekends in three previous starts, especially on Sundays, Woods put himself onto the front page of the leaderboard only to start making silly and, at times, shocking mistakes.
  • “That was the case again when Woods took momentum to the back nine at TPC Potomac and then missed a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 10th. Made a sloppy bogey on 11. After he righted the ship with a birdie from 5 feet on 12, he bogeyed the short 13th after finding the rough with a 4-iron off the tee, just as he did in the third round, then missed from 4 feet for birdie on the 14th.
  • Said Woods: “The last two days playing 13, 14 the way I did, you know, I bogeyed 13 twice and then didn’t birdie 14 either day and I was right there next to the green,” Woods said when asked about shots he’d like to take back. For the week, he played those two ripe-for-scoring holes 1 over, making only one birdie on the driveable par-4 14th. “Those are things I can’t afford to do and expect to win a golf tournament.”
The other narrative is that Woods is finally on track with his putter (despite some statistical suggestions to the contrary)
  • “I did some good work last week,” Woods told CBS’s Dottie Pepper after his round Sunday. “I’m starting the ball on my lines again and I’ve got the speed. I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in, which is fine. As long as I’m hitting good putts and seeing my lines … that’s something that I’ve been missing for a while now, for the better part of two months. This is the week I finally turned it around.”
3. Hardly a walk in the park
Apparently, Sung Hyun Park’s nickname in South Korea translates to “Shut up and attack!”
  • While this is fantastic, so was her steely victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She topped fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu in a playoff after Japanese teen Nasa Hataoka dropped out on the first playoff hole.
  • Normally stoic, Park was unusually emotional after the win…maybe because she just won a major championship?
  • “Actually, this is my first time feeling this kind of emotion, being this emotional,” Park said through an interpreter. “And I was really happy, like, I couldn’t help that.”
As well you should be!
4. DT triumphant
ICYMI: David Toms won the U.S. Senior Open at the Broadmoor.
AP Report, because sometimes a man just doesn’t have the energy to paraphrase.
  • “Toms made not just one, but two, on Sunday — first to take the lead on the 16th hole, then to protect it on No. 17 and set himself for the win at the U.S. Senior Open.
  • “On a course where the greens perplexed the entire field for four straight days, Toms rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on No. 16, then coaxed in a downhill, 20-foot slider to save par after driving into a fairway bunker on the 530-yard, par-4 17th.”
  • “I knew that with 17 coming up, if I was going to make a birdie, it had to happen on (16),” Toms said. “It was uphill, pretty straight, and I put it right in the middle.”
  • “He shot even-par 70 to walk away a shot ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tim Petrovic and Jerry Kelly in an all-day dog fight; five players were tied for the lead when Toms and Kelly teed off on the 14th hole.”
5. More than just a man with extremely calloused hands
Reminder: Alex Noren is a serious talent. The best Swedish golfer not named Henrik Stenson came from seven shots back at Le Golf National to capture the Open de France.
  • After a pedestrian start, Noren posted weekend numbers of 65 and 67 for a 7-under 277 to win by one over New York native Julian Suri, Scotland’s Russell Knox and Englishman Chris Wood.
  • World No. 2 Justin Thomas, who compelled by his deep love of France and its Open/appearance fees, tied for eight.
6. Dahmen accuses Kang
Oh boy. High drama indeed on the PGA Tour. A perceived bad drop. An itchy Twitter finger…and Joel Dahmen has accused Sung Kang of cheating.
  • Asked on Twitter why his group was held up for so long at the 10th hole, Dahmen replied.
  • “Kang cheated. He took a bad drop from a hazard. I argued until I was blue. I lost.”
  • Asked for more information, Dahmen said this
  • “It was a typical dispute about where or if it crossed the hazzard. It clearly did not cross the hazzard. We went back and forth for 25 minutes and he ended up dropping closer to the green.”
(It’s “hazard,” Joel)
7. Daly Show growing dull? 
Sounds like Eamon Lynch has had his fill of Long John…
  • “For a time, Daly was an easy guy to root for among the khaki clones that populate the PGA Tour, a mullet-sporting, beer-bellied, working-class guy upending a country club world. His many struggles with addiction – which he hid from no one – earned him tremendous support from fans and more than a few passes for conduct unbecoming.”
  • “But the Daly Show has long since become tediously repetitive viewing…He’s 52 now, but maturity seems no nearer at hand. It’s easy to understand why tournament organizers have bestowed so many sponsor’s invites on a man who hasn’t had playing status for years. When he pitches up at events, TV announcers still serve up the old chestnuts: Folks love to see him, he draws a crowd, he generates the oohs and aahs. That’s all true, of course, but it’s also true of police car chases. And people watch both hoping for a crash.”
  • “Daly regularly gives those few fans what they want – clubs tossed into the water, a fan’s camera smashed – but seldom what most fans deserve: professionalism, courtesy, a simple bloody effort to justify their ticket price.”
8. Manufacture an Open!
Shots fired! A subtle comment from Tiger Woods that speaks volumes…
  • “One of the neat things about playing an Open Championship – they don’t really care what par is,” Woods said. “They just let whatever Mother Nature has – if it’s in store for a wet Open it is; if it’s dry it’s dry. They don’t try and manufacture an Open.”
  • Anyone with their radar turned on could have added “…like the USGA does with the U.S. Open” to Woods’ remarks. Rather than a complaint about, say, conditions Saturday afternoon at Shinnecock, Woods remarks represent a critique of the USGA’s underlying tournament setup philosophy.
9. The case for wiring golfers for sound
Martin Kaufmann writes…
  • “If, however, a Tour player of Thomas’ stature were to wear a microphone during a tournament, it would rock the industry. I suspect other Tour players would strongly object to seeing that Pandora’s box opened.”
  • “The team sports athletes seem to recognize the value of bringing fans closer to the action. The NFL and NBA have led this movement, and Major League Baseball seems to have embraced it. (The Houston Astros’ George Springer wore a mic during the 2017 All-Star Game.) I suspect these players realize it’s good for their sports and also a good way to raise their own profiles. In short, everyone wins – the players, the leagues, the networks and the fans.”
  • “So the question becomes: When will the PGA Tour and its players learn this lesson?”

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.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. carl

    Jul 2, 2018 at 9:09 am

    matt kuchar should be the only pro that has a mic on.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Boyo

    Jul 2, 2018 at 8:52 am

    Americans play game called *(^@#=**** (^*&(

    Reply Report comment

    • Alfredo Smith

      Jul 2, 2018 at 1:21 pm

      Whaaaat! And this is because… the Euros are superior, lol.

      Reply Report comment

      • bebop a lula

        Jul 3, 2018 at 6:12 am

        Obviously we are superior, with our culture and history and in my case a scotsman creating the game.

        Reply Report comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

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.

Continue Reading

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.

 

Continue Reading

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)

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.  Driver: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship

Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)

Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...

Facebook

Trending