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GolfWRX Morning 9: Cheating plot thickens | The greatest Monday qualifier ever | Air France stymies GMac

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7 years ago

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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 3, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.
1. Kang cheating plot thickens
Joel Dahmen (pictured above) is getting support in his claim that Sung Kang’s ball never crossed the hazard (and thus that he took an illegal drop) from the ShotLink volunteer who was working the hole.  
  • Kang’s second shot was very far left and at no point ever came close to being inbounds from the initial point of entry 225 yards or so back,” Michael Klock told Golfweek Monday.
  • Klock also tweeted: “He (Kang) sure did cheat. I was running SHOTLink on the green. That ball never came close to entering up where he dropped… Should’ve been 200 yards back. Told your caddie who told the rules official but Kang threw a fit and got his way.”
  • Both Kang and the PGA Tour released statements saying they were satisfied with the ruling and will not be making any further comment.
2. The greatest Monday qualifier of them all?
T.J. Vogel has done it again. Vogel fired a 6-under 65 to qualify for the Greenbrier. It’s his seventh Monday qualification of the year.
For context, nobody Monday Qd more than three times last year. Also, look at these scores.
64 to qualify for the RSM Classic
64 to qualify for the Honda Classic
63 to qualify for the Valspar Championship
65 to qualify for the Wells Fargo Championship
66 to qualify for the AT&T Byron Nelson
66 to qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Classic
65 to qualify for A Military Salute at Greenbrier
Incredible stuff.
3. Air France loses GMac’s golf bag
Graeme McDowell is slated for the Open Championship qualifier today. Trouble is, he has no golf clubs. Air France lost his sticks, and predictably has no idea where they are. Sans clubs, McDowell is withdrawing.   
  • He tweeted: “I cannot give 100% without my own equipment which has been mishandled by Air France and must turn my attention to the Irish Open this weekend….”Lots of you wanting to know why I don’t grab a set off the rack and give it my best shot to get in The Open. Of course I could do this, but wouldn’t be firing on all cylinders.”
  • McDowell could still make it to the Open via qualifying spots at the Irish Open or Scottish Open.
4. Coach: Ko’s parents aren’t meddlers

David Leadbetter, Lydia Ko’s former coach, blasted the golfer’s parents after the teacher-coach duo split up earlier this year. 

  • “We honestly felt that if the decision was left entirely up to her, that she would still be with us,” Leadbetter wrote on his website at the time.
  • The man who took over for Leadbetter, Ted Oh, told New Zealand’s Radio Sport he hasn’t seen  the meddling.
  • “I’m not trying to start a controversy but what I’ve experienced is so good so far,” he said. “I’ll be on the range in 35 degrees heat and her mum will call me over and say ‘why don’t you go back to the clubhouse, it is too hot out here’. They are so supportive. I never experienced that (interference) really don’t understand what he (Leadbetter) was talking about.”
5. Why Tiger couldn’t save his tournament
ESPN’s Bob Harig with a brilliant deep dive into the disintegration of the National.  
  • Setting the stage…”What began in 2007 as the AT&T National was to be Woods’ tournament in the way of Jack Nicklaus‘ Memorial and Arnold Palmer‘s Bay Hill. It would have a limited field of 120 invited players, just like Jack and Arnie. In Woods’ case, it would benefit his foundation, which went all in on the nation’s capital, building three Learning Centers in the surrounding area and using the tournament platform to raise funds and honor the military around the Fourth of July.”
  • “The biggest issue is sponsorship. Based on television ratings, web traffic, social media posts and attendance, Woods is the game’s biggest attraction by a landslide. So why the difficulty? Quicken Loans wanted to be in its home of Detroit, and when someone is willing to write a check, the PGA Tour will oblige. Minneapolis has also come on board with a new tournament and title sponsor for next year. Woods, with all the time and resources invested in the nation’s capital, wanted to stay here.”
6. PGAI tour
Oh boy. The PGA Tour is doubling down on artificial intelligence.  
 
Press release…”Following successful technology launches over the last three years in augmented reality and virtual reality, the PGA TOUR has unveiled Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms to enhance broadcast and digital storytelling. Among the TOUR’s primary areas of focus in AI are a Microsoft-developed Content Relevancy Engine (CRE), a smart video clipping tool and an automated story creator that all utilize data captured by ShotLink powered by CDW.”  
  • An example of the CRE at work (appropriately featuring Bryson DeChambeau)…”To illustrate CRE, we will use a recent example of a situation in which it was utilized. At the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide in June, Bryson DeChambeau was clinging to the lead in the final round when he missed the green on the par-5, 15th hole, leaving himself 57 feet from the hole. At this point, he was 15 of 19 in Scrambling to lead the field. DeChambeau pitched to within 5 feet of the hole, a distance from which he converted 46 of 50 times for the week. Sure enough, he made the putt to maintain the lead and went on to win his second PGA TOUR title in a playoff.”
7. The PGA Tour & the Rules of Golf
Geoff Shackelford puts the Dahmen/Kang dispute in (a disturbing) context.  
“The incident lands as the PGA Tour and several players have begun to chip away at the Rules of Golf. Consider
  • “The PGA Tour has never issued a statement about the backstopping practice even after Jimmy Walker wrote on Twitter that he leaves a ball down for those he likes or feels sorry for. Any player who might mark their ball in a desire to protect the field, is now seen as not “one of the boys.”
  • “The PGA Tour openly defied the USGA and R&A’s views on distance and seems poised to fight any effort to protect the role of skill in golf in order to market the athleticism of today’s players.”
  • “Phil Mickelson stopped his ball from rolling down a slope at the U.S. Open and has not been –condemned or fined (to our knowledge) for conduct unbecoming. Two young superstars found his behavior funny.”
  • “The PGA Tour has resisted empowering officials to hand out slow play penalties for years, with former Commish Tim Finchem even declaring that he didn’t see such rules enforcement as necessary.”

More of Shack’s hot take

.
8. Links Golf Showcase(!)
  • From the GC Press release…Beginning Thursday, July 5, NBC Sports Group will kick off its month-long stretch devoted to links golf from some of the game’s most historic venues. The stretch will feature more than 100 live tournament hours dedicated to links golf, which complements the additional 182 hours of programming dedicated solely to The 147TH Open, taking place July 19-22 at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland
  • NBC SPORTS’ “LINKS GOLF” SWING THROUGHOUT JULY: The European Tour’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open gets underway on Thursday from Ballyliffin Golf Club, and the following week the Tour will stage the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (July12-15) from Gullane Golf Club. Both European Tour events are part of The Open Qualifying Series, with three spots available at each event for finishers inside the top-10 who have yet to qualify. Following The Open at Carnoustie (July 19-22), The Senior Open will be staged at the home of golf from the Old Course at St Andrews (July 26-29). The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open (July 26-29) also will be staged at Gullane Golf Club. The month-long stretch will culminate with the Ricoh Women’s British Open (August 2-5) from Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Links in England.
9. On the subject of links golf…
Here’s a look at current Open Championship odds (via Bovada) so you can mull over your bets during 4th of July BBQs.
  • Dustin Johnson +1100
  • Jordan Spieth +1200
  • Rory McIlroy +1200
  • Rickie Fowler +1600
  • Justin Rose +1600
  • Tommy Fleetwood +1800
  • Brooks Koepka +1800
  • Tiger Woods +2000
  • Justin Thomas +2000
  • Jason Day +2500
  • Henrik Stenson +2500
  • Jon Rahm +2500
  • Sergio Garcia +2500

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

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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

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

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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WITB

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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...

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