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GolfWRX Morning 9: No Ryder Cup pick surprises | Thoughts on No. 12 | Bryson’s “air” problem?

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7 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

September 5, 2018

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.
1 The captain’s picks you expected
No drama in the first three-fourths of Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau are the selections.
Golf Digest’s John Strege…”Captain Jim Furyk made it official in a drama-free televised news conference in Philadelphia in advance of the BMW Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in nearby Newtown Square.”
  • “The fourth and final captain’s pick will be made after the BMW Championship, allowing the captain to add a player with a hot hand. Even that seems to be a foregone conclusion; the consensus choice is Tony Finau, who finished second in the Northern Trust and tied for fourth in the Dell Technologies Championship.”
  • “Tiger and I have had this conversation,” Furyk said. “What Tiger and I have decided is he will play in this Ryder Cup and we’ll name another vice captain. He’s been instrumental in helping not only the captains before, but me as well, as far as strategy, as far as planning, as far as pairings. I’m going to continue to use that knowledge and that strategy. I also want to make sure Tiger gets very focused on that. I want to free him up.”
  • Tiger Woods…”At the beginning of the year, that was one of my goals, to make this team. I got the call from Jim, and he asked if I would serve as vice captain. ‘Absolutely. Anything I can do to help you out.’ Deep down I wanted to make the team. I hadn’t really started playing golf again. But still the goal was at the end of the season to make this team. As the year progressed, I kind of gained some traction. I was somehow able to get some high finishes and lo and behold I’m part of this team. It’s incredible, to look back at the start of the year … as I said, it’s beyond special.”
2. But who will be the 12th?
Rumor has it, unimpressed with the options available to him, Jim Furyk plans to pick himself as his final captain’s pick…In all seriousness though, with three of Furyk’s picks foregone conclusions now made official, attention turns to the one pick that was always going to be a wildcard.
  • Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner...”Though Furyk was coy about the exact nature of those calls, he said that he talked to “at least” everyone through No. 15 on the points list. That suggests that Xander Schauffele (No. 12), Kevin Kisner (No. 14) and Finau (No. 15) are still in the running.”
  • “DeChambeau, Mickelson and Woods were Nos. 9-11 in the points standings, and No. 13 Matt Kuchar was named as a Ryder Cup vice captain on Tuesday.”
  • “I don’t know if I left it at: ‘If you do X, you’ll make the team,'” Furyk said, “but I just said, ‘This is the situation we’re in, and we’ll be watching.’
  • Furyk also added…”But there’s definitely a few guys that have separated themselves from the pack, for a couple of different reasons.”
  • If you do X? What about if your name starts with X. Hmm…Kidding. Finau has to be the pick.
3. Tiger returning to Old Reliable(/Recently not so Reliable)?
GolfWRX staff report…”Tiger Woods is going through some tough times on the greens lately… not just holing putts, but deciding between putters.”
  • “He played in the 2018 PGA Championship with a TaylorMade Ardmore 3 mallet putter, then he played last week with a TaylorMade Juno blade putter. Now, he’s back to testing out the Juno against the Scotty Cameron Newport 2 that he’s had in the bag for 13-of-his-14 career majors.”
  • “Woods was spotted today at the 2018 BMW Championship practice round at Aronimink in Pennsylvania testing out both putters side by side. So he’s at least considering going back to his old flame.”
4. Hunter Mahan’s triumph
An unbylined AP column looked at Hunter Mahan’s PGA Tour card clinching and what he’s been through his season.
  • “He earned $88,000, roughly the equivalent of 24th place during the FedEx Cup playoffs, and moved to No. 4 on the special money list. The top 25 get full PGA Tour cards, and with only two events remaining, Mahan clinched his card.”
  • “Mahan didn’t realize until that moment that he at least had made it back to the starting line. The scope of it didn’t really hit him until Monday morning, when he was home in Dallas waiting for his wife and three young children to return from a weekend trip to Cedar Lake.”
  • “”It’s been a crazy year,” Mahan said, his voice still cracking with emotion….He had taken a few minutes away from the phone when he first started to cry. He needed longer.”
  • “”I feel excited about golf, just moving forward,” he said. “Everything, all the work, so many people. My teacher (Chris O’Connell), my caddie (Zack Guthrie), everybody … it’s vindication for them. When I think about my family who helped me get through this year and the years before, it feels like a lot.”
5. New Mizuno drivers cometh?
The USGA Conforming Clubs list is always, always full of surprises. As of September 1, three new Mizuno Prototype drivers appear on the list.
Unfortunately, this could be a future Japan-only release, rather than made for the U.S. market. Tour Spec Golf, a company devoted to high-end JDM golf gear, has “in-hand” (on ground) photos on its Instagram account. While that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be Japan only, it just might be best not to get your hopes up.
6. Perez, Kerr welcome children (but not together)
Double P withdrew from the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship due to the impending birth of his first child with wife Ashley. The pair welcomed Piper Perez to the world Monday afternoon.
Also on the offspring front, Cristie Kerr and her husband welcomed their second child. Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek writes…”Baby news is all the rage on the LPGA, and Cristie Kerr and Erik Stevens added to the fun when they came home with Griffin Stevens over the Labor Day weekend. The bundle of joy, genetically theirs, was born Aug. 28 via a surrogate mother through in vitro fertilization. Griffin Stevens is the couple’s second son via a surrogate. Mason Kerr Stevens was born on Dec. 8, 2013.”
Congrats to all!
7. Rickie’s ready
Rickie Fowler is close to 100 percent and ready to go after sitting on the shelf for the past three weeks nursing a partially torn oblique.
  • “It wasn’t planned to miss, but it could end up being a good thing with the stretch we have coming up,” Fowler said. “So glad to be back. Nice to be back without pain.”
  • From an AP report...”Fowler said he spent the last three weeks at home in Florida using ice, heat, pain medication and a laser machine. He has a friend who is a spinal neurosurgeon, and Fowler says he used a laser machine two or three times a day.”
A laser machine!
8. Men’s quarters, women’s semis set at WLD
Per Golf Channel…“The men’s Open Division was whittled down to eight, while four women remain at the Volvik World Long Drive Championship….Sixteen men battled on Tuesday night for a spot in the quarterfinals at WinStar Resort and Casino in Thackerville, Okla., where an inch-and-a-half of overnight rain created a very slow grid [460 yards long, 50 yards wide], putting a premium on carry distance.”
9. Bryson’s air problem?
Geoff Shackelford, no fan of the #LiveUnderPar campaign/onslaught, spotted this yesterday…”Apparently, Bryson DeChambeau has a complicated relationship with the air he breathes.”
  • “The PGA Tour posted an incorrectly transcribed quote with the word air supplementing “error” in sharing a Bryson DeChambeau quote following Monday’s Dell Technologies win. Perhaps this was a subtle message from social media workers tired of living under water–where I hear air is limited–but multiple sources have confirmed to this website that Bryson said the word error, was understood by most who were listening to be using the word error, and has no known sensitivities to oxygen, clearing the way for him to be a Captain’s pick on the 2018 Ryder Cup team.”

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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.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. A. Commoner

    Sep 6, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    Concept and practice of “captain’s picks” is inherently flawed. However this time, Bjorn and Furyk have turned the flaws into a farce. For both sides, let merit rule. Set aside cronyism and mystical forces.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Carson Henry

    Sep 5, 2018 at 10:02 am

    I want to know what Tiger and Phil were cracking up about when they cut to them before the interview

    Reply Report comment

  3. Tony Dyck

    Sep 5, 2018 at 9:52 am

    Geez, nice pic. Tiger and Phil look like they were told they were playing alternate shot together.

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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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

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4 weeks ago

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Jul 29, 2025

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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

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4 weeks ago

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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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