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Morning 9: Svensson’s Sony surge | Spieth | JT | Edoardo Molinari: Flagstick scientist

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7 years ago

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

January 11, 2019

Good Friday morning, golf fans.
1. Svensson surges at Sony
PGATour.com’s Ben Everill rightly headlined his game story “Svensson sends scribes searching,” because, well, who is this guy?
  • He writes…”The assembled writers were sent scrambling to the PGA TOUR media guide after Canadian Adam Svensson found his way to the top of the leaderboard at the Sony Open in Hawaii.”
  • “It happens sometimes at the beginning of seasons as the new rookie class finds its feet – some of them haven’t found a way into the mainstream consciousness yet.”
  • “Keen followers of the Web.com Tour know the 25-year-old greenhorn won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic about a year ago and leveraged that into a PGA TOUR card.”
  • “But even they might not know the story that caught the eye of the scribes who awaited him after his career low 9-under 61 at Waialae Country Club gave him a one-shot lead…”
  • It was this….”I was three or four years old and my dad was teeing off and I guess I decided to drive the cart right into the lake,” Svensson said of his toddler days.
2. Up-and-down day for JT
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard...”Justin Thomas began his first round at the Sony Open shooting 4 under on the front nine to climb the leaderboard. It seemed so familiar.”
  • “Although it’s always best to keep thoughts of a 59 out of your mind until the very end, early in Thursday’s round there were a few déjà vu moments for Thomas, when he opened his day with birdies at Nos. 1 and 4 and an eagle at the ninth hole. His 12-footer for eagle at No. 9 was certainly similar to the 15-footer he made two years ago for a walk-off eagle.”
  • “Thomas’ second nine on Thursday, however, took a different turn, with bogeys at Nos. 11, 15, 16 and 17. He closed his day with a second eagle when he holed out from the greenside bunker at the par-5 18th hole for a 3-under 67 that left him tied for 17th place.”
3. Nearly a bad drop for Spieth
Dropping from shoulder height is so 2018, Jordan!
Golf Channel’s Will Gray... “Making his first start of the year at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Spieth had to take relief after his tee shot on the 15th hole landed near a sprinkler head. After years of dropping from shoulder height, Spieth made a move to drop as he had for years. But the new rules require players to drop from knee height, as Bryson DeChambeau (awkwardly) highlighted last week in Maui.”
  • “Thankfully for Spieth, as Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press pointed out, PGA Tour rules official Slugger White intervened to keep Spieth from potentially incurring a penalty:”
  • Doug Ferguson tweeted…”Fantastic. Spieth goes for his first drop of the year, from a sprinkler head, holds the ball out shoulder height and Slugger White jumps in with a “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Eventually got it right.”
  • “Unfortunately for Spieth, the save from White didn’t save his round. He went on to make par on No. 15 but struggled to a 3-over 73 in his first competitive round of 2019, leaving him 11 shots behind leader Andrew Putnam and in danger of missing the cut.”
4. Molinari’s flagstick experiment
Move over Bryson DeChambeau, the other Molinari is doing some sciencing of his own!
  • Alex Myers at Golf Digest...”Molinari, the older brother of recent Ryder Cup star Francesco, enlisted three pros at his golf academy in Italy to conduct the tests. The three used a Perfect Putter, a training aid that ensures you get the same speed and line, in the experiment, which consisted of three different speeds (slow, medium, and fast) and three different lines (center, touching the flagstick, and grazing the flagstick). Molinari, a three-time European Tour winner and 2005 U.S. Amateur champ, says the three pros did 100 “putts” for each combination.
  • “OK, so what did we learn from all of this? As the video sums up, the experiment yielded no difference no matter what you do with the flagstick on slow putts, but distinct advantages for both options on faster putts. On the mid-speed putts, Molinari’s test found taking the flagstick out was the better choice, while on the faster putts, the clear edge went to leaving it in.”
  • “Previously, the most-cited study regarding this issue came from short-game guru Dave Pelz in 1990. Pelz’s tests concluded you should always leave the flagstick in-provided it’s not slanting in any direction-essentially saying it’s acting as a backstop that slows down a golf ball and allows gravity to pull it into the hole better.”
(Molinari’s charts below)
5. Cink to Ping
Ping Golf has announced that six-time winner on the PGA Tour, Stewart Cink, has signed a multi-year deal with the company.
  • The deal will see the American play a minimum of 11 Ping clubs, as he looks to end an almost decade long winless streak on the PGA Tour. Cink had previously been an equipment-free agent (having been a Nike man prior to that) although he had been using Ping clubs for the majority of the last season.
  • Cink will make his first start as a Ping staff player at this week’s Sony Open. According to the company, the 2009 Open Championship winner is expected to have Ping’s G400 LST driver, G400 fairways woods, i25 irons and Sigma 2 Arna putter in the bag this week at Waialae Country Club.
6. Tales from the vault
PGATour.com’s Andrew Tursky...”In the 1970s, Ping began making two gold-plated replica putters for golfers who won major TOUR events using a Ping putter. One of the gold putters went to the player, the other was kept at the company’s headquarters in Phoenix.”
  • “Eventually, the stockpile of gold putters, which mimic the exact specifications of the game-used putters, grew into a collection of nearly 3,000 that are now housed in Ping’s “Gold Putter Vault.” And the collection continues to grow.”
  • “In turn, the Gold vault also houses a stockpile of fascinating stories.”
  • The First of Many…””The first documented putter win (for Ping) was 1962, the Cajun Classic, which was won by John Barnum. I believe it was the (model) 69 series. This tradition of doing gold-plated putters started in the mid-70s, so some of these putters have been added after the fact. The first major was the ’69 Masters with an Anser by George Archer.”
  • “It’s been interesting over the years, people have been becoming more and more aware of it… pros who did win, who never got a gold-plated putter, just because the records weren’t as well kept back then. So if a player reaches out to us and says ‘Hey, I won such and such tournament, but never got my gold putter.’ If it’s documented, we can prove it, we’re happy to give it them. We want as many putters in here as we can get, right?””
7. Allenby the officiant
Golf Digest’s Christopher Powers…:”You may be wondering how this is possible. A simple Google search will yield, among other things, horror stories of Allenby’s reputation with caddies. Now, he’s officiating his new caddie’s wedding. Troyanovich is fully aware of the absurdity.”
  • “People say, ‘Wait, what? [Danny] caddies for Robert Allenby? Isn’t he awful? Isn’t he such a jerk?'” she says. “And we’re like, ‘No, he’s amazing. We love him.'”
  • “Four years ago this week, Allenby went through what remains one of the most bizarre incidents in golf. The four-time PGA Tour winner was allegedly kidnapped, robbed and beaten outside a wine bar in Hawaii shortly after he missed the cut at the Sony Open. The following day, he posted a picture of wounds he suffered on his face that quickly went viral, causing everyone to ask questions about what exactly happened.”
  • “To this day, what occurred in that two-hour period remains unclear. Multiple witnesses disputed his original story in the coming weeks, leading many to believe Allenby had made it up. It should be pointed out that a man was eventually arrested and pleaded guilty to using Allenby’s credit cards, but that didn’t exactly clear anything up.”
8. Hanse’s revisions to No. 4
Jason Lusk at Golfweek…”Much is rightfully made of the raised and crowned greens at Pinehurst No. 2, built by Donald Ross, restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and ranked No. 14 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list. When Gil Hanse and his design partner, Jim Wagner, were commissioned to rebuild the resort’s adjacent No. 4 course that reopened in September, they took several styling cues from No. 2 – but not the greens.”
  • “We didn’t want to build a tribute course to No. 2,” said Hanse, whose notable course projects include the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, Streamsong’s Black and Doral’s Blue Monster in Florida, Boston Golf Club and Los Angeles Country Club. “We liked the aesthetic and we liked a course that fit the landforms more closely, but we didn’t want to build greens like No. 2. We thought that would be stupid, because the best examples of that kind of greens are literally next door.”
  • “Compared to No. 2, Hanse and Wagner’s Ultradwarf Bermuda greens are much friendlier, unlikely to make a player attempt the same chip shot multiple times after a ball rolls off a domed putting surface. Instead of propelling slightly mis-hit shots into bunkers or scrub, as frequently happens on its famous neighbor, the greens at No. 4 are more accepting of ground-game approaches. Shots are frequently funneled to one section of green or another, even as more daunting target areas accept only perfectly played approaches on well-chosen angles of attack.”
9. The athlete/sponsor pairing we’ve been waiting for
Golfweek’s Dan Kilbridge…”The 2013 PGA Championship winner took to Twitter with the big news that he has partnered with Dude Wipes, the company’s logo appearing on his shirt sleeve and hat.”
  • “Proud to announce my partnership with @DUDEproducts and unleash #DufDUDE on TOUR. Stay clean and join #DUDEnation!”
  • “Dude Wipes are basically a portable alternative to toilet paper, which, come to think of it, might not be the worst thing to bring along to the golf course. Dufner has never been one to take himself too seriously out there, and if there’s anyone who can pull off this endorsement deal with a straight face it’s him.”
(And Dude Wipes, y’all are welcome for the free ad)

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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News

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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