News

Morning 9: Perspectives on the Japan Skins | Tiger talks knee surgery/issues | Rory: Brooks is right

Published

7 years ago

Oct 22, 2019

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt

Email me at ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com and find me at @benalberstadt on Instagram and golfwrxEIC on Twitter.

October 22, 2019

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.

1. Perspective on the Japan Skins

Golfweek staff writers Roxanna Scott and Adam Woodard…”Novelty is a good thing…Our favorite moment came on the 7th when the main cast was joined by world-class rugby players for a two-man scramble. (Tokyo is hosting the Rugby World Cup this month.) Hideki Matsuyama drained a 35-foot putt for birdie and was hoisted off the ground by his partner, former South African player Bryan Habana. “He’s my partner. I’m with him,” Habana yelled.”

“Low-level stakes, lackluster golf…So the GOLFTV production wasn’t what we are used to week to week, but the on-course interviews were a good diversion. (We heard Tiger really wants to play in the Olympics next year. Rory wasn’t offended by Brooks Koepka’s comments on their non-rivalry last week.)…But the quality of golf by the four big names wasn’t enough to carry our interest through the middle of the night. Perhaps it was the lack of big-time stakes for these guys (McIlroy won $23 million last season, which included his $15 million from the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title) or the lackluster golf, particularly those first few holes.”

Full piece.

2. …and more perspective…

A few quality takes from the Golf.com crew in Tour Confidential…

Sean Zak, senior editor (@sean_zak): It was going to be difficult to live up to the hype, but I was genuinely entertained. This was much better than The Match, and probably always was going to be. The course was a highlight as we watched elite pros play shots for the first time. Tiger was a lowlight on the first four holes (rust, perhaps) and then started flagging it. Rory wilted after putting on a ball-striking display, and Day’s putter reigned supreme. The only lowlight was the man unmentioned thus far. Hideki really never got it going.

Josh Sens, contributor (@JoshSens): Well, that was one weird show. The production itself was almost local cable access quality – you could hear the players talking and then you couldn’t; the shot tracer worked and then it didn’t; the images glitched and jumped then steadied. It was like the Skins game version of Between Two Ferns. In that way it was almost endearingly bad. I kind of liked how unslick it was. Full disclosure: I nodded off after the first nine. In that time the golf itself was a long way from spectacular and the conversations the mics did pick up were a long way from interesting. But there were some high points, including a goofy moment where each guy got paired with a rugby legend and they played a two-man scramble. The rugby players themselves seemed genuinely thrilled to be there and there was a funny scene when Matsuyama drained a long putt and his hulking partner jumped into his arms in celebration. Matsuyama caught him and it looked like he might slip a disc. Bottom line: It was strange and pretty awful but it also sort of worked.

Full piece.

3. Tiger talks knee surgery

In addition to revealing he originally planned his arthroscopy for post-2018 Hero World Challenge, but ultimately decided to soldier on through the season, Woods let on just how much the creaky joint was bothering him as the year wore on.

Per Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Woods’ left knee held up well for half the year, highlighted by his victory at the Masters, but he struggled late in the season and failed to advance to the Tour Championship, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it allowed him to have the surgery a week earlier than he’d planned.”

“It got to where it was affecting the way I read putts. You could see it towards the end of the year I wasn’t getting down on my putts well,” he said. “Unfortunately, I’ve been down this road before and I knew the protocols.”

Full piece.

4. Jimenez storms to victory

Golf Digest’s John Strege…”One of those occasions was Monday’s final round of the first Charles Schwab Cup playoff event, the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, which he won with his best round of the year, a nine-under-par 63 at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond.”

“Jimenez began the rain-delayed final round in a tie for fourth, three shots off the lead shared by Tommy Tolles and Scott Parel, then went out and played a bogey-free round that included nine birdies on a water-logged course.”

Full piece.

5. Rory: Brooks wasn’t wrong

Steve DiMeglio for Golfweek...”Those weren’t fightin’ words….That was Rory McIlroy’s summation when asked about Brooks Koepka’s blunt response about a rivalry between the two top players in the world.”

“…”What Brooks said wasn’t wrong. He has been the best player in the world for the last couple of years, four majors,” McIlroy told GolfTV during Monday’s The Challenge: Japan Skins at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, the site of this week’s Zozo Championship. “Don’t think he had to remind me that I haven’t won (a major) in a while. I love Brooks, he’s a great guy. Obviously, super competitive like we all are. I can see where he’s coming from.”

Full piece.

6. Don’t expect much from Tiger this week

So writes ESPN’s Bob Harig…”expectations should be tempered this week at the Zozo Championship. Woods admitted as much in a brief interview Monday after the event with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama. Woods looked rusty on his way to earning five skins in the competition won by Day.”

“It’s always been that way whenever I’ve had one of these layoffs,” Woods said. “It was nice to get out there and compete. To get back in the flow of things. My range of motion, my strength, is there again. I just have to work my way back and hope I find a feel for the round quickly.”

“There was a time when long breaks hardly impacted Woods. He’d take weeks off, and come back and win again. He’d show up at Torrey Pines following a lengthy break and perform like he’d been playing and practicing all along.”

“Physical woes in recent years have made that extremely difficult. The demands that come with being Tiger Woods — father, golf course designer, endorser, foundation head, golfer — add more diversions. And Woods, at 43, is simply at a point where he can’t give his peers such a head start and be competitive.”

Full piece.

7. Captain Woods gets a look at potential Presidents Cup squad member Woods

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard on TW looking at TW as a captain’s pick..”Tiger Woods admitted on Monday that he’s been “consumed” by his duties as captain of this year’s Presidents Cup team in recent weeks.”

“Since undergoing surgery on his left knee in August, Woods’ practice has been limited, leaving little for him to focus on beyond this year’s matches in Australia.”

“It’s been a fun process to be a part of,” Woods said. “I’ve been part of it the last couple years as a vice captain and now having three great vice captains and being able to communicate with all eight guys, who they want on the team and who they think that will fit on the team.”

Full piece.

8. ANGC job fair

Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker…”the most prestigious golf club on the planet, is holding a job fair for the 2020 Masters.”

“The club, according to an ad, is looking to fill temporary tournament positions in concessions, culinary/kitchen, housekeeping, food and beverage, restrooms, and retail. Applicants are asked to bring multiple copies of updated resumes and should be available to work Saturday, April 4 through Sunday, April 12, 2020.”

Full piece.

9. Beat him in his own sweater vest!

Funny tidbit from the skins match that you might have missed.…”Tiger Woods began play at the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins wearing a navy blue sweater vest over a light blue-and-white striped shirt. Jason Day, meanwhile, was just in his shirt sleeves.”

“By the sixth hole, Woods has taken off the vest in favor of a full-length sweater…By the seventh hole, Day was wearing Tiger’s sweater vest.”

Full piece/see the photos.

News

Testing Lorem Ipsum

Published

4 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Pro Shop

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

Jon Rahm +1300
Cameron Young +1500
Bryson DeChambeau +1700
Xander Schauffele +1850
Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Tommy Fleetwood +2600
Collin Morikawa +3500
Brooks Koepka +3900
Justin Rose +4300
Russell Henley +4600
Si Woo Kim +4700
Justin Thomas +4800
Robert MacIntyre +5300
Patrick Cantlay +5300
Viktor Hovland +5400
Tyrrell Hatton +5500
Jordan Spieth +5900
Sam Burns +6000
Hideki Matsuyama +6200
Adam Scott +6400
Rickie Fowler +7000
Chris Gotterup +7400
Patrick Reed +7400
Min Woo Lee +7800
Ben Griffin +8000
Sepp Straka +8400
Shane Lowry +9000
Akshay Bhatia +9200
Maverick McNealy +9200
Joaquin Niemann +9200
Jake Knapp +9200
Jason Day +9600
Kurt Kitayama +10000
J.J. Spaun +10000
Harris English +10500
Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
Gary Woodland +11000
David Puig +11000
Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
Jacob Bridgeman +12000
Keegan Bradley +12500
Corey Conners +14000
Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
Sungjae Im +15500
Sahith Theegala +15500
Harry Hall +15500
Alex Noren +16000
Thomas Detry +16500
Marco Penge +16500
Kristoffer Reitan +17000
Alex Smalley +17000
Wyndham Clark +17500
Sam Stevens +17500
Keith Mitchell +17500
Daniel Berger +18500
Ryan Gerard +20000
Nick Taylor +20000
Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
Dustin Johnson +21000
Pierceson Coody +23000
Aaron Rai +24000
Jordan Smith +24000
Angel Ayora +24000
Bud Cauley +25000
Matt McCarty +26000
Jayden Schaper +26000
Brian Harman +27000
Taylor Pendrith +27000
Ryan Fox +27000
J.T. Poston +27000
Cameron Smith +29000
Ryo Hisatsune +29000
Michael Kim +29000
Max Homa +29000
Denny McCarthy +29000
Tom McKibbin +30000
Rico Hoey +32000
Matt Wallace +32500
Ricky Castillo +33000
Haotong Li +33000
Michael Brennan +34000
Max Greyserman +36000
Stephan Jaeger +37500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
Aldrich Potgieter +40000
Andrew Novak +42000
Patrick Rodgers +42500
Daniel Hillier +42500
Max McGreevy +46000
Billy Horschel +48000
Chris Kirk +48000
Ian Holt +49000
Casey Jarvis +49000
William Mouw +50000
Steven Fisk +50000
John Parry +50000
Nico Echavarria +52500
Garrick Higgo +52500
John Keefer+55000
Matthias Schmid +57500
Austin Smotherman +57500
Sami Valimaki +60000
Andrew Putnam +60000
Lucas Glover +62500
Daniel Brown +62500
Jhonattan Vegas +75000
Emiliano Grillo +80000
Mikael Lindberg +85000
Adrien Saddier +100000
Bernd Wiesberger +100000
Elvis Smylie +110000
Stewart Cink +130000
Kota Kaneko +130000
David Lipsky +150000
Chandler Blanchet +150000
Andy Sullivan +150000
Joe Highsmith +180000
Adam Schenk +200000
Travis Smyth +200000
Davis Riley +225000
Martin Kaymer +400000
Brian Campbell +400000
Padraig Harrington +450000
Kazuki Higa +450000
Jordan Gumberg +450000
Ryan Vermeer +500000
Austin Hurt +500000
Tyler Collet +500000
Timothy Wiseman +500000
Shaun Micheel +500000
Y.E. Yang +500000
Michael Block+500000
Mark Geddes+500000
Luke Donald+500000
Bryce Fisher+500000
Jimmy Walker +500000
Jason Dufner +500000
Jesse Droemer +500000
Jared Jones +500000
Garrett Sapp +500000
Francisco Bide +500000
Zach Haynes +500000
Paul McClure+500000
Derek Berg +500000
Chris Gabriele +500000
Braden Shattuck +500000
Ben Polland +500000
Ben Kern +50000

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.