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Morning 9: Rahm wins at Riv | Olesen’s Thai victory | Tiger’s week

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3 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com
February 20, 2023

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Jon Rahm kept his phenomenal run going by claiming victory at Riviera.

1. Rahm reigns at Riv, returns to No. 1

ESPN report…”Jon Rahm returned to No. 1 in the world Sunday by winning the Genesis Invitational with a performance that left no doubt who’s playing the best golf.”

  • “Caught in a battle with hometown favorite Max Homa at Riviera, Rahm delivered two big moments with a 45-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 14th and then a tee shot to 2 feet for birdie on the par-3 16th.”
  • “He closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot win over Homa.”
Full piece.

2. Thorbjorn wins in Thailand

AP report…”Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark claimed his seventh DP World Tour title with a four-shot victory in the Thailand Classic at the Amata Spring Country Club on Sunday.”

  • “Starting the final round two shots ahead of countryman Nicolai Hojgaard and Yannik Paul of Germany, the Dane never let anyone threaten him as he cruised through the last 18 holes with an error-free 66 to win on 24-under 264, four ahead of the German.”
Full piece.

3. Tiger’s week

Christopher Powers for Golf Digest…”Woods, 47, turned up at Riviera this week having not played a real competitive round since the Open Championship last July. He winced. He perspired. He trudged up every hill that required trudging. He finished all four rounds with a broken body because he doesn’t know how to do it any other way. This is how it is now. He’s never going to feel good, but maybe just one week he’ll feel good enough to shock the world once more. Ultimately, this week, he finished with a two-over 73, putting him at one under overall, tied for 45th. It’s not the result he wanted, but it’s the one he produced despite all evidence pointing to him missing the cut. Even he knows that’s progress, as much as it pains him to say it.”

  • “It was progress, but obviously I didn’t win,” said Woods…”
  • “I felt like the first couple days I left certainly a lot of shots out there with some putts, especially Friday when I was blocking everything,” Woods said. “Yesterday was better. Still wish I could have gotten within a touch of the leaders, but today they’re running away with it. Even with a good round yesterday I wouldn’t have been in touch today.”
Full piece.

4. Ko takes Saudi Ladies International

Kent Paisley for Golf Digest…”World No. 1 Lydia Ko?’s hot streak continues after capturing a win in her first start of 2023. The newlywed took home her second Aramco Saudi Ladies International title with a final-round 68 and a one-shot victory over Ladies European Tour stalwart Aditi Ashok? ?at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. It’s the 26th victory of the 26-year-old’s career and the third in her last four starts.”

  • “I think I’ve just been very grateful,” Ko said, “A lot of great things happening, especially in the last few months again and again. You don’t know if this is real or not, but I’ve been trying to enjoy being out on the golf course.”
Full Piece.

5. Langer matches Irwin

AP report…“Bernhard Langer matched Hale Irwin’s PGA Tour Champions victory record of 45 on Sunday, winning the Chubb Classic for the fifth time.”

  • “The 65-year-old Langer matched his age with a closing 7-under 65 for a three-stroke victory over Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington.”
  • “It’s extremely special because we’ve been talking about it for so long, it seems now,” Langer said. “When I first came out here, I thought, ‘This is never going to happen.”’
Full piece.

6. Lee switches caddie

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“Lydia Ko isn’t the only top-three player in the world with a new looper this season. Minjee Lee will begin her 2023 campaign next week in Thailand with a different caddie.”

  • Lee, who won the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles and the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, has parted ways with veteran caddie Jason Gilroyed after five seasons. Gilroyed was also on the bag when Cristie Kerr won the 2007 USWO at Pine Needles.
  • Lee’s agent confirmed to Golfweek that Lee’s new caddie will be Rance De Grussa, a fellow Australian who is also from Perth. De Grussa has mostly worked on men’s tours, most recently for Jason Scrivener.
Full piece.

7. Tiger targeting majors

Michael McEwan for Bunkered…”Fresh from an impressive return to the tour at the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods has admitted that he hopes to play in all four major championships this year.”

  • “Like I told you guys last year, I’m not going to play any more than probably the majors and maybe a couple more,” said Woods. “That’s it, that’s all my body will allow me to do.
  • “My back the way it is, all the surgeries I had on my back, my leg the way it is, I just can’t. That’s just going to be my future. My intent last year was to play in all four majors. I got three of the four. Hopefully this year I can get all four and maybe sprinkle in a few here and there.
Full Piece.

8. ICYMI… RIP John Paramor

AP report…”John Paramor, the mustachioed European tour rules official whose career spanned six decades, has died after a bout with cancer. He was 67.”

  • “The European tour confirmed the death of Paramor, who retired in 2020 as chief referee. He had officiated at dozens of major championships over the years and was recognizable on every circuit in the world.”
Full Piece.

9. Winning WITB: Jon Rahm

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees @11.3)

Shaft: Aldila Tour Green ATX 75 TX (45.25 inches, tipped 1 inch)

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T (High Launch, 16 degrees @15.1)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

5-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T (18 degrees @17.9)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X (42 inches, tipped 2 inches)

Irons: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)

Shafts: Project X 6.5 (4-PW)

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10, 56-12 @55.25, 60-10)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S

Grips: Golf Pride MCC midsize

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X
Full WITB.

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.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. T

    Feb 20, 2023 at 11:41 am

    Errrr Ogletree??? Is WRX becoming segregated? Is that your stance now? You do realise most of your golf equipment and apparel is Made in China and other parts of ASIA??? Sheesh

    Reply Report comment

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News

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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News

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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