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Morning 9: New TGL format details | Pro rips Tiger’s course | 5 possible Tour investors

Published

2 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

1. TGL to feature shot clocks and timeouts

The details, via PGATour.com…

Shot Clock

  • Players will have 40 seconds to hit their shot, or their team will receive a violation and incur a one-stroke penalty.
  • The shot clock, displayed throughout the stadium, will be stopped and reset any time the following occurs:
  • A player has completed their turn.
  • A player incurs a shot clock violation and receives a one-stroke penalty.
  • A player calls a timeout.
  • A player incurs a Rules of Golf penalty.
  • The TGL referee or booth official determines the shot clock must be reset to accommodate a special circumstance.
  • The 40-second timeframe is based on a former USGA Local Rule and a current USGA Recommendation on pace of play.

Timeouts

  • Each team will have a total of four timeouts per match. Teams can use two timeouts during Session 1 (Triples) and two timeouts during Session 2 (Singles). Timeouts not used during the first session will not carry over to the second session.
  • For the team playing their shot, timeouts may be called at any point until the shot clock expires. Opposing teams may call timeouts to “ice” their opponents but must do so before the other team’s player has addressed the ball.
  • A team member will signal or verbally call a timeout to the referee, who will acknowledge the call. A team cannot call back-to-back timeouts while on the current shot. They must wait until the shot is hit following a timeout before calling a second timeout.

Referee

  • A referee will be on the course to administer TGL’s rules. Additionally, a booth official, who is an expert in the rules of golf, will be monitoring the action.
  • The referee will be responsible for enforcing and managing timeouts, the shot clock and rules decisions.
  • TGL’s rules will be rooted in the traditional rules of golf played on the PGA TOUR, as well as inherent local rules needed for the league’s unique competition format, technology, and venue.
Full piece.

2. Kraft rips Tiger-designed El Cardonale

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…“The 2023 World Wide Technology Championship marked the first time the PGA Tour has played a Woods design, and Kelly Kraft made known his negative feelings about El Cardonal at Diamante…”

  • “About the golf, not sure where to start,” Kraft wrote on Instagram about the Cabo track. “All I will say is the PGA Tour could do a better job at picking courses to host these events. In my opinion this wasn’t my favorite course, and I’ve played on tour for a little while.”
Full piece.

3. Report: Possible Tour investors

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Last week, the author of “LIV and Let Die”, Alan Shipnuck, reported that John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group was preparing to make a “monster bid” to replace the Saudi Private Investment Fund’s potential stake in the PGA Tour.”

  • “Now, Golfweek is reporting that there are five private equity companies vying to be a part of the deal for the PGA Tour.”
  • “Those companies include Fenway Sports Group, Liberty Strategic Capital, Acorn Growth Companies, Eldridge Industries, and lastly, a group of influential individuals being referred to as Friends of Golf.”
  • “The report indicates that those are the main parties interested, but that doesn’t mean smaller companies won’t go in on the deal with these groups to sweeten the offer.”
  • “It’s highly speculated that Fenway Sports Group is still the most attractive suitor given their success in other sports including the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC.”
Full piece.

4. Schauffele criticizes father, calls for Tour leadership change

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking to “Today’s Golfer“, PGA Tour star Xander Schauffele said that he’d be open to a change in leadership on the PGA Tour.”

  • “I wouldn’t mind seeing some new leadership take place on our circuit,” the 30-year-old said.”
  • Schauffele cited a lack of trust as the reason why change might be good for the Tour.
  • “I would be lying if I said that I have a whole lot of trust after what happened. That’s definitely the consensus that I get when I talk to a lot of guys. It’s a bit contradictory when they call it ‘our Tour’ and things can happen without us even knowing.”
  • “It’s hard. I’m sure there are reasons for what happened, but at the same time, it puts us in a really hard spot to trust the leadership that did some stuff in the dark and is supposed to have our best interests at heart.
  • “I am a bit in the dark still. I hate to sit here and hope for the best.”
  • “The frustration from Xander seems to stem from the January framework agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Private Investment Fund, in which players were largely left in the dark.”
Full piece.

5. Bermuda Championship Monday qualifiers

PGATour.com staff…”In 2012, a 14-year-old Zhang burst onto the international golf scene when he became the youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open, eclipsing the prior mark set by Tadd Fujikawa (age 15, 2006). Zhang lost in a playoff at Final Qualifying but earned a tee time on Monday of tournament week after another player withdrew. Zhang, a China native who moved to Florida at age 10 to attend the IMG Academy, missed the cut at Olympic Club but generated buzz around his long-term potential. Zhang turned pro in 2018 after his sophomore season at the University of Florida, but he has made just two TOUR starts since his U.S. Open debut.”

  • “He’ll add another this week. Zhang earned a spot at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship via the Monday qualifier (contested on Oct. 23), carding 6-under 66 and advancing in a playoff. Zhang has spent time this season on the Asian Development Tour, and he recently missed at First Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. A big week in Bermuda, though, could perhaps spark a career renaissance.”
  • “Argentina native Martin Contini earned medalist honors at the Monday qualifier with an 8-under 64. Zhang, Danny Guise and Kyle Wilshire earned spots via a 5-for-3 playoff; the odd men out were Jimmy Jones and Alex Scott. The qualifier was contested at Omni ChampionsGate Resort (International) in Orlando, Florida.”
Full piece.

6.  Rory: I’d be very surprised if Rahm joined LIV

Reuters report…”When Jon Rahm announced he was backing out of TGL, the new indoor golf league spearheaded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, it ignited rumors that the Spaniard might be planning a leap from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.”

  • “McIlroy doesn’t see it that way.
  • “The four-time major champion spoke with reporters at a news conference for his TGL team, Boston Common, on Monday and said Rahm has given him the impression he is staying with the PGA Tour.
  • “I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen,” McIlroy said. “I’m pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player.”
Full piece.

7. Rory wants merger to go through

Gabrielle Herzig for Golfweek…”McIlroy stood firmly in favor of the pro game repairing its current fractures and said the PIF’s involvement is essential to that outcome.”

  • “No, I would prefer if—I feel like we’ve got a fractured competitive landscape right now. And I would prefer if everyone sort of got back into the same boat. I think that’s the best thing for golf,” the four-time major champion said.
  • “So you know, I would hope when we go through this process, the PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement. Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services and their help.
  • “But hopefully, when this is all said and done, I sincerely hope that the PIF are involved and we can bring the game of golf back together.”
Full Piece.

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

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

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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News

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

Published

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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WITB

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