News

The Match Play Awards

Published

14 years ago

Feb 27, 2012

The opening weeks of the 2012 golf season have been the best in recent memory, and this week did not disappoint as Hunter Mahan won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, closing out world No. 2 Rory McIlroy 2 and 1 in the final. And, since the grand finale was held on the same day as the Oscar Awards (which seemingly lasts the same five days as the Match Play), let’s have some fun and give out the first annual Match Play awards, or “Matchies.”

Performance in a Leading Role: Hunter Mahan. After stumbling in a number of earlier opportunities to be a leading man, most recently at the Ryder Cup, it was a possibility that Mahan might not get another shot at a leading role. But Mahan stepped up to fulfill the potential as a professional on a major stage he has shown since winning the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship as a child actor. He was consistently excellent throughout the week, producing a barrage of birdies that overwhelmed even the precocious McIlroy on the opening nine holes of their championship duel. Runner-up mention goes to McIlroy, who almost took home the trophy with only his B-Game.

Best Original Story: The drama between Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy. As clients of agent Chubby Chandler, and Ryder Cup teammates, Rory and Lee had been connected at the hip for years as mentor and mentee. Westwood and McIlroy had formed a strong, seemingly permanent bond. That bond was damaged, if not severed, when McIlroy left Team Chandler, and what was once a warm relationship developed a thick layer of frost. McIlroy’s emotional victory in the semifinal over Westwood likely took a bit of steam out of him over the first nine holes of the final, where the combination of his loosest iron play of the week and the Mahan buzz saw dropped him into a four-hole deficit. He eventually found his second wind and made a game of it, but he simply ran out of holes to get it done.

Best Supporting Actress: The fan who caught Westwood’s wayward drive on ended up with a ball down the back of her sweater on the 13^th hole of the semi-final against McIlroy. After somehow snagging the drive in her pullover without chipping a vertebrae, she displayed perfect comic timing as she stood patiently and waited for Westwood’s caddy to deliver the memorable line, “Would you mind walking 250 yards down the fairway?”

Best Supporting Actor: Rory McIlroy’s 3-wood. Forget the PGA Tour; Homeland Security should be investigating the grenade launcher/golf club that McIlroy has only had in his bag for just over a week. Striping it up to forty yards past his opponents’ best efforts with a driver, we are sure to see this weapon star again in Augusta.

Best Special Effect: The dust devil that held a pavilion umbrella aloft over the golf course early in the Mahan – McIlroy match. It looked like Mary Poppins was making her way to the hospitality tents.

Best Set Design: Mother Nature and Jack Nicklaus share this one. Nicklaus gets the nod for the stunning Dove Mountain layout that was such a perfect combination of natural beauty and unforgiving vindictiveness they could rename it “First Wife.” Mother Nature, after sneezing out a snow squall for last year’s final, this year graced the mountain layout with six days of sun-drenched weather in the gorgeous Arizona high sierra.

Best Animated Feature: Ricky Fowler’s opening day match. Ok, I know he’s real, but he sure dressed like a cartoon character and after his surprising upset loss to David Toms, all that was missing was Nick Faldo saying “Th-Th-That’s all, Folks!”.

Best Director: To shared by all of the directors who ran the coverage of the event on the first two days of competition. With 16 meaningful matches to cover, The Golf Channel/NBC team did an exceptional job of getting great pictures, great angles and great slo-mo replays. And they kept the stars of the TGC team (Faldo, Rosaforte, Chamblee) in front of the cameras for the lion’s share of the time, minimizing the painful dronings of some of the other talking heads in their stable.

Makeup: Jason Day takes this Matchie for making up a three-hole deficit in three holes in his first round against Spain’s Raphael Cabrera-Bello. Look for Day to be near or at the top of all of the leaderboard and all of the majors this year.

And just like the Oscars, the Matchies saves the top award for last. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Matchie for Best Picture goes to … any picture of Hunter Mahan’s wife, Kandi. Check your google machine for conformation.

Like I said, it’s been a great season.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping Max G440
Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
Wedges
Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

A party on the green!

Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase