News

Sunday Tournament Recap

Published

19 years ago

Jul 31, 2007

What an exciting day in golf, there was honestly too much compelling tournament coverage to watch just one.

Natalie Gulbis won her first career LPGA victory. Andres Romero rebounded from his mistakes at the Open Championship to win one of the biggest tournaments on the European PGA Tour. Tom Watson solidified his place as the greatest links golfer of modern times by winning the Senior Open Championship. Jim Furyk made a tremendous final round charge to catch Vijay Singh and defend his title at the Canadian Open.

Canadian Open

Jim Furyk began Sunday three strokes behind Vijay Singh. From the beginning it was clear this would be a special day for him. Furyk birded two of the first three holes until the lead changed hands on the fourth hole, a 209 yard par three. Furyk’s hole in one at the fourth catapulted him to a one shot lead and he would never look back. Furyk said, "When the ball hit it, looked like it was online in a good spot and you could see kind of them growing enthusiasm, and then everyone arms up in the air and cheering. Couldn’t see it go in, but we understood directly from the reaction what had happened."

Yet a seasoned competitor and former Canadian Open champion like Vijay Singh wasn’t going to go away quietly. Singh began the back nine with three straight birdies and needed a birdie at 18 to force a playoff. From 164 yards, Singh’s approach shot landed 20 feet away. Unfortunately his putt stayed on the high side and Furyk had won his 13th career PGA Tour title. "I had my chances, but I couldn’t get it going on the front nine," Singh said. "I had a chance on the last, but Jim played well. Anyone who shoots seven-under on the last day is deserving."

Senior Open Championship

Just a month ago, Tom Watson had a monumental collapse at the Senior U.S. Open, giving away a big lead on the back nine of the tournament. However, back on his familar U.K. soil which has yielded five Open Championships and two other Senior Open Championships, the stars always seem to align for Watson. At Muirfield Village, it was a battle, but Watson prevailed in the end, cementing his legacy as perhaps the greatest links golfer of all time. "This has been a very serene week for me," he said. "The weather was right up my alley: good blowy conditions, a little rain here and there. The beauty of the place, I feel very comfortable," said Watson.

However, after his tee shot on the 18th hole, the scene looked anything but serene. With a three shot lead, Watson pulled his tee shot left into a fairway bunker and took two shots to finally advance his ball, although he ultimately missed the green. His fifth shot was a long putt that settled three feet from the cup and after sinking the final putt for double bogey Watson found himself with the Senior Open Championship title once again.

Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship

How many people could forget watching young Andres Romero painfully hook his 2 iron into the burn out of the thick Carnoustie rough? Although he didn’t win the Open Championship, his third place finish vaulted him up the world golf rankings and got him into the field at the Deutsche Bank Player’s Championship. Romero took full advantage. His two stroke victory was relatively easy, even after a double bogey on the ninth hole, Romero was able to rein himself in and regain his composure. A solid mix of pars and birdies on the back nine guaranteed him a three shot victory.

When asked about his win, Romero thanked Cabrera for inspiration, "I loved the way Angel Cabrera plays, after he win the U.S. Open that he opened all the doors for the Argentineans, and I was thinking I have to do my share now. That helped me a lot, and I’m very grateful to Angel. Because he won the U.S. Open, I have even more confidence for me to play good golf."

Evian Masters

Natalie Gulbis finally shed her Anna Kournikova of golf image with a playoff victory in France yesterday. Gulbis’s play coming into France was a bit erratic, struggling with a back injury making cuts was increasingly difficult let alone finding her first victory. However, all that seemed a mile away during the fourth round of the tournament. "This is my sixth year and I have been waiting a long time. But I knew if I was patient it would eventually happen for me. This feels great to have done it at last," said Gulbis.

A strong front nine with three birdies began Gulbis’s charge up the leader board, but difficulty on the back nine had her doubting her chances for a victory. However, at the urging of fellow Tour player Cristie Kerr, Gulbis continued to practice and hope for a playoff. She got her opportunity and took advantage hitting the green in two on the par five playoff hole against Jang Jeong. After two putting for birdie Gulbis had won her first tournament on the LPGA.

News

5 Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S.. Women’s Open

Published

3 hours ago

Jun 5, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Gone are the days when the U.S. Women’s Open was held at Scenic Hills or Churchill Valley. Fine courses that they are (or were, as Churchill Valley went bankrupt a decade ago) there is something to be said for the venue. Not all Women’s Open playings need to take place on Men’s Open venues, but some should. This week in Los Angeles, the Women’s Open visits Riviera Country Club for the first time. Down the road, we will visit Inverness, Oakmont, Interlachen, Oak Hill, Chicago Golf, and Merion. That is quite the murderer’s row (1927 Yankees reference) of golf clubs.

What can we expect from the 2026 tournament? Greatness and uncertainty. Unlike the PGA Tour, which visits Riviera each February, the LPGA does not, so the women will not have nearly the body of work over the George C. Thomas layout. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll play #10 smarter than the men do. Maybe they’ll figure some things out that their male counterparts can not. For today, we’ll try to find five things to learn, and share them with you.

First, this ain’t your momma’s U.S. Open course

How do we know? Well, so far, only one previous champion currently sits inside the top thirty. That would be Minjee Lee, the 2022 winner at Southern (NC) Pines. Lee made par on her first nine holes, the inward side at Riviera. She dropped birdie putts on the first and ninth holes (ten and eighteen for her day) and tallied another seven pars, for 69. She sits three shots off Jennifer Kupcho’s opening 66. Don’t worry about Kupcho; we’ll get to her. After Lee, defending champion Maja Stark ranks T30 at even par, joined by three other, former winners.

What Minjee did, is the sort of thing that wins U.S. Open titles. She guided her ship safely past swells, and made a move when the waters calmed. The fewer the bogeys, the more likely Minjee figures in the outcome on Sunday evening in Pacific Palisades. Off the tee, Lee was unmatched. She hit 14 of 14 fairways. Her iron play was a bit loose in comparison. She putted for birdie on 12 of 18 holes, which meant that her recovery short game was on point. Lee was ten yards longer on measured driving holes than the field average, and was below the field average (a good thing) in putting.

Second, the amateurs beat a loud drum

Three of the world’s top amateur golfer posted 70, placing them four off the lead, in a tie for 14th place. Canada’s Aphrodite Deng, Spain’s Paula Francisco Llaño, and Colombia’s Maria José Marin, showed the professional world that their game is strong. Both Deng and Francisco Llaño collected five birdies on the day. Should they match that output on day two, and minimize the foozles, they’ll be the topic of conversation on Saturday morning. Marin, the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion and an NCAA team semifinalist last week, played a game similar to Minjee Lee: few mistakes and few taken risks.

The last amateur to post the low medal score for 72 holes was Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998. She lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak, who matched her plus-six effort at Blackwolf Run. The last amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open was Catherine Lacoste in 1967. The amateurs are stronger than they’ve ever been, but the professionals have not allowed them to close the gap. A victory by one of the college set would be a cannon shot heard round the world. Could it happen? Absolutely. Is it likely? Not at all.

Third, let’s talk Kupcho

Jennifer Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She won three times on tour in 2022, including the Chevron, a major title. She won a fourth event in 2025, but has not established the winning credentials projected on her after 2022’s marvelous coming-out.

Kupcho hails from Colorado, and spent four years in the Carolina Piedmont, at Wake Forest Universtiy. Neither of those locales cries out I’ll be at home at Riviera, but here we are, after a seven-birdie performance. Kupcho posted birdie on each of her first three holes, and added four more (against two bogeys) to assume a one-shot advantage over Korea’s Sei Young Kim.

Kupcho drove the ball decently, approached moderately well, but putted lights out on Thursday. Her 26 putts were tied for best in show on day one. There might just be something about the putting surfaces at Riviera that aligns with Kupcho’s vibe. If that is the case, just get the ball on the green, anywhere, and let the flatstick do the lifting.

Fourth, how young is Sei Young?

Sei (pronounced “So”) Young Kim won a dozen times from 2015 to 2020. She took time off from winning until 2025, shen she captured a thirteenth LPGA title. Like Kupcho, Kim has hardware from one major event, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship. How to explain the five years away from victory? No idea. When Sei Young was in contention during the prime of her career, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

What to expect over the next three days at Riviera? Anyone’s guess. It might be the 2015-2020 Sei Young, or it could be the 2021-2025 version. Kim began her day with birdies at 10 and 11, then settled into a stretch of pars before her solitary bogey at the 4th (her 13th) hole. Kim regained her composure and reeled in three birdies to close the front nine. Her four-under performance trails Kupcho alone, and there is a real chance that Sei Young will produce a second score in the 60s and take a bit of control of the tournament.

Fifth, we’re giddy for Gaby

Although I cannot place my finger on why, it seems that each year, Gaby Lopez pops up on the U.S. Open leaderboard. She hasn’t figure out how to remain in contention, but here we are, in 2026, and Lopez is once again in the mix. The three-time champion on the LPGA circuit had a stunning first nine holes, turning in minus-five. She reached six deep at her tenth hole, but then gave three shots back coming home. Which Gaby will show up on Friday, and for how long? If back-nine Gaby can somehow channel front-nine Gaby, all outcomes are within reach. If the loose play continues, Lopez’ wiki page will add one more T41 to her majors column.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

2 days ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

4 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