News

Tiger Woods Wins PGA Championship

Published

19 years ago

Aug 15, 2007

Tiger Woods won his 13th major on Sunday at the PGA Championship, adding yet another chapter to his growing legacy of achievement and stepping even closer to Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major victories.

Tiger’s victory came as little surprise, Woods has never been beaten in a major after holding the 54 hole lead and he kept his streak intact. Going into the eight hole, Woods had built his lead all the way to five strokes over his nearest competitor, and the rest of the round appeared to be a foregone conclusion. However, Woods faltered a bit down the stretch while Ernie Els and Woody Austin came close to catching Woods on the back nine.

Woody Austin mounted some serious pressure on Woods, after three straight birdies on the back nine, he was within one shot of Tiger’s lead. A birdie putt on 15 which missed would have tied Tiger who bogied 14. Ernie Els also came very close to catching Tiger. Els made six birdies throughout the final round, yet three crucial bogies kept him from realistically mounting any pressure on Tiger. "I am what I am – I can’t change that. Tiger, he’s what he is and he’s not making the mistakes I’m making. In a way that’s frustrating, but in a way that’s got to be a positive, too. If I can start eliminating these mistakes I can start really challenging for tournaments again," said Els. Yet Sunday was again Tiger’s alone. He maintained his one shot lead and built on it maintaining his flawless record of closing majors, saying "I just kept telling myself, Ernie and Woody were making runs. But I still had the lead. And if I made pars they would have to come get me. And if they ever made a birdie on one of the holes to tie me, I can birdie the same hole and it was all square, I had the lead again."

This major is likely to be differentiated from the others for one reason, it is the first time Sam has seen her dad win a major. "Well, it’s a feeling I’ve never had before, having Sam there and having Elin there it feels a lot more special when you have your family there. And it used to be my mom and dad. And now Elin and now we have our own daughter. So it’s evolved, and this one feels so much more special than the other majors. The British Open last year was different, but this one was certainly so special and so right to have Elin and Sam there. I wasn’t really paying attention when I saw them. I was so excited and just want to give Elin and Sam a kiss and get back to signing my score card."

With this victory, Tiger not only steps closer to Jack’s record of 18, but also ties the gentleman amateur – Bobby Jones at 13 career majors. Woods said, "Any time you’re in conversations with Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen, just in general it makes it — it makes you understand that you’ve had a nice run in your career. And I could not ask for a better start to my career." However, Tiger is maintaining his focus and realizes that chasing down Jack is still a long ways away, saying "18 is just a long way away. And even though I’m at 13, it’s still a long way away. You can’t get it done in one year. It’s going to take time, as I’ve said before in the past. It took Jack 20 years to get it done. 20-plus years. It’s one of those things where it’s going to take some time."

News

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

Published

9 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.

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WITB Albums