News

MacKenzie Winning Wyndham

Will MacKenzie shot an 8-under 64 to lead the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC on Thursday. MacKenzie has his first tournament lead since the Mercedes-Benz Championship at the first event of the year.

Published

19 years ago

Aug 16, 2007

A Raehtz

Will MacKenzie bogeyed his first hole in the Wyndham Classic in Greensboro, NC before going on a tear. He went on a tear that took him all the way to the lead. A tear that included a near hole-in-one consisting of nine birdies in fifteen holes to shoot an 8-under 64.

"I rolled it really nice, drove it okay and, you know, I’m just playing solid golf but I made some putts. I made my couple 25-footers and made all my short ones.
Almost made a hole in 1, hit the pin on No. 8 with 4-iron 223 or something. That was wonderful. I just stayed patient and had some fun," said Will MacKenzie

Steve Marino, Brian Davis, Lucas Glover, and Jeff Overton are all tied for second at 7-under 65. 2003 Champion Shigeki Maruyama leads a group of seven players that are tied at 6-under 66.

Maruyama was this tournament in 2003 and was runner-up in 2005 and wore his trademark goofy grin for most of the day on Thursday.

"Off the tee, it’s set up pretty good for my eyes," Said Maruyama. "I have good confidence in this course and I didn’t play that good today but, you know, like I said, I have a pretty good image of this course. It’s set out pretty right. Just about right for me."

Will Mackenzie was a promising young talent in the AJGA before giving it all up for a life outdoors. In fact, MacKenzie didn’t play a single tournament from the age of 14 to a random Sunday at the age of 25 when he decided to hit balls after watching Payne Stewart win the US Open at Pinehurst and was hooked agin.

"It just really inspired me. Home state, Pinehurst No. 2, I love it, just adore the place. Payne Stewart (was) sort of a childhood idol," said MacKenzie of watching Stewart win the Open.

MacKenzie walked away from golf at 14 and eventually moved to Montana where he fell in love with the outdoors. Hunting, fishing, surfing, kayaking, snowboarding, rock-climbing and living in an older van where all part of MacKenzie’s lifestyle.

"I lived in Montana and snowboarded. In the summer I kayaked, rock climbed and worked, among other things. I just enjoyed being in the outdoors 24/7. I lived in my van.
You know, lived just a perfect little lifestyle. You know, I was 20 to 24 — or 18 really to 24. I mean I didn’t need any money. You know, I lived in an older van and I always had money in my pocket because I was working and I just enjoyed the charge."

Some might say that the biggest draw the Wyndham Championship has is that it is the final tournment before we all see how the inaugural Fed-Ex Cup playoffs work. Currently 50 players in the Wyndham could conceivably make their way into the Top 30 and seal their way to the Masters next year with solid play. Five players: Bob Tway, Lee Janzen, Glen Day, and Marco Dawson all need to make the cut this week or their run at the playoffs will end Friday. Below is a list of players that are entered this week and their position in the standings. Each one of them is entered this week, and you can sit back and watch the drama unfold all weekend.

Rank This Week	Rank Last Week	Player	Events	Points	Last Week Finish
135	134	Billy Andrade	20	1,964	DNP
136	136	Tripp Isenhour	23	1,839	DNP
137	137	Andrew Buckle	17	1,771	DNP
138	138	Jeff Gove	21	1,763	DNP
139	141	Frank Lickliter II	21	1,746	T50
140	139	Michael Putnam	20	1,736	DNP
141	144	Bob Tway	23	1,695	T50
142	140	Lee Janzen	18	1,694	DNP
143	142	Glen Day	19	1,672	DNP
144	143	Marco Dawson	15	1,669	DNP
145	145	Eric Axley	28	1,567	CUT
146	146	Steve Lowery	14	1,536	DNP
147	147	Cameron Beckman	21	1,514	DNP
148	148	Chris Couch	23	1,494	DNP
149	149	Mark Hensby	19	1,466	DNP
150	150	Mathias Gronberg	23	1,463	DNP
151	178	Anders Hansen	13	1,389	T12
152	151	Dudley Hart	12	1,388	DNP
153	152	Greg Owen	21	1,321	DNP
154	153	Duffy Waldorf	16	1,313	DNP
155	154	Parker McLachlin	20	1,307	DNP

News

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

Published

10 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