News

Week 2 FedEx Cup: The Deutsche Bank Championship

Published

19 years ago

Aug 28, 2007

We are now embarking on round two of the FedEx Cup and this week’s version of the playoffs will start with only 120 golfers. Last week at The Barclays, Steve Stricker won in impressive fashion and that victory vaulted him into the number one position in the FedEx Cup standings.

24 players less, the tour now stops at TPC Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship. The TPC Boston is a par 71 and tips out at 7415 yards, a rather daunting task for this weeks participants, especially the ones that are sitting in the 71-120 positions in the standings. Only 70 players will move past this week and onto the third round of the playoffs. Be prepared for the drama to continue to unfold as we continue on this new path of the unknown, the 2007 FedEx Cup. What is going to happen? Who is going to make it to Chicago? Atlanta and the Tour Championship? Only time will tell, but I can assure you that it is getting more interesting and more stories will continue to develop as the weeks unfold.

Defending champion Tiger Woods, fresh off of a week respite will look to not only defend his crown at the Deutsche Bank Classic, but regain his top position on the leader board of the playoffs. Steve Stricker who has overtaken the number one position in the standings knows full well what is ahead of him, "I’m in a great position now but there’s still a long way to go and we all know who is coming back this week," he told reporters smiling as he referred to Woods. Coming off of an impressive win at the Barclays Stricker seems to have things in check, "You need to prepare yourself and you need to get ready and you need to play as best as you can, and let the points fall where they may, I guess." That will be an understatement as the return of Woods adds a little more spice to an already interesting and the highly debated “playoffs”.

There have also been a couple of notable withdrawals this week at the Deutsche Bank Classic. Ernie Els, and Scott Verplank both have withdrawn from the event sighting family reasons and fatigue. I have been on the road now for almost eight weeks and it is important that I return home where my children will be preparing for their return to school,” Els said. “I regret having to miss such a prestigious and important tournament and I wish everybody there an enjoyable and successful week.” Ernie will be sorely missed but will return in Chicago because his point total will automatically grant him passage into next week’s event. Verplank put a slighty different spin on it than Els, speaking to reporters in August at the PGA Verplank said, "I know me better than anyone else, and I can tell now you my body is not going to hold up for four weeks in a row.” “I’m probably stupid, but I’d rather win the Tour Championship than the FedEx Cup,” wanting to make sure he is fresh enough to do so it is no wonder that he opted to drop out at Boston gearing up for the final stops in Chicago and Atlanta. Verplank like Els has the luxury of having enough points to skip the event and not worry about making it past the next round, even possibly into the Tour Championship.

Players to watch this week should include Reteif Goosen, K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh, Rich Beem , and Rory Sabbatini, all for different reasons. Goosen and Beem are the two that are looking in from the outside. Goosen is in 86^th position and Beem is in 113th, moving 23 places last week to gain entrance into the event this week. He will need yet another amazing week to be able to continue, Goosen on the other hand needs to only move up 16 places to advance, then needs to figure a way to move up 40 more spots to get to the Tour Championship, a hefty task to say the least. K.J. Choi has been one of the most consistent performers this year on tour, and finds himself in second place in the standings, just 2,050 points behind Stricker. Vijay Singh, who has missed two consecutive cuts, looks to regain his form and put himself in position to win the FedEx Cup. Singh owns the course record of 61 at TPC Boston and is also a winner at the course. Sabbatini who has been a critic of Tiger and his ability to be had this year, on several occasions, is now ahead of Woods in the standings and has a chance to back up what he stated earlier in the year. Although he has had some chances to beat Woods, he has failed to do so yet, and this is yet another chance for him to try and do what he said was possible earlier in the year.

Stay tuned, the playoffs are heating up and who knows what is going to happen, and that is part of the excitement.

Television Times

Thursday 8/31 3-6 EST Golf Channel

Friday 9/1 3-6 EST Golf Channel

Saturday 9/2 3-6 EST NBC

Sunday 9/3 3-6 EST NBC

Official Website

http://www.deutschebankchampionship.com/

News

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

Published

14 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