Tour News
Lotte Championship Recap: Ha-w-Ai-I (h??wa?.i)
By Vince Robitaille
GolfWRX Staff Writer
While the first day of the inaugural Lotte Championship presented by J Golf showcased solid golf, things really kicked off on the regular American schedule or, simply put, on Thursday afternoon; Azhara Munoz coming back from a even-par opening lap with the round of the week, an 8-under 64, placing her in a tie for first with Japanese star, Ai Miyazato – the latter also going terribly low on the day with a 65. Opening round frontrunners, Christie Kerr and Suzann Pettersen, on their part, kept chipping away in order to stay within arm’s reach of the lead as Angela Stanford exploited her resourceful wind game to make a slight push.
On a gusty moving day, Munoz struggled to stay afloat, bogeys on the second and third holes dragging her down the leaderboard early. However, a mid-round rally, which would then be partly offsetted by a blemish on the par-3 16th, would net her a manageable 73; manageable since her aforementioned primary adversary, having to handle the rather harsh playing conditions, could only bring in a card of 70 for an aggregate score of 10-under. That being said, one actress would make a stunning early round push and set the table for what would be yet another lively final round on the LPGA Tour.
Meena Lee, coming back from a missed cut at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, made consecutives birdies on second, third and fourth holes to position herself a lone stroke behind Miyazato, at 9-under; a stroke which would soon be obtained on the seventh hole. As both leaders were sitting comfortable at 10-under, Munoz, who kept on grinding through the first four holes much like she did the previous day, finally caught a break when she snuck in a slippery, cutting 20-plus footer for birdie on the par-4 7th to get back within two strokes of her rivals. After an average tee shot on No. 8, a 146-yard-long par-3 that left her on the lower tier of a tricky leveled green, the Spaniard managed to perfectly negotiate the harsh ascending contour leading to the difficult hole placement close to the plateau’s ridge to drain an improbably 30 footer and get to 10-under. On the subsequent hole, Miyazato would misjudge a thorny chip into a ridge to a low pin location from over the green, leaving herself a testy 12-foot putt to save par; a test that she would fail as the ball slipped to the right. The former World No.1 could only grind her teeth as she watched Munoz tap in for par to make the turn in 33, but most importantly in a tie for the lead with her irritated self.
Around the same time on the par-3 12th, Meena Lee sent her tee shot in the right frontside bunker and drew a rather nasty downhill lie (in comparison to what one would normally expect out of such a shot), but nothing near what she’d experience later on in the round). However, not willing to give up ground on the last pairing just yet, the South Korean proceeded to show off her sheer touch, landing her emblematic bright yellow ball in kick-in distance of the cup.
Over at No. 10, Munoz hit what looked like an above average three-fingered shot into the green only to be the victim of an upmost awkward bounce that sent her ball in the collection area that represents the front left bunker. Having effectively short-sided herself and facing a downhill lie in what strangely resembled a pot bunker – well, as close to it as you can find in Honolulu – the 2010 Rolex Rookie of the Year managed to get herself within 20 feet, one could difficulty expect much better out of such a situation. The result, the first blemish on her day and a cumulative score of 9-under. Miyazato, on the other hand, opted for what could be seen as a safer line into the green, frankly favoring the right portion of the green, which left her below the pin en route to two-putt par.
On the 11th, after a sup-par 3-wood off the tee, Munoz ignored what looked like a flyer lie to attack, rather aggressively, the rightward pin; quite skillfully squeezing the ball in the narrow 12-pace aperture that separated the fringe from the pin. Regrettably, she pulled the ball straight left on the ensuing putt and missed an ever important opportunity to get back in a tie for the lead. Miyazato, much like on the previous hole, played straight forward, by the book golf on her way to par; a mere formality really.
The par-3 12th saw Miyazato airmail a weak push fade that plugged, in the vast bunker bordering the right flank of the putting surface, about 14 yards away from the fringe. Meanwhile, Munoz hit a solid sawed off mid-iron to a safe spot on the left portion of the green’s lower tier before safely two-putting for par. Our Japanese protagonist was roughly penalized as her explosion shot out of the bunker flew miles past the putting surface. Her subsequent bump and run attempt was left a tad short, but not enough to keep her from salvaging a bogey which brought her back to 9-under in a tie for second with Munoz, a stroke behind Lee; for about 30 seconds that is. In fact, Lee who, after getting herself in trouble off the tee on the par-5 14th – the second of two straight par-5’s – and leaving herself enough distance, on her third shot, to be completely unable to attack the green, couldn’t save par.
On the par-5 13th, after laying up to a rather dangerous spot, putting the large front bunker between herself and the hole, 78 yards away from the pin, Munoz managed to land her trademark knockdown shot on the upper level of the green, a few yards above pin level with a slippery comebacker for birdie. Miyazato couldn’t achieve as good of a result, facing a downhill, down grain 30-footer for birdie. Well, qualifying her result as inferior would be ignoring her subsequent putt. Her trusty Odyssey White Ice Sabertooth in hand, Miyazato sunk the outrageously quick putt to shave off a stroke and get herself in first at 10-under; a feat matched, a mere minute away, by Meena Lee who converted her birdie attempt at the 15th. Speaking of the young Korean, having left her tee shot woefully short on the 193 yards par-3 16th, her disappointing effort was, quite fortunately, compensated by her bold negotiation of a right-to-left 10-footer; up-and-down, fist pump, no harm done, on to the next one.
As Miyazato breezed through the par-5 14th, Munoz found herself, after leaving her approach from the left side rough short, missing yet another putt on the low-side of the hole and falling back to 8-under, now two strokes behind the former No.1. Concurrently on the 17th hole, Mina Lee hit it high on the clubface from the rough and left herself short once more. Nevertheless, a crisp wedge to the elevated green helped her convert yet another crucial par.
The tournament’s faith was sealed on 15th. Miyazato, after finding the left fringe from 109 yards out, sunk an additional long-range putt in blatantly similar fashion to the one on 13th. In doing so, she’d get back to 11-under, never to be touched again; Meena Lee collapsing on the 18th – finding the sand on her third shot and three-putting on her way to a double bogey – and Munoz unable to close the three-shot gap which would widen to four following the Japanese’s birdie on 17th. The Spaniard would go close the championship with an aggregate score of 8-under, landing the Ping staffer her second career runner up finish – in a tie with Lee – the other coming at the 2011 Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship.
On a side note, the Korda-Thompson-Wie confrontation which had most viewers intrigued, saw Korda getting the upper hand as the local favorite thoroughly struggled on her way to a third straight missed cut, as Lexi Thomson tumbled. Unfortunately, for the 2012 Australian Open champion, the fact that simply no putt seemed to be willing to go in on Thursday kept her from gaining the necessary momentum going into the weekend. Ultimately, Korda couldn’t fare better than a tie for 49th at 4-over.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.
As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.
Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.
General Albums
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #2
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Alex Fitzpatrick – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Austin Cook – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Alejandro Tosti – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- MJ Daffue – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Nate Lashley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Kevin Streelman – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rasmus Hojgaard – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Tom Whitney – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- SangMoon Bae – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Daniel Berger – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rory McIlroy – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Russ Cochrane – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Aldrich Potgieter – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Steve Stricker WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Drew Brees WITB (Legendary New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Thriston Lawrence WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
Pullout Albums
- MJ Daffue’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Cameron putters – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Swag covers ( a few custom for Nick Hardy) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Custom Bettinardi covers for Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Doug Ghim’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Patrick Cantlay spotted testing a Scotty Cameron blade putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.
We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.
We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.
Check out links to all our photos, below.
General Albums
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #2
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Justin Thomas – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Rose – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Nick Dunlap – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Thomas Detry – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Austin Eckroat – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Jason Day – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Will Zalatoris – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Patrick Cantlay – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Ludvig Aberg – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Collin Morikawa – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Sam Burns – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Stephen Jaeger – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
Pullout Albums
- Wyndham Clark’s Odyssey putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- JT’s new Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Thomas testing new Titleist 2 wood – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey putter with triple track alignment aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Scotty Cameron The Blk Box putting alignment aid/training aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey Ai One Eleven T putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Christian Bezuidenhout – testing new Callaway Ti 340 mini driver – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele testing the Callaway Ti 340 mini driver & the DUW – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Byeong Hun An, two new L.A.B. Golf putter builds with “T” alignment – 2024 RBC Heritage
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open
GolfWRX is on site this week at the Valero Texas Open.
The event has been around since 1922, making it one of the oldest on the PGA Tour calendar. Over the years, it’s been held at a variety of courses across the Lone Star State, but it’s found its home at TPC San Antonio in recent years. Some of the biggest names in golf have taken home the title here, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw.
GolfWRX has its usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs and special pull-out albums. As always, we’ll continue to update the links below as more photos come in from TPC San Antonio.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Ben Taylor – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Paul Barjon – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Joe Sullivan – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Wilson Furr – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Ben Willman – SoTex PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Jimmy Stanger – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Rickie Fowler – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Harrison Endycott – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Vince Whaley – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Kevin Chappell – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Christian Bezuidenhout – WITB (mini) – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Scott Gutschewski – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
Pullout Albums
- Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Ben Taylor with new Titleist TRS 2 wood – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Swag cover – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Greyson Sigg’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Davis Riley’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Josh Teater’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Hzrdus T1100 is back – – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Mark Hubbard testing ported Titleist irons – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Tyson Alexander testing new Titleist TRS 2 wood – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Hideki Matsuyama’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Cobra putters – 2024 Valero Texas Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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