Tour News
Wentworth awaits Westwood
By Ashley Grint
GolfWRX Contributor
The BMW Championship at Wentworth has teed off with many of the biggest names in golf set to take part in the tournament.
World No. 3, Lee Westwood, will be looking to go one better than last year after losing out in a play-off hole to fellow Englishman Luke Donald.
Despite shooting the final three rounds in eight shots fewer than Donald, Westwood had to settle for second place, even though many believe he should have claimed the title himself.
After appearing unable to hold his nerve on No. 18, when a five-foot putt for the championship was squandered, it meant a play-off hole was required. This time it was a combination of both accuracy and water which proved the obstacle, after Westwood over-hit an approach shot to the green, all but gifting the title to Luke Donald.
The elusive UK PGA title once again slipped away from the grasp of the Englishman meaning a 12 month wait until the chance to right the wrong came around.
This year Westwood will be looking for more than victory, he will be seeking retribution. Not only did he lose the tournament last year, he lost the money and perhaps most importantly, the title of “World No. 1”.
With the Wentworth course offering an unparalleled 64 world ranking points to the winner, alongside the €4.5million prize fund; it is easy to see why this major event on the golfing calendar is regularly contested by the world’s best.
Ever since the British PGA Championship settled down in the South-East of England, many of golf’s most famous champions have been victorious. Names such as Olazabal, Ballesteros, Faldo and Montgomerie (three times in a row for the latter), have graced the now famous course and come away victorious.
Yet one name still remains absent from the list, the 2009 Race to Dubai winner, Lee Westwood.
Westwood may have struggled in the Players Championship earlier this month, yet with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker all failing to even make the cut in Florida; at least the Brit finished the four rounds, even if it were in an eventual T61 position.
The Florida “mishap” aside and the form is certainly coming back to the current world number three. With three top five finishes in his last four outings, including victory in Indonesia, Westwood is playing with the freedom and confidence that one Tiger Woods only wishes he could achieve.
The BMW championship is bound to prove a tougher test than the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Golf Masters, yet the winning mentality achieved, following victory in Asia, may prove to be a deciding factor in giving Westwood the edge this weekend.
If the reprisal, potential ranking points, monetary gain and title of BMW PGA Champion were not enough incentives, then add the impending climb up the ladder of the Race to Dubai standings, and suddenly the importance of this weekend’s tournament cannot be over-emphasised.
The Race to Dubai came around in 2009 as a way of preventing young European players moving to the U.S. Tour in search of greater financial rewards. With the top 15 golfers sharing a $10 million prize fund at the end of the season, alongside first place taking home $1.5 million, it is clear that financial gain is certainly accessible on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Westwood is currently lying in sixth position, and with four of the five golfers ahead of the 2009 champion set to take part in the lucrative tournament this weekend, the chance to climb up the Race to Dubai ladder will be at the forefront of Westwood’s mind.
The 39 year-old will go in search of his 39th title on Friday, and with last year’s stumble at the finish line still bound to be fresh in his mind, expect a strong challenge this weekend.
Click here for more discussion in the “Tour Talk” forum.
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News
Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.
From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.
General Albums
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Monday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matthieu Pavon – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Keegan Bradley – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Webb Simpson – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Emiliano Grillo – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Taylor Pendrith – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Kevin Tway – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Pullout Albums
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rory McIlroy – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Eric Cole’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matt Kuchar’s custom Bettinardi – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Justin Thomas – driver change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler – putter change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s new custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Tommy Fleetwood testing a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (with custom neck) – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Cobra Darkspeed Volition driver – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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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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