News

Tour Mash: Snedeker sneaks out his 8th win at Torrey

Published

10 years ago

Feb 1, 2016

Did anyone watch the conclusion of the Farmers Insurance Open?

Torrey Pines did not look like Torrey Pines this morning. pic.twitter.com/AbKllYbLeP

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 1, 2016

Sunday wasn’t kind to the PGA Tour, and Monday wasn’t much better. High winds were forecast for the 11 a.m. Monday start, so the gates were closed for safety reasons to the paying public. With toppled trees on the premises, you can see why.

On a day where nearly the entire field is over par, Brandt Snedeker is 3 under. He keeps doing this. #QuickHits https://t.co/VzuAIWrBt1

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 31, 2016

Brandt Snedeker was in the catbird’s seat in the clubhouse at 6-under par after a brilliant Round 3. Jimmy Walker had a one stroke lead over Snedeker entering Monday, but that lead quickly disappeared, as the elements got the best of most everyone.

The harsh conditions on Monday allowed Snedeker to watch as his 8th PGA Tour victory fell into his lap. Or maybe watching the event, rather than playing, wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

Well, this is way worse than playing.. Don’t know how players families do this..

— Brandt Snedeker (@BrandtSnedeker) February 1, 2016

Related: See photos of the clubs Snedeker used to win at Torrey Pines.

U.S. Open one-word preview: Azinger!

It’s rare that the people’s choice comes out ahead, but in the case of Greg Norman’s replacement as lead golf analyst for Fox Sports’ U.S. Open coverage, it has come to pass. The American golfing public signed on to Azinger when he directed the U.S. Ryder Cup team to its only victory in the past seven matches, utilizing a unique and successful “Pod” approach to his lineups. Now, he will again be their darling in June at Oakmont Country Club. “Zinger” will also be in the tower for the Women’s Open, Senior Open, U.S. Amateur and the 2017 Walker Cup.

Armour all over Panama Claro field For first Web.com Tour Win

@SKloetzer15 look at his stroke…. https://t.co/30VByftDrn

— John Francis (@j_francis37) February 1, 2016

Curtis Thompson appeared to be in control of the season-opening Panama Claro championship on the Web.com Tour, sitting at 10-under after two rounds. The young Floridian opened the door with a 2-over weekend, and Ryan Armour stepped through with 65-64 over the final 36 holes. Armour earned a three-stroke win over Kyle Thompson, despite closing with a bogey on the final green. Armour’s charge was fueled by third and fourth-round eagles on the No. 4, a par-5.

Grace defends at Qatar Masters

Branden Grace’s 72nd hole:

? 320 yard drive
? 270 yard 3 iron
? Two puttshttps://t.co/h9jeG9Y9GQ

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 30, 2016

Scotland’s Paul Lawrie was gunning for his third Qatar Masters title, while South Africa’s Brandon Grace sought to defend his 2014 victory in Doha. Things went sour early for Lawrie, while Grace played brilliantly with one of only four Saturday rounds in the 60s. With his win, Grace became the first man to successfully repeat as champion at the Doha Golf club. His final-round 69 included four birdies and one bogey, leaving him two strokes clear of runner-up Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain.

Song sings Singapore Open tune

World number one @JordanSpieth meets our excited @SingOpenGolf champion Younghan Song before his press con #SingOpen pic.twitter.com/4UIqboxvc1

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) February 1, 2016

He’s no giant slayer, but Song Younghan might be mistaken for one. The Korean golfer played his final seven holes at the Singapore Open in par numbers to edge Jordan Spieth by a stroke. Song drilled a long par putt on the 16th hole to steady his nerves, then closed the door on Spieth with solid strikes down the stretch. As the seflie-session after the round suggests, Spieth was gracious in defeat. Of course, he did pocket a $1.2 million appearance fee, so it was a win-win endeavor for young Spieth.

Hyo-Joo harnesses Pure Silk-Bahamas on LPGA Tour

Hyo Joo Kim gana el 1er torneo de la temporada de la LPGA https://t.co/jEdy4SC4ho Highlights https://t.co/7ERJvvecJb

— Mi Blog de Golf (@MyGolfTweet) February 1, 2016

Hyo-Joo Kim made the birdies flow on Sunday in the Bahamas. The young Korean recorded eight chirps against one bogey in Round 4 to dispatch perennial runner-up Stacy Lewis and countrywoman Sei Young Kim by two. Lewis used to be money when the heat was on, but lately, the Arkansas alumna can’t find a way to win. After claiming three titles in 2014, Lewis finished in second spot six times last season, and has another near-miss to start the new year.

News

Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2026

Alistair Cameron

There must be something in the water. Or potentially on the greens. A whole host of big-time players decided that the Charles Schwab Challenge was the perfect place to test out new putters.

With the 2026 U.S. Open just around the corner, defending champion J.J. Spaun made a surprising switch away from his center-shafted Df3 and into L.A.B. Golf’s OZ.1i HS – the heel-shafted mallet putter.

“Just something I kind of wanted to change the way the putter was looking, just a completely different look than the DF3 that I’ve been using for the last year and a half,” Spaun told GolfWRX about the swap. “So it’s just easier to line up for me with less onset looking design, and it’s just something I felt like switching it up and seeing how it goes.”

You can find more about the putter and the reasoning behind Spaun’s change here.

Robert MacIntyre also decided to change the flatstick at Colonial Country Club. He’s using a custom Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R. The Scotty team created a specially-milled face featuring horizontal grooves and shortened the plumber’s neck to increase toe hang.

Another custom feature of the build is the welded wings added to the rear of the putter, similar to those found on the Phantom 11 head.

It’s potentially part of a major overhaul to his bag. The Scot has recently switched from the Titleist Pro V1 to the Pro V1x golf ball, added the new GTS2 driver, and is currently testing a GTS 3-wood that could replace his ancient TaylorMade AeroBurner 3-wood.

Ludvig Åberg joined the trio of superstars making alterations on the greens. He’s added a Scotty Cameron Phantom 3.2.

It’s not Åberg’s first putter switch of the season. He had been using different versions of his usual Odyssey Versa #1 head to try to get better speed control on the greens.

? Ludvig Åberg is using a new putter! He’s playing a @ScottyCameron Phantom 3 head. First major putter switch, although he has been changing loft and heads in the Odyssey #1 style this season.
Here’s a Phantom 3 built for him earlier in the season https://t.co/oGrNk6p0hz pic.twitter.com/edRbpk22m4

— Alistair Cameron (@ACameronWRX) May 28, 2026

Currently, a Tour-only offering, the Phantom 3 head is a half-moon mallet shape. Like the previous version that GolfWRX captured at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which Åberg never put in play, the current version appears to feature the Studio Carbon Steel face insert and chain-link face milling. Instead of the all-black version one, Åberg’s current flatstick is in the metal finish.

Rico Hoey’s make-shift Jailbird

Some of the best builds on Tour have a certain Frankenstein theme to them.

Odyssey decided to do this when breeding a turtle and a bird together. The result, Rico Hoey’s latest broomstick.

The custom Jailbird S2S Tri-Hot head includes an aluminium-milled insert from the unreleased TRTL head, which the team machined down to fit the face of the Jailbird after removing the usual Ai-Dual insert.

The team also filled the wings of the putter with epoxy to redistribute mass away from the face, with the metal insert weighing more than the original.

Hoey was also spotted with a custom Damascus Milled Jailbird Mini broomstick. Check out the full gallery here.

Brant Snedeker’s full WITB

Arguably, the PGA Tour’s feel-good story of the year so far was 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker returning to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly 8 years.

His victory didn’t come without some equipment updates, either. The Presidents Cup Captain added the 2016 M2 driver equipped with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661. It’s a shaft that’s even older than the driver.

The historic driver setup might have been added because Snedeker was missing some antique vibes. He recently switched out his 2-decade-old Odyssey Rossie White Hot XG for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X.

He first put the Spider in play at the Cognizant Classic. Still, at the Valspar Championship, he tested TaylorMade’s True Path Alignment versus without, and preferred the added aim benefits he was getting. In previous testing, the biggest thing Snedeker noticed was the launch and how quickly the ball got to true roll from the Spider and its Pure Roll insert compared to anything else he had tried.

Check out Snedeker’s full what’s in the bag during this week’s episode of “Inside the Ropes” from Colonial.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

TaylorMade Golf chose the second stop of a Texas two-step in Dallas as the spot to launch the tour’s latest Spider putter.

On-site Monday at Colonial Country Club, GolfWRX’s Tour Photographer Greg Moore captured the new Spider ZT Max putter ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The Max version of TaylorMade’s zero-torque putter style has a larger footprint than the original ZT, which will likely lead to a higher MOI thanks to wider perimeter weighting.

The original ZT is made of high-density 303 stainless steel at the front, and then a lower-density 6061 aerospace aluminum on the back to create a high-MOI foundation, with a center shaft featuring slight forward shaft lean and 25mm onset behind the leading edge.

The Spider ZT Max also appears to use the ZT cambered sole, which is also seen on the recently Tour-launched Spider Tour, Tour X, F and V models, which were first spotted at the RBC Heritage.

Brian Harman gamed the original Spider ZT for his victory last year at the 2025 Valero Texas Open, and the putter also saw victory on the DP World Tour in the hands of Michael Kim for his FedEx Open de France win.

Check out the full gallery here.

Odds and Ends

Project X officially Tour launched the Titan Yellow shaft, just a few days after Wyndham Clark played it for the first time and won The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The shaft features a smoother feel in the handle compared to past Project X wood shafts, along with a firm midsection and firm tip. The Synex Technology allows a player to feel more load in transition without losing the feel of the clubhead. Titleist launched the GTS300 back at Quail Hollow, and just a few weeks later, it’s in the bag of Justin Thomas. Could this be a test run for Shinnecock?

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the ShopRite LPGA

Published

3 days ago

May 28, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore was on site in Galloway, New Jersey, ahead of the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern to snap some WITB photos and more.

Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Odyssey putters – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)

News

Club Junkie WITB, week 18: Driver still needs a grip!

Published

3 days ago

May 27, 2026

Brian Knudson

Back again for week 18 with another new bag for this week’s league night! Last week I played well but lost so hoping to get back on the winning side of things. I am pretty excited to get this driver out on the course as I think it is a legit sleeper in the category. It is also time to break out some newly built irons from JP Golf that look awesome and hopefully play just as good! Here is what is in the bag this week.

Driver: PXG Lighting Tour-Mid (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6s

4-wood: Wilson Dynapwr Carbon (16.5 degrees @ 16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid (21 degrees @ 20)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Red 9x

Utility: Mizuno JPX One (22 degrees @ 23)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 85s

Irons: JP Prime (5-PW)
Shafts: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F5

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (56-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-8 ADAPT)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Putter: Mizuno M.Craft City Osaka
Shaft: TPT Pulse 50

Ball: PXG Xtreme Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag