Tour News
Tour Mash: All aboard the Johnson Express, Chalmers wins 1st at Barracuda
Despite the excitement of an upcoming major championship, the somber reality of the flooding in West Virginia (which forced the cancellation of the upcoming Greenbrier Classic) weighed heavy on the minds of golfers and fans this week. Here’s what we mashed together from the tours this week.
PGA Tour: Bridgestone Invitational to Johnson Express by slim margin
If the D-Train has truly left the building, we’ll find out for certain in two weeks at the Open Championship. Johnson won his second consecutive start with unimaginably accurate and long driving by a single stroke over Scott Piercy. Building on the vibe created by his Coastal Carolina Chanticleers’ College World Series Championship earlier in the week, Johnson stood tall through most of the final round as he played catch-up against the leading golfers.
First to fall was world No. 1 Jason Day, who tumbled from the lead ingloriously, playing the final four holes in 4-over par to drop to 3-under. Next came David Lingmerth of Sweden, who moved to 5-under on the week early in the final round, but could not sustain that pace and bogeyed his way to a tie for 7th position. Making charges in the final round were Jordan Spieth (67) and Matt Kuchar (66), who ultimately tied for third position with Day and Kevin Chappell.
Johnson was paired in the third-to-last group with Charl Schwartzel, and went to work on the front nine, playing the outward half in 2-under. He stoked the embers with three more birdies on the back nine, reaching the last tee at 7-under. Years from now, no one will remember exactly what Johnson did with his first three shots (none of which found the mark or even the fairway) but they will tell tales of his heroic putt that settled 20 inches for the cup, ensuring bogey and the one-shot win.
The victory was Johnson’s 11th on Tour, third in a World Golf Championship (lacking only the World Match Play for a WGC slam) and second of 2016.
LPGA Tour: Henderson wins 2nd this month, defends at Cambia Portland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk4vPoE4Bro
If the Johnson Express did leave the station, the Smith Falls Superheater might have passed it by. Smith Falls, Ontario, is Brooke Henderson’s home town and the 18-year old Canadian defended her maiden LPGA victory this week in style. Leading by two over Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe after three rounds, Henderson closed in 71 strokes to secure a three-stroke win over the USA’s Stacy Lewis.
The 2016 LPGA campaign has been marked by surges. Ariya Jutanugarn won three consecutive starts in May and world No. 1 Lydia Ko won back to back in March. Now we have Henderson, fresh off a victory at the Women’s PGA in early June, winning by four over Stacy Lewis, a story in herself. Lewis came to the final three holes at 4-under, then played them bogey-birdie-bogey. A one-time No. 1, Lewis has not won since June of 2014, and has frittered away a number of opportunities to do so. This was not one of them, but the closing cough leads one to wonder if she will ever again find the game that won eleven times on tour.
Back to Henderson. Playing partner Uribe had forged a tie at the top with her third birdie of the day, on the 11th hole. Henderson responded with a birdie of her own which, paired with Uribe’s first bogey, restored a two-shot advantage. Although Henderson bogeyed the 13th, she played par golf the rest of the way. Uribe’s bogey began a downward slide that culminated with closing double bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18, dropping her all the way to a 4th-place tie. The win moved Henderson to within 750 points of Ko in the CME Globe race.
European Tour: Thailand’s flag flies at French Open
Thongchai Jaidee earned his greatest triumph this week, capturing the 100th playing of the French Open. Jaidee stood in 2nd place after Thursday’s opening round, but as Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregard then played three successive, mid-70s rounds to tumble down the leaderboard, the golfer from Thailand responded with consistent play to hold off his challengers.
First came defending champion Bernd Wiesberger, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Jaidee until a final-round 75 dropped the Austrian out of the top 10. Next came world No. 4 Rory McIlroy, stoked by a Friday 66 and a back-nine of 30 on Saturday. Again, Jaidee was more than equal to the test. The last, serious pretender to the title was Italian Francesco Molinari. The former Ryder Cupper made four consecutive birdies to move into the chase, but dropped back with back-to-back bogeys at the turn. Molinari would birdie the final two holes to move back to solo second, four shots in arrears.
It was Jaidee, he of the 35 consecutive, bogey-free holes on the weekend (until the last hole, when all was decided) who showed his mettle as the weather and the Le Golf National course (site of the 2018 Ryder Cup) revealed the weaknesses of every other golfer. Jaidee never wavered, never faltered, making just six bogeys on the week. His 11-under total featured no round above 70, a mark that proved impossible to beat.
PGA Tour: Chalmers calms nerves for 1st Tour win at Barracuda Championship
Greg Chalmers is of the age where winless professional golfers begin to look around and consider the options. With no exempt status and splitting time on the PGA and Web.com tours this year, the 42-year old Aussie was a surprise and welcome winner at Montreux golf club in Reno, Nevada. Playing the Stableford format that offers points instead of minus figures perfectly, Chalmers overcame the nerves of a final-hole, one-point lead to emerge victorious.
The Aussie went into Round 4 with a six-point lead over Gary Woodland, but an eagle-birdie run could be enough to erase that margin. Chalmers did his best to help the field, playing nervous golf of five birdies and two bogeys through the first 17 holes of Round 4. Woodland was five points to the good and only one behind the leader as they came to the par-five, finishing hole.
Playing alongside each other, all money had to be on the long-hitting, former Tour winner Woodland. One approach shot stopped eight feet from the hole for eagle, while the other entered the front, greenside bunker. Who would have guessed that Chalmers would calmly step up and make that eight-footer for eagle, five points and the six-point victory? Woodland foozled his way around the green, needing to hole his bunker shot to have any chance at the win. With the win, Chalmers earned a spot in next week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, along with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour China: Kim Escapes with PAPB Wanda Open Title
Taewoo Kim of South Korea had to hear the roars from up ahead as Australia’s Maxwell McCardle made five birdies and an eagle in Round 4 to clamber up the leaderboard. Kim held the wheel steady and responded with five birdies against one bogey of his own. With a meager, one-shot advantage on the final hole, the 23-year old from Seoul made the day’s final birdie for a two-shot victory, his first of the year. With the victory, Kim moved to third place in the Order of Merit standings, one slot ahead of the fast-charging McCardle. The tournament in Jilin, China, marked the end of the first half of the 2016 PGA Tour China season.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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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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Smozzle
Jul 5, 2016 at 11:02 am
Disturbing and wrong.
Scott
Jul 5, 2016 at 10:22 am
Hey Ron and the rest of the Rory slappies,
Where is all of your love and how close Rory is to being number 1 again after coming in 3rd against Pepe le Peu and the rest of France’s finest? Dustin’s win was nice, but not quite like Rory’s great finish in France, correct?
Ronald Montesano
Jul 6, 2016 at 6:15 am
Rory was inconsistent, Scott, from my seat on the throne. I suspect you’re using me to help you win an argument, but I’ll play along. Dustin’s win, for me, is healthy for two reasons: his first at Akron (and 3rd leg of the 4 that equal the WGC Championship slam, the most coveted in golf) and his first after winning at Oakmont.
I tell my high school golfers to win tournaments, simply win them. Find any tournament and win it, for the down-the-stretch, gut-check experience. I need to see the fire in Rory’s eyes again, and all I see is “I went to the breach with the bruhs” or “Have you seen my pecs lately?”
Scott
Jul 6, 2016 at 10:04 am
Ron,
No, it was a response to what you wrote a couple weeks ago after Rory won the Irish Open and you felt primed to indicate that he was destined for being number 1 again, seemingly within a couple of weeks. A few people seemed to agree with you.
JDDJ
Jul 4, 2016 at 7:08 pm
JD to DJ.
All TM all the TiMe.
Got it?
Ronald Montesano
Jul 6, 2016 at 6:18 am
What surprised me is that both JD and DJ are playing the TM golf ball, on top of the equipment. Thank you, ridiculously-powerful cameras currently being used for golf telecasts!!
Tom
Jul 4, 2016 at 11:01 am
Chalmers!….go figure. This will piss of the millennials.