News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Keegan | Tony the 12th | What the PGA Tour can learn from the NFL

Published

8 years ago

Sep 11, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

September 11, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.

1. Keegan triumphant

Hard not to be happy for the Vermonter who found his way out of the abyss in into the winner’s circle yesterday, no?

Here are a few of the angles the scribes took in framing Bradley’s victory.

PGATour.com’s Sean Martin…”It’s easy to blame the belly putter….Keegan Bradley used that club to win three times in his first two seasons, including a major and World Golf Championship. Then his promising career took a downturn, just as the debate about anchoring was beginning to heat up.”

“He was finally barred from using his beloved belly putter on Jan. 1, 2016. The ban became official in the midst of his worst season. By that summer, he was worried about missing the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time.”

“The putter wasn’t the only problem, though. His full swing was in disarray, as well. Ball-striking, especially long and straight tee shots, had always been his strength. It allowed him to conquer tough tracks like Firestone and Atlanta Athletic Club…when his swing left him, doubt crept in.”

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers...”He was like a scientist in the lab, changing his swing, his putting stroke, his fundamentals – investing in the work needed to get to where he was Monday on soggy Aronimink: going head-to-head in a sudden-death playoff against the new No. 1 player in the world, Justin Rose.”

“For a player who had to reinvent his game, the clutch moment didn’t seem so scary. Bradley topped Rose with a par on the first playoff hole to win the rain-plagued BMW Championship for his first PGA Tour victory in six years.”

And interestingly, this was Bradley’s attitude entering the final round of the BMW…:”Truthfully I was really fixated on making the Tour Championship, and I kind of knew if we didn’t play today, I was in it…It was the weirdest couple of days because I knew in the back of my mind if we didn’t play, I was in Atlanta. It was my goal to start the year. It was difficult to get ready to play because I was like, ‘Man, if they call it, I’m good.’ But I was only three back.”

2. Tony the 12th

If your money was on Jim Furyk selecting himself with his final captain’s pick, sorry. On a more serious note, if you wagered on Kevin Kisner or Xander Schauffele getting the nod, sorry again; Captain Furyk made his final selection after play wrapped at the soggy BMW Championship, and in making his choice he, well, chose the man most expected him to choose: Tony Finau.

Finau joins Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau as the four wildcard selections on a U.S. squad that will be seeking its first “road win” since 1993.

“He has an unbelievable body of work this year,” said Furyk. “All those top-10 finishes, the play in big championships and the Majors, and then his current form, a second, a fourth and an eighth in the playoffs. He checked a lot of boxes and made it impossible not to pick him.”

3. A new world No. 1

Justin Rose, with his runner-up finish at the BMW Championship, has taken over the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.

“It’s boyhood dream stuff, something I am incredibly proud of,” Rose said. “It’s been a good stretch of golf. I’ve played solidly over the past year. I’m delighted to get to the top,” he told Sky Sports.

4. FedEx Cupdate

A quick rundown of the 30 gentlemen prepared to fatten their wallets at the Tour Championship.

1 Bryson DeChambeau

2 Justin Rose

3 Tony Finau

4 Dustin Johnson

5 Justin Thomas

6 Keegan Bradley

7 Brooks Koepka

8 Bubba Watson

9 Billy Horschel

10 Cameron Smith

11 Webb Simpson

12 Jason Day

13 Francesco Molinari

14 Phil Mickelson

15 Patrick Reed

16 Patrick Cantlay

17 Rory McIlroy

18 Xander Schauffele

19 Tommy Fleetwood

20 Tiger Woods

21 Aaron Wise

22 Kevin Na

23 Rickie Fowler

24 Jon Rahm

25 Kyle Stanley

26 Paul Casey

27 Hideki Matsuyama

28 Gary Woodland

29 Marc Leishman

30 Patton Kizzire

5. Tiger comes up short again

The NYT’s Kevin Armstrong on Tiger’s

“Woods shot a 65 on Monday, for a cumulative score of 17 under par, three shots behind Keegan Bradley, who beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. Instead of a victory, it was another stroll straight to the clubhouse for Woods, who finished tied for sixth place.”

“For Woods, a winner of 14 majors who has undergone spinal fusion surgery, progress was marked differently. To finish so close to the lead a year after he feared he might not be able to play again, Woods said, sent him home with what he called “a very positive feeling.”

“At the end of the season here to say that I made it back to the Tour Championship after what I’ve been through is a pretty good accomplishment,” Woods said.

6. What the PGA Tour could learn from the NFL

…assuredly nothing about handling controversy. However, while plenty point to sinking ratings for the most-watched sport in the United States, few point of deficiencies with the telecasts themselves–not so for golf, obviously.

Golfweek’s Forecaddie examined what PGA Tour coverage could borrow from the NFL. Here are two of his suggestions.

Standardize key technologies...When I watch an NFL game, I know I’m going to see the line-of-scrimmage line and the first-down line on every play. When I watch golf, I might see shot-tracing technology or putting graphics on a hole – or I might not.

Rather than golf producers teasing viewers with cool technology here or there, let’s identify two or three of the best technologies, then put all of the sponsorship dollars behind them so that we can see them on every hole.
Mic ’em up…I’ll reiterate an old favorite: Start putting microphones on PGA Tour players or their caddies. NFL Films has been doing this for decades. We don’t necessarily see the benefits of this on Sundays. But it produces great content for weekly highlights shows and season-ending anthologies. That sort of peripheral programming takes fans inside the game and helps them learn more about the players

Full article.

7. There’s still golf to be watched!

This week, the top 30 professionals on the PGA Tour get the benefit of an off week before the Tour Championship. However, here’s a friendly reminder that professional golf is still being played, including a major on the LPGA Tour. Golfweek’s Jason Lusk rounded up the schedule.

LPGA

What: The Evian Championship

When: Sept. 13-16

Where: Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France

European Tour

What: KLM Open

When: Sept. 13-16

Where: The Dutch, Spijk, Netherlands

Web.com Tour

What: Albertsons Boise Open

When: Sept. 13-16

Where: Hillcrest Country Club, Boise, Idaho

PGA Tour Champions

What:The Ally Challenge

When: Sept. 14-16

Where: Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich

8. Horschel the designer

Billy Horschel, octopus pant enthusiast and fashion plate that he is, has worn Ralph Lauren apparel on tour since 2011. This year, RL decided to involve Billy Ho in the creative process, he spoke with Golf Digest about the collab.

How did the idea for a design collaboration with Ralph Lauren come about?

“It really just came about last summer. The lead designer for men’s and women’s golf at Ralph Lauren called up [my manager] Sherry [Whay] and said, “Hey listen, we want to possibly do a collection with Billy for 2018,” and she was ecstatic. When they called me, I was in Colorado on vacation and I was sort of speechless. I didn’t know what to say, which is unusual for me, but it was something that I was really happy to do.”

What was the hardest decision to make?

“I think it was the color. Obviously I knew the base colors I wanted. I wanted to do white and grey because it’s just a nice classic, clean look. Then I wanted navy involved because some of the outfits I wanted to use navy….Then it was the accent colors. [There were] so many colors I could choose from, and I tried to sort of go with what they were doing for Fall 2019. I’m really big into little details that make something stand out. I wanted to make sure the colors were somewhat of a pop-y color, so the pinks and baby blue [made sense]. The blue I chose really sticks out.”

Full interview.

9. Red sweater memories

Continuing on the fashion front, the Twitterverse lost its mind when Tiger arrived at Aronimink is a something along the lines of the red sweater he wore at the Master in 1997 and early in his career.

Doug Ferguson tweeted…”Haven’t seen Tiger in a red sweater on Monday of a weather-delayed tournament since Pebble in 2000.”

Riggs from Barstool Sports tweeted…”RED SWEATER TIGER IS THE BEST TIGER”

Alex Myers rounded up plenty more tweets.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

18 hours ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ben A

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

2026 The Memorial – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

1 day ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping Max G440
Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
Wedges
Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

A party on the green!

Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase