News

Tour Rundown: Long, Li, Lehman and more

Published

7 years ago

Jan 21, 2019

The first full week of tournament golf of 2019 brought a few surprises and some familiar faces. Phil Mickelson began the week in the California desert with a 12-birdie 60, at an event known for producing low scores. Golfers also gathered in Abu Dhabi, central Florida and Hawaii as the European, LPGA and Champions tours sent their first shots of the new year flying. Could Mickelson hold on for victory? Who might join him? Did the Web.Com tour event really begin on Sunday?In a few minutes, you’ll have all the answers.

PGA Tour: first first-time winner of 2019 arrives at Desert Classic

If someone were to have suggested to Adam Long that he would birdie neither par five on the final 9 holes of the Desert Classic, yet still have a chance to win, Long might have scratched his head and chuckled. He was chasing a 3rd-round leader named Mickelson, after all, and pars on the birdie holes would not be good enough to haul Lefty in. Six scores of 3 on the other inward holes were what the golf gods had in mind for the 31-year old. A final-round 65 brought Long his first PGA Tour victory.

For a while, Talor Gooch seemed likely to overtake everyone, but a bogey on the 15th dropped him to 4th at 24-under par. After a tumultuous front nine, Mickelson settled down to a 2-under 34 on the back. A narrow miss on a final-hole birdie putt held the southpaw at 25-under, tied with Adam Hadwin and one stroke behind Long. And the winner? Watch the video below. After his unbelievable approach, Long converted the birdie to finish atop the podium at 26-under par.

Three tied for the lead.

Advantage? Adam Long (@ALongShot).

It comes down to this at the @Desert_Classic.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/zP07enw545

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 20, 2019

European Tour: Lowry opens 2019 with victory in Abu Dhabi

Shane Lowry opened his week with a 10-birdie 62. Unlike Mickelson, he was able to push through to the finish line and capture his rth European Tour title this week. The outward nine saw a massive lead change, as Richard Sterne erased Lowry’s 3-shot, 54-hole lead, adding another 3 strokes on top. Over the final six holes, however, the tournament was decided. Sterne played the stretch in +2, while was 2 shot below par. In the blink of an eye, almost, Sterne’s then-2 stroke advantage evaporated into a final deficit of one, searing stroke. Certainly great viewing, but not the best medicine for either player’s psyche. Early in the season, we see these types of lead changes, as players regain their winning ways. Although Joost Luiten and Louis Oosthuizen each shot mid-60s on Sunday to reach -15, they were never playing for anything but the 3rd-place tie they achieved.

72nd hole. Tied. 281 yards out…#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/lzGAlCI5Nt

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 20, 2019

LPGA Tour: Ji wins Diamond Resorts TOC with 2 strokes in hand

Eun-hee Ji began round 4 in Lake Buena Vista, FL, with a pair to spare over Nelly Korda. She ended the day in the same position, but the runner-up was Mirim Lee, and the result might have been less palatable for Ji. After opening with bogeys on the first 2 holes, Ji, recovered with birdies at 3 and 4. Korda didn’t make a birdie until hole 16 and 2 bogeys at 8 and 9 essentially took her out of the running. Ji turned for home in +1 on the day, while Lee played the front half even. Not much happened to the 2-shot margin throughout most of the afternoon. Each time Ji would make a birdie, Lee would counter, and vice-versa. At the 15th, however, Ji’s bogey and Lee’s 16th-hole birdie reduced the lead to 1. As champions do, Ji rebounded once more with birdie at 16, and both players parred to the clubhouse. After winning major titles in her first two seasons on tour (2008 and 9), Ji has now won each of the last 3 seasons. Sunday’s victory was her fifth career LPGA title. Lee sought her 4th tour win, and first since 2017, but will have to wait at least one more event.

Eun-Hee Ji battled the weather conditions and a slow start to earn a victory at the @diamondresorts Tournament of Champions.

Watch her final round highlights below! ?? pic.twitter.com/IUuYHnvcUk

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 20, 2019

PGA Tour Champions: Lehman overtakes Toms for Mitsubishi Electric title

Scorecard summaries offer interesting patterns to the lazy viewer. David Toms entered round 3 at Hualalai with a 4-shot cushion over Tom Lehman. Toms bogeyed his first and last holes on Sunday. Those two strokes could have turned a 1-stroke defeat into the slimmest of victory margins, but there they were, attested and signed. Toms opened with matching 65s, and looked to all the golfing world like the first Champions Tour winner of the new year. Lehman opened with a see-saw 69, lowlighted by a pair of bogeys. On Saturday and Sunday, he became Toms, closing with 14 birdies against 0 bogeys, and his own pair of 65s. Lehman’s final birdie came at the 16th, and he must have envisioned a playoff against the former LSU golfer, until Toms got greedy at the last. Faced with a long birdie putt, Toms bombed his effort 7 feet past and missed the return train as well. Lehman had a tap-in for the win, his 12th on the senior circuit. Bernhard Langer served notice that he will challenge again in 2019, finishing 3rd at -14, 2 behind Toms and 3 from the trophy.

How about this run from Tom Lehman?

3 birdies in his last 4 holes and they're all tied up with two holes to play @MEC_golf. pic.twitter.com/5ScY8h5kxq

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) January 20, 2019

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

3 days 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