News

Morning 9: Sergio offers another apology | Bubba Watson: actor? | Mickelson could skip Players

Published

7 years ago

Feb 14, 2019

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

February 14, 2019

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

1. Kuchar responds

Our Gianni Magliocco writes…“Earlier this week, Matt Kuchar’s stand-in caddie for last year’s Mayakoba Classic spoke about how he felt he was “taken advantage of” after receiving a payment of $5,000 following Kuchar’s win in Mexico, which carried with it a $1,296,000 winners prize. On Wednesday, Kuchar vehemently defended what he sees as a fair and just payment to David Ortiz.”

“In an interview with Golf.com, Kuchar claimed that he was up front and honest about the arrangement prior to the event, and Ortiz had accepted the terms, which reportedly were $1,000 if Kuchar missed the cut, $2,000 if he made the cut, $3,000 if he had a top-20 and $4,000 if he had a top-10. The reason for Ortiz’ dissatisfaction with the payment post-event? That’s something Kuchar put down to outside influences.”

“I kind of think someone got in his ear. I was very clear and very upfront on Tuesday (of the event). And he said, ‘OK.’ He had the ability, with bonuses, to make up to $4,000.

“The extra $1,000 was, ‘Thank you – it was a great week.’ Those were the terms. He was in agreement with those terms. That’s where I struggle. I don’t know what happened. Someone must have said, ‘You need much more.'”

Full piece.

2. Sergio offers further explanation

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard’s…

“I received some very emotional, personal news earlier that week that didn’t help. It was in the back of my mind. As I became frustrated on the course everything erupted,” Garcia told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Wednesday ahead of the Genesis Open.

“Garcia didn’t go into detail about the personal news but said he spent last week reflecting on his behavior at the European Tour event, where he damaged several greens and was disqualified for what officials deemed “serious misconduct.”

Full piece.

3. Woods’ focus is scoring, not stats

Geoff Shackelford with some interesting quotes from TW…

“As players increasingly turn to stat gurus to tell them about past performance at courses, Tiger Woods said he’s less about deep stat dives and more about scoreboard watching. Particularly when he has an afternoon time as he does in round one of the Genesis Open.”

“By the time I start off in the afternoon, most guys are done between 7 to 13, 14 holes and I like to get kind of a feel how it’s playing,” Woods said when asked if he’d looked to past stats to figure out why he has been winless at Riviera Country Club.

“Taking a look at that and understanding that, when I go out on the course in my afternoon session, I have an understanding of what some of the tricks or some of the things that I might be able to take advantage of and also where I need to play defense. I think that’s very important.”

Full piece.

4. Mickelson could skip Players

Golf Channel’s Will Gray quoting Lefty…”It’s not one I feel like I have to play,” Mickelson said. “It’s not a must-play for me because I’m 48 and I’ve played it 25 times and I’ve already won it. If I were young and early in my career, I would say yes because I think it’s as close to a major as it can get. But it’s not the best course for me.”

“Mickelson’s 2007 win came in the first year of the tournament’s switch to May, but he has largely struggled since and has on multiple occasions marveled that he ever won the event. He has missed the cut five out of the last six years, posting scores of 79-73 last year playing alongside.”

Full piece.

5. Best things

Michael Bamberger on Steinberg the Super Agent, one of his “best things in golf right now”

“According to Mark King, the former TaylorMade boss now with Honma, it’s Mark Steinberg, who represents Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar, among others. “So straight,” King says of the agent. “Gives you a number and doesn’t play games.” Steinberg is a master of terse. Consider his recent response to David “El Tucan” Ortiz, the 40-year-old fill-in Mexican caddie who worked for Kuchar when the Tour veteran won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in mid-November, with its $1.3 million payday. “

“According to Ortiz, Kuchar paid him a total of $5,000 and 10 weeks later, through a tournament official, offered to pay him an additional $15,000 bonus. Responding to an email from the caddie, Steinberg wrote, “What Matt has offered is fair.” Another agent might have rendered that sentence, “We believe what Matt has offered is fair.” But Mark Steinberg has – what’s a good way to put this? – his own sui generis style.”

Full piece.

6. Propelling one another forward

A bit from PGATour.com’s Ben Everill on Tiger/Phil spurring one another on.

“…Woods feels up to that challenge. And Mickelson’s win last week lights the fire again.”

“It has always pushed me,” Woods admitted of Phil’s success.

“Each win by the other person always motivated the other.

“My entire career, Phil will probably attest to this, we’ve always looked at the board to figure out where one another’s at. So we’ve always had that type of enjoyment of competing against one another.

“And to see what he did last year in Mexico at 47 years old gave me confidence that I could somehow do it last year, and I was able to finally end my season with a win.”

Full piece.

7. Bubba the actor?

Oh boy…

Golf Channel’s Will Gray…

“I would quit the game today if somebody lets me get in some movies,” he joked on Wednesday at Riviera Country Club.”

“Although Watson made it clear he has plenty to accomplish in the game, including earning a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame and a potential Ryder Cup captaincy, his interest in the entertainment business is genuine, as evidenced by his trip this week to the set of CBS’s “Big Bang Theory.”

Full piece.

8. Arnie & Jack status

Tiger’s tourney is getting an upgrade…

Geoff Shackelford for Golfweek…”With that statement and a new distinction for the LA stop, the PGA Tour had bequeathed a new status on the Genesis Open. A smaller field, bigger purse and the involvement of Tiger Woods in perpetuity elevates an event that already consistently draws the best field in the West Coast Swing. “

“I think most importantly it’s going to give us a week and an opportunity every single year to reflect upon this man’s staggering accomplishments on the golf course and his staggering philanthropic contributions, something that we’re excited to tell the world for a long time to come.”

“The tour’s two other “invitational” events are Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Woods joins select company that Monahan is now essentially reserved for those who win 60 or more events and give back to the sport.”

Full piece.

9. Woods heading to Mexico

Golf Channel’s WIll Gray...”Woods confirmed that he will play next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship, having added his name to the tournament’s field on Tuesday. This will mark his debut appearance at Club de Golf Chapultepec, and his first-ever competitive start in Mexico. Woods last played the event in 2014 when it was held at Trump National Doral in Miami.”

“I’m playing next week,” Woods said. “I’m looking forward to the challenges of this weekend and next week.”

Full piece.

News

Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

Published

12 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Ben A

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX

3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T250 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), S400 (47)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

News

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

Published

3 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

4 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!