News

Tour Rundown: McIlroy, Ko, van Rooyen, and more

Published

7 years ago

Aug 26, 2019

Three aces caught our attention as August drew to a close. Henrik Stenson tallied one in Sweden, Chez Reavie posted his in Atlanta, and Fred Couples slapped one home in Washington state. None of the perfect shots resulted in victory; this week’s winners had to dig much deeper to find gold. The PGA Tour celebrated the last event of the playoffs, while the Korn Ferry Tour drew one step closer to its grand finale. The LPGA traveled north of Toronto for Canada’s national championship, while the European Tour visited Sweden. Dig into a slice of pie from each of five professional tours in this week’s rundown. It’s tasty!

Tour Championship flies away with Rory McIlroy

The inaugural playing of the performance-handicapped Tour Championship should be deemed a successful experiment. For the first time in Tour history, players began an event with an advantage or a disadvantage. Justin Thomas began the week at 10-under par, thanks to his previous performance. If he had found a method to go 9-under during the week, he would have won. Same, almost, for Brooks Koepka. He began at -7, but could only add 6 strokes to his bonus start. Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, tacked a whopping 13 strokes onto his -5 starting gate, and finished at -18 for the week. This performance, featuring four rounds in the 60s, brought him his 2nd almost-major of the season.

McIlroy played wonderful golf for most of the final round. He stood -4 on the day, with a clear path to victory. Consecutive bogies at 14 and 15 dropped him to 16-under, and the door was left slightly ajar for his pursuers. The gifted one steadied himself with birdies at the final 2 holes, and a 4-stroke margin of victory was restored. Xander Schauffele closed with 70 for second spot, and the aforementioned Thomas tied Koepka for 3rd place. The PGA Tour will take the month of September off, then resume in early October with the 1st tournament of 2019-20 at the Safeway Open in Napa, California.

Scandinavian Invitation to gutsy Van Rooyen

Erik Van Rooyen, let’s be honest, has let some European Tour victories slip through his hands. In May, however, a switch might have flipped for the South African at, of all places, Bethpage Black. While Koepka received all the attention for his march to victory, EVR quietly secured an 8th place finish, his first top-ten in a major. On Sunday, Van Rooyen birdied the 18th hole for a 4th-consecutive day, moving from 18 to 19-under par and seizing his first European Tour title. Left in dismay was England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, whose Sunday 64 was simply not enough to beat EVR’s 128 weekend. England’s Sam Horsfield had the low round of the day, a 62 that featured 8 birdies and moved him from 43rd to a tie for 10th. Sweden’s Stenson aced the 6th hole, but had an 8-hole run of pars that left him in a tie for 3rd with Dean Burmester.

Canadian Open confirms Ko’s 2019 dominance

A perceptive commentator on The Golf Channel drew a parallel between 2018’s “It Girl,” Ariya Jutanugarn, and Jin Young Ko. The reference painted an 11-month trace of top-shelf play and tournament effectiveness. Ko began Sunday in a tie with Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen, with defending champion Brooke Henderson not far behind. The leaders battled over the outward half, each standing 2-under on the day as they reached the 10th tee. NBL made bogey at the 10th, her first mistake of the day, and Ko took full control of the day. The Korean champion, winner already this year in Phoenix, Rancho Mirage and Evian, made birdie for a 2-shot advantage, and pushed the accelerator to the floor. She added 5 more birdies on the inward half for a 5-shot triumph over the Dane. Lizette Salas closed furiously with 64, earning a tie for 3rd spot with Henderson, who would have needed 62 on the day to earn a playoff with Ko.

NeSmith earns promotion to PGA Tour in Boise Open thriller

Each week of the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs is like an Oprah giveaway: you get a PGA Tour card, and you, and you! This week, it was the mildly-heralded Matthew NeSmith who vaulted past 3rd-round leader Viktor Hovland to victory and a promotion for next season. NeSmith stuffed a wedge in close at the last, then converted the birdie putt to reach 19-under par. Moments prior, Brandon Hagy had closed with 2 birdies to take the clubhouse lead, but it was short lived. Hagy finished in a tie for 2nd, securing playing privileges for 2019-2020 on the big tour. The only golfer with a chance to catch NeSmith was Hovland, who struggled to preserve a 3rd round lead for the 2nd time this month. Hovland had 6 birdies on the day, but could not avoid a trio of bogeys that ultimately cost him the tournament. Needing eagle at the last, the former Oklahoma State golfer nearly holed his wedge from the fairway. Birdie from three feet earned him a tie for 2nd place and a promotion of his own. The season concludes next week in Indiana, as the KFT holds its own Tour Championship, with a few more, guaranteed Oprah moments.

Brandt Jobe bursts out for 2nd Champions Tour win at Boeing

Ask Brandt Jobe what it’s like to open a round with five birdies, and he’ll probably say it’s just as easy to bogey hole number six. That’s what happened on Sunday at Snoqualmie Ridge. The Oklahoma native made birdie at 8 and 9 to turn in 30, just as 3rd-round leader Fred Couples began his 4th-round struggle. Couples birdied the first hole to reach -17-under par, but that was it for the home-state hero. He dropped into a tie for 3rd with Jerry Kelly after adding 13 shots on Sunday, to his 2nd-round 63. Jobe, meanwhile, taped 3 more birdies to the board on the inward half, signed for a 63 of his own, and walked off the 18th green with his 15th career victory, and 2nd on the Champions Tour. Sneaking into 2nd place was Tom Pernice, Jr., who birdied 9 holes on Sunday. Pernice had 65 on the day to earn his best finish since April, when he and Scott Hoch partnered to win the Bass Pro Shops team event. With the victory, Jobe jumped 10 spots on the Schwab Cup money list, entering the top 15 for the first time this season.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

7 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