News

5 things we learned on Saturday at the Masters

Published

6 years ago

Nov 14, 2020

Like Friday, Saturday 2020 was an extended version, thanks to Thursday’s rains. With the 36-hole cut looming, it was understood that all golfers who survived the reaper’s blade would finish 54 holes by sundown.

In the waning minutes of round two, three golfers had a chance to send a host of players at even par to an early flight. Mike Weir, Rafa Cabrera Bello, and Jordan Spieth had runs, but bumped no one, and 60 golfers moved on to round three. Notables to miss the remainder of the weekend were Matthew Wolff, Tyrell Hatton, and Jason Day. Of particular importance was Bryson DeChambeau moving on to round three. The Big Bang Theory won’t win this week, but he will spend 36 more holes in the laboratory, devising a plan for next April.

We have five more items to bring to your attention, so let’s get on with five things that we learned on Saturday at the Masters.

1. Striking distance

In no other tournament is Saturday known as Position Day. It’s Moving Day the other 51 weeks of the year, but at the National, it’s all about securing a spot to contend on Sunday. Leaders have been known to return shots generously on day four, while chasers have been seen making birdies by the bushel. Three great rounds at Augusta do not guarantee a fourth, and that’s why position means so much. With Dustin Johnson at 16 under, he’ll largely be the determiner of final-round striking distance with his play early Sunday.

2. How about the first years?

It sounds so Harry Potter, so prep school, but a trio of first-time participants sit properly inside the top eight with 18 holes left on their scholastic calendar. There’s no plausible reason why Abraham Ancer, Sungjae Im, or Sebastián Muñoz should win the 2020 Masters, nor is there a logical one for why they shouldn’t. It just isn’t done at Augusta, but if Frank Urban Zoeller can do it, anyone of those three can come through. Ancer craves pressure. Im manages his game and mind unlike most 22-year-olds, and Muñoz simply has nothing to lose. It won’t happen—it can’t happen—but it might…

3. Jon Rahm is us

He hit a shank and a top on the same hole. He turned an easy birdie on a par five into a double. Jon Rahm smiles like we do, whooops it up like we do, gnashes his teeth and growls like we do. It’s just that, well, he’s somehow still in contention at the Masters, and we are not. Rahm settled himself with a string of pars after the debacle, then made two late birdies to reach minus-ten. Sadly, the big Basque made a five at the last when he needed a three. He won’t win this year, but in his face on Sunday, we will see ourselves.

4. Who needs a Norman?

Each year that Greg Norman was hopelessly out of contention, he found a way to shoot 64 and just miss out on a first Masters triumph. Rory McIlroy looks like Norman this week. He opened with 75, followed it with 66 to make the cut, then posted 67 to reach 8 under. With him at ocho deep are Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood, and Patrick Cantlay. Each of those names was given hearty consideration for recipient of this year’s green gabardine, but each will need a 64 or better to contend. With so many great players within shouting distance, and with the corridors echoing like never before, this might be the year that someone comes from waaaaaaaaaay back and wins.

5. What do you say about Dustin Johnson?

The tall man from the Palmetto state has posted two rounds of 65 this week. His middle venture was a ho-hum 70. Working backward from green to tee, DJ has one three-putt on the week, and a 1.65 putting average through 54 holes. He has hit 47 of 54 greens in regulation, and 34 of 42 driving fairways. His driving distance is exactly what we would expect from a six-feet, four-inch lumberjack. The collaboration between him and caddy-brother Austin is immaculate—and will need to be as perfect on Sunday. Johnson’s leading position is four shots clear of Sungjae Im, Abraham Ancer, and Cameron Smith. He will play Sunday’s round with Im, which should be a beneficial pairing. With great hesitation, I choose to write that the stars have done their job in aligning; the rest is up to the tall drink of water.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

2 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

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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.

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News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

2 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