News

Morning 9: Whataberger! | Is the Spieth half empty or half full? | Winning WITB

Published

5 years ago

Feb 15, 2021

GolfWRX Staff

By Ben Alberstadt

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February 15, 2021

Good Monday morning, golf fans.

1. Whataberger

The AP’s game story king, Doug Ferguson…”Daniel Berger got into the mix quickly with an eagle and finished it off with one even better, holing a 30-foot putt on the par-5 18th for a 7-under 65 and a two-shot victory Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.”

“Berger won for the second time since the PGA Tour returned to golf from the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with a playoff victory at Colonial last June.”

…”Spieth birdied the last two holes for a 70 to tie for third with Patrick Cantlay (68).”

“Maverick McNealy…made five birdies over his last eight holes for a 66 and was tied for the lead after his eagle putt on the 18th stopped inches away.”

Full piece.

2. Spieth’s B game nearly gets it done

That’s the glass-half-full reading of Jordan Spieth’s failure to hoist a trophy at Pebble Beach after sleeping on the 54-hole lead, at least…

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”What would Jordan Spieth have said that Friday night after missing the cut at Torrey Pines if someone would’ve told him that he’d follow with two straight weeks as the 54-hole leader?”

“I would have said you’re crazy, to be honest,” Spieth said. “I was not in a great head space.”

“I’m legitimately going around with maybe my B-game, and I know that stepping on the first tee,” Spieth said. “And being in the lead by two, you can look at it both ways. It’s pretty awesome that I feel that I’m still significantly far off of where I want to be and am able to be leading the tournament through 54. But at the same time, it’s very difficult to go out knowing that you don’t have your best stuff and to go out there with my own expectation that I’m going to win today.”

Full piece.

3. Lynch: Appreciating Spieth

Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…”Even in the effervescence of his youth, Spieth’s appeal lay in his imperfections: his antsiness over the ball, his shocking waywardness off the tee, his astonishing ability to get the ball in the hole when prettier swings couldn’t, his fascinating transparency in voicing aloud the internal agonies and ecstasies of elite competitive golf that made viewers feel like they were eavesdropping on a therapy session. Spieth is proof that vanilla can be both popular and flavorful, a blond-haired, blue-eyed Texan who married his high school sweetheart, who never puts a foot wrong in public, who treats people (and the rulebook) with respect, who can’t even cuss with gusto when he has to reload.”

“The novelist James Lane Allen wrote that adversity does not build character but rather reveals it. The last few years have revealed a great deal about Spieth’s character in how he responded when the seemingly ever-upward trajectory of his career—three majors, 11 PGA Tour wins, a FedEx Cup—stalled and then spiraled. Whatever whining there was remained behind closed doors, or between him and his caddie. With every crushing disappointment, he stoically fielded questions and avoided blame games. He just put his head down and continued to plow the lonely furrow that is the life of a professional golfer.”

Full piece.

4. Mav’s perspective

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”And though he ended up making birdie and finishing two shots back of winner Daniel Berger, the 25-year-old Stanford grad proved yet again that he is mature beyond his years.”

“I’ve always been a guy that has to earn my own confidence,” said McNealy, who is projected to climb to No. 126 in the world rankings after his best career finish on Tour. “I can’t stand there and just tell myself I’m good at something or I’m doing something right. I have to earn it with myself too. I feel like I earned a lot of confidence this week.”

Full piece.

5. Why this year’s turnout a Pebble Beach is even worse than your thought

Larry Bohannon of the Desert Sun makes the point…”The AT&T and the American Express are the last events on the PGA Tour to have amateurs playing side by side with the professionals in rounds of golf that count for the tournament title. One theory on why the American Express field was stronger last month than in recent years was that the pro-am wasn’t played and pros felt more comfortable playing without the amateurs. Pebble Beach’s pro-am that is played over three courses often has led to six-hour rounds of golf, but with no amateurs playing this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you might have expected a stronger field. It didn’t happen for the tournament. If the ams return next year, there’s no reason to think the field will get stronger.”

Full piece.

6. A love letter to golf

Chris Garrett, special to USA Today Network..”Like all types of love, this love can deliver the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Often minutes apart. And usually played out in front of an audience of strangers or, even worse, close friends.”

“So rewarding one minute, so humbling the next.”

“Yet, good or bad, strangely, it’s best when shared.”

“Each encounter very different than the previous one, filled with new sights and sounds, challenges and obstacles (literally), hard truths and wonderful exaggerations.”

Full piece.

7. ICYMI: Kang, Dahmen were paired together

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”“My friends told me I should push you off a cliff,” Kang reportedly joked on the opening tee box.”

“Bonnalie added: “Joel laughed. It was all good.”

“It was a far cry from three Julys ago when Dahmen and Kang argued for nearly a half-hour after Kang hooked his second shot into a hazard during the final round at TPC Potomac and then took a drop some 170 yards closer to the hole than where Dahmen believed the ball last crossed into the hazard.”

“Kang cheated,” Dahmen later tweeted. “He took a bad drop from a hazard. I argued until I was blue. I lost.”

Full piece.

8. The story of Nickent Golf

Good one here from our Ryan Barath looking back at the rise and fall of a company that seemed poised to break into the tour equipment space…”The keys to any club’s performance starts with a great design ( shocking right?), and Nickent had a little secret weapon up its sleeve—John Hoeflich. I realize this name is unknown to many people, but John is an industry veteran and was the person behind the second most famous iron of all time: the Tommy Armour 845 (with number one being the Ping Eye2). John was also the designer behind another extremely popular iron, the TaylorMade RAC LT.”

“John was brought aboard by Michael Lee, the founder, and owner of Nickent. The smaller team allowed them to be nimble in the market and also kept the cost low, which was passed down to the consumer. They had a small tour presence which helped to create buzz; Jim Furyk was among the early adopters, but beyond that, it was print media and word of mouth through retail channels that helped Nickent quickly grow.“

Full piece.

9. Daniel Berger’s winning WITB

Driver: TaylorMade SIM (9 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade M6 (15 degrees)

Shaft: UST Mamiya Elements Chrome 8F5

Irons: Callaway Apex Forged ’16 (3), TaylorMade TP MC ’11 (4-PW)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy Forged (50-10, 56-10), Callaway Mack Daddy 4 (60-12C)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour (Chalk)

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Wrap

Full piece.

News

Club Junkie WITB, week 18: Driver still needs a grip!

Published

6 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Brian Knudson

Back again for week 18 with another new bag for this week’s league night! Last week I played well but lost so hoping to get back on the winning side of things. I am pretty excited to get this driver out on the course as I think it is a legit sleeper in the category. It is also time to break out some newly built irons from JP Golf that look awesome and hopefully play just as good! Here is what is in the bag this week.

Driver: PXG Lighting Tour-Mid (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6s

4-wood: Wilson Dynapwr Carbon (16.5 degrees @ 16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid (21 degrees @ 20)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Red 9x

Utility: Mizuno JPX One (22 degrees @ 23)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 85s

Irons: JP Prime (5-PW)
Shafts: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F5

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (56-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-8 ADAPT)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Putter: Mizuno M.Craft City Osaka
Shaft: TPT Pulse 50

Ball: PXG Xtreme Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag

Popular Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

Published

2 days ago

May 25, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The famed Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, is the scene this week for the Charles Schwab Challenge, where Ludvig Aberg enters the week as the tournament favorite.

Tour Photographer Greg Moore and our traveling equipment insider, Alistair Cameron, are both on site this week in the Lone Star State. Thus far, we’ve been treated to an in-hand look at TaylorMade’s new ZT Max putter, as well as a bounty of WITBs.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

News

Tour Tech Rundown: A fair Wyndham blows

Published

3 days ago

May 25, 2026

Ronald Montesano

On this Memorial Day, and on days of commemoration all year long, all around the planet, we remember and thank those that made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and liberty. The tours are in a few weeks of non-major mode as May seeps into June. The LPGA is up next with its Women’s Open in early June, followed by the Men’s Open on Father’s Day. The Tour Champions runs three majors together in July, and before you know it, summer is on the wane and the majors are behind us.

We celebrate all professional outcomes on Tour Tech Rundown, and we appreciate each event for its intrinsic worth and value. A TPC Craig Ranch doesn’t have to be Aronimink, and let’s face it, after last week’s grueling PGA Championship set-up, it shouldn’t be. Imagine for a moment your most exhausting, energy-sapping day in the office or wherever. Should every week, every day, be identical? Of course not.

In a week when the ruling golf associations announced the two-fold implementation of rolled-back golf balls, focus is on the little white (in most cases) orb that we whack across the Elysian Fields. All current balls are legal for amateurs until 2030, and the pros will receive new spheres in January of 2028. For me, it means that our team shagbag will probably be OK to use until we lose all the balls, down the road. For the pros, given their levels of fitness and the science behind every aspect of golf technology, I expect their distances to change not one bit. Sorry, not sorry. That’s evolution.

On that note, enough with the Op-Ed section and on to the facts. Five winners on five tours gives us plenty of Tour and plenty of Tech to run down. Let’s take a crack at understanding what made the winning engines purr and roar this week. Thanks to GolfWRX, Inside Tour Golf, and Today’s Golfer for initial research efforts.

PGA Tour @ CJ Cup Byron Nelson: A fair Wyndham blows through Texas

Unlike the Charles Schwab Challenge, which has a forever home at Hogan’s Alley (Colonial Country Club) the Nelson has moved around the Dallas-Fort Worth area with regularity. TPC Craig Ranch was toughened up by Lanny Wadkins and company, in anticipation of this year’s tournament. Two things need to be stated: Tour Pros don’t like tough golf courses every week, and they expect a chance to show off their skills (aka birdie fests) with some regularity. No one likes missed shots, missed field goals, missed catches, except for the defensive specialists, and the average sports viewer is not a defensive specialist. We come to July 4th in anticipation of bigger, louder, brighter, better, and we like birdies and eagles from time to time.

This week in Dallasland, we had plenty of fireworks. We had 60s and 61s, and we had a 30-under par tally from our winner. Wyndham Clark blaxed through the inward nine at TPCCR in 28 strokes. He made up five shots on the day, on Si Woo Kim and company. Clark’s five birdies and one eagle over the closing half brought the week’s second 60 (Kim had the first) and a three-shot margin of victory.

Si Woo Kim appeared destined to claim the win, but a bogey at the eighth slowed his role. He came home in minus-three, a decent showing on most days. On Sunday, it meant that he gave four shots back over the final stretch, and that is never good. Kim placed second at 27-under par, while Scottie Scheffler came third at 25-deep. The tour moves down the interstate a bit, to Colonial this week.

Clark’s Collection

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D at 9 degrees with Project X Titan Black 70 TX Shaft
Metal: Ping G440 Max at 21 degreews with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 80 TX shaft
Irons: Titleist T200 4-5 with True Temper Dynamic Golf X-Seven shaft
Irons: Titleist T100 6-9 with True Temper Dynamic Golf X-Seven shaft
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 @ 46, 53, 56, 60 degrees with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft
Putter: Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset
Ball: Titleist ProV1x

DP World Tour @ Soudal Open: Sterne finish leads to triumph

In 2013, over a dozen years back, Richard Sterne won his sixth DP World Tour title. Thanks to a stellar week in Belgium, Sterne now has his seventh tour title, after a bit of a wait. The South African veteran golfer held off a half-dozen of the circuit’s finest and hungriest, to reach 18-under par and win at Rinkven International.

A United Nations sub-committee pursued Sterne to the final green. England, Spain, Sweden, France, Japan, and Denmark all sent representatives to the stretch run, but none could track down the 44-year old from Pretoria. Sterne started well (three birdies in five holes) and finished well (birdie-eagle near the end) on Sunday, and held the pack at distance. In truth, the two that gave the most away were countryment Zander Lombard (74) and MJ Daffue (71) who both closed with less than their best, finishing three shots back at minus-15. On to Austria and the Alpine Open in Kitzbuhel.

Sterne’s Collection

Driver: Ping G440 LST at 10 degrees with Titan Project X shaft
Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees with Titan Project X shaft
Metal: Ping G440 Max at 19 degrees with Titan Project X shaft
Metal: Ping G440 Max at 21 degrees with Titan Project X shaft
Irons: Srixon ZXiU 2-4 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7MC 5-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11Ball 46, 50, 54, 60 degrees
Putter: L.A.B. DF3i
Ball: Titleist ProV1x

Korn Ferry Tour @ Visit Knoxville Open: What a minute, Doc!

Doc Redman joined Ian Holt as double dippers in 2026, with a playoff win in Tennessee. Redman won in Chile during the tour’s tour of the Americas this winter, then repeated his fortune in Knoxville. Redman and Hunter Eichorn finished on 25-under par, two shots clear of third place. The pair played but one hole in overtime. Redman buried a monster putt for eagle at the par-five finisher, and Eichorn was unable to match.

Cooper Dossey held the 54-hole lead, but an outward, plus-one 37 opened the barn door to all the predators. Dossey dropped into a tie for third position with John Marshall Butler and Bryce Lewis. Eichorn was flawless on Sunday, posting ten birdies on his way to 61, Redman stumbled for bogey at the penultimate hole, before rebounding with birdie at the last, to enter the playoff. The tour shifts to Raleigh Country Club this week for the UNC Health Championship.

Redman’s Collection

Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke at 8.5 degrees with Fujikura Ventus TR 6-X shaft
Metal: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond at 15 degrees w/ Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
Metal: Ping G430 at 21 degrees with Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX shaft
Irons: Ping Blueprint S 4 and 5 with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft
Irons:Ping Blueprint T 6 – 9 with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 at 46, 50, 54 degrees w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedge: Titleist Wedgeworks Proto at 58 degrees w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron T 5.5
Ball: Titleist ProV1x

SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT ?

Doc Redman won the Visit Knoxville Open with a cliffhanger eagle on the first playoff hole! pic.twitter.com/6uAcP2hwMk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 24, 2026

PGA Tour Americas @ Open de Ecuador: Earth’s waistline is good to Joey

Canada’s Joey Savoie thought that he only had to consider the USA’s Thomas Ponder, until Jack Lundin made a stretch run at the overnight leader. Savoie posted 69 on Sunday, featuring a clumsy birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie finish. Meanwhile, Lundin applied the icing to a delicious 64 cake, featuring a 32 on the closing nine. His only mistake was bogey at the tenth, but he made up for it with three birdies and an eagle over the final eight holes.

Savoie and Lundin finished one shot clear of Ponder, who followd a 71st-hole eagle with a 72nd-hole bogey, to miss the playoff by one. The top pair returned to the 18th hole twice with pars, before moving to the 10th hole, where Savoie had posted 3, and Lundin 5, in regulation. There, Savoie repeated his birdie with another tre, while Lundin was unable to match. The PGAT moves to Mexico in June, after a weeklong break.

Savoie’s Collection

Driver: TaylorMade Qi35 LS at 9 degrees
Metal: TaylorMade Qi35 Tour at 15 degrees
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi35 Rescue
Irons: TaylorMade 7CB
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4
Putter: TaylorMade Spider GTX Black
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

PGA Tour Champions @ Trophy Hassan II: Give him a Hend, ladies and gentlemen

Many senior golfers travel to America to fulfill their post-PGA Tour dreams. Scott Hend journeyed to … Morocco? A bit disingenuous, I’ll admit. The PGA Tour Champions made a stop in Morocco, at the Royal Dar Es Salaam golf club. Long before the Indianaplis Motor Speedway conceived of the idea of having a golf course within the race course. RDES was built inside the Rabat royal palace. Nifty if you can afford it, I suppose!

Hend opened with 66, for a one-shot margin over Tommy Gainey, the second-most famous wearer of two gloves, after Aaron Rai’s PGA Championship win. Gainey followed with a second 67, to assume the lead by one over Hend. On Day three, Two-Gloves Gainey stumbled to a 75 and tie for second spot with Steven Alker. Hend was unflappable under pressure, posting 69 for the second-consecutive day, to earn an inaugural Champions Tour title.

Hend’s Collection

It’s safe to say that a 2020 WITB is not current, so we won’t list that Scott Hend equipment set for you. Rest assured that we will update this column if new information comes to our attention.

2 up with 3 to play ?

Scott Hend is looking to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR Champions at Trophy Hassan II.

? Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/avWjgpFXig

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 23, 2026