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Tour Rundown: Rocket Mortgage Classic goes to Mr. Davis

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It’s an odd summer’s week when no tour disputes a major championship. After a run of Opens and PGAs, with the odd Players and Tradition thrown in, the world’s professionals breathe the sighs of meditation, before heading to Europe for more Opens and Evians. July and August will heighten the golf world’s senses once again, as an Olympic contest may finally play out. It’s a lot to handle, so let us be grateful for the Rocket Mortgages, the Volunteers of America, and the small towns like Endicott, NY. It is these events that often reveal someone with the guts and grit to go it alone, for the entirety of the competition, and sear a victory into the eternal record. With that image, we move to this week’s Tour Rundown of four compelling events, from Holland to Ireland to Texas, and from the Motor City to the birthplace of B.C.

1. Rocket Mortgage Classic goes to Mr. Davis

Joaquín Niemann and Hank Lebioda knew what they had to do as they stepped to the 13th tee. Bubba Watson had set a bar at 16-deep with his eight-under 64 on Sunday. Four groups later, Alex Noren lowered it to 17-under with a 64 of his own. How low would the bar go? Strap in and find out.

A week after that super-long, eight-hole playoff in Hartford, Detroit did its best to replicate the affair. The aforementioned Lebioda and Niemann reached -17 and -18. Trouble was, Niemann had to do so to avoid an outright loss. A few groups before, Australia’s Cam Davis had made eagle at 17 and birdie at 18, to jump from 15 deep to the top spot. He was joined by Troy Merritt, who mad birdie at 16 and 17 to reach the low number. And thus did a Chilean, an Aussie, and an Iowan head to extra holes on America’s holiday.

Niemann became a quick afterthought, bowing out with bogey at the first extra try. Merritt and Davis matched pars at 15 and 16, as well as birdies at 17, before returning to the 15th for the third time that day. On this visit, Davis had twelve feet for deuce, but missed right. Merritt stepped up with a par putt half that distance … and also missed. And like that, Cameron Davis was a winner on the PGA Tour.

2. Dubai Irish Open is Herbert’s second European Tour title

Plug the name Dubai into the tournament’s moniker and Lucas Herbert is most certain to show up in the end. Herbert’s breakthrough win on the Euro Tour, in January of 2020, happened at the eponymous Desert Classic. 18 months later, the Australian lad led from hole 1 to hole 72 at Mount Juliet in Kilkenny, claiming the Irish Open for his bookend win. Five bogeys and one double were the six blemishes on his cards this week. They were more than offset 26 birdies, including one each day at the par-five tenth hole.

Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg closed with a trio of 67s to vault from 4th to 2nd on day four. He finished second when the USA’s Johannes Veerman stumbled down the stretch. Veerman was hard at work on a three-under round and had closed to within one of the leader when they reached the 16th tee. The relative inexperience of the American showed when he closed with bogey on two of his final three holes. Herbert made birdie at 17, creating his final margin of victory, of three shots over Karlberg. Veerman came solo third at minus-15, one ahead of a quintet of chasers.

3. Volunteers of America on LPGA Tour goes to Ko

In an odd manner, it seems appropriate that Jin Young Ko was able to close the deal at the VOA in Texas. The Korean champion had opened the week with 63, and leading from start to finish is as difficult a task as there is in golf. Matilda Castren had other ideas, and seized the top spot on Friday night by one shot, after dual 66s. Ko found herself one back of the newly-minted LPGA winner from Finland. On day three, they swapped spots again, with Ko’s 66 taking the lead back from Castren’s 68. On Sunday, the pair found themselves together in a run to the podium.

Jin Young jumped ahead early, far ahead, with birdie at three of the first four holes. In quick fashion, the lead was four after four … then back to three after five, when Ko stumbled with bogey … then two after six, when Castren made birdie … then one after eight, when Castren notched another tweet. Dramatic stuff, huh?

On the back nine, things cooled down. Ko went birdie-bogey to start, then made par all the way home. Castren made five successive pars, then dropped a shot at 15. She gained one at 17, setting the stage for the exciting 18th … where both made par. Ko’s win was her eighth on tour, and first since the tour championship last December.

4. Big Green Egg Open in Holland trophy heads down under

Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou and Sanna Nuutinen of Finland decided to make the BGE a party of two for the weekend. The pair matched 65s on Saturday, leaving little doubt that one of them would hoist the winner’s big green egg trophy on Sunday. Kyriacou struck first, turning in 33 against Nuutinen’s 35, for a two-shot advantage as they moved to the home stretch. On the inward half, Nuutinen answered with birdies at 13-15 to gain a one-shot advantage. On 16, the young Aussie said Not so fast with a splendid birdie of her own. At the penultimate hole, Kyriacou backed up her deuce at the par-three 16th with a 4 at the par-five. Nuutinen stumbled with bogey, and the islander carried a two-shot advantage to the final tee. Each made par at the last, and Kyriacou claimed her second LET win in two years.

5. Dicks Sporting Goods Open to Beckman in surprise ending

When you’re paired with Ernie Els, who has a few major titles and a boatload of other wins, not to mention Champions Tour success, you need to keep your eyes on the ground and make birdie. Cameron Beckman met just that situation on Sunday in Endicott, and followed the script to the altar. Although few would have given him odds of any length to topple Els and everyone else, especially after going winless the past decade, Beckman defied all odds.

The Minnesota native, a three-time winner on the regular tour, reached three-under par on the day after birdies at one, three, and five. He gave two back with bogie at eight and nine, but lost no ground to Els, who also went out in minus one. On the inward half, Beckman caught fire and lightning in a bottle. He birdied hole 10 through 14 to absolutely stun the tall South African. Els played the same stretch in plus-two, and with a finger snap, Beckman had gone from three in arrears to four in hand. He needed all of them. Els breathed deeply and played the final four holes at En-Joie in one-under par. Beckman swam home in plus-two, including bogey at the last after a dunked drive. Didn’t matter; the Texas Lutheran alum had his first Champions Tour win, and much to make him smile.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Equipment

Rickie Fowler’s new putter: Standard-length Odyssey Jailbird 380 in custom orange

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article. 

…The Jailbird craze hasn’t really slowed down in 2024, either. According to Odyssey rep Joe Toulon, there are about 18-20 Jailbird putter users on the PGA TOUR.

Most recently, Akshay Bhatia won the 2024 Valero Texas Open using a broomstick-style Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter and Webb Simpson is switching into a replica of that putter at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.

Now, Fowler, who essentially started the whole Jailbird craze, is making a significant change to his putter setup.

Fowler, who has had a couple weeks off since the 2024 RBC Heritage, started experimenting with a new, custom-orange Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.

According to Fowler, while he still likes the look and forgiveness of his Jailbird putter head, he’s looking to re-incorporate more feel into his hands during the putting stroke.

He told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship that the 38-inch counterbalanced setup “served its purpose” by helping him to neutralize his hands during the stroke, but now it’s time to try the standard-length putter with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip to help with his feel and speed control.

Although Fowler was also spotted testing standard-length mallets from L.A.B. Golf and Axis1 on Tuesday, he confirmed that the custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 is the putter he’ll use this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.

Head over to PGATour.com for the full article. 

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Equipment

Details on Justin Thomas’ driver switch at the Wells Fargo Championship

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article. 

So, with a couple of weeks off following his latest start at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Thomas sought to re-address his driver setup with the remote help of Titleist Tour fitting expert J.J. Van Wezenbeeck. About two weeks ago, Thomas and Van Wezenbeeck reviewed his recent driver stats, and discussed via phone call some possible driver and shaft combinations for him to try.

After receiving Van Wezenbeeck’s personalized shipment of product options while at home, Thomas found significant performance improvements with Titleist’s TSR2 head, equipped with Thomas’ familiar Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft.

Compared to Thomas’ longtime TSR3 model, the TSR2 has a larger footprint and offers slightly higher spin and launch characteristics.

According to Van Wezenbeeck, Thomas has picked up about 2-3 mph of ball speed, to go along with 1.5 degrees higher launch and more predictable mishits.

“I’d say I’d been driving it fine, not driving it great, so I just wanted to, honestly, just test or try some stuff,” Thomas said on Tuesday in an interview with GolfWRX.com at Quail Hollow Club. “I had used that style of head a couple years ago (Thomas used a TSi2 driver around 2021); I know it’s supposed to have a little more spin. Obviously, yeah, I’d love to hit it further, but if I can get a little more spin and have my mishits be a little more consistent, I felt like obviously that’d be better for my driving…

“This (TSR2) has been great. I’ve really, really driven it well the week I’ve used it. Just hitting it more solid, I don’t know if it’s the look of it or what it is, but just a little bit more consistent with the spin numbers. Less knuckle-ball curves. It has been fast. Maybe just a little faster than what I was using. Maybe it could be something with the bigger head, maybe mentally it looks more forgiving.”

Head over to PGATour.com for the full article. 

 

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5 fall golf trip destinations you should book right now

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The 2024 golf season is in full swing with the warm weather settling in and those long summer days right around the corner, but what if we told you that you should be thinking about golf this fall? While it may seem to be a ways away, now is the perfect time to start putting together your end-of-season fall golf trip

Courses are in great shape, the weather is more enjoyable as temps cool off, and your golf game is in peak condition after playing all summer! The best part about fall golf trips is that there are some great deals to be found at golf destinations across the country! Additionally, you can get away to the Caribbean on an all-inclusive trip or travel across the pond for some links golf in the UK or Ireland before the end of their golf season in October. 

If you are happy to stay stateside this fall, here are the best golf destinations you should book for your fall trip.

Myrtle Beach, SC 

Commonly known as the “Golf Capital of the World”, this coastal destination is home to over 200 golf courses making it the ideal location for a golf trip! If you’re looking for golf and accommodation onsite, choose from a wide range of resorts including favorites like Barefoot and Legends. Alternatively, you could rent a house or stay by the beach and play top tracks like Caledonia, Grande Dunes, Pine Lakes, True Blue, TPC Myrtle Beach and many more! With a plethora of options, you will be able to customize your trip to stay within budget! Fall in South Carolina is a golfer’s paradise with minimal rain, sunny skies, and temperatures in the low 80s (dipping into the 70s in later fall with lower humidity), the perfect combination for a golf trip.

Scottsdale, AZ 

If you’ve never played golf in the desert, fall is the best time to do so and there is no better selection of desert layouts than Scottsdale. With a wide variety of golf resorts, courses, and attractions, it is easy to see why many professional golfers call this place home. Enjoy a golf and city trip with a stay close to the nightlife in Old Town and a tour of the local courses like Raven, McCormick Ranch, and Ocotillo. Head north of the city with a resort stay at The Westin Kierland or Hyatt Regency and play some Championship courses like TPC Scottsdale, Troon North, or Grayhawk. Or head out to the fabulous We-Ko-Pa Resort  and Golf Club and indulge in the ultimate desert golf experience. The weather in Scottsdale will be very warm (mid to high 80s), with cloudless skies and green grass contrasting the desert landscape.

Orlando, FL 

The golf mecca in the state of Florida, Orlando is a great golf destination any time of the year, but fall is really where it flourishes. Course conditions are impeccable, the weather is warm with fading humidity, and there are a multitude of off-course activities for the whole family. Stay & play at some of the best golf resorts like Reunion and Omni Championsgate or tick off a bucket list course when you visit Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill. A few other reasons this destination is so popular is the wide variety of rental houses throughout the area, perfect for a large group and the quality courses to choose from including Waldorf Astoria, Celebration, Shingle Creek, and the three Disney courses! With easy accessibility through the MCO Airport, Orlando is a no-brainer for a fall golf trip.

Las Vegas, NV 

PAIUTE GOLF RESORT – LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

A destination often overlooked when it comes to golf, Las Vegas in the fall is a wonderful treat! A stay on the iconic Las Vegas Strip gives you a wide range of 3 to 5-star hotel options within walking distance to the city’s biggest entertainment venues, casinos, restaurants, and more! For golf options, you will need to travel outside of the city (roughly 20 mins) to play some incredible desert layouts like Rio Secco, Revere, Cascata, and the trio of courses at Paiute Golf Resort. If you fancy a longer day trip, you can always take the hour-long drive up to Mesquite and play Wolf Creek and Conestoga for a pure desert golf experience. 

Alabama – Robert Trent Jones Trail 

If you’re a golf nerd (like me) and you’re looking for something a little different for your trip, look no further than the incredible RTJ Trail in Alabama. The Trail spans 11 different locations across the state with over 400 holes of golf all designed by legendary course designer Robert Trent Jones, Sr. The more popular courses on the trail are in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Auburn, making it perfect for an extended trip. Some of the best courses on the trail include Ross Bridge, Grand National (2 courses) and Capitol Hill (3 courses).Weather-wise, fall is the best time to hit the trail with average temps hovering around 80s (dipping into the 70s as fall goes on) with a limited amount of rainfall. The summer months are usually where the pricing is the highest so you can find the best deals in the fall with courses still in good condition. 

There has already been a huge uptick in fall golf trip bookings, so make sure to start planning now to get the travel dates and tee times you want for your group! 

Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Golfbreaks. When you make a purchase through links in this article, GolfWRX may earn an affiliate commission. 

RELATED: 7 PGA TOUR courses you need to play

  

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