News

5 things we learned Saturday at The Open

Published

4 years ago

Jul 16, 2022

Saturday was fresh again at St. Andrews’ Old Course. Scores were low and high, depending on whom you asked. Neither of the Camerons produced the type of round needed to separate from the chasers. In fact, both were surpassed by two golfers hungry for a major title in 2022. It’s a pity that only one of the many contenders will return home with the Claret Jug as champion golfer of the year. The entertainment and thrills are ours, so it’s time to run a third day down, and look ahead to one last early rise for wondrous golf from the kingdom of Fife. Here are the five things we learned on Saturday at The Open Championship.

Rory. McIlroy.#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/ZgVKfXf8ie

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2022

1. Two golfers will battle on Sunday for the year’s fourth major title

Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland did their countries and their selves proud on Saturday. Each produced a score of 66 on the championship’s third sunrise, and each earned a spot in Sunday’s final game. McIlroy has been down this road before, and won. Hovland has not done true battle for a major title, and Sunday will reveal just how much character the Norwegian linksman has in reserve.

McIlroy produced the only bogey among the duo. It came at the 17th, where he drove into the left rough, then approached over the green, onto the road that gives the hole its name. From there, the northern Irishman recovered to 30 feet, from which he took two putts to get down. Better are the memories from the five birdies and one eagle that he posted across the rest of the scorecard. At the tenth, from the deepest championship tee, the 2014 Open champion at Hoylake drove into a bunker, but recovered into the hole for an unexpected, eagle two. On the hole called Bobby Jones, McIlroy preserved his place atop the leader’s board.

Hovland surrendered a clean card, and zero shots to the old dame on this day. His birdies came early, with five in the bag before the 11th tee. He added one more at Home, and set a tee time with McIlroy for 2:50 pm Heaven Standard Time.

Viktor Hovland was dialled in during Round 3 of #The150thOpen

Watch his best moments ? pic.twitter.com/6WlkoDoR22

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2022

2. Four golfers are in contention for CGOTY

It’s not an EGOT, but CGOTY is equally as coveted by professional golfers. The two Camerons (Smith and Young) had a finger or two around the Claret, but neither one did much of anything on Saturday. Smith struggled early, while Young stumbled late. Each has the game to post 64 on Sunday, and each will need it to have a shot at victory.

One of the co-leaders might struggle on Sunday, but it’s long odds that both will. Young had two bogeys through 15 holes, then made a clumsy double at the 16th. Smith was simply adrift on the breezes. He had two bogeys and two birdies, and that was all. On a tough weather day, he’d have gained advantage. On this day, he was fortunate to remain in the hunt. Beginning four shots in arrears, the Camerons have work to do.

Cameron Young shows no fear at the 17th#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/gFR8LaFrjy

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2022

3. A sextet of golfers will battle for glory on Sunday

If we must include Si Woo Kim and Scottie Scheffler as possibilities for glory in the 150th Open Championship, it will come with a record round. Both are in the antepenultimate game, five shots behind the leaders. Both golfers have shown a penchant for reeling off birdies. Chances are that someone will have set the tone early in the day, perhaps going out in 29 or 30 strokes. This pairing will need to take every risk and leave nothing and everything to chance. Have stranger things happened in the storied history of the Open Championship? Certainly, such as the consecutive eagles turned in by Shane Lowry today. There’s plenty of room for more.

UNBELIEVABLE SCENES!

Back-to-back eagle twos for @ShaneLowryGolf ?#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/WF28OPAbow

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2022

4. English hearts will break again

Either Matt Fitzpatrick or Tommy Fleetwood will post 65 tomorrow, and his total of 16-under par will end up one or two shots shy of the CGOTY. Fleetwood posted 66 today. He began the day with four birdies in six holes, then went stale through the middle of the round, before posting three birdies in his final five holes. He’ll need 63 on Sunday to have a shot. Fitzpatrick stood five birdies against two bogeys, and lost ground to McIlroy and Hovland. He’ll need something special and low on Sunday to hoist the hardware.

Fantastic Fitzpatrick?

A string of birdies moves the Englishman to -8#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/pwpMb1rSTC

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2022

5. So…who’s it going to be?

Nearly as demanding as selecting the shot of the day, is predicting the winner of a tournament. If we take the safe bet, it’s McIlroy. If we take the daring route, it’s Hovland. If redemption is our flavor, one of the Camerons regains the magic wand and soars beyond the challengers. If we’re bonkers, we pick someone more than four shots back. Since we are bonkers, we’re going with Si Woo Kim, who becomes the first Korean golfer since Y.E. Yang to win a men’s major title.

Another day of outrageous shot making on the Old Course ?

Vote for your #Doosan Shot of the Day for the chance to win a prize ?#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/LNeytBcVnu

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2022

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

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

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