News
Tour Rundown: Clark “wyns” initial tour title, Thailand races to convincing win, Meronk Ryder Cup ready
A mighty new event on the LPGA circuit, combining team and match play, debuted in San Francisco. For those mourning the end of the PGA Tour’s match-play tournament, take heart. This one combined singles and partner play and kept dozens of golfers active through the end of play on Saturday. The top four teams (16 golfers in total) advanced to play on Sunday. We’ll tell you more about it, further along. The PGA Tour gathered in Charlotte, while the DP World Tour got down to business in Italy’s capital, Rome. The Tour Champions settled matters in suburban Atlanta, while PGA Tour Latinoamérica had a go at the center of the Earth. Should be a Tour Flydown, with all the distance between venues, but we’ll continue to call it Tour Rundown, and catch you up on what went down.
LPGA @ Hanwha International Crown: Thailand races to convincing win
The LPGA is certainly onto something here. Eight four-person teams representing their countries met over four days of competition. Three days of round-robin play sent four teams through to the Sunday morning semifinals. Lower seeds Australia (7) and Thailand (6) dispatched their heralded rivals Sweden (4) and USA (1) and met in the finals. In the end, it was more of the same.
On Thursday, Thailand lost zero matches in partner play. On Friday, the partnerships remained steady, and Thailand won them all again. On Saturday, for a third consecutive day, Thailand’s pairings of Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul, alongside the Jutanugarn sisters swept the table. At this juncture, the golf world took serious notice.
Sunday morning welcomed a change in matches (two singles and one doubles) format. Thitikul dispatched the USA’s Lexi Thompson, while Tavatanakit lost a spirited battle with Lilia Vu. The match hinged on the sisters once more, and Ariya and Moriya came through with a one-up win over Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang. On the other side of the bracket, Australia seized the leader’s role with three wins before the 17th tee.
Sunday afternoon watched a battle of titans. The tables were turned as Thailand romped to a three-zero victory, with none of its wins reaching the penultimate tee. TPC Harding Park proved to be an ideal setting for team match play, and Thailand’s foursome will long remember its win in the inaugural playing of the International Crown.
Bang! ?
Ariya Jutanugarn chips in to win the final match for Thailand! ??@Intl_Crown | @GolfChannel pic.twitter.com/uSieiSM5fj
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 8, 2023
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo Championship: Clark “wyns” initial tour title
I’ll put this out there: if Matt Fitzpatrick wins next week, I will debut my #WrongRon (love to Ron Balicki) service. I picked Wyndham Clark to win last week but was a wee bit early with my prescience. This week, I had Fitzy, so … you know the rest.
Wyndham Clark and Christian McCaffrey graduated the same year from Valor Christian in Denver. Both went on to play D1 sports and, while McCaffrey caught the NFL spotlight early, Clark took a bit longer to ascend to PGA Tour royalty. Now, he’s here. Clark opened with rounds of 67-67, then jumped to the top of the board with 63 on Saturday. That number included eight birdies and zero bogies. On the week, Clark amassed four bogies, including one on his opening hole on Sunday.
Fortunately for the Colorado native, no one made a move on day four. No one, that is, until Clark on the inward half. Five birdies from holes eight through fifteen staked him to a clear advantage over pursuer Xander Schauffele. When X posted a bogey at 17, the podium was Clark’s.
Dialed in ?@Wyndham_Clark leads by four with four to play @WellsFargoGolf. pic.twitter.com/NQZQbs2mBf
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 7, 2023
DP World Tour @ DSA Italian Open: Meronk signals readiness with Rome conquest
They don’t come much taller than Adrian Meronk. The guaranteed selection for Europe’s Ryder Cup team in Italy claimed a third DP World Tour title, over the host course for the September biennial event. Meronk began the day one back of France’s Julien Guerrier. Guerrier came unglued with bogey at his opening two holes and, while he made a pair of offsetting birdies, two more bogies cascaded him to 73 and third place on his own.
Romain Langasque made a valiant attempt to secure the title for France, but three bogies midway through the back nine lowered his ship to 12 under par, two clear of Guerrier. Meronk also had his struggles on the inward side, but balanced birdies, bogeys and pars at three each, and capped his effort with a birdie at the last, to ease past Langasque to victory. When we meet Marco Simone golf club again, the stakes will be different. For Meronk, he’d love to be a difference-maker once again.
Nerves of steel.@AdrianMeronk secures his second win of the season ?
#DS80OpendItalia pic.twitter.com/kqz8rnThn1
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 7, 2023
PGA Tour Champions @ ME Classic: Ames claims second in Atlanta
In 2017, Stephen Ames won his first veteran’s circuit event at the Mitstubishi. He held off one of the senior rodeo’s all-time greatest by four shots. That gentleman was Bernhard Langer. In 2023, Ames sealed another four-shot win, over another all-timer in Miguel Ángel Jiménez. Not a bad pair of wins to remember, when the playing days are eventually over.
Over the entirety of the weekend, the winner was able to stay a shot or two ahead of his competition. When they went low, he went lower. Rounds of 65 and 64 kept Ames in the lead through Sunday. On day three, his card was clean, if a little higher. Three birdies over the final round were enough to maintain a comfortable distance. Ken Tanigawa was three back of Ames, heading into the final day. He was unable to mount a charge and fell to solo third position. While there was a 66 farther back in the field, only Jiménez was able to match Ames’ 68, and he eased past Tanigawa into second spot.
With his son as caddie, Ames capped the week in style, with the put that you may see below. The victory was Ames’ fourth on PGA Tour Champions, and moved him from 8th to 4th in the season-long, Schwab Cup challenge.
Finishing like a champion ?@StephenAmesPGA makes a long putt for par to seal the win @MEClassicGolf. pic.twitter.com/QJISC8yp6B
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 7, 2023
PGA Tour Latinoamérica @ KIA Classic: Hakula charges to comeback win
If you read the social headlines on Saturday, misplaced headlines like seizes control and takes charge were applied to the leader, Garret Reband. The American had played stellar golf over three days, but no competitor was prepared to hand him the winner’s check. When Reband struggled early on Sunday, then signed for a 75, the clubhouse gate was wide open.
First came Rafael Becker, who posted nine birdies and an eagle in his 63. Unbelievably, Becker also had a double and single bogey on his card. He reached 14 under par and tied Brent Ito for third position. Next was Julián Etulain, who offered a clean card of five birdies and another eagle. His efforts brought him to 15-under par. Were they enough? No. Toni Hakula, a UTexas alumnus, found a way to ease past Etulain for a one-shot win. Despite a bogey at the par-five 17th hole, Hakula found his way to par at the last for his second career win on PGA Tour LA.
Gustavo Silva finished in a tie for 29th, but will always remember the swing that gave him an ace and a first-round 65.
Hoyo en Uno de Gustavo Silva ?? en el par-3 del hoyo 13 del @qtgc. #KiaOpen23 #KiaOpen ?? pic.twitter.com/2nDrXwMjMq
— PGATOURLA (@PGATOURLA) May 5, 2023
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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
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 timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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