News

Five Things We Learned: Saturday at the PGA Championship

Published

3 years ago

May 21, 2023

You have this story line and you have that story line, but the only story line that matters is the one that you are following. There are golfers from this league in contention, and that tour in contention, and then there is that fellow with the day job, who is still in the top ten after three identical scores. The 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill offers a restored East course, light years better than the one that hosted the 1980 and 2003 and 2013 PGA Championships, and those three were magnificent. Despite the Thursday frost delay, and the Friday surprise showers, and the Saturday consistent drizzle, we have 54 holes in the books, a one-shot lead for a two-time PGA champion, and a PGA professional close at hand. We learned 500 things on Saturday, but our goal in the next 50 syllables is to distill them down to five things that we learned on Saturday at the 2023 PGA Championship. Here goes!

1. Brooks Koepka posted four-under par on Saturday to take the lead

The 2018 and 2019 PGA Champion had one bogey on the day on Saturday, and more than compensated with five birdies to reach six under par. As Koepka ascended, others dropped away, and the Florida native found himself with the lead by one. Koepka’s most recent stint in a Sunday final twosome did not end well. He slipped away from a run at the title and finished tied for second.

Since 2021, there were many distractions for the four-time major titleholder. An injury or two, a defection to a rival organization, an enhanced feud with a fellow professional. Koepka revealed that one specific element held him back over the past 36 months.

I think everyone misconstrues the confidence for just the injury. You ask any athlete if they are hurt, and they can’t do something. I mean, imagine if you can’t get out of bed or can’t walk. You’ve got a pebble in your shoe, you kind of start to adjust, and that’s the thing. I just got into bad habits. It’s tough. You can’t play. I came back too soon and played for too long. But look, I moved on from that now, so I’m pretty pleased.

Koepka finds himself paired with Viktor Hovland in the final twosome on Sunday. Hovland is looking for a breakthrough in a major event. He has dallied with glory before, and has won multiple times on the PGA Tour. Koepka’s goal is to find major title number five, and reassert his place in the golf elite.

On a day where many struggled, Brooks Koepka surges.@ROLEX | #ROLEX pic.twitter.com/HlSdxbxZ0r

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2023

2. Viktor Hovland wants to join the major club

Speaking of Hovland, he has three PGA Tour and two DP World Tour victories. Five is usually the age when we want to wear our parents’ shoes or be treated differently. Hovland’s performance in major events to this point has been less than examplary. He has one top five (British Open) and a pair of top ten (Masters and British Open) finishes, and that’s all. Hovland was tied with Koepka until the final hole, when he made bogey to drop back a shot. At this point, every shot matters.

…when I’m hitting it where I’m looking, I can kind of use that to my advantage and play a little bit smarter instead of sometimes when you feel like you’re hitting it well, it’s easy to just try to go for everything, and then you short-side yourself a couple more times than you normally would have, and now you kind of gave away that advantage that you already had by hitting the irons well. I’m just kind of giving myself a lot of looks from the middle of the green.

Unlike Friday, when the former US Amateur champion slid an iron into the green from the right side of the fairway, the closing hole won the challenge. Hovland’s drive went left and his approach went right. Unable to get up and down from the front bunker, he settled for five and is looking up toward Koepka and history.

A little witchcraft with the sand wedge from Hovland ?#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/SBxoDTSXTX

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2023

3. Corey Conners and Bryson DeChambeau are merely decoration

As much as folks want to make a big deal of DeChambeau’s return to his sort of normalcy, and as much as we want to root for the Ontario kid, no news of significance will come from this pairing on Sunday. Conners had the lead to himself on 16 tee, but found a bunker and made a mess of the recovery. He tapped in for double bogey, and made a pair of pars coming home.

Yeah, I didn’t make great contact there. I saw everybody looking up in the air. I did that as well. I thought it maybe skipped up. But you know, didn’t see anything land and was pretty certain it was embedded there. The ball was below my feet and didn’t quite adjust for that. Wish I could have that one back.

The final three holes are all gettable, with a deep fairway drive, but Conners failed to capitalize. As for DeChambeau, his double at six and his bogey at thirteen each came at precisely the wrong time. His game is too erratic to win a Oak Hill. Unlike Winged Foot, where he was able to bomb and gouge his way to victory, Oak Hill demands a complete game that is not yet part of the DeChambeau weaponry.

Corey Conners is feelin' good, livin' better. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/NJGy7DnLbX

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2023

4. You Blockhead!

Let’s dish~all five things we learned could center on Michael Block, the working-class hero from Mission Viejo, California. Block was a curiosity on day one. On day two, he was the only survivor from the PGA Professional cast. On Saturday, he was a guy who held up to the pressure of being paired with a US Open champion, on the third day of a rigorous PGA Championship test. 54 holes in, Block is still standing, and shows zero sign of wavering. Maybe it’s because he has the proper perspective, and sincerely deflects all praise to the folks around him.

No, honestly just played really smart with John Jackson, my caddie. He made a couple great
calls on clubs, especially on that back nine. On 14 up the hill when I was doing the earpod thing for the television coverage. He had me take an extra club, which was just enough. I made a birdie there, and along with the next hole, the par-3, I took another club because of him and made another birdie. He was huge.

We’ll go on a limb and predict another 70 for Block on Sunday. Why not? It won’t be enough to win, but it will be enough to secure a top-ten finish, a bunch of exemptions, along with bragging rights for year. What more can a working man want?

What a day for @pga Coach Michael Block. @ROLEX | #ROLEX pic.twitter.com/tZ4kZaSXSE

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2023

5. Our pick for the title

Not since 1919 has an Englishman lifted the Wannamaker trophy in victory. That was “Long” Jim Barnes at Engineers Country Club, on Long Island. We have a suspicion that “Long” Justin Rose is going to end that drought, and secure a second major title for the white and red flag. Rose will maneuver through the first nine in one- or two-under par, and gain a stroke or two on the leaders. He will survive a near-disaster on the 11th or 12th holes, and then make three birdies coming home. With four pairing after him, he’ll have a nervous wait before finally receiving the news that he has won the 2023 PGA Championship. His only quandry? Where to play more~Merion or Oak Hill?

Justin Rose moves into a tie for 2nd at -3 after consecutive birdies?#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/irdCGizsLG

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 20, 2023

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

1 day ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ben A

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

1 day 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