News
Tour Rundown: Langer the all-time win leader | Fowler wins again
Other than all those promises on Instagram, you don’t often find a six-pack just hanging around. That’s precisely what we have this first weekend in July of 2023. From The Belfry to Detroit Golf Club, with stops at Alberta and the Yucatan Peninsula, and side trips to Illinois and Wisconsin, the golf was plentiful leading into the USA’s Independence Day celebration. It’s more of a Tour Run-Run-Rundown this week, so let’s get clap-clap-clapping, run-run-running!
Long time friend @Minwoo27Lee reacts to @_danielhillier posting the clubhouse lead at ?#BetfredBritishMasters pic.twitter.com/j2XKJMOWXl
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 2, 2023
USGA Senior Open @ Sentryworld: Langer becomes all-time win leader with 2nd US Senior Open title
Since he won his 45th senior title on the US Tour in February, Bernhard Langer has been on a worldwide watch. His next title would break his tie with Hale Irwin for all-time leader in Tour Champions victories. The time between the Chubb Classic in Florida and this week’s United States Golf Association’s Senior Open became a Celebration of Three Steves. Stricker, Ames, and Alker combined to win six events. Langer, meanwhile, made no additional dent in the all-time record.
The USGA brought its feature senior event to the SentryWorld course in Wisconsin, and two native sons fought for attention. Both Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly would finish in the top five, but it was Langer who stole the show. The German champion closed strong on Saturday to carry a two-shot advantage into the final round. Any thoughts of nerves dissipated when Langer played Sunday’s first ten holes in four-under par figures. His lead reached six at one point, but bogey at each of the final three holes brought him back to a two-shot advantage. No matter; minus-seven over four days brought him to the top of the mountain, with his 46th career senior title.
A virtuoso performance from Bernhard Langer!#USSeniorOpen @SentryWorld pic.twitter.com/K2k7IYOWCP
— USGA (@USGA) July 2, 2023
PGA Tour @ RocketMortgage: Fowler finds freedom on extra hole
The golf world rose and fell with Rickie Fowler’s attempt at the US Open last month in Los Angeles. Never has a golf guy existed like Rickie. He could be a condescending, I’m-better-than-you sort of pro. Instead, he’s an I’m-on-your-side-and-you-earned-it guy. He was Dick Fowler, Private Eye, for goodness’ sake! On Sunday, Fowler fought back after losing a final-round, overnight lead. It would have been the first time, nor even the fifth, that this fate would have befallen him. With no eye on him (you know, that lousy television coverage thing) the California native watched as fellow Golden Stater Collin Morikawa posted 64 to reach 24-under par. Moments later, Fowler’s playing partner, Adam “Tackling Dummy” Hadwin signed for 67 and the same figure. Fortunately for Fowler, he had stuffed his approach to the 72nd green, then dropped a four-feet putt to make the extra-holes party a threesome.
The trio of titans returned to the same, closing par-four hole for its first salvo. Fowler found the green, some fifteen feet from the hole. In the video below, you can tell that he thinks it might not have enough gas. When the ball falls in the side of the hole, the four-year wait is over. Would the world love a Fowler win at Hoylake in three weeks? Sure would, especially since the man in orange finished co-runner up there in 2014, the last time that Royal Liverpool hosted the championship.
A champion once again ?
The winning moment for @RickieFowler @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/LEQ8f05gHN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023
DP World Tour @ British Masters: Hillier happens upon first title at Belfry
There were easily a dozen golfers within two shots of the top through 54 holes, including four at the top of the board. None of them was called Daniel Hillier, and none of them hailed from New Zealand. As the golf world knows, from multiple Ryder Cup matches, The Belfry can summon horrific collapses and heroic comebacks. Among the leaders, two shot plus-six on the final day this week, and another pair produced plus-three finales. On the flip side, a young Kiwi trotted out the round of his life, at a time when it mattered most.
Daniel Hillier had survived the cut with 72-71, then carded a 69 on Saturday, to move to minus-four on the week. His outward, Sunday nine of one-under par was a gentle bump, giving him thoughts of a top-ten finish. After a run of five pars to open the inward half, Hillier donned his magical cloak. From hole fifteen through hole seventeen, the two-time winner on the Challenge Tour delivered eagle-birdie-eagle to jump from five-deep to ten-under par. He flew past clubhouse leader Gunnar Wiebe and nested in a two-shot advantage. When the final groups could not remotely match his efforts, Hillier was off to Hoylake in Liverpool, site of the Open Championship, in three weeks’ time.
15th: Eagle
16: Birdie
17th: EagleTake a bow, @_danielhillier. Finishing in style! ?#BetfredBritishMasters pic.twitter.com/dP2BLqC8ht
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 2, 2023
Korn Ferry Tour @ Memorial Health: Barjon brings victory to France in Illinois
Paul Barjon won the 2022 PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit and the accompanying promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. After his second 2023 win on the Korn Ferry Tour, Barjon will again uproot himself, as an elevation to the PGA Tour looms. Barjon closed with 65 on Sunday to reach 26-under par, but his win was far from a runaway victory. Tom Whitney closed with six consecutive birdies for 61 and 24-under par. He ultimately placed third for the week.
Even closer was Jackson Suber, who also stood ten-under on the day through 16 holes, thanks to six birdies, and eagles at 13 and 16. A misplayed tee shot on the par-three 17th resulted in bogey, and that was the stroke that kept Suber from a playoff. Barjon also made bogey at the same one-shotter, but he banged his approach on 18 off the flagstick, making par to seal win number two on the year.
No. 147 ?? No. 28! ?
With this winning moment @MHChampionship, @paul_barjon is one step closer to returning to the @PGATOUR. pic.twitter.com/C4aSdByma4
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) July 2, 2023
PGA Tour Canada @ ATB Classic:
Davis Lamb did something extraordinary on Sunday: he preserved his third-round lead and emerged victorious in the season’s third event. PGA Tour Canada runs through the middle of September, but Lamb has his eyes set already on a promotion for next season. While Lamb’s co-leader dropped five shots to par and fell to a tie for 9th place, Lamb posted 70 on day four and held off Eric McCardle by three shots.
Maintaining your calm and focus while those around you struggle is not easy. Eric Lilleboe began round four with birdie on two of his first three holes. From there, the train went off its track and Lilleboe posted zero birdies against four bogeys and a triple on the way home. Lamb, meanwhile, had two double bogeys on his outward nine, but rediscovered his game on the inward half. He followed a double at nine with an eagle at ten, and added three birdies coming home. McCardle could do nothing against the surge, and settled for a runner-up finish.
Lambo firing on all cylinders now ?
A birdie and fist pump on 17 to take a three shot lead to the 72nd hole pic.twitter.com/xWGQXFBU0t
— PGA TOUR Canada – Fortinet Cup (@PGATOURCanada) July 2, 2023
PGA Tour Latinoamérica @ BUPA Tour Championship:
Something about three-way playoffs this week. Alvaro Ortiz and Justin Doeden led the field at PGA Riviera Maya in Tulum after 54 holes, but neither was able to separate and win in regulation. Ortiz dropped to a fourth-place tie after seizing the lead with a three-under par 33 on Sunday. He came home in plus-three 39, missing the playoff by one agonizing shot. Doeden finished even closer. His 71st-hole birdie elevated him into a tie with countryman Chandler Blanchet of the USA, and Jeremy Gandon of France.
The trio set off for resolution in extra time. After all three scored par on the 18th hole, Gandon and Blanchet continued on with birdies, to Doeden’s par. The third go-round brought a par from Blanchet and a bogey from Gandon. The victory was the second of the campaign for the former UWest Florida golfer, and moved him into first place in the season-long TotalPlay Cup. Blanchet and nine others earned full playing privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024.
If his first win was any sort of predictor, Blanchet will enliven any event in which he tees it up. In March, Blanchet holed for eagle at the final hole to win his first @pgatourla event.
WOW! Con águila en el 18, Chandler Blanchet se quedó con la victoria en el #RDVMemorial100.
AMAZING! @Chan_Blanchet made EAGLE to win at Ranelagh Golf Club. pic.twitter.com/I6LFWvPgbL
— PGATOURLA (@PGATOURLA) March 26, 2023
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue
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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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Dennis
Jul 3, 2023 at 1:44 pm
Why is Langers record just a side note? Is it because PGA Tour Champions is not taken seriously? Or because the ankering discussion? Or just because he is a European?
Johnny
Jul 5, 2023 at 12:29 am
Who’s Langer?