News
Five Things We Learned: Thursday at The Open Championship
In one of my tweets earlier in the week, I screamed “It’s Scotland.” Fortunately, no one called me on the carpet for that error. Make no mistake: we are near Liverpool, the land of the Beatles, football, and the Mersey river. Royal Liverpool is called Hoylake among the golf-knowledgeable, and it is a proper golf links. It has a wonderful history of winners, including Rory and Tiger as its previous two, champion golfers of the year. Royal Liverpool saw a fair bit of precipitation in the weeks leading up to this year’s playing, so even with the quick-dry nature of a sand base, it’s still a bit soft. The fairways are narrow, and the new 17th hole has everyone abuzz. We’re abuzz, as well, over the five things we learned today, after morning coffee and watering the shrubbery. Let’s have a look.
Wonderful imagination. Perfect execution.
A quite incredible shot on 18 from Sepp Straka. pic.twitter.com/7c4lUDGyXR
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2023
1. An amateur posted five-under par on day one
Christo Lamprecht is a tallish South African youth, who selected Georgia Tech for his university studies and golf seasons. He negotiated the Royal Liverpool links as if he had some sort of insider information. The six feet-eight inch Yellowjacket posted three birdies on the outward half, then added a fourth at the tenth hole. At eleven, he missed the fairway, then overshot the green with his second. His pitch left him eight feet, but his putt for par was off the mark. At the par-four 16th hole, Lamprecht again missed the fairway, and was compelled to chop out to the short grass. His pitch from 30 yards left him a dozen feet for par, but again, the putt erred.
Fortunately for Lamprecht, those two bogies were offset by three birdies, including a five-feet make on the final green. Lamprecht won The Amateur Championship in late June, securing his position in this championship. He defeated Ronan Kleu of Switzerland, by a healthy margin.
And please, discount what the clip says below. Lamprecht drove his ball into the greenside bunker at four, so the recovery was his second, not his third, swing. He took two putts from 26 feet for par.
Links golf on full display @TheOpen ? pic.twitter.com/aU3ScybUkh
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 20, 2023
2. The US Open champion is in the hunt
Wyndham Clark, the most recent major champion and newly-minted champion of the United States Open, found his way to a scorecard that totaled four birdies against a solitary bogey … more on Mr. Bogey later. After nine pars to open his round, Clark set to work with birdies at the 10th and 11th holes. A 200-yard approach to the green at number ten, left him a wee effort for three of 2.5 feet. On eleven, Clark escaped the rough from 90 yards, and faced another putt for three, of just less than eight feet. He converted.
Clark’s only moment of trouble (see below) came at the 14th hole. A drive into the right rough necessitated a mighty thwack with a wedge, to return to safety. Clark’s first swing moved the ball one meter. His second effort (third of the hole) crossed the fairway, into deeper rough. Another massive swipe brought the ball to a rest, 18 feet from the hole. With mental and mathematical elements on the line, Clark holed for bogey, and saved his round. Two birdies coming home brought him within two of the day-one lead.
Find the wrong spot at @RLGCHoylake and you'll get big trouble.@usopengolf winner Wyndham Clark found that out the hard way. pic.twitter.com/bApMttgZtk
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2023
3. Two professionals join Lamprecht at top
Neither Emiliano Grillo nor Christo Lamprecht was expected to ride the lead horse after 18 holes, but local lad Tommy Fleetwood certainly was at the top of everyone’s list to figure in this event. Both Grillo and Fleetwood followed the lead trail carved by Lamprecht, and each did it in a different wave. Fleetwood was out in game 18 of 54, while Grillo worked his magic from the 37th game.
Fleetwood sandwich his lone bogey betwee n birdies at five and seven. He awakened on the inward half, posting four birdies from the 11th tee to the 16th green. He looked to be in some trouble on 18, but recovered nicely on two occasions. First, the Englishman pitched out of a rotten lie in the rough with his second, which allowed him to reach the green with his third. Then, Fleetwood navigated a curving, 45-feet putt to near perfection, holing in par.
All things being equal, Grillo should fade away over the next 54 holes, alongside Lamprecht, while Fleetwood should remain in the hunt until the last putt is holed. In major-championship golf, over a links, all things are unequal. A stout heart and head are required to navigate the turbulent trace of Royal Liverpool.
From downtown Liverpool ?@GrilloEmiliano finishes with a birdie and share of the lead @TheOpen. pic.twitter.com/zN0jZN8a68
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 20, 2023
4. Those who went away
Forget that I had Rasmus Højgaard in a pool, and forget that he opened with a quadruple bogey, ultimately posting 78. The ones that caught everyone’s eye are Justin Thomas (+6 for T130) and Joaquín Niemann (+7 for T143). Niemann has spent the last year on the LIV series, and seems out of touch with 72-hole, championship golf. He began the day with birdies on holes one and three, but that pair represented the last strokes he would gain on Hoylake. His run of four bogeys and a triple, from eight through twelve, took him from minus-two to plus-five. Niemann lost another two strokes to Old Man Par in his run to the clubhouse.
Justin Thomas, frankly, is lost. His game has left him. Until the 18th hole, it was a series of small cuts that sapped his resolve. A bogey here, another one there, and but two birdies on the day. It all came undone on the 18th. Thomas went OOB to the right, reached the greenside bunker in four, left a shot or three in the sands and rough ’round the green, and signed for nine. 82 was his day-long tally, with only an 83 between him and the basement.
Another who struggled, was Sahith Thegala. His play in the states has brought him close to an inaugural tour victory. His play at Hoylake reminds us all of the difference between golf architecture and climate. Consecutive doubles at holes three and four dropped the man from California to plus-five, and his round had barely begun. One birdie was suffocated by three more bogies, and Thegala finished at plus-eight on the day.
5. Guys that held it together
Neither Scottie Scheffler nor Rory McIlroy had their best games on Thursday. What each was able to do, was hold the moving parts together, and stanch the bleeding when it came. Scheffler putted horribly and didn’t drive the ball much better, but he found the manner of getting around in 70 strokes, just four behind the lead. McIlroy was one shot worse, which may be attributed to his struggles in the greenside pot on the 18th. As with Scottie, Rory remained patient all day, and remained in the hunt for the Claret Jug.
Joining the pair around par were Viktor Hovland, 2023 PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, and Tyrrell Hatton. Regardless of what the leading trio does, these chasers will need to find a 67 or a 66 on Friday, to avoid losing more ground.
Avoiding disaster on 18.@McIlroyRory with an incredible par save from a pot bunker @TheOpen ? pic.twitter.com/4TFhwVJkNW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 20, 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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Mikey
Jul 21, 2023 at 10:11 am
American TV commentators using “level” instead of “even” because this is the open is both hilarious and aggravating. I keep expecting Mike Tirico to use a British accent at any moment. Time for a drinking game.
W
Jul 20, 2023 at 10:34 pm
I love how nobody wants to mention Stewart Cink lol
The guy is 50 years old and he’s up there on the leaderboard but nah we won’t say anything because he stole it from Tom Watson lmao
N
Jul 20, 2023 at 6:22 pm
“Niemann has spent the last year on the LIV series, and seems out of touch with 72-hole, championship golf“
You’re a d1ck for saying this, completely clueless and deserve to get shot
He’s a professional like everybody else. And yet here you also lump him together with Thomas who has only been playing those exact 72 hole events all year and his whole career, a major winner with a nepotistic family past and he can’t get it together so what are you trying to say???
The intensity of LIV is way higher than the PGA Tour. On the PGA Tour if you mess up and miss the cut after 36 you get to leave and go home. At LIV even if you’re dead last you have to show up all 3 days to the end to help support your team.
Just shut up and quit journalism, you’re not a writer or a reporter, you’re just a hooligan