News

Morning 9: Hatton to make LIV debut this week | New Cam Smith teammate? | Pebble Beach photos

Published

2 years ago

Jan 31, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

1. Senate inquiry continues: Subcommittee subpoenas documents from U.S.-based PIF consultants

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has subpoenaed documents from four U.S.-based consultants working for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a move the country’s sovereign wealth fund is attempting to block in lawsuits filed in a Saudi Arabian court.

In a letter to Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan on Monday, Senate subcommittee chairman Richard Blumenthal, a senator from Connecticut, and ranking member Ron Johnson, a senator from Wisconsin, accused PIF of “unprecedented” attempts to hamper the subcommittee’s inquiry into PIF’s “proposed takeover of professional golf” in the U.S. The PIF is funding the LIV Golf League as a PGA Tour rival.

“The subpoenas to the PIF Consultants were issued after months during which you, the PIF, and the PIF Consultants repeatedly declined to voluntarily testify or provide any substantive, responsive information or records to the Subcommittee,” the senators wrote in the letter to Al-Rumayyan.

Full piece.

2. Hatton to debut for LIV this week

BBC report…”Tyrrell Hatton will make his LIV Golf debut in Mexico this week after becoming the latest high-profile golfer to join the Saudi Arabia-backed tour.”

“The Englishman is the current world number 16 and was part of Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup-winning team in Rome.”

“The 32-year-old, who has won six times on the DP World Tour and once on the PGA Tour, will join Masters champion Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team.”

Full piece.

3. New Cam Smith teammate?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”A leaked photo has appeared to shed light on LIV Golf’s next signing, with Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC set to welcome fellow Australian Lucas Herbert to his side. News Corp published the photo of Lucas Herbert wearing Ripper GC attire alongside team captain Cam Smith in Mexico this week.”

Full piece.

4. “It is what it is”

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Entering its second full season, LIV Golf has divided the sport and created polarizing debates, but news that Hatton’s move to the circuit was official was met, at least in one corner, by indifference.”

“I feel like at this point, I’m not over it, it’s just kind of is what it is,” Justin Thomas said Tuesday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I’ve definitely found that out over this whole process, that people obviously are going to think about it differently than others, but there’s just people that they’re going to make decisions for what they think is best.

“I might disagree with maybe some of them, but I think at the end of the day, if that’s what Tyrrell thinks is best for him, then that’s what he’s got to do.”

Full piece.

5. Crosby weather ahead at Pebble

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Wednesday’s forecast on the Monterey Peninsula calls for a 100 percent chance of rain as a cold front moves through the area with up to an inch of rain, wind gusts to 45 mph and a high temperature around 59 degrees expected.”

“Conditions improve for the first round on Thursday, but only slightly, with an 80 percent chance of rain and a high of 53. The forecast for Day 1 also calls for up to 1½ inches of rain.”

“Friday’s forecast has a 70 percent chance of rain and although conditions are predicted to improve for Round 3, the model calls for an 80 percent chance of showers and wind gusts up to 50 mph on Sunday.”

Full Piece.

6. Rory: Don’t punish LIV pros

Michael McEwan for Bunkered…”Rory McIlroy insists LIV golfers wishing to return to play on the PGA Tour should not face punishment.

“I think life is about choices,” said McIlroy. “Guys made choices to go and play LIV, guys made choices to stay here. If people still have eligibility on this tour and they want to come back and play or you want to try and do something, let them come back.

“I think it’s hard to punish people. I don’t think there should be a punishment. Obviously I’ve changed my tune on that because I see where golf is and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV Tour or anything else is bad for both parties.

“It would be much better being together and moving forward together for the good of the game. That’s my opinion of it. The faster that we can all get back together and start to play and start to have the strongest fields possible I think is great for golf.””

Full Piece.

7. Pebble Beach photos

Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!

Full Piece.

News

Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2026

Alistair Cameron

There must be something in the water. Or potentially on the greens. A whole host of big-time players decided that the Charles Schwab Challenge was the perfect place to test out new putters.

With the 2026 U.S. Open just around the corner, defending champion J.J. Spaun made a surprising switch away from his center-shafted Df3 and into L.A.B. Golf’s OZ.1i HS – the heel-shafted mallet putter.

“Just something I kind of wanted to change the way the putter was looking, just a completely different look than the DF3 that I’ve been using for the last year and a half,” Spaun told GolfWRX about the swap. “So it’s just easier to line up for me with less onset looking design, and it’s just something I felt like switching it up and seeing how it goes.”

You can find more about the putter and the reasoning behind Spaun’s change here.

Robert MacIntyre also decided to change the flatstick at Colonial Country Club. He’s using a custom Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R. The Scotty team created a specially-milled face featuring horizontal grooves and shortened the plumber’s neck to increase toe hang.

Another custom feature of the build is the welded wings added to the rear of the putter, similar to those found on the Phantom 11 head.

It’s potentially part of a major overhaul to his bag. The Scot has recently switched from the Titleist Pro V1 to the Pro V1x golf ball, added the new GTS2 driver, and is currently testing a GTS 3-wood that could replace his ancient TaylorMade AeroBurner 3-wood.

Ludvig Åberg joined the trio of superstars making alterations on the greens. He’s added a Scotty Cameron Phantom 3.2.

It’s not Åberg’s first putter switch of the season. He had been using different versions of his usual Odyssey Versa #1 head to try to get better speed control on the greens.

? Ludvig Åberg is using a new putter! He’s playing a @ScottyCameron Phantom 3 head. First major putter switch, although he has been changing loft and heads in the Odyssey #1 style this season.
Here’s a Phantom 3 built for him earlier in the season https://t.co/oGrNk6p0hz pic.twitter.com/edRbpk22m4

— Alistair Cameron (@ACameronWRX) May 28, 2026

Currently, a Tour-only offering, the Phantom 3 head is a half-moon mallet shape. Like the previous version that GolfWRX captured at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which Åberg never put in play, the current version appears to feature the Studio Carbon Steel face insert and chain-link face milling. Instead of the all-black version one, Åberg’s current flatstick is in the metal finish.

Rico Hoey’s make-shift Jailbird

Some of the best builds on Tour have a certain Frankenstein theme to them.

Odyssey decided to do this when breeding a turtle and a bird together. The result, Rico Hoey’s latest broomstick.

The custom Jailbird S2S Tri-Hot head includes an aluminium-milled insert from the unreleased TRTL head, which the team machined down to fit the face of the Jailbird after removing the usual Ai-Dual insert.

The team also filled the wings of the putter with epoxy to redistribute mass away from the face, with the metal insert weighing more than the original.

Hoey was also spotted with a custom Damascus Milled Jailbird Mini broomstick. Check out the full gallery here.

Brant Snedeker’s full WITB

Arguably, the PGA Tour’s feel-good story of the year so far was 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker returning to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly 8 years.

His victory didn’t come without some equipment updates, either. The Presidents Cup Captain added the 2016 M2 driver equipped with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661. It’s a shaft that’s even older than the driver.

The historic driver setup might have been added because Snedeker was missing some antique vibes. He recently switched out his 2-decade-old Odyssey Rossie White Hot XG for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X.

He first put the Spider in play at the Cognizant Classic. Still, at the Valspar Championship, he tested TaylorMade’s True Path Alignment versus without, and preferred the added aim benefits he was getting. In previous testing, the biggest thing Snedeker noticed was the launch and how quickly the ball got to true roll from the Spider and its Pure Roll insert compared to anything else he had tried.

Check out Snedeker’s full what’s in the bag during this week’s episode of “Inside the Ropes” from Colonial.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

TaylorMade Golf chose the second stop of a Texas two-step in Dallas as the spot to launch the tour’s latest Spider putter.

On-site Monday at Colonial Country Club, GolfWRX’s Tour Photographer Greg Moore captured the new Spider ZT Max putter ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The Max version of TaylorMade’s zero-torque putter style has a larger footprint than the original ZT, which will likely lead to a higher MOI thanks to wider perimeter weighting.

The original ZT is made of high-density 303 stainless steel at the front, and then a lower-density 6061 aerospace aluminum on the back to create a high-MOI foundation, with a center shaft featuring slight forward shaft lean and 25mm onset behind the leading edge.

The Spider ZT Max also appears to use the ZT cambered sole, which is also seen on the recently Tour-launched Spider Tour, Tour X, F and V models, which were first spotted at the RBC Heritage.

Brian Harman gamed the original Spider ZT for his victory last year at the 2025 Valero Texas Open, and the putter also saw victory on the DP World Tour in the hands of Michael Kim for his FedEx Open de France win.

Check out the full gallery here.

Odds and Ends

Project X officially Tour launched the Titan Yellow shaft, just a few days after Wyndham Clark played it for the first time and won The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The shaft features a smoother feel in the handle compared to past Project X wood shafts, along with a firm midsection and firm tip. The Synex Technology allows a player to feel more load in transition without losing the feel of the clubhead. Titleist launched the GTS300 back at Quail Hollow, and just a few weeks later, it’s in the bag of Justin Thomas. Could this be a test run for Shinnecock?

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the ShopRite LPGA

Published

3 days ago

May 28, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore was on site in Galloway, New Jersey, ahead of the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern to snap some WITB photos and more.

Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Odyssey putters – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)

News

Club Junkie WITB, week 18: Driver still needs a grip!

Published

3 days ago

May 27, 2026

Brian Knudson

Back again for week 18 with another new bag for this week’s league night! Last week I played well but lost so hoping to get back on the winning side of things. I am pretty excited to get this driver out on the course as I think it is a legit sleeper in the category. It is also time to break out some newly built irons from JP Golf that look awesome and hopefully play just as good! Here is what is in the bag this week.

Driver: PXG Lighting Tour-Mid (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6s

4-wood: Wilson Dynapwr Carbon (16.5 degrees @ 16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid (21 degrees @ 20)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Red 9x

Utility: Mizuno JPX One (22 degrees @ 23)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 85s

Irons: JP Prime (5-PW)
Shafts: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F5

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (56-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-8 ADAPT)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Putter: Mizuno M.Craft City Osaka
Shaft: TPT Pulse 50

Ball: PXG Xtreme Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag