News

Tour Rundown: 1st trophies

Published

9 months ago

Sep 1, 2025

Labor Day in the USA brings the transition from carefree summer days to classrooms for the younger set. For the grown-ups, its a three- or four-day weekend that may have roots in the harvest tradition, or may simply be a reminder that we’ve earned a break from the work of life. Over half of the world’s major professional golf tours took a break this weekend. Some anticipate a ramp-up to a playoff run, while at least one looks toward a major international team event. Ironically, the one that still has a playoff run ahead, and also looks to that major international team event, held a tournament. Aaahhh, golf. Let’s run down the three events that took place this week, and say hello to September.

DP World Tour @ European Masters: Thriston Lawrence the first takes the trophy

Oh, luvvy! For those of a certain age, Gilligan’s Island still resonates. Despite the alternate spelling of the first name, this week’s winner calls forth a millionaire and his wife in the memory banks. Thriston Lawrence etched his name into the winner’s book at Crans-sur-Sierre for a second time in four years. The thick-armed South African overcame two English Matts (Wallace and Fitzpatrick) with designs on representing Europe in the Ryder Cup, along with one automatic qualifier (Rasmus Hojgaard.)

A three-bogey start is not the recipe for success, nor the medicine for any ailment. That’s precisely how Lawrence began round four at the Crans Montana-area club in Switzerland. With resolve, Lawrence began his climb up the mountain with an eagle two on the par-four sixth. His drive reached the proper shelf of the putting surface, and he dropped a twenty-feet putt. Five birdies followed, and Lawrence reached the home green in 22-under par.

Wallace made his birdies on the front nine, while Fitzpatrick had a late charge to secure a top-five finish. Take their ringer score and they would have given Lawrence a challenge. As it was, Wallace tied for second on 20-under par, with Sami Valimaki and Hojgaard, whose closing 62 was the talk of the mountain.

LPGA @ FM Championship: Wang holds strong for first title

Miranda Wang is familiar with adversity. She was in her fourth year at Duke when the COVID pandemic hit, and put unanticipated brakes on her best collegiate season to date. Move the tape five years, and Wang is now a winner on the LPGA circuit. Wang came to the TPC Boston course in Massachusetts and put on a four-day clinic. Her scores totaled 268, and she held off world number one Jeeno Thitikul to secure the winner’s trophy.

At the round’s start, Sei Young Kim and Rose Zhang seemed to be the key challengers to Wang. Kim matched Wang’s day-four 70, and remained three shots adrift, in solo third. Zhang was in at 72, backing off to a tie for fifth with Jin Hee Im, whose day-low 62 vaulted her up the board. Out of the pack came Thitikul, and she nearly overtook Wang for the victory.

Thitikul was out in 31 strokes, putting fear in all the leaders. She cooled on the inward half, posting one birdie at the 12th hole. Thitikul had attained a one-shot advantage over Wang in the stretch run, but a bogey at 17 was the strike that relegated her to a runner-up finish. As she was losing a shot to par, Wang later posted birdie at the same hole, reclaim the lead. Pars at the last for both elevated Wang to winner’s status on the LPGA Tour

PGA Tour Americas @ CRMC Championship: Brennan wins second of season

Wake Forest alumnus Michael Brennan already has a promotion secured for next season. He will ply his trade on the Korn Ferry Tour, thanks to his performance this year on PGA Tour Americas. Brennan will always remember August of 2025. He opened the month with his first tour title, and closed it with a second. As the tour dipped below the 49th Parallel, Brennan won in a playoff over third-round leader Derek Hitchner.

It was low or go on Sunday in Brainerd, Minnesota. 54-hole leader Hitchner played well, posting four-under 67. Thomas Ponder threw a scare, posting 10-under 61 for 25-under par and solo third place. Unfortunately for Hitchner, Brennan unleashed a 63 of his own, featuring four birdies-five pars on each nine. Hitchner posted an early eagle, but never caught fire. He had to make birdie at the last to force a playoff for the title.

The extra hole was not the equal of the week’s fireworks. Both Brennan and Hitchner struggled from tee to green. Brennan took up residence in the rough, while Hitchner found a penalty area with his second. In the end, it was Brennan making a putt for par on the 18th green. to stumble past Hitchner for the victory.

Tie ball game ?

Birdies on 7, 9 and 10 gives Michael Brennan a share of the lead in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/y4OiVaxrMr

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 31, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

1 day ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

3 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

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

4 days 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