News

February Madness

Published

14 years ago

Feb 23, 2012

GolfWRX Staff

By Wes Rodgers

GolfWRX Contributor

Golf’s World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Each year at this time, the world’s best golfers congregate to compete in a unique, ultra-competitive elimination style format to determine a champion who will have doggedly earned a distinct title. And along the way, golf fans who choose to watch this competition will have a rejuvenated sense and anticipation of the upcoming change of seasons, and a small foreshadowing of the March Madness atmosphere of the basketball season. Both of these tournaments will inspire millions to dust off their clubs, shine their sneakers and get their competitive juices flowing.

The fans of golf will get to see the professionals fighting for their lives in a do-or-die situation. There is a tangible connection to the regular weekend hacker and the professionals in this event. Through this event’s lens, they seem more like us, more real, if you will. More fallible. If the pros do not perform well, unlike a stroke play event where they are afforded the opportunity of at least two rounds before the cut and making money, this could be “one and done” for this week. Albeit, the money is assured to filter into their bank accounts even for a first round loss at the Match Play, the shame of showing up, teeing it up and having to go wheels up after 18 holes seems embarrassingly humbling. Sort of like the weekend hackers’ low flying quail off the first tee on an early, humid Saturday morning of a double low-ball battle. Such a tee shot sends a usually anxious and optimistic golfer directly to the worthless well searching for the elusive bucket of confidence. We, the regular fans and hackers, really appreciate seeing the pros being tested mentally, apart from their apparent ease at which they normally play this great game. You can feel their discomfort at times in match play. You can also see the gamesmanship if you care to notice. This is yet another connection to the mortal golfer. A 4 foot concession. How about a 1.5 foot putt which is not conceded? Or the possibility that one pro might “slow play” the other pro. All examples of gamesmanship. For all of us who play golf, we can understand that. We can’t always understand, depending on your skill level, how a pro shoots a 65, much less 65’s back-to-back on a very demanding golf course.

Perhaps another reason fans find this tournament so compelling is the fact that March Madness is right around the corner, and we are wrought with anticipation of a competitive bracket style tournament. The obvious similarity is the brackets that are used in these two tournaments. The only other real similarity is the possibility of one or more “Cinderella’s” to emerge and fend for the title. Whoever has heard of Sing Me a Ballad (Sang Moon Bae) or Robert “rock-a-bye baby” Rock, who has already notched a head-to-head victory over Tiger earlier this year? Or perhaps Kyung-Tae “kar-a-te kid” Kim? Or the obvious name correlations that will ring a Rafael Cabrera “Bello”, such as Alvaro “quiver on the first tee” Quiros and Jason “the duffer” Dufner? We, the regular golfer, can relate to these! We can also pull for the underdogs in the NCAA tourney. Without doubt, there will be a Cinderella story in this year’s basketball tournament. We just don’t know who or how deep they will go yet. It could be Long Beach State University or Saint Mary’s University. It could be some other team we’ve never heard of from a barely recognizable conference that we weren’t really sure even existed. The sure bet is that there will be bracket busters in both tournaments. The more difficult bracket to correctly predict, however, is the Accenture. It is easy for the No. 64 seed to defeat the No. 1 seed, especially when you’re talking about Ernie Els (No. 68 in the official world golf ranking) going against world No. 1 Luke Donald. In hoops, this is not so likely. In fact, since the field was expanded to 64 teams, a No. 16 seed has never beat a No. 1 seed.

One might say, “well wait a minute,” another similarity is the one-and-done aspect. This might be true for the current week in golf, however in match play if you lose, the golfers are not done for the season. Most will even play next week somewhere around the globe. In hoops, your season is truly over until next fall. And if this is the case, don’t forget to get your golf clubs out and hit the links while the weather is good, hoopsters!

Click here for more discussion the the “Tour Talk” forum.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

19 hours 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

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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.

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News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

3 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