News

Interview with a Tour Rep – Part One

Published

19 years ago

Sep 10, 2007

At every tour stop, before many of the players have even turned up there will be an army of manufacturers’ representatives ready to fulfil players’ equipments desires. On the European Tour, one of these is Paul Constantine, the Tour rep for T.P.Mills putters. Golfwrx caught up with him recently for an exclusive interview to find out exactly what it’s like to be on the other side of the rope.

Golfwrx: Paul, how long have you been a tour rep and how did you get started?

Paul: I’m a bit of a putter collector and I bought a couple of hand made putters from David Mills (owner and the son of eponymous founder, T.P. Mills) back in 2004. After chatting with David he mentioned that he was looking for someone to represent him on the European Tour and I jumped at the chance. That might be seen as fairly recent for a manufacturer that has been around for such a long time but at the time the only putter companies that sent out reps on the European Tour were Odyssey, Yes! and Kramski. Even Scotty Cameron wasn’t there until 2007. When I started I had no real idea how I would be received but the pro’s were coming up and saying how fantastic it was to have another choice and especially one that had the heritage and quality of T.P. Mills.

Golfwrx: So what do you do when you are at an event?

Paul: Well obviously my job is to get my putters in the player’s bags. That basically boils down to being there on the practise green on the Tuesday and Wednesday of an event, sometimes even on a Monday at the bigger events. You are there all day with a bag full of clubs waiting for the pros to turn up on the practise green. Tuesday is really the busy day as Wednesday is the Pro-Am. That’s the day when you get to do your job. I will have a wide range of our putters in various specifications, weight/length/loft and lie etc, for the players to try out along with some custom ones specifically requested by certain players.

Golfwrx: How do you approach players?

Paul: I don’t like to approach players, not unless it’s someone who has used our putters before, like Colin Montgomerie or someone I have met at other events and stopped to chat, like Adam Scott. It’s much better to let the players come over. You have to remember that for these guys the equipment world is their oyster so they are constantly being approached and asked to try something new. I’m lucky in that respect as T.P. Mills is a respected name with a great history of making quality putters and a quality product is always going to attract a player.

Golfwrx: If a player wants to try a putter, what happens?

Paul: Well all pros are great putters, they wouldn’t be on tour if they weren’t. These guys hit thousands of putts and know exactly what they like in terms of looks and feel and how a certain look at feel will perform for them so they know almost instantly whether a putter will work for them. They tend to focus on a couple of putters that they like the look of, give them a few swishes with one hand and if they like the feel then say that they will like to try it out. Hit a few putts on the practise green and then normally take them out for 9 or 18 holes later on that day. If they like it and are going to put it in play then it’s theirs but if not, then they tend to give it straight back and maybe try something else.

Golfwrx: So no window shopping or hoarding then?

Paul: Not really. As I said, these guys have pretty much unlimited access to equipment. There’s no need for them to have a garage full of putters like so many of us average Joes seem to! Clubs are just business tools to them, like a good pen would be to us. If you had a Montblanc you would know that it is a beautiful pen but you would be unlikely to put it in a display case and not use it. You would use it to write with because that it what it was built for.

Golfwrx: How are Tour Reps treated by the players?

Paul: The players are really nice which might sound like a cliché but it’s true! For guys that have so many demands on their time, they will stay and shoot the breeze with you more often than not. I can only think of one time a player has been abrupt with me and that was after media interviews after a not particularly great round and all he said was “Not now”. Even players who are notoriously quiet and reserved will stop and chat. You get players like Nick Faldo who was one of the most controlled golfers of his time stopping by and talking golf with you which would be surprising to most people who only saw him on the course and being interviewed, although that’s changed now that he’s commentating and his real personality has been revealed. Lots of players are like that: reserved on the course and in media situations but completely normal when they aren’t.

Golfwrx: Is there much rivalry with other manufacturers?

Paul: Absolutely! There is always going to be a strong rivalry in such a completive market, especially in golf where player exposure is all. There is also a lot of camaraderie between reps. There are also going to be situations where you rely on other reps to help get things done and when that happens, you help them out and they help you out. Mind you I once had a putter unknowingly re-gripped by the manufacturer of the player’s current putter when I was too busy to do it myself so you don’t let it get in the way of your job!

News

5 Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S.. Women’s Open

Published

17 hours ago

Jun 5, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Gone are the days when the U.S. Women’s Open was held at Scenic Hills or Churchill Valley. Fine courses that they are (or were, as Churchill Valley went bankrupt a decade ago) there is something to be said for the venue. Not all Women’s Open playings need to take place on Men’s Open venues, but some should. This week in Los Angeles, the Women’s Open visits Riviera Country Club for the first time. Down the road, we will visit Inverness, Oakmont, Interlachen, Oak Hill, Chicago Golf, and Merion. That is quite the murderer’s row (1927 Yankees reference) of golf clubs.

What can we expect from the 2026 tournament? Greatness and uncertainty. Unlike the PGA Tour, which visits Riviera each February, the LPGA does not, so the women will not have nearly the body of work over the George C. Thomas layout. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll play #10 smarter than the men do. Maybe they’ll figure some things out that their male counterparts can not. For today, we’ll try to find five things to learn, and share them with you.

First, this ain’t your momma’s U.S. Open course

How do we know? Well, so far, only one previous champion currently sits inside the top thirty. That would be Minjee Lee, the 2022 winner at Southern (NC) Pines. Lee made par on her first nine holes, the inward side at Riviera. She dropped birdie putts on the first and ninth holes (ten and eighteen for her day) and tallied another seven pars, for 69. She sits three shots off Jennifer Kupcho’s opening 66. Don’t worry about Kupcho; we’ll get to her. After Lee, defending champion Maja Stark ranks T30 at even par, joined by three other, former winners.

What Minjee did, is the sort of thing that wins U.S. Open titles. She guided her ship safely past swells, and made a move when the waters calmed. The fewer the bogeys, the more likely Minjee figures in the outcome on Sunday evening in Pacific Palisades. Off the tee, Lee was unmatched. She hit 14 of 14 fairways. Her iron play was a bit loose in comparison. She putted for birdie on 12 of 18 holes, which meant that her recovery short game was on point. Lee was ten yards longer on measured driving holes than the field average, and was below the field average (a good thing) in putting.

Second, the amateurs beat a loud drum

Three of the world’s top amateur golfer posted 70, placing them four off the lead, in a tie for 14th place. Canada’s Aphrodite Deng, Spain’s Paula Francisco Llaño, and Colombia’s Maria José Marin, showed the professional world that their game is strong. Both Deng and Francisco Llaño collected five birdies on the day. Should they match that output on day two, and minimize the foozles, they’ll be the topic of conversation on Saturday morning. Marin, the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion and an NCAA team semifinalist last week, played a game similar to Minjee Lee: few mistakes and few taken risks.

The last amateur to post the low medal score for 72 holes was Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998. She lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak, who matched her plus-six effort at Blackwolf Run. The last amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open was Catherine Lacoste in 1967. The amateurs are stronger than they’ve ever been, but the professionals have not allowed them to close the gap. A victory by one of the college set would be a cannon shot heard round the world. Could it happen? Absolutely. Is it likely? Not at all.

Third, let’s talk Kupcho

Jennifer Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She won three times on tour in 2022, including the Chevron, a major title. She won a fourth event in 2025, but has not established the winning credentials projected on her after 2022’s marvelous coming-out.

Kupcho hails from Colorado, and spent four years in the Carolina Piedmont, at Wake Forest Universtiy. Neither of those locales cries out I’ll be at home at Riviera, but here we are, after a seven-birdie performance. Kupcho posted birdie on each of her first three holes, and added four more (against two bogeys) to assume a one-shot advantage over Korea’s Sei Young Kim.

Kupcho drove the ball decently, approached moderately well, but putted lights out on Thursday. Her 26 putts were tied for best in show on day one. There might just be something about the putting surfaces at Riviera that aligns with Kupcho’s vibe. If that is the case, just get the ball on the green, anywhere, and let the flatstick do the lifting.

Fourth, how young is Sei Young?

Sei (pronounced “So”) Young Kim won a dozen times from 2015 to 2020. She took time off from winning until 2025, shen she captured a thirteenth LPGA title. Like Kupcho, Kim has hardware from one major event, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship. How to explain the five years away from victory? No idea. When Sei Young was in contention during the prime of her career, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

What to expect over the next three days at Riviera? Anyone’s guess. It might be the 2015-2020 Sei Young, or it could be the 2021-2025 version. Kim began her day with birdies at 10 and 11, then settled into a stretch of pars before her solitary bogey at the 4th (her 13th) hole. Kim regained her composure and reeled in three birdies to close the front nine. Her four-under performance trails Kupcho alone, and there is a real chance that Sei Young will produce a second score in the 60s and take a bit of control of the tournament.

Fifth, we’re giddy for Gaby

Although I cannot place my finger on why, it seems that each year, Gaby Lopez pops up on the U.S. Open leaderboard. She hasn’t figure out how to remain in contention, but here we are, in 2026, and Lopez is once again in the mix. The three-time champion on the LPGA circuit had a stunning first nine holes, turning in minus-five. She reached six deep at her tenth hole, but then gave three shots back coming home. Which Gaby will show up on Friday, and for how long? If back-nine Gaby can somehow channel front-nine Gaby, all outcomes are within reach. If the loose play continues, Lopez’ wiki page will add one more T41 to her majors column.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

2 days 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

4 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