Tour News
Monday Tour Mash: Paddy’s return to the winner’s circle
Hurricane Honda Brings Early St. Padraig’s Day
With the winter weather the rest of the country has managed, should the PGA Tour complain about delays, water blisters on greens, floating scoreboards and a Monday finish?
It came 15 days too early (St. Patrick’s Day is March 17), but Padraig (Harrington) and Patrick (Reed) battled down the stretch at the Honda Classic after (O’)Danny Berger torched the course with a final-round 64 to move to 6-under par. Then Reed went 4-over in three holes and Padraig doubled No. 17 — but birdied No. 18 — to get himself to 6-under. Whew! PLAYOFF!
After pars on No. 18, the duo went to No. 17, where Berger’s tee ball got wet and Harrington’s stayed dry for the win.
Coincidence of the week? James Hahn was ranked No. 297 in the Official World Golf Rankings before his win last week at Riviera. Guess who replaced him at that number? Yep, St. Padraig.
Winning WITB: See the clubs Harrington used to win
Crate Those Caddies!
Two weeks ago, I was tempted to write about the caddie lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Now, I have no alternative.
A question for you: On Saturday, with lightning delays from morning until evening, the caddies were offered refuge in:
- The clubhouse
- Another secure building
- An oversized metal crate with no door
If you chose the third option, you might be called as a witness once the trial begins. It might have been a vindictive play by someone who thought “We’ll show those serfs!” It could have been another oversight in what the caddies allege is “second-class treatment” by the PGA Tour. Or, it might have been the result of some other nexus of notions and decisions.
It doesn’t look good and the Tour is fortunate that no one was injured in the box.
Further Reading: Caddie frustrations continue after shelter incident at the Honda Classic
You Can’t Handle The Pressure! (Or can you?)
Most of us can’t. Are we comforted by the knowledge that PGA Tour pros can’t either?
A study was released in February that attempted to quantify one reason — the amount of money that’s on the line on a 72nd-hole putt from 6-to-10 feet — why even the golfers of the PGA Tour are not immune to pressure.
Regardless of the preparation, drills to handle pressure and the psychological training that precede events, it all comes down to the moment. What the study admittedly doesn’t cover is the myriad situations that also get filed under pressure: holding a final-round lead; executing up and downs… you get the idea.
There’s a lot of pressure, so don’t stress over your putts this season. Oh, and this leads us to…
Ko Handles Homeland Pressure, Lewis Fades In Thailand
Two highly-ranked female golfers had very different results this weekend when faced with the pressures of winning important tournaments. No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko, who is 17 years old, posted a ridiculous 61 in Saturday’s second round and threw another three birdies at her challengers in the first six holes on Sunday on her way to winning the Women’s New Zealand, her nation’s national championship.
In direct contrast, Stacy Lewis (No. 3 in the world) has stolen glances at title opportunities twice this season, but has yet to steal a victory. Poor final rounds have done her in, so the answers to her questions remain elusive. While eventual Honda Thailand winner Amy Yang more than erased her two Sunday bogeys with five birdies, Lewis was undone by a late double bogey and relegated to yet another close, but no cigar result.
In case you think that pressure management is a young thing, it isn’t. Charley Hull (18) of England has struggled with chances at victory each of the last two weeks, as has Ariya Jutanugarn (19) of Thailand. Each of the young women continue to stumble to a 76ish score at some point, something that young Lydia is not known to do.
What Ko has can’t be quantified, amalgamated or synthesized in any laboratory. We last saw it from 1996 to 2009 in Tiger Woods and if we’re fortunate, we’ll have another opportunity to observe its magic.
Further Reading: Ko now has more wins than Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie combined
Ben Crenshaw Final Masters 2015
Every golfing generation looks to an old soul for direction. The golfer represents things that are recognized as bygone, yet still valued (perhaps even more than before) to this day. When those golfers leave the game, either by choice or other means, there occurs an extended moment of reflection and tribute.
Come the 2015 Masters, a mammoth-sized salute will be offered to Ben Daniel Crenshaw. The two-time Masters champion announced last week that he will compete in his 44th Augusta Spring Invitational (as it was once called by Bobby Jones) and will then slip into the tournament shadows, returning for fellowship and as host of the Tuesday-evening Past Champions dinner.
When you think of Crenshaw, you might recall his putting stroke, his 1995 Masters victory the same week his mentor and coach, Harvey Penick, was laid to rest, or the unwavering belief in fate and his U.S. Team at the 1999 Ryder Cup matches.
If you are a student of golf course architecture, you might have played Streamsong Red or Sand Hills, Bandon Trails or The Lost Farm, or any of the other 15 courses that Crenshaw and his design partner, Bill Coore, have created over the past 30 years. Never did a PGA Tour golfer hitch his design wagon to so talented an architect.
Crenshaw and his other partner, Carl Jackson (his Augusta National caddie) will make one final appearance on golf’s greatest stage, so grab some Kleenex and brush up on your Crenshaw biography.
Missed The Cut
- Brooks Koepka’s Attitude
Bounce-Back Brooks, you could call him (if you were a cheeseball announcer, which you’re not.) After opening with a 78 at PGA National, Koepka returned Friday with a vengeance. He slogged through the foul weather and signed for a mere 64 strokes, elevating him from early hotel check-out to let’s stick around for the weekend.
- Tiger Tiger Burning Bluejack and Kid Rock’s Advice
You can’t keep a good man down, nor can you keep Tiger Woods out of the golf news cycle. This week, his presence is due to a media tour of Bluejack National, his redo of a Coore-Crenshaw (sacrilege!) Texas layout. Oh, and the profound advice proffered by Kid Rock, telling Tiger to “loosen up, man!”
Oh, and the fact that Tiger is more interested in being a dad these days than practicing. For the moment, competitive Tiger is on the blocks, awaiting a tune-up. Will the siren call of Augusta National alter that outlook?
- Smiling Assassin Version 2K15
Not since Shigeki Maruyama made his name and teeth known to golfdom has a grinner the likes of Andy Sullivan made the scene.
Sullivan crafted an exquisite 66 to overtake a number of staunch challengers and win a second European Tour title in three months. Sullivan’s first tour triumph came in January at the South African Open. A return to the soil did the Englishman well, as he captured the Joburg Open by two strokes. In addition to the victory, Sullivan earned a spot in the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews in July.
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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
Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.
From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.
General Albums
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Monday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matthieu Pavon – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Keegan Bradley – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Webb Simpson – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Emiliano Grillo – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Taylor Pendrith – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Kevin Tway – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Pullout Albums
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rory McIlroy – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Eric Cole’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matt Kuchar’s custom Bettinardi – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Justin Thomas – driver change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler – putter change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s new custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Tommy Fleetwood testing a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (with custom neck) – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Cobra Darkspeed Volition driver – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Tom Duckworth
Mar 2, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Happy for Harrington glad to see him winning. Also good to see Wilson irons in the winners circle again.
Ronald Montesano
Mar 2, 2015 at 6:29 pm
Absolutely accurate on both counts, Tom. One of the great brands. I recall my 1980s era Wilson Staffs fondly.
Golfraven
Mar 2, 2015 at 3:55 pm
Congrats to Paddy, am sure Guinness will be flowing in Dublin now.