Tour News
7 storylines to follow during the 2015 Masters
Several big names are receiving grand attention going into the event, and no players are being more scrutinized than the two standard bearers of the sport.
But we already know those story lines, and we want this Masters week to be fun and fresh. What are some alternate plot points to ponder?
Below are the seven other story lines I am keeping track of this week.
Will Tiger keep smiling and hugging everyone?
So Woods’ game isn’t only looking good this week, according to reports, but he’s joking around, hugging people and receiving friendly nip grabs?
As Golf.com’s Alan Bastable astutely asked: Who is this guy? And what did he do with Tiger Woods? Apparently, a period away from the game and more time with the children has Woods more jovial and in a looser mood than anyone has seen from him in a long time. He’s even playing in the Par-3 Contest!!!
It’ll be intriguing to see if Tiger’s good mood is a short term facade or will continue as we get into the tournament and beyond. Yes, he’s happy now, but will this “new Tiger” still be present if he flubs a few chips or hits a few loose shots? We’ll be watching closely.
What will happen if Bubba does get in a fight in a parking lot?
We finally have a source of Bubba controversy not caused by the lefty bomber himself, and that would be the ESPN player survey which revealed that among his peers, Watson doesn’t appear very well liked (granted, not a huge surprise).
More specifically, when the polled golfers were asked which competitor they would not help in a fight in a parking lot, Bubba Watson was the No. 1 answer.
I’m curious, though. If Bubba did get in a fight on the Masters grounds this week, would his peers be as reticent to help as they say? Which players would be most likely to step in and aid Bubba and who would be especially predisposed to bystand?
In all seriousness, though, I’m still wondering if we’ll hear anything more throughout the week on this topic of players not liking Bubba. Something to note, especially if Watson gets into contention or wins a third Green Jacket.
How much better will Adam Scott putt with a long putter?
Much has been written about Scott’s success with an anchored stroke, and after one solid week and two difficult ones with the short flatstick, the Aussie has switched back to the long broom for the Masters.
Scott is certainly not the only anchorer struggling to adjust to the short putter ahead of the Jan. 1, 2016 anchoring ban. Whatever Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson say, in 2015 they’ve suddenly turned from quality putters to below average ones in switching away from the long putter.
The Aussie’s performance on the Augusta greens will certainly be something to look into, with the backlash using the anchored stroke can still produce. But, more importantly, if Scott’s long broom flatstick performs well this week, he could be tempted to revert to it the rest of the year. And Scott’s success there might lead other former anchors to start exploring that possibility as well.
Do we see Good Sergio or Bad Sergio this week?
Even for Sergio, the Spaniard has a peculiar history at this tournament.
He publicly bashed the course in 2009, stated that he wasn’t good enough to win a major after his Masters performance in 2012 and relayed some pretty pessimistic thoughts on his prospects after sharing the Masters first round lead the very next year.
All of that is Bad Sergio and he has seemed to surface a lot at Augusta in the past. But in recent times, he has been happier in his life and he stated last week that he had come to peace with the chase for his first major.
So maybe we will finally see Good Sergio — the relaxed, happy Spaniard near the top of the leaderboard — this week? Whatever the case, Good Sergio and Bad Sergio are both entertaining and add color to the event. And guessing which one will come out is always a big part of the fun.
El Nino’s game isn’t perfect for Augusta, as he doesn’t hit it particularly high, and as Rich Hunt noted, his mid- to long-iron play has been really off this year. But, as I said, Good Sergio/Bad Sergio is unpredictable and will be humorous to follow.
Can Fred Couples finally cure his weekend woes at Augusta?
Before anyone calls me a Freddie hater, what he has done at the Masters recently is absolutely remarkable. In his past five appearances at the tournament, all in his 50s, he has yet to place outside the top-20 and seems to be at the top of the leaderboard at some point every year. It’s been extremely compelling.
That being said, Couples, despite his early high place on these Masters leaderboards over the last five years, was not a factor on the back nine on Sunday in any of those attempts. Wouldn’t it be so much better if Freddie could be in the mix over the tournament’s final holes?
Couples backslide down the leaderboard in this stretch has almost always originated on the weekend, with his zero subpar rounds and three scores of 75 or worse on Saturday and Sunday since 2011. The 55-year-old still needs to perform well in the early days, but I’m never going to doubt him there. If he can keep it up on the weekend, though, we might be in for something special.
Which players are most desperate for a Masters win?
It’s always intriguing to see players who are frantically searching for a high place at the majors, and we have a few main candidates this week. The names that stick out are Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson.
Westwood is still trying to find that first major and he has finished 7th or better at Augusta four of the last five years. The course fits him, and with time running low to get the monkey off his back, he’ll be striving hard for the Green Jacket. Donald’s record at the Masters is not quite as robust but he shares the pain of not winning a major, and he faces the same battle against father time.
Mickelson may have five major championship wins but his game has sunk in recent years and he needs to be dialed in on his limited opportunities to accrue more majors and become an even bigger name in golf history before his play really deteriorates.
Will Rickie Fowler’s major success continue?
If you haven’t heard, Rickie Fowler did pretty well in the majors last year. It started at Augusta with a T5, and continued with subsequent T2, T2 and T3 showings.
However creepy adults in Fowler grab look, the 26-year-old American is a breath of fresh air for the game, and someone I’ve already argued makes no sense to antagonize.
Fowler’s form has been pretty average this year, but his long-hitting, high-ball game works well for Augusta. As I noted, all around players profile well here, and Rickie fits well there. His putting is streaky, but he can be streaky good there.
If Fowler could continue his fruitful ways in the majors, especially with a victory, his profile will continue to rise and he could start really challenging for the crown as brightest young star in the game.
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament
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
- Jason Day – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
- SungJae Im – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
Pullout Albums
- Jason Day’s 1off Payntr golf shoes – 2026 The Memorial
- JT Poston’s TaylorMade Spider – 2026 The Memorial
- Cameron putter – 2026 The Memorial
- Tommy Fleetwood’s TM Spider putters – 2026 The Memorial
- New Mitsubishi Chemical 1K Pro Orange shaft – 2026 The Memorial
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the ShopRite LPGA
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
- Mimi Rhodes – WITB – 2026 ShopRite
- Aline Krauter – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
- Olivia Cowan – WITB – 2026 ShopRite
- Leah John – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
- Melanie Green – WITB – 2026 ShopRite
- Nastasia Nadaud – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
- Maria Torres – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
- Ana Belac – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
- Carolina Melgrati – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
- Sofia Garcia – WITB – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)
Pullout Albums
Popular Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
The famed Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, is the scene this week for the Charles Schwab Challenge, where Ludvig Aberg enters the week as the tournament favorite.
Tour Photographer Greg Moore and our traveling equipment insider, Alistair Cameron, are both on site this week in the Lone Star State. Thus far, we’ve been treated to an in-hand look at TaylorMade’s new ZT Max putter, as well as a bounty of WITBs.
Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Monday #1
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Monday #2
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Monday #3
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Tuesday #1
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Tuesday #2
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Tuesday #3
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Tuesday #4
- 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge – Tuesday #5
WITB Albums
- Preston Stout – OSU Men’s golf – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Marcelo Rozo – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Charley Hoffman – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Ben Kohles – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Davis Chatfield – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Albert Hansson – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Jackson Koivun – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Cam Davis – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Keith Mitchell – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Kensei Hirata – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Eric Cole – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Zecheng “Marty” Dou – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Robert MacIntyre – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Matt Kuchar – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Joe Highsmith – WITB – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Pullout Albums
- New Bettinardi covers – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- New Project X Titan Yellow shafts – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Doug Ghim’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Matt Kuchar’s HitsGolf training clubs – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Erik Van Rooyen’s Callaway Apex TD Ti Fusion 3 iron(updated with additional photos) – 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Robert MacIntyre’s putters – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- JJ Spaun’s newest L.A.B. Golf putter – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Odyssey Damascus Milled Jailbird Mini broomstick – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Chris Kirk’s putters – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Rico Hoey’s Custom Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Jailbird broomstick putter – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
- TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putters – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag2 weeks agoAaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
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News1 day agoRussell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
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Tour Photo Galleries2 weeks agoPhotos from the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
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Equipment2 weeks agoCJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
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News4 days agoCharles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
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Equipment5 days agoDetails on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
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Equipment3 weeks agoGolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
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Equipment2 weeks agoPGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink








Vadim
Apr 8, 2015 at 11:50 pm
Speith?!
Kevin Casey
Apr 9, 2015 at 12:12 am
See my response below to SJ.
SJ
Apr 8, 2015 at 11:24 pm
Rory?
Kevin Casey
Apr 9, 2015 at 12:11 am
As I said in the intro, these are kind of alternate story lines from the obvious ones. Rory going for the Career Grand Slam, Tiger’s chances at victory, Bubba’s quest for a third Green Jacket in four years and Spieth’s quest for a first all fall under the obvious storylines. Of course, those are all storylines I am watching for as well, but there’s no real reason to write about them because they have been expounded on elsewhere already so many times.
other paul
Apr 8, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Fingers crossed for fowler. Go Orange! My 3 year old loves orange because of him.