Tour News
Tour Rundown: 20 Ws for DJ, Yang’s third in Thailand, Trainer no longer
While the arrival of a major championship or a World Golf Championship event heightens enthusiasm among viewers, it makes the job of Tour Rundown an arduous one. Other tours tend to take the week off (European, Web and Champions, for example, this week) and our intrepid investigators (me!) are forced to scour the planet for golf news. Fortunately, the Ladies European Tour and the PGA of Australia bailed us out this week, with wonderful events. With that said, here is this week’s GolfWRX Tour Rundown, highlighted by the WGC Mexico Championship.
Dustin Johnson double-decade in wins after WGC Mexico
We’ve come a long way since the USGA planted a tree, to stop Lon Hinkle from taking a US-Open shortcut. While purists bemoan the traversing of entire par fours in one mighty strike, it makes for great golf. Such was the tale at Chapultepec this week, as Rory and Rickie and DJ (and many others) took countless lines over treetops, arriving on or near the putting surface in one. Trouble still lurked, which made Dustin Johnson’s triumph an impressive tableau.
The lanky one drove the ball supremely all week, matched it with steely iron play and nervy recovery efforts. McIlroy tried mightily to put pressure on the 2015 US Open champion on Sunday, but Johnson responded each time with the shot required. In the end. DJ stood atop the pyramid with 21-under par, 5 shots clear of his pursuer from Northern Ireland. Paul Casey, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Ian Poulter came third at -11. His 20th tour win and 6th WGC title brought Johnson to 8th in FedEx Cup standings and 2nd in world golf rankings.
No one could catch DJ all day. ???????
???? Highlights from @DJohnsonPGA's Sunday @WGCMexico. ???? pic.twitter.com/aavpYedtcN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 25, 2019
Yang claims 3rd LPGA Thailand title by 1
Make a note to bet Amy Yang in 2020, when the LPGA Tour returns to Thailand in February. The Korean-turned-Australian-turned Floridian made this year’s playing her 4th LPGA title, and 3rd in 5 years in the Land of Smiles. As for Minjee Lee, the young Korean-Aussie must wonder what more it takes to win. Despite four rounds in the 60s (one of two golfers to achieve this distinction all week), Lee came second to Yang’s 9-birdie Sunday effort.
Despite 2 bogeys in round four, Yang rode 5 consecutive front-nine birdies to 64 and victory. Lee had no blemishes on her Sunday card, but still came up one agonizing stroke from a playoff. Spain’s Carlota Ciganda also went stratospheric over the final 18. The Iberian had 2 eagles in her 63, and certainly imagined herself in the mix. Alas, her -20 was 2 off the pace and 1 behind Lee’s runner-up tally.
Amy Yang made 9 birdies on her way to a final round 65 and a third championship at the @hondalpgath. ????????????
Watch her final round highlights now! ?? pic.twitter.com/sCRSv5RQk8
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 24, 2019
Trainer no longer, Martin wins on PGA Tour
After 2 Web.Com tour titles in 2018, Martin Trainer didn’t slow his roll one bit in Puerto Rico. The USC Trojan kept his 2018 Web.Com momentum at full speed at Rio Grande golf club this week. He overtook 54-hole leader Aaron Baddeley with a 7-birdie 67, and earned a convincing, 3-shot win over Baddeley and 3 cohorts.
The title was Trainer’s first in 11 events on tour. He had solo appearances in 2011 and 2014, all while working his way up from PGA Tour Latinoamerica to the Web, to the top shelf. Johnson Wagner was within a stroke of the winner late Sunday, but made bogey at 17 to fall 2 back. Trainer’s 72nd-hole birdie established the final victory margin. Wagner and Baddeley were joined by Roger Sloan and Daniel Berger in the runner-up stable.
What a performance!@MartinDTrainer birdies 18 to lock down his first victory on TOUR at the @PuertoRicoOpen.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/CqpT6RJiJN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 24, 2019
Skarpnord earns 4th Ladies European Tour title in Australia
After 2 titles in 2K9, followed by another in 2K13, Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord waited 6 years to secure victory number four. She did so at the Australian Ladies Classic, by two shots over Spain’s Nuria Iturrios. Skarpnord and hometowner Hannah Green.
The only bumps along the road for the Norwegian appropriately came at the diabolical 13th. Skarpnor bogeyed the hole each day, accounting for 4 of her 11 bogeys on the week. The rest of the way, she was in control. 19 birdies, including the 71st and 72nd holes, gave her the 2-shot margin of victory over the runners-up. Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom owned a slim 3rd round over a host of players, but received no love from the Bonville course on Sunday. She ballooned to 75 and a t6 finish in the end.
.@MSkarpnord finds the par-5 18th in 2 & will have 3 putts for the ????#AUSLadiesClassic pic.twitter.com/0WoZcEFYfz
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) February 24, 2019
Nisbet in control at Queensland PGA Championship
A wonderful competition ensued late Sunday, between Harrison Endycott and Deyen Lawson. In the end, the pair tied at -18. Officially, that tie represented second place, as Daniel Nisbet lapped the field by a 6-stroke margin. Nisbet’s greatest victory came in 2018, at the New Zealand Open. Since then, a spate of missed cuts and mediocre finishes have kept him mired near the 400th spot on the official world golf rankings. This week, however, was a different story. The Queenslander etched 24 birdies and 3 eagles onto his 4 scorecards this week, and closed with rounds of 63-63-64 after a ho-hum 66 in round one. The title is Nisbet’s 3rd in the past 2 seasons on his home tour.
Beautiful putt for eagle from Nisbet on the 10th ??????
He leads by 6 at the #qldpga pic.twitter.com/6HSfDLioyD
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 24, 2019
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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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