News

Morning 9: Canadian Open, Canadian pro golf on the rise | Nondescript PGA Tour excellence awards

Published

7 years ago

Jun 6, 2019

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

June 6, 2019

Good Thursday morning, golf fans.

1. Canadian Open on the rise

Jason Logan at ScoreGolf with an excellent feature on this year’s tournament…

“MARY DEPAOLI HAS A DIRECT, HARD-TO-REFUTE ANSWER when asked about the status of the RBC Canadian Open, which this year is a) being played during a desirable part of the PGA Tour schedule for the first time in 30 years; b) being fronted by four-time major champion and first-time Canadian Open participant Rory McIlroy; c) being played for a purse that’s over $1 million more than past years; d) back at Hamilton G&CC, one of Canada’s best and most storied courses; and e) featuring attractive extras such as an on-site concert series headlined by Florida Georgia Line and food served by eight local restaurants between the 17th and 18th fairways.”

“We are doing what we said we were going to do,” says RBC’s executive vice-president and chief marketing officer. By that, DePaoli means elevating Canada’s national golf championship into something more befitting of the game’s third oldest open tournament. Into one of the best non-major stops on the PGA Tour, a status it enjoyed for most of its life. The tournament took its first body blow in 1990, when it was removed from the summer schedule, and therefore the network television window, and given a September date. (The reason? The tour struck a deal with the networks to have sponsors pay for TV commercials. The Canadian Open’s financial backer at the time, Imperial Tobacco, couldn’t do that because of new anti-tobacco advertising legislation.) That was followed by a real punch in the gut in 2007, when it was returned to July but got stuck with a horrible spot behind the British Open. (Part of the reason? No title sponsor that year. Bell dropped out in 2006 and RBC didn’t pick up the pieces until 2008.)

Full piece.

2. DJ on defending

”I mean, it’s a really good field. It’s a golf course I haven’t played. That definitely adds a little bit more difficulty to it,” Johnson said Wednesday. ”I don’t know the golf course as well as I know Glen Abbey, where I played a lot of Opens.”

(From this AP report)

3. Brooks’ break

Golfweek’s Steve Dimeglio…

“Brooks Koepka didn’t touch a golf club for 15 days after he successfully defended his title in the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black on Long Island.”

“Yet he isn’t the least bit worried about the state of his game in his return to the PGA Tour this week at the RBC Canadian Open.”

“It was nice to kind of recharge mentally and kind of try to soak it in a little bit,” Koepka said of his break away from the game after winning his fourth major championship in his last eight starts. “I’ll be fine. I’ve taken longer breaks before and come out and played well. I’m not too concerned with it.”

Full piece.

4. Rory’s perspective

Via a BBC report…

“He added: “This isn’t just a preparation week. This is a very prestigious tournament, one of the oldest tournaments in the world that I would dearly love to be able to add my name to.”

“Making his first appearance in the tournament, McIlroy says he will have to drive the ball better than at Muirfield Village if he wants to challenge in Hamilton.”

“There’s a variety of different tee shots that you need to hit, with different clubs, and the greens are going to be a very similar type of grass.”

Full piece.

5. Nondescript PGA Tour excellence awards

“The idea behind the prize is to recognize those golfers who have remarkably strong seasons-complete with high finishes, big money, and very few missed cuts-but who never seem to distinguish themselves by force of personality, playing style, or actual wins,” writes Shane Ryan in introducing his nondescript PGA Tour excellence awards.

Here are a couple…

“Kyle Stanley. He tallied zero victories, but was in the top ten five times, played in the Tour Championship, and of his six cuts last season, a remarkable three of them came in huge events (Players, U.S. Open, PGA Championship). That’s classic “nondescript excellence” right there, and though Stanley was a little too good in the WGC events (T-5, T-25, T-5, and 2), he managed to avoid winning one of them, and thus nudged ahead of Tony Finau, whose unbelievable 11 top-tens without a win looked great on paper, but ultimately stemmed from a style of play that was just too exciting and too visible, to the point that even his lack of wins became a medium-sized story. He simply couldn’t live up to Stanley’s anonymity…”

“Gary Woodland: The knock on Woodland might be that he’s a little too well-known, and in fact he’s won three times on Tour in his career, including last year’s Phoenix Open. However, he’s on the nondescript warpath this season, with seven top tens in 17 starts and zero wins. There’s also the fact that he looks like Brooks Koepka, the second-best player in the game, but is, in fact, not Brooks Koepka…although I’m not quite sure if that makes him more or less nondescript. And be honest: Did you know he was ninth on the FedExCup list, before I just told you? I certainly didn’t. There’s no greater compliment I can pay to someone vying for this award-being good without anyone noticing is the hallmark of a champ.”

Full piece.

6. BK’s very BK take on U.S. Open player complaints

From an AFP report…

A recent story in Golf Digest magazine included remarks from several anonymous players criticising the USGA’s running of the US Open, claiming that several professionals had even considered boycotting the event.

“Whatever they’re doing, it’s working for me,” Koepka said when asked about the US Open setup. “So I don’t care what they do.”

“We’ve all got to play the same golf course. It doesn’t matter. Guys like to complain. I just don’t complain.

“We’ve all got to deal with the same issues. If you hit the fairways and hit every green you’re not going to have any problems.”

Full piece.

7. Canadian golf in a great spot?

PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…

“Currently, there are 10 Canadians with TOUR membership, the most since 1970 when records were kept. Eight of those players are active most weeks: Hughes, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Roger Sloan, David Hearn, Ben Silverman and Adam Svensson. The other two are Graham DeLaet, who is on a Major Medical exemption following microdiscectomy surgery and hopes to return later this year; and Weir, who has played mostly on the Web.com Tour this season (next May he turns 50 and will eligible for PGA TOUR Champions).”

“Of the active Canadians, five are inside the top 125 of the FedExCup standings; only Australia (six) has more among the non-U.S. members. Conners and Hadwin are in the top 20 of the International Team standings for this year’s Presidents Cup and hope to make a big push down the stretch this season.”

Full piece.

8. Mickelson’s grandfather was a Pebble Beach caddie

Michael Bamberger writes… “His mother’s father, Alfred Santos – strong, not lean, with work calluses on his fingers and boils between his knuckles – was born in 1906 in Monterey, Calif., the son of a Portuguese Cannery Row fisherman and his Portuguese wife. John Steinbeck, born in 1902, captured that briny world for eternity. Too bad he didn’t set up shop in Al’s boyhood caddie yards. He would have had a field day, the Irish kids, the Italian kids, the others, fists up at the first mention of mother. Al could hold his own.”

“When Pebble Beach opened for play in 1919, Al Santos was a boy caddie there, in wool pants and a newsboy cap, with cardboard insoles in his shoes. What he knew he had earned. As long as you have a silver dollar in your pocket, you’ll never be poor. Phil and his sibs, Tina and Tim, all know that one. This is what it means: Just because you have it doesn’t mean you should spend it. When Phil plays in the U.S. Open at Pebble this year, he’ll use a silver dollar as a ball marker, a coin his grandfather carried for decades, its sides worn smooth from his habitual rubbing of it.”

Full piece.

9. Mickelson aces Pebble’s 7th…sort of

Bill Speros at Golfweek…”Mickelson found himself working on his chipping game in the backyard of one Jim Nantz, he of CBS Sports broadcasting fame, located steps from the Pebble Beach course.”

“Nantz’s yard in Monterey features a replica of the famed No. 7 hole at Pebble Beach.”

“From dropping bombs to dropping the mic. Dropping hole-in-ones on Pebble Beach #7 (in Nantz’s yard) is how I get ready for the US Open! sidesauce”” Mickelson wrote alongside a video of him plopping in a chip shot from behind Nantz’s manse.

“Here it comes. Here it comes. It’s in the hole,” Nantz exclaims on the video.

See it here

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

5 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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

2 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

Pullout Albums

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