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Morning 9: Rahm rallies | New President at Honma NA | Creamer ahead in France | Bubba’s mental coach

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7 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected]; @benalberstadt on Instagram)

July 26, 2019

Good Friday morning, golf fans. 
1. 62 strokes for a jetlagged Spaniard
AP Report…”Travelling from Northern Ireland to Tennessee has left everyone who played four rounds at the Open Championship fighting jet lag.”
  • “Rahm matched the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career with an 8-under 62 on Thursday at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, taking advantage of nearly perfect greens to open a three-stroke lead.”
  • “I was pretty exhausted Monday and Tuesday, and that’s why I decided not to do much on the golf course and just make sure mentally I was going to be ready to compete,” Rahm said.
  • “He spent about an hour on the putting green Wednesday. He didn’t step foot on the front nine, his back nine, until he made the turn, and he had five birdies on that side.”
Round 1 at the alternate Barracuda Championship was suspended due to lightning….Sweden’s David Lingmerth leads the Stableford event by 5
2. Creamer in front in France
Winner at the Evian Resort Golf Club as a teenager, Paula Creamer, who hasn’t finished inside the top 10 in a major since 2014 is at the head of the pack.
  • BBC Report…”Former world number two Paula Creamer carded a seven-under-par 64 to hold a one-shot lead after the first round of the Evian Championship.”
  • “American Creamer, who won the US Women’s Open in 2010, hit seven birdies without dropping a shot at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France.”
  • “Australian Minjee Lee was set to share the lead with Creamer, but hit a bogey on the last.”

Full piece.

3. Bubba turns to a mental coach
Plenty of jokes are being made, doubtless, but good on Bubba for recognizing an area for improvement and hiring someone to help…and who among us couldn’t benefit from a “mental coach to get our off-course life in order?”
  • Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker…”The 40-year-old 12-time tour winner said the decision was based on trying to help him deal with issues off the course in order to keep them from becoming a distraction on it.”
  • “I’ve got more junk going on in my life,” Watson said. “Car dealership, baseball team, apartment complex, candy shop, driving range, office buildings. I’ve got to make sure my RV gets to tournaments. I’ve got to make sure my kids are doing the right things at school. Got a beautiful wife that I’ve got to make happy. Just a lot more stuff going on.”
  • “I’d get rid of my wins in a heartbeat,” Watson said. “I’d work at a golf shop in a heartbeat if I had to take care of my family and everything. It’s good junk, but it’s a lot more junk than I had 20 years ago.”
4. Not putting well? Try changing your grip mid-round like Dustin Johnson…
Not really. Probably shouldn’t do that. Worked for DJ, though!
  • “In Thursday’s opening round of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, Johnson was bumbling along on TPC Southwind’s back nine (his opening nine), playing the stretch in a disastrous three over that included three bogeys, a double and two birdies.”
  • “So he decided then seemed as good a time as any to go from a conventional putting grip to a cross-handed one (left-hand low).”
  • “It couldn’t get any worse, so I figured I had to try something,” said Johnson. “It was, yeah, not very good and so going to the back, I don’t know, I didn’t decide to do it until I was literally about to hit the putt on [the first], which was my 10th hole. But sometimes you just need a little bit of change.”

Full piece.

5. McIlroy excited for 2026 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard with the Ulsterman’s remarks on Adare Manor, the just-confirmed 2026 RC host…
  • “The good times continued Monday when the European Tour announced the 2026 Ryder Cup would be played at Adare Manor in Ireland. It was particularly good news for Rory McIlroy, who helped lead the charge to bring The Open to Royal Portrush.”
  • “It’s going to be a great venue,” McIlroy said following his round at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. “It’s really cool and I’m so happy for [Adare Manor owner J.P. McManus] and his family and everyone involved with Adare that it’s there.”
  • “McIlroy was particularly excited about the prospect of playing a Ryder Cup in Ireland. The 2006 Ryder Cup was played at The K Club in Kildare, Ireland, a year before the Northern Irishman turned professional.”
6. Why Rory will never win the Masters
…in the mind of one columnist, at least, who sees much in McIlroy’s Portrush jitters…
  • Neil Squires of the Daily Express…”What he revealed raises serious questions about his capacity to close the deal at Augusta, join the five giants who have won the Grand Slam and make the leap into golf’s historic hall of fame.”
  • “McIlroy is one of the sport’s great talents. He has won 25 tournaments around the globe including four Majors, ranks No 3 in the world and has a record this year on the PGA Tour superior to anyone’s.”
  • “Send him out on a golf course with an empty head and he has the capacity to destroy it. But Portrush represented a heightened example of his inability to deal with his own emotional state when a tournament really matters to him.”
7. King to Taco Bell, Kawaja to top of Honma 
Per a press release from Honma…”Honma Golf is pleased to announce the promotion of Executive Vice President John Kawaja to President, North America. Kawaja will lead the North American team in addition to his roles leading global product and sports marketing.”
  • “Per an announcement from Yum Brands, Strategic Advisor Mark King has accepted a new role as Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell.”
  • “King was instrumental in several major North American Honma projects, including the relocation of headquarters from Cypress, California to Carlsbad, and in the assembly of a world-class leadership team. Honma extends its warmest congratulations to King and wishes him the very best in his new role. King will remain an ambassador and friend of Honma.”
  • “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such a fantastic team here in North America. Mark established a wonderful foundation of talent and culture and was instrumental in getting us to where we are today. I’m humbled to help lead this iconic brand into a bright future in North America,” said Kawaja.
  • “We accomplished a great deal in my time at Honma and I’m proud of all the strides we’ve made in a short time. The team we were able to assemble in North America has some incredible things planned and I’m excited to watch them grow. With John at the helm I have no doubt the best of Honma is ahead,” said King.
8. The man who has played all 119 major venues
Golf.com’s Josh Sens begins a feature you’ll want to eat every bite of this way…”In the 159 years between the 1860 British Open at Prestwick Golf, in Scotland, and the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, in Northern Ireland, 119 different courses have played host to what we now consider to be golf’s four major championships: the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. You could fact-check this on Google. Or you could confirm it with Joey Hines.”
  • “It took him nearly half his life, but Hines, who is 60 and the director of golf at Cape Fear Country Club, in Wilmington, N.C., has pulled off a feat that no other golfer is known to have equaled: He has played every major championship course in the world.”
  • “The quest began for Hines in 1990, when he landed a job at Northwood Club in Dallas. Knowing that Northwood had hosted the 1952 U.S. Open (winner: Julius Boros), Hines got to thinking, which gave way to an inkling that he was onto something, which evolved into a goal. As a junior, he had played Pinehurst No. 2, unaware that it had held the 1936 PGA Championship. Still, Pinehurst counted, so Hines had that going for him. Two major championship venues down. Only 117 to go.” 

Full piece. 

9. Caddyshack reigns
Golfweek Staff assembled much-needed awards for the finest in golf cinema…
“…on the 39th anniversary of its release, “Caddyshack” continues to resonate on and off golf courses everywhere.”
“In honor of Danny Noonan’s winning putt at Bushwood and the subsequent bacchanalia and debauchery announced by Al Czervik, we are presenting again our We-Cannot-Call-Them-The-Oscars Awards for the best in golf filmmaking.”
Caddyshack
Happy Gilmore
Tin Cup
The Legend of Bagger Vance
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Winner: Caddyshack

For the rest of the awards…  

Related Topics:

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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

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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!

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Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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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.

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

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3 days ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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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

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

  • Driver: Ping 440 LST
  • Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
  • Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
  • Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
  • Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Ping PLD Anser

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