News

Tour Rundown: McIlroy, Todd, Korda, and Monty

Published

7 years ago

Nov 4, 2019

As the winds and the cold reached the northeast USA, the tours kept rolling across the globe. PGA Tour Champions held court in California, while the PGA Tour debuted in Bermuda. The LPGA touched down in Taipei, and the World Golf Championships held the final championship of the year in Shanghai. Brendon Todd became the comeback kid, as Rory McIlroy re-asserted his claim on world number one. Nelly Korda defended her inaugural tour victory, while Colin Montgomerie won the penultimate event of the PGA Tour Champions season and playoffs.

True, the Bills are 6-2 (behind only the Patriots in the entire AFC), but there is still golf to consider. Let’s run it down together, shall we?

WGC-HSBC Champions victory moves McIlroy waaaaay up

Rory McIlroy said nothing as the PGA Tour members controversially voted him as their player of the year. Smart guy. He let his golf clubs speak for him this week. The Northern Irishman opened with consecutive 67s over the first three rounds, to establish a 1-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen. King Louis would fall away on day 4, placing 3rd alone, 2 shots out of first. A 4th consecutive 67 would have brought McIlroy to -20 and first place alone. Instead, he tallied 68, and was caught by Xander Schauffele, whose 66 was marred by a solitary bogey.

The pair returned to the dramatic 18th hole, where McIlroy laced a picture-perfect drive. Schauffele tugged his left, and found a ring of rough ’round the solitary fairway bunker. He was forced to lay up, but did pitch his 3rd close for a birdie attempt. McIlroy thundered an approach onto the green, and two-putted for birdie. When Schauffele missed, the victory belonged to Rory. It was his third unique WGC championship, elevating him to a select company of those who hold all three trophies. McIlroy also jumped to 5th on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai standings, and to 2nd in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup series.

Bermuda welcomes Brendon Todd back to the PGA Tour winner’s podium

Brendon Todd almost set an untouchable standard on his way to victory. Todd birdied holes 2 through 8, to reach 7 deep by the 9th tee. He added birdies at 10 and 11 to touch -9, and talk of a sub-60 round became commonplace. Of greater importance to the resurgent Pittsburgher was his massive lead over a trio of golfers, now competing for 2nd-place money. Todd closed with a birdie at 15 and a bogey at 18. His 62 gave him a 4-shot margin of victory over Harry Higgs, this week’s candidate for Where Did He Come From status.

Todd had struggled recently with self-described “full-swing yips.” Work with a teaching pro, along with an unlikely, recovered stutterer, provided keys to overcoming his concerns. Higgs stood even with Hank Lebioda and Aaron Wise in the closing moments, but a dazzling eagle at the 17th gave the tour rookie his highest finish to date.

Swinging Skirts to Korda after Houdini-esque escape maneuver

Nelly Korda appears to move with ease, along every fairway and green. So calm is her gait, that it’s hard to tell that she just holed out for eagle (as happened on Saturday) or made three bogeys in four holes, as happened late Sunday. The young Floridian calmly stepped to the 18th tee, then birdied it for the 4th time in as many days. That saved stroke returned her to the top spot, albeit tied with Caroline Masson and Minjee Lee.

Masson had 68 on Sunday, making up 4 strokes on Korda. Lee had a 69 of her own, in search of her 2nd victory of the 2019 campaign. The triumvirate marched to the 18th tee, where the defending champion played the hole flawlessly. Driver and hybrid brought her to the par 5 in two, and she 2-putted for a 5th birdie on the week. Neither competitor could match her, and Korda was a 3-time champion on the world’s biggest tour.

Invesco QQQ is Monty’s 1st Champions triumph in two years

Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer were not the two golfers one expected to find in the 3rd playoff of the week in professional golf. Perhaps Retief Goosen, the Saturday leader, or a reborn Fred Couples? What about upstart Tommy Tolles? Tolles did his best, with a 66 that came up one stroke shy of the playoff. Goosen had an early bogey on each nine, and like Tolles, needed one shot fewer on the week. He tied for 3rd at -13. Meanwhile, at the top of the leader board, England’s Montgomerie birdied 4 of the opening 5 holes, then added 2 more birdies and 1 eagle on the inward half, for 63 and -14.

Langer began the day in 2nd position, and made 5 birdies against zero bogeys on the day. If not for Monty’s heroics, the German would have wrapped up another title. As with the other two, overtime events, this one took but one bonus hole. Langer got himself into trouble and made double bogey at the dramatic 18th. Monty escaped with par and the title. Interestingly, the two last met in a playoff in the 2002 Andalusian Masters. Lightning abbreviated the overtime, and the two agreed to share the title. Not the case this week.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

3 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