News

Morning 9: LPGA schedule, future | Faldo: “I don’t want to visualize golf without fans” | Romo at Maridoe

Published

6 years ago

Apr 30, 2020

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt

Email me at [email protected] and find me at @benalberstadt on Instagram and golfwrxEIC on Twitter.

April 30, 2020

Good Thursday mornings, golf fans. Just a reminder the Acushnet COVID-19 Relief Charity Golf Auction and Sweepstakes end tonight at 9 p.m. The Titleist, FootJoy, Scotty Cameron family of brands have already raised north of $200K. The big-ticket auction items are incredible (golf with Jim Nantz, custom Scotty Cameron putter fitting from the man himself), but there’s also a sweepstakes (entries starting at $25) to play Pinehurst No. 2 with Webb Simpson. If you have the means and are looking to contribute to COVID-19 relief in a golf-related way, this is your chance

See the auction items here.

Enter the sweepstakes here.

1. What will the immediate future of the LPGA Tour look like?

Keely Levins at Golf Digest…“The LPGA Tour announced its planned return to competition in mid-July, with a schedule of 21 events through Dec. 20-the only two off-weeks being Nov. 12-15 (when the men play the Masters) and Nov. 26-29 (Thanksgiving). Once the anticipation about seeing live golf again subsides, the question is: What exactly will the LPGA look like come July and how will it be different?”

“The past several weeks have conditioned us to expect bad news, which makes one change to the LPGA truly surprising. Some purse sizes at the remaining events have gone up. How, in the middle of a pandemic that has triggered a global economic crisis, has that happened? LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and his team say that’s it’s actually really simple: contraction and generous corporate partners. While the tour was able to reschedule many events, nine were unable to find a new place on the adjusted calendar. Some of the sponsors of those tournaments took prize money they were planning to use on their own event and gave it to a tournament that’s still on the schedule.”

“They [title sponsors] wanted to be good partners with us and for us. They didn’t really want the credit of ‘here, take our money,’ but they really wanted to help our membership. So it was really, truly relationship-driven and being good partners to the LPGA,” Ricki Lasky, the tour’s chief tournament business officer, said.

Full piece.

2. Details of LPGA pushed-back restart

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, originally scheduled for June 19-21, will now be held Aug. 28-30, taking the place of the now canceled UL International Crown.”

“The KPMG Women’s PGA is the latest major to move to a fall date. Originally scheduled for late June, the championship will now be held Oct. 8-11 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.”

“Four other events that were scheduled to take place earlier this spring and then postponed – Volvik Founders Cup, LOTTE Championship, HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open and LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship – have now been canceled for this season. That’s now a total of eight canceled events for 2020 plus the International Crown.”

“The Marathon Classic, Meijer LPGA Classic, new Pelican Women’s Championship and Volunteers of America Classic have all moved to later dates…”

Full details of the schedule.

3. Romo happy to help

Brentley Romine at Golf Channel on Tony Romo’s week at the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational…”Mr. Romo has needed a substitute teacher for a few days this week as he competes in a fundraising tournament at his home club, Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas. The Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational was created to raise money for the club’s caddies, who have been out of work since late March.”

“For Romo, this week’s event has been less about making a statement – the 54-hole event, which features several PGA Tour pros and top amateurs, is the first golf tournament to be played in Texas since the shutdown – and more about giving back. All entry fees ($250 each) will be donated to the caddies while some players have chipped in more.”

“I think more than anything, you’re trying to do good for some small causes,” Romo said. “Everyone in our position has helped out in a lot of different ways and it’s great just to see. The fact that it’s here, it’s local and it’s home, it’s just something that as soon as they were doing it, obviously I wanted to help out. Hopefully you’ll see stuff will slowly start to come back and people will be safe and those people who have been in trouble during this, hopefully we’ve been able to help in a small way.”

Full piece.

4. Faldo on golf without fans

Steve DiMeglio at Golfweek quoting the six-time major champion...”I don’t want to visualize that,” Sir Nick Faldo told Golfweek this week about the possible soundless scenarios due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. “I think matches or games or some tournaments are fine without fans, but finals? I would deem the Ryder Cup a final, just like the Super Bowl and the World Series. And the major championships fall in that line, too.

“You have to have fans for the atmosphere, I would think.”

…”Fans are really more than the atmosphere. They are part of the event,” Faldo said. “I laugh thinking when Tommy Fleetwood does his famous celebration in the Ryder Cup when he holes his putt, he’s going to look around and see nobody and he’s screaming to birds at Whistling Straits? Or Tiger fist-pumps after a huge putt and hears crickets?

Full piece.

5. LPGA testing plans

Golf Channel’s Randall Mell…”PGA commissioner Mike Whan believes testing for COVID-19 could be in large supply by the end of May, but he’s building a safety net by pushing back his tour’s re-start another month to mid-July.”

“He wants to make sure his staff and players have a handle on how testing will work in a revamped world of competition.”

“He also wants to make sure the communities they are visiting feel good about testing’s prevalence with a global roster of players coming their way.”

“I think we’ve bought ourselves a month’s worth of safety and probably sanity, in terms of availability,” Whan said Wednesday in a conference call.”

Full piece.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

4 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