News

5 things we learned: Saturday at the Travelers

Published

6 years ago

Jun 28, 2020

The rains came to the Hartford area around 12:30 on Saturday. Thanks to the meteorological skills of the PGA Tour’s advance planners, the golfers were gone from the greens by noon-thirty. Using split tees from seven to nine am, all those who made the cut were able to complete 18 holes on what was essentially Saturday morning. It was like a British Open, in terms of the time for the USA, and almost for the weather.

Before we get to the five things we learned on half-Saturday, here’s a bonus one: don’t bet this house. My predictions from Friday were as wretched as the afternoon weather, so bad that they are laughable. We’ll take a look at some of them, blended with the news of the day. That written (and read), here are the five things that we learned on Saturday at the Travelers.

1. Dustin Johnson did not exit

This prognosticator nominated Johnson as Most likely to make a Saturday exit. Well, nah. The big, bearded one had nine birdies and nine pars, for a cool 61. He had four on the front and five on the back. He reached 16-under par and secured a spot in Sunday’s final threesome. He’ll walk ’round with Brendon Todd (the leader) and Kevin Streelman (the next chaser.) Todd’s round mirrored Johnson’s; the Georgian had five birdies on the front and four on the back. If you have a rotten memory, let’s refresh Todd in November of last year. Two wins in consecutive weeks, with an almost-third a week later. The magic hasn’t left just yet, although this one will be a tough one to secure. As for Streelman, six years have passed since his second and last win. For a deep refresh, that win came at this event, and he closed it out with seven consecutive birdies. Hot time on the old town on Sunday, for sure!

2. Phil played like phifty

The Phil prediction was embedded in a paragraph, and not a separate line of its own. It basically suggested that the lefthander, who recently joined the AARP crowd, was most likely to do good things on Saturday. Instead, he did meh things. Two birdies, three bogeys, abandoned by his putter, six shots behind the leaders. What’s left for Phil? Go low on Sunday and take 3 of 4 away from this week. He ain’t winning; he would need 59 on Sunday to have a shot. Someone will reach at least 20 or 21-under par for the week, and Phil will need super-low to match that. Will Gordon, paired with Mickelson, played like a Will Gordon should. He made far too many mistakes (four bogies and a double) to counteract any number of birdies (five on the day) he could possibly attain. Gordon would have needed the nine birdies that Johnson and Todd each made, in order to remain relevant. The experience he took away from Saturday was valuable; what’s left for him is the same as what’s left for Phil. In Gordon’s case, a big check will mean a lot more.

3. Ancer not the answer

It’s not that Abraham Ancer played poorly on shortened Saturday. He was in position through nine holes, at four-under on the day. Then, the game left him, and he played the first four holes on the back in plus-two. Zoinks! Ancer recovered with two birdies coming home, but his 66 that should have been a 63 or 64, left him at 12-under par.

4. Two guys that proved me a bit right

Guess what a 60 gets you? A two-day pass. Mackenzie Hughes was less than brilliant again, but he held it together for best round in the final group and will tee off in the penultimate threesome with Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na. That ridiculous 60 that Hughes posted on Thursday was his ticket to contention on Sunday. On Saturday, Hughes was kinda like Nick Faldo in a British Open. He had 2 birdies and 16 pars. He’s not making mistakes, which leads me to believe that he just might pull it off on Sunday. If he finds the birdie machine on Sunday, the Maple Leaf might fly over Cromwell, Connecticut.

The other, fulfilled prediction was Bryson, as Most likely to paint the round for what it was. One quote, making the rounds in golf journalism, involves his aspiration to be the house in gambling parlance. As we know, the house always wins. Whether it is his golf e.q. or his physics i.q., Bryson finds driving lines that no one else does, and he proceeds to hit them. Being 3o yards longer off the tee, thanks to being built like a brick house, compels him to move into a different echelon of thinker and planner. Will there be enough fairway for his line? If not, plan B.

Want more honesty from BD? Try this: Yeah, like today there was plenty of shots where I had these massive jumpers and I don’t understand them one bit. We don’t understand, they come out randomly, and those are things that kind of dumbfound me, and that’s golf. If I could figure that out, I’d be that much closer to figuring out the game. That will never happen.

One more for the road from BD: I’ve slowed down a little bit because I’m guiding it with the driver right now, not 100 percent confident with it, but I’m working hard to figure out what I had at Colonial and RBC. It’s not bad, obviously; it’s just not exactly where I want it where I can get up on the tee box and let it go and know it’s going straight.

5. Day four predictions

Most likely to win on Sunday: Kevin Na. Such an edgy competitor. Should have been picked by Tiger for Team USA at the President’s Cup last fall. I’m predicting a 62 for 21-under par. Hey-hey-hey … Goodbye!

Most likely to post best round from final trio: Kevin Streelman. He’ll be the forgotten one, for sure. He’ll post 64 and enter a playoff with Na, but will miss out by a hair.

Most likely to get a bad break: Bryson DeChambeau. Don’t know why and don’t know where, but it’s coming.

The numbers game: Time to go out on a limb and call it as I don’t see (because you know what happens when I soothsay!)

Todd: 71 for 17-under
Johnson: 68 for 18-under
Streelman: 64 for 21-under
DeChambeau: 67 for 16-under
Na: 62 for 21-under and the win in overtime
Hughes: 65 for 19-under

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

22 hours ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ben A

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

1 day 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