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Morning 9: Incredible win, winner at Women’s Open | Dominant DJ | TW finishes strong, misses fans

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6 years ago

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1 Popov triumphs for shock Women’s Open win
Only in the field thanks to a T9 finish at the Marathon Classic…which she only earned a spot in because so many players were sitting out due to COVID-19 concerns…
  • AP report…”The first professional victory of Sophia Popov’s career came at a major championship on Sunday when the 304th-ranked German won the Women’s Open at Royal Troon.”
  • “Popov recovered from a bogey on the first hole by making five birdies for a 3-under 68 in the final round, leaving her 7 under par overall and two strokes clear of Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand (67).”
  • “Wiping tears from her eyes, Popov tapped in a bogey putt at the last to complete one of the most unlikely wins in the tournament’s history”
2. From LGPA card loser, Lyme Disease sufferer to Women’s Open winner 
Some context for Popov’s surprise win from Golf Digest’s Keely Levins…”A battle with Lyme disease that went undiagnosed for three years and resulted in a 25-pound weight loss, and a game that wasn’t up to the standards she knew she was capable of left the 27-year-old German questioning whether she should continue on as a professional golfer. But Popov instead pushed forward into the 2020 season, believing that this is what she was meant to do…”
  • “In 2019, Popov lost her LPGA card, sending her back to the tour’s Q Series. But that didn’t go well. She missed getting her LPGA card by a shot, landing her on the Symetra Tour. At a time when she wanted to be moving forward with her career, it was a step backward. Then the global pandemic hit, and the shortened Symetra and LPGA schedules resulted in the tour carrying over players’ 2020 status into 2021. Popov was suddenly looking at two seasons on Symetra. Unless, that is, something seemingly impossible happened, and she was able to win a major-one of only two ways to get from Symetra to LPGA for 2021.”
Plenty more worth reading in the full piece.
3. DJ: Winner by 11, World No. 1 again
AP report…”Johnson played the final two holes in near darkness after a late storm delay and finished with a birdie for an 8-under 63 and an 11-shot victory over Harris English.”
  • “It was the 22nd victory of his PGA TOUR career, and he never made it look easier. Johnson won his fifth FedExCup Playoffs event — tied with Rory McIlroy for most — and now leads the FedExCup standings and also returned to No. 1 in the world. He finished at 30-under 254.”
  • “Staked to a five-shot lead over Harris English going into the final round, Johnson sent a towering 7-iron over the water to a front pin on the par-5 second, the ball settling 8 feet next to the pin for an eagle. Two holes later, his 3-wood was placed perfectly in front of the fourth green for a simple up-and-down for birdie.”
4. TW: Final-round 66…T58 finish
PGATour.com’s Jim McCabe writes…“Today,” said Woods, “was good all the way around.”
  • “Indeed, the numbers support that, as he hit 10 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens, and while he would have preferred to have taken fewer than 31 putts, he did make 100 feet of them. That was a vast improvement from Friday (68 feet) and Saturday (45 feet) when he scored poorly, rounds of 71 and 73 digging a massive hole that left him a whopping 21 strokes behind Dustin Johnson through three rounds.”
  • “Not that a round of 66 was going to be called an instant classic, because in this week of deep red numbers, a 5 under effort was ordinary. Indeed, three pairings later, Kevin Na matched the 66, then came a 65 by Troy Merritt and 63 by Robby Shelton.”
  • “In other words, the 66 wasn’t going to open much room for Woods, who started the day 67th and was still tied for 55th after signing for 6-under 278. More to his concern, he knew he was going to lose ground in the FedExCup standings.”
5. …missing the fans
Nick Pietruszkiewicz for ESPN.com quoting the GOAT…“Obviously the energy is not anywhere near the same,” said Woods, who finished at 6 under for the event, near the bottom among those made the cut. “There isn’t the same amount of anxiety and pressure and people yelling at you and trying to grab your shirt, a hat off you. This is a very different world we live in.
  • “You hit good shots and you get on nice little runs, we don’t have the same energy … the same fan energy. It is different. Normally you may have like a Thursday or Friday morning round when there’s no one out here. By the time you get around the turn, people start coming around. But it’s been like that from the word go. And yeah, it is very different.”
  • “In fact, with the absence of fans, Woods revealed he likely has lost a bit of an edge that he held over much of the field. The usual swarm of people on every tee, fairway and green when he’s on the course doesn’t currently exist. Long have playing partners — those alongside him and those playing in front or behind him — had to deal with the commotion that comes with thousands of people following his every move.”
6. Romain! 
AP report…Romain Langasque captured his first European Tour title after shooting a bogey-free, 6-under 65 to win the Wales Open on Sunday.
  • “It tied the lowest round of the week at Celtic Manor and saw him finish on 8 under par overall and two strokes ahead of Sami Valimaki of Finland, who shot 69.”
  • “Sebastian Soderberg, who started the day tied for the lead with Connor Syme, went to the par-5 18th needing a birdie to take Langasque to a playoff.”

Full piece.

7. Lynch: PGA Tour Champions needs Phil
Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…”His presence in Missouri will boost the profile of a circuit that, for all of the fine players peddling their wares out there, thrives most when legends come along. Legends aren’t real plentiful, of course, especially among the generation now graduating to the Champions Tour that had their résumés impoverished by Tiger Woods. Mickelson says he’ll play only a few senior events each year, a listless embrace similar to that of Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, but better than Johnny Miller’s no-show.”
  • “The PGA Tour Champions needs more, because the next superstar in its queue doesn’t turn 50 until December of 2025, and a man with young kids, a healthy portfolio and an unhealthy body isn’t a good bet to be pegging it against a 68-year-old Bernhard Langer every week.”
  • “It also deserves more. Sure, it may be littered with guys who couldn’t get your pulse racing if they were clapping you with a defibrillator, but the Champions Tour still brings big-time golf to small-town America and permits Cinderella stories worth rooting for. Exhibit ‘A’: Scott Parel.”
8. Curtis Luck: KFT winner
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…“When Curtis Luck stepped on the first tee Sunday afternoon at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, he and playing competitor Cameron Young, just a shot off of Luck’s lead entering the day, shared a common aim: Let’s put on a good show.”
  • “…If Luck’s even-par 71 lacked the type of fireworks accustomed on the Korn Ferry Tour, it made up for it in grit. Luck’s clutch up-and-down par on the 72nd hole earned the 24-year-old Australian his first victory as a professional, a one-shot triumph over Young (71), Theo Humphrey (67) and Taylor Montgomery (68) at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.”
9. Today in freak injuries on the PGA Tour…
“Nick Pietruszkiewicz at ESPN.com…PGA Tour rookie Scottie Scheffler’s wild week took another turn Sunday in the final round of The Northern Trust, when his caddie, Scott McGuinness, went down in the ninth fairway with a leg injury and had to be carted off the golf course.”
  • “Eric Ledbetter, one of the assistant golf professionals at TPC Boston, was soon handed the caddie bib and took over on the bag on a day when temperatures hovered in the high 80s. Ledbetter, wearing pants while the rest of the caddies had on shorts, grabbed a bottle of water and headed off to join Scheffler on the 10th tee.”
  • “Scheffler said he thinks McGuinness will be OK.”
9b. DJ’s winning WITB
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (10.5 @10 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 X 
Fairway woods: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees, 21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X, Fujikura Ventus Black 105 proto
Irons: TaylorMade P730 DJ Proto (3-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 
Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (52-09, 60-10 @ 62 degrees)
Shafts: KBS Tour Custom Black 120 S
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Limited Itsy Bitsy
Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Pistol GT 1.0
Ball: TaylorMade TP5X
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 

 

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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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Tour Photo Galleries

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

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3 hours ago

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Jun 3, 2026

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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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2 days ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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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.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

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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