News

Morning 9: Validation for DJ & Austin, legacy adjustment? | Tiger | Dizziness, mistakes doom Bryson | All hail Cam Smith

Published

6 years ago

Nov 16, 2020

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt

Email me at [email protected]; and find me on Twitter and Instagram.

November 15, 2020

Good Monday morning, golf fans.

1. A second major victory, at last

GWAA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bill Fields for Masters.com…(Referring to Johnson on the tee box at Golden Bell… ”Johnson did not dawdle before hitting an 8-iron. His ball and three-stroke lead carried safely to the green, 21 feet left of the flagstick. There was a deep breath followed by a half-smile and a pivotal par, with three consecutive birdies after that, assuring this big one wasn’t going to get away from Johnson as a handful of others had.

“…He shot a final-round 68 to accompany previous scores of 65, 70 and 65 to finish at 20-under 268, breaking the Tournament record of 270 shared by Woods (1997) and Jordan Spieth (2015). Johnson, 36, also tied the all-time major scoring mark in relation to par held by Jason Day at (2015 PGA Championship) and Henrik Stenson (2016 The Open).

“Johnson defeated Cameron Smith of Australia and Sungjae Im of South Korea by five strokes. Smith lost despite becoming the first player in Masters history to shoot four rounds in the 60s. Justin Thomas was fourth at 276, with Rory McIlroy and Dylan Frittelli tying for fifth.”

“Welcome to the club,” Bubba Watson, wearing his Green Jacket, told Johnson by the 18th green.

Full piece.

2. “Dumb and Dumber” to Masters champs

ESPN’s Bob Harig…”You ever hear of that movie, ‘Dumb and Dumber?”’ one prominent player asked during a practice round with Johnson several years ago. He then pointed to Dustin and Austin and smiled.”

“No malice was meant, and certainly all of the players in the game are aware of Johnson’s immense talent…”

“The first hug afterward went to Austin, who has come of age just as his brother has in recent years, forming a partnership that is now quite formidable, as Johnson has a remarkable 24 PGA Tour wins at age 36.”

“When I started, I was more of a buddy, someone for him to hang out with,” Austin said beside the Augusta National putting green before the green-jacket ceremony. “I’m a decent player. I know the game. But being a top caddie? Not even close.”

“But I was a sponge. If I got close to [Jim] Bones Mackay [Phil Mickelson’s former longtime caddie], I wouldn’t leave his side. I’d ask him everything I could. John Wood [another longtime caddie]. At these team events. I just learned. And earned [Dustin’s] trust. And it’s gotten to where now he’s leaned on me pretty heavily out there. I’m just glad it has worked out the way it has.”

Full piece.

3. More on Dustin/Austin

Michael Rosenberg for Sports Illustrated…”Austin is not one of those revered caddie savants; he recently marveled at Dustin’s ability to hit a great shot even when Austin gives him the wrong yardage, which is not the kind of thing most caddies would say. But Austin is the right caddie for Dustin. He helps his brother get to the right mental place.”

“And so when Dustin says he didn’t know where he stood, what he means is: “Not exactly. I mean, I assumed I had the lead, but I didn’t know by how many.” He knew if he shot two under or better he would almost certainly win. He knew he was four under through 17. When Austin said he had a five-shot lead, D.J. responded, “I think I can handle this one.” He knew what he had to do next: See ball, hit ball, see putt, leave putt short, hole the tap-in. He finished at 20-under, five strokes ahead of Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith.”

Full piece.

4. First COVID-19 major winner a fitting finale to major golf in 2020

It’s a footnote, and maybe more relevant because it meant he’s only a month removed from nearly 2 weeks without touching his golf clubs…

Christine Brennan for USA Today…”It was just a month ago that Johnson spent 11 days by himself in a Las Vegas hotel room, quarantining after a positive COVID test. He had “very minor” COVID symptoms, he said.”

“I felt like I had a cold. A little bit of a fever for maybe 36 hours. But after that, I felt fine. The worst part about it was the quarantining in the room for so long.”

“Johnson said Sunday that he knew he wasn’t going to miss the Masters, but being away from the game for a couple of weeks wasn’t helping matters. “

“Granted, you sit in a hotel room for two weeks, it doesn’t do a lot for the golf game,” he said. “But I put a lot of work in last week, and this week, and I was fortunate that I was able to keep the game in good form.”

Full piece.

5. Cam Smith’s incredible week

Ben Everill for PGATour.com…”Still contemplating what might have been, the 27-year-old two-time PGA TOUR winner walked off Augusta National as the first player ever to record four rounds in the 60s at the Masters. In 84 versions of this tournament it had never been done before.”

“Not by Tiger Woods, nor Jack Nicklaus. Not by Arnold Palmer or Phil Mickelson. Or Gary Player. Not Bobby Jones or Gene Sarazen. No one.”

“But despite the feat, Smith was not heading to Butler Cabin to get a new Green Jacket. Not even close. He had run into a buzzsaw. FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson was five shots clear at the top.”

“…Smith not only entered the record books for his sub-70 rounds, but his 15-under 273 total was the best ever by a runner up. He shared that mark with his International Presidents Cup teammate Sungjae Im. In all but seven previous Masters 15 under would have won.”

Full piece.

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6. Rory’s career grand slam bid undone by treacherous Thursday

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”For a brief moment on the first nine, after he birdied the eighth hole to improve to 11 under and climb within four strokes of Dustin Johnson, McIlroy thought there was a glimmer of hope that he could achieve a comeback for the ages.”

“But then the wind sort of got up as we hit the turn, and it just was hard to make birdies,” McIlroy said. “Dustin is just playing such solid golf. It was probably wishful thinking on my part.”

“McIlroy, 31, rebounded from a poor first round at Augusta National to shoot 3-under 69 on Sunday and finish with a 72-hole aggregate of 11-under 277. That was good for a share of fifth place with Dylan Frittelli, and McIlroy’s third career top 5 at the Masters.”

“When McIlroy assesses what went wrong this time in his sixth attempt to complete the career Grand Slam, he’s going to remember the tee shot he snap-hooked into the woods at No. 13 that led to bogey and pulling his tee shot into the water at the par-3 16th on Friday morning. His swing looked out of sorts and it appeared that McIlroy might be headed for a short stay at Augusta.”

Full Piece

7. Rahm rues missed opportunities

Will Cheney for the Augusta Chronicle…”He sat at 9-under-par after a Friday 66, putting him in a great spot heading into the weekend. Then, little went right for the 26-year-old Spaniard. After struggling on the second nine in the third round, he played even-par through the first nine Sunday.”

“With a bogey on No. 10 and a double-bogey on No. 12, he rallied to go 4-under over the next six holes to finish with 71. It was another case of not being able to take advantage of the conditions, while others did.”

“I don’t even know what to say. Just the whole thing of the week, I couldn’t get anything going. I started poorly, made the good birdie on 2, but after that, every option I had, I just didn’t make it,” he said. “I had good putts on 3 and 8. I thought I made them. None of them went in. Then all the other shots just weren’t quite as precise as they need to be at Augusta. It is what it is.”

Full Piece

8. Brotherhood of the traveling green jacket

Tiger Woods surrendered the garment some 19 months after his surreal 2019 Masters triumph. Surreal as well: His final round at the 2020 Masters included a 10 at the par-3 12th and birdies on five of the final six holes to tie for 38th.

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“I hit a few too many shots than I wanted to today, and I will not have the chairman be putting the green jacket on me,” sighed Woods, who had more than an hour to wait before he slipped a green jacket over a new champion’s shoulders. “I’ll be passing it on.”

“Like that, Tiger’s 19 odd months as reigning Masters champion were over, his final nine holes at Augusta National a flawless dichotomy of that chapter, complete with devastating lows and emotionally charged highs.”

“The physical toll was unmistakable. The slow walk, the delicate move to pluck his golf ball from the hole, the deliberate swing motions, this was not Tiger at his best – but then, that’s a moving target these days. And then there was the emotional cost of his return.

Full Piece

9. Dizziness, mistakes doom Bryson

Look, unless you think he’s lying or experiencing something psychosomatic, I think it’s best to save the jokes about Bryson’s plan as he seems to be experiencing legitimate health issues…

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”DeChambeau, the pre-Masters betting favorite, was tied for 34th when he came off the course. It was his fourth straight finish outside the top 20 at Augusta National.”

“At the beginning of the week, I felt like I could have a great chance to win the tournament if I just played my game,” DeChambeau said. “Shoot, I made enough birdies this week and eagles to have a chance to win. There’s no doubt about that. I made way too many mistakes that I’ve got to talk about with my caddie and go, ‘Hey, how do we not make these mistakes anymore, how can we work better as a team to have that not happen?'”

“DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September, had two birdies, along with an eagle on the par-5 13th hole on Sunday, but also had a double bogey on the par-4 fifth and three more bogeys.”

…DeChambeau said he was still experiencing dizziness on the course on Sunday. He didn’t feel well and had a COVID-19 test on Friday night. It came back negative.

“I’ve got to fix whatever is going on up here,” he said. “I have no idea. Just dizziness. It’s only when I go from down to up, so I can’t even like think and talk right now.”

Full Piece

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

2 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