News

Tour Rundown: When Brooks Koepka is on (and healthy)…

Published

5 years ago

Feb 8, 2021

The first weekend in February brought touring golfers to distinct desert locations: Phoenix and Saudi Arabia. The Phoenix Open and the Saudi International featured powerhouse fields, affording viewers across the world an opportunity to watch tension build and greatness triumph. In neither case were the viewers disappointed. Until the spring truly arrives, the world’s other major tours (LPGA, Korn Ferry, Champions) will have staggered starts. Get comfortable for now with the potent, one-two punch of US and Euro PGA Tours.

PGA Tour: Phoenix Open is Koepka’s 8th Tour title

Brooks Koepka now has as many non-major, PGA Tour titles as he does majors. His second Phoenix Open arrived six years after his first, and it came by the slimmest of margins for a second time. Koepka and other chasers benefitted from spotty play by overnight leaders Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele. The inability of the final tandem to separate from the field offered great hope, and the pursuers took advantage. The first to fire, and fall back, was James Hahn. Remembered for his Gangnam Style dance at the 16th hole last decade, Hahn reached six-under on the day, and 19-deep for the week, until the limelight reeled him in. Four bogies from the 11th hole on, including both par-five holes and the pitch’n putt 17th, relegated him to a 10th place finish. Next came Carlos Ortiz, whose six birdies and one eagle brought him to first place, on the strength of a 64. Alas, Ortiz began too far back, and made one bogey too many, to reach Koepka-ville. It was the West Palm Leviathan who seized the event late, but with a soft touch, not a disintegrating strike.

When Koepka is on…

No one plays better. Koepka combines the raw power of a long-drive champion with the surgeon’s touch of a short-game wizard. When they pair, he is unstoppable. How else to consider the beautiful pitch and run that he played from nowhere at the 17th hole? His tee shot brought him within feet of the green, but left a swale between him and a tucked hole location. Eschewing a safe play, the four-time major titleist took dead aim at the flag, landed his lofter just past the fringe, and smiled as it rolled, obediently, toward the promised land. As if its destiny had always been to find the bottom of the cup, the ball diverged not one iota. The eagle two jumped Koepka to 19-deep, the number that would ultimately hold Xander Schauffele and Kyoung-Hoon Lee at bay.

When others falter

Oh, the list is long for this one. Begin with Jordan Spieth, who had everyone in a time capsule headed for 2014. His third-round 61 preceded a last-day 72, and a tumble from first to fourth. Spieth was tentative, and his putter cooled off significantly from Saturday. The good news is, he made it 75% of the way back; the bad news is that he had the hard 25% to go. Xander Schauffele, Spieth’s playing partner, played uninspired golf as well … until he stopped … then restarted. Schauffele stood two-over on the day when he reached the 15th tee. Birdie there and birdie at 16 brought him to the leader’s doorstep, until he went hard-left at 17 and found the water. A closing birdie at 18 brought him into a tie for 2nd with Lee, and reminded him what might have been, had he played 17 better.

And others leave with optimism

Steve Stricker, that old guy from Wisconsin, that Ryder Cup captain, has put aging on hold for a bit. Stricker challenged all week long, and snuck into a tie for fourth with Spieth and Ortiz. Dude can always pick himself for September at Whistling Straits, if not enough US guys impress him. Lee and Ortiz have one PGA Tour title between them, and top-four finishes offer encouragement toward the next one. And meet Matthew NeSmith, a junior phenom who had a decent college career at South Carolina, but appeared to pause in development over those four years. His time on the Korn Ferry Tour reaped benefits, and this week, NeSmith lead after 18, and hung around for a seventh-place tie.

European Tour: Johnson claims ninth European Tour title

All right, nine might be a bit misleading. Five of those wins are WGC events, co-sponsored by every tour under the sun. Two of them are major titles, which leaves two more. Both happen to be Saudi International titles, spaced two years apart. In other words, Johnson has never won on European soil, but who really cares beyond this writer? The big man from coastal South Carolina seized the lead on day three and withstood resurgent challenges from Justin Rose and Tony Finau, and also held on to his world number-one ranking.

Over the course of 72 holes, Johnson stumbled twice. His double-bogey on Saturday shrunk his lead, and his bogey at the 16th gave others hope. Rose has rediscovered his accurate iron play, since dropping a set of Mizunos into his bag. Finau, he of the Tongan and Samoan heritage, he of the fire dances, he of myriad close calls and runners-up, finished runner-up again. Some say, if you hang around long enough, you’ll break through. Others say, if you finish runner-up enough times, you’ll make a career of it. Hard to say which will come to pass for Finau. As for Rose, well, he has US Open and Olympic titles on his resume, so he’s just fine, thank you.

The golf world needs the Rose Motel

Life is good when Justin Rose is winning. Don’t ask me to define the why of that statement. We’re talking about a guy who endeared himself to us as an amateur, overcame the most horrendous start to a professional career of all, represented his country in Brasil, when others opted out with little justification, and most recently, funded a tour for European lady professionals, to help them through the Pandemic. Now that he has Mizuno irons in his bag, things seem to be looking up for the Englishman.

Hatton down the hatches

I’m still big on Tyrrell Hatton to shine in 2021, but he did himself no favors with a bogey-bogey start on Sunday. He needs to challenge each time that he’s in the mix, and for a time, he looked to do that on Sunday. Birdies at four and five returned him to level par for the day, but that was it until a third birdie arrived at the 18th hole. Twelve consecutive pars will not do the job for the expressive Englishman.

Hov game, will travel

Viktor Hovland won’t be mistaken for Gary Player just yet. For one thing, he’s taller. Nevertheless, Hovland is making a name as one whose game travels well. Norway’s finest golfer missed not a beat as he moved from challenging last week in San Diego, to finishing top ten in the middle east. The combination of fitness and positive demeanor wear well for the 23-year old, Oklahoma State product.

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