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

Published

3 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.

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Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship

Published

8 hours ago

May 7, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.

From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.

Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.

General Albums

2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.

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SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips

Published

1 day ago

May 6, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”

“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”

Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.

According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”

CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.

“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.

Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history

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Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar

Published

1 day ago

May 6, 2024

Ronald Montesano

Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.

It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place

The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.

This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.

With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.

360° and in!

A nervy par save by @TaylorPendrith to remain one back as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory @CJByronNelson. pic.twitter.com/LVFXUSidSg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 5, 2024

DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four

It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.

It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.

.@adrianotaegui birdies the 16th to tie the lead at -17 ?#VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/p4tfE5DRJa

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 5, 2024

PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella

Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.

64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.

.@TBalla21 eagles 17, shoots 65 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the KIA Open. pic.twitter.com/TTOL2LxSdh

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) May 4, 2024

PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win

Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.

The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.

Off the green? No worries for @ScottDu12500063

8-under solo leader @InsperityInvtnl pic.twitter.com/hoj5OujL5C

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 4, 2024

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