News

Tour Rundown: Genesis Invitational to Homa for win #2

Published

5 years ago

Feb 22, 2021

Just like that, the #WestCoastWaddle is behind us. After memorable weeks in SoCal, NoCal, PhoCal, and more SoCal, the caravan of sojourning skalds traverses the continent in three brief days. Thursday finds the elite on the west coast of Florida, for the WGC-Workday, while those without such status peg their pelota in Puerto Rico. The LPGA and Champions return after a month’s vacay, while the European Tour joins in the fun at The Concession for The Workday. This week, storied Riviera offered us a delayed third round and a playoff-capped day four. In west Florida, a trie of ingenues also met in a playoff for the first Korn Ferry title of the year of the Ox. Allow us to run down this pair of events for you, as February enters its final week.

PGA Tour: Genesis Invitational to Homa for win #2

Time to coin a hashtag: #Qwitter. It’s when you Quit Twitter and get work done. Max Homa used to be @Twitter darling, with his takes on her swing, his swing, your swing (but not my swing!) Along the way, the Walker Cupper and budding star lost a bit of his way. By giving up the side bustle, Homa rediscovered his game. On Sunday, Homa broke out five birdies against zero bogies (not easy to do in Hogan’s Canyons) and reached 12 deep on the scorecard. Overnight leader Sam Burns (seriously, wasn’t he, like, all-week leader?) stood at 13-under par after an outward 31 on day four and then … he lost it. Bogey at 12, 14, and 15 brought him back to the field. Birdie at 17 gave him hope, but par at the last gave him a third-place finish. Tasty and traumatic in one gulp, Burns heads to Florida with retribution on his mind.

Homa wasn’t the only guy to reach a dozen-deep on Sunday. Tony Finau lit Riviera up with eight birdies on the high holy day. Trouble for him was, he made a bogey … on the 16th. He then made birdie at 17 and 18, to catch Homa. How does he not win? Because he’s Tony Finau, and weird things happen when he’s in the mix. Homa and Finau headed off to the devilish 10th hole for overtime, and both escaped with pars at the shortest par-six in the game. From there, they bounced over to the par-three 14th, where the bell rang. Finau found a bunker off the tee, while Homa roped an iron into the way-left hole location. Homa’s two-putt par sealed victory when Finau could not get his sandy.

The win was vindication for Homa, and gut-wrenching for Finau. Let’s be honest: even @SamHarrop wants @tonyfinaugolf to win again. Here’s hoping it’s something big for the man from Utah.

Korn Ferry: LECOM Suncoast Invitational decided with Buckley’s birdie

It sounds about right that three guys from, respectively, Lipscomb, Missouri, and UNLV met in a playoff at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. The Korn Ferry Tour is the proving ground for the PGA Tour, and few talents move straight to the top circuit. Hayden Buckley (Missouri) and Billy Kennerly (Clemson) shared the lead at -12 through 54 holes. Buckley shot minus-one on Sunday, while Kennerly finished double-single, to drop from 15-under to 11 deep. Debilitating, but not uncommon, right?

Well, the event wasn’t over. Kennerly came fourth, because Dawson Armstrong (Lipscomb) also made bogey at the last, to lose the outright lead. Oh, and Taylor Montgomery (UNLV) made his own bogey at 16, but etched pars at 17 and 18 on his card, to finish with Armstrong and Buckely at a dozen under par. Nothing like being in contention, to make the hands sweat, the knees shake, and the head think thoughts that no golfer should think.

Away they went. Buckley, Armstrong and Montgomery, to the 18th hole, to settle matters. Buckley maneuvered his approach some ten feet behind the hole and, with his poodle and significant other looking on, drained the birdie effort to eliminate good friend Armstrong and Montgomery. The Korn Ferry Tour takes a four-week break until late March, when it reconvenes in Louisiana for the Chitimacha Louisiana Open, in Broussard.

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