News

Tour Rundown: A tale of 2 nines decides Sony Open

Published

4 years ago

Jan 17, 2022

The second week of 2022 professional golf on the US PGA Tour saw the traveling band remain in Hawaii, albeit only after a move from the island of Maui to the enclave of Oahu. The Waialae Country Club, originally designed by the skilled Seth Raynor, rewards the thoughtful player. Its traditional routing and distance demand the ability to negotiate angles and turns, as well as back off from the long ball. Architect Tom Doak’s restoration of Raynor features and inclinations returned the course to its authentic state. Waialae finds a way to reward the strategist, and it will be no surprise if a true ball-worker hoists the winner’s trophy on Sunday afternoon.

Thursday: Na Leads The Way

Kevin Na, the defending champion, turned up the heat on Thursday afternoon with a stellar round of 61. Na went out in 29, highlighted by a rifled hybrid to ten feet at the ninth hole. He converted the eagle putt to reach six-under on the day. Na added three more birdies coming home, and took a one-shot advantage over Russell Henley and Jim Furyk. Henley’s round was flawless, with the only difference being birdie at nine, rather than eagle. Furyk had a bogey on hole number one, but countered that with a number of birdies and the beauty that you see below at the 17th hole. Five other players turned in rounds of 63, ensuring that low scores in Hawaii will continue for the second consecutive week.

An ace for the leader @SonyOpenHawaii! ?@JimFuryk makes the sixth hole-in-one of his career and first since 2011. pic.twitter.com/UX5aXi0tb2

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 13, 2022

Friday: where’d they go?

Of the three Thursday leaders, only one stood tall on day two of Hawaii’s second PGA caravan stop. While Kevin Na (71) and Jim Furyk (72) each soared 10 strokes higher than his opening round, Russell Henley dropped but one stroke over day one. His 63 on day two was a wild affair. It included a pair of bogeys, and also a pair of eagles. Threes at the 9th and 18th holes melded with five birdies, to give the South Carolina resident a three-shot lead over a resurgent Haotong Li. Li followed his 63 with 65 on day two, to reach 12-under par. Matt Kuchar added 64 to his opening 64, to reach -11. Michael Thompson was the only other contestant at double-digits under par; his 63-67 stood him at minus-ten. The cut fell at five-under par, meaning a pair of 68s earned nothing more than a rescheduled return flight, or a pair of days on the beach.

6-under on his final 6 holes. ?

An eagle at the last.@RussHenleyGolf leads by 3 @SonyOpenHawaii. pic.twitter.com/ySFE47Y9PB

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 14, 2022

Saturday: holding on

Round three at Waialae was a game of chess. Russell Henley won the SONY Open nine years ago, reaching 24-under par. His day three was not the stumble that Na and Furyk experienced on Friday, and he escaped moving day with a two-shot lead intact. Making a bold move with his knights and bishops was current Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. The stalwart from Japan chipped away with birdies and pars, posting seven under par on the day, to move three spaces up the leaderboard. As with last week, a lesser-known, lesser-decorated golfer will spar with a growing legend and current major champion. Cameron Smith was able to hold off Jon Rahm last week in Kapalua. Might Henley repeat the same formula? Poised to pounce if the leaders stumble, is a quartet of challengers at -14. The United Nations of Adam Svensson (Canada), Seamus Power (Ireland), Haotong Li (China) and Matt Kuchar (USA) will need to go 62-low to have a chance on Sunday, and that’s what makes it fun.

By the way, if Henley tosses a day-four 64 to match his 24-under total from 2013, this writer says that he will once again lift the trophy.

Back on top.@RussHenleyGolf has the solo lead once again. pic.twitter.com/jsEfRL1wSh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 16, 2022

Sunday: a tale of two nines

We all know the notion of how the Masters doesn’t really begin until the back nine on Sunday. It’s both a truism and a myth. Tournaments begin in round one, but the nitty-gritty of regular and major events often takes place over a three-hour period in round four. No place was this more in evidence than Waialae on Sunday in 2022. Russell Henley stood at -18 when he teed off, then played the front nine in a sublime 29, including eagle at the 9th. He moved to 24-under par, the same total that won him this event in 2013. Remember what I wrote on Saturday evening (see above) about that number?

Chasing him was playing partner Hideki Matsuyama. The Masters champion played the same stretch in three-under, but found himself five in arrears as they turned to the inward half. Roughly two hours later, Henley had dropped a shot after playing the back in plus-one 36. Matsuyama, meanwhile, made birdie at two of the final four holes to complete a closing 31. Just like that, the five shot lead had disappeared, and Henley found himself in a gut-wrenching playoff. Had Henley finished at -24, he would have won in regulation.

The pair returned to the par-five, closing hole, the one where Isao Aoki holed from 110 yards to defeat Jack Renner in regulation. Well, Aoki’s shot may have been relegated to the second-best finisher on the last at Waialae. From 277 yards out, Matsuyama ripped a three-metal into the setting sun. It moved gently rightward on a cut arc, and settled softly on the putting surface. When it rolled to 24 inches, the tournament was complete. Henley’s six were twice the strokes that heroic Hideki required, and the 8th PGA Tour title of the young champion’s career was secured.

The tour leaves the islands for the mainland, setting down in the California desert this week. Si Woo Kim looks to defend his title at The American Express in La Quinta.

UNREAL SHOT. ?

Hideki delivers a beauty from 277 yards out on the first playoff hole! pic.twitter.com/qT8ByiAVrm

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 17, 2022

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