News

5 things we learned Friday at the 2022 US Open

Published

4 years ago

Jun 17, 2022

The leaderboard tightened considerably at the top, on day two of the 2022 U.S. Open. 5 under par became the new standard for excellence, where two sat atop the board. Five more reached 4 under, with eight more at three deep. A total of 23 golfers broke par after two days, but now comes the weekend and the superintendent’s revenge. Watch for trickier hole locations and a few more big numbers.

In the middle of the field, the cut was set at +3, which meant that 54 golfers would advance to the weekend, while 92 more would drive past The Country Club gates one last time. Cameron Young made the most spirited run at survival. Following two bogeys and a quad to start his final nine, the former Demon Deacon went birdie, ace, birdie, birdie, to get to +4. His attempt at another three on the 18th went wanting, and Young was on the outside, gazing in.

That's a 1??!

Cameron Young with the 48th hole-in-one in #USOpen history. pic.twitter.com/5YjmDDGOSZ

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

1. 2013 US Amateur Experience Edge Goes to Scheffler

With all the attention that the important golf media (aka this writer) paid to Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler was overlooked. The 2022 Masters champion was three matches shy of earning the 2013 US Amateur crown. Scheffler qualified out of match play with a 144 total, 10 behind the medalists. In match play, he dispatched Stewart Jolly, Brandon Hagy, and Matthias Schwab, before falling on the 18th green to co-medalist Brady Watt.

On Friday at Brookline, Scheffler played his first six hole in +2 figures, and was staring at a missed cut. As major champions do, the Texan found his game. The next twelve holes saw three birdies and one eagle join eight pars, and Scheffler moved from two-over to three-under par. Fitzpatrick survived a three-bogey run with a pair of closing birdies, totalled par for day two, and ended 36 at two-under par, one back of Scheffler.

Trust what works.

Describe Scottie Scheffler's action using one emoji below ??

4D swings are powered by @Cisco. pic.twitter.com/scnhQY74Of

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

2. Longhorn Nation is Chanting “Vick”

Travis Vick led three amateurs into the final 36 holes, on the wings of his Friday round of one-under par. Vick began the day at even par, and parlayed four birdies against three birdies to move inside the top twenty. Behind the UTexas golfer stood fellow amateurs Austin Greaser at +2, and Sam Bennett and Stewart Hagestad at +3. Greaser qualified into the Open as runner-up in the 2021 US Amateur, Hagestad as 2021 US Mid-Amateur champion, while Vick and Bennett qualified in through preliminary rounds.

Fred Biondi was one of the amateurs who missed the cut, but he’ll take this memory away from Brookline.

Making those Gator fans proud with a hole-out eagle! #USOpen @FredBiondi | @GatorsGolf pic.twitter.com/johWA3nCCy

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

3. Where’d these guys come from?

Hayden Buckley, Aaron Wise, and Beau Hossler sit on four-under par after 36 holes. Nick Hardy, Matthew NeSmith, and Patrick Rodgers lie in wait at three deep. All are decorated golfers, having earned their stripes in NCAA, Amateur individual, and Amateur team play. Now they find themselves in rarefied air, near the top of the leader’s chart at the US Open. Every kid’s dream, for sure, but every adult’s nightmare. The eyes of the world are on them, but this is what they’ve trained, sacrificed, and sweated for. As we saw in May, a Mito Pereira can come agonizingly close to stunning the world with a major title from nowhere. Can one of the aforementioned names take the next step and achieve it? Perhaps, with shots like this one.

In the house at -4! @hbuckley13 finishes his second round with an unlikely birdie. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/4gUs3iomvt

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

4. Where everybody knows your name

Defending champion Jon Rahm is at four under par, alongside 2011 winner Rory McIlroy. Brooks Koepka is a bit farther away but, after 67 on Friday, is positioned well to avoid the spiked greens that the later starters will face on day three. As a two-time Open champion, Koepka knows how to resolve this sort of matter in his favor. At minus-one are are Will Zalatoris and Xander Schauffele. Z and X are two of the players most often mentioned as Best Player To Never Win A Major, and each would love to shed that title. Our money is on one of these five players, or the guy that you’ll read about in point number five. Let’s have some fun for the next two days.

The first #USOpen eagle of Jon Rahm's pro career moves him within a shot of the lead. pic.twitter.com/PnMgPZEJ2K

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

5. The final pairing includes two fan favorites

Fans love Collin Morikawa because he smiles all the time, and he is a proven winner. With two major title to his credit, a win at the US Open would leave him a Masters shy of a career grand slam. Fans love Joel Dahmen because he wears a 1970s B-Movie stash and a wide-brimmed sombrero, along with a razor-sharp wit. If this were a night of stand-up, our money would be on Dahmen. It’s not, so we have to ride with Morikawa. That said, do we hope and pray that Dahmen will keep up and shine? Absolutely. After all, he just needs to keep doing this to stay in the hunt and keep us smiling.

From nearly 60 feet…DRAINO! @Joel_Dahmen regains a share of the lead. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/TOS4cMEPNl

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

3 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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

3 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