News

Morning 9: McIlroy returns to #1 | Lynch on fall season | Retiring with an ace

Published

4 years ago

Oct 24, 2022

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.

For comments: [email protected].

October 24, 2022

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Rory McIlroy returns to the summit of the sport.

1. PGA Tour: Rory wins, takes top spot in OWGR

BBC report…”Rory McIlroy returned to the top of the world rankings for the first time in more than two years by retaining his CJ Cup title in South Carolina.

The Northern Irishman claimed a one-shot win at Congaree Golf Club, shooting a four-under-par 67 to finish the tournament on 17 under.

American Kurt Kitayama also hit 67 on Sunday, and briefly drew level with McIlroy thanks to a birdie at the 12th.

However McIlroy made three straight birdies of his own to pull clear.

“It means a lot,” said an emotional McIlroy after claiming his 23rd PGA Tour win.

“I’ve worked so hard over the past 12 months to get myself back to this place. I feel like I’m enjoying this game as much as I ever have.

“I absolutely love the game of golf and when I go out there and play with that joy, it has definitely showed over these past 12 months. It feels awesome.”

Full piece.

2. Europe: Yannik Paul takes Mallorca Golf Open

DP World Tour report…“On an afternoon of twists and turns, overnight co-leader Paul had been in the driving seat on the back nine before a two-shot swing at the 15th handed his playing partner Marcus Armitage a two-stroke lead with three holes to play.”

“But as Armitage dropped three shots over the next two holes, Paul saved par at the 17th to find himself tied for the lead as he made his way to the 18th.”

“And the German coolly slotted in his difficult 15-foot birdie try from the fringe at the last to deny Paul Waring and Nicolai von Dellingshausen a play-off.”

Full piece.

3. Lydia Ko wins in South Korea

Golf Digest’s Keely Levins…”It’s always special for Lydia Ko to return to South Korea and compete. Though you’ll see the New Zealand flag next to Ko’s name on leaderboards, she was born in Seoul and remains connected to the country. And as much as Ko loves going to South Korea, the fans might love it more: the support for her is enormous. But after nine years of playing professional golf, the 25-year-old had yet to win an LPGA or Korean LPGA event in South Korea. That’s what made Sunday at the BMW Ladies Championship all the more special. With a final-round 65 at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, Ko impressively earned her 18th LPGA Tour win. The next-closest competitor was Andrea Lee who was four shots back, finishing solo second.”

Full piece.

4. Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions

Bob McClellan for PGATour.com…”Steven Alker struck the first blow in pursuit of his first Charles Schwab Cup, coming from two strokes back to start the day to win the PGA TOUR Champions Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond by one stroke over K.J. Choi”

“Alker, who entered the first event in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs leading the standings, trailed Jerry Kelly, who’s fourth in the race for the Cup, by a stroke before three consecutive birdies starting at 15. Those pushed him to 14-under par to edge a hard-charging Choi, who fired a 5-under 67. Kelly, Padraig Harrington, No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, and Doug Barron were another shot back at 12 under.”

“Alker finished with a 68 to Kelly’s even-par 72. Kelly, who began the final round at 12 under, knew it would take a lot better than a round of par to win for the fourth time this season.”

“Instead, it was Alker who posted his fourth victory of 2022 and solidified his grip on the Schwab Cup.”

Full piece.

5. An ace and a sendoff

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…Na Yeon Choi is going out with a bang — and a new car.

“The nine-time LPGA winner and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open champion announced her retirement from the LPGA earlier this month. This week’s BMW Ladies Championship in Korea, which Choi is playing on a sponsor’s exemption, will be the 34-year-old’s last event. “

“In Round 3, Choi gave her fans one last thrill, acing Oak Valley Country Club’s par-3 12th. Thanks to her hole-in-one, the Korean will take home a new BMW X7.”

Full piece.

6. Lynch: Value of future fall seasons on the PGA Tour

Eamon Lynch for Golfweek…”Beginning this season, just 70 players will qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs and secure cards for the new calendar-year season of 2024, down from 125. The rest will join a shootout for ’24 status in the fall events, a Hunger Games-style scrap with a cast that includes up-and-coming talent and recognizable names searching for redemption. Under this new dispensation, the old dead zone from East Lake to New Years has life, and something meaningful at stake: future employment, earned via tournaments and the resurrected Q-School. The fall can finally be welcomed for what it offers rather than dismissed for what it lacks.”

“That’s not to suggest the game’s best players will sit home for four months while others wrestle for relevancy. Since the PGA Tour backburnered plans for a fourth-quarter series of lucrative events overseas, the DP World Tour can expect more stars to join the race to its year-end bonus pool party in Dubai. Jon Rahm has made clear his desire to keep supporting fall events in Spain and it has been reported that the Irish Open will move to dates after the FedEx Cup playoffs, enabling McIlroy and Shane Lowry to compete at home. Golf fans will probably see more of elite players in the autumn, albeit in different time zones.”

Full piece.

7. ‘Acting easier than golf’

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”She grew up on a golf course in Florida and became a standout player on her high school team.

In 2012, she was all set for a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, according to a 2015 Golf Digest story.

But Kathryn Newton was also a budding actress and when she scored the leading role in the fourth installment of the “Paranormal Activity” movie franchise, she put away the clubs to chase her acting career.

Three weeks ago, however, Newton was back on the golf course, at the Old Course at St. Andrews, specifically, to participate in the pro-am ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Newton was paired with English golfer Matt Wallace, and the pair finished 118th out of 167 teams.

“Acting’s way easier than golf,” Newton told CNN’s The Jazzy Golfer, at the event. “I (don’t) say that lightly because I have respect for my acting and my fellow actors. When I see the pros out here today, I feel like they’re magicians or something.”

Full piece.

8. Lowry explains putter break

Our Jason Daniels…”During the first round of the CJ Cup, the 2019 Open champion had just played his approach to around 50 feet when pulled the putter from his bag just too quickly, resulting in a break between graphite and steel.

Lowry had pulled the club out so rapidly that it fell from his grip and was heading to the floor but, “as it fell, I tried to like flick it up with my foot, but like kind of not too like aggressive or anything, just kind of tried, because the shaft was like this and tried to flick it up with my foot and I caught it like right where the graphite meets the steel on those shafts and it just snapped in half.”

Full Piece.

9. McIlroy winning WITB

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9 degrees @7.5)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Titanium (15 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li White 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees @17.55)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X

Irons: TaylorMade Rors Proto (3-9)

Shaft: Project X 7.0

Wedges: TaylorMade MG3 Raw (46-09SB, 54-13SB, 58-11SB)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Hydro Blast

Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Pistol GT Tour

Ball: 2021 TaylorMade TP5x (#22)

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

Full WITB.

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