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Five Things We Learned: Friday at the PGA Championship
The drive from Buffalo to the media shuttle lot took one hour and two minutes. It included five vehicles that didn’t know left lane from right lane, at least two healthy rain showers, and a few cashews. Fran the Bus Man made sure to keep me entertained on the shuttle ride in, and my entry to the tournament grounds was seamless. When the PGA Championship was held here in Augusts of 2003 and 2013, I was able to spend four to five days on course. Now that it is celebrated during the school year, my access is truncated.
The weather systems tossed an unexpected series of squalls at Friday’s play. Despite the arrival of the wet stuff, the band played on. No delays, just a spritz or two on the golf course. Saturday might look worse, but getting 36 complete and a cut established is pretty great stuff for western New York in May. On that squishy note, let’s take a look at five things that we learned on Friday at the 2023 PGA Championship.
1. Making putts on 18 to make the cut is sweet
Within the space of two groups, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth made 10-15 feet putts for bogey and par, respectively. Each stood near the cut line, and needed to make those critters to have a seat at the table over the weekend. Each one buried the palpitation-inducers in the heart of the cup, as champions do. One group later, Matt Fitzpatrick came to the same hole, also on the line. His drive found a right-side fairway bunker, and his approach slipped over the lip, landing fifty feet below the hole. His approach putt stormed past the hole, into Spieth territory. His read was not as accurate as Spieth’s, and the weekend slipped away for the 2022 US Open champion.
Sometimes they drop, and sometimes they don’t.
Beauty from @JustinThomas34 sets up birdie to get inside the projected cutline pic.twitter.com/SZZACRvIOt
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 19, 2023
2. We met the new neighbors
There’s this young guy named Justin Suh, who made his debut on the PGA block this week. How did he get a spot in the neighborhood?
I would say I started driving it a lot better. We made a few adjustments before the tournament started, and I think it clicked right when the tournament
started. I would say hitting fairways are pretty crucial out here, but I play pretty conservative with my iron shots just because greens are pretty important on this golf course, and I rely
on my speed with my putter.
Adrian Meronk from Poland is a new exchange student, and Callum Tarren is also spending some time in the states, having grown up in England. Suh dropped a stroke from his opening 69, and found a spot in the penultimate pairing with his day-two 68. Callum Tarren is right there with Suh, going from 71 to 67 overnight, to move inside the top ten. Adrian Meronk didn’t fair nearly as well as the aforementioned lads, but he did move inside the cut line with a Friday 69. We all love over-the-fence talk about the new kids on the block, and there’s no reason to think that this trio won’t make some noise on the weekend.
Suh. Dude knows how to putt. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/ZCS9VmjZqp
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2023
3. The guy that all of western New York supports is … Keith Mitchell?
You bet. Howza come? Well, Mitchell has partnered with the Buffalo Bills #QB1, Josh Allen, at the AT & T pro-am in California, for a few years. Each one extols the other’s virtues, and rumor has it that Mitchell is now a table-breaking member of the #BillsMafia.
Don’t expect Mitchell to don the red, white, and blue zubaz sweats for the weekend, but understand that he sits in a pretty positive space after 36 holes. If he can figure out the par-five holes (he’s two-over par on them through two rounds) and avoid the bogeys that lurk along Allen’s Creek, Mitchell might move within a handful of shots by Saturday night. As we all know, Sundays are shootouts and Mitchell is a gunslinger.
It's evident Keith Mitchell studied the Round 2 hole locations.
He tapped this in for birdie and moves into T6 (-2) #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/9XthHHsQll
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2023
4. Say Goodbye to Hollywood and …
In addition to Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim, Jason Day, and Cameron Young missed the cut. Young and his caddie somehow failed to replace a ball marker that had been moved for another player’s putt. The ensuing, two-stroke penalty dropped Young from +6 to +8 and crushed all momentum. Joining that trio on the train out of town are Sungjae Im, Sam Burns, and 19 out of 20 PGA professionals. Only Michael Block, from Mission Viejo, California, survived the 36-hole cut among the club professionals. He did it in style, matching a Friday 70 to his Thursday one, finding himself tied for 11th at the halfway post.
Class is in session with Cam Young. The New York native puts a little English on it to set up a tap in. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/XmKltp3xRT
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2023
5. Wear out the center of the green
Those are the words of one of our tri-leaders. Viktor Hovland.
… I’ve just been a little bit young and stupid, just going after some pins that I’m not
supposed to go for even though I’m feeling good about my ball-striking and it’s easy to just feel like, yeah, I’m going to take it right at it and make a birdie here. Then you hit a decent shot, and then you’re short-sided and make bogey or double, and you just can’t do that in major championship golf.
You just have to wear out center of the green. If that putter gets hot, you can make some birdies.
Hovland did precisely that, and made a nifty birdie at the last, while Scottie Scheffler had a sloppy bogey. The pair ended up at the same address: five-under par for 36 holes. Joining them is Corey Conners, who made a somewhat-benign par at the closing, 502-yard par four. Scheffler and Conners will be paired in the final twosome, while Hovland will match wits with Justin Suh.
Viktor Hovland has birdie on the brain. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/4dEdSU2Kpq
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2023
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue
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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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