News

Morning 9: Theegala wins Fortinet | Rory: Not far away | Daly back in form

Published

8 months ago

Sep 18, 2023

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Sahith Theegala enjoyed a breakthrough victory on Sunday at the Fortinet Championship.

1. No fairways, no problem for Theegala

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”It’s not that Theegala doesn’t try to play from the fairway. It’s just not essential. He has sprayed it off the tee from the moment he picked up a club, and he’s under no assumption it will stop anytime soon. It’s a feature, not a bug. One he is comfortable embracing.”

”It’s fitting that his maiden victory on TOUR embodied Theegala’s ethos. It wasn’t an out-of-body week with the driver, that uncharacteristically found every fairway and wound up with him in the winner’s circle. No, this was the epitome of Theegala Golf – a wildly thrilling, sometimes off-the-rails display of shot-making. A creative and unrelenting short game. And a putter that was bound to get hot on the Poa annua greens he grew up playing in Chino Hills, six hours down the California coast.”

“It feels like such a team win. It doesn’t feel like a win just for myself, it’s for everyone that’s supporting me and kind of got me where I am today, ” said Theegala, who shot a final-round 68 in front of over 40 family and friends to win the Fortinet Championship. He finished 21 under, two shots clear of S.H. Kim. Theegala hit just 47% of his fairways, never more than seven in a round.”

Full piece.

2. BMW PGA: Ryan Fox wins in the rain

AP report…”Ryan Fox overcame a three-shot deficit and a triple bogey early in the final round Sunday with six birdies on the back nine — the last one from 6 feet on the 18th hole — for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton in the BMW PGA Championship.”

“Fox started shaking his right fist as the final birdie putt was inches from going in, the final stroke of a masterpiece over his last 15 holes that carried the Kiwi to his fourth European tour title, and by far the biggest of his career.”

“I played great,” Fox said. “Pretty much didn’t miss a shot from the third hole onwards and saw a couple of putts go in and it was pretty cool feeling on the last to know I had one to win and actually make it.”

Full piece.

3. Rory: “Not far away”

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”McIlroy ended up higher on the BMW PGA Championship leaderboard, tying for seventh by the time the last putt was holed Sunday evening at Wentworth following a brief weather delay.”

“McIlroy began the week 72-71, 1 under after 36 holes, but he kicked things into gear by finding more fairways, and a few more holed putts led to a 67-65 weekend. McIlroy’s Sunday round featured a 4-over-through-four-holes start and just one bogey. He did par each of the back-to-back closing par-5s, showing some frustration after failing to make birdie form the fairway at No. 17, but overall, he was encouraged by the result.”

“It’s something nice to build off,” McIlroy told reporters Sunday evening. “If I had went home on Friday night here, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to feel better about my game.”

Full piece.

4. Grayson Murray wins on KFT

Mike Organ for Nashville Tennessean…”Grayson Murray claimed the third Korn Ferry Tour title of his career Sunday when he won the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation at The Grove.”

“Murray, 29, of Raleigh, North Carolina, posted a 17-under 271 for a three-stroke victory over Mason Andersen, Jamie Lovemark and his high school golf teammate Carter Jenkins. Murray earned $270,000.”

Full piece.

5. Jimmy Walker: Fall setup is BS

Adam Schupak for Golfweek…”PGA Tour veteran Jimmy Walker won this event when it was played at CordeValle a decade ago for his first Tour title. On Saturday, the 44-year-old Walker shot 69, which had him projected to improve from No. 124 to No. 118, but Walker was none too happy that he’s still battling to finish in the top 125 for the better part of the next three months.”

“They changed the rules. It’s been 125 forever. Then it’s like, no, it’s 50, or is it 70? It’s definitely not 125. It’s total bulls–t, that’s what I think of it,” Walker said. “I’ve been working for 11 months to finish 124 and it’s like, nope, keep playing. So, I’m going to give it all I’ve got. That’s all I can do.”

“A year ago, Walker shut down his season after the Valero Texas Open, his hometown event, and at age 43 the former PGA Championship winner contemplated calling it a career. But then enough players jumped ship to LIV that Walker climbed to No. 50 in career earning on the Tour, which gave him access to a one-time exemption for the 2022-23 season.”

Full piece.

6. Daly finds some form

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”The big hitter and fan favorite had his best week of golf in more than a year at the 2023 Sanford International, breaking 70 for just the fourth and fifth time all season during the first and second rounds. He finished with an even-par 70 and a tie for eighth.”

“Daly’s previous best finish in 2023 was a tie for 38th in July at the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club. Daly’s average finish this season is 65th and he has WD’d from two events.”

“This week, he opened 66-64 at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He finished 10 under.”

Full piece.

7. Winning WITB: Sahith Theegala

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees @9.5)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black Gen 4 60 TX

5-wood: Ping G430 Max (18 degrees @16.5)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

Irons: Ping i210 (3), Ping iBlade (4-7), Ping Blueprint (8-PW)

Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 85 X (3), Project X 6.5 (4-W)

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50-12S, 54-12S), Ping Glide 2.0 (58-06)

Shafts: Project X 6.5 (50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54, 58)

Putter: Ping TR 1966 Anser 2 prototype

Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Flatso 1.0

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Ping ID-8

Full WITB.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

4 hours ago

May 14, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

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

2024 PGA Championship – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

Published

6 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

“It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”

“His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”

“McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”

“No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”

“Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”

Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

“The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”

“Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”

“There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”

Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!

Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

“Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”

Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

“It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”

Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

“In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”

“It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”

“Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”

Full piece.

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News

Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2024

Ronald Montesano

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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