News

Tour Rundown: The brave and the fortunate

Published

3 years ago

Nov 13, 2023

The brave and the fortunate probably account for equal amounts of victories in professional sport. Technique, confidence, and execution have no substitute, but a fortunate break along the way, can decide the outcome. In South Africa, Max Homa was the beneficiary of a fortuitous parking job. Golf tournaments share little with life’s treachery and trauma, yet have a way of offering a bit of solace to those in need. A bit under forty months ago, the Villegas family lost their daughter to cancer. Today, Camilo Villegas won on the PGA Tour, for the first time in nine years. The other two events weren’t quite as poignant, but they had their moments. Enjoy one of the last Tour Rundowns of 2023. It has been a great ride as usual, and we are grateful that you came along.

A very lucky break for @Maxhoma as he hits a buggy and lands back in play…?#NGC2023 pic.twitter.com/NI4ixcTMdh

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 12, 2023

PGA Tour Champions @ Charles Schwab Cup: The season comes down to Alker

With Steve Stricker tending to his hospitalized father (all is well with Papa Stricker) and unable to compete, there would be no double-double at this year’s Charles Schwab Cup. Stricker, you see, had already clinched the season-long points race, thanks to three major titles and three additional tour wins. His departure gave his colleagues an opportunity to win a few more dollars and possibly, some of that top-five, season bonus money.

Mr. 2022, Steven Alker, played the first three rounds at Phoenix Country Club as if he were privy to some incantation not known to the others. He stood at 17-under par 196, four shots clear of Alex Cejka. It should have been a done deal, the way Alker had played and carried himself, but there’s a reason that they play the final round. Noted on multiple occasions by commentators, Alker looked like a different golfer on Sunday: tentative, off-balance, and protective.

Early on, it was Ernie Els who made a run at the lead and, if not for a short miss at the 9th, he might have turned in 30 and scared the pants off Alker. Els cooled off on the inward half, but was strong enough to tie Stephen Ames for second place, at 17-deep. Despite making a near-mess of the 18th hole, Alker was able to coax a gnarly chip within 18 inches of the hole in four, then drop the putt for par and a one shot win. It wasn’t macho and it wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.

An awesome birdie from the fairway bunker ?

Steven Alker extends his lead to two with nine to play @SchwabCupFinale. pic.twitter.com/6o0RMutgf1

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) November 12, 2023

LPGA @ The Annika: Vu says me, not you, at The Annika

I would be remiss to not recognize fellow Demon Deacon Rachel Kuehn, on her T15 finish. Kuehn was one of two amateurs to earn a spot in the field. Both made the cut, an achievement in itself! With that formality out of the way, let’s clap our hands for Lilia Vu, who decided that 2023 would be the year of her coming-out party. We remember the dominant performance she put on for Team USA in the 2018 Curtis Cup at Quaker Ridge. For a time, she fell off our radar. She has returned with vigor.

If not for the year that Celine Boutier has had, Vu would be the runaway number one and player of the year. As things stand, it will all come down to next week at the CME Championship, two hours down Florida’s west coast from this week’s tournament site. Boutier will have to improve on this week’s MC, while Vu, will certainly roll into Tiburón Golf Club on the highest of highs.

Vu’s fourth win of the year came by three shots, over a pair of runners-up. She began the day three shots behind Emily Pedersen, who had ignited the course with rounds of 63-65-64. Sunday resembled none of those days for the young Danish golfer, and a final-hole double bogey not only dropped her to a tie for fifth position, but cost her a spot in the CME Tour Championship as well. In total contrast, Vu was the picture of composure. A solitary bogey at the 12th hole was offset by five birdies all around. In the end, her 66 was something, on the heels of a Saturday 62.

Boutier has been other-worldly this year, with four wins of her own, and Ruoning Yin cannot be ignored. With that said, it’s hard to bet against Lilia Vu. Naples should be the hottest ticket in golf next weekend.

Make than a three shot lead with two to play ? pic.twitter.com/qYaDAmdYip

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 12, 2023

PGA Tour @ Butterfield Bermuda: Villegas triunfa tras nueve años de luchar

It was revealed this week by a colleague, that Alex Noren is THE last guy off the practice range each night. One day, Noren will find the elixir that results in a PGA Tour triumph. He opened with 61 this week, and through eight holes on Sunday, still held on to first place. A pair of bogeys at the turn dropped him out of the top spot. Despite great effort, he finished in second position.

Camilo Villegas began the final round a single shot behind the leader. Villegas’ last of four tour wins came in 2014, in Greensboro. He had worked his way back to the big tour, serving a stint on the Korn Ferry Tour. Last week, Villegas challenged in Mexico before finishing in a second-place tie. This week, he found the trade winds and sands of Bermuda to be the ideal place to find his way home. From the mountains of Medellín, to the seas of the Atlantic, Villegas had returned.

Villegas made six birdies in his final-round 66, but none was more stunning, than the one he made at the 17th. With an opportunity to take a two-shot advantage to the final tee, Villegas found himself bunkered greenside in two. Not a bad place to be, unless you were on the short side, which he was. Trusting in all the hours of work, Villegas exploded his ball out of the abyss, over a mound, one inch onto the putting surface. From there, it trickled to within two feet for the birdie that he needed.

The entire world of golf walked the final 380 yards with Villegas, urging him on toward completion. When his drive reached the fairway, we breathed. When his approach reached the green, we breathed. When his first putt snuggled to within two feet of the hole, we breathed. And when Camilo Villegas tapped in, hugged his caddie, and spread his arms wide as every Hispanic compatriot showered him in agua y champaña, we cheered.

A celebration fit for a 5-time TOUR winner ?@CamiloVillegasR | @Bermuda_Champ pic.twitter.com/WIGpbpq2Vh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 12, 2023

DP World Tour @ Nebank: Homa on the range

Max Homa earned his first international title this week in South Africa. The care-free Californian shared the lead after each of the first two rounds, then took a one-shot advantage over France’s Matthieu Pavon through 54 holes. Chasing the pair were the Højgaard brothers (Nicolai and Rasmus), alongside a number of DP World Tour stalwarts.

The final round was a mother lode for California, but a bust for France. While Homa matched his opening-round 66, Pavon went north to a 78, dropping 13 places to a tie for 15th. Three bogeys in the first five holes for Pavon were more than matched by Home, who stood three-under through six holes on Sunday. Even when Pavon finally made birdie at the ninth, Homa posted eagle. At that juncture, the challenge came not from Pavon, but from a pair of Swedes.

Nicolai Højgaard and Thorbjørn Olesen were in the process of posting 68 and 69, respectively. When Homa made bogey at 11, a sliver of hope appeared. No birdies down the stretch for Nicolai, coupled with a double at 17 for Thorbjørn, drew the potential drama to a close. Homa secured his seventh top-tour win and first on the DP World Tour.

.@Maxhoma hammers home a 38-foot putt to go 3 shots clear…?#NGC2023 pic.twitter.com/RSUuGTgzgJ

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 12, 2023

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

27 mins ago

Jun 3, 2026

Ben A

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

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