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Five Things we Learned: Saturday at the PGA Championship

Published

1 year ago

May 18, 2025

Although no round should technically be worth more than any other, day three has possessed a mystique of its own for decades. It’s the only one of the four to have a metaphoric nickname. Moving Day has demanded respect and reverence from all who play 72-hole events. It’s the day, usually Saturday on the professional tours, when golfers position themselves for the final round, dispatching some of the pursuers and securing late-day tee times for round four.

At Quail Hollow, a few contenders drifted away on Saturday. Denny McCarthy, Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox, and Robert MacIntyre all fell outside the top ten, unable to find the mid-60s round that was needed to keep pace. For the first time in 36 holes, the pace was not set by Jhonattan Vegas. The virile Venezuelan remained in the chase, but barely. He’ll start round four a literal handful of shots behind the leader. Unfortunately for him and the others, the leader is currently the most feared man in golf.

Before the final round of Glory’s Second Shot unfurls like a banner, let’s have a look at the quintet of nuggets we gained today, on Saturday at the PGA Championship.

5. The Green Mile can be tamed or …

something else. Bryson DeChambeau came to the closing stretch on a serious run. He was well under par for the day, fresh off birdies at 14 and 15. The final trilogy demand something akin to perfection, and BDC was not up to the task. He made a lazy, sloppy bogey at the par-four 16, where each of his first four shots were just enough off line to hamper the next. At 17, with a nine-iron in his hands, he found Lake Despair short and left, and could not get up and down from the drop zone. Truly, his par save at the last might be all that keeps him from a sleepless night. His deficit doubled from three strokes to six, thanks to the wondrous play over the same stretch, by the 54-hole leader.

4. Beware the hard-working, wounded bear

Alex Noren is one of the hardest-working professionals, in a sports known for grinders. Over the first 4.5 months of the year, the Swede had made precisely one start, thanks to injury and recovery. Noren has made the cut in eight of twelve PGA Championships in his career, but he has never reached the heights that he did in 2025. Thanks to a Saturday 66, Noren will tee off in the final Sunday pairing, three shots behind the leader.

Noren closed about as well as anyone could (more on that later.) He made birdies at 14, 15, 17, and 18. He holed for birdie from sand at 15, and hit a spectacular iron from a fairway bunker, onto the green at 16. His putts for birdie at the final two holes were from nine and sixteen feet. Noren should need the same magic on Sunday, as he needs to chase down the number-one player in the game, a man with two green jackets who wishes to wait no longer, to reach the halfway point to the career grand alsm.

3. If not for that magical 65 …

Jon Rahm and Si Woo Kim, among others, might feel like they have a good chance at winning. Well, Rahm at least. The Basque bulldog should have more than two major titles to his credit, but he opted out of full-time competition in 2024, and we all know what has since transpired. Rahm stood five-under on the day through 16 holes, thanks to a trilogy of birdies on the preceding three holes. He gave one back when he could ill afford to do so, and dropped to -4/day and -6/week. Kim stood second at day’s launch, but struggled to retain his day-two form. He posted three each of birdies and bogeys, and stand tied with Rahm at 207, with 18 holes to play. Unless the 54-hole leader does something uncharacteristic, Sunday will be about paychecks and major exemptions for the field.

4. Why aren’t we talking about three and four?

Mainly, because their names are J.T. Poston and Davis Riley. Both are quite successful on the PGA Tour, with three and two titles, respectively, to their names. Neither one was a highly-decorated amateur, so they don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of their touring mates. Might one of them win on Sunday? Absolutely, says the law of chance. Will one of them lift the Wannamaker trophy as 107th champion of the PGA of America? Doubtful, says the law of probability. Even though the PGA Championship is the grand slam event that most often goes to a one-and-done major champion, that won’t happen this year. How do we know? Well, the PGA of America didn’t have one video of the either on its YouTube page. We had to go to Twitter/X to find some coverage!

Davis Riley nearly dunks one from the fairway at 10.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/fre7QC03k2

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2025

5. Your 2025 Champion Professional of the Year will be …

Scottie Scheffler. He has it all. He has the game, the confidence, the record, and the caddy. He might have the best relationship with a caddy anywhere in the world, and that is a sharp arrow in the quiver. His goofy , foot-sliding swing is the most repeatable thing in the world. His belief in self is resolute, and his clubs are at his beck and call, from driver through putter.

Scheffler, came to the 14th tee at five-under par. He seemed content (or at least we were content) with a top-five position for Sunday. He then did that thing that others had done this week. He ripped drive inside five feet for eagle at 14, then played the closing quartet in minus-three figures. Scheffler moved five strokes to the good over his final five holes, better than Noren, better than anyone else. It’s not just a Scottie lead of 1 or 2 strokes. It’s three strokes. Someone will need to start super-fast, like six under through six, to make him pay attention. We’ll say it now: congratulations on major championship title number two, Scheff. #YesScheff

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

6 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

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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.

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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