News

Tour Rundown: Fox on the run, one Kupcho to go

Published

12 months ago

Jun 9, 2025

June arrived last week, but I was on hiatus. An overnight to Poughkeepsie with our state qualifiers left me exhausted and unable to summon the mental acuity needed to produce a scintillating installment of Tour Rundown last week. I hope that you were able to soldier on, in my absence, and I hope that this week’s return helps to ease your pain and to salve your wounds. It does for my own.

Every which way you turn, there’s golf. Think of the events that we aren’t covering this week: Palmer Cup and Dogwood Invitational on the amateur side. Professional events around the world. It’s the gravy train time of year, so rejoice. We see you in Toronto, and New Jersey, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Holland, and Virginia. Don’t worry, your paragraphs are nearly done. Let’s run down a solid six-pack of professional golf in this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour @ Canadian Open: Fox is on the run

It has been a year since Robert MacIntyre won his first PGA Tour event in North America. Two years have passed since Nick Taylor holed the putt of 1,000 inches to end the Canadian curse on his homeland’s open. One thing we can say about our friends north of the border is that their national championship does not lack for drama and excitement. This year, Sam Burns made up a boatload of strokes on the 54-hole lead, but was caught by Ryan Fox. The pair went off to four holes of playoff golf, until a majestic three-metal decided the week.

Matteo Manassero held the lead at the three-quarter pole, but could not bring his horse to the finish line. His fine work ended in a tie for sixth spot, three blows away from the playoff. Burns moved up 15 spots on the week thanks to a nine-birdie effort. Both he and Fox made birdie at the 72nd hole. Each would face the watery par 5 on four more occasions. Each of the first three ended in stalemate pars. On the fourth extra trek, Ryan Fox risked all with a mighty swing of the three-metal. The shot soared to the heavens, fluttered back to earth without care, and settled inside fifteen feet of the hole. Two putts were good for a birdie that Burns could not match. And just like that, Fox had a second PGA Tour win for 2025.

LPGA @ ShopRite: One Kupcho to go, please

A dozen years ago, Ilhee Lee won her only LPGA title at the age of 24. She triumphed in the Bahamas, but has yet to return to the winner’s place on the podium. Lee had the ~~leed~~ lead through two rounds of the LPGA’s annual stop along the Jersey shore. After eight holes on Sunday, she had to wonder what had transpired overnight. Three bogeys had dropped her from the top slot of the board for the first time all week. Taking advantage of her slip was Jennifer Kupcho, a three-time winner in 2022.

Lee rallied in brilliant fashion. Encouraged by a birdie at the ninth, she played her final 10 holes in 6 under par, including a 29 on the inward half. Lee reached 14 under par, but it wasn’t enough. The problem was Kupcho. Despite a pair of day-three bogeys, the Wake Forest alumna slapped seven birdies onto her card, including three in the final five holes. Her 66 eased her past Lee by one shot, earning her a fourth LPGA title.

DP World Tour @ KLM Open: It’s about Syme

Connor Syme of Scotland has had a few invitations to the ball this season, but until this week, the Kircaldy lad was winless on the DP World Tour. Everything changed in both a week and an instant, as Syme survived a maudlin Sunday (two birdies, one bogey) and held off Sweden’s Joakim Lagergran by two for the inaugural victory.

The two-shot margin of triumph was slimmer than appearance suggested. Syme’s lead was four shots on the final hole. He played the par-5 closer gently, accepting par without need for drama. Lagergren, steamed no doubt from bogey at the 15th and 17th, unleashed the hounds of hell on the final hole. He closed with eagle to cut the winning gap in half, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Korn Ferry Tour @ BMW Charity: Smotherman by three over trio

Austin Smotherman has won twice on the KFT. His first victory was an end-to-end endeavor. He led all four rounds in 2021 at the Simmonds Bank Open. This week in upstate South Carolina, he was nearly as impressive. After opening with 65, Smotherman erased his three-shot deficit with a day-two 62. Carl Yuan posted the week’s low round of 61 on Saturday, to take the lead away from the Californian, but Smotherman wasn’t finished. He closed with 67 on Sunday, after 66 on Saturday, to dispatch all the chasers.

Yuan, Sebastian Cappelen, and Piereceson Coody all finished on 263, for a 22-under par total. With birdies on three of his final four holes, Smotherman pulled away from the peleton to win by three shots. As if paying homage to Nick Taylor’s playoff bomb at the 2023 Canadian Open, Smotherman closed in style, with a cross-country make of his own, on the final green.

Talk about a dramatic finish ?@Austin_smosmo for the win from across the green @BMWCharityProAm. pic.twitter.com/5969MXoQHZ

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) June 8, 2025

PGA Tour Champions @ AFI Championship: Bjorn & Clarke claim team event

Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke were two golfers who survived the Tiger Woods era. Each had opportunities to claim major glory during the 20-year period when Tiger was at his best, but only Clarke was able to snatch a British Open title. The extended-life tour that is the PGATC, offers a remembrance of how well certain golfers played in their heyday.

Bjorn and Clarke opened the week with rounds of 59 and 58, to take a three-shot advantage into the final round. Can you imagine posting 58 and losing two shots to another team? That’s what Steve Stricker and Mario Tiziani had to do to remain close with 18 to go. Their day-two 56 included 13 birdies and a Stricker eagle. Bjorn and Clarke made eight birdies in Sunday’s four-ball format. They had a pair of bogeys, but stayed ahead on a slower day. Only the pairings of Cejka-Kjeldsen and Barron-Pride were able to gain ground. Their rounds of 59 and 60, respectively, pulled them into a four-way tie for second, four strokes behind the winners.

Teammates in sync ?

Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjørn lead by four (!) with one hole to play @AmFamChamp! pic.twitter.com/cZtxHVN6Jf

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 8, 2025

LIV @ Virginia: It’s Niemann once more

A number of golfers found their way onto page one of the LIV leaders’ board on Sunday. Names like Lahiri, McDowell, and Pieters made runs at the trophy for LIV’s eighth event of 2025. Chile’s Joaquin Niemann edged past all of them, with a minus-8 63 over the Robert Trent Jones course. Niemann’s work on the rebel circuit has been exemplary. It remains to be seen if he will be able to translate that achievement to the traditional major events.

Tour Photo Galleries

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

Published

1 day 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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

3 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

4 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