News

Five Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S. Open

Published

12 months ago

Jun 12, 2025

I was on a Google Meet Wednesday evening with some long-ago friends. We started this tradition during the pandemic, and we’ve kept it up, to keep close across distances. They asked, “Who is your pick to win the Open at Oakmont?” I answered, “I don’t know that it plays directly into anyone’s skill set, so I think that it will be someone who jumps up, out of nowhere.” After Thursday’s play, I look pretty savvy.

In 2016, we all wanted Dustin Johnson to win at Oakmont, after he was hosed by Chambers Bay in the closing moments. He came through, despite some attempt by an overzealous rules team to snatch victory away. It’s now 2025, Rory has his career grand slam, while Scottie Scheffler reached the halfway mark for his CGS, at the PGA Championship in Charlotte in May. There’s no one that the U.S. Open owes, so everyone wonders, how cool will Portrush be, if Scottie can somehow win at Oakmont, setting the stage for three majors in one year, and a CGS at age 29?

Back to life, back to reality. Oakmont is an extreme test, even for the United States Open Championship. Golf shots like the ones we see each week on the PGA Tour do not exist. Conditions are firm, and players need to explore alternative methods for keeping the ball on the fairways, let alone on the greens, in regulation. Some players succeed, while others do not. We have a quintet of examples of things that we learned on day one of the 2025 USGA Open Championship, and we are delighted to share them with you.

1. Anything can, does, and will happen at Oakmont, part one

Golf shots do not spin back on Oakmont’s putting surfaces. To combat this unusual feature, we will see many shots gauged to green front, and an anticipation that the ball will roll out to the hole. Max Moldovan found himself atop the hill that precedes the descent to green the first at Pittsburgh’s finest layout. He smartly played to the front of the green, ensuring that his ball would find the putting surface. What happened next was gravy.

2. Anything can, does, and will happen at Oakmont, part two

Patrick Reed was always admired for his ability to make magic happen under the most trying circumstances. His victory at the 2018 Masters is the high point of a career still in development. Reed found himself in the middle of the fairway on the 4th hole, a 621-yard par five hole. Like Moldovan, Reed intelligently played for the front of the green with his three metal, struck the ball perfectly, and made history with a deuce of his own. How rare is the albatross? AI tells us that the actual bird has a wide wingspan, a deep intellect for wind currents, and a spacious glide capacity. That’s the sort of creature that describes a majestic two on a par-five hole.

3. Get out early and get in safely, the Chef Spaun recipe

JJ Spaun has little regard for his career record in the major championships. He has two top-fifty finishes at the Masters, three top-sixty results at the PGA Championship, zero appearances in the Open Championship, and one missed cut in the US Open. How do we explain his performance on Thursday at Oakmont? Spaun teed off at 7:07, on the inward nine, just the third group of the morning to greet holes ten through eighteen. Spaun proceeded to post four birdies. Many would have awakened at the turn, wondered how is this possible? and back-pedaled toward even par. Well, Spaun did move toward even par. He posted nine scores of par on his second nine, and signed a bogey-free scorecard of 66. On Friday, Spaun will play from the first tee at 12:52, and do his level best to replicate the fortune he found on day one. It will be much more difficult. He will no longer be anonymous, and he will confront greens beset by many feet. U.S. Open champions find a way to manage, and the opportunity will be Spaun’s.

4. One Open course is not like the others

Three former U.S. Open champions sit inside the top twelve after round one. Brooks Koepka (Erin Hills and Shinnecock Hills) is tied for third at minus-two. Jon Rahm (Torrey Pines) is tied for sixth at one-under par. Jordan Spieth (Chambers Bay) is tied for eleventh at even par 70. Three shots separate Spieth from the next, former Open champions. Unlike the Masters, where the phrase horses for courses applies, US Open venues vary greatly in their presentation. The most interesting aspect of this trio’s open success is the venues where they won. With the exception of Koepka at Shinnecock, championships were won at non-traditional venues. This makes their success at Oakmont all the more unlikely.

Of the three contending former champions, Koepka appears to be the most formidable. He closed with birdies at 17 and 18, giving him a boost as he moves into a desirable, early tee time on Friday. Rahm was nearly as fierce. His one birdie and one eagle were offset somewhat by a pair of bogeys. Spieth was a swerving rollercoaster, posting five each of birdies and bogeys.

5. What to expect from Friday? The unexpected, of course

We’ve seen eagles and albatrosses, so why not add a 360-yard drive to the crosswalk to the kettle? A golf course with firm fairways certainly opens itself up to monumental pokes from the tee deck. Oakmont encourages this sort of large living, as it does not present sharp, restrictive doglegs on any of its driving holes. If one of the leaders or chasers finds his driving game for the next 54 holes, he’ll have shorter clubs into these diabolical putting surfaces. If he can hold his psychological game together, he might lift the nameless, eponymous championship trophy.

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