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Stewart Cink: Open Champion

He seemed to come out of no where, an afterthought tugging at the coattails of a parent involved in important adult conversation. With a 12 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of his tournament, Mr. Cink seemed to get afterthought attention. Oh look, Stewie is 2 under, lets go back to the real story of the battle between the Great White (English) Hope Lee Westwood and Old Man Who Walks on Water Tom Watson. I have to admit I never expected Mr. Cink to make that putt. Yes he’s been a Ryder Cup player and yes he’s made some clutch putts in that format, but in stroke play my recollections of Mr. Cink and the lead are more of the throat grabbing, what’s that terrible choking sound variety. No offense to Mr. Cink, I know he’s won six times, and made over $27 million during his career, but he never seemed like a clutch guy to me. Nice game, nice guy from all reports, attractive family, lots of bank, but clutch, no way, clutch guys win more than six times in fourteen years.

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17 years ago

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He seemed to come out of no where, an afterthought tugging at the coattails of a parent involved in important adult conversation.  With a 12 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of his tournament, Mr. Cink seemed to get afterthought attention.  Oh look, Stewie is 2 under, lets go back to the real story of the battle between the Great White (English) Hope Lee Westwood and Old Man Who Walks on Water Tom Watson.  I have to admit I never expected Mr. Cink to make that putt.  Yes he’s been a Ryder Cup player and yes he’s made some clutch putts in that format, but in stroke play my recollections of Mr. Cink and the lead are more of the throat grabbing, what’s that terrible choking sound variety.  No offense to Mr. Cink, I know he’s won six times, and made over $27 million during his career, but he never seemed like a clutch guy to me.  Nice game, nice guy from all reports, attractive family, lots of bank, but clutch, no way, clutch guys win more than six times in fourteen years.  Once again, I am wrong.  Not only was he clutch on that putt, but he played the four holes of the playoff in two under par, not too shabby for a guy no one thought of as a serious threat until about an hour earlier. 

The story of the tournament will be always and forever, 59 year Tom Watson leading the Open championship after 71 marvelous holes.  Needing a par on the 72nd hole to capture his 6th Claret Jug and make all kinds of history, most of which had been chronicled ad nauseum by the adoring broadcasters, Mr. Watson drilled a tee shot to the middle of the fairway.  Here’s were the fairy tale go horribly wrong.  His eight iron second shot, juiced with whatever reserves of adrenaline and Geritol flowed through his veins, went over the green (the post mortem eulogizers all agree he should have hit the nine).  His chip was overly agressive and went 8 feet by the hole.  And his putt to win the Open for a sixth time was a weak wimpy effort.  The only really wimpy effort of the day, and the kind that reminded everyone watching that hey, this guy is 25 years past his prime.  When that putt trailed off short and left all the magic that had propelled Mr. Watson for the week decided it was time to return to the haunts of Robert the Bruce’s ruined castle. If you didn’t know it was over, you certainly entertained the thought desperately attempting to stuff that sacreligiousness back whence it came.  Too late.  The end had arrived, the formality of a burial service left undone.  The four hole playoff was a lot like Requiem for a Dream, during which I couldn’t help but think that dreams are like rainbows, only idiots chase them (apologizes to the folks at Despair Inc). 

 

All the hoopla concerning Mr. Watson age seemed, ah, overdone, overcooked, maybe totally overboard.  Yes he is 59 going on 60 years old, but take a good hard look at the man.  Now go out to the nearest mall and look at all the men there who seem to be 59 almost 60 years old, heck look at most of the men in their mid-forties. Take a good look at the guys on the Champions Tour.  Do they bear any kind of resemblance to Mr. Watson?  Seriously now.  I don’t care how old he is, the man has taken care of himself and still looks like an athlete.  Mark Calcavecchia looks older than Mr. Watson, and he’s eleven years younger. There’s still the competitive fire in Mr. Watson that in most older players dissapates  after you’ve worked for your entire life to be the best.  Age is not what it used to be, don’t be surprised to see something like this again, maybe not soon, but it will happen.  What with all the advancements in diet, exercise, and medicine you’ll see more and more old farts being competitive, under the correct conditions, at this age. 

I feel for Mr. Watson, he was so close.  So very very close.  I salute Mr. Cink, he won himself a Major, something a lot of really good players have never done.  It was an Open to remember, and at the risk of hyperbole, it was one for the ages. 

 

photo courtesy getty images

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  2. Eagleye

    Jul 24, 2009 at 3:55 am

    It says a lot more about the Alisa Course, a resort course, than it does about Mr. Watson’s prowess, however distinctive it may have been over four days. Except for St. Andrews, the Brits are short of gutsy, unyielding championship courses and rely on the weather (they can’t be said to have a climate) to prop up the degree of challenge. Having said this, Mr. Watson would have made history, but
    what a competitive spirit in Stewart Cink, we did not know existed.

    I always found Nicklaus more accomplished than Watson, similarly
    Sandy Lyle a better golfer than Colin Montgomery, notwithstanding either’s accomplishments.

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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3 weeks ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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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

 

 

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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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

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

  • Driver: Ping 440 LST
  • Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
  • Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
  • Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
  • Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Ping PLD Anser

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Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

Published

4 weeks ago

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May 31, 2026

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Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX

3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T250 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), S400 (47)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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