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Y.E.Yang Captures PGA Championship
Oh my! Those two words became the phrase of the day, first uttered after Tiger Woods missed a six foot birdie putt on the first hole of the final round of the PGA Championship. I had just said, “here he goes” after the second shot on the first hole. No way he misses that putt. Miss he did. I repeated myself after the miss on number two; Oh my! Y.E Yang pretended not to notice. I bet he was as surprised as the rest of us, even saying a few oh my’s to himself. I kept wondering when the real Tiger Woods would stand up and begin thrashing the one hundred and tenth ranked player in the world. When will Mr. Yang begin playing like the one hundred tenth ranked player in the world is supposed to play in the final group in the final round of the years final major? Neither happened. I kept muttering “Oh my”.
Oh my! Those two words became the phrase of the day, first uttered after Tiger Woods missed a six foot birdie putt on the first hole of the final round of the PGA Championship. I had just said, "here he goes" after the second shot on the first hole. No way he misses that putt. Miss he did. I repeated myself after the miss on number two; Oh my! Y.E Yang pretended not to notice. I bet he was as surprised as the rest of us, even saying a few oh my’s to himself. I kept wondering when the real Tiger Woods would stand up and begin thrashing the one hundred and tenth ranked player in the world. When will Mr. Yang begin playing like the one hundred tenth ranked player in the world is supposed to play in the final group in the final round of the years final major? Neither happened. I kept muttering "Oh my".
Mr. Woods missed every putt of import, save one birdie on the 14th hole, appearing surprised and befuddled by some of the breaks hidden on the greens. All together he had seven misses inside ten feet for birdie and a couple for par. I don’t remember ever seeing him gesture so many times after a miss that the ball should have gone the other direction. He almost appeared, dare I say, human on the greens, because of his bafflement. Those reactions are replayed on courses all over the world every day by golfers of all statures. They are new one’s in the game of the best player in the world.
Mr. Yang is one of the few to play in the final group with Mr. Woods with the "deer in the headlights" look frozen on his face. He never appeared to be out of sorts, breathing normally and smiling frequently. Well, except for the 17th green, where he left his first putt woefully short. His reaction seemed to say "what the heck was that?" complete with wry smile. The second putt was even worse, and it became conceivable that the wheels would finally come of the bus. I have been so conditioned to that result over the years of Mr. Woods’ dominance that for a player to pull things back together always surprises me. Think Bob May and Rocco Mediate, two other guys who gave Mr. Woods all he could handle for more than seventy two holes.
With the chip in eagle on the 14th hole, Mr. Yang laid the pressure squarely on top of Mr. Woods broad shoulders. Something to which the normal Woodsian response is to hit an iron shot impossible close to the hole. I thought he had done so on the 17th hole but his tee shot was just a fraction long, taking a hard bounce forward off the green into the deep rough behind the flag. On greens that did not give up a hard bounce all day, that one seemed particularly cruel. After a flubbed chip and another missed putt led to bogey, Mr. Yang began his three putt adventure to a matching bogey. The 18th hole brought a highlight reel shot from Mr. Yang. A 3 hybrid from 206 yards, hooked around a tree that stopped eight feet from the hole. When the ball hit the green it sounded like a hammer driving the final nail home. Mr. Woods still had a shot at making up the single stroke between them, but his iron into the green was less than a yard wide in the long rough pin high. Needing to chip in to put the pressure on Mr. Yang, his chip shot missed the hole and ran past to the left. The eight foot birdie putt that rolled into the center of the hole gave Mr. Yang to victory and a couple of firsts. First Asian born player to win a Major Championship; first player to come from behind in the final round of a major and beat Mr. Woods. And the first winner to press his entire golf bag over his head after winning a major. Very very cool stuff.
Here’s the quote of the week: “This might be my last win as a golfer,” Yang said. “But it sure is a great day.” Amen to that. Congratulations to Mr.Yang. He deserves this victory and the adoration of his nation. It truly was a great day!
On another note, I feel terrible for Padraig Harrington. To take a second 8 in two weeks on the same kind of blown pitch shot is disheartening. I just have to shake my head. Stupid game. It does this kind of hoo haa to all of us at one time or another. Even those who have won three majors. Sigh.
Now it will start, all the talking heads, chat rooms, water cooler discussions, and 19th hole discourses about the end of Tiger Woods domination of golf. The guy is losing it at the age of 33. All those putts that fell all those years as an amatuer and professional will start missing the hole. Watch and listen. He’s fourteen months removed from major knee surgery. He’s only won five times this year including two of the last three weeks. He missed his second (that be number 2, two) cut in a major in his career. The other three majors he was in contention but didn’t putt very well and yet he could have won them all. Oh that sounds just about the end of the line to me, perhaps he should just hang it up and take up wine making. Give me a break. Give him eight months more on that recovery thing, and eight months more to practice, which I believe is something he’ll probably do, and next year he could just as easily win only four events, but all four of them would be majors. Listen and wait. It’s what I’ll do, and by March I’ll be anxious to watch and see what happens.
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
- Jason Day – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
- SungJae Im – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
Pullout Albums
- Jason Day’s 1off Payntr golf shoes – 2026 The Memorial
- JT Poston’s TaylorMade Spider – 2026 The Memorial
- Cameron putter – 2026 The Memorial
- Tommy Fleetwood’s TM Spider putters – 2026 The Memorial
- New Mitsubishi Chemical 1K Pro Orange shaft – 2026 The Memorial
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
- 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
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
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Photos from the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
CJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
Details on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
GolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
Photos from the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
PGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
Photos from the ShopRite LPGA
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
