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Morning 9: ANWA Round 1 report | Spieth: I didn’t choke at 2016 Masters | Alex Trevino

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By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

April 4, 2019

Good Thursday morning, golf fans.

1. ANWA round 1

Kyle Porter at CBS Sports did a nice job rounding up the action…
  • “The first ever round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur took place on Wednesday at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, and a big name co-leads after 18 holes (more on that in a minute). Only 14 of the 72 golfers cracked par, and the cutoff right now for the 30 that will make it to the final round at Augusta National on Saturday is right around 2 over (which is something to keep an eye on come Thursday’s cut)…”
  • “First place — Jennifer Kupcho and Zoe Campos (-4): Kupcho is the reigning NCAA champion, and it’s no surprise that she’s off to a hot start here. She’s the No. 1 amateur in the world and probably the biggest talent in the field. On Wednesday, she hit every green, made no bogeys and birdied three of her final five holes — quite similar to how she won last year’s NCAAs, by the way — to take the co-lead with Campos.”
2. Lynch on the Sergio catastrophe-apology cycle
Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…”Sergio Garcia has been spending more time lately making more videos than an Instagram-addicted teenager. It’s a public relations offensive that was launched in the aftermath of his DQ in Saudi Arabia where he defaced five greens during a temper tantrum.”
  • “The latest video, featuring Garcia and Matt Kuchar, exhibited all the spontaneity of a hostage tape….But the bottom line is this: Sergio Garcia continues to find himself mired in controversy, simply because he cannot control his temper on the golf course.”
3. Downside of the ANWA
A bold take from Karen Crouse at the NYT…
  • A morsel…”Augusta National didn’t admit its first female members until 2012. And while it has since opened its course to boys and girls through the Drive, Chip and Putt contest and to amateur women, these inclusive gestures have ignored – and however unintentionally, undermined – the L.P.G.A., one of the longest-running women’s professional sports organizations.”
  • “The Drive, Chip and Putt contest, held the Sunday before the Masters, has siphoned television and other media coverage from the final round of the ANA Inspiration. And with the advent of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the spotlight on the best women’s players in the world has become more diffuse.”
4. Near disaster for Fassi
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine on a fiasco that nearly kept Maria Fassi from teeing it up at the ANWA…
  • She went to “pick up her golf clubs and hitch a ride to the airport from University of Arkansas assistant coach Mike Adams. But by the time she got to the bag check at Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional Airport and set the travel bag on the scale, Fassi noticed something that quickly opened her eyes.”
  • “The bag tag read: Kaylee.”
  • “I was like, ‘Oh my…,'” Fassi said. She had accidentally grabbed the wrong golf clubs, instead taking those of teammate Kaylee Benton.
  • “[The bags] looked the same at 4 in the morning,” Fassi added.
5. Whan on ANWA
The LPGA commish had this to say, per John Strege at Golf Digest…
  • ‘”I would anticipate us being here in the same week next year,” he said. “Today, if we move back two weeks, there’s only three windows for us to have this kind of TV coverage. There’s Founders [Cup] week. That’s really difficult on the club and for all kinds of reasons that seems too difficult for us to pull that off. Or two weeks later, which is a week after the Masters, 10 days from Coachella.”‘
  • “He was referring to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, a highly popular event held nearby, putting a strain on getting hotel rooms. “And a lot of these volunteers get out of their houses and rent them during Coachella,” Whan said. “We’re concerned about volunteers. We’re concerned about heat and just course conditions.”
…”Maybe this can be the celebration of women’s golf it really could be.”
6. Alex Trevino
The PGA Tour’s Doug Milne composed an excellent piece on Alex Trevino, a teenager battling cancer who spent some time with Jordan Spieth ahead of the Valero Texas Open.
  • This portion on Trevino’s diagnosis…”We went to his pediatrician, we went to emergency rooms, and we got all kinds of tests done,” said Alex’s father, Alex. “The last thing we imagined is that it was cancer.”
  • “Barely a teenager, Alex was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. The hardest thing to imagine had become a stark, glaring reality.”
  • ‘”At the beginning, they thought it was a fracture or something,” said Alex’s mother, Madai. “But, it was one of the rarest forms of cancer, especially in kids. And, because it was in the C-2 vertebrae, the doctors didn’t think it was going to be a tumor.”‘
  • Doctors, sadly, were wrong. But, in May, after starting treatment shortly after the diagnosis, Alex’s cancer went into remission. He and his family clung to hope.
  • As fate would have it, in November of 2018, Alex was again diagnosed wih Ewing sarcoma. This time, though, it had metastasized into his lungs.”
7. Spieth: I didn’t choke at Augusta in 2016
Golf Channel’s Will Gray pulled this anecdote from the No Laying Up podcast…
  • “It wasn’t like I got here and the moment got the best of me. It was like, no, I just legitimately had this thing wrong with my swing,” Spieth said. “When the pressure was on that day, I was hitting the ball horribly. … But it wasn’t because it was Sunday at Augusta. No, it was like I was just hitting it that bad. And unfortunately, that’s not the way it can be or would be looked at, no matter what I say or who I say it to.”
  • “Spieth bounced back to win at Colonial the next month, and in 2017 he won his third major at The Open. But he hasn’t slipped into another green jacket since putting one on Willett three years ago, and he realizes the drama of his closing stretch that year remains a frequent talking point with fans and media alike.”
  • “Some guys, they get under pressure and they play worse and it’s because of the pressure. And that’s actually everybody to start out, until you learn to cope with it,” Spieth said. “For me, it wasn’t that at all. It really wasn’t. I remember the way I felt. I just simply ran into a few holes where you can’t miss it right in a row, after nine holes in a row where you can, and it just got the best of me.”
8. Tiger Woods, Gil Hanse to design courses at same resort in Hawaii
Will Gray again…”Woods’ TGR Design company has been named lead architect for the North Course at the new Makaha Valley Resort, while Hanse will be in charge of the South Course. Both announcements were made by Pacific Links International, which has commissioned the project for the 644-acre property.”
  • “According to a media release, Woods’ North Course will be nestled “in the shadows of the Waianae mountain range” and will include views of both the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Ka’ala, an ancient volcano and the highest peak on Oahu. No timetable has been set for the completion of either course.”
9. Masters prep with Frogger
Golf Digest’s Coleman Bentley…”When it comes to the Masters, players are willing do to just about anything to get a leg up on the competition (and the course itself, of course). But in the pursuit of his first green jacket, Justin Thomas isn’t hitting the gym, or the range, or making Patrick Reed voodoo dolls. Instead he’s turned to the ultimate test of hand-eye coordination, one that has foiled 80s college students and George Costanza alike down the decades. That hallowed crucible of reflexes we speak of? A little game called Frogger.”

Related Topics:

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. P P

    Apr 4, 2019 at 11:23 pm

    Spieth said. “When the pressure was on that day, I was hitting the ball horribly.”
    Not sure what his understanding of choke is but where i come from that is the exact definition of the word.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Jon

    Apr 4, 2019 at 1:41 pm

    Spieth says he didn’t choke? Okay, we’ll just call it a gag reflex.

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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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.

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

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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

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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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