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Tour Rundown: Poston’s second win on tour | Irish Open champion hails from a new land

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4 years ago

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A true fan of professional golf tournaments commented this week on how valuable the perceived-as-lesser events truly are. They may not measure greatness in the way that major events do, but they measure survival and achievement in the way that quarterly bonuses and interviews can. These events change the lives of tour players. That made cut leads to another chance next week. That late-Sunday birdie leads to exempt status next year. The measuring stick is different but, just as meters are to yards, it still measures something that matters … a lot. With that in mind, let’s run down what we saw this week on Tour Rundown. And, Happy Independence Day to those of you in the USA.

PGA Tour: John Deere Classic is Poston’s second win on tour

J.T. Poston came out like a man possessed on Sunday in Silvis, Illinois. He reeled off birdies at the first three holes, to reach 22-under par. No other golfer would approach that number, although Emiliano Grillo tried. The Argentine arrive at 19-deep with a birdie at the 10th hole. He would make bogey at 12 and 14, but recover with one final birdie at 18, and tie for second with Christian Bezuidenhout of South Africa.

A bit before Grillo’s arrival at Station 19, Poston had slipped to 20-under with consecutive bogeys at five and six. The needle would not move for the 2019 Wyndham winner for another 11 holes. Inconceivably, Poston made 10 pars in a row, and remained atop the field. No one took a run at him until late, and by then, it was nearly over. Playing companion Denny McCarthy had his struggles on the day, but managed a top-ten placement. Down the stretch, Poston made birdie at the penultimate hole for a bit of breathing room. He finished with a 21-under par total and a three-shot margin of victory.

DP World Tour: Irish Open champion hails from a new land

Adrian Meronk sang a singular note this week on the DP World Tour. His run of birdie-birdie-eagle at the 15th through 17th holes in round four ensure that, forever and always, he would be the first son of Poland to win on the DP World Tour. In all the years under its former name, not one citizen of Polonia broke through to raise a chalice. Now the flag of white and red has a favorite son to cheer in all events, from here on out.

Betting money might have seen Jorge Campillo, already twice a winner on tour, break through for a third career title. The Spaniard could never get on the run that he needed on Sunday. Each pair of birdies was always followed with a bogey, and the Iberian settled for a top-ten placement. Betting money would not have seen Ryan Fox bookend his opening 64 with another on Sunday. The New Zealand native was two island all week: rounds one and four were brilliant, while the middle two were bumpy and uncertain. Fox stood nine-under par on the day as he headed to 18. Needing a final birdie to finish at 61 and 19-deep, the Kiwi settled for bogey and 17-under.

Fox the runner-up and Meronk the champion will do battle over the coming weeks at the Scottish, and then the Open, championships. Meronk’s work on the final day featured just one bogey, and just five over the entirety of the 72 holes of competiion. As he nears 30 years of age, now might be the time to make a statement in a major event.

Korn Ferry Tour: The Ascendant bids Dou safe passage to PGA Tour

Ryan McCormick had controlled The Ascendant since Thursday, but Sunday was not his day. The 54-hole leader tumbled twelve positions into a tie for 13th, unsealing an envelope of opportunity for his pursuers. Carl Yuan reached 17-under par and a tie for the lead, but made bogey at the last to finish at 16 below. Jeremy Paul stood at 16-deep on the 16th tee, but played the closing stretch in one-over figures to check out at 15 strokes saved. Cut the deepest was Augusto Núñez. The Argentin reached 17-under with two to play, but posted a pair of bogeys coming home, and tied for third with Paul and Brandon Matthews.

Who survived? Zecheng “Marty” Dou, that’s who. He had the sort of round going that McCormick and the rest of the field craved. Dou made six birdies against zero bogeys through 17 holes on Sunday, and had a firm grasp on the winner’s plate with one hole left. When his tee shot found a fairway bunker, Dou went into preservation mode. He played safely out, pitched onto the green, and took two putts for bogey and a one-shot victory. With the victory, Dou jumped from 19th to 2nd on The 25 list for season-long status, just behind Yuan. Both will tee it up on the PGA Tour in the fall.

PGA Tour Canada: Prince Edward Island Open chooses Carlson as champion

While other tours have passed the halfway point in their 2022 schedules, PGA Tour Canada is barely beyond the quarter pole. The PEI Open was the fourth of eleven scheduled events on the 2022 schedule, which culminates at the Tour Championship in September, in Kitchener, Ontario. Brian Carlson of the USA held off Chris Wilson of Canada on Sunday, to win his first event of 2022 and move into the top spot on the season-long Fortinet Cup chase. On the heels of a cancelled event at Elk Ridge in Saskatchewan, PGA Tour Canada looked to rebound, and it did so quite well.

Carlson’s back nine on Sunday was enviable. He had five birdies and four pars on the cleanest card of the contenders. Ironically, he failed to make birdie at the easiest hole on the inward half, the par-five 18th. No matter, as the chasers all had at least one bogey coming home. It wasn’t until the penultimate hole that Carlson and Wilson traded places. Wilson made bogey to drop to 17 under, while Carlson’s final birdie elevated him to 19 below. Wilson made one last run at a playoff, but his birdie at the last served only to separate him from the USA’s Austin Hitt, who finished in third.

The tour reconvenes at TPC Toronto in three weeks, and contestants will certainly be champing at the bit to establish position as the home stretch emerges in the distance.

PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Montenegro wins tour finale; Meissner advance to KFT

The Bupa Tour Championship of PGA Tour Latinoamérica evolved into the tournament that everyone wanted to win, but nearly no one could win. 36-hole leader Cristobal del Solar crashed with 84 on Saturday, tumbling down the leader board. Manav Shah, Andrés Gallegos, and José de Jesús Rodríguez each came to the par-five 16th with a chance at the title, and each walked away with bogey six and a missed opportunity.

Even eventural winner Jesús Montenegro had his struggles over the closing stretch. Standing eight-under par with four holes left, the Platense took a rip at the massive, 245-yard par three fifteenth, and came away with double bogey. Able to steady his nerves with a massive par putt at the next, the Argentine closed with three pars for a two-shot victory over Gallegos and Shah. Also coming out in fine form was the USA’s Mitchell Meissner. Despite not winning an event during the 2022 campaign, Meissner finished on top of the TotalPlay Cup standings, and earned the first of ten promotions to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2023.

 

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

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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