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Morning 9: Tiger out of Hero I Ko’s return to number one I RIP Sandy Jones

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.

For comments: [email protected]. On Twitter: @benalberstadt
November 29, 2022

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, with Tiger Woods and his legion of fans having to wait another week for his comeback after his latest WD.

1. Woods withdraws: Plantar fasciitis to keep TW out of Hero

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Woods announced Monday that he has developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot, forcing him to withdraw from his 20-man exhibition in the Bahamas that begins Thursday. Tournament officials said Sepp Straka will take Woods’ place in the limited field.”

  • “This was set to be a busy stretch for Woods, beginning with the Hero and followed the next two weeks with The Match alongside Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, as well as the PNC Championship with son Charlie.”
  • “But Woods said that he developed inflammation in his surgically repaired right foot in the run-up to the Hero and, after consulting with his doctors, decided it was best to focus on his hosting duties. He said Monday that he is still planning to compete in The Match and PNC, during which he can use a cart.”
Full piece.

2. Lydia Ko: No. 1

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”Lydia Ko has returned to No. 1 in the world for the first time since June 11, 2017. She replaces Nelly Korda. Four players have occupied the top spot in the Rolex Rankings in 2022, with Jin Young Ko spending the bulk of the season there.”

  • “On Oct. 31, LPGA rookie Atthaya Thitikul became only the second teenager to rise to No. 1. She spent two weeks there before Korda knocked her out after a victory at the Pelican Women’s Championship.”
  • “Ko, 25, became the youngest player – male or female – to ever reach No. 1 seven years ago at age 17. Tiger Woods previously held the record of 21, set in 1997.”
Full piece.

3. LIV lands Mayakoba

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…“The 16th edition of the PGA Tour visiting the Riviera Maya in Mexico, south of Cancun, which was played earlier this month, will be its final rendition. Golfweek has learned that the El Camaleon Golf Club, which has regularly hosted the World Wide Technologies Championship at Mayakoba is set to be the site of the first LIV Golf tournament in February 2023. Multiple sources have confirmed that an announcement is expected as early as Tuesday.”

  • “The decision to jump to LIV Golf makes sense given that Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, designed the course and has strong ties to the resort and tournament organizers. LIV Golf also has signed the most prominent Mexican golfers to its roster of players, including Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz.”
  • “LIV Golf Mayakoba is expected to take place on Feb. 24-26, 2023, and serve as the kick-off event on the 14-event schedule. It is the first golf course to leave the PGA Tour in favor of hosting an event on the upstart LIV Golf circuit.”
Full piece.

4. RIP Sandy Jones

PGA report…“The PGA is sad to report that its former Chief Executive and a hugely popular figure in golf, Sandy Jones, has passed away.”

  • “Sandy’s association with The PGA began in 1980 when he was appointed a regional secretary for Scotland. Eleven years later he became the Association’s Chief Executive, a role he held for 25 years.”
  • “He was also a President of the Golf Foundation and a chairman of The Ryder Cup Trust. The PGA is the founding partner of the Ryder Cup and, as a board member, he played a pivotal role in developing it into one of the largest sporting events in the world, introducing a charitable arm enabling revenues from the Ryder Cup to develop the game.”
Full piece.

5. Lavner: Woods should speak up again against LIV, and it’s in his interest to do so

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Even though he turns 48 next month, Woods’ voice resonates more than the others – he captured consecutive PIP titles despite playing just nine competitive rounds – and this was a chance to underscore why this was such a seismic moment for the Tour.”

  • “That’s why, with his appearance now limited to hosting duties, there’s plenty of intrigue heading into Woods’ Tuesday news conference at the Hero World Challenge. At the end of an acrimonious year, with the sports world listening, he can take his strongest stance yet.”
  • “Even if a few of Woods’ talking points will need to be refined.”
  • “Four months ago, at St. Andrews, he dismissed LIV’s 54-hole format as a senior tour prelude and disparaged the defectors for accepting guaranteed money upfront, asking, “What is the incentive to practice? What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt?” But every player, including Woods, has accepted appearance fees in the past, and a new Tour model with more no-cut events would be just another way for the Tour to line the pockets of its stars. The better they perform, the more money they make. That meritocratic aspect hasn’t changed, either on Tour or LIV.”
Full piece.

6. JT and Rahm join Tiger and Rory for Monday night golf

7. Crunch talks on the way

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…“Chief executives of the game’s main tours and the heads of at least three of the Majors will congregate at The Match in Florida next month to discuss the ongoing LIV Golf threat, according to a report from the Telegraph’s Golf Correspondent James Corrigan.”

  • “Bosses including PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the USGA Mike Whan and chief executive of the PGA of America Seth Waugh will be in attendance at the Pelican Golf Club on 10 December, where Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will team up against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the made-for-TV exhibition event.”
Full piece.

8. Webb’s win over Cam Smith

AAP report…”She might be semi-retired but Karrie Webb managed to do something this year that a lot of other golfers couldn’t – beat Cameron Smith in a round of golf.

  • “The pair are both teeing up in the Australian Open in Melbourne this week, for the first time male and female golfers playing on the same course at the same time for the same prize-money.”
  • “Their match was rained out with a few holes to play but Webb was ahead, with Smith paying up with a bottle of Grange.”
  • “I was ahead when we got rained out so he paid up,” Webb said on Monday following her practice at Victoria Golf Club.
  • “He brought over a bottle of Grange – if he’d told me on the first tee that was what we were playing for I probably wouldn’t have played so good.
  • “I had him sign the bottle and said I’m not going to drink this until one of us wins a big tournament and then two weeks later he did (at the Open) so now we’ve got to have a drink to celebrate.”
Full piece.

9. Garcia’s historic fall
Ryan Herrington for GolfDigest… “On Monday, for the first time since that maiden Euro Tour win, Garcia will fall out of the top 100, ending an amazing streak that has lasted 23 years and 21 weeks (1,221 weeks overall). It was a milestone first noted by Twitter’s resident OWGR guru, @nosferatu.”

  • “The fall was in part self-afflicted. When Garcia choose to jump to the LIV Golf circuit this summer, bolting the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, where he won 11 times, the former Masters champion was cutting off the potential for playing in OWGR ranked events. When Garcia, now 42, played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational in June he was still ranked 55th. But since then, while playing in eight LIV events, he’s competed in only four tournaments that offer OWGR points, his best finish at T-48 at the BMW International.”
Full Piece.
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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.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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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

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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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