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Tour Rundown: Stricker’s fifth senior major | Day ends drought
As the golf world prepares to turn its attention to western New York and the US PGA Championship, it could not help but peek at a series of tournaments whose conclusions came on the eve of the second men’s major of 2023. The LPGA gathered in New Jersey for the Founders Cup, while the DP World Tour met in Belgium for the Soudal Open. The PGA Tour Champions celebrated its first major event of 2023 at the Tradition, while the PGA Tour assembled in Texas for the Byron Nelson.
Which event offered more interest? The celebration of the founding members of the LPGA against a major title, against a final major invitation? For those with something on the line, the answer was none and each of them. It’s time to run down the four professional winners of May’s second weekend in 2023.
Finishing eagle for @CTPanGolf ? pic.twitter.com/6a1zz3szTE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 14, 2023
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Tradition: Stricker finishes off fifth Senior major title
When Steve Stricker decides to post 64-65 on the weekend, especially at a major, we at GolfWRX hope that the rest of the field enjoys the battle for second place. That was the script for this week at Greystone in Birmingham, Alabama. For the third time in five years, Stricker secured victory in the Regions Tradition with a definitive performance. The only opponent to slow his roll was a rain delay from Mother Nature.
This week, Stricker’s tour de force was a six-shot margin of victory over Ernie Els and Robert Karlsson. Els was equal to Stricker on Sunday, posting his own 65. Karlsson began the day one shot back of Stricker, but the Swede was unable to mount any sort of challenge. His three birdies were not nearly enough, and his two bogies relegated him to the runner-up tie.
The streak continues. ?
After the rain delay, @stevestricker heads straight to the green and birdies another hole @RegionsTrad. pic.twitter.com/brD51zvANg
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 14, 2023
PGA Tour @ the Byron Nelson: Day claims 13th title in Texas
Tour win number thirteen was a long time coming for Jason Day. He claimed a twelfth in 2018, but fell victim to back and other ailments soon after. Day tried a vast array of treatments for the maladies, but only recently was able to return to the form that saw him ascend to the highest echelon of golfers on the planet.
On Sunday, Day posted eight birdies in his first 17 holes, but it was a gritty, ninth one at the final hole, that sealed his triumph. Day reached the final tee with a one-shot advantage over Si Woo Kim. His tee shot found the rough, while Si Wood reached the fairway. Day laid up short of the crossing water at TPC Craig Ranch, while Kim came up just shy of the putting surface, in a bunker.
With raindrops falling, Day played a gutsy pitch with his wedge, spinning the ball to three feet. Kim needed to hole out to force a playoff, but came up just shy. Both golfers tapped in for birdie, and Day was again on top of the golf world. He’ll head to Rochester’s Oak Hill Country Club as a former PGA Championship winner, with designs on a second major title, and a bushel of confidence.
Golf shot.@JDayGolf knocks it close in front of his family @ATTByronNelson pic.twitter.com/6varghTQaO
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 14, 2023
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Jin Young overtakes Minjee in playoff
It was a big week for three-in-five, if you mean two golfers did the deed. Jin Young Ko proved to love Upper Montclair as much as Stricker loves Greystone. JYK had to work overtime to seal her deal, Ko made a fifteen-feet birdie putt on the final regulation green to catch the overnight leader. Minjee Lee had a number of chances to win in regulation, but it was a stinger of a bogey at the 16th that gave Lee pause, and Ko hope.
On the first extra hole, Minjee was bold in her birdie putt, rolling the rock six feet past the hole. Her comeback putt for par was away, and Jin Young Ko had her 15th career LPGA win. What’s next for JYK? Perhaps a return to the major champion’s circle. Two of her first five tour wins were majors, but none since 2019 has fallen her way.
JIN YOUNG KO!
She birdies the 18th to tie the lead!!! pic.twitter.com/hOnYNUqoCv
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 14, 2023
DP World Tour @ Soudal Open: Forsstrõm earns first Tour title
On Saturday in Antwerp, Belgium, France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera thrilled the paying public with consecutive eagles at 16 and 17. Sweden’s Simon Forsstrõm didn’t need nearly as thrilling a finish to his round on Sunday, but what he did was certainly noteworthy. After birdies at four and eight gave the 14-year veteran the lead, double bogey and bogey at 10 and 12 threatened to undo his run to a maiden title on the DP World Tour. With but one Challenge Tour title on his resume, could he rally?
Steeling himself, the pride of Bromma, Sweden indeed rallied with birdies at 14, 16, and 17 to reclaim the lost shots and edge past countryman Jens Dantorp to a total of 17-under par. Dantorp played wonderful golf all week, never leaving the 60s. His tally came up one strike shy of Forsström, and two shots clear of Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, who claimed third position. As for Lorenzo-Vera, he ultimately finished in a tie for fourth spot, four shots behind the victor.
A first DP World Tour title for Simon Forsström ? #SoudalOpen pic.twitter.com/zqt5KQNmJF
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 14, 2023
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...
