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Tour Rundown: Woad you say?
There are two European traditions in action this time of year, that stonish and horrify many around the world. The Sanfermines and the Tour de France each involve clusters of competitors and the certainty of disaster. The former, better known as the Running of the Bulls, takes place in northern Spain. The latter moves across a sizable portion of France and, at times, other countries.
Sanfermines are over quickly, as the bulls decide to forge ahead toward the bull ring or confront one of the amateur runners that fill the streets of Pamplona. Tour de France involves many sorts of cycling encounters. The long, arduous campaigns over open, flattish roads are built for one sort of talent. The climbs up mountains invoke another skill. Descents down similar traces are quite another thing. More of a haphazard, roller coaster without tracks or guard rails. The sprints around twisting city streets summon a third, and the mad dash toward an impending finish line and potential yellow jersey demand a fourth area of expertise and conditioning.
It’s rare that you have a crash in either of the first two elements. The last three are rife with injury and sometimes, death, as are the Sanfermines. In golf, this drama is a distant consideration, but bunching and sorting is a shared commodity. No one is faster than the bulls, and the peloton always catches the breakaway riders, if it wishes to do so. In golf, sometimes breakaways happen, and the field is helpless and awestruck. Most of the time, it’s a mad, breakneck stroll down the final fairways of a tournament and then, when the final putts are holed, a sorting of the podium. This week, the first in July, we have some of each resolution. Folks might have been caught looking ahead to the next two weeks when the Scottish and Open Championships come into focus on the men’s tours. If they were, they missed quite a bit of inspiring action.
Let’s have our own glance, safely, at this week’s Tour Rundown.
Ladies European Tour @ Irish Open: Woad you say? An amateur in triumph
In April of this year, Lottie Woad made a gallant putt on the 18th green of the Augusta National course, to hold Bailey Shoemaker at a distance, and win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. In 2024, Woad tied for the tenth spot at the Women’s Open, earning the Smyth Salver trophy as low amateur. It’s safe to say that, if and when she does turn professional, Lottie Woad will garner as much attention in golf, say, as Caitlin Clark has done in basketball.
Why so daring a proclamation? This week at Carton House in Ireland, Woad won the Irish Open by six shots. The Irish is a fixture on the Ladies European Tour and featured such household names as Charley Hull and Madelene Sagstrom. Those two finished in the top four but were mere attendants to a coronation. Woad stood second after an opening 68 but made her move on day two. Her 67 pushed her three shots ahead of day-one leader Chiara Tamburlini. As the melodious Tamburlini fell away on day three, Woad pushed her total to 17 under par over the par-73 layout, establishing a commanding advantage. On a day when no one near the lead broke 70, Woad signed for 67. Day four saw the crowning of the young queen, as Woad closed with 69 to reach minus twenty-one. Sagstrom moved one clear of Amelia Garvey for second, and Hull took fourth. Fatima Fernandez Cano, on the strength of the week’s low round (66) ascended to fifth position.
PGA Tour @ John Deere Classic: Campbell wins playoff for second title
Unlike the Irish Open mentioned above, the JDC on the PGA Tour was a cluster to the end. For a time, it was Max Homa on the mend, then it was David Lipsky on the attack. A goateed Beau Hossler gave early notice that low numbers were available at the TPC Deere Run. Finally, Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo took center stage, albeit briefly, before a champion was decided.
Max Homa played the first four holes like a man on a mission. He played the closing fourteen in a bit less. The man who took a stand against social media gave it his best, but ultimately, a tie for fifth was his reward. He finished two shots out of a playoff. Joining him on that number was a quintet of fellow competitors. Among the six, Jacob Bridgeman needed to close with four birdies to reach overtime. He secured the first three, but made bogey at the last to fall away. David Lipsky and Kevin Roy finished one shot distant from the extra session. Lipsky lipskied out on the final hole to miss joining the apres-round participants, while Roy made birdie at the last to earn a career-best finish.
So away they went, Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo, to decide which would raise the champion’s trophy. The post party was over in minutes. Grillo’s attempt to cut the corner on eighteen fell short of target, and he could only chunk an iron down the fairway, within twenty yards of the flag. His pitch went astray and he could not chip in with his fourth. Campbell played the hole as designed: tee-fairway-green-hole and the title was his.
DP World Tour @ BWM International: Battle of Britain turns Brown
Sunday in Munich was a brilliant, sunny day, and the golf equaled the atmosphere. One had to look to eleventh place to find a score at 70 or worse on the day. Those in contention made the most of opportunity at Munchen Eichenried, and Daniel Brown and Jordan Smith made more than the others. The two Brits battled down the stretch, and it was the mountainous Brown who came out on top.
New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori left nothing in the pocket, as he rode nine birdies and an eagle to 63 and third place. If Kobori had managed to avoid bogeys at eight and seventeen, he would have given Brown and Smith an even more threatening rabbit to chase.
After nine holes, Smith stood on minus-five and moved within one of the lead. His stretch from ten through fourteen was less appetizing, featuring three bogeys and a birdie. Smith closed with a pair of birdies down the stretch, but Brown held his two-shot advantage to the close.
PGA Tour Americas @ Explore NB Open: Perkins is your man in New Brunswick
Ten golfers will receive hockey sweaters in late September. Those sweaters will signify promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2026. David Perkins sits atop the Fortinet Cup standings, thanks to his victory this week in the Canadian maritime. Perkins slipped past third-round leader Tripp Kinney, earning the win by one shot.
Perkins began the week like a man possessed. His 130 total at the halfway poll gave him the lead, but he handed it over to Kinney after a third-round 68 was no match for Kinney’s 64. Granted, the new lead was but one stroke, adding to the potential for dramatic conclusion. On day four, Perkins survived a pair of bogeys at the turn, rebounded with four birdies on the inward half, and signed for 19-under par. Kinney broke out of a day-long malaise (one bogey, zero birdies, through fourteen holes) to post eagle-birdie at 15 and 16. Each player closed with a pair of pars, and the title traveled away with Perkins.
Crazy leaderboard in New Brunswick ?
1. David Perkins (-16) thru 10
T2. Ford Clegg (-15) F
T2. Davis Lamb (-15) thru 14
T2. Drew Nesbitt (-15) thru 14
T2. Riley Lewis (-15) thru 12
T2. Tripp Kinney (-15) thru 9 pic.twitter.com/jCtcINuEBU— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) July 6, 2025
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...
