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Tour Rundown: Did not see this one coming
It’s a busy season of team golf, for sure. After last week’s enthralling Ryder Cup, attention turns to the amateur squads as they compete in the World Amateur Golf Championships. This week, the ladies went to a skirmish, with the USA winning the Espiritu Santo trophy, thanks to a double tie-break with Spain and Korea, in the most unusual of ways. Each team tied at 18 under par. The sorting hat called for the non-counting score (they play best two of three each day), and the USA and Spain remained tied, with 71. The next step was the day-three, non-counting score (every shot matters!), and the USA came out on top by one, 72 to 73. After taking a step back and a deep breath, that’s a great lesson for all. I and other philomaths at Tour Rundown applaud this tie-breaking method.
On to the tours of the world, as October arrives. In the words of U2, October, when the trees are bare, of all they wear. It’s also my birth month, and it’s a decade birthday this year, so I’m gazing back and looking ahead with great enthusiasm. The LPGA took a South Pacific sojourn to O’ahu for the Lotte. The men traipsed from St. Andrews to Mississippi, with stopovers in Florida and Oklahoma. Much golf to review, even as the NFL ramps up its season with games in Europe. It’s a great time of year to be anywhere, so let’s lace up the kicks and run it all down.
PGA Tour @ Sanderson: Did not see this one coming
In the guys that don’t normally contend, junior division, no one saw Carlton, err, Steven Fisk coming. Why not? The Sanderson is one of those tournaments where golfers make a name for themselves. Until Sunday, Fisk did not have a top three or two, never mind a top one, finish. He had one top-five placing to his credit, which is amazing in and of itself. Now, the Georgia Southern alumnus might just be the second-most successful graduate of the Statesboro school. He’ll have to go a way to top Jodie Mudd, but he’s only 28.
Fisk and Garrick Higgo were the top two players after 54 holes, and the two went at it for the final 18. Higgo played stellar golf, posting 68 to finish solo second. His tumble turned at the turn, when he went bogey-bogey at ten and eleven. Fisk played those holes in minus-one, so a three-shot swing was in the offing. To Higgo’s credit, he ran four consecutive birdies on the inward half, but Fisk was able to notch four birdies of his own over the closing five holes. When it’s your day, it is your day.
LPGA @ LOTTE: Hwang takes Hawaii with closing birdie run
Hwang You-min surpassed the cut last summer at Erin Hills’ U.S. Open. Although she struggled over the weekend, there was a growing sense that her game was good enough to contend on the LPGA circuit. This week in Hawaii, Hwang surpassed all plans and expectations and won her inaugural title on the U.S. circuit.
Hwang stood even on the day, in full consideration of a top-10 finish, when she reached the 13th tee. A birdie there certainly lifted her spirits, and she followed it with a par at 14. Players like Hyo Joo Kim, Minami Katsu, and Nelly Korda were destined for totals of 14-under par or better. Hwang started a run of four closing birdies on 15, a par 3. She saved additional strokes at 16 and 17, both par-four holes. Finally, Hwang played four shots along the 18th to reach 17-deep. Kim finished on minus-sixteen, while Katsu came third at fifteen under par.
DP World Tour @ Dunhill Links: Big Mac runs 66s to title
Rober MacIntyre wishes to prove that he will inherit the helm of European leader, from the likes of Fleetwood, Rose, and McIlroy. The Scot is as gritty as they come, and might one day become the first from the Kingdom since Paul Lawrie to win a major title. MacIntyre earned a fourth DP World Tour title this week in the kingdom of kingdoms, St. Andrews. After opening with 66s at Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, the lad from Oban tacked a third consecutive, minus-six performance at the Old Course. Not right away, mind you. The entire field was reduced to spectators on Saturday, as nature brought winds of hurricane force to the auld towne. The round was cancelled.
Fortunately for planners and participants, the winds abated on Sunday, and play resumed. Tyrrell Hatton and others gave chase, but the closest they could pull was four shots adrift. MacIntyre was in complete control on day three, and he closed on minus 18 for a four-shot win over Hatton.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Compliance Solutions: Fifth musketeer wins in Oklahoma
Adrien Dumont de Chassart should not feel slighted in the least that D’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis receive the majority of attention for their swordplay and swashbuckling endeavors. ADC might not have wielded a sharp sword, but his irons served as rapiers in their own right. How else to describe the work of a fellow who opened 61-61? Someone else tossed a 59 on day one, for goodness’ sake, and ADC tossed him aside like a weak steward.
The Belgian ADC followed his opening 122 with a ho-hum 129 (64-65) and … let me be clear … NO ONE challenged him. Ever. Not once. Zecheng Dou placed second at -26, but his closing four-under-in-last-five-holes brought him within seven shots of Adrien DdC. If ever there was to be a dominant performance on any of the world’s tours, at any moment this year, it was to be this week. A tip of the chevalier hat to Adrien Dumont de Chassart, who extinguished the flame of opposition with ease and grace, and earned the right to lift the champion’s trophy at the Compliance Solutions.
ADDC ???
He knocks it close for a chance to move to -33. The Korn Ferry Tour scoring record to par is -31. pic.twitter.com/t17ymDEZP0
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) October 5, 2025
PGA Tour Champions @ Furyk & Friends: More friends than Furyk
In the Guys that don’t normally contend, senior division, aka, the PGA Tour Champions, we had quite the tilt on Sunday. Matt Gogel began the day in first place, but lost a thruple of strokes to par on the day to drop to a quintet of third-place podium denizens. His solo third effort was undone when he made one final bogey at the 54th hole.
Cameron Percy came to life after a ho-hum outward nine. He made to trio of birdies over the closing half, separating himself from the chasing pack by three shots. Unfortunately for Percy, a pair of gloves got the better of him and the field by another two strokes. On this day, Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey was unstoppable.
It’s a safe bet that Gainey is the first-ever winner on PGA Tour Champions to list Central Carolina Technical College on his resume. The Sumter, South Carolina school is not known for its production of pro golf alumni. As if that weren’t enough, Gainey wears two, not one, gloves, when he competes at golf. Sunday saw the double-glover win for the first time since the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020. Gainey produced five birdies and an eagle on Sunday. His lone bogey came on the par-three fourteenth, where he reached fairway and could not get up and down to save par.
An eagle from @TwoGlovesGolf ???
Tommy Gainey is looking the be the first event qualifier to win a PGA TOUR Champions event since 2021 ? pic.twitter.com/VPoBh8yMRr
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 5, 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...
