Connect with us

News

Morning 9: Should we blame Jillian Bourdage? | Major trophy theft? | Woods rode the intramural basketball bench?

Published

7 years ago

on
By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected]; @benalberstadt on Instagram)

July 31, 2019

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans. 
1. Should we blame Jillian? 
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols says Jillian Bourdage, the junior golfer in the now-viral clip, shouldn’t be flogged for slow play or held up as an example given the video’s context…
  • “The video highlights a comeback par putt Bourdage deliberated over on the 30th hole of a match that stretched to 36.”
  • “Slow play is a problem in golf. Can’t imagine anyone disputing that. But Bourdage is a 17-year-old Ohio State commit in the early stages of her career. She doesn’t deserve the same level of scrutiny as a professional athlete. She’s ranked 838th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings for goodness sake.”
  • “A few things to consider about the Girls’ Junior finale that make this the perfect storm for slow-play critics…“It was a commercial-free broadcast”…“This was the only match on the course”
Nichols’ point: there was no opportunity to cut away from the watching-paint-dry spectacle and Bourdage and her playing were never out of position and, again, at the time, they were playing on an open course (and thus felt afforded as much time as they wanted over each shot).
2. Monday qualifying is really hard!
Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…”If you don’t follow Monday Q Info on Twitter by now, hopefully, this will provide the impetus to do so. No one tracks the Monday qualifying circuit like this guy, and with the PGA Tour regular season coming to an end, he produced this stunning compilation of results”
  • “Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) 67-67-67-67-65-68-69-66-69-67-67-68-67-69-69-68-72-68-67-65-66-65-67-68″
  • “If you went to every PGA Mon Q, shot these scores in order…you got into exactly ZERO events.”
  • “To reiterate, the average last-spot score at a Monday qualifier this year was 66.42. And three times, a 64 was needed to grab the last spot. If you shot 65 any of those three days, you were out of luck. Incredible.”

Full piece.

3. Nelly’s major bid
Randall Mell on Nelly Korda’s effort to take the next step in her already impressive career…
  • “She’s looking to win a major, but she understands it’s like a graduate program. There are still lessons to be learned.”
  • “I started playing golf because I wanted to win major championships,” Korda said Tuesday at the AIG Women’s British Open. “I feel like the more experience I get, and the more I’m in contention, and the more I am under pressure in these situations, the more I learn, the more I grow as a player.”
  • “Korda, who just turned 21 on Sunday, broke through to win her first LPGA title at the Swinging Skirts Taiwan Championship last October and won again at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in February.”
4. Trophy theft
Golf Channel’s Randall Mell…”If Georgia Hall appeared especially enamored with the silver AIG Women’s Open trophy positioned next to her in a news conference Tuesday at Woburn Golf Club, there was good reason.”
  • “Somebody stole her trophy.”
  • “…The trophy the Englishwoman was presented as winner of last year’s championship was stolen out of her car in London two months ago. It was a replica of the original.”
  • “Smashed my back window, like 12 o’clock in the middle of the afternoon,” Hall said. “I don’t know if they knew it was me or not, because it was in the box and everything. And I had golf clubs as well, and they didn’t take that. A bit strange.”
5. Barron’s big week
AP report on the Senior Open fifth-place finisher’s impressive showing.
  • …”He flew to Manchester, drove to the Lancashire coast and played with Wes Short Jr. The last time they had played together was nearly seven years ago in the Jacksonville Open, the final event of the year on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour.”
  • “Two days later, Barron finished with three clutch putts at Fairhaven to qualify for the Senior British Open”
  • “The day he turned 50 was the final practice round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, where Barron and Dicky Pride took 20 pounds off Joe Durant and Scott Parel. The week ended with Barron closing with a 67 in the rain while playing with Colin Montgomerie to tie for fifth.”

Full piece.

6. Tiger the bench jockey? 
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…
  • “During an appearance on the Golf.com Podcast, Woods’ friend and former teammate Notah Begay talked about Woods’ abilities ­- or lack thereof – on the hardwood.”
  • “The golf team had an intramural team at Stanford,” said Begay, who won two state basketball titles while at Albuquerque Academy. “Tiger was on our team. But let me just tell you – let the cat out of the bag – he wasn’t in the starting five. I’m not going to disparage his athletic ability because he’s a great athlete. But I mean, with the likes of Casey Martin, who had a birth defect in his right leg who started ahead of [Tiger], will give you an indication of Tiger’s skills on the court. I’ll just leave it at that.”
7. Morikawa on his sticks 
Collin Morikawa spoke with Andrew Tursky of PGATour.com about his equipment, while the whole of the conversation is interesting, here’s what Morikawa said about his breakfast-inspired wedge adornments.
  • “Your wedge stampings have gone a bit crazy on social media. I guess you’re a big breakfast guy? How did those stampings come about?”
  • “Yeah (laughs), so my girlfriend, we love breakfast and we’ve got a little nicknames for each other. I won’t tell you which one [is mine]… but I’ll tell you her [nickname]; hers is “bacon.” But yeah, we love breakfast. We’re huge foodies. We love going out – and I think that’s what’s great about the PGA TOUR is you get to travel to so many great places and find some really good food. It just happened to be that we wanted to put some breakfast [items on the wedges] and we got some good combinations on there. We forgot some cereal names; I think that might be on a new wedge. But yeah, we do love our food and we definitely can’t get enough.”

Full piece.

8. “An honest mistake”
A day after passportgate, here are a couple of perspectives on Lexi Thompson’s misplaced passport fiasco
  • From an ESPN report “…Her agent, Bobby Kreusler, told Golf Channel it was an “honest mistake” and that Thompson had no idea it would cause such a delay and affect players the way it did.”
  • “She would never have wanted that,” the agent said.
  • “Ryann O’Toole, whose clubs didn’t arrive until Tuesday evening ahead of the Evian, wasn’t happy to lose another day of preparation for a major.”
  • “I don’t know why the driver would agree to accommodate one person knowing it would punish about a third of the field,” O’Toole told Golf Channel. “The driver should have said: ‘Hey, I’ve got to get these clubs to Woburn. If you want the passport, somebody’s going to have to fly there to get it and bring it back.”’

Full piece.

9. Can you use the shadow of the flagstick for alignment?
Handy bit of info from Golf.com’s Rules Guy…
  • “I had a four-foot putt exactly on the line of the flagstick’s shadow, so I left the pin in and made the putt. My playing partner called foul. I know the USGA changed the rule so that it’s the player’s choice whether to leave the stick in or out, but does that still hold when using its shadow as a beacon? -GUY SYKES, VIA E-MAIL”
  • “…the Rules are there to guide us, not hinder us. They are, indeed, a beacon themselves. The sun is out, and a shadow leads the way? To mix a metaphor, the stars have aligned! It’s perfectly legal!..”

Related Topics:

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.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. JThunder

    Aug 1, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    If this clip is “viral” for slow play, then the entire PGA Tour season should be “viral” for slow play. Typical that the wealthy men aren’t called to task but the young girl is. A young girl who played a match in just over 4 hours (about the time it takes JB Holmes to get ready to hit a shot).

    Well done again, “wonderful” world of golf.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Ryan

    Aug 1, 2019 at 10:43 am

    Slow play sucks. Watching someone take forever over a three footer sucks. However, if the player is still within their pace of play on the course, nothing, IMO, can really be said. If this event hadn’t been televised, then this story wouldn’t have made headlines. If the pace is set at 4 hours and 10 minutes for 18 holes and the match took 4 hours and 9 minutes, then what is the gripe? The game is about shooting low scores, not how fast can you play. This is the equivalent of giving your wife $100 to spend shopping and when she comes home, she hands you back $1. Can you really be mad at her for spending $99 when you told her $100 was the limit? Does it matter if she bought 15 items or 1 item? As long as she didn’t come home and say, I spent $300 today, can you be mad? I think the same applies here.

    Reply Report comment

  3. Jon

    Jul 31, 2019 at 10:29 am

    Mr. Alberstadt, in my opinion it is rather unfortunate you left out a key piece of information from Beth Ann Nichols’ piece on Jillian and slow play. The original article states their first 18 holes took 4 hours and 4 minutes to complete and were under the 4 hours and 12 minutes time limit for the second 18 holes. Again in my opinion, withholding this information in the above article makes it look like Ms. Nichols was making an excuse for the slow play, when in all actuality, the time limits were never exceeded. It is rather unfortunate the amateurs are bearing the brunt of outcries on slow play.

    Reply Report comment

    • James

      Jul 31, 2019 at 11:57 am

      Good point about the overall time limit. Just thought I should clarify also that Jillian is not just any amateur. She’s an elite amateur and knows better. On a side note, I am so sick of broadcast commentators talking about these boys and girls as if they are new to the game. They have conquered the physical and mental aspects of the game beyond what 99.9% of all golfers will ever know yet they are talked down to and apologized for? They know what they are doing.

      Reply Report comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Jun 1, 2026

By

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

 

 

Continue Reading

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jun 1, 2026

By

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

Continue Reading

News

Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

Published

4 weeks ago

on

May 31, 2026

By

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

Continue Reading

Announcement

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have been updated as of January 29th, 2026. Please review the updated policies here Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. By continuing to use our site after January 29th, 2026, you agree to the changes.

WITB

Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

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...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

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:...
Whats in the Bag1 month ago

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...
Whats in the Bag1 month ago

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...

Facebook

Trending