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Tour Rundown: Clark “wyns” initial tour title, Thailand races to convincing win, Meronk Ryder Cup ready

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3 years ago

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A mighty new event on the LPGA circuit, combining team and match play, debuted in San Francisco. For those mourning the end of the PGA Tour’s match-play tournament, take heart. This one combined singles and partner play and kept dozens of golfers active through the end of play on Saturday. The top four teams (16 golfers in total) advanced to play on Sunday. We’ll tell you more about it, further along. The PGA Tour gathered in Charlotte, while the DP World Tour got down to business in Italy’s capital, Rome. The Tour Champions settled matters in suburban Atlanta, while PGA Tour Latinoamérica had a go at the center of the Earth. Should be a Tour Flydown, with all the distance between venues, but we’ll continue to call it Tour Rundown, and catch you up on what went down.

LPGA @ Hanwha International Crown: Thailand races to convincing win

The LPGA is certainly onto something here. Eight four-person teams representing their countries met over four days of competition. Three days of round-robin play sent four teams through to the Sunday morning semifinals. Lower seeds Australia (7) and Thailand (6) dispatched their heralded rivals Sweden (4) and USA (1) and met in the finals. In the end, it was more of the same.

On Thursday, Thailand lost zero matches in partner play. On Friday, the partnerships remained steady, and Thailand won them all again. On Saturday, for a third consecutive day, Thailand’s pairings of Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul, alongside the Jutanugarn sisters swept the table. At this juncture, the golf world took serious notice.

Sunday morning welcomed a change in matches (two singles and one doubles) format. Thitikul dispatched the USA’s Lexi Thompson, while Tavatanakit lost a spirited battle with Lilia Vu. The match hinged on the sisters once more, and Ariya and Moriya came through with a one-up win over Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang. On the other side of the bracket, Australia seized the leader’s role with three wins before the 17th tee.

Sunday afternoon watched a battle of titans. The tables were turned as Thailand romped to a three-zero victory, with none of its wins reaching the penultimate tee. TPC Harding Park proved to be an ideal setting for team match play, and Thailand’s foursome will long remember its win in the inaugural playing of the International Crown.

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo Championship: Clark “wyns” initial tour title

I’ll put this out there: if Matt Fitzpatrick wins next week, I will debut my #WrongRon (love to Ron Balicki) service. I picked Wyndham Clark to win last week but was a wee bit early with my prescience. This week, I had Fitzy, so … you know the rest.

Wyndham Clark and Christian McCaffrey graduated the same year from Valor Christian in Denver. Both went on to play D1 sports and, while McCaffrey caught the NFL spotlight early, Clark took a bit longer to ascend to PGA Tour royalty. Now, he’s here. Clark opened with rounds of 67-67, then jumped to the top of the board with 63 on Saturday. That number included eight birdies and zero bogies. On the week, Clark amassed four bogies, including one on his opening hole on Sunday.

Fortunately for the Colorado native, no one made a move on day four. No one, that is, until Clark on the inward half. Five birdies from holes eight through fifteen staked him to a clear advantage over pursuer Xander Schauffele. When X posted a bogey at 17, the podium was Clark’s.

DP World Tour @ DSA Italian Open: Meronk signals readiness with Rome conquest

They don’t come much taller than Adrian Meronk. The guaranteed selection for Europe’s Ryder Cup team in Italy claimed a third DP World Tour title, over the host course for the September biennial event. Meronk began the day one back of France’s Julien Guerrier. Guerrier came unglued with bogey at his opening two holes and, while he made a pair of offsetting birdies, two more bogies cascaded him to 73 and third place on his own.

Romain Langasque made a valiant attempt to secure the title for France, but three bogies midway through the back nine lowered his ship to 12 under par, two clear of Guerrier. Meronk also had his struggles on the inward side, but balanced birdies, bogeys and pars at three each, and capped his effort with a birdie at the last, to ease past Langasque to victory. When we meet Marco Simone golf club again, the stakes will be different. For Meronk, he’d love to be a difference-maker once again.

PGA Tour Champions @ ME Classic: Ames claims second in Atlanta

In 2017, Stephen Ames won his first veteran’s circuit event at the Mitstubishi. He held off one of the senior rodeo’s all-time greatest by four shots. That gentleman was Bernhard Langer. In 2023, Ames sealed another four-shot win, over another all-timer in Miguel Ángel Jiménez. Not a bad pair of wins to remember, when the playing days are eventually over.

Over the entirety of the weekend, the winner was able to stay a shot or two ahead of his competition. When they went low, he went lower. Rounds of 65 and 64 kept Ames in the lead through Sunday. On day three, his card was clean, if a little higher. Three birdies over the final round were enough to maintain a comfortable distance. Ken Tanigawa was three back of Ames, heading into the final day. He was unable to mount a charge and fell to solo third position. While there was a 66 farther back in the field, only Jiménez was able to match Ames’ 68, and he eased past Tanigawa into second spot.

With his son as caddie, Ames capped the week in style, with the put that you may see below. The victory was Ames’ fourth on PGA Tour Champions, and moved him from 8th to 4th in the season-long, Schwab Cup challenge.

PGA Tour Latinoamérica @ KIA Classic: Hakula charges to comeback win

If you read the social headlines on Saturday, misplaced headlines like seizes control and takes charge were applied to the leader, Garret Reband. The American had played stellar golf over three days, but no competitor was prepared to hand him the winner’s check. When Reband struggled early on Sunday, then signed for a 75, the clubhouse gate was wide open.

First came Rafael Becker, who posted nine birdies and an eagle in his 63. Unbelievably, Becker also had a double and single bogey on his card. He reached 14 under par and tied Brent Ito for third position. Next was Julián Etulain, who offered a clean card of five birdies and another eagle. His efforts brought him to 15-under par. Were they enough? No. Toni Hakula, a UTexas alumnus, found a way to ease past Etulain for a one-shot win. Despite a bogey at the par-five 17th hole, Hakula found his way to par at the last for his second career win on PGA Tour LA.

Gustavo Silva finished in a tie for 29th, but will always remember the swing that gave him an ace and a first-round 65.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

4 weeks ago

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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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

 

 

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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

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Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

Published

4 weeks ago

on

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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WITB

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