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Morning 9: Pro’s 8-hour drive for 20k event | Cantlay’s coup? | Garcia enters Open qualifying

Published

3 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

1. PGA Tour pro makes 8-hour drive to play for $20K

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Eric Cole isn’t in the field for this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. It will mark the first time in 12 weeks that the 35-year-old rookie hasn’t teed it up on the PGA Tour.”

  • So, how is Cole spending his off week? He’s playing a golf tournament.
  • Yes, after tying for 24th on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, Cole hopped in a car and drove eight hours to Pittsburgh for this week’s Frank B. Fuhrer Jr. Invitational, a 72-hole tournament at Pittsburgh Field Club.
  • The Fuhrer has been around for nearly four decades, dating to 1985 when Bob Ford won the inaugural title. The 40-player tournament is the brainchild of Pittsburgh businessman Frank B. Fuhrer Jr., who also was behind the Family House Invitational, a two-day competition for charity that for 14 years featured dozens of PGA Tour pros. Fuhrer died last year at age 96, but his invitational lived on with David Bradshaw winning for a record fourth time last year while claiming the $40,000 first-place prize.
Full piece.

2. Record mark at no. 1

ESPN report…”South Korea’s Jin Young Ko was ranked No. 1 in the world Monday for a record-setting 159th week, and rising star Rose Zhang is now in the top 50.”

  • “Ko remained atop the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings after a tie for 20th at this past week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, surpassing the 158 weeks spent at No. 1 by Lorena Ochoa of Mexico from 2007 to 2010. Ko, a 15-time winner on the LPGA Tour, has held the No. 1 spot five different times since April 2019. This is the 27-year-old’s sixth consecutive week there.”
Full piece.

3. Garcia enters Open qualifying

The Telegraph’s James Corrigan…”Sergio Garcia has entered next week’s final qualifying for the Open Championship. The record Ryder Cup points scorer will take his place alongside 287 other hopefuls — a mixture of starry-eyed amateurs and lowly-ranked pros — attempting to win one of the 16 berths on offer for Hoylake.”

  • “However, Telegraph Sport has also learned that Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter — two other Ryder Cup legends who are members of the LIV Golf League — will not feature in the draw when it is released on Tuesday, with the veterans electing to skip the 36-hole shootout. This means that Westwood will miss his first Open in 28 years.”
Full piece.

4. Blair close to keeping his card

Jim McCabe for PGATour.com…”There were two scoreboards in play for Zac Blair during Sunday’s final round of the Travelers Championship.”

  • “The one that mattered the most – where he stood in his quest to pile up FedExCup points to fulfill his major medical extension – was one he had no control over and one that wouldn’t even come into focus until his round was long over. He needed a solo second to secure his card; a two-way T2 would move him to the precipice.”
  • “So Blair tried to push that out of his mind and focus on the leaderboards at every green. There, he saw his name prominently placed near the top and he was able to take deep breaths and feel a sense of achievement.”
  • “There was a time where I was way back,” said Blair, who began the day tied for 15th, nine behind 54-hole leader Keegan Bradley, who proceeded to win by three strokes over Blair and Brian Harman. “So I was just trying to play well and (the putts) kept going in.”
Full piece.

5. “Technology has passed this course by”

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Rory McIlroy, who finished at 18 under and tied for seventh place, spoke after the round about the golf course. The four-time major champion said that he believes “technology has passed the course by.””

  • “I don’t particularly like when a tournament is like this. Unfortunately, technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had.”
  • “So, again, like the conversations going back to, you know, limiting the golf ball and stuff like that, when we come to courses like this they just don’t present the challenge that they used to.”
Full piece.

6. Cantlay’s coup?

Our Jason Daniels…”Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch wrote a piece on Saturday that told of the huge pressures now facing PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan following June’s declaration of “an ill-defined but ignominious deal that promises a future in which the Tour will have to rationalize its proximity to [Saudi] regime atrocities.”

  • “According to Lynch, the Tour is now having to cope with rebellious players that previously kept quiet, for they now have “no prospects for the lucrative payday to which they feel entitled.”
  • “Whilst previously, LIV-jumpers were cast as the heinous group, now it seems the new objectors have nowhere positive to go.”
  • “Lynch is clear, though, “his [Cantlay’s] objections aren’t based on the morality of dealing with human rights abusers.” Rather it’s about money.”

Read Lynch’s full piece here
Full Piece.

7. Wolff returns to LIV

Matt Cradock for Golf Monthly…”At the end of May, it seemed that Matt Wolff was no longer part of Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC team in the LIV Golf League. However, just a month after the rumours broke, it appears that the American is back in the quartet, with Smash GC posting a picture of the four-man squad before LIV Golf Valderrama.”

  • “Captioned “VAMOS SMASH”, we see Wolff’s picture in the top left corner, with both Chase and Brooks Koepka in the middle and Jason Kokrak on the right hand side as the tournament gets underway from the 30th June to the 2nd July.”
Full Piece.

8. USGA admits mistake in Rory’s controversial drop

Bob Harig for SI…”It ultimately didn’t factor in the outcome, nor did Rory McIlroy take much advantage of the situation.”

  • “But the ruling he got on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club has still simmered some 10 days later, due in part to the oddity of the situation and his prominence in the game.”
  • “And a United States Golf Association executive told Sports Illustrated during an interview Monday that while McIlroy did nothing wrong, the spot from which he measured his point of relief from an embedded lie above a bunker was incorrect.”
  • “The nearest point of relief was mis-identified; it should have been directly behind the ball,” said Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s chief governance officer. “If there’s no area immediately behind the ball, you go to nearest point in the general area. But if you look at where the ball was embedded, there was a grassy area below and that should have been the starting point.”
Full Piece.

9. Framework sent to senators

Rex Hoggard for Golf Channel…”The “framework” agreement that united professional golf following the most tumultuous divide the game had seen in decades was, as officials have explained, a broad stroke.”

  • “PGA Tour officials turned the agreement over to lawmakers late Monday as part of a review of the deal by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.). A copy of the five-page agreement obtained by GolfChannel.com outlines the “long-term strategic partnership” between the Tour, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the DP World Tour.”
  • “According to the agreement, the for-profit assets of the Tour, DP World Tour and the PIF (LIV Golf) will be combined into what is tentatively being called NewCo. After an evaluation of those assets, the PIF, which owns 93 percent of LIV Golf, will make a minority investment into the new entity.”
  • “Per the agreement, the Tour’s for-profit assets will include “contracts/agreements and equity interests” but do not include player retirement plans, corporate reserves or any of the circuit’s tax-exempt assets.”
Full Piece.

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.

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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

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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

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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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