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Morning 9: Ko and Day win mixed event | Alfred Dunhill set for Monday finish | Spieth: Cantlay not leading negotiations

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Lydia Ko and Jason Day were victorious together at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational.

1. Ko and Day win Grant Thornton title

AP report…”Lydia Ko hit a fairway metal to 8 feet to set up the birdie she and Jason Day needed to win the Grant Thornton Invitational on Sunday. They closed with a 6-under 66 in modified fourballs to capture the first mixed-team event in 24 years.”

  • “Playing the par-5 17th hole, Ko and Day were tied with the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson, who had to settle for two closing pars and a 63.”
  • “The format allowed for both players to hit tee shots, then switch to the other player’s golf ball and finish out the hole. Day was in a bunker left of the green at the par-5 17th, no easy up-and-down. Ko had 208 into a slight wind and her fairway metal never left its target.”
Full piece.

2. Alfred Dunhill set for Monday finish

AP report…”The Alfred Dunhill Championship is set to be completed Monday after play was suspended on Sunday because of dangerous weather conditions, with South African major winners Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen sharing the lead at 16 under par in the European tour event.”

  • “Players were taken off twice because of a threat of lightning. After the second time at 4:42 p.m. local time, officials said there would be no more play.”
  • “Schwartzel and Oosthuizen were both 1 under for their rounds after playing seven holes at Leopard Creek Country Club. They were three shots ahead of another South African, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (3 under after seven holes). Andy Sullivan, and Matti Schmid are two strokes further back at 11 under.”
Full piece.

3. Spieth: Cantlay isn’t leading negotiations

AP report…Jordan Spieth dispelled the notion he is part of an alliance with Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay on the PGA Tour board as the deadline nears for the Tour to finalize its framework agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, who have lured away Masters champion Jon Rahm.

  • “Sports Illustrated reported the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia indicated it was willing to not only pump $2 billion into the proposed commercial deal as part of the June 6 agreement, but an additional $1 billion equalization pool for PGA Tour players who turned down LIV’s lucrative offers.”
  • “It also said Cantlay had seized control and was driving the negotiations with Woods and Spieth as part of an alliance to protect the interests of top players. Spieth recently was appointed to finish the board term of Rory McIlroy, who resigned last month and who often sparred with Cantlay.”
  • “There’s no fact to it,” Spieth told The Associated Press by phone on Friday. “It’s been very collective since I’ve jumped on. It’s not even a thing. We’re looking for the best outcome for the players as a whole, and it’s six persons (as player directors).”
Full piece.

4. Finau on LIV rumors

Sports Illustrated’s Gabrielle Herzig…”Speculation has already begun regarding who will join Rahm on the controversial tour, and Finau’s name has been floated. In a report from the Spanish website Ten Golf, Finau and England’s Tyrrell Hatton were named as the next potential defectors.”

  • “When asked if he had a response to the inclusion of his name in LIV-related rumors, Finau answered, “No, not yet. I haven’t let anything marinate other than just playing right now.”
  • “Finau had a similar answer when approached by another reporter. His agent, Chris Armstrong, called the report pure rumor and speculation, adding that he understands their origin as Finau is close friends with Rahm.”
Full piece.

5. Meanwhile, at the LIV Promotions event…

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Four Americans are among the 20 players remaining in LIV Golf’s inaugural Promotions event.”

  • “Kevin Chappell and Kevin Yuan both advanced to Sunday’s final 36-hole shootout in Abu Dhabi, where three full-time spots on the lucrative, Saudi-backed league will be handed out. The scores will be reset for the last two rounds, so Suteepat Prateeptienchai’s 8-under performance in Saturday’s second round is inconsequential aside from keeping his tournament going.”
  • “Chappell and Yuan each parred the first playoff hole while France’s Joel Stalter birdie the second to eliminate Scotland’s Ben Campbell in the 5-for-4 playoff.”
Full Piece.

6. Wells Fargo ending sponsorship after 2024 event

Golf Channel’s staff…”Wells Fargo will not sponsor the PGA Tour’s Charlotte, North Carolina, tournament after 2024.”

  • “The company released a statement on Friday stating: “Wells Fargo is not renewing the Wells Fargo Championship as a Signature Event in 2025 and beyond.”
  • “We are incredibly proud of the 20+ year history of the Championship. The tournament has generated significant local impact and delighted golf fans in Charlotte and across the country. Since 2003, the Wells Fargo Championship has generated more than $30 million in support of numerous charitable foundations.”
  • “We value our relationship with the PGA Tour and look forward to hosting the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, a Signature Event, at Quail Hollow Club, May 6-12.
Full Piece.

7. “PGA TOUR Policy Board agrees to advance negotiations with Strategic Sports Group, continue PIF negotiations”

Headline of an article on PGATour.com…

  • …”The PGA TOUR Policy Board has unanimously selected an outside investment group to further negotiate with as talks with the PIF continue to progress. The decision to advance discussions with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) was announced Sunday in a memo to TOUR members.”
  • “The update followed a series of Policy Board meetings over the past several days that featured a thorough review of the “extremely strong” final proposals submitted by several outside investors. SSG is a consortium of U.S.-based professional sports team investors.”
  • “We also anticipate advancing our negotiations with PIF in the weeks to come,” the memo stated. “Further, the DP World Tour will continue to be an important part of the process as we build toward PGA TOUR Enterprises.”
  • “The memo declined to release further details but said the Board is “very confident in an eventual, positive outcome for all players and the PGA TOUR as a whole.”
Full Piece.

8. More mixed events on the way?

Beth Ann Nichols for Golfweek…”Rose Zhang wasn’t even born the last time the PGA Tour and LPGA held a mixed-team event.”

  • “Ludvig Aberg was a mere 2 months old in December of 1999, when legends Laura Davies and John Daly won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.”
  • “For generations of players, what took place this week at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitation was a new concept – and they want more of it.”
  • “We need to do this for the game of golf,” said Billy Horschel of bringing the two tours together. “We do a lot of stuff that looks out for the players, but we need to make sure we are taking care of the fans and thinking about the fans more.”
Full Piece.

9. Winning WITBs

Presented by 2nd Swing

Lydia Ko WITB

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana GT 50 S

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 60 S

5-wood: Ping G430 Max (18 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana GT 60 S

Hybrid: Ping G430 (22 degrees)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD HY 65 S

Irons: Ping i230 (5-7), Ping Blueprint S (8, 9)

Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber fc 70

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 48-10F @49, 54-10F, 58-08F @59)

Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber fc 70 (46), AeroTech SteelFiber fc 80 (48-58)

Putter: Scotty Cameron TG6

Grips: Iomic

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Jason Day WITB

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @10)

Shaft: TPT prototype

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X

7-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (21 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-PW)

Shafts: KBS C-Taper 125 S+

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (52-08F, 56-10S, 60-08M AD+)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

Ball: 2024 Bridgestone Tour B X

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Full WITBs.

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

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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

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

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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

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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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