Connect with us

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Many tools for the job

Published

on

It’s about time that we put a new spin on Tour Rundown. GolfWRX is an equipment aficionado’s dream, both in the forums and on the site. Why not combine the thrill of the gear with the excitement of the professional tours? Let’s do it, starting right now. Tour Rundown gets a four-letter rebrand as Tour Tech Rundown, and promises to bring tournament results your way, plus a focus on the equipment that brought the weekly winners to the top of the podium. Don’t be shy about leaving your take in the comment section. We love to read your thoughts on the workbenches and toolboxes that bring the pros to victory lane. It’s time to say hello to a new day, as TR gives way to TTR. Glove up and enjoy.

Remember this swing? We think that you’ll see many more like it in 2026.

PGA Tour @ Farmers Insurance Open: Rosebud Motel open for business

It’s poignant that, in the week that we lost actor Catherine O’Hara, aka Moira Rose of Schitt’s Creek fame, a namesake swept the competition away in California. Justin Rose played like a man possessed at Torrey Pines. He led after every round, and but for a Sunday bogey at the 12th he would have posted four rounds in the 60s. His margin of victory was seven strokes, and he set a tournament scoring record for extra fun. In a week when one rose withered, another one bloomed.

It’s difficult to say that there was ever a moment when we thought that someone might catch him. Rose was as humanly dominant as one might hope. He led by one over Justin Lower after 18. Lower faded away, and was replaced by Seamus Power after 36. The Rose presence intimidated Power to a round-three 74, and he, in turn, was supplanted by Joel Dahmen. On Sunday, Rose turned on his detractor beam once more, and Dahmen posted 73 when he needed 64. The tour moves into the desert this week, for the WM Phoenix Open and the loudest show in golf.

Gear Bag

Rose eschewed the TaylorMade long irons (4-6) that he had carried for years, to fill out his set with Miura’s in 2026. He added the TC-202 4-iron through 6-iron from the Japanese company to complement the MC-502 7-iron through pitching wedge that were previously in his bag. This week, Rose led the field in two categories: greens in regulation and putts per green in regulation. His Scotty Cameron Phantom T-5 tour prototype putter proved the perfect compatriot for his approach game. As long as Rose keeps his Callaway driver near the fairways, he’ll be a threat to win each week.

LPGA @ Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions: Korda in 54

The only tour pro that appreciates a weather-shrunk event is the winner. Everyone else sees Saturday as moving day, but not final day. In Orlando on Saturday, Nelly Korda rode the hot hand to a 64 and what would prove to be a three-shot victory. Korda was out earlier than the leaders and made up ground as the weather turned nasty. The leaders were called off the Lake Nona course with three holes to play. On Sunday morning. the weather had improved little, and the decision was made to call the event after the leaders finish round three. For Korda, that meant a Sunday off from everything but a smile and a trophy lift. Were Monday and its high in the 50s ever a consideration? We’ll never know. The LPGA is off this week, so a Monday finish would not have delayed arrival to the next venue.

How did Nelly get her Saturday dub? She opened with two birdies and a hole-out eagle on her first three holes. That set quite a tone, and Korda continued to raise the bar. Five more birdies along the way brought her to nine-under. Korda’s sole bogey came at the 17th hole, and even that number was a win of sorts. The winds came up and made the green unputtable. Play was suspended due to the inability of balls to stop remotely close to the cup at the penultimate hole. On Sunday, Amy Yang made three pars to close at minus-ten, three back of the winner. Third went to Brooke Henderson at seven-deep, while Lydia Ko finished on minus-six, for solo fourth.

Nelly’s Gear Bag

Nelly’s Qi4D driver was her difference-maker on Saturday. Korda went away from a familiar driver head shape to this new one, and the results are in. In what would prove to be her final golf holes of the TOC, Nelly ripped drive after drive into the fairway. hitting the short grass 10 of 14 times. Also coming through clutch were her three unique wedges and her TaylorMade NK Proto putter. One wedge zipped an approach into the hole for a killer eagle at the third, while the putter was responsible for 25 putts over the closing 18 holes.

DP World Tour @ Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship: Ready, Freddy?

We can’t believe what Freddy Schott. Wait…we can’t believe what Freddy Schott shot. That’s what we meant to write. The young German golfer matched skills with third-round leader Calum Hill, and last week’s titleist, Patrick Reed, in a two-playoff. All three tied on minus seventeen, a shot ahead of two at 16-deep.

Schott was electric on Sunday. Some of the sparks were good ones, while others were not. He posted seven birdies against two bogeys and a double. His overtime compatriots struggled coming home as well. Hill made bogey at the 72nd hole, to fall into the extra session, while Reed played the closing three holes in plus-one figures. Reed went out quickly, making bogey on the first go-round at 18. The second spin was about survival. Hill went out of bounds with his first drive, then ricocheted a shanked approach off the scoreboard, into the water. Schott stayed inbounds and dry and claimed a first DP World Tour title.

Freddy’s Gear Bag

Loaded with Ping equipment and a Titleist ProV1x ball, Schott could give thanks to a few clubs in particular. His G440 Max driver and a Ping prototype Mini Driver allowed him to rank top 50 in driving accuracy, and first in driving distance. What a Sunday driver!  The other club that came through bit time, was the PLD Custom Ketsch putter. The magic wand earned him the top spot in putts per green in regulation and Schott hit nearly 80 percent of greens on Sunday.

Korn Ferry Tour @ The Panama Championship: Holt on just a sec

Ian Holt has a bit of an uncertain relationship with the Korn Ferry Tour. On one hand, he has consecutive victories spanning two weeks and one great sea. On another hand, with one more win, he will leave the KFT behind, thanks to a tour battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour. Holt followed up his win in the Bahamas last week, with a victory in Panama. A final-round 67 moved Holt from 5th to 1st, two shots clear of Adam Hadwin. The winner doubled his bogeys (3) with birdies (6) on the final day, and was able to hold off PGA Tour veteran Adam Hadwin by two. Trevor Cone placed solot third, two more shots in arrears.

The Club de Golf de Panama was never going to be a pushover. Holt made multiple bogeys each round, and added in two doubles along the way, for humility’s sake. The CDP offered opportunities for birdies, though, and Holt took advantage when available. He tallied twenty-one birds on the week, the best in the field. We aren’t the greatest at making predictions, but we suspect that Holt will have a spot on the big tour by springtime.

After decades on the PGA Tour, Adam Hadwin lost his card in 2025. His runner-up finish in Central America suggests that he plans to return to the PGA Tour as soon as possible. His birdie at the 72nd hole was precisely what tour veterans do when given an opportunity. This week, the KFT travels to Bogota, Colombia, for the Astara Golf Championship.

Gear Bag

Ian Holt is married to no equipment company. No fewer than five brands reside in his golf bag. His Srixon ZXi irons may have been the story of the week, as they elevated him to a T2 in greens in regulation. Holt supported that success with a second-best putts on GIR with his Odyssey Jail Bird 380 putter.

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.

Click to 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

on

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

on

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

on

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

Facebook

Trending