News

The PLAYERS Championship Preview

PGA Tour’s “fifth major” debuts this week on the newly redesigned Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Published

19 years ago

May 10, 2007

K Vakamudi

In it's 25th year at TPC Sawgrass, the PLAYERS Championship will host a laundry list of top PGA Tour players. Dubbed the "unofficial" 5th Major of the year, and with a purse of $8,000,000 – $1,000,000 more than the Masters – it's easy to see why the top players make room on their schedule. Thursday marks the first PLAYERS Championship to be played on a newly renovated TPC Sawgrass and Stephen Ames will tee it up as the 2006 defending champion. If the Pete Dye course wasn't hard enough, a new SubAir system on all the greens and better fairway irrigation, will lead to fast and firm conditions on the course no matter what Mother Nature throws their way.

Can Stephen Ames, the 2006 champion, successfully defend his title? It seems like the golfing gods may be against him. No player has won the tournament back to back and only 5 players have won the tournament more than once. Stephen shot 4 rounds below par last year to win by 6 strokes. His 5 birdies and 1 eagle on Sunday secured only his 2nd and largest Tour win. Ames spoke in March about the course changes and his chances of winning the PLAYERS this year. When asked if he could win this year he said, "Obviously this is the biggest event on Tour you want to play well, so we're going to prepare ourselves for that when the times comes, but no, I can't predict that. If I could I wouldn't be here; I would be home playing the lottery every week." Tiger Woods remains a focus of attention riding into TPC Sawgrass after a convincing win at the Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow. When Woods was asked about the difficulty of The PLAYERS Championship relative to the other majors, Woods said, "Yeah, definitely. This is probably – as everyone says, it's the fifth major, so it's certainly up there, yes."

What everyone unanimously agrees upon is the strength of field in the The PLAYERS Championship. With 48 of the top 50 players in the world testing their abilities against one of the toughest courses on tour, the caliber of players in this year's field makes this a must see event. With undoubtedly the 3 toughest finishing holes on tour combined with the firm conditions via the SubAir system, this years event should be an exciting one. And if you don't have a plane ticket to Ponte Vedra Beach for the tournament, check out the virtual tour of the course on Google Earth from EyeSpyGolf.com. You'll need Google Earth to view the hole-by-hole tour and you can download it here. It's not as good as being there in person, but it gives you a good idea of the changes made to the course this year and you won't have to fear the water surrounding the 17th hole.

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

1 day ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

1 day ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

1 day ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.