Opinion & Analysis

Ye unable to repeat Guan’s Masters success

Published

13 years ago

Sep 7, 2013

Thirteen-year-old Ye Wo-cheng signed for rounds of 78 and 76 at the Omega European Masters, beating just two players in the 153-player field.

Before the event, Miguel Angel Jimenez, a spry 48 years of age, indicated his displeasure with the decision to offer the 13-year old an exemption into this week’s event in Switzerland.

“It is nice to see that golf is interesting no matter what the age but for me, a 13-year-old competing against professionals is a little a bit too young,” said Jimenez. “People want to start things too early and a 13-year-old should be playing alongside other 13-year-olds and not players averaging 33 years of age.”

Earlier this year, Ye received an invitation to compete in the Volvo China Open, where he returned a pair of 79s for another missed cut, besting a trio of players along the way. In April, countryman Tianlang Guan survived a slow-play penalty at The Masters to become the youngest golfer to ever make the cut at Augusta. Guan, 14 at the time, also finished as the low amateur, causing some to suggest that a youth movement was nigh in the sport of professional golf.

Those of Jimenez’ age have watched as young teen and even pre-teen tennis players and gymnasts have graced the international stage, typically on the female side of competition. But Ye was clearly not up to the task of managing the Crans-sur-Sierre golf course. The youngster made a single birdie that was more than offset by five bogeys and four double bogies, missing the Omega European Masters cut by 12 strokes. At the Volvo China Open, he missed the cut by 14 shots.

Despite his concerns, Jimenez was in no way distracted by his youthful competitor. The Spaniard posted rounds of 65 and 68 to sit one stroke off the halfway lead. With luck, Ye paid attention to everything that the most interesting man in golf accomplished over the course of 36 holes of golf. It will certainly benefit him as he attempts to simultaneously conquer golf and adolescence.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

7 days ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.