News

Mickelson Repeats at Nothern Trust Open

Published

17 years ago

Feb 23, 2009

Phil Mickelson brought both iterations of himself to the Northern Trust Open, displaying them proudly over the four day tournament. Day one saw the player in control of his amazing talents as he carded a 63. Day two who showed up but the player with the amazing talent but uses it in an imitation of Bozo the Clown. Hello mediocre 72. Saturday Mr. Mickelson eagles the first hole and proceeds to stroll around the grounds in a mere 62 strokes acquiring a four stroke lead along the way. This is a position from which he’s never lost a tournament he has to like his chances.

Sunday; final group; playing with good buddy Fred Couples and Andres Romero, Mr. Mickelson eagles the first hole giving the impression that the Thursday/Saturday golfer is on the grounds. Somewhere between the first green and the second tee the Bozo impersonator showed up to stick five bogeys on the scorecard over the next 13 holes. Gulp! Five shot lead is now a two shot deficit.

Steve Stricker, who began the day six shots behind Mr. Mickelson, shot a 32 on the front nine and birdied the 11th and 12th holes. Standing on the 17th tee, with a two shot lead I wonder how much the events of the Bob Hope when three wayward tee shots on the 10th hole lead to a quadruple bogey? The tee shot went left into the trees, but still left him with a shot towards the green. A wedge to 12 feet and a makable birdie putt for a three shot advantage was there for the taking. Unfortunately, that putt needed another revolution to reach the hole. Disappointment. Another hooked tee shot on the 18th hole left Mr. Stricker with a downhill sidehill lie, from which he could only advance the ball to the right side of the green. Mediocre is too mild a word for his chip, which he left 12 feet from the hole. Another missed putt and his round of 67 putt him in the clubhouse at 14 under par.

Fred Couples, who is 49 years old and marking time until Champions Tour eligibility, had the best chances of the day to catch and pass Mr. Mickelson. As has been the case in recent years Mr. Couples was done in by a putter that refused to cooperate. He missed a 3 foot par putt on the fourth hole and birdies from 8 feet on the 6th, 6 feet on the 7th, and just inside 15 feet on the 8th hole. And he still had a chance coming up the 18th fairway. He completely fanned his second shot into the trees on the right and finished at 13 under par.

As Mr. Mickelson stood on the 16th tee, I’m thinking, okay buddy boy lets see what you got because if this goes poorly I may have to vote you for the biggest choke job of this century. From somewhere inside himself, in a place I wasn’t sure he had access to, Mr. Mickelson stuffed a 155 yard nine iron to five feet and made the putt. Good play there, but there are still two tee shots to hit. On the 17th tee he blasted a drive into the fairway from which his three wood reached the green. Two putts for a birdie and a one shot lead heading to the 18th tee. Again the tee shot is in the fairway, but the second shot is right of the green a bit. A chip to six feet and a putt and gone are the thoughts of choker Phil.

“It gives me confidence and something to build on for the rest of the year,” Mickelson said. “Even when I didn’t have my best stuff, I was able to fight through it. That meant a lot to me. I certainly have some work to do. But at least I’m on the right path, the right direction. And I’m having some success now, even without maybe my best stuff.”

Congratulations to Mr. Mickelson on his win, and to Mr. Stricker and Mr. Couples on fine performances for the week. Now we all await the return of Tiger Woods. There has been exciting golf while he’s been gone. It will get even better now.

News

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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

2 days 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.