News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Koepka the invisible superstar | Tiger burns bright again | LPGA’s limited access to equipment?

Published

8 years ago

Aug 13, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

August 13, 2018

Good Monday morning, golf fans.

1. The year of the Brooks

While the coverage split is likely 60/40 Tiger Woods to Brooks Koepka following BK’s second major win of 2018, imagine if Woods weren’t in the mix. We’d be crowning Koepka the next Woods…or at least we should be.

Absolute bomber off the tee. Well-rounded game. Steady, stellar on the greens under pressure. Koepka is a golfing juggernaut with a flatline pulse. Simply, he’s built to win modern golf tournaments on today’s PGA Tour.

Cameron Morfit called the strong-jawed masher of the golf ball an “invisible superstar.” “He has boulder shoulders, buttery hands, and the guts of a burglar,” Morfit writes.

“Brooks just doesn’t draw attention to himself,” Florida State men’s golf coach Trey Jones, who recruited Koepka to Tallahassee, said while watching the telecast Sunday. “That’s just not his personality. When he won the U.S. Open the first time he didn’t do the media tour. When he won it the second time, he didn’t do the media tour. He just does his own thing.

Morfit writes “It’s gotten so bad that Jack Nicklaus, who himself played second banana to Palmer all those years ago, tweeted that Koepka was being unfairly overlooked and, “doesn’t seem to get press or credit he deserves. A great young talent. Strong, aggressive, smart golfer. Likely force to be reckoned w/for years to come. Should be in every conversation about today’s best!”

More from O’Connor

Then there’s this from Tiger putting things in perspective after his round.

“I didn’t know what my schedule would be. I didn’t know how many tournaments I would play this year or if I would even play. So each tournament brought about its own challenges. I didn’t know what the number was going to be this year. I didn’t know how I was going to play. And so at the beginning of the year, if you would say, yeah, I would have a legit chance to win the last two major championships, I, with what swing? I didn’t have a swing at the time. I had no speed. I didn’t have a golf swing. I didn’t have – my short game wasn’t quite there yet. My putting was okay. But God, I hadn’t played in two years. So it’s been a hell of a process for sure.”

3. Something special

Golfweek’s Martin Kaufmann penned this assessment of the coverage of what was surely a well-watched PGA Championship.

“I have never had so much fun watching nine holes in my life,” CBS’ Gary McCord chortled midway through the final round of the PGA Championship.

“McCord chortles often when simple statements would suffice, and he’s given to hyperbole. But there’s no denying that Tiger Woods and a stacked leaderboard can make for compelling television.”

“The PGA Championship kind of felt like old times, even if, in this instance, Woods had to settle for second…There’s always something special when Tiger is in the mix,” Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, told me immediately after the tournament. “What he did today was almost historic. It was terrific and it was spellbinding. The combination of what he did with what Brooks Koepka did and the way he hung in there made for unbelievable drama.”

“Lead analyst Nick Faldo often seems to wing it when he and anchor Jim Nantz open the show, but he had a pretty good line about Koepka at the top of Sunday’s coverage…”He’s like a cruise liner,” Faldo said. “He’s on a path and he creates a wave, and everyone is stuck in the wave behind him.”

Woods and Adam Scott almost crested that wave and caught Koepka. The result was one of the most memorable PGA Championships in years – perhaps the best since Martin Kaymer’s playoff win in 2010.

“The biggest gripe I hear each year with regard to the PGA Championship is the heavy load of commercials relative to the other majors. It’s a legitimate gripe, but it’s also an issue that falls largely at the doorstep of the rightsholder, in this case the PGA of America. Bigger rights fees translate into more commercials.”

Kaufmann’s full bit

…and of course, the poverty of Thursday/Friday coverage.

4. Two-putter Scotty

Adam Scott finished three strokes behind Brooks Koepka, playing his final five holes in one over par.

What you may not have seen or heard mentioned on the telecast, however, is that Scott had two flatsticks in the bag.

Golf Digest’s E. Michael Johnson: “According to Titleist, Scott had two putters in play on Thursday and Saturday as well, but never used the shorter putter. Scott is known for using his broomstick Scotty Cameron by Titleist center-shafted Kombi Long mallet, but also has a conventional-length Scotty Cameron by Titleist 340, often referred to as a Newport 2 Timeless.

“The company also confirmed that Scott carried two putters last week at the WGC-Bridgestone. Scott, who usually carries three wedges in addition to his pitching wedge (52-, 56- and 60-degrees), made room for the club by going with just a 54- and 60-degree wedge.”

5. Inequality in women’s golf equipment

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols points out a troubling reality in the Tour equipment space. Certainly, resources are limited, but the gap is substantial.

“There has long been a great divide between the men’s and women’s game. Purse sizes are an obvious talking point. At last week’s Ricoh Women’s British Open, the women competed for $3.25 million. Three weeks ago, the men played for $10.5 million at Carnoustie.”

“It’s also widely understood that sponsorship opportunities for LPGA players are vastly different. There’s no pot of gold attached to a tour card. Blank hats and blank bags aren’t limited to the lesser-knowns. LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster started out 2018 with no sponsorship deals.

“But what about free equipment? Surely that’s easy to come by. Turns out even a current World No. 1 might have to pull out a credit card for a new 3-wood.”

“Two months ago, when was No. 1, caddie Brad Beecher reached out to a TaylorMade rep on behalf of Park to get replacements for the 3-wood, 5-wood and two Rescue clubs she had in her bag. Park is a Srixon staff player but is only required to have nine Srixon clubs in the bag. For more than five years she has played with four TaylorMade woods. That timespan includes six of her seven majors, an Olympic gold medal and more than 100 weeks as the No. 1 player in the world.”

“Park received the same response as several other LPGAers: A new company policy stipulates that players must use a TaylorMade driver to get free product.”

Full article.

6. Shack slays Levy

Perhaps you too spent the whole week wondering where the disgraced head of the PGA was at Bellerive. Geoff Shackelford offered this scathing commentary on his blog.

“The same organization whose board deemed Ted Bishop’s “little school girl” social media reference worthy of a lifetime ban and forced removal from office, wheeled out recent DUI offender Paul Levy to front the CBS telecast and 2018 PGA Championship trophy ceremony Sunday.”

“Levy was otherwise not seen all week at Bellerive other than at a PGA Board meeting and no comment was made about his lack of presence at the PGA media conference Wednesday. The PGA President traditionally sits in that news conference.”

“Levy is also the first PGA of America President to not actually have a job at a golf facility, or any current job. But he retains his position atop the PGA for a few more months until Suzy Whaley (right) takes over. Whaley, who strongly supported Bishop’s ouster, is supporting Levy despite his having possibly committed a felony…Moral of this story: DUI’s are ok, perceived sexist comment on Twitter with 28 days to go in office? Lifetime ban.”

7. Ben Kern!

Golfweek’s Brentley Romine wrote this about the impressive performance of club pro Ben Kern at Bellrive–Kern tied for 42nd.

“The key to playing well around Bellerive Country Club starts with finding the fairway. Club pro Ben Kern did so better than just about anybody else in the field this week at the 100th PGA Championship.”

“Kern, a 34-year-old from Georgetown (Texas) Country Club, hit 45 of 56 fairways, ranking second among players who played all four rounds…”That’s been my strength for a long time,” said Kern, who was born in Abilene, Texas, and played college golf at Kansas State.”

“The accuracy combined with a respectable 284.1 yards averaged off the tee allowed Kern to notch the best finish by a club pro at the PGA in 13 years. Kern shot 71-69-67-70 to shoot 3 under and tie for 43rd, nearly better than the T-40 finish by Steve Schneiter in 2005.”

“It’s nice that we can get out from behind the counter or get off the range to get out and play an event such as this,” Kern said. “Maybe a little motivation for everyone around the country that isn’t doing what I’m doing to hit a few more balls and enjoy playing tournaments.”

8. Sergio should sit (Should Sergio sit?)

Gerry Aherm suggests Sergio Garcia has no place on the European Ryder Cup team.

“Should a flailing Garcia be part of the European Ryder Cup team in Paris? It’s been a rough run of late for the 38-year-old, who a year ago seemed reinvigorated by his breakthrough major win at the Masters, his marriage to Angela Akins and fatherhood.”

“Garcia currently ranks 20th in the race for the 12 spots captain Thomas Bjorn has for the Euros. Bjorn has much high-performing bubble talent to consider in the likes of Ian Poulter, Russell Knox, Eddie Pepperell and Thorbjorn Olesen. All are playing better than Garcia right now.”

9. Well played, Mr. Curry

Joel Beall details a recent act of generosity from one Stephen Curry.

“Curry announced that he has donated $25,000 to tour player Scott Harrington and his wife, Jenn. Harrington didn’t play at the Ellie Mae because he is with his wife as she battles cancer.”

“This is an opportunity for me-obviously there are no words to-I can’t put into words any other thoughts or feelings around what their family’s going through,” Curry said. “But as I come out here and play with these professionals, it’s about raising their notoriety in terms of the game of golf.”

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

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.