News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Keegan | Tony the 12th | What the PGA Tour can learn from the NFL

Published

8 years ago

Sep 11, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

September 11, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.

1. Keegan triumphant

Hard not to be happy for the Vermonter who found his way out of the abyss in into the winner’s circle yesterday, no?

Here are a few of the angles the scribes took in framing Bradley’s victory.

PGATour.com’s Sean Martin…”It’s easy to blame the belly putter….Keegan Bradley used that club to win three times in his first two seasons, including a major and World Golf Championship. Then his promising career took a downturn, just as the debate about anchoring was beginning to heat up.”

“He was finally barred from using his beloved belly putter on Jan. 1, 2016. The ban became official in the midst of his worst season. By that summer, he was worried about missing the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time.”

“The putter wasn’t the only problem, though. His full swing was in disarray, as well. Ball-striking, especially long and straight tee shots, had always been his strength. It allowed him to conquer tough tracks like Firestone and Atlanta Athletic Club…when his swing left him, doubt crept in.”

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers...”He was like a scientist in the lab, changing his swing, his putting stroke, his fundamentals – investing in the work needed to get to where he was Monday on soggy Aronimink: going head-to-head in a sudden-death playoff against the new No. 1 player in the world, Justin Rose.”

“For a player who had to reinvent his game, the clutch moment didn’t seem so scary. Bradley topped Rose with a par on the first playoff hole to win the rain-plagued BMW Championship for his first PGA Tour victory in six years.”

And interestingly, this was Bradley’s attitude entering the final round of the BMW…:”Truthfully I was really fixated on making the Tour Championship, and I kind of knew if we didn’t play today, I was in it…It was the weirdest couple of days because I knew in the back of my mind if we didn’t play, I was in Atlanta. It was my goal to start the year. It was difficult to get ready to play because I was like, ‘Man, if they call it, I’m good.’ But I was only three back.”

2. Tony the 12th

If your money was on Jim Furyk selecting himself with his final captain’s pick, sorry. On a more serious note, if you wagered on Kevin Kisner or Xander Schauffele getting the nod, sorry again; Captain Furyk made his final selection after play wrapped at the soggy BMW Championship, and in making his choice he, well, chose the man most expected him to choose: Tony Finau.

Finau joins Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau as the four wildcard selections on a U.S. squad that will be seeking its first “road win” since 1993.

“He has an unbelievable body of work this year,” said Furyk. “All those top-10 finishes, the play in big championships and the Majors, and then his current form, a second, a fourth and an eighth in the playoffs. He checked a lot of boxes and made it impossible not to pick him.”

3. A new world No. 1

Justin Rose, with his runner-up finish at the BMW Championship, has taken over the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.

“It’s boyhood dream stuff, something I am incredibly proud of,” Rose said. “It’s been a good stretch of golf. I’ve played solidly over the past year. I’m delighted to get to the top,” he told Sky Sports.

4. FedEx Cupdate

A quick rundown of the 30 gentlemen prepared to fatten their wallets at the Tour Championship.

1 Bryson DeChambeau

2 Justin Rose

3 Tony Finau

4 Dustin Johnson

5 Justin Thomas

6 Keegan Bradley

7 Brooks Koepka

8 Bubba Watson

9 Billy Horschel

10 Cameron Smith

11 Webb Simpson

12 Jason Day

13 Francesco Molinari

14 Phil Mickelson

15 Patrick Reed

16 Patrick Cantlay

17 Rory McIlroy

18 Xander Schauffele

19 Tommy Fleetwood

20 Tiger Woods

21 Aaron Wise

22 Kevin Na

23 Rickie Fowler

24 Jon Rahm

25 Kyle Stanley

26 Paul Casey

27 Hideki Matsuyama

28 Gary Woodland

29 Marc Leishman

30 Patton Kizzire

5. Tiger comes up short again

The NYT’s Kevin Armstrong on Tiger’s

“Woods shot a 65 on Monday, for a cumulative score of 17 under par, three shots behind Keegan Bradley, who beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. Instead of a victory, it was another stroll straight to the clubhouse for Woods, who finished tied for sixth place.”

“For Woods, a winner of 14 majors who has undergone spinal fusion surgery, progress was marked differently. To finish so close to the lead a year after he feared he might not be able to play again, Woods said, sent him home with what he called “a very positive feeling.”

“At the end of the season here to say that I made it back to the Tour Championship after what I’ve been through is a pretty good accomplishment,” Woods said.

6. What the PGA Tour could learn from the NFL

…assuredly nothing about handling controversy. However, while plenty point to sinking ratings for the most-watched sport in the United States, few point of deficiencies with the telecasts themselves–not so for golf, obviously.

Golfweek’s Forecaddie examined what PGA Tour coverage could borrow from the NFL. Here are two of his suggestions.

Standardize key technologies...When I watch an NFL game, I know I’m going to see the line-of-scrimmage line and the first-down line on every play. When I watch golf, I might see shot-tracing technology or putting graphics on a hole – or I might not.

Rather than golf producers teasing viewers with cool technology here or there, let’s identify two or three of the best technologies, then put all of the sponsorship dollars behind them so that we can see them on every hole.
Mic ’em up…I’ll reiterate an old favorite: Start putting microphones on PGA Tour players or their caddies. NFL Films has been doing this for decades. We don’t necessarily see the benefits of this on Sundays. But it produces great content for weekly highlights shows and season-ending anthologies. That sort of peripheral programming takes fans inside the game and helps them learn more about the players

Full article.

7. There’s still golf to be watched!

This week, the top 30 professionals on the PGA Tour get the benefit of an off week before the Tour Championship. However, here’s a friendly reminder that professional golf is still being played, including a major on the LPGA Tour. Golfweek’s Jason Lusk rounded up the schedule.

LPGA

What: The Evian Championship

When: Sept. 13-16

Where: Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France

European Tour

What: KLM Open

When: Sept. 13-16

Where: The Dutch, Spijk, Netherlands

Web.com Tour

What: Albertsons Boise Open

When: Sept. 13-16

Where: Hillcrest Country Club, Boise, Idaho

PGA Tour Champions

What:The Ally Challenge

When: Sept. 14-16

Where: Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich

8. Horschel the designer

Billy Horschel, octopus pant enthusiast and fashion plate that he is, has worn Ralph Lauren apparel on tour since 2011. This year, RL decided to involve Billy Ho in the creative process, he spoke with Golf Digest about the collab.

How did the idea for a design collaboration with Ralph Lauren come about?

“It really just came about last summer. The lead designer for men’s and women’s golf at Ralph Lauren called up [my manager] Sherry [Whay] and said, “Hey listen, we want to possibly do a collection with Billy for 2018,” and she was ecstatic. When they called me, I was in Colorado on vacation and I was sort of speechless. I didn’t know what to say, which is unusual for me, but it was something that I was really happy to do.”

What was the hardest decision to make?

“I think it was the color. Obviously I knew the base colors I wanted. I wanted to do white and grey because it’s just a nice classic, clean look. Then I wanted navy involved because some of the outfits I wanted to use navy….Then it was the accent colors. [There were] so many colors I could choose from, and I tried to sort of go with what they were doing for Fall 2019. I’m really big into little details that make something stand out. I wanted to make sure the colors were somewhat of a pop-y color, so the pinks and baby blue [made sense]. The blue I chose really sticks out.”

Full interview.

9. Red sweater memories

Continuing on the fashion front, the Twitterverse lost its mind when Tiger arrived at Aronimink is a something along the lines of the red sweater he wore at the Master in 1997 and early in his career.

Doug Ferguson tweeted…”Haven’t seen Tiger in a red sweater on Monday of a weather-delayed tournament since Pebble in 2000.”

Riggs from Barstool Sports tweeted…”RED SWEATER TIGER IS THE BEST TIGER”

Alex Myers rounded up plenty more tweets.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

17 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

17 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

3 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.