News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Steph Curry tourney a done deal? | Monty lauds Europeans’ “moral code” | 80s pros on today’s game

Published

8 years ago

Oct 12, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

1. Meanwhile, in Malaysia

AP Report…”Gary Woodland shot an 11-under 61 to tie the course record Friday and join Marc Leishman in a share of the second-round lead at the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic. Woodland and Leishman (62) were at 14-under 130 on the revamped TPC Kuala Lumpur West course.”

“Woodland’s bogey-free nines of 30-31 matched the 61 that Justin Thomas shot while winning the 2015 tournament, his first of two titles in a row in Kuala Lumpur. Shubhankar Sharma (64) and Paul Casey (65) were tied for third, one stroke behind. Both golfers had stretches of four birdies and an eagle in five holes.”

2. …and in South Korea

AP…”Nasa Hataoka of Japan fired a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the KEB Hana Bank Championship on Thursday. Danielle Kang and Charley Hull were two shots back on a chilly, windy, damp day at the Sky 72 Ocean Course.”

“Sung Hyun Park, the U.S. LPGA Tour’s top-ranked player, was among a handful of players three shots back.”

3. Steph Curry tourney cometh?

SF Chronicle report (via Golf Digest)…”Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that PGA Tour officials have made multiple visits to Corica Park, which recently re-opened after extensive renovation by Rees Jones, in the last week. The course, located in Almeda, became the desired choice once tour officials were told TPC Harding Park, set to host the 2020 PGA Championship, was off limits until 2021. Golf.com also had a report last week on the tour circling Corica Park as a destination.”

“As envisioned, the Curry-backed event would be slotted in the fall portion of the tour schedule. The tour is expected to take a two-week break after the 2019 Tour Championship, which finishes on August 25, and would open the new campaign at the Greenbrier on September 12. The Curry tournament would be the second competition of the season, followed by the Safeway Open at the end of the month.”

4. Want a ticket for Tiger-Phil?

Sorry, fans, you’re not going to be able to buy tickets to the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson $9 million megamatch at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, November 23.

Per a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, only a “small gathering of sponsors and VIPs” will be allowed on course. The report also indicates that, in contrast to Phil Mickelson’s promised primetime (ET) showdown, the match will be played under the Nevada sun. The official start time is yet to be announced, ditto the PPV price.

5. Moral code!

In making a banal observation about keeping this behind closed doors, Colin Montgomerie looks have cast the European Ryder Cup team as morally superior. That should play well in the States…

Via a Reuters report…”I could be on to you all day about what goes on in the team room in the Ryder Cup and what’s been said and what hasn’t been said, but I would never ever breach that code to say anything,” Montgomerie told Reuters in an interview on the eve of the 50-and-over SAS Championship, where he is defending champion.”

“Every captain’s made some odd decisions and whatever but it doesn’t really matter. You’re playing for the team and anything that goes on behind those closed doors should stay behind those closed doors. That’s our moral code anyway.”

6. Rahm on beating TW at the Ryder Cup

Incredible how significant the Spaniard’s takedown of Tiger remains to him. Via Golf.com: “It wasn’t until I made that putt that the emotion of winning because I was containing myself all day long trying to keep it under control,” Rahm said. In the midst of his embrace with Hayes he noticed Woods, who was approaching for a congratulatory handshake.

“He was coming towards me with a smile still. I mean, I started crying. I got emotional, tears started coming out of my eyes.” Rahm got choked up as Woods approached him, and again as he spoke about the round in an interview afterwards. The moment resonated with him so much that Rahm found Woods later at the closing ceremonies, just to tell him what an honor the match had been.

“It meant an incredible moment then and it still does,” he concluded. “It’s going to be tough to beat that moment in my life.”

7. The game changeth

Mark Townsend at National Club Golfer talked with 1980s Tour pros about the difference–particularly equipment–compared to today’s game. Peter Baker, Barry Lane, Roger Chapman, Andrew Oldcorn and Gary Wolstenholme all chatted with the scribe.

“Oldcorn: When I was in my early teens and I was beginning to take golf seriously at Dalmahoy on the west side of Edinburgh. The East course was 6,800 yards long and that was huge for me. These were the days of Balata balls and wooden clubs and I couldn’t reach lots of the par 4s.”

“Wolstenholme: The beauty of the courses was that a 400-yard hole was a strong hole particularly into the wind. Now a 420-yard uphill par 4, even played into the wind, would be a drive and a short iron for most tour pros. It’s a shame as course designers come in and ‘Tiger proof’ these courses and quite often they ruin a good hole. It shouldn’t just be about the length but about testing the nerve, the course management, the ability to play a specific shot and too many par 3s are drifting outside an iron shot. A par 3 was always about the skill to manipulate an iron shot into a certain part of the green.”

“Baker: Players are more one-dimensional now but they are also much fitter and stronger these days and they swing it better than we did, we did it more by feel….Today’s equipment allows you to hit it harder with the way the ball is and the bigger sweet spot, now it is hard to shape it – particularly off the tee.”

Full piece.

8. The mountain man engineer/PGA Tour pro

Great stuff from John Strege profiling the singular Jim Knous.

“Home, growing up, was Basalt, Colo., in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, 18 miles northwest of Aspen and a million miles, any direction, from a professional golf career. NCAA Division I coaches couldn’t find it with GPS, a tour guide and a St. Bernard, not that they were inclined to look there.’

“Yet there he was on Sunday, birdieing the 18th hole in the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., to tie for 10th in his debut as a PGA Tour member, only a few weeks after securing the 50th and last available PGA Tour card via the Web.com Tour.”

“How to explain this? Well, Knous, 28, is an expert skier-“probably a plus-two handicap if I compared it to golf,” he said-and as such is not intimidated by unfamiliar terrain, whatever its degree of difficulty.”
“He had proved this early on, when in pursuit of golf he chose a double black diamond educational path more difficult than playing Oakmont in the wind. A stellar high school student, notably in math and science, Knous enrolled at the Colorado School of Mines, a prestigious engineering school in Golden, Colo., where his classes included Electromagnetism and Optics and Fluid Mechanics for Civil and Environmental Engineering.”

Full piece.

9. Speaketh the Barbara

The Golden Bear-ess (technically, a female bear is a sow, but that word has a negative connotation) joined Michael Williams on the GolfWRX 19th Hole podcast for a rare interview you’ll want to check out.

Listen here.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

9 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

10 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.