News

Geoff Ogilvy disses “second-rate” Australian Open; Adam Scott’s grudge against Golf Australia?

Published

8 years ago

Nov 15, 2018

You may or may not know it, but there is more going on in the golfing world this week than just the DP World Tour Championship, Dunlop Phoenix, and RSM Classic. Australia’s oldest and most prestigious golf event is also underway, after failing to attract the star names of previous years. Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, and Jason Day have all played in the championship in recent times, but none are in action in Sydney this week.

Former Australian Open champion and native Aussie Geoff Ogilvy is another man who won’t be competing at the event this year, and on Wednesday, the former U.S. Open winner ripped into the championship, describing it as “a second-rate tournament.” Ogilvy, writing for Golf Australia Magazine, stated that the tournaments current predicament was due to the lack of progression that the event has made compared to other competitions around the world.

“I hate to say this, but the Australian Open feels like a second-rate tournament now. I’m sure it is run in the same way it was 30 years ago, but tournaments elsewhere have progressed so much, and the differences show.”

Does Adam Scott feel slighted by Golf Australia?

While losing Ogilvy, who has just lost his PGA Tour card and now sits at 780th in the world rankings, may not overly concern the tournament organizers, the loss of Adam Scott for the second successive year at the event will come as a significant blow.

Scott had competed in the Australian Open 17 years on the trot before the former Masters champion opted out of playing the 2017 edition of the event. The decision for Scott to skip last year’s tournament is believed to be down to an unsatisfactory offer from Golf Australia, who had prioritized their investment in Day and Spieth, and his non-appearance this week indicates that he is unlikely to forget that insult.

However, according to Golf Australia CEO, Stephen Pitt, the former world number one’s absence once again at the Australian Open is not due to a strained relationship, although Pitt did express regret over last year’s dealings with Scott when speaking about the golfers no-show this week.

“Things could have been done differently last year but, from our perspective, we’re confident that there’s no strained relationship that we need to worry about.”

Despite the public show of confidence from Pitt, the fact that Scott is currently in Sydney for a charity event instead of teeing it up at the Australian Open this week, suggests that something may well be awry between the two.

Related Topics:

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GolfWRX Morning 9: McIlroy: Looking out for No. 1 | Ogilvy: Aus. Open is “second class” | Hole-in-one: yardage unknown

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

7 Comments

Don

Nov 17, 2018 at 8:40 am

Prefaced with “I hate to say this…” hardly deserving the author’s “ripped into” commentary. click bait…

Reply Report comment
Ryan

Nov 16, 2018 at 10:52 pm

The whole purse is less than a PGA Tour’s winning share. The winner of the tournament gets $250,000. Then, the Australian government takes half of that. So, $112,500 for travelling to the other side of the world.

Reply Report comment
Craig

Nov 16, 2018 at 10:43 pm

The Australian tour has been one of the victims of the expansion of the US tour. If we go back 20+ years the USPGA Tour ran for 36-40 weeks per year giving other tours some free air with players looking for somewhere to play in the 3 months off-season. Prize money might have been 50% of the US but it was probably worth it if you were looking to play, at least Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Seve, Langer and co. all thought so, making the trip down under.

Now the US PGA tour is 50 weeks a year and prize money exploded in the Tiger era meaning other tours were almost wiped off the map. If you like the homogeneous nature of the US Tour that might be ok, but a big of variety is good.

Reply Report comment
Benny

Nov 16, 2018 at 3:51 pm

Wow, reading this makes me want to beat the piss out of these s-bags crying and whining about no appearance fees!! Yeah I understand they have to make a living but that’s your country fellas. Get off the damn pedestals and come back down to earth . Then take a little look around. People are starving all over the world. Families are struggling. Folks are out of work and an epidemic is going on while you chumps are skipping your countries top golf match because of appearance fee’s??
Bunch of spoiled fkn jamokes and I hope they find something in their stocking this year!

Reply Report comment
Jon

Nov 16, 2018 at 11:57 am

All this guy does is complain. Sick of him

Reply Report comment
dlygrisse

Nov 16, 2018 at 11:50 am

Money, it’s all about the money, or lack thereof. TV money and lots of it would bring the prestige back, but who is watching?

Reply Report comment
Tony G

Nov 16, 2018 at 7:50 am

A second rate tournament that Geoff Oilvy couldn’t win if he tried. An absolute knob. See you on the Web tour. Loser

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News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

20 mins 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.

GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

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.