Opinion & Analysis
Hot & Cold: Where strokes were won and lost at The Players Championship
In “Hot & Cold” we’ll be focusing each week on what specific areas of the game players excelled and disappointed in throughout the previous tournament. Last week saw Rory McIlroy shut the door on the field in impressive fashion and claim the title at TPC Sawgrass, and here’s a look at where some of the most notable players gained and lost strokes over the four days of action.
Hot
He’s been knocking on the door all year, and Rory McIlroy finally got the job done on Sunday at the Players Championship. Unlike his last win on Tour, the Ulsterman didn’t do it thanks to a blistering putting performance, and McIlroy although gaining strokes on the Bermuda greens, actually only outperformed one other player from the top-15 over the four days of action in this area.
McIlroy let his long game do the talking at TPC Sawgrass, gaining 13.3 strokes over the field tee to green. This represents Mcilroy’s sixth-best performance tee to green of his career, and his second-best total in this department since 2015. Check out what clubs McIlroy did the damage with in our WITB piece here.
Dustin Johnson was the only man in the top-15 who lost strokes on the green at the Players Championship, but as for the American’s irons, they were scorching hot. Johnson led the field for strokes gained approaching the green last week, gaining a mighty 9.6 strokes over the field in this department. That performance with his irons is the third best of Johnson’s career, and he has now gained a total of 17.5 strokes over the field for strokes gained approaching the green in his previous two events.
Hot & Cold
Tiger Woods’ Jekyll and Hyde performance last week has earned a new category. Woods could easily have ended up the cold pile after strangely struggling with his irons at TPC Sawgrass, losing four strokes to the field for strokes gained approaching the green (worst total post-2011), but the 14-time-major champ’s play off the tee gets him a spot in the new hot & cold section. Often his nemesis, armed with his TaylorMade M5, Woods gained 4.6 strokes over the field for his play off the tee last week which was the fifth-best total in the field, and his second best performance in this area post-2011.
Cold
In danger of becoming a regular in the cold section is Jordan Spieth, whose long game appears to be going from bad to worse as of late. The 25-year-old surrendered 5.1 strokes to the field off the tee last week, the worst total of his career in this department. Spieth’s final total of one-over par after his brief two day trip to the Players Championship could have been a whole lot worse were it not for his encouraging performance on the greens. Spieth gained 4.2 strokes on the Bermuda greens last week, his best performance with the flat-stick this year.
Matt Kuchar recorded a T26 finish at TPC Sawgrass, but it was a story of what could have been for the American, who suffered a miserable four days on the greens. Kuchar lost strokes each day on the greens which culminated in him giving away 6.7 strokes to the field with the flat-stick last week, the second-worst performance on the greens for the 40-year-old since 2011. A tad worrying for the American is the fact that he has now dropped strokes on the greens in his last three successive events.
Club Junkie
TaylorMade Spider Tour Torched revue + Odyssey Damascus with Luke Williams
On this episode of Club Junkie, Brian dives into the all new TaylorMade Spider Tour Torched putters and breaks down everything from the unique torched finish to the performance, feel, and roll on the greens. Are these Spiders just a cosmetic upgrade, or is there more to the story?
Then, Brian is joined by Luke Williams from Odyssey Golf to discuss the highly anticipated Damascus Milled putters. Luke shares the inspiration behind the project, the challenges of working with Damascus steel, what makes these putters so special, and why collectors and players alike are excited about Odyssey’s latest premium offering.
Whether you’re a putter junkie, gear collector, or just looking for your next flatstick, this episode is packed with insights on two of the most talked-about putter releases of the year.
Opinion & Analysis
AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience
This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.
I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.
View this post on Instagram
Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.
With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.
Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!
Club Junkie
Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast
The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.
Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.
If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.
Follow Club Junkie:
Instagram: @clubjunkiepod
TikTok: @clubjunkiepod
Threads: @clubjunkiepod
X: @ClubJunkiePod
-
Equipment7 days agoMemorial Tournament Tour Report: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young switch up drivers, and more
-
News2 weeks agoRussell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
-
Equipment4 days agoBest irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
-
Whats in the Bag5 days agoJ.T. Poston’s winning WITB: 2026 Memorial Tournament
-
Equipment1 week agoDetails on Jason Day’s latest prototype Avoda iron setup
-
Equipment3 weeks agoCJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
-
News2 weeks agoCharles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
-
Equipment2 weeks agoDetails on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
