Opinion & Analysis

Hot & Cold: Where strokes were won and lost at the AT&T Byron Nelson

Published

7 years ago

May 13, 2019

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. On Sunday, Sung Kang triumphed to claim his maiden title on the PGA Tour, and here’s a look at where some of the most notable players gained and lost strokes over the four days of action.

Hot

Sung Kang was on fire all week at the AT&T Byron Nelson with his work on the greens proving to be the main factor in his victory. Kang gained over ten strokes on the greens with his flat-stick, which unsurprisingly is the 31-year-old’s best-putting performance of his career. Check out the clubs Kang used to dominate last week in our WITB piece here.

While Jordan Spieth lost strokes both off the tee and for his approach play, the Texan continues to impress with the flat-stick in hand. Last week, Spieth gained 6.2 strokes over the field on the greens, meaning he has now gained strokes with the putter in his last four consecutive events.

Brooks Koepka is in excellent form as he heads to Bethpage Black, with his play off the tee looking very impressive. Koepka gained over four strokes over the field off the tee last week, which is his best total in this area since February.

Cold

Tony Romo produced a respectable showing at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but his poor driving cost him massively over the opening two days of the event. Romo lost over eight strokes for his play off the tee for his two rounds last week. To put that number in perspective, the former Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback only lost half a stroke to the field for his approach play, and 1.2 strokes on the greens.

It was an indifferent week for Patrick Reed, who continues to struggle for form. The Texan’s downfall at the AT&T Byron Nelson was his flat-stick, with Reed losing almost 3.5 strokes on the greens last week. Reed has now lost strokes on the greens in his last five consecutive tournaments.

It was a missed cut last week for Jimmy Walker, and it was the 40-year-old’s poor putting that did the damage. Walker dropped over four strokes to the field with the flat-stick – his worst performance in this area since February.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

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

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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

Published

7 days ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

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

Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.