News

Morning 9: Should we blame Jillian Bourdage? | Major trophy theft? | Woods rode the intramural basketball bench?

Published

7 years ago

Jul 31, 2019

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected]; @benalberstadt on Instagram)

July 31, 2019

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.

1. Should we blame Jillian?

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols says Jillian Bourdage, the junior golfer in the now-viral clip, shouldn’t be flogged for slow play or held up as an example given the video’s context…

“The video highlights a comeback par putt Bourdage deliberated over on the 30th hole of a match that stretched to 36.”

“Slow play is a problem in golf. Can’t imagine anyone disputing that. But Bourdage is a 17-year-old Ohio State commit in the early stages of her career. She doesn’t deserve the same level of scrutiny as a professional athlete. She’s ranked 838th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings for goodness sake.”
“A few things to consider about the Girls’ Junior finale that make this the perfect storm for slow-play critics…“It was a commercial-free broadcast”…“This was the only match on the course”

Nichols’ point: there was no opportunity to cut away from the watching-paint-dry spectacle and Bourdage and her playing were never out of position and, again, at the time, they were playing on an open course (and thus felt afforded as much time as they wanted over each shot).

Full piece.

2. Monday qualifying is really hard!

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…”If you don’t follow Monday Q Info on Twitter by now, hopefully, this will provide the impetus to do so. No one tracks the Monday qualifying circuit like this guy, and with the PGA Tour regular season coming to an end, he produced this stunning compilation of results”

“Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) 67-67-67-67-65-68-69-66-69-67-67-68-67-69-69-68-72-68-67-65-66-65-67-68″

“If you went to every PGA Mon Q, shot these scores in order…you got into exactly ZERO events.”

“To reiterate, the average last-spot score at a Monday qualifier this year was 66.42. And three times, a 64 was needed to grab the last spot. If you shot 65 any of those three days, you were out of luck. Incredible.”

Full piece.

3. Nelly’s major bid

Randall Mell on Nelly Korda’s effort to take the next step in her already impressive career…

“She’s looking to win a major, but she understands it’s like a graduate program. There are still lessons to be learned.”

“I started playing golf because I wanted to win major championships,” Korda said Tuesday at the AIG Women’s British Open. “I feel like the more experience I get, and the more I’m in contention, and the more I am under pressure in these situations, the more I learn, the more I grow as a player.”

“Korda, who just turned 21 on Sunday, broke through to win her first LPGA title at the Swinging Skirts Taiwan Championship last October and won again at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in February.”

Full piece.

4. Trophy theft

Golf Channel’s Randall Mell…”If Georgia Hall appeared especially enamored with the silver AIG Women’s Open trophy positioned next to her in a news conference Tuesday at Woburn Golf Club, there was good reason.”

“Somebody stole her trophy.”

“…The trophy the Englishwoman was presented as winner of last year’s championship was stolen out of her car in London two months ago. It was a replica of the original.”

“Smashed my back window, like 12 o’clock in the middle of the afternoon,” Hall said. “I don’t know if they knew it was me or not, because it was in the box and everything. And I had golf clubs as well, and they didn’t take that. A bit strange.”

Full piece.

5. Barron’s big week

AP report on the Senior Open fifth-place finisher’s impressive showing.

…”He flew to Manchester, drove to the Lancashire coast and played with Wes Short Jr. The last time they had played together was nearly seven years ago in the Jacksonville Open, the final event of the year on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour.”

“Two days later, Barron finished with three clutch putts at Fairhaven to qualify for the Senior British Open”

“The day he turned 50 was the final practice round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, where Barron and Dicky Pride took 20 pounds off Joe Durant and Scott Parel. The week ended with Barron closing with a 67 in the rain while playing with Colin Montgomerie to tie for fifth.”

Full piece.

6. Tiger the bench jockey?

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…

“During an appearance on the Golf.com Podcast, Woods’ friend and former teammate Notah Begay talked about Woods’ abilities - or lack thereof – on the hardwood.”

“The golf team had an intramural team at Stanford,” said Begay, who won two state basketball titles while at Albuquerque Academy. “Tiger was on our team. But let me just tell you – let the cat out of the bag – he wasn’t in the starting five. I’m not going to disparage his athletic ability because he’s a great athlete. But I mean, with the likes of Casey Martin, who had a birth defect in his right leg who started ahead of [Tiger], will give you an indication of Tiger’s skills on the court. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Full piece.

7. Morikawa on his sticks

Collin Morikawa spoke with Andrew Tursky of PGATour.com about his equipment, while the whole of the conversation is interesting, here’s what Morikawa said about his breakfast-inspired wedge adornments.

“Your wedge stampings have gone a bit crazy on social media. I guess you’re a big breakfast guy? How did those stampings come about?”

“Yeah (laughs), so my girlfriend, we love breakfast and we’ve got a little nicknames for each other. I won’t tell you which one [is mine]… but I’ll tell you her [nickname]; hers is “bacon.” But yeah, we love breakfast. We’re huge foodies. We love going out – and I think that’s what’s great about the PGA TOUR is you get to travel to so many great places and find some really good food. It just happened to be that we wanted to put some breakfast [items on the wedges] and we got some good combinations on there. We forgot some cereal names; I think that might be on a new wedge. But yeah, we do love our food and we definitely can’t get enough.”

Full piece.

8. “An honest mistake”

A day after passportgate, here are a couple of perspectives on Lexi Thompson’s misplaced passport fiasco

From an ESPN report “…Her agent, Bobby Kreusler, told Golf Channel it was an “honest mistake” and that Thompson had no idea it would cause such a delay and affect players the way it did.”

“She would never have wanted that,” the agent said.

“Ryann O’Toole, whose clubs didn’t arrive until Tuesday evening ahead of the Evian, wasn’t happy to lose another day of preparation for a major.”

“I don’t know why the driver would agree to accommodate one person knowing it would punish about a third of the field,” O’Toole told Golf Channel. “The driver should have said: ‘Hey, I’ve got to get these clubs to Woburn. If you want the passport, somebody’s going to have to fly there to get it and bring it back.”’

Full piece.

9. Can you use the shadow of the flagstick for alignment?

Handy bit of info from Golf.com’s Rules Guy…

“I had a four-foot putt exactly on the line of the flagstick’s shadow, so I left the pin in and made the putt. My playing partner called foul. I know the USGA changed the rule so that it’s the player’s choice whether to leave the stick in or out, but does that still hold when using its shadow as a beacon? -GUY SYKES, VIA E-MAIL”

“…the Rules are there to guide us, not hinder us. They are, indeed, a beacon themselves. The sun is out, and a shadow leads the way? To mix a metaphor, the stars have aligned! It’s perfectly legal!..”

Full piece.

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

9 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.