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Morning 9: Na way he wasn’t winning | Rahmbo: Spanish Open Part II | Bryson bulking up?

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By Ben Alberstadt
Email me at [email protected] and find me at @benalberstadt on Instagram and (reluctantly) now at benGolfWRX on Twitter.

October 7, 2019

Good Monday morning, golf fans.
1. Na way was he letting this one get away
Golfweek’s Adam Woodard with the black letter of Kevin Na’s victory…”Na won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the fourth event of the 2019-20 PGA Tour schedule, on Sunday at 23 under par after a two-hole playoff against Cantlay.”
  • “In an emotional post-round interview with Golf Channel, Na gave an impassioned answer in Korean, where he said he was very happy and confident after the win and thanked everyone in Korea for “believing in him,” according to a quick Google translation.”

Full piece.

  • Really, this was a win about a guy with grit and swagger capping an often sloppy final round by going to a well that should have been dry and filling his cup-and walking a playoff-extending putt in with the stones of Tiger at Valhalla. Far from the fragile psyche and cruel caricature of the recent past, this version of Kevin Na is a confident winner.
2. Open de Rahma 
The details on Jon Rahm’s repeat Spanish Open W via Europeantour.com, which saw him become the fastest Spaniard ever to 5 wins, besting the maestro, Seve Ballesteros…”The World Number Five carded a closing 66 that saw him finish at 22 under and enter the record books with a fifth European Tour victory in just his 39th start.”
  • “Rafa Cabrera Bello was his nearest challenger as Spaniards dominated the leaderboard, with World Number 1,413 Samuel Del Val at 15 under in just his fifth European Tour event.”
  • “The victory moved Rahm to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex as he looks to become the first Spaniard to win the Harry Vardon Trophy since the late, great Seve Ballesteros in 1991.”

Full piece.

3. An unexpected day for Knight 
AP report on the action on LPGA Tour...”Cheyenne Knight struggled so much her rookie season that she made the cut in only half of her tournaments and figured she was headed back to the LPGA Tour qualifying series. One week changed everything.”
“In the only LPGA event in her home state of Texas, in what she thought would be her last tournament of the year, Knight played bogey-free Sunday and closed with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot victory in the Volunteers of America Classic.”
4. Phil’s pleased
Golf Channel’s Nick Menta...”Mickelson closed Sunday with a 4-under par 67, which is about even par this week at TPC Summerlin.”
  • “Phil entered the weekend just three off the 36-hole pace but tumbled down the leaderboard Saturday with a third-round 74 on a day when the scoring average was 67.75.”
  • “Asked to sum up his play, Mickelson said: “I came out and had two good rounds out of four. I didn’t obviously compete, but the road back to playing well is a process, and today or this week was a good start on that process, and I’m looking forward to going to Korea and continuing improving. I identified a few areas to continue to work on, but there were some areas of strength as well.”
5. Bryson bulking?
This is…not totally surprising… Per Ben Everill at PGATour.com, Bryson DeChambeau is taking the next month to seriously get his swole on.
In terms of the specifics, well, who the hell knows. Here’s a bit of Bryson per Ben.
  • “I’m going to come back next year and look like a different person. You’re going to see some pretty big changes in my body, which is going to be a good thing. Going to be hitting it a lot further,” DeChambeau said after finishing his title defense at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open with an 8-under 63.
  • “Bigger. Way stronger. Just stronger in general. I am going to look probably a lot bigger, but it’s going to be a fun month and a half off. I have never been able to do this, and I’m going to go do things that are going to be a lot of fun.”
  • And…”We make sure the neurological threshold is just as high as the mechanical threshold…”
  • “In layman’s terms, pretty much whatever muscle potentially you have, how big and the muscle spindles you have, you can recruit every single one of them to their full potential throughout the whole range and training the whole range of motion.”

Full piece.

6. Scott Herbert survives
Golfweek staff report…”Not only did Scott Hebert come from behind to win the 31st Senior PGA Professional Championship Sunday, he matched a Championship record for lowest 72-hole total with 16-under 270.”
“With rounds of 70-70-63-67 at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s Fazio Foothills Course, Hebert finished four strokes ahead of Jerry Haas, Jeff Hart and Frank Bensel Jr. Hebert’s third-round 63 set a Championship record for lowest third round and tied for the best 18-hole score in Championship history.”
7. LPGA card drama 
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”the last player to secure an LPGA card for 2020 didn’t even play at LPGA International.”
  • “Mind Muangkhumsakul got her pro-am time wrong on Wednesday and was forced to withdraw from the competition. She came into the finale 10th on the money list (the top 10 secure LPGA cards), $10,176 ahead of South Korea’s Min Seo Kwak.”
  • “According to a tour official, Muangkhumsakul thought the pro-am began at 9 a.m. and arrived at the course 20 minutes to the hour. With the 8 a.m. shotgun running late, play officially began at 8:17 a.m. Officials tried to get her out to the tee of her second hole in time (had she made it, Muangkhumsakul would’ve only been given a $500 fine). But she didn’t make that either and was forced to WD.”

Full piece.

8. Tee box demons
Mark Townsend at National Club Golfer...”This week in Spain Scott Gregory did likewise during the first round in Madrid. The 2016 Amateur champion, he beat Bob MacIntyre in the final at Royal Porthcawl, has endured an horrific season having come through Q School at the end of last year with just one made cut in 17 starts. His Challenge Tour efforts haven’t realised much better.”
  • “When we see ‘DISQ’ next to a player’s name it always catches the eye, sadly for Gregory it wasn’t a wrong scorecard, as he explained via Twitter.”
  • “I haven’t been DQ’d for anything sinister, it was more a withdrawal. Those closest to me know I’ve been battling some mental demons both off the tee and personally for a while now and today everything kind of fell apart. I ended up struggling to pull the trigger and seeing a shot off the tee, resulting in some quite large misses,” the 25-year-old said.
  • “Because of this my only option was to walk away, it’s not fair on my playing partners with the speed I was playing due to the issue. I’m never one to quit and this is the first and last time in my career it will happen. I want to thank you for all your support and I hope to come back stronger once I’ve got the help I need.”

Full piece.

9. A hole-in-one for Jimmy Buffett! 
Golfweek’s Adam Woodard…”The 72-year-old singer shared a photo on his Instagram page celebrating a hole-in-one, rocking a New Orleans Saints hat and playing a Titleist 2.”
“We unfortunately don’t know what club was used, nor the yardage, or even where Buffett was playing on Saturday. Or if he aced a hole in his backyard? What we do know is, Come Monday, Buffett will still be Havana Daydreamin’ about his ace”
The puns! See the photo here, Parrotheads.

 

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

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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.”

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Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

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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.”

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GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

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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.

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