News

5 things we learned: Thursday at the Travelers

Published

6 years ago

Jun 26, 2020

The call for delay is heard again. First sounded by this writer in early April, a louder voice asked the PGA Tour to step back from ambition this week. Our enthusiasm for professional golf must be balanced with logic and safety. It simply has not been, in the quest for whatever public and ulterior motives the organizing bodies in the USA have. My question is, are the PGA of America and USGA reconsidering their plans to hold major championships and events this year? If not, they should be.

On to the Travelers Championship, where golf did happen yesterday. Here are five things that we learned on Thursday in Connecticut.

1. Mackenzie Hughes has the lead

Partly because he solved the 17th hole, Canada’s pride has a three-shot advantage as Friday dawns. Hughes made birdie at the 17th, while 2 pursuers had bogey. Both Hovland and Schauffele made five at the watery, penultimate hole. Hughes also birdied 16, a hole that McIlroy (also at -7 with Hovland and Schauffele) bogeyed. Hughes had a five-birdie streak to end his round. He shouldn’t look to repeat that; a tidy 67 should keep him in the thick of things. We’ll find out this afternoon, as he plays in the day’s second wave.

2. Professional golfers do care

Koepka 1, Koepka 2, McDowell, and Simpson all withdrew from the event, citing potential exposure to COVID-19 virus. Champ withdrew because, like Watney the week before, he has been diagnosed with the virus. Simply put, the correct move. Makes me wonder, can’t the PGA Tour offer three chartered jets, instead of one? Have caddies pay $100 for their flights, have golfers pay the going rate, and you offset much of the cost of the flight.

3. Phil is philthy phifty

I can’t resist whatever that is. Literary scholars scorn my efforts, but I march ahead. Mickelson had three birdies on each side, never really smelled a bogey, and did what needed to be done with 64. Another one of those today, I predict, and he will have the halfway lead. Phil seems to have evicted the need to remain young from his system (no more TikTok dances, no more tweets about hitting bombs) and as we know, it is his play that will keep him relevant. Lephty tees off an hour before Hughes, at 12:50, so we should have a sense of his day’s value by two p.m.

4. How close is Hovland?

This is the guys whose game has appealed most to me, among the cohort of Morikawa, Wolff, and Hovland. They came out to tour together, in the summer of 2019, and they caught our attention with early wins. Hovland had seven birdies and one eagle on Thursday, which more than offset his two bogies. He lights up a course like halogen, and should do so again today, with an early tee time. That translates to smoother greens and more putts made. I like Hovland as leader in the clubhouse, when the second wave tees off. Let’s see.

5. Xander: let’s see the X factor

No offense, but he gave away the Colonial. Should have won. No excuses. At Harbor Town, he was up-down-up-down, in terms of score. Never in the mix. Not really his type of course, for some reason. This place, however, is different. He’s the calmest under pressure of the mid-twenties, and needs to add more wins in a hurry, to elevate himself to the top-ten-in-the-world echelon, where he may belong. His weakness is drive getting away at time; as a not-six-feet-tall dude, he needs to go after it like JT and JS. Xander made birdie at half of his holes yesterday. That’s kinda crazy. I don’t think that he shall do so again today, but it would be fun to watch.

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.

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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.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.