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Five things we learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

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Let’s be honest: no matter where any of us find ourselves today, we wish that we were in a rented house at Kiawah Island, taking a nice leisurely walk to the Ocean Course for the 2021 PGA Championship. After the traffic snarls that marred the 2012 playing of the same championship, most observers wondered if the powers that be would wave a magic wand and make access issues disappear in a spectacular fashion. Instead of a wand, it was the latter stages of a pandemic that compelled the PGA to limit spectator access, sweeping  away traffic concerns.

There was much more that we learned on day one of this year’s tournament, so let’s sweep ourselves toward the five things that we learned on Thursday at the 2021 PGA Championship.

1. A sneeze away

For most of the day, a large number of competitors were a simple sneeze away from the top. The deepest anyone got in the morning round was 4 under par. By 4 p.m., the lead was at 3 under par, and it was a healthy and diverse contingent that occupied that rung on the ladder. Martin Laird stood on the 17th tee at four deep, but two bogeys later, was back at 2 under, one behind the quintet of early leaders. Keegan Bradley also reached the same figure, but made a late bogey of his own to fall back to 3 under, still tied for the lead late. In the end, six golfers stood at 3-under 69 after 18 holes were completed.

2. #TeamOf20

The PGA Championship is unique in that there is always a subset of qualifiers who formed their own brotherhood: the PGA Professionals who work at golf courses and clubs across the USA. This year #TeamOf20 was lead in the first round by Ben Cook of Michigan who posted an even-par 72.

3. Where there’s a Will…

The young man from the state of Texas and Wake Forest University, who set golf hearts a flutter in April at Augusta, returned for a command performance. He stood at two under par on the 18th tee, but gave one back on the closing hole. That puts him behind another youngster named Phil Mickelson, and he can’t win, can he?

4. Canada’s Corey Conners

The pride of Kent State University has been rising in the eyes of experts over the past two years. On Thursday at Kiawah, Conners started strong, played well in the middle, and closed with birdies and two of his final four holes to see is the lead by two strokes, at 5 under.

5. Which horse do we ride?

In order, Viktor Hovland, Sam Horsfield, Corey Conners, and Will Zalatoris. It’s great to have former champions Keegan Bradley and Brooks  Koepka near the top, but we are going with youth this week at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course.

 

 

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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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.

 

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

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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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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

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

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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.

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