News

Morning 9: U.S. Am update | “I’m a great putter” | New LPGA commish has a plan

Published

5 years ago

Aug 13, 2021

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt

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August 13, 2021

Good Friday morning, golf fans.

1. Reaching the round of 16 before the suspension of play

Ron Driscoll for the USGA…”Competing in his third U.S. Amateur Championship, Van Holmgren, 22, of Plymouth, Minn., earned two match-play victories on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club to reach the Round of 16 for the first time. Oakmont is hosting the championship’s 121st edition – its 17th USGA championship overall and record-tying sixth U.S. Amateur.”

…”Three other players completed Round-of-32 wins before play was suspended for the day at 6:35 p.m. It was the fourth weather delay in three days – totaling more than 10 hours. The rest of the Round-of-32 matches, all of which were in progress, are scheduled to resume on Friday morning, conditions permitting.”

“Austin Greaser, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio, who was a quarterfinalist in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at Inverness Club, also notched two wins on Thursday. The University of North Carolina junior eliminated Bo Andrews, 2 and 1, then rallied to defeat Xavier Marcoux, 3 and 2, in the afternoon after trailing by two holes through the first six.”

Full piece.

2. Getting creative

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”He’s played the first hole down the ninth.”

“He’s blown it over the church pews toward the fourth fairway on No. 3.”

“He’s hit down the opposite fairway on Nos. 10 and 11.”

“And to top it all off, he’s used the 12th fairway to play the 14th hole.”

“…Vick hasn’t been alone, though. Dozens of players are zigging and zagging around Oakmont’s rain-softened layout in search of better angles and to avoid penal bunker lips that often demand layups…”

Full piece.

3. “I’m a great putter”

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”Russell Henley rose to the top of the Wyndham Championship’s leaderboard with a first-round 8-under 62 behind motivation from his cell phone.”

“For several years, Henley has had an alert set on his phone that tells him every morning, “I’m a great putter.”

“Yeah. I have [an alert] on my phone right now that says, ‘I’m a great putter,'” said Henley, who took 25 putts on Thursday. “You know, it’s weird, the first years I was on Tour, my ball-striking was kind of inconsistent and my putting was, I think it was top-10 the first couple years. It might have been [No. 1] in overall putting my second or third year.”

Full piece.

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4. The new commissioner’s 100-day plan

Amy Rogers for Golf Channel…“As part of Marcoux Samaan’s transition to leading the best female golfers in the world, she outlined a 100-day plan for not only herself but the LPGA as a whole. She says the plan is broken into three phases, beginning with a period of listening and learning. Marcoux Samaan first mentioned this strategy during the announcement of her appointment in May.”

“The second phase will encompass the outlining of a strategic plan for the LPGA. She intends to incorporate the values of the nearly 72-year-old organization, which is rooted in its founding by 13 women in 1950. Marcoux Samaan says the plan will be laid out over the course of the next three months. Upon completion of the 100 days, which also happens to coincide with the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in mid-November, Marcoux Samaan says the organization will be able to move into the third phase. This phase will see the execution of a template which will outline the LPGA’s goals moving forward.”

“OK, this is where we’re going to put our energy or most of our energy,” said Marcoux Samaan about how she intends to use the template. “But again, we’re going to keep doing what we do because it’s been pretty successful.”

Full piece.

5. Local favorite leads

AP report…”Michele Thomson of Scotland shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open.”

“Thomson, the 33-year-old Ladies European Tour player from Aberdeen, rebounded from an opening bogey with an eagle on No. 2. She birdied seven of her final 11 holes at Dumbarnie Links.”

“Probably had a little bit of a nervous start I would say,” Thomson said. “Obviously, being at the Scottish Open, it’s my fourth one now, but obviously still got the nerves off the first tee and hit a bit of a ropey drive and just made bogey from there, which was fine. Stood up on the second tee and just restarted.”

Full piece.

6. More front office maneuvering

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”Jon Podany, who spent nine years working for Mike Whan at the LPGA, has been hired by Whan as the new Chief Commercial Officer for the U.S. Golf Association, part of a tumultuous month at the top of the organization.”

“Podany was most recently a partner in two companies within the college sports industry, The Brandr Group (TBG) and CampusLore.”

Full piece.

7. Thorbjornsen on fire

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Thorbjornsen entered the week at Oakmont Country Club as the prohibitive favorite, still streaking from dominant victories at the Massachusetts State Amateur and Western Amateur. Ott, meanwhile, was still trying to build confidence after a prolonged slump.”

“While Ott appeared to be on his way to smothering the Stanford sophomore, leading 3 up through 12 holes, Thorbjornsen, as it turned out, was just slow cooking his opponent.”

“Five holes and five birdies later, and Ott was done.”

Full piece.

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8. Vice captain Rickie

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…While Fowler has an uphill climb to make the team on merit – he ranks 41st in the U.S. team point standings and only the top six automatically qualify – and his current form doesn’t suggest he’d be one of Steve Stricker’s six captain’s picks, Fowler said he’d be open to serving as a vice captain at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin for the Sept. 24-26 matches.

“With the position I’m in, age-wise, and yeah, I’d have to play my (rear) off the next few weeks to have a chance there, which like you said, it’s not out of the question. But yeah, if the team – if the guys wanted me there, I’d be there in a heartbeat,” he said. “They’re such fun weeks to be a part of whether you’re playing or not. Some of my favorite times have been when I’ve sat out and basically got to be there as, you know, a makeshift assistant captain in a way. You’re out there supporting the crew and being around.”

Full piece.

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.

GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

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.