News

Tour Rundown: Genesis Invitational claimed by Niemann | LECOM trophy resides with a familiar face

Published

4 years ago

Feb 21, 2022

Three of the world’s larger tours (LPGA, Asian, and DP World) took much of February off. Fortunately, four PGA Tour circuits (Main, Korn Ferry, Champions, and Latinoamérica) kept the competitive fires on full ignite during the month of love. Los Angeles, Sarasota, Naples, and Mazatlán hosted respective championships that featured tense resolutions. Although margins of victory ranged from one to three shots, each event was in doubt until the final flag was replaced. Golf has returned to center stage on the professional sport viewing spectrum, so enjoy a four-tour rundown with us on this penultimate February weekend for 2022.

Golf is hard.

4-putt on the final hole to take @OUknowmike from a win if birdied to T6. pic.twitter.com/3bltA58lj9

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) February 21, 2022

PGA Tour: Genesis Invitational claimed by Niemann

The young Chilean, Joaquín Niemann, held off a final-round charge by Collin Morikawa and an untested youngster named Cameron Young who wouldn’t go away. The veteran of the 2019 Presidents Cup International side and holder of one PGA Tour victory, Niemann has been saddled with expectations, and selected as storied a venue as possible to record his second title. Committing the near-sacrilege of a 63-63 opening 36 holes, Niemann was never separated from the field by more than five strokes.

On Friday, Young recorded a 62 to keep the Chilean in sight. Neither golfer could separate from the other on Saturday, and they were joined by an in-form Viktor Hovland in Sunday’s final pairing. Young closed to within two shots of Niemann with a birdie at the first, but with little margin for error, the Wake Forest alumnus could not recapture the fireworks of round two. He ultimately tied for second spot, equal to the best finish of his emerging PGA Tour career. It was not Hovland who emerged as Sunday’s comeback threat, but Morikawa.

The current Champion Golfer of the Year holed a pitch for eagle at number ten to join the chase in earnest, then posted birdies at 16 and 17 to reach 17-under par. Niemann would not go yield, and a spectacular eagle of his own at the 11th hole gave enough margin (six shots) to cushion the blow of back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15. In the end, Niemann won by two over Morikawa and Young. The weight of expectations were eased for now, although talk will doubtless turn to when will he win a major for the young South American.

It looked good all the way. ?@JoacoNiemann chips in on No. 11 for his third eagle of the week.

He leads by SIX. pic.twitter.com/W1ncxPIisq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 20, 2022

Korn Ferry Tour: LECOM trophy resides with a familiar face

Byeong “Ben” An featured in an article last fall on five surprising PGA Tour card losses. An was a climber for much of his career, but hit a plateau in the last four years, culminating in his assignment to the Korn Ferry Tour for rehabilitation. Most of the developmental tour stops will be thrilled to have him along, but it won’t be for long. On Sunday, An remained patient and came away with Korn Ferry tour win number one, by a single stroke.

Michael Gellerman, the 54-hole leader, contracted a case of the wilds on Sunday and tossed two doubles and three singles into the bogey column. The worst was at 18, where he stood tied with An for first place. Gellerman’s approach shot found the green, but his putter betrayed him. Four putts later, he had tumbled to a tie for 6th, all in the space of about forty feet. An knew how Gellerman felt, to a degree. His 72nd-hole bogey had given Gellerman hope.

Gellerman’s shocking finish elevated four golfers into a tie for 2nd. Among the quartet, Scott Harrington had the biggest pit in his stomach. Bogeys at 15 and 17 had dropped him from -18 to a stroke away from An. Seonghyeon Kim made a 16-spot move on day four, posting 66 to tie Harrington, Ben Griffin and MJ Daffue for the silver medal.

The putt that made all the difference. ?@ByeongHunAn's birdie on No. 16 Sunday at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, en route to a one-stroke victory. pic.twitter.com/GRM8dDeQqs

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) February 21, 2022

PGA Tour Champions: Chubb Classic sees Langer’s 43rd extra-age win

No one turns the engine like Bernhard Langer. The senior legend began the week with a 64, held onto the lead with 68 on Saturday, then withstood charges by a variety of pretenders to earn a 43rd career title on the PGA Tour Champions. Bogey at the first hole on Sunday gave hope to Robert Karlsson, Tim Petrovic, and others. The unflappable Langer regrouped and rallied his way to five birdies over the next 15 holes, to regain the lead.

During this same time period, Karlsson and Petrovic had fired and fallen back. Langer closed bogey-birdie to reach 16-under par on the week. His margin of victory over Petrovic was three shots, with Retief Goosen another shot back at -12. With this prime title, Langer moved within two trophies of Hale Irwin, the all-time leading winner on the elder circuit. Will there be a changing of the guard in 2022? We’re not betting against it.

Locked in. ?@BernhardLanger6 hit a beauty to extend his lead on 9. pic.twitter.com/eTsKG9kNSG

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) February 20, 2022

PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Estrella del Mar welcomes journeyman to podium

Them old timers love to say how Saturday is moving day. Well, not on PGATourLA! Domingo es el día de la mudanza, according to this writer. Down Mazatlán way, a bunch of golfers made mid-60s moves on Sunday to take a run at the leaders. Overnight leaders Armando Favela and Anthony Paolucci ran out of birdies over the final 18 holes, and dropped into a tie for 6th position. The third member of the 54-hole lead club was a little more fortunate, but hold on just a minute. First, the runners-up.

Mitchell Meissner of the USA and Chile’s Cristobal del Solar posted 65 and 67, respectively, to jump up to 20-under par. They surpassed nearly everyone in the field, with Meissner moving up seven spots, versus three for del Solar. Nearly everyone, remember. At the end of day four, the same guy as Thursday stood atop the field. His name? Matt Ryan.

Ryan opened with 63 on Thursday to take a two-shot advantage. His 70 on Friday dropped him behind halfway leader Paolucci, but his Saturday 66 returned him to the top. On Sunday, Ryan was flawless over ten holes, posting seven-under to assume a healthy lead. Bogey at 11 and 14 weakened the knees just a bit, but he closed in style, making birdie at 16 to assure a three-shot win. At age 35, the victory was the lefthander’s first on a professional tour, buoying the hopes of journeymen professionals everywhere.

Matt Ryan para par y total de -23 para triunfar en el #EstrellaDelMarOpen. ??@MattyRyan24 for par at the last (-23) for a three-shot win at Estrella del Mar CC.

Moves to third in the #TotalplayCup ? standings. pic.twitter.com/jGCXXtxkzs

— PGATOURLA (@PGATOURLA) February 20, 2022

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

14 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

14 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

3 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.