News

Morning 9: McCarthy’s near 59 | Pace leads Women’s PGA | All eyes on Rose

Published

3 years ago

Jun 23, 2023

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day two of the Travelers Championship gets underway.

1. McCarthy’s near 59

AP Report…” Denny McCarthy came inches from shooting a 59, settling for a 10-under 60 on Thursday for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career, and Rory McIlroy made his first ace on tour on a day of low numbers at the Travelers Championship.”

“Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott also made runs at golf’s magic number — on a course where Jim Furyk set the PGA Tour record with a 58 in 2016 — but faltered late. Each shot 62.”

“Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, finished with a 7-under 63.”

Full piece.

2. Pace leads Women’s PGA

AP Report…”Lee-Anne Pace isn’t playing a lot of competitive golf these days at 42-years-old and her practice habits have tailed off. She enjoys the game, and every once in a while, the South African really enjoys it.”

“The first round of the Women’s PGA Championship at historic Baltusrol on Thursday was one of them.”

“Pace made a two-putt birdie on the final hole in fading daylight to cap a bogey-free 5-under 66 and grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the second major of the year in women’s golf.”

“Honestly, I just came over because I like to come over every now and then for one or two events,” Pace said. “I honestly did not expect to be leading the tournament after day one. It’s a very, very difficult golf course. To be in my position, I’m just really happy that I had a good score.”

Full piece.

3. All eyes on Rose

Charlotte Gibson at ESPN…”And this week, she tees it up in her first major as a professional at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. Zhang will be among the 156 women golfers competing for the major title and monumental purse (to be announced on Friday, June 23).”

“As the 20-year-old prepares for the only major she hasn’t competed in as an amateur, she faces pressure and expectations to make history again at a storied venue.”

…”Zhang understands the expectations put on her name. She feels responsible for growing the game and inspiring the next generation. She also knows questions like “Will the rise of Zhang determine the rise of women’s golf?” linger around her. But ultimately, she wants to focus on her game and stay patient.”

“This is how people work. If you’re playing well, and you’ve developed a platform, people expect much more out of you, and I recognize that,” adds Zhang. “I think that’s the first thing for me, just to be able to handle it the way I am. And the people around me, like my family and friends, [to] keep me really grounded.”

Full piece.

4. Mav out with injury

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Maverick McNealy announced Wednesday afternoon that he is taking a break from competition for a few months to treat a left shoulder injury. He tore the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his left shoulder last February, and after a missed cut two weeks ago at the RBC Canadian Open, the 27-year-old Stanford product decided he needed to properly address what had become more than a nagging ailment.”

“After a brief period of improvement, it worsened in Canada to the point that I did not think it was a good idea to continue playing,” McNealy said.

“McNealy said the injury won’t require surgery, though the rehab will still be extensive.”

Full piece.

5. Ex-Disney exec to help navigate PIF-PGA Tour

Daniel Libit for Sportico…”Geoff Morrell, who recently served a short-lived stint as Disney’s top spokesperson, has been retained by the Saudi Public Investment Fund to help with media relations for the PIF’s partnership with the PGA Tour.”

“In a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing this week, Morrell disclosed he would be providing “the foreign principal with communications and stakeholder consulting services.”

“Morrell’s time at Disney lasted less then four months, which were dominated by the company’s ongoing contention with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.”

Full piece.

6. “Wouldn’t be too hard to reheat the soup”

Paul Higham for Golf Monthly (quoting Xander Schauffele, initially)…“The sad part is I probably don’t even have a question they can answer,” said Schauffele. “There just isn’t a whole lot of information out just yet. Some sort of the agreement still needs to be written up or agreed on, I should say.

“Everyone wants transparency and I’m sure in their eyes they are being as transparent as they possible can be, and all of us players would like to think they are taking care of us, but if they’re not able to give us any answers, that means there aren’t any.”

…”He had a novel way of saying that temperatures could well flare up again though if the right answers weren’t found.”

“Probably wouldn’t be too hard to re-heat the soup,” said Schauffele. “But, yeah, guys, Tour pros typically are pretty good at compartmentalizing and blocking out stuff and getting ready for game day.

Full Piece.

7. Phil’s Twitter tips return

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Regardless of how one feels about Phil Mickelson, there’s no denying that he has one of the best short games of all time.”

“Yesterday, Phil posted a video to his Twitter account giving chipping advice.”

Check out the video below.

Full Piece.

8. Wyndham’s equipment adjustments

Our Andrew Tursky talked with Titleist’s J.J. Van Wezenbeeck about Wyndham Clark’s lie angle tweaks

“Andrew Tursky: I heard that Wyndham may have made a big lie angle change with the irons about a year ago? What impact have Clark’s lie angles played on his iron game?”

“J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist: Yeah. He and his caddie John spent a lot of time on their swing, and we decided to move lie angles – we actually moved them twice over the last year, moving things a little flatter from where they had them. [Wyndham and John] are really good at letting ball flight dictate lie angles, so they work a lot on start lines and hitting different golf shots.”

“When his swing gets too fade-biased, they hit hooks on the range. When it gets too neutral, they hit big cuts on the range, and they’ll use ball flight to help with lie angle.”

“Do you remember what the lie angle changes were, like, one degree upright to three degrees flat, or something like that?”

“J.J.: I don’t think it’s even that basic…it’s been a scenario where it’s a little here, and then a lot there. Every club wasn’t the same. It’s a one-by-one situation.”

“It’s not, ‘I’m a one flat guy.’”

“Each club has its own unique lie angle to promote the flight that they want.”

Full Piece.

9. Travelers Photos

Make sure to check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!

Full Piece.

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.