News

The 2008 Open

Published

18 years ago

Jul 20, 2008

Padraig Harrington successfully defended his Open title with a four shot victory at Royal Birkdale, beating Ian Poulter into second place.

Four days of truly attritional golf where rain and wind had torn through the field, experience held through as the Irishman held his nerve to take his second major. Harrington started the final day alongside KJ Choi 2 shots back from Greg Norman. The Australian had rolled back the years displaying the full range of shot control despite difficult conditions.

For people used to playing and seeing golf on immaculate parkland courses in balmy sun and no wind the conditions at the 137^th Open would have given them the shock of their lives. With no trees lining the course, there was no respite from the winds that howled in from the sea. Not only was the wind regularly blowing at 20 mph but gusted as high as 50 mph making distance control more of an art than a science. Heavy rain over the first 2 days complicated affairs even further.

The final round started finely balanced with 3 shots separating 4 players: Norman, Harrington, Choi and Englishman Simon Wakefield. Prior to the final round, Norman had been in 4 greenside bunkers and got up and down each time. He found one on the first and blasted out to 18 feet. The par put missed and the lead was back to 1. A missed 6 footer on the second from Norman and it was all square with Harrington who looked as steady as a rock paring the first 6 holes. Bogeys at the first for Choi were followed by bogeys from the 4th to the 8th as he fell away from contention. Norman briefly regained the lead around the turn but some bad luck with the putter and a terrible lie in a fairway bunker on the 13thand a miss-club put paid to his efforts despite fighting hard for the rest of the round. It was an amazing effort from one of the giants of the game who showed that age is no bar from competing at the highest level.

It was Ian Poulter who then charged into contention. Confidence is something that Poulter has never been accused of lacking and in these difficult conditions when others seemed to be seemed to be retreating, he was playing easily the best golf on the course as he shot a 69 to post the clubhouse lead of +7.

Harrington was in sole ownership of the lead at this point but with the conditions being what they were, the possibility of one bad card-wrecking hole was always present. Harrington then proceeded to play the golf of the championship, birdying 13 and 15 and then playing the shot of the championship on the par 5 17th with a 250 yard 5 wood to 4 feet to set up an eagle which he converted. A par at the last and Harrington was the Champion Golfer again. An amazing achievement when you consider that he considered not defending his title due to a damaged wrist which saw him play only 9 holes of practise on the Tuesday, withdraw from practice on the Wednesday and which had severely restricted his practise regime prior to the event.

Twenty year old Chris Wood won the Silver Medal for best Amateur finishing tied 5^th. Birkdale has a habit of revealing great talent from the amateur ranks – Seve Ballesteros the most notable and Justin Rose the most recent – so great things should be expected from the young Englishman.

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.