News

GolfWRX Morning 9: POY Koepka | …talks DJ fight | Best golfing athletes

Published

8 years ago

Oct 10, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

October 10, 2018

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.

1. POY Koepka

The official word from the Tour (and you can tell it’s the official word because they capitalize “PGA Tour”)

“The PGA TOUR announced today that Brooks Koepka has been named the 2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2017-18 season.”

“Koepka, a 28-year-old native of West Palm Beach, Florida, finished a career-best ninth in the FedExCup following a season that included victories at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He earned four additional top-10 finishes, including runners-up at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Charles Schwab Challenge.”

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, our congratulations to Brooks Koepka on being voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year by his peers,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Brooks has brought a new brand of athleticism to the PGA TOUR, and we saw the results this year with his historic season at the major championships and a top-10 finish in the FedExCup. These feats were accomplished despite missing significant time due to injury, a testament to his work ethic and perseverance throughout the season.”

2. Koepka talks DJ

On Tuesday, Brooks Koepka – after being named the 2018 PGA Tour Player of the Year – came on the Dan Patrick Show to speak his side of the story.

Here’s that conversation…

Dan Patrick: I wanna set the record straight, we can put it to bed. Why do you think it was reported that you and Dustin Johnson had that altercation at a party?

Brooks Koepka: (laughs) I have no idea. We went in there to go congratulate the Europeans and tell them congrats on the job well done, and say hey; I don’t know how this started, I have no idea. I mean, I’ve been texting with him. I was texting with him before I even knew the story existed and we chatted a few times during the week as we normally would. And I saw him this morning and the 20 people that were here can vouch for me that there’s nothing there. We don’t get it, we’ve laughed about it, we’ve talked about it and nobody knows.

DP: Do you think someone misconstrued something like they may have seen you guys… like I just don’t know why someone would report it, create it.

BK: Yea I, I have no idea. We talked about everything. We could have been talking about college football and how bad Florida State was, you know what I mean? It’s one of those things like ‘we’re not that bad,’ and you never know what somebody heard. Sometimes you jump in the middle of a conversation and you have no idea what’s going on, you just hear a certain part of it. But that’s not always the case. I don’t know what they think they saw, or what they think they heard, but it was far from the truth.

3. Top 100 golfing athletes

The folks at GD have compiled their annual (semi-annual?) ranking of the best golfing athletes.

The top 2…

TYLER CLIPPARD...+1.9 | Toronto reliever travels to the golf course in his pickup truck with 15 to 20 pairs of golf shoes. One of our editors can attest to this: Clippard can hit a 3-iron 260 yards.
JOHN SMOLTZ…+1.5 | Hall of Fame pitcher qualified for the U.S. Senior Open this summer at The Broadmoor and missed the cut after rounds of 85-77. Has eight holes-in-one, including one on a 334-yard par 4. Plays out of Hawks Ridge in Atlanta.

Full list.

4. Captain Harrington?

Who will captain the 2020 European Ryder Cup team? Paddy, it seems.

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”After receiving the support of such players as Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose over the past week, Padraig Harrington has emerged as the clear favorite to be the captain for the away game at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.”

“Harrington’s appointment seems all but assured now that Lee Westwood has told The Telegragh that he’ll “wait until Rome” – and the 2022 Ryder Cup – before he makes his pitch.”

“The selection panel of European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, the past three Ryder Cup captains (Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke) and a yet-to-be-named member of the players committee will meet in December to finalize the selection.”

5. JT on Reed’s remarks

Thomas told reporters at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia: “That (the pairing) was something obviously that had been talked about in advance, but all I was worried about was that I knew I was going to play with Jordan and we wanted to take care of our match.

“So, you do your job, and Jordan’s and mine was to go out and get a point and that’s what we were fortunate enough to get at least three out of four.

“But no, everybody has their own thoughts and feelings, but at the end of the day we just didn’t play well enough.”

6. More travel trouble for Vegas

Rough stuff. Via Golfweek’s Kevin Casey…”The Venezuelan took to Twitter on Tuesday to reveal that he won’t be playing in the CIMB Classic this week in Malaysia due to a passport issue.”

“In July, it was realizing his visa to the United Kingdom had expired that put Vegas in jeopardy of missing the Open. It was hectic, but he did indeed make it.”

“He explained Tuesday, though, that no such scenario will play out with the CIMB Classic….” Súper disappointed not going to@CIMBClassic this week in Malaysia due to my passport expiring in a 2 months. Unfortunately my country is having some horrible issues and renewing your passport is one of them. Thanks everyone@CIMBClassic for trying to make this happen.”

7. It’s not just JT…

…Brooks has goals too!

AP Report...”One was his annual list of goals that he writes every Jan. 1 during quiet time on the beach, some of them golf specific, some of them about life. He tacks the list in the middle of his closet so he can’t miss it when he’s getting dressed, packing for a trip or getting his watch and wallet.”

“I’m definitely ahead of schedule on certain things,” Koepka said Tuesday….No doubt he was referring to winning two majors, which made him the obvious choice as PGA Tour player of the year. His second straight U.S. Open title made him the first back-to-back winner since Curtis Strange in 1988-89. His two-shot victory in the PGA Championship made him only the fifth player in 100 years to win in the same season the two U.S. majors held on different courses.”

“And he missed on a few goals…One was to not miss a cut, which ended in Canada with a 77 in the opening round that led to a weekend off. Another was to finish in the top 10 in half of his events.”

“And then there was one that made him laugh just to say it….”Stay healthy,” Koepka said.”

8. Players on the rise in 2019

Our resident stats guru, Rich Hunt, worked his magic to forecast the players who ought to be seeing better results in 2019 (and those who won’t).

Here’s how he does it…”At the end of each season, I compile data on every PGA Tour player and then analyze which players are on the rise and the decline for the upcoming season. There are a number of variables that are historically quality indicators of a golfer’s future performance such as age, club speed, adjusted scoring average, etc.

“I tend to focus on what I call The Cornerstones of the Game, however, and these Cornerstones include

* Driving Effectiveness

* Red Zone Play (approach shots from 175-225 yards)

* Short Game shots (from 10-20 yards)

* Putting (5-15 feet)

* Ball Speed

“All that is needed to execute the Cornerstones of the Game is for the player to be in the top-half on the PGA Tour in each metric. That’s the beauty of the concept; a player does not need to be dominant in each metric. He can simply be average at each metric and it increases his likelihood of not only having a great season, but recording a PGA Tour victory. I can then use the Cornerstones concept to more accurately project players on the rise for the following season.”

To see who he forecasts rising and falling, check out the piece.

9. For your listening pleasure…

ICYMI: Our Andrew Tursky has expanded the GolfWRX podcast repertoire with “Monday’s Off.” Now a few episodes in, the pod features Tursky and club pro Steve Westphal.

This week, the pair discuss whether PGA Tour swing coaches are underrated or overrated. Also, they discuss Koepka vs. DJ, Tiger’s best swing ever, and Westphal explains why coaching high-handicaps is more difficult than coaching good players.

Check it out.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

17 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

17 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.