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Morning 9: Are Koepka’s best days behind him? | Bryson bashes TPC Summerlin…inspired by Happy Gilmore? | Another freak tree-related PGA pro death

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1  Lincicome, Kelly Tran share lead at Womens PGA
AP report…”Brittany Lincicome brought 15-month-old daughter Emery to a recent practice round at Aronimink Golf Club and let her run around the course and plop down on mom’s pink golf bag.”
  • “Back home with dad, the TV was on for the family to watch Brittany do what she does best, as one of the tour’s bigger hitters regularly found the greens she needed to emerge as a contender for another major victory.”
  • “Lincicome and Kelly Tan each shot 3-under 67 on Thursday in windy conditions at challenging Aronimink to share the lead in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.”
2. Bryson bashes Summerlin
Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio…“Big bad Bryson DeChambeau continued his assault on golf courses the country over by bashing TPC Summerlin into submission in Thursday’s first round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.”
  • “But he was far from the only one that battered the desert layout…A day after he shot 59 on his own ball during the pro-am – and missed an 8-footer for a 58 on the last hole – DeChambeau putted for eagle five times, made a career-best five consecutive birdies and matched his lowest round on the PGA Tour with a bogey-free 9-under-par 62 to grab the lead.”
3. Second freak tree-related PGA pro death this year…
Awful stuff in the wake of the death of PGA pro Justin Riegel a few months ago who was killed by a tree falling on the clubhouse.
  • Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram….“A violent storm blew through Wyantenuck Country Club, located in Great Barrington in Massachusetts’ Berkshire Mountains, late Wednesday afternoon and Sullivan, the head golf professional, drove throughout the course to make sure everyone had left safely after he sounded the weather warning horn.”
  • “As Sullivan drove his golf cart down an access road, a tree fell and killed him. A neighbor called police after seeing a tree had fallen on the cart. Two police officers found Sullivan on the ground near the cart, which was covered by several fallen trees and branches, but they couldn’t revive him, Great Barrington Police Chief William R. Walsh Jr. told the Berkshire Eagle.”
4. Loving and hoping
Our Johnny Wunder…
I LOVE that we are getting PGA Tour action for two straight weeks in Vegas. 1) Because it is seeding season for the OEMs so glimpses of new equipment, potential free agent testing, and the like are all included. 2) We will get two totally different golf tournaments. Shriners will be a low scoring shoot out with a number of players (young and veterans) with a shot to win. ZOZO will be a star-studded potential shoot out OR a tough high scoring affair depending on how they set it up. Shadow can play very tough if they tuck the pins and speed the greens up. Trust me, I saw Tiger/Phil #1, and neither player was any threat to rip it to shreds…and that was an “exhibition”
I HOPE Tiger shows up huge at ZOZO and at the CJ Cup. I believe he needs two REALLY solid tournaments if he has a chance in hell at Augusta. Yes, I said it. He hasn’t played poorly so to speak but he has yet to put it all together for 72 holes. If we get what 99.9% of us want at Augusta he needs 2 top 10’s and maybe even a win in those two.

5. BWM PGA Championship round 1

AP report…”Tyrrell Hatton remembers walking outside the ropes as a wide-eyed 5-year-old and watching his heroes at the BMW PGA Championship, the tournament which inspired him to become a professional golfer.”
  • “Now he’s leading the European Tour’s signature event at Wentworth, although there are no spectators to see it.”
  • “After almost nine months in the United States – during which he won his first PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – Hatton is back in Europe and continued his strong form with a 6-under 66 to help set the first-round pace Thursday at a tournament he knows so well.”
  • “He was tied for the lead with Justin Harding of South Africa and Adri Arnaus of Spain, neither of whom dropped a shot around the West Course on an overcast day.”
 
6. Quietly chasing senior glory 
JuliaKate E. Culpepper for Golfweek…“The 50-year-old Furyk is having a rookie season to remember on the senior circuit.”
  • “The 17-time winner on the PGA Tour won his Champions debut in August at the Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, Michigan, followed by another win in September in his second start at the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach.”
  • “While he still plans to play occasionally on the PGA Tour, the former FedEx Cup Champion said the Champions Tour is calling his name a little louder these days.”
  • “I think this is going to be my home and just excited to play some golf,” Furyk said Thursday.
7. Happy Gilmore “re-inspires” Bryson 
Eric Patterson for the Score…“DeChambeau’s inspiration to somehow chase even more distance comes from a surprising source, though.  “You know, I watched ‘Happy Gilmore’ a little while ago and just re-inspired me to try and hit it as far as possible,” DeChambeau said on Wednesday at the Shriners Hospitals for Charity Open.  And though he may not be willing to incorporate the patented Happy Gilmore swing into his game, DeChambeau is still committed to pushing the limits of driver length.”
8. Is the best of Brooks Koepka behind him?
An interesting proposition… Here are a few passages from John Hawkins piece postulating we’ve seen the best from the straight-shooting Floridian…
  • “…It’s an interesting worldview from a guy who now is the it kid, or was until he injured his left knee at a Tour event in South Korea almost a year ago. Koepka actually had missed the cut as the star attraction of a thin field in Las Vegas two weeks earlier, his first MC in 14½ months. No big deal, but when he returned to action in January and looked nothing like his previous self, then factored just twice after the COVID-19 suspension before ending his season after another MC in North Carolina, the meteor of 2017 had begun to resemble a falling star.”
  • “How hurt was/is he? Koepka made it a point to say his knee was fine at various times in 2020, then play poorly and suggest that maybe it wasn’t. Did he return to competition too early and repeatedly aggravate the situation? If so, there is no best-case scenario here. When you’re one of the world’s best golfers, there’s really no such thing as a minor knee injury. It’s a bit like saying someone had a mild heart attack.”
  • “…The real-world assessment of Koepka and his future might look something like this: he’s too injured to perform at his best but not injured enough to undergo a full-blown surgical procedure. Resting the leg hasn’t worked, so we’re looking at a guy with four really cool trophies standing at the crossroads, his career bumping against a certain amount of long-term peril.”
9. Nelly Korda WD
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols on the best American golfing woman bowing out...”Nelly Korda has withdrawn from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The World No. 2 opened the tournament with a 1-over 71 at Aronimink and trailed early leaders Kelly Tan and Brittany Lincicome by four strokes.”
“Korda cited discomfort in her back as the reason on her Instagram post, noting that she planned to see a specialist.”

 

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

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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.”

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Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

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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.”

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GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

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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.

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