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Russell Henley was three shots back with four holes to play at Colonial. He made four straight birdies, including three to close regulation and one more in the playoff. That's not a comeback. That's a heist.
IN THIS ISSUE
Henley Made Four Straight Birdies When It Mattered Most. Cole Made Zero.
Niemann Won in Busan. LIV's Bigger Story Is What It Lost This Week.
Boutier Rallied From Four Back. The U.S. Women's Open Is Next.
New Callaway Drivers, New Titleist Fairway Woods, Same Question: Are You Getting Fit First?
Ortiz Wins at Raleigh Country Club. Pinehurst Keeps Building, And Adds A Golfzon Partnership
PGA TOUR . CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE
Henley Made Four Straight Birdies When It Mattered Most. Cole Made Zero.
Russell Henley was standing in the rough at the 15th hole on Sunday, three shots back, looking like a guy who'd finish T5 and drive home. Then he birdied 16, 17, and 18 with putts of 15, 15, and 17 feet to force a playoff with Eric Cole. Then he birdied the playoff hole from five feet for his sixth PGA Tour title.
Cole, meanwhile, parred his final eight holes. He led all day, never made a catastrophic mistake, and still lost. That's the cruelty of this sport. Cole shot an even-par 70 and parred his way right out of his first Tour win in 120 starts. Ben Griffin nearly made history too, coming up one shot shy of becoming the first player since Ben Hogan to win back-to-back at Colonial.
"Still kind of speechless about it. Hard to believe I'm sitting here."
$1.78 million. 500 FedEx Cup points. The plaid jacket. And a 1982 Jeep Scrambler
LIV GOLF . KOREA
Niemann Won in Busan. LIV's Bigger Story Is What It Lost This Week.
Joaquin Niemann beat Talor Gooch with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win LIV Golf Korea, his eighth career LIV title and first of 2026. Crushers GC took the team trophy for a record 10th time.
But the real story is off the course. LIV quietly killed its "Any Shot, Any Time" streaming feature before the Korea event, and the company behind the tech reportedly hasn't been paid in months. The league also reshuffled its executive team and is marketing "LIV 2.0" to investors. Five regular-season events remain. The New Orleans stop is still missing from the schedule.
Still seeking $350 million. Still no confirmed investors.
LPGA TOUR . SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC
Boutier Rallied From Four Back. The U.S. Women's Open Is Next.
Celine Boutier erased a four-shot deficit with a closing 66 to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic by one, her seventh LPGA title and first in nearly three years. Overnight leader Soo Bin Joo collapsed with a double bogey on 13. The U.S. Women's Open heads to Riviera next week, and Boutier is suddenly playing her best golf of the season at exactly the right time.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Alex Smalley Finishes T3 at Colonial — Duke alum and local favorite Alex Smalley finished at 11-under at Hogan's Alley, his second strong showing in as many weeks.
Stanford Wins NCAA Women's Title — Stanford beat USC 4-1 in the championship match at Omni La Costa for their fourth NCAA women's golf title and third in five years.
USGA Launches Rules AI in GHIN App — The USGA's new Rules AI tool gives golfers instant answers to rules questions, trained on 25,000+ real queries from USGA staff.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village
The Tour heads to Jack's Place for the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. It's a Signature Event with an elite field. Names to watch: Scottie Scheffler (world No. 1, always dangerous here), Rory McIlroy (two-time Memorial winner), and Russell Henley (riding the hottest finish of the season).
Callaway Quantum Drivers: Five Heads, One Big Claim
Callaway dropped the Quantum driver lineup this week. The headline tech is a three-material face (titanium, poly mesh, carbon fiber) that Callaway says makes the face 14% thinner. Si Woo Kim and Min Woo Lee are already gaming it on Tour. Five models at various price points, from the forgiving Max to the compact Triple Diamond. No independent testing yet, so demo before you buy. Pricing TBD at retail.
Titleist GTS2 Fairway Wood: The One Reviewers Actually Like
Golf Monthly's hands-on review of the Titleist GTS2 fairway wood praised its tight dispersion and consistent spin, calling it one of the best fairway woods of 2026. The polished silver face is the real story: testers and Tour players both said it helped them see the loft more clearly at address and commit to hitting down on the ball. At $579, it's not cheap, but a proper fitting with the dual heel-toe weighting system could make it worth every dollar. Available June 11.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Odyssey Tri-Hot Black S2S Putters: $600-$650 — Odyssey's latest S2S putter family features a two-layer AI-designed insert and 140+ grams of tungsten, now available for pre-order in six head shapes.
Alvaro Ortiz Wins UNC Health Championship in Playoff
Alvaro Ortiz birdied the first playoff hole to beat Ross Steelman and capture his first Korn Ferry Tour title at Raleigh Country Club. The 30-year-old Mexican made it dramatic: he double-bogeyed twice in the final round, then closed birdie-birdie on 17 and 18 to force extras. Oh, and his third-round ace on the par-3 sixth came from 259 yards with a 2-iron. Over 750 volunteers helped run the event, with proceeds supporting the future NC Children's hospital and the Grayson Murray Foundation. Sunday's honorary tee time on No. 10 was held in remembrance of Murray.
Pinehurst Breaks Ground on New Lodge and Cabin at Sandmines
Pinehurst Resort has broken ground on a 26-room lodge and an eight-bedroom cabin at its 900-acre Sandmines property off N.C. 5. Both are expected to open in 2027 and will serve guests playing the recently completed No. 10 and the forthcoming Coore & Crenshaw-designed No. 11. A dedicated clubhouse for both courses is also coming. Pinehurst president Tom Pashley called it part of the resort's strategy to serve "a new generation of golfers and younger luxury-vacation travelers."
GOLFZON Partners with Pinehurst for Virtual Course Library
Simulator players, take note. GOLFZON announced a partnership with Pinehurst to laser-scan and map all 11 Pinehurst courses in high-definition 3D for their simulator platform. They're also launching a "GOLFZON Road to Pinehurst" virtual tournament where eight finalists earn an all-expenses-paid trip to play the real thing. Two VisionNX systems will be installed at the resort itself.
Quaker Creek Closing Three Months for Greens Overhaul
Quaker Creek Golf Course north of Mebane is shutting down starting June 2 for a full greens renovation. The 25-year-old bentgrass greens are being replaced with Tifgreen Bermuda, and the greens will be enlarged and flattened. Owner Richie Belton is targeting a Labor Day reopening. If you play the Mebane-Burlington corridor, plan accordingly.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Castle Hayne Getting Mini Golf and a Golf Center — Two new golf-themed businesses are planned for Castle Hayne Road near Wilmington, including an 18-hole mini golf/bottle shop opening this fall.
Heels Miss Match Play by a Playoff Hole — Carson Bertagnole's 71 wasn't enough to save UNC, which lost a four-team playoff for the last two match-play spots at the NCAA Championship, while Duke went home too.
That's your read this week.
Tour intel, gear picks, and local course intel — every Monday.
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