Michelle Wie West improved by 7 shots from her opening-day 81 but missed the cut at the Kia Classic, her first tournament in nearly two years.

Jon Rahm at No. 3 was the only player from the top 20 seeds who made it to the knockout stage of the weekend at the WGC-Match Play.

Rafael Campos, Fabrizio Zanotti and Justin Suh shared the second-round lead Friday in the PGA Tour's windy Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

Sergio Garcia advanced in a sudden-death playoff with a hole-in-one on the fourth extra hole of the Dell Technologies Match Play on Friday, knocking out Lee Westwood.

Rapsodo Measures to Master

By Rick Young MyGolfSpy

Talking Points

*$500 user-friendly, mobile launch monitor accurate to within 2 percent of TrackMan or FlightScope

*Value-add of Coach Connect App for teachers and students

Daniel van Tonder won his first European Tour title with a nail-biting playoff victory over Jazz Janewattananond at the Savannah Classic on Friday.

Srixon Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE

Key Takeaways:

The new Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE is golf’s first two-toned ball since the PING Eye 2.The urethane-cover matte finish is a yellow/red combo for easy putting alignment, better visuals.$32.99 a dozen. Available April 15.

Don’t know about you but the new Srixon Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE golf ball sure brings me back to the summer of 1983.

That year, your faithful scribe was a lad of 23, working nights and playing golf days, gaming Spalding Executive irons and MacGregor Tourney persimmons. And when I had the cash, those weapons would smack PING Eye two-toned balls far and deep into the woods.

And if memory still serves, I carded my very first birdie that year with a PING Eye on the par-3 17th at the Westminster Golf Club.

That summer passed, as did many others, and by 1997 PING was out of the ball business. Today PING’s two-toned balls are quite the collector’s item, fetching big bucks on eBay.

But today Srixon is bringing back the two-toned golf ball with the red and yellow Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE. For some, it’ll bring back memories of the PING Eye while for others, it might make you want to go fishing. Either way, what’s old is new again and it’s fair to ask two simple questions.

2021 Women’s Premium Glove Buyer’s Guide

Do you buy the first glove you see on the shelf? If so, you might want to start being more selective.

Women’s premium gloves are made from one piece of leather, normally cabretta or AAA cabretta. It’s basically the softest leather on the market.

A performance glove is normally constructed of two or more materials like cabretta and synthetic leather with some Lycra added for better flexibility. Performance gloves tend to be more durable.

This is the first year we tested women’s premium gloves and it proved to be a battle for top spot. From the softest of leather to the best-fitting gloves on the market, we have you covered for your buying needs.

Michelle Wie West, playing in her first tournament in nearly two years, struggled through a round of 9-over 81 Thursday in the first round of the Kia Classic at Aviara.

While Dustin Johnson tied Bob MacIntyre at the WGC-Match Play, others top names weren't as lucky; top seeds Justin Thomas, Tyrrell Hatton, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau and Viktor Hovland each were eliminated with one day of round-robin matches remaining.

Rory McIlroy said a big reason he turned to new swing coach Pete Cowen is because he hasn't been able to see longtime coach Michael Bannon as frequently since the pandemic due to travel issues.

The limited number of spectators who will attend the Masters are no longer required to show a negative COVID-19 test to enter.

The PXG Brandon is the fifth release in the Battle Ready putter line.The Brandon features steel and tungsten construction and four hosel choices.Available today at PXG for the limited-time introductory price of $395.

Today, PXG unveiled the fifth putter in their Battle Ready putter line, the PXG Battle Ready Brandon. The Anser-style Brandon is the most conservative of the designs in the Battle Ready line. The Brandon is not a new head shape for PXG but this one packs the technologies and high-end materials of its Battle Ready kin. The putter genes are strong in this line!

Let’s take a look at how PXG has put their spin on their classic putter design and primed it for battle.

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The Battle Ready Brandon

The PXG Battle Ready Brandon is the third incarnation of the Brandon putter that PXG has released. If you go to their site and look at the previous two Brandon models, you can see an interesting progression in the design. The Gen1 Brandon had a thermoplastic insert and weight screws on the top of the putter. In the second generation, a milled face replaced the insert and the trademark PXG weight screws moved to the bottom of the putter.

2021 Premium Glove Buyer’s Guide

Do you know the difference between a premium golf glove and a performance golf glove? No? Well, you’re not alone.

A premium golf glove is constructed out of one piece of leather, normally cabretta or AAA cabretta. It’s basically the softest leather on the market.

A performance glove is normally constructed of two or more materials like cabretta and synthetic leather with some Lycra added for better flexibility. Performance gloves tend to be more durable.

This year, evaluating the premium glove category was harder than ever. There were 35 different gloves tested and the majority had upped their game. It was a real battle for top spot.

It was a day of emotions and a few surprises at the Dell Technologies Match Play on Wednesday.

Rory McIlroy hasn't walked off the course this early in 10 years at the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Introducing the 2021 KYOEI CB Handmade Edition – KYOEI’s new flagship cavity back iron! Buttery soft with a beautiful shape that’s packed with solid performance.  The goal was to improve upon the original cavity back designs shape and make an easier hit iron with approximately the same dimensions as the KK / Proto CB.

100% Forged, Ground, and Finished at the KYOEI factory in Ichikawa, Japan, and designed using the KYOEI K1 mold instead of the KRC mold used on the previous KYOEI cavity back.   Why is this important?  No other golf factory in Japan can with their own forging press, original molds, and plating all under one roof.   Many of the popular JDM boutique brands have to outsource their work,  which really isn’t an issue. Still, there is a sense of pride in having everything done in one spot,  especially a place as historically significant to Japanese golf manufacturing as KYOEI.

Some of the more popular JDM brands not only outsource forging but also finishing and then use molds that are near-final weight for slight polishing and grinding adjustments; this is not the way KYOEI does it; the grinding is totally different as they are starting with much heavier heads which requires the grinders to work longer and harder with more skill to bring the product to its final shape.

The K1 mold also has a history as it was first created for the Spalding blacktop back in the day.  KYOEI has brought the original mold back to life, restoring it for its second coming.  The 2021 KYOEI CB and MB ( handmade version ) both use this same K1 mold.  That’s right, they used a blade mold to create a cavity back iron.

The face progression is along the lines of a muscle back, and if you look at the F.P numbers, there are almost no cavity irons on the market with as little offset.  The top line is perfect and inspires forgiveness with its 5.5mm thickness.  KYOEI has benchmarked many class-leading mass production irons and boutique JDM brands to create what they feel is a superior iron for the serious player who demands not only performance but also quality and history.

Introducing the all-new 2021 KYOEI MB!  A  new and original design handmade starting with a very heavy raw head.  When the KYOEI brand first launched their house label, they released two blades, the KK and the Prototype series, based on the KCM Mold.  The new 2021 MB is built upon a different mold known as the K1 and shows just how flexible these KYOEI original molds can be.

For those new to JDM gear, you are probably asking who or what is KYOEI. KYOEI is one of Japan’s original golf foundries.  They are also the only factory in Japan that can combine forging, grinding, and finishing all under one roof.  Many well-known grinders have also worked at the KYOEI factory to hone their craft.

KYOEI’s ultimate blade is made for forgiveness, feel and shape.  Forged of J.I.S (Japan industry standard) S25C in Himeji, Japan, the feel is sublime.  KYOEI also does a key secondary process known as “precision forging,” which takes the head after its initial 3 presses. After it has cooled, it then reheats to 900 degrees for a final pressing in a different forging machine and weight; this process is said to improve the grain structure for a feel that takes it to the next level.

With a very thin topline and nearly zero offset, the 2021 KYOEI MB is still forgiving as far as blades go.  The back face milled design keeps much of the weight focused low for a center of gravity that helps get the ball up faster.  The shallow face also aids in the forgiveness category as well.

KYOEI has mated their 5-cut sole to the new 2021 MB as it’s a game-changer when it comes to turf interaction, especially for blade players who often come into the ball steel.  The combination of the low CG,  5-cut sole, and a shape that kills really makes the 2021 KYOEI MB one of the best performing blades on the market.   Considering it’s manufactured at Japan’s original golf foundry 100% in-house, I’d say we have something exceptional here.

We often hear TV commentators refer to the impact of the grain direction of the grass on greens. The grain definitely affects the speed of your putt but it appears that greens with Bermuda Bent Grass will affect the direction of your putt more than any other type of grass growing on greens. When you golf in Hawaii or the Caribbean islands and tropical Florida you definitely need to read the Bermuda grass which is used on most of the greens.

The following information came from an article written by Mark Immelman, brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman.

Grain Affecting Your Putt (especially on strains of Bermuda Grass):
Grain is the direction that grass grows flat on a green. [Slope of the green (or gravity) has a much greater effect on a putt than the direction of the grain but grain direction will slow down putts when putting into the grain or speed up putts when putting with the grain.] By walking around the putting line of your ball to the hole, you can see lighter green areas where the grain is running away from you and darker areas where the grain in running toward you.

Reading the Grain at the Cup:

Rory McIlroy has been struggling with his game. But he found a new way to be forced to take a penalty drop early in Wednesday's WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.