News

The house that Phil built: Mickelson’s masterpiece

Published

14 years ago

Feb 13, 2012

Pete Pappas

By Pete Pappas

GolfWRX Staff Writer

Pebble Beach Golf Links the house that Phil built? It sure is beginning to look that way

With a historically dominating performance on Sunday, Phil Mickelson won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the fourth time in his career, and in the 75-year history of the event, only five-time winner Mark O’Meara has won more times.

The awe-inspiring win was Lefty’s 40^th career PGA Tour victory, leaping him over World Golf Hall of Fame member Tom Watson like one of his patented flop shots, and into ninth place on the all-time PGA Tour wins list.

Anyone who thought it was time to stick a fork in Mickelson’s career before this tournament began might want to consider putting that fork away.

Better yet, just throw the fork away.

Mickelson finished 17-under par, and shot a low round 8-under 64 on Sunday, hitting a near perfect 13 of 14 fairways, and needing only 26 putts en route to erasing leader Charlie Wi’s six-stroke lead when the day began.

“Being able to play the way I did these last 18 holes really means a lot,” said Mickelson. “It feels awesome.”

Wi finished in second place (15-under) two shots behind Mickelson, largely on the strength of three consecutive birdies at No. 16, No. 17, and No. 18. But a double-bogey on No.1, and bogeys on No. 5 and No. 6, dropped Wi out of contention from the start.

The highly anticipated head-to-head duel between Mickelson and Tiger Woods, paired for just the 10^th time in their careers on the final day, turned out to be more lopsided than anyone could have imagined. Mickelson finished a whopping 11 strokes better than Tiger on Sunday, and improved his final round record against Woods to 6-3-1, winning the last five times the two have met.

Or as Phil’s wife Amy beamed, behind the 18^th green as she hugged him, “Are you kidding me?”

It’s been said in the media, and candidly admitted by Mickelson, that Phil needs Tiger around to play his best. And unfortunately for Woods, Mickelson’s juggernaut masterpiece on Sunday at Pebble just might be compelling testimony that it’s true.

Mickelson’s thumping of Woods began early, right out of the box at No. 1. With birdies on No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5, Phil was a maestro with his flat stick, sinking putts of all distances, in all situations, seemingly at will.

But it was a Mickelson eagle on No. 6 that would omen the staggering downward spiral for Woods. Tiger followed with three consecutive bogeys to close out the front nine, and never looked quite comfortable after that, particularly with his putter, finishing with 31 putts for the round.

“I didn’t hit it as bad as the score indicated, but I putted awful,” said Woods. “As good as I felt yesterday on the greens, is as bad as I felt today,” he said.

Tiger did not go down quietly however. Deflated but not defeated, Woods made a spectacular birdie, holing out from the greenside bunker on No. 12, and to the delight of the Pebble faithful, the famed Tiger fist pump made a triumphant appearance.

It appeared momentum had shifted to Tiger. But that apparent momentum shift disappeared in the Pacific winds just moments later, and what Phil did next probably left Tiger thinking, “I just can’t win.”

Facing an imposing 30 foot putt and staring bogey dead in its loathsome eyes, Mickelson did the inconceivable. Bottom cup, double-fist pump, par save.

Phil had just T.K.O’d Tiger. And the tournament for Woods, was over.

Fairly or not, Tiger’s performance will undoubtedly re-open discussions and debates about his ability to finish tournaments (T-19^th place). It seems not so long ago he was an assassin on Sundays, a sure bet to win as long as he was near the top of the leader board.

Now it seems final round performances like at Abu Dhabi and Pebble are the norm for Tiger, and not the exception.

“I thought I had to shoot 67 to 66. But that wouldn’t have been good enough,” Woods said with a tired smile. A candid assessment from a man who undoubtedly will again be the subject of renewed scrutiny, still searching for his first official PGA Tour win in more than two years.

Mickelson meanwhile not only showed that he can still get it done on the final day, but that his putting stroke is back with a vengeance. And that bodes very well for him with Augusta National and the Masters on his mind and approaching in April.

“It just feels amazing, because I felt like my game was there, but I came out the first couple weeks and shot horrendous scores, and it made me question it,” Mickelson said.

Question it no more Mr. Mickelson. And put a fork in that.

Additional Notes:

Mickelson used his new Callaway Golf RAZR Fit driver for a 93% driving accuracy on Sunday, and earned $1,152,000 for his victory, moving him to fifth place in the FedExCup standings.

Ricky Barnes finished five-under on Sunday, jumping up six spots, good enough for a third place finish at 13-under.

Kevin Streelman (nine-under) was just one stroke back at the turn, but closed bogey, bogey, double-bogey at No. 16, No. 17, and No. 18 to finish in a disappointing tie for ninth place.

Kevin Na (11-under), and Dustin Johnson (11-under) finished in a tie for fifth place, both shooting two-under on the day.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear

OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.

LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break

Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.

Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.

On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.

On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.

On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home

Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.

On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?

Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.

Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?

PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.

Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.

Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.

Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.

We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.

Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.

Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.

Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)