News

Inside Sunday’s final round at Pebble Beach

Published

14 years ago

Feb 14, 2012

Michael Williams

By Michael Williams

Special to GolfWRX

Ok, let’s start with a show of hands: how many of you out there predicting that Ken “Tin Cup” Duke would be in contention at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I’ll admit that I thought that for the first three rounds I thought he was the head of global banking for Wachovia; turns out he’s a Tour pro who flirted with victory but fell victim to Sunday pressure and a shaky putter to shoot a disappointing 74.

But he beat Tiger Woods by a shot on Sunday.

In one of the marquee matchups that the sport both craves and requires, Phil Mickelson was paired with Tiger in the next to last group at a venue where they have both enjoyed success. Mickelson put a good old-fashioned beatdown on Tiger, besting him by 11 stokes. For goodness sake, after the sixth hole Tony Romo was carrying that team.

So there are four things to consider as we sip our morning coffee; Tiger’s performance standalone, Phil’s performance standalone, the state of their rivalry and what Sunday’s results can tell us about future outcomes.

While Woods suffered through yet another Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Phil Mickelson played some of the most inspired golf that he has produced for years. It always seems that Mickelson can contend anywhere on the Tour’s California swing. But on Sunday he did more than contend; he dominated. After a recent adjustment from Butch Harmon, Mickelson was long and straight off the tee and dialed in with he irons, putting up sensational numbers like 93 percent driving accuracy and 77 percent greens in regulation.

Given all of that, the most impressive numbers for Phil were 5-under, 12, 15, and 204. 5-under is the score that Mickelson put up for the first six holes, putting the entire field on notice that it would have to go low or go home. 12 is the hole where Tiger holed out of a greenside bunker, momentarily sparking hope for a back-nine miracle. But Mickelson promptly squashed that notion with a scintillating 30-foot par putt; and for good measure he saved par again on 15 with a 40-foot bomb. And what about 204? That’s the distance of Mickelson’s tee shot on the 543-yard 18^th. Rather than risk disaster needlessly, Mickelson hit two short, straight shots to leave himself with 111 yards. He spun a wedge to 5 feet and dropped nailed that one for a birdie that clinched the title. Clearly, Phil had discovered what all of us bums have known for years; it’s a much easier game out of the fairway. In past years, he might have been convinced to “make a statement” and go for eagle on the 18^th. And where the tents were at Winged Foot, there was nothing but the Pacific Ocean to catch any errant shots by Mickelson. But this time he traded guts for glory. It’s the kind of mature decision-making that doesn’t necessarily win events but it definitely doesn’t give them away senselessly.

Tiger on the other hand, would be glad to have a solid performance on any given Sunday. He seemed tentative about his technique yet again, taking more and more exaggerated practice swings in an effort to conjure up some muscle memory. He gave new meaning to the phrase “Sunday Driver”, his ball flying to one side of the course while his club was helicoptering to Earth in the other direction. His irons were imprecise at best, sloppy at worst. But more disturbing than Tiger’s overall performance was his disastrous putting. He seemed rock solid with the flat stick on the same course the day before, but on Sunday he was lost. He had neither green speed or line locked in, making every putt an adventure. And on the short putts, Woods has seemingly switch places with Mickelson. Tiger has been the best quite possibly the best short putter of all time; Phil on the other hand could take the easiest gimme and turn it into a tragi-comic tale. But yesterday it was Phil who looked confident over every putt from every distance, while Tiger could only drop his head and silently whisper, “Serenity Now”. The enduring image of the weekend is Mickelson looking on in disbelief as his nemesis rammed a 3-foot birdie putt 6 feet past the hole. “I want it…but not like this,” was the sentiment his expression conveyed.

As for the rivalry, it can be summed up in these words; Phil currently owns Tiger. The last five times they have ben paired together, Phil has put up a better score; three of those times he has won the event. It’s like the old joke about the Yankees and the Red Sox; calling that a rivalry is like saying there is a rivalry between a hammer and a nail.

It’s way early in the season and there is only so much that can be extrapolated from one event, from one round … but let’s give it a whirl. Phil has clearly found another gear, but it’s one thing to have it on Sunday in February and quite another to have it on the four Sundays that mean the most. Woods is clearly playing good golf, but without the ability to close the deal he will be will conjure up fewer comparisons to Jack and more comparisons to Sergio. Augusta will be epic. Epic.

Ironically, Tiger can find some solace in Mickelson’s performance. Their lives have parallels that can be instructive for Woods. Before Winged Foot in 2007, Mickelson was attempting to win his third consecutive major and become the dominant player in the world. After Winged Foot, his psyche was shattered in a similar the way that Woods’ was. Mickelson was beset with challenges off the course as well as on the course, challenges that demanded more of him as a man than as a golfer. He has come through the storms and he is a better man and quite possibly a better golfer. This is precisely the outcome that Woods is seeking.

As for Mickelson, his 40^th Tour win puts him in a different place. He is one of only nine golfers to achieve that feat, putting him one clear of Tom Watson and just a few back of the great Walter Hagen. At 41, he can look to supplant Vijay Singh as the gold standard for late-career success. He is healthy, confident and at peace. But he should not get complacent. Predatory cats in the rear view mirror are bigger, better and more determined than they appear.

Michael Williams is the contributing editor of Newschannel8 Capital Golf Weekly and Bunkershot.com, as well as a member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

You can follow Michael on twitter — @Michaelontv

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)