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Honoring A Gentleman – The HP Byron Nelson Classic

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14 years ago

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By Scott MacLeod, via Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

A week after delving into the mystique of Ben Hogan at Colonial, the PGA Tour caravan makes it’s a short way down the road from Ft. Worth to Dallas (Irving)  to pay homage to one of the most likeable and respected men the game of golf ever saw, Mr. Byron Nelson.

To those who met the man in person, and I count myself among the fortunate, Mr. Nelson could not have been sweeter.  I can recall approaching him in Florida one year and asked, with some trepidation, if I might have a sliver of his time for an autograph.  To my delight what I received was a fifteen minute chat about a number of topics, mostly to do with Mr. Nelson’s enjoyment of his time in Canada, once he discovered I was from there.  In just a few moments he left me with as warm of a feeling for a person as I can ever recall having, akin to having spoken with my own grandfather.

Nelson has that kind of touch, and the ability to play some excellent golf as well, so when players check the calendar each season, the HP Byron Nelson Classic gets a heavy circling by many.

Mr. Nelson is gone now, but his legacy remains.  The tournament was named after him in 1968 and as the first winner, in 1944, he has always had a strong tie with the event that raises money for a group near and dear to his heart, the Salesmanship Club of Dallas.    Funds raised at the HP Byron Nelson Championship enable Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers to serve more than 7,500 children and family members each year.

In 2004 the Byron Nelson was moved to the TPC Four Seasons Resort over both of their golf course and since 2008 has exclusively been conducted on their TPC Course.

In 2010 Australian Jason Day made the HP Byron Nelson Classic his first PGA Tour victory at the age of 22 years, 6 months, and 11 days.  Day shot 10-under 270 (66-65-67-72) in a two-stroke victory over Brian Gay, Jeff Overton and Blake Adams.  He became the youngest winner of the tournament since Tiger Woods turned the feat in 1997 at the age of 21.

Day came to the 72nd hole with a one-stroke lead over playing partner Adams and hit his second shot in the water near the green. Adams, playing from the right trees, then hit his second shot in the same hazard. Adams made double bogey and Day got up and down for bogey.

Although Day won the tournament though, he was not exactly the big story of the week as Dallas resident Jordan Speith became the 6th youngest player to make a cut in PGA Tour history at the age of 16 years, 9 months, and 24 days.  Not only did he make the cut but he stayed near the upper half of the leaderboard all week, eventually finishing in a share of 16th place.  The youngster is back again this year to see if he can replicate or improve on last year’s success.

Just four players in the top 10 of the FedEx Cup standings are in the field this week but they are a significant foursome.  They include Nick Watney (6), K.J. Choi (7), Rory Sabbatini (9) and Gary Woodland (10).

Choi, of course, is coming off a big win at THE PLAYERS but it has been four years since he has played the Byron Nelson despite the fact that he now calls Dallas home.  He just arrived back in the States from Korea yesterday so it is hard to say whether he will be in peak from come round one.

Of the top four FedEx players you might want to have an eye on Sabbatini.  There is no denying that he has been on a hot streak of late, even amidst rumors of a PGA Tour conduct investigation.  He set the tournament record of 261 back in 2009 on his way to a win.  He is my lock for a win or at worst, a top five finish this week.  He has played a stretch of four weeks in a row but he’s proven that he likes the course in Irving and plays well there.

International players have accounted for seven wins at the Byron Nelson since 2000 so don’t be surprised if that is the case again this year. 

 

2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship

Dates: May 23-29, 2011 

Where: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas; Irving, TX

Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,166

Field: 156; Format: 72-hole stroke play

Defending Champion: Jason Day

FedExCup: 500 points to winner; Purse: $6,500,000; Winner’s Share: $1,170,000

 

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Canada’s Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

By

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.

 

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

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

By

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)

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