News

Final Tune-Up – The FedEx St. Jude Classic

Published

14 years ago

Jun 9, 2011

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

The United States Open Championship looms next week and with that players are getting in their final preparation for Congressional. Many are choosing to tune-up on the PGA Tour in Memphis while more than a few are taking the week off. That includes fourteen players who were in the field for this week’s PGA Tour event but have withdrawn and made room for those further down the status list.

Few can forget the 2010 FedEx St. Jude Classic which had one of the strangest endings you will ever see in a tour event.

Third-round leader Robert Garrigus entered the final hole of regulation with a three-stroke lead but drove in the hazard down the left side of the hole, hit his third shot in the trees to the left and had to pitch out before wedging to the green and making a triple bogey to force a playoff with Lee Westwood and Robert Karlsson. The 32-year-old native of Nampa, ID, native was then the first player eliminated after driving his ball behind a tree and making bogey on the first extra hole.

Westwood eventually won on the playoff with a birdie three on the fourth playoff hole (No. 18) to defeat Karlsson. Last year’s playoff was the 13th in FedEx St. Jude Classic history and longest at four holes. Prior to 2010, the last playoff at TPC Southwind was in 2008.

In a fun twist, tournament organizers have pairs the three players together for the first three rounds this year.

This event has a new name this year with FedEx stepping in as the title sponsor. Memphis-based FedEx announced its return as title sponsor of the FedEx St. Jude Classic for 2011 in December of 2010 and last month announced a three-year extension, securing title sponsorship for the event through 2014. It’s great security for a tournament that players find to have one of the most laid-back atmospheres on the entire tour, bring with it a ton of entertainment and food possibilities away from the golf action.

Six former winners of the tournament are in the field this week including, as mentioned, Lee Westwood. He is joined by two-time winner David Toms. Also in the field are past winners Brian Gay (2009), Woody Austin (2007), Len Mattiace (2002) and Bob Estes (2001).

Toms has to be considered a favourite with his recent play that included a win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He is one of nine players in the field who have also won on the PGA Tour in 2011. Those players include Jonathan Byrd (Hyundai Tournament of Champions), Michael Bradley (Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com), D.A. Points (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), Brandt Snedeker (The Heritage), Brendan Steele (Valero Texas Open), Jhonattan Vegas (Bob Hope Classic), Johnson Wagner (Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya), Keegan Bradley (HP Byron Nelson Championship).

Those players don’t give the event a lot of marquee value but the presence of Westwood, the current Number 2 ranked player in the World, should take become the point of focus. Westwood has yet to win a major championship and the preparation provided by this week might be a good indication on whether he is ready to top the field at Congressional. He will look to join Dave Hill (1969-70), Lee Trevino (1971-72) and David Toms (2003-04) as the only players to win consecutive titles at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Unfortunately for Westwood history is not on his side. No player has won a PGA TOUR event and then gone on to win the U.S. Open the following week. A total of eight players have won the week before and then gone on to win a major championship the following week, most recently Tiger Woods in 2007 (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – PGA Championship).

2011 FedEx St. Jude Classic

Dates: June 6-12, 2011

Where: TPC Southwind, Memphis, TN

Par/Yards: 35-35—70 / 7,239

Field: 156

Defending Champion: Lee Westwood

FedExCup Points: 500

Purse: $5,600,000; Winner’s Share: $1,008,000; Format: 72-hole stroke play

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)