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Harrington Wins PGA; Doesn’t Blink on Back Nine
Padraig Harrington won his second straight major championship Sunday. He ripped the victory right out of Sergio Garcia’s grasp with three clutch putts on the final three holes. Beginning early this morning to complete a third round washed out by rain, Mr. Harrington was four over par when he began on the 10th hole. Four birdies in a row and he was right in the mix, finishing with a 66 for his third round. He began the final round in the penultimate group with Mr. Garcia and Charlie Wi, who was playing in his first major
Padraig Harrington won his second straight major championship Sunday. He ripped the victory right out of Sergio Garcia’s grasp with three clutch putts on the final three holes. Beginning early this morning to complete a third round washed out by rain, Mr. Harrington was four over par when he began on the 10th hole.
Four birdies in a row and he was right in the mix, finishing with a 66 for his third round. He began the final round in the penultimate group with Mr. Garcia and Charlie Wi, who was playing in his first major. Mr. Garcia would start the final round birdie, eagle and hold a three shot lead over Mr. Harrington going into the final nine holes. Once again, Mr. Harrington birdied four holes on the back nine, going out in 32, for a two shot victory. I was completely amazed at the focus he was able to conjure. Eyes wide open, tongue stuck in the corner of his mouth, teeth thrust forward. And he never blinked. Seriously I don’t think he blinked from the time he focused on the beginning of a shot until after the ball had come to rest. I found it disturbing and uncomfortable to watch, as I kept thinking how dry his eyes must be getting. I don’t mean a deer in the headlights kind of stare, rather a look of complete total control over oneself.
The back nine was one of the most compelling golf tournaments I watched in quite some time. Mr. Garcia, Mr. Harrington, and third round leader Ben Curtis trading ups and downs until the final four holes. Beginning at the 15th hole the play of the leaders became riveting. Mr Garcia holed his six iron from about 170 yds. but the ball jumped out of the cup and finished 10 feet from the pin. He missed this putt but he did make a good stroke. On the 16th hole Mr. Garcia hit his second shot into the water right of the green. In response, Mr. Harrington pulled his second shot into the left hand bunker a long way from the hole. Hitting from the drop zone, Mr. Garcia pitched to within 4 feet for his first bogey of the round, while Mr. Harrington had 12 feet for par with at least 2 feet of break. He made that putt right in the center of the hole, then on the 17th hit a 5 iron to 8 feet and rolled that in for his fourth birdie on the back nine. Mr. Garcia answered with a 5 iron of his own to 4 feet and lipped out the putt to fall one behind. The 18th hole saw both men hit tee shots right, Mr. Harrington into the bunker under the lip, and Mr Garcia into the rough right of the sand. Mr. Garcia hit his second shot into the bunker short of the green, while Mr. Harrington hit his shot fat and didn’t even make it to the fairway. Catching a reasonably good lie in the rough his third shot was 18 feet from the hole. Mr. Garcia blasted to about 10 feet. Once again Mr. Harrington made that putt, leaving only Mr. Curtis with an opportunity to tie, and for that he needed to hole out his second shot on the 18th hole. Mr. Garcia missed his putt after the matter was settled.
“I obviously came up a little bit short,” Garcia said. “But I guess that’s the way things go sometimes. The only thing I can do is go back home with my head up high and keep working on it.” One consolation is that he qualified for the Ryder Cup team, an event were he makes every putt in sight.
Mr. Curtis came up just short in his bid for a second major, however his showing was good enough to get him on the Ryder Cup team. “It’s almost a victory in itself,” Curtis said.
What did Charlie Wi think about playing in the group with Mr. Garcia and Mr. Harrington? “I turned to my caddie on 16 and said, ‘God, this is a lot of fun just to watch,”’ said Wi, who shot 74 and tied for ninth. I whole heartedly agree sir.
So Mr. Harrington has won 2 major championships in a row and 3 of the last 6 events played, positioning himself for a place in history. He’s showed he can play and play well when the pressure is on, and he doesn’t even need to blink in the process. Even if his focused look reminds me of a crazed amphetamine user cleaning his stove at 3 AM using only a toothbrush. That guy didn’t blind either.
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
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
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Juansky
Aug 13, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I agree Mr. Jebb.
Jebb
Aug 11, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Can you please stop calling all the players “Mr”.
It drives me to absolute distraction this corny/fake kind of politeness. It is Sergio not Mr Garcia.
Juansky
Aug 11, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I don’t understand WHY in the world would you hit such a bad approach on 16……there was plenty of green on the left side…enough to make a good 2 putt and have a chance to win. Oh well…..I guess it was not meant to be for Sergio.
Harrington the man of the hour. He was possessed by some kindred Irish spirit……he was determined to win. The eyes tell the story. Can’t wait until the next major when hopefully Tiger is back.
Congrats Harrington!!
bobsuruncle
Aug 11, 2008 at 10:22 am
Kudos to Padraig for another strong finish. He has truly stepped up to the plate and stamped himself as perhaps the second best golfer in the world today.
Given the torrid weather conditions at the British Open, even a healthy Tiger might have been blown away. However, I, for one, will always wonder if a healthy Tiger might have walked away with this one.