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GolfWRX Morning 9: Bryson! | Finau: “Tough not to pick me” for U.S. RC squad | A Tiger impersonator strikes

Published

7 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

September 4, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans. Hope your Labor Day was free of labor and your white golf attire is appropriately mothballed…
1. Bryson, again
When the traditional post-win email announcing the winning staffer’s equipment and apparel from Cobra/Puma hit my inbox, it occurred to me that Bryson DeChambeau now has as many wins (4) as Cobra’s most recognizable staffer, Rickie Fowler. Chew on that.
  • AP Report…”For the second straight week in the richest part of the PGA Tour season, DeChambeau took down one of the strongest fields of the year by playing his best golf on the weekend to win the Dell Technologies Championship, becoming only the second player to capture the opening two playoff events in the FedEx Cup.”
  • “He closed with a 4-under 67 on Monday, making three straight birdies to close out the front nine and keeping his distance the rest of the way for a two-shot victory overJustin Rose on the TPC Boston.”
  • “I wouldn’t have written it any better, to be honest with you,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve been playing some great golf this whole year. And I knew it was a matter of time before something cool showed up.”
  • “DeChambeau, with his third victory this year, was assured of being the No. 1 seed when he gets to the Tour Championship, no matter what happens next week at the third playoff event outside Philadelphia.”
Here’s a bonus peek at the Golf Scientist’s victory calculations…”I would have given myself 20 percent [chance to win],” DeChambeau estimated through two rounds. “That’s just the odds of coming from seven back.”That began to change on Sunday when he birdied four of his first seven holes on his way to a third-round 63.
“As I played on Sunday, when I made that fourth and fifth birdie, it was like ‘OK, I have a good chance now,'” he said. “On 12 on Sunday when I made the putt, I figured I had a 70 percent chance to win.”
2. A star is born/acknowledged
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard puts Bryson DeChambeau in context (within the pantheon of golf stars, anyways)…”DeChambeau emerged on Monday as the hottest commodity in the game at the moment, becoming the first player this season on the PGA Tour to win back-to-back events with another commanding performance at TPC Boston.”
“A week ago he boat-raced the field at the playoff opener by four strokes, a signature moment for a player who – despite two victories in two seasons on Tour – was still very much an unknown commodity.”
  • “His play at the swansong Dell Technologies Championship may have been even better. Although the final line would suggest otherwise, DeChambeau’s performance was nothing short of groundbreaking considering that after 36 holes he was seven strokes off the lead and, incidentally, tied with Tiger Woods, who finished in a tie for 24th.”
  • “He became the ninth player – along with the likes of Woods and Jordan Spieth – to win his fourth Tour title before turning 25 in the last 30 years, and his two-stroke victory over Justin Rose proved there is a method to what some consider his madness.”
3. “Tough not to pick me”
Gotta admire the stones! Tony Finau, following his T-4 finish in Boston, thinks his a lock for captain Jim Furyk’s squad.
  • Golf Channel’s WIll Gray writes…”After finishing alone in second behind DeChambeau last week at The Northern Trust, Finau again played some stellar golf but couldn’t catch his fellow American. This time it was at the Dell Technologies Championship, where a final-round 68 at TPC Boston gave Finau a share of fourth place, four shots behind DeChambeau.”
  • “I’m trying to win every time I play,” Finau said. “I haven’t been able to do it, but I just feel the more I give myself opportunities, it’s going to happen. And my game feels as good as ever.”
  • “DeChambeau is assuredly a lock for one of U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk’s first three picks on Tuesday, expected to be announced alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. But Finau’s continued consistent play has made him the perceived favorite to land the fourth and final pick which will come on Sept. 10 following the BMW Championship.”
  • “The more solid I play each week, I’m making it tough to not pick me, if I’m being honest,” Finau said. “I’m not the one that gets to pick, I’m the one that just gets to play. But I’ve played some nice golf these last couple weeks, and if that’s what it comes down to when (Furyk) makes his decision to pick a team for the Ryder Cup, and that’s what he’s waiting for for those picks, then I think I’m going to be a hard guy to look past.”
So, Bryson, Tony, Tiger, and Phil. What do you think, M9 readers?
4. Blahger Woods
For the first time this season, Tiger Woods declined to talk to the media following his round.
  • Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker writes…”Frustrated all weekend by a cold putter and even more so over the closing nine holes Monday at the Dell Technologies Championship, Woods politely but firmly told a PGA Tour media official that he would not be speaking.”
  • “A final-round even-par 71 that included playing the last five holes in 3 over par certainly didn’t help.”
  • “Woods ended up nine shots back of winner Bryson DeChambeau — and they were tied through 36 holes.”
  • “Woods again wasted what was a solid ball-striking round that saw him hit 15 greens in regulation.”
  • “And he also missed out on an opportunity to earn more FedEx Cup points, which would have made this week’s coming task at the BMW Championship less stressful as it relates to qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship.”
5. On Seth Waugh’s radar
Golfweek’s Martin Kaufmann looks at what the new PGA of America CEO will be, well, looking at.
  • A few morsels…”I want to make their lives better. That would be the most fulfilling part for me,” Waugh said. “I got the job maybe because of my golf and business background. But I took the job so that I could make a difference in people’s lives.”
  • Waugh said he is concerned about the member “who’s 40-something years old, his kids are going off to (college) and he’s concerned about how to pay for tuition. There’s a real economic part of this that we have to get at.”
  • “I’ve had friends of my son go to (Professional Golf Management schools), go through their internships, and come back to me and say, ‘I don’t see a path, Mr. Waugh. I love what I’m doing, but I’m looking at 30-year-olds who are hoping the phone rings so they can get a bigger job,’ ” Waugh said. “So I’ve seen it in real time.”
  • “It’s great that the PGA has done as well as it has, but the pro somewhere in the middle of the country hasn’t seen the benefit from that,” Waugh said. “That’s a little bit of a reflection of the whole country, where the wealthy are getting wealthier and a lot of the country is being left behind.”
6. Johnny Miller’s replacement
Staying on the Golfweek front, The Forecaddie examines Johnny Miller’s potential retirement…and his potential replacement.
  • “Behind the scenes, a list to take over for Miller is sitting in some executive’s top desk drawer. But The Forecaddie is pretty sure that should Miller say sayonara early next year when he’s committed to work the Waste Management Open for NBC, there will be no single replacement.”
  • “The tighter 2019 PGA Tour schedule and return of The Players to March puts a heavier burden on the NBC crew. The network could move to a permanent model with no set A-Team. With Miller possibly sticking around for big-time events such as The Players and British Open, that leaves open spots to accommodate him while working in other voices who fit the model of a major-championship winner and top-flight analyst.”
  • “TMOF hears that David Duval and Justin Leonard are strong candidates to get more reps in the 18th-hole tower, but each has also shown equal or greater strength in studio settings. The race has also been joined by a few older war horses, with Mark O’Meara and Tom Lehman having made good impressions in limited duties.”
7. A Feinsteinian novel
The eminent sportswriter channels his inner Flaubert for a work of fiction. Young adult fiction, to be specific. The protagonist: 17-year-old golf prodigy Frank Baker.
  • Frank’s dad wants to cash in, and an agent is pressuring him to go pro. Frank, however, wants to spend a couple of years in college.
  • Interestingly, it seems Feinstein populates Baker’s universe with real figures from the golf world: journalists, PGA Tour pros, etc.
8. 3 families of men’s golf style
Writing for GolfWRX, Bryan Montgomery argues “East Coast prep,” “Midwest style,” and “West Coast” are the three umbrellas under which most golf wear (and menswear in general) sit.
Check out the piece for his full case and descriptions.
9. Is that you, Tiger?
Did you catch the Tiger Woods impersonator at the Dell Technologies Championship, Sunday? Hopefully he was treated better than the Donald Trump impersonator at the U.S. Open, who was unceremoniously tossed. Check him out below.

 

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Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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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

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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

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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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WITB

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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

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