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Morning 9: Woods talks back 9 at Augusta | First pro night golf event | Slow play is about the fans

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6 years ago

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

April 30, 2019

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.
1. History!
Golfweek’s Todd Kelly on a bit of golf history made over the weekend at the Women’s Amateur Four-Ball…
  • …”Kay and Abbey Daniel made history on Sunday, becoming the first mother-daughter duo to reach the match-play portion of the United States Golf Association’s Women’s Amateur Four-Ball event.”
  • “The Daniels earned the No. 24 seed in the Round of 32 at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., shooting 70-71 in the two rounds of stroke play.”
  • “I played awful, she played phenomenal,” said Kay, crediting her daughter. “She carried the team, and made a lot of pressure putts. I’m really proud of her.”
2. Woods talks back nine at Augusta
Our Gianni Magliocco…”What was going through Tiger’s head down the stretch as he chased down major no. 15?”
  • “Tiger Woods conducted his first extended interview last week since winning the Masters, speaking to Henni Zuel of GolfTV.”
  • “Within the  30-minute interview with the online streaming service (which the 15-time major champion has a content partnership with) Woods discussed what life has been like since claiming his fifth green jacket.”
  • “Woods gave a fascinating insight into what went through his head from hole to hole on the back nine at Augusta on that Sunday afternoon. The 43-year-old spoke candidly concerning his thinking from hole to hole, how he judged the roars reverberating around the grounds, his competitors coming undone on the 12th hole, and his decision-making process after that.”
  • “Woods also discussed how the win has yet to sink in, and how he hasn’t done much but relax since the victory.”
  • “I haven’t gone all out with any sort of situation. I really haven’t done much, I know that sounds boring. I’ve just been home and letting everything thaw out and just trying to understand what I accomplished. But I haven’t, I don’t think, come to grips yet.”
3. The “occasional golfer”
John Feinstein approves of Tiger Woods’ decision to rest between the Masters and PGA Championship…
  • “Some people may be surprised by Woods’ decision not to tee it up at Quail Hollow this week for the Wells Fargo Championship. It is the logical place for him to play before competing at Bethpage Black for a number of reasons.”
  • “To begin with, he’s had two weeks off since the Masters, and in the rhythm of a golf season, most players don’t like to take more than two or three weeks off at any one time. Plus, Woods has only occasionally played the week leading into a major in the past…
  • “But Woods is 43-an old 43 at that, given all the various surgeries he’s been through. He’s proven in the past that he doesn’t have to play leading into a major. In fact, his final major title prior to the recent Masters came at the 2008 U.S. Open…”
4. Night golf!
Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”There’s never been an official, professional golf tournament held at night. At least until this week.”
  • “The Ladies European Tour is set to host the first ever day-night event-dubbed the Omega Moonlight Classic-on the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. Formerly known as the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, the new-look 54-hole tournament has been switched from December to May so it can be played in both the sunshine and floodlights.”
  • “We think playing under lights is going to be absolutely awesome,” said tournament director David Spencer. “Playing the tournament in May and under lights further showcases what an incredible golfing destination Dubai has become and how long our golfing season lasts each year.”
5. Will Rory be like Sir Nick or Seve?

Derek Lawrenson at the Daily Mail offers an interesting lens through which to look at Rory turning 30…

  • It’s interesting in this context to look closely at the records of the illustrious pair. Faldo achieved his first major the day after turning 30 and won five more.
  • In his twenties, he won 12 times in Europe and once in America – thereafter, he won 16 times and on eight occasions, respectively.
  • Seve was the complete opposite. Of his 50 victories in Europe, 33 were achieved before the age of 30. Nine wins in America, but only two in his thirties. The majors were the same – four in his twenties, one thereafter.
  • At 30, therefore, McIlroy is perhaps a stride behind Seve but at least a couple of laps ahead of Faldo. Now he’s grappling with the sort of mental issues that affected Seve at the same age. At 29, Ballesteros put the ball into the water at the 15th hole at Augusta to end his chances of winning the 1986 Masters and admitted to me a decade later that he was never the same again.

Full piece.

6. Kupcho, Fassi lead USWO qualifiers…
Golf Channel’s Samantha Marks…
  • “The two college superstars who wowed the golf world when coming down the stretch at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur will make their professional debuts at the U.S. Women’s Open this summer after winning their qualifiers on Monday.”
  • “Both Jennifer Kupcho, ANWA champion and reigning NCAA champion, and Maria Fassi deferred their LPGA status after earning their tour cards through qualifying school in order to finish out their college golf careers. “
7. Can anything spur on the snails?
Golf Channel’s Randall Mell…
  • “Hey, this may be Howard Beale crazy, but wouldn’t it be great if a player with a math/science gift took the next step in policing and hijacked Shotlink’s “time par average” and developed an Official World Pace Ranking, to rate the worst players in pace of play. And then tweeted that out every week? This might be the perfect job for Bryson DeChambeau, if he weren’t a tortoise himself.”
  • “The frustration is that some of the wisest players on Tour are throwing up their hands in surrender.”
  • “…but this is more about the viewing experience, about the frustration fans feel watching a professional take three minutes to make a two-second swing with his group a hole behind. That’s what this is all about.”
8. Florida Tech women’s golf, dropped in February, makes NCAA postseason
Golfweek’s Todd Kelly…
  • “The Florida Tech women’s golf team was one of three sports cut by the university in February, along with men’s and women’s tennis.”
  • “On Monday, the women’s golf team was one of 48 to make the NCAA Div. II postseason.”
  • “The Panthers enter the postseason as the No. 6 seed in the South Regional, May 6-8 at the Cleveland Country Club in Cleveland, Tennessee.”
Full piece.
9. Another Mickelsonian calf-muscle building tutorial arriveth
The Golf Channel digital team spotted a new addition to Phil Mickelson’s workout series on the left-hander’s Twitter…for what it may or may not be worth to your efforts to be the envy of the shorts-wearing world.
  • “…While parts 1 and 2 of “Phil Kwon Do Calves” were simple pointing and pulling exercises – either while sitting in a comfy chair or even in your sleep – the final three parts he posted to social media on Monday take it up a notch.”
  • “Parts 3, 4 and 5 of this series sees Mickelson bring his patented “point and pull” methods to the gym, where he works out his calves using his body weight first, then adding a modest “couple hundred pounds or so” before finally doing the exercises one leg at a time.”

Related Topics:

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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