Connect with us

News

Morning 9: USO qualifying galore | WGHOF inductees

Published

6 years ago

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

June 4, 2019

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.
1. U.S. Open qualifiers
First, just the facts of who made it (ma’am), pulling from an excellent piece by Joel Beall at Golf Digest…
Walton Heath Golf Club (England)
Qualifiers: 1: Dean Burmester, Sam Horsfield, Marcus Fraser, Clement Sordet, Matthieu Pavon, Lee Slattery, Marcus Kinhult, Rhys Enoch, Adri Arnaus, Justin Walters, Daniel Hillier (a), Thomas Pieters, Merrick Bremner, Renato Paratore
Century Country Club & Old Oaks Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.
Qualifiers: Cameron Young (a), Matt Parziale (a), Andy Pope, Rob Oppenheim.
Streamsong Resort, Streamsong, Fla.
Qualifiers: Callum Tarren, Luis Gagne (a), Guillermo Pereira
Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, Ga.
Qualifiers: Ollie Schniederjans, Noah Norton, Chandler Eaton, Roberto Castro
Woodmont Country Club, Rockville, Md.
Qualifiers: Billy Hurley III, Joseph Bramlett, Ryan Sullivan
Brookside Golf & Country Club and Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio
Qualifiers: Luke Guthrie, Anirban Lahiri, Sam Saunders, Jhonattan Vegas, Rory Sabbatini, Jason Dufner, Chesson Hadley, Erik Van Rooyen, Luke Donald, Aaron Baddeley, Brandon Wu (a), Ryan Fox, Collin Morikawa, Kyoung-Hoon Lee
Big Canyon Country Club/Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif.
Qualifiers: Chun An Yu (a), Haydn Shieh, Richard Lee, Stewart Hagestad (a), Andreas Halvorsen
Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio.
Qualifiers: Zac Blair, Chip McDaniel, Brian Stuard, Nick Hardy, Brett Drewitt
Wine Valley Golf Club, Walla Walla, Wash.
Qualifiers: Eric Dietrich, Matthew Naumec, Spencer Tibbits (a)
2. Dufner leads qualifiers…
The AP report on those punching their tickets to Pebble Beach begins with the Duf…
  • “Jason Dufner is going back to the U.S. Open for the 10th straight year, and this time, he had to play his way in through one of 10 qualifiers across three countries Monday in the longest day in golf.”
  • “Luke Guthrie took a detour from the Web.com Tour and led the 14 qualifiers out of Columbus, the strongest of all sectionals with so many PGA Tour players who stayed around after the Memorial. He returns to the U.S. Open for the first time in five years.”
  • “He arrived from the Web event in North Carolina at a little past midnight. He was headed to South Carolina on Tuesday morning to resume his Web schedule. And then he had to find a place to stay for the U.S. Open.”
  • “I told my wife, ‘It might cost us $1,000 a night.’ But it’s Pebble Beach. Who cares?” Guthrie said.
3. Shackelford’s report from Newport Beach
Shack conveyed plenty in his bit for Golfweek, here’s a morsel on medalist Chun An (Kevin) Yu…
  • “Medalist Chun An (Kevin) Yu may be the most conventional and even his story is spectacular. The son of a driving range pro in Taiwan, he’s been playing since five and just finished third in the NCAA’s.”
  • “A junior, Yu has one more year to go at Arizona State but has now been medalist at the U.S. Open’s California qualifying site two years in a row. After rounds 64-67 he heads to a Pebble Beach, a course he enjoyed playing en route to a round of 32 loss in last summer’s U.S. Amateur.”
4. Give Graeme a golden ticket
Speaking of qualifying…
  • Here’s a take on someone who will be notably absent from The Open Championship, via the Daily Mail’s Derek Lawrenson…
  • “No invitations. No golden tickets. All the four majors have their different entry criteria and that’s the one that singles out the Open. No special exemptions are handed out to high-profile names who have fallen through the cracks, and I have to admit it is something I’ve always admired.”
  • “You want to play in the greatest event? You earn your place. Now, I’m beginning to have doubts, and all because of what could unfold at this year’s magical edition at Royal Portrush. Right now, the event will take place without one of the town’s most famous sons, Graeme McDowell.”
  • “The R&A have confirmed that unless G-Mac meets one of the entry requirements still available, then he will not be standing on the first tee come the first round.”
5. Ratings recap
Geoff Shackelford conveys the details from Sports Business Journal report…
  • Tiger Woods in contention helped bump up the Memorial ratings 33% over last year, with a 1.7 overnight according to Sports Business Daily.
  • The U.S. Women’s Open’s overnight from CC of Charleston was a .6, up just a tiny bit over a similar .6 last year and continuing a trend of hovering around record lows since the move to Fox. This, despite being commercial free broadcasts.

Full piece.

6. Lexi to remain in claw’s grip
Thompson took 31 putts in the final round, after recording 32 each of the previous three days. She decided earlier this week, on the advice of her brother Curtis, to experiment with a claw grip on her putting stroke.
  • Thompson said she intends to stick with it, at least for now.
  • “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’m in a five-week stretch right now. So it’s tough to actually grind and work on something, but I’ll work on it for the few practice rounds before New Jersey next week. Yeah, I’m going to stick [with it]. I do really like it. It’s a matter of getting a lot more comfortable with it.”
7. 2019 WGHOF class
…to be enshrined next week…
Our Gianni Magliocco…“Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson, Dennis Walters and the late Peggy Kirk Bell will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on June 10 to kick off the U.S Open championship week.”
  • “South African, Retief Goosen, who was selected from the male competitor category, twice won the U.S. Open amongst 36 worldwide victories, while Jan Stephenson, who emerged from the female competitor category, won the LPGA Championship, U.S. Women’s Open and du Maurier Classic amongst her 16 LPGA Tour victories.”
  • “Peggy Kirk Bell is amongst three that will be honored from the lifetime achievement category. Bell, who passed away in 2016, was a major champion, and a leading figurehead of the women’s game.”
  • “Billy Payne, who was chairman of Augusta National from 2006 to 2017 is also to be inducted from the lifetime achievement category. Alongside the USGA and PGA of America, Payne originated Drive, Chip and Putt in 2013, and the former chairman of Augusta National also established the Asia-Pacific Amateur and Latin America Amateur Championships, each offering guaranteed Masters’ invitations to the winners.”
  • “Dennis Walters completes the lineup, who despite becoming paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 24 after an accident on a golf cart, went on to inspire many throughout the golfing world for both his amazing trick shot skills and his ability to overcome his tragic accident.”
8. Top 200 modern courses
Golfweek’s Bill Speros…
“Welcome to Golfweek’s annual Best. Each spring, we publish the three lists that are the foundation of our course-ratings program: Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses, Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses (below) and Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play.”
“The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course.”
Here’s a little morsel of No. 2-5
2. Bandon Dunes (2) (Pacific Dunes)/td>Bandon, Ore.Tom Doak20018.84
3. Friar’s Head (3)Baiting Hollow, N.YBill Coore, Ben Crenshaw20038.60
4. Ballyneal (4)Holyoke, ColoTom Doak20068.47
5. Bandon Dunes (Old Macdonald) (5)Bandon, Ore.Tom Doak and Jim Urbina2010
For No. 1 (and 6-200), check out the full piece.
9. PSA: One of my favorite features…
…is Gianni Magliocco’s quick daily roundup of the best photos hashtagged #GolfWRX on Instagram. If you’re not a ‘grammer, it’s a nice little snack of some of the coolest equipment and course shots out there.

 

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.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

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.

Continue Reading

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.

 

Continue Reading

News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

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)

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

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...
Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

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...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

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. ...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

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...

Facebook

Trending