News

Tour Rundown: McIlroy, Ko, van Rooyen, and more

Published

6 years ago

Aug 26, 2019

Three aces caught our attention as August drew to a close. Henrik Stenson tallied one in Sweden, Chez Reavie posted his in Atlanta, and Fred Couples slapped one home in Washington state. None of the perfect shots resulted in victory; this week’s winners had to dig much deeper to find gold. The PGA Tour celebrated the last event of the playoffs, while the Korn Ferry Tour drew one step closer to its grand finale. The LPGA traveled north of Toronto for Canada’s national championship, while the European Tour visited Sweden. Dig into a slice of pie from each of five professional tours in this week’s rundown. It’s tasty!

Tour Championship flies away with Rory McIlroy

The inaugural playing of the performance-handicapped Tour Championship should be deemed a successful experiment. For the first time in Tour history, players began an event with an advantage or a disadvantage. Justin Thomas began the week at 10-under par, thanks to his previous performance. If he had found a method to go 9-under during the week, he would have won. Same, almost, for Brooks Koepka. He began at -7, but could only add 6 strokes to his bonus start. Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, tacked a whopping 13 strokes onto his -5 starting gate, and finished at -18 for the week. This performance, featuring four rounds in the 60s, brought him his 2nd almost-major of the season.

McIlroy played wonderful golf for most of the final round. He stood -4 on the day, with a clear path to victory. Consecutive bogies at 14 and 15 dropped him to 16-under, and the door was left slightly ajar for his pursuers. The gifted one steadied himself with birdies at the final 2 holes, and a 4-stroke margin of victory was restored. Xander Schauffele closed with 70 for second spot, and the aforementioned Thomas tied Koepka for 3rd place. The PGA Tour will take the month of September off, then resume in early October with the 1st tournament of 2019-20 at the Safeway Open in Napa, California.

Scandinavian Invitation to gutsy Van Rooyen

Erik Van Rooyen, let’s be honest, has let some European Tour victories slip through his hands. In May, however, a switch might have flipped for the South African at, of all places, Bethpage Black. While Koepka received all the attention for his march to victory, EVR quietly secured an 8th place finish, his first top-ten in a major. On Sunday, Van Rooyen birdied the 18th hole for a 4th-consecutive day, moving from 18 to 19-under par and seizing his first European Tour title. Left in dismay was England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, whose Sunday 64 was simply not enough to beat EVR’s 128 weekend. England’s Sam Horsfield had the low round of the day, a 62 that featured 8 birdies and moved him from 43rd to a tie for 10th. Sweden’s Stenson aced the 6th hole, but had an 8-hole run of pars that left him in a tie for 3rd with Dean Burmester.

Canadian Open confirms Ko’s 2019 dominance

A perceptive commentator on The Golf Channel drew a parallel between 2018’s “It Girl,” Ariya Jutanugarn, and Jin Young Ko. The reference painted an 11-month trace of top-shelf play and tournament effectiveness. Ko began Sunday in a tie with Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen, with defending champion Brooke Henderson not far behind. The leaders battled over the outward half, each standing 2-under on the day as they reached the 10th tee. NBL made bogey at the 10th, her first mistake of the day, and Ko took full control of the day. The Korean champion, winner already this year in Phoenix, Rancho Mirage and Evian, made birdie for a 2-shot advantage, and pushed the accelerator to the floor. She added 5 more birdies on the inward half for a 5-shot triumph over the Dane. Lizette Salas closed furiously with 64, earning a tie for 3rd spot with Henderson, who would have needed 62 on the day to earn a playoff with Ko.

NeSmith earns promotion to PGA Tour in Boise Open thriller

Each week of the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs is like an Oprah giveaway: you get a PGA Tour card, and you, and you! This week, it was the mildly-heralded Matthew NeSmith who vaulted past 3rd-round leader Viktor Hovland to victory and a promotion for next season. NeSmith stuffed a wedge in close at the last, then converted the birdie putt to reach 19-under par. Moments prior, Brandon Hagy had closed with 2 birdies to take the clubhouse lead, but it was short lived. Hagy finished in a tie for 2nd, securing playing privileges for 2019-2020 on the big tour. The only golfer with a chance to catch NeSmith was Hovland, who struggled to preserve a 3rd round lead for the 2nd time this month. Hovland had 6 birdies on the day, but could not avoid a trio of bogeys that ultimately cost him the tournament. Needing eagle at the last, the former Oklahoma State golfer nearly holed his wedge from the fairway. Birdie from three feet earned him a tie for 2nd place and a promotion of his own. The season concludes next week in Indiana, as the KFT holds its own Tour Championship, with a few more, guaranteed Oprah moments.

Brandt Jobe bursts out for 2nd Champions Tour win at Boeing

Ask Brandt Jobe what it’s like to open a round with five birdies, and he’ll probably say it’s just as easy to bogey hole number six. That’s what happened on Sunday at Snoqualmie Ridge. The Oklahoma native made birdie at 8 and 9 to turn in 30, just as 3rd-round leader Fred Couples began his 4th-round struggle. Couples birdied the first hole to reach -17-under par, but that was it for the home-state hero. He dropped into a tie for 3rd with Jerry Kelly after adding 13 shots on Sunday, to his 2nd-round 63. Jobe, meanwhile, taped 3 more birdies to the board on the inward half, signed for a 63 of his own, and walked off the 18th green with his 15th career victory, and 2nd on the Champions Tour. Sneaking into 2nd place was Tom Pernice, Jr., who birdied 9 holes on Sunday. Pernice had 65 on the day to earn his best finish since April, when he and Scott Hoch partnered to win the Bass Pro Shops team event. With the victory, Jobe jumped 10 spots on the Schwab Cup money list, entering the top 15 for the first time this season.

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)