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Morning 9: Nearly Land(ry) of the lost | LPGA rules controversy that wasn’t | Westy! | Inside screen golf in S. Korea

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6 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt
Email me at ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com and find me at @benalberstadt on Instagram and golfwrxEIC on Twitter.
January 20, 2020
Good Monday morning, golf fans. Welcome to the beautiful madness of PGA Show week. Demo Day is tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned to GolfWRX and our social media channels for the latest from Orlando.
Also, special thanks to Cut Golf for sponsoring the M9 this week! If you’re unfamiliar, or looking to restock your supply of Cut golf balls at a discounted rate, check ’em out via the banner above.

 
1. Nearly Land(ry) of the lost… 
Six ahead with six to play. What could possibly go wrong?
Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker...”After making the turn in 33 and tacking on three straight birdies to open the back nine, it looked like Landry would cruise to his second career title. He led by six over Ancer and was on his way.”
  • “…It started with a three-putt bogey from 60 feet on the par-3 13th, followed by another three-jack from 12 feet on the par-4 14th and when Landry failed to get up and down from left of the green at the par-4 15th, his lead was all but gone.
  • “…Having just blown the lead and playing the 166-yard 17th, Landry stuck his tee shot over the water that surrounds the par 3 to five feet. It was a nervy shot in the best of circumstances. Then he coolly made the putt for birdie to move one ahead of Ancer and two clear of Scheffler.”

Full piece.

2. Westy in Abu Dhabi
Plop Lee Westwood down anywhere in the world (as long as it’s not a major) and he can win, as he showed again this week.
BBC report…”England’s Lee Westwood claimed the Abu Dhabi Championship to win titles in four different decades on the European Tour.”
  • “Westwood finished on 19 under par, two shots ahead of Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Victor Perez.”
  • “The 46-year-old shot a five-under-par 67 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club to win the event for the first time.”

Full piece.

3. A storyline headline related to Matt Kuchar’s on-course performance in a positive sense
Matt Kuchar won a golf tournament with nary a mention of on-course whining nor payments to caddies.
David Lee of the Singapore Times...”Matt Kuchar had breezed through the three par-five holes at Sentosa Golf Club all week. Ten times he had played them and he had nine birdies and an eagle.”
  • “As he stepped onto the 587 yard par-five 7th, with a commanding four shot lead, Kuchar had seemingly turned Sunday’s (Jan 19) final round of the SMBC Singapore Open into a procession.”
  • “Then, disaster struck. His tee shot missed to the left, his approach went out of bounds and the 10-footer he holed was for a triple-bogey eight. That, coupled with flightmate Jazz Janewattananond’s birdie on the same hole, wiped out Kuchar’s advantage at the US$1 million (S$1.35 million) tournament.”
  • “The veteran American showed tremendous resilience though to recover as he managed three birdies over the next 11 holes for a one-under 70 and a winning total of 18-under 266.”
4. LPGA TOC TBC
Lisa D. Mickey for ESPN...”The LPGA kicked off the new year and the 2020 season with an outright tussle for the title at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.”
“But at the end of four rounds, five playoff holes and the gloaming of another day, a playoff between Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Gaby Lopez of Mexico was suspended because of darkness a little after 6 p.m. ET. Play will resume at 8 a.m. ET on Monday.”

 
5. Nothing to see here…
At least Lexi Thompson wasn’t involved…
  • Golf Channel’s Randall Mell on Nasa Hataoka’s rules infraction that wasn’t…”A tweeted video (that has since been deleted) only partially showed Hataoka marking her ball but made it appear as if she laid her coin in front of her ball, picked up the ball and then returned it in front of the coin, closer to the hole.”
  • “According to the LPGA, a tour video rules official watched the entire sequence and could see there was no violation. In fact, Hataoka could be seen marking her ball that way more than once, placing the coin behind the ball, then then moving the ball behind the coin to read the putt before returning the ball to its original position.”

Full piece.

6. Have a cigar
Does anyone celebrate success like Miguel Angel Jimenez? Likely no. (Does anyone celebrate being filled with the breath of life like MAJ? Also, likely no.)
  • AP report…”Miguel Angel Jimenez made a 12-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff Saturday with senior newcomer Ernie Els to win the PGA Tour Champions’ season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship.”
  • “Fred Couples dropped out on the first extra trip down the par-4 18th at windy Hualalai, missing a short par putt.”
  • “Jimenez, paired with Couples in the second-to-last group, birdied Nos. 13-15 in a 5-under 67 to match Els and Couples at 14-under 202.”
  • ”I said to my caddie, ‘The winning score is going to be 15-under par and we need to hurry up and make birdie,”’ Jimenez said. ”Make three birdies in a row, 14-under par and then here we are.”

Full piece.

7. Unbothered by the criticism 
If you expected Phil Mickelson to be having second thoughts about teeing it up in Saudi Arabia, you will be disappointed.
  • ESPN’s Bob Harig…”Mickelson, who is skipping a longtime staple on his schedule, the Waste Management Phoenix Open the same week, told ESPN at the American Express that he understood the political ramifications of his commitment and expected there to be criticism.”
  • “I knew that was going to be the case,” Mickelson, 49, said in his first public comments on the issue. “I weighed that in my decision. But I still want to go.”
  • ….”I knew that criticism would come with this,” Mickelson said. “But I’m excited to go. I’m looking forward to it. I just figured that would be the case. I feel good in the sense that I’ve supported the Phoenix Open for 30 years. I’ve turned down opportunities for 20 years now to go over to different parts of the world. I’m at a point now where I want to take advantage of it. I want to go see it.”

Full piece.

8. Gallegos!
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine on the LAAC winner…”While Gallegos learned the game there, there’s nothing little about him. The 17-year-old stands 6 feet, 3 inches, and possesses incredible power, including a 125-plus mph clubhead speed.”
  • “He’s a great project of a player with enormous power,” said Mark Lawrie, the R&A’s director for Latin American and the Caribbean who formerly served as the longtime executive director of the Argentina Golf Federation.
  • “On Sunday, the teenage Gallegos accomplished something immeasurable…Since the first Latin America Amateur Championship was held at Pilar Golf in Buenos Aires in 2015, no Argentine had won the tournament that has quickly grown into one of the most prestigious amateur events in the world. But Gallegos, one of eight representing Argentina in this year’s edition, changed that by overcoming a two-shot deficit and firing a final-round, 4-under 67 to win by four shots over Mexico’s Aaron Terrazas.”

Full piece.

9. On screen golf in South Korea
Rounding out today’s lineup is a super look at the massive popularity of screen golf in South Korea from GolfWRX Featured Writer Jimmy Chang. If you’re unaware of the scale of South Korea’s obsession with simulator-based golf and unclear as to why it’s such a phenomenon, you must read this piece.

 

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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News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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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.

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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.

 

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News

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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