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Morning 9: Pebble, Vic winners | Mickelson comes up short | State of the Phil | J-Day nearing retirement?

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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.
February 10, 2020
Good Monday morning, golf fans.

 
1. Taylor triumphs
Nice summary from James Colgan at Golf.com…”Taylor went wire-to-wire on Monterey Peninsula, outlasting Phil Mickelson with a windy final round 70 from Pebble Beach. It was largely a two-man show on Sunday, with Jason Day (the only other golfer within striking distance of Mickelson and Taylor heading into Sunday) shooting three over and ejecting early.
  • “Mickelson wasted a sublime Saturday 67  with a blow-up at the turn; making double on the eighth hole in a bizarre sequence to fall three back of Taylor, a deficit from which he would never recover (more on that later). Taylor, on the other hand, rode a mostly pain-free afternoon to a two-under 70. His biggest moment came on the par-4 15th when he rebounded from a dreadful double on the previous hole to chip-in for birdie, keeping Mickelson from nipping at his heels.”

Full piece.

And if you want to read a great perspective piece on Taylor’s life since he won his first tournament (2014)/an excellent treatment of the reality for tour pros on the card-keeping bubble, check out PGATour.com’s Mike McAllister’s piece.
2. Min Woo Lee!
EuropeanTour.com report…”Min Woo Lee held his nerve in difficult conditions to win his first European Tour title at the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open.”
  • “The home favourite entered the day with a three shot lead and never looked back after chipping in for a birdie on the first, signing for a 68 to finish at 19 under, two shots clear of Ryan Fox.”

Full piece.

3. …and on the ladies side: Hee Young Park
AP report…”Korea’s Hee Young Park, who came close to quitting golf last year, made par on the fourth hole of a three-way playoff Sunday to win the LPGA Tour’s Victoria Open from compatriots Hye-Jin Choi and So Yeon Ryu.”
  • “On a course swept by a boisterous wind and as evening closed in Park, Choi and Ryu returned repeatedly to the tee on the dog-leg par-5 18th to play out a gripping finale after finishing tied at 281, 8-under par.”
  • “Former world No. 1 Ryu dropped out on the second playoff hole when she missed a birdie putt but Park and Choi continued until luck and nature intervened.”
  • “Choi’s tee shot on the fourth playoff hole came to rest against a pine cone in light rough left of the fairway, leaving her with no choice but to chip out. Her attempt to do so came up short, she put her next into a hazard, dropped out, and finally reached the fringe of the green in six.”

Full piece.

4. Phil phalters
PGATour.com’s Mike McAllister on Mickelson’s Sunday 74…”A disastrous double bogey at the par-4 eighth was the start of an 11-hole finishing stretch that he played in 4 over. Instead of pressing eventual winner Nick Taylor for the lead, Mickelson dropped a spot down the leaderboard, settling for solo third behind Kevin Streelman with a 2-over 74.”
  • “The Mickelson short-game magic, on full display the day before, only showed itself a couple of times Sunday. Certainly not enough to keep up with Taylor, who shot a 2-under 70 to win by four shots, in the final group.”
  • “No excuses, though. For one of the few times, Mickelson proved human at Pebble Beach when the pressure was on.”
  • “It’s disappointing certainly to have not won, but I got outplayed,” Mickelson said. “I mean, Nick played better than I did. He holed a couple of great shots.”

 

 
5. On the other side of the coin
The Pro-Am portion of the tournament, that is… Larry Fitzgerald and Kevin Streelman took the tile for the second time.
  • Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”This is the second time in three years that Fitzgerald and Streelman, who have never finished worse than T-27 in five appearances as a team, have won the title. In doing so, they became the first team to win the pro-am twice since Hubert Green and Dean Spanos in 1985 and 1990. Only four teams have claimed multiple victories at an event that dates to 1937 when it was called the Bing Crosby Clambake.”
  • “Perhaps some of that success can be attributed to their on-course chemistry. The two walked off the 18th green joking with each other, and with Fitzgerald, an eight handicap, draping an arm over the shoulder of his partner, who made a serious run at the individual title on Sunday, too.”

Full piece.

6. Meanwhile, in Bogota…
Golf Channel’s Nick Menta…”With his win Sunday in Colombia, Mito Pereira just put himself in the mix for a PGA Tour card and maybe even a spot in this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.”
  • “Four back to start the final round, Periera fired a final-round 64 with a 72nd-hole eagle to win the Country Club de Bogota Championship by two over Ben Kholes.”
  • “The 24-year-old Chilean carded four birdies, two eagles and a bogey to steal his second professional victory, the follow-up to a 2016 PGA Tour Latinoamerica title.”

Full piece.

7. State of the Phil
Via ESPN’s Bob Harig…”Ahead was a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia for a big, seven-figure appearance fee and a European Tour event in which Mickelson began to find some form. He was in contention during the final round and eventually finished third — his best result by miles going back to Pebble Beach.”
  • “But it was a soulless event in the Middle East with maybe a few dozen fans on any hole and fairways as wide as the Red Sea. Sure, Phil got some confidence back, perhaps some momentum. But could he bring it all the way back across 11 time zones to California?”
  • “The fact that he did — shooting 68 at Spyglass, 64 at Monterrey Peninsula and 67 at Pebble Beach to put himself in the final group with Taylor — suggested Phil’s clubs were starting to do the talking.”
  • “What’s nice is I knew I was playing well start of the year,” he said. “In the first couple of tournaments, I ended up not really controlling my thoughts and my visualization very well. And these last two weeks, I’ve started to see things a lot clearer and execute a lot better without any type of negativity. So, I’ve been much more assertive and aggressive and controlling my mind a little bit better.”

Full piece.

8. Phil’s final act?
Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…”It’s clear that Mickelson does not intend to fade quietly into his golden years. He has lost weight but none of his competitive fire. But it’s also apparent that he has an eye on his next act, and that act won’t involve imitating past greats by plying his trade on the senior circuit while doffing his ceremonial cap as he exits major championships on Friday afternoons.”
  • “Phil Inc. has a much longer runway than Phil the player. Mickelson understands that his power is no longer dependent on his performances against kids on the PGA Tour but is best exploited in controlled environments where established celebrity has currency.”
  • “That explains his late conversion to social media, where he has diligently built an image of a self-deprecating jock that showcases for a new audience his enviable skill as a corporate pitchman. His viral calves, Stars & Stripes onesie and Phireside chats have all been in service of that image. So too his bravado about hitting bombs, despite a driving distance rank of 40th that suggests his bombs are more like hand grenades compared to his younger rivals.”

Full piece.

9. Nearly ready to call it a day?
Mark Townsend at National Club Golfer presents these quotes from Jason Day…”I’ve talked to my wife about this a lot,” Day said midway through the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I’m like, ‘I think I’m nearly done here’, just because of how much pain I was in.”
  • “And then on top of it how stressful it is to play competitive golf week-in and week-out and try and live up to the expectations not only with yourself, but with what everyone else thinks that you should be doing.”
  • …”Sometimes I wake up and I feel like I’m 50, sometimes I wake up and I feel like I’m 70 and sometimes I feel like I’m 18 again.”

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

on

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

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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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