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Tour Rundown: Berger wins at Pebble, golf world wakes up
The 2021 AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach was one for the memory, and not just for the eventual champion, Daniel Berger. The week began with the cold reality that pro-am participants, and the fans that they attracted, would not participate. The announcement had been made weeks before, but to see Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach golf courses, essentially unimpeded, was a not-unwelcome opportunity.
In the absence of the celebrities and those who can afford (and receive) a sport in the Pro-Am, a full field of 156 golfers was able to start play on Thursday on the Monterey peninsula. Tour Rundown takes a look at what defined this year’s event, and how it might be shaped for years to come.
Berger is very good when he’s very good
If you follow golf (and your presence here suggests that you might) you’ve read ad nauseum that Daniel Berger was the hottest golfer on tour in the weeks leading up to the 2020 pandemic shutdown. It was true then, and it may be developing into a different shape in 2021. When a Florida kid wins on California greens, especially those at Pebble Beach, it’s big news. To put it bluntly, they’re not the same kind of putting surface. We’ll talk about that in a bit.
For Berger to shoot 65, with a pair of eagles, including one at the final hole, was stunning and telling. Berger is a gamer and should be a fixture on USA Ryder and Presidents Cup teams. He is that strong and, with the proper partner, would be a double weapon for the Red, White, and Blue. Look for Berger to win at more than one of the Florida events that run from late February to late March.
California kids went away on the weekend
What about those raised in the region? They didn’t go away, but they didn’t win. In fact, if not for Berger’s brilliance, one of them might have won. Maverick McNealy, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, and Cameron Tringale are all natives of the USA’s 31st state. Each of them had a storied amateur career, including stints on the USA side of the Walker Cup. Each of them seeks to establish himself on the PGA Tour as a consistent winner.
Sunday was an opportunity for the foursome, but something impeded their individual marches to the top of the podium. McNealy had a pair of bogeys on the outward nine, but my goodness, he did post 8 birdies on his way to a career-best, solo second-place finish. Cantlay began the week with a 10-under effort at Pebble, but struggled on Friday and Saturday (where he really lost the tournament.) His play Sunday was strong, but when 65s and 66s were available for the taking, a 68 wasn’t going to get the job done. Since Max Homa gave up his side-hustle of Funny Twitter Guy, he’s turned in some sizable performances. Bogey on two hole on Sunday’s back nine revealed that some work lies ahead, but top ten means that he’ll have the security to do so. Tringale is the elder statesman of this group, by a few years. His work on Sunday was similar to that of McNealy: lots of birdies (7) and a pair of bogeys. Tringale needed to be perfect, but perfection eluded him on this day.
Back to those greens
The putting surfaces at Pebble, and many courses along the California coast, wage annual war with poa annua and nematodes. The former is a grass that invades desirable putting-green grasses and can be a devil to eliminate, both at cost and work hours. The latter is a type of worm that can do severe damage to gardens and grasses. Putting on poa annua is an art form, not usually mastered by East Coast golfers. In Florida, the dominant grasses found on putting surfaces are strains of Bermuda, which is essentially a weed found across the southern hemisphere. Putts tend to break more and run slower. Even professional golfers admit to great comfort in one of three regions: west, southeast, or north (where bent grasses are most common.) While the PGA Tour does play on surfaces that are groomed to near perfection, kids still grow up on imperfect surfaces and get to know those surfaces well. That’s why Berger winning this week is such a big deal.
Who put a hex on round three?
Francesco Molinari topped a tee shot at the first hole, Akshay Bhatia chunked his approach to the 8th green (but did make it over the chasm), and Vincent Whaley laid up on the par-three twelfth hole. That’s three odd shots in one round, and television caught two of them live. Perhaps the professionals do it more than we expect (which is never), and perhaps the absence of amateurs allowed us to see more of the professionals (we’ll discuss that next), but still, seeing clubs go off-line and shots go awry was equal parts jolting and comforting.
Should the amateurs return?
In one word: no. We don’t love golf for the antics of the celebrities, and we don’t need to see corporate types who clearly have enough time to get their games in shape to play well on a big stage. It’s cool for them to receive an invitation, but the return for golf is not equitable.
The celebrities slow up the process in three ways: fan interaction, in-round interviews, and bad play. Fan interaction is nice but can be encouraged in ways beyond dancing elderly ladies into bunkers. In-round interviews are insightful, but always incite slow play, which makes rounds drag on, and opportunities at victory ebb away. Bad play? No justification to televise that. No one wants to see bad golf anywhere other than a viewer-controlled YouTube video. Subject us to hours on end, and we’ll turn our attention elsewhere.
Why might the amateurs stay? Some would point to the origin of the event, as the Bing Crosby clambake. That event went through an evolution, from a few friends in the California desert to a move to the coast, to a short stay in North Carolina (without the PGA Tour, of course) when AT&T took over the title on tour. It’s the last event that folks from past generations associate with a celebrity host (not even the Hope is remembered thus); not the Genesis (Glen Campbell), nor the American Express (Bob Hope), nor the Farmers (Andy Williams), nor the Honda (Jackie Gleason) have had that staying power.
The AT&T has an opportunity to re-imagine its event. Fingers and toes are crossed that it makes the bold decision to eliminate the Am portion of the event for good. The courses of the Monterey Peninsula tell a wonderful story.
Return the Monterey Peninsula Shore Course to the rotation next year, add even more professionals, and let the layouts be the focus of the telecast.
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
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
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
Will Skeat
Jul 8, 2021 at 8:45 pm
Ron,, you should stick to writing about things you can comprehend – like snow. Read the following, and learn:
http://willotheglenongolf.blogspot.com/2021/02/if-you-are-going-to-gripe-about-pebble.html
Pingback: Morning 9: Give Berger his due | Willie Mack III’s story | The case for the AT&T No-Am – GolfWRX
Will
Feb 16, 2021 at 8:38 am
Cant agree more on the amateur subject. This was the first AT&T I’ve watched in years due to the pure golf offered. If I want to see bad golf and general buffoonery, there’s plenty of places to do that.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 16, 2021 at 8:40 am
I commit buffoonery with frequency, and my partners pay nothing/spend no tv time on it.
Henny Bogan
Feb 16, 2021 at 8:05 am
I noticed several typos in this article.Perhaps it was not Ronald´s fault but someone needs to correct them. It´s difficult to read a critique with such unforced errors.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 16, 2021 at 8:41 am
I’d love for you to list them. I went over it with a loose-toothed comb and found the missing “S” (the one that is on my red and blue superhero suit.)
T
Feb 16, 2021 at 7:24 am
It’s one event a year that has celebrities in rotation. Is it silly? Sure, sometimes. But other times it’s good entertainment. Take away the celebrities and it’s just another event like any other. It also raises an absurd amount of money for charity, but you didn’t bother mention that. If you don’t like it, there’s a bunch of other things on TV to watch that week. I think the celebrities potentially bring a lot more people into the game who might not ever golf before. What I do think they need to get rid of are the corporate CEO’s and other wealthy people who buy their way in just cause they can. I enjoy seeing Bill Murray, but I couldn’t care less about seeing some random business mega millionaire chop it around. In my opinion, keep the celebrities, keep raising money for charity, but stop with the random wealthy people nobody knows about, stick to actual celebs only.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 16, 2021 at 8:45 am
I appreciate this comment. I still disagree with its premise, but it is well-laid out. I like watching Bill Murray act; perhaps Bill would enjoy watching me teach (what I do best.) I know that there are celebrity-only events that are televised. Problem is, those are based on skill. It’s ironic that the one that involves professionals, is the one with the greatest amount of distractions.
I suspect that the fans in attendance do their best to egg the entertainers on, and they respond, and hold up play, and donkey’s out the door.
Megakarl99
Feb 16, 2021 at 7:24 am
I enjoy watching less skilled players play if they’re entertaining. Bill Murray comes to mind. The match with Peyton and Brady was one of the most entertaining golf broadcasts I saw in 2020 (though I admittedly was jonesing at that point). There’s a relatability to seeing a botched shot and a funny, honest reaction. There’s a REAL enjoyment at watching someone who’s been struggling hit a great shot and owning it a la Brady’s epic hole-out.
Pro-ams could be a lot of fun if they changed the presentation. The current formula isn’t working. The LPGA pro am event a few weeks back was a disaster. Get the right people in the mix, mix them up and make them an added value, not an obstruction
Ronald Montesano
Feb 16, 2021 at 8:48 am
You’ve nailed it! The hot mess that Pro-Ams have devolved into, needs retooling. I propose the idea of a celebrity playing specific holes in the round, but not all of them. The celeb and the pro know precisely which hole it will be (like the par three holes and a couple of the scenic ones: six in total) The rest of the time, they stroll the fairways and chat up the fans. If amateurs want to compete, the USGA, state and local associations have events. If celeb amateurs want to compete, the celeb tour has events.
People are afraid of letting go of something that their grandparents and parents and greats loved, and something that might have gotten them into the game. I loved the click-clack of metal spikes, but I don’t miss them.
Christian Rossi
Feb 15, 2021 at 2:15 pm
Celebrity amateurs to be scratch or better only.
No more over sixty and people who tooks three hybrids to get to a green.
That would be a good Pro-Am otherwise drop them definitely.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 15, 2021 at 9:11 pm
I don’t dislike this idea. There would always be clowns who claim a lower handicap, just to get in. There could be a trial by shame on the 7th: miss the green and you’re out.
Garrett
Feb 15, 2021 at 12:08 pm
Here’s another vote to get rid of the amateurs. Get rid of em!! Do that garbage somewhere less, I don’t know, Pebble Beachey….
Ronald Montesano
Feb 15, 2021 at 12:33 pm
I actually think that the amateurs would work splendidly at the Waste Management event. It’s already a wild child, so why not take it to the extreme and bring in all the rowdy friends? Can you imagine Bill Murray and the Scottsdale crowd on the 16th hole?
Get Good Garrett
Feb 15, 2021 at 2:22 pm
Garrett stopped in, between rounds of 113, 118 and a personal best 107, to comment.
g daddy
Feb 15, 2021 at 11:52 am
You forgot about JT hosting the Las Vegas event. LOL
It was an excellent tournament, the greens for whatever reason, we’re especially difficult on the short putts. Don’t think I’ve ever seen pros miss so many short ones – except maybe in a dried out US Open.
Didn’t miss the celebs at all, except Bill Murray. Can’t say that I would want them to go away, it’s sort of the spirit of the tournament. If the networks could just avoid showing them so much and avoid the dumb interviews.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 15, 2021 at 12:34 pm
I don’t think that they can avoid showing them so much, and they can’t belittle them, and they have to stroke their egos by interviewing them about their latest project.
David Landig
Feb 15, 2021 at 10:18 am
Best Pebble Beach Pro-Am to date. Didn’t miss watching the CEO/celebrity hacks take up the camera time one bit!
T Lo
Feb 15, 2021 at 10:10 am
Zip about Spieth blowing another 54 lead??
Ronald Montesano
Feb 15, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Don’t beat a man when he’s down. The next time I mention Spieth, it will be for a win.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 15, 2021 at 12:37 pm
It was like watching Winged Foot at the September Open, and Augusta National at the November Masters. Zero obstruction, pure golf course, no fan interference/assistance. So good.