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Five things we learned: Friday at the PGA

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4 years ago

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The winds were up on Kiawah Island on Friday, and one man took advantage of a morning tee time to work his way up the leaderboard and assume the top spot at the halfway point. The youth movement that surged on Thursday, stepped aside on Friday as the wily veterans took over the room.

The cut fell at 5 over, and an astonishing 81 players survived. Every golfer remaining is within 11 shots of the lead. Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course is not one that allows for big comebacks, but don’t count Harold Varner, Patrick Reed, and Jason Day out of the running. Stranger things happen.

Five things that we know we learned, that happened on Friday are laid out for you here.

1. Young Lefty

Phil Mickelson, who recently looked like a prime candidate for a leap to the Champion’s Tour, is tied at the top with Louis Oosthuizen. Phil began his day on the inward half, the side that has frayed the nerves through two days. He came home in 2 over, returning to even on the week through 27 holes. On the outward half, the California native coaxed five birdie putts into the hole for 31, the low nine of the first two days. Mickelson nearly doubled his driving accuracy from day one, and the results were apparent. The 2005 PGA Championship winner leads the strokes gained: overall category and is putting as if he were on his dining room carpet. It’s a killer combination, and he just might have a shot to stay near the lead on Saturday.

2. King Louis

South Africa’s British Open champion in 2010 still swings the club as he did during that magical week in St. Andrews. What was considered a coming-out party for a young champion turned into his sole major victory after his 2012 Masters playoff loss. Like Mickelson, Oousthuizen is far from a sure bet, but he’s a safe play for the oddsmakers. Guys like him win PGA Championships (think Jeff Sluman, Larry Nelson, Shawn Micheel), and his complete game has him on page one. No matter where he drives the ball, Louis gets it on the green in regulation. His putting and chipping have been exquisite, and he’s tied with Mickelson at 5 under, one shot clear of Brooks Koepka.

3. BK Broiler

Brooks is an enigma. He seems injured, but he played the Masters and is challenging at the PGA. He has won this august event two times and fears no golfer ahead nor behind. Brooks is grinding an ax, thanks to the November Masters win by Dustin Johnson. Something about DJ gets Brooke going like no other competitor. Former training partners and bros, Koepka wants no part of Lanky catching up in the majors department. Koepka had eagles Vegas-style, at the 7th and 11th holes. Both par 5’s that exceed 570 yards, he was on in two on both greens, and maneuvered longish putts into the hole for three. If he keeps doing things like that all weekend, he’ll have more margin for error than the rest of the chasers.

4. Grand Slam talk?

Hideki Matsuyama was minus-five on the day, before the requisite five at the last (seriously, how is it listed as a par 4?) dropped him to 3 under on the week, tied for fourth position with two members of the South African contingent. Matsuyama has confidence after breaking through the major glass ceiling at Augusta in April. His flatstick continues to save him. Consider how he butchered the 18th before holing a putt of seven feet for bogey. If there is a golfer that Koepka considers a threat, it’s Hideki. Koepka expects to dispatch Mickelson and Oosthuizen by the 10th tee on Saturday. The bearer of the green jacket will be there until the end.

5. #TeamOf20 update

Is 10 percent always 10 percent? Two of the twenty PGA professionals sit a 5 over or better, assured of weekend rounds at Kiawah. Brad Marek has looked like he belonged all week. Two rounds of 73 have him at 2 over on the week. Marek birdies and eagles like a tour pro, but he makes bogeys like a club pro. Is top 30 possible? Yes. Top 20? That would be massive. Any higher is super unlikely, but he’s putting on a nice show.

Ben Cook does not like the closing stretch. By closing stretch, we mean the final six holes, which we might as well call the closing third. The pro from John’s Island Club in Florida has played that portion in 4 over both days. Saturday and Sunday won’t be any easier, so for him to move up at all, he’ll need to go Full Lefty on the outward half. Can he? Sure. Will he? \_*_/. Thing is, he’s through to the weekend, and that’s worth a lot.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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3 weeks ago

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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

on

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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