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Tour Rundown: AT&T Pro-Am tastes great to Hoge | The greatest winning eagle putt you’ll see

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4 years ago

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Warning: You are about to see the most amazing eagle putt for victory that anyone could ever conceive. If you cannot wait to read the final tour summary below, here it is.

All right. Whoooooooooo. Props to you, HV3. Now, let’s pretend that we didn’t see that spoiler, and continue on with this week’s Tour Rundown. It has been a rotten week emotionally for men’s professional golf, so a tip of the hat to the class with which the ladies handle controversy. We’ve witnessed greed, petulance, and complete detachment from reality, from competitors and journalists alike. Here’s hoping that it all subsides, and removes itself from the headlines, because …

the golf is great. Five tours showcased the wonders of golf from the middle east to Florida, to California, to central America. Tournaments were decided by utter domination and last-shot heroics. We still don’t know what to do with Bill Murray, but that’s a matter for another day and rundown. Let’s rev it up with this week’s Tour Rundown, brought to your from five spots around the globe.

PGA Tour: AT&T Pro-Am tastes great to Hoge

Nothing suggested that Tom Hoge would win on Sunday. He led with 63 on Thursday, and everyone knows it ain’t easy for the greats to go wire-to-wire, much less the journeymen. Hogey stood second to Seamus Power after day two and, honestly, that might have been the notion that won for the former TCU golfer. As Power faltered on day three, Hoge returned to the top spot with 68, tied with Beau Hossler and Andrew Putnam. Of the three, Hoge would probably have been no one’s pick to claim the trophy.

Chasing them all were Patrick Cantlay, he of the Ryder Cup heroics last fall, and the resurgent Jordan Spieth, he of the cliff’s-edge daring-do on Saturday. Cantlay stood minus-three on Sunday through six holes, but played the final twelve in plus-two, and finished tied for fourth. Spieth stood at 18-under par on the 17th tee. Instead of the par-birdie finish that everyone predicted for the Texan, he finished bogey-par to finish solo second.

And Hoge? Well, try a four-under, inward half on for size, and you’ll discover that it fits the winner like a glove. Hoge flourished where others faltered, with birdies at 11, 14, 16, and 17. He was able to play the last hole safely, made par, and raised his first PGA Tour trophy.

LPGA: Drive-On Championship is maiden for Maguire

There are some tournaments that, they say, do not begin until Sunday’s back nine. Leona Maguire made certain that this would not be the case on Saturday in Fort Myers. Like a solid European Football squad, whose core is its midfield, Maguire tore up the stretch from seven through thirteen in five-under numbers. She left co-leader Marina Alex in the rearview mirror, and kept fast-charging Lexi Thompson at a distance with exquisite execution. In the end, Thompson could only make up two shots with her Sunday 65, as Maguire closed with bogey for 67, long after fate had decided matters.

The title was the young Irish lass’s first on the LPGA circuit, after two 2019 wins on Triple-A Symetra (now known as the Epson Tour.) Maguire and Alex started in 131 strokes through 36 holes, but Alex lost three shots to her partner in the first 14 holes of the final round. Needing to close with fury, Alex went the other way with a plus-two closing stretch. Her drop from 1st to 4th-tie was frustrating, but suggests she’ll contend a bit in 2022. As for Maguire, what was predicted for her as a young amateur may be about to bloom.

Korn Ferry: Panama Championship is Young’s first big win

For those who struggle with adversity, allow Carson Young to present your TedTalk this week. Young began the 2022 KornFerry Tour season with two missed cuts in the Bahamas. In his third start of the young season, Young delivered a majestic performance and claimed the Panama Championship by one stroke over a triumvirate of pursuers. The Clemson alum began day four in fifth place, chasing third-round leaders Stanger, Taylor, and Fischer. Throughout the fourth round a number of other challengers jumped into the fray, but we’ll get around to that in a bit.

Jimmy Stanger hung around until the end, finishing one shot out of first. He tied Brandon Matthews and Carl Yuan for second, after closing with a two-under inward half. Both Ben Taylor and Zack Fischer struggled a bit more over the final round. Each posted a two-over 72 to drop into fifth position. Matthews earned the distinction of posting four rounds in the 60s, but none of them was low enough to vault him into the top spot. A topsy-turvy inward half of three birdies, a bogey, and a double kept him a bay. Carl Yuan posted birdie at holes 15 through 17 to make a late run. He was unable to add a fourth consecutive stroke-saver, and matched Matthews and Stanger for runner-up position.

DP World Tour: Ras al Khaimah Championship sees the rise of Højgaard N.0

Of all the 2022 story lines in their infancy, the Danish twins is so far, the most compelling. Set the stage like this: Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard are twenty years of age. Each has now won multiple times on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour. Rasmus has won each of the last three calendar years, with triumphs in Mauritius, the UK, and Switzerland. Brother Nico now joins him with a multi-year streak of his own. After a debut title in Italy in 2021, Højgaard N.1 secured a mighty triumph in the UAE this week.

Højgaard began the final round with a slim lead over Scotland’s David Law. The Englishman regained the lead at the turn, as the two alternated spectacular golf with clumsy execution. Højgaard had an eagle and a double through nine, while Law tossed birdie and eagle against bogey. On the inward half, Law bled slowly, with bogey at 11 through 13, and another at 16. He finished in solo 5th position.

Jordan Smith of England stepped up, and seized a two-shot advantage over Højgaard through his 14th hole. His bogey at 15 proved his undoing, as he was unable to summon additional birdies, and finished at 20-deep. Højgaard N.0, meanwhile, steadied his nerves and exploded with three birdies and another eagle over the final sextet of fairways and greens, to reach 24-under par and a four-shot cushion for the trophy.

Asian Tour: PIFSI ends with heart-attack special for HV3

There are some events, however, that don’t actually begin UNTIL THE LAST TWO HOLES! Bubba Watson closed birdie-eagle to reach 12-under par on Sunday. High fives and handshakes, right? Two-shot advantage over third-round leader Harold Varner III, who had two holes left himself. Except, of course, that Varner made birdie at 17 to trim the lead to half. Birdie at the last would force a playoff between HV3 and Bubba. Unfortunately, Varner could not birdie the last … HE MADE EAGLE and that was how it ended. Unbelievable finish for a first important title for the Akron, Ohio native.

To say that Varner was feeling the pressure on the inward half is an understatement. The Tres hit one out of seven driving fairways, so the big club was not his friend. Despite the wayward tee shots, he managed to hit six of nine greens in regulation. When on board, he was four under par. When not putting for birdie, bad things were happening. Double bogey at 11 and bogey at 14 threatened to undo all of his great work through 63 holes. And then came the final act.

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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

Published

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

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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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