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Tour Rundown: Genesis Invitational claimed by Niemann | LECOM trophy resides with a familiar face

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4 years ago

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Three of the world’s larger tours (LPGA, Asian, and DP World) took much of February off. Fortunately, four PGA Tour circuits (Main, Korn Ferry, Champions, and Latinoamérica) kept the competitive fires on full ignite during the month of love. Los Angeles, Sarasota, Naples, and Mazatlán hosted respective championships that featured tense resolutions. Although margins of victory ranged from one to three shots, each event was in doubt until the final flag was replaced. Golf has returned to center stage on the professional sport viewing spectrum, so enjoy a four-tour rundown with us on this penultimate February weekend for 2022.

PGA Tour: Genesis Invitational claimed by Niemann

The young Chilean,  Joaquín Niemann, held off a final-round charge by Collin Morikawa and an untested youngster named Cameron Young who wouldn’t go away. The veteran of the 2019 Presidents Cup International side and holder of one PGA Tour victory, Niemann has been saddled with expectations, and selected as storied a venue as possible to record his second title. Committing the near-sacrilege of a 63-63 opening 36 holes, Niemann was never separated from the field by more than five strokes.

On Friday, Young recorded a 62 to keep the Chilean in sight. Neither golfer could separate from the other on Saturday, and they were joined by an in-form Viktor Hovland in Sunday’s final pairing. Young closed to within two shots of Niemann with a birdie at the first, but with little margin for error, the Wake Forest alumnus could not recapture the fireworks of round two. He ultimately tied for second spot, equal to the best finish of his emerging PGA Tour career. It was not Hovland who emerged as Sunday’s comeback threat, but Morikawa.

The current Champion Golfer of the Year holed a pitch for eagle at number ten to join the chase in earnest, then posted birdies at 16 and 17 to reach 17-under par. Niemann would not go yield, and a spectacular eagle of his own at the 11th hole gave enough margin (six shots) to cushion the blow of back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15. In the end, Niemann won by two over Morikawa and Young. The weight of expectations were eased for now, although talk will doubtless turn to when will he win a major for the young South American.

Korn Ferry Tour: LECOM trophy resides with a familiar face

Byeong “Ben” An featured in an article last fall on five surprising PGA Tour card losses. An was a climber for much of his career, but hit a plateau in the last four years, culminating in his assignment to the Korn Ferry Tour for rehabilitation. Most of the developmental tour stops will be thrilled to have him along, but it won’t be for long. On Sunday, An remained patient and came away with Korn Ferry tour win number one, by a single stroke.

Michael Gellerman, the 54-hole leader, contracted a case of the wilds on Sunday and tossed two doubles and three singles into the bogey column. The worst was at 18, where he stood tied with An for first place. Gellerman’s approach shot found the green, but his putter betrayed him. Four putts later, he had tumbled to a tie for 6th, all in the space of about forty feet. An knew how Gellerman felt, to a degree. His 72nd-hole bogey had given Gellerman hope.

Gellerman’s shocking finish elevated four golfers into a tie for 2nd. Among the quartet, Scott Harrington had the biggest pit in his stomach. Bogeys at 15 and 17 had dropped him from -18 to a stroke away from An. Seonghyeon Kim made a 16-spot move on day four, posting 66 to tie Harrington, Ben Griffin and MJ Daffue for the silver medal.

PGA Tour Champions: Chubb Classic sees Langer’s 43rd extra-age win

No one turns the engine like Bernhard Langer. The senior legend began the week with a 64, held onto the lead with 68 on Saturday, then withstood charges by a variety of pretenders to earn a 43rd career title on the PGA Tour Champions. Bogey at the first hole on Sunday gave hope to Robert Karlsson, Tim Petrovic, and others. The unflappable Langer regrouped and rallied his way to five birdies over the next 15 holes, to regain the lead.

During this same time period, Karlsson and Petrovic had fired and fallen back. Langer closed bogey-birdie to reach 16-under par on the week. His margin of victory over Petrovic was three shots, with Retief Goosen another shot back at -12. With this prime title, Langer moved within two trophies of Hale Irwin, the all-time leading winner on the elder circuit. Will there be a changing of the guard in 2022? We’re not betting against it.

PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Estrella del Mar welcomes journeyman to podium

Them old timers love to say how Saturday is moving day. Well, not on PGATourLA! Domingo es el día de la mudanza, according to this writer. Down Mazatlán way, a bunch of golfers made mid-60s moves on Sunday to take a run at the leaders. Overnight leaders Armando Favela and Anthony Paolucci ran out of birdies over the final 18 holes, and dropped into a tie for 6th position. The third member of the 54-hole lead club was a little more fortunate, but hold on just a minute. First, the runners-up.

Mitchell Meissner of the USA and Chile’s Cristobal del Solar posted 65 and 67, respectively, to jump up to 20-under par. They surpassed nearly everyone in the field, with Meissner moving up seven spots, versus three for del Solar. Nearly everyone, remember. At the end of day four, the same guy as Thursday stood atop the field. His name? Matt Ryan.

Ryan opened with 63 on Thursday to take a two-shot advantage. His 70 on Friday dropped him behind halfway leader Paolucci, but his Saturday 66 returned him to the top. On Sunday, Ryan was flawless over ten holes, posting seven-under to assume a healthy lead. Bogey at 11 and 14 weakened the knees just a bit, but he closed in style, making birdie at 16 to assure a three-shot win. At age 35, the victory was the lefthander’s first on a professional tour, buoying the hopes of journeymen professionals everywhere.

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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

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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