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Tour Rundown: Homa coming into his owna

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3 years ago

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For the first time in forever, spring took hold of all of the USA this week. There were storms, but those storms all brought rain, and not snow. They disrupted play a bit, but the skills of the golfers who inhabit the world’s professional tours shined through. A Charlotte-based event traveled to Maryland for a year, allowing Quail Hollow to prepare to host the 2022 Presidents Cup in the fall. Elsewhere, the DP World Tour stopped in England at a former Ryder Cup host site, while the Korn Ferry and Champions tours visited the American southeast. Finally, the Asian Tour visited Korea, in between stops in Thailand and Japan. Those five tournaments have our attention this week in Tour Rundown for the first full weekend in May.

PGA Tour: Homa coming into his owna

Many folks, including this writer, felt that Max Homa the social media comet was holding back Max Homa the golfer. It’s no coincidence that the curtailing of his Twitter interaction has yielded an improved focus on his competitive game. The results speak for themselves.

On Sunday in Maryland, Homa reached three-under on the day through ten holes, passing overnight leader Keegan Bradley. Although Matt Fitzpatrick (67) and Cameron Young (66) would close fast, the best that they could do was reach six-under par. They joined Bradley in a tie for second, two back of Homa. Bradley made a late birdie to trim the lead to one shot, but could not make additional inroads.

The champion made a bogey at the 16th hole, decreasing his lead to a pair of shots. Homa was able to navigate the last two holes at Avenel in pars, preserving his two-shot advantage. The victory brought a 14-place improvement in the FedEx Cup standings, and pushed the California Kid into the conversation of is he major worthy?

Korn Ferry Tour: Grant gets his guitar in Tennessee

Brent Grant won himself a guitar in Nashville this weekend, courtesy of Brandt Snedeker. He did it along the most imaginative road map possible. On the week, he was the only golfer to play all four rounds in the 60s. In the life preparation leading up to the win, he qualified for a team USGA event by himself, and bounced between three colleges before finally deciding to play professional golf.

The Simmons Bank was tight all week long. Overnight leader Kevin Yu didn’t play poorly in the final round, but he failed to make the birdies that rounds one through three had seen. Yu made birdie at the 16th, to pull within one. He was unable to make another at the par-five closer. Meanwhile, Grant had nearly putted off the green into the water, but caught enough of the hole to seal his victory with a two-putt birdie at the last.

PGA Tour Champions: Flesch all over the place in Mitsubishi win

Steve Flesch had nine birdies on the final day in Georgia. He had consecutive bogeys at eight and nine. If that round wasn’t odd enough, imagine his day-two difficulties. Five bogeys and just four birdies dropped him well off the pace, making victory seem elusive. Second-round leader David Toms had a bit of a struggle on Sunday, and it opened the door for Flesch and others.

Padraig Harrington nearly stole the tournament from everyone in the top ten. The Irishman moved up from 13th position to 2nd with a blessed 64. He had nine birdies overall, including six on the back. That challenging ninth, one that Flesch also bogeyed, was all that kept Harrington from a 63, a perfect card, and a tie at the top.

Toms began well on Sunday, with birdie on three of his first four holes. From the fifth on, he played one-over par golf. One-under would have won the tournament outright. As it was, Toms tied for second with Harrington and Fred Couples, who closed with 66.

DP World Tour: British Masters is Olesen’s first in a few

Thorbjørn Olesen had competed for the European side in Ryder Cup, but that exposure seemed a lifetime ago. After a few years filled with distractions, the Dane returned to contention with a vengeance. Despite a final-round 73 at The Belfry, Olesen held off Sebastian Soderberg of Sweden by a single stroke. It was his sixth European DP World Tour title, and first since 2018 in Italy.

When everything seemed lost, when Soderberg appeared to be the winner, Olesen closed eagle-birdie for the second consecutive day, to steal the trophy outright. To that point, five bogeys and a birdie on the day seemed to resign the Dane to a top-five finish at best. As Soderberg was playing the closing pair in even-par figures, Olesen made up three strokes to become an unlikely winner.

Asian Tour: Bio Kim also returns with a vengeance

Bio Kim had his own hiatus from golf to consider. Banned from the Asian Tour for two years, thanks to an unfortunate salute, the Korean golfer won his first tour title in Korea, and moved to second on the season-long money list. After opening with rounds of 67-68-68, Kim struggle a bit on day four. His 72 was ultimately good enough for a two-shot win over countryman Mingyu Cho. Kyongjun Moon had the day’s biggest move, posting 67 to finish three back of Kim, in third place.

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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

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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

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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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