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2022 Curtis Cup: Complete day two coverage

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If statistics are your thing, chew on these numbers. The sum total of the world rankings for Team GBI equals 344. Team USA checks in at 164, including the 1st and 4th-ranked players in Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck. On the surface, that looks fairly lopsided.

If you believe that statistics have much, if anything to do with golf, you’re probably incorrect. Team golf is all about cooperation, cohesion, and collaboration. No shot is more important than any other, although they seem that way to the casual fan. There are no quitters on either team, so even as a pairing is losing holes, they are grinding hard. Keep that in mind when you watch them go at it on Sunday morning.

Morning Session

Day two of the 2022 Curtis Cup matches began with cloudy skies and the occasional sunburst. Sitting out the morning fourballs for Team USA were the Stanford teammates Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck. Taking the wee hours off for Team GBI were Amelia Williamson and Emily Price. The par-four, seventh and tenth holes were pushed up to inside 300 yards, tempting golfers to have a go at the green in one. Around 11:30, a drizzle began and the tone of the morning golf changed just slightly. It might have coincided with the arrival of the matches at the grueling final five. Away went the myth that golfers from the British Isles thrive in weathery conditions, and away went an opportunity to close the five-point deficit accrued on day one.

Lauren Walsh of Team GBI rips an approach into the fifth green during Saturday morning fourball play.

No partnership has played better thus far, than did Lauren Walsh and Caley McGinty of Team GBI. The pair opened with a win at the first, snatched four consecutive holes from six through nine, then closed with three consecutive wins at 12 through 14. Their margin of victory was 5 & 4, the largest winning gap so far. Their shared recipe was precisely what has been missing from GBI golf so far: birdies. The duo won six of their eight holes with birdie. Walsh and McGinty will team up again in the afternoon, and will need to reprise their magic to bring the visiting side back into the match.

Amari Avery of Team USA lets fly with her driver on the fifth tee during Saturday morning play.

It would be impossible to say which of the two later matches gutted the side from across the Atlantic more. Hannah Darling and Annabel Fuller won but two holes on the morning, againsf four by their opponents. A member of the volunteer brigade was heard to later exclaim Great Britain and Ireland played so well. I really have no idea how they lost. Well, how they lost was on the putting surfaces, and due to a dearth of birdies. Just four shots were saved by the team, and short putts were missed at the least opportune times. In hindsight, one always notes that the victors came through when needed. Darling and Fuller were unable to lean on each other to pull this one out. They’ll get a second chance in the afternoon’s foursomes play.

Latanna Stone of Team USA follows her approach into the par-four eighth hole during Saturday morning matches.

Imagine having a two-up lead with three holes to play. If you can, then you know how Charlotte Heath and Louise Duncan felt as they reached the 16th tee on Saturday morning. Imagine being down by those two holes, but having the faith that you and your partner could come back. That’s the state in which Emilia Migliaccio and Latanna Stone found themselves. Over the course of the first 15 holes, the GBI pair had just enough of an edge to stay out front. When they made a wonderful birdie at the demanding 15th, that three seemed like a dagger to the sould of the American side. Except that it wasn’t.

Over the next three holes, the pair from Great Britain and Ireland would forget how to play their game. They would close with two pars and four bogeys, and lose each of the remaining holes. The hosts made a must-have birdie at the quarry 16th, followed it with a par that seemed like a birdie at the daunting 17th, then made one last par at the last of the quarry holes, to seize the match in unpredicatable and unimaginable fashion.

With those two victories, Team USA expanded its advantage from four to five points, with three afternoon foursomes matches still to come.

Afternoon Session

Sitting out the afternoon foursomes for the visiting team from Great Britain and Ireland were Charlotte Heath and Louise Duncan. Emilia Migliaccio and Megha Ganne took a breather for Team USA. Out first for GBI were the winning team from the morning, Lauren Walsh and Caley McGinty. Their task was to take down the Stanford duo of Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck. Next up would be Amelia Williamson and Emily Price from across the Atlantic, while the home squad offered up Amari Avery and Rachel Kuehn. The final clash would see visitors Hannah Darling and Annabell Fuller pitted against Latanna Stone and Jensen Castle. On the line were three important points, in advance of eight matches on a stormy Sunday morning.

Rachel Heck snuggles a wedge close on the 13th. The birdie would begin the duo’s resurgence.

If you take a careful look at the scorecard from this match, examine the first seven holes for Team GBI and the final seven for Team USA. They are nearly mirror images. GBI won four of the first seven holes, while USA won four of the last seven. The middle segment of five fairways saw each side win two holes. Beyond that, there isn’t much to report. Four of the most talented female amateurs met in competition, and ended up dead even in the end. No lead is ever safe, and no deficit, insurmountable. Team golf, especially foursomes (aka alternate shot) is the polar opposite of individual play, and what it requires is foreign to most of us.

Rachel Kuehn approaches the 16th green. Partner Amari Avery would bury the birdie putt for Team USA.

Amari Avery may be a Curtis Cup rookie, but she doesn’t play like one. She is a singles win away from going five and oh in her match debut. Don’t worry, it isn’t a jinx if she brought it up, and she did just that, in the interview room. Avery deflected the significance of her individual performance, insisting that it’s all about the team; nothing more, nothing less. Avery paired with Rachel Kuehn for the second consecutive day. In each match, the pair saved its best golf for the closing stretch. On Friday, they won three of their final five holes, for a 3 & 2 victory. On Saturday, the won three of the closing four, coming out on top by 2 holes.

Hannah Darling unloads a bomb from the 15th tee for Team GBI.

The team of Darling and Fuller was a curious selection. Rumors abounded that Darling was not slated to play in the afternoon match, but that something had happened to a teammate, that necessitated her subbing in. This turned out to be a great move. Darling’s length often set teammate Fuller up for an easier approach. Late in the game, Darling buried a ten-feet putt on the 17th green for par, clinching a very necessary, full point for her side. It was the first time in four sessions that the visitors had halved the three points, and it was the first points for both Darling and Fuller.

Sunday’s weather forecast is yucky, with moments of ick. Thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day. If it were just rain, the golfers would play on. With electricity in the air, everything changes. To have a chance at completing the singles matches, organizers have moved the first tee time up from mid afternoon to 7:30 am. Keep your fingers crossed and do your weather dance. Merion will need it.

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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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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Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

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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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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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