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Tour Rundown: Finau claims consecutive wins | Stunning 62 lifts Furue to title

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3 years ago

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The big news in a short week came from…well, let’s explain short week first. Three major tours were in action this week, with linksland golf in Dundonald, heathland golf in St Andrews, and good, old Scottish transplant golf in Detroit. The LPGA/Ladies European Tour joined forces at the Scottish Open, while the DP World Tour played at the Fairmont above St. Andrews linksland. Finally, the US PGA tour returend to the Detroit Golf Club, designed by Dornoch native Donald Ross.

In anticipated news (aka, this morning) Luke Donald’s concomitant sincerity has pushed him to the top of the selection list to replace the former captain of the European Ryder Cup squad. A formal announcement should come while you are reading this Tour Rundown. As an added bonus, we have a report from the USGA boys National Junior for a pair of reasons. We shall detail those at the end of this Tour Rundown installment

PGA Tour: Finau claims consecutive wins with heliacal performance

If Tony Finau had a better sense of timing, he’d have turned in a unique straight over the course of four rounds in Detroit, Rock City. Finau posted 64-66-65-67 in Motown to shuffle to a five-shot win. Roundmate Taylor Pendrith of Canada had a shot at the straight, standing even with Finau after 64-65-66 of his own. Unfortunately for Pendrith, Sunday brought three birdies, three bogies, and twelve pars. He tumbled a bit to a tie with Cameron Young and Patrick Cantlay for second position.

When things that for so long were obscured, become obvious, we wonder how we never noticed them before. Such is the case with Finau’s penchant for winning golf tournaments. Despite appearances on Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup sides for Team USA, Finau’s first win came in 2016. It would be half a decade before he won again, in 2021. Now he has won in consecutive weeks, and we wonder if he will run the table on 2021-2022.

On Sunday, Finau had three birdies in the first ten holes, to expel Pendrith from the equation and set his sights on the finish line. A bogey at eleven gave him pause, but he regrouped and added three more stroke-savers over the concluding stretch. Cantlay juped up three slots with his 66 and Young moved up from third with his own 67. The week and the day, however, belonged to the man from Utah. Time to Dougie.

LPGA/Ladies European Tour: Stunning 62 lifts Furue to title

We are fortunate to witness rounds of brilliance on a few occasions each calendar season. When they take place on the final day, their magic is more palpable and obvious than on other days. Ayaka Furue of Japan had never won on the big stage prior to this week. After opening with rounds of 69-68-68, she sat four shots behind a confident Celine Boutier, who looked like nothing less than a winner after 65-69-67 of her own.

Then came Sunday, a day that changed Furue’s career arc. Ten birdies outnumbered eight pars on her card, and the she calmly shot past all challengers to summit the leader board. This ataraxy was evident throughout her course tour, as Furue ran off consecutive birdies at six holes to round the turn. She closed with three in her final four holes to clip Boutier by three shots.

The French golfers was left to wonder what more she might have done. Her 69 was a solid score from the lead, and left groupmate Lydia Ko (71) in the dust. Alas, such are the whims of the gods of golf. On to Muirfield, where the venerable links will host the women’s British Open for the first time.

DP World Tour: Crocker a hero at Hero Open

As if the Furue and Finau shows weren’t compelling enough, we present the following bit of evidence to the jury. Consider a Zimbabwean-turned-Californian named Sean Crocker. After a collegiate career at USC (the Cali version) Crocker embarked on a professional career. He has never played the US PGA tour, preferring to ply his trade overseas. For five seasons, the worldy linksman learned the ways of the tours, until a glorious Sunday in July, in St. Andrews.

No, not Cameron Smith. He’s Australian. Zimbabwe, we said. Crocker took a lead into the final round of the HERO open in St. Andrews, and showed grit and guile as he posted 68 on day four. Crocker placed five birdies against a solitary bogey in the final round, then held his breath as the ebullient Eddie Pepperell, a massive voice of humor and reason, nearly chased him down.

The resurgent Pepperell signed for 65 after eight birdies of his own. Did the ninth-hole bogey cost him? Mathematically, yes. Logically, no. Pepperell was nowhere close at the day’s dawn, but blitzed his way into contention, and nearly to the apex. This story, however, is about Crocker, and it’s about time that he claimed a victory of his own. With a gutsy, six-feet putt at the last, Crocker made it happen.

USGA: Ding holds off Surratt to claim USGA title for China

How big of a lead is enough, is a question often posed to average golfers. Could you achieve victory on tour with a 15-shot advantage. The answer is always “No,” because average golfers are average in every capacity. Wenyi Ding is not an average golfer. He is quite talented. We know this because he reached the final of the boys junior championship at Bandon Dunes. Ding face off against Caleb Surratt, a south Charlotte golfer who had enjoyed an excellent run of championship golf in 2022. The final promised to be epic, and it was.

Ding was down by two after three holes, but clawed back to take a three-hole lead into the midway lunch of the planned 36-hole final. After ten holes of the afternoon session, oddsmakers would have laid against the match reaching the twelfth tee. Ding added five holes to his lead, and stood dormie-eight as the pair reached the 11th tee.

Surratt was not finished. He won one-two-three-four-five holes in succession, to chop the legs out from under Ding. With so much momentum on his side, the recovery seemed plausible and achievable. Alas, it was not to be. Neither Surratt nor Ding provided any sparks on the 33rd hole of the day, and when they halved in par fours, the week, day, and match were finished. Ding had become the first male golfer from China to secure a USGA title.

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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

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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