News

Morning 9: Tiger to compete in The Match | Guaranteed money on DP World Tour | Nantz targets 51 Masters

Published

3 years ago

Nov 4, 2022

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com.

November 4, 2022

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as Will Taylor leads in Mayakoba after an opening round of 62.

1. Next installment of The Match on tap

Joel Beall for Golf Digest…“Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will face Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the latest iteration of “The Match,” sources have told Golf Digest. The news was first reported by The Fried Egg.”

“The four superstars committed to the exhibition series, which will be held for the seventh time and second in 2022 after a duel between NFL quarterbacks was contested in June. The Match will be held Dec. 10 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. It is expected to start at 7 p.m. under the lights, with the match going 12 holes.”

Full piece.

2. Strong start for Scottie

Adam Stanley for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler is coming off a magical TOUR campaign, and through the first round of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, he’s re-kindled a little bit of Mexican magic from a year ago.”

“Scheffler, who finished fourth at Mayakoba last season, opened this year’s edition with a bogey-free 65. He was tied for fifth when Thursday’s morning wave finished at El Camaleón Golf Course. Will Gordon shot a 9-under 62 to take the early lead.”

“Solid golf. A clean card’s really nice,” said Scheffler, who made three birdies apiece on his front and back nine.

“An early stretch was key for Scheffler’s round. He scrambled for par on the third hole, knocking his approach to a few feet after taking a penalty drop, then followed that with a tee shot on the par-3 fourth to gimmie range.”

Full piece.

3. Guaranteed money coming to the DP World Tour

James Corrigan for The Telegraph…”LIV’s promise to change big-time male golf forever has been granted yet more substance by the DP World Tour’s decision to award guaranteed money to its players for the first time in the European circuit’s history.”

“Wentworth has emulated the PGA Tour’s response to the Saudi-funded breakaway league by introducing a scheme from next season that will see card-carrying golfers assured of a minimum $150,000 [£135,000] so long as they appear in at least 15 events.”

“The payment is not nearly at the level of the PGA Tour – which guarantees a minimum of $500,000 – or indeed of LIV Golf – that features the last-placed player in their 48-man events picking up $120,000 out of a $405million combined prize fund – but it is a significant move regardless.”

Full piece.

4. Toto Japan Classic

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”Ai Suzuki won the last co-sanctioned edition of the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic in 2019 but did not take LPGA membership. This week, she co-leads with compatriot Momoko Ueda after an opening 7-under 65. Ueda won this event in 2007 and 2011. Japanese players occupy the top five positions on the leaderboard at Seta Golf Course.”

Full piece.

5. Hovland’s three-peat pursuit

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”The 25-year-old Norwegian opened up his three-peat bid at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba with a 6-under 65 and sits T-8, three shots off the lead.”

“I think the last two years I’ve started 4 and 5 under, so even improved on that,” Hovland said after Thursday’s round.”

“If Hovland can keep the good vibes going South of the Border and emerge victorious on Sunday, he’ll be the first to three-peat at a Tour event since Steve Stricker at the 2011 John Deere Classic.”

Full piece.

6. QBE Shootout

Via the Golf Channel Digital Team…”The QBE Shootout is set to return on Dec. 7-11 and once again boasts an illustrious field.For the first time in its 22-year history, the field will include two LPGA players — Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda. Korda will make her debut in the event, while Thompson will return to Tiburon Golf Club for the sixth time.”

“The 24-player field will also feature six of the world’s top 30 and ten of the top 50 ranked male players. Those players include Billy Horschel, PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Cameron Young, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, Corey Conners, Tom Hoge, K.H. Lee, Brian Harman and Harris English.”

Full piece.

7. Nantz targeting 51 Masters calls

Golfweek’s Todd Kelly…”So does the voice of the Masters have an idea when he’ll make his last drive down Magnolia Lane to cover that event for CBS Sports?”

“The Masters, I would like to do it 51 times, as bizarre as that sounds,” he said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday. “My 51st Masters would be the 100th playing of the Masters. And, I’d like to be there to see the end of the first century. That’s just a little goal that I have in the back of my head.

“I’m through 37 right now, so 14 to go, hopefully.”

Full piece.

8. Chasing $442K

Ben Everill for PGATour.com…“A single New York bettor stands to profit as much as $442,000 if one of his notable longshot wagers pays off at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.”

“While the field in Mexico boasts the likes of world No.2 Scottie Scheffler (+900), three-peat seeker Viktor Hovland (+1100) and two-time major winner Collin Morikawa (+1600), it is a quintet of players further down the board that has one New Yorker excited ahead of Thursday’s opening round at El Camaleon Golf Club.”

“Five separate bets of $2,000 have been placed at the BetMGM Sportsbook on Tom Hoge, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Yu, Brandon Wu and Danny Lee to win the tournament.”

“A Hoge victory would win $60,000 while a Kuchar victory would bring $100,000. A Yu win nets $180,000 and a Wu trophy-earning week would bring a $200,000 payday. If New Zealand’s Lee wins the return would be $450,000. The $8,000 outlay on the other players would need to be deducted from any win.”

Full Piece.

9. Nothing to do but golf for NFL Hall of Famer

Craig Dolch for The Palm Beach Post…”At 63, Lawrence Taylor still knows how to deliver a shot.”

“On Wednesday, he was hitting golf balls instead of quarterbacks.”

“The NFL Hall of Fame outside linebacker played in the TimberTech Championship’s PNK DRV Pro-Am at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club.”

“I play golf almost every day,” he said. “I’m retired. There’s nothing else for me to do but play golf.”

“Taylor said he plays to a handicap of 5, but admits his best days on the course are in the past. That’s because he now feels like some of the quarterbacks he leveled over the years.”

“I used to be really good,” Taylor said of his golf game. “I just can’t practice like I used to. Everything hurts when I swing.”

Full Piece.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

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.

Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.

We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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.

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

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)