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Morning 9: Svensson breaks through I Pelley on OWGR | Player calls for LIV truce

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3 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco and Matthew Vincenzi.
November 21, 2022

Good Monday morning, golf fans, following an exciting weekend of golf action across all tours.

1 Rahm wins, Rory takes top spot

AP report…”Rory McIlroy finished the year as Europe’s top-ranked golfer for the fourth time – and first since 2015 – despite Jon Rahm winning the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday.”

  • “The Spaniard’s two-shot victory over England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Sweden’s Alex Noren was his third in six years at Jumeirah Golf Estates.”
  • “But McIlroy finished the season top of the DP World rankings after Matt Fitzpatrick, his only rival for the Harry Vardon Trophy, was not able to get the job done.”
  • “The U.S. Open champion needed to win and McIlroy to not finish runner-up, or to finish second and the Northern Irishman to be outside the top seven.”
Full piece.

2. PGA Tour: Svensson breaks through

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard…”The 28-year-old Canadian shot a 6-under 64 on Sunday at Sea Island’s Seaside Course to hold off Callum Tarren, Sahith Theegala and Brian Harman to win for the first time on Tour at 19 under. Svensson went bogey free in the final round and made four birdies on his back nine, including two in a row on Nos. 16 and 17 to take a two-shot lead to the 18th tee.”
Full piece.

3. Ko wins CME Group Tour Championship, $2 million

NZ Herald report…”Lydia Ko never won more in one day than on Sunday in the CME Group Tour Championship, where she claimed the richest prize in women’s golf at US$2 million with a victory that allowed her to win LPGA player of the year.”

  • “Ko outlasted Leona Maguire of Ireland in the final round, seizing control with a seven-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole and closing with two-under 70 for a two-shot victory.”
  • “…The 25-year-old Kiwi won her 19th LPGA title and third of the year to win the US$2m (NZ$3.25m) prize – the largest first place prize in the history of women’s sport.”
Full piece.

4. CME Group CEO ‘exceptionally disappointed’ with LPGA leadership

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”Former U.S. presidents, secretaries of state and business tycoons have presented at CME’s conference, and for Tuesday night’s dinner, the firm typically invites a select number of players to attend. Earlier this week, when Duffy asked for the houselights to be turned on so that he could applaud the players in the room, the only people standing were those serving the tables.”

  • “Not a single player showed up.”
  • “It’s an embarrassment to a company of my size and an embarrassment to me personally,” said Duffy, two days after the event.
  • “Duffy’s beef isn’t with the players, though — it’s with who’s at the helm.”
  • “I am exceptionally disappointed with the leadership of the LPGA,” he continued. “They better get their act together because they’re going to lose people like me over stuff like this.”
Full piece.

5. Love III: LIV must stop hostile takeover

Alan Bastable for Golf…“On Wednesday, at the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic in Sea Island, Ga., Love was asked about whether he, too, thought it was time for Norman to step down.”

  • “I don’t know how to answer to that,” Love said. “Again, if they say, Hey, maybe we made a mistake and maybe we should drop a lawsuit and maybe we should quit stealing your players, then we might want to talk to them, but I don’t think that’s their model.”
  • “Love was referring to LIV’s antitrust suit in which it is seeking “punitive damages against the PGA Tour for its tortious interference with LIV Golf’s prospective business relationships.” As for the players LIV has lured away, they have come from all walks of the game.”
Full piece.

6. Captian Zach “No drama” Johnson

Garry Smits, Florida Times-Union…“I love it all,” said Johnson, who has lived on St. Simons Island since 2006. “Anything to do with the Cup, I love it.”

  • “And the captain also has an important job, especially in recent years: make sure the preparation and attending to detail is so exhaustive that the 12-man team can show up that week and focus on golf — and hopefully keep any soap operas to a minimum.”
  • “I’m a guy that I can’t stand drama, so it’s going to be my goal to avoid that,” Johnson said during a news conference Wednesday at the Sea Island Club, the site of this week’s RSM Classic. “It’s not always easy, it’s not always practical, it’s not always going to happen. That’s No. 1. No. 2 would be I just want to give the guys the ability to enter the most uncomfortable week in a very comfortable manner.”
Full piece.

7. Player calls for truce

Jamie Hall for Bunkered…”Gary Player launched an impassioned plea for peace between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour as he insisted: “Golf is too good.”

  • Speaking to IOL Sport at the Gary and Vivienne Player Invitational, he said: “In regards to LIV Golf, I have no objection with people going and playing the LIV tour.
  • “I think it’s lovely to give people the opportunity to make some money when they can’t play anymore – most of them. They’re going out there with a new lease of life.
  • “Golf gave us our dream to start the tour and play. We should have respect across the board.
  • “We have to have respect for each other and go on with our lives. But if you play the LIV tour, don’t expect to play and have all the facilities of the regular tour. They’re two different tours.
Full piece.

8. Pelley weighs in on OWGR debate

Golf Monthly’s Matt Craddock….”Speaking to Nick Dougherty, European Tour CEO, Keith Pelley, covered an array of topics, with the Canadian clarifying the decision to change the Official World Golf Ranking System.

  • “Now, speaking at the season-ending tournament at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Pelley has explained that: “I think there was a long study with four independent research universities that did the study on the OWGR and they came to the conclusion, all four of them did, that the rankings didn’t reflect the actual performance of the players worldwide.”
  • “He added that “as a result, we implemented a new system but, like with any new system, in regardless of what aspect of business you’re in, you evaluate, you modify, you tweak and, at the next board meeting, we’ll have those conversations.”
  • “I talked to both Rory and Jon and, although they have different opinions, we’ll bring both those opinions to the board of the OWGR In our next meeting.”
Full piece.

9. Winning WITB: Adam Svensson
Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond S

Shaft: LA Golf prototype

3-wood: Callaway Rogue ST (15 degrees)

Hybrid: Callaway Apex (18 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 100 6.5

Irons: Callaway X Forged CB (4), Callaway Apex MB (5-9)

Shafts: Project X HZRDUS (4), Project X 6.5 (5-9)

Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5 (46, 52, 56, 60)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design Palm Beach

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Full WITB.
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Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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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

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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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