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Tour Rundown: Rose returns to winner’s circle and plenty more

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3 years ago

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It was a four-event week, as January and February shook hands. The PGA, DP World, Korn Ferry, and Asian tours celebrated tournaments from California to Panama to the Middle East.

PGA Tour: Rose wins 11th title on tour at Carmel

The world forgets how good Justin Rose was a decade ago. He won a US Open and an Olympic gold medal, and narrowly lost out on a green Augusta jacket. His last win came in 2019, just before the pandemic touched down on planet Earth. Rose has been saddle with equipment rumors, suggesting that his talent was compromised beyond his control. Whatever.

This week, Rose was the King of Carmel. He toured the Monterey peninsula like a chieftain. The Englishman was the only golfer to post four rounds in the 60s, including an ace on Friday at Spyglass Hill’s 15th hole. Rose saved his best for the weekend-plus. On Saturday-Sunday, Rose signed for a third-round 65 at Monterey Peninsula, and followed that up with a Sunday-Monday 66 at Pebble Beach.

A resurgent Brendon Todd gave Rose some chase, but his final-days 65 was just one better than Rose’s tally. Todd finished in a second-place tie with Brandon Wu, who posted a 66 of his own in the final round. Will this victory give Rose the propulsion needed to once again contend in major championships on the final nine holes? We think that he has one or two more runs in him.

DP World Tour: Gavins claims second tour title at Ras Al Khaimah

Elation for one is heartbreak for another. Zander Lombard looked to be confident, if not completely in control, of this week’s DP World Tour event in the United Arab Emirates. He opened with bogey on Sunday, but more than countered with eagle, two holes later. Something wasn’t quite right with the swing, thought, and three more bogeys sneaked in, sandwiching a birdie at seven. It added up to a plus-one on the outward half, a far cry from the stuff of 69-68-63 over the first three days.

Sensing an opening were  Sweden’s Alexander Björk and England’s Daniel Gavins. Each one leapt to the top of the leader board, with Gavins holding a one-shot advantage as the two traversed the watery 18th. Gavins struggled to a double-bogey seven, which dropped him from 19-under to 17-deep. Drive in the water, never over the land. Re-tee, makfind water again, make a bomb of a putt (26-feet) for double, to avoid triple bogey. Surely all hope was lost, he must have thought. Then came Björk, who erred too far on the side of caution. Rough to rough to green, with a chance at birdie to reach 18-under and, perhaps, steal a title. Putt from 33 feet too bold, and second putt, too askew. Three putts led to six, and second place was his.

Behind them came Lombard, with one last shot at a playoff. Two mighty strikes left him 23 feet beyond the hole, with a putt for eagle and a playoff. The putt leaked away low, to the right side, and he settled for birdie, and a tie with Björk for runner-up. Lombard’s pursuit of a first DP World Tour title marches on, while Galvin breathes deeply and accepts trophy number two.

Korn Ferry Tour: Playoff decides Panama Classic in favor of next-gen pro

It was a rough, final day at the Club de Golf de Pánama for third-round leaders Christopher Petefish and Brett Drewitt. Seeking to replicate their best rounds of the week, the pair instead struggled to equal their worst ones. Petefish fired his second 74 of the week when it mattered most, while Drewitt closed with 73. The pair dropped seven places and barely preserved top-ten finishes.

With the leading duo out of the running, space opened for a trio of surging talents to stake a claim to the title. Two of the challengers have grandfather Masters champions, while the third was a standout at Southern Methodist University. Mac Meissner began the day at one-under par, posted 68, and moved to three-under on the week. Sam Saunders, grandson of four-time Masters winner Arnold Palmer, started Sunday at even par, but posted three-under to join Meissner atop the list. Finally, Pierceson Coody, grandson of 1971 Masters titlehlder Charles Coody, signed for the low round of the day (66) to move from one-over to, you guessed it, three-deep.

The trio went off to a playoff hole, and the overtime session was brief. Coody struck with a birdie at the par-four closing hole to dispatch his foes. Coody’s approach to the hole released some twenty feet, finishing within a foot of the hole. The victory was his second on the Korn Ferry Tour, and situated him well for promotion to the PGA Tour in the near future.

Asian Tour: Ancer holds off Young for PIFSI title

The Asian Tour will spend its first three, calendar weeks of 2023 in the Middle East, before venturing east to New Zealand. This week, the tour was at the Royal Greens Club, and it turned quickly into a two-man battle. Abraham Ancer began the week with 63, while Cameron Young was close behind, at 65, When Young posted another 65 on day two, he inched closer to Ancer, who gave up little ground with 66. They reversed once again on Saturday, with 64 for Ancer and another 65 for Young. By this stage, no one was within five shots of second, so only a 59 on Sunday would overtake both leaders.

Ancer made three birdies and a bogey on day-four’s outward nine, while Young crept close with four birds and a bogey. For all the world, there was no telling who would outpace the other, with a single shot separating them, with nine holes to play. Ancer did the unthinkable: nine consecutive pars, to close with 68 and 19-under par. Could it be good enough? It seemed that way, when Young went bogey-par-double, from the 13th to the 15th holes. Four in arrears, Young never gave up. He made birdie at 16 and 18 to pull back to two shots, but Ancer never wavered, and earned a first title in 2023.

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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

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

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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WITB

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