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Tour Rundown: 4 continents, 4 clutch finishes

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3 years ago

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That big game notwithstanding, there was plenty of stellar athleticism on display this past week, and most of it took place on golf courses around the world. The Korn Ferry Tour continued its South American swing in Colombia, while the PGA Tour played one of the tour’s favorites in Scottsdale, Arizona. DP World Tour stars gathered in Singapore, while Morocco played the part of PGA Tour Champions host. Four continents, four clutch finishes. Let’s rev up and run down this week’s action on Tour Rundown. Nothing like an ace from Rickie Fowler to raise the roof.

PGA Tour: Phoenix Open belongs to Scheffler for second consecutive year

Scottie Scheffler, the reigning Masters champion, is now a two-time winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In 2022, he was forced to extra holes by Patrick Cantlay. In 2023, Scheffler held off Canada’s Nick Taylor by two shots, to win his fifth tour title. Scheffler’s first career win (it seems impossible to believe) came one year ago at the same tournament. On Sunday this year, the defending champ turned in an immaculate card, etching four birdies and an eagle against zero bogies. Taylor did his best to track Scheffler down, posting seven birdies of his own over the final 18 holes. A bogey at the Colosseum, TPC Scottsdale’s vaunted 16th hole, was Taylor’s undoing. He had no strokes to spare on this day, and that bogey was enough to preserve Scheffler’s lead. In the end, the UTexas star posted 19-under par, to edge Taylor by a pair of shots. Jon Rahm finished solo third, three more back at 14-under par.

DP World Tour: Straydom snares Singapore Classic with marvelous bumper

Ockie (rhymes with smokey) Strydom and Sami Välimäki raced through the open Sunday door, and made a memorable round on Sunday at Laguna National. Saturday’s leaders were ill-prepared to do battle on day four, so the challengers from South Africa and Finland, respectively, decided to answer the call. Välimäki must have felt like a champion this day, posting six-under through ten, and balancing one bogey and one birdie the rest of the way. He was forced to step aside when Strydom zipped past with nine birdies on the day, for 63 and a one-shot advantage, at 19-under par.

Left to wonder what might have been were overnight co-leaders Jeunghun Wang and Alejandro del Rey. Each posted 71 over the final 18 holes, and each was four shots adrift from the pole position. Joining them in third position was Germany’s Marcel Schneider, whose eagle at the last moved him onto the podium. The tour moves along to Thailand this week, for that country’s Classic.

Korn Ferry Tour: Astara Golf Championship welcomes Gibson as champion

Australia’s Rhein Gibson has toiled on the Korn Ferry Tour for a number of seasons. He tasted victory in 2019 in South Carolina, then endured a wait of over 1300 days before arriving at win number two. Gibson did it in style, smoking the Country Club of Bogota’s Lagos course with 64 on the final day. Gibson moved up from second to first, leaving third-round leader Kris Ventura (71) and Kevin Dougherty (68) in his wake.

Gibson is no stranger to going low when it matters. In 2012, Gibson posted 55 on a course in Oklahoma, setting a Guinness world record. On tour, it hasn’t been quite so effortless, but the Aussie took advantage of favorable conditions and completed a four-shot win with his second eagle of the day, at the par-five finishing hole. The KFT goes on an extended, six-week break, before resuming matters in Savannah, Georgia, on March 23rd.

PGA Tour Champions: Trophy Hassan II now has a place with Ames

It’s rare that 18 pars happen in one round, let alone merit a shot at victory. Stephen Ames stood nine-under par after two rounds in Morocco, and held a three-shot advantage over Mark Hensby. Surely Hensby should have seized the opportunity to make some birdies on Rabat’s five par-five holes, to put a scare in Ames. Instead, quite the opposite happened. Hensby made double and single bogey at the 13th and 14th holes, dropping five shots off the pace. He ultimately finished in solo second, but was left to wonder what might have been.

The win was Ames’ third on the PGATC, and his first in two years. The Tour Champions touches down in Florida this week, for the Chubb Classic. Defending champion Bernhard Langer will again try to tie Hale Irwin for the all-time wins total on the Champions Tour.

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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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