News

2023 PGA Championship preview: The “other” WNY club that hosted the PGA

Published

2 years ago

Apr 20, 2023

In 1980 at Rochester’s Oak Hill Country Club, Jack Nicklaus claimed his fifth PGA Championship. 23 years after, Shaun Micheel laced a brilliant 7-iron into the 18th hole to fend off a Chad Campbell challenge to Oak Hill’s second PGA hosting. 10 years further on, Jason Dufner confirmed for the world what it had long suspected and anticipated: that he had what it took to hoist a major event trophy. The third Wannamaker trophy to be awarded at the upstate New York club, was lifted by Dufner.

Would you be surprised if I told you that another PGA Championship had taken place in western New York? That it was held 73 miles to the west, 46 years prior to #JackIsBack. And, most important, it was decided on the club’s second green, which turned out to be the 38th hole of the day. If so, pick up your jaw and settle in, because I have a story for you.

1934 PGA Championship Promotional Poster

The Park Country Club of Buffalo was founded in 1903, in what is now Delaware Park, a Buffalo Olmsted Park. The club decided to move east as the city continued to grow, settling in at a bucolic tract along Sheridan Dr. in Williamsville. Clifford Wendehack designed one of his most notable clubhouses there, and Charles Alison was entrusted with the laying out of the golf course. Seven years after it opened, the Park Club’s Williamsville Course was entrusted to host one of the game’s great championships.

In 1934, the PGA Championship was decided at match play. The tournament began on Tuesday, July 24th, and the field was reduced to the top 31 qualifiers, plus the defending champion, Gene Sarazen. Sarazen had won the year before at the Seth Raynor-designed Blue Mound Country Club in Wisconsin. 114 golfers attempted to qualify via 36 holes of single-day, onsite qualifying. Bob Crowley of Massachusetts was the medalist, and Paul Runyan set the course record in the afternoon, with a 6-under 66. 10 players tied for the final eight spots in match play, and they met at 8 p.m., as the sun was setting, to determine who would advance.

1934 PGA Championship Program Cover

Beginning on Wednesday, all matches would reach 36 holes, unless the fates decided that a player was unable to overcome his opponent’s advantage. That first day saw one match exceed the mandated 36 holes, and one other match reach the 35th hole. The largest margin of victory was by 12 & 10, with Ky Laffoon of Arkansas coming out on top.

Day two of match play saw the defending champion exit at the hands of Al Watrous. The second day of match play saw a decidedly more-balanced set of competitions, with all matches reaching at least the 33rd green. Moving into the quarterfinals were Watrous, Craig Wood, “Lighthorse” Harry Cooper, Densmore Shute, Al Houghton, Dick Metz, Gene Kunes, and Bob Crowley. Of the remaining golfers, Paul Runyan figured into two interesting storylines. He was one of the hottest golfers on tour, with five titles to his name thus far that year. In addition, he had been Craig Wood’s student when he served as his assistant pro at Forest Hills Country Club.

Competitors on the practice putting green

Day three saw four golfers win their way into the semifinals. Al Watrous lost to Craig Wood by 2 & 1. Watrous would come close over the years, but would never win a major championship. Wood was a year away from being victimized by the shot heard ’round the world, Gene Sarazen’s electrifying 4-wood for double eagle at the Masters. The Lake Placid pro, Wood, received Densmore Shute as his semifinal-round opponent. Shute had won The Open in 1933 and would win a pair of PGA Championships in 1936 and 1937. At Park, he would lose to Wood by a 2 & 1 margin. The other semifinal pitted “Little Poison,” Paul Runyan, against Gene Kunes. Runyan would close Kunes out on the 16th green, by 4 & 2. Thus was the final match set, with the teacher and the student paired in combat.

The final match was a see-saw affair, with Wood taking a lead after the morning 18, only to see Runyan rally in the afternoon to square the match. Wood went back in front at the 11th hole of the afternoon 18, but Runyan won two of the next four holes to seize an advantage. At the uphill 17th, Wood nearly holed for two, but his three was enough to square the match. Nervy par putts from a dozen feet from both golfers sent the match to extra holes.

1934 PGA Championship winner Paul Runyan (left) receives Wannamaker trophy

Bob Morber, a long-time member of the Park Club, recalls a 1998 visit at the club with Paul Runyan, in which the eventual champion recounted how the bridge over Ellicott Creek was reserved for the competitors, and the gallery had to splash through the waters to follow the playoff. Both golfers made birdie at the par-5 1st hole, with Wood missing an eight-foot putt for eagle and the win. At the 38th hole of the day, Wood made a mess of things, eventually missing from 12 feet for par. Runyan made a birdie and became the 17th winner of the PGA Championship.

During his visit to the Park Club, Runyan also recalled how open the course was. As he reached the 14th tee, he asked when the trees went up along the left edge of the fairway. What had once been an open tee shot, was now compelled to go right, then back left. During the 2010s, Park Club undertook a restorative project with Ian Andrew as lead architect. Unnecessary trees were removed, sightlines were restored, and the course was returned to the strategic layout that Charles Alison had envisioned.

1934 PGA Championship final-match gallery around 18th green

Today, the Park Club continues to offer one of the finest challenges in western New York. The clubhouse underwent an expansion, and the new grill room was named in honor of the 1934 PGA Champion. The Runyan Room is bedecked with artifacts from that tournament, including photos, programs, and tickets. One of the photographs features Runyan and Morber in 1998, on the 18th green. It was taken moments after Runyan holed a massive putt from the back fringe to a front hole location, something that no one but a champion can muster.

Next month, the PGA of America will return to Oak Hill’s East course for its fourth PGA Championship at the storied Rochester layout. This writer will spend more than a moment recalling an event played nearly 90 years ago, at a club with Oak Hill reciprocity, in the suburbs of neighboring Buffalo.

1934 PGA Championship champion’s medal

Credit and gratitude to Heritage Auctions for the championship medal image.

Credit and gratitude to Park Country Club for all other images.

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)