News

Morning 9: Nick Taylor wins | Claude defends Rory | Hadwin tackled

Published

2 years ago

Jun 12, 2023

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Nick Taylor revels in the glory of winning the Canadian Open in stunning fashion.

1. From 72 feet!

AP report…”Nick Taylor became the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open, holing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to beat Tommy Fleetwood in the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday.”

“Taylor tossed his putter into the air and jumped into the arms of his caddie after the longest made putt of his PGA Tour career, and fellow Canadian players Mike Weir, Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin were among those who ran out to the green to congratulate him.”

“I’m speechless. This is for all the guys that are here. This is for my family at home,” Taylor said with tears in his eyes. “This is the most incredible feeling.”

Full piece.

2. Meanwhile, in Scandinavia

BBC report…”England’s Dale Whitnell claimed his first DP World Tour win with a three-shot victory at the Scandinavian Mixed.”

“Whitnell, 34, led by six shots after two rounds, but saw his advantage cut to just two by charging American Sean Crocker at one point on the final day.”

“However, a birdie on the 17th eased the pressure for the Englishman who finished on 21 under.”

Full piece.

3. Buhai takes ShopRite

AP report…”As she entered her 30s, Ashleigh Buhai was frustrated with consistently contending but never winning on the LPGA Tour. There was nothing wrong with her swing, so she began working with a mental coach.”

“Now at the cusp of 35 on a tour dominated by players a decade or more younger, the South African is playing the best golf of her career.”

“Buhai seized the lead early with four birdies in her first five holes, got up and down for one last birdie for a 6-under 65 and held off Hyo Joo Kim for a one-shot victory in the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Sunday.”

Full piece.

4. Strick wins at home

AP report…”Stricker already has six Champions majors, including the two played this year. This tournament was one his foundation began before he turned 50, and he finally got it.”

“Tied with Paul Broadhurst to start the final round, Stricker seized control with two straight birdies to close out the front nine at University Ridge Golf Club.”

“He won by five shots over Broadhurst (74) and Steve Alker (70).”

Full piece.

5. Hadwin tackled by security while celebrating Taylor’s win

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Adam Hadwin…He grabbed a bottle of champagne, shook it up, popped it and went sprinting onto the green.”

“But as a bubbly-spraying Hadwin approached Taylor, an overzealous security guard – and perhaps former aspiring CFL linebacker – quickly ran interference, executing a textbook tackle of Hadwin. The PGA Tour winner and two-time Presidents Cupper, who also had thrown out the first pitch at a Blue Jays game earlier in the week, didn’t stand a chance as the guard squared him up and took him down with force, sending Hadwin flying backward into the putting surface.”

Full piece.

6. A premature victory lap?

Tom D’Angelo for the Palm Beach Post…”As more details emerge of the transformational deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns LIV Golf, it appears Norman, the controversial public face of LIV Golf, is on the outs.”

“It was enough the man known as The Great White Shark was cast aside during seven weeks of negotiations between PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s team and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Kingdom’s PIF. Norman, 68, was clueless as to what was happening and wasn’t told of the deal until minutes before the two sides went public.”

“Now we’ve learned Monahan will oversee both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf when the agreement is finalized.”

Full Piece.

7. Claude Harmon speaks out for Rory

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…”Speaking on his podcast, Son of a Butch with Claude Harmon, he said: “On a personal note, I feel sorry – I really do – I feel sorry for Rory McIlroy. You could see last year how much him being the spokesperson for the PGA Tour, for the PGA Tour’s stance against LIV, against the Saudis, against the money, all that, you could see that it was wearing him.”

“McIlroy appears to be finding of his best form again after a rocky period that included missed cuts at The Players Championship and The Masters, and Harmon thinks the time he put into defending the PGA Tour had an impact.”

“He continued: “It’s my opinion, and I don’t have any facts around this, but I think it has affected him as a person and I think it’s affected him as a player. I think it’s affected his game. I think he volunteered but I think the Tour asked Rory to do a lot last year and he did that job unbelievably well.”

Full Piece.

8. Golf photo of the year?

9. Taylor’s Winning WITB

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Blue Tour Spec 6 X

3-wood: Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Blue Tour Spec 6 X

5-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max (18 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV 85 TX

Hybrid: Titleist TSR2 (21 degrees)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 X

Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)

Shafts: Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (46, 54), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

Grip: SuperStroke

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Full WITB.

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)