News

Morning 9: Monahan: PGA Tour won’t support ball rollback | Open ratings | 3M Open photos

Published

2 years ago

Jul 27, 2023

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the 3M Open gets underway.

1. Monahan drops bombshell memo

Joel Beal for Golf Digest…”PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent a wide-ranging memo to players Wednesday, informing membership of updates on its work toward a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund along with the tour’s stance against the USGA’s proposed rollback of the golf ball.

“Monahan, who returned to his job last week following a health-related absence, announced initiatives on a “Player Benefit Program” to compensate players who remained with the tour and “Player Discipline” for LIV Golf members who seek to return to the tour.”

“We have obtained player input that is helping to inform the potential structure, components and timeline,” Monahan said about player compensation. “This program, should we reach a definitive agreement, will be financially significant in total and incremental to our planned compensation package.”

“As for potential discipline on LIV members should a deal with LIV come to pass, Monahan said a “task force” was being formed to decide what type of penalty players seeking to return would potentially face.”

“Monahan also announced that the PGA Tour would not abide by a modified local rule from the USGA and R&A that would curb increasing distance gains in the sport.”

Full piece.

2. Defending the 3M Open, thinking about the Ryder Cup

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As he begins his title defense this week at the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, Finau finds himself in a sizeable hole as it relates to next month’s Ryder Cup.”

“Finau, who played Ryder Cups in 2018 and 2021 while compiling a 3-3 record, sits No. 19 in the U.S. Ryder Cup point standings. With the top six players following the BMW Championship, four events from now, and six more players receiving captain’s picks after the following week’s Tour Championship, Finau needs a strong close to his season if he wants to have any chance of representing the U.S. in Rome.”

“The Ryder Cup always has been on my mind from the start of the year,” Finau said Tuesday from Blaine, Minnesota. “It’s a goal of mine. I would say any American golfer playing, it’s a goal of theirs to be on this team; that hasn’t changed. But I’ve been in this type of position before, you know, where probably on the outside looking in. Going to have to play some good golf over these next few weeks and make my case.”

Full piece.

3. Harman on taunts from British fans

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Brian Harman won the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in runaway fashion, which irked many of the fans in attendance. According to Harman, he was heckled and taunted relentlessly throughout the weekend as he pursued the highly coveted Claret Jug.”

“He appeared on the Dan Patrick show on Tuesday and gave some insight as to what went on. The former Georgia Bulldog said it was “brutal” and “they did not want me to win that tournament.”

“They don’t care for an underdog over there I suppose… It was brutal man.. I’ve always appreciated the fans there cause they’re very knowledgeable, they know when to clap, they know the game… guys like me I can can go to Tour events in the U.S. & a lot of people have no idea who I am & that’s totally fine, but over there they cover golf a little bit differently & so I’ve always appreciated their knowledge of the game but boy, did they not want me to win that golf tournament!”

Full piece.

4. Open Championship ratings

5. Evian Championship power ranking leaders

Via Kent Paisley at Golf Digest…

2. Linn Grant…Rolex Ranking: 21 Starts: 1 Best Finish: T-8, 2022

Grant grabbed her anticipated first LPGA title at the Dana Open earlier this month. Given her dominance on the Ladies European Tour, with five wins between 2022 and this year, why wouldn’t that major breakthrough be on the European continent?

1. Hyo Joo Kim…Rolex Ranking: 8 Starts: 8 Best Finish: Win, 2014

For a decade Kim has consistently been in contention at the Evian. She finished T-3 last year and held the 54-hole lead in 2019 before ending up T-2. The South Korean leads the LPGA in scoring average (69.62) and in greens in regulation this year, making the 28-year-old South Korean the pick for her second major title.

Full piece.

6. More FedEx Cup playoff spots? Billy Ho wants ‘em

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”With two regular season events left this season, the 36-year-old Floridian is teeing it up in this week’s 3M Open, sitting 119th in the FedExCup standings. If this was years past, the top 125 would make the playoffs and Horschel would be inside the threshold. However, this year, the first playoff event was shaved from the top 125 to the top 70.”

“I sort of consciously realized I may not make the playoffs this year about a month, month and a half ago,” Horschel said Tuesday at TPC Twin Cities, “and I wasn’t going to worry about the FedExCup playoffs. As much as I want to be a part of it, as much as I love being in that arena and trying to win another FedExCup trophy, I just couldn’t stress about that anymore, I couldn’t worry about it anymore.

“I’m fortunate enough I’ve got a card for the next three or four years based off the wins I’ve had the last couple years.”

Full piece.

7. Don’t mess with Argentina!

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Emiliano Grillo goes scorched earth on heckler who insulted him and his country”

“On Tuesday morning, Emiliano Grillo responded to a troll on Twitter who said that he thought Grillo would “go down like The Belgrano after joint leading at Day 1.”

“The Belgrano was a ship sunk by the British during the Falklands/Malvinas Islands conflict.”

“Grillo responded with, “Seeing how much of an idiot you are I would love to ask your mother how many times she dropped you on purpose. CON ARGENTINA NO TE METAS PELOTUDO”

“Grillo’s Spanish phrase translates to “Don’t mess with Argentina, you ass.”

Full Piece.

8. Photos from the 3M Open

Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!

Full Piece.

9. Reminder: Members Choice voting is live (and wraps this week)

Vote now!!!

Full Piece.

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)