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Morning 9: No.1 beaten at US-Am | Keegan’s Ryder Cup obsession | Faxon: Pick Glover

Published

2 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the BMW Championship. gets underway.

1. Number One KO-d at US-Am

Cameron Jourdan for Golfweek…”Down goes No. 1.”

  • “The match-play portion of the 2023 U.S. Amateur began Wednesday at Cherry Hills Country Club, and with that came the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking falling in the Round of 64. However, there were numerous other events to happen on a steamy day in the Mile High City.”
  • “The youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history, and top seed for match play, faces battles. There were players making a push for the U.S. Walker Cup team. There were also upsets and plenty of high-profile players heading home early.”
  • “Match play got off to a great start Wednesday, and there’s still plenty of golf to go.”
Full piece.

2. Faxon: Glover needs RC pick

Ben Fleming for Golf Monthly…”The US qualification window shuts after this week’s BMW Championship meaning Glover will likely be reliant upon a captain’s pick. Brad Faxon is one of a growing number of people who believe his form warrants one.”

  • “There is nobody who has been playing better over the last month than Lucas Glover,” he said, speaking on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.
  • “The system is about trying to get hot players. We had two-year qualifying processes and now it’s a year. We wanted to get the players who were playing the best to be able to play.
  • “If he gets left off the team after winning two tournaments this late in the qualifying process the system’s flawed.”
Full piece.

3. Keegan remains Ryder Cup obsessed

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Keegan Bradley hasn’t played in a Ryder Cup since 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland. The 37-year-old also played a role in the United States’ crushing defeat at Medinah, but he hopes that will change this season.”

  • “The veteran has made a solid case to be chosen after winning the “designated” Travelers Championship”. He also has a 2nd place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and a 10th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.”
  • “During his pre-tournament press conference at Olympia Fields this week for the BMW Championship, Bradley reiterated his desire to represent his country in the Ryder Cup once again.”
  • “Yeah, the one spot I want to be on is on that Ryder Cup team,” he said. “I think about the Ryder Cup every second I’m awake basically.
Full piece.

4. F. Molinari named Europe’s fifth vice captain

Reuters report…”Team Europe captain Luke Donald has named Italy’s Francesco Molinari as his fifth and final vice captain for next month’s Ryder Cup at Rome’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, the team announced Wednesday.”

  • “Molinari, who made his debut in the 2010 edition when Europe regained the trophy in Wales, joins brother Edoardo Molinari, José María Olazábal, Nicolas Colsaerts and Thomas Bjorn as vice captains.”
  • “I started the year hoping to be there as a player, but it is still a great honor to be there as a vice captain,” said Molinari, who won the 2018 Open Championship. “I got a phone call from Luke asking if I was interested, and obviously it was a clear answer from me. He is assembling a really good team of people.
Full piece.

5. Ramping up to wind down

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”That competitive reality hasn’t much bothered Patrick Cantlay, nor has it hurt him. He didn’t play a regular Tour event in the fall of 2021, and yet he still ranked second in points heading into the season finale at East Lake. This season, his only fall start was a playoff loss in Vegas, and here he sits fifth in the standings with two weeks to go. Cantlay’s rationale has always been: He’ll play better, more consistently, if he’s fresh.”

  • “For me, it’s important to feel ready and excited to practice and play again,” Cantlay said, “and so I think that nice couple-month break should be really good for that.”
  • “When asked whether anything could compel him to play more than just the Ryder Cup at the end of September, Cantlay said: “Probably not a lot this year.”
  • “Cantlay pointed to the condensed nature of the signature-event schedule as well as having three majors in the span of 10 weeks.”
  • “I feel like it’s easier to gear up for those and stay on for those if you know you have an offseason coming,” Cantlay said.
Full piece.

6. Lexi could lose status

The AP’s Doug Ferguson…”It’s one thing that Thompson hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since June 2019. Thompson is at No. 157 in the Race to the CME Globe.”

  • “Only the top 60 make it to the CME Group Tour Championship. The top 80 have full a full card. The top 100 still have cards and get in most tournaments. But there’s no indication Thompson is capable of even that right now.”
  • “She missed her third cut in a major last week at the AIG Women’s Open. Her only cut in a major was a tie for 47th in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. But last week was only her eighth LPGA Tour start of the year.”
  • “You shouldn’t read too much into that,” Thompson told Golf Digest last week. “I’ve just been trying to enjoy my life and take some more time for myself. This is my 13th year out here, so it’s my choice to play when I want, and when I don’t want to. I was dealing with a little bit of an injury. But I’m fully healthy now. I want to be sure I’m fully ready when I do tee it up.”
Full piece.

7. Liberty National to host 2027 BMW Championship

Reuters Report…”The 2027 BMW Championship will be played at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., it was announced Tuesday ahead of this week’s tournament at Olympia Fields Country Club.”

  • It will be the tournament’s first visit to the New York metro area.
  • “We’re proud that Liberty can be a part of these types of events, and we’re also equally proud that we can support youth golf as a part of these events, too,” Liberty National co-founder Dan Fireman said at a news conference for the August 2027 event. “We don’t just pick these events for the sake of picking them. We’re very careful about it.”
  • Famous for its view of the New York City skyline across the river, Liberty National hosted previous FedEx Cup playoff events in 2009, 2013, 2019 and 2021.
Full piece.

8. Spieth join Hall of Honor

9. Photos from the BMW Championship

  • Check out all our photos from Olympia Fields!
Full piece.

Related Topics:

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

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

By

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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News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 28, 2025

By

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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