Connect with us

News

Morning 9: Hovland’s 61 | Dunlap wins US Am | Brooks out of Ryder Cup auto spots

Published

2 years ago

on
By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Viktor Hovland sealed the deal with a stunning final round at the BMW Championship.

1. Hovland’s brilliance wins BMW Championship

AP Report…”Viktor Hovland kept hitting every shot just the way he wanted on the back nine at Olympia Fields. Rory McIlroy was keeping Hovland’s card and kept writing “3” in just about every box.”

  • “Hovland delivered the best round of his career at just the right time Sunday, turning a two-man race into a one-man show by breaking the course record with a 9-under 61 to surge past Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick and win the BMW Championship.”
  • “The previous mark of 62 had been set twice this week on the rain-softened North course, by Sam Burns and Max Homa the previous two days. Hovland was so close to perfection that he birdied all but two holes on the back nine.”
  • “”When I made the putt on 15 for birdie, I felt like, ‘OK, we’ve got a chance now if I can finish pretty well,'” Hovland said. “Then you never know what’s going to happen behind you. … Until then, I had no idea what was going on. I was just going to try to play well and keep making birdies.””
Full piece.

2. U.S. Am: Dunlap tops Shipley

Cameron Jourdan for Golfweek..”Dunlap had plenty of fist pumps Sunday, but none were bigger or more pivotal than his on the par-4 10th, when he buried a 20-foot birdie putt and essentially slammed the door on Neal Shipley. Dunlap’s putter was automatic, helping him clinch a 4-and-3 victory over Shipley in the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.”

  • “Dunlap, a 19-year-old rising sophomore at Alabama, has been the best male amateur in golf this summer, and he proved it at the biggest amateur event in the world.”
Full piece.

3. Pano breaks through at ISPS Handa World Invitational

Kent Paisley for Golf Digest…”Both men and women competed for separate $1.5 million prize money payouts in Galgorm Castle. Here’s how Alexa Pano won the women’s side with a birdie on the third playoff hole after shooting a closing six-under 66.”

  • …”Pano turned 19 on Sunday, but she’s a name golf fans have heard of for a decade now after having the early days of her junior golf career chronicled in the Netflix documentary “The Short Game” while competing at the U.S. Kids World Golf Championship at Pinehurst. Subsequently, she qualified three times for the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National and was the youngest participant in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019.”
  • “Rather than play college golf, Pano turned pro in 2022 and earned an LPGA card in Q Series last fall. This was her 12th start of the 2023 season, and with her father, Rick, on the bag, Pano made her first top-15 finish of her rookie season was also her first career victory. She’s the youngest winner on tour this year, taking that title from Rose Zhang, and the eighth first-time winner on the LPGA in 2023.”
Full piece.

4. Brown takes men’s ISPS Handa World Invitational

Europeantour.com Report…”Daniel Brown claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory in just his 20th start as he held his nerve for a five-shot win at the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics.”

  • The Englishman had been top of the leaderboard since carding an opening 64 and entered the final day with a six-shot lead, although he did not have it all his own way at Galgorm Castle.
  • He saw his advantage trimmed to two on the back nine but closed out victory with a 69 that saw him finish at 15 under ahead of Alex Fitzpatrick, who carded a finishing 68.
  • It has been a long road to the winner’s circle for Brown, who played his first DP World Tour event at the 2015 KLM Open but had to wait seven years and two months for his second appearance.
Full piece.

5. Homa claps back at heckler

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”At first, the belligerent spectators yelled for Kirk to leave his 19-foot birdie try short, which he did during a rough round of 75 at Olympia Fields.”

  • “Then Homa stepped up for his 5-footer for birdie.”
  • “One of them had $3 for me to make mine,” Homa said, “and I got to the back of my back stroke, and he yelled, ‘Pull it!’ pretty loud. I made it right in the middle, and then I started yelling at him, and then [caddie] Joe [Griner] yelled at him.”
  • “Cameras captured the exchange.”
  • “What’d Homa yell?”
  • “That he was a clown,” he said. “Maybe another word.
  • “Long day, I guess. Hope he has a nice night, but it just sucks when that happens. I was happy I made it. It was rude what he did to Chris. Whatever.”
Full piece.

6. ICYMI: Hideki WD with injury

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”Prior to teeing off in Round 2 of the BMW Championship, Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the Tour’s penultimate event with a back injury. It’s his second WD of the season, having pulled out of the Houston Open in November with a neck injury.”

  • “With his BMW WD, Matsuyama will not claim a spot in next week’s Tour Championship, which the 2021 Masters champion has qualified for in each of the last nine seasons, the longest run of any player.”
Full piece.

7. Brooks out of Ryder Cup auto spots

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is going to need help to compete for the United States in the upcoming Ryder Cup in Italy.”

  • “Koepka, who left the PGA Tour for the rival LIV Golf League in June 2022, is not among the six automatic qualifiers who made the U.S. team after Sunday’s BMW Championship outside Chicago.”
  • “Koepka, who tied for second at the Masters in April and won his third PGA Championship the next month, entered the week fifth in Ryder Cup points. But he fell to seventh on Sunday after Max Homa and Xander Schauffele tied for fifth and eighth, respectively, in the BMW Championship.”
Full piece.

8. Winning WITB: Hovland

Driver: Ping G425 LST (9 degrees @8.4)

Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 TR X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees @ 16.5)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Ping i210 (4-PW)

Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 85 X (3), KBS Tour-V 120 X (4-PW)

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50-SS, 56-SS), Ping Glide 2.0 (60-TS)

Shafts: KBS Tour-V 120 X (50-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Ping PLD DS 72 prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride MCC
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.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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.

Continue Reading

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.

 

Continue Reading

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)

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.  Driver: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship

Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)

Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...

Facebook

Trending