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Tour Rundown: Greatness rises

Published

2 years ago

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It’s time for golf to rest for a bit. Yes, there still are playoff chases on the LPGA, DP World, Korn Ferry, and PGA Champions tours, but none of them carries the gravitas of the conclusion to the PGA Tour.

The Solheim and Ryder Cups will be contested in back-to-back weeks, in glorious Spain and Italy, but that won’t happen for another month. That might be the coolest idea ever, but that’s a story for another column.

This week, we saw wins on five tours, plus a senior women’s open in the USA. That’s a lot of running, but we have the verbal legs, so let’s dash off with this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour @ Tour Championship: This conversation is all about Viktor

Over the last month, we saw two incredible fortnights of golf on the PGA Tour. First, it was Lucas Glover, winning back-to-back and inserting himself into every conversation on the golf planet. These last 14 days have given us the rise of Hovland, as Viktor Hovland stormed to greatness with wins at Chicago and Atlanta.

Speaking of conversations, it was supposed to be a fight to the finish, between Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm. As things turned out, it was Viktor Hovland who moved the party to his place. No doubt, Rahm will win the Player of the Year award, but Hovland certainly inserted himself into that conversation.

For those who crunch numbers, Hovland and Xander Schauffele posted equal totals of 261 strokes over the four days. Thing was, Viktor began the week with that five-shot advantage over the 2021 Olympic champion, that came from the year-long seeding process. For those who love minutiae, there will always be a conversation about who might have won a playoff between the two. Fact is, it’s fiction. Xander gave great chase, and might have closed the gap to two shots if Viktor had not drained the par putt that you see below.

With the win, Hovland earned his third victory of the year, and a FedEx Cup title. Now, it’s on to that first major title, which we believe should come in 2024.

USGA @ Senior Women’s Open: Johnson has just enough petrol for victory

Waverley Country Club closes with two par-5 holes. With those two holes left to play, Trish Johnson had a three-shot advantage over Leta Lindley. Both had been close in this tournament in recent years. Johnson had T3 and T2 finishes since 2019, while Lindley was runner-up last year at NCR Country Club. Lindley made birdie at 18, while Johnson posted bogey at 17. In that flicker, the lead was one shot. Summoning all the strength and vibes of a career in touring professional golf, Johnson found her fifth stroke at the bottom of the 18th cup, just enough fuel to claim a one-shot, outright victory.

In truth, it was much closer than that. Catriona Matthew, Lindley, and Johnson came to the final four holes in a virtual tie. Johnson made birdies at 15 and 16, to stretch a margin. Matthew ultimately placed solo third at two under par. Lindley’s last-hole surge brought her to three-deep, while Johnson managed that 4-under finish by the width of a blade of grass.

DP World Tour @ Czech Masters: It’s Clements’ time!

Todd Clements is 27 years old. He does not have a Wiki page, which tells you much about his career. On Sunday in Prague, Clements played what he called the best round of his life. He made three bunches of consecutive birdies: 1-3, 6-8, and 10-12. Probably around the 13th tee, Clements realized what he was doing. He had caught countryman Matt Wallace, one of the hard-luck kids from England, and had a two-shot advantage. Wallace made a birdie at 14 but could make no more. He finished at 21-under par.

As for Clements, he parlayed his incredible opening 12 holes into a 63. He managed to par the remaining six holes, and when he picked his ball out of the cup on 18, the young man from Colchester had a life-changing scorecard to sign. With the title, exemptions, and invitations await, as 2023 just got a whole lot brighter!

Korn Ferry Tour @ Boise Open: Chan can, for the second consecutive week

This Chan Kim wanted in on the consecutive-weeks club. After Glover and Hovland, the Arizona State alum held off a hard-charging David Kocher to win again on the Korn Ferry Tour. How hard-charging? Well, Kocher posted a 59. Yup, that’s pretty speedy. As for Kim, he opened with 66, then went no higher over the next three rounds. 62 on Friday, followed by twin 64s on the weekend, gave him a two-shot advantage over the latest member of the sub-60 club.

Don’t think that Kim was unaware of Kocher’s magic. Despite the pursuit, the native of Korea was resolute in his mission and was able to claim the first playoff event of the KFT 2023 extra session. The tour moves on to Tennessee and Ohio after a two-week break, then concludes the season in Indiana. For Chan Kim, the future is bright, and it takes place on the PGA Tour.

LPGA @ Canadian Women’s Open: Khang survives day four for title

Meghan Khang opened the door, unsealed the envelope, and let the field back into the chase for the Canadian Women’s Open in Vancouver. Jin Young Ko took advantage and finished tied with the young American at 9 under par. The pair went off to a playoff hole, where Kang was able to make a regulation par. Ko could not match, and the first LPGA victory arrived for Meghan Khang.

How did the pair reach that stage in the tournament? The final round was filled with potholes for Khang. By the time she reached the 11th tee, she had zero birdies and three bogeys on her card. Ko was 2 under on the day and had closed the gap. 11 was massive in the outcome. Khang righted course with a birdie, while Ko gave one back with bogey. Khang played the final six in even par, while Ko grabbed two more birdies to force overtime, but oh, what might have been, had the 11th hole been different!

PGA Tour Champions @ Ally Challenge: Singh’s song is same

Vijay Singh was always the golfer we thought would dominate the senior circuit. The former great on the PGA Tour is 10 years into his second career and has five victories to show. Admit it, weren’t you thinking the same thing? Veej is tall and fit, completely committed to his game, so how does he average a win, every other year? Another story for another column.

This week in Michigan, Singh and company faced the task of catching Paul Goydos, who held a tenuous lead with 18 holes remaining. Goydos had an unfortunate, five-putt on Sunday’s 17th hole, and closed with 71 for a T3 finish. Mounting a charge, in addition to Fiji’s finest, were Jeff Maggert, Tim Petrovic, and Stephen Ames. Ames and Petrovic reached 12-deep to tie Goydos, while Maggert went one better, with 69 for minus 13. Despite bogey at 15, Singh’s total for day three was 68 strokes, precisely what he needed to outdistance the field.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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

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

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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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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