News

Tour Rundown: Van Rooyen, Inami, and Paddy

Published

2 years ago

Nov 6, 2023

No tricks, just treats. Spooky season is behind us, but professional golf marches on. The DP World Tour took a fortnight off, so we replaced it with the Dev Series from PGA Tour Latinoamérica. The LPGA concluded its Asian Swing in Japan, while the Tour Champions played the season’s penultimate event in Boca Raton, Florida. As for the PGA Tour, it journeyed to Mexico’s pacific coast for a debut run over El Cardonal, the first Tiger Woods course to host a professional event. For what some might call an off week, this one was on, on, on! Join us for a four-course Tour Rundown from the first weekend in November.

PGA Tour @ World Wide Technology: Mr. Joggers claims first title

Erik van Rooyen is a guitar-playing, jogger-wearing, club-swinging man of the world. The South African wears a mustache that would make Gary McCord proud. On Sunday, he accomplished something that McCord never could: win on the PGA Tour. That’s not to disparage the former telecaster but to celebrate EVR’s achievement. The way he did it was special.

The final round came down to a lead-holding Matt Kuchar, who hasn’t always had a good go of it, south of the border. Kuchar had a big lead on Saturday when he made an ocho on one of the world’s widest fairways. To his credit, he came back on Sunday and took the lead, deep into the back nine. Unfortunately for the elder statesman, he finished with four pars, and that doesn’t get it done at El Cardonal. Kuchar finished at -25, tied with Camilo Villegas for second place.

Back to South Africa’s EVR. He began the day with a bogey at the par-five opener and turned in one-under par 35. He was not on anyone’s radar as a contender, until he tore the back nine apart in 28 strokes. This is a par 36 stretch, folks. Van Rooyen began with three birdies, cooled off with par at 13, added a birdie at 14, and another par at 15. At this juncture, he was three shots behind Kuchar and needed a birdie-birdie-eagle finish to win outright.

Yup, that’s what he did. Finishing 2-3-3, Van Rooyen came from another estado to steal the win from pretty much everyone else. That’s something to sing about.

An emotional winning moment.
@FredVR_ takes the victory with a walk-off eagle @WWTChampionship. pic.twitter.com/qy0EEcCbaT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 5, 2023

LPGA @ Toto Classic: Inami makes a name in Omitama

The final day at Toto featured an entire top five of Japanese players. Leading the way was Nasa Hataoka, the most decorated of her countrywomen. It came as a shock when Nasa failed to launch, posting 74 to fall to an eight-place tie with six other golfers. Storming back on day four were Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh (65), China’s Xiyu Lin (67), and Korea’s Jiyai Shin (65) and Seon Woo Bae (67). After such hope, would the Japanese quintet falter entirely at its home event?

Not to worry. Mone Inami had everyone’s back. The 24-year-old found a birdie at the par-five 17th hole to reach 22-under par and ease past Bae and countrywoman Shiho Kuwaki by one. The win was the first on the LPGA for Inami, but it wasn’t her first moment on the international stage. In 2021, Inami claimed the silver medal at the Summer Olympic Games, in a playoff with Lydia Ko. The LPGA returns this week to the USA and Florida’s Gulf Coast for its final two events of the 2023 season.

Catch the best shots from Mone Inami in the final round of the TOTO Japan Classic ? pic.twitter.com/vSwKGFI4qy

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 5, 2023

PGA Tour Champions @ TimberTech: It’s Paddy by a mile

We know that no one will ever catch Bernhard Langer for the all-time win total on PGA Tour Champions, but the great German had a four-hour, front-row seat to the guy who might throw a scare into him. Padraig Harrington is a guy with a couple of major titles, who never seemed to win as often as we expected on the junior tour. His second chance sees him just as intense, just as fit, and just as frightening. The 52-year-old Irishman won his sixth senior title in just over two years of play this week, and he did it in astonishing fashion.

Harrington had something akin to Van Rooyen’s closing nine on his Sunday outward half. Paddy made birdie on six of his first seven holes and stumbled to the week’s only bogey (he had a double on Friday) at the ninth. Langer was stuck in neutral, and Charlie Wi (64) began play too far back to make enough noise. On the inward half, Harrington made birdies at 14 and 16 to reach 16-under par, then closed bogey-birdie to win by seven. Scary good, he is. If he decides to eschew the regular tour for a full senior schedule (he won’t) watch out.

The winning moment for @Padraig_H @TimberTechChamp ? pic.twitter.com/O1qjFeBONM

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) November 5, 2023

PGA Tour Latinoamérica @ Dev Series Finale: Thelen thends a thignal

If this were Spain, the theta would be more appropriate, but it’s Mazatlán, not far from where the big boys played at El Cardonal, so no thetas. The nerves were raw at Estrella del Mar resort, where the final week of the PGA Tour Latinoamérica developmental series would give way to the new, PGA Tour Americas Tour of 2024. The combination of the LA and CA (Canada) tours would usher in a new era for tier three of the PGA Tour.

Joel Thelen of the USA melted the golf course with a 62 on Friday, and he held a lead deep into the final round. Things got interesting when he made double-bogey five at the 16th hole. With his lead reduced to one, Thelen posted pars at the two closing holes to escape with a one-shot win over fellow Yank Samuel Anderson and Costa Rica’s Paul Chaplet. All three earned full status for the 2024 Latin American portion of PGA Tour Americas.

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)