News

Morning 9: Erik van Rooyen eagles last for win | Inami victorious in Japan | 56 of 56 fairways

Published

2 years ago

Nov 6, 2023

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Erik van Rooyen delivered a masterclass down the stretch to win the WWT Championship.

1. Erik van Rooyen eagles last for victory

AP report…” Erik van Rooyen made a 16-foot eagle putt on the par-5 closing hole Sunday to win the World Wide Technology Championship, a day after Matt Kuchar squandered a six-stroke lead with a late meltdown.”

“Playing alongside Kuchar at Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante on the tip of Baja California, van Rooyen played the back nine in 8-under 28 in a 9-under 63. He finished at 27-under 261, two strokes ahead of Kuchar and Camilo Villegas.”

Full piece.

2. Van Rooyen pays tribute to terminally ill friend

Michael Weston for Golf Monthly…”Erik van Rooyen may have just got his career back on track after winning the World Wide Technology Championship, a victory that gives him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, but there was only thing on his mind on Sunday evening – getting home to see his best friend, Jon Trasamar, who has terminal cancer.”

“Quite numb,” responded van Rooyen, when asked to reflect on what was an incredible victory. “You imagine yourself full of euphoria and just being ecstatic and I was just numb. I think it’s because of everything the past six days with my friend Jon being so sick. I guess just the moment just hasn’t hit me yet.”

“Trasamar had beaten cancer, but van Rooyen learned on Tuesday that his friend was sick again, and that the illness had spread throughout his body.”

“After securing his second PGA Tour title, he revealed that Trasamar, who was best man at his wedding just nine years ago, only has six to 10 weeks left to live.”

Full piece.

3 LPGA: Inami wins in Japan

AP report…”Mone Inami of Japan shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday to win the LPGA’s Japan Classic by one shot over Seon Woo Bae of South Korea and Shiho Kuwaki of Japan. It was the first win on the LPGA Tour for the 24-year-old.”

“Inami finished at 22-under 266 for the four rounds. Bae closed with a 67 and Kuwaki, who shared the lead after three rounds, slipped to a 71 at the Taiheiyo Club in north central Japan.”

Full piece.

4. Sarit Suwannarut takes China Open

Reuters report…”Sarit Suwannarut won the Volvo China Open by 6 strokes Sunday as the Thai player blitzed the course with 10 birdies to overcome a 3-shot overnight deficit and take the title ahead of Taichi Kho and Chen Guxin.”

“Sarit completed his final round at Shenzhen’s Hidden Grace Golf Club in an 8-under 64 to overtake third-round leader Chen, who endured a difficult day with a 1-over 73 but still finished in a tie for second with Kho.”

Full piece.

5. An important double

DP World Tour report…”Marco Penge concluded an outstanding week by becoming the second Englishman in as many years to win the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A and the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings double.”

“The 25-year-old posted a closing three under par round of 69 to move to ten under par for the week and secure an emphatic six stroke victory over Frenchman Tom Vaillant, who finished in solo second at Club de Golf Alcanada to also break into the Road to Mallorca top 21 and clinch promotion to the DP World Tour.”

“Penge follows in the footsteps of countryman Nathan Kimsey who triumphed at the season finale 12 months ago to win the Rankings, and he becomes the 13th Challenge Tour Number One to hail from England.”

Full piece.

6. Harrington takes Timbertech

Reuters report…”Padraig Harrington used a torrid start to his final round to run away with the TimberTech Championship title on Sunday in Boca Raton, Florida.”

“Harrington birdied six of his first seven holes en route to a final-round, 7-under 64. At 16-under 197 for the weekend, Harrington posted a whopping seven-shot victory at the Old Course at Broken Sound.”

Full piece.

7. Report: PGA Tour players can participate in LIV Golf qualifying event

Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan…”The stranglehold over the future of professional golf seems to have loosened, even if only a bit.”

“PGA Tour members will be allowed to participate in LIV Golf’s promotional event next month without being suspended, per a Golf Channel report. The qualifier is set for Dec. 8-10 in the United Arab Emirates.”

“Based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event; it is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series. Therefore, the LIV Golf Promotion event is not categorized as an ‘Unauthorized Tournament,’” a Tour spokesman said in a statement. “This classification is subject to change should the details of the event change.”

Full Piece.

8. 56 of 56 fairways

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard…”Wide fairways were a talking point all week as the PGA Tour hosted its first event at a Tiger Woods-designed golf course.”

“But just how wide are the fairways at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico? Adam Long hit 56-of-56 fairways over the four rounds of the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship to become the first player with 100 percent driving accuracy in a Tour event since Brian Claar at the 1992 Memorial Tournament. Long finished T-23 at 17 under, 10 shots behind the winner Erik van Rooyen.”

Full Piece.

9. Erik van Rooyen’s winning WITB

Driver: Callaway Paradym (9 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana DF 60 TX

Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (17 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT, Callaway Apex TCB (4), Callaway Apex MB (5-PW)

Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 X (UT), KBS Tour-V 120 X (5-PW)

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (50-10S, 54-10S, 58-08C)

Shafts: KBS Tour-V 120 X

Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design San Diego

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Full WITB.

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)