News

Tour Rundown: Close-the-laptop Edition

Published

2 years ago

Nov 19, 2023

This is the Tour Rundown that I dread writing. It means, simply, that I have to close the laptop and become a fan for about six weeks. True, there will be Q-Schools and Heroes, but the official work is done for the year. Q-Schools and Heroes are way better than Skins Games and the silliest of silly-season events, but I much prefer the official work of the world’s golf tours. Thank you for riding along in the cart with me this year, and for always picking up the beverage cart drinks. It does not go unnoticed.

As Americans head toward Thanksgiving week, the DP World Tour closed its season at its Tour Championship in Dubai, while the LPGA had its CME Race To The Globe along Florida’s Gulf Coast. As for the PGA Tour, it headed to coastal Georgia to end the FedEx Fall at my event (RSM — same initials). As always, lots of great golf led to dramatic finishes, so let’s begin this week’s Tour Rundown with Nelly Korda’s first LPGA ace.

NELLY. KORDA. ACE. ??? @nellykorda pic.twitter.com/Yjw6DyenLe

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 18, 2023

LPGA @ CME: It’s a Yang Thang in Naples

Amy Yang has been around the golf wires for a long time. It all began in 2006 when, as a precocious, 16-year-old, she won on the Ladies European Tour. Her first win on the LPGA came in 2013, and she recorded three more by 2019. It’s hard to believe that she has been among the ranks for 18 years, but after a four-year drought, Yang was the cream of the crop at the CME this week in Naples. She posted middle rounds of 63-64, and closed with 66, to win by three.

Chasing Yang the entire fourth round were her playing partners, Alison Lee and Nasa Hataoka. Hataoka hung with Yang for the majority of the day, until they reached the 16th hole. It was there that Hataoka flinched with bogey, to drop one back. Yang surged with birdies at the final two holes, to establish her margin of victory. Tied with Hataoka for second was Lee. She also surged late, and turned in a clean card, with six birdies and twelve pars on the day.

For the first twelve holes, the tournament seemed to be in Hataoka’s hands, until Yang made magic happen at the 13th. Faced with a wedge to the green, she…well, just watch what she did.

Amy Yang is putting up a fight at @CMEGroupLPGA ?

Watch now on NBC! pic.twitter.com/jmLPeXBya3

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 19, 2023

DP World Tour @ Tour Championship: Elder Hojgaard claims victory in Dubai

There are times when younger brother must defer to elder brother. No matter what heights Rasmus Hojgaard scales in the future, 2023 will forever be the year of his by-a-few-minutes-older brother, Nicolai. On Sunday in Dubai, Hojgaard won the only thing worth debating, the DP World Tour Championship. As Rory McIlroy had clinched the season-long points race, all eyes were on the leaders as day four teed off.

Beginning play in fifth position, Hojgaard cruised through 11 holes in four under par. A top-five finish looked certain, especially after a speed-bump bogey caused a stumble at the twelfth. The missed, five-feet, par attempt got under his skin, and the Danish Ryder Cupper ignited a five-birdie run through the penultimate hole. Suddenly, Hojgaard had the lead, with the gettable 18th left. A par there gave his chasers hope of a catch.

Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Wallace, and Viktor Hovland all began the final round ahead of Hojgaard. Fleetwood played solid golf to the closing stretch, reaching 17 tee at five-under on the day, and twenty-deep for the week. His tee shot to the short hole came up woefully short, and his approach putt went dangerously past. His missed, seven-feet putt for par was off-target, and Fleetwood would finish on 19-under, two behind the Dane.

Joining Fleetwood at that number were Wallace and Hovland. Wallace had the bad fortune of shooting 60 on Saturday. How do you follow a 60? Well, a 67 would have tied the top spot, and a 66 would have won outright, but Wallace posted 69. Four birdies and one bogey were not enough to catch the scorched trail that Hojgaard laid down. As for Hovland, his 68 was also solid; just not explosive.

Finishing off the year behind McIlroy along the points list were, in order: Jon Rahm, Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox, and Victor Perez.

Ryder Cup rookie Nicolai Højgaard wins the DP World Tour Championship! ???#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/y52cIzvce4

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 19, 2023

PGA Tour @ RSM Classic: Oh-Boy! Aberg

Oh-boy leads into Oh-Bear (how you should pronounce Aberg). I wished to clarify that, before moving on to Ludwig’s first PGA Tour title summary. In terms of data, for which Aberg is known, two numbers stand out: 61 and 61. Those digits represent the 18-hole scores that the Swede signed off on, in rounds three and four. Let’s be honest: Unless you are on the cut line, 122 on the weekend will move you darned close to the podium, if not to its summit.

In Aberg’s case, he had the lead through 54 holes. Hot on his heels were the guy who HAS to win, Eric Cole, and fan favorite Mackenzie Hughes, the 2016 RSM champion. Cole stood two over through five on day four, so he was done. He rallied to tie for third spot. Hughes stayed close all day, with six birdies through ten holes. The closing octet was not kind to him, as he played it in seven pars and one birdie. That will not get the job done at Sea Island, unless a maelstrom washes in.

As for Aberg, the rookiest of rookies on the European Ryder Cup side in September, ten birdies and one bogey came his way on day four. Long off the tee, deadly with the wedges, and accurate with the putter, he was a wrecking crew and he capped his first professional year in the most positive of ways.

In just his 11th professional PGA TOUR start, Ludvig Åberg wins @TheRSMClassic ? pic.twitter.com/R4jDtDYhsS

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 19, 2023

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)