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Tour Rundown: Golf takes a distant seat to life and loss

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1 year ago

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Somewhere in the annals of my golf writings, words certainly appear that express frustration, if not disdain, for the college arc of Grayson Murray. Ignorance is no longer an excuse, and my inability to recognize the signs of the emotional health and mental health struggles that he faced, must be laid bare.

I, along with the entirety of the golf world, and a good portion of the USA, mourn the heartache and loss that the Murray family suffers. Their accomplished Grayson is no longer with us, a victim of suicide. They must have hoped, as did we, that the winter victory in Hawaii signaled an awareness and an ability to manage, the triggers and the doubts that fueled his suffering.

On Friday, May 24th, Grayson Murray left our world a poorer place. His transparency about his battles, his uncertainties, and his temptations, brushed aside a veil that obscures the challenge that world-class athletes of all genders and gender identities, confront on a daily basis. Anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, self-doubt, and more. Social media doesn’t help. Sometimes the traditional media doesn’t help. Sometimes, it is all a hindrance.

It is time to stop the search for the next anybody. It is time to stop placing expectations for success and acchievements and accolades on anyone’s shoulders. It is time to begin saying that tomorrow can be better, and we are here to help and no matter who you are, nor how you present, you may cry and vent and request and, most importantly, step away from the microphone and the spotlight. Life matters most.

PGA Tour @ CS Challenge: Riley manages game and path to victory

Davis Riley had to wonder if Colonial 2024 would be similar to Valspar 2022. In the later, Riley held a two-shot advantage through 54 holes, but fell to Sam Burns in a playoff. This week, Riley again carried a lead into the final round, but this time, it was four shots. And this time, the man chasing him was the world’s top-ranked player and current Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler. Knowing that no one gives you anything, Riley set off on Sunday afternoon.

On an eerie day in Fort Worth, Riley’s golf was inconsistent and unspectacular. He had ten pars, four birdies, and four bogeys. He never looked like the fellow that posted three, mid-60s rounds on the previous days. Fortunately for him, Scheffler resembled neither the Masters champion nor the world number one. Scheffler played three-over par golf the majority of the day, until two late birdies brought him to minus-nine, and a tie for second with Keegan Bradley.

An oddly-uncomfortable, five shots better was Riley, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory, after two wins on the training circuit, the Korn Ferry tour.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Visit Knoxville: Higgs is biggs with second in a row

Harry Higgs may return to the PGA Tour one day, but does he really need to do so? For the second consecutive week, the big-tour exile turned in a stunning stretch run, culiminating in a playoff appearance. This week, he and Frankie Capan III matched birdies on the first extra hole, before Higgs made a stupefying eagle three at the par-five closer.

Capan had to wonder what he had to do, in order to secure victory. After posting 62 on Saturday, he closed with 66 on Sunday, including a final-hole birdie to tie Higgs at the top. Quade Cummings nearly joined the pair in overtime, posting 61 on the strength of a fourth-hole ace and eight birdies. It was the 18th that did him in, as he failed to find a ninth birdie there.

The two-man playoff lasted two holes. After both Capan and Higgs posted birdie the first time through, both men reached the green in two, with chances at eagle. From 36 feet, Higgs made; from closer in, Capan missed. With one more KFT victory, Higgs will receive an in-season promotion to the PGA Tour.

DP World Tour @ Soudal Open: Elvira claims second tour win

Saint’s Day is almost as big a deal in Spain as birthday. Ignacio “Nacho” Elvira, decided to move Saint Ignatius Day up a couple of months, and celebrate in Belgium. Elvira held off a charging Thomas Pieters, preserving the lead he claimed on day two.

Day one saw an albatross, a back-nine 28, and an opening 62, all courtesy of Sam Jones the golfer. The pride of New Zealand had a decent front side of two-under 34, then turned up the heat on the inward half. Four birdies were followed by the deuce at the long 17th, and the Kiwi nearly made it 27 for 61 at the last. Jones would ultimately finish in a respectable, seventh-place tie, three behind the winner.

Elvira opened with a pair of 64s, then posted 67 on Saturday. His four-shot advantage on day four dwindled to one, but he was never caught. Unable to rekindle the flame of his opening 36 holes, Elvira made an important birdie at the 11th, on the heels of the day’s second bogey. Elvira closed in unspectacular but effective fashion, posting seven consecutive pars to finish one ahead of the triumvirate of Pieters, Romain Langasque, and Niklas Norgaard.

The DP World Tour travels to Germany this week for the European Open. 2023 champion Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland will attempt to defend his maiden tour title.

PGA Tour Champions @ Senior PGA Championship: Bland on the run

Richard Bland became something of a late-forties, folk hero among golf fans, before he departed the traditional tours. The Englishman passed the age of fifty, and gained a bit of opportunity in senior events. Bland was eligible for this week’s Senior PGA Championship in Michigan, and he turned opportunity into achievement, with a three-shot margin of victory.

For most of the week, it seemed that golf’s most recent, social media darling, was destined to triumph. Greg Chalmers, the self-effacing and mildly-derelict, Australian southpaw, kept improving with each round. He went 69-68-66, to enter Sunday in a tie with Ernie Els. The South African provided little motivation for Chalmers, continuously stumbling from bogey to birdie. Els finished minus-one on the day, and T6 on the week. Chalmers faced a new opponent, in the guise of the resurgent Bland, and over the final three holes, succumbed to a trio of bogeys that dropped him from contention, to solo third.

Bland appeared to do damage to his chances on Saturday. His score of 74 was three to the wrong side of par, and dropped him out of the lead for the first time all week. Sunday saw a stunning return to form, with eight birdies and an eagle on his card. The eagle at the 15th drove a dart into Chalmers, and may have been the strike that began the three-bogey run for the Australian. Despite a pair of bogeys, Bland’s closing 63 was low round of the week, and shot him past all challengers, to a first senior win and major.

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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.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. H

    May 27, 2024 at 10:49 am

    You say all that about Grayson, then stop using Harry Higgs words as a shied. STOP ATTACKING LIV!!!! Give them a hug and be kind to EVERYONE, as Harry said!!! No exceptions!!!! Otherwise you’re useless as the rest of the bigots

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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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