News

5 Things we Learned: Day 2 of Women’s Olympic Golf

Published

1 year ago

Aug 9, 2024

We can toss all the expectations out the window, after day two. The home-country, day-one leader ballooned to a 76 on Thursday, and fell five shots off the pace, tied for sixth. There’s no more room for error for Celine Boutier. Higher than three-under each of the next two days won’t get the job done. One player posted 65 and two more signed for 66, so the opportunity was there. Astonishingly, the 18th seems to play more difficult as a par five, than it did as a par four. Players found the right rough and sand with regularity, and struggled to reach the green in three from that position.

Le Golf National is proving to be a different beast this week. The 61s and 62s posted a week ago seem out of reach, and it will take a blend of restraint and bravery to win the week. Remember, too, that two of the leaders through day two of the men’s competition ended up winning medals, but those were seasoned winners on their tours. Of the top five in the women’s bracket, three are unproven competitors, with varying years of service to the guild.

Let’s run down what we do know at this juncture, and restrict ourselves to five things from round two at the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic golf competition, holes 19 through 36.

1. Morgane Metraux

Thankfully, this Swiss golfer has a wikipedia page. That saves a lot of guesswork and supposition. We know that she has two LET wins, and one on the Symetra Tour. Metraux studied and competed at Florida State, then turned professional. Success has not come her way on the LPGA circuit, so victory at the Olympic Games seems to be quite a reach for a first big win. Two eagles and four birdies on the outward half, staked the Alpine queen to a 28 and visions of a really low number. She came home in plus-one, which wasn’t half bad, and posted the day’s second-low round of 66.

Morgane Metreaux ties the LEAD with a 6-under start through her first six holes. ???

? Golf Channel and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/CH4h0tP0H4

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 8, 2024

2. Ruoning Yin

As if we needed any more uncertainty, meet Ruoning Yin. She holds three LPGA titles. One is a major (the PGA) and another came in a team event (counts but doesn’t count.) The third was a regular tour event. Two came in 2023, and the partner affair came this season. Can Yin win? Yes. Does she do so with enough regularity, to frame her as the favorite? Absolutely not.

Yin avoided the two bogeys posted by Metraux, and her seven birdies gave her the day’s low round, and a hold on second place. She finds herself one back of the leader, and two ahead of third place. If round-one Ruoning (equal birdies and bogeys) returns on Friday, she might falter. If round-two Yin sticks around, she might be your leader on day three eve.

Ruoning Yin closes with a birdie for a second-round 65 and solo 2nd at the halfway point. ???

? Golf Channel and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/5X8r4jnk7Y

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 8, 2024

3. Lydia Ko

People are making a big deal out of Olympic Lydia, given that she has earned a medal in each of the previous two golf competitions. She lacks the gold, and would love to win it, but any medal is spectacular. Ko makes her birdies early at Le Golf National, then hangs on for life over the closing stretch. A two-under or three-under run on Friday, over the final six holes, would give her confidence a boost, heading into day four. Bogey at the last on day two, after she made birdie there on day one, had to be a balloon-popper.

Here comes Olympic Lydia. ???

Lydia Ko climbs to 6-under and T-2 at Le Golf National.

? Golf Channel and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/88urX0ohCV

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 8, 2024

4. Mariajo and Pia

How unlikely to feature, is either Mariajo Uribe of Colombia, or Pia Babnik of Slovenia? There’s zero footage of their play from day two. We had to go back to the Ladies European Tour to find a swing clip of Babnik. She did her best Rory Sabbatini (the other famous Slovenian golf olympian) impression, posting seven birdies on the day. Five came consecutively, showing that she is capable of riding a wave of good vibes and great play. As for Uribe, just another 70. HOWEVER, she has made birdie at the diabolical 18th both days, and that should count for a lot, if she is in the hunt come Sunday.

Slam dunk! ?

Brightening up your Monday with some Pia Babnik brilliance ?#RaiseOurGame | #LETreloaded pic.twitter.com/YHBR9Bc5my

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) March 18, 2024

5. Celine Boutier

We know that Celine Boutier can win tournaments. This time in 2023, she got herself on a hot streak, and rode it to a world number one ranking. This week, she has experienced highs and lows at Le Golf National. The question on which she will sleep, is whether she can recapture the dominance of day one. If she is able to post another 65 on day three, and reach double-digits under par, she will be in the mix on Saturday.

Boutier was in decent shape at the 13th tee. By the fifteenth green, she had returned five shots to the field, and lost confidence in nearly everything. She managed to par her way home, but will need a short memory on day three, to right the ship.

Celine Boutier tees off in front of the home crowd as the leader heading into round 2! ?? #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/vvr4Kvnxcq

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 8, 2024

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)