News

KoFecta! Lydia Ko claims third Olympic medal and more

Published

1 year ago

Aug 11, 2024

Imagine that you’re at the hub of a wheel, with spokes that lead in every direction on the compass. That’s the wealth of story lines that Lydia Ko provided the legion of golf journalists today. It’s easy to get elated by these opportunities, but elation leads to distraction, and then, who knows where the story goes?

It’s best to begin with the facts. Lydia Ko began the final day of play at the 2024 Olympic Games, in a tie with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux. As Metraux faded from medal contention, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with the situation, Ko shined. She posted a one-under 71 and reached 10-under par. A spirited, final-day rush from unheralded Esther Henseleit of Germany was not enough to catch Ko, and the wunderkind from New Zealand captured the gold medal by two shots. China’s Xiyu Lin reached seven-under par and held off a quartet of golfers at minus-six, for the bronze medal.

These facts would be a spectacular story on their own, but there is much more to the story. Ko collected her 20th LPGA tour victory in January of this year, and moved within one point of earned entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame. This particular HOF is the hardest to reach of all in sport. There is no voting, no lobbying the electors, just performance. On more than one occasion from January to July, Ko entered the final round in contention for victory, but could not complete the puzzle. With her victory at the Paris Olympics, Ko became the 34th member of the LPGA hall of fame.

Not enough? Jump in a time machine with me, and travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, for the 2016 Olympic golf tournament. The first of its kind in over a century, and Lydia Ko earned herself a silver medal. Inbee Park, the queen bee of LPGA at the time, ran away with the gold by five shots. Forward we go, to Tokyo in 2021, when the 2020 Olympic games were finally celebrated. There, Ko lost a playoff for a second-consecutive silver medal, to home-country Mone Inami. The lost playoff may have been the best thing to happen to Ko, as it set her up for the KoFecta, the collection of all three Olympic medals.

Ruoning Yin chips in for EAGLE on the 3rd to reach 6-under. ???

? Golf Channel and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/3SQC6zSYrQ

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 10, 2024

Consider the weight of this achievement. Lydia Ko batted flawlessly, for the cycle, in three Olympic attempts. The medals at Rio fit within a six-shot margin, from 268 to 274. In Tokyo, it was even tighter. All three medalists posted 267 or 268. In Paris, three shots. from 278 to 281. Lydia Ko was able to reserve a space at the table for all three dinners. It makes you wonder if she even should bother with the 2032 games in Brisbane, Australia. What’s left to achieve?

Day four at Paris envisioned a series of potential resolutions. Morgane Metraux of Switzerland potentially could secure a podium spot from nowhere, and collect a medal for the Swiss Guard. Nelly Korda might finally find her game, and surge a la Scottie Scheffler last week, on day four. Rose Zhang could continue her trend toward the top, and collect one of the coveted discs. Sadly, none of the three was able to match par, much less break it. Metraux ballooned to 79, and fell out of the top 15. Korda signed for 75, and slipped to a tie for 22nd. Zhang smacked the golf ball 74 times on Saturday, and tied for eighth.

Esther Henseleit moves into silver position with a birdie on 17! ???

? Golf Channel and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/iNjiyh9kCD

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 10, 2024

So what happened? Well, let’s keep it to the medalists. Xiyu “Janet” Lin finished birdie-birdie-bogey-birdie, to move one shot past Bianca Pagdanganan, Hannah Green, Amy Yang, and Miyu Yamashita. Germany’s Esther Henseleit, a two-time winner of the Magical Kenya Open on the Ladies European Tour, dropped the day’s top round (66) and surged past all but Lydia Ko. She notched birdie on her final two holes, moving to -8, a shot past Lin.

It was left to Kween Ko to polish the final medal in the collection. She turned in 34 shots, survived a chunked approach to the water, at the 13th hole, and made an elegant birdie at the last, to win by two. Let’s recall that the 18th hole has been the waterloo of many a golfer over the past two weeks. Ko’s drive found the fairway, 209 yards from glory. She eschewed a heroic hybrid over the H2O. Instead, she laid up, fairway right, and pitched to just under eight feet. With the flair of a three-time medalist, a hall of famer, and one of the greats of her generation, Ko stroked the putt home, waved, and smiled the greatest of smiles.

Gold medalist and Olympic champion, LYDIA KO! ??

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

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 10, 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)