News

Playing Away – Day One

Published

18 years ago

Jul 23, 2007

If you read the last article (and if not why not?!) you’ll know that myself and 3 of my friends took the rite of passage that is ‘the first foreign golf trip’. Not only did we decide to fight our way from one country to another while carrying enormous travel bags but we decided that if we were going to do this, we would do this in style. So when we were deciding where to go, the requirements were that it was a course that was appropriate to our high class and demanding requirements – a 5 star hotel with at least one decent golf course attached to it, a swimming pool with a bar…actually that was pretty much it.

Penina in southern Portugal was the chosen destination. A beautiful hotel with a 6900 yard championship course designed by Henry Cotton (winner of 6 majors) as well as a 9 hole resort course and rated as one of the Top 100 courses in Europe. We had booked in a double loop of the resort course for the first day before we would chance our arm on the championship course on days 2 and 3. We figured that these things are best not rushed and wanted to saviour the moment of teeing off on such a wonderful course and besides, we didn’t want to make complete arses of ourselves. At least not straight away.

At this point I feel I should introduce who I managed to convince to come on the trip.

Alex: the cool as a cucumber airline pilot. Much loved by ladies for his tall, dark and handsome looks as for the fact that since the dawn of time he has been known by the nickname ‘Kiddie’. Perpetually jet-lagged, his perfect holiday consists of sleeping, golf, sleeping and chatting up beautiful women, but then again, whose doesn’t? Fights a hook.

Henry: 6ft 5in of flame haired West Country farm boy with arms like a gorilla. Known to all but his mother and fiancé as ‘Homer’ (Seriously, what else are you going to call someone who has the initials H J Simpson). He has played sport for his country and has hollow legs where alcohol is involved. Fights a slice and people who don’t think cider is as good as fine wine.

William: Billy to his mates. Billy is the epitome of the All-American blonde haired, blue eyed boy. Cosmopolitan, having lived in the UK and Germany as well as all across the US, he has a high powered job doing some sort of marketing to billion dollar companies that would make him easy to hate if it weren’t for that fact that a) he’s possibly the most personable man in the world and b) is completely unable to chat up girls. Fights a hook-slice (I don’t know how he hits a shot that appears to defy the laws of physics but if you play a round with him you will see it at least once every couple of holes).

Me: the poor sad golf obsessive that convinced them that this would be a good thing to do. Fights the urge to play golf every single waking moment of the day.

The resort course was a simple layout and not overly difficult, so perfect for us. The first round was pretty relaxed. With no one in front or behind us, we could play our normal game. We could take as long as we liked over our shots, we could hit extra balls if we duffed our shots (we needed the practise) and importantly hoot, holler and yell at each other. The normal friendly abuse and banter that makes a social round so much fun.

The scoring was nothing to write home about but tramping around in an orange grove while the sun gently beats down is certainly one of the most pleasant ways to look for a lost ball. Only Homer was having any real difficulty with the course because he was reading the distance markers in yards rather than the metres they were really measured in. We were having far too much fun watching him lashing at the ball to bother telling him. Trust me, when a farmer scythes at the ball, he really means it. The ball, large lumps of sod and occasionally reasonably sized rocks would go flying towards the hole as he yet again completely under-clubbed.

Occasionally he would flush the ball out of the middle which would result in some spectacular shots. The best one of the day was all of 270 yards right down the very centre of the fairway. Not unusually impressive with a driver or a 3 wood but this was with a 25 degree hybrid and not an expensive super-duper ‘Tour-only’ hybrid but one that he appeared to have got from a cereal box. As we watched with mouths agape, Homer stepped down from the tee box. ‘Roight. That’s how you do it down the farm’ he said, with a look of ill-concealed delight, as if he would normally expect to hit this shot and couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been doing it all morning. As someone who wrestles with farm equipment he’s a big lad but all I could think was ‘He’s a fruit farmer…how much subduing do raspberries need?’.

After the round, we gathered for some beers around the pool so we could rehash our round, lie about how badly we had played in comparison to how we play normally and discuss how we were going to play the Championship course the next day. As I was the only person to actually belong to a club, the others decided that on all holes where people would be watching, I would tee off first in the misguided belief that I would be able to get a good tee shot off and so convince the staff that we weren’t complete hackers. Which in my opinion was like painting ‘Fido’ on an elephant to convince people it’s a Chihuahua. As it we had an early tee time we all solemnly agreed that we would take it easy that night so that we would be prepared for the stern test ahead.

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)