News

Why I play at 7:30 a.m.

Published

14 years ago

Feb 15, 2012

GolfWRX Staff

By Brant Brice

GolfWRX Contributor

I’m not the grizzled angry guy who stabs people with a broken 6 iron if someone won’t let me play through. I’m also not the U.S.S. Nicklaus firing shots down range to send a message to the seemingly oblivious group ahead to let me play through. But I do enjoy a faster pace of play than spending nearly six hours on a Sunday afternoon to complete my round.

I have played rounds with friends that have taken no more than two and a half hours, but have also spent the better part of an entire Sunday waiting on Ricky Routine, Every Angle Andy, Cell Phone Steve and I’ll Wait In The Cart Till You Bring Me To My Ball Then Get A Distance Then Choose The Wrong Club Cause I Think I Can Hit My Six Iron 180 Yards Cause Once Down Wind In Denver On A 40 Yard Downhill Par Three I Hit A Ball 180 And Still Think I can Do That Every Time I have 180 Yards In Then I Come Up Short On Every Approach On Every Hole On Every Course I Play Except That One Time Charlie. (Breath). It’s called SLOW PLAY! I don’t think most golfers really know what causes slow play or even how to speed up. My solution is to play at 7:30 a.m. or whatever the first available tee time might be.

Obviously, this is to keep from having anyone ahead of me and my quick paced “ready” foursome. Are we all scratch golfers? Do we run in between shots? Do we not have drinks, talk, cut up, get angry and tirade about missing 3 footers (John), not have routines, use the cell phone, read greens, find yardages etc.? No, we are a 5, 7, 15 and 17 handicap. We use a cart, we walk to shots, sometimes a cell phone is used and we even have routines and read greens. Why then do we not take dog years to complete the round? The Holy Grail is about to follow so get ready, here it comes … we play our shots when we are ready and are ready to hit shots when it’s our turn. That’s it! Every course can mail be a big old check for the ten extra rounds a day they can book because of my sheer genius!!!

Here’s the skinny. First, go to the range and hit 15 balls with every club in your bag to figure out your TRUE yardages, not what you think you can hit. You’re welcome, I just saved you 10 strokes. Next, have a routine that from pulling your club to hitting the ball takes about 15 seconds. So what should you do before your routine? While your cart partner, all the way across the fairway, is doing his thing, gauge the wind, grab the laser or GPS or find a marker and make a decision on club choice and shot shape. After he hits his shot you are up … 15 seconds. Third, after you and your cart mate hit just get back in the cart with your iron in tow. Choose and swap your next club at your next shot. If putting, pull the cart to the rear of the green so when finished, the green is clear and you are moving toward the next hole and have cleared the green for the next group. Fourth, when all players have holed out and are back to the carts, do not record scores on the green! Move along to the next tee box and then record the scores.

Just an aside, and this is a huge pet peeve of mine … If you use a glove, take it off or put it on while riding to the next shot in the cart not on the tee box or on the green! Also if you slice a ball in the spinach, take a quick look, you’re going to take a penalty of some sort anyway and trying to hit out of the junk will undoubtedly end in a higher score than simply taking your medicine and moving along with the round. Lastly, and I think this is the most important, if you get to three strokes over par or will be hitting a shot that results in triple bogey then pick your ball up and put it in your pocket. It won’t count on your handicap anyway, it will save you from breaking clubs, it will save you money on extra golf balls and it will save TIME. I don’t think anything good comes of taking any score over triple. So to wrap up … Know how far you hit your clubs, be ready to hit when it’s your turn, know when it’s your turn, use etiquette with a golf cart, swap clubs at the next shot, use your glove and the obnoxious Velcro appropriately, record score on the tee box not the green, pick up your ball at triple bogey. Occasionally look behind your group. If you look back and I am standing around waiting on your group to finish putting on consecutive holes and you can’t see the group ahead, please let me play through. Unfortunately it probably won’t be me because I teed off at 7:30 a.m.

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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)