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The Club Championship
Let's be honest, there's nothing like the Club Championship. It's the competition that allows us to pretend that we are playing a Major, a Ryder Cup. Weeks in advance, for the better players the Club Championship is the only topic of discussion. You can keep your monthly medals and your winter stablefords, nothing is even close to the grand prize that is the Club Championship; thirty-six holes in one day to decide the best player and with no handicaps it means that it really is the best player.
So you've been playing well and practicing better. Maybe this year will be your year. The face of your lob wedge has a dime sized discoloration from where you've worn it away from your incessant chipping and pitching. So what the strike marks on your 3 iron are all over the place, the knowledge that if your can get it within 80 yards you can mix it with the best gives you hope. All you need are two of the best rounds you've never played and you stand a chance.
It's an early start. As one of the unfavored, you tee off at the crack of dawn. You're up at 5.30am to make sure than you're up early enough for a good breakfast before getting to the club to warm up. When you get to the club you nod at the other guys there and wonder if your face looks as drawn as theirs does.
Start simple. Pitching practice first. Nothing too fancy, just some 20 yard pitches and chips. The first one sails way past the flag, the second barely makes it to the green and the third is, oh bollocks, thinned into the woods behind the green… aaaaaaargh! Ten minutes later and the ball is making friends with the flag again. The trajectory is low and the ball is sticking to the face long enough to leap off with a fizz and grab on the second bounce. Your confidence is restored and you even feel a little bounce in your step.
Onto the putting green, the nerves are back. What a stupid game this is, where a 4 foot putt counts as much as a 200 yard long iron. To start you aim at the edge of the green just to get the pace before knocking some at the hole. By some miracle, your practice at home has had an effect (maybe Gary Player was on to something!) and you're pouring it into the cup from short range and lagging it close from distance. Even some of the better players are paying attention. "That's right" you think to yourself, 'I can be one of you'.
Five minutes to your tee time so you make your way to the first tee and visualize the first hole; the par 5 is a genuine 3 shotter with danger all the way down the left so a long iron on the tee is all that's needed. Your name is called and you stride onto the tee, place the ball down, address it and mutter the immortal phrase of the competition golfer "Please please please, just don't screw up".
The 3-iron in your hand manages to feel like a sledgehammer and a feather at the same time. All you are aware of are the watching crowds of your fellow competitors. The twenty people feel like a thousand. You bring the club back as fluidly as a rusty clockwork man, hearing your joints click and pop as you wind up into a position that feels wildly unfamiliar and hope against hope that you don't miss as the club drops back down to the ball.
The ball sings as it flies off the middle of the club face and climbs into the sky. Your heart is in your mouth. It finally comes to rest a fair distance over 200 yards down the fairway in the very edge of the fairway. You control the emotions as you look to your friends who you are playing with… HA!, IN YOUR FACE PLAYING PARTNERS! FOLLOW THAT!
After nearly perfect start, what could go wrong? How about everything? How about no putt over 6 feet dropping? How about 4 lip-outs in the round? How about a 50 yard bunker shot that took a hard bounce and ended up in a tree. IN A TREE DAMMIT! THREE FOOT OFF THE FLOOR! You can't point to a single bad shot and say 'that cost me a double' but it's uphill all the way and you grind it out as well as you can.
At the end of the first round, you shake the hands of your playing partners. Your death's head grin hopefully hides your desire to throw your bag into the nearest lake as you realize that you are comfortably out of the running.
Rather than sit and stew, you take it out on the putting green. All those putts that didn't make it are forgotten in a barrage of drills. All the lip-outs, all the ones that caught the grain and slid from the hole, all forgotten as you drive the ball into the back of the cup. Sod avoiding a 3-putt, make sure you bang the ball home.
Back on the first tee for the second round, you've learned your lesson. A hard cut and the ball is in the middle of the fairway. A lay up and a good wedge leaves you 10 feet from the hole. The putter swings back and forth and the ball is in the hole for a birdie start.
A regulation par at the second but a bogey at the third brings you down to Earth with a bump. Suddenly it's back to being a grind except this time a couple of putts drop and you hold it together. It's still a fight but this time you're not taking a battering. You even make the turn a couple well under what you would expect. Still no threat to the leaders but your playing partners are struggling and reports are that many others are wilting in the heat.
Then it all changes at the turn. Suddenly the game is simple; Tee shot to the middle of the fairway, a mid iron or wedge in and 2 putts. Rinse and repeat. The 3 hardest holes on the course are up next and where better players have faltered, you ghost through them like they were pitch and putt. You even managed to sneak a birdie at a short par 3 when the ball takes a nice kick off a bank from the front of the green and you roll in resulting the 6 footer.
It almost feels too good to be true and at the 18th, it is. The long iron fade becomes a double-cross and you're blocked out behind a tree. The sensible punch out sideways hits a hidden tree root 20 feet away and bounces back almost to your feet. The golf gods giveth and the golf gods damn well take away. On a tough par 4 you walk in with a 7 but still well under what you would normally score.
For a whole hour, you watch the big screen with the scores. Your name is at the top. You take some pictures with your phone knowing that it won't last but enjoying it while it does. Others have crashed in front of you and you are leading the pack right until the final two groups roll in. The very last group is a threeball of the top players in the club. One of them struggled in the second round (you later find out that you scored lower than him) but the other two have dominated the scoring. It was always really going to be between Joe and Sam and this year it's Joe that adds to his trophy cabinet.
You had enough flashes of genuinely great play to trouble the best but inconsistency cost you. Some more practice and maybe a new lob wedge will help. Okay, a lot more practice and some lessons is what you know you need but the way you played is fuel for your dreams.
Who knows, there's always next year…
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
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
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
