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Tour Rundown: Kentucky kollision, Fox triumphs, Korda Slam

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7 years ago

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Just as the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is a once-a-year phenomenon, so too, is the World Super 6 Perth, a hybrid medal/match/pool play event on the European and Australasian tours. Unlike the stadium hole, we ought to see more Super 6 events across the globe. Here’s hoping that someone will import the format to the USA, Canada and continental Europe. Oh, the places we’d go! Lots of action to run down, from Australia to Los Angeles, and points in between. Buckle up, gear down, and enjoy the ride!

Kentucky Kollision at Genesis Open brings honors to Holmes

Sometimes golf fans anticipate that the tour can be all buttercups and cupcakes for the chosen greats. Justin Thomas would like the court to hear his testimony: it ain’t. After going over par on just four of his first 54 holes, Thomas made five bogeys and one double over the final 18 holes on Sunday. Paired with a long day (completion of round three in the morning) and feisty winds through Riviera’s canyon, the younger scion of the Bluegrass state finished runner-up to his elder, now five-time PGA tour champion JB Holmes.

The winner did nothing spectacular on day four, but he did make up five strokes on the 54-hole leader with a 1-under final round. Spectacular was Si Woo Kim’s 5 under, the low final 18. That brought him to solo third. For Holmes, the Genesis trophy was his first in four years, a much-needed affirmation of his ability. For Thomas, a reminder that a winning career on tour will bring as much heartache as happiness.

Sometimes all it takes is a combination of luck and skill, as Holmes showed earlier in the week.

Perth Super 6 is Fox’s first European Tour triumph

It’s hard to imagine which is more enchanting, the format or the golf. After three rounds of stroke play, 8 golfers are seeded into the 2nd round. 16 others move into the first round, for the right to battle those elite 8. From there, it goes 16>8>4>2>Champion. Why does every other, match-play event avoid something this thrilling? Fans get to see all the golfers for three days, then witness some mighty, head-to-head tilts the rest of the way. What seals the deal is the brevity of it all: each match is slated for 6 holes (hence, the name of the event) unless tied. In other words, you need to get after it early and hard, or you might go home, 4 holes in.

Ryan Fox is a long hitter from New Zealand. That almost counts as a home-island hero, but not quite. Fox danced with victory on numerous occasions prior to this week in Perth, but never came away with a hand on the trophy. His closest dalliance with the 2018 Irish Open, where he lost in a playoff to Russell Knox. After qualifying 8th this week on 8-under, the Kiwi dispatched Jazz Janewattananond, Kristoffer Reitan, Paul Dunne and (in the final) Adrian Otaegui. For those of you counting, that’s Thailand, Norway, Ireland and Spain. For Otaegui, Perth was a chance to make history, as his first 3 Euro Tour victories would all have been at match play. The Basque will have to wait until later this season for that opportunity, when the tour returns to Belgium for the Knockout event he won in 2018.

In the championship tilt, it was over before it began. The first 3 hole saw 2 bogeys from Otaegui and 2 birdies from Fox. This new math added to a 3-up lead with 3 to play. Par at the 4th closed the door on Otaegui and delivered the victory to Fox.

Korda adds Australian Open to family album

Caution: if all that you watch from the Australian Open are the Nelly Korda highlights below, you’ll come away with these notions-long putts made are frequent; approach shots are easy to hit; and only the rough can grab your club head.

The 20-year old American golfer did all of these things on Sunday in Grange, and they merged to afford her a 2-shot win over Jin Young Ko. Jin did her best to chase Korda down, firing 8-under 64 on day four 4. For Korda, it may have been in the kards. Her sister, brother, and father had all won major golfing and tennis tournaments down under, so it was only a matter of time before little sis joined them.

Ironically, it almost wasn’t! Korda’s first three holes of the week were all bogeys, and she was staring a missed cut and a long flight home, squarely in the eyes. She made six birdies against two bogeys the rest of the way to finish under par on the day. The birdies returned each day (8, 7 and 7) but the bogeys reduced to two each day. If you followed Korda beyond the highlights, you saw very few pars. After gaining her first tour win last October, Korda wasted little time in getting the second on the shelf. Predictions on the third, anyone?

LECOM Suncoast to Hubbard by a pair of shots

One of the exciting elements of the early part of the Web.Com Tour season, is the instant rise in The 25 that a victory brings. The 25 is the season-long chase for a PGA Tour card. Getting there is challenging; remaining amid the elite quarter-century is excruciating. Mark Hubbard jumped from 78th to 4th this week, thanks to a two-shot win over Maverick McNealy in west Florida. The LECOM Suncoast was a true western shoot-out. If you posted 4 under, you went home. 139 made the cut, and the leaders fired mid- and low-60s, all week long. Average 67 on the week? You got fifth place by yourself (five for you, J.T. Griffin!) It took 262, an unthinkable 65.5 each day, to claim victory.

Hubbard made 28 birdies and one eagle on the week. That 30-under sequence offset the handful of bogeys he was forced to etch into scorecards. His bogey at the penultimate hole made things interesting. McNealy, a heralded golfer in his amateur days, opened the week with 29 over his first 9 holes. He had 128 after two rounds for the lead, but the weekend wrote a different story. On that 71st hole, where Hubbard bogeyed, McNealy had a chance to tie with a birdie. Alas, he also made bogey at the par three. One shot clear of the third-place tie, McNealy bounded up the list to seventh in pursuit of his big-tour card. For the guy with the best Twitter handle (@homelesshubbs) on tour, victory was as sweet as a big hug from mom.

Chubb Classic in hands of the most interesting man, errr, the Spafro, errr, Jimenez

You tell us the bigger story: that the tour bon vivant jumped up 14 places on Sunday to victory, or that Bernhard Langer failed to win the tournament! Miguel Angel Jimenez and the Langer had met before, down the stretch and in playoffs, and the result was sadly predictable. On this day, the pair were joined by Olin Browne at 13-under par, but the playoff was brief. Didn’t even take fireworks! Jimenez made a routine par on the 18th, while both Browne and Langer scored bogey. Just like that, the Spaniard had his seventh tour victory.

It might be the start of something bigger. Last July, the Iberian held Langer off at the Senior British Open by one shot. Has he discovered the secret to keeping Langer from matching Hale Irwin’s total of 45 senior titles? Perhaps, but Langer won’t rest until he hits 50. For today, Miguel Angel, the wine and cigar are yours. For Browne, the taste was sour. He made double-bogey at the last, including a chili-dip chunk of a pitch, to give away certain victory.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

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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.

 

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BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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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)

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WITB

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