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Morning 9: The champ X2 | Spieth says he’s close | Reflections on a first golf shot

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6 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

March 24, 2019

Good Monday morning, golf fans.
1. The Champ X2
BBC Report on Paul Casey’s second paintbrush trophy in a row.
  • …”Casey, 41, led by one overnight but dropped three shots on the opening nine as a pack of players applied pressure.”
  • “The Englishman was level with Jason Kokrak at eight under on the 18th hole but the American made bogey, meaning Casey needed par to win.”
  • “He found a bunker off the tee but hit the green and two-putted for a first win since taking last year’s title.”
  • “It feels cool,” said Casey, who made bogey on 17 to briefly fall back to eight under alongside Kokrak. “It was messy but this course was so difficult and I did make errors. Looking at 72 holes, it was hard work.”
SCORES: 1. Casey -8…T2. Oosthuizen, Kokrak -7…T4. Watson, Im -6…T6. Rahm, Armour, D. Johnson -5…T9. McCarthy, Cook, Stallings, Donald -4
2. Stuck in neutral
Ultimately, Dustin Johnson would only have needed a 1-under final round to win at Innisbrook. Unfortunately, the world No. 1 never got anything going in Florida, Sunday.
  • Golf Channel’s Will Gray…”After cruising through the first 54 holes of the Valspar Championship seemingly without breaking a sweat, Dustin Johnson seemed like the man to beat. But keeping the Copperhead Course at bay for four straight days proved to be too tall of a task, even for the world No. 1.”
  • “Johnson struggled during the final round amid swirling winds and on crispy greens, shooting a 3-over 74 that dropped him into a tie for sixth. Pars were dearly sought for all the leaders down the stretch, but for Johnson the birdies were non-existent. Unable to capitalize on high-percentage opportunities on the par-5s or curl in a putt elsewhere, Johnson failed to make a single final-round birdie for the first time since Sunday of the 2017 WGC HSBC-Champions – when he blew a six-shot lead and finished runner-up to Justin Rose.”
  • “I felt like I had a tough time judging the wind today for some reason,” Johnson said. “It kept switching directions a lot. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots that didn’t end up in good spots.”

Full piece.

3. Hend thunders to victory
EuropeanTour.com report…”Scott Hend claimed his third European Tour title in dramatic circumstances as he beat Nacho Elvira at the first play-off hole to win the weather affected Maybank Championship.”
  • “The 45-year-old began the fourth round three shots behind overnight leader Elvira but went in front courtesy of five birdies on the front nine and remained ahead by one stroke as the final group arrived at the 18th tee.”

Full piece.

And a bit from Reuters on the closing dramatics…”Hend was leading Elvira by a single stroke with the leading pair on the final fairway when torrential rain started falling on the Saujana Golf and Country Club.”
  • “The first crack of thunder came as Elvira hit his approach shot to the 18th green and, with lightning flashing around them, the players were forced off the course before either could attempt a putt.”
  • “They returned after a delay of 100 minutes and Elvira nailed his birdie putt from 30 feet for a two-under-par 70 to tie the scores at 15-under 273 and force the playoff.”
  • “Hend looked in trouble when he landed in a greenside bunker on the first playoff hole but it was his turn to celebrate minutes later when he landed a four-footer after his opponent’s birdie putt had stopped just short of the hole.”
SCORES: 1. Hend -15…2. Elvira -15…3. Janewattananond -13…4. Veerman -12…T5. Fisher, Kieffer -11
4. (Jin Young Ko) outlasts Korda

AP Report…”Jin Young Ko rallied to win the Founders Cup on Sunday for her third LPGA Tour victory, closing with a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over four players.”

  • “The 23-year-old South Korean player birdied Nos. 14-16 and parred the final two to finish at 22-under 266 at Desert Ridge. She won when third-round leader Yu Liu missed a 15-foot par putt on the par-4 18th.”

Full piece. 

SCORES: 1. Ko -22…T2. Korda, Korda, Ciganda, Liu -21…T6. Feng, Thomas -19…T8. Henderson, L. Ko -18…T10. Kerr, S.Y. Kim, H.J. Kim -17
5. Spieth says he’s close
Per Steve DiMeglio…
  • Jordan Spieth: “The toughest part is if everything looks good, but to me it doesn’t feel good,” the winner of 11 PGA Tour titles said after missing the cut in The Players Championship. “On the driving range, everything is top-notch. But it’s about finding that last piece. It’s very close.”
  • Also…:In 2017, he was the best iron player on the PGA Tour; now he’s ranked 129th. In 2016, he was the second-best on the Tour in putting; now he’s 78th. He’s 188th in strokes gained: off the tee. He’s 124th around the green.”
  • “It’s a work in progress from my long irons to my woods,” Spieth said. “As far as the full swing goes, it’s just going to require more repetitions. It was really good on the range, didn’t really miss a shot, but the same mistakes I was making earlier in the year, I was making on the golf course. I probably had one out of every two shots was good with the long clubs.”

Full piece.

6. Justine dials Leadbetter
Golf Channel’s Will Gray reports Justine Reed placed an emergency phone call to the best teacher within arm’s length of Innisbrook after her husband’s opening round at the Valspar. That man: David Leadbetter, who had never met Reed prior to Friday morning.
  • “Just trying to get a fresh perspective on the swing,” Reed said. “I feel like the club’s in a way better position now than it’s been, ever. I’m just hitting a couple loose shots that are kind of costing me some finishes I feel like I should be having.”
  • Leadbetter said this: “I just got a call from his wife, from Justine, who said, ‘Hey, listen, would you be prepared to just have a little look at Patrick. He’s struggling at the moment, he’s sort of lost a little bit. Could you do that for us?'” Leadbetter said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m here, sure I’ll do it. Absolutely.'”
  • Reed said, regarding his wife placing the call: “The great thing is we’re basically on the same wavelength, her and I,” Reed said. “Because of that, before I even finished my [opening] round I didn’t even have to tell her that, hey, is there any way we can get someone in to just take a peek.”
Reed maintained he will continue to work with his current coach, Kevin Kirk.
7. Reflections on a first shot
Golf.com’s “43-year-old non-golfing skeptic” Will Leith reflects on his first lesson, and first shot, under teacher John Tattersall.
  • “…He lets me take a couple of practice swings, but my form is all over the place, and why wouldn’t it be? There’s no ball there, and I’m too early in the process to take a practice swing all that seriously. Not only do I look like I’m about to fall over, I almost send the club flying across the room. Tattersall sighs: “Okay. Let’s put an actual ball down there and see what happens.””
  • “He tees one up, and I pause: “Is it okay if I destroy the tee?””
  • “I stare at the ball. I stare at the arrow. It is time. I pull the club back, and then sharply back down, and try not to shut my eyes. I swing. To my relief, the ball isn’t still in front of me.”
8. Longevity a concern?
Not the lack of longevity, mind you, but rather the abundance…
From Eamon Lynch’s reflection on the phenomenon of Furkys and Sings contending on the PGA Tour…
  • “We view PGA Tour Champions players remaining competitive on the PGA Tour as a positive,” says Miller Brady, the recently-appointed President of the senior tour. “The ability to compete after turning 50 shines a light on just how great these guys are and provides a glimpse into what we know is an exciting PGA Tour Champions product.”
  • “Brady is correct, up to a point….An over-50 player who is competitive on the PGA Tour will only drive interest in the Champions tour if he’s actually playing out there too. Mickelson might face subtle pressure to support the senior circuit with occasional appearances, but he has no urgency to seek safe harbor among his greying contemporaries. Unlike, for example, Ernie Els, who has logged just one top-10 finish on the regular Tour since 2015. Els turns 50 in October.”
9. Rose on riches
An interesting tidbit from Justin Rose in an otherwise very sponsor apperance-y (on behalf of the name on the front of his hat) appearance.
  • Per Brian Sozzi at Yahoo Finance, Rose said…”You can talk to many people and get many different answers and get yourself confused – there is always someone with a great system, someone up 10% in a month,” he said. “Just try not to get push and pulled around and trust the people around you.”
  • On his wealth, Rose is thinking about the future, too. “If you listen to my wife, it’s all going to charity and the kids will start from scratch,” he said. “Obviously there is an element of truth to that, but clearly we want to work out ways so they are taken care of.”

Related Topics:

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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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

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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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