Connect with us

News

Tour Rundown: Cantlay, Lee6, Migliozzi, and more

Published

6 years ago

on

With the exception of the USGA Women’s Open this week, day four in professional golf was a birdie-them-all type of afternoon, across all tours. Golfers reminded fans and followers of their ability to go low at a given moment, defying expectation. As for the ladies, well, the Country Club of Charleston appeared to win day four, as only 12 scores (out of 70) dipped below par over the final 18 holes. How did all of this come about? Take a step-by-step Tour Rundown with us, and we shall answer that question.

Cantlay takes Memorial for 2nd PGA Tour title

There was a time, so long ago, it seems, when Patrick Cantlay was just another, can’t-miss kid. He stood atop the amateur world, came within a whisker of winning a US Amateur, destined for PGA Tour glory. Injury and tragedy turned up in his next hand, and his name drifted away on the breeze, toward the file marked “whatever happened to…”

And just like that, it seemed, he returned. Cantlay rediscovered his game and his winning ways, claiming an inaugural Tour title in 2017, at the Shriner’s Classic. In 2019, he registered top-ten finishes at the Masters (t9) and the PGA (t3). The young-old man from California was knocking on the door, as they say, and then came Sunday at the Memorial. Despite Martin Kaymer’s lead, a Sunday differential of 8 strokes would get the job done. Beginning the day 4 in arrears, Cantlay started quickly, with birdies at 5 of his first 9 holes. The 2014 US Open winner from Germany showed no signs of letting anyone catch him, as he stood -3 on the day through 8 holes.

At the 9th, fortune swung its pendulum. Kaymer spent a long time in the rough, needing a six-feet putt to salvage bogey. From that point on, his driver abandoned him, finding rough and sand more than fairway. His heroic shots saved pars, not birdies, and Kaymer signed for 72, and a 3rd-place finish, 2 behind runner-up Adam Scott. Scott had plodded along most of the day, barely registering on radar, until a 3-hole stretch of birdies from 14-16 brought him to 2nd place alone at -17. The day, however, belonged to Patrick Cantlay. 8 birdies with 0 bogies rarely disappoint, and -19 was his destiny, a 2nd tour title, at the course that Jack built. And what was Cantlay’s secret? A few words from the legend himself.

Lee6 wins first American professional title at US Open

A few year’s back, Jeongeun Lee added the number 6 to her last name. Her explanation was that there were others with similar names, and she wanted fans and family to know that it was she on the leader board. On Sunday at Seth’s Place, the Country Club of Charleston golf course that reintroduced Seth Raynor to golf fandom, Lee6 pushed all those eponymic golfers aside with masterful golf. She won the US Open by 2 shots, and now we know why.

Celine Boutier and Jaye Marie Green reached -6 on Sunday, the number that ultimately won the tournament. They could not hold their place, and each dropped to a tie for 5th, three behind the champion. Others fired, then fell back, but a quick look at statistics tells the Lee6 tale. The young woman from Korea was the only golfer to shoot below par each day this week. In an event where no one went super-low (65 on Thursday the low number) and where the low score each day went up as the week progressed, consistent excellence was rewarded. On the course’s most daunting hole, the par-3 11th, Lee6 made 3 birdies in 4 rounds. Call it an avoidance of disaster, call it an energy boost, deuces on the Redan added up to a 2 shot win over three golfers, and reason to celebrate.

Migliozzi claims first European Tour title at Belgian Knockout

No one tires of tournaments like this one. Qualifying round, followed by head-to-head play over abbreviated rounds. In Belgium, it was total strokes, not holes won, that decided each match. Many was the time that a final-hole swing decided (or nearly decided) matches throughout the 6 rounds of head-to-head combat. In the end, it was the unheralded Guido (pronounced GEE-doe, not Gwui-doe) Migliozzi who rang the birdie bell more than the others, and walked away with an inaugural European Tour title.

After quietly qualifying and sneaking through his first three matches, Migliozzi arrived at day the last with 7 other golfers. He did what champions do during each of his 3 9-hole matches on Sunday: make birdies. Migliozzi birdied 3 holes during each round of 9 holes, dispatching Bernd Wiesberger (just barely) by one, then Ewen Ferguson by 3, and finally, Darius Van Driel by a comfortable 4 shots.

Unlike traditional match play, where a misplayed stroke can only cost one hole, stroke-play matches keep all players in the game. Migliozzi had a 3-shot advantage over Wiesberger, last week’s winner, at the final tee of his quarterfinal match. The Austrian made birdie as the Italian, bogeyed, but Migliozzi survived by one stroke. Cheers to the champion, to creative tournament formats, and to a resurgence of golf for the young.

Despite 60s and 61s from others, Cappelen rallies for REX Hospital Title on Web Tour

Sebastian Cappelen, from the golf powerhouse of Denmark, bogeyed his first two holes on Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite the inauspicious beginning, Cappelen did not go away. He played the remaining 16 holes in -9, hyper-charged by 5th hole hole-out from the rough for eagle. Chris Baker had posted 60 in round two, but his Sunday 72 relegated him to a tie for 4th. On Saturday, Zack Sucher signed for 62; that number edged him a bit closer, into a tie for 2nd with Grayson Murray. What did Murray do on Sunday? Came from nowhere, that’s what. He had 10 birdies on the day, albeit none over the closing three holes, to jump from 22nd to 2nd. It was Cappelen’s extended brilliance that led to 21-under par in the end, clear of the chasers by 3 strokes. The title brought the Dane from his own nowhere to prominence. With the winner’s check, Cappelen jumped from 73rd to 10th, in the season-long chase for a PGA Tour card.

Mr. Comeback comes back and wins Principal Charity Classic in playoff

We’ve saved the best for last. Kevin Sutherland did something you don’t even find in video games. He birdied 8 of the 9 closing holes of Sunday’s final round. Sutherland went out in 2-under 34, but came home in 28 paltry strokes. He was on the green on the 16th in regulation, but somehow failed to convert the birdie putt. Truth be told, that might have been even worse for Scott Parel, the overnight leader. Parel didn’t play poorly on Sunday, but his bogey at the par-five 16th was a game changer. Sutherland and Parel went off to extra holes after tying at 17-under par, one shot clear of perennial runner-up Jerry Kelly. Parel had a 10-feet birdie putt on the first playoff hole to change the day’s fortunes, but he incredulously left it short, right on line with victory. Undecided after one, the golfers returned to the closer for a 3rd time on the day. With, what else, a birdie, Sutherland ended the long day with his 2nd Champions Tour victory of the year. Side Note: both of Sutherland’s wins this season have come in extra holes. Both have come against Scott Parel.

Related Topics:

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.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

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.

Continue Reading

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 28, 2025

By

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)

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

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...
Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago

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...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

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. ...
Whats in the Bag4 weeks ago

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...

Facebook

Trending