News
Tour Rundown: Morikawa, Lipsky, and Warren claim titles on three world tours
After nearly a month of covering a single tournament each week, today feels like a birthday, with three presents to open. The European Tour returned to action for the first time since Qatar, in early March. The Korn Ferry Tour was again in action, this time in a canyon in San Antonio, Texas. And the PGA Tour headed into territory not charted since the 1950s. More on that tease in a moment. As humanity navigates the careful steps required by quarantine, our professional golf tours have done their best to clear a path on how to properly do so. There is stumbling and mild retreat, but in the end, movement forward. Here’s to caution and confidence, as we return to Tour Rundown, this second week of July 2020.
Collin Morikawa claims first PGA Tour medal-play title
Justin Thomas is young. He’s only 27. The thing is, Collin Morikawa is younger. Like a quarter-generation younger. In an era of internet immediacy and social media fame, people identify by these five-year segments of a generation. On Sunday, at the Workday Charity Open, Morikawa earned his second tour title in less than a year, and he did so by staring down the 2017 PGA champion.
In a word, Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, was crazy. Arriving weather dictated threesomes off early, on both front and back nines, for final-round completion. Morikawa was paired with Thomas and Viktor Hovland, on a stage set for drama. Thomas had the lead at the outset, but Morikawa seized it back with two birdies and an eagle in the first five holes. Thomas responded, as in the middle rounds of a prize fight, with a stunning sequence of his own. Birdies at 8 through 11, followed by birdie-eagle at 14 and 15, appeared to pave a path to a 13th tour title for the Kentuckian.
With a flicker, Thomas made bogey at 16 and 18, while a 17th-hole birdie by Morikawa evened the score. Off to extra holes they went. Thomas appeared to have stolen the win with a 50-feet bomb for birdie at th 18th, but Morikawa matched him with a putt for three of his own. They returned to 18 one more, where pars sent them off to the 10th tee. A change of venue, to the 10th hole, brought resolution to the week. Morikawa’s drive found the fairway, while Thomas’ tee ball was stymied behind a wee sapling of a tree trunk. Forced to pitch out, Thomas ultimately missed a 15-feet putt for par. Morikawa took two putts from six feet, and the victory was his. After an initial win in the modified-stableford Barracuda Championship 11 months ago, the young Californian now has a stroke-play title, against one of the best of the tour, on his sleeve.
For the first time since 1957, the PGA Tour will host events on the same course, in consecutive weeks. The Workday Classic steps aside for the Memorial Invitational. Expect faster greens, deeper tees, thicker rough, and angrier hole locations as Jack’s event takes center stage.
David Lipsky steps out of covert operations for San Antonio Challenge win
If you’re one of those Golf Channel stalwarts, the ones who watch early-morning telecasts from the Asian and European tours, you know his name. If not, please allow me to introduce David Lipsky. A graduate of Northwestern University, a Big Ten titleist in college, 2-time champion on both the European and Asian tours, and now, a winner stateside. By reaching 25-under par on Sunday evening, David Lipsky claimed an inaugural Korn Ferry tour title at the (deep breath) TPC-San Antonio Challenge at the Canyons. The native of La Cañada, California, turned in a weekend scorecard of 128 for 36 holes, blazing past the field by four shots.
The majority of the onslaught took place on Saturday. Lipsky had been known, on his overseas tours of golf duty, to post the occasional low round. Following it up was always the difficult part. More on that in a jiff. On day three, Lipsky posted consecutive bogies, at the 13th and 14th holes. No worries. They were sandwiched by a birdie and an eagle. And those were sandwiched by two more birdies on either side. And that was after an outward nine of five-under 31. Lipsky’s matching nines totaled 62, and included 10 birdies and that screaming eagle.
On Sunday, the third-round leader picked up where he left off. He made few mistakes on the day, and expanded his week-long birdie total by seven. As his closest pursuers hiccoughed and stumbled, Canada’s Taylor Pendrith took up the challenge. Pendrith reached the turn on a five-birdie streak, but was unable to maintain the momentum. He reached 21-under par, one clear of Paul Haley II and Paul Barjon in third, and claimed his first runner-up finish on the Korn Ferry tour. Coming on the heels of a tie for third the previous week, Pendrith is one to watch as the Korn Ferry tour moves across property to the Oaks course, for a 2nd consecutive TPC San Antonio event.
Marc Warren edges Schneider by one in Austria
Compared with the above winners (23 and 32) Marc Warren is an old guy. He’s 39, which qualifies for tour-old status. Not as old as Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the 36-hole leader, but certainly trending upward in circles around the tree trunk. No matter, after 72 holes, it was Marc Warren by one shot, for his fourth career win on the European tour. Six years had passed since the Scotsman hoisted the Made In Denmark trophy, and this rep was more than sweet.
Warren sat two shots behind the ageless Spaniard, Jiménez, aftet two rounds. Surprising himself, the PGA Tour Champions regular was out in 133, emboldened by a Friday 65. What went right on day two, moved in the opposite direction on Saturday. Jiménez turned in a 77, dropping out of the top five. Warren seized the opportunity on a difficult day, and took the lead with a two-under 70. On Sunday, the Caledonian struggled with his swing, giving the lead away to runner-up Marcel Schneider, midway through the back nine. Emboldened by years of toil, Warren responded with birdies at 15 and 17 to snatch the lead back. A par at the last was sufficient to close in 13-under par, one clear of Germany’s Schneider. Holland’s Will Besseling turned in the day’s best score (66) to ascend 16 spots on the board, into solo third position.
The tour remains in Austria this week, at the Euram Bank Open. Unlike the US tours, the remainder of the Euro schedule is uncertain. With fortune, previously-scheduled events will make a return to competition in 2021, if not sooner.
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...
