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Tour Rundown: 6 tournament edition

Published

5 years ago

Aug 17, 2020

Six tournaments in one week? Inconceivable. A major amateur championship and a major senior event simultaneously? Inconceivable. A remake of “The Princess Bride?” Inconceivable. Yet, here we are. Comebacks galore marked the second week of August 2o2o, in the world of competitive golf. A grand champion completed her comeback, while a youngster demonstrated determination and fortitude in capturing the grand chalice of amateur golf. Tour with us the week’s results as we revisit six events in this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship

At the same time that we feel great empathy for Billy Horschel, we feel a ridiculous incredulity for Jim Herman. Take a seat and let us explain. The Horschel family has gone through the trials and tribulations of addiction and recovery, and their road to survival is worth of a PGA Tour victory. It did not come this week, it was agonizingly close, but it will happen again soon.

The Jim Herman story is, in a word, uncanny. Herman is a former assistant professional at Trump National in New Jersey. He was encouraged by no less than the POTUS himself to chase the dream, and chase it, he did. Herman recently teed it up with Mr. Trump, as he did prior to his Barbasol Championship (2109) and Houston Open (2016) wins. You guessed it…Herman wins, HERMAN WINS!

Let’s talk 15 birdies plus 1 eagle (against a solitary, lonely bogey) over the 48 weekend hours. That’s golf, folks. On a Donald Ross, Jr., golf course, against the best that the PGA Tour has to offer. Congratulations and job well done.

LPGA & Ladies European Tours: Scottish Open

There is no such thing as a lead in tournament golf, especially when an event lasts four days. Azahara Muñoz and Stacy Lewis understood this. They entered the fourth round of the 2020 Scottish Open in first and second spot, but gave those positions up nearly as soon as the first nine of day four began. Names like EK Pederson, Cheyenne Knight, and NK Madson began to supplant them at the top of the leader board, but these are veterans, and they understood the intricacies and vagaries of a national championship’s final round.

How did it shake out at the Renaissance Club? The smoldering one, Danielle Kang, nearly pulled off a third consecutive victory, finishing at 4 deep, one out of the playoff. Madsen finished there, too. Knight and Pedersen, hailing from the USA and Denmark, respectively, reached five-under par, and waited on Muñoz and Lewis to finish the day. The duo joined in at minus-five, and off the foursome went to overtime. Things ended quickly, where Muñoz and Pedersen missed the green and chances at birdie. Knight was at 15 feet for three, with Lewis at 20. The Arkansas Assassin drained her 20-feet putt for tre and watched as Knight missed. Like that, the mom, former number one, and winless since 2017, was winless no more. Victory number 15 was sealed with grit and spectacle.

European Tour: Celtic Classic

Connor Syme held the third round lead at the CC, but Connor Syme has never won on the European Tour. He has lifted silverware on the Challenge Tour, but that’s another level. Syme had two bogeys and two birdies on day four in Wales, and fell from first to T3 on Sunday.

Andrew “Beef” Johnston posted 68 on day four, and finished in a tie for third, with Syme. Johnston has been on a wayward patch of late, so a top-three total is cause for celebration. We have the beef is not yet in the top podium spot, but he’s gaining! Thomas Pieters, lean and tall Belgian, former Ryder Cupper, also finished at 15-red and matched with Johnston and Syme on Golfer.

Who remained? How about Thomas Detry, fellow Belgian of Pieters, and fellow U of Illinois alum on Pieters? He and Pieters won the 2018 World Cup of Golf, but Detry has yet to claim a solo win on the Euro Tour. He’s getting closer (this part is ironic; more to come.) He finished at -16, solo second and two shy of … Sam Horsfield. Horsfield held the 36-hole lead, but gave it generously to Syme. On Sunday, the Englishman was bogey-free for 67 and a two-shot margin of victory. This was his second Euro Tour win for career and season, and both have come at the expense of runner-up … Thomas Detry. Yikes!

Men’s Amateur: U.S. Amateur

Lightning doesn’t strike twice, they say. Lightning hasn’t met Tyler Strafaci. On Saturday, the Georgia Tech senior stood two up with three to play in his semifinal match. He proceeded to lose 16 and 17 to Aman Gupta, the highest-ranked seed left in the field. Undaunted, Strafaci made birdie on 18 to make his way to Sunday’s final match. Fast forward to late Sunday afternoon, and Strafaci found himself in a similar, uncomfortable position.

Charles “Ollie” Osborne had made consecutive birdies at 16 and 17 to whittle Strafaci’s 2-up lead to nothing. The SMU golfer had the Yellowjacket exactly where he wanted him. Trouble was, Strafaci had been there before. Just like Saturday, Strafaci dug deep and made birdie. Just like Saturday, three consecutive holes were too much for his opponent. Osborne made par, and the US Amateur title returned to Atlanta, where former teammate Andy Ogletree had brought the hardware in 2019, after his win at Pinehurst.

Easily as important as Strafaci’s win this week, was the showcase of American links golf at the Bandon Dunes resort. For far too long, USA golfers have been enamored of soft fairways, thick rough, and balls spinning backward (even if they only dream of the third part.) The fast and firm conditions at Bandon Dunes are much easier to maintain, cost less money, and are better for the environment. Tyler Strafaci and golf both emerged as champions this week.

Korn Ferry Tour: Boise Open

#NoLie I wanted Cameron Young to win. Two reasons: coached against him at NYS CHSAA champions at James Baird State Park AND he went to my alma mater, @wakeforest. Today wasn’t his day, now wasn’t his time. Soldier on.

With luck, Young paid attention to the guys in his pairing. Stephan Jaeger, he of the 58 at the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic, played the requisite golf (68) to claim a fifth Korn Ferry title. Dan McCarthy, the best golfer that Syracuse has ever produced, continued his comeback from wrist injuries and came second. McCarthy is to the USA on the Korn Ferry Tour what Taylor Pendrith is to Canada. Both of these guys are going to break out soon, and large! With seven events left on the 2020 schedule, the limb that I select is this: those two will win two of the remaining septuplets.

What about Jaeger? Made an early eagle, said, “come get me,” and played solid golf. Heck, it took at 64 from McCarthy for anyone to be within … oh, wait, Brandon Wu. Wu also finished on -2o, two back of Jaeger. Well, guess it was trickier than it looked. If Wu doesn’t bogey 11 and 13 on the inward half, it gets interesting. OK, not a Twilight Series installment. Jaeger wins, out.

PGA Tour Champions: Senior Players Championship

Jerry Kelly is THAT guy. Which guy? Hard to explain, Kind of an uncle, sort of a buddy, mistaken for a character played by Jack Nicholson (it’s the goatee.) Former hockey goalie, won one of the three #NikeBuffaloOpen ever played #MyHometown, and just a gritty, grinding guy. Sunday in Akron was no awakening for him. Bit of a rain delay, bit of a challenge from the chasers, let’s tough it out sort of day.

Jerry Kelly aced the 12th. Like Si Woo Kim yesterday at Wyndham, except Kelly won. He made double bogey at the 18th, and won by two. Scott Parel, his pursuer, made bogey at the last, after notching birdie at the penultimate hole. In words, it was an odd conclusion. It was not stellar golf. It was strange golf. There was Parel, thinking that 2nd would be a fine place to finish, until Kelly chunked his way to the green, then three-whacked for the six. Parel found the rough on his own, came up shy of the green, then missed for par.

The win was Kelly’s seventh on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. By my estimation, he should eclipse ten before his victory days are done. He is a solid player with a balanced approach to the game. Same goes for Parel, who currently sits on three PTC wins. He is due for a burst, any week now.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

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

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

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)

GolfWRX

Tour Rundown: 6 tournament edition

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