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Morning 9: Bold prediction: DJ wins the FedEx Cup | KFT, Euro winners | Rory explains “that” shot

Published

5 years ago

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1. With a 5-shot lead, DJ poised to hoist the FedEx Cup
Safe to say he hasn’t been dwelling on his BMW Championship defeat…
AP report…”Dustin Johnson started with the lead, matched the low round Sunday at the Tour Championship with a 6-under 64 and now is one round away from capturing the FedEx Cup and its $15 million prize.”
  • “Johnson missed only three fairways and putted for birdie on all but three holes. It led to a five-shot lead over Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele going into the Labor Day finish at East Lake.”
2. Little adjustment, big benefit
Sean Martin at PGATour.com on DJ’s adjustment…”Dustin Johnson has a gift for making this maddening game seem so simple, so it was fitting that the fix for his wayward ball-striking was an easy one.”
  • “He was standing too far from the ball. That’s it.”
  • “I felt like I was swinging well. The setup was just a hair off,” he said. “I was just hitting the driver a little bit towards the toe, and obviously when you hit it off the toe it does not like to cut.”
3. Meanwhile, on the Korn Ferry Tour…
At the superbly named Lincoln Land Championship… “Bill Welt, USA Today Network…Australian golfer Brett Drewitt thought about skipping the Lincoln Land Championship.”
  • “He missed his family in Florida and had only made six of 18 cuts since the start of the season. Thankfully, Drewitt decided otherwise after a chat with his wife, Brianna.”
  • “Drewitt capitalized with a one-stroke victory Sunday at 19-under-par, his first win since last year on the Outlaw Tour and first-ever on the Korn Ferry Tour.”
  • “I just kind of went for it,” said Drewitt, who finished the round 3-under. “I said, ‘You know what, I’m doing this for a living and a lot of people would kill for that.’ I just went at it and played my own game.”
4. First American to win at Valderrama since Tiger
…and in Spain…AP report…”John Catlin became the first American since Tiger Woods to win at Valderrama on Sunday, surviving conditions so difficult that he didn’t make a birdie in his 4-over 75 and held on for a one-shot victory in the Andalucia Masters.”
  • “Catlin won for the first time on the European Tour and denied Martin Kaymer another chance to end a six-year drought.”
  • “Kaymer, who now has gone 156 events since his last victory in the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, twice had birdie putts inside 10 feet to take the lead. He missed them both on the 16th and 17th holes, and they proved costly.”
5. JT charging
A personal best, but…
  • Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Justin Thomas appears to have found an answer for his recent putting woes, but it might be too late to salvage his week.”
  • “Following two poor putting rounds at the Tour Championship, he picked up nearly one-and-a-half shots on the greens, according to strokes gained: putting, and rolled in 139 feet of putts on Sunday. Over the first two rounds combined, he made just 107 feet of putts.”
  • “I didn’t feel as bad as I guess my stats were showing. I was awfully optimistic for being last in the field by a mile. That’s for sure. I don’t know why,” Thomas said. “I finally knew what I was doing, and I simply just wasn’t hitting it hard enough.”
6. “Palpable sense of comfort”
Interesting perspective (as always) from Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…“Golf fans ought to feel a palpable sense of comfort in knowing that those two outstanding majors rest with the USGA and Augusta National Golf Club. There are no two bodies more devoted to continuity, both led by the kind of people who – to borrow E.B. White’s memorable phrase – wind the clock daily as a contribution toward order and steadfastness.”
  • “If all goes according to the (re)plan, the U.S. Open will begin Sept. 17 at Winged Foot’s West Course, just north of New York City. There’s a dandy symbolism in managing to stage the event in a region that only a few months ago was being ravaged by coronavirus, with more than 32,000 deaths. This 120th playing of the Open will be atypical, thanks to the absence of fans, infrastructure and the saccharine Father’s Day bromides to every man who ever sired. But in other ways, golf fans could have four days to relish the old normal.”
  • “Seriously. What better way to feel like the glory days are here again than an Open contested over a classic Northeastern course? One set up to extract its pound of flesh from participants. Where players start keening like an Irish banshee early in the week and don’t let up until it’s wheels up for their Gulfstreams on the journey home. In a year when we can’t seem to count on much, surely we can count on Winged Foot and the USGA?”
7. Rory on his 20-handicapper effort
By now, you’ve seen the clip of Rory McIlroy’s golf ball extraction gone wrong. And after thinking “Rory McIlroy: He’s just like us!” (he isn’t), you most likely wondered “what happened?”
  • Well, PGATour.com’s Sean Martin writes…“So, what happend? We’ll let McIlroy take it from here. He was gracious enough to speak to the media after making that mistake on his final hole of the day. Here’s what he had to say:”
  • “The lie was sort of iffy. My biggest concern was trying to carry the first bunker on the right there, and I knew I needed to hit it really hard and I swung hard at it, and I got it maybe like right in the middle of the ball. … I felt like if I tried to sweep it, it would be better, and I just sort of came up on it a little bit.
  • “Probably in hindsight trying to take on a little bit too much. So yeah, and then it would have been nice to get away with a par. It wasn’t to be.”
8. The presumptive winning WITB
DJ’s sticks…
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (10.5 @10 degrees, D4 swing weight)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 X (45.75 inches, 59 lie, D4)
Fairway woods: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees, 21 degrees)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X (42.75 inches, 59.5, D4), Project X HZURDUS Black 95 6.5
Irons: TaylorMade P730 DJ Proto (3-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (soft-stepped)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG (52 @54 degrees, 60-10)
Shafts: KBS Tour Custom Black 120 S
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Limited Itsy Bitsy
Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Pistol GT 1.0
Ball: TaylorMade TP5X (#1)
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R (1 wrap 2-way tape + 2 wraps left hand, 3 right hand)

Photos here.

9. GolfWRX x TRENDYGOLF USA 
I’m proud of this partnership and very much looking forward to what the future holds-even if means needing to expand my shoe rack. We’re joining forces with TRENDYGOLF USA to showcase some of the hottest golf footwear and apparel in the rapidly evolving market for those two quantities.

 

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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

on

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

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.

 

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News

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

Published

4 weeks ago

on

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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