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Tour Rundown: Rai surprises (Garcia, too) | Finally, a win for Mel Reid
The major golf news this week was more agronomic in nature, as the Instagram world marveled at how the Augusta National could go from beautiful brown to…green, in a matter of days. Seems it has to do with rye over-seeding and witchcraft; we’ll get back to you on the specifics. Meanwhile, back at the 18th green, four golfers walked away with massive smiles, thanks to tournament victories. We’ve run them down the best that we can, and are happy to share them with you in this week’s version of Tour Runbrown, err, Rundown.
Scottish Open to Rai in surprise victory
If someone, say, me, had suggested that three English golfers would take the top three spots at this week’s Scottish Open, you’d have been surprised that one of them wasn’t Lee Westwood. If offered the names Tommy Fleetwood, Robert Rock, and Aaron Rai, you’d probably have done nothing to the order. Fairway Jesus is one of the top 20 players in the world, and Rock has multiple wins on the European Tour. Before this week, Rai was known as the two-glove guy, a fellow who had won a few times in Asia.
In regulation play, Rock decided to chip from just off the 18th green, rather than putt. He failed to get up and down, dropped from -11 to -10, and came third. Tied at -11 were, you guessed it, the mashie messiah and Rai. Away they sailed, to the 18th tee of the Renaissance Club, to settle matters. Fleetwood drove into the fairway, while Rai found trouble left. He recovered to leave a challenging pitch, which he tossed to four feet. After converting his par putt, Rai watched in disbelief as the putting paragon flinched from three feet. Just like that, Aaron Rai was no longer two-glove guy.
The tour moves to the toney Wentworth Club this week for the PGA Championship.
Sanderson Farms rates just behind Masters for Garcia
Perhaps not, but let’s be realistic: even though Sergio Garcia Fernandez had won three times since his major breakthrough in 2017, he had not won on US soil, where victories matter more. And, even though his major opposition came from guys named Malnatti, Poston, and Norlander, this win had to mean much to his psyche, as the 2020 version of the little gathering at Augusta looms.
Garcia hit a titanic metal approach to the par-five 14th hole. The ball hit either on the grassy upslope of a greenside bunker, or just past it, and bounced forward to the green, settling inside ten feet. No word on whether he putted with eyes open or closed (the second big story of the week, after the browning of Berckmans) but el adulto made the putt and moved into a tie for the lead. On the 18th hole, with the sun setting quickly, Garcia did the thing that made him famous: he hit an iron approach to within two feet. Garcia started walking after it, as though he knew. The ball landed one foot shy of the hole, and rolled out three feet. With the tap-in, the pride of Borriol had his 11th tour title in 20 seasons.
The PGA tour moves along to Las Vegas for the next two weeks. The Shriners Open will be played first, at TPC Summerlin. It will be followed by the relocated CJ Cup the next week, to be played at fabled Shadow Creek.
Shoprite Classic, finally, is a win for Mel Reid
Mel Reid knew how to win. She had won six times on the Ladies European Tour, albeit not in the past 3.5 years. She also knew how to not win, and had specialized in that in the USA. Reid had so many ways to not win a tournament, and each loss ate away at her confidence. She entered the final round of the annual New Jersey tilt within striking distance once more. In her way were Jennifer Kupcho. winner of the inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur two years back; Jennifer Song, Nasa Hataoka, and world number two Nelly Korda. It would be no walk in the park.
After opening with a pair of birdies, Reid faltered with bogies at six and seven. Steadying herself, she recorded two more birdies at eight and nine, to finish the outward half in minus-two, still in the mix. Reid had two more birdies at 11 and 12, but stumbled again with bogey at 17. In that mysterious way that sometimes defines golf tournaments, no one had separated from the field, and Reid was tied for the lead as she stepped to the final tee. Her drive found a bit of rough, but Reid lashed at it with all the fury built up from those losses over the years. The ball found the edge of the green, and after two putts, Reid was finally an LPGA champion.
The LPGA Tour moves across state lines to Philadelphia, for the Womens PGA Championship at Aronimink.
Savannah Golf Championship is Harmeling’s first Korn Ferry title
The closing hole was double kind to Evan Harmeling on Sunday, and twice cruel to Kevin Dougherty. Harmeling made birdie there twice, while Dougherty was able to manage pars, despite having two cracks at the par-five finisher. If you’re an astute student of the game, you know that I’m hinting at a playoff, but let’s hold off on the result for a moment. Harmeling entered the final round with a one-shot advantage over Dougherty, but neither did much to separate from the other, or the field. George Cunningham and Austen Truslow made runs on day four, each turning in a seven-under 65. Those numbers were good enough to reach -19, and earn them a tie for third spot with three other competitors.
Harmeling’s round could be described as a three-part drama. He managed three birdies over his first six holes, then followed that with three bogies over the next six. Finally, he concluded with three more birdies over the closing third of the round, to reach 21 deep. His playing partner, Dougherty, fared much better over the first sixteen holes. After a bogey at the fourth, Dougherty reeled off six birdies over the subsequent 11 holes, to seize a two shot lead with two to play. In an eye’s blink, it slipped away. A bogey at the 17th, followed by the aforementioned, first birdie at 18 by Harmeling, erased the two-shot advantage, and away to the playoff they went. Harmeling ended matters quickly, but not without a little providence. His second to the par five bounded over the green, but fell into a sprinkler head just off the back edge. Instead of facing a testy pitch from down below, a flattish chip awaited. Two shots later, another birdie was in hand, along with a first-place check and trophy.
The Korn Ferry Tour concludes its 2020 campaign this week, at the Orange County national championship, in Orlando, Florida.
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...
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Lrn2journalism
Oct 5, 2020 at 9:35 pm
Reid wasn’t tied for the lead on the 72nd tee. She led her two playing partners by two strokes.