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Morning 9: Sunday 63 for a major win | DeChambeau, Fitzpatrick drama | Player forecasts 500-yard drives | Hoodie SZN

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5 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt
October 12, 2020 
 
Good Monday morning, golf fans. Don’t miss the giveaway going on in the banner above!
1. With a Sunday 63, Sei Youg Kim wins Women’s PGA
AP report on the action from just outside what is low-key one the best cities in the US: Philadelphia…“Kim chewed up Aronimink Golf Club in record style, shooting a 7-under 63 on Sunday to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She was five strokes better than runner-up Inbee Park, never seriously challenged on the arduous course in suburban Philadelphia.”
  • “…Her dominance was in plain sight. She finished at 14-under 266. Her final-round 63 tied a tournament record, and her 266 set the championship scoring record.”
  • “Kim, who earned her 11th LPGA victory, got the championship push rolling when she matched a tournament record with a 29 on the front nine on Friday. She never really slowed down.”
2. A childhood dream fulfilled
AP report…“Tyrrell Hatton held off a final-round challenge by Victor Perez to win the BMW PGA Championship by four strokes on Sunday, giving the Englishman a first victory on home soil at a tournament that inspired him to become a professional.”
  • “Hatton shot 5-under 67 to finish on 19-under 269 overall, capping a week when he shot in the 60s every round around Wentworth’s storied West Course.”
  • “…Hatton used to attend this tournament – the elite event on the European Tour – as a child, and recalled this week the time he came to Wentworth as a 5-year-old with his father and was nearly struck by an errant tee shot from Vijay Singh.”
3. Shriners: Laird gets it done
Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio…“The third time proved to be the charm for Martin Laird…After failing to end matters on the 72nd hole and then again on the first playoff hole, Laird knocked in a 23-foot putt for birdie on the second extra hole to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Sunday’s fading light at TPC Summerlin.”
  • “Laird, who shared the overnight lead and led by three at the turn, made an astounding par on the 17th hole in regulation to protect his one-shot lead but missed his par attempt on the 72nd home from 28 feet and headed to a playoff against Austin Cook and Matthew Wolff.”
4. KFT: Mullinax victorious
David Song for Golfweek…“Despite shooting his worst round of the tournament, a 2-under par 69, Trey Mullinax held on to win the Korn Ferry Tour’s Orange County National Championship this weekend at Winter Garden, Florida. It is his second victory on tour, with the first coming back in 2016.”
  • “Mullinax, 28, had been cruising through the first three rounds carding 65, 65 and 62 respectively. But a five-birdie, three-bogey effort on Sunday made things interesting, and the former Alabama golfer would finish 23 under par: just one shot clear of the field.”
5. Lynch on DeChambeau & Fitzpatrick drama
Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch…“It’s easy to dismiss Fitzpatrick’s comments as sour grapes. Every generation sees players get left behind, condemned by their physique to keep faith with a style of golf that other elite competitors have moved beyond. He’s Corey Pavin with an accent. But even if that’s true, Fitzpatrick is correct in his assessment that professional golf is increasingly one-dimensional and lacking nuance, dominated by what my old high school woodworking teacher used to refer to as “BF and I” – brute force and ignorance.”
“Blame for that doesn’t rest at DeChambeau’s door. He’s doing everything permitted within the parameters governing the sport to gain a competitive edge. It just happens that those parameters as constituted are diminishing the value of golf course architecture, reducing the concept of course management to a simple matter of player preference on the day rather than a considered response to what is being asked of them. Professional golf is becoming less a battle of strategy – player versus course – and more a tussle over governance, man against regulations. Fitzpatrick is not alone in believing the current statutes have proven woefully deficient in protecting the sport.”
6. Gary Player talks Bryson (500-yard drives cometh?)
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“When asked about Augusta National, Player said that if DeChambeau has a “reasonable week,” he should win.”
  • “It’s going to be fascinating to watch him hit a 9-iron to the second hole at Augusta, if he hits that draw around the corner,” he said. “At 15, he’ll hit a 9-iron, a par-5. At 13, he’ll hit a 9-iron, a par-5. He’s going to drive over the green at No. 3. Think about that. Going to drive over the green. So I don’t know where we’re going.”
  • “Augusta National, Player says, has no defense and golf leaders need to understand that the game is in its infancy when it comes to driving distance, talking about drives that might one day go 500 yards. He’d like to see the governing bodies cut the ball back 50 yards for professionals before golf courses become obsolete. (And please, he reiterates, don’t touch the trees.)”
7. Big win for the hoodie 
Nick Piastowski for Golf.com on what was surely the garment of the week in the world of professional golf…“During Sunday’s final round, Hatton went back to the blue. “Well, I only had three color options,” he said. “So I shot my lowest round in all navy over the three days, so I thought I’d go for all navy again.”
  • “The hoodie was not exclusive to Hatton at the BMW; a few others were wearing them. The hoodie has not been seen just overseas; Justin Thomas, notably, wore one at the Genesis Invitational back in February. The hoodie is not just for the men; a few players at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship are wearing them.”
  • “But in a sport steeped in its tradition of collared shirts, Hatton’s hoodie is akin to Obama’s tan suit or J. Lo’s deep V dress in terms of talk. (Seriously, search for any combination of golf and hoodie on Twitter.)”
8. 2,000 drives and work with a 48-inch driver 
Golf Channel’s Will Gray with the details…”While he doesn’t plan to play competitively before the Masters, DeChambeau reiterated that he has plenty of work to do as he looks to gear up both his swing and his clubs in advance of the year’s final major.”
  • “I’ve still got some equipment stuff coming in the next two months, that’s mainly why I’m taking off,” DeChambeau said. “I feel like the advantages that I usually have could be much improved upon with the equipment. We don’t have it yet, but we’re diligently working on it behind the scenes.”
  • …”Dechambeau told reporters early in the week that he’s going to tinker with using a 48-inch driver at the Masters, the maximum length allowed under the Rules of Golf, and he added Sunday that he expects to hit “around 2,000″ drives over the next four weeks while fine-tuning his equipment, adding even more swing speed and making choices on what to take with him down Magnolia Lane.”
9. Laird’s winning WITB
Driver: Ping G410 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZURDUS Smoke Black 70G 6.5
3-wood: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana BF 70 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade R15 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 80 TX
Irons: (4-PW) Srixon Z785
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 3 “Raw” (52-10), Cleveland RTX 4 “Raw” (56-10 FULL, 60-9 MID)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

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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

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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

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Jul 29, 2025

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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

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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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