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5 things we learned Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open

Published

4 years ago

Jun 5, 2021

The U.S. Open is all about hanging in and hanging on. The U.S. Open at the Olympic Club is all about avoiding that big number. The big number is all that keeps Brooke Henderson and Angel Yin from the top of the leader board. Its avoidance is all that has kept six golfers at the top of the charts. For giggles, imagine that Henderson and Yin toss rounds in the mid 60s on Sunday, and three or more of the top six struggle. You see where this leads, right? The 2021 U.S. Open is far from over, despite being three-quarters complete.

We learned five new things about this year’s competition, and we’ll share them with you now in the Saturday edition of Five Things We Learned at the U.S. Women’s Open.

1. Lexi Thompson has a chance

She’s in the lead with one round to go, but it’s not a large lead. Thompson missed the first three greens but recovered with a putt, a chip, and a sandie. That’s three misses that might easily have turned into bogey. See where this leads? Lexi’s misses have been left off the tee, no matter the club. She missed left off number one with driver; two with fairway metal; and three with iron. Her step-out move, where the lead foot jumps left to help clear the hips, can lead to the miss left.

On her side is her touch. She is putting from off and on the greens with tremendous pace awareness. Her sand game was impeccable, with wonderful up-and-downs at three and seven on day three. Her chipping through the thickish greenside rough has been forceful. All those things led to 66 on Saturday. Lexi has finished inside the top 10 at the Open on four occasions, including a career-best T2 in 2019. What will 2021 bring?

.@Lexi is in the LEAD in the #USWomensOpen!

She birdied the par-5 17th hole to get to 7-under par at @TheOlympicClub. pic.twitter.com/jgLRxXE8WQ

— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 6, 2021

2. Yuka Saso is seeing all of the Lake course

The fearless young Filipina apparently has no problem making bogey. For a brief moment late, she was tied with Lexi Thompson for first, but made bogey at the last to fall back to 6 under par. The foozle was her fourth on the day, matching her birdie tally. Saso’s story could be much different if she had the ability to corral her emotions and game and avoid the bogey derailments. Saso reached eight deep at the 10th hole but made back-back bogeys at 13 and 14 to fall back.

What led to her bogeys? At four, she reached the green in regulation but putted timidly down the slope from distance, and missed the next one for par. At 13, she short-sided herself against a sucker hole location and could only minimize the damage by pitching to green center. At 14, she again overcooked an iron to the left and was unable to pitch and putt for par. At the last, her approach from the fairway did not release left. Instead, it nestled in thick greenside cabbage, and once again, minimized her options.

Saso will need better approach play on Sunday if she is to challenge Thompson for the title. She certainly has demonstrated the game, but will she pair it well with the proper demeanor? That remains to be seen.

Co-leaders in the 76th #USWomensOpen!

Yuka Saso's birdie at the 17th hole ties her with @Lexi at 7-under par at @TheOlympicClub. pic.twitter.com/jsoIN5rKKh

— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 6, 2021

3. Mel Reid’s challenge faded away

It’s only fair to recognize the effort that the Englishwoman put forth in this year’s championship. She held a share of the opening-round lead but turned in higher and higher scores as the weekend arrived. On Saturday, Reid foundered with three double bogeys and five singles on her way to 78 and a tie for 23rd. As if mocking her plight, the golf gods allowed her to hole a 100-yard wedge for eagle two at the 11th hole. Alas, that moment and her birdie at the 15th were the only bright spots on a forgettable day for Mel Reid.

? FLY EAGLES FLY ?@melreidgolf knocks it in from 99 yards at the par-4 11th hole. @TheOlympicClub | #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/OhlkC5KH1u

— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 5, 2021

4. What to do with Megha Ganne?

She’s precocious in her confidence, and her game has held up through three rounds. Ganne will again play in the penultimate pairing, this time with 2019 Open champion Jeongeun Lee6. Ganne has gone from 6 birdies to 3, to 2 on Saturday. This trend does not bode well. Either she is timid in her approach shots, or she is conservative in her strategy. What does Megha Ganne want from Sunday? She should want to play like she did on Thursday: fearless. Neither crazy nor casual, but fearless. Maja Stark is but four shots behind in the race for low amateur, so that prize is not guaranteed. If Ganne rediscovers her vibe from day one, she’ll make a run at the title and cement the low amateur baubles. If she plays like she did over the last 36 holes, well, you can extrapolate.

That was MEGHA!

Ganne will have a birdie attempt at @TheOlympicClub's 9th hole. #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/W7kfsvOnwH

— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 5, 2021

5. Who wins on Sunday?

They say that the U.S. Open chooses you. It has already chosen Jeongeun Lee6 once, and it will select her again on the sixth day of June, 2021. Lee Thee Six did nothing on Saturday to confirm this hunch, and she will begin the final round four strokes behind the leader. She will begin it one group ahead of the leader, and we predict that she will be 3 under on her round by the sixth hole. This fast start will catch the attention of the top pairing, and will ultimately allow her to add a second Open trophy to her shelf.

2019 #USWomensOpen champion Jeongeun Lee6 with a beauty of a shot at @TheOlympicClub's iconic par-3 8th hole. pic.twitter.com/sVkVNdhySI

— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 5, 2021

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.

News

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

5 things we learned Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open

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