News

Morning 9: PGA Tour Players’ meeting details | Full Swing to return | LIV’s first tournament sponsor

Published

2 years ago

Mar 8, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

March 8, 2023

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we inch closer to one of the biggest weeks on the golfing calendar at TPC Sawgrass.

1. PGA Tour players’ meeting provides clarity

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”About 50 PGA Tour members gathered in the palatial clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass just after dawn Tuesday for a meeting that will have a profound impact on the future of the circuit.

“Sweeping changes to the Tour schedule and qualification criteria that were first revealed last week were explained in greater detail to the membership over 90 minutes that, according to various players who attended the meeting, was not nearly as confrontational as some would have thought.”

“I think the temperature in the room was nowhere near as hot as I anticipated it to be once the information was sort of laid out,” said Rory McIlroy, one of five player directors on the Tour’s policy board, which approved the sweeping changes last week.”

“The Tour’s plan to transition to a designated-event model with limited fields and no cuts was first unveiled last week to growing concerns that the move would create a tour of “haves” and “have nots,” but more details on Tuesday led to, if nothing else, a general acceptance.”

“I’ll play 29 [mostly non-designated] events next year, which is awesome,” said one player who requested anonymity. “After hearing more details, I’m more comfortable [with the changes].”

Full piece.

2. Monahan: We aren’t like LIV

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”While acknowledging that the emergence of the LIV Golf League led to radical changes on the PGA Tour, including future events with limited fields of 70 to 80 players and no 36-hole cuts, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan insisted Tuesday that the rival circuits won’t be the same.”

“Speaking to reporters ahead of the Players at TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday, Monahan said that despite dramatic changes to the PGA Tour’s model for 2024 and beyond, it will still be vastly different from the LIV Golf League, which is built around 12 four-man teams competing in 54-hole tournaments with no cuts and shotgun starts.”

“I would ask you: ‘Do you think we really look the same?'” Monahan told a reporter when asked about the similarities between the circuits. “You know, the players that are competing in our events in this new format next year will have earned the right to compete in them and they will have earned it through top-50 position in the FedEx Cup this year, as well as their performance in the fall and ultimately in these swings. That’s what this organization has always stood for.”

Full piece.

3. JT on the main difference between the two

Adam Woodard for USA Today…”Ahead of this week’s flagship event at TPC Sawgrass, 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas was asked about the difference between the Tour’s new designated events and what LIV is doing. He didn’t hold back.”

“Well, we have an astronomically higher amount of quality players than they do in their events,” he said with a laugh. “I think all of us have not been shy to say it that, you know, this is stuff that we’ve been trying to do and have worked on. Obviously got sped up a crazy amount due to what was going on in the outside.”

“I don’t know, I mean if you’re just going to single out those events and have them only be the events we have, then, yeah, it’s extremely similar,” Thomas said of the no-cut designated events slated for 2024. “But there’s a lot more going on over the course of an entire year on the PGA Tour than just the elevated events, I would say.”

Full piece.

4. Mickelson claims Tour rejected his elevated events proposal

5. Full Swing Season 2

Adam Woodard for Golfweek…”As the battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour continues, the cameras are still rolling.”

“Both Netflix and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed a second season on Tuesday, less than a month after season one was released.”

“A point of emphasis for our organization has been delivering the PGA Tour to fans where they are and making our sport more welcoming through innovation and strategic partnerships,” said Monahan during his press conference ahead of this week’s Players Championship. “Full Swing debuted to Netflix’s 230 million subscribers the week of the Genesis Invitational and has been consistently in the Netflix top 10 worldwide. As a result of such strong performance out of the gate, Netflix announced earlier this morning that they are officially green-lighting season two of Full Swing.”

Full piece.

6. Monahan admits defending champ’s absence is awkward

Michael McEwan for Bunkered…”Jay Monahan has admitted that Cam Smith’s absence from this week’s PLAYERS Championship has posed some awkwardness.”

“Also missing are last year’s runner-up Anirban Lahiri and third-placed Paul Casey, who, like Smith, have also aligned with the Saudi-funded enterprise.”

“Addressing the absence of Smith specifically, Monahan admitted that it was less than ideal to be staging the tour’s flagship tournament without its reigning champion.”

“Cameron Smith had a great performance in 2022,” he said. “He was a deserved champion. I think as I look to this week and I look at the field that we have here and the strength from top to bottom, I think when we leave here on Sunday night we’re going to crown another deserving champion.”

“Yes, it’s awkward but ultimately it’s a decision that he made. We’ve got an unbelievable field here this week and a history and tradition that one of these 144 is going to go seek to get.”

Full piece.

7. WGC Match Play officially gone…for now

Brentley Romine for Golf Channel: “As the PGA Tour rolls out its new designated events model, the World Golf Championships era appears to be over.Jordan Uppleger, the tournament director of the WGC-Dell Match Play, announced Monday that this month’s event at Austin Country Club would mark the last.”

“We’re formally announcing today that the 2023 World Golf Championship Dell Technologies Match Play will be the final playing of the event here at Austin Country Club, and not be included on the 2024 calendar or moving forward,” Uppleger said.”

“A day later during his press conference at TPC Sawgrass, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan reiterated as much, but he didn’t rule out the addition of a match-play event in the future.”

“I think for right now, for next season’s schedule, it didn’t work,” Monahan said. “But match play has been a staple out here. It’s been a staple on the DP World Tour. I think that will certainly be a consideration as we go forward.”

“With the Match Play going away, that leaves the WGC-HSBC Champions in China as the only WGC event that the Tour is contracted to, though with that tournament being canceled each of the past three seasons because of the pandemic, Monahan said, “It’s difficult to foresee when we would play.”

Full piece.

8. LIV’s first tournament sponsor

Joel Beall for Golf Digest…”LIV Golf has announced its first tournament sponsor.”

“In a press release the Saudi-backed circuit wrote that Resorts World Sentosa, a hotel company based in Asia, is signing on to back the LIV Golf Singapore event. The Singapore stop is the fifth competition on LIV’s 14-tournament schedule and will be held in late April.”

“The news comes two weeks after the fledgling organization signed on EasyPost, a logistical and commerce company, to be the league’s global partner. EasyPost already had a presence in LIV Golf, as the firm is a sponsor of Patrick Reed.”

Full piece.

9. Photos from The Players

Check out all of our galleries from the PGA Tour’s Flagship event!

Full piece.

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

Morning 9: PGA Tour Players’ meeting details | Full Swing to return | LIV’s first tournament sponsor

News

Morning 9: PGA Tour Players’ meeting details | Full Swing to return | LIV’s first tournament sponsor