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Morning 9: Masters ratings boost | Rahm No. 1 | Insane par round

Published

2 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, and as we look towards the RBC Heritage, another PGA Tour designated event.

1. Masters: Final round best TV ratings of any golf telecast in 5 years

Alex Myers for Golf Digest…”The final round averaged drawing 12.06 million viewers, which was up 19 percent from Scottie Scheffler’s win in 2022, according to CBS. That also makes it the most-viewed golf telecast on any network since the 2018 Masters…”

  • “According to CBS, viewership peaked on Sunday between 7 and 7:15 p.m. ET with more than 15 million people tuning in to see Rahm put the finishing touches on his first Masters win and second major title.”
  • “The network totaled 16.251 million viewers in combined average viewership during a marathon Sunday that began with the conclusion of the third round.”
Full piece.

2. Rahm No. 1

Patricia Duffy for Golf Channel…”Four months into 2023 and we’ve already seen the world No. 1 title pass between three guys on four different occasions.”

  • “The undisputed Big 3— Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy — have been playing musical chairs since February 12, when Scheffler took the top spot from McIlroy for the first switcheroo of the year. Now, Rahm is back on top for the second time this year after his Masters win.”
Full piece.

3. The new Ryder Cup torchbearer?

Oliver Brown for the Telegraph…”What Ballesteros has bequeathed to Rahm, though, is a consuming passion for the Ryder Cup. Just as the great Seve derived his deepest satisfaction from crushing his US opponents, Rahm called the experience of beating Tiger Woods in singles in Paris five years ago the “best feeling of my life”. In the wake of his emphatic four-stroke victory to claim the Green Jacket, Rahm has a pivotal role to perform at the contest in Rome this autumn. Quite simply, Luke Donald, the European captain, is duty-bound to make him his on-course leader.”

  • “The identity of Europe’s Ryder Cup talisman has been fraught with uncertainty since Seve’s pomp. Ballesteros was such a galvanising force that Mark James once said: “He could have played with my mum, who doesn’t even play, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if they had got half a point.” Despite a formidable European record in winning four of the past six match-ups, there is no natural substitute for the Seve effect.”
Full piece.

4. The short shelf life of Brooks Koepka’s “clutch” gene

Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan with the tally of times Koepka has recently held or been near the lead in majors — in addition to BK’s inability to get the gearshift out of neutral at the Masters Sunday.

  • “2019 Masters: Tied for the lead heading into 12, makes double bogey, plays 3 under the rest of the way but loses to Tiger by a shot.”
  • “2019 PGA Championship: Holds a seemingly insurmountable seven-shot lead on the field heading into the final round, reaches 13 under by the tenth hole, then falls off a cliff, making five bogeys in the last eight holes. Only Dustin Johnson’s equally rough pressure play down the stretch saves the day for Koepka, who nearly blew the biggest final round lead in major history.”
  • “2019 U.S. Open: Fights to within a shot of Gary Woodland on the back nine, but plays the last seven holes in over over, with no birdies, to lose by three.”
  • “2021 PGA Championship: Takes a one-shot lead over Phil Mickelson on the first hole on Sunday, immediately makes double bogey, finishes with a 74, the second-worst score of anyone in the top 16, to lose by two.”
  • “2021 U.S. Open: Shoots a respectable Sunday 69 to finish T-4, but was arguably never a real threat to Jon Rahm.”
Full piece.

5. Jordan Spieth expecting exciting week

Riley Hamel for Golfweek…”according to defending champion Jordan Spieth, Harbour Town Golf Links could produce a more diverse leaderboard.”

  • “I think on a course like this, it’s going to be more unique than any of the ones that we’ve experienced in any of the elevated events so far because you have a course where it doesn’t matter about length,” he said Tuesday after the ceremonial cannon shot. “You just have to golf your ball around. It’s an advantage if you hit it far and straight, but you’ve got to take risk on more than you do other places if you want to try and keep hitting driver.
  • “It could be just such a massively bunched leaderboard of such big names, it’s got the potential to be as exciting an event as we’ve seen this year.”
Full piece.

6. Cantlay responds to slow play critics

7. What a round!

8. WITB Time Machine: Wesley Bryan’s winning WITB at the 2017 RBC Heritage

Driver: Callaway GBB Epic (8.5 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana Blue S+ 70 TX

3-wood: Callaway GBB Epic (15 degrees

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Red 75 X 6.0

Hybrid: Callaway Apex (18 degrees)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 95 X

Irons: Callaway Apex Pro 2016 (4-PW)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Callaway MD3 Milled (50-10S, 54-10S), Callaway Mack Daddy Forged (58-08)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey Metal X Milled #2

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Grips: Iomic
Full piece.

9. Photos from the RBC Heritage

  • Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!
Full piece.

Related Topics:

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

By

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

By

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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