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Morning 9: Finau victorious in Mexico | Green wins again | Gooch back-to-back

Published

2 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Tony Finau returned to the winner’s circle following an impressive performance in Mexico.

1. PGA Tour: Finau wins his 6th

AP report…”Finau never gave Masters champion Jon Rahm or anyone else much of a chance Sunday, closing with a bogey-free round of 5-under 66 that gave him a three-shot victory in the Mexico Open at Vidanta.”

  • “Finau earned a small measure of redemption at Vallarta Vidanta, where last year he finished runner-up to Rahm by one shot. Finau took a two-shot lead into the final round and was never seriously challenged on the back nine.”
  • “…Brandon Wu, also a runner-up last year, holed a 45-foot eagle putt on the par-5 sixth hole and made a short birdie on the next hole to briefly tie for the lead. Finau answered with a birdie on the seventh, and then Wu fell back with a bogey from the bunker on No. 8 and a tee shot into the water on the 10th that led to double bogey.”
Full piece.

2. LPGA: Green wins playoff

AP Report…”Hannah Green of Australia made a 25-foot birdie putt on her final hole of regulation to join a three-way playoff, and then made par on the second extra hole to win the JM Eagle LA Championship on Sunday at Wilshire Country Club.”

  • “In a wild finish that featured a five-way tie for the lead late in the final round, Green made birdie for a 2-under 69 to join Aditi Ashok of India and Xiyu Lin of China in the playoff.”
  • “Ashok, who had the 36-hole lead, and Lin each closed with a 67 and were the first to post at 9-under 275. Green and Lin birdied the first playoff hole on the par-3 18th.”
  • “On the second extra hole at No. 18, Lin hit into a bunker and blasted out to some 18 feet and missed the par putt. That left Green to tap in from 2 feet for her first LPGA win since September 2019.”
Full piece.

3. DP World: Pablo Larrazábal takes Korea Championship

DP World Tour report…“A tight battle unfolded at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea on Sunday afternoon, with Larrazábal finding himself in a five-way share of the lead on nine under when he reached the turn following two front-nine birdies.”

  • “The Spaniard slipped from the summit after dropping his first shot of the round at the tenth but roared back, making four birdies in the next five holes to open up a three-shot lead.”
  • “He then safely parred his way home to complete a closing 67, finish the tournament on 12 under par and claim an eighth DP World Tour title just a couple of weeks before his 40th birthday.”
Full piece.

4. LIV: Gooch wins again

BBC report…”American Talor Gooch beat Spain’s Sergio Garcia on the first play-off hole in Singapore to claim back-to-back titles on the LIV Tour.”

  • “Gooch and 2017 Masters champion Garcia birdied the final hole to card four-under 67s and finish on 17 under.”
  • “They replayed the 18th and Gooch tapped in for a birdie to claim the victory.”
  • “This is as good as it gets, plain and simple,” said Gooch, 31, after following up his first LIV Golf title the previous weekend in Adelaide.
Full piece.

5. Jim Nantz wins Dave Marr award

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”Jim Nantz had no idea he was the recipient of the 2023 Dave Marr Award.”

  • “In each of the last 13 years, among his other duties at the network, the golf voice of CBS Sports has also been a part of the Insperity Invitational’s Players Dinner – an annual tradition that began in 2005 to celebrate golf legends on the PGA Tour Champions.”
  • “On Thursday evening, tournament officials surprised Nantz with the prestigious award given annually for contributions and passion to the game of golf.”
Full piece.

6. Aim(pointing) to success?

Golf Channel’s Colby Powell…”The source of Bhatia’s fun this week has come on the greens, and according to Bhatia, it comes courtesy of AimPoint – a method many players use to read the greens.”

  • “Bhatia ranks 174th on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained: putting, losing just under half a shot per round to the field. This week, however, he ranks second in that category, gaining more than 6.2 shots for the week on the paspalum greens.”
  • “It’s pretty cool to make some more putts, speed’s been way better and just a little more confident where I’m aiming the ball, and I know my stroke’s really good and I roll it very well on a consistent basis,” Bhatia said. “It’s really exciting for me just to keep figuring this out and get better and better because it’s my first week doing it and I really like it.”
Full piece.

7. Tiger talked LIV with Talor Gooch?

Gabrielle Herzig for SI…”Gooch recently joined the Fore the People podcast with J.J. Killeen and John Peterson, where he recounted an exchange with the 15-time major champion that occurred on the Augusta National driving range.”

  • According to Gooch, while Woods was warming up, he seemed comfortable chatting about LIV Golf’s teams and schedule, despite his harsh public criticism of the league.
  • “So I have kind of a funny story,” Gooch told Killeen and Peterson. “So at Augusta, one of the mornings I was warming up, Tiger was right next to me warming up. And he was like, ‘Man, you’re with Bubba’s team now, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He’s like, ‘You all are going to Adelaide, right?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘Man, they got some great golf there.’”
Full piece.

8. Rahm and Scheffler opt out of designated event

Brentley Romine for Golf Channel…”The PGA Tour’s slate of designated events continues at next week’s Wells Fargo Championship.”

  • “Rory McIlroy, who skipped the last designated event, the RBC Heritage, following his missed cut at the Masters, headlines the field. McIlroy, at No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, is the highest-ranked player teeing it up at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.”
  • “Nos. 1 and 2, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, did not commit to playing, marking the first skipped designated event for each player.”
Full piece.

9. Winning WITB: Tony Finau

Driver: Ping G425 LST (9 degrees @7.5)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T (14 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Irons: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3), Ping Blueprint (4-PW)

Shafts: Tour AD DI 105 Hybrid X (3), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 TX

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50-12SS, 56-12SS), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-T)

Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 125 Wedge S

Putter: Ping PLD Anser 2D prototype

Grip: Garsen Golf Ultimate

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot

Grips: Lamkin UTx Mid
Full WITB.

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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News

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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