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Morning 9: Wyndham wins | Rory struggles | Thailand victorious

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Wyndham Clark saw off the challengers to win the Wells Fargo Championship.

1. Wyndham wins it

AP report…”Wyndham Clark shot 68 on Sunday for a four-shot victory over Xander Schauffele at the Wells Fargo Championship to earn his first career win on the PGA Tour.”

  • “The 29-year-old Clark struggled to hold back tears as he sank a bogey putt on the 18th hole to seal the win.”
  • “Clark finished the tournament at 19-under 265, the second-lowest score in relation to par in tournament history behind only three-time champion Rory McIlroy’s 21-under 267 in 2015 when par for the course was 72.”
Full piece.

2. Another rough week for McIlroy

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”McIlroy wrapped up another eventful week with a bogey at Quail Hollow Club’s final hole for a 1-over 72 and was tied for 50th when he left the property. After opening the tournament with an encouraging 68 he settled back into a curious mix of inconsistent driving and sloppy iron play on a course where he’s won three times and holds the 18-hole tournament scoring record.”

  • “It’s a confusing plight for a player who appeared trending toward another dominant run with a runner-up showing in March at Bay Hill and a trip to the final four at the WGC-Match Play. But at Quail Hollow he was slowed by the same issues that led to a Friday 77 at Augusta National, particularly his iron play, which ranked 60th in the field in strokes gained: approach to the green (negative 3.5 shots).”
Full piece.

3. Thailand wins International Crown

LPGA report…”It was an impressive performance from the Thailand Team on Sunday afternoon at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown as they charged to a dominant victory over Australia, sweeping all three finals matches to emerge victorious for the first time in the history of the competition. Winning just 10 total matches in their first three appearances at the International Crown, Thailand went 11-for-12 in the 2023 edition of the event, led by MVP award winner Ariya Jutanugarn, who chipped in on the final hole to solidify the victory for her country.

Full piece.

4. Meronk takes Italian Open

DP World Tour Report…”Adrian Meronk held his nerve in a breathless back-nine battle to win the 2023 DS Automobiles Italian Open.”

  • “The Pole kept his composure to hold off French duo Romain Langasque and Julien Guerrier at Marco Simone Golf & Country club to win by one shot.”
  • “Meronk, who holed the winning putt at the Hero Cup in January, lifted his third DP World Tour title and boosted his hopes of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, which will take place at this course later this year.”
Full piece.

5. RIP Don January

Golfweek’s Todd Kelly…”Don January, winner of the 1967 PGA Championship and a two-time member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, died Sunday at age 93, according to the PGA Tour.”

  • “January won 10 times on the PGA Tour. In 1976, he won the Vardon Trophy for low scoring average at the age of 46.”
  • “Born in Plainview, Texas, on Nov. 20, 1929, he led the North Texas State golf team to four straight NCAA titles. Given the nickname “Bones,” January won his 1963 PGA in an 18-hole playoff at Columbine Country Club in Denver.”
Full piece.

6. Wie West on Saudi money for women’s golf

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”Wie West, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion and one of the LPGA’s most recognizable figures, told GolfChannel.com that the women’s game is currently in a good place but noted that there’s room for improvement — and she doesn’t believe LIV is the right path in doing so.”

  • “I always think competition is great,” Wie West said, “I think unfortunately the situation — the source of where the money is coming from, it’s a completely different ball game in terms of men and women. I think that inherently us being a tour of females, comes with its extra set of complications when dealing with a tour that is funded by a certain corporation or country.
  • “It’s a very complicated answer but we are a tour founded by women, led by women, and I would love for us to keep growing.”
  • “The Saudi regime, which is bankrolling LIV with its sovereign wealth fund, has a contentious record on human and women’s rights. Last July, though, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan admitted she would entertain discussions with LIV and Norman.”
  • “I would engage in a conversation if it would achieve our aim of promoting women’s golf, but there needs to be input from players and sponsors,” she said. “There’s a lot of factors to consider before we do business with LIV.”
Full piece.

7. Ames sets tournament scoring record

AP report…”Stephen Ames capped off his dominant week on the TPC Sugarloaf with a 4-under 68 on Sunday that gave him the tournament scoring record and a four-shot victory in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.”

  • Ames joined David Toms as the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour Champions this year. He previously won the Trophy Hassan II in Morocco.
Full piece.

8. Goydos rants…and then deletes tweet

9. Wyndham’s winning WITB

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees)

Shaft: Accra TZ Six ST 60 M5

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4-9)

Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 100HY X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 52-12F, 56-10S), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-A)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey Jailbird Versa

Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0 17”

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Full WITB.

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

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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

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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

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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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