News

Tour Rundown: The brave and the fortunate

Published

2 years ago

Nov 13, 2023

The brave and the fortunate probably account for equal amounts of victories in professional sport. Technique, confidence, and execution have no substitute, but a fortunate break along the way, can decide the outcome. In South Africa, Max Homa was the beneficiary of a fortuitous parking job. Golf tournaments share little with life’s treachery and trauma, yet have a way of offering a bit of solace to those in need. A bit under forty months ago, the Villegas family lost their daughter to cancer. Today, Camilo Villegas won on the PGA Tour, for the first time in nine years. The other two events weren’t quite as poignant, but they had their moments. Enjoy one of the last Tour Rundowns of 2023. It has been a great ride as usual, and we are grateful that you came along.

A very lucky break for @Maxhoma as he hits a buggy and lands back in play…?#NGC2023 pic.twitter.com/NI4ixcTMdh

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 12, 2023

PGA Tour Champions @ Charles Schwab Cup: The season comes down to Alker

With Steve Stricker tending to his hospitalized father (all is well with Papa Stricker) and unable to compete, there would be no double-double at this year’s Charles Schwab Cup. Stricker, you see, had already clinched the season-long points race, thanks to three major titles and three additional tour wins. His departure gave his colleagues an opportunity to win a few more dollars and possibly, some of that top-five, season bonus money.

Mr. 2022, Steven Alker, played the first three rounds at Phoenix Country Club as if he were privy to some incantation not known to the others. He stood at 17-under par 196, four shots clear of Alex Cejka. It should have been a done deal, the way Alker had played and carried himself, but there’s a reason that they play the final round. Noted on multiple occasions by commentators, Alker looked like a different golfer on Sunday: tentative, off-balance, and protective.

Early on, it was Ernie Els who made a run at the lead and, if not for a short miss at the 9th, he might have turned in 30 and scared the pants off Alker. Els cooled off on the inward half, but was strong enough to tie Stephen Ames for second place, at 17-deep. Despite making a near-mess of the 18th hole, Alker was able to coax a gnarly chip within 18 inches of the hole in four, then drop the putt for par and a one shot win. It wasn’t macho and it wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.

An awesome birdie from the fairway bunker ?

Steven Alker extends his lead to two with nine to play @SchwabCupFinale. pic.twitter.com/6o0RMutgf1

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) November 12, 2023

LPGA @ The Annika: Vu says me, not you, at The Annika

I would be remiss to not recognize fellow Demon Deacon Rachel Kuehn, on her T15 finish. Kuehn was one of two amateurs to earn a spot in the field. Both made the cut, an achievement in itself! With that formality out of the way, let’s clap our hands for Lilia Vu, who decided that 2023 would be the year of her coming-out party. We remember the dominant performance she put on for Team USA in the 2018 Curtis Cup at Quaker Ridge. For a time, she fell off our radar. She has returned with vigor.

If not for the year that Celine Boutier has had, Vu would be the runaway number one and player of the year. As things stand, it will all come down to next week at the CME Championship, two hours down Florida’s west coast from this week’s tournament site. Boutier will have to improve on this week’s MC, while Vu, will certainly roll into Tiburón Golf Club on the highest of highs.

Vu’s fourth win of the year came by three shots, over a pair of runners-up. She began the day three shots behind Emily Pedersen, who had ignited the course with rounds of 63-65-64. Sunday resembled none of those days for the young Danish golfer, and a final-hole double bogey not only dropped her to a tie for fifth position, but cost her a spot in the CME Tour Championship as well. In total contrast, Vu was the picture of composure. A solitary bogey at the 12th hole was offset by five birdies all around. In the end, her 66 was something, on the heels of a Saturday 62.

Boutier has been other-worldly this year, with four wins of her own, and Ruoning Yin cannot be ignored. With that said, it’s hard to bet against Lilia Vu. Naples should be the hottest ticket in golf next weekend.

Make than a three shot lead with two to play ? pic.twitter.com/qYaDAmdYip

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 12, 2023

PGA Tour @ Butterfield Bermuda: Villegas triunfa tras nueve años de luchar

It was revealed this week by a colleague, that Alex Noren is THE last guy off the practice range each night. One day, Noren will find the elixir that results in a PGA Tour triumph. He opened with 61 this week, and through eight holes on Sunday, still held on to first place. A pair of bogeys at the turn dropped him out of the top spot. Despite great effort, he finished in second position.

Camilo Villegas began the final round a single shot behind the leader. Villegas’ last of four tour wins came in 2014, in Greensboro. He had worked his way back to the big tour, serving a stint on the Korn Ferry Tour. Last week, Villegas challenged in Mexico before finishing in a second-place tie. This week, he found the trade winds and sands of Bermuda to be the ideal place to find his way home. From the mountains of Medellín, to the seas of the Atlantic, Villegas had returned.

Villegas made six birdies in his final-round 66, but none was more stunning, than the one he made at the 17th. With an opportunity to take a two-shot advantage to the final tee, Villegas found himself bunkered greenside in two. Not a bad place to be, unless you were on the short side, which he was. Trusting in all the hours of work, Villegas exploded his ball out of the abyss, over a mound, one inch onto the putting surface. From there, it trickled to within two feet for the birdie that he needed.

The entire world of golf walked the final 380 yards with Villegas, urging him on toward completion. When his drive reached the fairway, we breathed. When his approach reached the green, we breathed. When his first putt snuggled to within two feet of the hole, we breathed. And when Camilo Villegas tapped in, hugged his caddie, and spread his arms wide as every Hispanic compatriot showered him in agua y champaña, we cheered.

A celebration fit for a 5-time TOUR winner ?@CamiloVillegasR | @Bermuda_Champ pic.twitter.com/WIGpbpq2Vh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 12, 2023

DP World Tour @ Nebank: Homa on the range

Max Homa earned his first international title this week in South Africa. The care-free Californian shared the lead after each of the first two rounds, then took a one-shot advantage over France’s Matthieu Pavon through 54 holes. Chasing the pair were the Højgaard brothers (Nicolai and Rasmus), alongside a number of DP World Tour stalwarts.

The final round was a mother lode for California, but a bust for France. While Homa matched his opening-round 66, Pavon went north to a 78, dropping 13 places to a tie for 15th. Three bogeys in the first five holes for Pavon were more than matched by Home, who stood three-under through six holes on Sunday. Even when Pavon finally made birdie at the ninth, Homa posted eagle. At that juncture, the challenge came not from Pavon, but from a pair of Swedes.

Nicolai Højgaard and Thorbjørn Olesen were in the process of posting 68 and 69, respectively. When Homa made bogey at 11, a sliver of hope appeared. No birdies down the stretch for Nicolai, coupled with a double at 17 for Thorbjørn, drew the potential drama to a close. Homa secured his seventh top-tour win and first on the DP World Tour.

.@Maxhoma hammers home a 38-foot putt to go 3 shots clear…?#NGC2023 pic.twitter.com/RSUuGTgzgJ

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 12, 2023

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)