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Tour Rundown: The Sentry opens 2024 PGA Tour play at Kapalua

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2 years ago

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The news cycle demands that humanity process massive quantities of information throughout each day, week, and month. Items that held our attention one day, retreat into the background as new data on society, politics, athletics, and other fields seize our interest. It might be easy to forget that five months ago, we all watched and read in desperation, as the island of Maui suffered the wrath of nature’s forest fires. Helpless, we hoped and prayed for the best, yet understood the size and depth of the tragedy.

Maui is the island where the PGA Tour begins each season, and although Kapalua’s Plantation course emerged unscathed physically from the fires, a toll was taken on its employees, its neighboring properties, and its psyche. To have the world’s best golfers return with enthusiasm, would mean that Maui would take another step toward healing. This week, golf did not provide an escape from reality. Instead, The Sentry championship stood shoulder to shoulder with all those who work to salve the wounds of this part of paradise.

Round One

The marvelous Plantation layout from Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw serves the purpose of exciting golf fans around the world with the potential for baskets of birdies and eagles. Golf balls soar against azure backdrops, and run for miles along firm fairways. 400-yard drives are not uncommon, and for just a week, we feel that the world’s best have summited Olympus and descended as gods. Day one of The Sentry saw the par-73 course offer opportunities galore for saved strokes, and no one took advantage like Sahith Theegala. The California native parlayed 10 birdies into an opening 64. Six of the birdies came on holes 10 through 15. We kept looking for his scramble partner, only to realize that the Pepperdine alumnus was doing the lifting himself. A bogey at 16 showed his humanity, but a closing birdie at 18 gave him the one-shot advantage.

On Theegala’s trail was the international quartet of Jason Day (Australia) Camila Villegas (Colombia) Viktor Hovland (Denmark) and Collin Morikawa (USA.) Each managed an eight-under 65 on day one, and none has greater interest in a win than Morikawa. The two-time major champion from Cal-Berkely held a firm grip on this title last year, only to surrender strokes over the final nine holes, and cede top spot to Jon Rahm. At Kapalua, one simply must follow a strong round with another one; pars rarely get the job done.


Round Two

Tyrrell Hatton’s final eleven holes on Friday could easily be mistaken for a scramble team that stopped for a drink on hole 14. The English man recorded a score of birdie on eight of those holes, an eagle at the last, a par at the 11th, and an inconceivable bogey at the driveable, par-four 14th. Hatton’s score lowered the weekly best by two shots, and moved him within one shot of the lead.

A familiar name sat ahead of the competition after 36 holes. Scottie Scheffler, current world number one and six-time Tour winner, posted a smart 64 of his own, to move from seventh to first. Scheffler’s round began with a hiccough-bogey at the second, but turned toward the sun with three birdies and an eagle over the next seven holes. The inward side saw the 2022 Masters champion celebrate five birdies, including one at the dramatic finisher. Scheffler’s lead amounts to little, at one shot. Matching Hatton at 15-under, one shot behind the front-runner, are Brendan Todd and Sungjae Im. On their heels are four more golfers, including 2023 Sentry runner-up Collin Morikawa. Saturday promises to be the moving day of all moving days, as one of the leaders hopes to go super-low and take a healthy advantage into Sunday’s closing 18.


Round Three

The official tag line of the PGA Tour was changed to These guys are rusty on Saturday at Kapalua. Not all of them. There are guys at 19, 20, and even 21 under par at The Sentry, but it’s the ones we expected to hold form, that didn’t. On Saturday, it was Scottie Scheffler’s turn. Scheffler made three birdies on the day, countered almost perfectly by two bogies. He posted a 72 on a day when mid-60s numbers were everywhere. In a fit of irony, he was paired with Sahith Theegala on Sunday. Theegala (two paragraphs up) is the fellow who frittered away a lead on day two.

Tyrrell Hatton looked nothing like the fellow who posted 62 on day two, and moved within a shot of Scheffler’s lead. Hatton had a triple and an eagle on the front nine, then a bogey and three late birdies on the back nine. In his defense, he told us that the round-two 62 sort of stunned him; he should have been much more comfortable going ten shots higher on day three.

For much of the day, the 54-hole leader looked to be Akshay Bhatia, who posted 66 after rounds of 69-64 for openers. Then came Chris Kirk, who closed with eight birdies after a third-hole bogey. He signed for his own 66, and eclipsed Bhatia by one. Tied for third at -19 were Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, and Byeong Hun “Ben” An. Confidence was high that the winner would come from that quintet, but after what we’d seen over the first three days, any scenario could unfold.


Day Four

Things returned to normal at Kapalua Plantation on Sunday. The low 60s (scores, not temperatures) that we expect from the Coore/Crenshaw routing appeared in bunches. First-round leader Sahith Theegala sailed through the course with 10 birdies against eight bogies, improving by one over his Thursday tally. In the end, Theegala needed one last birdie, and the hole that tended to be the easiest to notch, stood firm against him. Theegala was not able to reach 18 in two, then left his approach pitch 10 feet from the hole. He was unable to convert the up-and-down, and signed for 28-under par over four rounds.

Also chasing the lead was Jordan Spieth. The multiple-major winner had eight birdies through the 15th green, but missed right on 16 with his tee ball. A wretched lie in the fairway bunker forced a sideways pitch-out. Despite a solid wedge from just under 80 yards, Spieth missed a putt from a dozen feet for par, dropping a critical stroke. He secured the birdie at 18 for which Theegala longed, and claimed solo-third position at 27-under par.

Earning his sixth career win, and second in 11 months, was Nashville native Chris Kirk. The UGA Bulldog was the model of consistency this week, never above 67 and never below 65. The later came at an opportune time, on day four. Kirk posted 30 birdies and one bogey (third hole Saturday) for the week. He had zero flashy eagles, but did make the most of his opportunties. No better example of that than his approach to Sunday’s 16th, which settled to 24 inches for a tap-in birdie to reclaim the top spot.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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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

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 29, 2025

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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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News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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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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