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Tour Rundown: Clark’s 3rd in 9 months, Frittelli doesn’t fritter

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2 years ago

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February brought a decrease in competitions with its arrival. The LPGA are off until the last weekend of the month, while the Tour Champions break until just after the Superb Owl. Even the DP World Tour will rest for a week, mid-month, before resuming a full slate of events. Ditto the Korn Ferry Tour. Light is the descriptor for the month of love, but that’s fine. With loads of golf on arrival from March to November, a break in month the second won’t be missed.

The US PGA Tour began its West Coast Swing at the first Signature event of the year. The No-Cut Crosby, as some call it, references the ancient name of the AT&T, while highighting the absence of a 36-hole dismissal for the lesser achievers. Everyone got a payday along the Monterey peninsula, and a 59 watch took place at storied Pebble Beach on Saturday. The DP World Tour continued its early-season stretch in the middle east, stopping in Bahrain for its eponymous championship. Finally, the Korn Ferry Tour moved west, from the Bahammas to the Americas, for a sojourn through central and south America. Just three events, but plenty of mileage in between. From California, to Panamá, to the island nation of Bahrain, it feels more like a Flydown than a Rundown. Let’s have a look at this week’s Tour Rundown, from three unique locales.

PGA Tour @ The AT&T: Clark claims third title in nine months

When a competitor wins a weather-shortened event, the golfverse ignites with suggestions of woulda, coulda, and other nonsense. When a competitor wins a weather-shortened event on the heels of a third-round, 12-under par 60 over Pebble Beach golf linkage, there might a bit of chatter, but not much. The old gal along Carmel Bay took three days worth of shots, and it was enough for her to wave a white kerchief and cry “enough.”

On Saturday, Clark played a round of golf unlike any other. Eagles at both par-fives on the outward half, were married to four birdies. Their love child was a score of eight-under par 28, and thus did the golfverse blaze with thoughts of 59. Two more birdies at 10 and 11 added kindling and coal and anything else flammable to the hecatomb, but a bogey at twelve drenched (foreshadowing) hopes for a time. The time lasted all of 15 minutes, as the Colordado native and current US Open champion posted another pair of birdies and reached eleven deep. Pars at 15, 16, and 17 could not have looked more like birdies, and the leader arrived at the 18th tee needing eagle for immortality.

He gave it (and us) everything he had. Drive to the edge of doom, long iron to 25-ish feet, and another effort that seemed destined for the hole’s depths, until fate cried “enough.” A score of 60 gave Clark a one-shot advantage over the other 2023 revelation, Ludvid Abert. With everyone salivating at the thought of a young-guns duel, Mother Nature landed. Winds and rains on Sunday saturated the course beyond consideration. She was just getting started, and Monday was abandoned before Sunday drew to a close.

Clark and the rest of the sojourner caravan move inland to Scottsdale, for the greatest show on turf at TPC Scottsdale. The one week a year when rowdy triumphs over formal is at hand, but few will forget the magic of Saturday along the Monterey Peninsula.

DP World Tour @ The Bahrain Championship: No fritter from Frittelli

Dylan Frittelli came out of the University of Texas as a heralded golfer bound for stardom. Winning on the tours has come his way, but not at the pace nor the level that pundits predicted. Frittelli has five wins in Europe (2 Challenge and 3 DP World), three in Africa (1 each on Asian, Big Easy, and Sunshine tours) and one in the USA (PGA Tour) on his ledger. The lanky South African took the lead this week in Bahrain, reaching 12-under par to hold a two-shot advantage over countryman Ockie Strydom through 54 holes. Strydom seeks the same, higher validation as Frittelli, ensuring that their pairing should have been a compelling one.

Through nine hole on day four, it was anything but. While Strydom stood two-under par on the 64th tee, the overnight leader could not find the formula that had brought success over three days. Frittelli had eight pars and a bogey to show, and things were getting worse. Zander Lombard and Jesper Svensson gained multiple shots on the lead pair, and when Frittelli went plus-two on the day at the 12th, the resolution appeared to have passed him by.

And that’s the beauty of golf. When you least expect it, the switch flips and the juice returns. Frittelli found birdies at consecutive, par-five holes, midway through the inward half. He gained one shot on Lombard, and two shots on both Svensson and Strydom. Frittelli added an unlikely, third birdie coming home, at the par-three 16th. A modest tee shot to 42 feet was followed by an absolute dagger to the heart of his pursuers. From the bottom of the putting surface, the Longhorn’s aim was true, and the advantage went to two shots.

The final tally saw Frittelli reach 13-under par, two ahead of Sweden’s Svensson and countryman Lombard. Strydom ended on plus-one for the day, in solo fourth position. The DP World Tour moves next door this week, onto the mainland of Qatar for the Qatar Masters.

Korn Ferry Tour @ The Panamá Championship: Isaiah, Chapter One

Isaiah Salinda didn’t venture far from home to attend Stanford University. He is a Pacific Coast kid at heart. It should come as no surprise that his first important professional win came just north of the Pacific Ocean. That’s right, north. If you map the location of Club de Golf de Panamá, you find it on the arc of Panamá that curves north, then south. As a result, the Caribbean/Atlantic lies to the north, while the Pacific sits due south. Despite the shift from longitude to latitude, Salinda’s first big V came just a bit away from another Pacific coastline.

Salinda and countryman Will Bateman reached seven-under par by the end of round three, to share the top sport of The Panamá Championship. Their advantage was tenuous, with a handful of golfers within a few shots of the helm. The first ten holes on Sunday offered little indication of how things would resolve. Salinda scratched a stroke from par, while Bateman posted a decade of pars. Salinda drained an unlikely, 50-feet putt for birdie at the difficult eleventh, while his playing companion struggled to a triple-bogey seven. Salinda played the 12th hole to perfection (drive and approach to ten feet, followed by one putt for eagle) to turn a two-shot advantage into a seven-shot margin.

The Californian finished his week at 12-under par, good for an eight-shot win over Bateman (73) Keenan Huskey (64), and Trent Phillips (66). The KFT travels to the capital city of Colombia for this week’s Astara Golf Championship in Bogotá.

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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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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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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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