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Tour Rundown: Taylor takes title | Kobori edges Shin | Hoshino Masters Qatar

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2 years ago

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There’s nothing quite like an unanticipated gift. Mine (and yours) came courtesy of the PGA of Australia’s Players Series. Kazuma Kobori was the winner in Norwest NSW, but the story was just behind his victory.

Things got a little wild in Scottsdale, as they always do. Colombia’s Korn Ferry event saw two scores in the 50s and neither belonged to the victor. In Qatar, a door opened on Sunday for a slew of pursuers, and the winner escaped by one shot.

Four tournaments seems like the right number for a rundown, so let’s not delay any longer. Welcome to the February 12 edition of Tour Rundown.

PGA of Australia Players Series: Kobori edges Shin by one

Jenny Shin really had no idea that the Webex Series Sydney was a men’s event. Perhaps she looked at the yardage of the Castle Hill Country Club or maybe it was some other reason. In any event, there was Shin, posting rounds of 63-67-68-67 and reaching 23 under par. Only New Zealand’s Kobori exceeded her effort, and he was fortunate to do so.

Both golfers were 5 under par on the day through 10 holes, but Shin stumbled and tripped at 11 and 12. She went double and single bogey to give back three shots. The final six holes saw Kobori play cautious golf, closing in one-under the rest of the way. Shin fought back bravely, making three birdies coming home.

2023 saw Lexi Thompson play great golf at the Shriners, and Shin’s performance at Castle Hill served notice that 2024 will be a marvelous year of golf for all tours. Kazuma Kobori will no doubt earn a battlefield promotion to the DP World Tour with his third victory of the wraparound season. All credit to him for balanced play down the stretch and over the week.

PGA Tour: Taylor adds Phoenix title to resume

When last we checked in with Nick Taylor, he was tending to good friend and fellow Canadian pro Adam Hadwin, who was decked by a security guard after Taylor won the Canadian Open in June. Taylor blazed across TPC Scottsdale on Thursday, posting 11 birdies and seven pars for a round of 60. Friday saw him battle weather and go 10 strokes higher. He rebounded over the extended, two-day third round with 68. As they say, it’s not how you start but how you finish.

Sunday was a long day in the valley of the sun. Taylor was paired with Sahith Theegala and Andrew Novak in the 2:15 trio, but the news of the morning was all Charley Hoffman. Despite beginning play three groups ahead of Taylor, Hoffman was but one shot in arrears. The top of the leaderboard was jammed with potential, and Hoffman wasted no time getting out front. Four birdies over the first 11 holes brought him to the top. A bogey at 12 slowed the train, but an eagle-birdie-birdie run over the next three holes made him the man to beat.

Nick Taylor turned in a symmetrical card of five pars-two birdies-par-birdie on each nine. Knowing that he needed birdie at the last to gain overtime, Taylor bailed right and found rough. His approach ended ten feet from the hole, and his putt for the tie was true. In the playoff, both golfers made birdie at 18 the first time round. On the second tour, Hoffman went way left but carried the water. He ended up in the church pew bunkers and reached the putting surface, some 30 feet distant. Taylor once again headed right, with nearly the same approach as regulation. He once again found safety, ending 11 feet from the hole. Hoffman’s effort for three was close, and it was left to Taylor to three-peat Sunday birdies at the closer, for the win. Was there any doubt?

DP World Tour: Hoshino is Master of Qatar

Rikuya Hoshino has played professionally since 2016. The majority of his competition and victories have come on the Japan Golf Tour. Hoshino began to play more internationally in 2023 and nearly pulled off a huge upset at the 2023 Australian Open in December. He gained a spot in overtime against Min Woo Lee but was unable to defeat Australia’s international star.

This week in Qatar, Hoshino and everyone else were staring up at Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard. The Dane had rebounded from an opening 73, with middle-round cards of 66 and 67. Unfortunately for Højgaard, another 73 awaited on Sunday. Two bogies in the opening four holes set his plans back, and he struggled to retain form. A one-under, back nine brought him back to a top-10 finish.

With Højgaard’s tumble, opportunity knocked for players like Hoshino, France’s Ugo Coussard, and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson. Jamieson charged hard after a third-hole bogey. Six birdies, added to an eagle two at the 16th, brought him to 65 on the day and -12 for the week. Jamieson improved 15 rungs on the day, finishing solo third. Coussard also posted one bogey on Sunday, but more than countered it with four birdies. His closing 69 eased him past Jamieson, and gave him a chance at victory.

Hoshino stood 2 under on the day when he reached the 16th tee. Summoning his best play, he turned in birdies at the next two holes, to reach 14-under par. With a shot in the hand, Hoshino played the par-five 18th conservatively. A 3.5-foot putt found the heart of the hole, and Hoshino had ascended to a new level of triumph.

Korn Ferry Tour: Despite scores in the 50s, mid-60s win the week

The Country Club de Bogotá has two courses: the Pacos and the Lagos. The Pacos is the easier of the two, and Cristobal del Solar made his case for greatness on Thursday. The Chilean went full off on day one with a score of 57, highlighted by nine birdies and two eagles. Unfortunately for CDS, he had to play the Lagos course the next three days. 57 was followed by 69, then 75, and Mr. 57 found himself on the outside, looking in. On Sunday, del Solar solved the Lagos course, coming home in 63 for a solo fifth-place finish.

Aldrich Potgeiter followed Thursday’s 57 with a 59 of his own. A recent, KFTour winner in the Bahamas, Potgeiter moved into first position as del Solar wobbled. That was it for the South African Potgeiter, however. Weekend rounds of 73-71 dropped him to a 20th-place tie. Since lightning in a bottle wasn’t the answer this week, what was? In the end, Kevin Velo had it.

Velo didn’t score below 64, but he didn’t score above 67. He reached 22 under par, but so did Brian Campbell. The two Americans went to an extra hole, and Velo made quick work of his opponent. Despite not seeing the fairway on the bonus hole, Velo found the green in two and two-putted for birdie. Campbell was unable to match that number, and the San Jose State alum was a Korn Ferry Tour winner.

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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

on

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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