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Tour Rundown: Knapp wins in Mexico, two in a row for Patty T

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1 year ago

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Victory is measured in innumerable ways. Trophies go to the low golfer, but other contestants find goals and achievements to measure their success. Ronald Rugumayo became the first golfer from Uganda to pass a 36-hole cut on the DP World Tour this week. Rugumayo properly read and properly hit a six-feet birdie putt on his 36th hole, to make the cut on the number. He would ultimately earn the 71st spot, but his rounds of 72-70-71-73 are immemorial. There’s not better way to begin a Tour Rundown, than with a few words from Uganda’s top golfer.

PGA Tour: Jake Knapp goes to Mexico for a spring break celebration

After four years in Los Angeles, Jake Knapp left UCLA for a life of travel and tournaments. Knapp won thrice on what became PGA Tour Canada and is now PGA Tour Americas. His smooth swing and easy tempo, combined with a beachcomber look, have made him the flavor of the month for early 2024. Winning in Mexico will certainly thrust him closer to the bright, hot spotlight.

Knapp’s middle rounds of 64-63 gave him a bit of cushion for Sunday, and he made good use of it. Even when Finland’s Sami Valinaki made eagle-two at the 7th to tie for first, Knapp kept the rudder steady. Valimaki came home in plus-one 37, while Knapp closed with one-under 35. Razor-thin margins win victories, but with his good-luck mustache, we don’t expect Knapp will see that razor anytime soon.

LPGA: Patty T wins for second consecutive week

In 2021, Patty Tavatanakit burst onto the LPGA scene with a victory at the ANA Inspiration. When your first tour title is also a major, expectations immediately rise. It took another three years for the golfer from Thailand to earn win number two, but win number three was waiting in the wings. Like Jake Knapp, Tavatanakit competed and studied at UCLA, then left for the professional ranks. Unlike Knapp, her success came much sooner.

After that ANA win, Tavatanakit battled through expectations for over two years. Last week, PT won by seven at the Aramco Ladies International. This week, in her home country, Patty T delighted the home crowd with a 21-under-par performance. It was good enough to edge out another young phenom, Albane Valenzuela, by one. With all numbers tied at the last, Tavatanakit got up and down for birdie, for the victory.

DP World Tour: DVD wins over Beta in Kenya

Videotape isn’t making a comeback, but for those of a certain generation, the war between DVD and Betamax still has open wounds. Darius van Driel, who will probably not be known as DVD in this lifetime, earned his first DP World Tour title on the continent of Africa. The Magical Kenya Open became quite magical for the golfer from Holland, as he closed with 67 for a two-shot win over England’s Joe Dean.

For the second time this week, Van Driel added voltage to his round with an eagle at the par-five 10th hole. Despite bogey at 11, he was able to harness two more birdies coming home, to secure victory. As for Dean, there wasn’t much that he could do. The English lad posted five birdies over the final ten holes, but could move no closer than a tie for second with Spain’s Nacho Elvira. Close behind was Nacho’s younger brother, Manuel, in a tie for fourth position.

PGA Tour Champions: Argentina smiles as González wins for azulceleste

Ricardo González has played a lot of golf, all around the world. Prior to Sunday, the Argentine had won 28 times across the world’s circuits, but never in a PGA Tour event. It’s fitting that González claimed his maiden PGA Tour Champions victory in Morocco, given his status as an itinerant golfer.

The top four golfers at the Trophy Hassan II came from outside the USA. González was chased, but never caught, by Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, Korea’s Y.E. Yang, and Australia’s Mark Hensby. Yang held the lead with one round to play, but could not find the necessary form to preserve his station. Two bogeys on the outward half were parried by two birdies, but all the rest were pars. Yang’s even-par 73 earned him a tie for third with Hensby.

No one could sequence a run of birdies until González reached the 13th tee. Steaming from a bogey-six at twelve, don Ricardo ran off four consecutive birdies to jump up by two over Bjorn. After a bogey at 15, the Dane fought back, with birdie at the 17th, to close within one. The 18th was halved with 5s, and Ricardo González was finally a PGA Tour champion.

Asian Tour: Ortiz outburst in Oman

It’s not the sort of outburst we’ve grown accustomed to, these days. Carlos Ortiz “outburst” consisted of a run of seven birdies in nine hole, midway through the fourth round at the Asian Tour’s International Series Oman stop. Ortiz and Louis Oosthuizen trailed 54-hole leader, Joaquin Niemann by one at the start of the final round. Niemann had his struggles, and could not win for a second consecutive week.

The door was opened slightly when the Chilean closed with 67 for 274. Most golfers who sign for a final-day 67 expect to win. Unfortunately for him, Oosthuizen closed with 69 and went one better. to 273. Neither of those totals stood in Ortiz’ way, as he kicked that door wide open with 65 for 272 and an initial title of 2024. About the only shot that didn’t go his way, was the one you’ll see below. Congratulations, Carlos!

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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

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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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WITB

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