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5 things we learned: Friday at the U.S. Women’s Open

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1 year ago

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The midway point of the Women’s Open arrived on Friday evening. The cut fell at +8, with the leader at four-under par. World number one Nelly Korda fought valiantly to recover from her opening 80 and, at one point, was within a shot of the cut. She was unable to close under par, and missed the weekend by two shots. Among the world’s best, only Minjee Lee finds herself truly in contention. Lee is currently ranked 9th in the Rolex rankings; only Nasa Hataoka holds both a spot in the world top twenty and the the Open top twenty.

Some years, the course preparation at the US Open recognizes players already among the world’s best, while in others, it elevates players to that stature. 2024 at Lancaster Country Club promises to be one of the later. Players like Korda, Rose Zhang, and Lydia Ko missed the cut outright, while others like Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull, and Hannah Green, find themselves nine shots or more behind the leaders.

Over the weekend, viewers and attendees will familiarize themselves with Wichanee Meechai, Andrea Lee, Wei-Ling Hsu, and the splendid moniker of Asterisk Talley, an amateur. Rather than a coronation (unless Minjee wins a second Open) 2024 looks to be an unveiling of a new talent, and that’s one of the neat parts of major championship golf. Unlike team sports, where known commodities lead other known commodities to victory, medal-play golf welcomes the unexpected and the unknown on occasion. We’ve collected five, unexpected things to share with you on this Friday evening. Thanks for enjoying five things we learned on Friday at the US Women’s Open.

1. We will have a low amateur!

Since golf writers are much closer to golf’s amateur skill level than the professional one, there is a special place in our hearts for the amateurs who compete against the professionals. They might be professionals next year, or month, or week, but for now, they are the unpaid, the ones who take classes during the day.

After finding three birdies on her way to an opening 69, France’s Adela Cernousek struggled to find a single one on Friday. She never did, and as the round waned, her score edged close to 80. Had she gone that high, she would have reached plus-nine, and would have missed the halfway cut. Despite bogeys at 16 and 17, Cernousek was able to coax par out of the closing hole, and earn a weekend tee time.

Much closer to the top are Catherine Park, Megan Schofill, and Asterisk Talley. Park sits at two-over par, while Schofill and Talley both occupy rungs at one-over par. Not since 1998 has an amateur made a serious run at the title, and no one expects it from this trio. It would be nice, but at the very least, we’ll have a battle for the low amateur medal, which will also be nice.

2. Farewell to thee…

We won’t have the pleasure of seeing a number of the top golfers over the weekend. Defending champion Allison Corpuz, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Leona Maguire, and Rose Zhang all finished on the high side of the cut number.

It’s rare that so many, elite golfers stumble at the same moment in time, in so many different ways. Some had blowups on individual holes, while others lost multiple strokes in three-hole stretches. Let’s remember, though, that prior to 2015 at Lancaster, In-Gee Chun had not won a major. After her Open triumph, Chun won at Evian and the PGA.

Trust the process. Lancaster will identify a proper champion.

3. What about Minjee?

Does anyone play the game as well as Nelly Korda? Minjee does. When she is on, the Australian star and 2022 US Open champion hits fairways and greens like no other. As often happens, it comes down to the flatstick.

On Friday, Lee jumped up to a tie for the lead, before bogeys at 17 and 18 brought her back to even par. What she did on the front nine (her inward half) was telling: she made eight pars and one birdie, and moved back into red figures. Lee and 2022 champion Yuka Saso will form the penultimate pairing on day three, and one of them figures to have the lead after 54 holes.

4. Who is Whichanee Meechai?

To begin, she’s precisely the sort of golfer referenced above. Meechai has competed on every LPGA tour on the planet, but only has a fifth-place finish to show on the US LPGA tour. Meechai last won in 2020, on the Thailand LPGA circuit. In other words, she really shouldn’t be here, but here is exactly where she is.

Eleven birdies adorn Meechai’s two scorecards. Although there are seven bogeys along for the ride, there are no doubles or higher in any square. It’s a simple prescription, but one that gets harder to fill as the weekend advances. Meechai finds herself in a rarefied realm, but if she considers that she has nothing to lose by playing fierce, she just might hang around. I hope that she does.

5. Let’s follow Andrea

Andrea Lee is precisely the sort of break-out talent waiting in the wings of the LPGA theater. She was a top amateur and collegiate player, and has a 2022 tour victory on her wiki. Over the half-decade that she has been a professional, she has dipped her toes in the major-championship waters, but has not gained traction.

2024 feels a bit different. Friday brought 69, and birdie at 11 (the day’s second hole) moved her up the board. The devilish 12th hole stole back two strokes, and another bogey at 15 pushed her out of red numbers. As she turned to the front side, Lee faced her demons and demolished them. A holed approach for eagle at one was followed by three consecutive birdies, and Lee found herself at minus-four and in the lead. Although two bogeys came her way on the trip home, Lee signed for another 69 and a seat in the first row of Saturday’s third round. She’ll start two back of Meechai but, given her penchant for making up shots, that may not last for long.

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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

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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WITB

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