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5 Things we Learned: Day 3 of Olympic Women’s Golf

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1 year ago

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I began to write the introductory paragraph for Friday as the back nine started to unfold. It looked like this: Round three was a tale of two cities: those who pushed farther, and those who did not. The leaders needed to push deeper, into the mid-60s, to preserve their margin of advantage. They failed to do as much. The chasers needed to go lower, to rein in the lead pack and give themselves a shot on Sunday. They did precisely that.

Oh, wait, scratch that. The 18th hole happened for some, and other, inward holes happened for others. That back nine at Le Golf National reveals some new face with each round played. One leader played it with just two pars. Two leaders made eagle three at the last.

Heading into round four, two co-leaders sit on minus-nine, with two more at minus-seven, and one more, another shot back. We learned about twenty things in the last half hour of play, but I’ll distill them down to a handful. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned on day three of the Paris 2024 Olympic Women’s golf competition.

1. Who stumbled?

Ruoning Yin (+3) and Pia Babnik (+2) did themselves no favors on Friday. Yin had six bogies on the day, while Babnik came undone at the 15th with a quadruple bogey. Each of Yin’s lost shots began with a drive lost to the rough. As for Babnik, her drive and first approach each found water on the 15th hole. Unsettled, she took another four shots to find cup bottom. Yin is five back of the leaders, while Babnik is seven behind. Logic suggests that each would need a course record to earn a place on the podium; with nothing to lose, either might go for broke and find riches.

 

2. Who soared?

Lydia Ko and Miya Yamashita each posted 68 on day three. Ko lost two shots to wayward approach shots. At holes seven and twelve, she found the fairway off the tee, then foozled her inward play. She made up for those mistakes in spades with six birdies. Most important: she avoided all of the H2O coming home. Yamashita signed for the day’s most boring scorecard. Four birdies, fourteen pars, no traipses along the cliffs of doom, no swims in the ponds. Precisely the sort of play that might win her a medal on Sunday. Ko moved to a tie for first, while Yamashita holds down a tie for third.

Just behind each is Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand. Thitikul nearly matched those 68s with a 69 of her own. An erratic outward nine of three pars, birdies, and bogies, was followed by a homeward side of three birdies and zero bogies. A missed putt from 12 feet at the last brough Thitikul into solo sixth position, at six under par.

3. Fly like an Eagle, Eagle, Eagle

Second-round leader Morgane Metraux was stitching, leaking oil, building up lactic acid … whatever you wish to call it. Three bogies over holes ten through thirteen had her wondering, do I have what it takes? Birdie at the 14th stanched the wound, and came 18. A mighty eagle at the home hole, thanks to a fairway drive and an approach to twenty feet, brought her up to a tie with Lydia Ko for the pole position.

If Metraux is able to ignore, and even forget, her position on day four, she might steal a medal on Saturday. As with the stumblers, nothing offers more opportunity for success, than a go-for-broke attitude over the final eighteen holes.

4. Topsy-Turvy

Celine Boutier carries more weight of expectation than anyone not named Nelly this week. After opening with 65, the French hope has struggled over two days. She recovered on Friday with one-under 71, but finds herself in a tie for seventh, five back of the leading duo.

Nothing defines Boutier’s current state of affairs like her second nine on day the third. She opened positively, with par and two birdies setting her up for a fine finish. Triple bogey at 13 derailed that engine, and bogey at the 15th threatened to send it back to the yard. Boutier breathed deep and dug deeper, closing with birdies at the final three holes, to head to day the fourth with optimism.

5. Who is dangerous on Saturday?

Boutier could potentially bookedn 65s. If she did so, she could reach the podium. Nelly Korda has not gone below 70 yet, so Sunday portends to either be 62 or 82. If she is oh-so-close and can flip the switch, watch out. If she is oh-so-frustrated and loses composure, duck. Either way, she’ll provide some memorable, day-four moments.

I also conside Thitikul to be dangerous on Saturday, and Janet Lin’s stock is rising. Despite all those fine names, I’m going to predict an Andean triumph at Paris. Mariajo Uribe will ride off into the international sunset with a closing 63, and gold medal draped around her neck, cloaked in a Colombian flag.

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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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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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