News

Tour Rundown: Woad you say?

Published

2 months ago

Jul 7, 2025

There are two European traditions in action this time of year, that stonish and horrify many around the world. The Sanfermines and the Tour de France each involve clusters of competitors and the certainty of disaster. The former, better known as the Running of the Bulls, takes place in northern Spain. The latter moves across a sizable portion of France and, at times, other countries.

Sanfermines are over quickly, as the bulls decide to forge ahead toward the bull ring or confront one of the amateur runners that fill the streets of Pamplona. Tour de France involves many sorts of cycling encounters. The long, arduous campaigns over open, flattish roads are built for one sort of talent. The climbs up mountains invoke another skill. Descents down similar traces are quite another thing. More of a haphazard, roller coaster without tracks or guard rails. The sprints around twisting city streets summon a third, and the mad dash toward an impending finish line and potential yellow jersey demand a fourth area of expertise and conditioning.

It’s rare that you have a crash in either of the first two elements. The last three are rife with injury and sometimes, death, as are the Sanfermines. In golf, this drama is a distant consideration, but bunching and sorting is a shared commodity. No one is faster than the bulls, and the peloton always catches the breakaway riders, if it wishes to do so. In golf, sometimes breakaways happen, and the field is helpless and awestruck. Most of the time, it’s a mad, breakneck stroll down the final fairways of a tournament and then, when the final putts are holed, a sorting of the podium. This week, the first in July, we have some of each resolution. Folks might have been caught looking ahead to the next two weeks when the Scottish and Open Championships come into focus on the men’s tours. If they were, they missed quite a bit of inspiring action.

Let’s have our own glance, safely, at this week’s Tour Rundown.

Ladies European Tour @ Irish Open: Woad you say? An amateur in triumph

In April of this year, Lottie Woad made a gallant putt on the 18th green of the Augusta National course, to hold Bailey Shoemaker at a distance, and win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. In 2024, Woad tied for the tenth spot at the Women’s Open, earning the Smyth Salver trophy as low amateur. It’s safe to say that, if and when she does turn professional, Lottie Woad will garner as much attention in golf, say, as Caitlin Clark has done in basketball.

Why so daring a proclamation? This week at Carton House in Ireland, Woad won the Irish Open by six shots. The Irish is a fixture on the Ladies European Tour and featured such household names as Charley Hull and Madelene Sagstrom. Those two finished in the top four but were mere attendants to a coronation. Woad stood second after an opening 68 but made her move on day two. Her 67 pushed her three shots ahead of day-one leader Chiara Tamburlini. As the melodious Tamburlini fell away on day three, Woad pushed her total to 17 under par over the par-73 layout, establishing a commanding advantage. On a day when no one near the lead broke 70, Woad signed for 67. Day four saw the crowning of the young queen, as Woad closed with 69 to reach minus twenty-one. Sagstrom moved one clear of Amelia Garvey for second, and Hull took fourth. Fatima Fernandez Cano, on the strength of the week’s low round (66) ascended to fifth position.

PGA Tour @ John Deere Classic: Campbell wins playoff for second title

Unlike the Irish Open mentioned above, the JDC on the PGA Tour was a cluster to the end. For a time, it was Max Homa on the mend, then it was David Lipsky on the attack. A goateed Beau Hossler gave early notice that low numbers were available at the TPC Deere Run. Finally, Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo took center stage, albeit briefly, before a champion was decided.

Max Homa played the first four holes like a man on a mission. He played the closing fourteen in a bit less. The man who took a stand against social media gave it his best, but ultimately, a tie for fifth was his reward. He finished two shots out of a playoff. Joining him on that number was a quintet of fellow competitors. Among the six, Jacob Bridgeman needed to close with four birdies to reach overtime. He secured the first three, but made bogey at the last to fall away. David Lipsky and Kevin Roy finished one shot distant from the extra session. Lipsky lipskied out on the final hole to miss joining the apres-round participants, while Roy made birdie at the last to earn a career-best finish.

So away they went, Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo, to decide which would raise the champion’s trophy. The post party was over in minutes. Grillo’s attempt to cut the corner on eighteen fell short of target, and he could only chunk an iron down the fairway, within twenty yards of the flag. His pitch went astray and he could not chip in with his fourth. Campbell played the hole as designed: tee-fairway-green-hole and the title was his.

DP World Tour @ BWM International: Battle of Britain turns Brown

Sunday in Munich was a brilliant, sunny day, and the golf equaled the atmosphere. One had to look to eleventh place to find a score at 70 or worse on the day. Those in contention made the most of opportunity at Munchen Eichenried, and Daniel Brown and Jordan Smith made more than the others. The two Brits battled down the stretch, and it was the mountainous Brown who came out on top.

New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori left nothing in the pocket, as he rode nine birdies and an eagle to 63 and third place. If Kobori had managed to avoid bogeys at eight and seventeen, he would have given Brown and Smith an even more threatening rabbit to chase.

After nine holes, Smith stood on minus-five and moved within one of the lead. His stretch from ten through fourteen was less appetizing, featuring three bogeys and a birdie. Smith closed with a pair of birdies down the stretch, but Brown held his two-shot advantage to the close.

PGA Tour Americas @ Explore NB Open: Perkins is your man in New Brunswick

Ten golfers will receive hockey sweaters in late September. Those sweaters will signify promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2026. David Perkins sits atop the Fortinet Cup standings, thanks to his victory this week in the Canadian maritime. Perkins slipped past third-round leader Tripp Kinney, earning the win by one shot.

Perkins began the week like a man possessed. His 130 total at the halfway poll gave him the lead, but he handed it over to Kinney after a third-round 68 was no match for Kinney’s 64. Granted, the new lead was but one stroke, adding to the potential for dramatic conclusion. On day four, Perkins survived a pair of bogeys at the turn, rebounded with four birdies on the inward half, and signed for 19-under par. Kinney broke out of a day-long malaise (one bogey, zero birdies, through fourteen holes) to post eagle-birdie at 15 and 16. Each player closed with a pair of pars, and the title traveled away with Perkins.

Crazy leaderboard in New Brunswick ?

1. David Perkins (-16) thru 10
T2. Ford Clegg (-15) F
T2. Davis Lamb (-15) thru 14
T2. Drew Nesbitt (-15) thru 14
T2. Riley Lewis (-15) thru 12
T2. Tripp Kinney (-15) thru 9 pic.twitter.com/jCtcINuEBU

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) July 6, 2025

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Ronald Montesano

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.

Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.

We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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.

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 28, 2025

Brian Knudson

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)