Kitayama Wins, Scheffler Reigns, LIV Expands: July 2025 Golf Recap | GOLFUNITY Podcast
In this GOLFUNITY podcast episode, we break down all the major golf headlines from July 2025 – from stunning victories and major championship drama to LIV Golf’s global expansion. 🌍⛳
📌 Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:
🏌️♂️ PGA Tour Highlights:
• Kurt Kitayama fires an 11-under 60 and claims victory at the 3M Open
• Recaps of the Barracuda Championship & John Deere Classic
• What’s next: Wyndham Championship preview
🏆 Major Championship Update:
• Scottie Scheffler wins The Open at Royal Portrush – his 4th career major
• Rory McIlroy’s post-Masters struggle and his renewed drive
• J.J. Spaun clinches the US Open with a walk-off birdie
🔥 LIV Golf Developments:
• Joaquin Niemann secures his fifth LIV title of the season at LIV Golf UK
• Bubba Watson dazzles with eagles and his best LIV finish yet
• LIV Golf expands to South Africa – Johannesburg event confirmed for March 2026
🏌️♀️ LPGA Tour Action:
• Lottie Woad wins her pro debut at the Women’s Scottish Open
• Highlights from the Evian Championship & Irish Open
👴 Champions Tour:
• Padraig Harrington makes history, winning The Senior Open to complete an Open-Senior Open double
🌍 Ryder Cup News & Beyond:
• Spain confirmed as 2031 Ryder Cup host
• Bob MacIntyre closing in on automatic Team Europe qualification
🔔 Subscribe to GOLFUNITY for weekly insights, tournament breakdowns, and all things golf from around the world!
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Golf Unity, the most popular golf infotainment podcast in town. Hey everyone, welcome to Golf Funity. You’ve tuned into the most popular golf infotainment podcast in town and this is our deep dive. That’s right, where we cut through all the noise. Exactly. We get straight to what really matters in the wild world of dolls. And wow, what a week it’s been, huh? Seriously. Comebacks, records falling, big announcements. It’s been non-stop action for sure. So, if you’re looking to, you know, really get the inside scoop, understand the why behind the headlines in the international scene, you are definitely in the right place. Yep. Today, we’re diving into all the latest results, the news, trying to pull out the key insights for you. Think of it as your curated cheat sheet to sounding like you know everything about golf right now. H love it. Get ready, folks. We’ve got some surprising stuff. Maybe a few aha moments. We’re talking big money, cool personalities, and how the whole game is kind of shifting. Let’s get into it. Okay, let’s kick things off on the PGA Tour. The big story there was Kirk Kittyama at the 3M Open, right up at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota. His second tour win. Yeah, that’s the one. Won it by just one shot. Finished at a really impressive 23 under par, 261 total. Okay, 23 under is low, but the thing everyone’s buzzing about is that third round, right? And 11 under 60. Seriously, what planets align for that? TPC Twin Cities isn’t exactly a pushover course. No, it really isn’t. And that 60. Look, it wasn’t just luck or perfect conditions. It shows Kayyama attacking the course but smartly. You know, taking aggressive lines but pulling them off. It signals maybe a new level for him. H aggressive but controlled. I like that. And then crucially, he didn’t let up. He backed it up Sunday. Opened with a 29 on the front nine. Just took control. It really feels like a player hitting peak confidence. Yeah. Stringing it together like that is Well, that’s how you win tourniques. And behind him, Sam Stevens grabbed solo second. Good for him. Solid par on the last, right? And then you had that log gem for third place. Four guys tied. Jake Knap, David Loski, Matt Wallace, and Pearson Cudy. All at 20 under. Just shows how tight things are out there. One shot here or there. Exactly. And for Kayyama, the payoff was huge. Over $1.5 million from an 8.4 million purse. Wow. That’ll pay some bills. Ha. Yeah, just a few. But maybe more importantly, almost 50 World Ranking points, 500 FedEx Cup points. That stuff is gold for getting into majors playoffs. It’s a massive boost for his standing. Super important, especially with the regular season winding down. Every point is crucial now heading into the Windom Championship next week in North Carolina. Absolutely. But, uh, while the PGA Tour gave us that drama, you really can’t ignore what’s happening over at Levy Golf. It’s dynamic to say the least. We Neman is just rewriting their record books. Five wins this season for Neman. That was at Ley Golf UK. I mean, five wins on any tour in a season is incredible. But for Levy, that’s a new benchmark, right? It absolutely is. Nobody’s done that before on Levy. And he started Sunday with a six-shot lead. Look like he might cruise. Yeah, six shots should be comfortable. Should be. But then get this. 46-year-old Bubba Watson decides to put on a show. Shoots a 65 on Sunday. Bubba being Bubba. Totally. And the way he did it, two eagles on the back nine, both hitting driver off the deck. Wait, driver off the fairway for eagle when chasing. Yep. On the 10th and the 13th. You know that super high-risk shot. Needs incredible precision. Only Bubba would even try that, let alone pull it off twice under pressure. Pure theater. That is absolutely insane. I mean, that’s video game stuff. And it got him close, right? It did. That crazy six-hole stretch pulled him within two shots of Neman. Really put the pressure on. Wow. So Bubba finishes solo second at 14 under. And wasn’t there a young guy up there too? Yeah, Caleb Serat, 21 years old, shot 65 as well, finished solo third. Both Bubba and Serat their best individual finishes since joining a Lovey. That’s huge, especially for Serat. Building confidence. Definitely. And it wasn’t just individual stuff. John Rom’s team owed Legion 13th. They won the team title again. That’s two in a row, four for the year. They’re pretty dominant as a team. They are. And interestingly, it was Young Serat who led their scoring this time. First time he’s done that. Shows their depth. So Ivy’s got player drama, team wins. Yeah. But the really big news feels like their expansion plans, doesn’t it? South Africa. Oh, absolutely. This is a major strategic move. A multi-year deal to bring Levy Golf to South Africa. First time ever playing on the African continent. That’s huge. Where and when? Stun City in Johannesburg March 20th to 22nd, but not until 2026. So they’re planning ahead, but yeah, adding Africa makes it five continents for Ley now. Five continents. They’re really pushing that global footprint. Why Africa, do you think beyond just ticking a box? Well, it’s a calculated risk, I think. Huge untapped potential there, right? For fans, maybe for future talent. It’s a long play. Could change where future pros come from, maybe challenge the traditional routes. Interesting point. And they’ll have a built-in home team, won’t they? Exactly. Stinger GC, all South Africans. Luis Susen, Dean Burmeister, Brandon Grace, Charles Schwarzel. Imagine the home crowd support they’ll get. Yeah, that’ll be intense. And didn’t they just have a good result? They did. Finished third as a team in the UK event. Shot 17 under collectively in the final round. Their first podium in like eight tournaments. So, they’ve got some momentum heading towards that eventual home game. And knowing LIIV, it won’t just be about the golf, right? They’re pushing that whole entertainment package for sure. They’re talking postplay concerts, family stuff, that whole festival atmosphere they aim for, trying to pull in maybe a different kind of crowd, younger fans perhaps. It’s definitely a different approach. Yeah, it’s bold. Got to see how that lands, especially in a new market like South Africa. Okay, so PGA Tour, Livy Golf, what else is shifting out there? We need to talk about the seniors, right? We do. Padrick Harrington still winning majors, just the senior kind now. He won the senior British Open over at Sunningdale. Another big win for Patty. Shot 67 on Sunday, won by three. He just keeps going. He really does. And this win puts him in some seriously legendary company. He’s only the fifth guy ever to win both the regular Open Championship and the Senior Open. Only the fifth. Who are the others? Think about this list. Darren Clark, Tom Watson, Gary Player, and Bob Charles. Wow. Okay. That’s that’s Hall of Fame royalty right there. What a career Harrington’s had. And that’s his third senior major, too. Yep. Third senior major. Just incredible longevity and skill. Amazing. And shifting over to the women’s game, there was a pretty spectacular debut win, wasn’t there? Oh, yeah. Lahi Wde, 21-year-old English player, won the women’s Scottish Open. The kicker. It was her first ever tournament as a professional. Her pro debut. Get out of here. That’s unbelievable. It really is. And remember, she had won the Irish Open as an amateur, right? And she missed out on that massive payday at the Eian Championship by one shot because she was still an amateur. Yeah. Like 400,000 pounds down the drain. Exactly. So imagine the motivation. Yeah. She turns pro, steps up, and immediately wins 220,000. Talk about mental toughness. She’s definitely one to watch. A huge talent. No kidding. Okay. Wow. So much winning. Let’s circle back to the men’s majors for a sec. The Open 2025 feels like a while ago now, but this was all Scotty Sheffller, wasn’t it? It really was a Sheffler masterass. his second major of the year after the PGA Championship. His world ranking is just dominant. Isn’t even strong enough. What are the points like now? His average is 20.52. Rory Maroy is second at 8.96. Whoa, that gap is enormous. He’s just operating on a different level completely. Which leads us to Rory, right? He’s openly said his next Everest is trying to catch Sheffler. Yeah, he wants to topple Sheffller. Got to admire the ambition. And Rory had a great season himself, even finishing seventh at the Open. Completed the career grand slam finally with the Masters. Won the Players again, won at Pebble Beach. I mean, his consistency is still absurd. 33 top 10s in 67 majors is just remarkably consistent. An all-time great, no question. But Sheffller’s raised the bar and Rory’s still aiming high. Another Ryder Cup Olympics in 2028. Never stop driving. Speaking of the Ryder Cup, some news on a future venue, too. Oh, yeah. Where is it heading? Spain in 2031. Camel resort in Jirona. It’ll be the second time in Spain. Remember Valddorama back in 97, right? 34 years later. And only the fourth time it’s been in continental Europe. Spreading the love. Exactly. It’s part of that global shift. And sticking with the RDER Cup, Bob McIntyre seems pretty bullish about his chances for this year’s team, doesn’t he? Yeah. Bobby Min, after finishing seventh at the Open and runner up at the US Open, he feels good about getting an automatic spot for Europe in September. He needs to stay in the top six after the British Masters in late August. He’s definitely playing well enough. Fingers crossed for him. Okay, so we’ve talked wins, expansion, future events. What about some of the uh other stuff bubbling under the surface like player personalities? Terrell Hatton comes to mind. Ah, yeah, Terrell. He’s certainly vocal out there. Adds a bit of spice, you could say. A bit. He’s pretty fiery, but he says he won’t change, right? As long as it doesn’t bother his playing partners. That’s his stance. Love him or hate him, he brings personality. Some fans really dig that honesty, that emotion. True. And speaking of encore stuff that gets people talking, slow play always a hot topic, but it seemed particularly bad at the open. Yeah, it’s a constant bug bear, isn’t it? Rounds were pushing 6 hours at the open. 6 hours, man. Even watching that feels long. And if you’re a weekend golfer stuck behind a slow group, you know that feeling. It’s brutal. It really is. And at the open there were a bunch of reasons. Huge field, 156 players. And unlike the US majors, no split te’s, so everyone starts off number one. Ah, okay. That creates a bottleneck right away. Exactly. Then add tough conditions, windy, maybe thick, rough making loss balls take ages to find. Treacherous pin positions they set for majors. Right. And then specific holes like the shorter ones, maybe par threes or drivable par fours, they just cause backups, log jams, like holes five, six, seven you mentioned. Yeah. It got so bad that JJ Spawn actually got a bad time warning. Basically, a penalty shot looming if he did it again for taking too long. That tells you how slow things were moving. Wow. A warning in a major. That’s serious. It does make you wonder where the game is heading with pace of play, doesn’t it? It’s a tough balance. Precision takes time. High stakes add pressure, but six-hour rounds are tough for everyone involved, players, fans, TV. Definitely something that governing bodies are always wrestling with. So, okay, we’ve covered a ton of ground here from Kittyama’s Charge, Neman’s LEV dominance, Bubba’s Magic, Harrington’s history, W’s debut, Sheffller’s reign, Rory’s Chase, Levie’s move into Africa, writer Cup News, even Hatton’s outbursts, and the slow play debate. Yeah, it’s clear golf is constantly shifting, constantly evolving. New faces, new tours challenging the old guard, new places on the map. So the question for you the listener to maybe maul over is how do all these little moments like one amazing shot, a player’s fiery personality, even just how long it takes to play, how do they all fit together? What part of these shifting sands in golf right now really grabs you or maybe makes you rethink where the game is headed? H that’s a good one to chew on. Think about what story or player really caught your eye today. Maybe dive a bit deeper into that. Thanks for joining us for this deep dive on Golf Fundity. Yeah, thanks everyone. And we’ll be back next week with more Golf Funnity weekly golf news. Don’t forget to ring that bell, follow us on social media, all that good stuff. Catch you next time. Head over to our social media. Yeah. Tell us what you think. Let’s hear it. Give us your predictions for the future of golf. Until next time, keep it in the fairway and hit them straight.
