Archive for the ‘Golf sports news’ Category
October 29, 2011
Scotlands Richie Ramsay shot a 1-over 72 to preserve his two stroke lead after the second round of the Andalucia Masters on Friday, when only four players managed to complete the halfway point under par.
Andalucia Masters Leaderboard
Ramsay reached par after a birdie at No. 11 before a wayward drive led to a bogey at the 18th to drop him to a 5-under overall total of 137.
“It was a really tough day and I hung in there,” Ramsay said. “I hit so many fairways and so many greens, but couldnt get the ball to drop. But my ball-striking was good and Ive got to take the positives out of it.” recording a seven for the secon but his 71 left him in second ahead of Sergio Garcia, who carded a second straight 70 to sit three strokes behind in third.
Garcia, coming off his first victory for three years, needs a first victory at Valderrama to secure a spot at next weeks HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
“Back-to-back wins would be a great thing, but I dont want to get ahead of myself,” Garcia said. “Valderrama can catch you any time, you can never think that you have this course under control. Thats the beauty of if. A course doesnt need to be long to be tough.”
Fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez finished the back nine in 4-under for a 70 that left him the only other player to go around Valderramas famed cork tree-lined course under par after two rounds at 1 under.
David Lynn of England was even-par after a second straight 71, while defending champion Graeme McDowell (73) and Martin Kaymer (75) were in a group at 4 over.
Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal (74) made his first cut in nine starts.
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October 28, 2011
Richie Ramsay shot a 6-under 65 Thursday to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Andalucia Masters.
Andalucia Masters Leaderboard
The 28-year-old Ramsay birdied four of the first 10 holes before an eagle-3 on No. 11. He chipped in for another birdie at the par-3 15th before his only blemish on the Valderrama course, a bogey at the par-5 17th.
“Valderrama is the kind of course that suits me,” said Ramsay, whose lone European Tour victory came in South Africa in 2009. “This course is a good challenge for me. You need to play it shot by shot, and thats all I did.”
The former U.S. Amateur champion took advantage of the favorable morning conditions, as most of the top scores were made before the wind picked up and trickles of rain came down over Valderrama, a course famed for its tight fairways and undulating greens.
Ross Fisher of England was Ramsays closest challenger with a 67, while Frenchman Gregory Havret and Scotsman Stephen Gallagher both shot 68 to trail by three.
Fisher made three early birdies before a triple bogey at No. 8. But he stuck an approach at the next hole to within four feet for another birdie, and picked up three more shots on the back nine.
Sergio Garcia, coming off his first victory in three years and hoping to become the first Spanish champion at Valderrama since it started hosting events in 1988, was five shots back in a tie for fifth after an inconsistent round.
Garcia was at 4 under after an eagle at No. 11, but had two bogeys and a double bogey over the next three holes. He finished the round by knocking in a short birdie putt at the 18th to tie Peter Lawrie, Scott Strange and David Drysdale at 1 under.
Martin Kaymer started with three bogeys but recovered for a 71, leaving him tied with Spanish playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez and five other players, including Francesco Molinaro. The Italian watched his putt from the fringe wobble in for a birdie at the tough 17th.
Justin Rose was among a group of eight players tied on 72, while defending champion Graeme McDowell trailed Ramsay by eight shots after a difficult start.
The golfer from Northern Ireland nearly had an ace at the par-3 15th then missed his birdie putt. He then bogeyed No. 16 and rolled a 10-foot birdie putt wide after recovering from a terrible approach at No. 17.
“Didnt control my ball well at all, but kinda hung tough,” McDowell wrote on Twitter. “2 over not a disastrous start. Got to control my ball flight better than that if Im going to compete this weekend.”
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October 28, 2011
U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the Shanghai Masters, the lucrative invitational tournament that isnt sanctioned by any of the major tours.
The 22-year in his bogey-free round on Lake Malarens Jack Nicklaus-designed Masters course.
“If I can play as solid for the next three days as I did today, I feel as if Ill be very difficult to beat,” McIlroy said.
The 30 players are vying for the $2 million first prize, the richest in golf. All the top players are getting appearance money, and last place pays $25,000. Because the International Management Group-run event isnt sanctioned by a major tour, it doesnt have world-ranking points.
American Hunter Mahan was second. He had seven birdies, including three in a row on the back nine, then settled for a par in the 18th hole when his birdie try glanced off the lip of the cup.
“You have to go out there and try to make as many birdies as you can,” said Mahan, whose playoff loss to Bill Haas last month in the Tour Championship cost him nearly $10 million.
“A lot of great players are here, so you cant take your foot off the pedal. Youve got to be aggressive. The cours [there are] good length holes. But its still challenging in a lot of areas, so you have to be cautious on a few shots.”
Mahan said the $2 million payout was only one of the reasons he decided to play in the tournament before competing next week in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions at nearby Sheshan International.
“Theyre building golf courses daily here. This is a place you want to market yourself,” Mahan said. “No question this is one of those events I think is going to grow through time and get bigger and bigger and Im excited to be at the beginning part of it.”
Englands Paul Casey and Ian Poulter and Irelands Padraig Harrington opened with 67s, and American Anthony Kim was another stroke back along with Chinas Li Chao.
John Daly was in the group at 69 along with Lee Westwood, Retief Goosen, Y.E. Yang and Robert Karlsson.
“With a small field like we have here, and I think I may get in trouble for saying this, but Im kind of glad its not sanctioned by the European or PGA Tour,” Daly said. “It shows that China is doing something on their own. Theyre saying, Hey, we may not need the PGA Tour or European Tour, no disrespect.”
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel had a 70, and PGA winner Keegan Bradley had a 72.
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October 27, 2011
The LPGA Kia Classic will return to La Costa Resort and Spa near San Diego in 2012, where the inaugural event was held in 2010.
The tour announced Monday the 144-player event will be held March 19-25.
Last years Kia Classic was moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Industry because of a $50 million renovation project at La Costa during the past year. Sandra Gal of Germany won the tournament by a shot.
La Costa features two 18-hole courses, and the 2012 tournament will be played exclusively on the Legends Course, where four holes have been renovated.
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October 27, 2011
Golfers will no longer be penalized if their ball moves after it has been addressed in one of a number of rule changes announced by the sports governing body on Monday.
Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson are high-profile players to have been hit with one-shot penalties this year for what is widely regarded as one of the harshest rules in golf.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which is responsible for administering the Rules of Golf, says that from Jan. 1 next year, players will be exonerated if the ball moves after the address “when it is known or virtually certain that he did not cause the ball to move.”
“Every time the wind blows, I am worried that my ball is going to move and I am worried about grounding my putter, distracting me from trying to hole my putt,” said three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, who is an R&A ambassador.
The third-ranked McIlroy was hit with the punishment in his final round at the British Open at Royal St. Georges.
<p he had little chance of w but the same cannot be said of Simpsons misfortune in the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in May.
The American player was leading by a shot and closing in on what would have been his first title when his ball moved on the 15th green. After being given a one-stroke penalty, he eventually lost in a playoff to compatriot Bubba Watson.
Simpson lost the PGA Tour money title to L the difference between first and second place at the Zurich Classic was $460,800.
Simpson at the time labeled the sanction “such a bad rule.”
Other changes announced by the R&A, which issu th include allowing players to smooth sand or soil before playing from a hazard “provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 [improving lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play] is not breached.”
Golfers will also no longer be automatically disqualified from a tournament if they start late, but within five minutes of the correct tee time. Instead, they will lose the first hole in match play or two shots at the first hole in stroke play.
“I am delighted with the changes, in particular the ball moving after address,” Harrington said. “It is definitely giving us players a little bit of a break.”
In addition, the R&A has amended the definition of addressing the ball to mean “simply … grounding his club immediately in front of or behind the ball, regardless of whether or not he has taken his stance.”
Before, the address position required a player to be standing over the ball with the club grounded.
The new rules will be effective until 2015, the R&A said.
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October 25, 2011
The PGA Tour Player of the Year race isnt over yet.
The tour decided Monday to wait two weeks before sending ballots to the players because of the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, a World Golf Championship event Nov. 3-6 that counts as official if a PGA Tour member wins it.
The plan was for the ballots to go out Tuesday until tour officials realized a change in the schedule. A year ago, the HSBC Champions was played the week before the season-ending event at Disney. This is a non-Ryder Cup year, so the WGC event is two weeks after.
“Its important because its an official win for a member, and that should hold the ballot open,” said Andy Pazder, the tours chief of operations. “When we send out the ballot, we have a brief summary of the players year on the PGA Tour. It would be a glaring omission if someone won the tournament and that wasnt on there.”
Luke Donald became a strong favorite for Player of the Year when he won Disney on Sunday, making six straight birdies on the back nine for a 64 to win by and Donald also captured the money title and Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average.
Donald has said he likely would play in Shanghai if his wife has given birth to their second child.
PGA champion Keegan Bradley is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour who also has a major. Bradley is among those playing in Shanghai next week. A win would give him three for the year, including a major and a World Golf Championship.
Also playing is Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, who has not missed a cut this year. Schwartzel is not likely to be on the ballot now, but adding a world title to his major championship could make a difference.
“It could affect whos on the ballot, and it could affect someones résumé who is on the ballot,” Pazder said.
He said players still would have until Dec. 9 to return the ballots.
The HSBC Champions does not count toward the PGA Tour money list. Starting last year, the tour decided it would count as official if won by a PGA Tour member, including a spot in the Tournament of Championship in Hawaii.
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October 25, 2011
As with Luke Donald in his U.S. season finale, they aim to make every shot count, mindful of the calendar on the wall.
After a dizzying 10-month run of nonstop manic Mondays, the weekly mix of trash and panache we call Pond Scrum is shutting down for the next few weeks, until the Presidents Cup matches in Australia and season-ending Race to Dubai event on the European Tour are contested.
With the eye-popping conclusion of the PGA Tours regular season over the weekend complete, our two protean pro protagonists, European Tour correspondent John Huggan and Golfom senior golf columnist Steve Elling, will be forced to find other outlets for their profundities, abstract absurdities and occasional cheap shots.
Thankfully, it was a particularly strong week in terms of developments on the sports and gossip pages, with world No. 1 Luke Donald making a defining, heroic charge to secure the PGA Tours money title by shooting 30 on the last nine holes of the U.S. season, former world No. 2 Sergio Garcia resuscitating his career, and a few other tabloid odds and ends with the usual stars and suspects.
Have you been keeping score? Its hard to guess which scribe has amassed more belly laughs, low blows and witticisms. Heck, in the latter category, it might even be a zero-zero tie.
For good or bad, or somewhere in between, here are their official parting shots for the PGA Tours 2011 regular season. Well, until they next come out swinging.
In the most remarkably clutch display of his career, world No. 1 Luke Donald came from five strokes back with 10 holes to play to cement the PGA Tour money title Sunday. Fellas, what was most striking or compelling about the victory?
Elling: I cant recall another instance in 11 years as a golf beat writer when, upon arriving at a tournament, hearing a player say, “I have to win,” then doing exactly that. Given the way he accomplished it at the end, with the lowest closing round on the PGA Tour this year by a winner, relative to par, was astounding. What a fitting finale.
Huggan: For any professional, this was the ultimate: getting it done when he had no other option. Anyone who has ever played golf knows that the hardest thing is to Luke made six birdies at exactly the right moment. It was little wonder that, by the end, Webb Simpson looked like Joe Frazier after George Foreman was done with him.
Elling: I can only imagine the sense of gratification Donald must have felt, knowing there was only one outcome that would suffice, then delivering the grandest of goods. What a defining victory. I barely know the guy, in all honesty, yet somehow felt proud of him professionally. He added the tournament to his schedule with one thing in mind, and came up huge.
Huggan: It is a safe bet that every one of Lukes friends and rivals on tour were enormously impressed by what he achieved. They know what he did is the reason why they spend so much time on the range and practice green. And, unlike some occasions in the past, Donalds famous rhythm did not quicken noticeably under p a sure sign he was fully in control of what he was doing.
Elling: Simply put, in the non-Cablinasian division, it was the most exciting performance I have personally seen, under duress, with the stakes being utterly obvious. Donald knew what he needed to do. And he did it. With a furious rally that wont be forgotten soon. It had been 15 years since the money title changed hands on the last day of the season. They will be talking about this win for years to come.
Huggan: Of course, all of the above only adds to the pressure when we get around to the majors nex in 2012. And that is perhaps the ultimate pressure. Of course, if he continues to improve as he has this year, winning at least one Grand Slam event should be no more than routine. He has clearly been the best player in golf this year and his position atop the rankings is well deserved.
Elling: Pinnacle, indeed. As I scribbled late Sunday, in a season of question marks as it relates to the top-player honors, he ended it with exclamation points. If he doesnt win U.S. Player of the Year honors, somebody ought to symbolically toilet-paper tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, because it would be utter crap.
Huggan: Of course, it all comes as no surprise: the man is half-Scottish after all.
Elling: You might have mentioned that fact once or a hundred times. Ballots are mailed to PGA Tour members next month and are due Dec. 9. What happens now? For obvious reasons, professional golfers are a notoriously self-absorbed lot. But some of his peers certainly took notice. Graeme McDowell on Monday morning dubbed Donald “The Machine” and suggested the nickname might stick. “Ball-striking machine? Putting machine? Definitely a money-printing machine,” McDowell opined. Hard to argue. Especially after he earned a seven-figure bonus from Ralph Lauren for winning the cash dash.
Huggan: Perversely, I am almost rooting for Simpson to win the Player of the Year thing. If he does win the vote, any credibility it still retains would be destroyed forever.
Elling: I get the gist of your point. Sadly, I would not be slack-jaw shocked if it happened. Appalled, but not totally surprised. I live in Florida, where elections and deserved outcomes are never taken for granted.
Luke Donald was joined by perhaps a more famous Donald after winning the PGA Tours season finale at Disney. (Getty Images) Huggan: I cant forget last year, when Rickie Fowler was named Rookie of the Year ahead of Rory McIlroy, who actually won a tournament. As someone said only recently, you can never fully trust a predominantly American electorate to get things right. I mean, you guys did elect Reagan and Bush. So you never can tell.
Elling: Two Bushes, to be precise. It has been nice to see Donald come out of his shell a bit this year, too, like he was supposed to attend the Northwestern game on Saturday as honorary captain. He was making throwing motions like Tim Tebow. He scrambled like Tebow on Sunday, too.
Huggan: Luke should win in a landslide after the year he has had, but there will still be those reluctant to pick a foreign-born player. Goodness, even Simpson said yesterday that he would be voting for himself. A shocking lack of sportsmanship, surely.
Elling: I was dismayed when the third member of their Sunday group, Scott Gutschewski, said he was undecided about who he would vote for. Come on, buddy, you just played with Simpson Donald and didnt come away with any clarity? (See aforementioned note about player myopia.) I guess well all find out shortly after the ballot box is tallied Dec. 9.
With perhaps the most impressive victory of his career, everything considered, Sergio Garcia won by 11 strokes in Spain on Sunday, seemingly announcing that his comeback is complete. Do you buy it?
Elling: It marked his first win in exactly three years, and it came at the same venue, which happens to be his home track. Garcia climbed about 20 pegs to No. 31 in the world, which means that unlike this year, he wont be sweating his appearances in the majors and going through sectional qualifying. This win was big for manifold reasons, including his crisis of confidence.
Huggan: Not complete, but getting there. I mean, is there anyone out there who doesnt think Sergio is one of the 10 best players on the planet? I am certainly of that opinion. If he gets his putting even halfway sorted out, he is sure to contend at the very highest level again next year. And I bet Jose Maria Olazabal is happy to see him playing well again. If this continues, Euro at the Ryder Cup next year.
Elling: It was downright odd seeing Sergio in a cheerleading capacity at the Ryder last year, wasnt it? Standing all week among the player wives and girlfriends? Although, standing among a flock of attractive women probably didnt bother him much. That part of his game never left him.
Elling: Honestly, I figured Garcia would wobble a bit on the weekend, as he has done all season when presented with multiple chances to secure his first victory, anywhere, this decade. Instead, he ran away with it.
Huggan: Which is why I cant help but root for him. Even in these technological times, Sergios technique sets him apart tee to green. There are few, if any, better with a driver in their hands. Watching Sergio hit balls is one of the top 10 things to do on any tour. He makes some of those in the worlds top 20 look like nothing more than choppers.
Sergio Garcia finally broke through Sunday to capture his first victory in three years. (Getty Images) Elling: It was nice to see the guy smile after some seriously lean times. Maybe this will stop the doom-and-gloom cloud that only he seems to see hovering over his head. Hard to believe that at the start of the 2009 season, he was ranked No. 2 in the world behind Eldrick the Entertainer.
Huggan: Indeed, I made a point of watching Sergio at Celtic Manor. He didnt put a foot wrong and was obviously rooting for his friends to win. that he should have been out there playing.
Elling: He belongs on that team. In fact, with a Euro team potentially featuring match-play scrappers like Donald, Ian Poulter, McDowell and Sergio, I can hardly wait to get to Chicago next fall. Thats a “home” game for Donald, by the way. Scary thought.
Apparently, Rory McIlroy has decided to take over from Tiger Woods as the games biggest soap-opera lighting rod. Last week, he bailed on his agency, ISM, for another management firm, creating quite a ripple overseas. Boys, some pithy analysis, please.
Elling: This thing is seriously Inside Baseball, but the bloggers and U.K. papers are eating it up with both hands. McIlroy spent nearly two weeks touring China and in Bermuda with his management firm squiring him around, then cut ties after the cash parade came to an end. Business is business, but that seems a bit rude. And Im a bit of an expert on the latter.
Huggan: My mind goes back maybe three years, to a photo shoot at the Players Championship. Rory was hitting shots for a swing sequence and it started to rain off and on. So it took longer than we expected. The guy from ISM kept trying to get Rory to leave. But he wouldnt. He was quite happy shooting the breeze with myself and the photographer. So he knew his own mind and wasnt going to do something he didnt want to do. That same trait manifested itself again last week.
Huggan: So, this was a surprise more than a shock. A few weeks ago I spoke with someone close to both Chubby [Chandler, McIlroys now former agent] and Rory. He could see problems ahead. To no ones surprise, Rory was starting to behave like anyone would if they were 22 years old, hugely talented and rich beyond imagination. I see this as part of a young man exerting the power he is just starting to realize he has. There have been huge changes in his life over the again. This latest event is just part of all that.
Elling: At first, I laughed when a blogger characterized McIlroys girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, as Yoko Ono, who broke up the Beatles, depending on who you want to believe. Now I am wondering if maybe there is something to it. Either way, has been stuck in my head for two days.
Huggan: My one hope is that he doesnt become distr his game. He remains an enormously likable lad, but he is changing. Given all that is going on in his life, we should not be surprised by will sort him out if he gets too out of control.
Elling: Chandler told one outlet, “I dont know whether it was his girlfriend getting in his ear or someone else but I thought we were doing a pretty good job, to be honest, and I think thats how the outside world saw it.” From where I sit, I have to agree with the Chubbster. I thought he had a good rapport with his clients. He certainly spoiled the hell out of them, flying in caterers from overseas to cook them food at a rented home at the majors? Thats way above and beyond the call of duty. I attended one of his backyard cookouts at the Masters. Impressive hand-holding, I thought.
Huggan: Dont worry about Chubby. Hes a big boy and will survive, even if this has to be a bit of a blow to his ego. And, in time, bank balance.
Rory McIlroy (right) recently hired the agency representing his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki. (Getty Images) Elling: The curly-headed kid clearly has a mind of his own, as his dad pointed out earlier this year when McIlroy elected to take his PGA Tour card again for 2012. McIlroy is 22, but he skews a bit on the teenager capricious side as far as predictability. Takes up his U.S. tour card against the advice of Chandler, then drops it after one season, then picks it up again for 2012. Loses girlfriend, gets her back, drops her for star tennis player. Glad I dont have to make his private-jet arrangements or pay for the fuel.
The PGA Tour announced last week that beginning in 2012, it will back a new tour in Latin America, which will provide a pipeline to the Nationwide and beyond. Why didnt this move get much attention?
Elling: Dont get me started. Explain the idiocy of announcing something like this exactly 20 minutes after Luke Donald and Webb Simpson have finished playing their first round at Disney in the most important season finale in years? The tour has an army of well-paid PR folks and spin doctors, and this is the best they can do in terms of timing? I boycotted the whole deal. The tour finale was more compelling than it had been since the Fall Series began, if not in a decade, and this announcement could not have waited until this week, when there was no tournament to upstage?
Huggan: Probably for the same reason that Triple-A baseball isnt headline news. Were talking about golfs third division here. Plus, you are dead right about the timing. If the PGA Tour clearly doesnt care about this new tour, why should anyone else?
Elling: Not sure they care enough about their Fall Series events, frankly. The timing was baffling. A teleconference with the commissioner was staged minutes after Donald had taken the lead. Unlike the commissioner, I am at a loss for words. Another sign that the tour is asleep at the publicity wheel: Last week, the tour issued an 800-word press release regarding a temporary writer it had hired to cover the Presidents Cup matches for the tours website. So, in other words, the tour thought that competing news organizations would actually write stories about this development that would steer traffic to PGATour.com? Be serious.
Elling: Another flash observation: The tour is announcing it will prop up a new tour in Latin America, at an indeterminate cost, yet it has nobody in line to take over as the Nationwide circuits title sponsor after 2012? Talk about odd priorities. I believe the phrase in Espanol would be something like “loco en la cabeza.”
Huggan: Im sure PGA Tour officials were devastated when you didnt deign to write about their new baby. It would seem obvious to me that the Nationwide Tour should be a bigger priority. It does a great job training young lads how to be touring pros.
Elling: Dont get me wrong, I am not against the new Latin American circuit, per se. In broad strokes, the U.S. tour is attempting to gain a foothold in Central and South American, before the EuroTour does likewise. The Yanks are way behind in Asia, clearly, without an official tournament on offer in any locale. With the Olympics coming, the PGA Tour sees the possibility that golf might gain traction in Brazil and elsewhere. Given the paucity of players from that particular country specifically, a new grassroots tour cant hurt.
Huggan: In an ideal world, there wouldnt be any qualifying schools, which are basical where the the school makes a seven-figure profit every year. So it continues for reasons that have nothing to do with golf and everything to do with money.
Elling: I believe this would fall under the category of Tim Finchem marking his territory in the annexation battle with our man George OGrady at Wentworth. Game on.
Huggan: You may be right. The world of professional golf isnt exactly rife with cooperation is it?
Elling: Come on, I like Q-school. You know how many of the young U.S. players have sailed through right out of college in their first try and secured cards? Off the last Ryder Cup team alone, that would include Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Rickie Fowler. They should not have to spend an apprenticeship season on the Nationwide.
Huggan: Q-school may be fun to watch but it isnt fair. One week of your life counts for that much? Come on. Surely play over a full Nationwide season paints a much clearer picture of who can play and who cant.
Elling: That point is indisputably true. But it also demonstrates who can play under extreme duress, too. Luke Donald sailed through Q-school in his first try in West Palm Beach a decade ago. I was there when he did it. I rest my case.
Even when idle, Tiger Woods makes news. This time, Aussie Geoff Ogilvy took exception to the manner in which Woods was named to the Presidents Cup team, to be played next month at Ogilvys backyard track in Melbourne. Is Ogilvy off the mark?
Elling: Hardly. I wanted to stand up and applaud. In fact, it looked like one of us had scripted his words for him. I would have gone even farther than Geoff did, in fact.
Huggan: As I have pointed out before, I have no credibility when commenting on Ogilvy, since he and I are friends. But, as usual, he was spot on. My suspicion is that forces other than those milling around in Fred Coules head had much to do with Tigers early selection. I would like to strap Fred to a truth-machine and ask him if he was feeling any pressure from either Ponte Vedra or NBC to pick the striped one.
Elling: Forces in Freds head? Meaning cobwebs and empty space?
Huggan: Maybe I should have said “rattling” rather than “milling.”
Elling: The thrust of Ogilvys statements echoed what many writers have claimed, that there was no defensible reason to name Woods to the team several weeks before the deadline. Hes right. The fact that Keegan Bradley, who was snubbed, won the four-player Grand Slam event last week underscores the issue again. Woods was the best player in the game for 13 years. But were at the butt end of Year 15 now.
Huggan: It does seem pretty obvious though. Tiger was picked because he remains the biggest draw in the game even as he plummets on the ranking list. Yet again, this has everything to do with viewing figures and nothing to do with what is right.
Elling: To that, I would only add, Amen.
Huggan: If we went down that path, Keegan Bradley would be playing ahead of both Tiger and Bill Haas. But I suspect Tim Finchem wasnt going to leave the w another of his offspring.
Finally, the rulemakers at the U.S. Golf Association and Royal & Ancient on Monday tweaked three rules, including one in which balls that move because of gusty winds during putting no longer will result in a penalty stroke being assessed to the player. Webb Simpson called this penalty on himself in New Orleans and eventually lost later that day in a playoff. Did they go far enough?
Huggan: Nice to see the “ball moved by wind” rule change. Bit late for Webb Simpson and Padraig Harrington, though. Both have been hurt by that rule, including a DQ of Harrington in early 2010.
Elling: Yeah, Simpson is probably sitting at home saying, “Id rather have this new Simpson rule informally named after something that didnt cost me my third tournament victory this season.” Speaking of tweaks, the joint announcement by the two rulemaking bodies called it “an exhaustive, four-year review of golfs 34 playing rules.” You ever seen a USGA or R&A guy who looked exhausted?
Huggan: If exhausted means the same as “mildly inebriated,” then, yes.
Elling: I guess they were too tuckered out to weigh in on the real rule issue du jour, the belly putter and the question of whether anchoring the club to the body in some fashion should be permitted. Oh, well, theres always 2015!
Huggan: I interviewed USGA director Mike Davis at length during the Walker Cup last month. It was for another media outlet, but I can tell you not to expect any action there any time soon.
Elling: Isnt inaction an action?
Huggan: In R&A and USGA world, anything is possible. And nothing.
Elling: Sage words, my Scottish cousin.
Huggan: In their defense, Im not sure that rules changes should be made in anything like haste. I like the fact that they consider every angle before diving in. Try wording a rule change for yourself. It isnt easy.
Elling: Hey, Im just thankful we found words to crank out this weekly transatlantic exchange, uninterrupted, for 10 straight months. A million words and brain cells later, the PGA Tour season has ended. And for now, we have, too.
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October 24, 2011
Sergio Garcia won his first title in almost three years on Sunday, dominating for the third straight day at the Castello Masters while earning an 11-stroke victory that matched the third-largest margin of victory in European Tour history.
The 31-year-old Garcia, playing on a course where he was club champion at the age of 12, shot an 8-under 63 in the final round to finish at 27-under 257.
“That was for Seve,” Garcia said, referring to golfing great Seve Ballesteros, who died of brain cancer in May.
Castello Masters Leaderboard
Garcia had shot his best ever back-to-back rounds of 63 and 64 to lead the field since Friday, and he did not let up on the final day, recording nine birdies and just his fourth bogey in the event.
“Its hard to say that you expect to fire like I did, but I was feeling good and Ive been improving all year,” Garcia said.
“At the beginning of the week theres always a little extra pressure because you want to do well in front of your home fans and on your home course. But I felt really good and it showed.”
Fellow Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano finished a distant second, and Alexander Noren was third.
Once ranked No. 2, Garcia had dropped outside the top 75 after near-misses at the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie and 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.
He has now returned to the top 35 with his second win at the Club De Campo Del Mediterraneo, capping his improved season that includes top-12 finishes in the last three majors.
“I would like to thank not only my family and friends, but also my sponsors, everyone thats around me, for supporting me through two tough years,” Garcia said. “They have stuck with me and believed in me and Im happy to be able to pay them back with this victory.”
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October 24, 2011
Luke Donald at least has one award as player of the year.
By winning Sunday at Disney for his second PGA Tour win of the year, Donald won the points-based player of the year award from the PGA of America over Webb Simpson.
Both players won twice on the PGA Tour, worth 10 points each. Donald won the Vardon Trophy for lowest adjusted scoring average, and winning the tour money list over Simpson was enough to give him 60 points. Simpson had 56 points.
Donald is the first British player to win the award since Nick Faldo in 1990.
The PGA Tour player of the year is a vote of the players. Ballots are to be returned by Dec. 9.
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October 23, 2011
After bogeying to open Round 3, Kevin Chappell fires a 66 to take a share of the lead. (AP) Justin Leonard chipped in three times in a span of five holes Saturday to salvage a scrappy day at Disney with a 2-under 70 that gave him a share of the lead with PGA Tour rookie Kevin Chappell at the Childrens Miracle Network Classic.
Chappell was much more consistent in a round of 66, overcoming a bogey on the opening hole and giving himself a steady diet of 10- to 15-foot birdie putts throughout the day on the Magnolia Course.
They were at 14-under 202, one shot ahead of 21-year-old Bio Kim, who needs at least a two-way tie for second to secure his tour card for next year.
The race for the PGA Tour money title had some possibilities, but only briefly.
Luke Donald, who trails Webb Simpson by $363,029, was tied for fourth when he reached the par-5 14th hole. Donald was only three shots out of the lead and three shots ahead of Simpson. When he walked off the green, Donald was in a tie for 14th, tied with Simpson and six shots behind.
Donald hit another shot into the hazard, and three-putted for double bogey, ending his PGA Tour streak of 483 holes without a three-putt. Donald wound up with a 70, while Simpson shot 69 to move one shot ahead.
Simpson is likely to win the money title at this stage, as Donald would need no worse than a two-way tie for second. He was tied for 14th, five shots behind.
“Im a little more confident than I was two hours ago,” Simpson said, not making it clear if he was talking about his 32 on the back nine or his chances of capturing the money list.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Steve Elling
World No. 1 Donald fumbles 14th hole, faces difficult task Sunday. Read More >> Related links Leonard bags birdies, also share of lead Leaderboard | PGA Tour money list Steve Ellings Blog | Follow on Twitter
Leonard, who is No. 144 on the money list, is moderately surprised to be atop the leaderboard in the final tournament of his worst season on tour. Even though he already is exempt for next season, he has never finished out of the top 125 on the money list. And he hasnt been playing much golf late in the afternoon on the weekend.
This was the kind of round that could have easily gotten away from him. He opened with a sloppy bogey on the opening hole, and then some exquisite play with his short game.
The par-5 fourth hole wont get as much attention, but it might have been his best shot. From the back of a bunker, facing a shot in which the green ran away from him, it came out clean and stopped 2 feet away for birdie. On the fifth, he chipped in from 70 feet when he was hopeful of getting par.
He used the belly of his wedge to roll in a shot from just off the eighth green, and he hit a flop shot from 35 yards that dropped in for the most unlikely birdie on the ninth.
At the time, Leonard was swapping spots atop the leaderboard with Henrik Stenson, who even traded some short-game magic by holing out from a bunker on No. 6, right after Leonards long chip-in for birdie. When Leonard rolled in the shot from off the eighth green, Stenson poked him in the behind with his putter and said, “Thats two, now.”
“The strength of my round was definitely from off the green,” Leonard said, smiling. “I certainly didnt play great today, and to be able to hole … really the two shots, 5 and 9, from off the green certainly is a huge boost. There are days when those things dont go our way, and the round can get away from me.
“Today, I scored. And its something I have not been doing at all this entire year.”
There is plenty of work ahead. Leonard is atop the leaderboard going into the final round for the first time since Disney two years ago, when he lost in a playoff to Stephen Ames. Sunday will be only the third time he has been at least tied for the lead going into the last round in the last six years. He didnt win the other two.
Eleven players were within four shots of the lead, a group that includes Simpson and five players who are trying to get inside the top 125 on the money list to secure their tour cards for next year.
Kim is at No. 168 and appeared to fall from the pack when he drove into the woods on No. 5 and wound up with a double bogey to fall three shots behind. That was the last mistake he made, however, and with three birdies on the back nine, he is only one shot behind going into Sunday.
Nick OHern had a 70, while Stenson dropped two shots over the last five holes for a 72. They were at 12-under 204.
Chappell gives himself a C-plus for his rookie season. He played well down the stretch at the Texas Open only to finish second behind Brendan Steele, and a solid weekend at Congressional gave him a tie for third in the U.S. Open. That puts him in the Masters for next year, so Chappell has few complaints.
He is No. 83 on the money list and is only playing Disney to try to end the year on a good note. Winning would be ideal, and he looked comfortable throughout the day as he worked his way into a share of the lead.
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