Archive for 2008
December 31, 2008
OTTAWA 3, EDMONTON 2
EDMONTON, Alberta Rookie defenseman Brian Lee netted a power-play goal to snap a tie with 8:28 remaining in the third period as the Ottawa Senators avoided a fourth straight loss with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson both scored a goal and set up another and Martin Gerber made 20 saves for the Senators, who had lost eight of their previous 10 contests.
Captain Ethan Moreau and rookie Liam Reddox tallied and Shawn Horcoff had two assists for the Oilers, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
It was Ottawas third straight stop in Western Canada after falling to the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks over the weekend. The Senators, who have not won away from ScotiaBank Place since October 30, are also halfway through an eight-game road trip.
MONTREAL 2, TAMPA BAY 1 (SO)
TAMPA, Florida Maxim Lapierre netted the decisive goal in the second round of a shootout to help the Montreal Canadiens edge the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1.
Alexei Kovalev also tallied in the shootout and Carey Price made 21 saves before denying Vaclav Prospal in the second round and Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier in final set of the bonus format to secure the win.
Guillaume Latendresse scored his fifth tally of the season 46 seconds into the third period and Lapierre and Tom Kostopoulos notched assists for the Canadiens.
Prospal registered a power-play goal in regulation for the Lightning, who saw their three-game win streak come to an end. Before the streak, they had dropped 17 of 19 contests.
TORONTO 4, ATLANTA 3 (OT)
TORONTO Pavel Kubina scored a power-play goal 33 seconds into overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Rookie Nikolai Kulemin, Lee Stempniak and Jason Blake scored for the Maple Leafs, who snapped their three-game losing streak.
Bryan Little and Jim Slater tallied for the Thrashers before Colby Armstrong netted a power-play goal to forge a 3-3 tie with 6:43 left in the third period.
PHILADELPHIA 3, VANCOUVER 2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia Jeff Carter recorded his league-leading 27th goal and added an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks.
Rookie Jon Kalinski netted his first career NHL goal and Scott Hartnell also tallied for Philadelphia, which has 10 wins and four ties since its last loss in Vancouver on January 17, 1989.
Martin Biron finished with 29 saves for the Flyers.
Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler scored for Vancouver, which is 1-3-0 in its last four games.
Curtis Sanford stopped seven of nine shots before he was replaced by Cory Schneider, who finished with 19 saves for the Canucks.
WASHINGTON 4, BUFFALO 2
BUFFALO, New York Nicklas Backstrom recorded a goal and an assist as the Washington Capitals posted a 4-2 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.
Rookie Chris Bourque, who is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, netted his first career NHL goal for Washington, which secured its fourth consecutive victory and improved to 9-1-0 in its last 10 games.
Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon also tallied, Viktor Kozlov notched two assists and Jose Theodore finished with 31 saves for the Capitals.
Adam Mair and Clarke MacArthur scored and Ryan Miller turned aside 27 shots for Buffalo, which fell to 6-4-2 in its last 12 contests.
DETROIT 4, CHICAGO 0
DETROIT Ty Conklin made 36 saves to record his third shutout of the season and Johan Franzen scored two goals as the Detroit Red Wings snapped the Chicago Blackhawks nine-game winning streak with a 4-0 victory.
Pavel Datsyuk netted a goal and set up another while defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski each had two assists for Detroit, which visits Chicago on Thursday at Wrigley Field in the 2009 Winter Classic.
Tomas Kopecky also tallied for the Red Wings, who avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
The 32-year-old Conklin turned aside 16 shots in the first period, eight more in the next and 12 in the third to complete his seventh career shutout. He improved to 6-0-0 against the Blackhawks in his career.
BOSTON 5, PITTSBURGH 2
PITTSBURGH Marc Savard and defenseman Dennis Wideman recorded a goal and two assists apiece as the Boston Bruins posted their ninth straight win, a 5-2 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Phil Kessel netted his team-leading 23rd goal of the season and defenseman Zdeno Chara and Martin St. Pierre also tallied for Boston, which improved to 23-2-1 in its last 26 games.
P.J. Axelsson notched two assists and Tim Thomas turned aside 32 shots for the Bruins.
Petr Sykora and Pascal Dupuis scored and Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 35 saves for Pittsburgh, which fell to 1-3-0 in its last four games.
NEW JERSEY 4, ST. LOUIS 3
ST. LOUIS Zach Parise scored two goals and continued his torrid play as the New Jersey Devils won their second straight game with a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
Parise now has 41 points in his last 31 games, and has scored in 17 of those.
Brian Rolston and Jay Pandolfo also tallied and Scott Clemmensen made 28 saves to help the Devils improve to 14-4-1 in their past 19 games.
Brad Boyes and David Backes each recorded a first-period goal and Alex Steen added another with 28 seconds left in the contest, but the Blues were unable to avoid their fourth loss in five games.
December 31, 2008
Mats Sundin practiced for the first time with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after signing as a free agent before Christmas.
The 37-year-old center said he delayed his return to the NHL until his desire to play had been restored. He played with Toronto during the 2007-08 season.
“Last year was frustrating,” he said. “We struggled. It was a mixed emotional season. When I look back at last year I really enjoyed playing. Hopefully I can pick up where I left off.”
Sundin wasn’t scheduled to be in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against Philadelphia and wasn’t sure when he would debut with the Canucks.
“I feel the Canucks have a good enough team to be strong in the playoffs,” he said. “I hope I can contribute and bring my game back the way I played last season.”
The former Maple Leafs captain ended five months of speculation Dec. 18 when he agreed to spend the rest of the season with the Canucks. The Swede will earn about $5.6 million.
He is a nine-time All-Star who scored 32 goals last year with the Maple Leafs. He is Toronto’s all-time leading scorer with 987 points (420 goals, 567 assists) and was the team’s captain in 10 of his 13 seasons there.
Sundin, 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, brings size and a scoring touch to a Canucks team that already is sound defensively. Entering Tuesday night, the Canucks were second in the Northwest Division with a 20-14-3 record for 43 points.
December 31, 2008
MIAMI 104, CLEVELAND 95
MIAMI Dwyane Wade and LeBron James each lived up to their superstar billing. Fortunately for the Miami Heat, they also had rookie Mario Chalmers.
Wade had 21 points and 12 assists, setting up Chalmers on many of his seven 3-pointers as the Heat surged past James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-95.
Shawn Marion collected 14 points and 11 rebounds and Udonis Haslem added 13 and 10 for Miami, which used a crucial 18-5 fourth-quarter run to seal the win.
Playing on his 24th birthday, James scored 24 of his 38 points in the second half for the Cavaliers, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.
Delonte West added 20 points for Cleveland, which trailed by 16 at halftime before eventually cutting its deficit to one in the fourth.
PORTLAND 91, BOSTON 86
PORTLAND, Oregon LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Steve Blake added 21 as the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers posted a 91-86 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Playing without All-Star guard Brandon Roy due to a right hamstring injury, Portland scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to take a 70-64 lead and never trailed over the rest of the final 12 minutes.
Paul Pierces three-point play pulled Boston within 87-86 with 23 seconds left, but Sergio Rodriguez made a pair from the line to push Portlands advantage to three with 18 seconds to play.
Eddie House air-balled a 3-pointer and rookie Rudy Fernandez connected on two more free throws to seal the victory.
Paul Pierce scored 28 points and Kevin Garnett added 17 and eight rebounds to pace the Celtics, who finished 1-3 on their road trip.
DALLAS 107, MINNESOTA 100
DALLAS By the time the middle of the fourth quarter rolled around, it practically seemed inevitable. Over the games final minutes, the Dallas Mavericks made sure not to disappoint.
After falling behind by as many as 29 points, the Mavericks stormed back for the biggest comeback in franchise history, coming away with a 107-100 triumph on the strength of a dominant second half.
Minnesota held a 70-41 lead early in the third quarter. But seemingly at that moment, a switch seemed to go off for the Mavs - perhaps the were-about-to-lose-at-home-to-a-six-win-team switch.
Whatever the cause, the Mavericks turned up the pressure and began piling on. Dirk Nowitzki knocked down back-to-back buckets to spark a 22-2 run that cut the deficit to single digits before the third quarter came to a close.
The Timberwolves answered back with a few big buckets to stay afloat, but the Mavericks quickly regained the momentum and took over in the final frame.
Or, more specifically, Jason Terry took over. The leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate engineered an 18-5 run practically by himself. He buried a pair of 3-pointers and knocked down a 19-footer to cut the deficit to just two at 91-89.
Jason Kidd finally tied things up with a long jumper with his toe on the 3-point line before Nowitzki gave Dallas its first lead since early in the first quarter with a dunk.
Al Jeffersons three-point play later in the quarter pulled Minnesota back even at 98-98, but Nowitzki answered again, attacking the basket and following his own miss with a go-ahead tip-in. After a shot-clock violation by the Timberwolves, Josh Howard connected from the arc and Nowitzki added another bucket to officially break Minnesotas collective back.
NEW YORK 93, CHARLOTTE 89
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina Wilson Chandler scored seven of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks snapped their six-game losing streak, escaping with a 93-89 triumph over the Charlotte Bobcats.
David Lee collected 13 points and 16 rebounds and Al Harrington added 16 points for the Knicks, who nearly surrendered a 10-point, fourth-quarter advantage.
New York led by as many as 17 points in the first half after shooting 71 percent from the floor en route to taking a 36-25 lead entering the second quarter.
However, the Knicks needed to hold off the Bobcats in the final two minutes, when they nailed all six of their free throws.
With the game tied at 87-87 after Boris Diaws third 3-pointer of the game with 1:46 left, Chandler and Chris Duhon nailed two foul shots apiece. Charlottes Raymond Felton then converted a layup before Nate Robinson sealed the win with two from the line with 17.5 ticks left.
Gerald Wallace scored 21 points and Diaw - a former player under Knicks coach Mike DAntoni - added 20 for the Bobcats, who have lost two straight.
Charlotte coach Larry Brown was coaching against his former team, for which he guided to one miserable 23-59 season that ended in a messy divorce.
NEW ORLEANS 97, WASHINGTON 85
NEW ORLEANS Nothing came easily for the New Orleans Hornets - not even Chris Pauls seventh career triple-double. But theyll take a victory any way they can get one.
Paul posted 15 points, 10 boards and 16 assists as the Hornets outlasted a pesky Washington Wizards squad for a 97-85 triumph.
The Wizards came into the game having won a season-high two in a row - including a surprising road win over Houston on Monday - and once again played tough in this one.
A markedly improved defensive effort kept the Hornets out of their rhythm for much of the night. With Paul struggling with his shot, he deferred to Rasual Butler, who scored a season-high 21 points and buried five 3-pointers. Whenever New Orleans needed a shot, it seemed it was Butler who provided it.
With the Wizards holding a one-point edge early in the third quarter, Butler connected from the arc to put the Hornets in front by a pair. A few minutes later, he buried another three as part of a 9-2 run that gave the team a 62-56 advantage.
Paul made just two of his first eight field-goal attempts but found his offensive stroke when he needed it. The All-Star point guard scored nine points over the last 3:48 and found Butler and Tyson Chandler for a pair of dunks to put the game out of reach.
ATLANTA 110, INDIANA 104
INDIANAPOLIS Joe Johnson and Josh Smith had been carrying the Atlanta Hawks all night. It only made sense, then, that the pair connected for the games biggest play.
Johnson buried a decisive 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter and combined with Smith for 51 points to lead the Hawks to their sixth victory in a row, 110-104, over the Indiana Pacers.
With 32 seconds remaining and the Hawks nursing a one-point lead, Smith drove the baseline and kicked out to an open Johnson on the right wing. The veteran guard was up to the task, calmly connecting from the arc with one second on the shot clock to extend the edge to four.
After Danny Granger misfired on the other end, Johnson iced the game with a pair of free throws as Atlanta closed December in style. Johnson and Smith combined to score the Hawks last 16 points, repeatedly coming through big even as the Pacers continued to push back.
The way the game ended was indicative of the entire night for Indiana, which repeatedly fell behind and clawed right back through the entire second half.
With about two minutes to play, point guard Jarrett Jack buried driving layups on consecutive possessions, drawing a foul on the second one and completing the three-point play. That cut the Pacers deficit to just one at 105-104, but Granger missed an 11-footer one possession later, setting the stage for Johnsons heroics in the process.
PHOENIX 101, MEMPHIS 89
MEMPHIS, Tennessee Leandro Barbosa scored 28 points and Shaquille ONeal added 24 to help the Phoenix Suns rally for a 101-89 road victory over the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.
Barbosa, starting in place of All-Star point guard Steve Nash, and ONeal combined to score 15 of the first 17 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix, which erased a 78-70 deficit through three.
Barbosas 3-pointer with 6:18 left in the fourth quarter gave Phoenix an 85-84 advantage, the Suns first lead since the 7:16 mark of the first period.
Already without Nash (back spasms), Phoenix got even thinner with 3:52 left in the second quarter, when forward Amare Stoudemire was ejected for picking up a pair of technical fouls. Stoudemire was whistled twice for arguing a foul call by official Eric Lewis.
Phoenix, which trailed by as many as nine in the third quarter, hardly seemed to miss him, outscoring Memphis, 58-18, in the paint.
MILWAUKEE 100, SAN ANTONIO 98
SAN ANTONIO Michael Redd had 25 points and nine rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks held off a late comeback by the San Antonio Spurs to sweep the season series with a 100-98 win.
The Bucks led, 99-93, with 37 seconds left after a jumper by Richard Jefferson. But the Spurs rallied and had a chance to tie the game after Jefferson was whistled for five seconds while inbounding the ball under his own basket.
Tim Duncans driving layup rolled off the rim, and Milwaukee ran out the clock for its second win over San Antonio this year.
Andrew Bogut added 20 points and 14 rebounds while Luke Ridnour collected 21 and six assists for the Bucks.
Duncan scored 22 points and Tony Parker added 19 and 10 assists for the Spurs.
SACRAMENTO 92, LA CLIPPERS 90
SACRAMENTO, California Kevin Martin returned from an injury to score 20 points as the Sacramento Kings snapped a six-game losing streak with a 92-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Baron Davis made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 90-90 with 3:03 left, and the score remained the same until Brad Miller made two free throws to give Sacramento a 92-90 lead with 46 seconds remaining.
Paul Davis had a chance to tie the score but his open jumper from the top of the key in the games waning seconds was off the mark.
Rookie Eric Gordon scored 24 points and Marcus Camby added 15 and 24 rebounds to lead the Clippers.
December 31, 2008
The Houston Rockets re-signed 42-year-old center Dikembe Mutombo for the remainder of the season on Tuesday, adding an emotional leader and a backup to Yao Ming.
Mutombo, who supplants 39-year-old Sam Cassell as the league’s oldest active player, appeared in 39 games for Houston last season, logging most of his minutes after Yao broke his left foot in February. Mutombo averaged five rebounds, three points and 1.2 blocks.
He became a free agent after last season and contemplated retirement before deciding to come back for an 18th season.
The Rockets dropped to 20-12 on Monday after an embarrassing 89-87 loss to Washington. Nearly every player on the Houston roster has missed games due to injury this season and Yao has sat out at least 25 games because of injuries over the past three seasons.
Mutombo started 25 games last season, mostly after Yao broke his foot, and averaged 16 minutes per game. The Rockets traded Steve Francis to Memphis on Christmas Eve, creating salary space to add Mutombo, the NBA’s second career shot blocker behind Hakeem Olajuwon.
The Rockets play Milwaukee on Wednesday and Mutombo is expected to join the team, though it’s not known when he’ll start playing again.
The 7-foot-2 Mutombo has played for six NBA teams - Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston. He was traded from the Knicks to the Rockets on Sept. 8, 2004, for Adrian Griffin, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks and averaged four points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in the 2004-05 season.
Mutombo’s teams have made the playoffs in 13 of his 17 seasons in the league, including three of his previous four with the Rockets. He averaged 14 points and 14 rebounds to help the Sixers reach the NBA finals in 2001.
The Rockets have lost six straight playoff series and haven’t advanced to the second round since 1997.
December 31, 2008
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was ejected for arguing in the second quarter of Dallas’ game Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was stripped by Brian Cardinal while driving for a layup. The Timberwolves converted the turnover into a fast-break dunk with 6:30 left in the second.
Carlisle protested the non-call and was given a quick technical by official Gary Zielinski. The first-year Mavericks coach persisted, yelling at Zielinski before he was given another technical.
It was Carlisle’s first ejection of the season. Assistant coach Dwane Casey took over for Carlisle.
December 31, 2008
Looking to lock up another regular, the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a three-year contract with catcher Chris Snyder.
The deal is worth a reported $14.5 million and runs through 2011 with a club option for the 2012 season. It follows Arizona’s multiyear contracts with players such as center fielder Chris Young and pitcher Dan Haren, infielder Chad Tracy and outfielder Eric Byrnes.
“As we have with a few other guys, to lock in a core player, fix the prices but also buy out a year or two of free agency, that allows us to keep our core together,” general manager Josh Byrnes said in a conference call Tuesday.
Snyder, also speaking on a conference call, said he is happy to know he’ll be with the club for the long term. He could give up two free agency seasons if the option is picked up.
“It’s a young core,” the 27-year-old Snyder said. “If we stay together, definitely we’ll be contending in the National League West, if not further than that.”
As the Diamondbacks’ second-round pick in 2002, Snyder was tagged as the club’s catcher of the future. But questions about Snyder’s hitting dogged him after he leaped from Double-A El Paso to the Diamondbacks in 2004.
Snyder batted .202 in 2005, his first full season in the big leagues. He hit .277 in 2006, but his average has dipped to .252 and then to .237 a year ago.
His home runs and RBIs have increased over that span, and his on-base percentage has been steady, in the .340-.350 range.
“I’ve definitely gone through some ups and downs, especially early on in 2005, there were a lot more downs than ups,” Snyder said.
Last year, he hit a career-high 16 home runs, a single-season record for a Diamondbacks catcher, and drove in 64 runs, another career high.
But Snyder’s greatest value is his glove and his deft handling of pitchers.
Behind the plate, Snyder did not commit an error in 847 total chances. He has one error in 1,629 chances in the last two seasons for a .999 fielding percentage.
He’s also had a hand in the maturation of pitchers such as Brandon Webb, another product of the Diamondbacks’ farm system.
“He handles the defensive side and the intangible side of the position very well,” Byrnes said. “It’s sort of immeasurable what he does as far as preparing for an opponent, working with the pitchers, the toughness that he brings.”
December 31, 2008
Pitcher Mike Maroth, catcher Michael Barrett and two other players signed minor league contracts with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and were invited to spring training.
Catcher Raul Chavez and infielder Randy Ruiz also joined the Blue Jays.
The 32-year-old Barrett hit .202 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 30 games with San Diego. He has played 11 seasons in the majors with Montreal, the Chicago Cubs and the Padres.
The 31-year-old Maroth is 50-67 with a 5.05 ERA in six seasons with Detroit and St. Louis. The left-hander pitched three games this year for Kansas City’s Triple-A Omaha team in an injury-shortened season.
Ruiz, 31, made his major league debut with Minnesota this year, hitting .274 with one homer and seven RBIs in 22 games. At Triple-A Rochester, he hit .320 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs.
Chavez, 35, hit .259 with one homer and 10 RBIs for Pittsburgh and has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors.
December 31, 2008
Right-handed reliever Joe Nelson signed a $1,3 million, one-year contract with the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Nelson, who agreed to terms last week, was 3-1 with one save in 59 appearances for the Florida Marlins last season. His 2.00 ERA was third-best among NL relievers behind Hong-Chih Kuo’s 1.69 and Brad Lidge’s 1.95.
“We feel like Joe can really help our bullpen,” Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He had a tremendous season in 2008 and has been very effective against both left-handed and right-handed hitters.”
The 34-year-old Nelson allowed 42 hits while striking out 60 in 54 innings for the Marlins last season.
December 31, 2008
San Diego was still buzzing after five days of a US Open that ranks among the most memorable. The airport was filled with chatter, and travelers stopped to watch highlights at every bar of Tiger Woods wincing and willing his way to victory.
In a working area of the Crown Room at Lindbergh Airport, the agent for Tiger Woods sat alone with his legs crossed, feet pressed against the window as he watched planes taxi from the gate.
“I got into this business 17 years ago,” Mark Steinberg said quietly. “I never imagined I would ever see anything like this.”
Someone mentioned that the rest of the summer would be filled with speculation about Woods’ schedule, even if he would have to sacrifice the Ryder Cup to play in the final two majors.
“What do you think will happen if he doesn’t play the Ryder Cup?” Steinberg asked.
He kept to himself what everyone would learn two days later - that the world’s No. 1 player was going to have reconstructive surgery on his left knee and was done for the year.
Steinberg walked into the lobby, where a crowd was gathered around a TV to watch highlights of Woods’ 30 on the back nine Saturday at Torrey Pines, his 12-foot birdie putt to force the playoff Sunday, and his 19-hole playoff victory over Rocco Mediate.
Steinberg closed his eyes and shook his head, then walked slowly back to his seat by the window.
The 2008 season allowed for much reflection, along with the usual assortment of anecdotes that make this game so entertaining.
—
Mark Calcavecchia opened the year with a tie for 10th at Kapalua, where his putting frustrated him so much that he carried two putters in his bag for the second round. A week later in the Sony Open, he finished the second round with only 13 clubs.
Not even paradise can pacify his expectations.
Missing from the bag was a lob wedge, which met a coconut tree at full speed after Calcavecchia flung it in frustration.
“It wasn’t the L-wedge’s fault,” he said. “It just happened to be the club I was holding.”
It’s not always about rage for Calcavecchia. Sometimes it’s a matter of principle. He once putted so poorly that he dragged the head of his putter out of his car door on the way home.
“I broke two clubs last year at this place,” he said at Waialae. “Only one this year, but I’ve got two rounds left. It’ll happen. So there you go. Second tournament of the year, Calc already broke a club.”
Yes, there would be more.
—
Frank Lickliter was outraged after a mandatory meeting in January on drug testing. He wore shades and a stern look, and Lickliter can be intimidating when he’s trying to make a point.
Remember, this is the player who suggested at the meeting that anyone who ventured onto his property for a drug test would leave with a bullet in his behind, a comment that caught the attention of National Public Radio.
He simply was opposed to the notion a drug existed that would help a golfer, or that anyone would even try it.
“I play 30 events a year. I’ve played 360-odd events the last 12 years,” Lickliter said. “I’m not going to do anything to mess with my body except work out and eat right.”
And with that, he took a long drag on his cigarette and resumed his tirade.
—
Jerry Kelly was signing autographs when kids at the Sony Open began asking him for a golf ball, his glove or his towel. Kelly ignored them until hearing the magic word - “Please” - and then he would smile and give the kid what he wanted.
One boy picked up on this and asked he could “please” have his sunglasses, but that’s there Kelley drew the line.
Then again, this was only the second tournament of the year.
Kelly was so frustrated in the second round of the PGA Championship, that upon hitting his final tee shot on the 257-yard ninth hole, he walked over to the ropes and handed his driver to a 9-year-old boy, who was so startled that he dropped the club.
And he didn’t even have to say, “Please.”
—
After finishing runner-up the previous two years, 48-year-old Juli Inkster was trying to make history in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the oldest winner in LPGA history. But her putter was acting up early, and she was struggling over every putt.
Facing a 30-foot birdie on the 13th hole, she left it 5 feet short, the last thing she wanted. Inkster walked off the front of the green and began having a stern conversation with a tree.
Toward the back of the green, caddie Worth Blackwelder had a grim expression.
“My players wants it so bad that she’s trying too hard,” he whispered. “I told her back on the tee, ‘Juli, this is easy. Think of something hard you’ve done in your life, like have two kids.’ She looked at me said, ‘Worth, I’d rather be in labor right now.”‘
Inkster has been on tour for 25 years and never stops grinding.
—
Kevin Sutherland’s lone victory on the PGA Tour came in 2002, when he beat two reigning major champions, David Duval and David Toms, and future major winner Jim Furyk on his way to victory in the Accenture Match Play Championship.
That was too long ago for the group of kids asking for his autograph at the AT&T National, who were extremely polite in asking two questions.
“Can I have your autograph, please?”
“What’s your name?”
Sutherland smiled, not the least bit offended, and told a story on himself.
Seems he was on his way to dinner that week with his wife Mary and 7-year-old son, Keaton. They were in the elevator with Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman when the doors opened to pick up another passenger. It was an elderly woman, apparently a golf fan, for she recognized Tilghman immediately.
“You’re the woman on the Golf Channel,” she said. “Who do you think is going to win the tournament?”
Tilghman smiled and said, “I think it will be Kevin Sutherland.”
“Who’s that?” the woman replied.
As Tilghman looked over her shoulder at Sutherland to make the introduction, Keaton spoke up.
“Nah,” his son said. “He’s not going to win.”
Sutherland laughed heartily when he finished the story, then went back to signing autographs.
—
Don’t think the Tiger Woods’ camp doesn’t have a long memory.
A year ago, Rory Sabbatini was last in the 16-man field of Tiger Woods’ $5.5 million charity event at Sherwood Country Club when he withdrew (citing shin splints) and caught an early flight to Hawaii. He still collected $170,000 in last-place money, which he later donated.
In the Sherwood locker room this year was a plaque commemorating the 2007 tournament, featuring a flag signed by all 16 players. There was a name plate of the winner (Woods) inside a larger name plate with the rest of the field. But only 14 other names were listed.
Care to guess whose name was missing?
December 31, 2008
Paul Goydos once joked that he made PGA Tour history in 2007 by winning the Sony Open as the first player to beat a field that included a 5-foot boy (Tadd Fujikawa) and a 6-foot girl (Michelle Wie).
If Goydos wins at Waialae next month, it could be against a field that doesn’t include either of Hawaii’s most famous golfing teens.
Tournament director Ray Stosik said Wie, now a 19-year-old student at Stanford, would not be playing the Sony Open for the second straight year. Wie was in Palm Desert, Calif., practicing and getting ready for her next school quarter. Wie played her hometown PGA Tour event four straight years, and twice shot 68 although she never made the cut.
Wie earned her LPGA Tour card at Q-school earlier this month. She has competed against men every year since 2003, and said after Q-school that she would do it again.
“I always wanted to do it since I started golf,” she said.
As for Fujikawa?
He qualified for the Sony Open in 2007 and tied for 20th, leading him to turn pro later that summer. He was given a sponsor’s exemption this year, but missed the cut. Fujikawa won the Mid-Pacific Open in Hawaii this year, and he made the cut at a Japan Golf Tour event, his first as a pro on a recognized tour.
Stosik said Fujikawa would be at the Monday qualifier the week at the Sony Open, which will be held at Turtle Bay.
—
OLYMPIC SUPPORT: Golf appears to be in much better shape to join the Olympic program for 2016 than when it tried earlier this decade for the 2008 Games, mainly because of its unified support.
That includes PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who was lukewarm to the idea six years ago.
So why the change of heart?
Finchem alluded to the “missing answer” to a question of how to quantify how golf in the Olympics would generate support around the world for the game to grow. He said a study was completed a year ago that evaluated financial resources from various governments.
“There’s over 100 countries where government supports sport in those countries, but only sports that are in Olympic programs,” he said. “So if golf is added to the Olympic program, those federations will immediately start giving financial support to help build the game. That’s what turned us from looking at it just from a standpoint of what the competition meant to the overall mix in professional golf.
“We are persuaded that we need to grow golf around the globe,” he said. “And this is a very positive step.”
—
PRO V1 PLUS: Steve Stricker started and finished the year as a runner-up - in a playoff at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua, and by one shot at the Chevron World Challenge.
One difference - besides the climate - was the golf ball he played.
While some players have been testing the new Titleist ball, Stricker used the Pro V1 Plus at Sherwood Country Club. He couldn’t draw too many conclusions given the cool, wet conditions.
“It may be a touch firmer,” he said. “It feels like I hit it a little flatter off the tee, which is good. But it didn’t seem a whole lot different. My distances were still similar.”
It was not known how many players will use the Pro V1 Plus at the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua, and how many will stick with the prior generation of Pro V1, which Titleist says has specifications that fall outside any claims of the patents in dispute with Callaway.
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LONG ROAD: Six players who had to qualify for the first of three stages of PGA Tour qualifying reached the finals, and while none earned their PGA cards, it was an impressive feat.
Martin Piller closed with a 68 to tie for 40th, while Joseph Sykora shot 66 on the TPC Stadium Course to tie for 70th. That gives them full status for the Nationwide Tour next year, improving their odds of getting to the PGA Tour.
The top 25 on the Nationwide money list graduate to the big leagues.
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WEIR OUTLOOK: Mike Weir of Canada will start the 2009 season with the Presidents Cup among his goals, but in much better shape than he was in two years ago - not only in the International team standings, but between the ears.
Weir was obsessed with making the 2007 team, and rightfully so because it was held in Canada. This year, the event returns to U.S. soil at Harding Park in San Francisco.
“It’s on the back burner,” Weir said. “I want to do some things individually, and hopefully, that takes care of other things.”
That wasn’t the case the last time. Weir started the ‘07 season at 20th in the Presidents Cup standings, and he had gone nearly three years without winning on the PGA Tour, which only added to the burden.
“You hate to think it did affect me, but I was thinking about it all the time,” he said. “I wasn’t playing the greatest, I wasn’t getting any younger and you knew it would not be held there (Canada) again, at least when I was playing. This time, with what I plan on doing next year, it will take care of itself.”
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SMALL WORLD: John Wood, the caddie for Hunter Mahan, interrupted his vacation to work the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament for Kim Welch, a good friend from Sacramento, Calif.
Welch played the first two rounds with Leah Wigger, who kept looking at Welch’s caddie because he looked familiar. Turns out Wigger is from Louisville, and she was working at the Ryder Cup getting advance yardage for NBC Sports analyst Dottie Pepper. She had Mahan’s group in one of the matches.
Wigger missed full-exempt status by one shot, while Welch tied for 49th to receive conditional status.
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DIVOTS: Delta Air Lines plans to add more than 7,000 seats for travel between Augusta, Ga., and its Atlanta hub during the week of the Masters, as well as daily service between Augusta and LaGuardia Airport and peak-day service to JFK. The expanded service will be flown on a mix of Boeing 757 and CRJ900 aircraft. … The LPGA Tour and Brasil 1 will stage an exhibition Jan. 24-25 in Rio de Janeiro called the HSBC LPGA Brasil Cup 2009. It features a 15-player field (14 LPGA members) with a $500,000 purse.
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STAT OF THE WEEK: The top 10 players on the PGA Tour’s career money list have combined for over $410 million in earnings.
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FINAL WORD: “I’d much rather have two majors than one.” - Tiger Woods, on why he voted for Padraig Harrington as PGA Tour player of the year.
