Archive for June, 2009
June 30, 2009
At The Celtic Manor Resort.
Newport, Wales
Oct. 1-3, 2010
United States
Through June 22
1. Lucas Glover 1,350.000
2. Phil Mickelson 859.830
3. Kenny Perry 695.536
4. Chad Campbell 660.000
5. Ricky Barnes 559.830
5. David Duval 559.830
7. Tiger Woods 476.163
8. Hunter Mahan 420.850
9. Steve Stricker 319.235
10. Sean OHair 263.922
11. Steve Flesch 242.813
11. John Merrick 242.813
13. Jim Furyk 234.904
14. Anthony Kim 193.528
15. Todd Hamilton 174.185
June 30, 2009
Through June 28.
Points Money
1. Bernhard Langer 1,162 $1,232,886
2. Michael Allen 720 $360,000
3. Larry Mize 709 $536,472
4. Loren Roberts 625 $703,445
5. Keith Fergus 570 $686,377
6. Fred Funk 563 $546,210
7. Mark OMeara 541 $599,342
8. Nick Price 530 $611,807
9. Joey Sindelar 526 $683,999
10. Jay Haas 522 $622,266
11. Gene Jones 471 $598,168
12. Andy Bean 465 $588,692
13. Jeff Sluman 456 $531,874
14. Dan Forsman 450 $610,496
15. Mark McNulty 444 $620,999
16. Gil Morgan 420 $412,898
17. John Cook 381 $477,752
18. Lonnie Nielsen 350 $516,895
19. Mike Goodes 341 $428,699
20. Bruce Fleisher 317 $315,107
21. Mark James 300 $301,947
22. Brad Bryant 279 $392,944
23. Tom Jenkins 276 $402,839
24. Eduardo Romero 255 $436,027
25. Don Pooley 229 $352,046
25. Fulton Allem 229 $318,442
27. Tom Lehman 225 $241,500
28. Tom Kite 204 $365,017
29. Mark Wiebe 203 $357,223
30. Tom Watson 192 $183,457
31. James Mason 180 $203,658
32. Ben Crenshaw 167 $274,107
33. Tim Simpson 165 $280,177
34. David Eger 156 $285,575
35. Larry Nelson 150 $240,473
36. Craig Stadler 133 $242,920
37. Ronnie Black 132 $181,393
37. Chris Starkjohann 132 $79,774
39. Joe Ozaki 122 $227,512
40. Scott Hoch 120 $283,377
41. Dana Quigley 115 $190,803
41. John Morse 115 $187,407
43. Jim Thorpe 111 $269,294
44. Hal Sutton 102 $197,313
45. Denis Watson 73 $179,667
46. R.W. Eaks 67 $152,074
46. Des Smyth 67 $96,226
48. Jay Don Blake 66 $131,298
48. Tom McKnight 66 $122,199
50. Mike McCullough 61 $151,546
51. Ken Green 58 $123,906
52. Morris Hatalsky 53 $218,747
52. Bruce Summerhays 53 $59,561
54. Jerry Pate 51 $210,072
55. David Edwards 50 $141,571
55. Gary Hallberg 50 $117,516
55. Russ Cochran 50 $83,261
55. Mike Hulbert 50 $63,506
59. Tom Purtzer 48 $221,649
60. Bobby Wadkins 44 $163,598
61. Fuzzy Zoeller 41 $142,938
61. John Jacobs 41 $50,442
June 30, 2009
Aaron Stewart walked onto the 18th green at Pinehursts No 2 course on Monday and allowed himself a peek at the imposing figure standing near the clubhouse.
Yes, his dad was watching.
The late Payne Stewart still casts a long shadow at Pinehurst - both physically, a statue of the first U.S. Open champion crowned at No. 2 looms larger than life just off the 18th, and figuratively.
Now, almost exactly a decade after the last pro victory of Stewarts career, its up to his 20-year-old son to carry on that legacy when he plays his first tournament at the famous course, this weeks North and South Amateur.
A lot of people talk about, Its been 10 years, (and) if this is going to be particularly hard because its been 10 years, Aaron Stewart said. Anybody thats lost someone who has been such a big part of their lives, you think about that person every day. So its not like 10 years is going to be any different than seven years or something like that. Its still going to be another day when youre thinking about him.
The younger Stewart, whos entering his redshirt sophomore season at SMU, is making a rare trip to the course in south-central North Carolina where his fathers second U.S. Open title came four months before his untimely death in an airplane accident.
Aaron Stewart, a 10-year-old at that time, didnt develop a serious interest in golf until he was in high school and visited Pinehurst last month for the first time since the statue was dedicated in 2001. He played 18 holes at No. 2 for the first time Monday.
Our family has always thought very highly of the people here and Pinehurst overall, so when I found out about the North and South, I thought if I could get in, itd be a lot of fun to play, Stewart said.
A quick glance at the younger Stewart and its obvious who his father is - minus, of course, the tam-o-shanters and plus-fours that became trademarks of Paynes during his nearly two-decade pro career.
But theyre sharing more than just facial features this week. Aarons caddie, Mike Hicks, also carried the clubs for his father during his victory in the 1999 Open. And Aaron brought his fathers yardage book from that tournament.
The mannerisms and the way he conducts himself, theres a few things that remind me a lot of his dad, Hicks said.
A successful week at the North and South and the Stewarts will have matching tournament victories at No. 2, though Aaron Stewart faces a daunting path through two days of stroke play just to qualify for the match-play round.
Then again, he didnt rule out mimicking the fist-pumping pose struck by his father after his 15-foot putt sealed the Open victory, immortalized in the statue by the 18th green.
Theres hopes and desires and dreams, but itd be awesome to win at Pinehurst, Stewart said. I cant think of a better caddie to have on the bag, so it would be really special. Im just going to go out (Tuesday) and play my best, and whatever happens from there, keep focusing on that and not think about the outcome. Stay present.
Someday, Aaron Stewart wants to follow his father into professional golf. But as proud as he is to be Payne Stewarts son, he also is eager to create his own identity.
Im very happy to have (the Stewart last name) and Im very proud of my name, and I do want to be known as my own player, Stewart said. But that will come in time.
June 29, 2009
When Fred Funk birdied the fifth hole on the final round of the Dicks Sporting Goods Open, he squinted at Lonnie Nielsens line on the leaderboard and then turned for some help.
I go to my caddie, I cant quite read that. Does it say 14? Funk said. He goes, No, its 18. Eighteen? How the heck could it be 18? Then he told me what he (Nielsen) did. What a great start. You wouldnt dare dream that.
They dont get much better.
Nielsen began with birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie on Sunday to quickly erase Funks three-shot lead and went on to beat Funk and Ronnie Black by three shots. Nielsen shot a 9-under 63 to finish at 21-under 195, a record in the three-year history of the event.
Gosh, I never could have dreamt of a start like that, Nielsen said. To be 6 under after five (holes)? Beyond belief.
The victory came a day before his 56th birthday. The only other tournament Nielsen has won - the 2007 Commerce Bank Championship on Long Island - came two days after he celebrated his 54th.
This is the time of year I start to play, said Nielsen, whose best previous finish this year was a tie for third at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in April.
Its been a long road for the Iowa-born Nielsen, who quit the PGA Tour more than two decades ago to take a club job in Orchard Park, N.Y. that he kept for 20 years.
I tried this back in the late 70s and early 80s, said Nielsen, who still spends half the year in Buffalo Bills country. After playing six years on the regular tour, I just didnt believe in myself.
He does now.
Ive never had a week like that, said Nielsen, the 11th different winner on tour this year.
It was the fourth straight finish of seventh or better for Funk (69), who was bidding to become the first player to win a PGA Tour event and a Champions Tour event on the En-Joie Golf Club course. He won the B.C. Open in 1996 at En-Joie.
I didnt have the run of birdies I needed, Funk said. Its disappointing. I would have liked to have scared him.
Black (66) had not won in 498 starts - 484 on the PGA Tour and 14 on the Champions Tour, a span of 24 years, 11 months and 13 days since capturing the 1984 Anheuser Busch Classic - but he walked away feeling pretty good. His best career finish on the tour earned Black a spot in the next event, the 3M Championship at the TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota in two weeks.
Neilsens 60-foot putt at the par-5 third hole was key. It had to go over a ridge and he hit it too hard, but it bounced off the back of the cup and somehow dropped in for eagle.
That might have saved me two shots. It was a huge confidence-builder, said Nielsen, who had watched in amazement when his 25-foot putt on the first hole suddenly broke to the right a foot from the hole and dropped in the cup. That ball had no reason to do what it did. I was off and running.
It was down to Nielsen and Funk after that.
Nielsen birdied No. 4 and went for the green with a hybrid on his second shot at the 565-yard, par-5 fifth, statistically the easiest of the day. The ball landed in a greenside bunker and Nielsen blasted to 5 feet and made birdie for a two-shot lead.
Nielsen parred the next six holes, while Funk made birdies at Nos. 5 and 6, curling in a perfectly paced 10-foot putt to tie for the lead. But the touch that produced 17 birdies in rounds of 64 and 65 the first two days wasnt there again, and Funk failed to make another birdie.
I watched Fred make my jaw drop yesterday, said Nielsen, who made three birdies on the back nine to pull away. You know its hard to maintain that over three days. I dont know why I did.
If Nielsen hadnt yet figured it was his day, he had to be reassured on the closing two holes. His tee shot at the par-3 17th hit in the rough and caromed back onto the green and he made par. Then his tee shot at 18 hit a tree along the right side and ricocheted back onto the fairway, and he managed to score his final birdie of the tournament and finish a second straight round without a bogey.
Nielsen is a contributor to Golf for Injured Veterans Everywhere, and he was convinced that was a big reason he finished with 24 birdies and one eagle. He donates $50 for each birdie and $500 for each eagle.
It helps give them a place to play, makes them feel part of society again, Nielsen said. I felt I needed to do something. I think its a big reason I won. I could feel them pulling for me.
Divots:Craig Stadler withdrew before the start of the final round with a sore Achilles tendon. … Overall, the field average for the tournament was 70.429, the lowest of the year for a full-field, 54-hole event. … Wayne Levi finished at 6 under and tied for 33rd in his first tournament since undergoing a heart bypass.
June 29, 2009
Defending champion Scott Hebert got off to the start he needed Sunday with a 5-under 66 on the easier Santa Ana Golf Club course for a one-shot lead in the PGA Professional National Championship.
Only two of the top 11 scores in the opening round came at Santa Ana.
Hebert, of Traverse City, Mich., is trying to become the first back-to-back winner since 1972 in the tournament for PGA club pros.
I wanted to get a good one in over here and it looks like that score is pretty good, Hebert said.
The six-way tie for second included Vince Jewell of Euless, Texas, who shot his 67 at Twin Warriors Golf Club, which played the tougher of the two courses and will be used for the final two rounds. Jewell was the only player at 67 who will play Monday at Santa Ana.
The 312 players will be pared to the top 70 for the final two rounds. The top 20 finishers are eligible for the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in August.
June 29, 2009
CROMWELL, Conn -Kenny Perry shot 63 Sunday to finish with a tournament-record 258 and win the Travelers Championship by three strokes over Paul Goydos and David Toms.
The 48-year old Perry, who led after each of the first two rounds, trailed by a stroke to Paul Goydos heading into Sunday.
But he shot 32 on the front nine and was up by five strokes heading to the par-4 15th.
Goydos made a 20-foot eagle putt from the fringe on 15 and birdied 16. But he missed his birdie putt on 17 to the right.
Perry birdied 15, and put the tournament away by making birdie on 17 after hitting a 164 yard approach to within 8 feet. His bogey-bogey finish at Augusta kept him from winning the Masters in April.
Perry takes home just over $1 million with the victory, and has now won five times in just over a year, the most of any player on tour. He has 12 top-10 finishes over that span while making every cut. His 258 is tied for fourth-best 72-hole score in Tour history. It beats the old tournament record of 259 set by Tim Norris is 1982.
The win also moves Perry to the front of the FedEx Cup standings. It was his 14th career victory, and he said hes hoping to get 20 wins before he retires.
LPGA Tour
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Jiyai Shin picked up her fifth title in 11 months with a seven-stroke victory at the Wegmans LPGA.
The 21-year-old South Korean shot a 1-under 71 to finish at 17-under 271.
Kristy McPherson and Yani Tseng each shot a 66, the days best score, to surge into a second-place tie at 10 under. One behind were rookie Stacy Lewis, Mika Miyazato and Haeji Kang.
Shin carried a four-stroke lead into the final round at the tricky Locust Hill course in suburban Rochester. She never looked in danger of being caught, even when she picked up two straight bogeys near the close as an afternoon downpour produced a flurry of errors.
She earned $300,000, vaulting her to the top of the money list with $1 million.
Champions Tour
ENDICOTT, N.Y. - Lonnie Nielsen shot a 9-under to beat Fred Funk and Ronnie Black by three shots for his first Champions Tour victory of the year and second of his career.
Nielsen, who turns 56 on Monday, finished at 21-under 195, a record for the tournament. That was three shots better than the mark set by 2008 winner Eduardo Romero.
Funk (69) entered the final round with a three-shot lead over Nielsen, Romero (73), and Black (66). It was the first time in four tries that Funk failed to win when leading entering the final round.
Romero (74) finished 11 shots behind.
European Tour
MUNICH - Nick Dougherty shot a final-round 64 to win the BMW International Open by one stroke and claim the third European Tour victory of his career.
The 27-year-old Englishman finished at 22-under 266, holding off Rafa Echenique by one stroke after the Argentine produced an albatross - a two on a par-5 - on the 18th hole to complete his 10-under 62.
Third-round leader Retief Goosen of South Africa finished third, four strokes behind Dougherty, after a final-round 71 at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried.
June 26, 2009
Nobody would have begrudged Lucas Glover a week off.
After all, the 29-year-old journeyman won the U.S. Open on Monday, spent Tuesday guesting on TV shows, and took his new trophy to the top of the Empire State building.
But on Wednesday, Glover was in Connecticut playing in the pro-am for this weeks Travelers Championship, which begins on Thursday at the TPC River Highlands. Glover will be among 156 players competing for the $6 million purse and $1.08 million first-place check.
I feel thats the right thing to do, Glover said. Just because I won a golf tournament, doesnt change anything. I was committed, and Im going to honor that commitment.
It wasnt just a golf tournament, it was the U.S. Open. And while Glover said he had fun doing the media blitz that accompanied his instant fame, he also decided playing golf was the best way to remove himself from that whirlwind. It was advice Glover said he received from several golfers, including Zach Johnson, who did the same thing after winning the Masters in 2007.
Because of everything else thats hitting you, all these things that are coming at you from so many different areas, you just dont know what to expect, Johnson said. Its overwhelming. So, one of the least overwhelming experiences is getting back in the ropes.
Glover said he also wants to strike while hes in form, hoping to use last weeks play as a springboard for the rest of the season.
I dont want to fizzle out after two wins or after one big win, he said.
Glover will be part of one of the strongest Travelers fields in recent memory, as golfers including Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, and Johnson make the quick hop over Long Island Sound from Bethpage for the event.
But some of their focus will be on several golfers who cannot be here.
Phil Mickelson has begun his family vacation to be with his wife, Amy, as she fights cancer, and Chris Smith, who was supposed to be an alternate at this tournament, is dealing with last weekends auto accident that killed his wife and critically injured his two children.
That accident came just two weeks after a crash that led to the amputation of Connecticut local Ken Greens lower right leg and killed his brother and girlfriend.
Right now, were all just giving them their space, try and let them handle it and giving them time to be with their families, said Hunter Mahan, who won here in 2007. But when some time passes, were going to do what we can to help them out and if they need anything, obviously were here and were here to help everybody. Its a tough situation to go through three tragedies like that. Its very tough.
There was good news on Wednesday from weather forecasters, who said that after days of rain, skies were expected to be clear on Thursday, with only a chance for an occasional thunderstorm over the weekend.
It will be nice not to have them roll out and have to deal with weather delays and stuff like that for a week, Mahan said.
June 26, 2009
Power could prove to be the decisive factor when the BMW International Open at the Nord Eichenried Golf Club just to the north of Munich tees off on Thursday.
Architects have spent the winter lengthening the course to nearly 7,100 yards and their attempts to counter the longer hitters on the European Tour have been helped by the almost incessant rainfall that has fallen in Bavaria this week.
For those players who last weekend were battling the elements in the US Open at Bethpage last weekend Munich is likely to offer more of the same.
And while the degree to which they may suffer from jetlag could play a part after the second of golfs majors in 2009 was extended to include play on Monday, the eventual winner of the ?2 million ($2.8 million) BMW International could be drawn from the ranks of those who have been racking up their air miles.
Certainly Swedens Henrik Stenson and Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy, who finished 9th and 10th respectively at Long Island will know their game is in good shape to take on the challenge.
McIlroy, who only celebrated his 20th birthday in May, is certainly confident that he can add to his maiden European title which was collected at the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
I had a top 20 on my debut at The Masters and a top ten in my first US Open and that has given me a lot of confidence to move forward for the rest of the summer, McIlroy said.
For Stenson, his performance in America was a welcome return to form. For, after winning the US Tours players championship in May he returned to Europe and promptly missed two successive cuts.
Stenson and McIlroy are both ranked among the biggest hitters in Europe and so to is Martin Kaymer who, in winning the 2008 BMW International title, became the first German for 21 years to win a tournament on home soil.
It is memories of that victory which Kaymer hopes will inspire him to a repeat performance rather than recent form - he missed the cut at the US Open.
Last year I had goose bumps when I heard the cheers from the German crowd on the last hole and I would like to hear them again, Kaymer said. But the course here in Munich has always been tough and now they have extended it.
Pre-publicity for the event has labeled the duel between 24-year-old Kaymer and McIlroy as the battle of the wunderkind however the European Tours brightest young stars may not have it all their own way.
Also in Munich are the American John Daly, who is beginning a three tournament warm up to next months Open Championship at Turnberry, European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and Germanys long time golfing hero Bernhard Langer, who is taking a break from the US seniors tour.
June 25, 2009
Its getting harder for first-time winners on the LPGA Tour to win again.
With all the global talent rushing in since the 1990s, one out of two golfers has failed to follow up a breakthrough win with another tournament triumph. Going back to 1950, when the tour was launched, the overall odds of repeating are far better - just under 60 percent.
For Eun-Hee Ji, who opens her defense of the Wegmans LPGA on Thursday, a second win in her third year on tour would serve as a validation. At least for now, however, Ji said she doesnt feel added pressure.
I have already delivered the one win, the 23-year-old South Korean said through a translator. Going from one to two? I feel better with this type of pressure than not winning a tournament at all.
Already this year, three golfers have savored a second victory. In-Kyung Kim beat Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak by a stroke at the State Farm Classic on June 7. And South Korean compatriot Ji Young Oh, along with Yani Tseng of Taiwan, bagged their second career wins in May.
Winning one tournament puts a golfer in rare company - 269 women have landed on the all-time winner list since the 1950 Tampa Open, the tours first sanctioned event.
The list of one-time winners, which currently stands at 110, has been around just as long: Polly Riley beat Louise Suggs by five strokes in Tampa, and never won again on the LPGA circuit.
One-timers still pushing for an elusive second title include Jackie Gallagher-Smith, whose sole success came in 1999, and Becky Iverson, who last scaled the heights in 1995. But hankering after further glory can quickly grab hold.
I dont necessarily feel pressure, its more that I really want to win one more time, Louise Friberg said before her maiden defense in March at the MasterCard Classic. After your first win, you know how much fun it is and you know how good it tastes.
Since 1999, there have been 35 one-time winners and 34 previous winners who won again, so the decade-long odds of repeating are 49 percent. In the tours 59 years, by contrast, 59 percent of winners have triumphed at least twice.
Heightened competition from abroad is a chief factor for the tightening odds, along with dominance by the likes of Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak and, more recently, Lorena Ochoa. That quartet has notched 158 tournaments wins since 1995.
The $2 million Wegmans LPGA has 18 of the seasons top 20 money winners, including No. 1 Cristie Kerr. The field also features Anna Nordqvist, a 22-year-old rookie from Sweden who won this months major, the LPGA Championship, in only her fifth professional start. Absent is top-ranked Lorena Ochoa, who won here in 2005 and 2007, and the 2008 runner-up, Suzann Pettersen.
Last June, with a 5-under 67 in the final round, Ji overcame a three-shot deficit to beat Pettersen by two strokes at Locust Hill, a tricky, tree-lined course with compact greens in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford.
Ji sits 26th on the seasons money list with $233,376. The best of her four top-10 finishes was a tie for sixth at this months State Farm Classic.
I got a new driver, and I modified my swing a little this spring, said Ji, calling her accuracy off the tee and the fairway the big strength of my game. And my weakness is my putting. Big problem!
Winning on the LPGA Tour boosted my confidence in my golf game, Ji said. Now that I have one LPGA win under my belt, I dont really have the same type of anxiety or nervousness that I have to deliver right at that moment. It gives me the faith that because Ive done it once, I can do it again.
June 25, 2009
Power could prove to be the decisive factor when the BMW International Open at the Nord Eichenried Golf Club just to the north of Munich tees off on Thursday.
Architects have spent the winter lengthening the course to nearly 7,100 yards and their attempts to counter the longer hitters on the European Tour have been helped by the almost incessant rainfall that has fallen in Bavaria this week.
For those players who last weekend were battling the elements in the US Open at Bethpage last weekend Munich is likely to offer more of the same.
And while the degree to which they may suffer from jetlag could play a part after the second of golfs majors in 2009 was extended to include play on Monday, the eventual winner of the ?2 million ($2.8 million) BMW International could be drawn from the ranks of those who have been racking up their air miles.
Certainly Swedens Henrik Stenson and Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy, who finished 9th and 10th respectively at Long Island will know their game is in good shape to take on the challenge.
McIlroy, who only celebrated his 20th birthday in May, is certainly confident that he can add to his maiden European title which was collected at the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
I had a top 20 on my debut at The Masters and a top ten in my first US Open and that has given me a lot of confidence to move forward for the rest of the summer, McIlroy said.
For Stenson, his performance in America was a welcome return to form. For, after winning the US Tours players championship in May he returned to Europe and promptly missed two successive cuts.
Stenson and McIlroy are both ranked among the biggest hitters in Europe and so to is Martin Kaymer who, in winning the 2008 BMW International title, became the first German for 21 years to win a tournament on home soil.
It is memories of that victory which Kaymer hopes will inspire him to a repeat performance rather than recent form - he missed the cut at the US Open.
Last year I had goose bumps when I heard the cheers from the German crowd on the last hole and I would like to hear them again, Kaymer said. But the course here in Munich has always been tough and now they have extended it.
Pre-publicity for the event has labeled the duel between 24-year-old Kaymer and McIlroy as the battle of the wunderkind however the European Tours brightest young stars may not have it all their own way.
Also in Munich are the American John Daly, who is beginning a three tournament warm up to next months Open Championship at Turnberry, European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and Germanys long time golfing hero Bernhard Langer, who is taking a break from the US seniors tour.
