Archive for June, 2009
June 25, 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 24, 2009
Nick Price and David Toms shot a combined 11-under 60 to win the CVS Caremark Charity Classic at Rhode Island Country Club on Tuesday.
Price and Toms combined for a 36-hole total of 16-under 126 in the best-ball format and earned the $300,000 top prize.
The victory was Prices third in the 11-year history of the tournament and the first for Toms, who accounted for eight of the teams 11 overall birdies.
The pair finished three strokes ahead of Matt Kuchar and Laura Diaz, who also shot 13-under 129.
We both played really well the last 27 holes, Toms said. The way my partner played on the back nine Monday, Ill remember that for a long time. He shot 29 and kind of carried me around.
I owed it to (Price) after the way he played yesterday. I knew I had to come out today and play well for us to have a chance.
Price accounted for six birdies in the teams first-round total of 5-under 66.
A World Golf Hall of Fame member, Price has 18 career victories on the U.S. PGA Tour. Hes won three CVS Caremark Charity Classics while Tuesdays victory was the first for Toms.
I missed a couple of short putts but (Toms) just played so well today, Price said. I was just going along for the ride. I said to him Now, I know how you felt yesterday.
June 24, 2009
Lorena Ochoa has a new caddie, switching to veteran Greg Johnston starting next week at the Jamie Farr Classic in Ohio.
Ochoa won two majors and reached No. 1 in the world with David Brooker, but she said on Tuesday they are parting because of a new phase in her career.
Its not easy to let him go knowing he is such a great caddie and person, Ochoa said.
Johnston spent a dozen years working for Juli Inkster, and together they won 20 times and four majors. He left Inkster to work for Michelle Wie when she was 15 and helped her gain at least a share of the lead on the back nine of three majors. He also has worked for Britanny Lincicome, Suzanne Pettersen and Angel Park.
June 24, 2009
Scores Tuesday from the CVS Caremark Charity Classic, a $1,55 million pairs event at 6,688-yard, par-71 Rhode Island Country Club.
Final Round
David Toms-Nick Price 66-60-126
Matt Kuchar-Laura Diaz 69-60-129
Boo Weekley-Chad Campbell 66-64-130
Zach Johnson-Nick Watney 67-64-131
Dana Quigley-Brett Quigley 66-65-131
Brad Faxon-Juli Inkster 69-63-132
Billy Andrade-Helen Alfredsson 65-67-132
Brad Adamonis-Brittany Linicicome 66-67-133
Davis Love III-Morgan Pressel 67-66-133
Peter Jacobsen-Natalie Gulbis 70-69-139
June 23, 2009
PGA Tour officials confirmed Monday that the wife of golfer Chris Smith was killed and two of his children were critically injured in a fiery weekend crash that also hurt several members of the London (Ontario) Silverbacks football team, including its owner.
All of us at the PGA Tour are saddened by the news of the tragic accident which claimed the life of Beth Smith, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris and his family during this very difficult time.
PGA Tour media official Joe Chemycz, who was working the Nationwide Tour event in Fort Smith, Ark., where Smith played before missing the cut, said people close to Smith had informed tour officials that Beth Smith had been killed in the crash about 11:35 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 69 near Angola, in northern Indiana.
Steuben County Coroner Rodney Snyder said he didnt expect to officially identify the badly burned body recovered from the crash site until Tuesday.
Smiths children, 16-year-old Abigail and 12-year-old Cameron, were listed in critical condition Monday morning at Fort Waynes Lutheran Hospital.
Hospital spokeswoman Shelly Lybarger said there was no listing for them later Monday. She said the could mean that they had been moved elsewhere or that a family member had asked that no information be given out.
According to authorities, Abigail Smith was driving her mother and brother in a sport utility vehicle that lost control briefly. She tried to correct the vehicles path, but wound up veering across the median, where the SUV collided head-on with a Greyhound bus carrying the football team.
Abigail Smith suffered a broken pelvis, cuts to both hands and burns, the Steuben County Sheriffs Office said. Her brother broke an arm and a leg, sustained abdominal injuries and burns to his arms and legs.
Silverbacks owner Alan Lazar, who suffered internal and head injuries, was listed in good condition Monday at Fort Waynes Parkview Hospital. Eleven other passengers were taken to Cameron Hospital in Angola and 11 more were treated at the scene, police said.
Army National Guard Lt. Tracy Fields, returning from drills in Michigan, was among the first to arrive at the scene of the accident. He said there was no chance to rescue Smith because the SUV was fully engulfed in flames.
I made the decision there was nothing we could do with that situation without hurting ourselves or others, he said.
Instead, he and another Guardsman focused on helping five or six people off the bus, starting with a pregnant woman, followed by the driver, who was trapped. Others got out on their own.
The burning SUV was just a couple feet away and was starting to explode and debris was starting to shoot toward us, Fields said.
More Guard personnel arrived and found the Smith children in a roadside ditch. Fields said he didnt know whether the children were thrown from the vehicle or somehow managed to get out on their own.
Chris Smith, 40, of Peru, Ind., made the PGA Tour in 1995 and won the 2002 Buick Classic. He has been a part-time PGA player in recent years and has been in only three 2009 PGA Tour events, missing the cut in this months St. Jude Classic and finishing 13th at the Puerto Rico Open in March.
June 23, 2009
Lizette Salas shot a 4-under 68 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of stroke-play qualifying at the US Womens Amateur Public Links on Monday.
The 19-year-old Salas, of Azusa, Calif., opened her back nine with three straight birdies at Red Tail Golf Club in a first round played in a steady drizzle with temperatures in the low 60s and wind gusts to 25 mph.
Alice Kim, of Walnut, Calif., Canadas Sara-Maude Juneau, Cydney Clanton, of Concord, N.C., and Kristen Hill, of Weston, Fla., are a stroke behind after opening 69s.
Stroke-play qualifying continues with 18 holes on Tuesday, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play, which starts on Wednesday. The 36-hole final is scheduled for Saturday.
June 23, 2009
Rhode Island native Billy Andrade is accustomed to playing golf in less-than-ideal conditions.
But steady rain and gusty winds made Mondays first round of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic at Rhode Island Country Club more challenging than usual.
Being from Rhode Island, the weather changes every 10 minutes, Andrade said after combining with Helen Alfredsson to shoot 6-under 65 for the lead. I dont think Ive ever seen Rhode Island Country Club play as hard as it did today … maybe when I was in ninth or 10th grade playing in the fall.
It was pretty miserable. If you start worrying about all the things that can go wrong, then youre not going to be a happy person. You can complain about the weather and it doesnt do any good, Andrade said.
Andrade and Alfredsson had six birdies and 12 pars in the best-ball format. Andrade birdied the 401-yard, par-4 16th hole that gave his team the lead, which it protected with pars on 17 and 18.
Andrade has co-hosted the tournament since its inception in 1999 and never has finished better than second.
Three teams are tied for second. Shooting 5-under 66 were Brittany Lincicome and Brad Adamonis, Brett Quigley and Dana Quigley and Boo Weekley and Chad Campbell.
Adamonis, whos from Cumberland, R.I., not only handled the weather but also a bout of vertigo.
I felt like I was starting to get wobbly on the first hole and it was pretty scary, Adamonis said. You never know when its going to happen. Fortunately, it goes away after about three minutes.
He birdied the 17th and 18th holes to give his team an early lead.
June 20, 2009
Tiger Woods would have liked to have been able to clean the mud off his ball in the US Open at soggy Bethpage Black on Friday.
Jim Furyk knew it was a waste of time to even talk about it.
We all know thats not going to happen, Furyk said about allowing players to lift, clean and place balls in the fairways, so its a worthless conversation.
Woods was frustrated after facing four mud balls in 11 holes in a 4-over 74 that left him 10 strokes behind leader Lucas Glover.
If we keep it down, it is what it is. Its potluck, Woods said.
When Tom Meeks was in charge of the U.S. Golf Associations course setup, he referred to preferred lies - standard practice on the U.S. PGA Tour in wet conditions - as lift, clean and cheat. While Meeks is gone, the governing body is as firm as ever on the issue.
So much so that when championship committee chairman Jim Hyler brought up the subject on Friday, it was only to refute that it was slowing play.
I think theres a perception that by not playing that, were somehow prolonging the event, Hyler said. That is absolutely not true.
More rain - expected on Saturday and deep into next week - would wash away the mud-ball problem, and cause even more trouble on the saturated course.
Its only going to get worse, unless we get some more rain, Woods said of the mud. If we get more rain we wont catch them again.
Mike Weir, tied for third at 4 under with nine holes left in his second round, prepared for the mud on the practice range before his opening 64, gouging chunks of dirt out of divots and putting it on the balls.
That actually helped, said Weir, who estimated he had mud on the ball on about a third of his shots on the course. I got to figure how the ball was acting a little bit.
In addition to the four mud balls Woods cited, the possibility of picking up mud altered his game plan off the tee, negating some of his distance advantage.
You would think you would have to hit low tee shots and run it off, but the problem is the fairways are so soft its not going to go anywhere, the three-time U.S. Open champion said. If you take the chance of carrying the ball out there, you also have a chance of picking up mud on the ball, too.
The players had a lot longer clubs in their hands than usual on the massive Bethpage layout, a stern test under any conditions.
Its very difficult to go into a lot of par 4s, certainly on a U.S. Open golf course, when the balls are picking up so much mud, Ian Poulter said after shooting 70. I dont think a driver I hit today went forward more than a foot. If thats happening youre taking more than a pitch mark and youre going to have mud on the ball.
Its pretty tricky when youre going into greens with so much club and theres a bit of mud on the ball. So a little disappointing, but the rule is the rule.
The Englishman also said balls were plugging in the wet bunkers.
The other factor in this is we had four bunker shots between our threesome and all four were buried, Poulter said. So, not only are we standing in the middle of the fairway with 5-wood, 3-wood, whatever club youre going to hit, youre thinking, `If this doesnt come out cleanly, then its going to pitch in the face of the bunker. You barely can get it out of the bunker.
June 20, 2009
Phil Mickelson lumbered along the rain-softened turf of Bethpage Black for 29 holes. Lucas Glover had it even worse, taking nine hours to play 31 holes Friday in a US Open that felt like a marathon.
Their only regret was they couldnt play more.
Sunshine made a cameo on Long Island, enough to dry the fairways and keep the greens as soft as a sponge. They played into the stillness of twilight, a perfect recipe for low scoring rarely seen in a major known as the toughest test in golf.
Its not going to get any easier than it is right now for us, Mickelson said. We wanted to play as many holes as we could.
Darkness finally chased them from the course, but not from the top of the leaderboard.
Glover opened with a 69, had a quick lunch, then gobbled up the course for five birdies while stretching his streak to 19 holes without a bogey. He was at 6 under par through 13 holes when the second round was suspended, one shot ahead of Ricky Barnes.
Mike Weir of Canada birdied the last two holes of the first round for a 64, the lowest score in six years at the U.S. Open, and was among those at 4 under after making a pair of bogeys in his nine holes of the second round.
Mickelson had his usual dose of thrills and spills and was 1 under through 11 holes.
The top 11 players on the leaderboard all came from the second wave of tee times - the same guys who stayed dry in their hotel rooms or movie theaters Thursday when the first round lasted only about three hours because of relentless rain.
Course-wise and weather-wise, I dont think anyone would say its not favorable, said Barnes, who elected to finish his ninth hole and nearly three-putted in gathering darkness. If Im in it, I might as well take advantage of it.
Timing is everything in this U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods was among those in the first wave and couldnt get off the course fast enough. He battled back from a sloppy start to reach even par with a birdie on the 14th, then played the final four holes in 4 over for a 74, his worst start at any major since he missed the cut at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open.
I was even par with four to go, Woods said. Its not like I was hitting it all over the place. Hit a lot of good shots. Unfortunately, didnt finish off the round the way I needed to.
Hell get no sympathy from the rest of the field - not with his 14 majors, one of them coming at Bethpage Black seven years ago at the U.S. Open when Woods played early Friday and avoided the rain.
Its about as easy as this course will ever play, Weir said between rounds. Our side definitely had a big advantage. For us to be able to play in nice conditions all day like this is huge.
When a day that lasted just over 13 hours finally ended, Bethpage Black turned red on the leaderboard with 16 players under par. All but two of those players - Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and amateur Drew Weaver - were on the course.
Mickelson, whose popularity in New York shot up even more after disclosing his wife has breast cancer, challenged for the lead until he missed some short putts coming in and settled for a 69.
He chopped out from the left rough to the right rough on No. 2 and missed a 4-foot putt that led to double bogey, although he rallied with three birdies over a four-hole stretch. Along the way, the affection was louder and warmer than ever, impossible to ignore.
You know, its not like they whisper it, Mickelson said. But its very flattering and its very cool.
Of the 25 players who shot par or better in the first round, only seven came from the first wave of tee times. The course played almost two strokes harder in the morning - averaging 74.8 to 72.9 for the afternoon players.
Woods, the defending champion, returned to finish 12 holes Friday morning and slowly worked his way up the leaderboard with two birdies and a good par save that put him even for the tournament heading to the 15th.
Too bad for him he couldnt have stopped there.
He drove into the deep rough on the 15th and saw a chip roll 50 feet down a ridge. Double bogey.
He had mud on the side of his ball and missed the green in the worst spot on the 16th. Bogey.
He drove into a bunker on the 18th. Another bogey.
I think when he got it back to even par, he maybe thought the job was done. And thatll come back to bite you, said British Open and PGA champion Padraig Harrington, who shot 76 while playing with Woods and Masters champion Angel Cabrera (74).
The last time Woods started this poorly, he had a 76 at Winged Foot and missed the cut for the only time in a major as a pro. He could be in jeopardy at Bethpage Black, where in 2002 he was the only player to finish under par.
The U.S. Open cut is top 60 and ties, plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead. Woods could only hope the leaders didnt get too far away from before he tees off in the second round Saturday, when more rain is expected.
The second round was to resume at 7:30 a.m.
He finished the first round in a tie for 81st, stretching his odds of becoming the first back-to-back winner in 20 years. Woods has never won a major when trailing by more than seven shots after the opening round.
Ive been on the other side, too, Glover said of the tee times, which are getting a lot of attention this week.
Except for U.S. Open logos on flags and tee markers, it would have been hard to recognize this as a U.S. Open.
Approach shots were landing 15 feet beyond the hole and spinning back. Mickelson hit one shot out of six-inch clumps of grass that spun back when it hit the green. David Duval, who shot 67 in the morning and was 1 under through 11 of the second round, hit a shot from the first cut of rough that stopped an inch after it landed.
Ian Poulter was watching from his hotel room after a hard-earned 70 from the morning wave, and he must have been shaking his head as he Twittered, did anyone see mickelson hit 6 iron on the 3rd hole par 3. yesterday we was hitting 3 iron.
His only hope is that conditions remain that way when Poulter, Woods and the rest of the early wave return for their second round. The forecast is for rain around noon, same as when they started this tournament.
June 20, 2009
Phil Mickelson was walking toward the 11th tee late Friday evening, his 29th and final hole of the day, when he looked at the wooden scoreboard bearing the names of his group.
Goosen. Els. Mickelson.
His, though, was different. Next to his name, fitting perfectly between the slots holding the letters, was a pink ribbon with the words Find the Cure written on one side - the tribute to breast cancer patients everywhere.
I just figured we should show our support to Phil and Amy, said Bob Lamb, the volunteer captain who came up with the idea.
For 9 1/2 hours of play Friday at the rain-delayed U.S. Open, Mickelson found sanctuary and support in the game where hes ranked ahead of all but one person in the world. Shows of support for his wife - Amy Mickelson was diagnosed with breast cancer last month - and family were everywhere.
It was an outpouring that Mickelson described as incredible.
I certainly felt it, Mickelson said after finishing 1 under for the day, five shots behind overnight leader Lucas Glover. It was very cool.
When play was suspended at 8:24 p.m., Mickelson had a bit of a walk from the 11th green back to the ninth fairway, where a van awaited to bring him back to the clubhouse.
He passed two young girls with pink caps, and stopped instantly.
Give me those two girls hats, Mickelson said, pulling out a marker and scrawling his name. Make sure they get them back.
He signed those and about two dozen more items, many of them for children, before finally catching his ride off the course - which, by then, was pitch black.
His play wasnt perfect, not even close.
The driving was erratic, he missed some short putts - an affliction thats cost him plenty in past majors - on the back nine, and he clearly wasted some chances.
But he survived. He finished the opening 18 tied for seventh and was still tied for 12th, five strokes back, when darkness fell.
The soft conditions are great, Mickelson said. The balls that hit the fairways are staying in the fairways. … The soft conditions are helping.
So were the fans.
Heres how eager the gallery was to get behind the worlds No. 2 player: The order of play in the 11:06 a.m. group off the 10th tee started with Retief Goosen, followed by Ernie Els and then Mickelson.
Goosen swung away, getting polite applause.
Els, like Goosen a two-time Open champion, swung next, but the throngs of ticketholders all but deemed his presence irrelevant.
By the time Els tee ball landed, the shrieks and bellows - Cmon, Phil! - were cutting through the air.
Mickelson nodded, the woman with the white I (heart) Phil T-shirt squealed in delight, and Bethpages adopted son was ready to play. He hitched up his pants, tipped his cap, took a couple of practice swings and began a six-hour quest to tame both the Black course and any thoughts of what lies ahead for his wife and family.
Theyve treated us so good here, Mickelson said.
The way those fans tell it, hes treated them just as well.
He interacted with them often Friday, tipping his cap to one who yelled Driver! when he and caddie Jim Bones Mackay were contemplating what to hit on the sixth hole of the second round. Mickelson pulled out the driver, crushed one down a hill and out of sight, and made an easy birdie.
Fans reached out to him, literally, and he reached back, tapping fists with several on his way to the 10th hole.
I think hes a great player. I think he deserves the attention, especially in New York, said Joe Vesey, 36, a marketing professional who lives just north of New York City. He loves the fans. Thats why they love him. Phil reacts to fans. Phil feeds off fan power. He understands New York.
Vesey got his fist bump, too.
Go get em, Phil! he shouted.
This week - well, this U.S. Open may stretch into next week as well - will be his final on tour for a while. He expects to miss the British Open because his wife begins treatments on July 1.
Bethpages fans loved him in 2002. Theyre loving him again now, albeit for deeper reasons this time around.
I just love playing golf here, Mickelson said. I love coming up to this area. I think all sports teams love playing in front of these people here. They are some of the best sports fans in the country.
