Archive for July, 2009
July 31, 2009
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich -Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday at the Buick Open, his first tournament since missing the cut at the British Open.
He finished the first round eight shots back of leader Steve Lowery. If Woods fails to break 70 in the second round Friday morning, he will put himself in danger of missing cuts in consecutive tournaments for the first time as a pro.
Lowery took advantage of perfect conditions in the morning by tying a course record with a 29 on the front nine and finishing 9-under 63.
John Senden also did, making five straight birdies in the morning and finishing with nine to end up only a shot off the lead. Y.E. Yang, James Nitties, Vaughn Taylor, Brian Vranesh were two strokes back with 65s.
U.S. Senior Open
CARMEL, Ind. - Greg Norman birdied four straight holes on the front nine in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open, but a bogey on the final hole left him in a four-way tie with Joey Sindelar, Dan Forsman and amateur Tim Jackson at 6-under 66.
Jackson broke the record for low score by an amateur at this tournament, and he did it in his Senior Tour debut.
Andy Bean and Fulton Allem were both one shot back at 67.
Sindelar posted three birdies on each side. Forsman, who started at No. 10, was 4 under at the turn. Neither had a bogey. Jackson charged back with five birdies on the final nine holes.
Tony Pancake, the head pro at Crooked Stick Golf Club, said the 66s were a competitive course record. In the 1991 PGA Championship, won by John Daly, the low round was 67.
Womens British Open
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England - Sandra Gal shot a 3-under 69 to grab the lead after the first round of the Womens British Open.
At 9:15 p.m., at the end of a round that lasted nearly six hours, Gal chipped from the greenside rough over a mound to about a foot from the flag. She escaped with a skillful par and finished a shot ahead of Angela Stanford and Song-Hee Kim, who each posted a 70 earlier.
Stanford birdied the last hole from 30 feet, and Kim - one of 29 South Koreans in the championship field - made a birdie on No. 18 from 20 feet.
Michelle Wie shot a 1-over 73. Paula Creamer carded a 2-over 74 without a birdie.
Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa shot a 3-over 75, U.S. LPGA Tour money-leader Cristie Kerr had 76, and defending champion Jiyai Shin returned a 77.
European Tour
CELADNA, Czech Republic - Tano Goya shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Moravia Silesia Open.
Goya had an eagle on the 16th hole at the Prosper Golf Resort and birdied the last two holes.
The 21-year-old Argentine had six birdies, and a bogey on the second hole.
John Bickerton and Steve Webster each shot 66 to tie for second.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, who designed the 7,155-yard course in Celadna, shot 71.
July 31, 2009
Alex Thompson added to her lead Thursday in the third round of the Junior PGA Championship before rain interrupted play at the TPC Rivers Bend course.
Thompson, of Coral Springs, Fla., built a four-stroke lead over Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii. The 14-year-old Thompson has led the girls division after all three days of play. She won the tournament in 2007.
Rain started falling as Thompson finished the last four holes. Play was suspended after the girls finished, then resumed a couple of hours later. Play in the boys division was suspended because of darkness.
The last few holes was a downpour, but I came out of them fine, Thompson said.
T.J. Vogel of Cooper City, Fla., made it through 12 holes in the third round before play was called. Vogel led after the second day and held a three-stroke lead when play was called in the third round, which will resume on Friday morning.
July 31, 2009
Even though Loren Roberts is fresh off a win at the Senior British Open, Tom Watson has been the center of attention this week at the US Senior Open.
Roberts understands. His win came just a week after Watson nearly won the British Open.
Instead of feeling slighted, Roberts appreciates what Watsons performance has done for the sport. Roberts said more people noticed his Senior British Open win than he expected.
I think its a direct result of all the notoriety that Tom kind of got for golf, Roberts said.
Roberts has placed in the top six in five of his past seven senior events. He got off to a good start on Thursday, shooting a 4-under 68 in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open. That left him tied for seventh place.
Roberts will have a chance to match or surpass Watsons feat at the British Open next year. His win at the Senior British Open automatically qualified him for next years regular British Open.
I would probably say of all the Open rotation, that might be the one that I would possibly have a chance to play well, Roberts said. Im looking forward to it. I mean, how could you not look forward to going back to the old course?
—
EVENTS TOO CLOSE: Greg Norman said this week hed prefer more time between the British Open, the Senior British Open and the U.S. Senior Open.
The three events are held during consecutive weeks. Norman was still suffering from jet lag after shooting a 6-under 66 on Thursday.
Golf-wise, it really doesnt bother me, playing three in a row, he said. I really wish they could get together and separate them for the good of all of us - for the players and everybody.
Norman said if not for the prestige of the events, hed skip at least one of them.
If they werent the three tournaments they were, I wouldnt play three in a row, he said. Flipping from one side of the Atlantic to the other, I wouldnt do it. You know, I didnt do it in my younger days, I wouldnt do it when I am 54.
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WATSON OK: Watson could have used the kind of extra time that Norman suggests.
Watson said he felt sick after eating Chinese food toward the end of his stay in Britain and missed Tuesdays practice round.
He regained enough strength to practice on Wednesday, and said he felt fine on Thursday.
I probably lost a little weight, he said. I didnt feel too weak out there today. I felt weak yesterday. I really felt weak yesterday.
Watson shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday, and was tied for 25th place.
The course played tough for me today, he said. It didnt play tough for all the rest of these guys today. The rest of these guys shot a pretty low number out there today.
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ALLEM PLAYS WELL: South African Fulton Allem shot a 5-under 67 and was tied with Andy Bean for fifth place.
He birdied three of his last four holes to pull within one shot of co-leaders Joey Sindelar, Greg Norman, Dan Forsman and Tim Jackson.
Allem hasnt placed better than 15th in his past eight Champions Tour events. He finished second in the Allianz Championship.
Allems career highlight came when he beat Norman to win the Southwestern Bell Colonial in 1993.
July 29, 2009
Alexis Thompson, the 2007 champion, chipped in for eagle to take a one-stroke lead in the girls division after the first round of the Junior PGA Championship at TPC Rivers Bend on Tuesday.
I was looking to make birdie on the last and get the ball to barely roll over the first hill, but it went in and that was definitely a bonus, said the 14-year-old Thompson, who is competing in her fourth Junior PGA Championship.
Kramer Hickok of Plano, Texas, playing in his first Junior PGA Championship, fired an opening round 67 to lead the boys division by a stroke over T.J. Vogel of Cooper City, Fla., Matthew Ceravolo of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Lexus Keoninh of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Robby Prater of Birmingham, Ala.
Hickok shot a 31 on his front nine, highlighted by five birdies.
I am so confident and I have been playing great the last two weeks, said Hickok, who tied for 19th at the 2009 FootJoy Invitational. I actually set my low score (64) three days before coming here and knew I could come out and shoot a low round and contend.
Thompson opened the day with a bogey on her first hole, but rebounded with four birdies and the closing eagle for a 5-under 67.
I changed my swing in the last two days a lot, Thompson said. I was playing the ball really far back in my stance and now I am putting it far up and putting some tilt on it. I actually know where the ball is going now.
Junior Ryder Cup teammate Sarah Brown of Philipsburg, N.J., and Jaye Marie Green of Boca Raton, Fla., both shot an opening round 68 and were one stroke behind. Defending champion Danielle Frasier of Encinitas, Calif., shot a 70 and sat in a tie for fifth.
Anthony Paolucci of Dallas, the defending champion in the boys division, carded an opening round 71 and is in 13th place.
Ill take that score today, but it could have been better, he said. I left a lot of shots out there and I still only missed three greens all day.
The 72-hole tournament features a 54-hole cut to the low 30 boys and 30 girls, including ties, following the third round of play on Thursday.
This years field consists of past winners of the championship, PGA section winners, many of Polo Golf and Golfweeks top-ranked players, and selected national junior tournament winners.
Also at stake is a berth on the 2010 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. The champion for each division, provided they are a member of the 2011 or later graduating class, will be exempt to the Junior Ryder Cup next year in Scotland.
July 29, 2009
Phil Mickelson will return to the US PGA Tour at the Bridgestone Invitational next week for his first tournament since he tied for second at the US Open.
Mickelson has been away for nearly two months because his wife, Amy, has breast cancer. She had surgery on July 1. At about that time, Mickelson learned his mother has breast cancer and is being treated.
Mickelsons decision was announced on Tuesday by tournament organizers and suggests he also will play the following week in the U.S. PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Bridgestone is the third of the four World Golf Championship events of 2009.
Mickelson won the WGCs CA Championship in March and has competed in all 10 previous Bridgestone Invitationals, with five top-10s. His best finish came in 1999 when he tied for second.
A three-time major champion, Mickelson skipped the British Open, ending the longest active streak of majors at 61. He had played in every major dating to the 1994 U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at Firestone, is expected to confirm this week that hell join what will likely be a strong Bridgestone field.
Nathan Green earned an automatic berth with his victory on Monday in the Canadian Open. Five other players also gained a spot by solidifying their positions in the top 50 in the world rankings: Englands Ross Fisher and Luke Donald, Australias Robert Allenby and Mathew Goggin and Japans Shingo Katayama.
Stewart Cink, who won Bridgestone in 2004, captured the British Open two weeks ago at Turnberry and is also entered.
The Bridgestone field has 83 players, primarily winners in 2009 from tours around the world or players who have competed on international teams in the past two years.
July 28, 2009
Nathan Green looked up and flashed a wry smile when the latest round of heavy rain hit the Canadian Open.
But instead of wiping out play again and possibly forcing yet another day at drenched Glen Abbey, the pounding drops were nothing more than a fitting finishing touch on his breakthrough playoff victory over Retief Goosen.
Its just been a bizarre week. A long week, Green said.
An hour earlier Monday in good conditions on the course soaked by nearly 5 inches of rain the first four days, the Australian parred the second extra hole for his first victory in 112 career PGA Tour starts.
Its a huge surprise to finally win, said Green, the 34-year-old former Canadian Tour player from Toronto - Toronto, Australia, that is. This is where I started my pro career. I love coming up here. The people are great.
After missing a 12-foot birdie attempt on the par-4 17th on the second extra hole, Green won when Goosens 8-foot par try slid right.
Im not too disappointed, Goosen said. I had my chance.
In sunny conditions, Green completed a third-round 69 with an eagle on the par-5 18th and shot a 68 in the fourth to match Goosen at 18 under. Goosen three-putted the 18th for par in his morning 67, then eagled the closing hole in the afternoon for a 69.
Goosen had a putt to win on 18 on the first extra hole, but missed a 6-footer after leaving his bunker shot above the hole. Green saved par after his second shot bounced off a cart path, landing near the scoring trailer above the green.
I dodged a bullet, said Green, who also saved par on the 18th to force the playoff after hitting over the green and into the crowd.
Goosen had his fourth straight top-six finish worldwide. After tying for 16th in the U.S. Open, the 40-year-old South African was third in the BMW International in Germany, tied for sixth in the Scottish Open and tied for fifth in the British Open.
Im very happy with the way Im playing, said Goosen, the Transitions Championship winner in March. Ive had chances to win in the last four tournaments Ive played in. Ive just got to keep going and hopefully its going to come my way.
Anthony Kim (66-73) and Jason Dufner (70-73) tied for third at 14 under, a stroke ahead of Lee Janzen (70-67), Brandt Snedeker (67-68) and Jerry Kelly (72-71).
Stephen Ames (72-67) and Chris Baryla (70-66) were the top Canadian finishers, tying for eighth at 12 under. Mike Weir (69-71) tied for 24th at 10 under.
Its a relief to get it over with. Finally, Ames said.
Green won for the second time in Canada, following a 2000 victory in a Canadian Tour event in Sudbury. He also won the Queensland PGA in Australia in 2000 and took the European tours 2006 New Zealand Open.
The playoff also was the second of his PGA Tour career. In the 2006 Buick Invitational, he was eliminated on the first extra hole, and Tiger Woods went on to beat Jose Maria Olazabal on the second hole.
I was definitely a bit calmer today than I was then, Green said.
Green earned $918,000 to jump from 132nd to 43rd on the money list with $1,282,017, and also received a tour exemption through 2011.
Thats huge for me, Green said. Its just such a buzz for me to be able to turn the year around so dramatically. Thats more than I thought I could have done.
DIVOTS: Kevin Sutherland had a hole-in-one on the 129-yard seventh hole. The ace was the eighth of the tournament, the most since the PGA Tour began keeping extensive records in 1971. There were five in the 2004 John Deere Classic. … Ken Green won the 1988 tournament at Glen Abbey in a Monday finish. … The 2010 event will be played at St. Georges in Toronto.
July 28, 2009
Final scores Monday at the Canadian Open, a $5,1 million PGA Tour event at the 7,253-yard, par-72 Glen Abbey Golf Club (x-won on second playoff hole; FedExCup points in parentheses).
x-Nathan Green (500), $918,000 68-65-69-68-270
Retief Goosen (300), $550,800 65-69-67-69-270
Anthony Kim (163), $295,800 69-66-66-73-274
Jason Dufner (163), $295,800 68-63-70-73-274
Lee Janzen (100), $186,150 68-70-70-67-275
Brandt Snedeker (100), $186,150 73-67-67-68-275
Jerry Kelly (100), $186,150 65-67-72-71-275
Scott McCarron (69), $123,038 68-71-67-70-276
Stephen Ames (69), $123,038 68-69-72-67-276
Michael Letzig (69), $123,038 69-67-66-74-276
Mark Calcavecchia (69), $123,038 71-65-71-69-276
Y.E. Yang (69), $123,038 69-66-73-68-276
Bob Estes (69), $123,038 67-67-68-74-276
Scott Verplank (69), $123,038 65-67-71-73-276
Chris Baryla (0), $123,038 69-71-70-66-276
Chris Riley (52), $69,233 68-70-70-69-277
Webb Simpson (52), $69,233 71-68-67-71-277
Briny Baird (52), $69,233 72-63-70-72-277
Tim Herron (52), $69,233 67-68-71-71-277
J.B. Holmes (52), $69,233 73-67-67-70-277
Bryce Molder (52), $69,233 71-69-70-67-277
Peter Tomasulo (52), $69,233 65-68-72-72-277
Martin Laird (52), $69,233 65-69-78-65-277
Mark Wilson (44), $40,363 68-71-69-70-278
Mike Weir (44), $40,363 71-67-69-71-278
Scott Sterling (44), $40,363 67-68-72-71-278
Jeff Quinney (44), $40,363 71-69-65-73-278
Luke Donald (44), $40,363 71-69-67-71-278
Pat Perez (44), $40,363 67-67-72-72-278
Camilo Villegas (44), $40,363 63-71-72-72-278
Patrick Sheehan (38), $30,243 68-70-70-71-279
Dean Wilson (38), $30,243 68-70-69-72-279
Corey Pavin (38), $30,243 68-70-72-69-279
Joe Durant (38), $30,243 65-74-68-72-279
Kevin Streelman (38), $30,243 72-68-71-68-279
John Merrick (34), $24,544 70-68-70-72-280
Harrison Frazar (34), $24,544 68-71-70-71-280
Kevin Sutherland (34), $24,544 68-69-70-73-280
Leif Olson (34), $24,544 68-71-68-73-280
Daniel Chopra (29), $19,380 70-68-69-74-281
Steve Elkington (29), $19,380 68-71-75-67-281
Ken Duke (29), $19,380 66-71-74-70-281
Scott Piercy (29), $19,380 71-69-69-72-281
Derek Fathauer (29), $19,380 66-74-73-68-281
Darron Stiles (29), $19,380 69-71-68-73-281
Billy Mayfair (23), $13,872 69-69-70-74-282
D.A. Points (23), $13,872 68-71-66-77-282
Graham Delaet (0), $13,872 73-66-72-71-282
Jimmy Walker (23), $13,872 66-70-74-72-282
Jamie Lovemark (0), $13,872 74-66-69-73-282
David Peoples (23), $13,872 67-73-76-66-282
Jason Day (19), $12,240 70-70-72-71-283
Nicholas Thompson (18), $11,934 73-66-73-72-284
Kevin Na (18), $11,934 63-71-74-76-284
Kevin Stadler (16), $11,679 70-70-76-69-285
Frank Lickliter II (16), $11,679 68-72-72-73-285
Brendon de Jonge (14), $11,526 67-73-75-71-286
Jay Williamson (13), $11,424 70-68-77-72-287
Charles Warren (12), $11,271 70-68-69-81-288
Dicky Pride (12), $11,271 70-70-76-72-288
Mike Grob (0), $11,118 70-69-75-75-289
Parker McLachlin (9), $10,965 66-72-74-79-291
Andres Gonzales (0), $10,965 71-69-79-72-291
Made cut, did not finish
Bo Van Pelt (3), $10,251 74-67-141
Steve Lowery (3), $10,251 67-74-141
Cliff Kresge (3), $10,251 69-72-141
David Mathis (3), $10,251 71-70-141
Lucas Lee (0), $10,251 71-70-141
Jeff Klauk (3), $10,251 71-70-141
Omar Uresti (3), $10,251 72-69-141
Bob Heintz (3), $10,251 70-71-141
Jonathan Byrd (3), $10,251 72-69-141
Ryan Palmer (3), $10,251 69-72-141
Joe Ogilvie (3), $10,251 72-69-141
Aron Price (3), $10,251 72-69-141
July 27, 2009
SUNNINGDALE, England -Loren Roberts won his second Senior British Open title on Sunday, beating Mark McNulty on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.
Fred Funk also took part in the playoff, but was eliminated on the first extra hole when he made par as Roberts and McNulty birdied. The remaining pair parred the second playoff hole before Roberts clinched victory with another par at the next hole.
Greg Norman, the third-round leader, missed birdie chances at the first three holes and double-bogeyed the 17th after driving into trees. Norman finished in a tie for sixth place, three strokes behind the leaders.
Roberts, who won in 2006 at Turnberry, and Funk each shot a 67 in the final round. McNulty shot 64. Bernhard Langer (65) was fourth with Sam Torrance (67) fifth. Norman (71) and Larry Mize (68) were next.
Canadian Open
OAKVILLE, Ontario - Jason Dufner played six holes in 1 under to top the Canadian Open leaderboard before play was washed out because of the latest round of heavy rain and lightning, forcing the tournament to at least a fifth day.
Dufner, the second-round leader after rounds of 68 and 63 on the saturated Glen Abbey course, had a one-stroke lead over Anthony Kim and Jerry Kelly. Kim was 4 under after nine holes in the third round, and Kelly was 1 under through six.
The players are scheduled to resume play at 7:30 a.m. Monday, the first time the tournament has gone past the weekend since 1988. PGA Tour officials still hope to complete four rounds in the event drenched by about 5 inches of rain in four days.
Scott Verplank was two strokes back at 12 under along with Retief Goosen, Bob Estes, Peter Tomasulo and Michael Letzig.
Evian Masters
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France - Ai Miyazato of Japan won the Evian Masters with a birdie on the first playoff hole, beating Sophie Gustafson of Sweden to clinch her first victory on the LPGA Tour.
Miyazato steadied herself and sank a putt from about 6 feet after Gustafson had missed her birdie putt from the edge of the green. Miyazato shot a 3-under 69 and Gustafson had a 70 as both finished at 14-under 274.
Gustafson had a chance to win it on the 18th, but her eagle putt stopped at the edge of the hole.
Michelle Wie tied for 23rd at 5 under, but failed to collect any points in her bid for a place on the United States team for next months Solheim Cup match against Europe. Wie had three birdies on the last four holes to salvage her round, but finished just out of the top 20 to miss out on getting Solheim Cup points.
European Tour
LODDEKOPINGE, Sweden - Ricardo Gonzalez won the SAS Masters by two strokes, making birdies on five of the final six holes for a 4-under 69.
The 39-year-old Argentine finished at 10-under 282 on the 7,665-yard Barseback Golf Club course - the longest in European Tour history.
Jamie Donaldson of Wales closed with a course-record tying 68 to take second. Jeppe Huldahl of Denmark (74) was third, another two shots back.
July 27, 2009
Rich Barcelo shot a 6-under 65 to win on the Nationwide Tour for the first time, defeating Tom Gillis by a stroke in the Cox Classic.
The 34-year-old Barcelo had missed the cut twice and withdrew once in his previous three tournaments, but he emerged from a crowd at the top of the leaderboard Sunday by shooting his fourth consecutive round of under 70.
The Long Beach, Calif., native birdied three of his last five holes, finished at 20-under 264 and earned $130,500 of the $725,000 purse.
Gillis also finished strong, with birdies on three of the last four holes. He shot a final-round 66 and ended at 19-under 265.
July 27, 2009
Scores Sunday at the Canadian Open, a $5,1 million PGA Tour event at the 7,253-yard, par-72 Glen Abbey Golf Club (a-amateur).
Second Round
Jason Dufner 68-63-131
Jerry Kelly 65-67-132
Scott Verplank 65-67-132
Nathan Green 68-65-133
Peter Tomasulo 65-68-133
Martin Laird 65-69-134
Pat Perez 67-67-134
Camilo Villegas 63-71-134
Bob Estes 67-67-134
Retief Goosen 65-69-134
Kevin Na 63-71-134
Tim Herron 67-68-135
Anthony Kim 69-66-135
Briny Baird 72-63-135
Y.E. Yang 69-66-135
Scott Sterling 67-68-135
Michael Letzig 69-67-136
Mark Calcavecchia 71-65-136
Jimmy Walker 66-70-136
Ken Duke 66-71-137
Stephen Ames 68-69-137
Kevin Sutherland 68-69-137
Mike Weir 71-67-138
Corey Pavin 68-70-138
Jay Williamson 70-68-138
Charles Warren 70-68-138
Daniel Chopra 70-68-138
Parker McLachlin 66-72-138
Lee Janzen 68-70-138
Dean Wilson 68-70-138
John Merrick 70-68-138
Billy Mayfair 69-69-138
Chris Riley 68-70-138
Patrick Sheehan 68-70-138
D.A. Points 68-71-139
Scott McCarron 68-71-139
Nicholas Thompson 73-66-139
Mark Wilson 68-71-139
Graham Delaet 73-66-139
Harrison Frazar 68-71-139
Steve Elkington 68-71-139
Joe Durant 65-74-139
Webb Simpson 71-68-139
Leif Olson 68-71-139
Mike Grob 70-69-139
Jason Day 70-70-140
Dicky Pride 70-70-140
Brandt Snedeker 73-67-140
Jeff Quinney 71-69-140
Kevin Streelman 72-68-140
Kevin Stadler 70-70-140
Brendon de Jonge 67-73-140
Jamie Lovemark 74-66-140
Andres Gonzales 71-69-140
Scott Piercy 71-69-140
Luke Donald 71-69-140
J.B. Holmes 73-67-140
Bryce Molder 71-69-140
Frank Lickliter II 68-72-140
David Peoples 67-73-140
Derek Fathauer 66-74-140
Darron Stiles 69-71-140
Chris Baryla 69-71-140
Steve Marino 70-69-WD
Qualified, Did Not Advance
Bo Van Pelt 74-67-141
Steve Lowery 67-74-141
Cliff Kresge 69-72-141
David Mathis 71-70-141
Lucas Lee 71-70-141
Jeff Klauk 71-70-141
Omar Uresti 72-69-141
Bob Heintz 70-71-141
Jonathan Byrd 72-69-141
Ryan Palmer 69-72-141
Joe Ogilvie 72-69-141
Aron Price 72-69-141
Third-Round Leaderboard
Jason Dufner -14 thru 6
Anthony Kim -13 thru 9
Jerry Kelly -13 thru 6
Michael Letzig -12 thru 10
Retief Goosen -12 thru 8
Bob Estes -12 thru 7
Peter Tomasulo -12 thru 7
Scott Verplank -12 thru 6
D.A. Points -11 thru 14
Briny Baird -11 thru 9
