Archive for August, 2009
August 27, 2009
It didnt take long for Yang to appreciate the celebrity status that comes with being the first player to take down Tiger Woods in a major championship.
During a whirlwind week after Yang rallied from two shots behind to beat Woods in the U.S. PGA Championship, the 37-year-old South Korean headed to Carlsbad, California for a meeting with TaylorMade, one of his sponsors. He met with the marketing and production crew, and felt like a rock star during a sales meeting when employees chanted his name.
Then he strolled over to a practice facility and met former President George W. Bush.
He came up to me very casually, like a next-door neighbor, started talking with me, Yang said through his interpreter.
Turns out Bush had been to Jeju Island, Yangs hometown in South Korea for a speech, and they chatted for 30 minutes about Bushs relationship with South Korea President Lee Myung-bak and the coincidence of Bushs visit to Jeju Island coming so close to Yang becoming the first Asian-born player to win a major.
He asked me whether it was nerve-racking to play with Tiger for 18 holes, especially on the 18th hole, Yang said. And before I could answer, he said it must have been less nerve-racking than his eight years in office.
They also arranged for a round of golf. Bush and Yang both recently moved to the Dallas area.
We sort of promised to have a round of golf sometime when our schedules were OK, Yang said. And I told him that I would actually be willing to skip a tournament or two if he were willing to play golf with me. So, Im looking forward to that, as well.
Winning the U.S. PGA Championship has been slow to sink in for Yang.
Not many remember that he won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai by two shots over Woods in 2006, perhaps because they did not go head-to-head as they did in the final round at Hazeltine two weeks ago. His only U.S. PGA Tour victory had been the Honda Classic in March.
Celebrity showed up quickly.
Yang thinks he slept only 20 hours during the week after the U.S. PGA Championship as he tried to handle media requests from all parts of the world. His press conference on Wednesday at The Barclays was broadcast via satellite because of interest from the South Korean media. More than two dozen South Korean reporters were on site, and the first 30 minutes were devoted to Korean-only questions.
At the Presidents Cup, to be played in October in San Francisco, tour officials are hosting a viewing party with a large contingent of South Korean media and prominent business leaders from the Bay Area. Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to attend.
It really has not dawned on me the magnitude that everybody has been telling me what a big feat I have accomplished, Yang said. It just seems that I have become more famous, and thats about it.
About the only person he hasnt met since Hazeltine is the guy he beat.
I have not interacted with Tiger again, Yang said. The only thing that I really did was today before the pro-am, I just passed by him. We never even made eye contact. So thats about it.
If Yang still has vivid memories of his landmark victory in a major, so does Woods.
Yang closed with a 70, sewing up the victory with a 3-iron utility club around a tree and barely over a bunker for a final birdie. Woods missed four putts inside 12 feet on the back nine that could have made a difference, and he missed a final one for par that gave him a 75.
It was the 15th time Woods had at least a share of the lead going into the final round in a major, and first time he failed to win.
That night was tough, no doubt, Woods said. It was disappointing that I didnt win, especially since I was hitting it so well on Sunday. But its just like golf, you move on to the very next week. Went home and took a few days off, away from golf, and didnt touch the clubs after three straight weeks of playing golf just about every day. I was a little tired of it.
Yang, despite his lack of sleep, doesnt feel that tired. Nor is he about to apologize for ending one of the more amazing streaks in golf.
In some ways, you could say that I was the party pooper to Tigers long streak, Yang said. I have the utmost respect for Tiger Woods, and I like him. Hes cool. I like his swing. And theres a lot to learn from him, not just as a player, but as a person. … We always agree that Tiger Woods has bettered the game of golf.
Im a bit sorry, but if I had to do it again, I would still try and win.
August 26, 2009
Tim Jackson shot a second-round 72 to leave him at even par and earn medalist honors at the US Amateur on Tuesday, even after he was assessed a one-shot penalty for slow play at the conclusion of his round.
The 50-year-old became the oldest player in the history of the tournament to lead after stroke play. The top 64 in the field of 312 move into match play Wednesday at South Hills Country Club, with the 36-hole final set for Sunday.
The trio of Ben Martin of Greenwood, S.C., Will Strickler of Gainesville, Fla., and Mark Anderson of Beauford, S.C., finished a stroke behind Jackson.
August 26, 2009
Vijay Singh has changed putters and caddies throughout his career. Now comes one of the more significant changes. The 46-year-old Fijian is leaving his management company.
Singh says he has ended his management agreement with IMG. He will use longtime adviser David Lightner of FSM Capital and Charley Moore, a former IMG agent who now is an operating partner of New York-based Falconhead Capital.
Singh had been with IMG for 18 years and was close friends with IMG owner Ted Forstman, his frequent partner in the ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
I have been represented by IMG for quite some time and am thankful for their years of service, Singh said in a statement. I have many good friends there, and nothing is changing at that level. However, I feel this is the appropriate time to take my career management in a new direction. I spoke with Teddy last week, who is a personal friend, and we had a productive conversation. He knows I wish him and everybody at IMG nothing but the best.
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SHANGHAI: Even after the FedEx Cup ends, another strong field is in the making at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which is now part of the World Golf Championships series.
Phil Mickelson is the latest to commit to the tournament, to be played from Nov. 5-8. That gives Shanghai a field that already includes Tiger Woods, Geoff Ogilvy, British Open champion Stewart Cink, PGA champion Y.E. Yang, Players champion Henrik Stenson and defending champion Sergio Garcia.
After the Open Championship, its hard to think of a bigger or better tournament held outside the U.S., said Mickelson, who won the HSBC Champions two years ago. This tournament already had everything in place and deserved to be part of the WGC series. It has always gotten strong fields and so has a great reputation worldwide.
The tournament is a winners-only field based on the strongest events in each of the major tours. Among those who have yet to qualify include three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, although he might be able to get in as one of two players from the world ranking not already eligible.
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FEDEX FLAW?: One scenario that must have U.S. PGA Tour officials nervous is that Tiger Woods could win three straight playoff events and still not win the FedEx Cup.
To make the Tour Championship meaningful, points will be reset after three playoff events. The leader will have only a 250-point lead over second place, and a 1,900-point lead over 10th place.
If the leader - Woods, for example - finishes fifth at the Tour Championship, he could lose the FedEx Cup if someone from the top 10 wins at East Lake. That got Vijay Singhs attention on Tuesday.
If a guy goes out and wins two or three events, and shows up at the Tour Championship and doesnt win, is it fair? he said.
Then again, Singh showed up at East Lake last year and was assured of winning as long as he made his tee time each day.
I dont know which is the best combination, Singh said. They will have to try this and if it doesnt work, they will tweak it again. So right now, everybody seems to think its pretty good.
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START TO FINISH: Tiger Woods has led from start-to-finish in only seven of his 70 victories on the U.S. PGA Tour, another example that holding the lead for four days is never easy.
Thats what makes Ben Curtis so proud of his rare achievement.
Curtis led from start-to-finish at the now-defunct Booz Allen Classic, during which it rained so much at the TPC Avenel that the tournament was not completed until Tuesday.
Ive got one record Tiger will never beat, Curtis said. I had to sleep on the lead for five nights.
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FEWER DESIGNS: Jack Nicklaus design company has more than 340 courses in play around the world. But the work has slowed to a crawl because of the global economic downturn.
Its not very good, he said recently about the climate for new layouts.
Nicklaus designed the 18 holes at Punta Espada, home of the Cap Cana stop on the Champions Tour. But after putting in nine holes at the Las Iguanas course at the same exclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, the decision was made to wait a year to finish it, largely because of the downturn. Nicklaus is opening the first Golden Bear Lodge Spa at Cap Cana.
Apparently the market for signature courses isnt bad everywhere.
Our business primarily has been China, Korea, Russia, South Africa - all those places have continued to move forward, Nicklaus said. Most other places and the United States, its been very, very slow. I think well see a turn in the next six months or so.
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HOLDING PATTERN: Michael Sim of Australia won his third Nationwide Tour event to earn instant promotion to the U.S. PGA Tour, although his timing could not have been worse. Four of the next five weeks on the U.S. PGA Tour are occupied by the four FedEx Cup playoff events, and the other week is dark. Sim wont get a chance to play on the tour until Oct. 1 at the Turning Stone Resort.
He said he might continue playing the Nationwide Tour to stay sharp.
Because the Official World Golf Ranking award points to the Nationwide Tour, Sim has risen to No. 57 in the world. That would give him a chance to crack the top 50 by the end of the year and qualify for the Masters. And it raises another question in the immediate future. Might he earn consideration as a captains pick for the Presidents Cup team?
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STAT: Michael Bradley (Puerto Rico Open) is the only U.S. PGA Tour winner this year who did not qualify for the playoffs for the FedEx Cup.
August 25, 2009
Tiger Woods edged defending champion Camilo Villegas to win the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge skins tournament at Turning Stone Resorts Atunyote Golf Club on Monday.
After Villegas won $180,000 with a birdie at the 14th hole, Woods won the next three holes to finish with $230,000 to Villegas $200,000.
Begay won the final hole to pocket $70,000, while Mike Weir was shut out for the second straight year.
The event, a collaboration between the Oneida Indian Nation of New York and San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians of California, is an effort to aid the health of Native American youth and their communities. Begay, the only full-blooded Native American to play on the PGA Tour, established his foundation in 2005. It uses the sports of golf and soccer to promote physical fitness and wellness among Native American youth, who are plagued by obesity and diabetes.
Begay received a check for $750,000 for his foundation and Woods, his roommate in college at Stanford and his longtime friend, departed with the winning trophy, a piece of Pueblo Indian black pottery from Begays home state of New Mexico.
It was a rare appearance by the worlds top player, whose schedule leaves little room for such forays. Woods was glowing afterward, the stunning loss to Y.E. Yang in the PGA Championship a week ago erased by a few swings for charity.
Today was incredible, to come here and bring awareness to what Notah is trying to do, said Woods, who won five holes to three for Villegas. Its great to see what hes doing, to put his heart, soul and passion into something like this and bring this many people together to help them understand and educate the public. Im just so proud of him as a friend. Weve been through a lot together.
To have Tiger be a part of this is just a tremendous asset for the foundation and the event, Begay said. I think he enjoyed himself. He beat us, but I think weve kind of grown accustomed to that.
Just like a year ago, the first six holes were worth $10,000 apiece, the second six $20,000, holes 13 through 17 were worth $50,000 each, and No. 18 was worth $70,000.
Villegas won the inaugural event and seemed set to make it two in a row. After Woods birdied No. 8 to reach $80,000, the players halved the next five holes to boost the purse for No. 14 to $180,000.
Villegas hit his second shot at the 410-yard, par 4 to within 8 feet of the pin, then dropped to the turf in his spiderlike stance to study the line for the putt. After Woods birdie try slid a foot past the pin and Weirs slid just left of the hole, Villegas calmly rolled his in.
Undaunted, Woods, the bottom of his gray pants wet from walking the soggy course, hit his second shot at the par-4 15th hole, a 442-yard dogleg, inside 10 feet of the pin and won the $50,000 hole.
With a stiff right-to-left wind blowing at they teed off at No. 16, Woods hit to 8 feet and curled in another birdie putt for another $50,000 as this three rivals failed to match him.
At No. 17, another par 4, after Villegas lipped out a 15-foot birdie putt and Weir missed again just left, Woods calmly sank the winning putt, a perfectly paced 12-footer for birdie.
The last time Woods appeared in a major skins game format was in 2005, when he competed against Fred Couples, Fred Funk and Annika Sorenstam. Funk ended up the star in that nationally televised event, winning the most skins and showing some skin of his own by donning a skirt at one point after getting outdriven by Sorenstam.
Woods was scheduled to play in Begays event a year ago but had to skip it after injuring his knee. He made good on his promise this year and hinted that he might return.
Id do anything for him, Woods said. What hes trying to do, and what he has done for Native American communities is unheard of, really.
August 25, 2009
Tim Jackson is equally effective against golfers of any age.
The two-time USGA Mid-Amateur champion, who led the U.S. Senior Open through two rounds this summer, shot a 2-under 68 on Monday to take the lead after the first round of the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Jackson, 50, made three birdies against one bogey at Southern Hills Country Club. He was the lone golfer in the field of 156 at Southern Hills to best par, while four golfers managed to shoot 1-under at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow.
Jackson, of Germantown, Tenn., will move across town to the longer Cedar Ridge course Tuesday for the final qualifying round, after which the field of 312 will be cut to 64 for match play which runs Wednesday through Sunday at Southern Hills.
There were 61 golfers at 3-over or better and it will likely take a score of 147 or better to move into match play. The average score at Cedar Ridge in the opening round was 75.6 while the average at Southern Hills was 78.5.
A former multi-sport athlete who took up golf relatively late at age 16, Jackson won the USGA Mid-Amateur in 1994 and 2001 and finished tied for 11th in his first U.S. Senior Open earlier this year after leading at the halfway point.
Shooting 1-under at Cedar Ridge were Matthew Broome of Barrington, R.I., John Peterson of Fort Worth, Texas, Will Strickler of Gainesville, Fla. And Cameron Tringale of Laguna Niguel, Calif. Patrick Duncan of Rancho Santa Fe., Calif., was the lone player to post an even-par 70 at Southern Hills, while five players shot 70 at Cedar Ridge.
Among those at 71 was Rickie Fowler, the top-ranked amateur in the U.S.
Some of the pre-tournament favorites struggled. Canadian Matt Hill, who won the 2009 NCAA championship at North Carolina State, as well as seven other college tournaments and the Ontario Open, shot 75 at Cedar Ridge, stretched to 7,336 yards at par 70 by the USGA, which had several new tees installed prior to the tournament.
Its a tough course, said Hill, who has played three times on the PGA Tour this summer, including a tie for 70th at the ATT at Congressional. If you get it in the rough, with the wind we had, it was just very hard to make pars. And there are very few birdie holes out there.
Matt Benjamin, of Rockford, Ill., who upset Canadian Nick Taylor in the finals of the U.S. Public Links Championship in Norman, Okla., struggled to a 77 at Cedar Ridge, while Taylor, also regarded as a contender, shot 80 at Southern Hills.
This is a much tougher field and a much more difficult course, Benjamin said. You have to be on top of your game and I wasnt today.
Jackson is constantly asked why he hasnt turned professional. He much prefers the amateur game.
Its all Ive known, Jackson said. I started playing golf by accident when I was 16. I was a baseball player and we got rained out and a bunch of us went to the driving range. I was a good athlete, but golf was the hardest thing Ive ever tried to do. It just got me.
In addition to the two Mid-Amateur wins, Jackson has twice been a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team and would like to captain the team in the future.
August 24, 2009
John Cooks birdie putt just missed on the first playoff hole at the Jeld-Wen Tradition on Sunday, and so did his chances for a first major on the Champions Tour.
Cook was tied with Mike Reid at 16-under 272 after four rounds at Crosswater Golf Club in central Oregon, forcing the playoff. But while Cooks 15-foot putt missed, Reids 12-footer sank for the victory.
Ive had a lot of chances in majors, Cook said. I want to bag one of these soon. Thats how your career is measured.
The Tradition was the fourth of five majors on the tour this year.
Cook joined the Champions Tour in 2007 and has won twice, at the ATT Championship in both 2007 and 2008.
He won 11 events on the PGA Tour, and won the U.S. Amateur in 1978.
In the first round of the Tradition, Cook made a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 13 hole at Crosswater using an 8-iron. It was his first ace on the Champions Tour.
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BIG CHECK: Mike Reids victory in the Jeld-Wen Tradition amounted to the biggest payday of his professional career.
The Champions Tour major earned Reid $392,000. He is now 20th on the money list, his best season since 1995.
Reid won Sunday with a birdie putt on the first playoff hole at Crosswater Golf Club in central Oregon, besting John Cook.
Overall, Bernhard Langer of Germany remained atop the tour money list with earnings of more than $1.6 million this season. Langer finished well off the leaders at the Tradition at 7-under 281.
With his victory, Reid earned a full exemption for the calendar year and becomes eligible for the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii through 2014.
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FERNANDEZ WDs: Vicente Fernandez of Argentina withdrew before the start of the final round of the Jeld-Wen Tradition because of a bad back.
Fernandez was at 11 over after the first three days of the Champions Tour major at Crosswater Golf Club.
Greg Norman withdrew from the Tradition just before the opening round, also citing a sore back. It would have been his first appearance in the event and sixth start on the Champions Tour this year.
The Hall of Famer from Australia joined the tour for senior golfers in 2005. The Shark was the worlds top-ranked golfer for 331 weeks during the 1990s.
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DIVOTS: Brad Bryant fell short of becoming the first player to go wire-to-wire in a Champions Tour major since Doug Tewell in the Tradition in 2001. … Mike Reids win ends a string of 94 starts without one. … Five of 17 Champions Tour events have been decided in playoffs this season.
August 24, 2009
Scores Sunday at the Wyndham Championship, a $5,2 million PGA Tour event at the 7,117-yard, par-70 Sedgefield Country Club.
Completed Third Round
Sergio Garcia 67-64-64-195
Chris Riley 66-63-66-195
Bill Haas 62-69-66-197
Steve Marino 67-68-63-198
Brandt Snedeker 64-69-65-198
Justin Rose 65-68-65-198
Michael Allen 68-65-65-198
Kevin Stadler 69-63-66-198
Glen Day 69-64-66-199
Fred Couples 66-66-67-199
Chez Reavie 64-67-68-199
Ryan Moore 64-65-70-199
Kevin Sutherland 71-65-64-200
Jeff Maggert 66-63-71-200
Lucas Glover 66-68-67-201
Jeev M. Singh 69-64-68-201
Darron Stiles 70-66-66-202
Tim Herron 68-67-67-202
Jason Bohn 68-68-66-202
Joe Ogilvie 67-67-68-202
Matt Weibring 68-66-68-202
Rich Beem 67-67-68-202
Rod Pampling 69-65-68-202
Marc Leishman 67-65-70-202
Richard S. Johnson 68-70-64-202
Scott Gutschewski 71-67-64-202
Bryce Molder 68-68-67-203
Brad Faxon 68-68-67-203
Mark Wilson 70-65-68-203
Scott McCarron 66-69-68-203
Jonathan Byrd 66-70-67-203
Brian Davis 70-65-68-203
Nick OHern 69-66-68-203
Jeff Quinney 70-67-66-203
Jeff Klauk 69-68-66-203
Tim Petrovic 66-68-69-203
Corey Pavin 69-68-66-203
D.J. Trahan 67-70-66-203
David Mathis 70-68-65-203
Johnson Wagner 66-66-71-203
Kent Jones 68-68-68-204
Martin Laird 67-68-69-204
Daniel Chopra 67-69-68-204
Robert Garrigus 68-67-69-204
Aron Price 67-67-70-204
David Toms 69-68-67-204
Fernando Mechereffe 69-65-70-204
Scott Sterling 67-70-67-204
Kevin Streelman 65-68-71-204
Alex Cejka 67-66-71-204
J.P. Hayes 70-68-66-204
Ken Duke 66-67-71-204
Greg Owen 68-70-66-204
Boo Weekley 65-67-72-204
Todd Hamilton 67-71-66-204
Greg Chalmers 70-68-66-204
Rocco Mediate 67-69-69-205
Tom Pernice, Jr. 68-68-69-205
Bo Van Pelt 66-69-70-205
Vaughn Taylor 67-70-68-205
Brad Adamonis 69-68-68-205
James Driscoll 70-68-67-205
Bob Heintz 70-68-67-205
Matt Jones 67-69-70-206
Fredrik Jacobson 68-68-70-206
Carl Pettersson 70-65-71-206
Matt Bettencourt 69-66-71-206
Charles Howell III 68-67-71-206
Patrick Sheehan 67-67-72-206
Billy Mayfair 69-69-68-206
Kris Blanks 74-62-71-207
Jimmy Walker 70-67-70-207
Cliff Kresge 68-69-70-207
Charley Hoffman 68-70-69-207
Brett Quigley 69-69-69-207
Tommy Gainey 72-66-69-207
Danny Lee 68-70-69-207
Justin Thomas 65-72-71-208
J.J. Henry 69-64-75-208
Troy Matteson 68-70-70-208
Harrison Frazar 71-67-70-208
John Daly 66-70-73-209
Jay Williamson 67-70-72-209
Steve Lowery 69-68-72-209
John Senden 69-64-76-209
Matthew Borchert 69-68-73-210
Davis Love III 71-67-72-210
August 24, 2009
SUGAR GROVE, Ill -Morgan Pressel delivered the clinching point with her 3-and-2 victory over Anna Nordqvist on Sunday, and the Americans won their third straight Solheim Cup with a 16-12 decision over Europe.
After Nordqvist missed an 8-footer to keep the match going, Pressels teammates, who had been watching at the side of the green, leaped up and started celebrating.
Michelle Wie, whose 3-0-1 record was the best of any American this week, grabbed a U.S. flag and held it aloft to cries of Wheee! from the crowd. As the last three matches finished, there were shrieks of joy when the next American joined the party, and new rounds of U-S-A! U-S-A!
When the last match was done, they ran around the 18th green hugging each other and waving American flags. The fans at Rich Harvest Farms, so boisterous all week, serenaded the players with more chants and applause.
Wyndham Championship
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Ryan Moore won for the first time on the PGA Tour with a birdie on the third hole of a sudden death playoff to beat Kevin Stadler.
Moore - who vaulted up the leaderboard with five consecutive birdies on the back nine - had two chances to seal the victory after his approach on No. 18 landed in the middle of the green and rolled to 6 feet. He sank that putt for his first victory in his 112th event.
Stadlers second shot on the third playoff hole skipped off the back of the green. He chipped within 20 feet, but his putt drifted to the low side of the cup.
That cleared the way for Moore to pick up $918,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points for winning the final tournament before the playoffs start later this week.
Stadler, Moore and Jason Bohn forced the playoff after they were tied at 16-under 264 through 72 holes. Bohn was eliminated on the first playoff hole after he had trouble escaping the greenside bunker on No. 18 and his first shot rolled back into the sand.
Sergio Garcia blew a three-stroke lead midway through the final round, shot a 70 and finished at 265. Michael Allen (68), Kevin Sutherland (66), Fred Couples (67), Brandt Snedeker (68) and Justin Rose (68) were at 266.
Champions Tour
SUNRIVER, Ore. - Mike Reid made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat John Cook and win the Jeld-Wen Tradition for his second career major on the Champions Tour.
Reid raised both hands and let out a deep sigh before humbly removing his cap and shaking Cooks hand at Crosswater Golf Club in central Oregon.
Reids two majors - he also won the 2005 Senior PGA Championship - are his only two wins on the tour.
Cooks approach shot on the playoff hole, No. 18, came to rest about 15 feet away and his downhill putt for birdie missed just left.
Reid shot a final-round 70 and Cook had a 69 to finish at 16-under 272.
Nationwide Tour
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Michael Sim played his way onto the PGA Tour.
The Australian shot a 4-under 67 to win his third Nationwide Tour event this season, taking the Christmas in October Classic by two strokes.
Josh Teaters 66 followed a 63 the day before, but wasnt enough to catch Sim, who had only two bogeys all weekend and none in the final 45 holes to take home $112,500.
Sim, the Nationwide money leader, won promotion to the PGA Tour for the remainder of this season and next season, the ninth golfer on the Nationwide Tour to do so.
Michael Clark II shot a 63 to take third at 16-under 268, followed a stroke back by Blake Adams (66) and one more by Chad Collins (67).
Sal Spallone (67), Hunter Haas (70) and Steve Wheatcroft (71) were all tied at 271.
European Tour
ZANDVOORT, Netherlands - Englands Simon Dyson came from six shots back to win the KLM Open, beating Irelands Peter Lawrie and Swedens Peter Hedblom in a playoff.
After six birdies in his first 12 holes, Dyson matched a course record with a 7-under 63 and then birdied the first extra hole for his second title at the KLM Open.
Lawrie was one ahead of Dyson with three to play until he bogeyed the 16th, while Hedblom lost his fourth career playoff by missing a 25-foot putt.
August 23, 2009
Results Saturday in the Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms.
USA 8, EUROPE 8
Fourballs
United States 1 1/2, Europe 2 1/2
Christina Kim and Michelle Wie, United States, def. Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui, Europe, 5 and 4.
Catriona Matthew and Diana Luna, Europe, halved with Angela Stanford and Brittany Lang, United States.
Suzann Pettersen and Anna Nordqvist, Europe, def. Nicole Castrale and Cristie Kerr, United States, 1 up.
Gwladys Nocera and Maria Hjorth, Europe, def. Brittany Lincicome and Kristy McPherson, United States, 1 up.
Foursomes
United States 2, Europe 2
Janice Moodie and Sophie Gustafson, Europe, def. Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster, United States, 4 and 3.
Kristy McPherson and Morgan Pressel, United States, def. Helen Alfredsson and Suzann Pettersen, Europe, 2 up.
Becky Brewerton and Gwladys Nocera, Europe, def. Natalie Gulbis and Christina Kim, United States, 5 and 4.
Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie, United States, def. Anna Nordqvist and Maria Hjorth, Europe, 1 up.
August 23, 2009
The sun went down over Rich Harvest Farms and everybodys nerves seemed to go with it.
Cristie Kerr nearly took the head off a fake swan. Michelle Wie chunked a fairway shot that somehow made its way through - not around - a tree.
Europeans Anna Nordqvist and Maria Hjorth couldnt capitalize on any of it, and when Saturdays 12 hours of golf were finally over, the United States had pulled into an 8-8 tie in the Solheim Cup that felt more like a lead. The United States has a .602 winning percentage in singles over the course of the tournament, and has lost only three times in singles.
The last time? That would be 2003, also the last time Europe won the Solheim Cup.
The Americans need 14 points to win a third straight Solheim Cup, while Europe needs 14 1/2 points to claim it on U.S. soil for the first time.
Im just really proud of them the way they came back. It was not looking too good for us for a while, and they really rallied in those last couple of matches there in the afternoon, U.S. captain Beth Daniel said. That was huge. Also, it should be a huge momentum swing for us to come back that way. They feel like theyre ahead, and they should feel that way.
For the Europeans, it was an opportunity lost.
They managed to erase the one-point lead the Americans had after the first day, and looked midway through the afternoon as if they might go into Sunday ahead. But with the U.S. history in singles, they couldnt afford to give anything away - especially with points there for the taking down the stretch.
After being one point down yesterday and bringing it back to all square, Im happy with that, captain Alison Nicholas said. Singles is always difficult. We havent been that good over the years, but we have won that series. Weve got nothing to lose and hopefully well just do a bit better than we have in the past.
When Wie and Christina Kim easily beat Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui 5-and-4 in the opening fourball match, it looked as if it might be the start of a big day for the Americans. Kerr was holing out from the fairway two holes back about the same time, and the Americans had a lead in another match, too.
As Wie and Kim bumped hips and hugged it out on the green, the raucous crowd chanted The Cup stays here.
It was way too early for that.
Europe rallied to win the fourballs 2 1/2-1 1/2 and tie tournament up, then took an early lead in foursomes with two easy wins.
It looked like we were going to go in down a point or two, and to be even is big, Daniel said. Its really big.
Pretty, however, it was not.
Morgan Pressel missed an 18-footer on 17 that would have won her and Kristy McPhersons foursomes match against Alfredsson and Suzann Pettersen. With Pettersen making a long putt for birdie, the Europeans had a chance to halve the match. But Pettersen missed a 25-footer, and Pressel made her putt to give the Americans a 2-up victory.
We knew just how important our match was, Pressel said.
So did Wie and Kerr.
Kerr is one of the steadiest players on the U.S. team, which made her decision on 17 all the more shocking. Wies tee shot found rough on the right side, and there was a big pond between Kerr and the green. The Americans were 2 up, and Hjorth had gone in the sand off the tee.
Instead of playing it safe, Kerr decided to go for it. Sure enough, the ball skipped through the water, nearly hitting one of the fake swans in the middle. Wie mishit the next shot and flew the green, landing in deep rough. Kerrs flop shot for a bogey skirted the hole, but didnt drop.
Advantage Europeans? Nope. Hjorth missed a 6-footer for bogey and the hole, and Wie rolled in a 3-footer for the half.
That halve on that hole was ridiculous, Kerr said.
The Americans caught more breaks on 18. Kerrs drive kicked out into the fairway after hitting a tree, Wie found her own way through a tree. Kerrs approach flew the green, leaving Wie with a long putt. She got it close, curving the ball around the edge of the cup and bringing her teammates to their feet.
But the ball wouldnt drop. Neither, though, would a short putt by Hjorth.
We did lose some ground today, but were still tied going into singles, Pressel said. Weve got 12 points available and we have a very, very, very strong team.
And no one is stronger than Wie at this point.
Expectations for the big-hitting Hawaiian have been huge since she was in grade school, but injuries and other missteps have cost her and shes yet to have that breakthrough performance. This week might be it.
She put an approach shot within 18 inches from 149 yards out on the sixth hole of her fourball match with Kim, starting a run that gave the Americans four straight holes. She didnt flinch when she needed to make big shots with Kerr. Her drives were impressive, as always, and she showed a deftness with her short game.
Perhaps most impressive was how animated she was. Oh, shes given fist pumps before, even yelled a few times. But this was Michelle Unplugged. She sprinted along the side of the green after making a nice chip. She played to the crowd, waving her arms and cupping her hand to her ear to urge them to cheer louder. She and Kim even had a special handshake.
She was so pumped up, I was worried about it, Daniel said.
She neednt have been.
We just had a ball out there, Wie said. It was just fun.
