Archive for September, 2009
September 10, 2009
Tiger Woods passed Arnold Palmer on the PGA Tours career victory list last year, and some found it surprising how the King chose to congratulate him.
Weve had a couple of text messages back and forth, Palmer said.
If its hard to imagine Palmer punching his thumbs on a cell phone to send a text, another sign of the times comes on Thursday when Palmer celebrates his 80th birthday.
And how to mark the big occasion? By playing golf, of course.
Palmer was in Orlando, Fla., for some weekend festivities. He threw out the first pitch Tuesday night at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Then he retreated to his home in western Pennsylvania for golf and dinner Wednesday at Laurel Valley. His office said he would play golf with friends Thursday at Latrobe Country Club.
Thats where Palmer learned to play golf. After all these years, it remains his greatest passion.
I think of him as the greatest amateur-professional who ever lived, longtime friend Dow Finsterwald said in this months issue of Golf Digest. By that I mean he never stopped playing the game for the love of it, like an amateur. Sure, he liked making a nice living. But he loved to play. Still does.
Jack Nicklaus, a close friend and rival, met up with him at the Masters this year and the conversation turned to golf. Nicklaus asked how he was playing and Palmer told him, Horrible.
How much are you playing? He said, Every day, Nicklaus said. But thats him. Thats what he does.
Padraig Harrington recalled watching a Champions Tour event a decade ago, when Palmer came off the course excited as ever.
He is buzzing, Harrington said. Youve never seen a man with so much excitement and enthusiasm, because he found the secret to the game. I just love the fact hes played the game at least 50 years competitively, and hes still convinced that theres a secret. I just love his enthusiasm.
Nicklaus believes Palmers record, including seven majors, only tells part of the story.
Palmer won the Masters four times, but his swashbuckling style and the arrival of television proved to be the perfect marriage to make golf appealing to the masses. His only U.S. Open victory defined his hard-charging style. Americans rarely traveled to the British Open until Palmer made the trip in 1960 and made golfs oldest championship relevant again.
He never won the PGA Championship, although it was Palmer who created the modern Grand Slam.
I think he brought a lot more to the game than his game, Nicklaus said. What I mean by that is, theres no question about his record and his ability to play the game. He was very, very good at that. But he obviously brought a lot more. He brought the hitch of his pants, the flair that he brought to the game, the fans that he brought into the game.
He brought more than just his golf game.
And he keeps right on going. Palmer is the only living player with a PGA Tour event named after him - the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill - and he was among those who made a strong pitch for golf to become part of the Olympics.
He remains current to players not even born when he won his last PGA Tour event in 1973, including Woods.
While talking about Palmers impending 80th birthday, Woods recalled nearly losing his college eligibility because of the kindness of the King. The Champions Tour was in northern California one year, and Woods was in Stanford when Palmer invited him to dinner.
The tab comes, and Im not going to say, Hey, Arnold, its on me. He picks up the tab like its no big deal, Woods said. And (I) come to find out, my coach had to report me because that was a violation. I had to send him a check.
Phil Mickelson patterns much of his game and his personality after Palmer. No other star signs more autographs and makes more eye contact than Mickelson, and it pleases Palmer especially that Mickelsons signature is legible.
Mickelson qualified for his first Masters in 1991 as a U.S. Amateur champion, and he quickly arranged a practice round with Palmer.
We walked off the 18th tee about 100 yards, and he kind of grabs my arm and pulls me over and stops, and says, Right here. Right here, Mickelson said. Palmer then told him of the 1961 Masters, when someone in the gallery congratulated him for a sure victory. He hit into a bunker, made double bogey and lost.
He was still fuming about it 30 years later, Mickelson said.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem was on his way to Laurel Valley on Wednesday and said only that the tour would have a little presentation for him. What to get one of the most popular figures in golf for his 80th birthday?
Harrington wouldnt know where to begin. He remains in awe of the time he was at an Italian restaurant last year in Miami having an appetizer when he heard someone approach the bar and order an Arnold Palmer.
Now thats getting to another level, Harrington said. Think about it. You dont go up there and order a Tiger Woods at the bar. You can go up there and order an Arnold Palmer in this country and the barman - he was a young man - knew what the drink was. Thats in a league of your own.
September 10, 2009
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday any increases in prize money will be flat over the next decade, and that he didnt seriously consider reducing purses during the economic downturn.
Our objective is to do the things that we need to do to continue to grow as we come out of a downturn, Finchem said. And its not our intention to go backward to get ready to go forward. Our intention is slow growth during this period, and then come back and grow more.
Most tournaments have incremental increases built into their contracts, some as little as $100,000. At least two tournaments were allowed to keep their prize money the same from 2008 because of special circumstances. The ATT National, for example, had to pay a higher site fee this year to stay at Congressional with the U.S. Open coming to Bethesda, Md., in two years.
Seth Waugh, the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said last week that he urged Finchem to keep prize money the same because it sent the wrong message in a tough economy.
The idea that we would sort of just generally roll back really doesnt accomplish anything, Finchem said. It just sets us back on a basis from which to move forward, and we dont feel the need to do that.
Finchem did not agree with the idea that raising purses, even slightly, could be perceived the wrong way. He noted that players do not get a salary, rather they have to compete for prize money each week.
And he didnt see how a $100,000 reduction would change anything.
It results in having to change all of our contracts to get it done, and it puts us in a position thats not positive from a negotiating standpoint, he said.
He also said the contract extensions with four title sponsors this year include incremental increases in later years.
Even so, Finchem said prize money wont be growing at the same rate as the previous dozen years in the Tiger Woods era. Total prize money in 1996 - Woods last year as an amateur - was nearly $70 million. The first television contract renewal after Woods joined the PGA Tour resulted in total prize money of about $135 million in 1999, and it has gone up steadily to nearly $280 million last year.
Overall, Id say over the next five or 10 years, you wont see the kind of increases we had the last 10 years, even in an up economy, Finchem said. Theyll be more modest. But thats our intention, to continue to grow.
Meanwhile, the Sports Business Journal reported that the tours financial reserves lost more than 25 percent of their value in 2008 because of the slide in the stock market.
Operating reserves are invested, and investments are off, Finchem said. Theyre not off that much, but theyre off the last couple of years. Now, theyve come back some this year, but were still trying to grow the reserve, and when the dollars that are invested are getting hit, you have to grow more. So weve had that impact. Weve just had to work harder. Weve had to find new sources of revenue and weve had to cut costs, and thus far, weve been able to do that.
September 8, 2009
Steve Stricker can build a strong case for the Deutsche Bank Championship as the biggest victory of his career.
It was his first win with Tiger Woods in the tournament. His third victory of the season moved him up to a career-high No. 2 in the world ranking. And he replaced Woods atop the FedEx Cup standings.
What satisfied Stricker the most, however, was how he won.
In a wild Labor Day finish on the TPC Boston, where a half-dozen players came to the par-5 18th hole with hopes of winning, Stricker finished with back-to-back birdies for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot victory Monday.
Knowing I had to make a couple of birdies and actually doing it means a lot, he said.
The names kept changing atop the leaderboard throughout the back nine, and Stricker only found comfort from seeing his name in the mix. Jason Dufner was the first player to break out of the tie with a two-putt birdie on the 18th. Standing in the 17th fairway, Stricker heard another cheer through the trees and figured it was Scott Verplank making birdie - his fourth in a row - to tie for the lead.
Thats when Stricker took over.
He knocked in a 15-foot birdie on the 17th, helped by getting a good read on the tricky putt from Retief Goosen. Then, he split the middle of the 18th fairway and hit a hybrid just over the green. He hit a delicate chip to tap-in range for the win.
It was a tough day. There was a lot of guys in the mix, Stricker said. And I just found a way to get it done.
Stricker finished at 17-under 267 and earned $1.35 million. He also built a 909-point lead over Woods in the FedEx Cup with two tournaments remaining. Because the points are reset after next week in Chicago, Stricker is assured of being no worse than the No. 2 seed in the Tour Championship with a chance to win the $10 million prize.
Its been a blast, and I want to keep riding it out, Stricker said, his voice cracking. His only failure Monday was winning a PGA Tour event and trying to get through an interview without crying. This makes him 0 for 7.
Dufner, who had to go through two stages of Q-school last year, two-putted from 40 feet for birdie at a 65 to become the first player to post at 16-under 268. Verplank birdied his last four holes, and his eagle putt from the fringe grazed the edge of the cup. He wound up with a 67 and thought he might be headed for a playoff.
About the only player not in the mix was Woods, although he set the tone for the wild finish by tying a tournament record with a 30 on the front nine and getting within one shot of the leaders - even though they were still on the range - until settling for a 63.
His early departure didnt make it easier on anyone, not with five major champions among the top 10.
I knew that Strick would be tough to catch today, Verplank said. Hes not Tiger, but you know what? He may be the second-best player, at least on this tour. The guy is really playing good. So I knew he was going to be tough to catch. And it turns out he was.
Padraig Harrington recovered from two poor drives that cost him three penalty strokes and had a chance to join Dufner and Verplank until he narrowly missed a 10-foot eagle putt. He shot 68 and tied for fourth with Masters champion Angel Cabrera, who missed the 18th fairway and made par for a 65; and Dustin Johnson, who failed to get up-and-down from behind the 18th green and shot 66.
It was the fourth time in five weeks that Harrington, winless since his PGA Championship last year, had a chance in the final round. He had a one-shot lead going to the back nine until hooking his tee shot into a hazard on the 10th, and hooking another tee shot on the 12th for a lost ball.
Im disappointed with today because it was in my control, said Harrington. I was leading the tournament, and going into the back nine it was mine to lose. And I lost it. Ill feel this one a lot more than some of the others.
Woods also was part of the fun, although briefly.
Certainly, from where I was at, I couldnt win the tournament, even if I shot 60 or something like that, Woods said.
Really, the only suspense was whether he could go after a 59, and that ended with a par on the 16th. Woods bogeyed the next hole and had to settle for his best score of the year. He tied for 11th, five shots behind.
When he left, the tournament began.
With so much noise from so many birdies, Stricker was plodding along with pars on the back nine, wanting only to hit greens and give himself birdie chances. He waited until the end to deliver.
It was quite a change from last week, when Stricker missed a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole at The Barclays to force a playoff. That loss stung, but not for long.
Asked if it was gratifying to bounce back one week later and have another putt on the 18th hole, Stricker laughed.
This one was more my length, Ill tell you that, he said. I liked this 1-footer.
Stricker also won the opening playoff event in 2007, and he now has had 28 of 40 rounds in the 60s during this postseason bonanza. Told that he had replaced Woods atop the FedEx Cup standings, Stricker put it all in perspective.
Were taking up space in his world, he said. But Im thrilled to death to be playing how Im playing.
September 8, 2009
Tiger Woods was 6 under after six holes in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, leaving fans wondering whether they would see an unprecedented comeback.
But Woods never got his own hopes up after starting the day nine strokes back.
The whole idea was to try and shoot something in the low 60s and that would probably get me in the Top 10, he said after an 8-under par 63 left briefly brought him within a stroke of the lead. Certainly from where I was at, I couldnt win the tournament, even if I shot 60 or something like that. I was so far back; these guys, (with) no wind, soft greens and pretty benign pins, theyll go low.
Woods, who has never come from more than eight strokes behind to win as a pro, shot 70-67-72 over the first three rounds to earn an early tee time Monday - more than three hours before Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen left at 1:40 p.m. Woods, who won at the TPC of Boston in 2006, birdied the first four holes and eagled No. 6 on Monday morning.
But he bogeyed the 11th and 17th, played the back nine in 2-under and finished 12 under for the tournament, five strokes behind Stricker and tied for 11th.
Woods was the leader in the clubhouse for hours, but he knew it wouldnt last.
Whether you can win a tournament or not, it doesnt matter, he said. You go out there and post a low number, as low as youve got for that day. It doesnt change, whether youve just made the cut or youre dew-sweeping on the last day. It doesnt matter. You post a low round and see what happens. You can feel good about it, you know?
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POINTS RACE: The Deutsche Bank Championship was the place where Vijay Singh effectively clinched his FedEx Cup victory last year, and the place where his title defense ended in 2009.
Singh won the first two playoff events last year to run away with the PGA Tour playoff title and the $10 million bonus that goes with it. But he missed the cut at The Barclays last week and followed it up with a tie for 54th at the TPC of Boston, shooting 2-over 73 in the final round.
He is 81st in the standings and did not make the third round of the four-round playoff.
It was a different story for Marc Leishman, who eagled No. 18 on the 72nd and final hole and finished tied for 15th at 11 under. That moved him up to 67th on the points list - just enough to earn a berth in the BMW Championship next week.
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PHEDEX CUP: Phil Mickelson, the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship winner, finished well in the pack despite shooting 65 in the final round.
Although he didnt contend at the TPC of Boston, his strong finish left him in good shape in the PGA Tour playoff race. He is 12th overall, meaning he could probably skip next weeks BMW Championship outside of Chicago and still qualify in the top 30 that make the season-ending Tour Championship.
Mickelson had committed to play next week, but he said Monday he wasnt sure. Mickelson has played only four tournaments since the U.S. Open in June after taking time off to be with his wife, Amy, and his mother, Mary, who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
I wasnt ready to make that decision last Friday, so Im going to fly home tonight and well see how it goes, he said. Its just day-to-day. I dont want to be gone for two weeks. … Its just hard being apart for an extended period of time.
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DEUTSCHE BANK FUTURE: Seth Waugh, the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said he is confident the tournament will continue after its contract expires next year.
Waugh said this weekend hes confident about picking up the two-year option through 2012.
All the reasons we do this still exist, more than ever: raising money for charity, helping bring things to the economy here, our brand has never been stronger, advertising has never been more important and being with clients, he said.
The outlook has changed dramatically over the last six months, he said, because the economy has shown signs of coming out of the downturn.
Six months ago, I would have said it would be a very hard thing to do, Waugh said. If its a question of jobs or a golf tournament, its not a fair fight - not that its ever that directly related. But its the most expensive thing we do all year. We also get a great return on it. We feel pretty good about it. It gets better every year.
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PRIZE MONEY: Deutsche Bank Americas CEO Seth Waugh said he would have liked for the PGA Tour to keep purses the same in 2009 instead of slight increases. The playoff events increased from $7 million to $7.5 million, which was built into the contracts. Most regular tournaments went up by $100,000 or so.
He said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said prize money went up slightly because sponsorship was strong.
A lot of players would have said last year they shouldnt have raised purses, Waugh said. Golf is different. To have a chance to send a message … I talked to Tim last fall, and I said, Tim, this is really bad. You ought to think about it in this context.
He said, Were in good shape and sponsors are strong. We think its a sign of strength. I understand that perspective, Waugh said. I dont know that he was wrong and I was right. Thats my perspective. You give value to people and then you have a customer for a long time.
September 8, 2009
Scores Monday from the $7,5 million Deutsche Bank Championship at the 7,202-yard, par-71 TPC Boston course.
Final
FedExCup points in parentheses
Steve Stricker (2500), $1,350,000 63-72-65-67-267
Jason Dufner (1250), $660,000 66-69-68-65-268
Scott Verplank (1250), $660,000 65-68-68-67-268
Angel Cabrera (600), $310,000 65-69-70-65-269
Dustin Johnson (600), $310,000 68-65-70-66-269
Padraig Harrington (600), $310,000 67-67-67-68-269
Geoff Ogilvy (450), $251,250 66-68-70-66-270
Jim Furyk (400), $217,500 63-67-73-68-271
Sean OHair (400), $217,500 66-64-70-71-271
Retief Goosen (400), $217,500 65-67-68-71-271
Tiger Woods (315), $165,000 70-67-72-63-272
John Senden (315), $165,000 69-64-70-69-272
Jerry Kelly (315), $165,000 66-69-67-70-272
Kevin Na (315), $165,000 69-66-66-71-272
Bill Haas (273), $123,750 69-66-72-66-273
Marc Leishman (273), $123,750 70-62-72-69-273
Matt Kuchar (273), $123,750 65-71-68-69-273
Kevin Sutherland (273), $123,750 68-65-69-71-273
Charlie Wi (253), $94,125 71-64-72-67-274
Zach Johnson (253), $94,125 68-71-67-68-274
Jason Day (253), $94,125 68-66-72-68-274
Justin Leonard (253), $94,125 65-68-72-69-274
Stephen Ames (235), $72,000 67-73-69-66-275
Mike Weir (235), $72,000 68-65-72-70-275
Jeff Overton (235), $72,000 69-66-70-70-275
Sergio Garcia (225), $60,000 70-71-68-67-276
Phil Mickelson (210), $53,250 71-68-72-66-277
Pat Perez (210), $53,250 70-65-75-67-277
Steve Marino (210), $53,250 70-68-71-68-277
Charley Hoffman (210), $53,250 69-69-70-69-277
Mark Wilson (210), $53,250 70-69-66-72-277
Brandt Snedeker (188), $43,406 70-70-71-67-278
Bubba Watson (188), $43,406 68-71-71-68-278
Kevin Streelman (188), $43,406 70-68-71-69-278
Jason Bohn (188), $43,406 73-67-69-69-278
Woody Austin (153), $31,538 67-70-74-68-279
Greg Chalmers (153), $31,538 67-70-74-68-279
Scott Piercy (153), $31,538 67-69-74-69-279
David Toms (153), $31,538 67-69-73-70-279
Lucas Glover (153), $31,538 69-68-72-70-279
Troy Matteson (153), $31,538 66-71-72-70-279
Scott McCarron (153), $31,538 70-70-69-70-279
Bryce Molder (153), $31,538 67-69-72-71-279
Anthony Kim (153), $31,538 71-70-67-71-279
Hunter Mahan (153), $31,538 73-66-69-71-279
Nick Watney (120), $21,850 71-69-71-69-280
Kenny Perry (120), $21,850 69-72-69-70-280
Mathew Goggin (120), $21,850 71-69-69-71-280
Bob Estes (100), $18,510 70-71-71-69-281
D.A. Points (100), $18,510 69-70-73-69-281
Brian Davis (100), $18,510 67-70-73-71-281
Davis Love III (100), $18,510 69-70-71-71-281
Michael Letzig (100), $18,510 68-68-73-72-281
Justin Rose (73), $17,025 69-70-77-66-282
Luke Donald (73), $17,025 69-72-72-69-282
Boo Weekley (73), $17,025 68-69-74-71-282
Brian Gay (73), $17,025 70-67-73-72-282
Vijay Singh (73), $17,025 67-72-70-73-282
Charles Howell III (73), $17,025 68-69-71-74-282
Daniel Chopra (55), $16,500 67-71-73-72-283
Briny Baird (38), $15,975 73-67-74-70-284
J.J. Henry (38), $15,975 72-68-74-70-284
Jonathan Byrd (38), $15,975 67-74-71-72-284
Greg Owen (38), $15,975 69-69-73-73-284
Camilo Villegas (38), $15,975 70-69-71-74-284
Brett Quigley (38), $15,975 70-69-71-74-284
Y.E. Yang (20), $15,450 71-70-69-75-285
J.B. Holmes (15), $15,300 72-67-71-77-287
Ben Crane (7), $15,000 73-68-78-69-288
D.J. Trahan (7), $15,000 71-70-76-71-288
Fredrik Jacobson (7), $15,000 70-68-77-73-288
Richard S. Johnson (5), $14,700 68-72-75-74-289
Ryuji Imada (5), $14,550 74-66-75-81-296
September 7, 2009
Jeff Sluman overcame a six-stroke deficit Sunday at Pebble Beach to successfully defend his Walmart First Tee Open title, acing the fifth hole and finishing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory.
Sluman, who started the day tied for fifth after a second-round 73, had the hole-in-one on the 187-yard fifth to finish at 10-under 206.
Gene Jones shot a 70 to finish second. Tom Lehman (73) and Mark OMeara (75) followed at 7 under, and second-round leader Loren Roberts (78) tied for fifth with David Eger (69) and Olin Browne (71) at 6 under.
Sluman won for the first time this season after winning twice last year in his first full season on the Champions Tour. He won six times on the PGA Tour.
After catching Roberts, Sluman had held off runs by Jones and Mark OMeara after they closed within a shot of the lead.
Sluman opened with a 65 at Del Monte and shot a 73 on Saturday at Pebble Beach.
He shot a front-nine 31, highlighted by the ace on No. 5 that pulled him into a tie with OMeara, two shots behind Roberts. Roberts and OMeara, playing behind Sluman, both followed with bogeys on No. 5 to make it even tighter.
Sluman kept the pressure on and took the lead with a birdie on No. 9 while Roberts bogeyed Nos. 7 and 8 to drop two shots back.
Roberts, coming off a one-stroke victory over OMeara last week in the Boeing Classic in Washington, couldnt stop his freefall and ended the day with six bogeys after making just two in the first two rounds.
OMeara, a 16-time winner on the PGA Tour who was two shots off the pace heading into the final round, is winless since joining the Champions Tour in 2007.
Slumans bogey on No. 11 cut his lead to one stroke, but he came back to birdie No. 14, then parred three of the final four holes for the win.
As he prepared to putt out on No. 18, Sluman was interrupted by comedian Bill Murray who stood about 30 feet away and yelled We love you Jeff! as the crowd laughed.
Roberts, meanwhile, was left to think about what could have been after blowing what appeared to be a comfortable lead.
He had three bogeys in a four-hole span on the front nine, then bogeyed three consecutive holes on the back nine to fade away.
September 7, 2009
NORTON, Mass -Steve Stricker squeezed everything he could out of his final shot Sunday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, setting up an eagle that gave him a share of the lead with Retief Goosen and Sean OHair.
Stricker, who can overtake Tiger Woods atop the FedEx Cup standings with a victory, hit his hybrid to 5 feet on the par-5 18th for a 6-under 65. He was among a dozen players separated by three shots going into the Labor Day finish at TPC Boston.
OHair (70), who started the blustery third round tied for the lead, overcame a sluggish start with birdies on two of the last three holes. Goosen (68) had a chance to take the outright lead until he failed to get up-and-down from a bunker on the 18th.
While the leaders were at 13-under 200, Woods struggled from the opening shot. He hit driver into the woods for a one-shot penalty, didnt make a birdie until the 15th hole and shot a 72. That left him nine shots behind in a tie for 30th.
Padraig Harrington, cheered wildly in a region with a large Irish population, knocked in a long birdie putt at the 18th for a 67 and was among those one shot behind, along with Scott Verplank (68) and Kevin Na (66).
Canadian Womens Open
PRIDDIS, Alberta - Norways Suzann Pettersen won the Canadian Womens Open for her first LPGA Tour win in nearly two years, closing with a 1-under 70 for a five-stroke victory at Priddis Greens.
The tall Norwegian finished at 15-under 269 after opening rounds of 65, 68 and 66. Since winning five times in 2007, she had six runner-up finishes, including a playoff loss last weekend in Oregon.
Momoko Ueda (65), Morgan Pressel (66), Ai Miyazato (67), Karrie Webb (69) and Angela Stanford (70) tied for second.
Walmart First Tee Open PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Jeff Sluman overcame a six-stroke deficit at Pebble Beach to successfully defend his Walmart First Tee Open title, acing the fifth hole and finishing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory.
Sluman, who started the day tied for fifth after a second-round 73, had four birdies and the hole-in-one on the 187-yard fifth to finish at 10-under 206. He has three Champions Tours victories after winning six times on the PGA Tour.
Gene Jones shot a 70 to finish second. Tom Lehman (73) and Mark OMeara (75) were 7 under, and second-round leader Loren Roberts (78) tied for fifth at 6 under.
Omega European Masters
CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland - Swedens Alexander Noren won the Omega European Masters for his first European tour victory, eagling the 15th hole and shooting a 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Wales Bradley Dredge.
Noren finished at 20-under 264. He pitched in from a greenside bunker for his eagle at 15. Dredge, the 2006 winner, shot a 65. Irelands Ross McGowan (65) finished third, three strokes back.
Mexico Open
LEON, Mexico - Former Boise State player Troy Merritt won the Mexico Open on for his first Nationwide Tour victory, beating Australias Adam Bland with a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.
The 23-year-old Merritt won when Bland missed his 8-foot birdie try.
Merritt and Bland finished regulation at 15-under 273 in the soggy, weather-plagued tournament at El Bosque Country Club. Merritt closed with a 3-under 69, while Bland broke the course record with a 64. Merritt earned $117,000 to jump from 146th to 27th on the money list with $134,617. The final top 25 will earn 2010 PGA Tour cards.
September 7, 2009
Results Sunday from the LPGA Tours $2,75 million Canadian Open at the 6,427-yard, par-71 Priddis Greens Golf Club.
Final Round
Suzann Pettersen 65-68-66-70-269
Momoko Ueda 67-72-70-65-274
Morgan Pressel 71-71-66-66-274
Ai Miyazato 69-69-69-67-274
Karrie Webb 69-68-68-69-274
Angela Stanford 70-65-69-70-274
In-Kyung Kim 69-68-69-69-275
Vicky Hurst 71-71-67-67-276
Anna Nordqvist 68-71-70-67-276
Jiyai Shin 72-65-77-63-277
Song-Hee Kim 71-62-77-67-277
Juli Inkster 69-72-68-68-277
Kristy McPherson 71-67-69-70-277
Sophie Gustafson 69-68-70-70-277
Lorena Ochoa 66-68-72-71-277
Amy Yang 70-70-71-67-278
M.J. Hur 68-67-74-69-278
Cristie Kerr 72-69-68-70-279
Anna Rawson 64-73-72-70-279
Stacy Prammanasudh 68-71-74-67-280
Carin Koch 68-74-68-70-280
Sun Young Yoo 69-66-73-72-280
Michele Redman 70-71-70-70-281
Na Yeon Choi 74-67-75-66-282
Maria Hjorth 73-69-70-70-282
Inbee Park 68-74-69-71-282
Catriona Matthew 68-66-75-73-282
Paula Creamer 69-71-74-69-283
Janice Moodie 71-65-75-72-283
Rachel Hetherington 70-72-67-74-283
Soo-Yun Kang 74-68-75-67-284
Sarah Jane Smith 68-73-71-72-284
Seon Hwa Lee 69-72-74-70-285
Paige Mackenzie 68-73-74-70-285
Meaghan Francella 73-69-72-71-285
Lindsey Wright 71-71-72-71-285
Christina Kim 75-66-72-72-285
Sandra Gal 71-69-73-72-285
Yani Tseng 69-67-71-78-285
Pat Hurst 73-68-77-68-286
Allison Fouch 72-69-76-69-286
Amanda Blumenherst 66-75-76-69-286
Jennifer Rosales 73-69-73-71-286
Karen Stupples 68-73-74-71-286
Hee Young Park 68-72-75-71-286
Il Mi Chung 67-73-75-71-286
Moira Dunn 72-71-71-72-286
Se Ri Pak 70-73-71-72-286
Stacy Lewis 68-72-74-72-286
Heather Bowie Young 69-72-72-73-286
Chella Choi 68-71-74-73-286
Jill McGill 73-68-77-69-287
Helen Alfredsson 72-71-74-70-287
Maria Hernandez 70-71-75-71-287
Shi Hyun Ahn 75-67-77-69-288
Natalie Gulbis 72-70-75-71-288
Erica Blasberg 70-72-75-71-288
Karine Icher 74-67-75-72-288
Louise Stahle 67-76-72-73-288
Meena Lee 70-73-71-74-288
Kris Tschetter 71-70-73-74-288
Katie Futcher 68-71-73-76-288
Brittany Lincicome 71-72-70-77-290
Jin Young Pak 75-68-77-71-291
Ashli Bunch 72-70-76-73-291
Joo Mi Kim 67-73-74-77-291
Eunjung Yi 71-70-79-72-292
Hye Jung Choi 72-68-78-74-292
Marcy Hart 72-70-75-75-292
Kyeong Bae 70-73-73-76-292
Jane Park 70-72-75-77-294
Leta Lindley 69-73-73-79-294
Hannah Jun 71-72-76-76-295
Danielle Downey 74-67-74-81-296
September 3, 2009
Paul Casey has withdrawn from the Deutsche Bank Championship because of a rib injury that has kept the worlds No 3 player out of golf for the last month.
Casey withdrew on Wednesday after hitting nothing more than a sand wedge on the practice range at the TPC Boston.
He had an exam after withdrawing from the U.S. PGA Championship last month that showed a tear of an oblique and a strain of an intercostal muscle. Casey had a cortisone shot, although he was worried about making the injury worse and not being able to feel it.
He is No. 27 in the FedEx Cup standings, making him a certainty to advance next week if he can play. Casey also is No. 2 in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.
September 3, 2009
The start of European Ryder Cup qualifying is so far having little effect on Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, two of the top players taking part in this weeks European Masters.
Westwood is more concerned with earning points in the Race to Dubai, and McIlroy cant seem to understand what all the fuss is about.
I am not thinking about the Ryder Cup at all, Westwood said Wednesday. My goal for the rest of the year is to win the Race to Dubai.
Westwood, who is in fourth place in that race, has finished third in majors three times in the last two years, including at this years British Open and PGA Championship.
Now I know what I need to work on to win one, the Englishman added. I just need to make small improvements here and there.
McIlroy is expected to make his first Ryder Cup team next year, but he has not softened his stance about the event.
Probably Im a bit selfish but if I miss the team Id be more upset about not being good enough to make the team than I would about missing the event, said McIlroy, who cut his long, curly hair last weekend. I would see winning a major as a lot more important than winning a Ryder Cup.
Still, hes confident hell be on the team in the end.
If I play the next 12 months the way Ive played the last 12 months, I should have no problems getting on the team, McIlroy said.
This European Masters is being co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours for the first time, bringing 35 Asian Tour players into the field. Usually, there are less than 10 who are qualified for all European Tour events.
Its fantastic to see the Asians out here, said Jeev Milka Singh, who won the Asian Order of Merit last year for the second time. I feel the Asians are good chippers and putters and theyll have a good time here.
Other Ryder Cup team members last year who are Crans-sur-Sierre are Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Oliver Wilson.
McIlroy, who is still only 20 years old, made a huge impact on the U.S. tour this year. Now, he wants to atone for his loss at the European Masters last year, when he needed par at the last hole but sent his second shot into the greenside rough and then chipped five feet past the hole. He missed an 18-inch putt to lose the playoff against Jean-Francois Lucquin.
I thought about it every day for a month after that, McIlroy said. It was such a great chance to win. It was a big lesson. Not just the missed short putts, but the wedge into the 72nd hole. I just had to hit it to the middle of the green and make two putts, lift the trophy, thanks very much.
I was trying to be greedy. I was trying to hit it 10 feet left of the pin when I should have been trying to hit it 25 feet from the pin.
McIlroy, who won his first title at this years Dubai Desert Classic, has become famous for his curly hair bubbling out from under his hat. But that wont be the case this week.
I couldnt do anything with it and I got tired of it, McIlroy said. It was just a big ball of hair.
