Archive for October, 2009
October 14, 2009
John Daly will play in the Australian Open and Australian PGA golf tournaments in December after recovering more quickly than expected from a rib injury.
The two-time major winner said Wednesday he was reversing a decision announced in September to withdraw from the Australian tournaments. A swift recovery has allowed him to return to competitive golf earlier than expected.
My recovery from stem cell surgery has been closely monitored by my doctor and I have been cleared to begin playing competitively in two weeks, Daly said in a statement.
As such, I have added the Viking Classic to my 2009 U.S. schedule plus have accepted invitations to play in the 2009 Australian Open and 2009 Australian PGA Championship.
I regret the confusion the injury process has caused but Im relieved things have begun moving in the right direction.
Daly will play in the Australian Open at the New South Wales Golf Club at La Perouse in Sydney from Dec. 3-6, in a field that will include Greg Norman and defending champion Tim Clark.
A week later he will join major winner Vijay Singh and defending champion Geoff Ogilvy in the Australian PGA at the Hyatt Regency Coolum course in Queensland state.
During his trip to Australia last year, Daly missed three consecutive cuts and made headlines for more than his golf.
He received a suspended fine from the PGA of Australia at the Australian Open after taking a spectators camera and throwing it against a tree.
Open organizers took no action, saying Daly had been bothered by the man, who was taking photos at close range despite a ban on cameras at the course.
October 14, 2009
Tiger Woods sure could use a break from golf.
He played eight times in the last 11 weeks, his busiest span in nine years, and achieved more than some players do in a career. Woods won three times, was runner-up in three other tournaments and capped it off by winning all five of his matches at the Presidents Cup.
And after all that? He goes back to work in three weeks.
Such is the never-ending season of golf, which has a sanctioned tournament every week until five days before Christmas.
Two weeks later, another season begins.
Next up for Woods is a World Golf Championship in Shanghai, where he will be joined by the likes of Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia. That is followed by the Australian Masters and a $3 million appearance fee. Woods calls it a year in early December with the Chevron World Challenge, a silly-season event only in name because it now awards official world-ranking points.
I think that its certainly one of the longer stretches Ive had, Woods said on Sunday at the Presidents Cup. The only other stretch this long was back in 2000 at the end of the season - or end of the year.
That span was daunting, indeed.
Woods played eight times in eight weeks, a schedule that began in Virginia with the Presidents Cup, took him south for Disney and the Tour Championship, then to Spain for the final U.S. PGA Tour event and over to Bangkok for the Johnnie Walker Championship. He stopped in Hawaii on the way home for the PGA Grand Slam, then hosted his tournament in California before going to Argentina for the World Cup.
Still, its worth paying attention to the words Woods chose and how he corrected himself.
Golf no longer is measured by the season, rather the year. Golf really doesnt end until its ready to start. The only time the world is without an official golf tournament is the last weekend of December and the first weekend of January.
When do these guys ever get a vacation?
Whenever they want.
Camilo Villegas simply was expressing a popular sentiment on Twitter a few weeks ago when he wrote, I still dont get it, every sport has an offseason but i guess we dont.
He knows as well as anyone that the season is only as long as a player wants it to be. Villegas wants to be a global player, which is why hell be getting his passport stamped in Spain, China, New Zealand and Dubai over the next six weeks.
Good for him.
Steve Stricker? He once took off so much time in the autumn that when he arrived at the Tour Championship, Woods asked him why he came out of retirement. Stricker was probably deer hunting on Tuesday and might not finish until the end of November.
Good for him, too.
Such is the benefit of being an independent contractor. Make your own schedule. Create your own financial opportunity. And considering the economic climate, be thankful you can continue to play tournaments wherever and whenever.
There is still value in winning the FedEx Cup or the U.S. PGA Tour money title (Woods won both), or the Race to Dubai in Europe or the Order of Merit in Asia, Japan, South Africa and Australia. Thats not likely to change.
But as the Asian market matures, it would not be surprising to see more players competing year-round.
The U.S. PGA Tour has its fingers in only one tournament at the moment, converting the HSBC Champions - Asias major - into a World Golf Championship. Perhaps it wont be long before the U.S. tour creates another tournament in Asia, with or without help.
Global travel is nothing new. A generation ago, top players would spend the early part of the season overseas taking appearance money, and some of them didnt think the U.S. PGA Tour started until March.
Now, the time to travel is the autumn.
Nick Watney is going to China twice, for the World Golf Championship and the World Cup. Ogilvy is playing Shanghai and Singapore, along with three weeks in Australia, concluding with the Australian PGA on Dec. 13.
Masters champion Angel Cabrera is playing the PGA Grand Slam next week in Bermuda, which ends on a Wednesday. Then, hes boarding a private jet to Spain for a European Tour event that starts on Thursday. He likely will end his season on Dec. 20 at the South African Open.
When does a player take his break?
Woods takes his breaks in pockets. After his charity event in the first week of December, he probably wont show up again until Torrey Pines, the last week in January. Thats his vacation. And remember, he has played only 18 times so far this year. That comes out to $152,292 for every official round of golf, including the five rounds for free at the Presidents Cup.
Woods was among the loudest proponents of shortening the season when the FedEx Cup was created. One can only guess he was referring to the anchor event - the Tour Championship - stretching into November.
Because even after the season is over, Woods is staying awfully busy.
October 13, 2009
At 6 weeks old, Ava Madelyn McGee is already showing a stubborn streak - just like her mom.
Annika Sorenstam isnt too surprised at the personality her daughter is developing. Her own tenacity drove the golfer to 72 LPGA Tour wins, including 10 majors.
But right now Sorenstam is loving leaving that world behind.
The best thing is to not live out of a suitcase, she told The Associated Press on Monday. I never used to unpack because I was going two days later. Now things are actually hanging in the closet. Things are in the drawers. Its kind of nice.
The 39-year-old Swedish great left the tour at the end of last year, then married Mike McGee in January. Their daughter was born Sept. 1.
Ava took her first plane ride Monday. Sorenstam wasnt going to miss the Womens Sports Foundations annual banquet in New York, where she will be honored Tuesday. Sorenstams foundation is also partnering with the organization to create an award that will recognize a young female athlete who inspires others.
The trip went smoothly, but Sorenstam isnt planning to do much traveling with her newly expanded family. She relishes getting to know her neighbors at her home in Orlando, Fla. - and its not as though shes not busy. Shes involved in several business ventures.
And of course motherhood is a full-time job in itself.
I thought leaving the tour would be hard, Sorenstam said, but I realized there are other things than golf.
She practiced Sunday for the first time since her daughter was born because shell be playing with some of her foundations sponsors while shes in New York this week. Sorenstam just did some chipping and putting; afterward, her hands and body were sore.
Its just very, very strange, she said. I took the clubs out of the garage and hadnt really looked in the bag for months. Just making sure everything was there where it should be. Gripping the club, getting a new glove out. Its just a feeling of holding a club thats different.
Sorenstam didnt want to use the word retirement when she left the tour. She still doesnt, but she also doesnt sound like an athlete pining to return to competition soon.
I didnt want to close the doors, she said. You never know what can happen. Im still young in the sense I can return to competition if I wanted to.
And shes never far from the game of golf. Sorenstam was involved in the sports successful bid to be added to the 2016 Olympics.
I think its wonderful for the game of golf, maybe not in the countries where I played, in the U.S. and Sweden and the European countries, she said. But if you look globally its huge, to give other girls and boys the opportunity to play the game.
She also serves as an adviser to the board of directors of the LPGA Tour. The tour is seeking a new commissioner after Carolyn Bivens resigned in July, bowing to pressure from players who were upset about the organizations economic woes and her leadership.
Were looking for a new leader, maybe for a little bit new direction, a little bit more focus and a vision - we havent had that in a while, Sorenstam said. Its always tough when you change, especially when the environment is like this.
Right now we have to be in survival mode. The economy is very, very tough and weve lost a few more tournaments. Weve got to really focus on relationships - build new ones and cherish the old ones.
Sorenstam had a day Monday that any new mother could relate to. Up at 2:30 a.m. with her daughter, she later rushed to the airport on no sleep, never even getting a chance to brush her hair. In New York, she found herself changing a diaper in the hotel lobby restroom.
She looks at Ava and marvels, Wow, this is ours.
Then you start thinking about (teaching) morals and values, she said. Its not easy. Theres a lot of things to balance and juggle. You just get a smile once in a while that makes it all worth it.
October 13, 2009
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie believes that Tiger Woods perfect performance for the United States in the Presidents Cup will make his own teams task even tougher next year at Celtic Manor.
Woods, who missed the Americans Ryder Cup victory at Valhalla last year because of knee surgery, made the clinching putt in Sundays 19 1/2-14 1/2 win over an International team in San Francisco.
It was very interesting that he seems to have his team game down as well as his individual one now, Montgomerie told reporters on Monday at a news conference at Celtic Manor. Were all thrilled, he added with hint of irony.
Five points out of five. Theres never been a European who has ever achieved that feat in Ryder Cup play. This will be difficult enough to try and regain the Ryder Cup without Tiger Woods (on the American team) never mind if hes back to his top form and winning five points out of five. It makes our job even tougher.
Appointed in February, Montgomerie now has to turn around a European team which was outplayed 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 at Valhalla last year.
So we have to counteract that by playing as well as we can against him and also the other 11 players on the team. But I think it makes it, I hate to say it in front of Corey Pavin and our American friends, but it makes it a better win if we can regain the Ryder Cup with Tiger Woods in it.
Woods and Steve Stricker won all four of their matches together in the Presidents Cup but U.S. Ryder Cup captain Pavin said he hadnt yet decided whether they would he paired at Celtic Manor a year from now.
Its not safe to say (that), he said. I havent made any pairings yet and you have to assume that both Tiger and Steve Stricker both made the team as well. They are both in tremendous form right now. If you put two players together who are playing well they are going to be a tough team to beat.
Unbeaten in singles matches, Montgomerie has played in eight Ryder Cups and been on five winning teams. He and Pavin, who has played in three, are considered two of the most competitive team players and both captains said Monday that would continue next year despite their own personal friendship.
We were friends before we were made captains of our respective Ryder Cup teams and will remain so. Of course this is not an exhibition match, Montgomerie said.
So this is a highly competitive competition and, the more competitive it is and the more passion that is brought to it, it just fuels people watching and viewing the Ryder Cup. But its not OK to cheer for a missed putt and never has been and never will be.
Pavin said the two players had frequently shared dinners but that would all change on the course.
Colin and I are both very competitive and we have played Ryder Cup matches against each other and we both understand how it works. Once on the tee, it changes into a very competitive match, he said.
We are out there trying to beat each others brains in and do the best we can to win our matches.
October 9, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO -The United States took a 3 1/2-2 1/2 lead over the International team in the Presidents Cup, a good start Thursday that was tempered only in the final match when Justin Leonard missed a 3-foot putt that led to a tie.
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were dominant from the start, playing bogey-free Thursday in the difficult alternate-shot format for a 6-and-4 victory over Geoff Ogilvy and 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa. Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim came to life late, closing with four straight birdies for a 3-and-2 victory over Mike Weir and Tim Clark.
The momentum switched to American red on the scoreboard late on the cloudy, cool afternoon at Harding Park. The final push figured to come from Leonard and Jim Furyk, who surged ahead of Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang, 2-up with two holes to play.
Goosen holed a birdie putt on the 17th to send the match to the par-5 18th, and the South African missed the green to the right. Leonard hit a splendid fairway metal to the middle of the green, setting up what appeared to be a two-putt birdie.
Furyk lagged to 3 feet, the International team got up-and-down for birdie, and Goosen looked over at Furyk as if wondering why Leonard even needed to putt. Eventually, the South African realized the putt meant something.
Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson earned a point for the Americans, beating Angel Cabrera and Camilo Villegas 2-up. In the International teams victories, Ernie Els and Adam Scott beat Hunter Mahan and Sean OHair 2 and 1, and Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby edged Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink 1-up.
On Friday, the teams will play six better-ball matches.
Madrid Masters
MADRID - Spains Manuel Quiros shot a 10-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead over countryman Sergio Garcua after the first round of the Madrid Masters.
Quiros birdied six birdies of his final nine holes at Centro Nacional de Golf. Garcia made a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th.
Englands Oliver Fisher opened with a 65.
U.S. Womens Mid-Amateur
OCALA, Fla. - Martha Stacy Leach won the U.S. Womens Mid-Amateur to join sister Hollis Stacy as a U.S. Golf Association champion, beating former Georgia teammate Laura Coble 3 and 2 at Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club.
The 47-year-old Leach, the Savannah, Ga., player who now lives in Hebron, Ky., and Stacy are only the second sisters to win USGA titles.
Stacy won six USGA titles, taking the U.S. Girls Junior in 1969-71 and the U.S. Womens Open in 1977, 78 and 84. U.S. Womens Amateur champions Harriot Curtis (1906) and Margaret Curtis (1907, 11, 12) are the only other sisters to win USGA titles.
The 45-year-old Coble is from Augusta, Ga.
U.S. Mid-Amateur
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Walker Cup player Nathan Smith advanced to the U.S. Mid-Amateur final, beating Robert Gerwin 1-up on The Kiawah Island Clubs Cassique course.
Smith, the 2003 winner from Pittsburgh who shared medallist honors in the tournament for players 25 and older, will face 33-year-old Tim Spitz of Rochester, N.Y., in the 36-hole final. Spitz beat Patrick Carter 3 and 2.
October 9, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO - Results Thursday after the first day of the Presidents Cup at the 7,137-yard, par 71 Harding Park Golf Course.
UNITED STATES 3 1/2, INTERNATIONAL 2 1/2
Foursomes
Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson, United Stated, def. Mike Weir and Tim Clark, International, 3 and 2.
Adam Scott and Ernie Els, International, def. Hunter Mahan and Sean OHair, United States, 2 and 1.
Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby, International, def. Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink, United States, 1 up.
Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson, United States, def. Angel Cabrera and Camilo Villegas, International, 2 up.
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, United States, def. Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa, International, 6 and 4.
Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard, United States, halved with Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang, International.
October 7, 2009
Phil Mickelson says a minor back injury that flared up last week during practice will not keep him out of the Presidents Cup matches this week at Harding Park.
Mickelson said his lower back tightened up Friday when he was chipping and putting. He played only nine holes Tuesday, and said he would play another nine Wednesday as a precaution.
Its not a big deal. Im fine, Mickelson said after holing a 60-foot birdie putt to finish off a friendly match during practice. This is being way overblown.
Mickelson says he is limited practice just to be cautious until the inflammation goes down, and that he was able to swing freely without any pain or discomfort.
October 6, 2009
VERONA, N Y -Matt Kuchar won the Turning Stone Resort Championship on Monday, besting Vaughn Taylor on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Kuchar improved to 2-0 in playoffs and won the top prize of $1.08 million, boosting his earnings for the year over $2 million.
Tied for the lead after 72 holes, neither player managed to win after two holes of a sudden-death playoff Sunday. They birdied the first extra hole, parred the second before play was suspended because of darkness.
Playing the 12th, 13th and 18th holes in the playoff, Kuchar missed a chance to end it on the first hole Monday when he missed a 4-foot putt at the par-4 13th hole as each player bogeyed the hole.
They matched each other on the next two holes, then Kuchar got a huge break when Taylor hit his tee shot at No. 13 into the water hazard along the right side of the fairway.
Kuchar hit his second shot into the rough on a slope to the right of the green, pitched to inside 2 feet for the victory as Taylor made double bogey.
It was the second career victory for Kuchar, who won the 2002 Honda Classic. His best previous finish this year was a fifth-place tie at the Memorial in June.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Simon Dyson of England won the Dunhill Links Championship by three strokes after shooting a 6-under 66 that included birdies on six of the first seven holes.
Dyson finished at 20-under 268. Englands Oliver Wilson shot a 65 and shared second place with Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy, who birdied the last hole for a 69.
This was Dysons second victory in six weeks after winning the Dutch Open in August. He made three 20-footers in his opening burst. He also birdied the 12th and his only bogey came at the 17th.
October 6, 2009
Tom Watsons first shot of the final round of the Senior Players Championship was ugly, a drive into the bunker at the lip of the fairway that led to a bogey, matching his total in the previous three rounds.
Jay Haas initial drive Sunday was a crisp hit down the fairway toward the dogleg-left 427-yard opener he called probably my best drive of the week right down the middle. A six iron got the ball to the fringe and helped him two-put for par.
The 60-year-old Watson, bidding to become the oldest major winner on the 50-and-over tour, bogeyed twice more on the front nine en route to a 12-under 70. Haas shook off the lingering effects of a sore left arm to shoot a 6-under 64, tying the course record and winning a one-stroke victory with a birdie on No. 18 at Baltimore Country Club.
To put it on the line and to do it and to hit good shot when it matters most, theres no greater feeling for a golfer on a golf course than to perform when the heat is on, said the 55-year-old Haas.
Haas finished at 13-under 267 for his third senior major title. He has 14 career Champions Tour victories, also winning the Greater Hickory Classic two weeks ago. He took advantage of a well placed 6-iron from 195 yards on his second shot on the par-4 18th. His shot dropped on the right side of the green, then rolled within 3 feet of the cup for an easy birdie.
Mark Wiebe (71) and Loren Roberts (71) tied for third at 7 under, and Bernhard Langer (68) and John Cook (72) followed at 6 under.
In between a long-forgotten first shot of the afternoon and the critical shot on 18, Haas kept chipping away at the four-stroke lead Watson carried into the final round.
Watsons bogeys werent his only missteps. Like the rest of the field, he experienced problems putting on slick, sloped greens at the Five Farms East course that are tough even without the gusty breezes that players encountered Sunday.
I didnt play with the type of aggressiveness I needed to play today, said Watson. I played tentative golf. I made a couple of putts, but I hit some wayward shots and didnt have a feel for the distance today.
Haas wasnt sure hed have a feel for the game a month ago, when tendinitis made any movement in his left arm painful. Doctors assured him the pain would eventually pass, and a cortisone shot three weeks ago did the trick, alleviating much of the discomfort.
Im still a little apprehensive about my arm - is it going to come back, what does the future hold? A month ago, when I was in Seattle, I thought my year was done, Haas said.
Playing a group ahead of Watson, Haas was able to keep the pressure on - even when Watson came up with a masterful shot at No. 15 to pull ahead by a stroke. With 35 feet to the hole, he used a five-iron to send a slow, downhill roller that briefly broke right before curling left at Watsons exhortation and dropping in to put him at 12 under.
The shot brought a roar from the gallery, but didnt create much separation between Watson and his chaser.
With a four-shot lead, the best thing to do is just make it five and six and seven, said Watson. But I got off to a bogey start and kind of struggled.
Haas had missed opportunities to pull into a share of the lead, pushing a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 12 past the cup and failing to convert a long putt on No. 13. But he knocked in a 5-footer for birdie on No. 14 to pull even with Watson.
I was just trying to hit good shots because I was hitting good shots, said Haas. It was easy to look at the pin because I felt like I was going to hit a good one. Theres not a better feeling for me. … I cant even imagine a better round than I played today under these conditions.
Watson missed the fairway on 18, ending any hopes he could catch Haas.
October 5, 2009
Scores Sunday from the $6 million PGA Tour Turning Stone Resort Championship at the par-72, 7,482-yard Atunyote Golf Club course.
Final Round
(x-Playoff was suspended due to darkness after two holes; will resume Monday morning)
x-Matt Kuchar 67-68-67-69-271
x-Vaughn Taylor 67-67-71-66-271
Tim Petrovic 66-71-68-67-272
Leif Olson 66-69-68-69-272
Jimmy Walker 68-69-70-66-273
John Senden 67-71-68-67-273
Bo Van Pelt 70-66-73-65-274
Jeev M. Singh 70-72-68-64-274
Webb Simpson 70-72-67-65-274
Harrison Frazar 75-65-69-65-274
Rod Pampling 69-69-65-71-274
Peter Lonard 70-72-70-63-275
Rory Sabbatini 73-66-70-66-275
Scott Piercy 70-66-66-73-275
Justin Rose 69-70-71-66-276
Davis Love III 71-70-66-69-276
Fredrik Jacobson 69-67-69-71-276
Nick OHern 73-70-68-66-277
Scott Gutschewski 68-73-69-67-277
James Nitties 70-72-67-68-277
Charles Howell III 69-72-67-69-277
D.A. Points 69-69-69-70-277
D.J. Trahan 73-70-69-66-278
Robert Garrigus 69-70-72-67-278
Michael Allen 72-67-71-68-278
Kevin Stadler 68-70-71-69-278
Jason Bohn 71-67-70-70-278
Jonathan Byrd 69-69-67-73-278
Ben Curtis 71-68-72-68-279
Aaron Baddeley 70-68-73-68-279
Colt Knost 73-70-68-68-279
Matt Weibring 70-71-69-69-279
Dustin Johnson 69-70-69-71-279
Martin Laird 69-70-69-71-279
Corey Pavin 71-71-70-68-280
Ben Crane 74-69-69-68-280
Adam Scott 68-70-70-72-280
Brandt Snedeker 71-67-70-72-280
Will MacKenzie 71-67-70-72-280
Mathias Gronberg 73-69-64-74-280
Nicholas Thompson 68-67-69-76-280
Arjun Atwal 71-69-72-69-281
K.J. Choi 70-70-71-70-281
Matt Jones 68-72-70-71-281
Bill Haas 73-69-68-71-281
Kevin Streelman 70-69-69-73-281
Carl Pettersson 72-71-72-67-282
Chris Stroud 69-71-73-69-282
Brendon de Jonge 72-70-71-69-282
Troy Matteson 70-67-75-70-282
Mark Wilson 73-68-71-70-282
Steve Elkington 73-70-69-70-282
Richard S. Johnson 72-70-69-71-282
Greg Chalmers 73-68-69-72-282
Dean Wilson 73-69-73-68-283
Michael Sim 75-66-72-70-283
Kent Jones 69-72-71-71-283
Ken Duke 68-73-69-73-283
Aaron Watkins 74-66-75-69-284
Ted Purdy 71-70-72-71-284
Casey Wittenberg 70-71-71-72-284
Stuart Appleby 72-70-70-72-284
Alex Cejka 71-70-69-74-284
Bob Heintz 70-70-75-70-285
Brian Vranesh 71-70-73-71-285
Nathan Green 72-70-72-71-285
Jarrod Lyle 71-68-74-72-285
Andres Romero 75-67-69-74-285
Matt Bettencourt 72-70-68-76-286
Aron Price 72-65-71-78-286
Joe Durant 72-70-72-73-287
Chris Riley 71-71-71-74-287
Roland Thatcher 71-72-74-71-288
Mark Calcavecchia 72-71-70-75-288
Jason Gore 71-72-74-75-292
