Archive for May, 2010
May 30, 2010
Brian Davis is seemingly done penalizing himself. And now he gets another chance to challenge for his first PGA Tour victory.
After a second consecutive bogey-free 65 Saturday, Davis shares the lead with Bryce Molder at 16-under 194 going into the final round of the Colonial.
When Davis got into a playoff last month at Hilton Head with Jim Furyk, Davis called a two-stroke penalty against himself on the extra hole that ensured a victory for the fifth-ranked player in the world. Davis then finished 57th the following week at New Orleans and had missed three consecutive cuts before Colonial.
“What happened during the playoff threw me off balance a little bit. I lost my focus. … Missing three cuts in a row, I wasnt exactly happy coming in,” Davis said. “Ive had to adjust my thinking a little bit. Not everybody can play well every week. You have to take the rough with the smooth some times.”
The 35-year-old Englishman and Molder, the second-round leader who finished his 67 Saturday with eight consecutive pars, are hoping for a little plaid to signify finally winning on the PGA Tour. The Colonial champion gets a plaid jacket along with a check of more than $1 million.
Molder has four top-10s this season, but the four-time All-American from Georgia Tech has only one p on the Nationwide Tour in 2006.
It was another hot but ideal scoring day at Hogans Alley, where there again were only light breezes. The forecast Sunday calls for nearly identical conditions.
“I dont know if Fort Worth has seen four calmer days in a row,” said Molder, who expects the winning score to be at least 20 under. That would break Kenny Perrys tournament-record mark of 19 under, which he set when winning in 2003 and 2005.
There are 17 players at 11 under or better going into the final round this year.
“I have no illusions about [Sunday],” Davis said.
Zach Johnson (64) was a stroke behind the leaders. Ben Crane (64) joined first-round co-leaders Jeff Overton (66) and Jason Bohn (68) in a tie for fourth at 14 under.
“This is a golfers dream to have the wind lay down like this,” Crane said. “Certainly this one of the best courses in the world and the greens are receptive.”
Crane got to 14 under when he made an eagle from 143 yards at the par-4 17th hole. He had a hole-in-one Friday.
Molder shot a career-best 62 Friday to take the halfway lead, then set another personal mark Saturday with nine consecutive one-putts. He made putts ranging from 4 to 34 feet from hole Nos. 2-11, a stretch that included five birdies and a double bogey.
Then on the closing 441-yard 18th hole, Molder slid a 10-foot birdie try just past the cup.
Davis, who hasnt had a bogey since the ninth hole in the opening round, needed a couple of save shots Saturday.
At the par-5 11th, Davis made a 16-foot par putt after hitting from a fairway bunker to the rough and then over the green. He overcame a bad chip at the 430-yard 15th hole with a 21-foot par-saver. When he hit his second shot of the day from a fairway bunker and then went over the green at the only other par 5, he pitched to 2 feet on No. 1.
Johnson had birdies on both backside par 3s, making a 22-footer at No. 13, then an 8-footer at No. 16. He made a 4-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to get to 15 under.
Phil Mickelson missed the cut and a chance at being the No. 1 player in the world, so he wasnt around for the Colonials second “Pink Out” to raise awareness of breast c from the clothing worn by most golfers, officials and spectators to signs and ribbons.
The first “Pink Out” was during the third round a year ago when Mickelson wasnt here to defend his 2008 title soon after finding out his wife, Amy, had breast cancer. Weeks after that, he found out his mother also had the disease.
Mickelson said he would be wearing pink at home Saturday in San Diego while spending the weekend with his family. Amy Mickelsons birthday is Monday.
K.J. Choi teed off at No. 18 with a chance to match the course record of 61 with a birdie, but instead had a quadruple-bogey 8. He hit his tee shot into the rough, flubbed his first chance to get out and then hit the next into the water. The 40-year-old South Korean knocked his drop through the green, chipped another one off the green and finally made an 8-foot putt.
“Everything went all right before that hole,” Choi said through an interpreter. “I knew that was a tough hole. In my mind, I thought bogey would be good. But things didnt go right.”
At about the same time Choi was struggling at No. 18, Molder was sinking a 34-foot putt at No. 8, his second consecutive birdie getting him to 15 under. That stretch also made up for a double bogey at the 481-yard No. 5, when he hit his approach to the par 4 out of bounds.
Divots New to this years “Pink Out,” title sponsor Crowne Plaza pledged donations for each birdie and eagle during the third round. Bolstered by six eagles on par 4s, that netted $36,600 for Susan G. Komen For The Cure. The only player over par through three rounds is Ian Poulter, the No. 6 player in the world. A 73 on Saturday put him at 1 over. Fourth-ranked Steve Stricker , the defending Colonial champ, and No. 8 Paul Casey are both 8 under. Another hole-in-one at No. 13: Paul Goydos aced the hole with a 5-iron from 195 yards.
May 30, 2010
Jay Don Blake considers himself a stealth golfer, lurking around the leaderboard while everybody else has their eyes fixed on the games bigger names.
“I hide,” Blake said with a mischievous grin. “I sneak into the corners and peek my head out once in a while.”
Hell be hard to miss Sunday when he tees off in the last group with co-leader Tom Lehman at the 71st Senior PGA Championship.
Blake, of St. George, Utah, will be aiming for his first PGA title since winning the 1 396 starts and 231 months ago.
“I know it would bring a lot of tears,” Blake said, choking up. “It would mean quite a bit.”
Blake shot a 2-under-par 70 Saturday at the Colorado Golf Club to move to 6 under at the senior circuits oldest and most prestigious event.
Lehman fired a 71 through swirling winds that add to the adversity facing golfers at the 3-year-old course co-designed by Ben Crenshaw, a 7,450-foot monster that cuts through open meadows, wooded hillsides and streams and plays to a par-72.
Fred Couples, who led going into the weekend, faltered with a score of 75 but is still just two shots off the pace, along with Mark OMeara (67) and Mike Goodes (70).
Seven others are within four shots of the leaders, including defending champion Michael Allen (71).
“There are six or eight or 10 guys that if they play good tomorrow can win it,” OMeara said.
Blake, the 1980 NCAA champion whose only other professional win came at the 1991 Argentine Open, couldnt recall the last time he had been this close to hoisting a trophy.
It was back in 1997, where he led the Buick Invitational heading into the final round and finished in a tie for 11th as OMeara erased a two-stroke deficit for the win - just as hell try to do Sunday.
Maybe the long drought is why Blake got emotional just thinking about teeing off last. Or maybe its because his back and game are in top shape now after years of steady decline on the PGA Tour, the result of ignoring his surgeons advice and returning too soon from an appendectomy.
Blake incorporated core strengthening exercises to save his career and he gave up fishing, boating and drag racing to concentrate on the Champions Tour when he celebrated his 50th birthday 18 months ago.
Only thing is, he spends his Mondays trying to qualify.
His sole win on the PGA Tour is what made him automatically eligible here.
“Its tough to get your foot in the door,” he said.
A win Sunday would give him an exemption through next Memorial Day, and the $360,000 winners check would put him well on his way to shooting up the money list to qualify through the 2011 season.
Lehman, who counts the 1996 British Open among his many victories, said he and Blake are a lot alike despite their divergent career paths.
“I dont have a traditional swing, a picture perfect swing. I dont do anything I would say great, great. But I do a lot of things very well,” said Lehman, who hobbles around the course on a balky right knee. “If I win, I kind of beat you with consistency. Jay Don has been a grinder for a long time, too. Hes had his battles and Im sure hed love to win, and Id love to win.”
Blake was at a loss to explain his mastery of the course given the winds, which have blown from every direction imaginable this week and were so hard Monday that practice rounds were futile.
“I mean, you couldnt stand up,” Blake said. “A buddy of mine, Jim Rutledge, I dont know if we were pretty much idiots going out there but we tried to go play. We quit after six holes and we saw the family dining and the food, so we headed up there.”
The shifting winds all week have rendered this “a different course every time we walked around it almost.”
David Frost had no trouble Saturday, collecting seven birdies in a bogey-free round and setting the course record with a 65 one day after shooting a 77.
Blake entered the weekend tied for fourth at 4 under, three shots behind Couples, who stumbled along with playing partner Tom Kite, who fired a 79.
Kite, who is tied for 22nd place, briefly shared the lead with Couples after a birdie on No. 3 before a brutal five-hole stretch in which he had four bogeys and a double-bogey.
Couples game imploded right around the turn as he bogeyed No. 9, four-putted on 10 for a double-bogey and then added bogeys on 11 and 12.
The usually pokerfaced Couples, seeking his fourth win since joining the Champions Tour this year, showed some rare emotion when he slammed his iron back into the bag after a poor shot off the sixth tee.
Kite, who shanked a shot into the foot-high grass and shrubbery 25 yards off the fifth fairway, declined to talk about his round afterward, brushing past a reporter and huffing, “You want to talk to the leaders.”
May 29, 2010
and no top ranking.
Phil Mickelson missed the cut in his return to Colonial after a 3-over 73 Friday put him at 4 over 144. That was only one stroke better than the worst score recorded among the 119 players who completed the first two rounds under ideal scoring conditions.
“I played terrible. I dont know what to say,” Mickelson said. “The course was in great shape, there was no wind and there were a lot of birdies out there, and I just played terrible.”
A victory at the Colonial would have pushed Mickelson ahead of Tiger Woods for No. 1 in the world ranking for the first time in his career.
Missing the cut will also keep Mickelson from playing during the tournaments second “Pink Out” on Saturday.
Most players joined PGA Tour and tournament officials in wearing pink for the first “Pink Out” a year ago, when Mickelson wasnt at Hogans Alley to defend his 2008 Colonial title right after finding out that his wife, Amy, had breast cancer.
“I wish I was going to be here to partake in that. Ill be wearing pink tomorrow, but in San Diego,” Mickelson said. “Monday is Amys birthday and so it will give me a chance to spend a weekend with her to celebrate.”
The only tournament Amy Mickelson attended since being diagnosed last year was the Masters last month, when she was behind the 18th green with their three children on the final day to share in Leftys victory.
When asked how his wife was, Mickelson responded, “Shes doing well, thank you.”
It is Mickelsons first missed cut in 11 tournaments this season. The last time he didnt play a weekend round in a PGA Tour money event was at Houston in April 2009, a span of 21 tournaments.
“Absolutely, we are disappointed. Phil is one of the best players in the world. We would love to have him for the weekend,” tournament chairman Chuck Scherer said. “Phil is a great friend of Colonial. We understand that he gave it his all. We are disappointed but, no, nothing will change. ”
A few weeks after last years Colonial, Mickelson learned his mother also had breast cancer.
Tournament director Peter Ripa, who spoke to Mickelson in the locker room after his round Friday, said Lefty “was ready, head to toe” to participate in Saturdays event.
Ripa said the intention of the second “Pink Out” is to “transition this to be about breast cancer awareness and Susan G. Komen For The Cure, and build the funds for support for the research for curing the disease.”
Two downtown Fort Worth buildings were being illuminated with pink lights Friday night, and tournament title sponsor Crowne Plaza will make donations for each birdie and eagle made during the third round, which based on last year could be about $35,000.
Mickelsons return to Colonial got off to a spectacular start, with birdies on his first two holes Thursday. But he was 6 over with only three more birdies his final 34 holes, including two quick bogeys Friday and then three more in a row after his final birdie.
“I thought my game was sharper. I thought I had a good couple of practice sessions at home. This was a good barometer though because the start to my run into the U.S. Open, it tells me Ive got a lot of work to do,” he said. “I didnt drive it very well, didnt hit very many good iron shots. Ive struggled a little bit with the short game and the putter wasnt great.”
In his only other tournaments since winning the Masters, Mickelson was the runner-up at Quail Hollow and tied for 17th at The Players Championship three weeks ago.
Mickelson started his second round with a par at No. 10, then had consecutive bogeys, hitting his second shot out of bounds at the par-5 11th hole and then at No. 12 knocking a par-saving 5-foot putt a couple feet past the cup.
After consecutive birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 during his first round, he had to shout “Fore!” after errant shots toward spectators on both of those holes Friday.
Mickelsons 3-wood approach from thick rough at the par-5 first headed toward the gallery on the right of the green, though Mickelson managed to save par from there.
When his tee shot at the dogleg-right No. 2 stayed right toward spectators, Mickelson cupped his mouth with his hands and gave another warning. But he hit the shot from the rough to 12 feet of the pin and made birdie.
“Come on Phil, we need you baby,” a spectator shouted before Mickelson teed off at No. 3.
Instead, Mickelson bogeyed the next three holes.
“I was a little rustier than I thought,” he said. “Ill get home and get some practice in and see if I can get this thing turned around.”
May 29, 2010
Tom Kite doesnt mind that the thin air, hilly terrain and erratic wind gusts at the Colorado Golf Club conspire to favor the younger golfers on the senior circuit.
Kite still considers himself a whippersnapper after celebrating his 60th birthday in December, a point thats hard to argue as he sits in second place halfway through the 71st Senior PGA Championship, a single stroke behind Fred Couples.
Couples shot a 4-under 68 on Friday, putting him at 7 under after 36 holes. He had the best round of the day despite teeing off in the afternoon, when the winds picked up after a lull.
Tom Lehman (71) is two strokes behind Couples, and Lu Chief-soon (70) and Jay Don Blake (69) are tied for fourth, three shots back.
Bernhard Langer, the co-leader along with Robin Freeman after the first round, was making an impressive charge on the back nine until a double-bogey on No. 17 and a bogey on 18 left him with a 3-over 75, same as Freeman.
They are tied with Nick Price (71), four shots off the pace.
After turning the requisite 50-years-old in October, Couples has energized the Champions Tour, winning half of the six events hes entered this season.
Hes trying to become the 12th golfer to win the Senior PGA Championship on his first attempt, something Kite came tantalizingly close to doing himself in 2000, when he finished second to Doug Tewell in a tournament shortened to 54 holes by heavy rain.
Kite is aiming for one of golfs true rarities, winning a tournament in his 60s. Of the 915 tournaments in Champions Tour history, only 18 have been won by hexagenerians.
“I have that as a goal,” Kite said after his second straight 69 moved him to 6 under. “I work hard on my conditioning and my game to try to make it last and Im very pleased with where my game is right now. I think that at some point I will win in my 60s. And I look forward to that day. I hope its this weekend.”
May 28, 2010
Its a line used as the name for a 1980s hit movie, lifted from the heavily played pop tune of the same name and era, penned by the Psychedelic Furs.
For Phil Mickelson, a child of the 80s hims sort of like the color. Hum along with us for a moment.
Support for the Mickelsons dominated Round 3 at Colonial last spring. (Getty Images)
Back to semi-defend his 2008 title at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial after missing last year while tending to his ailing wife, Mickelson was both flattened and flattered to learn that for the second straight year, the tournament will stage a Pink Out on Saturday to raise awareness for breast cancer, the affliction contracted a year ago by Mickelsons wife and mother.
The funny part, and there is ample room for doses of humor given the generally dreadful topic, is that if Mickelson makes the cut, hell don the hue himself, which he joked was a bigger emotional hurdle than the medical reminder the color serves to represent.
“Mentally the challenge for me is wearing pink,” Lefty said Wednesday before his pro-am in Fort Worth, “because I know I dont look good wearing pink.”
I can almost hear him cracking, “Hey, does this color make my butt look big?”
Guess he never heard that everythings bigger in Texas, including some folks hearts. Rest assured, of all the magnanimous gestures made relating to the Mickelson familys dual cancer fight, the 2009 Pink Out was atop the familys list. Cobbled together in approximately five days as a show of support for Mickelson, a Colonial winner who could not be on hand to offer a title defense, it promises to be dwarfed by this weeks offerings.
Take a bow, the hundreds of you who will wear pink bows in the DFW area. The utterly impromptu 09 event will seem like a happy accident by the time Saturday night rolls around.
“You know, last week Amy and I commiserated over our one-year anniversary and this event really helped us get through some tough times,” Mickelson said. “It meant a lot to us and gave us a huge emotional boost at a very difficult time for us. We will always remember that and be appreciative of that.”
Mickelson has won the Colonial title twice, but last years fight in absentia might ultimately result in his biggest victory of all. On Saturday, every player, caddie, PGA Tour official, tournament employee, marshal and fan is being asked to don something pink.
On the Texas plains, something resembling a sea of Energizer bunnies will replace the ubiquitous jackrabbit. Donations to the breast cancer fight will be made by the hotel sponsor for every birdie and eagle, and two downtown office buildings will be lit with pink lights on Friday night. For the week, 50,000 pink fans will be supplied to attendees to both stifle the Texas heat and help spread the word.
The wise whys and wherefores are downright alarming. According to data, every three minutes a woman is or approximately 210 over the course of tournament play on Saturday. At the completion of the third round, exactly 210 helium-filled pink balloons will be symbolically released behind the 18th green at Colonial. Bubbles and baubles aside, it should all help raise the collective consciousness.
The jaw-dropping numerical tally cited above doesnt count women outside the States, where rates also are rising. If youre over the age of 20, you probably know somebody who has been afflicted by the malady, like last weeks winner, Australian Jason Day. His mom had the disease and didnt tell him for months because she didnt want him to worry.
“I think it means a lot, just to make people aware of breast cancer,” Day said of Saturdays event. “Just to make sure that they get checked up regularly.
“But for Phil, obviously, he has the pink ribbon on his hat, and he shows that. The support that people show towards and feel for his wife Amy was just fantastic. I think everyone was praying that she was going to get through this and his mom as well.”
So far, Mickelson says the long-term prognosis is good for both. The doctors caught the disease early enough, though Amy has been effectively floored by treatments and has attended exactly one to Phils emotion-sapping win in April at the Masters.
The Mickelsons learned that her tests were positive for cancer shortly before he was set to defend his Colonial title last year. Ryder Cup teammate Steve Stricker won the title in Mickelsons absence and is anticipating some tear-inducing responses from the gallery this week.
Stricker, a popular guy, isnt talking about his personal return from a painful clavicle injury after six weeks off, either.
“I think he will have a great reception here,” Stricker said of Mickelson. “I think he will be very excited to be here. He is almost the defending champion as well this week.
Analyst David Feherty went head-to-toe pink to show where his heart was. (Getty Images) “I thought it was the greatest feel-good story in golf when he won at the Masters, and seeing Amy there, and being friends of both of them, and seeing Amy break down the way she did was pretty cool.”
For the Mickelsons, and maybe a few others, the Pink Out last year felt like a group hug.
“That was at a time that we were at an emotional low, and to feel that type of support meant a lot,” Mickelson said. “I know that every year a couple of hundred thousand women are diagnosed with this disease and I think a lot of them felt some emotional support as well.”
Maybe the sentimental wave this week will at last propel Mickelson to the apex of his career. As was the case two weeks ago at the Players Championship, Mickelson can climb to world No. 1 with a victory, a position he has never enjoyed despite being the second-winningest active player on tour.
“I think its one of those things you will look back on in your career if youve accomplished it, whether its one week, a year or whatever the time frame is, it would be something very special,” he said. “But to accomplish that, I cant focus on that. Thats a result. I still need to go out and play like the No. 1 player in the world, so Ive got some work to do.”
Grab a shovel and rake, bro, because the road is cleared. Tiger Woods, the man who, with only a few short-lived exceptions, has ruled the rankings roost since he turned pro, isnt entered.
“I would say 13 of those years were in Tiger years,” Mickelson lamented of his quest to be No. 1. “It hasnt been the easiest.”
Nor will his wardrobe selection on Saturday. Guys like rookie Rickie Fowler might look tolerable in fuchsia, magenta or salmon, but Mickelson, who turns 40 on June 16, usually gravitates toward darker hues. Hibiscus-tinted trousers are not exactly his thing.
But he can always make exceptions for worthy reasons. For instance, like on Sunday, when the winner at Colonial dons a particularly colorful champions sport coat.
As a new world No. 1, Mickelson wouldnt look half bad in plaid, would he?
May 28, 2010
Augusta Chronicle
If he doesnt make the team automatically, should Tiger Woods play in the Ryder Cup?
ELLING: If I were him, I would not touch an at-large pick with a 10-foot pole. Or a 10-foot Swede, a 9-foot Irishman or an 8-foot Brit. Corey Pavin has drawn some criticism from readers and fans since stating Sunday that Woods needs to play well and will not be automatically handed a spot based on past performance, which is exactly as it should be. Frankly, if Woods doesnt make the top eight, he ought to stay home and opt out of consideration for one of Pavins four captains picks. He will get chewed on like nobodys business as a charity pick in Wales, because the Ryder is the lone event where rooting against the other team has become almost tolerated. Woods appearance at St. Andrews in July should give us a taste of whats to come, but only a taste, because British Open fans are largely a considerate and complimentary lot and Woods has won twice at that site. Unless his game and c he has f both Woods and the Ryder would be best served by him staying home. He would be a scene-stealing sideshow, the reverse of the Darren Clarke feel-good story in Ireland four years ago. Dont know about you, Scott, but I dont want to have to eye every move the guy makes all week I would much rather watch an array of guys like Poulter, McIlroy, Garcia and Casey as they take on the Cup-holding Yanks.
MICHAUX: Im not sure the question is entirely fair. The parameters are a little too constrained. Setting the bar at the top eight is simply too harsh. What if Tiger is ninth or 10th or 12th on the list? Do you take No. 13 Jason Bohn instead? Really? Over the guy who went 5-0 in last years Presidents Cup? Over the No. 1 player in the world? Hey, I understand the guy brings some baggage. Tiger has never been fully invested in the national-team business. It doesnt stir his passion as it does others. But up to now he has always answered the call when asked and maybe now he realizes more than ever what its like to be part of a team. He certainly could use that kind of support in his life these days. Tiger is currently 11th in the Ryder Cup standings, and quite frankly the point is going to be moot because I personally believe he is going to breeze into an automatic berth by the time this major season is over. But if he doesnt and sits somewhere just outside that threshold, Pavin would be an idiot to withhold a captains pick from Woods. Hes going to need all the firepower he can get in Wales to retain the Cup against Colin Montgomeries motivated and talented European squad. If Pavin leaves the Tiger bullet in the chamber for the sake of some principle, then well finally be able to truly point the finger of blame at a captain when he loses.
Is there a reason or rhyme, nursery or otherwise, for the spike in wins by younger players in 2010?
ELLING: Well, heres a couple of reasons. Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh, who have combined to win the money title in each of the past 11 years, havent won a single tournament. In fact, neither has seriously contended on Sunday in 2010. So, at some point, somebody has to fill the void while the aging Fijian and ailing Woods try to regain their feet. The interesting part for me is that the next wave of players seems to finally be identifiable, because for a decade, there were plenty of doubts as to who was going to fill Woods shoes if and when he finally loses his licks. Of the nine players in their 20s to win thi Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim. Jason Day and Rory McIlroy, both 22 or younger, took their first scalps over the past month and have oodles of talent and charisma. Day, in fact, is downright effervescent off the course. Scott, at 29, is the only comparative elder in the group. By the way, just for the sake of clarity, Tiger Woods won 46 times in his 20s and Jack Nicklaus won 30 to rank 1-2 on that particular age scale.
MICHAUX: This is just the natural cycle of things. It has always been this way. One year youll get 14 first-time winners. The next year its loaded with veterans. This run of youngsters is only confirming that there is a lot of talent out there waiting to be tapped. And your point about Tiger and Vijay sitting out a few rounds and giving everyone else a little room to breathe is completely valid. For years they have hogged so much of the loot, claiming an average of more than 20 percent of the tours wins annually for themselves. Of course others are going to step it up when you give that percentage of opportunities back to the pool. Weve already identified every one of these young players as talented, so the fact they are living up to the potential shouldnt be considered much of a surprise. But for them to truly be considered “arrived,” they need to step up in majors and claim those. Thats still a stage where experience counts and the veterans own the spotlight. Get back to me when these 20-somethings start racking up majors like Tiger and Jack did when they were their age and we can discuss if the baton has been passed.
What did you make of English star Paul Caseys idea to establish some sort of golf historical preservation society to oversee design revisions made at older courses, to preserve things for future generations?
ELLING: Bloody brilliant, as they might say on the chat shows, except for the details. It seems to me that in golf, with its various constituencies (manufacturers, tours, players, amateurs, course owners, apparel makers, realty developers, ad nauseum) that the only real model for success is something close to a dictatorship. Can you imagine if a committee of golf major domos tried to tell the owner of Wentworth, apparently a guy with more money than common sense, how to redesign his course? That he couldnt dynamite the 18th hole, again, if he wants to? It brings to mind a funny story from the Masters this year, when I ran into Augusta National club chairman Billy Payne as he watched Tiger Woods play a Monday practice round. Augusta had just opened up a multimillion-dollar practice range that is closed to members except for a couple of weeks each year. I asked if he received any blowback from ANGC members over spending that kind of money on a range that, essentially, only the tour players could use. “You forget where you are,” Payne deadpanned, before cracking a smile. He was kidding, mostly, but the message was received. He makes the call. He is the final authority. Benevolent dictatorships work best in golf. Too bad they didnt have an old sage like MLBs Judge Landis riding shotgun over the entire game when the new technology came to the fore and made the old courses obsolete in the first place.
MICHAUX: Like you, I love this concept. Its just a little more difficult to implement. How can you tell a private club that they cant touch their own property? Augusta National may be an historical treasure, but its not the publics business what goes on inside those gates. As much as I wish, I have no right to order Billy Payne to chop down those trees that sullied the 11th hole. Where I see potential in this concept is with publicly accessed or owned facilities. Torrey Pines got a major overhaul that many argue ruined some of the charm of the original design. Pebble Beach got a new fifth hole that greatly improved the course. Pinehurst No. 2 is getting another retro facelift that looks promising. Some people wont like the new Open Championship tee on the Road Hole at St. Andrews, but it hardly defaces the course. If they tried to tear down the sheds or add a new greenside bunker, then wed have a problem. Point is, where do we draw the line? It would be nice to see some of those public places be deemed historical landmarks that cant be reconstructed or restricted without input and approval from the people they serve. And they certainly cant be shuttered by developers. Im thinking about places as architecturally relevant as Sharp Park in San Francisco or as socially significant as Lions Park in Austin, Texas. These are the things we need to fight to preserve, not whether or not the greens committee at Winged Foot has the right to reshape a green or add a new water feature.
May 27, 2010
The players were flailing in Dallas and wailing in England. As usual, the Americans were trailing on the LPGA. CBSSports.com senior writer Steve Elling is railing about it all in his weekly take on the tours.
Up
Athlete D breathes easy The dominoes continue to fall in the case against the so-called “spin doctor,” Anthony Galea, the controversial Canadian physician linked to the smuggling of performance-enhancing drugs into the United States. Charges were filed last week and documents seem to support Tiger Woods adamant assertion that, while he used Galea several times for a rare blood-spinning technique believed to promote faster healing, there were no suggestions that Woods used PEDs to get a leg up on rivals. In the documents, a sports figure listed as Athlete from Orlando is believed to be Woods, who was treated several times in 2009. No question, Woods brought an incredible amount of sc but still, it remains inconceivable to me that Woods cheated on this particular front. There quite possibly wouldnt be drug testing on the PGA Tour if Woods hadnt backed the notion. We invite you to make all the well-deserved cracks you want about his general credibility and his views on marriage, but he has long held the sanctity of the game as inviolate.
Little dude in Big D Its as hard to believe as it is to stomach, but the Byron Nelson Championship needed a huge boost from a 16-year-old to be relevant last week on the global golf scene. High-schooler Jordan Spieth cavorted with the folks at the top of the leaderboard and finished T16 before he reported back to Dallas Jesuit this week for school. The field last week, given Nelsons place in the game, was abysmal and continued to suffer a dropoff since the beloved tournament namesake died in late 2006. Woods hasnt played there since 2005 to end his record cut streak and most of the games top stars have bailed as well, a redesign of the host TPC course notwithstanding. Nelson and his longtime Lone Star State running mate, Ben Hogan, would not be amused by the current state of the Texas Swing, which, because of scheduling, host courses or outright indifference have fallen off the must-play lists of the top guns. Spieth, who has already signed to play college golf at Texas, has been given an exemption into Memphis in two weeks as well. By the way, does anybody else think the skinny Spieth bears a passing resemblance to Charles Howell?
Laird in his lair, finally He was born in nearby Glasgow and his parents live about 15 miles from St. Andrews, so it was fitting on both the familial and geographic fronts that Scotsman Martin Laird secured one of eight spots at the British Open qualifier held in Texas on Monday. “Id be lying if I said I hadnt been thinking about this qualifier for a while,” said Laird, who has played in exactly one British Open. Laird, who plays on the PGA Tour and attended Colorado State, has become something of a celebrated figure in his native haunts, although not completely for good reason. At No. 116, he is the top-rated Scot in the world rankings, a mind-boggling proposition considering the upswing in the fortunes of neighboring England of late. So, while St. Andrews might be the home of golf, at the moment, the property has been repossessed. Before winning last fall in Las Vegas, Laird was perhaps best known for making a clutch 6-footer for par to retain his U.S. tour card on his final shot of the 2008 season, which allowed him to finish No. 125 in earnings.
In the pink David Feherty looked like the Easter bunny, and he was not alone. In a magnanimous gesture that deeply touched Phil Mickelsons family, half of Forth Worth turned up last year for the third round of the Colonial Invitational decked in pink attire to honor the absent Mickelson clans battle against breast cancer. Sometimes the PGA Tour overreaches and lays it on pretty thick with schmaltz, ham and contrived cheese, but this gesture meant so much to the Mickelson, he was at a loss for words to express it. He will get another chance this week, since hes back to defend his Colonial title, sort of. Mickelson hit one of the most memorable shots of his career with a wedge from the trees on the 72nd hole at Colonial to win in 2008, but didnt play last year because of wife Amys illness. Never before have those little pink ribbons loomed so large.
Down
Its not Wentworthy In golf circles, it produced a bigger comparative mess than the BP oil spill. Forget the tournament. The excruciatingly brutal panning of the Wentworth course makeover dominated overseas coverage of the biggest event to date on the European Tour, the BMW PGA Championship. Ernie Els, who lives at Wentworth and has been tweaking the course over the past several years, was roasted like a Springbok over an open pit by his peers, especially for his owner-ordered redesign at the 18th, which nobody liked and Els himself didnt favor. He was overruled by the guy with the checkbook, who spent roughly $10 million to precipitate the largest outcry of synchronized whining anywhere in years. The Wentworth ownership has already signaled full retreat and plans to redo the changes (is that called a three-do?) before next year, which must make the members deliriously happy. Dont put away those Ground Under Repair signs just yet, lads.
Well, duh Nobody has poked more fun at Corey Pavin than I have, mostly because hes not particularly glib and, compared to the last U.S. Ryder Cup captain, is the anti-Azinger. But the fact that Pavin has been mildly criticized for suggesting that Tiger Woods needs to play well in order to land a spot on the team this fall is ludicrous. Pavin deserves the 12 best players on his team, which won two years ago while Woods watched from his couch and sent text-messages to teammates. Woods brings more baggage to the Ryder than the whole U.S. contingent of Louis Vuitton-toting player wives. The bigger question is whether Woods would ask to be considered for one of the four captains picks if he doesnt crack the top eight in points to cement an automatic berth. In my mind, thats hardly assured. Its hard to imagine what fans might have in store for him in Wales, since the Ryder is the lone event all year where spectators root against certain players. He would be John Dillinger. Do Pavin or Woods really need that type of distraction? His presence might swallow the event whole.
Confederacy of dunces In a vacuum, its a brilliant idea. Englands Paul Casey, in a particularly chatty and insightful moment, suggested last week that some sort of historical registry ought to be established in golf to review design changes proposed at old courses, like Wentworth, which has been torn asunder so often, it ought to use a backhoe as its new logo. In theory, which is where the best ideas go to incubate before they suffocate in open committee, a panel of golf experts would review proposals on course changes at venerable tracks and provide input before the revisions are made, protecting the design for later generations. Casey even floated the idea past R&A chief Peter Dawson, who is going to take a pasting next month for the new tee he installed at the Road Hole at St. Andrews. The problem is, the most obvious choices for such a panel are the USGA and R&A types who put us in this mess to begin with by allowing the oversized clubheads, lengthier shafts and HGH-fueled golf balls that have made every par-5 under 600 yards reachable for many, if not most, top tour players. And no offense, but I dont want a bunch of dudes who grew up in the Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman and Peter Max eras redesigning anything that has historical value.
Yoo gotta be kidding me Hope you like your sarcasm with huge dollops of smarm. I tell you, I was stunned, shocked and stupefied to learn that the LPGA match-play final last weekend between Texas native Angela Stanford and waifish Sun Young Yoo was won by the latter, who recorded her first U.S. win. There is a faction of fans that believes the globalization of golf is a good thing, and its true, at least if you are selling equipment. But if you are trying to find domestic sponsors for the LPGA, thats a whole different kettle of marketing fish. Going back more than a year to Miami native Cristie Kerrs win May 10, 2009, at the now-defunct Kingsmill event, foreign-born players have claimed 24 of the past 25 LPGA events. Michelle Wie, who claimed her first tour win last fall, is the lone Yank to make the winners circle in that span, and in 2010, all seven LPGA events have been won by Asian players. Bluntly put, minus top stars Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam, the disconnect between fans and the tour feels larger than ever. Maybe the notion of the womens tour being taken over by the PGA Tour isnt a bad one, because in my experience, Tim Finchem could convince some sponsors to buy tire chains in Key West.
Oh, the humanity Blake Adams was given the biggest reprieve of his life when Jason Day smother-hooked his approach into the water at the 18th at the Nelson on Sunday, giving the 34-year-old rookie and mini-tour veteran a huge chance at erasing Days one-stroke lead. Under the trees and needing to execute a fairly straightforward punch shot to get the ball near the green, there was one dead left into the same watery grave that grabbed Days ball a moment earlier. In fact, at the moment Blake hit the shot, it appeared that a bogey might be good enough to force a playoff. Astoundingly, completing the worst closing stretch by two guys in contention for a title in years, Adams jacked it dead left into the lake, made a double-bogey and utterly handed Day the first win of his career. It was must-flee TV: Day played the final six holes in 2 over and was hitting sloppy hooks everywhere. Sometimes, when you are watching golf, its easy to see why certain guys have never before cracked the winners circle. The last few holes of the Nelson were Gila-monster ugly.
May 27, 2010
Tiger Woods will defend his title next week at the Memorial Tournament, marking his return to the PGA Tour after three weeks spent rehabbing a neck injury.
Woods withdrew from The Players Championship on May 9 with an inflamed facet joint in his neck. He confirmed on his website Wednesday that hell play next week at Muirfield Village, where he has won four times and is the defending champion.
“The doctors advised me to take a week off and rest, which I did,” Woods said. “They prescribed physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication and soft-tissue massages, which Im continuing with. Although Im not 100 percent, I feel much better and look forward to competing next week.”
The tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus will also serve as preparation for the U.S. Open two weeks later at Pebble Beach. Woods won the Memorial from 1999-2001 and again last year.
After a winter of revelations of marital infidelity, Woods returned in April to play in the Masters, where he tied for fourth. He missed the cut at Quail Hollow after rounds of 74 and 79, and was 4 under at The Players Championship before withdrawing with the injury.
A day later, he appeared at a news conference in suburban Philadelphia for the AT&T National, which he also won last year. He said at the time, “A lot is up in the air still, which I dont like. … I want to come back and defend at the Memorial and play the U.S. Open and obviously play here. But a lot of that is still up in the air right now.”
Subsequent medical tests diagnosed the extent of the neck injury, which improved with treatment and rest. Woods resumed his normal practice sessions last week.
Woods has since confirmed he will play in the British Open at St. Andrews from July 15-18. He has yet to commit to any tournament beyond the Memorial, the next two major championships and the AT&T National, from July 1-4 at Aronimink Golf Club.
A year ago, Woods started the final round of the Memorial four shots back of Jim Furyk but shot a 65 to win by one stroke, with birdies on the final two holes to forge ahead.
He hit all 14 fairways in the fourth round and was 49 of 56 for the week, and the mark of 87.5 percent matched the best of his pro career.
May 26, 2010
European Tour golf betting this week focuses on the Madrid Masters, where Ross McGowan guns to go back-to-back at the Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club de Campo. McGowan is defending a title on the European Tour for the first time, and to be successful, he’ll have to fight off native Spaniard Sergio Garcia.
As well as the outstanding value of the outright Madrid Masters market, Pinnacle are also offering match-ups priced to less than 103%.
European Tour Betting - Madrid Masters
Sergio Garcia is going for his fourth career victory on home soil in Madrid, where fellow countrymen Miguel Angel Jimenez and Alvaro Quiros join him this week. Both Jimenez (Omega Dubai Desert Classic) and Quiros (Open de Espana) have cashed on the European Tour this year.
Also worth handicapping in Madrid is Luke Donald, who finished in a tie for second behind Simon Khan at last week’s BMW PGA Championship. With a strong performance, Donald could make inroads on claiming a spot on Colin Montgomerie’s European Team at the upcoming Ryder Cup
It might not gain much exposure but 2005 US Open winner, Michael Campbell, returns to the course at the Madrid Masters this week, having taken time out to reassess his game. The popular Kiwi has seen his game fall to pieces, failing to break 80 in half of the 12 rounds he has played this year, but was quoted as saying “I feel I am now in a position to get back into the deep end.”
Get the best odds to win the Madrid Masters at Bet365 Sportsbook, and match-ups priced to less than 103%, giving you the best chance to win more on European Tour golf betting.
May 25, 2010
Jason Day fought through a rocky final round for a 2-over 72 that was good enough to give the 22-year-old Australian the Byron Nelson Championship title for his first win of his PGA Tour career.
Already in the record bo Day had to wait until he was 22 for this breakthrough.
“Its been a hard, tough road,” Day said. “Ive had a lot of negative thoughts go through my head. … I would always think of what jobs I could do if I didnt secure my card. … Im glad I just stuck through it.”
For many the 2010 Nelson will go down for the remarkable PGA Tour debut by Jordan Spieth, a 16-year-old local high school student.
“I was walking to the fourth hole and it looked like there was a thousand people following him,” Day said. “It took a little bit of pressure off my shoulders knowing that the good majority of the fans that were following me were close friends and family.”
Spieth was within three shots of the lead on the final nine holes, but dropped back into a tie for 16th. He shot a 2-over 72 in the final round, his highest score of the tournament. His 4-under 276 was six strokes behind Day.
Day nearly withdrew Thursday morning because he felt so ill. He wound up sharing for the lead after the first round and was near the top all week.
He thought he might have blown his chances when his approach to the final hole went into the water. But he got a reprieve when playing partner Blake knocked his ball into the water, too.
Day salvaged a bogey, while Adams, a 34-year-old Tour rookie, took a double bogey and dropped into a tie for second with Brian Gay and Jeff Overton. Gay shot 7-under 63, the best round Sunday by three strokes.
“I wasnt nervous,” Adams said. “I just didnt play well.”
Spieth, meanwhile, became the sixth-youngest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour, then said he was serious about wanting to win. When he shot 3-under Saturday, it wasnt so farfetched.
He hit back-to-back bogeys early in the final round and a shot out of a fairway bunker that angered Spieth so much, he pulled back with his iron, ready to throw it at his bag. But a deft chip led to a par putt and he turned everything around.
Three birdies and three near-misses left him standing on the 11th tee at 7-under while the leaders were at 10-under.
< a bogey, then a double-bogey. Yet he bounced back once more, too, with a birdie on the next hole and knocking his tee shot to the par-3 17th just 14 feet from the cut.
Alas, Spieth missed that putt and a par putt of about the same distance on No. 18 for a closing bogey. He walked off to a loud ovation, a handshake from playing partner Corey Pavin and a hug from Peggy Nelson, widow of the tournaments namesake.
“It was awesome … the entire round, the entire week,” Spieth said. “Starting the week, I definitely wouldve taken a top-20, in a heartbeat. Obviously now, looking back, being a competitor, I look back at the mistakes I made that didnt give me an opportunity to win.”
Spieth, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion, wouldve made $91,185.71 had he turned pro this week. But hes planning to wait through another year of high school, then attend the University of Texas.
“I wouldnt say [this week] changed me fundamentally,” he said. “I cant wait to get back out there and do it again.”
Hes already gotten a sponsors exemption to play in Memphis next month. First, hell play an American Junior Golf Association event in Arizona next week. Then he has finals.
Days next event is the Colonial in Fort Worth, where he lives. He also seems to have conquered the illness thats befuddled him since the opening week of the season.
Its been diagnosed variously as swine flu, bronchitis and allergies. Medicines to fight those ailments caused so many problems he withdrew from a tournament and went to the emergency room. Finally, on Monday, another doctor called it a chronic sinus infection, and Day is convinced thats right.
But even that diagnosis caused a problem. A heavy-duty shot and other antibiotics left him so queasy Thursday morning that when he went to get an umbrella from his car, he thought about driving home. He might not have made it through that first round without a nearly 4-hour delay because of threatening skies, which let him sit, relax and drink lots of water.
“I still have blocked ears and some gunk in the back of my throat and my nose,” he said. “But its dried up a lot more than it was.”
Day was as amazed as anyone by Spieths success, which is saying something.
Hailed as another Tiger Woods while growing up in Australia, he began playing PGA Tour events at 18. He played 65 tournaments before finally winning one, but figures the experience was worth it, admitting he got a bit lazy after having success and money at a young age.
