Archive for June, 2010
June 23, 2010
Mike Weir has won $270,000 in the Telus Skins Game on Tuesday at the Bear Mountain Resort.
Weirs win came down to a 125-yard pitch-off on the final hole after the five professional golfers went skinless over nine holes.
The prize money grew to include 12 skins, nine Tuesday and three left over from Mondays nine holes.
South African Retief Goosen won $75,000 on Monday with five skins, but was skinless Tuesday.
Englishman Ian Poulter won one skin and $15,000 Monday, but failed to win a skin Tuesday.
Colombian Camilo Villegas and crowd favorite Fred Couples of the United States were skinless over the two days.
“It was tough to make birdies out there,” said Weir, noting the five golfers only made seven birdies Tuesday and 15 birdies Monday. “It was just that kind of a day. It was kind of tough to separate yourself. We had to go to extra holes.”
The golfer from Ontario credited his win to hitting the right shot at the right time.
“Thats what skins is.”
Weir narrowly missed winning a $245,000 skin on the par-4 17th, but his putt hit the edge of the hole and lipped out.
Weir said he didnt know he won the pitch-off until a tournament official said his shot was about 1 1/2 feet ahead of the next closest by Villegas.
Weir said he plans to take some time off before playing in the British Open next month at St. Andrews in Scotland.
June 22, 2010
Online betting players have been treated to a great year when it comes to major-championship venues in golf. First Augusta, then Pebble Beach, and now, the British Open will be held at St. Andrews. A familiar name has won the last two Opens at St. Andrews, but this year, a Brit will bring the title back to England for the first time since 1992.
What: Golf Betting
When: Thursday, July 15th-Sunday, July 18th
Where: Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland
Defending Champion: Stewart Cink
The Storyline
The last two times the British Open was held at venerable St. Andrews (aka “the home of golf), Tiger Woods won the event in 2000 and 2005. Woods stumbled down the stretch of the US Open, like everyone else except for first-time major winner Graeme McDowell, who is from Northern Ireland. Stewart Cink held off 60-year-old Ton Watson in a playoff in last year’s British Open at Turnberry.
British Open Betting – The Favorite
Tiger Woods (+205): The three-time major winner romped a five-stroke win here in 2005, and he showed signs that his game was rounding back into form with a T-4 at Pebble Beach. Woods got everyone fired up on Saturday with a 66, but his putter cooled off and he finished with a final-round 75. Woods missed the cut at Turnberry last year, and he’ll be eager to avenge that at St. Andrews.
Phil Mickelson (+1015): Another US Open heartbreak for Mickelson, who finished T-4 alongside Woods and could never make a serious push to threaten McDowell. “Lefty” finished T-16 at St. Andrews at 2000 and T-33 in 2005, and you would think he would be good at St. Andrews, with its massive greens. However, like Woods, Mickelson is wild with the driver, and that could really hurt him here.
Lee Westwood (+1215): Westwood, an Englishman, finished T-16 at Pebble Beach, his first finish outside the top three in his last three major championships. He finished T-3 at Turnberry last year, and is widely considered to be the best player without a major. Westwood hasn’t had the best track record at St. Andrews, finishing T-64 in 2000 and missing the cut in 2005, but he should be around for the weekend after a solid season.
British Open Betting – The Second Tier
Padraig Harrington (+1415): Harrington has won two of the last three British Opens, and he seems to get better as the weather gets worse, which it will at St. Andrews. Harrington finished a decent T-22 at Pebble Beach, but he’s been up and down all year as he’s been working on things to prepare him for St. Andrews, where he will play for the first time since 2000, when he was T-20.
Ernie Els (+1415): Els stumbled down the stretch at Pebble Beach en route to a third-place result, but he’s returning to a place where he’s had success before. Els, who won the 2002 Open at Muirfield, finished T-3 in 2000 and T-34 in 2005, and he has been alternating between great finishes and missed cuts over the last month.
Rory McIlroy (+1415): The 21-year-old didn’t make the cut at Pebble Beach, but he won’t be afraid of St. Andrews. Growing up in Northern Ireland, McIlroy is used to playing in windy conditions, which it will be at some point at St. Andrews. However, he has to get back on track after missing the cut in two of four events since his first PGA Tour win at Quail Hollow.
Ian Poulter (+2050): The loud-dressing Englishman finished T-64 here in 2000, and T-11 in 2005, but he’s been all over the place since March, missing the cut in three events with just one top-10, which came at the Masters. Poulter has been struggling with the irons, which is a skill you need to have at St. Andrews.
British Open Betting – The Longshots
Sergio Garcia (+2850): If Garcia is going to win a major championship, it’ll likely be the British Open, where he has six top-10s since the turn of the century, including a playoff loss to Harrington in 2007, but he’s failed to crack the top 35 in his last two appearances. Garcia finished a respectable T-22 at Pebble Beach, and it’s the same old story for the Spaniard: the putter fails him at the most inopportune times.
Luke Donald (+3250): Donald was a trendy darkhorse pick at Pebble Beach, but finished just T-47. He missed the cut in 2000, and finished T-52 in 2005, but Donald came in T-5 at last year’s British Open, and he’s been consistent as he’s ever been this year. All he needs is a win.
Stewart Cink (+6550): You can get great odds on the defending champion, who finished T-40 at Pebble Beach, and he has just three-10s this season. Cink finished T-41 here in 2000, and he missed the cut in 2005, and while two straight golfers have won two British Opens in a row (Woods and Harrington), Cink won’t make it a third.
British Open Sports betting & Outlook
Woods’ game isn’t all the way back yet, while Mickelson has just one top-10 in his British Open career. Westwood may be getting frustrated by the close finishes, so we’re going with another Englishman: Luke Donald has a solid all-around game, and he’s been extremely close lately, he just needs a couple of breaks to go his way. Take Luke Donald in your sports betting picks.
British Open Betting Pick: Luke Donald +3250
June 22, 2010
Sunday at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell w-w-w-w- …
Sorry. Let me try that again.
Sunday at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell wo-wo-wo- …
Nope. Cant do it. Cant write that Graeme McDowell, um, finished the 110th U.S. Open on Sunday with a four-day score that was better than everyone elses four-day score. I cant say he won the event, because he played his final 10 holes in 4-over par. He didnt win the event. What did he do? He did the worst job of losing it.
Lose the Open? Dustin Johnson was masterful at it. He went into the day leading the field by three shots, but he gave those up on the second hole. He swung after being caught by NBCs cameras saying a two-word epithet i and then missed a 4-foot putt. Triple-bogey.
Johnson lost his drive on the next hole for on the next hole. Now he was out of the lead. Soon he was off the leaderboard. Had this thing gone another 18 holes, he might have lost his tour card. As it was, he finished Sunday with an 82 after missing a 3-footer on No. 18.
Johnson was the most effective loser in the field, but he wasnt the only one. Tiger Woods also lost this thing, starting the day 1-under par but ballooning to 4-over after 13 holes. A score of even-par would have won this Open for Woods. Instead he shot a 75.
Phil Micke but bogeying three holes on the back nine to finish tied for fourth.
Ernie Els lo by playing the final 10 holes in 5-over.
Davis Love III lost this thing in much the same way, falling from a peak of 1-over as he walked onto the 12th green to 5-over when he walked off the 17th.
Look at those names: Woods. Mickelson. Els. Love. Twenty-two major championships between them. And Dustin Johnson, one of the most physically gifted players in the world. They lost this tournament. All of them.
“Great setup,” McDowell said of Pebble Beach Golf spankings all around. The only guy with a shot of beating McDowell who systematically fail was Frenchman Gregory Havret, a player so obscure that I didnt bother to learn his first name until late Sunday afternoon … and he has the same name as me. It never registered, because hes nobody. I have no idea where Havret came from, other than France, but Im positive that after this week hell return there and never be heard from again.
On second thought, never mind. I was being kind because of that whole shared name thing, but Havret lost this Open, too. He was 2-under after seven holes, then bogeyed three of the final 11. And still he had a chance to force a playoff. Havret hit into sand traps on the last two holes. And still he had a chance to force a playoff. But with a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to tie McDowell, Havret pulled it like a hamstring. Looked like me because I was awful.
Graeme stands by his proud dad on Fathers Day after barely holding on for the trophy. (AP) As for McDowell, well, hmmm. Asked to name his highlights of the round, he thought about two good approach shots he hit, on No. 13 and No. 15, that gave him a chance at birdie.
“But I didnt sack those,” he said.
McDowell mustered just one birdie on Sunday, compared to the 11 birdies he put together on Thursday and Friday.
“I kind of ran out of steam today,” he said. “Tried to par the thing to death, and thankfully that was enough.”
This wasnt the typical U.S. Open example of a brutal course taking a bite out of the best players in the world. It was difficult, and the wind didnt make it any easier, but its too easy to say thats all that happened here. What also happened here was bad shot after bad shot, with Woods and Mickelson and Els and Johnson launching balls into the Pacific Ocean. These werent shots fr these were tee shots going in the Pacific Ocean. Approaches from the fairway, into the Pacific. I walked the course and got close to the cliffs and wondered, at the time, why there were only three boats in the water. But now I get it. The Pacific was no place to be on Sunday. With golf balls flying everywhere, a boater could get brained out there.
McDowell didnt contribute to the fusillade into the Pacific, but he contributed something else for golfing lore: The white-flag finish. After McDowell bogeyed the 17th and hit his tee shot on the 18th into the rough, caddy Ken Comboy had seen enough. In an embarrassing conversation caught on national television, McDowell wanted to hit a 2-iron. Comboy told him to hit a 9-iron. They settled on a 5-iron, which McDowell put into the middle of the fairway. From there he hit a pitching we the U.S. Open was over.
On the surface, McDowell is worthy. Hes a Ryder Cup veteran ra by shooting 64-63 on the weekend. Earlier this week McDowell showed the necessary bravado, saying he was envisioning himself as champion and welcoming the infa I think it will separate the men from the boys,” McDowell said. “Bring it on.”
McDowell added, “If I get a sniff Sunday afternoon, Ill be ready for it.”
He got the sniff, and it damn near knocked him unconscious. But McDowell stayed upright, and upright was enough to, um, take home that silver jug that goes to the winner.
June 22, 2010
Up the coast and inland a bit a bit, it would have been a heckuva accomplishment, a headline-making deal.
Unfortunately, Dustin Johnson was playing golf along Stillwater Cove, not baseball next to McCovey Cove.
A triple-bogey 7 on the second hole was only the beginning of Dustin Johnsons problems, and he never recovered. (Getty Images) Four holes into the final round of the 110th U.S. Open on Sunday, third-round leader Dustin Johnson had already hit for the cycle with a par, bogey, double-bogey and triple-bogey to blow any chance at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The 25-year-old, seeking to win for the third time in 16 months at Pebble Beach, finally proved fallible at Pebble, and what a fall it was.
Johnson, who a day earlier matched the best round of the week with a 5-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round, blew the margin in approximately 30 minutes and then blew skyward like a seagull in the onshore breeze with a closing 82.
He gave back six shots over his opening four holes, shot a 7-over 42 on the front nine and was run over by the likes of top guns Graeme McDowell, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els.
It was over before it really started, like he popped the clutch at the starting line. It was a completely unexpected stumble for Johnson, who was being eyed by a slew of players because he had been so unflappable all week and seemed unbeatable at Pebble, where he won the titles at the AT&T National Pro-Am in 2009 and 2010.
Butch Harmon, who coaches Phil Mickelson and Johnson, approached Lefty before the round and was greeted with a Lefty wisecrack.
“I dont know what youre doing with Dustin Johnson, but you need to cut that [stuff] out,” Mickelson said.
Nick Watney watched Johnson warming up and noted that his demeanor seemingly covers the narrow band between sleepy cool and outright comatose.
“I think what he does really well is he is almost, I want to say, nonchalant,” Watney said. “He never seems like he is trying too hard, forcing things. Even keel.”
This time, he keeled over and left without speaking to reporters afterward.
With a caddie named Bobby Brown, maybe he was destined to get roughed up a little. He has plenty of company in this regard, not that it would provide much comfort when he set his head on his pillow Sunday night. In fact, he became the third player in five years to take a swan dive off the very top of the 54-hole leaderboard. And the second guy at Pebble Beach.
After leading the 1982 Open at Pebble Beach, Gil Morgan shot a closing 82 in high winds and plummeted. Five years ago, in a real shocker, two-time Open champion Retief Goosen skied to an 81 on Sunday and was out of the mix almost immediately.
In 2007, third-round leader Aaron Baddeley blew his two-shot lead and then some on the first hole at Oakmont with a tri which was eerily reminiscent of what took Johnson off the top of the board Sunday.
Calm and collected all week, Johnson hit his approach shot on the second into some deep hay around a greenside bunker and had to hit a wedge shot left-handed. After that swing moved the ball perhaps 10 feet, he tried a lob from ankle-deep rough and undercut the ball, moving it perhaps 3 feet.
Without taking a deep breath, he stood over the ball and hit it almost immediately, lobbing it to within 3 feet. From there, he didnt even sniff the hole as he made a triple-bogey to lose the outright lead.
It wasnt much better on the next hole, when he carved a wild tee ball into the gunch. It could not be located within the allotted five-minute window, and had to make the walk of shame back to the tee box to reload.
As if that wasnt bad enough, an NBC analyst mistakenly referred to him as Dustin Hoffman as he was searching through the weeds for his lost tee ball.
Insert or jokes here.
Johnson was poised to jump to the fore of the under-30 brigade. More heralded Sean OHair, Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas have three career wins on the PGA Tour, like Johnson, but no player under age 30 had won a major.
While Johnson was unraveling, playing partner McDowell was mounting a hellacious rally, U.S. Open-style. Which is a nice way of saying he picked up three shots and assumed the lead with ho-hum pars on the first three holes.
It got so bad that when a media guy sauntered into the lunchroom as Johnson was chopping up the front nine and sat down to watch the TV action, he noticed that some brown chocolate-looking substance was smeared all over the seat of his chair.
“Hey,” somebody cracked. “Be careful. Dustin Johnson was just sitting there.”
June 21, 2010
In a U.S. Open with golfs biggest stars on the leaderboard, it was Graeme McDowell who played like one.
McDowell seized control after a shocking collapse by Dustin Johnson, then failed to get flustered with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els lined up behind him. The 30-year-old from Northern Ireland wasnt perfect, but he was good enough.
He closed with a 3-over 74 to become the first European in 40 years to capture the U.S. Open, getting an embrace on the 18th green from his father.
“Youre something, kid,” Kenny McDowell said, speaking for thousands who watched this unlikely Open unfold along the Pacific coastline.
It was a final round no one expected.
Johnson took a triple bogey on the second hole to lose all of his three-shot lead, and a double bogey on the next hole ended his hopes. Three of the biggest stars of this generation were right there, ready to continue the lineage of great champions at Pebble Beach, only to play far below their exp and his final round was the highest score by a U.S. Open champion since Andy North in 1985.
No matter. It added up to a one-shot victory over another surprise contender, Gregory Havret of France, who shot 72.
“I cant believe Im standing with this right now,” McDowell said, posing with silver trophy. “Its a dream come true. Ive been dreaming it all my life. Two putts to win the U.S. Open. Cant believe it happened.”
Woods couldnt believe it, either.
Poised to end six months of bad publicity over a shattered personal life, he bogeyed five of his first 10 holes and took himself out of contention with a 75.
Els and Mickelson hung around a little longer, and both had opportunities, but neither could capitalize.
Els had a brief share of the lead on the f and never quite recovered. His hopes ended when he missed his target with a sand wedge on the par-5 14th and took bogey, then missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 15th.
He closed with a 73 to finish alone in third.
Mickelson, with another great chance to end a career of disappointment at the U.S. Open, holed a birdie putt from just off the green on the first hole, then didnt made another birdie the rest of the day. He also shot a 73 and tied for fourth with Woods, missing a chance to supplant Woods at No. 1 in the world.
Woods made only two birdies, but was more troubled by his mistakes.
“I made three mental mistakes,” Woods said. “The only thing it cost us was a chance to win the U.S. Open.”
Even so, nothing compares with what happened to Johnson. The 25-year-old American looked so unflappable all week, and came apart so quickly. On the final hole of a round he wont forget, Johnson missed a two-foot birdie putt and wound up with an 82. It was the highest closing round by a 54-hole leader in the U.S. Open since Fred McLeod shot 83 in 1911.
McDowell finished at even-par 284 and ended 40 years of questions about when a European would capture Americas national championship. Englands Tony Jacklin was the last one, in 1970 at Hazeltine.
McDowell had to work harder than he imagined.
Even under overcast skies and a stiff breeze, the course was firm and dangerous as ever. Davis Love III, with a 71, was the only player among the final five groups who matched par.
“I cant believe how difficult this golf course was,” McDowell said. “No matter how good you play … good golf got reward, and bad golf got punished really badly.”
McDowell got into the U.S. Open by narrowly getting into the top 50 in the world at the deadline to avoid qualifying. He wound up with his first victory in America to go along with five European Tour victories, most recently the Wales Open last month at the home course for the Ryder Cup in October. He is sure to be part of the European team now, moving up to No. 12 in the world.
June 21, 2010
The crowd didnt like Tiger Woods early in the round on Saturday. Early on, Woods might even have agreed. He bogeyed his second hole. Bogeyed his third hole. By the time I caught up with Woods on No. 4, he was 10 and the U.S. Open crowd was talking angrily to him.
“I hate you, Tiger!” one guy screamed as Woods walked past us on No. 4.
Tiger Woods shot from behind the tree elicits a huge roar from the crowd. (Getty Images) “Go Phil!” yelled another. These spectators were strangers, but they high-fived. A third dude wanted in.
“Na-na-na-not No. 1 after week,” the guy yelled, referencing Phil Mickelsons ability to overtake Woods atop the world rankings if he wins the 110th U.S. Open.
That was how Woods round started. This is how it ended:
With the loudest roar of the day.
It happened after Woods second shot on the par-5 finishing hole. He was behind that damn tree in the fairway, 260 yards from the green, and he fired a 3-wood out over the Pacific Ocean, cut it back into the wind, and watched it land on the green and roll 15 past the hole. A two-putt gave him his third consecutive birdie for a 5-under 66, tied for the lowest round of the tournament and five shots behind leader Dustin Johnson, but it was the second shot out over the Pacific that brought the noise. I was greenside when it happened, and the reaction was thunderous. CBSSports.com the absolute farthest sp and he heard the roar. Not just the noise. He heard the
There must have been 10,000 people surrounding the green. I didnt hear one of them yell, “I hate you, Tiger!” But I did hear a woman scream, “We love you, Tiger!” And I did hear a man yell, “Tiger, youre the greatest!” And then several people applauded. The appreciation of Tiger was such that, as he stood with his putter over his attempt at eagle, a baby started to coo. This man next to me, swear to God, glared at the and growled out a “shhhhh!”
The lesson I learned from all this? People want to love Tiger maybe thats impossible after a sex scandal that hasn but as much as they can love him. But to love Tiger they need to see him play his best, and then they can embrace him for his ferocity on the course, if not for his fidelity off it. Thats what happened Saturday.
Like him or not, gol golf is. Woods is Big Business. Television ratings remain higher for events he plays than events he doesnt, and they are higher still when hes in contention. Watch the ratings for Sundays fourth round. Theyll be enormous. The sport is more fun thats the crowd on Saturday.
Well, they werent saying it so much as they were murmuring it. That was the reaction after Woods birdie at No. 17 was posted on the enormous scoreboard around the 18th green. It was his second consecutive birdie, and it drew him to even par, five shots behind Johnson at that moment. W it gasped. The sensation was visceral, and the gasp can be translated like so:
On the green at No. 18 were Luke Donald and Fred Funk, but the crowd didnt care about that. Heads were turned toward the tee box nearly 600 yards away, and Woods tee shot into the fairway drew a bigger reaction than the putts of Donald and Funk. When Funk tapped in for par at No. 18, a fan yelled over the polite applause, “OK, its Tiger time!” And that drew more applause than Funks putt.
Then came Woods sensational shot to the green, and the ovation heard for miles, and when Woods was finished, he wasnt merely relieved to be in the hunt for a major following four dismal events that included a withdrawal at The Players Championship and a failure to make the cut at Quail Hollow. Nope. Woods was thinking about winning this thing.
Thats why, after Woods was brought into the media tent for his post-round press conference, he wasnt listening to USGA official Beth Murrisons glowing introduction. Even as Murrison was describing his “brilliant 66 today,” Woods was leaning back in his chair, looking behind Murrisons head at the television screen in the corner. The screen showed Dustin Johnson on the 12th hole. Woods was staring at Johnson like a lion stares at a wildebeest.
Eventually, though, Woods turned his attention to the press corps and explained his mastery of the golf ball. When Woods struggles with hi his “numbers,” as he calls it. On a bad day, his 7-iron will go 10 yards farther than normal, or 10 yards shorter. Whatever it is, its the difference between having a birdie putt from pin high … or a chip.
“It feels good to be able to control my ball, especially in this wind,” Woods said. “I was landing the ball on my numbers. Whether it was into the wind or downwind, I was landing the ball on my numbers.”
Woods was shaping fades or draws, and he was leaving himself birdie putts uphill. Thats a key on Pebble Beachs greens, that it literally changes the putting surface from morning to afternoon. On Thursday, Woods called the greens “awful.” On Friday, the USGA bristled at those comments. On Saturday, Woods didnt back down.
“A lot of players felt the same,” Woods said. “They just didnt say it.”
With uphill putts, Woods was able to make aggressive runs at the hole, taking the poas inconsistent length out of the equation. He birdied eight hol that went downhill and shocked Woods by falling into the cup.
“Not a putt I was expecting to make,” he said. “Wasnt even trying to make it.”
But this is what happens when Woods is going good. Putts fall. Ratings rise.
And you love him like nothing happened.
June 20, 2010
Ernie Els shot one of the lowest scores of the day on Friday and is high on the leaderboard halfway through the 110th U.S. Open. Thats somewhat shocking, because before the 2010 PGA Tour, Ernie Els hadnt been relevant in years but that wouldnt be completely open or honest, and Els wants to be open about this. About his struggles.
And so, out of respect for him, Ill be as blunt as I can be:
Ernie Els has five birdies Friday and is playing as well as anybody in the Open field. (AP) Before this year, Ernie Els hadnt been relevant since his sons autism became a problem.
That was in 2004. Ben Els, the younger of Ernie and Liezl Els two children, wasnt acting like other 2-year-olds. He wasnt talking much. Wasnt walking much. He wouldnt even look his father in the eye. Els was coming off a he won a career-best three times on the PGA T but at home, his world was about to be blown apart.
“He didnt know anything about autism,” says Els agent, Chubby Chandler. “He was about to learn.”
It was a frightening lesson. Roughly one out of 150 children are born with autism, a neural disorder marked by impaired social interaction, some more severely affected than others. Ben Els, bless him, was affected severely. He almost never comes to the golf course because his mother and father simply dont know how he will act. For years they kept his condition private.
Els struggles in golf, though, were public.
After that remarkable 2004, Els was winless in 2 posting at least one PGA Els won just once in the five years since. He bottomed out in 2008, missing the cut as many times (five) as he finished in the Top 10. He felt sorry for himself. He was depressed. He and Liezl were unhappy, fighting about the best way to care for Ben. Divorce was a possibility. Bens autism remained a secret.
By 2008, enough was enough. Els announced to the world that Ben had autism and began regaining control of his life. In 2009, Ernie and Liezl established the Els for Autism Foundation and made a goal of raising $30 million for a 300-student school and research facility in Florida. Au but Ernie Els was about to get even.
First, though, he had to take care of Ben. Until this year the Els family had lived on three continents, using Ernies private jet to bounce between homes in Florida, England and Els native South Africa. This year they determined that a single home base in West Palm Beach, Fla., would be best for Ben. They even joining his father at the Els for Autism Pro-Am in March at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl and Ernie Els is having one of the best years of his career.
Els won twice in March, has finished in the top five two other times, and now here he is at Pebble Beach, the biggest name on Fridays leader board (until Phil Mickelsons charge late in the day). Els shot a 3-under 68, leaving him two strokes behind leader Graeme McDowells two-day total of 139.
< two of his three but it has been awhile. He last finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open in 2004. He hasnt won a major since then. Last year, this two-time Open champion missed the cut at the Open … and at the Masters. Humbling.
Now, hes roaring. And its not his putter or his driver. Not his chipping or his scrambling. Its his personal life. After years of turmoil, his home is at peace.
“Ive played this event where Ive been very tense,” Els said Friday. “And all I can say is that the times that Ive been tense, my game wasnt quite there. This week Im feeling all right. This week, Im calm.”
On the surface, Els always looks calm. When he was winning 15 times between 1994-2004, he looked calm. When he was winning just once from 2005-09, he looked calm. Even his manager and close friend, Chandler, didnt know.
“At the time, I couldnt see what he was going through,” Chandler said. “I couldnt see the bad side. But now that its good, I see the good side. I see how relaxed he is. Hes serene.”
The scorecard doesnt lie. Els birdied five holes Friday, playing this course as well as anyone has played it through two days. What happens this weekend? No telling, but Els has won this event two times. He has won this year two times. He is putting like its 2004. He is smiling again, just a few years after Bens condition had Els asking himself, “What just happened to my life?”
This weekend Els will go for his fourth major title, which only 10 players have done in the past 50 years. It would be quite a legacy, but its not the one Els cares about. He knows he will be remembered by some people as a golfer, but he wants more.
“Id like also to be remembered as somebody who took the issue of autism and did something with it,” Els said. “The rest of my life, Ill be fighting this thing.”
June 20, 2010
The 2010 U.S. Open has turned Tiger Woods into the Little Engine That Could.
He thinks he can. He thinks he can.
Theres no sign of it yet, but Tiger Woods has a history of making moves on the weekend. (AP) Or perhaps hes Stuart Smalley.
“Im good enough. Im smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.”
Whatever cartoonish caricature you prefer, the worlds No. 1 is applying his best Norman Vincent Peale power of positive thinking to his position seven shots off Graeme McDowells lead at Pebble Beach.
“Im right there,” Woods said over and over after a second-round 72 on Friday morning.
“Its a long haul,” he repeated time and again to the media queries.
“I feel very good,” he insisted numerous times.
A decade ago, Woods said pretty much the same thing as he opened a six-stroke lead at the halfway mark he eventually expanded to a record 15 strokes on the same course. But considering Woods has made only three birdies and seven bogeys through two rounds, it seemed like he was working hard to sell everybody on the idea that a top-40 spot is just where he wanted to be.
“I feel good. Im right there,” he said when he came off the course having shot four strokes higher than playing partner Ernie Els, who sits in second at 1-under 141. “Im only, what, seven back? And this is a long haul at a U.S. Open. This is a long haul.”
That could be the story of Woods 2010 season so far. It has been a long haul from his scandal-induced hiatus to his place back atop the pedestal he commanded for 13 years. His ragged play in recent events is starting to come around as Woods moves forward with neither a swing coach nor a familial rudder.
His game has been steadier if not spectacular through 36 holes on what is is not ruling Woods out of contention.
“A guy thats won 14 majors, hes got a lot of game,” Els said. “I think hes very close. I havent played with him in about a year. I think his ball-striking was pretty good the last two days. His short game is pretty sharp, he just didnt make enough putts. Hes skimming the hole, nothing looks out of the ordinary. He looks pretty sharp. I think its only a matter of time before he starts getting in his stride.”
Woods is singing the same tune.
“I put the ball right where I need to be, I missed the ball on the correct sides, all the shots Ive hit this week I think Ive only short-sided myself two times this week,” he said. “So thats not bad.
“Im right there in the championship. I just need to make a few more birdies, a few more putts on the weekend, and Ill be right there.”
Woods looked capable of making a major move in the calm, cool and soft conditions that greeted them Friday morning. He chipped in for his first birdie of the tournament on the 11th hole, his second of the day. He gave it back on the 12th but stuck a good approach to make another birdie on the tricky 14th.
But he cooled off in the middle of the round. He bogeyed the treacherous 17th, than missed birdie chances on 18 and No. 1. Wayward drives led to bogeys on the second and third and it appeared another round might get away from him.
But Woods collected his third birdie of the week on the short seventh to keep himself in reasonable striking distance heading into the weekend.
“I just need to keep progressing and keep moving my way up the board,” he said. “Its a long haul. The U.S. Open is not going to get easier as the week goes on. Especially on the weekend. And from what I hear its supposed to be overcast, so Im sure there will be a few more birdies than we normally would see.”
In case anybody missed his point, he parroted himself in response to the very next question.
“Well I just need to keep progressing,” he said. “Its a long process. This is a tournament where you dont win it with one round, but you can lose it with one round. And you just got to keep making progress and as I said, its a long process winning a U.S. Open.”
Hes sold himself. Now he has two days to convince everybody else that hes back.
Augusta Chronicle.
June 19, 2010
On another frustrating day at Pebble Beach, Tiger Woods fought with his swing as much as the greens. Graeme McDowell, on the other hand, had that all figured out and gave Woods a distant target to shoot at for the weekend.
McDowell made six birdies on the way to a 3-under 68 on Friday and enters the weekend at 3 under. That was two shots ahead of Dustin Johnson, 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa and Ernie Els, who also shot 68 to position himself for a run at his third U.S. Open title.
“Youre always surprised to be under par at a U.S. Open golf course,” said McDowell, who has won five times on the European Tour, including a victory in Wales earlier this month.
Finishing the second round at even par was the quartet of Alex Cejka, who shot 72, Paul Casey (73), Brendon De Jonge (73) and Jerry Kelly (70).
Meanwhile, playing in the afternoon, Phil Mickelson ran off a string of four straight birdies to get to even par through seven holes.
Players returned to Pebble for a second round played under cloudy, cool and more benign conditions than on Thursday, when sunny skies and drying winds had Woods calling the greens “awful” after a birdie-less round of 74.
Opening on the back nine Friday, he chipped in on No. 11 for his first birdie of the tournament, but if things were looking up, it was only for a brief while. He bogeyed both the par-3s on the back, missed an 8-foot putt for birdie on No. 18, blocked a tee shot into a bunker on No. 2 and hooked one into the fescue on No. 3.
It added up to a 1-over 72 and a slide down the leaderboard - seven shots behind McDowell. Woods, of course, feels hes still got a chance.
“I just need to keep progressing and keep moving my way up the board,” he said. “Its a long haul. The U.S. Open is not going to get easier as the week goes on, especially on the weekend.”
Anything is possible with Woods, but clearly this is not the same player who won the last U.S. Open at Pebble, back in 2000, by a record 15 shots.
After opening the tournament by hitting 10 straight greens in regulation, Woods got wild. Since that start, he has gone 13 for 26, and though the greens were better during a morning round Friday than they were Thursday afternoon, he missed a series of makable putts, including the one on 18 and a 12-footer on 6 that slid by.
“I just need to make a few more birdies, a few more putts on the weekend, and Ill be right there,” Woods said.
Els won the `B flight at the U.S. Open in 2000, tying for second, but didnt finish any higher than fifth at the Open the rest of the decade. Hes playing some of his best golf in years in 2010, though, winning twice and now in serious contention at Pebble, which he said resembled “links golf on steroids.”
“Its been such a long time since I won one of these, and weve got a long way to go,” Els said. “I needed a round like today to get back into the tournament, which is nice.”
Johnson is no stranger to hoisting trophies at Pebble Beach. The the PGA Tour event played here every February - shot a 70 and was in contention despite a four-putt 7 on No. 14 in the opening round.
“Whenever you have success at a golf course you get a lot of confidence,” Johnson said. “So Ive got a lot of confidence at this golf course, and it sets up very well for me.”
Same could be said for Tom Watson, the 1982 champion, who found himself waiting through the afternoon to see if hes played what could possibly be his final U.S. Open round. The heartbreaking runner-up at last years British shot an even 71 to finish at 7-over 149. Thats within 10 shots of McDowell and would be good enough to make the cut if nobody in the afternoon goes lower.
But he knows Pebble as well as anyone, and he knows what he saw Friday.
“I suspect with the course playing the way it is today, it may be a little easy and some of the 1-under pars might surpass Graeme,” Watson said.
K.J. Choi, Mike Weir and Ian Poulter were among the “1 unders” playing in the afternoon, along with Mickelson, who was making drastic improvement on the 75 he shot in the first round.
Nobody has gone lower than Ishikawa, who shot a 58 two months ago in Japan - the lowest score ever on a major tour. While 99 percent of the U.S. Open players talk about patience, the 18-year-old who followed up his hot-pink wardrobe Thursday with a more muted red-and-white ensemble Friday, wasnt taking that tact.
“I dont know if its the right word, but my feeling is, go for it,” he said. “Challenging things means something to me, and especially in the outside-Japan tournaments, it doesnt mean anything if I dont challenge things.”
Hes got a ways to go, and Pebble Beach almost certainly wont get any easier over the weekend. Still, better to be in his position, or McDowells, than playing from behind.
“You know, Id be lying if I hadnt thought about picking up the trophy on Sunday afternoon. I think thats only natural,” McDowell said. “But Im trying to be very realistic about it, as well. Im really trying to put no expectations on myself this weekend because, A, I know theres a lot of great players out here, and B, this golf course is extremely difficult.”
June 19, 2010
Ernie Els shot one of the lowest scores of the day on Friday and is high on the leaderboard halfway through the 110th U.S. Open. Thats somewhat shocking, because before the 2010 PGA Tour, Ernie Els hadnt been relevant in years but that wouldnt be completely open or honest, and Els wants to be open about this. About his struggles.
And so, out of respect for him, Ill be as blunt as I can be:
Ernie Els has five birdies Friday and is playing as well as anybody in the Open field. (AP) Before this year, Ernie Els hadnt been relevant since his sons autism became a problem.
That was in 2004. Ben Els, the younger of Ernie and Liezl Els two children, wasnt acting like other 2-year-olds. He wasnt talking much. Wasnt walking much. He wouldnt even look his father in the eye. Els was coming off a he won a career-best three times on the PGA T but at home, his world was about to be blown apart.
“He didnt know anything about autism,” says Els agent, Chubby Chandler. “He was about to learn.”
It was a frightening lesson. Roughly one out of 150 children are born with autism, a neural disorder marked by impaired social interaction, some more severely affected than others. Ben Els, bless him, was affected severely. He almost never comes to the golf course because his mother and father simply dont know how he will act. For years they kept his condition private.
Els struggles in golf, though, were public.
After that remarkable 2004, Els was winless in 2 posting at least one PGA Els won just once in the five years since. He bottomed out in 2008, missing the cut as many times (five) as he finished in the Top 10. He felt sorry for himself. He was depressed. He and Liezl were unhappy, fighting about the best way to care for Ben. Divorce was a possibility. Bens autism remained a secret.
By 2008, enough was enough. Els announced to the world that Ben had autism and began regaining control of his life. In 2009, Ernie and Liezl established the Els for Autism Foundation and made a goal of raising $30 million for a 300-student school and research facility in Florida. Au but Ernie Els was about to get even.
First, though, he had to take care of Ben. Until this year the Els family had lived on three continents, using Ernies private jet to bounce between homes in Florida, England and Els native South Africa. This year they determined that a single home base in West Palm Beach, Fla., would be best for Ben. They even joining his father at the Els for Autism Pro-Am in March at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl and Ernie Els is having one of the best years of his career.
Els won twice in March, has finished in the top five two other times, and now here he is at Pebble Beach, the biggest name on Fridays leader board (until Phil Mickelsons charge late in the day). Els shot a 3-under 68, leaving him two strokes behind leader Graeme McDowells two-day total of 139.
< two of his three but it has been awhile. He last finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open in 2004. He hasnt won a major since then. Last year, this two-time Open champion missed the cut at the Open … and at the Masters. Humbling.
Now, hes roaring. And its not his putter or his driver. Not his chipping or his scrambling. Its his personal life. After years of turmoil, his home is at peace.
“Ive played this event where Ive been very tense,” Els said Friday. “And all I can say is that the times that Ive been tense, my game wasnt quite there. This week Im feeling all right. This week, Im calm.”
On the surface, Els always looks calm. When he was winning 15 times between 1994-2004, he looked calm. When he was winning just once from 2005-09, he looked calm. Even his manager and close friend, Chandler, didnt know.
“At the time, I couldnt see what he was going through,” Chandler said. “I couldnt see the bad side. But now that its good, I see the good side. I see how relaxed he is. Hes serene.”
The scorecard doesnt lie. Els birdied five holes Friday, playing this course as well as anyone has played it through two days. What happens this weekend? No telling, but Els has won this event two times. He has won this year two times. He is putting like its 2004. He is smiling again, just a few years after Bens condition had Els asking himself, “What just happened to my life?”
This weekend Els will go for his fourth major title, which only 10 players have done in the past 50 years. It would be quite a legacy, but its not the one Els cares about. He knows he will be remembered by some people as a golfer, but he wants more.
“Id like also to be remembered as somebody who took the issue of autism and did something with it,” Els said. “The rest of my life, Ill be fighting this thing.”
