Archive for August, 2010
August 31, 2010
CBSSports.com wire rep Until Chambers Bay morphed from an everyday public course into championship conditions, Mike Davis didnt know what to expect.
Davis, the U.S. Golf Associations director of rules and competition and responsible for developing the setup used at the U.S. Open, had some preconceived ideas of how Chambers Bay would play during the U.S. Amateur that ended on Sunday.
And after a week of watching the best amateur golfers in the world try and solve the hard fairways and sloping greens of the links course, Davis came away excited for what awaits five years from now when Chambers Bay hosts the U.S. Open.
“Its very fun to set it up,” Davis said.
Fun seemed to be the overwhelming word players and officials used to describe the way Chambers Bay played during the Amateur, won by Oklahoma States Peter Uihlein. Shot making was at a premium, as was imagination, taking away the idea of shooting right at pins or playing the hole exactly as it appeared.
Uihlein had a perfect example in Sundays final against David Chung. Knowing his downhill putt on the drivable par 4 12th hole had no chance of stopping near the hold, Uihlein rolled his putt past the hole, up a slope and watched it inch back toward the cup, settling just a couple of feet away.
“You cant really get close to the flags by hitting them at the flag. Youve got to use the slopes and be creative,” Uihlein said. “Youve got to hit every shot with a certain spin and height. Youve really got to control your ball.”
Chambers Bay was awarded the Amateur and the 2015 Open within a year of the course first opening. Its unique fescue grass, large footprint and setting on the shores of Puget Sound was the setting the USGA had been hoping to find to finally bring its national championship to the Pacific Northwest for the first time.
That meant the Amateur was a dress rehearsal for five years from now. The discoveries last week were plentiful.
For example, Davis learned that even with hard, brown fairways and greens, the grass at Chambers still needed sufficient water. During the stroke play portion of the Amateur, the firmness of the golf course got out of hand, Davis said.
The discovery: because of its sandy base, the golf course needed adequate water six, 12, 18 inches below the surface to maintain a level of fairness for players.
“There were some things that we did anticipate we thought might work really well. We had some questions about some things and there were some things that being very candid, we never had an idea, nor did the architects or any of the Chambers Bay people,” Davis said.
Davis said there will be plenty of adjustments to the golf course by the time its next in tournament conditions five years from now. Some fairways will be narrowed, others will be widened, and even others will be moved one direction or another. One major benefit for the USGA staff was seeing various weather conditions during the week and seeing winds blowing from three different directions.
Outside the ropes, there are issues with spectator transportation, crowd flow and fans climbing on the steep and slippery dunes around the course to be addressed.
“I think well spend the next few years trying to get that right because this was a dry run,” said the USGAs Tom OToole. “Thats why we came here. … A lot of notes this week [and] it will really help us in preparation for 15.”
August 31, 2010
CBSSports.co North Carolina will be the site for the 2017 PGA Championship.
A state government official with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press on Monday that the PGA will announce Tuesday at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte that the course will be the site for one of golfs four majors that year.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the PGAs announcement.
A public relations firm announced that the Tuesday morning event will feature Gov. Beverly Perdue, Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx and the clubs president.
Quail Hollow has hosted what has been called the Wachovia Championship and most recently the Quail Hollow Championship as a regular PGA stop since its inception in 2003. It will be called the Wells Fargo Championship in 2011.
August 30, 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
August 30, 2010
CBSSports.co Matt Kuchars fortunes took quite a turn Sunday, and so did his golf ball.
Kuchar beat Martin Laird in a playoff at The Barclays with a 7-iron out of the rough that rolled toward the back of the 18th green, then caught enough of the slope to turn back toward the hole and stop 30 inches away for a birdie.
It was a stunning conclusion to the first FedEx Cup playoff event.
Kuchar closed with a 5-under 66, and it didnt look as though it would be enough. Laird had a one-shot lead and needed two putts from just inside 25 feet for the victory, when he ran his putt 7 feet past the hole. He missed the par putt, setting up the playoff.
The timing could not have been better for Kuchar.
His first victory of the year came two weeks after he made his first Ryder Cup team, and the win can only give him a shot of confidence. Kuchar moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings by winning the first playoff event, giving him a good shot at the $10 million prize. And his third career win is likely to move him to a career-best No. 10 in the world ranking.
“Even if I had shut it down without a win, I would have felt it was a great year,” Kuchar said. “To win, its an incredible year.”
The Barclays: Final round Analysis Steve Elling
With his first victory of 2010, Matt Kuchar vaults onto the list of Player of the Year candidates. Read More >> Related links Final scores and earnings Scorecards: Kuchar | Laird
Tiger Woods continues to make progress, which in this case means he gets to keep going.
Woods, who started these playoffs at No. 112 in the standings, closed with a 4-under 67 to easily make the top 100 who advance to the second round next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Woods tied for 12th, his best finish since June, and moved up to No. 65.
Laird, who recovered from a shaky start, looked just as shaky at the end, especially with his putter.
He was tied with Kuchar when he had a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th, only to roll it nearly 8 feet beyond the hole. He made that birdie putt to take the lead, then repeated his mistake on the final hole in regulation.
This time, the comeback putt never had a chance. Neither did Laird in the playoff after Kuchars shot stopped so close to the cup. Laird hit out of the rough to about 50 feet and made par.
Matt Kuchar shoots 5-under 66 before earning his first victory of the season in a sudden-death playoff. (Getty Images) “Obviously, not the finish I was looking for,” Laird said. “But Im very proud of the way I played today. I was kind of battling all day, and probably holed two or three of the biggest putts Ive ever holed just to be where I was.”
The only consolation for Laird was being safe through next month in the playoffs. He was at No. 95, hopeful of advancing to the second round, and his runner-up finish puts him at No. 3 and virtually guarantees hell be among the top 30 at the Tour Championship who compete for the $10 million prize.
Steve Stricker closed with a 66 to tie for third with Kevin Streelman, whose parents grew up in this neighborhood and whose grandparents are buried in a cemetery next to the seventh hole. Two years ago at Ridgewood, Streelman narrowly missed a playoff. He also was on the bubble, starting at No. 102, and moved up to No. 18.
Rory Sabbatini had the low round of the day at 64 and tied for fifth.
The other big winner Sunday was Andres Romero of Argentina. He made back-to-back double bogeys to fall well outside the top 100, then made a stunning charge with four birdies over his final five holes. Romero holed a 40-foot putt on his final hole to finish at No. 100 in the standings and advance to Boston.
“After the double bogeys, I figured it was lost,” Romero said. “I knew I had to make birdies to have a chance.”
Woods thought he had a chance, despite starting the final round nine shots behind. Practicing a drill on the putting green to keep his eyes over the ball, he took that to the course and pl but he was encouraged by his play heading into next week at the TPC Boston.
“I havent won all year,” Woods said. “But this is a week that I was very close. I felt that if I would have putted better for all four days, I would have been right there. Looking forward to next week.”
August 30, 2010
CBSSports.com wir Michelle Wie closed with a 2-under 70 Sunday for a three-shot win at the CN Canadian Womens Open, her second career victory on the LPGA Tour.
Wie, who was 12 under for the tournament, earned the winners check of $337,500 in the $2 the LPGAs only stop in Canada.
LPGA Tour Related links Leaderboard
Wie had five birdies, including on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes.
“I made a lot of crucial putts today,” said Wie, who at 10 years old was the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Jiyai Shin of South Korea shot a 73 and tied for second with Kristy McPherson (66), defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway (69) and South Koreas Jee Lee Young (69).
Wie led wire-to-wire after an opening 65 and was tied with Shin for the lead entering the final round at 10 under.
“My shot was really good, but my putting was so bad,” said Shin, who has four victories since joining the LPGA Tour last season.
“I (had) lots of chances for birdies, but I couldnt make it just a couple times.”
Ai Miyazato (69) of Japan, the No. 1-ranked player heading into the Open, finished tied for 15th, while No. 2 Cristie Kerr (69) tied for eighth.
After the 20-year-old Wie ended her round on the 18th green, her longtime friend and fellow American player Christina Kim sprayed her with champagne.
“I was trying to run away from her,” Wie said with a laugh. “All I was thinking in my mind was Im wearing white pants, please be nice Tina.”
Wies first career win came in November at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational during her rookie season. Her opening round this week featured the second hole-in-one of her pro career.
Wie said shes heading back the P&G NW Arkansas Championship, beginning Sept. 10.
Next years tournament will be held in Montreal and then Vancouver in 2012.
August 29, 2010
CBSSports.co One swing cost Tiger Woods any chance of winning The Barclays.
Now he can only hope he gets to keep playing after Sunday.
Four shots out of the lead to start the third rou that sailed over the trees and off the property at Ridgewood Country Club. It led to a triple bogey, and he never got those three shots back.
The Barclays: Third round Analysis Steve Elling
Despite the early shank, Tiger still sounded as upbeat as he had since last year about his prospects. Read More >> Related links Leaderboard | Tigers scorecard Laird seizes control, leads Day, Johnson by three Elling: No answers on future Barclays venues Video Watch live coverage of The Barclays
Woods finished with back-to-back birdies for a 1-over 72 that put him well behind the leaders.
“In the end, it probably cost me a chance to win the tournament,” said Woods, who rallied to get to 3-under 210. “But Im pleased how I sucked it up and got it back the rest of the day, when it easily could have gone the other way. Hitting a ball like that, it can derail you. And it didnt. I got it right back.”
It was hard to believe the swing came from someone who had only missed two fairways over the first 36 holes. Woods attributed it to having too many swing thoughts swirling between the ears.
“I got caught between two swings,” he said. “And I wasnt committed to what I was doing. I wasnt focused on exactly what I should have been doing, what Ive been doing on the range, what Ive been doing the last couple of weeks. And it backfired.”
The top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the second round next week in the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston. Woods started the playoffs at No. 112, and he seemed safe after opening with a 65 to share the lead.
At one point Saturday, after a bogey from a fairway bunker on the ninth hole, Woods was projected outside the top 100. That was his last big mistake, however.
Woods hit to the front of the green in two on the 616-yard 13th hole for an easy up-and-down for birdie, and his 3-wood on the 587-yard 17th stopped 20 feet from the pin for a two-putt birdie. He finished with a 7-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the 18th.
Equally important were two pars in the middle of his round.
After his atrocious start, Woods hit through the green on the sixth hole and chipped poorly to about 10 feet. He made that putt for par, then escaped with par after getting mud on his ball in the middle of the seventh fairway.
Woods approach sailed right of the green and bunkers, leaving no room for error. The pitch under tree limbs landed in the rough, trickled onto the green and he made an 8-foot putt.
“I need to make that putt to not let it slide any further,” he said.
Woods all but ruled himself out of the tournament, although Sunday looms large.
He most likely will need a round somewhere around par or better to advance to Boston, and the better he plays, the higher he moves up and increases his chances for the third round in Chicago, which is for the top 70.
In the meantime, hes still working on his swing, although there remains a higher priority.
“Posting a score,” Woods said. “Always.”
August 29, 2010
CBSSports.com wi Bernhard Langer fired a 9-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Nick Price after the second round of the Champions Tours Boeing Classic on Saturday.
Price struggled to make birdies on the back nine, allowing Langer to overtake the opening round leader.
Langer made a 12-foot birdie on the 12th hole to pull within a shot of Price and move to 6-under on the round. With Price making pars, Langer continued his run to the top of the leaderboard. Birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 gave him the outright lead and a birdie at 18 moved him to 15-under 129 for the tournament.
Price (67) made four birdies on the front nine. He recorded his only bogey of the day at 17, but closed with an eagle at the par-5 18th to pull within a shot of Langer.
Hometown favorite Fred Couples had just come off consecutive birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 that moved him into a tie with Tom Pernice Jr. for third at 8-under par.
But Couples bogeyed the par-5 15th hole for the second consecutive day after going in the hazard that lines the left side of the hole off the tee. Then he came unglued at 16 finding the sand trap in front of the green with his second shot. His first two attempts failed to clear the 8-foot lip and rolled back to his feet. He finally got out on the third attempt and made double-bogey.
Another bogey at 17 added to Couples problems and he finished with a 72 to put him at 4 under for 36 holes.
Pernice Jr. was three shots off the lead before consecutive bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 dropped him back to 8-under par. Pernice Jr. bounced back with birdies at 15 and 16 to finish at 10-under.
Keith Fergus and Hal Sutton are tied for fourth at 6-under par.
August 28, 2010
CBSSports.com wire Gary Boyd and David Lynn of England and Julien Guerrier of France were tied for the lead at the Johnnie Walker Championship on Friday, completing two rounds at 9 under.
Guerrier shot a 5-under 67, while Boyd and Lynn had 68s. Marc Warren of Scotland (70), Mark Foster of England (67) and George Coetzee of South Africa (68) were two shots back.
European Tour Related links Leaderboard
Simon Dyson of England shot a 70 to grab a share of seventh place at 6-under. He is four places outside of qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team and needs to capture the Johnnie Walker to ensure automatic selection for the event at Celtic Manor.
Also at 6 under were Paul McGinley of Ireland (70), Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain (68) and Edoardo Molinari of Italy (68).
Jimenez was a late entry as he looks to secure his place on the Ryder Cup team, while Molinari is hoping a good showing will help him earn a captains pick.
Guerrier, who captured the 2006 British Amateur championship and turned professional right after the 2007 Masters, was inspired by Martin Kaymers recent run to the PGA Championship title.
“I watched Martin Kaymer, 26 years old, make the fantastic title in the U.S. PGA and I said, Hes a good player, but Im a good striker and I can do it,” Guerrier said. “So I try to do it and dont try too much, just play your golf, play your best and go see the flag and play it. Thats all.”
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie missed the cut and will now focus on his Sunday night choice of captains picks.
“I just think its super that everyone is performing to the best of their ability,” Montgomerie said after shooting 71 and 76 to finish at 3 over.
“I cant please everybody, the only way I could do that was to pick 20 players, but I have to leave out some good players, some winners,” the Scott said. “Its a good headache to have.”
August 28, 2010
CBSSports.com wi Nick Price spent more than an hour on the practice range Thursday night trying to find the swing that had eluded him last week at the Jeld-Wen Tradition.
He even took a club back to his hotel room hoping that his swing would finally click once again.
Somewhere between leaving his hotel and reaching the first tee box, he found it.
Champions Tour Related links Leaderboard
Price birdied the first four holes and five of the last seven to match the lowest score in tournament history and take the lead with a 9-under 63 in the first round of the Champions Tours Boeing Classic on Friday.
“I didnt think Id be sitting here yesterday,” said Price.
Price struggled to a 1-under total at the Jeld-Wen Tradition last week in Sunriver, Ore., finishing in a tie for 38th place.
“Last week I dont know what happened but I got out of sync,” Price said. “I got here and I didnt play very well in the Pro-Am yesterday.”
Price and caddy Matt Minister hit the practice range to try and work the kinks out of the three-time major champions swing.
Price said his caddy saw he wasnt setting his club at the top of his backswing and that the club was getting “wishy-washy.” He started to hit the ball better on the range last night and took a club back to the hotel to try and get the feel for his swing back.
His first iron shot of the round was a sand wedge that spun back to a foot on the first hole for an easy birdie. He followed with birdies on the next three holes.
Price rolled in birdies from 20 and 25 feet on the 6th and 13th, respectively, then capped the round with a 40-footer on the 17th.
“It was a really good day,” Price said. “All in all I putted beautifully today.”
Tom Pernice Jr. is two shots back after a 64, and Hal Sutton and Bernhard Langer are tied for third after each shot a 66.
Pernice Jr. surged to the top of the leaderboard early thanks to a pair of eagles at the par-5 15th and 1st holes. He added birdies at the par-5 18th and 8th holes to finish the round at 6 under for the day on the par-5s alone.
“I hit some good wedge shots into two of them and then the other one was a rescue that I hit in there and made the putt and capitalized on it,” Pernice Jr. said.
“The par-5s are gettable here if you drive the ball in the fairway and get a favorable wind on some of them you can take advantage of them.”
Pernice made a 40-footer for birdie on the par-4 12th hole to jump start his round. He then holed out a lob wedge from 92 yards out on No. 15 that spun back into the hole for his first eagle of the day. A 2-iron from the right rough to 10 feet led to another eagle.
Langer hit a 3-wood to six feet from 220 yards out on his second shot on the par-5 8th. He made the putt for eagle to move him to 3 under. Langer then added birdies at Nos. 14, 17 and 18 to stay three shots off the lead.
Hometown favorite Fred Couples shot a 68. Couples had chances to gain ground on the leaders, but had birdie putts fr preventing him from keeping pace with partners Price and Langer.
Couples drove the par-4 14th, a 293-yard hole, with a 277-yard carry over a massive canyon, but three-putted from the front edge of the green.
An errant tee shot on 15 that ended up at the base of a tree in the fescue that lines the course forced Couples to play out to the 16th fairway, leaving him a 250-yard blind shot into the green. The shot missed short left in the rough and he was unable to save par.
“I think I just need, like everybody else, to make a few putts tomorrow,” Couples said.
“I had plenty of chances, especially the first several holes, and I just didnt make any.”
Defending champion Loren Roberts is tied with Couples and four others at 4 under.
August 27, 2010
CBSSports.com wir Michelle Wie had the second hole-in-one of her professional career Thursday on the way to a 7-under 65 and a three-shot lead after the first round of the CN Canadian Womens Open.
“It was the first time I had actually seen it go in in a tournament,” the 20-year-old Hawaii native said of her ace on the 190-yard, par-3 11th hole. “It was pretty cool. It was surreal. I didnt believe it had actually happened.”
LPGA Tour Related links Leaderboard
The 6-foot-tall Wie said shes notched eight holes-in-one in her career, but only one other as a pro, in her rookie season at last years LPGA Championship.
Wie bogeyed the 12th hole but birdied three of her final six. On 17, she holed out from a greenside bunker. Wie holds the first-round lead for the second time in her career and first since the 2005 U.S. Open.
Sarah Kemp of Australia was three strokes back of Wie after her morning-round 68, while defending champion Suzann Pettersen was in third place with a 69.
Rookie Ilhee Lee of South Korea initially had a score of 69, but it was later corrected to 70 - a mark shared by a group of players.
Seema Sadekar of Toronto was the low Canadian after shooting a 73.
Top-ranked Canadian Alena Sharp of Hamilton struggled with the windy conditions and finished with a 76, one back of veteran Lorie Kane of Charlottetown.
After a couple of withdrawals Wednesday, the 156-player field features 46 of the top 50 players on the money list and all of the top 15 on the Rolex World Rankings.
