Monday, June 27, 2011
Sergio Garcia loses the BMW Championship in playoff to fellow Spaniard
Pablo Larrazabal birdied the fifth playoff hole to beat fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia and win the BMW International Open on Sunday, capturing his his second European Tour tournament.
Larrazabal made his short put on the par-5 18th after Garcia missed from about 5 feet to add to his victory at the Alstom Open de France title in 2008.
Both players have now qualified for the British Open at Royal St. George's at Sandwich next month. Their prize money won putting them top of a money list from six European Tour events, starting with the BMW PGA Championship and ending in Munich.
Garcia birdied the 18th during his final round to shoot 4-under 68 and join Larrazabal (68) on 16-under 272 to force the playoff.
There was nothing between them for four playoff holes, matching each other's score at No. 18 twice, No. 12 and No. 17 before playing the last hole for the fourth time Sunday. Garcia sent an eagle attempt four feet beyond the hole and missed his birdie chance.
Before the playoff, Larrazabal had birdies at Nos. 1, 6, 7 and 9 before two more at No. 10 and 11 gave him the outright lead.
Garcia's started steadily with five pars but, having relinquished the lead, a long eagle putt on No. 9 took him back into a share of the lead at the turn.
He picked up seven shots in six holes up to No. 11, which he eagled to move two shots ahead of Larrazabal, who bogeyed No. 13.
Garcia, however, then made three straight bogeys from No. 12 for Larrazabal to cut the lead.
PGA Championship holder Martin Kaymer shot a 69 for a share of 18th place with Dustin Johnson (67) and European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie (69) seven strokes back.
Larrazabal made his short put on the par-5 18th after Garcia missed from about 5 feet to add to his victory at the Alstom Open de France title in 2008.
Both players have now qualified for the British Open at Royal St. George's at Sandwich next month. Their prize money won putting them top of a money list from six European Tour events, starting with the BMW PGA Championship and ending in Munich.
Garcia birdied the 18th during his final round to shoot 4-under 68 and join Larrazabal (68) on 16-under 272 to force the playoff.
There was nothing between them for four playoff holes, matching each other's score at No. 18 twice, No. 12 and No. 17 before playing the last hole for the fourth time Sunday. Garcia sent an eagle attempt four feet beyond the hole and missed his birdie chance.
Before the playoff, Larrazabal had birdies at Nos. 1, 6, 7 and 9 before two more at No. 10 and 11 gave him the outright lead.
Garcia's started steadily with five pars but, having relinquished the lead, a long eagle putt on No. 9 took him back into a share of the lead at the turn.
He picked up seven shots in six holes up to No. 11, which he eagled to move two shots ahead of Larrazabal, who bogeyed No. 13.
Garcia, however, then made three straight bogeys from No. 12 for Larrazabal to cut the lead.
PGA Championship holder Martin Kaymer shot a 69 for a share of 18th place with Dustin Johnson (67) and European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie (69) seven strokes back.
Yani Tseng wins 4th major in McIlroy fashion
World No. 1 Yani Tseng, a week after Rory McIlroy turned the U.S. Open into a rout, did the same in the LPGA Championship, the second major of the season on the LPGA tour. Beginning Sunday's final round with a five-stroke lead, Tseng made birdies on five of her first eight holes, took a 10-shot lead to the turn and waltzed home to a 10-stroke victory over Morgan Pressel at soggy Locust Hill Country Club.
With a 6-under-par 66, Tseng finished at 19-under 269 — which included 27 birdies — and tied the record for lowest score in relation to par ever shot in a major championship, by and man or woman.
Tseng has won four of the last 13 majors played on the LPGA tour. At 22, she is the youngest player — male or female — to win four major championships since Young Tom Morris won his fourth and final major in 1872 at age 21. For perspective, Tiger Woods was 24 when he won his fourth. Former world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa won just two majors. And Patty Berg's record of 15 majors on the LPGA tour no longer seems so distant.
It was Tseng's sixth win worldwide this season, her 16th career win worldwide and her eighth career victory on the LPGA tour.
"It's pretty good," Tseng said with a smile as she listened to a list of her historical achievements this week. "But I just try to focus on every tournament. I don't think about (history) too much.
"I will still go and try to win the next major."
That would be the U.S. Women's Open in two weeks at The Broadmoor in Colorado. A win there and she would become the youngest player — man or woman — to win a career Grand Slam.
As for Sunday, her main foe was herself.
"I kept telling myself that I'm going to break a record. I was so far ahead I had to have a goal to look at," said Tseng, who won the LPGA Championship during her rookie-of-the-year season in 2008, and won the Kraft Nabisco Championship and Ricoh Women's British Open last year. "I was patient all day. I had a bogey on the first hole, but I told myself it's only the first hole and I can get more birdies. On the 18th hole, I almost cried because it was so emotional with all the fans."
An over-eager photographer snapped a picture in Tseng's backswing on the first tee, which led to a poor drive and a bogey. Only a three-putt bogey on the 13th bothered Tseng the rest of the day, and the two blemishes were more than offset by her eight birdies. For the week, she hit 68% of fairways, 79% of greens in regulation and needed 111 putts.
"Yani is a phenomenal player," said Suzann Pettersen, who finished in a tie for third with Paula Creamer and defending champion Cristie Kerr, who also shot 19 under last year in the LPGA Championship to win by a record 12 shots. "She pushes the edges like Annika (Sorenstam) used to, and Lorena (Ochoa) used to. Now Yani is getting an edge on us."
Tseng's idol, mentor and former owner of her house, Hall of Famer and 10-time major champion Sorenstam, was impressed as she watched the tournament in her Florida home.
"The sky is really the limit for her as she has tremendous physical abilities and the willingness to put in a lot of work to get better," Sorenstam said in a text message to USA TODAY. "I admire her ambition and the fact that she has really improved her English. She realizes that she's got a chance to be the face of the LPGA for years and she'll need to communicate well with the media, sponsors, and fans to capitalize on that."
"When we get together off the course to discuss her goals she asks a lot of good questions. I can tell she is genuinely interested in improving in all areas. She wants to do the right things that will enable her to be a star for a long time."
Monday, June 20, 2011
Fellow pros in awe of near perfection Rory showed @ U.S. Open
Martin Kaymer walked off the course amazed at Rory McIlroy’s performance.
He didn’t see a lot of shots, but he saw enough to call McIlroy’s game fantastic.
"The way he plays golf, it’s a different golf,” said Kaymer, who won his first major last August at the PGA Championship. "It’s close to perfect.”
". . . .It is great for him to win the event early in his career. He’s only 22 years old and especially after what happened at the Masters, you know, all the eyes on him. And to finally to bring it home and to win not only, I would say, the biggest over there, anyway, besides the Masters, but it’s the U.S. Open, if you are the champion of the United States, it’s quite impressive. And to be the second Irish. I mean, I’m very happy for him and for his family, as well. He has great parents. It’s great to see.”
Kaymer did say, though, that Congressional was . . . well, not Pebble Beach or Pinehurst.
"It’s not really a U.S. Open golf course, to be honest,” Kaymer said. "It plays softer. You have birdie chances the first nine It plays fairly easy. If you hit the fairways, you can go straight at the flags. And the greens, they roll along. Still, 16‑under, or wherever he’ll finish today, it’s very impressive and I’m very happy for him.”
McIlroy’s expected win will also give the Internationals a string of five consecutive major championships for the first time ever. Internationals held four in a row in 1994 — Jose Maria Olazabal (Masters), Ernie Els (U.S. Open) and Nick Price (British Open, PGA).
When asked what he thought that said about American golf, Kaymer said, "It says, I think, that the Americans struggle a little bit. Since Tiger (Woods) has been on a, how do you say, a little down.”
He added that the advent of the World Golf Championships have strengthened international golf, but that it was Padraig Harrington, who won three of six majors (2007, 2008 British Opens; 2008 PGA Championship) "gave us at least the belief that we can win here in America, as well."
He didn’t see a lot of shots, but he saw enough to call McIlroy’s game fantastic.
"The way he plays golf, it’s a different golf,” said Kaymer, who won his first major last August at the PGA Championship. "It’s close to perfect.”
". . . .It is great for him to win the event early in his career. He’s only 22 years old and especially after what happened at the Masters, you know, all the eyes on him. And to finally to bring it home and to win not only, I would say, the biggest over there, anyway, besides the Masters, but it’s the U.S. Open, if you are the champion of the United States, it’s quite impressive. And to be the second Irish. I mean, I’m very happy for him and for his family, as well. He has great parents. It’s great to see.”
Kaymer did say, though, that Congressional was . . . well, not Pebble Beach or Pinehurst.
"It’s not really a U.S. Open golf course, to be honest,” Kaymer said. "It plays softer. You have birdie chances the first nine It plays fairly easy. If you hit the fairways, you can go straight at the flags. And the greens, they roll along. Still, 16‑under, or wherever he’ll finish today, it’s very impressive and I’m very happy for him.”
McIlroy’s expected win will also give the Internationals a string of five consecutive major championships for the first time ever. Internationals held four in a row in 1994 — Jose Maria Olazabal (Masters), Ernie Els (U.S. Open) and Nick Price (British Open, PGA).
When asked what he thought that said about American golf, Kaymer said, "It says, I think, that the Americans struggle a little bit. Since Tiger (Woods) has been on a, how do you say, a little down.”
He added that the advent of the World Golf Championships have strengthened international golf, but that it was Padraig Harrington, who won three of six majors (2007, 2008 British Opens; 2008 PGA Championship) "gave us at least the belief that we can win here in America, as well."
Monday, June 13, 2011
Robert Karlsson a bridesmaid again in Memphis
Another year, same result for Robert Karlsson.
In a finish eerily similar to last year’s tournament, the Swede watched someone collapse on the 18th hole only to find himself come up short in a playoff again.
In 2010, it was Robert Garrigus who blew a three-shot lead that led to a three-man playoff that also included Karlsson and eventual winner Lee Westwood. This time it was Harrison Frazar hitting it in the water on the 18th — only he outlasted Karlsson in the head-to-head battle, beating him on the third extra hole.
“I cannot say I could have done much more,” Karlsson said. “It was a great match, and someone has got to win and someone has got to lose.”
Karlsson had a chance to extend the playoff to a fourth hole, but his chip shot on No. 12 settled nearly 12 feet away to leave him a difficult par putt.
The Swede missed and Frazar got his first career victory, something Karlsson, who has 11 wins on the European Tour, will have to wait for on the PGA TOUR.
”Chipping here is quite difficult in general,” Karlsson said. “The ball wasn’t lying that great. I thought I had the right club and just came at it a bit too low and landed in the down grain and just released too much.”
Still, Karlsson tried to keep his head high after another runner-up in Memphis.
“It was good fun,” he said. “That’s why were here. That’s why we play. That’s the challenge of the game to be here and to play.
“He played great and I played good as well. It’s one of those days where I think most of us had a lot of fun out there.”
In a finish eerily similar to last year’s tournament, the Swede watched someone collapse on the 18th hole only to find himself come up short in a playoff again.
In 2010, it was Robert Garrigus who blew a three-shot lead that led to a three-man playoff that also included Karlsson and eventual winner Lee Westwood. This time it was Harrison Frazar hitting it in the water on the 18th — only he outlasted Karlsson in the head-to-head battle, beating him on the third extra hole.
“I cannot say I could have done much more,” Karlsson said. “It was a great match, and someone has got to win and someone has got to lose.”
Karlsson had a chance to extend the playoff to a fourth hole, but his chip shot on No. 12 settled nearly 12 feet away to leave him a difficult par putt.
The Swede missed and Frazar got his first career victory, something Karlsson, who has 11 wins on the European Tour, will have to wait for on the PGA TOUR.
”Chipping here is quite difficult in general,” Karlsson said. “The ball wasn’t lying that great. I thought I had the right club and just came at it a bit too low and landed in the down grain and just released too much.”
Still, Karlsson tried to keep his head high after another runner-up in Memphis.
“It was good fun,” he said. “That’s why were here. That’s why we play. That’s the challenge of the game to be here and to play.
“He played great and I played good as well. It’s one of those days where I think most of us had a lot of fun out there.”
Yani Tseng wins again on LPGA
World No 1 Yani Tseng captured her second LPGA Tour victory and her fifth title worldwide this year when she won the LPGA State Farm Classic on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Taiwanese star shot a closing 4-under 68 at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois, to win by two strokes from US No 1 and World No 4 Cristie Kerr
The overnight leader at 17-under-par, Tseng, whose first victory this year came in the Honda LPGA Thailand and who held a one-shot lead over Mindy Kim when she teed off in Sunday's final round at Panther Creek. got off to a fast start, only to see Kim play catch-up and match her..
She made a birdie on the first hole. She would then make five consecutive pars while Kim recorded back-to-back birdies on the 5th and 6th holes to pull even with Tseng at 18-under-par.
But after Kim's bogey on the 7th gave her opponent the outright lead again, Kim slowly began to pull away from the field with birdies on eight and 13 hoisting her to 20-under-par before she finally sealed her seventh-career LPGA Tour victory with a birdie on 17 to finish at 21-under-par 267.
For Tseng, this is the third time in her career she has won an LPGA title after entering the final round as a leader or co-leader.
Tseng said: "I feel very exciting. I had a lot of energy going into this morning, and I knew I could do it. I just kept telling myself, Focus, focus.
"So all my energy, all my patience I focussed on every hole. I tried to play one shot at a time, and I did a great job. I missed couple putts, but I still hung in there and finish the way I wanted to.
For Kerr this was a third straight runner-up finish.
Her attempt at picking up her 15th LPGA Tour victory on Sunday fell three strokes short, despite shooting a sparkling 5-under 67 in the final round.
Three weeks ago, Kerr lost to Suzann Pettersen in the finals of the Sybase Match Play Championship and she fell one shot shy of victory at last week's ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Kerr now has six top-10 finishes in nine tournaments this season, five of which were top-5 finishes. In two weeks, when Kerr attempts to defend her title at the Wegmans LPGA Championship, she will be doing so with good memories of her finish here
"I played pretty well today," She said afterwards.
"I thought the back nine played a little tough. We had longer clubs into the greens - at least by two or three clubs. I played good; I just needed to get some of those putts up to the hole, give 'em a chance it go in. Left a couple short. It would have been nice to make birdie on the last hole, but it didn't matter. Yani was too far ahead.
Brittany Lincicome came up just short in her bid for two consecutive victories. One week after capturing her fourth career LPGA Tour victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Lincicome finished in a tie for third with Paula Creamer at 16-under-par.
Despite a slow start with a bogey at the second hole, Lincicome played the next 11 holes in 4-under to pull within two shots of the lead, but she couldn't maintain her charge.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tiger's swing coach says Tiger will be fine, long term
Sean Foley, the swing coach for Tiger Woods, believes his client will return to form after pulling out of the U.S. Open because of a lingering injury to his left knee.
"He's doing the right thing," Foley told The Washington Times on Wednesday. "A lot of people in golf are selfish, and this is affecting them and making them upset. This is about my buddy who has taken responsibility. I'm proud to see that he has realized this is the best thing to do. It's frustrating in the short term, but the big picture is much better."
Foley has worked with Woods since the summer of 2010. Because of the knee, Woods withdrew from the first round of the Players Championship last month after nine holes.
"You look at the sidelines in the Stanley Cup and NBA championship and there are a lot of guys who would like to play and would be hurt," Foley said. "Anyone at the highest levels of sport is overusing their bodies too much.
"The body's not meant to create that much linear force and torque force. Go to the driving range before the Open and ask every guy, and I bet you he's hurting."
Woods, 35, hasn't won a tournament for a year and a half. But Foley is adamant he will return to form.
"He'll get over it," Foley said. "If you don't believe in Tiger Woods' ability to play golf, you're crazy. Who doesn't go through a dry spell in life? We all do."
"He's doing the right thing," Foley told The Washington Times on Wednesday. "A lot of people in golf are selfish, and this is affecting them and making them upset. This is about my buddy who has taken responsibility. I'm proud to see that he has realized this is the best thing to do. It's frustrating in the short term, but the big picture is much better."
Foley has worked with Woods since the summer of 2010. Because of the knee, Woods withdrew from the first round of the Players Championship last month after nine holes.
"You look at the sidelines in the Stanley Cup and NBA championship and there are a lot of guys who would like to play and would be hurt," Foley said. "Anyone at the highest levels of sport is overusing their bodies too much.
"The body's not meant to create that much linear force and torque force. Go to the driving range before the Open and ask every guy, and I bet you he's hurting."
Woods, 35, hasn't won a tournament for a year and a half. But Foley is adamant he will return to form.
"He'll get over it," Foley said. "If you don't believe in Tiger Woods' ability to play golf, you're crazy. Who doesn't go through a dry spell in life? We all do."
Ripped Tim Tebow about to put the hurt on g ball
Pity this golf ball. Tim Tebow's business partner tweeted this photo of the former University of Florida Heisman Trophy winner-turned Denver Broncos quarterback about to pulverize a golf ball on the driving range at the St. Jude Classic golf tournament in Memphis.
Tebow's arms look like Hulk Hogan. His business partner, Angel Gonzalez of XV Enterprises tweeted: "Insane pic of @TimTebow getting ready to tee off @FedEx @St. Jude Classic."
The photo is "100% real, no photoshop," he added. The reason for the club's torque is Tebow's swing speed has been clocked at 141 mph.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Rory McIlrory finishes strong @ Memorial
Rory McIlroy knew he faced an uphill battle, trailing Steve Stricker by five at the start of the final round of the Memorial Tournament.
“You know you’re going to have to do something pretty special,” McIlroy acknowledged.
The Northern Irishman gave it a go, too — shooting a 32 on the front side that included four birdies in a row — before signing for a 68. McIlroy had two holes remaining after the weather delay and finished things off on a positive note with an 11-foot birdie putt.
"It was a great way to finish the tournament," McIlroy said. "I felt as if I played really good this week, I just made a few too many mistakes, which really cost me, and we’ll have to try and cut those out before the U.S. Open in a couple weeks’ time. But there’s definitely a lot of positives to take from how I’ve played this week."
McIlroy heads to Haiti on Monday on a mission for UNICEF. He’ll return to the States on Wednesday and play several rounds at Congressional in advance of the U.S. Open.
"I feel as if I drove the ball really good, putted the ball really good this week," the 22-year-old said. "Game is in good shape. I feel really good about it.
"My putting has been very solid the whole week, so you know, that’s a huge positive to take into the U.S. Open. … If anything, just a little bit of strategy more than anything else, just if you’re going to miss shots, miss it in the right places.
"This week if you miss greens it’s very penal here and you get punished quite easily. It’s the same as the U.S. Open, if you miss it in the wrong places you’re looking at a 5 or a 6. So it’s just something I need to address a little bit."
“You know you’re going to have to do something pretty special,” McIlroy acknowledged.
The Northern Irishman gave it a go, too — shooting a 32 on the front side that included four birdies in a row — before signing for a 68. McIlroy had two holes remaining after the weather delay and finished things off on a positive note with an 11-foot birdie putt.
"It was a great way to finish the tournament," McIlroy said. "I felt as if I played really good this week, I just made a few too many mistakes, which really cost me, and we’ll have to try and cut those out before the U.S. Open in a couple weeks’ time. But there’s definitely a lot of positives to take from how I’ve played this week."
McIlroy heads to Haiti on Monday on a mission for UNICEF. He’ll return to the States on Wednesday and play several rounds at Congressional in advance of the U.S. Open.
"I feel as if I drove the ball really good, putted the ball really good this week," the 22-year-old said. "Game is in good shape. I feel really good about it.
"My putting has been very solid the whole week, so you know, that’s a huge positive to take into the U.S. Open. … If anything, just a little bit of strategy more than anything else, just if you’re going to miss shots, miss it in the right places.
"This week if you miss greens it’s very penal here and you get punished quite easily. It’s the same as the U.S. Open, if you miss it in the wrong places you’re looking at a 5 or a 6. So it’s just something I need to address a little bit."
Luke Donald takes FedEx lead over Bubba Watson
Luke Donald has overtaken Bubba Watson for the lead in the FedExCup.
Watson, who led Donald by 28 points, tied for 42nd after shooting 72 on Sunday. Matt Kuchar also made a huge move — he tied for second and moved from 14th to fourth in the standings.
Bubba Watson had held the FedExCup lead since late April, when he won the Zurich Classic. Donald becomes the fifth different player to lead the standings this year.
Donald, who tied for seventh, also extended his string of top-10 on TOUR to nine. The streak began when he won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in February and ended a five-year victory drought.
Donald also has two top-10s on the European Tour during that stretch, including a win last Sunday at the BMW PGA Championship. He beat Lee Westwood in a playoff that day and leap-frogged him into the world No. 1 spot, as well.
But Donald’s par-or-better stretch ended at 23 on Saturday when he shot a 73.
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