Monday, February 14, 2011
Phil Mickelson confirms he'll compete in Match Play later this month
Phil Mickelson couldn’t pull off the come-from-behind victory, but he still left the Monterey Peninsula in a positive frame of mind.
His tie for ninth was Mickelson’s second top-10 in his first three starts of the season. Small wonder, then, that the world No. 4, who has talked repeatedly about making 2011 the year he had hoped 2010 would be, was so enthused.
Mickelson will be playing in the Northern Trust Open next week. And he announced after finishing off a 71 Sunday that he was planning to compete in the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship which had been a question mark since his children didn’t have school that week.
"I feel like I’m right on the cusp of playing some great golf because I feel like I’m driving the ball very well, better than I ever have probably," he said. "I feel like my iron play is back and my distance control has been sharp. And I feel like I’m rolling the ball very well. It’s on my line.
"It’s just not quite going in or maybe I hit just a little too much speed or not quite enough break or whatever it is. Feels like it’s so close, it feels really good and I’m walking away, even though I didn’t get out of today’s round what I wanted, with a lot of confidence, and looking forward to next week’s event."
Mickelson made five birdies on Sunday, but none after the 3-footer at the 11th hole that moved him to 10 under and within two strokes of the lead. He tied for 54th in fairways hit but shared first in greens in regulation, including 13 of 18 in the final round.
Once he got to those greens, though, Mickelson’s putter was a tad fickle. But he repeatedly burned the hole on Sunday as he took 29 putts and finished tied for first in the distance of putts made for the week. He ranked third in driving distance, as well.
"It was really a fun day," Mickelson said. "It was a beautiful day. We had great weather there. Was an opportunity out there to try to catch the lead and I put myself in position where I had some opportunities. It was a fun day. I didn’t quite get them to fall but I hit a lot of good putts and I had chances and they just didn’t quite go." – Helen Ross
His tie for ninth was Mickelson’s second top-10 in his first three starts of the season. Small wonder, then, that the world No. 4, who has talked repeatedly about making 2011 the year he had hoped 2010 would be, was so enthused.
Mickelson will be playing in the Northern Trust Open next week. And he announced after finishing off a 71 Sunday that he was planning to compete in the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship which had been a question mark since his children didn’t have school that week.
"I feel like I’m right on the cusp of playing some great golf because I feel like I’m driving the ball very well, better than I ever have probably," he said. "I feel like my iron play is back and my distance control has been sharp. And I feel like I’m rolling the ball very well. It’s on my line.
"It’s just not quite going in or maybe I hit just a little too much speed or not quite enough break or whatever it is. Feels like it’s so close, it feels really good and I’m walking away, even though I didn’t get out of today’s round what I wanted, with a lot of confidence, and looking forward to next week’s event."
Mickelson made five birdies on Sunday, but none after the 3-footer at the 11th hole that moved him to 10 under and within two strokes of the lead. He tied for 54th in fairways hit but shared first in greens in regulation, including 13 of 18 in the final round.
Once he got to those greens, though, Mickelson’s putter was a tad fickle. But he repeatedly burned the hole on Sunday as he took 29 putts and finished tied for first in the distance of putts made for the week. He ranked third in driving distance, as well.
"It was really a fun day," Mickelson said. "It was a beautiful day. We had great weather there. Was an opportunity out there to try to catch the lead and I put myself in position where I had some opportunities. It was a fun day. I didn’t quite get them to fall but I hit a lot of good putts and I had chances and they just didn’t quite go." – Helen Ross
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tiger surges with 2nd round 66 in Dubai
Tiger Woods surged up the Dubai Desert Classic leaderboard by shooting a bogey-free 6-under 66 on Friday to pull him back in contention for his first tournament victory in more than a year.Helped by stellar putting and a consistent short game, Woods sank six birdies in the low round of the day to total 7-under 137, four shots behind leader Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy followed his opening 65 with a 68 to maintain his lead going into the weekend at Emirates Golf Club. It was here two years ago that the 21-year-old from Northern Ireland earned his only European Tour victory.
A shot back of McIlroy at 10 under were Sergio Garcia (67) and South African Thomas Aiken (67), followed by Englishman Steve Webster (68) at 8 under.
Woods was tied for fifth alongside Jean-Baptiste Gonnet of France, Anders Hansen of Denmark, Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland and Brett Rumford of Australia.
Woods, who has been outdriving his playing partners, No. 1-ranked Lee Westwood and No. 2 Martin Kaymer, added accuracy to his blistering drives and approach shots on Friday. And unlike Thursday when he missed several makable putts and hit approach shots wide of the green, the winner of 14 majors routinely gave himself chances.
"It felt good today. I hit a lot of good shots," said Woods, who likened his game on Friday to the way he played at last year's Chevron World Challenge, where he lost in a playoff to U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.
"I felt like I drove it pretty good and more than anything I controlled my traj (trajectory) which was nice," he said. "I feel good. We worked out a few of the things last night that I didn't like."
McIlroy, who has struggled to meet expectations since winning the Quail Hollow Championship in 2010, said he was approaching his game with more patience this season. It seems to be paying dividends as he finished second in last month's Abu Dhabi Championship.
McIlroy bogeyed the par-4 2nd hole then settled with five birdies over his last 12 holes, including on the 18th for the second day in a row.
"I thought after the start that I had, I really hung in there and stayed patient and just sort of picked up my birdies when I could," McIlroy said. "I think I was 5 under from 7 onwards. So really pleased with the round, and (it) sets me up for a good weekend."
Much of the talk going into the tournament was on the powerhouse group of Woods, Westwood and Kaymer. But only Woods delivered on Friday, with Westwood (70) at 5-under 139 and Kaymer (71) on 4 under.
Westwood had four birdies but bogeyed two of his last four holes, missing two makable putts. Kaymer, meanwhile, never seemed to get his game going, posting three birdies but also two bogeys in a row on his first six holes.
"I didn't hit it so good. I didn't give myself enough chances," Westwood said. "It was just a plod round really, a bit of a boring day."
Westwood, who last year struggled with a calf injury, said his distance has been suffering as has his control. It showed as his approach shots came up short, leaving him long putts on several holes that just missed or came up inches short.
"Distance control is poor when you are not striking it very well," he said. "I'm just playing for the fat of the greens really and trying to make a few long ones which I haven't, which is the reason I'm 5 under. Still in there with a chance."
The unheralded Aiken, ranked 97th in the Official World Golf Ranking and known as much for his shoulder-length hair as for his swing, attributed his 67s in the first two rounds to the fact he's "been hitting ball pretty solid this week."
"Missed one green the whole day and I was on the fringe and I got to putt," Aiken said. "Just been putting the ball in the right positions, and these greens are so pure that you're going to sink some putts."
Garcia, the former No. 2 slipped to 79, has shown the consistency this week that had been lacking last year by carding two bogey-free rounds to put him in contention.
"I think that probably putting has been the thing I'm doing the best these past three weeks," said Garcia, who had a top-10 finish in Qatar last week. "It's nice to see my game, my long game catching up with that."
There was more at stake this weekend than the tournament title.
Westwood could lose the top ranking if Kaymer wins and he finishes lower than second, and if Kaymer finishes second and Westwood is out of the top 10. If Kaymer is tied for second, he could still become No. 1 for the first time if Westwood finishes out of the top 36.
Woods could move ahead of Kaymer if he wins and Kaymer finishes outside the top five but his recent form indicates he won't be moving up the rankings soon.
Woods, who won this tournament in 2006 and 2008, said he could do even better going into a weekend where the forecast was for much windier conditions. Still, he said he relished his second round, picking out his sixth hole as emblematic of his day.
Woods drove the fairway on the 485-yard, par-4 hole and hit an 8-iron about 160 yards to within a foot of the pin, where he made an easy birdie putt. Much as he did with a monster drive on 18 on Thursday that led to an eagle, the shot brought cheers from the crowd and a reminder of how good Woods can be if he gets his game on track.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
PGA Tour Commissioner says no halt on fans calling in rules infractions
PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem would like to see more common sense used in enforcing penalties for rules infractions phoned in by alert fans watching on television but he said on Tuesday that halting their input completely is "not an option."
"We like the fact that people call in. We like the fact people who watch the telecasts get excited about something they see," Finchem said.
"We don't want to turn those people off. We want to accept the information and deal with it. Cutting them off is not an option. It is just a question of how the rule is applied," he said in an interview Tuesday during a stop at Montreux Golf & Country Club to promote the 13th Reno-Tahoe Open Aug. 4-7 on the edge of the Sierra Nevada.
Finchem said he discussed the controversial topic in a meeting with members of the USGA executive committee in Phoenix on Friday after television viewers called in violations by Camilo Villegas at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and Padraig Harrington in Abu Dhabi in recent weeks. Both initially were assessed two-shot penalties, but because officials were notified after the round, each was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
"They are taking a hard look at it," Finchem said. "They understand our concerns. It is a complicated rule."
The first question is whether it's appropriate to disqualify a player for signing a scorecard "when you had no reason to know you were signing a bad card," he said Tuesday.
Villegas reached over to tap down a divot as his ball was rolling back down a slope to that very spot. A TV viewer tried to reach tournament officials, but his e-mail didn't make its way to Kapalua until after Villegas had signed for a 72.
Finchem also questioned whether a two-shot penalty is appropriate "when there is no way you reasonably could have known you made a penalty -- even if you knew the rule, like in Harrington's case."
A TV viewer noticed that when replacing his ball on the green, the ball moved forward ever so slightly. Harrington later said he knew the ball nudged forward, but he felt it had rolled back to its original spot. He was disqualified the next day.
"In Harrington's case, you could see the ball move a little bit in HD television. You couldn't see it move in analog. And he didn't know," Finchem said. "So there needs to be fairness and common sense to the rule."
Finchem said he wants the PGA TOUR to follow the USGA's lead and he anticipates they will end up with "a few, little, small" changes to the rules.
"I am cautiously optimistic we'll get to some modifications that will just create a better system."
"We like the fact that people call in. We like the fact people who watch the telecasts get excited about something they see," Finchem said.
"We don't want to turn those people off. We want to accept the information and deal with it. Cutting them off is not an option. It is just a question of how the rule is applied," he said in an interview Tuesday during a stop at Montreux Golf & Country Club to promote the 13th Reno-Tahoe Open Aug. 4-7 on the edge of the Sierra Nevada.
Finchem said he discussed the controversial topic in a meeting with members of the USGA executive committee in Phoenix on Friday after television viewers called in violations by Camilo Villegas at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and Padraig Harrington in Abu Dhabi in recent weeks. Both initially were assessed two-shot penalties, but because officials were notified after the round, each was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
"They are taking a hard look at it," Finchem said. "They understand our concerns. It is a complicated rule."
The first question is whether it's appropriate to disqualify a player for signing a scorecard "when you had no reason to know you were signing a bad card," he said Tuesday.
Villegas reached over to tap down a divot as his ball was rolling back down a slope to that very spot. A TV viewer tried to reach tournament officials, but his e-mail didn't make its way to Kapalua until after Villegas had signed for a 72.
Finchem also questioned whether a two-shot penalty is appropriate "when there is no way you reasonably could have known you made a penalty -- even if you knew the rule, like in Harrington's case."
A TV viewer noticed that when replacing his ball on the green, the ball moved forward ever so slightly. Harrington later said he knew the ball nudged forward, but he felt it had rolled back to its original spot. He was disqualified the next day.
"In Harrington's case, you could see the ball move a little bit in HD television. You couldn't see it move in analog. And he didn't know," Finchem said. "So there needs to be fairness and common sense to the rule."
Finchem said he wants the PGA TOUR to follow the USGA's lead and he anticipates they will end up with "a few, little, small" changes to the rules.
"I am cautiously optimistic we'll get to some modifications that will just create a better system."
Zokol gets well-earned nod into Canadian Golf Hall of Fame
Dick Zokol, who rose from the junior ranks at Vancouver's Marine Drive Golf Club to become one of this country's top touring pros, was named today as one of two new inductees into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.Zokol, 52, and Stephen Ross, former executive director of the Royal Canadian Golf Association, were named at a news conference today in Toronto as the hall's latest inductees.
"I guess you're never ready for a call like that from the hall of fame committee simply because it's never a goal," Zokol said in an interview. "Even though thoughts may have crossed my mind about whether it would ever happen, reality doesn't hit you until it actually happens. And when it does it's a very humbling feeling.
"When I got the call I was deeply touched. It brings kind of a validation to the decision to play golf and to commit to a life and devotion to this lovely game."
Before joining the PGA Tour in 1982, Zokol captained his Brigham Young University golf team to the 1981 NCAA Championship and later that summer he won the Canadian Amateur Championship.
The highlight of his lengthy PGA Tour career came in 1992 when he won the Greater Milwaukee Open. Earlier that year, Zokol also won the Deposit Guaranty Classic, a PGA Tour event that used to be held opposite the Masters. Zokol also won on the Nationwide Tour, capturing the Samsung Canadian PGA title in 2001. He represented Canada several times in World Cup and Dunhill Cup competitions and won twice on the Canadian Tour.
Zokol now runs a highly acclaimed golf course near Merritt, called Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club, that he co-designed with Rod Whitman.
Zokol's induction ceremony will tentatively take place July 19 at Marine Drive Golf Club during the week of the RBC Canadian Open, which is being held at nearby Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.
"They asked me if I'd have it in Vancouver the week of the Canadian Open," Zokol said. "I think that makes a lot of sense."
That July 19 date is a special one for another reason for Zokol and his wife Joanie.
"it turns out that's our 25th wedding anniversary," Zokol said. "It's really quite thrilling for Joanie and I."
Fellow hall of famer Mike Weir will be among those speaking at Zokol's induction ceremony.
Zokol and Ross are the 68th and 69th members of the Canadian Golf Hall of fame. Other recent British Columbia inductees include Dave Barr, Doug Roxburgh, Brent Franklin, Dawn Coe-Jones and Lisa Walters.
Zokol was inducted into the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.
Sutton Creek golf club for sale in Windsor area
MCGREGOR, Ont. -- Members of Sutton Creek Golf Club, which went into receivership Dec. 2, are being asked to be patient while the bankruptcy trustee tries to arrange a sale of the property.
Andrea Orr, a trustee with BDO Canada, said the course will be advertised for sale this week with a March 1 deadline for expressions of interest.
Orr declined to divulge an asking price, saying only that potential purchasers will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement before being given access to financial information on the trustee’s website.
“We’ve had some considerable interest already and all from individuals or groups interested in operating it as a golf course,” said Orr.
Henry Schwager, who has been a member at Sutton Creek for 10 years, said he was prepared to wait and see what happens.
“I’m not ready to commit to another course just yet,” he said. “I know that some members have decided to move on but I’m willing to wait it out before I make a decision.”
In November, contributors to a golf enthusiasts website said the course had been listed for $3.6 million in the Globe and Mail.
The course celebrated its 20th anniversary this past season and has built a solid reputation. It’s been ranked as “an excellent golf course” by Score Golf and has hosted a number of Ontario and regional championships over the years.
Only two weeks before the receivership notice was posted, Debbie Aliberti, owner and general manager, denied the club had gone into receivership and declined further comment.
In a message to members posted on the club’s website in October, Aliberti said “as you know, we approached members about partial ownership earlier in the year but that has been put to rest.
“We have been approached by different parties interested in purchasing the club because of the rumours circulating but it has gone no further than that.”
Aliberti added that “like most clubs in the area we are struggling financially and will for the next couple of years.”
In an attempt to increase membership earlier this year, Sutton Creek reduced its initiation fees from $15,000 to $2,000.
Orr said the Windsor Family Credit Union brought BDO into the process late last year and gave instructions to find a buyer.
“We’re just asking that the members sit tight and let the process play out,” said Orr. “We’re hopeful we can find a buyer within the alloted time frame.”
Andrea Orr, a trustee with BDO Canada, said the course will be advertised for sale this week with a March 1 deadline for expressions of interest.
Orr declined to divulge an asking price, saying only that potential purchasers will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement before being given access to financial information on the trustee’s website.
“We’ve had some considerable interest already and all from individuals or groups interested in operating it as a golf course,” said Orr.
Henry Schwager, who has been a member at Sutton Creek for 10 years, said he was prepared to wait and see what happens.
“I’m not ready to commit to another course just yet,” he said. “I know that some members have decided to move on but I’m willing to wait it out before I make a decision.”
In November, contributors to a golf enthusiasts website said the course had been listed for $3.6 million in the Globe and Mail.
The course celebrated its 20th anniversary this past season and has built a solid reputation. It’s been ranked as “an excellent golf course” by Score Golf and has hosted a number of Ontario and regional championships over the years.
Only two weeks before the receivership notice was posted, Debbie Aliberti, owner and general manager, denied the club had gone into receivership and declined further comment.
In a message to members posted on the club’s website in October, Aliberti said “as you know, we approached members about partial ownership earlier in the year but that has been put to rest.
“We have been approached by different parties interested in purchasing the club because of the rumours circulating but it has gone no further than that.”
Aliberti added that “like most clubs in the area we are struggling financially and will for the next couple of years.”
In an attempt to increase membership earlier this year, Sutton Creek reduced its initiation fees from $15,000 to $2,000.
Orr said the Windsor Family Credit Union brought BDO into the process late last year and gave instructions to find a buyer.
“We’re just asking that the members sit tight and let the process play out,” said Orr. “We’re hopeful we can find a buyer within the alloted time frame.”
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