Monday, September 6, 2010
Phenom Ryo Ishikawa wins 8th title on Japan Tour
TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa won his eighth career title on Sunday, defeating Shunsuke Sonoda on the fourth playoff hole at the Fujisankei Classic.
Ishikawa entered the final round with a three-stroke lead but finished tied with Sonoda (67) at 9-under 275 after a final round 70.
Ishikawa two-putted for par on the fourth playoff hole -- the par-4 18th -- and then picked up his second title of the season when Sonoda's par putt lipped out.
With a winner's prize of $270,000, the 18-year-old Ishikawa moved into first place in the Japan Tour's money rankings.
Han Lee of the United States finished alone in third after a 69 left him at 7 under.
Ishikawa entered the final round with a three-stroke lead but finished tied with Sonoda (67) at 9-under 275 after a final round 70.
Ishikawa two-putted for par on the fourth playoff hole -- the par-4 18th -- and then picked up his second title of the season when Sonoda's par putt lipped out.
With a winner's prize of $270,000, the 18-year-old Ishikawa moved into first place in the Japan Tour's money rankings.
Han Lee of the United States finished alone in third after a 69 left him at 7 under.
Jimenez wins for third time this year @ the European Masters
CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland (AP) -- Miguel Angel Jimenez won the European Masters on Sunday, shooting a 4-under 67 to beat Edoardo Molinari by three strokes.
Jimenez finished at 21-under 263 to secure his third European Tour victory of the year, following wins in Dubai and France.
Molinari also shot a 67, while fellow Italian Matteo Manassero had a 68 to finish third another two shots back.
Despite his convincing victory margin, the 46-year-old Jimenez nearly faltered on the back nine.
After leading by three shots going into the final round, the Spaniard extended his advantage to six as he covered his first nine holes in 4-under.
But in the space of four holes that lead was cut to just one stroke as Molinari produced birdies at the 12th and 14th holes, and then holed a 2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 15th.
With Jimenez having bogeyed the 14th, there was a chance Molinari might produce a late dash for the line for the second weekend running. He birdied the last three holes to come from behind and win the Johnnie Walker Championship last Sunday.
Jimenez, however, got up and down after hitting a tree at the par-3 16th, which Molinari bogeyed after finding a green side bunker.
The Spaniard then birdied the 17th to ensure a long awaited victory in the Swiss mountains. It was his 22nd appearance in the European Masters and his best previous finishes had been second place in 1993 and 2004.
"It was not easy," Jimenez said. "At one point I was six ahead of Edoardo, but at the 14th I missed the fairway with my drive and went into a bunker, missed the green with the third shot, and missed a putt for a par.
"That was a lot of misses and Edoardo hit two superb shots to 2 feet at the 15th where I struggled just to make par. But it feels good to win after so many visits to these mountains where not only had I finished second twice but also been in contention many times. So I really wanted to come here and win this tournament."
The 17-year-old Manassero, appearing in his sixth tournament as a professional, won $161,445, putting him over the threshold to qualify for his first full European Tour playing card in 2011.
"I am now a full member of the European Tour for the first time, which is great,: he said. "It has been my goal since I turned professional earlier this year, something I wanted to do and making my card is fantastic."
South Korea's Noh Seungyul finished fourth after a 67 took him to 13-under, three shots behind Manassero.
Jimenez finished at 21-under 263 to secure his third European Tour victory of the year, following wins in Dubai and France.
Molinari also shot a 67, while fellow Italian Matteo Manassero had a 68 to finish third another two shots back.
Despite his convincing victory margin, the 46-year-old Jimenez nearly faltered on the back nine.
After leading by three shots going into the final round, the Spaniard extended his advantage to six as he covered his first nine holes in 4-under.
But in the space of four holes that lead was cut to just one stroke as Molinari produced birdies at the 12th and 14th holes, and then holed a 2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 15th.
With Jimenez having bogeyed the 14th, there was a chance Molinari might produce a late dash for the line for the second weekend running. He birdied the last three holes to come from behind and win the Johnnie Walker Championship last Sunday.
Jimenez, however, got up and down after hitting a tree at the par-3 16th, which Molinari bogeyed after finding a green side bunker.
The Spaniard then birdied the 17th to ensure a long awaited victory in the Swiss mountains. It was his 22nd appearance in the European Masters and his best previous finishes had been second place in 1993 and 2004.
"It was not easy," Jimenez said. "At one point I was six ahead of Edoardo, but at the 14th I missed the fairway with my drive and went into a bunker, missed the green with the third shot, and missed a putt for a par.
"That was a lot of misses and Edoardo hit two superb shots to 2 feet at the 15th where I struggled just to make par. But it feels good to win after so many visits to these mountains where not only had I finished second twice but also been in contention many times. So I really wanted to come here and win this tournament."
The 17-year-old Manassero, appearing in his sixth tournament as a professional, won $161,445, putting him over the threshold to qualify for his first full European Tour playing card in 2011.
"I am now a full member of the European Tour for the first time, which is great,: he said. "It has been my goal since I turned professional earlier this year, something I wanted to do and making my card is fantastic."
South Korea's Noh Seungyul finished fourth after a 67 took him to 13-under, three shots behind Manassero.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Eighteen year old dies tragically on golf course
A former three-sport athlete died in a tragic accident Friday morning while working at a golf course in Lakeville, Mass.
Greg Misodoulakis drowned while working as a groundskeeper at the Back Nine Club in Lakeville when he drove his lawnmower into a man-made lake.
Misodoulakis became trapped in the water underneath the mower, reports The Boston Globe. According to the paper, a spokeswoman for the Plymouth district attorney's office called the drowning "accidental."
A freshman-to-be at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Misodoulakis was an athlete while in high school winning awards for leadership and sportsmanship.
According to the paper, an owner of the Back Nine claims that no one saw that accident. The owner did recall Misodoulakis, an employee for a couple of years, "a fine young man," and called the accident "terrible and tragic."
Greg Misodoulakis drowned while working as a groundskeeper at the Back Nine Club in Lakeville when he drove his lawnmower into a man-made lake.
Misodoulakis became trapped in the water underneath the mower, reports The Boston Globe. According to the paper, a spokeswoman for the Plymouth district attorney's office called the drowning "accidental."
A freshman-to-be at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Misodoulakis was an athlete while in high school winning awards for leadership and sportsmanship.
According to the paper, an owner of the Back Nine claims that no one saw that accident. The owner did recall Misodoulakis, an employee for a couple of years, "a fine young man," and called the accident "terrible and tragic."
Saturday, September 4, 2010
"The Mechanic" Jimenez shoots sizzling 61 to lead the European Masters
CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland (AP) -- Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a 10-under 61 Friday to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the European Masters.
The 46-year-old Spaniard had two eagles to produce the lowest score of his 28-year professional career in the build up to his fourth Ryder Cup appearance at Celtic Manor next month.
It also lowered the course record from the 62 shot by Eduardo Romero in 2000.
Jimenez didn't shoot below par on the final three holes at the Crans-Sur-Sierre. One birdie would have made him the 13th player on the European Tour to shoot 60; two birdies would have made him the first to shoot 59.
It was not for a lack of trying.
Jimenez's 32-foot effort on the 16th green stopped two inches from the hole, a 15-footer at the 17th lipped out and at the 18th he holed a 4-footer just to save par.
Although low scores are not considered records when preferred lies are in operation at tournaments, European Tour and course officials agreed that Jimenez's score will count as a personal best and a course record because the preferred lies rule was in effect on just one hole.
The tree-lined, par-4 sixth hole had preferred lies because of a damp and shaded fairway.
Jimenez said toward the end of his round, he was shooting for a record.
"I played pretty solid," he said. "And then had two eagles and after I hit my three wood to within two feet at the 14th. I thought a little bit about a 59.
"I was certainly trying for it with those putts at the 16th and 17th. And I was really pleased to play so well up here at Crans."
It was the eagle at the 14th that finally broke an Italian monopoly at the top of the leaderboard.
Earlier in the day, Edoardo Molinari had posted the clubhouse lead at 11-under after shooting a 65 and completing two rounds without a bogey.
He was later joined in the lead by 17-year-old Matteo Manasssero who needs a top-five finish on Sunday to secure his playing rights for 2011.
Manasssero reached 12 under with an eagle of his own when he chipped in from the back of the 15th green, but a dropped shot at the 17th and a 67 dropped back into a share of second place with Molinari.
A 4-under 67 from Finland's Mikko Ilonen was good for fourth place at 10 under, one shot ahead of England's Graeme Storm who shot a 68.
Among the players who did not survive the cut was 55-year-old Greg Norman, who was making his first appearance in a year after shoulder surgery. He missed the cut, set at 1 under, by nine shots after shooting two rounds of 75.
The 46-year-old Spaniard had two eagles to produce the lowest score of his 28-year professional career in the build up to his fourth Ryder Cup appearance at Celtic Manor next month.
It also lowered the course record from the 62 shot by Eduardo Romero in 2000.
Jimenez didn't shoot below par on the final three holes at the Crans-Sur-Sierre. One birdie would have made him the 13th player on the European Tour to shoot 60; two birdies would have made him the first to shoot 59.
It was not for a lack of trying.
Jimenez's 32-foot effort on the 16th green stopped two inches from the hole, a 15-footer at the 17th lipped out and at the 18th he holed a 4-footer just to save par.
Although low scores are not considered records when preferred lies are in operation at tournaments, European Tour and course officials agreed that Jimenez's score will count as a personal best and a course record because the preferred lies rule was in effect on just one hole.
The tree-lined, par-4 sixth hole had preferred lies because of a damp and shaded fairway.
Jimenez said toward the end of his round, he was shooting for a record.
"I played pretty solid," he said. "And then had two eagles and after I hit my three wood to within two feet at the 14th. I thought a little bit about a 59.
"I was certainly trying for it with those putts at the 16th and 17th. And I was really pleased to play so well up here at Crans."
It was the eagle at the 14th that finally broke an Italian monopoly at the top of the leaderboard.
Earlier in the day, Edoardo Molinari had posted the clubhouse lead at 11-under after shooting a 65 and completing two rounds without a bogey.
He was later joined in the lead by 17-year-old Matteo Manasssero who needs a top-five finish on Sunday to secure his playing rights for 2011.
Manasssero reached 12 under with an eagle of his own when he chipped in from the back of the 15th green, but a dropped shot at the 17th and a 67 dropped back into a share of second place with Molinari.
A 4-under 67 from Finland's Mikko Ilonen was good for fourth place at 10 under, one shot ahead of England's Graeme Storm who shot a 68.
Among the players who did not survive the cut was 55-year-old Greg Norman, who was making his first appearance in a year after shoulder surgery. He missed the cut, set at 1 under, by nine shots after shooting two rounds of 75.
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