Friday 2 November 2007

Davies takes lead at Mizuno Classic

Shima-Shi, Japan (Sports Network) - Laura Davies birdied five of her final nine holes on Friday -- including her last -- to shoot a seven-under 65 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Mizuno Classic.
Reilley Rankin and Chie Arimura shot rounds of six-under 66 to share second place behind Davies. Erina Hara was another shot further back at five-under 67 and Mie Nakata stood at four-under 68.
Jeong Jang, Brittany Lang, In-Kyung Kim and Joo Mi Kim were all at 69.
Featuring 78 players from the LPGA and the LPGA of Japan, this is the last of three consecutive tournaments in Asia for the LPGA Tour.
Few of the top players in the women's world rankings are on hand.
Notably missing from the field this week are world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and world No. 3 Annika Sorenstam.
Sorenstam won five consecutive Mizuno Classics from 2001-05 to set an LPGA record, a streak that was snapped by Karrie Webb last year.
Webb, the world No. 2, opened her title defense with a one-over 73 on Friday that put her in a tie for 40th place. She hasn't won since claiming this title last season.
Davies, the veteran Englishwoman with 20 career LPGA Tour wins, played in the final threesome off the 10th tee and began the round modestly with two birdies on the back nine at Kashikojima Country Club.
The came back-to-back at the 12th and 13th holes.
Davies began her run up the leaderboard with a birdie at the par-five first hole, the followed a short time later with consecutive birdies again, this time at the third and fourth holes.
She tied early leaders Rankin and Arimura with a birdie at the seventh hole, then snatched the lead by herself with a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-four ninth.
Davies made long putts for each of her last three birdies.
"It's all about putting for me," she said. "I normally play solid golf. I hit a high percentage of greens, it's whether I putt well or not. I think I had 26 putts, which might be my lowest of the year."
It was the second time this season Davies held an 18-hole lead on the LPGA Tour. The last time ended with her going 70-79 over the weekend at the 72-hole Ginn Open to finish third.
Six of Davies' 20 wins have come after she held the first-round lead, which she has done 23 times in the 20 years since she turned professional.
Also missing from the field this week is Suzann Pettersen, who won the first two tournaments on the LPGA's three-week Asia swing.
Davies gave Pettersen a run last Sunday in the final round of the Honda LPGA when she posted a 65 to make Pettersen, who entered the round with a seven- shot lead, sweat it out.
Pettersen needed an eagle at her last hole to beat Davies by a shot."I think that was the closest I've been to actually crying on the golf course for a very long time, I was so disappointed," Davies said on Friday. "[W]hen her (eagle) putt went in, it was just like someone had kicked me in the stomach, it was just an awful feeling.
"I was fighting not to shed a tear. I'm two wins away from the Hall of Fame and that would've been halfway there. So, I was encouraged, but very disappointed."

Verplank takes over top spot at Disney World

Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sports Network) - Scott Verplank fired his second straight six-under 66 Friday to move to the top of the leaderboard at the Children's Miracle Network Classic.
Verplank, whose win at Byron Nelson Championship snapped a six-year winless stretch, completed 36 holes at 12-under-par 132.
Tag Ridings, who needs to win this event to keep his tour card for next year, also fired a 66 to move into share of second at minus-11. He was joined there by Stephen Ames and Ryan Armour. There are eight players one shot back at 10- under-par 134.
"It's nice to be in second place or be near the lead at least and have a chance on the weekend," admitted Ridings. "But I'm not really thinking of anything besides just playing this tournament alone."
With players competing with amateur partners for the first two rounds this week, players are rotating over the Magnolia and Palm Courses at Walt Disney World Resort for the first two rounds. The Magnolia Course will host the final two rounds.
The big battle this week is for players to move into the top 125 on the money list to keep their tour cards for next year.
Verplank, who went 4-0 for the United States at the Presidents Cup in September, started on the back nine at the Magnolia Course.
He was on fire early with birdies on 10 and 11. He followed with birdies at 13 and 15, from eight feet, to move within one of the lead.
Verplank drained an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-four 17th to gain a piece of the lead. He came right back with a six-foot birdie putt on 18 to take the lead heading to his second nine.
Around the turn, Verplank reeled off nine straight pars to hold onto his one- shot lead, which he will take into Saturday's third round.
"I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit. It kind of got windier as the day went on and it's a different direction than you normally see around here," stated Verplank. "I got on such a nice roll the first nine holes that I didn't just kill myself by making a bunch of pars."
Ames started on No. 10 of the Palm Course. He notched three birdies on his opening nine to turn at minus-five. On the front nine, Ames ran off seven straight birdies to gain the lead at 12-under. However, he bogeyed the ninth to share second.
Ridings carded three birdies in his first four holes from the 10th on the Magnolia Course. He then parred four in a row before faltering to a bogey at the 18th.
He eagled the fourth to jump to minus-nine. Ridings birdied the seventh and ninth to join Ames in second. Ridings is lucky to be here at all.
"The way I saw the list, I think I was 12th after all the commitments were done on Friday. I may have been 15th. I thought it was 15th, but I might not have looked at it at the same time it was over," explained Ridings, who was an alternate to start the week. "I got a call Tuesday afternoon telling me that I was second alternate. I flew out Wednesday morning."
Armour posted back-to-back birdies from the first on the Palm Course. He wrapped birdies at five and seven around a bogey on six.
A birdie on the ninth moved Armour to seven-under. Armour eagled the par-five 11th. He gained a piece of second place with birdies at 16 and 17.
First-round leader J.P. Hayes carded a three-under 69 and is now tied for fifth at 10-under-par 134. He was joined there by Brett Wetterich, Cameron Beckman, Bart Bryant, Justin Leonard, Steve Marino, Sean O'Hair and Vaughn Taylor.
Defending champion Joe Durant managed an even-par 72 and tumbled into a share of 58th at four-under-par 140.
The cut line fell at three-under-par 141. This was the largest cut of the year with 89 players advancing to the weekend.
Among those who missed the weekend were 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel (142), John Merrick (143), who was 133rd on the money list and needed a good week to keep his tour card, and Ted Purdy (143), who entered the week as No. 125 on the money list, but could lose that position.
Among the players that could pass Purdy on the money list are No. 127 Kevin Stadler, No. 129 Craig Kanada and No. 132 Chris Stroud.

Friday 26 October 2007

Estes, Armour lead suspended PGA event

Port St. Lucie, FL (Sports Network) - Bob Estes and Tommy Armour III were still on top of the leaderboard when the second round of the Ginn sur Mer Classic was suspended on Friday due to inclement weather.
After opening with 64s on Thursday to take the lead, Estes and Armour protected it with rounds of five-under 68 on Friday. They finished well before things got bad enough that officials were forced to stop the round.
The PGA Tour veterans were tied at 14-under 132.
Daniel Chopra fired a seven-under 66 and moved within one shot of the leaders at 13-under 133. Steve Lowery (66), Michael Sim (67) and Sean O'Hair (68) were all at 10-under 136.
Scores remained low despite muddy conditions.
"There were a lot of one-arm finishes because once that club gets down into the mud, it just keeps going down," said Estes. "Sometimes it's tough to get the club through the turf and out."
The Tesoro Club, one of only two par-73 layouts on the PGA Tour schedule, is unlikely to dry out this weekend with two more days of wet, humid weather forecast.
The leaders were making their biggest strides on the front nine, where the course is a little shorter and a little easier.
Estes started on the front nine Friday and made three straight birdies from the third hole. He made his first bogey in 24 holes at the par-four sixth after sending an errant tee shot into the trees.
But another birdie at No. 9, and two more at the 16th and 18th holes, secured the 41-year-old Estes his share of the lead. He was 10-under on the outward nine through 36 holes.
"You still make some birdies on the back nine," said Estes, who has four PGA Tour wins but none since 2002. "But you better get you some birdies on the front if you want to keep pace."
Armour is seven-under on the front nine this week, but he didn't get there until halfway through his round on Friday.
He started on the back nine with six consecutive pars before he knocked a five-wood to three feet to set up an eagle at the par-five 16th. Armour followed that with a birdie at the 17th, again hitting his five-wood to set up the putt.
Armour chipped to three feet for another birdie at No. 2, then made his only bogey at the fifth hole. He closed with back-to-back birdies on his last two holes.
Like Estes, Armour is seeking his long-overdue "next" win. His last victory came at the 2003 Texas Open, where he set the PGA Tour's 72-hole scoring record.
"We play golf to win tournaments," said Armour, 48. "I've only won two in my career on the PGA Tour, so I'm excited whenever I have a chance to win. I look forward to it, and that's why I work hard and that's why I'm here."
Daisuke Maruyama had a seven-under 66 and was alone in seventh place at nine- under 137 when play was suspended. Fredrik Jacobson (67) and Bryce Molder (71) were another shot further back at 138.
Craig Kanada and Kevin Na was also at eight-under, but still on the course. They were the closest players remaining with a shot at passing Estes and Armour, although that seemed unlikely.
None of the afternoon groups finished the second round. They are scheduled to be back on the course at 8 a.m. local time Saturday morning.

Wednesday 17 October 2007

Cabrera wins playoff for Grand Slam title

Tucker's Town, Bermuda (Sports Network) - Reigning U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera birdied the third playoff hole Wednesday to defeat British Open winner Padraig Harrington and win the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
Cabrera managed a two-under 68 on Wednesday, while Harrington shot a one-under 69. The pair finished the two rounds at four-under-par 136 and it took some drama to get them into the playoff.
Cabrera pushed it to extra holes thanks to an impressive eagle at the par-five 18th hole in regulation. Harrington birdied the hole to force the playoff and the two headed back to 18 at Mid Ocean Club.
The duo parred the first two extra holes, 18 and the par-three 17th. They returned to the par-five closing hole in this event designed for the four major champions of 2007.
Harrington hit a poor tee shot at the third playoff hole. Cabrera reached the green in two and two-putted for the birdie and the victory in his first trip to the event.
Jim Furyk, who got into the field when PGA Champion Tiger Woods pulled out, triple-bogeyed the 11th to fall off the pace. He closed in style with four birdies in his last five holes to shoot a three-under 67 for third place at minus-two.
Masters winner Zach Johnson bogeyed the last to eliminate any faint chance at a playoff. He posted a two-under 68 for fourth place at one-under-par 139.
Cabrera was horrendous at the start of the final round with a triple-bogey at one and a bogey at the second. He was three behind Harrington at the turn, but a birdie at 10 and an eagle at the 11th got the Argentine tied for the lead with the Irishman.
Cabrera fell one back thanks to a bogey at the 12th, but when Harrington bogeyed 13, the pair was tied for the lead again at minus-two. The British Open winner birdied 14 to reclaim his advantage, but it got back to two strokes when Cabrera bogeyed No. 16.
At the 17th, Cabrera cut the gap to one with a birdie. He eagled the last and Harrington made birdie to force the first playoff at the event since Woods won in 2000.
Cabrera, who pocketed $600,000 for the win, became the first international winner of this event since Ernie Els in 1997.

Friday 7 September 2007

Baddeley and Byrd lead; Woods one back at Cog Hill

Lemont, IL (Sports Network) - Overnight leader Jonathan Byrd and Aaron Baddeley are tied atop the leaderboard after Friday's second round of the BMW Championship, but three-time winner Tiger Woods lurks only one shot back.
Byrd shot a 69 on Friday, while Baddeley fired a six-under 65 to finish 36 holes at nine-under-par 133.
Woods managed his second consecutive, four-under 67 to come in at minus-eight.
Woods collected his first birdie at the par-three sixth, then hit an amazing hook shot to the ninth to set up another birdie. He took advantage of the next par five, the 11th, with another birdie, but got derailed a bit at the par- three 14th when he left with bogey.
Woods responded with birdies at 15 and 17 to get within one of the lead.
"It was a very interesting round," acknowledged Woods. "I was hitting it close on every hole, then I felt terrible on the greens. Then in the middle of the round, I couldn't hit a shot but felt great on the greens. It was a weird combo."
Woods can move into first on the FedEx Cup Playoff Points race this week. Leader Phil Mickelson took over the top spot after his win last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, but took the week off this week.
Steve Stricker is another player that can assume the lead of the Playoff Points race with a good week. He shot a five-under 66 on Friday and is tied with Woods, Justin Rose (69) and Camilo Villegas (69).
This is the third FedEx Cup Playoff event and the winner will be crowned next week at the Tour Championship when the field is cut to the top 30 on the Playoff Points list.
There was a 2 1/2 hour weather delay on Friday, but the entire field finished.
Byrd hit only one shot before the weather, a three-wood off the first tee, and made birdie on the hole. He added another birdie at the third, but bogeyed the eighth and 12th to fall back to even-par for the round.
Later in his round, Byrd got going, but it didn't look that way after an awful tee shot at 15. He had to pitch out and make a four-footer to save par at the par five.
At the 16th, Byrd hit his approach to a foot and tapped in for birdie. His ball landed three feet from the hole at the 17th, but it rolled to 12 feet. No matter for Byrd as he made the birdie putt and nearly chipped in for a birdie at the 18th before settling for par.
"I was kind of struggling in the middle of the round," admitted Byrd. "I was getting a little frustrated. I had two three-putts, which I never like doing that. I just wasn't hitting good putts. I was giving myself chances and giving myself 15- and 20-footers but I was misreading them by a foot."
Byrd has a lot to play for this week. He stands in 30th on the FedEx Cup Playoff points list, which is the cutoff number to get into the field next week at the Tour Championship.
"I don't really like talking about it because it probably puts more pressure on myself," acknowledged Byrd. "But that's just one of the byproducts of playing well; you just keep moving up the list."
Baddeley is all but assured a spot next week, ranking 11th on the list. He is playing well at the moment with 28 of 36 greens in regulation this week and was in the exact same position atop the leaderboard after 36 holes last week.
"I feel like I have very good control over the trajectory and the shape of the shot," said Baddeley. "I feel very comfortable with my golf swing."
Baddeley plodded along with one birdie in his first four holes, but the horn sounded as he was playing the 14th, his fifth hole of the day. After the stoppage, Baddeley birdied three in a row, but dropped a shot at 18.
"I came back and started nicely after the break with three birdies, so that was good," said Baddeley. "I was very pleased to start like that."
Baddeley tallied four birdies and a bogey on his second nine, including a 14- footer at his last to join the lead.
Pat Perez shot a two-under 69 and is alone in seventh place at minus-seven. Stuart Appleby managed a three-under 68 and has eighth at six-under-par 136.
Ryuji Imada (70), Hunter Mahan (68) and Tim Clark (69) are knotted in ninth at five-under 137.
There is no cut at this event.

Sunday 2 September 2007

Warren wins playoff at Johnnie Walker

Perthshire, Scotland (Sports Network) - Marc Warren capped an up-and-down Sunday with a birdie at the second playoff hole to beat Simon Wakefield and become the first Scotsman to win the Johnnie Walker Championship.
Warren made just four pars in a final-round, four-under 69 that was marked by equal stretches of inconsistency and steadiness. He holed a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole in regulation to tie Wakefield for the lead at 12-under 280.
Tied for the third-round lead, Wakefield played in the final pairing and needed a successful up-and-down from in front of the 18th green for a birdie and the win. But he left his chip 12 feet short, then missed his birdie try on the right edge to settle for a 70 and force the playoff.
Back at the 18th again for the first extra hole, both players were left with about 90 yards on their approach shots. Warren put his on the fringe, and Wakefield knocked his on the green to eight feet.
Wakefield was left with another chance to clinch his first European Tour win after Warren missed a long putt from the fringe, but the Englishman again skirted the cup with his birdie putt, sending the duo back to the 18th tee.
The duo had played the par-fives a combined 23-under par in regulation this week, and Warren finally showed why.
On the par-five 18th again, Warren went for the green with his second shot and landed it on the surface, probably 90 feet away from the hole. Wakefield laid up, then stuck his third on the back of the green, 15 feet behind the cup.
After Warren lagged his putt to four feet, Wakefield left yet another try on the edge of the cup. Warren followed with the easy birdie, claiming his second European Tour win in as many years.
He was the seventh Scotsman to win a tour event on Scottish soil.
"It's absolutely an incredible feeling to win here in Scotland," said Warren, whose first win came at the 2006 Scandinavian Masters. "I feel sorry for Simon. He had the lead for most of the day, but fortunately for me I managed to claw back and force the playoff."
Martin Erlandsson fired a seven-under 66 -- the best round Sunday on the par-73 Gleneagles layout -- and finished tied for third place with Soren Hansen (68) at 11-under 281, one shot behind the leaders.
Fredrik Andersson Hed was tied with Wakefield for the third-round lead, but managed only a one-under 72 on Sunday. He shared fifth place with Graeme Storm (69) at 10-under 282.
Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood were among 15 total players who finished the tournament within five shots of the winning score.
That Warren was able to get to 12-under was remarkable, considering he began the final round with bogeys on three of his first five holes. But a stretch of five birdies over a seven-hole stretch got the Scotsman back into the mix.
His closing birdie at the 18th was a blessing: He had coughed up a share of the lead with a bogey at the 17th, dropping one shot behind Wakefield. After making his four-footer on the 18 green, he headed to the practice green.
"It was just a matter of waiting to see what Simon was going to do," Warren said. "That was the toughest thing."

Friday 31 August 2007

Villegas leads Deutsche Bank; Woods nine back

Norton, MA (Sports Network) - Camilo Villegas fired an eight-under-par 63 on Friday to take the first-round lead of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second FedEx Cup playoff event.
Villegas' 63 was his lowest round on the PGA Tour by one and actually took some of the spotlight away from the most prominent threesome to play together in the first rounds in recent history.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh were grouped together on Friday and will be again on Saturday. The groups are put together based on their standings in the FedEx Cup Playoff race with these three ranking four through six.
Woods struggled to a one-over 72, Singh, who missed the cut last week, only managed a 74, while Mickelson broke par with a 70.
Defending champion Woods, participating in his first FedEx Playoff event after skipping The Barclays last week, could not get anything going with his putter on Friday.
He missed several birdie tries inside 10 feet, but holed most of the tricky par putts. Woods bogeyed the par-five second, but his round came undone at the driveable, par-four fourth.
Woods drove into a bunker and could not get out with his second shot. The ball was against the lip and as hard as he swung, Woods' ball went backwards into the trap. He left with a double-bogey six, but made up the strokes with back- to-back birdies at six and seven.
Woods drove into a bunker at 18 and roped a fairway-wood cleanly over the green at the par-five hole. He chipped to seven feet, but like most of the round, missed the shortish birdie chance.
"I putted well for par, but anything beyond that was not very good," said Woods, who won his last two starts at the WGC event and PGA Championship. "It's just one day. That's the way it is. Welcome to golf."
Mickelson birdied two and holed out for an eagle from the same bunker that gave Woods fits at four. Things fell apart for Mickelson at the ninth thanks to an errant drive. He made triple-bogey to fall back to even-par for the championship.
"I don't know what to say. It was just a terrible swing," admitted Mickelson. "It was a mental, sloppy shot. I set up for a draw and came out and blocked it."
Mickelson ran home a 12-foot birdie putt at the 14th and could have gotten to two-under, but missed a five-footer at the last.
Singh recorded three birdies, two bogeys and two double-bogeys for his 74.
Mike Weir, recently named to the International Presidents Cup team, and Ryan Moore are tied for second place at minus-six.
Heath Slocum, Brett Wetterich, Fredrik Jacobson, Steve Elkington and Henrik Stenson are knotted in fourth place at five-under 66.
The field is looking up at Villegas, who lost a playoff this year at the Honda Classic.
Villegas got off to a great start on Friday. He birdied the third, fourth, sixth and seventh holes. He got to five-under with a birdie at the par-four 12th, then had a chance to tie for the lead, but missed a 13-footer at the 13th.
Villegas drained a 25-foot birdie chance at the 14th to join Weir and Moore in the lead. The Colombian had another great look at birdie at the 16th, but missed again.
The close of his round vaulted him ahead of the pair he was tied with atop the leaderboard.
At the 17th, Villegas rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to move into sole possession of first. Villegas hit a great second shot to 18 feet at the par- five closing hole at the TPC of Boston. He missed on the high side, but tapped in for birdie and his lowest round on the PGA Tour.
"It was a great round today," said Villegas. "I've been working hard all year. Obviously today I made some great putts. I didn't make mistakes out there. I kept the ball in play and hit a bunch of greens."
Villegas has only two other top 10s beside his playoff loss at the Honda. He posted four top 10s in his rookie season of 2006, but does not consider this campaign a lost cause.
"It's been a great year," said Villegas. "It's been a great-learning experience year. I learned I can not play every week, that I have to rest even though I'm 25 years old. I've been feeling great all year. If you're feeling good, good things are going to happen."
Steve Stricker, last week's winner at The Barclays and the leader of the FedEx Cup Playoffs points race, shot a four-under 67 on Friday. He is tied for ninth with John Senden, Trevor Immelman, Charlie Wi, Sergio Garcia, Aaron Baddeley, Craig Kanada and Rich Beem, who needs to finish second or better to get into next week's BMW Championship.

Thursday 30 August 2007

Warren leads by one at Gleneagles

Perthshire, Scotland (Sports Network) - Scotland's Marc Warren opened with an eight-under-par 65 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Warren, whose lone win came last year at the Scandinavian Masters, has struggled of late. He has missed the cut in six of his last eight starts and owns just two top-10s all season.
"The last few months have been frustrating because I haven't been getting the results that I want," said Warren. "But over the last couple of weeks I have noticed a couple of things and (my coach) Bob Torrance has been working hard with me on them this week to put it right and today was a glimpse of that."
Nicolas Colsaerts is one stroke behind Warren at minus-seven. Jeev Milkha Singh was joined in third place by Miles Tunnicliff at six-under-par 67 on the par-73 PGA Centenary Course at The Gleneagles Hotel.
Warren started his round on the 10th tee and birdied his opening hole. He came back with birdies on 12 and 14 to get to three-under.
The Scotsman made another birdie at the par-three 17th. Around the turn, he kept rolling.
Warren birdied the first and second to climb to six-under. A birdie on the par-three fourth gave him the lead at seven-under. He made a clutch 15-foot par-saving putt on the eighth, his 17th, to remain tied for the lead as Colsaerts had joined him at minus-seven.
"The only time I had a bit of trouble was on the eighth hole, my 17th, where I hit a good enough tee shot, but it just went through the fairway," said the 26-year-old Warren. "I probably had too much club off the tee and probably should have hit three-wood because the wind was helping a bit more than we thought off the tee. But I managed to scramble a four."
At the ninth, Warren missed the green on the short side, but hit a stellar chip shot to nine feet. He rolled that putt in for birdie and the outright lead.
"It is obviously a very solid start and I'm pleased to have no bogeys on my card and eight birdies," Warren stated. "It was a very solid round from tee to green and on the greens as well."
Colsaerts, who started two groups ahead of Warren, also birdied the 10th to start his round. He parred the next five before converting an eagle chance at the par-five 16th.
He parred the next two before dropping in back-to-back birdie putts from the first to get to five-under.
Colsaerts drove the 419-yard, par-four eighth and drained the 10-foot eagle putt to jump into a share of the lead at seven-under. He ended one back as he parred the last.
"I will just keep on doing my thing," Colsaerts said. "I know where to go here and where not to go so I just need to keep it in play and hope. I won't get too many more starts this season so I suppose it is make or break. There is no pressure yet."
Joost Luiten, who finished second last week, carded a five-under-par 68. He was joined in a share of fifth place by Phillip Archer, Mark Pilkington, Simon Wakefield, James Hepworth, Zane Scotland, Shiv Kapur and Phillip Price.
Eight-time Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie and former British Open winner Paul Lawrie are among 13 players tied for 13th at minus-four.

Friday 24 August 2007

Choi cruises to Barclays lead

Harrison, NY (Sports Network) - K.J. Choi, a two-time winner this season, posted a five-under 66 on Friday to move into the lead after the second round of the first event in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, The Barclays.
Choi, who won the events sponsored by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in 2007, finished two rounds at 12-under-par 130 and is two shots clear at Westchester Country Club.
Rich Beem, the 2002 PGA Champion who is only ranked 134th on the FedEx Cup list, shot a three-under 68 and is alone in second place at minus-10. He will need a big week just to make it into the Deutsche Bank Championship next week since the field will be trimmed to the top 120 on the FedEx Cup list.
"I know that unless I play well, finish well this week, I'm going home," acknowledged Beem. "No offense to my wife or kids or anything, but when you're playing well, you want to stay on the road and I want to stay on the road because I'm playing well."
This is the first of four events in the new FedEx Cup Playoffs. Six of the 144 players who qualified through the regular season points race weren't playing this week, including No. 1 Tiger Woods. Two others withdrew Thursday and Tripp Isenhour pulled out on Friday.
Because the points list was reset for the playoffs -- with all 144 players seeded according to their finish in the regular season -- each golfer was given a mathematical chance to win the $10 million top prize as the points leader after the Tour Championship in three weeks.
Overnight leader Rory Sabbatini only managed an even-par 71 on Friday, but is tied for third place with Steve Stricker (67) and 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy (66). The group came in at minus-eight.
Phil Mickelson, fourth on the list, shot a one-under 70 and is tied for 13th place at minus-five.
"I needed to go a little bit lower but maybe a good round tomorrow will give me a chance on Sunday," said Mickelson. "That's the goal, just to get in position for Sunday."
He fared better than Vijay Singh. The No. 2 player in the playoff race shot an even-par 71 and missed the cut at four-over-par 146.
That opens the door for Choi to move up the FedEx Cup list.
Choi began his second round on the back nine and wasted little time in breaking into red figures. He hammered a drive down the fairway at 10, then wedged his approach to a foot. Choi tapped in for birdie, then parred his next eight holes on his first nine.
At the par-three opening hole, Choi came up short of the putting surface with a six-iron. No matter, as the fifth-ranked player on the FedEx Cup points list chipped in for birdie.
Choi continued his strong play early on his second nine. He played a seven- iron to four feet to set up birdie and reach 10-under par for the championship.
At the short, par-four seventh, Choi once again hit his drive down the fairway. He played a sand-wedge right at the hole, then watched as the ball went in for an eagle.
Things got worse for Choi after the eagle at seven. His approach at the par- four eighth landed in a greenside bunker and the best he could muster was 20 feet for par. Choi two-putted for bogey, but a two-putt birdie from 60 feet got him in at minus-12.
"I'm very happy to have played the way I did this week, the past two days," said Choi. "I figured that two-under every day would be a good score for the tournament. But now that I am at 12-under, I'm very excited being in the position that I am right now."
As the first week of the Playoffs unfold, no one personified some of the confusion surrounding it more than Choi. At the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Choi stated that if he won the FedEx Cup, he would donate the $10 million first-place prize to charity.
The only problem is that the money is deferred to a player's retirement fund, so Choi would have to wait several years to donate.
"After that press conference when I had said that, my friend, Charlie Wi, called me and told me about it," said Choi. "I didn't really know about the deferred payment back then when I said it. But, you know, even if I did know, my plan would not have changed."
Ernie Els (71), Kenny Perry (67), Anthony Kim (68), Sergio Garcia (67), Retief Goosen (68), Adam Scott (69) and Bill Haas (68) are knotted in sixth place at six-under 136.
The 36-hole cut fell at even-par 142 and Singh was not the only high-profile player to miss the weekend.
U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera (143), Luke Donald (143), David Toms (144), last week's Wyndham Championship winner Brandt Snedeker (145) and Charles Howell III (150) all missed the cut.

Sunday 19 August 2007

Snedeker earns first PGA Tour win

Greensboro, NC (Sports Network) - Brandt Snedeker fired a nine-under 63 on Sunday to come from behind and win his first PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship.
He finished the shootout at 22-under-par 266 and won by two over three other players at Forest Oaks Country Club.
In addition to the first PGA Tour victory and the perks that come with that, Snedeker moved up to ninth in the FedEx Cup standings. With this being the final event before the playoffs start next week at the Barclays, Snedeker is assured to play all four events, culminating in the Tour Championship.
"It's just unbelievable," said Snedeker, who pocketed $900,000 for the win. "I'm getting goose bumps thinking about everything that comes with it. Thank God I didn't think about that today because I probably would not have won."
Overnight-leader Jeff Overton only managed a two-under 70 on Sunday. He tied for second place with Billy Mayfair and Tim Petrovic, both of whom shot 67s in the final round. The group came in at minus-20.
Carl Pettersson posted a four-under 68 and took fifth at 19-under-par 269. Greg Kraft carded a six-under 66 and came in sixth at minus-18.
Sunday's final round quickly became a birdie-fest and Snedeker was on board early. He birdied the first two holes, then rattled off four in a five-hole span to close his front nine.
He bogeyed the par-three 12th to momentarily fall down the leaderboard. Snedeker narrowly missed an eagle putt at 13, but tapped in for a birdie. He sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the 14th, which tied him for the lead at 20- under par with Petrovic, who recorded six birdies and a bogey through his first 15 holes.
Snedeker birdied the par-five 15th to take the outright lead, but Petrovic hit a sensational four-iron to six feet to set up birdie at 16. The two were tied again, but Snedeker broke out thanks to a 33-foot birdie putt at the 17th.
He made a routine par at 18 and waited as Petrovic needed a birdie at the last to force a playoff.
The chances of that happening disappeared quickly. Petrovic drove well into the left trees and had to pitch back to the fairway with his second. He did not hole out his third, and in fact made bogey to miss out by two.
Mayfair gave it a go thanks to two late birdies. He needed to hole out his second shot at the 18th to force the extra session, but drove into a bunker and hit his approach to 12 feet.
That guaranteed the title for Snedeker.
His first PGA Tour win might have cemented Rookie of the Year honors for the 26 year old. Snedeker took third in his third event of the year at the Buick Invitational and has three top 10s since mid-June.
"I still don't really believe it right now," said Snedeker, a two-time winner last year on the Nationwide Tour. "I'm trying to realize what just happened. It's a great day."
Shigeki Maruyama had a good day on Sunday. He shot a three-under 69 to move into a tie for seventh place, but it was enough to get him to 140th on the FedEx Cup list and into the field next week.
Maruyama shared seventh place with Kevin Stadler (66), Jason Gore (67) and Will MacKenzie (69). That group finished at 17-under-par 271.

Ilonen claims second win of 2007

Stockholm, Sweden (Sports Network) - Mikko Ilonen birdied the par-three 18th Sunday, then watched as Martin Kaymer closed with a double-bogey.
Kaymer's closing double handed Ilonen his second win of the season. Ilonen completed the event at six-under-par 274 thanks to a final-round 68.
"Unbelievable finish. First I dumped it in the water on 16, then I miss a birdie on 17," Ilonen stated. "Then for the first time, I hit that green on 18 and make birdie. I'm out of words."
The 22-year-old Kaymer, who was going for his first win, shot three-over 73 and ended in a share of second at minus-four. He was joined there by Peter Hedblom (69), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (68), Christian Cevaer (69) and Nick Dougherty (70).
Kaymer and Ilonen, who hails from Finland, battled throughout the round. After both players birdied the par-five 15th, it looked as though the 16th at Arlandastad Golf Club would be the turning point.
Ilonen's tee ball came to rest on the edge of the water right of the green. He tried to play out of the water, but advanced his ball just a few feet. He pitched his third to eight feet, but two-putted for double-bogey to slide to five-under.
Kaymer, now leading by two, knocked his tee shot over the green at the 16th. He chipped to seven feet, but only two-putted for bogey to slip to six-under.
Neither player could take advantage of the par-five 17th as they both made par.
Ilonen, playing one group ahead of Kaymer, hit a stellar tee shot to six feet at the 18th. He knocked that in for birdie to move to minus-six, then watched from the scoring trailer to see what Kaymer would do.
Kaymer pulled his tee shot left, then his chip came up short of the green. He tried to putt through the fringe, but his ball stopped eight feet short of the hole. He two-putted from there for double-bogey to end tied for second.
"You never wish for a finish like that, but someone has to win and someone has to lose," said Ilonen. "I'm sure Martin is going to win very soon. He's been up there a couple of times now. I'm sure he's lifting a trophy in the next few months."
Ilonen collected his second win of the season as he also won the Indonesia Open back in February.
Ilonen had three birdies and a bogey over the first six holes to move to minus-six, one clear of Kaymer who bogeyed four and five. Ilonen bogeyed the seventh, but recovered that shot with a birdie on nine.
Kaymer birdied the ninth to join Ilonen in the lead at six-under and set up the big finish.
Cevaer posted four rounds of one-under 69 to end in a share of second. He posted four birdies and three bogeys on Sunday. Dougherty managed just two birdies and two bogeys in the final round to end at minus-four.
Gonnet parred his first 11 holes, before collecting two birdies over the final seven holes to cap a bogey-free 68 that left him tied for second.
Hedblom opened with nine straight pars before collecting three birdies and two bogeys on the back nine to end at four-under.
James Kingston, who entered the final round tied for the lead with Kaymer, struggled to a four-over 74. That dropped him into a share of seventh at three-under-par 277, where he was joined by Paul Broadhurst and Corey Pavin.

Saturday 11 August 2007

Garcia disqualified at PGA Championship

Tulsa, OK (Sports Network) - Sergio Garcia was disqualified from the PGA Championship on Saturday for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Garcia signed for a par four at the 17th, but actually made five.
This has been a tough run of major championships for the Spaniard. He held the lead throughout the British Open Championship last month and needed a par on his last to win his first major.
Garcia missed a six-foot par save, then lost by a stroke to Padraig Harrington in the playoff.

Friday 10 August 2007

Woods makes more history at PGA

Tulsa, OK (Sports Network) - Tiger Woods matched the lowest round in major championship history on Friday with an eight-under-par 62, a historic round that gave him the second-round lead at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Woods stood at seven-under par for his round with a great look at birdie on the 18th hole. His 12-footer for a record-setting 62 seemed destined for the cup, but lipped out after going three-quarters of the way around the hole.
"I knew if I made that putt on the last hole it would have been a nice record to have," said the defending champion. "I thought it was in. I guess a touch firmer."
He finished 36 holes at six-under-par 134, which is good for a two-shot lead over Scott Verplank, who shot a four-under 66 in the morning.
Last year's U.S. Open winner, Geoff Ogilvy (68), and Stephen Ames (69) are tied for third place at minus-three. Woody Austin posted an even-par 70 and is alone in fifth place at two-under 138.
But no one was in Woods' league on Friday.
He birdied the first, then rattled off back-to-back birdies from the fourth. Woods bogeyed seven for the second straight day, then tapped in a short birdie putt at the ninth.
Woods also birdied the 10th to reach three-under par and trail by one. He appeared to be in trouble at the 12th, but sank an improbable 30-footer to save par.
"The putt on 12 was huge," he said. "It kept the momentum of the round going."
That putt certainly spurred Woods on as he went on a spectacular run after the par save.
At the par-five 13th, Woods found a bunker with his second, but blasted out to three feet. He converted that birdie putt, then holed a 15-foot chip from the fringe for another birdie at 14.
Woods drained a 20-footer at the 15th to polish off three consecutive birdies. That put him alone in the lead at minus-six, but his margin was extended when Ogilvy bogeyed the last two holes.
Woods needed at least one more birdie on the way to the clubhouse for the 18- hole major scoring record. He had decent looks at the 16th and 17th, but did not convert.
The putt cruelly stayed above ground at Southern Hills' demanding closing hole, but Woods, true to form, put the major championship ahead of everything else.
"Sixty-two would have meant I had a three-shot lead, not a two-shot lead," he offered.
Woods is now in a very comfortable position. Of the six previous majors contested at Southern Hills, the winners have all held at least a part of the 36-hole lead.
"I'd like it to continue," said Woods, who also matched Raymond Floyd's course record.
Woods has 12 major titles on his mantle, and in all 12 he has held the lead on Saturday night. The game's best front-runner has now taken first place and the rest of the field will need something special to catch the No. 1 player in the world.
Verplank is in the best spot to do it.
He parred his first eight holes, then rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the ninth. Two holes later, Verplank hit a seven-iron to six feet and canned the birdie putt to reach two-under par for the championship.
At the par-four 15th, Verplank hit an eight-iron to 12 feet to set up his third birdie of the round. He found the fairway at 17, but was slightly blocked by some trees. No matter, as Verplank punched a pitching-wedge to eight feet and holed that birdie try to take the lead.
Verplank had a decent chance to pad his advantage at the closing hole. He had 20 feet for birdie, but missed the putt and settled for a bogey-free round of 66.
"I hit the ball yesterday and today as good as I've ever hit it," acknowledged Verplank. "I just hit lots of fairways, lots of greens, very solid shots and putting at birdie most holes."
Pat Perez (69), Niclas Fasth (68) and John Senden (70) are knotted in sixth place at minus-one.
John Daly, who started the round in second place, struggled a bit on Friday. He shot a three-over 73 and is tied for ninth place with Ernie Els (68), Arron Oberholser (72), Camilo Villegas (71), Adam Scott (68) and Paul McGinley (66). That group is at even-par 140.
Phil Mickelson carded a one-under 69 on Friday to move to plus-two for the championship. The 2005 winner was not satisfied despite an under-par round at this demanding track.
"It just feels like I'm leaving four, five shots out there, is all," said Mickelson, who has missed the cut in his last two majors. "I feel like I'm playing a lot better than I'm scoring. That's what's been frustrating."

Daly goes over the river and through the woods at PGA

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- If Tiger Woods is a Rembrandt, John Daly is a paint-by-number Elvis on black velvet. Tacky, for sure. Yet there's something oddly endearing about it, and you can't help but gawk.
Especially when Daly pulls stunts like he did Friday on No. 10 at Southern Hills.
At 366 yards, downhill and with a big dogleg to the right, a 4- or 5-iron off the tee is the smart move for this par-4. It leaves players with a short approach, and a good chance for birdie.
Daly?
He waited for the green to clear, then pulled out driver and ripped it.
"We're not set up to find that shot," a TV announcer said as the ball rocketed toward the green.
Thing is, Daly doesn't do anything by anybody's plans. Never has. Which is why, despite the blistering heat and suffocating humidity, a Tiger-sized gallery was following every move of the topsy-turvy 3-over 73 that turned him back into America's favorite side show after a brief stay atop the leaderboard at the PGA Championship.
"For some reason," wife Sherrie said during a brief interview Friday as she walked the course, "everyone likes John."
He hits driver when he should hit irons. He opts for slot machines over practice rounds. He smokes cigarettes and chugs
diet soda when water and an energy bar would be better.
And that fairway in front of him? Well, that's merely a suggestion.
"Do you think they would have booed him if he'd pulled out an iron?" Todd Hamilton asked after watching Daly tee off on No. 10.
Conservative is not a word that has ever existed in Daly's dictionary, and being two shots off the lead after the first round of a major wasn't going to change his mind. Even if a win -- heck, a solid showing even -- could recharge a career that has seemingly dead ended after falling to 423 in the world rankings.
So he went for every green -- and got to know just about every inch of Southern Hills' rough and woods. Of 14 fairways, he hit a measly one and that wasn't until 11 holes into the round. He duffed an easy sand shot and missed more putts than a weekend hack.
He did birdie the last hole to stay at even-par for the tournament, and in a six-way tie for ninth.
"The fairways are just so hard to hit," Daly said. "I just kept grinding, grinding, grinding."
Not that fans cared. If they wanted textbook or pretty golf, they would have followed Woods or Geoff Ogilvy. Or sat home watching a tape of Jack Nicklaus. No, fans simply adore Daly because he plays like they wish they could.
His shot off the 13th tee went so far left, he was almost on the next hole over, No. 17. The sensible route would have been to punch back onto 13, and the marshals went ahead and moved the gallery to clear just such a path.
But as Daly got to the ball, his eyes darted left. That 17th fairway was wide open, calling his name. He looked at the path the marshals cleared several times, but his eyes kept going back to 17.
Finally, his caddie told everybody to move. The circus had just rolled into town.
Daly punched the ball forward, landing squarely on the 17th fairway. The players coming up the hole laughed when they saw him, and one caddie said, "In the middle again, huh?"
But Daly knew what he was doing. He had an unobstructed -- not to mention shorter -- shot to the green, and his third shot put him within 8 feet of the hole. Fans whooped and hollered, and Daly was grinning as he lumbered to the green.
OK, so he two-putted from there. That's not the point. Daly is pure entertainment -- on and off the course.
He's a two-time major champion, but he hasn't won a PGA Tour event in three years and doesn't even have a card anymore. The closest he got to this year's Masters was an autograph session down the road at the local Hooters.
He did have a brief moment of grandeur at the British Open, but it lasted all of 15 minutes. After pitching in on the 11th hole for an eagle in the first round, he found himself as a most unlikely leader. He went on to miss the cut.
His personal life would make Jerry Springer cringe. He freely admits to drinking and gambling too much, to say nothing of that nasty nicotine habit. Sherrie is Wife No. 4 and while they've been married for six years, it hasn't exactly been domestic bliss.
Just two months ago, Daly showed up at a tour stop in Memphis with a face full of scratches that he blamed on Sherrie, saying she came after him with a steak knife. They've since reconciled. Or at least are getting along well enough to come to Southern Hills with the kids.
Don't ask about it, though.
"That's where we end," Sherrie Daly said.
But it's hard not to love the big lug. That's why the people keep showing up.
"I've been telling him he could win soon," Sherrie Daly said. "He's due. He hasn't had much luck."

Verplank on top at Southern Hills

Tulsa, OK (Sports Network) - Oklahoma State graduate Scott Verplank shot a four-under 66 on Friday to take the lead during the second round of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Verplank, considered a favorite before the tournament due to his straight hitting, completed 36 holes at four-under-par 136.
He is one ahead of Stephen Ames, who posted a one-under 69 on Friday. Camilo Villegas and Arron Oberholser are also three-under par in the middle of their second rounds.
Tiger Woods birdied his first hole on Friday and is even-par for the championship. The defending champion is gunning for his first major title of the year. Since his breakthrough Masters win in 1997, Woods has only had three seasons without a major title.
Woody Austin managed an even-par 70 in round two and is in the clubhouse at two-under-par 138. Sergio Garcia and 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy are also at that number on the course.
John Daly, the 1991 PGA Champion, bogeyed his first two holes and dipped to minus-one for the tournament.
Phil Mickelson carded a one-under 69 on Friday to move to plus-two for the championship. The 2005 winner was not satisfied despite an under-par round at this demanding track.
"It just feels like I'm leaving four, five shots out there, is all," said Mickelson, who has missed the cut in his last two majors. "I feel like I'm playing a lot better than I'm scoring. That's what's been frustrating."
Mickelson played a practice round with Verplank this week and saw something in his Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teammate.
"He spent a lot of time in Oklahoma and Texas with this Bermuda rough," Mickelson said. "He's able to get up-and-down on the greens. If he hits a poor shot, he can salvage par. I think he'll be the guy to beat this week."
Verplank parred his first eight holes, then rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the ninth. He birdied the par-three 11th and added birdies at 15 and 17 to grab the lead.
At the 18th, Verplank had 20 feet for a birdie, but missed. Seeking his first major title, he still has the lead with half of the field in the clubhouse.
"Other than the heat, I feel pretty good," said Verplank. "It would be more than a dream come true (to win a major), particularly to have it here close to where I live. It would be probably unbelievable to me."
Ames was tied with Verplank at minus-four on the 18th hole, but hit a tree with his approach. He could not hole a long par putt, but did convert a five- footer for bogey to stay one behind.
John Senden carded an even-par 70 and is in the clubhouse at minus-one. Adam Scott (68) and Paul McGiney (66) finished 36 holes at even-par 140.
Overnight leader Graeme Storm struggled to a six-over 76 Friday and tumbled plus-one for the championship.

Thursday 9 August 2007

Daly leads PGA; Woods four back

Tulsa, OK (Sports Network) - John Daly fired a three-under 67 on Thursday to take the lead during the first round of the PGA Championship at a sweltering Southern Hills Country Club.
Temperatures reached over 100 degrees already at Southern Hills, host of the 2001 U.S. Open. The weather is expected to be the same all week, so empty water bottles will be the norm.
Daly, the surprise 1991 winner who was the ninth alternate to start that week, has not had a good year thus far. He has no status on the PGA Tour and, in limited exemptions, has posted zero top 10s. Daly has 17 events under his belt, with five made cuts and four withdrawals.
"I've been putting too much pressure on myself," acknowledged Daly. "Being hurt doesn't help. I haven't really played that bad. I just haven't been able to score. If you can't score, you don't have any confidence."
World No. 1 and defending champion Tiger Woods is in search of his first major of the year. He opened with a one-over 71, which is disappointing considering he flew out of the gate.
He started on the 10th tee Thursday and knocked his approach at 10 to seven feet. Woods drained that putt, and added birdies at 13 and 15 to join the lead at minus-three.
Woods dropped a shot at the 18th when he could not save par from a bunker. That kick-started a run of bad golf which saw Woods bogey two and four. He made birdie at the par-five fifth, but fell back to even-par with a bogey at seven.
At the 245-yard, par-three eighth, Woods came up short with his tee ball. He chipped to 10 feet, but missed the par save. Woods rolled in a three-footer at No. 9 to stay at one-over par.
"I felt like I hit the ball better than my score indicates, which is good," said Woods, who won last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by eight. "That's a good sign heading into the next three days."
The last season Woods failed to win a major was 2004. Since his breakout victory at the 1997 Masters, Woods has only had three seasons without one of golf's big four in his trophy case.
England's Graeme Storm is also three-under par on the course.
Arron Oberholser shot a two-under 68 with several players still on the course at that number.
Mark Wilson, Markus Brier, Camilo Villegas, Lee Westwood and 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy are in the clubhouse at one-under-par 69.
They are all looking up at Daly, who turned heads in the golf world earlier this season.
During the second round of the St. Jude Championship in early June, Daly showed up with scratch marks on his cheeks. He told authorities his wife attacked him while he was asleep.
The next time Daly surfaced was last month at the British Open Championship, a tournament he won in 1995. Daly took the lead with a chip-in eagle on Thursday, then exploded and missed the cut.
On Thursday, Daly was able to finish off his round.
Daly recorded birdies at four, seven and nine, with the last birdie coming from 10 feet. At the par-five 13th, Daly ran his 25-foot eagle putt three feet by the hole. Daly converted that birdie putt to make it to four-under par.
At the 507-yard, par-four 16th, Daly hit a poor second shot en route to a bogey. That dropped him to minus-three, but the 1991 champion hung on with pars at the last two for his spot on the leaderboard.
Daly thinks he might know the key to his success on Thursday. "At the British, I played three practice rounds. Grinding, grinding, grinding," said Daly. "I came here and said I'm just goin

Goosen returns to Southern Hills, site of his first major victory

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- This is where it all started for Retief Goosen.
In the course of a week, he went from a largely unknown South African asking Nick Price for advice to a major champion with international notoriety.
Given the chance to atone for a giant mistake on a tiny putt, Goosen conquered Southern Hills to win the 2001 U.S. Open. The PGA Championship brings him back this week to soak in the fond memories that could've easily turned sour.
"It's always nice coming back to a place where you've won," Goosen said Wednesday. "Especially a major."
Goosen's breakthrough win, his first in the United States, came only after he'd three-putted from 12 feet on the 72nd hole to fall into a playoff against 1996 PGA champion Mark Brooks. It could've easily slipped away after such a chaotic fourth-round finish, but instead he charged out to a five-stroke lead after only 10 holes in the playoff and cruised comfortably to the title.
During his final practice round Wednesday, Goosen recalled some of the shots and putts that had propelled him to the victory six years earlier. But without a Monday save, there might have been at least a cringe or two.
"It was a long week that week," said Goosen, who also won the 2004 U.S. Open. "Eight rounds of golf I played."
Goosen's week started with practice rounds that he played alongside Price, the winner of the 1994 PGA Championship -- the previous major played on the course. Price opened with rounds of 67 and 65 and went wire-to-wire for a six-stroke win and his second PGA Championship in three years.
"I think I learned a lot from what he was using off the tees and some of the places he was putting to on the greens," Goosen said. "Definitely I think I learned a bit from him that week."
It showed early as Goosen claiming a share of the lead after a rain-shortened first day. Like four of the other five players to win major championships at Southern Hills, Goosen kept at least a portion of that lead through each round.
But he left himself no wiggle room by the end of the weekend. After Stewart Cink had missed a tap-in that seemed meaningless at the time, Goosen set forth on his three-putt.
To cap a week of players struggling with the speed on the 18th green, Goosen convinced himself he needed extra oomph on his 12-footer but sent it past the hole. And then he misread a 2-footer that still would've clinched the title for him.
"I putted so well the whole week, and then the last (hole) it was a bit of a lack of focusing really and not fully concentrating on what I trying to do," Goosen said.
He was able to make the third to salvage a chance that he'd eventually convert into his big win.
Heading into this week, it's his putting that's failing him. Goosen blamed trouble reading putts for a recent funk in which he hasn't cracked the top 20 since tying with Tiger Woods for second place at the Masters in April. Goosen held the lead at the turn Sunday at Augusta National but couldn't make a birdie down the stretch.
It's been downhill from there.
"It's been pretty terrible," Goosen said. "If you can't make putts, you can't score. And then it gradually works into the rest of your game, puts more pressure on the rest of your game."
But Goosen still has good memories of the greens at Southern Hills, even if one caused him an extra headache.

Monday 6 August 2007

The PGA Championship History


(Wikipedia) The PGA Championship (often referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship outside of North America) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers Association of America as part of the PGA Tour. The PGA Championship is one of the four major championships in men's golf, and it is the golf season's final major, played in August (customarily the 4th weekend after the Open Championship (British Open), but being advanced a week in 2007 and 2008 because of local scheduling conflicts). It is an official money event on the PGA Tour, the European Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour, with a purse in 2006 of $6.8 million (apprx. €5.3 million).

In line with the other majors, winning the PGA gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, U.S. Open, and the Open Championship) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to the Players Championship for five years.

The PGA Championship has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure, but currently it is usually staged by one of a small group of celebrated courses, each of which has also hosted several other leading events.

History
The first PGA Championship was held in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York. The winner, Jim Barnes, received $500. 2006 winner Tiger Woods received $1.224 million. The champion is also awarded the Wanamaker Trophy, which was donated by Rodman Wanamaker.

Initially a match play event, the tournament changed to stroke play in 1958. Network broadcasters, preferring a large group of well-known contenders on the final day, are sometimes accused of pressuring tournament organizers to make the format change.

Qualification

The PGA Championship was established for the purpose of providing a high profile tournament specifically for professional golfers at a time when they were generally not held in high esteem in a sport that was largely run by wealthy amateurs. This origin is still reflected in the entry system for the Championship. It is the only major which does not invite leading amateurs to compete, and the only one which reserves a large number of places, 20 of 156, for club professionals. These slots are determined by the top finishers in the club pro championship, which is held in July.

Since 1968, the PGA Tour has been independent of the PGA of America. The PGA Tour is an elite organization of tournament professionals, but the PGA Championship is still run by the PGA of America, which is mainly a body for club and teaching professionals. The PGA Championship is the only major that does not explicitly grant entry to the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings, although it invariably invites all top 50 players who are not already qualified.

List of qualification criteria:

* All former PGA Champions.
* Winners of the last five U.S. Opens.
* Winners of the last five Masters.
* Winners of the last five Open Championships.
* The last Senior PGA Champion.
* The low 15 scorers and ties in the previous PGA Championship.
* The 20 low scorers in the last PGA Professional National Championship.
* The 70 leaders in official money standings (starting one week prior to the previous year's PGA Championship and ending two weeks prior to the current year's PGA Championship).
* Members of the most recent United States Ryder Cup Team.
* Winners of tournaments co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour since the previous PGA Championship (does not include pro-am and team competitions).
* The PGA of America reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories listed above.
* The total field is a maximum of 156 players. Vacancies are filled by the first available player from the list of alternates (those below 70th place in official money standings).


Strokeplay era winners

Year Champion Country Venue Location of venue Winner's Score
2007 (Aug 9-12)
Southern Hills Country Club Tulsa, Oklahoma
2006 Tiger Woods Flag of United States United States Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 Medinah, Illinois 69-68-65-68-270 (-18)
2005 Phil Mickelson Flag of United States United States Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course Springfield, New Jersey 67-65-72-72-276 (-4)
2004 Vijay Singh[1] Flag of Fiji Fiji Whistling Straits, Straits Course Kohler, Wisconsin 67-68-69-76-280 (-8)
2003 Shaun Micheel Flag of United States United States Oak Hill Country Club, East Course Rochester, New York 69-68-69-70-276 (-4)
2002 Rich Beem Flag of United States United States Hazeltine National Golf Club Chaska, Minnesota 72-66-72-68-278 (-10)
2001 David Toms Flag of United States United States Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course Duluth, Georgia 66-65-65-69-265 (-15)
2000 Tiger Woods[2] Flag of United States United States Valhalla Golf Club Louisville, Kentucky 66-67-70-67-270 (-18)
1999 Tiger Woods Flag of United States United States Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 Medinah, Illinois 70-67-68-72-277 (-11)
1998 Vijay Singh Flag of Fiji Fiji Sahalee Country Club Sammamish, Washington 70-66-67-68-271 (-9)
1997 Davis Love III Flag of United States United States Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course Mamaroneck, New York 66-71-66-66-269 (-11)
1996 Mark Brooks[3] Flag of United States United States Valhalla Golf Club Louisville, Kentucky 68-70-69-70-277 (-11)
1995 Steve Elkington[4] Flag of Australia Australia The Riviera Country Club Pacific Palisades, California 68-67-68-64-267 (-17)
1994 Nick Price Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Southern Hills Country Club Tulsa, Oklahoma 67-65-70-67-269 (-11)
1993 Paul Azinger[5] Flag of United States United States Inverness Club Toledo, Ohio 69-66-69-68-272 (-12)
1992 Nick Price Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Bellerive Country Club St. Louis, Missouri 70-70-68-70-278 (-6)
1991 John Daly Flag of United States United States Crooked Stick Golf Club Carmel, Indiana 69-67-69-71-276 (-12)
1990 Wayne Grady Flag of Australia Australia Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club Birmingham, Alabama 72-67-72-71-282 (-6)
1989 Payne Stewart Flag of United States United States Kemper Lakes Golf Club Long Grove, Illinois 74-66-69-67-276 (-12)
1988 Jeff Sluman Flag of United States United States Oak Tree Golf Club Edmond, Oklahoma 69-70-68-65-272 (-12)
1987 Larry Nelson[6] Flag of United States United States PGA National Resort & Spa Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 70-72-73-72-287 (-1)
1986 Bob Tway Flag of United States United States Inverness Club Toledo, Ohio 72-70-64-70-276 (-8)
1985 Hubert Green Flag of United States United States Cherry Hills Country Club Cherry Hills Village, Colorado 67-69-70-72-278 (-10)
1984 Lee Trevino Flag of United States United States Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club Birmingham, Alabama 69-68-67-69-273 (-15)
1983 Hal Sutton Flag of United States United States The Riviera Country Club Pacific Palisades, California 65-66-72-71-274 (-10)
1982 Raymond Floyd Flag of United States United States Southern Hills Country Club Tulsa, Oklahoma 63-69-68-72-272 (-8)
1981 Larry Nelson Flag of United States United States Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course Duluth, Georgia 70-66-66-71-273 (-7)
1980 Jack Nicklaus Flag of United States United States Oak Hill Country Club, East Course Rochester, New York 70-69-66-69-274 (-6)
1979 David Graham[7] Flag of Australia Australia Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course Bloomfield Township, Michigan 69-68-70-65-272 (-8)
1978 John Mahaffey[8] Flag of United States United States Oakmont Country Club Oakmont, Pennsylvania 75-67-68-66-276 (-8)
1977 Lanny Wadkins[9] Flag of United States United States Pebble Beach Golf Links Pebble Beach, California 69-71-72-70-282 (-3)
1976 Dave Stockton Flag of United States United States Congressional Country Club, Blue Course Bethesda, Maryland 70-72-69-70-281 (+1)
1975 Jack Nicklaus Flag of United States United States Firestone Country Club, South Course Akron, Ohio 70-68-67-71-276 (-4)
1974 Lee Trevino Flag of United States United States Tanglewood Park, Championship Course Clemmons, North Carolina 73-66-68-69-276 (-4)
1973 Jack Nicklaus Flag of United States United States Canterbury Golf Club Beachwood, Ohio 72-68-68-69-277 (-7)
1972 Gary Player Flag of South Africa South Africa Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 71-71-67-72-281 (+1)
1971 Jack Nicklaus Flag of United States United States PGA National Golf Club Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 69-69-70-73-281 (-7)
1970 Dave Stockton Flag of United States United States Southern Hills Country Club Tulsa, Oklahoma 70-70-66-73-279 (-1)
1969 Raymond Floyd Flag of United States United States NCR Country Club, South Course Dayton, Ohio 69-66-67-74-276 (-8)
1968 Julius Boros Flag of United States United States Pecan Valley Golf Club San Antonio, Texas 71-71-70-69-281 (+1)
1967 Don January[10] Flag of United States United States Columbine Country Club Columbine Valley, Colorado 71-72-70-68-281 (-7)
1966 Al Geiberger Flag of United States United States Firestone Country Club, South Course Akron, Ohio 68-72-68-72-280 (E)
1965 Dave Marr Flag of United States United States Laurel Valley Golf Club Ligonier, Pennsylvania 70-69-70-71-280 (-4)
1964 Bobby Nichols Flag of United States United States Columbus Country Club Columbus, Ohio 64-71-69-67-271 (-9)
1963 Jack Nicklaus Flag of United States United States Dallas Athletic Club, Blue Course Dallas, Texas 69-73-69-68-279 (-5)
1962 Gary Player Flag of South Africa South Africa Aronimink Golf Club Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 72-67-69-70-278 (-2)
1961 Jerry Barber[11] Flag of United States United States Olympia Fields Country Club Olympia Fields, Illinois 69-67-71-70-277 (-3)
1960 Jay Hebert Flag of United States United States Firestone Country Club, South Course Akron, Ohio 72-67-72-70-281 (+1)
1959 Bob Rosburg Flag of United States United States Minneapolis Golf Club Minneapolis, Minnesota 71-72-68-66-277 (-3)
1958 Dow Finsterwald Flag of United States United States Llanerch Country Club Havertown, Pennsylvania 67-72-70-67-276 (-14)

Matchplay era winners

Year Champion Country Runner-up Margin Venue Location of venue
1957 Lionel Hebert Flag of United States United States Dow Finsterwald 2 & 1 Miami Valley Country Club Dayton, Ohio
1956 Jack Burke, Jr Flag of United States United States Ted Kroll 3 & 2 Blue Hill Country Club Canton, Massachusetts
1955 Doug Ford Flag of United States United States Cary Middlecoff 4 & 3 Meadowbrook Country Club Detroit
1954 Chick Harbert Flag of United States United States Walter Burkemo 4 & 3 Keller Golf Club Saint Paul
1953 Walter Burkemo Flag of United States United States Felice Torza 4 & 3 Birmingham Country Club Birmingham, Michigan
1952 Jim Turnesa Flag of United States United States Chick Harbert 1 up Big Spring Country Club Louisville
1951 Sam Snead Flag of United States United States Walter Burkemo 7 & 6 Oakmont Country Club Oakmont, Pennsylvania
1950 Chandler Harper Flag of United States United States Henry Williams, Jr. 4 & 3 Scioto Country Club Columbus, Ohio
1949 Sam Snead Flag of United States United States Johnny Palmer 3 & 2 Hermitage Country Club Richmond, Virginia
1948 Ben Hogan Flag of United States United States Mike Turnesa 7 & 6 Norwood Hills Country Club St. Louis, Missouri
1947 Jim Ferrier Flag of Australia Australia Chick Harbert 2 & 1 Plum Hollow Country Club Detroit, Michigan
1946 Ben Hogan Flag of United States United States Ed Oliver 6 & 4 Portland Golf Club Portland, Oregon
1945 Byron Nelson Flag of United States United States Sam Byrd 4 & 3 Moraine Country Club Dayton, Ohio
1944 Bob Hamilton Flag of United States United States Byron Nelson 1 up Manita Golf and Country Club Spokane, Washington
1943 Not held due to World War II
1942 Sam Snead Flag of United States United States Jim Turnesa 2 & 1 Seaview Country Club Atlantic City, New Jersey
1941 Vic Ghezzi Flag of United States United States Byron Nelson 1 up Cherry Hills Country Club Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
1940 Byron Nelson Flag of United States United States Sam Snead 1 up Hershey Country Club, West Course Hershey, Pennsylvania
1939 Henry Picard Flag of United States United States Byron Nelson 1 up Pomonok Country Club Flushing, New York
1938 Paul Runyan Flag of United States United States Sam Snead 8 & 7 The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania
1937 Denny Shute Flag of United States United States Harold McSpaden 1 up Pittsburgh Field Club O'Hara Township, Pennsylvania
1936 Denny Shute Flag of United States United States Jimmy Thomson 3 & 2 Pinehurst Resort, No. 2 Course Pinehurst, North Carolina
1935 Johnny Revolta Flag of United States United States Tommy Armour 5 & 4 Twin Hills Golf & Country Club Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1934 Paul Runyan Flag of United States United States Craig Wood 1 up The Park Country Club Williamsville, New York
1933 Gene Sarazen Flag of United States United States Willie Goggin 5 & 4 Blue Mound Golf & Country Club Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
1932 Olin Dutra Flag of United States United States Frank Walsh 4 & 3 Keller Golf Club Saint Paul, Minnesota
1931 Tom Creavy Flag of United States United States Denny Shute 2 & 1 Wannamoisett Country Club Rumford, Rhode Island
1930 Tommy Armour Flag of United States United States^ Gene Sarazen 1 up Fresh Meadow Country Club Great Neck, New York
1929 Leo Diegel Flag of United States United States Johnny Farrell 6 & 4 Hillcrest Country Club Los Angeles, California
1928 Leo Diegel Flag of United States United States Al Espinosa 6 & 5 Baltimore Country Club, East Course Timonium, Maryland
1927 Walter Hagen Flag of United States United States Joe Turnesa 1 up Cedar Crest Country Club Dallas, Texas
1926 Walter Hagen Flag of United States United States Leo Diegel 5 & 3 Salisbury Golf Club, Red Course East Meadow, New York
1925 Walter Hagen Flag of United States United States Bill Mehlhorn 6 & 5 Olympia Fields Country Club Olympia Fields, Illinois
1924 Walter Hagen Flag of United States United States Jim Barnes 2 up Hill Course, French Lick Springs Resort French Lick, Indiana
1923 Gene Sarazen Flag of United States United States Walter Hagen 1 up Pelham Country Club Pelham Manor, New York
1922 Gene Sarazen Flag of United States United States Emmet French 4 & 3 Oakmont Country Club Oakmont, Pennsylvania
1921 Walter Hagen Flag of United States United States Jim Barnes 3 & 2 Inwood Country Club Inwood, New York
1920 Jock Hutchison Flag of United States United States^ J. Douglas Edgar 1 up Flossmoor Country Club Flossmoor, Illinois
1919 Jim Barnes Flag of United States United States^ Fred McLeod 6 & 5 Engineers Country Club Roslyn Harbor, New York
1917-1918: Not held due to World War I
1916 Jim Barnes Flag of United States United States^ Jock Hutchison 1 up Siwanoy Country Club Bronxville, New York

^ These players were British born, but they were based in the United States when they won the PGA Championship, and they became U.S. citizens:

  • Tommy Armour - Born in Scotland but moved to the U.S. in the early 1920s and became a U.S. citizen at that time.
  • Jock Hutchison - Born in Scotland. He was a U.S. citizen at the time of his 1921 Open Championship win, so he was probably already a U.S. citizen in 1920, but this is unconfirmed.
  • Jim Barnes - Born in England. Moved to the United States in 1906 and may have become a U.S. citizen as early as 1907, but this is unconfirmed.

If these British-born players are excluded, then the PGA Championship is the only one of the four majors never to have been won by a European.

Multiple winners

The following men have won the PGA Championship more than once through 2006.

5 wins:

  • Walter Hagen: 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927
  • Jack Nicklaus: 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980

3 wins:

  • Gene Sarazen: 1922, 1923, 1933
  • Sam Snead: 1942, 1949, 1951
  • Tiger Woods: 1999, 2000, 2006

2 wins:

  • Jim Barnes: 1916, 1919
  • Leo Diegel: 1928, 1929
  • Raymond Floyd: 1969, 1982
  • Ben Hogan: 1946, 1948
  • Byron Nelson: 1940, 1945
  • Larry Nelson: 1981, 1987
  • Gary Player:1962, 1972
  • Nick Price: 1992, 1994
  • Paul Runyan: 1934, 1938
  • Denny Shute: 1936, 1937
  • Vijay Singh: 1998, 2004
  • Dave Stockton: 1970, 1976
  • Lee Trevino: 1974, 1984