Gulbis' win reflected in world rankings

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Natalie Gulbis finally wrapped up her first LPGA Tour win on Sunday by beating Jeong Jang in a playoff at the Evian Masters.
It helped Gulbis, formerly a weekly top-20 presence in the world rankings, climb 12 places to No. 27 on the latest list. Ahead of her, there were a handful of changes to the top 20.
Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam and Cristie Kerr remained in positions 1-4 respectively ahead of this week's Women's British Open. Se-Ri Pak was an addition to the top five, moving up a spot to No. 5 and bumping Suzann Pettersen to No. 6.
Morgan Pressel held onto the seventh position, while Juli Inkster and Ji-Yai Shin were up to eighth and ninth respectively.
Paula Creamer, Mi Hyun Kim and Ai Miyazato slipped two places apiece to fill positions 10-12, Jang was up two spots to 13th, and Brittany Lincicome and Shiho Oyama dropped one spot each to 14th and 15th.
Jee Young Lee, Stacy Prammanasudh, Seon-Hwa Lee, Mi-Joong Jeon and Momoko Ueda rounded out the top 20. Ueda moved up one spot to 20th, dropping Yuri Fudoh to 21st.

Furyk back to No. 2 in world rankings

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Jim Furyk moved back to No. 2 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking following his win Sunday at the Canadian Open.
Furyk's last two wins have come at the Canadian Open. He moved past Phil Mickelson to take the second slot behind top-ranked Tiger Woods, but there was only one other change to the top 20.
Niclas Fasth, one of the steadiest players in the world this year, moved up two places to No. 20 this week, bumping Stewart Cink down a spot.
Andres Romero was also a mover. A week after his surprising third-place finish at the British Open, the Argentine won the Deutsche Bank Players' Championship on the European Tour and moved up 22 places to 29th in the rankings.
The top 10 were: Woods, Furyk, Mickelson, Ernie Els, Adam Scott, British Open champion Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Geoff Ogilvy.
Luke Donald, K.J. Choi, Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen, Masters champion Zach Johnson, Rory Sabbatini, U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera, Paul Casey, Trevor Immelman and Fasth rounded out the top 20.

Allan and Mallinger lead in Canada

Markham, ON (Sports Network) - Steve Allan and John Mallinger are tied atop the leaderboard after Friday's second round of the Canadian Open at Angus Glen Golf Club.

Allan shot a three-under 68 while Mallinger fired a five-under 66 to finish 36 holes at 10-under-par 132.

Vijay Singh, the 2004 champion, posted a six-under 65 to vault into contention. He is tied for third place with Tripp Isenhour, who shot a 68 on Friday. The pair is knotted at nine-under-par 133.

Allan flew up the leaderboard early on Friday with a birdie at the third hole. He rattled off back-to-back birdies at six and seven and found himself atop the leaderboard at minus-10.

The Australian cruised along with six consecutive pars, but found trouble at the par-three 14th. Allan's ball came to rest in a bunker, where he blasted out 25 feet past the hole. He missed the par putt, but atoned for the error with a two-putt birdie at the par-five 14th.

Allan appeared to be in decent shape at the par-four 16th after he hit the fairway off the tee. His approach came up 30 feet short, but the problem came with his birdie putt. Allan left his birdie try five feet short and the 33 year old missed the par save.

Just like after his earlier bogey, Allan wasted little time in getting the stroke back. He hit a spectacular tee shot to inches to set up a tap-in birdie at the 17th.

Allan had some trouble with his approach at 18, missing left. He pitched to 10 feet and calmly holed the par putt to stay in a tie for the lead, his second 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

"One of my biggest faults in the past has been getting ahead of myself, so I definitely have to take it one shot at a time," said Allan, whose other second-round lead came at the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii. "I'll probably try not to look at any leaderboards over the weekend, and just play as good as I can."

Mallinger, a 27-year-old Californian, began on the back nine Friday and wasted little time in breaking into red figures. He birdied the par-five 11th and added birdies at 15 and 17.

He sputtered a bit at the start of the second nine with six straight pars, but suddenly found himself one shot behind Allan after a three-footer for birdie at the seventh.

Mallinger played a good tee ball into the par-three eighth and converted for birdie from 13 feet. He had a 22-footer at the last to take first by himself, but missed the putt.

Still Mallinger has a share of the second-round lead for the first time. He has done it with some strong iron play considering he has missed only five fairways and six greens in regulation.

"I went home the last couple of weeks before Milwaukee, and just really worked on some drills with my golf coach," said Mallinger. "And my driving has been great this week. I think when you drive it well out here, you get some good looks at the pins."

Ryan Palmer (67) and Michael Putnam (68) are knotted in fifth place at minus- eight.

Defending champion Jim Furyk (66), Brandt Snedeker (68), Cliff Kresge (65) and Doug LaBelle II (68) are tied for seventh place at seven-under-par 135.

Overnight leader Hunter Mahan struggled on Friday. He posted a three-over-par 74 and fell into a tie for 11th place at minus-six.

The 36-hole cut fell at one-under-par 141 and among the notable players to miss the weekend were 2002 champion John Rollins (142), Kevin Stadler (143) and last week's winner in Milwaukee, Joe Ogilvie (146).

Smyth birdies his way to Senior British lead

Gullane, Scotland (Sports Network) - Ireland's Des Smyth birdied his final four holes on Friday to move into sole possession of the lead after two rounds of the Senior British Open Championship.
He posted his second consecutive one-under 70 and is in the lead at two-under- par 140.
Muirfield showed its teeth on Friday as not one player in the 142-man field broke 70. One player shot a 90 and only five golfers are under par through 36 holes thanks to heavy winds.
Gordon Brand Jr., one of the first-round co-leaders, shot a two-over 73 and is tied for second place with 2002 Senior Players Champion Stewart Ginn (70), two-time champion Tom Watson (71) and the player who lost in a playoff here last year, Eduardo Romero (71). The group came in at minus-one.
Nick Faldo, who grabbed a piece of the first-round lead in his Champions Tour debut on Thursday, struggled a bit on Friday with the putter. He only managed a three-over 74 and is tied for sixth place at even-par 142.
"You try and play the best you can," said Faldo, who won two claret jugs at Muirfield. "It felt like I made bogeys everywhere. If I can get the right attitude, who knows what can happen."
Perhaps the biggest indicator of how difficult Muirfield was on Friday came in the picture of the third first-round leader, Nick Job.
The Englishman recorded a nine on the par-three 13th, notched a triple-bogey, double-bogey, five bogeys and two birdies on Friday. All tallied, Job shot a 14-over 85 and missed the cut by two at plus-11.
Smyth, a two-time winner on the Champions Tour in 2005, certainly did not look like the man who would be atop the leaderboard early in Friday's second round.
He bogeyed the third, a hole he birdied on Thursday, then bogeyed the 10th. Smyth's third bogey of the round came at the 14th and that put him at two-over for the championship.
Things turned at the 15th when he recorded his first birdie. Smyth ran home a 12-foot birdie putt at the 16th and made it three in a row with a tap-in birdie at the par-five 17th.
Smyth broke free of the pack thanks to a spectacular six-iron approach to the last. His ball stopped 18 feet left of the hole and the Irishman drained the putt for the 36-hole lead.
"I hit a purple patch down the stretch that changed the whole day really," said Smyth. "Conditions were very difficult. I was delighted personally and for the Irish people that Padraig won last week, but I will only think about an Irish double if I am still there when we go down the last nine holes on Sunday."
More important than Smyth collecting his first major trophy on the elder circuit, he needs a good finish just to keep his card on the Champions Tour. He only notched two top 10s in 2007 and knows a big week would be a relief.
"Obviously I would love to win but whatever happens I need a good result because of the way I have played all year on the Champions Tour," admitted Smyth. "I only have two top 10s and I am worried about keeping my card. I need a big result somewhere along the line and this could be the place to do it."
Brad Bryant, the reigning U.S. Senior Open champion, shot an even-par 71 and is tied for 10th with Lonnie Nielsen (74), 1998 British Open winner Mark O'Meara (71), John Ross (72) and Senior PGA Champion Denis Watson (74). The group came in at plus-one.
Dave Stockton, the final co-leader from Thursday, struggled to a five-over 76 and is tied for 15th at two-over par.
Defending champion Loren Roberts played the back nine in three-under 32 and finished two rounds in a tie for 25th at plus-four.
Among the other notable players to miss the cut include Peter Jacobsen (152), Mike Reid (152) and Wayne Grady (153).

D'Alessio, Hong lead; Annika three back in France

Evian-les-Bains, France (Sports Network) - Diana D'Alessio posted a four-under 68 Friday to move into a share of the lead after two rounds of the Evian Masters.
She completed 36 holes at seven-under-par 137 and was joined in the lead by Jin Joo Hong, who carded a two-under 70 in round two.
Two-time winner Annika Sorenstam posted a three-under 69 to move into a share of third at four-under-par 140. She was joined there by 2005 Women's British Open winner Jeong Jang (71) and Brittany Lincicome (74), who was one of three first-round leaders.
Sorenstam bogeyed No. 3 for the second straight day. She recovered to birdie the eighth and ninth to make the turn in minus-two. Around the turn, Sorenstam birdied the 12th and 18th to gain a share of third place.
"I think I'm in a little better mood today than I was yesterday," Sorenstam admitted. "I think I'm playing steady golf. You always feel better when you finish up with a birdie."
Women's World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa shot a two-under 70 in round two to move into a tie for 14th at two-under-par 142. She stands alongside defending champion Karrie Webb (72) and eight others.
Michelle Wie posted a 71 to get to even-par 144, where she is tied for 28th. This is Wie's first appearance since withdrawing from the U.S. Women's Open with a wrist injury.
D'Alessio started round two the same way she opened the tournament, with a birdie on the first at Evian Masters Golf Club. She parred three in a row before sinking a 12-foot birdie try on the fifth that got her to minus-five.
The 32-year-old parred five straight around the turn. D'Alessio, who bogeyed No. 11 on Thursday, converted a 25-foot birdie putt on that hole Friday.
She moved to seven-under with a birdie at the par-five 15th from six feet out. D'Alessio parred the final three holes to cap a bogey-free round.
"I think I played quite solidly," said D'Alessio. "I hit the ball well. I don't know how many greens I hit, maybe 15 or 16, and holed a few putts."
Hong, who won the KOLON-Hana Bank Championship last October, birdied the fifth for the second straight day to get to minus-six. She turned at seven-under after a 12-foot birdie putt on the ninth.
However, Hong tripped to a three-putt bogey on 10. She atoned for that mistake with a birdie at the 11th. Hong gave another stroke back as she bogeyed the 13th. She got that shot back as she drained a 30-foot birdie effort at 16 that gave her a share of the lead.
"My short game and putting were pretty good today," Hong said. "That's why I made a lot of par saves and when I had a chance to birdie, I made those."
Momoko Ueda fired the low round of the day with a five-under 67. That moved her into a share of sixth at three-under-par 141. She stands alongside Kyeong Bae, Linda Wessberg, Laura Davies, Natalie Gulbis, Sophie Gustafson, Juli Inkster and Mi Hyun Kim.
Pat Hurst and Eun Hee Ji, who both shared the opening-round lead with Lincicome, struggled to rounds four-over 76. They are part of the group tied for 14th at minus-two.
The cut line fell at six-over-par 150 with 72 players advancing to the final two rounds. Among the 18 players that were cut were Carin Koch (151), Julieta Granada (153), Birdie Kim (155) and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (159).

Top four seeds advance at Junior Amateur

Augusta, MO (Sports Network) - Stroke-play medalist Seung Yul Noh rolled to a 4 & 3 win over Jackson Beindorf in Wednesday's first round of stroke play at the U.S. Junior Amateur at Boone Valley Golf Club.
Noh advances to the second round where he will face Daily Young, who easily defeated Ben Vertz, 5 & 3.
Hunter Hamrick, who finished two strokes behind Noh in the stroke-play portion, barely survived his opening-round match. He trailed 2-down after seven, but rallied to win the next two holes.
Hamrick advanced with a 1-up win when his opponent, Alex Lyall, tripped to a bogey at the last.
Third-seeded James White downed Ryan Kelley, 4 & 2, while fourth-seeded Sean Dale held off Cameron Wilson, 1-up.
Four of the top-10 seeds lost on Wednesday, including the fifth-seed Mu Hu. The China native was trounced 6 & 4 by Luke Guthrie. The other top seeds going down were John Popeck, Matt Nolasco and J.J. Spaun.
Thursday will feature the second and third rounds of match play.

This Week in Golf - July 26th through July 29th

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - SENIOR BRITISH OPEN - SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Muirfield Golf Club, Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland - The Senior circuit heads across the pond this week for the Senior British Open as the golf world remains focused on the British Isles.
The middle of July brings three straight weeks of British Opens. Irishman Padraig Harrington won the British Open last week, this week is the Senior British and next week will be the Women's British Open.
Loren Roberts headed to Scotland last week to begin preparation for his title defense at the Senior British Open. He played 136th Open Championship at Carnoustie, but after rounds of 74-75 missed the cut.
Last year, Roberts entered the final round four strokes clear of Eduardo Romero, but both struggled Sunday. Roberts could only manage a five-over 75, while Romero shot 71. That left them tied at six-under-par 274.
Things would have been more interesting if Tim Simpson hadn't struggled to a four-over 74 to end at minus-one. Dick Mast tried to make it a three-man playoff, but his Sunday-best, three-under 67 left him one stroke back.
Roberts needed only a par on the 18th in the playoff at Turnberry to win his second Champions Tour major.
Romero was denied his first Champions Tour win, but he didn't wait long to collect it. He claimed the final major in 2006, the JELD-WEN Tradition, as he erased a five-shot deficit then birdied the first playoff hole for the title.
This week's host course, Muirfield, has hosted its fair share of top-flight events, including the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and British Amateur. Muirfield has also hosted more Open Championships, 15, than any other course.
Bob Charles and Tom Watson are the only two players to have won the British Open and Senior British Opens at the same venue.
Three players are scheduled to tee it up this week who have a chance to match that feat. The one likely with the least chance is Gary Player. He does own 19 Champions Tour wins, but the 71-year-old has not won on tour since 1998.
Tom Watson, who owns five British Open and two Senior British Open crowns, won at Muirfield in 1980. He has won nine Champions Tour events, with this year's Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am title being his last.
The last of the three players with a chance to win the Open and Senior Open on the same course is Nick Faldo.
Faldo, who turns 50 on Wednesday, will look to win for a third time at Muirfield. Faldo won the British Open at Muirfield in 1987 and 1992. He played at Carnoustie last week, but missed the cut by six strokes.
This will be just the 21st playing of this championship, while it is just the fifth year on the Champions Tour schedule.
The winners of the first two majors this year were both first-time winners. Denis Watson, the Senior PGA champion, and Brad Bryant, the U.S. Senior Open winner, will both try to collect their second major title at Muirfield.
TNT will have two hours of coverage of the first two rounds. ABC will cover the weekend action with 90 minutes of coverage Saturday and two hours of action on Sunday.
The Champions Tour will be back in action next week with the 3M Championship, where David Edwards earned the 2006 title.
PGA TOUR
CANADIAN OPEN, Angus Glen Golf Club (North Course), Markham, Ontario, Canada - The PGA returns to North America, but remains outside the U.S. as the tour heads to Ontario for the Canadian Open.
With the new PGA Tour schedule, this event was moved up a little more than a month from September 7-10 last year. Thanks to the new schedule, there is less star power than normal heading to Angus Glen.
World No. 3 Jim Furyk heads the field, but the next highest-ranked player is Canadian Mike Weir, who is ranked 38th. The only other players in the top 50 are No. 38 Stephen Ames, a naturalized Canadian citizen who was born in Trinidad, and No. 46 John Rollins.
Furyk, the defending champion, closed with rounds of 67-65 to fend off Bart Bryant by one and Sean O'Hair by two last year at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
Furyk trailed Justin Rose by two entering the final round, but Rose went the wrong way. He closed with a four-over 74 to drop into a share of 14th.
The event rotates over several different courses with 38 different venues hosting throughout tournament history. The North Course at Angus Glen is hosting the event for the first time since 2002.
The Golf Channel will broadcast action of the opening two rounds, while CBS takes over for the weekend.
Next up for the PGA Tour is a pair of events. Many of the top players in the game will be in Akron, Ohio, for the World Golf Championships - Bridgestone Invitational, where Tiger Woods is the defending champion. The opposite event is the Reno-Tahoe Open, where Will Mackenzie claimed the title in '06.
EUROPEAN TOUR
DEUTSCHE BANK PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE, Gut Kaden, Hamburg, Germany - The European Tour has its second straight big event as the field heads to Germany for the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe.
Several players who teed it up last week at Carnoustie have made the trek to Gut Kaden this week.
Anders Romero had the lead on the back nine at the British Open, but his double bogey-bogey finish left him in third place, one stroke out of the playoff.
Romero will go to Gut Kaden looking to secure his first tour win. He had four top-10 finishes this year and had four last year as well. Romero posted 20- under par last year at this event, but that was just good enough for a tie for fourth place.
Last year, Robert Karlsson fired four rounds in the 60s and set a new tournament scoring record of 263. That gave him a four-shot win over Charl Schwartzel and Lee Westwood.
Several players for the U.S. PGA Tour remained in Europe to play Gut Kaden this week. That list includes Americans J.B. Holmes and Brett Wetterich, as well as South African Rory Sabbatini and Australia's Rod Pampling.
The German contingent will be led as usual by Bernhard Langer, a three-time winner here. Other Germans in the field include Martin Kaymer, Marcel Siem and Sven Struver.
The Golf Channel will have three hours of coverage all four days.
Next week, the European Tour also offers two events. The biggest and brightest stars will be at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, while the remainder of the field plays the Russian Open Golf Championship, where Alejandro Canizares won last year.
LPGA TOUR
EVIAN MASTERS, Evian Masters Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France - The LPGA heads across the pond for two weeks, starting with this week's Evian Masters.
There will be a select field on hand this week to try to wrestle the title away from Karrie Webb, who held off Laura Davies and Michelle Wie by a single stroke last year.
For Webb, it was her first win at this event and 33rd of her career. She has won two more times since then. Her victory here last year was one of her five titles in '06.
Wie returns to action this week for the first time since withdrawing from the U.S. Women's Open a few weeks back. Wie has been battling a wrist injury throughout the year so there is no telling if she will be able to complete the four-day tournament which starts on Wednesday.
The Evian Masters will be played for the 14th time overall and eighth as a part of the LPGA Tour. The event is hosted by the Ladies European Tour, but the last seven winners have been regulars on the LPGA Tour. Catrin Nilsmark was the last full-time LET member to capture the crown, which she did in 1999.
The Golf Channel will broadcast action of all four rounds, but each day the coverage will be tape-delayed.
The LPGA remains in Europe next week as the tour heads to Scotland for the Women's British Open, where Sherri Steinhauer won last year. The championship will be played at the home of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews, for the first time.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
COX CLASSIC, Champions Run, Omaha, Nebraska - The Nationwide Tour remains in the nation's heartland this week for the Cox Classic.
Johnson Wagner, last year's winner, has moved on to the PGA Tour. However, he has missed the cut in 13 of his last 15 starts, but he does stands 126th on the money list thanks in large part to tying for ninth at the Houston Open.
Wagner closed with rounds of 64-63 to win by four strokes over Craig Bowden.
Bowden put together a strong effort despite the fact that his young daughter had gotten sick earlier in the week. Due to that, he nearly missed the event. Instead, Bowden birdied the 18th for a solo second place finish.
The Golf Channel has coverage of all four rounds from Champions Run. Next up for the Nationwide Tour is the Wichita Open, where Kevin Johnson won last year.

Padraig Harrington wins 2007 British Open Championship

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff on Sunday to earn his first major at the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Harrington took the aggregate, four-hole playoff 15-16.
This was the first major championship for Harrington, who became the first European to win a major since Paul Lawrie titled here in 1999.
Harrington took a commanding lead right away in the playoff. At the first, he hit his approach to eight feet, while Garcia drove into the right rough, then found the front bunker.
Garcia blasted out to 12 feet and missed the putt. Harrington sank his birdie try to lead, 3-5. Both parred the par-three 16th to allow Harrington to maintain his two-shot lead.
Harrington continued his fine form at the 17th. He found the fairway off the tee then hit a sensational approach to six feet. Garcia also landed in the short grass, but his second stopped 30 feet left of the stick.
Garcia narrowly missed his birdie effort, opening the door for Harrington to take a huge lead. The Irishman came up short with his birdie try and the lead was two shots on the 18th tee.
Harrington, who hit a driver into the burn en route to a double-bogey at 18 in regulation, pulled a hybrid-club in the playoff and found the fairway. His ball did not get much roll, leaving him a long second shot.
Garcia hit driver and ended up in the left rough. Harrington laid up before Garcia's second rolled to 28 feet. Harrington's third fell outside of Garcia, giving the Spaniard some hope.
Garcia just missed his birdie putt, and his par chance was farther than Harrington's bogey putt. Garcia made his, then Harrington followed him for the claret jug.
The conclusion in regulation conjured up the ghost of Jean van de Velde from 1999.
The last time Carnoustie hosted the Open Championship, Van de Velde squandered a three-shot lead on the 18th hole. He lost to Paul Lawrie in a playoff and both competitors in this year's extra session made a mess of 18 as well.
Harrington came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead over Garcia and his drive bounced twice on a bridge and fell into the burn. After a drop, Harrington hit his second into the burn short of the green on the left and dropped another one.
Harrington hit his fifth shot four feet past the hole and sank the double- bogey putt to post seven-under par.
Garcia now had a one-shot lead and hit an iron down the fairway at 18. He waited for several minutes as the raker had to tend to the traps that both Chris DiMarco and Paul McGinley found in the group before.
Garcia's second found a bunker short and left. He blasted out to six feet and had that putt to win his first major championship.
Garcia missed the putt and then headed to the four-hole playoff, tied at seven-under-par 277.
Harrington fired a four-under 67 on Sunday, while Garcia managed a two-over 73.
Harrington earned his 12th European Tour win and his third PGA Tour victory.
Andres Romero held a two-shot lead on the back nine Sunday, but double-bogeyed 17 and bogeyed 18. Over his final 11 holes, Romero collected seven birdies, two double-bogeys, and two bogeys and finished alone in third place in only his third major at minus-six.
Richard Green matched the Open Championship record at Carnoustie with a seven- under 64 on Sunday. He tied for fourth with 2002 winner Ernie Els, who shot a two-under 69, at five-under-par 279.
Tiger Woods never mounted a charge on Sunday. He shot a one-under 70 and tied for 12th place in his bid to become the first player to win three straight claret jugs since Peter Thomson from 1954-56.
"The golf course, it kicked my butt this week," said Woods. "I wasn't as sharp as I needed to be all week. I thought I was putting great, but I couldn't get myself close enough all week."
The back nine on Sunday was a wild scene. Three different players traded the lead and on some holes, there were four-shot swings.
Garcia began the final round with a three-shot lead over Steve Stricker.
Garcia let everyone back into the mix, starting with a bogey at the fifth. He had a five-foot birdie look at the sixth, but blew that putt four feet past. Garcia made that putt, but Stricker missed a birdie try from three feet to try and close the gap. That failed attempt was similar to the third when Stricker failed to capitalize from a similar length.
Garcia's second at seven went through the green and the Spaniard did not hit his chip hard enough. He left himself with 12 feet for par and missed that putt to drop to minus-eight for the championship.
Romero holed out from a bunker at 11 to get to minus-seven. Garcia's tee ball at the par-three eighth missed right and he chipped to eight feet. The leader after each of the first three rounds missed that putt to fall into a tie with Romero at seven-under par.
Romero might have felt some pressure being in a tie for the lead at that point. His second at the 12th went well right of target and landed in a gorse bush. Romero took an unplayable and made double-bogey to fall two back.
Els and Harrington only trailed by one at that point. Els, the winner of this title in 2002, tallied three birdies on his front nine to reach six-under par.
Harrington rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at nine to get to minus-six, then stuffed his approach to three feet to set up a birdie at 11 that tied him with Garcia at seven-under par.
Romero atoned for his error at 12 with a 10-foot birdie putt at the 13th and was within one of the lead. Garcia knocked his approach to four feet to set up birdie at 10, but left the putt short.
Romero continued his rebound with a seven-foot birdie putt at 14 to join Harrington and Garcia in the lead. Els sank a clutch seven-footer for par 12 and stayed within one.
Harrington's 25-foot birdie try for the lead at 12 horseshoed out of the hole. Els could not make another par save at 13, so he fell two behind the trio at minus-seven.
The amazing run of Romero continued at 15, where he drained a 15-foot birdie putt to take the lead at minus-eight. At the par-three 16th, Romero hit a spectacular three-iron 20 feet short of the stick and converted that birdie putt to reach nine-under par and go two clear.
The next turn of events in the crazy final round came when Romero made a horrible decision to hit a two-iron out of the rough on 16. His ball went out of bounds and he walked off with a double-bogey to drop to minus-seven.
Harrington's second at 14 headed left, but bounced to 20 feet. He sank the eagle putt to move to nine-under par, one clear of Garcia. The Spaniard answered with a nine-footer for birdie at 14 and the pair was knotted at minus-nine.
Romero fell out of the race with a bogey at 18, essentially making it a two- player race.
Harrington hit a spectacular tee shot to the 250-yard, par-three 16th, however his six-footer stayed above ground. Garcia could not save par at the 15th when he hit an iron off the tee and left himself 268 yards to the flag at the par- four hole.
Garcia fell one back and hit an indifferent shot into the 16th green. His ball stopped short and left and he putted up to two feet. Garcia made par, but had a stroke to make up on the final two holes.
That's when both fell apart on 18 and Harrington prevailed in the playoff.
Stewart Cink (70) and Hunter Mahan (65) shared sixth at minus-four.
Ben Curtis, the 2003 champion, posted a six-under 65 and tied for eighth place with Mike Weir (70), K.J. Choi (71) and the player who began the final round in second, Steve Stricker (74). That group came in at minus-three.

Garcia and Harrington headed to British Open playoff

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington are headed to a four-hole playoff to decide the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.
The duo, who finished regulation at seven-under-par 277, will play the first, 16th, 17th and 18th holes.
The conclusion conjured up the ghost of Jean van de Velde from 1999.
The last time Carnoustie hosted the Open Championship, Van de Velde squandered a three-shot lead on the 18th hole. He lost to Paul Lawrie in a playoff and both competitors in this year's extra session made a mess of 18 as well.
Harrington came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead over Garcia and his drive bounced twice on a bridge and fell into the burn. After a drop, Harrington hit his second into the burn short of the green on the left and dropped another one.
Harrington hit his fifth shot four feet past the hole and sank the double- bogey putt to post seven-under par.
Garcia now had a one-shot lead and hit an iron down the fairway at 18. He waited for several minutes as the raker had to tend to the traps that both Chris DiMarco and Paul McGinley found in the group before.
Garcia's second found a bunker short and left. He blasted out to six feet and had that putt to win his first major championship.
Garcia missed the putt and then headed to the four-hole playoff.

Miyazato, Lee to battle for Match Play title

New Rochelle, NY (Sports Network) - Ai Miyazato cruised to a 3 & 2 win over Maria Hjorth on Sunday to advance to the final at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship.
Miyazato, the 12th seed, moves on to face 22nd-seed Seon Hwa Lee, who claimed a 2-up win over Mi Hyun Kim.
Lee picked up her lone tour crown last year at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Miyazato has not won a tour event, but did win the 2005 Qualifying Tournament.
Miyazato won the third and fifth with pars to take an early 2-up lead. She bogeyed the seventh to drop her lead over 40th-seeded Hjorth to 1-up.
The duo traded wins at 11 and 12, but Hjorth fell 2-down as she bogeyed the 14th. Miyazato closed out the match with a par on the par-five 16th.
Lee birdied the first, but Kim fought back to take the third and fourth to move 1-up. Kim bogeyed the fifth to square the match. Lee dropped in a birdie on the par-five ninth and moved 2-up when Kim bogeyed No. 11.
The pair split the 12th and 13th before Kim got back within 1-down as Lee bogeyed the par-five 16th Wykagyl Country Club. After they both parred 17, Lee birdied the par-five closing hole to close out the 2-up win.
Miyazato and Lee will tee off at 1:45 p.m. (et), while Kim and Hjorth will battle for third place in the consolation match at 1:30 p.m.

2007 British Open Third Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Any golf fan who went to Carnoustie would dream of an opportunity to meet the two-time defending champion and world No. 1, Tiger Woods.
A 60-year-old woman had that chance on Saturday at the sixth hole.
It could have gone better.
Woods missed his second shot well right at the par-five hole. His ball struck the woman in the head and Woods went over to check on her before hitting his third.
"I went over there and the lady was bleeding all over the place," said Woods. "I felt really bad. I've done that before. You don't ever feel good about it. You have kind of a pit in your stomach.
"She was smiling. I don't know how she was smiling. But I just apologized the best I could."
Woods gave her an autographed golf glove as well.
The adventure was not over for Woods at six. After receiving a favorable, albeit unfortunate, bounce off the women's skull, Woods had a clear shot for his third from the rough.
A camera went off in his backswing, but he stopped before making impact. Woods and his caddie reprimanded the cameraman, then he made par.
Woods shot a two-under 69 and is tied for 15th place at minus-one.

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER RUN

Last year, Chris DiMarco came to Royal Liverpool in some bad shape.
He lost his mother not long before the British Open Championship and expectations were low. The Ryder Cup was a few months away and DiMarco, an admitted, unabashed fan of playing American team competitions, was not in the top 10. In fact, U.S. captain Tom Lehman basically said DiMarco was not playing well enough to warrant a wild-card pick.
DiMarco finished 65-69-68 and took second behind Tiger Woods. That vaulted him to sixth on the Ryder Cup points list and made everything a little bit better for the Florida Gator.
This year, things have not gone DiMarco's way much either. According to ABC's Paul Azinger, the next Ryder Cup captain, DiMarco's left shoulder pops out 70 percent of the time on his back swing.
With the Presidents Cup looming, DiMarco is 36th on the American points list. Barring a major run late this summer, DiMarco, the man who clinched The Presidents Cup for the U.S. in 2005, will be watching on the couch.
Well, the run started Saturday at Carnoustie.
DiMarco fired a five-under 66 in round three and is tied for third place at minus-three for the championship.
"You need to stay patient out here," said DiMarco. "As long as you give yourself chances out here, you can make some 20- or 30-footers."
DiMarco credited a change of caddies in part for turning his season around. Actually, it's a familiar face. He brought back his old caddie, who lost his job this time last year.
"Last year, I came over and I had lost my mom. I brought a friend over with me and we had a great finish," said DiMarco. "We kept him on for this year and I just wasn't feeling it."
He felt it on Saturday.

MASTERFUL ROUND

Masters champion Zach Johnson did not have a good start to his week at Carnoustie. He lost his golf clubs somewhere along the trip over to Scotland.
"I was a bit stressed to say the least," admitted Johnson, who missed the cut in Milwaukee last week. "I had my clothes, which are important, but nowhere near as important as my sticks."
Johnson got his clubs on time, but didn't do much with them through the first two rounds. He made the cut on the number, but shot a three-under 68 Saturday to finish in a tie for 20th at plus-one.
He will need a serious run on Sunday if he is to win both the Masters and British Open in the same year. Tiger Woods was the last to turn that feat in 2005, but before that was Mark O'Meara, Johnson's playing partner on Saturday.
"I won one golf tournament and I've got to stick to how I won that and why I won that green jacket and just keep going about my business," said Johnson. "It was an amazing week, but this is a new week. Hopefully I can have another amazing week because I love this championship."
* Steve Stricker's 64 on Saturday was a British Open Championship record at Carnoustie. The previous best was the 65 carded by Jack Newton in the third round in 1975.
* John Senden had perhaps the most bizarre shot of the tournament on the 18th Saturday. His third at the closing hole hit the grandstands on the left, then ricocheted hard to the right and seemed destined to go out of bounds. That was, until the ball hit a stake guarding the out of bounds mark and bounced back into play. Unfortunately, the Australian still double-bogeyed the hole.
* Four inches of rain was forecast on Saturday, but aside from light rain when the final pairing teed off and finished, there was very little precipitation. The wind is supposed to kick up on Sunday. "The forecast was wrong again today," said Woods. "We'll see."
* Woods was not the only player to hit a spectator. Garcia clunked a gentleman on the head left of the 17th green, but hit an amazing chip and saved par from three feet.
* If Garcia can hang on Sunday, he will become the first European to win a major since Paul Lawrie at the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie.
* The hardest hole on Saturday, and for the third consecutive round, was the par-four closing hole. It played easier than the first two rounds, but was still over par at 4.37.
* The easiest hole in round three was once again the par-five 14th, which played to an average of 4.36.
* For the week, 18 has been hardest at 4.65, while 14 has played the easiest at 4.60.

Mi Hyun Kim, Miyazato head to quarters in Match Play

New Rochelle, NY (Sports Network) - Mi Hyun Kim carded a 3 & 2 win over Rachel Hetherington in Saturday's third round at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship at Wykagyl Country Club.
Kim, who is the highest remaining seed at No. 10, moves on to face Jee Young Lee, who beat Laura Diaz 2-up. Just five holes were won in the Hetherington- Kim match, with Kim winning four of them, including three in a five-hole stretch from the 12th.
Lee led 1-up around the turn, but Diaz squared things with a par on 13. Diaz bogeyed 15 and 16 to fall 2-down and they split 17 and 18 giving Lee the 2-up victory.
The third round was completed earlier Saturday, while the quarterfinals will take place Saturday afternoon with the semifinals and finals on Sunday.
Ai Miyazato, the 12th seed, fended off Christina Kim 2 & 1. Miyazato will battle Amy Hung in the quarters. Hung needed 19 holes to beat Carin Koch. Hung, the 61st seed, is the highest seeded players remaining.
Miyazato won the fifth and sixth to go 1-up. She later won the 11th to move 2- up, but Christina Kim won the 12th. Miyazato again moved 2-up with a birdie on 16 and she won the match as they both parred the 17th.
Hung was 2-up after four, but Koch would not go away easily. A four-time Solheim Cup performer for the European squad, Koch won the 17th and 18th to force extra holes. However, she bogeyed the 19th to lose 1-down.
Seon Hwa-Lee led all the way as she defeated Laura Davies 2 & 1. Lee, the 22nd seed, moves on to battle 35th-seed Lindsey Wright.
Lee took the first with a bogey and the fourth with birdie for the early lead. A par on the ninth pushed her lead to 3-up. Davies did win No. 14, but she was unable to overcome the 2-down deficit from there.
Wright, who beat Annika Sorenstam in round two Friday, birdied the par-three 17th to claim a 1-up win over former Women's British Open champion Jeong Jang. Wright, who was 2-down after two, claimed the sixth and seventh to square the match.
The duo traded wins on 12 and 13 before Wright's late birdie gave her the win.
The last quarterfinal match will feature 40th-seed Maria Hjorth and 33rd-seed Meaghan Francella.
Hjorth birdied the 19th hole to down Angela Stanford. Hjorth was 1-up through seven, but Stanford birdied the 12th to even the match. They traded wins on 14 and 15 before Hjorth birdied the 19th to advance.
Francella, who took down Lorena Ochoa in the second round Friday, won the first two holes Saturday and eventually held on for a 2 & 1 win over four-time U.S. Solheim Cupper Pat Hurst.
They battled back and forth through the front nine as no holes were halved. Hurst actually led 1-up after nine, but Francella won three straight from the 13th, with a birdie and two pars, to pull 2-up. She moved on as they matched pars on 16 and 17.

Woods' sliced shot results in spectator needing 2 stitches to head

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- A woman was hit in the head by Tiger Woods' ball when he sliced an approach at the British Open on Saturday. She needed two stitches to close the wound.
Jennifer Wilson, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, was treated by medical staff after being driven away in a golf cart. Woods had earlier apologized and given the 63-year-old an autographed glove.
Wilson was struck just short of the green at the par 5 sixth hole at Carnoustie, where she was standing with her husband.
"We were standing 30 yards short of the green and I said to Jennifer: 'Get your crash helmet on, Tiger's coming,"' Cecil Wilson said. "I could not believe it when Jennifer then got 'clunked,' but he does go off line from time to time. She just sank to her knees and we laid her down flat. She's had two stitches and there was quite a lot of blood. A guy in the crowd said he was a doctor, but to be honest we didn't really need him.
"She was pretty quiet and several people helped to get pieces of paper and napkins to stem the bleeding. She's lying down, but is hoping to go back and see some more golf. We are trying to get Tiger to sign the ball. My wife did him a favor, she headed it back in for him."
Woods went on to par the hole, at which point he was 1 under, five behind leader Sergio Garcia.
Garcia, who finished at 9 under for a three-stroke lead, gave away a signed glove and a ball after hitting a freelance photographer with his tee shot at the 17th.
Chris Ratcliffe was standing in the photographers area down the left side of the hole when Garcia's ball struck him behind the left ear. Tournament officials said the Englishman was shaken but not injured.

Swedish golfer fined $1,028 for whacking tee marker

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Sweden's Henrik Stenson was fined more than $1,000 for whacking a tee marker on the eighth hole at the British Open.
Stenson swung at the marker in disgust after a poor shot Friday, taking out half of it. He was fined 500 pounds -- the equivalent of $1,028 -- under the European Tour's disciplinary procedure.
Stenson made triple bogey on the par-3 hole and wound up shooting a 5-over 76. He missed the cut by one stroke.

2007 British Open Second Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - It has been quite a golfing week for Spain.
On Monday, Seve Ballesteros, a three-time champion, and Spain's greatest golfer in history, announced his retirement from competitive golf. He had been hampered for years by a bad back, but his statement at Carnoustie brought an end to an era in Spanish golf.
Then, one day later, Jose Maria Olazabal, a two-time Masters winner and Ballesteros' long-time Ryder Cup partner, withdrew from the British Open Championship with a knee injury
Things did not look good for Spanish golf.
By Friday afternoon, that country became the toast of Scotland.
Sergio Garcia, who recently re-formed the Spanish Armada with Olazabal at last year's Ryder Cup, shot a wonderful 65 in round one, then put together a steady 71 on Friday to sit atop the leaderboard.
Just below him on the leaderboard, three shots back is Miguel Angel Jimenez. "The Mechanic" nearly aced the 16th hole on Friday and hit the best approach of the week at Carnoustie's closing hole. Unfortunately, Jimenez missed the six-footer for birdie, but is in at minus-three.
As expected, the "younger" generation gave thanks to Ballesteros.

"For me when I look at myself and I believe so many players think the same thing," said Jimenez. "We feel proud for what he did for us."

If it was going to be a "Win one for Seve Week," the pressure should be on Garcia and Jimenez. They are the only Spaniards left in the field after Olazabal withdrew.

"The odds are not huge," Garcia admitted after his opening round. "It would be amazing. It would be something out of, how do you call it, a fairy tale or something like that."

OTHER FORMS OF ENHANCERS

In the wake of Gary Player's bizarre accusation on Wednesday that he knows at least one player in the world on some form of steroids, most players have come out swinging.

But on Friday, Jim Furyk, who is tied for fifth place after a pair of 70s, admitted that some elements most athletes don't employ might have aided in his strong play this week.

"My wife and I were looking for a place to eat last night," said Furyk. "We ended up grabbing a couple of pizzas...and on our way carrying them back to the hotel we saw Justin Leonard, Scott Verplank and a couple of the other large American contingent and they talked us into one pint up there at the Kinloch."

Maybe the pizza and beer are helping Furyk, the No. 3 player in the world, but last year is what got him started. After missing five straight cuts at the British Open, he took fourth place at Royal Liverpool.

With conditions expected to get even windier over the weekend, Furyk likes his chances. He actually likes them just fine right now.

"If the weather keeps up the way it is right now, I'm not ill-willing anyone like that, but if the weather keeps up the way it is, I should be within respectable distance of the leaders," he said.

AMATEUR RECAP

In case you forgot, 18-year-old amateur Rory McIlroy went through Thursday's first round as the only player in the field without a bogey.

He more than made up for that on Friday.

McIlroy collected two birdies, a double-bogey and five bogeys en route to a five-over 76 and a share of 31st place at two-over-par 144.

"It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to steady the ship on the last six holes and played that in level par which is always good on a course like this," said McIlroy. "I'm just happy to be here for the weekend."

McIlroy basically has a free weekend among amateurs. The Silver Medal is his since no other amateur made the cut, but one, with perhaps a more compelling story gave it his all.

Drew Weaver, the British Amateur Champion, only managed a one-over 72 on Friday and missed the cut at plus-six. He had 20 feet for birdie on the last with a chance to get to five-over. There was an outside chance the cut would fall to plus-five, but it hardly mattered as Weaver missed the putt.

This has been a remarkable week for Weaver. He will be a junior at Virginia Tech and was only a few 100 yards away from the tragedy in April.

"I have had a fantastic week," said Weaver. "I had a wonderful time, but it's a tough feeling to have come so close to making the cut. I played my heart out today, and it's a tough realization that I won't be playing through the weekend".

* The group of leader Sergio Garcia, Johan Edfors and Chad Campbell were put on the clock for slow play on the 14th hole. They were not assessed any penalty.

* If Garcia wins this event, he will be the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1988 and the first European to win a major of any kind since Paul Lawrie here in 1999. He has never held a 36-hole lead in a major championship.

* The weather is supposed to get significantly worse on the weekend. Rain is forecast, although the amount predicted has fluctuated throughout Friday. The wind is supposed to pick up on Saturday.

* John Daly and Achi Sato both shared the lead during Thursday's first round, but both missed the cut.

* Daly, Justin Leonard, Nick Faldo, Todd Hamilton, Tony Jacklin and Paul Lawrie, who won the last British Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999, were the former champions who missed the cut.

* Paul McGinley was alone in second place after Thursday's first round, but struggled to a four-over 75 on Friday. He is tied for 13th place at even-par 142.

* The easiest hole for round two was the par-five 14th with an average of 4.61. The most difficult hole on Friday was once again the par-four 18th with an average of 4.71.

* The 14th has been the easiest for the week with a 4.65 average. The 18th has played harder than the par-five 14th with an average of 4.72.

Maggert, de Jonge on top in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Three-time PGA Tour winner Jeff Maggert fired a seven-under-par 63 Thursday to grab a piece of the lead after the first round of the U.S. Bank Championship.Maggert was joined atop the leaderboard by Brendan de Jonge, who is still looking for his first PGA Tour crown.Garrett Willis is alone in third at Brown Deer Park Golf Course at minus-six. Jay Williamson and Robert Gamez are one shot back at five-under-par 65.Recent winners here -- Corey Pavin, Ben Crane, Carlos Franco -- all broke lengthy winless droughts.Maggert did win last year, but prior to that his last crown came in 1999. He picked up his first birdie on the second, but gave that stroke back as he bogeyed the par-four fourth.The 43-year-old Maggert rebounded with back-to-back birdies from the fifth. He parred the next three before moving to minus-three with a birdie on No. 10.After four consecutive pars, Maggert eagled the par-five 15th. He came right back with a birdie on the 16th. Maggert closed with a birdie at the last to share the first-round lead for the first time since Bay Hill in 2003."Obviously the way I've been playing, it is nice to get off to a good start," said Maggert, who has missed four straight cuts. "It was a very good day for me."The key for Maggert was a mew set of irons that just went into his bag."In the Pro-Am on Wednesday, that was the first time I had a chance to use (the new irons)," admitted Maggert. "I made six or seven birdies and that was a good boost of confidence heading into today's round."Maggert's co-leader, de Jonge, started on the back nine. After a birdie on 10 and a bogey on 11, de Jonge dropped in birdies on 12 and 13.However, de Jonge gave another stroke back with a bogey on 15. The Zimbabwe native recovered that lost stroke with a birdie at the 17th.Around the turn, de Jonge holed out for eagle on the par-four second to jump to four-under. He collected birdies on the fifth and sixth, then birdied the ninth, his last, to join Maggert in the lead."It felt good to finally play a good, solid round," stated de Jonge. The wind really picked up on the back nine and I was not very accurate off the tee. Obviously I played well today though."Prior to this event, de Jonge's best previous standing after one round was a share of seventh earlier this year at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.Tim Herron, who had top-three finishes here in 2001 and 2002, posted a four- under-par 66. He was joined in a share of sixth place by Craig Bowden, Steve Elkington, Tom Johnson and Jesper Parnevik.Camilo Villegas and Mark Wilson lead a group of seven players at minus-three. Defending champion Corey Pavin is part of a large group tied for 35th at one- under-par 71.

2007 British Open First Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Who was the only player in the field to go through Carnoustie on Thursday without a bogey?
Would you believe an 18-year-old Northern Ireland amateur named Rory McIlroy?
He shot a three-under 68 to put himself in a tie for third with two of the last three U.S. Open champions. That 68 could have easily been a 66 and a share of the lead with Sergio Garcia.
"This is just awesome," said McIlroy. "I really enjoyed myself out there today. To play Carnoustie with no bogeys on your card, probably the toughest Open course, that's pretty good."
McIlroy birdied the par-four fifth hole, then added another at 10. At the par- three 13th, McIlroy hit a seven-iron inside three feet and holed the birdie putt to reach three-under par for the championship.
At the par-five 14th, McIlroy hit his third to five feet, but missed the birdie putt. One hole later, the 18-year-old once again got about three feet from the hole, but this time missed the birdie putt.
McIlroy closed with a pair of pars and when Garcia bogeyed the 16th, the young man who won the European Amateur Championship last year had the only bogey- free round.
"I played some really good golf," acknowledged McIlroy. "I probably should have been a couple better."
McIlroy confirmed that he will turn professional later this year after representing Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup. He will compete on the European Tour with hopes of making the PGA Tour some day.
"Hopefully I establish myself there," said McIlroy, referring to his play on the European Tour. "I'd love to be able to say I won this one day and play on Ryder Cup teams and win majors. It'd be pretty nice."
THE FORGOTTEN GOAT
Everyone by now has heard or read or seen a piece on Jean van de Velde this week. His collapse on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie eight years ago was an epic flameout, not just in golf, but in all of sports.
There has been some time devoted to Paul Lawrie. Considering he shot the lowest round of the day on Sunday and actually won the thing, it's not inappropriate.
The fella you may not have heard too much about is Rod Pampling.
In 1999, Pampling, then an unknown Australian who toiled mainly on the Australasian Tour and went by Rodney, not Rod, shot an even-par 71 and led after round one.
On Friday of '99, Pampling came back with an 86 and missed the cut. That was the last time a first-round leader at a major actually failed to advance to the weekend.
"It was a bear of a golf course," said Pampling. "I know I really didn't play that badly. I just had horrendous lies in the rough and it added up really quickly."
With Lawrie at plus-two and Van de Velde on the shelf with a stomach ailment, Pampling might find himself in the spotlight a little more this week. He handled it fine on Thursday.
Pampling shot a one-under 70 in round one and is part of a group tied for 13th place. Hopefully he can avoid a big number on Friday and see how Carnoustie plays on the weekend.
"When you get weather like this, the whole golf course changes," said Pampling, who played early on Thursday in cold and rainy conditions.
Pampling has certainly rebounded from the miscues in time. He won the 2004 International and also titled at Bay Hill last year. Pampling is 36th in the world rankings and has an outside chance to make the International Presidents Cup team.
"I don't worry about it," said Pampling.
RETURN TO HOPE
The player that made the biggest impact early on Thursday was British Amateur champion Drew Weaver. He birdied his first two holes, but ultimately slipped down the leaderboard.
"I got off to a great start, I couldn't have pictured starting off any better... the conditions were not easy by any means," said Drew.
Weaver finished with a 76 and is tied for 118th place.
Weaver's story this week is one about returning to form after tragedy. He will be a junior at Virginia Tech University and led the Hokies to a share of the ACC title.
Weaver was two buildings away from the massacre at the Virginia Tech campus in April. He wears a patch on his golf bag to honor those last during the horrible tragedy.0
"Although the events of April 16 will never leave me," Weaver said on a blog written for opengolf.com, "I believe that going through that terrible day has made me a stronger person emotionally. I feel that I have a much better perspective on life in general after everything that my fellow students and I went through a few months ago."
* Tiger Woods received a favorable ruling after an errant drive on 10. His tee ball ran into the rough near television cables. Woods got a free drop from a rules official and he was able to save par. "That was a weird drop," said Woods."
* If Woods can visit the winner's circle on Sunday, he will become the first player to win this event three years in a row since Peter Thomson turned the trick in 1954-56. However, Thomson lost in 1957 only to return to victory in 1958.
* Two players held at least a share of the lead on Thursday, but stumbled badly. Achi Sato, who is only in the field thanks to a second at the Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic in June, birdied four in a row early, but only managed an even-par 71. John Daly holed out for an eagle at 11 to get to minus-five, but carded a double-bogey at 12, a triple at 14 and three bogeys in his final five to shoot a three-over 74.
* Phil Mickelson drove the ball well and hit some greens, but did not putt well at all. He bogeyed the last to shoot an even-par 71. "I didn't take advantage of a day that allowed a lot of low scores," he said.
* The temperatures were low on Thursday and rain greeted the players in the morning. There were no stoppages in round one.
* The easiest hole on Thursday was the par-five 14th, playing to an average of 4.70. Amazingly, the hardest hole is the par-four closing hole which played to an average of 4.71.

Ochoa rolls at Match Play

New Rochelle, NY (Sports Network) - Women's World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa rolled to a 6 & 5 win over Ashleigh Simon in Thursday's opening round of the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship at Wykagyl Country Club.
Ochoa, who beat Paula Creamer to take third in this event last year, already has racked up three wins in the 2007 season.
As Ochoa advanced, several big names went down. Second-seeded Karrie Webb watched as 63rd-seeded Charlotte Mayorkas birdied the 18th for a 1-up win.
Amy Hung dropped the first, but won three of the next four holes en route to romping over U.S. Women's Open champion and fourth-seed Cristie Kerr, 5 & 4.
Kraft Nabisco winner Morgan Pressel bogeyed the last to lose 2-down to 59th seed and former U.S. Women's Open winner Birdie Kim. It was Kim who holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker in 2005 to beat then amateurs Pressel and Brittany Lincicome.
Also falling on Thursday were Juli Inkster, Ji-Yai Shin and Lincicome, the 2006 champion.
Inkster, the ninth seed, lost 4 & 3 to Hye Jung Choi, while the 11th-seeded Shin lost 1-down in 19 holes to Janice Moodie.
Four-time European Solheim Cupper Carin Koch won four of five holes from the 10th to take down Lincicome, 4 & 3.
The first two years of this event has produced winners who were ranked 60th, Marisa Baena in 2005, and 39th, Lincicome last year at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in New Jersey.
Ochoa birdied the second and fourth, then won the fifth with a par to grab a quick 3-up lead on Simon. The Mexican won four straight holes from the eighth to go 7-up.
Simon birdied the 12th to push the match to No. 13, but that was all she could do. Ochoa and Simon parred the par-three 13th giving Ochoa the big win. Ochoa moves on to play 33rd-see Meaghan Francella, who was a 2 & 1 winner of Meena Lee, the 32nd seed.
"I think it's always important in match play to get off to a good start," Ochoa stated. "I made a good putt on the second hole, from probably 25 feet, and I started 1-up. It gave me good momentum."
Webb was 2-up after five, but lost the next two holes. Mayorkas squared the match with a birdie on the par-four 12th and then claimed the 1-up win with a birdie on 18.
Sorenstam also was 2-up after two, but Hull rallied to take the lead winning three of the next four holes. Sorenstam birdied the eighth to even the match. After Sorenstam took the 12th, Hull won back-to-back holes from the 13th.
The Swede took 16 and 17 with birdies, but Hull birdied the 18th to force extra holes. However, Hull faltered to a double-bogey at the 20th hole to lose the match. Sorenstam will now battle 35th-seeded Lindsey Wright, who bested 30th-seed Brittany Lang 4 & 3.
"It was a thriller. There was a lot of drama out there," admitted Sorenstam. "I thought we played some good golf, especially the back nine. It was birdies back and forth. It was a fun match I thought. I missed a few shots, but overall I think I played really well, putted well and hung in there."
Among the other winners in round one were Stacy Prammanasudh, Ai Miyazato, Paula Creamer, McDonald's LPGA winner Suzann Pettersen and Se Ri Pak, who fended off Pressel to win last week's Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
With Webb, Kerr and Pressel, other prominent players who lost in the opening round were Shi Hyun Ahn, Natalie Gulbis, Young Kim and Laura Diaz.

McGinley in front early at Carnoustie

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Ireland's Paul McGinley shot a four- under-par 67 on Thursday to grab the clubhouse lead during the first round of the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell birdied the 17th hole to post a three-under 68. Markus Brier, Lucas Glover, an alternate who got in when Shingo Katayama withdrew earlier in the week, and 1995 champion John Daly are three-under par on the course.
Tiger Woods, the two-time defending champion, managed a two-under-par 69 and is two behind McGinley in his quest to become the first player to win three consecutive claret jugs since Peter Thomson did it from 1954-56.
Woods fell to one-under par after back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13. He got back to two-under par in the most unlikely fashion. Woods drained a very long birdie putt from just in front of the green at 16, then parred the last two.
"The back nine's really tough" said Woods."You've just got to suck it up and try and hit some good shots. To play the last three holes one-under par, I'll take that any day."
Woods was joined in the clubhouse at minus-two by two-time PGA Tour winner this year, K.J. Choi and Stewart Cink.
The players who teed off in the morning were greeted by fairly heavy rainfall, steady wind and temperatures that did not get higher than 50 degrees. Eventually the rain stopped and the wind died down, and it roughly coincided with when McGinley teed off.
He flew out of the gate on Thursday with back-to-back birdies at one and two. McGinley added birdies and four and seven and found himself in the lead at four-under par.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen briefly got to that number, but fell down the leaderboard. McGinley did not thanks to some steady par saves. At the ninth, he sank a five-footer for par, but one hole later ran home a 25-foot save to stay in the lead at minus-four.
At the par-three 13th, McGinley rolled in a five-foot birdie putt to reach five-under. He padded the lead with a birdie at 14, but things fell apart right away for the Irishman.
McGinley did not reach the putting surface with his second at 15. He missed a five-foot par save, then hit a poor tee shot at the long, par-three 16th. McGinley came up short of the green and could only manage to get his second to 40 feet. He missed that putt, but made a tricky six-footer to save bogey.
His lead down to one, McGinley saved par at the last from four feet to keep his spot atop the leaderboard.
"I stepped up my game today," said McGinley, a three-time European Ryder Cup member. "I played really well. I'm obviously very pleased."
This was somewhat unexpected for McGinley, who has had a mediocre year so far on the European Tour. He has made 10 cuts in 15 starts, but has not finished higher than a tie for 16th.
"My form hasn't been good," acknowledged McGinley. "I've been making cuts but haven't been performing at the high end of the field."
Goosen, Thomas Bjorn, Rod Pampling, Gregory Bourdy, Carl Pettersson, J.J. Henry and 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem are in the clubhouse at one-under-par 70.
Paul Lawrie, who won this title in 1999, the last time Carnoustie hosted the British Open Championship, shot a two-over-par 73. Colin Montgomerie and Adam Scott also posted that number on Thursday.

Rose trying to end British Open slump

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Justin Rose failed to qualify for the past three British Opens. Now he's back and hoping to end an eight-year shutout in majors for British golfers.
Paul Lawrie's victory at Carnoustie in 1999 was the last time any British -- or European -- golfer won a major, and that has become almost as embarrassing to the locals as Colin Montgomerie's failure to win even one.
The return to Carnoustie has fueled hopes of a British repeat here, and Rose appears to be the leading candidate. He tied for fifth at the Masters and 10th at the U.S. Open after being close to the lead early in both.
"Having played well in the last two majors, beginning to believe that's where I belong and just that alone makes it much easier to go out there and let it happen," Rose said Wednesday.
The English golfer leads several British contenders -- Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Montgomerie among others -- who are trying to bring the title back home.
"Hopefully, I will be a contender," said Rose, who came onto the Open scene in 1998 when he tied for fourth at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur. He turned pro the next day.
"I certainly take a lot of confidence in what happened at Augusta and the U.S. Open," he said. "I felt I was in the tournament from the word go and in the tournament all week. I felt comfortable being in and around the hunt. For two good experiences to be so close together, should a third come around, it might be easier."
Rose has had a good season. He won his first tournament, the MasterCard Masters at Melbourne, Australia last year. He lost a playoff in the BMW Championship in Germany just before the U.S. Open and finished third at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on the PGA Tour. He has seven top-10 finishes and hasn't missed a cut in 11 outings.
Tony Jacklin, the first British player in 18 years to win the Open when he triumphed at Royal Lytham in 1969, says Rose as a definite contender.
"Rose is the one who has my attention," said Jacklin, who followed his Open win with a long-overdue British victory in the U.S. Open a year later. "After Birkdale he went through a tough time, but the fact is he's still there, still beating on it. And he's making headway, getting confidence all the time."
Rose said that more majors could follow for British golfers once somebody ends the drought.
"It's probably going to be one of those situations that, when one of the guys breaks through, you'll probably find quite a few will," he said. "What is it going to take for us to just get to that next level? I think we're all trying to find out exactly what that is.
"Paul (Casey) at the U.S. Open was saying he would love to be the first Brit to win a major -- and so would I -- first for a long time," Rose said. "I think we're all pushing ourselves and we're all aware of the fact that it's true."
Rose played a practice round with Nick Faldo on Tuesday and hoped that some of the detached determination that made his countryman a three-time Open and three-time Masters winner might rub off on him.
"You've got to look at what's worked for a six-time major champion and certainly other major champions and there's definitely that single-mindedness they have," Rose said. "I don't know whether I could be better at it. But I think that's something that I can look at to try and, maybe, when the time is right, to make your game."

Wie to play in Evian Masters, Women's British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) -- It looks as though Michelle Wie will be playing at the birthplace of golf after all.
Wie, who's been trying to work through her struggles in central Florida, plans to enter the Women's British Open at St. Andrews on Aug. 2-5.
The 17-year-old Wie also accepted a sponsor exemption into next week's Evian Masters in France, her first tournament since she withdrew from the U.S. Women's Open in June because of a sore left wrist.
Once viewed as the future of women's golf, Wie was 17 over and on her way to another score in the 80s when she quit at Pine Needles. She has withdrawn from two of her last three tournaments, managing to complete only seven rounds this year with an average score of just under 78.
Wie has not broken par in competition since the final round of the Evian last year, a total of 23 rounds.

Olazabal pulls out of British Open

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Jose Maria Olazabal has withdrawn from the British Open Championship.
Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, has not played since last month's U.S. Open at Oakmont. He has battled a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from events in France and Scotland the last two weeks.
His best finish at the British Open was a third in 1992 and a tie for third two years ago at St. Andrews. In 1999 when the British Open was last played at Carnoustie, Olazabal missed the cut.
The Spaniard was replaced in the field by Tom Pernice Jr., whose best previous finish at a British Open was a tie for 65th at Royal St. George's in 1993. Last year, the 47-year-old from Kansas missed the cut by a shot.

British Open Championship History

(Wikipedia.org) The Open Championship is the oldest of the four major championships in men's golf. It is the only major held outside the USA and is administered by the R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the U.S. and Mexico. The event takes place every year on one of nine historic links courses in the United Kingdom. In 2006, The Open had a prize fund of £4 million (at the time, approximately €5.86 million or $7.43 million). Historically, The Open's prize money was consistently the least of the four majors; since 2002 it has been the highest. The tournament is often referred to as the British Open outside the United Kingdom. The Open is played on the weekend of the third Friday in July, and is the third major to take place each year following The Masters and the U.S. Open and before the PGA Championship.

The Open Championship was first played on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club. The inaugural tournament was restricted to professionals, and attracted a field of eight, who played three rounds of Prestwick's twelve-hole course in a single day. Willie Park Senior won with a score of 174, beating the favourite, Old Tom Morris, by two strokes. The following year the tournament was opened to amateurs; eight of them joined ten professionals in the field.

Willie Park, Snr wearing the Championship Belt, the winner's prize at the Open from 1860 to 1870.

Originally, the trophy presented to the event's winner was the Champion's Belt, a red leather belt with a silver buckle. There was no prize money in the first three Opens. In 1863, a prize fund of £10 (then $50) was introduced, which was shared between the second- third- and fourth-placed professionals, with the Champion still just getting to keep the belt for a year. In 1864 Old Tom Morris won the first Champion's cash prize of £6. By 2004, the winner's check had increased one hundred and twenty thousand fold to £720,000, or perhaps two thousand fold after allowing for inflation. The Champions Belt was retired in 1870, when Young Tom Morris was allowed to keep it for winning the tournament three consecutive times. It was then replaced by the present trophy, The Golf Champion Trophy, better known by its popular name of The Claret Jug.

Prestwick Golf Club administered The Open from 1860 to 1870. In 1871, it agreed to organise it jointly with The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In 1892 the event was doubled in length from 36 to 72 holes, that is four rounds of what was by then the standard complement of 18 holes. In the same year the prize fund reached £100. Due to an increasing number of entrants, a cut was introduced after two rounds in 1898. In 1920 full responsibility for The Open Championship was handed over to The Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

The early winners were all Scottish professionals, who in those days worked as greenkeepers, clubmakers, and caddies to supplement their modest winnings from championships and challenge matches. The Open has always been dominated by professionals, with only six victories by amateurs, all of which occurred between 1890 and 1930. The last of these was Bobby Jones's third Open and part of his celebrated Grand Slam. Jones was one of four Americans who won The Open between the First and Second World Wars, the first of whom had been Walter Hagen in 1922. These Americans and the French winner of the 1907 Open, Arnaud Massy, were the only winners from outside Scotland and England up to 1939.

The first post-World War II winner was the American Sam Snead in 1946. In 1947 Fred Daly of Northern Ireland was victorious. While there have been many English and Scottish champions, Daly remains the only winner from either side of the Irish border, and there has never been a Welsh champion. Otherwise the early postwar years The Open was dominated by golfers from the Commonwealth, with South African Bobby Locke and Australian Peter Thomson winning the Claret Jug in nine of the 11 championships from 1948 and 1958 between them. During this period, The Open often had a schedule conflict with the match-play PGA Championship, which meant that Ben Hogan, the best American golfer at this time, competed in The Open just once, in 1953 at Carnoustie, a tournament he won.

Another South African, Gary Player was Champion in 1959. This was at the beginning of the "Big Three" era in professional golf, the three players in question being Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Palmer first competed in 1960, when he came second to the little known Australian Kel Nagle, but he won the two following years. While he was far from being the first American to become Open Champion, he was the first that many Americans saw win the tournament on television, and his charismatic success is often credited with persuading leading American golfers to make The Open an integral part of their schedule, rather than an optional extra. The improvement of trans-Atlantic travel also increased American participation.

Nicklaus' victories came in 1966, 1970 and 1978. This tally of three wins is not very remarkable, and indeed he won all of the other three majors more often, but it greatly understates how prominent he was at the tournament throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He finished in the top five 16 times, which is tied most in Open history with John Henry Taylor and easily the most in the postwar era. This included seven second places. Nicklaus holds the records for most rounds under par (61) and most aggregates under par (14). At Turnberry in 1977 he was involved in one of the most celebrated contests in golf history, when his duel with Tom Watson went to the final shot before Watson emerged as the champion for the second time.

Watson won five Opens, more than anyone else has since the 1950s, but his final win in 1983 brought down the curtain on an era of U.S. domination. In the next 11 years there was only one American winner, with the others coming from Europe and the Commonwealth. The European winners of this era, SpaniardSeve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, who was the first Scottish winner in over half a century, and the Englishman Nick Faldo, were also leading lights among the group of players who began to get the better of the Americans in the Ryder Cup during this period.

In 1995, The Open became part of the PGA Tour's official schedule. John Daly's playoff win over ItalianCostantino Rocca in that year began another era of American domination. Tiger Woods has won three Championships to date, two at St Andrews in 2000 and 2005, and one at Hoylake in 2006. There was a dramatic moment at St Andrews in 2000, as the aging Jack Nicklaus waved farewell to the crowds while the young challenger to his crown as the greatest golfer of all time watched from a nearby tee; Nicklaus afterwards decided to play in the 2005 Open when the R&A announced St. Andrews as the venue, giving his final farewell to the fans at the Home of Golf. In 2002, all Open wins before 1995 were retroactively classified as PGA Tour wins. Recent years have been notable for the number of wins by previously obscure golfers, including Paul Lawrie's playoff win after the epic 72nd-hole collapse of Jean Van de Velde in 1999, Ben Curtis in 2003 and Todd Hamilton in 2004.

Winners of The Open Championship

Year	Venue	Champion	Country	Winning Score	1st Prize
2010	St Andrews
2009	The Westin Turnberry Resort
2008	Royal Birkdale Golf Club
2007	Carnoustie Golf Links
2006	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Tiger Woods (3)	United States	270 (-18)	£720000
2005	St Andrews	Tiger Woods (2)	United States	274 (-14)	£720000
2004	Royal Troon Golf Club	Todd Hamilton	United States	274 (-10)PO	£720000
2003	Royal St George's Golf Club	Ben Curtis	United States	283 (-1)	£700000
2002	Muirfield	Ernie Els	South Africa	278 (-6)PO	£700000
2001	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	David Duval	United States	274 (-10)	£600000
2000	St Andrews	Tiger Woods	United States	269 (-19)	£500000
1999	Carnoustie Golf Links	Paul Lawrie	Scotland	290 (+6)PO	£350000
1998	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Mark O'Meara	United States	280 (E)PO	£300000
1997	Royal Troon Golf Club	Justin Leonard	United States	272 (-12)	£250000
1996	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Tom Lehman	United States	271 (-13)	£200000
1995	St Andrews	John Daly	United States	282 (-6)PO	£125000
1994	Turnberry	Nick Price	Zimbabwe	268 (-12)	£110000
1993	Royal St George's Golf Club	Greg Norman (2)	Australia	267 (-13)	£100000
1992	Muirfield	Nick Faldo (3)	England	272 (-12)	£95000
1991	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Ian Baker-Finch	Australia	272 (-8)	£90000
1990	St Andrews	Nick Faldo (2)	England	270 (-18)	£85000
1989	Royal Troon Golf Club	Mark Calcavecchia	United States	275 (-13)PO	£80000
1988	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Seve Ballesteros (3)	Spain	273 (-11)	£80000
1987	Muirfield	Nick Faldo	England	279 (-5)	£75000
1986	Turnberry	Greg Norman	Australia	280 (E)	£70000
1985	Royal St George's Golf Club	Sandy Lyle	Scotland	282 (+2)	£65000
1984	St Andrews	Seve Ballesteros (2)	Spain	276 (-12)	£55000
1983	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Tom Watson (5)	United States	275 (-9)	£40000
1982	Royal Troon Golf Club	Tom Watson (4)	United States	284 (-4)	£32000
1981	Royal St George's Golf Club	Bill Rogers	United States	276 (-4)	£25000
1980	Muirfield	Tom Watson (3)	United States	271 (-13)	£25000
1979	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Seve Ballesteros	Spain	283 (-1)	£15000
1978	St Andrews	Jack Nicklaus (3)	United States	281 (-7)	£12500
1977	Turnberry	Tom Watson (2)	United States	268 (-12)	£10000
1976	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Johnny Miller	United States	279 (-9)	£7500
1975	Carnoustie Golf Links	Tom Watson	United States	279 (-5)PO	£7500
1974	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Gary Player (3)	South Africa	282 (-2)	£5500
1973	Royal Troon Golf Club	Tom Weiskopf	United States	276 (-12)	£5500
1972	Muirfield	Lee Trevino (2)	United States	278 (-6)	£5500
1971	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Lee Trevino	United States	278 (-10)	£5500
1970	St Andrews	Jack Nicklaus (2)	United States	283 (-5)PO	£5250
1969	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Tony Jacklin	England	280	£4250
1968	Carnoustie Golf Links	Gary Player (2)	South Africa	289	£3000
1967	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Roberto DeVicenzo	Argentina	278	£2100
1966	Muirfield	Jack Nicklaus	United States	282	£2100
1965	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Peter Thomson (5)	Australia	285	£1750
1964	St Andrews	Tony Lema	United States	279	£1500
1963	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Bob Charles	New Zealand	277PO	£1500
1962	Royal Troon Golf Club	Arnold Palmer (2)	United States	276	£1400
1961	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Arnold Palmer	United States	284	£1400
1960	St Andrews	Kel Nagle	Australia	278	£1250
1959	Muirfield	Gary Player	South Africa	284	£1000
1958	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Peter Thomson (4)	Australia	274PO	£1000
1957	St Andrews	Bobby Locke (4)	South Africa	279	£1000
1956	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Peter Thomson (3)	Australia	286	£1000
1955	St Andrews	Peter Thomson (2)	Australia	281	£1000
1954	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Peter Thomson	Australia	283	£750
1953	Carnoustie Golf Links	Ben Hogan	United States	282	£500
1952	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Bobby Locke (3)	South Africa	287	£300
1951	Royal Portrush Golf Club	Max Faulkner	England	285	£300
1950	Royal Troon Golf Club	Bobby Locke (2)	South Africa	279	£300
1949	Royal St George's Golf Club	Bobby Locke	South Africa	283	£300
1948	Muirfield	Henry Cotton (3)	England	284	£150
1947	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Fred Daly	Northern Ireland	293	£150
1946	St Andrews	Sam Snead	United States	290	£150
1940-1945: No Championships due to World War II
1939	St Andrews	Richard Burton	England	290	£100
1938	Royal St George's Golf Club	Reg Whitcombe	England	295	£100
1937	Carnoustie Golf Links	Henry Cotton (2)	England	290	£100
1936	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Alf Padgham	England	287	£100
1935	Muirfield	Alf Perry	England	283	£100
1934	Royal St George's Golf Club	Henry Cotton	England	283	£100
1933	St Andrews	Denny Shute	United States	292PO	£100
1932	Prince's Golf Club	Gene Sarazen	United States	283	£100
1931	Carnoustie Golf Links	Tommy Armour	United States (nat)	296	£100
1930	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Bobby Jones (Am) (3)	United States	291	Am - £100
1929	Muirfield	Walter Hagen (4)	United States	292	£100
1928	Royal St George's Golf Club	Walter Hagen (3)	United States	292	£100
1927	St Andrews	Bobby Jones (Am) (2)	United States	285	Am - £100
1926	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club	Bobby Jones (Am)	United States	291	Am - £75
1925	Prestwick Golf Club	Jim Barnes	United States (nat)	300	£75
1924	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Walter Hagen (2)	United States	301	£75
1923	Royal Troon Golf Club	Arthur Havers	England	295	£75
1922	Royal St George's Golf Club	Walter Hagen	United States	300	£75
1921	St Andrews	Jock Hutchison	United States (nat)	296PO	£75
1920	Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club	George Duncan	Scotland	303	£75
1915-1919: No Championships due to World War I
1914	Prestwick Golf Club	Harry Vardon (6)	England	306	£50
1913	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	John Henry Taylor (5)	England	304	£50
1912	Muirfield	Edward Ray	England	295	£50
1911	Royal St George's Golf Club	Harry Vardon (5)	England	303PO	£50
1910	St Andrews	James Braid (5)	Scotland	299	£50
1909	Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club	John Henry Taylor (4)	England	291	£30
1908	Prestwick Golf Club	James Braid (4)	Scotland	291	£30
1907	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Arnaud Massy	France	312	£30
1906	Muirfield	James Braid (3)	Scotland	300	£30
1905	St Andrews	James Braid (2)	Scotland	318	£30
1904	Royal St George's Golf Club	Jack White	Scotland	296	£30
1903	Prestwick Golf Club	Harry Vardon (4)	England	300	£30
1902	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Sandy Herd	Scotland	307	£30
1901	Muirfield	James Braid	Scotland	309	£30
1900	St. Andrews	John Henry Taylor (3)	England	309	£30
1899	Royal St George's Golf Club	Harry Vardon (3)	England	310	£30
1898	Prestwick Golf Club	Harry Vardon (2)	England	307	£30
1897	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	Harold Hilton (Am) (2)	England	314	Am - £30
1896	Muirfield	Harry Vardon	England	316	£30
1895	St Andrews	John Henry Taylor (2)	England	332	£30
1894	Royal St George's Golf Club	John Henry Taylor	England	326	£30
1893	Prestwick Golf Club	William Auchterlonie	Scotland	322	£30
1892	Muirfield	Harold Hilton (Am)	England	305	(Am)
1891	St Andrews	Hugh Kirkaldy	Scotland	166	£10
1890	Prestwick Golf Club	John Ball (Am)	England	164	Am - £8
1889	Musselburgh Links	Willie Park, Jnr (2)	Scotland	155PO	£8
1888	St Andrews	Jack Burns	Scotland	171	£10
1887	Prestwick Golf Club	Willie Park, Jnr	Scotland	161	£10
1886	Musselburgh Links	David Brown	Scotland	157	£10
1885	St Andrews	Bob Martin (2)	Scotland	171	£10
1884	Prestwick Golf Club	Jack Simpson	Scotland	160	£10
1883	Musselburgh Links	Willie Fernie	Scotland	159PO	£10
1882	St Andrews	Bob Ferguson (3)	Scotland	171	£10
1881	Prestwick Golf Club	Bob Ferguson (2)	Scotland	170	£10
1880	Musselburgh Links	Bob Ferguson	Scotland	162	£10
1879	St Andrews	Jamie Anderson (3)	Scotland	169	£10
1878	Prestwick Golf Club	Jamie Anderson (2)	Scotland	157	£10
1877	Musselburgh Links	Jamie Anderson	Scotland	160	£10
1876	St Andrews	Bob Martin	Scotland	176	£10
1875	Prestwick Golf Club	Willie Park, Snr (4)	Scotland	166	£6
1874	Musselburgh Links	Mungo Park	Scotland	159	£6
1873	St Andrews	Tom Kidd	Scotland	179	£6
1872	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Jnr (4)	Scotland	166	£6
1871	No Championship
1870	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Jnr (3)	Scotland	149	£6
1869	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Jnr (2)	Scotland	154	£6
1868	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Jnr	Scotland	157	£6
1867	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Snr (4)	Scotland	170	£6
1866	Prestwick Golf Club	Willie Park, Snr (3)	Scotland	169	£6
1865	Prestwick Golf Club	Andrew Strath	Scotland	162	£6
1864	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Snr (3)	Scotland	167	£6
1863	Prestwick Golf Club	Willie Park, Snr (2)	Scotland	168	-
1862	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Snr (2)	Scotland	163	-
1861	Prestwick Golf Club	Tom Morris, Snr	Scotland	163	-
1860	Prestwick Golf Club	Willie Park, Snr	Scotland	174	-

^PO = Won in play-off
Am = Amateur
nat = naturalised U.S. citizen. Hutchison, Barnes and Armour were British born and learned their golf in the UK, but they took U.S. citizenship before claiming their Open titles.

National summary

Rank	Nation	Wins	Winners
-	United Kingdom	70	37
1	Scotland	42	22
2	United States	41	26
3	England	27	14
4	Australia	9	4
5	South Africa	8	3
6	Spain	3	1
7	France	1	1
	Northern Ireland	1	1
	New Zealand	1	1
	Zimbabwe	1	1
	Argentina	1	1