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Published on Monday, 06 May 2013 06:58
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Written by Phil Clark
American Christie Kerr won the LPGA Kingsmill Championship yesterday in Williamsburg, Va. in a two-hole playoff with Suzann Petterson. It was the third time Kerr has won this event, and marked her 16th career win. Kerr shot a closing round 69, while Petterson earned a playoff spot with a 67. Angela Stanford and Stacy Lewis finished tied for fifth, three shots behind the leaders. Locally, Rob Butler and Coleman Tidwell, Jr. teamed up to win the annual Peach Blossom tournament, a best-ball 36-hole event played over the Idle Hour course. The winners shot 65 in both rounds to beat the team of James Beale and Hans Reimers by two shots.
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Published on Monday, 06 May 2013 06:57
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Written by Phil Clark
Phil Mickelson and most of the field fell victim to a steady rain yesterday in the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte. But rookie David Ernst was able to put together a 1-under par closing round of 70, and won a playoff with David Lynn on the first extra hole to win the $1.2 million first place check and 500 FedEx points. Mickelson, who led after two rounds and shared the lead after three, never got his game in gear yesterday, shooting his second straight 73 and missed the playoff by one shot. Russell Henley, the former UGA star from Macon, had a rough weekend as well, shooting 73-77 to finish in a tie for 45th place after going 69-71 over the first two rounds.
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Published on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 06:50
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Written by Phil Clark
The Associated Press is reporting today that the PGA dropped its doping case against veteran Vijay Singh yesterday. In making the announcement, PGA commissioner Tim Finchem said that the decision came after new information from the World Anti-Doping Agency said that using deer antler spray is no longer prohibited because it contains such small amounts of a growth hormone factor. Yesterday's decision came as Singh's appeal process was almost over. The decision also ends a three-month saga that had players wondering what would happen to the 50-year old Fijian with the tireless work ethic. Singh spends more hours on the practice range that most any PGA player.
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Published on Monday, 15 April 2013 06:56
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Written by Phil Clark
Adam Scott rolled in an unlikely birdie putt on the 72nd hole yesterday to take a brief lead over Angel Cabrera in the final round of the Masters, only to watch the veteran from Argentina put his approach shot to within three feed of the cup, leading to a birdie that sent the two a playoff as a light but steady rain continued to fall on the Augusta National course. Scott then won on the second playoff hole with another birdie putt that placed the green jacket around the shoulders of the first Austrailian to win the coveted Masters' championship. Tiger Woods, bidding for his 15th major championship, rallied on the weekend from a two shot penalty in Friday's second round, but couldn't catch the leaders. Scott closed with a 68, Cabrera shot 70 as did Woods, who finished in a tie for fourth with Austrailian Marc Leishman. Another Aussie, Jason Day, was alone in third place. Macon's Russell Henley, in his first Masters, soared to an 81 on Friday and missed the cut. Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, both former Masters' champions, were never in contention.
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Published on Friday, 12 April 2013 06:32
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Written by Phil Clark
Sergio Garcia pulled into a tie for the lead in the final holes of his opening round yesterday at the Masters after Marc Leishman had posted the early lead at 6-under par and watched as the field tried to catch him. Only Garcia could do it, although Dustin Johnson was tied for the lead before a bogey at 17 dropped him a stroke . Garcia had a bogey-free round, with four birdies on the front nine and two more on the back. Before his bogey at 17, Johnson had jumped to the top of the leaderboard with an eagle at 13 and a birdie at 15, the two par-five holes on the back nine. Tiger Woods is four shots off the lead after an opening round of 70. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Luke Donald are in a group another shot back at 1-under par. Macon's Russell Henley opened with an even par round of 72 in his first Masters, and is tied for 33rd with twelve other golfers including Rory McIlroy and Jason Dufner.
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Published on Monday, 08 April 2013 07:30
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Written by Phil Clark
Inbee Park dominated play in the final round of the Kraft Nabisco Classic yesterday to win the first major of the year on the LPGA tour. Playing the Dinah Shore Championship course at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, Park shot a closing round of 69, playing with a comfortable lead all day, and beat runner-up So Yeon Ryu by four shots. Ryu's 65 was the best round of the day. Lizette Salas, a product on Southern Cal who played in the final pairing after an impressive three rounds, struggled to a 79 yesterday and finished well off the pace.
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Published on Monday, 08 April 2013 07:22
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Written by Phil Clark
Martin Laird became the first non-American to win on the PGA tour this year when he shot a closing round of 63 to win the Texas Open and a trip to this week's Masters. Laird's 63, nine shots under par, set a new course record, and held off a charging Rory McIlroy, who closed with a 66. Laird began the final round four shots behind third-round leader Billy Horschel, but shot a bogey-free closing round to earn his first win since 2011, when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational. McIlroy, who was six shots back of Horschel beginning the final round, finished two shots back of Laird for his best finish of the year. Horschel closed with a 71 to finish in a tie with Jim Furyk and Charley Hoffman.
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Published on Monday, 01 April 2013 07:06
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Written by Phil Clark
D.A. Points rolled in a 15-foot par putt on the final hole yesterday to capture the Shell Houston Open by one shot over Henrik Stenson and Billy Horschel. After a long rain delay, Points parred his final four holes to keep alive a streak of sorts. American golfers have won all 14 tour events this year. The win yesterday was a turnaround for Points, who had missed the cut in seven of nine previous tournaments this year. Using what he said was one of his mother's old putters, Points closed with a round of 66 for the win that earns him a two-year exemption and a trip to the Masters in two weeks. And, oh yes, a check for $1.116 million.
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Published on Monday, 18 March 2013 07:38
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Written by Phil Clark
Kevin Streelman isn't accustomed to hoisting the trophy. That changed yesterday when the journeyman PGA pro took the lead at the Tampa Bay Championship on the 13th hole on the way to a closing round of 67 to edge Boo Weekly by two shots for his first win in his 153 tour starts. Weekly, who teed off three hours before Streelman, posted he low score in the clubhouse with a closing round 63, the best round of the week. Former Georgia Tech standout Cameron Tringale had a closing round 66 to finish third.
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Published on Monday, 18 March 2013 07:37
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Written by Phil Clark
Stacy Lewis, the 2012 Rolex player of the year on the LPGA, yesterday climbed to the top spot in the world rankings when she took advantage of a mistake by Ai Miyazata to win the RR Donnely LPGA Founders Cup championship. With a half dozen of the pioneers of women's golf looking on, Lewis shot a closing round 8-under par 64, and took the lead on a 3-stroke swing at number sixteen when Miyazata, leading by two strokes a the time, hit her approach shot into a waste area and was forced to take a one-stroke penalty when her ball was unplayable. Lewis birdied the hole as Miyazata took a double bogey. Lewis put an exclamation point on the win when she birdied the final hole for a two shot victory.
