Friday, June 22, 2012
Aussie Green a contender in Connecticut
Australia's Nathan Green was a shot off the pace in a share of second position following the first round of the US PGA Tour event in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Green fired a 5-under-par 65 to be tied for second alongside American Will Claxton and Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson.
American David Mathis shot a hole-in-one on his way to hold a one-stroke lead.
Mathis started birdie, ace, birdie and rode that starting wave to a round of 6-under 64 on the TPC River Highlands lay-out.
The first round featured scorching temperatures and a hot pairing of major champions, with US Open victor Webb Simpson playing alongside fellow Americans Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley.
Masters champion Watson, a winner in Cromwell in 2010, started his round with consecutive birdies and the back nine with an eagle on the par-four 10th after holing out from 137 yards.
He finished with a 4-under 66 along with Simpson, who got to 5-under with a birdie at 15 but slipped back with a bogey at the next.
Bradley, winner of the 2011 PGA Championship, finished at 2-under.
Aside from Green, Australia's tilt features Aaron Baddeley and Greg Chalmers, who are in a 10-way share of 15th place on 3-under.
Reuters
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 22, 2012 10:03:37Webb in the mix at LPGA Championship
Australia's Karrie Webb was just one stroke off the lead following the third round of the LPGA Championship in Pittsford, New York.
Webb posted a 4-under-par 68 to be 3-under heading into the final round at the Locust Hill Country Club, a shot behind South Korea's Eun-Hee Ji, who recorded a 3-under 69.
"Whether I win tomorrow or not, just the feelings that I will have tomorrow with a chance to win is what I work hard for," Webb said.
"And I probably want it more now than I ever have in my career just because I don't feel it as often as I would like."
Webb says she expects the leaderboard to get extremely crowded on the final day.
"It's not just the people in the lead that have a chance to win," she said.
"I think my patience level has really been quite good - for me."
Ji had a bogey at the fourth which put her at minus-one, but she followed up with consecutive birdies.
On the back nine, Ji birdied 11 and 15 to compile a two-stroke lead, but a bogey at 16 brought her back. She parred the last two holes to maintain her lead.
Giulia Sergas moved back near the top of the leaderboard with four birdies on the front nine and finished with a 69. Sergas shared the first-round lead before shooting a 76 in the second round.
Sergas was tied at 2-under with Stacy Lewis, Suzann Pettersen and Inbee Park.
AFP/ABC
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 10, 2012 11:58:44McIlroy takes Memphis lead
Rory McIlroy birdied three of his last four holes to surge into a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Northern Irishman, who had missed the cut in his last three tournaments, appears to be getting his game back on track just in time for the defence of his US Open crown next week with a 5-under-par 65 to be 7-under for the tournament.
Locked in a three-way tie for second a stroke further back are overnight co-leader Jeff Maggert, who shot a 68, and fellow Americans JB Holmes (64) and Kevin Stadler (65).
McIlroy carded an eagle and five birdies to offset two bogeys, and narrowly missed out on a second eagle when he lipped out a putt of less than four feet on the par-five 16th hole.
Nick O'Hern leads the Australian charge to be in a six-way share of 12th position on 3-under after shooting a 67 in the second round.
Countryman Robert Allenby is a shot back in a tie for 18th place, having produced a par round of 70 after opening the tournament with a 2-under 68.
Reuters
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 09, 2012 10:46:53Feng wins LPGA Championship, first major for China
Feng Shanshan became the first Chinese golfer to win a major title by firing a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 on Monday morning to capture the LPGA Championship by two strokes.
The 22-year-old from Beijing, who began golfing at age 10 and came to America as a teen before joining the LPGA in 2008, took her first career LPGA triumph by finishing 72 holes at Locust Hill Country Club in New York state on 6-under 282.
"I still can't believe that I won a major. It just feels so good," Feng said.
"I'm just so excited right now. I did it."
Japan's Mika Miyazato, Norway's Suzann Pettersen, American Stacy Lewis and South Korean Eun-Hee Ji shared second on 284.
Australian Karrie Webb shot a final round of 72 to finish at 3-under in a tie for sixth place.
World number 10 Feng, whose victory was worth $US375,000, fired the low round of the week on the last day.
"My goal for the year was to win on the LPGA Tour and a top-10 in a major. I did them at one time," Feng said.
Feng birdied the par-4 second and sixth holes and added another at the par-5 eighth. As her rivals stumbled, Feng birdied the 12th and reached the 16th tee with a two-stroke edge on the field.
Miyazato sank a 10-foot birdie putt at 17th hole to pull within one stroke of Feng and sank a six-foot par putt at 18, but needed a stumble from Feng that never came.
Feng parred the 16th and sank an eight-footer birdie putt at the 17th, stretching her advantage to two strokes at the 18th tee.
Feng sank a tricky, breaking four-foot downhill putt for par at the 18th to claim the clubhouse lead, then watched as a handful of rivals needing eagles and birdies to force a playoff failed to match her.
In a strong amateur career in China, Feng won nine titles, including the China Women's Amateur title from 2004 through 2006.
Feng shared the runner-up spot in February's HSBC Women's Champions event in Singapore to match her best LPGA result to that point, runner-up efforts in last year's Mizuno Classic and the 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic.
"This means a lot for me," Feng said. "This is my fifth year on the tour. I had no winning. I was down. I was thinking, 'Could I win again?' Now I know I can win again."
Pettersen, who had shared the lead with Feng on the back nine, took bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes to stumble off the pace and not even a birdie at the 17th could put her back in the hunt.
AFP
Tags: golf, sport, united-states, china First posted June 11, 2012 09:31:28Furyk and McDowell share US Open lead
Former champions Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell charged into a share of the lead in the third round of the US Open on Sunday (AEST), while Tiger Woods slipped down a congested leaderboard but still has the chance to end his major championship drought.
Australia's John Senden is also in contention after firing an impressive 2-under par 68 to move into a tie for eighth at 3-over-par overall, just four strokes behind Furyk and McDowell going into the final round.
Adam Scott is the next best Australian at 6-over for the tournament, while Rod Pampling (74), Alistair Presnell (75) and Jason Day (76) are well out of contention after enduring forgettable third rounds.
Furyk, the 2003 US Open winner, put himself in contention for a second major title after shooting an even-par 70 to remain at 1-under heading into the final day, which has all the makings of a grandstand finish with more than a dozen players within five strokes of the leading pair at the Olympic Club.
McDowell, who won the 2010 US Open at nearby Pebble Beach, joined the American at the top after capping his impressive round of 68 with a birdie at the 18th.
Sweden's Fredrik Jacobsen also shot a 68 to finish alone in third, two shots behind the leaders, with England's Lee Westwood (67), Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts (71), American Blake Adams (70) and South Africa's Ernie Els (68) a shot further back.
John Peterson (72) had a hole-in-one at the 180-yard 13th to join Webb Simpson (68), Jason Dufner (70), Kevin Chappell (68), Senden (68) and teenage amateur Beau Hossler (70) at 3-over.
Woods was tied for 14th at 4-over following his 75. He had started the day tied for the lead at 1-under with Furyk and David Toms, who fell to 5-over after a 76.
Seven different players had a share of the lead at some stage in the round but it was Furyk and McDowell on top at the end of a riveting day's golf in northern California.
Furyk rebounded from two early bogeys to birdie the 268-yard seventh hole when he got up and down from a greenside bunker and then birdied the par-4 11th when he drained a 12-foot putt.
He dropped another shot on the 16th but two-putted the par-5 17th to get back in red numbers.
Woods, bidding to win his first major in four years, made a terrible start when he bogeyed four of the first eight holes then finished poorly with bogeys in two of his last three holes.
McDowell navigated his way through the treacherous first six holes with a string of pars but dropped a shot on the ninth when he hit his approach into the trees.
The Northern Irishman made amends with a birdie on the 10th and 13th then picked up another shot at the last when he struck his approach to within five feet of the pin.
Westwood drained a monster putt on the final hole for his fifth birdie of the round to give himself a real chance of winning his first major after seven top-three finishes during his career.
"Every time you get yourself in contention you learn something new," Westwood said.
"I've picked little bits out of all of those, but the main thing is just to go out there and believe that I'm good enough."
Els, who won the US Open twice in the mid 1990s, had the huge galleries roaring with excitement when he chipped in for eagle at the 17th after a terrible start to his round with three bogeys in the first five holes.
"The shot on 17 is what dreams are made of," he said.
"I guess it was about a probably almost a 50 yard shot almost into the hole so it's one of those one-in-a-thousand shots."
ABC/Reuters
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 17, 2012 13:15:27Young gun Zhang living Open dream
The big sigh said it all -- 14-year-old Andy Zhang had just negotiated another nerve-wracking US Open moment with a formal pre-tournament press conference.
"I am shaking a little right now just sitting here," the Beijing-born Zhang confided from behind the big desk on a platform in the interview room.
"I heard Jack Nicklaus was sitting in this chair this morning ... so I'm trying to get used to this."
Having narrowly failed to qualify for the year's second major, Zhang suddenly found himself propelled into the tournament on Monday due to last minute entry adjustments and injury withdrawals.
He'll be 14 1/2 years old when he tees off on Thursday and thought to be the youngest ever to play in the US Open.
The US Golf Association's records on contestants don't go back for all 111 prior Opens, so officials confirm he's the youngest "Since World War II" surpassing the previous mark of Tadd Fujikawa, who was 15 years old when he played at Winged Foot in 2006.
"I never thought I could get here this early," said Zhang, whose father told him just to try hard and enjoy himself in local qualifying.
When he advanced to sectional competition, he got the same advice, and when he lost a play-off for an Open berth but made the alternates' list, his father told him to make the most of his access to the Open practice facilities at The Olympic Club.
Travelling to San Francisco, Zhang wondered if it would be OK to ask stars such as Tiger Woods for an autograph.
"And I came here and everybody knows me for some reason. Yeah, I'm signing autographs!"
At six feet tall, and 77 kilograms, Zhang looks the part walking Olympic's daunting Lake Course, but up-close his fresh face and braces signal he is no veteran.
He has lived in the United States since he was 10, and had to pause a moment before coming up with an answer to one question in Mandarin.
Zhang played a practice round with Masters champion Bubba Watson and Australia's Aaron Baddeley on Tuesday.
He did get his meeting with Woods, early Tuesday morning at the driving range.
"I looked back and it was Tiger walking up," Zhang said. "I got really excited and he actually came up to me and shook my hand and I was like, 'Wow, I just shook Tiger's hand.'"
And if he hadn't made it into the US Open field, what would he be doing come Thursday?
"Oh, if I'm not playing the US Open? I would probably be in Florida right now watching the US Open. But I would be still practicing and just working hard for next year."
AFP
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 14, 2012 10:05:38Furyk, McDowell set to battle stingy Olympic
Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk share a two-shot lead going into today's final round of the US Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, where the early scores were further sign of just what they were in for.
The two former champions were the only players under par after three rounds, sharing the lead on 1-under 209.
They were due to tee off at 8:10am (AEST), under increasingly overcast skies and with a chilly breeze doing the job of drying and firming the par-70 hillside course.
Among the early starters, Zach Johnson proved there were birdies to be had as he strung together three straight from the seventh hole.
But he also had three bogeys to stand even for the day and still 10-over for the tournament through 11 holes.
Italy's Francesco Molinari opened with a double bogey at the daunting par-four first - playing at 532 yards on Monday (AEST) - but nabbed three birdies to be among the handful to dip below par for the day in the early going.
Joe Ogilvie, out in the first group, staggered home with a 9-over 79 for a 23-over total of 303 and said the speed of the greens on the back nine was devastating.
Both McDowell and Furyk already knew that dogged tenacity would be needed, along with a big dollop of patience in the face of inevitable disasters.
As Furyk put it: "stuff happens at US Opens sometimes."
The 15 players within five shots of the lead included a wealth of talent and experience.
While fans were sure to focus on 14-time major champion Tiger Woods - five shots off the lead - McDowell noted world number three Lee Westwood and two-time champion Ernie Els just three shots back.
"Looking at the leaderboard, you've got to look down as far as the guys at three or four (over) as having a realistic chance of winning this tournament."
AFP
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 18, 2012 07:04:17Webb struggling at LPGA Championships
Karrie Webb was the best-placed Australian following the opening round of the LPGA Championship in Pittsford, New York.
The 2001 winner posted a 2-over-par 74 at the Locust Hill Country Club to be sitting in a share of 39th place five shots adrift of the three leaders - Spain's Beatriz Recari, American Ryann O'Toole and Italy's Giulia Sergas.
Webb is followed by fellow Australians Wendy Doolan, Katherine Hull and Sarah-Jane Smith, who are all a stroke further back.
World number one Yani Tseng struggled to produce a 4-over 76.
Reuters
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 08, 2012 13:27:28Simpson fends off McDowell to win US Open
Webb Simpson has won the US Open at San Francisco's Olympic Club after his superb chip out of the rough on the 18th hole proved decisive.
And in the aftermath of his one-stroke win, he seemed more surprised to find himself sitting beside the trophy than the string of major champions he left in his wake.
"To be honest, I never really wrapped my mind around winning," said Simpson, who put together back-to-back rounds of 68 to finish 1-over-par and one stroke in front of former champion Graeme McDowell and Michael Thompson.
Simpson came out on top on a day that saw former champion Jim Furyk lead most of the way, two-time champions Ernie Els and Retief Goosen make an impression on the leaderboard and Ireland's three-time major winner Padraig Harrington make a late run.
The best of the Australians was John Senden, who briefly found himself in a large group battling for the title before ultimately posting a 2-over-par 72 to finish in a tie for 10th.
Adam Scott carded a 70 for the third day in a row to finish in a tie for 15th, while fellow Aussies Alistair Presnell (70), Jason Day (73) and Rod Pampling (78) ended their campaigns with mixed results.
If 14-time major champion Tiger Woods was conspicuously absent from the leaderboard, he was still on Simpson's mind.
"One of my thoughts on the back nine was "I don't know how Tiger has won 14 of these things," Simpson said.
"I couldn't feel my legs on the back nine."
The affable 26-year-old from North Carolina, who won his first two titles on the US tour last year and challenged Luke Donald for the money title late last season, was playing just his second US Open.
He was not ashamed to admit to nerves - before the round, during the round and even after the round as he waited to see if McDowell or Furyk could force a play-off.
"I was so nervous all day, but especially there at the end," said Simpson, who did a quick TV interview after his round then settled in with his wife Dowd in a quiet spot to watch the overnight leaders finish.
"We tried to watch videos of our son James that we have on our phone, and we did that to stay calm," he said.
When McDowell's putt to force a play-off slid past the hole, Simpson could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The text messages of congratulations came flooding in, but Simpson said he was still having trouble getting to grips with his achievement.
On his caddie's advice, he had not looked at a leaderboard since his second bogey of the day at the fifth hole until he wrapped his round to cheers at 18.
"The crowd was kind of telling me where I stood," he said.
"They were getting louder and really pulling for me, which I appreciated.
"I putted out on 18 and that was the first time I looked since early on the front nine, and I knew it was going to be close coming in."
Simpson jump started his round with a birdie at the par-four sixth, which yielded just two birdies on Sunday.
"It's one of the toughest on the golf course because our driver gets to the bunker and our three-wood doesn't," he said.
"My caddie kind of talked me into hitting a driver on the weekend ... today it set us up for a seven-iron.
"It ended up about five feet and made birdie."
He also birdied the next two and picked up another shot at the 10th.
Simpson, who pocketed $US1.44 million for the victory, said that even after his break-out 2011 season, he did not feel he was necessarily homing in on a major victory.
His aim, he said, was just to keep improving.
"I wanted to just come out and continue to improve my game, continue to improve my mental capacity to play well in tournaments," he said.
"I've had a slow year compared to last year, but I've been pleased because I felt like I was getting better."
AFP/ABC
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 18, 2012 10:30:55Woods off to strong start at US Open
Tiger Woods got his bid to win a fourth US Open title, four years after he won his last major, off to a strong start at The Olympic Club in San Francisco on Friday (AEST).
The 14-time major winner looked comfortable and confident throughout his early morning round as he carded a 1-under par 69, which left him in equal second position, three strokes off the lead.
Leading the way was 27-year-old US qualifier Michael Thompson who came in with a pace-setting 4-under 66.
Thompson, a runner-up in the US Amateur Championship at Olympic in 2007, had seven birdies against three bogeys in his round of 66.
"This is one of my favourite golf courses. So I've got good feelings coming in here. I just got the putter hot today," he said
Australia's Alistair Presnell is only a stroke behind Woods and his compatriot David Toms after carding an impressive 70 in his opening round.
Fellow Aussies Rod Pampling (74), Brendan Jones (76), Adam Scott (76) and Anthony Summers (76) all struggled on the tough Lake Course layout.
John Senden, Aaron Baddeley, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy are yet to complete their opening rounds.
Woods' playing partner Phil Mickelson struggled badly, losing a ball in the gnarled Monterey Cypress trees with his opening drive and never really settling into his game after that as he limped along to a 6-over 76.
The final member of what was the day's glamour grouping, Masters champion Bubba Watson, fared even worse as he sprayed the ball off the tee en route to an horrendous 78.
"I had a good game plan going in and I executed all the way through and ended up with a score under par. Which was nice," the 36-year-old, former world number one Woods said.
"I felt very pleased with every facet of my game and I stayed very patient out there."
With all of the morning groupings back in the clubhouse, only three players in a field of 156 had managed to duck under par on the rolling par-70 course, rated to be one of the toughest in years to host the US Open.
Woods was coming off a win in his last tournament, The Memorial, but has struggled for consistency of late, best illustrated by a tie for 40th in the Masters in April - the worst performance of his professional career in the year's first major.
Starting from the ninth hole, the 36-year-old former world number one found the first four fairways as he opened with five straight pars.
A bogey on the 14th was cancelled by a birdie on the par-five 17th where he holed from four feet as he went out in level par 36.
Woods then stayed steady through the Lake Course's feared opening six holes highlighted by back-to-back bidies at the fourth and fifth - where he sunk putts from 10 feet and then 30 feet.
He dropped one though at the next after failing to get up and down from a bunker having pushed his approach shot, and parred his way in from there.
His 69 was his best start in a US open for a decade.
Level with Woods on 69 was former USPGA winner Toms, with five players - 17-year-old US amateur Beau Hossler, US qualifier Jason Bohn, J.B. Park of South Korea, Sweden's Robert Karlsson and Australia's Presnall- all level on par at 70.
Chinese teenager Andy Zhang endured a debut round to forget after he fired a 9-over 79 in a nightmare first round.
The 14-year-old is believed to be the youngest player ever to compete in the US Open, which was first held in 1895.
And his lack of experience at this level and on such a demanding layout was cruelly exposed from the off as he opened triple-double bogey followed by three more bogeys to stand at a morale-sapping eight over after just five holes, before eventually carding a 79.
Sounding slightly shell-shocked, but not too distraught, Zhang - who made it into the field only on Monday after being the fifth alternate through qualifying - admitted that he had been up against it throughout his round.
"The course is really tough, so I'm actually OK with what I shot today," Zhang said.
"At least I broke 80."
ABC/AFP
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 15, 2012 09:33:27Thursday, June 21, 2012
Day ready to put baby before US Open
Jason Day says he will quit the US Open, even if he is leading the tournament, if his wife Ellie goes into premature labour.
Day is in San Francisco preparing for the year's second major championship, starting on Thursday at Olympic Club, but his thoughts are also with his wife back home in Ohio awaiting the birth of their first child due in four weeks.
Runner-up to Rory McIlroy in the US Open last year and rated a decent chance to go one better on Sunday, Day confirmed he was making contingency plans to rush home immediately should the call come.
"We will have planes on hold for an emergency," Day said.
"If I am doing well at the US Open and for some reason she goes into labour - I don't care about the tournament, I have to be there for the birth.
"It might sound stupid to some people to say if you're leading a major you will just leave but family comes first and I'll do that.
"My family will be there my whole life, golf won't.
"Hopefully the timing works out that there aren't any issues."
Englishman Ross Fisher famously made a similar statement when contending in the 2009 British Open.
He led early in the final round but finished tied for 13th and thankfully was not required to make the mercy dash.
Day comes into the Open in much different circumstances to last season.
Although he finished a distant eight shots behind McIlroy at Congressional, Day's 8-under-par total would have been good enough to win or tie every other US Open bar Tiger Woods' 15-shot victory at Pebble Beach in 2000.
He played his last 45 holes without a bogey, a feat which historians believe to be a US Open record streak for bogey-free holes.
His 9-under-par weekend was the second-best all-time in this major championship.
It was his third consecutive top 10 in majors, his second straight runner-up finish in a major, and his fifth top-10 from the last six starts.
Fast forward to 2012 and Day's year has been punctuated by injury and the off course distraction of the pregnancy.
He has two top-10 finishes but withdrew from the Masters midway through the second round with an ankle injury and has missed the cut in two of his last three starts.
"This year has been a really tough year mentally," Day admitted.
"I have been distracted. And it's hard as I expect so much of myself. I expect to go out and play well every single week and when it doesn't happen I get frustrated.
"I'm not hitting it the greatest. It feels a little cold right now but it's still early in the year and I'm ready to work hard and see how it goes.
"I really want to do well so I hope it all clicks this week."
Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley, John Senden, Brendan Jones, Anthony Summers, Rod Pampling and Alistair Presnell round out the Australian tilt looking for the country's first major in six years.
AAP
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 12, 2012 16:08:49O'Hern shares Memphis lead
Australia's Nick O'Hern grabbed a share of the lead heading into the final round of the St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
O'Hern birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th holes in his third round to fire a 3-under-par 67 to be tied for the lead at 6-under alongside American duo Davis Love and John Merrick.
Another Australian Robert Allenby is only a stroke off the leading trio, having moved into a six-way share of fourth place following his round of 67.
Reigning US Open champion Rory McIlroy is amongst that group, having struggled to a 2-over 72 to fall from the lead.
McIlroy, ranked second in the world, led by a stroke when the day began after an impressive 65 in the second round but made six bogeys against four birdies.
"It was a very testing day with the conditions," he said. "I definitely didn't feel as comfortable with my game as I did yesterday.
"So, you know, it was a good experience for me just to try and do what I've been working on in my swing and under real competitive pressure.
"For the most part, I held up pretty well. Few missed shots out there. I'm only one off the lead and still in a good position."
McIlroy will defend his US Open title in San Francisco next week.
AFP/ABC
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 10, 2012 11:22:46Woods grabs a share of lead at US Open
Tiger Woods recovered from three straight bogeys to grab a share of the clubhouse lead in the second round of the US Open on Saturday (AEST) after defending champion Rory McIlroy missed the cut.
Starting the day tied for second place at 1-under par, Woods had the galleries buzzing as he snatched the outright lead when he birdied the 247-yard third hole and overnight pacesetter Michael Thompson double-bogeyed his third hole of the round.
But the former world number one, looking to end a four-year drought in the majors, immediately slipped back down the leaderboard when he bogeyed the fifth, sixth and seventh holes at the Olympic Club.
Woods then regained his composure and played the back nine in two under to finish with an even par 70 and a 36-hole total of one-under-par.
That left him in a share for the lead with the 2003 US Open champion Jim Furyk, who signed for a 69, and the 2001 PGA Championship winner David Toms, who carded a 70.
Four players, including Thompson and the 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, were a further stroke back at one over.
Needing to shoot a low score to make the cut after opening the tournament with a 77, McIlroy fell further behind after carding a 73 to finish at 10 over.
The Northern Irishman had a birdie putt on the last hole to get to eight over and make the cut but three-putted for a bogey.
"To be honest, overall I don't feel like I played that badly for the last two days," McIlroy said.
"It's just such a demanding golf course and just punishes the slightest shot that's off line or that's maybe not the right distance or whatever."
World number one Luke Donald, playing in the same group as McIlroy, also missed the cut after finishing at 11 over. The Englishman shot a respectable 72 but blew his chances on the first day when he signed for a 79.
"It was a little better today, but little consolation, obviously. It's not going to be good enough to play the weekend," he said.
While most of the top professionals struggled to survive on the notoriously difficult course, Furyk calmly plotted his way around the layout, undaunted by the tight fairways, thick rough and slick greens.
"I guess you have to realise at the US Open that par is a really good score and you're going to make some bogeys," the 42-year-old said.
"And when I'm patient, when I'm playing well, I've had some success here. Mentally you have to be in a good frame of mind, and physically you have to be on top of a lot of areas of your game."
McDowell carded a 72, although it could have been much better. The Northern Irishman was at 2-under late in his round before he stumbled with three bogeys over his last four holes.
"That's what this golf course can do to you in a heart-beat," McDowell said.
"To be honest with you, if you had offered me one over par starting on the first tee yesterday, having seen what I saw yesterday morning, I would have probably snapped your arm off for it."
Reuters
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 16, 2012 12:46:01Allenby in Memphis mix
Australia's Robert Allenby was two shots off the pace following the opening round of the St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
Allenby carded a two-under-par 68 to to be alongside US Open champion Rory McIlroy in a 11-way share of seventh place.
American John Merrick bogeyed the 18th hole to fall into a tie with fellow American Jeff Maggert for the lead at 4-under.
Merrick and 2006 tournament winner Maggert registered 66s on a day that grew increasingly windy and featured a crowded leaderboard with 15 players within two strokes of the leaders.
Tied for third at 67 were Americans Jeff Overton and JJ Henry, along with India's Arjun Atwal and Noh Seung-yul of South Korea.
Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson will tee off together in the opening round of next week's US Open at the Olympic club in San Francisco.
The trio have been grouped together ,with Watson coming off April's Masters win at Augusta.
McIlroy will begin the defence of his title alongside world number one Luke Donald of England, while Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day have drawn major winners Keegan Bradley (US PGA, 2011) and Louis Oosthuizen (British Open, 2010) in their respective groupings.
ABC/Reuters
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 08, 2012 11:50:43Pak leads LPGA Championship
Three-time champion Se Ri Pak of South Korea pushed past a quartet of rivals to seize the 36-hole lead at the LPGA Championship in Pittsford, New York.
Pak, winner of five major LPGA titles, shot a 1-under-par 71 for a 3-under total on a difficult day for scoring on a Locust Hill Country Club course lined with deep, unforgiving rough for the second women's major of the year.
Tied one stroke back were 2010 US Open champions Paula Creamer, who shot level par 72, 2008 US Open winner Park In-bee of South Korea (70), Japan's Mika Miyazato (72) and Sandra Gal of Germany (71).
Six players were bunched another shot back at 1-under-par, including former champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway.
Karrie Webb was the best-placed Australian on one-over for the tournament in a seven-way share of 19th position, having fired a 1-under 71 in the second round.
Defending champion Yani Tseng of Taiwan, who won the title last year by 10 strokes, made the cut without a stroke to spare after a three-over 75 left her with a two-day total of 7-over.
Reuters
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 09, 2012 10:31:01Presnell delights in major debut
All Alistair Presnell's mother Fiona asked her son for her birthday was a nice score in his major championship debut. She received it - and then some.
On a day when the top three players in the world were collectively 19-over-par - four-time major winner Phil Mickelson six-over and Masters champion Bubba Watson eight-over - Presnell fired an even-par 70 at the US Open to sit in a tie for seventh.
Despite admitting to fits of nerves throughout his debut round in major championship golf, the 33-year-old Victorian held strong to find himself just four shots off leader Michael Thompson's 66, and just one back from the logjam of five players at one-under.
Tiger Woods headlines those with a 69 on the books, joined by David Toms, Nick Watney, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell.
Presnell's opening tee shot was a self-confessed 'skank' of a strike and it led to a bogey but, from then on, he displayed extreme fortitude to navigate the tough layout.
"I was certainly nervous. I'm still nervous," Presnell said.
"But I'm absolutely thrilled with the round.
"Even if you had offered me a few more over par at the start of the round, I probably would have taken it.
"To do that on day one in my first major was terrific."
Presnell admitted the butterflies had gripped his stomach when his name was announced on the first tee and he battled them throughout.
"Why pick on the first hole? The nerves were still rocking and rolling on the 18th green," he said.
"I completely skanked my first tee shot and probably standing on the seventh tee was the most nervous I had felt but I hit probably my best tee shot of the day up onto the green and two-putted for my first birdie to get it back to even-par.
"From there on, I felt a lot more comfortable."
Fiona Presnell enjoyed one of her best birthdays watching in the gallery.
She had recently been in the US supporting Alistair on the Nationwide Tour and was flying back across the Pacific when her son qualified for his first major, only finding out on touchdown in Melbourne.
She had no trouble turning around and flying right back.
"I am ecstatic. I was nervous, excited, and just so proud of him just to be here, so to see him play so well was so great," Fiona said.
"I wasn't surprised he did well because I know how good he is with his long irons and you need those at this course.
"There is no better birthday present then this."
Presnell expected the nerves to remain throughout the tournament but he is confident he can keep a lid on them and remain in the mix.
"It's (nerves) something I have worked on with my mind coach whether it be the Rex Open on the Nationwide Tour or here at a major," he said.
"Just going through my routine and trying to keep it as simple as possible is the plan.
"It's hard not to think of where you are with the crowds roaring and Tiger lurking nearby but you can't win it today and you can't win it tomorrow.
"So tomorrow, I'll be starting at even-par again and looking for another solid performance. If I can do that, I'll have accomplished my goal and can go from there."
AAP
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 15, 2012 13:25:10Johnson wins after McIlroy's last-hole stumble
Dustin Johnson birdied two of the last three holes on Monday morning to win the US PGA St Jude Classic after reigning US Open champion Rory McIlroy's hopes ended with a double bogey on the last hole.
Johnson captured his sixth US PGA victory at the $US5.6 million event in Memphis, his first since last year's Barclays, by firing a final-round 66, 4-under par, that included birdies at the par-5 16th and par-4 17th holes.
Australia's Nick O'Hern was two shots behind on 7-under 273, while compatriot Robert Allenby finished in shared seventh spot on 274.
Johnson finished 72 holes on 9-under 271, one stroke ahead of fellow American John Merrick and two in front of O'Hern and Americans Davis Love, Ryan Palmer and Chad Campbell.
Northern Ireland's McIlroy, who defends his US Open crown starting Thursday at The Olympic Club, was among half a dozen contenders within a stroke of the lead over the final holes at TPC Southwind.
McIlroy birdied the second, fourth and seventh holes and added another at the par-3 11th to put himself in the title hunt. Even after bogeys at the 12th and 14th, he was among the leaders.
A birdie at the par-4 17th gave him a share of the lead at 8-under, but McIlroy's double bogey at 18 left him with a 69 to share seventh on 274 with Australia's Allenby, American Ken Duke and South Korean Seung-Yul Noh.
Johnson started well with an opening birdie and back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh before closing the front nine with his lone bogey of the day, then making six pars before his back-to-back bogeys and a closing par to win.
Merrick birdied the 15th an 16th but was undone by his double bogey at 12 while Campbell and O'Hern were undone by bogeys at 18.
AFP
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted June 11, 2012 09:04:34Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Aussies struggle as Levin takes charge
The Australian tilt at the US PGA Memorial tournament nose-dived as American Spencer Levin took charge in the third round at Muirfield Village in Ohio.
Levin fired a 3-under par 69 to move to eight under par for the tournament, one clear of South African Rory Sabbatini (71), three clear of Rickie Fowler (69) and four ahead of 14-time major champion Tiger Woods (73).
Aaron Baddeley (73) remains an outside chance of victory at two under par in a tie for eighth, six back of the leader.
Baddeley's one over round was the equal best of the eight remaining Australian's who averaged 75.63 on a windy day in Ohio.
Levin joined the lead with a birdie on the second hole, a spot he would not relinquish all day.
A hole out eagle from the back of the green on the fifth shot him two clear before he added a birdie on the sixth to blitz three clear.
The Californian native gave a shot back on the seventh but nailed another birdie on the ninth and then chipped in for his fourth birdie of the day a hole later to be double digits under par and four clear.
A bogey on the 12th and another on the 16th stalled him a little but a clutch par save on the 17th ensured he would play in the final group for just the second time in his career.
Earlier this season he took a six shot lead into the final round of the Phoenix Open only to shoot a 75 and lose by two shots.
Woods looked primed for a big day when he rolled in a 21-foot birdie on the first to join the lead.
But as Levin charged Woods managed just one other birdie on the front nine and had four bogeys on the back.
"I certainly probably shot the highest score I could have shot today considering the way I hit it," Woods said.
"But I'm only four back, and out here with the conditions supposed to be like this tomorrow again, anything can happen."
Baddeley uncharacteristically three-putted the second green for bogey before unleashing on the par five fifth where he watched a 32-foot eagle putt barely miss but tapped in for birdie.
The Victorian then attacked the second par five of the front nine, but saw his three wood drop about five yards short into the greenside bunker.
He produced a near precision shot from the sand and the ball caught the hole but somehow rimmed out.
The resulting birdie briefly had him within two of the lead. Sand saves on the next three holes kept him inside the main contenders but a loose tee shot on the par three 12th resulted in a bogey.
The 31-year-old then had chances for birdie on the 13th, 15th and 16th holes but could not get the ball to drop and actually three-putted from 10-feet on 16 to drop another shot.
Two separate 15-foot par saves on the closing two holes helped save his mood going into Sunday.
Greg Chalmers and Adam Scott started the day just four off the lead but shot five-over 77s to drop to three over, 11 off the pace.
AAP
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 03, 2012 10:26:38Tiger claims Memorial to match Nicklaus on 73 wins
Tiger Woods birdied three of the last four holes, one with an amazing chip shot, to win the PGA Memorial tournament in Ohio on Monday (AEST) and match host Jack Nicklaus for second on the all-time victory list.
Woods captured his 73rd career title with a 5-under par 67 final round, putting him on 9-under par 279 after 72 holes, two strokes ahead of South African Rory Sabbatini and Argentina's Andres Romero.
"I hit it good today," Woods said.
"That was some good stuff out there. I never really missed a shot. I hit it great. I had the pace of the greens really nice and I made a few putts."
Added to the legend of Woods was another spectacular shot - the superstar blasting out of the rough for a 48-foot chip-in birdie on the par-3 16th hole to seize a share of the lead.
"That was one of the most incredible golf shots I think you will ever see played," said Nicklaus, serving as a US television commentator.
"That was an unbelievable shot. That was the most unbelievable gutsy shot I've ever seen. If he hits it long the tournament is over. If he hits it short the tournament is over. He puts it in the hole."
Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the all-time record of 18 major titles won by Nicklaus, pulled even with the legend in all-time US PGA wins, both now nine adrift of Sam Snead's record 82 triumphs.
"It has been a pretty nice run since I turned pro," Woods said.
"To do it at age 36, that's not too shabby. I have been very proud of what I have done so far. I have a lot of good years ahead of me."
The victory comes two weeks before Woods will try to move closer to Nicklaus on the major win list at the US Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
"At Olympic, we're all going to have to hit the ball great," Woods said.
Nicklaus, who won the last of his titles at the 1986 Masters at age 46, designed the Muirfield Village course where Woods has won five Memorial crowns - in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and this year.
But nothing in any of them was like the birdie Woods sank at the 16th, when he blasted the ball high out of the rough, landing it just on the green, and then watched it roll into the cup.
Woods reacted with a right fist pump, a double downward fist pump and another right fist pump, all while screaming with joy as the crowd roared in delight.
"I just hit it perfect," Woods said.
As Woods walked off the course, Nicklaus told him, "That shot at 16 was the best I've ever seen here."
Woods had snapped a 17-month win drought at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March at Bay Hill, but was lacklustre since then, sharing 40th at the Masters and Players Championship and missing the cut at Quail Hollow.
Woods, who last won a major title at the 2008 US Open, had not won an event in which he was not the 54-hole leader since 2009.
Woods birdied the par-4 second and ran off three birdies in a row starting at the par-5 fifth and ending at the par-5 seventh, but stumbled with bogeys at the par-3 eighth and par-4 10th, stalling him two strokes off the pace.
But 54-hole leader Spencer Levin stumbled with bogeys at the 10th and 12th holes and a double bogey at the par-4 13th.
Sabbatini charged to the top at eight-under with birdies at the par-5 11th and par-3 12th and Romero added to the pressure with an eagle at the par-5 15th and a closing birdie to reach the clubhouse on 281.
That is when Woods charged. He missed a 43-foot eagle putt at the 15th but tapped in for a birdie to pull within one of Sabbatini.
Then came his amazing shot at the 16th, but that only put him level with the South African. Sabbatini followed, however, with a bogey at the 16th to give Woods the lead alone and Woods followed with a nine-foot birdie putt at 18.
When Sabbatini failed to hole his approach shot at the 18th, the last hope of denying Woods was dashed.
AFP
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 04, 2012 08:08:42Saturday, June 2, 2012
Stallings and Levin set pace at soggy Memorial
American journeymen Scott Stallings and Spencer Levin survived tough, windy conditions to hold an early share of the second-round lead at the rain-hit Memorial tournament on Saturday (AEST) as temperatures plunged.
Australian Aaron Baddeley is two-shots off the lead with compatriots Adam Scott and Greg Chalmers in a tie for 12th at 2-under-par.
It was another round to forget for North Irish world number two Rory McIlroy, as he fired a 7-over 79 to miss the cut for the third tournament in a row.
Overnight pacesetter Stallings carded a 1-over-par 73 and Levin a 72 on a soggy, ultra-long Muirfield Village layout to finish level at 5-under 139 after play had earlier been suspended for just under two hours due to heavy rain.
While former British Open winners Louis Oosthuizen and Ben Curtis, along with Masters champion Bubba Watson, were likely to miss the cut, Stallings and Levin limited the damage late in their respective rounds as the wind intensified.
Daniel Summerhays carded a 71 to lie one stroke off the pace at 140, one better than fellow Americans Troy Matteson (69) and Jonathan Byrd (70).
Australian Adam Scott briefly got to six under but he dropped four shots over his last eight holes for a 72 to finish at two under.
That put Scott level with Swede Henrik Stenson (68), Japan's Ryo Ishikawa (70) and Americans Lucas Glover (68), Dustin Johnson (71), Rickie Fowler (71) and Erik Compton (75).
With the temperatures peaking at around 16 degrees Celsius, Stallings recovered from a faltering run of three bogeys in four holes to join Levin at the top.
"I'm just happy to be done. It was a long day," Stallings, who had led by one shot overnight, told reporters after mixing four birdies with five bogeys.
"The wind completely changed, the fairways were not running and the greens were a lot softer. So you kind of had to be pretty creative in how you were going about it."
Stallings covered his final holes in level-par 36 to stay level with Levin, who had completed his round earlier.
"It was difficult today," said Levin, who has yet to win on the PGA Tour.
"This course, when it's firm and fast, it's hard, but then when it's wet and rainy it's a different kind of hard because the ball goes way shorter, the rough plays thicker.
American Steve Stricker, who won last year's Memorial tournament, carded a 70 to finish at one under, two strokes better than South African former world number one Ernie Els (75).
ABC/Reuters
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 02, 2012 10:41:04Friday, June 1, 2012
Stallings sets Memorial pace, Tiger four back
Tiger Woods has moved into contention at the Memorial tournament on Friday (AEST) despite not playing at his best, while fellow American Scott Stallings returned to with a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead.
Four-times champion Woods birdied three of the four par-fives in surprisingly firm and fast-running conditions at a sun-drenched Muirfield Village Golf Club to card a 2-under-par 70, finishing four strokes behind Stallings.
Americans Spencer Levin, who totalled only 21 putts for the round, and Erik Compton opened with 67s while Australian Aaron Baddeley, South African Rory Sabbatini and Argentina's Andres Romero were among a group of seven players tied on 69.
Woods, who won the most recent of his four titles here in 2009, was reasonably satisfied after mixing four birdies with a double-bogey at the treacherous par-four 18th, his ninth hole of the day.
"It was just a solid round today," the 36-year-old told reporters.
"It certainly could have been a lot lower, but I'm pleased with the way I hit the golf ball today. I didn't do anything great and I didn't do anything poorly today.
"The golf course was playing quick and the fairways were starting to chase a little bit. The greens were somewhat receptive. It's a hell of a test out there, really."
Stallings, who has missed the cut in his last six PGA Tour events while struggling to cope with a lingering rib injury, rocketed to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies in his last four holes.
"It was a great start," said the 27-year-old American who won his only title on the US circuit in his rookie season at the 2011 Greenbrier Classic.
"I definitely haven't played very good up to this point. Lacklustre would be an understatement.
"But I stayed positive all throughout being injured and stuff like that. I kept telling myself that it was only a matter of time before a round like this was coming around."
British world number one Luke Donald and second-ranked Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy were relatively pleased with their scores, though both had to negotiate adversity before carding matching 71s.
"Hopefully that's my loose round out of the way," said Donald, who recovered from a double-bogey at the 18th, his ninth hole of the day.
"I didn't hit the ball well and I was scrambling a lot. But fortunately I putted pretty well, and I'm pretty happy with the score in the end. This course is tricky.
"There are some tougher pins out there today and overall I'll take one under and try and play better the next three days," added the Englishman who won the European Tour's flagship PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.
McIlroy faced a much bigger hill to climb after he ran up an ugly quadruple-bogey seven at the par-three 12th, his third hole of the round.
"It wasn't the start that I wanted to get off to, being four over through three holes, especially after the last few weeks," said the 23-year-old, who has missed the cut in his last two tournaments.
"I was just like, 'Here we go again'. But I hung in there well, and proud of myself for the way I just fought back. To finish the round under par I thought was a really good effort."
Steve Stricker, who won last year's Memorial tournament, bogeyed four of his last six holes to open with a 1-over 73 while fellow American and Masters champion Bubba Watson carded a 3-over 75.
Four-times major champion Phil Mickelson withdrew from the tournament after shooting a 7-over 79, citing fatigue.
Reuters
Tags: sport, golf, united-states First posted June 01, 2012 11:59:27