McIlroy seizes lead with number one in sight

Updated March 05, 2012 09:33:21

Rory McIlroy moved within one round of seizing golf's number one world ranking on Sunday (AEDT) as he claimed a two-shot lead at the US PGA event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland, who can supplant England's Luke Donald atop the rankings with a victory, capped a four-under 66 on the par-70 PGA National course with a birdie from a bunker at the par-five 18th and had a 54-hole total of 11-under 199.

He was two strokes in front of Americans Harris English and Tom Gillis, with reigning PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, England's Justin Rose and Brian Harman a further shot back.

McIlroy joined Gillis atop the leaderboard on 10-under with a birdie at the par-three 15th, where he landed his approach five feet from the pin.

Gillis then bogeyed 15 leaving McIlroy alone at the top.

US Open champion McIlroy then extended his lead with his closing birdie.

Gillis posted a 69 and English, a 22-year-old rookie, posted a 66 to join him on 201.

Bradley carded a 68 and Rose a 71 for 203, while Harman followed up his second-round 61 with a 69.

Greg Chalmers was the best placed Australian, six shots off the pace after his third round 68.

Former world number Tiger Woods carded a one-under 69 and was nine off the pace.

It's the second straight week McIlroy has had a chance to reach the top of the rankings. He could have done it last week at the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship but fell in the final to Hunter Mahan.

AFP

Tags: sport, golf, united-states

First posted March 04, 2012 10:24:21

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Kemp and Lewis share the lead at Royal Melbourne

Updated February 10, 2012 06:12:53

Golf at the highest level suddenly became a lot easier for American Stacy Lewis last year.

And even the famous Royal Melbourne layout held no fears as she skipped to a share of the lead after the first round of the Women's Australian Open.

Lewis shot a four-under-par 69 at Royal Melbourne to share the lead with Sydney's Sarah Kemp on day one of the Australian Open.

The pair are one shot ahead of a group of players on three-under that includes defending champion Yani Tseng.

Since last year's breakthrough LPGA win at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Lewis has grown comfortable at the top.

Playing for the first time at the composite layout, she fired six birdies - and two bogeys for her 69.

Lewis said she "fell in love with the course" the first time she saw it, awed by its demand for creative golf.

But she is far from over-awed, either by the course or the company.

Following her win in March, Lewis collected 10 top-10 finishes, including runner-up at the Evian Masters.

"I'm much more confident, just with the year I've had," Lewis said.

"I had such a consistent year. I was in contention quite a bit and you just get comfortable there.
"You don't worry when you're a couple under and you see your name on the leaderboard and it's not that big of a deal."

She pinpointed one particular hole which she said would give her a boost as she attempts to retain the lead on Friday.

"I made a bad swing on eight," she said.

"I hit my drive way down there on the par five and only had about 165 metres to the front of the green.

"I hit it into the bunker then made about a 30 footer for birdie, so I think that really gives me some momentum, going into tomorrow.

"I hit a bad iron shot and a bad bunker shot and still made birdie," Lewis said.

Meanwhile four-time winner Karrie Webb has had a forgettable day, finishing two-over.

AAP

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Tags: golf, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted February 09, 2012 11:44:48

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Rose, Gillis share PGA lead as Rory lurks

Updated March 03, 2012 13:16:33

Justin Rose fired a second-straight 66 to claim a share of the halfway lead alongside Tom Gillis at the US PGA event in Florida.

Gillis carded a 64 to join Rose on eight-under-par 132, one shot in front of red-hot Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.

McIlroy, who could claim the world number one ranking with a victory this week, had four birdies in a three-under 67 at PGA National.

"I had a few chances early on and didn't take them," McIlroy said. "Kept making pars and making pars, and broke that run with a bogey on 13 which was frustrating.

"But to bounce back from that and birdie three of the last five holes was nice, and puts me in great position going into the weekend."

McIlroy said he would not change his approach on the weekend, even with the prospect of supplanting Luke Donald atop the rankings hovering.

"I just need to keep doing the same things, try to drive the ball in the fairway and give myself loads of opportunities, and try and take a few," he said.

"Because you don't need to make tons of birdies out here."

Plenty of birdies were being made, however, including eight for unheralded Brian Harman, who also had an eagle as he flirted with the golf grail of 59 before settling for a course-record 61 with a par on 18.

Tiger Woods capped a scrambling round with back-to-back birdies that gave him a two-under 68.

That put him at one-under 139 for the tournament, still seven off the pace - and one behind the best-placed Australian, Greg Chalmers, who trails by five after second-round 69.

Rose, who teed off on 10, had five birdies in a nine-hole span in the middle of his round, moving as low as 10-under until bogeys at the sixth and seventh slowed him down.

"You can't play 36 holes around here and expect to come away without any bruises at all," Rose said.

McIlroy was joined on seven-under 133 by Dicky Pride, who birdied his final hole to complete a 67.

Harman headed a group on 134 that also included Jimmy Walker (67) and Monday qualifier Vaughn Taylor (66).

Harman, a US tour rookie, was in the fairway at the par-five 18th needing an eagle to post a 59.

He fired into the front bunker, then missed a five-foot birdie putt. His 61, however, lowered the course record by three strokes.

"Just one of those crazy days where everything comes together," Harman said. "Got off to a really hot start and just kept the pedal down all day. It was awesome."

AFP

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First posted March 03, 2012 13:16:33

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Elkington pulls out of Pebble Beach

Updated February 11, 2012 08:31:42

Former PGA Championship winner Steve Elkington of Australia pulled out of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Friday with a rib injury.

The 49-year-old from Sydney withdrew after just five holes with a rib injury, the PGA Tour announced.

Elkington has made just two starts this season and withdrew from both tournaments. He also pulled out of the Humana Challenge with a similar problem.

Elkington fired a 1-over 73 in the first round at Pebble Beach and was 4-over for the round after a double bogey and two bogeys on the back nine of the Spyglass Hill course.

He has 12 international victories, including the 1995 PGA Championship.

AFP

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First posted February 11, 2012 08:31:42

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Love III ties course record

Updated March 02, 2012 17:22:40

Davis Love III had a hole-in-one and tied the course record as he took a two-shot lead in first round of the US PGA event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, while Rory McIlroy made a positive start in his bid to grab the world number one ranking.

Former world number one Tiger Woods was tied in 68th place after struggling to a 1-over-par 71 while his playing partner, world number two Lee Westwood, was even-par.

Love took advantage of more benign conditions in the morning with a 6-under-par 64, including a hole-in-one on the 195-yard par-three fifth with a five iron.

"That was a big boost but you're lucky when they go in," said Love. "And then to hit a good drive at the next hole, have a birdie putt and then birdie three in a row that was a really good start to the first nine."

McIlroy, who can only claim the number one ranking from Britain's Luke Donald with a win this week, made a positive start with a 4-under 66 after mixing five birdies with a bogey on the eighth hole, the only blemish on his scorecard.

"I felt like I played very nicely," the 22-year-old Northern Irishman said. "Only made that one mistake on the eighth green with a three putt, but apart from that I was very happy with how it went."

The US Open champion said he was not going to be distracted by thinking about the rankings.

"A money list (title) or Player of the Year has never really been a goal of mine. I think that will just happen if you play good golf and try to win tournaments," said McIlroy.

"But obviously with all the talk of number one, it would be great to get to that position at some point. I am working towards that and I feel that I'm playing well enough to challenge for it at least."

England's Justin Rose was tied with McIlroy after recovering from a double-bogey on the second with an eagle on the third and three consecutive birdies from the fifth.

Six other players were level with McIlroy and Rose including South Korea's Noh Seung-yul and American rookie Harris English.

Woods struck 10 of 14 fairways and 15 greens in regulation but still lacked his old precision on the greens, needing 34 putts in his round.

"I felt like I played a lot better and I putted a lot better. I just didn't score," he said before taking some time for extra putting practise with his coach Sean Foley.

Bobby Gates and Colt Knost failed to finish their rounds before darkness fell and will finish on Friday before their second round.

Defending champion Rory Sabbatini was five shots off the pace after the South African mixed five birdies with four bogeys en route to a 1-under 69.

Reuters

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First posted March 02, 2012 17:22:40

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Monster Haas putt seals Riviera playoff

Updated February 20, 2012 12:07:45

Bill Haas clinched his fourth PGA Tour title by beating fellow Americans Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley in a gripping sudden-death playoff for the Northern Trust Open on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Haas sank a curling 43-foot birdie putt at the second extra hole, the driveable par-four 10th, to seal victory in bright afternoon sunshine at Riviera Country Club.

Mickelson, seeking a second consecutive PGA Tour win, missed his birdie chance from the back right bunker while Bradley's attempt, a 15-foot putt, slipped past the right edge of the cup.

Bradley, winner of last year's PGA Championship, had set up his birdie opportunity by splashing out of the front right greenside bunker, a shot he described as his best all week.

"I couldn't have hit a better shot," Bradley told reporters.

"I had about a 15 per cent chance of keeping that on grass (the green) where I could putt it. It was one of the best shots I've ever hit.

"But Bill Haas, you've got to give him a lot of credit. It's good to see a fellow belly putter make a putt like that. I'm happy for him."

The trio had finished the 72 regulation holes on 7-under-par 277, Haas closing with a 2-under 69 while Mickelson and Bradley each birdied the par-four last for matching 71s, Mickelson holing a 26-footer and Bradley following suit with a 13-footer.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia fired a best-of-the-week 64 that included two eagles to share fourth place at five-under with Americans Dustin Johnson (71) and Jimmy Walker (69), and Australian Jarrod Lyle (70).

Joint pacesetter overnight with Bradley, Mickelson began the final round by matching his playing partner with a one-putt birdie at the par-five first to remain in a two-way tie at the top.

However, Bradley bogeyed the second and fourth to slide backwards before Mickelson sank a four-footer to birdie the fifth and move two strokes clear of the chasing pack at nine-under.

Mickelson then stumbled with bogeys at the eighth, where he missed the green to the left with his approach, and the ninth, where he found a bunker off the tee.

That put him one shot behind Haas, who birdied the driveable par-four 10th to lead by one.

Haas, last year's FedExCup champion, dropped back with consecutive bogeys from the 12th before Mickelson and Bradley regained a two-way share of the lead at eight-under when they each birdied the par-five 11th.

Though Bradley faltered with a bogey at the 13th where he missed the green to the left with his approach, Mickelson joined him at 7-under after a three-putt bogey at the 14th.

Haas responded with a two-putt birdie at the par-five 17th and moments later found himself with the outright lead after Bradley and Mickelson each bogeyed the difficult par-four 15th.

However, Bradley and Mickelson, playing together in the final grouping, then sank their birdie putts on the 18th green amid deafening roars from the crowd to take the tournament into a playoff.

Reuters

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First posted February 20, 2012 11:31:12

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Aussie Jones surges into Puerto Rico lead

Updated March 10, 2012 11:30:33

Australia's Matt Jones fired a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 to seize a three-stroke lead after the second round of the US PGA Tour Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande.

Jones, never better than fourth in a US PGA Tour event, followed his first-round 66 strongly to stand at 11-under after 36 holes with American George McNeill, who had shared the lead with Jones after round one, second on 8-under.

Jones, who started at the 10th hole, birdied the par-four 14th and par-five 18th, then birdied both par-fives on the front side, the second and fifth holes, and closed with a birdie at the ninth.

"I've been putting really well and chipping unbelievably well," he said.

Jones has struggled to keep his playing rights but has been able to take advantage of his opportunities to stay on tour.

"I've been improving my putting which is the big difference this week," Jones said.

"My putting was terrible last year and that's why I'm in this situation but I actually fixed it last week and it's coming along nicely."

Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and American Todd Hamilton shared third on 7-under.

AFP

Tags: golf, sport, puerto-rico

First posted March 10, 2012 11:24:39

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