Scott, Westwood, Donald miss out again

Updated August 15, 2011 11:22:24

World number one Luke Donald, second-ranked Lee Westwood and Australian star Adam Scott, this year's Masters runner-up, settled for another major near-miss on Sunday at the 93rd PGA Championship.

All three made a charge for the lead in hopes of capturing their first major title but fell short, each shooting a 2-under-par 68 and finishing well back of winner Keegan Bradley, who beat fellow American Jason Dufner in a play-off.

Scott finished seventh on 4-under 276, four strokes out of the play-off, while Donald and Westwood shared eighth on 277.

Each took a bogey on the 18th, finding the water fronting the green while in hopes of closing with a birdie.

Scott, coming in off a World Golf Championships victory last week and a flap involving his new caddie, former Tiger Woods bagman Steve Williams, sees his game as being solid enough to handle a back-nine battle for a major title.

But like his British rivals, he started too far back to make more than a worthy early charge.

Scott began the day five back, one nearer than Donald and Westwood.

"Hung in there well. For me, it's just positive," he said.

"My short game is that good now. It's good enough to hang in there on the last nine of a major to keep a score going.

"Everything is right where I want it to be. Every day I have my opportunities. You need to take them all to win these things.

"I did the best I could. That was a good score."

England's Donald called it another missed opportunity.

"The positive I see is I didn't have my best this week and I still came reasonably close," he said.

"I know I've got the game to compete and win majors, but got to take that it as a positive. Again, bittersweet. It's another major gone, another year gone without winning a major."

Donald took a share of fourth at this year's Masters and a share of third at the 2006 PGA among four top-five major finishes.

He has a chance to win the money titles on the US and European tours, something he will have to satisfy himself with until his next major chance comes around in eight months at the 2012 Masters.

"Certainly a goal. That would be a great accomplishment," Donald said.

"No one has ever done it, and to be the first would be very special."

Westwood has two top-10 finishes in majors for the third year in a row, including a share of third at this year's US Open, runner-up showings at the British Open and Masters last year and shares of third at the 2009 British Open and PGA.

"I have enjoyed playing great for a long time now, but unfortunately when I turn up to majors, when I don't win one, then it's a disappointing week for everybody it seems," he said

"Obviously for me, but that's the sort of level of golf I'm playing at."

Fellow Briton Westwood missed two putts inside six feet in the first five holes but kept battling and stayed in the hunt for a while.

"I played lovely again," he said.

"Didn't miss many greens in regulation, which was tough today, and played very solidly. Missed a couple of short ones early on.

"Everybody is missing on these greens. They are very difficult to read. Hit a lot of good putts out there that didn't go in."

AFP

Tags: golf, sport, united-states

First posted August 15, 2011 11:04:36

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Park claims first LPGA title

Updated November 21, 2011 09:44:39

South Korean Hee Young Park has won her first LPGA title, holding off Germany's Sandra Gal to win the season-ending $US1.5 million LPGA Titleholders tournament in Orlando by two strokes.

Park parred the final 10 holes in a 2-under par 70 round to finish 72 holes on 9-under par 279 with Gal, who shared the lead with Park after 54 holes, firing a 72 to share second with American Paula Creamer on 281.

"A lot of people would say 'why can't you win?' Now I can say I can win any time," Park said.

"Dreams come true."

Park took the $500,000 top prize and a breakthrough victory in her fourth LPGA season.

The 24-year-old jumped from 32nd into the top 12 on the season money list.

"It was difficult on the greens," Park said.

"Pin positions were tough. I did the same as in the other rounds, hit for the middle and get it or not get it in (for birdie)."

World number two Suzann Pettersen of Norway and South Korean Na Yeon Choi shared fourth on 282, one stroke ahead of Americans Michelle Wie and Cristie Kerr and world number one Yani Tseng of Taiwan.

Australia's Karrie Webb finished a whopping 17 shots behind Park, her disappointing second-round 80 costing her any shot at winning the tournament.

AFP

Tags: sport, golf, united-states

First posted November 21, 2011 09:44:39

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Rookie Thompson sets pace in Georgia

Updated October 16, 2011 09:04:50

PGA Tour rookie Michael Thompson moved one shot clear after Saturday's third round of the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island in Georgia while fellow American Webb Simpson stayed in the hunt for his third victory of the year.

Thompson fired a 3-under-par 67 on another breezy day at the Sea Island Resort to overhaul second-round pacesetter Billy Horschel and post a 13-under total of 197.

Australia's Nick O'Hern carded 69 to sit tied for fifth place at a 9-under 201 alongside Americans Jeff Overton, Kris Blanks and South African Louis Oosthuizen.

O'Hern's compatriot Robert Allenby went one better for the round with 68, but sits five strokes further back on 206.

American Horschel, a stroke in front of Thompson with three holes to play, doubled-bogeyed the 16th after dumping his tee shot into water on the way to a 70 as he ended the day in second place at 12-under.

Simpson, who has won twice in his last five starts and has a chance to beat world number one Luke Donald of Britain to the PGA Tour money-list title, was a further stroke back after carding a 69.

"My caddie and I had a tough time reading the greens," Simpson told reporters after mixing three birdies with two bogeys.

"I gave myself plenty of opportunities but the greens, as we get late into the week, are getting tough to putt.

"The goal for today was just to give ourselves a chance to win tomorrow. We hung in there and stayed in the golf tournament. That's all you can ask."

Simpson trails money-list leader Donald by $68,971 and both are scheduled to compete in next week's season-ending Disney Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Thompson, who has recorded just one top-10 finish on the PGA Tour after 23 starts this season, was delighted to be in position to claim a breakthrough victory.

"I've just got to try to hit solid golf shots tomorrow," said the 26-year-old who lipped out with a nine-foot birdie putt at the last that would have given him a two-stroke lead.

"I was kind of struggling coming down the stretch there but tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to enjoy it."

Former US Masters champion Trevor Immelman equalled the course record with a sizzling 62 to finish level with Simpson at 11-under.

"That's always going to help your round," South African Immelman said after covering his last five holes in six under.

"I played real well today, drove the ball well, hit some nice iron shots and made some putts. It really was a fun day."

ABC/Reuters

Tags: golf, sport, united-states

First posted October 16, 2011 08:59:04

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Appleby six back in North Carolina

Updated August 21, 2011 13:05:54

Australia's Stuart Appleby was six shots behind new leader Webb Simpson heading into the final round of the US PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Local favourite Webb fired a 6-under 64 for 15-under par total of 195 and a two-shot lead over Tommy Gainey.

Gainey, who had led or shared the lead after each of the first two rounds, carded a 69 for 197.

Carl Pettersson, a Swede who now lives in North Carolina, posted a 63 to join American John Mallinger (65) on 198.

Daniel Summerhays carded a 68 for 199, while a group at 200 included South Africans Ernie Els (69) and Retief Goosen (68).

Appleby was a further stroke adrift after a 70.

Simpson, 26, shrugged off a slow start and finished with four birdies and an eagle as he put himself in position to claim a first career PGA Tour title.

"You've got to really stay patient around this golf course, because bogeys are pretty quick to happen out here with the rough and the undulating greens," he said.

"I told myself to be patient and let the birdies come.

"It took them a while to get there, but finally made a few coming in."

The tournament is the last before the start of the US tour's FedEx Cup play-offs, with plenty of players jockeying to gain entry into the elite series.

ABC/AFP

Tags: golf, sport, united-states

First posted August 21, 2011 12:50:53

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Chalmers feels ready to break US drought

Updated November 28, 2011 09:32:28

Golf's man of the moment Greg Chalmers believes he has found something special within himself that can help him break through on the US PGA Tour.

Chalmers, who won the Australian Open at The Lakes two weeks ago, completed Australian golf's major double on Sunday clinching the Australian PGA championship at Coolum in a sudden-death play-off.

"I haven't won on the PGA Tour. I haven't been a prolific winner anywhere," he said.

"I'm in a good spot right now. These two wins I've had I've seen things in myself that I'd hoped were there."

In one of the most dramatic finishes in the tournament's long history, Chalmers, Robert Allenby and Marcus Fraser all finished tied on 12-under 276.

Chalmers closed with a 5-under 67 before sinking a regulation par on the first play-off hole to deny Allenby (69-68-71-68) a fifth PGA title.

A gallant Fraser (68-65-74-69) drained a monster putt on the 72nd hole to the roar of spectators packed around the 18th green.

Fraser's joy though quickly turned to despair after he pulled his play-off drive into the water.

Allenby then pushed his tee shot right into the trees, chipped out, hit a great approach but missed his par putt.

Chalmers split the fairway with his drive and held his nerve to win.

"I thought I'd have to shoot 8-under to be a chance," he said of a mad Sunday afternoon when six players either led or shared the lead.

"My goal is still to win tournaments on the PGA Tour and I start each week looking to do that," added Chalmers, ranked 110 in the world coming into Coolum.

Chalmers, 38, who took his play-off record to 3-0, has every reason to feel confident about 2012.

He beat Tiger Woods to win the Australian Open, then followed it up by beating Allenby who had an intimidating 12-1 play-off record.

Chalmers has banked more than $500,000 in the past fortnight.

However he was unsure if he would attempt to repeat Allenby's 2005 triple crown effort by playing in next month's Masters at Victoria Golf Club.

"I've played 31 tournaments this year, I'm tired," he said after adding another $270,000 to his bank account.

Fraser produced the putt and the quote of the tournament when asked if he had seen a replay of the putt that got him into the play-off.

"I was standing on the back of the green trying to make sense of it all," he laughed.

"I looked up and there was some fat bloke doing a dance on the green in a red shirt. I had a bit of a laugh after that."

Overnight leader Kyung-Tae Kim slumped to a tie for sixth on nine-under after closing with a 76.

Adam Scott made a late charge with a 68 to come up just short while Aaron Baddeley, who held the lead briefly after 13 holes, fell away to finish on 10-under.

Geoff Ogilvy will long remember the par-three 11th hole where he put three balls in the water for an eight-over final round.

Greg Norman closed with a 2-over 74 to finish a very respectable 23rd while British Open winner Darren Clarke carded a 7-over 79.

AAP

Tags: golf, sport, australia

First posted November 28, 2011 09:17:54

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Thompson becomes LPGA's youngest champ

Updated September 19, 2011 07:31:05

American Lexi Thompson has become the youngest champion in the LPGA's 61-year history, the 16-year-old prodigy firing a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday to capture the Navistar Classic by five strokes.

Thompson, who is seven months and eight days beyond her 16th birthday, finished 72 holes on 17-under-par 271 at the $1.3 million event to defeat compatriot Tiffany Joh five five shots and American Angela Stanford by six.

"I knew I was going for the record but I was focusing on the golf course and doing my best," Thompson said.

"I was nervous on the first tee but I had a lot of fun out here."

American Marlene Hagge won the 18-hole Sarasota Open in 1952 just two weeks past her 18th birthday to become what had been the youngest LPGA champion.

Paula Creamer, another American, was nine months and 17 days past her 18th birthday when she won the 2005 Sybase Classic to become the youngest winner of a typical multi-round event until Thompson's triumph.

Thompson, who turned pro in June of last year, birdied the par-three second and suddenly only playing partner Meena Lee of South Korea was within eight strokes of the lead, and Lee was six adrift.

A birdie at the par-five eighth gave Thompson a personal-record 20th birdie of the week.

Lee birdied the ninth to stay within six but began the back nine with a bogey to leave Thompson seven clear of the field at 17-under.

Thompson, who made only three bogeys in the first three rounds, stumbled with back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12, missing six-foot par putts on both holes as her lead shrank to five shots with six holes to play.

Lee birdied the par-three 13th to move within four shots but faded as Joh charged into contention with a run of four birdies in a row through the 15th hole to pull within three of Thompson.

"She got on a roll, chipped in, got a birdie - she could have birdied all the way in," Thompson said.

"I was just focusing on my own game."

Thompson had led after 54 holes earlier this year at Mobile, Alabama, and squandered the lead with a last-round nightmare to finish in a share of 19th.

But Thompson made it clear that another collapse was not in the offing this time.

After Joh had a short birdie miss at the par-three 16th, Thompson tapped-in for a birdie and sank another from 20 feet at the 17th hole.

"That was a big shot," Thompson said.

"I knew I was playing pretty good lately. I had a few struggle ones but I came through here. I was just trying to make good shots and smart plays.

"Coming up the 18th it was like all the pressure was let off. I could wave at the fans."

After tapping in for par at 18, Thompson raised her hands in victory and her father Scott, who also serves as her caddie, embraced her.

"The feeling is unbelievable. I wanted to cry but I held back. It's awesome," Scott Thompson said.

"I couldn't be more proud. We have been working really hard. The last month she has been hitting the ball pretty well.

"This is the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever done. It's harder on me than her. I just give her the number."

The caddie daddy said he advised his daughter to play it safe coming down the stretch with a three-shot lead and three holes to play but his daughter replied, "No, it's on. I'm making some birdies coming in."

Thompson successfully petitioned for a place in this year's LPGA qualifying tournament.

A victory would allow the prodigy to seek LPGA membership but because she is under 18 the move would have to be approved by tour officials.

Joh said: "If I can say I was a speed bump on her run to history that was good enough for me.".

AFP

Tags: golf, sport, united-states

First posted September 19, 2011 06:51:26

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Tseng defends Open crown

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