Completely, and totally unexpected. Still, Tiger didn’t play well in good weather yesterday, and hit some shots today that were more reminiscent of mine than his.
Tiger Woods misses British Open cut, Tom Watson tied for lead at Turnberry.
With a cold and murky sea gurgling behind him, Tiger Woods bent at the waist in search of his missing golf ball. He swiped at the tall heather on Turnberry's 10th hole like anyone else would in a disquieting round of golf, moving the yellow blades of grass around in a fruitless pursuit.
Several groups ahead, the 59-year-old Tom Watson was carrying a British Open gallery in the palms of his weathered hands, beating back a rash of bogeys and rolling in putts from distance.
These were two sights few predicted they would ever see at the 138th British Open at Turnberry. The world's No. 1-ranked golfer doubled over, careering toward his second missed cut in a major since turning professional. And Watson, the world's 1,374th-ranked golfer, a senior tour veteran who had his left hip replaced last October, leading the British Open after all these years.
Michelle Wie, after her scintillating 64 in the Jamie Farr. Oh wait, she’s not in! USGA blew it.
Never mind.
Women’s Open field comes under scrutiny.
The U.S. Women’s Open begins this week with the strength of its field under scrutiny.
Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis didn’t make it under the U.S. Golf Association’s new exemption criteria. Neither did LPGA veteran Wendy Ward and rookie Vicky Hurst.
But 29 amateurs will tee it up when play begins Thursday at the Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course in Bethlehem, Pa.
When the USGA released its new exemption criteria earlier this year, red flags went up in the offices at the LPGA, an intensely interested bystander in the national championship’s makeup.
Apparently I’m the only one who didn’t know that the US Women’s Open only exempts the top 10 on the LPGA 2009 money list. This means we won’t be seeing Michelle Wie or Natalie Gublis in the US Women’s Open, as both failed to qualify at sectional qualifying at Woodmont Country Club, where 30 spots were available.
I know, I know, play better. But I’ll still miss Michelle and Natalie.
Rookie Nordqvist easily wins LPGA Championship
Anna Nordqvist completed a long day and a memorable week in splendid fashion, shooting a 4-under par 68 Sunday to become the second straight rookie to win the LPGA Championship.
Nordqvist finished at 15-under 273, four shots ahead of Lindsey Wright in the tournament’s final stand at Bulle Rock Golf Course. The LPGA Championship will get a new sponsor and a new home in 2010.
LPGA Tweeters:
After the second round, the LPGA tweeters I follow posted the following scores:
Anna Nordqvist leads at -8.
You go, girl!
BTW, how can the LPGA Championship be a major when it’s not even on (free) TV?
Nope, I don’t have Golf Channel. I’d never get anything done…
Michelle Wie moves into contention at LPGA Championship
Michelle Wie could end up making the final LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock an unforgettable event.
Wie shot a 2-under 70 on Thursday to put herself in contention for her first win on the LPGA Tour. The 19-year-old turned pro in 2005, but this marks the first year she’s playing as a tour member.
Thus, she’s still considered to be a rookie.
Wie already has three top-10 finishes this year, and an improved putter helped her finish Thursday with three birdies on the back nine. If Wie makes a run this weekend, Bulle Rock can expect an overflow crowd Sunday for its final round as home of the LPGA Championship.
He wins the Memorial by a shot, even though he started 4 back.
Tiger Woods wins the Memorial Tournament.
Woods hit every fairway Sunday and missed only seven fairways at Muirfield Village, his most accurate week since the 1998 Masters.
I went out to the Byron Nelson tournament today, arriving around 10:30AM. The weather was warm, not much wind, and cloudy. While walking in, I saw group 24 tee off on #1 (Kris Blanks, Wil Collins, Troy Kelly — they started on #10). I went to our villa, had a quick snack, and saw groups #42 (John Sendon, J.J. Henry, Jason Bohn) and group #43 (Adam Scott, Fred Couples, Robert Allenby) come in on the 18th. Adam Scott hit a long drive and a wedge to about 3 or 4 ft and made the birdie putt. Fred Couples also holed his 12 footer for birdie.
I then followed group #31 (Anthony Kim, D.J. Trahan, Charley Hoffman) as they teed off on the first. I followed them for six holes. Among the notable shots:
- Charley Hoffman hit a perfect tee shot on the first hole and followed that with a perfect approach shot just left of the hole. He hit the putt for birdie.
- Anthony Kim hit a fade into the water off the tee on the long par-4 third hole. He slammed the driver on the ground and then threw it to his caddie. His third into the green after a drop ended up with a downhill lie just short of the bunker to the left of the green. He hit a magnificent cut lob to about 4 ft and made the putt for bogey.
- Charley Hoffman hit a drive just left of the fairway bunkers on the third. His ball was deep in the rough, but he hit a spectacular shot into the green and made par.
- D.J. Trahan hit his tee ball on the fourth hole right behind me about a foot off the cart path. He didn’t take relief, instead hit a perfect shot with his feet on the cart path to about 8 to 10 ft from the hole and made birdie.
After watching that group, I headed back to the villa for a margarita or two, stopping along the way to see a couple of groups hit into the third hole. Tyler Aldridge hit his approach into the left greenside bunker on the third and hit a pretty good bunker shot to about 6 ft. I saw Colt Knost hit a beautiful shot out of the fairway bunker on the third hole with a hybrid. Dean Larsson hit his tee shot on the third hole almost into the exact spot where Charley Hoffman had hit his drive earlier, but Dean pushed his approach shot into the first right greenside bunker. I didn’t see if he got up and down from there.
As I was leaving the tournament, Rory Sabbitini was leading the tournament at -8.
Michelle shot a 68 in the third round of the Sybase Classic that should have been at least a 66 had a few short putts dropped.
Good luck tomorrow!
Suzann Pettersen, Ji Young Oh lead LPGA Tour’s Sybase Classic.
Suzann Pettersen and Ji Young Oh seemingly won't have to worry about three-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa making a run at them in the final round of the Sybase Classic.
There are plenty of other challengers though, including recent major winner Brittany Lincicome, eight-time LPGA winner Paula Creamer and probably the most famous non-winner on tour, 19-year-old Michelle Wie.
Pettersen of Norway and Oh of South Korea shot 3-under 69s Saturday, taking a one-stroke lead over Lincicome after three rounds of the $2 million event that seemingly will have a new champion with Ochoa 10 shots back heading into the final round on the Upper Montclair Country Club.
The biggest story would be Wie winning her first title since the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship in 2003. She turned pro in 2006 but that first win has eluded her.
Tiger and Phil put on a good show, but faded at the end, well out of the playoff at -12.
My odds before the start of the Masters and final scores:
- Tiger Woods (1-3): T6 at -8
- Phil Mickelson (1-8): 5th at -9
- Padraig Harrington (1-10): T35 at E
- Trevor Immelman (1-25): T20 at -2
- Greg Norman (1-100): CUT at +3
- Teenagers (1-200): Danny Lee CUT at +11, Ryo Ishikawa CUT at +6, Rory McIlroy T20 at -2
- Field (3-1 more or less): Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell finished at -12; Angel won on second playoff hole.