Wednesday, August 18th, 2010RealClearSports: A Game of Quirky Rules and Personal HonorBy Art Spander So the cry has been raised: Let’s rewrite the rules of golf. And then what, baseball? Football? If it’s unfair a player can’t ground his club in a bunker, it’s also unfair that three strikes are out or that a fumble belongs to the last man who had possession. Indeed, golf has a lot of quirky regulations. It also has a code of honor, which is why a golfer doesn’t have to be watched by a referee or an umpire, not that anyone could follow the progress or regress of 150 people on a course. © RealClearSports 2010 |
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Tuesday, August 17th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Tiger a likely captain’s pick for Ryder Cup, but he’s not a lockBy Art Spander MILWAUKEE — Corey Pavin didn’t directly say he would make Tiger Woods one of his four captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup team, but he certainly implied as much. Pavin was asked yesterday morning — a day after the eight top points leaders through Sunday’s PGA Championshipautomatically qualified - the pros and cons of selecting Woods, 12th in the standings. “Well, he’s the No. 1 player in the world,” Pavin said of Tiger. “That’s a pretty good pro . . . he’s high on my list . . . he’ll be a big consideration. “He’s playing better. I think we have all seen that, and he wants to play, wants to be a part of the team. But it’s going to be my judgment whether I pick him or not. I don’t think there’s any cons.” Woods has not won a tournament since returning to golf at the Masters in April after his absence because of marital infidelities and rehabilitation. He had his worst finish as a pro in the WGC-Bridgestone that ended Aug. 8, tying for 78th in a field of 80. But he was much improved at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, 60 miles north of here, tying for 28th at 2-under-par 286. “I think a couple of things have happened the last couple of weeks, ” said Pavin, who will announce his picks Sept. 7. “Obviously he played better last week. He’s working on some things that seem to be improving his game. So I was obviously pleased to see that happen last week.” The eight who qualified are led by Phil Mickelson and include Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar. The biennial match, between Europe and the United States is scheduled for Oct. 1-3 at Celtic Manor, near Cardiff,Wales. The United States has not won in Europe since 1993. - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/tiger-a-likely-captain-s-pick-for-ryder-cup-but-he-s-not-a-lock-1.2215707 |
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Monday, August 16th, 2010Global Golf Post: Crazy Week, Wild Finish, Solid WinnerBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN — The PGA Championship, for reasons logical or not, used to be called the major that’s a minor. Oh how that has changed. And we’re not Whistling Straits, uh, whistling Dixie. There wasn’t much more anybody could wish for from this year’s tournament, whether it was the buildup surrounding Tiger and Phil, the fog delays, which turned the opening rounds into Unfinished Symphonies, the swapping of denials over Ryder Cup selections between Corey Pavin and Jim Gray, the course record by the guy from China whose only English may be “You’re away,” and a stretch run that included almost everyone except Palmer and Nicklaus — or Tiger and Phil. Copyright 2010 Global Golf Post |
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Monday, August 16th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Phil up, Tiger down after average performancesBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Phil Mickelson feels nothing is wrong now. Tiger Woods probably feels little is right. Mickelson shot a 5-under-par 67 Sunday, low round for the day, in the 92nd PGA Championship. And while his 72-hole total of 6-under 282 was considerably higher than the leaders, he was feeling good, literally and figuratively. “I feel nothing’s wrong now,” said Mickelson, who was recently diagnosed with a muscle disorder called psoriatic arthritis. “I feel normal. It’s gone. I don’t want to say it’s gone away, but all the symptoms have gone away and I feel great.” Woods shot a 1-over 73 Sunday, his only over-par round of the tournament. He was not so upbeat after a four-round total of 2-under 286. “I hit my irons really good today,” Woods said. “I drove it terrible. I just couldn’t get a feel with the driver.” A week ago, at the WGC-Bridgestone, Woods had his worst finish as a pro, tied for 78th in a field of 80. He was in the top 30 this time, but that’s not what one expects of Tiger, who went winless in majors this year and last. “Disappointed?” Woods said. “Certainly. In order for it to be a great year you have to win a major championship.” Mickelson did that, taking his third Masters. He and Tiger did tie for fourth in the U.S. Open, but Mickelson, stricken with a disease he now says is under control, has had a tough time of it since then. “It was good just to get a solid round,” Mickelson said. “I wish I had put together all four rounds here, though.” 19th hole Rob Labritz of Glen Arbor GC in Bedford Hills, Westchester County, was the only club pro of the 20 entered to make the cut. Labritz, who had a 5-over 77 Sunday for a 7-over 295 total, won the 2008 New York State Open at Bethpage Black. - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/phil-up-tiger-down-after-average-performances-1.2212829 |
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Monday, August 16th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Kaymer wins PGA after Johnson misses playoff because of odd penaltyBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — For the world beyond America, it was another major championship. For Dustin Johnson, it was another heartbreak, and how many can one man absorb? For golf, it was another one of those decisions which prove as depressing as they are bewildering. Martin Kaymer won the 92nd PGA Championship Sunday at Whistling Straits. He did it in a three-hole playoff against Bubba Watson after each finished with a 72-hole score of 11-under-par 277. Kaymer closing with a 70, Watson a 68. It was a playoff which should have included Johnson, who missed out after he was assessed a two-shot penalty for grounding his wedge in a sand trap he didn’t think was a sand trap on the 18th hole. Kaymer joins Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, who won the British Open, to make it three majors in succession for players not from the United States. On a day when third-round leader Nick Watney fell apart, shooting a 9-over 81, it was his playing partner, Johnson, who suffered equally. Johnson had done at the U.S. Open what Watney did Sunday — both had three-shot leads after 54 holes before collapsing. But Johnson seemed to have atoned for that failure of two months ago as he stood ready to play the final hole in the PGA Championship. He was 12 under par, a shot ahead of Watson and Kaymer. He drove into the sand, or dirt, depending on one’s interpretation. He then landed in rough near the green. After wedging on, Johnson two-putted for a bogey to fall into an apparent three-way tie. But as preparations were made for the three-hole playoff, officials announced Johnson had grounded his club in the hazard, against the rules, before his second shot. The resulting two-shot penalty dropped him into a tie for fifth at 279. The gallery, hearing the announcement of the penalty, responded by booing, something almost unknown in golf. “I thought it was a piece of dirt the crowd had trampled down,” Johnson said of the spot where his tee shot landed. “I never thought it was a sand trap. It never once crossed my mind that I was in a bunker.” It was one of 1,200 bunkers at the Straits, a course diabolically designed by architect Pete Dye along the shore of Lake Michigan. The PGA of America posted a notice in the locker room and on the first tee throughout the week, reminding players that all bunkers will be treated like hazards - even though the ropes go right through the middle of some of them, and fans can pitch a lawn chair in them. Six years ago in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Stuart Appleby was unaware of the rule and assessed a four-shot penalty. “It’s very unfortunate,” Johnson said. “The only thing worse that could have happened was if I made the putt on the last hole.” That would have been for a par and outright victory. “I was excited I had a putt to win, or thinking I had a putt to win,” Johnson said. “Then walking off the green talking to the rules official, saying that I’ve got a two-shot penalty.” Asked if he felt something was stolen, Johnson said, “Maybe a little bit.” Nothing was taken from Watney. He double-bogeyed the first hole and never recovered. “I think I got too far ahead of myself,” Watney said, virtually repeating Johnson’s words after his blowup at Pebble Beach. Kaymer, a 25-year-old German who won the playoff with a bogey on 18 after Watson hit his approach in the water, moved up to No. 3 in the Ryder Cup standings for Europe and to No. 5 in the world. “I don’t realize what happened,” Kaymer said. “I just won my first major. I’ve got goose bumps just talking about it.” - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/kaymer-wins-pga-after-johnson-misses-playoff-because-of-odd-penalty-1.2213210 |
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Sunday, August 15th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Old Man Lehman gets a hole-in-oneBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — In a game that suddenly seems dominated by 20-somethings such as Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, there’s room for 51-year-old Tom Lehman. Lehman, who qualified for this 92nd PGA Championship by winning the Senior PGA, made a hole-in-one during the third round Saturday at the 223-yard 17th hole with a 4-iron. He shot a 1-over-par 73 and is at 1-over 217 for 54 holes. When the PGA Championship was held previously at Whistling Straits in 2004, Hale Irwin, also a senior, and Robert Gamez had aces. 19th hole Y.E. Yang won the tournament last year at Hazeltine, beating Tiger Woods head to head. But Yang, who didn’t get his second round completed until Saturday morning, finished with a double-bogey 6 and a 76. His two-round 148 total missed the cut by three shots . . . Martin Kaymer of Germany, now based in Scottsdale, Ariz., after coming from the European Tour, is tied for fourth at 207 and no less importantly has retained his PGA Tour eligibility for 2011. “That was my plan,” said Kaymer, who had a 5-under 67 in the third round. “I’m excited to play here next year.” . . . The weather forecast for the final round is good after the possibility of a brief rain overnight . . . Chris Wood of England shot a 68 in the second round after a 78 in the first round, but he still missed the cut of 145 by a stroke . . . When someone told 21-year-old McIlroy of Northern Ireland that he seemed immune to pressure, McIlroy, tied for second heading into the fourth round, said, “I wouldn’t say it’s a stroll in the park, but the crowds are so far back from the fairways, you don’t feel the atmosphere, which I suppose helps a little bit.” . . . Dustin Johnson, in contention for a third straight major this year, said of Whistling Straits: “The course is intimidating off the tee, but you do have some room to maneuver the ball and get it in the fairway.” - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/old-man-lehman-gets-a-hole-in-one-1.2210503 |
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Sunday, August 15th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Tiger and Phil can’t take advantage of perfect conditions during Round 3 of PGA ChampionshipBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — In the rankings, if not in actuality, they are the two best golfers in the world: Tiger Woods, No. 1, Phil Mickelson, No. 2. And when they began the third round of the PGA Championship Saturday afternoon, each believed he would be a factor. Mickelson shot 33 his last nine of the second round Friday, and Woods, who had to play the final 12 holes of his delayed second round Saturday morning, came in with a 2-under-par 70. But this tournament belongs to others, to younger, less famous players. Woods had three bogeys on the front nine of his third round Saturday afternoon and even though he recovered with four birdies on the back, he finished at par 72 and a three-round, 3-under total of 213. Mickelson wasn’t even that good. He shot a 1-over 73 for 215. So the PGA Championship’s two biggest stars are far back. Woods, who will go a second straight year without winning a major, is tied for 31st place after 54 holes, and Mickelson, who took the Masters in April, is among a group tied for 48th. Others were able to conquer the Whistling Straits layout along the Lake Michigan shoreline — for instance Wen-chong Liang of China shot a course-record 8-under 64, moving from a tie for 47th to a tie for fourth — but not Mickelson and Woods. Tiger had his moments. In both the second and third rounds, he shot 3-under 33s on the back nine. But he was over par all three rounds on the front; his shots too often landed in bunkers or rough, and he couldn’t always save par. “Ironically,” Woods said, “I hit the ball better than I did the first two days. I made nothing.” Mickelson was in anything but a good mood. “The golf course was there to be had,” he said ruefully. “It was a very frustrating day.” The holes that stymied Woods were the holes he used to own, the par 5s. “Tell me about it,” was his comment. “I haven’t played them well all week. You’ve got to make birdies on par 5s, and I haven’t done that.” He did it twice on the 11th hole, including the third round, but of the 12 par 5s he’s played so far, Woods also has had three bogeys, including the 16th during the third round. “I struggle there for some reason,” he said of the 569-yard hole, “even when I hit a good shot [off the tee].” - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/tiger-and-phil-can-t-take-advantage-of-perfect-conditions-during-round-3-of-pga-championship-1.2210502 |
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Saturday, August 14th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Mickelson scrambles to stay in the mixBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Phil Mickelson’s reputation is that of a person who figuratively can make gold from flax, or to be specific, a golfer who can make pars from lies that seem to guarantee a bogey or double bogey. When still an amateur at Arizona State, he was featured in Golf Digest hitting wedge shots backward over his head while facing the opposite direction. But that move was no less impressive than some he pulled off Friday in the 92nd PGA Championship. “I certainly explored a lot of areas here,” Mickelson said. “The first 27 holes, for me to keep it around par was a feat.” The first 11 of those holes he played Thursday until the fog-delayed opening round was halted by darkness. Friday, he returned to finish the first round at 1-over-par 73. After a brief break, Mickelson began his second round on the 10th tee and he shot a 69 for a two-round total of 2-under 142. At times during his struggles, Mickelson, who disclosed he has been receiving treatment for psoriatic arthritis, was in deep rough, in bunkers and even on a dirt road. That wonderful short game kept him from a high score except on 18 of the second round — his ninth hole — when his second shot disappeared in high grass and he ended up with a double-bogey 6. “This is a penalizing golf course not to play from the fairway,” he said. “I grinded pretty hard just to get in, and you never know what can happen in a major — and I shot 10-under on the weekend at Augusta to leapfrog everybody.” That was in April, when he won his third Masters. A victory here, although unlikely, would lift him to No. 1 in the world rankings, where Tiger Woods has been for years. “It required a lot of patience not to force the issue [Friday],” said Mickelson, known for taking chances. “I obviously didn’t have it. Because of that I had to be patient and keep myself in position where I maybe could make up ground the next two rounds.” - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/mickelson-scrambles-to-stay-in-the-mix-1.2208053 |
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Saturday, August 14th, 2010Newsday (N.Y.): Kuchar back in spotlight after long climb backBy Art Spander SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — He was the kid with the big smile and great future. Matt Kuchar won the 1997 U.S. Amateur, made the cut in the Masters — when he was paired with a defending champion named Tiger Woods — and looked like the next American star in the golfing galaxy. Then, as Kuchar said ruefully, golf happened. “I went through some stretches of not having it,” said Kuchar, now either a young 32 or an old 32 depending on his mood. “But I have kind of dug way out.” He’s certainly had it in this bizarre 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, some 60 miles north of Milwaukee, a tournament that depending on climatic conditions could last until the 12th of Never. Kuchar was one of the 78 golfers who didn’t finish Thursday’s first round until Friday — a different 78 won’t finish Friday’s second round until Saturday — because of a second straight fog delay. He came out Friday morning, birdied the first hole he played to take the lead and he never let it go. Beginning at the sixth hole, his 15th, Kuchar played the final four holes of his first round in 1 under par for a 5-under 67. In the afternoon he shot a 69 for a 36-hole, 8-under 136 total, a shot ahead of Nick Watney. Tied for third at 5-under 139 are seven golfers: Jason Dufner, who had a tournament low 6-under 66 after a 73; Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irishman who shot a 63 in the British Open a month ago; Dustin Johnson, who led the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach after three rounds; 2007 Masters winner Zach Johnson; Bryce Molder, a teammate of Kucher’s at Georgia Tech; Simon Kahn of England, who bogeyed the final three holes and Seung Yui Noh of Korea. Bubba Watson and Francesco Molinari, first-round co-leaders at 68, as well as Tiger Woods, began their second rounds late Friday as wind grew and darkness loomed. Watson began at 6:15 p.m. EST and was 1-over through eight holes, while Molinari started at 6:57 and was even through five. Woods, who was 1-under for the first round, completed six holes of his second round at even par before the horn sounded to halt play at 7:27 p.m., earlier than Thursday because of a mist off Lake Michigan. “It was tough out there,” said Woods, who scrambled for pars on two, three and five. “Had to hang in there and did a good job with that.” So did Kuchar, who at Georgia Tech played very well until his junior year, then rebounded as a senior. “I turned pro,” he said, “earned my card and a sponsor exemption straightaway my first year and in seven events earned enough to keep myself on Tour through 2002. Then I had a win in 2002 and another dip down. Since 2005 it’s been a steady climb up.” This year he has six top 10s, including a sixth in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. “I think there’s a maturing process. I thought out of school, Bryce [Molder] was the best hands-down player in college golf. I thought he’s going straight to the big leagues.” Instead, he went straight to the Nationwide Tour, unable to make the PGA Tour until the end of 2006. - - - - - - http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/kuchar-back-in-spotlight-after-long-climb-back-1.2208229 |
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