＜速報＞宮里美香が首位で最終日へ！藍は6打差4位

2010年10月02日16時26分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 宮里　美香 -8
2 上原　彩子 -4
3 佐伯　三貴 -3
4 宮里　藍 -2
5 有村　智恵 -1
シン・ヒョンジュ -1
チェ・ナヨン -1
朴ヒヨン -1
横峯　さくら -1
10 アン・ソンジュ 0


順位の続きを見る


＜日本女子オープンゴルフ選手権競技　3日目＞◇2日◇大利根カントリークラブ(6,570ヤード・パー72)

　茨城県にある大利根カントリークラブで開催されている、国内女子メジャー第3戦「日本女子オープンゴルフ選手権競技」の3日目。単独首位でスタートした宮里美香が、3バーディ・4ボギーとスコアを1つ落としたが、トータル8アンダーで首位をキープした。

　4打差の2位は上原彩子、3位には佐伯三貴、宮里藍はスコアを2つ伸ばしトータル2アンダー4位に浮上した。

【3日目の順位】
1位：宮里美香(-8)
2位：上原彩子(-4)
3位：佐伯三貴(-3)
4位：宮里藍(-2)
5位T：横峯さくら(-1)
5位T：シン・ヒョンジュ(-1)
5位T：朴ヒヨン(パク・ヒヨン)(-1)
5位T：有村智恵(-1)
5位T：ナ・イェン・チョイ(-1)
10位T：アン・ソンジュ(E)
10位T：堀奈津佳(E)※アマチュア

薗田峻輔「思う存分プレーすれば3連覇阻止できる」

2011年08月31日16時03分




　山梨県にある富士桜カントリー倶楽部で開催される、国内男子ツアー「フジサンケイクラシック」。大会3連覇に挑む石川遼と共に今大会で注目を集めているのが薗田峻輔だ。昨年大会では高校の後輩である石川と、プレーオフにまでもつれ込む激闘を演じた末の2位。大会を最後まで盛り上げてみせた。

　しかし、今季の薗田はここまで「中日クラウンズ」の7位タイが最高で、優勝争いにすら絡めず思うような成績が残せていないのが現状。これには薗田も「調子悪くないんですけど、成績がパッとしない。毎週悔しい思いしていますね」となかなか噛み合わないゴルフに表情を曇らせる。「いつも小さいミスから始まって、モタモタして伸び悩んで一週間が終わってしまう」爆発力はなりを潜め、ツアー参戦5試合目という速さでツアー初優勝を達成した昨年の勢いは見られないままシーズンの約半分が終了してしまった。

　それだけに、今大会にかける思いも強い。「良いスコア出して上位にいければ自信になってこれから先が楽しみになる。だからこの試合は大事になると思う。自信を喪失している部分もありましたが、好きなコースで思う存分プレーできれば(石川の)3連覇も阻止できる。いかにこのコースを楽しむかです」。勝負の秋の陣に向けて得意コースで弾みをつけていきたいところだ。

遼、台風吹っ飛ばす！「難しい状況になってもウェルカム」

2011年08月31日16時53分




＜フジサンケイクラシック　事前情報◇31日◇富士桜カントリー倶楽部(7,405ヤード・パー71)＞

　山梨県にある富士桜カントリー倶楽部で開催される、国内男子ツアー「フジサンケイクラシック」。この日雨の降る中プロアマ大会に出場した大会2連覇中の石川遼は、迫り来る台風12号にも負けない覚悟で「一生訪れないチャンスかもしれない」と語る大会3連覇へ意気込みを新たにした。

　「出遅れは許されなくなる。緊張感のあるラウンドになりますね」。現在日本の南海上にある台風12号は現在も北上を続け、大会2日目の2日から決勝ラウンドが始まる3日にかけて、西日本から東日本に上陸する恐れもある。強雨や風が強まれば短縮競技となることも想定されているだけに、優勝のためにはわずかな足踏みも命取り。初日からスパートをかけて逃げ切り体制を早めに整えたいところだ。

　台風の影響で風が強まれば、他のツアープロと比べて球が高い石川は苦戦が予想されるが「高くても重いボールが打てればそんなに流されることはない」と過剰に気にする様子はない。「難しい状況になっても僕はウェルカム。柔軟に対応していければ」と難コース富士桜と台風12号攻略にも自信をのぞかせた。

　今季はここまで未勝利で、優勝争いと予選落ちを繰り返すなど波のある成績が続いている石川。だが、何十回とラウンド経験がある富士桜CCを前に不安はない。「今年はこれまで以上に賞金王を意識してやっている自分がいる。このコースは僕が優勝できるチャンスがあるコースだと思っているので、勢いをつけていきたいですね」。2度目の賞金王へ。台風をも吹き飛ばし、上昇気流をつかんでみせる。

薗田、昨年のテレビブース直撃ショット思い出し苦笑い

2011年08月31日18時21分
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＜フジサンケイクラシック　事前情報◇31日◇富士桜カントリー倶楽部(7,405ヤード・パー71)＞

　山梨県にある富士桜カントリー倶楽部で開催される、国内男子ツアー「フジサンケイクラシック」。この日プロアマに出場した薗田峻輔は、石川遼との激闘を繰り広げた昨年大会を思い起こしながら18ホールをラウンドした。

　中でも印象に残っているホールの1つが15番パー5。昨年大会の最終日。グリーン手前バンカーから放った薗田の3打目は、ピンを大きく越えてグリーン奥のテレビ放送ブースを直撃。しかし、ブースに当たったことでボールは下に落ち、なんとかパーを拾ったという思い出のホールだ。

　この日の会見では、15番のテレビブースに当てたこと思い出しましたか？との質問に「思い出しました(笑)今日もあのバンカーから最終日を想定して、上のピン位置にキャディを立たせて練習しました。あれからたくさん練習したので、去年のようにはならないようにしたいですね」と苦笑いを浮かべてコメントした。

　これ以外にも、昨年大会の最終日18番ではグリーン奥からのアプローチがピンフラッグに当たるというミラクルも披露している薗田。今大会はどんなドラマを見せてくれるのか。

フジサンケイクラシック、初日はコースコンディション不良で中止

2011年09月01日08時48分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 諸藤　将次 -4
2 星野　英正 -2
3 市原弘大 -1
室田　淳 -1
5 津曲　泰弦 0
小田　孔明 0
上田　諭尉 0
K・アフィバーンラト 0
石川　遼 0
上井　邦浩 0


順位の続きを見る





大雨によりバンカーには水溜りが（撮影：米山聡明）








＜フジサンケイクラシック　初日◇1日◇富士桜カントリー倶楽部(7,405ヤード・パー71)＞

　山梨県にある富士桜カントリー倶楽部で開催される、国内男子ツアー「フジサンケイクラシック」の初日は、降雨によるコースコンディションの不良により6時30分に中止が決定した。

【関連リンク】石川遼の順位は？最新の世界ランキングをチェック

　選手達はコース入りしていたが、開催中止のアナウンスを聞き次々と引きあげていった。第1ラウンドは2日に開催される予定となっているが、明日以降も天候不順が予想されるため、開催可否の判断は明日早朝に行われる。

Course Source: TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, Sheraton Hacienda del Mar

Course Source: TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, Sheraton Hacienda del Mar










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 1, 2013 2:30 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: TPC Scottsdale -- The Stadium Course, in Scottsdale, Ariz.


THE LAYOUT: Watching Phil Mickelson shred The Stadium Course over Super Bowl weekend in 2013 -- tying the tournament record at 28-under and lipping out on 18 to narrowly miss carding a 59 in the opening round -- it's easy for the amateur to daydream about going low at a PGA Tour facility.

Even though the course virtually is on the grounds of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, it was open to the public, as are all TPC layouts.

The Stadium Course indeed offers a nice blend of playability and significant challenge to go along with a great history. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the course was built in 1986 and played host to its first PGA Tour event -- the Phoenix Open -- the following year.

One of the advantages of playing at a PGA Tour facility is no expense is spared in maintaining pristine course conditions. While most course superintendents in the area are working with stricter budgets and balancing seeding and water schedules, The Stadium Course -- and to a slightly lesser degree the accompanying Champions Course -- are in nearly immaculate shape year-round.

The par-71 Stadium Course can be stretched out to 7,216 yards (74.6/138) from the black tees. However, unless you're a bomber off the tee and enjoy long irons to the green, the 6,525 yards (71.1/129) from the blues is more than enough test for most golfers. The whites play 6,049/68.7/125, shortening many of the challenging par-4s.

For the ladies, the 5,455 yards includes several drives that require moderate carries over -- or through -- the desert, but nothing too daunting.

There's no denying The Stadium Course is a treat. If you're planning a visit during the peak-season rates that hover around $300, do yourself a favor and play in the morning or early afternoon, when very knowledgeable forecaddies who travel the Arizona/Wisconsin in-seasons are included with your green fee (minus tip) and really help make the experience.

The Stadium Course is littered with PGA Tour history -- from the boulder fans moved to help Tiger Woods recover from a wayward tee shot in 1999, leading to a change in the rules of golf, to the famous par-3 16th, where 25,000 raucous fans annually congregate in golf's loudest venue. Every hole seems to have a signature moment -- "The Chez Reavie hole," "The J.B. Holmes hole" -- and your forecaddie can add to your outing by narrating the most memorable shots from the Waste Management Open.

GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Grove.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The direction of the grain on the greens is critical playing anywhere in the Phoenix area. It typically grows away from Pinnacle Peak in north Scottsdale and toward the valley. Get to the course early enough to spend some time on the greens and let your forecaddie drop a little knowledge that will help sink a few extra putts.

While the front nine is solid a features a few memorable holes -- including the par-3 fourth with a big, sloping green, the character of the course really begins to come out as you approach the turn. Keep an eye out on No. 9. Push your drive far enough to the right and you might take out a PGA Tour or Web.com player minding his own business on the facility reserved for professionals.

The 10th hole is where the fun really begins. A 376-yard par-4 from the blue tees, it requires a well-placed drive for a lengthy uphill approach shot. If you struck the drive well enough to have a look at the green, you're likely to also get your first good look at the famous grandstands surrounding the 16th hole as you approach your ball.

It takes four-and-a-half months to erect and a month-and-a-half to bring down the grandstands at a hefty price tag of around $1 million in both directions.

The first glimpse of one of the most famous holes on the PGA Tour puts a real charge into the round, but focus on that approach shot. There is a pot bunker just off the right side of the 10th green and two bunkers protecting the front left. All things being equal, miss to the left -- anything right, especially to a right pin placement -- is in jail trying to get back to the green that slopes back to front.

Survive that test and you're greeted with the No. 1 handicap hole on The Stadium Course. It's a bear of a par-4 at 439 yards from the blues, with water all down the left side. It's easy to bail toward the less intimidating right side, but there are trees and small bushes likely to prevent a clear look. There is a big premium on hitting the fairway on No. 11, and a mid- to long-iron that hits the front half of the massive green will get plenty of roll.

The par-3 12th provides a mental breather before one of the most interesting holes on the course. The par-5 13th presents the option of going left or right around a big swatch of sand and trees. At 552 yards from the blues and 528 from the whites, the shorter route is to the right. If you don't have the distance to get there in two, play it safe to the left side and there is a big landing area for your second shot.

The smallish green is protected by a deep bunker on the front right, but you don't want to over-club with your approach shot, as the hole typically plays downwind.

The 419-yard 14th hole plays back into the wind and finally brought someone in our group to whimsically ask the forecaddie, "Let me guess, it's another long par-4 and 'get all I can get' on the drive!"

With the 16th grandstands back in view and starting to get the heart pumping, a good drive off the tee at the par-5 15th can present the best risk-reward opportunity on the course. At 468 yards from the blue tees, the hole is definitely reachable in two. There's only one problem.

Well, 360 of them, depending on your point of view.

With a long iron or hybrid in hand, you're also looking at an island green. It's another huge putting surface that slopes back to front and there are bunkers on the left and front right, but the reality is anything off-target is likely to splash down.

But you didn't come this far to lay up, so grip it and rip it.

If you play TPC during one of the six months the 16th grandstands are being worked on, you'll come off the 15th green, walk under the stands and pop out on the tee box for a bit of that PGA Tour feeling. From a golf perspective, it's the second-easiest hole on the course and plays only 143 yards downhill from the blues to a decent-sized green. After snapping a few pictures, hit a decent short iron and you'll have a good opportunity to tell your friends you birdied the 16th at The Stadium Course.

The par-4 17th is another risk/reward. Big, accurate hitters will be tempted at only 292 yards downhill from the blues, but the green is protected by water to the left and in back. Another option is a layup to a comfortable distance and a very manageable approach.

The par-4 18th is pretty finishing hole. A fairway plaque commemorates J.B. Holmes' 359-yard drive in 2008 that led to his playoff victory over Phil Mickelson. Most mortals will face around 150-160 yards into a big green with a false front on the left side. No galleries are greeting you, but a well-struck approach might draw a small applause from those overlooking the green from the outside seating area at the restaurant and bar.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: It's hard to go wrong in the Phoenix area, and there are more courses than even the locals have time to get tired of.

Many of the top facilities feature two courses worthy of lining up a 36-hole day for, including Troon (Pinnacle, Monument) and Grayhawk (Raptor, Talon) in Scottsdale, We-Ko-Pa (Cholla and Saguaro) in Fort McDowell and the Boulders (North, South) in Carefree.

Talking Stick, owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, is another Troon establishment with a pair of consistently top-ranked tracks.

WHERE TO STAY: The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess provides an all-in-one experience for the family or business traveler. The course even skirts along the hotel on the front nine, where your family or jealous co-workers can watch you sink a birdie putt on the par-3 fourth and then rip a drive off the tee box on No. 5.

The TPC Scottsdale website offers stay-and-play packages at the Fairmont or nearby locations, including the Hilton Garden Inn and Zona Resort Suites. The Sheraton Desert Oasis is also about a five iron away down the block.

On the web: www.tpc.com/tpc-scottsdale

--TPC Scottsdale report By Derek Harper, The Sports Xchange



THE LAST RESORT: Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa in Cabo Del Sol, Mexico.

THE LAYOUT: The Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol, designed by Jack Nicklaus, wraps around the resort, while the newer Desert Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 2001, runs along the hills above the hotel and offers panoramic views of the Sea of Cortez on every hole.

Cabo del Sol has been described as Pebble Beach with desert and mountains.

Nicklaus has called the Ocean Course "the greatest piece of golf property on earth," and it can play tough at 7,107 from the black tees -- with a par of 72, slope of 147 and a rating of 74.5. But there are five sets of tees to make the layout resort-friendly.

The Desert Course, another par-72 layout at measure 7,053, is considered almost as difficult with a 144 slope and a rating of 74.3, but again five sets of tees give every golfer a fair challenge.

The Ocean Course annually is ranked No. 1 in Mexico by Golf Digest and the Desert Course has been rated as high as No. 5.

DIRECTOR OF GOLF: Gregory Tallman.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Weiskopf, who captured the 1973 Open Championship at Royal Troon, designed the Desert Course with traditional bunkering, expansive greens, wide fairways, multiple tee areas, natural waste areas and spectacular ocean views.

Signature hole on the Desert Course is the 432-yard finishing hole, which plays downhill to the Sea of Cortez. Avoid the creek that runs along the entire left side of the fairway before crossing the approach and cascading into the lake that guards the front of the green. The downhill second shot requires accuracy to the generous, undulating green that is protected by the lake and bunker on the right.

While Weiskopf's course has gotten good reviews, golfers come to Cabo del Sol to play the Ocean Course, which has been rated by Golf Magazine as one of the top 100 in the world.

There are nearly two miles of ocean frontage on the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol, with seven holes running right along the water. The first taste of it comes on Nos. 6 through 8.

Before that, the golfer must negotiate the par-4, 450-yard fifth hole, which Nicklaus' version of the renowned fifth hole at Royal Portrush in Ireland. The fairway is wide, but aim down the right side because shots on the left can leave a blind approach to a generous green that favors a low, running links-style shot.

Of Nos. 16 through 18, Nicklaus has said: "Cabo del Sol has three of the best ocean finishing holes in the world."

No. 16 is a 429-yard par 4 that plays directly downhill to the ocean, but it can be reached with a favorable wind by a tee shot that takes advantage of the knoll on the left side of the fairway to give the ball the last necessary impetus to reach the green.

At the 17th, the tee shot requires a 178-yard carry over a corner of beach and rocks to a smallish green protected by bunkers on one side and the ocean on the other.

The finishing hole, a 430-yard par 4, reminds the golfer a bit of the famed finishing home at Pebble Beach -- only with the ocean on the right. Challenge the ocean side to stay out of the desert and cactus on the left in addition to shortening the hole for the approach to a large oceanside green.

And don't miss the famous fish tacos at the halfway house.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: There was no golf in Los Cabos -- a world-class sport-fishing destination -- until the early 1990s, but now there are seven places to play, and 63 of the 144 holes have Golden Bear tracks on them.

Palmilla Golf Club, located on the property of the Palmilla Resort about 10 miles from Cabo del Sol, was the first Nicklaus golf course in Latin America when it opened in 1992, and offers three dramatic nines -- the Mountain, the Ocean and the Arroyo.

Also located on the 18-mile tourist corridor from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo are the Nicklaus-designed El Dorado Golf Club; Querencia Golf Club, which was Tom Fazio's first venture outside the United States; Cabo Real Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones II; the Raven Golf Club, formerly Cabo San Lucas Country Club, designed by Pete Dye and featuring the longest hole in Baja, 620 yards; and the nine-hole Campo de Golf Los Cabos, a municipal layout (with plans to add a second nine) in San Jose del Cabo that was the first course in the area when it opened in 1991.

Los Cabos was the site of the PGA Senior Slam five times. Raymond Floyd won in 1995 on the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol and repeated at Cabo Real in 1996, Hale Irwin won at Palmilla in 1997, and Gil Morgan won on the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol in 1998 and at Cabo Real in 1999.

WHERE TO STAY: The Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort and Spa is situated on a private beach amid 28 acres of private gardens, featuring old-world hacienda architecture. It was on Conde Nast Traveler's Gold List in 2004 and 2005, and was rated the "Best Golf Hotel in Los Cabos" by the noted travel publication in 2003.

The elegant Palmilla, located about 10 miles east of Cabo del Sol, is listed in Great Hotels of the World and was a hideaway for the likes of John Wayne and Bing Crosby in days gone by.

Among the many other resorts in Los Cabos are the Fiesta Americana Grand Resort, the Westin Regina Resort, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, the Crowne Plaza Los Cabos, the Fiesta Inn Hotel, the Presidente Inter-Continental Los Cabos Resort, the Grand Baja Resort and Spa, the Playa Grande Resort, the Hotel Twin Dolphin, the Pueblo Bonito Rose Resort, the Casa del Mar Golf and Spa and the Villa del Palmar Beach Resort.

Inside the Ropes: Poulter seeks stroke-play success before Masters

Inside the Ropes: Poulter seeks stroke-play success before Masters










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 1, 2013 2:30 AMThe SportsXchange


Had Ian Poulter played in a bygone era, he might be a multiple major champion by now.


The 37-year-old Englishman is one of the best match players in the world, and from its inception in 1916 until 1957, the PGA Championship was contested in match play.

He simply was born too late.

Poulter, who makes his final tune-up for the Masters this week in the Valero Texas Open, captured the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2010, beating Paul Casey in the final, and reached the semifinals before finishing fourth in 2005 and earlier this season.

In 2011, he defeated Luke Donald to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain, and tied for ninth the following year in his title defense.

However, his best stuff has come in the Ryder Cup, where he has posted a 12-3-0 record in his four appearances in the matches, including 4-0 in singles, beating Americans Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker and Chris Riley in those head-to-head matches,

Last year, he posted a 4-0 record at Medinah and is credited with almost single-handedly rallying the Europeans to an unlikely 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory after they trailed, 10-6, heading into the Sunday singles that usually are dominated by the Americans.

"I love match play," said Poulter, who also has won 13 stroke-play titles around the world in his career. "I love the buzz of it. I like looking straight at the guys you are playing. It puts you under pressure and it's a great format we don't play enough of.

" ... Stroke play, you're playing against 155 guys and you're slowly progressing into a week, 72 holes. Match play you have 18 holes to try to send your opponent home packing.

"Hopefully you do that as soon as you possibly can and you save some energy for hopefully some rounds later in the week."

Said Justin Rose, his fellow Englishman and Ryder Cup teammate: "He seems to make the clutch putts. He's just one of those competitive guys, eye-to-eye, hates to lose."

Added Hunter Mahan, who knocked off Poulter in the semifinals of the Accenture this year: "I have so much respect for the guy and how he plays. There's not one part of his game that really shines. He has a great short game and he's a great putter, but to me, his determination and his will is his greatest strength. He's never going to think he's out of a hole."

For all his match-play prowess, Poulter often has been unable to have it carry over into his stroke-play events, and he admits it.

Poults was able to do it late last year, when after leading the Euros to that memorable Ryder Cup victory, he rode the momentum to finish fourth in the BMW Masters and win the WGC-HSBC Champions Tournament on consecutive weeks in China.

"I've only been one season (in his career) without a victory (actually two, 2005 and 2008), and I certainly didn't want to go another one," Poulter said after winning in China.

"As well as I've played this year, it would have been a disappointment personally to have gone that year without winning, and for me and for how I played this year, it's obviously a great and fantastic feeling, especially after the Ryder Cup to get my hands back on a great trophy like this.

"Hopefully I can continue with the confidence that I've got from the Ryder Cup, to just bottle as much of that as I possibly can and use that in stroke-play events."

Poulter would like to add to his stroke-play haul this week at TPC San Antonio, where he is playing for the first time.

However, he and many others in the field can't help but look ahead to the Masters next week, where Poulter hopes to become the first Englishman to claim a major title since Nick Faldo won at Augusta National in 1996.

"I base my schedule around the majors, and obviously people and players get looked upon with how they have played golf over the years by how many majors they have won," said Poulter, whose best finish in a major was second in the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, four strokes behind Padraig Harrington.

"I have not done that yet ... (but) I know I've got the golf game to be able to go out there and win majors. People keep asking all the time: 'When, when, when.' I don't know when, and I'm trying really hard and obviously I'd like to put one in the trophy cabinet, simple."

If only it were match play.



COMING UP

PGA TOUR: Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.

LAST YEAR: Ben Curtis holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole to seal a two-stroke victory over Matt Every and rookie John Huh. It was the fourth PGA Tour victory for Curtis, including the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St. George's, but his first since the 2006 84 Lumber Classic. The 35-year-old Curtis opened with rounds of 67-67, playing those first 36 holes flawlessly before carding a double-bogey 6 on the first hole of round three. He held on despite shooting 73-72 on the weekend. His status on the PGA Tour had taken such a hit during his six-year slump that Curtis had to rely on sponsors' exemptions and was playing for only the fourth time in 2012, but by winning he earned a two-year exemption.



CHAMPIONS TOUR: Greater Gwinnett Championship at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., April 19-21.

TV: Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Inaugural event.



LPGA TOUR: Kraft Nabisco Championship on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Rancho Mirage Country Club in Mission Hills, Calif., Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, noon-3 p.m. EDT and 6-9 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 5-9 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Sun Young Yoo of South Korea sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat I.K. Kim, also of South Korea, minutes a after Kim inexplicably gave the title away. The 23-year-old Kim, who had taken the lead by holing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th and a 20-footer for birdie on the 17th, had a one-foot putt to win the tournament on No. 18. Incredibly, she missed, her ball circling the cup before lipping out. Yoo, who claimed her second LPGA Tour victory and first major title, and Kim both finished with 3-under-par 69s. Yani Tseng of Taiwan shot 73 and squandered a 54-hole lead in the first LPGA Tour major of the season for the second consecutive season, winding up third.

Golf notebook: PGA still investigating Singh

Golf notebook: PGA still investigating Singh










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 1, 2013 2:30 AMThe SportsXchange


--Vijay Singh withdrew from the Shell Houston Open last week because of a knee injury, according to the PGA Tour, but it brought up more questions about the ongoing investigation of Singh.


The Big Fijian, who turned 50 on Feb. 22 but continues to play on the PGA Tour rather than moving to the Champions Tour, admitted in a Sports Illustrated article that he has used deer-antler spray, which contains the banned ingredient IGF-1.

Singh, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, withdrew from the Waste Management Phoenix Open the week the story came out, citing a back injury, but has continued to play while the investigation continues.

"The process is still ongoing," PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw told Golfweek last week.

Commissioner Tim Finchem said there is no timetable for a ruling to be made.

In five starts since Sports Illustrated broke the story, Singh has played in four tournaments, with his best result a tie for 38th in the Tampa Bay Championship.

His best finish in six starts on the PGA Tour this season was a tie for 20th in the Sony Open in Hawaii and he broke 70 in his first five rounds of the year, but has done so only four times in 19 rounds since.

Singh, who is in the field for the Masters next week, has won 34 times on the PGA Tour, including three majors, but has not found the winner's circle since the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship.

--Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., has been selected as the site of the 2018 United States Senior Open Championship by the United States Golf Association.

The tournament will be played Aug. 25-30 at the club, which has hosted four USGA championships previously.

"The USGA is excited to return to the Pacific Northwest and Eugene Country Club," said Thomas J. O'Toole Jr., USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. "The club has hosted national championships at many amateur levels, including juniors and mid-amateurs.

"Now the best senior amateur players will have an opportunity to evaluate their skills on a course that has stood the test for nearly a century."

Johnny Miller captured the 1964 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club, and Amanda Blumenhurst, who plays on the LPGA Tour, won the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship on the course.

The other USGA events held on the course were the 1993 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2002 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.

--Mike Weir, who became only Canadian to claim a major title when he won the 2003 Masters, hopes to be in the field this week at Augusta National despite a rib injury.

The 42-year-old Weir, the first left-hander to win at Augusta, withdrew after two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago and could not play as planned last week in the Shell Houston Open because of the injury.

However, he plans to be at Augusta.

"I'm going to be going," said Weir, who has been hampered by injuries in recent years. "No matter what, I'm going to be there. I've got to be really smart here the next week and a half about when I decide to try hitting a few balls and see how it is. And then, if I feel anything (bad), to back off.

"(When I) go there to Augusta, if I have to not hit any balls until Thursday, I won't. Just maybe putt a little bit, because I really want to play. I don't know if I could put a percentage (on being able to play) at all, I just know I'm going to be there."

Weir, who has won eight times on the PGA Tour, shot 76-70 -- 146 to make the cut two weeks ago at Bay Hill, but walked off the course at 4-over-par through 11 holes on Saturday because of the rib injury.

"I was able to play through it on Friday and tried to keep playing on Saturday but the pain was just too much," said Weir, who first felt discomfort in his ribs while hitting on the range after the opening round on Thursday.

Doctors believe that cartilage between the ribs is either torn or inflamed.

Weir, who underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2011, missed the cut in all 14 PGA Tour events he played last season, and has made it to the weekend only three times in nine tournaments this year, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

--Jack Nicklaus won the Australian Open six times, so who better to rework a course that will again host the tournament in 2014?

The Golden Bear was in Sydney recently to unveil for club members and the media his redesign of the Australian Golf Club, where Nicklaus claimed three of those titles in 1975, 1976 and 1978.

As he often does when he designs new course, Nicklaus played several holes to show how they should be navigated, before mingling with the crowd and signing autographs afterward.

"I've always loved coming here," Nicklaus told Australian Golf Digest. "This is the first place I played in Australia back in 1962. To see the changes in the club, the clubhouse and the changes in the membership have been special.

"The commitment I've seen from Kerry Packer (a wealthy Australian businessman who funded the earlier redesign) right through to today's board, it's just been a wonderful association for me."

Nicklaus also helped redesign the course between 1977 and 1980, adding length and water hazards.

The Australian Open will be played in December for the third consecutive year at the Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, where 53-year-old Peter Senior, who plays on the Champions Tour, won last year.

Craig Parry captured the title in 2007, the last time it was played at the Australian Golf Club.

--After missing the cut 34 times and failing to finish in the top three even once in his first three seasons on the PGA Tour, Cameron Tringale is turning things around this season.

The 25-year-old Tringale, who lives in Laguna Nigel, Calif., and graduated from Georgia Tech, gives much of the credit to caddie David Clark, whom he hired before this season.

"I feel like caddies are a really important piece of the puzzle," said Tringale, who has five finishes in the top 30, including solo third in the Tampa Bay Championship, the best result of his career on the PGA Tour. "He's been great for me."

Tringale equaled his best score of the season last Thursday, when he shot 7-under-par 65, hitting 17 of 18 greens on the Tournament Course at Redstone, to finish the day tied for second, one stroke behind leader D.A. Points in the Shell Houston Open.

He went on to finish with 73-72-71 to tie for 16th.

"Game is good," Tringale said. "I feel like it's been going in a positive direction all year and it's kind of coming together a little bit more on the greens and with my short game and wedges.

"I'm seeing the ball end over end (off the putter). It's really nice to just stand up there and know, if you read it right, I feel like I'm going to put a good stroke on it and that it's got a good chance to go in."

Tringale's finish in Houston lifted him to 22nd in the FedEx Cup standings.

Masters makes right call in penalizing, but not DQing, Tiger Woods

Masters makes right call in penalizing, but not DQing, Tiger Woods











Dan Wetzel April 13, 2013 11:49 AMYahoo Sports






View gallery.

Tiger Woods takes a drop at the 15th hole during Round 2 of the Masters. (AP)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Walking down the front veranda of the Augusta National clubhouse, Ernie Els was like everyone else here on a glorious Saturday morning, looking for the latest on Tiger Woods and his disputed drop on the 15th hole Friday.



As the sun rose over the famed course, most people expected Woods to be disqualified after he violated a drop rule on the 15th and then signed what turned out to be an inaccurate scorecard.

Instead, the Masters assessed him a two-shot penalty, allowing him to continue to play because tournament officials originally ruled the drop was fine. At that moment, however, Els was told that the ruling was based on intent. Confusion reigned everywhere.

"Did they change the rule?" Els, a four-time major championship winner, asked.

When offered further clarification, Els just broke into a smile, waved his hands in the air to signify "whatever" and walked off, chuckling.

[Masters 2013 leaderboard: See how Tiger Woods and others are doing]

And that about summed it up, a lot of wonder over how Woods survived, yet acceptance that this, considering it involved Tiger, wasn't that surprising.

The truth is, Saturday morning's decision was both fair and proper because while Woods may have erred on Friday, so too did tournament officials when they failed to discuss the drop with Tiger (and thus accurately assessed a penalty in real time) before he signed what he believed to be a correct scorecard. In fact, tournament officials weren't even aware that he'd made an illegal drop.

So on Saturday, the Masters decided against throwing the player out of the tournament for their own failed and rushed investigation into the original drop.





View gallery.While this is certain to create waves of controversy and cries of favoritism, it was the proper course of action.



It starts with Tiger's approach shot on 15 hitting the flag and bouncing back into the water. From there, Tiger had three options: drop a ball in the designated drop area, go back to the original spot where he hit or put the ball in direct line with where it entered the water.

He did none of those precisely, going a couple of yards back from the original spot but at a slightly different angle. A television viewer alerted the tournament about the discrepancy. An initial video review of the shot by officials, however, determined no violation.

"At that moment and based on that evidence, the Committee determined he had complied with the rules," the tournament stated.

Woods eventually finished his round and signed his scorecard. In subsequent media interviews, however, Tiger explained that he purposefully took his drop "two yards further back" from the original shot.

That acknowledgement, the tournament said, changed the decision-making process.

"After he signed his scorecard, and in a television interview subsequent to the round, the player stated that he had played further from the point than where he had played his third shot. Such action would constitute playing from the wrong place.

"The subsequent information provided by the player's interview after he had competed play warranted further review and discussion with him [Saturday] morning.

"After meeting with the player, it was determined that he had violated Rule 26, and was assessed a two-stroke penalty."

[Related: Penalty against Tianlang Guan at Masters was uncalled for]

However, the Masters decided he should not be disqualified for signing an inaccurate scorecard because the tournament previously ruled inaccurately on the drop and he shouldn't be punished for it.

"The penalty of disqualification was waved by the Committee under Rule 33 as the committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player's round."

In essence, they cut him a huge break. And it's a fair one. While Tiger made a mistake with his drop, none of his comments say that he was knowingly breaking the rules.

There are some who are calling for Woods to disqualify himself, based on the culture of golf. They are saying that regardless of intent, he did, indeed, sign an inaccurate scorecard even if neither he nor tournament officials determined it until some 16 hours after the fact.

"I think he should [withdraw]," David Duvall wrote on Twitter. "He took a drop to gain an advantage."

That would be a magnanimous gesture in the strictest sense of the rules, but is that really what the spirit of the rule was meant to enforce?

Indeed, the very limited competitive advantage gained by a slight location improvement on a fairly easy chip on Friday wouldn't be something someone like Tiger would ever risk penalty strokes to obtain.

Woods made a mistake, but it's the Masters that blew it.

Tournament officials should have asked Woods to explain his drop immediately after the round and before he signed his scorecard. If Tiger had been as forthcoming as he was in media interviews, then the penalty would've been properly assessed prior to the signing of the card.

Instead they didn't bother and went solely with video review. The scorecard controversy was created because the tournament didn't follow protocol.

This could have been nipped in the bud. Instead it exploded into a major controversy, one that left even former champions shaking their head and simply not caring how Tiger Woods managed to stay in the field after signing an inaccurate scorecard, because no explanation is going to satisfy everyone.

Besides, it was a nice day and there was golf to be played.

USGA rule regarding Tiger Woods' ball drop

USGA rule regarding Tiger Woods' ball drop











PGA.COM April 13, 2013 12:57 PM


AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -- U.S. Golf Association rules applied by Augusta National Golf Club in assessing Tiger Woods a two-stroke penalty for an illegal drop in Friday's second round.


THE ISSUE

26-1. Relief For Ball In Water Hazard

It is a question of fact whether a ball that has not been found after having been struck toward a water hazard is in the hazard. In the absence of knowledge or virtual certainty that a ball struck toward a water hazard, but not found, is in the hazard, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1.

If a ball is found in a water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:

a. Proceed under the stroke and distance provision of Rule 27-1 by playing a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or

b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or

c. As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.

When proceeding under this Rule, the player may lift and clean his ball or substitute a ball.

THE DECISION

33-7. Disqualification Penalty; Committee Discretion

A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted.

Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified.

If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule.

THE RATIONALE

33-7/4.5. Competitor Unaware of Penalty Returns Wrong Score; Whether Waiving or Modifying Disqualification Penalty Justified

Q. A competitor returns his score card. It later transpires that the score for one hole is lower than actually taken due to his failure to include a penalty stroke(s) which he did not know he had incurred. The error is discovered before the competition has closed.

Would the Committee be justified, under Rule 33-7, in waiving or modifying the penalty of disqualification prescribed in Rule 6-6d?

--Generally, the disqualification prescribed by Rule 6-6d must not be waived or modified.

However, if the Committee is satisfied that the competitor could not reasonably have known or discovered the facts resulting in his breach of the Rules, it would be justified under Rule 33-7 in waiving the disqualification penalty prescribed by Rule 6-6d. The penalty stroke(s) associated with the breach would, however, be applied to the hole where the breach occurred.

For example, in the following scenarios, the Committee would be justified in waiving the disqualification penalty:

-- A competitor makes a short chip from the greenside rough. At the time, he and his fellow-competitors have no reason to suspect that the competitor has double-hit his ball in breach of Rule 14-4. After the competitor has signed and returned his score card, a close-up, super-slow-motion video replay reveals that the competitor struck his ball twice during the course of the stroke. In these circumstances, it would be appropriate for the Committee to waive the disqualification penalty and apply the one-stroke penalty under Rule 14-4 to the competitor's score at the hole in question.

-- After a competitor has signed and returned his score card, it becomes known, through the use of a high-definition video replay, that the competitor unknowingly touched a few grains of sand with his club at the top of his backswing on a wall of the bunker. The touching of the sand was so light that, at the time, it was reasonable for the competitor to have been unaware that he had breached Rule 13-4. It would be appropriate for the Committee to waive the disqualification penalty and apply the two-stroke penalty to the competitor's score at the hole in question.

-- A competitor moves his ball on the putting green with his finger in the act of removing his ball-marker. The competitor sees the ball move slightly forward but is certain that it has returned to the original spot, and he plays the ball as it lies. After the competitor signs and returns his score card, video footage is brought to the attention of the Committee that reveals that the ball did not precisely return to its original spot. When questioned by the Committee, the competitor cites the fact that the position of the logo on the ball appeared to be in exactly the same position as it was when he replaced the ball and this was the reason for him believing that the ball returned to the original spot. As it was reasonable in these circumstances for the competitor to have no doubt that the ball had returned to the original spot, and because the competitor could not himself have reasonably discovered otherwise prior to signing and returning his score card, it would be appropriate for the Committee to waive the disqualification penalty. The two-stroke penalty under Rule 20-3a for playing from a wrong place would, however, be applied to the competitor's score at the hole in question.

A Committee would not be justified under Rule 33-7 in waiving or modifying the disqualification penalty prescribed in Rule 6-6d if the competitor's failure to include the penalty stroke(s) was a result of either ignorance of the Rules or of facts that the competitor could have reasonably discovered prior to signing and returning his score card.

For example, in the following scenarios, the Committee would not be justified in waiving or modifying the disqualification penalty:

-- As a competitor's ball is in motion, he moves several loose impediments in the area in which the ball will likely come to rest. Unaware that this action is a breach of Rule 23-1, the competitor fails to include the two-stroke penalty in his score for the hole. As the competitor was aware of the facts that resulted in his breaching the Rules, he should be disqualified under Rule 6-6d for failing to include the two-stroke penalty under Rule 23-1.

-- A competitor's ball lies in a water hazard. In making his backswing for the stroke, the competitor is aware that his club touched a branch in the hazard. Not realizing at the time that the branch was detached, the competitor did not include the two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 13-4 in his score for the hole. As the competitor could have reasonably determined the status of the branch prior to signing and returning his score card, the competitor should be disqualified under Rule 6-6d for failing to include the two-stroke penalty under Rule 13-4. (Revised)

©2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.

From the couch: TV viewer plays rules official in penalizing Tiger Woods

From the couch: TV viewer plays rules official in penalizing Tiger Woods











Dan Wetzel April 13, 2013 2:27 PMYahoo Sports






View gallery.

Tiger Woods takes a drop on the 15th hole after his ball went into the water. (AP)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods was eventually assessed a two-stroke penalty, and nearly thrown out of the Masters on Saturday because a television viewer spotted him making an illegal drop on the 15th hole of Friday's round and alerted the tournament.



Over the next 16 hours, officials took it from there, eventually ruling Woods should be penalized for dropping his ball two yards from behind its original location after a chip wound up in a pond. The ruling moved Woods' score from 3-under to 1-under heading into Saturday's round. No official saw the error in real time and if it hadn't been for the viewer there likely would've been no penalty or controversy.

"After being prompted by a television viewer, the Rules Committee reviewed a video of the shot," the Masters said in a statement.

[Masters 2013 leaderboard: See how Tiger Woods and others are doing]

Which begs a simple question, how does some guy on his couch advise the Masters, played at Augusta National – merely one of the most exclusive clubs in the world and host of one of the sport's grandest championships – that Tiger Woods just screwed up?





View gallery.

Tiger Woods talks with an official during the third round of the Masters. (USAT Sports)"You just call Augusta National and ask for the scoring officials," a receptionist in the press building told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday.



So the guy just called and got patched through to the actual scoring officials?

"They may have called him back, but we don't comment on that or any of the specifics of the investigation," she said.

The Masters would not reveal who the caller was, where the call came from or any other detail.

"We get dozens of these calls every Masters," Fred Ridley, Masters committee chairman, explained Saturday morning. "You don't hear about them because most of them do not amount to anything. … This is really a fairly normal occurrence during the tournament."

[Related: Masters makes right call in cutting Tiger Woods a break]

"I think that's just the time that we live in," he continued. "It's sort of the instant replay in football or baseball. These players are under a microscope, particularly Tiger. There are a lot of people out there that know a lot about the rules, think they know a lot about the rules."

While this sort of thing doesn't happen often, it does happen – for years, actually:

• Following the first round of the 2011 Tournament of Champions, a viewer called in a violation by Camilo Villegas. In that instance, Villegas swatted away a few blades of grass while his ball was still moving. A TV viewer noticed it, called it in and Villegas was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

• Just a few weeks later, a viewer notified European tournament officials that Padraig Harrington's ball moved when he marked it on the green. Harrington didn't assess himself a penalty and was disqualified when he signed an incorrect scorecard.

• And way back in the 1987 Andy Williams Open, viewers notified officials that Craig Stadler had placed a towel underneath his knees while playing in dewy grass. That's a penalty and Stadler was disqualified for – you guessed it – signing an inaccurate scorecard.

Just to recap, all someone has to do to report whatever violation they think may have occurred in the biggest tournament of the year is dial up Augusta National Golf Club and ask for the scoring officials?

"If you call Augusta National you will be put through to whomever you ask for," the Augusta officials said.

So there you go golf-rule hawks: (706) 667-6000.

Golf notebook: R&A believes McIlroy might be Irish in IOC's eyes

Golf notebook: R&A believes McIlroy might be Irish in IOC's eyes










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 29, 2013 2:30 AMThe SportsXchange


--It looked as if Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland might have a difficult decision to make if he decides to play when golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro.

McIlroy has loyalties to Ireland and Great Britain, and he caused a little fuss last year when he said he felt more British and might play for the Brits.

However, Chief Executive Peter Dawson of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews said McIlroy inadvertently might have made his decision earlier in his career.

"Because of Rory's history of playing for Ireland at amateur level and at World Cup level, there may be a regulation within the Olympic rules which would determine who he would have to play (for)," Dawson said. "We are still looking at the matter, but under that regulation, he could play under Irish colors.

"It's quite ambiguous as there are regulations within the IOC that if you play previous world championships for a certain country, that has to carry with you."

Dawson noted, however, that golf doesn't have the same structure as other sports.

"But I would very much like to take this burden of choice away from the player, if possible, because it's not fair," Dawson said. "I think Rory has made it pretty clear, and what I have heard privately, he is worried about it and the last thing we want is a player worrying about it."

The deadly violence that plagued Northern Ireland has subsided, but religious tensions still run high, and if McIlroy chose to represent Ireland, he could face a backlash from the Loyalist community, which is predominantly Protestant.

If he decided to play for Great Britain, he might anger Republicans, who are predominantly Roman Catholic.

McIlroy told the BBC earlier this year that he might not play in the Olympics if he believes that playing for one side or the other might cause too many problems.

--NEC Corporation, in a joint announcement with the PGA Tour, said through NEC Latin America that the company is expanding its presence on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica by becoming the umbrella sponsor of the 15-event circuit.

The sponsorship, which took place immediately, changed the name of the tour to NEC Series-PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

The announcement was made last week at the NEC Roberto De Vicenzo Invitational, which was played at the Club de Golf del Uruguay.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this landmark sponsorship for the tour and to welcome NEC as an umbrella sponsor of PGA TOUR Latinoamerica," said Jack Warfield, president of NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamerica.

"We look forward to working with our partners at NEC to maximize its presence on the Tour as we continue to build the PGA Tour's presence throughout Latin America."

NEC sponsored a popular PGA Tour event, the World Series of Golf at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for 15 years, through 1998.

When that tournament because one of the first World Golf Championships events in 1999, the company continued its sponsorship for seven years until Bridgestone took over as title sponsor.

"We are very excited to reinforce our presence with the PGA Tour through PGA Tour Latinoamerica," said Carlos Martinangeli, chief operating officer and senior vice president of NEC Latin America.

"As a former World Golf Championships sponsor, NEC well understands the importance and effectiveness of sponsorship for golf tournaments. The NEC Series-PGA Tour Latinoamerica will expand NEC's presence in Latin America and beyond."

One week after losing to Adam Scott in a playoff at the Masters earlier this month, two-time major champion Angel Cabrera returned home to Argentina and captured a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event, the Abierto OSDE del Centro, on his home course at Cordoba Golf Club.

--The Wells Fargo Championship will be played this week at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., even though several greens on the course underwent emergency maintenance in recent days.

The eighth and 10th greens were completely re-sodded only nine days before the scheduled start on Thursday, and the 12th and 13th greens were re-sodded in selected places.

Reportedly, 14 of the 18 greens will be a bit bumpy for the tournament.

"They would not have been in acceptable condition," said Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour's senior vice president of tournament administration. "It was a rather extraordinary step."

Johnson Wagner, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour and a member at Quail Hollow, reportedly played the course a few weeks ago, when temporary greens were in place on the eighth and 10th holes.

According to Wagner, the problems with the 10th green can be traced back to excessive top-dressing of the bentgrass greens by the PGA Tour's agronomy staff in the weeks leading up to the event.

"It went from a perfectly sodded green three weeks ago, which I thought was unbelievable, to being dead," Johnson said. "We're hoping to make it through this tournament unscathed.

"It's unfortunate because we put on such a great golf course and a great event for, I guess, this is our 11th year, and it's going to leave a sour taste in our mouths for this year."

With a limited time to make repairs, the re-sodding of the eighth and 10th greens was done with strips 40 feet long by four feet wide, to minimize the number of seams.

Padzer disagreed with Johnson's assessment of why the greens needed to be repaired and, in the case of the eighth and 10th holes, completely re-sodded.

"There were a number of factors involved which contributed to the decline in conditions of the 10th green," Padzer said. "But over-top-dressing was not one of them."


After the tournament this week, all 18 greens will be torn up and replaced with a more heat-tolerant MiniVerde Bermudagrass as Quail Hollow prepares to host the 2017 PGA Championship.

--Every avid golf fan knows that Jack Nicklaus' 18 major championships are the benchmark in the sport, a goal Tiger Woods has chased since putting the Golden Bear's achievements on his wall as a youngster.

However, Nicklaus will tell you that at some point about the time he claimed his last major title at the 1986 Masters, he lost two majors.

And he's not exactly sure when it happened.

"I was probably at 17 or 18 majors, including the (U.S.) Amateurs, and all of a sudden I had 15 or 16," Nicklaus said recently. "What happened here? All of a sudden it became 'professional' majors."

In his prime, Nicklaus was in pursuit of Bobby Jones, whose 13 major titles included five U.S. Amateur Championships and one British Amateur Championship.

Nicklaus captured the U.S. Amateur twice.

"When I passed Jones' record, it was with the amateurs," Nicklaus said. "It related back to Jones."

Nicklaus passed Jones when he captured the 1973 PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio, and it was record-breaking one way or the other, because his 12th professional major eclipsed Walter Hagen's pro record of 11.

Nicklaus' best guess is that the U.S. Amateur was no longer considered a major when Woods won it a record three straight times from 1994 to 1996.

"Because they didn't really count Tiger's as majors," Nicklaus said. "Rather than counting Tiger's as majors, they didn't do that, and they sort of took mine away."

By the old standard, Nicklaus still leads Woods 20-17.

--Chief executive officer Martin Senn of Zurich Insurance Group announced that the company is extending its sponsorship of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans by five years.

The company did not disclose its financial commitment, but Senn said the tournament creates nearly $30 million in annual spending in the New Orleans area.

The new deal expires in 2019.

"This extension shows Zurich's continued commitment to New Orleans and its people," Senn said during a press conference at TPC Louisiana. "Our sponsorship has allowed us to build valuable relationships with the Fore!Kids Foundation and the PGA Tour.

"Together we have raised more than $9 million to support local charities, whose mission is to help children in need in the New Orleans area. The Zurich Classic has paid dividends on many levels, and I am confident that Zurich's bonds with New Orleans will grow even stronger in the years ahead."

Zurich took over as title sponsor of the New Orleans event in 2005, less than a year before Hurricane Katrina devastated south Louisiana.

Senn said the opportunity to promote the region's recovery after the storm only further motivated Zurich to maintain its ties to the tournament beyond its previous agreement.

The Zurich Classic has helped rebuild 450 homes in St. Bernard Parish, which was hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina.

--Al Geiberger is auctioning off the clubs he played when he became the first player in the history of the PGA Tour to shoot 59, a feat he accomplished at Colonial Country Club in the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977.

The clubs are part of a vast collection of memorabilia that Geiberger, who won 11 times on the PGA Tour, 10 titles on the Champions Tour and 30 times in his pro career, is selling off through Green Jacket Auctions.

"Rather than have my most important memorabilia from my golf career gather dust in storage, I have decided to share it with the world," the 75-year-old Geiberger wrote on his Facebook page.

"Green Jacket Auctions is now looking for bidders to find a cherished home for some of my most significant artifacts. A good home is important to me."

The clubs, being sold as a set, include a Spalding Al Geiberger model driver, a TopFlite 4-wood, TopFlite Legacy 2- and 3-irons, Spalding Al Geiberger 4- through 9- irons, a Wilson sand wedge, a TopFlite wedge and a Con-Sole wedge.

Being sold separately is the Ping Pal putter he used in his record-setting round.

In addition, Geiberger also is auctioning the Wanamaker Trophy and the gold medal he received for winning the 1966 PGA Championship at Firestone Country Club

Already, nearly $16,000 has been bid for his Wanamaker Trophy, while bids on his clubs from the round of 59 are approaching $4,000.

Also available at auction are the clubs with which Geiberger captured the PGA Championship, the trophy from his victory in the Memphis Classic, the silver medal he received for finishing second in the U.S. Open in 1969, crystals for making eagles at the Masters and his 1975 Ryder Cup money clip.

Representatives of Green Jacket Auctions went to Geiberger's home in La Quinta, Calif., to film the pilot episode of a new reality TV show based on Green Jacket Auctions.

Geiberger never saw the footage of his 59, taken by two Memphis television stations, until a few months ago, according to Larry Bohannan of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs.

One station taped over its copy and the lost its tape.

However, a copy was found in an attic in Pennsylvania, and the Golf Channel surprised Geiberger by showing him perhaps the only remaining footage of the historic round.

The four ensuing 59s on the PGA Tour, posted by Chip Beck in the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational, by David Duval in the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, by Paul Goydos in the 2010 John Deere Classic, and by Stuart Appleby in the 2010 John Deere Classic, have been televised.

Inside the Ropes: Garcia no longer moping over lack of major title

Inside the Ropes: Garcia no longer moping over lack of major title










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 29, 2013 2:30 AMThe SportsXchange


When Adam Scott captured the Masters, he crossed his name off the list of best players without a major title.

Sergio Garcia, who tied for eighth at Augusta, remains the poster boy.

Garcia, whose signature moment is chasing Tiger Woodsall the way to the finish of the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah, often seems further from major glory than he was as a precocious 19-year-old.

"We all have a chance of winning a major," said Garcia, who is in the field this week at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C. "I've had a couple (of opportunities). It's just a matter of seeing if it happens at that time or who you go against.

"Unfortunately, my chance in '99, it was against the best player in the world, and I came up a little short. But I'm still working hard to get that first major and keep going from there, and that's the goal. ...

"I don't really care (about the label, best player to never win a major). I would love to get rid of it, yes."

Garcia, who at 33 has outgrown his nickname, "El Nino" (The Boy, or The Child), has finished in the top 10 on 18 occasions at the Grand Slam events, including second three times. He seemed to hit a new low in the majors last year in the Masters.

After starting with 72-68 to rank among the leaders, he was devastated after shooting 3-over-par 75 in the third round to fall out of contention en route to a tie for 12th. Garcia said out loud that he simply wasn't good enough.

"If I felt like I could win, I would do it," he told Spanish reporters. "Unfortunately at the moment, unless I get really lucky in one of the weeks, I can't really play much better than I played this week. And I'm going to finish 13th or 15th. What does that show you?

"That's the reality. I'm not good enough, and today I know it. I've been trying for 13 years, and I don't feel capable of winning. I don't know what happened to me. Maybe it's something psychological. ...

"After 13 years, my chances are over. I'm not good enough for the majors. That's it. I'm not good enough. I had my chances and opportunities and I wasted them. I have no more options. I wasted my options. ... Tell me something I can do."

Garcia went through more major misery this year at Augusta National, tying for the first-round lead with a brilliant 66, but followed that up with 76-73-70.

This time, he was not as emotional about yet another major failure, only resigned to that fact.

"I think I am where I deserve, and you have to be happy with that," said Garcia, who is playing well, having finished in the top 20 in eight of his nine events this season on both major tours and is leading the European Tour's Race to Dubai.

"I tried as hard as I could every single day. Unfortunately a couple of the days didn't go my way. I had two very good days and two not-so-good ones. So overall I can't be too disappointed with it. ...

"Probably overall the best I've played at the Masters. Unfortunately I didn't score very well (the last three days)."

There will be plenty more chances for Garcia, but that's what they kept saying about Colin Montgomerie, the best player from golf's last generation who has never won a major title and at the age of 49 would need a miracle.

In both cases, it remains a mystery as to why it hasn't happened.

"(Garcia) came out like Tiger, and it looked so easy," said Jesper Parnevik, Garcia's former Ryder Cup partner. "But in his mind, he hasn't lived up to expectations."

And in everyone else's, too.

Other than 1999, the closest he has come to winning a major was losing in a playoff to Padraig Harrington in the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie and tying for second to Harrington the following year in the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.


In 2008, Garcia enjoyed what until now has been his career year, winning three times on three continents, capturing the Castello Masters in Spain, the HSBC Champions in China and the Players Championship, the so-called "Fifth Major," at TPC Sawgrass.

Early the following year, Garcia's life and game began to unravel at the same time after his girlfriend, Morgan Leigh Norman, daughter of Greg Norman, broke up with him.

He was gutted.

Garcia, who admitted that his romance with Norman probably was the first time he really was in love, foundered on and off the course, and his family was legitimately concerned about his mental well-being.

"Obviously, the break-up with Morgan did not help," Garcia said. "You get over some things; others take a little longer. I wasn't sad because my relationship was public because everybody knew about it. I was sad because of my feelings. It is within me. It is in my heart. I am not thinking what other people are thinking about it. ...

"It was her doing, not mine. It is unfortunate, one of those things. Do I think of her all the time? No. It is pretty much back in the past now. It happens to everybody. It happens to some people when they are 15, some when they are 25, some in their 40s. Breakups are never nice."

Garcia, once No. 3 in the World Golf Rankings, fell out of the top 50 as he slumped for nearly two seasons before winning the Castello Masters and Andalucia Masters on consecutive weeks late in the 2011 Euro Tour season.

Last year, he captured the Wyndham Championship, his first victory on the PGA Tour since the 2008 Players, and he is back in the top 20 of the World Golf Rankings.

There remains, however, that missing major piece to the puzzle.

"If I don't have a major, what can I do?" Garcia said. "Some guys need to win a major, some guys don't."

His best chance this year might come in the Open Championship at Muirfield, which he calls "the best links course in the world," and where he won the 1998 English Amateur Championship.

To win there, perhaps he simply needs to channel his inner El Nino.



COMING UP

PGA TOUR: Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-7 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on CBS.

LAST YEAR: Rickie Fowler hit a brilliant approach shot on the first playoff hole and sank a four-foot birdie putt to turn back Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points for his first victory in his 67th start on the PGA Tour. Fowler, who carded six birdies in a span of 11 holes while closing with a 3-under-par 69, hit his approach shot close from 133 yards with a wedge on the playoff hole and won for the second times a pro, his other title coming when he also outplayed McIlroy to win the 2011 Kolon Korea Open. McIlroy, who closed with a 70 that included a bogey on the 17th hole, still took over the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings. Points, who shot 71, took a one-stroke lead to the final hole of regulation, but he had to sink a six-foot bogey putt to get into the playoff. Overnight leader Webb Simpson had a chance to join the playoff, but he missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole and closed with a 73.



CHAMPIONS TOUR: Insperity Championship at The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Texas, Friday through Sunday.

TV: Friday, 7:30-9:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. EDT, and Sunday, 7-9:30 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Fred Funk birdied four of the last five holes to capture his seventh victory on the Champions Tour, but first in two years, by one stroke over Tom Lehman. The 55-year-old Funk, who added a victory in the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn later in the season, hit his approach shot from 157 yards with a 5-iron to within two feet of the 72nd hole. After Lehman missed his birdie putt from 12 feet, Funk tapped in for his birdie and first victory since the 2010 Jeld-Wen Tradition. Funk, who captured the 1992 Shell Houston Open at The Woodlands for one of his eight victories on the PGA Tour, became the first player since Tom Watson to claim victories on the same course on the regular tour and the senior circuit. Watson won the 1980 Open Championship and the 2007 Senior British Open at Muirfield, Scotland.



LPGA TOUR: Kingsmill Championship on the River Course at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Jiyai Shin of South Korea won the second-longest playoff in LPGA Tour history with a par on the ninth extra hole after Paula Creamer three-putted for bogey from 30 feet. The 24-year-old Shin, who claimed her ninth victory on the U.S. tour and added two more later in the year, sank a three-foot putt for par after Creamer's par bid from five feet spun out of the hole. Creamer, who closed with a 1-under-par 71, missed a five-foot putt on the final hole of regulation that would have given her the victory. Shin and Creamer played the 18th hole even eight times in the playoff before darkness closed in. They returned the next morning and needed only one hole to decide the outcome, this time playing No. 16. Jo Ann Prentice won the longest playoff in LPGA Tour history, winning the 1972 Corpus Christi Civitan Open on the 10th extra hole.

Golf rankings, player capsules

Golf rankings, player capsules










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 29, 2013 2:31 AMThe SportsXchange


The Sports Xchange's 2013 PGA Tour rankings, selected by TSX Golf Staff, based on 2012-2013 performance.



1. Tiger Woods, United States -- Officials of the Wells Fargo Championship were confident that Woods was going to play this week in their tournament, which he won in 2007. He also finished fourth when he played at Quail Hollow in 2009 after missing his title defense because of knee surgery. However, agent Mark Steinberg said last week that Woods would not play in Charlotte, giving Tiger a three-week break between the Masters and the Players Championship. ... Woods has missed the cut in his last two appearances at Quail Hollow, in 2010 and last year after finishing no worse than a tie for 11th (in 2005) in his previous four appearances, but that apparently had little to do with his decision. He usually takes three weeks off after the first major of the year, but because of a change in the PGA Tour schedule this season, the Wells Fargo is being played three weeks after the Masters. So, he won't be back until next week at the Players Championship, in which he has not had great success since winning in 2002. ... Tiger did make a commitment to another tournament last week, the AT&T National, of which he is the host, and he will be defending his title near the end of June at Congressional. Woods won the tournament last year by two strokes over Bo Van Pelt, and he also prevailed by one stroke over Hunter Mahan in 2009. He's been pretty good in tournaments that he hosts, having won the World Challenge a record five times at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.



2. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- If there's a place for McIlroy to really find his game, it might be at Quail Hollow, where he will be playing this week in the Wells Fargo Championship for the third time. He claimed his first PGA Tour title there in 2010, and after missing the cut as the defending champion, he finished in a tie for second last year, losing out when Rickie Fowler made a birdie to win on the second playoff hole. ... Rory seems to have been getting closer to his 2012 form in three of his last four tournaments, registering a tie for eighth in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, finishing second to Martin Laird of Scotland in the Valero Texas Open and tying for 25th in the Masters, where he played well other than a 7-over-par 79 in the third round. Slow starts have dogged him all season, as he has not broken 70 in the first round in any of his five PGA Tour events, so he must give himself a chance by getting off the blocks quickly on Thursday. ... McIlroy shot 66-62 on the weekend at Quail Hollow three years ago to claim a four-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson, finishing with an exclamation point when he holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole. However, he shot 75-72--147 the following year to miss the cut in his title defense. Last year, he shot 69-68 in the middle rounds before closing with a 2-under-par 70, making a bogey on No. 17 and missing a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have given him the victory.



3. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Snedeker remains second in the FedEx Cup standings thanks to a brilliant run early this season, but he has not fully regained that form after an hip injury put him on the sideline for two months. He did have his moments in the Masters before closing with a 3-over-par 75 at Augusta to finish in a tie for sixth, but he came back the following week with an unimpressive tie for 59th in the RBC Heritage, and he has not broken 70 in 11 of his last 12 rounds. ... Sneds has not finished better than a tie for 55th in three appearances at the Wells Fargo Championship, so it was easy for him to pass on the tournament, having not teed it up there since 2010. He will be looking to reverse his fortunes in the Players Championship next week because he also has not done well at TPC Sawgrass, missing the cut in his last four appearances after tying for 12th in 2007. ... Snedeker said the strained intercostal muscle he sustained earlier this season is healed and that the break actually came at a good time because he had played five times in the first six weeks of the season. He believes that might have helped in his strong performance at the Masters, even though he faltered on Sunday, because he was fresh going into the first major of the year. And he could afford to take some time off, having posted four finishes in the top three, including his victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.



4. Adam Scott, Australia -- Australian greats Greg Norman and Peter Thomsen, and others, are touting Scott to win more majors now that he has broken through, but it will be interesting to see how his new-found status as Masters champion affects his game moving forward. Many first-time major winners have struggled initially. Bubba Watson has not won in the past year, and some have very good players have not claimed more than one Grand Slam title; see Davis Love III, David Toms and Tom Kite, among others. We'll get our first glimpse of the post-Masters Scott next week in the Players Championship. ... Scott has been a supporter of the big three Australian events at the end of the year, and officials of those tournaments are holding their collective breaths about the Masters champion because he usually plays only two per year. He is defending champion of the Australian Masters, which will be played at Royal Melbourne, so that seems to be a no-brainer. Scott surprisingly didn't claim his first pro victory Down Under until the 2009 Australian Open, probably the biggest of the three events, so he probably will play that one, too. However, the Australian PGA is played at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast, right down the highway from his home at Sanctuary Cove, so that one will be difficult to pass up. ... You knew Steve Williams, Scott's outspoken caddie, would make his own news after the Masters, and he didn't disappoint. Tiger Woods' former bagman said Scott's winning 15-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole at Augusta National might be the highlight of his career because his boss asked him to make the read.



5. Phil Mickelson, United States -- There might be a victory waiting for Lefty at Quail Hollow, where he is playing this week for the 10th consecutive season, because he has played so well in the Wells Fargo Championship. He has finished in the top 10 in six of his nine appearances in the tournament, never missing the cut, although he tied for 26th a year ago, with a tie for 36th in 2005 his worst result in Charlotte. ... Mickelson came closest to winning the tournament in 2010, when he shot 4-under-par 68 in the second and final rounds, only to have Rory McIlroy race past him, leaving him four shots back in second place. Lefty had bookend 67s in 2007, but a 75 in the third round eventually left him a tie for fifth, three strokes behind winner Sean O'Hair. Two years ago, he posted three scores in the 60s but again did himself in on Saturday with a 74 that led to a tie for ninth, five strokes out of the playoff in which Lucas Glover defeated Jonathan Byrd. In 2007, he tied for third, four shots behind winner Tiger Woods. ... You can't say that the first part of Mickelson's season has been a disaster, since he captured the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a brilliant four-day performance, and he finished third in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. However, Mickelson has to be disappointed that he has not found that consistency more often, with only two other finishes in the top 25 and a tie for 54th in his favorite tournament, the Masters.



6. Dustin Johnson, United States -- Johnson was all set to play in the Ballantine's Championship at Blackstone Golf Club in Incheon, South Korea, for the second time in the last three years, but he withdrew early last week because of the political unrest in the region. Zach Johnson and Alvaro Quiros of Spain also decided not to play in the tournament, co-sponsored by the European Tour and the Asian Tour, because of threats made against South Korea by its neighbor, North Korea and that country's leader, Kim Jong-un. ... DJ tied for fourth in the Ballantine's two years ago and planned to play in the event again last year, but he was forced to stay home because of a back injury. After pulling out of the South Korean event, he committed to play for the fourth time in the Wells Fargo Championship this week at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. It will be a much shorter trip, since he lives part of the year in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Johnson tweeted to his friend and Wells Fargo defending champion, Rickie Fowler, that he was looking forward to giving him a run for his money at Quail Hollow. ... Johnson seems capable of doing exactly that after snapping out of a slump that lasted for three months following his victory to start the season in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He has missed the cut in two of his three appearances at Quail Hollow, in 2008 and 2011, while finishing in a tie for 29th in 2010. That year, he was in the hunt most of the way after shooting 7-under-par 65 in round two but closed with a 77.



7. Luke Donald, England -- Donald has finally started playing like a guy who has been No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings for 56 weeks in the last two years. He posted his first two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season in his last three tournaments, tying for fourth in the Tampa Bay Championship and tying for third in the RBC Heritage, with a tie for 25th in the Masters sandwiched in between those results. Donald, who has been in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings for the last 139 weeks, the longest current streak, hopes to bring his best stuff to TPC Sawgrass next week for the Players Championship. ... Luke didn't figure to play in the Wells Fargo Championship this week, having missed the cut three times in his five appearances at Quail Hollow, but he has finished sixth or better in the Players in each of the last two years and three times overall, so he might be ready for a breakthrough in the so-called "Fifth Major." He will arrive in Ponte Vedra Beach in his best form since he captured the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan late last year, his third victory of the season on three continents. ... Donald's normally precise game has been slightly off for most of this season, as he has hit the fairways and greens only a shade over 60 percent of the time. Since he has missed the green so often, he has been able to average a deceptive 28.05 putts per round, but more telling is that he ranks 49th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained-putting at .294.



8. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Kuchar might be ready to make the jump from the talented pack of players who have not claimed a major title, especially after his tie for eighth in the Masters. Before he gets his next chance in a month in the U.S. Open at Merion, he will defend his title next week at the Players Championship. By winning at TPC Sawgrass and following that up with his victory over defending champion Hunter Mahan earlier this year in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, he has shown that he is capable of winning with all the best players in the world in the field. ... Kooch, who is third in the FedEx Cup standings behind Tiger Woods and defending Fed Ex champion Brandt Snedeker, has claimed victories in four of the last five PGA Tour seasons, missing only in 2011, when he finished second twice. It's time for him to step up and claim multiple victories in a season for the first time and perhaps make the next one a major. ... Kuchar started his career quickly with two finishes in the top three in only 11 tournaments in 2001, before breaking through for his first victory the following season in the Honda Classic. However, he fell into a deep slump and did not win again until the 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship. Kooch has since become one of best players around, at No. 10 in the World Golf Rankings, and he leads the PGA Tour with 33 top-10 finishes in the past three-plus seasons.



9. Webb Simpson, United States -- Coming off his playoff defeat to Graeme McDowell in the RBC Heritage, Simpson will play for the 12th time this season this week in the Wells Fargo Championship. He still has not won since the U.S. Open last June at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, but he does have five finishes in the top 10 and 11 in the top 25 during that stretch, so he's probably not that far away from winning on the PGA Tour for the third consecutive season. ... Webb is playing right down the road from his house this week in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. The North Carolina native, who graduated from Wake Forest in 2008, had his best chance to win at home last year, taking a one-stroke lead into the final round after sinking a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole Saturday. However, after opening with rounds of 65-68-69, he closed with a 1-over-par 73 and missed by one stroke the playoff in which Rickie Fowler defeated Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points, missing a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. After carding only four bogeys in the first three rounds, he recorded four on Sunday, including a costly one at the 16th hole that kept him out of the playoff. ... This will be his fifth consecutive appearance at Quail Hollow, and after missing the cut in 2008 and 2009, he finally seemed to figure out the course when he tied for 21st two years ago. If he can continue that upward momentum and pick up where he left off at Harbour Town, this would be the perfect place to claim the fourth victory of his PGA Tour career.




10. Justin Rose, England -- Rosy was on the fringe of contention throughout the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but he never made a definitive move on the leaders and wound up in a tie for 15th. Still, he finished in the top 25 for the sixth time in as many tournaments on the PGA Tour this season and for the eighth time in eight events on both major tours. That includes runner-up finishes in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. If the Englishman keeps putting himself in position, he should win again soon. ... Rose never has played well in his five appearances in the Wells Fargo Championship, failing to finish in the top 25 even once, so he won't be in the field at Quail Hollow this week. He's played only eight times this season on the two major tours, so he should be relatively fresh when he shows up for his 10th appearance in the Players Championship next week. ... Rose opened with 68-69 last week at TPC Louisiana, but he could not go low in the third round and lost contact with the leaders even though he posted a 2-under-par 70. He closed with another 69 and simply did not make enough birdies to really make a push up the leaderboard. His ball-striking was very good, as he hit 39 of 56 fairways and 61 of 72 greens in regulation, but he was not as sharp as he needed to be with the putter. Rose averaged 31.0 putts per round, taking at least 30 each day.



11. Bubba Watson, United States -- In his first tournament since giving up the title of reigning Masters champion, Bubba was a bit inconsistent, but he closed strong to finish in a tie for 15th in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which he won two years ago. It was his best finish in a stroke-play event since he tied for fourth in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and he also tied for ninth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. ... After taking only a week off following his title defense in the Masters, Watson is playing three consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour, moving on to the Wells Fargo Championship this week followed by the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He will tee it up at Quail Hollow for the sixth time, and he has only one real strong effort to show for it. Bubba missed the cut in two of his first three appearances in Charlotte before tying for second in 2009, one stroke behind winner Sean O'Hair. He has posted only four scores in the 60s in 19 rounds at Quail Hollow, bested by a 7-under-par 65 in round two in 2009. ... Watson opened with a 1-over-par 73 last week at TPC Louisiana but rallied to make the cut by shooting 7-under-par 65 on Friday, bouncing back with eight birdies after an opening bogey. After a 72 on Saturday, he climbed the leaderboard with a closing 66. He carded seven birdies in each of his low rounds but could manage a total of only five the other two days. Bubba had broken 70 only once in his previous 10 rounds, but with some consistency, he could challenge at Quail Hollow.



12. Keegan Bradley, United States -- Trying to bounce back from a tie for 54th in the Masters, which included a 10-over-par 82 in round three, Bradley instead shot 69-74--143 and missed the cut by two strokes in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It was his second missed weekend of the season (he also went home early at the Farmers Insurance Open), and his two recent poor outings came after he had finished in the top 10 in four consecutive tournaments. ... Bradley has teed it up 12 times already in the first four months of the PGA Tour season, so he is going to take a week off by skipping the Wells Fargo Championship, having missed the cut and failing to break the par of 72 in his only two appearances at Quail Hollow the last two years. He will be back next week to play in the Players Championship for the third time. ... If Keegan could have one hole back last week at TPC Louisiana, it would be No. 14 in round two after he started his day on the back nine. He mis-hit his first two shots on the 216-yard par-3, finally reached the green in three and missed a six-foot putt to card a double-bogey 5, the margin by which he missed the cut. He played bogey-free golf in his opening 69, but he had his three birdies in the first seven holes before finishing with 11 consecutive pars. Normally a strong ball-striker, he hit under 60 percent of the fairways and greens, and he averaged 29.0 putts per round with his belly putter.



13. Steve Stricker, United States -- Stricker has another week off during this season in which he is cutting back his schedule to what right now amounts to 11 tournaments, but he will be back next week for the Players Championship. He will be playing at TPC Sawgrass for the 17th time and will have to bring his best stuff, because he has missed the cut at Pete Dye's diabolical masterpiece eight times, including last year, and recorded only one top-10 finish. ... Last week, Strick missed the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, where in 2007 he shot 66-69 on the weekend to finish second, two strokes behind Tiger Woods. Perhaps surprisingly, he has not been back to Charlotte since 2008 to play a course that would seem to fit his game. Even though he has not been as sharp as he was earlier this season, when he finished in the top five in each of his first three tournaments, he was able to post what was a very respectable tie for 20th in the Masters despite it being only his fifth event of the year. ... The 46-year-old Stricker has been content to stay at home with his family for most of this year because although he loves the golf, he does not enjoy the travel. He said at the Masters that things have been warming up in Wisconsin. Although he continued to do most of his work in a double-wide trailer, hitting out into the snow, he said he was able to hit some balls off the grass that finally is growing. Stricker said he works on his game about three hours a day, including putting sessions in his basement.



14. Hunter Mahan, United States -- Trying to bounce back from his worst stretch of the season, including missed cuts in the Shell Houston Open and the Masters plus a 91st-place finish in the RBC Heritage, Mahan tries to get it going again this week in the Wells Fargo Championship. He also missed the secondary cut at Harbour Town, but it does not count as officially missing the cut because he made it through 36 holes. ... Hunter will tee it up at Quail Hollow on Thursday for the 10th consecutive year, and he keeps coming back even though he has never finished in the top 10. He missed the cut in three of first four appearances in the tournament, and he probably would have done the same in 2006, when he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after opening with a 9-over-par 81. However, Mahan finished in the top 25 in each of the next four years before tying for 53rd last year, with his best result a tie for 12th in 2007. He has failed to break 70 in 22 of the 26 rounds he has played in the Charlotte event. ... His recent skid came after he finished in the top 25 in seven consecutive tournaments, including second in defense of his title in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he lost in the final to Matt Kuchar. Mahan won twice in one season for the first time in his career last year, claiming the Accenture and the Shell Houston Open to get to five PGA Tour victories, but he has not reached the winner's circle since.



15. Lee Westwood, England -- Following a two-week break after yet another top-10 finish in a major without winning, a tie for eighth at the Masters, Westwood returns to the PGA Tour this week at the Wells Fargo Championship. He has played solid if not spectacular golf in his first season living in the United States after moving his family from Worksop, England, late last year. Lee has made the cut in each of his eight tournaments on the PGA Tour, including three finishes in the top 10 and five in the top 25. He made the move in part to better prepare for the three majors that are played in the United States. ... Westy will tee it up this week at Quail Hollow for the fifth time, and he has improved with each appearance. After missing the cut in 2006, he tied for 61st the following year and tied for 38th in 2010. Last year, he finally got into the chase, shooting 68-66 on the weekend to finish in a tie for fifth, three shots out of the playoff in which Rickie Fowler defeated Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points. Those were the first two times he broke 70 on the course in 14 rounds. ... Westwood has spent considerable time at his new home in South Florida working on his short game, and it has paid off. After averaging 30.06 putts last year, he has improved to 28.96. That has helped him get up and down for par more often, as he ranks seventh on the PGA Tour in scrambling at 67.24 percent after being 189th a year ago at 48.30.



16. Ernie Els, South Africa -- Els seemed to be in prime position to make a run in the final round before one shot proved costly late Saturday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He hit his second shot into the water on the 16th hole and carded a double-bogey 6 en route to an even-par 72, the only day he did not break 70, and he eventually finished in a tie for 15th. That has to give him confidence moving forward after missing the cut in two of his last three outings. ... Following a three-week run on the PGA Tour that began at the Masters, giving him 12 tournaments played already this season, you might think Els would be looking to take a break. Instead, he is off to play this week in the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters at Royale Jakarta Golf Club before returning to the PGA Tour next week for the Players Championship. Only then will he take a two-week break before flying off again to play in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, outside London, where he still owns a home. ... Ernie played his best golf at TPC Louisiana when he carded a bogey-free 67 in the first round, and he bounced back from his worst round of the tournament on Saturday by closing with a 68. He hit only 33 of 56 fairways and 49 of 72 greens in regulation, but he averaged 26.5 putts per round with his belly model. He has talked about going back to a conventional putter, but he is sticking with the longer one for now.



17. Ian Poulter, England -- After missing the cut in the Masters, the first time he missed the weekend since the 2011 Deutsche Bank Championship 21 events ago on the PGA Tour, Poulter added the Wells Fargo Championship to his schedule. He is trying to cut back after a busy schedule around the world last season, but apparently he figured he needed more competitive work ahead of the Players Championship next week after playing only six times this year. ... Poults is making his fifth appearance at Quail Hollow and seems to have figured out the course after missing the cut in his first two tries in 2005 and 2007. He tied for 25th in 2008 and posted his best finish with a tie for fifth in 2009, winding up three strokes behind champion Sean O'Hair. When he closed with a 3-under-69 that year, it was the first time he broke par in 12 rounds on the course. He is a combined 10 under in his last two appearances in Charlotte. ... After tying for ninth in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Poulter took six weeks off and played well when he returned, finishing fourth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. However, he has not posted a result in the top 20 since, with his best finish a tie for 21st in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he was in the conversation before closing with a 3-over-par 75. Poulter has failed to break 70 in seven of his last eight rounds and has hit the fairways and greens less that 60 percent of the time this season. His putter has bailed him out at times, as he ranks 19th in strokes gained putting at .626, and 24th with an average of 28.29 putts per round.



18. Jason Dufner, United States -- In the first title defense of his PGA Tour career, Duf played his best golf in only one round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He shot 5-under-par 67 in the third round on his way to a tie for 42nd. He's hoping for better when he is the title defender again at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in two weeks. ... With 12 tournaments under his belt already this season, including two on the Middle East swing of the European Tour, Dufner is taking a break this week. Duf is taking a pass on the Wells Fargo Championship after missing the cut in three of his four appearances at Quail Hollow, the exception being a tie for fifth in 2009. He will be back next week to tee it up in the Players Championship for the fifth time. ... Dufner opened with 71-71--142 last week at TPC Louisiana to make the cut right on the number, avoiding his third missed weekend of the season. He missed the cut only once in his breakthrough season last year at the age of 35. After carding a bogey on the 15th hole on Friday, he closed with three consecutive pars to get through to the last two rounds. After recording a total of seven birdies in the first two rounds, he had that many in round three alone before making only two on Sunday. He made only one big number all week, hitting his tee ball into the water and taking a double-bogey 5 at No. 3 while closing with a 72.



19. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland -- G-Mac rose 10 spots to No. 8 in the World Golf Rankings two weeks ago by winning the RBC Heritage, and he figures to remain in the top 10 heading into the Players Championship next week. Despite missing the cut in the Masters, you could see him coming, because he had been in contention several times already this season. He tied for fifth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, tied for ninth in the Honda Classic and tied for third in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, finishing behind only winner Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker. ... McDowell is skipping the Wells Fargo Championship this week, no big surprise, as he has not been back since shooting 76-75--151 to miss the cut by six strokes in his only appearance at Quail Hollow in 2008. However, he will be busy in May, because after the Players he has committed to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England for the 11th consecutive year, and the Volvo World Match Play Championship, which he lost in the final to Nicolas Colsaerts last year, in Bulgaria. ... G-Mac had not won anywhere in the world since claiming the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and three other titles in 2010 before he broke through to capture the unofficial World Challenge last December. He had multiple victories on the European Tour in 2008, claiming the Ballantine's Championship and the Barclays Scottish Open, so winning at Harbour Town could lead to more since he has a history of winning in bunches.



20. Zach Johnson, United States -- After consultations in recent weeks by his management team with the State Department, Zach decided to withdraw from the Ballantine's Championship at Blackstone Golf Club in Incheon, South Korea, because of political unrest on the Korean Peninsula. Actually, Johnson had some talks of his own with his wife and mother that might have weighed just as heavily on his decision not to fly into the troubled region, where North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, have made nuclear and other threats against South Korea. Dustin Johnson and Alvaro Quiros of Spain also withdrew. ... Johnson added that he spoke to people with knowledge of the situation in South Korea and was told that things were not as bad as some might assume and that he would be safe, but he decided not to take the chance. Zach added that he did not want to get stuck in South Korea if the situation escalated and flights were canceled. He said tournament organizers were sympathetic when he told them he wasn't coming, and he said he hopes to play in the Ballantine's in the future. ... With an opening created in his schedule, Johnson then committed to the Wells Fargo Championship this week, a week ahead of the Players Championship. He didn't have the tournament on his schedule because the planned long trip to South Korea, but now he will be teeing it up at Quail Hollow for the 10th consecutive year. Johnson's only top-10 finish in the tournament was a tie for sixth in 2011, when he opened with a 1-over-par 73 before reeling off scores of 69-67-68.



Others receiving consideration: Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Nick Watney, United States; Rickie Fowler, United States; Bill Haas, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Jim Furyk, United States; Carl Pettersson, Sweden; Bo Van Pelt, United States; Peter Hanson, Sweden; Jason Day, Australia; John Merrick, United States; Charles Howell III, United States; Tim Clark, South Africa; Michael Thompson, United States; Martin Laird, Scotland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Kevin Streelman, United States; D.A. Points, United States; Billy Horschel, United States.