Has Lee Westwood Turned it Around?

Has Lee Westwood Turned it Around?
The Former No. 1’s Strong Showing at the BMW PGA in England Continues a Streak of Solid Play, Positioning Him Well for the U.S. Open











Mark McLaughlin May 25, 2013 8:10 PM




COMMENTARY | Lee Westwood has made some bold moves in 2013 to improve his chances in the majors and have more of an impa
ct on the PGA Tour.



The results so far have been mixed as the Englishman has tumbled out of the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking. I owe part of the drop to quirks in the system as Westwood has carded four straight top 10 finishes in the U.S., including ties for eighth at both the Masters and the Players Championship.

What Westwood hasn't done lately is win and it will take a trophy to get him back in the conversation. He has a great chance to end a victory drought stretching back to last June at this week's BMW PGA Championship in Surrey, England.

Playing in just his second European Tour event of the season, Westwood fired a 5-under-par 67 Saturday to enter the final round just one shot off the lead held by Spain's Alejandro Canizares.

Despite the string of high finishes, Westwood admits that his ball-striking, long the strength of his game, could be better.

"If my long game starts to come together, I could be dangerous,'' Westwood said Friday before his breakout third round.

A long maligned short game has been the difference of late. In fact, Westwood was so efficient at scrambling for pars in the second round at Wentworth that playing partner Ernie Els remarked, "Bit of a short game wizard now."

The numbers back up Els' description. Westwood ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in scrambling even with a middling putting performance. That compares to a scrambling rank of 189th in 2012.

"Even Johnny Miller last week said something about my short game. I nearly fell over," Westwood said after the third round.

Such touch will come in handy three weeks from now at the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, where the USGA is sure to grow the rough around the greens to offset shorter approaches.

Making his first trip to England since moving to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida last fall, Westwood thinks concentrating on the PGA Tour was the correct decision.

"It's pretty cold and wet out there, so I'm not regretting the move right now."

A Westwood win, which would be his first in 20 tries at the BMW PGA, would deflect some of the negative press surrounding the European Tour's signature event.

The controversy started earlier in the week with Sergio Garcia's "fried chicken" comment about Tiger Woods and grew worse when Euro tour chief George O'Grady made matters worse in trying to cover for Sergio. While Garcia got himself back into contention Saturday, several of the tour's biggest stars - Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald - didn't survive the cut at a rainy, chilly Wentworth Club.

"The Mechanic" Back in Business

Miguel-Angel Jimenez made his first cut at the BMW PGA Championship since breaking his leg in a skiing accident in December.

Dubbed "The Mechanic" for his love of exotic autos and eccentric behavior, Jimenez shot a 5-under-par 67 Saturday to vault into contention at 4-under through three rounds.

Jimenez still has the game to contend on the European Tour - he won the UBS Hong Kong Open in his last start before the injury - but he could really make an impact on the Champions Tour. The Spaniard turns 50 next May and I could see him winning often as Bernhard Langer has done.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter @markmacduke.

Chapman cards nine birdies in third-round 66

Chapman cards nine birdies in third-round 66











PGA.COM May 25, 2013 9:08 PM

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(The PGA of America)



By John Kim, PGA.com Coordinating Producer

ST. LOUIS -- Roger Chapman put himself in a tough position to defend his title after the first two rounds of the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid -- shooting 72-74 to barely make the cut on the number.

But despite digging himself into that 4-over hole at blustery Bellerive Country Club, and having a 6:57 AM CT tee time for Saturday, Chapman showed he was not prepared to relinquish the Alfred S. Bourne trophy without a spirited fight. The tall Englishman fired an impressive 5-under-par 66 that included nine birdies to vault up the leaderboard on moving day.

"I bogeyed the first and I thought, well, here we go," Chapman said following his third round. "Getting up at five o'clock for bogey at the first.

"But then I had four birdies in a row. So that sort of got the momentum going, which I severely lacked the first two rounds."

Chapman, who also won the U.S. Senior Open last year, had one of the most colorful scorecards of the day, with four bogeys and five pars to go with his nine birdies in the round. His four straight birdies came on holes 2-5. He also added birdies at 8, 11, 15, 17 and 18, where he made a curling 35-foot putt, to move up 47 spots into a then-tie for 21st. It may not be enough to earn him a successful defense of his title but it served notice that he was not here in a ceremonial role.

"I think that the first two rounds you're a bit under pressure to put in a good defense and probably thinking about just making the cut was the wrong attitude," Chapman stated. "The last few holes yesterday afternoon I sort of messed up and all of a sudden you're on the cut line and you're thinking, well, don't defend and miss the cut. So, but now I made the cut, the pressure's off a bit, just go out and play and that's what I did."

Moreno moves on top in Bahamas LPGA Classic

Moreno moves on top in Bahamas LPGA Classic










The Sports Xchange May 25, 2013 10:10 PMThe SportsXchange



The Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic has hardly gone as smooth as silk this weekend after flooding shortened the first two rounds at the Ocean Club Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas, to 24 holes, but Paola Moreno has handled the elements as well as anyone.

Moreno shot a 4-under-par 41 on the abbreviated 12-hole, par-45 layout Saturday in the second round of the inaugural event to take a one-shot lead over Lindsey Wright.

The Colombian is at 9-under 81 heading into the final round on Sunday with a chance to claim her first LPGA Tour victory. Her best career finish is a tie for 23rd at the LPGA Lotte Championship earlier this year.

Eun-Hee Ji and Julieta Granada were tied for third at 7 under. Cristie Kerr, Hee Kyung Seo, Mina Harigae, Ilhee Lee, Hee Young Park, Anna Nordqvist and first-round co-leader Heather Bowie Young were next at 6 under.

Moreno carded four birdies in the second round and is bogey free after 24 holes.

"It's been exciting and I just focus on what I can control and the holes ahead of me," Moreno said, "I'm very excited for tomorrow.

"Nerves are good. Yeah, of course. I mean I prepare myself for these kind of situations, to play the last day and hopefully win tournaments."

Wright had the best round of the day with a 7-under 38 that featured seven birdies. The Australian also is seeking her first LPGA title. Her best finish on the tour is second in the 2009 LPGA Championship.

"I just played faultless golf, really," Wright said. "I didn't make any mistakes. I made a ton of putts."

Kerr shot a 5-under 40 in the second round, giving her a shot at a second win this month. In her last event, she won Kingsmill Championship.

"I hit it really good, gave myself a lot of chances," Kerr said. "It played a little more difficult today even, I think, because of the wind."

The tournament will finish with 12 holes again Sunday, but the course will be modified, substituting the 18th hole for the fourth hole and making it a par 47. Completion of 36 holes would make it an official event.

LPGA officials shortened the tournament to 12 holes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday after the course was flooded Tuesday with more than a foot of rain. A number of holes are unplayable.