Course Source: Olivier Breaud International Golf Course, Palmilla Resort

Course Source: Olivier Breaud International Golf Course, Palmilla Resort










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 22, 2013 2:10 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Olivier Breaud International Golf Course d'Antimaono in Papara, Tahiti.

THE LAYOUT: California-based designer Bob Baldock found his way to Tahiti in 1968 and carved a sporty championship course out of the jungle across the road from the beach on the south coast of the island, not far from the Paul Gaugin Museum and Botanical Gardens.

Baldock, whose more than 350 courses in California, Nevada and Hawaii include the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, designed a challenging par-72 course that stretches 6,944 from the professional tees, 6,550 from the men's tees and 6,370 for women.

The Tahiti Open, an event on the Australasian PGA Tour, is held every June at Olivier Breaud.

Brett Ogle of Australia, winner of the 1994 Hawaiian Open and 1993 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA Tour, won the Tahiti Open in 1986, and Simon Owen of New Zealand, who tied for second behind Jack Nicklaus in the 1978 British Open at St. Andrews, claimed the title in 1991.

It's not exactly Magnolia Lane at Augusta, but the picturesque, narrow drive into Olivier Breaud International Golf Course is lined by mombat trees, whose fruit resembles a cumquat.

OWNER, GENERAL MANAGER: Skip Anderson.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Anderson, a transplanted Floridian, used to say he had the best golf course for 2,500 miles in every direction. That's because this layout about 20 miles from the Tahitian capital of Papeete was the only one in this part of the South Pacific until recently.

But it's not so remote that it's off the golf map. Arnold Palmer passed through in the 1970s on a business trip with golf powerbroker Mark McCormack, founder of IMG, and played the course.

Most memorable at Olivier Breaud is as difficult a set of par-3 holes as any golfer might want to play. Anderson can remember only a single hole in one on this quartet since he came to Tahiti in 1982.

The second hole is 209 yards through the trees, No. 8 is a tight 196 yards, the 14th hole is a challenging 216 yards from an elevated tee to a narrow green guarded by three bunkers and a large gully, and No. 17 is 214 yards to a green surrounded by bunkers.

Another hole to be reckoned with is No. 7, rated No. 1 on the card, a par 4 that measures 462 yards to a green protected by a wide creek. Balancing out the difficulty of the course are two relatively short par-5s and No. 4, a very reachable, 255-yard par 4 from an elevated tee.

The course finishes with a par 5 that measures 559 yards, with a large lake and creek coming into play down the left side some 200 yards off the tee. The approach shot must be precise, with several large bunkers surrounding the green.

Anderson bought the corporation that has a contract with the Tahitian government to run the golf course, which now has a legitimate pro shop and an open-air restaurant that serves three meals a day prepared by a French chef.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: There were no others until the first nine holes of Moorea Green Pearl Golf Club in Temae, created by Nicklaus Design, opened early in 2007, with the second nine opening later in the year.

The course's location near the ferry dock at Vaiare and the Temae airport have created tourism golf packages on Tahiti and Moorea.

This magnificent golf resort was the first new course in Polynesia in 35 years. South Pacific Golf Resort Development, headquartered in Papeete, is planning to build a 5-star, 154-room hotel and a hotel residential housing estate with 84 rooms and suites, adjacent to the course

WHERE TO STAY: Most Americans visiting Tahiti stay at the Beachcomber Intercontinental Resort, the Sheraton Tahiti, Le Meridien Tahiti or the Sofitel Maeva Beach.

On neighboring Bora Bora are the Hotel Bora Bora, the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort and the Pearl Beach Resort.

On Moorea are the Beachcomber Intercontinental Moorea, the Sheraton Moorea, Moorea Pearl Resort, the Sofitel Ia Ora and the Moorea Village Hotel.

The larger neighboring islands can be reached from Papeete by ferry several times a day.


Princess Cruises and Radisson Seven Seas cruise through French Polynesia on a regular basis and ships from other cruise lines also call at Papeete on longer voyages.

Tour operators provide transportation from your hotel or cruise ship to the golf course.

ON THE WEB: www.worldgolf.com/course-reviews/south-pacific/olivier-breaud-golf.htm; www.international-golf-olivier-breaud-tahiti.com.



THE LAST RESORT: Palmilla Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico.

THE LAYOUT: The first Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Latin America, opened in 1992, is one befitting the elegant Palmilla -- one of the great hotels of the world that was a hideaway for the likes of President Eisenhower, John Wayne and Bing Crosby in days gone by.

Palmilla Golf Club, managed by Troon Golf, is located in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains and has views of the Sea of Cortez on virtually every spectacular hole.

The Palmilla course is known as the "Grand Dame of Los Cabos golf."

The course plays to roughly 6,900 yards, with a rating 74.3 and slope of 144 from the back tees, no matter which combination of the Ocean, Mountain and Arroyo nines the golfer takes on.

The Arroyo Nine and the Mountain Nine are of traditional Mexican design, and Jack Nicklaus said creating the newer Ocean Nine was like "designing desert mountains by the sea."

There is 600 feet of elevation change on the first six holes of the Ocean Nine, which runs right down to the rocky coast.

CLUB MANAGER: Jason Ballog.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: 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.

Golf at Palmilla is like playing a great desert course -- arid weather, target golf -- only with the Sea of Cortez as a backdrop.

The most unique hole is No. 5 on the Mountain Nine, a 401-yard par-4 on which the drive must carry 150 yards across a canyon to a plateau fairway. The approach shot is downhill across another abyss to a green nestled in a box canyon.

Most spectacular is the third hole of the Ocean Nine, a par-5 that plays 485 yards downhill to within a few steps of the beach. The drive from an elevated tee must carry the old highway and a dry wash, with magnificent homes lining the cliffs.

High point of the facility comes on the Arroyo Nine at the 566-yard par-5, which offers a panoramic view of the Sea of Cortez.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: About 10 miles down the road from Palmilla is another Nicklaus creation, the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol, which the best golfer of all-time has called "The greatest piece of golf property on earth." Tom Weiskopf, Nicklaus' former teammate on the golf team at Ohio State, added the Desert Course at Cabo del Sol in 2001.

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, at 620 yards; and the 9-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 Palmilla Resort, which has been one of the most elegant beach hideaways in the world since 1956, was given an $80-million renovation a few years ago by One&Only Resorts. Palmilla annually is listed among the World's Best Golf Resorts by Travel & Leisure. It is located minutes from Cabo San Lucas on the southernmost tip of Baja California, Mexico, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.

Among the many other resorts in Los Cabos are the Fiesta Americana Grand Resort, the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort, the Westin Regina Resort, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, the Crown 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.

ON THE WEB: www.palmillagc.com/index.html.

Golf notebook: Jimenez returns from skiing injury

Golf notebook: Jimenez returns from skiing injury










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 22, 2013 2:10 AMThe SportsXchange


Miguel Angel Jimenez, out all season because of a broken right shinbone sustained skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Spain over the Christmas holidays, made his return last week by playing in the Open de Espana for the 25th time.

Jimenez, who turned 49 in January, became the oldest winner in European Tour history when he captured the UBS Hong Kong Open last November. That came one week before he tied for 16th in the DP Dubai World Championship, his final event of 2012.

"My leg is improving daily," said Jimenez, a 19-time winner on the European Tour who fell 27 spots to 81st in the World Golf Rankings during his absence. "I work out every morning in the gym and I'm actually a little ahead of schedule on my rehab.

"I am not 100 percent fit, but I want to test myself and see how I feel. ... I'd hate to miss the chance of playing at El Saler."

The Spanish Open was the 599th event of his career on the Euro circuit and was played on Parador de El Saler Golf Course in Valencia, not far from his home in Malaga.

Jimenez, nicknamed "The Mechanic," shot 76-74 -- 150 and missed the cut by four strokes in his return.

--Inbee Park of South Korea moved to No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Rankings one week after capturing the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the second major championship of her career and second title of 2013.

The 24-year-old moved past Stacy Lewis, whose No. 1 ranking lasted four weeks, becoming the second South Korean and eighth player overall to take the top spot since the rankings were instituted in February of 2006.

"This is a very big day in my golf career," Park said when the rankings were released at the beginning of last week before the start of the Lotte LPGA Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii.

"I'm so happy to share it with my family, who are here in Hawaii with me. It's nice to reach this goal, but I know a lot of players are close to No. 1. It gives me something else to play for every week."

Park, who won the LPGA Thailand in February, captured two events on the LPGA Tour last year and finished second six times, in addition to leading the money list with $2,287,080 and earning the Vare Trophy for the low scoring average of 70.212.

Lewis dropped to second, an average of 0.04 points per event behind Park in the rankings, which are determined on a formula covering the last two years, and Tseng Yani of Thailand remained No. 3.

Annika Sorenstam of Sweden was the first No. 1 player in the rankings and held the top spot for 61 weeks, followed by Lorena Ochoa of Mexico (158), Ai Miyazato of Japan (12), Cristie Kerr (5), Jiyai Shin of South Korea (25), Tseng (109), Lewis (4) and Park.

In her first tournament at No. 1, Park finished in a tie for fourth last week in the Lotte LPGA Championship.

--Guan Tianlang of China, who two weeks ago became the youngest player in Masters history and the youngest to make a cut on the PGA Tour, has accepted a sponsor's exemption into the Zurich Classic in New Orleans this week.

The 14-year-old Guan, who qualified for the Masters by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, earned low amateur honors at Augusta National by finishing 58th at 73-75-77-75 -- 300, 12-over-par, despite being assessed a controversial one-stroke penalty for slow play in round one.

"They didn't give me a lot of advice, but Mr. Ben Crenshaw said just play my own game and have fun," Guan said after the Masters. " ... It's a great week for me, and I learned a lot from the top players, and it's an honor to play with the top players here, and I learned a lot and had fun."

Guan had no three-putts on the treacherous greens at Augusta and nothing worse than a bogey on his scorecards.

A year ago, he spent a month in New Orleans and worked on his game at Lakewood Golf Course, not far from TPC Louisiana, site of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

"I'm really happy to come back (to New Orleans) this year," Guan said. "Every tournament I want to play well. I just want to have fun and hopefully post a good score."

Guan was planning to return home to Hawaii before receiving the sponsor's exemption to his first regular-season PGA Tour event.

--Despite a setback late last month, Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark has earned enough money on the PGA this season to earn special temporary membership on the circuit.

The 23-year-old Olesen had 60 days to accept, but wasted no time in signing on late last week.

Olesen's tie for sixth in the Masters, five strokes behind winner Adam Scott, was his second top-10 finish of the season on the PGA Tour and lifted his 2013 earnings to $632,300.

That's more than the $474,295 that Brendon Todd earned while finishing 150th on the 2012 money list, making Olsesen eligible for the special temporary membership, which would mean he can accept unlimited sponsor's exemptions on the PGA Tour for the rest of the year.

Olesen shot 68-68 on the weekend at the Masters to record his second top-10 finish in four career starts in the majors, following a tie for ninth last year in the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

By finishing in the top 12 in the first major of the year, Olesen also earned a return trip to Augusta next year.

"It's a dream for me," said Olesen, who bounced back from a 6-over-par in the first round. "It's lovely to be here at a major and especially at the Masters. It's a great golf course and the atmosphere here is amazing.

"I definitely learned a lot about the greens. I missed a lot of putts the first round and it got better and better every day. So that was good. I felt like I hit the ball very good every day, actually."


After finishing seventh in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Olesen was forced to withdraw from the Shell Houston Open because of whiplash following a 10-over-par 82 in the first round after being involved in an auto accident the night before.

Olesen, who claimed his first European Tour victory at the Sicilian Open last year, climbed to No. 34 in the World Golf Rankings following his finish in the Masters.

The Dane is having a big season on both major tours, as he tied for second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and tied for third at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the Middle East Swing of the Euro Tour.

Olesen is in the field the week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain, who tied for 20th in the Masters, also has joined the PGA Tour on a special temporary membership.

Fernandez-Castano has played five times on the U.S. tour this season and earned $592,020, thanks to a tie for third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a tie for ninth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

To earn a PGA Tour card for next season, Fernandez-Castano and Olesen must earn more than the player who finishes the year 125th on the money list, as Nicolas Colsaerts of Belguim and David Lynn of England did in 2012.

--Jamie Donaldson of Wales missed the cut in his first Masters, but he took home more than simply a rewarding experience and a trophy from his initial trip to Augusta National.

Donaldson is hoping it will lead to a full-time gig on the PGA Tour.

The 37-year-old earned an engraved cut-glass bowl for making a hole-in-one with a 7-iron from 180 yards on the sixth hole in the first round, the 24th ace in tournament history and the first at No. 6 since Chris DiMarco's in 2004.

"It's funny as it's a tough shot, with the pin high up on the right side," said Donaldson, who has claimed two victories on the European Tour and six in his professional career. "So you don't know whether to take it on or sort of play just short left, so you've got a putt up the hill.

"It was pretty much trying to land the ball in a cup on a car roof. It was very special. Making an ace on a hole where you would accept par any day of the week is incredible and a memory I will treasure."

Donaldson, whose first victory after nearly 12 seasons on the Euro Tour came last year in the Irish Open, shot 74-75 -- 149, 5-over-par, and missed the weekend by a single shot despite carding birdies on the last two holes of his second round.

However, the couldn't overcome double bogeys on the ninth and 16th holes.

"For most of Friday I was making the cut, but Jason Day came in with that late birdie, which knocked out all the 5-overs," said Donaldson, who was keeping his eye on the scoreboard. "That's the way it goes sometimes, but you shouldn't be on the cut line hoping to get in. You simply need to play better golf.

" ... The Augusta experience overall was very special and the course was even better than seeing it on TV. The greens are more undulating than it looks on the television and the course itself is very hilly. The course itself is very much like Wentworth, only Americanized."

Donaldson was planning to try to earn his PGA Tour card at qualifying school late last year, but decided to concentrate on the Euro Tour because he was getting close to the top 50 in the World Golf Rankings, which would put him in the majors and other top tournaments.

The move paid off when he shot 4-under-par 68 in the final round to beat Justin Rose and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark by one stroke earlier this year to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

That put him inside the top 50, qualifying him for the majors and the four World Golf Championships, plus the Players Championship, and giving him an avenue toward earning his PGA Tour card.

"I have to play well in the tournaments I play this year to get enough money to earn a PGA Tour card for next year," said Donaldson, who is playing next month in the Players Championship, followed by the U.S. Open in June, and is looking for sponsor's exemptions into any other tournaments.

"I think I played three tournaments (on the PGA Tour) last year and I've already played more this year (five) in the States. That's where the highest standard of golf is, so that's where you have to go.

"The world ranking points are bigger and you're playing against the best players in the world. Everything about it is set up slightly differently than what I'm used to. To be a better golfer, I've got to play against the best all the time."

Donaldson was No. 35 in the World Golf Rankings last week, which should ensure that he will play in all four majors in one season for the first time this year.

The Welshman showed what he can do last year when he tied for seventh in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

--Dick Hart, who captured one of the longest playoffs in PGA Tour history, died recently at the age of 77 in Covington, La.

Hart, a native of Salem, Mass., who joined the PGA Tour in 1959, beat Phil Rodgers with a par on the eighth hole of a sudden-death playoff at Cape Fear Country Club to win the 1965 Azalea Open in Wilmington, N.C.

During his PGA Tour career, Hart made 78 cuts while serving full-time as head professional at Hinsdale Golf Club in Hinsdale, Ill., a position he held for 43 years. During that stretch, he qualified for the U.S. Open five times.

Hart played in the PGA Championship for 10 consecutive years and his 36-hole score of 66-72 -- 138 not only led the 1963 PGA at Dallas Athletic Club, it was the low two-round score of in tournament history until that point. Hart finished in a tie for 17th in Dallas, with Jack Nicklaus claiming the Wanamaker Trophy.

Inducted into the Illinois PGA Hall of Fame in 1990, Hart captured the Illinois Open and Illinois PGA Championship three times each and the Illinois Match Play Championship twice. He scored eight holes in one during his career.

"(Dick was) a real leader in the IPGA's history," said PGA pro Dan McGuire, vice president of business development at Blue Golf.

Hart was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Hain Hart. He is survived by his daughter, Dalyce Burvant, and two sons, Rick and Ross, along with five grandchildren. His family held a private service.

The family asked that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.

Inside The Ropes: Watson still seeks cure for Masters hangover

Inside The Ropes: Watson still seeks cure for Masters hangover










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 22, 2013 2:10 AMThe SportsXchange


Bubba Watson's one-year reign as defending Masters champion is over and he enjoyed the ride as much, if not more, than most first-time major champions.

Watson is playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, his first tournament since tying for 50th in the Masters two weeks ago and then putting the Green Jacket on his successor, Adam Scott.

"You know, it's been a crazy year, a great year, golf and off the course," said Watson, whose life might be starting to get back to some sort of normal. "But you know, coming back, it was fun, defending champ, I got to bring a guest, so my wife played 18 holes with me on Sunday (before the tournament). What a dream, what an honor.

"So for me, no, I don't see that I'm a hero, a great of the game. But to myself, I can see that I can see that I can compete at a high level at certain moments. You know, I'm not as consistent as some of the guys, I'm not up there every year, but any moment I have a chance to win.

" ... So it was fun, it was a blast."

Things haven't been the same for Watson since his hook shot out of the trees on the second playoff hole at Augusta National led to an unlikely par that beat Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.

When he returned to Augusta, he didn't go back and try to recreate that shot from the pine straw on the 10th hole, but he's been in plenty of other places since becoming a major champion.

In the year following his surprise victory in the Masters, Bubba made two whirlwind media tours of New York, one right after winning and the other the week before defending his title.

His life already had been altered drastically when he and his wife, Angie, adopted an infant son, Caleb, right before the first major of 2012, and he recently moved his family from Scottsdale, Ariz., to Orlando, Fla.

Also in the last year, Watson bought the original General Lee, the Dodge Charger from the television series "Dukes of Hazzard," and taped his second "Golf Boys" video with Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan.

Bubba signed a big endorsement deal with Oakley, and made the news when he filmed a video driving the company's new hovercraft golf cart.

And he hasn't won a golf tournament.

"I think when he won the Masters, it became overwhelming," said Ted Scott, Watson's caddie. "It's a real adjustment for a guy like Bubba. Bubba plays golf because he loves the game and it's fun. He's not saying, 'Hey, I can't wait to sign autographs and do all that other stuff.'

"He does it out of the kindness of his heart, but it's not something he looks forward to. I think some guys are better prepared to deal with the extra stuff that comes with success, but maybe the game of golf is harder for them.

"Before he was a winner, Bubba had a fan base because of his pink-shaftin', curvin', left-handed, kind of wild type play. Make him a Masters champ and there was kind of a frenzy. ... It just added to the pressure, and made it a lot more to deal with. So it really didn't surprise me that he wasn't out there competing to win every week."

In his 18 starts on the PGA Tour since donning the Green Jacket, Watson has finished in the top 10 only five times, and he also has missed the cut on four occasions.

It's not as bad as those numbers might indicate because he also has wound up in the top 25 in 13 tournaments and his finish at the Masters was his worst result other than those missed cuts.


"I think it's just golf," said Watson, who hopes to get his game back on track this week at TPC Louisiana, where he won two years ago and tied for 18th last year as defending champion in his first event after winning at Augusta.

"It goes a few years this way, a few years that way."

Bubba wasn't even fazed by hitting three balls into the water on the 12th hole in the final round of the Masters and taking a 10 on the treacherous par-3 hole at Amen Corner.

Kevin Na also hit three balls into the water and took a 10 on the same hole earlier in the day.

"So we tied, so we were even after that hole," Watson said in good humor after signing his scorecard for 5-over-par 77 as he ended his reign at Augusta, finishing with a smile on his face when he birdied No. 18.

"You know, it's funny, if you're not going to win, you've got to get in the record books somehow, so I'm a guy that got a double digit score on a par 3. When you look back at this week I had nine three-putts, three balls in the water on 12, a 10. So when you add all that up, a tie for 50th is a pretty good week."

And, as Bubba sees it, the end to a pretty good year.





COMING UP

PGA TOUR: Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 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: Jason Dufner two-putted from 60 feet on the second playoff hole, tapping in from two feet, to turn back Ernie Els and claim his first victory on the PGA Tour a week before he was to be married. Duf closed with a two-under-par 70, allowing the Big Easy to catch him with a 67, before both missed seven-foot birdie putts on the first extra hole. Els drove into a fairway bunker on the second playoff hole and was forced to lay up, then barely missed his 19-foot birdie putt that would have prolonged the playoff. Dufner, who lost playoffs in 2011 to Mark Wilson at the Phoenix Open and Keegan Bradley in the PGA Championship, claimed his second victory a few weeks later at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and Els captured his fourth major title at the Open Championship in July at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.



CHAMPIONS TOUR: Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf at the Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Ga., Friday through Sunday.

TV: Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Michael Allen and David Frost shot a better-ball total of 10-under-par 62 in the final round to win by one stroke over John Cook and Joey Sindelar. Frost chipped in for eagle on the 14th hole when his teammate Allen was out of the hole, which gave the team a two-stroke lead, and that turned out to be the difference. Moments later, Cook holed a 45-foot birdie at No. 18 to slice into the lead and complete a round of 61. However, Allen and Frost parred in, with Allen sealing the victory by two-putting for a par from 40 feet on the final hole in a heavy downpour, one week after he won the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am at TPC Tampa Bay.



LPGA TOUR: North Texas LPGA Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, Friday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT, Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. EDT, and Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Inaugural event.

Tiger Woods’ Greatness Exemplified by Marshal’s Comments

Tiger Woods’ Greatness Exemplified by Marshal’s Comments
Marshal: He Lacked Character, but I was Still Rooting for Him











Chris Chaney May 15, 2013 4:25 PM




COMMENTARY | Did Tiger Woods lie at the Players Championship?

No, not about his drop on the 14th hole during the final round; that's a different argument for a different day.

This is about "The Incident."

Let's set the scene: It's the third round of the Players Championship. Woods and his playing partner, Sergio Garcia, have 37 holes and one shot under their belts so far. Woods, who has been working the ball beautifully all week, misses one left into the gallery amongst the trees. Garcia does not. He's positioned beautifully on the right side of the fairway on the par-5 second hole at TPC Sawgrass, away by a yard, according to the PGA Tour's Shot Tracker, and therefore, the first to play.

As Garcia prepares himself, Woods is languishing in a sea of spectators, clearing room for his next shot. Once a human V is made around Woods and his preferred line, he assesses his options. He sees an opening and believes that he can hit a 5-wood up near the green. He pulls his club, almost out of habit as he continues to plot his upcoming shot in his head, mumbling yardage numbers and wind direction and ball flight when sporadic cheering comes from the spectators surrounding him.

Momentarily knocked out of his supreme focus, Woods realizes the applause is for his club choice -- one that indicates to the crowd he is going for the par-5 green in two. Woods, now aware of his misstep, attempts to quiet the crowd by putting a finger to his lips and pointing toward his playing partner who, unbeknownst to Woods, has just struck his second shot. Woods refocuses himself and goes back to crunching numbers.

Meanwhile, Garcia's second shot is right going righter. He looks in Woods' direction -- still holding his follow-through -- with an expression somewhere between disbelief and disgust.

The two continue playing under ominous skies until play is called due to weather five holes later. During the nearly two-hour rain delay, Garcia makes his gripe with Woods known, insinuating in a Golf Channel interview that Woods pulled his club as an act of gamesmanship to mess with the Spaniard.

Asked about Garcia's comments following the round, Woods said he was aware of what was said and noted that a marshal told him that Garcia had already played his shot.

The duo's past and disdain for one another made news as the incident on the second hole played the role of reignitor of the imbroglio.

The next layer of the story came out Monday, long after Woods had already raised the crystal trophy above his head. SI.com's Michael Bamberger talked to a pair of marshals who were working the second hole Saturday when "The Incident" took place.

The chief of marshals for the first three holes, John North, stood over Woods' ball after it came to rest off the tee to protect it from the stampede of fans hoping to get within an arm's reach of Woods.


Questioned about the truth of Woods' assertion that marshals had told him Garcia had played his shot prior to Woods pulling a club, North said, "Nothing was said to us and we certainly said nothing to him.

"I was disappointed to hear him make those remarks. We're there to help the players and enhance the experience of the fans. He was saying what was good for him. It lacked character."

(North's comments have since been refuted by another marshal who admitted to telling Woods that Garcia had hit, although Woods had already pulled his club.)

Later, on Sunday afternoon, North, a graduate of the Naval Academy and Vietnam War veteran, sat watching the television broadcast from a military appreciation tent. With Woods and Garcia coming down the stretch, North said of Woods, "I hate to say it, but I was rooting for him. It tears me apart. But when he's winning ..."



But when he's winning. When he's winning, we set aside our personal grievances or feelings toward Woods the man and embrace the greatness that is Woods the golfer.

Perhaps it's part of the American psyche to place athletes up on pedestals, hoping and wishing for them to be something better than themselves, more than mortal. We want to be a part of history; it's exhilarating and memorable. We want to say, "I was there when…"

That's how North felt watching the greatest golfer of this generation Sunday afternoon, not yet 24 hours since Woods, in North's opinion, lied for his own personal gain, and in essence, threw North and his marshals under the bus.

But that's what greatness does to people in the moment. It encapsulates us; that as by a matter of proximity, we were a part of something great as well.

And sure, after the trophy's been given out and Woods has flown his private jet back to his mansion on the water in his gated community you might feel a little dirty, a little let down or disappointed in yourself for casting aside your morals to embrace something bigger than yourself.

After all, it's just sports. It's just a man hitting a ball, right?

Yes, that's true, but you know, next week, next month or next year, you're going to be rooting for Tiger Woods to do something great again just so you can say, "I was there when…"

Chris Chaney is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based sportswriter. He has written for multiple outlets including WrongFairway.com, Hoopville.com, The Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer and The Clermont (OH) Sun.



Follow him on Twitter @Wrong_Fairway.

Tiger Woods’ Greatness Exemplified by Marshal’s Comments

Tiger Woods’ Greatness Exemplified by Marshal’s Comments
Marshal: He Lacked Character, but I was Still Rooting for Him











Chris Chaney May 15, 2013 4:25 PM




COMMENTARY | Did Tiger Woods lie at the Players Championship?

No, not about his drop on the 14th hole during the final round; that's a different argument for a different day.

This is about "The Incident."

Let's set the scene: It's the third round of the Players Championship. Woods and his playing partner, Sergio Garcia, have 37 holes and one shot under their belts so far. Woods, who has been working the ball beautifully all week, misses one left into the gallery amongst the trees. Garcia does not. He's positioned beautifully on the right side of the fairway on the par-5 second hole at TPC Sawgrass, away by a yard, according to the PGA Tour's Shot Tracker, and therefore, the first to play.

As Garcia prepares himself, Woods is languishing in a sea of spectators, clearing room for his next shot. Once a human V is made around Woods and his preferred line, he assesses his options. He sees an opening and believes that he can hit a 5-wood up near the green. He pulls his club, almost out of habit as he continues to plot his upcoming shot in his head, mumbling yardage numbers and wind direction and ball flight when sporadic cheering comes from the spectators surrounding him.

Momentarily knocked out of his supreme focus, Woods realizes the applause is for his club choice -- one that indicates to the crowd he is going for the par-5 green in two. Woods, now aware of his misstep, attempts to quiet the crowd by putting a finger to his lips and pointing toward his playing partner who, unbeknownst to Woods, has just struck his second shot. Woods refocuses himself and goes back to crunching numbers.

Meanwhile, Garcia's second shot is right going righter. He looks in Woods' direction -- still holding his follow-through -- with an expression somewhere between disbelief and disgust.

The two continue playing under ominous skies until play is called due to weather five holes later. During the nearly two-hour rain delay, Garcia makes his gripe with Woods known, insinuating in a Golf Channel interview that Woods pulled his club as an act of gamesmanship to mess with the Spaniard.

Asked about Garcia's comments following the round, Woods said he was aware of what was said and noted that a marshal told him that Garcia had already played his shot.

The duo's past and disdain for one another made news as the incident on the second hole played the role of reignitor of the imbroglio.

The next layer of the story came out Monday, long after Woods had already raised the crystal trophy above his head. SI.com's Michael Bamberger talked to a pair of marshals who were working the second hole Saturday when "The Incident" took place.

The chief of marshals for the first three holes, John North, stood over Woods' ball after it came to rest off the tee to protect it from the stampede of fans hoping to get within an arm's reach of Woods.


Questioned about the truth of Woods' assertion that marshals had told him Garcia had played his shot prior to Woods pulling a club, North said, "Nothing was said to us and we certainly said nothing to him.

"I was disappointed to hear him make those remarks. We're there to help the players and enhance the experience of the fans. He was saying what was good for him. It lacked character."

(North's comments have since been refuted by another marshal who admitted to telling Woods that Garcia had hit, although Woods had already pulled his club.)

Later, on Sunday afternoon, North, a graduate of the Naval Academy and Vietnam War veteran, sat watching the television broadcast from a military appreciation tent. With Woods and Garcia coming down the stretch, North said of Woods, "I hate to say it, but I was rooting for him. It tears me apart. But when he's winning ..."



But when he's winning. When he's winning, we set aside our personal grievances or feelings toward Woods the man and embrace the greatness that is Woods the golfer.

Perhaps it's part of the American psyche to place athletes up on pedestals, hoping and wishing for them to be something better than themselves, more than mortal. We want to be a part of history; it's exhilarating and memorable. We want to say, "I was there when…"

That's how North felt watching the greatest golfer of this generation Sunday afternoon, not yet 24 hours since Woods, in North's opinion, lied for his own personal gain, and in essence, threw North and his marshals under the bus.

But that's what greatness does to people in the moment. It encapsulates us; that as by a matter of proximity, we were a part of something great as well.

And sure, after the trophy's been given out and Woods has flown his private jet back to his mansion on the water in his gated community you might feel a little dirty, a little let down or disappointed in yourself for casting aside your morals to embrace something bigger than yourself.

After all, it's just sports. It's just a man hitting a ball, right?

Yes, that's true, but you know, next week, next month or next year, you're going to be rooting for Tiger Woods to do something great again just so you can say, "I was there when…"

Chris Chaney is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based sportswriter. He has written for multiple outlets including WrongFairway.com, Hoopville.com, The Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer and The Clermont (OH) Sun.



Follow him on Twitter @Wrong_Fairway.

Marc Leishman Looking Forward to U.S. Open at Merion

Marc Leishman Looking Forward to U.S. Open at Merion











Ryan Ballengee May 15, 2013 7:01 PM


COMMENTARY | Marc Leishman is playing the best golf of his life, and he couldn't be doing it at a better time.



The 2012 Travelers Championship winner has posted three consecutive top-10 finishes in his last three st
arts for the first time in nearly five full seasons on the PGA Tour. He placed tied for fourth at The Masters, then tied for ninth the very next week at the RBC Heritage, and, last week, Leishman notched a T-8 effort at The Players Championship.





The Aussie attributes the recent success to a better mental approach.



"I think mentally I'm getting better on the course," Leishman said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "I'm not getting as down on myself when I hit a bad shot. My bad holes are not as bad, and I'm not getting on streaks of bogeys anymore."



That's the kind of attitude shift that often portends a major victory. While Leishman came up short on Sunday at Augusta National, he took a lot of positives away from his play as well as seeing fellow countryman Adam Scott become the first from Oz to win a green jacket.



"It's good to know that my swing held up under the pressure. It would have been easy to hit a lot of bad shots under that pressure," he said with a laugh. "The way I handled it, I thought, was great. I learned quite a bit about myself."



Leishman's journey of self-discovery began with winning near Hartford last year. The Travelers has been a bit of a springboard for other players in recent years, including the breakthrough PGA Tour wins for 2007 champion Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson (2010) and Fredrik Jacobson (2011).



"I've matured a lot as a player since the Travelers last year," Leishman said. "I feel like I'm learning a lot and just getting better, in particular, in the last month or two. I'm just learning faster."



A little under a month from now, Leishman could have an opportunity to apply that learning at Merion in the U.S. Open. The top 60 players in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 27 and June 10 are exempt into the U.S. Open. Leishman jumped into 58th with his finish at The Players.



The 29-year-old is excited at the prospect of playing the Philly-area track.



"I've never played there, but hopefully it will set up well for me, and I'll have a chance," Leishman said.



Merion is a bit of an enigma. So many players are aware of the club's history, site to Ben Hogan's historic win in 1950, but the Open has not been played there since 1981. Few players who will be in the field have ever set foot on the property, much less competed there. Leishman feels that favors him, taking away an advantage for the most experienced major contestants.



Perhaps the biggest edge Leishman has heading into the U.S. Open is his record on tracks where placement is a challenge. He has an outstanding record at Waialae C.C., the tight course that hosts the Sony Open in Hawaii, and two of his recent top 10s have come at Pete Dye designs -- Harbour Town and TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course -- that require precision. That should translate to Merion.



"I think it's going to be a lot of irons off the tee," Leishman said. "I like hitting my long irons off the tee. I'm hoping it'll set up well for me. There's no reason why I don't think it would set up well for me."



Despite his high confidence, Leishman is reluctant to get too far ahead of himself. One misstep at Merion could literally ruin his chances.



"I've heard the rough is going to be brutal," he said.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee.

Skinner leads PGA contingent with first-day 67

Skinner leads PGA contingent with first-day 67












.

View gallery


Sonny Skinner's 67 was the best first-round score by a PGA Professional since 2003.(Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

PGA.COM May 23, 2013 9:29 PM


By Bob Denney, The PGA of America

TOWN & COUNTRY, Mo. - Sonny Skinner drove 12 hours from his home in Sylvester, Ga., to Bellerive Country Club, a journey that he said allowed him time to "clear the mind" while preparing for the 74th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid.

"You listen to a lot of good music, and it allows you to refocus when you drive those 12 hours," said Skinner, who attended his daughter's high school graduation last Sunday and passed on a late search for a flight. "My game wasn't very good coming in here. I didn't play for seven straight days. That was on purpose, because my game felt sour and flat, and I was not confident."

The truth is Skinner's game was mostly sweet in Thursday's opening round of the most historic and prestigious event in senior golf. The 52-year-old PGA head professional at River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Ga., posted a 4-under-par 67, featuring six birdies and a pair of bogeys.

It was the best first-round score by a PGA club professional in the Championship since 2003, when Mike San Filippo of Hobe Sound, Fla., turned in a 68. Skinner's performance, coming in his third appearance in the Championship, led a delegation of 42 PGA club professionals on a cool, overcast day that featured periodic drizzle in the afternoon.

It also left Skinner one shot out of the lead, shared by two-time Senior PGA Champion Jay Haas and Duffy Waldorf, making his Championship debut.

Mark Mielke, PGA head professional at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, N.Y., had a 69 in his Championship debut. PGA Life Member San Filippo, playing in his 10th Championship; Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash.; and Bob Gaus of St. Louis, a PGA teaching professional at Tower Tee Golf Center, each were at 71.

"It's a golf course that rewards you for hitting it in the fairway," said Skinner, the reigning Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year, who hit all 14 fairways Thursday. "That's always been part of my game. Round to round, I've relied upon being able to put it in play."

Skinner salvaged his round with a spectacular par-saving pitch on the 195-yard, par-3 sixth hole. Ranked the second-most difficult hole in the opening round, Skinner hit a 4-iron up into a plugged lie in the left greenside bunker and blasted from there across the green and down a bank.


He then chipped in from 40 yards out.

"I was just trying to make bogey and then I rolled it into the hole for a 3," Skinner said.

Beginning his round on the back nine, Skinner birdied 15, 17, 18, 1, 3 and 4, offsetting bogeys on the 11th and 16th holes.

Skinner's Championship trip was enhanced when his longtime caddie, Paul Yates, put him in touch with PGA Professional Craig Bollman of Edwardsville, Ill., who not only caddied but also has allowed Skinner to stay the week at his home some 50 minutes from Bellerive's gates.

"Paul called me a month ago and said Sonny is coming to St. Louis, and needs help, and asked if I would help him out? I said, 'Sure,' " said Bollman, a PGA teaching professional at GolfTEC-Des Peres in St. Louis, who is making his debut caddying in a tournament. "So, my family welcomed him in and he's an awesome guy."

Bollman said that he and Skinner exchanged several text messages before Skinner arrived Monday night.

"Sonny got in around 7:30, and I had to go to my son's baseball game," said Bollman. "I walked him into the kitchen, said, 'There's dinner, and see you tomorrow.' It's very easy to caddie for Sonny and it was a really great day for me today, too."

Bellerive reminded Mielke, 50, of several New York courses within the Metropolitan PGA Section, which added to his comfort level.

"The golf course set-up is almost exactly like what we play," said Mielke. "There are six tough holes here. I said going in, if I could just par those six holes and maybe make some birdies on some of the other ones, it might be all right."

Mielke had only two pars over his first 10 holes, a string that went birdie-bogey-par-birdie-par-bogey-birdie-birdie-bogey-bogey. He finished with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17.

Waldorf brings unique style to first senior major

Waldorf brings unique style to first senior major











PGA.COM May 23, 2013 10:26 PM.View gallery
Duffy Waldorf earned a top-10 finish at Bellerive during the 1992 PGA Championship.(Getty Images)By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer
ST. LOUIS - There's just something a little funny about a 50-year-old being a full-fledged rookie. But that's exactly whatDuffy Waldorf is, as 2013 is his first full season as a member of the Champions Tour.
After the first round of the 74th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, the relative rookie doubled as the grizzled veteran he is with a 5-under 66 at Bellerive to grab a share of the first-round lead with Jay Haas.
"It's a lot better than the last time I was a rookie I can tell you that, because I feel like I have about 25 years of experience of playing tournament golf," Waldorf said after his six-birdie, one-bogey round. "But it's nice. This is the best tour to be a rookie on, I think. Usually you're an experienced player, you can be healthier, you can be maybe more fit, you can be longer, I mean there's a lot of positives. I've been playing a bit on the Web.com and regular tour the last couple years and certainly it's good preparation for this tour."
Playing the back nine first, Waldorf picked up birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 16. No. 16, in particular, proved to be a key to the round. Waldorf hit his tee shot on the 232-yard par 3 into a greenside bunker just short and left.
"I hit a 4-iron, came up just short into the bunker on the left and it's a pretty tough bunker shot," he said. "I had a lot of green to work with, but you're down low and you're blind and I hit a nice shot."
It wasn't just nice... it was in for an unlikely but much welcomed birdie.
"I didn't get to see it go in, but it's always nice when you get that crowd reaction and even my caddie was happy, so that's always good," Waldorf said.
After making the turn, Waldorf birdied the 522-yard, par-4 fourth hole to get to 4 under, but quickly gave the shot back on No. 5 with a bogey at the 468-yard par 4 after an errant tee shot got him in some trouble.
Waldorf bounced back with birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 with putts inside of six feet and parred No. 9 to close out the 66.
It seems the only problem he had on Thursday was a mysterious cut on his right hand that happened just before he teed off.
"I don't know how I did it," he said. "It was just a little scrape. I was reaching in to get something like a pencil or tees at the first tee box or No. 10. I started on 10. And I didn't even feel it hardly and then it was all of a sudden it was like, oh, just a slow little drip. My daughter could do a little makeup for a horror movie."
The cut also led to a rather funny - though almost not funny for Waldorf - situation on the eighth green. Being extra cautious so not to get any blood on his khaki pants, Waldorf gingerly reached into his right pants pocket all day for tees and his ball marker.
On the eighth green, though, he unintentionally emptied his pocket all over the place.
"I pretty much emptied all the contents of my pocket on to the green," Waldorf said. "I've been obsessed with not getting my pants bloody. So I've kind of been half digging in there, so I just dig in with my fingers and don't get my hand in there. I think I have been pulling up the pocket slowly and that time I just reached in with a finger and pulled up and the whole pocket came with me. So I'm very glad that it didn't roll on top of my actual mark, because it was kind of like, mark, and then they all fell like right behind. So at least I had a good idea which one my mark was."
In his days on the PGA Tour - which aren't over, by the way - Waldorf had four victories. One of his three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour was a tie for ninth at the 1992 PGA Championship, which also happened to be right here at Bellerive.
So far, Waldorf has been a man of many tours in 2013. He finished 64th in late April at the Web.com Tour's South Georgia Classic; has played three times on the PGA Tour, including a tie for 48th at last week's HP Byron Nelson Championship; and had six starts on the Champions Tour prior to this week with his top finish being a tie for fifth at the Greater Gwinnett Championship.
"The golf courses can be a little different," Waldorf said. "We tend to play a little bit shorter course out here. So I feel like you tend to have more birdie holes. Sometimes you get courses on the Tour, pins are set hard, the conditions can be hard and you're like, it's hard to make a birdie. And you feel like it does tend to favor the longer hitter a bit on both those tours.
"Web.com, sometimes they're (courses) hard but, a lot of times they're not hard, it's almost the other thing, they're quite easy and then you got shoot 4 or 5 under every day or you got to be at 20 under par," he said. "Totally different kind of situation where you really need to just go low, low, low and that's a different style of golf and like the PGA Tour, I think is one style and Web.com is one style and out here on the Champions Tour, any style works, really."
On Thursday, Waldorf's style worked exceptionally well.

Sergio Garcia Playing Impressive Golf Despite Off-Course Drama

Sergio Garcia Playing Impressive Golf Despite Off-Course Drama











Adam Fonseca May 23, 2013 10:57 PM




COMMENTARY | Regardless of your opinion on Sergio Garcia the person these days, Sergio Garcia the professional golfer is playing at an incredibly high level.

Garcia managed an even par 72 in the opening round of this week's 2013 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the European Tour's flagship event. While not overly impressive at the surface, Garcia's round was impressive considering the pressure he has experienced due to his recent, well, extracurricular activities.

Garcia's play throughout the season has been even more impressive. He
is currently ranked in the top 15 on the Official World Golf Ranking; his highest ranking in years. As a member of both the PGA and European Tours, Garcia's statistics and performance place him squarely in the upper echelon of all players on either side of the pond.



On the PGA Tour side, for example, Garcia is ranked no. 39 on the FedEx Cup points list and no. 22 on the tour's money list. According to the Tour's website, he has made the cut in each of the eight events he has played and has finished in the top 25 seven times. He has managed four top 10 finishes during that stretch, including a third place finish at the WGC - Cadillac Championship. Thanks to a scoring average of 70.26, Garcia has already pocketed more than $1.3 million in tournament winnings on tour.

The story remains the same when looking at Garcia's performance on the European Tour this year. Garcia is currently ranked third in the Race to Dubai rankings, having earned more than 770,000 euros. He has played six tournaments on that tour - which includes the WGC - Cadillac Championship, WGC - Accenture Match Play and The Masters - and has not placed lower than seventeenth in any appearance. His scoring average on the Euro Tour (69.65) is almost a full shot better than his PGA Tour average.

The trend continues when you look at Garcia's performance stats. His driving distance average is over 287 yards on both the PGA and Euro Tours (287.7 yards and 292.44 yards, respectively). His driving accuracy is right around 60 percent on both tours (60.43 percent and 59.82 percent) while his Greens in Regulation percentage remain above average (67.90 percent and 77.08 percent).

What is Garcia's most impressive individual statistic this season? He boasts an astonishing .989 strokes gained while putting ratio on the PGA Tour, which is second only to his friend Tiger Woods.

All things considered, Sergio Garcia is having one hell of a season on the golf course. While he finds himself in the middle of the pack after his first round at this week's BMW PGA Championship - and six shots behind leader James Kingston at 6-under par - he is very much on pace to make the tournament cut and play on the weekend.

For Garcia's sake, it may be best to keep his nose to the grind for the time being and focus on playing some of the best golf of his career. He may also want to steer clear of any press conferences or microphones for a bit, as well.



Adam Fonseca has been writing about golf since 2005. His work can be found on numerous digital outlets including the Back9Network and SB Nation. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife. Follow Adam on Twitter @chicagoduffer.

Golf notebook: Janzen spiked from U.S. Open qualifying

Golf notebook: Janzen spiked from U.S. Open qualifying










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange June 10, 2013 2:00 AMThe SportsXchange


--Lee Janzen is a two-time U.S. Open champion, but that cut him no slack at a qualifier for the national championship last week.

Janzen, who captured the second major of the year in 1993 at Baltusrol and in 1998 at the Olympic Club, had finished his first of two rounds at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., when he was approached by an official and asked if he was wearing metal spikes.

"He said, 'You can't wear metal spikes,' and I was disqualified," Janzen sad. "I have never not worn metal spikes. I've played in U.S. Open qualifiers every year since 2009 in Memphis (Tenn.) and Columbus (Ohio), and always wore metal."

All players in the qualifier were informed of the ban on metal spikes in a May 20 letter from Michael Cumberpatch of the Mid-Atlantic Golf Association, the official in charge of the Woodmont qualifier.

Only two sectional qualifying sites allowed metal spikes for the qualifier, Columbus, Ohio, and Memphis, Tenn., where the majority of PGA Tour players were competing.

Metal spikes are allowed on the PGA Tour and the major championships, even at the U.S. Open.

"It never entered my mind," Janzen said. "Considering I've played professional tournaments every week for 24 years now, I had no reason (to look at the rules sheet) to see if I was conforming."

Janzen probably was not going to qualify anyway, as he shot 75 on Woodmont's North Course in his first round and would have needed a 61 on the South Course just tie the eighth and final qualifier, Matt Bettencourt.

Another two-time U.S. Open champion, Retief Goosen, withdrew from the tournament because of a back injury.

--They call the 36-hole qualifier a week before the U.S. Open "The Longest Day in Golf."

For Zack Fischer and Ryan Palmer, it was much more than that.

Fischer, a 23-year-old from Texarkana, Texas, holed 12-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole of a playoff with Palmer the day after they started to earn a berth in his first U.S. Open this week at Merion.

A graduate of Texas-Arlington, Fischer grabbed the fourth and final spot available in the qualifier at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas.

"It was really exhausting," said Fischer, who became the second player from Texas-Arlington to qualify for the U.S. Open (Greg Gregory missed the cut in 1999 at Medinah). "I was really restless last night because I knew I had to come back out here. All these emotions are running through me. I've got adrenaline going. That's pretty much what I'm running on right now."

Fischer and Palmer, who has won three times on the PGA Tour, played eight holes after finishing in a tie for the fourth qualifying spot before darkness forced them to wait until the next day to finish.


Palmer, 36, from Amarillo, Texas, won the 2004 Funai Classic at Walt Disney World, the 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic and the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii. He opened the door for Fischer when his approach shot spun off the green on the final playoff hole.

"It's a crapshoot; what are you going to do?" said Palmer, who left the course and caught a flight to Memphis, where he played in the FedEx St. Jude Classic. "What's really frustrating is that it carried over to today."

In another playoff that carried over to the next day, John Nieporte, head pro at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., holed an eight-foot putt on the third extra hole, and the first of the second day, to beat 15-year-old David Snyder.

Nieporte earned the third and final qualifying spot available at Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.

--Paul Goydos, one of the real good guys on the PGA Tour, played his first event in nearly 16 months last week when he teed it up in the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

In his first tournament back, he shot 73-72--145, very respectable after the long absence, to miss the cut by four strokes. Goydos plans to play again next week at the Travelers Championship.

Goydos, who will turn 49 next week, was sidelined because of an injury to his left hand and wrist that required two surgeries.

"I need to figure out where (my game) is at," Goydos said beforehand. "You really can't simulate a tour event."

Goydos, who has had to deal with tendinitis in his left wrist throughout his career, had a bone spur that was irritating a tendon removed from the wrist in March.

In October, he had another procedure to remove a bone spur from his left index finger.

"From a pain-management standpoint, I'm fine," said Goydos, whose two victories on the PGA Tour came in the 1996 Bay Hill (now the Arnold Palmer) Invitational and the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii. "But I want to give my hand a test, hitting balls seven straight days and all the rigors that go with playing a tournament.

"I've gone as far as I can go at home. It's time to go out and evaluate my game. The second thing I need to evaluate is if I'm ready to compete inside the ropes, and that will be based on how I handle it more than what I shoot."

Goydos, who became one of five players in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59 when he did so in the first round of the 2010 John Deere Classic, made only six starts in 2012 before being sidelined for the rest of the season.

--Ariya Jutanugarn, a rising star on the LPGA Tour even though she is not yet an official member of the tour, was forced to withdraw before the start of the Wegmans LPGA Championship last week at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y., because of a shoulder injury.

The 17-year-old from Thailand wrote on her Facebook page that she was injured during a practice round on Monday.

"Thanks again to everyone who is worried about (me), but now I know what it is today," she wrote.




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Billy Horschel looks to the crowd after missing a putt …View »Jutanugarn, 17, injured her right shoulder when she fell while jogging off an incline at the 12th tee during a practice round and had difficulty moving her arm. Jutanugarn thought she might have broken the arm or dislocated the shoulder, but an LPGA trainer onsite found no breaks.

She later saw an orthopedic specialist, who said X-rays showed "my bone moved" in the joint. She said the specialist advised her to rest the shoulder for between two and four weeks.

Jutanugarn said the X-ray and MRI exam disclosed no broken bones.

"It's tough," said Jutanugarn, who has risen to No. 15 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. "My world ranking came up to the top 20, and it makes me real confident."

Jutanugarn, who captured the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco on the Ladies European Tour this season, has finished in the top 10 five times this season on the LPGA Tour, including second in the LPGA Thailand.

In her five starts this season through sponsors' exemptions and Monday qualifying, she has earned $447,772, which last week would have put her sixth on the LPGA Tour money list if she were a member.

Jutanugarn hopes to return for the U.S. Women's Open on June 27-30 at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

--Jarrod Lyle of Australia, who received the devastating news in March 2012 that the leukemia he beat as a teenager had returned, apparently is free of the disease and hopes to begin working toward a return to the PGA Tour.

"Got results from my 12 month tests and there is NO sign of leukemia! Been a tough road but things are looking up. Couldn't be happier!!" Lyle wrote on his Twitter page.

Lyle was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 1999 at age 17 and was confined to his bed for nine months while undergoing chemotherapy. It took 12 months before he had the energy to walk a golf course again.

He got his game together and turned pro in 2004, earning his PGA Tour card in 2007. He didn't make enough money to keep it, but he made his way back to the big circuit by winning the Mexico Open and the Knoxville Open on what is now the Web.com Tour in 2008.

Lyle, from Shepparton, Victoria, Australia, posted his best finish on the PGA Tour when he tied for fourth in the 2012 Northern Trust Open at Riviera, finishing two strokes out of the playoff in which Bill Haas turned back Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley.

After tying for 37th in the Mayakoba Golf Classic a week later in Mexico, Lyle was not feeling well, so he flew home to Australia, where tests showed his leukemia had returned.

Before Lyle started chemotherapy, his wife, Briony, gave birth to their first child, Lusi Joy, and he was able to hold his daughter before beginning chemo, because once the process began he could not have contact with her.

When Lyle returns to the PGA Tour, he will be granted a medical exemption.

--Peter Kostis, a CBS Sports analyst and golf instructor, announced that he recently was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Kostis, 66, has missed the last several PGA Tour telecasts on CBS, with lead announcer Jim Nantz saying only that he had not been feeling well lately.

Kostis said he was going to keep his illness private until he heard John Kruk, the former major league outfielder who is an analyst on MLB Channel, talk about his testicular cancer on television.

"I decided to share my situation in hopes of spreading awareness of colon cancer," Kostis said in a statement. "I am currently home recovering from successful surgery for colon cancer. It was detected early during a regular physical and colonoscopy.

"My great team of doctors in Phoenix will be putting me through preventative chemotherapy. Because of early detection the prognosis for a full recovery is excellent. I had zero symptoms or family history. I urge everyone, if you are over 50 get a regular colonoscopy exam whether you think you need one or not.

"I thank all of you who have sent messages, thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. I also want to thank my CBS Sports family, CBS management, the whole golf crew, and announcers have been fantastic in their support. I'll be back as soon as humanly possible. In the meantime, please get checked out!"

Inside the Ropes: Woods the favorite heading to U.S. Open

Inside the Ropes: Woods the favorite heading to U.S. Open










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange June 10, 2013 2:00 AMThe SportsXchange


You won't be reading about how any of the players in the 113th U.S. Open this week did the last time the second major of the season was played on the East Course at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

That's because it was in 1981, and some of them were not yet born.

One thing you will hear is that a shot-maker is likely to be holding the trophy Sunday night, based on the fact that among the winners in the five U.S. Opens at Merion were Ben Hogan (1950), Lee Trevino (1971 in an 18-hole playoff over Jack Nicklaus) and David Graham of Australia (1981).

Bobby Jones claimed the U.S. Amateur on the East Course to complete the Grand Slam in 1930.

One reason the tournament has not been back to Merion is that the course is short by today's standards, with the pros hitting the ball so far, and the United States Golf Association has been able to stretch the course to only 6,996 yards.

That's the same number Shinnecock Hills played to in 2004, with the shortest U.S. Open course since the turn of this century being Southern Hills, which played to 6,973 yards in 2001.

"It depends on the weather," said Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion who first played Merion in a corporate outing two years ago. "If it's wet and gets softened, you'll see good scores.

"If it's really firm and there's no rain, then like any U.S. Open, it'll be really tough, because the greens are so difficult. ... I don't think there will be a player who doesn't like it."

Tiger Woods will be seeking his fourth U.S. Open title, and first since 2008 at Torrey Pines, but a short course with deep rough doesn't seem to play to his strengths.


Or does it?

"I think Tiger will hit a lot of long irons, 3-woods and 5-woods off the tee," said Andy North, who won U.S. Opens in 1978 at Cherry Hills and Oakland Hills in 1985. "I think if he putts the way he has for most of this year, he will do just fine at Merion.

"I think Tiger understands how to play a golf course like that. The interesting thing about Merion is that the par 4s are either very short or very long. I wouldn't be surprised if he hits only two or three drivers per round.

"Nicklaus hit a lot of long irons and 3-woods, and Tiger has done that before and won. I think Merion is right up his alley. If he keeps the ball in the fairway, he's going to be hard to beat."

Woods had never seen the East Course, other than on television, until a few weeks ago when he stopped by the course on his way to the Memorial Tournament, about 400 miles away in Dublin, Ohio.

Caddie Joe LaCava accompanied Woods, and they had a guide, Buddy Marucci, a long-time member at Merion who lost to Woods in the final of the 1995 U.S. Amateur at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I.

The weatherman apparently didn't know they were coming.

"We played it as probably long as it will ever be played," said Woods, who played Merion on a windy day with temperatures in the 60s and the rain coming sideways. "In June, obviously the weather won't be like that. It will be hotter. The ball will be flying. The clubs will be different, but the lines will be the same.

"It was nice to see and get an understanding of what I need to visualize ... and get ready for that. Have a nice understanding of where my sight lines are going to be and where I need to land the ball. ...

"You have to be able to shape the golf ball, and you have to be so disciplined to play that course."

For the 1981 U.S. Open, the par-70 East Course played to 6,544 yards, and it was lengthened to 6,846 yards for the 2005 U.S. Amateur.

The USGA found a few extra yards, but it's still relatively short.

"There are so many short holes, the only defense is to grow the rough, and I think they need to catch a break with the weather so that the course stays firm and fast," said North, who tied for 43rd at Merion in 1981. "If it gets soft, we could see a lot of low scores like Congressional (in 2011). No matter what the weather is, they will have to grow the rough because it's the course's only defense.

"I think there will be good scoring, but like any major, you're going to have to putt well and make those four- and five-footers for par, because you'll get a lot of them. That's what major golf usually is. If the greens stay firm, you can hit good iron shots and still end up on the fringe or in the rough. Even with a good pitch, you still can end up four feet away."

Woods, coming off a hiccup in the Memorial Tournament, is the favorite of the bookies, even though he will have to keep his driver in the bag for all but about three holes at Merion.

Of course, he's done this before, winning the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills when he left the big stick in its Tiger headcover much of the way.

And, more ominously, he also did that last month and won the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Golf rankings, player capsules

Golf rankings, player capsules










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange June 10, 2013 2:00 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 -- Despite his hiccup in the Memorial Tournament with a 79 in round three, Woods remains the odds-on favorite for the U.S. Open this week at Merion, having won four times this season on the PGA Tour. Woods shrugged off his misadventures at Muirfield Village, where he tied for 78th. It's interesting to note that Jack Nicklaus pointed out that he shot 78-67 and missed the cut in the 1980 Atlanta Classic, but captured the U.S. Open the following week at Baltusrol. ... This will be Tiger's 18th start in the second major of the year, and he has won it three times, but not since 2008 in a memorable playoff with Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. His other titles came in 2000 at Pebble Beach and in 2002 at Bethpage Black, and he also finished second to Michael Campbell in 2005 at Pinehurst and tied for second behind Angel Cabrera in 2007 at Oakmont. Woods remains stuck on 14 major victories, the last five years ago at Torrey Pines, as he pursues Nicklaus' record of 18. A victory at Oakmont would keep him ahead of the Golden Bear's pace. ... While short and narrow Merion would not seem to fit Woods' game because he will probably hit driver on only two or three holes, he won in the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills while keeping the big stick in his bag much of the time. Woods hit mostly long irons and fairway woods off the tee while winning the Players Championship last month at TPC Sawgrass, so if he can stay out of the long rough and putt the USGA's greens well, he should be in the hunt on Sunday.



2. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Winning the Memorial Tournament in his last outing will only ramp up the pressure on Kuchar to find the missing piece on his career resume, a major title, this week in the U.S. Open at Merion. Kuchar, who has two victories on the PGA Tour this season, has risen to a career-high fourth in the World Golf Championship and won't be able to fly under the radar into the second major of the season. ... Kooch is playing in the national championship for the 11th time, with his only top-10 finish a tie for sixth in 2010 at Pebble Beach. After missing the cut in five of his first seven appearances in the U.S. Open, including four in a row at one stage, he has made it to the weekend and finished in the top 30 in each of the last three. He tied for 14th two years ago at Congressional, shooting 68-69 in the middle rounds, and tied for 27th last year at the Olympic Club. ... Kuchar has not been much of a major player until the last two years, with three of his five top-10 finishes in the Grand Slam events coming in his last five tries. His best finish in a major was a tie for third in the 2012 Masters, and he has followed that with a tie for ninth in the Open Championship last year at Royal Lytham & St. Annes and a tie for eighth this year at Augusta. Kuchar has shown he can win big events against loaded fields, with the last four of his six PGA Tour victories coming in the 2010 Barclays in the PGA Tour playoffs, the 2012 Players Championship, and this year, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Memorial.



3. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- Despite his struggles this year, McIlroy received a reminder a week before the U.S. Open that it wasn't so long ago that he was the best player in the world when he attended media day for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. It was last August that he claimed the second major title of his career at age 23 when he blitzed the field by a record eight strokes on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. After the question-and-answer session at Oak Hill, he stuck around and shot 5-under-par 67 on the course that will host the final major of the year. ... While he was taking about his title defense, Rory pointed out that his concentration is on the second major of the year this week at Merion. It's been feast or famine for him in the U.S. Open, as he won the title by a whopping eight strokes over Jason Day in 2011 at Congressional after making a creditable debut with a tie for 10th in 2009 at Bethpage Black. He missed the cut in 2010 at Pebble Beach and last year at the Olympic Club, so maybe it's something about California. ... McIlroy has been pleased with his adaptation to his new Nike clubs, other than the putter, and he recently dumped the Nike Method putter for his trusted Scotty Cameron model. He's been satisfied with his ball-striking lately but had a session with putting guru Dave Stockton recently. McIlroy must putt the slick USGA greens well this week at Merion to be in the conversation. He ranks 16th in total driving and fifth in greens in regulation on the PGA Tour, but 122nd in strokes-gained putting.



4. Adam Scott, Australia -- With the major monkey off his back at the age of 33 after becoming the first Aussie to win the Masters, there is talk that Scott might be ready to win multiple titles in the Grand Slam events. He certainly will be one of the favorites this week in the U.S. Open at Merion, even though he has never performed particularly well in the second major of the year. ... Scotty has played in 11 consecutive U.S. Opens and posted his best finish last year, when he tied for 15th at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, where he bounced back from an opening 76 with three consecutive 70s. He has missed the cut six times in the tournament, including his first three from 2002 to 2004 at Bethpage Black, Olympia Fields and Shinnecock Hills, and two more in a row in 2010 at Pebble Beach and 2011 at Congressional. The U.S. Open is the only major in which he never has finished in the top 10. If it's ever going to happen, it could be this week at Merion because he is at the high-water mark in his career. ... Even though Scott's return to Australia as a major champion is months away, there already has been intense speculation Down Under about where and when that might happen because the four major events on the Aussie Tour are all held late in the year. He made his first commitment to a tournament in his homeland last week when he announced that he would defend his title in the Australian Talisker Masters at Royal Melbourne in November. Greg Norman is the only player to win the tournament two consecutive years, claiming the title in 1983 and 1984, plus 1989 and 1990.



5. Phil Mickelson, United States -- Lefty said at the beginning and the end of the week that there are similarities to Merion, where the U.S. Open will be played this week, and TPC Southwind, site of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. So, he has to feel good about his chances in the second major of the year after closing with three scores in the 60s to tie for second in the St. Jude, two strokes behind winner Harris English. ... Lefty has four major championships to his credit, but he has not won the U.S. Open in 22 attempts, even though he has been excruciatingly close on several occasions with five runner-up finishes, including last year at the Olympic Club behind Webb Simpson. The most famous came in 2006, when he was coming off victories in the PGA Championship and the Masters, and was trying to join Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods as the only players to win three consecutive majors. Mickelson took a one-stroke lead to the final hole but pushed his drive to the left and off a hospitality tent, leading to a double-bogey 6 that left him one shot behind winner Geoff Ogilvy. That was one of his seven second-place finishes in the Grand Slam events, and he also has finished third seven times among his 33 top-10 results. ... After starting with a 1-over-par 71, Mickelson went 67-65-67 in the last three rounds at TPC Southwind, including three birdies in the last five holes on Sunday, hitting his approach to within two feet on the final hole. Putting will be vital at Merion, and Lefty averaged 26.3 putts per round in his final tuneup at the St. Jude.



6. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Playing in his home state of Tennessee, Snedeker continued what has been a perplexing run when he shot 70-73--143 and missed the cut by two strokes in the FedEx St. Jude Classic. It was his second consecutive missed weekend and fourth in seven tournaments since he returned from a strained intercostal muscle after a tremendous start to the season. He is taking medication for his ongoing rib problems and hopes to find his game when he gets to Merion for the U.S. Open. ... After his second big disappointment in the Masters earlier this year, when he was tied for the 54-hole lead with Angel Cabrera but closed with a 2-over-par 75 to tie for sixth, Snedeker believes he is ready to win his first major as he plays in the U.S. Open for the seventh time. He missed the tournament last year because of a rib injury, but he has done well in the second major of the year in recent seasons and could be a factor at Merion. He tied for ninth in 2008 at Torrey Pines, tied for eighth in 2010 at Pebble Beach and tied for 11th two years ago at Congressional. His best finishes in the Grand Slam events were ties for third in the 2007 Masters and in the Open Championship last year at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. ... Snedeker probably would have made it to the weekend at TPC Southwind if not for two holes in the second round. His two shots into the water on the 12th hole led to a double-bogey 6 to put him in a hole early on Friday after starting on the back nine. He was right on the eventual cut-line when he came to his final hole, No. 9, but he hit his approach into the water and took another double-bogey 6.




7. Dustin Johnson, United States -- Coming off a missed cut in the Memorial Tournament after missing four tournaments because of injuries, DJ got off to a blazing star in the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He opened with a 3-under-par 67 and played solidly the rest of the way to wind up in a tie for 10th, only his second top-10 finish since winning the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, giving him some momentum heading to the U.S. Open. ... Johnson has made five previous starts in the second major of the year and had his best chance to win it in 2010 at Pebble Beach. He held a three-stroke lead heading to the final round after posting a 5-under-par 66 on Saturday. However, he lost all of his lead by carding a triple-bogey 8 on the second hole and didn't card a birdie all day en route to an 82 that dropped him into a tie for eighth. Later in the year, DJ had a chance to win another major when he took a one-stroke lead to the final hole of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. However, he made bogey on the hole and later was assessed a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in what was deemed to be a bunker, dropping to a tie for fifth and missing the playoff in which Martin Kaymer beat Bubba Watson. He has three other top-10s in the majors, including a tie for second in the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George's, three strokes behind winner Darren Clarke. ... Johnson played his first six holes of round one at TPC Southwind in 5 under par, including an eagle on the third hole. However, he played the last 66 holes in even par, finishing on a downer with bogeys on his last two holes.



8. Luke Donald, England -- After carding 13 birdies in the last two rounds while tying for 21st two weeks ago in the Memorial, Donald believes is game is going in the right direction heading into the U.S. Open. Even though he has only two finishes in the top 10 this season on the PGA Tour, he has finished in the top 25 seven times in eight outings and said his play has been better than the scores might indicate. ... Luke will tee it up for the 10th time in the second major of the year, the only one in which he has never finished in the top 10. His best finish was a tie for 12th in 2006 at Winged Foot, where he bounced back from an 8-over-par 78 in the first round. He has missed the cut three times, including last year when he shot 79-72--151 at the Olympic Club, and he withdrew because a wrist injury during the final round in 2008 at Torrey Pines. His best results in majors were ties for third in the 2005 Masters and the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah. ... Donald remains among the best players in the world without a major title and one of only two players, the other being Lee Westwood, who have held the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings and not captured one of the Grand Slam events. The short East Course at Merion might give him a chance to break through, but his ball-striking has not been sharp this year, as he ranks 40th in driving accuracy at 64.69 percent and 159th in greens in regulation at 62.30 percent. Donald ranks seventh in strokes gained putting at plus-.717 and fifth with an average of 27.96 putts per round. He will have to lean on his short stick.



9. Keegan Bradley, United States -- Bradley joined Francis Ouimet (1913 U.S. Open) and Ben Curtis (2003 Open Championship) as the only players in this century to win a major championship on the first attempt when he beat Jason Dufner in a playoff at Atlanta Athletic Club in the 2011 PGA Championship. He has been trying hard, some would say too hard, to back that up as he prepares for his seventh major, the U.S. Open at Merion. Bradley's best finish since winning the final major of the year two seasons ago was a tie for third last year in his title defense on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. ... Keegan, who seems to put an awful lot of pressure on himself to succeed, finished in a tie for 68th in his first U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in 2012, the year he played in all four of the Grand Slam events for the first time. He seems to be so amped up on the course and might perform better if he could relax just a bit. Bradley has won three times on the PGA Tour and nearly added a fourth title recently after shooting 10-under-par 60 in the first round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship. However, he again seemed to get in his own way, and he finished second behind Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea, carding only a single birdie while closing with a 72. ... Bradley has the length to make the short East Course at Merion, at 6,996 yards, play even shorter, and he hits the ball straight off the tee, ranking fifth on the PGA Tour in total driving. It might come down to how he fares with his belly putter. He ranks 28th this season in strokes gained putting at plus-.430.



10. Justin Rose, England -- Another player who ranks near the top of the list when it comes to the best players who have not won a major title, he gets his next opportunity this week in the U.S. Open at Merion. Rose has finished in the top 10 four times on the PGA Tour this season but has not played particularly well in some big events recently, missing the cut in the Players Championship and tying for 50th in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. ... This will be Rosy's eighth appearance in the second major of the season, and he has not played particularly well since he finished in the top 10 in two of this first three tries. He tied for fifth in his first U.S. Open appearance at Olympia Fields in 2003, shooting 1-under-par 69 in the final round to finish at even par, and tied for 10th in 2007 at Oakmont, despite playing the weekend in 73-76. However, he has missed the cut on four occasions in the tournament, including three consecutive times (2008, 2009 and 2011, not qualifying in 2010), before he tied for 21st last year at the Olympic Club, where he was tied for second after an opening 69 but shot 75 the next day. ... Rose has shown that he can win in big events against strong fields, with his four victories on the PGA Tour coming in the 2010 Memorial Tournament, the 2010 AT&T National, the 2011 BMW Championship during the PGA Tour playoffs and the 2012 WGC-Cadillac Championship. This week, he's hoping to become the first Englishman to capture a major since Nick Faldo at the 1996 Masters. His best major finish was a tie for third in the PGA Championship last year at Kiawah Island.



11. Webb Simpson, United States -- It certainly wasn't a fluke, but it was a bit surprising that when the best golfers in the world faltered in the U.S. Open last year at the Olympic Club, Simpson was the last man standing and claimed his first major championship. He earned it by shooting 68-68 in the last two rounds, including four birdies in a span of five holes around the turn after trailing by six strokes early on Sunday. He closed the deal with a gutsy up-and-down from the fringe for a par on the final hole. ... Simpson will defend his title in the second major of the year this week at Merion, playing in the tournament for only the third time, having tied for 14th two years ago at Congressional, where he shot 5-under-par 66 in the second round. He still hasn't played all four majors in one season, as he skipped the Open Championship last year a month after his major breakthrough because his wife, Dowd, was about to give birth to their second child, Willow Grace. ... Webb has not done well in the majors he did play since winning in San Francisco, missing the cut in the PGA Championship on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island and again in the Masters earlier this year. In fact, he has not made it to the weekend in three of the seven Grand Slam events he has played, but he also tied for 16th in the only Open Championship he has played, two years ago at Royal St. George's. He has won three times on the PGA Tour in his career, but he missed a chance for another title when he lost to Graeme McDowell in the RBC Heritage in April, one of his three top-10 finishes this year.



12. Lee Westwood, England -- Perhaps the current poster boy of the best players without a major title because of his numerous near-misses, Westwood will try again this week in the U.S. Open at Merion. He has vastly improved his short game this year, and if he can rediscover the tee-to-green skills he has shown in the past, he might be a contender in the second major of the season. ... Westy is making 14th start in the U.S. Open and has five finishes in the top 10. He opened with a 5-over-par 75 two years ago at Congressional and played the middle rounds in 68-65 to tie for third. However, Westwood never got close to Rory McIlroy, who won by eight strokes and beat him by 10. In 2008, he was in the chase all the way but closed with a 73 and finished one stroke out of the playoff in which Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. Last year, he again was in the hunt most of the way but closed with a 73 and tied for 10th, four shots behind winner Webb Simpson. ... Westwood, who moved his family from Worksop, England, to Florida late last year in an effort to give himself a better chance in the three majors played in the U.S., has finished in the top 10 a total of 15 times in the Grand Slam events. He finished second in the 2010 Masters behind Phil Mickelson and was second again in the Open Championship later that year behind Louis Oosthuizen at St. Andrews, and he has been third five times in the majors. Lee tied for eighth earlier this year in the Masters after finishing in the top 10 twice in the majors in each of the last four years.



13. Bubba Watson, United States -- Bubba admittedly has not been the same player since winning the Masters last year, and the short and tight East Course at Merion wouldn't seem to be the place for him to turn it around this week in the U.S. Open. However, he has shown that he has all the shots, so if he can keep the ball out of the rough and have a hot week with the putter, he could shorten the course even more and perhaps be a factor on Sunday. ... Watson will tee it up in the national championship for the seventh time, and he has only one top-10 finish in the tournament, when he tied for fifth in 2007 at Oakmont, where he started with 71-71. He has missed the cut three times, including last year, when he shot 78-71--149 and failed by one stroke to make it to the weekend. Bubba was in the mix for three rounds in 2009 at Bethpage Black but shot 5-over-par 75 in the final round and skidded to a tie for 18th. ... Despite his victory at Augusta National and a playoff loss to Martin Kaymer of Germany in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Watson has not had a lot of success in the Grand Slam events. His only other top-10 finish in the majors was that tie for fifth in the 2007 U.S. Open, and he has missed the cut seven times, but he has played in all four majors in only three seasons, the first in 2009. However, Bubba is the type of player who can have a hot week any time and wind up holding the trophy.




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14. Steve Stricker, United States -- It's been a month since Stricker, who has virtually gone into semi-retirement, last played on the PGA Tour in the Players Championship, so it's difficult to assess his chances this week in the U.S. Open at Merion. He's a straight if not long hitter who putts well, so normally you would think his game might have a good chance on the 6,996-yard East Course, but realistically he could go in either direction. ... Strick is making his 18th appearance in the national championship, with his best finishes a tie for fifth at the Olympic Club in 1998, and solo fifth the following year at Pinehurst. He put himself in contention with a 69 on Saturday each time, but then fell out of contention in the final round with a pair of 73s. Steve has played well after slow starts each of the last two years, opening with a 75 but rallying to tie for 19th two years ago at Congressional, and he shot 76 in round one last year at the Olympic Club before coming back to tie for 15th. ... Stricker has 10 finishes in the top 10 in the majors over the course of his 20-year career, coming closest to winning one of the Grand Slam events when he finished second to Vijay Singh in the 1998 PGA Championship at Valhalla. He was tied for the lead with the Big Fijian entering the final round, but closed with a 70 as Singh claimed the Wanamaker Trophy with a 68. After finishing in the top five in each of his first three tournaments this season, he tied for 20th in the Masters and tied for 37th in the Players in his last two outings.



15. Hunter Mahan, United States -- While Mahan seemingly has the game to become a major champion and played well in the Grand Slam events a few years ago, he has not really been a factor in the last three years. After posting a total of three top-10 finishes in the majors in 2008 and 2009, he doesn't have any since and has missed the cut five times in the Grand Slam tournaments in the past three seasons, including last August at Kiawah Island and in the Masters earlier this year. ... The U.S. Open this week at Merion will be Hunter's eighth start in the second major of the year. His only top-10 result was a tie for sixth in 2009 at Bethpage Black, where he shot 68-68 in the middle rounds. He followed that with missed cuts in 2010 at Pebble Beach and in 2011 at Congressional before he tied for 38th last year at the Olympic Club, and he has not broken 70 in his last nine rounds in the U.S. Open. ... Mahan has finished in the top 10 only twice this season, on consecutive weeks in February, when he tied for eighth in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera and lost to Matt Kuchar in the final of his title defense at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. However, he has posted nine finishes in the top 25, and if he can get his game going, he could be a factor on the East Course at Merion this week, even though he does not have a solid history in the national championship.



16. Ernie Els, South Africa -- The Big Easy does not contend every time a major rolls around, the way he did earlier in his career, but he showed last year when he captured his fourth major title in the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes that it would be a mistake to write him off. After failing to qualify for the Masters last year, he came back to tie for ninth in the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, won the oldest championship in the world and tied for 13th in his return to the Masters earlier this year. ... The first two of Els' major titles came in the U.S. Open, in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional. He took a two-stroke lead to the final round at Oakmont but closed with a 73 and had to beat Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in a playoff. Three years later at Congressional, he closed with three scores in the 60s to outlast Montgomerie by one stroke. Ernie will be making his 21st start in the second major of the year and has seven other top-10 finishes, including a tie for second behind runaway winner Tiger Woods in 2000 at Pebble Beach. Last year at the Olympic Club, he was one stroke back before carding three consecutive bogeys down the stretch. ... In addition to his four titles in the Grand Slam events, Els has been very close to several others, finishing second six times and third on five other occasions. In the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera, he equaled 36-hole tournament record at 131 and set 54-hole record of with 197, taking a three-stroke lead into the final round. Els closed with a 72 and finished two strokes out of the playoff in which Steve Elkington turned back Montgomerie.



17. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland -- Following a three-year drought after he captured three tournaments including the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, G-Mac announced he is back by becoming the only player with victories on both major tours this season. He captured the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour in April and followed by claiming the Volvo World Match Play title last month in Bulgaria, his first two official victories since the 2010 Andalucia Valderrama Masters. ... McDowell became the first European to win the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin of England took home the title in 1970 at Hazeltine, and also was the first Northern Irishman to claim a major since Fred Daly in the 1947 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. He was the only player to finish at even par for the tournament. He took the lead with a birdie on the fifth hole as 54-hole leader Dustin Johnson was melting down with an 82, making G-Mac's closing 74 good enough to win. McDowell, who is playing in the U.S. Open for the eighth time, made another run at the title last year but missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have put him in a playoff with Webb Simpson. He settled for a tie for second. ... Even though McDowell did not win again until this year, he showed signs that he was coming back last year when he finished in the top 15 in all four majors. He tied for 12th in the Masters, and after his near-miss in the U.S. Open, he tied for fifth in the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes before tying for 11th in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.



18. Zach Johnson, United States -- It was something of a surprise when Johnson navigated his way around Augusta National, a long course that wouldn't seem to suit his game, with such precision in 2007 that he won the Masters by two strokes over Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini. The East Course at Merion, at only 6,996 yards, would seem to be right up his alley, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in the hunt this week, even though he has not played particularly well this season. ... Zach has never played well in his nine appearances in the national championship, missing the cut four times, with his best result a tie for 30th two years ago at Congressional. However, Merion will be a very different U.S. Open course, and he could be in the mix if he can play the several short part 4s well and hold his own on the long ones. Johnson has the precise game to do exactly that, hitting roughly two-thirds of the fairways and greens this year, but he will have to do better than the 29.60 putts per round he has been averaging. ... Johnson has not shown up on major championship leaderboards very often since winning the Masters, with only three finishes in the top 10 since 2007. The best was a tie for third in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he finished one stroke out of the playoff in which Martin Kaymer defeated Bubba Watson. Johnson needed a birdie on either one of the last two holes to get himself into the playoff, but he missed the green each time and was fortunate to save his pars to come up just short.



19. Ian Poulter, England -- After playing his best golf since February over the first three rounds of the FedEx St. Jude Classic, Poulter made only one birdie in the final round while closing with a 6-over-par 76. That dropped him 40 spots on the leaderboard to a tie for 51st, but it still was better than missing the cut, as he did in his two previous outings, the Masters and the Players Championship. The confidence he built the first three days had to take a hit heading to the U.S. Open. ... Poults is one of the Fab Four, the others being Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose, trying to end England's drought in major championship that dates to Sir Nick Faldo winning the 1996 Masters. He is playing in the second major of the year for the 10th time, but his best result was only a tie for 12th in 2006 at Winged Foot. His best finish in a major was solo second in the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, where he held the clubhouse lead after closing with a 69, but Padraig Harrington also closed with a 69 to win by four shots. He has six top-10 finishes in the Grand Slam events. ... Poulter posted scores of 69-68-68 in the first three rounds at TPC Southwind but started to come apart on his first shot of the final round. He hit his drive into the water and took a double-bogey 6, but he tried to rally with a birdie two holes later. After eight consecutive pars, he took four shots to reach the green at No. 12, where he recorded another double-bogey 6. Poulter carded five birdies in his first 10 holes on Friday but had three bogeys on the last seven holes.



20. Jason Dufner, United States -- Dufner has been unable to come anywhere close to the magic of his breakthrough season last year, when he claimed his first two PGA Tour victories at the age of 35, but a big week in the U.S. Open at Merion could make him forget all that very quickly. It hasn't been all bad, as he has put himself in good position several times this year, but he has struggled on Sundays, failing to break 70 any of his nine final rounds, in which his average score is 72.30. ... Duff will be making his seventh start in the second major of the year, and after failing to finish in the top 25 and missing the cut twice in his first six appearances, he made a run at the title last year before settling for a tie for fourth. He shot 70-70 on the weekend at the Olympic Club, making only two bogeys on the final day, but didn't make his only birdies until the 12th and 17th holes to wind up two strokes behind champion Webb Simpson. ... Dufner didn't play in all four majors in the same year until 2010, when he posted his first top-10 finish in the Grand Slam events with a tie for fifth in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he shot 66-69 in the middle rounds. However, he saved his best performance for the following year in the PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club, where he entered the final round tied for the lead with Brendan Steele. Dufner was bogey-free through 14 holes and held a five-stroke lead with four holes left, but he carded three consecutive bogeys and was caught by two birdies from Keegan Bradley, who beat him in a three-hole aggregate playoff.



Others receiving consideration: Bill Haas, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Jason Day, Australia; John Merrick, United States; Charles Howell III, United States; Martin Laird, Scotland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Kevin Streelman, United States; D.A. Points, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; Russell Henley, United States; David Lingmerth, Sweden; Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea; Boo Weekley, United States; Harris English, United States.