Flawless Johnson in tie for John Deere lead

Flawless Johnson in tie for John Deere lead

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July 11, 2013 8:38 PM

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Zach Johnson of the U.S. tees off on the second hole during the second round of The Players Championship …


(Reuters) - Rejuvenated by improved form with his driver, Zach Johnson made a strong start to his title defense at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois as he surged into a share of the lead in Thursday's opening round.

The 37-year-old American piled up seven birdies in a flawless display for a sizzling seven-under-par 64 at the TPC Deere Run, finishing joint top with Colombia's Camilo Villegas.

Burly Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge was a further stroke back, mixing four birdies with an eagle at the par-five 10th to end the round level with Americans Matt Bettencourt and Daniel Summerhays.

Most eyes, however, will be firmly focused on Johnson who triumphed here last year with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to edge out compatriot Troy Matteson.

Johnson has now posted sub-70 scores in his last 17 competitive rounds on the par-71 layout.

"I am very pleased," Johnson, a nine-times winner on the PGA Tour, told Golf Channel after making four birdies in his last nine holes. "Very few mistakes, one maybe two errant shots. I was very much in control, and very in control on the greens.

"I hit my driver beautifully, putted great and gave myself a lot of good opportunities. That's all you can ask for. Hopefully I can just continue that consistency for the remainder of the week."

Johnson was especially pleased with his driving, a component of his game which gave him trouble early on this season when he missed the cut three times in his first seven PGA Tour events.

"It feels tremendous," he smiled. "It's at the point now with my driver that I must have been way off (before). I feel very comfortable.

"I'm going to be hitting bad drives but I don't feel I have to grind as much off the tee box. The consistency of left-to-right and right-to-left is always nice on these tee shots.


"But I still have a lot of work to do. I am never going to be content. The leaderboard here is packed and it will be come Sunday."

GRANDSTAND VIEW

One player who had a grandstand view of Johnson on Thursday was three-times former champion Steve Stricker, who was paired with his fellow American in a high-profile grouping which also included Davis Love III.

"It was a lot of fun, an enjoyable round with two friends and watching Zach play, Zach played great," said Stricker, who charged into contention at one of his favorite events with an opening 67.

"He hit in there (close) a lot of times and when he sets the pace like that, you don't want to fall too far behind. You know he's played well here in years past and you've got to stay up to him because I think he's going to be tough to beat."

Stricker made an explosive start to his round, holing out with a sand wedge to eagle his opening hole, the par-five 10th. He got to five under for the round after 11 holes before recording two bogeys over his closing stretch.

"I kept it going for a little while, then ran into a couple of bad holes at four and five on the way in," said the 46-year-old American, who was champion at the TPC Deere Run for three successive years from 2009.

"But a good start overall. I wish I could have taken a little bit more advantage of that start but I am pretty pleased with the way I finished off the round."

South African world number 10 Louis Oosthuizen, the highest-ranked player in this week's field, made a roller-coaster start, mixing five birdies with a bogey, a double and a triple for a one-over 72.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue/Greg Stutchbury)

Golf-Power game helps Perry into seven-way tie for lead

Golf-Power game helps Perry into seven-way tie for lead

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July 11, 2013 9:05 PM


July 11 (Reuters) - Kenny Perry's prediction that improved power and accuracy off the tee would put him in contention at the U.S. Senior Open proved correct as he split one fairway after another to move into a seven-way tie for the lead in Thursday's opening round in Omaha, Nebraska.

Seeking a second successive major title on the over-50s Champions Tour, Perry birdied two of the three par-fives in challenging conditions on the way to a three-under-par 67 at Omaha Country Club.

Perry, who won last month's Senior Players Championshipby two shots, managed to avoid the notoriously thick rough on the hilly layout to end the day as one of a record seven co-leaders after the opening round at the event.

Also carding 67s were Michael Allen, Jay Don Blake, Gary Hallberg, Tom Lehman, Mark O'Meara and Fred Funk.

The previous record for the number of co-leaders after the first round was five, set in the 1997 U.S. Senior Open at Olympia Fields outside Chicago.

Germany's Bernhard Langer was a further stroke back after a 68, along with Australian Peter Senior,American Rocco Mediate and Taiwan's Lu Chien-soon.

Perry, a 14-times winner on the regular PGA Tour, was delighted with his impressive start, having mixed five birdies with two bogeys to climb to the top of the leaderboard.

"I took care of the par-fives today and drove it nicely, kept it in the fairway, kept it in play," Perry told reporters. "Like I said yesterday, if I hit it in the fairway, I really like my chances on this golf course.

"I only missed a couple of fairways today so I was always attacking the pins. I could have shot a couple better, but I made two poor bogeys. I three-putted the par-three, five, and the other bogey I missed the green and didn't get up and down.

"You make five birdies in Open conditions, as tough as it was out there, I was very happy with that. That's about as good as I could do."


On Wednesday, Perry said in his pre-tournament news conference that he held a "a huge advantage" on the 6,711-yard, par-70 layout with his power game, mainly because of a new driver he put in his bag two months ago.

BOOMING DRIVES

He delivered in style on Thursday with several booming tee shots as he hit nine of 13 fairways and reached 14 of 18 greens in regulation.

"It automatically put length on me, and it put in accuracy," said Perry of his new driver. "It's really freed me up off the tee, so I'm very happy with that. That's why I'm playing more aggressive.

"If you're off target this week, you're going to shoot a really high score. The rough is brutal, and you're going to be in some spots where you're going to struggle to make double (bogey) from.

"I was lucky. I stayed away from all those areas, I was able to drive it beautifully. I hit my irons okay, putted okay. It's just a matter of executing and keeping that driver in play."

Tom Watson, an eight-times major champion on the PGA Tour who has added six more majors in the senior ranks, opened with a level-par 70 despite not being in form with his approach play.

"The one thing I did very well today was my lag putt," said the 63-year-old, who will captain the United States Ryder Cup team against holders Europe at Gleneagles, Scotland in 2014.

"I didn't hit the ball very well with my irons. Even though I was in the fairway most of the time, I didn't get it very close to the hole at all today.

"I did a real good job of lag putting and finishing the deal on the green. That was the positive."

Englishman Roger Chapman, who won last year's U.S. Senior Open by two strokes in Lake Orion, Michigan, launched his title defense with a 74. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Muirfield History Favors Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Even Sergio Garcia

Muirfield History Favors Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Even Sergio Garcia
British Opens Held at Historic Edinburgh Course Produce Hall of Fame Champions

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Mark McLaughlin July 15, 2013 12:12 PM




COMMENTARY | The British Open will produce a fluke winner every now and then - witness the victories of unsung Americans Todd Hamilton and Ben Curtis - but don't count on it happening at Muirfield Golf Club, site of this week's 142nd edition of golf's oldest championship.

Muirfield is to golf what Tiffany is to jewelry - it only produces gems as champions.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers will be hosting its 16th Open since opening its links course at Muirfield on Scotland's southeast coast in 1891. Every winner at Muirfield dating back to 1948 is a Hall of Famer: Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino,Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Harry Cotton. All-time greats Walter Hagen, James Braid and Harry Vardonalso raised the Claret Jug at Muirfield.

The second most visited course on the modern British Open rotation has witnessed plenty of championship firsts:



- In 1896, Vardon won the first of his record six British Opens here.



- In 1901, Braid held off Vardon to win the first of his five Open titles.



- In 1929, Hagen won the last of his four Opens on a links expanded by architect Harry Colt into the layout that still exists today. Hagen led a contingent of eight Americans in the top 10, a trend that portended American dominance of the event in the modern era.



- In 1959, Player won the first of his nine majors at Muirfield.



- In 1966, Nicklaus won his first British Open here. So enamored was the Golden Bear of the course that he named the golf course he designed in his Ohio hometown Muirfield Village. He would finish second and fourth in the next two Opens at Muirfield.




- In 2002, Els outlasted Thomas Levet, Steve Elkington andStuart Appleby to win the only four-way playoff in the event's history.





So which of the game's current elite is best positioned to add their name to Muirfield's storied history?

Ernie Els: Repeat winners are common at Muirfield -- Vardon, Braid and Faldo won twice here while Hagen and Trevino won at Muirfield as defending British Open champs. Els carries into the tournament the karma of being defending champion and the last champion on this course as well as the confidence from a victory last month at the European Tour's BMW International Open.

Tiger Woods: A win for Tiger would not only get him back in the major victory column for the first time in five years but also make up for his worst round as a professional -- a wind- and rain-blown 81 that knocked him out of contention in 2002. The course is playing hard and fast, which means Woods can get around without the driver like he did in winning at Royal Liverpool in 2006.

Phil Mickelson: Winning the Scottish Open -- his first career victory in Europe -- could be a great steppingstone to the bigger prize of the Claret Jug. Lefty said this week that winning the British Open would be his greatest accomplishment, and he's got the mojo to do it. Like Tiger, Mickelson can thrive on a course that doesn't require driver.

Padraig Harrington: An 18th-hole bogey kept Paddy out of the four-way playoff in 2002. The Irishman bounced back to win two Claret Jugs in succession, but he has not been a factor since winning his second in 2008.

Rory McIlroy: If Rory is destined for historic greatness, he could follow in the footsteps of Nicklaus in winning his first British Open at Muirfield. Like Harrington, McIlroy comes in struggling but he's been known to turn things around when counted out.

Sergio Garcia: The troubled Spaniard could do worse than break his major drought at Muirfield. Player did it here as did Faldo. Sergio finished two shots out of the 2002 playoff, and he's mostly played well in the big tournaments this year. And I've got to believe Dan Jenkins can't retire from covering majors until Sergio finally surprises him.

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

Did Phil Mickelson Peak Too Early at Scottish Open?

Did Phil Mickelson Peak Too Early at Scottish Open?

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Adam Fonseca July 15, 2013 12:50 PM


COMMENTARY | Phil Mickelson's playoff victory over the weekend at the European Tour's Scottish Open instantly made him a favorite heading into the season's third major at this week's Open Championship. However, if history has taught us anything about Mickelson, winning last week may have hurt his chances to succeed at Muirfield.





While the recently enshrined Hall of Fame veteran has 50 professional wins and four Major championships in his career, Mickelson is not typically known for winning multiple tournaments in one calendar year. Since turning professional in 1992, Mickelson has won more than two tournaments in a year only five times: 1996 (4 wins), 2000 (4), 2005 (4), 2007 (3) and 2009 (3).

Of those five "hot years," Mickelson has only one Major championship victory at the 2005 PGA Championship. His other major wins -- the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters -- all came during years when Lefty did not win more than twice.

After Sunday, Mickelson has already won twice in 2013 (Waste Management Phoenix Open).


For the sake of comparison -- and because he is the only other active PGA Tour player with over 50 career wins -- all of Tiger Woods' 14 major titles came when he won at least four times that year.

To be fair, it should be understood that any discussion about Mickelson's success is relative to his overall greatness. He is by far one of the best golfers to have ever played the game, period. Most professionals would be tickled pink to win a fraction of the times Mickelson has, especially after the age of 40 (four tournaments).

Even so, Mickelson's career trend further proves how streaky the southpaw's game can be throughout a year. His grip-it-and-rip-it, devil-may-care playing style for which he is famous is both a blessing and a curse. Many believe it was that attitude that cost Mickelson his first US Open title last month after a disappointing late-round collapse on Sunday, yielding instead his sixth runner-up finish in the championship. Others suggest his high-risk, high-reward style earned him his third green jacket in 2010.

Following last week's triumph in Scotland, Mickelson acknowledged his struggles with the links-style golf waiting at Muirfield.

"It's been the biggest challenge of my career," Mickelson admitted. "[A]dapting to links-style golf and this was a great challenge in the final round in some difficult conditions. I played some good golf to come out on top and this is really fulfilling and special."

For Mickelson's sake, here's hoping his victory quota for 2013 hasn't already expired.



Adam Fonseca has covered professional golf since 2005. His work can also be found on the Back9Network. Follow Adam on Twitter at @chicagoduffer.

Golf-Faldo says he couldn't have coped with Watson near miss

Golf-Faldo says he couldn't have coped with Watson near miss

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July 15, 2013 1:27 PM


By Tony Jimenez

GULLANE, Scotland, July 15 (Reuters) - Nick Faldo is a part-time golfer these days but he showed on Monday the fire still burns as strong as it did in his heyday by saying it would haunt him to mess up a chance to win the 142nd British Open.

The six-times major champion, back in competitive action this week for the first time since the 2010 Open at St Andrews, has been drawn to play alongside fellow 'golden oldies' Tom Watson and Fred Couples in the opening two rounds.

Watson almost achieved a golfing miracle at Turnberry in 2009. A par at the 72nd hole would have given him a major victory at the age of 59 but a bogey meant he had to go through a playoff with American compatriot Stewart Cink that the veteran eventually lost.

"That could have been the greatest sporting achievement of all time," Faldo told reporters at Muirfield. "I would be scarred from that if I had a putt to win the Open, even at 59.

"Tom is a very strong man. He probably wouldn't let on but that would scar me so I'm going to avoid having a putt to win.

"I'm either going to win by six or be stuck in the hay somewhere," he laughed, referring to the penal rough at the Scottish links course.

Realistically, Faldo's target this week will be to simply make the cut.

The Briton, winner of the Open at Muirfield in 1987 and 1992 and at St Andrews in 1990, is now a full-time television commentator in the United States and has only played 35 rounds of golf in the last two years.

"When you come here and see the test they have prepared...you start getting ideas of survival, of how close to the cut you could get," said Faldo.

"If I could be relatively competitive that would be impressive for a guy who hasn't hit a competitive shot for three years.

"If I'm feeling intense on Thursday I'll go and talk to Tom. If I want to feel relaxed I'll go and talk to Freddie. But it would be quite an achievement if I could hover close to making the cut."

BUBBLY MOOD


Faldo, who turns 56 on Thursday, was in bubbly mood and seemed happy to be back in the cut and thrust of tour golf.

"About two months ago I was in my gym at home and I thought, 'You're just strong enough to have a go'," he said. "It might be the last chance I get to walk with fellow Open champions so I said I'm going to go for it.

"I've bumped into my old physio and he started poking about on my shoulder. I've bumped into Justin Rose's sports psychologist and I've gleaned a few gems there.

"These kids, they've got it all now, and I'm really enjoying that. We were still searching back in my time."

Faldo looks as trim and fit as he did during his glory years and he has even worked on a course strategy with his former caddie Fanny Sunesson.

"You have to know where you're going to land it on this course, where the next bounce is and where the run is," he explained.

"Fanny stayed with me last night and that's what we worked out so well in 1992, where to land the ball 20 yards short of the green, which way it would kick and obviously where it would stop. That's part of the calculations."

The major championship calculations have gone awry recently for world number one Tiger Woods, who is this week looking to end a five-year wait to win one of golf's big four prizes, while second-ranked Rory McIlroy has struggled for form all season.

"We know what's been happening to Rory, he's still testing new clubs and has had a lot going on," said Faldo. "Tiger is in a different mode where he's winning regular tournaments but he gets to the majors and something happens.

"The self belief you have to have, maybe there's a little dent in there. He hits the wrong shot at the wrong time where before Tiger would hit the right shot at the right time."

Faldo could not resist the temptation to have a gentle dig at the modern generation of players.

"We had Seve (Ballesteros), Greg (Norman), Nick Price, Freddie Couples was there, (Jose Maria) Olazabal and (Bernhard) Langer, we were a pretty good era," said the Englishman.

"If you brought us to now we'd beat this lot easy and we'd look better doing it," laughed Faldo. (Editing by Toby Davis)