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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Singh tries to shrug off losses

Updated: March 25, 2005, 5:29 PM ET

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The man has picked himself up and dusted himself off and is right back where we expected him to be after the opening round of The Players Championship. In contention once again, hunting down another victory, playing golf with supreme confidence, Vijay Singh has begun the process of putting himself in position to win a golf tournament. Five days after rinsing a 7-iron on the 72nd hole of Bay Hill, 12 days after missing a playoff putt the length of a table leg at the Honda, Singh shot an opening round 67 at TPC-Sawgrass to take the early lead over Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson in this week's Battle of the Big Four.

Instead of being demoralized, Singh hosted his party Monday night, poured liberally from his wine cellar and was his usual gracious self, laughing afterward about how the affair started from one or two guys to what now seems like the entire field. "It's just an outing that I like to invite my friends – and the players are all my friends – and my family," Singh said. "It's great to get together for once. I'm just happy I can do that."

You win 25 times on the PGA Tour and it's easier to serve Opus and put those demons from Mirasol and Arnie's Place behind you. But as machinelike as Singh can seem when he plays golf, he is human, too. He hasn't totally put behind him what happened in Orlando and Palm Beach Gardens. "I mean, it still plays on my mind," Singh admitted in his pre-tournament news conference. "It's nothing that you just kind of forget about a week later. It's disappointing … you get in a situation like that and then you give it away. People play all year to get into that position once and I've done it two weeks in a row."

The thinking is you shouldn't ascend to the No. 1 ranking after back-to-back blown tournaments, but Singh just keeps feeding the computer top-three finishes. In his last three tournaments, he finished third behind Tiger and Phil at Doral, then second twice on the tour's swing up the Florida Turnpike. If his putter were working the way it did in 2004, there would be no question of his position ahead of Woods.

But instead of obsessing about it, trying to "protect," Singh is just playing. He won nine times last year with that approach, overtaking Tiger at the Deutsche Bank Championship before Woods took the ranking back for two weeks after his victory at Doral. "Right now, my goal is to go out and win tournaments," he said. "I really do not worry about the No. 1 position, if it's going to be overtaken or not. If I'm No. 1, it's a great privilege, but it's not my ultimate goal."

Always dogged, Singh is trying a new approach to the Players. The TPC is his home course and the back end of the range should be named in his honor, but overall he has not played well at Sawgrass. The 67 tied his best start since 2001, when he finished second behind Woods. He missed back-to-back cuts in 2002 and 2003.

But that was yesterday and Singh is looking to tomorrow. The man might be bullheaded at times, but he learns from his mistakes and shakes them off as well as anybody in the game. "I've just taken a real relaxed attitude this week," he said. "I think I put too much pressure on myself this week to go out there and play well. This is a big event. I would say in the players' minds, it's a major event ... it'll be one of the biggest achievements of my career if I can win this thing."

Tim Rosaforte is a senior writer for Golf World magazine

Friday, January 25, 2013

The victory is Sorenstam's 58th

Updated: March 22, 2005, 5:59 PM ET

Associated Press

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Ariz. -- Annika Sorenstam has rallied to win in the final round 19 times.

AP Photo/Robert Scott ButtonAnnika Sorenstam shows off the 58th trophy she's won in an illustrious career.

She just couldn't recall many in more dramatic fashion than her repeat victory in the Safeway International on Sunday.

Sorenstam nailed a 4-wood second shot onto the green on the par-5 18th hole Sunday, made up the final shot of her comeback and forced a playoff with her birdie putt, then beat Lorena Ochoa with a par on the first extra hole.

"This is in the top three, for sure," said Sorenstam, who won her fourth straight LPGA Tour start. "Again, carrying 217 (yards), with the wind here, it was on the edge. I had to take a chance, I really did, and I think it just carried by inches."

Sorenstam made up four strokes in the last three holes and improved to 14-5 in playoffs. Ochoa was in her first playoff.

The victory -- Sorenstam's career 58th -- was her second in two tournaments this year and the sixth in her last eight.

She finished with a 2-under 70 to match Ochoa (74) at 11-under 277.

Juli Inkster (72) and Soo-Yun Kang (76) tied for third at 8 under.

Liselotte Neumann (71) and Rosie Jones (72) were a shot back, with Michele Redman seventh at 6 under after an impressive 67 on a blustery day.

Hawaii's Michelle Wie shot a 71 to tie for 12th. Also in her group at 4 under were Jennifer Rosales (70), the winner in Hawaii last month, and Siew-Ai Lim (74), who shared the first-round lead with Ochoa.

Sorenstam, the four-time LPGA player of the year and scoring record-setter, won her season debut in Mexico City two weeks ago, dashing the 23-year-old Ochoa's dream of a victory in her native land. It was more of the same this time, but with a twist.

Ochoa overcame three bogeys in the first six holes with three birdies in four holes midway through the round and was 14 under to Sorenstam's 10 under after birdieing the 15th hole.

But it was a train wreck after that for the rising Mexican star, who won twice last year and had 16 other top-10 finishes, winding up third on the money list behind Sorenstam and Grace Park.

"I saw Lorena climbing the leaderboard with more and more birdies, and I was trying really hard, but I couldn't make any birdies," Sorenstam said. "And it wasn't until the 16th that I heard that she double-bogeyed, and then 18, I realized, 'There's a big chance here."

Ochoa double-bogeyed the 16th hole for the second time in two days and two-putted from 7 feet for a bogey on the 17th.

She said she didn't fear No. 16, a 412-yard par 4, despite having lost three shots to par there in three previous rounds. But she drove into a fairway bunker, barely got her sand wedge over a transition area and three-putted from 15 feet.

"Even when I was putting for par, I just thought, 'Make two putts and let's get out of here," Ochoa said. "I wasn't even trying to make the putt too hard. But, I guess, too much adrenaline and just, you know, everything happened so quick."

Sorenstam took advantage, lofting her 4-wood within 22 feet, and two-putted for the tap-in birdie. Ochoa, playing in the last group with Kang, had the green to herself because Kang dunked an eagle on the fly to improve her paycheck.

Ochoa lined up an 8-footer for birdie while Sorenstam watched, but just missed, and both went back to the 18th tee for the playoff.

Ochoa put her tee shot in a long, narrow lake on the Prospector Course's only water hole, and the conclusion was never in doubt from there. Sorenstam was pin-high with her second shot again, sent a 25-yard chip across the green to within 7 feet and two-putted for par.

Ochoa didn't even putt after her attempt to save par with a chip from short grass left of the cup went 5 feet past, conceding Sorenstam's victory.

"I'm pretty upset, but I'm going to try not to be too hard on myself," Ochoa said. "I'm going to try to learn from this. You know, Annika is the best player in the world, and hopefully I come back next week."

Sorenstam was 18 under last year.

This year's $210,000 first prize boosted her to $390,000 on the money list and sent her LPGA-record career total past $16 million.

Singh blows chance to win, settles for consolation

Updated: March 22, 2005, 1:48 PM ET

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Vijay Singh returned to No. 1 in the world Sunday and couldn't care less.

Kenny Perry played it safe on 18 to win the eighth tournament of his career.

Kenny Perry lost a three-shot lead in three holes, but emerged the winner in the Bay Hill Invitational when Singh hit 7-iron off the rocks and into the water on the 18th hole to make double bogey, the second straight week he has blown a chance to win.

With Singh in the water, Perry went for the center of the green and lagged his 70-foot putt within 2 feet. He closed with a 2-under 70 and at age 44 became the oldest winner of Arnold Palmer's tournament.

Last week, Singh missed a 2½-foot par putt on the second extra hole in the Honda Classic to lose to Padraig Harrington. The Fijian made a spectacular charge at Bay Hill, with two birdies and a clutch par to erase a three-shot deficit and reach the 18th hole with momentum on his side.

From 174 yards in the middle of the fairway, he posed over his shot as it descended against the hazy sky, then bent over in anguish as it crashed off the rocks and splashed into the lake.

"It stunned me," Perry said. "I expected him to come up close. It was a big break for me. I just aimed left and played it safe. I knew I could three-putt."

The only consolation for Singh was replacing Tiger Woods at No. 1 in the world.

With Woods chopping his way around Bay Hill to finish out of the top 20, Singh only had to finish fourth to return to No. 1 in the world ranking.

"Big deal," Singh said. "I lost the golf tournament."

For the second straight week, Singh watched someone else pose with the trophy. And for the second straight week, he declined to come into the press center for an interview as a joint runner-up.

Perry finished at 12-under 276 for his eighth career victory, worth $900,000, and giving him loads of confidence coming into the first stretch of big tournaments.

The other consolation prize went to Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.

He never seriously challenged for the lead, but the 25-year-old turned in a flawless final round that produced the best round of the tournament. He closed with a 6-under 66 to finish tied for second, which gets him into The Players Championship next week and likely will earn him a spot in his first Masters.

The top 50 in the world after The Players Championship next week are eligible for the Masters, and McDowell is expected to move into the low 40s.

"It would be a dream come true, really," McDowell said. "The Masters ... I've watched that tournament since I was a boy. For me, it's the pinnacle of the golf world."

U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen opened with a 78 and was tied for 93rd. He thought about pulling out, but stuck around and wound up fourth after closing with rounds of 67-68-70, including a birdie on the 18th.

Woods needed to mount a semblance of a charge to have any hopes of staying No. 1, but he went the other direction. By the time he played six holes, Woods already had three bogeys and two balls in the water. He birdied two of his last three holes for an even-par 72 to finish at 1-under 287.

He was only three shots behind after two rounds and was surprised that his swing deserted him. But he was not worried about his game with the Masters looming. And he was not bothered by losing his No. 1 ranking after two weeks.

"It's all about winning. I'm sure he (Singh) feels the same way," Woods said. "No. 1 is just a number. If you win a bunch of tournaments each year ... the ranking will follow."

Ernie Els also had a chance to be No. 1 with a victory at Bay Hill, but his hopes fizzled with a 77 in the second round. The Big Easy closed with a 70 and joined Woods in a tie for 23rd.

Perry won for the first time since 2003, when he went on a tear during the summer with three victories in four starts. But as well as he played on a difficult Bay Hill course, he needed some help at the end.

Perry had a three-shot lead when Singh holed a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 15, and Perry had to make a 10-footer for par to keep a cushion. After a 20-minute wait on the par-5 16th, Perry saw a big advantage disappear.

Singh was in the rough and had to play short of the water, while Perry went just over the back of the green. Singh's wedge landed some 25 feet behind the hole and stopped 10 inches away for birdie, while Perry chunked his chip and settled for par. Perry then chipped 8 feet by the hole on the par-3 17th and missed it coming back, the end of his lead.

Ultimately, Singh restored his hope.

"If I had to do it again, I probably would have hit a different club, played a little bit safer and hopefully see if Kenny made a mistake," Singh said. "But that's not the way I play. I play aggressive and I went for the flag. I just came up a little short."

Divots
Tiger Woods failed to break 70 all week, the first time he has done that on the PGA Tour since the 2003 Tour Championship. ... Darren Clarke looked like a human popsicle stick Sunday with bright orange pants and a shirt. ... Fred Couples was 4 under through his first six holes and two shots off the lead. He bogeyed his final three holes for a 72 and finished in an 11-way tie for eighth.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Eleven isn't Daly's highest score

Updated: March 20, 2005, 8:16 PM ET

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. -- John Daly took four swipes at a ball in the rocks and made an 11 on the 18th hole Sunday -- and it still wasn't his highest score in the Bay Hill Invitational.

Seven years ago, Daly hit six balls into the water on the par-5 sixth hole in the final round and made an 18.

Daly started his final round on the 10th hole and was even par for the day when he came up short of the 18th hole. He tried a flop shot that landed in the rocks that separate the water from the green. Instead of taking a penalty drop, Daly tried to play out of rocks.

Four swings later, the ball moved only 3 inches.

He took a drop back where he started, pitched to 15 feet and two-putted for an 11.

"The legend grow," said Billy Andrade, who played with Daly. "You guys will write about it and glorify it, and everybody out there think it's really great. It's John being John. Not a shock. He's done it before."

It was at least the eighth time Daly has made a double-digit score on a hole.

Daly wound up with an 80 and finished last among 70 players. He declined to comment after his round.

Andrade looked at Daly's lie in the rocks and figured there was no way he could play the shot. He figured Daly would return to his previous spot and take a penalty drop.

"I went over and marked my ball and heard one 'whack.' I didn't know what it was. 'Whack, whack, whack," Andrade said. "I thought that was kind of strange."

Later in the round, Daly hit his tee shot into the water on the sixth hole and reloaded on the tee. This time, however, he played his second shot so far to the right that it caromed off a mesh fence and an out-of-bounds stake. He wound making a 15-footer for bogey to limit the damage.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Qatar Masters first-round scores

Originally Published: March 10, 2005

Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar -- First-round scores from the $1.5 million Qatar Masters at the 7,311-yard, par-72 Doha Golf Course:

Pierre Fulke, Sweden           34-32--66 6-under


Richard Green, Australia       33-34--67 5-under
Henrik Stenson, Sweden         34-33--67
Garry Houston, Wales           33-34--67

Stephen Scahill, New Zealand   34-34--68 4-under
Niclas Fasth, Sweden           34-34--68
David Park, Wales              36-32--68
Anthony Kang, United States    35-33--68

Darren Fichardt, South Africa  35-34--69 3-under
Fredrik Andersson Hed, Sweden  34-35--69
Thaworn Wiratchant, Thailand   35-34--69
Robert Karlsson, Sweden        37-32--69
Maarten Lafeber, Netherlands   35-34--69
Nobuhito Sato, Japan           36-33--69
Adam Groom, Australia          35-34--69
Soren Kjeldsen, Denmark        37-32--69
Ricardo Gonzalez, Argentina    37-32--69
Andrew Pitts, United States    35-34--69
Marcus Fraser, Australia       35-34--69

Soren Hansen, Denmark          36-34--70 2-under
Arjun Atwal, Indonesia         36-34--70
Clay Devers, United States     36-34--70
Bradley Dredge, Wales          37-33--70
David Drysdale, Scotland       32-38--70
Mark Foster, England           34-36--70
Soren Hansen, Denmark          36-34--70
Peter Hanson, Sweden           35-35--70
Peter Hedblom, Sweden          35-35--70
Raphael Jacquelin, France      35-35--70
James Kingston, South Africa   38-32--70
Jose Manuel Lara, Spain        35-35--70
Paul Lawrie, Scotland          36-34--70
Miguel Angel Martin, Spain     36-34--70
Steven O'Hara, Scotland        35-35--70
Carlos Rodiles, Spain          36-34--70
Gary Rusnak, United States     35-35--70
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa 36-34--70
Anthony Wall, England          38-32--70
Also:
Andrew Coltart, Scotland       37-34--71 1-under

Ian Woosnam, Wales             39-33--72 Even

Paul Broadhurst, England       37-36--73 1-over
Ernie Els, South Africa        37-36--73
Sandy Lyle, Scotland           36-37--73