KAPALUA, MAUI, Hawaii—On the heels of the tournament’s recent announcement regarding their 2012 direct-charity beneficiaries, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions announced the launch of a new program, Golf for Maui Charities giving 501(c)3 organizations the opportunity to promote the sale of tickets to this year’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions. One-hundred percent of the net proceeds from the sale of the ticket will go back to their charity.
The Golf for Maui Charities program was announced on Oct. 27 at a charity reception at Cafe O’Lei at The Dunes at Maui Lani, attended by representatives from more than 30 Maui charities. This is the program’s first year.
“Maui is extremely proud to be hosting the Hyundai Tournament of Champions again in January. Our Maui County Office of Economic Development realizes that events such as this one continue to put Maui on the map as not only a world class destination, but a orld class place to hold athletic and sporting events,” said MCOED Director Teena Rasmussen. “The economic ripple effect of this tournament is a huge boost for our businesses and workforce.
Representing Sacred Hearts School, Joanna Stockham added, “We’re going to sell more tickets than anyone. We’ve got plans to totally renovate our cafeteria/auditorium and are so appreciative of this opportunity to participate in the Golf for Maui Charities.”
The ticket available through Golf for Maui Charities is a weekly grounds ticket for $40. All proceeds from the sale go directly to the local charity promoting the sale of the ticket. This weekly ticket is good for all competitive rounds of the event from Jan. 6-9, 2012.
All children 18 and younger are admitted free of charge with a ticketed adult (one child per adult). All children over the age of 18 must have a ticket to enter the tournament.
If charities want to receive tickets on consignment to distribute or sell to their supporters, they can do so by filling out a participation agreement, providing their 501(c)3 Internal Revenue Service determination letter and filling out a ticket order form.
Proceeds from the Hyundai Tournament of Champions directly impact local charities. The host organizations of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions have bestowed nearly $3.8 million since the tournament’s move to Kapalua Resort in 1999.
Attending charities included:
Aloha House
American Heart Association
American Red Cross
Boy Scouts America
Habitat for Humanity
Hale Kau Kau
Hale Makua
Hawaiian Kamali'i
Hope Chapel
Horizon's Academy
Hospice Maui
JW Cameron Center
Ka Lima O Maui
Kula School PTA
LHS Foundation
Maui Aids Foundation
Maui Cheer All Stars
Maui Family YMCA
Maui Farms
Maui Humane Society
Maui Jr. Golf Association
Maui Medical
Maui Support Family Services
Maui United Way
Mediation Services of Maui
Montessori Hale O Keiki
National Kidney Foundation
Pacific Pride
Sacred Hearts
Saint Anthony HS
Seabury Hall
Theatre Theatre Maui
Women Helping Women
Note: All 501(c)3 organizations interested in being a part of this program should contact the Hyundai Tournament of Champions tournament office at 808-665-9160 or toll-free at 888-665-9160 for more information.
Hyundai Tournament of Champions Announces Golf for Maui Charities
2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Bay Hill Club & Lodge
9000 Bay Hill Boulevard, Orlando, Florida
Late March, 2011
407-876-7774, 1-866-764-4843
The Arnold Palmer Invitational (formerly known as the Bay Hill Invitational) draws the world’s top professional golfers on the PGA Tour. The event traces its history back to 1966 when it began as the Florida Citrus Open Invitational. Tiger Woods, who lives in nearby Windermere, captured an unprecedented four consecutive Bay Hill championships from 2000 to 2003. Woods also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2008 and 2009. Ernie Els won the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Admission is charged. For more information about the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational, visit www.arnoldpalmerinvitational.com.
Arnold Palmer Invitational News
Ernie Els wins Arnold Palmer Invitational, looks ahead to Masters - March 29, 2010
Palmer disappointed in Woods' decision - Golf Digest, March 16, 2010
Tiger Woods will return to Masters; Arnold Palmer says Tiger won't play Bay Hill - Orlando Sentinel, March 16, 2010
Tiger Woods Keeps PGA in Suspense Over Return to Golf - The Guardian, March 16, 2010
PGA Boss: Tiger's Return Still Unknown - USA Today, March 15, 2010
Colin Montgomerie Coming to Bay Hill - Orlando Sentinel, March 15, 2010
Tiger Woods Will Return at Bay Hill, Report Says - Orlando Sentinel, March 11, 2010
Past Winners of the Arnold Palmer/Bay Hill Invitational
2010 - Ernie Els
2009 - Tiger Woods
2008 - Tiger Woods
2007 - Vijah Singh
2006 - Rod Pampling
2005 - Kenny Perry
2004 - Chad Campbell
2003 - Tiger Woods
2002- Tiger Woods
2001 - Tiger Woods
2000 - Tiger Woods
1999 - Tim Herron
1998 - Ernie Els
1997 - Phil Mickelson
1996 - Paul Goydos
1995 - Loren Roberts
1994 - Loren Roberts
1993 - Ben Crenshaw
1992 - Fred Couples
1991 - Andrew Magee
1990 - Robert Gamez
1989 - Tom Kite
1988 - Paul Azinger
1987 - Payne Stewart
1986 - Dan Forsman
1985 - Fuzzy Zoeller
1984 - Gary Koch
1983 - Mike Nicolette
1982 - Tom Kite
1981 - Andy Bean
1980 - Dave Eichellberger
1979 - Bob Byman
Golf-Masters-Woods hopes fade but keeps grand slam dream alive
By Steve Keating
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 11 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods's hopes for a fifth green jacket and a calendar grand slam were fading on Friday after the world number one battled to one-under 71 in the U.S. Masters second round.
Woods will enter the weekend trailing leader Trevor Immelman by seven shots and will have to produce a personal best comeback to keep his bid alive for a 14th major title and dream of a calendar grand slam from crashing at the first hurdle.
A pair of birdies on the back nine and an adventurous par on the 18th after sending his tee shot deep into the trees limited the damage and kept the 32-year-old within sight of the leader.
"It was nice to end up under par for the day and under par for the tournament," Woods told reporters. "Seven back is really, on this golf course, under these conditions we're going to have coming up, you can make that up."
After a bogey at the 10th left Woods nine off the pace, it would have required him to produce the greatest 36 hole comeback in Masters history, bettering the eight-shot rally by fellow American Jack Burke in 1956.
But all Woods will require now is a personal best, having never come back to win from more than six shots behind going into the final two rounds of a major championship.
"I'm in good shape," assured Woods. "I'm seven back but I need to play well, obviously we got some tougher conditions coming in, and stay patient.
"This golf course, you can make up shots here quickly. Just got to hang in there.
The American world number one won his first four tournaments this year before finishing fifth at last month's WGC-CA Championship in Miami. He has won nine times in 11 starts worldwide since last August.
"Obviously I've got to make a few more birdies and eliminate the mistakes, hit the ball a little bit closer than I have," said Woods looking ahead to the weekend. "You've just got to stay patient.
"I mean, this golf course, anything can happen. You can come back pretty quickly here.
"You've just got to keep being patient and keep hanging in there."
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
For Ogilvy, mere pars were enough to hold off world's best at Doral
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
DORAL, Fla. -- Geoff Ogilvy didn't think nine pars would do it. Not on your life.
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With five of the top 10 players in the world chasing him as the final round of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship finally came to a conclusion, the talented Aussie wouldn't have given you a dollar for his chances if he parred in Monday.
That's exactly what happened, though, and as a result, Ogilvy claimed both the Gene Sarazen Trophy and a check for $1.35 million. The victory made him just the third player to win more than one World Golf Championships title, although he and Darren Clarke have a ways to go to catch Tiger Woods' total of 15.
Ogilvy shot 17 under to finish one stroke ahead of two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, three-time major champion Vijay Singh and 2003 U.S. Open winner, Jim Furyk. He also ended Woods' PGA TOUR win streak at five, as well as Tiger's Doral streak of four.
"Holding off the group is pretty nice," said Ogilvy, who started Monday's play on the 10th hole and holding a two-shot lead. "There was a fair bit of some talent on the top 10 of the leaderboard. It's pretty nice to come in in front of them (and) ending the streak.
"It was going to end at some point. I'm very glad that I did it. It's a nice place to do it, too, because (Woods has) obviously owned this place for the last few years."
Usually a player can point to a birdie, or, if he's even luckier, an eagle, that was pivotal in the victory. But Ogilvy, who carded just one bogey in 72 holes on this long, wet and weary week that was extended an extra day due to bad weather, probably saved the day, literally, with a clutch par at the 13th hole.
The Aussie hit his 2-iron on the 245-yard par 3 into the rough on the left side of the green. He had to move several cables, so there was no grass directly behind his ball. Ogilvy swung hard but chunked the chip and didn't even reach the green.
"It's a weird kind of a lie," Ogilvy said. "It would be easier if it was just grass everywhere because you know you have to swing hard at it. This one looked like I could hit the ball first or not. I obviously didn't read the lie very well the first chip, and then the second chip was traveling. I guess that's why you want to hit it straight."
Ogilvy's second chip came out hot, but hit the flag and bounced in the hole for the unlikely par on what he otherwise called a "horrible" hole. He estimated that the ball would have gone 15 feet by if it hadn't found the hole.
"It was probably not that lucky to hit the flag, but it was very lucky to go in," Ogilvy said. "You quite often see guys hit chips like that that slam into the pin and stop a foot away or something. That's quite a common occurrence, but for it to go in is pretty fortunate."
Singh, who was playing with Ogilvy, also missed the green to the left. He said he had the "simplest chip," but the smooth-swinging Fijian didn't get it close, and he missed the 10-footer for par to fall two behind the leader. Still, he wasn't too disappointed.
"It's a good warm-up, or, you can say, a confidence builder towards the big events to come," Singh said. "I'm pretty happy with my results, considering I shot 73 on the first day. Geoff played well. I have to give him credit. He hit a lot of great shots and putted nicely."
Ogilvy said he didn't allow himself to think that clutch par signaled that this could be his week. He did admit to having a bit of a flashback there to the chip he holed on the 17th hole at Winged Foot when he won the U.S. Open, though.
"Whenever you watch people win golf tournaments, you often see something like that happen to the guy who wins somewhere along the way," Ogilvy said. "It happens quite regularly, and so you can't help but think, well, last time I won a big golf tournament I did that on the 17th hole.
"Maybe there's symmetry; I don't know. It was a flash. I didn't think about it for very long, but I'm sure it came into my head for a minute."
Ogilvy followed up the major title with seven top-10s last year, including three in a row starting at the PGA Championship and continuing into the first two events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Then he and his wife, Juli, welcomed a second child to their family over the holidays.
After playing Mr. Mom for several weeks, Ogilvy started slowly this year. He missed his first three cuts and then lost in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship -- a tournament he won in 2006 and in which he reached the finals again a year ago.
Once he came to Florida, though, Ogilvy's game steadily improved. He finished 10th at the PODS Championship and tied for 14th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard before leading wire-to-wire at Doral and picking up the third win of his career.
"I had a reasonable year (in 2007) but I wasn't that happy with it," Ogilvy said. "I sat down and set about having a better year this year and working on things that I didn't like. Not really rededicating, because it's not like I'm not dedicated, but finding a balance with the family and the golf.
"I really feel like I did that this off season, and feel like I'm playing pretty good. "
And now he has the Gene Sarazen Trophy to prove it.
Ogilvy holds one-shot lead as rain stops a Tiger slide at Doral
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods finally looked human Saturday at the CA Championship.
Then came some help from the heavens.
Woods couldn't make a putt, scowled more than he smiled, and was struggling to stay at par on a day when the Blue Monster was yielding birdies. What stopped his slide was a rumble of thunder and a torrential storm that dumped 3 inches of rain and suspended the third round until Sunday morning.
Geoff Ogilvy was at 14-under par through 11 holes and kept his one-shot lead, only now it was Adam Scott on his heels, not the world's No. 1 player who has won every tournament he has played since September.
Woods was at 11 under, even for the day, the only player among the top 18 who was not under par for the round.
Scott was practically flawless, making up five shots in five holes against Woods, taking the outright lead with a 25-foot birdie putt that swirled around the cup before falling, looking confident with every hole he played. Ogilvy still hasn't made a bogey this week, and two late birdies allowed him to regain the lead.
And then it rained.
"If it was our day," Scott said, "it was cut off way too short."
They will resume play Sunday at 8:30 a.m. - if conditions allow - to finish the third round, with the final round of this World Golf Championship scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
The break could not have come at a better time for Woods, who three-putted his first three holes, had two other putts spin off the lip and picked up his only birdie when his wedge stopped 30 inches away on No. 7.
``I'm right there, only three back,'' Woods said. ``A lot of holes to be played tomorrow. And hopefully, I can get it going and get hot for the rest of the day.''
The CA Championship looked like it might be a three-man race, but now is loaded with possibilities. Although the third round is incomplete, Woods headed back to his yacht in a three-way tie for third place.
Vijay Singh was 8 under for his round through 16 holes and faced a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th when he returned. Also at 11 under for the tournament was Tim Clark, who was 7 under through 15 holes. Graeme Storm nearly made an ace on the par-3 15th that put him at 10 under with three holes remaining. Jim Furyk was 10 under through 13 holes.
Five shots separated eight players when the third round was stopped.
No one was complaining.
``Look, it's where you want to be,'' Ogilvy said. ``You want to be leading with 25 holes to play. I'm happy with where I'm at. If I can keep playing the way I'm playing and putt well, you never know.''
All signs pointed toward Woods seizing control of this tournament. He is the three-time defending champion at Doral and at this WGC event, he was swinging well, making every important putt and had the good vibes of winning six straight official events around the world.
Woods gets weary when people anoint him before the trophy is handed out, and he showed what can happen Saturday.
He reached the back of the green on the par-5 opening hole, but left himself 70 feet on the fringe. He lagged to about 4 feet, but his birdie putt banged off the back lip. That ended Woods' streak of 18 consecutive birdies or better on the first hole at Doral.
Then he three-putted the next hole, lipping out from 3 1/2 feet and making bogey.
``To three-putt the first two holes right out of the gate, never a good thing,'' Woods said.
Scott, meanwhile, looked determined to erase those two bogeys he made at the end of the second round. He holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the third hole, and raised his putter when a 25-foot birdie dropped on the fifth. He missed two other birdie putts inside 8 feet.
Ogilvy couldn't find the fairway, but kept his rhythm with par after par until making a 4-foot birdie on the seventh. He couldn't help but notice that Woods was lagging behind.
``He was hitting it very well. He just didn't putt like he normally putts,'' Ogilvy said. ``It was just one of those stretches that was probably frustrating the hell out of him. He was playing fine. He just didn't make anything.''
The break in play could prove beneficial to Woods, as if he needs any help.
He has trailed going into the final round only twice during this winning streak, by one shot at the BMW Championship and by four shots at the Dubai Desert Classic. But it looked for the longest time on a short day Saturday that Ogilvy and Scott had a chance to put some room between them and Woods.
``I would have liked to get the round in,'' Scott said. ``My round had gone a little stale after a fast start, and I was looking forward to getting to the 12th, a par 5, and giving myself a chance to get moving in the right direction. Geoff just got a little momentum going toward the end of the front nine. And yeah, Tiger was struggling a little bit to get it going.
``It would have been nice to keep playing more holes. But my attitude is the day is over. We'll start tomorrow just like we did today, and hopefully, I get off to a fast start and set the tone.''
The Associated Press
Ogilvy is bogey-free, but not free of Tiger
DORAL, Fla. (The Associated Press) — The birdie putt broke sharply and was just inside 25 feet, similar to the one Tiger Woods made last week at Bay Hill for a one-shot victory to extend his winning streak to six months.
He knew it was in. Everyone did.
The biggest difference was the celebration. Woods spiked his cap into the ground at Bay Hill. When he finished his round on the par-3 ninth at Doral with an unlikely birdie, he merely raised the putter in his left hand as the ball still had 8 feet to travel.
Then again, this was only Friday at the CA Championship. No one hands out a trophy until Sunday.
And this time, Woods wasn't even in the lead.
He closed with two birdies on the Blue Monster for a 6-under 66 that ultimately left him one shot behind former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, but still poised to add to a variety of winning streaks.
"A lot better than yesterday," Woods said, alluding to a three-putt finish on Thursday.
The cheer for his final birdie was so loud that Masters champion Zach Johnson backed off his putt across the lake on the 18th green and smiled, as if he had to look to see who was responsible for such noise.
But the roars didn't reach Ogilvy, who was on the front nine finishing his round and kept right on plodding. Ogilvy holed a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 5 to take the lead, then finished with four gritty pars. Ogilvy did a lot of that Friday. He saved par from the bunker four times, got up-and-down from easy spots off the green and wound up with 23 putts in his round of 67.
Ogilvy was at 12-under 132, one shot ahead of Woods, three shots ahead of his best friend, Adam Scott (68). Scott could have been a little closer until having to play one shot left-handed and hitting another into the water, making bogeys on his final two holes.
Even so, they will make for quite a threesome for Saturday, when tee times were moved up to avoid storms.
``How can you not enjoy playing with the guy who's on his way to being the best golfer of all time?'' Ogilvy said.
Ogilvy wouldn't mind if Woods took a detour on the weekend of this World Golf Championship. He has not won since the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 2006, and while he certainly feels capable, there is no denying what Woods has done since September.
``Seven in a row? Six in a row? It's pretty impressive,'' Ogilvy said. ``That's a good career. But I mean, so many things can go wrong in a week, even if you're going well. That he just seems to even ride those out, it's pretty good.''
Woods had a solid round, nothing spectacular, even when he made two eagles in one round for the first time since the 2007 Buick Invitational, on the North Course at Torrey Pines in the first round. One came at the par-5 12th, when he holed a bunker shot that at worse would have stopped within tap-in range. The other came at No. 1, where he hit a 7-iron downwind to 6 feet.
``The par 5s are where you've got to score,'' Woods said. ``With today's wind, you could probably hit two par-5s with irons - actually three of the four par 5s with irons - so you've got to take advantage of those holes.''
Woods is 8 under on the par 5s, his 36-hole score being 11-under 133.
Is the tournament over?
Woods has never felt that way at the Masters, a major, the Battle at Bighorn, anywhere. Doral is no different.
``They don't just hand it you because of the way you've been playing,'' he said.
Even so, he has been playing some pretty good golf. Consider the streaks on the line this week - PGA Tour victories (five), worldwide victories (six), wins at Doral (four), wins at this WGC event (four).
``He's won these last however many golf tournaments,'' Ogilvy said. ``He hasn't lost too many when in contention after two rounds. He hasn't lost too many at Doral. There's a lot of things in his favor.''
Those things include the odds.
After the round ended, Ladbrokes had Woods as a 1-to-3 favorite, even though he was in second place. Ogilvy, the 36-hole leader for the first time in three years, was listed at 5-to-1, with Scott at 8-to-1.
``So it doesn't matter who it is playing against Tiger,'' he said. ``They've been getting burned, the bookies. I read somewhere this week everyone kept loading up on Tiger and they keep taking the bets, and they keep losing. That's reality.''
What Ogilvy could use is a dream finish for his second WGC title, no small task with Woods only one shot behind.
Everyone else was listed at 66-to-1, for good reason. Look beyond the final group Saturday, and the next best was six shots behind Ogilvy. Phil Mickelson was nine shots behind after missing a handful of short par putts that lipped out. There was a Singh in the mix, but it was Jeev Milkha Singh of India with a 70 to finish in the group at 6-under 138, not the three-time major champion Vijay Singh, who had a 68 and only got to 141.
Ernie Els is helping to bring up the rear at 5-over 149, leaving him 17 shots behind.
Els takes command in Dubai
Ernie Els, the master of the Emirates Golf Club, hit his stride in the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic with a blistering seven under par 65 to take the lead as he chases an unprecedented fourth title.
The final day is poised to be yet another classic over the Majlis Course with Els on 11 under par 205 and leading the defending champion, Henrik Stenson, by a shot with the current European Number One, Lee Westwood, and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell a further two shots behind.
World Number One Tiger Woods was totally out of sorts as he struggled all day, shooting a one over par 73, his first over par round in five visits to Dubai. That left him on seven under par 209, four shots off the lead and sharing fifth place with five other players including Damien McGrane, who can hold his head high after outscoring his illustrious playing partner.
Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, winner of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship two weeks ago, Peter Hedblom and Shiv Kapur are also on five under par
Els clearly loves coming to Dubai and a tournament he has won three times – in 1994, 2002 and 2005 – and finished runner-up the last two years.
And, in his first event of the year, he once again played at his imperious best to rise to the top of the leaderboard. Five birdies and a magnificent eagle on the tenth decorated his card and the World Number Five moved to the top of the leaderboard.
"I enjoyed it today," said Els. "It was a round that I really needed. I was a bit disappointed with my round yesterday. I felt I probably needed two 64s to have half a chance in the tournament, and as it turned out, a 65 today, and probably need a really low one tomorrow. I can't see Henrik with Tiger and the other guys, not shooting low. So just got to keep going tomorrow."
Els is clearly comfortable in Dubai, where he opened his course at Dubai Sports City on Monday, The Els Club.
Stenson feels even more at home as he lives in Dubai and after two second place finishes in his first two events of the year in the Gulf, he is right on form and has no intention of relinquishing the title lightly.
The Swede got off to a flying start with three opening birdies although his momentum was slowed with a bogey on the fifth. But two birdies coming home completed a round of 68 and put him on ten under par 206.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow," he said. "It's always hard to defend a title and I think especially this one will be hard. I'm very happy with the job I'm doing so far, so I'm proud of that, and just looking forward and hopefully I can go out and play a solid round again.
"It's all about positioning yourself and hopefully being a couple of shots into the lead, going into the back nine, give yourself chances to win tournaments, and at least so far, I'm in with a good chance."
Westwood is another form-horse having secured three top five finishes this season and eight top tens in his last nine European Tour events. Two birdies to finish put him at eight under par and only three off the lead.
Similarly McDowell has being showing promise recently and lies alongside the Englishman after a 69.
Woods looked out of sorts from the moment he missed a four foot birdie putt on the first hole. The precision of the first round was lost as he struggled to find fairways and greens. A bogey on the last, when he hit his second into the water, pretty much summed up an uncharacteristic off day.
"I didn't play well today," he admitted. "I didn't hit the ball close enough on the greens, and consequently I was lag putting a lot. Never really gave myself a lot of looks at birdies. I have to go out and play a good round of golf and play better than I have the last two days and obviously start making some putts."
McGrane might have found himself in unchartered water playing with the best player in the world but outscored Woods with a 72 to Woods' 73. McGrane lies 318 places below Woods in the Official World Golf Ranking but battled hard and kept himself in the tournament at seven under par.
Colin Montgomerie adds World Cup title to his resume
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Add the World Cup of Golf to Colin Montgomerie's long resume.
By STEPHEN WADEAP Sports Writer, APMontgomerie and Marc Warren gave Scotland its first victory in the World Cup, defeating Americans Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum on Sunday with a par on the third hole of a playoff in southern China.
The victory at the Mission Hills Golf Club made up for Scotland's loss last year in Barbados on the first hole of a playoff with Germany's Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem.
Montgomerie's tap-in for par on the third extra hole was good enough for the Scots when Weekley missed a 15-foot attempt to save par.
"It's been a long time for Scotland to win the World Cup, since 1953," said Montgomerie, an eight-time European No. 1. "There was pressure to come back after a playoff loss like we did last year, which was disappointing."
The Americans forced the playoff on the last hole of regulation in alternate-shot play when Slocum made a 5-foot birdie putt.
On the first playoff hole, Slocum missed a 7-foot birdie attempt that would have won it. Seconds before, Warren holed a 12-footer to save par. A miss would have handed the event to the Americans. On the second extra hole, both teams narrowly missed birdie attempts - Weekley from 20 feet and Warren from 12.
Weekley's approach shot on the final playoff hole was short, and Slocum's chip left his teammate with a difficult putt.
"Putting is the strong suit of my game, and I really didn't have a good putting week at all,'' Slocum said. "I was just due for the week to make something."
Montgomerie chimed in, saying Slocum's missed putt was the turning point.
"From then on, I felt we were the favorites," he said.
Scotland shot a 6-under 66 and the Americans - they led by a stroke after each of the first three rounds - had a 67 to finish regulation at 25-under 263. France's Gregory Havret and Raphael Jacquelin had a 67 to finish a stroke back. England's Ian Poulter and Justin Rose also had a 67 to finish fourth at 23 under.
Weekley and Slocum were fortunate to be playing in the event. Weekley, ranked No. 43, was invited after 13 Americans ranked ahead of him turned it down. He then picked Slocum, his high-school friend from the Florida Panhandle.
"We weren't even supposed to be here and that's even a bonus," Weekley said. "I know we feel disappointed how we finished up, but overall it was a great week."
Montgomerie and Warren took a two-stroke lead with an eagle on the par-5 15th after Montgomerie's approach left Warren with a 6-foot putt. Slocum pulled the Americans within one with a 10-foot birdie putt on 15, and the United States forced the playoff with the birdie on No. 18.
The Americans reached 23 under with four birdies in five holes on the front nine - the last two on Nos. 6 and 7 on putts by Slocum.
But they scrambled after that.
They missed a chance to reach 24 under when Slocum's 2-foot birdie lipped out at No. 9. Weekley made a 10-foot putt to save par on 12, and Slocum missed a 15-footer for birdie on 13.
The World Cup was first played 54 years ago as the Canada Cup and has been won by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods.
The tournament has struggled in recent years to gain traction. This was the first year of a 12-year contract at Mission Hills, a lush, rolling layout.
"It was a wonderful experience," Slocum said. "This would have been icing on the cake to top it off with a victory."
The Associated Press
Stephen Ames Wins His Third PGA Tour
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.Canadian Stephen Ames has won the Children's Miracle Network Classic that took place at Disney and which he had played until the last hole, on Sunday.
Ames won his last PGA Tour 17 months ago, at The Players Championship last year, where he made a double bogey and still blew away the toughest field in golf by six shots at the TPC Sawgrass.
Despite a winless season, the Calgary resident already considered this year a success because he revamped his swing to eliminate nagging back issues. He twice contended in majors, when he was tied for the lead on the final day at Oakmont and played in the final group at Southern Hills.
One last trip to escape the chill of Alberta turned into so much more Sunday.
Ames ran off three straight birdies on the back nine at Disney, the last one a 4-iron that was close to perfect, then saved par from 65 feet away in a bunker on the closing hole for a one-shot victory in the Children's Miracle Network Classic.
"I came down here to work on my golf swing," Ames said. "Here I am winning an event, which is awesome."
Ames closed with a 4-under 68, and that bunker shot to three feet for par on the 18th hole at the Magnolia Course was enough to hold off hard-charging Tim Clark in the final PGA Tour event of the season.
Clark birdied six of his last 10 holes for a 66, the lowest score on the weekend of a tournament that no longer is a pushover.
"I didn't everything I could, and it wasn't enough," Clark said.
Ames won for the first time this year, and he had to work hard for it. Seven players were tied for the lead at some point in a final round filled with sunshine, and even a one-shot lead with three holes to play was no bargain.
"It was a grind coming down the stretch," Ames said. "The way I finished with three pars, I'm quite happy I did."
Ames, who grew up in Trinidad & Tobago and moved to Calgary 13 years ago, heads home to a winter of freezing temperatures, plenty of work in the gym and an earlier start to next year than he anticipated.
After previously hitting a bunker around 65 feet away from the hole, having Tim Clark only one shot behind him. However, he succeeded to blast out to three feet and make the par for a 4-under 68, coming to the end of an already successful season, since he already had a victory in the final PGA Tour of the year.
Verplank shared the 54-hole lead with Ames and was tied with four holes to play until he couldn't match Ames' birdie on the 15th and three-putted the 16th from about 70 feet. He shot 71 and tied for third with Tag Ridings (70) and Robert Gamez (68).
Ames earned 828,000 dollars for his third PGA Tour win and moved to 31st on the year-end money list, four spots ahead of Weir.
Kevin Stadler won the consolation prize, tying for 15th to move into the top 125. He finished the 124th.
Ames’ victory was said to be difficult to predict and along with Mike Weir's title in Arizona two weeks ago, they made the first couple of Canadians who won the PGA Tour in the same year since 50 years ago, when Al Balding and Stan Leonard accomplished the same thing.
Ames declared that his next destinatination is Maui, where he planned to go for his Christmas vacation, but now has one more reason to do so, referring to the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship that kicks off the PGA Tour season in January.
Daniel Chopra completes 1-stroke win at Ginn
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Daniel Chopra was born in Sweden, raised in India by grandparents and had to fly overseas just to buy golf balls. He spent time on about every pro tour imaginable, and those stops flashed through his mind as he stood over the final putt.
Daniel Chopra collected his first USPGA Tour victory on Monday, outlasting compatriot Fredrik Jacobson and Japan's Shigeki Maruyama to the Ginn Classic by one stroke.
Chopra, 33, completed a two-under par 71 in the delayed final round to finish with an overall score of 19-under 273 in the 4.5 million-dollar tournament.
``You never know how you're going to react,'' Chopra said.
He reacted just fine - and got his first PGA Tour victory.
Chopra re-claimed the outright lead with a birdie at the par-5 16th hole Monday morning and held on to win the oft-delayed Ginn sur Mer Classic, edging Fredrik Jacobsen and Shigeki Maruyama by one shot at Tesoro Club.
``It's amazing,'' Chopra said. ``It's something that I've dreamed about for a long time.''
Chopra finished at 19 under, becoming the 12th first-time winner on tour this season.
The win came in Chopra's 133rd career start, and the $810,000 winner's check pushed his career earnings to just shy of $5 million. He saw a four-shot lead over his nearest pursuers evaporate as darkness fell on Tesoro Club Sunday night, then returned in the morning and found a way to prevail.
It was hard to tell who was happier: Chopra in victory, or Maruyama in defeat.
The Japanese player left with one pretty good consolation prize - a card for next season. His tie for second earned him $396,000, vaulting him from 137th to 103rd on the money list with just one tournament remaining, meaning he's a cinch to finish among the top 125 and have full playing privileges next season.
Not bad, considering he was at No. 208 on the list earlier this year.
``This year was really hard, the most difficult year in eight years for myself,'' said Maruyama, who had been in the top 80 on the money list in each of his first seven years on tour. ``I'm really happy.''
He may skip next week's Children's Miracle Network Classic at the Disney courses near Orlando.
``Bye, bye, Disney,'' Maruyama said.
Jacobsen's finish was his best in 96 starts on tour.
``I'm proud that I was trailing a bit coming into the week and getting closer and closer,'' Jacobsen said. ``I ended up having a shot at it, which was nice.''
Dicky Pride (64) was alone in fourth at 16 under, earning $216,000 - the second-biggest check of his career, $9,000 shy of what he earned for winning the 1994 St. Jude Classic.
Chopra, Maruyama and Jacobsen all entered the morning 18 under, with Chopra having three holes left to play and the others with two. That figured to give Chopra a big edge, since his first hole on Monday was the par-5 16th, the easiest on the course this week and one he'd already made birdie on three times.
Make it four.
Chopra's 10-footer - after missing the fairway off the tee - gave him a one-shot lead, after Maruyama and Jacobsen both missed the green and scrambled for par at the par-3 17th.
``Well, 17 is not an easy hole, especially not starting on it,'' Jacobsen said. ``You warm up, you do everything and then you're riding a car out to the tee and playing for a tournament when you're trying to finish off a round as well. ... You feel the pulse going a bit.''
Chopra didn't find 17 easy, either. He hit the green, albeit 55 feet from the hole, and made a 4-footer to save par and maintain the lead. At the 18th, needing par to win, his drive found a bunker, but his second shot stopped 25 feet from the hole to set up the clinching two-putt.
It reminded him of those nights in Europe, when he'd play on that tour during the day and watch the PGA Tour at night, hopeful of one day being on those leaderboards.
This time, he finished on top of one.
``The first one is hard and it's meant to be that way, because you get to enjoy it more and treasure it,'' Chopra said.
In a week filled with weather delays, wet conditions and six-hour rounds, he simply survived. Chopra had been close before, with 13 previous top-10 finishes, and finally got it done.
Ken Duke (70), Charlie Wi (71), Sean O'Hair (74) and Cameron Beckman (72) finished tied for fifth at 13 under. That was huge for Beckman, who jumped 10 spots to 118th on the money list after winning nearly $160,000 at the Ginn and greatly enhancing his odds of avoiding qualifying school.
Chopra didn't need to worry about the money list this week, and won't have to for a while. He'd been in the lead before, been in final groups before, but never found a way to break through - until now.
``Next time around,'' Chopra said, ``I'm sure it'll be a lot easier.''
Notes: Only six players needed to finish their rounds Monday morning. ... It was only the second tournament this year to allow players to lift, clean and place balls in the fairway for all four rounds. Pebble Beach was the other. ... Chopra's 19-under score was his second-best in relation to par on the PGA Tour. He was 21 under at the Frys.com Open last year.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Leonard Wins Texas Open
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
SAN ANTONIO (AP)They once decided a golf tournament among the wind-swept dunes of the British Isles. Justin Leonard and Jesper Parnevik were at it again, though this time the gorse of Scotland was replaced by the sun-baked cedar trees of the Hill Country.
It was, however, the same result as Leonard won the Texas Open for the third time Sunday, beating Parnevik with a 10-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff.
The finish brought back memories of the 1997 British Open when Parnevik began the final round at Troon five shots ahead of Leonard. But Parnevik shot a 71, and Leonard had a 65 to win.
Parnevik entered the round with a three-stroke lead over fellow Swede Mathias Gronberg and a four-shot margin over Leonard.
Leonard hasn't won a major championship since, and he has made changes to get his game back to where it was.
"There's no better way to validate (the changes) than to come out and win a golf tournament like this," Leonard said.
Leonard, also the 2000 and '01 winner at LaCantera Golf Club Resort Course, closed with a 5-under 65 to match Parnevik at 19-under 261. Parnevik, who opened with a 61 and led after each of the first three rounds, finished with a 69.
Earlier this year, Leonard switched instructors from Butch Harmon to his old coach Randy Smith. He also changed caddies and is trying to move to a home closer to Royal Oaks Country Club, his old club in Dallas.
Leonard is the first three-time Texas Open winner since Arnold Palmer in 1960-62.
"That's pretty special," Leonard said. "It's great company to be in. I played pretty solid."
Leonard had plenty of opportunities to win before finally finishing off Parnevik for his 11th PGA Tour title and first since 2005.
On the final hole of regulation, the Texan's 14-foot birdie putt to win just slid by the hole. On the first extra hole, Parnevik took an unplayable lie after driving into the trees left of the fairway. But he hit a 153-yard approach to 3 feet to set up a par. Leonard chipped from the greenside rough to set up his par.
"That's kind of the way Jesper plays," Leonard said. "He's not going to hit every fairway. He's not going to hit every green. But he's very creative. He hit some gutsy shots."
Leonard, 1-4 in playoffs after the victory, missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the second hole. Parnevik had a 28-footer for birdie to keep the playoff going on the third extra hole, but left it a foot short.
The 42-year-old Swede was trying to win for the first time in 6 1/2 years.
"It's tough to get into position to win, but I'm happy I got to feel it again," Parnevik said. "It had been a while."
Daniel Chopra, another Swede, shot a 66 to tie for third with Gronberg (69) at 16 under. Heath Slocum closed with a 62 to finish fifth at 14 under.
Parnevik struggled off the tee throughout the back nine. At the 15th, he pulled his drive well left. He immediately looked away, then walked through the gallery ropes to find it in the trees with a clear path to the hole about 165 yards away.
He punched it to 16 feet from the cup and made birdie.
But on the next tee, after a lengthy wait while Chopra got a ruling on a wayward drive in the group ahead, he pushed one far from the fairway. Then, with a provisional ball, he pulled one that hit a spectator in the head.
He found his first ball in the brush and punched it into the rough on the way to a bogey and a one-stroke deficit.
But he hit a hard 7-iron to 3 feet on the 190-yard 17th and made birdie to tie it going into the final hole.
"Give the credit to Justin," Parnevik said. "He didn't do too much wrong today."
Just like 1997 at Troon.
Parnevik in position to end long dry spell
Golf roundup
Parnevik in position to end long dry spell
Jesper Parnevik moved a step closer to his first PGA Tour victory in 6 1/2 years, shooting a 4-under-par 66 yesterday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Texas Open in San Antonio.
Parnevik stands at 18 under on the LaCantera Golf Club Resort Course after opening with rounds of 61 and 65. He won the last of his five PGA Tour titles in the 2001 Honda Classic.
Mathias Gronberg was 15 under after a 65. Justin Leonard, the 2000 and '01 winner, is 14 under after a 64.
LPGA Tour
Suzann Pettersen shot an 8-under 64 to build a one-shot lead over Lori Kane after three rounds of the Longs Drugs Challenge in Danville, Calif.
Pettersen, who bounced back from a 3-over 75 in the opening round, stands at 12 under. Kane shot a third-round 67. Lorena Ochoa is two shots off the pace after a 67 at Blackhawk Country Club's 6,212-yard layout.
Champions Tour
Loren Roberts overcame a slow start to shoot a 3-under 67 and take a three-stroke lead over Fred Funk after three rounds of the Senior Players Championship in Timonium, Md.
Funk shot a 66, the best score of the day. Tom Watson shot a 68 to move into third place at 5 under.
First-round co-leader Mark Wiebe shot a 69 to move into a fourth-place tie at 4 under with Des Smyth and Dave Eger.
PGA European Tour
Nick Dougherty shot a 6-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead in the Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Dougherty is 17 under after three rounds. Peter O'Malley (69) is second at 201. British Open champion Padraig Harrington (67), Paul Lawrie (64), Justin Rose (66) and Steve Webster (68) share third place at 203.
FedEx Cup: Stricker grabs FedEx Cup lead
HARRISON, N.Y.Steve Stricker never lost hope, even when all the signs were stacked against him.
He had gone 6½ years and 146 tournaments since his last victory. Four times this year, he wasted prime chances to pose with the trophy. The worst feeling Sunday at The Barclays was seeing K.J. Choi pour in two Choi birdie putts that measured a combined 95 feet that gave him the lead and left Stricker destined for more heartache.
In a stunning turnaround, the tears he shed on the 18th green were from sheer joy.
Stricker birdied four of his last five holes to close with a 2-under 69, turning a one-shot deficit into a two-shot victory over Choi and getting the inaugural PGA Tour Playoffs off to a rousing start -- even with Tiger Woods sitting this one out.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time," Stricker said, still wiping his eyes.
It sure wasn't easy.
Not with 10 players -- five of them major champions -- separated by three shots along the back nine at Westchester Country Club. Not with the memories of four blown chances still nagging him. And certainly not with Choi making two long putts that caused Stricker to bow his head, but not sag his shoulders.
"I thought I was hitting well enough to maybe make a few birdies coming in," Stricker said, pausing to smile. "Obviously, not four out of the last five holes. But I tried to stay as positive and upbeat, just waiting for my time."
And when his final birdie from 8 feet dropped into the cup, he raised his arms and hugged his caddie, Tom Matthews, who first caddied for Stricker when he won the 2001 Match Play Championship in Australia. Jerry Kelly, who grew up with Stricker in Wisconsin, was among the first to congratulate him.
An emotional player, Stricker could barely speak to the television cameras.
"It was hard, but it was fun," Stricker said as tears streamed down the side of his face. "I never knew if I was going to win again."
Stricker finished at 16-under 268 and moved atop the FedEx Cup standings by 2,050 points over Choi, who closed with a 70. Rory Sabbatini birdied the final hole for a 68 and third place, moving him up to No. 3 in the playoff race.
Woods skipped the first of four playoff events and tumbled to No. 4, nearly 5,000 points behind Stricker.
The next stop is the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, which starts Friday. There are three tournaments remaining before someone captures the $10 million deferred bonus, but all Stricker cared about was hoisting another trophy.
"I wasn't out there thinking about the FedEx Cup points," he said. "Obviously, winning the tournament is foremost. Everything that comes after that is icing on the cake. But yeah, I'm in great position now."
His last victory on U.S. soil came 11 years ago at the Western Open, when he was considered one of the bright young American players. But his game slowly began to slide until he lost his PGA Tour card two years ago, and he spent the winter in Wisconsin hitting balls from the inside of a remodeled trailer to a frozen driving range.
After four close calls this year -- two of them in majors -- the hard work and a dose of Midwestern resiliency finally paid off.
Choi was going after his third victory of the year, and everything was falling his way. He took a share of the lead with a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 12, dropping his putter in surprise, then took the lead again with a 50-foot birdie putt on the 15th.
Stricker hung his head, but not for long.
He answered with a 12-foot birdie on the par-3 16th to regain a share of the lead, then hit wedge that stopped 4 feet from the cup for birdie on the 17th that gave him a one-shot margin. Choi hit his approach left of the par-5 18th green and could chip no closer than 15 feet, from which he made par.
"I'm going to take this as a good experience and try to do my best in the next three tournaments," Choi said.
Geoff Ogilvy, playing down the road from his U.S. Open title last year at Winged Foot, closed with a 69 and tied for fourth with Mark Calcavecchia (65) and two-time Westchester champion Ernie Els (68).
Another shot back was Rich Beem, who had a share of the lead early in the final round and had to settle for a small consolation. He was at No. 134 in the playoff standings, and his tie for seventh moved him up to No. 113, getting him into the next round.
"I'm in next week," Beem said. "I've got to play just as well next week to get to Chicago" for the third event.
Doug LaBelle also picked up a minor victory. He closed with a 68, making a 6-foot birdie on his final hole, and wound up at No. 120 in the standings to qualify for the Deutsche Bank Championship. Had he missed the putt, his FedEx Cup season would have been over.
The Barclays didn't lack for drama at the top of the leaderboard, either.
A tentative start by the leaders allowed for someone to get hot and join the fray, and there were plenty of volunteers. Sabbatini ran off five birdies on the front nine. Calcavecchia had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch around the turn.
Phil Mickelson opened with three straight birdies, only to lose his momentum with a double bogey at No. 4 when he found trouble in the trees and missed a 4-foot putt. Mickelson shot 67 and tied for seventh, his first top 10 on the PGA Tour since winning The Players Championship in May.
Meanwhile, no one in the final group made a birdie until Stricker with a 10-foot birdie at No. 7. Even so, he had a share of the lead with Sabbatini as he headed for the back nine that seemed loaded with possibilities.
The final act, however, belonged to Stricker.
He last played this tournament in 1996, tying for 60th, and thought so little of the place that he told his wife to "take a picture because we're not coming back." The best picture of all was Stricker holding a crystal trophy over his head.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Tiger skipping FedEx Cup
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
The PGA Tour has touted its new FedEx Cup competition by making references to the Green Bay Packers and New York Yankees. But when golf's version of the playoffs begin new week in New York, it won't include Tiger Woods. Golf's star attraction said Friday he will sit out the first playoff event at The Barclays, saying he was worn out from back-to-back victories at Firestone and Southern Hills.
"My body is spent and I need a break," Woods said on his Web site.
The announcement was a setback for the PGA Tour, which had promoted the FedEx Cup as a "new era in golf" and instead was left with an old problem of convincing fans that golf was still relevant after the majors were over.
The FedEx Cup is a season-long points race that culminates with the playoffs, when the points are reset for four tournaments through the Tour Championship. The winner gets a $10 million annuity from a $35 million bonus pool.
Woods is the No. 1 seed and still can win the FedEx Cup despite skipping The Barclays. He is the defending champion at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, and he is a three-time winner at the BMW Championship outside Chicago. The Tour Championship is held in Atlanta at East Lake, where Woods has twice been runner-up.
There were indications last week that Woods might skip the Barclays, even though he said he "intended" to play them all.
He won the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, which played as tough as a major -- Woods was the only player to break par. He followed that with a victory at the PGA Championship, which featured 100-degree weather the entire week. Woods said majors are grueling and require more time to recover.
Plus, he has never finished in the top 10 at Westchester Country Club, site of The Barclays.
"This is in no way a knock on Barclays, their new event next week or the new FedEx Cup series, which I fully support," Woods said in his statement. "I just hope that this extra week of rest will rejuvenate me for the final three playoff events and Presidents Cup. It is still my goal to win the FedEx Cup and I am hopeful this will give me the best opportunity to finish the year strong."
Woods was not at Kapalua in January when the FedEx Cup began, with tour officials asking players to deposit their golf ball into the trophy to signal the start of this new era. And he won't be at Westchester for the start of the playoffs.
"We're disappointed that Tiger will not be playing The Barclays next week," PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said. "It's clear from Tiger's statement he remains focused on winning the FedEx Cup. Whether he can do it will be one of the many exciting things our fans will be following over the next four weeks."
Tour officials had suggested that players would have to play all four weeks to have a serious chance at winning.
Woods' superlative season gave him an 11,000-point lead over Vijay Singh at the end of the regular season, although the reset reduced his lead to only 1,000 points -- and 15,300 points over the 144th and final seed -- going into the playoffs.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem last year compared that to the New York Yankees winning the AL East by 20 games, then starting from scratch in the playoffs. More recently, PGA Tour spokesman Ric Clarson spoke of the significance of the FedEx Cup by suggesting the Green Bay Packers did not know in 1967 that their league championship would become known as the Super Bowl.
Woods, however, made clear what matters most -- golf has been defined by the majors for the last 50 years, and his decision not to play all four playoff events drives home that point.
Despite not having Woods at Westchester, the PGA Tour most likely will have the best players in the world -- Woods included -- over the final three weeks of the season. That kind of participation after the majors are over is unprecedented.
The biggest issue is 2008 and beyond.
After the Tour Championship, most players will get one week off before the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal. Next year, the top players will be asked to compete four consecutive weeks and then go straight to the Ryder Cup, one of the most draining weeks in golf. It is not likely that Woods or others will play all the playoff events.
Woods was among those who asked Finchem to shorten the regular season, and some thought he would show his support by playing in all four events. Woods even contributed to the tour's marketing campaign. One spot showed Woods lacing up his golf shoes in the locker room while whistling the song, "Eye of the Tiger."
But when the PGA Tour Playoffs begin on Thursday, its All-Pro quarterback will be on the bench.
"Well, it makes it easier for us," Carl Pettersson said Friday at the Wyndham Championship. "I'm kind of glad he's not playing next week. I kind of told my caddie after he won the PGA, I told my caddie, 'I bet he doesn't play the first event because he's got that big of a lead now.' And I'm sure he's playing the other three and it's a little unfortunate that he's not going to play, but it will still be a great event. Gives us a better chance to move up."
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Tiger Woods widens his lead
TULSA, Okla. Tiger Woods has survived an anxious back nine at the Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa this morning to claim his 13th major championship and his 59th PGA Tour title by two shots over Woody Austin and by three over Ernie Els. However, it wasn’t quite as straight forward as many were predicting it might be.
A three putt bogey at the 14th hole saw Woods’ earlier margin of five reduced to just one with Austin and Els both responding to Woods’ fast start when he moved to two under for the day and 9 under for the tournament through 8 holes. It seemed unlikely that Woods’ nearest pursuers at that point, nor the rest of the field, would be able to chase him down – and ultimately that would be the case – but six holes later Austin and Els were within one.
Woods was forced to call on all his great qualities to repel their challenge and he did so in the most magnificent way after dropping a shot at the 9th where he found the rough and was unable to hole a 15 foot par save and again at the 14th where he three putted from 40 feet. With Austin right on his tail, after Els had dropped a shot at the 16th, Woods hit a great second from 179 yards at the 15th to 14 feet and made it to move two clear again.
Austin made two fine par saving putts at the 16th and 17th but needed something special at the last if he was to have any chance. He decided to hit a driver from the ground at the 18th tee looking to produce a slider. He did that but it started too far right and he was compromised with his second. He did well to find the front of the green and made a very important par saving six foot return putt to remain at 6 under and within two.
Woods was strategically unblemished over the closing three holes, hardly missing a shot and keeping out of trouble as he looked to protect his two shot lead. When his six iron from 194 yards finished 35 feet left of the flag at the last he had three putts to win but took only two and his fourth PGA Championship trophy was his.
Austin’s previous best finish in a major championship had been when 16th in this event last year and so not only has he bettered that record significantly he has also it would seem assured himself of a place on the 2007 Presidents Cup team, his first time as a player at either Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup level.
Els was particularly impressive as he looked to force the issue throughout this final round. Starting six behind Woods, he made the turn in 32 and added a fourth birdie at the 10th when he bravely took driver knowing he needed to build the pressure he had been applying. Els all but drove the green at the 10th and after his birdie there he was within four of Woods. A bogey at the 12th was the result of a tee shot which found the rough and an approach which was long but he hit two fine shots at the 13th and two putted for birdie to move within three.
At the long par three 14th, Els hit the most magnificent tee shot to four feet and when he made that he was at 6 under and had moved within two. The South African’s brave threatening challenge came to a grinding halt at the 16th when he pulled his tee shot and could only lay up. His third was nowhere near the hole and two putts saw him make a bogey and the difference of three – after Woods’ bogey at the 14th – appeared too great. Els hit a fine shot to the 17th but missed from 20 feet and again at the last found the back edge of the green but could not convert.
Els finished the week with twenty birdies, two more then the champion but major golf is not always about how many birdies you make but rather how few mistakes. Clearly Els made a few more than Woods and, for that matter, Austin.
Back at one under and in a share of fourth were John Senden and Aaron Oberholser. For Senden, this finish confirms his growing status in the game. A win on the USPGA Tour last year and a gutsy victory at the Australian Open have given him a far greater self belief than has been the case previously. That he was able to recover today and fight his way back from a shaky start, which included three consecutive bogies, further confirms such. His back nine of 32 saw him finish as one of only five players under par and as the leading Australian for the first time in a major. In fact Senden bettered his previous best major finish by some 31 places. He will be an even better player as a result of his very impressive fight-back today.
At even par was Geoff Ogilvy, who recovered from his late double bogey and round of 74 on Saturday to finish in a share of 6th with Trevor Immelman and Englishman, Simon Dyson. Dyson was out more than four hours before the final pairing in round four and his round of 64 which included a bogey at the 10th catapulted him 38 positions today.
The next best of the Australians were Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby who tied for 12th, Nathan Green 23rd, Richard Green 40th, Rod Pampling 42nd and Nick O’Hern 50th.
Woods’ quest to become the greatest major winner of all time has come one step closer to reality this week. Many will say that he is the greatest we have ever seen but until such time as he passes the milestone of eighteen major championship titles set 21 years ago by Jack Nicklaus, it will be only a subjective judgement.
It could be argued that when Woods’ World Golf Championship victories – where the best also play against the best – are included alongside his thirteen majors, he already has a claim to the title of the greatest ever. In three or four year it appears that will be of little relevance as his inevitable march towards Nicklaus’ record will come to fruition.
The PGA Tour now heads to Greensboro in North Carolina for this week’s Wyndham Championship, while the European Tour players have the option of playing the Scandinavian Masters in Stockholm if they so choose.
Ochoa wins Women's British Open
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Splashed with champagne, Lorena Ochoa was certain her first major victory would come at the home of golf. he completed a runaway four-stroke victory in the Women's British Open on Sunday following a 1-over-par 74. After hugging her caddie and getting doused with bubbly by her father, the top-ranked Mexican reflected on what she had done.
"It's a long way, 24 majors, and finally I have this (trophy) here, and I think it's for a reason and I couldn't be more happy," she said. "I believed I would win this tournament Monday, when I started practicing.
"I wanted to win this tournament so bad. Everything I did, my thoughts (before the tournament) were very positive and very clear to me. I saw myself on the 18th green, lifting the trophy. It was clear, it was great and even better now that we did it."
Ochoa, who tied for second at the U.S. Women's Open a month ago, had been banging on the door of a major victory for a while. This was her fourth victory of the year to go with the six she collected last year. During those 24 months, she was runner-up 10 times.
"This is the most special round of golf I ever played," said Ochoa, who led the tournament from the ninth hole of her opening-round 67. "Hopefully this is the first of many (majors) to come. It was my time."
Ochoa, who passed $2 million in earnings this year and has a million more than anyone else, made history on all sorts of fronts. She won the first women's professional tournament to be staged at St. Andrews, home of the exclusively male Royal & Ancient Club. And she became the first player to win her first major at St. Andrews since Tony Lema's triumph in the men's British Open in 1964.
Although the drought in the majors was becoming a talking point, she didn't let it worry her.
"I accepted it all because I didn't win," she said. "There's no more to say: being at St. Andrews to make history -- it's going to be there for the rest of my life."
She finished with a 5-under 287 total, four strokes better than Jee Young Lee (71) and Maria Hjorth (71). Reilley Rankin (71) was another stroke back at par.
Annika Sorenstam, who shared third entering the final round, finished at 296 after a 76 that included a 7 at the 17th Road Hole. In teeming rain that made scoring difficult from mid-afternoon, Sorenstam felt her foot slip on the grass and she sliced her tee shot so far right it almost struck the Old Course Hotel.
"I'm playing as well as I can. I'm putting as well as I can. It's just not coming together," she said. "This is one of those weeks when I am close, but sometimes close is not good enough."
Sorenstam, a 10-time major champion beset by neck and back injuries, saluted Ochoa.
"Everybody knows she is a fantastic player," Sorenstam said. "She's had a great run the last year and a half. She has matured a lot as a player. I think a major was just a matter of time."
Hall of Famer Beth Daniel, winner of 33 tour events including the 1990 LPGA Championship, retired after closing with a 75 for a 304 total. The 50-year-old American returned to the British Open after a tie for sixth last year.
Ochoa, the only player to master the strong winds, began the final round with a six-stroke lead and was the only one under par.
Her only problem Sunday came at the 17th, where her second shot landed in one of the pot bunkers well short of the green. The ball was near the steep front side of the trap and she had to pitch sideways into the rough, but she then played a superb short chip to the putting surface and escaped with a bogey 6. She went to the last hole four shots ahead and a par captured the title.
"A very special week," she said.
AP NEWS
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Padraig Harrington on top of the world
Country: Ireland
Born: 31.8.71
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Residence: Dublin
Family: Wife: Caroline (m. 1997); Child: Patrick (2003)
European Tour International Schedule Victories: Total 9
Other Tournament Victories: Total 6
Best 2006 Performances: 2nd Open de France ALSTOM, 2T Booz Allen Classic, 5th US Open Championship, 5T WGC - Accenture Match Play
Turned Professional: 1995
Teams: Ryder Cup 1999, 02 (winners), 04 (winners); Alfred Dunhill Cup 1996, 97, 98, 99, 00; World Cup 1996, 97 (winners), 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05; The Seve Trophy 2000, 02 (winners), 03 (winners), 05 (winners)
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland - Padraig Harrington woke after only two hours sleep on Monday so he could see the British Open claret jug by his bed.
"I went to bed at about 4 am and woke up at six wide awake," he said. "I woke my wife and said: 'I'm the Open champion. I can't believe I've done it.' She said: 'I can believe it, there's the trophy, now can you go back to sleep?'''
The Irishman, who has finished at least tied for fifth five times in three different majors and who was tied for seventh at this year's Masters, finally got his hands on the sought-after trophy by beating Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff at Carnoustie on Sunday.
Harrington thought his chance was gone after a double-bogey six on the 18th. But Garcia's par putt lipped out, and the Irishman holed a three-footer at the fourth extra hole to claim the title.
"I was just standing there, just thinking I was the Open champion,'' said Harrington, who ended Europe's eight-year drought in majors since Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie in 1999.
Now, he is confident that the Europeans, who consistently beat the Americans in the Ryder Cup team competition, will start collecting more of golf's biggest prizes on a regular basis.
"I definitely think we have banished the hang-up for the moment,'' Harrington said. "European golf is very strong. This may be the start and, if it is, I will be telling people I started it.''
Harrington wants to follow the example of Phil Mickelson, who won the Masters in 2004 after 46 majors without a victory before adding the PGA Championship in 2005 and the Masters again in 2006.
"I have always had it in my head that if I won one major I would want to win more,'' Harrington said. "I got that from observing the other guys who've won majors, like Mickelson, and you have to have goals to keep you moving forward. If your goal was to win one major then that would be it. I am definitely focused on winning more than one.''
Garcia, who was four strokes ahead of the field at one stage in Sunday's final round, is still waiting to win his first major after 36 attempts.
"He is probably the best ball striker in the game and he is still young,'' Harrington said. "I really felt for him. I know he is under incredible pressure to win a major, and he will. It will happen.
"The more he believes that the quicker it will happen. But the longer it takes the harder it gets. He could have left the field behind here and run away with it."
Harrington said when he was walking to the 18th green having twice played shots into the water known as the Barry Burn, he thought back to Jean Van de Velde's triple bogey at the same stage in 1999. The Frenchman was three shots in front at the last hole, but ultimately lost to Lawrie in a playoff.
"One big part of me making six was that it wasn't seven,'' Harrington said. "I was counting it up in my head. It crossed my mind that Jean took seven to lose the Open and I was sliding down that slippery slope too."
U.S. Senior Open
Brad Bryant;
* Age: 52
* Hometown: Lakeland
* 2006 money list: No. 3
* ACE moment: Tied for second with R.W. Eaks behind Loren Roberts last year.
* Senior moment: Won the Toshiba Classic and Regions Charity Classic in 2006.
* Scouting report: Bryant was one of the steadiest players on the tour last year and is off to a solid start again.
Haven - The juxtaposition was poignant, almost surreal. Behind the clubhouse at Whistling Straits, as a somber Tom Watson described his final-round collapse in the U.S. Senior Open, the trophy presentation was taking place on the 18th green.
"It's a very special tournament to me and I had it in my grasp," Watson said.
His words were partially drowned out by cheering from below, as winner Brad Bryant stepped to the microphone.
"It doesn't get any better than this," Bryant said.
One man was reliving a nightmare, the other living a dream. One of the greatest players of all time had come completely unglued while a journeyman had played the round of his life.
Pressure crushes. It also makes diamonds.
"This is America, man," Bryant said later Sunday evening, still in shock, still clutching the U.S. Senior Open trophy. "I am the guy that our guys in Iraq are fighting for. You all can print that. Only in America can a guy like me get to where I am today."
He got there by firing a 4-under-par 68, the best round of the day, on a brutally difficult golf course in 95-degree heat in the final round of a United States Golf Association championship.
To be fair, he also got there because Watson fell apart, not only blowing a three-stroke lead with eight holes left but playing those holes in a hard-to-watch 8 over par.
"I just didn't have it on the back nine," Watson said. "I just put the ball in trouble way too many times to have a chance to win the golf tournament."
It wasn't the heat, it was the humility.
"I'm fine," the 57-year-old Watson said of his physical condition. "No problem there."
Bryant, 52, of Lakeland, Fla., finished at 6-under-par 282 and earned $470,000. Ben Crenshaw shot a 70 and was second at 285, his best finish on the Champions Tour. Loren Roberts shot a 74 and finished third at 286 and Watson limped home with a 78 and was fourth at 287.
Bryant was the only player in the field to shoot even par or better all four rounds (71-72-71-68). He hit 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in the final round.
"He's shot a lot lower scores than that in easier conditions but as far as I'm concerned that's the best round he's ever played," said Tony Smith, Bryant's caddie of four years.
After Watson birdied the ninth and 10th holes to get to 9-under, he had a three-stroke lead over Bryant and was five shots clear of Roberts. At that point a betting man would have put everything he owned on Watson, the winner of eight majors on the PGA Tour and one of the game's great ball-strikers and champions.
He would have lost it all.
Watson's drive leaked right and into a bunker on the par-5 11th. A lay-up left him in perfect position but his 9-iron came up short, he chipped weakly and then three-putted from the fringe, fanning his 6-foot bogey putt so badly it never came close to the hole.
"He birdied nine and 10 and I thought he was off to the races," said Roberts, who played with Watson. "On 11, if he drives the ball in the fairway he probably knocks it on the green in two and makes a birdie and goes on to win the tournament. It seemed to me like 11 was such a body blow and he compounded it with a three-putt. It just kind of took the wind out of his sails."
Over the last seven holes, not only did the wheels come off for Watson, but the transmission fell out and the engine blew up. He bogeyed Nos. 12 and 13 and double-bogeyed Nos. 15 and 18 for an ugly back-nine 43.
"Well, 43 ain't very good," Watson said succinctly.
Bryant, who shot a 32 on the front nine thanks to what he called some of the best wedge play of his life, never looked at a scoreboard on the back and didn't know he had a three-shot lead as he stood in the 18th fairway.
"On 18, Tony asked me, 'Do you want to know where you stand?' " Bryant said. "I looked at him and said, 'I think we're one up.' He said, 'No, you're not.' And I said, 'Do you mean we're tied?' And he said, 'You're three up.' "
From the elevated fairway, Bryant stared across the hazard at the massive green below. The flagstick was on the left-front lobe, guarded by bunkers.
"I said, 'Let's aim right,' " Bryant said. "Tony said, 'Yeah, let's do.' "
He made his par and for all practical purposes clinched the title when Watson failed to birdie the par-5 16th.
Watson now has six top-10 finishes in the Senior Open without a victory. He was the runner-up in 2002, 2003 and 2006.
As he left the podium, a USGA official put his arm around him and said, "You'll just have to keep trying."
Watson stared straight ahead.
"Yep," he said. "That's what I'll have to do."
Bryant, meanwhile, put an exclamation mark on one of the great comebacks in recent golf history. It took him 474 starts to win his only tournament on the PGA Tour, the 1995 Walt Disney Oldsmobile Classic. By 2000, he was a part-time player and would tee it up only 19 times over the next five years.
Smith met Bryant, full of self-doubt, at a Nationwide Tour event in Greenville, S.C.
"The first thing he told me was, 'Tony, I'm a little rusty. I've been retired so let's get this out of the way: Don't expect nothing out of me,' " Smith said. "He shot a 66 the first round and we've been together ever since."
Bryant's standing line was that he was the second-best player in his family; his younger brother, Bart, is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. Smith calls Brad a "professional self-deprecator."
But Bryant has found new life on the Champions Tour. He won twice in 2006 and won his third title, the Regions Charity Classic, earlier this year.
"I think in the last five years, I've matured a lot," he said. "And the game has changed fairly significantly as well. The equipment, the way we play the game now, fits me better than the way we played the game 25 years ago.
"I've learned an awful lot about how to play golf, too. Years ago, I thought you had to hit great golf shots to win. Now I find out - Guess what? - you can hit a couple bad shots and make a couple good putts and all of a sudden you win a golf tournament."
All of a sudden Sunday, he won the biggest golf tournament an over-50 golfer can win. His name goes on the Francis Ouimet Trophy alongside the names Palmer, Player, Trevino and Nicklaus.
"Let's face it, guys, I'm not in their league," Bryant said. "I never was and, as far as golf goes, I never will be. These are the greats of the game. I'm a journeyman who happened to have a really great week."
Ochoa rallies, then wins playoff
Lorena Ochoa erased a three-shot deficit over the last two holes of regulation, then beat South Korean rookie In-Kyung Kim in a playoff to win the Wegmans LPGA yesterday in Pittsford, N.Y.
Ochoa closed with a 1-over-par 73 for an
8-under 280 total on the Locust Hill course and won with a par on the second playoff hole. She eagled the par-5 No. 17 and got even on the last hole when Kim missed a 4-foot putt for par.
"It was a really good thing -- not the beginning of the day but the end of the day," Ochoa said. "I just never lost my hope."
It was Ochoa's first playoff win in five attempts. She earned $270,000 and tops the season money list at $1.52 million, almost a half-million dollars more than her nearest rival, Suzann Pettersen of Norway.
The 19-year-old Kim, who closed with a 72, has made steady progress. Her previous best finish was a tie for fourth in the Corning Classic last month. She missed the cut in four of her first six outings but stayed through the weekend in the past six, tying for 21st at the LPGA Championship two weeks ago.
"I can cry right now, but I'm not going to cry for this," Kim said. "I played really tight with the No. 1 player, and I'll take that experience. Next time, I'm never going to let it go."
South Korean compatriot Mi Hyun Kim, an eight-time tour winner, drove behind trees to finish with a bogey and drop into third place at
7 under.
PGA power rankings
By Michael Arkush
Despite a pretty tight leaderboard, with Phil Mickelson out of action and Tiger Woods out of contention, the Memorial Tournament wasn't very momentous. Except, of course, for K.J. Choi, who played steady down the stretch to capture his fifth tour victory.
Here are this week's rankings, which place a heavy emphasis on performance over the last month.
1. Tiger Woods – After a lackluster three days in Ohio, his final-round 67 served notice that he'll be ready for Oakmont. Did anyone ever doubt it?
2. Phil Mickelson – His wrist injury took some of the drama out of Jack's event, but the real drama begins next week: What will Phil do for an encore?
3 Rory Sabbatini – After his sensational play in recent months, it will be fascinating to see how Sabbatini performs at the Open … and what he says.
4. Vijay Singh – He also shot a 67 on Sunday, and will be looking for his first major since the 2004 PGA.
5. K.J. Choi – A win against a top-notch field at the Memorial gives him an automatic bump even though it was his first Top 10 since April.
6. Zach Johnson – He's the only player in the game with a chance at the Grand Slam this year.
7. Adam Scott – He was in great position at the Memorial until a few errant shots cost him on the back nine.
8. Rod Pampling – Since the Masters, this unheralded Aussie has recorded Top 20s in five of his six starts.
9. Stewart Cink – Soon enough, Cink, with three Top 5s in his last five appearances, will return to the winner's circle.
10. Jim Furyk – Furyk was consistent at Muirfield Village, showing why he's on the short list of Open favorites.
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