PGA TOUR
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Defending: Chris Couch
Purse: $6,100,000 ($1,098,000 to winner)
Nick Watney won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, closing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Ken Duke. Watney became the fifth first-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season and the fifth first-time winner in the last six years at New Orleans' annual PGA TOUR event. He joins Chris Couch (2006), Tim Petrovic (2005), Steve Flesch (2003) and K.J. Choi (2002).
After sleeping on a two-stroke final round lead, Watney got off to a shaky start. He bogeyed two of his first four holes, before the shot of the tournament occurred. On the par-4 fifth Watney holed his132-yard approach shot for an eagle, to pull back into a tie for the lead. The turning point of the tournament didn’t occur until the 14th, when Watney stuck his tee shot to short birdie range while Duke's tee shot landed short and left of the green. When his chip went 7 feet past the pin and he missed the par putt, he fell two shots back. Watney parred the final four holes, missing the fairway only once off the tee and hitting every green in regulation.
TOUR rookie Anthony Kim had the best round of the day, a 65 -- one shot off the course record that fellow rookie Kyle Reifers set Thursday. The round of nine birdies and two bogeys left him tied for third with John Mallinger at 11 under.
Heading into the final round, 13-time winner Mark Calcavecchia was the only player in the top five with a previous victory. He started the day only three shots back and appeared primed to close in on the lead, but never seriously challenged. With a final round 71 Calcavecchia tied for fifth with Bubba Watson and Chris Stroud at 10 under.
The tournament switched locations from the course at English Turn to the current location in 2005, only months before it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Over 2,000 fallen trees clogged drains and flooded the course, which was closed for 10 months, with $2 million in repairs to 30 acres of damaged turf.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11101&dv=7396180&select=9617
EUROPEAN TOUR
BMW Asian Open
Tomson Golf Course
Shanghai, China
Defending: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Purse: $2,300,000
Raphael Jacquelin was helped by early birdies during the final round to complete a wire-to-wire victory. The Frenchman made four bogeys on his last six holes, but held on for his second European Tour title.
Jacquelin's 1-over 73 was good enough at 10-under for a two-shot win over Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen who finished alone in second place at 8-under. Kjeldsen made a double-bogey at the 14th and a bogey at #16, one of a handful of players who made the win easier for Jacquelin. Asian Tour regulars Simon Yates (74) and Scott Hend (75) tied for third place at 7-under while 2005 champion and world #5 Ernie Els (72) shared fifth place with Richard Sterne (69), Sung-Man Lee (73) and Markus Brier (74) at 6-under. Kjeldsen, Yates and Hend played the final five holes a combined 8 over par.
Further down the leader board, several of the biggest names in the tournament posted commendable finishes. Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 73 Sunday and finished in a five-way tie for 10th place at 4-under. World #8 Retief Goosen closed with a 71 and tied for 15th place alongside eight-time Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie (77) and two others at 3-under.
Scoring was considerably higher Sunday than it had been in the first three rounds. A windy, rainy Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club was tough on just about everyone, especially down the stretch.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11105&dv=8732923&select=9762
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa
Savannah, Georgia
Defending: Jay Haas
Purse: $2,500,000
Jay Haas parred the first playoff hole to defeat Tom Kite and successfully defend his title at the Legends of Golf on Sunday. Both made spectacular up-and-downs at 18 in regulation, a feat others were not able to accomplish. Kite came up short with his second, then chipped to 12 feet and made the putt. Haas hit a spectacular bunker shot to 2 feet to join Kite at 9-under-par.
In their playoff, Kite and Haas both found the fairway on the difficult 18th hole, but neither player hit the green in regulation. Haas had mud on his ball and the approach shot sailed long and right, then he chipped to 2 feet, all but guaranteeing a par. Kite hit a poor shot 55 feet short of the stick, then left himself with 4 feet for par as his long birdie putt for the win sailed past the hole. Kite then missed the par putt, as Haas tapped in for his eighth Champions Tour victory and his second this season.
Mark James, who held the lead throughout much of the final round, lost first place when he three-putted the 17th hole. He was tied for the top spot on 18, but he ran his birdie putt 7 feet by, then missed his par effort. Wayne Levi also stood atop the leader board on Sunday, but an errant drive hurt him on the closing hole. He landed in the right rough and hit his approach into the same bunker Haas saved par from in regulation. Unfortunately for Levi, he was not as fortunate as his 6-footer that could have gotten him in the playoff stayed above ground.
James and Levi both shot 70s and tied for third place with Gil Morgan (67) and Brad Bryant (70) at 8-under-par. Nick Price posted his best showing on the Champions Tour thanks in part to a 7-under 65 on Sunday. He tied for seventh place with Hale Irwin, who carded a final-round 69, at minus-7.
Eduardo Romero had a final round of 6-under 66 and tied for ninth with Bobby Wadkins as he shot a 5-under 67. Both finish the tournament at 5-under-par. Loren Roberts' Champions Tour record of 37 consecutive rounds of par or better came to an end on Sunday as he posted a 3-over 75 to tie for 16th at minus-2.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9722
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Athens Regional Foundation Classic
Jennings Mill Country Club
Bogart, Georgia
Defending: Paul Gow
Purse: $500,000
Martin Laird birdied the 72nd hole on Sunday to collect his first Nationwide Tour victory. He posted a 2-under 70 and won with a score of 16-under-par.
Laird did not get off to a great start Sunday as he bogeyed the 3rd hole, but birdies at #4 and #6 and another at #10 gave him a two-shot lead, then added back to back birdies at #13 and #14 to pad his advantage.
Justin Bolli and Jeremy Anderson both fired rounds of 6-under 66 on Sunday and watched as Laird birdied 18 to cost them a chance at a playoff. They completed four rounds at 15-under-par. Michael Letzig carded a 6-under 66 to take fourth at minus-14, while Robert Damron moved up 21 spots in the final round thanks to an 8-under 64. He came in fifth place at 13-under-par.
Bolli was 2 under on the front, but recorded four birdies in his first seven holes of the back nine. Anderson was even through 10 holes with one birdie and one bogey, but he amassed six birdies in his final eight holes to suddenly become a clubhouse leader at minus-15. Things became undone quickly for Laird after he bogeyed 15 and 16 to tie him for the lead with Bolli and Anderson. Laird then birdied the par-5 closing hole to secure his first victory on the Nationwide Tour. He earned the victory despite the great back-nine play from his closest competitors.
Hunter Haas and David Hearn both posted rounds of 5-under 67 on Sunday and shared sixth with Nicholas Thompson, who trailed by one at the start of the round, but only managed an even-par 72 in round four. The trio finished at minus-12. John Riegger shot a 66 and claimed ninth at 11-under-par.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11103&dv=5321798&select=9828
April 24, 2007
April 19, 2007
Pro Tour recaps - April 12-15, 2007
Welcome to a new chapter in the evolution of The Thumbsdown Method blog. For those of you who receive my newsletters, the changes will be transparent. Be aware that a new audience comprised of readers from a top regional golf magazine will be joining you. Checkout http://www.njgolflinks.com/
During the next few weeks this blog will be transitioned to a new format called, Turn Golf into Business, driving business through the power of Golf. At that time my audience will begin to grow exponentially. Again, everything will be transparent to you. You're still just a click away from interesting recaps of each week's Pro Tour events, plus questions you can respond to and view in the next week's blog. The blog's future content will be a combination of many sources of golf and business related material that fits the theme, including your input which is always welcome.
Email all comments to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info
Enjoy last week's Pro Tour recap:
PGA Tour
Verizon Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Defending Champion: Aaron Baddeley
Purse: $5,400,000 ($972,000 to winner)
Boo Weekley, the 33-year-old country boy from the Florida Panhandle didn’t need his putter on either of the two final holes on this challenging Monday finish, after play was cancelled on Sunday, due to unplayable weather conditions. Don’t think for a moment that his lack of a putter implies that he coasted to his first victory. It was anything BUT!
As I tuned into The Golf Channel, playing conditions were brutal as winds, though not as fierce as Sunday, continued to tilt flagsticks on Harbour Town's three closing holes when play resumed at 8:00 a.m. The sand from a bunker along the left side of #16 covered a large part of the fairway.
Weekly had just teed off at #16, a par 4 into a 25+ mph crosswind. At that point he was tied with Stephen Leany, until Leany hooked his second shot to #16 into a tree and out of bounds for a double bogie. Weekly missed a 4-foot tester for a bogie and a now had a one shot lead over a charging Ernie Els, who had just birdied the par 5, 15th. That’s when the drama started.
Weekly hit his seven iron to the par 3 17th, 30 yards long, once again right into the teeth of the wind. His first pitch looked like one of mine as he half hit it 10 feet short into the bank and uphill to the green. He took almost no time before chipping up, then rolling 20 feet right into the hole for par, retaining his lead on Els.
On #18 Weekly did it again, after coming up short and right of the green on his second shot, then chipping his third through the green, one role away finishing unplayable down on the rocks. This time he had a severe sidehill stance, with an uphill chip into a fierce sideways wind, about 20 feet. His chip ended up with the same result and a par, but this time for his first win.
The last scare BOO! faced (sorry, I had to throw that it) was when Els needed to hole out from the 18th fairway to tie and just missed by two feet, for a tap in birdie. Boo Weekly’s first PGA Tour win was well deserved, especially after coming so close at The Honda Classic, when he missed a 3 footer to win. This win got him a spot in next year's Masters.
Jerry Kelly, the third round leader who had a hole-in-one on Saturday, watched his chances to end a nearly five-year-old victory drought, slip away when he drove into the water on #10. He finished with a frustrating 77.
Trivia Question: What connection does Weekly’s finish have in common with Craig Perks? When and where? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field results, click here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9615
LPGA Tour
Ginn OPEN
Reunion Resort & Club
Reunion, Florida
Defending Champion: Mi Hyun Kim
Purse: $2,600,000
Brittany Lincicome, started the day four shots behind Lorena Ochoa and Laura Davies, but survived a blustery day and a six-hour round better than everyone else to shoot an even-par 72 and win her second career LPGA Tournament. Last year, Lincicome surprised an elite field to win the HSBC Women's World Match Play, at Hamilton Farms in New Jersey.
Conditions were simply brutal. Morning storms delayed play for 2 1/2 hours, and once the sky cleared, the wind followed. A 41 mph gust was measured in the area Sunday afternoon, and the wind steadily blew in the 20-25 mph range, causing an already tough course to nearly become unbearable.
The 21-year-old battled and hung in there on a day where only one player broke par and earned $390,000 for the win. She finished at 10 under, one shot better than Lorena Ochoa (77) - who was 6 over on her final six holes. It was a stunning collapse that cost Ochoa an opportunity to pass Annika Sorenstam for the top spot in world rankings.
Laura Davies (79) had the outright lead with two holes to play, but three-putted her way to double bogey at the 17th and then bounced around bunkers for a disastrous triple bogey at the last. She finished alone in third at 7 under, one shot better than Juli Inkster and Nicole Castrale. Se Ri Pak finished tied for sixth place, which gave her enough points to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, as soon as she completes her tenth tournament this year.
The day's average score was 76.5, 4 1/2 shots higher than it was Saturday. Natalie Gulbis, who started the day tied for third and four shots off the lead, shot an 80 and finished 2 under, and 10 other players shot in the 80s. "Tough conditions prove who's the best player," Ochoa said. "And today it was Brittany, for sure."
Give your opinion: Today, active LPGA players qualify for The Hall of Fame. Do you agree with that format or should they wait until after their playing days are over, like in men’s golf and all other sports? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field scores: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9825
European Tour
Volvo China Open
Shanghai Silport Golf Club
Shanghai, China
Defending Champion: Jeev Milkha Singh
Purse: $2,000,000
Austrian Markus Brier won the China Open by five strokes with a final-round four-under 67 to finish at 10-under par. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (69), Andrew McLardy of South Africa (70) and Scott Hend of Australia (71) tied for second. South Africa's Richard Sterne chipped in for an eagle on #18 for a 70, finishing a stroke back. Brier earned $333,390 out of a purse of $2 million at the tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9837
Nationwide Tour
South Georgia Classic
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
Valdosta, Georgia
Purse: $600,000
John Kimbell, a 38-year-old Nationwide Tour rookie, shot a 3-under 69 for his long awaited first career win. Kimbell made a birdie at #16 to edge Australia's Matthew Jones by one shot, finishing at 10-under-par overall. He was the only player who broke 70 during the final round, claiming the $108,000 first prize.
Jeff Klauk (71) and Chez Reavie (72) tied for third place at five-under, with former PGA Tour player Carlos Franco (73) another shot back. Paul Dickinson, who shared the overnight lead with Jones, struggled to a seven-over 79 and tumbled all the way into a tie for 13th place at one-under.
The tournament was decided from holes 12-16. Jones bogeyed the 12th to fall one shot back, then tied Kimbell again with a birdie at the 14th. But Kimbell pulled ahead for good when he birdied the 16th, then held on with consecutive pars to win in just his ninth Nationwide Tour start.
Just like all other pro tours on Sunday April 15, wind wreaked havoc. Kimbell scored more than six shots better than the field average for the final round, on a course he knows well, having won his third Hooters Tour title there last September.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9567
During the next few weeks this blog will be transitioned to a new format called, Turn Golf into Business, driving business through the power of Golf. At that time my audience will begin to grow exponentially. Again, everything will be transparent to you. You're still just a click away from interesting recaps of each week's Pro Tour events, plus questions you can respond to and view in the next week's blog. The blog's future content will be a combination of many sources of golf and business related material that fits the theme, including your input which is always welcome.
Email all comments to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info
Enjoy last week's Pro Tour recap:
PGA Tour
Verizon Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Defending Champion: Aaron Baddeley
Purse: $5,400,000 ($972,000 to winner)
Boo Weekley, the 33-year-old country boy from the Florida Panhandle didn’t need his putter on either of the two final holes on this challenging Monday finish, after play was cancelled on Sunday, due to unplayable weather conditions. Don’t think for a moment that his lack of a putter implies that he coasted to his first victory. It was anything BUT!
As I tuned into The Golf Channel, playing conditions were brutal as winds, though not as fierce as Sunday, continued to tilt flagsticks on Harbour Town's three closing holes when play resumed at 8:00 a.m. The sand from a bunker along the left side of #16 covered a large part of the fairway.
Weekly had just teed off at #16, a par 4 into a 25+ mph crosswind. At that point he was tied with Stephen Leany, until Leany hooked his second shot to #16 into a tree and out of bounds for a double bogie. Weekly missed a 4-foot tester for a bogie and a now had a one shot lead over a charging Ernie Els, who had just birdied the par 5, 15th. That’s when the drama started.
Weekly hit his seven iron to the par 3 17th, 30 yards long, once again right into the teeth of the wind. His first pitch looked like one of mine as he half hit it 10 feet short into the bank and uphill to the green. He took almost no time before chipping up, then rolling 20 feet right into the hole for par, retaining his lead on Els.
On #18 Weekly did it again, after coming up short and right of the green on his second shot, then chipping his third through the green, one role away finishing unplayable down on the rocks. This time he had a severe sidehill stance, with an uphill chip into a fierce sideways wind, about 20 feet. His chip ended up with the same result and a par, but this time for his first win.
The last scare BOO! faced (sorry, I had to throw that it) was when Els needed to hole out from the 18th fairway to tie and just missed by two feet, for a tap in birdie. Boo Weekly’s first PGA Tour win was well deserved, especially after coming so close at The Honda Classic, when he missed a 3 footer to win. This win got him a spot in next year's Masters.
Jerry Kelly, the third round leader who had a hole-in-one on Saturday, watched his chances to end a nearly five-year-old victory drought, slip away when he drove into the water on #10. He finished with a frustrating 77.
Trivia Question: What connection does Weekly’s finish have in common with Craig Perks? When and where? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field results, click here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9615
LPGA Tour
Ginn OPEN
Reunion Resort & Club
Reunion, Florida
Defending Champion: Mi Hyun Kim
Purse: $2,600,000
Brittany Lincicome, started the day four shots behind Lorena Ochoa and Laura Davies, but survived a blustery day and a six-hour round better than everyone else to shoot an even-par 72 and win her second career LPGA Tournament. Last year, Lincicome surprised an elite field to win the HSBC Women's World Match Play, at Hamilton Farms in New Jersey.
Conditions were simply brutal. Morning storms delayed play for 2 1/2 hours, and once the sky cleared, the wind followed. A 41 mph gust was measured in the area Sunday afternoon, and the wind steadily blew in the 20-25 mph range, causing an already tough course to nearly become unbearable.
The 21-year-old battled and hung in there on a day where only one player broke par and earned $390,000 for the win. She finished at 10 under, one shot better than Lorena Ochoa (77) - who was 6 over on her final six holes. It was a stunning collapse that cost Ochoa an opportunity to pass Annika Sorenstam for the top spot in world rankings.
Laura Davies (79) had the outright lead with two holes to play, but three-putted her way to double bogey at the 17th and then bounced around bunkers for a disastrous triple bogey at the last. She finished alone in third at 7 under, one shot better than Juli Inkster and Nicole Castrale. Se Ri Pak finished tied for sixth place, which gave her enough points to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, as soon as she completes her tenth tournament this year.
The day's average score was 76.5, 4 1/2 shots higher than it was Saturday. Natalie Gulbis, who started the day tied for third and four shots off the lead, shot an 80 and finished 2 under, and 10 other players shot in the 80s. "Tough conditions prove who's the best player," Ochoa said. "And today it was Brittany, for sure."
Give your opinion: Today, active LPGA players qualify for The Hall of Fame. Do you agree with that format or should they wait until after their playing days are over, like in men’s golf and all other sports? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field scores: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9825
European Tour
Volvo China Open
Shanghai Silport Golf Club
Shanghai, China
Defending Champion: Jeev Milkha Singh
Purse: $2,000,000
Austrian Markus Brier won the China Open by five strokes with a final-round four-under 67 to finish at 10-under par. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (69), Andrew McLardy of South Africa (70) and Scott Hend of Australia (71) tied for second. South Africa's Richard Sterne chipped in for an eagle on #18 for a 70, finishing a stroke back. Brier earned $333,390 out of a purse of $2 million at the tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9837
Nationwide Tour
South Georgia Classic
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
Valdosta, Georgia
Purse: $600,000
John Kimbell, a 38-year-old Nationwide Tour rookie, shot a 3-under 69 for his long awaited first career win. Kimbell made a birdie at #16 to edge Australia's Matthew Jones by one shot, finishing at 10-under-par overall. He was the only player who broke 70 during the final round, claiming the $108,000 first prize.
Jeff Klauk (71) and Chez Reavie (72) tied for third place at five-under, with former PGA Tour player Carlos Franco (73) another shot back. Paul Dickinson, who shared the overnight lead with Jones, struggled to a seven-over 79 and tumbled all the way into a tie for 13th place at one-under.
The tournament was decided from holes 12-16. Jones bogeyed the 12th to fall one shot back, then tied Kimbell again with a birdie at the 14th. But Kimbell pulled ahead for good when he birdied the 16th, then held on with consecutive pars to win in just his ninth Nationwide Tour start.
Just like all other pro tours on Sunday April 15, wind wreaked havoc. Kimbell scored more than six shots better than the field average for the final round, on a course he knows well, having won his third Hooters Tour title there last September.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9567
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