golf tips golftips002.blogspot.com: August 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

Adam Scott proves again he's a major player

Adam Scott proves again he's a major player
PAUL NEWBERRY (AP National Writer) August 9, 2013AP - Sports

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PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- This is getting downright familiar for Adam Scott.

The Aussie is right in the thick of things for the fourth time in the last six majors. On Friday, he shot a 2-under 68 and walked off the East Course at Oak Hill with the lead at the PGA Championship.

While others took aim in the afternoon - Robert Garrigus briefly claimed a share of the outright lead, and Jason Dufner also made a charge up the leaderboard - Scott was assured of being no worse than one of the top contenders heading to the weekend in the final major of the year.

Pretty much par for the course these days.

''The platform has never been better for me to go on and win multiple majors,'' Scott said. ''You've got to take the confidence and form of winning a major and run with it.''

The day started out gray and damp, with periods of heavy showers softening the course, but the clouds broke in the afternoon. It was expected to remain warm and sunny the rest of the weekend.

While Tiger Woods came in as the overwhelming favorite, Scott increasingly looks like a player who will add more major titles to the one he finally got in a Masters playoff back in April.

Last summer, he endured the bitter disappointment of losing a British Open that seemed all but locked up before he bogeyed the final four holes, losing to Ernie Els by a stroke. Instead of moping about that defeat, he used it as a catalyst to win at Augusta National, where he defeated Angel Cabrera on the second extra hole.

Three weeks ago, Scott had another Sunday lead on the back nine of the British Open before fading with another run of bogeys.

Now, here he goes again.
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The Wanamaker Trophy sits on the first tee as fans watch golfers on the 18th green during the first …

''I'm playing well in the majors and giving myself a chance,'' Scott said. ''I don't care if they call me the best player as long as I win on Sunday.''

Scott was tied for the lead with Jim Furyk after matching 65s in the opening round.

Going out in the morning rain, Scott chipped in at the very first hole for the first of five birdies on the day. He could have gone lower if not for a long putter that was a bit shaky. He missed a couple of attempts inside 10 feet and a few more that were just a little farther away.

Of course, there was a 40-footer that dropped in the cup at the second hole, so Scott couldn't complain too much.

He headed to the weekend at 7-under 133 overall.
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Adam Scott, of Australia, walks to the 15th green during the first round of the PGA Championship gol …

''I felt like if I was really hot with the putter, I couldn't have been a lot better,'' Scott said. ''But the course was playing really long when it was raining. So 68 is a good score.''

Furyk, playing in the afternoon, birdied the first hole, strung together a bunch of pars and was one shot back approaching the turn. Garrigus surged into contention with five birdies in his first eight holes. Dufner holed out for eagle at No. 2, positioning himself to make another run at a PGA title. Two years ago, he squandered a four-shot lead with four holes to play at the Atlanta Athletic Club and lost to Keegan Bradley in a playoff.

They weren't the only ones in the mix.

U.S. Open winner Justin Rose, bouncing back from missing the cut at the British Open, shot 6-under 29 over his final nine holes for a 66 that left him one stroke behind Scott.

Webb Simpson, a former U.S. Open champ, also made a big charge. He was 7 under through his first 15 holes and flirting with the major championship scoring record before a bogey at the seventh - his 16th hole of the round - stemmed the momentum. He had one more birdie shot at the eighth, but missed a 10-footer.
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Lee Westwood, of England, hits from the fairway on the 18th hole during the first round of the PGA C …

Simpson finished with a 64, tying the course record but one stroke shy from the lowest round ever in a major.

''I was thinking about it coming down the last few holes,'' said Simpson, whose 136 total left him three shots back.

Martin Kaymer, who won the PGA three years ago after Dustin Johnson's dubious penalty, shot his second straight 68 to get into contention.

Woods made back-to-back birdies with putts inside 10 feet at the fifth and sixth holes, but he still had a lot of work to do in his bid to break an 0-for-17 drought in the majors.

The world's top-ranked player opened with a disappointing 71. By the time he teed off in the afternoon, there were 41 players between him and the top spot on the leaderboard.
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Adam Scott, of Australia, watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the PGA Ch …

Others ripped through a course that seemed very much there for the taking, the birdies falling into the cup at an alarming rate.

But Oak Hill still had some bite. Just ask Lee Westwood, who made a double-bogey at the eighth, then a bogey on his final hole for a 73 that knocked him off the board.

Early on, the dreary weather provided another chance to go right at the soft greens, the same sort of conditions that made the opening round seem more like a regular tour event than a test of major proportions.

''It's a course you can attack,'' said British Open champion Phil Mickelson, whose game wasn't up to the task. Lefty shot his second straight 71, leaving him nine strokes behind Scott and flirting with the cut line.

Defending PGA champ Rory McIlroy was headed to the weekend after bouncing back from a tough start Friday. He played his first 10 holes at 5 over, but closed with four birdies for a 71 that left him even for the tournament.
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Zach Johnson, right, walks down the 18th fairway during the first round of the PGA Championship golf …

''I've just got to try to get off to a fast start tomorrow,'' said McIlroy, who won last year by a record eight strokes at Kiawah Island. ''I need to shoot something in the mid-60s to give myself a chance on Sunday.''

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Major hungry Scott says his time is now

Mark Lamport-Stokes August 9, 2013

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Australia's Adam Scott hits from the rough on the eighth hole during the second round of the 2013 PGA …

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - Timing is everything in sport and Adam Scott believes the window of opportunity has never been better for him to try and win more majors following his triumphant breakthrough at the Masters in April.

The 33-year-old became the first Australian to slip into the coveted green jacket when he beat Argentina's Angel Cabrera in a playoff at Augusta National and has continued contending in golf's biggest events.

Scott was in good position to win last month's British Open at Muirfield before letting slip a one-shot lead with seven holes to play.

And on Friday at a rainy Oak Hill Country Club, he stayed in the title hunt for this week's PGA Championship, firing a two-under-par 68 on Friday to grab the clubhouse lead at seven-under 133.

"The platform has never been better for me to go on and win multiple majors," the world number five told reporters.

"I guess you've got to take the confidence and form of winning a major and run with it. I've sat in front of you guys and told you that these are going to be my best years, and generally they are for any golfer.

"But I'm doing everything I can to make sure that they are, and I can't take my foot off the gas just because I achieved something great at Augusta."

Though Scott has long been driven to become the best player he can after being tipped as a future world number one by fellow Australian Greg Norman, he felt his major appetite had probably been sharpened by his Masters win.

"I'm hungry at the moment," he said. "I was hungry before the Masters and I might even have a bigger appetite after it. It might be greedy, but I feel like this is my time to get everything I want out of my career.

"And I'm going to keep pushing until I do. My game is in great shape. I've got to take advantage of it, otherwise it's all a waste.

"I can see the path my game is on, probably from 2010 onwards. I can see improvement in all areas. I really got the bug of wanting to get better and better, and that's what I had not been seeing for a little while."

Scott was co-leader with American Jim Furyk after they opened with 65s and he briefly moved three ahead on Friday before losing momentum after the turn.

"I'm pleased with the round," he said after mixing five birdies, including a 60-foot bomb at the par-four second, with two bogeys. "It was difficult this morning. The course was playing really long with the heavy atmosphere and the rain.

"I got off to a good start, which was important after yesterday's 65, and kept myself moving in the right direction. But when it eased up, it became really scorable out there, and I didn't quite take advantage of that as I missed a few putts.

"I'm very confident with where my game's at. I feel like I've done a good job of working myself into form for the right weeks. I've just got to make the most out of that now this weekend."

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Julian Linden)

Golf-Players who have shot 63 at majors

August 9, 2013

Aug 9 (Reuters) - Lowest 18-hole scores recorded in major championships, following the seven-under-par 63 carded by American Jason Dufner in the second round of the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York on Friday (U.S. unless stated, all scores 63):

Masters

Nick Price (Zimbabwe), 1986, third round (nine under)

Greg Norman (Australia), 1996, first round (nine under)

U.S. Open

Johnny Miller, 1973 (Oakmont), final round (eight under)

Jack Nicklaus, 1980 (Baltusrol), first round (seven under)

Tom Weiskopf, 1980 (Baltusrol), first round (seven under)

Vijay Singh (Fiji), 2003 (Olympia Fields), second round (seven under)

British Open

Mark Hayes, 1977 (Turnberry), second round (seven under)

Isao Aoki (Japan), 1980 (Muirfield), third round (eight under)

Greg Norman (Australia), 1986 (Turnberry), second round (seven under)

Paul Broadhurst (Britain), 1990 (St. Andrews), third round (nine under)

Jodie Mudd, 1991 (Birkdale), final round (seven under)

Nick Faldo (Britain), 1993 (Royal St. George's), final round (seven under)

Payne Stewart, 1993 (Royal St. George's), final round (seven under)

Rory McIlroy, 2010 (St. Andrews), first round (nine under)

PGA Championship

Bruce Crampton (Australia), 1975 (Firestone), second round (seven under)

Raymond Floyd, 1982 (Southern Hills), first round (seven under)

Gary Player (South Africa), 1984 (Shoal Creek), second round (nine under)

Vijay Singh (Fiji), 1993 (Inverness), second round (eight under)

Michael Bradley, 1995 (Riviera), first round (eight under)

Brad Faxon, 1995 (Riviera), first round (eight under)

Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), 2000 (Valhalla), third round (nine under)

Mark O'Meara, 2001 (Atlanta Athletic Club), second round (seven under)

Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), 2005 (Baltusrol), second round (seven under)

Tiger Woods, 2007 (Southern Hills), second round (seven under)

Steve Stricker, 2011 (Atlanta Athletic Club), first round (seven under)

Jason Dufner, 2013 (Oak Hill Country Club), second round (seven under) (Compiled by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Golf-Dufner's Oak Hill win underlines golf's depth in strength

August 12, 2013

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

ROCHESTER, New York, Aug 12 (Reuters) - 'Ordinary looking' Jason Dufner struck a chord with club players everywhere while also underscoring the extraordinary depth in the modern game with his impressive victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday.

With his characteristic pre-swing waggle and an almost disinterested demeanour, the American does not fit the mould of a golfing superstar yet proved to be the best player on the planet at Oak Hill with a brilliant display of ball-striking.

Known for his unflappable and ultra-laidback persona, Dufner seized control of the tournament by firing a record-tying seven-under-par 63 in Friday's second round, then came from a stroke back after 54 holes to claim his first major title by two shots.

Dufner, who plays golf with a wad of snuff inserted inside his lower lip, was ranked 21st in the world at the start of the week and had only two top-10s in 17 starts on the 2013 PGA Tour, though both came in big events with ties for fourth at the U.S. Open and also at the elite WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Undoubtedly his agonising experience of losing the 2011 PGA Championship in a playoff to good friend Keegan Bradley, after letting slip a late five-stroke lead, helped him on Sunday but Dufner never felt he truly belonged in the select group of major winners until his breakthrough at Oak Hill Country Club.

"I don't think you can ever claim to belong with a group of guys who have won majors until you've done it," said Dufner, who secured his third career victory on the PGA Tour with a closing two-under-par 68 on a challenging East Course layout.

"So, it's a great accomplishment. Hopefully it will propel me to some better things, some better golf, some more tournaments won, majors won, more Ryder Cups, more Presidents Cups."

LIFE CHANGES

Asked how much he expected his life to change following his first major victory, Dufner replied with a typically dead-pan expression: "It's definitely going to change my life, but I'm determined that it's not going to change me.

"There are a lot of things that are going to come up tournament-wise, different tournaments I can play in, different opportunities that are going to come my way, and I'm going to have to deal with that. It's going to be a difficult task.

"You hear a lot of guys talk about the demands of winning a major championship and what that brings. But I'll have to take it step-by-step and day-by-day and go with it," said Dufner, who plays his golf in an almost trance-like state.

On a glorious, sun-splashed afternoon at Oak Hill, Dufner delivered a superb display of ice-cool golf to become the 19th different winner in the last 21 majors, once again underlining the astonishing depth in strength in the modern game.

"You put the top 100 guys in a row on the range and watch them hit a ball, and you can't really tell the difference," said Rory McIlroy, the only double winner in the majors over the past five years, along with British Open champion Phil Mickelson.

"There's so much depth in the game of golf right now. With technology and golf course setup, it's very difficult for players to separate themselves from the rest of the field."

On the eve of last week's PGA Championship, reigning champion McIlroy felt almost anyone in the 156-draw was capable of claiming the title.

"You could look at any other sporting event, and you would have certain favorites," he said. "Obviously in golf, there are a few certain favorites also, but anyone out of this field could win this tournament.

"That's not the case in some other sports, and I think that's something that's quite appealing about golf." (Editing by Frank Pingue)

Dufner's Oak Hill win underlines golf's depth in strength

Mark Lamport-Stokes August 12, 2013

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - 'Ordinary looking' Jason Dufner struck a chord with club players everywhere while also underscoring the extraordinary depth in the modern game with his impressive victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday.

With his characteristic pre-swing waggle and an almost disinterested demeanor, the American does not fit the mould of a golfing superstar yet proved to be the best player on the planet at Oak Hill with a brilliant display of ball-striking.

Known for his unflappable and ultra-laidback persona,Dufner seized control of the tournament by firing a record-tying seven-under-par 63 in Friday's second round, then came from a stroke back after 54 holes to claim his first major title by two shots.

Dufner, who plays golf with a wad of snuff inserted inside his lower lip, was ranked 21st in the world at the start of the week and had only two top-10s in 17 starts on the 2013PGA Tour, though both came in big events with ties for fourth at the U.S. Open and also at the elite WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Undoubtedly his agonizing experience of losing the 2011 PGA Championship in a playoff to good friend Keegan Bradley, after letting slip a late five-stroke lead, helped him on Sunday but Dufner never felt he truly belonged in the select group of major winners until his breakthrough at Oak Hill Country Club.

"So, it's a great accomplishment. Hopefully it will propel me to some better things, some better golf, some more tournaments won, majors won, more Ryder Cups, more Presidents Cups."

LIFE CHANGES

"You hear a lot of guys talk about the demands of winning a major championship and what that brings. But I'll have to take it step‑by‑step and day-by-day and go with it," said Dufner, who plays his golf in an almost trance-like state.

"There's so much depth in the game of golf right now. With technology and golf course setup, it's very difficult for players to separate themselves from the rest of the field."

On the eve of last week's PGA Championship, reigning champion McIlroy felt almost anyone in the 156-draw was capable of claiming the title.

"That's not the case in some other sports, and I think that's something that's quite appealing about golf."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

Westwood apologizes for tweets

The Sports Xchange August 12, 2013The SportsXchange

Lee Westwood apologized Monday for using Twitter to vent frustrations after shooting a 76 at the PGA Championship.

Westwood fired off a series of tweets early Monday morning aimed at those who criticized him after he finished 13 shots behind tournament winner Jason Dufner. Westwood had started the final round within six shots of the lead.

Westwood started off at 4:11 a.m. ET by tweeting that he was tired of "sitting there taking it. Bring it on." He then wrote that he had not "chewed up a troll for a good while."

It was part of a 50-tweet session that included reflections, insults and profanities.

Nearly eight hours later, he used Twitter to apologize to his sponsors and followers, whose number exceeds 578,000.

Westwood's official website lists 11 sponsors, including Footjoy, Ping, Titleist and UPS.

During his rant, he referred to his Twitter critics as "minions" who "need to live from the inside out rather than the outside in."

Westwood, a former No. 1 player in the world, ended his venting by clarifying that his comments were real, but he was getting bored and signing off.

At least one deleted tweet that Westwood, ranked 12th heading into the tournament, read: "Come on you girly boy trolls! I've only won just over 2 mill on course this year! Need you to keep me entertained a bit longer than this!"

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Lewis miffed after long delay at Solheim Cup

EDDIE PELLS (AP National Writer) August 16, 2013AP - Sports

PARKER, Colo. (AP) -- The chants of ''USA! USA!'' ringing through the 15th green shifted to ''While we're young! While we're young!''

For 25 minutes Friday at the Solheim Cup, Americans Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson paced around, putters in hand, bending and flexing to stay loose. They were waiting first for European Carlota Ciganda to find her ball, which was lodged in knee-high scrub in a hazard, then for a cadre of rules officials to tell Ciganda where it was legal to drop.

''That's not golf,'' Lewis said.

At least not by the rules.

Hours after Ciganda took her drop, hit to 15 feet and salvaged a par to halve the hole, rules officials said they had made an incorrect ruling about the location of the drop. But there was no way to remedy the ruling after the fact, so the hole and the match stood.

Ciganda and Suzann Pettersen beat Lewis and Thompson 1 up after being 2 down earlier in the back 9.Europe closed out Day 1 with a 5-3 lead.

Lewis and Thompson, playing in the first match of the afternoon, were about two holes ahead of the foursome behind them when they got to the 15th tee box. By the time they putted, there were three groups stacked on the par-5 hole.

''It's hard to just stand there because we're not doing anything, and all of the sudden, you wait 25 minutes to hit a putt,'' Lewis said.

American captain Meg Mallon, acknowledging the delay blunted American momentum across the course, said it wasn't so much the incorrect ruling, as the time it took to be made, that ruined the day.

''That was my issue with the whole thing,'' she said. ''Here's my team sitting there, after they are just charging and making a comeback, and then they have to sit. And so not only does it change the psyche of my team, but it changes the psyche of the other team, because they can have time to regroup.''

Lewis, who won the Women's British Open earlier this month, lost both of her opening-day matches. Still steaming when the day was over, she confronted rules officials on the 18th green, but didn't get any satisfaction. That was before the officials acknowledged they'd made the wrong call.

''It took way too long,'' Lewis said. ''It killed the momentum of our match, it killed the momentum of the matches behind us and it's just not what you want the rules officials to ever do.''

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ALL ACES: When looking for tips on how to handle the pressure, 20-year-old Solheim Cup rookie Jessica Kordadidn't have to look far.

On one hand she had her playing partner, Morgan Pressel, whose 8-2-2 mark is good for the best winning percentage among America's active players. On the other, Korda has her dad, Petr Korda, the Czech native and 1998 Australian Open champion who was a stalwart on his Davis Cup teams in the 1980s and '90s.

Shortly before the start of their victory Friday morning over Catriona Matthew and Jodi Ewart-Shadoff, Petr Korda spoke with his daughter about the pressures of team play.

''Dad and I have talked more these past two days about how he felt and what he did,'' said Jessica Korda, who was born in Florida and is an American citizen. ''I have a pretty good idea of how to handle myself, but he's played much bigger crowds than I can ever imagine in one room.''

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A GOOD MATCH: One reason behind U.S. captain Meg Mallon's pairing for foursomes was the golf ball. Jessica Korda is the only American who uses a TaylorMade ball, and she was struggling to find a partner whose golf ball she could use.

Morgan Pressel, who uses a Callaway, agreed to give the TaylorMade a try to see if she could play with Korda.

''I went to a store and paid $50 for a dozen - haven't done that in a long time,'' Pressel said. ''I played with it at home, and it was OK.''

So they became partners. And they won the only point for the American in the Friday morning foursomes.

But get this - they wound up using the Callaway, anyway.

Korda found that she could use Pressel's golf ball just fine, even though it had a slightly firmer feel.

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SOLHEIM SPIRIT: Korda was embarrassed about throwing up to the side of the first fairway Friday morning, and she was determined to keep it a secret.

When asked about it, her shoulders slumped as said, ''Everybody knows already?''

Well, yes. Everyone was talking about before she finished playing the second hole. And they all had some fun with her misfortune - and not just the Americans.

''Suzann Pettersen came up to me and held open her head cover and goes, 'You need this?''' Korda said.

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SEVE AND SERGIO: Azahara Munoz loves watching the Ryder Cup just as she does playing in the Solheim Cup. So when asked her favorite Ryder Cup player of all time, the Spaniard could think of only one answer.

''I think I have to say Seve. Otherwise, they will kick me out of my country,'' Munoz said.

Munoz was 7 when Seve Ballesteros played in his last Ryder Cup. The great Spaniard died two years ago. As for contemporaries, she stuck with the Spanish flag in naming Sergio Garcia.

''When I started playing golf, Sergio was an amateur but he was winning everything in Europe,'' she said. ''Even though he was an amateur, I don't know why, I always liked him a lot. And then when he turned pro he was really young, and then played really well at the PGA. So everybody was following him. And I've alreays really liked him.''

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SHORT SHOTS: Prior to losing their foursomes match in the morning, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer were undefeated as a team. ... Morgan Pressel extended her Solheim Cup winning streak to six straight matches. ... In this, the year of the rookie, America's first-timers went 1-3 in their debut matches. Europe's went 3-3.