Tour golfer update
On vacation
The tour update is on a summer break until after the PGA Championship. See you then!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
The tour update is on a summer break until after the PGA Championship. See you then!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
The US Open
It takes something pretty important to knock New Zealand's rugby team off the top of the sports pages, but the US Open result might just do it.
Michael Campbell became the second Kiwi to take home a major (the first was Bob Charles at the 1963 British Open), after a final round 69 saw him beat Tiger Woods by two strokes.
It was a tough competition, as expected. A lot of good players posted three good rounds, only to blow their chances with a one-round slip up.
Coming into Sunday, all eyes were on two-time winner Retief Goosen, who had a 3-shot lead and a demeanor that suggested it was his year again.
But once he'd struggled on the early holes of the fourth round, the trophy was up for grabs. In the end, only Campbell and Tiger Woods managed to take up the gauntlet. Though Woods kept pushing, he never caught the kiwi, who played cooly and calmly down the home stretch to achieve this momentous win for himself and his country.
Elsewhere, Lorena Ochoa won the Wegmans Rochester LPGA event, beating Paula Creamer into second place.
In Europe, Swede Joakim Backstrom won the Aa St Omer Open.
Monday, June 20, 2005
It takes something pretty important to knock New Zealand's rugby team off the top of the sports pages, but the US Open result might just do it.
Michael Campbell became the second Kiwi to take home a major (the first was Bob Charles at the 1963 British Open), after a final round 69 saw him beat Tiger Woods by two strokes.
It was a tough competition, as expected. A lot of good players posted three good rounds, only to blow their chances with a one-round slip up.
Coming into Sunday, all eyes were on two-time winner Retief Goosen, who had a 3-shot lead and a demeanor that suggested it was his year again.
But once he'd struggled on the early holes of the fourth round, the trophy was up for grabs. In the end, only Campbell and Tiger Woods managed to take up the gauntlet. Though Woods kept pushing, he never caught the kiwi, who played cooly and calmly down the home stretch to achieve this momentous win for himself and his country.
Elsewhere, Lorena Ochoa won the Wegmans Rochester LPGA event, beating Paula Creamer into second place.
In Europe, Swede Joakim Backstrom won the Aa St Omer Open.
Monday, June 20, 2005
McDonald's LPGA Championship and more
The irritating thing about Annika Sorenstam is that it's nigh on impossible to come up with new superlatives to describe her achievements.
She won the LPGA's second major of the year quite comfortably, by three shots from her nearest competitor, and could even afford to bogey three of the last four holes.
For those who aren't counting, that's her eighth win in the last ten events, her second major this year, her third McDonald's LPGA Championship in a row. And her third round 69 set an LPGA record, as her 14th consecutive round under 70.
If we just stick to adjectives beginning with a, we can come up with amazing, astounding, audacious, astonishing, awe-inspiring and abnormal.
But setting aside the presence of this extraordinary talent, there were other impressive performances in the tournament. Michelle Wie -- still an amateur and still at school -- came second. And Paula Creamer -- only just left school -- came in third. Did we see the present and future of women's golf on one leaderboard?
Elsewhere, the men were warming up for the US Open at the Booz Allen Classic. A close tournament had some serious talent vying for the lead. In the end, it was Sergio Garcia who broke away from the pack, holding his two shot lead down to the wire.
It should certianly make up for the disappointment of blowing a big lead back at this year's Wachovia Championship.
Incidentally, a relatively poor T29 for Vijay Singh means Tiger will return to the No.1 spot in the world golf rankings.
Over in Europe, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano won the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
Monday, June 13, 2005
The irritating thing about Annika Sorenstam is that it's nigh on impossible to come up with new superlatives to describe her achievements.
She won the LPGA's second major of the year quite comfortably, by three shots from her nearest competitor, and could even afford to bogey three of the last four holes.
For those who aren't counting, that's her eighth win in the last ten events, her second major this year, her third McDonald's LPGA Championship in a row. And her third round 69 set an LPGA record, as her 14th consecutive round under 70.
If we just stick to adjectives beginning with a, we can come up with amazing, astounding, audacious, astonishing, awe-inspiring and abnormal.
But setting aside the presence of this extraordinary talent, there were other impressive performances in the tournament. Michelle Wie -- still an amateur and still at school -- came second. And Paula Creamer -- only just left school -- came in third. Did we see the present and future of women's golf on one leaderboard?
Elsewhere, the men were warming up for the US Open at the Booz Allen Classic. A close tournament had some serious talent vying for the lead. In the end, it was Sergio Garcia who broke away from the pack, holding his two shot lead down to the wire.
It should certianly make up for the disappointment of blowing a big lead back at this year's Wachovia Championship.
Incidentally, a relatively poor T29 for Vijay Singh means Tiger will return to the No.1 spot in the world golf rankings.
Over in Europe, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano won the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
Monday, June 13, 2005
The Memorial Tournament
After a sprinkling of 6 shot leads coming into the Sundays of recent PGA Tour events, it was nice to get a bit of competiton in the final round at Muirfield village.
It was Bart Bryant who eventually came out on top of a mighty battle with crowd favorite Fred Couples.
It was Bryant's second win on tour, and means he can skip going to Tampa Monday to try and qualify for the coming US Open. A bonus which comes at a price: "I guess I can change my flight now. It's like a $100 change fee, though."
Elsewhere, there was more of the same on the LPGA tour, which is enjoying its own super super superstar in the form of Annika Sorenstam. I wonder, though, at what point they'll start wishing for just a teeny bit more competitiveness.
She took the Shoprite LPGA classic by four shots from Juli Inkster, warming up nicely for this weekend's major - the McDonald's LPGA Championship.
Sorenstam's win was her seventh in the last nine, an astonishing feat. And she hasn't lost any of her enthusiasm for the game, saying afterwards, "...This is why I wake up in the mornings and love to practice and can come out here."
On the Champions Tour, DA Weibring and Tom Jenkins pitted wits against each other in a playoff for the Allianz Championship. Jenkins won on the second hole.
In Europe, Miguel Angel Jimenez won The Celtic Manor Wales Open with a 62 in the final round.
Monday, June 06, 2005
It was Bart Bryant who eventually came out on top of a mighty battle with crowd favorite Fred Couples.
It was Bryant's second win on tour, and means he can skip going to Tampa Monday to try and qualify for the coming US Open. A bonus which comes at a price: "I guess I can change my flight now. It's like a $100 change fee, though."
Elsewhere, there was more of the same on the LPGA tour, which is enjoying its own super super superstar in the form of Annika Sorenstam. I wonder, though, at what point they'll start wishing for just a teeny bit more competitiveness.
She took the Shoprite LPGA classic by four shots from Juli Inkster, warming up nicely for this weekend's major - the McDonald's LPGA Championship.
Sorenstam's win was her seventh in the last nine, an astonishing feat. And she hasn't lost any of her enthusiasm for the game, saying afterwards, "...This is why I wake up in the mornings and love to practice and can come out here."
On the Champions Tour, DA Weibring and Tom Jenkins pitted wits against each other in a playoff for the Allianz Championship. Jenkins won on the second hole.
In Europe, Miguel Angel Jimenez won The Celtic Manor Wales Open with a 62 in the final round.
Monday, June 06, 2005
