Golf International Magazine Online

June 2008 - Posts

• Kenny Perry Snatches Title with Closing 66

  Kentucky, Kenny Perry is coming home. Perry shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win the Buick Open by a stroke at 19 under, likely locking up a spot on the Ryder Cup team that will face Europe at Valhalla about 40 miles from his birthplace. “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It really won’t sink in until I’m actually putting on the red, white and blue.” Perry was amazed he won at Warwick Hills for a second time because Woody Austin closed with consecutive bogeys to blow the tournament and Bubba Watson just missed a 12-footer that would’ve forced a playoff. While Perry was on the driving range, he backed into earning $900,000. “I still can’t believe I won,” he said. “I feel like I need to go make a birdie out there to win.” Austin and Watson shot 68s. The 47-year-old Perry joined Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only multiple winners this year on the PGA Tour, became the oldest player to win at Warwick Hills and joined a short list of multiple champions at the 50th Buick Open. Vijay Singh has three Buick Open titles, while Tiger Woods, Julius Boros, Tony Lema and now Perry have two. “It’s always nice to have your name associated with the greats of the game,” Perry said. “I’m just hanging onto the shirttails. “I’m the guy that’s going to get their clubs out of the trunks of their car.” Austin sounded like he wanted to hide in a trunk. He became the leader by curling a 9-footer in at the 16th, then fell back into a tie by missing a 13-foot putt for par on the next hole. Austin three-putted from 63 feet to close the tournament and put Perry ahead. “I threw it away,” said Austin, whose demonstrative ways led him to cup a ball and slam it against the wood board marking the 7th tee. “I didn’t hit the ball close enough to the hole the last two holes to counteract my yips. “I’ve got to figure it out or I’d better quit.” Watson had a chance to force a 73rd hole despite a hooked tee shot by remarkably punching the ball onto the green to set up a makable putt that he barely missed. “If someone had told me that on a tight golf course I’d have a putt for a playoff, I’d have taken the putt and skipped the rest of the week,” he said. Perry is not going to be at the British Open because he already committed to playing in Milwaukee the same week, following his decision to not attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open the day after winning the Memorial. “I committed to all these tournaments before when I was ranked 100th in the world,” he explained. “Now all of a sudden I’ve won twice, I’m probably top 20 in the world now. “I’ve already committed to Milwaukee and I’m not going to back out.” Perry, who won in 2001 at Warwick Hills, has 11 victories on the PGA Tour. He had a bogey-eagle-bogey-birdie stretch that dropped him from the lead and put him back into a tie with Austin at the 16th. His best shot of the week was at the par-4 14th, where his tee shot landed in sand and he chipped in for eagle from 30 yards. “It came off like a dream, took two hops and just slam-dunked right in the cup,” Perry said. “You never expect to make them, but that really energized me for the last few holes.” But Perry lost the lead at 15 when he plugged a shot into a greenside bunker, leading to a bogey that put Austin ahead. Perry bounced back at 16 with a birdie, putting him in position to take advantage of Austin’s collapse and Watson’s errant tee shot on the final hole. With Tiger Woods sidelined by season-ending knee surgery, Perry trails just two active players in U.S. Ryder Cup standings and one in the FedEx Cup standings. He has all but guaranteed he’ll reach his goal of playing for his country in his home state and improving his chances to win $10 million in the PGA Tour’s playoff. “With Tiger out, it’s just a great opportunity for an old guy here to actually steal some money in that FedEx Cup,” Perry said. “So that’s what we’re after now.” Before Perry gets a chance to win the loot, though, he will get an opportunity in September to live a dream. “My only goal was to make The Ryder Cup team, and that’s really got me focused for whatever reason,” he said. “It’s at home in Valhalla in my home state and at a golf course that I lost the 1996 PGA Championship to Mark Brooks in a playoff. “I just feel like I needed to go back there. Posted Jun 30 2008, 08:15 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Ryder Cup, 2008, Kenny Perry, Buick Open

• Pablo Larrazabal Holds Nerve to Claim Maiden Win

  Rookie Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal held his nerve on Sunday to claim one of Europe’s top prizes by winning the French Open in only his 17th European Tour start. Larrazabal, ranked 481 in the world and 128th in Europe before the event, again thwarted several of the continent’s big names as he closed with a four-under par 67 for a 15-under total of 269, four shots clear of eight-times European number one Colin Montgomerie. Montgomerie, recording his best result since winning the European Open a year ago, holed a 40ft birdie putt on the 18th for a 68 to assure him of sole possession of second place and resurrect his Ryder Cup qualification hopes. Fellow Ryder Cup hopeful Dane Soren Hansen, second in this event last year, carded a 69 to finish a further stroke back. Larrazabal, whose brother Alejandro was the 2002 British Amateur champion, had to come through pre-qualifying to earn his spot and showed little fear as he led from start to finish without once using a driver on the tough National course. “For me it was a six-day tournament and I played maybe the best in my life,” he told reporters after climbing out of the 18th-hole lake after being thrown by fellow Spanish golfers. “I was against Colin Montgomerie, one of the three best players in European Tour history and Lee Westwood, who I watched on TV finish third in the U.S. Open. “Now I know I can play like those guys and it’s great.” Starting three strokes ahead of the field, Larrazabal refused to be intimidated by the illustrious company trailing him that included another former European number one, Lee Westwood, who made a fast start to add to the pressure. Instead of being fazed, he increased his lead by picking up three birdies in the first five holes before a double-bogey on nice reduced his advantage to just two strokes over Montgomerie. Mistakes by the experienced men along with birdies on the 10th and 11th allowed Larrazabal to regain complete control. Despite dropping another shot on the long 14th, he again responded with two successive birdies to win the 666,660 euro first prize—one of largest on tour—and claim an exemption for the July 17-20 British Open through its mini order of merit. A 440,440 second prize transformed Montgomerie’s season by boosting his hopes of qualifying for Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup team as he moved to 14th on the combined European table, just four places away from automatic qualification. “That massive putt on the last makes a big difference in world and Ryder Cup points and it’s a step in the right direction at last,” Montgomerie told reporters. “And what’s very encouraging is that I putted well all weekend. “Forgive me but I don’t even know the winner’s name,” he said of Larrazabal. “Let’s just call him Pablo. He’s got a great future, he held up against a lot of pressure. Good luck to him.” Hansen’s third place took him to ninth in the Ryder Cup standings while a second double-bogey of the round on 18 relegated Westwood (71), to a tie for fifth on seven-under with Austria’s Markus Brier. “I made a great start but after five holes everything I touched turned to rubbish,” Westwood said. Australian Richard Green finished fourth on eight-under while fellow countryman Scott Strange, who failed to make the cut, hung on to the remaining British Open qualifying spot. Posted Jun 30 2008, 08:13 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Colin Montgomerie, 2008, European Tour, French Open, Pablo Larrazabal

• Inbee Park Becomes Youngest Winner of Women's U.S. Open

  Inbee Park woke up in the middle of the night 10 years ago when she heard cheering from the living room of her tiny apartment outside Seoul. Her parents were up at 3 a.m. to watch Se Ri Pak become the first South Korean and the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Open. The 9-year-old girl sat down with them to watch, half asleep, but definitely paying attention. “When she made a putt, they were screaming,” Park said. “So I really could not sleep.” Two days later, she placed her tiny hands around a golf club for the first time. On Sunday, Park wrapped hands around the biggest trophy in women’s golf, capturing the U.S. Women’s Open at Interlachen with nearly flawless golf over the final 10 holes as everyone else melted away. “I didn’t know anything about golf back then, but I was watching her,” Park said. “It was very impressive for a little girl. I just thought that I could do it, too.” Two weeks shy of her 20th birthday, Park replaced Pak as the youngest Women’s Open champion. She pulled away with crucial putts on three straight holes—two birdies and one par—early on the back nine and added a final birdie for a 2-under 71 and a four-shot victory over Helen Alfredsson. Park was the only player in the final nine groups to break par. She finished at 9-under 283 and earned $585,000, then got soaked at the end of a sunny afternoon when Jeong Jang and I.K. Kim rushed onto the green and doused her with beer. “Really, I can’t believe I just did this, especially with all these big names on the trophy that have been very, very successful with the golf,” Park said, gazing at the silver championship trophy. “Hopefully, I’ll put a couple of my names on there. It will be great.” It was a shocker for everyone else, but for different reasons. Alfredsson began the final round tied with Park, two shots out of the lead and hopeful she could finally atone for her collapse 14 years ago in the Women’s Open, took 35 putts in her final round of 75. “She played fantastic,” said Alfredsson, who played with Park. “She was very calm, never changed anything. And really, that’s very impressive for a 19-year-old. She’s going to win a lot more.” Stacy Lewis, trying to become the first player to win a major in her professional debut, made double bogey from 80 yards in front of the green on the par-5 second hole and staggered home to a 78 to tie for third at 288. “I finished third at the U.S. Open, my first pro event,” Lewis said. “It’s kind of hard to be upset.” Paula Creamer, who started the final round one shot behind Lewis and said her experience of six LPGA victories would be a big advantage, made two double bogeys on the front nine for a 41 and scrambled for a 78. Creamer’s final round scoring average in the U.S. Women’s Open is 75.2. “It’s probably the most disappointed I’ve been in a very long time,” she said. No one imagined the only drama on the back nine would come from Annika Sorenstam, who was never in contention competing in her final Women’s Open before retirement at the end of the season. Her final shot was a 6-iron from 199 yards that tumbled into the cup for eagle. “Leaving with another great memory, that’s for sure,” Sorenstam said after closing with a 78 to finish 12 shots behind in a tie for 24th. “Maybe not the one I had in mind, but I’ll take it.” Such highlights were rare for everyone else. Park was the only player to break par all four days at Interlachen, a course that showed its strength in the final round with 20 mph wind that made it tough to keep on the right side of the hole. The lowest score Sunday belonged to 15-year-old Jessica Korda, the daughter of ‘98 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda, who caddied for her. She shot a 69 and tied for 19th. Park became the third player in the last six years to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA Tour victory, and it was reminiscent of Birdie Kim’s victory three years ago at Cherry Hills, minus the dramatic bunker shot for birdie on the 72nd hole. There were so many possibilities for great story lines going into the final round—Lewis and her remarkable recovery from back surgery that almost ended her career before she got to college; Creamer, looking poised to finally get a major to go with her marketing campaign; Alfredsson finally hopeful of U.S. Open redemption at 43. Instead, it was Park who stole the show by simply playing the best golf. Equipped with a two-shot lead when Lewis bogeyed the eighth and ninth, Park poured it on with a 10-foot birdie on the 11th, saving par from the bunker with an 8-foot putt on No. 12, and a 6-foot birdie on the 13th. “Everything happened so fast. It’s scary,” Park said. “I really tried to stay calm, but it was so exciting, I couldn’t do it. This is my day.” Park continued international dominance of the LPGA majors, as Americans have won only six of the last 31. Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, who had finished no worse than third in the last four majors and won two of them, never got on track at Interlachen and closed with a 74 to tie for 31st. Park’s mother, Song Kim, was with her at Interlachen, but her father could not make it. “My dad almost was going to fly to this event yesterday, but I’m like, ‘No, it’s OK. Stay home, you can watch TV.”’ Just like he was doing 10 years ago, only this time watching his daughter become the youngest Open champion. Posted Jun 30 2008, 08:09 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Annika Sorenstam, Paula Creamer, 2008, Stacy Lewis, U.S. Women’s Open, Inbee Park

• Loren Roberts Claims First Victory of the Season

  Loren Roberts lived up to his nickname. Known as “The Boss of the Moss” for his deft putting, Roberts made a 29-foot, double-breaking birdie putt on the par-5 17th Sunday. That put him in front by two strokes in the Commerce Bank Championship and he went on to his first Champions Tour victory of the year. “That birdie was huge because it gave me a two-stroke lead with one tough hole left,” Roberts said. “It was a double-breaker. It started left to right then broke left at the hole. “It seems like when you can make a bogey to win, you always do.” Roberts did bogey the closing hole but his 3-under 68 gave him a 12-under 201 total and a one-stroke victory over Nick Price and Lonnie Nielsen. The win in the $1.6 million event was the eighth on the Champions Tour for Roberts, the same total he had in his PGA Tour career. He has three second-place finishes on the Champions Tour this year, including last week to Jeff Sluman. The man who got his nickname from fellow golfer David Ogrin at the 1994 U.S. Open was asked if felt any pressure since his last win came 16 events ago. “Yes. I definitely wanted to win and I overcame it today which sometimes you can’t do,” Roberts said. He led all the way in earning the $240,000 first prize that moved him past Scott Hoch and into third place on the money list with $1,151,093, $2,000 behind leader Jay Haas and $100,000 behind Bernhard Langer, who both skipped this event. “It was an exciting day for me,” said the 53-year-old Roberts, who finished second in this event last year. “I really tested my mettle today. There were a lot of guys closing in and I dropped off the leaderboard for a while.” Price, looking for his first win on this tour, matched the tournament’s low round with a 6-under 65 and finished tied for second at 11 under with Nielsen, the defending champion, who had a closing 66. Price made three straight birdies starting at No. 14 to get within one shot but he parred the last two holes. “Sixty-five was a good round but I though I had a 62 or 63 in me,” said Price, who played the par 5s even for the tournament. “I’m a little frustrated. I played well and didn’t win but Loren played well and with 54 holes you have to have six good nines, you can’t fiddle around and cruise.” Nielsen, who finished two strokes in front of Roberts last year for his first Champions Tour win, made a 14-foot birdie putt on 17 to get within one, then left a 26-foot birdie putt just short on 18. “I just didn’t hit it even after I told myself to make sure I got it there,” said Nielsen, who spent the week for the first time as defending champion. “It was so much fun coming back and reliving the memories of last year and then to play well on top of it made it all even more special.” Sluman (66) and Gene Jones (67) were another stroke back at the 7,072-yard Red Course at Eisenhower Park. Roberts was the fourth wire-to-wire winner in this event, joining Bruce Fleisher (1999, 2000) and Ron Streck (2005). He led by one stroke after an opening 65 and was up by two over David Eger and Scott Simpson after a second-round 68. After bogeying No. 1 for the second straight day, a birdie at the par-5 third had Roberts in a seven-way tie for the lead until Eger birdied No. 5 with a 10-foot putt to get to 10 under. Roberts tied Eger at 11 under with a short birdie putt on No. 11, and he took the lead for good with a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 12th, a hole Eger bogeyed. Tim Simpson (67), Mike Goodes (68) and Scott Simpson finished at 204. Andy Bean (68), Mark McNulty (69), Fulton Allem (69) and Eger (70) were another stroke back. Posted Jun 30 2008, 08:07 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Champions Tour, 2008, Loren Roberts, Commerce Bank Championship

• Day of Surprises at U.S. Women's Open

  Gathering clouds gave way to sunshine, the first of many surprises Thursday in a U.S. Women’s Open that didn’t go the way anyone expected, least of all Pat Hurst. Her day had a happy ending, one last birdie for a 6-under 67 and a share of the lead with Ji Young Oh. Annika Sorenstam twice made back-to-back bogeys and wound up with a 75, her highest first-round score in a Women’s Open since she opened with a 76 in 1992 at Oakmont when she was a 22-year-old amateur. Lorena Ochoa and Cristie Kerr, who have combined to win three of the last four LPGA majors, played alongside an 18-year-old freshman at UCLA and couldn’t keep up. Maria Jose Uribe of Colombia, the Women’s Amateur champion, showed passion and fist pumps and hardly any fear on her way to a 4-under 69 that kept the gallery riveted. Michelle Wie even got in on the act. One minute she looked like she was on the road to recovery, the next minute she crashed to a quintuple-bogey 9 at the turn that sent her to an 81, the second straight year she failed to break 80 in the opening round. “It was just one bad hole. And it’s a U.S. Open,” Wie said. “It will bite you in the butt.” Hurst was chewing herself out early in the round, never imagining she would have anything to smile about in the late afternoon sun over Interlachen. She missed yet another short putt—the very reason she hasn’t made a cut since the last week in May—and began complaining to her caddie about a vicious cycle she couldn’t shake. “I was whining,” she said. “I was being a golfer.” Hurst rolled in a 35-foot birdie out of nowhere that kicked off a stretch of 6 under through seven holes. She looked over at her caddie with surprise and mock disgust, then kept right on rolling. “It just turned it all around right there,” she said. She birdied the 16th hole, reached the par-5 18th in two with a 3-wood for a two-putt birdie, then took advantage on the consecutive par 5s on the front nine. Hurst hit a slight fade with her 7-wood up the hill to a right hole location on the par-5 second and made a 15-foot eagle, then capped off her big run with a sand wedge to another elevated green that stopped 10 feet away. Before a gallery that grew quickly—they were waiting for Sorenstam, who was playing behind her—Hurst hit an 8-iron that hopped onto the fringe, rolled along the bowl-shaped green and settled 3 feet away for one final birdie and her lowest round ever in the Open. “There was never a point where I felt like I was going to go low,” said Hurst, whose previous best round was a 69. Song-Hee Kim was another shot back after a 68, while Louise Friberg, Ji-Yai Shin and Uribe were at 69. Laura Davies, who won the Open in 1987 and needs one more major to get into the World Golf Hall of Fame, was among those at 70. Thirty-two players broke par, the most for an opening round of the Women’s Open since 43 players shot under par in 1999 at Old Waverly in Mississippi. The Donald Ross design has five par 5s, which helps. The greens received a good dose of water overnight, and the overcast conditions made them even more receptive to approach shots. Oh was in the morning group and didn’t have to work terribly hard on the greens. All seven of her birdies were inside 10 feet, and four of them were inside 2 feet. “I love hitting my drivers and short irons,” Oh said. “And for that, I think this golf course suits my game pretty well.” Ochoa noticed the low scores on the leaderboards, and was asked if she was surprised. “I was just disappointed that it was not me,” she said. “Because it was playing fairly easy in the morning. For sure, I could have finished 2- or 3-under par and been in a better position. But I think it will come back. The U.S. Open is always tough, and I’m OK where I am.” Sorenstam has work to do. She was 2 under through seven holes, and putting cost her again. She had a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th that she ran by the cup, and was stunned when her par putt swirled around the cup. She made back-to-back bogeys on the front nine, and thought she could at least end her day on a positive note with a beautiful approach to 6 feet on the ninth. She missed that one, too, and now finds herself eight shots out of the lead. “A few putts go in, it would have been a different story,” she said. “I’ve just got to be patient and get off to a good start tomorrow morning and keep it. I know I’ve got the game and I love the golf course. Long ways to go.” Hurst, 39, has been around long enough to know that her name atop the leaderboard on Thursday doesn’t mean much. She was thrilled to see her name at all after the start she had, but now is considering this week as a good omen. It was two years ago when she missed the cut a week before the Women’s Open, and she wound up losing an 18-hole playoff to Sorenstam at Newport. “I wasn’t expecting much, and I guess this week I wasn’t expecting much,” she said. “I just want to go out and play the best I can. I’ve been hitting the ball really well, just not scoring. If I can keep that flat stick going, it’s going to be good. Posted Jun 27 2008, 08:03 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, Pat Hurst, Cristie Kerr, 2008, U.S. Women’s Open, Ji Young Oh

• Greg Norman to Be the "Daddy of them all" for Fathers and Sons

  Greg Norman has established himself as one of the leading golf course designers in the world over the last decade. The former world number one, who spent 331 weeks at the top of the rankings, has opened 62 courses across the globe since deciding to focus more on his business career while another 59 new designs are in various stages of development. And one of Norman’s newest creations will provide a fitting stage later this year when the championship golf resort at PortAventura, on Spain’s Costa Dorada, holds the inaugural European Father and Son Golf Championship. The exciting new event, to be held from October 28 to November 2, is set to attract around 150 pairs and is open to any amateur and professional father and son pairings, with no age restrictions. And with the cost of the week just £395 per player - which includes four rounds of golf on Norman’s new North Course, five nights in a four-star hotel with half-board stay, transfers, gala dinner and prizes on the final night - places are going fast. Toby Marsden, director of the European Father and Son Golf Championship, said: “I have always wanted to run a father and son tournament in Europe and PortAventura is the perfect location for our first event. I am looking forward to welcoming all our competitors in the autumn to Greg’s fantastic new creation.” Norman’s North Course, which is part of the famous PortAventura theme park located outside of Barcelona, opens this summer and, measuring around 6,100 metres with a par 70, is guaranteed to challenge golfers of all levels. The layout has been harmoniously integrated within its surroundings, multiplying the wet areas which originally existed, and creating a wetlands landscape which is rarely found in the Mediterranean. And with numerous lakes and strategically-placed bunkers to add to the wetlands, a combination of strategy, distance and precision is required to navigate your way safely around the course - particularly on the closing hole where water comes into play with every shot. Marsden, an ex-PGA professional, added: “There are still some places left to fill, and I am confident that they will be snapped up as news about the tournament spreads throughout the UK.“My team will be there to host and organise the event and the course, facilities and hotel are superb. There aren’t many events offering these kind of facilities and experience for under £100 per day and I expect everybody to have a great time.” As well as playing four rounds of championship golf, competitors will also have the chance to enjoy the fun-packed beach town of Salou, which is right on the doorstep. Salou boasts a wide variety of shops, restaurants, bars and clubs making it the perfect place to unwind after a hard day on the fairways. Marsden is also managing director of UKSG, a small independent family-run golf travel company which was started in the 1990s and specialises in online booking for worldwide golf holidays. For more information on the European Father and Son Golf Championship, please phone +44 (0)1702 337020 , e-mail info@ukschoolofgolf.com or visit their website at www.fatherandsongolf.co.uk Posted Jun 27 2008, 08:01 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Greg Norman

• Annika Sorenstam Aiming for Final U.S. Open Memories

  The practice range at Interlachen was filled with young players hitting balls under the late afternoon sun, many of them playing in the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time and soaking up all it offers. In the middle of this activity was Annika Sorenstam, without any fanfare, longtime Swedish coach Henri Reis at her side. She was trying not to soak up the memories. Not yet. “I can be an emotional player,” Sorenstam said. “But I can also be a very cold player. And I try to just stay cold about my emotions and focus on what I have to do. But I do know in the back of my mind that when Sunday comes, I will not be playing here any more.” Sorenstam, 37, announced six weeks ago that she is retiring from competition at the end of the year. She does not want this to be a farewell tour, concentrating instead on piling up as many victories as she can, determined to add at least one more major to her collection. But this week is different. The U.S. Women’s Open, which starts Thursday at Interlachen, means more to her than any other major. She captured the first of her 72 victories on the LPGA Tour in the 1995 Women’s Open at the Broadmoor, made it two in a row the next year at Pine Needles, then went an entire decade before adding her third title in 2006 at Newport. It means so much that she refers to it simply as “The Open,” rare words coming from a European. And even in retirement, she has agreed to become a “USGA ambassador,” getting involved with everything from the Rules of Golf to programs aimed at getting more younger players involved. “I care a lot about this championship, and I’m going to do the best I can to be up there on Sunday,” she said. But she realizes it will be hard work. Part of the challenge comes from those around her, particularly Lorena Ochoa, who has replaced as her as the dominant player in women’s golf. Ochoa won the first major of the year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and like Sorenstam, finished one shot out of the playoff earlier this month at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship. Sorenstam will be playing with Paula Creamer, one only three players with multiple victories on the LPGA Tour this year, and Suzann Pettersen, who turned in a dazzling performance six years ago at Interlachen by rallying from five holes down with five to play to earn a halve against Michele Redman in the Solheim Cup. The greatest test could be Interlachen, designed by Donald Ross, touched up by Robert Trent Jones, at 6,789 yards the longest golf course in Women’s Open history. Some of that length is negated by the course playing as a par 73 with five par 5s, and by the elevated greens with undulations so severe that the USGA has gone conservative with some of the hole locations. “Sometimes caddies, they come and talk to you, ‘We really need to be below the hole.’ Sometimes they overreact,” Ochoa said. “It’s OK if you are 2 or 3 feet by, you can make a nice birdie putt. Not on these greens. You really need to pay attention.” Rarely has Sorenstam ever had to pay such attention to her emotions. She was a teenager in Stockholm when Liselotte Neumann became the first Swede to win a U.S. Women’s Open in 1988, and Sorenstam recalls finding inspiration from the stories she read in the newspaper the next morning. Even when she started playing golf, every putt on the practice green was for the Open. “The Open has always meant a lot to me,” she said. Now, she has a chance to join Mickey Wright and Betsy Rawls as the only four-time winners of the U.S. Women’s Open. And she could end her career the way it began, hoisting the most significant trophy in women’s golf. From her long hours on the range with Reis, to a putting lesson from two-time PGA champion Dave Stockton two week ago in Utah, Sorenstam has poured everything into peaking at just the right time. “She’s not too nostalgic,” fiance Mike McGee said as he followed her around Interlachen in her final practice round. “But this is the biggest major for her. This is what she wants to win.” There was time for some nostalgia Wednesday. Sorenstam dropped a few balls at her feet in front of the fifth green, then chipped to an imaginary hole as she does during a practice round for most majors. Reis suddenly turned and pulled a camera from his bag, crouching to take a few pictures. Was he studying the position of her stance? Her grip? Her posture? Sorenstam smiled when asked the purpose of the pictures. “There for a collection,” she said. “He’s just taking memories from here.” There is time for such occasions, not but much of it. There is not much left in her tank, which is why she decided last month to walk away from a game she dominated like no other player in her generation. Critical to Sorenstam is starting strong and keeping the tank full. “You only have so much to give, and I’m coming to a point where it’s hard to get geared up other than for big events,” she said. “I have a lot of patience coming into a tournament. If it goes well, it’s easy to stay on top and keep going. But when things are not going so well, it’s easy to lose it.” That’s one reason she decided this year will be her last. If she could win only more tournament, this would be it. Posted Jun 26 2008, 10:28 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Annika Sorenstam, 2008, U.S. Women’s Open, Henri Reis

• Ian Poulter Hoping for Ryder Cup Boost

  Ian Poulter returns from injury this week to try to boost his Ryder Cup prospects at the French Open. Poulter retired from the U.S. Open two weeks ago with pain in his right wrist and on Wednesday the seven-times European Tour winner still had the injury heavily bandaged. The 32-year-old Englishman is hoping it eases enough for him to get into contention for one of the biggest first prizes of the year (666,660 euros) and a haul of 38 world ranking points. Lying 11th on the world points table and 25th on the European points list for the Ryder Cup team, Poulter needs a drastic improvement to play his way into the side for the biennial match against the U.S. in Valhalla, Kentucky in September. Poulter also cast doubt on his involvement in the two big-money events to follow, next week’s European Open and the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. “As far as qualifying for the Ryder Cup goes I’m not sure what my schedule is after this week,” he told reporters. “I am going to play the British Open (starting on July 17), put it that way. I don’t know about the rest. “I am going to play what I need to. If I win this week it will help but the Ryder Cup is months ahead and I don’t want to think too much about it. “Let’s see how we get on this week and see how it (the wrist) is. If it’s all right and I am happy then I can think about the other stuff,” added Poulter, a member of the triumphant 2004 side. “The wrist is fine for now. I played 18 holes the other day, the first time since the U.S. Open and shot a couple under which was nice.” European Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo also has concerns about the prospect of another Englishman making his team. Luke Donald, on the winning 2004 and 2006 sides and lying ninth on the world points list, has pulled out of this week’s event because he has still not recovered from the wrist injury that caused him to retire during the last round of the U.S. Open. Posted Jun 26 2008, 10:25 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Ryder Cup, 2008, Ian Poulter, French Open

• Rocco Mediate Center of Attention at Buick

  Rocco Mediate took centre stage at the Buick Open on Wednesday on his first day back at work since losing a bruising 91 hole battle with Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open. With world number one Woods out of action for the rest of the year following reconstructive surgery on his left knee on Tuesday, the chatty Mediate had the limelight to himself as he relived the Torrey Pines duel. That epic performance captured the imagination of fans around the world, with Mediate still basking in the glory of the runner-up finish that transformed him from PGA Tour journeyman to golfing celebrity. “The impossible almost happened,” Mediate told reporters. “Can somebody remind me what actually did happen? “It’s been unbelievable. Never seen anything like it in my entire lifetime. “Busy, just busy. I just take my hat off to Tiger and a lot of the other guys that have won these things. “I didn’t even win and it’s like this.” Without a PGA Tour win since the 2002 Greater Greensboro Open, a victory would be a welcome encore for the man who has seen his world ranking and popularity soar. Mediate’s performance at the U.S. Open has allowed him to step into the role of Buick headliner in Woods’ absence. The player has been bombarded with interview requests and television appearances, leaving him uncertain of what to expect this week at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. “I’m fairly wiped out,” said Mediate, one of 11 former-Buick champions in the field. “I just want to keep doing the same thing I was doing, and obviously you’re not going to ever have that all the time. At least, I’m not. “But I know that physically I’m ready to go, and we’ll see, mentally. “I’ll tell you Thursday. We’ll find out in the morning when I tee off how I’m doing. “I know the golf course like the back of my hand, so that’s not a problem. But it is a challenge because I haven’t had much time to work. “I played yesterday and the day before and that’s about it since Monday, since the Monday of the playoff. I don’t know what to expect truthfully.” Posted Jun 26 2008, 10:22 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Rocco Mediate, Buick Open

• PGA Tour Announces New Famous Holes Challenge

  The PGA Tour unveiled a new competition on Wednesday that will see golfers challenge the game’s most celebrated holes with the winner receiving $1 million. The Kodak Challenge, which will debut in 2009, will combine the PGA Tour’s most famous holes into a year long 18 hole event that golf officials hope will help maintain fan interest later into the season after the majors and FedEx Cup is completed. “This is a unique and compelling competition that I believe tour players and fans will be excited about,” former-player, broadcaster and member of the Challenge advisory board David Feherty told reporters. “When players are on the Kodak Challenge hole, they’ll want to play it well, particularly because it could mean a million bucks at the end of the year.” The player who posts the lowest score relative to par on 18 of the Challenge holes will receive the $1 million prize. Details have not been finalised but the Challenge is expected to include a minimum of 24 tournaments. Officials, however, did confirm that the Buick Open and the 197-yard par three 17th at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club would be among the featured holes. The remaining holes will be selected with input from an advisory board made up of Feherty, golf course designer Rees Jones, photographer Jules Alexander, PGA Tour tournament administration Andy Pazder and CBS Sports coordinating producer Lance Barrow. Posted Jun 26 2008, 10:19 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, PGA Tour, 2009, The Kodak Challenge

• Michelle Wie Looking for Brighter Future

  Once one of the biggest attractions in the game, teenager Michelle Wie cuts a much lower profile at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. The 18-year-old American had to qualify to book a place in the field for the third women’s major of the season after being troubled by a wrist injury throughout her 2007 campaign. Now studying fulltime at Stanford University in California, Wie believes her lengthy battle for fitness has made her a humbler person. “Sometimes you have to go back to your roots to become a better player and better person,” Wie told reporters at Interlachen Country Club on Tuesday. “I’m pretty optimistic as a person, but it was pretty tough,” she added, referring to her struggles last year when she broke par only twice in 19 rounds on the LPGA Tour. “It was tough to be positive. It was tough at times to have fun out there. I really had to learn myself, learn my game, learn my limits, learn my swing.” Wie, who tied for third in the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Newport Country Club, was one of 84 players who had to qualify for this year’s edition. “I think going through that qualifying humbled me a lot as a player, as a person,” she said. The game’s most trumpeted teenager since Tiger Woods, Wie turned professional in 2005 at the age of 15, signing endorsement deals worth $10 million per year that made her one of the highest paid athletes in women’s sport. She admits, though, she made a mistake in playing any golf last year with an injured wrist. “I was in no condition to play, I don’t know what I was thinking,” the statuesque Hawaiian said. “It’s because I thought that at any moment it would get better. “My wrist was broken but my mind wasn’t broken,” she said. “Looking back on it, I think that just prolonged my injury.” Wie believes she is making a fresh beginning in golf. “I feel like I’m re-emerging as a new player, a new person,” said the Honolulu native, who has been tipped to become one of the best female golfers of all time. “I’m never, ever going to think about last year again.” Wie, who stunned the sporting world in 2004 when she narrowly failed to become the first female to make the cut in a men’s PGA Tour event, is eager to fulfill her potential. “I want to see how good I can get,” she said. “I’ve come with the mentality that I can play good enough to win this week. I’m feeling pretty confident about my game. I don’t think I’ve reached my full potential at all yet.” Posted Jun 25 2008, 10:15 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Michelle Wie, 2008, U.S. Women’s Open

• Tiger Woods Undergoes Reconstructive Knee Surgery

  Tiger Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee Tuesday in Utah to repair a torn ligament, and doctors said it was “highly unlikely” there would be any long-term effects. It was the second time in 10 weeks Woods had surgery on his knee, this time on his anterior cruciate ligament. “We were confident going into this surgery, and I am pleased with the results,” Dr. Thomas D. Rosenberg said in a statement released by IMG, Woods’ management company. “There were no surprises during the procedure, and as we have said, with the proper rehabilitation and training, it is highly unlikely that Mr. Woods will have any long-term effects as it relates to his career.” The surgery came one week after Woods went 91 holes at Torrey Pines to win the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate, revealing later that he also had a double stress fracture in his left tibia. The surgery, performed by Rosenberg and Dr. Vernon J. Cooley in Park City, was the fourth time Woods has had surgery on his left knee. He had a benign tumor removed in 1994, and he had benign cysts removed in 2002, along with fluid around the ACL. Woods said he tore his ACL while jogging last year after the British Open, but tried to make it through the end of this season without surgery. Two days after his runner-up finish at the Masters, he had surgery to clean out cartilage in his left knee. The world’s No. 1 player announced last week that he would miss the rest of the season, which includes two more major championships and the Ryder Cup. “It was important to me to have the surgery as soon as possible so that I could begin the rehabilitation process,” Woods said in a statement. “I am very appreciative of Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Cooley and his staff’s guidance and look forward to working with them through the necessary rehabilitation and training. “I look forward to working hard at my rehabilitation over the coming months and returning to the PGA Tour healthy next year.” He did not say when he would start his rehab or any timetable for his return. Posted Jun 25 2008, 10:12 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Tiger Woods, Left Knee, Dr. Thomas D. Rosenberg, Reconstructive Knee Surgery

• Missing Tiger Dampens 50th Buick Open

  The Buick Open’s 50th anniversary party will be a little more subdued than planned with guest of honour Tiger Woods announcing he will miss the rest of the year to have surgery on his left knee. While the golf world has had a week to digest the news that Woods will not play again this season, the Buick, set to start on Thursday at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, represents the first tournament the world number one had been scheduled to play and is likely to provide a barometer of what sort of impact his absence will have on the sport. Attendance and television ratings for the Buick are expected to dip without Woods, who has made Warwick Hills a regular fixture on his calendar with the carmaker being one of his biggest endorsements. Coming off a heroic playoff win over Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open, Woods was to be the centerpiece of the 50th anniversary celebrations that was to include a golf clinic at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, and several charity and sponsorship events that had to be scrapped. Woods’s value to a tournament will be tested at the Buick, which has been left with just one golfer ranked among the world’s top 20 in the field—former champion Jim Furyk. With eight top-10 finishes including a victory in 2003, Furyk will rank among the favorites to claim the $5 million tournament, which received another blow when three-time winner Vijay Singh also dropped the event from his schedule. Woods and Singh had combined to win four of the last six Buicks. With Woods on the sideline, the man likely to take over the spotlight is the player he shared it with at the U.S. Open; Mediate, who returns to work for the first time since his bruising 91-hole battle with the world number one at Torrey Pines. The 2000 Buick champion, Mediate won over a huge number of fans with his enthusiastic play in San Diego but will need more than charm to replace Woods’s charisma. American Brian Bateman will be back to defend the title he won in dramatic fashion with a birdie at the last to claim his first career PGA Tour win after 151 starts. Bothered by a sore shoulder that may require surgery, Bateman said he considered withdrawing from the tournament but took inspiration from Woods and decided to try and defend his one and only title. “I really wanted to play here and really wanted to try to defend,” Bateman told reporters. “You don’t have many opportunities out here to defend your title, and I thought I owed it to Buick and to the people here at Warwick to at least come back and try and defend. “As far as the surgery, it may be in the next few weeks. I may try to play through a couple of the majors and maybe the FedExCup and take the fall off.” Posted Jun 25 2008, 10:08 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Tiger Woods, 2008, Jim Furyk, Buick Open

• Rocco Mediate Not Bothered by Johnny Millers' Comments

  Rocco Mediate says he’s not bothered by NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller saying the 45-year old golfer “looks like the guy who cleans Tiger’s swimming pool,” and “Guys with the name ‘Rocco’ don’t get on the trophy” during the U.S. Open. Mediate was in Rhode Island on Monday to play in the CVS Caremark Charity Classic at the Rhode Island Country Club. He won the tournament five years ago. Miller apologized Friday for his description of Mediate, who is of Italian heritage. Miller said the comments had nothing to do with Mediate’s ethnicity, and he meant to convey his affection and admiration for Mediate’s “everyman qualities.” Mediate told WJAR-TV that Miller’s comments had been blown out of proportion. “It doesn’t bother me at all,” he said. “He definitely didn’t do it on purpose.” He called Miller “quite a good announcer” because he says what’s on his mind. He said the analyst had left him a voicemail and he planned to call him back. Mediate, who has never won a major, was the runner-up at the U.S. Open, losing a 19-hole playoff to Tiger Woods. Mediate was a last-minute addition to the charity tournament, replacing Boo Weekley, who withdrew last week for personal reasons. The tournament is run under a best-ball format and concludes Tuesday. Mediate and his teammate, Brandt Senedker, shot a 9-under 62 to tie for second place in the first round with three other pairs—Paul Goydos and Tim Herron, Billy Andrade and Davis Love III and Charles Howell with Nick Price. The pair of Bubba Watson and Camilo Villegas shot a 10-under 61 to grab the first-round lead. Watson Fla., made eagle on the par-5, 516-yard eighth hole. Watson-Villegas made the turn leading by one stroke after combining for a 6-under 30 on the front nine. “We hit the ball well over the first few holes and it took a lot of pressure off,” Watson said. “For the most part we hung in there and had chances.” Watson-Villegas birdied each of the first four holes and appeared to be in position to challenge the tournament record of 13-under 58 set in 2001 by the teams of Brad Faxon-Gary Player and Dudley Hart-Herron. But after making birdie on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, Watson-Villegas only could make par on each of the last three. “What really hurt us was that we only made par on the last three holes,” Watson said. Laura Diaz and Nicole Castrale, the second women’s team to play in the 10-year tournament, missed tying for the lead when they each missed a par putt on the 18th hole and combined for bogie. “We got some excitement going in the crowd,” Diaz said, “but I felt we left some shots out there.” Brett Quigley combined with his uncle, Champions Tour veteran Dana Quigley, to shoot 8-under 63 and made eagle on the par-5, 538-yard 11th hole by chipping in from three yards off the green. Brett Quigley incurred a stress fracture in his left leg two weeks before the U.S. Open. Earlier this year he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Posted Jun 24 2008, 10:05 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Tiger Woods, U.S. Open, 2008, Rocco Mediate, Johnny Miller

• Martin Kaymer Claims Title in a Playoff

  Germany’s Martin Kaymer came back from a faltering finish to win the BMW International Open on Sunday by defeating Denmark’s Anders Hansen in a sudden-death playoff. Kaymer led the field by six strokes going into the final round but needed to birdie the 72nd hole to match Hansen’s 15-under-par 273. Another birdie at the first extra hole though earned Kaymer the 333,330 Euro ($517,600) first prize and his second title of the victory. Kaymer, who won the Abu Dhabi Championship earlier in the season, missed practice to be with his seriously ill mother and she was the first thought on his mind after his victory. “I just kept fighting, not only for me but for my mother,” Kaymer told reporters. “Six shots is a lot to be leading but in the end it didn’t feel like it.” Dane Hansen, who had been advised not to play after undergoing a cartilage operation on his right knee a month ago, had put the German youngster under pressure by carding a five-under 67. However, Kaymer somehow found reserves to respond after slumping to a closing 75. Kaymer had been in complete control after moving five ahead of the field with a second-round 63 and then extending that advantage on Saturday. However, his nerves showed over the front nine which he could only cover in two-over and his overnight advantage was wiped out with a triple-bogey on the long 11th, when he twice found the lake. Hansen, twice a winner of Europe’s flagship PGA Championship title, produced three birdies in four holes from the eighth to close in and then overtake Kaymer, who needed to eagle the last to win outright but saw his attempt from 40ft slide just past the cup. At the first playoff hole, Kaymer rediscovered his form, splitting the fairway on the 18th and approaching to 10ft to two-putt for his birdie, while Hansen twice found sand to bogey. The win took Kaymer back into the world’s top 30, seventh on Europe’s money-list and sixth on the Ryder Cup table. Hansen was happy to have come through his injury problems to finish runner-up. “I was three weeks without touching a golf ball,” he said. “The doctors said I’d needed somewhere between four to six weeks off but the guy who did the operation told me I should play.” The English trio John Bickerton (67), Mark Foster (68) and Paul Casey (70) tied for third, two strokes short of the playoff. BMW International Open Scores 273 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 68 63 67 75 (Kaymer won play-off at first extra hole), Anders Hansen (Den) 69 70 67 67 275 Paul Casey 70 68 67 70, Mark Foster 67 72 68 68, John Bickerton 70 70 68 67 277 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 74 69 69 65, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 69 66 73, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70 71 66, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 66 70 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 69 67 72, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 68 72 68 278 Ross Fisher 70 68 67 73 279 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 69 69 72, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 68 73 68 70, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 68 75 73 63 280 Iain Pyman 69 74 64 73, Alexander Noren (Swe) 68 73 72 67, Tino Schuster (Ger) 69 68 69 74, Colin Montgomerie 70 71 68 71, David Lynn 67 73 66 74, Graeme Storm 68 69 70 73, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 66 71 74 69, Alex Cejka (Ger) 74 67 71 68 281 Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 71 71 65 74, Benn Barham 68 68 69 76, Gary Murphy 71 70 68 72, Alastair Forsyth 74 68 71 68, David Frost (Rsa) 74 69 68 70, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 66 75 68 72 282 Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 70 69 71, Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 72 68 74 68, Stephan jr. Gross (Ger) 71 68 71 72, Ariel Canete (Arg) 73 65 70 74, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 69 72 71 70, Simon Khan 75 65 71 71 283 Oliver Fisher 71 70 71 71 284 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 67 74 69 74, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 70 72 71 71, Barry Lane 70 70 72 72 285 Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71 72 71 71, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 66 73 71 75, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 70 72 70 73 286 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 67 72 75 72, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 72 72 71, David Howell 69 69 71 77, Peter Lawrie 73 68 71 74, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 69 75 71 287 Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 70 70 74 73, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 67 76 73, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 70 68 73 76, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 70 68 75 74 288 Markus Brier (Aut) 71 70 74 73, Peter Fowler (Aus) 71 70 74 73 290 Carl Suneson (Spa) 69 73 75 73 291 Richard Finch 69 68 73 81, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 71 69 79 72, Florian Praegant (Aut) 74 67 79 71, Bradley Dredge 73 65 72 81 292 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 72 81 69, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 73 70 75 74 294 Pedro Linhart (Spa) 70 73 73 78, Anton Haig (Rsa) 66 73 79 76, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 69 74 82 296 Mark Brown (USA) 72 71 80 73 298 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 68 77 80 299 Tom Whitehouse 72 71 79 77 Posted Jun 23 2008, 10:00 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Martin Kaymer, BMW International Open