Golf International Magazine Online

April 2009 - Posts

• Slimmer John Daly Makes Another Comeback

  Twice major winner John Daly’s latest bid to resurrect his career is for his benefit and not to prove his detractors wrong, the American said on Wednesday. a colourful john daly Picture © Getty Images Daly, 43, is rehabilitating by losing weight and trying to give up a diet and lifestyle that saw him balloon to nearly 280 lbs less than three months ago. A surgical implant to prevent him binge eating has enabled him to slim down to 220 lbs, around the weight he was when he won the 1991 U.S. PGA Championship and 1995 British Open. A desire to get his major-winning form back after being banned from playing on the U.S. PGA Tour for six months last November for bringing the tour into disrepute has been the driving force behind his weight loss, Daly said. “I don’t have any points to prove to anyone,” Daly, who has committed to several European Tour events before his American ban ends in June, told reporters at the Spanish Open. “I’m doing this for myself. I want the consistency I’ve not had since 2004. To win again is the most important thing to me, not what people think about me.” Daly’s U.S. tour ban came after he was accused of being found drunk and incapable outside a bar, the last of a litany of indiscretions, including playing without a shirt and hitting balls off a beer-bottle top in pro-ams. He called his drunk offence “a case of mistaken identity” but decided to “stand up for a couple of buddies” and turn the ban into a positive. “I’ve been able to work on my game. I had nine hours’ putting one day and two days hitting a lot of balls, for instance. I’ve actually enjoyed the time off. I was going nowhere.” Dubbed the `Wild Thing’ early in his career, Daly is prepared to handle his latest comeback attempt quietly. “I don’t expect too much this week, I can’t force it,” he said. “The only guy who can do that is Tiger (Wood Posted Apr 30 2009, 09:48 AM by Golf International with 1 comment(s) Filed under: John Daly, Golf International

• HSBC Champions Gets WGC Status

  Tiger Woods already has said he will play, along with defending champion Sergio Garcia. SERGIO GARCIA Picture © Getty Images   The HSBC Champions began in 2005 and had been sanctioned by every major golf tour except the PGA Tour. That changes with its designation as the fourth World Golf Championship, and the only one not staged in the United States. Woods was runner-up his first two times playing the HSBC Champions, and will return for the Nov. 5-8 event. “It is an event that symbolizes the amazing progress of golf in Asia, and its new World Golf Championships status underlines how firmly China has established its place on the global golf calendar,” Woods said. “I enjoy playing around the world when possible, and having a WGC event in China is very important to the global growth of the game.” The world’s No. 1 player has won every WGC event since the series began in 1999. The HSBC Champions again will be played at Sheshan International Golf Club. It will not count as official money in the United States. “This is one of the most significant steps ever taken in the globalization of golf, and one of the most logical,” PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. The 78-man field will be limited to winners from every major tour in the world. Along with the major championships, the three WGC events in America and The Players Championship, qualifying will include winners from 23 top-rated tournaments on the PGA Tour and the European Tour, nine tournament winners from the Asian Tour and five each from the Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour in South Africa and Australasian Tour.  But it will not be known until the fall how many Americans will bother going, especially after their official season has ended and any money earned will not count toward the PGA Tour money list.                                                                                                                 Even when a WGC event previously was played in Europe, several U.S.-based players did not attend. Posted Apr 28 2009, 07:33 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, World Golf Championships, 2009, HSBC Champions

• Lanny Wadkins Elected to the Hall of Fame

  Lanny Wadkins was never one to waste any time on the golf course. He committed to a club, picked his target and fired at the flag, a routine that carried him to 21 victories, a major at Pebble Beach and a record-tying eight U.S. Ryder Cup teams. A much slower process was his election to the World Golf Hall of Fame. After spending much of the decade watching other players get inducted with fewer PGA Tour victories, Wadkins was elected on the PGA Tour ballot with 61 percent of the vote. “It’s a huge honor,” Wadkins said Thursday from Savannah, Ga., where he is playing a Champions Tour event. “Even starting out on tour, I never envisioned this day happening. I came out playing not to win money, but to win golf tournaments. This is a special day.” LANNY WADKINS Picture © Getty Images Wadkins will be inducted Nov. 2 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. He was the only player elected from the PGA Tour ballot, which requires 65 percent of the vote from Hall of Famers, media and golf executives. Wadkins got in under a provision that if no one receives the minimum vote, the player with the highest percentage (provided it is over 50 percent) gets elected. It was the first time since Vijay Singh in 2005 (58 percent) that a PGA Tour player was elected through that stipulation. Golfweek magazine reported that two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal has been elected on the International ballot, although that announcement has not been made. Wadkins attributes his election in large part to longevity, noting that he won in three decades and qualified for eight Ryder Cup teams, an American record he shares with Billy Casper and Raymond Floyd. But he also was renowned for his fearless play, and if there was one club that stands out in his bag, it was the wedge. For all his victories, starting with the 1972 Sahara Invitational and ending with the 1992 Greater Hartford Open, Wadkins said his greatest moment on the golf course came in the 1983 Ryder Cup at PGA National. He was playing Jose Maria Canizares in the second-to-last match, trailing by one and needing to earn a halve to give the Americans an outright victory over Europe. Wadkins hit a wedge from 72 yards out to inside a foot to win the hole. “The coolest thing I ever did,” he said. His signature victory came at Pebble Beach in the 1977 PGA Championship, where Wadkins became the first player to win a major in a sudden-death playoff. He started the final round six shots behind Gene Littler and made up ground with a pair of eagles on the front nine. Wadkins did not make a birdie until the 18th hole, but it was a big one. “Behind the 18th green is the big scoreboard,” Wadkins recalled. “I was 5 under and had a 92-yard wedge shot to the 18th. They changed Littler from 7 (under) to 6. My eyes got as big as saucers.” He hit the wedge to a foot for a birdie, and got into the playoff when Littler closed with pars and Jack Nicklaus failed to make a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole. Wadkins made a 15-foot putt to stay alive on the first extra hole, then won with a 6-foot par on the third extra hole. He had six other top 3s in the majors, although his only close call came in 1987 when he lost in a playoff to Larry Nelson. Wadkins was the PGA Tour player of the year in 1985, when he won three times, but he never won a money title or a Vardon Trophy. Among other players from his generation previously inducted were Nelson (10 victories, three majors), Curtis Strange (17 victories, two majors), Ben Crenshaw (19 victories, two majors) and Hubert Green (19 victories, two majors). Wadkins set himself apart with his play in the Ryder Cup, a format that fit his personality. He won the first seven matches he played, and while the 21 1/2 points he earned over two decades is not a U.S. record, he built his mark as continental Europe joined the Ryder Cup and the matches became far more competitive. He was captain in 1995 at Oak Hill. Wadkins also played on the Walker Cup team twice and won the 1970 U.S. Amateur. “I love representing my country. That’s the thing I enjoyed as much as anything,” Wadkins said. “I think I was a good teammate. I loved competing, fighting for wins. I was more feisty and temperamental that I should have been, but we all do things our own way.” Posted Apr 28 2009, 07:32 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Lanny Wadkins, Hall of Fame

• Jerry Kelly Wins Again After 7 Years

  Jerry Kelly took the umbrella from the parade marshal, donned his tasseled sash and danced his way off the 18th as the brass band played an exuberant Dixieland tune. After enduring a seven-year winless streak, a determined charge by half-dozen young golfers, and a pair of bogeys that dropped him out of the lead, Kelly’s 1-stroke victory in the Zurich Classic on Sunday was plenty of reason to celebrate. “It’s been a long time,” said Kelly, who was showered with Mardi Gras beads by fans and presented with a large tray of char-broiled oysters by his favorite New Orleans restaurant. “I sometimes doubted if it was ever going to happen again.” Kelly rallied with two birdies on the back nine to claim the $1.1 million payday on Sunday. jerry kelly Picture © Getty Images Kelly offset bogeys on No. 8 and No. 10 with birdies on Nos. 5, 11 and 14 for a 1-under 71 in the final round. He finished with a 274, one stroke ahead of three players. It was the 42-year-old Wisconsin player’s first PGA Tour title since he won two in 2002—exactly 200 starts ago. Charles Howell took advantage of Kelly’s mid-round stumble with one of his six birdies on 11, which gave him a two-stroke lead. But bogeys at 15 and 17 left him with a 68 on the day, and he tied for second with Rory Sabbatini (67) and Charlie Wi (68). “It’s frustrating,” said Howell. “I got up to 15, and had every chance to do it. I just couldn’t finish it off.” Kelly, an admitted leaderboard watcher, said seeing Howell take a two stroke lead on No. 11 did not cause him to doubt himself. “I knew what the back side had been doing to everybody all week,” Kelly said. “And I had actually been playing the back side better,” Steve Marino, playing with Kelly, stayed within one shot until the 18th. Instead of getting the victory or forcing a playoff, he hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker and then needed two putts. He put up his third bogey and finished at 70, tied for fifth at 276. “I thought I hit a great third shot in there, and it just came off like half a club short in that bunker,” Marino said. “And that was it.” Kelly, meanwhile, calmly rolled his final putt about 2 1/2 feet for his 13th par on the day and the championship. Despite the seven-year title drought, Kelly said he really didn’t have trouble with his nerves until his final putt on 18. He said practicing deep-breathing techniques settled him down. His first title since claiming the Sony Open and Advil Western Open in 2002 provided Kelly with his biggest payday ever. The winning purse moved Kelly from No. 97 to No. 14 on the money list with $1.4 million. It also earns him full exempt status through 2011. And it netted him 500 FedExCup points, moving him to 17th in the standings. David Toms, who won this tournament in 2001, had five birdies for a 68 on the day after a bogey on the first hole. His 276 not only tied him with Marino, it boosted him in the FedExCup standings and into the Players Championship. Posted Apr 27 2009, 09:56 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Jerry Kelly, 2009, Zurich Classic

• Tom Lehman & Bernhard Langer Win in a Playoff

  Tom Lehman made a par putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to become the 13th player to win his Champions Tour debut, teaming with Bernhard Langer to beat Craig Stadler and Jeff Sluman in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Each team finished at 27-under 189 in the better-ball event. Lehman and Langer (62) started the final round at 17 under, a stroke ahead of Stadler and Sluman, two strokes off the lead. On a perfect day for scoring, several teams raced up the leaderboard at The Club at Savannah Harbor, an island course in the middle of the Savannah River. There was just one catch: No. 18 yielded only three birdies all day, and that was the playoff hole. Tom lehman & bernhard langer Picture © Getty Images On the first playoff hole, Langer’s approach hit Stadler’s ball on the green and stopped about 45 feet from the pin, and he sank it for birdie. Stadler, who got to replace his ball, promptly followed with a long putt of his own and the teams returned to the 18th tee. “After that putt, I didn’t know what do to,” Langer said. “Then, Stadler made his on top of mine. It was very exciting.” Stadler thought so, too. “I had the exact same putt in regulation, so I hit it a little harder,” Stadler said. “I said to Slu, ‘If it gets there, I made it.”’ Stadler bogeyed the second playoff hole. Langer’s approach landed in a greenside bunker, and he blasted to within 5 feet but missed the par putt. Then Sluman missed a par putt from 4 feet, leaving Lehman to win it with a par from inside 4 feet. “I was disappointed to see Sluman miss his putt,” Langer said. “That isn’t like him at all.” Stadler and Sluman birdied Nos. 13-16 to reach 27 under, but couldn’t keep the magic going. They finished with a pair of pars, tied for the lead with Langer and Lehman, and waited to see what they and the others playing behind them would do. Langer and Lehman also settled for pars on the last two holes. The final group had the team of Joey Sindelar and John Cook (64) paired with second-round leaders Loren Roberts and Mark Wiebe (65)—all tied at 26 under. But those teams also settled for pars, missing a chance to join the playoff. This course, with few tree, fairly flat greens and little wind, was the perfect setup for this event. If nothing else, switching the event back to team play last year has proven to be highly entertaining. Teammates read putts for one another, and it paid off. It seemed as if some of the holes on the back nine had ball magnets in them, with birdie putts running in from everywhere. The fans loved it, of course, roaring their approval. At one point, there were four teams tied for the lead at 24 under with three others a stroke back. “The people here were loving it,” Sluman said. “I’m sure the people watching on television were, too.” Langer and Lehman somehow managed to bogey the par-4 sixth. But they birdied No. 7—their fifth in seven holes—and shot 4-under 32 on the front side. Then they birdied the first five holes on the back. It was that kind of day. “On the back, we didn’t know, but we sensed that we could be in the hunt,” said Langer, this season’s leading money-winner on the senior circuit with seven top-10 finishes in eight events. “Just watching the leaderboard, you could see that.” Posted Apr 27 2009, 09:46 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Bernhard Langer, Champions Tour, Tom Lehman, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, 2009, Jeff Sluman, Craig Stadler

• Thongchai Triumphs in Thrilling Three-Way Playoff

  Thongchai Jaidee emerged triumphant from a dramatic three-way playoff to capture the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea on Sunday. The Thai ace sank a six-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to edge out Spain’s Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño and local hero Kang Sung Hoon. The trio had all finished on four-under-par 284 on another day of blustery conditions at Pinx Golf Club on the holiday island of Jeju. Thongchai – who claimed the fourth European Tour title of his career – was a relieved man after the thrilling finish to the €2.1 million showpiece. Thongchai Jaidee Picture © Getty Images “I’m so happy for my family,” said the father-of-two, who collected a cheque for €333,330. “I phoned home this week every day and one day my son came on the phone and said to me, ‘Daddy, I want you to bring home the trophy for me.’ Now I can do that.” Thongchai, whose previous three European Tour victories all came in warm weather tournaments in Asia, mastered the cold and wind to prove he could win in tough conditions. When I first played in Europe 10 years ago my hands were so cold I could barely hold the club. But I’ve practised hard and this is the result,” said the 39-year-old. “This is going to encourage me to play more in Europe this year and then my target will be to get into the world’s top 50.” During regulation play, Kang had the galleries roaring when he holed out with his approach shot on the par-five 16th for an eagle to grab a one-shot lead at five-under. But he three-putted on the 18th for a bogey five and a final round of 68. Fernández-Castaño ensured there would be a playoff when he calmly parred the 18th for a 69 and Thongchai made it a three-way tie when he drained a six-foot par putt for a 70. When the trio returned to the 18th for the playoff, Fernández-Castaño fired his approach shot to the back edge of the green and his long birdie attempt came up short. Kang missed an eight-foot putt for birdie and Thongchai, who had set up his chance with an immaculate approach, stepped up and sank the winning putt, raising his arms in triumph. Thongchai’s success in the Ballantine’s Championship – once again co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours and Korea PGA – thwarted a fairytale win for Kang. The 21-year-old, born and raised in Jeju, is in just his second season on the Korean domestic tour and was playing only his third European Tour event. “Going into this tournament I set myself a goal to be in the top 10 and I achieved that,” he said. “If there is one thing I would do differently it would be the 18th hole where I three-putted. That’s what put me in the playoff.” It was another disappointment for the 28-year-old Fernández-Castaño who was runner-up in his third straight European Tour event. The Spaniard lost a playoff to Michael Hoey at the Open de Portugal earlier this month and was second to Scott Strange in last week’s China Open. “I have to say, this one hurts, but that’s golf,” said Fernández-Castaño, who has four European Tour victories to his name. “I have a feeling that I dropped a few shots out there that cost me the tournament, but I'm sure that everybody else has the same problem. Finishing second again, yes, that means I'm playing well – but of course you want to win. I'm getting closer and hopefully I'll do it soon.” Tied for fourth at two-under 286 were three-time major winner Ernie Els (71), overnight leader Robert-Jan Derksen (76), England’s Seve Benson (69) and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (70). South African superstar Els birdied the first and sixth holes to move within two shots of the lead but was unable to get any closer. Dutchman Derksen, who began the day two shots clear, was derailed by three bogeys on the front nine. Another dropped shot at the par-four 15th ended his hopes of winning. Three players finished on one-under 287 including Ireland’s Peter Lawrie, who fired the best round of the day, 66. Thongchai’s previous European Tour titles came with back-to-back victories in the Malaysian Open in 2004 and 2005 and the Indonesia Open almost two months ago. The win on Sunday was also his record-extending 12th Asian Tour victory and underlined his standing as one of Asia’s greatest ever golfers. Posted Apr 27 2009, 09:45 AM by Golf International with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Golf International, 2009, Thongchai Jaidee, Ballantine’s Championship, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Kang Sung Hoon

• Castano and Brown Top Leaderboard

  Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain and New Zealand’s Mark Brown shared the lead on seven-under-par 65 after the Ballantine’s Championship first round on Thursday. Fernandez-Castano, 28, runner-up at last week’s China Open, notched six birdies plus an eagle three at the 10th as he and Brown finished a stroke ahead of Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, local hope Kyung-Nam Kang and Dutchman Robert Jan-Derksen. The Spaniard, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, has won four times on the European Tour. Brown, who began at the 10th at the Pinx Golf Club, made a flying start with an eagle and later capped his round with a birdie at the last. “I didn’t play here last year so it’s my first real look at it. I just played nice and steady,” he told reporters. Brown has won once on the European Tour at last year’s Johnnie Walker Classic in India. After parring the first hole, Thongchai produced a blistering run of four consecutive birdies before bogeying the sixth. The Thai then eagled the 10th and birdied the 12th. In joint sixth place on 67 were Briton Robert Dinwiddie, Jason Knutzon of the United States and Italian Alessandro Tadini. Triple major winner Ernie Els and world number nine Henrik Stenson of Sweden were among several players on 68 but holder Graeme McDowell of Britain slumped to a four-over 76. Posted Apr 24 2009, 05:08 PM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Mark Brown, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 2009, Ballantine’s Championship

• Charlie Wi Grabs Narrow Advantage

  South Korea’s Charlie Wi took advantage of soft early morning conditions to shoot a bogey-free 6-under 66 and take a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the Zurich Classic. “To get off to a good start definitely puts you in a better position than coming from behind,” Wi said. “On the weekend the golf course gets so difficult. So to shoot a good number on Thursday and Friday, I think it really helps you to have a high finish.” Wi was two strokes short of matching the course record at the TPC Louisiana. CHARLIE WI Picture © Getty Images As the wind and sun firmed up the course throughout the day, nobody could get closer than one stroke of Wi. Jay Williamson, Nathan Green, Parker McLachlin, Charles Warren, John Merrick and Eric Axley opened with 67s. Eleven players were at 68, including former tournament winner David Toms. “I really haven’t been in contention since we moved to this golf course,” Toms said. “So for me it’s all about just trying to get a food round and trying to build on what I did today.” This is only the fourth time the Zurich Classic has been played at the TPC Louisiana. The course opened in 2005, only to be flooded in Hurricane Katrina. The event returned in 2007 and the course has had a first-time PGA Tour winner every year. Defending champion Andres Romero finished the first round at 73. Master’s runner-up Kenny Perry, after playing even over the first six holes, had five birdies on the next six, but fell apart down the stretch with bogeys on 15 and 17 to finish with 11 others at 69. “I need to kind of get back in the thick of a tournament,” Perry said. “I really felt good out there today. I did lose focus a little bit and kind of think a lot about two weeks ago, what was going on, but I mainly got tired. I mainly got tired mentally, which got me tired physically.” The 48-year-old Perry said he had a headache by the time he finished and wanted to get a good meal and a good night’s sleep. Perry, who led the Masters by two strokes with two holes remaining only to lose in a playoff, said he had considered skipping the event, but has always played well in New Orleans and wanted to get back in action to put the Masters loss behind him. A 12-time PGA Tour, Perry is the highest PGA Tour money winner without a major championship. At TPC Louisiana, Perry has previously finished T-23 and T-66. Nick Watney, the 2007 Zurich Classic champion who has made the cut in all nine appearances this year, including eight top-25s, shot a 74. Danny Lee had a triple bogey on No. 4 and shot a 76 in his pro debut. The 18-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander missed the cut in the Masters as an amateur. He broke Tiger Woods’ mark as the youngest U.S. Amateur champion last year and became the European tour’s youngest winner in February at the Johnnie Walker Classic. Posted Apr 24 2009, 05:07 PM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, John Merrick, David Toms, Parker McLachlin, 2009, Eric Axley, Jay Williamson, Nathan Green, Zurich Classic, Charlie Wi, Charles Warren

• Tom Lehman Set for Champions Tour Debut

  For all you married gentlemen about to turn 50, make sure you tell the better half about Melissa Lehman and what she did for her hubby last month. "She pulled a fast one," said the hubby, Tom, who grew up in Alexandria, Minn., and is one of professional golf's greatest rags-to-riches stories. "Packed my suitcase without me knowing it. My birthday was March 7. TOM & MELISSA LEHMAN Picture © Getty Images I walked in the day before and she said, 'By the way, the rest of the week, you're out of commission because I'm taking you somewhere.' I didn't know where we were going until we got to the airport." It wasn't Detroit, folks. "Bora Bora," Lehman said. "I remember seeing a picture when we were first married of this island of Bora Bora and how amazing it looked. So that's where she took me. It was very cool." Two weeks later, Lehman shot a third-round 68 for his first 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour event in four years. Yeah, Lehman shot a final-round 75 and tied for eighth, but it showed he can still compete on the PGA Tour and is poised to really compete on the 50-and-over Champions Tour. His first Champions Tour event begins Friday when he and longtime friend and Ryder Cup opponent Bernhard Langer join together for the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf two-man, better-ball event at the Westin Savannah (Ga.) Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. "I'm excited," Lehman said. "I've been looking forward to this for a while. I've been working hard on my game. The next step holds a lot of promise. I understand the competition is really good and you need to shoot low scores. But I feel I'm up to the challenge." Lehman has come a long way since the summer of 1972, when he broke 70 for the first time with a par on the 18th hole at Alexandria Golf Club. He still breaks 70, but he no longer does it as a barefoot 13-year-old in cutoff jeans and a muscle T-shirt. Posted Apr 24 2009, 05:06 PM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Champions Tour, Tom Lehman, 2009

• Turnberry Lengthened for The Open

  Organizers of the British Open at Turnberry have lengthened the course by 247 yards since it was last played there 15 years ago. The new layout features six new tees, including a spectacular 200-yard drive over the bay near the famous Lighthouse at the 10th hole. The changes, which have been made gradually over the years, were announced at a news conference at the course on Tuesday. The british open, turnberry Picture © Getty Images The yardage changes for the July 16-19 championship include 135 yards added to the final three holes, with the par-5 17th stretched from 498 to 559 yards and the 16th changing from a 410-yard straight hole to a 455-yard dogleg right. The course on the west coast of Scotland, which held the tournament in 1977, ’86 and ’94, now has an overall length of 7,204 yards, up from 6,957. Tiger Woods, who has won the British Open three times, will play the course for the first time. Padraig Harrington, winner at Carnoustie in 2007 and Royal Birkdale last year, is trying to become the first player to win the Open three years in a row since Peter Thomson in 1956. Turnberry made its debut on the Open rotation of links courses in 1977 when Tom Watson, who went on to win the tournament five times, edged Jack Nicklaus in what became known as the “Duel in the Sun” over the last 36 holes. Although Nicklaus finished 65-66, Watson made 65-65 while third-place Hubert Green finished 10 shots back. Greg Norman won his first Open title in ’86, helped by a second round 63, and Nick Price won in ’94 after he eagled the 17th with a 50-foot putt to overtake Jesper Parnevik. Organizers dismissed speculation that nearby Royal Troon, which also hosts Open championships, is on standby to stage this year’s tournament because of delayed renovation of the five-star Turnberry Hotel, which overlooks the links. “We are quite satisfied that the hotel will be ready to serve as the headquarters for competitors,” said David Hill, the Royal & Ancient’s director of championships. “We are in constant touch with (Turnberry owners) Leisurecorp and are assured it will be ready in time.” Prize money for the Open has not yet been announced and there have been reports that it will not change much from last year’s 4.2 million pounds. But because of the weakened British pound that would be just over $6 million, compared to almost $8.4 million last year in a tournament where Americans have dominated. Posted Apr 22 2009, 07:22 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2009, British Open, Turnberry

• Kenny Perry Back After Emotional Week Off

  Kenny Perry never took pity on himself for losing a two-shot lead with two holes to play in the Masters. Everyone else did that for him. Among the first to call when Perry returned home to Kentucky were Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson, who know from experience what it’s like to lose a major. He also got a call from Scott Hoch, one of his best friends on tour, who 20 years ago missed a 3-foot putt that would have won the Masters. Among the letters was one from former President George W. Bush. “It was just incredible the outpouring of support,” Perry said. “I had so many people just proud of the way I handled the loss.” kenny perry Picture © Getty Images Perry, who returns to the PGA Tour this week at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, would have been the oldest major champion at 48. It could be that his popularity soars even more by the gracious way he handled his playoff defeat to Angel Cabrera. He answered every question with brutal honestly. He didn’t make excuses. And he didn’t beat himself up. The amount of fan mail he received was reminiscent of when Greg Norman blew a six-shot lead in the final round of the 1996 Masters. The Shark was revered for handling the loss, and was inundated with fan mail the following week. “I received almost 600 e-mails. I received hundreds of cards and letters. People who genuinely cared,” Perry said in a conference call Tuesday from New Orleans. “And the letters all started out, ‘I’ve never written a letter like this, but I just felt compelled to write to you.’ “It’s been tough, and it’s been hard,” he said. “But the outpouring of fan support was mind-boggling to me. It really was very uplifting.” Perry said he went over the final two holes during a reflective drive home to Kentucky, especially the chip that he bladed on the 17th hole, and even the three-putt par on the 13th hole. He figures the turning point came during the walk from the 16th green to the 17th green, after a tap-in birdie to build a two-shot lead. Perry told himself he was two pars away from winning the Masters, instead of concentrating on only his next shot, which he had been doing the previous 70 holes. “I stuck my neck out, thought I was going to win,” he said. “But I just came up a little bit short. As an athlete, or a player, that’s all you can ask of yourself.” The emotions came from his family, particularly his oldest daughter. And he had a quiet chat with his 85-year-old father. But he didn’t shed any tears of his own, except when he was reading the letters. “That was more emotional to me than me just sitting and reflecting on what went on, what was happening,” Perry said. “It was the outpouring of love and support from everybody that was really more emotional to me than anything.”   Posted Apr 22 2009, 07:22 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, Greg Norman, Scott Hoch, 2009, George W. Bush, The Masters

• Arnold Palmer Reflects on The Masters

  Arnold Palmer can appreciate a good rivalry, even if he’s not part of it. Palmer, whose duels with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were memorable, shared some thoughts Tuesday on this month’s Masters. Angel Cabrera won the tournament, but not before Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson thrilled the crowd by playing their way back into contention while paired together in the final round at Augusta National. Arnold at the masters Picture © Getty Images “It wasn’t planned. It happened. I think the fact that they were playing in Augusta and doing the things that they were doing … I think that’s what Augusta’s all about,” Palmer said of the Woods-Mickelson show. “I thought it was perfect. If you had set it up, you couldn’t have set it up any better.” Palmer and Mickelson were both on hand Tuesday at The Alotian Club outside Little Rock, appearing in conjunction with the Jackson T. Stephens Charitable Golf Tournament. Palmer spoke in the morning, and Mickelson put on a brief clinic in the afternoon for some youngsters. The charity tournament is named after Jack Stephens, the late billionaire, philanthropist and former chief executive officer of Stephens Inc. He also was at one point the chairman of Augusta National. Mickelson tied a Masters record with a 30 on the front nine of the final round, but he lost his momentum on the back nine and finished three shots behind. Woods was another shot back. Cabrera ended up winning in a playoff over Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell. “It was a fun day. I enjoyed the front nine a lot. The back nine I wish I had played better,” Mickelson said Tuesday. “I thought it was an amazing finish. A lot of things happened.” Before this year’s Masters, there were concerns that Augusta National had become too tough. That wasn’t an issue this year. Campbell set a Masters record by opening the tournament with five straight birdies, and the crowd was roaring throughout the final round. On Tuesday, Mickelson was asked to re-enact his approach on the seventh hole, when he powered a shot around trees to about a foot from the hole to set up a birdie. He hit a high hook for the Alotian audience. “This year, Augusta played easier than it’s ever played,” Mickelson said. “The greens were soft. I haven’t seen that, ever. That shot that I hit on seven that stopped by the hole—that ball normally wouldn’t stop.” Hours earlier, Palmer had expressed a similar sentiment. “It isn’t as much fun when they’re not making birdies and eagles at Augusta,” Palmer said. Palmer and Mickelson each took plenty of questions, including at least one that brought back some bad memories for Mickelson. He was asked by a youngster why he didn’t use a driver at the start of last year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He fell behind before bringing the driver back for the third round. “Sometimes I’m an idiot,” Mickelson joked. Posted Apr 22 2009, 07:20 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, 2009, The Masters

• Tiger Woods Shows Funny Side at Congressional

  Tiger Woods’ knee is fine. The family’s fine. The preparations for his tournament are fine and this time he is actually set to play. With no drama about him for a change, it was a good day for Woods to pop off some one-liners on a rainy Monday at Congressional Country Club while doing his promotional bit as host of the AT&T National. So, what about Charles Barkley’s swing? “Charles’ swing, it certainly is interesting. It’s like a speech impediment,” said Woods, whose coach, Hank Haney, has been working with Barkley on Haney’s Golf Channel show. “It can’t get any worse. It can only get better.” tiger woods Picture © Getty Images Another probing question: Does Woods speak Swedish around the house? (It’s the native tongue of his wife, Elin.) “I speak a little. It’s not very good,” Woods said. “I’m better at reading than I am anything else. Or ‘Take out the trash’ or ‘Clean the house,’ ‘Wash dishes,’ I understand those.” And what about Michael Jordan’s game? “Better than Charles’,” Woods said with a laugh. “When I first played MJ at Chicago, his first round wasn’t very good. Shot 88. His next round, 73. So obviously I got suckered in. Learned my lesson. It all depends where I put the wager on the number, what he’s going to shoot.” Woods was soaking in the sights and sounds at Congressional as he promoted the third edition of his tournament that will take place July 2-5. Woods will be back in the field after staying home last year while recuperating from knee surgery. “I was on the couch. I was watching it, blowing up everyone’s phone,” Woods said. “I wanted to find out everything that was going on, I missed it so much.” The tournament’s two previous champions, K.J. Choi (2007) and Anthony Kim (2008) have also committed to play this year, along with Ernie Els, who won the U.S. Open at Congressional in 1997. The legendary Blue Course will host the Open again in 2011 and will need at least a year of preparation, so Woods’ tournament will take a hiatus from the Washington area for the next two years. It will be played at Aronimink Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia in 2010 and 2011. Still, Woods’ hope is that Congressional eventually becomes the permanent home of his tournament. “We want to come back and play here as long as Congressional wants us,” he said. Sitting next to Woods at a packed, camera-filled news conference can be a daunting experience. Congressional president Tim Sullivan totally lost his train of thought during his introductory remarks, called the experience “nerve-racking” and tried to recover by saying, “Just like missing a putt, Tiger.” “Done a lot of that lately,” Woods said with another laugh. Later, Woods elaborated on the state of his game. His nine-month layoff had a greater effect on his ability to practice the long game, but everything was just a little off during the first three rounds of the Masters earlier this month. Woods’ final-round comeback wasn’t enough and he finished in a tie for sixth. “I was just a fraction off,” Wood said. “I didn’t putt well until Sunday. Being a fraction off, I do mean a fraction. How many times did I hit a shot that was one yard off? And one yard is 30, 40 feet at Augusta, it just takes the wrong side of the slope. It just seemed to be happening all week. … Hopefully the next tournament I play I’ll be a little sharper.” Posted Apr 21 2009, 09:35 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Tiger Woods, Hank Haney, AT&T National Pro-Am, Congressional Country Club, Charles Barkley

• LPGA Corning Classic to End in May

  The LPGA Corning Classic, the longest-running event on the ladies tour with the same title sponsor and played at the same venue since its inception in 1979, will end in May. Tournament president Jack Benjamin made the announcement Monday, a day after the board of directors came to the painful conclusion after discussing it for six months. “This is a most difficult decision for all of us,” Benjamin said during a news conference at Corning Country Club, home of the tournament. “Everyone involved with the event is passionate about it and the LPGA players who have been a part of it for more than three decades.” The tournament had an option for 2010, but Benjamin said the loss of over $500,000 in sponsorship revenue made it economically unfeasible to sustain it beyond this year in these depressed economic times. Title sponsor Corning Inc., has done restructuring since January, laying off 13 percent (3,500 workers) of its global work force and letting go 1,400 contractors. “It was an emotional and difficult decision for our leadership,” said Kirk Gregg, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Corning Inc. “We are proud to be the longest-running title sponsor on the LPGA Tour. We have had an incredible run.” The specialty glass and ceramics company, the world’s largest maker of liquid-crystal-display glass, saw its fourth-quarter profit plunge 65 percent in January. Gregg said the continuing falloff in revenue and sponsorship and the rising costs of the tournament in the future made it clear the event was no longer sustainable. The Corning Classic, which has a purse of $1.5 million, has raised over $5 million for local charities, and Gregg said the company would help area charities transition over a two-year period. “Just cutting it off is not our idea of a good time,” Gregg said. “They’ll be receiving something. We’ll have to figure out what that is. This is about doing the right thing on the way out.” Corning’s demise is just another sign of the times in golf. Earlier this year, FBR decided not to renew its contract with the PGA after 2010 for its popular tournament outside Phoenix. U.S. Bank said it was pulling out of the Milwaukee tournament after this year. Ginn Resorts ended all golf sponsorships, including the LPGA’s Ginn Open and the Champions Tour Ginn Championship. The LPGA Tour also lost three tournaments from its 2008 schedule before this year began. Another contributing factor to Corning’s demise was declining attendance and a lack of volunteers. And the friendly small-town atmosphere often was not enough to attract many of the game’s top players, in part because of Corning’s spot on the schedule just ahead of the McDonald’s Championship. “We understand the challenges of this difficult economic environment, and we respect the decision to do the right thing for Corning and the community,” LPGA deputy commissioner Libba Galloway said. “Corning has been a special stop on the tour. The community has been so welcoming to our players, our caddies, to our staff.” Two-time Corning Classic champion Rosie Jones, a crowd favorite and the tournament’s all-time leading money winner, was slated to be at the news conference, but her flight from Atlanta was canceled. She e-mailed a message from the airport. “This event represented an icon of the LPGA tournament model, but more importantly provided us with a flash of much-needed stability and comfort in our chaotic schedules on tour,” Jones wrote. “The feeling of coming home and being part of the Corning community gave us much more than playing in another LPGA golf tournament. It was an experience not to be outdone by any other event, regardless of its stature or the dollar amount behind its title. You made us feel special and more like your family when we were away from ours.” Added longtime tournament media director Al Donnelly: “It’s a sad day for us. It’s going to be a melancholy tournament in four weeks.” Leta Lindley, who beat Jeong Jang in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff a year ago for her first LPGA victory, will return to defend her Corning title in May. The tournament also has received commitments from Brittany Lincicome, winner of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Cristie Kerr, Kristy McPherson and Natalie Gulbis. The goal is to make the final Corning Classic something to remember. “We don’t want to do something subpar,” tournament director Dawn Marie Castellana said. “We want to make this a celebration.” Posted Apr 21 2009, 09:34 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2009, LPGA Corning Classic, Jack Benjamin

• Andres Romero Returns to Scene of Breakthrough Win

  In only his 12th PGA Tour start, Argentina's Andres Romero came from six strokes off the lead at the halfway point and went on to edge Peter Lonard by one stroke to win the 2008 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Because of bad weather, Romero finished his third round Sunday morning and then finished the final round two-and-a-half hours before the last group completed its play. andres romero Picture © Getty Images The victory was the high point of Romero's career year, where he finished 28th in the FedExCup, earned $2,064,612 and enjoyed two other top-10 finishes. This is the third consecutive year TPC Louisiana is hosting the event following the course's closure after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Overall, this will be TPC Louisiana's fourth time as the site of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Romero returns to defend his title this week. Since his win in New Orleans, Romero has made the cut in five consecutive major championships, most recently a tie for 49th at this year's Masters Tournament. This season the 27-year-old has a season-best tie for third at the Northern Trust Open. Louisiana native David Toms made two major changes recently. The first was re-hiring his old caddie, Scott Gneiser, at the 2008 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational after a one-year hiatus. The second was reverting back to his previous equipment company, Cleveland Golf. Eleven of his 12 PGA Tour titles came using Cleveland clubs. The 2001 PGA Championship winner looks to be back on track after a less-than-satisfactory 2008, when he had just one top-10 finish (a tie for eighth at the Viking Classic) and failed to make more than $2 million in a season ($799,114) for the first time this decade. After nine consecutive years finishing inside the top 32 on the money list, Toms was 131st last year. Toms won this event in 2001 with a 22-under 266. No player posted four rounds in the 60s at the 2008 Zurich Classic. In 2007, Nick Watney became the first Zurich Classic winner to post all four rounds in the 60s (69-67-68-69) since Carlos Franco turned the trick in 2000 when he posted scores of 67-67-68-68 at English Turn Golf and Country Club. Watney is the only player to enjoy all four rounds in the 60s at TPC Louisiana. Watney, this year's Buick Invitational winner, has been outside the top 25 in only one of his nine starts this season (a tie for 59th at the Northern Trust Open). Joe Ogilvie was one of five players to shoot all four rounds in the 60s (66-67-66-68) at the 2004 Zurich Classic, when he tied for second with Phil Mickelson, one stroke behind winner Vijay Singh. Ogilvie's only round in the 60s at this tournament since then is a 69 in the first-round of the 2007 edition. He went on to tie for 80th that year. Danny Lee of New Zealand, the winner of the 2008 U.S. Amateur, is making his professional debut this week. He played his last event as an amateur at the Masters, where he missed the cut. Lee, winner of this year's Johnnie Walker Classic on the European Tour, is No. 148 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Posted Apr 21 2009, 09:31 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Andres Romero, Peter Lonard, Zurich Classic