It was a great week for golf on all levels…
The best players in the world – WGC Match Play Championships at The Gallery Golf Club, Marana, Arizona.
Tiger Woods stepped to the plate on Wednesday in his first round match and was almost sent home by JB Holmes. For 13 holes, Holmes played terrific and Tiger slapped his way around the course. It was at the thirteenth hole that Tiger almost broke his club against his golf bag. It sat in a waste area about 60 yards from the fairway. It was the location of Tigers tee shot. That swing against his bag might have been the best he’d made to that point. It also brought the change Tiger so desperately needed. From that swing until the end of the round and the end of the match, Tiger Woods went from 3 down to a winner. He proceeded to go 5 under in 4 holes.
From the moment Tiger found that swing until the 28th hole of the final 36-hole match, Tiger Woods was nothing less than awesome. After beating Aaron Oberholser, 3 and 2, Tiger and Aaron Baddeley hooked up for one of the finest Match Play events ever, with Woods advancing on the 20th hole.
One the first hole of his next match, against KJ Choi, Tiger lost the hole. It would be the last time Tiger would be behind. In his nine year history at this event, Woods is now 31-6. He is 20-4 against International players, of which this event started with 42 and only 22 Americans. By annihilating Stewart Cink in the final match 8 and 7, Tiger took his record against American players to 11-2. For Woods, it was his third win in this event.
With this victory, Woods passes Arnold Palmer on the all-time list collecting his 63rd victory. Some time this year, Tiger will pass Ben Hogan, next in line at 64.
The runner-up players have fun in Mexico – Brian Gay hoists a winner’s trophyWhile the Top 65 were working their way around a course in Tucson, a large group of tour players were south of the border playing in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Brian Gay was playing in his 293rd tour event without a win. He was 13th on the list of active players without a tour victory. Jay Delsing currently leads the list with 548 PGA Tour events without a victory.
With his win, Gay collects 2250 Fed Ex Cup points and a 2 year exemption on the Tour. A third round 62, his career low, allowed him to finish the event at 16 under par. His check for $630,000 brought his career earning to just under $7, 500,000. Not bad for the 36 year old non-tour winner.
Four players played all 4 rounds in the 60’s. Gay, Steve Marino, who finished 2nd and Matt Kuchar and john Merrick, both T3.
Last years, winner, Fred Funk finished T63.
Paula Creamer makes it a double in Hawaii – it just took 12 months After winner the LPGA Tours first event in Hawaii in 2007, Paula Creamer managed to come from 2 back and win this year’s second Hawaiian tournament. When it counted the most, Paula Creamer turned it on. With four birdies in her last five holes, including consecutive birdies on the final three, Creamer overcame 36-hole leader Jeong Jang (64-68-69=201, -15) to win the Fields Open in Hawaii by one stroke at 16-under-par 200 (66-68-66). It is Creamer's fifth LPGA Tour victory and second in her last four events, after winning The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions last November.
Said Creamer, who battled flu-like symptoms en route to earning $195,000 for her win: “I knew that coming down the stretch, just that pressure and knowing if you want to win this golf tournament you have to make this putt. That kind of took that momentum into 17 and made that one, and then into 18.”
Creamer started the round at 10-under-par and two strokes behind Jang. With birdies on the first and third holes, she had closed the gap and the duo was tied at 12-under. Jang took a one-stroke lead by making a 10-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole. Neither Creamer nor Jang could make a move until both birdied the par-5, 470-yard 14th hole. Jang took her largest of the day with a birdie on 15, but then Creamer rose to the top with her birdies on the remaining holes, sealing the deal when her 6-iron from 164 yards landed five feet from the hole for the birdie putt to win.
After winning last week, Annika Sorenstam got off to a slow start in the 2nd Hawaiian Tourney with a 70, but rounds of 66-68 brought Annika to a 4th place finish.
The LPGA continued to introduce us to new players with Lindsey Wright, Minea Blomqvist, Song-Hee Kim and Johanna Head all producing career-best performances at the Fields Open.
Michele Wie, appearing in her first event of 2008, again a non-member of the tour finished with a closing round of 78 and a tie for last place.
This week the PGA Tour moves to the Florida Swing with their event at PGA National in Palm Beach. The LPGA moves to Sinapore.
