Donald's stellar play nets him the World Match Play... Tiger now 5th in the world rankings.

After being in the top 3 ten times last year, and even with a win in Madrid, Luke Donald felt a huge relief win his win over his friend and Ryder Cup colleague Martin Kaymer and a world class WGC field in the sometimes snowy desert just outside Tuscon.

"I can't describe it - I'm close to tears."It feels amazing. I've put a lot of work in over the last five years and it's nice to see it pay off.

I watched most of it and he got a bit sloppy on the 9th when he took a 7 after finding his ball unplayable to fall back to AS but he made a good putt to save a half at 10 and I thought the turning point was when he made his 9 footer on 11 and Martin missed his from 6 to put this little Englishman into a lead he would never surrender, eventually winning it 3&2.

At times he was 40-50 yards behind Kaymer in the fairway, but remember in match play that can be an advantage because you get to play onto the green first, and with his exquisite iron play he kept putting pressure on all his opponents this week, including Martin, who had a great week himself, a cheque for $850,000 and the #1 spot in the world !!

He never trailed in a match all week and never did have to play the 18th. He wins over $1.3 million US, his first win in the States for 5 years. By the way nice to see that RBC logo on his shirt and bag !!

Here are some other goodies he gets..
• Moves to top of the Race to Dubai with €1,027,923.
• Moves to a career-high of third in the Official World Golf Ranking.

• After a wildly successful week for the European Tour his victory  it means European players occupy the top four places; Martin Kaymer (one), Lee Westwood (two), Donald (three) and Graeme McDowell (four). This is the first time since March 15, 1992 when Ian Woosnam (one), Sir Nick Faldo (two), José Maria Olazábal (three) and Seve Ballesteros (four) have the top four places been filled by Europeans. Tiger Woods is now 5th

• This victory for Donald also means European Tour Members have won four of the last five WGC events. They are: Ian Poulter (2010 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship), Ernie Els (2010 WGC – Cadillac Championship), Francesco Molinari (2010 WGC – HSBC Champions) and Donald (2011 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship).

*Gains a European Tour exemption until the end of 2014.

• His eighth professional win.

In the all-American third place play-off, meanwhile, Matt Kuchar beat Bubba Watson 2 and 1

He is a pleasure to watch with his perfect balance, he holds every follow through perfectly balanced, and he compensates for his Mike Weir like lack of length off the tee with that fantastic iron play and of course a short game that rivals anyone in the world.

Here is the latest top 10

Rank Player Country


1. Martin Kaymer Germany
2. Lee Westwood England
3. Luke Donald England
4. Graeme McDowell Northern Ireland
5. Tiger Woods United States
6. Phil Mickelson United States
7. Paul Casey England
8. Rory McIlroy Northern Ireland
9. Steve Stricker United States
10. Matt Kuchar United States



PGA tour

David Hearn had his best week thus far in 2011 a T35 at -6 in Cancun at the Mayakoba Classic
Johnson Wagner got the big cheque beating Spencer Levin on the first playoff hole.

Bryan Angus

European domination...

No matter what the result in today's final between Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald, the domination of the European Tour in world golf will reach a high it hasn't enjoyed in nearly 20 years when the rankings come out late tonight.

Kaymer managed to beat an in form Bubba Watson 1 up while Luke Donald simply put on a clinic, demolishing the leading money earner last year on the PGA tour Matt Kuchar 6&5

europeantour.com Kaymer’s one up victory over Watson, the man he also beat in a play-off to win the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits last year, was sufficient to propel him to the Number One spot – almost 25 years to the month since his highly-decorated countryman, Bernhard Langer, became the first person, and only other German, to head the newly-created Ranking in April 1986.

Kaymer’s elevation caps a remarkable week for European golf, with Europeans now occupying at least the top three places in the Ranking – and the top four if Donald were to prevail in today’s final – for the first time in 19 years when Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, José Maria Olazábal and Seve Ballesteros filled the leading four positions. While Kaymer and Westwood will switch places, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell will move to a career-high third place unless Donald wins, in which case he would occupy third and the Ulsterman would take fourth

Kaymer's rise to #1 has been meteoric  Since his first win on the Challenge Tour in August 2006 he has gone from 1249th in the world to 480th. He ended 2006 in 164th place then made rapid strides to 76th (2007), 25th (2008), 13th(2009) and 3rd at the end of 2010, the season in which he made his Major breakthrough and played in his first Ryder Cup.

He will have a tough time beating Luke Donald today. The Ryder Cup star, arguably the world's best match player, had already impressed with a 5 and 4 win over Moore, before going on get the better of Kuchar 6 and 5.

He was six-up at the turn having birdied all but two of the first nine holes and, after going seven-up on the tenth, could even afford to drop two straight holes before an excellent approach shot on the 13th allowed him to pick up another birdie and take the match. The score equalled the 6 and 5 win he achieved over Charley Hoffman in the first round.

Luke was born in Hamel Hempstead a little satellite town NW of London, ended up with a scholarship at Northwestern University in Chicago where he still has a home today and if you didn't know he won both the Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus awards as America's best collegiate golfer in 1999.

You may remember it was Ian Poulter beating Paul Casey in an all Euro final last year as well.

I await Johnny Miller's spin on this, this afternoon, weather permitting...


PGA tour Mayakoba Classic in Cancun

David Hearn is T43  69 70 69 208 -5
The leader is Johnson Wagner 69 66 65 200 -13.


LPGA Tour HSBC Tournament of Champions in Singapore

Has just finished and veteran Aussie Karrie Webb 70 66 70  69 275 -13 is your winner.. Yani Tseng trying to win 4 in a row was 3rd at -10..

Alena Sharp got better as the week went on  80,76,74,70  300 +12

Quarters done..Semi Finals underway in Tuscon

Here's the latest as of 220pm Saturday..

Luke Donald beat Ryan Moore 5&4
Matt Kuchar beat YE Yang 2&1
Martin Kaymer beat Miguel Angel Jimenez 1 up

Bubba Watson has made a huge comeback.He was 5 down standing on the 11th tee, and now they are playing / debating their way through the 1st playoff hole (10th)

Holmes who received a very dubious relief drop ruling on the 18th, then dropped 3 different times before eventually conceding the hole, drove it wildly into the desert on this 10th. He picked up his ball declaring it unplayable, then without marking the spot, started to walk back to the fairway keeping that spot in line with where it entered as he went back..

However Bubba contended that JB was walking back no where near the line nor the spot where the ball landed, and of course the route JB was talking was to his advantage.. Bubba even ran up into the scrub at one point to show where he thought the ball had landed.. After the referee intervened, a spot was selected that both agreed upon.

Well Bubba has just holed a 3 footer to knock JB out after 19 holes..

SEMI's (my picks in bold)

Remember as I mentioned earlier this morning they are cramming both quarters and semi's in today with bad weather including snow forecast for Sunday...

Luke Donald vs Matt Kuchar
Bubba Watson vs Martin Kaymer

Daily wrap to follow around 6pm

Bryan Angus

Kaymer marches on as Quarter-finals are set in Tuscon.. Weather forces scheduling change

First here is the big weather news
With high winds expected Saturday afternoon and the threat of rain and snow at Dove Mountain on Sunday morning  yes, you read that right, snow  the schedule for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship has been altered.


The quarterfinals and semifinals will now both be played on Saturday. The quarterfinals will begin at 7:10 a.m. MT (9:10 a.m. ET) with the semifinals set to start at 11:45 a.m. MT (1:45 p.m. ET).

The 18-hole championship match will be played on Sunday beginning at 12:15 p.m. MT (2:15 p.m. ET) with the consolation match starting 15 minutes earlier. Originally both the semifinals and championship were slated for Sunday.


With all the other big boys gone the stage is set for Martin Kaymer to take over the world's #1 spot. First he has to get to the final and that road starts today with his friend and Ryder Cup colleague Miguel Angel Jimenez.
I was out all day yesterday so missed all the action Here are the match reports if you did as well courtesy pgatour.com

Sam Snead bracket results

BUBBA WATSON (5) def. GEOFF OGILVY (8), 6 and 4

In a surprising rout, Watson eliminated the two-time Accenture Match Play champion with a terrific display of golf, essentially shooting 9 under in 14 holes. "Went good out there today," Watson said. Indeed, he had five birdies, one eagle and one bogey on his scorecard but was also conceded another birdie and another eagle to beat the Australian, who played admirably himself in losing for just the fourth time in 24 career matches in this event. "He played very well," Ogilvy said. "It's hard to play a guy that plays that well." Watson, one of the longest drivers on TOUR, used that advantage in winning three of the four par-5 holes Friday. He birdied two of them (holes 2 and 8), eagled another (the 13th) and was conceded the 11th before he could attempt an eagle putt from inside 15 feet. But his iron play was just as impressive. Having won the first two holes, Ogilvy struck his approach shot at the par-4 third to inside 10 feet for birdie. He drained the putt, putting him 3 up and putting Ogilvy back on his heels. The Aussie answered with a birdie at the 5th, but he failed to win the 7th despite making a 22-foot birdie putt. That's because Watson struck his approach to five feet for an easy birdie to halve the hole. On the next hole, Watson hit a tremendous approach shot from the native area, finding the green for a two-putt birdie to again deny Ogilvy the hole. Watson's lone bogey of the day dropped his lead to 1 up at the turn, but on the 10th, he won the hole with a 12-1/2 foot birdie putt. Ogilvy then conceded the 11th to Watson, whose second shot on the par-5 hole landed inside 15 feet. Ogilvy, 4 down, then bogeyed the par-3 12th when he found the rough with his tee shot. At the 13th, Watson rolled in an eagle putt just inside 17 feet. Watson finished off the match with a flourish, hitting another great approach shot to within four feet at the 14th, with Ogilvy ultimately conceding the hole and the match.

Next opponent for Watson: J.B. Holmes winner

J.B. HOLMES (6) def. JASON DAY (10), 1 up

Holmes' Cinderella run continued as he claimed the decisive 18th hole to knock out the young Aussie in a match that had its share of missteps. "Neither one of us had our A game," Holmes said. A late edition to the field as the fill-in for an injured Tim Clark, Holmes is through to the quarters in just his second appearance in this event. Day did not have to play the 17th and 18th holes in either of the first two rounds, but he had to do so Friday -- and he bogeyed each one to lose control of the match. Day was 1 up heading to 17, but he failed to reach the green in regulation and his third shot left him more than 42 feet from the pin as he failed to save par. Now all square going into 18, Day did the one thing he could not do -- find the back bunker at the 18th. That left him with no chance to get it close to the pin, and he ended up with another par putt of about 40 feet. Meanwhile, Holmes was in a similar position, although he was putting for birdie. When Holmes rolled his putt to within two feet, Day conceded. Holmes was not spectacular -- he was even par on the day -- but he was steadied himself after bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes. From there, he was a bogey-free 1 under on the last 12 holes. Day was a rollercoaster 1 over, with five birdies, four bogeys and one double.

Next opponent for Holmes: Bubba Watson

Ben Hogan bracket results

MATT KUCHAR (4) def. RICKIE FOWLER (8), 2 and 1

Kuchar never trailed in his match with Fowler, but that certainly doesn't mean it was easy. There were adventures in the desert, penalty shots and encounters with cacti and sagebrush to entertain the ample crowd. But in the end, the steady 1997 U.S. Amateur champ won out over Fowler, who was coming off a 6 and 5 win over Phil Mickelson in the second round. "I think I'm lucky I didn't run into him yesterday," Kuchar said. "It sounded like yesterday he was on fire and would have cleaned me out yesterday. Kuchar birdied the first two holes, one to keep pace and the second to win the hole, then went 2 up when Fowler bogeyed the third. But Fowler battled back to square the match with birdies at the sixth and eighth holes before the two visited the desert on opposite sides of the fairway at the 10th hole and Kuchar won with a bogey. "I was lucky to win that hole," Kuchar said. Fowler then bogeyed the next two holes to put Kuchar 3 up. "I'm disappointed about 11 and 12, missing some little up and downs and short putts that I thought definitely helped the match go the other way," Fowler said. The 22-year-old did manage to win two more holes -- the 15th with his third straight birdie and the 16th with a par. But the match ended when Kuchar staked his approach at the 17th hole to 5 feet and Fowler couldn't get up and down from behind the green.

Next opponent for Kuchar: Y.E. Yang

Y.E. YANG (11) def. GRAEME McDOWELL (2), 3 and 2

The Korean finished off the reigning U.S. Open champ in style, chipping in from the intermediate rough just off the green at the 16th hole for the winning birdie. That was Yang's fourth consecutive birdie on the back nine in a round that included eight birdies, two bogeys and a double. Yang has now beaten Alvaro Quiros, Stewart Cink and McDowell in making an impressive run to his first quarterfinals appearance in this event. Yang jumped out to an early lead, with three birdies in his first four holes. The latter two put him 2 up, but he gave back a hole with a bogey at the fifth. McDowell, though, gave it right back with a bogey at the par-3 sixth when he found the greenside bunker. He then failed to win the 8th hole when he missed a birdie putt inside four feet. Still, he clawed back, managing to square the match when Yang made a mess of things at the 10th. The match remained squared heading to the 14th, but that's when Yang pulled away with that birdie streak. His approach shot at the 14th landed inside seven feet, and his approach on the 15th rolled to within four feet, setting the stage for Yang's dramatic finish. "He was a tough man to beat today and to be brutally honest, I was frustrated with my game all week," McDowell said. "I hit a lot of average shots for me."

Next opponent for Yang: Matt Kuchar

Gary Player bracket results

MIGUEL A. JIMENEZ (6) def. BEN CRANE (10), 7 and 6

Now Crane knows how Rory McIlroy felt after the American blitzed him 8 and 7 in the second round. Jimenez was in control from the outset Friday as Crane made the first of his five bogeys on No. 1 and the Spaniard birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 4 to grab a 4 up advantage. Jimenez two-putted the second from 44 feet, made a 4-footer at No. 3 and drained a 14-footer for birdie at the fourth during that torrid stretch. Crane then gave Jimenez three straight holes with bogeys starting at the eighth hole and found himself 7 down at the 11th tee. All that remained was for the two men to halve the next two holes with birdies before Jimenez could put another match in the win column. The red-haired, pony-tailed Spaniard, who is called "The Mechanic," is the oldest player remaining in the field at 47. He's now in the quarterfinals for the second time in 10 appearances and his record has improved to 9-9 overall.

Next opponent for Jimenez: Martin Kaymer

MARTIN KAYMER (1) def. HUNTER MAHAN (5), 2 and 1


It did not come easy for Kaymer, the only No. 1 seed still left in the field. He trailed for most of the first 13 holes and he never held the lead until he rolled in a birdie putt from 11-1/2 feet on the 16th hole. But the reigning PGA champ -- who can move to No. 1 in the world should he reach the tournament finals Sunday -- found a way to prevail against Mahan in perhaps the best-played match of the tournament. Kaymer had seven birdies (and another conceded) while Mahan had three birdies (and another conceded) along with an eagle. "It was a great match," Kaymer said. "It was all about birdies, not about making bogeys." Mahan started quickly, winning the first hole on Kaymer's lone bogey of the day, then claiming the second when he dropped in an eagle putt from 31-1/2 feet. When Kaymer conceded the 11th hole after finding the desert with two shots ("Two golf shots I haven't really seen often from me," he said), he found himself 2 down. But that's when he turned it on. He was conceded a birdie at the par-5 13th to win that hole, then he and Mahan halved the next two holes with birdies. But Mahan couldn't keep the pace up, and Kaymer's tee shot on the 16th proved to be the difference. Mahan had one last chance at the 17th but he doubled bogeyed -- a disappointing finish for the American in what otherwise was a terrific effort against the potential No. 1.

Next opponent for Kaymer: Miguel Angel Jimenez

Bobby Jones bracket results

LUKE DONALD (3) def. MATTEO MANASSERO (15), 3 and 2

Donald led from the outset in his match with the Italian teen, who had already knocked out the steady world No. 8 Steve Stricker. Donald, who clocks in at No. 9, wasn't going to be another upset victim, though, and he set the tone for the day early. Three birdies and a par to Manassero's bogey had Donald leading 4 up by the seventh hole. Manassero won the eighth with a birdie but Donald came back with a 16-footer at the ninth to make the turn 4 up. Donald then gained a 5-up advantage, his largest of the day, after the 17-year-old bogeyed the 10th hole, leaving his third shot in the bunker. But Manassero refused to fold, holing an eagle chip from 44 yards at the par-5 13th and making birdie at No. 15 to narrow the gap to 3 down. But the match was dormie at that point, and only a Herculean effort could avoid the loss. Donald then proceeded to two-putt for par at No. 16 to seal the victory. You've got to expect to see the two on the same European Ryder Cup team down the road, though. And Manassero still has two years to become the youngest player ever to win a PGA TOUR event. "It was a good win," Donald said. "I knew he was going to be a tough competitor."

Next opponent for Donald: Ryan Moore

RYAN MOORE (12) def. NICK WATNEY (8), 19 holes

In the only match Friday that went required an extra hole, Moore advanced by rolling in a birdie putt just inside 11 feet on the 19th hole (the par-4 first). It was Moore's sixth birdie of the day. Add in one eagle and one bogey, and Moore ended up shooting 7 under on the day. "I played a little bit better today than I had the first couple of days," Moore said. "It was just a battle." Watney has been one of the hottest players on TOUR, and he came into Friday's match having knocked out the world's No. 1 player, Lee Westwood. When he won the first two holes with birdies, it looked to be more of the same. But Moore has avoided trouble for most of the week -- he has just five bogeys through the first three rounds -- and his steady play eventually proved the difference. "You knew it was going to be a tough match," Moore said. "Right out of the gate he starts making birdies." But Moore made his share, too. His birdie at the sixth from 24 feet away squared the match and he never trailed after that. A pivotal stretch started at the 15th when Moore drove the green at the short par 4 and nailed the eagle putt from just inside 39 feet to go 1 up. He then won the next hole after his tee shot on the par-3 16th landed inside five feet. But his lone bogey of the day gave Watney the 17th hole, and then Watney stuffed his approach inside five feet to win the 18th hole and even the match.

Next opponent for Moore: Luke Donald



Accenture Match Play: Preview of quarterfinal matches  (my picks in bold)
pgatour.com
 
Yesterday my score... 16 players 8 matches 2 right 6 wrong !!


57 9:10 a.m. ET 12. RYAN MOORE vs. 3. LUKE DONALD Jones

Accenture Match Play records: Moore is 3-1. Donald is 13-6.

THE SKINNY: Donald has been playing steady golf all week -- making 14 birdies and just a trio of bogeys, all three of which came in his second-round match with Edoardo Molinari. No player in the field has made fewer bogeys through the first three rounds. The Englishman has yet to play the 18th hole but Moore needed it -- and one more -- to dismiss Nick Watney as both players shot 7 under in a nail-biter on Friday. Donald has twice reached the third round, only to be eliminated so he joins the 2004 U.S. Amateur champ in making his first quarterfinal appearance.

58 9:22 a.m. ET 4. MATT KUCHAR vs. 11. Y.E. YANG Hogan

Accenture Match Play records: Kuchar is 4-1. Yang is 4-2.

THE SKINNY: Each man knocked out glitzier opponents on Friday -- Kuchar downing the colorful Rickie Fowler and Yang ousting world No. 3 Graeme McDowell. That's how they like to do their jobs, though -- head down and moving forward. Yang made birdies in bunches against the Northern Irishman, including four straight to end the match, while Kuchar's putter was relatively quiet. Eliminating mistakes will be the key for both.

59 9:34 a.m. ET 1. MARTIN KAYMER vs. 6. MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ Player

Accenture Match Play records: Kaymer is 5-3. Jimenez is 9-9.

THE SKINNY: The two Ryder Cup teammates appeared to save their best golf for the third round. Kaymer seven birdies and just one bogey while knocking off Hunter Mahan 2 and 1. Jimenez blitzed Ben Crane, closing out the match on the 12th hole. Kaymer has a carrot dangling -- he'll be No. 1 in the world if he reaches the title tilt but with that comes pressure, as well.

60 9:46 a.m. ET 5. BUBBA WATSON vs. 6. J.B. HOLMES Snead

Accenture Match Play records: Watson is 3-0. Holmes is 3-1.

THE SKINNY: Fans of the long ball got their wish when these two won their third-round matches. Watson ranks first in driving distance with an average of 314.8, which is 4.3 yards longer than Holmes, who has already unleashed one of more than 370 in the thin air at Dove Mountain. "It should be fun," Holmes said. "We'll get out there and see who hits it the furthest." Holmes, ranked No. 66 in the world, was the last man in when Tim Clark withdrew on Tuesday. He didn't even get a practice round but he knows desert golf, with a pair of victories at TPC Scottsdale


PGA Tour Mayakoba Classic, Cancun

David Hearn is T32 69, 70 -3
Both Chris Baryla 79,69  and Matt McQuillan 76,72  missed the cut

Chris Stroud is the leader at -11


LPGA HSBC Womens Champions, Singapore

Alena Sharp is 59th  80 76 74 +14  (63 in the field

Chie Arimura of South Korea is the leader at -11 by a shot over Karrie Webb.  Yani Tseng is T3 but 6 shots behind at -5


Bryan Angus

Round 3 Matches / picks... Canucks in Mexico

Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are all on their way home after another great day of Match Play in the Arizona desert around Tuscon. Graeme McDowell or Luke Donald are set to become World #3 and Martin Kaymer could become #1 if he makes the final.

Here are the final 16 with my picks in bold and the analysis from pgatour.com


49 12:35 p.m. ET 8. RICKIE FOWLER vs. 4. MATT KUCHAR Hogan

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Fowler is 2-0. Kuchar is 3-1

THE SKINNY: Fowler was awfully impressive in upsetting top-seed Phil Mickelson in the second round as the 22-year-old made five birdies, one eagle and a lone bogey on Thursday. Kuchar had the putter working, too, but the 1997 U.S. Amateur champ will need to eliminate the mistakes -- he's had six bogeys in 26 holes -- to advance.


50 12:47 p.m. ET 2. GRAEME McDOWELL vs. 11. Y.E. YANG Hogan

Accenture Match Play Championship records: McDowell is 3-4. Yang is 3-2.

THE SKINNY: McDowell hasn't been totally happy with the way he's played in the first two rounds, but it's hard to see what's not to like. The Northern Irishman has yet to play the last two holes and only trailed for one hole in each match. Neither he nor Yang, who mowed down match-play specialist Stewart Cink on Thursday, have ever played in the third round.

51 12:59 p.m. ET 8. GEOFF OGILVY vs. 5. BUBBA WATSON Snead

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Ogilvy is 20-3. Watson is 2-0.

THE SKINNY: Watson, an Accenture Match Play rookie, didn't make a bogey in beating Mark Wilson Thursday, and he's made 10 birdies in 29 holes which is a pretty strong percentage. Ogilvy, though, thrives in this format, and on these courses, with two wins and a runner-up finish. Thursday's tight battle with the Tiger-beater, Thomas Bjorn, could be a confidence boost.

52 1:11 p.m. ET 10. JASON DAY vs. 6. J.B. HOLMES Snead

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Day is 2-0. Holmes is 2-1

THE SKINNY: The Accenture rookie from Australia has played extremely well with 12 birdies, one eagle and three bogeys while going only 16 holes in each of his first two matches. Not to mention, he eliminated the two-time runner-up Paul Casey Thursday. But Holmes has staying power, too, and the two youngsters won't hold back.

53 1:23 p.m. ET 8. NICK WATNEY vs. 12. RYAN MOORE Jones

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Watney is 4-1. Moore is 2-1.

THE SKINNY: Watney is coming off the upset of world No. 1 Lee Westwood so he'll need to guard against a letdown. But with three finishes of sixth or better this year, Watney is at the top of his game. Moore, the 2004 U.S. Amateur champ, made short work of K.J. Choi -- winning five of his last nine holes to end the match at No. 14.

54 1:35 p.m. ET 15. MATTEO MANASSERO vs. 3. LUKE DONALD Jones

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Manassero is 2-0. DOnald is 12-6.

THE SKINNY: The 17-year-old Italian teenager could become the youngest winner ever on the PGA TOUR on Sunday. First, though, he'll need to get by the steady Donald, who plays a similar fairways-and-greens game and has a stellar short game. Manassero has already beaten world No. 8 Steve Stricker; Donald clocks in at No. 9.

55 1:47 p.m. ET 1. MARTIN KAYMER vs. 5. HUNTER MAHAN Player

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Kaymer is 4-3. Mahan is 4-3.

THE SKINNY: Justin Rose took Kaymer to the limit -- and more -- on Thursday as the world No. 2 won in 20 holes. Kaymer can overtake Lee Westwood if he gets to the title tilt but Mahan could have a say in that. The American birdied three of his last six holes to rally from 1 down and dispose of Swedish veteran Robert Karlsson 2 up.


56 1:59 p.m. ET 10. BEN CRANE vs. 6. MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ Player

Accenture Match Play Championship records: Crane is 6-3. Jimenez is 8-9.

THE SKINNY: Crane pulled off arguably Thursday's biggest upset when he demolished Rory McIlroy 8 and 7. He made five birdies in 11 holes against the Northern Irishman and has nine in 27 holes for the week. Jimenez reached the quarterfinals in 2000 but he's dropped more shots to par (seven) than made birdies (six) in his first two matches this week


PGA tour 

Down in Cancun at the Maykoba Classic we have 3 Canucks in action ..

David Hearn is T23 AT -2 69
Matt McQuillan is T121 after his +5 76
Chris Baryla continues to struggle  131, +8 79

Here is the scoreboard with a 4 way tie for the lead. Cameron Beckman is the defending champ

T1 26 Andres Gonzales -5 F -5 color info 66 66

T1 22 David Toms -5 F -5 color info 66 66
T1 26 Mark Hensby -5 F* -5 color info 66 66
T1 16 Kyle Stanley -5 F* -5 color info 66 66

T5 124 Kent Jones -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T5 141 Briny Baird -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T5 40 Cameron Beckman -4 F -4 color info 67 67
T5 141 Chris Tidland -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T5 124 Alexandre Rocha -4 F -4 color info 67 67
T5 112 Sunghoon Kang -4 F -4 color info 67 67

Bryan Angus

Bjorn bounces Tiger..Round 1 Results... Round 2 matches/picks/ results

In another first day of upsets at the Accenture World Match Play in Marana Arizona, the biggest of all from a media point of view is one I predicted yesterday,Thomas Bjorn has just bounced Tiger Woods on the 19th hole after Tiger drove wildly into the cactus right of the fairway and could only make bogey...

My picks are in bold and the winners are underlined...

Final score.. 64 players, 32 matches... 20 right 12 wrong

(1) Lee Westwood (Eng) v (64) Henrik Stenson (Swe)

(32) Nick Watney (US) v (33) Anthony Kim (US)

(16) Retief Goosen (SA) v (49) KJ Choi (S Kor)

(17) Francesco Molinari (Ita) v (48) Ryan Moore (US)

(8) Steve Stricker (US) v (57) Matteo Manassero (Ita)

(25) Charl Schwartzel (SA) v (40) Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn)

(9) Luke Donald (Eng) v (56) Charley Hoffman (US)

(24) Edoardo Molinari (Ita) v (41) Martin Laird (Sco)



(4) Phil Mickelson (US) v (61) Brendan Jones (Aus)

(29) Rickie Fowler (Aus) v (36) Peter Hanson (Swe)

(13) Matt Kuchar (US) v (52) Anders Hansen

(20) Louis Oosthuizen v (45) Bo Van Pelt (US)

(5) Graeme McDowell (NI) v (60) Heath Slocum US)

(28) Robert Allenby (Aus) v (37) Ross Fisher (Eng)

(12) Ian Poulter (Eng) v (53) Stewart Cink (US)

(21) Alvaro Quiros (Sp) v (44) YE Yang (S Kor)


(2) Martin Kaymer (Ger) v (63) Noh Seung-yul (S Kor)

(31) Zach Johnson (US) v (34) Justin Rose (Eng)

(15) Robert Karlsson (Swe) v (50) Hiroyuki Fujita (Jpn)

(18) Hunter Mahan (US) v (47) Sean O'Hair (US)

(7) Rory McIlroy (NI) v (58) Jonathan Byrd (US)

(26) Adam Scott (Aus) v (39) Ben Crane (US)

(10) Jim Furyk (US) v (55) Ryan Palmer (US)

(23) Miguel Angel Jimenez (Sp) v (42) Yuta Ikeda (Jpn)



(3) Tiger Woods (US) v (62) Thomas Bjorn (Den)

(30) Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) v (35) Padraig Harrington (Ire)

(14) Dustin Johnson (US) v (51) Mark Wilson (US)

(19) Bubba Watson (US) v (46) Bill Haas (US)

(6) Paul Casey (Eng) v (59) Richard Green (Aus)

(27) Kim Kyung-tae (S Kor) v (38) Jason Day (Aus)

(11) Ernie Els (SA) v (54) Jeff Overton (US)

(65) JB Holmes v (43) Camilo Villegas (Col) ( Holmes has replaced Tim Clark WD)



Thursday's Matches ( picks are in bold, results are underlined)

Results  32 players  16 matches  8 right 8 wrong..


(1) L Westwood  vs (32) N Watney

(49) KJ Choi  vs (48) R Moore

(57) M Manassero vs (25) C Schwartzel

(9) L Donald vs (24) E Molinari


(4) P Mickelson  vs (29) R Fowler

(13) M Kuchar vs (45) Bo Van Pelt

(5) G McDowell  vs(37)  R Fisher

(53 )S Cink  vs (44) YE Yang


(2) M Kaymer vs (34) J Rose

(15) R Karlsson  vs (18) H Mahan

(7) R McIlroy vs  (39) B Crane

(55)R Palmer vs (23) M Jimenez



(63)T Bjorn  vs (32) G Ogilvy

(51) M Wilson  vs (19)  BWatson

(6) P Casey vs (38) J Day

(11) E Els  vs  (65) JB Holmes


Bryan Angus

Here are my picks at the Accenture MatchPlay for Wednesday

I like the early rounds of this WGC Match Play event as everyone is in play and there are always "upsets" galore, although in reality anyone of these guys can win in an 18 hole match on any given day. My picks are highlighted

Ian Poulter, who beat fellow Briton Paul Casey 4&2 in last year's final, will launch his title defence at the Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, against Stewart Cink with Casey up against Richard Green of Australia.

World #1 Lee Westwood opens against Henrik Stenson. Former winner Stenson, who was first reserve, came in after Japan's Toru Taniguchi withdrew with neck trouble

Germany's world number two Martin Kaymer, third-ranked Tiger Woods and triple Masters champion Phil Mickelson are the top seeds in the other three groups.


Official draw (my picks):


(1) Lee Westwood (Eng) v (64) Henrik Stenson (Swe)

(32) Nick Watney (US) v (33) Anthony Kim (US)

(16) Retief Goosen (SA) v (49) KJ Choi (S Kor)

(17) Francesco Molinari (Ita) v (48) Ryan Moore (US)

(8) Steve Stricker (US) v (57) Matteo Manassero (Ita)

(25) Charl Schwartzel (SA) v (40) Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn)

(9) Luke Donald (Eng) v (56) Charley Hoffman (US)

(24) Edoardo Molinari (Ita) v (41) Martin Laird (Sco)



(4) Phil Mickelson (US) v (61) Brendan Jones (Aus)

(29) Rickie Fowler (Aus) v (36) Peter Hanson (Swe)

(13) Matt Kuchar (US) v (52) Anders Hansen

(20) Louis Oosthuizen v (45) Bo Van Pelt (US)

(5) Graeme McDowell (NI) v (60) Heath Slocum US)

(28) Robert Allenby (Aus) v (37) Ross Fisher (Eng)

(12) Ian Poulter (Eng) v (53) Stewart Cink (US)

(21) Alvaro Quiros (Sp) v (44) YE Yang (S Kor)



(2) Martin Kaymer (Ger) v (63) Noh Seung-yul (S Kor)

(31) Zach Johnson (US) v (34) Justin Rose (Eng)

(15) Robert Karlsson (Swe) v (50) Hiroyuki Fujita (Jpn)

(18) Hunter Mahan (US) v (47) Sean O'Hair (US)

(7) Rory McIlroy (NI) v (58) Jonathan Byrd (US)

(26) Adam Scott (Aus) v (39) Ben Crane (US)

(10) Jim Furyk (US) v (55) Ryan Palmer (US)

(23) Miguel Angel Jimenez (Sp) v (42) Yuta Ikeda (Jpn)



(3) Tiger Woods (US) v (62) Thomas Bjorn (Den)

(30) Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) v (35) Padraig Harrington (Ire)

(14) Dustin Johnson (US) v (51) Mark Wilson (US)

(19) Bubba Watson (US) v (46) Bill Haas (US)

(6) Paul Casey (Eng) v (59) Richard Green (Aus)

(27) Kim Kyung-tae (S Kor) v (38) Jason Day (Aus)

(11) Ernie Els (SA) v (54) Jeff Overton (US)

(65) JB Holmes v (43) Camilo Villegas (Col) ( Holmes has replaced Tim Clark WD)

Bryan Angus

Baddeley wins in LA, ..Langer in Naples... Spittle T6

I was following Rod Spittle -6 66, and Jim Rutledge -5 67 T26, on the Internet and when Rod birdied 18 he moved up to T6.
It was one of his 8 birdies which ranked him 4th on the week. He has now been T16, 2nd and T6 in his 3 outings this year, worth $229,600, 6th on the money list.. He has been putting superbly, in fact he is ranked #3 on tour

I asked Jim after the round what T26 gets him in terms of next week. His reply "T26 gets me nothing, it's back to Monday qualifying" That's how tough this tour is. Jim is 18th on the money list with $78,720, he's been T6,T26 , and if it's and buts were candies and nuts we'd all have a wonderful Christmas, but if Jim had avoided the 2 double bogey's he had on the weekend, his score would have been 205, good for T10 which would have qualified him for next week. Jim has never been a great putter (36th) but he is 3rd on tour in GIR..

Bernhard Langer won easily posting another -6 66. He sorted things out early getting to -3 through his first 6 holes and never looked back..

1 1 Bernhard Langer SC P -6 F -20 64 66 66 196

T2 Fred Funk SC P -6 F -16 68 66 66 200
T3 T6 Nick Price SC P -6 F -15 68 67 66 201
T3 T2 Russ Cochran SC P -5 F -15 64 70 67 201
5 T2 Mark Calcavecchia SC P -4 F -14 67 67 68 202
T6 T9 Olin Browne SC P -6 F -13 67 70 66 203
T6 T9 Rod Spittle SC P -6 F -13 70 67 66 203
T6 T2 Mark O'Meara SC P -3 F -13 65 69 69 203
9 8 Mark Wiebe SC P -4 F -12 71 65 68 204
T10 T22 David Peoples SC P -7 F -11 71 69 65 205


PGA tour

Freddie Couples had Riviera all abuzz when he opened with 3 birdies to take the lead, but bogey, double bogey, bogey between 6 and 10 derailed him and it was then the other veteran Vijay Singh who got to within a shot at 11, but 2 bogey's later Aaron Baddeley had the 2 shot cushion he would never relinquish

It's Aaron's 3rd PGA tour win his first in 4 years and all the work he has put into his new swing with his old coach Dale Lynch for the last 2 years has finally paid off.

By the way look at David Duval T9. He has had 3 T25's in 5 outings this year as he continues quietly to work his way back into the form that made him the world's number 1 player a decade ago.


1 4 Aaron Baddeley -12 F -2 color info 67 69 67 69 272

2 2 7 Vijay Singh -10 F -2 color info 68 70 67 69 274
3 1 15 Kevin Na -9 F E color info 71 66 67 71 275
T4 3 13 Jimmy Walker -8 F -3 color info 68 71 69 68 276
T4 3 57 Robert Allenby -8 F -3 color info 67 70 71 68 276
T4 1 59 Ryan Moore -8 F -2 color info 69 68 70 69 276
T7 7 45 K.J. Choi -7 F -3 color info 70 69 70 68 277
T7 5 61 Fred Couples -7 F 2 color info 68 66 70 73 277
T9 22 38 J.J. Henry -6 F -5 color info 69 74 69 66 278
T9 15 41 David Duval -6 F -4 color info 71 71 69 67 278
T9 2 26 Justin Rose -6 F -1 color info 69 69 70 70 278

Next week the world's top 64 go to Arizona for the Accenture World Match Play which Ian Poulter won last year and the rest of these guys go to Cancun in Mexico for the Mayakoba Golf Classic

For the Match Play brackets click on pga tour on the right side of my blog..  Tiger is playing Thomas Bjorn. Lee Westwood starts against Henrik Stenson..

There are no Canadians in the field but Baryla, Hearn and McQuillan are all travelling to Cancun for the Mayakoba.

Bryan Angus

Baddeley leads vets at Riviera, Langer cruising, but Canucks charging in Naples..

29 year old Aaron Baddeley hasn't begun to feel al the aches a back pains that 51 year old Freddie Couples or 48 year old Vijay Singh have to deal with on a daily basis, that will come with time.

Right now he leads them and a bunch of others with their own story lines by a shot as they begin the final round under clear blue skies at historic Riviera.

Baddeley is at -10 203, one shot clear of Couples 70 -9 204 and Kevin Na 67 -9 204, who was born in Korea but grew up in Southern California. Na who has the reputation of being the slowest player on tour, especially when he is in contention wants to win this one badly for his father who is dying from leukemia back in South Korea and is following his son on his computer.

One shot behind was Vijay Singh 67 -8 205, who turns 48 on Tuesday hasn't won since 2008 at the Deutsche Bank Championship on his way to the FedEx Cup title. As I've been saying he has been playing much more like the Vijay of old this year and he attributes that to finally feeling healthier and a return  to form with his putter.

Baddeley who has been on with us on Fairways several times came to my attention when he won the Australian Open as an 18 year old amateur then turned pro and won it again as a 19 year old !! Along with Mike Weir he went to the "Stack and Tilt" method taught by Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, then decided to go back to his Australian coach, Dale Lynch and he says he is playing beautifully this week

Freddie's round of 70 was a bit scruffy, he hit a poor wedge, knocked a putt over the back of the green and turned a potential birdie into bogey on the 10th hole, but played the rest of the way in at -1 to stay right in contention. He started play on the PGA the year Baddeley was born and Na watched Freddie play at Riviera when he was 10 years old !!

The weather is beautiful and the greens are soft after all the rain so I expect someone to come out of the pack with a 64, or 65 to make it an exciting final day especially with the easy par 5 first hole which gives all the players a chance at eagle to start their rounds.
I can tell you Robert Alllenby who won here in 2001 has started 3,3 eagle, birdie'.


1 4 Aaron Baddeley -10 -- -- color info 67 69 67 203

T2 2 9 Vijay Singh -9 1 -1 color info 68 70 67 205
T2 13 Kevin Na -9 -- -- color info 71 66 67 204
T2 27 Fred Couples -9 -- -- color info 68 66 70 204

T5 9 25 Stuart Appleby -7 3 -3 color info 69 72 68 209
T5 2 67 Stewart Cink -7 2 -2 color info 70 67 71 208
T5 2 17 Spencer Levin -7 2 -2 color info 67 69 72 208
T5 2 79 Robert Allenby -7 1 -2 color info 67 70 71 208
T5 84 Ryan Moore -7 1 -1 color info 69 68 70 207
T5 52 John Senden -7 1 -1 color info 67 69 71 207

T11 3 56 K.J. Choi -6 4 -2 color info 70 69 70 209
T11 4 29 J.B. Holmes -6 3 -1 color info 67 69 72 208
T11 3 22 Martin Laird -6 3 -2 color info 67 73 69 209
T11 4 30 Justin Rose -6 2 -1 color info 69 69 70 208
T11 4 15 Jimmy Walker -6 1 -1 color info 68 71 69 208


CHAMPIONS tour

Bernhard Langer was upset coming into this week in Naples at what he described as his sloppy play so far in 2011 so he went to the range and stepped up his already legendary work rate.. Bad news for the rest of the field..

So the guy who has been this tour's player of the year the last 3 years has shot 64 66 and has a 4 shot lead going into play today and in fact is already -3 through 6 holes this morning !!

Great news so far for our 2 Canucks.. Rod Spittle is at -3 on today's round -10 total and is currently T9 and Jim Rutledge who started the day T43 has reeled off 6 birdies and is up to a T26 AT -7 playing 18.

Scoreboard with final round under way

1 1 Bernhard Langer SC P -3 6 -17 64 66 -- 130

T2 Mark Calcavecchia SC P -4 6 -14 67 67 -- 134
T2 Mark O'Meara SC P -3 7 -13 65 69 -- 134
T2 Fred Funk SC P -3 7 -13 68 66 -- 134
T2 Russ Cochran SC P -2 7 -12 64 70 -- 134
T6 T22 David Peoples SC P -7 13 -11 71 69 -- 140
T6 T6 Nick Price SC P -2 7 -11 68 67 -- 135
T6 8 Mark Wiebe SC P -3 7 -11 71 65 -- 136
T9 T11 Ted Schulz SC P -4 9 -10 70 68 -- 138
T9 T9 Olin Browne SC P -3 9 -10 67 70 -- 137
T9 T11 Hal Sutton SC P -4 9 -10 70 68 -- 138
T9 Rod Spittle SC P -3 7 -10 70 67 -- 137

More to follow..

Bryan Angus

















.

Chowrasia has a home win in India...Tseng wins 3rd in a row

Imagine Mike Weir or Stephen Ames or any Canuck winning the Canadian Open, or a Brit winning Wimbledon and you can imagine how special a day it has been for India's SSP Chowrasia.

He has just won the Avantha Masters in New Delhi after England's Robert Coles took a bogey 6 from the middle of the fairway on 18 to leave SSP the winner..

Here is the europeantour.com report

S S P Chowrasia secured a home victory as he overcame Robert Coles in an exciting finish to the Avantha Masters.


The 32 year old Indian shot a closing round of 67 to finish 15 under par at DLF Golf and Country Club - one ahead of Coles, who saw his hopes of a first European Tour title denied in the cruellest of circumstances.

Chowrasia looked to be cruising as he notched up seven birdies in his first 14 holes.But a double bogey at the par three 16th left the door open for Coles, who missed two golden birdie opportunities in the closing holes before taking four shots to get down from the edge of the green at the last.

“I had one bad tee shot on the 16th today - besides that it was an outstanding round,” said Chowrasia after landing the €300,000 first prize. “Even after the 16th I knew I had a chance to make birdies on the last two holes.
“However, when the birdies didn’t come my way, I was confident of taking it to a play-off. But fortunately for me, the play-off was not required.


“I am now ready to go back on The European Tour and have a real go at succeeding in Europe. That is my goal now, to succeed in Europe because I really struggled there in my first season – with the swing problems and also on the mental side of things.


“I am now going to sit down and rework my schedule so that I can have the best chance of success. I have a little more experience in Europe now and that is so important because I know the golf courses and know the cultures. It’s a really exciting time for me.”

Chowrasia started his round with a gain, added a 15 foot birdie putt at the fourth and sank putts of 15 and 40 feet at the seventh and eighth to turn in 32.The impressive start continued after the turn with a ten foot putt at the tenth and his tee shot to the 11th was within six feet.

By the time Chowrasia birdied the 14th the rest of the field had been blown away – except for 38 year old third round leader Coles, whose approach at the seventh span back into the cup for eagle.

Chowrasia, whose other European Tour triumph also came in New Delhi at the 2008 Indian Masters, made his first mistake at the 16th when a rushed tee shot was pulled left, and led to a double bogey five. Two closing pars saw Chowrasia set a clubhouse target of 15 under, with Coles on the same mark at that stage with four holes remaining.

And when Coles a type 1 diabetic hit a dreamy approach to eight feet on the 15th, he must have thought his long wait for European Tour glory was coming to an end.But he failed to convert and missed an even better chance at the penultimate hole.
Coming down the par five last, Coles still looked to be in command as he hit a perfect drive and left his second in greenside rough. However, on a difficult downhill lie he thinned his chip 20 feet past, overcooked what would have been a tournament-winning putt and could not force a play-off with his eight foot return effort.

“The ball was really far below my feet and a bit of grass in between it and it was just a really awkward shot,” Coles said of his third shot at the 18th.“I really needed to get underneath to get it up in the air as soon as I could but the ground was rock hard and it just kind of flew on me a bit. “Then I got over the putt and I was still thinking I could make it and win the tournament, but I just hit it so hard and it flew out of the middle of the putter and then I obviously missed the one coming back. “I hit a great drive down there and, let’s be honest, should have at least made par from there but the second shot was obviously adrenaline driven and then you saw what happened from there.


“It is obviously disappointing but I don’t feel too bad right now talking to you but I will probably feel a lot worse tomorrow when it sinks in. I did have a great chance to win.”

US Open Championship runner-up Grégory Havret claimed third on 13 under with a closing 68, with first round leader Robert-Jan Derksen fourth following a 69


LPGA

Meanwhile in Thailand Yani Tseng held off then pulled away from Michelle Wie for an easy 5 shot win at the LPGA Thailand  and more important it was the world's #1 third straight win in 2011

PATTAYA, Thailand AP - Top-ranked Yani Tseng earned her third tournament win in three weeks Sunday, shooting a 6-under 66 to pull away for a comfortable five-shot victory over Michelle Wie in the LPGA Thailand.


Tseng led by one stroke over Wie and I.K. Kim going into the final round of the season-opening LPGA event and had the lowest score of the day with seven birdies and one bogey to finish at 15-under 273.

Wie settled for a 70 to finish second in the season-opening LPGA event, while Kim had a 71 was another stroke back in a tie for third with Karrie Webb, who shot a 69. Paula Creamer was fifth at 8 under after a 71.

Tseng took over the No. 1 ranking after winning back-to-back Ladies European Tour events, the Australian Open and then the Australian Ladies Masters last weekend.

Bryan Angus

Indian favourites Singh, Chowrasia take the lead in New Delhi

Play is well under way in round 3 after another 90 minute fog delay this morning in New Delhi and here is the leader board as the local crowds must be delighted with 2 of their heroes sharing the lead.

T1 CHOWRASIA, S S P -10 16 -5 70 69 -5 - 139

T1 ECHENIQUE, Rafa -10 14 -5 69 70 -5 - 139
T1 SINGH, Jeev Milkha -10 10 -1 68 67 -1 - 135
T4 HAVRET, Grégory -9 16 -4 72 67 -4 - 139
T4 NIRAT, Chapchai -9 16 -4 68 71 -4 - 139
T4 QUE, Angelo -9 15 -4 71 68 -4 - 139
T4 LARRAZÁBAL, Pablo -9 15 -4 69 70 -4 - 139
T4 COLES, Robert -9 12 -2 70 67 -2 - 137

T9 MARKSAENG, Prayad -8 18 -5 72 69 67 - 208
T9 DE VRIES, Floris -8 16 -3 72 67 -3 - 139
T9 DERKSEN, Robert-Jan -8 16 -3 66 73 -3 - 139
T9 SINGH, Sujjan -8 13 -2 69 69 -2 - 138
T9 WIRATCHANT, Thaworn -8 13 -2 70 68 -2 - 138
T9 HAASTRUP, Mark F -8 11 -1 71 66 -1 - 137
T9 CABRERA-BELLO, Rafael -8 10 Par 67 69 Par - 136

full report to follow.

Bryan Angus

Russ Cochran and Bernhard Langer lead in Naples

We have 2 Canucks in the field  so their news first.Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., shot a 2-under 70 while Victoria's Jim Rutledge had an even-par, 72 to stand 6 and 8 shots off the lead going into round 2.

Here is a pgatour.com report from the course.


NAPLES, Fla. - Russ Cochran and Bernhard Langer shot an 8-under-par 64 to share the lead after the first round of the ACE Group Classic on Friday.

Cochran birdied four straight holes to close his front nine here, then birdied three of the first five on the back before parring in.
“To be honest with you, I made everything I looked at,” said the left-hander, who was the tour's 2009 Rookie of the Year, then won twice last year. “It was a surprise for me, but a welcome surprise.”

On No. 16, he sent his birdie try 12 feet past the hole, then made par coming back. On No. 17, he drove into the bunker and two-putted from 60 feet. And at the last, he drove into the bunker, slipped on his bunker shot and left that 40 yards short of the green, but made a 15-footer to save par.

. Cochran had opportunities to win going into the final round at both the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii and the Allianz Championship last week, but ended up tying for fourth in both.

Cochran said he “just kind of stunk the place up” in the final round in Hawaii, when he followed up a first-round 62 with a 72 on the final day while playing with one of his heroes, Tom Watson. He was in contention last week, too, but had to take an unplayable lie after hitting under a palmetto bush and bogeyed the final hole.

Langer, who earned the Player of the Year award and the money title last year, was also looking for a better showing after finishing tied for 16th and 17th, respectively, in the season-opening tournaments.
“I wasn't happy the first two tournaments I played,” Langer said. “There were good moments in both of those tournaments, but there were also too much other stuff, too many dropped shots, too many missed opportunities.”

So, Langer — known for his work ethic — turned that up a notch preparing for this tournament.
“I worked really hard the last few days, extremely hard; maybe too much,” he said. “I kind of wore myself out, but it didn't show today. I had enough energy to play the 18 holes, and I just felt I needed to improve on certain areas, and I showed improvement today.”

Mark O'Meara, back from playing in the Dubai Desert Classic last week, was third after a 65 that included holing out from a greenside bunker for an eagle on No. 14.
“I kind of hit it a little bit heavy and kind of chunked and ran it up there, so it was about as perfect as it could go in,” he said.

Mark Calcavecchia, Keith Fergus and Olin Browne were tied for fourth at 5-under.


Bryan Angus

Couples skips Champions tour to lead at Riviera

Freddie Couples is supposed too be across the country in Naples Florida defending his Acer Group title on the Champions tour. Instead he is in soggy cool LA leading the PGA tour's Northern Trust Open on one of his favourite courses Riviera !

He has won here twice but back in the 90's, and the way he stretches and winces and creaks and groans with his wonky back you expect him to be carted off on a stretcher at any moment..

Before his story the right front wheel on my beloved 92 Pontiac Grand Prix sheared off yesterday rounding the corner at Castle Frank and Bloor at 545am. Luckily, nobody got hurt and although I tied up rush hour traffic until yet another great CAA guy got me towed. It is the best $100 I spend each year !!

So old Betsy is done, my Dad bought her in 1992 and gave it to me when he became legally blind 10 years ago, and she was still running like a top. Great car, we both got way more than our monies worth. Point is I therefore spent most of yesterday with the aftermath, I 've got a bouncy Dodge Caravan van loaner for the weekend, so I only saw the highlights last night of all the golf.

Mike Weir shot another 77 and is done, my pick Luke Donald who started the day at -3 68 fell apart for some reason on a course he eats up (2nd last year) to a +8 79 !!!

Here is Doug Ferguson's AP report from the course..

LOS ANGELES - Fred Couples does not look like he belongs atop the leader board on the PGA Tour.
Except that he's at Riviera.
Despite a bad back that hurts when he stoops over a short iron, Couples navigated around his favourite tour course without a bogey Friday for a 5-under 66 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open.
It helped that he knocked in an eagle putt of nearly 100 feet on his opening hole, along with a pair of 30-foot birdie putts. But even for a 51-year-old well past his prime, he was carried along by a languid swing and his love for Riviera.

“I feel like I can  play this course blindfolded "Couples said.

Some of his peers couldn't believe what they saw.
“He played like he was my age,” said 25-year-old Anthony Kim, who was paired with Couples and was nine shots behind. “He was loose, swinging hard. He hit some quality shots, some aggressive shots. It doesn't hurt that he's won here a couple of times. He just knows what he's doing out here.”

Couples first played Riviera three years before Kim was born. He won in 1990 and 1992, back when his hair was brown, not mostly grey, and when he didn't have to get up at 4 a.m. to stretch out his back so he could make it to the first tee.

It was tough for others, too. The wind and rain arrived in the afternoon, making Riviera so difficult that some medium-length hitters couldn't reach the par-4 18th with a driver and a 3-wood.

Of those who didn't finish the round before it was suspended by darkness, Spencer Levin was at 6 under with three holes remaining, while Aaron Baddeley was at 5 under with four holes to play.

Mike Weir shot a second straight 77 and will not make the cut for the third time in four events this season.

Couples has not been atop the leader board through 36 holes since 2004 at the old Buick Classic at Westchester. The affection from the gallery hasn't changed, especially at Riviera.

From the other side of the par-5 first green, Couples rapped a putt and watched it roll some 100 feet toward the cup and drop for an eagle. The cheer was loud enough for players still on the practice range to look up.

One player jokingly said, “Couples just made a 10-footer for par.”

Paul Casey, who had a 67 and was four shots back, played in the group behind Couples. Asked how it felt to trail a 51-year-old who can barely bend over to tie his shoes, Casey started laughing.
“Every time I looked ahead, he's stretching his back, his hand is on his hip,” Casey said. “We all know Freddie. He looks like he doesn't care. He looks like he's in pain. He could be on any score. And the fact he's on 8 under is brilliant.”

Couples was at 8-under 134 heading into what could be a soggy weekend. The rain began to fall late in the afternoon as half of the field was trying to cope with tougher conditions.

J.B. Holmes was tied for the lead until a double bogey on the last hole gave him a 69. He was at 6-under 136, along with John Senden (69).

Trevor Immelman and Stewart Cink each had a 67, perhaps the rounds of the day considering they played the final two hours in the rain and wind. They were at 5-under 137, along with Robert Allenby, whose finish showed how tough it was.
He ripped a driver and hit a full 3-iron that still wasn't enough on the 464-yard ninth hole, and he three-putted from the front of the green for a 70.

Phil Mickelson struggled with his irons on his way to a 70 that put him seven shots behind, although not terribly worried.
“I'm not pleased being in the position where I'm at, but it could be a lot worse,” Mickelson said. “And I should be within striking distance if I can go out and shoot some hot round tomorrow.”

That he would be trying to catch up to Couples was surprising given his age and his health. Casey, however, said course knowledge and good vibes only go so far.
“I don't care how well he knows this course, and he probably knows it as well as the members,” Casey said. “It doesn't matter if you don't hit the golf ball where you need to.”

Such is his affection for Riviera that Couples didn't think twice about playing this week — even though he is the defending champion at the Champions Tour event in Naples, Fla.
“I don't think anyone is mad. Besides Augusta, it's my favourite spot,” Couples said. “I don't think it's a slap in the face if they just look where I live and my schedule and how I play here. It would take two seconds to figure it out.”

Couples not only has two wins at Riviera, he has four top 10s in the last decade and nearly had a chance to win two years ago until he butchered a 9-iron into the 18th with a chance to put pressure on Mickelson.
He was 49, and that figured to be his last chance to win on tour.

Yet here is again, twisting and stretching, taking left-handed baseball swings with his putter while trying to keep loose. The hardest part for Couples after his round was climbing the 100-foot hill toward the clubhouse to sign his card.
When the tour asked him to visit The Golf Channel's booth, Couples said, “Can't do it.” “I'm ready for a nap,” he said.

He was up at 4 a.m. to stretch and get treatment on what he called a “back machine.” It was still dark when he got to the practice range, and he kept to his routine in which he only hits long clubs — the driver, 5-wood and hybrids — because to bend over a short iron hurts. He'd rather wait until the shot counts to do that.
“I don't consider this warming up,” Couples said. “I just think it's waiting for my tee time to come.”

And he came out swinging, with the long eagle putt on No. 1, a 35-foot birdie putt on the ninth, a 30-footer on the 15th and a series of scary putts in the 5-foot range for pars. He has gone 32 holes without a bogey at Riviera.
For two rounds, he looks as young as ever. But that only goes so far.

He went to see “The Social Network,” but only because it starred Justin Timberlake. Couples still doesn't know what Facebook is all about. Remember, it was only two years ago that he started sending text messages (he received one after his round from Tiger Woods).

As for Twitter? Uh, no.
“If I did Twitter, would I tell people that I'm heading home and then going to eat at California Pizza Kitchen? Is that what you do? Or do you actually tweet information?” he said. “Well, what information do I have for my 500,000 followers? I'm 51. I live in the desert. They all know that already.

“If you guys write well enough, they'll know that I'm in good shape going into tomorrow. I don't need to tweet anybody.”

NOTES: Chris DiMarco was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. DiMarco, who opened with a 70, shot a 77 in the second round but mistakenly signed for a 75. There was no rules violation involved. In addition, Alex Cejka and Rocco Mediate have withdrawn. Cejka had played 11 holes in the second round and was 6 over for the day. Mediate withdrew prior to the start of the second round and did not give a reason. ...Twenty-four hours can make a significant difference in golf and Britain’s Luke Donald plunged from the good to the bad and ugly during that short span at the Northern Trust Open on Friday. Having opened with a tidy three-under-par 68 to lie just one stroke off the pace at Riviera Country Club, Donald unravelled in the second round as he struggled to a 79 to miss the cut by some distance. At one point, Donald bogeyed four of his last five holes on the front nine en route to making the turn in 39. Donald finished the runner-up at this event a year ago. In the 84-year history of the Northern Trust Open, the player that finished second the year prior has gone on to win the following year five times — most recently it was Phil Mickelson (2007 runner-up, 2008 winner) and Steve Stricker (2009 runner-up, 2010 winner).


Bryan Angus

Kim leads in Thailand... Tseng and Wie a shot behind

Here is the AP wire report from the LPGA event in Thailand. There are no Canucks in the field


PATTAYA, Thailand - In-kyung Kim of South Korea birdied her final hole to card a 1-over 73 and hold onto the lead by a stroke over Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie midway through the LPGA Thailand on Friday.

A day after firing a record-equaling 63 on the Pattaya Old Course at Siam Country Club, Kim struggled throughout the second round. She endured four bogeys on the front nine, earned her second and third birdies of the round on the 10th and 14th holes, dropped another shot on the 15th, then sank a 6-foot birdie putt to finish with an 8-under 136 total.

By the end, her three-shot lead to start the day was trimmed to one over the top-ranked Tseng (71) and Wie (68).

“I pushed myself hard in the front nine. I had no rhythm and made mistakes,” Kim said.

“I didn’t know why and I didn’t know what to do. Maybe because of the pressure. But I played a solid back nine to get back to where I was. I didn’t think about the lead. I am happy that I still have the lead even though it was not a great round.


“I will have to have a nice sleep. If I can play my game and be patient, I will have a chance.”

Wie began five shots behind Kim, but birdied the first hole and kept chipping away at Kim’s lead in a bogey-free round. She picked up two shots on the front nine, then successive birdies on 14 and 15 lifted the American into a tie for the lead at 7 under. But Wie could only par her last three holes, missing a two-foot birdie putt on 18.

Wie shared the day’s best round of 68 with only two other players, Karrie Webb, who was at 2 under, and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, at 2 over.

“It was a good day but I was hot,” Wie said. “This weekend I have to play well, not make errors and keep the energy level up.”

Tseng, winner of the Women’s Australian Open and Australian Ladies Masters in the last two weeks, overcame a double bogey on the 5th hole to settle for second again. She canceled bogeys on the 11th and 14th and made a second successive birdie on the 16th to join Kim and Wie in the lead, until Kim’s superb finish.

American veteran Juli Inkster, tied for second with Tseng on Thursday, overcame three bogeys and a double bogey with a birdie finish for a 73 to be three strokes off the lead alongside compatriot Paula Creamer (7), Japan’s Momoko Ueda (69), and South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi (70).

Bryan Angus

Bad start for Weir at Riviera, 2nd round underway in India

Mike Weir who loves this course and has won here twice '03 and '04 is off to a terrible start with a +6 77 T134, his worst score ever at Riviera

It included a double bogey 5 at the par 3 4th and another at the par 4 13th and he also had bogey's at 6 and 12

On the 4th he was in the green side bunker short, and 3 putted, and on 13 he drove it left, hit his second further left, must have had a terrible lie because he was still short after 3,got on in 4 and 2 putted... No birdies on his card

There are 9 players tied for the lead at -4, 67 and another 6 at -3 68 including Vijay Singh, Freddie Couples and Luke Donald my pick for this week.

It's the biggest tie for the lead apparently since they started keeping track of these things in the early 70's, and it was an other ideal day for scoring on America's west coast, but the flags were tucked and Riviera's undulating greens are always tough if you are on the wrong side of the pin.

The marquee player Phil Mickelson is at E 71..T40 and Dustin Johnson had a 73 that should have been 71 !  Why ??

He was on the practice range at 7:32 a.m., working his way through a bucket of balls to warm up, thinking he still had another 40 minutes before his tee time. His caddie, thought they teed off at 8:12 a.m. So imagine Johnson’s surprise when a PGA Tour official told he was supposed to be on the tee at 7.32 !!

He was penalized 2 shots and in those cases you are allowed 5 minutes to get to the tee or you are DQed. Johnson made it with seconds to spare..

Bubba Watson has WD with a pulled muscle in his ribcage, and several players have to return this morning to finish up their rounds, as darkness stopped play before they could finish last night

Here is the first round leader board

T1 13 John Senden -4 F* -4 color info 67 67

T1 4 Martin Laird -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T1 14 Robert Allenby -4 F -4 color info 67 67
T1 3 Spencer Levin -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T1 8 Aaron Baddeley -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T1 12 Ben Martin -4 F* -4 color info 67 67
T1 2 Bill Haas -4 F -4 color info 67 67
T1 9 Carl Pettersson -4 F -4 color info 67 67
T1 7 J.B. Holmes -4 F* -4 color info 67 67

T10 99 Padraig Harrington -3 F* -3 color info 68 68
T10 21 Vijay Singh -3 F* -3 color info 68 68
T10 43 Brian Davis -3 F* -3 color info 68 68
T10 84 Fred Couples -3 F* -3 color info 68 68
T10 107 Luke Donald -3 F* -3 color info 68 68
T10 89 Peter Tomasulo -3 17 -3 color info


EUROPEAN tour

Update at 9.30am Friday :Play suspended for the day at 18:10 due to bad light. Rd 2 to resume at 07:15 local time with nearly half the field still on the course

The Spanish invasion continues in India. Midway through round 2 it is Rafael Cabrera-Bello who has a one shot lead. Of course last week it was countryman Alvaro Quiros who beat all the big boys in Dubai, to go along with stellar play from a rejuvenated Sergio Garcia and the timeless Miquel Angel Jimenez, Spain is blessed with a dozen or so good players in 2011.

There was a 3 hour fog delay for round 1, so it is unlikely play will be completed in round 2 today.

Here is an early report from the course in New Delhi..

 Cabrera-Bello dropped two shots in the last three holes of his second round but still held the clubhouse lead at the Avantha Masters.


The Spaniard was drawn amongst the afternoon starters for the first round, and after a three-and-a-half hour fog delay on Thursday morning his first task on day two was to complete his opening round.

Having signed for a five under 67, the 26 year old was one behind Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen in a five-way tie for second.

But with Derksen among the late starters in the second round, former Austrian Golf Open winner Cabrera-Bello - he shot a record-equalling 60 in the final round there to snatch the title from Benn Barham - was able to establish a one shot lead with a three under par 69.

That took him to -8 for the week.

However 2 Indian stars Jeev Milka Singh and Shiv Kapur are currently T2 at -7..

Golf is growing at a phenomenal rate in India, spurred on by the development of the PGTI, the arrival of The European Tour and now golf’s inclusion in the Olympics. Cricket still dominates the back pages, but golf is next in line as the media soaks up the global success of home grown players such as Jeev Milhka Singh, Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia. These and many more are seizing the opportunities afforded them through the association with The European Tour and taking golf to a new level.


The rapid progression is highlighted on the ground with 230 courses across the country, an increase of 20-25% over the last decade, and 50 new courses in development. There are an estimated half a million active golfers, a number that is growing fast. And while there are only two recognised public courses, private courses are increasingly being opened for public play and golf’s inclusion in the Olympics has sparked moves for the provision of a public driving range in every city.

Later today the ladies get round 2 underway in Thailand and the Champions tour in Florida with our 2 Canucks Rod Spittle and Jim Rutledge, full reports to follow..

Bryan Angus

Sad day for Elliott Kerr and his Jane Rogers tournament

Four years ago I received a call from Elliott Kerr, an old friend of my pal the late Pat Marsden  asking me what I could do to promote a new tournament he was sponsoring on the Canadian tour named after his beloved wife Jane Rogers to try and raise more money for cancer research, the disease that she fought so valiantly before it took her away.

Thus started my involvement with Elliott, his Landmark Group and his tourney up at Lakeview. I had many of the players on our Fairways show, and had Elliott on with Bob McCown on several occasions to try and make it go.

One Saturday after the radio show I drove out to Lakeview and was reminded yet again how fragile the line is on the Canadian tour between surviving and going under.

The gallery was sparse to be kind, admission was only 10 bucks and it was a sunny warm day as I took a seat behind the 1st green. I thought of a story I did on Jace Bugg, who with his girlfriend/caddie/fiance Misty drove a beat up old Winnebago from Kentucky to Victoria BC to qualify for this tour by a shot, then got in that Winnebago and drove right across Canada in it, playing in all the tour's events. They would roller blade around the course at night to learn where the holes were. He was playing in running shoes when I first met him at Diamond Back GC playing in the Samsung.

His dream was to make it to the Nationwide tour to make enough money to marry Misty.. He did finally, they got married and shortly after he was killed by leukemia, after Misty had donated her bone marrow to try a save him..

This tour is full of stories like that, Jane Rogers was one of them so I was saddened to see Elliott has had to pull the plug today on the event..

Here is the report

The Canadian Tour announced that the Jane Rogers Championship will not be on the 2011 schedule due to a lack of sponsorship.

The four year old tournament, which was a full-field Canadian Tour event, had raised more than $200,000 for cancer research. The tournament was held at Lakeview Golf Club in Mississauga its first two years and for two years at Greystone Golf Club in Halton Hills, Ontario.

“We are saddened that we are not able to continue,” said Elliott Kerr, President of the Landmark Group of Toronto, and husband of the late Jane Rogers. “We were just not able to secure a title sponsor for 2011.

“We will continue this search and we will not give up. If we can bring this event back we will and donate, dedicate and commit all of our resources to make the Jane Rogers Championship the best event ever. The Canadian Tour was near and dear to Jane’s heart.”

The Tour says it is in talks with potential sponsors for new event in the Greater Toronto Area but no further details were given at this time.

“This event was a labour of love for everyone involved. It existed in Jane’s honour to raise funds and awareness for how beatable and treatable colorectal cancer is,” Canadian Tour Commissioner Rick Janes said. “We need to find a major sponsor to bring the event back and hopefully that will be sooner than later.”

The Canadian Tour is set to swing back into action next month with a pair of co-sanctioned events in Colombia.

Bryan Angus

World Rankings are a sad sight for Canadian eyes !!

I always enjoy reading the other fine golf writer for the Globe and Mail ( the first being the Laird himself Lorne Rubenstein !!) Jeff Brookes and his weekly listing of our top golfers and their World Ranking just illustrates how badly we need to get some sustained play going to get back into the top 50 at least !!

CANADA'S MEN

Stephen Ames  154
Graham DeLaet 211
Mike Weir  214
David Hearn  343
Jon Mills  467
Adam Hadwin  478
Dustin Risdon  517
Chris Baryla  521
Jim Rutledge  638
Ryan Yip  669


CANADA'S WOMEN

Alena Sharp 132
Lorie Kane  243
Samantha Richdale  307
Lisa Meldrum  330
Jessica Shepley  364
Liz Buzminski   511
Christine Wong  550
Adrienne White  572

CANADA'S AMATEURS

Eugene Wong  14
Albin Choi   75
MacKenzie Hughes  142
Cory Renfrew  238
Charlie Hughes  274
Adam Svensson  287
Riley Wheeldon  309
Vince Nadeau  318
Steve Lecuyer  344
Mitch Sutton  346

Bryan Angus

Where they are playing this week February17, 2011

After all the hoopla of last week with the 'big 3' paired together in Dubai, and all the celebs headed by Bill Murray at a beautiful week on the Monterrey Peninsula it's a little quieter this week, but important none the less.

Mike Weir as I wrote yesterday has 2 wins here and is down to 2 events to make his $217,000 and Chris Baryla did not get in as an alternative. Freddie Couples is playing here instead of defending his Champions tour title in Florida, and several of the Euro guys like Paddy Harrington, Luke Donald ( watch for him this week) and Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen are in the field.

Meanwhile the European tour continues to spread it's wings as the field travels from Dubai to New Delhi in India where Jeev Milka Singh is a national hero..

Don't forget we have 2 Canucks in the Champions tour field in Naples, at the Acer Classic Rod Spittle and Jim Rutledge, and nice to see a 'twitter' from Gary Player of all people to say that he will be playing here for the 23rd time !!

AP report

PGA tour
Site: Los Angeles.
Course: Riviera Country Club (7,325 yards, par 71).
Purse: $6.5 million. Winner's share: $1.17 million.
Canucks : Mike Weir,
Last year: Steve Stricker won the first of his two 2010 titles, beating Luke Donald by two strokes. Stricker also won the John Deere Classic in July.

Notes: Phil Mickelson, the 2008 and 2009 winner, is playing for the fourth straight week. He tied for ninth at Pebble Beach.
Tiger Woods is skipping his hometown event. He last played at Riviera in 2006. ... Ben Hogan stamped the course as "Hogan's Alley" with three victories in 17 months — the 1947 and '48 Los Angeles Opens and '48 U.S. Open. ... Steve Elkington won the 1995 PGA at Riviera, beating Colin Montgomerie in a playoff. ... Former Lakers star Jerry West is the tournament executive director. ... The World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship is next week in Marana, Ariz., opposite the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico.

LPGA TOUR

Honda PTT LPGA Thailand
Site: Pattaya, Thailand.
Course: Siam Country Club, Pattaya Old Course (6,477 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.45 million. Winner's share: $217,500.
Canucks : none

Last year: Japan's Ai Miyazato won the season-opening event, holing a 30-foot birdie chip on the final hole for a 9-under 63 and a one-stroke victory over Suzann Pettersen. Miyazato, six strokes behind Pettersen after the third round, matched the tournament record of 21 under set by Pettersen in October 2007. Miyazato then won the HSBC Champions in Singapore to become the first LPGA Tour player in 44 years to sweep the first two events of a season.

Notes: Taiwan's Yani Tseng won the Women's Australian Open and Australian Ladies Masters the last two weeks to take the No. 1 spot in the world. ... Michelle Wie is in the field. ... The tour has been off since Maria Hjorth won the LPGA Tour Championship on Dec. 5. ... Lorena Ochoa won the 2009 event. ... The tournament also is sanctioned by the Thailand Ladies Golf Association. ... The HSBC Women's Champions is next week. The tour will open its U.S. schedule March 18-20 with the LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix.


CHAMPIONS TOUR

ACE Group Classic
Site: Naples, Fla.
Course: The Quarry (7,094 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.6 million. Winner's share: $240,000.
Canucks : Rod Spittle, Jim Rutledge

Last year: Fred Couples won the first of his three straight tour victories, holding off Tommy Armour III by a stroke. Couples closed with an 8-under 64, and Armour matched the tour record for lowest score in relation to par with an 11-under 61.
Notes: Couples is skipping his title defense to play in the PGA Tour event at Riviera. ... John Cook won the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii on Jan. 23. ... Loren Roberts won in 2006 at TwinEagles to become the first Champions Tour player to open a season with three straight victories. Roberts also won in 2009 at TPC Treviso Bay. ... The tour is off the next two weeks. Play will resume March 11-13 with the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.


PGA EUROPEAN TOUR/ASIAN TOUR

Avantha Masters
Site: New Delhi.
Course: DLF Golf & Country Club (7,156 yards, par 72).
Purse: $2.43 million. Winner's share: $405,400.
Last year: Australia's Andrew Dodt won the inaugural event for his first European Tour title. England's Richard Finch was second, a stroke back.

Notes: Indian star Jeev Milkha Singh is a three-time winner on the European Tour. ... New Zealand's Mark Brown won the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic on the Arnold Palmer-designed course. ... The event also is sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India.

Bryan Angus

Tiger back on the range with Sean Foley

If you are just reading this space for the first time you won't know that Sean has been our resident golf pro on our Fairway's golf radio show for the last 5 years, something he agreed to do when we lost the great Ben Kern way to early.

Sean is refreshingly candid and so down to earth, a normal guy, as he mentioned in his interview with Rich Lerner of the Gol Channel earlier this week, talking about his continuing guidance of the world's most scrutinized golfer..

Here is the interview..

Tiger Woods wasted little time putting the final-round 75 in Dubai behind him.
His plane landed in Orlando at 5 a.m. ET on Monday. Three hours later he was on the practice range at Isleworth with Sean Foley.

“He’s not the best ever for no reason,” said Foley as he prepared to board a plane for Los Angeles and the Northern Trust Open.
Foley pointed out that he’s “seeing things in spurts, and you have to have spurts” before "consistent excellence."

But, he added, “when the wind started to blow, Tiger lost his feel for the low shot. So today we worked on a guaranteed shot, which is the low-bullet fade.”

Foley acknowledged that Tiger hasn’t had a lot of tournament reps, playing just two tournaments this year.

“You can sit on the range all day and look great but it’s one thing to do it on the range,” Foley said. “It’s another to do it in a practice round and another on the back nine on Sunday.”

Would Foley like Tiger to play more events?

“It’s not up to me,” he replied. “The record shows that his [schedule] hasn’t been a bad way to do it. His kids come first and that’s where he’s at.”

Foley did agree that with all the focus on swing changes, Tiger’s short game has suffered. But he’s convinced that can be remedied with a good week of work.

And to those who’ve wondered if making swing changes at 35 is somehow tougher than at 25, Foley offers a new age defense.

“If you study neuroplasticity,” he explained, “there’s not a whole lot of evidence to support the old adage that people can’t learn new things as they age. People can change when they’re 80.


“And we’re not talking about a huge change. It’s a conceptual change. When you hit 35 percent of your fairways it can’t be a whole lot of fun to play. We’re trying to get it where he can drive it better. The distance is coming back. And the accuracy will get better.

“We’re piecing the puzzle together nicely. It’s all been very positive. I’m happy with his understanding of what he needs to do.”

Foley’s happy. But the public and the press are impatient. They expect victories.

“When he feels more comfortable,” said Foley. “I imagine we’ll see that at some point this year.

“When you’re dealing with learning and motor patterns, there’s really no schedule. But he’s impressive to watch, there’s no doubt about that. When what I see in practice starts happening on the golf course, it’ll be fantastic.
“But it’ll happen when it’s supposed to happen.”

For his part, Foley doesn’t let on to feeling pressure to get Tiger to the winner’s circle.
He’s enjoying the ride.

“One hundred percent,” he says, popping off one of his favorite phrases. “Tiger’s a good guy. He treats me like all my other guys. He’s just a man, like you and me.”

That's why I call him the professor !!

Bryan Angus

Weirsy prepares to play Riviera.. says problems are "more mental"

I made a visit to Mike Weir's blog this morning and was happy to see he has posted and he says he is still rusty and finds he is making mental errors..

"First and foremost, my elbow is feeling great right now. I have absolutely no pain in it and there was only a tiny bit of soreness on a couple of days when I put in a little extra work on the range. However, I feel as if I still have some tournament rust clinging to me. The three events I've played so far are really the first ones I've played healthy in about seven months. I know I played into July and August of last year, but before that I was making so many compensations because of my elbow. I was unable to play good golf and because of that I wasn't truly competing."


"So, I'm finding that I'm making some mental mistakes each round and also the scoring aspects of my game just aren't there."

"During my first three tournaments I played four (Hope), two (Torrey) and three (Pebble) different layouts which made it tougher to prepare. This week, it's just Riviera."

He needs to make around $217,000 in two remaining events to secure his full exempt status on the PGA this year. Remember he has won here twice in 2003 and 2004 when it was called the Nissan Open, now called the Northern Trust.

If he doesn't make it he will not disappear, he can play as a past champion as one option and still get in as many events as he would with full status, but he would prefer full status. The winner this week gets $1,170,000 as Steve Stricker defends..

Bryan Angus

Women's golf has a new #1... Yani Tseng..

I am not sure if this will help the LPGA or not but they have a new #1... Yani Tseng of Taiwan who has taken over from Jiyai Shin of South Korea... Will they be able to market her like Annika or Lorena... we shall see.

Here is the AP report from Australia

GOLD COAST, Australia - Taiwan’s Yani Tseng took over the No. 1 ranking in women’s golf after shooting a final-round 68 to win the Australian Ladies Masters by four strokes on Sunday, her second victory in a row Down Under.


Tseng, who won last week’s Australian Open at Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne, finished the Masters at Royal Pines with a 24-under-par total of 264. Australian Nikki Campbell, with a final-round 64, and American Stacey Lewis, who shot 69, were tied for second.

American Ryann O’Toole was fourth after a 69, six strokes behind Tseng.

Former No. 1-ranked Jiyai Shin of South Korea tied for second last week at the Australian Open. Shin did not play this week.
Seven-time Masters champion Karrie Webb shot a final-round 67 and was eight strokes behind Tseng.

Following up her seven-shot victory in defense of the Australian Open title last week, the 22-year-old Tseng’s tournament total at Royal Pines was just two shots more than Webb’s tournament record of 262.

Tseng’s lead was reduced to just two over Lewis and Campbell after a bogey at the par-four seventh. But Tseng birdied the par-five ninth and added another at the par-five 12th to all but put the tournament away.

“It feels good winning, it feels good getting to No.1, she said. “I feel very appreciative about everything and all the people that have been helping me through those years.”

Tseng first played at Royal Pines as an invited amateur six years ago.

“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to play this tournament … The first time I came here, I told all my friends, and said one day, I want my picture on Champions Drive, one day I’m going to have a picture up there.”

Tseng said she hopes her win will make big news in Taiwan.

Overwhelmed,” she said. “I hope that I’m on the first page of the news! I think it will be huge.”

Cecilia Cho, a 16-year-old amateur from New Zealand, had a 67 Sunday to finish in a tie for fifth.
“I bombed a few shots today really going for them,” Cho said. “I just got a bit too confident. But my chipping was really good today and every time I missed a green, I got up-and-down which was great.”

She was the leading amateur by eight shots.

Bryan Angus

Tiger Woods fined by European Tour.... for spitting.

You have all seen it before, probably thought" how gross". Tiger who is never off camera working up a big honking gobspit then unloading it for all to enjoy.. well now he has been fined for it..

LONDON - Former world number one Tiger Woods is to be fined for spitting during the Dubai Desert Classic at the weekend.

“Tournament director Mike Stewart has reviewed the incident and feels there has been a breach of the tour code of conduct and consequently Tiger Woods will be fined,” the European Tour said in a statement on Monday.

Officials will now write to the 35-year-old American’s management team but are unlikely to publicly disclose the amount of the fine.

Woods, a 14-times major winner, was caught spitting several times by television cameras on Sunday as he returned a three-over-par 75 to finish seven strokes behind winner Alvaro Quiros of Spain.

Former tour professional Ewen Murray, now a commentator with Sky, voiced his displeasure with the world number three.

“You look at his work ethics and he is a credit to the game and an inspiration to all of those who are trying to become professional golfers but there are some parts of him that are just arrogant and petulant,” said Briton Murray.

“Somebody now has to come behind him and maybe putt over his spit (on the green). It does not get much lower than that.”


Bryan Angus

DA Points and Bill Murray win at Pebble.

"It's a dream come true, "To win on the PGA TOUR, and especially at Pebble Beach, and especially with Bill Murray ... I don't think I could dream this up."

So said Darren Andrew Points after his first PGA tour win yesterday after he won the pro title and he and Bill Murray, the clown prince of Pebble Beach won the pro-am event. Murray has also won the Champions tour version of this event with Scott Simpson.

The turning point was when Points 67,-15 271, holed his wedge for eagle on the tough 14th, then made a curling 30 footer for birdie on 15 to separate himself from Mahan.

By the way Steve Marino ended up T4 after taking a snowman (8) on 18th after he hit his 2nd into the Pacific..

I used to watch this event but I have tired of hours of billionaire chairmen of some Corporate Conglomerate with brutal swings mixed in with too much contrived comedy from Murray who is expected to be hilarious all the time by the talking heads on TV, and awkward movie stars like Clint Eastwood who look out of place on the golf course instead of smoking his cheroot on some tumbleweed wild west main street...

It's lost the charm it had when it was Bing's clambake and all the big boys, Arnie, Jack,Gary etal showed up. Now it's just too corporate to be riveting..

1  D.A. Points (PB) -15 F -5 color info 63 70 71 67 271


2 9 6 Hunter Mahan (PB) -13 F -6 color info 70 67 70 66 273
3 2 20 Tom Gillis (PB) -11 F -2 color info 67 68 70 70 275

T4 3 21 Spencer Levin (PB) -10 F -2 color info 71 68 67 70 276
T4 3 9 Steve Marino (PB) -10 F 2 color info 65 66 71 74 276

T6 23 15 Nick Watney (PB) -9 F -5 color info 68 67 75 67 277
T6 1 37 Aaron Baddeley (PB) -9 F -1 color info 68 71 67 71 277
T6 4 47 Bryce Molder (PB) -9 F 2 color info 69 66 68 74 277

T9 14 58 Steven Bowditch (PB) -8 F -3 color info 71 69 69 69 278
T9 2 8 Phil Mickelson (PB) -8 F -1 color info 71 67 69 71 278
T9 2 39 Zack Miller (PB) -8 F -1 color info 72 69 66 71 278
T9 7 17 Jimmy Walker (PB) -8 F 3 color info 72 68 63 75 278


ProAm leaderboard

1 2 Points/ Murray (PB) -7 F -35 59 65 62 65 251


- T2 3 Taylor/ Mycoskie (PB) -7 F -33 66 60 62 65 253
- T2 T8 Bowditch/ Miller (PB) -10 F -33 63 63 65 62 253

- 4 T4 Garrigus/ Flynn (PB) -7 F -31 64 64 62 65 255

- T5 T12 DiMarco/ Russell (PB) -8 F -30 65 65 62 64 256
- T5 T4 Holmes/ Novak (PB) -6 F -30 67 58 65 66 256
- T5 T22 Jobe/ Bond (PB) -10 F* -30 65 70 59 62 256

- T8 T12 Watney/ Lentz (PB) -7 F -29 65 60 67 65 257
- T8 T8 Wilson/ McCoy (PB) -6 F* -29 63 63 65 66 257
- T8 T12 Mahan/ Dundon (PB) -7 F -29 65 62 65 65 257
- T8 T4 Bramlett/ Yang (PB) -5 F* -29 64 64 62 67 257
- T8 1 Molder/ You (PB) E F -29 60 62 63 72 257

Bryan Angus