LPGA Tour Texas Shootout leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/volunteers-of-america-texas-shootout-presented-by-jtbc/leaderboard
With 8 straight top 10 finishes you'd have to think Brooke Henderson is going to step into the winners circle again, sooner rather than later. She is off to another great start in windy conditions with a -2 69 T9 just 3 shots behind the leader, South Korean, Mi Jung Hur -5 66 in Irving Texas at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout presented by JTBC. (this is what happens to a tournament title when you have to cover all the sponsors)
Other Canadian scores: Alena Sharp E 71, Maude Aimee LeBlanc +5 76 Samantha Richdale +4 75
Texas apparently has a big Korean population and Hur and her family have moved from Korea to Orlando to nearby McKinney to be near them.
In fact South Korean players currently have six of the top eight positions. So Yeon Ryu and Eun-Hee Ji are T2 with American Gerina Piller at 67, and Sei Young Kim, Amy Yang, Jenny Shin and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew shot 68.
Bryan Angus
(notes from lpgatour.com)
Friday, April 29, 2016
Stuard leads the Zurich Classic in rainy New Orleans
PGA Tour Zurich Classic leaderboard leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/zurich-classic-of-new-orleans/leaderboard.html
Cloudy skies eventually gave way to rain in New Orleans and as a result none of the afternoon wave managed to complete their rounds at the Zurich Classic after a 5 hour delay.
American Brian Stuard with a new putter in the bag used only 21 putts to take the clubhouse lead at -8 64, while another of the early starters Retief Goosen is a shot behind at -7 65.
J.J. Henry, Geoff Ogilvy, Derek Ernst, Charles Howell III and Patrick Rodgers shot 67, and Rickie Fowler topped the group at 68.
Jason Day sat through the delay to finish with -3 69. With an early start and split tee times it will be a long day for many as tournament officials scramble to get play back on schedule.
“Obviously, this is going to be bit of a tough week with these double start rounds. Some guys are going out to play 27 holes tomorrow, or some guys have got to play 36." said Day.
Canadian scores : David Hearn -3 69 Nick Taylor -2 70 Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir are early in their rounds
Bryan Angus
Cloudy skies eventually gave way to rain in New Orleans and as a result none of the afternoon wave managed to complete their rounds at the Zurich Classic after a 5 hour delay.
American Brian Stuard with a new putter in the bag used only 21 putts to take the clubhouse lead at -8 64, while another of the early starters Retief Goosen is a shot behind at -7 65.
J.J. Henry, Geoff Ogilvy, Derek Ernst, Charles Howell III and Patrick Rodgers shot 67, and Rickie Fowler topped the group at 68.
Jason Day sat through the delay to finish with -3 69. With an early start and split tee times it will be a long day for many as tournament officials scramble to get play back on schedule.
“Obviously, this is going to be bit of a tough week with these double start rounds. Some guys are going out to play 27 holes tomorrow, or some guys have got to play 36." said Day.
Canadian scores : David Hearn -3 69 Nick Taylor -2 70 Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir are early in their rounds
Bryan Angus
Columbian Aguilar leads weather delayed Volvo China Open
European Tour Volvo China Open leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016032/leaderboard/index.html
A weather system including thunder and lightning blew through Beijing at around 4pm local time forcing the suspension of round two at this Volvo China Open. Play will resume shortly after dawn on Saturday.
The leader after a -7 65 -11 total is the Columbian ironman Felipe Aguilar, whose form had declined drastically after dedicating much of his spare time to training for an ironman competition over the Christmas and New Year holidays. He has missed six straight cuts.
"I guess now I believe my doctors when they said I would struggle to recover my fitness from doing an ironman competition"
He is a shot ahead of ahead of Alex Noren 67, and Bernd Wiesberger 69, with Lucas Bjerregaard 67, Tyrrell Hatton 67 and Tae-hoon Kim 64, all in the clubhouse at -9
So far the conditions in this northern section of Beijing have been calm in the morning with the wind picking up around noon. The players are describing the greens as slow, but very undulating. Tricky is the word most often used.
Bryan Angus
A weather system including thunder and lightning blew through Beijing at around 4pm local time forcing the suspension of round two at this Volvo China Open. Play will resume shortly after dawn on Saturday.
The leader after a -7 65 -11 total is the Columbian ironman Felipe Aguilar, whose form had declined drastically after dedicating much of his spare time to training for an ironman competition over the Christmas and New Year holidays. He has missed six straight cuts.
"I guess now I believe my doctors when they said I would struggle to recover my fitness from doing an ironman competition"
He is a shot ahead of ahead of Alex Noren 67, and Bernd Wiesberger 69, with Lucas Bjerregaard 67, Tyrrell Hatton 67 and Tae-hoon Kim 64, all in the clubhouse at -9
So far the conditions in this northern section of Beijing have been calm in the morning with the wind picking up around noon. The players are describing the greens as slow, but very undulating. Tricky is the word most often used.
Bryan Angus
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Four Canadians in Zurich Classic of New Orleans
PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/zurich-classic-of-new-orleans/leaderboard.html
Nick Taylor, David Hearn, Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir are teeing it up starting today on the TPC Louisiana in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are the top ranked players. Billy Horschel won here in 2013 and after a T4 last week is being picked by many as one to watch.
More to follow
Bryan Angus
Nick Taylor, David Hearn, Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir are teeing it up starting today on the TPC Louisiana in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are the top ranked players. Billy Horschel won here in 2013 and after a T4 last week is being picked by many as one to watch.
More to follow
Bryan Angus
Otto leads low scoring at Volvo China Open
European Tour Volvo China Open leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016032/leaderboard/index.html
Topwin GC in the shadow of the Great China Wall is hosting it's first European Tour event and with little wind and generous greens veteran South African Hennie Otto leads the low scoring with a brilliant -9 63 for a two shot lead over the big Austrian Bernd Wiesberger -7 (65). His round included 7 birdies and a chip in eagle.
Otto hasn't won since 2014, in fact has only made two cuts this year. In his post round interview he claims he's been playing well but his putting has let him down.
Topwin GC in the shadow of the Great China Wall is hosting it's first European Tour event and with little wind and generous greens veteran South African Hennie Otto leads the low scoring with a brilliant -9 63 for a two shot lead over the big Austrian Bernd Wiesberger -7 (65). His round included 7 birdies and a chip in eagle.
Otto hasn't won since 2014, in fact has only made two cuts this year. In his post round interview he claims he's been playing well but his putting has let him down.
"I've been playing well, I haven't been putting well. I've been working hard on it and today it showed. It's a nice golf course. The greens are not what we're used to but we've got a few courses in South Africa with the same type of grass and the slopes so we adapt quickly.
Frenchman Grégory Bourdy, Swede Peter Hanson, Finland's Roope Kakko and Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti are all at -6 66, with in form Dutchman Joost Luiten at -5,67 alongside Swede Alex Noren and Spaniard Borja Virto Astudillo.
Bryan Angus
Monday, April 25, 2016
Hoffman wins Valero in style, Taylor and Hearn both in top 25
PGA Tour Valero Texas Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/valero-texas-open/leaderboard.html
Starting the day T6, just 4 shots off the lead it wasn't quite the Sunday Nick Taylor had in mind after he walked off his 72nd hole with a bogey 6, but his final round 73 is good enough to T21 at -6, and in reflection it was a good week.
As it was for David Hearn who closed with -2 70, T13 at -7.
Hometown boy Patrick Reed opened with 65 on Thursday and was never in the lead but with a spectacular approach to the 595 yard 18th, from the rough, over trees and the creek guarding the green, leading to a birdie 4 69 -11 total, he certainly made the finish interesting.
It was Charley Hoffman who applied the coup de grace with a 9-foot birdie putt on the same hole to get to -12 and win the Valero Texas Open worth $1,116,000. It is his fourth PGA Tour victory.
Starting the day T6, just 4 shots off the lead it wasn't quite the Sunday Nick Taylor had in mind after he walked off his 72nd hole with a bogey 6, but his final round 73 is good enough to T21 at -6, and in reflection it was a good week.
As it was for David Hearn who closed with -2 70, T13 at -7.
Hometown boy Patrick Reed opened with 65 on Thursday and was never in the lead but with a spectacular approach to the 595 yard 18th, from the rough, over trees and the creek guarding the green, leading to a birdie 4 69 -11 total, he certainly made the finish interesting.
It was Charley Hoffman who applied the coup de grace with a 9-foot birdie putt on the same hole to get to -12 and win the Valero Texas Open worth $1,116,000. It is his fourth PGA Tour victory.
It was another bitterly disappointing Sunday for third-round leader Ricky Barnes who was looking for his first PGA Tour win in 222 tries, but as is so often his case, he could only muster a 74 to finish T4 -9 with Kevin Chappell (68), Billy Herschel (70), Ryan Palmer (69) and Martin Piller (70).
Brendan Steele who led the first two rounds, had a 75 T13th at -7.
Bryan Angus
Fritch finishes 2nd at El Bosque Championship
Web.com Tour El Bosque Mexico Championship final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/el-bosque-mexico-championship-presented-by-innova/leaderboard.html
After another solid week, Brad Fritsch slipped to a +1 73 on Sunday, but that was still good enough to T2 -15 following his victory two weeks ago in the Servientrega Championship in Colombia.
The winner was Wesley Bryan who shot -5 67 -19 total for the four-stroke victory
After another solid week, Brad Fritsch slipped to a +1 73 on Sunday, but that was still good enough to T2 -15 following his victory two weeks ago in the Servientrega Championship in Colombia.
The winner was Wesley Bryan who shot -5 67 -19 total for the four-stroke victory
worth $117,000 to jump from second to first on the money list with $260,820.
Calgary's Roger Sloan charged up the leaderboard and finished T5 -13 after a final round 66. MacKenzie Hughes (74) -2 T47, Adam Svensson (76) T72
Fritsch is well on his way to winning his PGA Tour card with $186,989, good for 2nd place in the top 25.
Bryan Angus
Nomura wins, Henderson posts another top 10 finish at Swinging Skirts..
LPGA Tour Swinging Skirts Classic final scoreboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/swinging-skirts-lpga-classic/results
The wind blew in gusts over 35kph making the Lake Merced course a very difficult test, Scores soared as a result and in the end it was the diminutive Japanese star, Haru Nomura who was the best of the bunch adding a very creditable +1 73 to rounds of 65, 70 71 -9 total to win the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic for her second LPGA Tour victory of the year.
The wind blew in gusts over 35kph making the Lake Merced course a very difficult test, Scores soared as a result and in the end it was the diminutive Japanese star, Haru Nomura who was the best of the bunch adding a very creditable +1 73 to rounds of 65, 70 71 -9 total to win the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic for her second LPGA Tour victory of the year.
She beat South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace (74) by four strokes.
Two time defending champion Lydia Ko shot a 75 on her 19th birthday T6 -1 along with Brooke Henderson who battled to a +4 76 to pick up her 8th straight LPGA top 10 finish this one worth $51,438 in her bank account back in Smith's Falls.
Alena Sharp had a terrific final round of -1 71 in the wind moving up the leaderboard to T40.
Bryan Angus
Soomin Lee wins weather plagued Shenzhen International
European Tour Shenzhen International final leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016030/leaderboard/index.html
22 year old South Korean Soomin Lee returned to the Genson GC Monday morning with 5 holes left to play in a three way tie for the lead and he promptly made a birdie on the 16th followed by a thirty foot putt for an eagle on the 17th for a closing 71 -16 total.
Those two scores were enough to give him a two-shot victory in only his sixth professional event, over in form Dutchman Joost Luiten (68) and South African Brandon Stone (68). Luiten has 6 top 10's in his last 9 starts this year.
Earlier this year at the Maybank Championship Malaysia, Lee came into the final round with a three-shot lead but made two double-bogeys in his last three holes to finish in a share of second.
This long week was dominated by poor weather. Over nine hours of play were lost on the first four days due to lightning and heavy rain, resulting in the first Monday finish at a regular European Tour event since the 2011 Singapore Open and the fog delayed the start for another hour this morning.
Those two scores were enough to give him a two-shot victory in only his sixth professional event, over in form Dutchman Joost Luiten (68) and South African Brandon Stone (68). Luiten has 6 top 10's in his last 9 starts this year.
Earlier this year at the Maybank Championship Malaysia, Lee came into the final round with a three-shot lead but made two double-bogeys in his last three holes to finish in a share of second.
This long week was dominated by poor weather. Over nine hours of play were lost on the first four days due to lightning and heavy rain, resulting in the first Monday finish at a regular European Tour event since the 2011 Singapore Open and the fog delayed the start for another hour this morning.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Nick Taylor in contention at Valero Texas Open
PGA Tour Valero Texas Open leadeboard
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/valero-texas-open/leaderboard.html
With rounds of 75 68 66 -7 Nick Taylor starts play today T6, four shots behind the leader Ricky Barnes. He was bogey free and his 66 equalled the low round of the day.
He credited keeping the ball in play off the tee and a sharp iron game for his outstanding play.
David Hearn is having a good week as well. He is T17 at -5 73 71 67.
Ricky Barnes hasn't won in 221 starts on the PGA Tour. Talk about an ultimate grinder. However, he shot a -5 67 on Saturday and at -11 205 he leads Brendan Steele, (72) by a shot.
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/valero-texas-open/leaderboard.html
With rounds of 75 68 66 -7 Nick Taylor starts play today T6, four shots behind the leader Ricky Barnes. He was bogey free and his 66 equalled the low round of the day.
He credited keeping the ball in play off the tee and a sharp iron game for his outstanding play.
David Hearn is having a good week as well. He is T17 at -5 73 71 67.
Ricky Barnes hasn't won in 221 starts on the PGA Tour. Talk about an ultimate grinder. However, he shot a -5 67 on Saturday and at -11 205 he leads Brendan Steele, (72) by a shot.
Luke Donald (68) who was second last week at the RBC Heritage and Charley Hoffman (70) are at -9.
Local lad Patrick Reed is 5th at -8 after a 70 and for me he had the shots of the day when he was the only player to reach the par 5, 600 yard 8th with driver, driver off the deck to within 15 feet!
Bryan Angus
Monday finish for weather delayed Shenzhen International
European Tour Shenzhen International leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016030/leaderboard/index.html
Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain have delayed play again in China but before play was suspended veteran Englishman Lee Slattery played nine holes in 34 shots to take a one-shot lead at -14 in the final round of the Shenzhen International.
With all the bad weather Slattery had to get to the Genzon Golf Club by 5am to finish his third round at 6.30am and made two birdies to begin the final round three shots behind leader, Korea's Soomin Lee, who has dropped 3 shots in 8 holes this morning.
With all the bad weather Slattery had to get to the Genzon Golf Club by 5am to finish his third round at 6.30am and made two birdies to begin the final round three shots behind leader, Korea's Soomin Lee, who has dropped 3 shots in 8 holes this morning.
Bubba Watson shot a final round 66 and is currently T7 -10.
update : Play resumed at 1720 local time however play will have to go into a fifth day as darkness will fall at 1845 and play will not be completed by then.
With over six and a half hours lost over days one and two, all three completed rounds had run into an extra day and, when more electrical activity caused a further delay this afternoon, it was clear it would not be possible to get the final round completed.
Lee Slattery, Alex Levy and Soomin Lee are all tied at -14.
Lee Slattery, Alex Levy and Soomin Lee are all tied at -14.
Bryan Angus
Brooke Henderson T4 at Swinging Skirts Classic
LPGA Tour Swinging Skirts Classic leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/swinging-skirts-lpga-classic/leaderboard
Brooke Henderson has had seven straight top-10 finishes and she is in great shape to make that eight after her -3 69 sees her at -5 T4 at the Swinging Skirts Classic in cool windy San Francisco.
She finished off her round with a chip in for birdie on the par-5 18th and had this to say in the media center after her round.
“I kind of mis-hit my approach shot there, but was able to come back with a nice chip-in and make the day feel a little bit better than it was. I’m really close and my game is close to being really good. I just have to stay patient and keep doing what I’m doing.”
The leader is Japanese star Haru Nomura (71) who won the Australian Women’s Open in February. She is at -10. Lydia Ko turns 19 today, and has won this event for the last 2 years. She is six strokes back at -4 after a 73.
Alena Sharp shot 77 and is T74, while Maude Aimee LeBlanc had to WD.
Bryan Angus
Brad Fritsch leads El Bosque Mexico Championship
Web.com Tour El Bosque Mexico Championship leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/el-bosque-mexico-championship-presented-by-innova/leaderboard.html
It's great to see good guy Brad Fritsch on a roll. Now in his 16th year as a pro he won last week on the Web.com tour and after 54 holes this week he has a two shot lead at the El Bosque Mexico Championship.
His -3 69 puts him at -16, 200, two ahead of Wesley Bryan (71). Jonathan Byrd (65)who had the round of the day with nine birdies is third. Martin Flores (70) trails by five while Ollie Schniederjans (66), Mexico’s Sebastian Vazquez (67) and Brian Campbell (72) are six off the pace in a share of fifth.
Fritsch credits a combination of confidence, the hard work he has put in back home in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and a hot putter for his recent run of great play.
“As one area gets better, it snowballs and the rest of the game clicks.”
Remember 3 wins in a season automatically qualifies a player for the PGA Tour. Other Canadians who have won more than once a year on this tour are Adam Hadwin, Glen Hnatiuk and my pal Rick Todd who is still coaching down at University of Texas at El Paso.
Bryan Angus
It's great to see good guy Brad Fritsch on a roll. Now in his 16th year as a pro he won last week on the Web.com tour and after 54 holes this week he has a two shot lead at the El Bosque Mexico Championship.
His -3 69 puts him at -16, 200, two ahead of Wesley Bryan (71). Jonathan Byrd (65)who had the round of the day with nine birdies is third. Martin Flores (70) trails by five while Ollie Schniederjans (66), Mexico’s Sebastian Vazquez (67) and Brian Campbell (72) are six off the pace in a share of fifth.
Fritsch credits a combination of confidence, the hard work he has put in back home in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and a hot putter for his recent run of great play.
“As one area gets better, it snowballs and the rest of the game clicks.”
Remember 3 wins in a season automatically qualifies a player for the PGA Tour. Other Canadians who have won more than once a year on this tour are Adam Hadwin, Glen Hnatiuk and my pal Rick Todd who is still coaching down at University of Texas at El Paso.
Bryan Angus
Friday, April 22, 2016
Brad Fritsch T2 at Bosque Mexico Championship
Web.com Tour Bosque Mexico Championship leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/el-bosque-mexico-championship-presented-by-innova/leaderboard.html
Brad Fritsch won last week and has brought that confidence and form with him from Brasil to Mexico, shooting an opening -6 66 to sit T2 after the opening round of the Bosque Mexico Championship in Leon. Fritsch’s -6 is a personal best on this course and his round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5, 18th where he hit a 4-iron to two feet.
There are 8 Canucks in the field in total, after Albin Choi had to WD after a front 9 of 41. Their scores are listed in the link above.
El Bosque Country Club, which measures in at 7,701 yards, is the longest course on this Tour sitting just under 6,000 feet above sea level and the ball is flying in the thin air.
The leader is Californian rookie Brian Campbell playing on this tour for just the second time, He shot -7 65. Play was suspended due to darkness and it will resume early this morning.
Bryan Angus
Brad Fritsch won last week and has brought that confidence and form with him from Brasil to Mexico, shooting an opening -6 66 to sit T2 after the opening round of the Bosque Mexico Championship in Leon. Fritsch’s -6 is a personal best on this course and his round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5, 18th where he hit a 4-iron to two feet.
There are 8 Canucks in the field in total, after Albin Choi had to WD after a front 9 of 41. Their scores are listed in the link above.
El Bosque Country Club, which measures in at 7,701 yards, is the longest course on this Tour sitting just under 6,000 feet above sea level and the ball is flying in the thin air.
The leader is Californian rookie Brian Campbell playing on this tour for just the second time, He shot -7 65. Play was suspended due to darkness and it will resume early this morning.
Bryan Angus
Soomin is zoomin' at rain delayed Shenzhen International
European Tour Shenzhen International leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016030/leaderboard/index.html
Thunderstorms and the threat of lightning in the area meant that play was delayed by nearly 6 hours with 35 players unable to start their second rounds earlier today as the rainy season in Shenzhen continues to play havoc with the field who made the long trip to China, and incidentally more of the same is expected over the weekend.
However safe and dry in the clubhouse is 22 year old South Korean, Soomin Lee who shot a brilliant -7 65 to take a three-shot lead on day two of the Shenzhen International at Genzon Golf Club.
Lee took full advantage of the soft greens and an early start, as he recorded seven birdies in a second consecutive bogey free round to get to -13 and take a commanding lead over Joost Luiten (66)-10 who was red hot early in his round but spoiled it with two bogeys coming in.
Bubba Watson birdied the only hole he played and is at -2 T23.
Bryan Angus
However safe and dry in the clubhouse is 22 year old South Korean, Soomin Lee who shot a brilliant -7 65 to take a three-shot lead on day two of the Shenzhen International at Genzon Golf Club.
Lee took full advantage of the soft greens and an early start, as he recorded seven birdies in a second consecutive bogey free round to get to -13 and take a commanding lead over Joost Luiten (66)-10 who was red hot early in his round but spoiled it with two bogeys coming in.
Bubba Watson birdied the only hole he played and is at -2 T23.
Bryan Angus
Ryu ties course record at Swinging Skirts Classic in San Francisco
LPGA Tour Swinging Skirts Classic leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/swinging-skirts-lpga-classic/leaderboard
The gals are in San Francisco this week at the Swinging Skirts Classic on the Lake Merced course and there are 3 Canadians in the field with round one now complete.
Brooke Henderson shot -1 71 T26, Alena Sharp +1 73 T59 and Maude Aimee LeBlanc +6 78 T123.
They are well behind the leader, Korean, So Yeon Ryu who went out first off the 10th tee and shot a tournament record -9 63 to take the first-round lead. You may remember she won the Canadian Pacific Open in 2014.
Japan’s Haru Nomura is next second after a -7 65. China’s Xi Yu Lin and the Netherlands’ Christel Boeljon shot -5 67, and two-time defending champion Lydia Ko topped the group at -4 68.
Bryan Angus
The gals are in San Francisco this week at the Swinging Skirts Classic on the Lake Merced course and there are 3 Canadians in the field with round one now complete.
Brooke Henderson shot -1 71 T26, Alena Sharp +1 73 T59 and Maude Aimee LeBlanc +6 78 T123.
They are well behind the leader, Korean, So Yeon Ryu who went out first off the 10th tee and shot a tournament record -9 63 to take the first-round lead. You may remember she won the Canadian Pacific Open in 2014.
Japan’s Haru Nomura is next second after a -7 65. China’s Xi Yu Lin and the Netherlands’ Christel Boeljon shot -5 67, and two-time defending champion Lydia Ko topped the group at -4 68.
Bryan Angus
Rain delays play at Valero Texas Open
PGA Your Valero Texas Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/valero-texas-open/leaderboard.html
Some of the rain that has been devastating Houston, 200 miles away swept through San Antonio on Thursday delaying this Valero Texas Open by some 3 1/2 hours and as a result round one has been carried over through today where sunny skies and zero chance of rain are forecast.
As I mentioned yesterday there are two Canadians in the field. David Hearn is +1with 11 hole left and Nick Taylor is +3 thru 14 holes.
The leader for what it's worth is Brendan Steele at -8 after 13 holes and coincidently his only win came on this course in 2011.
Of those who did finish, Charley Hoffman is still playing well at -6-under 66, a stroke ahead of Stuart Appleby (67) and Peter Malnati (67)
Defending champion Jimmy Walker opened with a 75. Play resumes at 730 (est) this morning.
Bryan Angus
Some of the rain that has been devastating Houston, 200 miles away swept through San Antonio on Thursday delaying this Valero Texas Open by some 3 1/2 hours and as a result round one has been carried over through today where sunny skies and zero chance of rain are forecast.
As I mentioned yesterday there are two Canadians in the field. David Hearn is +1with 11 hole left and Nick Taylor is +3 thru 14 holes.
The leader for what it's worth is Brendan Steele at -8 after 13 holes and coincidently his only win came on this course in 2011.
Of those who did finish, Charley Hoffman is still playing well at -6-under 66, a stroke ahead of Stuart Appleby (67) and Peter Malnati (67)
Defending champion Jimmy Walker opened with a 75. Play resumes at 730 (est) this morning.
Bryan Angus
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Levy and Lee share lead at Shenzhen International
European Tour Shenzhen International leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016030/leaderboard/index.html
Play has been suspended due to darkness at this Shenzhen International after nearly an hour of delay due to lightning earlier in the afternoon. The day began very still and muggy, but the breeze picked up as the storm clouds moved into the area.
Bubba Watson is the top ranked player at #4 but the best he could manage was -1 71.
The leaders are in form Frenchman Alex Levy who won the China Open on this Genzon GC in 2014 and was the first round leader before finishing T14 at Valderrama last week, and rising Korean star, 22 year old Soomin Lee. They both shot -6 66.
South African Brandon Stone is at -5 with 1 hole to play tomorrow morning. 11 groups will have to get up early to finish their rounds.
Play has been suspended due to darkness at this Shenzhen International after nearly an hour of delay due to lightning earlier in the afternoon. The day began very still and muggy, but the breeze picked up as the storm clouds moved into the area.
Bubba Watson is the top ranked player at #4 but the best he could manage was -1 71.
The leaders are in form Frenchman Alex Levy who won the China Open on this Genzon GC in 2014 and was the first round leader before finishing T14 at Valderrama last week, and rising Korean star, 22 year old Soomin Lee. They both shot -6 66.
South African Brandon Stone is at -5 with 1 hole to play tomorrow morning. 11 groups will have to get up early to finish their rounds.
Two more Frenchmen, Raphaël Jacquelin and Gary Stal, Spaniard Eduardo de la Riva, Ireland's Paul Dunne and Dutchman Joost Luiten all shot 68 -4.
Bryan Angus
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Bubba headlines the field at Shenzhen International
European Tour Shenzhen International leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016030/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y
On a week where the Chinese Communist Party has declared "Since it is only a sport, there is no right or wrong about playing golf,” the European Tour has packed it's bags and flown there for the next two weeks.
Banned by Communist party leader, Mao Zedong who despised the “sport for millionaires” golf flourished during the 80s and 90s but was outlawed for the party’s 85 million members in 2015 as a result of president Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive.
Articles in the party-controlled media have painted China’s golf courses as cauldrons of profiteering where the palms of rotten officials are greased by favour-seeking business people.
Unabated, the professional game continues to flourish, and this week the field is headlined by Bubba Watson at the Shenzhen International.
On a week where the Chinese Communist Party has declared "Since it is only a sport, there is no right or wrong about playing golf,” the European Tour has packed it's bags and flown there for the next two weeks.
Banned by Communist party leader, Mao Zedong who despised the “sport for millionaires” golf flourished during the 80s and 90s but was outlawed for the party’s 85 million members in 2015 as a result of president Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive.
Articles in the party-controlled media have painted China’s golf courses as cauldrons of profiteering where the palms of rotten officials are greased by favour-seeking business people.
Unabated, the professional game continues to flourish, and this week the field is headlined by Bubba Watson at the Shenzhen International.
Last year Kiradech Aphibarnrat claimed an emotional victory in the inaugural staging, as he caught and beat Chinese prospect Li Haotong to the post following a dramatic play-off at this re-designed Genzon Golf Club.
Bryan Angus
Valero Texas Open escapes catastrophic flooding in Houston
PGA Tour Valero Texas Open tee times http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/valero-texas-open/tee-times.html
While most of the PGA Tours marquee names won't be back until the Players Championship, and the unprecedented flooding that has devastated Houston, the show goes on and this week it is Phil Mickelson who headlines the field at the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.
Reports from the tournament are saying that the San Antonio area has avoided the catastrophic conditions that hit Houston 200 miles to the east, with 12 inches of rain causing historic flood conditions.
Texas governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for nine counties around Houston, after some parts of the area received nearly 20 inches.
The 2-1/2 inches at TPC San Antonio will make for moist conditions, but the course held up admirably. A closed-loop irrigation system also played a part in preventing the course from being saturated.
Bryan Angus
While most of the PGA Tours marquee names won't be back until the Players Championship, and the unprecedented flooding that has devastated Houston, the show goes on and this week it is Phil Mickelson who headlines the field at the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.
Lefty is still ranked 19th and along with his 5 majors has 42 PGA Tour titles and he is joined by defending champion Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson, San Antonio native Patrick Reed and Billy Horschel.
There are Canadians playing this week, David Hearn and Nick Taylor.
Texas governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for nine counties around Houston, after some parts of the area received nearly 20 inches.
The 2-1/2 inches at TPC San Antonio will make for moist conditions, but the course held up admirably. A closed-loop irrigation system also played a part in preventing the course from being saturated.
Bryan Angus
Monday, April 18, 2016
Grace makes Donald a bridesmaid again at RBC Heritage
PGA Tour RBC Heritage final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html
For those of you who listen to me on the radio or follow me here, you know I am a devotee of golf worldwide, not just the PGA tour, and for years I have been bestowing the virtues of Branden Grace, another young South African who until Sunday has been flying under the radar in North America..
Consider these numbers..He has won 10 times, finished in the top five last year in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and went 5-0 for the International team at the Presidents Cup.
Yesterday he made 5 birdies on a blistering front nine of 32 on his way to a -5 66 to catch and overtake poor Luke Donald who he trailed by 3 shots, for his first title on the PGA Tour.
He finished at -9 275, two shots ahead of Donald and Russell Knox. Donald shot a 71, and Knox had a 67.
Donald has finished second four times and third twice in the past eight tournaments at Harbour Town. Before his final round began, Donald said he’d need to be aggressive and make birdies. That did not happen. He settled for pars on the opening six holes, while Grace moved in front with four birdies on the same stretch.
He simply could not keep up with Grace.
Meanwhile the much ballyhooed Bryson DeChambeau, the former SMU star who won the NCAA and U.S. Amateur last year, T4 in his first event since turning pro, four shots behind Grace after a 68. He already has new lucrative contracts with Puma, Cobra and Bridgestone and if you want all the technical details on his single length shafted golf clubs read this fine article from Golf Digest by Mike Stachura http://www.golfdigest.com/story/do-bryson-dechambeaus-single-length-irons-make-sense-for-your-game
Graham DeLaet was the top Canadian, finishing T14 at -2 282 with a final round 71. Adam Hadwin T30 with a closing -4 67.
Bryan Angus
(notes from pgatour.com)
For those of you who listen to me on the radio or follow me here, you know I am a devotee of golf worldwide, not just the PGA tour, and for years I have been bestowing the virtues of Branden Grace, another young South African who until Sunday has been flying under the radar in North America..
Consider these numbers..He has won 10 times, finished in the top five last year in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and went 5-0 for the International team at the Presidents Cup.
Yesterday he made 5 birdies on a blistering front nine of 32 on his way to a -5 66 to catch and overtake poor Luke Donald who he trailed by 3 shots, for his first title on the PGA Tour.
He finished at -9 275, two shots ahead of Donald and Russell Knox. Donald shot a 71, and Knox had a 67.
Donald has finished second four times and third twice in the past eight tournaments at Harbour Town. Before his final round began, Donald said he’d need to be aggressive and make birdies. That did not happen. He settled for pars on the opening six holes, while Grace moved in front with four birdies on the same stretch.
He simply could not keep up with Grace.
Meanwhile the much ballyhooed Bryson DeChambeau, the former SMU star who won the NCAA and U.S. Amateur last year, T4 in his first event since turning pro, four shots behind Grace after a 68. He already has new lucrative contracts with Puma, Cobra and Bridgestone and if you want all the technical details on his single length shafted golf clubs read this fine article from Golf Digest by Mike Stachura http://www.golfdigest.com/story/do-bryson-dechambeaus-single-length-irons-make-sense-for-your-game
Graham DeLaet was the top Canadian, finishing T14 at -2 282 with a final round 71. Adam Hadwin T30 with a closing -4 67.
Bryan Angus
(notes from pgatour.com)
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Donald continues to master the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town.
PGA Tour RBC Heritage leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html
Luke Donald is at -7 206 through 54 holes, a stroke in front of Jason Kokrak and Charley Hoffman. Kokrak shot 68 while Hoffman had a 71. Patton Kizzire shot a 71 and was another shot behind in fourth. Open champion Zach Johnson shot a 70, and is in a group at -4.
The former # 1 is motivated this week after a spell where he was dropped from the Ryder Cup team, and missed this year's Masters and he has also narrowly lost this title twice.
He has mastered the swirling wind, tight fairways and really small greens better than just about anyone since 2009 with five top-three finishes over that span, but despite the fact he has won more than $2.5 million at the RBC Heritage, he hasn't won it.... yet.
World #1 Jason Day showing all the signs of mental and physical fatigue ballooned to a 79 after starting the day tied for the lead. It was his highest round of the year and his worst showing in 63 rounds since an 81 last year in the second round of The Players Championship, after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The WCG-Dell Match Play, and finishing 10th at the Masters.
Graham DeLaet shot +1 72 T13, Adam Hadwin came in with a +2 73 T55. while Nick Taylor made the cut but will not advance to the final round after a +6 77.
Bryan Angus
(notes from pgatour.com)
Luke Donald is at -7 206 through 54 holes, a stroke in front of Jason Kokrak and Charley Hoffman. Kokrak shot 68 while Hoffman had a 71. Patton Kizzire shot a 71 and was another shot behind in fourth. Open champion Zach Johnson shot a 70, and is in a group at -4.
The former # 1 is motivated this week after a spell where he was dropped from the Ryder Cup team, and missed this year's Masters and he has also narrowly lost this title twice.
He has mastered the swirling wind, tight fairways and really small greens better than just about anyone since 2009 with five top-three finishes over that span, but despite the fact he has won more than $2.5 million at the RBC Heritage, he hasn't won it.... yet.
World #1 Jason Day showing all the signs of mental and physical fatigue ballooned to a 79 after starting the day tied for the lead. It was his highest round of the year and his worst showing in 63 rounds since an 81 last year in the second round of The Players Championship, after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The WCG-Dell Match Play, and finishing 10th at the Masters.
Graham DeLaet shot +1 72 T13, Adam Hadwin came in with a +2 73 T55. while Nick Taylor made the cut but will not advance to the final round after a +6 77.
Bryan Angus
(notes from pgatour.com)
Brooke Henderson gets another top 10, Minjee Lee wins Lotte Championship
LPGA Tour Lotte Championship final leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lotte-championship/results
Brooke Henderson has posted scores of 69 70 71 68 -10 T10 for her 7th straight top ten finish this year. Alena Sharp continues her improved play with rounds of 69 73 75 68 -3 T39 and Samantha Richdale finished her week in Hawaii with rounds of 73 72 74 77 +8.
The deserving winner 19 year old Minjee Lee, an Australian of Korean heritage who battled with Brooke for the world #1 position throughout their amateur careers went out and shot -8 64 to win the Lotte Championship for her second LPGA Tour title
She played a seven-hole stretch in -6 which featured a chip-in eagle on the par-5 13th and four birdies to finish at 16-under 272.
Third-round leader Katie Burnett (70) and U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun (67) T2.
Current world #1 Lydia Ko finished with a 69 -5, T23, her worst finish of the year, but remember she won her last two tournaments, both in the California desert and also has two seconds, a third and T15 so far this season and she is the defending champion at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic next week, back in California.
Bryan Angus
Brooke Henderson has posted scores of 69 70 71 68 -10 T10 for her 7th straight top ten finish this year. Alena Sharp continues her improved play with rounds of 69 73 75 68 -3 T39 and Samantha Richdale finished her week in Hawaii with rounds of 73 72 74 77 +8.
The deserving winner 19 year old Minjee Lee, an Australian of Korean heritage who battled with Brooke for the world #1 position throughout their amateur careers went out and shot -8 64 to win the Lotte Championship for her second LPGA Tour title
She played a seven-hole stretch in -6 which featured a chip-in eagle on the par-5 13th and four birdies to finish at 16-under 272.
Third-round leader Katie Burnett (70) and U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun (67) T2.
Current world #1 Lydia Ko finished with a 69 -5, T23, her worst finish of the year, but remember she won her last two tournaments, both in the California desert and also has two seconds, a third and T15 so far this season and she is the defending champion at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic next week, back in California.
Bryan Angus
England's Andrew Johnston wins the Spanish Open
European Tour Spanish Open leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016028/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y
Yet another Englishman, this time Andrew Johnson, the man they affectionately call the Beef has just won the Spanish Open with rounds of 67 74 74 70 +1 for his first European Tour win.
Two of his fellow countrymen. Ross Fisher (72) and James Morrison (74) T4. All this the week after Danny Willett from Sheffield made history by winning the Masters.
Host Sergio Garcia closed with -4 67, +3 total to finish 3rd behind Dutchman Joost Luiten (71) +2.
Yet another Englishman, this time Andrew Johnson, the man they affectionately call the Beef has just won the Spanish Open with rounds of 67 74 74 70 +1 for his first European Tour win.
Two of his fellow countrymen. Ross Fisher (72) and James Morrison (74) T4. All this the week after Danny Willett from Sheffield made history by winning the Masters.
Host Sergio Garcia closed with -4 67, +3 total to finish 3rd behind Dutchman Joost Luiten (71) +2.
Johnston become the first man to win a European Tour event with an over par score since Justin Rose won the US Open at Merion in 2013.
It had been 20 years since a regular event had been won over par, with Ian Woosnam shooting the same score to win the Scottish Open at Carnoustie in 1996, showing just how difficult a test Valderrama had been over the four days.
It had been 20 years since a regular event had been won over par, with Ian Woosnam shooting the same score to win the Scottish Open at Carnoustie in 1996, showing just how difficult a test Valderrama had been over the four days.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Course specialist Luke Donald leads the RBC Heritage
PGA Tour RBC Heritage leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
Playing the week after the Masters is a difficult slot on the Tour schedule, so much so that RBC had to step in with sponsorship several years ago to save it. Many of the guys are not here including Danny Willett and Jordan Spieth,
Jason Day, who tied for 10th at Augusta is the lone top-10 player competing.
The leader is yet another Englishman, Luke Donald who shot his best round since January, -5 66 tied for the lead with Branden Grace and they are a stroke ahead of four players including Day (67)
Donald loves this Hilton Head course as he broke par for the 23rd time in his past 29 rounds at Harbour Town. Talk about horses for courses, he has had five top-three finishes the last seven tournaments here.
He needs a good week as he has fallen to 95th in the world ranking and was infuriated with himself to miss the Masters.
On a bright note, Jason Bohn returned to the game after his heart attack nearly two months ago at the Honda Classic with a +3 74
Canadian scores : Graham DeLaet -2 69. Adam Hadwin E(71), David Hearn had a +1 72 and Nick Taylor had a +2 73.
The man making all the headlines, Bryson DeChambeau, last year’s NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion, is playing his first event as a pro and he opened with a -1 70
Bryan Angus
Brooke Henderson T6 at Lotte Championship after two rounds.
LPGA Tour Lotte Championship http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lotte-championship/leaderboard
Playing on the island of Oahu, Hawaii in very windy conditions Brooke Henderson shot a very respectable -2 70 late last night (EST) to go with her opening 69 to place T6 -5.
Henderson who has finished in the top 10 in six straight events, was a stroke back of Australian Minjee Lee along with fellow Canadian Alena Sharp after the opening round.
Lee has added a fine 66 in her second round and now leads by 2 shots at -10 over American Katie Burnett 70 66 -8.
Sharp has posted a second round 73 and is currently T16 at -2. Samantha Richdale 73 72 +1 has made the cut while Maude Aimee LeBlanc at +6 did not.
Bryan Angus
Playing on the island of Oahu, Hawaii in very windy conditions Brooke Henderson shot a very respectable -2 70 late last night (EST) to go with her opening 69 to place T6 -5.
Henderson who has finished in the top 10 in six straight events, was a stroke back of Australian Minjee Lee along with fellow Canadian Alena Sharp after the opening round.
Lee has added a fine 66 in her second round and now leads by 2 shots at -10 over American Katie Burnett 70 66 -8.
Sharp has posted a second round 73 and is currently T16 at -2. Samantha Richdale 73 72 +1 has made the cut while Maude Aimee LeBlanc at +6 did not.
Bryan Angus
Andrew Johnston leads the English brigade at the Spanish Open
European Tour Spanish Open leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2016/tournamentid=2016028/leaderboard/index.html
With round 2 well underway the English renaissance in golf continues with 4 more from their ranks in contention, led by Andrew Johnston with his fine opening round -4 67. He is in the late wave today and right now only 4 players are under par.
James Robinson, Ross Fisher and James Morrison (67 75) are in the top 10, with Richard Bland, Tommy Fleetwood Chris Wood and Steve Webster all currently playing, T16 at +1
Of course the European Tour, English golf associations and fans alike are still bathing in the glory of Danny Willett's sensational win at the Masters last week.
Sergio Garcia (+3 74) is hosting this 90th edition of the Spanish Open at historic Valderrama for the first time, it was the site you may remember of the Seve Ballesteros led European team's 14.5 - 13.5 over Tom Kite and his squad.
His friend and countryman Pablo Larrazábal has set the clubhouse target at -3 after a morning score of 71 was added to his opening 68.
Hard fast greens and swirling winds are making scoring difficult on this tough course in the Andalucia region of Spain, and the projected cut is currently at +7
Bryan Angus
With round 2 well underway the English renaissance in golf continues with 4 more from their ranks in contention, led by Andrew Johnston with his fine opening round -4 67. He is in the late wave today and right now only 4 players are under par.
James Robinson, Ross Fisher and James Morrison (67 75) are in the top 10, with Richard Bland, Tommy Fleetwood Chris Wood and Steve Webster all currently playing, T16 at +1
Of course the European Tour, English golf associations and fans alike are still bathing in the glory of Danny Willett's sensational win at the Masters last week.
Sergio Garcia (+3 74) is hosting this 90th edition of the Spanish Open at historic Valderrama for the first time, it was the site you may remember of the Seve Ballesteros led European team's 14.5 - 13.5 over Tom Kite and his squad.
His friend and countryman Pablo Larrazábal has set the clubhouse target at -3 after a morning score of 71 was added to his opening 68.
Hard fast greens and swirling winds are making scoring difficult on this tough course in the Andalucia region of Spain, and the projected cut is currently at +7
Bryan Angus
Monday, April 11, 2016
Congratulations to Canadians Brad Fritsch and Samantha Richdale
Lost in all the hoopla that was a sensational, shocking, unexpected Sunday at the Masters were two stories that would be the golf headlines here in Canada any other week.
So my congratulations to Brad Fritsch and Samantha Richdale. Ladies first.
Symetra Tour Florida's Natural Charity Classic leaderboard http://www.symetratour.com/tournaments/floridasnaturalcharityclassic/results
Golf Canada.. Samantha Richdale won the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic closing with a -3 69 for a one-stroke victory
The 32-year-old Kelowna, B.C., player had a -7 209 total at Lake Wales Country Club. She earned $26,250 for her fourth career victory on the tour. She won once in 2008 and twice in 2009.
Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto finished T4th after a final round 69 left her at -4 for the championship.
Web.com Tour Servientrega Championship leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/servientrega-championship-presented-by-efecty/leaderboard.html
Golf Canada.... Brad Fritsch won the Servientrega Championship for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Ollie Schniederjans with a par on the first hole of a playoff.
“This is huge,” said Fritsch, “My whole golfing life I haven’t won a lot. This is easily the biggest win against the best field that I’ve ever faced. I mean, obviously it gives me a nice jump on getting my card for next year. To do something I’ve never really done before and to execute under pressure on 18, I love it. I want that feeling again.”
Fritsch hit what he called the greatest shot in his life on the first extra hole. With 220 yards from the right side of the fairway, the 38-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta opted for a long iron and striped it to 20 feet under the hole. From there, Fritsch only needed to make par to claim his first trophy as Schniederjans pulled his tee ball into the pond left of the fairway.
So my congratulations to Brad Fritsch and Samantha Richdale. Ladies first.
Symetra Tour Florida's Natural Charity Classic leaderboard http://www.symetratour.com/tournaments/floridasnaturalcharityclassic/results
Golf Canada.. Samantha Richdale won the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic closing with a -3 69 for a one-stroke victory
The 32-year-old Kelowna, B.C., player had a -7 209 total at Lake Wales Country Club. She earned $26,250 for her fourth career victory on the tour. She won once in 2008 and twice in 2009.
Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto finished T4th after a final round 69 left her at -4 for the championship.
Web.com Tour Servientrega Championship leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/servientrega-championship-presented-by-efecty/leaderboard.html
Golf Canada.... Brad Fritsch won the Servientrega Championship for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Ollie Schniederjans with a par on the first hole of a playoff.
The 38-year-old from the Ottawa area shot a -1 71 to match Schniederjans at -11 277 at TPC Cartagena at Karibana. He earned full-time status on the Web.com Tour this season through qualifying school, earned US$126,000.
Schniederjans shot a 69, but he made a triple bogey on the par-5 18th in the playoff.
Fritsch hit what he called the greatest shot in his life on the first extra hole. With 220 yards from the right side of the fairway, the 38-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta opted for a long iron and striped it to 20 feet under the hole. From there, Fritsch only needed to make par to claim his first trophy as Schniederjans pulled his tee ball into the pond left of the fairway.
Danny Willett wins the Masters that Jordan Spieth lost
Masters final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/masters-tournament/leaderboard.html
Yesterday morning both here and on the radio at TSN1050 I was talking about what an intriguing Sunday we had ahead with storylines galore. That turned out to be an understatement !!
To summarize, this will sadly be remembered on this side of the pond to be the Masters that Jordan Spieth lost, not the one that Danny Willett won with a flawless bogey free round of -5 67.
It is ironic, to say the least that he becomes the first Englishman since Nick Faldo 17 years ago to win when Faldo also shot 67 on a day remembered more for Greg Norman coughing up a six-shot lead.
By the way what about the state English golf. Willett wins, his pal and Chubby Chandler (agent) stablemate Lee Westwood T2, Paul Casey 4th, Justin Rose T10, Matthew Fitzpatrick T7.
By now you know on the 10th tee, Spieth was five shots ahead and shockingly on the 13th tee, he was three shots behind with bogey's at 10,11 and the quadruple 7 at the iconic 12th for the collapse that has made all the headlines.
Look, Jordan has a long a glorious career ahead, and he is not the first, nor will he be the last to be humbled by the game of golf. The key for him as it has been for the others before him is that we are all faced with adversity and it is the mark of a man how he deals with it.
In that regard I believe he will be better for the painful Sunday afternoon he has just endured at Augusta.
Danny Willett :
Now, what an unbelievable day in the life of the lad from Sheffield in Yorkshire, Danny Willett and his family. His final numbers are 70 74 72 67 -5 283 and he birdied 3 of his last 6 holes to tie the low round of the day.
* His wife Nicole is his rock, and she was due to give birth yesterday but their son Zachariah arrived early on March 29, and she insisted he fly to America to play in the Masters. Sunday her hubby went out and secured their son's financial future along with their's on her 28th birthday!!
* He was the #1 amateur in the game in 2008 and played in the Walker Cup in 2007, the same year he won the English Amateur Championship.
* His wife Nicole is his rock but his parents are his foundation. Father Steve is a vicar in the Church of England and his mother, Elisabet is a math teacher. He has three brothers who first taught him to play.
* He left Sheffield with a scholarship to Jacksonville State University in Alabama, where he became the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and now he is ranked 9th in the world, a year ago he was outside the top 100.
Lee Westwood (69) and Spieth (73) finished T2 -2, a shot ahead of Paul Casey (67), J B Holmes (68) and Dustin Johnson (71).
Yesterday morning both here and on the radio at TSN1050 I was talking about what an intriguing Sunday we had ahead with storylines galore. That turned out to be an understatement !!
To summarize, this will sadly be remembered on this side of the pond to be the Masters that Jordan Spieth lost, not the one that Danny Willett won with a flawless bogey free round of -5 67.
It is ironic, to say the least that he becomes the first Englishman since Nick Faldo 17 years ago to win when Faldo also shot 67 on a day remembered more for Greg Norman coughing up a six-shot lead.
By the way what about the state English golf. Willett wins, his pal and Chubby Chandler (agent) stablemate Lee Westwood T2, Paul Casey 4th, Justin Rose T10, Matthew Fitzpatrick T7.
By now you know on the 10th tee, Spieth was five shots ahead and shockingly on the 13th tee, he was three shots behind with bogey's at 10,11 and the quadruple 7 at the iconic 12th for the collapse that has made all the headlines.
Look, Jordan has a long a glorious career ahead, and he is not the first, nor will he be the last to be humbled by the game of golf. The key for him as it has been for the others before him is that we are all faced with adversity and it is the mark of a man how he deals with it.
In that regard I believe he will be better for the painful Sunday afternoon he has just endured at Augusta.
Danny Willett :
Now, what an unbelievable day in the life of the lad from Sheffield in Yorkshire, Danny Willett and his family. His final numbers are 70 74 72 67 -5 283 and he birdied 3 of his last 6 holes to tie the low round of the day.
* His wife Nicole is his rock, and she was due to give birth yesterday but their son Zachariah arrived early on March 29, and she insisted he fly to America to play in the Masters. Sunday her hubby went out and secured their son's financial future along with their's on her 28th birthday!!
* He was the #1 amateur in the game in 2008 and played in the Walker Cup in 2007, the same year he won the English Amateur Championship.
* His wife Nicole is his rock but his parents are his foundation. Father Steve is a vicar in the Church of England and his mother, Elisabet is a math teacher. He has three brothers who first taught him to play.
* He left Sheffield with a scholarship to Jacksonville State University in Alabama, where he became the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and now he is ranked 9th in the world, a year ago he was outside the top 100.
Lee Westwood (69) and Spieth (73) finished T2 -2, a shot ahead of Paul Casey (67), J B Holmes (68) and Dustin Johnson (71).
Matthew Fitzpatrick ended up E after a 67 in his first Masters as a professional, alongside Søren Kjeldsen, (71) and Hideki Matsuyama (73)
Other notables: Jason Day 72 73 71 73 +1 didn't bring his A game, his iron play in particular was off but he still finished T10 as did Rory 70 71 77 71 and Justin Rose 69 77 73 70. Bernhard Langer was one of the lead stories going into Sunday, but 2 early bogey's set him on his way to 79 and a +6 total, T24.
Bryson DeChambeau won the top amateur crystal in his final event before he turns pro today. 72 72 77 72 +5 T21.
What an amazing week, The weather, in particular the wind made Augusta a very stern test for the first 3 days, the greens were too fast in my opinion, and I'd say Ernie Els would agree !
Jordan Spieth's opening 66 turned out to be a bit of an illusion. You'll remember he made 6 birdies that day, but saved as many par's with clutch putts that masked the struggles he was having to get control of his game. Those struggles were highlighted by his bogey, double bogey finish on Saturday, then of course at Amen Corner on Sunday.
Still we must end on a happy note. Danny Spieth is getting on a plane today to fly from Atlanta to Sheffield where he will receive a heroe's welcome from the people who mean the most. His wife Nicole and his son Zach, who one day he'll tell about the day he became the 2016 Masters champion.
Now that's a story !
Bryan Angus
Other notables: Jason Day 72 73 71 73 +1 didn't bring his A game, his iron play in particular was off but he still finished T10 as did Rory 70 71 77 71 and Justin Rose 69 77 73 70. Bernhard Langer was one of the lead stories going into Sunday, but 2 early bogey's set him on his way to 79 and a +6 total, T24.
Bryson DeChambeau won the top amateur crystal in his final event before he turns pro today. 72 72 77 72 +5 T21.
What an amazing week, The weather, in particular the wind made Augusta a very stern test for the first 3 days, the greens were too fast in my opinion, and I'd say Ernie Els would agree !
Jordan Spieth's opening 66 turned out to be a bit of an illusion. You'll remember he made 6 birdies that day, but saved as many par's with clutch putts that masked the struggles he was having to get control of his game. Those struggles were highlighted by his bogey, double bogey finish on Saturday, then of course at Amen Corner on Sunday.
Still we must end on a happy note. Danny Spieth is getting on a plane today to fly from Atlanta to Sheffield where he will receive a heroe's welcome from the people who mean the most. His wife Nicole and his son Zach, who one day he'll tell about the day he became the 2016 Masters champion.
Now that's a story !
Bryan Angus
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Spieth's finish puts Sunday back in the Masters
Masters leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/masters-tournament/leaderboard.html
An intriguing Sunday is in store at this 80th Masters, in large part due to the difficulty of Augusta after a another windy Saturday, lightning fast crusty greens, and the defending champion's finish.
An intriguing Sunday is in store at this 80th Masters, in large part due to the difficulty of Augusta after a another windy Saturday, lightning fast crusty greens, and the defending champion's finish.
Jordan Spieth has threatened to run away with the tournament right from the start with his brilliant opening -6 66 but after opening with 2 birdies on Friday he slipped to a 74 to let the field back in. Then on Saturday he was ahead by 4 strokes standing on the 17th tee but drove wildly to the right resulting in a bogey 5, then did the same on the 18th this time resulting in a double bogey 6. Three shots dropped with his +1 73 -3 total, and as Rory who had stumbled to a 77 said afterwards, " Jordan's finish breathed some life back into my chances."
That finish establishes these storylines for today.
First the wind which has played havoc with scoring all week is scheduled to die down today, the day will be warmer so it follows that scores will be lower. It is now blowing from the east not the NW.
Spieth has a one-shot lead over his friend Smylie Kaufman who is playing in his first Masters and had the low score of the day at -3 69 -2 total.
Then the story of the day could be 58-year-old Bernhard Langer who made three straight birdies on the back nine for a -2 70 -1 total. Much is being made of Jack's win in 1986 when he was 46, but remember this, it was Bernhard Langer who presented Jack with the green jacket in Butler's cabin after his win in 1985!
His second Masters win was in 1993, three months before Spieth was born. He is two shots behind in his bid to become the oldest major champion by 10 years as Julius Boros was 48 when he captured the PGA Championship in 1968. In my opinion the calmer weather today will work against Langer because I believe it will let someone else who is much longer a chance to go low.
Hideki Matsuyama is tied with Langer at -1 after a 72. He starts play today hoping to become the first Japanese player to win a major. He is arguably the best iron player in the field today, he hit 14 greens in regulation on Saturday. Matsuyama has moved into the Orlando area in his quest to become Japan's greatest player, don't overlook him.
Then at even par, slightly under the radar is the guy who has won for the last two weeks, and oh yes the world's #1, Jason Day who plugged away and came in with a 71. How can you be surprised if he wins his first Masters ?
He is tied at even par with Dustin Johnson (72) and Danny Willett (72) who is only here because his wife gave birth to their first child, Zachery on Saturday enabling him to fly to Atlanta on Monday. You may remember he was paired with Zach Johnson when the latter won the Open Championship at St Andrews last summer ..hmmmm.
Spieth's finish and the calmer weather has also given hope to Rory McIlroy who after 77 is at +2 is just 5 shots off the lead and I just feel certain that with his bad round out of the way, he is the guy who will shoot 65 or 66 for a grandstand finish.
Also included in this Masters Sunday afternoon mix are Lee Westwood 71 Brandt Snedeker (74) and Soren Kjeldsen (74) all just 4 shots back at +1.
Who will win??? who knows !!
Bryan Angus
Friday, April 8, 2016
Spieth takes his lead into his 2nd round at the Masters
Masters leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/masters-tournament/leaderboard.html
With the morning wave well into their second rounds, the lowest score thus far is -1 !!
As I suggested this morning, the swirling breezes and lightning fast greens combined with difficult pin placements are making scoring extremely difficult, except for one guy so far.
Jordan Spieth birdied the first, missed a birdie putt at the second dropped another at the 3rd to get to -8, four shots clear of Danny Lee who is E today -4 total through 16.
Everyone is having their ups and downs.
Rory birdied 2 and 3 then promptly doubled the par 3 4th and made bogey at the 5th to go out in 37.
Jason Day went out in -2 34, then made bogey at 11, and put two balls in Rae's Creek at 13, but saved par with a 20 footer which may steady him down and he is at E.
As I said with my pal Rick Ralph on TSN 1290 minutes ago, the question is, will Spieth run away with this today? With the wind freshening as the afternoon goes on and the lowest score apart from Spieth being -1, it seems unlikely anyone from the field is going to come into the clubhouse this evening with a score below 70.
If Jordan posts even a -4 68 and gets to -10, he could win this thing today. Remember though he made 6 or 7 really big par saving putts yesterday which helped turn a 72 into that 66.
It seems more likely to me that he like everyone else will run into trouble at some point this afternoon.
* Breaking news Spieth has just posted double bogey 6 at the 5th to drop 2 shots, now -6.
Remember par is good, birdie is great, bogey is ok but just keep the big numbers off the card and you may have a chance come Sunday..
Stay tuned, more to follow
Bryan Angus
With the morning wave well into their second rounds, the lowest score thus far is -1 !!
As I suggested this morning, the swirling breezes and lightning fast greens combined with difficult pin placements are making scoring extremely difficult, except for one guy so far.
Jordan Spieth birdied the first, missed a birdie putt at the second dropped another at the 3rd to get to -8, four shots clear of Danny Lee who is E today -4 total through 16.
Everyone is having their ups and downs.
Rory birdied 2 and 3 then promptly doubled the par 3 4th and made bogey at the 5th to go out in 37.
Jason Day went out in -2 34, then made bogey at 11, and put two balls in Rae's Creek at 13, but saved par with a 20 footer which may steady him down and he is at E.
As I said with my pal Rick Ralph on TSN 1290 minutes ago, the question is, will Spieth run away with this today? With the wind freshening as the afternoon goes on and the lowest score apart from Spieth being -1, it seems unlikely anyone from the field is going to come into the clubhouse this evening with a score below 70.
If Jordan posts even a -4 68 and gets to -10, he could win this thing today. Remember though he made 6 or 7 really big par saving putts yesterday which helped turn a 72 into that 66.
It seems more likely to me that he like everyone else will run into trouble at some point this afternoon.
* Breaking news Spieth has just posted double bogey 6 at the 5th to drop 2 shots, now -6.
Remember par is good, birdie is great, bogey is ok but just keep the big numbers off the card and you may have a chance come Sunday..
Stay tuned, more to follow
Bryan Angus
Jordan Spieth 66, the best of a wild day at windy Augusta
2016 Masters leaderboard http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html
In my Wednesday preview I stressed that the cool windy weather forecast to set in today and tomorrow may end up being the lead story and that remains to be seen, but for sure as the greens which are already very fast are only going to firm up, pins therefore will be less accessible. It is cool and cloudy at 50*F this morning and the wind is expected to pick up gusting to 20mph as the day goes on.
As we begin this Friday at the Masters it seems logical that anything under 70 will be a very good score.
Yesterday Jordan Spieth went out early before the trickiest of the winds blew through and with 6 birdies and as many par saving putts he posted -6 66 to lead this 80th Masters by 2 shots over Danny Lee and Shane Lowry.
He kissed his putter after another of those clutch 8 foot par savers, this one on the 16th, and that for me summed up his day as much as anything. He didn't have his A game but got away without any bogey's and he did drive the ball very well.
Poor Ernie Els wasn't so fortunate after taking a 9 on the first which was just painful to watch considering he had a 2 footer for par. Afterwards he admitted that he was shocked and was overcome by the heebee jeebies to the point he was scared to take the putter back. He shot himself right out of the tournament in one hole, finishing with an unsightly +8 80.
Jason Day was cruising, -5 through 14 holes, but he 3 putted the par 5 15th for a bogey, then yanked his tee shot into the pond at 16 and took a triple, then made bogey at 17 to end up E 72.
Similarly Rory McIlroy was at -4 before 3 putting the 16th, and failing to get up and down at 18 to finish -2 70.
Both he and Jason get the advantage of playing in the early wave today.
The back nine woes continued for Rickie Fowler who needed 44 strokes on his way to 80, and Bubba who needed 41 as part of his 76, the same score as another pre tournament favourite, Adam Scott.
There is a real international flavour at the top of the leaderboard with Spieth's playing partner Paul Casey among five Europeans at 69, along with Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Soren Kjeldsen. I've already mentioned Lowry from Ireland and Lee from New Zealand at -4 and remember Rory and Danny Willett are at -2 70.
Still, with play about to get underway this morning, it's the American, Jordan Spieth who will be in the late wave has that -6 66 in the bank, and that may be crucial come Sunday afternoon.
As he said afterwards I’m extremely pleased with that round today. I felt like we stole a few.”
Bryan Angus
Bryan Angus
In my Wednesday preview I stressed that the cool windy weather forecast to set in today and tomorrow may end up being the lead story and that remains to be seen, but for sure as the greens which are already very fast are only going to firm up, pins therefore will be less accessible. It is cool and cloudy at 50*F this morning and the wind is expected to pick up gusting to 20mph as the day goes on.
As we begin this Friday at the Masters it seems logical that anything under 70 will be a very good score.
Yesterday Jordan Spieth went out early before the trickiest of the winds blew through and with 6 birdies and as many par saving putts he posted -6 66 to lead this 80th Masters by 2 shots over Danny Lee and Shane Lowry.
He kissed his putter after another of those clutch 8 foot par savers, this one on the 16th, and that for me summed up his day as much as anything. He didn't have his A game but got away without any bogey's and he did drive the ball very well.
Poor Ernie Els wasn't so fortunate after taking a 9 on the first which was just painful to watch considering he had a 2 footer for par. Afterwards he admitted that he was shocked and was overcome by the heebee jeebies to the point he was scared to take the putter back. He shot himself right out of the tournament in one hole, finishing with an unsightly +8 80.
Jason Day was cruising, -5 through 14 holes, but he 3 putted the par 5 15th for a bogey, then yanked his tee shot into the pond at 16 and took a triple, then made bogey at 17 to end up E 72.
Similarly Rory McIlroy was at -4 before 3 putting the 16th, and failing to get up and down at 18 to finish -2 70.
Both he and Jason get the advantage of playing in the early wave today.
The back nine woes continued for Rickie Fowler who needed 44 strokes on his way to 80, and Bubba who needed 41 as part of his 76, the same score as another pre tournament favourite, Adam Scott.
There is a real international flavour at the top of the leaderboard with Spieth's playing partner Paul Casey among five Europeans at 69, along with Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Soren Kjeldsen. I've already mentioned Lowry from Ireland and Lee from New Zealand at -4 and remember Rory and Danny Willett are at -2 70.
Still, with play about to get underway this morning, it's the American, Jordan Spieth who will be in the late wave has that -6 66 in the bank, and that may be crucial come Sunday afternoon.
As he said afterwards I’m extremely pleased with that round today. I felt like we stole a few.”
Bryan Angus
Bryan Angus
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Spieth leads as wind is picking up at Augusta..
2016 Masters leaderboard http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html
Jordan Spieth got the early favourable draw today as the wind is picking up for the afternoon wave, and he is taking advantage of it
He is leading at -4 through #12 with the two par 5's at 13 and 15 still to play. Only 16 players are currently under par.
Rickie Fowler took double bogey 6 at the first and has just made a snowman (8) at the par 5 13th.
Mike Weir is +2 playing the front nine and Jason Day has just made par at the first.
Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia, Angel Cabrera are amongst those who have late tee times in the worst of the wind.
More to follow
Bryan Angus
Jordan Spieth got the early favourable draw today as the wind is picking up for the afternoon wave, and he is taking advantage of it
He is leading at -4 through #12 with the two par 5's at 13 and 15 still to play. Only 16 players are currently under par.
Rickie Fowler took double bogey 6 at the first and has just made a snowman (8) at the par 5 13th.
Mike Weir is +2 playing the front nine and Jason Day has just made par at the first.
Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia, Angel Cabrera are amongst those who have late tee times in the worst of the wind.
More to follow
Bryan Angus
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Masters pairings and tee times..and a few who shouldn't be here..
2016 Masters pairings and tee times http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/masters-tournament/leaderboard.html
The pairings and tee times like most everything else at Augusta have been announced right on time and while there are some mouth watering pairings, looking through the field really does underline the fact that as was the concept of Bobby Jones way back when, this is an "invitational", in fact there are only 89 players this year and although a lot of the old guys have finally stopped embarrassing themselves by playing ( Fuzzy, Gary, Craig (the Walrus), Ben, Sir Nick off the top of my head, lets have a look at the few this year who didn't get the memo...
Steven Bowditch by the way can't break 80 these days, but he is on tour and did earn the right to be here this week and they are sending him out first so he can get off the course before they turn on the TV cameras, but what about these guys..
* Sandy Lyle won in 1985 with the great fairway bunker shot at the 72nd hole, but he's closer to being buried in a bunker than winning the Masters again..
* Mike Weir. Ok I can't bring myself to be critical, let's just say he's making his debut as an analyst, and he did give us all our most memorable Masters.
* Ian Woosnam has just returned to playing a little senior tour golf on the European Tour, and has announced he's going to have a shot with the old guys on the Champions Tour..good for him but what the heck is he doing in the field, paired with Ben (Byeong-Hun) An and Troy Merritt who aren't as old as him combined ?
* Darren Clarke has lost a lot of weight, got the great grey hair and beard look going, and is about to captain the European Ryder Cup team to another sensational win over the USA this fall. When you get that appointment it means your playing days are done..
* Davis Love III. See above... without the grey hair and beard bit.
* Mark O'Meara, come on. He's only still around to play practice rounds with his buddy Tiger, kinda like a sparring partner for a boxer.
* Larry Mize chipped in to steal another Masters from Greg Norman and Seve away back in 1987 and hasn't been heard from since. At the dinner on Tuesday night his hair is so white he looked like a mummy, and he's old enough to be one..
* Tom Watson can still shoot under his age, and we are celebrating his last year here, so he is getting my mulligan
Now before you get your poisoned pens out, I love all the above, but wouldn't it be better if before the tournament, say on Tuesday before the dinner, they let all the old guys who are coming to eat and smooze (and snooze) anyways, all draw for a partner and go out there and play a scramble format, or 9 select holes with prizes to be awarded at the meal later... Heck they could even invite some of the current players to caddie for them.
Now that would be worth watching, and would get them out of the real draw which gets under way tomorrow !
Bryan Angus
The pairings and tee times like most everything else at Augusta have been announced right on time and while there are some mouth watering pairings, looking through the field really does underline the fact that as was the concept of Bobby Jones way back when, this is an "invitational", in fact there are only 89 players this year and although a lot of the old guys have finally stopped embarrassing themselves by playing ( Fuzzy, Gary, Craig (the Walrus), Ben, Sir Nick off the top of my head, lets have a look at the few this year who didn't get the memo...
Steven Bowditch by the way can't break 80 these days, but he is on tour and did earn the right to be here this week and they are sending him out first so he can get off the course before they turn on the TV cameras, but what about these guys..
* Sandy Lyle won in 1985 with the great fairway bunker shot at the 72nd hole, but he's closer to being buried in a bunker than winning the Masters again..
* Mike Weir. Ok I can't bring myself to be critical, let's just say he's making his debut as an analyst, and he did give us all our most memorable Masters.
* Ian Woosnam has just returned to playing a little senior tour golf on the European Tour, and has announced he's going to have a shot with the old guys on the Champions Tour..good for him but what the heck is he doing in the field, paired with Ben (Byeong-Hun) An and Troy Merritt who aren't as old as him combined ?
* Darren Clarke has lost a lot of weight, got the great grey hair and beard look going, and is about to captain the European Ryder Cup team to another sensational win over the USA this fall. When you get that appointment it means your playing days are done..
* Davis Love III. See above... without the grey hair and beard bit.
* Mark O'Meara, come on. He's only still around to play practice rounds with his buddy Tiger, kinda like a sparring partner for a boxer.
* Larry Mize chipped in to steal another Masters from Greg Norman and Seve away back in 1987 and hasn't been heard from since. At the dinner on Tuesday night his hair is so white he looked like a mummy, and he's old enough to be one..
* Tom Watson can still shoot under his age, and we are celebrating his last year here, so he is getting my mulligan
Now before you get your poisoned pens out, I love all the above, but wouldn't it be better if before the tournament, say on Tuesday before the dinner, they let all the old guys who are coming to eat and smooze (and snooze) anyways, all draw for a partner and go out there and play a scramble format, or 9 select holes with prizes to be awarded at the meal later... Heck they could even invite some of the current players to caddie for them.
Now that would be worth watching, and would get them out of the real draw which gets under way tomorrow !
Bryan Angus
Windy cool weather and parity make 2016 Masters picks a lottery
To respond to my overwhelming annual requests from all of you who are filling out your Masters office pool sheets today I duly submit a handful of names for your perusal..
Be warned.. this year and for many to follow any of them is fully capable of donning the green jacket come Sunday evening. Tiger is not playing. Remember, since his first of four wins on this hallowed course in 1997, we had to do Tiger free pools, because everyone picked him to win..
First of all the weather:
Rain is in the forecast for overnight on Wednesday
Thursday will have highs in the low 70s F, but with the wind blowing about an average of 10-20 mph from the NW and the possibility of rain.
Friday morning, temperatures will be in the 40s, and daytime highs will struggle to reach the low 60s under partly sunny skies with the same wind from the NW
Saturday, there will be a heavy dew in the morning and temperatures during the day will be no higher than the 50s with gusts up to 30 mph from the NW
Sunday will warm up close to 70 F in the afternoon, sunny with very little wind.
Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson....there are the most obvious ten
Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson, Danny Willett, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel, Brooks Koepka, Kevin Kisner, Rafa Cabrera Bello....there's another ten
Hideki Matsuyama, Kevin Kisner, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Marc Leishman, Shane Lowery, JB Holmes, Justin Thomas, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar....there's another ten..
I can build a case for each one of these guys, If there is a factor which may be the difference maker it's the wind. In Tiger's hole by hole analysis he talks constantly about how much more difficult Augusta becomes with a gusting wind, especially when accompanied by cool or cold weather.
Friday and Saturday in particular have both of those.
So I can predict scoring will be at a premium, Who amongst all of the above is long and can handle the wind, who has a superb wedge game, and who knows all the subtleties of the Augusta approach shots and the greens which are faster this year by all reports.
The weather is favouring the great ball strikers and patience, and importantly experience.
Any clearer ??....
Bryan Angus
Be warned.. this year and for many to follow any of them is fully capable of donning the green jacket come Sunday evening. Tiger is not playing. Remember, since his first of four wins on this hallowed course in 1997, we had to do Tiger free pools, because everyone picked him to win..
First of all the weather:
Rain is in the forecast for overnight on Wednesday
Thursday will have highs in the low 70s F, but with the wind blowing about an average of 10-20 mph from the NW and the possibility of rain.
Friday morning, temperatures will be in the 40s, and daytime highs will struggle to reach the low 60s under partly sunny skies with the same wind from the NW
Saturday, there will be a heavy dew in the morning and temperatures during the day will be no higher than the 50s with gusts up to 30 mph from the NW
Sunday will warm up close to 70 F in the afternoon, sunny with very little wind.
Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson....there are the most obvious ten
Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson, Danny Willett, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel, Brooks Koepka, Kevin Kisner, Rafa Cabrera Bello....there's another ten
Hideki Matsuyama, Kevin Kisner, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Marc Leishman, Shane Lowery, JB Holmes, Justin Thomas, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar....there's another ten..
I can build a case for each one of these guys, If there is a factor which may be the difference maker it's the wind. In Tiger's hole by hole analysis he talks constantly about how much more difficult Augusta becomes with a gusting wind, especially when accompanied by cool or cold weather.
Friday and Saturday in particular have both of those.
So I can predict scoring will be at a premium, Who amongst all of the above is long and can handle the wind, who has a superb wedge game, and who knows all the subtleties of the Augusta approach shots and the greens which are faster this year by all reports.
The weather is favouring the great ball strikers and patience, and importantly experience.
Any clearer ??....
Bryan Angus
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Most memorable Masters.. Mike Weir 2003 !
There is a lot of chatter this 80th year of the Masters, about it being the most anticipated of all time, with as many as a dozen guys led of course by Rory, Jason and Jordan at the top of the list who you can make a case for being the favourite.
Without Tiger and his 4 Masters in the mix anymore, it is hard to argue about this being the most anticipated, but whether it will go down as the most memorable has yet to be seen.
I can say however, that title, and I started watching the Masters in 1961 when Gary Player became the 'first foreigner" to win, goes without a doubt to Mike Weir in 2003 when this entire country, golf fans and non, were on the edge of their seats, as Weirsy made history with his epic win in a playoff over Len Mattiace..
Being of Scottish ancestry I have always had an international perspective on life, but for the purposes of this blog, in golf, and some of my most memorable tournaments have revolved around the panache of Seve' in 1980,83, or the short game wizardry of Jose Maria Olazabal in 1994,99, or Bernhard Langer who overcame the worst case of the yips to be able to handle Augusta's greens better than anyone in 1985, 93. Nick Faldo's 3 wins all had their moments none more than 1996 when Greg Norman blew a 7 shot lead with a meltdown of epic proportions, and Angel Cabrera's win in 2009 had me glued to the set, he has the perfect game for Augusta and he won it the week he gave up smoking, I'm still not sure which was the more difficult.
Of course nobody's lead was safe on Sunday afternoon when Jack was playing, he always seemed to make a charge, winning 6 times of course, his last in 1986 is for many the greatest ever Masters.
But for me, it was Mike Weir, who you'll remember was right on top of his game in 2003, he won the Bob Hope and the Nissan early in that season, and also T3 at the US Open and T7 at the PGA. He was ranked #3, won the Lou Marsh and was voted Canadian athlete of the year.
Johnny Miller said he was the best player on the planet from 100 yards in at the time and his short game certainly made up for his lack of length off the tee.
He led by 4 shots after 2 rounds in awful weather 70,68 with only 4 players under par. However a 75 in the third round saw him slip to second place at -3 behind Jeff Maggert who shot 66 for a 2 shot lead.
This country has come together as a nation over sporting events on very few occasions. The Summit Series in 1972 for sure, the Blue Jays winning the World Series in 1992 and '93 and I'd say the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
This coming Sunday in 2003 was another of those occasions. I remember Maggert being assessed a penalty stroke early in the round as his ball came back and hit him as he attempted a fairway bunker shot and that was the end for him (75), I remember Len Mattiace racing up the leaderboard, finishing ahead of Mike with a -7 65 to get to -7, then in one of the biggest pressure putts of his life, Weirsy made that seven footer for par on the 18th to get into a playoff.
The sudden death playoff that year went to the par4 10th, for the last time. Tiger calls it the most difficult driving hole on the course, with a green that slopes sharply from right to left.
It turned out to be anti climatic as Mattiace made a double bogey, and Weirsy won it all with a bogey of his own.
He's in the field for life now, he hasn't made the cut for a few as he struggles with his game, however the little lefty will be doing some TV analysis with my radio partner Bob Weeks over the weekend, so no doubt we will get a chance to re-live the Sunday at Augusta that changed his life....and gave his country one of it's most memorable moments..
Bryan Angus
Bryan Angus
Without Tiger and his 4 Masters in the mix anymore, it is hard to argue about this being the most anticipated, but whether it will go down as the most memorable has yet to be seen.
I can say however, that title, and I started watching the Masters in 1961 when Gary Player became the 'first foreigner" to win, goes without a doubt to Mike Weir in 2003 when this entire country, golf fans and non, were on the edge of their seats, as Weirsy made history with his epic win in a playoff over Len Mattiace..
Being of Scottish ancestry I have always had an international perspective on life, but for the purposes of this blog, in golf, and some of my most memorable tournaments have revolved around the panache of Seve' in 1980,83, or the short game wizardry of Jose Maria Olazabal in 1994,99, or Bernhard Langer who overcame the worst case of the yips to be able to handle Augusta's greens better than anyone in 1985, 93. Nick Faldo's 3 wins all had their moments none more than 1996 when Greg Norman blew a 7 shot lead with a meltdown of epic proportions, and Angel Cabrera's win in 2009 had me glued to the set, he has the perfect game for Augusta and he won it the week he gave up smoking, I'm still not sure which was the more difficult.
Of course nobody's lead was safe on Sunday afternoon when Jack was playing, he always seemed to make a charge, winning 6 times of course, his last in 1986 is for many the greatest ever Masters.
But for me, it was Mike Weir, who you'll remember was right on top of his game in 2003, he won the Bob Hope and the Nissan early in that season, and also T3 at the US Open and T7 at the PGA. He was ranked #3, won the Lou Marsh and was voted Canadian athlete of the year.
Johnny Miller said he was the best player on the planet from 100 yards in at the time and his short game certainly made up for his lack of length off the tee.
He led by 4 shots after 2 rounds in awful weather 70,68 with only 4 players under par. However a 75 in the third round saw him slip to second place at -3 behind Jeff Maggert who shot 66 for a 2 shot lead.
This country has come together as a nation over sporting events on very few occasions. The Summit Series in 1972 for sure, the Blue Jays winning the World Series in 1992 and '93 and I'd say the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
This coming Sunday in 2003 was another of those occasions. I remember Maggert being assessed a penalty stroke early in the round as his ball came back and hit him as he attempted a fairway bunker shot and that was the end for him (75), I remember Len Mattiace racing up the leaderboard, finishing ahead of Mike with a -7 65 to get to -7, then in one of the biggest pressure putts of his life, Weirsy made that seven footer for par on the 18th to get into a playoff.
The sudden death playoff that year went to the par4 10th, for the last time. Tiger calls it the most difficult driving hole on the course, with a green that slopes sharply from right to left.
It turned out to be anti climatic as Mattiace made a double bogey, and Weirsy won it all with a bogey of his own.
He's in the field for life now, he hasn't made the cut for a few as he struggles with his game, however the little lefty will be doing some TV analysis with my radio partner Bob Weeks over the weekend, so no doubt we will get a chance to re-live the Sunday at Augusta that changed his life....and gave his country one of it's most memorable moments..
Bryan Angus
Bryan Angus
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp chasing Lexi Thompson at Ana Inspirational
LPGA Tour Ana Inspirational leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ana-inspiration/leaderboard
Despite some solid play, Alena Sharp 70 74 69 -3 and Brooke Henderson 73 69 72 -2 will have their work cut out to catch the leader, Lexi Thompson 69 68 69 -10 if they are going to win their first major.
Thompson, who has already won this title finished in style with an eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole to edge ahead of Lydia Ko 70 68 69, In Gee Chun 69 69 69 and Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn 69 71 67 who are all at -10 T2, but there are 15 players were within four shots of the incredibly tanned Lexi.
The weather as always has been ideal in the California desert at Rancho Mirage, and with all the big names in contention there is no telling which one will take her caddie's hand for the jump into Poppey's Pond at the end of play tonight.
Bryan Angus
Despite some solid play, Alena Sharp 70 74 69 -3 and Brooke Henderson 73 69 72 -2 will have their work cut out to catch the leader, Lexi Thompson 69 68 69 -10 if they are going to win their first major.
Thompson, who has already won this title finished in style with an eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole to edge ahead of Lydia Ko 70 68 69, In Gee Chun 69 69 69 and Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn 69 71 67 who are all at -10 T2, but there are 15 players were within four shots of the incredibly tanned Lexi.
The weather as always has been ideal in the California desert at Rancho Mirage, and with all the big names in contention there is no telling which one will take her caddie's hand for the jump into Poppey's Pond at the end of play tonight.
Bryan Angus
DeLaet amongst crowded leaderboard contending for Shell Houston Open
PGA Tour Shell Houston Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/shell-houston-open/leaderboard.html
Nineteen players will tee off today within six shots of the lead, including Phil Mickelson 71,-5 and Graham DeLaet 67,72,72 -5
The leaders, Jim Herman 67 and Jamie Lovemark 70 -11 are both vying for their first PGA Tour wins however we must remember that the last two winners at this event, Matt Jones and J. B. Holmes were behind by the same six shots when play began on Sunday.
The chasing pack includes Henrik Stenson 66 Dustin Johnson 70 and Russell Henley 68 who are all at -10. Jordan Spieth who lost to Holmes in a playoff last year shot 70 -6 while Rickie Fowler 70 is at -7.
Nineteen players will tee off today within six shots of the lead, including Phil Mickelson 71,-5 and Graham DeLaet 67,72,72 -5
The leaders, Jim Herman 67 and Jamie Lovemark 70 -11 are both vying for their first PGA Tour wins however we must remember that the last two winners at this event, Matt Jones and J. B. Holmes were behind by the same six shots when play began on Sunday.
The chasing pack includes Henrik Stenson 66 Dustin Johnson 70 and Russell Henley 68 who are all at -10. Jordan Spieth who lost to Holmes in a playoff last year shot 70 -6 while Rickie Fowler 70 is at -7.
David Hearn 70 70 72 is at -4 as is Nick Taylor 68 73 71, while Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir MC.
Bryan Angus
Friday, April 1, 2016
Graham DeLaet, Nick Taylor, Ryan Yip...Good day for Canadians..
Long gone are the days when Mike Weir and Lorie Kane were the only two Canadians we were reporting on in the pro game of golf. With Mike fighting to regain the form that saw him at #11 in the world with 15 wins, a Masters title and a Lou Marsh award topping his glittering resume and Lorie leading a contingent of women that included Dawn Coe Jones and Gail Graham, Canadian golfers have stepped up to the tee box in recent years, and yesterday was a prime example.
PGA Tour Shell Houston Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/shell-houston-open/leaderboard.html
Charlie Hoffman topped the field on day one in Houston with his -8 64, but north of the border it was the play of Graham DeLaet -5 67 T10 and Nick Taylor -4 68 T21 that made headlines.
Other Canucks: David Hearn -2 70 T64, Adam Hadwin -1 71 T83, Mike Weir +4 76 T133
Web.com Tour Brasil Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/brasil-champions/leaderboard.html
A young American called Bhavik Patel had a career day with a round of -9 62 to lead the Boys in Brasil, this week's Web.com stop in Sao Paolo, but I was watching for the 9 Canadians led by Ryan Yip -7 64 T4.
Other Canucks: Taylor Pendrith -5 66 T17, Brad Fritsch -4 67 T35, Eugene Wong, Roger Sloan -3 68 T45, Adam Svensson -2 69 T63, Benjamin Silverman E 71 T99, MacKenzie Hughes +1 72 T118 and Albin Choi
LPGA Tour Ana Inspiration leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ana-inspiration/leaderboard
As is often the case on the LPGA tour it is an international contingent at the top, and their are two Canadians in that mix.
Japan's star Ai Miyazato and Spain's Azahara Munoz lead a crowded scoreboard at -5 67, the Canadian story is led by Alena Sharp -2 70 T14 and Brooke Henderson +1 73 T60.
PGA Tour Canada..MacKenzie Tour Q School leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us/tournaments/mackenzie-tour-pga-tour-canada-q-school-port-st-lucie-fl/leaderboard.html
With 2 rounds in the books there are 9 more Canadians you may never have heard of still in play led by Chris Hemmerich from Kitchener 66 71 -7 4th and Elliot Whitley 66 73 -5 T8.
Champions Tour Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/mississippi-gulf-resort-classic-presented-by-c-spire/leaderboard.html
Later on today Rod Spittle will be our lone Canadian at this week's Champions Tour in Biloxi. Stephen Ames is not playing, and Jim Rutledge is out of options, needing to Monday qualify or a sponsor's exemption to play.
Bryan Angus
PGA Tour Shell Houston Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/shell-houston-open/leaderboard.html
Charlie Hoffman topped the field on day one in Houston with his -8 64, but north of the border it was the play of Graham DeLaet -5 67 T10 and Nick Taylor -4 68 T21 that made headlines.
Other Canucks: David Hearn -2 70 T64, Adam Hadwin -1 71 T83, Mike Weir +4 76 T133
Web.com Tour Brasil Open leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/brasil-champions/leaderboard.html
A young American called Bhavik Patel had a career day with a round of -9 62 to lead the Boys in Brasil, this week's Web.com stop in Sao Paolo, but I was watching for the 9 Canadians led by Ryan Yip -7 64 T4.
Other Canucks: Taylor Pendrith -5 66 T17, Brad Fritsch -4 67 T35, Eugene Wong, Roger Sloan -3 68 T45, Adam Svensson -2 69 T63, Benjamin Silverman E 71 T99, MacKenzie Hughes +1 72 T118 and Albin Choi
LPGA Tour Ana Inspiration leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ana-inspiration/leaderboard
As is often the case on the LPGA tour it is an international contingent at the top, and their are two Canadians in that mix.
Japan's star Ai Miyazato and Spain's Azahara Munoz lead a crowded scoreboard at -5 67, the Canadian story is led by Alena Sharp -2 70 T14 and Brooke Henderson +1 73 T60.
PGA Tour Canada..MacKenzie Tour Q School leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us/tournaments/mackenzie-tour-pga-tour-canada-q-school-port-st-lucie-fl/leaderboard.html
With 2 rounds in the books there are 9 more Canadians you may never have heard of still in play led by Chris Hemmerich from Kitchener 66 71 -7 4th and Elliot Whitley 66 73 -5 T8.
Champions Tour Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/mississippi-gulf-resort-classic-presented-by-c-spire/leaderboard.html
Later on today Rod Spittle will be our lone Canadian at this week's Champions Tour in Biloxi. Stephen Ames is not playing, and Jim Rutledge is out of options, needing to Monday qualify or a sponsor's exemption to play.
Bryan Angus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)