It tied her career best, it was a course record and her -8 63 is just what this CP Women's Open needed.
Brooke Henderson had one of the days of her young life at the Ottawa Hunt to move right into contention for today's final round.
She is at -7, 3 shots off the lead after having to make a birdie putt on her last hole on Friday just to make the cut at +1...
She said afterwards that "it was a perfect day, I felt in the zone"...All the putts she has been struggling with all year suddenly were falling with 3 birdies in her first six holes, she made the turn in 32 then brought the house down with birdies at 17 and 18.
She is off at 12.53 today with Cristin Kerr and Miram Lee who she traded the world #1 spot with during their amateur years.
They will be chasing the leaders Mo Martin and Danish rookie Nicole Brochure Larsen who are at -10.
Brittany Marchand shot 72 to sit at -1.
From a Canadian perspective the "game is now on" thanks to Brooke especially after 12 of her 14 colleagues failed to make the cut.
Remember over time it has proved very difficult to follow up a low round with another, but at least she has a chance now, much to everyone's delight including her sponsor Canadian Pacific.
Bryan Angus
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Marchand, Henderson save Canadian blushes at CP Women's Open
LPGA Tour CP Women's Open leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/cp-womens-open/leaderboard
It's been windy at the Ottawa Hunt Club, so the scoring hasn't been too low, with the cut falling at +2 and the leader, South Korean, In Gee Chun at -8 heading into this weekend.
However that doesn't explain the poor performance of so many of our Canadian women who have disappointed the red and white clad fans who have turned out in droves to cheer them on. Undoubtedly they all are feeling the pressure of playing well at home.
Out of the 14 who started only Brooke Henderson and Brittany Marchand were able to make the cut and Brooke had to birdie the last to do it. Marchand (73 67)who has been playing well on the Symetra Tour of late is the low Canadian, T23rd at -2. Brooke (74 69) is at +1 T59 and nine shots behind.
Both talked about the pressure of playing at home, first Brittany. "On the Symetra Tour we don’t often have anybody. Maybe your host family, maybe your mom comes".
Then Brooke . "I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far. I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”
Her ball striking continues to be superb, but Brooke's achilles heel is her putter, in particular making those 10 to 15 footers that turn a 71 into a 67, and she did talk about that after her first round.
Now, what about the other 12 women.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay (76 73), Augusta James (73 76), and amateurs Maddie Szeryk (79 70) and Jaclyn Lee (75 74) finished at +7.
Maude-Aimee Leblanc (73 77) +8, Alena Sharp (78 73) +9 Grace St-Germain (80 72 +10, Jennifer Ha (74 80) +12.
Hannah Hellyer (78 78) +14, Samantha Richdale (77 80) +15, amateur Naomi Ko (83 75)+16 over and finally, Lorie Kane (80 81) +19
Certainly each has their own story, most playing in front of very sparse galleries on satellite tours and I wouldn't for example expect the amateurs to compete over 4 rounds with the pro's, and Lorie is clearly in the twilight of her fabulous career, but many of the others have played in this event enough times to know what to expect, and I'm sure they are very disappointed to miss this weekend.
As for the tournament leaders, Brittany Lincicome (68 68), Mo Martin (69 67), Marina Alex (66,70) are all -6 T2.
The leader as I mentioned, by two shots is In Gee Chun (67 67) -8.
Watch out for two more Solheim Cup stars at -5, Cristie Kerr (70 67) and Stacy Lewis (69 68), they are both in great form coming off last week's win over Team Europe.
Bryan Angus
It's been windy at the Ottawa Hunt Club, so the scoring hasn't been too low, with the cut falling at +2 and the leader, South Korean, In Gee Chun at -8 heading into this weekend.
However that doesn't explain the poor performance of so many of our Canadian women who have disappointed the red and white clad fans who have turned out in droves to cheer them on. Undoubtedly they all are feeling the pressure of playing well at home.
Out of the 14 who started only Brooke Henderson and Brittany Marchand were able to make the cut and Brooke had to birdie the last to do it. Marchand (73 67)who has been playing well on the Symetra Tour of late is the low Canadian, T23rd at -2. Brooke (74 69) is at +1 T59 and nine shots behind.
Both talked about the pressure of playing at home, first Brittany. "On the Symetra Tour we don’t often have anybody. Maybe your host family, maybe your mom comes".
Then Brooke . "I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far. I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”
Her ball striking continues to be superb, but Brooke's achilles heel is her putter, in particular making those 10 to 15 footers that turn a 71 into a 67, and she did talk about that after her first round.
Now, what about the other 12 women.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay (76 73), Augusta James (73 76), and amateurs Maddie Szeryk (79 70) and Jaclyn Lee (75 74) finished at +7.
Maude-Aimee Leblanc (73 77) +8, Alena Sharp (78 73) +9 Grace St-Germain (80 72 +10, Jennifer Ha (74 80) +12.
Hannah Hellyer (78 78) +14, Samantha Richdale (77 80) +15, amateur Naomi Ko (83 75)+16 over and finally, Lorie Kane (80 81) +19
Certainly each has their own story, most playing in front of very sparse galleries on satellite tours and I wouldn't for example expect the amateurs to compete over 4 rounds with the pro's, and Lorie is clearly in the twilight of her fabulous career, but many of the others have played in this event enough times to know what to expect, and I'm sure they are very disappointed to miss this weekend.
As for the tournament leaders, Brittany Lincicome (68 68), Mo Martin (69 67), Marina Alex (66,70) are all -6 T2.
The leader as I mentioned, by two shots is In Gee Chun (67 67) -8.
Watch out for two more Solheim Cup stars at -5, Cristie Kerr (70 67) and Stacy Lewis (69 68), they are both in great form coming off last week's win over Team Europe.
Bryan Angus
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Happy to see Glen Abbey spared. ..
The news that the Abbey has been granted Heritage status is welcome in my books.
I first went as a volunteer in 1985 and have been going most every year since, as a broadcaster and a writer and in those 32 years have many memories..mostly fond...and many friendships. .also fond.
I also have a trophy on my mantelpiece from the year we won the Canadian Open volunteers scramble so I may have a vested interest.!!
However my main reason is that it doesn't sit right with me that this course which has played such a prominent role not just in Oakville but across this country when it comes to our golfing heritage, should be sold to yet another billionaire developer who in turn will sell million dollar homes at great profit to more millionaires, because that's what you need to be to buy into Oakville these days. You guys can go spend your money in lots of other neighbourhoods. I also don't need to see Clublink get any richer at the expense of the Abbey..Thankyou very much...
So let's just leave it to the golfers to enjoy..and to the hundreds of thousands of fans who flock there every summer to see their favorites and hopefully to finally cheer on a Canadian winner for the first time since 1954 !!
Bryan Angus
I first went as a volunteer in 1985 and have been going most every year since, as a broadcaster and a writer and in those 32 years have many memories..mostly fond...and many friendships. .also fond.
I also have a trophy on my mantelpiece from the year we won the Canadian Open volunteers scramble so I may have a vested interest.!!
However my main reason is that it doesn't sit right with me that this course which has played such a prominent role not just in Oakville but across this country when it comes to our golfing heritage, should be sold to yet another billionaire developer who in turn will sell million dollar homes at great profit to more millionaires, because that's what you need to be to buy into Oakville these days. You guys can go spend your money in lots of other neighbourhoods. I also don't need to see Clublink get any richer at the expense of the Abbey..Thankyou very much...
So let's just leave it to the golfers to enjoy..and to the hundreds of thousands of fans who flock there every summer to see their favorites and hopefully to finally cheer on a Canadian winner for the first time since 1954 !!
Bryan Angus
Monday, August 21, 2017
USA romps at Solheim Cup....Canucks in Fed Ex Cup
Solheim Cup : At one point early on Sunday with all 12 singles in play the leader board was awash in Blue... but as I said it was early. The European women made a match of it ..finally the teams won 5 each and halved the other two giving the USA a commanding 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 well earned victory.
Annika Sorenstam's crew will look back at the 7-1 drubbing they took in the fourball matches as the main culprit, however this time around the USA women led by Christie Kerr were too good.
However unlike the President's Cup this event is not a foregone conclusion and there is a really good vibe to it.
Part of the reason is that most all of these women will travel together to Ottawa this week to play in the Canadian Women's Open. The LPGA tour has all of its stars playing almost every week, unlike the PGA tour where the big guns may play only 16 - 20 a year. Tiger in his prime only showed up for 17 events built around the majors of course.
Brooke Henderson and Alexa Sharp lead the Canucks and the likes of Lydia Ko, and all the Asian stars who couldn't play last week are in the field.
Canadians in the FedEx Cup: Adam Hadwin. MacKenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Graham Delaet are all in.
David Hearn finished 128th so has to play in the Web.com 4 event playoffs to see if he can grab one of the 25 spots available for the PGA tour.
Brad Fitch finished 204th and will have to go to Web.com Q school
Bryan Angus
Annika Sorenstam's crew will look back at the 7-1 drubbing they took in the fourball matches as the main culprit, however this time around the USA women led by Christie Kerr were too good.
However unlike the President's Cup this event is not a foregone conclusion and there is a really good vibe to it.
Part of the reason is that most all of these women will travel together to Ottawa this week to play in the Canadian Women's Open. The LPGA tour has all of its stars playing almost every week, unlike the PGA tour where the big guns may play only 16 - 20 a year. Tiger in his prime only showed up for 17 events built around the majors of course.
Brooke Henderson and Alexa Sharp lead the Canucks and the likes of Lydia Ko, and all the Asian stars who couldn't play last week are in the field.
Canadians in the FedEx Cup: Adam Hadwin. MacKenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Graham Delaet are all in.
David Hearn finished 128th so has to play in the Web.com 4 event playoffs to see if he can grab one of the 25 spots available for the PGA tour.
Brad Fitch finished 204th and will have to go to Web.com Q school
Bryan Angus
Sunday, August 20, 2017
The party is all set for USA at the Solheim Cup
Solheim Cup results, live scoring http://www.solheimcupusa.com/leaderboard
Looking at the results thus far, the story is obvious.. USA 7 Europe 1 in fourballs
USA 4 1/2 Europe 3 1/2 in foursomes
The European squad simply were outplayed by their American counterparts playing their own balls, and as a result take a 10 1/2 to 5 1/2 lead into today's 12 singles, needing only 14 points to retain the Solheim Cup.
I mentioned yesterday that Europe needed at big day and they did manage to halve the morning foursomes 2-2, but Lang and Lincicomb have yet to lose a point, and it seems whatever pairing the captain put out have been at least, very competitive in fourballs, resulting in that 7-1 scoreline which has been the difference.
Apparently Charley Hull is playing with a sore wrist, and of course their heart and soul Susann Pettersen had to withdraw.
Play has been moved up with some bad weather set to blow through Des Moines come mid afternoon, and on current form that's about all that could stop Julie Inkster's team.
So the party is all set, the hats and balloons ready to go, I'm not sure whether these women drink much, but their is champagne on ice in case they want to let their hair down. The Americans to celebrate, the Euro's to drown their sorrows..
Next week it's the 2017 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt Club to coincide with Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, and many of these women will be there, along with Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp leading a strong Canadian contingent.
Bryan Angus
Looking at the results thus far, the story is obvious.. USA 7 Europe 1 in fourballs
USA 4 1/2 Europe 3 1/2 in foursomes
The European squad simply were outplayed by their American counterparts playing their own balls, and as a result take a 10 1/2 to 5 1/2 lead into today's 12 singles, needing only 14 points to retain the Solheim Cup.
I mentioned yesterday that Europe needed at big day and they did manage to halve the morning foursomes 2-2, but Lang and Lincicomb have yet to lose a point, and it seems whatever pairing the captain put out have been at least, very competitive in fourballs, resulting in that 7-1 scoreline which has been the difference.
Apparently Charley Hull is playing with a sore wrist, and of course their heart and soul Susann Pettersen had to withdraw.
Play has been moved up with some bad weather set to blow through Des Moines come mid afternoon, and on current form that's about all that could stop Julie Inkster's team.
So the party is all set, the hats and balloons ready to go, I'm not sure whether these women drink much, but their is champagne on ice in case they want to let their hair down. The Americans to celebrate, the Euro's to drown their sorrows..
Next week it's the 2017 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt Club to coincide with Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, and many of these women will be there, along with Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp leading a strong Canadian contingent.
Bryan Angus
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Europe needs a big Saturday at the Solheim Cup
Solheim Cup match results, live scoring http://www.solheimcupusa.com/leaderboard
It doesn't resonate with me as much as the Ryder Cup, due to my Scottish heritage, but I'll say right away the Solheim Cup is the most compelling event on the LPGA / LET circuits.
Of course I am rooting for the European squad led this time around by Annika Sorenstam, especially after they got their hats (visors) handed to them in Friday afternoons fourballs with a 4-0 whitewash by the USA team.
However they did open brightly in the morning foursomes winning 2 and halving 1 of the 4 close matches and will need more of the same today to keep this year's event close heading into Sunday's singles.
However you must remember in 2015 at this event, Europe held a 10-6 advantage in Germany only to see the USA fuelled no doubt by Susann Petersen's refusal to concede a very short putt, rally to win 141/2 to 13 1/2. Further to that, the USA men also led by 10-6 at Medinah in 2012 before the Miracle at Medinah as Europe astonished America as they roared back to win the Ryder Cup, clinched by Martin Kaymer's historic putt.
So as play gets underway with foursome play again today, USA leads 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 with fourballs after lunch.
In this early going Julie Inkster's women are leading in all four matches, but it's very early and after last night's European team pep rally, they all have their game faces on, decked out in their Swedish colors, yellow tops and blue skirts/shorts.
I think however the forced withdrawal of the tough, gritty Susann Pettersen due to a recurrence of a slipped disc is a crucial loss as they play at this Des Moines Golf and CC in Iowa.
I have provided the link with all the results, bio's and other related info.
Let's hope Annika's squad has a good Saturday to set up another compelling Sunday at the Solheim Cup.
Bryan Angus
It doesn't resonate with me as much as the Ryder Cup, due to my Scottish heritage, but I'll say right away the Solheim Cup is the most compelling event on the LPGA / LET circuits.
Of course I am rooting for the European squad led this time around by Annika Sorenstam, especially after they got their hats (visors) handed to them in Friday afternoons fourballs with a 4-0 whitewash by the USA team.
However they did open brightly in the morning foursomes winning 2 and halving 1 of the 4 close matches and will need more of the same today to keep this year's event close heading into Sunday's singles.
However you must remember in 2015 at this event, Europe held a 10-6 advantage in Germany only to see the USA fuelled no doubt by Susann Petersen's refusal to concede a very short putt, rally to win 141/2 to 13 1/2. Further to that, the USA men also led by 10-6 at Medinah in 2012 before the Miracle at Medinah as Europe astonished America as they roared back to win the Ryder Cup, clinched by Martin Kaymer's historic putt.
So as play gets underway with foursome play again today, USA leads 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 with fourballs after lunch.
In this early going Julie Inkster's women are leading in all four matches, but it's very early and after last night's European team pep rally, they all have their game faces on, decked out in their Swedish colors, yellow tops and blue skirts/shorts.
I think however the forced withdrawal of the tough, gritty Susann Pettersen due to a recurrence of a slipped disc is a crucial loss as they play at this Des Moines Golf and CC in Iowa.
I have provided the link with all the results, bio's and other related info.
Let's hope Annika's squad has a good Saturday to set up another compelling Sunday at the Solheim Cup.
Bryan Angus
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Glen Abbey to be named a Heritage Site
Good news today that the Abbey has been granted the status of a Heritage Site which means the greedy bastards at Clublink wont be able to build another 3000, $4M plus homes in an already ultra expensive Oakdale.. GOOD..
What we need in the west end of the GTA is more affordable housing for the average guy, not more big golf course homes for the wealthy..
Also the Abbey is THE home of our Canadian Open, with such a rich and lucrative history..
A report recommending that the Glen Abbey property be designated a Cultural Heritage Landscape under s. 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act went to Heritage Committee this morning at 9:30 a.m. in Council Chamber at Oakville Town Hall.
They voted in favour.... Now the rubber stamp at Mississauga town hall and the Abbey will be saved... The 2018 RBC Canadian Open is secure..
Bryan Angus
What we need in the west end of the GTA is more affordable housing for the average guy, not more big golf course homes for the wealthy..
Also the Abbey is THE home of our Canadian Open, with such a rich and lucrative history..
A report recommending that the Glen Abbey property be designated a Cultural Heritage Landscape under s. 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act went to Heritage Committee this morning at 9:30 a.m. in Council Chamber at Oakville Town Hall.
They voted in favour.... Now the rubber stamp at Mississauga town hall and the Abbey will be saved... The 2018 RBC Canadian Open is secure..
Bryan Angus
Solheim Cup, final Fed Ex playoff standings highlight this weekend
For those unaware the Solheim Cup is the women's version of the Ryder Cup... USA vs Europe, this year at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Here is the link to their website http://www.solheimcupusa.com/overview
Since it's inception in 1990 USA leads 9-5 and they are the defending champions, so it's a very emotional weekend, with a ton of storylines, all the big guns are playing from the USA and Europe.. except there is no Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea or anywhere else in Asia, or Australia.... so those are the guidelines..
http://www.solheimcupusa.com/past-winners
Fed Ex Cup playoffs : Meanwhile this is the last week to qualify for the Fed Ex Playoffs for the top 125... with a $10m carrot dangling..It's the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro NC David Hearn is at 121, Brad Fritsch 205th, better placed are Adam Hadwin 13th, MacKenzie Hughes 32nd, Graham DeLaet 64th and now after T7 at the PGA he is #91 in the world, Nick Taylor 84th.
Its also a big week on the Web.com at the News Sentinal in Knoxville Tenn., where 7 Canucks are after a playoff spot...Choi, Connors(49th), Gligic, Silverman, Sloan (47th), Svensson (57th), and Ryan Yip
Bryan Angus
Here is the link to their website http://www.solheimcupusa.com/overview
Since it's inception in 1990 USA leads 9-5 and they are the defending champions, so it's a very emotional weekend, with a ton of storylines, all the big guns are playing from the USA and Europe.. except there is no Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea or anywhere else in Asia, or Australia.... so those are the guidelines..
http://www.solheimcupusa.com/past-winners
Fed Ex Cup playoffs : Meanwhile this is the last week to qualify for the Fed Ex Playoffs for the top 125... with a $10m carrot dangling..It's the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro NC David Hearn is at 121, Brad Fritsch 205th, better placed are Adam Hadwin 13th, MacKenzie Hughes 32nd, Graham DeLaet 64th and now after T7 at the PGA he is #91 in the world, Nick Taylor 84th.
Its also a big week on the Web.com at the News Sentinal in Knoxville Tenn., where 7 Canucks are after a playoff spot...Choi, Connors(49th), Gligic, Silverman, Sloan (47th), Svensson (57th), and Ryan Yip
Bryan Angus
Sunday, August 13, 2017
DeLaet goes birdie, eagle, eagle, birdie gets into contention at PGA Championship
PGA Championship leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/pga-championship/leaderboard.html
First hi everybody after a very busy week for yours truly that precluded me from my normal post here, however I have been keeping up to speed with the PGA Championship at a very, very tough Quail Hollow, so tough that only 15 players are under par heading into today's final round.
Main story : One of them is Graham DeLaet who unlike many, went on an absolute career tear with a display of ball striking that had everyone watching in awe.
Despite at double bogey 6 on the 11th, he played the back nine in 32 shots, how?
Par 3 13th he nearly holed his 240 yard tee shot, tapped in for 2. Par 4 14th he drove the green, hit the flagstick and made the 5 footer for eagle 2. Par 5 15th on in two he makes a huge putt from across the green for another eagle 3. Par 4 16th he makes birdie 3 on one of the toughest holes all day. He was -6 through those 4 holes !
Graham parred in for a -3 68 and starts today at -2 T7 5 shots off the lead.
The leader : Many of the field had a tough time closing out their rounds as the vaunted green mile at Quail Hollow took it's toll and Kevin Kisner, the leader was no different. However after sailing along at -10, he dropped 3 shots in closing, shot 72 -7 206 for a one shot lead.
Hot players : Both Hideki Matsuyama (73) and Chris Stroud (71) won last week, They are T2 at -6. Stroud won for the first time in 294 PGA Tour starts, Matsuyama won the WGC with a closing 61, and is looking to become the first Japanese player to win a major.
Bad finishes: Jason Day was among the leaders until he made a daft mistake on 18. He pulled his drive behind a tree and decided not to chip out safely instead tried hooking it around the tree. His ball went into the bushes, penalty drop, took a snowman ( quadruple-bogey 8) for a 77.
Rickie Fowler took a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole, took a double bogey at 17, and another three-putt bogey on the last hole and he is at -1.
Out for a while : Rory McIlroy 72 72 73 +4 says he hasn't fully recovered from complications following his fractured rib which stop him from practicing as much as he should, and he will play today then reassess the rest of the year. In other words, I'm off to get fully fit, see you at the Masters.
Other contenders: Louis Oosthuizen (71) T4 -5 208, along with Justin Thomas (69). Louis has hurt his forearm however after hitting a tree route, so watch for that.
Big names : Dustin Johnson T47 +4, Jordan Spieth T37, Henrik Stenson T18 +1
Weather : It has been very hot all week at Quail Hollow and thundershowers and rain are due to blow through around noon today then again around 5pm. The leaders Kisner and Stroud are due off at 2.45pm.
The winner : Matsuyama must be considered the favourite, which would be a huge story in golf crazy Japan, but I'll be watching to see how well Graham DeLaet can do. The winner will need to start the day at -2 or better to have a chance on this very tough, long course, made even more difficult by the long rough that the PGA insists on every year.
Bryan Angus
First hi everybody after a very busy week for yours truly that precluded me from my normal post here, however I have been keeping up to speed with the PGA Championship at a very, very tough Quail Hollow, so tough that only 15 players are under par heading into today's final round.
Main story : One of them is Graham DeLaet who unlike many, went on an absolute career tear with a display of ball striking that had everyone watching in awe.
Despite at double bogey 6 on the 11th, he played the back nine in 32 shots, how?
Par 3 13th he nearly holed his 240 yard tee shot, tapped in for 2. Par 4 14th he drove the green, hit the flagstick and made the 5 footer for eagle 2. Par 5 15th on in two he makes a huge putt from across the green for another eagle 3. Par 4 16th he makes birdie 3 on one of the toughest holes all day. He was -6 through those 4 holes !
Graham parred in for a -3 68 and starts today at -2 T7 5 shots off the lead.
The leader : Many of the field had a tough time closing out their rounds as the vaunted green mile at Quail Hollow took it's toll and Kevin Kisner, the leader was no different. However after sailing along at -10, he dropped 3 shots in closing, shot 72 -7 206 for a one shot lead.
Hot players : Both Hideki Matsuyama (73) and Chris Stroud (71) won last week, They are T2 at -6. Stroud won for the first time in 294 PGA Tour starts, Matsuyama won the WGC with a closing 61, and is looking to become the first Japanese player to win a major.
Bad finishes: Jason Day was among the leaders until he made a daft mistake on 18. He pulled his drive behind a tree and decided not to chip out safely instead tried hooking it around the tree. His ball went into the bushes, penalty drop, took a snowman ( quadruple-bogey 8) for a 77.
Rickie Fowler took a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole, took a double bogey at 17, and another three-putt bogey on the last hole and he is at -1.
Out for a while : Rory McIlroy 72 72 73 +4 says he hasn't fully recovered from complications following his fractured rib which stop him from practicing as much as he should, and he will play today then reassess the rest of the year. In other words, I'm off to get fully fit, see you at the Masters.
Other contenders: Louis Oosthuizen (71) T4 -5 208, along with Justin Thomas (69). Louis has hurt his forearm however after hitting a tree route, so watch for that.
Big names : Dustin Johnson T47 +4, Jordan Spieth T37, Henrik Stenson T18 +1
Weather : It has been very hot all week at Quail Hollow and thundershowers and rain are due to blow through around noon today then again around 5pm. The leaders Kisner and Stroud are due off at 2.45pm.
The winner : Matsuyama must be considered the favourite, which would be a huge story in golf crazy Japan, but I'll be watching to see how well Graham DeLaet can do. The winner will need to start the day at -2 or better to have a chance on this very tough, long course, made even more difficult by the long rough that the PGA insists on every year.
Bryan Angus
Monday, August 7, 2017
Weekend winners... and others
Here are some of the winners and others from my point of view this weekend.
WGC Bridgestone Invitational final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/wgc-bridgestone-invitational/leaderboard.html
Winner: Japans's Hideki Matsuyama set all kinds of records with his breathtaking brilliant -9 61 on Sunday for his 2nd WGC victory this season. WGC Records: lowest Sunday winning score ever, lowest weekend score at -12, most birdies ever over the week.
Winner: Belgian Thomas Pieters (71) for 2nd top WGC top 5 this year, along with a top 5 at the Masters.
Winner: Adam Hadwin T5 68 69 67 69 the Canadian was solid all four rounds finishing at -7 along with Rory McIlroy, Russell Knox and Paul Casey, also winners.
Other: Danny Willett with rounds of 76 74 74 77 +21 the 2016 Masters champion has lost all the form that made the Englishman an annual contender for the Race to Dubai. He was 37 shots worse than Matsuyama at -16.
Women's British Open final leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ricohwomensbritishopen/results
Winner: I.K.Kim was wonderful all week. Diminutive and not very long off the tee, she kept her ball in play, gets an A+ for her long irons and hybrids, 65 68 66 71 -18 for the 2 shot win at Kingsbarns and of course she officially exorcised that little one footer she missed to lose the Ana Inspirational in 2012.
Other: I will never call Lydia Ko a loser, her record in this game starting at a precocious age speaks for itself. She T59 this week 73 70 73 70 -2, and more importantly hasn't been in contention for a while. Why she changed caddy's (again), and changed all her equipment, and is tinkering with her swing, all of this when she was on top of the world, is baffling to me.
Symetra Tour PHC Classic final leaderboard http://www.symetratour.com/tournaments/phc-classic/results
Winner: For all of us who've followed her since she was a little girl it was great to see all the hours and hours of practice pay off for Brittany Marchand as she stuffed a bogey free -4 68 on Sunday for a -13 total to win the PHC Classic by three shots for her first professional win and a spot in the years final major, The Evian, in France.
Web.com Tour Ellie Mae Classic http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/ellie-mae-classic-at-tpc-stonebrae/leaderboard.html
Winner: the organizers for inviting basketball MVP, Stephen Curry to play. His 74 74 missed the cut but was fun to watch and brought worldwide attention to an event that would have had none, except to wonder why this blonde Beverly Hillbilly was sponsoring a golf tournament !..Oh yeh, the winner was an American called Martin Piller.
PGA Tour Barracuda Championship final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/barracuda-championship/leaderboard.html
Winner: Chris Stroud got his first win in 11 years and 289 tournaments and will go to the PGA Championship next week and also gets a two-year exemption.
Winner: David Hearn, although he finished T34th, he had a hole in one on the par 3 16th, which earns his winner status.
Bryan Angus
WGC Bridgestone Invitational final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/wgc-bridgestone-invitational/leaderboard.html
Winner: Japans's Hideki Matsuyama set all kinds of records with his breathtaking brilliant -9 61 on Sunday for his 2nd WGC victory this season. WGC Records: lowest Sunday winning score ever, lowest weekend score at -12, most birdies ever over the week.
Winner: Belgian Thomas Pieters (71) for 2nd top WGC top 5 this year, along with a top 5 at the Masters.
Winner: Adam Hadwin T5 68 69 67 69 the Canadian was solid all four rounds finishing at -7 along with Rory McIlroy, Russell Knox and Paul Casey, also winners.
Other: Danny Willett with rounds of 76 74 74 77 +21 the 2016 Masters champion has lost all the form that made the Englishman an annual contender for the Race to Dubai. He was 37 shots worse than Matsuyama at -16.
Women's British Open final leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ricohwomensbritishopen/results
Winner: I.K.Kim was wonderful all week. Diminutive and not very long off the tee, she kept her ball in play, gets an A+ for her long irons and hybrids, 65 68 66 71 -18 for the 2 shot win at Kingsbarns and of course she officially exorcised that little one footer she missed to lose the Ana Inspirational in 2012.
Other: I will never call Lydia Ko a loser, her record in this game starting at a precocious age speaks for itself. She T59 this week 73 70 73 70 -2, and more importantly hasn't been in contention for a while. Why she changed caddy's (again), and changed all her equipment, and is tinkering with her swing, all of this when she was on top of the world, is baffling to me.
Symetra Tour PHC Classic final leaderboard http://www.symetratour.com/tournaments/phc-classic/results
Winner: For all of us who've followed her since she was a little girl it was great to see all the hours and hours of practice pay off for Brittany Marchand as she stuffed a bogey free -4 68 on Sunday for a -13 total to win the PHC Classic by three shots for her first professional win and a spot in the years final major, The Evian, in France.
Web.com Tour Ellie Mae Classic http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/ellie-mae-classic-at-tpc-stonebrae/leaderboard.html
Winner: the organizers for inviting basketball MVP, Stephen Curry to play. His 74 74 missed the cut but was fun to watch and brought worldwide attention to an event that would have had none, except to wonder why this blonde Beverly Hillbilly was sponsoring a golf tournament !..Oh yeh, the winner was an American called Martin Piller.
PGA Tour Barracuda Championship final leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/barracuda-championship/leaderboard.html
Winner: Chris Stroud got his first win in 11 years and 289 tournaments and will go to the PGA Championship next week and also gets a two-year exemption.
Winner: David Hearn, although he finished T34th, he had a hole in one on the par 3 16th, which earns his winner status.
Bryan Angus
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Hadwin, McIlroy trail the leaders by 3 shots at WGC Bridgestone Invitational
WGC Bridgestone Invitational leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/wgc-bridgestone-invitational/leaderboard.html
What do Adam Hadwin and Rory McIlroy have in common ? Not their bank accounts for sure, but they are both 3 shots off the lead as we head into today's final round at Firestone.
Adam shot -3 67 aided by birdies in 2 of his last 3 holes and has a -6 total, while Rory who is just putting on a driving display of amazing power and accuracy, every drive well over 300 yards could only manage -2 68 -6 total.
Adam has only made 6 bogey's over 3 rounds with 36 pars and 12 birdies, he is 2nd in driving accuracy and T7 for greens in regulation. So he is playing with great accuracy and with a few more putts today, Mr 59 will be right there come 6pm this evening.
Now if Rory had Zach Johnson's wedge game he'd be miles ahead. Johnson shot -5 65 with popgun drives, but that razor sharp short game and he leads at -9 along with another bomber, Thomas Pieters who was long but wild off the tee, still managing a -4 66.
Aussie Scott Hend had a career type round of 63 and he is second at -8.
Watch out for Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama who has 2 wins and 2 seconds in his last four starts, who had a 67 and is at -7.
Jordan Spieth if you were wondering slipped to +1 71 -2 total, seven shots behind.
Mackenzie Hughes our other Canuck this week shot +73 and is +11
Bryan Angus
What do Adam Hadwin and Rory McIlroy have in common ? Not their bank accounts for sure, but they are both 3 shots off the lead as we head into today's final round at Firestone.
Adam shot -3 67 aided by birdies in 2 of his last 3 holes and has a -6 total, while Rory who is just putting on a driving display of amazing power and accuracy, every drive well over 300 yards could only manage -2 68 -6 total.
Adam has only made 6 bogey's over 3 rounds with 36 pars and 12 birdies, he is 2nd in driving accuracy and T7 for greens in regulation. So he is playing with great accuracy and with a few more putts today, Mr 59 will be right there come 6pm this evening.
Now if Rory had Zach Johnson's wedge game he'd be miles ahead. Johnson shot -5 65 with popgun drives, but that razor sharp short game and he leads at -9 along with another bomber, Thomas Pieters who was long but wild off the tee, still managing a -4 66.
Aussie Scott Hend had a career type round of 63 and he is second at -8.
Watch out for Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama who has 2 wins and 2 seconds in his last four starts, who had a 67 and is at -7.
Jordan Spieth if you were wondering slipped to +1 71 -2 total, seven shots behind.
Mackenzie Hughes our other Canuck this week shot +73 and is +11
Bryan Angus
I.K Kim leads by a touchdown at the Ricoh Women's British Open
Women's British Open leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ricohwomensbritishopen/leaderboard
I.K Kim is another of the endless supply of diminutive South Korean women dominating the LPGA Tour, this time the 27 year old has a whopping 6 shot lead over the best field women can muster.
I'm rooting for her today because you may remember she was the one who missed that 1foot putt, thus losing the ANA Inspiration ( the old Dinah Shore) in 2012, the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour.
She has posted scores 65 68 in the worst of the weather, then -6 66 for a -17 199 total and that 6 shot lead over Georgia Hall (70) and Moriya Jutanugarn (67), who's younger sister Ariya Jutanugarn is the defending champion.
The Golf Channel set up their morning coverage around Lexi Thompson, who was just two shots behind but slumped to +2 74 and out of contention.
As I mentioned yesterday Brooke Henderson needed something special to get into the mix and she battled hard but her -1 71 leaves her out of it at -5.
If Kim doesn't have her A game today look for her challenge to come from Inbee Park who shot 64 -10 total yesterday and Stacy Lewis who shot 65 to sit at -9. Another young American, Ally MacDonald 70 is also at -10.
With round 4 underway the weather is overcast with a very light breeze so expect to see more scoring from the field in the mid 60's, however with a 6 shot lead Kim has a cushion that should be enough.
Bryan Angus
I.K Kim is another of the endless supply of diminutive South Korean women dominating the LPGA Tour, this time the 27 year old has a whopping 6 shot lead over the best field women can muster.
I'm rooting for her today because you may remember she was the one who missed that 1foot putt, thus losing the ANA Inspiration ( the old Dinah Shore) in 2012, the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour.
She has posted scores 65 68 in the worst of the weather, then -6 66 for a -17 199 total and that 6 shot lead over Georgia Hall (70) and Moriya Jutanugarn (67), who's younger sister Ariya Jutanugarn is the defending champion.
The Golf Channel set up their morning coverage around Lexi Thompson, who was just two shots behind but slumped to +2 74 and out of contention.
As I mentioned yesterday Brooke Henderson needed something special to get into the mix and she battled hard but her -1 71 leaves her out of it at -5.
If Kim doesn't have her A game today look for her challenge to come from Inbee Park who shot 64 -10 total yesterday and Stacy Lewis who shot 65 to sit at -9. Another young American, Ally MacDonald 70 is also at -10.
With round 4 underway the weather is overcast with a very light breeze so expect to see more scoring from the field in the mid 60's, however with a 6 shot lead Kim has a cushion that should be enough.
Bryan Angus
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Adam Hadwin is in contention at WGC Bridgestone Invitational
WGC Bridgestone Invitational leaderbaord http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/wgc-bridgestone-invitational/leaderboard.html
Jimmy Walker is under medication to fight that horrible, debilitating lyme disease which is usually contracted through an infected deer tick , and to his credit has been playing some damn good golf in the last two months including yesterday when he shot -5 65 on this tight tree lined Firestone course to take a 2 shot lead at -7 over Thomas Pieters 65 70 -5.
Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama are next tied at -4.
In a group T6 at -3 is Adam Hadwin who will be paired with Scotland's Russell Knox at 1.30pm. Adam shot 33 35 68 on Thursday, then followed up with 35,34 69 on Friday, so goes into the weekend in some pretty good company, including Jordan Spieth -3 and Jason Day -3 who are playing right in front of Adam at 1.20pm.
So a tall order for Adam, but this is yet another confidence builder, playing and competing along side the best players in this game. He's been solid so far.
Bryan Angus
Jimmy Walker is under medication to fight that horrible, debilitating lyme disease which is usually contracted through an infected deer tick , and to his credit has been playing some damn good golf in the last two months including yesterday when he shot -5 65 on this tight tree lined Firestone course to take a 2 shot lead at -7 over Thomas Pieters 65 70 -5.
Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama are next tied at -4.
In a group T6 at -3 is Adam Hadwin who will be paired with Scotland's Russell Knox at 1.30pm. Adam shot 33 35 68 on Thursday, then followed up with 35,34 69 on Friday, so goes into the weekend in some pretty good company, including Jordan Spieth -3 and Jason Day -3 who are playing right in front of Adam at 1.20pm.
So a tall order for Adam, but this is yet another confidence builder, playing and competing along side the best players in this game. He's been solid so far.
Bryan Angus
Brooke Henderson has Saturday work to do to get into contention at Kingsbarns.
LPGA Tour Ricoh Women's British Open leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ricohwomensbritishopen/leaderboard
Round two is in the books at the very expensive Kingsbarns course in Fife, Scotland, 20 minutes away from the home of golf in St. Andrews, an American creation on the North Sea, neither a true links nor a parkland course, but beautiful all the same.
This Ricoh Women's British Open is a nice bone thrown to the owners who have hosted the Albert Dunhill Championship along with Carnoustie and the Old Course since their inception in 2000 by Art Dunkley, Californian owner of Kingsbarns.
In the 18th century the Merchants and Lairds of Kingsbarns drafted articles to form the Kingsbarns Golfing Society so golf has been enjoyed over the links land beginning in 1793. It's a long story but basically the nine hole course was turned over for arable farm land during WWII, until Dunkley and his team designed this new gem in an old neighbourhood.
Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp ( who missed the cut) are the two Canadians in the field as we head into this weekend with round 3 under way in cool, breezy rainy conditions, the late wave,( ie the leaders) will have the worst of this weather and that includes Brooke. She started today at -4 after rounds of 70 70 -4.
In round 1 she had 5 birdies, but 3 bogey's with 31 putts and 9/14 fairways hit, but 15/18 greens in regulation, in other words she scrambled pretty well. She was was steady eddie in round 2, no bogey's at all, 2 birdies, 11/14 fairways and 16/18 greens, but again 32 putts on these huge greens.
So Brooke has work to do, especially on the greens today if she is going to get into contention. She has made the turn at +1 37, -3 total, 8 behind the leader.
This morning Inbee Park went out in the best of the weather and took the course apart, -8 64 to move to -10, with only 22 putts, 10 less than Brooke to highlight my point. Stacy Lewis playing with Inbee shot -7 65 with only 27 putts, and she has moved up to -9 after closing with 4 straight birdies.
The leader, just teeing off is another South Korean, straight hitting #21 ranked, In-Kyung Kim 65, 68 -11 and she is paired with England's Georgia Hall 68 67 -9.
Bryan Angus
Round two is in the books at the very expensive Kingsbarns course in Fife, Scotland, 20 minutes away from the home of golf in St. Andrews, an American creation on the North Sea, neither a true links nor a parkland course, but beautiful all the same.
This Ricoh Women's British Open is a nice bone thrown to the owners who have hosted the Albert Dunhill Championship along with Carnoustie and the Old Course since their inception in 2000 by Art Dunkley, Californian owner of Kingsbarns.
In the 18th century the Merchants and Lairds of Kingsbarns drafted articles to form the Kingsbarns Golfing Society so golf has been enjoyed over the links land beginning in 1793. It's a long story but basically the nine hole course was turned over for arable farm land during WWII, until Dunkley and his team designed this new gem in an old neighbourhood.
Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp ( who missed the cut) are the two Canadians in the field as we head into this weekend with round 3 under way in cool, breezy rainy conditions, the late wave,( ie the leaders) will have the worst of this weather and that includes Brooke. She started today at -4 after rounds of 70 70 -4.
In round 1 she had 5 birdies, but 3 bogey's with 31 putts and 9/14 fairways hit, but 15/18 greens in regulation, in other words she scrambled pretty well. She was was steady eddie in round 2, no bogey's at all, 2 birdies, 11/14 fairways and 16/18 greens, but again 32 putts on these huge greens.
So Brooke has work to do, especially on the greens today if she is going to get into contention. She has made the turn at +1 37, -3 total, 8 behind the leader.
This morning Inbee Park went out in the best of the weather and took the course apart, -8 64 to move to -10, with only 22 putts, 10 less than Brooke to highlight my point. Stacy Lewis playing with Inbee shot -7 65 with only 27 putts, and she has moved up to -9 after closing with 4 straight birdies.
The leader, just teeing off is another South Korean, straight hitting #21 ranked, In-Kyung Kim 65, 68 -11 and she is paired with England's Georgia Hall 68 67 -9.
Bryan Angus
Friday, August 4, 2017
Spieth, McIlroy trail Belgian star Pieters at WGC Bridgestone Invitational
WGC Bridgestone Invitational leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/competition/2017/wgc-bridgestone-invitational/leaderboard.html
The main storyline this week at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone is Jordan Spieth who has won two straight events as he tries next week at the PGA Championship to become the youngest player to complete the Grand Slam.
The next story would be Rory McIlroy who as we know has had his struggles of late and as a result fired his long time caddie J.P. Fitzgerald after the Open last week. He now has his friend and Irish amateur, Harry Diamond on the bag. Incidently, Diamond was Rory's best man at his recent wedding.
They both are part of a start studded leaderboard after they shot -3 67, two shots off the lead held by long hitting Thomas Pieters of Belgium, who holed a bomb at the 18th for his -5 65.
There are two Canucks, Adam Hadwin shot 68 and Mackenzie Hughes had +4 ,74.
Other marquee names: Dustin Johnson says he's starting to play golf again and he shot 68, Bubba Watson is in a pack at 67 along with Spanish star Jon Rahm.
They all would be happy a guy called Tiger Woods isn't in the field anymore, as memory serves, he won here not once, but seven times in his storied career.
Bryan Angus
The main storyline this week at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone is Jordan Spieth who has won two straight events as he tries next week at the PGA Championship to become the youngest player to complete the Grand Slam.
The next story would be Rory McIlroy who as we know has had his struggles of late and as a result fired his long time caddie J.P. Fitzgerald after the Open last week. He now has his friend and Irish amateur, Harry Diamond on the bag. Incidently, Diamond was Rory's best man at his recent wedding.
They both are part of a start studded leaderboard after they shot -3 67, two shots off the lead held by long hitting Thomas Pieters of Belgium, who holed a bomb at the 18th for his -5 65.
There are two Canucks, Adam Hadwin shot 68 and Mackenzie Hughes had +4 ,74.
Other marquee names: Dustin Johnson says he's starting to play golf again and he shot 68, Bubba Watson is in a pack at 67 along with Spanish star Jon Rahm.
They all would be happy a guy called Tiger Woods isn't in the field anymore, as memory serves, he won here not once, but seven times in his storied career.
Bryan Angus
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