Team format makes Zurich Classic worth watching

PGA Tour Zurich Classic teams http://zurichgolfclassic.com/players/

This week is different on the PGA Tour as it has swung into New Orleans for the Zurich Classic, an event I must admit had it's regular guys and grinders every year, but not much more for the average golf fan. In 2016 they decided to change the format to team play and as a result this year 18 of the world's top 30 are in the field.

It is the only team tournament in the PGA Tour season. It's a 72-hole stroke 2 man team play format with Four-Ball  during the first and third rounds and Foursomes during the second and fourth rounds. There are 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using Foursomes  for the first extra hole and Four-ball (best ball) for the second extra hole and alternate each hole thereafter.

Here are some of the featured teams, click my link above for the full list.

Jordan Spieth/ Ryan Palmer
Justin Thomas/Bud Cauley
Sergio Garcia/ Rafael Cabrera Bello
Jon Rahm/Wesley Bryan
Justin Rose /Henrik Stenson  (bookies favourites at 8-1)
Jason Day/ Ryan Ruffels 
Bubba Watson/Matt Kuchar
Patrick Reed/Patrick Cantley
Brooks Koepka/ Mark Turnesa
Mac Hughes /Corey Connors
Ben Silverman/ Matt Atkins
David Hearn/ Seamus Power

Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners will be paying a unique tribute to the Humboldt Broncos. Inspiration extends beyond the golf course..@MacHughesGolf and @coreconn are choosing "Big League" as their walk-up song for the @Zurich_Classic as a tribute to the @HumboldtBroncos.

It all gets underway tomorrow.

Bryan Angus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday morning "Shag Bag..." final scores, stories..

Some of my random and not so random thoughts from this weekend's golf..

PGA Tour Valero Texas Open final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/valero-texas-open/leaderboard.html

1. Brand new father, 30 year old Texan, Andrew Landry won the Valero Texas Open for his first PGA Tour victory by 2 shots after his -4 68. Playing in front of a large family gathering his -17 271 is worth $1,116,000 and a full two year exemption. You might remember he lost the old Bob Hope (Career Builder Challenge) to Jon Rahm earlier this year. Nice story for a local guy in only his 32nd event after years on the Web.com.

2. David Hearn finished T16th, shooting a -7 281 for his best finish of the year. After opening 68 70 he was T5, but his 3 bogey front nine 39 on Saturday spoiled a strong 3 birdie finish, his 73 moved him the wrong way, still, a good week.  Corey Conners 70 74 70 70 -4 T26 and Ben Silverman ended 7173 73 70 -1 T45th.

3. Talk about golf's world wide footprint, 19 year old Chilean, Joaquin Niemann ended his reign as world #1 amateur by finishing T6 -12 in his pro debut.

4. Nice to see Sergio still cares !. He helped design this TPC San Antonio course with Greg Norman while he was dating Greg's daughter, but rounds of 74 72 saw him miss the cut, after missing the cut at the Masters, the first time he's missed back to back in 15 years. He got so ticked off with his game on Friday he gave his driver the old helicopter into the bushes on the 14th.!!


European Tour Trophee Hassan II final leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018034/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

5. Austin Connelly was T5 just 2 shots off the lead -5 at the turn on Sunday, but 2 bogey's then a killer double bogey 6 at the 16th ended his chances of winning, he'll be disappointed today, but on reflection with rounds of 69 71 71 he was in contention with the leaders all week. Final T13 -2, by far his best of the year.

6. If Europe is going to beat Team USA at the Ryder Cup in Paris this year, they are going to need inspired play, and this guy could be a great ally. Alex Levy (70) is a passionate Frenchman, with a great game, when he's at his best. Trouble is, he gets in his own way too often. However he hung in to edge revived Spaniard Alvaro Quiros (72) by a shot in Morocco to move to #9 in the Ryder Cup standings.


LPGA Hugel-JTBC Championship final leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/hugel-jtbc-la-open/results

7. This new LA event has a huge Korean twin sponsorship in Hugel ( botox company) and JTBC (Korean broadcasting), but this week their 4 South Korean women were runners up to Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn 68 66 70 68 -12 who joined her more famous sister Ariya who finished T24, in the winners circle.

8. The lone Canadian to make the cut was Anne Catherine Tanguay, and despite finishing last 76 67 74 78 +11, she will benefit from playing the weekend in this kind of company. Next week the women are up the highway in San Francisco.

and finally..

9. Great news that the City of Toronto is finally opening 4 of their courses today. Don Valley, Dentonia, Humber Valley and Tam O'Shanter. The 5th course Scarlett Woods is still too wet after this long wet spring.

10. Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee  was sensational again this weekend, tying a 54-hole scoring record at the Big 10 Championship en route to a 66 68 73 -9, four-stroke victory. The win marks the third NCAA title of her year. http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=player&tid=15606

Bryan Angus

Moriya Jutanugarn leads in LA, Tanguay lone Canuck to make the cut

LPGA Tour Hugel-JTBC LA Open leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/hugel-jtbc-la-open/leaderboard

Golf as all of us mortals know is an extremely difficult frustrating game to play, and in many ways it's the same for the pros. You can never master the sport, just strive to get better, more consistent.

Last week in windy wet Hawaii, Brooke Henderson was the best of the bunch at the Lotte Championship, winning her 6th pro title at the tender age of 20 to put her right on track to beat the Canadian mark of eight wins, held by Sandra Post, Mike Weir, and the late George Knudson.

This week with rounds of 70 79 +7 she and her pals Maude Aimee LeBlanc (75 75 +8), and Alena Sharp (74 73 +5) have all missed the cut. Henderson is likely off to San Francisco where she will play next week then off to Dallas before returning to little Smiths Falls for a week off and an appearance in a charity event in Ottawa. Anne Catherine Tanguay was on her way home as well after an opening 76 but she recovered with a brilliant 67 +1 T28 and will carry the flag this weekend.

So while Brooke and her sister are sampling the sights of San Fran, Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn has the lead at this Korean sponsored Hugel- JTBC LA Open with rounds of 68 66 -8, a shot ahead of American Marina Alex 67 68 -7.

With a huge LA based Korean community cheering them on, So Yeon Ryu -6, Eun-Hee Ji -5 and Inbee Park -5 are all lurking with the weekend ahead.

When you think of the success of all these very hungry young South Korean players, most of whom have moved to America, then you look at all the young women their age who live under the brutal dictatorship of Kim Jong Un in North Korea who are not allowed to leave or play golf, it is staggering.

It reminds me of Berlin before the wall came down back in 1989.

Follow all the action on my live scoring link above.

Bryan Angus

Austin Connelly right in contention at Trophy Hassan II in Morocco

European Tour Trophy Hassan II leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018034/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

I mentioned earlier today that David Hearn is having a good week down at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio. Well if you get in a plane and fly due east for about 17 hours you could arrive in Casablanca, Morocco via Madrid and near there at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam golf course you'd find another Canadian who is having a good week mid way through round 3 at the Trophy Hassan II.

Slightly built Austin Connelly's game belies his physical staure, and he has posted rounds of 69,71 and is -1 today approaching the turn, and at -5 he is just 2 shots behind the leaders Alvaro Quiros from Spain and South African Erik van Rooyan who are at -7.

Connelly has been scrambling so far with 11 birdies and 6 bogey's, but this course with it's new makeover which features tricky, sloping greens isn't yielding low scores, so the field is very tightly bunched.

He is ranked #260 in the world and 216th in the Race To Dubai, hasn't had a great season so far with 2 MC in 6 starts and a T62 his best finish, but all that can change if he continues to play like this today and tomorrow.

Follow all the scores on the live scoring link above.

Bryan Angus

David Hearn having a good week at Valero Texas Open

PGA Tour Valero Texas Open leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/valero-texas-open/leaderboard.html

David Hearn is ranked #397 in the world, he is 177 in the Fed Ex Cup standings with a paltry 61 points and no longer has full status on the PGA Tour. This is his 10th event in the 2018 season (including the wrap around) and he has missed the cut in 5 of them, his best finish T17 at the RSM Classic before Christmas.

Not the best of times for this tall likeable Canuck who turns 39 in June, however this week at the Valero Texas Open he finds himself T5 70 68 -6, just 3 shots off the lead heading into the weekend.

Playing very steadily he only has 2 bogey's so far, 8 birdies and all the rest are pars. He ranks 4th in overall putting and T5 in overall short game.

The leaders are at -9, Zach Johnson (70,65) and Ryan Moore (68 67), and they have a one-shot lead over Grayson Murray (69) and Andrew Landry (67).

Other Canadians:  Corey Conners (74) and Ben Silverman (73) both on even par while Nick Taylor (70) and Mackenzie Hughes (75) missed the cut which fell at +1 145, and because 80 players made it, there will be a 54-hole cut today.

Bryan Angus

Henderson will miss cut in LA..

LPGA Tour HUGEL-JTBC LA Open leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/hugel-jtbc-la-open/leaderboard

With play under way in round 2 at this Korean sponsored HUGEL-JTBC LA Open Brooke Henderson has had her worst round in a while, 70,79 +7 , and she along with Maude Aimee LeBlanc (75 ) and Alena Sharp (74 73 +5) are in danger of missing the cut due to fall at +4..

Anne Catherine Tanguay 76 67 +1 T34 may be the lone Canuck this weekend, while the rest fly home or to their next stop..

Marine Alex (67 68 -7) has the clubhouse lead, with 2 South Koreans in hot pursuit. Overnight leader InBee Park is in the late wave at -4..

More to follow from LA

Bryan Angus

Brooke Henderson leads Canadians in Los Angeles

LPGA HUGEL-JTBC LA Open leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/hugel-jtbc-la-open/leaderboard

This week the LPGA Tour has flown from Hawaii to the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open for their return to Los Angeles after a 13-year absence. They are playing the windy Wilshire Country Club just south of Hollywood with in the shadow of the famous Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory.

Brooke Henderson hot off her win last week continues her fine play and was the low Canadian at -1 70 T15.  Alena Sharp won't be pleased with +3 74 T75.  Maude-Aimee Leblanc +4 75 T96 and Anne-Catherine Tanguay was +5 76 T115.

The leader in front of a big crowd of LA based Koreans is Inbee Park who shot a -5 66 for a one-shot lead. Marina Alex (-4 67) was second. Lexi Thompson was one of seven players at -3 68 in partly sunny and unseasonable temperatures.

According to Wikipedia, HUGEL is the South Korea-based maker of beauty products, including botulinum toxin product (commonly known as “botox.”) Founded in 2001, it exports botulinum toxin product Botulax to 24 countries including Japan, Thailand and Vietnam and plans to enter the U.S. market in future.

JTBC, a Korean broadcasting company that is part of the JoongAng Group, owns multiple channels that consist of comprehensive, golf-specialized and other various genres. JoongAng Group is a multi-media company that covers all categories of culture including printed media, television, entertainment and leisure. JTBC is also the LPGA’s Korean television rights holder and previously sponsored multiple events in Portland, Virginia and Arizona.

Bryan Angus

Austin Connelly in contention, European Tour Trophy Hassan II

European Tour Trophy Hassan II leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018034/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

I was reminded during this year's Masters that Gary Player was the first foreign player to win the coveted Green Jacket in 1961, and was one of only a handful of non Americans in the invited field.

This year there were more foreigners or international players as they are more correctly named than American, such has the game of golf grown since Gary's ground breaking days nearly 60 years ago.

To that theme this week the European Tour with 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett in the field is in Rabat, Morocco playing on the grounds of his Royal highness at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.

The only thing most Americans know about Morocco is Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's movie Road to Morocco !!, and that was in the Paramount movie studios, Hollywood, California.

The clubhouse leader with round 2 well underway and the late wave on course, is former Spanish star, Alvaro Quiros at 67 70 -7. Long hitting Quiros is back with his old coach Jose Rivero after spending years in the wilderness when he tried to change his swing with disastrous results leading to a complete loss of confidence. Rivero who lives in Spain has him swinging as of old, and his form is returning. Quiros had 6 wins by 2011 and was in the world's top 20 when he changed things. He is now ranked #435 in the world.

In contention playing his front nine is Canada's Austin Connelly, 69 and -1 so far today, so -4 total. Connelly is plying his trade as a member of the European Tour with some success, his best finish was 2nd last year at the KLM Open and T14 at the 146th Open.

He has played 7 events so far this his 2nd full year without missing a cut and is ranked #216.

Follow his progress on my live leaderboard above.

Bryan Angus

"Spring will finally be sprung this weekend !!!"

There is finally relief ahead for many of us this weekend after what has been a very long winter, and a non existent spring, culminating with last weekend's terrible ice storm with the accompanying high winds, the worst prolonged spring storm I can remember.

The mess it left in the GTA coupled with the contracts for seasonal city workers expiring just before the storm hit, will take until the weekend to clear up. While major highways and roads were salted, side streets and sidewalks haven't been touched, especially bad where there is no sidewalk residential responsibility.

However all this changes for the good come Friday with sunshine and temperatures finally reaching seasonal norms by Monday at 13*c and climbing.

So there will be an explosion of growth, water tables are very high, lawns, weeds, privet hedges, trees, perennials, will all start to grow all at once. With it you can expect a bit of a bug fest, with all the midges and mosquitoes hatching in the warmth, and revelling in all the standing water and soaking wet grass.

This is not new for our golf course superintendents, the well organized will have kept seasonal staff who began their contracts at the end of March, busy in preparation. Most high end courses don't open until May, they'll be a couple of weeks late, while the early birds who count on a few thousand April dollars have been shut out this year, and are praying for a good dry summer to play catch up.

Meanwhile the pro season marches on oblivious to our plight, with the LPGA at the inaugural Hugel- ITBC LA Open in Los Angeles where Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Maude Aimee LeBlanc and Anne Catherine Tanguay will play.

The PGA Tour is in San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open where we will cover Nick Taylor, Ben Silverman, Corey Connors, David Hearn and Mac Hughes who all, with the exception of Silverman who was off, missed the cut at the RBC Heritage.

There are no Canadians at the very popular Champions Tour stop, Bass Pro Shops Legends of Gold at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri.

Finally the Web.com is back in action at the North Mississippi Classic where we will find Albin Choi,Stuart MacDonald, Roger Sloan, Adam Svensson, Ryan Yip and Seann Harlington

So I'm off to clear a few of my clients driveways and catchment drain covers now that the rain has stopped...and am happy to report this is for the last time this year !!


Bryan Angus

Japan's Satoshi Kodaira beats Korean Si Woo Kim, wins RBC Heritage in a playoff..

PGA Tour RBC Heritage final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html

With all the big names in contention it was little known Satoshi Kodaira from Japan who beat  Korean Si Woo Kim in a 3 hole playoff to win the 2018 RBC Heritage for his first PGA Tour win.

Kodaira, 28, had finished off his round of 66 to get to -12 about an hour before Kim finished. Kodaira matched Kim with two pars on the 18th hole before rolling in his winning putt on the par-3 17th. Kim came up short on his 21-footer for birdie to keep the playoff going.

Ian Poulter had a back nine melt down with 5 bogey's 40 and he T7.

So who are these guys....

Satoshi Kodaira is 29 and plays mostly on the Japan Golf Tour where he has six wins, including two Japan Golf Tour majors, the 2013 Japan Golf Tour Championship Shishido Hills and the 2015 Japan Open.

Si Woo Kim's first win on the PGA Tour came at the 2016 Wyndham Championship. At 21, he was the season's youngest winner. His second win on the PGA Tour came at the 2017 Players Championship, beating Ian Poulter and Louis Oosthuizen by three-shots with a bogey-free 69 in his final round, becoming the second Korean to win the title after K. J. Choi in 2011

Bryan Angus

Jon Rahm joins Seve and Sergio as Spanish Open Champion

European Tour Open de Espana final leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018032/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

Imagine growing up on a course, learning how to play on it, winning amateur championships on it then as a 23 year old professional, ranked #4 in the world, winning your national championship on it.

After T4 at the Masters last week, Jon Rahm has just posted at -5 67 to go with 67 68 66 for a -20 total, to do just that, and join his hero's Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia on the Spanish Open trophy on this Centro Nacional de Golf course in Madrid.

Young Irish star Paul Dunne who led for most of the week just fell short, 66 65 68 71 -18 2nd, and another Spaniard Nacho Elvira carried his country's flag up the 72nd hole on his way to 68 66 66 71 -17 3rd.

Its his 5th pro win, 3 on the European Tour, and he said yesterday, this one is the most special of the bunch so far. " It's hard to describe the honour, prestige I feel right now. I didn't putt so well but the driver more than compensated for it. This was the hardest Sunday I ever had as I could feel the crowd pulling me so hard, and I didn't want to disappoint them"

He moves up to #3 in the World and has put a huge smile on not only all Spanish golf fans, but on Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn's, as he will be counting on the Spanish star to play a leading role in Paris this fall.

Another Ryder Cup hero of the past Ian Poulter is in contention playing the back nine at the RBC Heritage as I write this.

Bryan Angus

Inspired Poulter vying for Ryder Cup spot, leads RBC Heritage.

PGA Tour RBC Heritage leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html

With a stacked USA squad heading to Paris, France this fall to defend the Ryder Cup, Europe is going to need all hands on deck to wrestle the coveted trophy back.

Ian Poulter's record in the event is the making of the man, he is an inspirational leader both on and off the course for the boys in blue.

With his play over the last 4 weeks he is making it very difficult for captain Thomas Bjorn to leave him out. He has 8 players who will qualify on points, but this year, he has 4 captain's picks.

Poulter won the Houston  Open 2 weeks ago in sensational form to make the Masters, where he made the cut, now with 7 of his last 11 rounds in the 60's he is leading this RBC Heritage going into today's final round. He's gone 45 holes without a bogey.

Last spring he was ranked #207 in the world.  After going back to the " Medinah" putter he used so sensationally in Europe’s comeback at the 2012 Ryder Cup, he has finished T5 at the WGC Dell Technology Match Play then as I mentioned he went on to win the Houston Open a week later,

Yesterday he added -4 67 to his 69 64 and at -13 leads Si Woo Kim (68) and Luke List (67) by a shot and they are in the final group with him today. Tee times have been moved up, and players will go off of split tees in order to get done around 2 p.m. ET and potentially ahead of the anticipated thunderstorms.

Bryan Angus

Steve Flesch wins Mitsubishi Electric Classic in a playoff

PGA Champions Tour final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/mitsubishi-electric-classic/leaderboard.html

With a birdie on the 2nd playoff hole, lefty Steve Flesch endured a 3 man playoff to win the Mitsubishi Electric Classic for his first win on this Champions Tour, and a two year exemption.

He birdied the 18th 3 times in a row. The first to get into the playoff with guess who, Bernhard Langer and Scott Parel, then again to eliminate Langer, then finally to beat Parel. The field finished after playing 36 holes on Saturday to miss the stormy weather hitting Duluth, Georgia today.

It was his first win since 2007. Defending champion Stephen Ames 71 72 72 -1 T26. Rod Spittle 70 76 75 T51 +5.

Bryan Angus

Brooke Henderson wins Lotte Championship in Hawaii

LPGA Tour Lotte Championship final leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lotte-championship-presented-by-hershey/results

Playing through gusty winds and rain Brooke Henderson shot a -3 69 to pull away from a stellar field to win the Lotte Championship by 4 shots at  -12. She made two birdies late on her back nine for her 6th professional win...2 short of Sandra Post..

She was asked about her struggles with the putter on Saturday afternoon. "I just had to overcome that and fortunately I did. There were a couple of times I was shaky with it but I remembered al the great putting I did in the first two rounds, just tried to stay calm and relaxed, see the line and hit it there, and I made quite a few good putts coming in, so I'm happy with that. 

On the windy conditions: The wind conditions were incredible. It was so windy every single day. I think Brit and I did such an amazing job of adjusting and calculating yardages.

It's my 6th win on tour, I'm so happy. This is another dream come true. I couldn't have donr it without my sister. Watching Pernilla Lindberg win in a plaoff at the ANA was a lot of motivation and really inspired me. She had determination and grit and I was like, I can do that too. I kind of owe her this week"

Brooke also added she dedicated her win to the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and the tragedy they are dealing with.

This was her 4th top 10 in 8 outings so far, this one was worth $300,000. !  Other Canadian final scores : Alena Sharp T44 +4, Maude Aimee LeBlanc, Brittany Marchand T50 +5.

Bryan Angus

Rahm lurking, Dunne leading at Spanish Open

European Tour Open de Espana leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018032/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

With round 3 in the books at the Spanish Open in Madrid, big Jon Rahm currently ranked at #4 in the world has just added a -6 66 to earlier rounds of 67 68 to get to -15.

Afterwords Rahm had this to say " This was my best of the week, but I wish I could make a few more putts, these are tricky greens to read. To win this event as a professional would be the best of my 5 wins. To join the likes of Sergio, Jose Maria and Seve would be such an honour"

He and fellow Spaniard Nacho Elvira ( 68 66 66 -16) are chasing rising young Irish star Paul Dunne who has been leading from the get go with 66 65 68 -17. Dunne is ranked #76.

Elvira and Dunne have just finished, they both made bogey's at the par 3 17th, and both birdied the par 5 18th. So they will be paired again tomorrow in the final round with Dunne in the lead by one shot.

Rahm will be paired with a young Swede, Henric Sturehed 67 68 66 -15 who is having the week of his golfing career, and with the two Spaniards right in contention they are guaranteed of another huge gallery in sunny Madrid.

Bryan Angus

Ames opens title defence at Mitsubishi Electric Classic with 71.

PGA Champions Tour Mitsubishi Electric Classic leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/mitsubishi-electric-classic/leaderboard.html

Down in Duluth Georgia, Stephen Ames has opened his title defence of this Mitsubishi Electric Classic at windy TPC Sugarloaf, with a -1 71, T21,  4 birdies on his front for 32, but 3 bogey's on the back for 39.

Rod Spittle was one better T16 -2 70. The leader with -7 65 is Jay Haas.

With an ugly weather forecast including 1 1/2 inches of rain overnight Sunday and the threat of lightning, tournament officials decided to play 36, both the second and final rounds today.

Bryan Angus

Poulter, DeChambeau shoot 64's to contend at RBC Heritage

PGA Tour RBC Heritage leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html

Bryson DeChambeau shot a career best and Ian Poulter who won with a red hot finish in Houston 2 weeks ago is at it again. Both shot -7 64's.

 Chambeau leads at -10, Poulter is next at -9 along with Si Woo Kim, the Players champion who shot -6 65 which included a 2 shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker.

Rory Sabbatini (70) Brandt Snedeker (64), Chesson Hadley (68) and Luk List (64) are all at -8. Dustin Johnson (69) is at -4.

The cut fell at -1, sadly all four Canadians missed it. Mac Hughes 72 72 +2, Corey Connors 74 71 +3, Nick Taylor 73 73 +4, David Hearn 81 71 +10

Bryan Angus

Henderson hangs onto Lotte Championship lead as putter turns cold

LPGA Tour Lotte Championship leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lotte-championship-presented-by-hershey/leaderboard

Brooke Henderson will be in the final group later today at this Lotte Championship in Hawaii. With rounds of 68 66 73 -9 she leads the field by a single shot over Mo Martin (72 -8) and Nasa Hataoka (68 -7). They will play together with Inbee Park (71 -7), Shanshan Feng (74 -6) and Lizette Salas (70 -6) in the penultimate group ahead.

She started her third round just like she'd been playing in her first two rounds using only 50 putts. With 3 birdies at the turn, her lead was 5 strokes, and after a bogey at the 12th, she added another birdie on the 13th.

However the putter caught cold on the way to the par 3 16th green where she made a four-putt double, then she hit her approach over the green on 18 and made bogey from the back bunker. She came home in 39 strokes and finished at -9 and had this to say afterwards about her 35 putts.

"I hit it so well today that it kind of sucks to walk off the course 1-over when I know it could've been so much better, but on the plus side I'm still leading, which is always great going into the final round. Hopefully I can hit it just as well as I had today and hopefully make a few more putts." 
I've been kind of struggling with my putting all year. First few rounds, I had it going and I felt confident with it; then on the back nine I just kept missing I just felt like every single putt and kind of I got a little bit down. That's always a terrible way to be, especially when you're still leading the tournament "  
I would've liked it to be a lot more, but one shot is good. I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I'll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it's my day "       
     
Other Canadian scores: Brittany Marchand 72 72 74 +2 T41, Alena Sharp 69 78 73 +4 T58, Maude Aimee LeBlanc 73 72 76 +5 T64. Anne Catherine Tanguay MC

Bryan Angus

Canadians struggling at RBC Heritage, Sabbatini leads.

PGA Tour RBC Heritage leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html

While South African Rory Sabbatini shot his lowest score at the RBC Heritage, a -7 64 to lead by 2 shots over Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Chesson Hadley and John Huh, all with -5 66's, the Canadian contingent are not off to a great start.

In calm, sunny, windless conditions, Mac Hughes shot a +1 72 T69, while Nick Taylor posted +2 73 T86, Corey Connors +3 74 T100 and David Hearn struggled to a +10 81.

With round 2 underway, the cut is projected to fall at +1 so the Canadians have their work cut out.

Dustin Johnson is the headliner, he grew up 3 hours away from Hilton Head in SC, opened with -2 69.

Bryan Angus

Brooke Henderson riding hot putter to lead the Lotte Championship in Hawaii

LPGA Tour Lotte Championship leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lotte-championship-presented-by-hershey/leaderboard

Overnight, while we here in Toronto licked our wounds after the Leafs 5-1 shellacking by the Bruins in game 1 of their series, Brooke Henderson carried the Canadian flag with distinction and added another bogey free -6 66 to her opening 68, and she leads the Lotte Championship at -10 by 2 shots going into this weekend.

Playing in windy conditions at the Ko Olina GC on the island of Oahu, Henderson hasn't made a bogey in her two rounds, she has only used 26 and 24 putts and is bombing the ball over 290yds off the tee. Today she had 6 birdies, out in 32 back in 34, playing very early and starting on the 10th tee.

"Today was a lot of fun, I got off to a really fast start," said Henderson, who said she played more aggressively in round two after the fast start. "I made a lot of clutch par saves to keep the momentum and keep it bogey-free. I feel like I'm in a great spot and I'm hitting the ball really well and I can depend on my putting right now"

"The wind wasn't as strong early today and there were softer conditions. Fortunately it didn't rain too hard and it helped with the softness of the course. I've struggled early in the year with the putting so I'm thankful for my putter this week," explained Henderson, who finished T11 in Hawaii last year. "I'm seeing the lines and I'm really confident with my putter right now"

Other Canadian scores.. Brittany Marchand  T24 E, 72 72, Maude Aimee LeBlanc T31 +1 72 73, Alena Sharp T57 +3 69 78.. Anne Catherine Tanguay MC 81 75 +12. All the Canadian women including Henderson, who started playing hockey when she was eight, are wearing a yellow and green ribbons to honor the 16 killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus accident

American Mo Martin and Chinese star Shanshan Feng are next at -8.

Bryan Angus

Where the Canadians are playing this week

PGA Tour RBC Heritage Tee Times https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/rbc-heritage/leaderboard.html

Corey Connors, Nick Taylor, David Hearn and Mac Hughes are the Canadians in this years RBC Heritage field as play resumes after the drama of last week's Masters. Hearn spent last week at Augusta as the colour analyst for TSN while the others were off.

Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Davis Love are the afternoon's featured pairing with world #1 Dustin  Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Wesley Bryan off at 8.10am.


LPGA Tour LOTTE Championship tee times http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lotte-championship-presented-by-hershey/pairings

Alena Sharp, Brittany Marchand, Anne Catherine Tanguay, Brooke Henderson and Maude Aimee LeBlanc have flown out to Honolulu to return to play in this week's LOTTE Championship on the island of Oahu, Friday thru Sunday. A great week to work on their tans, if  these young women still do that kind of thing.

It is still my favourite holiday destination, never below 55*f nor above 100*f, always with a nice breeze.


Champions Tour Mitsubishi Electric Classic tee times https://www.pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/mitsubishi-electric-classic/tee-times.html

With rounds of 67 68 66 -15 Stephen Ames won this Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Duluth, Georgia by 4 shots over Bernhard Langer last year and he is back to defend his title.

Rod Spittle is listed as a 1st alternative.


European Tour Open de Espana tee times http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018032/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

The European Tour is back in action at the Spanish Open in Madrid, and Canada's Austin Connelly is first off the tee at 8.10am local time. There are 22 Spaniards in the field led by Jon Rahm and Rafa Cabrera Bello fresh off their Masters appearances, and they are paired with defending champion Andrew Beef Johnston. Sergio Garcia is not playing.


Bryan Angus

Patrick Reed holds on to win 82nd Masters

Masters final leaderboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html

Patrick Reed started this much hyped Sunday at the Masters bogey 5, par 5 ..Rory McIlroy rescued a par 4 at the first after a wild drive, then missed a 3 footer for eagle at the 2nd, settling for birdie... Reed's 3 shot lead was down to one and I thought here we go..

However that's as close as Rory would get on a wildly entertaining Sunday, his putter let him down, he missed half a dozen putts inside 10 feet, he ended up shooting +2 74, T5 -9.

Reed on the other hand battled away all day I thought, out in E36, back in 35 for his -1 71 and as it turned out his -15 total, built mainly on his 69 66 67 earlier rounds was just enough to hang in there, despite spirited charges from several players, mainly Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.

Spieth as I expected was paired with his good pal Justin Thomas, 9 shots behind and he played relaxed, fun golf on his way to a -8 64 and in fact if his drive at 18 hadn't clipped a tree branch and fell only 180 yards out, leading to a bogey 5, he may have completed the greatest comeback in Masters history. He didn't look at a scoreboard once all day, until he tapped in on the 18th.

Rickie, dressed in his traditional electric orange pants and hat, was also sensational, 65 67 on the weekend, in fact his birdie at the 18th got him to -14, making sure Reed needed a par for the win.

Looking back..

Adam Hadwin had a steady if unspectacular week, 69 75 72 71 -1 T24 and he was tied for the lead briefly at -3 on Thursday and Friday. This will be another building block in his career, more confirmation he belongs with these guys.

Mike Weir missed the cut as he gets set to join the Web.com Tour.

Spain's big Jon Rahm rallied from an opening 75 to finish 4th 68 65 69 -11 and he is already in Madrid for this weeks Spanish Open.

Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson and young Aussie Cameron Smith will  all be pleased with their T5 at -9, Bubba with a win and T5 in the last two weeks.

#1 Dustin Johnson was so under the radar this week with the arrival of Tiger causing the usual hysteria from the media, especially the team at the Golf Channel, but who can blame them. they wouldn't have jobs if it weren't for him. DJ quietly finished in the top 10,  73 68 71 69 -7

Tony Finau made the fastest recovery from a dislocated ankle I've ever seen, and he had a good week considering, T10 68 74 73 66 -7

Justin Rose was my pick to win and he like Justin Thomas just never got in on the race, 72 70 71 69 -6 T12.

Tiger Woods T32 73 75 72 69 +1, looked rusty as he should considering how few competitive rounds he's had. Nowhere near the Tiger of old, unable to rely on his driver, with sloppy iron play, as I mentioned in my Wednesday pool picks. None the less, many of my fellow colleagues in the media should be embarrassed for reporting with their hearts instead of their heads.

Phil Mickelson was as bad, 70 79 74 67, rescuing a near last place finish with a closing 67..

Doug Ghim the amateur warmed our hearts with an eagle at 18 on Thursday and a holed bunker birdie on the 18th yesterday as he hugged his father who is his caddy, knocking his dad's cap and glasses off in the process.

Did you know Patrick Reed is a full fledged member of the European Tour which he joined last year to expand his golfing experience around the world. That means the last 3 Masters winners are members of the European Tour, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia and now Patrick.

Sadly, Patrick's parents live right in Augusta and were not in attendance. He chooses not to comment on what must be a very strained relationship.

So Augusta is deserted, except for clean up crews and for the lucky media members who have won the lottery to play today, it's the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town for the PGA Tour this week, the European Tour is in Madrid for the Spanish Open.

Bryan Angus













Bryan Angus. ..

Don't hand the Masters title to Patrick Reed..yet

Masters leaderboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html
Masters tee times https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html

Ok what do Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman, Scott Hoch and Ken Venturi have in common?

Yes you are right, they all are/were fabulous golfers....and yes you are right they all share the ignominy of having large leads going into Sunday at Augusta, and unravelling in one way or another to lose.

Spieth in 2016, at the par-3 12th, when he put not one, but two balls in Rae's Creek en route to a fate-changing quadruple-bogey 7. Rory in 2011 pulled his tee shot on #10 so far left it found a property adjoining Augusta National. He eventually carded a triple-bogey 7. He then four-putted for a double-bogey 5 on the 12th hole. Greg Norman in 1996 led Nick Faldo by six heading into the final round but bogey's at 10, 11, 12, 16 combined with a fine 64 from Sir Nick sealed Norman's fate.

Ken Venturi playing as an amateur in 1956 had a 4 shot lead but 3 putted 6 times on his way to 80, and Scott Hoch in 1989 missed a 2 foot putt on the 10th for a playoff win, allowing Nick Faldo to go on and win the Masters with a birdie at the 11th.

There are others, Ed Sneed, Roberto Devicenzo, Kenny Perry, Curtis Strange all have suffered the same fate.

Patrick Reed has been playing well since the Florida swing, and despite hard charging 65's on Saturday from Rory, Rickie and Rahm, he posted a fine -5 67 -14 of his own and has that 3 shot lead over McIllroy who will be today's final pairing.

But do not hand him the this 82nd Masters title yet. Just ask any of the above.

Today's weather at Augusta will be calm and cool, plenty of sunshine in the afternoon, very little wind so we can expect fireworks, the question is, from who?

What I do know is that despite all the hoopla from the same media who had Tiger or Phil winning this (and remember back on Wednesday I did not include either in my Masters Pool sheet), this is not match play like the famous 2016 Hazeltine Ryder Cup, and Rory (65 -11), who will become the 6th man to win the career grand slam if he wins, is not the only one who can catch Reed.

Rickie Fowler (65 -9)and Jon Rahm (65 -8) are the penultimate pairing, Henrik Stenson (70 -7) and Tommy Fleetwood (66 -6)) are right in front of them and they follow Bubba (68 -6) and Marc Leishman (73 -6)

Yesterday Justin Thomas (70 -5) and Jordan Spieth (71 -5) played well but the putts didn't fall,, They seem out of it but these best friends are paired together and I'd bet the mortgage one if not both of them will have a stress free blast going low. Same with Dustin Johnson (71 -4)

So, yes Patrick Reed has been stellar (69 66 67 -14), so far, and with a little luck he will go out and build on that 4 shot lead and win his first major this afternoon and if he does he will have earned it.

However, something tells me, with all that talent behind him, chasing as low a score as they can with nothing to lose, he won't be leading by 4 shots come the back nine this Sunday..

Haven't we heard that before..

Bryan Angus

Hadwin begins a rainy Saturday at Augusta in the top 20.

Masters tee times https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html
Masters leaderboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html

Adam Hadwin will tee off at this 82nd Masters in group 17 with Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood at 12.50 EST, weather permitting. As I mentioned yesterday rain is anticipated around 10am with possible thunder storms during the lunch hour, and the rain showers will last until around dinner time.

Hadwin has been very good here this week, opening with -3 69 and at one point on Friday he was in a large group tied for the lead. Yesterday he was +2 thru 6 his first 6 holes, fought back with birdies at 7 and 8 to go out E 36. He came out of Amen corner +1 with bogey's at 11, 12 and a birdie at 13, and was playing steady par golf on a difficult windy day until a double bogey 6 at the 18th brought him in with +3 75 with a score of 144 or E.

That is 9 shots behind Patrick Reed who had a terrific day, with 9 birdies including 3 in a row to start for a score of -6 66,  135 or -9, good for a 2 shot lead over a brilliant Aussie, Marc Leishman (70,67 -7). Henrik Stenson is 3rd 69,70 -5.

So going into the weekend there are 53 players left to play, including Tiger (73 75 +4) and Phil (70 79 +5) both barely made the cut which fell at +5. This field is poised, the above pair not with standing.

Look at these star players / pairings in contention today, moving day.

2.30  Patrick Reed -9 / Marc Leishman -7
2.20  Henrik Stenson -5 / Rory McIlroy -4
2.10  Jordan Spieth -4 / Dustin Johnson -3
2.00  Justin Thomas -3 / Tony Finau -2
1.50  Rickie Fowler -2 / Louis Oosthuizen -2
1.40  Justin Rose -2 / Bubba Watson -2

If you're wondering what happened to Jordan Spieth who grabbed all the headlines on Thursday with that -6 66, he opened round two by nearly losing his ball off the tee at #1 for a double bogey 6, then a bogey 5 at #2, three shots dropped and the rest of the chasing pack had caught and passed him. He went out in 40 shots, settled down on the back in 34, 74 to sit at -4, still well in contention.

So the rain has set in as expected, we'll wait and see what Mother Nature has in mind and the inevitable affect that will have on the scoring.

Paul Casey gets it all started playing with an Augusta member as a marker at 10am EST and in a touch of irony Ian Poulter is paired with Tiger at 10.40am.

Bryan Angus

Adam Hadwin ties for lead at Masters as Spieth starts double bogey, bogey

Masters leaderboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html
Masters tee times http://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html

Adam Hadwin's opening round  -3 69 included -1 35 on the front nine, (8 pars, 1 birdie), then 4 more birdies and 2 bogey's  34 coming home. A very steady start, and he is in a group of 6 players at -3.

As I write that group, now at 7 players, leads the tournament halfway through round 2 as Jordan Spieth nearly lost his ball off the tee at the first, took a double bogey 6, then drove wildly at the 2nd for a bogey 6. He has lost 3 shots in 2 holes, giving up his 2 shot overnight lead.

Today, Hadwin is in the last pairing with Charlie Hoffman (69-3) and Patrick Reed (69 -3) at 2pm and as I noted in my previous post the late wave has the most wind of the day, gusting up to 15mph right now with the flags whipping, as opposed to 5mph in the morning..

That wind plus some tough pins is making scoring more difficult today..

The scoreboard link above will keep you up to date as the lead is changing now hole by hole.

The tee times will provide scorecards and bios on every player.

More to follow....

Bryan Angus

Spieth gets best of the draw as he leads the Masters

Masters leaderboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html

Jordan Spieth has led the Masters in 9 of his 17 rounds, thanks to his -6 66 yesterday, fuelled by a glove change at the 13th which led to 5 birdies in a row, and a two shot lead going into today's play. Needless to say he has figured out how to play Augusta at a very early age, and as Raymond Floyd said today " If he stays healthy, he could eclipse all that has gone before him"

I think it's important to know about the weather. The guys who played late yesterday and early today are getting the best of the weather as far as the wind is concerned.

On Thursday the late wave, which included Spieth played in very little wind.

The wind for the early wave this morning will be a slight breeze at 5mph, increasing as the day goes on to as high as 15mph come this afternoon. 15mph to many of us used to the howling gales that blow over the Open seaside links, is of no concern, however at Augusta which does not rely on the wind to be tough, it is a difference maker.

So this morning guys in contention like Tony Finau (-4 68 T2), Haotong Li (-3 69 T3) Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler (-2 69 ), Matt Kucher (-4 68 T2), Rory McIlroy (-3 69), Jordan Spieth (-6 66 1st), Justin Rose (E 72) Dustin Johnson (+1 73) are all out in the early wave, in the least wind.

On the other hand, Tiger Woods (+1 73), Henrik Stenson (-3 69), Adam Hadwin (-3 69) Charlie Hoffman (-3 69) Patrick Reed (-3 69), Marc Leishman (-2 70), are all in the late wave in the windiest conditions, which will make Augusta a stiffer challenge.

I think Spieth will be another 2 or 3 under par today, getting the mark to aim at around -9 or 10. That being said guys like Tiger Woods at +1 will have to do much better today in tougher conditions if they want to have a chance on the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, Saturday is forecast to be a cool rainy day, with the wind about the same, and Sunday that front blows through, leaving a sunny calm day to decide the outcome of this 82nd Masters.

Breaking News:  Jordan Spieth has opened round 2 double bogey, bogey +3 thru 2 holes..!

Bryan Angus

Masters announce Women's Amateur National Championship for 2019

Masters chairman Fred Riley has announced that women will be invited to play at Augusta in a new event next year :  the Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship.

Competing will be "best 72 players in the world," finishing at Augusta National the Saturday prior to Masters week, one day before the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship.

"Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts left behind a legacy of always trying to contribute meaningfully to the game of golf," Ridley said. "The Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship embodies that principle, and we believe this event will have a significant and lasting impact on the future of the women's game. Our hope and expectation is that this event will further energize those who already love the sport and inspire others through the dream of competing at Augusta National"

Remember Augusta National was always an all-male club until 2012 when a select few high profile female members were admitted.

The stroke-play event will be 54 holes, with the field determined by winners of recognized championships and placement on the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking. The first 36 holes will take place on Thursday and Friday at Champions Retreat Golf Club nearby, with 30 players making the cut and advancing to the final round at Augusta National on the Saturday.

"We have an obligation to give back to the game," Ridley said. "In recent years, we've been able to do a lot more."

The event will clash with the first major of the LPGA season, the ANA Inspiration, but Ridley was quick to point out he sees it as an addition and not an alternative, calling it "a win for women's golf."

Spectators, or I suppose Amateur patrons will only be able to get tickets via a lottery.

"Golf is a great game," Ridley said. "Hopefully it is colorblind, is blind to gender. I think golf is in a great place right now. I've never been a part of this week where there is any more excitement. I hope today has added a little more excitement to this week."

LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam applauded the announcement.
"I think this is fantastic for women's golf," she said. "It doesn't get much better than that."

Bryan Angus

Your 2018 Masters Pool Sheet..no Tiger or Phil and why..

Masters tee times, pairings https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html

Back by popular demand here is my 2018 Masters pool sheet for all of you who need a few suggestions for your annual office flutter.

Lets be honest there is no exact science, in fact it's just a fun needle in the haystack prediction. Usually I look for guys in form, guys who play the course well, guys whose game suits a course and guys who thrive on the pressure of being under the gun, like Ian Poulter last weekend in Houston.

The Masters is a little different. There are regulars who always play well here like Tiger, Phil, Jordan Spieth, and in the day Jose Maria Olazabal, and Seve with their magical short games, Angel Cabrera who wouldn't win all year and only play 20 times, but could just over power Augusta with his incredible length.

This year my list will have the usual favourites who happen to be in form and a few that may surprise you. Remember to win your pool you can't have the same guys as everyone else..

These are not in any order, and any can win and no I do not have Tiger or Phil in this pool. Tiger just won't putt well enough with so few rounds in his comeback, and I'd like to have Phil but I just think the Tiger, Phil thing coming back to win the Masters is a big ask.


1. Justin Thomas...in form, best player last year and so far this year.

2. Jordan Spieth.. finished strong to T3 in Houston, either wins or is 2nd here so far.

3. Dustin Johnson.. which Dustin will show up?.. can't leave him out.

4. Bubba Watson.. he either wins here (2012, 2014) or is awful.. he was just brilliant 2 weeks ago winning the Dell, and earlier at Riviera.. I'm betting he is good Bubba this week..

5. Ian Poulter.. let the fairy tale continue, he has 3 top 10's here and only MC once.

6. Alex Noren.. should have won the Dell Match Play and is right at the peak of his game

7. Justin Rose..lost in a playoff to Sergio last year, was second in 2015, has 5 top 10's here

8. Rory McIlroy...It's all about his putting which has been great recently..

9. Henrik Stenson..Taking a chance her since his Augusta record isn't great... but he is due..

10. Thomas Pieters...my dark horse.. was 4th here in his debut last year.. game suits Augusta

There you go and to be honest I could make up four more, equally compelling. Good luck, only spend what you can afford to lose.

My winner? Justin Rose

Bryan Angus

Masters 2018 tee times/ pairings set

Masters tee time/ pairings, bios https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html

With much of eastern Canada and NE United States in the grips of winter like conditions and a cold front that ranges from the Arctic down to Texas, we are reminded why Bobby Jones and a few associates decided to build Augusta as a winter /spring golfing haven for all his pals and their pals who were snowed in up in New York.

Under warm sunny Georgia blue skies this 2018 version of  Masters gets under way tomorrow morning when Jack and Gary who have 9 Green Jackets between them, hit the ceremonial first drive down the hill off the first tee at 8.15am EST.

I have posted my link to the tee times, with pairings and bio's of each of the 87 players (29 groups of 3), which is the lowest number I can remember, nearly half a normal pro tour event which usually has 156.

The story lines are captivating with Tiger back in form, Phil and Rory recent winners, Dustin Johnson flying under the radar, Sergio defending and along with Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm in good form they will have a largest TV audience since Tiger went MIA....

The Masters committee has given Tiger the early slot at 10.42 with big Aussie Marc Leishman and Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood. Sergio is right behind them with Justin Thomas and amateur Doc Redman. Bubba, Henrik and Jason Day are next, the Adam Hadwin at his 2nd Masters is off at 11.15 with Charlie Hoffman and Patrick Reed.

That will carry you into the late wave which is strong as well, with Phil, Rickie and Matt Kuchar at 1.27pm, then Adam Scott, Rory and big Jon Rahm next followed by Jordan Spieth, Louis Oosthuizen and red hot Alex Noren in the penultimate group. Dustin Johnson, last year's favourite before he fell in his rented house and wrecked his back closes day 1 out with Justin Rose and Rafa Cabrera Bello.

By the way if you want a scream, go to @Conorsketches (twitter.com/conor/sketches) to watch the hilarious video of actor Conor Moore doing the best impersonations of many of the players including Sergio, Tiger and a fabulous Ian Poulter.

Poulter by the way is at 11.48 with Trevor Immelman and Patrick Cantley.

You'll notice they sprinkle some of the past champions who can't play like they did in their salad years in with current pros, and along those lines the 2003 Champion Mike Weir goes out early at 8.52 with Brenden Steele and amateur Matt Parziale.

Join me all weekend, your comments are always welcome here or on Facebook or twitter @mummmbles..

Bryan Angus

Pernilla Lindberg beats Inbee Park to win ANA Inspiration

LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ana-inspiration/leaderboard

It took 8 playoff holes, including the 18th five times, but minutes ago, this morning, on the par 4 10th for the second time Pernilla Lindberg made a 20 footer for birdie 3, then Inbee Park missed hers from 12 feet to give Lindberg her first LPGA win, and a major at that !

Both women had their chances to win before that, in particular the hole before, when both missed from inside 8 feet.

Lindberg had her family led by mum and dad greenside to celebrate her win, and remember she led from wire to wire, so this was well deserved.


previous : Pernilla Lindberg shot 71, but Inbee Park and Jennifer Song shot 67's to catch her at -15, so all three began a sudden death playoff, late yesterday afternoon at the ANA Inspiration.

They played the 18th 4 times, Song dropped out at the third with a par to birdies for Lindberg and Park.

It was too dark to continue, so they will return at 8am (PST) to settle the championship.

Both Jessica Korda (66) and Ariya Jutanugarn (65) finished a shot out of the playoff at -14

Brooke Henderson's final tally, 70 75 70 71 -2 T48, Alena Sharp 71 68 75 70 -4 T37



Bryan Angus

Canadian Vanessa Borovilos wins Drive Chip and Putt at the Masters

golfcanada.ca

Vanessa Borovilos, playing in her third championship, won the Girls 10-11 age division by the slightest of margins with a one-point victory in the 10-player field at the famous Drive Pitch and Putt competition at Augusta.

When asked after her win by Charlie Rymer (Golf Channel) what she learned from her last two visits to Augusta, she said with a smile from ear to ear, “You have to practice a lot to win or to do well here.”

She finished 5th in 2016 and 4th in 2015. She plays out of Credit Valley Golf & Country Club and credits Brooke Henderson and Jordan Spieth as her favourite athletes.

Look what she had to go through just to get to the finals.

Local qualifying began in May, June and July, held at more than 260 sites throughout the United States. The top-three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to 50 subregional qualifiers in July and August. Two juniors in each age and gender division then competed at the regional level in September and October, held at some of the top courses in the country, including several U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues.

The top finisher from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place in the National Finals

Bryan Angus

Defiant Poulter adds yet another storyline to the Masters

PGA Tour Houston Open final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/houston-open/leaderboard.html

As if this week's Masters needed another storyline, Ian Poulter has added another.

You'll know by now he made a clutch, gritty 20 footer on the 72nd hole to tie Beau Hossler and force a playoff which he won when Hossler hit his greenside bunker shot into the water resulting in a triple bogey.

After his opening 73, he shot 64 65 67 -19 for his first stroke play win in the States, and of course the invitation to Augusta.

If you are British, English in fact, you'll know Poults as his pals call him is the complete success story many who have immigrated to North America dream about. An assistant club pro in Woburn, who was out picking up golf balls, working the pro shop and teaching members, he married his hair dresser wife, worked his way onto the European Tour, got his hair cut like Rod Stewart after his first pro win. He now lives in splendour, in Orlando with the same wife, his kids and his 7 phenomenal classic cars. He is more than a bit flashy!!

He has always played his best when he seems angry, defiance is in his DNA. He's won 5 Ryder Cups where he becomes transformed, fuelled by the British sense of David vs big bad Goliath. He may have been playing mediocre golf, but get his dander up and look out.

Missing out on Augusta last weekend after playing so well and being told he was in, deflated him but once he thought about it, and after he opened with 73, he told his caddie "let's just go and play golf like we can" and with a cause to rally around, he went out carefree, shot that 64, and said yeah! then the 65 on Saturday for another yeah! and the stage was set.

The next time he yelled yeah!! was when he sunk the 20 footer at the 72nd and the last time was when he dropped the 2 footer for the playoff win !!

Now he joins Tiger, Bubba, Phil and Rory as the main storylines as this Masters begins. We'll see how many times he'll get to say yeah!! this week.

Bryan Angus

Henderson, Sharp out of contention as Lindberg leads ANA Inspiration.

LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration leaderboard http://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ana-inspiration/leaderboard

S.H Park and Pernilla Lindberg were cruising along in the lead on Saturday, when they were informed on the 12th tee that they were being put on the clock for slow play.

As it turns out it affected the South Korean more that the Swede. Park who shot 64 on Friday and was rolling with 4 birdies in 6 holes promptly made 3 bogey's and a double in her last 7 to stagger in at +3 74. Meanwhile Lindberg held her composure with a couple of birdies and a lone bogey for -2 70 and a -14 total.

She heads into today with a 3 shot lead over the pack, but that pack includes Moriya Jutanugarn, S.H Park and Inbee Park all at -10, and in my opinion nobody closes out majors any better than Inbee so I am watching for her patented charge today.

Alena Sharp wasn't sharp through her first nine with 5 bogey's (41), but battled back in 34. Her +3 74 drops her down to a T41 at -2. Brooke Henderson ruined a solid round with a double bogey 7 on the 18th, which turned a 68 into a 70, she is T49 at -1.

Bryan Angus

You've got to cheer for Ian Poulter at Houston Open, don't you

PGA Tour Houston Open leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/houston-open/leaderboard.html

As play begins today there are the two leaders at -14, four more at -12, six more at -11 on another hot mostly sunny day at the Houston Open, so as I said yesterday, with no bad weather to thin them out, it should be a cavalry charge to the winners circle late this afternoon.

Of them all, you have to be rooting for 42 year old Ian Poulter, who went through the "you're in... no sorry you're out" of the Masters scenario just before he lost his semi final match last weekend.

Crushed no doubt, he went off, licked his wounds and decided to play here and promptly opened with a +1 73, well down the field. With bags packed he decided just to have a go as they say in England, and with his Medinah putter in the mood he promptly shot -8 64, to move up 100 spots to get in contention, then added a sparkling -7 65 yesterday for a share of the lead with Beau Hossler at -14.

A win gets him into the Masters where he has never missed the cut. It would be deserving for one of the game's colourful characters, and one of Europe's Ryder Cup stalwarts.

It won't come easy, 3 rounds in a row in the mid 60's is improbable. and with the likes of Henrik Stenson at -11 and Jordan Spieth at -10 among the chasing pack, someone is going to go low.

I'm hoping its Poulter, he is a very streaky player, and is in the midst of one right now..

By the way Ben Silverman shot 74 and missed the second cut, so will get paid but will not play today.

Bryan Angus