with Bryan Angus

Thanks for joining me today. I look forward to your comments . They are always welcome here on FairwaysPlus. Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com



Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Brooke Henderson returns to play at Shop Rite LPGA Classic.. Thursday tee times

 Shop Rite LPGA Classic Tee times here

Brooke Henderson returns to play on October 1 at the Shop Rite LPGA Classic while Jaclyn Lee has had to WD when her caddie had a positive test for COVID. 

Brooke who has been off at home in Florida since losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff, then skipping Portland due to the forest fires has flown up to New Jersey with her sister and will tee off at 8.36am with Nelly Korda and Hannah Green while her long time colleague Alena Sharp is off at 12.00pm with Gerina Piller and Pernilla Lindberg.

It's the usual strong LPGA field and I note Natalie Gulbis makes a rare appearance, in semi retirement these days living in Nevada. She was appointed a member of President Trump's national Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition in 2018. Now 37 and married to a former Yale QB, she says she will retire at the conclusion of this season.

Bryan Angus

 



5 Canadians at this week's Sanderson Farms on PGA Tour... Thursday tee times

 Sanderson Farms Thursday tee times are here 

The Fall wrap around series continues at the Country Club of Jackson for the Sanderson Farms Championship, where Nick Taylor got his first PGA Tour win in 2014.

He leads the Canadians this week at 8.11am off #1. David Hearn is off #10 at 8..22am, Michael Gligic off #1 at 8.55, Roger Sloan off #10 at 9.06, Corey Connors off #1 12.55pm.

It's not a strong field, but as usual provides full benefits and Fed Ex Cup points, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson the 2 marquee names, neither playing very well right now.


Bryan Angus

Poulter, McDowell return to support European Tour at Scottish Open

 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open tee times   Tee Times   

Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell have said goodbye to their families in Florida and will be playing this week at the newly re vamped Renaissance Club in North Berwick in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, then the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next week.

Both players of course are legends of the European Ryder Cup team, Poulter English, McDowell from Northern Ireland, both earned their stripes playing around the world on the European Tour long before making their fortune, joining the exodus to Florida or the Bahamas like Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy etal.

This week is a Rolex Series tournament and the amount of money that sponsor has invested in their 8 event series has been a godsend to this tour, hit hard financially by the COVID virus. While PGA Tour events have managed to continue with full purses, many here are playing for a 1million euros total purse.

The Renaissance club was branded too easy by Rory McIlroy after Bernd Wiesberger's record -22 score last year. Holes 1-7 and 10-16 have been flipped to allow the back nine to be played along the Firth of Forth. The rough has grown in with no spectators, the course lengthened to 7300 from under 7000 with new tee boxes and importantly a stiff easterly wind is in the forecast, opposed to the flat calm in 2019.

It's a strong field, and with the changes will be a tough test, welcome news for many of my Scottish colleagues who'd rather have seen it played  at the venerable North Berwick links just down the road.

Note:  Dougie Donnelly long time commentator on the European Tour TV coverage will not be heard this week as he has moved on to a new chapter in his storied career. A legendary figure in Scotland where he began his broadcasting career at Radio Clyde in 1970, his educated articulate presentation has been the lead voice of the best golf broadcasting team on either side of the Atlantic since leaving the BBC in 2010.


Bryan Angus

Monday, September 28, 2020

Taylor Pendrith continues fine play 2nd at Wichita Open

 Korn Ferry Tour Wichita Open final leaderboard  here 

Taylor Pendrith has had a great season on the Korn Ferry Tour with 4 second place finishes and 5 top 3's. He was at it again this weekend finishing 2nd at the Wichita Open after a 69 69 weekend left him at -15, just a shot behind winner Jared Wolfe.

You'll remember he proved he can play with the best after closing his week at Winged Foot in the US Open T23 with one of the few E par 70's on Sunday on a course which played to a par 76 in the wind on Friday.

He has now moved up to #118 in the World Rankings.


Bryan Angus

MacKenzie Hughes cracks the world top 50 with 3rd at Puntacana

Puntacana Resort and Golf Club Championship final leaderboard  here.

It was another great week at the Puntacana Resort and Golf Club for MacKenzie Hughes with rounds of 68 68 67 70 -16 good for 3rd, just a couple of shots behind Hudson Swafford who held off Hughes and Tyler McCumber with a final round 69 -18 total for his first win in 2 years.

The three were tied for the lead on -17 after a bogey by Swafford at the 15th, but a great kick in birdie at the 17th edged him ahead, leaving MacKenzie needing a birdie at the last to force a playoff, however after a wayward drive, the best he could manage was a bogey.

He made 21 birdies all week to just 7 bogey's and all the rest pars, and ended up T7 in putting. He finished 2nd here last year. 

He has now moved up to 48th in the World golf rankings, finally cracking the coveted top 50 which gains him entry to all the majors and WGC.  CURRENT RANKING

David Hearn was T33 67 74 69 71 -7.


Bryan Angus


Thursday, September 24, 2020

Back to normal, six Canadians at Corales Puntacana.. live scoring / tee times

 Corales Puntacana Club Championship CORALES GOLF CLUB

After the brutally tough conditions at Winged Foot, Mac Hughes leads 6 Canadians into play this week in the Dominican Republic at a slice of paradise called the Corales Golf and Resort Club Championship. 

Today the weather is around 30*c with a light ocean breeze. Generous fairways and forgiving greens will be a welcome relief. This is not a strong field, and you will see a lot of old names like Tommy Gainey, Bo Van Pelt, Alex Cejka and others here on a variety of conditions.

Hughes finished T2 here last year to eventual winner GGraeme McDowell, and he's off at 7.10am

He's joined by Roger Sloan off at 6.40am, Corey Connors at 7am in a featured group with McDowell and Henrik Stenson, David Hearn at 11.30am, Graham DeLaet at 12.10pm and Michael Gligic at 1pm.

This is the first of 7 more events on this revamped PGA Tour schedule before the postponed 2020 Masters November 12-15. The Masters will then be played again in it's normal time slot in April 2021 if the COVID pandemic allows.

Bryan Angus







Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Bryson DeChambeau at the Open.. "the wind had better blow"...

 Open Championship records.

*Lowest 36 hole record: 130 Nick Faldo (66 64) 1992, Brandt Snedeker (66 64) 2012.

*Lowest final score (72 holes): 264 Henrik Stenson (68 65 68 63, 264) 2012

*Lowest 18 hole score : 62 (-8) Branden Grace 3rd round 2017, Royal Birkdale.

*Greatest margin of victory: 13 strokes Old Tom Morris 1862 which stood for all majors until 2000 when Tiger won US Open at Pebble Beach by 15 strokes, however Old Tom's margin was achieved over just 36 holes.


Speaking to my 90 year old mother last Sunday from her home just outside Edinburgh we touched on Bryson DeChambeau's record breaking 6 shot win of the US Open that day at Winged Foot.

Mother is no expert on golf but like many Scots who aren't sports fans she has a flutter on the Grand National every year, watches the fortnight at Wimbledon and the Open when it's in Scotland.

The Open is at Birkdale in July 2021 then at St Andrews in 2022. When I asked her how she thought he would do at the home of golf she immediately replied " Aye, the wind had better blow!!"

Golf  has been played on St Andrews every day but Sunday's for over 200 years and one thing for sure for the top players is she can  be left defenseless without the wind, " nae wind, nae golf" is the old adage.

61,-11 is the Old course record held by veteran Englishman Ross Fisher at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2017, out in 29, and after four straight birdies 12-15, the magical 59 was on the cards, but par 4 at the 16th, another on the road hole left him needing an eagle at the 18th.

He drove it 25 feet off the front of the green, left it short on the low side, then without concentrating missed the shorty for the 61.

All this on an overcast calm day, with the ball running, 60 players were under par that day.

Bryson DeChambeau proved he has an all round game last weekend, however it's his muscle bound go for broke power off the tee that gets all the attention. In fact he was 7th at Winged Foot in driving average after the likes of Dustin Johnson, Matthew Wolff and Canada's Taylor Pendrith all around the 350 yard mark.

Apart from the wind, St Andrews is protected by steep faced bunkers, OB, thick rough and gorse when the spring conditions are wet, the Swilikin burn, a brick wall, and huge often hump backed greens.

The first would be driven often at 376 yards if not for the burn running right in front of it. The 2nd 450, 3rd 400, 4th 480 will all leave nothing but a flip wedge, the par 5 5th 580 yards will be an eagle expectation, 6th 410, 7th 380, 9th 350 will all be under siege, the 8th is a 180 yard par 3. There have been many 29's on this layout before Bryson and the boys arrive in 2 years time.

Jack took off his sweater famously in 1970 to drive the 360 yard 18th, the year Doug Sanders missed his chance for immortality with that damned missed 2 footer at the 72nd hole.

In 2 years time the guys will be carrying it onto the famous green with 3 woods, or running it up with a long iron.

In 2016 at the Travelers Jim Furyk had all the stars aligned with the pro golf record 58. 

If it's calm, and the putts are falling, how low will the current bombers, and there are lots, with a ball that flies forever, go at the old lady of St Andrew's who's dignity is slowly but surely being compromised by the game she has protected so well, for so long.

What if DeChambeau eagled the 18th for 55. It's not as daft as it sounds, they'd better restrict the ball soon, or as mother said, "Aye the wind had better blow"

Bryan Angus






Sunday, September 20, 2020

A 65 puts Mike Weir in contention again at Pebble Beach.. Live scoring

 Pure Insurance Championship  HOME

They call Saturday "moving day" in pro golf and Mike Weir showed us all why playing at one of his favorite courses Pebble Beach.

After opening with an uneventful +1 73 on Friday, the form he displayed with 7 top 10 finishes here during his PGA Tour career,  returned with a bogey free -7 65 and he moved up from 38th to 8th at -6 just 3 shots off the lead held by Ernie Els, 6 70 -9 at this Pure Insurance Championship on the Senior Tour, or PGA Tour Champions.

Bryan Angus



" And DOWN the stretch they come" on Sunday at Winged Foot... Live scoring

 US Open Sunday live scoreboard  SCORING

Adam Hadwin 72 73 74 +9 is T38, Taylor Pendrith 71 74 75 +10 is T40. I feel safe in saying no matter how well they have played on this tough Winged Foot GC that played to a par of 76 the last two days, they will not win this 120th US Open later today.

Having said that I can't say with the same certainty who will !

Young gun Matthew Wolff had his day on Saturday with a brilliant -5 65, and at -5 he leads by 2 and is one of only 3 players under par as the final round gets under way, Bryson DeChambeau 69 68 70 -3 and Louis Oosthuizen 67 74 68 -1 are the others.

Today's weather will be the same as Saturday, perhaps with a little more breeze, so expect the "Foot" to continue to play about 6 shots above par 70. That's where Patrick Reed ended up after rounds of  66 70 had him in the 36 hole lead at -4 until the golfing gods caught up with him, +7 77 and T11 at +3, now 8 shots behind.

I say odds are against Wolff posting another 65, but he does have 5 strokes to play with compared to the rest of the field apart from Louis and Bryson.

We've been reminded again this week that a lot can change on nearly every hole at Winged Foot. Not many are able to hit these fairways with any regularity, and then it all depends on the lie in the brutal, thick rough which plays like a one stroke penalty.

After you chop it out, you'd better hit a top class approach to these severally tilted, hard, slope ridden greens which are at the end of 500 yard par 4's protected by large bunkers, with very narrow run ups. If all that doesn't make picking a winner, the USGA have been in a very poor humour when selecting the pin placements thus far. 

I can list reasons why any number of players could win, Rory had another good day with 68 and is at +1, as is Hideki Matsuyama and Xander Schauffele and Harris English. 

Further back Justin Thomas hit a few shockers yesterday, but isn't likely to shoot 76 again, DJ looks to be stalled in 3rd gear but even so, 73 70 72 +5 hasn't seen his best yet this week, and on and on the list goes.

As American horse racing legendary announcer Dave Johnson says "and DOWN the stretch they come". 

It may take a photo finish to decide the winner..


Bryan Angus



Saturday, September 19, 2020

Hadwin, Pendrith to play the weekend at US Open... live scoring

 US Open Saturday scoreboard  SCORING

Winged Foot was allegedly "gettable" on Thursday, 21 players beat par 70, the greens were holding, there was no wind. The scoring average was 72.5

On Friday the venerable old course was back to "normal" with the wind picking up and the greens firming there are just 6 players left under par and the scoring average soared to 75.2. 

The 2 at the top are what passes for controversial in pro golf. Patrick Reed who has been branded a "cheat" is the best of the bunch 66 70 -4, and the highly strung Bryson DeChambeau dubbed "the scientist" 69 68 -3 lead the way going into the weekend at this 120th US Open.

The "Foot" is relentless with her severally sloped greens, narrow fairways and ball devouring rough. With the cut falling at +6 many of the current games best have already flown home, Tiger 73 77 +10, Phil 79 74 +13, Henrik 74 77 +11, Rosy 73 77 +10 head the list including in form Martin Kaymer, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Tommy Fleetwood are all gone as are Corey Connors 71 76 +7  who made bogey's at 15 16 and 18 to miss by a shot, and Mac Hughes 72 76 +8 

Adam Hadwin 72 73 +5 will play with Adam Scott 71 74 +5 today at 10.23am.

Taylor Pendrith is his first US Open 71 74 +5 is paired with Rory Sabbatini 69 76 +5 who got in as the first alternative at 11.29am

" It's a great golf course a good course for me, lot's of drivers, I hit the driver pretty well this week, I hit lots of fairways, I am hitting it far. So long and straight is a big advantage but it doesn't stop there. The greens are so firm and severe, the pins are so tough, you've got to hit your irons well, be well rounded" Pendrith tops the big bombers this week with an average over 340 yards.

Weather: It will be a sunny cool weekend, but there will be a breeze getting up to +20kph at times on Sunday, so it could be worse, but Winged Foot doesn't need much help.

Only one past winner of the US Open has got it under par, that was Fuzzy Zoeller at -4 in 1984.


Bryan Angus


Friday, September 18, 2020

Pendrith shoots 71 74 +5, Hadwin, Hughes, Connors begin round 2 at US Open... live scoring

 US Open live scoreboard  SCORING

Some of the pros made Winged Foot a little more "gettable" on Thursday with 21 players under par, more than the entire week in 2006, Justin Thomas leading the way at -5 65. The vaunted greens were softer than expected, and they played in dead calm seem to be the main reasons.

As I signed off yesterday Corey Connors 71, Mac Hughes and Adam Hadwin each with 72 were in the clubhouse and have the late tee times today.

Young, long hitting Taylor Pendrith from Richmond Hill was just beginning with a par (10th) on his first US Open hole and he went on buoyed by a sensational birdie eagle finish at 8 and 9 to shoot 71 as well. He leads the stats pack in driving averaging  nearly 350 yards after the opening round.

With the morning wave well under way, it's cool and overcast, a little breeze has picked up and only 7 players are under par so far from the early group. The ball isn't carrying as far as usual and scoring so far has been more difficult than Thursday where the  field average was 72.5.

Thomas Pieters from Belgium made a big move this morning getting to -6 at one point, out in -2 33, but he has 6 bogey's coming in and finished with a 74, E.

So Taylor Pendrith and Corey Connors begin play T25 +1, 6 shots behind. Adam Hadwin and Mac Hughes begin T33 +2.

Today, Taylor was +3 through 16 holes, out in 35 with 2 birdies and 2 bogey's, he made 4 straight bogeys from #10, birdied 15, but made bogey 5 at the18th to sit 71 74 +5 with the projected cut now at +6

The other 3 tee off together off the first at 1.49pm, with Thomas still leading at -5. The cut is projected to fall at +4...

Bryan Angus

 

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Canadians in contention Thursday at US Open, Thomas has clubhouse lead.... live scoring

 US Open live scoreboard SCORING

The weather at the US Open is ideal, sunny without a breath of wind when they teed off at 7am est at Winged Foot GC.

At the turn the 3 Canucks paired together are battling to be in contention with the clubhouse lead currently held by Justin Thomas who made a long birdie putt at 18, -6 65 with next Patrick Reed -4 66 

They began on the 10th and Corey Connors was -2 thru 7, until he took 5 bogey's in 6 holes around the turn to fall to +2. However with a 340 yard drive at the 5th he has made birdie 3 with a 15 foot putt, made bogey at 7 and a birdie at 9th for a final +1 71

Mac Hughes went out in +4 39 with a couple of doubles, but began his homeward nine with birdies at 1 and 2 and 6 with a bogey at 5, home in 33 for +2 72

Adam Hadwin went out in +2 37, a bogey a double and a birdie, playing the back nine he made 2 birdies and 2 bogey's 35 for a total +2 72. 

Taylor Pendrith has a later start and is currently +1 thru 8 holes.

Despite ideal weather only 11 players are under par 70 in the morning wave. The late wave with betting favourites Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm are now beginning their rounds.


Notables: Rory McIlroy shot 67 -3, Martin Kaymer , Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott are all in with +1 71 and Tiger had an up and down day finishing bogey, double for +3 73. 


Bryan Angus



 

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Video fly over and hole by hole description of Winged Foot GC, ..US Open

If you've never seen Winged Foot GC site of this week's 120th US Open here is a virtual flyover of each hole from their websiteCOURSE

Cambia Portland Classic reduced to 54 holes due to poor air quality as Brooke Henderson W/D

Brooke Henderson withdrew from the Cambia Portland Classic with great regret, as she has won the event twice and is in great form after losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff. " This was a tough decision for sure, but I feel it's not safe to go where the air quality is so bad and the fires are burning so near. The whole Pacific west coast is burning"

Brooke flew to her home in Florida and will next play the ShopRite LPGA Classic in NJ on October 1.

Today the LPGA made this announcement.


PORTLAND, ORE. | Due to hazardous air quality caused by fires in the Pacific Northwest, the LPGA Tour will reduce the Cambia Portland Classic to a 54-hole event, to be played Friday-Sunday, Sept. 18-20, at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore.
“As we have said throughout recent months, 2020 has been the year of health and safety, and this situation is no different,” said Heather Daly-Donofrio, the LPGA’s Chief Tour Operations Officer. “Our meteorologist says that it is unlikely that air-quality conditions will improve before midday Thursday, and we cannot risk the health of our players, staff, volunteers, broadcast crew and others at the golf course. This is not a choice we made lightly, but we are confident that this is the right decision. We are so appreciative of our partners at Cambia Health Solutions as they continue to support the LPGA Tour through this incredibly challenging 2020 season.” 
The golf course remains closed as of Tuesday morning, and Wednesday’s Cambia Portland Classic Pro-Am has been cancelled. All press conferences scheduled for Tuesday have been cancelled and any press conferences scheduled for Wednesday remain tentative.
Golf Channel will have tape-delayed coverage of the Cambia Portland Classic on Friday, Sept. 18, from 9-11 p.m. Eastern; Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9:30-11:30 p.m. Eastern; and Sunday, Sept. 20, from 8-10 p.m. Eastern. Coverage will be live-streamed on GolfChannel.com and the GOLF app on Friday and Saturday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern and Sunday from 4-7 p.m. Eastern.
More information about tournament and press conferences updates will shared as appropriate

Bryan Angus

An inspirational letter from Sophia Popov to her 'sisters" in professional golf..

This letter from Sophia Popov was recently posted on lpga.com
I know what it’s like to struggle. I know all the questions you ask yourself, the doubt and frustration you sometimes feel. I know about the sweat, the countless hours of hard work and the emotional energy you invest only to see your dream slip further from sight like a ship disappearing in the twilight.I know what it’s like to stand on a mountaintop of expectations. And I know what it feels like to fall.
And I know what it’s like to think it’s time to walk away.
When I holed my last putt at Royal Troon to make the AIG Women’s Open, a major championship at one of the most storied courses in the world, my first professional victory outside of the Cactus Tour, I remembered all those feelings. And a single thought ran through my head as clear as a Scottish church bell.
Thank God I didn’t give up.
For a long time, I didn’t believe winning would be part of my story. I told myself that too much time had passed. Even though I was only 27 years old, I know that the calendar for female athletes, even golfers, is different. The average age of a first-time winner on the LPGA Tour is 23. After winning five events and being a three-time All-American at the University of Southern California, I believed that I would be in the category soon enough. I had grown up playing with people like Jessica Korda and Lexi Thompson, Mariah Stackhouse and Alison Lee. I knew what it took to compete, and I knew that there were times when my game was on par with theirs
But in the beginning of my rookie year on the LPGA Tour in 2015, I felt that something wasn’t right. I flew to Australia for the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and felt fatigued. At first, I thought it was jetlag, but realized that this was something else. This was a different kind of exhaustion.
Then I couldn’t keep food down. Not a stomach flu or what you might get after eating something rich and exotic in a foreign country, this seemed chronic. I love food but suddenly I couldn’t enjoy eating. I didn’t have any appetite. In nine months, I lost close to 25 pounds.
Something was wrong but no one could tell me what it was. Doctors ran all kinds of tests, which came back negative. Some doctors thought it was fibromyalgia. More than a few told me that it was all in my head. That this was a physical manifestation of stress and anxiety from being on Tour. I didn’t have a medical degree, but I knew that wasn’t right. I’d been competing at high levels for most of my life. I’d represented my country and my continent on the international stage. I knew pressure. This was something else.
I struggled for three years, a time when I lost my full status and bounced back and forth between the LPGA and Symetra Tours, fighting through symptoms like numbness in my extremities that sometimes made it impossible to feel the club in my hands, blurred vision, and excruciating headaches that made it impossible to focus.

Finally, almost three years after that flight to Australia, I went to another doctor who asked the question that changed everything. “Have you ever looked into Lyme disease?”
I hadn’t even thought about Lyme disease. When I took the test, positive results came back almost immediately. The doctor said, “When we get results that quickly, it means the disease has been in your system for some time.”
While Lyme disease is a serious illness that can have lasting effects, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I had an answer. Every symptom suddenly made sense. Now, I could research and create a plan to combat it.
After many hours and much consultation, I went on a strict diet – detoxing for a full week and then going raw for three weeks, eating only raw fruits, veggies, and smoothies. The first week, I felt horrible. Detoxing is a withdrawal that makes you wonder if it’s worth the effort. But after that first week, I found that I had amazing energy. The headaches and numbness went away, and my vision cleared. My hands still get cold in relatively warm weather – something that viewers of the AIG Women’s Open noticed when I put mittens on between shots. But the worst of the symptoms vanished.
Lyme disease isn’t a cold or the flu. I will be battling it for some time. And as anyone who has changed their diet can tell you, it takes discipline and determination not to backslide. But I also think we underestimate the power of food. In my case, my diet made me healthy and able to rekindle a game that I almost lost.

Which brings me to my message to you, my dear friends on the Symetra Tour and other developmental platforms. The difference between where you are and where you want to be isn’t as great as it sometimes seems. In fact, the line between being a major champion and struggling to regain your LPGA Tour card is razor thin.
The difference isn’t hard work. We all work hard. It’s not natural talent. Sure, some players are gifted with more speed or height or strength than others. But talent alone means almost nothing. We all know talented athletes who never broke through.

People in Germany expected a lot out of me, especially when I came out of college. And while I kept telling myself that that player was still in there and still capable of being one of the best in the world, month after month, year after year of near misses wore me down. Everyone else believed in me but I lost a little of that belief in myself.
In the last nine months, healthy and playing well, my belief returned. And at Royal Troon, for the first time in my professional career, I could see myself holding the trophy before it actually happened. I could, for the first time, close my eyes and see my face as the winner, see my name on top of the leaderboard, see myself as not just among the best but as a major champion.
During a practice round in Scotland, I played with Jess and Nelly Korda and Jessica, whom I’ve known since junior golf days, asked me about my schedule. I told her I didn’t know because the AIG Women’s Open was a bonus. “I would need to win for it to make a difference,” I said.
Sunday night after I won, Jess texted me and said, “Love how we were talking about this on Wednesday.”
Two years ago, I wouldn’t have mentioned winning a major to another Tour player. I’m not sure the thought would have entered my mind. The fact that it did was part of my new-found belief.
One of the questions I’ve been asked since my win is: What kept you from quitting?

I’ve thought a lot about my answer. There were times when walking away seemed like the only rational thing to do. My mother and boyfriend would even say things like: “Why do you keep beating yourself up like this? Go do something else.” But one response kept coming to me. I can’t quit golf. I love the sport too much. I practice and play golf every day. I watch golf on television every week. I think about golf all the time. I can’t walk away. I just love it.
Many of you feel the same way. So, my friends, my sisters, I want you to know that you aren’t delusional for sticking with it. You aren’t that far away.
Someday I look forward to hugging and congratulating you as you break through and realize your lifelong dream. It can happen.

Just remember one thing: love and belief make all the difference.











Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Hadwin, Connors, Hughes paired together at US Open.. All tee times, Past champions

The pairings are out for this week's US Open at venerable Winged Foot GC in Mamaroneck, New York. TEE TIMES  SCORING

The USGA has a strong hand in making the pairings, with a load of requests from NBC as to who plays together and when. Major champions are often paired with a leading amateur for example, of course they make up "featured groups" involving the top players led by Tiger of course who draw the biggest ratings, and are assigned tee times in prime TV viewing slots.

This year at 8.07am Tiger is paired with Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa off #1 and Rory, Adam Scott and Justin Rose off #10.

The field is halved with a morning wave, and a late wave for Thursday which is then reversed on Friday, with the pairings staying together until the cut is made Friday night.

This year the favourite Dustin Johnson begins at 1.16pm with Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau off #1.

They have delighted Canadians by pairing Adam Hadwin (64th), Corey Connors (69th) and Mac Hughes (56th) together for both days beginning at 8.49am on Thursday off the 10th tee.

 It is a first I can remember, although they do often pair fellow countrymen together. They are playing a practice round with Taylor Pendrith (ranked 157) the 4th Canuck today. He qualified by finishing in the top 5 on the Korn Ferry Tour and plays at 12.10pm with one of the fastest players, Italian Renato Paratore and American Richie Werenski.

Remember Mike Weir is still the only male Canadian to win a major, the 2003 Masters.

Winged Foot GC will be a very stern test, typical US Open with narrow fairways, thick lush rough and small well protected fast greens. Anything around par will be in contention come Sunday afternoon.

Past US Open champions : 2006 Geoff Ogilvy 285 +5,  1984 Fuzzy Zoeller -4 276, 1974 Hale Irwin 287 +7,  1959 Billy Casper 282 +2, 1929 Bobby Jones 294 +6

Bryan Angus






  • Monday, September 14, 2020

    Henderson, Korda shocked by upstart Korean Mirim Lee in a playoff at ANA Inspiration.


    In the end it was just meant to be Mirim Lee's day, no matter how well Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda played. The South Korean ranked #93 in the world played in the pack most of Sunday while Brooke and Nelly battled for the lead as if they were in match play right from the first tee.

    Lee had chipped in on her 6th hole for birdie which turned out to be a preview of things to come. With Korda at -15 and Brooke -14, Lee came to the 16th needing to get up and down for par from 50 feet. Her chip rolled up and down towards the pin, hit it and fell in for a surprise birdie and -14. 

    Still her chance seemed gone with a bogey at the par 3 17th, until inexplicably after a drop from the controversial "wall" replacing the usual stand behind the 18th, she chipped her 3rd again, down grain, down the green from 60 feet, speeding by the pin until it hit it dead on, hopped up in the air briefly before dropping in for an eagle 3 and a share of the lead with a 67 and -15.

    Unaware of this drama with no crowd noise, Brooke came to the 18th and with a great chip after a drop from the wall, she tapped in for birdie 4, 69 and -15, leaving Nelly to hole a tough 12 footer for par, 69 and -15 and now they were joined by the surprised Korean in a playoff.

    In the playoff down the par 5 18th, Brooke had a 5 footer for birdie, but missed it low as she had several times during her round, for 5, Korda who had to lay up made 5 and Lee holed a good 6 footer to snatch the title, her first major to her utter surprise.

    She was so shocked she couldn't stop crying when Jerry Foltz attempted a post round interview via interpreter, he finally gave up and off she went tip toeing into Poppy's Pond, and into the books with the major either Brooke or Nelly seemed destined to win.

    Brooke was her usual upbeat self after the round. " I think I played really well, my ball striking was good, I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities all day, I just didn't make as many as I would have liked" Her numbers bear that out as she used 30 putts as opposed to 26 in her Saturday 65.

    The tour is supposed to be playing this week in the Cambia Portland Classic, however with forest fires raging in Oregon it may be postponed or cancelled. Brooke has won it twice.


    170 - 65 - 71 - 67273-15$465,000
    T268 - 71 - 65 - 69273-15$245,480
    T266 - 67 - 71 - 69273-15$245,480
    470 - 67 - 69 - 69275-13$159,679
    570 - 71 - 67 - 68276-12$128,524