16 year old Lexi Thompson got all the ink as she was the co-leader going into Sunday's play and at 16 was bidding to become the youngest winner in LPGA history, but she had a bad day, struggling to a +6 78 T19.
In the end it was veteran Swede Maria Hjorth 67 -10 who won by 2 shots, she started the day T4, and she is old enough to be Lexi's mother..
We had 3 Canucks in the top 25 and it has been a long time since I could tell you that,
T16 Stephanie Sherlock 70 -2
T23 Alena Sharp 71 E
T23 Lorie Kane 72 E
68 Samantha Richdale 77 +8
Top 10 Leaderboard
1 HJORTH -10 F -5
2 KIM, S.H. -8 F -1
T3 CHOI, N.Y. -7 F -3
T3 PETTERSEN -7 F -2
5 LEWIS, S. -6 F -3
T6 HULL -5 F -3
T6 SEO -5 F -1
T6 YANG, A. -5 F +1
T9 FENG -4 F -4
T9 MACKENZIE -4 F E
T9 GAL -4 F E
T9 STUPPLES -4 F +1
T13 KIM, M. -3 F -4
T13 KIM, C. -3 F E
T13 STANFORD -3 F +1
T16 SONG, J. -2 F -2
T16 SHERLOCK -2 F -2
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Webb calls penalty on himself, Bubba wins the playoff
In the end Bubba Watson led from the get go and eventually won this Zurich Classic in New Orleans, but it involved a crucial a 1 shot penalty called on himself by co-leader Webb Simpson.
The story from pgatour.com to follow but folks Bubba is not your typical PGA tour pro. He has the most wide open stance I have ever seen a top pro succeed with, he hits every shot in the book naturally, he hits it as far as anybody playing golf for a living, and he is an emotional wreck !!
Much was made about his mum asking him to play so she could fly down from Pensacola to watch.... like he was some 10 year old kid, I mean it's nice but he is supposed to be a grown man. He breaks down and cries at the slightest provocation, yet blows up into terrible temper tantrums at the slightest adversity..
His wife, obviously more mature has been schooling him..
"She told me that I'm playing golf for a living, it's a dream come true and ... I've got to act differently," Watson said. "If I'm going to support kids and do charity work, (getting angry on the course) is not a good example."
He was asked after the round what the win meant to him.."Nothing, absolutely nothing, this coming week I'm hosting a Nationwide event to raise some money for charity, and that's what I'm here for, that's what it's all about"
Not your usual reply from a PGA tour winner, but as I said Bubba might be the best American player in golf, but he is not your usual PGA tour pro...
pgatour.com Watson overcame a three-stroke deficit over the final eight holes of regulation and beat Webb Simpson in a playoff Sunday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his second PGA TOUR victory of the year and third of his career.
"My wife, my caddie and my trainer would say my attitude's in the right spot," Watson said. "This week, I won (by) not getting down on bad shots, just staying focused on what I'm supposed to be doing."
He also had a little luck.
It came in the form of a bad break for Simpson, who remained winless on the PGA TOUR and was left to wonder what might have been if not for an unusual one-stroke penalty on 15 when his ball moved as he was addressing it on the green, less than a foot from the hole.
"I better limit my comments on that rule, because I think it's such a bad rule," said Simpson, who seemed to think windy conditions, combined with relatively dry, hard greens, caused the ball to move. "When the wind or other natural things affect the golf ball, the player shouldn't be penalized. ... It was just unfortunate, but Bubba deserves a win, and I'm pretty happy for him."
Watson, also the winner in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January, matched Simpson with a 3-under 69 to finish at 15-under 273 at TPC Louisiana. Both players birdied the 18th on the first extra hole, with Watson making a 12-foot putt to force the second playoff.
Watson opened the final playoff hole with a 329-yard drive that narrowly stayed out of the water and landed in a fairway bunker. He hit his second shot -- a 7-iron -- 210 yards to the green on the 568-yard, par-5 18th.
Simpson's second shot landed in a bunker short of the green, near the lip, and he blasted out to 12 feet.
After Simpson narrowly missed his birdie putt, Watson made a 3-foot birdie putt for the victory, which earned him $1,152,000 and moved him up from No. 16 to No. 10 in the world.
K.J. Choi, the 2002 Zurich winner, shot a 69 to tie for third at 13 under with Jason Dufner (66) and Tommy Gainey (69). Choi was 14 under after 16 holes, but three-putted for a bogey on the par-3 17th and narrowly missed a birdie putt on 18.
After Watson made his tournament-clinching putt, he hugged his mother, Molly, and wife Angie.
His mother, who did not attend his previous two wins, asked him to play in the suburban New Orleans tournament so she could so she could drive to from her Pensacola, Fla., area home to watch him.
"I want to ask mom where else I should play," said Watson, who had or shared the lead at the end of every round at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana course. "Hopefully, it means a lot to her that she got to sweat and cry and do everything that I did and all my emotions that went through 18 holes and the two extra holes."
His wife, meanwhile, has been telling him for a while to work on his composure on the course.
"She told me that I'm playing golf for a living, it's a dream come true and ... I've got to act differently," Watson said. "If I'm going to support kids and do charity work, (getting angry on the course) is not a good example."
Watson, who considers Simpson a good friend, called the penalty, "heartbreaking."
"If I didn't win, he would have been a nice guy to have win," Watson added. "We went to a playoff, so obviously one shot is the difference. ... It's a sad way to win, but I won."
David Hearn struggled to a +4 76, but all in all has some good thoughts to take away from a week where he was T4 at one point and yet another top 10 for Luke Donald 69, who finished T8
My Featured group
T8 8 2 Luke Donald -10 F -3 info 68 71 70 69 278
T46 30 106 David Hearn -3 F 4 info 71 68 70 76 285
CUT 110 Stephen Ames 73 75 148
CUT 243 Chris Baryla 77 85 162
CUT 221 Matt McQuillan 78 77 155
CUT 50 Graeme McDowell 73 75 148
Top 10 leaderboard
1 1 Bubba Watson -15 F -3 color info 66 68 70 69 273
2 1 10 Webb Simpson -15 F -3 color info 68 69 67 69 273
T3 13 22 Jason Dufner -13 F -6 color info 68 69 72 66 275
T3 1 23 Tommy Gainey -13 F -3 color info 67 71 68 69 275
T3 1 29 K.J. Choi -13 F -3 color info 68 71 67 69 275
T6 2 99 Matt Jones -12 F -2 color info 66 71 69 70 276
T6 2 115 George McNeill -12 F -2 color info 71 70 65 70 276
T8 18 89 Billy Mayfair -10 F -5 color info 69 70 72 67 278
T8 13 123 David Mathis -10 F -4 color info 70 68 72 68 278
T8 13 150 Andres Romero -10 F -4 color info 72 71 67 68 278
T8 8 2 Luke Donald -10 F -3 color info 68 71 70 69 278
T8 3 83 Greg Chalmers -10 F -2 color info 72 69 67 70 278
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
The story from pgatour.com to follow but folks Bubba is not your typical PGA tour pro. He has the most wide open stance I have ever seen a top pro succeed with, he hits every shot in the book naturally, he hits it as far as anybody playing golf for a living, and he is an emotional wreck !!
Much was made about his mum asking him to play so she could fly down from Pensacola to watch.... like he was some 10 year old kid, I mean it's nice but he is supposed to be a grown man. He breaks down and cries at the slightest provocation, yet blows up into terrible temper tantrums at the slightest adversity..
His wife, obviously more mature has been schooling him..
"She told me that I'm playing golf for a living, it's a dream come true and ... I've got to act differently," Watson said. "If I'm going to support kids and do charity work, (getting angry on the course) is not a good example."
He was asked after the round what the win meant to him.."Nothing, absolutely nothing, this coming week I'm hosting a Nationwide event to raise some money for charity, and that's what I'm here for, that's what it's all about"
Not your usual reply from a PGA tour winner, but as I said Bubba might be the best American player in golf, but he is not your usual PGA tour pro...
pgatour.com Watson overcame a three-stroke deficit over the final eight holes of regulation and beat Webb Simpson in a playoff Sunday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his second PGA TOUR victory of the year and third of his career.
"My wife, my caddie and my trainer would say my attitude's in the right spot," Watson said. "This week, I won (by) not getting down on bad shots, just staying focused on what I'm supposed to be doing."
He also had a little luck.
It came in the form of a bad break for Simpson, who remained winless on the PGA TOUR and was left to wonder what might have been if not for an unusual one-stroke penalty on 15 when his ball moved as he was addressing it on the green, less than a foot from the hole.
"I better limit my comments on that rule, because I think it's such a bad rule," said Simpson, who seemed to think windy conditions, combined with relatively dry, hard greens, caused the ball to move. "When the wind or other natural things affect the golf ball, the player shouldn't be penalized. ... It was just unfortunate, but Bubba deserves a win, and I'm pretty happy for him."
Watson, also the winner in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January, matched Simpson with a 3-under 69 to finish at 15-under 273 at TPC Louisiana. Both players birdied the 18th on the first extra hole, with Watson making a 12-foot putt to force the second playoff.
Watson opened the final playoff hole with a 329-yard drive that narrowly stayed out of the water and landed in a fairway bunker. He hit his second shot -- a 7-iron -- 210 yards to the green on the 568-yard, par-5 18th.
Simpson's second shot landed in a bunker short of the green, near the lip, and he blasted out to 12 feet.
After Simpson narrowly missed his birdie putt, Watson made a 3-foot birdie putt for the victory, which earned him $1,152,000 and moved him up from No. 16 to No. 10 in the world.
K.J. Choi, the 2002 Zurich winner, shot a 69 to tie for third at 13 under with Jason Dufner (66) and Tommy Gainey (69). Choi was 14 under after 16 holes, but three-putted for a bogey on the par-3 17th and narrowly missed a birdie putt on 18.
After Watson made his tournament-clinching putt, he hugged his mother, Molly, and wife Angie.
His mother, who did not attend his previous two wins, asked him to play in the suburban New Orleans tournament so she could so she could drive to from her Pensacola, Fla., area home to watch him.
"I want to ask mom where else I should play," said Watson, who had or shared the lead at the end of every round at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana course. "Hopefully, it means a lot to her that she got to sweat and cry and do everything that I did and all my emotions that went through 18 holes and the two extra holes."
His wife, meanwhile, has been telling him for a while to work on his composure on the course.
"She told me that I'm playing golf for a living, it's a dream come true and ... I've got to act differently," Watson said. "If I'm going to support kids and do charity work, (getting angry on the course) is not a good example."
Watson, who considers Simpson a good friend, called the penalty, "heartbreaking."
"If I didn't win, he would have been a nice guy to have win," Watson added. "We went to a playoff, so obviously one shot is the difference. ... It's a sad way to win, but I won."
David Hearn struggled to a +4 76, but all in all has some good thoughts to take away from a week where he was T4 at one point and yet another top 10 for Luke Donald 69, who finished T8
My Featured group
T8 8 2 Luke Donald -10 F -3 info 68 71 70 69 278
T46 30 106 David Hearn -3 F 4 info 71 68 70 76 285
CUT 110 Stephen Ames 73 75 148
CUT 243 Chris Baryla 77 85 162
CUT 221 Matt McQuillan 78 77 155
CUT 50 Graeme McDowell 73 75 148
Top 10 leaderboard
1 1 Bubba Watson -15 F -3 color info 66 68 70 69 273
2 1 10 Webb Simpson -15 F -3 color info 68 69 67 69 273
T3 13 22 Jason Dufner -13 F -6 color info 68 69 72 66 275
T3 1 23 Tommy Gainey -13 F -3 color info 67 71 68 69 275
T3 1 29 K.J. Choi -13 F -3 color info 68 71 67 69 275
T6 2 99 Matt Jones -12 F -2 color info 66 71 69 70 276
T6 2 115 George McNeill -12 F -2 color info 71 70 65 70 276
T8 18 89 Billy Mayfair -10 F -5 color info 69 70 72 67 278
T8 13 123 David Mathis -10 F -4 color info 70 68 72 68 278
T8 13 150 Andres Romero -10 F -4 color info 72 71 67 68 278
T8 8 2 Luke Donald -10 F -3 color info 68 71 70 69 278
T8 3 83 Greg Chalmers -10 F -2 color info 72 69 67 70 278
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Poulter's sked
Here is Poulter's tweet re his sked.
IanJamesPoulter Ian Poulter
My next months golf, next Week off then players championship, Volvo matchplay in Spain, BMW Wentworth, then 2 weeks off before US Open.
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
IanJamesPoulter Ian Poulter
My next months golf, next Week off then players championship, Volvo matchplay in Spain, BMW Wentworth, then 2 weeks off before US Open.
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Jon Mills iin contention at South Georgia Classic
I will be keeping an eye on Jon Mills down in Georgia today. He is a shot behind
Full report to follow
Sunday morning leaderboard
1 T4 Ted Potter, Jr. SC P -7 F -12 70 69 65 -- 204
2 1 Jon Mills SC P -2 16 -11 69 66 -- -- 135
T3 T10 Jonas Blixt SC P -6 F -10 71 69 66 -- 206
T3 T4 Mathew Goggin SC P -5 F -10 66 73 67 -- 206
T5 T10 Charles Warren SC P -5 F -9 71 69 67 -- 207
T5 T10 Miguel Angel Carballo SC P -5 F -9 69 71 67 -- 207
T7 T10 Rob Oppenheim SC P -4 F -8 69 71 68 -- 208
T7 T4 Brent Long SC P -3 F -8 71 68 69 -- 208
T9 T28 Garth Mulroy SC P -5 F -7 71 71 67 -- 209
T9 T28 Matt Davidson SC P -5 F -7 69 73 67 -- 209
T9 T41 Martin Flores SC P -6 F * -7 73 70 66 -- 209
T9 T19 Erik Compton SC P -4 F -7 72 69 68 -- 209
T9 T4 Gary Christian SC P -2 F -7 69 70 70 -- 209
Bryan Angus also on twitter@fairways
Full report to follow
Sunday morning leaderboard
1 T4 Ted Potter, Jr. SC P -7 F -12 70 69 65 -- 204
2 1 Jon Mills SC P -2 16 -11 69 66 -- -- 135
T3 T10 Jonas Blixt SC P -6 F -10 71 69 66 -- 206
T3 T4 Mathew Goggin SC P -5 F -10 66 73 67 -- 206
T5 T10 Charles Warren SC P -5 F -9 71 69 67 -- 207
T5 T10 Miguel Angel Carballo SC P -5 F -9 69 71 67 -- 207
T7 T10 Rob Oppenheim SC P -4 F -8 69 71 68 -- 208
T7 T4 Brent Long SC P -3 F -8 71 68 69 -- 208
T9 T28 Garth Mulroy SC P -5 F -7 71 71 67 -- 209
T9 T28 Matt Davidson SC P -5 F -7 69 73 67 -- 209
T9 T41 Martin Flores SC P -6 F * -7 73 70 66 -- 209
T9 T19 Erik Compton SC P -4 F -7 72 69 68 -- 209
T9 T4 Gary Christian SC P -2 F -7 69 70 70 -- 209
Bryan Angus also on twitter@fairways
16 year old Lexi Thompson tied for the lead in Mobile..
16 year Alexi Thompson 67 -7 209 is tied with Song He Kim 70 for the lead at the Avnet Classic in Mobile, Alabama.
She is colourful, part of the PUMA team that includes Rickie Fowler, she comes from a great golf family with 2 brothers that are pros and a dad that is her caddy..
This is the same Alexi that qualified for the US Open before she was a teenager, so prodigious is her talent.
Lori Kane 71 E 216 continues her steady play along with Stephanie Sherlock 71 E 216 both T26.
There are 13 players within 4 shots of the lead.
Canuck scoreboard
T26 T26 KANE, Lorie E 10:08 AM 72 73 71 216
T26 T26 SHERLOCK, Stephanie E 10:08 AM 71 74 71 216
T33 T33 SHARP, Alena +1 9:20 AM 72 69 76 217
T47 T47 RICHDALE, Samantha +3 8:56 AM 74 73 72 219
Leaderboard within 4 shots of the lead
T1 T1 KIM, Song-Hee -7 12:16 PM 67 72 70 209
T1 T1 THOMPSON, Lexi -7 12:16 PM 71 71 67 209
3 3 YANG, Amy -6 12:08 PM 70 68 72 210
T4 T4 HJORTH, Maria -5 12:08 PM 70 74 67 211
T4 T4 PETTERSEN, Suzann -5 12:00 PM 72 68 71 211
T4 T4 STUPPLES, Karen -5 12:00 PM 68 71 72 211
T7 T7 SEO, Hee Kyung -4 11:52 AM 73 74 65 212
T7 T7 STANFORD, Angela -4 11:52 AM 74 70 68 212
T7 T7 CHOI, Na Yeon -4 11:44 AM 69 72 71 212
T7 T7 MACKENZIE, Paige -4 11:44 AM 70 71 71 212
T7 T7 GAL, Sandra -4 11:28 AM 70 67 75 212
T12 T12 NORDQVIST, Anna -3 11:28 AM 73 72 68 213
T12 T12 INKSTER, Juli -3 11:20 AM 71 72 70 213
T12 T12 KIM, Christina -3 11:20 AM 70 71 72 213
T12 T12 LEWIS, Stacy -3 11:12 AM 68 71 74 213
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
She is colourful, part of the PUMA team that includes Rickie Fowler, she comes from a great golf family with 2 brothers that are pros and a dad that is her caddy..
This is the same Alexi that qualified for the US Open before she was a teenager, so prodigious is her talent.
Lori Kane 71 E 216 continues her steady play along with Stephanie Sherlock 71 E 216 both T26.
There are 13 players within 4 shots of the lead.
Canuck scoreboard
T26 T26 KANE, Lorie E 10:08 AM 72 73 71 216
T26 T26 SHERLOCK, Stephanie E 10:08 AM 71 74 71 216
T33 T33 SHARP, Alena +1 9:20 AM 72 69 76 217
T47 T47 RICHDALE, Samantha +3 8:56 AM 74 73 72 219
Leaderboard within 4 shots of the lead
T1 T1 KIM, Song-Hee -7 12:16 PM 67 72 70 209
T1 T1 THOMPSON, Lexi -7 12:16 PM 71 71 67 209
3 3 YANG, Amy -6 12:08 PM 70 68 72 210
T4 T4 HJORTH, Maria -5 12:08 PM 70 74 67 211
T4 T4 PETTERSEN, Suzann -5 12:00 PM 72 68 71 211
T4 T4 STUPPLES, Karen -5 12:00 PM 68 71 72 211
T7 T7 SEO, Hee Kyung -4 11:52 AM 73 74 65 212
T7 T7 STANFORD, Angela -4 11:52 AM 74 70 68 212
T7 T7 CHOI, Na Yeon -4 11:44 AM 69 72 71 212
T7 T7 MACKENZIE, Paige -4 11:44 AM 70 71 71 212
T7 T7 GAL, Sandra -4 11:28 AM 70 67 75 212
T12 T12 NORDQVIST, Anna -3 11:28 AM 73 72 68 213
T12 T12 INKSTER, Juli -3 11:20 AM 71 72 70 213
T12 T12 KIM, Christina -3 11:20 AM 70 71 72 213
T12 T12 LEWIS, Stacy -3 11:12 AM 68 71 74 213
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Watson and Webb lead the Zurich, Hearn T16th
Lee Westwood has won the Ballantines in Korea earlier this morning, so the world #1 question has been settled.
Meanwhile in New Orleans Bubba Watson 70 -12 continues to lead, now joined by Webb Simpson 67 -12 as they begin play later today
David Hearn 70 -7 is 5 shots back in the group T16
My Feature Leaderboard
T16 4 3 Luke Donald -7 F -2 info 68 71 70 209
T16 4 96 David Hearn -7 F -2 info 71 68 70 209
CUT 111 Stephen Ames 73 75 148
CUT 243 Chris Baryla 77 85 162
CUT 221 Matt McQuillan 78 77 155
CUT 50 Graeme McDowell 73 75 148
Leaderboard Players within 5 shots
T1 3 4 Webb Simpson -12 F -5 color info 68 69 67 204
T1 1 Bubba Watson -12 F -2 color info 66 68 70 204
3 79 John Rollins -11 F -3 color info 67 69 69 205
T4 23 113 George McNeill -10 F -7 color info 71 70 65 206
T4 18 35 Charles Howell III -10 F -6 color info 68 72 66 206
T4 8 31 K.J. Choi -10 F -5 color info 68 71 67 206
T4 5 25 Tommy Gainey -10 F -4 color info 67 71 68 206
T4 5 26 Steve Stricker -10 F -4 color info 70 68 68 206
T4 97 Matt Jones -10 F -3 color info 66 71 69 206
10 2 124 Joe Durant -9 F -4 color info 67 72 68 207
T11 27 134 Fabian Gomez -8 F -6 color info 71 71 66 208
T11 16 87 Greg Chalmers -8 F -5 color info 72 69 67 208
T11 16 59 David Toms -8 F -5 color info 70 71 67 208
T11 7 91 Dean Wilson -8 F -1 color info 73 64 71 208
T11 7 52 John Senden -8 F -1 color info 70 67 71 208
T16 4 96 David Hearn -7 F -2 color info 71 68 70 209
T16 4 66 Nick O'Hern -7 F -2 color info 67 72 70 209
T16 4 3 Luke Donald -7 F -2 color info 68 71 70 209
T16 12 30 Jason Dufner -7 F E color info 68 69 72 209
T16 14 144 Josh Teater -7 F 2 color info 69 66 74 209
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Meanwhile in New Orleans Bubba Watson 70 -12 continues to lead, now joined by Webb Simpson 67 -12 as they begin play later today
David Hearn 70 -7 is 5 shots back in the group T16
My Feature Leaderboard
T16 4 3 Luke Donald -7 F -2 info 68 71 70 209
T16 4 96 David Hearn -7 F -2 info 71 68 70 209
CUT 111 Stephen Ames 73 75 148
CUT 243 Chris Baryla 77 85 162
CUT 221 Matt McQuillan 78 77 155
CUT 50 Graeme McDowell 73 75 148
Leaderboard Players within 5 shots
T1 3 4 Webb Simpson -12 F -5 color info 68 69 67 204
T1 1 Bubba Watson -12 F -2 color info 66 68 70 204
3 79 John Rollins -11 F -3 color info 67 69 69 205
T4 23 113 George McNeill -10 F -7 color info 71 70 65 206
T4 18 35 Charles Howell III -10 F -6 color info 68 72 66 206
T4 8 31 K.J. Choi -10 F -5 color info 68 71 67 206
T4 5 25 Tommy Gainey -10 F -4 color info 67 71 68 206
T4 5 26 Steve Stricker -10 F -4 color info 70 68 68 206
T4 97 Matt Jones -10 F -3 color info 66 71 69 206
10 2 124 Joe Durant -9 F -4 color info 67 72 68 207
T11 27 134 Fabian Gomez -8 F -6 color info 71 71 66 208
T11 16 87 Greg Chalmers -8 F -5 color info 72 69 67 208
T11 16 59 David Toms -8 F -5 color info 70 71 67 208
T11 7 91 Dean Wilson -8 F -1 color info 73 64 71 208
T11 7 52 John Senden -8 F -1 color info 70 67 71 208
T16 4 96 David Hearn -7 F -2 color info 71 68 70 209
T16 4 66 Nick O'Hern -7 F -2 color info 67 72 70 209
T16 4 3 Luke Donald -7 F -2 color info 68 71 70 209
T16 12 30 Jason Dufner -7 F E color info 68 69 72 209
T16 14 144 Josh Teater -7 F 2 color info 69 66 74 209
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Westwood wins the Ballantines, remains #1
Good morning, it's 5am here in Toronto and across the world in South Korea, Lee Westwood has just won is second tournament in a row, last week in Singapore, this week the Ballantines in Seoul. Remember they had to finish up round 3 and have just completed round 4..
Winning breeds confidence no matter where in the world you do it, and Lee's year had been sputtering along, Luke Donald of the top 4 was playing more like the #1, but with these 2 wins he is now in top gear.
The next 3 weeks on the European tour are in Spain.
Here is the report from the course..
europeantour.com Lee Westwood lived up to his billing as he marked his coronation as World Number One with a stunning final round to take the Ballentine’s Championship in South Korea.
The Englishman, who climbed to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking with victory in Singapore last week, spoke before this tournament of wanting to deliver a performance befitting his new status.
He certainly did so today, defying the pressure of expectation to shoot a superb 67 and make a decisive charge up the leaderboard late on an elongated day at the Blackstone GC Course.
It propelled him to his 21st European Tour title, but his first since 2009, and lifted him to €653,508 in The Race to Dubai.
He finished on 12 under, one shot clear of joint overnight leader Miguel Angel Jiménez, who ultimately paid the price for carding two bogeys in the first four holes of the outward nine in the last round.
A birdie on the last for Jiménez - as he had done earlier in the day during the completion of the rain interrupted third round - would have taken the tournament into a playoff, but he missed the decisive putt from 15 feet.
"It feels great,” said Westwood. “I must admit it was nerve-racking sitting there watching people play. You never wish ill on anyone but I'm delighted to win."I've won two weeks in a row before but it's still very special. It's tough to come down off a win and get yourself refocused, but the more experience you get the easier it is to do it."
1 WESTWOOD, Lee -12 18 -5 72 68 69 67 276
2 JIMÉNEZ, Miguel Angel -11 18 -1 70 67 69 71 277
3 PARK, Sang-hyun -10 18 -3 67 72 70 69 278
4 JOHNSON, Dustin -9 18 -3 70 69 71 69 279
T5 HONG, Soon-sang -8 18 -3 69 72 70 69 280
T5 NOREN, Alexander -8 18 +2 70 69 67 74 280
T7 KRUGER, Jbe* -7 18 -3 73 70 69 69 281
T7 MORRISON, James -7 18 -1 69 69 72 71 281
T7 RUMFORD, Brett -7 18 +2 71 63 73 74 281
T10 MO, Joong-kyung -6 18 -3 71 70 72 69 282
T10 KIM, Kyung-tae -6 18 -2 69 71 72 70 282
T10 KIM, Dae-hyun -6 18 -1 71 69 71 71 282
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
Winning breeds confidence no matter where in the world you do it, and Lee's year had been sputtering along, Luke Donald of the top 4 was playing more like the #1, but with these 2 wins he is now in top gear.
The next 3 weeks on the European tour are in Spain.
Here is the report from the course..
europeantour.com Lee Westwood lived up to his billing as he marked his coronation as World Number One with a stunning final round to take the Ballentine’s Championship in South Korea.
The Englishman, who climbed to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking with victory in Singapore last week, spoke before this tournament of wanting to deliver a performance befitting his new status.
He certainly did so today, defying the pressure of expectation to shoot a superb 67 and make a decisive charge up the leaderboard late on an elongated day at the Blackstone GC Course.
It propelled him to his 21st European Tour title, but his first since 2009, and lifted him to €653,508 in The Race to Dubai.
He finished on 12 under, one shot clear of joint overnight leader Miguel Angel Jiménez, who ultimately paid the price for carding two bogeys in the first four holes of the outward nine in the last round.
A birdie on the last for Jiménez - as he had done earlier in the day during the completion of the rain interrupted third round - would have taken the tournament into a playoff, but he missed the decisive putt from 15 feet.
"It feels great,” said Westwood. “I must admit it was nerve-racking sitting there watching people play. You never wish ill on anyone but I'm delighted to win."I've won two weeks in a row before but it's still very special. It's tough to come down off a win and get yourself refocused, but the more experience you get the easier it is to do it."
1 WESTWOOD, Lee -12 18 -5 72 68 69 67 276
2 JIMÉNEZ, Miguel Angel -11 18 -1 70 67 69 71 277
3 PARK, Sang-hyun -10 18 -3 67 72 70 69 278
4 JOHNSON, Dustin -9 18 -3 70 69 71 69 279
T5 HONG, Soon-sang -8 18 -3 69 72 70 69 280
T5 NOREN, Alexander -8 18 +2 70 69 67 74 280
T7 KRUGER, Jbe* -7 18 -3 73 70 69 69 281
T7 MORRISON, James -7 18 -1 69 69 72 71 281
T7 RUMFORD, Brett -7 18 +2 71 63 73 74 281
T10 MO, Joong-kyung -6 18 -3 71 70 72 69 282
T10 KIM, Kyung-tae -6 18 -2 69 71 72 70 282
T10 KIM, Dae-hyun -6 18 -1 71 69 71 71 282
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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