Furyk falls at the finish at Firestone....Final scores

PGA Tour
Bridgestone Invitational

Firestone CC (South Course) - Akron, OH, USA

August 02 - 05, 2012

Defending Champion  Adam Scott

Notes:

First the weather, it rained hard overnight then more on Sunday morning, forcing a 3 hour delay and softening the course, scoring dropped dramatically as a result..

Don't get me wrong Keegan Bradley went out and shot 64, including a clutch 15 footer to get up and down on the 72nd, but never looked like a winner over four days and 71 holes at Firestone

Jim Furyk was poised to finish off a wire-to-wire win at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational until he made double bogey from the middle of the 18th fairway.
His 5-foot bogey putt to at least get into a playoff never had a chance, and he immediately dropped his putter and bent over with a mixture of shock and disgust

Furyk led by one shot playing the 18th and got a huge break when his tee shot bounced out of the trees to the left and back into the fairway. That's where it all fell apart. His 7-iron went long, into a bunker and hopped out into the collar. He had to place his left foot in the sand to play a shot with the ball sitting up, and the delicate chip barely cleared the bunker and settled into more thick grass.

His 4th stopped 5 feet short and he then made what he called "the worst putt of my life" to not only miss a playoff, but to hand it to Bradley who had to put his hand over his mouth to hide the delight he was feeling on receiving such a present the week before he heads off to defend his PGA title at Kiawah Island..

"I led the golf tournament the entire way and lost it on the very last hole," Furyk said. "To get that close and to know that I played more than good enough to win the golf tournament, and not close the door, is disappointing. It is a cruel game. I've lost some tournaments in some pretty poor fashions, but I don't think I've let one ever slip nearly as bad as this one. This was my worst effort to finish off an event."

It was the 11th time this year -- and fourth time in the last five weeks -- that the winner came from at least four shots behind in the final round, remember Adam Scott at the Open just 3 short weeks ago..

Furyk was tied for the lead at the U.S. Open with three holes to play when he hooked his tee shot on the 16th hole, made bogey and never caught up. This time, he was in control at Firestone from his opening 63, all the way through the final round when he started with three straight birdies and made an 18-foot birdie on the 16th to seemingly hold off the late charge by Bradley.

Steve Stricker shot 64 to T2 at -12 with Furyk.. As for the others..

Louis Oosthuizen closed with a 69 to finish alone in fourth. Justin Rose (67) and Rory McIlroy (68) were another shot behind.

Tiger Woods played bogey-free for a 66, his lowest score since a 65 in the second round at Bay Hill at the end of March. He was never in the tournament, 11 shots behind going into the final round, though he picked up the tiniest of consolations. He now has back-to-back finishes in the top 10 on the PGA TOUR for the first time in nearly three years. And he at least heads to Kiawah Island feeling good about his game.   (notes from pgatour.com)



Final Scoring click  http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/leaderboards/current/r476/index.html

Champions Tour note..

2012 3M Championship
Blaine, Minnesota


Langer wins in style..
pgatour.com  Bernhard Langer shot 10-under 62 and outdueled David Peoples to win for the second time in four years at the 3M Championship. Trailing Peoples by four strokes at the turn, Langer birdied four of the first six holes on the back nine, catching Peoples with a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 15. Langer then seized the lead for good when Peoples made bogey at the par-4 16th . He missed the green with his second shot, pitched 15 feet past the hole and failed to convert on his par effort. Langer then closed out the tournament in style, hitting his second shot on the par-5 finishing hole with a hybrid club to within eight feet of the flag. His two-putt birdie at No. 18, coupled with Peoples’ bogey from the sand at the par-3 17th temporarily moved the margin to three shots and ended any further suspense.

Bernhard Langer wins the 3M Championship for the second time in four years (2009)and came from six strokes back to win, the largest final-round comeback in tournament history.

Jim Rutledge T39 70 70 71 -5,   Rod Spittle  T59 E 72 72 72


Final scores click  http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/s568/



Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www.isr1050.com and hosting 7-9am at www.nextsportstar.com

Couples finally wins Senior Open Championship at Turnberry

No it wasn't Tom Watson, who was finally human at Turnberry shooting 69 to finish T10 269
and it wasn't Bernard Langer who had the lead before slipping to 75 -2 278. It was evergreen Freddie Couples, never really a factor during his PGA Tour career at the Open who closed with a 67 -9 271 to beat Gary Hallberg by 2 shots to make his final night at the Turnberry Hotel as inexpensive as ever !!

Couples birdied Turnberry’s closing two holes to seal a dream debut victory in The 2012 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex, finishing two shots clear of compatriot Gary Hallberg following a dramatic final round.

Couples, who had trailed overnight leader Bernhard Langer by one shot going into the final round, took advantage of the German’s slip on the back nine to capture the title with a closing round of three under par 67.

The pair had traded blows before the turn and were tied for the lead when Couples birdied the 11^th hole, before the vital swing which came at the next hole when Langer found trouble from the tee.
He hit a second shot into a bunker and was unable to advance, before then two putting from 25ft to card a double bogey six. Meanwhile Couples birdied the same hole after a glorious five iron approach to six feet to seize the outright lead.

Although he dropped a shot on the next hole, the United States Ryder Cup Assistant Captain produced a stunning finish to pull clear of Hallberg, who had birdied the 17^th himself to set the clubhouse target of seven under par 273 following a superb four under par 66.

Taking a one shot lead on to the final hole, Couples knew he needed to avoid dropping a shot to clinch the title, and the 1992 Masters Champion showed his class, sinking a majestic 20 footer to clinch the 26^th Senior Open Championship in style with a winning total of nine under par 271.
“It was a very fun day,” said Couples. “Being paired with Bernhard, you've got to play great and for a long time there, we were neck and neck.But for me I felt like I was hitting the ball very strong, very solid and I was really lucky that it didn't rain because I'm not very good in the rain! I don't wear a golf glove; I had two gloves in the bag that were all‑weather gloves and I was scared to death to ever put those on.
“That was a big birdie on 17 to make 18 play easier and then when I hit the last putt, the hole got in the way and I won by two. I'm very happy and excited to have won this.”

Couples, who finished in the top ten at The Open Championship on nine occasions, said that the victory more than compensated for those near-misses.
“It’s the next best thing for all of us,” he said. “Obviously I never won The Open. I came close. Last night I really thought about the golf course. I knew I needed to play it well, and this is my biggest Senior Tour win, by far, winning on a truly great, great golf course

Bryan Angus

final leaderboard click here http://www.europeantour.com/seniortour/season=2012/tournamentid=2012860/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

Piercy wins RBC Canadian Open

Well he hates the course, says it makes him play boring golf, but he is our 2012 Canadian Open Champion

American Scott Piercy who set a course record of 62 back on Thursday, went on to shoot three consecutive rounds of 3-under par 67 to capture the 2012 RBC Canadian Open title

Piercy, who picked up his second career PGA TOUR win and third top-10 finish of the season, finished with a four-day tally of 17-under par 263, besting both Robert Garrigus and William McGirt by a single stroke. The 33-year-old, who collected $936,000 (U.S.) in winnings, also earned 500 FedEx Cup points and is now ranked 13th in the FedEx Cup standings.

I’ve been playing good for a while now, and you just need a couple of good breaks here or there and just play solid,” said Piercy, who converted five birdies on the day, including four consecutive birdies on the front-9 at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5. “I felt like I got a couple of good breaks and continued to play solid and I’m kind of speechless, to be honest. I’m really excited to be the champion.”

Not otherwise exempt for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Piercy earned an invite to the event next week in Akron, OH. Piercy was set to defend his 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open next week, but instead he will be making his first World Golf Championships appearance, at Bridgestone.
He earned a two-year PGA TOUR exemption that will take him through the 2014 PGA TOUR season.
 
 The victory at the RBC Canadian Open makes Scott Piercy the 28th different PGA TOUR winner in 2012

Robert Garrigus, who entered the day atop the leaderboard with a one-stroke lead, shot even-par 70 on Sunday, while McGirt, who was in sole possession of second place to start the day, posted a score of 1-under par 69 as both players finished T2 at 16-under 264.

Josh Teater, Bud Cauley and Chris Kirk finished T4 at 14-under 266, three strokes off the lead, while Vijay Singh, Bo Van Pelt and Scott Stallings were T7 at 12-under 268 for the championship.

In his fourth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open, Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. earned low Canadian honours, clinching the Rivermead Cup with a final-round score of even-par 70. Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn finished T71 at even-par 280, while Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont. and Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont. both placed T75 at 3-over par 283

Fresh off a win at the 2012 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship, Toronto’s Albin Choi, a junior at North Carolina State University and a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, earned top amateur honours and claimed the Gary Cowan Medal, finishing T73 with a four-day tally of 1-over par 281

Ho hum, it's what these guys on the travelling circus called the PGA Tour play for,but this week really could have been the Travellers or the Lake Tahoe or the John Deere, it really lacked any Canadian feel for me, none of our guys were a factor, and Piercy who just ripped the course on Thursday after his record 62 will take our National Championship and all the perks that go with it on to the WGC event next week and go on to be as long forgotten as guys like Chez Reavie who won at the Abbey in 2008..

As I said earlier today, hot weather, hot scoring but no sizzle at this edition of the RBC Canadian Open


Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www,isr1050.com and hosting at www.nextsportstar.com

Hot weather, Hot scoring,... no Sizzle at RBC Canadian Open

Sunday tee times  http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r032/tee-times.html
Live scoring click http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r032/

No matter the difficulty of any course. Hamilton rates among the best in the Canadian Open rotation, soft greens are no match for the best players. Ken Fidlin of the Sun points out that the first three rounds of this tournament have produced two rounds of 62 and no fewer than 31 scores of 65 or better. Like St Georges a couple of years ago, these pros are taking a very good golf course apart.

Our national Championship is on this beautiful course, and despite some rain early in the week, being contested in mainly hot sunny weather, but for me this year it just lacks any sizzle.

Ernie was the headliner coming in, he quietly missed the cut and although is hanging around town, he'll throw out the first pitch today, hasn't been a factor..

While some of our 23 Canucks, sparkled briefly ( Hadwin's opening 66 example), only 5 made the cut and David Hearn and Graham Delaet are the best, T50..

We've watched from the Media Center as guys like Tim Clark, Bud Cauley  etc have made runs at Scott Piercy's opening round record score of 62....

However it's Sunday, beautiful sunny day ahead... but so far there is no sizzle..

Garrigus leads, nice guy and  all, he thanks the volunteers and at 194 holds the new 54 hole Canadian Open record that Arnie set back in 1955, Dirt McGirt (who) trails by one, veterans like Bo Van Pelt and JB Holmes are in the mix, Scott Stallings won the Nobody Classic last week when we were all watching Adam Scott's meltdown at Lytham, and he could be a story with back to back's but I dare say nobody hiking around Hamilton today knows who he or most of these other guys are...

It's a far cry from Mike Weir and Vijay Singh ( another in the mix this week) captivating the city and the nation as Weirsy let one get away in extra innings back in 2004 at the Abbey.

Don't get me wrong, Tournament Director Bill Paul and his team have pulled off this massive undertaking again, brilliantly, even organized the weather, and there are 6 guys within 4 shots of the lead with another possible playoff looming. Probably take -21 to win , that's not right for a National Championship, and that's no fault of Superintendent Rhodd Trainer and his staff

Sadly the tourney itself  this year just lacks that sizzle.. Even in the media cente we missed Dave Perkins who apparently has now fully retired after Lytham, and Lorne Rubenstein who was to write his final Championship for the Globe had to attend the funeral of a colleague of his in Winnipeg..

Garrigus, McGirt, Piercy, Stalling, Kirk, Teater ???? That's the PGA Tour these days...Parity, anyone of them could win today... Like I said.. no sizzle..



Here is a report with notes from Golf Canada and pgatour.com
Robert Garrigus carded a third round 6-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the 2012 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Garrigus, a 1-time winner on the PGA TOUR with a victory at the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic, sits at 16-under 194 for the championship, one shot ahead of William McGirt.

With his score of 194 through three rounds, Garrigus bested the previous low score over 54 holes (195) set by Arnold Palmer in 1955 and matched by Dean Wilson in 2010.

“I kind of started off a little slow and then I hit a perfect tee shot on the par 5.  Hit it in a couple of feet, made eagle and started swinging really well,” said Garrigus, whose round on Saturday included four birdies in addition to the above mentioned eagle at No. 4. “Got my distances dialed in and made a couple long putts. You know, it was a fun day.”

McGirt is playing in the RBC Canadian Open this week after he qualified with his tie-for-fifth performance at last week’s True South Classic in Mississippi. That was his best PGA TOUR finish in 56 previous TOUR starts. After enjoying four under-par rounds at Annandale Golf Club in Madison last week, McGirt added his seventh consecutive under-par round, with his 66 on Saturday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club


 After opening the 103rd playing of Canada’s National Open Championship with a course-record 8-under 62 on Thursday, Scott Piercy shot 3-under 67 for the second consecutive day. Piercy is in sole possession of third place at 14-under 196, two shots off the lead.

Scott Stallings, Chris Kirk and Bo Van Pelt are T4 at 12-under 198, four shots back of Garrigus.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. are tops amongst the five Canadians remaining in the field, both of whom sit T50 with a 54-hole tally of 2-under par 208. Hearn shot 2-over 72 in round three, while DeLaet shot even-par 70.

“Obviously, I had a bad day, and I'm looking forward to a better one tomorrow,” said Hearn.  “Made a lot of mistakes out there today, but my game's still very close.  If I have a nice day tomorrow, I can still have a nice finish.”

Toronto’s Albin Choi, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and the lone amateur remaining the field, shot 2-over 72 on the day to sit T58 at 1-under 209 for the championship.

Bright’s Grove, Ont.’s Matt Hill is T62 at even-par 210, while Kingston, Ont.’s Matt McQuillan is 78th at 4-over 214. Hill was 1-over 71 on Saturday, while McQuillan struggled to a round of 7-over 77.

In addition to competing for Canada’s national title, the five Canadians in the field are all vying to win the prestigious Rivermead Cup as the low Canadian of the tournament.

In addition, as the lone amateur remaining in the field, Albin Choi is assured of claiming the Gary Cowan Low Amateur award.

Although he failed to make the cut at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, reigning Open champion Ernie Els will be in Toronto Sunday at the Rogers Centre to throw out the first pitch of the Toronto Blue Jays game against the Detroit Tigers.


Canadian scores
T50 - Hearn, David, Brantford, Ont. 68 – 68 – 72 – 208 (-2)
T50 - DeLaet, Graham, Weyburn, Sask. 69 – 69 – 70 – 208 (-2)
T58 - Choi, Albin, (a), Toronto, Ont. 69 – 68 – 72 – 209 (-1)
T62 - Hill, Matt, Bright’s Grove, Ont. 70 – 69 – 71 – 210 (E)
78 - McQuillan, Matt, Kingston, Ont. 70 – 67 – 77 – 214 (+4)



Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www.isr1050.com and hosting at www.nextsportstar.com

Five Canucks left standing as McGirt and Piercy share lead at RBC Canadian Open

I am re-writing this from home as I left Hamilton at 4.40pm... Stupid move. It has just taken me 2 1/2 hours in brutal traffic. It took us nearly an hour just to get out of Hamilton and surrounds on the 403, I eventually got off in Mississauga and drove along Eglinton for miles, got back on the 401 at Islington and by then it was 6.30 and all the traffic jams had cleared... Stopped at the LCBO I was so pissed off..  Some of that later..

It was great to see many of my old colleagues but I must say sorry not to see Dave Perkins who has offically retired and Lorne Rubenstein who has lost a close friend and colleague from Winnipeg and has flown out there to pay his respects... Also many new faces in the room....

Here is a little info on the two leaders..

William McGirt (63-66—129, 11-under)
William McGirt is playing in the RBC Canadian Open this week after he qualified with his tie-for-fifth performance at last week’s True South Classic in Mississippi. That was his best PGA TOUR finish in 56 previous TOUR starts. After enjoying four under-par rounds at Annandale Golf Club in Madison last week, McGirt added his fifth and sixth consecutive under-par rounds, with his 63-66 start at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. He’s tied for the lead with Scott Piercy entering the weekend.

Scott Piercy (62-67—129, 11-under)
Scott Piercy followed his Hamilton Golf and Country Club record-breaking 62 Thursday with a 3-under 67 Friday. After missing both the U.S. Open and AT&T National cuts in June and earlier this month, Piercy has reeled off 10 consecutive rounds in the 60s and is 39-under during that period. He tied for 12th at The Greenbrier Classic (66-68-68-68), was solo third at the John Deere Classic (65-69-67-65) and takes a share of the RBC Canadian Open lead into Saturday’s third round

Robert Garrigus was two strokes back after a 66, and Bo Van Pelt was 9 under after his own 66. Tim Clark, Vijay Singh and Josh Teater were 8 under. Clark had a 62, Singh shot 67, and Teater 65.
Bud Cauley had a 63 to join Troy Matteson and Camilo Villegas at 7 under. Villegas had a 64, and Matteson shot 68

Lift clean and place rules were in effect again all day and the sun and humid weather in the afternoon started to dry things out (except for several of the patrons at the spiffy Golf Canada bar and catering set up who were seen staggering up the hill towards the car parks ), however tee times have been moved back until 1030am for Saturday as overnight and early morning rain is forecast.

We were all watching Tim Clark who was -8 with 3 to play, to see if he was going to break Piercy's course record of 62. He missed the 2011 RBC Canadian Open due to injury but he picked up right where he left off, shooting a 62 after parring in. Two years ago, at Royal St. George’s Golf and Country Club, the little South African opened 66-64-69 and was tied for second going into the final round before shooting a 1-over 71 to tie for fourth.
 
Earlier I was following the young rookie Bud Cauley as he shot 7-under 63 which it turns out is the sixth 63 here this week. The kid shot 30 on the back nine. It was Cauley’s career-low PGA TOUR round. He is tied for 8th through 36 holes

round 3 tee times click http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r032/tee-times.html
Live scoring click http://www.pgatour.com/r/leaderboard/


Here are the Canadian scores.. Only 5 of the original 23 have made the cut..

T26 - Hearn, David, Brantford, Ont. 68 – 68 – 136 (-4)
T39 - Choi, Albin, (a), Toronto, Ont. 69 – 68 – 137 (-3)
T39 - McQuillan, Matt, Kingston, Ont. 70 – 67 – 137 (-3)
T53 - DeLaet, Graham, Weyburn, Sask. 69 – 69 – 138 (-2)
T66 - Hill, Matt, Bright’s Grove, Ont. 70 – 69 – 139 (-1)
CUT - Markle, David, Shelburne, Ont. 69 – 71 – 140 (E)
CUT - Hadwin, Adam, Abbotsford, Ont. 66 – 74 – 140 (E)
CUT - Renfrew, Cory, Victoria, B.C. 70 – 70 – 140 (E)
CUT - Ciesielski, Victor, Cambridge, Ont. 74 – 66 – 140 (E)
CUT - Fritsch, Brad, Manotick, Ont.  68 – 73 – 141 (+1)
CUT - Ames, Stephen, Calgary, Alta. 70 – 71 – 141 (+1)
CUT - Hughes, Mackenzie, (a) Dundas, Ont. 71 – 71 – 142 (+2)
CUT - Gligic, Michael, Burlington, Ont. 72 – 72 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Weir, Mike, Bright’s Grove, Ont. 72 – 72 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Doherty, Greg, Mississauga, Ont. 74 – 70 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Parr, Andrew, London, Ont. 75 – 69 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Couture, Rob, (a) Trenton, Ont. 73 – 72 – 145 (+5)
CUT - Mills, Jon, Oshawa, Ont. 77 – 69 – 146 (+6)
CUT - Wong, Eugene, North Vancouver, B.C. 76 – 71 – 147 (+7)
CUT - Ferguson, Ben, Ancaster, Ont. 78 – 69 – 147 (+7)
CUT - Ross, Christopher, Dundas, Ont. 74 – 73 – 147 (+7)
CUT - Taylor, Nick, Abbotsford, B.C. 75 – 74 – 149 (+9)
CUT - McCann, Brian, Mississauga, Ont. 75 – 75 – 150 (+10)


Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www.isr1050.com and hosting at www.nextsportstar.com

Villegas, Clark could threaten course record..

Camillo Villegas just left a putt in the jaws at the 9th for birdie that would have had him out in 29. As it is -5 30 is by far his best peformance in what has been a sub par year.

He has missed 8 cuts in 18 starts and had 1 WD after an opening 79 at the RBC Heritage citing a sore back..

His best finish was T18 at Zurich of New Orleans..


Meanwhile Tim Clark who has had 6 missed cuts in 14 starts and a DQ started on the back nine and has just holed a 165 yard 7 iron at the 2nd to get to -6 through 11 holes

His best finish this tear was T4 at the Travellers in June.

The course record of 62 was set by Scott Piercy on Thursday..


Bryan Angus

Scott Piercy not a fan of Hamilton G&CC despite sharing the lead

You'd think Scott Piercy 62 67 -11 tied for the lead would be a big fan of Hamillton G&CC...

You'd be wrong..

In his just finished post round interview he was asked by the moderator if the old traditional style of course Hamilton is gets his juices flowing..

" I will tell you this course for me takes the juices out of it because it's not an exciting course where you generally go hit driver. It's a lot of position off the tee and it's a lot of position into the green. You want to be in the front of the green or the middle of the green and putting into the corners

For me I like to be aggressive and shoot at things but that's really boring for me. Like at the Phoenix Open you're going out for birdies and everybody knows it. Here it's more playing for pars and hoping the birdies fall.

If I win I'll have a lot of fun, but you know this golf is really boring for me, I'm not going for it. "

By the numbers Piercy is 14th on Tour in driving distance at 301.9 yards and 14th in eagles...



Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and on www.isr1050.com and hosting at www.nextsportstar.com