| Oberholser, Armour III share top spot at Pebble Beach | Friday 11/21, 10:06 PM CT |
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Defending champion Tommy Armour III eagled the 18th hole Friday at Spyglass Hill en route to a 1-under 71, joining Arron Oberholser in a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational, according to CBSSports.com. Oberholser shot a 6-under 66 with seven birdies and one bogey -- the day's low round -- at Spyglass Hill. He and Armour were at 7-under 137.
Our View: Oberholser, who caddied for his wife in the event last year while recovering from surgery, jump-started his round with a chip-in birdie from a difficult position on the first hole. Armour, a two-time PGA Tour titlist, had three birdies and four bogeys. He ended a four-year winless streak with his Callaway victory last year. John Cook, who also played at Spyglass Hill and held a three-stroke lead after an opening-round 62 at Del Monte, had a 76 and was among five players at 138. Brock MacKenzie (68, Pebble Beach) of the Nationwide Tour, Tom Purtzer (70, Spyglass Hill) of the Champions Tour, Nicholas Thompson (69, Spyglass Hill) of the PGA Tour and mini-tour player Andrew Hoffer (69, Del Monte) joined Cook at 6 under. Former PGA Championship titlist Rich Beem (69, Spyglass), Bryce Molder (68, Del Monte) and former club pro Brad Martin (74, Spyglass) were tied at 139. The 37th annual tournament featured players from the four major tours as well as mini-tour players, club pros and amateurs. Amateurs were competing on teams. Champions Tour and LPGA entrants received distance advantages on tee shots. |
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| Thompson takes top spot at Champions Q-School | Friday 11/21, 10:03 PM CT |
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Robert Thompson shot a 2-under 70 on Friday to win the Champions Tour qualifying tournament, rallying on the back nine in the final round to finish one stroke better than third-round leader John Morse, according to CBSSports.com. Thompson was one back of Morse entering the final round and two behind at the turn. But he birdied Nos. 11, 15 and 16 and went in front for good when Morse bogeyed No. 17 at TPC Eagle Trace. "There are some difficult holes on this course and I just tried to keep it in good places," the 51-year-old Thompson said. "Some of those water holes are tough and I think I just hit it into the water once all week. It was a good week and I was pleased with how I played."
Our View: Thompson (7-under 281), Morse (282), Tom McKnight (285), James Mason (286) and Steve Thomas (286) all will receive full-exempt status for the 2009 season. Thompson made just two starts last season on the Champions Tour, tying for fourth at the Turtle Bay Championship and 59th at the Senior PGA Championship. Mason, Thomas and Ronnie Black all finished at 2 under for the tournament. Mason made a par on the second playoff hole and Thomas birdied the third to take the final full-exempt spot. The next seven players after the top five are conditionally exempt for next season. In addition, the top 30 finishers and ties from the qualifying tournament are eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events. |
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| Oosthuizen pulls in front at Hong Kong Open | Friday 11/21, 9:58 PM CT |
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Louis Oosthuizen shot an 8-under 62 -- one shy of the course record -- to claim a share of the lead with English pair Oliver Wilson and Oliver Fisher and Thailand's Chawalit Plaphol after Friday's second round at the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open, according to the Associated Press. The 26-year-old South African moved to a two-round total of 8-under 132 after sinking eight birdies with no bogeys in the European Tour and Asian Tour event at the Hong Kong Golf Club. "My iron shots were much better today and I got it closer, which made it easier to make the birdies," Oosthuizen said, adding that he's worked on his putting. Wilson and Plaphol matched their 66s of the first round to stay even with Oosthuizen.
Our View: Veteran Scot Colin Montgomerie shot a 65 and is one shot behind the co-leaders in fifth place, along with Italy's Francesco Molinari (67), Sweden's Johan Edfors (65), Australia's Marcus Fraser (66) and South African Richard Sterne (69). Sterne was co-leader after the first round with China's Liang Wen-chong, who was two strokes further back after a 71 on Friday. Lurking in the background at 5-under are two-time major winners John Daly and Bernhard Langer. |
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| 14-Year-Old Qualifies for Euro Tour | Friday 11/21, 9:54 PM CT |
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A Hong Kong teenager became the youngest player ever to make the cut at a European Tour event on Friday, breaking the record set by current world No. 2 Sergio Garcia, according to ESPN.com. Fourteen-year-old Jason Hak shot a 70 in each of the first two rounds at his home tournament, the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open. He just made the even-par 140 cut at the end of the second round by drilling a 150-yard approach onto the 18th green and holing a 10-foot putt for birdie.
Our View: Garcia was 15 years, 46 days old when he made the cut at the Turespana Open Mediterrania in Valencia, Spain, in 1995. Hak, who is 14 years, 304 days old, has no immediate plans to turn professional. According to Agence France-Presse, Hak, who was born in Hong Kong but lives near Orlando, Fla., said Garcia was one of his favorite players growing up -- although his idol was Tiger Woods. |
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| Daly making noise early at Hong Kong Open | Thursday 11/20, 10:30 PM CT |
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John Daly put himself within four strokes of joint leaders Liang Wenchong of China and South African Richard Sterne, who both shot a 6-under 64 in the first round of the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Liang and Sterne were a stroke ahead of Taiwan's Lin Wentang -- who recovered from a double bogey on the opening hole -- and 48-year-old Frankie Minoza of the Philippines. Daly was 4-under after 15 holes, but bogeys on the last two holes cost him a share of fifth place in the jointly sanctioned European Tour and Asian Tour event. "I'm not too disappointed, being a little rusty. I haven't played in a month. Two under par on the first round here is pretty good. I'll take it," the 42-year-old American told reporters.
Our View: Daly, a former British Open and PGA Championship winner now ranked No. 788 in the world, said he feels he is striking the ball well but is struggling for rhythm because he hasn't been able to qualify for consecutive tournaments. He has not had a PGA Tour card since 2006, when his two-year exemption expired from his last victory at the Buick Invitational in 2004. He made only five cuts in 17 starts on the PGA Tour this year and earned just over $56,000. Daly has also had a tumultuous year off the course, going through a divorce and spending a night in jail last month after being found "extremely intoxicated and uncooperative," police said, outside a Hooters restaurant in North Carolina. |
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| Faldo, like Azinger, wants another crack at Ryder Cup | Thursday 11/20, 10:26 PM CT |
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Paul Azinger isn't the only person who wants another shot at captaining a Ryder Cup team. Nick Faldo, who led the losing European side in 2008, says he wouldn't mind captaining Europe in 2010 or beyond, according to ESPN.com. "A month after I thought, 'Wow, I miss the guys.' I hadn't been in that situation for 11 years since my last Ryder Cup," Faldo said in Hong Kong, according to various British newspapers. "I really enjoyed it. I loved the experience and I thought the team atmosphere was great. We all got on great and I loved that buzz. It is such a special event and if something happens further down the road I will certainly think about it."
Our View: Faldo was heavily criticized, especially in the European media, for some of his decisions in Europe's five-point loss to the United States at Valhalla in September. It was the first time since 1999 that Europe had lost the Ryder Cup. His players, however, have remained loyal. Colin Montgomerie, who was passed over by Faldo for a captain's pick in 2008, says Sandy Lyle should get the nod as captain in 2010. Montgomerie and Faldo have had a frosty relationship for the past several years. Darren Clarke, who was also passed over for a captain's pick by Faldo, agreed. "The days of doing a repeat captaincy are long gone," he said. |
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| Cook takes early lead in Pebble Beach Invitational | Thursday 11/20, 10:23 PM CT |
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John Cook shot a 10-under 62 on Thursday to take a three-stroke lead over Brad Martin after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational, according to the Associated Press. Cook, 51, one of eight Champions Tour entrants in the tournament that features players from the four major tours, had 11 birdies and one bogey. He played on the Del Monte Golf Course, one of three Monterey Peninsula courses used in the tournament. "I just kind of had it working," said Cook, who claimed his second career Champions Tour victory last month at the AT&T Championship. "I really hit some quality shots and put the ball into good spots."
Our View: Cook, whose first of 11 PGA Tour victories occurred in the 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, played on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour in 2007 before joining the circuit for players age 50 and older this year. Defending champion Tommy Armour III, one of eight former event titlists in the field, had an opening-round 66, also at Del Monte. Former PGA Tour players Bubba Dickerson (Del Monte), the 2001 U.S. Amateur champion, and Brendon De Jonge (Spyglass Hill) trail Cook by five shots after shooting 67s. Dickerson and De Jonge both played on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. Jill McGill and Janice Moodie led seven LPGA entrants after both shot 68s at Del Monte. A Champions Tour player has never won the tournament. Juli Inkster, who edged Mark Brooks in 1990, is the only woman to win the event. |
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| Hayes disqualifies self at Q-School | Wednesday 11/19, 11:52 PM CT |
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J.P. Hayes' recent decision to disqualify himself from the second stage of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament after inadvertently playing with a nonconforming golf ball has elicited deserved applause from those who respect his honesty. The decision also has sparked debate over why such practice isn't applied to other sports, according to Jason Sobel with ESPN.com. But don't cry for Hayes just yet. As the 176th-ranked player on this year's PGA Tour money list and having failed to reach the final stage of Q-school, he won't be a fully exempt member for the 2009 season. That doesn't mean he won't be able to ply his craft, though.
Our View: As a multiple champion -- he won the 1998 Buick Classic and 2002 John Deere Classic -- Hayes won't be limited in the number of sponsor's exemptions he can receive throughout the year. Based on the current prevailing feelings toward Hayes' ethical maneuver, don't be surprised if tournament sponsors are ringing his phone off the hook this week in hopes of lining him up as a special invite for their upcoming events. In fact, such an outreach could lead to a scenario in which Hayes is actually able to enter more tourneys than if he had simply swept the incident under the rug, continued on to the final stage of Q-school and qualified through those means. |
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| Azinger would "be interested" in returning to Ryder Cup | Wednesday 11/19, 11:45 PM CT |
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Paul Azinger's last victory on the PGA Tour came in 2000, and until he took on the captaincy of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, he kept a pretty low profile. That all changed with the U.S. victory over Europe in September. "I was out of the spotlight for a long time, but now I can't go anywhere without people recognizing me and acknowledging the Ryder Cup," Azinger said. "And I've had more people say thank you than congratulations." Perhaps it is such a reaction, along with the fact that there isn't a long list of candidates ready to succeed him, which has Azinger open to the idea of returning to the post in 2010, when the U.S. tries to retain the Cup in Wales, according to ESPN.com. "I've expressed to them, if it were offered to me, I would sure think about it. It's kind of up them, it's not up to me. Even if they offered it to me, I'm not sure what my answer would be. I have to play it close to the vest. I don't want to look like I'm lobbying for it, but I don't want to completely rule it out. I know that's not a good answer."
Our View: Azinger, who turns 49 in January, is a 12-time PGA Tour winner who won the 1993 PGA Championship and played on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams. Two years ago, he was named captain for the matches at Valhalla, and accepted the job only upon the condition that there be changes to the team selection process. Azinger changed the points structure, and received four captain's selections (rather than two). He also came up with a team-building plan that divided the 12-man squad into three groups of four players who practiced and were paired together during the matches. The U.S. won for the first time since 1999 and only the second time in the past seven Ryder Cups. |
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| Morse starts hot in bid for Champions Tour spot | Wednesday 11/19, 11:40 PM CT |
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John Morse shot a 3-under 69 in cool, windy conditions Wednesday to take a three-stroke lead in the Champions Tour qualifying tournament, according to the Associated Press. Morse had an 8-under 136 total at TPC Eagle Trace. Mark Johnson (71) was second, and Jay Don Blake (71) and Robert Thompson (73) followed at 2 under. "Conditions were difficult out there today," Morse said. "The winds were gusty at times and made it difficult, especially when you were putting downwind. But it turned out to be a good day for me. I made a couple of great saves and a couple of boo-boos, but it all worked out for me."
Our View: The top five after the final round Friday will receive full exempt status for the 2009 season, while the next seven players will be conditionally exempt. In addition, the top 30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events. |
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