| Armour works to top spot at Pebble Beach | Saturday 11/22, 9:25 PM CT |
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Defending champion Tommy Armour III birdied the final two holes, holing a 30-footer on the 18th, to take a five-stroke lead over Rich Beem on Saturday in the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational, according to the Associated Press. The 49-year-old Armour, a two-time PGA Tour winner, shot a 7-under 65 at Pebble Beach en route to a 14-under 202 total. He had six birdies, an eagle and a bogey. "Everything was working today," said Armour, who finished 62nd this season on the PGA Tour money list. "I hit 'em where you had to hit 'em on these greens. They're a little firmer than normal. And I made some putts."
Our View: Armour, who ended a four-year winless streak with his Callaway victory in 2007, last won on the PGA Tour at the Valero Texas Open in 2003 when he set the PGA Tour tournament record of 34-under par. Beem, the 2002 PGA Championship winner, shot a 68, also at Pebble Beach. He had four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys. The 37th annual tournament features players from the four major tours as well as mini tour players, club pros and amateurs competing on teams. Champions Tour and LPGA Tour entrants receive distance advantages on tee shots. Former U.S. Open winner Scott Simpson of the Champions Tour had a 66 at Del Monte. He was 8 under along with Bryce Molder, the Nationwide Tour player who had a 69 at Spyglass Hill. Oberholser, who caddied for his wife in the event last year while recovering from one of his two 2008 surgeries, shot a 72 at Pebble Beach. Oberholser was tied with Charley Hoffman and Brendon De Jonge at 7 under. |
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| Marksaeng takes lead at Dunlop Phoenix Tourney in Japan | Saturday 11/22, 9:22 PM CT |
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Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday to grab a two-stroke lead at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan, according to the Associated Press. Marksaeng birdied the first and last holes at the par-71 Phoenix Country Club, and added three birdies and a lone bogey in between to finish the third round at 8-under 205, two strokes ahead of overnight leader Tomohiro Kondo of Japan. Kondo fired a 70 and is two strokes ahead of American Brandt Snedeker (70), and compatriots Ryo Ishikawa (70), and Masaya Tomida (69).
Our View: Defending champion Ian Poulter of Britain had the day's best score of 66 to move into a tie for 14th at 1-under 212. The $2.1 million event is one of the richer tournament's on the Japanese men's tour. Recent winners include Tiger Woods (2004 and 2005) and Padraig Harrington (2006). |
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| Wilson surges at Hong Kong Open | Saturday 11/22, 9:18 PM CT |
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Oliver Wilson made six birdies and held off a charge from Bernhard Langer to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Hong Kong Open, according to the Associated Press. Wilson, who has a habit of finishing second, shot a 5-under 65 for a three-round total of 13-under 197, a shot better than Taiwan's Lin Wen-tang (64). Langer had a 63 and was two back of the leader. Seeking his first win on the European tour after eight second-place finishes, Wilson was the only player among the four co-leaders after the second round to stay ahead.
Our View: Eight-time European tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie also played solidly, recovering from a double bogey on the first to shoot a 70. He sits in eighth place, one shot behind Spain's Pablo Larrazabal (64), Northern Ireland youngster Rory McIlroy (66), Italy's Francesco Molinari (67) and India's Jeev Milkha Singh (66) at 10-under. John Daly, the troubled two-time major winner, struggled after two solid rounds, shooting a 73 and falling 12 back of Wilson. Louis Oosthuizen and Oliver Fisher both had 73s to lose their share of the lead after two rounds, while Chawalit Plaphol struggled on the greens for a 70 to fall five strokes off the pace. |
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| 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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