Wow. Tiger was 14-0 going into Sunday of a major with the lead. And he lost to Y.E. Yang? Who?!? Amazing, well played Y.E. Read more from the LATimes.com:
Reporting from Chaska, Minn. - When the final book on Tiger Woods is written, these two names will need to be highlighted: Ed Fiori, Y.E. Yang.
Not Sergio Garcia. Not Phil Mickelson. Not Ernie Els. At least not yet.
Fiori came from behind to beat Woods on the final day at the 1996 Quad City Classic, and Yang did the unthinkable Sunday, overtaking Woods in the final round of a major, the PGA Championship.
Wearing all white, the ghost-like figure shot a two-under-par 70 to become the first player from Asia to win a men’s major and the first to beat Woods after he had a 54-hole lead in a major. Woods had been 14 for 14 as a closer in majors.
Consider this: Yang started the day as a 20-1 underdog, according to an online sports wagering site. Woods was a 2-9 favorite, roughly the same as Secretariat in his prime against your pet cocker spaniel.
“You never know in life,” Yang said through his interpreter, Ryan Park.
No, you don’t. Woods led or was tied atop the leaderboard until the 14th hole, a drivable par four of 301 yards. Yang knocked in his eagle chip from some 80 feet to take the lead.
He never relinquished it. Woods put himself in position to make birdies at Hazeltine National but couldn’t buy one on the greens.
He spent much of the round muttering to himself in frustration. He had only three one-putts.
“I made absolutely nothing,” he said. “I had a terrible day on the greens. . . . I hit the ball great off the tee, hit my irons well. I did everything I needed to do except get the ball in the hole.”
In shooting a three-over 75, Woods made just two birdies. He didn’t really crack a smile until he graciously congratulated Yang on the 18th green.
“Y.E. hit it great all day,” Woods said. “It was a fun battle.”
The tournament was still in doubt until Yang’s three-hybrid approach on 18.
With 210 yards to the pin from the first cut of rough, he fired at the flag, and his ball settled eight feet from the cup.
Woods, trailing by one, could have chipped in for a birdie that would have forced Yang to make his putt.
Yang, the 37-year-old native of South Korea, doesn’t speak much English. But despite a limited vocabulary, his politeness comes across.
Asked in English to describe his emotions at that moment, he replied: “I think: ‘Tiger, miss the chip-in, please.’ ”
Maybe even pretty please.
Woods did miss, and Yang knocked home the birdie for an eventual three-shot victory.
“He’s a world-class player and he had nothing to lose,” said his caddie, A.J. Montecinos. “He said: ‘I’m not nervous.’ ”
Montecinos, 35, who played for Jackson State and first caddied for Yang at Q-school in 2007, said his boss is a delight.
“He’s very low-key and easy to get to know,” Montecinos said. “When the general public gets to know him, they will fall in love with him. He’s got a heart as big as this place.”
Yang didn’t take up the game in earnest until he was 19. Since 2002, he has won in Korea, Japan and China, and claimed his first PGA Tour title in March at the Honda Classic in Florida.
And now, the man who entered the PGA Championship ranked 110th in the world is a major winner.
“It just means the world right now,” Yang said through his interpreter. “It hasn’t really sunk in, but I do know the significance of it.”
Wow… Somehow I though that he’d never miss another cut. Read more from BBCsports:
The world number one and favourite for the event dropped seven shots in six holes either side of the turn, including double-bogeys at 10 and 13.
“No doubt I’m frustrated, it just didn’t happen for me,” said Woods.
Woods had previously missed the cut in one major as a professional, the 2006 US Open after the death of his father.
Americans Tom Watson and Steve Marino lead by a stroke on five under.
Woods added: “I played three holes very poorly - up until the 7th I was doing fine, I was where I needed to be, but bogey, bogey, double bogey got me going the wrong way.
“Until 8 I felt I was in there for the tournament - I thought if I could finish under par I might finish the day in the top 10. But I didn’t, I went the other way.
“I birdied two of the last four and I think that’s not going to be enough. You can’t make mistakes and expect to not only make the cut but also try and win a championship.”
Woods had only missed five cuts in his entire career as a professional and had never failed to reach the weekend in his 14 previous Opens.
He made crucial birdies at 16 and 17 and got up and down from off the green to save par at 18, but it was not enough to keep him in the tournament.
The 33-year-old began the day on one over after a disappointing opening round of 71 and in difficult conditions started promisingly enough with pars at the first six holes followed up by a birdie at 7.
That got him back to level par, but an horrific run soon put paid to his hopes of once again challenging for the Claret Jug.
He bogeyed 8 and 9 and then hit his drive into the long grass at 10 where he was unable to find his ball, ending up with a double-bogey six.
Another bogey at 12 was followed by a second calamitous double at 13, where one attempted chip from the edge of the green failed to make it up the slope and rolled back off the edge as he slipped to seven over.
Two fine birdies at 16 and 17 gave him hope, but having to settle for par at the last ended the 14-time major winner’s hopes of playing on Saturday and Sunday.
Amazing… Lets hope 59 year old Tom Watson can stick around at the top until sunday! Read more from TSN.ca:
It is a cool, windy and overcast Friday at Turnberry, but the weather has not taken away from what has become the Tom Watson show. The 59-year-old added another chapter to his storybook tournament by battling back from early troubles to grab a share of the lead with Steve Marino at 5-under.
Watson shot a 5-under 65 in Round One, but had an up-and-down second day. While he birdied the first hole, he had bogeys on four of the next five holes. The five-time winner of the Open Championship regained his form on the back nine and climbed back into a share of the lead with a round of 70.
Marino carded a 68 for his second round.
Tiger Woods has had major troubles, carding bogeys on the 8th and 9th and then a double-bogey on the 10th. Things continued to go badly as he a bogey on 12 and another double-bogey on 13. He has battled back a little and is now 5-over.
The Canadians did not have rounds to remember and are both in danger of missing the cut. Mike Weir struggled through his round shooting an 8-over 78, including a triple bogey on the par 5 7th. He is in the clubhouse at 5-over.
Despite a final round charge from Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, and a stunning run by David Duval, Lucas Glover did the improbable and won his first Major Championship at Bethpage Black in New York. Read more from ESPN.com:
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — In a final hour packed with emotion, Lucas Glover played a steady hand to win the U.S. Open.
So many amazing stories belonged to contenders all around him Monday at Bethpage Black, from Phil Mickelson’s stirring bid to win for his beloved wife as she battles breast cancer, to David Duval coming out of nowhere to nearly win for the first time in eight years.
Glover kept his cap tugged low and played the kind of golf that wins a U.S. Open under any conditions.
He made only one birdie in the rain-delayed final round, and it could not have been timed any better. Glover holed a 6-foot putt on the 16th hole to break one last tie for the lead, then held on with pars to close with a 3-over 73 for a two-shot victory.
“It was a test of patience, that’s for sure,” Glover said. “It was just heart today.”
It was sheer heartache for Mickelson.
His wife, Amy, is due to have surgery for breast cancer next week. She left cards and text messages asking him to bring home the silver trophy from a U.S. Open that has taunted Lefty for a decade.
Right when it was in his grasp, Mickelson let it slip away again.
He missed a three-foot par putt on the 15th hole, and another par putt from eight feet on the 17th that ended his dream finish. Mickelson closed with a 70 and wound up in a three-way tie for second with Duval and 54-hole leader Ricky Barnes.
Mickelson left Bethpage Black with the wrong kind of distinction. He set the U.S. Open record with his fifth runner-up finish.
“Certainly I’m disappointed,” Mickelson said, “but now that it’s over, I’ve got more important things going on.
“And,” he added, then paused, “oh, well.”
Even more stunning was the revival of Duval.
The former No. 1 player in golf came to the U.S. Open as a qualifier who had plunged to No. 882 in the world. Showing remarkable resiliency throughout the week, Duval recovered from another big number — a triple bogey from a plugged lie in a bunker — and surged into a share of the lead with three straight birdies.
Tied for the lead with two holes to play, his 5-foot par putt on the 17th cruelly caught the back of the lip and spun 180 degrees out on the other side. He shot 71 for his best finish on the PGA Tour since he won the British Open eight years ago.
Barnes, who set the 36-hole Open scoring record, never had much of a chance. His swing got him into more trouble than he could handle as he went out in 40, 5 over par, and never quite recovered until it was too late.
That left Glover the most unlikely champion.
The 29-year-old from South Carolina, who chews tobacco and listens to Sinatra, had not won since holing out a bunker shot on the final hole at Disney nearly five years ago.
But this was no fluke.
Once he was handed the lead by Barnes’ collapse, Glover was rock-solid on a water-logged course. And when he hit two of his best shots of the final round to the 16th green for his lone birdie, it made for an anticlimactic finish to a U.S. Open that had more delays than drama.
It was the first time the U.S. Open ended on a Monday without a playoff since 1983, courtesy of relentless rain.
Is Padraig Harrington ready ‘Happy Gilmore’ a golf ball in a PGA tournament? Probably not, but there’s actual evidence to support the fact that it gives him extra yards… Check out this clip from Sport Science for the details:
This is hilarious! Charles Barkley has successfully gone from having the worst golf swing of all time, to a respectable one. Golf instructor Hank Haney (Tiger’s swing coach) took it upon himself to dedicate an entire show called The Haney Project where he personally fixes Charles Barkley’s hideous swing. Barkley somehow inexplicably stops his swing mid-downstroke and adjusts a few times before actually striking the ball… It has to be seen to be believed:
From TSN.ca:
Marana, AZ (Sports Network) - Tiger Woods has committed to compete in next week’s World Golf Championship - Accenture Match Play Championship according to his website.
Woods, the defending champion, has not played since defeating Rocco Mediate in last year’s U.S. Open. Later that week, Woods had surgery on his left leg and has been unable to compete since.
“Elin and our new son Charlie are doing great,” Woods said on his website. “I’ve enjoyed my time at home with the family and appreciate everyone’s support and kind wishes.”
Woods needed 91 holes to defeat Mediate in an epic U.S. Open last June. For Woods, it was his third U.S. Open crown and 14th major championship title.
Woods, who also won the Match Play crown in 2003 and 2004, competed in just six events in 2008 due to his knee injury. In those six events, Woods’ worst finish was at the WGC - CA Championship where he took fifth place.
He collected four wins in those six starts and feels he is ready to continue those winning ways.
“I’m now ready to play again,” Woods stated.
The Accenture Match Play starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday. This year’s event has moved to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain.
“We received confirmation today that Tiger Woods has committed to play in next week’s World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona,” PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement. “We are delighted that Tiger is returning to competition and look forward to watching him compete next week.”
Last year, Woods rolled Ryder Cup teammate Stewart Cink, 8 & 7, to win this title for the third time. That match took place on the Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain.
Woods’ win over Cink was his 63rd on the PGA Tour, which moved him past Arnold Palmer and into fourth place on the PGA Tour’s all-time wins list. Woods now owns 65 PGA Tour wins.
Tough times for auto makers means that General Motors Corp. is cutting costs anyway they can… by halting the 7 million dollar a year payments to Tiger Woods for endorsing their Buick brand. I think Tiger can handle it… Read more from ESPN:
DETROIT — General Motors Corp. said Monday it is ending its nine-year endorsement deal with golf superstar Tiger Woods as the automaker continues to cut expenses and hoard cash while trying to survive the worst sales downturn in a quarter-century.
Woods has endorsed GM products around the world and mainly has been seen in Buick commercials as the company tried to give the nameplate a more youthful image. He has carried the Buick brand on his golf bag since 2000, and his most recent promotion was to caddie for a contest winner for nine holes at Torrey Pines, where Woods won the U.S. Open this summer for his 14th career major.
The endorsement deal, believed to be worth at least $7 million a year, was to end in 2009. Woods’ agent at IMG, Mark Steinberg, said the decision to end the relationship one year early was “absolutely mutual.”
“It was a combination of things,” Steinberg said. “Tiger was looking to gain some more time, and certainly it was an opportunity for GM to reduce its spending with everything going on.”
GM has been making dramatic cuts in advertising as it tries to conserve cash. The nation’s largest automaker spent nearly $7 billion more than it took in last quarter and has warned that, without federal help, it may reach the minimum amount of cash required to run the company by the end of the year.
Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice president for North American marketing, said GM and Woods started discussing an end to the deal earlier this year, and it had nothing to do with the Detroit Three automakers’ quest for $25 billion in federal loans.
But GM’s statement said the decision was made as part of “the search for budget efficiencies during a difficult economy for General Motors.”
Buick said last week that it would be cutting back on its deal providing courtesy cars at PGA Tour events.
Read the rest of the article at ESPN.com
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from ESPN.com:
NEW YORK (AP) - The LPGA Tour will offer three fewer official events in 2009, the latest result of the global economic downturn and its affect on pro sports.
The 2009 schedule released Wednesday has 31 events — 20 in the United States and 11 internationally — not including the Solheim Cup. Tournaments off the schedule include the ADT Championship, which starts Thursday and closes this year’s slate.
Purses will be around $55 million, about $5.25 million down from 2008. The tour announced $53.4 million in purses Wednesday; the Ginn Open in Reunion, Fla., which had a $2.6 million prize pool this year, has not yet determined what it’ll pay out in 2009.
“It’s no secret that the road ahead, particularly 2009, is going to test our mettle,” LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens said. She added that the LPGA is confronting challenges facing not only “other sports and entertainment organizations, but by every business enterprise of any kind in all corners around the world.”
In recent weeks, the NBA has announced layoffs and the closing of its Los Angeles office, and several NASCAR teams have laid off staff to cut costs. Golf isn’t immune, but Bivens predicted the LPGA would be “solidly profitable” in 2009.
“The state of the global economy and the economic crisis we’re all facing has resulted in a slightly different tournament landscape,” Bivens said. “It’s not something that comes as a surprise.”
Besides the ADT, other events not continuing over sponsorship issues include the Fields Open in Hawaii and Ginn Tribute in South Carolina. The Ginn Tribute shut down in August, and officials at Broken Arrow in Tulsa, Okla. announced Tuesday their event, sponsored by SemGroup, would not continue.
An event in Thailand is being added from Feb. 26-March 1, part of what amounts to two international swings toward the beginning and end of the yearlong schedule.
The Safeway International, which was held in Oregon this year, is also gone over a sponsorship issue and essentially becomes the LPGA International in Phoenix. The Safeway Classic, also in Oregon at Pumpkin Ridge, remains on the 2009 slate.
Also missing from the schedule released Wednesday are the after-season events, such as the Lexus Cup and Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge. Bivens said those unofficial-money events will continue getting talked about “in the coming months.”
“It’s a scary time for everybody,” 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr said. “My whole outlook on that is you’ve just got to be able to ride the waves.”
Next year will be one of transition for the LPGA, which is about to lose its biggest draw in Annika Sorenstam, the 72-time winner who is “stepping away” from the game to pursue family and business interests after this week’s ADT Championship.
The LPGA’s existing television deals expire after 2009, making the task of filling schedules for 2010 and beyond even more daunting.
“I wish this economic downturn had waited one more year,” said Bivens. “I wish we had one more year. But I’m grateful we had the past three.”
The average per-tournament purse of about $1.77 million remains largely unchanged.
Next year’s LPGA schedule begins in Hawaii, then heads to Thailand, Singapore and Mexico, not returning to the U.S. until the Phoenix event from March 26-29, details of which have yet to be released.
Some events shifted slots from the 2008 schedule, others changed sponsors and details are still being finalized about the Samsung World Championship, which was in Cleveland this year.
One quirk to the 2009 schedule: The U.S. Women’s Open starts July 9, followed by the Evian Masters, the British Open and the Solheim Cup. So it’s possible that a player who isn’t qualified for those events wouldn’t play between the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic (which ends July 5) and the Safeway Classic (which starts Aug. 28).
“Given what could have been the potential negative economic impact on our schedule, we view this as a barometer of stability, appeal and value for our players and our property,” Bivens said.
Most people play golf their whole life and are lucky if they get a single hole in one if anything! This jackass gets 5 in a week? How much golf does this guy play?? Somethings not right here… read more from Fox Sports:
KAPPA, Ill. - Central Illinois amateur golfer Curt Hocker is on a roll. Five rolls, to be exact.
Ask anyone at the El Paso Golf Club, where the 22-year-old has recorded five holes-in-one in the last week, including two on Saturday.
In this year alone, Hocker has seven aces — five on par-4s — and two other double eagles.
“I don’t know what to think,” said Hocker, who works in the club’s pro shop. “After each one I say it’s over, and it keeps happening.”
Friends and family, 15 of whom have witnessed Hocker’s strokes of luck while playing with him, are equally mystified.
“It’s incomprehensible this kind of luck could happen, but it does happen,” said El Paso pro Steve Fulton. “There are other things in life that have been just as weird and eerie that have happened. What are the odds?”
Hocker said he’s just glad his club membership comes with “hole-in-one insurance.”
That “insurance” means the club — not Hocker — has to honor the golf tradition of buying everyone in the clubhouse a drink after an ace is made.
“I think the golf course is getting mad at me for all the drinks,” Hocker said. “It’s hard to talk about, but it’s awesome to have it happen.”
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