Woods misses the cut at Quail Hollow
April 30, 2010
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP)—Tiger Woods had a shocking meltdown Friday atthe Quail Hollow Championship, matching the worst nine-hole score of his PGATour career and ending up with a 7-over 79 to miss a cut for only the sixth timein his 14-year career.
He had three-putt bogeys on consecutive holes. He hit a flop shot that ranover the green and into the water. And he bottomed out on the 15th green with afour-putt double bogey from just over 30 feet.
“It is what it is,” Woods said when asked if rust or mechancis were theculprit. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t good enough.”
Not even close.
Making the performance even more surprising is that Woods was coming off atie for fourth at the Masters three weeks ago, a remarkable performanceconsidering it was his first competition since a five-month break after beingcaught cheating on his wife.
This was his first time playing at a regular PGA Tour event with publicticket sales, and with only a few exceptions, the crowd was as gracious as ever.It was clear over the last two days the fans were more interested in Woods as agolfer than anything to do with his personal life. He just didn’t give them muchto cheer. And he won’t be around for the weekend.
Billy Mayfair was the leader through 36 holes. At 8-under 136 after a 68, hehad a one-shot lead over two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, who played inWoods’ group.
For Woods, it was the first time he had missed a cut since the British Openlast summer at Turnberry, and the first time at a regular PGA Tour event sincethe Disney Classic at the end of the 2005 season.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Lincicome takes early 2nd-round lead in Morelia
April 30, 2010
MORELIA, Mexico (AP)—Brittany Lincicome had a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th inshooting a 6-under 67 on Friday to take the early second-round lead in the TresMarias Championship.
Lincicome was one of the early starters and reached an 11-under 135 total.
Ai Miyazato of Japan held the lead after the first round with a 10-under 63.She was a late starter along with playing partner Lorena Ochoa. Ochoa was7-under after the first 18 on Thursday. Ochoa is golf’s No. 1-ranked women, butis retiring after this event to focus on family life and work on her charityfoundation.
Lincicome’s hole-in-one came with a pitching wedge from 125 yards, her firston the LPGA tour. The American has played all four events this season, playingwell but never putting it all together—until Friday.
“I felt like I’ve been playing really, really well,” she said. “Just ifI’m hitting it well, I’m not putting well. If I’m putting well, I’m not hittingit well. It’s nice to kind of see it coming together, and of all places Mexicobecause this is not normally one of my favorite golf courses.”
Lincicome predicted problems for the late starters—meaning many of theleaders—with gusting winds swirling through the canyons of this mountainsidecourse designed by Jack Nicklaus.
“The wind is definitely putting up a very, very good challenge out there,”she said.
Mizazato is trying to win her third event this season after taking the firsttwo, both in Asia.
Ochoa, 28, is retiring after this tournament, depriving the LPGA of its No.1 player for the last three years.
Michelle Wie, who won her first—and only—LPGA event last season inMexico—was 7-under to start the day and tied with Ochoa. Wie won Ochoa’stournament last season in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Golf-Recharged Mickelson makes move; Tiger struggles (Reuters)
April 30, 2010
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, April 30 (Reuters) – PhilMickelson, recharged after a bout with food poisoning, raced upthe leaderboard at the Quail Hollow championship on Friday whileTiger Woods began a rare battle to survive the cut.
Mickelson, who was ill and faded late in his opening round,looked a picture of health as he shot a four-under-par 68 toreach the halfway stage at six-under-par and suddenly feelingupbeat about his chances.
“I should be 100 percent for the weekend,” he declared.
Mickelson’s 68 gave him a share of the early clubhouse leadwith J.P. Hayes, who fired a course record-equalling 64, andDustin Johnson, who shot a 65.
The overnight leader, Bo Van Pelt, remained in front atseven-under before he started his second round.
Woods, playing his second tournament after a self-imposedexile, found himself in the unfamiliar position of struggling tomake the cut as another massive crowd flocked to the course towatch him play.
The world number one shot 74 on the first day after anerratic effort with his driver and faced the prospect of havingto shoot under par on Friday just to make it to the weekend.
He gave the galleries something to cheer when he birdied thefirst but made bogey at the third and fourth holes as the windsstarting picking up and low scoring became harder.
Mickelson, playing the back nine first, was threatening topost a really low score after he went out in 32, including aneagle at the par-5 15th and a birdie at the 17th, part of thedifficult closing stretch infamously called the Green Mile.
But the U.S. Masters champion failed to make up more groundas he reeled off 10 straight pars.
“I thought I was going to get a few more on the front,” hesaid. “But four under? I would say I’m in good position for theweekend.”
(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Frank Pingue; Toquery or comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) (julian.linden@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646-552-9780. ReutersMessaging: julian.linden.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; For thesports blog Left Field go to: blogs.reuters.com/sport/))
Please click on the newslink:
[GOLF-LEN] for more golf stories
[SPO-LEN] for more sports stories
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Edfors takes 2nd-round lead at Spanish Open
April 30, 2010
SEVILLE, Spain (AP)—Johan Edfors of Sweden shot an 8-under 64 Friday to take aone-shot lead after the second round of the Spanish Open.
The 34-year-old Edfors made nine birdies to go with a bogey on the 17th andwas one shot ahead of Mark Foster of England and Sebi Garcia of Spain. Garciamade five birdies on his last seven holes to surge through the field. Foster isplaying with a borrowed caddie, Janet Squire—who normally works for JeevMilkha Singh of India—and had seven birdies in a round of 66.
Top Sports stories Mascot collides with cop
First-round leader Ricardo Gonzalez barely made the cut after shooting a 79following his 65 on Thursday. Gonzalez dropped four shots on his first 10 holesand added a double bogey on the 14th in a round that didn’t include a singlebirdie.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
LPGA to stage exhibition event in Brazil in May
April 30, 2010
MORELIA, Mexico (AP)—The LPGA is returning to Rio de Janeiro next month toplay a two-day exhibition event, which the women’s golf circuit hopes willbecome a full-fledged event next season.
A document obtained by The Associated Press shows that the LPGA plans tostage a 36-hole tournament called the HSBC Brasil Cup 2010 on May 29-30 at theItanhanga Golf Club.
The LPGA was expected to officially announce details of the tournament laterFriday.
The event was won last year by Catriona Matthew, who will return.
The Brazilian city is looking to host more professional events aspreparation for the 2016 Rio Games, when golf will return to the Olympicprogram.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Woods 9 back to start 2nd round at Quail Hollow
April 30, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Tiger Woods had a different plan of attack after one ofthe most awful starts of his career.
Woods shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday that left him chasing the cut intead ofthe leaders at the Quail Hollow Championship. But instead of an exhaustivepractice session pounding drives, Woods was eager to forget.
“Sometimes when I shoot a high round, I put the clubs away,” Woods saidwith a grin. “Or break a few.”
He might want to start with his driver. Woods hit just four of 14 fairwaysand struggled off the tee throughout.
Other Popular Sports Stories Michael Jordan gets Tiger-like buzz at pro-am Boxers big gamble pays off
He put tee shots in the water off the 17th and 18th holes and made mistakesat several other holes that cost him shots on a day when 66 players were at paror better.
Woods was tied for 88th, nine shots behind Bo Van Pelt, and needs a strongmove Friday afternoon to stick around. He has not missed the cut in a regularPGA Tour event in five years.
It was his worst opening round at a regular PGA Tour event since he shot 75at The Players Championship three years ago.
Not even Woods’ is sure what’s wrong.
“When you’re fighting a miss like this and trying to piece together a roundto keep myself in a tournament, it’s pretty tough,” Woods said.
Van Pelt, seeking his first PGA Tour win, moved in front with a sparkling65. Kenny Perry was next at 66 with Camilo Villegas another stroke behind. PhilMickelson, playing for the first time since capturing the green jacket atAugusta, opened with 70.
Woods had come in hoping to build off his 2010 debut at the Masters, whichfollowed an embarrassing sex scandal and a five-month hiatus. Woods opened witha 68 at Augusta National and finished tied for fourth.
Woods didn’t bring that game with him three weeks later.
He sprayed drives throughout the course. He shouted, “Fore!” when his teeshot on the 16th hole closed in on the gallery. The worst, though, was ahead. Hesplash-landed his iron to the par-3 17th, sailing it wide left of the green.
After the penalty, he stuck his next shot about 30 feet from the pin andsettled for double bogey.
Woods wound up wet again on the 18th, settling for a bogey after finding acreek that slides along the hole’s left side.
When Woods came up short on a 10-footer to save par on No. 1, he was 4 overthrough 10 holes.
Woods kept his cool through his struggles—he was criticized for foullanguage at Augusta—and eventually tapped into the game that made him theworld’s No. 1 player.
He started a rally on the second hole with a birdie, then continued it withtwo more on the fifth and eight holes. Once again, though, an ill-struck shotcost him as he overshot the ninth green and took a closing bogey.
Despite the troubles, Woods pointed to his improved play down the stretch asa reason to believe he won’t be packing up the clubs early.
“Hopefully, I can be the guy who puts together a good round tomorrow,” hesaid.
Mickelson withdrew from the pro-am Wednesday, dealing with an illness he hadfor a couple of days. He appeared ready to go in the opening round, rising to 4under after a birdie on the 15th hole. However, Mickelson said that’s when thehills at Quail Hollow Club began to wear him down.
“I don’t quite have the energy yet, but I think this weekend I’ll feelgreat,” Mickelson said.
Van Pelt used a refurbished putter that helped him to a third-place finishtwo weeks ago at the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head Island. Here, Van Pelt madeseven birdies without a bogey.
“It’s just converting on some of those opportunities,” Van Pelt said.
Perry was the only one to catch Van Pelt after an eagle on the par-5seventh. He followed that with a bogey one hole later to fall into second.
Woods, too, hopes to take advantage after letting several get away in theopening round.
“The course can be had,” Woods said.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Danny Willett takes early lead at Spanish Open
April 30, 2010
SEVILLE, Spain (AP)—Danny Willett shot his second straight 4-under 68 Fridayto take the early lead in the second round of the Spanish Open, one stroke aheadof Nicolas Colsearts.
The 22-year-old Englishman, a former top-ranked amateur, is at 136 total atthe Real Club de Golf, where he has been relying on his 3 wood for accuracy.
“It was a question of laying back, sacrificing 30 or 40 yards just to makethe fairways, because the rough here is brutal,” Willett said.
Two years ago, when the Spanish Open was last played in Seville, Willett was10 under in the third round but then dropped late shots as the pressureincreased.
“That was only my second tournament as a professional and I was verynervous, but now I have got a slightly different attitude believing that if thecameras are present I must be playing well,” Willett said.
With only a slight breeze and hazy sunshine making conditions perfect,scoring was only tempered by the effects of the rough. Those who avoided itprospered.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Tiger’s 74 leaves him chasing cut at Quail Hollow
April 30, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Tiger Woods had a different plan of attack after one ofthe most awful starts of his career.
Woods shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday that left him chasing the cut intead ofthe leaders at the Quail Hollow Championship. But instead of an exhaustivepractice session pounding drives, Woods was eager to forget.
“Sometimes when I shoot a high round, I put the clubs away,” Woods saidwith a grin. “Or break a few.”
He might want to start with his driver. Woods hit just four of 14 fairwaysand struggled off the tee throughout.
Other Popular Sports Stories Michael Jordan gets Tiger-like buzz at pro-am Boxers big gamble pays off
He put tee shots in the water off the 17th and 18th holes and made mistakesat several other holes that cost him shots on a day when 66 players were at paror better.
Woods was tied for 88th, nine shots behind Bo Van Pelt, and needs a strongmove Friday afternoon to stick around. He has not missed the cut in a regularPGA Tour event in five years.
It was his worst opening round at a regular PGA Tour event since he shot 75at The Players Championship three years ago.
Not even Woods’ is sure what’s wrong.
“When you’re fighting a miss like this and trying to piece together a roundto keep myself in a tournament, it’s pretty tough,” Woods said.
Van Pelt, seeking his first PGA Tour win, moved in front with a sparkling65. Kenny Perry was next at 66 with Camilo Villegas another stroke behind. PhilMickelson, playing for the first time since capturing the green jacket atAugusta, opened with 70.
Woods had come in hoping to build off his 2010 debut at the Masters, whichfollowed an embarrassing sex scandal and a five-month hiatus. Woods opened witha 68 at Augusta National and finished tied for fourth.
Woods didn’t bring that game with him three weeks later.
He sprayed drives throughout the course. He shouted, “Fore!” when his teeshot on the 16th hole closed in on the gallery. The worst, though, was ahead. Hesplash-landed his iron to the par-3 17th, sailing it wide left of the green.
After the penalty, he stuck his next shot about 30 feet from the pin andsettled for double bogey.
Woods wound up wet again on the 18th, settling for a bogey after finding acreek that slides along the hole’s left side.
When Woods came up short on a 10-footer to save par on No. 1, he was 4 overthrough 10 holes.
Woods kept his cool through his struggles—he was criticized for foullanguage at Augusta—and eventually tapped into the game that made him theworld’s No. 1 player.
He started a rally on the second hole with a birdie, then continued it withtwo more on the fifth and eight holes. Once again, though, an ill-struck shotcost him as he overshot the ninth green and took a closing bogey.
Despite the troubles, Woods pointed to his improved play down the stretch asa reason to believe he won’t be packing up the clubs early.
“Hopefully, I can be the guy who puts together a good round tomorrow,” hesaid.
Mickelson withdrew from the pro-am Wednesday, dealing with an illness he hadfor a couple of days. He appeared ready to go in the opening round, rising to 4under after a birdie on the 15th hole. However, Mickelson said that’s when thehills at Quail Hollow Club began to wear him down.
“I don’t quite have the energy yet, but I think this weekend I’ll feelgreat,” Mickelson said.
Van Pelt used a refurbished putter that helped him to a third-place finishtwo weeks ago at the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head Island. Here, Van Pelt madeseven birdies without a bogey.
“It’s just converting on some of those opportunities,” Van Pelt said.
Perry was the only one to catch Van Pelt after an eagle on the par-5seventh. He followed that with a bogey one hole later to fall into second.
Woods, too, hopes to take advantage after letting several get away in theopening round.
“The course can be had,” Woods said.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
The Daily Wrap-up, Round 1: Quail Hollow Championship (PGATOUR.com)
April 30, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Tiger Woods delivered a few memorable shots of his own Thursday at the Quail Hollow Championship on a pleasant day that produced birdies and eagles and plenty of excitement.
It’s just not what he had in mind.
He hit a tee shot into the water on the par-3 17th that produced little reaction except to hold out his hand for another ball. He hit his next tee shot into the water and had to scramble for bogey. And he wound up with a 2-over 74 that left him nine shots behind Bo Van Pelt and ended his streak of 21 straight rounds at par or better.
“I hit a bunch of balls left, I hit a bunch of balls right, hit a few down the middle,” Woods said. “And that was about it.”
For everyone else—Masters champion Phil Mickelson included with his 70—there was so much more.
Mickelson had a severe stomach ailment that forced him to withdraw from the pro-am Wednesday, and he started feeling it when he climbed the steep hill to the 15th green. He two-putted for birdie to reach 4 under for his round, only to three-putt from the fringe on the 17th and made another bogey from the trees on the 18th.
“I may have run out of energy there toward the end, but I hit some good shots and was able to shoot a decent round,” Mickelson said.
Van Pelt is using an old putter that he had refurbished, and he already got strong results in Hilton Head two weeks ago with a tie for third, his best finish of the year. The opening round of the Quail Hollow Championship was even better, as Van Pelt made birdie on all the par 5s and made it through the tough closing stretch with all pars.
Kenny Perry shot a 66 and didn’t let the finish ruin his day. After a flawless shot into 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 seventh, he hit his drive 35 yards short of the green on the par-4 eighth and had an open angle at the pin. But he didn’t commit to the delicate wedge, and the ball rolled back to his feet. That turned potential birdie—and the outright lead—into a bogey.
“One little blunder,” Perry said. “But it was a fun round of golf. It’s been a long time since I’ve played like that.”
Camilo Villegas played bogey-free for a 67, while the group at 68 featured a collection of players that included former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, Monday qualifier Billy Mayfair and Brad Faxon, who has made only two cuts this year while spending time working for NBC Sports.
“When you start trending like I did with a 74th-place finish last week, you could see this coming,” Faxon said, laughing.
Woods hasn’t played enough to detect any trends, although this would count as a step backward with his golf. He was coming off a tie for fourth in the Masters, his first competition in five months, in which he broke par all four rounds for the first time at Augusta National.
In his second tournament since his hiatus from being caught in a web of infidelity—the first one with tickets available to the general public—the applause was loud and genuine, with nothing remotely close to heckling.
Trouble was, Woods didn’t give thousands of fans who braved chilly morning weather much to applaud.
There was that opening birdie on the par-5 10th. There also were the two shots into the water, four shots into or close to the trees, and the wrong club on his last hole that sent the ball well over the ninth green for one last bogey.
It was his highest opening round at a regular PGA TOUR event since he shot 75 at THE PLAYERS Championship three years ago. Woods kept his cool on the golf course, but he was in no mood to find a fix when he was done with his round.
“I’m not going to the range today,” he said. “Hell with it.”
It was a wasted opportunity, and Woods knew it. Quail Hollow is among the top courses on TOUR—most players believe it’s as close as any to a major championship—yet there was little defense under warm sunshine and very little wind.
The course played to an average score of 73.25, with 14 players shooting in the 60s and 66 players at par or better.
Van Pelt would not have guessed that, certainly not from what he saw earlier in the week with the fairways firm and the greens running as fast as they ever have.
“The greens have so much slope and they’re so fast,” Van Pelt said. “You can hit it in there close and you’re just trying to two-putt. It’s pretty tricky around the hole. I just tried to take advantage of the opportunities I had, and this is one of those golf courses where if it’s going good, you’d better try to get it. Because it can jump up and grab you in a heartbeat.”
It did that to Woods.
The world’s No. 1 player returns Friday with hopes of sticking around. It has been five years since he missed a cut in a regular TOUR event.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Mickelson: illness maybe a good omen for the week
April 29, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Maybe Masters champion Phil Mickelson has found a winningformula: get sick before a tournament.
In his first event since Augusta, Mickelson fired a 2-under 70 on Thursdayto put himself in the mix after the first round at Quail Hollow Championship.Mickelson persevered despite being fatigued following an illness that forced himto withdraw from the pro-am a day earlier.
Mickelson was quick to point out he won at Doral last year and Torrey Pinesin 2001 not long after being sick.
“The last two times I’ve fainted and woken up in a pool of vomit, I’vewon,” Mickelson said, smiling. “Laying there on the floor wondering where Iam, a good omen came over me.”
Mickelson isn’t sure what caused this week’s 48-hour bug that left himdehydrated and needing IV fluids at the tournament medical center. He didacknowledge he started feeling tired walking up the 15th fairway, and he closedwith consecutive bogeys that left him five shots behind leader Bo Van Pelt.
“I may have run out of a little bit of energy there toward the end, but Idid hit some good shots and was able to shoot a decent round for the firstround,” Mickelson said.
“I don’t quite have the energy yet, but I think this weekend I’ll feelgreat. It think it helps me pace myself.”
CLUB REUNION: Bo Van Pelt thanked his refurbished putter for not only his7-under 65, but his returning sanity. Kenny Perry raved about finding his lostdriver and his game after shooting 66.
The pair sit atop the leaderboard at Quail Hollow thanks to the familiarityof old clubs.
“I guess I’ve got a lot of good feelings with that putter,” Van Pelt said,
Van Pelt had ditched that reliable putter he had used for five years becauseit was getting rusty and dinged up. It touched off a dizzying stretch where hewent through 10 putters of all shapes and sizes with little success.
“I was temporarily insane for about eight weeks,” Van Pelt said.
After missing the cut in Houston following 69 putts in two rounds, Van Peltretrieved his old putter and had it fixed up and shortened.
He used it at Hilton Head two weeks ago and finished tied for third. OnThursday, he had just 26 putts after entering the week ranked 162nd in putting.
“It was good to have it back in my hands,” Van Pelt said.
Perry had the same feeling later in the day. He had taken off the shaft ofthe driver he won two tournaments with last year and put it in a drawer, only toforget where it was.
He recently found it, and used the driver and a belly putter to sit alone insecond place.
“I was like, ‘Wow, where has this been?”’ Perry said. “It was a nicetreasure I found.”
MORE CROWDED: The media tent has been expanded. The interview room isbigger, too.
But the media frenzy for Tigers Woods’ second tournament since his sexscandal seems to be missing from Quail Hollow Club.
Media director Lee Patterson said he gave out 353 media credentials, up fromabout 280 during a normal year. That did force officials to expand the mediawork area by 40 seats and move the interview room to an adjacent tent.
Most of the extra credentials went to national media outlets and televisionnetworks. Patterson said he denied credential requests to TV shows InsideEdition and Extra because they came after the request deadline. TMZ did notrequest a credential, Patterson said.
MAYFAIR’S WILD WEEK: Billy Mayfair likely took the most unusual route to gethimself into contention.
Mayfair didn’t have an exemption into the field this week, so afterfinishing tied for 43rd at New Orleans, he was scheduled to fly to CharlotteSunday night to play in the Monday qualifier.
Trouble is, he missed his flight Sunday. His wife, Tami, rebooked them on a6 a.m. flight Monday through Atlanta. Mayfair awoke at 3 a.m. and arrived inCharlotte at noon for a 12:45 tee time.
“We hit a few balls, got rid of the airplane swing, hit a few putts, andoff we went,” Mayfair said.
With his wife caddying, Mayfair shot 65—including a birdie-birdie-birdiefinish—to make the Quail Hollow field.
“I think I was still riding high from the week. I played pretty well in NewOrleans,” Mayfair said. “Monday qualifier, you just fire at the pins and makeas many birdies as you can, and you don’t worry about making bogeys.”
Mayfair followed that up with seven birdies on Thursday, shooting a 4-under68 to sit three shots behind Van Pelt.
“I had a great day, drove it real well and had a lot of good iron shots,”Mayfair said. “I played very well.”
MAJOR FEEL: Geoff Ogilvy peered over and saw fans five and six deep jammedaround the putting green shortly after he finished his round of 68 before noon.
“It feels like a major, doesn’t it,” Ogilvy said. “Look at the puttinggreen Thursday lunchtime, that doesn’t happen every week. This is a reallywell-attended tournament by players and fans.”
With 11 of the 16 in the world rankings in the field, Quail Hollow has a topfield. Ogilvy also thinks it has a course that could host a major. Quail Hollowofficials haven’t hidden their desire to someday do that.
“It’s a course that feels a step above, challenge-wise, I guess,” Ogilvysaid. “Even in good conditions with short rough, it’s still a really bigchallenge. So I think if we all turned up here and had a U.S. Open or PGA(Championship), it would feel like a normal U.S. Open or a PGA. It does feellike a major kind of place.”
DIVOTS: Parker McLachlin had a nightmare seventh hole, hitting fourconsecutive tee shots in the water to the right of the fairway before carding a12 on the par-5. It matched Michael Campbell’s 12 on the sixth at Bay Hill forthe worst score this season on the PGA Tour. McLachlin, who has missed fourstraight cuts, shot 88, worst score of the season on the tour. … Defendingchampion Sean O’Hair shot 72. … Greg Kraft withdrew after nine holes becauseof vertigo.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
