LiveReport: Winner’s Bag: Bubba Watson (PGATOUR.com)
January 31, 2011
Just one more note about Bubba’s crazy length: He doesn’t even carry a 3-wood.
Driver: Ping G15, 7.5°, Grafalloy Bi-Matrix shaft, 44.5" Irons: Ping S59 3-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts, +5" Wood: Ping G15 4-wood, 17°, True Temper PX X8A1 shaft Wedges: Ping Tour-W 52°, 56°, 60°, Dynamic Gold X100 shafts, +5" Putter: Ping Redwood Anser, 34", 3° Ball: Titleist ProV1x
Just one more note about Bubba’s crazy length: He doesn’t even carry a 3-wood.
Driver: Ping G15, 7.5°, Grafalloy Bi-Matrix shaft, 44.5" Irons: Ping S59 3-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts, +5" Wood: Ping G15 4-wood, 17°, True Temper PX X8A1 shaft Wedges: Ping Tour-W 52°, 56°, 60°, Dynamic Gold X100 shafts, +5" Putter: Ping Redwood Anser, 34", 3° Ball: Titleist ProV1x
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Not even Woods knows his progress
January 31, 2011
SAN DIEGO (AP)—The trouble with being so good for so long is that it makesthe bad times look even worse.
Tiger Woods never looked worse at Torrey Pines.
One of the more astute assessments about the state of Woods’ golf game camelast year at the Australian Masters. He was paired in the third round withKieran Pratt, a 22-year-old from Melbourne. A longtime observer noted that oneplayer had won 14 majors among 82 titles around the world, the other was makinghis pro debut, and you couldn’t tell the difference. Pratt shot a 70. Woods hada 71.
A new year looked a lot like the old one for Woods.
To see him open with a pair of 69s at the Farmers Insurance Open made itappear as though his game was on an upward trend, until recognizing that AnthonyKim was better in each of the two rounds.
Woods was outplayed in the next two rounds by two rookies: Jhonattan Vegas,an emerging star on the PGA Tour who showed no effects of a hangover fromwinning the previous week at the Bob Hope Classic; and Brendan Steele, who grewup in a tiny California town (Hemet) that didn’t even have a golf course.
Even more surprising is that it took place at Torrey Pines.
No one has had more success on San Diego’s public gem than Woods. He won theBuick Invitational six times, and won the U.S. Open in 2008 on a shattered rightleg—and in his first tournament in two months. But his record runs far deeper.He had never finished out of the top 10, and he had never finished more thanfour shots behind the winner.
This isn’t the first time Woods has revamped his swing, either.
The first big overhaul was in 1998, and Woods still finished only one shotout of a playoff that year at Torrey Pines. The other reconstruction project wasin 2004, and he wound up two shots out of a playoff.
This time, he was a whopping 15 shots out of the lead in a tie for 44th.
Woods failed to break par only one time on the South Course at Torrey Pinesin his first 32 rounds in tour events. He shot 74 on Saturday to fall out of thehunt, and 75 on Sunday to fall into irrelevancy.
At least he didn’t finish near the bottom of the pack as he did last summerat Firestone, another course where he has dominated.
Woods was flustered when he finished.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” he said when asked if he was surprised by hisscores. “I started out hitting it pretty good out here this week. I really did.And it progressively got worse. We have some things that we need to work on.Sean (Foley) and I have been talking about it every night. I can do it on therange, but it’s a little different when I’ve got to bring it out here.”
Woods said he’s in “the process” of his swing change, whatever that means.When he was changing his swing under Hank Haney, his choice of words was, “I’mclose.”
But even he’s not sure how close he is.
So much more was expected. Woods was coming off a solid tournament twomonths ago at his Chevron World Challenge, where he played great for 54 holes,looked shaky the last 18 and lost in a playoff to U.S. Open champion GraemeMcDowell.
And then there’s the Torrey factor.
Woods will always be compared with his past, and that’s not about to goaway.
At his low point last year—a missed cut at Quail Hollow, a withdraw fromThe Players Championship with a neck injury that no one knew anything about—Paul Goydos cautioned not to judge Woods until he played courses where hetraditionally won, and won big. Still to come was the U.S. Open at Pebble Beachand the British Open at St. Andrews.
Woods wasn’t a serious contender at either, and by then his game was in fullmeltdown mode.
So while it’s too early to measure Woods after one tournament, it’s naturalto raise questions after such a pedestrian performance at Torrey Pines. Nextweek is the Dubai Desert Classic, where Woods has never finished lower thanfifth. The last time he played, he won by one shot over a young German namedMartin Kaymer, who now is No. 2 in the world and could go to No. 1 at the QatarMasters this week.
Then after the Match Play Championship—too fickle to measure anyone’s game— is the World Golf Championship at Doral, where Woods has won three times andhas never finished out of the top 10.
Each result that’s not up to previous standards will make him appear to beeven further away from where he once was.
Woods says he is working harder than ever on the range, and Foley said hespent about four hours a week with him at Isleworth during the holidays,although it sure didn’t translate to the golf course.
It’s the same process—take the swing from the range to inside the ropes.Perhaps he would do well to add a tournament to give himself more repetitionswhen it matters, although there is no indication that Woods will play Riviera oreven the Honda Classic.
The goal is to have his game ready for the Masters. That’s still two monthsaway.
Given the way he started his year, it must feel as though it’s right aroundthe corner.
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Watson, Vegas impressive again at Torrey (Yahoo! Sports)
January 31, 2011
The Farmers Insurance Open, staged at majestic Torrey Pines, felt like the tour’s true 2011 debut, given the surroundings and the star-studded field. It did not disappoint and delivered great drama from start to finish. Here is a look at this week’s winners and losers …
Bubba Watson: Anything could have happened after his approach came to rest in a greenside bunker at No. 18 – and most of it wasn’t good. Yet Watson calmly got up and down for birdie and the victory. With each passing week, he is gaining respect as a player who can do much more than hit the ball a million miles. Plus, he’s not afraid to display emotion, which is refreshing for a circuit filled with too many bland characters.
Jhonnatan Vegas: If Vegas had gone 75-75, we wouldn’t have been surprised. He didn’t. He was in the hunt – until his second shot at 18 found the pond. That means he is not content with one win. If he keeps this up, and there is every reason to believe he will, the tour has a new star. After all, he beat Tiger Woods by five strokes on Saturday, the first time they were paired together. Five strokes.
Phil Mickelson: Lefty going conservative on the final hole? What’s next, Woods signing autographs? Nonetheless, even though he missed one fairway after another, Mickelson was in this thing all the way to the very end and gave us wonderful drama when his caddie, Jim Mackay, went to the green to tend the flag with Lefty still in the fairway. It will be an upset if Mickelson doesn’t win at least once on the West Coast swing.
Dustin Johnson: With all the other intriguing plot developments, Johnson was virtually ignored until a run on Sunday put him in position to steal the tournament at the end. Still, it was another indication that he has become an elite player on the PGA Tour, and that his best is yet to come – and coming soon. His drive on 18 was remarkable. Lefty sure could have used it.
David Duval: Speaking of being ignored, such was the case with Duval, and that’s not a complaint. He never came close to winning, but a 17th-place tie, which followed a top-25 finish at the Hope, gives us hope that he may emerge yet again as a real contender. It would be quite a story given the troubles he’s endured since winning the British Open way back in 2001.
Anthony Paolucci: The 18-year-old high school student from nearby Rancho Santa Fe, who played with a sponsor’s exemption and is bound for USC next year, finished at 3-under 285. Among the major winners (yes, major winners) he beat over the weekend were: Woods, Y.E. Yang, Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, John Daly and Mike Weir. Paloucci did not have a single round over 72. Wow.
Tiger Woods: Where do we start? The balls he left in the bunker? The putts he misread, one after another? Or maybe the errant drives that prevented him from dominating the par-5s? Any way you look at it, Woods is not close to being back in form and might not be for quite some time. He should add events to his schedule, such as Riviera, for instance.
Rocco Mediate: Sorry, Rocco, you don’t get a pass in your late 40s. This was a big stage, and to miss the weekend is a significant letdown. It was all there: Tiger Woods, Torrey Pines, memories of brilliance in 2008. Instead: poor approaches, missed putts, missed opportunities. Rocco thinks he still has a chance to win a major before he goes to the Champions Tour. A major what?
Rickie Fowler: The wardrobe is great and all, but Fowler will be judged on other colors: like how many red numbers he puts on the board. He started well at Torrey with a round of 65, but couldn’t break 70 the rest of the way and finished in a tie for 20th. That’s not good enough, especially for a guy who is still looking for his first tour win.
Bill Haas: Midway through the third round, Haas appeared poised to collect his second tour victory, but a miscue on 18 sent him backward and he never recovered. He posted a woeful 75 on Sunday – he made only one birdie – to finish in a tie for ninth.
Camilo Villegas: Look at the bright side: Unlike in Hawaii, Villegas avoided disqualification, and this time he made the cut. That’s the only bright side. Villegas went 75-73 on the weekend. Through six rounds this year, he has yet to shoot anything lower than 69.
John Daly: Poor John. Poor us. Silly us. Until midway through Saturday’s round, we believed that this could be another magical week for the great, yet wasted, talent. Then he went south on the South Course, finishing with rounds of 76 and 79. Oh, well. We’ll probably believe again the next time he does anything positive.
Michael Arkush is an editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Michael a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
LiveReport: Watch: Barnes drives grandstands (PGATOUR.com)
January 31, 2011
PGA TOUR players are used to flying over bunkers and water hazards, but what about grandstands? The folks at TPC Scottsdale decided to combine Nos. 16 and 17 to create a monstrous par-4 hole. Then they called up Ricky Barnes and Parker McLachlin to see if they could make it from the tips of 16, over the grandstand, to the fairway of 17. What did they score?
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Golf-Vegas poised to reach $2 million barrier faster than Tiger (Reuters)
January 31, 2011
By Mark Lamport-Stokes
SAN DIEGO, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegashas made one of the most explosive starts ever on the PGA Tourand is on track to eclipse Tiger Woods as the fastest player toearn $2 million in prize money.
The 26-year-old stunned the golfing world by winning thismonth’s Bob Hope Classic in only his fifth appearance on theU.S. circuit and he followed that with an ice-cool display atlast week’s Farmers Insurance Open, where he tied for third.
Many had expected the long-hitting Venezuelan rookie tofade at Torrey Pines, where he had to contend with big namessuch as Woods and Phil Mickelson as well as huge crowds, but herose to the occasion with a mature and exciting display.
Vegas doggedly remained in the title hunt during Sunday’sfinal round before his bold bid for a second consecutive PGATour title ended when he dumped his second shot into water atthe par-five last.
He finished with a bogey for a four-under-par 68, hisfourth successive sub-70 round in challenging conditions atTorrey Pines.
“This has been so much fun,” Vegas told Reuters afterending a memorable week at the spectacular coastal venue wherehe played with Woods for the first time in the third round.
“I’m really enjoying the moment, and loving everythingabout the PGA Tour. It’s been a little crazy. It’s just a dreamcome true for me. I’m playing pretty good golf right now.”
His tie for third place at 13-under 275 earned Vegas acheque for $336,400, lifting him to the top of the tour’s moneylist with season’s earnings of $1,248,280.
Overall, Vegas has accumulated $1,294,591 from just fivetour starts, putting him well on course to break the record setby Woods, who raced past the $2 million barrier in 16 events.
GETTING BETTER
For the moment, though, the ever-smiling Vegas is moreconcerned about becoming a better player.
“I just try to develop my game as good as it can be,” saidthe beefy Venezuelan, who signalled his rich potential when hecruised to a six-shot victory over Andres Romero at last year’sArgentine Open.
“Tiger has an incredible short game and he hits the ballgreat and he putts great. So just by seeing that, I keeptelling myself that I have to develop my game completely and Iput everything on a high level.”
Vegas, who booked his place on the PGA Tour by finishingseventh in the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list, has alreadymade a significant impact on Woods and Farmers Insurance Openchampion Bubba Watson.
“He’s a really nice kid,” said Woods, who was outscored byVegas to the tune of five shots in Saturday’s third round.
“He had a couple of loose shots here and there, but herecovered well. He had a lot of patience.”
American left-hander Watson, who played with Vegas in thefinal round at Torrey Pines, agreed.
“He’s a rookie, but his mind was so good,” Watson saidafter triumphing by one shot. “His golf swing is really good.If he had putted a little better today or hit a couple moreiron shots, he would have won.
“He’s a great player and he’s great to have for the game.Hopefully he can help golf in his home country there.”
Vegas, who has rocketed 118 places to 69th in the worldrankings over the last two weeks, is the first and only PGATour player from Venezuela.
(Editing by Steve Ginsburg; To comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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LiveReport: Shots of the Week: Farmers (PGATOUR.com)
January 31, 2011
As expected, Bubba Watson had several of the top shots from the week at Torrey Pines:
Shots of the Week
All the best shots from the Farmers Insurance Open.
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Golf-Old swing habits die hard for frustrated Woods (Reuters)
January 31, 2011
By Mark Lamport-Stokes
SAN DIEGO, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Like a snake slowly trying toshed its skin, Tiger Woods has been struggling to remove oldhabits as he desperately searches for consistency in hisremodelled swing.
Frustrated and bitterly disappointed by his erraticperformance at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open where he oncereigned supreme, Woods has not committed to any tournamentbeyond next week’s Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour.
While the former world number one has shown flashes of hisbest since joining forces with Canadian coach Sean Foley inAugust, he is still prone to sudden lapses under pressure whenremnants of his old swing resurface.
“They’re very different swings,” Woods told reporters afterclosing rounds of 74 and 75 left him in a lowly tie for 44thplace at Torrey Pines on Sunday, a distant 15 strokes behindwinner Bubba Watson.
“It’s tough. It’s one of the things I struggled with when Iworked with Hank (Haney) trying to relearn some new things andgoing away from what I did with Butch (Harmon).
“The old motor patterns are still there, and that is thething. I’m going to have to fight through that. But I’ve doneit before, and there’s no reason I can’t do it again.”
Woods is working on the fourth swing change of hisprofessional career, having previously completed successfuloverhauls with former coaches Harmon and Haney.
Although he often sounds like a broken record at newsconferences when describing such swing changes as a “process”,Woods had been greatly encouraged by his relatively swiftprogress with Foley.
He ended a dismal 2010 campaign with a solid performance atthe Chevron World Challenge, which he hosts in his nativeCalifornia, and was in a buoyant mood at the start of last weekfollowing a highly productive off-season with Foley.
SAME GOAL
“The goal’s still the same,” Woods said on the eve of thetournament at Torrey Pines where he has triumphed seven timesas a professional. “Try to beat other butts, it hasn’tchanged.”
The world number three made an encouraging start to his2011 season, recording seven birdies and no bogeys in his first28 holes.
Thereafter, his form became wildly erratic. By the time hecompleted Sunday’s final round, the tournament leaders had justreached the turn.
“I hit a lot of good shots early in the week, and then itprogressively got worse,” Woods said after finishing outsidethe top 10 at Torrey Pines for the first time. “I’ve got a lotof work to do.”
Once renowned for his short game and uncanny ability tosalvage par from awkward spots off the green, Woods said he wasnot tempted to play the same way as he has done in the past.
“How else are you going to get better?” he added. “You’vegot to do it (follow the Foley path). It takes reps and ittakes reps under competition. You can’t be afraid to go aheadand try it.
“Sean and I have been talking about it every night. I cando it on the range, but it’s a little different when I’ve gotto bring it out here (in competition) and I’ve got to shapeshots. I’ve got to hit the ball with the right trajectory.”
Asked how he stayed patient, Woods replied: “It’s justcommitment to change and to moving forward. I got committed towhat I’m doing, and I’m not looking back. I’m moving forward.
“That’s what I have to do, and that’s what I’m doing,”added Woods, who has not won a tournament since the AustralianMasters in November 2009.
(Editing by Steve Ginsburg; To comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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LiveReport: Farmers Insurance ratings increase (PGATOUR.com)
January 31, 2011
CBS Sports reported Monday that the final-round coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open scored was up 54 perfect from last year, and was the highest rating for the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open since 2008.
From the release:
CBS Sports’ final-round coverage of the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday, January 30 (3:30-6:30 p.m., ET), which saw Bubba Watson beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke and Jhonattan Vegas and Dustin Johnson by three strokes, scored an average overnight household rating/share of 3.7/7, up +54% from last year’s 2.4/5 in the metered markets.
Sunday’s final-round rating peaked at a 4.8/9 (6:00-6:30 p.m., ET). In addition, Sunday’s 3.7/7 was the highest overnight rating for the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open since 2008 (4.6/9).
CBS Sports’ third-round coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open on Saturday, January 29 (3:15-6:00 p.m., ET) earned an average overnight household rating/share of 2.5/6, up +47% from last year’s third round 1.7/4 in the metered markets. Saturday’s 2.5/6 was the highest-rated third round for this event since 2008 (3.2/7).
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Dubai’s downturn halts Tiger Woods golf course
January 31, 2011
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—The developer of a Tiger Woods signaturegolf course in Dubai says the project has been suspended because of a drop indemand for luxury properties.
The halt to The Tiger Woods Dubai project, which included high-end villas,shows that Dubai’s market is still feeling the effects of the severe downturnthat hit the former boomtown more than a year ago.
A statement Monday by the golf course developer, part of Dubai PropertiesGroup, to The Associated Press says the decision to put the development on holdis based on economic factors, but it could resume if conditions improve. Only afew holes on the course have been completed.
Woods plans to play at Dubai’s Desert Classic, which begins next week.
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A win for Watson when Mickelson plays it safe
January 31, 2011
SAN DIEGO (AP)—Bubba Watson has such a tough time keeping his mind fromwandering away from golf that he walks with his head down. If he had bothered tolook around on the final day at the Farmers Insurance Open, he might not havebelieved what he saw.
There was Tiger Woods, who had won the last five times he played TorreyPines, finishing 15 shots out of the lead.
An even bigger surprise was Phil Mickelson, whose reputation has been builton his appetite for taking risks. He was standing 228 yards away in the lightrough on the par-5 18th when he pulled out a wedge to lay up, even though heneeded eagle to force a playoff.
Bill Haas hangs his head after… AP – Jan 30, 5:14 pm EST Phil Mickelson hits from the b… AP – Jan 30, 4:52 pm EST
Hunter Mahan reacts when his s… AP – Jan 30, 4:42 pm EST
Jhonattan Vegas , of Venezuela… AP – Jan 30, 4:39 pm EST
Anthony Kim reacts to just mis… AP – Jan 30, 4:36 pm EST
Tiger Woods rehearses his swin… AP – Jan 30, 4:34 pm EST
Bubba Watson tees off on the p… AP – Jan 30, 4:30 pm EST
Tiger Woods watches his second… AP – Jan 30, 4:19 pm EST
Tiger Woods walks through the … AP – Jan 29, 5:32 pm EST
Bill Haas tees off on the seco… AP – Jan 29, 5:26 pm EST
Hunter Mahan chips to the sixt… AP – Jan 29, 5:22 pm EST
Jhonattan Vegas , of Venezuela… AP – Jan 29, 4:59 pm EST
Phil Mickelson blast from a gr… AP – Jan 29, 4:38 pm EST
John Daly chips to the sixth g… AP – Jan 29, 4:34 pm EST
Tiger Woods drops his putter a… AP – Jan 29, 4:05 pm EST
Phil Mickelson follows the fli… AP – Jan 29, 3:44 pm EST
Bill Haas pitches to the sixth… AP – Jan 28, 5:56 pm EST
John Daly watches his tee shot… AP – Jan 28, 5:03 pm EST
Tiger Woods looks over his par… AP – Jan 28, 4:40 pm EST
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Mickelson had his caddie tend the flag from 72 yards away—a smart move tokeep the ball from hitting the stick—and his shot covered the flag, landedbehind the hole and trickled to the cup until it stopped 4 feet away.
Watson missed it all.
He was in the scoring trailer Sunday afternoon, having made clutch putts onthe last two holes for a 5-under 67. Watson knew he had a two-shot lead overMickelson, and he knew the four-time major champion was capable of anything.
“I’m trying not to get too emotional,” Watson said. “I realize it’s PhilMickelson. He can make any shot he wants to. He’s a great wedge player. I knewhe had a shot at making it, so I didn’t want to get too excited. Over the radio,they said he missed it.”
And so concluded the PGA Tour’s first weekend of network televisioncoverage, a broadcast that barely had a chance to show Woods, yet had noshortage of drama for the final two hours.
Watson took the outright lead with a birdie putt on the 11th hole and nevergave it back, which doesn’t speak to the possibilities.
Jhonattan Vegas, the Venezuela rookie who won the Bob Hope Classic last weekand has quickly provided extra star power on the PGA Tour, was one shot behindon the par-5 18th hole and in the light rough just under 220 yards away. He knewWatson only had a 7-iron to the green, and that his only chance was to stick itclose.
It found the water.
“I tried to hit it close and put a little pressure on him,” said Vegas,who wound up with a bogey and a tie for third with Dustin Johnson.
Watson hit his 7-iron into a back bunker, a difficult shot with the greenrunning away from him toward the water. He played out to the top of the ridgeand watched it trickle to 12 feet.
And that’s when it got interesting.
Mickelson hit a poor tee shot, popped up and to the left, although itappeared to catch a decent lie to the rough, and he could clear the water infront of the green. It set the stage for a theatrical finish.
But as Watson studied the line of his putt, Mickelson grabbed a wedge fromhis bag and laid up. Given the slope behind the hole, he could easily get awedge to tap-in range for birdie if Watson were to miss his putt.
Watson made it.
“I thought he was going for it,” Watson said. “When I looked back downthe fairway and I made the putt, I didn’t want to get too excited because Ithought it was him going for it. I didn’t know he had already laid up.”
Mickelson heard the roar and knew what he had to do.
The tension grew even more when he sent Jim “Bones” Mackay to the green totend the flag, which looked audacious, except that it made perfect sense.
“About 10, 12, 14 times a year, I ended up hitting the pin with a wedge,and it ricochets all over the place and I didn’t want that to happen,”Mickelson said. “I also wanted to give it two chances. I wanted to fly it in,possibly, or I wanted it to skip past it and maybe bring it back and give it asecond chance to go in and the pin would only get in the way of that.
“So I didn’t want to have the pin in if I was going to try to make it.”
Why not go for the green? Remember, this is the guy who tried to hit afairway metal out of the rough, under the trees and over the water on the 16thhole at Bay Hill in 2002 when trying to catch Woods. Mickelson thought it washis best chance at winning, and that’s what he thought Sunday at Torrey Pines.
With the grain of the grass going into his ball, a hybrid would come outheavy and go into the water. A 3-wood would come out hot and go over the green,and making 3 from back there would take more luck than from in front of thegreen.
It just didn’t work out for him.
Mickelson tapped in for birdie and a 3-under 69, the kind of score hethought would win the Farmers Insurance Open.
“Bubba played some terrific golf,” Mickelson said. “I did what I thoughtwould be enough, and it just wasn’t. Bubba played too good. He made great shotafter great shot, and made putt after putt. It was a wonderful round for him.”
Mickelson’s runner-up finish moves him to No. 4 in the world, although hedoesn’t need a world ranking to tell him his game is headed in the rightdirection.
Watson, meanwhile, needed this win to show his first one last summer inHartford, Conn., was no accident.
“It just shows that I can do it,” said Watson, who finished at 16-under272 and cracks the top 20 in the world ranking for the first time. “I did ittwice now. I’m only 50 behind Phil and about 80 behind Tiger, so they betterwatch out.”
Woods, meanwhile, left Torrey Pines raising more questions about his gamethan Mickelson did about his decisions.
He had never finished worse than 10th at Torrey Pines, nor had he everfinished out of the top 10 in his season debut in stroke play. But after a 74-75weekend, he staggered home in a tie for 44th.
“I have some work to do,” Woods said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 11
