Tour Report: Oberholser leaves with mixed emotions (PGATOUR.com)
February 4, 2012
Petersen/Getty ImagesArron Oberholser enjoyed returning to competition this week, but hoped for better results.
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The test Arron Oberholser expected came early during his first competitive round in more than two years.
Oberholser overcooked a draw off the 10th tee on Thursday that bounced about 4 yards off the fairway and settled down into the left rough. He knew he was going to have to dig it out of the thick grass and he wondered how his surgically-repaired hand would respond.
As soon as he made contact, Oberholser felt a tingling all the way down his fingers. They were numb for the next seven or eight holes. There were times when the pain in his hand was so sharp he couldn’t grip the club properly, too.
"There’s some issues there for sure," Oberholser said.
With good reason, too. Oberholser has had four operations on his left hand since October 2007. Doctors removed a fragment of the hamate bone and later took part of the pisiform bone in his wrist, as well as cleaned up cartilage damage and excised bone spurs.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Oberholser, who had long been bothered by back problems, also underwent hip surgery along the way.
So until this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Oberholser had not hit a shot in competition since the 2009 Frys.com Open where he tied for 33rd. He ended up shooting 1 over for two rounds at TPC Scottsdale, opening with a 72 and shooting even par on Friday.
While 30 players must return to complete their rounds on Saturday morning, Oberholser, who lives in Phoenix, will likely miss the cut by at least a shot. While he enjoyed seeing old friends and competing, he had mixed feelings about the result.
“This is a golf course I know like the back of my hand," he said. "I putted terrible. I couldn’t get the ball up and down when I needed to. I didn’t take advantage of the par 5s. I can count five shots in the two days that I left out there that if I was back in 2007 I’d be in the house at worst, 68-69 right now.
"That’s lack of play. It’s lack of being tournament sharp. I guess because of that I shouldn’t feel too bad. I’m playing on one-and-a-half hands while everybody else out here has two. I guess I could take away that (from the experience)."
Oberholser says he’s seen five different hand specialists. One told the San Jose State grad he’d be fine. But another told him he had a certain amount of shots left in that hand — "don’t waste them," Oberholser recalled the words of caution. "So I’m more apt to believe that guy at this point."
Oberholser plans to play in next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am where he picked up his lone TOUR victory in 2006 before the hand problems disrupted his career. After that, he’s not sure.
"It’s not like I can get it any stronger, that’s the problem. and the structure is not going to get any better because they don’t have a prosthesis they can put right here," Oberholser said wryly, pointing to his hand.
Oberholser has 13 more events in 2012 to earn $349,854, which coupled with his 2008 earnings of $454,881 and 2009 earnings of 48,017, would equal No. 125 from the 2008 money list and make him fully exempt for the rest of the season. That is, if he decides to continue to play professionally. Right now, he’s just not sure what will happen.
"I’m happy," Oberholser said after he finished his round on Friday. "I’m happy that I know if I had two good hands I could still play this game at a very high level. We’ll see what happens from here on out. It might get better but I don’t know."
Badds driving cool ride
Aaron Baddeley is turning heads this week with his 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback.
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Bubba Watson’s General Lee has gotten plenty of publicity in the three weeks since he bought the car made famous by the "Dukes of Hazzard."
The orange Dodge Charger even landed its own parking space this week in the past champions lot at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Several spaces down, though, another classic has been attracting some attention. It’s a red 1968 Fastback Mustang with white racing stripes that belongs to the 2007 champion, Aaron Baddeley.
Baddeley, who lives about five minutes from TPC Scottsdale, has driven the car to the course each of the last two days. Baddeley bought the car in Australia and he and his dad spent about five years restoring it.
"We tried to keep the old feel about it," Baddeley said. "We kept it very simple on the inside — no radio. We put a Cleveland 351 engine in there and it’s got about 500 horses."
The best part? It’s probably the white lettering on the passenger side of the car near the front wheel.
"It’s great," the Aussie said. "It’s got ‘Badds’ on the side which is pretty cool. We tried to keep it original … yet make it sort of unique for myself."
Baddeley, who shot 67 on Friday and will start the third round at 3 under, also has a Ford F150 truck and a Pontiac GTO RA6.
"I sort of go between the three," he said. "I definitely enjoy driving (the Mustang). I just started getting comfortable driving it now — just breaking it in and getting a feel for it. It drives so different because it’s an old car."
Play suspended, cut comes Saturday
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – For the second straight day, play has been suspended by darkness at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
The horn sounded at 8:07 p.m. ET on a day that started with another hour-long frost delay. The 34 players who have not completed the second round will return at 9:30 a.m. ET to resume play. Everyone has completed at least 11 holes in the second round.
Spencer Levin played in the morning wave and finished off a round of 63 that left him in the lead at 14 under. He eagled the 17th hole, holing his bunker shot, and made six other birdies but still admitted he was a little surprised to be leading the tournament.
“Yesterday on the range before I teed off, I didn’t feel good about my swing at all,’ said Levin, who had opened with a 62 last week at Torrey Pines but didn’t break par the next three rounds. “I was hitting it all over the range.
“I bogeyed my first hole of the tournament and told my caddie going to the next tee, this might be a nine‑hole week here. That shows you what I know, shows you how crazy this game is, I guess. After that … I really don’t know, I just started playing good, simple as that. I wish I could tell you more. “
Harrison Frazar is three strokes behind and has three holes remaining while rookie John Huh and Webb Simpson, a two-time winner last year, are tied at 8 under. Frazar started on the back nine, turned in 31 and has yet to make a bogey in the second round.
“There towards the end it was getting kind of tough to control the ball and see a little bit,” Frazar said. “The temperature dropped so the ball flies a little differently. But I thought I played pretty well so far. I’ve made some good putts. I’ve hit some good shots, driving the ball in the fairway, which is huge.
“So I feel fine … happy where I am.”
The field will be cut to the low 70s and ties when the second round is complete. Right now, there are 79 players at even par or better. Among those in danger of making an early exit are Davis Love III, Anthony Kim, Ryan Moore and former major champions Y.E. Yang and Angel Cabrera
Players who survive the cut will be sent off two tees in threesomes. This marks the sixth straight year the cut has been made on Saturday.
Phil, Rickie, Dustin end up in a tie
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Phil Mickelson just took one for the “team.”
While his playing partners, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson, were putting out at the 17th hole, Mickelson jogged to the 18th tee because he knew tournament officials were getting close to suspending play due to darkness.
Once Mickelson teed off, hitting his drive into the rough above the right fairway bunker, his entire group would be allowed to finish the hole. As it was, all three ended up teeing off just before the horn sounded at 8:07 p.m. ET.
Mickelson ended up making par on the 18th to finish 4 under for the tournament and tied with his playing partners. Johnson made bogey there for a 70 while Fowler shot his second straight 69.
Mickelson made a nice recovery on the back nine. He had dropped back to even par and was in danger of missing his second straight cut when he made the turn in 38 but Mickelson played his final four holes in 32 to assure himself of a spot on the weekend.
“The front nine, I don’t know what to say,” Mickelson said. “I mean, it was just terrible, and I was able to kind of self‑correct it a little bit for the back to shoot 4‑under and turn it around.
“It’s not what I was hoping for going into the day, but I’m looking forward to playing the weekend and seeing if I can light it up on the weekend. My putter feels great. When I get this ball‑striking ironed out I think I’ll have a chance to go low.”
Gainey, Singh, Kirk, Cink withdraw
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Tommy Gainey, Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink and Chris Kirk withdrew from the Waste Management Phoenix Open after play was suspended on Friday night.
“I was coughing, sneezing, everything out there,” Gainey said. “You name it, I did it.”
Gainey, who held the 36-hole lead at TPC Scottsdale a year ago, had played 13 holes in the second round. He was 11 over for the tournament.
Singh and Kirk were playing together and had one hole to play. Singh was 1 under for the day and 4 over for the tournament while Kirk was 2 over through 17 holes and 3 over for the tournament.
Cink had rebounded well from his opening 83, playing 15 holes of the second round in 2 under.
Watch: Phil’s latest save
Mickelson saves par on No. 11
Poor tee shot? No problem for Phil Mickelson, who gets up-and-down from 182 yards out to save par on the par-4 11th.
FedExCup leader wants zone to be norm
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Johnson Wagner is the only player on TOUR who has posted top-10 finishes in his first three starts of the 2012 season.
He’s well on his way to another — and maybe more — after a 69 on Friday moved him to 5 under at the midway point of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Wagner leads the FedExCup standings after a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii and a tie for second in his last start at the Humana Challenge. He also tied for ninth at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
So what’s it like to be in that kind of a zone?
"It’s good," Wagner said. "I’m really hoping this is kind of the norm from now on. I’m making a lot of mistakes but when I’m putting as good as I am right now it makes a lot of things easier because I can rely on making a lot of 10-, 15-footers for birdie. I know I am never really out of the hole if I can chip it close.
"Putting has been huge key for the first month of the season."
Wagner played with two good friends in Mark Wilson and Brandt Snedeker, his junior golf foe, and called it "probably one of the best pairings I could ask for." Wilson, who won the Humana Challenge, is 3 under for the tournament while Snedeker, last week’s champ, is 1 under.
Wagner has already posted more rounds in the 60s this week than in four previous appearances here. He has three missed cuts and a tie for 60th in Phoenix two years ago. His lone sub-70 round at TPC Scottsdale, a 67, came that week in 2010.
"I always liked it and always thought I could play well here," said Wagner, who appears to be proving himself right. "I’m just making a lot of birdies and I’ve got to minimize the mistakes this weekend."
Leaderboard update: Gap narrowing
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Spencer Levin finished off his second-round 63 on Friday, he stood 14 under and led the Waste Management Phoenix Open by seven strokes.
The afternoon wave is on the course now, though, and Harrison Frazar, Webb Simpson and Derek Lamely, among others, are narrowing the gap considerably.
Frazar has made six birdies in his first 10 holes and now stands 11 under, just three strokes off the pace. Simpson, meanwhile, just holed a bunker shot at the par-5 13th hole for his second straight birdie to get to 9 under.
Lamely is 4 under through 15 holes, which puts him in a tie with John Huh, who is finished at 8 under. Josh Teater and Kevin Na are tied at 7 under with three and eight holes, respectively.
Fan favorite Phil Mickelson got off to a rough start, making bogey at the fifth and a double at the sixth to drop back to even for the tournament — which is the current cut line. Lefty has birdied the 10th and 13th holes, though, to give himself a bit of a cushion at 2 under with four holes left.
Mickelson’s playing partners, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, are further up the leaderboard at 5 under and 6 under, respectively.
Petersen/Getty Images Arron Oberholser enjoyed returning to competition this week, but hoped for better results. By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The test Arron Oberholser expected came early during his first competitive round in more than two years. Oberholser overcooked a draw off the 10th tee on Thursday that bounced about 4 yards off […]
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Golf-U.S. PGA Tour Phoenix Open scores=2 (Reuters)
February 4, 2012
WDW Paul Goydos (U.S.) 36 80 TOP10 AFTER COMPLETE ROUND -14 Spencer Levin (U.S.) 65 63 -8 John Huh (U.S.) 68 66
Webb Simpson (U.S.) 65 69 -7 Kyle Stanley (U.S.) 69 66 -6 Ryan Palmer (U.S.) 64 72
Ben Crane (U.S.) 69 67
Bubba Watson (U.S.) 66 70
Bo Van Pelt (U.S.) 65 71
Jason Dufner (U.S.) 64 72
Derek Lamely (U.S.) 66 70 (Compiled by Infostrada; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Spencer Levin takes Phoenix Open lead
February 4, 2012
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Spencer Levin took one last drag on his cigarette,stamped it out in the rough and climbed into the bunker behind the 17th green.He set up quickly, took a quick glance at the hole and splashed out.
The ball landed about 10 feet from the hole, bounced twice and rolled intothe cup for an eagle-2 that pushed him to 14-under par Friday in the secondround of the Phoenix Open. A few minutes—and another cigarette—later, heparred the 18th for an 8-under 63 and a three-stroke lead.
“Hopefully, I can just keep trying to believe in myself and just keeptrying to make my swing, and we’ll see what happens,” Levin said. “I’m goingto give it my best shot. It should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
Spencer Levin celebrates as hi… AP – Feb 3, 5:40 pm EST Spencer Levin points to the cr… AP – Feb 3, 5:35 pm EST
Spencer Levin reacts as he mis… AP – Feb 3, 3:21 pm EST
Bubba Watson hits his tee shot… AP – Feb 3, 3:00 pm EST 1 of 4 Golf Gallery
Harrison Frazar was 6 under for the round and 11 under overall with threeholes left at TPC Scottsdale when play was suspended because of darkness.
“There toward the end it was getting kind of tough to control the ball andto see it,” said Frazar, the St. Jude Classic winner last year. “Thetemperature dropped, so the ball flies a little differently.”
Webb Simpson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 6, was third at8 under along with tour rookie John Huh. Simpson shot a 69 in the last group tofinish play on No. 18, and Huh had a 66.
“That was probably the darkest I’ve ever played,” Simpson said. “Icouldn’t really see anything.”
Kyle Stanley was 7 under after a 66 as he tries to rebound from adevastating loss last week. On Sunday at Torrey Pines, he made a triple-bogey 8on the final hole of regulation and lost to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff.
The 27-year-old Levin, remembered for a hole-in-one and 13th-place tie inthe 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock while still in school at New Mexico, is winlesson the PGA Tour. He came close last year, losing a playoff to Johnson Wagner inthe Mayakoba Golf Classic. At Torrey Pines, Levin had a share of the first-roundlead after a 62, but followed with rounds of 76, 73 and 72 to tie for 43rd.
“Last week, I played great the first round and didn’t play well the rest ofthe week, but overall I think my game is getting better,” Levin said.
Fan favorite Phil Mickelson finished off a 70 at dusk to reach 4 under. Hehad a bogey and a double bogey in a front-nine 38, then made four birdies—thelast drawing the loudest cheers of the day on the amphitheater par-3 16th—onthe back nine.
“The front nine, I don’t know what to say. I mean, it was just terrible,”said Mickelson, the former Arizona State star who won the tournament in 1996 and2005.
“I was able to kind of self-correct it a little bit for the back to shoot 4under and turn it around. It’s not what I was hoping for going into the day, butI’m looking forward to playing the weekend and seeing if I can light it up.”
Defending champion Mark Wilson, coming off a victory two weeks ago in theHumana Challenge, was 3 under after a 69.
Huh, a 21-year-old Q-school grad from California, is making his third PGATour start. He tied for sixth at Torrey Pines.
“My goal was just to keep the card this year,” Huh said.
Levin was one of 42 players who finished the first round Friday morningafter play was suspended because of darkness Thursday.
He hit his first shot of the day to 3 feet to set up a birdie on the par-3seventh and parred the final two holes for a 65 that left him a stroke behindfirst-round leaders Jason Dufner and Ryan Palmer.
Levin then birdied the first two holes in the second round, holing 20- and15-foot putts. He hit to 2 feet to set up a birdie on the fifth, added a15-footer on No. 12 and got up and down from behind the green on the par-5 13thfor another birdie.
The key shots came on the par-5 15th after he hit his approach into thewater and had his ball roll into a sand-filled divot on the penalty drop. He hitto 10 feet, made the putt to save par, then birdied the par-3 16th and eagledthe par-4 17th.
“That was huge,” Levin said. “I took a drop and the ball rolled a goodstep and a half into this sand divot. I didn’t even see it. Some weird thoughtswere going through my head. I actually hit a great shot. I hit it out of thesand divot to about 10 feet. I was just trying to get it on the green.
“So, the momentum from being in the sand divot to making a par and thengoing 2-2 on the next two holes was huge. It could have gone the other way.”
On the 16th, he hit a little draw pin-high to 8 feet and made the putt tothe delight of the noisy fans who chanted his name before he teed off. He thenholed the bunker shot after driving over the green on the 335-yard 17th andclosed with a par on 18, missing a tricky, downhill 10-footer.
“That was a fast one,” Levin said. “I didn’t really get it started online, but I just nudged it and it still went a foot and a half by. But that wasa tough pin because if you get left of it, it’s off the green, so I hit a goodsecond shot.”
Thirty-four players were unable to finish the second round after frostdelayed the start for an hour for the second straight day. Last year, frost andfrozen greens delayed play nine hours during the week, forcing a Monday finish.
DIVOTS: The crowd was announced at 116,299, the fourth-largest for a secondround in tournament history. … Arron Oberholser, returning from hand and hipinjuries, shot 72-71 in his first PGA Tour start since October 2009. He wasprojected to miss the cut by a stroke. … Jeff Overton withdrew on the finalhole because of a lingering left wrist injury. After opening with a 67, he was 5over for the round when he hooked his tee shot into the water on 18 and stoppedplaying. … Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink, Tommy Gainey and Chris Kirk withdrewafter play was suspended.
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Tour Report: Tidbits from Friday at TPC Scottsdale (PGATOUR.com)
February 4, 2012
● Due to a one-hour frost delay for the second time in as many days, the second round was eventually suspended due to darkness at 6:07 p.m. with 34 players remaining on the course. Those players will be back in position at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The last time the 36-hole cut was made on Friday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open was in 2006.
● Spencer Levin carded an 8-under 63 to jump to 14-under 128 and the clubhouse lead at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Levin’s 128 equals the third-best first 36-hole score at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, behind only Mark Calcavecchia’s 125 in 2001 and Steve Jones’ 126 in 1997.
● First-round co-leaders Ryan Palmer and Jason Dufner followed up opening-round 7-under 64s with 72s.
● Webb Simpson, who finished second in the 2011 FedExCup, finished in the top 10 in six of his final seven events in 2011 (including two victories and a runner-up finish). With a T3 finish at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and a T38 at the Sony Open in Hawaii to open up the season, he is now seeking his eighth top-10 finish in his last 10 starts on TOUR this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
● Mark Calcavecchia (75-76) and Billy Mayfair (68-73) are playing this event for the 26th time. The 26 starts are tied for the second-most in tournament history – Gene Littler had 28 starts from 1955-1984.
●Paul Goydos withdrew following the first round due to an injury. Jeff Overton (wrist), Tommy Gainey (illness), Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink and Chris Kirk withdrew during the second round.
Notes from inside the ropes
Petersen/Getty ImagesHow do fans at the 16th hole know so much about the players? They have some help.
By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Big Weekend: It will be interesting to watch how Spencer Levin plays this weekend. It’s the first time he’s held a 36-hole lead on the PGA TOUR. Last week at the Farmers Insurance Open, he began the tournament with a 62 and then played the last three rounds in 5-over par. Was that experience gained or a trend? We’ll find out this weekend.
Cheat Sheet: Spectators have a little help with information on the 16th hole. Everyone is given a cheat sheet with such information as, "Graham DeLaet, caddie had to retrieve ball from tree last week. Played volleyball in high school." The crib notes are four pages long and courtesy of Mike Leonard, who updates player profiles throughout the year saving up information just for this week.
Ben Cranium: Ben Crane told me, "I’m putting fantastic." The stats back up that claim. Crane has had 56 putts in 36 holes, including a 69-foot eagle at the 15th. He also may have a treat for fans on the 16th hole this weekend. In homage to his latest video spoof, "The Gymnast," Crane may wear a safety helmet while playing the 16th, the same as he does in the video.
Phil’s Thrills: Phil Mickelson’s game soared and slumped in accordance with his score on the par 5′s. He made just one birdie on the first four par 5s he played. He started his second round with a par at the third hole on Friday when he turned in 38. Mickelson then birdied both the par 5s on his back nine to salvage a 70. Phil needs to hit some fairways to get into contention. He hit just 3 of 14 fairways on Friday and 10 of 28 for the week.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and is inside the ropes this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Golf-Levin takes charge at frost-delayed Phoenix Open (Reuters)
February 4, 2012
Feb 3 (Reuters) – Little-known American Spencer Levineagled the par-four 17th on his way to a commanding six-shotearly lead in the second round of the frost-delayed Phoenix Openin Scottsdale, Arizona on Friday.
In pursuit of his first victory on the PGA Tour, Levin fireda flawless eight-under-par 63 at the TPC Scottsdale to post a14-under total of 128.
The 27-year-old holed out from a greenside bunker to eaglethe 17th and then parred the last to finish six ahead ofcompatriot John Huh, who returned a seven-birdie 66.
First-round leaders Ryan Palmer and Jason Dufner carded 72sto lie a further two strokes back at six under, level withfellow Americans Bubba Watson, Ben Crane and Bo Van Pelt.
It was an extra long day for Levin, who had to completethree holes from the opening round before setting off for roundtwo.
He was delighted with his form, especially after strugglingon the practice range before the start of the tournament.
“It’s kind of weird,” Levin told reporters after coveringhis back nine in five-under 31. “Yesterday on the range before Iteed off, I didn’t feel good about my swing at all. I washitting it all over the range, and I bogeyed my first hole.
“And I told my caddie going to the next tee: ‘This might bea nine-hole week here.’ Shows you how crazy this game is, Iguess. After that I just started playing good, simple as that.”
Asked what had been the key to his 65-63 start, Levinreplied: “I’ve been putting really well, and if you’re going toshoot a low round you’ve got to putt good.
“I’m just going to try and stay as aggressive as I can thenext two days. Somebody is going to be shooting low every day,so if you’re playing well, chances are someone else is, too.”
Following two consecutive mornings of one-hour frost delays,there was no chance of the second round finishing on Friday.
Forty-two players had to complete the first round on Fridaymorning and a greater number was likely to be still out on thecourse when play was halted later in the day.
The cut was projected to fall at even-par 142 with formermajor winners Davis Love III and Angel Cabrera among thoselikely to miss out. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing byGene Cherry)
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Yani Tseng ready to begin encore to 12-win season
February 3, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Yani Tseng has a tradition on Chinese New Year to giveher house a thorough cleaning. She decided to start with the trophy cabinet,which was no small project. A photo she posted on Facebook shows a cabinetcrowded with crystal.
The 23-year-old from Taiwan already has won five majors, the most of anygolfer that age.
She is coming off a blockbuster season in which she won 12 times around theworld, including the first four tournaments she played. She earned nearly $3million on the LPGA Tour last year, more than the next two players combined. Andshe is No. 1 in the world by a large margin that only Tiger Woods could everappreciate.
Tseng left her home at Lake Nona on Friday for what figures to be a toughencore.
“If I do the things I’m doing now, I think I will get better,” Tseng said.“I’ve been working on my swing, the physical side, I work on my English,everything. I think it’s going to help a lot. I need to do the mental andprepare, and not put too much pressure on myself. It’s hard to do again. Twelvewins. Wow.”
Wow, indeed.
Tseng will be defending her title when the LPGA Tour season gets under waynext week with the Women’s Australian Open, to be played at Royal Melbourne justthree months after the Presidents Cup.
Only two other women have won more in one season—Annika Sorenstam in 2002,who won 11 times on the LPGA Tour and twice in Europe; and Mickey Wright in1963, who won 13 times on the LPGA Tour.
About the only thing Tseng lacks is attention.
In voting by sports editors for The Associated Press female athlete of theyear, Tseng finished a distant fourth behind U.S. soccer players Abby Wambachand Hope Solo, and UConn basketball star Maya Moore.
Golf magazine made U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy its player of the year,prompting LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan to write the magazine a mild rebuke,pointing out Tseng’s accomplishments in 2011 and suggesting that if her recordhad belonged to a male golfer, it would have been an easy choice. The magazinepublished his letter.
“It just felt like 1985 when I read that,” Whan said. “I like Rory. He’sa fun kid to watch. He’s like a young Tiger. He collapsed at the Masters, he hadan unbelievable U.S. Open. I got that. But are we that much in a hurry to anointthe next one? She would never ask me to do that. I don’t think she cares. Shejust smiles and hits it 285.”
Women’s golf has struggled to get attention. Even after Sorenstam won 13times in 2002, it took her playing in the Colonial—the first woman in 58 yearsto play on the PGA Tour—before she became a one-name star.
Tseng is coming off a year that attracted that kind of attention. The PuertoRico Open on the PGA Tour offered her an exemption, but Tseng turned it down.She won’t rule out a shot on the PGA Tour, though she has more she wants toachieve.
“She hits it like a guy,” Juli Inkster said.
Tseng doesn’t behave like a PGA Tour player, though. At the season-endingTitleholders last November in Orlando, she invited the media to her home for aparty, which she organized herself.
“I just feel I want to give something back,” Tseng said. “The media isworking hard to promote the LPGA. And I’m from Asia; I’m not American. Sometimesit’s very tough for you guys. It’s not easy. I just feel like everyone isworking hard, and we should have a party to celebrate the end of the year. Justhave fun.”
At one point during the party, when the conversation turned to UniversalStudios, Tseng went to her room and returned wearing a Harry Potter costume.
The attention she receives at home is entirely different.
Whan was in Taiwan last year for the LPGA Taiwan Championship at Sunrise, acourse near where Tseng grew up. The gallery was enormous, filling up space onevery hole. The pressure was as intense as it had been all year, even when Tsengwon the Women’s British Open at Carnoustie or the LPGA Championship, her twomajors.
She wound up winning by five shots.
But it was a pre-tournament party that Whan remembers the most.
“It was spooky. It was Michael Jordan, Game 7 kind of stuff,” he said.“You couldn’t move. They had to stop letting people in. They do this thingwhere somebody says something, and if they point a glass at you, you drink.Everybody was pointing the glass at Yani. She’s playing tomorrow and I’mthinking, `I need to get her out of here.’
“And she won it going away,” he said. “Most players would have felt anunbelievable burden. She looked like she was going to a wedding. She looked thesame as if you’d see her in an airport flying home from the British. There’s nota lot of highs and lows with her. She just smiles her way through everything.”
Tseng’s first LPGA Tour win was a major, the LPGA Championship in 2008 whenshe was a 19-year-old rookie. She recalls a time when she stressed over everybogey, every missed putt. That’s when she picked up some advice from Sorenstam,her hero.
“The end of my second year, I talked to Annika and she helped me setgoals,” Tseng said. “My first question was, `How can I be No. 1?’ Annika said,`You can’t think of No. 1. If you want to be No. 1, you have to win moretournaments. How do you win more tournaments? You have the lowest score? How doyou make lowest score? Hit on fairway, hit on green. And that’s how you work.”’
She worked hard enough to become LPGA player of the year the last twoseasons, and No. 1 in the world by a mile.
Tseng is playing the first three weeks in Australia, Thailand and Singapore.The LPGA’s domestic schedule does not start until March in Arizona. If there isone tournament on her mind already, it’s the U.S. Women’s Open, the majorkeeping her from a career Grand Slam.
“I would not say it’s my goal,” she said. But then she smiled and added,“But it’s always what I’m thinking about.”
She surely would find room in the trophy cabinet for that one.
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Tour Report: Goydos withdraws (PGATOUR.com)
February 3, 2012
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Paul Goydos withdrew late Thursday after finishing his first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Goydos had shot an 80 that included a back-nine 43. He made three double bogeys, four bogeys and one birdie during the round.
Thursday evening, Goydos tweeted his frustration.
@PaulGoydos Got no game whatsoever!! Left Wrist, Right Elbow, and left knee are hurting. It’s only The first week in February!! Going to be a long year
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Golf-Phoenix Open first round scores=2 (Reuters)
February 3, 2012
Paul Goydos (U.S.) 18 80
(Compiled by Infostrada Sports; Editing by John O’Brien; Tocomment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
3 players disqualified for breaching lift rules
February 3, 2012
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP)—Three players were disqualified from the AustralianLadies Masters on Friday for unknowingly breaching rules on preferred lies.
A rules official from the co-sanctioning Ladies European Tour saidAustralians Corie Hou and Inhong Lim and Australian-based South Korean amateurAnnie Choi were disqualified after playing one hole of their second round.
The players, who were in the same group, said they had misinterpreted alocal ruling during their first round which allowed preferred lies on fairwaysbut not in the rough.
Choi had an opening-round 2-under-par 70, five strokes behind first-roundleader Lee Bo-mee. Lim shot 80 and Hou 81.
The 16-year-old Choi said they had misunderstood what the starter saidbefore they teed off about the local rule allowing preferred lies on thefairways because of wet conditions on the Royal Pines course.
“I’m devastated but I accept it,” said Choi, who said the trio had beentold the preferred lies were in place “everywhere” and took that to includerough.
The trio had played only one hole of their second round when the rule breachwas reported to Ladies European Tour operations director Cyprien Comoy.
All three admitted to taking preferred lies off the fairways in the firstround and were disqualified because it meant they’d signed incorrect scorecards.
“It was a surprise to them, certainly,” said Comoy. “The girls acceptedthe decision. It is not a pleasant thing but a harsh lesson learned.
“We accept it was a genuine mistake. When they’ve missed the fairway and inthe rough, they’ve thought they could pick up their balls, clean them and take apreferred lie. It’s a player’s responsibility to read the rule sheet and knowthe rules.”
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
Tour Report: Who wears it better? (PGATOUR.com)
February 3, 2012
Rickie Fowler was decked out in an all-green getup for Thursday’s opening round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Also known to include a lot of green in his wardrobe is Charley Hoffman, who is sponsored by Waste Management. Check out the picture below showing Rickie Fowler’s Thursday green and one of Charley Hoffman’s many green outfits from the 2011 season and let us know who you think is the best at going green.
Clothes, clubs make statements
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The pants were emerald green while the shoes were more of a lime hue. Rickie Fowler’s shirt featured stripes from both ends of that spectrum with a little blue and purple thrown in for good measure.
His playing partners in Thursday’s Featured Group at TPC Scottsdale, not surprisingly, were a little more understated. Dustin Johnson’s shirt was basic white while Phil Mickelson wore a black one with a maroon vest.
And the way Fowler talked, he’s got more interesting combinations to come.
"Obviously it’s been a great partnership with Waste Management partnering up with the Thunderbirds," Fowler said. "The Thunderbirds have been great to me, and this is my way of showing support. I know that ‘Green Out’ is on Saturday, so the questions have been why am I wearing it today. Puma has got me with plenty of green, so no worries."
While Fowler may have made the fashion statement, Mickelson and Johnson let their clubs do the talking — posting rounds of 68 that left him three strokes off the lead after the first round of the Waster Management Phoenix Open. But Fowler was only one stroke behind the two.
"Great pairing, two guys that I love playing with," Fowler said. "Dustin lives close to me and I’ve spent some time with some Phil in some practice rounds and obviously Ryder Cup together, but a lot of fun. Feeding off each other out there, and hopefully we can get things going well."
"It’s fun out here," Johnson said, agreeing with his neighbor. "We had a big crowd following us today, me, Phil and Rickie. It was a good day. The fans were great. I played pretty well today, got off to a good start, just hit some really good shots, hit some poor shots. But today it was out there to shoot a good score."
Mickelson, in particular, remains a favorite in Phoenix two decades after graduating from Arizona State. He’s a two-time champion of the tournament, as well.
"It’s really cool coming back here," Mickelson said. "Obviously playing with Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson who have a huge following, and then to come back to the community here where I spent so many years, met my wife, had our first couple children, it’s a cool place. We all played okay, and it was a fun day. "I love playing this golf course. I think this course has great risk-reward. It entices you to go for it, but it also penalizes you if you don’t pull off a shot. I think it’s a wonderful course and an exciting course to watch on."
Mickelson’s first-round result was considerably better than his last two tournaments where he opened with rounds of 74 and 77. He still wasn’t totally pleased by the way he hit the ball after finding just half his fairways and greens. But the 24 putts was cause for optimism.
"I feel good, especially on the greens," Mickelson said. "I feel really good with the putter, and I haven’t had this feeling for some time, but I could tell in the off season it was really coming. My ball-striking wasn’t as sharp as I wanted, but I hit a lot of good shots. I’m going to go up to my club up north here and get a little work done ball striking this afternoon and see if I can get it dialed in for tomorrow. “This course if you’re precise and hit great golf shots, you’ll be rewarded, but because the greens aren’t holding, if you don’t hit it perfect, it will release to a distance that’s tough to make birdies, and I think that makes for a really good test."
Palmer fires 64 to lead by one
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Palmer knew the shadows were lengthening on Thursday afternoon.
At the same time, though, he still had work to do. The Texan was going low at TPC Scottsdale and he wanted to finish strong.
That’s exactly what Palmer did, shooting consecutive 32s to get to the clubhouse at 7 under and one stroke ahead of Webb Simpson after the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Palmer surged past the former Wake Forest All-American when he birdied three straight holes on his second nine.
Turns out, Palmer’s final putt at the ninth hole dropped minutes before play was suspended by darkness at 8:05 p.m. ET. A total of 42 players were stranded on the course and must return at 9:30 a.m. ET to finish off their rounds.
Mother Nature permitting, the second round will also begin at 9:30 a.m. ET. But Thursday began with an hour’s frost delay and the forecast for Friday is for even chillier temperatures.
"Probably about my last three or four holes, you could tell it was getting closer and closer so I was trying not to worry about it," Palmer said. "I knew I was going to be here in the morning for the second round, so I wasn’t worried about if we had to come back and restart. So I didn’t think about it and I just kept hitting shots and sticking to my game plan. "The last putt was a little dark I can say, but I’m glad to be done, and now I can get going in tomorrow’s routine. Instead of getting ready for one hole, I can get ready for the whole day. It’s going to be a nice night."
Among the players who will be returning to finish their first rounds are Bubba Watson, Spencer Levin and Jason Dufner, who lost last year’s playoff to Mark Wilson. Watson and Levin are 5 under through 15 holes while Dufner has only played 13.
FedExCup leader Johnson Wagner is 3 under through 16 holes. He’s playing with Wilson, who is 1 under, and Brandt Snedeker, who won last week’s Farmers Insurance Open and is even for the day.
Play suspended by darkness
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Play was suspended by darkness at 8:05 p.m. ET. Players had the option to finish the hole they were playing.
Weather permitting, they’ll resume the first round at 9:30 a.m. ET and the second round will commence at that time, as well. That said, there was a one-hour frost delay on Thursday morning and the temperatures are forecast to be lower on Friday.
Leaderboard update: Palmer rolling
After spending much of the afternoon atop the leaderboard, Webb Simpson has seen his name bumped from the No. 1 position. Ryan Palmer birdied three consecutive holes (Nos. 4-6) and now leads Webb Simpson by one shot at TPC Scottsdale.
Simpson, playing in the morning wave, posted a 6-under 65 that gave him the clubhouse lead. Palmer had reached 8 under before a bogey on the par-3 7th hole but still has a one-shot cushion with two holes remaining.
Also playing well in the afternoon wave are Sencer Levin and 2011 runner-up Jason Dufner, who are 5 under through 13 and 12 holes respectively.
Stanley calls round ‘almost therapeutic’
Kyle Stanley is still sharp after Farmers, opening with a 69 at the WM Phoenix Open.Miralle/Getty Images
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Stanley had been looking forward to playing in the Waste Management Phoenix Open for a while now.
Given what happened on Sunday, though, he said teeing it up in Thursday’s first round was "almost therapeutic." And the 69 Stanley opened with at TPC Scottsdale wasn’t half bad, either.
Stanley had squandered a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole of the Farmers Insurance Open and ended up losing to Brandt Snedeker on the second hole of a playoff four days ago. Even though he was extremely disappointed, Stanley said he never thought about taking this week off to regroup.
Stanley started on the back side and played his first seven holes in 4 under — which for a while on Thursday morning gave him sole possession of the lead. He got up and down the 18th hole but got the stroke back on No. 3 before making bogeys on two of his last three holes.
"Played pretty good on that back nine, made a couple bogeys late but drove the ball really well," Stanley said. "Hit it decent, hit a couple wedges that didn’t respond the way I thought they were going to, but other than that, I’m pretty pleased. There’s a lot of golf left."
Stanley also was thankful for the support the felt from the fans in the gallery. "I said on Tuesday, I’m kind of overwhelmed by it," Stanley said. "It’s really nice to know that you have people behind you, and I certainly appreciate it.
Extra week may pay dividends
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — He hadn’t planned on playing in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
But when Trevor Immelman missed the cut at the Humana Challenge and tied for 33rd at Torrey Pines last week, he decided to make it three in a row. The work he had done on the range during the offseason just wasn’t producing the kind of scores he had anticipated in competition.
"I was extremely rusty playing wise, so I was very disappointed with my start there," he explained. "I played a little better last week, and I just figured I’d be better off playing here in a tournament than standing on the range at home."
Immelman will now be away from his family for five straight weeks for the first time. But judging from his first-round 67, Immelman’s decision looks to have been a good one.
The South African played his first 12 holes in 6 under on Thursday, including a 4-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. He couldn’t quite coax it home — "I wasn’t very tidy," Immelman said — but the 2008 Masters champ still just two shots off the lead.
"My game has felt pretty decent for a while now," Immelman said. "It’s just a matter of me getting some momentum and hitting the right shots at the right time. I definitely felt like it was going to be better for me to stay out here and just get more and more comfortable every week that goes by.
"It’s scoring, it’s the mental aspect of just being out here, being comfortable, sticking to our routines. When I go home I tend to get a little too caught up in the nuts and bolts of it rather than getting the ball in the hole."
Tee it up! Play Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf today.
