Kim and Westwood Aim for PGA Glory
Two names were being bandied about on the eve of the 90th PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, those of Anthony Kim and Lee Westwood.
Of course, the usual suspects are high among the list of favourites, such as Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and even former champion Vijay Singh, who returned to form last week with victory at the World Golf Championship.
The 23-year-old Kim has been hailed by some as the golfer most likely to challenge Tiger Woods, once the world number one comes out of his injury-enforced absence from the PGA Tour.
He enhanced his case with two victories this season, in the Wachovia Championship and then the AT&T National, which is hosted by Woods.
His victories were the result of a determined effort by Kim to shun a previously apathetic approach to golf as he started to take discipline and practice more seriously.
Now he is on the verge of great things, or so they, and the PGA Championship is a great place to start.
Westwood has quite a number of backers going into the tournament. The world number 11 was only one stroke away from making the play-offs at the US Open in San Diego, where Woods eventually beat Rocco Mediate on the 19th extra hole.
The Englishman also finished a stroke behind Singh at the World Golf Championship at Firestone.
Oakland Hills provides a fitting stage for the Europeans to end their 79-year drought at the PGA Championship.
For it was at this Michigan course in 2004 that Bernard Langer’s Europe decisively defeated the Americans in the Ryder Cup. Westwood said in an Independent article:
“This is a game of confidence and we should all buoyed by what we did here in 2004. When I drove in it all came flooding back where everything was. And the course? Yeah, it’s changed, with just the addition of a few new tees. But it’s basically the same. You know, I played pretty good that week and I’m playing OK at the moment. So I hope to carry that form through.â€
Another golfer who could rise to the top this weekend is Kenny Perry, who has been criticised for missing the US Open and British Open so he could focus on qualifying for the US Ryder Cup team.
This year’s Ryder Cup is being held in his home state of Kentucky, at Valhalla. He has won three times this season and is ranked third on the US Ryder Cup standings.
Mediate and Sergia Garcia have also been suggested as contenders.
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Shin Wins Women’s Open as Singh Ends Drought
Shin Ji-yai was not even a member of the LPGA Tour prior to the Women’s British Open at Sunningdale, England.
She now becomes the latest Korean to join a multitude of her compatriots on the premier women’s tour, as well as sealing her place in the Open for the next 10 years, after her brilliant victory at over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Vijay Singh reminded everyone that he is still very much alive when he won the World Golf Championship in Akron, Ohio.
Asian players dominated the Sunningdale tournament, taking the top five positions and eight of the top 13, with 20-year-old Korean LPGA player Shin shooting a final round six-under-par 66 to beat Taiwan’s Tseng Ya-ni by three strokes.
Shin totalled 18-under-par 270 for her first major title and the winner’s prize of $314,464. Tseng also closed with a 66 to finish on 273 with Ji Jee-eun (67) and third-round leader Yuri Fudoh (71), of Japan, tied for third on 274.
Shin also claimed the second-lowest winning score, one off Karen Stupples 269 in 2004, also at Sunningdale. In addition, she qualified for the ADT Championship at the end of the season. She said on the LPGA website:
“My whole life, I’ve been waiting for this time and my dream comes true now. My father, actually he wanted me to play in the Japan tournament, because he thinks I’m not yet ready for the LPGA, and he wanted more training for Japan. But now that I’ve made a win, maybe he will change his mind.â€
Shin took up gold at the age of 11, having previously played archery, one of the sports in which Koreans are world-class. By 14 she was playing off a scratch handicap.
World number one and last year’s winner, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa, was tied for seventh after her final round of 69 gave her total of 277.
Swede Annika Sorenstam, playing probably her last Open because of her impending retirement, tied for 24th at six-under 282 w Singh hangs on to win at Firestone after Mickelson falters late
Aug. 3, 2008
Meanwhile, Michelle Wie, criticised for missing the Open qualifiers to play in a PGA Tour event, missed the cut for the eighth time, this time at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open.
In Akron, Singh ended a 34-tournament drought for a two-under-par 68 and a one-shot victory over Lee Westwood and Stuart Appleby.
Singh had a jittery end, missing a string of putts over the back nine but he managed to hold off his rivals and avoid a play-off.
World number two Phil Mickelson led by a stroke until he fluffed the last four holes, picking up three bogies along the way.
For former world number one Singh, the only man to knock Tiger Woods off the top perch, it was a welcome to form, allowing him to move back to number four in the world after dropping out of the top 10.
Singh finished on 10-under-par 270 with Appleby also scoring 68 in his final round while Westwood managed to shoot 69.
South African Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson tied for fourth, Goosen shooting a fourth-round 67 as Mickelson limped home with 70.
LPGA Stars Question Wie’s Choice of Tournaments
It took a while for her peers to react, but once they did, there was little admiration for Michelle Wie and her decision to skip a major tournament in favour of a PGA Tour event.
Wie, who has yet to make the cut in seven previous PGA Tour attempts, will be playing this week at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open while the best women in the world will be at Sunningdale, England for the Women’s British Open.
Although she was only listed to play in the qualifiers at Sunningdale, her choice has not gone down well with others.
Three big names in women’s golf, Annika Sorenstam, Helen Alfredsson and Paula Creamer have questioned Wie priorities as they prepare to do battle in one of the most prestigious major tournaments on the women’s tour.
Sorenstam, playing her final year on the LPGA Tour and seeking her 11 major title and 73rd overall, said in an AP article:
“I really don’t know why Michelle continues to do this. We have a major this week and, if you can’t qualify for a major, I don’t see any reason why you should play with the men.â€
Wie has yet to fulfill the enormous potential that many experts heaped on her when she burst on to the scene as a big-hitting 13-year-old.
The 18-year-old Hawaii native has failed to make the cut against men on the PGA Tour and has yet to set even the LPGA Tour alight during her brief forays.
Her latest turn on the women’s circuit two weeks ago at the State Farm Classic resulted in her being disqualified for failing to sign her scorecard after the third round, when she was just off the lead.
The 43-year-old Alfredsson, who won the Evian Masters last week, hinted that the forces behind Wie’s career may be the ones to blame. She said:
“I feel kind of sad for her. I think she’s a very good person. I feel sad for the guidance that she seems to not have in the right direction. She was so good a couple of years ago when she finished second a few times. I’m sure if you put yourself enough times in that position then you can deal with it, and I think it’s how you become better. That’s how you learn to win.â€
Creamer, a seven-time winner on the tour, including three this season, is a young player with plenty of talent, just like Wie. However, she is clear about where she would like to channel that talent. She said:
“I don’t know why you’d want to pass up playing in a major, especially the British Open here at Sunningdale. But she goes a different path and that’s not the pathway that I’ve taken.â€
Vaughan Triumphs in Senior Open as Norman Comes Close Again
Greg Norman was again in contention at an Open event but, like before, failed to land the top prize as American Bruce Vaughan fought back from nowhere to win the Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Norman birdied five of the first seven holes on the final day but failed to sustain his charge, finishing tied for fourth.
Vaughan, meanwhile, beat compatriot John Cook in a sudden-death play-off to take the $315,000 first prize, the biggest pay cheque of his career.
Vaughan recovered from three shots off the lead as Cook’s early advantage disappeared. He then rolled in a 15-foot putt in the play-off to win his first senior major title.
After a trying two years during which time he underwent six operations on his left knee and had two partial replacement procedures, the 51-year-old, who closed with a 70, was grateful to be holding aloft the trophy.
Apart from beating Cook and Norman, he also got the better of fellow Kansas native Tom Watson, Bernard Langer and Ian Woosnam, to name a few. He said on the European Tour website:
“The money’s great, because I’ve had problems with my knee and haven’t been able to play much for a long time. You know, I just kind of was biding my time waiting to get out here because I thought I could play out here. Until you win, you’re just another player. It is a special win with the players in the field. I mean, look how good Greg played last week. Tom Watson as well – you know Tom is legend where I’m from.â€
Norman, a two-time Open champion, came close to winning the British Open last week when he led going into the final round. But defending champion Padraig Harrington came up trumps on the final day to take his second straight title.
Cook finished with a 71, reviving the agonising memory of his Open loss to Nick Faldo at Muirfield 16 years ago when he squandered a two-stroke lead with two holes left.
Argentina’s Eduardo Romero was third on 279 while Langer was a further stroke behind after his 68. Norman and Gene Jones also shot 68 to tie for fifth with Watson, who closed with 70.
The European Tour, meanwhile, was in Moscow where Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg won his second Russian Open after a final round of 68.
The 2005 champion completed his four rounds at 21-under-par to score a two-shot win over Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara at the Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.
Tied for third place was England’s Benn Barham and Norwegian Jan Are Larsen.
Lara tagged Lundberg for most of the final round, even taking the lead after the eighth. But a bogey on the ninth and some great recovery play from Lundberg enabled the Swede to go into the 18th hole two shots ahead.
Across the pond, Chez Reavie won his first PGA Tour title when he closed with a one-under-par 70 to win the Canadian Open by three strokes from Billy Mayfair.
Reavie finished 17-under-267 for his victory, which was worth $900,000 and also enabled him to qualify for next week’s World Golf Championship as well as the final major tournament of the season, the PGA Championship.
Mayfair managed 68 in the final round while Sean O’Hair also fired 68 and Steve Marino made 70 to tie for third at 13-under-par. Canadian Mike Weir finished with a 69 to end up a further stroke behind.
Anthony Kim moved into the top 10 of the world rankings after tying for eighth place. Kim finished seventh at last week’s Open at Royal Birkdale having already won twice on the PGA Tour this season.
On the LPGA Tour, Helen Alfredsson defeated a player more than half her age over three play-off holes to win the Evian Masters in Evian-Les-Baines, France.
The 43-year-old Alfredsson won her sixth title when she overcome Choi Na-yeon, 20, in the play-off after fighting back from four shots off the lead earlier in the day. She also set a tournament record of nine-under-par 63 in the second round.
Alfredsson and Na finished on 15-under-par 273 after the Korean closed with 66. World number one Lorena Ochoa, of Mexico, was fifth on 12-under.
Wie Once Again To Tee It Up With The Men
Michelle Wie, still aching after disqualification from an LPGA Tour event last week, believes it is the right time to once again slug it out with the men.
Next week she will take part in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, hoping to make the cut on a PGA Tour event for the first time after seven previous failures.
Wie showed some of her best form yet on the women’s tour when she was in contention after the third round of the State Farm Classic in Illinois last week.
The 18-year-old was only one stroke off the lead when tournament officials realised she had failed to sign her scorecard before leaving the scoring area – a big no-no in golf which always results in disqualification.
The official described it as “telling a kid there is no Santa Claus†as a tearful Wie was forced to pack her clubs and forego a genuine opportunity to win on the tour.
Wie burst on to the scene as a 14-year-old wonderkid, supposedly the women’s equivalent of Tiger Woods.
She was signing up to rich endorsement deals before she had even won a decent tournament but all the hype has since fizzled, not helped by wrist injuries that caused her to take a break from the game at one stage.
Still schooling, Wie is not full-time on the LPGA Tour and a good finish at the State Farm Classic would have given her a top-80 position and guaranteed her a card for next season.
In any case, the Reno-Tahoe Open is probably her best chance of making the cut in a PGA Tour event because most of the leading men’s players will be at the World Golf Championship in Akron, Ohio.
Wie only once played all four days in a men’s tournament, when she competed at South Korea’s SK Telecom Open on the Asian Tour in 2006.
Harrington Follows Braid into Record Books
As the challengers fell away on Sunday afternoon it looked like it was going to be a case of last man standing. Then Padraig Harrington reminded us why he is such a great champion. Harrington was four under for the last six holes and that included some of the best golf of the week. And his five wood into the 17th green was the shot of the championship – perhaps the finest shot in an Open for sometime.
That shot confirmed what, by then, we already suspected. Harrington, dogged, determined and inspired in equal measure, was going to retain his crown. In doing so he became the first European since James Braid to win back to back Claret Jugs.
James Braid clinched his back to back victories at St Andrews in 1905 and Muirfield in 1906. He’d already won at Muirfield in 1901 and went to capture two more titles at Prestwick in 1908 and St Andrews in 1910. That’s a record Harrington might like to emulate.
Like Harrington, Braid could actually be called a late starter: Harry Vardon and John Henry (JH) Taylor – Braid’s colleagues in golf’s Great Triumvirate – had won three Opens apiece before Braid won in 1901. In fact they had both won back to back triumphs: Taylor in 1893 and 1894 and Vardon in 1898 and 1899.
James Braid was born in Fife. Despite their proximity to the Home of Golf his parents displayed little interest in the game and the young James was taught by his older cousins. Trained as a carpenter, and skilled in finding and refining discarded second hand clubs, Braid developed his trademark style of forceful golf at the Elie links.
As an amateur he was offered the post of clubmaker at the Army and Navy in London. His success in the role, combined with good results in amateur tournaments, persuaded him to turn professional in 1896. He immediately made his presence felt on the professional circuit and finished second behind the English amateur Harold Hilton in the 1897 Open.
Like so many golfers before and after him, however, Braid’s fine long game was let down by a distinct lack of reliability on the greens. That changed when he cast off his wooden putter and began using a new aluminium model.
The simple change of equipment sparked a phenomenal 12 year stretch that included those 5 Open wins, another runner up place in 1909 and British PGA victories in 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1911.
Braid retired from competitive play in 1912 and became professional at Walton Heath in Surrey, where he remained until his death in 1950. As a course designer Braid was the architect of the Kings and Queens Courses at Gleneagles and helped remodel Carnoustie. It is thought that he designed or redesigned some 200 courses in Britain: although much sought after he was unable to work in America because of a fear of flying and motion sickness. He is also credited with inventing the “dogleg.â€
As the Great Triumvirate Braid, Vardon and Taylor won 16 Opens between them and were instrumental in establishing the model of the modern professional golfer in Britain. Braid himself was a founder member, and later president, of the British PGA.
His great friend and rival JH Taylor described James Braid as “loyal, trustworthy and sincere.†Braid was a true giant of the game. To follow in his footsteps is to walk in exalted company. After the last week Padraig Harrington does not look out of place in Braid’s shadow.
Harrington Overcomes Injury to Win Second Straight Open Title
There is something about injuries and winning a major this season. Padraig Harrington was only 75 per cent confident of completing 72 holes of a brutal British Open at Royal Birkdale because of a wrist injury.
In the end, it was not percentages but sheer guts, talent and determination that not only allowed him to last all four days, but helped him win his second straight Open title.
As for the wrist? Well, that was strong enough to raise the Claret Jug, having earlier helped him to a final round of one-under 69 for a total of three-over-par 283 and what turned out to be a comfortable four-stroke victory over England’s Ian Poulter, who also shot 69.
There was only going to be one fairytale at a windy Birkdale and the story of Greg Norman, attempting an unlikely major at 53, faded in the first three holes of Sunday’s fourth round as three straight bogeys wiped out his overnight two-shot lead.
Norman finished tied for third on nine over with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson after closing with 77. Stenson had a 71.
Jim Furyk and English amateur Chris Wood tied for fifth on 10 over, two ahead of a group of nine on 12 over 292. This included South African Ernie Els, whose closing 69 made him the only golfer apart from Harrington to shoot under par more than once in the tournament.
It was only an opening round 80 that stopped Els from being a contender.
Harrington became the first European in more than 100 years to win back-to-back Open titles, having enjoyed his first taste of major success last year at Carnoustie.
While Norman was a sentimental favourite, there was no lack of applause and kudos for the 36-year-old Irishman, who said in an AP article:
“I did say to him (Norman) coming down 18 that I was sorry it wasn’t his story that was going to be told. I did feel that, but I wanted to win myself. In this game, you have to take your chances when you get them. Obviously, winning a major puts you in a special club. Winning two of them puts you in a new club altogether.â€
The Australian, a two-time Open champion, is only a part-time golfer these days, devoting more time to his course design business and his sometime appearances on the Senior Tour.
He also recently got married to former American tennis great Chris Evert. The last time he was in contention for a major was in 1996 when he famously collapsed in the last round at the US Masters, losing a six-shot lead and allowing Nick Faldo to sneak his sixth major.
As everyone knows, this is not the first time Norman has fallen in the final round with a major within his grasp. Will this go down as a choke? Maybe.
But more likely, it will be remembered as a time when Norman turned back the clock to entertain thousands on the course and millions watching on television. He said:
“I walk away from here disappointed, but with my head held high, because I hung in there. Where does it rank in those? Probably not as high as some of the other ones. Quite honestly, I’m sure I surprised a lot of people.â€
Despite having a two-shot lead going into the par-five 17th, Harrington knew it was a great chance for Norman to get back into it with an eagle. As it turned out, Harrington nailed an eagle himself thanks to a glorious five-wood that stopped four feet away from the hole.
That gave him a four-stroke lead and pretty much sealed the title. Harrington admitted before teeing off on Thursday that his wrist injury would have forced him to withdraw from any other tournament. On the contrary, it turned out to be an excellent red herring for him, removing the pressure of being the defending champion.
“It was a great distraction for me. It took a lot of pressure off me. It took a lot of stress off me. The fact that I didn’t play three practice rounds like normal for a major was a big bonus. I was very fresh going into the weekend, and this 36 holes was a real battle.â€
Choi, Norman, Villegas, Harrington … Open Throws Up Intriguing Storylines
According to his good friend Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods has been watching the Open on television, as a golf fan.
If so, then he must be as excited and intrigued as all of us on how things will eventually pan out at Royal Birkdale this weekend.
Greg Norman, KJ Choi, Padraig Harringon and the new kid on the block, Camilo Villegas have provided viewers with plenty of potential storylines that could turn into fairytales.
Greg Norman, as we all know, is the original “Tiger†in terms of wooing the fans. Norman was world number one for many years and had the presence and charisma to carry a tournament on his own.
That he is back in contention, at the halfway stage and at 53 years old,, has turned the clock back for those fans who watched him dominate all those years ago.
Asia, meanwhile, is keenly watching KJ Choi. For long, golf writers in Asia have been mechanically pining for an Asian golfer to make a major breakthrough.
And what an appropriate venue for Choi to become that Asian golfer. It was at the 1971 Open at the same venue, that Taiwan’s affable Mr Lu came close before falling to American Lee Trevino.
Halfway leader Choi has a clutch of PGA Tour victories to his name and knows how to win, though he’s going to have a lot of competition.
And that could come from Colombian Villegas, the youngster with the movie star looks who is only a major away from becoming a big-time star on the circuit.
His spectacular 65 to take him to one-over at the halfway stage, two strokes behind Choi, was great to watch. Him, and players such as Anthony Kim, are certainly looking like forming the next generation of players trying to topple Woods.
For Irishman Harrington, the fact that he is only three off the pace after two rounds is amazing. The defending champion wasn’t even sure if he could last four rounds because of an injury that nearly forced him to pull out.
After a 68 in the second round, the last thing probably on his mind now is to withdraw.
Also part of the script is David Duval, a former Open champion who suffered a Baker-Finch-esque slump after his 2001 victory. He is tied with Harrington and is looking to revive his career.
That doesn’t cover all of them. There are plenty of other challengers who can emerge. Tiger will be watching very carefully.
Wet But No Damp Squib
Should we be dismissing this Open already? No Tiger Woods. No sunshine. No low scores (Camilo Villegas and his awe inspiring 65 aside). Will 2008 turn out to be an Open aberration? Will we be whispering shamefacedly about this like we do about Carnoustie ’99 or day three at Muirfield in 2002?
Of course we won’t. Or at least I won’t. Sure the weather’s grim and it must be a bit miserable for spectators (What’s the best way in this weather? Tramp over the course or choose a grandstand and give the rain a sitting target?) but, get this, golf is an outdoor sport.
If you play an outdoor sport in Britain – even by the sea in July – you’re going to get your fair share of wind and rain at some point.
The scores aren’t great. But it’s a bit like watching football: if you see Manchester United beat Grimsby 10-0 at a sunny Old Trafford you can be left speechless by their attacking verve and scoring genius. But if you see Manchester United grittily grind out a result against Chelsea with the rain lashing down at Stamford Bridge on a Tuesday night you can be equally impressed by their resoluteness, their determination to get the job done.
So it is in golf. Bobby Jones used to talk about his battles with old king par. The battle is the same at a blustery Birkdale or a sunny St Andrews. It’s how you win the battle that is different.
Some of the shots made yesterday were fantastic. Some of them weren’t so great. Some of the players pulled down their hats, zipped up their waterproofs and got on with it. Others looked out of place and miserable. So be it. That happens.
Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson struggled. There is a reason for that: neither is close to being in their best form. They can paper over those cracks when everything is perfect but, as they showed yesterday, that’s a lot more difficult with the wind and rain lashing at your swing.
Greg Norman has been the star of the show so far. At 53, newly married, friends with at least one President and, essentially, the full time of CEO of his own company, Norman hardly plays the game. But he rolled back the years. Why? Because he has nothing to prove, because his game is not dictated by coaches, analysts and psychologists. A strong wind can’t throw all his preparations into meltdown.
Tom Watson is another. Old school, gritty, determined, Watson can do no more about the weather than he can roll back the hands of time. So he just puts the head down and gets on with it. Not the worst weather Tom has played in. No, that was Muirfield, 1980, first round. He shot 68. Take that, all you young guns.
Padraig Harrington is another great story: rated only 50-50 to play, unable to complete a practice round on Wednesday, scared to shake the starter’s hand with his injured arm and playing in the worst of the weather. Rather easy to surrender to the conditions you’d have thought. But Harrington is defending champion and he wanted to show it. In the worst of the weather his 74 was brave and determined.
David Duval: the former champion, now languishing somewhere in the high 900’s of the world rankings, who woke up, looked out the window and said “oh, jeez.†And then shot a 73, which probably qualifies as his best competitive round for years.
Jean Van de Velde: A 73 on Thursday and a 71 on Friday to safely make the cut in his first Open since 2002. A plucky effort for a man so ravaged by injury that his aim each year is to make the Open and the French Open. Anything else is a bonus.
An unfair test? No, a different test for sure but one that still throws up surprises, inspiration and flashes of genius. To read some of the reports and listen to some of the commentators you would think that the weather has turned the Open into a lottery. Anyone who has ever played a links course in bad weather would tell you that that is not true.
Some holes will reward bravery. Some will reap rewards for going safe. Shots will change from hole to hole, a long iron here, a short iron there. Okay so it’s not golf as we normally recognise it but it’s still golf and it still takes guts, determination and a hell of a lot of skill.
And, more than that, it makes it compelling viewing. Because, thanks to the weather we have berated, we’re likely to have a whole heap of players in contention come Sunday and every single one of them will have a chance of nicking the Claret Jug.
So far, I am loving it. And, from the comfort of my armchair, I’m going to enjoy the rest of it as well. Whatever the weather.
Garcia Fancied While Harrington Waits On Injury
Spain’s Sergio Garcia has emerged as the favourite to win the Open as defending champion Padraig Harrington ponders pulling out of the tournament at Royal Birkdale because of injury.
In the absence of Tiger Woods, Garcia was the choice of most golf experts and writers in a BBC survey, with Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and England’s Lee Westwood also being backed.
Harrington, meanwhile, said he was 75 per cent hopeful of teeing off on Thursday but only 50 per cent sure that he would be able to last the four days at what is expected to be a wind-battered course.
The Irishman had to abort a practice round because of pain in his wrist, returning later to the green to practice his putting. He said he will wait until the last minute before making any decision. The BBC website quoted him as saying:
“My plan is to warm up and see what it’s like on Thursday. I’m happy with the fact it has stabilised and the strength has improved but I was hoping it would have disappeared by now. The decision will be mine. I can’t say anything at the moment other than I’ll be making a strenuous effort. I will be apprehensive about hitting any shot. I’ll certainly be apprehensive about hitting out of the rough.â€
He also added that the kind of injury he has would definitely make him withdraw without hesitation from any other tournament.
Given these comments, even if he manages to play all four rounds, it probably rules him out as being among the favourites for the title – though the memory of an injured Woods winning at the US Open is still fresh in our minds.
Garcia, beaten by Harrington in a play-off at last year’s Open, earlier said that he is playing as well as he has ever done in his career and is ready to have a real go at winning his first major title.
In Praise of the North East
As the the golfing world’s focus turns to the north west of England I turned my attentions, out of circumstance more than contrariness, to the north east coast.
In terms of global fame the courses of Northumberland and Newcastle might not be the in the same league as Royal Birkdal, Royal Lytham and Hoylake but the area is not short of history.
The coastal village of Alnmouth can boast the fourth oldest course in England – dating back to 1869 – and, just a short drive along the Northumberland coastal route, is the nine hole links of Warkworth. As good a place as any to base yourself on a trip to the area, the village of Warkworth offers more than its fair share of pubs, hotels and shops. Oh, and the course was designed by Old Tom Morris.
Old Tom actually planned the Warkworth links in 1891. That was, of course, the same year that he threw down a links in East Lothian called Muirfield. Not bad company for a little nine hole course to share.
I played on the kind of driech, drizzly day that Old Tom, at times every inch the dour Protestant of old Scotland, would have recognised as pay back for having the temerity for spending a working day on the golf course. The weather, although annoying, had certain benefits: I had the course to myself.
The course is challenging without being harsh. The first is a reasonably lengthy par three played down a cliff. You play along the front of the cliff for the second before the third, a severe dogleg par four, has you playing up the cliff with your drive to get position to play into a well protected green.
Jumping up another level takes you to the fourth tee and the breathtaking views (which I’m sure would be even better on a clear day). From there the course levels out but some long par fours and some intriguing tee positions mean this is a course that will have you thinking about every shot.
It’s well worth playing on after nine: although Warkworth has only nine greens there are 18 tees and the inward nine presents some entirely different shot making decisions as the whole line of a number holes is changed. A relaxing round in a lovely spot, Warkworth is well worth the £15 weekday price.
From Warkworth I travelled along the coast, getting ever closer to Newcastle. I endured a litany of disappointment: Newbiggin by the Sea was hosting a Senior’s Medal, Bedlington had no tee off times and, as I brought the weather with me, Blyth was closed.
So I pushed on to Newcastle where, in weather that ducks would balk at, I reacquainted myself with the public parklands course at Wallsend. I have some doubts about the long term damage that will be done to the course by allowing play to continue in such conditions but I was consoled by the knowledge that only me and around three other players had the guts (stupidity?) to carry on.
Wallsend is not the hardest course you will ever play but a few blind teeshots, well planned doglegs and lengthy par fives still provide a test. I enjoy playing in the rain occasionally and, with the greens receptive to almost any club, I put together a fine round. That alone made the £20 green fee a snip.
The final stop on my tour was the Parklands course next to Gosforth racecourse. It would be harsh of me to slag the course off. I was terrible. The course was great. And I can’t blame the course for the engagement party and all day barbeque that I sandwiched in between Wallsend and Parklands.
In actual fact Parklands is a fine looking course that would provide a fine, but fair, challenge for most golfers. That my round was marked by consistent mediocrity is my own fault. Some short par fours are raised from the mundane by small, well fortified greens that are quick enough to send a lot of pitches scurrying for cover in the rough.
Fairway bunkers are well placed and sensible shots will find their reward. At only £20 on weekdays Parklands is a real bargain – and you certainly get more for your money than you do at Wallsend.
A successful trip on some great courses. I’ll be back to play all three. And I will definitely be looking to get some revenge on Parklands.
One note of annoyance though. On the dogleg 12th at Wallsend I played a fine drive that, I could see from the tee, put me in an ideal position to play to the green. Unfortunately the gentleman playing the adjacent 14th managed to play my ball as he searched for his own errant drive. This is the second time this has happened to me in as many weeks – please, please check that the ball you’ve found is yours before you play!
Three-Up Perry Becomes Reluctant Star
Kenny Perry won for the third time in five starts as he emerged from a three-way play-off to lift the John Deere Classic title in Silvis, Illinois.
Perry’s ambition at the start of the year was to quietly make the US Ryder Cup team without any fuss or fanfare. No such luck if he keeps winning the way he has this season.
He beat rookie Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson over one extra hole after a bogey on the 18th prevented him from winning the tournament in regulation.
He replayed the 18th in the play-off, tapping from just over one foot for victory while his two rivals hit their approach shots into the water. Perry won $756,000 for his 12th career victory.
The 47-year-old said “I don’t want Tiger statusâ€, but he might not have a choice given his recent track record.
He is now a lock for the Ryder Cup and lies second to Woods in the FedEx Cup standings. After losing in the play-offs of the AT&T Classic in May, he won The Memorial. After a sixth place in the Travelers Championship, he triumphed at the Buick Open.
His Ryder Cup ambitions are fuelled by the fact that it is being held in Valhalla, near where he lives and on a course he is familiar with. As for his achievements, he has already done more than what he promised his father when he was a budding pro. He said in an AP article:
“I told my dad I was going to make the PGA Tour and win a tournament. My goal was never to be a superstar. I just wanted to make a living and support my kids. I don’t want to live in a fishbowl.â€
Perry and Adamonis closed with one-under par 70 while Williamson finished on 69. The trio totalled 16-under 268, one stroke ahead of Charlie Wi (69), Will MacKenzie (70) and Eric Axley (69).
On the European Tour, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell tuned up for the British Open by winning the Scottish Open by two strokes at the Loch Lomond Golf Club.
McDowell closed with 68 for a total of 13-under-par 271 to beat out South Africa’s James Kingston, who shot 66 in his final round for 273.
Australia’s Richard Green and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez were tied for third on 274, both closing with 69. South African Ernie Els, one of the favourites for the Open title at Royal Birkdale, was tied for ninth on 277 along with a former Open winner, Paul Lawrie.
American Phil Mickelson, the world number two, ended the tournament on two-under 282 in a six-way tie for 38th.
It was McDowell’s second victory of the season following his triumph at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea in March, lifting him to sixth place in the European Ryder Cup standings. He said in a European Tour website article that playing the Ryder Cup is a major ambition.
“The Ryder Cup, I put it up there with winning majors. The Ryder Cup is something that I’ve really, really wanted to do. I desperately, desperately wanted to be on The Ryder Cup Team. I refused to be measured up last week at The European Open for my clothing and for my suits – maybe I’ll accept that invitation next time I get it.â€
On the LPGA Tour, Paula Creamer won the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, making the most of her magnificent 11-under-par 60 in the opening round.
The 21-year-old Creamer came close to a 59 on Thursday but never came close to that form again for the rest of the week. But it was still enough for a 16-under-par 268 and a two-stroke victory over Nicole Castrale. Korean Ji Eun-hee was third on 13-under.
Teenager Feng Shanshan made history for China when she finished in fourth place, four shots off the winner. It was a career best performance for the 18-year-old, who is the first exempt member of the LPGA from China.
Open Looking for New Hero
The premier event of the international golfing season takes place next week when The Open welcomes all the best players in the world to Royal Birkdale. Well, almost all the best players, given the absence of Tiger Woods.
Woods is forced to miss the final two majors of the season so he can recover from knee surgery, which was the result of an injury made worse after his victory at the US Open at Torrey Pines in June.
Since Woods ended his season after the US Open, there has been conjecture as to how it would affect golf.
The San Francisco Chronicle has the figures to show that interest in the game has dwindled after Woods announced his enforced sabbatical, with the British Open expected to suffer slightly as well.
Apparently, the final two rounds of Woods’ own event, the AT&T National near Washington DC recently, dropped 40 per cent for the Saturday and almost 20 per cent for Sunday, compared to 2007.
The Buick Open is a popular Tiger event, although he has missed the past two years, last year because of the birth of his daughter.
Television ratings for 2007 compared to 2006, when he did play, suffered drops of more than 40 per cent over the weekend. That figure dropped further for this year’s tournament, going down another 13 per cent, compared to last year.
Buick tournament director Robb Grainger said in the article that events that normally feature Woods can expect a 20 to 30 per cent drop in all facets of the tournament should he withdraw. He said:
“Tiger is so good and so popular, take him out of the picture and everyone is in crisis mode – as opposed to four or five guys contending every week and forming a base for the tour. Long term, it would be healthy if we develop more superstars. The barometer for an event now is just, is Tiger there or not?â€
However, Woods or no Woods, The Open can bank on its rich tradition and prestige to overcome any supposed crisis. Early favourites for the title include Spain’s Sergio Garcia, South African Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.
Many will also be rooting for a player like Anthony Kim, who has won twice on the PGA Tour this season, to win at Royal Birkdale and establish himself as a genuine rival to Woods, once he comes out of retirement.
Understanding Golf Rule 26-1
Here is another question I received this week on water hazard rulings:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“I have learned so much about the rules over the past 2 months. Playing partners are even beginning to ask me for rule explanations on the course when they have questions as if I am a Rules Expert!
I am still a bit confused on the water hazzard rule (yellow stakes), when the ball spins off the green or if you putt into the water as Tiger did in the 2005 masters or Calcavecchia did on the 18th at the 2007 AMEX at Doral.
If your ball spins back, must you bring the ball back to the fairway:
1.) in the same spot where you started; or
2.) or at a point in line with the hole; or
3.) designated drop area (such as TPC 17th). I believe both Calcavecchia and Tiger were able to putt again from the same spot, although it appeared that Tiger took full advantage of the rule and putted form a better location on the green, but of equal distance.”
RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:
“First let’s look at the options for relief, under penalty of one stroke, under Rule 26-1;
a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or
b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or
c. As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or
(ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.”
You will see that when a ball spins off the putting green, or is putted into the water, the relief available will depend on whether it is a water hazard or a lateral water hazard and, if it is a lateral water hazard, whether there is a place to drop within two club lengths that is not nearer the hole.
If a player chooses to drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the hazard margin between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped it would probably be necessary for him to return to the tee side of the hazard and play over the hazard again.
In the Tiger case that you quoted he was certainly permitted to replace the ball back on the green at the point from where he made his last putt (option a above), under penalty of one stroke, but I cannot see how he could have replaced his ball at a better location on the green.”
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