Friday, September 30, 2005
2nd Round
Gavin Coles
AUSTRALIA's Gavin Coles, back after missing six weeks with a cracked rib, resumed the battle to keep his USPGA Tour card with a four-under-par 68 first round at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro yesterday.
Coles sustained the injury while hitting a tee shot at a tournament in July.
"I'd hurt my back two weeks prior and it progressively got worse," said Coles, who ended the day tied for 15th with compatriot Geoff Ogilvy, six strokes behind American leader Charles Warren at Forest Oaks, North Carolina.
"All of a sudden (a rib) snapped.
"I finished the round and played the next round as well after they drugged me up. It was probably not the right decision but I don't think I could have done more damage."
Coles was sidelined for six weeks and has only made one cut since his return, falling to 174th on the money list. It means he has much work to do in the final month of the season to jump into the top 125 on the money list and keep his card for 2006.
But yesterday was a step in the right direction as he matched Ogilvy, who has no such problems, not having missed a cut since March.
"I played really well. I could have had two or three better if I'd made a few putts, but all in all I'm very happy," Ogilvy said.
In Tucson in February, he scored his first professional victory, and top-six finishes at the British Open and US PGA Championship stamped him as a player to watch in the majors.
"I'm driving it better than I used to, and golf's a lot easier when you're playing from the fairway more often," he said.
"A few years ago I was an awful driver. I could drive it well for a week, but not for months."
The other Australians were further back. Steve Elkington and Robert Allenby shot 70, Peter Lonard and Brendan Jones 71, Steve Allan 72, Adam Scott 73 and Scott Hend 74.
Paul Gow shot 81, but was disqualified for signing for an 80. He made bogey at the par-three fourth hole, but signed for a three.
Huston Leads the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro
Huston, who began the day at Forest Oaks Country Club four shots back of overnight leader Charles Warren, has had just one bogey through two rounds to sit on 12-under 132.
Choi had just one blemish on his card mixing a bogey on the par-four fifth with four birdies for a three-under 69 to reach 11-under 133 at the midway point of the $5 million event.
Sitting three-shots off the pace are South African Tim Clark (69) and 2003 champion Shigeki Maruyama of Japan (65) at nine-under 135.
Warren, who opened with a course record 62, slipped back into the pack with a two-over 74 joining Swedes Carl Pettersson (67) and Daniel Chopra (69) at eight-under 136.
Spain's Sergio Garcia, the world number six, stayed in contention returning a three-under 69 for the second consecutive day to sit six back of the leader on six-under 138.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Update on Greensboro
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
A New Website (And Possibly a New Friend)
Monday, September 26, 2005
This Week on the PGA Tour
News from the Valero Open
Gamez makes big jump in World Rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Robert Gamez won the Texas Open on Sunday snapping a massive drought and in doing so moved up 113 places to No. 148 in this week's Official World Golf Rankings.
Gamez went 394 events without a victory until yesterday. The 15 years and six months between wins was the longest stretch in PGA Tour history. Butch Baird held the previous record of 15 years and five months (May 1961-October 1976).
Outside of Gamez' big jump, there was little movement in the top-20 in the world. That is due impart to the fact that there was a pair of team, match- play events this past weekend, The Presidents Cup and the Seve Trophy.
Tiger Woods maintained his large lead at the top of the world rankings despite his singles loss to Retief Goosen in The Presidents Cup. Woods was followed by Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Goosen.
Sergio Garcia held on to the sixth spot while Adam Scott, Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk followed again.
The first change came in the 10th spot as Angel Cabrera moved to 10, while Kenny Perry slipped to 11th. David Toms and Padraig Harrington exchanged slots as well with Toms now 12th and the Irishman sliding to 13th.
Luke Donald and Michael Campbell held steady at 14 and 15 respectively. Darren Clarke moved up one to 16 as Davis Love III dropped one notch to 17. Tim Clark and David Howell kept their 18th and 19th positions from one week ago.
Thomas Bjorn inched back into the top-20 at 20th this week and Fred Couples dropped to 21st despite his heroics at The Presidents Cup.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
America Wins!
The next most memorable moment I think is Chris Dimarco's win on the 18th hole. He was just as excited as Fred and with good reason. When the day started there were a lot of arm chair captains on tv second guessing Jack Nicklaus' decision to have Dimarco and Mickelson anchor the team today, but Jack's strategy proved to be correct and he proved the tv people wrong. It's good to see Dimarco get the winning point; he seems to really love the team concept. And he reminds me of Fred Couples, which isn't a bad thing. I did have an interesting thought while I watched Dimarco today. In the local paper there is a Bull Dog puppy for sale. And I thought, "if I owned that dog, I'd name him Dimarco". Chris Dimarco just reminded me of a scrappy bulldog who wouldn't give up without a fight. Of course I could name a pet Stewart or Nick and cover four or five golfers all at once. I did name a couple of calves Fred and Payne once. I think they ended up being someone's dinner.
I guess the big elephant in the room, so to speak, is Tiger's loss to Retief Goosen. I don't find it that surprising. Tiger isn't number 1 in the world because he can play the best all the time. He's number 1 because he can string together enough good rounds in every tournament to beat the others. Today, he only had one round to play and Retief was killing him with those long putts. I will admit I didn't root for Tiger the same way I did for Davis Love or Fred Couples. But I didn't root against him either. Mainly I just kept telling the tv (aka Tiger) "You're the number 1 player in the world, you'd better win this." That's as supportive as I think I could be.
All in all, this was a very exciting President's Cup. I'm almost tempted to order the official tape of the event.
Yesterday's President's Cup
I like the Alternate Shot format. That's much more exciting to see how the team mate plays your game and vice versa. And it encourages more teamwork than just playing your own ball. As for the teams, Dimarco and Mickelson and Leonard and Verplank could be the next Love-Couples iconic pairing. It's great that they are doing so well. Tiger and Vijay are still competitive bordering on hostile at times. Good thing Jim Furyk was there to calm Tiger down a bit and remind him that it's team competition. I'm glad to see the NBC folks pointing out how great Jim Furyk did yesterday. It was one of those rare days that they weren't wearing the Tiger blinders and just mindlessly touting Tiger's greatness even though he kept missing his drives. There was some honest comentating yesterday. Goosen and Scott were phenomenal and as I've already alluded to, very easy on the eyes. I'm glad Goosen is doing well. It seems like after the US Open thing, everyone just started commenting on all his mistakes and never remarked on any of his good shots. True, he went through some rough patches after the US Open, but I think he won two tournaments back-to-back just recently. In the afternoon matches I was confused with the Couples and Love match. On the one hand, they were doing great, but on the other hand, they weren't doing great. It was weird. But it was great to see them paired together. Another handsome team. A lot was made about Vijay changing putters from one week to the next, but I think I saw Phil Mickelson change putters between the morning and afternoon matches. Maybe Phil should start using Michael Campbell's eyesight drills and leave the putter alone. I don't play golf but I would think putting has more to do with the green and less to do with the putter. Don't they all have a flat surface that hits the ball? I'm sure that's oversimplifying the game a bit :)
Ones to watch today:
Furyk vs Scott
Couples vs Singh
Dimarco and Whoever he's playing
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Early Observation
The most handsome match of the day: Goosen and Scott vs Leonard and Verplank.
Friday, September 23, 2005
The Valero Texas Open
David Duval and Michael Putnam have made the cut. Yay for them! Michael Putnam just turned pro a few weeks ago and had that amazing run at his first pro event. And David Duval was one of the world's best a few years ago and is gradually making his way back to good form.
Dean Wilson is leading the event and shot an 8 under round today. I think that was the best round of the day too. Jeff Maggert, John Senden, Olin Browne, Woody Austin, Bob Heintz, and Robert Gamez are close behind and could provide some great entertainment this weekend.
And apparently Rita may have an impact on the event. It will be interesting to watch to see what happens.
It's All A Blur!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Valero Texas Open
Crane, others exit: Ben Crane's gain at last weekend's 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania was the Valero Texas Open's loss.
Crane, one of the PGA Tour's hottest golfers over the second half of the season, was one of several late withdrawals for this week's Open. A third-place finish at the 84 Lumber, worth $299,200, brought to almost $800,000 Crane's earnings from the past two tournaments.
With his bank account flush, Crane joined Tim Herron, fourth at the 84 Lumber, Brandt Jobe, Kevin Na, Justin Bolli, Danny Ellis, D.J. Trahan and Joey Snyder III in dropping from the field.
Alternates who have been added to the event include Brenden Pappas, Glen Day, Matt Kuchar, Craig Bowden, John E. Morgan, Arjun Atwal, David Peoples, Per-Ulrik Johansson and Richard S. Johnson.
Rested and ready: Defending tournament champion Bart Bryant teed off for his practice round early Tuesday, and came off the course pronouncing himself fit and prepared for Thursday's opening round.
Bryant, who owns the La Cantera resort course record with a third-round, 10-under 60 last year, has been nursing a sore wrist. But he stayed home the past three weeks and said the pain has subsided.
Cameron crows: Cameron Beckman's tie for fifth at last week's 84 Lumber, worth a season-high $154,500 payday, has moved him to 159th on the money list at $361,281 overall. Beckman is working to move into the top 125 to secure his PGA Tour card for next season.
Money matters: Two-time Open champion Duffy Waldorf is one of three golfers who have raked in seven figures in winnings at the event. Justin Leonard, with $1.40 million, and Loren Roberts, with $1.27 million, are the only competitors ahead of Waldorf's $1.01 million total.
- Richard Oliver
The President's Cup: Thursday's Matches
USA  | Scoring | International  |
| Woods | Scott | |
| Couples | 1:10 pm ET | Goosen |
| Funk | Singh | |
| Furyk | 1:20 pm ET | Hensby |
| Mickelson | O'Hern | |
| DiMarco | 1:30 pm ET | Clark |
| Leonard | Lonard | |
| Verplank | 1:40 pm ET | Appleby |
| Love III | Campbell | |
| Perry | 1:50 pm ET | Cabrera |
| Toms | Immelman | |
| Cink | 2:00 pm ET | Weir |
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
President's Cup: Tuesday, Part 2
 |  |
The New zealander is aiming to lead his multi-national outfit to a first-ever victory over the US on home territory.
He said: "I've taken on a lot of new responsibilities since I won the US Open, and this is one of them.
"Their big advantage is playing on home soil. But we've got eight guys in the top 30. That's a pretty strong team."
Campbell leads an International squad which includes Fiji's Vijay Singh, Canada's Mike Weir, Argentina's Angel Cabrera and South Africans Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman and Retief Goosen.
Adam Scott is among five Aussies in the line-up, but he said: ""It doesn't matter where you are from - we're all under the same flag this week.
"Hopefully we can contribute points."
Compatriot Nick O'Hern added: "The great thing about this week for us is it's pretty much a team feeling.
"We're all pretty good friends and we're going to have some pretty good parties - not parties, dinners - this week."
The sixth edition of the biennial Presidents Cup is taking place at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club at Lake Manassas, near Gainsville, Virginia.President's Cup: Tuesday
By Robert Lusetich in Manassas, Virginia
21sep05
ADAM Scott caught the flu in Singapore and it won't go away, but it has been a small price to pay.
As he prepared to practise for the Presidents Cup with some of his International team-mates at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Washington's outskirts yesterday, Scott, 25, was in buoyant mood. Seven-stroke wins - even in the Singapore Open - tend to encourage it.
The last time we saw Scott, at the USPGA in New Jersey, playing golf seemed to hold the appeal of root canal surgery.
"Yeah, it got to the point where it just wasn't fun for me any more," Scott said.
He left Australia at the start of the year and had simply burned out from living out of a suitcase, shuffling from tournament to tournament, for eight months.
"I just really needed a break," he said. "It's one of those things where I had to listen to my body but listen to my mind more importantly. My mind wasn't in the game.
"I put too much pressure on myself ... I was playing well [but] I just wasn't scoring well and it was so frustrating."
The antidote was, oddly, to go home to the Gold Coast and play golf. Not just golf: he surfed, played tennis and chilled out, too. But mainly, he spent his days on the links with mates.
"Yeah, it's bizarre that I ended up playing a lot of golf at home with my mates but all of a sudden it was relaxing. It was fun again," he said.
"Normally for me it's fun to play out here but those last couple of weeks, at the PGA and the NEC (World Series of Golf), it was a grind. Anyway, a few weeks back home and I went to Singapore and it was back to the old frame of mind and I really enjoyed it."
This week, during the sixth Presidents Cup which starts tomorrow (US time), Scott predicted he would need to draw on that experience often against the US team.
"You have to be so mentally tough for this event because there's a lot of pressure. You're not just playing for yourself out there, you don't want to let anyone down," he said.
Scott, who finished with a 3-2-0 record at the Presidents Cup in South Africa two years ago, will need to do a lot of heavy lifting with Ernie Els sidelined with a knee injury.
"Look, there's no question that Adam, and a lot of the other players, will need to do more because not having Ernie Els here hurts us a lot," International captain Gary Player said yesterday.
Scott said the external pressure couldn't be greater than that which he puts upon himself, but felt confident he would answer the challenge.
He also said that the Presidents Cup, still in its relative infancy, had already grown in stature, in part because of the thrilling 17-all tie in South Africa, which finished with Els and Tiger Woods trading long putts in near darkness on the third and final play-off hole.
"The event in South Africa was awesome, the whole week," Scott said. "And then the finish was unbelievable. It's one of my favourite memories. It was the most exciting play-off you'll ever see. It really pissed me off that it was a draw, but it was awesome anyway. If this can tap into that, I think this event will take off."
He also disputed the widespread belief that the US players did not care much for it. Scott cited David Toms, who collapsed on the course last week.
Toms was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, an electrical problem in the upper chamber of his heart that can be treated with medication and fixed by surgery, but he put off an operation until after the Presidents Cup.
"Now it's an anticipated event for (US players). I think it got off to a start where it was a pain in the arse for them to play it, but I think it's got something about it now," Scott said.
The US has won three of the five Presidents Cup, losing once (in Melbourne seven years ago) and drawing.
Monday, September 19, 2005
A Few Observations
Carlos Franco from 116 to 60
Jason Gore from somewhere in the 200s I think to 81
John Huston from 150 to 123
Cameron Beckman from 181 to 159
This Fall Finish is pretty exciting.
Next PGA event is the Valero Texas Open this week while the Presidents Cup is going on.
The Presidents Cup: Monday, Part 3
Randall Mell
Golf/College Football Columnist
September 18, 2005
THE PRESIDENTS CUP
When/where: Thursday-Sunday, Gainesville, Va., Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
The Series: The Americans and Internationals shared the cup when it was last played in South Africa in 2003. The Americans lead the series 3-1-1.
TV: Thursday - {tvtlw}{tvncw}{tvtrw}, 1-6 p.m. Friday - {tvtlw}{tvncw}{tvtrw}, Noon-6 p.m. Saturday - {left}{tv5cr}{right}{left}{tv6cr}{right}, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday - {left}{tv5cr}{right}{left}{tv6cr}{right}, Noon to 6 p.m.
Format: The competition consists of 34 matches - 11 foursomes (players hitting alternate shots) and 11 four-ball matches (players play the best ball). There are 12 singles matches on the final day. All matches are worth one point, for a total of 34 points. There are no playoffs in foursomes or four-ball with a squared match yielding half a point. Singles matches all square after 18 holes will go to extra holes until a winner is determined. In a change inspired by events at the 2003 Presidents Cup, if the match is deadlocked at the end of singles play, the competition will be deemed a tie and teams will share the Presidents Cup.
U.S. team: Jack Nicklaus (captain), Stewart Cink, Fred Couples, Chris DiMarco, Fred Funk, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, David Toms, Scott Verplank, Tiger Woods.
International team: Gary Player (captain), Stuart Appleby, Angel Cabrera, Michael Campbell, Tim Clark, Retief Goosen, Mark Hensby, Trevor Immelman, Peter Lonard, Nick O'Hern, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Mike Weir.
Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Presidents Cup: Monday, Part 2
Hensby geared up for Presidents Cup
Mark Hensby is an edgy guy. In less than two years on the world stage, the feisty Australian has been: (a) critical of Augusta National GC; (b) disqualified from Bay Hill; and (c) outspoken on Michelle Wie's invitation to play in the tournament he was defending. Hensby has also feuded with the Australian Golf Union and skipped both his country's National Open to play in South Korea and the British Open because he didn't have a passport. On top of all that, he has not been talking to The Golf Channel because he believes it slighted him during this year's Masters. When confronted with the question about a chip on his shoulder, Hensby admits his reputation is partially deserved. "Anyone would have a chip on their shoulder if they had a background like me," he says.
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Presidents Cup: Monday, Part 1
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 18, 2005; PW01
When the Presidents Cup starts Tuesday at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, more than 1,000 volunteers will help keep score, escort players onto the course, drive golf carts and do whatever else needs to be done.
It promises to be an exhausting week, with 20,000 people expected each day at the tournament, which pits a team of golfers from the United States against a team made up of players from other countries.
The volunteers have paid for the privilege. In a twist on the meaning of volunteerism, those offering to work for free not only do not get paid, but they pay $200 each to sweat it out on the grounds each day.
"I was flabbergasted at the fact that these people are paying to do this," said Mark Elliott, a member of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club who is guiding the work of the volunteers for the first time at a PGA tournament. "I thought, 'How is this going to work?' But people are doing it."
The Presidents Cup has usually required volunteers to pay, a phenomenon that is catching on throughout the golf community. The system helps to offset costs and gives fans a chance to get up close to the world's best players, said George Burger, general chairman of the Presidents Cup.
"I think a lot of the majors are going to start doing it," Burger said.
From a minimal $40 at a golf event in Omaha to the $200 at the Presidents Cup, a check of tournaments across the country this year shows that people are willing to pay to work.
Lindsey Wagner, a PGA Tour volunteer coordinator, said there is no shortage of volunteers, just a scarcity of volunteers for certain duties. There are 30 committees.
"Trash pickup is the least favorite," she said.
Volunteers list three preferences of what they would like to do during the tournament, which ends next Sunday. The marshal's job, which allows volunteers to roam the course with the players, was the most popular. A list of volunteers shows that 436 people signed up for 300 positions.
There are fanatics who know how the system works and follow the tournaments like hangers-on of a rock band, Elliott said.
"There's a small group of people who are like groupies," he said. "They are retired, and they have the time to do it."
Volunteers are coming from as far as Oklahoma, Indiana, California and Iowa, Wagner said. But the Presidents Cup is being worked mostly by local golf fans, she said.
Elliott, who lives in Loudoun County, said the subdivisions of Heritage Hunt, Piedmont and Stonewall Jackson -- all in Gainesville and all with their own golf courses -- are supplying the bulk of volunteers.
"We have a whole pool of people who are golf-oriented," he said.
Jennie Fulwiker of Heritage Hunt said she took up golf 10 years ago when she retired as an office worker.
"I was retiring, so my husband and I decided to take up something. We weren't fit enough for tennis, so golf was our speed," she said.
Fulwiker, 68, said that she has attended the Presidents Cup and other big tournaments but that this is the first year she has volunteered. She said she was surprised to pay a fee, but "it's worth the experience."
"Most everyone I've met that's signed up for it feels the same way," Fulwiker said. "They give you a lot."
She is volunteering as -- what else -- an office worker. "It's been a while," she said, joking.
Like all other volunteers, Fulwiker will get a few things in exchange for her service and fee: two golf shirts, a wind shirt, a golf cap, a weekly badge with access to an exclusive suite, continental breakfast and lunch each day and one of the biggest perks -- a round of golf at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club after the tournament.
To play at the private club, golfers must be invited by a member, and members pay a $100,000 initiation fee. "Oh, yeah, it's absolutely wor th it," Fulwiker said.