Welcome to the Tour Blog, where Golfweek’s reporters deliver the latest inside news and happenings on the PGA Tour, LPGA and European Tour.
SYLVANIA, Ohio – There’s a tournament within a tournament going on here at the Jamie Farr. For many players, it’s their best shot at getting into the year’s final major.
Players must sign up to participate in the Ricoh Women’s British Open qualifier. Through 36 holes at the Farr, the low five players participating in the qualifier earn a spot at Sunningdale. In the event of a tie, players who make the cut will go to their third-round scores. If the tie is among players who failed to make weekend action in Sylvania, they will have a playoff when play is finished Friday or early Saturday morning.
Michelle Wie was asked in the press room if the British Open qualifier was incentive to play this week. She said “it’s one of the reasons why.” Actually, Wie is mistaken. The qualifier is restricted to LPGA members.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted July 8
SYLVANIA, Ohio – Arrived at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in time to hear the tornado siren. Needless to say players were pulled off the course Tuesday afternoon shortly before the celebrity pro-am, which was later canceled. Thunderstorms are the last thing this tournament needs. Last Wednesday the creek that runs through Highland Meadows Golf Club overflowed after 3 1/2 inches of rain fell during the night. The course was closed until Sunday, when the water receded back into its banks.
In 2006 officials scurried to build a bridge tournament week when the creek overflowed and flooded the first few holes. Thankfully weather.com shows nothing more than a 20 percent chance of rain the next several days with lots of sunshine.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted July 8
SYLVANIA, Ohio – First person I ran into in the parking this afternoon was Worth Blackwelder. His boss, Juli Inkster, isn’t in the field this week but his daughter, Mallory, Monday-qualified for the Jamie Farr. The bag is a little lighter this week for Worth, who is caddying for Mallory for the first time in a professional event.
It’s been a rough summer for Blackwelder, the Kentucky player who made a solid debut at the Kraft Nabisco earlier this spring. The pain in her right foot flared up again when she tried to defend her title at the Western Amateur. For several months now Blackwelder thought she was dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, but a recent visit to the doctor thankfully ruled that out. The jury is still out on the final prognosis, and Blackwelder is playing this week with the help of a cortisone shot to relieve the pain. Her foot only hurts when she walks in golf shoes.
After qualifying for the Farr, Blackwelder pulled out of next week’s North and South Amateur and will play next in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted July 8
Tiger Woods, in his tigerwoods.com newsletter dated July 8, used the word “amazing” twice regarding his improbable U.S. Open victory on a broken leg.
The first referred to all the putting practice he got in while recovering from April 15 knee surgery. Golfers of all skill levels, take note. “It’s amazing,” Woods said, “what happens when you practice your putting.”
The second referred to the pain he endured walking and playing 91 holes. He said his knee throbbed when walking but that most pain came from swinging. He said he couldn’t lean forward on some shots and felt like he was going to fall over on others.
“The day after the tournament, my knee was done,” he said. “I couldn’t stop limping. It’s amazing what adrenaline does to a system.”
– Jeff Rude
Posted July 8
Give the John Deere Classic credit for being creative in recruiting players. The tournament spent about $300,000 on a charter plane (the one the Dallas Mavericks use) to get players from the Quad Cities to England for the British Open.
Because of that service, new this year, the Deere field is vastly improved. Entering the 2007 tournament, the field included seven players who went to the British Open the next week. This year, 20 players heading to the British came to America’s heartland.
“The jet is the reason we have such a good field,” said tournament director Clair Peterson.
He said several players mentioned the non-stop charter featuring 100 first-class seats as a reason for entering the Deere–among them, Zach Johnson, Aaron Baddeley, Woody Austin, Tom Lehman, J.B. Holmes, Lucas Glover and Mark Calcavecchia.
Factoring in a qualifier from the Deere (a top-10 finisher not already exempt) and possibly alternates Jerry Kelly and Pat Perez, the charter could carry 23 players plus up to two guests apiece. The tournament has requested those going donate $1,000 a seat to the JDC charity fund.
– Jeff Rude
Posted July 8
For the second consecutive week, the Tour’s secondary cut rule cut a
curious swath through a weekend scoreboard. A cool dozen made it to the
weekend in D.C., but didn’t see Sunday. At least not from the inside of
the gallery ropes.
Whether the Tour needed to implement the secondary cut is no longer up
for debate. That contentious ship sailed months ago. But we just aren’t
sure the awkward rule is needed at a limit-field, 120-man event.
It’s worth point out that 79 players made the cut at last month’s U.S.
Open, which is run by the U.S. Golf Association, and somehow the golf
world didn’t spiral off its axis.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted July 6
BETHESDA, Md. – Tough day for one of the circuit’s straightest drivers
at the AT&T National. When Fred Funk stepped to Congressional’s
18th tee, 1 under after a windy morning, he was counting on a strong
finish. What he got was an all-world bad break.
“At the top of my back swing a dragon fly hit the shaft of my driver,”
said Funk, who bogeyed the hole for an even-par 70. “I flinched and
sent my drive 150 yards to the right. That was a little upsetting.”
Players have been derailed by cell phones, quick-fingered cameramen and
the slamming of Port-a-John doors, but Funk’s flyer had to rank as a
first on Tour.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted July 3
BETHESDA, Md. – Robert Allenby must have felt as if he missed a memo
when he arrived at the first tee bright and early Thursday. The
Aussie’s playing partners, John Rollins and J.J. Henry, were decked out
in black pants and luminous pink shirts.
Seems pink and black have become the new . . . well, black and tan on
Tour. Just a group behind Allenby & Co., Fred Funk was sporting the
pink and black look and another two groups back J.B. Holmes was equally
daring.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted July 3
BETHESDA, Md. – The Anti-Doping era on the PGA Tour began bright and
early Wednesday morning, but it wasn’t a player who ushered in the time
of testing it was PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.
According to a member of the Tour’s Policy Board, Finchem was asked to
be the first person tested and before an opening ceremony for the
AT&T National tournament he obliged.
No word yet on whether the 61-year-old executive tested positive for
any of the circuit’s banned substances, but we do expect the lab
technicians to find elevated levels of caffeine and Rolaids following
Tiger Woods’ season-ending knee surgery last week.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted July 2
BETHESDA, Md. – There was a time, not so long ago . . . let’s call it
B.A. (Before ACL Surgery), that we reckoned we would see congressmen
fly before we’d see specimen cups at Congressional Country Club.
The Tour set July 1 as the start date for performance-enhancing drug
testing, but we figured there was little chance they would start the
process at Tiger Woods’ D.C. jewel.
But then a pair of Utah doctors split open golf’s most important knee
and changed the rules. A quick tour of the Congressional clubhouse,
which is undergoing a massive renovation, showed that Tour officials
have set aside a room for testing. Not sure if it’s going to happen
Thursday or Sunday, but expect the circuit to enter the testing era
this week.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted July 1
BETHESDA, Md. – Much ado last year when the powers to be at the
AT&T National tournament, namely event host Tiger Woods, pushed the
Tour to make the event a limited-field affair.
That “limited field” luster has worn off a bit this year, and it’s not only the high-profile host missing from the marquee.
As of late Tuesday, Lee Janzen at 144th on the current year’s FedEx Cup
points list was in the field. By Comparison, No. 118 Tim Petrovic was
the last player in last year.
OK, the Tour has to find a way to live without Woods, but do we have to do it without backups Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 . . .?
– Rex Hoggard
Posted July 1
EDINA, Minn. – Alison Walshe showed up to registration at this week’s
U.S. Women’s Open at Interlachen alongside Stacy Lewis, her good friend
and Curtis Cup teammate. She got a chuckle when the registrar asked if
the two were amateur or professional, and Walshe answered “amateur” but
Lewis had to request the tax form that the pros fill out. She’d never
done it before.
Now, after 54 holes, Lewis, 23, is leading the
U.S. Open, and in position to make history in her professional debut.
(Not to mention get a nice head start financially: First place on
Sunday pays $585,000). Walshe isn’t shocked to see it all unfold.
“College
golf and amateur golf right now is so strong,” she said. “So I think
you come out here and it’s not overwhelming right off the bat.
Obviously there are some great players and it takes a little time, but
I mean, look at Stacy: First week as a pro, and she’s leading the U.S.
Open."
How does Lewis’ pal think Lewis will fare today beneath the bright lights of a Sunday at the U.S. Open?
“I
think she’ll be perfectly fine,” said Walshe, who also made the cut.
“She’s been in this spot before and she’s played great. Hopefully she
pulls out a win.”
With a wide smile, Walshe, who will
turn pro later this year, quickly added: “Not to talk myself down. I
mean, I could climb back . . . ”
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 29
EDINA, Minn. – A driveable par 4 gets everyone’s blood rushing, except when having to wait 30 minutes to play it.
Tees
on the par-4 seventh were moved up in the third round to 248 yards,
enticing nearly everyone in the field to go for it. But all it really
caused was an enormous traffic jam. At one point there were three
groups waiting on the tee. What ever happened to calling up the next
group to play their shots?
And to top it off, no one made eagle.
– Dan Mirocha
Posted June 28
EDINA,
Minn. – It’s rare that two Americans make up the final pairing at any
profesional women’s event. In fact, Stacy Lewis and Paula Creamer are
the first all-USA pairing at the U.S. Women’s Open since 2003 at
Pumpkin Ridge.
Look further on the down the list, however, and
the Stars and Stripes seem few and far between. Only five Americans are
in the top 20 after three rounds, while nine hail from Korea.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 28
GRAND
BLANC, Mich. – What a difference a year makes for Justin Leonard. Last
year, he missed his first six cuts. The former British Open champion’s
World Ranking had plummeted past No. 200. The Friday night after
missing the cut at the Pods Championship he decided enough was enough.
It was time to make changes. He went back to his former instructor
Randy Smith and worked with mental coach Dick Coop.
Things
began to click at the Buick Open, a tournament for which he has fond
memories. He won his first title here in 1996 and nearly did so again
last year, finishing T2. Leonard barely made the cut, then shot 66-67
on the weekend and made a 20-foot putt on 18 to grab a share of the
lead.
“Those two rounds on the weekend propelled me. I
had a good end of the season,” he said. “I believe (my return to form)
all started here.”
Leonard won later that year at the
Valero Texas Open and this season he has been one of the steadiest
players in golf. Leonard made his16th cut in 17 starts this week and
has a win, a second and five top-10 finishes.
He’s
positioned to make his first Ryder Cup appearance since holing his
historic putt on the 17th green to cap off a stunning U.S. comeback in
1999.
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 28
EDINA,
Minn. – Frenchwoman Patricia Meunier-Lebouc may be from across the
pond, but Friday at Interlachen she threw a little Mason City, Iowa at
her first three holes.
That being 6-4-1 . . . bogey-par-ace . . . also known as the area code of Central Iowa.
The hole-in-one came on the 164-yard par-3 12th. Gotta think there was at least one Hawkeye in the crowd when it happened.
– Dan Mirocha
Posted June 27
EDINA,
Minn. – Sakura Yokomine is hard to miss. She’s the one wearing black
knee-highs in 80-degree weather at the U.S. Women’s Open. The Japan
LPGA star broke her foot back in high school and carries six pairs of
support hose with her to every tournament.
Why only black? Yokomine told Japanese reporters she fears white might “make her calves look big.”
Yokomine
was born six months after Ai Miyazato and their friendly rivalry helped
boost women’s golf in Japan into another stratosphere. Both carded
2-under 71s on Day 1 of the Open and Yokomine is even-par heading into
the weekend.
Just how big is women’s golf in Japan? Yokomine’s
father, Sakura, was elected to the Japanese Senate thanks to his
youngest daughter’s popularity. While Miyazato came to the U.S.
searching to make it big internationally, Yokomine has no plans to play
the LPGA full-time.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 27
EDINA,
Minn. – I’m still waiting to hear a major championship-style roar from
my hometown crowd. Through a round and a half, it’s been pretty tame
here at Interlachen.
Just got word from a member of the ESPN crew that their blimp just left the area and some rough weather is headed this way.
So, at least there will be one loud noise coming soon: The horn.
– Dan Mirocha
Posted June 27
EDINA,
Minn. – The youngest player at this year's U.S. Women's Open,
13-year-old Alexis Thompson, may stick around Interlachen for the
weekend. If she does, she'll be watching, though, and not playing.
Thompson,
playing in her second Open, bogeyed three of her last five holes and
shot 77, leaving her at 6-over 152. Too many. And her disappointment
was evident, as she was expecting a little better outcome here.
"I
definitely expected a lot more this year – I'm so much longer," said
Thompson, who figured she's picked up 30-40 yards in length since last
summer's Open at Pine Needles. "I just looked. I'm in 109th place. That
pretty much stinks."
Her dad, Scott, who was on Alexis' bag the
last two days, sees the bigger picture, and realizes the experience his
daughter is getting will be valuable down the road. He knows the
journey. His son, Nick, plays the PGA Tour.
"It's all good,"
he said. "She doesn't realize she's only 13. She wants to do it 'now.'
She doesn't realize she's got a lot of years to do it."
How
many? Well, consider Thompson's two fellow competitors in her threesome
the last two days were Martha Nause, 53, and Sherri Turner, 51.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 27
EDINA,
Minn. – Tell somebody on Wednesday you’d get them to the weekend at 1
under at a U.S. Open, and he or she definitely would take it. But
Friday, Pat Hurst wasn’t crazy about the route that got her there.
One
day after shooting 6-under 67 to become the Day 1 co-leader, Hurst
stumbled to four bogeys and a pair of doubles in shooting 78. She hit
only six fairways and eight greens (a day after hitting 12 and 14,
respectively) and her two doubles came within three holes (Nos. 9 and
11).
“ I just didn’t hit it as well and putt it as well as
yesterday,” she said. “Put both of those together and you’re not going
to shoot as well as yesterday. But we’ve got 36 holes left. There is
still a lot of golf left.”
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 27
EDINA,
Minn. – The last time Jamie Fischer played in the U.S. Women’s Open,
she was 18 years old and the year was 1986. Fischer, now 40 and a club
pro at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill., is back in the Open
this week. That’s a span of 22 years.
In fact, there are 47 players in the field at Interlachen who were born after Fischer’s maiden Open. (She missed the cut)
Fischer’s
mother, former LPGA player Andy Cohn-Fischer, as well 10 other family
members and friends were with her yesterday as she finished a
first-round 7-over 80 that included five birdies and two triple bogeys.
Fischer’s
tour career was cut short due to a shoulder injury in the early ‘90s,
and she said she has no aspirations of regaining her playing form. Her
passion now, and for the last 13 years, is teaching.
“It’s a
thrill of a lifetime to be playing the U.S. Open at age 40,” Fischer
said. “But, I’ll be back on the lesson tee Tuesday morning, first
thing.”
– Dan Mirocha
Posted June 27
The PGA Tour is big on packaging, having given us the Florida Swing,
West Coast Swing, Fall Series and Silly, eh . . . that’s Challenge
Season. After consecutive weeks of birdie-fests at the Travelers
Championship and Buick Open may we suggest a marketing hook for this
normally slow point in the golf season: Easy Street.
Last week’s winning haul at the Travelers, Stewart Cink’s 18-under 262,
was the lowest score in relation to par at a 72-hole event since the
season-opening Mercedes Championship. Through one turn in Grand Blanc,
Mich., we’ve got one player (Bo Van Pelt) at 9 under par and more than
half the field (99 players) in the red.
After the Buick breeze, players have AT&T National, a major
championship venue that played like one last year, followed by the John
Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run, which ranked 42nd among the 55 Tour
courses last year in scoring average.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 27
EDINA, Minn. – Maria Jose Uribe stood on the practice putting green
going around in circles. The UCLA sophomore typically ends her practice
sessions by making 10 consecutive putts from 4 , 5, and 6 feet. It’s
similar to the putting drill Phil Mickelson does before every round.
So how long did it take Uribe to make it around the circle three times?
“Thirty minutes,” she said. “These greens are so hard it took me forever (earlier in the week).”
Uribe finished her freshman season at UCLA No. 9 in the
Golfweek/Sagarin
College Rankings. When asked what it would take for her to turn
professional early, Uribe said she didn’t know, short of winning a
major.
The 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion said people may
wonder why she hasn’t done as well in college (though No. 9 ain’t bad).
Uribe credits the help of her caddie/swing coach Pedro Russi.
“Right now my game’s not mature,” Uribe said. “I’m not an independent player yet.”
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 26
EDINA, Minn. – Day 1 at the 63rd U.S. Women's Open can be summed up in a few simple words: It's one great big Oh sandwich.
Ji
Young Oh, 19, is atop the leaderboard, tied for first (with Pat Hurst)
at 6-under 67. Angela Oh, also 19, sits at the bottom of the
leaderboard, 20 shots higher than Ji Young (no relation) at 14-over 87.
Give Angela Oh some credit, though. After a rough, rough day in
her professional debut (she actually played in last week's Women's
Amateur Public Links), she birdied her final hole to shoot the 87.
That's grinding. (And no, in case you're wondering, the Women's Open
does not use the LPGA's 88 rule.)
Angela Oh's card would have
made her some nice money at one of the local casinos: It included a big
inside straight: 3-4-5-6-7-8.
There's also a Sunny Oh in the field. She shot 79.
Oh, what a day ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 26
EDINA, Minn. – Yani Tseng walked off the course in tears after Day 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open. She shot 2-under 71.
Why
so sad? Tseng hit a 3-wood into the bunker on the par-4 seventh (her
16th) and then three-putted for double bogey. She was 3 under heading
into that hole. The 19-year-old cried all the way down the eighth and
then rebounded with birdie on the incredibly difficult par-4 ninth.
Tseng
expects a lot of herself after winning the McDonald’s LPGA earlier this
month. But the tears also fell because she’s had to grind so hard with
a sore right elbow. Diagnosed with tricep tendonitis, Tseng’s doctor
said he’d recommend a week off it wasn’t the U.S. Women’s Open. The
injury was an emotional blow to the Taiwanese power player who wants
desperately to win rookie of the year honors.
Her arm started
hurting in December at the final stage of LPGA Q-School. If Tseng
promised to take it easy at the Open, she wouldn’t damage the elbow any
further.
“I’ve been to the range twice this week,” said Tseng,
who feels pain at impact. “A lot of time chipping and
putting.”
The
weekend before last week’s Wegmans LPGA, Tseng played two practice
rounds at Interlachen. Her homework came in handy this week as the
injury limited her practice to nine holes on Tuesday and 12 holes
Wednesday.
Tseng’s doctor recommended she shake hands and sign credit card
receipts with her left hand. Doc must have known the Mall of America
was nearby.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 26
EDINA,
Minn. – Michelle Wie’s U.S. Open dreams shattered on a green she calls
a “Pringles chip.” The par-4 ninth green is unforgiving if you hit over
the green, and the Big Wiesy found herself there after three shots. She
walked off with a quintuple-bogey 9.
“I had trouble counting how many strokes I had,” Wie said. “It’s the U.S. Open. It will bite you in the butt.”
Wie’s
troubles started when she missed her tee shot right into some trees.
Her third shot stayed in the right rough and she thinned her
third over the back. She
flubbed her first chip shot, barely advancing it a yard. She then
putted from the rough off the front of the green. Her sixth shot, a
chip back up the green, came up short of the flag and rolled back to
her feet. She chipped her seventh past the hole and missed her 6-foot
putt.
Wie was just 1 over par heading into No. 9. She walked
off 6 over. An up-and-down from the bunker on the 18th for birdie
helped ease the pain. But she still shot 8-over 81.
Give her
credit though. Wie went straight to the interview area after signing
her scorecard and answered every question in a pleasant manner. She
stayed positive, but didn’t deliver as many scripted lines with a sour
expression (which is what we’ve grown accustomed to in the last year).
Remember, she’s still a work in progress.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 26
GRAND
BLANC, Mich. – As Larry Mize nears his 50th birthday and the mulligan
that is the Champions Tour, the former Masters champ knows he may be
making his final trip to some of his favorite PGA Tour sites. This week
he’s in the field at Warwick Hills CC, where he won the Buick Open in
1993.
Mize will celebrate his birthday September 23,
making him eligible for the SAS Championship in Cary, NC. He plans to
play all four remaining events on the Champions Tour schedule (not
including the Charles Schwab Cup, which he’ll have to qualify for).
That’s not to say Mize can’t still can hang with the flatbellies. He
finished T-10 at the Puerto Rico Open in March, and shot a 65 in the
Mayakoba Golf Classic.
“I’m not wishing time away,” he said.
But
it won’t hurt to be the “kid” again, and to play a few shorter courses.
Mize ranks dead-last in driving distance on the Tour, averaging a
pedestrian 261 off the tee. Or 51 yards shorter than when bomber Bubba
Watson lets the big dog eat.
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 26
GRAND
BLANC, Mich. – Someone call the fashion police because Kid Rock took it
deep today. The Detroit rocker showed up for his pro-am appearance with
buddy John Daly wearing a pair of jean overalls and sporting some type
of cowboy/fedora hat. Then on the 10th tee, he took a page out of
Daly’s playbook and removed his white T-shirt.
It was all too
reminiscent of Daly’s shirtless showing at a golf course opening that
made the rounds on YouTube earlier this year. As Kid Rock marched down
the fairway followed by his adoring fans, Chris DiMarco and Jason Gore
stopped practicing on the adjacent driving range, shook their heads a
few times, and then resumed pounding balls. Sounded as if one of them
muttered, “Now I’ve seen everything out here.”
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 25
GRAND
BLANC, Mich. – Here’s something you don't see everyday on the PGA Tour:
Tour pros lining up for autographs. That’s the type of respect World
Golf Hall of Fame member Billy Casper still garners. Waiting patiently
behind a tow-headed boy and his younger sister was Mathias Gronberg and
his caddie, Dave Patterson. Gronberg whipped out a brand new golf glove
and once it was signed slipped it back into the plastic for
safekeeping. Patterson will be admiring Casper’s signature everytime he
looks at the cover of his fluorescent orange Warwick Hills CC yardage
book cover.
Casper, who won the inaugural Buick Open, was in
town to help celebrate 50 years since the start of the Buick Open in
1958. He and defending champion Brian Bateman hit ceremonial first
drives. And one day after celebrating his 77th birthday, Casper was
speechless when tournament organizers presented an oversized birthday
cake and serenaded him with the tune “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
Not a bad day for Buffalo Bill.
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 25
GRAND
BLANC, Mich. – The NBA’s Allen Iverson would say, “Practice? Are we
really talking about practice?” But I’m going there anyway. There was
noticeably less activity at the practice range this week at the Buick
Open. It was more than just the absence of range rat Vijay Singh, a
former two-time champion, taking a rare week off.
Tour
equipment reps called it one of the slowest weeks of the year. That’s
not to say Tour pros weren’t hard at work on their game. Many players,
such as Rocco Mediate and winner Bubba Watson, arrived late after
playing in the CVS/Caremark Charity Classic in Rhode Island on Monday
and Tuesday. Some, like Justin Leonard, took advantage of the close
proximity to Oakland Hills CC to get a sneak-peek of the site of the
PGA Championship in August. He toured “The Monster” in a cart while
others test-drove yet another course. Johnson Wagner was among a group
of players who fled the range to play at Dearborn CC, one of two sites
along with TPC Michigan, for Monday's British Open qualifier.
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 25
EDINA,
Minn. – Mike Davis, senior director of rules and competitions, stopped
by the media room today to offer insight on course setup. He reinforced
what many players and caddies have been saying all week: Length isn’t
going to be the big issue this week. The fairways are firm and players
are getting plenty of roll out there. The rough, which is graduated,
isn’t as thick as other Open venues.
“The intent with that is when you just miss the fairway, we want the player to go for the green,” Davis said.
No
argument here, chip-outs get old. If there’s a ton of rain on the way,
which some is forecasted for the next several days, that would
obviously change Davis’ idea of ideal course conditions.
But
he’s already planning moving teeing grounds on as many as 11 holes.
Davis said that for a portion of the field, all the par 5s will be
reachable at some point during the tournament. For example, the par-5
second hole will move from 473 yards to around 430; the par-5 third
will be shortened from 557 yards to 470.
Look for Davis to
move the tee on the par-4 seventh hole from 316 yards to 249, perhaps
enticing several players to drive the green. The par-3 eighth will move
from 227 yards to 240 one day on the weekend.
“Mike is, with
the graduated rough and moving of the tee markers up and down, he is
causing these great players to think,” said David Fay, USGA executive
director. “I think that is great for all of us to witness.”
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 25
EDINA,
Minn. – Juli Inkster has put in 11-hour days this week in preparation
for her 29th U.S. Women’s Open. She missed the cut in Rochester and got
here early, tireless work ethic in tow.
Inkster’s time on the
grounds of Interlachen is a stark contrast to fellow Americans Nicole
Castrale and Laura Diaz. They paired together for the CVS Caremark
Charity Classic earlier this week, a two-day event that wrapped up
Tuesday. The two U.S. Solheim Cup players finished seventh, and then
flew into Minneapolis with their husbands/caddies last night.
The
pair put in a full practice round today, though Diaz’s husband, Kevin,
said they lost a little steam on the back nine. They did get in a
little early prep work, playing two rounds at Interlachen the week
after the McDonald’s LPGA.
Diaz and Inkster are two of seven
members of the victorious 2002 U.S. Solheim Cup team in the field this
week. Seven members of the European team also are returning to
Interlachen.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 25
EDINA,
Minn. – Every year at this tournament I feel a little older. There’s
one obvious reason for that, but it’s also worth noting that the field
has never looked more green. This year’s U.S. Women’s Open features 28
teenagers in the field of 156. That’s up three from 2007.
Morgan
Pressel is no longer part of that contingent, but credit her for
getting the whole thing started seven years ago when she played as a 13
year old. There were five teens who joined Pressel in 2001.
Look at how fast things changed:
2002: 7
2003: 14
2004: 16
2005: 18
2006: 25
2007: 25
2008: 28
Ten
of the teens playing this week are professionals. The most well-known,
of course, is Michelle Wie. But 19-year-old Yani Tseng won the
McDonald’s LPGA earlier this month.
Amateurs and teenagers at the Women’s Open don’t just fight to make the cut. They often fight to win.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 25
EDINA, Minn. – Best sighting of the day so far: a mariachi band boarding a shuttle bus outside the media room.
Remember, after Lorena Ochoa’s victory at the Kraft Nabisco, a group of mariachis serenaded her on the 18th green.
No word yet on whether this was the same group. Either way, I’m hoping they’ll be back Sunday afternoon.
– Dan Mirocha
Posted June 25
EDINA,
Minn. – The USGA announced today that the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open will
be played at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. The Open has never
been played on Long Island, and hasn’t been to the state of New York
since 1973.
The upcoming lineup for the Women’s Open, per
David Fay, goes like this: Saucon Valley (2009), Oakmont CC (2010), The
Broadmoor (2011), Blackwolf Run (2012), Sebonack (2013) and Pebble
Beach (2014).
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 25
The clock began on Tiger Woods’ comeback the moment doctors completed a
procedure to repair a torn ligament in the world No. 1’s left knee on
Tuesday in Utah.
While Woods may have been the most high-profile golfer, if not athlete,
to succumb to a season-ending surgery, he wasn’t the only Tour player
wrestling with the consequences of a serious injury.
Brian Bateman was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder
earlier this year but has delayed surgery, a procedure that would end
his 2008 campaign.
“As far as the surgery, it may be in the next few weeks. I may try to
play through a couple of the majors and maybe the FedEx Cup and take
the fall off,” said Bateman, the defending champion this week at the
Buick Open. “I thought I owed it to Buick and to the people here at
Warwick (Hills) to at least come back and try and defend.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 25
DETROIT – My week covering the Tiger-less Buick Open started with a bang. Shortly
after I arrived in the Motor City on June 23, I was treated to a
pyrotechnics show. Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, have celebrated
Independence Day and Canada Day with what they call the International
Freedom Festival.
Seemed a bit premature to me but three barges
anchored in the Detroit River, the strait separating the two cities,
lit up the sky for the 50th anniversary of the fireworks show. In lieu
of Tiger, it gave me a few reasons to ooh and aah.
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 25
EDINA, Minn. – Spent some time on the range today practicing breathing
techniques with the zen doctor. Dr. Joe Parent, author of
Zen Golf and
Zen Putting, added Cristie Kerr to his list of converts this year. Come again? Cristie Kerr ... a peacemaker?
Kerr
wanted so badly to start the year strong that by April she found
herself wound pretty tight. The defending U.S. Women’s Open champ
enlisted the help of Parent after the Ginn Open and has been breathing
more deeply ever since.
“It’s playing without so much ego
attachment,” said Parent, who is a big believer in living in the
present and being committed to the process. “The hallmark of playing
that way is having really good bounce back.”
Kerr always walks
with a purposeful step. Look for her to take deeper breaths in her
pre-shot routine in an effort to settle the body and literally get out
of her head. The result will be a slower, more relaxed walk up to the
ball.
Parent said one of the biggest areas of improvement was Kerr’s chipping routine. That should come in handy U.S. Open week.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 24
Boo Weekley and his wife, Karyn, had the couple’s second child June 23, a 7-pound, 12-ounce boy named Aiden O’Neal.
The baby was delivered at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla.,
and, according to sources close to Weekley, he assisted with the
delivery.
Weekley, who won his second Tour title earlier this year in Hilton
Head, S.C., doesn’t plan on playing again until the British Open.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 24
EDINA, Minn. – Annika Sorenstam and
Lorena Ochoa both traveled from Rochester, N.Y., to Minnesota via
private jet, although Ochoa didn’t pay for her seat. It’s tradition for
a Wegmans LPGA pro-am partner to lend his Gulfstream V for the U.S.
Women’s Open trek.
Ochoa arrived Monday morning and teed of
the back nine in the afternoon. Sorenstam flew in Sunday evening and
spent most of the next day taking care of off-course duties and
putting.
The world’s top two players might be paired together
for the first two rounds if Ochoa hadn’t won the Ricoh Women’s British
Open. The USGA traditionally pairs the U.S. Women’s Open champion
(Cristie Kerr) with the British Open champ (Ochoa) and the reigning
U.S. Women’s Amateur champ (Maria Jose Uribe). The trio tees off at
7:33 am. Thursday and 1:03 Friday.
Sorenstam will headline the afternoon wave Thursday with Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen (1:14 p.m.)
– Beth Ann Baldry
June 23, 2008
EDINA,
Minn. – Interlachen Country Club is playing as a par 73 this week at
6,789 yards, the longest setup in U.S. Women’s Open history. But the
key to the championship might not be the five par 5s. Mike Davis,
senior director of rules and competition for the USGA, said the four
par 3s this week are the toughest he’s seen at a Women’s Open.
Look
for the par-3 eighth hole to play 239 yards on the weekend with a
back-pin location. Jee Young Lee, one of the longest players in the
women’s game, hit a rescue wood. Don’t be surprised if some players
bust out their drivers, though Davis said the green is receptive to
longer woods.
The two most difficult holes this week will be
the 413-yard par-4 ninth and 441-yard par-4 17th. Lorena Ochoa hit
driver off the tee on the 17th Monday and wound up in the left rough.
She hit her approach shot right into the greenside bunker and then
dropped another ball. Her second attempt nearly nailed a spectator.
“Did I hit anybody?” she asked as she walked over to pick up her ball.
Going
forward look for the longest player on tour to leave driver in the bag.
She can hit 3-wood short of the trouble and have 4-iron into that slick
green.
– Beth Ann Baldry
June 23, 2008
Seems apropos that Stewart Cink would win the first event in the
post-Tiger Woods 2008 calendar. Cink had become Woods’ preferred patsy,
having been paired with the world No. 1 for the final rounds at the
Buick Invitational and WGC-Match Play Championship.
On Sunday following his Travelers Championship victory, Cink said the
breakthrough, his first on Tour since 2004, answered a lot of questions
he was having about his game.
The victory, which moved Cink to third in FedEx Cup points, may have
also answered the biggest question in golf: What should we expect from
the rest of the season? Seems that, for a change, we should anticipate
an end-of-the-year race worth watching.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 23
Michael Thompson isn’t turning pro until
after the Palmer Cup, but the Alabama alum made a stellar PGA Tour
(non-major) debut at the Travelers Championship Thursday.
Thompson
fired a bogey-free 5-under 65 and sits just one shot off the lead
midway through the first round. Thompson came to the par-4 10th 1-under
for the day but holed a 6-iron from 196 yards for eagle.
“I
thought I saw it go in, and then one of the guys, the volunteer behind
the green, threw up his hands,” Thompson said. “As soon as he did that,
I knew it went in.”
According to Thompson, the last time he holed out a shot like that was during his first semester at Alabama.
Thompson’s
round should come as no surprise, considering he placed T-29 and
finished as low amateur at last week’s U.S. Open. Thompson’s finish
gets him through to the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School in the fall.
Despite
all of his success, Thompson said his main goal throughout the year has
been to represent the U.S. at next week’s Palmer Cup. As for his
chances this week, Thompson’s attitude is go-for-broke.
“I
committed to that, and I wanted to do that,” he said of the Palmer Cup.
“So I’m here to have fun. There’s no pressure, there’s nothing to lose,
just going out and playing golf and see how I do.”
– Ray McCarthy
Posted June 19
2008 Tour Blog archive:
Click here for the U.S. Open blog.
Click here for the run-up to the U.S. Open.
Click here for the Masters blog.
Click here for the Kraft Nabisco and the run-up to Augusta.
Click here for the Florida Swing.
Click here for the West Coast Swing and LPGA’s Hawaiian kickoff.
Click here for the kick off of the season in Hawaii.
2007 Tour Blog archive:
Click here for blogs from the ends to the PGA Tour and LPGA seasons.
Click here for the post-Fed Ex Cup and Presidents Cup blogs.
Click here for the FedEx Cup Playoffs blog.
Click here for the Solheim Cup blog.
Click here for the PGA Championship blog.
Click here for the British Open and Women’s British Open blogs.
Click here for the AT&T National, Women’s Open and Senior Open.
Click here for the U.S. Open blog.
Click here for the Players Championship and the run-up to the U.S. Open.
Click here for the Masters blog.
Click here for the Kraft Nabisco and the run-up to Augusta.
Click here for the Florida Swing.
Click here for the second half of the West Coast Swing.
Click here for the first half of the West Coast Swing.
Click here for the kick off of the season in Hawaii.
Posted: 8/30/2007
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