Golf-Tiger back at Honda event for first time since 1993 (Reuters)
Feb 14 (Reuters) – Former world number one Tiger Woods
will play in next month’s $1.02 million Honda Classic for the
first time as a professional.
“I’ve heard great things about the Honda Classic and now
that I live here in Florida I want to play whenever possible,”
the 14-times major champion said on his website
(www.tigerwoods.com) on Tuesday.
“Jack Nicklaus’s involvement in the tournament and the
benefits to the local community are also important,” added
Woods, who made his only previous appearance in the event as a
17-year-old amateur in 1993.
The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation is the main
beneficiary of the March 1-4 Honda Classic to be played at Palm
Beach Gardens.
Woods is also planning to compete in next week’s
WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana, Arizona – a
tournament he won in 2003, 2004 and 2008- and the WGC-Cadillac
Championship March 8-11 in Miami, a trophy he has lifted eight
times.
The 36-year-old American has kicked off his season by
finishing joint-third at the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi
Championship in January and tied for 15th at last week’s Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am in California.
“I’m excited about my start and look forward to keep
building,” said Woods. “I’ve made great strides from last year
and hopefully all my hard work will pay off with a victory
soon.”
Woods has slipped to 18th in the world rankings having not
won a full-field event since the 2009 Australian Masters.
(Writing by Tony Jimenez in London, editing by Mark Meadows; To
comment on this story: sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Westwood has 1-shot lead in Dubai; McIlroy 2 back (AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Lee Westwood took advantage of some shaky
play from Rory McIlroy and Thomas Bjorn, shooting a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke
lead on Rafael Cabrera-Bello after the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Westwood was three shots behind McIlroy and Bjorn at the start of the round
but closed the gap with three birdies in his first four holes. The third-ranked
Englishman birdied the 13th for a share of the lead with Bjorn and led when the
Dane bogeyed the 15th.
“I got off to a good start,” Westwood said. “The only time I dropped two
shots was when I hit two poor drives on 6 into the left rough, got a heavy lie
and at 8 hit it into the sand on right. Other than that, very solid and gave
myself lots of birdie chances.”
Joining Cabrera-Bello at one-shot back were Stephen Gallacher (68) and
Marcel Siem (68). McIlroy, who struggled early, finished with a 72 to trail
Westwood by two shots. Bjorn was three behind the leader with a 73.
Coming into Saturday, it appeared Westwood’s biggest challengers this
weekend would be U.S. Open champion McIlroy and Bjorn, who beat Tiger Woods in
2001 to take the Dubai title.
But McIlroy’s tee shot on No. 7 went into the water for his first bogey. He
had three more bogeys on the back nine.
“It was pretty ragged to say the least,” McIlroy said. “I think the
conditions were a little tougher, the wind got up. The greens got a little
firmer, pin positions were a little tougher … just definitely didn’t come as
easy to me as it did the first couple of days.”
With McIlroy faltering, it seemed Bjorn would take advantage. He took the
lead with a birdie at No. 7 and added another birdie on No. 10. But he struggled
on the remainder the back nine after a tee shot in the bunker led to a bogey on
15. Bjorn added two more bogeys in his last three holes.
McIlroy stayed in contention, making three birdies on the back nine,
including the 18th. McIlroy said he had a similar experience in Hong Kong where
he shot a 65 to win the tournament, so he’s confident of claiming his first
victory in Dubai since 2009.
“Today is just not going to be a day where you hit it well and you’re going
to make plenty of birdies and give yourself opportunities,” he said. “A day
like today, you just have to try to stay as close to the leaders as possible and
not let them get away from you. That’s what we tried to do today, and luckily
I’m only two back.”
Joining McIlroy were Martin Kaymer (70), Scott Jamieson (70) and Joel
Sjoholm (66). Bjorn was in a three-way tie for ninth with George Coetzee (69)
and Ben Curtis (67).
With 21 European Tour titles, Westwood has more experience than the three
players who trail by one shot. They’ve earned a combined three titles.
“Yeah, I know how to play with the lead. What did I win, four times last
year?” Westwood said, with a wry smile. “When I get a chance, I’m pretty good
at finishing off.
“I’ve won (38) times (worldwide). You know, that’s not somebody that’s not
good with a lead. You get used to knowing what to do; when to press, when not to
press, when to be patient.”
———
Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1
Cabrera-Bello shoots 63 in Dubai; McIlroy 3 back (AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Rafael Cabrera-Bello made nine birdies in
his first 11 holes to finish at 9-under 63 Thursday for a two-shot lead after
the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Marcel Siem and Scott Jamieson each shot 65.
U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy was three shots back, making seven birdies
on the last 10 holes. He’s tied for fourth with six other players, including
2010 PGA Champion Martin Kaymer.
“I didn’t really get much going on the front nine,” McIlroy said. “And
then I sort of got a few things going after that.”
Cabrera-Bello said he briefly thought about scoring 59, one shot better than
his career-best 60 that helped him win the Austrian Open. But he ended the round
with seven straight pars.
“It felt simple. I know it’s not and I know it’s really hard to repeat,”
the 119th-ranked Cabrera-Bello said. “But it felt like everything was going
nice and smooth today.”
Third-ranked Lee Westwood had a 69, and defending champion Alvaro Quiros
shot a 70. Robert Rock, who beat Tiger Woods and McIlroy at Abu Dhabi on Jan.
29, trails by 10 shots.
Cabrera-Bello said his consistent short game helped put him in contention
for a second European Tour win and first since 2009. The 27-year-old Spaniard
chipped within 3 feet on his fourth hole for birdie, then sank a 20-foot birdie
putt on his fifth and made a 15-foot putt on his eighth.
Cabrera-Bello said it’s too soon to start thinking about winning the
tournament.
“I don’t think anyone who plays good in any tournament in the first round
thinks about winning,” Cabrera-Bello said. “I’m sure that is one thing you
shouldn’t do. … You only need to think about how many times the first-round
leader ends up winning, which I don’t think is a very good percentage.”
McIlroy, who won the tournament in 2009 and finished second last month at
the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, started with six straight pars and a bogey. He
sank clutch birdie putts on No. 9 and 11 and missed a hole-in-one on the par-3,
15 by a foot.
Kaymer started slowly with a birdie and bogey on the front nine but had four
birdies to go with a bogey on the back. He finished off with an eagle after an
impressive drive on 18.
“I think I played very well. I hit a lot of good golf shots, hit a lot of
good iron shots,” Kaymer said. “I had plenty of chances today.”
Siem managed to upstage his more famous German compatriot with his 65. He
made a long birdie putt on No. 2, then chipped in on No. 6 for the third of his
four birdies on the front. The 223rd-ranked Siem challenged for the lead with
three birdies on his last four holes. But he found the water on the 18th with
his second shot and finished with a bogey.
“It was one of my best days of golf to be honest,” Siem said. “At the
beginning, I didn’t hit all the fairways. But on the back nine, I hit all the
fairways and my iron shots were all straight at it.”
Jamieson had five birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free 65.
Rock didn’t have much luck during his round.
“It was a pretty poor round of greens today. Hit the ball quite nice, hit
some good shots but my chipping was bad,” Rock said. “Ten is a long ways back.
There are a lot of people under par, so I have a lot to do.”
———
Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1
Harrington back to relevance at Abu Dhabi (AP)
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—After going winless in 2011, three-time
major winner Padraig Harrington says he’s playing better and senses a victory is
just around the corner.
Harrington shot a 3-under 69 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship following an
opening 71 to lie only three shots behind surprise clubhouse leader Thorbjorn
Olesen of Denmark on Friday.
Winning in Abu Dhabi would be especially satisfying for Harrington, since he
was leading going into the second round last year only to be disqualified. A
slow-motion replay on high-definition television revealed his ball moved ever so
slightly after he replaced his marker.
Tour Report: Stricker likes the back nine (PGATOUR.com)
KAPALUA, Hawaii – With the final group now having reached the back nine in Monday’s final round, the advantage would seem to be in Steve Stricker’s favor.
Stricker leads the 27-man field this week in back nine scoring average. He’s a collective 14 under through the first three rounds on the back nine of the Plantation Course.
The last five holes have been particularly productive for Stricker – he’s a collective 13 under on those closing holes this week, and he birdied each of the final four holes in Sunday’s third round.
Here’s a look at the leaders and their back-nine averages this week:
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Steve Stricker finally has his first birdie of the day. And it couldn’t have come at a more critical time.
Stricker rolled in a 23-foot birdie putt at the par-3 eighth and is now at 19 under. That extends his lead to two shots over Webb Simpson, who has just made the turn. Stricker started the day with a five-shot lead.
Meanwhile, Stricker’s playing partner, Jonathan Byrd, bogeyed the eighth and is now three shots off the pace.
Martin Laird, who was at one time just a shot behind Stricker, is also now three shots behind.
Keegan Bradley has the hottest round of the day. He holed out for eagle at the par-4 16th and is now 7 under for the day and 10 under for the tournament.
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Steve Stricker’s first bogey of the day has reduced his lead to one shot through his first six holes in Monday’s final round.
Stricker is 18 under, with Martin Laird and defending champion Jonathan Byrd each at 17 under. Stricker began the day with a five-stroke advantage.
Stricker bogeyed the par-4 sixth when he struggled to get out of the primary rough with his second shot. He then missed a five-foot putt to save par.
That’s just the fourth hole this week in which Stricker has played over par.
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Steve Stricker’s lead has been reduced to three shots, as Martin Laird has birdied two of his first four holes.
Laird, who started the day tied for second — five shots off the lead — birdied the third and fourth holes and is now at 16 under.
Stricker has parred his first three holes and remains at 19 under.
Webb Simpson and Jonathan Byrd have each picked up early birdies and are at 15 under.
Obviously it’s still very early in Stricker’s round, but he’s currently the only player in the field who has yet to produce at least one birdie or eagle in the final round.
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Playing as a single in the first group of the final round, David Toms flew around the course in 2-1/2 hours, shooting his best round of the week, a 2-under 71.
That allowed him to have plenty of time to prepare for tonight’s BCS Championship game, with his beloved LSU Tigers facing SEC rival Alabama for the national championship.
Toms, decked out in appropriate school colors (purple shirt, yellow pants) said he would be watching the game with his wife and kids.
“Just going to get my family situated now,” Toms said after his round (he finished the tournament at 4 over). “I hope all goes well. If not, we’ll sit around and sulk the rest of the day.”
Toms said his parents, his sister and her husband, his wife’s parents and some close friends will all be at the football game at the Louisiana Superdome.
As far as a prediction?
“I never make those,” Toms said. “But I’m hoping we’ll have a little bit of the home advantage. Of course, their 40 percent can sound awfully loud.”
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Steve Stricker, who just teed off with a five-stroke lead in Monday’s final round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, has held or shared the lead going into the final round of a PGA TOUR event on 14 previous occasions.
His success rate in keeping the 54-hole lead and winning the event is 50 percent.
However, he has never lost a 72-hole tournament in which he’s held the outright lead after 54 holes (six for six).
A year ago at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he entered the final round tied for the lead but shot a 2-under 71 and finished tied for fourth.
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Having experience and course knowledge at the Plantation Course is generally considered a huge advantage for those in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions field. The two players in the final group – tournament leader Steve Stricker and defending champ Jonathan Byrd – are certainly evident of that.
But of the next four players on the leaderboard, three are making their first starts in this event – Bryce Molder, Webb Simpson and Kevin Na. And the other one – Martin Laird – is making just his second start here.
Molder said one of the reasons that the newcomers have played well here is that the conditions have not changed all week. The Trade winds have been mild and consistent, although they may blow a little bit harder for Monday’s final round.
Overall, though, it’s made for a quicker learning curve.
“The wind has been the same, so it’s been a little easier for guys like me,” Molder said. “It makes a big, big difference. It really does.”
Molder said he managed to judge the winds correctly during Thursday’s Pro-Am, and so “going into Friday the first round, there wasn’t any question as to which club (to use) off the tees.”
Since 2000, the only two players to win in their first look at the Plantation Course are Sergio Garcia (2002) and Daniel Chopra (2008). Chopra beat Stricker in a playoff that year.
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jonathan Byrd needs to make up five strokes in order to catch playing partner and tournament leader Steve Stricker in Monday’s final round at the Plantation Course. But despite the large deficit, don’t expect significant changes in his game plan.
“I don’t foresee myself changing my game plan a whole lot,” said Byrd, who entered this week as the defending champion. “I’ve just got to make putts and Stricker has got to not play like he’s been playing.”
Byrd did say, however, that there could be a couple of opportunities in which he can play more aggressively.
One is at the 297-yard par-4 14th. Byrd has laid up on that hole each of the first three rounds, although he did make birdie in the third round after hitting his second shot to within eight feet. But depending on where he stands on the leaderboard, his thought process might change Monday.
“That’s a possible hole that you may pull out a driver if you need to make a 2,” he said.
Also, Byrd could decide to be more aggressive on the par 5s. This week, he’s 6 under on the par 5s and 8 under on the par 4s. Stricker, on the other hand, has dominated the par 5s – he’s 11 under on those holes.
“You might be a little more aggressive going at a pin on the green,” Byrd said.
Steve Stricker and Jonathan Byrd will tee off at 4:05 p.m. ET (11:05 a.m. in Hawaii)
KAPALUA, Hawaii – With the leaders set to tee off in about an hour, here’s a look at last year’s final-round scoring averages for each of the players in the final three groups Monday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions:
KAPALUA, Hawaii â With the final group now having reached the back nine in Mondayâs final round, the advantage would seem to be in Steve Strickerâs favor. Stricker leads the 27-man field this week in back nine scoring average. Heâs a collective 14 under through the first three rounds on the back nine of the […]
A look back at 2011 with tales from the tour (AP)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Mike Tuten has spent the last 20 years on the
North Shore of Oahu shaping surf boards. He joined his brother, Titleist rep
Chris Tuten, for a round of golf on the Plantation Course at Kapalua at the
start of the year.
Walking down the seventh fairway, the Pacific Ocean on the horizon, Tuten
said he found a lot of similarities between surfing and golf.
“It’s all about controlling your inner self and enjoying the environment
around you,” Tuten said.
That made sense to Adam Scott, who does a fair bit of surfing.
Ditto for Geoff Ogilvy, who described himself as a “splash-in-the-water
kind of surfer.”
“A lot of surfing is just sitting on the back of your board and just
enjoying the place you’re at,” Ogilvy said. “You can do it with friends or on
your own. Some of the appeal is that you’re out there on your own with golf,
too. Surfing is similar. A lot of guys who go surfing would be those types of
guys who like to get out and do their own thing.”
For a technical answer, Kelly Slater weighed in.
“Physically, there’s not a lot of similarities,” Slater said at the Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am. “When you surf, you do twist your body. You twist your
shoulders and bring the board to where your shoulders are. When you catch a
wave, you don’t want to be thinking about the crowd, cameras, how pretty it is.
You want to have a calm mind when you take off on a wave.”
It all sounded good in theory until the question was posed to Ernie Els on
the range at Waialae.
Are there any similarities between golf and surfing?
“No, I don’t agree with that,” Els said.
He pointed to the 30-foot palm trees lining both sides of the range to make
his argument.
“You see a wave that big coming at you, I don’t see how you can enjoy your
environment,” Els said. “I would be trying to get the hell out of there. No,
golf is not like surfing. You don’t get killed playing golf.”
The 2011 season began with waves crashing along the shores of Maui and Oahu.
Rory McIlroy wiped out at the Masters and had the ride of his life at the U.S.
Open. Luke Donald is riding a wave that doesn’t seem to end. And late in the
year, Tiger Woods showed signs of paddling back out to sea.
Along the way, there were plenty of other moments that went beyond birdies
and bogeys.
———
Saturday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is when CBS Sports focuses
primarily on the celebrities in the field, who don’t always take golf—or the
interviews—all that seriously. David Feherty attempted to interview comedian
George Lopez, who essentially spent his time in front of the camera making fun
of the Irishman.
Feherty was riding his bike along 17 Mile Drive the next morning, still
thinking about how Lopez buried him on TV, when he decided it was time for
revenge. It was 6 a.m. and he knew the house where Lopez was staying, so Feherty
went to the front door and began ringing the bell. Over and over and over.
No answer.
He took out his phone and called Lopez, and the comedian answered with a
groggy voice.
“George! Why aren’t you answering the door?” Feherty told him.
Lopez informed him that his door bell wasn’t ringing. Just at that moment,
Feherty heard another groggy voice, slightly perturbed, through the intercom.
“Who is this?”
Feherty froze. He was at the wrong house. Lopez was in the one on the other
side of the road.
“I was looking at him across the street,” Lopez said. “I think I’ve still
got a picture of it. He looked like a wet rat.”
———
Bo Van Pelt walked up to the porch at the Augusta National clubhouse to find
his caddie waiting for him with the golf bag and listening to a man on the bench
telling stories.
“Bo,” caddie Mark Chaney said. “Have you met Bob Goalby?”
For the next hour, the 1968 Masters champion regaled Van Pelt with stories
about practice rounds with Ben Hogan, about the stories Sam Snead once told at
the Champions Dinner at Augusta, about playing in the Ryder Cup against British
players hardly anyone knew.
Van Pelt didn’t want to leave. Goalby would finish a story, there would be a
long pause, and then he would start another.
At the end of the week, Van Pelt was among eight players who had a share of
the lead on Sunday. He tied for eighth. Yet that Tuesday afternoon on the porch
with Goalby was as strong a memory as his best finish at the Masters.
“To me, those are the things where I feel fortunate I get to do what I
do,” Van Pelt said a few weeks ago. “It’s great to be at Augusta. And you’re
thinking about the tournament. But when you get a chance to visit with someone
like that, those other things can wait. I could have sat there all day.”
———
Darren Clarke couldn’t do the math.
For a guy who spent two decades chasing the claret jug, Clarke did a
remarkable job keeping a clear head until he approached the 18th green at Royal
St. George’s and tried to figure out what remained for him to capture golf’s
oldest championship.
He played the final hole the way he wanted, taking the bunkers out of play
off the tee and hitting to the back left of the green.
“The crowd was roaring and shouting, and I’m thinking, `How many putts do I
have from there?’ I promise you, that’s what I was thinking,” Clarke said.
“And I couldn’t get the number in my head. The only time that I really figured
it out was when I was standing over the ball. I’ve got five putts.”
He took three to make a meaningless bogey and win by three shots over Phil
Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
———
Fred Couples was outside the ropes near the first tee at Royal Melbourne,
holding court on the world of sports as only Couples can do, while Tiger Woods
and Dustin Johnson prepared to play for the first time as partners in the
Presidents Cup.
Couples wanted to know about the sale of the Houston Astros, and how they
could go to the American League, and if someone bought the Seattle Mariners,
could the new owner demand they be in the National League? The conversation
shifted to hockey, back to baseball, a brief stop for the NFL, back to hockey.
And then he stopped.
“You know, I should be over there talking to Dustin and Tiger instead of
you two clowns,” he said.
Maybe so. But, as one reporter asked, what would be his preference?
“You guys,” Couples said. Nodding in the direction of Woods and Johnson,
he added with a smile, “Those guys don’t give me anything.”
———
Arnold Palmer was asked to describe his perfect day, and he frowned.
“I’m in a dilemma right now because I can’t hit the ball the way I want
to,” Palmer said. “I can do things that will allow me to hit the ball where I
want to hit it, but not as far. But straight isn’t the answer for me because I
can’t hit it far enough. At 82, am I going to put the effort into it that I have
to for me to enjoy playing? It’s very difficult.”
At the end of a long day that included a golf-course opening, Palmer made up
his mind.
“I’ve decided I’m going to give it a shot this winter at Bay Hill, for my
own satisfaction,” he said. “I’m going to work at it.”
Three weeks later, using a 5-iron from 163 yards on the Charger Course at
Bay Hill, the King made his 20th career hole-in-hole and shot 79.
US teen Thompson leads in Dubai; Wie 4 shots back (AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—American teenager Lexi Thompson has taken
a two-shot lead after the second round of the Dubai Ladies Masters.
The 16-year-old Thompson, who is the youngest LPGA Tour winner, strung
together six birdies on her way to a bogey-free 6-under 66 Thursday and a 138
total.
Thompson got her short game working after finishing 16th in the first round.
Swedish veteran Sophie Gustafson (67) and Margherita Rigon (68) were two
shots back.
Michelle Wie is four shots back after a 67. The 22-year-old American, who is
looking for her first win of the year, rallied after an opening-round 73.
Michelle Wie back in mix at Dubai Ladies Masters (AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Michelle Wie climbed back into contention
at the Dubai Ladies Masters on Thursday, shooting a 5-under 67 to move within
two shots of leader Sophie Gustafson with about half the field still on the
course.
The 22-year-old American, looking for her first win of the year, bounced
back from an opening 73 in which shaky putting led to three bogeys. On Thursday,
Wie had a bogey-free round and sank several key birdie putts, including a
30-footer on No. 12. She had five birdies overall, including four on the back
nine for a total of 140.
Gustafson was at 138 after shooting a 67.
McIlroy shoots 30 on back 9 in Dubai, trails by 2 (AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy shot a 30 on
the back nine Thursday at the Dubai World Championship to gain the early
advantage over top-ranked Luke Donald in the battle for the European money
title.
The 22-year-old McIlroy holed six birdies—including sinking a 20-foot putt
at the last—on the back nine to hit a 6-under 66 and sit third behind leader
Peter Hanson of Sweden (64) and 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie of
Scotland (65).
The Northern Irishman, who came from behind to win last week’s Hong Kong
Open, made a “couple of silly mistakes” on the front nine. He had a double
bogey on the second hole and then bogeyed No. 8 after hitting over the back of
the green.
“It was a perfect start to the tournament for me,” said McIlory, who has
been complaining of fatigue from a lingering virus. “To shoot a great score
like that really sets me up nicely for the next three days. The back nine was
just pretty much flawless. I held some really, really nice putts. Just giving
myself chances and opportunities for birdies, and lucky enough I was able to
make a few.”
Donald sank four birdies on the front nine but struggled on the back, making
three bogeys in a row to shoot a 72 for a share of 26th place.
The 34-year-old Englishman played his first tournament last week in South
Africa after a five-week break so he could attend the birth of his second
daughter and bury his father, who died unexpectedly last month.
“A mixture of two halves really,” Donald said. “I played solid the front
nine and hit a few shots that cost me, poor drives on 14 and 15 and it was bit
of a loose back nine, unfortunately. But trying to get better from here on
out.”
McIlroy’s performance keeps the Race To Dubai alive. He must win the $7.5
million tournament and hope Donald finishes outside the top nine. Should Donald
win the Race To Dubai, he would become the first to win both the European and
American money titles.
Two years ago, McIlroy lost the money title when Lee Westwood won in Dubai
to move past him. This time, he is happy to be in second spot.
“It’s sort of taken the pressure off me,” McIlroy said. “I’m sort of
like, well, I’m not 100 percent and if that doesn’t quite happen, it doesn’t
happen and there is nothing I can do about it. You know, so it takes the
pressure off in that way that you can just go about your game and try and play
as well as you can.”
Donald acknowledged it was a challenge playing alongside someone in such
great form as McIlroy.
“It’s always hard playing with Rory,” he said. “It almost feels like a
bit of a match-play kind of scenario. But the goal is to concentrate on myself
and just try and do what I can do to try and win this tournament. Hopefully the
rest will take care of itself.”
The only other golfer to have a run like McIlroy was Hanson, who made six
birdies on the back nine and eight overall. The 49th-ranked Swede is looking for
his first win this year and fifth career victory on the tour.
“Overall, it’s the best golf I’ve played,” Hanson said. “It’s a quite
demanding golf course and the wind picked up a little bit over the back nine, so
I’m very, very happy with the way I struck the ball and I rolled in a few
putts.”
Lawrie, who briefly held the clubhouse lead, was a surprise second
considering the 163rd-ranked Scot has won only once this year and hasn’t had a
top-10 finish since coming fifth at the Iberdrola Open in May.
“I played really nice today. Hit the ball solid,” Lawrie said. “Gave
myself an awful lot of chances out there, especially a wee run from the fifth
through to the 14th.”
Sergio Garcia of Spain is three shots off the pace, while Ross Fisher,
Robert Rock and Alvaro Quiros are a further shot back at 4 under in the
season-ending tournament.
The third-ranked Westwood and No. 4 Martin Kaymer both shot 73s to be tied
for 35th.
Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1
A healthy, happy Duval is trying to work his way back (PGATOUR.com)
LA QUINTA, Calif.—When Gator Todd was a teenager in Alabama, David Duval was the No. 1 player in the world and had just won the British Open.
“He was one of my favorite players to watch,” Todd, now 25, said.
“That’s what you dream about when you’re a little kid, is to play with guys like that. But I definitely didn’t think it was going to be at q-school.”
There was a time when Duval was defined by the dark Oakley sunglasses, that chest-out stride and his place atop the game. Underneath all that was of course a lot more, but if perception is reality then Duval was equal parts mercurial and Terminator.
Those days are long gone of course and all that’s left is a shadow of that golf game and layers of a complex man whose life is quite simple these days, which is exactly the way he likes it—except for the part about having to go through q-school to secure a PGA TOUR card for next season.
“I obviously, like a lot of people, prefer not to be doing this,” Duval said Thursday from PGA West, where he is even par through two of the six rounds played here this week. “I’d be able to get plenty of starts next year from the relationships I’ve built up over the past 15, 17 years, but I have to help myself first if I can.
“I’m not sure you should ask for help if you’re not willing to help yourself.”
That explains why Duval is here in the first place, where there are no ropes and almost no fans save for the dozen or so that wandered these lonely fairways with him on a windswept day in the desert.
Truth be told, Duval never really had a problem with going to the final stage of q-school if that’s what it took. He did it (unsuccessfully) in 2009. It was the second stage that Duval had no interest in. You don’t make it through that and you might not make it back, mentally at least.
“When I realized had to go to second stage, I thought ‘Man, I don’t know about that’,” said Duval, whose wife Suzy played a big part in encouraging him to go. “It’s kind of a nerve-wracking experience. I know the importance of it and knew I’d have to play well to make it to the finals.”
Duval did, finishing four days in 9-under par to tie for second at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta, Calif.
“I’m very happy and proud first of all making decision to go,” Duval said. “And secondly to go there and play well.”
A decade ago, all Duval did was play well with his crowning achievement coming at the 2001 British Open. It left him unfulfilled, however, and over the next 10 years his game and his health would disintegrate. Duval played through a myriad of injuries, including a bad back and tendonitis and as his physical talents declined so did his world ranking, eventually plunging deep into the 800s.
“I would’ve served myself a lot better if I had taken a year off and got healthy,” said Duval, who is understandably reluctant to talk about the past. “As my body continued to not cooperate it wrecked my golf swing, and that destroyed my confidence. It’s a bad spiral. It takes a lot to get out of it.
“I think my status would be a lot different. I would have won a lot more tournaments, possibly another major or two. That was the mistake I made then, but I’m here now and this is what I need to do and what I want to do.”
Duval is happy, not about being here but with his life. That’s something he said he wasn’t 5 or even 10 years ago. He’s no longer mercurial. Now he’s just guy who’s trying to play good golf, and It shows in his smile and a robust frame that is far more fitting and natural compared to the buffed-up physique he once had.
He’s also healthy and able to run and work out and do all the things his body wouldn’t allow him to do for years. But at age 40 he still has his moments.
The morning of the final round of second stage, Duval struggled to get out of bed because his back locked up. It was just another sign of how hard the game can be, especially for those trying to earn a spot on the TOUR, or in Duval’s case get back there.
“He’s still a really good player,” said Todd, who played with Duval the first two days of q-school.
Duval thinks he is, too, even if the results didn’t show it. In 24 starts this year, he missed 15 cuts and had just one top-10.
“I feel like winning golf tournaments is still in me,” Duval said. “Or else I wouldn’t be doing this.”