A Win for Waistlines Everywhere
The only thing more miserable that going through 4 golf gloves in the heat and humidity while playing last Sunday was enduring an incredibly boring CBS telecast of the Canadian Open. But since I love golf, I watched… and I watched the flatbellies fold as a fatbelly flourished. Carl Pettersson’s come-from-behind victory on Sunday was a reminder to all of us girthly types that yes – we can play good golf too on occasion.
Pettersson was 6 shots back of Dean Wilson with only 11 holes to go on Sunday, but kicked it in gear and birdied 6 of his next 8 holes to eke out a 1-shot victory, capturing the 4th win of his PGA Tour career. To mark the festive occasion, I downed a pint of Caramel Cone Haagen Dazs immediately afterward, and I must say that I enjoyed every last bite.
Langer’s Champions Tour Major Arrives at Carnoustie
I’d like to take a moment to thank both Corey Pavin and Bernhard Langer for making the Senior British Open tolerable last weekend. I’ll be the first to tell you that the Champions Tour is a very under-valued product that struggles to garner its’ fair share of the interest in televised golf, as they have some incredibly wonderful personalities that have certainly raised the stock in viewership the past couple of seasons. I think they should seriously consider a new motto in their marketing, to something like, “Damn, these guys are still good!” or something to that effect.
But for whatever reason I just didn’t feel compelled enough to mark the calendar and tune in each day, at least not like I did a few weeks ago when the young pups were just across the way in St. Andrews. But I did catch most of the action nevertheless, being the golf junky that my wife says I am, of which I freely admit.
With Langer being up three shots over Pavin heading into the final round, it really didn’t mean a whole lot at a venue like Carnoustie, where a tragedy looms around every corner. But at the same time you had to figure that there weren’t going to be many low rounds on Sunday, at least from the handful of guys still in contention. All Langer needed to do was maintain his cushion and force Pavin to make the big plays, of which both did… but as the tournament came to a conclusion, Langer was just a bit more on his game last week than was Corey, and the 1-stroke win was pretty representative of how things played out. It’s Langer’s first Champions Tour Major victory, and his third victory of the year. He’s playing some fabulous golf this season.
LPGA Evian Masters: Shin Overcomes 2-shot lead to Beat Pressel
The drama was certainly there. Morgan Pressel had put herself at the top of the leader board Saturday afternoon with a marvelous round of 5-under 67, with South Korean Jiyai Shin two shots back heading into the final round. On Sunday, Pressel came out playing the aggressor and posted a solid 3-under 33 on the front side. But a bogey on the par4 10th would completely kill her momentum, and her putting became ice-cold. Pressel failed to make a single birdie the rest of the way in, as Shin tied Pressel for the lead with birdie on the par4 13th, and then won the tournament outright with a birdie on the par5 18th at the end. The win gives Shin her 7th LPGA tour victory in only two seasons, certainly validating her rise to the top in Women’s professional golf.
Alexis Thompson: Hype or Hope?
Answer: Ty Tryon and Michelle Wie. Question: Why am I hesitant in piling enormous praise and astonishment upon Alexis Thompson? We’ve seen this story a few times, and we’ve quickly surmised that not every child prodigy becomes the Williams sisters in the world of tennis or Tiger Woods in the world of golf.
But 15-yr-old Alexis Thompson’s new career is quickly gaining some impressive momentum. In her professional debut at the ShopRite Classic, she would struggle and failed to make it into the weekend. Then in her second event – the Women’s US Open – she would rebound from her debut disappointment and play well enough to finish tied for 10th. Last week at the Evian Masters, Alexis took another huge step by finishing tied for 2nd. Since she didn’t qualify for the Women’s British Open she will not be in the field. But she has accepted a sponsor’s invite for the Canadian Women’s Open later on in August, her next scheduled event.
Liu Wins US Junior Amateur
Six months younger than Tiger Woods when he won his first US Junior Amateur title, 14-yr-old Jim Liu of Smithtown, NY defeated Justin Thomas of Goshen, KY by the margin of 4 and 2 on Saturday to become the youngest US Junior Champion ever.
Thomas bogeyed 6 of the final 11 holes, as Liu closed him out with a par on the par3 16th at the Classic Course at Egypt Valley Country Club. Liu shot 8-under 64 in the first 18 hole match, while Thomas fired a 5-under 67. But the tough stretch midway through the final match proved to be more than Thomas could handle. Thomas has committed to Alabama University in the fall of 2011.
Chen Wins US Girls Junior Championship
17-yr-old Doris Chen of Bradenton, Florida defeated Katelyn Dambaugh of Goose Creek, SC on Saturday in the finals of the US Girls Junior Championship. The 15-yr-old Dambaugh was 2-up at one point in the second match and owned a one-hole lead with only eight holes to play. But Chen kept the pressure on Dambaugh and tied the match midway through the back nine. Chen pulled ahead and then drained a 25 footer for birdie on the par3 16th to close out the match 3 and 2, winning the title.
Looking Ahead
The PGA Tour is in West Virginia this week at the Greenbrier Classic. Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, and Kenny Perry headline the event as the top players in the field, as well as last week’s winner at the Canadian Open – Carl Pettersson.
The ladies will be teeing it up at Royal Birkdale in the Ricoh Women’s British Open this week.
The Champions Tour will be in Seattle Washington this week at Sahalee Country Club for the US Senior Open.
Duramed Futures Tour player Sarah Brown, from just across the river in Phillipsburg, NJ, is in the headlines this week… but not for the right reasons.
