Adam Scott Returns to PGA Tour Winner’s Circle
The Valero Texas Open is one of the tour’s oldest tournaments, going all the way back to 1922. Back then it was referred to as the Texas Open, and some of golf’s most legendary names played in this event and won; names like Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, and Lee Trevino.
This year the tournament would christen a new venue for the event – the AT&T Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio. This Greg Norman design opened back in February of this year, and Mother Nature would put it to the test early on Friday, as 4 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours. As a result, play would end up being suspended and that would lead to a marathon finish on Sunday, with a guy four shots back of the lead coming from behind to win.
Adam Scott was only 3-under par through the first two rounds, but apparently remembered that he typically plays well in Texas. He would shoot 11-under in his final two rounds to edge out Fredrik Jacobsen, getting his first tour win since 2008. Interestingly enough, that 2008 win came at the same tournament being played this week on the PGA Tour – the Byron Nelson Championship.
Se Ri Pak outlasts Lincicome and Pettersen to prevail at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic
The same weather system that dumped 4 inches of rain on San Antonio on Friday moved into the Mobile Bay over the weekend, shortening the Bell Micro LPGA Classic to 54 holes. Tournament officials decided to suspend play on Sunday, with Se Ri Pak, Brittany Lincicome, and Suzann Pettersen all tied for the 54-hole lead at 13-under par. A playoff would ensue.
In the first playoff, all three players secured par and a second playoff was needed. On the second hole of the playoff, Pettersen would be the first player to exit the stage with a bogey, as both Pak and Lincicome advanced. On the last hole of the playoff, Pak hit a splendid bunker shot from 170 yards to within 10 feet of the hole, and drained the birdie putt for the win. The victory ended a three-year winless drought and was Pak’s 25th official win of her career.
Champions Tour’s Dan Forsman takes Regions Charity Classic
Dan Forsman’s tournament-record round of 62 on Saturday went a long way to secure his victory at the Regions. But his front-nine performance on Sunday essentially sealed it, with four birdies and an eagle that lead to a 6-under par score of 30 going out. He finished three shots clear of Joe Ozaki, winning his first event of the season and the second of his Champions Tour career. The win earned Forsman $255,000, and the 255 points moved him into 3rd place in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race standings.
The latest on Tiger
Hank Haney wasted very little time spilling some beans to the media about his working relationship with Tiger. In his TGC interview with Jim Gray, Haney seemed appreciative of the chance to work with Woods and defended him when the topic of PEDs came up. Said Haney, “I totally believe that Tiger has never taken any performance-enhancing drugs. Anyone who claims otherwise is just starting rumors.” But he also expressed that he took a lot of criticism that he felt Woods could’ve stepped in and been more “supportive” of regarding his golf swing. He also said that Woods could be more open and less evasive to the media. “He doesn’t complain and he never wants to make an excuse. That makes him hesitant to talk about anything that bothers him. In general, I think he’d be better off if he was a little more forthcoming.” Interesting way to put it, Hank. For those interesting in watching the Hank Haney interview with Jim Gray, click HERE.
The MRI results of Woods’ neck injury that he claimed forced him to withdraw from The Players Championship two weeks ago revealed nothing serious, just some minor inflammation. At this point he is expected to play in the US Open next month, and just recently released a statement that he will be in the field at the British Open later this summer. There’s no word yet, however, if he’ll return to defend his title at Jack’s tournament – the Memorial. That tournament kicks off the first week of June, so the deadline to enter is quickly approaching. I suspect we’ll hear something within the next week about his plans to play there.
But while Tiger continues to deny the allegations that he took performance-enhancing drugs, the feds have officially charged his personal physician, Dr. Anthony Galea, with unlawful distribution of drugs, including HGH, to several unnamed NFL players. The charges were filed on Tuesday, and if found guilty – Galea could face 28 years in prison and millions in fines. While there is the portrayal of guilt by association, there is no proof that Woods sought out Galea for performance enhancing drugs. But it just underscores the shady crowd that Woods associated with before his personal life unraveled back in November.
Is Vijay Singh’s age finally catching up to him?
The thought of Vijay Singh having to actually qualify for the US Open next month kinda puts his struggles in a clearer light. It has been a tough couple of seasons for the great Fijian, who missed the cut at the Valero Texas Open last week and dropped outside of the top 50 in the world rankings this week for the first time since 1992. In eleven events thus far this season, he’s only managed the weekend five times.
It’s worth noting that his putting struggles aside (where he continues to linger around 160th on tour in putts per round), his health has suddenly become an issue. An ailing back problem earlier in the season forced Singh to withdraw from a few events, and as a result he missed the cut at The Masters, his first missed cut there since 1998.
If Singh doesn’t get back inside the top 50 in the world rankings within the next week, he will be forced to go through the qualifying process to gain entry into next month’s US Open. So there’s some added pressure on Veej this week at the Byron Nelson Championship. He’ll need to do more than just make a cut.. he’ll need to finish well if he wants to avoid having to qualify for the country’s most prestigious golf tournament.
Annika Sorenstam picked as vice-captain for European Solheim Cup Team
On Tuesday, European Solheim Cup Captain Allison Nicholas named Annika Sorenstam as the second-in-command for the 2011 LPGA Solheim Cup event. “I was a little quiet on the phone when Alison asked me because I was totally surprised. She asked me and I said, ‘Could you give me 24 hours?’ I knew my answer would be yes, but I wanted to make sure I could live up to her expectations with my schedule and fulfill my role properly. Now I can participate and help to bring the trophy back.”
Since her retirement, Annika has remained quite busy with a life that continues to revolve around golf. Earlier this month Sorenstam announced that she was designing her first course, the Olivian Golf Resort in Belek, Turkey, which is scheduled to open in 2012.
Stockton overtaking Pelz as boss of the moss?
Back near the fall of 2009, Phil Mickelson’s putting frustrations eventually led to a phone call to Dave Stockton Sr. Shortly after that initial conversation, Stockton would begin helping Lefty rediscover his touch on the greens, something that he’d lost over the course of the last few seasons. A few noticeable changes in his setup and a forward press later, Mickelson has finally started stroking the ball with some much-needed confidence.
Mickelson’s decision to seek out the advice of Stockton didn’t go unnoticed. In his post-tournament media conference on Sunday, Adam Scott went out of his way to acknowledge Stockton’s sage putting advice, admitting that it played a role in his win last week at the Valero Texas Open. “I had a 30 minute lesson with Dave Stockton back in Charlotte on Friday afternoon after I missed the cut (at the Quail Hollow Championship), which I found fantastic, and the immediate effect it had was noticeable to me and it wasn’t anything crazy at all. It actually got me back to kind of a natural position for me to be in, I feel, and it was actually a lot how I was putting when I won the Byron Nelson in 2008. I was working on a very similar kind of thing.“
Dave Pelz is still widely considered the top putting guru on tour, but Stockton is quietly making a name for himself and proving that a second opinion and a fresh perspective can make a huge difference.
Mystery still surrounds the death of LPGA’s Blasberg
It has been nearly two weeks since Erica Blasberg’s body was found in her Henderson, Nevada home, but nothing conclusive has been determined as her cause of death. Investigators have stated that the toxicology tests that were a part of the autopsy will not be available for several weeks, but most of her family and friends have stated that they would be shocked if the autopsy revealed that she took her own life.
Blasberg was scheduled to compete in last week’s Micro Bell LPGA Classic, but her caddie, Missy Pederson, said that she had received a text message from Erica the evening before her death that stated she wasn’t going to the upcoming tournament. Pederson said that she sent a reply text back, saying that she hoped Blasberg was okay, but she never got a response back from her.
Patricia Hannigan, founder of Golf Girl Media, said that Blasberg was frustrated with her game near the end of the 2009 season, and that she withdrew from Q-school in 2009 after two rounds. She went on to say that a lot of people were speculating that Erica might give up playing golf.
But she would play in the LPGA event in Mexico, where she played well and finished tied for 44th. She was in a joyful mood and enjoying her time with her friends that week, which doesn’t really help support the theory that she had taken her own life. Then there’s the other piece of evidence that the investigators found – packed luggage. If Blasberg had changed her mind about playing in the upcoming tournament, it happened suddenly… she was prepared to go to the tournament physically, at least.
It may take another month before the results of the autopsy reveal the cause of death, and even then there may be more questions remaining than answers.
