Category: PGA

Weeks after his record-setting final-round collapse at the Wachovia Championships, Sergio Garcia pulled off a nifty 65 to surge to victory at the Booz Allen Classic. It marks the second year in a row the young Spaniard has won the event prior to the U.S. Open. “I guess they should move the U.S. Open one week earlier,” said Garcia. “It is the tougher courses I feel good playing.” No player has ever won the U.S. Open after winning the week before.

Garcia’s victory was not without some slip-ups. He missed the green on the last hole, the famous par-3 finisher at Congressional, and nearly chipped across the green. Adam Scott, playing in the group behind him, had unfortunately caught a flyer into the water right and long on 17, but was only two behind until he got wet. Sergio’s collapse at Wachovia fresh in his mind, he two-putted for bogey, all but assuring the victory.

Continue reading “Sergio Drinks up Victory at the Booz Allen”

Saturday at the Booz Allen Classic was just like any other day on the PGA Tour right? That is far from the truth, as 55-year old Tom Kite holds the lead by one over a host of others at Congressional Country Club. Kite has gone about his business all the three days, shooting rounds of 68, 69, and 66. He shot the 66 Saturday on “moving” day while the rest of the golfers just stayed where they were after the second round. Kite carded six birdies and only one bogey to move himself into serious contention with only one round to go. Tom Kite knows it will be tough to hold onto the lead. There are 15 players within just two shots of Kite’s lead, and that list includes a lot of the world’s top-ranked golfers. Kite had this to say about his current position heading into Sunday.

Continue reading “Tom Kite Relives His Youth at Booz Allen Classic”

Matt Gogel shot a blistering course-record 63 in the opening round at the Booz Allen Classic on Thursday, but he couldn’t follow that round up with another good one on Friday. Gogel stumbled to a 72 on Friday and was passed by Australian Robert Allenby. Allenby followed his opening-round 68 up with a second-round 65 on Friday to take the lead at the halfway point at Congressional Country Club. He had seven birdies and only one bogey on his card to put himself in great shape going into the weekend. Allenby leads by two shots over a foursome sitting at -7.

Continue reading “Robert Allenby Leads After Second Round at Congressional”

Golf fans get a special treat this week at the Booz Allen Classic. It is very rare to find a strong field the week before a major championship. That is not the case this week at Congressional, as eight of the top ten players in the world will be ready for action a week before the U.S. Open heads to Pinehurst #2. Tiger Woods and David Toms are the only players in the top ten that will not be playing this week. The Booz Allen Classic, formerly known as the Kemper Open, is usually played at the TPC at Avenel. Avenel is undergoing evaluation this year, so the tournament had to pick another home. Congressional Country Club is the site for the tournament this year, and it is a great layout.

Continue reading “Booz Allen Classic Preview”

The top of the leaderboard going into Sunday at Memorial had names like Toms, Couples, and Woods on it. It was Bart Bryant, however, that outlasted all of those guys to pick up his second career PGA Tour victory. His first victory came last year at the Valero Texas Open on the same day the U.S. was beaten badly by the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. Bryant stayed steady all day long, making clutch par saves throughout the round. He and Fred Couples began to separate themselves from the pack on the back nine at Muirfield. Couples took the lead outright with back-to-back birdies on holes 14 and 15. He then bogeyed 16 while Bryant birdied 17, and the two switched places with Bryant moving into the lead.

Continue reading “Bart Bryant Outlasts Couples to Win Memorial”

Today was yet again another emotional cut day on the PGA Tour for Jack Nicklaus. The Memorial Tournament could quite possibly be Jack’s last PGA event on American soil. Nicklaus finished his career at the Memorial in a rather disappointing fashion when it comes to scoring. He opened with a 75 and ended today with a 77.

“It will probably close out my golf in the United States in regular tournament golf, more than likely,” Nicklaus said. “I may come back here, but I certainly wouldn’t plan on it.”

First round leader Jeff Sluman, whom opened with a 65 (-7), was able to maintain his position atop the leaderboard in the second round of the Memorial Tournament.

Continue reading “Sluman Holds Second Round Lead while Some Big Names are on Their Way Home”

Jesper Parnevik four-putted the second green after leaving his 35-foot birdie putt four feet short and lipping out his next two putts. Jeff Sluman had no such troubles en route to a blistering 65 in sometimes drizzling, sometimes windy conditions at Muirfield Village Golf Club in the first round of The Memorial Tournament.

Of course, Thursday and Friday at The Memorial are more a part of Jack Nicklaus’ collective ego stroke than anything, and the media will no doubt fawn over Jack’s +3 75. As well they should if for no other reason than his 75 beat world #1 Vijay Singh and Charles Howell III (77) by two, Mike Weir and John Daly by one (76), and Davis Love III (78) by three. Local knowledge had its advantages as Jack bounced two consecutive approach shots to within six inches (and bounced one tee shot off of a spectator’s jaw, sending him to the hospital). He later finished with three bogeys on the final four holes to move from even to +3.

Continue reading “Sluman Surges to First-Round Lead at The Memorial”

The Memorial is one of the best events on the PGA Tour every year and for great reason. It is Jack’s tournament, and the best players in the world usually come together to play the tournament. This year will be no different. The top three players in the world will be teeing it up this week, and all of them have won this tournament in the past. Tiger will be playing for the first time since his consecutive cut streak ended at the Byron Nelson a few weeks ago. He will be looking to get his game back in shape heading into Pinehurst #2 for the U.S. Open in two weeks. Muirfield Village Golf Club has been very good to Tiger in his career. Mr. Woods won this event three years in a row from 1999-2001. He also finished in third place last year at The Memorial.

Continue reading “The Memorial Tournament Preview”

I’m on location this week near Columbus, OH to watch The Memorial Tournament, a tournament Jack Nicklaus has attempted to craft into his very own Masters tournament. There’s the course, a 7300-yard test with small greens, a meandering stream, hills left and right (and fore and back), and a 165-yard 12th hole over water to a diagonal, peanut-shaped green. There are the caddies, who all wear white overalls. There are the trash bags, all tents, and the course conditions – green, green, and green. There’s even the name of the club at which the tournament is played – “town name” Golf Club (I guess Jack forgot the word ‘National’). Nicklaus, winner of six Masters, has created a tournament that draws big fields, I’ll give him that. But The Memorial is no Masters.

Heck, it may not even be a PGA Tour stop after this year… but more on that tomorrow.

Continue reading “On Location at The Memorial – Tuesday”