Category: PGA

Quail Hollow Club is playing almost like a major championship venue this week, but that obviously isn’t affecting Sergio Garcia. He shot a third round 67 to take a commanding six shot lead going into the final round Sunday. Garcia used a stellar 32 on the back side to gain a huge lead in Charlotte. He started off the day with a birdie on the first hole. He had a double bogey on the fourth hole, and that dropped him back a little. But after that, he played one of the best ball-striking rounds of the year. He finished up by carding three solid pars on the last three holes at Quail Hollow, which have taken shots from just about every guy at the top of the leaderboard this week.

Continue reading “Sergio Pulls Away From the Field in Charlotte”

Sergio Garcia is enjoying the lead after two rounds at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C. He had a record-setting back nine yesterday and complemented that good round with a one-under 71 today. He was one over at the turn but was able to gain a couple back before his round was over. Garcia’s best finish this year was T8 at the Bay Hill Invitational. He has a total of three top-ten finishes this year and is hungry for a win.

Said Garcia:

I am swinging it well and shots like the one on 18 tell you how confident I am with my swing. I mean, that two iron from 226. To hit it that close, its good to see. I’ve been playing well and I’ve finally been able to make a couple of putts here and there and you know that gets you going a little bit. On a day like today when you know that you’re going to have some four or five footers for par if you manage to make most of those it just keeps you up.

Sergio’s 66 on the first day was remarkable as the Quail Hollow Club is not a golf course that historically gives up low scores.

Continue reading “Sergio Hangs on to Lead at Wachovia”

While most of you were busy tracking the Big Break III winner Danielle Amiee on the LPGA Tour today, you missed a very entertaining first round at the Wachovia Championship. Spain’s Sergio Garcia lit up the first nine holes by shooting 30. He finished his first round at Quail Hollow with a 66, of which he was disappointed. Garcia said, “I’m happy about the round, but at the same time, I look at it and say, ‘This could have been amazing.’ I didn’t make as many putts as I deserved. I could have easily shot 61 or 62 – easily could have shot that.” A “disappointing” 66 was still enough to hold the two-shot lead.

Continue reading “Garcia Holds Two Stoke Lead at Wachovia”

Tiger Woods is in the field this week for the first time since his triumph at Augusta last month. He isn’t the only big name that will be in Charlotte for the Wachovia Championship. Tiger will be joined by two more golfers in the top four, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. Vijay has played very consistently since The Masters, including his win two weeks ago at the Houston Open. The race for the number one world ranking will once again be a hot topic entering the week. Vijay pulled closer with his win in Houston, and he looks to gain even more ground on Tiger this week.

Continue reading “Wachovia Championship Preview”

Nicknames are part of sports folklore. Fans are eager to slap a sticker on any player with a special skill or quirky personality. There are plenty of both on the PGA Tour. Too often players are veiled behind their own celebrity or the blasé coverage tournament announcers churn out. For my part, I think tournament coverage can be too sanitized.

On the other hand, perhaps its good that coverage is so polite as television can magnify one’s faults. I remember Bill Cosby saying someone once told him cocaine is great because it intensifies your personality. Cosby asked, “Yeah, but what if you’re an asshole?” Maybe thats what colorful tournament coverage could do for us, but I digress.

So I invite you to get to know PGA Tour players a little better through this installment of “Player Nicknames.”

Continue reading “Player Nicknames”

Tiger Woods can’t seem to keep it in the fairway, and his caddie Stevie Williams can’t seem to keep the wheels on the ground. Williams, who suffered a major injury to his hand back in February while racing his saloon car in New Zealand, has gone and done it again.

The AP is reporting that Williams flipped and roll his limited saloon car four times in a dirt-track race on Saturday. Williams was examined by trackside paramedics and released at the scene, relatively uninjured.

Tiger Woods and Stevie have one of the best relationships on the PGA Tour according to many, and both have commented that their personalities are quite similar. Fortunately for golf fans, Tiger seems to get his thrills “engaging” in somewhat safer activities.

Photo Credit: © Lucy Nicholson/Reuters.

Chris DiMarco, leader after two and one-half and three rounds at the Zurich Classic and playing in his first event since losing The Masters to Tiger Woods in a playoff, fell to an even par 72 with an incoming 39 – including a three putt from 20 feet at the last hole, to fall one shot short of a three-way playoff and two shots short of an outright victory.

Tim Petrovic didn’t exactly finish strong either. His outward 32 put him in a good position, but he barely held on while coming home in even-par 36. Two birdies – on 10 and 18 – were offset by two bogeys on 15 and 17. His birdie on 18 to get to -13 came with James Driscoll and Chris DiMarco standing in the fairway at the finishing par 5, both at -13.

Continue reading “Chris Off DiMarc as Petrovic Takes PGA Tour’s Zurich”

After rain delayed play for much of the day the Zurich Classic got off the ground at 3:30 ET and continued until dark halted play part way through round three at TPC Louisiana. Officials gave credit to recently upgraded drainage for good playing conditions despite the weather.

Chris DiMarco’s impressive play against Tiger Woods at the Masters just three short weeks ago opened the eyes of many to his tremendous potential. Most importantly for Dimarco is that his performance at Augusta has given him needed confidence this weekend. He stands atop the leader board once again. “I played nice and got off to a great start, birdieing the first hole and then made a great birdie on four and birdied seven and eight back-to-back,” DiMarco said. “Being 4 under right now, I’m very happy.”

Continue reading “DiMarco Leads Halfway Through Round Three”

The India-born Arjun Atwal fired another solid round Friday in New Orleans to put himself in great position to win his first PGA Tour event. He had six birdies and two bogeys en route to his 68. Atwal was tied for the lead after the first round with Chris DiMarco but now finds himself atop the leaderboard all on his own. He leads J.J. Henry by one shot heading into the weekend, and DiMarco and Tim Clark are three shots back at eight under par. Lucas Glover sits at -7 and rounds out the top five going into Saturday’s action.

Vijay Singh, who won last week in Houston and is also the defending champion this week in New Orleans, shot a 71 on Friday and remains near the top of the leaderboard in striking distance. The other notable at the top of the leaderboard is Padraig Harrington, who also had a so-so round of 71 to stay in the hunt. These two will both be looking to go low tomorrow on “moving day” to put pressure on the leaders.

Continue reading “Atwal Takes the Lead Down in the Bayou”