Category: PGA

Play in the second round of the Nissan Open was pushed back four hours due to rain and eventually suspended, as many players – including first-round leader Brian Davis – didn’t even get a chance to tee off.

Chad Campbell teed off, though, and nearly holed out two shots en route to a 6-under 65 that catapulted him into a three-shot lead over Robert Allenby. Davis was about to tee off on ten when the siren signaling the end of play due to darkness sounded, ending his round before it had even begun.

Continue reading “Nissan Open: Friday Recap”

Brian Davis is an unlikely leader after the first round of the Nissan Open, but then again, the first round isn’t quite over yet. Davis, a 2004 Q-School graduate, fired a 6-under 65 to take the early lead at rain-soaked Riviera Country Club.

One back, Luke Donald and Darren Clarke, who recorded a “1” on his scorecard at the “bunker-in-the-green” 6th. Donald bogeyed his last after his drive found a divot and his approach a greenside bunker. Brett Quigley, who’s having a good year so far, also fired a 66.

Continue reading “Riviera Rain: Round One of the Nissan”

If you’re not a southpaw, you run the risk of getting left behind in Los Angeles this week. That’s no left-handed compliment to port-siders Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir: it’s simply the state of the PGA Tour. Mickelson has dominated the last two events, outlasting a charging Mike Weir last week at Pebble Beach. Phil’s taking this week off, but Weir will be at Riviera Country Club trying for his third consecutive Nissan Open title. And let’s not forget that the fashionably left-handed Mickelson and Weir are the winners of the last two Masters Tournaments.

Will Weir defend at the Nissan? Is this Steve Flesch’s week to get in on the lefty love?

Continue reading “2005 Nissan Open Preview”

Pebble Beach showed its teeth today with strong winds, cold temperatures, and light rain. However, none of this phased Phil Mickelson whose one-over-par round of 73 was enough to allow him to capture the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am title. Alternating between his old “go for broke” and new “play it safe” strategies, Mickelson showed flashes of brilliance and questionable choices throughout the round, placing his seemingly insurmountable lead in jeopardy. Fellow lefty Mike Weir fought hard to challenge Mickelson, shooting a 67 despite the poor conditions. At one point, Weir trimmed the lead down to 4 strokes. However, some crucial putts were left short and some lipped out which prevented Weir from coming back. Mickelson’s win was his first back-to-back win on Tour and marked the first wire-to-wire winner at the AT&T Pro-Am.

Continue reading “Mickelson Sails through Pebble Beach”

Due to the prominence of mid-handicap celebrities, the third round at the Crosby Clambake is often referred to as “hit and giggle day,” and today’s round certainly lived up to its billing.

The weekend rounds of the AT&T are aired on CBS nearly every CBS actor was featured in Saturday’s telecast. Viewers saw Kevin James promote his movie Hitch, then flub a flop shot. They saw Ray Romano lament the ending of his television series before blading a bunker shot. And of course they saw George Lopez ham it up with a dog on a leash.

And in what has become a Pebble Beach Pro-Am third-round staple, Bill Murray stopped joking long enough with the crowd to hit some pretty spectacular shots, going -2 for three consecutive holes before falling apart towards the end of the round.

Continue reading “Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Round 3”

If Phil Mickelson could set a course record at Spyglass Hill on day one of the Clambake, why not set another record on day two? After setting a 36-hole scoring record at Poppy Hills with a 62, Phil scrambled his way to a 5-under 67 at Poppy Hills. His current total of -15 breaks the previous 36-hole tournament record by two.

If Phil’s highlight reel from today did not include flawless execution, it did include great recoveries. He holed a 30-foot putt for par on the tenth and hit a 7-iron through the trees to the green on the par-5 12th, finishing the hole with a two-putt birdie. His birdie was impressive after hitting a tree off the tee. Phil did what it took to get the job done and sits four strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, Mike Weir.

Continue reading “Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Round 2”

What will Phil do next?

How about tying or setting a second course record within a week. His 60 tied the course record last Friday at the FBR Open, and now he’s beat the previous course record at Spyglass Hill by 2 with a blazing 62. Some 62s had been shot in the past, but only under lift/clean/place provisions. Phil’s 62 beats the old course, a 64 by David Berganio in 2001, by two.

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, or “The Crosby Clambake” for all you ol’-timers, is contested on three courses: Pebble Beach, which hosts two rounds for those who make the cut, Poppy Hills, and Spyglass Hill. Historically, Spyglass Hill plays the hardest, making Phil’s feat – and his resulting leap to the top of the leaderboard – all the more astounding.

Continue reading “Clambake Round 1: New Week, Same Leader”

It’s February, and that means once again the PGA Tour will make a stop in Monterrey, California for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. First held in 1937 by Bing Crosby and dubbed the “Clambake,” the event has become infamous for its huge draw of top pros and A-list celebrities. The field of amateur-pro teams will compete on three different courses for the first three days: Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Poppy Hills. After Saturday’s round, the low 60 pros and low 25 amateur/pro teams will compete for the title at Pebble Beach. Vijay Singh, last years champion, will be defending his title. However, the field is loaded with other big names such as FBR Open winner Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, and Fred Couples.

Continue reading “AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview”

Phil Mickelson, who has had (and by most accounts continues to have) gambling problems, would have been able to safely bet on himself today as he walked away with the Phoenix FBR Open. His final-round 68 left him five shots clear of second place.

Youngster Kevin Na, the youngest player on the PGA Tour at 21, shot a 69 to finish in a tie for second with Scott McCarron at -12. David Toms, Steve Flesch, and Tim Herron – none of which could mount a charge at all – finished at -11, six strokes back.

Continue reading “Phillin’ Good: Mickelson Wins the Phoenix”