Wiratchant Wins Innaugural Indonesia Open

Colin Montgomerie fires a final-round 60, but it’s not enough to crack the top 50 in the world or to beat Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant.

wiratchant_indonesia.jpgColin Montgomerie has failed to make this year’s Masters; however, he didn’t go down without a fight. Monty shot a final-round 60, including nine straight birdies to finish in a tie for fourth. Montgomerie could have shot a 59, but instead left a 10-foot birdie putt short on his final hole.

Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant joins Thongchai Jaidee as the second Thai to win on the European Tour. Wiratchant finished at 25-under to win the Indonesia Open, which was jointly sponsored by the the European and Asian Tours. Wiratchant shot a third round 66 and final round 63, his third round of -7 of the week.

Sorenstam Dominates at Nabisco

With five strokes separating her from the competition, can anyone start the day tomorrow believing they can beat Annika?

Annika @ The NabiscoScoring early in the third round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship with birdies on 2,3,7 and 8, Annika Sorenstam never looked back. Two more birdies on 12 and 15 gave her a final score of 66. Poised for her 59th career win and averaging over 271 yards off the tee this week, the 34-year-old swede is on her way to winning her eighth major title. And, comparatively speaking, with over $16 million in earnings to date, Sorenstam would rank 16th on the PGA Tour Money List.

Playing with Annika today was 45-year-old veteran Rosie Jones who is contemplating retirement at the end of this season. Although a co-leader yesterday, Jones could not match Sorenstam. With a birdie putt at 11 to get her to 6-under-par, Jones gave back a stroke at 13, narrowly missed her birdie putt at 17 and finished with par to come in with a 6-under 66 for the tournament.

Joe Durant Shines After Rain On Saturday

Joe Durant had a fabulous day to take a share in the lead after round 2.

Joe DurantThe Players Championship started much as it did Friday, with play delayed shortly after it had started. Thankfully the weather cleared up enough for play to resume for a while until interrupted by darkness. Among those delayed by the coming of night was first round leader Steve Jones who finished the day tied for first after nine holes. Seventy one players will show up at 7:30am Sunday morning to complete round two.

Among the best performances of the day came from Joe Durant who finished with seven birdies and an eagle to finish tied for first. He dropped strokes on holes one and five but finished with a seven-under 65. Durant’s favorite hole of the day might well have been the par-five 11th where he posted eagled on an 11-foot putt. Co-leader Lee Westwood looked like he was feeling confident as he finished his day with a 69. That was good enough to nudge him into a tie for first with Joe Durant and first round leader Steve Jones.

Rain Washes Away Second Round at the Players Championship

Only thirty players played no more than three holes on Friday at The Players Championship. Could a Monday finish push the Tavistock Cup back?

Rain DelayOnly thirty golfers or so had a chance to make it off the first tee on Friday morning. After 44 minutes, the siren forced players back to the locker rooms as play was postponed. There was early hope that the golfers would be able to get back on the course Friday afternoon, but all of that ended as rain continued to pour down on the TPC course at Sawgrass. Late in the day officials made the decision to call the second round off completely and try to resume at 7am Saturday morning.

Jones, Sorenstam Lead at Kraft Nabisco

Rosie Jones and Annika Sorenstam share the lead halfway through the LPGA’s first major and amateurs Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie are inside the top 15.

Rosie JonesProfessional golf is about keeping up with the Joneses, it seems. I can’t blame you for thinking there was no golf to watch this Friday, with the PGA Tour experiencing yet another rainout at The Players Championship. But while Steve Jones was gathering the lead in the unofficial fifth major on the PGA Tour, 45-year old Rosie Jones was surging to a share of the lead in her own major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Jones, who’s never won a major on the LPGA Tour, is tied with Annika Sorenstam at -5 after two rounds of play.

Indonesia Open Coverage: Rounds 1 and 2

Thunderstorms have put an early end to the second round at the Indonesia Open, but that’s not what put an end to Colin Montgomerie’s chances of making the field in his 14th straight Masters.

colin_montgomerie_augusta.jpgThunderstorms have put an early end to the second round at the Indonesia Open, but that’s not what put an end to Colin Montgomerie’s chances of making the field in his 14th straight Masters. Montgomerie sits at -3 (the projected cut line) and is in jeopardy of missing the cut and not making the field for the 2005 Masters. Colin needed a win in this event to move into the top 50 in the world to secure a spot in this year’s first major.

Oldy Jones Leads at the Players

Steve Jones, and international man of mystery since winning the US Open in 1996, fires a blistering -8 64 and leads after one round at the TPC at Sawgrass.

Steve Jones Usopen TrophyThough I doubt Steve Jones will be around this weekend, he’s put himself in a pretty good spot to prove me wrong. The man who won the 1996 U.S. Open (and hasn’t been heard from since) escaped the mudballs, made some fine putts, and shot a blistering 64 at the TPC at Sawgrass. He leads The Players Championship over Fred Funk, Zach Johnson, and Lee Westwood, all of whom shot 65s, and a cast of others a few strokes back.

Of the big four – Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and Phil Mickelson – only Vijay managed a great showing, carding a 67 that puts him in a tie for eighth at -5. Ernie struggled to a 1-under 71 (T51), while Phil and Tiger both carded 70s, putting them six back and tied for 29th. Phil and Tiger’s rounds couldn’t have been too different: Tiger plodded along, making pars, and tallied two bogeys and four birdies. Mickelson carded seven birdies, a double-bogey on the par-3 eighth, and three bogeys, including a splashed 3-wood from the 18th tee.

Annika Poised for a “Sorenslam”

Round one of the 2005 Kraft Nabisco Tournament is in the record books with three top LPGA professionals tied for the lead.

annika_sorenstam.jpgExcitement was the word of the day at the Nabisco Championship’s Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Tied at the top of the leaderboard with 3-under 69 are Mi Hyun-Kim, Rosie Jones, and Karen Stupples. But, watch out ladies! The LPGA’s number one superstar, Annika Sorenstam, is only one stroke behind with a 2-under 70.

Annika Sorenstam is looking for her third win at this tournament and a possible grand slam, or what is now being called a “Sorenslam.” After a stumble today at the 12th, Annika regained control of her game and birdied both the 13 and 14th holes. Sorenstam is already tied for most wins in majors with veteran Juli Inkster. With a win this week, Annika will lead in majors by herself and top the $6 million mark in career earnings.

Titleist Readies 735, 660 for Release

The 735 and the 660 – you’ve never heard of these clubs before, have you? Well, they’re coming and they’re from Titleist. The Sand Trap has the scoop.

Adam Barr noted on Golf Central a few days ago that players on the driving range at the TPC at Sawgrass were playing some new Titleist equipment: the 660, the 735, and the well-known 904F.

The 904F, Titleist’s new fairway metal, we all know about. The 660 and the 735 are relatively new, and we’ve got a little information for you…

Titleist 735