A Weir-y week -- Mike Weir misses cut at the Open -- A look of utter frustration came across Mike Weir's face as he watched another putt run up to the hole and hang on the lip. Dropping his shoulders, he walked slowly forward and tapped it in with one hand on the putter. -- slump continues -- Perhaps of most concern for the lefty from Bright's Grove, Ont., is that even after spending long hours with swing coach, Mike Wilson, and mental coach, Rich Gordin, the end of his slump appears to be nowhere in sight. "Any positives? Not really," Weir said. "I've been working really hard this year, it's just not happening.", Edmonton Sun, Canada, 16 Jul 2005

Scott Verplank four-putt makes and two three-putts keeps him out of final pairing for third round -- At the fourth hole, he went just over the green and chipped to 8 feet before the fun really began. "Hit a nice putt, hit it too hard, lipped it about 2 1/2 feet past," said Verplank, who finished with a 70 and wound up five strokes behind Woods, the leader at 11 under. "That one lipped out, only about a foot. Got up there to tap it in, and I tapped it right in the middle. And it hit the hole and spun back to about a foot. I had already bent over to pick it out and it came popping out on me.", Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, 16 Jul 2005

Jose Maria Olazabal and Tom Lehman can big putts on 18th -- Olazabal eagles from the Valley of Sin off the green in a putt reminiscent of Costantine Rocca's -- Lehman eagles from 45 feet after Paul McGinlet leaves a similar putt short -- "I hit that shot a lot of times during the practice rounds, and you have to hit it twice as hard as you think you have to," Lehman said, who estimated the distance at 45 feet., St. Paul Pioneer Press, MN, 16 Jul 2005

Brad Faxon at 6 under proves doubters wrong -- flew over for Open qualifier, claimed only 1 of 3 spots in a field of 96, and now looking at a top-5 finish or better -- good putting bags 5 birdies on front Friday and adds another at 18th for a 66 and tie for third 5 back of Tiger Woods, Lawrence Journal World, KS, 16 Jul 2005

Mark Hensby goes from hero to zero under par -- matches opening 5-under round with second-day 5-over round -- starts 1st hole with a 3-putt bogey, Guardian Unlimited, UK, 16 Jul 2005

David Edwards at 49 leads BC Open -- 9-under 63 with only 22 putts good for one-stroke lead after two rounds, Monterey County Herald, CA, 16 Jul 2005

Family ties have Chargin' Arjun Atwal on a roll -- only player at BC Open who has made every cut this year -- 12 in a row so far -- last year as a Tour rookie he missed 14 cuts in a stretch of 15 events and ended with only conditional status for this year, mostly due to his pregnant wife being home in India -- this year, wife Ritika and son Krishen travel with him -- already made enough this year for his fully-exempt card for next year, Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY, 16 Jul 2005

Janice Moodie Leads Canadian Women's Open -- Lori Kane looking for a better way to putt -- After shooting a 3-under 69 to increase her lead to two strokes, Moodie had a lighthearted exchange with Lorie Kane. The Canadian star, struggling on Glen Arbour's rain-softened greens, jokingly grabbed the Scot by the arm and pretended she was dragging her off to the putting green for a lesson. -- While Kane was only joking with Moodie, there was nothing funny about the Canadian's putting problems in the first two rounds. Using both cross-handed and conventional grips, Kane had 34 putts Friday in a 72 that left her 11 strokes behind Moodie at 2 over. Kane had 32 putts in her opening 74 for a total of 66 strokes on the greens, 11 more than Moodie has needed. "I'm just trying to get the ball in the hole and trying to get some consistency and pace," Kane said. "I know I have the line. I'm just a little off on the pace. I don't think I'm out of it," Kane said. "I'm hitting the ball the way I want to. "I'm putting the ball in the right places. Now we just have to figure out a better way to putt.", The Ledger, FL, 16 Jul 2005

Canadian Women's Open: Janice Moodie's putts are falling -- "I just feel really calm out there," Moodie said. "There's more to life than golf. I guess that is the way I am looking at golf right now." Moodie had four birdies, all on the back nine. Her lone bogey through 36 holes came on the par-four fifth hole, where she was unable to get up and down. "I am just stroking it in there," said Moodie, who birdied the 11th, 13th, 16th and 18th holes. "I am not trying to hole anything. The putts are going in. I am really just pace-putting it.", Sportinglife.com, UK, 16 Jul 2005

Nationwide Tour in Wisconsin: Chad Wilfong shoots 63 but playing partner Steve LeBrun's in lead after course- and tournament-record 61 at Troy Burne GC in Hudson WI -- leBrun leads by 4 over Wilfong and Aussie Steven Bowditch -- LeBrun, 27, and Wilfong, 24, traded good shots from the start, with both making birdie on each of the first three holes. "I think we were feeding off each other," LeBrun said. "We were both just making so many putts." -- Bowditch's aggressive, long-hitting game is running on all cylinders this week — he hit drives of 332 yards at No. 9, 403 yards at No. 12 and 370 yards at No. 18 on Friday — making up for a sputtering putter. He called his putting the past two days "absolutely disgraceful. I had at least 10 chances inside 15 feet today and I made one and that was from 30 feet.", Pioneer Press, MN, 16 Jul 2005

Nationwide Tour in Wisconsin: Keoke Cotner one-putted 13 greens in his second-round 67. He is tied for 29th at 138., Pioneer Press, MN, 16 Jul 2005

Men's Amateur Public Links: Michelle Wie falls in quarterfinals -- Clay Ogden birdies 4 of first 5 holes and cruises to a 5 and 4 victory -- Several hundred people again followed Wie everywhere she went, cheering on every one of her shots and groaning when her putts slid past the hole. There was a smattering of applause when Ogden missed his par putt at No. 10., Monterey County Herald, CA, 16 Jul 2005 

Men's Amateur Public Links: Clay Ogden, Martin Ureta meet in 36-hole Publinx final -- Ureta ousted medalist Anthony Kim with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 20th hole. -- Ureta: "I putted about five balls on the practice green, pretty much the same putt I had, and I told myself, 'This match might go on forever. This is the chance I have, so I have to make this,' " he said. -- Kim: "I hit a lot of good putts today that didn't go in," said Kim, a first-team All-American at Oklahoma. "I won some of my matches 5 and 4. It would have been nice to save some of those birdies.", Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, 16 Jul 2005

Women's Amateur Public Links: Co-medalist Mari Chun goes down in quarterfinals fighting -- Down by five holes through 13 to Jane Rah, Chun charged back and won four straight holes with four birdies. Chun was so focused on just making her putts that she couldn't even recall the distances from which she made them. "I don't remember (how long they were)," Chun said. "I just knew I just had to drain them. I pretty much knew what I would have to do if I wanted to continue playing here. It's a good feeling to know you can crank out four straight birdies when you need to.", Kansas City Star, MO, 16 Jul 2005

Southern Amateur: Matthew Swan of Montgomery AL wades through top amateurs -- in-coming freshman at the University of Alabama birdies the par-5 13th with a wedge to 3 feet and holes 15 through 17 with putts of 25, 10 and 20 feet to overtake the leader by one shot, Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, 16 Jul 2005

Michigan Women's Amateur semifinals: Joan Garety and Rosemary Cassard suffered the same malady -- balky putters. The last two Grand Rapids-area golfers in the Michigan Women's Amateur Championship lost in Friday morning semifinal matches. -- Cassard, 19, of East Grand Rapids, who will be a sophomore at the University of Michigan, was ousted 3 and 2 by eventual champion Mandi McConnell. Garety, a two-time winner of this event from Rockford, was knocked out in 21 holes by Grosse Ile's Laura Bavaird. -- Garety, 49, and state champion in 1982 and '97, lost for the second consecutive year in the semifinals. She missed a five-foot putt on the 20th hole that would have won the match, and missed a similar par-saving putt on the 21st hole. She said it was the story of her day. "I didn't make putts all day, just couldn't get them to fall," she said. "I had a lot of near misses, a lot of chances to get up in that match and win it." -- Garety lost to : "I don't feel like I played bad either. I just couldn't get the putts to go.", MLive.com,  MI, 16 Jul 2005

Western Junior Championship: Rickie Fowler (16) of Murietta CA smokes the field with closing 7-under 64 to take title by one stroke over David Chung of Fayetteville NC -- Fowler capped off a torrid 64 on the back nine of Blythefield Country Club with an 8-foot putt for birdie on No. 18 to win the tournament with a four-day total of 272 -- Thursday's co-leaders, Peter Uihlein, of Bradenton, Fla., and Jason Kang, of Valencia, Calif., sank to third and sixth, respectively, after shooting final rounds of 69 and 72, The Grand Rapids Press, MI, 16 Jul 2005

Farm Bureau Invitational: Many of the golfers had trouble adjusting to the slow, rain-saturated greens at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club on Friday. Not Will Dottley. Dottley, the defending champion, fired a 2-under 70 on The Oaks course to take the first-round lead at the Farm Bureau Invitational. Dottley's round included six birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey, good for a one-shot lead over five golfers heading into today's second round. Five of Dottley's birdie putts were 10 feet or longer, including 20-footers on Nos. 9 and 13 and a 15-footer on No. 2. "I putted my eyes out," said Dottley, 20, of Madison., Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, 16 Jul 2005

98th Ohio Amateur: Chris Wilson caps wire-to-wire effort with 4-shot win at 10-under 278 over Scott Ross (282) -- Wilson didn't take many chances in his final round, settling for pars because Ross rarely made birdie putts. Ross, a former Miami University golfer, shot 2-under 70 in his final round to finish at 6-under 282. -- "Whenever Chris hit a bad shot, he seemed to hit it up and down. His short game is unbelievable," Ross said. "When he left a little window open, I just couldn't seem to make the putts.", Cincinatti Inquirer, OH, 16 Jul 2005

97th Massachussetts Amateur: Frank Vana Jr. claims title for second year in a row -- dispatches Ben Spitz 6 and 5 after Sptz starts unraveling with 3-putt on 2nd hole that sees Vana 4 up after 5 holes, MetroWest Daily News, MA, 16 Jul 2005

Southern Open in NC: Just over 200 players teed off Friday at both Cabarrus Country Club and Kannapolis Country in the opening round of the inaugural 54-hole tournament. -- Fernando Mechereffe, a native of Brazil who attended Wingate and N.C. State and now resides in Charlotte, leads after firing an opening round 65 Friday morning at Kannapolis. He holds a one-shot lead over former Winthrop University player Matt Johnson, who shot a six-under 66 in the afternoon at Cabarrus. -- Jack Fraleigh, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., is one of 13 players who shot an opening 69. -- recent Sewanee grad rode a hot putter -- One of three long birdie putts was a 40-footer at the tough part-3 17th. "I played pretty well but I kind of scraped around with my driver," said Fraleigh. "But then I figured out that I didn't really need to hit it. I hit a lot of good shots, hit a lot of greens and made some putts.", Kannapolis Independent Tribune, NC, 16 Jul 2005

Michelle Wie (15) unnerves opponents with skill and composure, especially on the greens -- CD Hockersmith hits a tree and then hits into water and is 5 down after five holes -- "The nerves were from playing her in front of the crowd," said Hockersmith (20), who attends Ball State University. -- Jim Renner, a 21-year-old senior at Johnson & Wales University in Miami, wasn't himself on the greens; he missed short putts on Nos. 1, 2, 6 and 8 that could have made it a different match. -- "Over the ball, I usually don't get too nervous, but on the green when you're standing over a 4-foot downhiller, it can get to you," he said. "I had the early shakes." -- He was 3-down after nine holes but picked up holes on Nos. 10 and 12 to shave Wie's lead to one. -- On No. 15, when he was 4 feet from the pin and she was 30 feet away in the rough, he thought he might win the hole by concession, but she holed the chip and halved the hole. "I guess that's what the good ones and the great ones do," Renner said., Cincinnati.com, OH, 15 Jul 2005

Mark Hensby two 12-foot putts shy of a one-sroke lead, Pioneer Press, MN, 15 Jul 2005

Big names flaming out at Open: Phil Mickelson got lost in the rough on his way to a triple bogey on the 15th and shot 74. Ernie Els, who thrives on the Old Course, couldn't hole any putts and made three straight bogeys on the back nine, also shooting 74. Defending champion Todd Hamilton struggled with his putter and was at 74, too., Gainesville Sun, FL, 15 Jul 2005

Disappointing start for Darren Clarke -- Before tee-time, Clarke surrounded himself with friends and coaches. In addition to his caddie Billy Foster, the Northern Irishman was shepherded by his swing coach Simon Holmes, putting coach Stan Utley, the sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella and his manager Chubby Chandler. -- However, Clarke plodded to a 73 which included a spilled two-footer on the final green and left without any desire to discuss his round., The Observer, UK, 15 Jul 2005

Canadian Women's Open: Glasgow-born Janice Moodie, a 32-year-old in her seventh year on tour, led the field with six-under 66. Moodie, with two Ladies Professional Golf Association victories, finished the day with six birdies. She credited her short-game success to the fact that when she went out to practise the previous day, the tees were so busy she spent an hour on the putting green instead. "I think that really helped, because I putted well," she said. "I'm not complaining. I'll take 66." -- Cold putter puts chill in Lori Kane's game -- 8 strokes behind Moodie -- "I played early [Wednesday] and the greens were running quicker and truer than they were [yesterday], and I didn't adjust," she said. "Over all, tee to green, I was pleased with the round. Your putter's not going to stay cold for the rest of the week.", Globe and Mail, Canada, 15 Jul 2005

Nationwide Tour in Wisconsin: Brandt Snedeker's 63 leads -- pulled rib muscle in his sleep prevents hitting balls in run-up to event so he spends a lot of time instead on the putting green -- "All that work on my putting really paid off," he said, "because I hit a lot of really good putts today, some good ones that went in and some good ones that didn't." Snedeker, the 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion and a first-team All-America player at Vanderbilt, needed just 25 putts, including his only hiccup, when he three-putted from 12 feet on the par-4 sixth hole, his 15th of the day., Pioneer Press, MN, 15 Jul 2005

Rookie Matt Hendrix ties Glen Day for lead at BC Open -- 15 GIRs and only 24 putts for a 9-under 63, Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA, 15 Jul 2005

99th Vermont Golf Association Men's Amateur: Hit it close, sink the birdie putt -- two players battle it out, with UNCC rising sophomore Trevor Murphy draining 10 birdie putts to spoil graduated Purdue golfer and hometown favorite Dustin Cone's farewell to amateur golf -- Cone: I hit it close most of the day; I just missed a lot of putts." , BurlingtonFreePress.com, VT, 15 Jul 2005

David Toms taps in for a 6 on the 17th but overnights becomes concerned that the ball had moved before he hit it -- concluded he had signed a wrong score and DQ'd himself in the morning, ITV.com, UK, 15 Jul 2005

Confidence a key factor for Luke Donald -- Acknowledging he was intimidated playing alongside Tiger Woods in the British Open at Royal St. George's, the former Northwestern star hired sports-performance coach Jim Fannin to help boost his confidence. ''Jim has helped me realize that you have to set your goals higher than you really think,'' said Donald, 27, who was born near London but lives in Evanston, near Fannin's base in Burr Ridge. ''I'm not thinking about making the cut. For the first time here, I'm playing to win.'' It showed Thursday. Unfazed by playing the first round with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, Donald shot a 4-under-par 68 at St. Andrews, rolling in four birdie putts -- one from 30 feet -- and chipping in for another birdie. -- ''He's capable of winning it,'' Nicklaus said. ''And he's going to win some. It's just when is the question.'' Said Watson: ''He has a great putting stroke. It makes up for some mistakes. It always did for me.'', Chicago Sun-Times, IL, 15 Jul 2005

Mike Weir draws gusty tee-time and has disappointing start at Open -- "You could get the luck of the draw, or you could get this." The lefty got unhinged early, making three straight bogeys starting with a three-putt on No. 3. From that point on, he was on the defensive against a vicious cross-wind and a course that wasn't giving anything away. "I would like to have had some good weather to build some momentum," said the native of Bright's Grove, who has missed five of his last six cuts., Ottawa Sun, Canada, 15 Jul 2005

Tiger Woods appears to be sitting in the catbird seat -- unlike last month's U.S. Open, where Tiger played from behind all week and still nearly went home with the trophy despite putting like Carl Spackler, this is already, as many anticipated, his claret jug to fumble away. -- in 2000, followed opening 67 with rounds of 66, 67, 69 to win by 8 shots clear of the field -- He went out early and was 7-under after 12 holes. He suffered bogeys at 13 and 16, and only made par on the short par-5 14th. But he finished with a birdie, after nearly driving the green. He will head out late today. It might not matter. "I made some putts, so that never hurts," Woods noted. "I've been playing really well my last three events, and it's a continuation of that. It's nothing that I haven't been doing.", philly.com, PA, 15 Jul 2005

Retief Goosen opens with a 68 two back -- Pinehurst Sunday forgotten -- "I'm still not hitting it as correct as I know I can," he hedged. "I made a few good putts, and that [made] the difference. I'm looking forward to giving myself a good chance on Sunday. It's great being at St. Andrews.", philly.com, PA, 15 Jul 2005

The road to ruin leads straight to 17th bunker -- The bunker cost Costantino Rocca a chance for victory over John Daly in the 1995 Open playoff after Rocca needed three swings to escape. David Duval needed four in the final round of 2000 while desperately trying to catch Tiger Woods. In 1978, Tommy Nakajima was leading the tournament and putting for birdie on the 17th. He overstruck the putt, it rolled into the bunker, it took him four shots to get out and he needed two more putts for a 9. The bunker was renamed "the sands of Nakajima" by the locals. Then there was the hilarious scene of Nick Faldo flailing away in '95 during a practice round. With Faldo invisible from ground level, all anyone saw was sand blowing in the air. Seconds later, more sand. Then sand again. Finally a club flew in the air, followed by his ball., New York Newsday, NY, 15 Jul 2005

Hargray Junior Classic at Hilton head: North Carolina's Chesson Hadley fired a 4-under 68 at the Hampton Hall Club on Thursday, breaking out of a three-way tie for third to take a one-stroke lead in the boys division of the three-day tournament. Hadley, 9 under for the tournament at 135, leads Lion Kim, 65-71-136, and Spencer Cole, 68-68-136. -- Hadley, a rising senior, hit 17 greens and 12 of 14 fairways in his second bogey-free outing at the one-year-old Pete Dye course. He said the softer greens allowed him to play more aggressively. "With the amount of rain we got, I was able to go for a lot of pins, fire it right in there," Hadley said. The 18-year-old said he landed many of his approach shots close enough to card a few more birdies, but couldn't sink the putts. He got around with 31 putts for the second day in a row. His short game is typically a strong point, Hadley said. He said his best putt of the day was from about fifteen feet at the 416-yard, par-4 fourth hole. -- Lion Kim, the first-round leader, shot a 1-under 71, slipping into a tie at second with Greer native Spencer Cole. Kim's round included a three-putt bogey on No. 8 and two more as a result of missed greens. Kim said the wet, slower greens were difficult to read, in terms of both speed and breaks. Putting, Kim said, has always been the weakest part of his game. "I lose confidence when I think about the weakest part of my game," he said. "And I gain it when I think about the strongest." Kim says his strength is iron play. "Putting better is not something I can fix overnight," he said. "So I'm going to go in there and hit better iron shots.", Hilton Head Island Packet, SC, 15 Jul 2005

Jason Bohn one stroke behind leaders in BC Open after opening season-best 8-under 64 -- It was a hot start to Thursday's round that got Bohn going in the right direction. He made a 12-footer for birdie on No. 1 and made a 53 1/2-inch putt for eagle on the par-5 No. 3. "I made some putts today and hit some good iron shots to give myself good chances at birdie,'' Bohn said. "Getting out of the shoot at 5-under through five holes is the kind of start you're looking for." -- "He hit a lot of shots close," Billy Spencer, Jason Bohn's caddie, said. "He only had the one bomb (on No. 3). That was his longest (made) putt this year by about 15 feet.", Sunbury Daily Item, PA, 15 Jul 2005

Colin Montgomerie enjoys support from teen "Montie Fools" in blonde wigs and heart "We Love Montie" t-shirts -- teenagers David Orr, 18, Gavin Cameron, 19, Callum Lord, 18 and brothers Ross, 17, and James Mungaven, 19., of Dunblane follow faithfully as Montie battles to 71 -- Gavin said: 'He obviously saw us a few times going round the course and each time he was laughing away.' Callum added: 'It was a typical Monty round, up and down. 'He got a bogey at the first and missed some short putts but slotted several birdies. If you are a true Monty fan, you have to get used to the ups and downs.' -- Montgomerie has been known to be snappy with some fans at tournaments but extended a beaming smile to his faithful followers when he spotted them. And seconds after walking off the 18th, the big man told them: 'It's great to see you guys. Thanks for your support.', Glasgow Daily Record, UK, 15 Jul 2005

Pitiful Craig Parry lags behind in golf Open -- "I just putted absolutely atrocious, it was pitiful. I had five three putts and that's my score.", Age, Australia, 14 Jul 2005

Men's Amateur Public Links at Lebanon OH: Michelle Wie made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge Will Claxton 1-up, The Desert Sun, CA, 14 Jul 2005

Women's Amateur Public Links: Ya-Ni Tseng wins 3-and-1 over Sung Lee -- after erratic putting in stroke play, Tseng sleeps with her putter, -- "I slept with my putter last night because my putter didn't work in the first two days," Tseng said. "Today it worked. I'll sleep with it again tonight. I missed only two putts, so I made most of them.", The Desert Sun, CA, 14 Jul 2005

Ex-Gator Chris Couch in favor of cross-hand grip -- for chips and wedges, Gainesville Sun, 14 Jul 2005

Men's Amateur Public Links at Lebanon OH: Michelle Wie made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge Will Claxton, 1-up, in her first match -- "She did an incredible job," Claxton said. "I didn't play bad out there. I hit a lot of good iron shots. She hit fairways and greens and she putted really well. Her short game's incredible. I was very impressed." -- Wie was 2-down through eight holes and never led until Claxton conceded a birdie putt on the 15th hole. -- Claxton came back on the next hole, rolling in a 40-foot putt for birdie. After his curling putt went in, Wie had a chance to drop a 20-foot birdie putt but missed, squaring the match with two holes left. -- At the 18th, both players hit into the fairway, with Wie drilling a 6 iron to 15 feet. Claxton hit an 8 iron on the green but 30 feet short. After he missed his long birdie putt, Wie made the clincher. -- Wie hit 10 of 14 fairways, eight of 18 greens in regulation and totaled 27 putts at Shaker Run Golf Club., Daily Breeze, CA, 14 Jul 2005

Sheboygan County Junior Golf Championship: Plymouth High School senior-to-be Tom Schwister 17, established a new 54-hole record for the junior championship Wednesday, turning his second 69 of the tournament into a 210 total. -- Schwister used a hot putter on the front nine to open with a 34. -- "I just putted unbelievably," said Schwister. "I probably had only 12 putts on the first nine holes." Schwister described his 54-hole stretch as the best of his career., Sheboygan Press, WI, 14 Jul 2005

Southern Amateur at The Dunes, Myrtle beach SC: Webb Simpson of Raleigh, N.C., the 2004-05 ACC Freshman of the Year at Wake Forest, has sole possession of the lead with a 68 -- Drake golfer Ross Hamann 1 back -- Hamann's putting has improved greatly since he changed putters a couple of weeks ago. He began his round by hitting the flag with his approach shot on the par-4 10th hole and tapping in for birdie. After a bogey on the 14th, he birdied holes 1 and 2 with putts of 10 and 20 feet before a pair of three-putts on holes 3 and 4 dropped him back to 1 under. He narrowly avoided trouble on the eighth hole when he hooked a drive that came within a foot of being out of bounds. A punch out to 150 yards and 8-iron to 2 feet allowed him to post the 69., Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, 14 Jul 2005

Women's Amateur Public Links: Putter gives defending champ Ya-Ni Tseng some comfort -- After nearly missing the cut at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, defending champion Ya-Ni Tseng might have wished she could dispose of her putter. Tseng, who beat Michelle Wie for the 2004 title, instead decided to embrace her putter after an erratic two days on the Swope Memorial greens. Tseng, of Taiwan, brought her putter to bed Tuesday night, hoping it would bring back the magic it had last year. After knocking off seventh-seeded Sung Lee of Tacoma, Wash., 3 and 1 on Wednesday, Tseng said the putter will be her sleeping companion again. Tseng birdied three holes, including the par-5 17th, in winning the match. -- The putter was also working for the two top seeds Ñ co-medalists Angela Park and Mari Chun., Kansas City Star, MO, 14 Jul 2005

Why "the belly claw" works: Craig Bowden, one of the first pros to use the belly claw, can get sensitive about his unorthodox putting stroke. "I'm past the point of giving a rat's patootie about what people think," he said last week at the John Deere Classic. -- "I've got one hand that does all the work for me," he said. "When I putt conventional, I swing at it like a broken gate. .. If it was a good thing to do something with both hands, bowlers would do that. ... Or we would write with two hands.", Rockford Register Star, IL, 14 Jul 2005

Qualifying for the 100th Rhode Island Amateur: John Drohen, the reigning Mid-Amateur champion; Jason Pannone, the current Stroke Play titlist; Brad Valois, the winner of the last three state Junior Championships; George Pirie, the defending Amateur champ, along with former Amateur winners Charlie Blanchard and Paul Quigley. All are back again, making a run at still another R.I. Golf Association Championship, the Centennial Amateur. -- Drohen, who hits the ball as well as anyone in the tournament, is feeling better about his putting since retrieving an old putter he thought he had lost. "I'm finally feeling comfortable again over the flat stick," he said., Providence Journal, RI, 14 Jul 2005

University of Wisconsin sophomore Jeff Kaiser trails Wisconsin Am leaders by six -- Neal Grusczynski, playing out of Greenfield Park Golf Course in West Allis, shares the lead with Mark Bemowski of Johnson Park Golf Course in Racine at 212. -- "I hit 16 greens and missed all the putts," said Kaiser, who was playing a practice round in Appleton, Wis., Wednesday night. "My only two birdies were on par-5s," Kaiser said. "I really didn't miss a lot of shots all day, but I had a half dozen lip-outs." Kaiser said he won't become aggressive for the final round today. He said he prefers to shoot for the greens and take his chances putting from 15 feet away or closer., LaCrosse Tribune, WI, 14 Jul 2005

NJ Open: Brian Komline of Rolling Greens in line to beat the pros -- 2nd-round 70 to go with opening 64 gives him 6-shot lead headed to final 18 -- Komline followed his eight-birdie effort in the opening round on Tuesday with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes after teeing off at the 10th before suffering the first of only two bogeys in two rounds with a three-putt hole at the par-3 13th. "I didn't hit the ball that much different. I just didn't make any putts," Komline said. "These professionals are very good at what they do and we'll just have to see what happens." , Newark Star Ledger, NJ, 14 Jul 2005

Hank Keuhne dialing back the driver in hopes of gaining first Tour win -- extra-soft En Joie greens reduces advantage of hitting wedge as shots hold without spinning -- slow start to year missing 14 cuts in 21 starts but heating up a bit with top-10 last week despite having trouble with wedges and putter -- "I'm not bothered really. It's a long year," Kuehne said. "If you look at it, outside of your top 10 guys, basically everybody makes 80 percent of their money in a month. "You're really only on top of your game for maybe six, seven weeks tops a year. The rest of the year, the other 45 weeks, you're trying to get back to that place.", Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY, 14 Jul 2005

Adam Scott working on his weaknesses: With his mentor Greg Norman and coach Butch Harmon taking him around the Old Course on the fifth successive brilliant day of sunshine yesterday, Scott worked on eliminating his inconsistency and on his mid-range putts which cost him dearly at the US Open last month. "It was good for me today because I asked Greg about my putting, he's got a great short game," Scott said., Fox Sports, Australia, 14 Jul 2005

Luke Donald adjusting to Tour pattern -- despite recent putting problems, Donald ranks 15th in world and is busy figuring out how to be a world-beater -- coming on Tour as the top college player, he got beat every week and had to adjust his goals -- now works with sports psychologist Jim Fannin of Chicago to avoid negativity, USA Today, 14 Jul 2005

TaylorMade-adidas Tour Staff Professional Sean O'Hair Notches first win at ohn Deere Classic -- Key to Sean's victory was his up-and-down to save par on the par-four 72nd hole. A wayward approach left him with an awkward chip, the ball well above his feet. With an 8-iron he got the ball onto the putting surface, leaving a ten-footer for par. Using a new model Rossa putter, the Monza Corza putter with AGSITM technology, he rolled the crucial putt home to maintain his one-shot edge., Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 13 Jul 2005

Tiger Woods fearful of getting bad habits from ANY casual golf -- For Dermot Desmond, one of Woods's Irish friends, the discipline intrinsic to Woods' never-quit always-grind golf prompted memories of a house party in which the guests took to the putting green in his back garden. When Woods looked as if he wanted to join in, Desmond offered him a putter. "You don't," asked Woods, "happen to have a left-handed putter, do you?" "Why on earth would you want a left-handed putter?" asked Desmond. "Because I don't want to risk getting into bad habits by fooling around with a right-handed one," said the visitor., Telegraph.co.uk, UK, 13 Jul 2005

The fourth annual Putt-Putt Golf Tourney is slated for July 23 to benefit Goodwill, The Jackson Citizen-Patriot, MI, 13 Jul 2005

Norfolk pro Andrew Marshall prepares for Open debut -- qualifies for 1 of 3 Open spots with back-to-back 68s despite poor putting -- "I played really well - I didn't have a bogey in the second round - but it should have been two 66s at least," reflected Marshall. "I missed so many putts and I thought I'm going to be one or two off again. But I birdied the last from a couple of feet, having hit a sand iron close and here I am. Deservedly so, I think, as I've had times where I've missed out by one. In both 1998 and 1999 I missed out by a shot.", Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, UK, 13 Jul 2005

Stan Utley on working with Darren Clarke: Clarke first approached Utley, who has also worked with Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler, at last year's USPGA and the pair have consulted ever since. -- "We work on basically the same stuff every time I see him. As people we have habits and we tend to go back to things we did before and that is all he had done," said Utley. "He felt he was a little off and it was fun to get there in time to send him off in a better direction. A little bit of the old stroke had crept in there but he got it worked out. He seemed to get the ball to come off the putter solid and that is what any of these guys need. If the ball is coming off solidly their instincts are so amazing they are going to know how hard to hit and how to get it to go in the right direction. His stroke looked great [at Loch Lomond] and I think his results were good as well. He made plenty of putts and didn't give any away.", Ireland Online, Ireland, 13 Jul 2005

Tom Watson on St Andrews Greens: Watson has no doubts at all about the key area of his game. "The main thing for me is that I putt well," he said. "In 1984 here I remember the difficulty I had making putts. That cost me the championship. That's the nature of these greens. They are very difficult to read. There are so many different breaks you can't figure them all out.", Sportinglife.com, UK, 13 Jul 2005

Adam Scott looks to overcome shortcomings -- works with Greg Norman on mid-range putts -- Norman and Scott practised together on Tuesday and the younger man took the opportunity to quiz Norman about his putting. Scott's coach Butch Harmon also worked with him on the practice green after he followed the group around the Old Course. "It was good for me today because I asked him (Norman) a bit about my putting," said Scott. "He's got a great short game." -- Scott has had a fine year in America and also won in China, and his ball-striking is up to its usual high standards. He is 14th on the US PGA Tour in hitting greens in regulation, but 37th in putting average, a number which he acknowledges needs to change. His frustration only built at the US Open last month, where poor putting on the third day cost him a chance to take control of the tournament and he slumped to equal-28th. The situation applied in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond last weekend, where he was equal 12th. -- "I'm playing very nicely. I just need to work on my stroke a bit, make a few putts from outside 10 feet," he said. "It's been inconsistent the last couple of outings I've had at the US Open and then last week. That's the area I need to improve. Everything else is good.", Age, Australia, 13 Jul 2005

US Amateur Public Links Championship Day Two Recap: Anthony Kim, 20, of La Quinta, Okla., carded a 5-under-par 65 on Tuesday for a 36-hole total of 4-under 136 to earn stroke-play medalist honors by two strokes -- "You just have to play smart and if you make a couple of putts, you can go pretty low out here," continued Kim. "I didn't putt very well on my first nine. I missed probably four putts inside eight feet and still shot even 35.", CollegeSports.com, NY, 13 Jul 2005

Harold Swash on the long putter, The Herald, UK, 12 Jul 2005

PIPE Putter Leads Player to # 2 Putting Rank, Top 5 Finish at Senior Players Championship. The Wire, 12 Jul 2005

Guerin Rife Putters claims #2 spot on Champions Tour Darrell Survey for third straight week, The Wire, 12 Jul 2005

Success Continues For SunBuster Sunglasses On The Champions And Nationwide Tours -- Purple PuttReader glasses, The Wire, 12 Jul 2005

In 1970, one putt at British Open changed Doug Sanders' career -- 35 years ago in 1970, Sanders missed a three-foot putt on the final hole to win the Open, a missed opportunity that changed his career and, ultimately, the course of his life. -- "If I had made that putt, all the endorsements, the clothing lines, the golf-course designs," Sanders said, almost wistfully. "It's like buying a lottery ticket worth $200 million and then dropping it in the can and watching the numbers wash away." Sanders shrugged his shoulders. "I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to get that close, but I felt like I cheated myself," he said., Miami Herald, FL, 12 Jul 2005

Tiger Woods seeking feel for St Andrews greens -- On Monday he spent an hour hitting scores of one-handed putts to improve his feel., Guardian Unlimited, UK, 12 Jul 2005

British Open Interviews: Phil Mickelson -- concerns for wind and speed on the greens -- "I think that I've played well this year and got a lot more out of it earlier in the year than I have the second half. I don't think I've played poorly the second half, but certainly I haven't made as many putts in the two majors, the first two of the year. But I've spent a lot of time working on the putter this week last week, for this week and it's going to be a very critical club, because we'll have a lot of long lag putts, and that's something I'm really trying to spend a lot of time on -- speed, making it up from six or eight feet on, and getting them close from outside 30 or 40 feet.", noticias.info (press release), Spain, 12 Jul 2005

British Open Interviews: Sergio Garcia -- "I was fairly close at the U.S. Open. This year I feel like I played pretty well, well enough to win. Unfortunately I didn't putt the way I wanted to on the weekend, but I think we're all getting there.", noticias.info (press release), Spain, 12 Jul 2005

British Open: Ernie Els -- Ernie could have run compatriot Tim Clark a lot closer at Loch Lomond last weekend were it not for a succession of missed putts on the Saturday which ultimately meant an 11th place finish in the Barclays Scottish Open instead of the possibility of a fourth European PGA Tour title this year. Since then, Els has sought to rectify that by widening his putting stance and having the ball back in his stance a bit because as he says, "the secret obviously to really score well is to putt well.", noticias.info (press release), Spain, 12 Jul 2005

British Open Interviews: Colin Montgomerie -- Q. You said you were going to work on your putting. Did you change your putter to a belly putter? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, a slightly heavier putter, which is slightly between a normal and belly putter. I've changed the weight of the putter. t's more control. I don't have to swing the putter as hard to get the ball to go as far. That's about as technical as I get, really.", noticias.info (press release), Spain, 12 Jul 2005

Wisconsin Amateur: Charlie Delsman starts with "outrageous" 7-under 65 -- Delsman credits his recent success to an improved putting stroke. He worked last fall with Milwaukee-area putting guru Jerry Korte and has seen improvements in his short game. He needed only 24 putts on Monday. He could have matched the course record of 63 if not for bogeys at Nos. 4 and 12. -- "I owe a lot of my success to that guy," Delsman said of Korte. "Some of the things we've worked on really helped. I have absolute confidence in what I'm going to do. The practice and the time I've put in this year is really paying off for me. I'm starting to see results.", Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, 12 Jul 2005

"If God wanted you to putt cross-handed, he would have made our left arm longer." - Lee Trevino., Sonoma Index-Tribune, CA, 12 Jul 2005

Old Tom Morris putter sells for £70,000 at city auction -- putter made by H Philip purchased by Jaime Ortiz-Patino and will be housed at Valderamma Museum, Scotsman, UK, 12 Jul 2005

Torrey South greens look revived for Junior Worlds -- A year ago, the frail greens on the South Course at Torrey Pines couldn't match the quality of the field in the Callaway Junior World Championships. This week, the competitors should note a vast improvement. -- With the aggressive caretaking program implemented by new city golf manager Mark Woodward, the greens are probably as healthy and playable as they've been since the South Course was renovated nearly four years ago., San Diego Union Tribune, CA, 12 Jul 2005

Tiger Woods wearing out the practice green -- After his round, in the same sort of sunshine he enjoyed when he won here in 2000, Woods took to the putting green, where he spent 45 minutes practising a three-foot putt. By the time he had finished, he had worn a furrow in the green - something no one had ever seen before., Telegraph.co.uk, UK, 12 Jul 2005

Colin Montgomerie ponders change to a belly putter for the Open -- He switched back to a standard putter in May, but is now pondering what move to take for the huge double greens of the Old Course. "I never holed a putt [at Loch Lomond]," said the 42-year-old. "I didn't travel with a belly putter Ð but I might send for one.", Ireland Online, Ireland, 11 Jul 2005

Heather Bowie Wins Jamie Farr in Playoff -- stays steady as competitors fall out of contention -- Sung Ah Yim and Hee-Won Han fall out of 4-way tie over last two holes in regulation -- Han, who started the day with a two-shot advantage, led by four shots with eight holes to play before collapsing. She had three bogeys and a double bogey in the final eight holes. She fell from the four-way tie with a three-putt bogey at 17, with Yim bogeying the closing hole. She charged a long putt that ran 6 feet past the hole, the missed the comebacker. -- Grace Park putts beautifully in playoff but messes up third hole and leaves Bowie the last player standing, Durant Daily Democrat, OK, 11 Jul 2005

South African Tim Clark holed a 20-foot birdie putt at the last to clinch his third European Tour title by two shots at the Scottish Open yesterday. -- The 29-year-old from Durban fired a four-under-par 67 to hold off the challenge of Dutchman Maarten Lafeber and Britain's Darren Clarke, finishing on 19-under 265 -- "Maarten played great golf but was unfortunate with some of his putts." Lafeber missed relatively short putts for birdie on five, nine and 13 -- "Today was disappointing, though. I missed too many birdie chances and that stopped me.", Gulf Times, Qatar, 11 Jul 2005

Sean O'Hair shoots best-of-round 65 to break out of closing-holes logjam and win John Deere Classic over Hank Kuehne and Robert Damron -- O'Hair's first PGA Tour win came by sinking a nervy 9-foot par-save putt on the last hole -- J.L. Lewis dropped shots coming in with a three-putt on 17th and a ball into the water on 18th -- Hank uehne's 23-foot birdie putt to tie on the 18th slid right, DesMoinesRegister.com, IA, 11 Jul 2005

Northwestern's Kyle Moore wins 49th Annual Eastern Amateur -- sets event record at 13 under 267, besting 268 by Curtis Strange and Ryan Blaum -- UNC's Jonathan Jackson finishes a distant second after poor closing round 75 -- "I made a birdie on 3, but other than that the putts just didn't fall," said Jackson, NUSports.com, 11 Jul 2005

Peter Jacobsen wins second seniors major over Hale Irwin by a stroke -- made a birdie putt from a collection area on the 16th hole Ñ where he had a flashback to last month's U.S. Open Ñ then outlasted Hale Irwin by a stroke yesterday in the final round of the Senior Players Championship. "It didn't scare me because I did it all week at Pinehurst," said Jacobsen, who tied for 15th three weeks earlier in the U.S. Open. -- After Jacobsen's remarkable putt, 14 feet up a steep incline, he two-putted from 80 feet for a birdie at the 17th to surge past Irwin. -- Irwin came up inches short on a 13-foot birdie try on No. 17. Then, after a solid approach shot on the final hole, the 60-year-old narrowly missed a 12-footer., Seattle Times, WA, 11 Jul 2005

Nationwide Tour National Mining Assn. Pete Dye Classic in West Virginia: Two and one-half foot eagle putt on par-5 15th by Jason Gore provides one-shot victory over Doug LaBelle II, who closed with a stellar 66, Los Angeles Times, CA, 11 Jul 2005

Canadian Tour MTS Classic: Lee Williamson scrambles to win title -- Thanks to a 25-foot birdie putt on 17 and some solid scrambling on the final hole of the tournament, Williamson avoided a playoff and held on for a one-stroke victory over Jaime Gomez to win the MTS Classic at Pine Ridge Golf Club yesterday. -- Gomez, who leads the Order of Merit money list, entered the day six strokes off the pace, was down the middle of the fairway on 18 and had an opportunity to force a sudden-death playoff, but his four-foot par saver on 18 went left at the hole and he was forced to settle for second spot. "It was a perfect putt, I hit it right where I wanted it so I guess that I misread it," said Gomez., Winnipeg Sun, Canada, 11 Jul 2005

Champions Tour Ford Players Championship: Peter Jacobsen rallies to top Hale Irwin by one for second seniors major -- 2004 US Senior Open champion carves out a 6-under-par 66 in final -- Jacobsen began his round at 9 under, three strokes behind the leader, Hale Irwin. Irwin, who had three consecutive rounds of 68, shot a 70 to finish a stroke behind. He could have forced a playoff but missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. With a right-to-left break, Irwin missed it left. -- Irwin had chances. He left a 13-foot putt for birdie 2 inches short on the previous hole. On the par-3 12th, he missed a 4-foot putt for par. -- Irwin played well all week tee-to-green. But once he got to the greens, his troubles started. "It came down to the back nine," he said. "I putted poorly. I had some loose shots. But it was my poor putting. It's getting pretty frustrating." Irwin also left a 9-foot putt for birdie short on the 11th. "The putts on 17 and 18 were no-brainers," he said. "I had no brain. I hit my irons so well I didn't have that many long putts. It's one of the best iron weeks I've had. It's no secret. It's what you have to do out here.", DetNews.com, MI, 11 Jul 2005

Doug Sanders still haunted by that missed putt -- Sanders is the man who lost the Open in 1970 by missing the short putt that was supposed to crown his triumph. -- fell into tie with Jack Nicklaus and lost 18-hole playoff next day -- "Do I ever think about the putt?" Sanders, 72, said last week from his home outside Houston, Texas. "Only once every four or five minutes. They (the Royal and Ancient Golf Club) have brought Jack back because he's a winner at St Andrews, but I'm there because I missed a putt. Even if I had gone on to make a tenth of what Jack did, I would have been a multimillionaire. I would have been able to design golf courses and name them after me. That's what winning the Open does for people. However, that's life and you have to move on and I have enjoyed a good one." -- "I've thought about that putt every morning that I wake up.", Times Online, UK, 11 Jul 2005

Master clubmaker Mike Moynahan sometimes has triuble pleasing finicky pros at Mercedes Championship -- He struggled with Jesper Parnevik's request for a new putter grip. "Every pro has got their own little idiosyncrasies about size of grip they want on putters or or irons or whatever," Moynahan said. "Normally when you grip a club you will just put down two sides of tape and slide the grip on and it goes from covering the butt to about a half inch from the end of the grip. Jesper, if you put anything more than just half inch of tape on there, he'll throw it back at you and ask you to redo it. To slide that grip without that nice slick surface with the adhesive and the solvent is very tough.'" -- Scott Hoch asked Moynahan to redo a putter grip eight times until Scotty Cameron came to the rescue. One year, Moynahan led the effort to locate the right grip for Woods., Maui News, HI, 10 Jul 2005

Large double greens at St Andrews call for practicing long lags -- Phil Mickelson: "That's where you score and, with all the double greens at St Andrews, I will be practising long-range putts as well as those from between five and six feet."Eurosport.com, UK, 10 Jul 2005

Northern Utah Amateur: USU golfer Jake Blair holds off field with closing 66 -- KSL TV's sportscaster Rod Zundel finishes second with great putting in a round of 67 -- "I feel bad because I had two putts lip out," Zundel said. Like Blair, Zundel said his score was his best round in a competitive tournament, and he can thank his putter. It took him just 28 putts during the round, and he didn't three-putt all day. "I putted well," Zundel said. "I didn't chip very well, but I putted pretty darn well. ... What saved me was my putting." But a missed 6-footer downhill on No. 9 and lip-out putt on No. 11 will have him thinking what if., Logan Herald Journal, UT, 10 Jul 2005

400 putters ready for annual contest on El Paseo, The Desert Sun, CA, 10 Jul 2005

Jamie Farr Classic: Morgan Pressel left wanting on birdie tries -- "I had chances all day and couldn't convert. My speed on the greens was no good. I must have had five or six birdie putts hang on the lip.", Palm Beach Post, FL, 10 Jul 2005

Young Tom Morris, it was said, never needed three putts at St Andrews Old Course -- In The Open, the most extraordinary shot when it mattered was Costantino Rocca's miracle in 1995. Needing to get up and down from the Valley of Sin in front of the 18th green to force a playoff with John Daly, Rocca played just about the worst shot ever by a man in contention, a stubbed, duffed chip, and followed it with just about the best ever, a 65ft putt that snaked its way up, down and around the contours before ridiculously falling into the hole. Rocca was redeemed, but Daly, who had driven, chipped and putted like a god, took the playoff and the title., The Sunday Times, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Uneasy Ernie Els slips after smooth putting touch deserts him -- "The whole week I just haven't made a putt longer than 10 feet and after a while it got me," Els groaned. -- change of management from IMG to Chubby Chandler, death-defying travel schedule, death of his beloved grandfather all taking toll on Big Easy, The Sunday Times, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Mobile phone causes putter tantrum for Ian Poulter in Scotland -- Mobile phones and professional golfers don't mix well. Ian Poulter became the latest player to call for their use on course to be curbed after missing a simple putt on the eighth green at Loch Lomond yesterday. Poulter was distracted by a ringing mobile as he lined up the putt for par after an eagle and two birdies over the first seven holes had moved him to 10 under. "You answer it, and I'll wait till you have finished your call," said the Englishman to the offending spectator. -- After missing the putt, Poulter threw his putter at his bag and although he then birdied the ninth he had lost his initial momentum and with it his chance of getting up with the leaders, despite the obliging conditions. "I am not happy," he said after his round. The Sunday Times, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Jose Maria Olazabal is thankful to Seve Ballesteros for the gift of an Open opportunity -- Seve withdrawal opens door for Jose Maria -- Olazabal loves the Open but says greens do not fit his style -- "Whatever else, though [at St Andrews], you have to make putts. I have struggled with that on my last few visits to St Andrews. You have to be aggressive there. If you are not, the ball does not keep the line so well. But that is not the way I putt. I like to have the ball die into the hole. So I have struggled there.", Scotland on Sunday, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Adam Scott fires 64 and seems past his putting struggles for now -- Scott really should be a consistent contender for the major championships at this stage of his career. He admitted after his splendid 64 that he has been struggling with his putter for a month now but he regained his touch yesterday. "I needed that," he said. "The most pleasing aspect of the round was the fact that I started making some putts at last. I had to shoot low to stand a chance because the conditions favour great scoring. The conditions are just perfect out there, the best I've seen anywhere since, maybe, the British Open at St Andrews five years ago." Scott said he will approach St Andrews this week with a better mindset than before any other major he has played in. "I'm taking my best golf in which is something I haven't really done before.", Scotland on Sunday, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Ultimate backyard toy: A lush putting green, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, 9 Jul 2005

20th Annual Mount Dundas Open: Thule takes golf to extreme -- golf in Greenland, the northernmost tournament in the world -- putting on shale greens, Blackanthem.com, Greenland, 9 Jul 2005

PuttingZone student Michelle Grilli blows out field by 9-shots at Indiana's Chicago Junior Open at White Hawk Country Club: Consistency was the key for girls champ Michelle Grilli, of Lutherville, Md. She sank six birdie putts Thursday for a six-shot lead entering the last round, then added three more Friday to coast by nine strokes. -- Grilli "hit lots of fairways and greens. I also putted well, especially Thursday." -- She took second at Maryland's state meet to lead her team to third. -- With a big lead she just "focused on my game today. My thought was it's easy to blow six shots." -- Her previous tour best was second last August in Richmond, Va. She'll play four more tour stops this summer., Gary Post Tribune, IN, 9 Jul 2005

Except for a couple of poor putts, 15-year-old Michelle Wie stacks up just fine against the best men golfers in the world, The Desert Sun, CA, 9 Jul 2005

Michelle Wie misses cut at John Deere Classic by 2 strokes -- poor putting on her back nine (1-9) -- three-putt from 20 feet for double bogey on 6, chip-on and two-putt bogey on 7, and missed 14-foot birdie try on 8 -- "None of my putts went in on the back nine.", San Marcos Daily Record, TX, 9 Jul 2005

Dana Quigley in Ford driver's seat -- Quigley shot a 6-under-par 66 Friday for 11-under-par 133 and a two-shot lead on Japan's Isao Aoki and Tom McKnight of Bluffton, S.C., a former petroleum distributor and top national amateur. -- "Pretty obviously the day was pretty exceptional," Quigley said with a grin. Didn't make any bogeys. I think I putted for birdie on all 18 holes." -- greens in exceptional condition and rolling true, MLive.com,ÊMI, 9 Jul 2005

Tour rookie Matt Davidson survives cut at John Deere Classic with some timely good putting -- "I putted so much better and this is by far the best effort I've made this year. This just shows how important putting is out here," he said. He did have a three putt on a par-five for the second consecutive day but needed just 26 putts for the round., The Trentonian, NJ, 9 Jul 2005

Northwestern golfer Kyle Moore leads Eastern Am at 9 under -- Matt Watson of Chesapeake at 5 under -- Watson, who will attend Old Dominion in the fall, called Friday "probably the best ball-striking round of my life" after hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation. But that's where his troubles began. He missed seven birdie putts of between 5 and 10 feet. -- "Half of them were bad putts; half of them were misread," Watson said. Watson finally regained his putting stroke on the last two holes, rolling in a 25-footer for birdie on 17 and a 15-footer for birdie on the par-5 finishing hole. "Those made up for all of the putts I missed," he said. "I had so many putts inside 10 feet.", Virginian Pilot, VA, 9 Jul 2005

Josh Young of Greenbrier won a playoff with David Holmes of Knoxville on the third extra hole to win the 42nd Annual Tennessee Junior Amateur Championship at Cleveland Country Club. -- Holmes learns that third playoff hole is not the best time to three-jack, Knoxville News Sentinel (subscription), TN, 9 Jul 2005

Three Lead at Canadian Tour's MTS Classic -- Canadian Mike Grob, American Lee Williamson, and Mexico's Daniel DeLeon all at 5-under 137 -- greens go from concrete to very soft overnight after thunderstorm -- Williamson catches leaders with 18-footer on last hole -- DeLeon fumbles sole lead with three-putt bogey on his last hole -- Oshawa, Ont. native Derek Gillespie had it to 6-under through 17 holes before running into a wall on the dreaded number nine, his final hole. "I know it's a tough hole, but I hit two putts back-to-back that didn't break," said a frustrated Gillespie after a three-putt double bogey. "I should have learned from the first one." -- An overnight thunderstorm also softened up greens that were rock-hard in the opening round. -- "This course was an 180-degree turn from yesterday," said Grob. "Of course, the wind wasn't a factor like it was (Thursday), but the greens were the complete opposite.", MikeWeir.com, Canada, 9 Jul 2005

SC PGA -- SC Junior Golf Association pro-junior captain's choice: Houndslake Country Club in Aiken, led by assistant pro David Hogan, won with 16-under-par 56 -- Nathan Guy, 13, rolled in an 8-foot par putt on Houndslake's final hole, No. 14, to seal the victory -- The winners made 16 birdies, including a 90-foot putt by Hogan on No. 18, and two pars, the first at the par-3 No. 12. -- Matt Nesmith, 11, and Chase Epting, 15, rounded out the Houndslake team. According to his teammates, Epting was the star. "I was the gunner,'' Epting said with a smile. "I made some shots and I made some putts.'', Anderson Independent Mail, SC. 9 Jul 2005

Dana Quigley takes the lead in Michigan at 11 under -- sinks three consecutive brdie putts in holes 14-16 -- Isao Aoki in second 2 shots back -- Aoki got his round in before the delay. He tallied a bogey and a pair of birdies over his first nine holes to make the turn at seven-under. Aoki drained a nine-foot putt for a birdie at the par-three 12th and rolled in a long birdie putt at the 14th en route to a round of 69. "I putted well today," Aoki said., News-Herald.com, OH, 9 Jul 2005

Heavy Putter B3 Milled Putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 9 Jul 2005

Golf legends' putter goes under hammer -- Putter once owned by golf legend Tom Morris is expected to fetch £100,000 when it is auctioned off next week., Glasgow Daily Record, UK, 9 Jul 2005

The old see-saw: putting well, ballstriking poor -- Darren Clarke uses only 22 putts but complains about his ballstriking, Glasgow Daily Record, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Scottish club-maker to the stars, John Letters goes into recievership -- The firm's demise marks a sharp reversal in fortunes from its heyday in the 1940s and 50s. In 1946 John Letters introduced the revolutionary Golden Goose putter, which was used by many of the greats of that era. -- founded in 1918, Scotsman, UK, 9 Jul 2005

Thongchai Jaidee's "back" at British Open golf -- former paratrooper vows to stay out of St Andrews beds -- Had a horror debut at the 2002 British Open after suffering a bad back he blames on his hotel bed. He shot an opening-round and withdrew from the second round. "I fell asleep on the hotel bed and woke up with a sore back," recalled Thongchai. "There will be no more beds for me at St. Andrews." -- "I feel I'm swinging it good now and I recently changed putter which feels better. The pot bunkers at the Old Course are the main challenges", Daily Times, Pakistan, 9 Jul 2005

Opening with 1-under, Michelle Wie beats playing partners Scott Gutchewski and Nick Watney -- bests or ties 83 of 155 PGA Tour stars at John Deere Classic -- impressive putting includes birdie putts of 28, 18, 12 and 9 feet and par makes of 16 and 7 feet., Sauk Valley Newspapers, IL, 8 Jul 2005

Darren Clarke does Scotland in 22 putts for a 63, Sportinglife.com, 8 Jul 2005

Odyssey White Hot #2 putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 7 Jul 2005

Continued Success Eludes Todd Hamilton -- British Open Champ Has Missed Three of Last Four Cuts -- "If I hit a good tee shot, I don't hit a good iron shot. If I hit the iron shot in there, I haven't been able to make the putt.", Washington Post, DC, 7 Jul 2005

 

Couple keep eyes on target -- Gilbert couple Dick and Diane Tone own two local manufacturing companies - Cavalier Archery Equipment Inc. and Flatstix Golf, line of putters they produce from their two-bay suite on Neely Street. -- The Flatstix, which is used by a few players on minitours, including the Canadian Tour, is a unique 'A' frame design. The triangle design has an offset face and is back-weighted with a 'floating' face and wide sweet spot. "The shaft is set back and it gives you a good, true roll," said Erin, who switched to a belly putter in March. "There is a long sight line that is really helpful. You have a better feel on your line." -- Dick has been happy with the growth in popularity of the putter, but said it probably won't truly take off unless someone on tour wins with it. "It could happen at any time," he said. "All it takes is one tournament and then it will be a hit. We need someone to get hot and starting putting the ball in the hole.", Arizona Republic, AZ, 7 Jul 2005

European Women's Amateur Team Title in Sweden: Scottish Ladies Golf Union team sees hopes vanish on the greens -- Skipper Elaine Farguharson-Black said: "The last three players dropped eight strokes in the final four holes between them and that cost us a place in the last eight." SLGU president Nancy Chisholm said: "It's so frustrating. I watched them all on the last green and nearly every one of them three-putted.", Glasgow Daily Record, Uk, 7 Jul 2005

In his 90s, Del Walker has the brain of a 30-year-old and medical scientists studying Alzheimer's Disease want to know why he's so special -- long-time golf teacher and coach at Long Beach State, Walker has won many titles and was always a great putter -- now uses his putter as a cane, but he still recalls watching Ben Hogan and Babe Dedrickson with near-photographic memory and is razor sharp about golf, Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA, 7 Jul 2005

Mid-century mini -- Putt-putt courses that include 40-year-old rotating rocket ships and 20-foot-tall orange dinosaurs hold much more charm than freshly constructed courses filled with manicured beds of marigolds and chlorinated 20-foot waterfalls. -- In the 1930s, at the height of the sport's popularity, there were an estimated 30,000 miniature golf courses nationwide. Now, there are about 4,000. According to Paul Hemmingway of the Professional Miniature Golf Association, simple economics have shuttered many of the wonderfully kitschy mom-and-pop courses. But there are still a few old-school courses within a short drive of Boston., Boston Globe, MA, 7 Jul 2005

Two off putts cost Duke's Brittany Lang the US Open -- Lang missed a not-too-difficult birdie putt on 16, then just missed an 8-footer to bogey 18 and missed a share of the title by a shot., Upper Cape Codder, MA, 7 Jul 2005

Phil Mickelson hopes to overcome putting problems -- "I've been trying to look at the course in different wind conditions, but I'll also be spending a lot of time on the putting green. I didn't putt as well as I needed to in the first two majors this year.", PGA.com, 6 Jul 2005

Phil Mickelson's putter problems -- Lefty hopes to turns things around in Scotland -- Despite three victories in non-major events, this year he has finished 10th in the Masters and tied 33rd in the U.S. Open, and Mickelson blames his form on the greens. -- "I felt I was hitting the ball well enough but I didn't putt as well as last year," he said. "I think the putts have started on line, but I haven't had the right speed to make them. So I'm spending more time on the greens getting a feel for the speed.", CNN/SI, 6 Jul 2005

Gary McCord won twice in his maiden year on the Champions Tour in 1999 but nothing since -- blames poor putting -- "Well, I had a chance last year, and I just never made anything," McCord said of his putting at the Ford Seniors. "I never made anything. I had 32 putts the last round.", Duluth News Tribune, MN, 6 Jul 2005

Wild Woods Golf by La Jolla Golf Company opens at LEGOLAND California -- mini-golf course also to teach kids how to putt -- In order to teach children proper putting techniques, La Jolla Club Golf Company has designed a unique custom putter featuring a patented alignment system incorporating LEGO elements. Golfers can learn proper putting techniques by properly positioning the LEGO bricks to form a ÒT.Ó La Jolla Club Golf Company developed the Patented Geometrical Alignment Putter System after years of analyzing putting strokes. Alignment, hand position, face angles and lies are the most important aspects of the setup. Using the alignment system, players will consistently have the perfect set up, every time., e-Travel Blackboard (press release), Australia, 6 Jul 2005

Nineteen-year-old amateur Hartley McLeod of Fort Wayne fired a 7-under par 65 to win the Monticello Open Tuesday at the Tippecanoe Country Club -- He had only 27 putts in Tuesday's round and did not post a single bogey. -- "My driving and putting were both on today," said McLeod, who went out with a 4-under 31 and in with a 3-under 34., Monticello Herald Journal, IN, 6 Jul 2005

Northern Kentucky Men's Amateur at Eagle Creek: Jake Halligan having sizzling summer -- St Leo University (Tampa) junior golfer finished 19th in US Public Links qualifier and tied Eagle Creek course record at 7-under 63 last week -- 9-time Northern Kentucky 7-Up Junior Golf Tour champ -- "I'm swinging a lot better and my putting is much better than it used to be," said Halligan, who won the very first Northern Kentucky Gatorade Junior Golf Tournament. "I've really minimized the three-putts and been able to get down on two, usually.", Kentucky Post, KY, 6 Jul 2005

Jack Nicklaus on great putting: "Arnold Palmer was as good as I ever saw in his prime. Tiger Woods is as good a putter as I see now." -- criterion a simple question: "Have they made the putts they needed to make to win championships?" -- "That's what Tiger and Arnold did.", Benton County Daily Record, AR, 6 Jul 2005

Michelle Wie battles the men again at John Deere Classic -- In two rounds at the Sony this year, Wie averaged 1.89 putts per hole. At the Women's Open, she averaged 1.68 putts, which would have been better if not for a 1.89 average on Sunday. -- Defending champ Hensby ranks 30th on the PGA Tour in putting, with an average of 1.76. Ben Crane, who leads the PGA Tour in putting (1.70 average), is in the John Deere field., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, 6 Jul 2005

Taylor Made Daytona Sport 1 putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 6 Jul 2005

Tommy Armour EFT #4 Blade putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 6 Jul 2005

Odyssey White Hot putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 6 Jul 2005

European PGA Tour top putting: Putts per round: equal 1, D Howell (Eng) 28.1 (32 rounds) and J Spence (Eng) 28.1 (32); 3, C Cevaer (Fr) 28.2 (44); equal 4, B Dredge (Wales) 28.6 (52), P Broadhurst (Eng) 28.6 (54)., Times Online, UK, 6 Jul 2005

Padraig Harrington sets course record at 9-under 63 at Ireland's Adare Manor pro-am in defeating Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and others in Open tune-up, PGA European Tour, 6 Jul 2005

Stephen Ames wins Canadian Skins Game -- Vijay Singh blanked -- PGA Tour money leader Singh was shut out for the second straight day. After missing a couple of short putts for skins on Monday, Singh went back and forth between a regular and cross-handed grip with his putter Tuesday., Barre Montpelier Times Argus, VT, 6 Jul 2005

Padraig Harrington's Caddie Ronan Flood And SunBuster Sunglasses Team Up To Earn A Victory At The Barclays Classic -- Purple PuttReader glasses are a product of "true color science" and block much of the color green the eyes see in a putting green. This brings out the blacks, reds and yellows which are the colors the brain needs to better read the subtle break-defining elements of grain, contour and undulation, The Wire, 5 Jul 2005

 

Stay local to install synthetic putting green, Modesto Bee, CA, 5 Jul 2005

Putt Putt down El Paseo for prizes, The Desert Sun, CA, 5 Jul 2005

Putter contributes to Tiger Woods' woes more than driver -- "This year, either I'm putting great or I'm struggling. Nothing in between. Either I'm rolling them in from everywhere or I'm 3-putting." -- After taking 29 putts in his opening-round 73 at the Western, Woods spent about 90 minutes on the practice green. It paid immediate dividends with two rounds without a 3-putt. -- Woods has always been somewhat wild off the tee. Last year he ranked ninth on the PGA Tour in distance, averaging 302 yards, but 182nd in accuracy, finding the fairway just 56 percent of the time. He offset that by finishing second in putting average, and really limited the damage by taking just 23 3-putts all season. Coming into the Western, though, Woods already had 20 3-putts this season. He chalked up No. 21 on Thursday. And on Sunday 3-putts at No. 6 and 13 gave him as many 3-putts as he had all of last year. "I knew that," Woods said after the Western. "It's speed. You're not going to misread a putt by 8 feet. If anything, you're going to have poor speed. Poor speed always leads to 3-putts, not misreads.", Kansas City Star, MO, 5 Jul 2005

RoXoR¨ Patented Lens Technology for Golf Sunglasses Hits US Market -- Utilizing patented lens technology, RoXoR's polarized lenses block out the green color that the eyes see on a putting green and on a fairway. Bringing out the white color of a golf ball, the brain is better able to read the subtle, break-defining elements of grain, contour and undulation. -- "The human eye is most dominant and sensitive to the color green, making RoXoR golf sunglasses an ideal complement for any golfer's game strategy," explained Inventor and RoXoR President Mr. Torbjorn Stehager. "This kind of technology creates fewer putts per round, lowers scores, and prevents frustration over lost golf balls. Golfers will save time, and their own mental health, by playing a better game with the RoXoR.", PR Web (press release), WA, 5 Jul 2005

Graeme McDowell has work to do -- long irons, putter aiming a problem -- switched from one type of Odyssey putter to a Two-ball Odyssey and aiming seemed to improve, News Letter, Ireland, 4 Jul 2005

Japan Golf Tour Championship: Kazuhiko Hosokawa made a clutch par putt at the second extra hole to win at Shishido Hills Cup for his first title in four years. Hosokawa beat overnight leader David Smail of NZ and Yasuharu Imano in a three-way play-off after they finished the regulation 72 holes tied at 7-under 273 at Shishido Hills Country Club. -- Hosokawa sank a delicate 2m putt to seal the victory on the decisive playoff hole - the par-4 18th - after Smail went from rough to rough and Imano went from bunker to bunker and failed to make par., New Zealand Herald, New Zealand, 4 Jul 2005

Smurfit European Open at K Club: Darren Clarke putting like a drunk -- "It was tough and a day when you needed to hole putts to shoot a score and 35 putts is unacceptable. The ball was running at the holes but not where I wanted to put them. I putted terribly. I hit 14 greens, which in the conditions was pretty good, but the 35 putts has taken me out of the tournament. Of course I'm disappointed. To play okay like I did and then take that many putts is disappointing.", Sunday Life, UK, 4 Jul 2005

Smurfit European Open at K Club: Keith Ferrie follows up Open Qualifying with a win as joint leaders thru 70 holes Thomas Bjorn and Andrew Coltart implode on 71st hole -- Colin Montgomerie misses a 6-footer on 18th to fall to joint 2nd-- teeing off as co-leaders on 17th, Thomas Bjorn hits into the River Liffey 3 times and notches a horrendous 11 on the par 4 and Andrew Coltart 4-putts from 12 feet, ic NorthWales, UK, 4 Jul 2005

HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship: Long-shot Colombian Marisa Baeba triumphs over Korean Meena Lee on final hole -- Baena closed out the 23-year-old Lee with a conceded par on the par-4 18th after rolling her birdie try within two feet of the cup. -- "I'm a very good lag putter. I have always been," Baena said. "I was very happy to see the ball getting closer and closer.", Toronto Star, Canada, 4 Jul 2005

Western Open 4th round: Jim Furyk answers charge by Tiger Woods to prevail by 2 strokes -- Over closing holes, Woods eagles with 54-foot putt to share lead before Furyk sinks consecutive birdie putts from 17 and 11 feet while Woods bogeys next two holes with a 3-putt and a flubbed bunker shot, Chicago Daily Herald, IL, 4 Jul 2005

The never-dull antics of John Daly -- the "fat golfer guy" once played a par-4 at Prince Edward Island with only a putter, Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA, 4 Jul 2005

HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship semi-finals: Annika Sorenstam's putting fails her -- 2 down with 4 to play on 15, Candie Kung sinks an 18-footer to turn things around while Sorenstam's money stick goes cold -- Kung: "I made one more putt than she did today, and that's how I won the match." -- Asked if she thought her game just slipped away, Sorenstam commented, "Not really slipped away, but just all of a sudden it took a total change. I thought I had a great chance to make birdie on 14, and all of a sudden I just couldn't seem to make a single putt. So I'm very disappointed.", iseekgolf, Australia, 3 Jul 2005

Hooters Tour in Chesterfield VA: Gareth Maybin of Northern Ireland fired a three-under par 69 Sunday in the final round to earn his first career Hooters Tour Title. -- "This feels awesome, there will be a lot of happy people back home in Ireland," said the 24 year-old Maybin. "My ten sponsors will be partying it up tonight back in Ballyclare at the Five Corners Pub." -- "I got off to a good start this week with the 66, and I usually always play well on the weekend, so I just played my normal game and I putted great this week also," said Maybin after collecting his winner's check., AccessNorthGa.com. 3 Jul 2005

Green with envy: Finding the perfect putter can be a lifelong pursuit -- "I look at putters as an endless quest," said Roger Anderson, a Pocatello native who was wielding a older bronze Ping offset blade. "Everyone's got extra ones in their garage. It's like the search for the holy grail.", Idaho State Journal, ID, 3 Jul 2005

Odyssey DFX Two-Ball Putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 3 Jul 2005

Western Open 3rd round: Tiger Woods putting better; Vijay Singh 3-putts 15th and 16th holes, Daily Times, Pakistan, 3 Jul 2005

HSBC Women's World match Play Championship: Candie Kung putts past Annika Sorenstam -- World's No. 1-ranked player struggles putting down stretch, Asbury Park Press, NJ, 3 Jul 2005

Western Open 3rd round: Vijay Singh back in hunt with Saturday 65 but putting game still sour -- 3-putts for par on 15th from 28 feet then bogeys 16th -- "I'm a little disappointed because I had an eagle chance on 15 ... and I three-putted that one and then three-putted 16, as well. I would have loved to be at 8 (under) instead of 6. But it's good conditions now. I think the leaders are probably going to finish around 11 or 12 (under). That gives me some more work to do today." -- It started, no doubt, on the putting green. While he entered this tournament first on tour in greens in regulation and fourth in scoring average, Singh's putting average (1.771 per hole) ranked 55th and his putts-per-round (29.43) ranked 120th. -- "It kind of takes a lot of air out of you because you really play hard to get into position and then you let it go," he said. "Just the same thing happened last week. You just get into position and make two bogeys and then all of a sudden instead of two or three back, you're six or seven back.", Joliet Herald News, IL, 3 Jul 2005

Mike Weir needs new strategy -- what started as poor putting has now infected entire game -- worst slump of his career -- hasn't shot under 70 since April -- still sticking with coach Mike Wilson despite deteriorating performance, Winnipeg Sun, Canada, 3 Jul 2005

Western Open 3rd round: Chris Anderson and Ben Curtis lead in putts per GIR at 1.571 -- Pat Perez leads in total putts average at 25, Dekalb Daily Chronicle, IL, 2 Jul 2005

Carnoustie's kingmaker -- Stewart "Kiltie" Maiden -- the man who made Bobby Jones -- Stewart's brother Jimmy gave Jones his Calamity Jane putter, Scotland on Sunday, OK, 2 Jul 2005

Western Open 2nd round: Tiger Woods finding his form. A three-time winner here, Woods shot a 66 and vaulted to a tie for 17th at 139. -- "I played a little bit better, but more importantly I putted better," Woods said., Sunday Herald, UK, 2 Jul 2005

Wales Senior Open: Nick Job's putter switch seems to do the trick with 69 for one-shot lead -- Job attributes his return to form to switching to an old putter he last used in the 1970s. -- "For the last few week's I have felt I have been playing well but not getting the scores I deserved," he said. "This week, though, has been different. I switched to a PING Anser putter I last used in the 70s and that seems to have done the trick.", European Tour, UK, 2 Jul 2005

HBSC Women's World Match Play Championship: Annika Sorenstam's long putt keeps her in tourney -- sinks 30-footer on third extra hole to close out Tina Barrett -- "I had a lot of putts on the edges again," said Sorenstam, who also struggled with Hamilton Farm's rain-softened greens in her opening victory over Joanne Morley. "It wasn't until that last putt that I really had one go in.", Tucson Citizen, AZ, 2 Jul 2005

Quebec's Lauzon Hugo boss at International Junior Masters -- closes out Nathan Peck 2 and 1 with a 15-foot scrambling par save putt -- "I played better than the previous matches," he said. "I made more putts, hit more greens and kept the ball in play. I didn't make too many errors." -- Lauzon was an aggressive putter, too, consistently making good par saves the last two days. "On short putts you've got to be, not aggressive, but stroke it for the putt to go 2 feet past the hole," he said. "That takes away some of the break.", Buffalo News, NY, 2 Jul 2005

Western Open 2nd round: Tim Herron feels right at home on greens -- grew up in Minnesota on mixture of bent and poa, same as Cog Hill -- seven birdies and just 23 putts at Cog Hill's Dubsdread Friday. -- 13 one-putt greens using the increasingly popular "claw" grip, overcoming the fact he hit just 11 greens in regulation. -- On Thursday he took 30 putts, including a pair of three-putts., Chicago Tribune, IL, 2 Jul 2005

Western Open: Cog Hill poa greens tough to putt -- Vijay Singh knows if he doesn't get his putter going, he'll be chasing the field with the view unlikely to change. He had 28 putts Friday, two less than in the first round, but he'll need to drop more than just a few automatic birdies to be a factor. -- "I'm hitting a lot of good putts, but it's hard to read these greens," said Singh. "They're very spongy, and poa greens are always hard to make putts on, especially for me.", Joliet Herald News, IL, 2 Jul 2005

Western Open round 2: Tiger Woods follows opening 73 with 66 -- He likely would have won the U.S. Open two weeks ago at Pinehurst if his putting stroke had been truer. His final-round charge fizzled only because he didn't capitalize on many of his birdie opportunities, particularly on the back nine. -- He did not putt well on Thursday, either. Hence, his opening-round 73 in the Western. Afterward, he went to the practice green and worked on his stroke for 90 minutes or so. "I just putted last night for a little bit and just worked on it," Woods said. "I didn't hit the ball that badly, I just got nothing out of it on the greens. If I made a few putts yesterday, I could have turned the momentum around or kept the momentum going. -- "I just didn't do it yesterday, so I worked on the putting green, and I felt like I had my speed back today.", Joliet Herald News, IL, 2 Jul 2005

Western Open round 2: Former University of Illinois golfer Joe Affrunti misses cut after Monday qualifying -- "I was just frustrated with my putter, and that kind of rolled over into my game on a few holes," Affrunti said, Northwest Herald, IL, 2 Jul 2005

Smurfit European Open at K Club, 2nd round: Darren Clarke closing in on unlikely win -- one back of leaders -- wife ailing -- On the putts that got away he commented: "If they went in they went in and if they didn't so be it. I would like to be like that all the time. Extenuating circumstances, we'll say.", Ireland Online, Ireland, 2 Jul 2005

HBSC Women's World Match Play Champonship: Poor putting was a bad 'sign' for Paula Creamer -- misses putt and then signs ball and gives it away -- "I didn't want to play that ball any more." -- "I missed too many putts," Creamer said. "That was the difference in the match. I couldn't get the speed down. It seemed like I was struggling with it all day. I made a few, but not enough." -- drops natch to Karrie Webb, Newark Star Ledger, NJ, 1 Jul 2005

Craig Berner wins W.Va. Open on fifth playoff hole over Barry Evans -- Evans blows 3-hole lowest-score playoff by responding to berner's OB drive and subsequent bogey with a 3-putt from 30 feet to extend playoff two more holes -- berner then chips in to win, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV, 1 Jul 2005

Louisiana Golf Association's Junior Amateur Championship: Andrew Loupe sinks clutch putt to claim title -- Failure to make just one putt is enough to keep many golfers from wrapping up a tournament title. Loupe avoided that pitfall Friday afternoon by sinking a short par putt on the 18th hole to claim top honors. -- "I knew exactly where I was and where everybody else was," Loupe said. "I knew that putt was for the win. The experience that I got this spring really helped me handle the situation.", 2theadvocate.com, LA, 1 Jul 2005

New Hampshire Women's Golf Association Junior Championship came down to an 18th-hole showdown at Intervale Country Club yesterday -- Tracy Martin overcame a one-stroke deficit to edge Becky Mangone and claim the championship in the senior division -- 16-year-old Mangone: "I missed a lot of birdie putts by like a millimeter, hanging right on the edge of the cup," Mangone said. "If I would've sunk a few of those I'd have been a happy girl.", The Union Leader, NH, 1 Jul 2005