Updated
Sunday, July 24, 2005 9:08 AM
To search for specific items
on this page, use your Browser's Edit>Find function for this page
or use this Google SiteSearch
for the whole PZ site. [If
the link fails, the story has either been moved or removed by the host
site ... you may be able to use the host's site search to find it.]
2005
3rd Quarter - July thru September
Evian
Masters: Teen cream of crop at Evian -- Paula Creamer at 18 creams
the field by record 8 shots for second win in rookie year -- youngest
to pass million dollar mark on LPGA -- Michelle Wie (15) finishes
second, Winnipeg Sun, Canada, 24 Jul 2005
Senior
British Open: Tom Watson Shoots 64; Leads by 1 -- Watson looked like
an eighttime major champion, especially with his putter. "Today was
the first time in a long time I made some putts," Watson said., The
Ledger, FL, 24 Jul 2005
58th
US Junior Amateur Championship at Longmeadow Country Club: Kevin Tway
grabs title and a name for himself -- son of Bob Tway defeated Bradley
Johnson of Birmingham, Ala., 5 and 3, wrapping up the title with a
conceded birdie putt on the 15th green before about 500 spectators
-- Johnson: ''He played great. I can't count the number of times I
thought I'd win a hole, then he'd make a 15-20-footer for par.", Boston
Globe, 24 Jul 2005
U.S.
Girls' Junior Championship: In Kyung Kim breezes to Girls' Junior
title -- dominates In-Bee Park -- Kim, a Korean on a four-month visit
to America, dusted Park, the 2002 champ and 2003 runner-up, 5 and
4, closing out the 18-hole final match on the 14th with a two-putt.
It was the 17-year-old's fourth victory in four junior tournaments
in America. She will conclude her stay with the U.S. Women's Amateur
the first week of August., IdahoStatesman.com, ID, 24 Jul 2005
Ron
Frederick really putts for dough -- 1990 Professional Putters Association
"Putter of the Decade" -- sill competes in nationals at 45 -- "We
don't have Putt-Putt out here. It's basically out East. There's a
huge difference between Putt-Putt and miniature golf courses; you
can't even compare them. Putt-Putt tried to build it around a game
of skill. They patented their hole designs, kept it a fairly standard
length. We have miniature golf courses here, but it's not fun for
me. I like to compete. I'll go every other year with the kids. I couldn't
walk on a Putt-Putt course and have fun without it being a tournament.
I've retired a few times. I pretty much make it back for the nationals
every year and sometimes the other bigger tournaments. The main reason
I've stayed with this is the people I have met doing it who have become
life-long friends.", Toledo Blade, OH, 24 Jul 2005
European
Players' Championship: Title up for grabs -- Sweden's Niclas Fasth
shot a 6-under-par 66 yesterday to take the second-round lead at the
Players' Championship of Europe golf tournament. Fasth is at 10-under-par,
one shot ahead of Wales' Bradley Dredge. U.S. Open champion Michael
Campbell shot a 71 to share third place with Irishman Peter Lawrie
(65). Two rounds will be played today after Thursday was rained out.
American John Daly shot a 64 to finish four shots off the pace. --
"I played absolutely fantastic on the front nine, but just didn't
get the scoring going," Fasth said. "Then I got close at 10 and 11
and missed the putts." -- Dredge rolled in a 60-foot putt and Daly,
who was hampered by a damaged putter in his opening-round 74, found
a new one he liked. "Luckily, I didn't have to putt much because I
had a few gimmes today," Daly said. "This was one of my better ball-striking
rounds in a long time.", Winnipeg Sun, Canada, 24 Jul 2005
Eurpean
Players' Championship: Putting Ace Bradley Dredge is chasing a second
title after winning madeira open -- Dredge, renowned for being a good
putter, admitted he holed "pretty much everything" on the greens but
was unable to produce such fireworks in yesterday's damp, overcast
conditions. -- just 1 back of Niclas asth with 36 holes to play Sunday,
ic Wales, UK, 24 Jul 2005
US
Bank Championship: Ben Crane plods his way to third-round lead --
Crane is trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner in Milwaukee
since Robert Gamez in 1991. Crane's only other Tour win came at the
2003 BellSouth Classic. -- Crane finished with a 6-under 64 to take
the 54-hole lead at 19-under-par 191, two shots better than playing
partner Scott Verplank. Chris Smith (64) and Kenny Perry (65) were
five shots off the lead, tied for third. With word that rain was coming
soon, Smith hurried to finish and missed two birdie putts on last
holes, Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, 24 Jul 2005
Long
hitter Scott Gutschewski makes long climb to PGA Tour -- 4th on Tour
in driving distance with 306.8 yard average -- even though chicks
dig the long ball, "it still comes down to putting and the short game,"
Gutschewski said. -- improvements in stats paying off -- Gutschewski
ranks 41st in the PGA's overall statistics, including 19th in birdies,
20th in sand saves, 49th in greens in regulation and 99th in putts.
-- "I'm a pretty good putter right now, but there's always room for
improvement," Gutschewski said. "I've also got to get better with
wedges from 100 yards in. Golf is a game of turning three shots into
two and getting up and down. The short game is where you really save
shots.", Rockford Register Star, IL, 24 Jul 2005
Canadian
CPGA Championship: Jon Mills jumps to lead at Whistle Bear with course-record
9-under 63 and 54-hole tournament record 18 under, 3 strokes deeper
than previous record -- 4 shot cushion headed into final round --
Mills may be hitting it where he wants but he's also taking care of
business on the greens, where he leads the tournament in putting.
"I made some putts when I needed to make them," he said. "It just
seemed like everything was clicking." Mills began the day three shots
back of second-round leader Kevin Johnson but quickly made up ground
on the leader with four birdies in his first six holes. A 35-foot
birdie putt at No. 11 put him at 14-under and when he birdied the
next two holes he had firm possession of the lead., MikeWeir.com,
Canada, 24 Jul 2005
British
Open: Relative isolation of greens at Old Course from fans plays to
Tiger Woods' advantage -- He admitted as much in a radio interview
last week when he praised St Andrews' eccentric ability to set him
in a calm place, well away from the storm. Everywhere else when you're
on a green you have the fans in your eyeline, he said, and that can
disturb your focus. Minus this distraction, Tiger filled his boots
on the greens. Much is always made of his length and, to be fair,
he averaged just over 340 yards last week compared to Monty's 320
and Jose Maria Olazabal's 317. This was an important advantage but
where Tiger took them and everyone else to the cleaners was on, and
around, those greens. He took a total of 95 putts for The Open while
Montgomerie had 102 and Ollie 104. -- Then, when he missed a green
in regulation, he got up and down better than anyone else, for while
Nicklaus's Achilles heel was always his short game it is indisputably
Tiger's greatest shield. He missed 18 greens over four days and scrambled
par an astonishing 11 times. Monty, meanwhile, missed 15 but recovered
at only five of them and Olazabal got up and down seven times out
of 14. -- The devil, as ever, is in the detail and when you deconstruct
Woods' Championship-winning effort it is not off the tee that he won
this Open but on and around the greens. It is here that his skill,
nerve and imagination really do make him the best in the world., The
Observer, UK, 24 Jul 2005
Japan
Tour, Sammy Sega Cup at Hokkaido: Jeev Milkha Singh grabs share of
three-way lead -- Jeev putted brilliantly with just 12 putts for his
back nine and that included six single putts. While his putter did
his bidding, he found the fairways only 50 per cent and then had to
work hard to get to the greens in regulation, which he managed only
on 78 per cent occasion. Jeev sacrificed distance to achieve more
accuracy but even that paid only partial dividends. However, his putter
has been the real star club for past two days., Calcutta Telegraph,
India, 24 Jul 2005
US
Bank Championship: Jerry Kelley started out great guns but has now
fallen 10 shots back -- after a putting lesson in Britain from Stan
Utley, Kelly is making nothing, yet still feels good about his putting:
"It's not that I'm hitting bad putts, it's just that I'm not getting
close enough to give myself a chance. I've been burning the edges
all week.", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, 23 Jul 2005
Porter
Cup: National freshman of the year at Oklahoma State, Spaniard Pablo
Martin-Benavides open a 5-shot lead headed into final round at Niagra
Falls CC -- 4-under 66 round includes eagle, three birdies, and a
bogey -- bogey was a 3-putt from 7 feet -- at 200 after three rounds,
Martin is within hailing distance of Casey Wittenberg's tournament
record 14 under 266, Niagara Gazette, NY, 23 Jul 2005
Waterloo
Open at Gates Park: Young guns come out firing -- Cedar Falls rising
senior Troy Hoffman fires 67, while Cedar Rapids native and in-coming
freshman at Wake Forest Marc Gladson shoots 69 -- For the day Friday,
Hoffman buried putts left and right -- like a 25-footer for birdie
on No. 16 at Gates -- and finished by hitting eight greens in regulation
on the back nine. -- "I putted really well," said Hoffman, who was
a prep all-stater last fall. "On the front side, I made every single
putt.", Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA, 23 Jul 2005
Bob
Barker, Still Right for 'Price' -- scene where he plays himself and
decks Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore" harkens to his enjoyment of
golf -- favorite game: "I like the golf games if I make the putt.
But I've been in a slump -- some miserable person absconded with my
putter years ago.", Washington Post, DC, 23 Jul 2005
Players'
Championship of Europe: Michael Campbell, Henrik Stenson share lead
-- Campbell made seven birdies without dropping a shot, but missed
a makable 10-footer for birdie on the final hole that would have given
him the outright lead. -- Stenson eagled his first hole, No. 10, with
a 110-yard wedge shot and, after a mid-round slump, birdied four of
his last six holes. -- John Daly shot a 74 after playing half the
round with a faulty putter. He said he felt an insert on the face
come loose, but officials said the club was not damaged enough to
replace. -- Campbell, who said the holes looked "as big as a bucket,"
sank five putts of between 10 and 25 feet for birdies on the 7,290-yard
layout. He attributed his improved play to better concentration. "I'm
focusing pretty much on every shot," he said. "In the past I'd get
lazy for two or three holes. I'd fall asleep out there." -- Stenson
followed his opening eagle with birdies at Nos. 11 and 13 before tailing
off. Three 12-footers and a five-footer in the last six holes produced
birdies and a share of the lead., Uniontown Herald Standard, PA, 23
Jul 2005
-
Evian
Masters: With 7-shot lead over field, Paula Creamer on track for
second win this year -- runs in birdie putts from 18 feet (7th),
25 feet (14th), and 20 feet (16th) with birdies in 4 of last 5 holes
for 6-under 66 round -- Michelle Wie climbs to T9 with 4-under 68
that includes a 4-putt triple bogey, Sacramento Bee, CA, 23 Jul
2005
Japan
Tour's Sega Sammy Cup, Hokkaido Japan: On a birdie-spree, Jeev Milkha
Singh tied fourth -- 11 putts on front nine with 5 birdies in 3-under
69 -- 24 total putts, India Express, 23 Jul 2005
-
US
Girls' Junior Championship: Korean pair face off for title -- In-Bee
Park, who left Korea five years ago and lives in Las Vegas, and In-Kyung
Kim, who is visiting America for the summer, advanced Friday to this
morning's U.S. Girls' Junior Championship final at BanBury Golf Club.
-- Park routed Joanne Lee of California 6 and 4, while Kim edged giant
killer Juliana Murcia Ortiz of Colombia 2 and 1. -- Park has rolled
into the final of this week's national championship without playing
her best golf. Most notably, she hasn't made many putts Ñ usually
a lethal habit in match play. But her ball-striking is so consistent
Ñ she says people call her iron shots "razors" Ñ that it takes near-flawless
golf to beat her., The Idaho Statesman, ID, 23 Jul 2005
US
Boys' Junior Championship: Bradley Johnson of Birmingham, Ala., and
Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla. will meet in a 36-hole final today at the
58th U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship at Longmeadow Country Club.
-- Each golfer won two matches yesterday, ending semifinal victories
at the 18th green. Johnson clinched his trip to the final with a two-putt
par halve that protected a 1-up lead at the final hole against David
Chung of Fayetteville, N.C. Tway made a 5-foot putt to win the 18th
hole for a 1-up semifinal victory against Arnond Vongvanij of Bradenton,
Fla. -- Tway has numerous come-from-behind wins during week -- In his
semifinal, Tway won the 16th and 18th holes with birdies, taking his
first lead of the match on his final stroke. Tway squared the match
when he nearly aced the 16th hole. Vongvanij missed a short birdie attempt
at 18, before Tway rolled his in. -- Johnson dominating in wins all
week until Chung briefly takes lead -- "He (Chung) was hitting it so
close," Johnson said. "He was sticking it to 10 feet, and then I'd have
to hit it to 4 just to be at even odds to make the putt." But it was
Johnson yesterday who held a putting edge. "He (Johnson) made everything,
two 20 footers, one of them for par," Chung said. "Key 10 footers, 5
footers ... I don't think he missed a putt." -- "I couldn't have putted
better than I did today," Johnson said. -- Chung had reached last year's
final and survived three straight playoffs this week on the strength
of his putter. "He putted well and I didn't putt well enough to win.
He deserved it," Chung said. "I hit the ball really well, probably my
best ball striking round ... I just didn't make the putts." Chung had
putts of 10 feet or shorter at five of his last seven holes, but made
none. "I don't think I have putted this badly since last year's final.
This match was similar to that.", The Republican, MA, 23 Jul 2005
US
Boys' Junior Championship: Bradley Johnson sinks David Chung in semis
-- Chung, whom Johnson credited as having, ''one of the prettiest putting
strokes in golf," missed birdie putts of 8 and 5 feet on Nos. 16 and
17 that would have squared the match. ''I don't think I've putted this
bad in a while," said Chung, 15, who would have become the youngest
player to win the event. ''That was the difference." -- Johnson made
the putts he needed to. Money from 10 feet, Johnson rolled in his biggest
putt on No. 14, a 15-footer for birdie that put him ahead for good.,
Boston Globe, MA, 23 Jul 2005
2001
Pocahontas Men's Amateur: The 'round' remains a dramatic tale -- the
day Brendan deJonge shot an effortless 10-under 60 -- Kirk Satterfield,
a two-time Pocahontas champion who is now an assistant pro at Deepdale
Golf Club in Manhasset, N.Y., was deJonge's playing partner during "the
round." "The amazing thing about his round was that it could easily
have been a 59," Satterfield recalled. Playing in the same group with
deJonge on that overcast Saturday afternoon four years ago, he remembered
deJonge's four-foot birdie putt that lipped out on the par-five 17th
hole at the Fincastle Country Club course. His day's work broke down
to a front side 31 with two birdies and an eagle, and a back side 29
with six birdies over the final eight holes. "He really didn't do much
that was outrageous," Satterfield said. "He drove every fairway, then
hit the greens in regulation, and he had 17 realistic putts for birdie
or eagle.", Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV, 23 Jul 2005
Senior
British Open at Aberdeen, Scotland: Loren Roberts starts fast in Champions
Tour debut -- leads by one, steals show from Greg Norman's struggling
debut -- Roberts, who turned 50 on June 24, overcame some uncharacteristic
three-putts and the strong North Sea wind that blew across the course
and kept anyone from breaking par. "I made some three-putts today,
which I don't normally do," said Roberts, one of the best putters
in golf. "But all in all, I made some good putts today.", Ventura
County Star, CA, 22 Jul 2005
Evian
Masters: Annika Sorenstam shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to climb into
contention at Evian, France, 2 strokes behind second-round leaders
Paula Creamer and Christina Kim. -- Sorenstam had 7 birdies
her longest putt was 11 feet -- Wie hit 10 of 14 fairways and got
her driver under control, a big improvement after hitting just two
during the first round. "I played great but all my putts, strangely,
didn't drop," Wie said. -- Wie dropped only 1 shot and had 3
birdies, all from under 12 feet., Guardian Unlimited, UK, 22 Jul 2005
US
Girls' Junior Championship: Lots of fireworks -- Juliana Murcia Ortiz
of Colombia and In-Kyung Kim of Korea meet in the first semifinal
at 8:30 a.m. today. Both are playing in the tournament for the first
time. Joanne Lee of San Carlos, Calif., takes on In-Bee Park of Las
Vegas on the other side of the bracket at 8:45 a.m. -- Ortiz chipped
in from 25 feet on No. 17 to finish off fourth-seeded Hsiao-Ching
Lu, after doing the same to Morgan Pressel from 40 feet on the 19th
hole. -- Park the heavy favorite on past experience even though her
putting is spotty this week, IdahoStatesman.com, ID, 22 Jul 2005
US
Girls' Junior Championship: A chip-in for the second time in a month
ends Morgan Pressel's run at title -- Juliana Murcia Ortiz of Colombia
beat Pressel in the third round of match play with a 40-foot chip-in
on the 19th hole. Ortiz birdied the final three holes to overcome
a 2-down deficit with two holes to play, and later advanced to today's
semifinals by chipping in for birdie on the 17th hole to close out
Hsiao-Ching Lu. -- Ortiz pulled even with birdies on Nos. 9 and 10,
but Pressel seemed to take control with a 25-footer for birdie on
No. 14 and a 15-footer that circled the cup and dropped on No. 15.
Ortiz, however, dunked a 15-footer for birdie on No. 17 to extend
the match. The pair halved the 18th and then Ortiz ended it with a
chip-in from 40 feet as Pressel's 10-foot putt slid by, Idaho Statesman,
ID, 22 Jul 2005
-
US
Boys' Junior Championship: Upsets galore -- Kevin Tway knocks off
Sam Saunders 4 and 3 and then comes back from 3 down in next match
to defeat Russell Henley 2 and 1 -- Other upsets: Ryan Thomas ousted
second-seeded Joe Monte after being down three with seven holes left,
No. 40 seed Tim McKenney pulled his third shocker by downing ninth-seed
Tyler Morris, 4 and 3, and Phillip Francis knocked off defending champion
Sihawn Kim in 19 back-and-forth holes. -- In Tway-Saunders match,
Tway stuck seven approaches within 8 feet against Saunders, and once
on the green he made the ball disappear into the cup with one putt
each time. Tway finished off Saunders by making birdie on four of
the six holes played on the back nine. While Tway shined, Saunders's
electric play from earlier in the tournament vanished. He hadn't shot
a round over par all week, but yesterday wayward drives and erratic
putting left him at a loss. -- In Tway-Henlet match, Henley missed
a 3-footer on 15th to go 1 down and then Tway canned a 12-footer on
17 for the win, Boston Globe, MA, 22 Jul 2005
-
-
Callaway
Golf's Profit Rises 34% on Demand for Putters and Irons, Surge in
Japan -- 2nd Quarter sales $323.1 million, an increase of 8.5% from
a year earlier., Los Angeles Times, CA, 22 Jul 2005
-
-
John
Daly on Tiger Woods: "When you make putts, you're going to win.
Tiger probably had under 30 putts every day at St. Andrews. When he
wins, he just doesn't make mistakes with his putter. He makes a lot
of par-saving putts. The putter is what is making him win.",
Winnipeg Sun, Canada, 21 Jul 2005 US
US
Bank Championship: 4-hour delay creates putting practice -- Chris Smith,
whose tied-for-third 64 Thursday during the suspended first round of
the U.S. Bank Championship was typical of how the short-and-soggy course
was playing, took an oft-interrupted nap on the hard clubhouse floor
as his fellow competitors used his torso to line up their practice putts.
"I was getting balls ricocheted off me all the time," said Smith, who
fingered Steve Jones as his primary tormentor., Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
WI, 21 Jul 2005
Senior
British Open: Greg Norman makes Senior Tour debut but don't hold your
breath -- Struggled in qind to 5-over 76 -- "I played probably rks -five
shots better than what my score suggests," Norman told reporters after
his first round. "I didn't putt very well, but that is maybe to be expected
as the last thing to get back is the feeling with your putting." This
is Norman's debut on the Senior Tour. He has said he hasn't gotten over
the PGA's snub of his World Tour idea and not playing the Senior Tour
regularly may be a form of payback. Norman's schedule has also been
limited because of a bad back, which he had surgery on in March. Lately,
however, his schedule has been ambitious. He played and made the cut
in the British Open last week. After the Senior British Open, he plans
to play in the U.S. Senior Open and then back to the PGA Tour for The
International. If his back holds up, he will play in the JELD-WEN Tradition
from Aug. 25-28 in Oregon. "I'm not planning on playing a lot of Senior
Tour golf," he said. "I'm not going to play a regular Senior Tour event
in the United States. I've got a lot of other things that I'm enjoying
doing in my life.", USA Today, 21 Jul 2005
Senior
British Open: Des Smyth squanders chance to lead -- needed to par the
18th for the lead or bogey for a tie, Smyth three-putts and takes double-bogey
-- "I was trying to make the putt but Ididn't mean to hit it that hard.",
IrishExaminer.com, Ireland, 21 Jul 2005
Nationwide
Tour: Jon Mills pushing toward PGA -- building on year's good finishes
to make enough money to get PGA Tour card -- He averages 309.9 yards
off the tee, good for ninth on the tour. But Mills's success this season
has had more to do with improved putting than his length. He's jumped
to 75th from 110th in putting average and to 93rd from 131st in putts
per round. "I sat down after last season with my coach and looked at
a few things, but the main point was putting," Mills said. "I felt I
was striking the ball and driving the ball well, but my consistency
with the putter wasn't where it should have been, and that's definitely
been the case.", Globe and Mail, Canada, 21 Jul 2005
Evian
Masters: Golf: Ex-Wildcats Marissa Baena shines as Annika Sorenstam
struggles -- Baena hits 17 of 18 greens and makes six birdies -- Baena:
"I was hitting the ball so well. My first three birdies were all under
10 feet." -- Sorenstam: "Not a good day at all," Sorenstam said. "I
made zero putts. And I thought I'd finally got these Evian greens figured
out.", Tucson Citizen, AZ, 21 Jul 2005
Evian
Masters: Michelle Wie struggles on tricky greens -- "It wasn't like
I played bad," Wie said. "I was just a foot from being perfect all day.
I had a lot of birdie chances, but these greens are real subtle and
tricky. It's not what you see, it's what you know. Playing like this
isn't really fun, but there's nothing else I'd rather be doing.", Honolulu
Star-Bulletin, HI, 21 Jul 2005
Futures
Tour player Courtney Wood working on her game, aiming for LPGA -- "I'm
currently ranked tied for 14th in putting statistics and I used to be
a horrible putter in college," Wood admitted. "So I've really worked
to get better at that. And I'm first in par-three scoring ... so I guess
I'm playing the par threes pretty well this year.", Concord Monitor,
NH, 21 Jul 2005
US
Girls' Junior Championship 2nd round: In-Bee Park outlasts poor-putting
Stephanie Kono of Honolulu -- Kono misses short putts at 11, 13, 14
and 16 -- "I just couldn't make the putts at the end," Kono said. ,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI, 21 Jul 2005
US
Boys' Junior Championship: David Chung started golf at age 1 -- now
at 15, he's an experienced veteran who possess a barbed-wire sharp short
game and a tough competitive drive to match -- Despite all his experience,
he hasn't lost youthful precociousness. His size certainly doesn't belie
his age -- he stands 5 feet 7 inches, 115 pounds. After he finished
off his match yesterday on the 15th hole, he asked if he could play
the 16th for fun. And, of course, for practice. About 90 minutes after
his match wrapped up, Chung remained on the practice green, working
on short putts. -- Defending champ Sihawn Kim (who defeated Chung last
year on the final hole) survives match against Jacob Low when Low 3-putts
1st playoff hole -- With the pressure to defend his title, Kim said
he could see his hand shaking as he put his ball down for his final
putt on the 19th hole. ''If the rest of my matches are like that," joked
Kim, ''I'm not playing golf anymore.", Boston Globe, MA, 21 Jul 2005
US
Boy's Junior Championship: David Chung relies on hot putter to advance
into quarterfinals -- He rallied to win the last three holes, including
a 15-footer for birdie to force a playoff, in a second round match against
Rory Hie, Golfweek's No. 1 ranked junior amateur, republican, MA, 21
Jul 2005
John
Bierkan, A great way to lower your score is to increase practice time
on the putting green. Work to improve the three main factors of good
putting. They include: the putting stroke, distance control (speed)
and the proper line (adjusting to slope)., Town Talk, CT, 21 Jul 2005
Memphis
Amateur: Ole Miss rising junior brice bailey wins in 3-hole playoff
when David Apperson misses his 2-foot putt and Bailey sinks from 4 feet,
OleMissSports.com, 21 Jul 2005
Rossa
CGB Fontana putter, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 21 Jul
2005
Minnesota
GA Amateur: Joe Sansberry wins with 11-foot birdie putt on the final
hole -- With two holes to play Ð and tied for the championship at 1
over par with Kane Hanson of Detroit Country Club and Robbie Kelley
of Minneapolis Golf Club Ð Stansberry holed his third shot from a greenside
bunker at the 339-yard par-4 No. 17 for birdie, and then canned a 11-foot
putt for birdie at the last hole for a 2-shot victory, and his second
MGA Amateur Championship. Stansberry played solid golf throughout. "I'd
been hitting good putts all day," he said, adding, "I wasn't in the
panic mode, [because] on this course anything can happen.", Coon Rapids
ECM Publishers, MN, 21 Jul 2005
Bill
Hulbert, Remember, it's mind over muscle -- A reporter commented to
Ben Hogan that his muscle memory must be working very well for him to
strike the ball so precisely during a particular round. Mr. Hogan reportedly
stated with some indignation that, "My muscles don't have memory, I
tell them what to do!" -- Sports psychologist Bob Rotella says, "There
is no such thing as muscle memory. Your muscles have no capacity to
remember anything." Of course, they play a big part, but as with any
movement, it is the mind that controls the motor skills., OC Register,
CA, 21 Jul 2005
Michigan
Women's Amateur: Joan Garety's putter lets her down -- loses to Laura
Bavaird -- "I was stroking it well and I was putting myself in range
for birdies, but when you are there and not making the putts, it is
so much harder.", The Grand Rapids Press, MI, 21 Jul 2005
Michigan
Tournament of Champions: Scott hebert 3-putts second playoff hole and
drops title to Mike Harris, The Grand Rapids Press, MI, 21 Jul 2005
Michigan
Tournament of Champions: Jackson pro Ron Beurmann takes third after
troubles on the greens -- Hit 17 of 18 GIRs and 50 of 54 for the tournament
but couldn't sink the birdie putts -- missed many short putts -- "I
had a chance," Beurmann said. "I could have shot a really low number
today with the way I hit the ball. I just didn't make the putts when
I needed to," he said. "You just have to make those four-, five- and
six-footers.", The Jackson Citizen-Patriot, MI, 21 Jul 2005
Callaway
Tour Blue TT2 Putters, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 21
Jul 2005
Head-scratching:
Phil Mickelson's a 'major' disappointment this year -- finsihed 10th
in Masters, 33rd in US Open, and 60th in British Open -- "Dave Pelz,
Rick Smith and myself are analyzing why I have not performed in the
events as well as I did last year, and we are going to try to get that
fixed in the next couple of weeks for the PGA.'', mcall.com, 20 Jul
2005
US
Bank Championship: Black, deaf and motivated -- Kevin Hall has a handicap,
alright but it's not race or hearing -- Valedictorian at Cincinatti's
St Rita and leader of local golf team, first black scholarship player
for Ohio State in leading team to Big Ten title, player on Nationwide
Tour, Hall makes his PGA Tour debut this week and knows he can play
-- not worried about pressure -- "I'm worried about making putts," he
says. "I have been on and off with my speed on the greens, and I have
been missing putts by inches.", USA Today, 20 Jul 2005
Playoff
decides Farm Bureau Invitational for top Mississippi amateurs and pros
-- Duke Simmons of Brandon out-dueled Kyle Ellis in a playoff Sunday
afternoon to claim the championship cup. -- Simmons put the ball in
the middle of the green in the playoff, and two putted the hole. Ellis
hit the rough with his first shot but then put the ball within 30 feet
of the hole. However, he three-putted the hole, leaving Simmons with
the victory. -- 10th straight year an amateur has beaten all the pros,
Philadelphia Neshoba Democrat, MS, 20 Jul 2005
'Bengenie'
putter out of the bottle -- PGA pro John Kuchka put away his expensive
Scotty cameron putter for the Bengenie -- Adam Fairchild, the golf professional
at Sawmill Golf Club in Saginaw Township, put the flat blade in his
bag about three weeks ago. "It's got good balance and has a good feel
to it," he says. "It sets up nice and straight and it doesn't make the
ball wobble like some other putters. It starts rolling true right away.
It's very easy to line up." -- Jerry "Doc" Benjamin, who designed the
putter, says he never imagined his invention would take off the way
it has. Still, I don't think a lot of people know about it," Benjamin
says. "I never thought it would get the attention it is getting." --
Kent Sports Inc., based in Chatsworth, Calif., which is known for producing
driver heads used by golfers in long drive competitions, is manufacturing
the Bengenie putter. -- It features a design likely never seen before
because the golfer can add or remove weight and not alter its appearance
with that ugly lead tape used on some clubs, says Benjamin, who lives
in Owosso but plays in a golf league at Crooked Creek Golf Course in
Thomas Township. Golfers can choose from a variety of putter lengths
to choose from standard, belly or long, says Benjamin, who works at
King Par repairing clubs. -- The center shafted putter weighs 209.1
grams, he said. To add weight to the putter, one can remove the aluminum
screws on each end and place lead powder or weights. It also has a rounded
face which is designed to make the ball roll smoother without any skipping
because it has no loft. Benjamin says he removed a lot of the weight
from the center of the putter which helps to keep the ball on line longer.
-- For more information about where to buy the Bengenie and cost, call
(800) 222-1186, (989) 277-3103, (989) 493-9677, or www.kentsports.com.,
The Saginaw News, MI, 20 Jul 2005
Carolinas
Senior PGA: Jim Ferree at age 74 shoots 69 with stellar short game --
chipping close and putting bombs -- drops two 30-footers and makes several
par saves -- "I hadn't made two long putts in a round this year, but
I made them today." Ferree also made key par saves on Nos. 16 and 18,
which he felt were as important as his four birdies. "The greens are
good, but they're not real fast right now," Ferree said. "I don't know
how I made those (long) putts.", Hilton Head Island Packet, SC, 20 Jul
2005
76th
New England Amateur Golf Championship: NAIA champ Jim Renner's putting
game becomes talk of tourney -- "My putting helped me a ton today and
that's been what's been killing me. It's been substantially killing
me," he said. The Plainville resident worked Monday with Adam Carlucci,
one of his Johnson & Wales teammates, on his putting. "I'm trying something
a little different, getting more feeling in my fingers," he said. "He
helped me out and I went out today and rolled the ball great." Renner
needed only 27 putts. It's not that he made long putts, it's that he
was so consistent on the greens. His longest putt all day was 15 feet.,
Providence Journal, RI, 20 Jul 2005
PIPE
Putter Leads Player to # 2 Putting Rank, Top 5 Finish at Senior Players
Championship, Golf-Gear-Review.com (press release), PA, 19 Jul 2005
US
Boys' Junior Championship: Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders birdies 6
of first 12 holes and shoots 5-under 65 to take second-round lead --
Saunders (17), who had a hole-in-one in the first round, finished with
a 7-under 133 total. He made a 23-foot birdie putt at the first hole
and a 25 footer for birdie at No. 4 on the way to a 4-under 31 on the
front nine., Miami Herald, FL, 19 Jul 2005
Renfrewshire
Council ends putter rentals for kids as cost-saving measure -- coaches
worry that move may stifle development of young Scottish players, Glasgow
Evening Times, UK, 19 Jul 2005
Putting
instructor Geoff Mangum doesn't mind the heat -- works on his putting
on the practice green at Gillespie Golf Course in 90-degree midday sun,
News-Record.com - Greensboro, NC, 19 Jul 2005
Tiger
Woods' missed putts at Pinehurst loom larger these days, San Jose
Mercury News, CA, 19 Jul 2005
Graeme
McDowell finishes 8 back at Open -- "I know I can hole putts and my
short game is getting a lot better." -- Yesterday McDowell went out
in level par after a birdie at the par-five fifth cancelled out a
three-putt at the third. He came home in just 31. McDowell's birdie
run started at the 12th where he holed from six feet and at the next
he dropped one from 40 feet. Another six-footer at the par-five 14th
took him to four under before a rolling 20-foot effort at 16 was followed
by a two-putt birdie at the last after driving the green. -- Darren
Clarke has disappointing finish with Sunday 73, including missed three-foot
birdie attempt on 18th, Ireland Online, Ireland, 19 Jul 2005
110th
annual California Women's State Championship at Industry Hills: Jennifer
Osborn (in-coming freshman at Arizona State), Danielle Cvitanov share
first-day lead -- both women shot a one-under-par 72 to take a one-stroke
lead over La Habra's Irene Cho -- Cho, who is in her senior year at
USC, had a solid ball-striking day, but her putter betrayed her. Cho,
who lives in La Habra and does much of her practicing at Friendly
Hills Country Club, missed more than a half-dozen birdie putts inside
eight feet. "When I birdied No. 1, I thought I had some momentum,"
she said. "But I didn't make anything after that.", San Gabriel Valley
Tribune, CA, 19 Jul 2005
Loren
Roberts -- Part three: Breakthrough year, 1994 -- Final-round 64 in
Tucson for 2nd, win at Bay Hill, 3ed-round 64 at Oakmont, the US Open
that got away when Roberts missed a 4 1/2 foot par putt on the final
hole for the win -- lost playoff to Ernie Els, commercialappeal.com,
TN, 19 Jul 2005
Loren
Roberts -- Part One: Early lessons helped build foundation for the
future -- former US Open champ Olin Dutra taught him his pendulum
stroke, commercialappeal.com, Memphis, TN, 17 Jul 2005
Loren
Roberts -- Part two: Faith pulls Loren Roberts through afer stretches
of futility, commercialappeal.com, Memphis, TN, 18 Jul 2005
Putting
clearly was the key, as it always is in golf, and Woods was tied for
first in that statistic at St. Andrews. -- Vijay Singh looked like
a beaten man along the back nine of the Old Course, frustrated by
his inability to make putts that kept him from being a factor at another
major., Evansville Courier & Press, IN, 19 Jul 2005
Putter
Wars -- short reviews of current putters by Barry Lotz, Fairways &
Greens, NV, 19 Jul 2005
Brady
Bingham, Pre-round warmup -- Take some time to get the feel of your
putter. Many pros like to hit several lag putts first, then move in
closer. Close with hitting five or six 2-footers, just to get used
to seeing the ball go in the hole., Standard-Examiner, UT, 19 Jul
2005Z
95th
Kansas Amateur Matchplay Championship: KU's Gary Woodland wins on
36th hole with a 4-foot par putt -- outdueled former Jayhawk Tyler
Shelton 1-up in grueling 8-hour match -- "You always practice putts
and pretend they are to win a big tournament," Woodland said. "I feel
like I earned it. That putt was the exact same putt I'd miss the first
time I played 18. This time I hit the putt harder and made it. No
matter how you play, it always comes down to putting.", Lawrence Journal
World, KS, 19 Jul 2005
US
Senior Open qualifying: Patience and putting -- For most of the day,
the putts weren't falling for Jim Prusia, director of instruction
at the Country Club of Hilton Head. But on the 20th hole, Prusia's
putter sent him back to the U.S. Senior Open. -- With a 12-foot birdie
putt coming back at the par-5, 562-yard 11th on Monday at Colleton
River's Dye Course, Prusia won a four-man playoff for the final spot
in the nation's premier senior event, joining medalist Vance Heafner
and runner-up Michael Schroder in qualifying for next week's Open
at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio., Hilton Head Island Packet,
DC, 19 Jul 2005
2005
USGA Girls' Junior stroke-play qualifying at Eagle ID: Taylore Karle
fired a sparkling eight-under par 63 Monday in the first round of
stroke play qualifying at the 57th U.S. Girls' Junior. The 15-year-old
finished one stroke off Christina Kim's USGA-record at the 2001 Girls'
Junior. -- Karle, who lost to Paula Creamer in the second round of
the 2004 Girls' Junior, started Monday's round with four consecutive
birdies. She played bogey-free golf until the 16th hole when she three-putted
from 20 feet., Sports Network, 19 Jul 2005
U.S.
Junior Amateur in Longmeadow, Mass.: Joe Monte , a 16-year-old from
Chantilly, shot a course-record-tying 6-under-par 64 yesterday to
take the first-round lead. Monte, who will be a junior at Chantilly
High, had an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys at Longmeadow Country
Club to tie the course record shared by five players, including Bobby
Jones. Monte bogeyed the third hole, but rebounded with a short birdie
putt on the par-3 fourth. At the 315-yard, par-4 No. 5, he nearly
had a hole-in-one and made eagle. He added five more birdies in the
round., Washington Post, DC, 19 Jul 2005
Colin
Montgomerie happy with second -- He was once the No. 2 player in the
world, but hadn't really contended in the final round of a major since
the 1997 U.S. Open. Montgomerie, who lost his chance at that major
when he missed a 5-footer on the 17th hole, cried afterward. -- "It's
getting me down now, this major business," Montgomerie said then.
"...But if I knock on the door enough...the door will open one day."
Monty hasn't knocked since, and he must know the door is just about
locked. -- This year, Monty melted on back nine -- One shot out of
the lead after driving the green and making a birdie on the ninth
hole, Montgomerie ended up losing by five. -- missed short putts on
11 and 13 -- For one day, though, he was No. 2 once again., eTaiwan
News, Taiwan, 19 Jul 2005
BC
Open: Arjun Atwal falters, finishes ninth 4 shots back of Jason Bohn
-- 2 bogeys on back nine costly -- Atwal seemed to recover from the
bogey on the 13th, when he birdied the 14th. But he missed a short
six-foot putt for birdie on the 15th and then could not sink a 14-footer
for birdie on the par-4 17th hole. On the 16th, which he had birdied
in his previous three rounds, Atwal went into the rough and managed
only a par. On the 18th, he missed a short four-foot par and ended
with a bogey., Deccan Herald, India, 19 Jul 2005
Putting
instructor Geoff Mangum doesn't mind the heat -- works on his putting
on the practice green at Gillespie Golf Course in 90-degree midday
sun, News-Record.com - Greensboro, NC, 19 Jul 2005
The
Buzz -- Ping oversized putter, Balance certified backweighting system
for putters, GolfDigest.com, 19 Jul 2005
Michael
Campbell -- Cambo's B game earns $323,170 -- Campbell was quietly
confident of a sub-par closing day, but his putter went cold and he
made 34 putts -- started 5 back on Sunday, finishes 7 back. -- "I
came here with my B game. I haven't played that well," he said. "I
missed a few vital putts in the last few days, but I'll walk away
with my head held high after what I've done.", New Zealand Herald,
New Zealand, 19 Jul 2005
Three
key putts closed the Open, Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, 18 Jul 2005
Nationwide
Tour: Jason Gore finds fame, then a fortune -- Despite difficult conditions,
Gore never was truly rattled. He hit fairways and greens. He putted
well enough to make some early birdies and avoided difficult par putts.
The result was a final-round 67 and a 14-under total that gave Gore
a four-shot victory over Bill Haas. -- Sunday's victory was Gore's
fifth on the Nationwide Tour, and he pocketed $94,500. In the past
two events, Gore has won $202,500 and moved from 57th on the Nationwide
Tour money list to third. Even if he doesn't play another Nationwide
Tour event, Gore will certainly earn his PGA Tour card with a top-20
finish on the season's Nationwide money list., Knoxville News Sentinel,
TN, 18 Jul 2005
Canadian
Women's Open: Meena Lee with closing 69 is fourth first-time winner
by one stroke over Katherine Hull -- Janice Moodie, the leader after
each of the first three rounds, needed a birdie on the par-5 18th
to force a playoff, but three-putted for a double bogey for a 75 that
left her three strokes back., Sauk Valley Newspapers, IL, 18 Jul 2005
American
Century Championship at Lake Tahoe: Billy Joe Tolliver laughs all
the way to the bank -- Tolliver had reason to be in a jolly mood since
he withstood a brilliant shot-making day by six-time champion Rhoden.
Rhoden, however, missed a gaggle of birdie putts inside 10 feet and
finished third, five points behind Tolliver. -- "Make no mistake about
it, I know how fortunate I was today that Rick's putter wasn't working.
Rick kept the heat on all day because he was just flagging it," Tolliver
said. -- Tolliver, though, couldn't resist poking fun at Rhoden's
putting woes. "I didn't have the heart to tell him that his head's
moving an inch forward when he's going, so call me a bastard if you
will, but what I've just done is won the Senior (Open) for him," Tolliver
said. -- Rhoden qualified last week for the U.S. Senior Open July
26-31 in Kettering, Ohio., Tahoe Daily Tribune, CA, 18 Jul 2005 2005
Central
Pennsylvania Public Golfers' Association Individual Championship:
Jim Douglass gets win at Valley Green as next three contenders have
putting problems -- George Troutman has two 3-putt bogeys -- Ed Knoll:
"I'm surprised at how well the greens held up with all the rain,"
Knoll said. "But I couldn't get a putt to drop. I just couldn't get
the speed right." -- Phil D'Amato: "Hit my driver well, but missed
birdie putts.", Carlisle Sentinel, PA, 18 Jul 2005
Sean
O'Hair: Playing Open an 'honor' -- He shot 1-over 73 yesterday, to
finish at 5-under 283, tied for 15th, which will make for a great
trip back. "It was kind of a tough day," explained O'Hair, who three-putted
three straight holes, starting at No. 6, then had to take an unplayable
lie at the ninth. I felt like I hit some pretty quality shots. I don't
even remember the round." -- paired in final round with Sandy Lyle,
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, 18 Jul 2005
BC
Open: Jason Bohn earns first PGA Tour win and sets tournament record
at 24 under -- birdie binge coming in edges out three others by a
single stroke -- final-hole drama with playing partner Ryan Palmer
-- Fresh from the birdies that had given him a one-shot lead, Bohn
watched Palmer drive into the trees on the right side of the 18th
fairway, and promptly followed suit. Palmer eventually missed a 16-foot
birdie attempt, and Bohn made a putt to save par and win., San Jose
Mercury News, CA, 18 Jul 2005
Geoff
Ogilvy finishes best Australian at T5 with closing 69 -- 32 on back
side propels him into top 5 -- Ogilvy had almost missed the cut with
a disappointing second round. But on Sunday, he birdied the 15th,
17th and 18th holes, saving his best for the Road Hole by draining
an eight-metre (25-foot) putt. "To do that on Sunday at a British
Open, not many people would have done that, so I can tell that to
a few guys, I think," he said later., Age, Australia, 18 Jul 2005
S.P.
Jermain Memorial match play tournament: Torrid putter helps fireman
Mark Faught nip former U Toledo baseballer Terry Tyson for title --
Tyson's putter, which had worked magic earlier in the match, failed
him down the stretch. He missed four late birdie putts (Nos. 14, 16,
17, 18), none from more than 10 feet away and none by more than a
few inches to either side of the cup. -- Putting battle see-saws in
Fraught's favor -- Earlier, Tyson had stroked three beauties to help
turn Faught's 2-up advantage into his own 2-up lead: a 14-footer for
eagle on the 473-yard, par-5 fourth hole; an amazing birdie 2, paced
off at 69 feet on No. 5, to even the match; a par-4 on No. 10, for
the lead; and a 55-footer for a birdie 3 on No. 11. -- Faught survived
Tyson's spectacular green play by getting hot on the back nine with
four of his six birdies after the turn, part of his personal-best
66 -- "The putts Tyson made Ñ the 70-footer and the 50-footer Ñ you
just accept it and move on," Faught said. "The difference early was
that he was making the putts and I wasn't. Afterwards, I started making
putts and getting some birdies when I needed to. He doesn't make any
mistakes. The difference was, he stopped making the putts.", Toledo
Blade, OH, 18 Jul 2005
Garrett
Davitt brings a hot putter to Porter Cup -- work with Park Club pro
Tony Tatro on how to think on the green paying off -- "Tony helped
me a bunch," Davitt said. "Tony's an awesome putter, and he changed
my whole technique, everything." -- Tatro demurs, saying he's worked
more on Davitt's mental outlook than on the mechanics of the stroke.
Tatro convinced Davitt that since touring pros make less than 50 percent
of their 10-footers, touch becomes paramount. Get the speed down and
no worse than a two-putt.", Buffalo News, NY, 18 Jul 2005
BC
Open: Jason Bohn wins first PGA Tour event by one with tournament-record
week at 24 under -- Birdie-fest ended with Bohn's 7-foot par putt
on 18th for the win -- "The only thing I told my myself was stay steady
and hit it solid," said Bohn, who gave an emphatic fist pump on the
18th green after the putt dropped. "When it came off the putter, I
knew it was going to have a great chance to go in. To watch it go
in was something I'll never forget, ever." -- battles Ryan Palmer's
hot putter to the last hole, where Palmer missed from 15 feet for
the tie, Oneonta Daily Star, NY, 18 Jul 2005
Putter
helps Tiger Woods retain lead -- Woods saved himself a world of grief
and overnight second-guessing with three significant putts at the
last three holes: a six-footer for bogey at 16 after overshooting
the green, a 10-footer for par at the Road Hole after pulling his
tee shot into the hairy left rough, and a 40-yard approach putt from
the extreme left side of the massive 18th green that he hammered with
nearly a full body turn, and lagged to within a foot, for birdie.
-- Montgomerie, who was even further away but on a similar line, had
left his approach terribly short, so Woods took a big swing at his.
"Monty and I were talking about it afterwards," Woods said. "When
I hit the putt I could actually feel the shaft flex in my putter,
and that doesn't happen too often. But it just rolled up there and
I had a little tap-in." Those putts "probably eliminated those a little
bit behind us," Montgomerie conceded. "The putt at the last -- I gave
him a bit of a line, but I was about 35 foot short, and he hit his
absolutely stiff. If he hadn't holed those putts, it's a different
ballgame.", Edmonton Journal, Canada, 17 Jul 2005
Phil
Mickelson shoots himself out of the tournament with an even-par round
of 72, a far cry from his 67 in the second round that gave him some
hope. His problem was putting. In each of the three rounds, he has
needed 33 putts. He starts the fourth round at three-under 213, nine
shots off the lead., Los Angeles Times, CA, 17 Jul 2005
Luke
Donald sees another Major chance slip by -- "Out of all the Majors
I think my game is more suited to the US Open-style golf course. I
haven't had as much practice on links-style courses as some of the
guys, but if you play well and putt well you have a chance at any
Major, regardless whether it's the US Open or The Open. I will always
come here with high hopes of winning." -- makes cut this year
for first time in six tries but skies out of contention in third round
-- too much golf in too short a period -- will rest up for PGA Championship,
Scotsman, UK, 17 Jul 2005
1960
British Open: Kel Nagle's cool finish foiled Arnold Palmer's Grand
Slam charge at the third leg -- now 84, Nagel recalls watching Arnie
putt for birdie on 72nd hole, while Nagel faced an 8 footer with a
2-shot lead -- Palmer sank his birdie and cut the lead to one -- Nagel
then sank his 8-footer and needed a 4 on last hole to win -- "In
fact, it never looked like missing; I made a good stroke there. Over
the ball I was thinking only about making it - the nervous system
was pretty good in those days. And I was always good from that distance."
-- on last hole, Nagel pitched 2nd shot to 4 feet then lipped out
the birdie putt -- "I just walked around and tapped it in from
about a foot. It went in harder than I intended, though. I could hear
Henry Longhurst in the stand behind the green. He was saying: 'Be
careful, be careful.' He had a point, maybe. I didn't take a lot of
time. If I had, I might have missed. But I was always a quick player.
I grew up that way. When I was an assistant pro, I wanted to get as
many holes in as I could. So I walked fast and played fast. Not like
today; they take forever!", Scotsman, UK, 17 Jul 2005
Tiger
Woods plays amid hoopla for Colin Montgomerie -- In what felt like
a Ryder Cup atmosphere, Woods three-putted for bogey at No. 2, drove
his ball into gorse bushes at the sixth and ninth, and dropped to
his knees often enough watching putts curl away from the hole at the
last instant. It's a miracle he didn't gore himself with his own putter.,
Pioneer Press, MN, 17 Jul 2005
Tiger
Woods leading key stats -- After leading the field in fairways hit
the first two rounds, Woods hit only eight of 16 Saturday. However,
he averaged 349 yards in driving distance and used 29 putts, and ranks
first in both categories for the week., GolfDigest.com, 17 Jul 2005
Darren
Clarke's putter switch backfires -- three-putting again -- Darren Clarke
was convinced changing to a different putter would mean a change in
his fortunes and for a while it looked as though it might as he opened
with two birdies in his first three holes and then picked up two more
by the tenth. But from then on it was a different story as the three-putting
which characterised his first day returned as he bogied three holes
on the way back home. "I missed a really good opportunity," he said.
"Anytime I have a chance to get myself in there I have missed every
putt that keeps any momentum going. It's like I'm beating my head against
a brick wall.", Belfast Telegraph, 17 Jul 2005
Big
guns misfire: Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson have bad third rounds and
play themselves out of contention -- Els never threatened to climb the
leaderboard from the moment he three-putted the first for a bogey, and
although the South African birdied the seventh and ninth, three bogeys
on the back nine left him back in the pack -- In contrast Mickelson
was four under par for his first 10 holes and inside the top 10 before
a bogey at the 12th, where he drove into gorse, a double bogey on the
13th and another dropped shot on the 17th., Ireland Online, Ireland,
17 Jul 2005
Tiger
Woods starts poorly with a missed 6-foot putt on 2nd hole and ends struggling
day with 71 for 207 -- Jose maria Olazabal sinks a 60-foot eagle on
12th en route to 68 and gains sole second at 206, Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, WI, 17 Jul 2005
Evidence,
if any were required, of Tiger Woods' efficiency as a golf machine was
to be seen after his round on Friday. Having tamed the Old Course again,
Woods retired to the practice green where he proceeded to make 150 putts
from five-feet or more. He holed every one., Sunday Herald, UK, 17 Jul
2005
Nick
Faldo's third low round that never was -- No problem with concentration
because he seemed to be bound up in the usual cocoon, but because he
simply could not buy a putt for love nor money. He did make birdie on
the third and fifth holes on an outward half of 34, but missed at least
six more highly- acceptable birdie chances and was putting at the end
with an air, not of confidence, but of resignation. He had to settle
for a 70, to go into today's final round at three under par., The Sunday
Times, UK, 17 Jul 2005
Eagle
helps Thongchai Jaidee salvage third round -- A poor putting display
where he took three three-putts for bogeys and missed a bucketful of
birdie opportunities left the Thai star on even par 216 for the championship.
"The putts were difficult to read, I had no idea on most of them,''
said Thongchai. "I only missed two fairways yesterday and just couldn't
hole a putt. It is very disappointing.'', Bangkok Post, Thailand, 17
Jul 2005
Nick
Faldo's putting is stinko -- Faldo took 34 putts on Thursday, 30 on
Friday and 31 on Saturday. That's 31.7 putts per round - about three
more than an Open champion would expect to take., BBC Sports, UK, 17
Jul 2005
Robert
Allenby back in swing of things -- drops David Leadbetter but content
with his swing -- An adjustment to his putting technique, picked up
after watching himself in a putting mirror, has helped. Allenby has
moved his eyeline more directly above the ball, with results. He makes
no secret of the fact his poor putting has dogged him in recent years,
even trialling a belly putter in America. "I used it one week then broke
it in half and said: 'That's not for me'." -- Medication and careful
eating are controlling the mystery swelling of his right hand that troubled
him early this year. "It makes a difference when you can feel the putter
in your hand," he said., Age, Australia, 17 Jul 2005
Mike
Weir's game goes AWOL -- slump persists as he misses Open cut by 6 shots
-- "It's not one thing in particular: a little shady putting and shady
ball-striking," he said. "Just inconsistent. I'm not striking it as
solid as I'd like and when you're not making any putts, you try to force
a few in. That's not the way I like to play golf. If you're playing
well, you can throw it in there on the smart side and take advantage
of the par-5s; maybe the wedge game gets going and that's how I score.
But when you're not making those six and seven-footers, it's tough.
I'll have Mike (Wilson, his coach) come out next week and spend a couple
of weeks in Utah and we'll get it figured out.", SLAM! Sports, Canada,
17 Jul 2005
BC OPEN
Aussie
rookie Brendan Jones goes deep with Staurday 66 after opening 64, leads
BC Open by one stroke at 19-under-- Jones needed only 21 putts en route
to a 64 on Friday, his best round of the year. -- One shot back are
Ryan Palmer (67), Jason Bohn (66) and India's Arjun Atwal (65) -- Atwal
had a chance to tie Jones but missed a 4-foot birdie putt at 18. --
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, 17 Jul 2005
Arjun
Atwal just one shot behind the leader at BC Open Golf after Saturday
65 -- missed a couple of short birdie putts after the turn and also
missed a 4-footer on 18th, Press Trust of India, India, 17 Jul 2005
BC
Open: John Rollins (two strokes off lead) used his putter to eagle the
first two par-5s. He drained a 33-foot putt at No. 3 and a 32-footer
at No. 5 to move to 14 under. Prior to that, he had made only 11 of
224 putts from beyond 25 feet., Sunbury Daily Item, PA, 17 Jul 2005
AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS
Amateur
Public Links: Clay Ogden trails Martin Ureta all day but catches him
in the final holes, takes the lead on the 34th hole, and hangs on for
the win -- Eun Jun Lee of South Korea rallied from five holes down and
defeated Tiffany Chudy with a par putt of 2 feet on playoff hole --
Chudy misses a 4-foot putt that could have won the match, USA Today,
17 Jul 2005
OTHER EVENTS
-
Longtime
Bluffton resident Bill Palmer wins senior division of 36-hole Players
Amateur at Belfair Club by six shots over Arizona's golf coach Rick
LaRose -- local knowledge of Tom Fazio greens pays off -- Palmer noted
the Tom Fazio course was set up tougher for the Players Amateur. "The
speed of the greens is much quicker," he said. "There's just a lot
of subtle things you notice. Every putt instead of thinking about
where the angle is at, you think about the speed of it before anything
else.", Island Packet Online, Hilton Head, SC, 17 Jul 2005
Northern
California Golf Association Stroke Play Championship at Poppy Hills:
After second round, 2-time State Am champ Casey Boyns tied for the lead
with John Balfanz and Danny Buell. -- Balfanz, who was the first-round
leader, continued to hit the ball well but couldn't get the flat stick
working. He three-putted three times and missed two putts inside nine
feet., Monterey County Herald, CA, 17 Jul 2005
Miniature
golf tourney raises $550 for ailing Sylvania soldier -- The event, co-sponsored
by Putt-Putt Golf Courses and Buckeye CableSystem, raised about $550
to help Specialist Drake's family with medical treatment and other costs
related to his combat wounds. The soldier suffered severe injuries,
including brain and spinal damage, in a suicide car bombing Oct. 15,
2004, in Qaim, Iraq., Toledo Blade, OH, 17 Jul 2005
Chronicle-Tribune
Amateur Grant County Golf Tournament men's title Saturday at Elks Country
Club: Three-time winner Todd Chin closing in on fourth title -- takes
six shot lead after 54 holes with a 70 that could easily have been a
65 -- finished T-12th in State Am at Warsaw Thursday and has not adjusted
from Warsaw's 13.7 stimp greens -- left many birdie putts a little short
on rain-slowed Elks greens -- "I probably lagged a few putts more than
I should have, but it was a worry-free 70, and a pretty good round,"
Chin said. -- Chin left birdie putts just short on 11, 13, 14, 15 and
17. His putts on 13 and 15 were from the fringe of the green between
30 and 40 feet away., Marion Chronicle Tribune, IN, 17 Jul 2005
Proceeds
from the Association of the U.S. Army's Armed Forces Week Golf Tournament
at Redstone Arsenal Golf Course will fund programs to support America's
soldiers. -- Advantage Golf of Birmingham will conduct a putting contest
for a Porsche Cayenne SUV. All players will be allowed to attempt the
putt before the tournament. The two or three players closest to the
putt get a chance to hole-out the putt and win the Porsche at the end
of the tournament., Huntsville Times, AL, 17 Jul 2005
16th
Annual American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe: Billy Joe Tolliver
takes narrow lead over 6-time winner Rick Rhoden at Tahoe celebrity
golf -- pair of eagles gives Tolliver narrow lead -- Tolliver takes
narrow lead over Rhoden at Tahoe celebrity golf -- Tolliver, a former
Atlanta Falcons quarterback who won the tournament in 1996, made a 40-foot
eagle putt on the 501-yard, par-5 18th to shoot a 3-under-par 69 and
post 56 points in the modified Stableford scoring system that puts a
premium on eagles and birdies. -- Tolliver hit a 5-iron about 220 yards
to the 536-yard, par-5 fourth and made a 15-foot eagle putt "on the
last roll." On the 18th, he hit a drive about 370 yards then a sand
wedge about 130 yards to within 40 feet "and got lucky." -- Rhoden,
who played in the Senior U.S. Open two years ago and qualified for this
year's Senior PGA, said he missed several makeable birdie putts at the
7,072-yard Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. -- "It will probably come down
to the last hole," Rhoden predicted for Sunday's final round to be televised
by NBC Sports., Tallahassee.com, FL, 17 Jul 2005
Virginia
Open at Willow Oaks CC turns into a two-man race between Hooters Tour
regular Ted Brown (15 under) and Ashley Plantation pro Chip Sullivan
(14 under) -- Sullivan, 40, logged six birdies and an eagle in his last
12 holes and equaled Brown's first-day score as the low round of the
tournament at 8-under 64. -- Sullivan hit the pin with his tee shot
on the par-3 seventh and made birdie. He added birdies on the ninth,
10th and 11th holes and chipped in for eagle on the par-5 12th. He rolled
in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole after the weather delay and
sank a 30-footer on the last for the 64., Richmond Times Dispatch, VA,
17 Jul 2005
Mini
Golf World Championships: Asheville's Vance Randle to take on the world
in mini golf -- Professional Putters Association championship in Steyr,
Australia, August 24-- He's been playing miniature golf competitively
since 1960 and has three national championships and one world championship.
Some might make light of a miniature golf tournament, but to the teams
from 40 countries, this tournament is no joke. "It's serious, real
serious. We receive medals, not money," said Randle. "You're
playing for your country. It's nice to play for money, but this is what
it's really about." -- While he has won more than $100,000 in four
decades of playing mini golf tournaments, Randle hasn't always played
miniature golf. He once taught driver's education and also coached golf
at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in Chattanooga, Tenn.. Then he designed
a putting green with a cup that could be used in homes and offices,
making a comfortable living off of his sales for more than 20 years.
-- practices daily at Asheville's Tropical Gardens Mini Golf & Batting
Cages center, Asheville Citizen-Times, NC, 17 Jul 2005
Titleist
Scotty Cameron Futura Phantome Putter, GolfGearRevew.com, 17 Jul 2005
The
record will show that Nicklaus bowed out of the British Open and major
championship golf with one last birdie putt - a tricky, downhill 14-footer
that seemed to have no chance until it somehow curled a few inches
left to right at the last instant and disappeared into the cup. "I
wanted that putt badly, I'm sorry," said Nicklaus, whose pride, if
not his game, was still very much intact. As the throng around one
of golf's most famous finishing holes erupted over his one last contribution
to the highlight reel, Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 major titles,
broke into a smile, raised his putter in celebration and relief, and
drank in the moment. Forty feet away, by the clubhouse of the Royal
& Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Nicklaus' wife, Barbara, headed
a delegation that included four of the couple's five grown children
and their oldest grandson. They, too, smiled, bit their lips, and
hugged each other, then Nicklaus, after he had finished all the handshakes
on the green., Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, 16 Jul 2005
Jack
Nicklaus birdies the final hole at St Andrews in his final major --
Nicklaus rolled in a 15-foot, downhill, sidehill slider for birdie at
the Old Course's last hole, and playing partner Tom Watson cried like
a baby. He had plenty of company., Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Canada, 16
Jul 2005
Jack
Nicklaus ends run in majors with his best round of the year -- Nicklaus
at least went out on his own terms. Determined to finish with a birdie,
he struck his signature pose Ñ putter raised in his left hand Ñ when
the 15-foot putt curled into the right side of the cup. "I knew that
hole would move wherever I hit it," Nicklaus said., Arkansas Democrat
Gazette, AR, 16 Jul 2005
Only
one 3-putt so far for Tiger Woods at British Open -- He has made 13
birdies and just two bogeys and is tied for first in fairways hit (27
of 32) and second in driving distance (338.5). On Friday, he took advantage
of his power, driving the greens on the 352-yard ninth hole, the 380-yard
10th and the 348-yard 12th. -- record of 20 win out of 26 times he has
held 36-hole lead, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, 16 Jul 2005
Tiger
Woods using length and accuracy to his advantage on 7,279-yard St Andrews
-- did not hole a putt of longer than five feet, but still notched up
five birdies -- Vijay Singh moaned about "leaving too many putts out
there" and the Fijian will long rue the missed six-footer on the last,
not least because of the psychological advantage it gave Woods. At the
time, the nine-times major winner was waiting on the first tee and glanced
over at Singh as the birdie putt slipped by and then quickly at the
leaderboard to his right. It told him that no one had yet passed his
overnight lead of six-under and nobody would, of course, all day., Independent,
UK, 16 Jul 2005
Sergio
Garcia shows fighting spirit as mixed round gives hope for weekend --
reaches 618-yard 14th in two but then three-putts -- typically erratic
with putting, Garcia scrapes out a 69 that should have been several
shots better, Scotsman, UK, 16 Jul 2005
Darren
Clarke's putting goes all potty -- Darren Clarke started his round at
7.15am when there wasn't a puff of wind and the greens were at their
best. After ten holes, he was four under for the day, three under for
the championship, and apparently all set to join the leaders. After
that, though, the magic deserted him. Once again, he blamed his putter
but in truth his approach play lacked its earlier sharpness and his
all-round game was no better than moderate and this in turn was reflected
by his poor body language. "I holed a 50-footer on two and a 30 footer
on three and everything was fine", he said. "I kept on giving myself
chances, then I started missing them again as per usual. I missed one
on five from about eight feet for birdie. I missed it on six from about
20 feet for birdie. I missed it on seven from about six feet for birdie.
I'd a lot of chances to get myself right in there and at 11 I missed
it from about three and a half feet with my second putt." That in fact
was the beginning of the rot and while remarks such as "on 13, I've
hit a perfect tee shot and it's found one square yard of heavy deep,
deep rough, hacked it up just short of the green, played a great pitch
to about four feet and missed it" suggested fortune hadn't favoured
him, the facts suggested that Darren might have been feeling just a
little sorry for himself. Graeme McDowell made the point that you have
to putt aggressively on these greens, just like Tiger Woods, and perhaps
he could pass that tip on to his one time mentor. "Any time this week
I've had a chance to get myself in there, I've missed every putt that
would keep the momentum going," Clarke moaned. "I'm just beating my
head against a brick wall. I've played alright. I've missed the momentum
putts, every one of them. There are chances out there today. The pins
are more accessible and there was a glorious opportunity to shoot low
and I've wasted it.", Irish Examiner, IE, 16 Jul 2005
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 sa |