Putting News

Updated Sunday, July 24, 2005 9:08 AM

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2005 3rd Quarter - July thru September

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

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