Tiger unable to tame Oak Hill, not soured by late stumble

Tiger unable to tame Oak Hill, not soured by late stumble

Frank Pingue August 8, 2013







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Fans look on as Tiger Woods of the U.S. is escorted to the 16th tee during a practice round for the 2013 …


By Frank Pingue

ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - Tiger Woods, who arrived at this week's PGA Championship as the overwhelming favorite to win a 15th major, was still liking his chances despite a messy finish to his opening round on Thursday.

Woods, who is looking to snap a five-year title drought in golf's elite championships, had a bogey and double-bogey over his final six holes as part of a one-over 71 that left him six strokes behind clubhouse leader Jim Furyk.

"I'm still right there," said Woods, who started out on the back nine and was two under after six holes. "As of right now, I'm only six back and we have a long way to go."

In relatively benign conditions on an Oak Hill course that was softened by overnight rain, Woods scrambled to make several par-saving putts but was unable to take full advantage of any spurts of momentum.


On his first hole, the par-four 10th, Woods sent his tee shot into the first cut of rough and then yelled at himself after leaving his approach short of the green. Woods chipped past the hole but sank an eight-footer for par.

He missed the green on his next hole, the par-three 11th, but salvaged par with a short putt after chipping out of some greenside rough.

Woods picked up his first stroke of the day at the massive 598-yard, par-five 13th hole, tapping in for birdie after a stunning approach shot left him just short of the cup.

ENORMOUS ROAR

The world number one got to two under when he drained a eight-foot birdie putt at the par-three 15th that set off an enormous roar from an adoring gallery that followed his every move at sunny Oak Hill.
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Fans ask for autographs as Tiger Woods walks to the course for his practice round for the 2013 PGA C …

Woods also did well to save par at his ninth hole when he got up and down from a greenside bunker.

"The round realistically could have been under par easily," said Woods, who arrived at Oak Hill fresh from a seven-stroke win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

"I feel like I played well today and made some nice key putts and the key is I left it in all the good spots too."

The world number one's round started to unravel when he bogeyed the par-five fourth after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker.

But it was his final hole that was a far cry from the red-hot form he has been showcasing of late to earn the nod as title favorite in the year's final major.

"I was completely blocked out and tried to shape one over there and I drew no lie at all from my third shot," said Woods, who is seeking his first major crown since the 2008 U.S. Open.

"I was just trying to play 20 feet long, putt back and try and just get bogey.

"I didn't even get over the bunker (with the third). Came out nowhere. Didn't really have much from there, hit a beautiful putt, just lipped out."

(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

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Play resumes at Oak Hill after weather suspension

Play resumes at Oak Hill after weather suspension

Mark Lamport-Stokes August 8, 2013









By Mark Lamport-Stokes

ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - Play resumed at 5:35 p.m. ET in Thursday's opening round of the PGA Championship after a 70-minute suspension due to the threat of lightning at Oak Hill Country Club.

Already softened by two inches of overnight rain, Oak Hill's challenging East Course was expected to become even more receptive when the players returned to the par-70 layout.

Earlier, horns had sounded to halt the action as thunder rumbled overhead, and heavy rain then followed during the first interruption at the year's final major.

At that point, American Jim Furyk was the early leader in the clubhouse after firing a five-under-par 65.

Also at five under was Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia, who had reeled off five consecutive birdies from the par-five fourth and still had eight holes to complete.

Canadian journeyman David Hearn opened with a 66 to sit one stroke off the pace, level with Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez who had played 12 holes.

Tournament favorite Tiger Woods, hunting his first major victory since the 2008 U.S. Open, double-bogeyed his final hole, the par-four ninth, for a 71 to trail by six strokes.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue)

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Bookend bogeys can"t mar Hearn's PGA debut

Bookend bogeys can"t mar Hearn's PGA debut

PGA.COM August 8, 2013







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“Between the first and the last, I played some really solid golf,” said David Hearn.(Getty Images)



By Stan Awtrey, PGA.com Contributor

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Making a bogey on the first hole isn't the best way to start a round of golf, let alone a major championship. But that's the way David Hearn made his PGA Championship debut on Thursday.

Turns out there wasn't another misstep until the final hole. Hearn, one of two Canadians in the field, shot a 4-under 66 in the first round, leaving him only one shot behind early leader Jim Furyk.

"Between the first and the last, I played some really solid golf," Hearn said. "Obviously a little disappointed with the finish, but after than bogey on 1, got a birdie right back on No. 2 and that kind of got me back in the direction pretty quickly."

Hearn made the turn at 2 under and picked up back-to-back birdies at No. 10 and No. 11. He approach at No. 10 was about four feet from the hole, and he smoked a 3-iron to with about 15 feet at No. 11. Hearn made a nice eight-foot putt to save par at No. 12 and picked up another birdie at the 15th when a 9-iron left him a four-foot putt, which he made.

Hearn struck a poor tee shot on No. 18 and had to punch out of the rough. His approach was 12 feet from the hole, but he missed the putt to finish at 4 under.

"Overall, I played pretty solid and drove the ball great most of the day," he said. "Just the one bad tee shot. But I think even Tiger [Woods] last week, winning by seven, I'm sure he would tell you there's a shot here or there that he could have done a little better."

Hearn showed he still had some momentum from the John Deere Classic, where he lost on the fourth extra hole of a playoff to young Jordan Spieth. Hearn also drew from a pro-Canadian crowd that seemed to grow as he worked his way around the course.

"I heard a lot of 'Go Canada' out there," he said.

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One-hit wonder Micheel singing happy song at Oak Hill

One-hit wonder Micheel singing happy song at Oak Hill

Steve Keating August 8, 2013








By Steve Keating

ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - Shaun Micheel is golf's ultimate one-hit wonder.

A decade ago the American was number one with a bullet, shooting to the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard to become one of golf's most unlikely major winners.

That year he arrived at stately Oak Hill Country Club a virtual unknown and left a chart-topper with many critics predicting a string of hits to follow.

Now 44, Micheel returned to the scene of his greatest triumph this week a golden oldie with fans still singing the praises of what remains his one and only PGA Tour win.

"I know people want me to do well, and maybe they don't expect me to do well, but I made a lot of fans up here in Rochester," Micheel told Reuters. "I take a lot of pride in what happened 10 years ago.

"There were some great memories out there."

Unfortunately for Micheel no new ones were made on Thursday as the 2003 champion scuffed his way to a six-over 76.

It was hardly a pleasant stroll down memory lane, Micheel's nosedive beginning with a double-bogey at the par-four seventh followed by four straight bogeys from the 11th.

He would pick up his only birdie of the day at the par-three 16th but immediately gave that shot back with a bogey at 17.

"I started off OK, six pars and then kind of had a bad break on seven and made a six then I got on the bogey train," said Micheel, still confident he can add another win to his resume.

"I didn't have a great round, if I could have made two or three more birdies out there I would have been happy with three-over but it just wasn't meant to be.

"I putted extremely well 10 years ago, I just couldn't find that magic on the greens today."


It took Micheel 164 tournaments to notch his first win and in the 10 years and 215 starts since it continues to be his only success.

In four PGA Tour events this year Micheel has yet to make the cut, record a round under 70 or earn any prize money.

"Had you told me that when I hoisted that trophy on Sunday night ... if somebody had whispered in my ear that you're going to become a non-exempt player on the Tour and you're going to be a non-exempt player on the Web.com Tour, I would have told you you were crazy, or thought I was dead or retired," said Micheel.

"It's been frustrating I suppose. The shoulder surgery I had in '08, I just don't swing like I used to.

"My form just doesn't function the way that I need it to. So I was kind of in search of a lot of things of trying to figure out how to recreate my golf swing."

While some golf fans may struggle to recall the man who claimed the 2003 PGA Championship they are unlikely to forget the manner in which it was won.

Clinging to a one-stroke lead over Chad Campbell as he stepped onto the 18th tee, Micheel found the rough then took a seven-iron and unleashed a shot that landed inches from the cup leaving him a tap in for the win.

Micheel may not be remembered as one of the game's greats but his shot has found a spot in golfing folklore, immortalized by a bronze plague on the 18th fairway.

"Over the years, I think I've escaped relatively unscathed with what I'm going to call the one-hit wonder notion," said Micheel. "I mean, I totally get it, I really do, but I don't think people really understand that there's a process involved in winning major championship golf."

For Micheel the beat goes on.

While 21 years of sweat and effort has produced a single title for Micheel, Tiger Woods recently put winning a tournament into perspective.

"Even if you miss the cut in every tournament you play in; you win one, you're part of history," said Woods.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)




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Golf-Furyk back on high after a season of some lows

Golf-Furyk back on high after a season of some lows

August 8, 2013








By Mark Lamport-Stokes

ROCHESTER, New York, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Jim Furyk has seen it all during a long PGA Tour career, giddy highs and painful lows, and he was delighted to build on a recent uptick in form by charging into contention for the PGA Championship on Thursday.

With his usually sharp short game once again clicking after he had surprisingly struggled for much of this season, Furyk putted superbly on the way to a five-under-par 65 in rain-softened conditions at Oak Hill Country Club.

Though the American veteran with the unique loopy swing signed off with a bogey at the par-four ninth, his final hole of the day, he was in an upbeat mood after setting the early pace in the year's final major.

"Usually disappointed with ending the day on a bogey, but you know, 65 at the PGA is not so bad, so I'm feeling pretty good about today," 2003 U.S. Open champion Furyk told reporters after piling up six birdies in his first 16 holes.

"I'm happy that I played a good round. Trust me, I'll be in a good mood the rest of today. But I'm wise enough and been there enough that, it is only Thursday. Right now we are jockeying for position.

"I hit a bunch of fairways today, controlled my iron shots very well. Felt good with the putter, so a fun day when stuff like that happens. Today was probably one of the best putting rounds, if not the best putting round I've had this year."


Furyk, a 16-times winner on the PGA Tour, had been more than frustrated after missing the cut in the last two majors, the U.S. Open in mid-June and the British Open at Muirfield which followed five weeks later.

"Those are probably the thorns in my side," said the 43-year-old American, who has posted just four top-10s in 17 starts on the U.S. circuit this season with his best finish a tie for third at the Texas Open in April.

"I did not feel confident with my putter and that was putting a lot of pressure on the rest of my game and quite honestly, I wasn't particularly driving the ball that well.

"Basically two of the three most important components of playing well, and usually two strengths of my game. So I worked real hard at Canada and last week on kind of fixing those problems, and feel very comfortable with what I'm doing."

Furyk, who has not won on the PGA Tour since his stellar 2010 campaign when he triumphed three times, felt his game turning around with top-10s at the Canadian Open and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his last two starts.

"I felt great today," he said of his putting. "Doesn't mean it's going to feel great tomorrow, and whatever, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction.

"I've always had a lot of confidence in my game and my short game has always been a strength, but putting is streaky. I've had some really good moments in my career, and I think great years with the putter, and I've also had my struggles, as well.

"This sport beats you up. If I played 25 events a year and I win one event a year for my entire career, you would be a hell of a player, you won over 20 times on the PGA Tour and you're going to lose 24 times a year. You've got to take your lumps." (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Atricles Course: http://golfatn.blogspot.com/