2.23.2014

Golf-Day to face Dubuisson in Match Play final

Golf-Day to face Dubuisson in Match Play final

Reuters 
Feb 23 (Reuters) - Australian Jason Day held off a late fightback by American Rickie Fowler to book his place in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship final with a 3&2 victory in a battle of the young guns at Dove Mountain on Sunday
On a crisp and clear morning in Arizona's high desert, Day sealed the win when fellow 25-year-old Fowler surprisingly three-putted from just five feet at the par-three 16th.
Day, who recorded six birdies in 16 holes to reach the final for the first time, will face Frenchman Victor Dubuisson in the title match later on Sunday at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.
Dubuisson, who had never previously played matchplay golf until his debut this week in a World Golf Championships (WGC) event, came from three down after seven holes to beat veteran South African Ernie Els one up.
"It was a tough day," Day, who was beaten by eventual champion Matt Kuchar of the United States in last year's semi-finals, told Golf Channel.
"Rickie is playing great golf right now and I just thought if I gave that little bit of an inch for him to move in, he was going to knock the door down.
"So I was just trying to hang tough and my game was solid today. Hopefully I can take it into the final."
Day birdied four of the first eight holes to go three up before Fowler twice trimmed the lead to two, first with a concession at the ninth and again at the short 12th, where Day missed a seven-foot par putt.
The Australian also bogeyed the 13th for his advantage to be cut to one before getting back to two-up with a birdie at the driveable par-four 15th, where he chipped to three feet.
Fowler responded with a brilliant tee shot to five feet at the 16th but squandered the chance to level when he pushed his birdie attempt to the right of the cup, then missed the par putt coming back to lose the match.
EARLY ELS LEAD
In the second semi-final, four-times major winner Els raced into a three-up lead after just four holes against a slow-starting Dubuisson before the Frenchman got into his stride with birdies at the eighth and ninth to trail by one.
Dubuisson levelled the match with another birdie at the par-five 11th, where he chipped to within three feet, and went one ahead when his 44-year-old opponent bogeyed the 12th.
It looked likely that Els would get back to all square after he hit a stunning approach to a foot for a conceded birdie at the par-five 13th, but Dubuisson coolly matched him by sinking a clutch putt there from 18 feet.
However, the Frenchman stumbled at the par-four 14th where he failed to reach the green in two, executed a poor chip and ran his par putt well past the cup before conceding the hole.
Dubuisson got back to one up with a birdie at the 15th where his tee shot ended up just short of the green but Els immediately levelled when he stunningly drained a curling downhill birdie putt from 32 feet at the 16th.
Both players parred the 17th but the South African lost the match on the 18th green when he missed his par putt from 13 feet after the Frenchman had lagged his birdie putt to within two feet of the cup.
Dubuisson, who burst into the limelight by winning his maiden European Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open in November, admitted he had been very nervous competing against one of his golfing idols.
"I didn't sleep very well last night, I slept like one hour, and this morning I woke up and I realised that I was playing against Ernie Els, one of my favourite players," the 23-year-old said.
"On the first tee. I shake the hand of Ernie and I wasn't feeling comfortable. I was watching him and I was very impressed to be next to him. I was thinking of all the matches he won and the (two British) Opens." (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Larry Fine)
Atricles Course: http://golfatn.blogspot.com/

Golf-WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship quarterfinals scores

Golf-WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship quarterfinals scores

 
Feb 22 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship Quarterfinals on Saturday in Marana, Arizona
Jason Day (Australia) beat Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 2 and 1
Rickie Fowler (U.S.) beat Jim Furyk (U.S.) by 1 hole
Ernie Els (South Africa) beat Jordan Spieth (U.S.) 4 and 2
Victor Dubuisson (France) beat Graeme McDowell (Britain) 
Atricles Course: http://golfatn.blogspot.com/

Oosthuizen tries to cope with a back injury

Oosthuizen tries to cope with a back injury

AP - Sports
Oosthuizen tries to cope with a back injury
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MARANA, Ariz. (AP) -- The most fickle part of the Match Play Championship for Louis Oosthuizen was his nagging back injury.
His luck ran out Saturday when he felt pain in his back while warming up on the range. When he first tried to hit a draw on the par-5 second hole, it got even worse. And one point, he was on his back on the 13th tee as his trainer tried to stretch him out.
''It's a bit painful that it always happens when I'm playing well,'' Oosthuizen said after losing on the 17th hole to Jason Day.
He was playing well enough that Oosthuizen required only 47 holes to reach the quarterfinals, the fewest of anyone. But it was a battle from the start, especially against a player like Day who has reached the semifinals the last two years.
Oosthuizen pulled off an unlikely birdie on the second hole to square the match, and he went ahead on the third with a 25-foot birdie putt. Day was able to at least try to drive the par-4 fourth green to set up a birdie, while Oosthuizen chose to lay back. Day won the hole and never trailed again.
''If I can commit myself to hit the shot, it's not that bad,'' Oosthuizen said. ''But I can't commit. My body is restricting me to go through the shot.''
Oosthuizen needs to get his back sorted out. He's been dealing with it since last summer. Some weeks it feels good, other weeks not so much. He said it most affects him when he plays a long stretch of golf.
And this has been a long week.
''I'm glad to not be playing tomorrow,'' he said with a smile. ''I don't want to be the first guy to withdraw from the finals or semifinals.''
Oosthuizen is scheduled to play the Honda Classic next week ahead of the next World Golf Championship at Doral. He said he would see how he feels in a couple of days, and might end up dropping Honda and adding the week after Doral at Innisbrook.
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MENTAL EXAM: Jordan Spieth lost his match to Ernie Els. He also lost his cool.
It's the one area of Spieth's game that he's still trying to master as he enters his second full year on tour. When the golf isn't going well, Spieth shows it.
Els noticed.
''I could almost sense the frustration in Jordan today that he wasn't quite playing the way he did yesterday,'' Els said. ''And I was kind of playing on that a little bit, just making sure if I was missing a shot, that I made sure that I got it up-and-down to keep kind of him at bay, or keep him frustrated.''
Spieth described himself as a ''little mental midget out there,'' as he constantly turned toward caddie Michael Greller.
''Actually kind of embarrassing looking back,'' he said. ''I was dropping clubs and just whining to Michael, and you just can't do that. In match play, you've got to keep your cool. Any time you show that, it's a weakness, and Ernie can take advantage of it.''
And he did.
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A LONG WALK: Rickie Fowler might have logged more miles than anyone this week, and not just because he has played 71 holes to reach the semifinals.
Fowler has been taking hikes up the mountain behind The Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain with his mother and sister, a peaceful way to end a day and a great place to watch the sunset over the high desert north of Tucson.
''The first night I went on my own, which was kind of fun,'' Fowler said after his 1-up win over Jim Furyk. ''My mom and sister came in on Tuesday, so made them go with me. And I guess we're going to continue that. It's been working. I'll be going on a hike a little later this afternoon and go hang out up there and just relax and watch the sunset and go down and have some dinner at the hotel.''
Fowler said it's about a 25-minute hike. Once they get to the top, they send pictures and used FaceTime with friends.
''It's just a fun way to relax and enjoy the afternoon,'' he said.
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MIC CHECK: Jordan Spieth had to aim away from the hole from a bunker on the par-5 second. The idea was to splash out with some side spin, catch the fringe and have the ball trickle toward the hole.
It worked except for one tiny detail - he forgot to have the TV microphone removed.
The ball struck the base of the microphone and stayed there. Spieth could only get up-and-down for par, and Els two-putted for birdie to win the hole.
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A WORLD AFFAIR: For only the third time in 16 years of the Match Play Championship, the semifinalists are from four continents - Australia (Jason Day), Africa (Ernie Els), Europe (Victor Dubuisson) and North America (Rickie Fowler).
Those four continents also were involved in 2007 (Geoff Ogilvy, Trevor Immelman, Henrik Stenson and Chad Campbell).
The first time it happened was in 2001 in Melbourne, when the semifinalists were from North America (American Steve Stricker), Africa (Els), Europe (Pierre Fulke) and Asia (Japan's Toru Taniguchi).
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DIVOTS: At 44, Ernie Els is the oldest player to reach the semifinals in the Match Play Championship. The oldest winner was Kevin Sutherland, who was 37 when he won in 2002. ... Victor Dubuisson is the 11th player to reach the semifinals in his Match Play debut. That includes the four semifinalists from the inaugural year in 1999. Geoff Ogilvy and Jeff Maggert are the only players to win in their first year. ... Dubuisson has played 67 holes this week, the fewest of the four players remaining.
Atricles Course: http://golfatn.blogspot.com/

2.20.2014

Golf-WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship round 1 scores

Golf-WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship round 1 scores

Feb 20 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship Round 1 on Wednesday in Marana, Arizona
Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) beat Nick Watney (U.S.) by 1 holeHenrik Stenson (Sweden) beat Kiradech Aphibarnrat(Thailand) 2 and 1
Brandt Snedeker (U.S.) beat David Lynn (Britain) at hole 20
Webb Simpson (U.S.) beat Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 3 and 2
Jason Day (Australia) beat Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 2 and 0
Billy Horschel (U.S.) beat Jamie Donaldson (Britain) 6 and 5
George Coetzee (South Africa) beat Steve Stricker (U.S.) 3 and 1
Patrick Reed (U.S.) beat Graham DeLaet (Canada) by 1 hole
Rory McIlroy (Britain) beat Boo Weekley (U.S.) 3 and 2
Harris English (U.S.) beat Lee Westwood (Britain) 5 and 3
Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) beat Kevin Stadler (U.S.) 3 and 2
Jim Furyk (U.S.) beat Chris Kirk (U.S.) 2 and 1
Sergio Garcia (Spain) beat Marc Leishman (Australia) at hole 22
Bill Haas (U.S.) beat Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 4 and 3
Rickie Fowler (U.S.) beat Ian Poulter (Britain) 2 and 1
Jimmy Walker (U.S.) beat Branden Grace (South Africa) 5 and 4
Justin Rose (Britain) beat Scott Piercy (U.S.) by 1 hole
Ernie Els (South Africa) beat Stephen Gallacher (Britain) at hole 19
Jason Dufner (U.S.) beat Scott Stallings (U.S.) at hole 19
Matteo Manassero (Italy) beat Luke Donald (Britain) 5 and 4
Matt Kuchar (U.S.) beat Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 3 and 2
Ryan Moore (U.S.) beat Joost Luiten (Netherlands) by 1 hole
Jordan Spieth (U.S.) beat Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 2 and 0
Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) beat Francesco Molinari (Italy) 2 and 1
Richard Sterne (South Africa) beat Zach Johnson (U.S.) 5 and 4
Hunter Mahan (U.S.) beat Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) 3 and 2
Graeme McDowell (Britain) beat Gary Woodland (U.S.) at hole 19
Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) beat Martin Kaymer (Germany) 2 and 1
Peter Hanson (Sweden) beat Dustin Johnson (U.S.) 4 and 3
Victor Dubuisson (France) beat Kevin Streelman (U.S.) 5 and 4
Bubba Watson (U.S.) beat Mikko Ilonen (Finland) 2 and 1
Jonas Blixt (Sweden) beat Keegan Bradley (U.S.) 2 and 1
Atricles Course: http://golfatn.blogspot.com/

Science driving adidas Golf Innovations

Science driving adidas Golf Innovations

Color me impressed with the adidas Golf Innovations series. Or at least, the first one (the only one that's been released thus far.)
Rather than a simple press release, or even an interview, adidas brought in brand ambassador Jason Day and science guy John Brenkus (six-time Emmy Winner and creator of one of my favorite shows, "Sport Science") to scientifically show the value and difference made by adidas apparel.
First they show (again, scientifically show) the effects of cold weather on the golf swing. The impact is significant. Then they show how wearing the new adidas apparel line climawarm+ mitigates the effect of the cold (and the technology behind that line is featured as well.)
It's worth a look:
As my nerdy friends like to say, you can't argue science (I still debate that point...but I digress). But the numbers are the numbers. I'm sure that adidas isn't the only company offering outerwear that will help you in the cold. But they are the only one using a popular media/science guy and format to emphasize the point. That deserves some kudos in and of itself.
The video is the first of six videos that adidas Golf will roll out that showcases different technologies they are focusing in on in 2014.

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

A fan gets the full Arizona treatment at the Accenture Match Play

A fan gets the full Arizona treatment at the Accenture Match Play



Screengrab/YouTube
One of the funny things about living in Arizona is the questions you get. People ask all the time "how many rattlesnakes do you see when you golf?!," expecting the answer to be two or three a round (in reality it's about one a year, if that).
They also tend to ask about Jumping Cholla. These cacti will "jump" in a sense if you get too close to them, and one fan at the Accenture Match Play found that out the hard way.
Rory McIlroy was playing his opening match on Wednesday at Dove Mountain when his ball came to rest against a rock. McIlroy took a swipe at the ball, instantly reacted like his ball might have hit someone, and the result was one man covered in cacti.

Yes, that is the result of a man that fell into a cactus, and while I've see a cholla or two get on a friend's pant leg, I've never seen a man totally covered in the plant.
I think this is the time that Rory passes on the traditional signed golf glove and go buy this man a couple of beers. At least that will help sooth what was definitely a miserable experience after the cameras left.