Golf notebook: Floridian tops Open qualifying in England

Golf notebook: Floridian tops Open qualifying in England









Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange July 1, 2013 12:10 AMThe SportsXchange


--Brooks Koepka of West Palm Beach, Fla., kept his brilliant run going by shooting 65-64--134, 6 under par, to lead international final qualifying for the 142nd Open Championshipat Sunningdale Golf Club in Sunningdale, England.



Koepka earned his first berth in the oldest championship in the world one day after winning for the third time on the Challenge Tour, the developmental circuit for the European Tour, in the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Clubin Aviemore, Scotland.



"It was a long day," said the 23-year-old Koepka, a former All-American at Florida State who had only two hours of sleep before catching a flight from Scotland to England for the qualifier.



"It's awesome to play in the Open; it's what you prepare your game to play in. Any major is special, but the Open is up there. Everybody wants to win it."



Niclas Fasth of Sweden posted a score of 68-69--137 and tied for seventh with Scott Jamieson of Scotland, who came in at 71-66--137.



Among the non-qualifiers were Thomas Levet of France at 70-70--140, Paul Casey of England at 70-71--141, Tom Lewis of England at 66-75--141, Michael Campbell of New Zealand at 72-70--142, Paul McGinley of Ireland at 71-72--143, Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain at 72-71--143 and Peter Uihlein of the United States at 73-71--144.



Stranahan, who was a fitness fanatic long before Gary Player and was nicknamed "The Toledo Strongman," had been a patient in the hospice facility for about a week, said his son, Lance.



Stranahan claimed 51 amateur titles, including the British Amateur in 1948 and 1950 when it was still considered a major championship, and lost to Sam Urzetta on the 39th hole in the final of the 1950 United States Amateur at Minneapolis Golf Club.



"Frank was a very close friend and a good guy," Arnold Palmer said when he was told of Stranahan's death. "I enjoyed my relationship with Frank very much, going back to my amateur days when we competed against each other on quite a few occasions.



When Stranahan turned pro in 1954, he had already won four times on the PGA Tour, at the 1945 Durham Open, the 1946 Kansas City Invitational Victory Bond Golf Tournament, the 1948 Ohio Open and the 1948 Miami Open.



During his amateur days, Stranahan finished second to Jimmy Demaret in the 1947 Masters, runner-up to Fred Daly of Ireland in the 1947 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and second again in the 1953 Open behind Ben Hogan at Carnoustie.



Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1922, he learned to play the game at the famed Inverness Golf Club, where he was taught by the club pro, Byron Nelson. Stranahan's father, R.H. Stranahan, founded Champion Spark Plug.



Stranahan, who attended Harvard, the University of Miami and the University of Pennsylvania, was proceeded in death by his wife, Ann, and sons Jimmy and Frank Jr.



The USGA and R&A ruled on May 21 that anchored putters will be banned beginning with the 2016 season.




"As we have seen over the past few months, the Rules of Golf can affect recreational golf in addition to play at the elite level. The PGA of America will continue to confer with the PGA Touron the subject of Rule 14-1b, and the PGA of America will reserve any public comments on this matter until after the PGA Tour Policy Board meets on July 1."



--Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, one of the best young women's golfers in the world, withdrew two days before the start of the U.S. Women's Open at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., because of a right shoulder injury.



However, she phoned the United States Golf Association to withdraw from the tournament with enough time that the first alternate, amateur Hannah Suh of Daly City, Calif., could take her place in the field.



Ariya slipped while running down a hill chasing her sister with a bottle of water.



If her shoulder is better, Jutanugarn plans to play in a Monday qualifier for the Marathon Classic, which will be contested July 18-21 at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio.



Even though she is not a member of the LPGA Tour, she has made quite an impact on the circuit this season while getting into tournaments through Monday qualifying and sponsor's exemptions.



A rookie on the Ladies European Tour, she captured the Lalla Meryem Cup at Golf de l'Ocean in Agadir, Morocco, by three strokes over Beth Allen of Ventura, Calif., in March.



Martin, 41, who has blood-circulation difficulties because of Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, won a 2001 Supreme Court decision against the PGA Tour that allowed his use of a cart during tournaments because of his disability.



"I've never felt more discriminated against or unfairly taken advantage of in my entire life," Martin told Golfweek magazine.



However, when he was observing play on the sixth hole, Pawlak approached him and said that USGA rules prohibited spectators from using golf carts, so Martin relinquished the cart.



Martin said Mike Davis, the USGA's executive director, apologized to him after Martin called to discuss the incident.



Martin gave up the cart and was told to seek a single-rider cart at the clubhouse, but none was available, so he left the course.



In the USGA's 2013 "Qualifying Manual," a section addresses carts at USGA events: "Golf Carts/Scooters for Spectators -- Golf carts will not be provided to spectators (including club members) at any USGA Qualifying location or the Championship proper, regardless of availability at the site or condition of spectator. The USGA makes scooter transport units available at most Championship sites on a first come, first served basis. Offering to take a 'disabled' person to a couple of selected spots on the course to view play as it comes through that area is acceptable and should be encouraged. No one will be shuttled to view play hole by hole, regardless of their condition or relationship to a player in the event."



Martin played the PGA Tour in 2000 after having qualified in 1999 by placing 14th in earnings on what was then the Nike Tour. Martin returned to the developmental tour for the 2001-03 seasons, then played a reduced schedule from 2004-06.

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

Course Source: Angeles National, Stoke Park

Course Source: Angeles National, Stoke Park









Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange July 1, 2013 12:10 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Angeles National Golf Club in Sunland, Calif.



Even though the area had become a dumping ground, the course was created only after a 15-year battle with bureaucrats and environmentalists.



Angeles National, with the basic design created by Steve Nicklaus -- son of the greatest golfer of all time -- plays to a par of 72 and measures 7,140 from the back, or theNicklaus Tees. However, there are four sets of tees to make the course playable for golfers of all abilities.



Players who receive permission to play from the Nicklaus Tees receive a special introduction from the course starter similar to what you hear on the PGA Tour.



HEAD PROFESSIONAL: Ben Krug.



Judging from the response of golfers in the area who have flocked to the course at the base of the Angeles National Forest since it opened, that might not be far from the truth.



Despite the landscape, there is ample driving room at Angeles National, and there is some undulation on the greens -- but they are not over the top. Golfers find the test challenging yet fair.



Book-ending the final four on the front side are two exceptional par 4s, the 459-yard (from the Nicklaus Tees) sixth hole, called "Hollow," and the 486-yard ninth hole, which is known as "Oak Tree." They are the most difficult holes on the front, requiring approach shots over a barranca, and perhaps the most challenging on the entire course.



On the back side, the 130-yard 12th hole, called "Valley," is deceptive because the narrow green is 42 yards from front to back and is surrounded by bunkers. The 494-yard 13th, known as "Wasteland," is a reachable par 5 with a waste bunker that juts out into the fairway from the right.



The well-bunkered 16th hole is a 537-yard par 5 that has been dubbed "Domino," followed by two strong par 4s. The 406-yard dogleg 17th, "Tujunga," tempts golfers to cut the corner over a large bunker, and the 416-yard finish, known as "Creek," is a slight dogleg left with a large lake fed by a creek to the left of the tiered green.



OTHERS COURSES IN THE AREA: Angeles National is one of several courses that opened in the foothills and valleys north of Los Angeles in a span of 10 years or so. Among the others are the Mountain and Valley Courses designed by Ted Robinson at Robinson Ranch in Canyon Country; TPC Valencia, which had two-time major champion Mark O'Meara on the design team; Rustic Canyon Golf Course, a unique links-style course in Moorpark designed by Gil Hanse and Geoff Shackelford; Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, designed by Pete Dye and Fred Couples; Moorpark Country Club, designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy; Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo, designed by Robert Muir Graves, and Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark, designed by Robert Cupp.



WHERE TO STAY: The best hotels in downtown Los Angeles -- including the Westin Bonaventure, the DoubleTree by Hilton, the Omni Los Angeles Hotel, the Millennium Biltmore, the Hilton Checkers and the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown -- are about a 20-minute drive from Angeles National during non-commute hours. The Sheraton Universal, adjacent to the theme park in Universal City, also is about 20 minutes away.








THE LAYOUT: The legendary Harry Shapland Coltdesigned 27 magnificent holes on a revered piece of land, once owned by the family of William Penn, which has a recorded history dating more than 1,000 years.



In 1998, Stoke Park brought back nine holes that had been dormant since the land was used to grow potatoes during the lean days of World War II, recreating Colt's original 27-hole design.



Colt also designed the famed courses at Muirfield, Sunningdale, Royal Portrush and Wentworth in addition to Pine Valley, considered by many to be the best golf course in the United States.



Bond, played by Sean Connery, was driving his souped-up Aston Martin, which was auctioned off in a charity event at Stoke Park a few years ago.



Connery, an avid golfer, hit his own golf shots in the movie.



LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Stand on the seventh tee at Stoke Park Club and you get the feeling you might be thousands of miles away. Like on the famed 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, one-third of dreaded "Amen Corner."



No. 7 is part of Stoke Park's own "Amen Corner," a fearsome foursome that can stack up with any similar stretch of holes in the world. First is the par-4, 422-yard fourth hole, a slight dogleg right, followed by the par-5 fifth, a 525-yard test that sweeps left through a row of trees, and then the uphill, 408-yard sixth hole.



There are other reminders of Augusta at Stoke Park, especially when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom, most notably on the picturesque 156-yard 11th hole, where the tee shot through a grove of trees must carry a large pond.



Goldfinger miraculously "finds" his ball in the rough on No. 17, after Oddjob drops a new one out of a hole in his pocket, and wins the hole. However, Bond turns the tables on No. 18 below the famous Stoke Park dome.



Also in the area are Lambourne Club in Burnham, the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club in Warwickshire, Woburn Golf Club in Milton Keynes and Foxhills Golf Club in Ottershaw -- which is considered the most American-like club in England.



Stoke Park Mansion, which houses the hotel, clubhouse, restaurants and conference rooms, is said to have influenced the architects of the White House since the dome is similar and both edifices have an oval office.



Also close are the Bull Hotel, a 17th century coach stop in Gerrards Cross; Burnham Beeches Hotel, a magnificent structure of Georgian architecture on 10 landscaped acres in Burnam; Grovefield House Hotel, a charming Edwardian country house in Windsor; the Christopher Hotel, the only hotel in Eton; the Castle Hotel in Windsor, a two-minute walk from the front gate at Windsor Castle; and Sir Christopher Wren Hotel on the banks of the Thames River in Windsor.

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

Matthew, Stanford leads LPGA event in Canada

Matthew, Stanford leads LPGA event in Canada

Like
Dislike






The Sports Xchange July 11, 2013 8:30 PMThe SportsXchange



Catriona Matthew and Angela Stanford shared the lead at 8-under-par 63 after the first round of the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic on Thursday at Grey Silo Golf Course in Waterloo, Ontario.

Inbee Park, the top-ranked women's player in the world, was two strokes back along with Irene Cho, Belen Mozo, Hee Young Park and Meena Lee.

Matthew had nine birdies and one bogey in the opening round. She birdied five of her last six holes, making a 25-foot putt to close out one of the best scores of her professional career.

"I hit it close all day, which gives you a lot of chances, and then obviously I putted well," Matthew said. "I gave myself a lot of chances but took advantage of them."

Stanford finished a bogey-free round with three consecutive birdies and said the softer conditions suited her game.

"Today, I hit it really good," Stanford said. "So it was just one of those days that as a golfer you just love.

"It's better for me. My ball tends to release more than others, so it's nice to have the greens a little bit softer. But I still thought they were firmer than I thought they would be and I think they'll firm up. If we don't get any more rain, the course will be perfect by Sunday."

Park is bidding to become the first player to win four consecutive LPGA Tour events since Lorena Ochoa 2008. The tour record is five in a row by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05.

"There's a lot of imbalance in this game and to keep this kind of level going for four weeks, five weeks, six in a row is a very tough thing to do," said Park, who has six wins this year. "We really have to be strong mentally, you have to be physically strong."

Ryann O'Toole, Jenny Shin, Amy Yang and Ji Young Oh were tied at 66, three shots off the lead. Defending champion Brittany Lang carded a 69.

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

Golf-Flawless Johnson in tie for John Deere lead

Golf-Flawless Johnson in tie for John Deere lead

Like
Dislike







July 11, 2013 8:35 PM


* Johnson ends first round level with Villegas

* Opens with a seven-birdie 64 (Updates at end of round)

July 11 (Reuters) - Rejuvenated by improved form with his driver, Zach Johnson made a strong start to his title defence at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois as he surged into a share of the lead in Thursday's opening round.

The 37-year-old American piled up seven birdies in a flawless display for a sizzling seven-under-par 64 at the TPC Deere Run, finishing joint top with Colombia's Camilo Villegas.

Burly Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge was a further stroke back, mixing four birdies with an eagle at the par-five 10th to end the round level with Americans Matt Bettencourt and Daniel Summerhays.

Most eyes, however, will be firmly focused on Johnson who triumphed here last year with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to edge out compatriot Troy Matteson.

Johnson has now posted sub-70 scores in his last 17 competitive rounds on the par-71 layout.

"I am very pleased," Johnson, a nine-times winner on the PGA Tour, told Golf Channel after making four birdies in his last nine holes. "Very few mistakes, one maybe two errant shots. I was very much in control, and very in control on the greens.

"I hit my driver beautifully, putted great and gave myself a lot of good opportunities. That's all you can ask for. Hopefully I can just continue that consistency for the remainder of the week."

Johnson was especially pleased with his driving, a component of his game which gave him trouble early on this season when he missed the cut three times in his first seven PGA Tour events.


"It feels tremendous," he smiled. "It's at the point now with my driver that I must have been way off (before). I feel very comfortable.

"I'm going to be hitting bad drives but I don't feel I have to grind as much off the tee box. The consistency of left-to-right and right-to-left is always nice on these tee shots.

"But I still have a lot of work to do. I am never going to be content. The leaderboard here is packed and it will be come Sunday."

GRANDSTAND VIEW

One player who had a grandstand view of Johnson on Thursday was three-times former champion Steve Stricker, who was paired with his fellow American in a high-profile grouping which also included Davis Love III.

"It was a lot of fun, an enjoyable round with two friends and watching Zach play, Zach played great," said Stricker, who charged into contention at one of his favourite events with an opening 67.

"He hit in there (close) a lot of times and when he sets the pace like that, you don't want to fall too far behind. You know he's played well here in years past and you've got to stay up to him because I think he's going to be tough to beat."

Stricker made an explosive start to his round, holing out with a sand wedge to eagle his opening hole, the par-five 10th. He got to five under for the round after 11 holes before recording two bogeys over his closing stretch.

"I kept it going for a little while, then ran into a couple of bad holes at four and five on the way in," said the 46-year-old American, who was champion at the TPC Deere Run for three successive years from 2009.

"But a good start overall. I wish I could have taken a little bit more advantage of that start but I am pretty pleased with the way I finished off the round."

South African world number 10 Louis Oosthuizen, the highest-ranked player in this week's field, made a roller-coaster start, mixing five birdies with a bogey, a double and a triple for a one-over 72. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue/Greg Stutchbury)

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

Faldo says he couldn't have coped with Watson near miss

Faldo says he couldn't have coped with Watson near miss

Like
Dislike







Tony Jimenez July 15, 2013 1:31 PM

.

View gallery
Former champion Nick Faldo of England holds up an autographed sweater from Bayern Munich that was presented …


By Tony Jimenez

GULLANE, Scotland (Reuters) - Nick Faldo is a part-time golfer these days but he showed on Monday the fire still burns as strong as it did in his heyday by saying it would haunt him to mess up a chance to win the 142nd British Open.

The six-times major champion, back in competitive action this week for the first time since the 2010 Open at St Andrews, has been drawn to play alongside fellow 'golden oldies' Tom Watson and Fred Couples in the opening two rounds.

Watson almost achieved a golfing miracle at Turnberry in 2009. A par at the 72nd hole would have given him a major victory at the age of 59 but a bogey meant he had to go through a playoff with American compatriot Stewart Cinkthat the veteran eventually lost.

"That could have been the greatest sporting achievement of all time," Faldo told reporters at Muirfield. "I would be scarred from that if I had a putt to win the Open, even at 59.

"Tom is a very strong man. He probably wouldn't let on but that would scar me so I'm going to avoid having a putt to win.

"I'm either going to win by six or be stuck in the hay somewhere," he laughed, referring to the penal rough at the Scottish links course.

Realistically, Faldo's target this week will be to simply make the cut.

The Briton, winner of the Open at Muirfield in 1987 and 1992 and at St Andrews in 1990, is now a full-time television commentator in the United States and has only played 35 rounds of golf in the last two years.

"When you come here and see the test they have prepared...you start getting ideas of survival, of how close to the cut you could get," said Faldo.

"If I could be relatively competitive that would be impressive for a guy who hasn't hit a competitive shot for three years.

"If I'm feeling intense on Thursday I'll go and talk to Tom. If I want to feel relaxed I'll go and talk to Freddie. But it would be quite an achievement if I could hover close to making the cut."

BUBBLY MOOD


Faldo, who turns 56 on Thursday, was in bubbly mood and seemed happy to be back in the cut and thrust of tour golf.

"About two months ago I was in my gym at home and I thought, 'You're just strong enough to have a go'," he said. "It might be the last chance I get to walk with fellow Open champions so I said I'm going to go for it.

"I've bumped into my old physio and he started poking about on my shoulder. I've bumped into Justin Rose's sports psychologist and I've gleaned a few gems there.

"These kids, they've got it all now, and I'm really enjoying that. We were still searching back in my time."

Faldo looks as trim and fit as he did during his glory years and he has even worked on a course strategy with his former caddie Fanny Sunesson.

"You have to know where you're going to land it on this course, where the next bounce is and where the run is," he explained.

"Fanny stayed with me last night and that's what we worked out so well in 1992, where to land the ball 20 yards short of the green, which way it would kick and obviously where it would stop. That's part of the calculations."

The major championship calculations have gone awry recently for world number one Tiger Woods, who is this week looking to end a five-year wait to win one of golf's big four prizes, while second-ranked Rory McIlroy has struggled for form all season.

"We know what's been happening to Rory, he's still testing new clubs and has had a lot going on," said Faldo. "Tiger is in a different mode where he's winning regular tournaments but he gets to the majors and something happens.

"The self belief you have to have, maybe there's a little dent in there. He hits the wrong shot at the wrong time where before Tiger would hit the right shot at the right time."

Faldo could not resist the temptation to have a gentle dig at the modern generation of players.

"We had Seve (Ballesteros), Greg (Norman), Nick Price, Freddie Couples was there, (Jose Maria) Olazabal and (Bernhard) Langer, we were a pretty good era," said the Englishman.

"If you brought us to now we'd beat this lot easy and we'd look better doing it," laughed Faldo.

(Editing by Toby Davis)

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

Golf-Back injury could force Swede Hanson out of British Open

Golf-Back injury could force Swede Hanson out of British Open

Like
Dislike







July 15, 2013 2:14 PM



By Tony Jimenez

GULLANE, Scotland, July 15 (Reuters) - European Ryder Cup player Peter Hanson may have to pull out of this week's British Open at Muirfield because of a recurring back problem.

"I am a 50-50 chance of teeing up on Thursday," the 35-year-old Swede told reporters. "I thought the disc problem was getting better but then it starts to feel a lot worse."

The injury was so bad that Hanson was forced to pull out during the final round of the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia at the start of this month.

"With seven holes to go we had a rain delay and then after the delay I couldn't get up and move so I had to withdraw," he explained on Monday.

"The big test for me will be tomorrow because if I can play nine holes pain-free then that will be the key to my playing or not."

Hanson, who the BMW Masters in Shanghai in October and the Dutch Open in September, is due to play alongside Japan's Hiroyuki Fujita and American Bill Haas in the opening two rounds at Muirfield.

Dutchman Joost Luiten will be drafted in if the Swede is forced out. (Editing by Toby Davis)

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

Back injury could force Swede Hanson out of British Open

Back injury could force Swede Hanson out of British Open

Like
Dislike







Tony Jimenez July 15, 2013 2:21 PM

.

View gallery
Sweden's Peter Hanson watches his ball on the first tee in the final round of the SAS Scandinavian Masters …



By Tony Jimenez

GULLANE, Scotland (Reuters) - European Ryder Cup player Peter Hanson may have to pull out of this week's British Open at Muirfield because of a recurring back problem.

"I am a 50-50 chance of teeing up on Thursday," the 35-year-old Swede told reporters. "I thought the disc problem was getting better but then it starts to feel a lot worse."

The injury was so bad that Hanson was forced to pull out during the final round of the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia at the start of this month.

"With seven holes to go we had a rain delay and then after the delay I couldn't get up and move so I had to withdraw," he explained on Monday.

"The big test for me will be tomorrow because if I can play nine holes pain-free then that will be the key to my playing or not."

Hanson, who the BMW Masters in Shanghai in October and the Dutch Open in September, is due to play alongside Japan's Hiroyuki Fujita and American Bill Haas in the opening two rounds at Muirfield.

Dutchman Joost Luiten will be drafted in if the Swede is forced out.

(Editing by Toby Davis)

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