Lindley beats Jang in playoff at Corning Classic
CORNING, N.Y. (AP) -Leta Lindley stared in disbelief when the putt disappeared into the cup, and who could blame her.
Lindley's winning birdie came on the first hole of a playoff with Jeong Jang in the LPGA Corning Classic on Sunday, her first career victory in her 295th professional start on tour.
"I am just so overwhelmed," said Lindley, who took two years off to give birth to her two children. "I can't hardly believe it. I've been dreaming about this day forever."
Lindley, who lost a two-hole playoff with Chris Johnson at the 1997 McDonald's Championship, won $225,000 to boost her earnings for the year to $332,814.
Jang and Lindley, with her husband caddying and her young son and daughter watching on television, began the final hole of regulation tied at 11 under. Lindley, in the group ahead of Jang, made a two-putt par from the front edge of the green to place the pressure on Jang.
Jang's drive at 18 sailed into the right rough and, blocked by an overhanging branch just ahead, she had to punch her second shot out and it landed in a greenside bunker. With only her right foot in the sand, Jang blasted to 6 1/2 feet and made the par putt to force the playoff.
Jang, who fell to 0-3 in playoffs, drove first on the extra hole, No. 18 again, and this time hooked her tee shot into the left rough. Lindley followed with a drive down the right side and nailed her second shot within easy birdie range.
Jang rallied again with an even better sand shot that set up a tap-in par. After Jang made it, Lindley calmly stepped up and sank her winning putt.
Sun Young Yoo (66) and Mi Hyun Kim (66) finished in a tie for third at 10 under.
Meredith Duncan (68) was alone in fifth, one shot ahead of Becky Morgan (67), and Song-Hee Kim (70). Erica Blasberg, tied with Jang for the lead at the start of play Sunday at 7 under, shot 7-over 79 to finish tied for 37th.
Two years ago, Jang led here by three shots after three rounds, faltered with a 76 and finished seventh. On Sunday, she seemed intent on erasing that painful memory, making two birdies and an eagle in her first five holes to reach 11 under.
Jang, who tied for third in the SemGroup Championship and tied for second at Kingsmill in her previous two starts, made bogey at No. 9 and Lindley tied for the lead with birdies at Nos. 10, 11 and 12.
Jang birdied No. 16 to regain the lead, and just moments later Lindley hit sand wedge from 94 yards to 5 inches for a tap-in birdie at 17 to tie it again.
Scoring was difficult on the first three rounds because of the elements. The first round was played in 40-degree weather with rain and wind, and though the sun broke through on the next two rounds, a gusting 20 mph breeze made each shot a guessing game. Sunday was ideal, a picture-perfect day with blue skies overhead and a slight breeze that made the greens fast and true.
Blasberg, who is non-exempt and was also in search of her first victory on tour, was unaccustomed to having the lead on the final day of a tournament and it showed. She faltered at Turtle Bay in February when she was in the final pair with Annika Sorenstam in a tie for the lead and finished eighth.
In the final group again on Sunday, this time with two-time winner Jang, Blasberg had three bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine to drop out of contention.
Yoo, three shots behind to start the day, made one birdie and also eagled No. 5 to reach 7 under at the turn. After birdies at 10 and 12, Yoo nearly aced the par-3 15th, her tee shot stopping 2 inches shy of the cup. The tap-in birdie put her at 10 under and in a three-way tie for the lead.
Yoo missed a chance to take the lead when her short putt for birdie at No. 17 stopped on the lip as she looked down in disbelief.
Paula Creamer (69), who began the day six shots behind, was the first to take advantage of the great scoring conditions, establishing herself as a threat with her second shot of the day. After a solid drive at the 402-yard, par-4 first hole, one of the two most difficult holes at Corning Country Club, she hit 5-iron from 175 yards that bounced twice and into the cup for eagle, eliciting a huge roar from the gallery.
Creamer then made birdie at Nos. 2, 5, and 7, the latter on a pretty 30-foot uphill putt to reach 6 under, and even though she played the front nine in 5-under 31, it could have gone even lower. She missed a birdie from 5 feet on 6 and left two others from inside 20 feet just inches shy of the hole. Her chances vanished with consecutive bogeys at 10 and 11.
Divots: 1988 Corning champ Sherri Turner, who has hinted she will retire, had a closing 71 to finish at 1 under. ... Australian rookie Anna Rawson shot her second straight 70 and finished at 4 under.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Dubai company takes over Turnberry golf course, host of next year's British Open
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Dubai company Leisurecorp plans to buy the Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, the venue for the 2009 British Open, for 55 million pounds (US$108 million; ?69 million).
Leisurecorp said Wednesday it signed a letter of intent to buy the course from Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, and expects to complete the purchase by Oct. 31.
Starwood will continue to operate the five-star resort under a 30-year management contract.
Turnberry has two 18-hole championship courses - the Ailsa course, which has hosted the British Open three times and will hold next year's championship, and the Kintyre course.
The resort, on the southwest coast of Scotland, also has the 9-hole Arran course and the Colin Montgomerie links academy.
The current Westin hotel also features lodges, cottages, a spa and conference facilities, all of which will be redeveloped in time for next year's British Open.
"You only have to look out across Turnberry's Ailsa Course towards the landmark lighthouse to know that the resort is one of the world's greatest golf destinations," Leisurecorp group chief executive officer Alan Rogers said. "We are looking forward to working with Starwood on finalizing and announcing our future development plans for the resort over the coming months."
Leisurecorp also owns the Jumeirah Golf Estates, home to the European Tour international headquarters and the Dubai world championship, and Pearl Valley golf estates, which is the home of the South African Open.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Creamer in the lead, with the challenge coming from a different major champion
BROKEN ARROW, Oklahoma (AP) -Paula Creamer made two long birdie putts to pull away from the field Saturday in the SemGroup Championship, only to drop two shots on the closing holes for the third straight day to give her challengers a chance.
But that small group chasing her doesn't include the player everyone expected to see.
Lorena Ochoa, going for her record-tying fifth straight LPGA Tour victory, lost momentum with back-to-back bogeys and wound up eight shots behind, needing the best comeback of her career.
"I still think I can win," Ochoa said. "I think Annika (Sorenstam) won before coming from 10 shots behind. It could happen."
It doesn't look likely, even with Creamer still trying to figure out how to stop making bogeys with the finish line in sights. A three-putt on the 16th and a bogey from the bunker on the 18th gave her a 2-under 69 and a two-shot lead over Juli Inkster.
Inkster, a 47-year-old with two daughters and seven majors, turned in a tournament-best 67 in more blustery conditions, ending her solid round with a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole after trouble in the trees.
"I got myself in position to at least give it a run," Inkster said.
Creamer was at 3-under 210 and will play in the final pairing Sunday with Inkster, at 212 the only other player under par.
Brittany Lang, who tied for second at the 2005 U.S. Women's Open while still an amateur, had a 71 to finish at 1-over 214, with Angela Stanford (71) and Leta Lindley (72) another shot behind.
Ochoa closed with six pars for an even-par 71 and was at 5-over 218, putting her in unfamiliar territory. She has won five of her six tournaments this year by a combined 37 shots.
"We're looking at it from a different perspective," she said. "I'm going to be positive and hopefully do good tomorrow."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Scott takes Nelson lead into final round
IRVING, Texas (AP) -Adam Scott figured there was no point wasting his good play to take money from his mates in Australia. So he cut short his trip home to get back on the PGA Tour.
"I came here to get in contention and win a golf tournament," said Scott, who stayed home only a week after the Masters. "I feel like I've been playing well this year and haven't quite done it. So I'm kind of pushing myself a little bit to do that."
He only needs one more good round to win the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
Scott took a three-stroke lead into the final round after a 3-under 67 Saturday got him to 8-under 202. He birdied two of the last three holes, including a 3 1/2-footer at the 429-yard 18th.
"It all depends on Adam," said Bart Bryant, among the quartet of players three strokes behind. "Obviously, he's a world-class player. He has the potential to go out and kind of run away with it."
Scott, at No. 10 in the world the highest-ranked player in the field, again topped the leaderboard after his solid finish Saturday, and Kevin Sutherland's bad one.
Sutherland, whose only PGA Tour victory came six years ago, was at 7 under with a one-stroke lead over Scott until bogeys on the final two holes.
After missing a 7-foot par putt on the 198-yard 17th hole, Sutherland pushed his final tee shot way right into heavy rough - and was still in the rough after his punch shot. He finally got to the front edge of the green and two-putted from 70 feet.
"I have to remember what I did before that," Sutherland said. "I had a good rhythm going, a good feeling and tried to keep doing that. ... I kind of got away from that maybe at the end."
Sutherland (67), Bryant (67), Charley Hoffman (68) and Ryan Moore (68) made up the closest group chasing Scott. Sergio Garcia, after a season-best 65, was four strokes back along with Dudley Hart (66) and Jesper Parnevik (68).
While Sutherland was getting spectators moved out of the way for his first shot out of the rough at 18, Scott missed a chance for a bigger margin when his 9-foot birdie attempt at the 504-yard 15th hole drifted left only inches away from the hole. But Scott didn't wait long for another birdie chance.
Scott missed the fairway on the par-5 16th, layed up into the fairway and put his approach shot inside 6 feet to set up a birdie. After his aggressive birdie attempt at 17 rolled 6 feet past the hole, Scott's approach at 18 was right on the pin.
In his only other Nelson appearance two years ago, Scott shared the lead at the end of each of the first three rounds. A closing 71 left him in third place behind Brett Wetterich and Trevor Immelman, who missed the Nelson cut this year in his first tournament since winning the Masters.
"I've got something to prove," Scott said, recalling 2006. "I'd like to play how I have the last couple of days, just in a nice rhythm."
Scott's third round began with his opening tee shot landing in a fairway bunker, though he saved par with a two-putt from 17 feet before missing a 6-foot-par chance at the 221-yard second hole. There were consecutive birdies before Scott missed the fairway at the 451-yard eighth for a bogey, his last of the day.
"It was a bit of a slow start for me. I never really got going on the front and let everybody catch up," Scott said. "I knew a solid nine holes would do me good. ... No. 16 and 18 were key. I finished the day with a couple of nice wedge shots, and that makes it a little buffer going into (Sunday)."
Until the end, things were going well for Sutherland.
After his 4-foot birdie at the 174-yard 5th hole, he reached the 542-yard 7th in two shots and had to make only an 8-footer for eagle. He added birdies at Nos. 11 and 13 before the unwanted ending.
"I hit the ball terrific. The first 14 holes, I really didn't miss a shot," Sutherland said. "It would be a little different if I bogeyed the first two holes and birdied the last two holes obviously. ... Right now, you kind of stew a little bit on it. But (Sunday), I can't remember it."
The redone TPC Four Seasons course could play much differently for the final round because of an overnight forecast for inclement weather and more than an inch of rain. Tournament officials will use threesomes Sunday, teeing off from Nos. 1 and 10.
Garcia, the 2004 Nelson champion, had three birdies his first seven holes, starting with an approach to 7 feet on the opening hole. His only bogey came at No. 8, when he had his only three-putt - from 72 feet. He added three more birdies after that.
His best scoring round of the season came despite hitting only two of 14 fairways. Garcia baled himself out of trouble with his short game and his putter, an 8-year-old one he recently pulled out of his old bags. He needed only 27 putts.
"I loved it as soon as I put it down. It just gave me a good vibe," Garcia said. "It's just that old feeling from years back when you did well and you holed putts and stuff."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
New rule could hurt Gophers' shot at NCAA men's golf bid
MINNEAPOLIS -- It seems counterintuitive for a golf team to worry about its win-loss record, but thanks to a rule implemented last summer by the NCAA, that's exactly what the Minnesota men's golf team has to do.The much-debated .500 rule was implemented last August, and requires that teams have an overall win-loss record above .500 to qualify for NCAA postseason play.
It may be difficult to grasp what a .500 record means in golf, but it looks something like this.
When the Gophers are at a tournament, their final place determines their record. They lose to teams that place higher and win against teams finishing lower. So if Minnesota ends up in fifth at a 15-team event, its record for the tournament is 10-4.
The main purpose of the .500 rule is to allow midmajor teams to compete against the nation's elite more often. Top teams tend to play mostly against each other in order to prepare themselves for the NCAA Tournament, leaving smaller schools to quietly fight it out among each other while hardly being recognized.
The thought is that bringing more diverse fields together may allow overlooked teams to prove they can play with the NCAA's best.
Naturally, the .500 rule has prompted mixed reactions from coaches.
Those who head midlevel programs such as Furman, James Madison, Eastern Kentucky and Liberty have told Golfweek magazine they favor the rule, mostly because it affords their teams the chance to break into and try to compete at events usually dominated by top-ranked squads.
But even though the .500 rule was favored by a 75-30 margin in a straw poll at the Golf Coaches Association of America Convention in January, those opposed to the rule have not been soft-spoken.
As might be expected, the majority of the dissent is coming from coaches and teams who intentionally create the most demanding schedule to try and prepare for the rigors of postseason play.
The Gophers fall squarely into the second category of teams, and their qualms about the impact of the .500 rule are many.
Associate coach Andrew Tank feels that teams choosing to dilute their schedules will be unfairly rewarded with an NCAA berth.
"I don't like what it does for the development of players and the message that it sends to coaches and teams as far as scheduling - that they need to make sure they get enough wins," he said.
Senior Clayton Rask and junior Victor Almstrom echoed that sentiment, but added their own concerns.
Copyright 2008, U-WIRE
New rule means 15th consecutive NCAA bid in jeopardy for Gophers golf
MINNEAPOLIS -- Coming into the 2007-2008 season, the Minnesota men's golf team had appeared in the NCAA Regionals for 14 straight years, but a lackluster spring and a newly implemented NCAA rule has put that streak in serious jeopardy.
The new rule stipulates that a team must have an overall win-loss record of .500 to be considered for postseason play; the Gophers are 41-78-1, and with only two tournaments left before regional play, reaching .500 is out of the question.
As such, Minnesota's last hope of securing a postseason berth lies with a Big Ten Tournament championship. A win there would give the Gophers an automatic bid.
But to do that, Minnesota must try and put out of its mind the struggles it has dealt with this spring.
This weekend, for the U.S. Intercollegiate at Stanford, sophomore Ben Pisani and junior Victor Almstrom will miss their first tournament of the spring to work on some technical things and "refresh and refocus," according to associate head coach Andrew Tank.
"It's more for just getting away from things and having a fresh start mentally," he said. "It's just to give them a chance to step back and gather themselves because they're great players and they should be shooting better scores; hopefully this will give them a chance to get focused again."
Then Almstrom and Pisani will rejoin their team in Michigan for the Big Ten Championships and the chance to advance to NCAA Regional play for the 15th time in a row.
And despite the Gophers' struggles, senior Clayton Rask is confident the team can come together in time to hoist the conference crown.
"I know we have a team that can hands down win Big Tens," he said.
WOMEN ON THE WAY UP
As a Northern team in a sport largely dominated by the South, the Minnesota women's golf team tends to be an afterthought in NCAA golf.
The Gophers want to change that.
And, using the considerable recruiting talents of associate head coach Kristine Wessinger and recently appointed Director of Golf Brad James, Minnesota has begun investing in young talent in hopes of elevating the Gophers' women's team to an elite level.
This spring, the possibility of that is coming a bit more into focus as Minnesota has fielded a young and promising team week-in and week-out.
Freshmen Teresa Puga and Mary Narzisi each have two top-10 finishes, and junior Young Na Lee took home medalist honors at the Diablo Grande Intercollegiate, which the Gophers won for their first tournament victory in nearly a year and a half.
And though these are small steps, Wessinger likes the direction the team is headed.
"We want to bring this program to be one of the top in the country," she said. "I think we've got a long way to go still as far as the team and the program, but I can see a lot of improvement."
Copyright 2008 U-WIRE
Wagner wins in Houston, earns trip to Augusta
HUMBLE, Texas (AP) -Johnson Wagner was watching highlights from the 2002 Masters late Saturday night, and his wife scolded him for it.
Now, he has the chance to create some Augusta moments of his own.
Wagner won the Houston Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory and got the ultimate bonus prize that comes with it - a spot next week in the Masters.
"Sounds funny, you know, even saying it," Wagner said. "I don't care if I shoot 90 both days and miss the cut. I'm so excited to be there and it's just a dream come true."
The 28-year-old Wagner shot a 1-under 71 to finish at 16 under, two shots ahead of Chad Campbell (72) and Geoff Ogilvy (68). Billy Mayfair and Fred Couples shot 66s and finished three shots back at 13 under. Bob Estes and Charley Hoffman, three behind Wagner at the start of the round, had 72s that left them four behind.
Wagner had missed six cuts in nine previous starts this year and was ranked 193rd on the money list when he arrived in Houston. He matched defending champion Adam Scott's course-record 63 in the first round, then held the 36- and 54-hole leads at an event for the first time in 44 career starts.
Wagner tried to relax on Saturday night by watching the Final Four. After the games, he flipped to the Masters highlights and started imagining what it would be like to actually play there.
His wife, Katie, returned from a walk and chastised him for even thinking about Augusta before Sunday's round.
"I thought to myself, that's a good point," Wagner said. "We hadn't talked about it all week and I'm so glad nobody brought it up to me that's close to me. Nobody said, 'Hey, if you win, can I get a ticket to the Masters?'
"It really helped me focus on not focusing on it."
But it was there, in the back of his mind, and his emotions showed all day. Sweat soaked through his green shirt and he nervously wiped his hands with a white towel before most of his shots.
Wagner said he sweats all the time when he plays, but conceded that his stomach were churning as he tried to close out the victory.
"I was freaked out all today and yesterday," Wagner said. "Warming up on the range (Sunday morning), I was very nervous but still tried to stay calm and breathe, just all day."
Wagner held it together, pumping his fist after sinking a 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole as his parents, wife and several family members cheered from behind the green.
While Wagner will play in his first Masters, Davis Love III will miss a major for the first time since 1990. Love had to win to qualify for Augusta, but he finished at 5 under, ending the longest active streak of major appearances at 70.
Phil Mickelson now holds the longest run of major starts, with 55. Mickelson shot a second straight 71 on Sunday and finished at 6 under in his final tuneup before Augusta.
"It was a good week for me to identify what I need to work on and find out what areas don't feel great," Mickelson said. "My chipping and putting aren't where they need to be. Fortunately, I can spend extra time on it now, the next couple of days leading into the Masters."
This day belonged to Wagner, the 13th player to earn his first victory in Houston.
He started one ahead of Campbell, then opened a three-shot lead when he sank a 26-foot birdie on the second hole and Campbell three-putted. Wagner led by five after a birdie on the fourth. Campbell hit into the fairway bunker off the tee and bogeyed again.
Campbell drove into the fairway bunker on No. 8, then dumped his second shot into the water, leading to a crippling double bogey. Wagner birdied again to get to 17 under.
Ogilvy birdied Nos. 3, 5 and 8 to move into second place, but Wagner led by four at the turn.
Couples, the 2003 champion when the tournament was played at the members' course across the street, was one of several players who mounted charges on the back nine.
Wagner bogeyed the 10th and Couples and Mayfair both birdied 13 and 15, the last two par 5s, to move to 13 under, tying Ogilvy. Campbell bounced back with three straight birdies on 11, 12 and 13 to get to 14 under. Estes also birdied the 11th and 12th to reach 14 under.
But Wagner hung on, as the players chasing him stalled, one after another.
Wagner left a long birdie putt short on the par-4 17th, but he calmly sank the 11-footer to stay at 16 under. He drove his last tee shot into the fairway bunker, avoiding the ominous pond that runs down the left side of the 18th hole.
"It's not where I wanted to hit it," he said. "It was the safe alternative to the big lake on the left."
Wagner became the second wire-to-wire winner since the tournament moved to the Tournament Course at Redstone in 2006. Stuart Appleby led from the start when he won in 2006.
Divots: Appleby, last year's runner-up, shot a pair of 70s on the weekend and finished at 6 under. ... Pat Perez shot a 64, the low round of the day and his best round of the year, to finish at 10 under. ... Wagner, born in Amarillo, is the seventh Texan to win the Houston Open.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
|
