LANGER CLICKETY-CLICKS TO LEAD SENIORS BY FOUR

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
NAPLES, Florida (AP) — Bernhard Langer shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday and leads the ACE Group Classic by four strokes heading into the final round.
Langer matched the tournament's 36-hole record at 14-under 130 at the Quarry Club. Mark O'Meara, Russ Cochran, Fred Funk and Mark Calcavecchia are tied for second.
The 53-year-old Langer has failed to win only once in 10 tournaments he's either shared or been in the lead after two rounds. That was in the 2009 Toshiba Classic, when he was tied for the lead.
"I don't have a different mindset, but I'd rather be in front than behind," he said. "If you're (in front) and make a mistake, you can make a mistake or two and still be in front. If you're behind and you make a mistake, you're further behind. So it's easier that way, but you can't sit back and say 'I'm going to play safe.'"
Langer birdied his first three holes on his way to a 31 on the front nine. He bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11, but bounced back with birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 15.
"If I had avoided these two bogeys, would have been great," he said. "But they were silly bogeys. With a pitching wedge in my hand, I shouldn't make bogey from the middle of the fairway."
Funk and Calcavecchia will join Langer in the final group; the last 11 champions in tournament history have come out of the final pairing.
"He doesn't beat himself, that's probably the biggest thing," Funk said of Langer. "He just goes out there and stays with the game plan. He has a game plan, and I don't think he ever varies from it."
O'Meara agreed, adding: "This guy is a tough as they come, and he's proven that over the years. He'll be a tough competitor tomorrow, and he's not really going to back up, so we're going to have to go low."
Cochran and Langer shared the first-round lead with 64s.
David Frost and Nick Price are tied for sixth at 9 under.
Langer's 14-under tied Tom Watson's score after two rounds from 2002, although Watson failed to win. Jim Albus, in 1998, was the last to have a four-stroke lead in the event after two rounds, but he didn't win either; Gil Morgan won that year.
Cochran, who started the day tied for the lead with Langer after a first-round 64, shot even par on the front with a par and a bogey. He had two birdies the rest of the way.
"You look at some of these scorecards today, I'm sure the birdies were flying," Cochran said. "I kind of felt like I was running in place out there."
Englishman Roger Chapman is tied for 22nd place on 140 with scores of 69 and 71.
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COETZEE LEADS BY ONE IN SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR EVENT

FROM THE SUNSHINE TOUR WEBSITE
George Coetzee discovered that the test of his ability lay in adversity today as he overcame four consecutive bogeys in the third round of the R3.2-million Dimension Data Pro-Am to hold a slender one-stroke lead going into the final round in the South African Sunshine Tour event.
Hennie Otto took advantage of Coetzee’s stumble to move to 12-under-par 205, while Coetzee managed to regain his composure with a birdie on the 18th to regain sole possession of a lead which at one point looked as if it might balloon to as many as six shots.
The 160-man professional field played three rounds – one on each of The Links, Outeniqua and Montagu courses at Fancourt – after which a cut was made to the top 65 players and ties.
The pros were each paired with an amateur for the first three rounds, and there was also a cut for the better-ball teams, with the top 25 going through to the final round which will be played on Sunday on Montagu.
“I just got complacent,” said Coetzee, “and I told myself that it was not my game that was the problem.
“It was just my concentration and all I have to do is grind it out and finish strong and do it all again tomorrow,” he added.
Otto also finished strong: he carded a six-under-par 66, with his final nine on the Montagu course taking just 31 shots.
“My putting was better today,” he said. “I took 29 after 32 yesterday, so it’s getting better. It’s been a while since I took fewer than 30, so I was pleased.”
It was a measure of the rest of his game that the longest birdie putt he had on that inward nine was just eight feet. “I’ve been hitting the ball well for a couple of weeks now, so it has been a matter of waiting for the putts to fall,” he said.
He also had an eagle 3 on the 496-metre 10th, with bogeys on six and 12.
Coetzee, on the other hand, started with six birdies in his opening 10 holes, showing that his brilliant seven-under-par the previous day on The Links was truly indicative of his potential.
Then came the trot of four bogeys from the 13th onwards.
“I’m not worried about my game at all after those four bogeys,” he said. “There’s no point in worrying about it, just as there is no point in looking forward and trying to imagine your score. I’ll just go out and play every shot as it comes.”
He and Otto are well clear of the rest of the field, with Tyrone Mordt, Branden Grace and James Kingston on eight-under, four shots behind Otto.

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SOUTH AFRICANS NAME JUNIOR LINE-UP AGAINST SCOTS NEXT WEEK

FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOLF ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
A ten-strong junior South African invitational team will take on Scotland in a one day friendly match at Randpark Club in Johannesburg next Thursday (February 24), the South African Golf Association (SAGA) announced today.
The players selected to represent the invitational team, who are all amateur golfers of 18 years or younger, as at the beginning of the year, are:
Drikus Bruyns (Boland) (Captain)
Shane Allen (Central Gauteng)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Ekurhuleni)
Conway Kunneke (Gauteng North)
Victor Lange (Central Gauteng)
Zander Lombard (Gauteng North)
Dylan Raubenheimer (Western Province)
Martin Rohwer (Kwazulu Natal)
Armandt Scholtz (Boland)
Combrinck Smit (Kwazulu Natal).
The manager is Johan Scholtz who is also the Co-ordinator for Junior Golf for the SAGA.
The format of the competition is five foursomes matches in the morning followed by ten singles matches, all match-play.
Each match carries one point for a win and half a point if halved. The team scoring the most points wins.
"The purpose of the match is to provide a younger players with an opportunity to play against some top international competition and thereby gain valuable experience. At the same time it will provide our visiting Scottish Team with an opportunity to get some match practice in before our Test Match early in March," said Colin Burger of the SAGA.

PROTEA TEAM NAMED FOR TWO-DAY TEST MATCH v SCOTS

Earlier, the South African Golf Association announced a 10-man Protea team to play Scotland in an amateur golf test match taking place over two days, starting on Tuesday, March 8, at Leopard Creek Country Club near Malalane in Mpumalanga.
The team is:
Ryan Dreyer (Central Gauteng) (Captain)
Coenie Bester (Mpumalanga)
C J du Plessis (Limpopo)
Hendre Cilliers (Gauteng North)
Danny Hammond (Central Gauteng)
Jared Harvey (Kwazulu Natal)
Riekus Nortje (Southern Cape)
Haydn Porteous (Central Gauteng)
Ruan de Smidt (Central Gauteng)
Brandon Stone (Gauteng North).
Team Manager
Colin Burger, president of the SAGA.
There are two new caps to the team, winning national colours for the first time. They are 21-year-old Hendre Cilliers and 16-year-old Haydn Porteous.

“Last year we gave Scotland a thumping when we played an eight-man team also at Leopard Creek,” said Colin Burger. “However that was not a full strength Scottish side, which is the case this year. It is going to be a different ball game this time round, as seen by the individual performances of the Scottish players who participated in our South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship which concluded on Friday.”

David Law, Scotland, led the field, in the 72 hole Championship, from the outset with an eight under par 64, the lowest round of the Championship. He eventually lost in a play off to 22-year-old local lad Jared Harvey. Eight Scottish players finished in the top 25 places, three in the top ten.

The Scottish team is:
Jordan Findlay
Scott Gibson
Ross Kellett
David Law
Kris Nicol
Phillip McLean
Greg Paterson
Michael Stewart
Paul Schields
James White.
Team manager
Ian Rae.


Notable recent performances amongst those in the visiting team are Michael Stewart winner of the Scottish Amateur, Kris Nicol, runner-up in the Lytham Trophy, Ross Kellett won the Tennant Cup and James White the current holder of the Sutherland Chalice.

The Scottish team are out in South Africa at the invitation of South African business man Johann Rupert.

“We hope to strengthen the relationship between the SAGA and the Scottish Golf Union in the future,” said Colin Burger. “We are in discussions in which both governing bodies are considering an annual test match, on a home and away basis, like we currently do with France.”

But considerations around future matters will not be upper most in Burger’s mind. He will be looking to prepare his team for a better showing than that against the French. Two weeks back a visiting eight man French Team beat the Proteas convincingly.
“We want to erase the memories of that test match through a solid performance against Scotland,” is how Burger explained the task at hand.
With the Sanlam South African Amateur Championship coming up in two weeks, a lot of golf is on the horizon for these 20 players in preparation of what looks to be two evenly matched teams.
The two day test match will be played at the prestigious Leopard Creek Country Club, the home of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, a co-sanctioned professional golf tournament on both the Sunshine and European Tours.

The format will be five foursomes matches in the morning of the first day, followed in the afternoon by ten singles matches. On day two the same format will be played, as for day one, except in the morning the two teams play five better-ball matches.

Each match carries one point for a win, half if the match is halved. The team recording the most points wins the test.

COCHRAN, LANGER SHARE LEAD IN US SENIORS' TOUR EVENT

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
NAPLES, Florida (AP) — Russ Cochran and Bernhard Langer shot 8-under-par 64s to share the lead after the first round of the ACE Group Classic on Friday.
Cochran birdied four straight holes to close his front nine here, then birdied three of the first five on the back before parring in.
"To be honest with you, I made everything I looked at," said the left-hander, who was the tour's 2009 Rookie of the Year, then won twice last year. "It was a surprise for me, but a welcome surprise."
On No. 16, he sent his birdie try 12 feet past the hole, then made par coming back. On No. 17, he drove into the bunker and two-putted from 60 feet. And at the last, he drove into the bunker, slipped on his bunker shot and left that 40 yards short of the green, but made a 15-footer to save par.
Cochran had opportunities to win going into the final round at both the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii and the Allianz Championship last week, but ended up tying for fourth in both.
Cochran said he "just kind of stunk the place up" in the final round in Hawaii, when he followed up a first-round 62 with a 72 on the final day while playing with one of his heroes, Tom Watson. He was in contention last week, too, but had to take an unplayable lie after hitting under a palmetto bush and bogeyed the final hole.
Langer, who earned the Player of the Year award and the money title last year, was also looking for a better showing after finishing tied for 16th and 17th, respectively, in the season-opening tournaments.
"I wasn't happy the first two tournaments I played," Langer said. "There were good moments in both of those tournaments, but there were also too much other stuff, too many dropped shots, too many missed opportunities."
So, Langer - known for his work ethic - turned that up a notch preparing for this tournament.
"I worked really hard the last few days, extremely hard; maybe too much," he said. "I kind of wore myself out, but it didn't show today. I had enough energy to play the 18 holes, and I just felt I needed to improve on certain areas, and I showed improvement today."
Mark O'Meara, back from playing in the Dubai Desert Classic last week, was third after a 65 that included holing out from a greenside bunker for an eagle on No. 14.
"I kind of hit it a little bit heavy and kind of chunked and ran it up there, so it was about as perfect as it could go in," he said.
Mark Calcavecchia, Keith Fergus and Olin Browne were tied for fourth at 5 under.
Defending champion Fred Couples opted to return to the US PGA Tour this week.
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
64 Russ Cochran (US), Bernhard Langer (Germany).
65  Mark O'Meara (US).
67 Mark Calcavecchia (US), Keith Fergus (US), Olin Browne (US).
Selected score:
69 Roger Chapman (England) (T10).

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SATURDAY WASH-OUT IN PORTUGAL KOs DICK AND LATIMER

The Portuguese international men's amateur championship at Montado Golf Resort, near Lisbon has been reduced to a 54-hole tournament following the cancelling of Saturday play due to rain and consequent flooding of the course.
The field for Sunday's final round - if the course is open again - will be restricted to the leading 60 and ties at the second of the second round, i.e. players with 36-hole totals of 151 or better qualified.
That means that the Scottish representation is down to only one player, young Fraser McKenna (Balmore) who is doing rather well with a pair of 71s for 142 and a place in the top 10.
Allyn Dick and Peter Latimer were eliminated on the 156 mark.
England's Eddie Pepperell leads by two shots.

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LARRAZABAL EAGLES THE LAST TO LEAD AVANTHA MASTERS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
New Delhi, India: Spain’s Pablio Larrazabal had a magical eagle 3 on his closing hole to thank for propelling him into the clubhouse lead but has India’s S.S.P Chowrasia trailing closely after play in the third round at the Avantha Masters was suspended due to darkness today.
The Spaniard returned with a six-under-par 66 for a three-day total of 11-under-par 205 to take a slender shot lead over Chowrasia and Argentina’s Rafa Echenique who signed for matching 67s.
Philippines’ Angelo Que posted a 68 to take a share of sixth place alongside Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, France’s Gregory Havret and Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands on 207 at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
Home favourite Jeev Milkha Singh of India is nine-under-par through 13 holes while Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee is seven-under-par through 13 holes.
A total of 24 players have yet to complete their third round and will resume play at 8am local time on Sunday.
Starting his round tied for 15th, Larrazabal birdied his sixth, eight and nine holes to reach the turn in 33. He added another birdie on the par-four 10th before committing his only blemish on the 12th hole.
The Spaniard then birdied the 14th before his eagle on the last brought him to the top.
“It was one of the days where I played nicely. I made some nice par putts at the start of the round and I knew that the birdie chances would come because I was playing well,” said Larrazabal.
“The eagle at the last was the highlight obviously. I hit a nice drive and then got to the ball on the fairway and found it was in an old divot. I had 184 metres to the flag and I thought that I had to hit plenty of club to compensate for the divot. I did that, with a nice faded four -iron into about ten feet and made the putt,” added Larrazabal.
Meanwhile Chowrasia looked to have regained the form that led him to his first win when he defeated an elite field at the Indian Masters in 2008.
Starting the day tied-for 15th, Chowrasia birdied his opening par-four first. However he gave that shot back with a bogey on the sixth before hauling himself back into contention with two birdies on holes eighth and nine.
He marked his card with another birdie on the par-three 11th before dropping another shot on the 13th hole. Three birdies starting from the par-five 14th would however surge him back up the leaderboard.
“I’m really feeling good about my game at the moment. It was solid from tee to green and I did not make many mistakes today,” said Chowrasia.
“I’m well-rested. After playing 30 holes yesterday, 18 holes today felt like a breeze and I’m feeling very comfortable,” added the Indian of his second round resumption that resulted because of a fog delay on the opening day.
Que, who is seeking his fourth Asian Tour win, mixed three birdies against two bogeys in his opening front-nine.
After reaching the turn in 35, the 32-year-old had a flawless back-nine, carding birdies on the 11th, 12th and 15th holes.
“I’ve been having fun and I’ve been hitting the ball good. However I’ve been struggling with the read on the greens. My caddie has been helping me but it’s still hard to read them over here,” said the effervescent Filipino.
Que believes that if he can hole his putts on the final day, he might emerge as the dark horse at the €1.8 million (approximately US$2.3 million) event which is tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
“I’m only two shots off the lead and I’m playing with the leader tomorrow so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll just play my own game and if I do that tomorrow with the way I’m hitting it, I might have a chance because I’ve been hitting it pretty close and it’s just that I’m not holing that many putts,” added Que.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
205 Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 69 70 66.
206 S S P Chowrasia (India) 70 69 67, Rafa Echenique (Argetnina) 69 70 67, Sujian Singh (India) 69 69 68.
Scottish scores:
211 Marc Warren 69 70 72 (T23).
215 Scott Jamieson 74 69 72 (T56).
217 Peter Whiteford 69 71 77 (T70)
MISSED THE CUT (144 or better qualified)
145 David Drysdale 74 71.
147 Steven O'Hara 74 73, Richie Ramsay 78 69.


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FRED COUPLES LEADS BY TWO AS MARTIN LAIRD SLIPS BACK

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fred Couples does not look like he belongs atop the leaderboard on the US PGA Tour. Except that he's at the Riviera course in California.
Despite a bad back that hurts when he stoops over a short iron, Couples navigated around his favorite tour course without a bogey Friday for a 5-under 66 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open.
It helped that he knocked in an eagle putt of nearly 100 feet on his opening hole, along with a pair of 30-foot birdie putts. But even for a 51-year-old well past his prime, he was carried along by a languid swing and his love for Riviera.
"I feel like I can play this course blindfolded," Couples said.
Some of his peers couldn't believe what they saw.
"He played like he was my age," said 25-year-old Anthony Kim, who was paired with Couples and was nine shots behind. "He was loose, swinging hard. He hit some quality shots, some aggressive shots. It doesn't hurt that he's won here a couple of times. He just knows what he's doing out here."
Couples first played Riviera three years before Kim was born. He won in 1990 and 1992, back when his hair was brown, not mostly gray, and when he didn't have to get up at 4 a.m. to stretch out his back so he could make it to the first tee.
It was tough for others, too. The wind and rain arrived in the afternoon, making Riviera so difficult that some medium-length hitters couldn't reach the par-4 18th with a driver and a 3-wood.
Of those who didn't finish the round before it was suspended by darkness, Spencer Levin was at 6 under with three holes remaining, while Aaron Baddeley was at 5 under with four holes to play.
Couples has not been atop the leaderboard through 36 holes since 2004 at the old Buick Classic at Westchester.
The affection from the gallery hasn't changed, especially at Riviera.
From the other side of the par-5 first green, Couples rapped a putt and watched it roll some 100 feet toward the cup and drop for an eagle. The cheer was loud enough for players still on the practice range to look up.
One player jokingly said, "Couples just made a 10-footer for par."
Paul Casey, who had a 67 and was four shots back, played in the group behind Couples. Asked how it felt to trail a 51-year-old who can barely bend over to tie his shoes, Casey started laughing.
"Every time I looked ahead, he's stretching his back, his hand is on his hip," Casey said. "We all know Freddie. He looks like he doesn't care. He looks like he's in pain. He could be on any score. And the fact he's on 8 under is brilliant."
Couples was at 8-under 134 heading into what could be a soggy weekend. The rain began to fall late in the afternoon as half of the field was trying to cope with tougher conditions.
J.B. Holmes was tied for the lead until a double bogey on the last hole gave him a 69. He was at 6-under 136, along with John Senden (69).
Trevor Immelman and Stewart Cink each had a 67, perhaps the rounds of the day considering they played the final two hours in the rain and wind. They were at 5-under 137, along with Robert Allenby, whose finish showed how tough it was.
He ripped a driver and hit a full 3-iron that still wasn't enough on the 464-yard ninth hole, and he three-putted from the front of the green for a 70.
Phil Mickelson struggled with his irons on his way to a 70 that put him seven shots behind, although not terribly worried.
"I'm not pleased being in the position where I'm at, but it could be a lot worse," Mickelson said. "And I should be within striking distance if I can go out and shoot some hot round tomorrow."
That he would be trying to catch up to Couples was surprising given his age and his health. Casey, however, said course knowledge and good vibes only go so far.
"I don't care how well he knows this course, and he probably knows it as well as the members," Casey said. "It doesn't matter if you don't hit the golf ball where you need to."
Such is his affection for Riviera that Couples didn't think twice about playing this week - even though he is the defending champion at the Champions Tour event in Naples, Fla.
"I don't think anyone is mad. Besides Augusta, it's my favorite spot," Couples said. "I don't think it's a slap in the face if they just look where I live and my schedule and how I play here. It would take two seconds to figure it out."
Couples not only has two wins at Riviera, he has four top 10s in the last decade and nearly had a chance to win two years ago until he butchered a 9-iron into the 18th with a chance to put pressure on Mickelson.
He was 49, and that figured to be his last chance to win on tour.
Yet here is again, twisting and stretching, taking left-handed baseball swings with his putter while trying to keep loose. The hardest part for Couples after his round was climbing the 100-foot hill toward the clubhouse to sign his card.
When the tour asked him to visit The Golf Channel's booth, Couples said, "Can't do it."
"I'm ready for a nap," he said.
He was up at 4 a.m. to stretch and get treatment on what he called a "back machine." It was still dark when he got to the practice range, and he kept to his routine in which he only hits long clubs - the driver, 5-wood and hybrids - because to bend over a short iron hurts. He'd rather wait until the shot counts to do that.
"I don't consider this warming up," Couples said. "I just think it's waiting for my tee time to come."
And he came out swinging, with the long eagle putt on No. 1, a 35-foot birdie putt on the ninth, a 30-footer on the 15th and a series of scary putts in the 5-foot range for pars. He has gone 32 holes without a bogey at Riviera.
For two rounds, he looks as young as ever. But that only goes so far.
He went to see "The Social Network," but only because it starred Justin Timberlake. Couples still doesn't know what Facebook is all about. Remember, it was only two years ago that he started sending text messages (he received one after his round from Tiger Woods).
As for Twitter? Uh, no.
"If I did Twitter, would I tell people that I'm heading home and then going to eat at California Pizza Kitchen? Is that what you do? Or do you actually tweet information?" he said. "Well, what information do I have for my 500,000 followers? I'm 51. I live in the desert. They all know that already.
"If you guys write well enough, they'll know that I'm in good shape going into tomorrow. I don't need to tweet anybody."
SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 142 (2x72)
+Several players have still to complete their second rounds
Players from US unless stated
134 Fred Couples 68 66.
136 J B Holmes 67 69, John Senden 67 69.
137 Ryan Moore 69 68, Kevin Na 71 66, Stewart Cink 70 67, Trevor Immelman (S Africa) 74 67, Robert Allenby (Austrlia) 67 70.
138 Paul Casey (England) 71 67, Justin Rose (England) 69 69, V J Singh (Fiji) 68 70.
SELECTED SCORES
139 Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 68 71 (T14).
140 Martin Laird (Scotland) 67 73 (T20).
141 Phil Mickelson 71 70, Michael Sim (Australia/Scotland) 70 71 (T26).

MISSED THE CUT (projected 145 or better will qualify)
147 Luke Donald (England) 68 79.


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GOLF CHANNEL REMOVES STAFF MAN GRAY FROM COVERAGE

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Golf Channel removed Jim Gray from its coverage of the Northern Trust Open on Friday for his handling of Dustin Johnson's penalty for nearly missing his tee time.
Johnson's caddie, Bobby Brown, had the wrong tee time for the opening round, leading to a two-stroke penalty.

Brown said Gray approached Johnson on his way to the 14th tee to ask him why he was late to the tee. As Johnson wa signing his card, Brown told Gray that the middle of the round was not the time to be asking such a question.

"Our aim is to provide the best possible golf coverage for our viewers. Anything else is a disservice," Golf Channel spokesman Dan Higgins said in a statement. "In order not to provide further distraction, we've decided to remove Jim from this particular assignment.

The Golf Channel said Gray's future would be an internal matter that is discussed at an appropriate time.

It was the second time in the last six months that Gray has become the subject of controversy for The Golf Channel.

He got into a finger-pointing argument with Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin in the press room of the US PGA Championship. Gray had reported that Pavin told him Tiger Woods was going to be a captain's pick, and Pavin denied saying it.

Pavin said Gray told him he was a "liar" during the argument. The Golf Channel said at the PGA that it stood 100 percent behind the accuracy of Gray's reporting.

Gray is a contract worker for Golf Channel who typically works most of the West Coast events and majors.

Johnson nearly was disqualified Thursday. His caddie mixed up the starting time, thinking they teed off at 8:12 a.m. instead of 7:32 a.m., and they were on the practice range when they were announced on the tee. That's a two-shot penalty, and Johnson then had five minutes to get to the tee box to avoid disqualification. He made it by just under 10 seconds.

According to Brown and Steve Stricker, who was in Johnson's group, Gray was waiting on Johnson during the long walk from the 13th green to the 14th tee.

Gray later reported Johnson said he was misinformed on the tee time.

After the round, Brown took the blame for the mistake and then turned his frustration toward Gray while Johnson was signing his card for a 2-over 73. Gray walked up on the conversation and Brown said to him, "Dude, you can't come up like that in the middle of the round. It had taken us 13 holes to get over that, and then you bring it up again."

Gray was composed in debating the incident with Brown.

Johnson did not mention Gray during a brief interview with The Associated Press in the parking lot Thursday afternoon, but Stricker was visibly angry when discussing it after his round, and several other caddies were outraged when they heard about it.

The US PGA Tour was not involved in the Golf Channel's decision to remove Gray, spokesman Ty Votaw said.