CANADA LEAD ARGENTINA BY ONE IN COPA DE LAS AMERICAS
FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By JULIE WILLIAMS
DORAL, Florida – Jaime Lopez Rivarola is trying hard to stick to his captain’s gameplan. Santiago Garat, leading Argentina this week at the Copa de las Americas, told his players to concentrate on their own games.
Seems logical enough, except that his message to Rivarola and team-mate Alejandro Tosti was slightly different than it was to female team members Maria Olivero and Delfina Acosta.
“The girls have a pretty solid game, and he knows that they can win it easily,” Rivarola said. “The difference is the guys. Alejandro shot a pretty solid round yesterday (72) and we know he can do as good as yesterday, so the key was just to concentrate on our game, not on the others.”
Rivarola didn’t sound the slightest bit offended, and maybe it’s because Garat seems to be on to something. By day’s end, Argentina trailed Canada by a single shot in the overall competition while the Argentine women were tied with Canada atop their respective division.
The Argentine men were fourth. Still, Rivarola and Tosti made up serious ground on Friday at Doral’s Blue Monster. Rivarola posted the second-lowest score on the board, a 3-under 69.
“It was pretty much the same as yesterday, but I drove it way better,” he said. “... My irons were good and my putter was as solid as yesterday.”
Rivarola’s score is almost directly attributable to hitting more fairways on Friday. He hit six more than on Thursday, for a total of 10, and had four birdies. Tosti added a second-round 76 as Olivero shot 78 and Acosta had 75.
The team is at 15-over 591. Argentina has never won this competition, but came close in 2010 when it was played on home turf at Olivos Golf Club in suburban Buenos Aires. Argentina finished second to the U.S., but the entire squad has since turned over.
All Rivarola, 17, can remember about the 2010 Copa de las Americas is that during that week, he was taking a vacation at the beach in Carilo, Argentina. The last few weeks, however, have been exactly opposite of vacation. Rivarola has been competing in South Florida for the previous two weeks, playing first the Doral-Publix Junior then the Junior Orange Bowl Championship. He was runner-up at the latter.
Not only would an Argentine victory be a first for this competition, but it would be the same story for any country not named Canada or the U.S.
Canada won the inaugural two Copas, in 2003 and 2005, and the U.S. won the following two in 2007 and 2010.
On the shoulders of Albin Choi, a junior at North Carolina State, Canada rose from fifth on the leaderboard after Round 1 to first after Round 2. Choi’s 68 was the lowest round of the day on Friday.
“I didn’t too play well yesterday, so I just kind of cleared my head and came out and had a better day today,” Choi said of shaving eight shots from his first-round 76.
Scores rose across the board on Friday, but Choi couldn’t explain why. It was another postcard day at Doral, perhaps with trickier pins.
Choi knows the thrill of team golf from college and from two turns on Canada’s World Team Amateur squad. One of those came in September, when he and teammates Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Connors finished T-6 overall.
“It’s always exciting,” Choi said of team golf. “It’s a different game when you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your country. It makes you play harder.”
Canada’s lead led to a brief history lesson for Choi. Should Canada be able to hold its lead, it would become the winningest team in the event's history. It’s too early, though, for Choi to think about that.
“To be a part of that team would be great,” he said. “I definitely think we have a very good chance, just keep playing solid golf. There’s still two more days left, so we’ll see how it goes, but it would be exciting, just thinking about it.”
DAY 2 SCOREBOARD
Par-72 TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami. Yardage: Men 7,099; women 6,205
Overall Championship 590 (300-290): Canada (Albin Choi 76-68—144; Corey Conners 77-69—146; Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 71-77—148; Augusta James 76-76—152)
591 (293-298): Argentina (Jaime López Rivarola 74-69—143; Alejandro Tosti 72-76—148; María Olivero 72-78—150; Delfina Acosta 75-75—150)
592 (295-297): Colombia (Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 71-71—142; Ricardo José Celia 70-75—145; Laura Blanco 75-70—145; Camila Serrano 79-81—160)
594 (298-296): Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 68-74—142; Gabriela López 73-71—144; Rodolfo Cazaubon 77-70—147; Fabiola Arriaga 80-81—161)
597 (295-302): USA (Chris Williams 71-75—146; Erynne Lee 73-75—148; Steven Fox 75-74—149; Lindy Duncan 76-78—154)
618 (312-306): Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 72-79—151; Talin Rajendranath 80-73—153; Monifa Sealy 78-78—156; Kelsey Lou-Hing 82-76—158)
622 (311-311): Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 73-73—146; Jorge Garcia 74-73—147; María Alejandra Merchán 82-82—164; Claudia de Antonio 82-83—165)
660 (335-325): Guatemala (Lucia Polo 76-77—153; Sebastian Barnoya 82-78—160; Rodrigo Olivero 81-82—163; Pilar Echeverría 96-88—184)
Men’s Championship
287 (141-146): Colombia (Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 71-71—142; Ricardo José Celia 70-75—145)
289 (145-144): Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 68-74—142; Rodolfo Cazaubon 77-70—147)
290 (153-137): Canada (Albin Choi 76-68—144; Corey Conners 77-69—146)
291 (146-145): Argentina (Jaime López Rivarola 74-69—143; Alejandro Tosti 72-76—148)
293 (149-144): Puerto Rico (Erick Morales 74-71—145; Edward Figueroa 75-73—148)
293 (147-146): Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 73-73—146; Jorge Garcia 74-73—147)
295 (146-149): USA (Chris Williams 71-75—146; Steven Fox 75-74—149)
301 (155-146): Peru (Joaquin Lolas 76-67—143; Miguel Tola 79-79—158)
304 (152-152): Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 72-79—151; Talin Rajendranath 80-73—153)
305 (154-151): Panama (Omar Tejeira 74-74—148; Miguel Ordoñez 80-77—157)
323 (163-160): Guatemala (Sebastian Barnoya 82-78—160; Rodrigo Olivero 81-82—163)
Women’s Championship
300 (147-153): Argentina (María Olivero 72-78—150; Delfina Acosta 75-75—150)
300 (147-153): Canada (Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 71-77—148; Augusta James 76-76—152)
302 (149-153): USA (Erynne Lee 73-75—148; Lindy Duncan 76-78—154)
305 (154-151): Colombia (Laura Blanco 75-70—145; Camila Serrano 79-81—160)
305 (153-152): Mexico (Gabriela López 73-71—144; Fabiola Arriaga 80-81—161)
314 (160-154): Trinidad and Tobago (Monifa Sealy 78-78—156; Kelsey Lou-Hing 82-76—158)
329 (164-165): Venezuela (María Alejandra Merchán 82-82—164; Claudia de Antonio 82-83—165)
337 (172-165): Guatemala (Lucia Polo 76-77—153; Pilar Echeverría 96-88—184)
By JULIE WILLIAMS
DORAL, Florida – Jaime Lopez Rivarola is trying hard to stick to his captain’s gameplan. Santiago Garat, leading Argentina this week at the Copa de las Americas, told his players to concentrate on their own games.
Seems logical enough, except that his message to Rivarola and team-mate Alejandro Tosti was slightly different than it was to female team members Maria Olivero and Delfina Acosta.
“The girls have a pretty solid game, and he knows that they can win it easily,” Rivarola said. “The difference is the guys. Alejandro shot a pretty solid round yesterday (72) and we know he can do as good as yesterday, so the key was just to concentrate on our game, not on the others.”
Rivarola didn’t sound the slightest bit offended, and maybe it’s because Garat seems to be on to something. By day’s end, Argentina trailed Canada by a single shot in the overall competition while the Argentine women were tied with Canada atop their respective division.
The Argentine men were fourth. Still, Rivarola and Tosti made up serious ground on Friday at Doral’s Blue Monster. Rivarola posted the second-lowest score on the board, a 3-under 69.
“It was pretty much the same as yesterday, but I drove it way better,” he said. “... My irons were good and my putter was as solid as yesterday.”
Rivarola’s score is almost directly attributable to hitting more fairways on Friday. He hit six more than on Thursday, for a total of 10, and had four birdies. Tosti added a second-round 76 as Olivero shot 78 and Acosta had 75.
The team is at 15-over 591. Argentina has never won this competition, but came close in 2010 when it was played on home turf at Olivos Golf Club in suburban Buenos Aires. Argentina finished second to the U.S., but the entire squad has since turned over.
All Rivarola, 17, can remember about the 2010 Copa de las Americas is that during that week, he was taking a vacation at the beach in Carilo, Argentina. The last few weeks, however, have been exactly opposite of vacation. Rivarola has been competing in South Florida for the previous two weeks, playing first the Doral-Publix Junior then the Junior Orange Bowl Championship. He was runner-up at the latter.
Not only would an Argentine victory be a first for this competition, but it would be the same story for any country not named Canada or the U.S.
Canada won the inaugural two Copas, in 2003 and 2005, and the U.S. won the following two in 2007 and 2010.
On the shoulders of Albin Choi, a junior at North Carolina State, Canada rose from fifth on the leaderboard after Round 1 to first after Round 2. Choi’s 68 was the lowest round of the day on Friday.
“I didn’t too play well yesterday, so I just kind of cleared my head and came out and had a better day today,” Choi said of shaving eight shots from his first-round 76.
Scores rose across the board on Friday, but Choi couldn’t explain why. It was another postcard day at Doral, perhaps with trickier pins.
Choi knows the thrill of team golf from college and from two turns on Canada’s World Team Amateur squad. One of those came in September, when he and teammates Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Connors finished T-6 overall.
“It’s always exciting,” Choi said of team golf. “It’s a different game when you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your country. It makes you play harder.”
Canada’s lead led to a brief history lesson for Choi. Should Canada be able to hold its lead, it would become the winningest team in the event's history. It’s too early, though, for Choi to think about that.
“To be a part of that team would be great,” he said. “I definitely think we have a very good chance, just keep playing solid golf. There’s still two more days left, so we’ll see how it goes, but it would be exciting, just thinking about it.”
DAY 2 SCOREBOARD
Par-72 TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami. Yardage: Men 7,099; women 6,205
Overall Championship 590 (300-290): Canada (Albin Choi 76-68—144; Corey Conners 77-69—146; Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 71-77—148; Augusta James 76-76—152)
591 (293-298): Argentina (Jaime López Rivarola 74-69—143; Alejandro Tosti 72-76—148; María Olivero 72-78—150; Delfina Acosta 75-75—150)
592 (295-297): Colombia (Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 71-71—142; Ricardo José Celia 70-75—145; Laura Blanco 75-70—145; Camila Serrano 79-81—160)
594 (298-296): Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 68-74—142; Gabriela López 73-71—144; Rodolfo Cazaubon 77-70—147; Fabiola Arriaga 80-81—161)
597 (295-302): USA (Chris Williams 71-75—146; Erynne Lee 73-75—148; Steven Fox 75-74—149; Lindy Duncan 76-78—154)
618 (312-306): Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 72-79—151; Talin Rajendranath 80-73—153; Monifa Sealy 78-78—156; Kelsey Lou-Hing 82-76—158)
622 (311-311): Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 73-73—146; Jorge Garcia 74-73—147; María Alejandra Merchán 82-82—164; Claudia de Antonio 82-83—165)
660 (335-325): Guatemala (Lucia Polo 76-77—153; Sebastian Barnoya 82-78—160; Rodrigo Olivero 81-82—163; Pilar Echeverría 96-88—184)
Men’s Championship
287 (141-146): Colombia (Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 71-71—142; Ricardo José Celia 70-75—145)
289 (145-144): Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 68-74—142; Rodolfo Cazaubon 77-70—147)
290 (153-137): Canada (Albin Choi 76-68—144; Corey Conners 77-69—146)
291 (146-145): Argentina (Jaime López Rivarola 74-69—143; Alejandro Tosti 72-76—148)
293 (149-144): Puerto Rico (Erick Morales 74-71—145; Edward Figueroa 75-73—148)
293 (147-146): Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 73-73—146; Jorge Garcia 74-73—147)
295 (146-149): USA (Chris Williams 71-75—146; Steven Fox 75-74—149)
301 (155-146): Peru (Joaquin Lolas 76-67—143; Miguel Tola 79-79—158)
304 (152-152): Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 72-79—151; Talin Rajendranath 80-73—153)
305 (154-151): Panama (Omar Tejeira 74-74—148; Miguel Ordoñez 80-77—157)
323 (163-160): Guatemala (Sebastian Barnoya 82-78—160; Rodrigo Olivero 81-82—163)
Women’s Championship
300 (147-153): Argentina (María Olivero 72-78—150; Delfina Acosta 75-75—150)
300 (147-153): Canada (Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 71-77—148; Augusta James 76-76—152)
302 (149-153): USA (Erynne Lee 73-75—148; Lindy Duncan 76-78—154)
305 (154-151): Colombia (Laura Blanco 75-70—145; Camila Serrano 79-81—160)
305 (153-152): Mexico (Gabriela López 73-71—144; Fabiola Arriaga 80-81—161)
314 (160-154): Trinidad and Tobago (Monifa Sealy 78-78—156; Kelsey Lou-Hing 82-76—158)
329 (164-165): Venezuela (María Alejandra Merchán 82-82—164; Claudia de Antonio 82-83—165)
337 (172-165): Guatemala (Lucia Polo 76-77—153; Pilar Echeverría 96-88—184)
Labels: Amateur Ladies, Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, January 04, 2013
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home