Saturday, June 29, 2013

CASTRO AND SPIETH TIED FOR LEAD WHEN PLAY SUSPENDED AT AT AND T NATIONAL

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
In the second round of the AT and T National at Congressional Country Club, Roberto Castro and Jordan Spieth were tied for the lead at 7-under when play was suspended due to inclement weather.

BETHESDA, Maryland  -- Jordan Spieth, playing with nothing to lose, gave himself another chance to win going into the weekend at the AT and T National. Spieth hit every green in regulation Friday and extended his streak to 29 holes without a bogey on a tough Congressional course, giving him a 5-under 66 and a share of the lead with Roberto Castro (69) before storms halted the second round. They were at 7-under 135, with the round to be completed Saturday morning.
Players went back out to the practice range after a two-hour delay, only for more storms to approach and extended the suspension until the PGA TOUR called it for the day. Andres Romero was at 5 under with five holes remaining. No one else was within four shots of the lead.
Spieth is the 19-year-old Texan who started the season with no status, uncertain where he was going to play. He now has earned over $900,000 -- the equivalent of being No. 39 on the PGA TOUR money list -- and is assured of a TOUR card when the new season starts in October.
But he won't be eligible for the lucrative FedExCup Playoffs unless he's a PGA TOUR member, and he can't be a member this year unless he wins.
"Honestly, I think it's a great position to be in," Spieth said. "I'm just free swinging. I can't be in the Playoffs unless I win, and that makes winning the No. 1 goal. You'd like to get in the Playoffs and play against the top players, the best players from this year. It's everyone's goal out here to win the FedExCup. My goal is to move up the world rankings as much as I can, and that's the way to do it, is to get into those Playoffs."
D.H. Lee had a 66 and was two shots behind at 5-under 139. Cameron Tringale (67) and James Driscoll (69) were another shot behind, while the group at 3-under 139 included former British Open champion Stewart Cink (69), Gary Woodland (69) and David Lingmerth, who went from around the cut line to contention with a 65.
Spieth has lived up to the hype he first generated when he played late on Sunday in the HP Byron Nelson Championship at age 16 and tied for 16th. In one year at Texas, the Longhorns won the NCAA title. And in six months as a pro, he has shown quickly that he belongs.
He already has four top 10s and has special temporary membership, meaning he gets unlimited exemptions. His goal was to somehow get a PGA TOUR card for 2013-14 season, and a win would be over the top.
Even so, the teenager who was born just three years before Tiger Woods turned pro is savvy to realize the tournament is not even halfway over.
"I can't really think about that at this point," he said. "There's a long way to go. I'm kind of free swinging. I've gotten in a position where I can play a pretty full schedule this year, and I know I'll have my card for next year. Now all there's left to do is try and get a win to make the Playoffs. So I'm just going out there trying to win and being aggressive, and hopefully, it will work out for me."
Scoring was slightly better at Congressional, a course that has hosted the U.S. Open three times. Warmer weather in the morning made the ball fly a little farther and shortened the longest PGA TOUR course on the mainland.
Spieth began his day with a 25-foot birdie putt on the first hole, avoided a long three-putt from above the hole on No. 4 by making a 12-foot par putt and then picked up four birdies over the final five holes on the front nine for a 31. He made nine pars on the back nine, never coming close to a bogey.
It was a clean round, executed well by a teenagers who plays like he knows where he is going.
"I'm excited for what the weekend is going to bring," he said.
Castro tied the course record on the TPC Sawgrass in May with a 63 to lead the opening round of THE PLAYERS Championship, and then he followed with a 78 and never seriously challenge the rest of the week. After opening with a 66 at Congressional, he dropped a shot early from a fairway bunker on No. 3 and was plodding along until finishing the back nine with a pair of birdies, and then adding a birdie on the par-5 16th.
"I felt good," he said. "I probably learned a lot there (at Sawgrass) and realized that one round doesn't mean anything -- just got to keep going. And I was able to do that."
Defending champion Woods is not playing because of an elbow injury, and U.S. Open champion Justin Rose withdrew earlier in the week because of fatigue. Some of the other big names most likely won't be around for the weekend, such as Hunter Mahan, who had a 72 and was at 5-over 147. Masters champion Adam Scott traded birdies and bogeys in his round of 71 that left him nine shots behind.
Brandt Snedeker had to salvage a scrappy round with two late birdies for a 71, leaving him five shots behind

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JAMES BYRNE JT 26TH IN TEMPLER PARK MASTERS

Banchory's James Byrne finished joint 26th in the Asian Developmental Tour's Templer Park Masters tournament at Templer Park Country Club, Kuala Lumpur today (Sat).
The Northern Open champion shot rounds of 76, 70, 74 and 73 for five-over-par 293. He finished 15 shots behind the winner, Nicholas Fung (Malaysia) who had scores of 67, 70, 68 and 73 for 10-under 278.

NEWS RELEASE
 
FANTASTIC FUNG CAPS THRILLING WIN AT PGM-UMW TEMPLER PARK MASTERS
 
Kuala Lumpur, June 29: Nicholas Fung overcame an edgy closing three holes to win his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PGM-UMW Templer Park Masters on Saturday.
 
The highly rated Malaysian defeated Berry Henson of the United States by one-shot despite making bogeys on 16 and 18 for a one-over-par 73 at the Templer Park Country Club.
 
Henson (72) made four straight bogeys from the 14th hole to settle for second while another Malaysian Shaaban Hussin recorded a 73 for third place at the RM200,000 (approximately US$65,000) ADT event.
 
Vietnamese rising star Michael Tran (73) was a further shot back in fourth. Talented Filipino Miguel Tabuena shared fifth place with Malaysians Sukree Othman and Zurie Harun after posting 69, 70 and 74 respectively.
 
The bespectacled Fung, who totalled 10-under-par 278, held his nerve on the last hole to notch his first ADT title after coming close on several occasions. His victory also propelled him to the top of the ADT Order of Merit where he leads on US$23,471.
 
“This feels great because I’ve been trying  to win on the ADT for so long. I was feeling nervous on the last hole and I’m fortunate that I made bogey and not worst. Berry and I had a good fight but when he had the stretch of bogeys, it gave me more confidence,” said the 23-year-old Fung.
 
Fung became only the second Malaysian after Danny Chia to triumph on the ADT this season and he is now setting his sights on winning on the Asian Tour, which is celebrating its 10th season this year.
 
“I’m getting better because I can win on the ADT. Now I’m looking forward to win on the Asian Tour. There are many international players here so it isn’t easy to win. I tried really hard,” said Fung, who earned his Asian Tour card at Qualifying School in Thailand earlier this year.
 
“I want to be an example to other Malaysians. I hope more Malaysians will play on the Asian Tour. If I can do it so can the other players,” smiled Fung, who won US$11,010 and earned six Official World Golf Ranking points.
 
Henson, a winner on the Asian Tour and ADT, rued a lapse in concentration on the closing stretch but was gracious in defeat.
 
“I’m going to forget about everything today. I don’t want to remember about anything on the last few holes. I was mentally exhausted and couldn’t keep it together,” said the American.
 
“Fung played brilliantly. He is tough to play against. He doesn’t hit it far but he hits it straight and puts himself in position to score. This win might springboard him to do better on the Asian Tour so I wish him the best of luck,” added Henson.
 
Leading final round scores:
278 - Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 67 70 68 73
279 - Berry HENSON (USA) 66 70 71 72
281 - Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS) 67 74 67 73
282 - Michael TRAN (VIE) 68 71 70 73
286 - Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 71 71 75 69, Sukree OTHMAN (MAS) 72 71 73 70, Zurie HARUN (MAS) 75 70 67 74
287 - Michael MOORE (AUS) 68 74 75 70, Adam BLYTH (AUS) 73 70 74 70, Kodai ICHIHARA (JPN) 72 69 72 74
289 - Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA) 75 72 71 71, Rory HIE (INA) 74 72 72 71, Mars PUCAY (PHI) 73 72 73 71, Steve LEWTON (ENG) 67 73 77 72, James BOWEN (USA) 69 70 75 75
290 - Grant JACKSON (ENG) 75 71 72 72, Jack MUNRO (AUS) 73 74 72 71, Timothy LOW (SIN) 73 71 72 74
291 - Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN) 69 74 76 72, Akhmal TARMIZEE (MAS) 75 71 73 72, Mitsuhiko HASHIZUME (JPN) 73 69 77 72, Darren TAN (AUS) 73 74 73 71, David LUTTERUS (AUS) 72 70 75 74
292 - Masaru TAKAHASHI (JPN) 71 74 73 74, Airil Rizman ZAHARI (MAS) 73 72 73 74


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