Sunday, January 26, 2014

INWARD HALF KILLS SCOT'S VICTORY HOPES IN CALIFORNIA

RUSSELL KNOX FADES AFTER GETTING

TO ONE SHOT OFF LAST-ROUND LEAD

Russell Knox was only one shot off the lead with six holes to play in the final round of the $6million Farmers Insurance Open, the last two rounds of which are being contested over the South Course at Torrey Pines, La Jolla in California.
But the Inverness-born, Jacksonville Beach, Florida-based player, who had birdied the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth, dropping only one shot, at the seventh, in an outward 33, could not push home his challenge.
He covered his last nine holes with eight pars and a bogey at the 15th for a two-under 70 and a total of six-under 282. Earlier rounds had been 71, 67 and 74.
But in the closing stages of a US PGA Tour event, pars and bogeys are not good enough to maintain a challenge. But Knox is getting closer, give him credit for that. 
At the end of the day, Knox - whose father was born at San Diego, California - finished joint 10th, his highest finish on the US PGA Tour, topping last week's high mark both in finish and earnings.
His cheque for the Farmers Insurance Open amounted to $135,216. 
EDITOR: We reckon Knox has now passed the million dollars mark for earnings in the USA. We will check it out.
Scott Stallings, the winner, received $1,098,000.
Runner-up was South Korean K J Choi on eight-under 280 after a dynamic final round of 66.



YOU CAN VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE


EUROPEAN TOTALS
282 Russell Knox (Scotland) 71 67 74 70 (T10)
284 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 69 67 75 73 (T19)
287 Martin Laird (Scotland) 69 71 74 73 (T37)
289 Lee Westwood (England) 73 68 75 73, Ian Poulter (England) 7u5 67 71 76 (T47)
290 David Lynn (England) 68 73 75 74 (T55)
300 Greg Owen (England) 70 74 74 82 (73rd)

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TWO DAYS GONE ... AND NOBODY HAS COMPLETED TWO ROUNDS

                             Even the elevated greens at Sueno Pines have excess surface water
NOT A NICE WEEKEND FOR WINTER HOLIDAYMAKERS IN SOUTHERN TURKEY NOR THE GOLFERS AT SUENO PINES

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
No player has completed two rounds after two very wet days of the Sueno Pines Classic
at Belek, Turkey.
The scheduled 54-hole tournament is due to finish on Monday when even more rain is forecast.
The organisers will be hoping to salvage a two-round tournament out of the bad weather disruptions but that needs the rain to stop and the greens to dry out.
One Scot who might not mind if the tourament is washed out altogether is David Law. He had
an uncharacteristic round of 12-over-par 84 after reaching the turn in 45 blows.

Bad enough for the pro golfers but just imagine if you had gone off for a winter holiday in southern Turkey to find that the rain had followed you there from the UK! 

SUENO PINES CLASSIC
Sueno Pines GC, Belek, Turkey
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
69 Alexander Knappe (Ger)
70 Nicolas Meitinger (Ger), Anton Kirstein (Ger)
72 Fernand Osther (Netherlands), Hurly Long (Ger) (am), sean Einhaus (Ger), Max Glauert (Ger).

 
SCOTTISH SCORES

74 Kris Nicol (T14)
75 Jordan Findlay (T22)
76 Conor O'Neil, Philip McLean (T34)
77 Craig Lawrie (T47)
80 Brad Hannah (T73)
84 David Law (T86).


ends

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THE NEARLY ACCURATE ARE PUNISHED, THE VERY WILD GET BETTER LIES

ROUGH JUST TOO THICK AT TORREY PINES: TIGER MIGHT NOT GO BACK

FROM THE GOLF DIGEST WEBSITE
By GEOFF SHACKELFORD
SAN DIEGO -- The winter chill has avoided Southern California but the high-rough setup at Torrey Pines may put a damper on the Farmers Insurance Open going forward.
Tiger Woods missed the Saturday cut, prompted by the high number of players who made it to the weekend. Phil Mickelson's back locked-up hitting out of the thick stuff, leading to his withdrawal. Worst of all, the first network Saturday telecast of 2014 was a total bore. (Oh, and it took them 5 hours and 30 minutes for the leaders to finish 18 holes on a windless, 70-degree day.)


I've been walking the course all week and while it's in tremendous condition and some key landing areas were wisely widened by the US PGA Tour rules staff, the rough is just silly in places. 
It's one thing when it's chip-out rough throughout and the misery is widespread. But the worst stuff seems to be just off the fairways and just off the greens. 
The result? The nearly accurate are punished, while the wild get by. Miss it 10 yards off line and you get a lie, miss it 10 feet and you are buried in the deep rye grass rough that was installed this year. They closed Torrey Pines down for an overseed, all to do this to a field just trying to get the year off on a solid note?
New bunker sand was also brought in and the bunkers rebuilt to reduce plugged lies, but the opposite has occurred. Plus, the raking is surprisingly close to a furrowed look. On a public course, in January when a big audience wants to see everyone having a good time, making birdies and showing off the winter work.

blog-shack-bunker-plug-480.jpg
The merits of these forms of trickery have long been debated and I know many golfers find it comforting to see great golfers struggle. Me? I find it cynical, depressing and the last thing we want to see in January at a place as beautiful and proven as Torrey Pines. Judging by the lack of roars from a typically inspired San Diego crowd that paid good money to have a good time, the rough has dampened the mood.


But of more concern should be what the rough does for future Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson appearances here. Neither man needs to begin their year grooving bad habits or tweaking nagging injuries because someone got a deal on ryegrass seed. 
Mickelson plans to redesign the North Course and lives nearby, so he's probably always going to tee it up in the Farmers. 
Woods, on the other hand, missed the Sunday cut in ugly fashion, and it wouldn't surprise me if we don't see him here again as long as officials insist on tall, thick, confining and pointless hay lining the holes.

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MOVING WITH THE GOLFING TIMES

R and A will permit DMDs in its 2014 

amateur tournaments 

FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOLF ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

The R and A has announced that they will permit the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) at all their amateur events in 2014.
The Local Rule (optional) has been available under the Rules of Golf since 2006 and the R and A is now exercising this option with effect from 2014. This Local Rule will be introduced for the R and A’s amateur events only and  will NOT be introduced for the Open Championship or any qualifying events for the Open Championship. 
It is not a recommendation for others to follow suit but as we, the South African Golf Association generally follow the R and A’s suit we have decided to allow the use of Distance Measuring Devices, by introduction of the appropriate Local Rule only, at all SAGA national tournaments and championships with immediate effect. 
Players are reminded that devices that also measure conditions other than distance only would constitute a breach of Rule 14-3 and not permitted, whether used or not.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Ladies Golf Union recently announced on its website that they would permit DMDs in events under their auspices.

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ENGLISH GOLFERS' GREAT WEEKEND OVERSEAS DOUBLE

ENGLAND'S RYAN EVANS WINS LAKE MACQUARIE TITLE IN AUSTRALIA

FROM THE TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
In contrast to the third day, the final round got under way in good golfing conditions.
As expected, the final round was a very tight battle between the top “grouping” following round three.
Ryan Evans from England continued his consistent run with great birdies on ten, fifteen and seventeen to add to his two front nine birdies for a four under par 68 for a seven-under-par otal of 281.

He won by two shots from Luke Toomey and Jarryd Felton who both carded two under par 70’s for a four round total of 283.
Toomey had a mixed front nine with four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey to turn one over but birdied ten, eleven and fifteen on the back to come home in 33. Jarryd Felton was very steady carding four birdies and two bogies to be out in 34 and home in 36.
Overnight leader Jordan Zunic had is worst round of the tournament carding only one birdie and three bogeys for a two over 74.
Tae Koh shot two front nine birdies to be out in 34 but mixed birdies on eleven and sixteen with a bogey on 13 for a fine 69 to finish in fifth place.
Vaughan McCall from New Zealand shot a superb 65 today with an eagle on nine, birdies on two, four, five, six, ten, eleven and sixteen to go with two back nine bogies for his seven under which equalled the feat of Jordan Zunic and Tae Koh on the first day in setting a course record on the new layout. McCall already held a share of the old course record of 63.
The Junior winner was Isaac Noh from Avondale who shot 68, 69, 81, 72 for a four round total of two over 290.
 
Ryan Evans made it a great overseas title double for English golfers at the weekend following Paul Howard's success and Jimmy Mullen's third place finish in the South American men's amateur championship in Colombia. 
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
281 Ryan Evans (England) 70 69 74 68 
283 Luke Toomey 73 69 71 70, Jarryd Felton 68 70 75 70. 
284 Jordan Zunic 65 74 70 74 285 Tae Koh 65 77 74 69

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LAKE MACQUARIE AMATEUR MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

JORDAN ZUNIC LEADS BY THREE WITH
ONE ROUND TO GO AT BELMONT

FROM THE TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
In direct contrast to the second day, the southerly blew up sparing to only the first few groups in the morning field. The back nine in particular took its toll on many players with a strong southerly giving the beachside holes plenty of teeth. Only two players managed best round scores of 69.
Jordan Zunic holds a three shot lead heading into the last round after carding a third round 70. It was a fine comeback after being three over after three holes, Zunic carded three birdies to turn square with the card. 

He mixed birdies on ten, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and eighteen with a double bogey on fifteen and a bogey on seventeen to finish on six under 210, three shots ahead of five other players.
Geoff Drakeford fired his third consecutive 71 to be three under. Luke Toomey from New Zealand eagled the fourth on his way to a one under 71 and a share of second place. 

Englishman Ryan Evans shot two over 74 to go with his first two rounds of 70 and 69. Jarryd Felton dropped three shots for a 75 and overnight leader Curtis Luck shot 77 to also sit on 213 going into the last round.
Mitchell Venables carded an even round 72 to be two under through 54 holes while Tae Koh and Dale Brandt-Richards both shot two over 74’s to be even with the card over three rounds.
Defending Champion Josh Munn from New Zealand followed his first two rounds of 77 and 71 with a fine 69 including three birdies on the front nine to be one over along with Blair Riordan, Jake McLeod and Charles Wright and put himself in contention for a tilt at back to back titles
The last round promises to be a tight tussle with a dozen or so players in the mix

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WOODS HAS A 79 OVER TORREY PINES' SOUTH COURSE


 BIG-HITTER WOODLAND TAKES LEAD 

AS TIGER MISSES THIRD-ROUND CUT
 Gary Woodland, leads by one from Spieth and Leishman. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c).

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE 
La Jolla, California (AP) - In the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open, Gary Woodland fired a 2-under 70 to claim the lead.Tiger Woods was right. The South Course at Torrey Pines is playing about as tough as it did for the U.S. Open in 2008.
Woods won that U.S. Open. He won't even have a tee time in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Gary Woodland used power to his advantage Saturday -- oddly enough, everywhere but on the par 5s -- to pick up five birdies in his round of two-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman going into a final day that won't include Woods.
Instead of getting back into the tournament, the defending champion and eight-time winner at Torrey Pines delivered a shocking performance. Woods went seven straight holes making bogey or worse and wound up with a 79, matching his worst score on American soil.
Woods left town without speaking to reporters and with an "MDF" next to his name, which probably should have been "OMG."
"MDF" is the US PGA TOUR's acronym for "made the cut, did not finish." Because more than 78 players advanced to the weekend, there was a 54-hole cut for top 70 and ties. Only one other player, club pro Michael Block, had a worse score than Woods.
"You get going south on this golf course, you can definitely put up some numbers in a hurry," Woodland said when he heard about Woods' score. "I don't think he's too concerned about it."
There's plenty for everyone to be concerned about at Torrey Pines -- a beast of a course, thick rough, rock-hard greens, and nearly two dozen players so close to the lead that Sunday could be wide open.
Woodland is at 8-under 208. 
It's the highest 54-hole score to lead this tournament since Dave Rummells at 4-under 212 in 1993.
Spieth had a one-shot lead to start the third round and it was gone quickly. He missed a 30-inch par putt on the opening hole and took a double bogey on No. 5. His biggest putt might have been a 6-footer for par on the 14th, and Spieth looked confident the rest of the way to salvage a 75.
Aussie Leishman had a relatively boring round of 72 on a gorgeous day along the Pacific -- one birdie, one bogey, 16 pars. That might be what it takes on this monster of a course that features rough that might even make the USGA blush.
"If you let bogeys worry you on that golf course, it's going to be a pretty long day," Leishman said. "You don't have to do a whole lot wrong to have a bogey."
The average score on the South through three rounds was 74.24, compared with 74.97 during the U.S. Open
And keep in mind, the field for the Farmers Insurance Open is almost entirely US PGA TOUR or European Tour players.
San Diego native Pat Perez, who used to work the practice range as a teenager during this event, salvaged a 72 and was two shots behind with Morgan Hoffman (72). Ryo Ishikawa had a 69 and was in a large group at 5-under 211 that included Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts (75) and Andres Romero of Argentina, whose 67 was the best score of the day.
"When you play with Gary, who hits it 40 yards farther than I do, it doesn't look that hard," Perez said. "Where he hits it is unbelievable. But it was a lot harder today."
Twenty-two players were separated by four shots going into Sunday.
Woodland has been heading north since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open last year. He contended at The Barclays, lost in a play-off in Malaysia and now feels confident about who's in charge at San Diego. 
 Yes, the South course is a beast. But the Kansas native hits it a long way.
Then again, he made par on all of them, including a three-putt pars on the sixth and 18th holes. That was OK, for Woodland had nothing more than a wedge in on No. 1, and he collected a pair of birdies on the par 3s. His only lapse was a double bogey on No. 17 from a bad lie in the bunker and a three-putt.
"If I drive the ball in play, I'm playing a little different golf course than most guys are playing," Woodland said.
Spieth, with a chance to move into the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking with a win, hits the ball plenty far. He just wasn't very straight. The Texan pulled his opening tee shot and struggled to find fairways the rest of the day. He hit only five of them.
The steady finish left him confident about collecting his second US PGA TOUR win this month.
"Only one shot back and a bunched leaderboard," Spieth said. "It's going to take a good score tomorrow. ... I'm excited about tomorrow. I had some great saves down the stretch today, so take that momentum."
Woods thought he had some momentum, coming off a birdie on the 17th hole and in the fairway on the par-5 18th with a shot at the green. He went into the water and made double bogey, then made another double bogey on the first hole with a three-putt. 
It was his first time with back-to-back double bogeys since the 2011 US PGA Championship. And it only got worse from there. 

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72) Players from USA unless stated 
208 Gary Woodland 65 73 70
209 Marc Leishman (Australia) 66 71 72, Jordan Spieth 71 63 75
210 Pat Perez 67 71 72, Morgan Hoffman 72 66 72
211 Rory Sabbatini (S Africa) 74 68 69, Ryo Ishikawa (Japan) 72 70 69, Will MacKenzie 72 69 70, Scott Stallings 72 67 72, Brad Fritsch (Canada) 69 70 72, Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 69 67 75, Andres Romero (Argentina) 72 72 67

SELECTED OTHER SCORES
212 Russell Knox (Scotland) 71 67 74 (T13)
213 Ian Poulter (England) 75 67 71 (T23)
214 Martin Laired (Scotland) 69 71 74 (T27)
216 Lee Westwood (England) 73 68 75, David Lynn (England) v68 73 75 (T47)
218 Greg Owen (England) 70 74 74 (T63)

MISSED THIRD-ROUND CUT (219 and better qualified)
222 Tiger Woods 72 71 79
Withdrew: Phil Mickelson
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