Pettersson prevails: golfer cruises to victory at RBC Heritage
Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Hilton Head, SC, United States (AHN Sports) – Carl Pettersson knew what to do with the lead Sunday at the RBC Heritage. He went out early and increased it. Pettersson picked up early birdies in his final round at the fourth and fifth holes, got himself to 15-under par and went to the final nine holes with a five-shot lead. He kept that margin, finishing with a three-under-par 69 and a 14-under par total of 270 at the Harbour Town Golf Links. Zach Johnson made a brief run but could only manage to shoot 70 and finished at nine-under par, good enough for solo second. Colt Knost had a chance to tie Johnson for second but bogeyed the final hole from the middle of the fairway and finished eight-under. It was Pettersson’s day from the start. After his early birdies, he went on a par run until he reached the par five 15th where he made bogey for the second straight day. But it didn’t matter, he parred in for the easy win. “It’s wasn’t easy,” Pettersson insisted. “It’s always tough playing with a lead. But I played good golf today. I had it in cruise control on the front nine.” Pettersson won for the fifth time on the PGA Tour. It was his second win in an RBC-sponsored event, having won the RBC Canadian Open in 2010, his last win prior to Sunday’s victory. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Colt Knost gallops into lead with 66 at RBC Heritage
Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Hilton Head, SC, United States (AHN Sports) – Former U.S. Amateur champion Colt Knost has only one bogey in 36 holes at the Harbour Town Golf Links and is the leader at the RBC Heritage. Knost is nine-under par at the halfway mark, two shots in front of Carl Pettersson, who shot the day’s low round, a six-under par 65. Scoring was improved on Friday in near-perfect conditions. Boo Weekley, the champion here in 2007 and 2008, got himself into contention with a 66 that got him to six-under par and tied with Harris English. They were a shot in front of Robert Garrigus and Chad Campbell, who finished at five-under par. Defending champion Brandt Snedeker shot 67 and got himself into contention. He was tied with four other players at four-under par. The 36-hole cut came at three-over par. Luke Donald, the world’s No. 1 player, rallied after his opening 75 with a 69 and made it to two-over par 144 and will play the weekend. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Taylor, Campbell, Knost tied for first round lead at RBC Heritage
Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Hilton Head, SC, United States (AHN Sports) – Jim Furyk went out Thursday morning, greeted by wind and chilly air at the Harbour Town Golf Links. The former U.S. Open champ worked his way to a three-under par 68 to hold the early lead. “The conditions were tough this morning. It was quite chilly (40s) and quite breezy and gusty. I’m happy to get in with the score I shot,” Furyk said. As the day went on, temperature climbed into the 60s and the winds calmed. Vaughn Taylor was the first to take advantage of his afternoon tee time. By the time he reached his final hole, the short par four ninth, he was two-under par. “I hit a four-iron and had 100 yards left,” he said, talking about his final hole. “It was either a smash lob wedge or a smooth sand wedge. I hit the smooth sand wedge.” He smoothed that shot into the hole for an eagle two and went to the top of the leaderboard. Later he was joined by Chad Campbell, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and Colt Knost. “I just played pretty solid all day,” said Campbell. “I kept the ball in play. This is one of my favorite events.” Furyk was joined at three-under par by Charlie Wi, Harris English and Matt Every. Luke Donald, the world’s top-ranked player, struggled in the challenging morning conditions. He finished with a four-over par 75 and will have to work hard on Friday to make the 36-hole cut. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
More questions than answers after Bubba Watson wins Masters
AHN Sports Staff Augusta, GA, United States (AHN Sports) – A Watson won the Masters, but nothing about golf seems elementary right now. Bubba Watson reached deep into his bag of trick shots and pulled off an incredible hooking wedge shot into the 10th green on the second hole of a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen. The shot from the trees and off the pine straw led to a par and won Watson his first major and a green jacket. It also set off a number of questions that will take months and three more majors to answer. Can Watson win another major? He’s always had talent but also a bit flaky and never the best under pressure. But he sure handled the pressure Sunday at Augusta National and should be full of confidence after breaking through to win a major. While Watson was able to take his name off the list of good players never to have won a major, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood were not. Neither was Sergio Garcia. Westwood gave it a pretty good run though and tied for third at 8-under-par after a closing 68. Donald on the other hand was a non-factor, finishing tied for 32nd at 3-over. The world No. 1 hardly looked like the top-ranked golfer in the world, opening 75-73-75 before salvaging Sunday with a 68. Will Donald or Westwood ever break through? You would think so given how talented they are but Westwood will need to have one of his better putting weeks and Donald will have to find a way to bring his A game to the big-time events. As for Garcia, there just seems to be too much damage done mentally after a number of close calls as he readily admitted he isn’t talented enough to win a major this week at Augusta. That may have been frustration talking after a 75 on Saturday and he did finish tied for 12th at 2-under, but it’s hard to consider a guy a major threat when even he doesn’t feel he has the game to pull it off. Phil Mickelson has the game to pull it off at Augusta, he’s done so three times in his career, but he gave away a shot at a fourth green jacket Sunday on the fourth hole. A triple-bogey at the tough par-3 had Mickelson in recovery mode the rest of the round and he was never able to fully recover, eventually finishing tied for third at 8-under, two …
Most big names no-shows in Masters drama
AHN Sports Staff Augusta, GA, United States (AHN Sports) – The Masters had a tension-filled finish, complete with a string of birdies and a playoff, it’s just that it wasn’t provided by the players everyone expected. The build-up and hype were too much for many of the world’s top players to live up to and while Bubba Watson was outlasting Louis Oosthuizen for his first career major, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and a few others were left to wonder what happened. For Woods it was his inability to control his ball and score on the par-5s, McIlroy was done in by a pair of double-bogeys on the front nine on Saturday and Donald was just not a factor in a major once again despite being the top-ranked player in the world. Perhaps it was just too much to begin with, the expectations for an epic Masters too high. Woods, McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Donald had all won this season and seemed to be at the top of their games coming to Augusta National. Of that group only Mickelson delivered. Woods was not the same player that dominated the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Kicking clubs and missing greens, he recorded just two birdies on the par-5s all week. That’s just not going to get it done and he knows it. “If I look back on the week, I played the par 5s atrociously,” Woods said. “This is a golf course you just have to dominate the par 5s, and I did not do that at all this week.” Woods finished at 5-over, tied with McIlroy. Donald managed a hollow 68 on Sunday and climbed to 3-over for the tournament. Looking for his first green jacket and to rebound from a meltdown on the back nine in the final round a year ago, McIlroy shot 77-76 over the weekend and was never a factor. “I played pretty well over the first couple days and then just came out on Saturday and really just didn’t have it that front nine,” McIlroy said. “And that …
Masters movers: Hanson, Mickelson go low, finish 1-2 through 54 holes
Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Augusta, GA, United States (AHN Sports) – Moving day at the Masters Saturday turned into the Peter and Phil show, as in Hanson and Mickelson. Hanson, playing in only his second Masters, shot the round of the tournament — a seven-under par 65 that got him to nine-under par, 207, and he’ll take a one-shot lead over Mickelson into Sunday’s final round at Augusta National. While Hanson shot the round of the day, Mickelson had a back nine that ranked among the great efforts in the history of the Masters. After nine straight pars on the front, the three-time Masters champion birdied the difficult 10th, then added another at the 12th. At the 13th, his run continued in a big way with a great drive and a second shot that finished 20-feet from the hole. He canned his eagle putt and a roar went up that echoed around the course. “I heard that roar,” Hanson said. “I heard Phil make the putt at 13.” “That was a big momentum change there,” said Mickelson. “Ive hit that putt so many times over the years. I knew what it was going to do.” What it did was fall perfectly in the side of the hole. Mickelson added another birdie when he went long in two at the par five 15th but hit a high flop shot that landed like a bean bag, five feet from the hole. He made that then hit his most amazing iron shot of the day with his second at the 18th. Mickelson’s drive finished in the right rough and from there, he hooked his shot 40 yards onto the green and it finished 12 feet away. Mickelson made the birdie, his third in a row at the final hole and finished with a 30 on the back nine and a 66. Mickelson again credited his finish on Thursday that limited the damage of a shaky round. “That was important because at some point, I get hot on this course,” Mickelson said and he got hot over the final nine. Hanson and Mickelson led the shakeup …
Couples works Masters magic once again
AHN Sports Staff Augusta, GA, United States (AHN Sports) – Fred Couples is 52 with a bad back, unless he’s inside the gates at Augusta National, there he’s ageless with a timeless game. Couples turned back the clock again Friday, firing s 5-under-par 67 to grab a share of the 36-hole lead at The Masters. In a round that included seven birdies, Couples flashed the form that earned him a green jacket 20 years ago and that has kept the patrons enthralled over the years. The swing looks every bit as smooth and easy as it did in his hey day and Couples believes he has a chance this weekend, a real chance. “I believe I can,” Couples said when asked if he can win the event at 52. And why not. It is hard to find anyone that gets as much of a boost from returning to Magnolia Lane as Couples. And this is nothing new. He has had 10 top-10 finishes in 27 Masters appearances, tied for 15th last year and was sixth in 2010. I’ve said it for 28 years, this is my favorite golf tournament in the world,” Couples said. “I feel young when I get here.” He looked young Friday, posting the round of the day and tying for the low round of the tournament so far with Lee Westwood, who opened with a 67 Thursday. “Five under was an incredible round, a very, very good round,” Couples said. “I know Phil had just birdied 18 for four under [for the day] and Sergio is behind me and Rory was a little bit behind me and Lee was ahead of me. There was a lot going on there, and for me to be a part of it, it’s really amazing. I’m very thrilled with the way I played today.” There is still a long way to go, but two more rounds like Friday and Couples will be giving everyone at Augusta a thrill one more time. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Masters washout: Harrington, Byrd win rained-out par three contest
Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Augusta, GA, United States (AHN Sports) – Severe storms hit Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday afternoon and wiped out most of the traditional par-three contest, a prelude to what might happen Thursday. Paddy Harrington and Jonathan Byrd shot five-under par 22s and were declared co-winners. The par three winner has never won the Masters. Harrington won the par three contest twice previously in 2003 and 2004 . Adam Scott was runnerup at four-under. Phil Mickelson managed to finish and shot three-under. The severe weather may once again be on tap for Thursday. There is a 60 percent chance of bad weather during the first round. The tournament will get underway at 7:40 Thursday morning when the Big Three from the 60s and 70s — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player hit the first tee shots as honorary starters. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Six share Sicilian Open lead, John Daly two shots back
Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Sicily, Italy (AHN Sports) – Roll call might be in order when you look at the 36-hole leaders at the Sicilian Open. A total of six players share the halfway lead at the Verdura Golf Resort. Pelle Edberg of Sweden had the best second round of the group, shooting 66 to gain his share of the lead. He was joined by David Lynn of England (67-69), Jamie Donaldson of Wales (65-71), first round leader Peter Lawrie of Ireland (64-71), Maarten Lafeber of France (68-68) and Simon Wakefield of England (69-67). Best round of the day was turned in by Australia’s Richard Green. His 65 put him in a group with six others players a shot back of the half-dozen leaders at seven-under par, 137. American John Daly turned in a 67 and moved into contention at six-under, 138. The scoring was low for the second straight day. It took a three-under par total to make the cut and Italy’s favorite teenager, Matteo Manassero, missed the cut after shooting a pair of 72s to finish at even par 144. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
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