Costa del Sol Golf

Tom Watson will play the US Open for the first time in seven years after accepting a special exemption to take part in the 2010 championship at Pebble Beach.

The 60-year-old American has competed at the four previous US Opens held at Pebble Beach, California, winning the title in 1982, and agreed to return after the United States Golf Association granted him an exemption from qualifying.

“I am deeply grateful to the USGA for extending me the invitation to play in the US Open at one of my favourite golf courses in the world,” Watson said in a statement.

Watson has won eight Major championships and came agonisingly close to adding a ninth when he finished runner-up at last year’s Open at Turnberry.

The US Open starts on June 17.

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Steve Stricker was forced to hold on for victory at the Northern Trust Open after Luke Donald shot a final-round 66.

American Stricker claimed a two-shot win over the Englishman with a one-under-par 70 at the Riviera Country Club and has now climbed to the world number two ranking at the expense of two-time defending champion Phil Mickelson.

The left-hander needed a top-six finish to keep the rank but could only manage a tie for 45th after a closing 73.

The victory for Stricker continued a remarkable turnaround after he lost his PGA Tour card in 2004. He won the tour’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2006 and 2007, won three titles in 2009 and after three tournaments this year has yet to shoot over par.

“It feels great, this means a lot,” an emotional Stricker told NBC Sports. “I remember where I was and look at where I am now, it doesn’t get any better and I really appreciate it.”

Stricker had taken a six-stroke lead into the final round near Los Angeles and, 12 months after losing a two-shot lead in the same tournament to Phil Mickelson, a nervy start in Pacific Palisades saw Donald cut the lead to two after just five holes.

Birdies at the eighth and ninth put Stricker back on the right track before both he and his rival birdied the 11th and then bogeyed the 12th, Donald’s first dropped shot in 34 holes.

Donald increased the pressure a little more with a birdie at 13 and further still with a four at the par-five 17th to cut the lead to two, but Stricker held his nerve to par the 72nd hole for victory, the Englishman also parring for his third consecutive top-10 finish at Riviera.

“It was hard,” Stricker added. “I aged a lot out there today and it was a grind from the get-go.”

Halfway leader Dustin Johnson also shot a 66 to claim a tie for third place at 13 under with fellow American JB Holmes, who carded a 67.

Newly-appointed US Ryder Cup vice-captain Paul Goydos shot a 65 to claim a share of fifth place alongside compatriots Steve Marino and George McNeill, as well as Argentina’s Andres Romero.

Closing rounds of 73 and 72 saw England’s Justin Rose slip down the leaderboard to three under par and a tie for 37th, while a closing 73 sent countryman Brian Davis to one under and Scotland’s Martin Laird wrapped things up with a 72 to finish at one over par.

Collated final round scores & totals in the USPGA Tour Northern Trust Open, Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, California, United States of America

(USA unless stated, par 71):

268 Steve Stricker 67 65 66 70

270 Luke Donald (Eng) 68 70 66 66

271 Dustin Johnson 64 67 74 66, J.B. Holmes 68 69 67 67

274 George McNeill 70 69 66 69, Steve Marino 70 67 69 68, Paul Goydos 69 72 68 65, Andres Romero (Arg) 65 69 70 70

275 Ricky Barnes 66 71 69 69

276 Kevin Na 72 67 71 66, Kevin Stadler 65 71 69 71, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 70 70 68, Jason Bohn 69 75 67 65, Alex Prugh 71 69 66 70

277 Marc Leishman (Aus) 71 71 70 65, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 73 68 68 68, Bo Van Pelt 70 70 69 68, Webb Simpson 70 73 69 65, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 71 70 68 68

278 Charlie Wi (Kor) 72 68 69 69, Jim Furyk 71 70 68 69, Matt Kuchar 69 71 72 66, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 68 70, Scott Verplank 68 74 65 71, Brandt Snedeker 66 72 69 71, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl) 69 67 71 71

279 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 70 70 73 66, John Rollins 71 71 67 70, Michael Allen 69 70 71 69, Robert Allenby (Aus) 72 69 70 68, K J Choi (Kor) 71 72 71 65

280 Michael Letzig 71 72 68 69, Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 68 68 72 72, Stewart Cink 71 71 67 71, Bryce Molder 71 68 71 70, Tim Clark (Rsa) 69 72 71 68

281 Charley Hoffman 68 71 70 72, Woody Austin 71 72 70 68, Fred Couples 69 72 72 68, Chad Campbell 70 72 71 68, Justin Rose (Eng) 69 67 73 72, Jimmy Walker 71 72 71 67, Troy Matteson 68 69 74 70, Jonathan Byrd 68 74 71 68

282 Phil Mickelson 72 66 71 73, Rich Beem 74 69 68 71

283 Brian Davis (Eng) 72 70 68 73, Vaughn Taylor 73 70 72 68, Matt Bettencourt 70 74 72 67, Briny Baird 70 72 69 72, D.J. Trahan 72 71 72 68

284 D.A. Points 69 72 70 73, Anthony Kim 71 66 69 78

285 Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 72 72 70 71, Brett Quigley 70 73 72 70, John Merrick 70 72 68 75, Roland Thatcher 68 73 74 70, Martin Laird (Sco) 72 72 69 72, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 71 68 72 74, Mark Wilson 72 72 72 69

286 Justin Leonard 71 73 71 71, J J Henry 70 73 71 72, Jeff Overton 70 71 71 74, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 71 73 70 72, Ben Curtis 73 68 75 70, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 71 73 71 71, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 71 71 71 73

287 Nicholas Thompson 69 73 74 71

289 Steve Flesch 73 70 73 73, Craig Bowden 69 74 73 73

292 Parker McLachlin 71 73 72 76

294 Kevin Streelman 69 73 74 78

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Padraig Harrington was left to rue a bogey on his penultimate hole as he missed the halfway cut by a stroke at the rain-affected Northern Trust Open in Pacific Palisades.

Ireland’s three-time major winner was making his seasonal debut at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles in California and opened his account with a first round of one-over-par 73.

His second round got off to an encouraging start on a rainy Friday with two birdies but as the day wore on four bogeys followed. A birdie at the 16th had given Harrington some hope only for play to be brought to a close on Friday night with the Irishman on two over par with two to play.

More bad weather followed overnight with Riviera having to soak up more than three inches of rainfall by this morning, and the resumption of play was twice delayed further for the 41 players hoping to complete their second rounds.

The wait did Harrington no favours and he bogeyed the 17th on the way to a 73 to slip to three over and heading out of the tournament.

Scotland’s Martin Laird went in the other direction, though, having been three over after bogeying the sixth hole, his 15th, when play was halted.

Laird resumed this morning with a birdie to get to two under and he held on for second 72 in succession to make the cut on two over.

The third round was set to get under way with more rain forecast at Riviera but with Justin Rose having got into contention with a four-under-par 67 in the second round, leaving him four shots off the lead held by Steve Stricker and the still-to-finish Dustin Johnson when play was brought to a premature halt.

Johnson returned on Saturday and birdied the final hole to take the outright halfway lead at 11 under, his 67 aided by a hole-in-one at the 199-yard, par-three sixth.

Argentina’s Andres Romero was set to start his third round in third place at eight under following a 69, with Rose’s 67 putting him in a tie for fourth at six under alongside Kevin Stadler, who shot a level-par 71, Tim Wilkinson (67) and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa (68).

Rose’s compatriot and Ryder Cup team-mate Luke Donald finished with a one-under 70 in a group at four under that also included American Brandt Snedeker (72), South Africa’s Ernie Els (70) and defending champion Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson enjoyed a much a better day in the rain than he had on Thursday when he had shot a one-over 72. The world number two got his bid for a third Northern Trust Open title in a row back on track with a 66 to leap into a tie for 13th.

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American Scott Piercy made the most of ideal scoring conditions on the southern California coastline to surge one stroke clear in the San Diego Open first round at Torrey Pines.

With hardly a breath of wind on a glorious sun-drenched day, Piercy fired a sizzling eight-under-par 64 on the North Course at Torrey Pines, one of two layouts hosting the fourth US PGA Tour event of the year.

Piercy scorched the front nine in seven-under 29 before ending the round one ahead of compatriots Ben Crane, Chris Tidland and Tour rookie Matt Every, plus Ryuji Imada of Japan, who all played on the North layout.

American Tom Pernice Jr opened with a bogey-free 66 on the North while Australian Robert Allenby, who started out on the more difficult and much longer South Course, was among a group of nine bunched on 67.

Tournament favourite and three-times champion Phil Mickelson, who also began on the South, carded a two-under 70 after adopting a conservative approach in his first competitive round of the year.

Piercy, a rookie on last year’s US PGA Tour, was delighted to make a red-hot start after missing the cut in his first two events of the season.

“I ended the year well and was excited for 2010 to start,” the 31-year-old said. “I almost won twice late in the year and I was kind of itching to get back out here.

“I made a lot of tap-in birdies today. I tapped it in on one, tapped it in on two and chipped it in on three. On five, I hit it to like six inches again and also on seven. I couldn’t do a bad thing on the front nine.

“I kind of slowed down a little bit on the back but it was a lot wetter than the front and I got a couple of mud balls.”

Allenby, widely regarded as one of the best ball-strikers in the game, was delighted with his five-birdie display.

“I played nicely,” said the 38-year-old Australian, the only player in the top 15 who began on the South Course. “No bogeys, and that’s always a nice thing on the South Course.

“The only reason why I come to this tournament is because of the South Course. I always enjoy playing it. It’s very challenging, and it’s definitely a ball-striker’s course.”

World number two Mickelson, who heads this week’s field in the conspicuous absence of top-ranked Tiger Woods, was reasonably satisfied with his start.

The three-times Major champion mixed five birdies with three bogeys to lie six strokes off the pace but he will be tackling the easier North layout in Friday’s second round.

“I’ll take a couple under on the South,” Mickelson said.

“It’s playing long and it’s not the easiest to go low on.

“I played a little cautious today, trying to not make too many mistakes (to) keep myself in it because tomorrow the North is a course that provides the opportunity to shoot a low round.”

Three-times Major winner Ernie Els of South Africa also carded a 70 on the South while defending champion Nick Watney of the United States opened with a 71 at the same venue.

The scoring average on the 6,986-yard North Course was 70.192 while the brutal 7,698-yard South yielded a mean of 72.769.

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Players at this week’s San Diego Open will have to tackle two courses playing extra long after surprisingly heavy rainfall in the area over the last week.

The picturesque North and South layouts at Torrey Pines have been saturated by just over four inches on a part of the California coastline that usually receives a total of 10 inches for the entire year.

Around 20 trees were uprooted by strong winds last week and the rough on each of the two par-72 courses has become much thicker, thereby increasing the penalty for wayward shots.

“The fairways aren’t going to roll out as much and it (the rain) makes the courses play longer,” American Brandt Snedeker said.

“It’ll make it brutally tough because the rough will be super thick. And it changes each year here depending on the weather.

“A couple of years ago when I played really well here, there was hardly any rough at all,” he added, referring to his third place in 2007 when he tied the North Course record with a sizzling first-round 61.

“It was really dried out and baked. But the last couple of years there has been a lot of really thick rough and that makes the golf course play that much longer, that much tougher.”

American Bill Haas, who won his maiden PGA Tour title at the weather-disrupted Bob Hope Classic on Monday, was astonished to see the tree devastation when he arrived at Torrey Pines on Tuesday.

“They’ve lost a bunch of trees,” the 27-year-old said. “You see a lot of roots coming out of the ground, a lot of trunks, and that’s just terrible.

“But the course itself looks great and the fairways are perfect. You’re getting no roll and it’s going to play long and difficult but … there’s not much mud on the ball.”

With a favourable weather forecast for the rest of the week, Haas predicted generally low scoring for the fourth event on the 2010 PGA Tour.

“There will be guys every day that shoot probably five or six under (on the North Course),” he said. “I’d say for the majority on the South Course, even or one under (par) is a great score.”

The brutal 7,698-yard South Course, which staged the 2008 US Open, has always provided a much tougher test than its 6,986-yard North neighbour.

This week’s field of 156, headed by American world number two and three-times champion Phil Mickelson, will play each of the two courses for the first two rounds before the action shifts to the hosting South layout for the weekend.

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Nine-time PGA Tour winner Jay Haas saw son Bill win the Bob Hope Classic 22 years after he did - and predicted he will not want to lose the winning feeling.

Bill Haas followed in his father’s footsteps as he claimed his first PGA Tour title at the 90th hole in Palm Springs, California.

Jay Haas, 56, who won the 1988 Bob Hope Classic, the tour’s only annual five-round event, paid a surprise trip to the PGA West’s Palmer course having played in the opening Champions Tour event of the season in Hawaii on Sunday.

He arrived to see his 27-year-old son two-putt from 27 feet for a final-round 64 to win by a stroke at 30 under par from Tim Clark, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson.

“It’s somewhat of a monkey to get that first win,” Jay Haas said. “I think Bill came out (on tour) with some great expectations from a lot of people but especially of his own.

“But it’s tough out here, there’s a deep field every week and now that he’s tasted winning I think he’ll like it and want to do it again and again.

“I told him he’d be nervous but you’d much rather be nervous on those last few holes with a chance to win as opposed to being in 50th place or in the car, already gone from the event.

“It’s what you play for and you try to embrace that feeling.”

All four contenders had been seeking their first US tour victory with Kuchar shooting a nine-under 63 to get to 29 under.

Bill Haas, playing with fourth round co-leaders Alex Prugh and Watson in the final group, took advantage of his rivals’ caution after both South Africa’s Clark and the big-hitting Watson laid up at the par-five 18th hole.

Clark then missed his subsequent putt to get to 30 under, while Watson, on 28 under, left himself with a chip-in from the fringe for the eagle he needed to reach the same mark.

Haas, who had birdied the par-three 17th, went for broke off the 18th tee and sent his iron approach to 27 feet to leave himself with the two-putt, keeping his nerve to seal victory, unaware that his father had witnessed the event.

“This definitely adds confidence,” Bill Haas said. “Everybody has been talking about this father-son duo and he’s won nine (tournaments) out here so there’s a bunch I can do that in.

He added: “It’s pretty special.”

Proud father Jay Haas paid tribute to his son.

“I know how hard it is to win out here,” he said. “You have to be playing really well and you have to be a little bit lucky.

“Bill was a little bit there at the end. It looked like Bubba’s chip had a real good chance to go in and Tim had about an eight or nine footer.

“So things just fall into place, and Bill was in the right place at the right time.

“I won here in 1988 but anywhere you win is pretty special and I’m real proud of him. I gave him a big hug.”

Collated final round scores & totals (USA unless stated, par 72):

(x) denotes amateurs

330 Bill Haas 68 66 66 66 64

331 Bubba Watson 66 62 68 69 66, Matt Kuchar 67 69 67 65 63, Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 63 67 66 65

332 Alex Prugh 64 66 65 70 67

334 Mike Weir (Can) 67 67 67 67 66

336 D.J. Trahan 69 68 65 68 66

337 Kevin Na 69 66 67 69 66, Matthew Jones (Aus) 69 67 69 66 66

338 Vaughn Taylor 66 67 73 65 67, Chad Collins 67 64 69 70 68, Brandt Snedeker 70 69 65 66 68, Kevin Streelman 70 71 63 64 70, Ryan Moore 69 67 66 67 69

339 Brian Gay 71 65 70 68 65, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 68 65 66, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 65 68 68 69

340 Jeff Klauk 66 72 67 65 70, Richard S Johnson (Swe) 69 69 65 68 69, Kevin Stadler 67 69 69 67 68, George McNeill 65 72 65 70 68, Martin Flores 66 65 65 72 72, Jason Dufner 72 67 64 69 68, Graham Delaet (Can) 71 69 67 66 67, Derek Lamely 68 69 66 71 66

341 Pat Perez 68 69 68 70 66, John Merrick 68 70 66 66 71, Jeff Quinney 64 74 69 67 67, Joe Ogilvie 65 66 68 68 74, Bo Van Pelt 73 70 66 67 65, Garrett Willis 65 69 70 68 69, Charles Howell III 68 69 66 71 67

342 Brendon De Jonge 73 67 67 69 66, Ricky Barnes 67 72 67 69 67, J.P. Hayes 65 67 70 71 69, Heath Slocum 66 72 68 67 69, Webb Simpson 67 72 66 66 71, Jason Bohn 69 72 68 65 68

343 John Senden (Aus) 68 69 68 68 70, Matt Bettencourt 71 66 69 66 71, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 73 66 66 68 70

344 Michael Bradley 74 68 70 64 68, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 67 70 70 70 67, Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 68 70 70 68 68, Ryan Palmer 72 67 64 69 72, David Toms 70 70 67 70 67, Chris Couch 71 72 66 69 66

345 Joe Durant 71 69 69 70 66, Jeff Overton 68 68 69 69 71, Chris DiMarco 72 67 66 68 72, Jamie Lovemark 71 71 66 69 68

346 Chris Wilson 69 67 71 71 68, Ben Crane 70 69 70 64 73, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 70 67 68 71 70, Billy Mayfair 71 71 69 66 69, Roger Tambellini 66 71 70 68 71

347 Brian Davis (Eng) 73 70 69 67 68, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 70 69 68 69 71, Lee Janzen 69 70 66 70 72, Tom Gillis 68 66 72 72 69, Jerod Turner 69 69 71 68 70, Josh Teater 71 69 69 70 68

348 Michael Sim (Aus) 73 67 69 69 70, Omar Uresti 70 67 71 69 71, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 67 71 68 70 72, Harrison Frazar 72 72 68 66 70, Troy Merritt 72 70 66 69 71

349 Bob Estes 68 72 68 71 70, Bill Lunde 68 68 71 70 72, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 68 70 70 70 71

351 Brett Quigley 71 66 69 70 75, Greg Owen (Eng) 74 65 70 70 72, Shane Bertsch 62 69 77 71 72

354 Paul Goydos 69 69 67 69 80

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Bubba Watson and PGA Tour rookie Alex Prugh lead the Bob Hope Classic going into Monday’s rain-delayed fifth and final round in California.

Watson, waiting for a maiden PGA Tour victory after more than 100 tournament starts, had a two-shot lead over Prugh heading to his final hole of the day at PGA West’s Nicklaus course, one of four par-72s in use at the 90-hole pro-am event.

A double bogey, however, gave Watson a three-under 69 and sent him into a tie for the lead with his fellow American at 23 under par, Prugh, playing SilverRock, having posted a 70.

“It was just a struggle out there all day,” Watson said. “I haven’t hit my tee balls well in the last two days, but held it together. My mind’s still in the right place. We’ve got one more day to go, though and hopefully something sparks in the next few hours.

“Overall, at the end of the week, if I was tied for the lead, going into the last day, it’s always a great week. So I’m looking forward to the battle tomorrow - with myself, and with the golf course.”

Prugh said he was feeling a lot more comfortable about the challenge ahead.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow a lot,” he said.

“I think if I just keep my game plan that I was playing the last four days, and keep on plugging along, making birdies here and there, and minimising the mistakes, I think I’ll have a great chance.”

South Africa’s Tim Clark and Bill Haas of the United States are a stroke behind after both players carded 66s at SilverRock and Nicklaus respectively, while Canada’s Mike Weir shot a 67 at La Quinta to join Americans Matt Kuchar (65), Kevin Streelman (64) and Martin Flores (72) at 20 under par.

Sweden’s Richard S Johnson finished the day as the leading European after a 68 at SilverRock left him at 17 under with compatriot Carl Pettersson on 15 under following a 68 on the same course.

Another Swede, Fredrik Jacobson, and Norway’s Henrik Bjornstad, will start the final round on 12 under while English duo Greg Owen and Brian Davis made the cut for the final round on nine under.

Davis shot a 67 at the Palmer course while Owen left La Quinta with a 70 but a triple-bogey seven at Palmer’s 10th hole and three other bogeys sent Englishman Justin Rose to a 74 and out of the tournament at eight under par.

With just the professionals playing the final round, all play will take place on the Palmer course.

Collated fourth round scores & totals in the USPGA Tour Bob Hope Classic, PGA West Palmer Course, La Quinta CC, Silver Rock, PGA West Nicklaus Course, California, United States of America

(USA unless stated, par 72):

(x) denotes amateurs

PGA West (Palmer Course)

268 Kevin Streelman 70 71 63 64

272 Kevin Stadler 67 69 69 67, Jason Dufner 72 67 64 69, Ryan Palmer 72 67 64 69

274 Jason Bohn 69 72 68 65

275 Pat Perez 68 69 68 70, Lee Janzen 69 70 66 70

276 Bo Van Pelt 73 70 66 67

277 Troy Merritt 72 70 66 69

278 Chris Couch 71 72 66 69

279 Brian Davis (Eng) 73 70 69 67, Joe Durant 71 69 69 70, Josh Teater 71 69 69 70

Missed the cut:

280 Justin Rose (Eng) 70 67 69 74, Jimmy Walker 71 68 69 72, Rocco Mediate 75 71 67 67

281 Charley Hoffman 69 72 70 70, Tim Petrovic 67 75 70 69, James Nitties (Aus) 71 69 72 69, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 68 69 74 70

282 Chad Campbell 79 70 64 69, Rich Beem 71 74 68 69

283 Billy Horschel 77 68 67 71

286 Justin Leonard 75 71 72 68

287 Mark Calcavecchia 71 77 68 71

288 John Mallinger 74 76 68 70

290 David Lutterus (Rsa) 75 70 74 71

292 Greg Kraft 75 73 72 72

294 Rickie Fowler 74 70 75 75

295 Woody Austin 77 70 73 75

298 Craig Stadler 76 75 71 76

PGA West (Nicklaus Course)

265 Bubba Watson 66 62 68 69

266 Bill Haas 68 66 66 66

268 Matt Kuchar 67 69 67 65

269 Ryan Moore 69 67 66 67

270 Jeff Klauk 66 72 67 65, John Merrick 68 70 66 66

272 George McNeill 65 72 65 70

273 Ben Crane 70 69 70 64, John Senden (Aus) 68 69 68 68, Graham Delaet (Can) 71 69 67 66

275 Ricky Barnes 67 72 67 69, Roger Tambellini 66 71 70 68

276 Michael Bradley 74 68 70 64, Brett Quigley 71 66 69 70

277 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 67 70 70 70, David Toms 70 70 67 70, Jamie Lovemark 71 71 66 69

278 Michael Sim (Aus) 73 67 69 69, Harrison Frazar 72 72 68 66

279 Bob Estes 68 72 68 71

Missed the cut:

280 Scott Verplank 70 74 67 69

281 Chez Reavie 71 71 69 70

282 Sam Saunders 74 67 71 70, Cameron Percy (Aus) 70 70 71 71

285 Matthew Every 69 71 73 72, Mark Brooks 70 71 73 71, Johnson Wagner 75 70 73 67

286 Chris Tidland 72 72 69 73

287 Daniel Chopra (Swe) 73 71 73 70

288 Cameron Beckman 67 74 75 72

291 Steve Lowery 71 76 73 71, Christopher Baryla (Can) 71 78 72 70

La Quinta CC

267 Joe Ogilvie 65 66 68 68

268 Martin Flores 66 65 65 72, Mike Weir (Can) 67 67 67 67

270 Chad Collins 67 64 69 70, Brandt Snedeker 70 69 65 66, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 65 68 68, D.J. Trahan 69 68 65 68

271 Kevin Na 69 66 67 69, Webb Simpson 67 72 66 66

273 J.P. Hayes 65 67 70 71, Heath Slocum 66 72 68 67

274 Jeff Overton 68 68 69 69, Paul Goydos 69 69 67 69, Brian Gay 71 65 70 68, Derek Lamely 68 69 66 71

276 Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 68 70 70 68, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 70 69 68 69, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 67 71 68 70

277 Billy Mayfair 71 71 69 66

278 Tom Gillis 68 66 72 72

279 Greg Owen (Eng) 74 65 70 70

Missed the cut:

280 Briny Baird 68 67 75 70

281 Justin Bolli 70 71 67 73, David Duval 74 65 73 69, Blake Adams 74 68 69 70

283 Mathew Goggin (Aus) 76 71 68 68

286 Jeff Gove 72 69 74 71, Marc Turnesa 69 70 75 72, Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 74 70 72

287 Boo Weekley 71 74 67 75

296 Steve Flesch 71 78 71 76

Silver Rock

265 Alex Prugh 64 66 65 70

266 Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 63 67 66

271 Richard S Johnson (Swe) 69 69 65 68, Vaughn Taylor 66 67 73 65, Matthew Jones (Aus) 69 67 69 66

272 Garrett Willis 65 69 70 68, Matt Bettencourt 71 66 69 66

273 Chris DiMarco 72 67 66 68, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 68 65, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 73 66 66 68

274 Jeff Quinney 64 74 69 67, Charles Howell III 68 69 66 71

276 Brendon De Jonge 73 67 67 69, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 70 67 68 71

277 Omar Uresti 70 67 71 69, Bill Lunde 68 68 71 70, Jerod Turner 69 69 71 68

278 Chris Wilson 69 67 71 71, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 68 70 70 70

279 Shane Bertsch 62 69 77 71

Missed the cut:

280 Scott McCarron 67 71 67 75

281 D.A. Points 70 71 70 70, Jay Williamson 71 68 71 71, Nicholas Thompson 72 71 70 68

283 Martin Laird (Sco) 73 72 71 67, Ted Purdy 70 69 71 73

284 Kris Blanks 69 75 71 69, Chris Stroud 71 68 76 69, Kevin Johnson 76 75 65 68

286 Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 73 72 69 72

288 Scott Piercy 76 71 72 69

293 Brad Faxon 70 73 79 71

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Bubba Watson shot a 10-under-par 62 to take the lead as the second round finally got played at the rain-hit Bob Hope Classic in California.

PGA Tour officials are planning for a Monday finish at the event after play was washed out on Thursday and delayed for two hours on Friday after record rainfall in Palm Springs saturated the four desert courses in use for the five-round pro-am event.

With the amateurs and celebrities in the field given the day off, the PGA Tour professionals were sent out in twosomes off split tees at each of the four courses with organisers now expecting to complete the fifth and final round on Monday.

The soggy conditions did nothing to hamper Watson, however, as he followed up an opening six-under-par 66 at La Quinta on Wednesday with a 62 at the SilverRock course.

Watson rattled in five birdies and an eagle at the par-four fifth hole for a seven-under-par front nine and despite a bogey at the par-three 14th, three more birdies moved him to 16 under for the tournament, two strokes clear of fellow American Alex Prugh, who carded a 66 on the Palmer course at PGA West.

With La Quinta and SilverRock considered the more difficult courses in the tournament rotation, Watson said he was more than happy with his place at the top of the leaderboard.

“It’s a tough draw,” Watson said. “At La Quinta when the wind blows in it’s hard to shoot a low score but I played great there, no bogeys and then came to a long course that was wet and played my irons really well and putted really well.

“It was a great day, I wasn’t looking for a 62, just something under par. I’ll take a 62 though.”

Playing Palmer, first-round leader Shane Bertsch was level for his round after 14 holes following an opening 10-under 62 but three birdies in his closing four holes gave him a solid 69 to put him into a tie for third at 13 under.

PGA Tour rookie Martin Flores joined Bertsch there with a 65 at PGA West’s Nicklaus course, followed by Joe Ogilvie (66) and Chad Collins (64).

South Africa’s Tim Clark was the leading non-American after a 63 put him at 11 under in a tie for eighth while former major winners Steve Elkington of Australia and Mike Weir of Canada were both at 10 under after both playing Nicklaus. Weir, the 2003 Masters winner, shot a 67 while 1995 USPGA champion Elkington carded a 65.

England’s Justin Rose enjoyed the La Quinta Country Club layout, finishing with a five-under 67 to get to seven under par for the week.

Fellow Englishman Greg Owen bounced back from opening 74 to card a seven-under 65 at Nicklaus and get to five under par for the tournament while at La Quinta, Brian Davis was at one under following a 70.

A level-par 72 at Palmer left Scotland’s Martin Laird one under with 54 holes still to play.

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Shane Bertsch shot a 10-under-par 62 in windy desert conditions to take the first-round lead at the 90-hole Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs, California.

Played over five rounds of stroke play in a pro-am format with a professional partnering amateur teams of three on four different par-72 courses, the event is an annual oddity on the PGA Tour and there was some equally quirky weather on the opening day in the Coachella Valley.

As the sunshine disappeared, temperatures dropped and the wind got up, American Bertsch was not disturbed by the changes as his round progressed as he posted a bogey-free, 10-birdie round at the 6,868-yard Nicklaus course at PGA West.

That was enough to give Bertsch a two-stroke lead over compatriots Alex Prugh and Jeff Quinney, who played the same course, the shortest of the four in play this week.

Prugh and Quinney stand one shot ahead of an American quartet featuring tour veteran J P Hayes, whose 65 came on the Palmer course at PGA West, as did Joe Ogilvie’s, Garrett Willis (Nicklaus course) and George McNeill (La Quinta).

Heath Slocum, last year’s Barclays winner during the FedEx Cup play-offs, posted a 66 at Palmer to form part of a six-way tie for eighth place.

Canada’s Mike Weir was the highest placed non-American on five under par following his 67 at Palmer.

“There are usually good conditions and you can work on your game but it was a bit of a battle out there today,” former Masters champion Weir told the Golf Channel.

“It was different. The wind was pretty consistent on the front nine but on the back nine it was really bouncing around.”

Defending champion Pat Perez got his defence up and running with a 68 while Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik, the 2000 Bob Hope Classic champion and 2006 joint runner-up, was along with Norway’s Henrik Bjornstad carded the same score for the lowest European rounds of the day.

England’s Justin Rose, Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson and Germany’s Alex Cejka shot two-under-par 70s while Englishman Brian Davis and Scotland’s Martin Laird ended their days one over par.

Collated first-round scores (USA unless stated, par 72):

PGA West (Palmer Course)

65 Joe Ogilvie, J.P. Hayes

66 Martin Flores, Heath Slocum

67 Chad Collins, Mike Weir (Can), Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Webb Simpson

68 Henrik Bjornstad (Nor), Jeff Overton, Tom Gillis, Briny Baird, Derek Lamely

69 Kevin Na, Paul Goydos, Marc Turnesa, D.J. Trahan, Steve Elkington (Aus)

70 Justin Bolli, Greg Chalmers (Aus), Brandt Snedeker, Alex Cejka (Ger)

71 Brian Gay, Steve Flesch, Billy Mayfair, Boo Weekley

72 Jeff Gove

74 David Duval, Greg Owen (Eng), Blake Adams

76 Jeff Maggert, Mathew Goggin (Aus)

La Quinta CC

65 George McNeill

66 Jeff Klauk, Bubba Watson, Roger Tambellini

67 Ricky Barnes, Rodney Pampling (Aus), Cameron Beckman, Matt Kuchar

68 Bob Estes, Bill Haas, John Merrick, John Senden (Aus)

69 Matthew Every, Ryan Moore

70 Ben Crane, Mark Brooks, David Toms, Scott Verplank, Cameron Percy (Aus)

71 Brett Quigley, Steve Lowery, Graham Delaet (Can), Chez Reavie, Christopher Baryla (Can), Jamie Lovemark

72 Chris Tidland, Harrison Frazar

73 Michael Sim (Aus), Daniel Chopra (Swe)

74 Michael Bradley, Sam Saunders

75 Johnson Wagner

Silver Rock

67 Kevin Stadler, Tim Petrovic

68 Pat Perez, Jesper Parnevik (Swe)

69 Charley Hoffman, Lee Janzen, Jason Bohn

70 Justin Rose (Eng), Kevin Streelman

71 Joe Durant, Mark Calcavecchia, Rich Beem, Jimmy Walker, Chris Couch, Ron Skayhan, James Nitties (Aus), Josh Teater

72 Jason Dufner, Ryan Palmer, Troy Merritt

73 Brian Davis (Eng), Bo Van Pelt

74 John Mallinger, Rickie Fowler

75 David Lutterus (Rsa), Justin Leonard, Greg Kraft, Rocco Mediate

76 Craig Stadler

77 Woody Austin, Billy Horschel

79 Chad Campbell

PGA West (Nicklaus Course)

62 Shane Bertsch

64 Jeff Quinney, Alex Prugh

65 Garrett Willis

66 Vaughn Taylor

67 Scott McCarron

68 Bill Lunde, Brenden Pappas (Rsa), Charles Howell III

69 Chris Wilson, Kris Blanks, Richard S Johnson (Swe), Kevin Sutherland, Jerod Turner, Matthew Jones (Aus)

70 Brad Faxon, D.A. Points, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), Omar Uresti, Ted Purdy, Tim Clark (Rsa)

71 Chris Stroud, Jay Williamson, Matt Bettencourt

72 Chris DiMarco, Nicholas Thompson

73 Brendon De Jonge, Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Martin Laird (Sco), Carl Pettersson (Swe)

76 Kevin Johnson, Scott Piercy

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Jim Furyk was delighted to bring a 28-month winless streak to end when he held off a strong European effort to win the Chevron World Challenge in California.

The American Ryder Cup star, with more than US$4million (£2.42million) in prize money in 2009 without having won a title on the PGA Tour, saved his best until last.

Furyk shot a closing, five-under-par 67 to reach 13 under par to win by a stroke from Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell in the 18-player tournament at Sherwood Country Club near Los Angeles.

“It’s bothered me, I’d be lying if I said otherwise,” Furyk said of going winless since the 2007 Canadian Open.

“That’s your goal every year, to go out there and win and I haven’t been able to do it in two full seasons on the tour.

“Hopefully this will be a stepping stone. You get one (win) under your belt and hopefully I can keep it going next year.”

Tiger Woods, who hosts this event each year to benefit his foundation, had withdrawn from the tournament last Monday - citing the injuries sustained in the much-publicised car crash outside his Florida home the previous Friday.

McDowell proved to be the lucky benefactor of Woods’ strife, earning a last-minute invitation as the world number one’s replacement in the tournament. The Northern Irishman was second, a shot behind Furyk.

With the tournament carrying world ranking points for the first time, Furyk’s victory will send him into the top 10 while McDowell catapulted from 55th to 38th and earned an invitation to next year’s Masters.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and European number one Lee Westwood of England claimed a tie for third a further stroke away from Furyk on 11 under, while Ian Poulter was in a four-way tie for fifth on nine under alongside Americans Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Sean O’Hair.

Furyk had started the day at eight under, two shots behind overnight leaders McDowell and YE Yang of Korea.

He was leading at 12 under with two holes to play but found the large bunker in front of the par-three 17th and was staring at bogey when he laid up on the large green.

The American had other ideas and sank the long par putt to stay in the lead.

Westwood birdied the 17th for a share of the lead at 12 under only for Furyk to then birdie the last for a second consecutive, five-under-par 67 to move back into the outright lead at 13 under.

In the final group, McDowell had birdied the 16th to get to 11 under but missed a birdie opportunity on 17, leaving Westwood with the most realistic chance of catching Furyk.

The Englishman, needing a birdie to tie, left his second shot from the middle of the fairway pushed up against the right fringe of the green.

Needing to hole out to force a play-off, Westwood caught a break when he asked for a ruling on an unplayable stance caused by a recessed sprinkler head and after a lengthy discussion with an official won a drop.

That left him still up against the longer grass but able to putt instead of chip - although Westwood’s effort was pushed wide and left with a short par putt, he missed and had to settle for a 70 at 11 under.

That left McDowell as the only man left able to tie with Furyk and he nearly pulled it off, sending his second shot to within two feet of the hole. It was not enough, however, to prevent Furyk picking up his first win of the year.

McDowell explained: “I was certainly playing nothing-to-lose golf this weekend.

“I just felt fortunate to be here anyway, so I really was going out today just trying to play as well as I possibly could and see where that left me.

“The set-up birdie at the last was probably pretty big from a world rankings point of view.”

Harrington experienced a real see-saw round - a birdie at the last giving him a final-round 70 which left him 11 under.

Overnight co-leader Yang, the USPGA champion, fell away with a two-over 74 to finish eight under while England’s Paul Casey shook off the rust after more than three months suffering with a rib injury to shoot the low round of the week, a 64, to finish on six under par.

Collated final round scores from the Chevron World Challenge at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California (U.S. unless stated, par 72):

275 Jim Furyk 70 71 67 67

276 Graeme McDowell 71 69 66 70

277 Padraig Harrington 69 68 70 70, Lee Westwood 71 67 69 70

279 Stewart Cink 70 73 68 68, Zach Johnson 68 70 74 67, Sean O’Hair 71 67 71 70, Ian Poulter 68 69 71 71

280 YE Yang 70 65 71 74

281 Steve Stricker 71 74 71 65

282 Paul Casey 75 69 74 64, Kenny Perry 72 65 72 73

286 Lucas Glover 74 67 70 75

288 Martin Kaymer 73 72 72 71, Anthony Kim 71 74 73 70, Camilo Villegas 73 69 74 72, Mike Weir 73 70 73 72

291 Justin Leonard 72 74 72 73

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