Costa del Sol Golf

A week that began with Phil Mickelson eyeing the top spot in the world rankings ended prematurely on Friday when he missed the cut by a significant margin at the Colonial Invitational.  

On an ideal day for scoring at Colonial Country Club, the American left-hander battled to a three-over-par 73 in the second round to languish near the bottom of the leaderboard.

Mickelson, who would have replaced Tiger Woods as world number one for the first time with victory this week, bogeyed three of his last seven holes to lie a distant six strokes off the projected cutline.

“I played terrible,” the four-times Major champion said after recording five bogeys and two birdies in calm, hot conditions. “The course is in great shape.

“There was no wind and there were a ton of birdies out there. And I didn’t make have many of them. I thought my game was sharper.

“This was a good barometer, though,” Mickelson said after posting a four-over total of 144. “This starts my run into the (June 17-20) U.S. Open. It tells me that I have a lot of work to do.”

Mickelson, who clinched his fourth Major at last month’s U.S. Masters, had not missed a cut on the US PGA Tour since last year’s Houston Open, a run of 21 events.

“I thought I was playing really well,” the world number two said. “I had some good practice sessions at home. As it turned out, I’m a little bit rustier than I thought.

“I didn’t drive it very well. I didn’t hit many good iron shots. I’ll get home, get some practice in and see if I can get this thing turned around.”

Mickelson, a short game magician, has produced a glittering career resume including 38 US Tour titles but he has never topped the world rankings.

Asked this week whether he was surprised the number one spot had eluded him since he turned professional in 1992, he replied: “I don’t know how to answer that.

“I would say 13 of those years were in Tiger years. It hasn’t been the easiest.”

Woods has been world number one for the last 259 weeks, and an overall total of 601

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

Phil Mickelson (lefty) wins the US Masters as once again Englands Lee Westwood stall’s at the main event.

Phil Mickelson became the thrill-maker once again, pouncing for a third Masters victory in seven years to leave Lee Westwood a nearly man once again.

Champion at Augusta in 2004 and 2006 and with a US PGA title in between, Mickelson put a dreadful start to the season behind him to win by three shots from the Englishman - with a 16 under par total of 272.

Westwood, unable to hold onto the last day lead, already had third place finishes in the US Open, Open and US PGA, but now he has come third, third and second in the last three majors.

A one under 71 was never likely to complete the job and, sure enough, Mickelson shot a bogey-free 67 - and then went into one of the longest televised hugs with wife Amy.

And no wonder. Last May she was diagnosed with breast cancer and her battle goes on. This was her first visit to a tournament since the diagnosis last May.

Although Tiger Woods equalled a Masters record with four eagles in his first tournament back for almost five months - two of them came in his rollercoaster closing 69 for joint fourth place - the headlines will go quite rightly to the left-hander.

It started as the week Woods came back to golf, but it ended as the week when Mickelson proved again he is the world number one’s biggest rival.

With a pink breast cancer badge in his cap to remind people of the battles both his wife and mother have been fighting, Mickelson captured his fourth major in scintillating fashion.

And two shots above all others will be replayed over and over when the story of this incredible week is retold.

First there was his eagle two on the 14th in the third round as he moved one behind Westwood entering the closing 18 holes.

But that was trumped by his second shot to the long 13th on Sunday.

One ahead of KJ Choi after the Korean had just taken a bogey six there, Mickelson hit his drive through the fairway into the trees and onto the pine straw.

In front of him was a gap of no more than four feet between two trunks, but in the manner for which he has become known Mickelson decided to go for the 200-yard shot over Rae’s Creek.

Spectacularly - even he showed that by raising his club in triumph and then punching the air - he hit it to four feet.

It warranted his third eagle of the week there, but although he missed the putt Choi bogeyed the 14th as well.

Westwood, though, matched Mickelson’s birdie to stay two back and still had hopes of making his 50th attempt to win a major the one when he finally broke through.

But the Worksop golfer, with third place finishes to his name in the US Open, Open and US PGA, could not match Mickelson’s two-putt birdie at the long 15th.

Westwood needed something special after that. He could not become the third player to hole-in-one at the 16th on the day, but he did birdie the 17th and Mickelson’s five-footer there was badly needed.

It gave him a two-shot lead rather than just on the final tee and once Westwood had missed his 25-foot birdie putt Mickelson holed from eight for a birdie which put the icing on the cake.

Mickelson commented: “It feels incredible. I could go on and on, so many reasons why, and it’s the most amazing feeling.

“This has been a special day, something I will always cherish.

“It’s been a emotional year and I am very proud of my wife and the fight and struggle she has been through.

“This is one of the best things we have gone through in the last year. We’ve been through a lot and it’s been tough and to be on the other end and feel this kind of jubilation is incredible.”

Westwood said: “We both struggled off the tee early on, but being the great champion he is Phil hit some great shots. The second on 13 was incredible.

“He has been through a hard time and deserves a break or two.

“I just need to keep on doing what I am doing. One of these days the door is going to open for me, but there was time (he slumped from fourth in the world to outside the top 250 in 2002) when I didn’t want to go out and play or practise and couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“When I am playing like this I feel like a lucky man sometimes. I think when you have come as close as this there is a tinge of disappointment, but that does not last too long.”

Woods, who mixed his two eagles and four birdies with five bogeys, stated: “As the week went on I hit the ball worse.”

Fourth, of course, was no mean feat given his lay-off and all the attention on his sex scandal, but he added: “I only enter events to win.”

He also said he will now take “a little time off and re-evaluate.” His next appearance could well be the Players Championship in Florida at the start of next month.

Mickelson’s fellow American Anthony Kim, last week’s Houston Open winner, charged into third place with a joint best-of-the-day 65 that included a birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie run from the 13th.

Woods shared fourth with Choi, while Westwood’s compatriot Ian Poulter, the joint halfway leader with him, tied for 10th after weekend rounds of 74 and 73 which were a big disappointment.

Collated final round scores & totals in The Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America

(USA unless stated, par 72):

272 Phil Mickelson 67 71 67 67

275 Lee Westwood (Eng) 67 69 68 71

276 Anthony Kim 68 70 73 65

277 Tiger Woods 68 70 70 69, K J Choi (Kor) 67 71 70 69

279 Fred Couples 66 75 68 70

280 Nick Watney 68 76 71 65

281 Hunter Mahan 71 71 68 71, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 67 72 72 70

283 Ricky Barnes 68 70 72 73, Ian Poulter (Eng) 68 68 74 73

285 Jerry Kelly 72 74 67 72, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 72 75 72 66

286 Steve Marino 71 73 69 73, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 69 73 72 72, David Toms 69 75 71 71, Ryan Moore 72 73 73 68

287 Adam Scott (Aus) 69 75 72 71, Tom Watson 67 74 73 73, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 73 75 68, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 73 74 69 71, Heath Slocum 72 73 70 72, Scott Verplank 73 73 73 68

288 Ben Crane 71 75 74 68, Matt Kuchar 70 73 74 71

289 Kenny Perry 72 71 72 74, Bill Haas 72 70 71 76, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 74 72 69 74

290 Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 70 77 72 71

291 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 70 71 75 75, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 74 75 72, Steve Stricker 73 73 74 71, Sean O’Hair 72 71 72 76, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)69 76 72 74, Jason Dufner 75 72 75 69

292 Lucas Glover 76 71 71 74, Metteo Manassero (Ita) 71 76 73 72

294 Dustin Johnson 71 72 76 75, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 74 71 76 73, Steve Flesch 75 71 70 78, Camilo Villegas (Col) 74 72 71 77

295 Zach Johnson 70 74 76 75

296 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 71 72 77 76, Mike Weir (Can) 71 72 76 77

298 Chad Campbell 79 68 80 71, Robert Allenby (Aus) 72 75 78 73, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 74 70 76 78

302 Nathan Green (Aus) 72 75 80 75

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

US Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim was closing in on the third PGA Tour victory of his career in Texas tonight as he took a three-shot lead heading into the back nine of his final round at the Shell Houston Open.

The 24-year-old from Los Angeles had shared the 54-hole lead at Redstone Golf Club with fellow American Bryce Molder at 10 under par while England’s Lee Westwood was rallying over his closing holes to try and engineer a top-10 finish heading into next week’s Masters.

Molder made the turn at one over for the day following a bogey at the par-four third hole but Kim had hit the ground running with birdies at the par-four first, and par-five fourth and eighth to reach 13 under.

That left American Vaughn Taylor, two under for the day having played 10 holes, to lead the chase. Another birdie at the 11th moved him to 11 under par to close the gap to two shots.

Former US PGA champion Shaun Micheel, who has not won a tournament since that 2003 victory, was doing his best to make amends as he moved to 10 under, seven under for his final round but running out of holes as he played the last.

Sharing second place with Micheel was fellow American Kevin Stadler, five under for his round having played 15 holes.

Molder had dropped to nine under alongside US veteran Jeff Maggert and Canada’s Graham DeLaet with American James Driscoll and South African Charl Schwartzel at eight under playing the back nine .

Westwood’s hopes of breaking a 12-year run without a victory in the United States will likely have to wait until at least next week at Augusta National after the European number one fell further back during the front nine of his final round.

The world number four, who followed rounds of 69 and 68 with a level-par 72 on Saturday, undid a birdie at the first with back-to-back bogeys at the third and fourth holes before birdies at the 12th and 14th got him to eight under with four to play.

Justin Rose was the next best European following his third round of 70 this week, leaving the Englishman at six under for the tournament with Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson closing at five under after a 71.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen was at three under after a final round of 69 but Ireland’s Padraig Harrington was not enjoying his Sunday at Redstone.

The three-time major winner was four over for his round after going out in 41 following two double bogeys, two bogeys and a birdie between holes three and eight.

Harrington clawed two strokes back with birdies at the 12th and 13th but then had a pair of bogeys over the next two holes to leave him at one under after 15, where Scotland’s Martin Laird finished his week thanks to a closing 71.

World number three Phil Mickelson had an even more erratic round than Harrington was enduring. His 71 saw three doubles bogeys and a birdie populate the first 10 holes on his card before a run of six straight birdies between 11 and 16 left him at two under for the week.

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

American Bryce Molder moved to the top of the Houston Open leaderboard with a bogey-free second round of 66.

Molder matched the day’s best score to set the pace at nine-under 135, with fellow American Alex Prugh, who also shot 66, and Australian Cameron Percy (69) one shot back.

Molder has never won on the US PGA tour but victory here at Redstone Golf Club would earn him an invite to next week’s US Masters.

“If you tell me not to think about next week, or I’m trying to tell myself, well I’m still thinking about next week,” Molder said.

“Put me on top of a building and tell me not to be scared, I’m still going to be scared.”

Percy admitted he too was thinking about earning a last-minute ticket to the first major of the season.

“Anyone in my position would be thinking about it,” he said. “It would be a dream come true to ring up my mates and say ‘come over next week’.”

Lucas Glover aced the par-three 16th with a six iron, making him the first player to record a hole-in-one since the Houston Open moved to its current venue in 2006. Shortly afterwards, Woody Austin aced No. 7.

Several big names looking to tune-up for the Masters had their preparation shortened by missing the cut.

Among them were Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who double-bogeyed the last hole to bow out, German Martin Kaymer and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy.

Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson both advanced to the final 36 holes despite frustrating days.

Els shot 74 to fall nine strokes behind, a stroke better than Mickelson, who carded a 76 that included an unusual triple bogey at the 10th.

After pulling his drive into a bush, the lefty took a right-handed swipe at the ball. However, the ball popped out and him on the leg before ricocheting back into the bush.

Mickelson was penalised one stroke for being hit by the ball and decided to take a further one-stroke penalty so that he could drop his ball clear of the bush.

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

England’s Paul Casey has withdrawn from his defence of the Houston Open title this week and is now a doubt for the Masters.

The world number six advised tournament officials on Thursday of an injury to his left shoulder and pain on the left side of his neck.

Casey had been due to tee off in the first round at 08:00 local time with American Phil Mickelson and Australia’s Adam Scott.

But rather than risk further injury by playing the $5.8m event the 32-year-old Englishman withdrew as a precaution before next week’s Masters at Augusta.

“This injury is completely separate from the injury I had last year so I am not overly worried but my left shoulder is not comfortable while my first rib on the left side is not moving correctly, and the muscles around it have locked up so I am not able to get the club in a position where I can swing it properly and hit the golf ball,” Casey said.

“It feels like there’s something pinched in my left shoulder as I am having difficulty moving my head and rotating my neck, and I feel very, very tight in the neck and shoulders,” he added.

“I tried to play on Wednesday and I am bitterly disappointed not to be going out and playing today but I have got to worry about the rest of the season.

“And after last year’s experience of trying to play through an injury for about one or two weeks, it ended up costing me six months away from the game,” Casey said.

“So the last thing I can try and afford is try and push it and cost myself anymore time. Hopefully, it is only a one week thing.”

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

Kevin Stadler carded a five-under-par 67 to share the Houston Open first-round lead with Australian Cameron Percy.

Americans Anthony Kim, Kevin Sutherland, James Driscoll and Vaughn Taylor trailed by a stroke while Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington were in a group on 69.

Last year’s champion Paul Casey was unable to defend his title due to a left shoulder injury.

Stadler (pictured), whose father Craig won 13 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1982 Masters, said he had hit a rough patch of form recently.

“I was fighting my swing the last week or two but I got around today,” the 30-year-old Stadler said.

“I’ve been hitting it great all year, except these last couple of weeks. I missed the cut at Bay Hill, got here on Sunday and put in a ton of work on the range. It was a little scrappy today but some stuff I can get better.”

Percy found his putting touch to shoot easily his best score of the year. He credited a lesson on the greens from fellow pro Greg Chalmers’ caddie, Malcolm Baker.

“I spent hours and hours on the putting green Tuesday and Wednesday and it’s made a little difference,” he said.

Ireland’s Harrington made a move with three successive birdies from the 14th, before bogeying the last.

“My round was going nowhere until I hit 14,” he said. “I wasn’t feeling on top of my game today.

“I’m pleased enough with the score. I didn’t hit it very well on the range before I went out and was a little conservative. I made the most of my opportunities when they came around.”

Mickelson made a sensational birdie at the par-five 8th, despite taking a penalty stroke after pushing his drive into a water hazard.

After taking a drop, he hit a hybrid club from 245 yards out and then drained a 50-foot putt for birdie.

“It was one of those fluke things,” he said. “I was trying to save par and ended up making a long putt.”

Briton Casey said the injury was unrelated to the torn muscles in his rib cage area that kept him out for nearly three months last year. He said his withdrawal was a precaution ahead of next week’s U.S. Masters.

Fiji’s Vijay Singh withdrew after nine holes due to pain in his abdominal muscles.

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

Padraig Harrington shot a three-under-par 69 at Redstone Golf Club to lie two shots off the pace as the first half of the field completed their opening rounds at the Shell Houston Open without defending champion Paul Casey.

England’s Casey, who landed his first PGA Tour victory in the event 12 months ago, suffered a blow to his Masters build-up when he was unable to defend his title.

Due to partner Phil Mickelson in the opening two rounds, the world number six tweaked a muscle in his back near his left shoulder and withdrew just before his 8am tee-off time.

Casey said it was not related to the torn chest muscle which kept him out of action late last season and hoped it was a just a “sleeping wrong” problem which would quickly respond to treatment.

In his absence, Ireland’s Harrington was the pick of the early European starters, the three-time major winner continuing his good recent form with a five-birdie, two-bogey opening round that left him two strokes behind early leader Kevin Stadler of the United States.

Americans Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Sutherland and James Driscoll were in a tie for second on four under with Harrington in a group including Mickelson and Australia’s Adam Scott with the late wave of players beginning to start their first rounds.

The Dubliner had gone on a run of birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th but then his second bogey of the round came at Redstone’s tricky 488-yard, par-four 18th.

“The round was really going nowhere until I hit 14,” Harrington said. “I had some chances early on and 10, 12 and 13, I actually played them one-over par.

“I’m not feeling too good about the game. I hit the flag on 15 with my pitch and made birdie there, and then I hit it close on 16.

“I really went from nowhere to a good round, and obviously 17, 18, especially 18 is a hard hole. I wasn’t feeling on top of my game today. It was kind of hard there.”

Of his experience at the 18th, where Harrington over-compensated for the lake down the left of the fairway by finding a right-sided bunker, he said: “I wasn’t very confident in myself. It’s a tough tee shot when you’re not feeling too good.

“I did well with the bunker shot, 25 yards into the wind with the water behind it. I thought the difficulty was getting it to the hole, to run it out, 10 feet past. Hopefully, a lot more golf to be played.”

Harrington, though, said he was content to take a 69 from his opening round.

“I’m pleased enough with the score. I didn’t hit it very well on the range before I went out and I was a little bit conservative all the way around. I was never quite sure of myself. I was happy to play the golf I played.

“I made the most of my opportunities when they came around. I got a nice birdie run on the back nine, three in a row got me into the tournament.

“I was not quite confident enough how I was hitting to it play the tough hole like the last. I managed to drop a shot by being very conservative off the tee.”

England’s Justin Rose was a further shot back on two under following his 70, while Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Sweden’s Carl Petterson and Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen all carded 71s and Englishman Chris Wood shot a 72.

Germany’s Martin Kaymer, Scotland’s Martin Laird, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlory and England’s Luke Donald and Lee Westwood were among the late wave of starters, both Kaymer and Laird opening with two birdies apiece in their opening four holes starting from the 10th tee.

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

COSTA DEL SOL GOLF NEWS - Paul Casey vowed not to repeat his injury woes of last season as he pulled out of the defence of his Shell Houston Open title in Texas.

Having claimed his first PGA Tour victory in the tournament 12 months ago, the Englishman sat out most of the second half of last season with rib problems.

Now the world number six has suffered a blow to his Masters build-up as he was unable to start his title defence at Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas.

Casey had been set to partner Phil Mickelson in the opening two rounds but tweaked a muscle in his back near his left shoulder and withdrew just before his 8am tee-off time.

Casey said it was not related at all to the torn intercostals and oblique muscles which kept him out of action late last season and hoped it was a just a “sleeping wrong” problem which would quickly respond to treatment.

“I’m not overly worried, but I think at some point the left shoulder and the first rib on the left side isn’t moving correctly,” Casey said following his decision not to play.

“And the muscles around it have locked up, and I’m not able to get the club into position I need to be to swing it properly and hit the golf ball.

“I tried to play yesterday, but it is what it is, and I’m disappointed not to be going out there and playing today. But I’ve got to worry about the rest of the season.

“After last year’s experience trying to play through an injury, I tried to do that one, two weeks… it ended up costing me six months.

“So the last thing I can afford is to try and push it and cost myself any more time.”

Casey said he felt he was in good hands staying in Texas to receive further treatment from PGA Tour physiotherapists.

“I won’t hit golf balls for at least a couple of days,” he said. “I’ll stay here and get the best treatment I can with the guys on site here in the physio van.

“They’re great. They’ve got all the equipment in there that I need and I’ll just get them to keep an eye on it and treat it for two days. They know what the problem is.

“(I will) keep looking at it and keep taking care of it and, unfortunately, that’s what I have to do.”

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

The Molinari brothers are heading to The Masters, bringing some sibling rivalry and Italian style to genteel Augusta and they are hitting their form with perfect timing.

In their latest tournaments, Edoardo Molinari is tied for fourth, just four strokes behind leader Ernie Els at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, while younger brother Francesco is five shots off the lead at the Parador Golf on the Costa del Sol Golf in Spain,

With less than two weeks to the start of the Masters, Edoardo’s display on a challenging course, playing with world number three Phil Mickelson and in front of big crowds, indicated he should be able to handle the challenges of Augusta National.

“Playing with Phil today, I knew it was going to be a big day for me and I think I stood up to the test quite well,” he said.

“I really enjoyed playing with him. Any time you have a chance to play with great players you have to enjoy it, it’s the best you can have and it was great fun.”

Molinari, who hails from Turin, played with Tiger Woods at the Masters in 2006, shortly after winning the US Amateur title and had his brother carrying his bag.

“It was a dream. Maybe I wasn’t ready for that course then, because as an amateur you don’t play anything like Augusta but having him on the bag helped a bit and we had the time of our life,” he said.

Four years ago he missed the cut but he said playing Bay Hill has been the ideal build-up for a better showing at Augusta.

“I’ve worked very hard in the last four years and I think I am a better player. I just can’t wait to go there and see how good I really am.

“Playing here helps a lot with the preparation for the Masters, especially with the way the course was set up here.

“The greens are not as quick as at Augusta but they are very good and you have a lot of chip shots around the greens which are similar to what you are going to get at Augusta National.

“Plus you have the crowds that I had playing with Phil.”

The Molinaris are the first brothers to compete together at Augusta since Jumbo and Joe Ozaki in 2000, but there have been 26 other siblings who have appeared in the tournament.

It is unlikely that any of them will have appeared first as a caddy though and the curious nature of the pair’s appearance is added to with a third Italian - 16-year-old Matteo Manassero is also playing at Augusta having qualified as the British Amateur champion.

“I think last year, no-one even dreamt of having three Italian players at the Masters,” Edoardo Molinari said.

“Hopefully everyone (back home) is excited and there is the Italian Open a month after the Masters and hopefully we will see big crowds for that - that means something is changing.

“The Federation has been helping us a lot, especially the young pros and we have not yet seen the full results. Francesco and I turned pro just before this programme started.

“You have Manassero just starting and I am sure in the next few years, maybe not at the Masters, but you will see more Italians on the European Tour.”

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »

South African duo Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel head into the final round of the WGC-CA Championship at Doral tied for the lead on 12-under par, one stroke ahead of Ireland’s Padraig Harrington.

The 25-year-old Schwartzel produced a five-under 67 in the breezy sunshine of the Blue Monster course on Saturday while Els, the overnight leader, had some ups and downs in his round of 70.

Els, who has not won on tour in two years, will now play the final round with a compatriot 15 years his junior and who he hosted while Schwartzel practiced last week.

Schwartzel, who won two early events on the European Tour this year, will go head-to-head with a player who his father once partnered and despite his admiration of Els, who won this competition when it was held in Ireland in 2004, Schwartzel said he was only focussing on winning the title on Sunday.

“When you are out on the course it is every man for himself. I am sure we’ll have a good time and a good battle,” he said.

Els continues to look confident but missed a three foot birdie putt on the 16th, having earlier missed from four feet on the 13th to bogey.

“I felt a little uncomfortable on those shorter putts today. I think it could have been the breeze,” said Els.

“I’m six foot four (1.93m) and I move around a little bit, or it feels like it. I think it was a bit of a weak point today and it cost me a little bit.”

Harrington would also have had a share of the lead had he not three putted the 18th to end a fine round with a bogey.

The Dubliner made six birdies in his five-under 67 round that was faultless until the final hole, but he remains in strong contention for Sunday along with Australian Robert Allenby (71) who is two shots off the lead.

“It leaves a sour taste to bogey the last but finishing 11-under or 12-under has no real effect on the outcome tomorrow. There are three of us up there, whoever plays the best golf is going to win the tournament,” said the Irishman.

German Martin Kaymer produced the day’s top round with a six-under 66 moving him into sixth place on eight under, one shot ahead of Fijian Vijay Singh (70), Dane Soren Hansen (71), Britain’s Paul Casey (68)and American Matt Kuchar (67).

Phil Mickelson, the world number three and defending champion, hit five birdies and five bogeys in his even-par round and ended up in some pain after jarring his elbow playing his second stroke on the 18th.

Tags: Golf News by admin
No Comments »