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Golf-Top seed Donald exits, Tiger scrapes through

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:52:58 GMT

Top seed Luke Donald crashed out of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday, losing 5&4 to late entry Ernie Els, while Tiger Woods scraped through into the second round. Once again the elite World Golf Championships event lived up to its reputation for wild unpredictability and there were 15 upsets from the 32 matches at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Donald won last year's title with an imperious display, never trailing in any of his six matches, but he struggled against South African Els on a sun-splashed day in the Arizona desert where the heavily contoured greens ran fast and firm.

Triple major winner Els made the most of an error-prone performance by the British world number one and sealed victory when he sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-four 14th. "I'm not sure where to start," a subdued Donald, who became only the third top seed to lose in the event's opening round, told reporters. "I just didn't play very well. It's disappointing. "I gave away too many holes and made too many mistakes. You can't do that in match play against anyone, let alone Ernie."

The lowest-ranked player in the elite field of 64, former world number one Els was gifted a spot at Dove Mountain when Phil Mickelson withdrew to spend time with his family. "There's always hype when the No. 1 player is playing the No. 64 seed," said Els. "But Luke and I took it for what it was. "I think he didn't want to play me and I sure as hell didn't want to play him in the first round, but that's the way it worked out."

While three-times winner Woods battled through one up against Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Charl Schwartzel and Bae Sang-moon won their opening matches in comfort. Masters champion Schwartzel of South Africa eased past big-hitting American Gary Woodland 4&2 and South Korean Bae upset Britain's Ian Poulter, the 2010 champion, 4&3. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy survived a late wobble to beat South African George Coetzee two up, Lee Westwood beat Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts 3&1 and German Martin Kaymer advanced with a 4&2 win over Australian left-hander Greg Chalmers.

FLUCTUATING ENCOUNTER
Woods, winner of this event in 2003, 2004 and 2008, was two down to Fernandez-Castano after two holes but finally ended a wildly fluctuating encounter with an eight-foot par putt at the 18th. "We both made our share of mistakes, there's no doubt about that, but somehow I was able to move on," Woods said.

Earlier, South Korean Yang Yong-eun beat Graeme McDowell 2&1 in a match of high quality and Dustin Johnson scraped past fellow American Jim Furyk after 20 holes. Yang, who became the first Asian male to win a major with his victory at the 2009 PGA Championship, produced sizzling form with seven birdies.

"I ran into a man who played extremely well," a frustrated McDowell said. "I felt like I had to follow him all day long, and I did most of the day, but he didn't put a foot wrong."Soon after Yang's win, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa came from three down after 13 holes to beat American Bill Haas one up before Paul Lawrie edged fellow Briton Justin Rose by the same margin. Ishikawa birdied 14, 15 and 17 before wrapping up victory on the 18th green against an in-form opponent who won the PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open on Sunday in a playoff.

"Through the first 13 holes, it was really tough and I wasn't playing that well," Ishikawa said through an interpreter. "But the last five holes, I was able to compete with the opponent. This course is suited for me."
In other matches, Hunter Mahan battled past fellow American Zach Johnson after 19 holes and Italian Matteo Manassero never trailed on his way to a 3&2 win over American Webb Simpson.

Captivating WGC Match Play deserves better treatment

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:21:15 GMT

This week provides the most exciting single day of golf outside the majors, yet it often feels as though the game doesn't make the most from what should be a refreshing change of format. First round day at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship is always the most captivating opener to any tournament as the world's top players go head to head, knowing that defeat means their week is done.

Indeed, given the Wednesday start, it can be finished before a normal tournament week would have even begun. On the other hand, if you are able to string a run of wins together there is every chance of laying foundations for the rest of the season.

With huge world ranking points on offer, making it to the weekend can often be enough to cement a player's position in the world's top 50 and ensure he will play the game's biggest tournaments throughout the year. For American and European golfers, there is the added incentive of making big strides in the Ryder Cup qualification process.

There is so much at stake in these matches but often the tournament seems to diminish in excitement the longer it goes on, because television struggles to cope with the ever decreasing number of players taking part. This malaise has been even greater for the American market in recent years because Europe has dominated the event.

Ian Poulter defeated Paul Casey in the 2010 final and Luke Donald beat Martin Kaymer to kick-start his stellar season last year. It doesn't help that the tournament is played at such a remote location as Dove Mountain in the Arizona desert.

It is a beautiful setting but in the middle of nowhere, and attracting big crowds to give a suitable atmosphere to the matches has proved nigh on impossible. The weather can also deter fans. Last year's final was freakishly delayed because of snow lying on the fairways.

Tournaments of this stature deserve better. The old World Matchplay title which was contested amid falling leaves at Wentworth attracted huge crowds, and there was no sense of anti-climax as those autumnal weeks progressed. Where is the imagination to make sure that this potentially magical matchplay tournament fulfills its potential?

Take it to golfing heartlands around the world where golf fans in their hordes will turn up and appreciate the opportunity to watch the game's biggest names go up against each other. Or perhaps be even more radical and combine the week with the women's tour because simultaneously they are playing the limited field HSBC Champions event in Singapore.

With a total of only 127 players competing in the two events, they could potentially share the same venue, media coverage and television exposure. Suddenly all those gaps in the final and semi-finals would be filled with action from the women's tournament.

Logistically this is the one week where the world's top male and female players could play separate events alongside each other in the way that occurs in sports like tennis. It would certainly help women's golf grab a share of the limelight and would do the men's game no harm, but it is hard to envisage the game's competing governing bodies ever entertaining the idea.

Instead we are left with two excellent tournaments on either side of the world that probably will not gain the recognition either deserves. Nevertheless Wednesday in Arizona will be well worth watching with Donald taking on Ernie Els in the first match of his title defence.

It is the standout contest and arguably the best opening round match-up since Tiger Woods played Nick Faldo in the inaugural WGC Match Play in 1999. Woods is the 19th seed this year and he starts his bid for a fourth Match Play title against Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez Castano.

Justin Rose's clash with Scotland's Paul Lawrie guarantees a British presence in the second round while Matteo Manassero's contest with Webb Simpson is another cracking match-up. The in-form Phil Mickelson and the injured Casey are the only members of the world's top 64 not competing.

Mickelson has a family holiday planned for this week but if this tournament were able to attain the kudos it deserves, one suspects Lefty's domestic timetable might have been altered to accommodate it.

Wood-Club Tournament Recalls the Game’s Roots

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:41:09 GMT

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. — Cars driving on the neighborhood streets surrounding Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club slowed to a crawl, their drivers craning their necks for a better look at yesteryear. It was as if the knicker-clad, sweet-swinging ghosts of Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour, Jim Barnes and Gene Sarazen had returned to play another round at the site of the 1925 Florida Open.

In a salute to those stars of the 1920s and the history of golf, two dozen players showed up Monday for the second annual United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship. They walked the venerable 1922 Tom Bendelow course, carrying small bags of wooden-shafted clubs.

Men in ties, caps and argyle socks and women in skirts and stylish hats played low bump-and-run shots into the greens. They used clubs with names like mashie, brassie, niblick and jigger stamped into the tiny club heads, some irons looking more like straight razors than golf clubs. They played with replica rubber golf balls from the 1920s that usually landed at least 10 yards short of typical targets.

“It’s like we stepped into a time machine,” said Kevin Weickel, the 2011 North Florida Golf P.G.A. pro of the year and the tournament director of the P.G.A. Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospital Classic in Orlando. “You almost see the ghosts of those old pros scattered around the first tee.”

He added: “Some of these old trees were here back in 1925, and they were a part of that tournament. Looking around today, it makes me wonder if this is my field of dreams.”

Mike Stevens, the tournament director and the club pro at MacDill Air Force Base in nearby Tampa, decided to bring a hickory golf tournament to the area after he won the 2005 and 2010 National Hickory Championship and competed in the World Hickory Open in Scotland, where hickory golf is popular.

Because most golfers do not own hickory-shafted clubs, he also asked Jay Harris, a retired dentist in North Carolina who collects the vintage clubs, to supply clubs for contestants. Harris took 40 sets of hickory clubs with him, giving players in the event a chance to practice with them a day early.

Like Stevens, Harris is an ambassador for the game’s history. And he says he wants golfers to know more about the roots of the game.

“Baseball fans know their history, so I would hope that golfers have a curiosity about their game,” said Harris, the winner of the 2008 United States Hickory Open championship.

It takes players more enamored of the romance of the game’s rich history than by the repetitive act of muscling shots on 7,400-yard layouts to show up for an event like this. Just as they did at the 1925 Florida Open, contestants faced a course measuring less than 6,400 yards.

While Temple Terrace lacks the length found on modern PGA and L.P.G.A Tour courses, the real challenge in hickory golf is mastering the clubs. The wooden shafts torque differently in the swing process from modern-day equipment, forcing players to adapt to different timing. The most successful players resist the temptation to overpower the ball.

“The challenge is hitting a ball with a less-than-perfect implement, but when you pull off a good shot, it’s exhilarating,” Stevens said. “Hickory golf is difficult, but it really opens up your imagination.”

Eddie Peckels showed some imagination when he holed out a mashie, the equivalent of a 7-iron, from 170 yards on the par-4 12th hole for an eagle. Peckels, a pro at Tuscawilla Golf Club in Winter Springs, Fla., shot a three-over 76 to win the event. Jim Garrison, the Temple Terrace host club pro, also carded a 76, but hurt his back late in the round and conceded the playoff.

Jennifer Cully, who shot an 85 and won the women’s tournament for the second time, said “today’s modern clubs feel like cheating” when compared with hickory clubs. “The hickory clubs are pretty whippy, so you have to have good timing,” said Cully, a teaching pro at Apollo Beach (Fla.) Golf Club.

Tom McCrary, the head pro at Glen Lakes Country Club in Weeki Wachee, Fla., assembled his set of hickory clubs after he helped a neighbor clear out an attic. He said he enjoyed the challenge of hickory golf even though he had to sacrifice the normal length of his modern clubs. “It’s a different technique and a different strategy playing with these clubs,” he said. “You don’t just hit it hard.”

Curiosity is often the driving force for players to try hickory golf. That was the case for Gregor Jamieson, the director of golf at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, who played with hickory clubs for the first time Monday. His father was a clubmaker and the longtime head professional at Turnberry Resort in Scotland, who Jamieson said played with hickory clubs for 15 years after steel clubs were introduced.

“Golf is not easy anyway, but this brings it to a new level,” Jamieson said. “You’re not getting any help from these clubs. You have to hit the ball with precision.”

Of course, precision is not easy with the hickories, but the quest for it is enticing, said Brian Schuman of Long Island, who began the Metropolitan Hickory Society in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region.

“With these clubs, you feel history in your hands and the emotion of the game,” Schuman said. “Sometimes, I wonder where these clubs have been.”

Golf-Mickelson and Bradley fall agonisingly short at Riviera

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:51:21 GMT

However, Haas went on to claim a stunning victory at the second extra hole, the driveable par-four 10th, where he rolled in a 43-footer for birdie. "It was a lot of fun," Bradley, 25, told reporters after narrowly missing a 15-foot birdie putt to keep the playoff alive at Riviera Country Club.

"Playing with Phil in the final group and kind of holding my own and making one (a birdie putt) on top of him on 18 was something I'll never forget. "But it's the first time I've been on the other side of one of these playoff losses and it doesn't feel as good," added the 25-year-old, who beat compatriot Jason Dufner in a playoff to win last year's PGA Championship in Atlanta.

After watching his mentor Mickelson roll in a 26-footer on the final hole of regulation, Bradley followed suit by draining a 13-footer before pumping his right fist in delight. "I knew Phil was going to make that putt," he said. "I was honestly ready for him to make it, and I knew that having to putt second would be difficult because the crowd is so behind him.

"But credit to the crowd, they really quieted down for me. After Phil made his putt, I gave him a fist pump and he looked at me and said, 'Join me'. "He really meant it. Even though I didn't win the tournament, to make that putt on the last hole, one of the toughest holes on the PGA Tour, is really awesome."

VALUABLE GROUND
Mickelson, who had been bidding for a second consecutive victory on the PGA Tour, briefly led by two shots during Sunday's final round but lost valuable ground with three-putt bogeys at the 14th and 15th.

"I was very tentative on the greens today," the left-hander said. "I wasn't trying to be. I was trying to knock them in, but they just weren't as fast as I was perceiving them to be. "That last putt (in regulation) was one I just gave a good aggressive roll and it went right in the middle.

"I kept fighting, and I was giving away shots. I was trying to let it go and move on and see if I could capture one, and I finally got one to go on 18. It felt great."Riviera's notoriously difficult greens ran fast and firm in dazzling afternoon sunshine, giving the final round the feel of a U.S. Open, Mickelson said.

"It was very defensive because the greens were so firm and the pins were tough. Although there was no rough, it was very U.S. Open-esque."Mickelson, who won his 40th PGA Tour title at last week's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, will take the next two weeks off before returning to the U.S. circuit for the March 8-11 WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

Golf Capsules: Mickelson returns to the top of leaderboard

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:21:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four days after his big win at Pebble Beach, Phil Mickelson keeps right on rolling. Mickelson hit driver off the deck from just under 300 yards on the par-5 11th that led to a two-putt birdie, and he ended a gorgeous afternoon Thursday at Riviera by chipping in from 35 feet for birdie. That gave him a 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open.

Dating to the back nine of his second round at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Mickelson has made birdie or eagle on one-third of the holes he has played. And his streak of consecutive holes without a bogey finally ended at 49 on the par-3 16th.

No matter. He looked good with the putter and with his low, penetrating tee shots that he kept below the tree line on a windy day that prevented low scoring.

J.B. Holmes, in his fourth tournament since returning from brain surgery in September, played his final six holes without a par. His round ended with a 315-yard tee shot — a big drive in the cool air of Los Angeles in February — and an approach to 8 feet for birdie at No. 9, the second-toughest hole at Riviera.

That gave him a 4-under 67. He was tied with Hunter Mahan, whose 35-foot birdie at No. 5 sent him on a string of four straight birdies. They all played in the afternoon, when the wind began to die late in the day. Jonathan Byrd, who faced the chilly, blustery conditions of the morning, had a 68. He was joined by Carl Pettersson.

The first round was suspended by darkness with 30 players yet to finish the round, a typical occurrence at this tournament with 144-man field and limited daylight.

Mickelson is coming off an 8-under 64 in the final round at Pebble Beach, where he rallied from a six-shot deficit — and beat playing partner Tiger Woods by 11 shots — to change the outlook on his West Coast Swing. Riviera is his final tournament before the tour moves to Florida, and even on a different golf course, not much has changed.

He holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the long par-3 fourth hole, and then really got going on the back nine. After a tough pitch to 12 feet that led to birdie on the 10th, Mickelson had 297 yards to the hole on the 11th and decided to hit driver, a shot he had not tried in months.

It came off perfectly and climbed onto the front edge of the green, making Mickelson the only player to have an eagle putt on the 587-yard hole, which played right into the wind. The pin was all the way back, away from a large hump in the putting surface, which gave Mickelson the green light.

His eagle putt from 60 feet died next to the hole. "I didn't think it was going to necessarily be reachable into that wind, but I was able to hit a low drive off the tee that scooted along the ground, and I felt like if I could hit one more of those with a driver I could get right up by the green," Mickelson said. "I felt like it was worth the risk to try to scoop one up."

The chip-in from behind the 18th was a bonus. Mickelson made his lone bogey when his chip behind the 16th green ran 7 feet past the cup, and he missed the putt. On the 17th, his wedge rolled back to 7 feet for birdie, but the putt slid by on the left.

He faced another quick chip on the 18th, but it dropped in with perfect speed. "It wasn't one I was really trying to make," he said. "It was quick, it was downhill, and I had to play about four or five feet of break, so it's not one that you're trying to get aggressive with. I was trying to get good speed and try to let it feed with the break, and I got fortunate, obviously, that it went in."

Holmes was the first player to reach 5 under, and that's where his fun began — consecutive bogeys when he failed to get up-and-down from just short of the green; a tap-in birdie at the par-3 sixth, with the pin below the bunker in the middle of the green; an 18-foot birdie on the seventh, a three-putt double bogey on the eighth and the birdie at the end.

He has struggled with a slight loss of power since brain surgery in September, and he even topped a shot in Phoenix a few weeks ago. But it's all starting to come together. "I feel like each week my swing has definitely gotten a little bit better and improved a little bit," Holmes said. "My swing speed has slowly come back a little bit being out here and playing this much."

Byrd woke up Thursday morning to hear the wind whipping at his rental house on the Pacific bluffs. The last thing he wanted to do was play golf at Riviera, but it worked out well for him. He made five birdies in the toughest of conditions. The average score from the morning wave was 73.7.

"We're staying up on a bluff about five miles away," he said. "I got out of bed this morning and walked outside, and I was pretty anxious about playing this golf course today because it was howling on top of that bluff. And it whipped all day. My approach was just to keep it in play and have a pretty conservative game plan."

The afternoon players got a slight break, though the wind remained a factor. "The last seven holes the wind started to die down progressively, and by the end, it couldn't be playing any nicer or any better," Mahan said. "So I was excited to come make some birdies late."

DIVOTS: UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay, who didn't miss a cut on the PGA Tour last year, opened with a 78. The Northern Trust Open also gave an exemption to Texas freshman Jordan Spieth, who had a 76. ... Tim Clark, playing for the first time since The Players Championship because of elbow surgery, was 4 over through 16 holes.

Golf: Baddeley and Scott each aim for a Riviera repeat

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:38:56 GMT

Pacific Palisades - Australians have thrived at Riviera in recent years and two players from Down Under, Aaron Baddeley and Adam Scott, are aiming for repeat success at this week's Northern Trust Open.

In-form Baddeley defends the title he clinched last year by two shots while Scott, in his first appearance on the 2012 PGA Tour, seeks an official stamp of approval here after winning the rain-shortened 2005 edition.

Seven years ago, Scott beat American Chad Campbell in a Monday playoff after the weather-hit tournament had been reduced to 36 holes, resulting in the Australian's victory being declared unofficial.

"I remember spending so many hours in the locker room that week," Scott told reporters at a rain-sodden Riviera Country Club on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time).

"It was such a frustrating week to only play 36 holes over four days. It doesn't happen too often ... unfortunately we never got a [weather] break but I made the most of those 36 holes at least.

"It's nice to be back and start my year out here at Riviera where I have fond memories," added Scott who was runner-up here in 2006. "I've certainly played well here, and it's probably my favorite venue on the PGA Tour."

The Australian world number eight is eager to launch his 2012 campaign after taking a three-month break which included having his tonsils removed in December.

"It's probably the longest break for me," said Scott, an eight-time champion on the PGA Tour. "I needed it. I've played a lot of golf around the world for the last 12 years and to be able to spend three months at home for a change was really, really nice."

TONSILLITIS TROUBLE

Scott decided to have his tonsils taken out after being hampered by tonsillitis at least four times a year for the last few seasons.

"I got it in Boston during the Deutsche Bank tournament last year," the Australian said. "I played that week somehow, but I felt terrible and I thought that was enough.

"I figured if it happened during an event this year, it would be just another waste of an event and a month so I decided to take them out."

While Scott took time off, Baddeley has been busy on the 2012 PGA Tour, competing in four events that culminated in an impressive fourth-place finish at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last Sunday (Monday, PHL time).

Twelve months ago, he tied for sixth at Pebble Beach and then brought that form to Riviera where he sealed his third victory on the U.S. circuit.

"My game sort of feels like it's in the same position as then," Baddeley, 29, smiled. "I'm not really working on anything, just sort of maintaining and trying to hit golf shots.

"I'm excited for where my game is at. It feels real good, so hopefully we can keep the same thing going as last year."

Baddeley ended a four-year title drought on the PGA Tour with his 2011 triumph at Riviera and he hopes to draw on some of those memories this week.

"It's definitely exciting to come back and sort of relive those moments ... the shots that you hit the previous year and the putts you made," he said. "It's going to be a fun week."

Baddeley last year, Scott in 2005 and Robert Allenby in 2001 have all been Australian champions at Riviera. - Reuters

Golf Notes: Late start for Scott; Riviera snub for Weir

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:34:01 GMT

Adam Scott was on the range at Riviera on Tuesday and had every reason to feel like a stranger. He is the only player from the top 10 in the world who has yet to play a tournament this year. “I may have to introduce myself to a fair bit of people,” Scott said.

Waiting until the Northern Trust Open to begin his 2012 season was only partially by design. Scott had planned to be at Kapalua for the PGA Tour opener, but he had his tonsils taken out in December. He said the recovery time for an adult is about three weeks.

Scott said he had tonsillitis at least five times a year for the last couple of seasons, and when it happened at the Deutsche Bank Championships — he was tied for the lead through 36 holes — that was the last straw.

“It was the first time I had it during a tournament,” he said. “I figured if I had it during a major, it would be one less chance of getting one.”The three-month break was the longest of his career, and it was the first time in 10 years Scott has spent so much time at home in Australia. It allowed him to get his mind off golf, and it made him eager to return. “I’m really ready to play, and that’s important, too,” Scott said. “I’ve been starved of tournament golf at the moment.”

NO RESPECT: Riviera is getting a reputation of not showing much respect to its past champions. Players were stunned last week to learn that the Northern Trust Open rejected Mike Weir’s request for a sponsor’s exemption. Not only is Weir a former Masters champion, he won back-to-back in Riviera within the last decade. Weir rallied from seven shots behind on the last day to win in 2003, then won in 2004 to become only the sixth repeat champion.

The exemptions instead went to Fred Couples, K.T. Kim, Jason Gore, UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay and Texas freshman Jordan Spieth. It was the exemption to Spieth that raised eyebrows. He has made the cut in the Byron Nelson Championship (a hometown course) the last two years, but has no connection to Los Angeles.

Weir, trying to make his way back from elbow surgery, said he was surprised by the decision, but chose to leave it at that. It’s reminiscent of the time Robert Allenby was trying to register in 2002 as the defending champion. He hit a 3-wood in a cold, driving rain to 5 feet to win a six-man playoff.

Golf roundup: Jessica Korda wins Australian

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:14:37 GMT

MELBOURNE - American teenager Jessica Korda won the Women's Australian Open on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title, holing a 25-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a six-player playoff.

The 18-year-old Korda completed a two-sport, father-daughter Australian double with the breakthrough victory in the LPGA Tour opener. Petr Korda won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament, also in Melbourne.

Korda closed with a 1-over 74 to finish at 3-under 289 in the first women's professional event at Royal Melbourne, the historic sand-belt layout that was the site of the 2011 Presidents Cup.

Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Julieta Granada, So Yeon Ryu and Hee Kyung Seo also were in the playoff, played in threesomes on the par-4 18th. All six players made par on the first extra hole. On the second, Lewis, Lincicome, Granada and Seo made par and Ryu had a bogey.

Ryu and Seo, playing ahead of Korda and Nikki Campbell in the second-to-last group, topped the leaderboard at 4 under going into the final hole of regulation, but both closed with bogeys to shoot 73.

Lewis finished with a 70, and Lincicome and Granada shot 71. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Rafael Cabrera-Bello won the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, shooting a 4-under 68 to beat Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher by one shot for his second European Tour victory.

It appeared to be Westwood's tournament to win, with the third-ranked Englishman taking a one-stroke lead over Cabrera-Bello into the final round. But after making a 35-foot eagle putt on the second hole to go up by two, Westwood struggled with his putting the rest of the way.

The Spaniard birdied the 17th for the outright lead and then made a short par putt on No. 18 to finish with an 18-under total of 270. Westwood (70) had a chance to force a playoff, but his chip rolled past the hole. He then just missed a 25-foot birdie. Gallacher (69) also had a chance to tie but missed a 15-footer for birdie.

Boca Raton, Fla. - Corey Pavin made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to defeat Peter Senior and win the Allianz Championship for his first Champions Tour title Sunday at Broken Sound.

Both players shot a final-round 71 to finish tied at 11-under 205. Senior forced the playoff with a birdie on the last hole of regulation, but his birdie try in the playoff stopped an inch short of the cup.

Mark Calcavecchia appeared to be cruising to the victory when he birdied the par-5 11th hole to take a three-shot lead over Pavin. But Calcavecchia, who was 5 under for the day at that point, bogeyed six of his last seven holes to finish tied for seventh after a 73. Bernhard Langer (71) and Michael Allen (69) tied for third place, a shot ahead of Jay Haas (69) and John Cook (69).

Woods hopes to get ball rolling again at Pebble Beach golf

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:42:17 GMT

PEBBLE BEACH, California — Tiger Woods returns to the site of two of his most stirring victories when he makes his PGA Tour season debut at the $6.4 million Pebble Beach Pro-Am which begins Thursday.
"I am excited to be back," Woods said. "Everything is kind of headed in the right direction."Woods, who is playing in this event for the first time in a decade, had a magical season at Pebble Beach in 2000.

He won the 2000 US Open by a monstrous 15 strokes and earlier that year, Woods rallied from a seven-shot deficit in the final round to capture the Pebble Beach tournament. It marked his only Pebble Beach Pro-Am win in a half dozen years from 1997-2002. "Things were kind of going my way," Woods said of the comeback in 2000. "I figured I had to shoot 66 or lower to give myself a chance. All of a sudden, boom, three shots, two holes and I am back in the ballgame."

Those triumphs seem like a distant memory now for the 14-time major winner Woods who is looking for his first official PGA Tour win in over two years.The former world number one has seen his ranking and personal life take a tailspin since a 2009 car crash and subsequent sex scandal that also led to the breakup of his marriage.

Lately, however, things have been looking up. In his only other appearance this season, Woods finished third two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi. This week Woods will be partnered with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Woods, who is ranked 18th in the world, is one of just four of the top 20 players in the Pebble Beach field. The others comprise Dustin Johnson (No. 10), Nick Watney (No. 13) and Phil Mickelson (No. 17). American D.A. Points could also make some noise this week. Points will be hoping for a repeat performance starting Thursday when he tees off with playing partner actor Bill Murray of "Caddyshack" fame.

Points is off to a fast start this season with a pair of top 10 finishes. "It is a nice feeling to be the defending champ," Points said Wednesday. "Hopefully this week I can try to make it feel as much like a normal Tour event as possible."His hole-out from the fairway on the par-five 14th in the fourth round last year was considered one of the greatest shots of the 2011 season. Since winning here last year, Points' game has headed south. But the 35-year-old American feels he has a better handle now on what went wrong. "After I won I just really wanted to climb the ladder," Points said. "I had all these great expectations. "I just wanted to excel in those events to really boost my world rankings and give myself all these opportunities that I've always wanted to have.

"I was pushing so hard that I just never let myself enjoy it or play well. "What I need to do is to have myself as prepared as possible and then go play. Whatever happens, happens. Don't try to force it."The Pro-Am features three golf courses -- Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill Golf Club and Monterey Peninsula Country Club -- which everyone plays at least once. There is a 54-hole cut which advances the low 60 players and ties to the final round at the Pebble Beach course.

Fiji's Vijay Singh and Trevor Immelman of South Africa could also contend this week. Former champion Singh has posted seven top ten finishes in 17 appearances at Pebble Beach. He won in 2004 and lost in a playoff four years ago. Immelman tied for 12th in his latest outing at the Phoenix Open and has shot nine consecutive rounds of under par. Singh is partnered with Adobe Systems chief executive Shantanu Narayen while Immelman is paired with comic George Lopez.

Golf: Tours glance

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:18:30 GMT

Site: Pebble Beach Golf Links (6,816 yards, par 72), Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Shore Course (6,900 yards, par 72) and Spyglass Hill Golf Club (6,833 yards, par 72), Pebble Beach, Calif.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, 2-6 p.m., 7:30-10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.; Friday, 2-6 p.m., 7:30-10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.; Saturday, noon-1:30 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 2-5 p.m.; Sunday, 2-5:30 p.m.).

Defending champ: Pekin native D.A. Points won his first PGA Tour title and teamed with Bill Murray to win the pro-am competition. Hunter Mahan was second, two strokes back.

Women’s Australian Open
Site: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Composite Course (6,505 yards, par 73), Melbourne, Australia.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9-11:30 a.m.).

Defending champ: Taiwan’s Yani Tseng successfully defended her title, winning by seven strokes at Commonwealth Golf Club. She won the Australian Ladies Masters the following week and went on to win 11 worldwide titles, including major victories in the LPGA Championship and Women’s British Open.

Allianz Championship
Site: The Old Course at Broken Sound Club (6,807 yards, par 72), Boca Raton, Fla.

Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 5:30-7:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.; Saturday, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Sunday, midnight-2 a.m., 6-8:30 p.m.; Monday, midnight-2 a.m.).

Defending champ: Tom Lehman won the first of his three 2011 titles, birdieing the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Jeff Sluman and Rod Spittle.