Taylormade Driver: 01/22/13

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Former Tour member Jeff Julian, 42, dies

Updated: July 15, 2004, 6:06 PM ET

Associated Press

NORWICH, Vt. -- Former PGA Tour player Jeff Julian died Thursday, nearly three years after being diagnosed with ALS. He was 42.

Julian died of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He moved in March from his home in Branson, Mo., to the family farm where he grew up.

He played on the PGA Tour in 1996 and 2002. His best finish in 58 starts was a tie for 16th at the 1996 Buick Classic.

Julian was diagnosed with ALS in October 2001. He played seven events on the PGA Tour the following year.

In 2003, Tom Watson and his caddie, Bruce Edwards, formed Driving4Life to raise funds for the ALS Therapy Development Foundation. Edwards was diagnosed with ALS in January 2003 and died earlier this year.

"The PGA Tour is saddened to learn of Jeff Julian's passing earlier today. For the second time this year, the Tour family has been diminished by the devastating effects of ALS," commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.

"Just as with Bruce Edwards before him, Jeff's courage and good humor in the face of the terrible illness served as an inspiration to friends and fans everywhere. He was determined to make something positive out of his illness."

Right before the Masters in April 2003, Julian accepted the Ben Hogan Award from the Golf Writers Association of America. It goes to a player who remains active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.

Julian had lost his ability to speak five months earlier. After losing strength in his arms and legs, he had been forced to stop playing golf shortly before he went to Augusta National for the award.

Tiger Woods, accepting his player of the year award for the fourth straight time, paid tribute to Julian and Edwards.

Julian had tears as he stepped to the podium. He typed letters into his hand-held computer and held it to the microphone. The computer spoke the words.

"Tiger mentioned my name. I made it."

In 1990 and from 1997-2000, Julian played in 105 events on the Nationwide Tour. He won the 1997 Dominion Open.

Julian is survived by his wife, Kimberly, whom he met at the 2000 Ozarks Open. They have two sons, Keegan and Tyler.

A memorial gathering will be held Sunday in Hanover, N.H.

Monty proves he can go home again

Updated: July 15, 2004, 5:56 PM ET

By Jason Sobel | ESPN.com

He's been haunted by what-ifs and coulda-beens of majors past. He's been taunted by galleries around the globe.

Called "The Goon from Troon." "Mrs. Doubtfire." "Fat Monty."

If Monty's ever going to win the Claret Jug, he might as well win it in front of his hometown fans.

And through it all, Colin Montgomerie grew a thick skin. He learned not to care what others thought of him. He took all comers head on.

So when, after shooting 69 in the opening round of a major, a reporter says to him, "Can you talk about..." Monty cuts him off, because he already knows the answer. "I can talk about anything. Go ahead."

Such is life in the world of Monty, where the limitations are no more, where caution was thrown into a thick Scottish wind long ago, where -- dare we even think such thoughts? -- anything is possible.

Just a few short weeks ago, it seemed almost nothing was possible. His marriage had failed, taking its toll both publicly and privately. His status as the European Tour's top player had faded long ago. And the once mighty Monty was climbing an uphill battle at a course called Sunningdale. One day, 36 holes, with the right to play in the British Open if he could take fewer strokes than most of the other players in the field. With no limitations, no burdens, Monty won a playoff, won the right to fight for the Claret Jug many thought would have been his five times over already.

And, most importantly to him, he won the right to go home.

As Monty told a jury of his peers just days before the Open, "You can take the boy out of Troon, but you can't take the Troon out of the boy." And now the boy and his home are one again. On Thursday, he played as if he were a 12-year-old boy once again, cruising around Royal Troon, waving to the members -- full of life, full of promise.

"I'm getting terrific support from everywhere, not just on the golf course here today, from everywhere, " said Montgomerie, after finishing the day in a 13-way tie for 13th place. "The letters of support I'm receiving, written and through the office, through e-mail and through the European Tour office are quite incredible."

For a recently separated man playing in the Championship -- his Championship -- support is something Monty needs and covets, and nowhere will he find more than in his hometown.

"I spend a lot of time out on the road on my own," Monty said. "It's different this week because I'm having to stay with my father, who still lives in Troon, and I've been dining out in local restaurants, I've been around at the management headquarters here, along the road. So I'm not shying away from anything and I'm enjoying the whole experience, to be honest, of playing here in the Open Championship."

And why wouldn't he? Birdies at holes 2, 5, 6, 12 and 15 certainly overshadowed the double-bogey and bogey on holes 10 and 11. And it got all those folks from Troon thinking about that little boy again, the one who grew up on the course, full of life, full of promise. And, collectively, they're thinking, just maybe...

After all, as Monty said, "This Open couldn't have come at a better time for me or a better place."

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.

Tiger no longer has fear factor

It used to be that if Tiger Woods was in striking distance at a major, everyone would be looking over their shoulders. Not any more.

Updated: July 16, 2004, 7:17 AM ET

By Bob Harig | Special to ESPN.com

TROON, Scotland -- For the first time in seven major championships, Tiger Woods broke par during the opening round. But you don't exactly get the feeling that those he is chasing are shaking with anxiety.

Not any more.

Not since eight different players won major championships in the time following his last at the 2002 U.S. Open. Not since he was overtaken for the PGA Tour money title last year. Not since five players already have multiple victories to his one this year.

Four birdies, three bogeys and 11 pars? No wonder players aren't scared of Tiger any more.

It used to be, when Woods got within a sniff of the lead, everyone around him got lost in a pot bunker.

"There were times," said Justin Leonard, "when you'd look up on the leaderboard and say, 'Uh-oh, here he comes.' And all of a sudden, there he went."

Woods' 70 on Thursday at Royal Troon was in no way a bad score. It put him in position to challenge for the Claret Jug, and it's better than some of the performances -- such as last month's U.S. Open, where an opening round 72 led to a T-17 finish -- that seemingly put him too far behind after just 18 holes.

But it didn't exactly inspire anyone to believe that Woods is ready to re-emerge as the dominating force that saw him win seven of 11 major championships between 1999 and 2002 -- a stretch that might one day be remembered as one of the greatest in sports history.

Now, Woods is like a lot of golfers, not quite sure what the next day will bring. He got to 2 under par during his round, gave it back with consecutive bogeys at the 12th and 13th holes, then birdied the 16th to get 1 under.

As has been the case, Woods missed his share of fairways, hitting eight of 14. He did hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation, but needed 31 putts.

Some two dozen names are ahead of him on the leaderboard.

"I played really well today," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good shots and lost a couple of shots on the front nine that I probably should have kept while I was going. but overall, this was a good day."

And that's sort of Woods' standard spiel these days. Nobody doubts that he will win again, that he will claim multiple majors. But for now, the fear factor is gone.

Woods' game has dropped, while others have picked up theirs. Vijay Singh, who shot 68, and Ernie Els, who shot 69, are among players who have challenged Woods' No. 1 ranking. Retief Goosen, the only player since 1999 other than Woods to win two majors, shot 69.

"I think what happened, is that the other players realized that if we're going to start competing against this guy, we're going to have to tighten up our games," Nick Price said.

Phil Mickelson won his first major this year at the Masters and has two victories. Sergio Garcia has two wins on the PGA Tour, as does Adam Scott. More players are winning and gaining confidence.

"It's going to take awhile for that invincibility to build up again," Price said. "The way that he's played, he's certainly let a lot of people catch up to him. Or go past him, however you want to look at it."

Some used to marvel at the breaks Woods got, especially concerning the draw. He might go out early, shoot a good score, then see the weather turn bad.

That was set up against him Thursday when he teed off in the early afternoon. It could have got ugly, but didn't.

Like Woods said, "This is as good as it gets. This is ideal scoring conditions out here. You look at the leaderboard, a lot of guys shot good numbers today." Woods tees off Friday morning, before the weather is supposed to turn. Maybe he gets off the hot start, then watches everybody else wither as the wind whips in off the Firth of Clyde.

"The forecasters here aren't as accurate as they probably could be," Woods said. "Today was supposed to be blowing and it ended up being probably one of the best days you'll ever see in a British Open."

The kind of day where Woods used to take advantage and go low, crushing the hopes of others.

Now, he's still No. 1, but just another player in the pack.

Bob Harig covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, and is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at harig@sptimes.com.

Duval withdraws with back sprain

Els sees highs and lows of Troon

Ernie Els had an ace, a double-bogey and some questions left to be answered in the first round of the British Open.

Updated: July 15, 2004, 10:11 AM ET

By Bob Harig | Special to ESPN.com

TROON, Scotland -- The numbers add up to par, but of course, the numbers don't tell the story. How he got there is the interesting part. And should the 133rd British Open come down to the wire for Ernie Els, he'll no doubt look back on his good fortune and misfortune at two of Royal Troon's more remarkable holes.

Els shot a 2-under 69 in the first round, a fine opening effort.

The good: Els aced the "postage stamp" 8th hole; the bad: guys with hole-in-ones almost never win.

But it was his play on two par-3s that got all the attention. He played them in six strokes, even par. No big deal? Hardly.

He recorded a one and a five.

And since the double bogey came later in the day, it left a sour taste for the player many believe to be the favorite to win this week.

"I don't feel good after that, I can tell you that," Els said about the double-bogey 5 at the par-3 17th that dropped him from a tie for the lead back into the pack. "I had a pretty nice round going. I had quite a few chances, also. It's very unfortunate what I did on 17."

What happened to Els occurs all the time in links golf. Els left a bunker shot in the bunker. By design, pot bunkers are supposed to do that. But for a world-class golfer such as Els, it was a brutal mistake. He had room to clear the ledge of the greenside bunker to the left of the 17th, where a pulled 5-iron shot to the 222-yard hole initially got him in trouble.

And this was in no way as difficult as either of the beautiful bunker shots he hit down the stretch two years ago at Muirfield, where he won his first Open Championship and third major title. Els needed clutch bunker shots in regulation and in the playoff -- one requiring him to straddle the sand with one foot in the bunker, and one out -- to win the Claret Jug.

This, comparatively speaking, was nothing. And he botched it.

"I don't know what I was thinking there," Els said. "It was laying a little bit down, but it wasn't the most difficult shot I've ever had in my life and I just messed it up. I thinned it into the bank in front of me and I tried to get it out, which I did, and made 5. From really nowhere, I made double bogey. So that's quite disappointing. From such a highlight on 8 to such a lowlight on 17. It's amazing."

No doubt.

The ace at the Postage Stamp would have been far more memorable had it not been negated by the double at the 17th. The 123-yard eighth is no pushover, but on a near perfect morning with little wind, Els needed only a pitching wedge. He thought about hitting a 9-iron, but his caddie, Ricci Roberts, talked him into the wedge.

"I hit it really solid," Els said. "I was just saying to the ball, get up, get up, get up. And it bounced nice and hard and it had a lot of (spin) on it. And it went in from the back of the hole."

Els wasn't quite sure, but he believed it was his seventh hole-in-one in competition, his second at a major championship. Els also had an ace at the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot. But players don't often win tournaments in which they make an ace. The last player to do so on the PGA Tour was Jim Furyk at the 2002 Memorial.

Good omen or bad, Els has more to worry about. He'll play Friday afternoon when conditions could be tougher than the tame ones he faced Thursday morning. That was his biggest lament, that he didn't take advantage.

"The back nine played as easy as you're going to see it," he said.

Which makes you wonder about how the unnamed bettor who wagered a huge sum on Els feels about things.

Ladbrokes, a United Kingdom betting house, reported taking a single wager from one individual for 62,500 pounds (about $120,000) on Els to win the tournament. Betting is legal in Britain, but Ladbrokes said it had never had a bet so large on golf.

"I wouldn't wager that much money," Els said. "He must have a lot of money to wager. I'm feeling good about this week, and I'm glad I've got fans or a betting man who's got a lot of confidence in me. I feel it's all good."

Els finished second to Phil Mickelson at the Masters, losing to a final-hole birdie. He had another chance at the U.S. Open, just two strokes out of the lead entering the final round, where he shot 80, then blasted the United States Golf Association this week for the unfair setup at Shinnecock Hills.

Now he's in position again, although as Els undoubtedly lamented, it should have been lower.

"I have to take that," he said. "I can't change it. So I have to just keep playing. And it's not a bad start. Anything under 70 in a major championship is a pretty good score. But it could have been a little better."

Bob Harig covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, and is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at harig@sptimes.com.

British Open early first-round scores

Updated: July 15, 2004, 8:14 AM ET

SportsTicker

TROON, Scotland -- Thursday's first-round scores from the $7.2 million British Open, played on the 7,175-yard, par-71 Royal Troon Golf Course (a-amateur)

Paul Casey                 34-32--66       5-under


K.J. Choi                  33-35--68       3-under
Gary Evans                 34-34--68 
Carl Pettersson            33-35--68 

Rich Beem                  31-38--69       2-under
Ernie Els                  33-36--69 
Skip Kendall               32-37--69 
Barry Lane                 34-35--69 
Paul McGinley              35-34--69 

Mathias Gronberg           36-34--70       1-under
Justin Leonard             34-36--70 
Sandy Lyle                 35-35--70 
Shaun Micheel              35-35--70 

Chris DiMarco              35-36--71       even
Brendan Jones              34-37--71 
Shigeki Maruyama           36-35--71 
Nick Price                 35-36--71 

Mark Calcavecchia          36-36--72       1-over
a-Nick Flanagan            36-36--72 
Davis Love III             35-37--72 
Rodney Pampling            37-35--72 

Scott Drummond             37-36--73       2-over
James Kingston             35-38--73 
Phil Mickelson             36-37--73 
Andrew Oldcorn             34-39--73 

Brad Faxon                 35-39--74       3-over
Richard Green              38-36--74 
Jonathan Kaye              38-36--74 
Craig Perks                37-37--74 

Luke Donald                35-40--75       4-over
David Griffiths            40-35--75 

Andrew Buckle              39-37--76       5-over
Craig Parry                37-39--76 

Peter O'Malley             36-41--77       6-over

Paul Lawrie                39-39--78       7-over

Tom Weiskopf               45-35--80       9-over

David Duval                WD

Taylormade Driver

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Former Tour member Jeff Julian, 42, dies

Former Tour member Jeff Julian, 42, dies

Monty proves he can go home again

Monty proves he can go home again

Tiger no longer has fear factor

Tiger no longer has fear factor

It used to be that if Tiger Woods was in striking distance at a major, everyone would be looking over their shoulders. Not any more.

Duval withdraws with back sprain

Duval withdraws with back sprain

More problems for Duval as back injury forces withdrawal from British Open.

Els sees highs and lows of Troon

Els sees highs and lows of Troon

Ernie Els had an ace, a double-bogey and some questions left to be answered in the first round of the British Open.

British Open early first-round scores

British Open early first-round scores

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