Montgomerie fails to qualify for British Open

Montgomerie fails to qualify for British Open










July 2, 2013 6:19 PM

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Colin Montgomerie of Scotland tees off on the 12th hole during the first round of the Barclays Singapore …



(Reuters) - Former world number two Colin Montgomerieblew his chance of taking part in this month's British Open after a second-round 76 left him three over par in qualifying on Tuesday.

The 2010 European Ryder Cup captain was one shot off the lead after an opening-round 69 during Local Final Qualifying at Gullane in Scotland before a round of 76, featuring four bogeys and a double bogey, saw him miss out by four strokes.

"I got to five under and threw it away - never mind," the 50-year-old Scot said in a news release. "It's not my schedule. I just played badly this afternoon. I didn't get going at all."

Montgomerie, who won a record eight order of merit titles on the European Tour between 1993 and 2005, has never won a major despite several close calls with five runner-up spots among a total of 10 top-10 finishes.

There were three qualifying spots up for grabs at Gullane with amateurs Ben Stow and Matthew Fitzpatrick joining Sweden's Oscar Floren in securing their places at the July 18-21 major at Muirfield.

At the qualifying event at The Musselburgh, Steven Tileydominated the field to win by three shots to book his berth along with Scot Lloyd Saltman and Tyrrell Hatton.

At Dunbar, amateur Grant Forrest shot 67 and 65 for an eight-under-par aggregate and was joined in The Open field by Indian Shiv Kapur and Australian John Wade, who finished a stroke behind.

In the event at North Berwick, amateur Jimmy Mullen,Gareth Wright and George Murray took the coveted qualifying places.

(Reporting by Sonia Oxley; editing by Ken Ferris; Editing by)

Return to the Greenbrier a Great Move

Return to the Greenbrier a Great Move
West Virginia Resort is a Hidden Jewel of American Golf










Mark McLaughlin July 2, 2013 7:37 PM




COMMENTARY | One of my best childhood memories was attending the 1979 Ryder Cup at the Greenbrier Resortin White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. I think my brother still has the Maxfli golf ball Lee Trevino chipped to him from the practice green.



The Greenbrier, site of this week's Greenbrier Classic, also means a lot to the golf patrons of West Virginia and Virginia who were without a PGA Tour stop after the Michelob Championship ended its run at Kingsmill in Williamsburg in 2002.

The PGA Tour's decision to return to the Greenbrier in 2010 was a brilliant one and shined a spotlight back on one of the hidden treasures of American golf. The Greenbrier Classic is contested over the Old White Course, originally designed in 1913 by Charles Blair Macdonald, the first American-born architect of note. The resort's Greenbrier Course hosted that 1979 Ryder Cup, the first to include golfers from continental Europe.

The grand old club nestled in the Allegheny range of the Appalachian Mountains has a rich golf history, mostly synonymous with the greatest player the region ever produced: Sam Snead. Snead became the Greenbrier Resort's golf pro in 1936. When not winning a record 82 PGA tournaments, the Slammer would split his time between the Greenbrier and the Homestead, a similarly historic resort on the Virginia side of the Alleghenies.

Over the years, Jack Nicklaus, who redesigned the Greenbrier Course for the Ryder Cup, Arnold Palmer, who cashed his first professional paycheck there in 1955, and Tom Watson, the club's golf pro emeritus, have been closely associated with the resort.


But the individual most responsible for the PGA Tour's return is West Virginia native Jim Justice. With the proceeds from the sale of his family agriculture and coal business, Justice bought the Greenbrier Resort in 2009 from corporate owner CSX and convinced PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem to bring a tournament to his backyard in 2010.

In just its second year, the Greenbrier Classic won a "Best in Class" award for running one of the best tournaments on the tour schedule. Last year, the Greenbrier signed an extension to host the tournament through 2021.

"Jim Justice has shown genuine passion and commitment to not only host a PGA Tour event, but to build one into a premier stop on the PGA Tour," Finchem said at the time. "Jim has turned The Greenbrier Classic into a true celebratory event during Fourth of July week.''

This year, the event has attracted major winners Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson and Louis Oosthuizen as well as Bill Haas, winner of last week's AT&T National and a Greenbrier Classic playoff loser in 2011. Mickelson and Watson will join defending champion Ted Potter Jr. for the first two rounds in a rare threesome of southpaws.

The field also includes Champions Tour regulars Tom Watson and Kenny Perry, coming off his victory at the Senior Players Championship, as well as recent PGA Tour winners Boo Weekley and Billy Horschel.






Stuart Appleby closed with a 59 to win the inaugural Greenbrier Classic and the last two editions have been won in playoffs. So expect more fireworks this weekend in West Virginia.

Southampton Now Rivals Monterey Peninsula

If you're vacationing in the Hamptons this summer and have some A-list connections, then bring your golf clubs.

The hosting of the U.S. Women's Open this past week at Sebonack Golf Club gives the Shinnecock area of Southampton near the eastern tip of Long Island a concentration of world class golf courses to rival the Monterey Peninsula.

Sebonack, which opened in 2006 and is already ranked No. 39 in the U.S. by Golf Digest, sits astride theNational Golf Links of America, rated No. 11 and set to be on display during September's Walker Cup matches. Just south of National Golf Links sits Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, ranked No. 4 in the country. Shinnecock, the site of four U.S. Opens, will host again in 2018.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter @markmacduke.

Course Source: Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek), North Plains, Ore

Course Source: Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek), North Plains, Ore









Derek Harper, The Sports Xchange July 2, 2013 8:00 PMThe SportsXchange


COURSE SOURCE



THE LAYOUT: Pumpkin Ridge opened in 1992 to great acclaim, with Ghost Creek named the top new public course in the nation by Golf Digest, and Witch Hollow the No. 2 new private course.



Designed by Bob Cupp, the goal was to give Pumpkin Ridge the feel of playing golf in England and Scotland. While there isn't a slew of hazard trouble, the rough is dense, fescue lurks not far from many fairways, most holes have subtle elevation or directional changes and the sloping greens are fast and challenging.



What makes Ghost Creek arguably the best public experience in the greater Portland area is Cupp's design. He did an excellent job of creating a unique experience on nearly every hole, with Ghost Creek featuring a fun mix of long holes with narrow fairways, shorter holes with well-placed bunkers, weaving creeks into the layout, carving par-5s around tree-lined fairways and leaving enough getable holes to card a few birdies.



Bottom line, Pumpkin Ridge is a must-play when in the Portland area. Cupp's design is unique, challenging without being brutal and you'll rarely run into other groups while weaving your way through the property. It's still rated the No. 63 public course in the nation in 2013 by Golf Digest, which said playing host to a major PGA tournament is within the course's grasp.




LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: If you can keep the ball in the fairway, you can post a solid score at Ghost Creek. The fairways are kept in pristine condition and the greens roll extremely true - albeit with a good amount of tilt to many, rewarding those who can leave uphill putts.



The flavor of Cupp's design really begins to show itself on the short 158-yard par-3 third hole. It plays short to a large green - which has a massive tier that can easily turn a birdie opportunity into a potential bogey with a poor club selection.



Another distinctive hole on the front nine is the short 366-yard par-4 sixth. A straight drive is rewarded with a short iron to the green, but anything left is likely jailed in the trees and a creek runs down the right. It's not a bad idea to hit a hybrid off the tee, take a lot of the trouble out of play and take your chances with a little longer approach.



The back nine kicks off with one of the true risk/reward holes on the course. At 474 from the blues and 453 from the whites, it's a very reachable par-5. But beware of rolling mounds to the right and fescue to the left off the tee. Find those, and you must navigate a creek that crosses the fairway about 150 yards in front of the green and then turns up the left-hand side, making layups out of poor lies dicey.



Another one of our favorites was the closing 428-yard par-4 18th. There is ample area to land your drive, but hugging the left side provides far more room to work with on the approach. Anything to the right side requires a full carry over water to a green that is narrowest when approaching from that angle. However, aim left off the tee and there is a large tree that must be avoided - we found it twice in a 36-hole day. Eighteen is the second-longest par-4 on the course and the No. 4 handicap for a reason - it takes two well-struck and well-placed shots in order to head to the 19th hole with a very satisfying par.



The Great Blue Course at Heron Lakes north of the city features greens fees more common of a nice muni while boasting a challenging layout that many golfers in the Northwest believe is a must-play when in the area.

Golf-European Tour Scottish Open scores

Golf-European Tour Scottish Open scores

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July 13, 2013 2:32 PM


July 13 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the European Tour Scottish Open at the par-72 course on Saturday in Inverness

200 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 70 64 66

202 Phil Mickelson (U.S.) 66 70 66

John Parry (Britain) 64 72 66

Branden Grace (South Africa) 71 65 66

Joachim Hansen (Denmark) 68 65 69

203 Gareth Maybin (Britain) 69 70 64

Raphael Jacquelin (France) 68 70 65

Peter Uihlein (U.S.) 67 66 70

204 Simon Khan (Britain) 65 69 70

Lorenzo Gagli (Italy) 67 67 70

Matthew Southgate (Britain) 69 64 71

205 Tommy Fleetwood (Britain) 70 67 68

Paul Casey (Britain) 70 67 68

Chris Doak (Britain) 66 66 73

206 Hennie Otto (South Africa) 70 70 66

Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 70 68 68

Eddie Pepperell (Britain) 69 69 68

Brooks Koepka (U.S.) 70 68 68

Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina) 70 68 68

Martin Laird (Britain) 68 69 69

Chris Paisley (Britain) 70 65 71

Ross Fisher (Britain) 68 65 73

207 Keith Horne (South Africa) 67 73 67

Alvaro Quiros (Spain) 68 71 68

Alejandro Canizares (Spain) 70 69 68

Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 66 73 68

David Lynn (Britain) 69 70 68

Morten Madsen (Denmark) 70 67 70

Mikko Ilonen (Finland) 66 71 70

Richard Sterne (South Africa) 67 69 71

Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 70 66 71

David Horsey (Britain) 69 67 71

Garth Mulroy (South Africa) 69 67 71

Francesco Molinari (Italy) 69 66 72


208 Simon Dyson (Britain) 70 69 69

Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 69 69 70

Jaco Van Zyl (South Africa) 68 69 71

Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands) 67 69 72

Marcel Siem (Germany) 67 69 72

Damien McGrane (Ireland) 67 69 72

Victor Dubuisson (France) 68 66 74

209 Greig Hutcheon (Britain) 69 71 69

Richard Bland (Britain) 71 69 69

Matteo Delpodio (Italy) 67 73 69

Gary Orr (Britain) 71 69 69

Matteo Manassero (Italy) 69 70 70

Shane Lowry (Ireland) 66 73 70

David Drysdale (Britain) 70 69 70

Paul McGinley (Ireland) 67 72 70

Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 68 70 71

Seve Benson (Britain) 69 69 71

Chris Wood (Britain) 68 70 71

Chris Lloyd (Britain) 68 69 72

James Morrison (Britain) 66 68 75

210 Joakim Lagergren (Sweden) 71 67 72

Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 66 71 73

211 Matthew Baldwin (Britain) 69 71 71

Jorge Campillo (Spain) 72 67 72

Marc Warren (Britain) 71 68 72

Scott Henry (Britain) 69 69 73

212 David Howell (Britain) 68 71 73

Gregory Bourdy (France) 68 70 74

213 Darren Fichardt (South Africa) 70 70 73

Paul Lawrie (Britain) 69 71 73

Johan Edfors (Sweden) 69 71 73

Richard Green (Australia) 70 69 74

Sam Little (Britain) 68 71 74

214 Craig Lee (Britain) 68 69 77

Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 67 69 78

217 Lee Slattery (Britain) 71 66 80

Woods 'confident' about health heading into British

Woods 'confident' about health heading into British

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The Sports Xchange July 13, 2013 2:50 PMThe SportsXchange



Tiger Woods announced on his website that he is healthy and ready for next week's British Open.

Woods has an elbow strain that has bothered him since the U.S. Open, but declared himself good to go for the next major tournament, which begins Thursday.

"I started chipping and putting a little over a week ago and I'm full go for the British Open," Woods said. "I'm very confident that my left elbow strain won't be a problem and I will be able to hit all the shots I need to hit. That's why I took the time off, so it could heal, and I would feel comfortable playing again. I'm still taking anti-inflammatory medication for my elbow and getting treatment, but the big thing at Muirfield Golf Club will be to avoid the rough."

Woods shot 13 over par at last month's U.S. Open after aggravating the injury. The world's No. 1 ranked player originally sustained the elbow strain during the Players Championship in May, which he won.

The injury caused Woods to pull out of the AT&T National after the U.S. Open.

Rory’s Last Shot: 2013 Open Championship McIlroy’s Last Chance to Cash Father’s Wager

Rory’s Last Shot: 2013 Open Championship McIlroy’s Last Chance to Cash Father’s Wager
Gerry McIlroy Placed a Bet 10 Years Ago that His Son Would Win an Open. Muirfield is His Last Chance

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Chris Chaney July 16, 2013 8:55 PM

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The big bet on Rory expires this year at the Open Championship




COMMENTARY | Rory McIlroy has been billed as a golfing prodigy since he was in diapers.

Not unlike his childhood hero, McIlroy peddled his wares at a young age in front of a national television audience, hitting golf balls into a washing machine on "Kelly," a talk and variety show broadcast in his native Northern Ireland.

Just five years later, an astute gambler placed a bet after playing a round of golf against the young McIlroy, getting 500-1 odds on a £50 bet that McIlroy would win a major championship before the age of 25.

In 2011, that £50 turned into £25,000 as McIlroy waxed the field at Congressional Country Club, winning the US Open by eight shots. Odds against McIlroy winning another major following his US Open triumph have rarely soared to double-digits-to-one and with good reason. McIlroy is only one of two players in the last five years to win multiple major championships.

Gerry McIlroy and three other friends, keen on Rory's talents from an early age, also levied a wager on the then-15-year-old's behalf before his star shone too brightly. Already gaining status as one of Europe's finest junior players, a bookie was still willing to take 500-1 odds at £100 a piece that McIlroy wouldn't win an Open Championship before his 25th birthday.

"That was all the bookies would let us put on, £100 apiece," Gerry said following his son's breakthrough at Congressional. "But that bet is looking better and better."

Now, at the age of 24 and ranked by Forbes as the 21st highest-paid athlete, reportedly bringing in just shy of $30 million a year in on-course earnings and endorsements, the £50,000 Gerry McIlroy stands to win is not quite the chunk of change it once was when he and his wife were working multiple jobs to support their burgeoning son's ambition.

However, the show-of-good-faith bet made by Gerry and his three friends would be a welcomed payout perhaps in terms of Rory's confidence more so than the fattening of the quartet's wallets.

A disappointing 2013 season to this point by his astronomical standards, McIlroy has yet to raise a trophy on either side of the pond and has been dogged by armchair psychiatrists as to possible reasons for his less-than stellar performance.


The most common prognostication is the equipment switch McIlroy made to start the season, trading in his Titleist sticks for the newest Nike had to offer.

According to many, including three-time Champion Golfer of the Year and two-time Muirfield victor Nick Faldo, the switch was a "dangerous" move.

McIlroy has downplayed any equipment shortcomings that may have affected his sluggish start and feels coming into the Open this week that he has gotten all the pieces figured out.

Most notably, McIlroy said he has sorted out his driver problems following a missed cut at the Irish Open. "I went over to London after the Irish Open, tried a few drivers with different settings and as soon I hit it I said, 'This is the one.' It feels great," McIlroy told the Irish Golf Desk.

The next question that arises will be if he even needs to use his new "it" club this week at firm and fast Muirfield. Described by most accounts as a 7,192-yard layout that rarely, if ever requires the big stick, McIlroy, a longer hitter already, will be forced to dial back his power off the tee in order to position himself more favorably coming into the greens.

At 20-1 odds to win this week at most books, McIlroy will have to put together his best week of 2013 to cash his father's 500-1, 10-year-old bet.

And while the £50,000 pay day would be icing on the cake for Gerry McIlroy should his boy be holding the Claret Jug come Sunday night, an even safer bet would be that most of the rumblings about a poor equipment decision would be quelled.

Chris Chaney is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based sportswriter. He has written for multiple outlets including WrongFairway.com, Hoopville.com, The Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer and The Clermont (OH) Sun.

Follow him on Twitter @Wrong_Fairway.

Phil Mickelson brings secret putting tips to British

Phil Mickelson brings secret putting tips to British


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PGA.COM July 16, 2013 11:58 PM

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"I am really optimistic about this week and going forward because I'm starting to putt as well as I …


By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press

GULLANE, Scotland -- The pain of yet another excruciating loss at the U.S. Open has faded, replaced now by the euphoria of his first win in Europe in 20 years. Phil Mickelson's summer has been a lot like his career, and the roller coaster shows no signs of slowing down.

He's here with what he believes may be his best chance to win an Open Championship, though that's nothing new. Mickelson always believes, even when the drives are going sideways and the 3-footers are lipping out.

But he won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open on Sunday and that was a big boost for a player who hasn't had much success on this side of the pond. And he did it in typical Mickelson fashion, winning in a playoff after blowing his first chance to win with a cringe-inducing three-putt on the final hole of regulation.

He's not terribly worried about his game at the Muirfield links. Not with a new putting technique he prefers to keep secret -- this is Phil Mickelson, of course -- and a 3-wood he can control better than any driver.

What does worry him is his luck, important in any golf tournament but especially critical in links golf.

"It's part of the tournament here," Mickelson said. "You need an element of luck, but you also need to play some great golf. These last few months I've played well enough to get in contention and play well, but I do need some luck."

On a course playing fast and hard, Mickelson put a little more money in his wallet Tuesday, pairing with Ricky Fowler to win a practice round match against Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. The stakes were said to be substantial, and Mickelson ended the match by hitting a hybrid to the par-5 17th hole for a two-putt birdie that he and Fowler studied as hard as they might on Sunday in the Open.

If that was a good sign for Mickelson he wasn't saying. But he clearly feels at the top of his game, and seems to have gotten over his disappointment of finishing second for the sixth time last month at the U.S. Open.

"I am really optimistic about this week and going forward because I'm starting to putt as well as I ever have," Mickelson said. "I putted great last week, and more than that, I've been putting well now for months."


The reason, Mickelson said, is something he figured out after several years of trying, among other things, a belly putter and some unusual grips with the flat stick. Though famous for tinkering with everything with his golf game, Mickelson prefers to keep his latest revelation to himself.

"I feel that I've kind of keyed in on something, and I don't really want to share," he said.

Mickelson's lack of success in the British parallels his troubles at the U.S. Open except that he has rarely been in contention here. He finished tied for second two years ago after making a final round charge but for the most part he has struggled on the kind of courses that reward shots played closer to the ground and play much differently than the courses Mickelson normally plays on the PGA Tour.

Wind, hard ground, and deep bunkers are the trademarks of a links style course. And links courses like Royal Muirfield have given Mickelson fits over the years.

"It's a hate/love," Mickelson said when asked to describe his thoughts about links golf. "I used to hate it and now I love it."

Just how he'll feel about it on Sunday depends on whether he can find a way to not only win his first British Open but do it the week after he won another tournament. Mickelson accomplished the double before, winning the Bell South and then the Masters in 2006.

"It's difficult to win the week before a major and then follow it up winning a major," Mickelson said. "But, then again, the last person to do it, you're looking at him."

Uh, not exactly. Tiger Woods won the week before he won the PGA Championship in 2007, making him the last person to pull it off.

Forgive Mickelson if he's a bit off on his golf history. Some of it -- at least the part about his play in 19 previous British Open -- might be easier to forget. So might all his runner-up finishes in the other Open he hasn't been able to win.

No, his summers haven't all been good. Nothing that won't change, though, if he's the one holding the winner's claret jug this time around.

©2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.