Golf: Jason Day grabs 3-stroke lead at PGA Wells Fargo

Australia's Jason Day, chasing his first US PGA title in four years, seized a three-stroke lead after Friday's rain-soaked second round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Day fired a three-under par 67 to stand on 10-under 130 for 36 holes as more than half an inch of rain fell Friday at TPC Potomac at Avenel with more rain predicted all weekend.

The 34-year-old Aussie, who has Filipino lineage, made five birdies against two bogeys to finish three ahead of American Max Homa, who shot 66. Americans Luke List, Kurt Kitayama, Denny McCarthy and James Hahn shared third on 134.

"It's nice to be able to get in at 10-under through two rounds, especially with what kind of weather we've got coming in on the weekend," Day said.

"It's nice to be back in the mix, nice to be leading. It's still two more days left, so I can't get too far ahead of myself."

The suburban Washington course is hosting a PGA event for the first time since 2018 as a one-off because Quail Hollow, the regular Wells Fargo course in Charlotte, will host the Presidents Cup in September.

Day, ranked 127th, could win the title on the first Mother's Day since his mother, Adenil Day, died of cancer in March at age 65.

"I lost a little bit of momentum with my mum passing away and all that stuff," Day said. "Finally finding my footing again is nice."

Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner who has been nagged for years by back issues, seeks his 12th US PGA title and his first since the 2018 Wells Fargo.

"All the work that I put in in the off-season, off weeks, it's starting to show," Day said. "I'm finding a lot of confidence in that swing."

Back-nine starter Day sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th, a 10-foot birdie putt at 18, back-to-back birdies at the par-5 second and par-3 third and an 11-foot birdie putt at the par-4 eighth on the soggy layout.

"When you have conditions like this, it's really hard to commit to a shot because you're going in there and you're doing it a lot quicker than your normal pre-shot routine," Day said.

Four-time major winner and defending champion Rory McIlroy, who opened with a 67, fired a 73 to make the cut on the number at level par 140.

US 10th-hole starter Joel Dahmen, who briefly led after an eagle at the par-4 14th had five bogeys and a triple bogey in the last 10 holes to shoot 75 and was nine back on 139.

- PGA: Garcia clock error -

Spaniard Sergio Garcia was vindicated in complaining about a Thursday lost ball penalty after the PGA said Friday that a review found the three-minute clock to find his ball started too soon, while Garcia was trying to cross a creek to the area where the ball landed.

A statement said his ball was found within the correct time limit.

That didn't erase the one-stroke penalty, however, and didn't ease reactions to comments Garcia made in frustration that seemed to indicate he was planning to drop the PGA Tour for the rival LIV Golf circuit, which debuts next month in London.

"I can't wait to leave this tour," Garcia said Thursday. "Can't wait to get out of here.

"Just a couple more weeks until I don't have to deal with you any more."

Garcia, who didn't speak to reporters after either round, fired a 71 on Friday to stand on 138.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Woods says Masters decision will be 'game-time'

AUGUSTA -- Tiger Woods said Sunday he will make a "game-time decision" over whether to make a comeback at next week's Masters as he headed to Augusta for more practice.

The 46-year-old former world number one has stoked intrigue ahead of the year's first Major after playing a practice round at Augusta last week to test his fitness.

Woods, who suffered severe leg injuries in an automobile accident in California 13 months ago, is on the entry list for the Masters but has not definitively confirmed if he will play.

On Sunday, the golfing superstar wrote on Twitter that he was traveling to Augusta for more practice, but indicated that a final decision on whether to compete would be left until closer to Thursday's opening round.

"I will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice," Woods wrote on Twitter. 

"It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete."

Woods also congratulated Anna Davis, the teenager who triumphed in Saturday's Augusta National Women's Amateur.

Woods suffered severe right leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021, saying later he was lucky to survive the mishap and fortunate to still have both legs.

Woods has not played a full-fledged, competitive PGA Tour event since the accident. 

His last PGA event was the 2020 Masters, which were held in November after being moved from their traditional April window due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Augusta has been a favored venue for Woods over the years. He won the first of his 15 Major titles at the 1997 Masters as well as his most recent, an emotional 2019 Masters victory which came after a comeback from multiple back surgeries.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Tiger Woods scoops PGA Tour's $8 million popularity prize

MIAMI -- Tiger Woods hasn't played in a US PGA Tour event in more than a year, but the golf great still won the inaugural Player Impact Program bonus that rewards a player's popularity.

The 15-time major champion collects a $8 million top prize, the tour announced on Wednesday.

Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who had appeared to indicate in a December social media post that he had finished first, finished second for a $6 million bonus -- and a Twitter poke from Woods.

"Whoops," Woods tweeted, along with a screenshot of Mickelson's December post in which he thanked "all the crazies and real supporters too, who helped me win the PIP."

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Americans Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas will all receive $3.5 million from the $50 million PIP bonus pool.

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and world number one Jon Rahm of Spain each collect $3 million.

The program rewards 10 players based on an "impact score" determined by their popularity in internet searches, the number of unique news articles that include a player's name, a social media score based on a player's reach, conversation and engagement metrics, television sponsor exposure and a "general awareness" score among a broad US population.

Not all players are fans of what amounts to a popularity contest. Reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay is among those who would prefer to see tour bonuses based on on-course performance.

"I think I'm old-school in the respect that I would like the money to be doled out relative to play, and I don't think the PIP does that," Cantlay said last month. 

"It may be the first departure that the tour has had from rewarding good play to rewarding social media or popularity presence, so I don't like that departure."

That Woods emerged as the winner is a testament to the continuing interest he sparks not only among keen golf enthusiasts but also among casual fans and celebrity watchers.

Woods hasn't teed it up in a PGA Tour event since the rescheduled Masters in November of 2020.

He was recovering from yet another back operation when he suffered devastating leg injuries in a one-car crash in California in February of 2021.

Woods said this month he still doesn't know when he will be ready for top-flight competition.

But he took part in the PNC Championship family tournament alongside son Charlie in December, and the PGA Tour noted that NBC sports reported a total weekend audience for the unofficial event of 2.3 million viewers was up 53% over 2020.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau to face off in 'The Match V'

The Feud is now coming to Las Vegas to become The Match V.

Brooks Koepka will square off against nemesis Bryson DeChambeau in a 12-hole match at The Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas on Black Friday, Nov. 26, Golf.com reported Tuesday.

Turner Sports will air the match, as it has the first four, with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley on the call, per the report. This will be the first of "The Match" series that won't include Phil Mickelson as one of the participants.

DeChambeau foreshadowed the duel during Ryder Cup week.

"I think there may be something fun coming up here moving forward, but I won't speak too much more on that," he said when speaking about himself and Koepka -- to which the latter said he had "no idea" what DeChambeau was talking about.

An official announcement, including stakes, is expected later this week.

The pair buried the hatchet for the Ryder Cup, even embracing after the Americans' win over Team Europe.

Their feud began in 2019 when Koepka criticized DeChambeau's pace of play, and that sparked a series of barbs and social media posts ever since.

DeChambeau sits ranked No. 7 in the world while Koepka is ninth. DeChambeau has career earnings of nearly $26 million, while Koepka has $36.7 million in winnings.

-reuters

Mickelson added to field in a US Open without qualifying

The USGA is leaning a little more on the world ranking and a lot more on tournament results over the next two months to fill the 144-man field for a U.S. Open that will be without open qualifying for the first time in nearly a century.

The exemption categories announced Thursday include a spot for Phil Mickelson.

A runner-up six times in the only major Lefty hasn’t won, the most devastating was in 2006 at Winged Foot, just north of New York City, where the U.S. Open is set to return Sept. 17-20.

The COVID-19 pandemic that forced the U.S. Open to move from June also cost the championship its identity of being open to all. Open qualifying wasn’t possible for two stages at nearly 120 courses across the country and into Canada, England and Japan.

The idea was to create a field that reflected a typical U.S. Open — the elite and the aspiring, from every continent in golf, pros and amateurs. And while it won’t be 36 holes of qualifying, it still comes down to playing well.

“We are excited that players will still have an opportunity to earn a place in the field,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of USGA championships.


The top 70 from the world ranking on March 15 are exempt. Along with increasing that category by 10 spots, the USGA chose to use the last ranking before it was frozen during the shutdown in golf worldwide. That helps European Tour players, such as Eddie Pepperell and Robert MacIntyre, who are not able to play until July 9 — a month after the PGA Tour resumed with strong fields and big ranking points.

That also momentarily leaves out Daniel Berger, who went from outside the top 100 to No. 31 with his victory against a stacked field at Colonial. But the USGA will use the Aug. 23 ranking — after the first FedEx Cup playoff event — as its reserve list, and about seven spots are expected to come from there.

Mickelson was No. 61 when the ranking was frozen, and now is at No. 66. Mickelson, outspoken about the USGA and how it sets up U.S. Open courses, said in February that he would not ask for a special exemption if he was not otherwise eligible. With his five majors and Hall of Fame career — not to mention his legacy of silver medals in the U.S. Open — Mickelson likely would have received at least one exemption.

Now he won’t have to worry about that. In 2006, Mickelson had a one-shot lead playing the 18th hole when he drove wildly to the left and tried to hit 3-iron over a tree. He hit the tree, hit into a plugged lie in the bunker and made double bogey to finish one shot behind Geoff Ogilvy.

“That worked out great, to be able to know that I have a chance to go back to Winged Foot and give it another shot,” Mickelson said at the Travelers Championship. “As long as I’m playing well enough to compete to earn my way into the field, then I want to play and keep trying to win that tournament.”

Bodenhamer said the 36-hole qualifier in England typically is the strongest, along with one in Ohio after the Memorial. Thus, 10 spots will be awarded to the leading 10 players (not already eligible) from a separate points list of the opening five tournaments on the European Tour’s U.K. swing when its schedule resumes.

The Korn Ferry Tour also gets 10 spots — five from this season’s points list through the Portland Open, and then a special points list of three events that typically comprise the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The leading five players from that list also get into Winged Foot.

“We’ve got a pretty good mix of players,” Bodenhamer said. “Looking at the data, looking back at what the fields have been the last five years, there was a lot of Korn Ferry representation. We wanted to create pathways and allow those categories to earn their way in.”

That held true for the amateurs. The U.S. Open already has six amateurs who earned spots by winning the U.S. Amateur or British Amateur, for example. The USGA also will take the leading seven amateurs available from the world amateur ranking on Aug. 19.

The rest of the field is similar to what the British Open has done with its International Finals Qualifying for the PGA Tour. Two spots from the top 10 will earn exemptions from the Memorial, 3M Open, Barracuda Championship, FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Wyndham Championship. Three spots will be available from the PGA Championship.

And for the international presence, two spots will be given to the leader money winner in the most recent season on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, the Asian Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Japan Golf Tour, which gets two spots.

“We think this is the best path forward,” Bodenhamer said.

The Associated Press

Tiger Woods commits to first two US PGA playoff events

MIAMI – Reigning Masters champion Tiger Woods committed Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) to playing in US PGA Tour playoff events the next two weeks, hoping for the chance to defend his Tour Championship title.

Woods, a 15-time major champion chasing the all-time record of 18 major wins by Jack Nicklaus, tweeted that he would play in the Northern Trust at Liberty National in suburban New York next week and the BMW Championship at Medinah near Chicago in two weeks.

"Ready to begin the FedExCup playoffs starting with @TheNTGolf and then the @BMWChamps. Hope to see you there," Woods tweeted.

Woods was a Northern Trust runner-up at Liberty National in 2009 and 2013 and captured PGA Championships at Medinah in 1999 and 2006.

The 43-year-old US star has won 81 US PGA titles, one shy of the career record set by Sam Snead.

Woods, a two-time winner of the US PGA playoff crown, stands 27th in the season points standings, at risk of not cracking the top 30 who qualify for the season-ending showdown at East Lake in Atlanta.

The top 125 players on the season points list after this week's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, will secure 2019-20 US PGA berths and advance to the three-event playoffs. From a field of 125 at the Northern Trust only 70 advance to the BMW and from there only 30 reach the Tour Championship.

If Woods plays at the Northern Trust and BMW events in consecutive weeks, it will be the first time he has played in back-to-back weeks since February at Riviera and the WGC Mexico Championship.

Should he then attempt to defend his crown in the Tour Championship, it would be the first time he has played three weeks in a row since last year's playoffs.

Woods has played a very limited schedule since capturing his fifth green jacket last April at Augusta National, snapping a major win drought dating to 2008 and serving notice he had completed his fightback following multiple back surgeries.

Since the Masters, Woods has played only this year's three other major tournaments and the Memorial, a Nicklaus-hosted US Open tuneup event. In his most recent start, he missed the cut two weeks ago at the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

source: philstar.com

Koepka, Woods chase history at Pebble Beach

Brooks Koepka launches his bid for an historic US Open treble on Thursday at Pebble Beach, where Tiger Woods once separated himself from all rivals and now returns chasing a 16th major.

Pebble Beach, where Woods won the first of his three US Opens in 2000 with a breathtaking 12-under par total and a crushing 15-stroke margin, is a vastly different player now at 43 and with spinal fusion surgery behind him.

But he cemented his return to golf’s elite with his 15th major win at the the US Masters in April.

He has risen to fifth in the world rankings led by Koepka, who has won four majors in less than two years: back-to-back US Opens in 2017 and 2018 and back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and last month at Bethpage Black.

With his win at Shinnecock Hills last year Koepka became the first player since Curtis Strange in 1988-89 to win consecutive US Opens.

Willie Anderson, from 1903-05, is the only player to have won three straight.

“I’m not thinking about it,” Koepka said of his treble chance. “I know the odds are stacked up probably even more against me now. It’s hard to win the same event three times in a row.”

But he likes the idea of pursuing history at Pebble, where prior editions have produced champions such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and, of course, Woods.

The beauty of Pebble Beach’s coastal views can distract from the challenge it presents, especially with the pinched fairways and deep rough of a US Open.

“The rough is definitely going to be a factor this week,” Koepka said. “Very juicy. You need to put the ball in the fairways.

“These greens are so small, you can almost put it in the center of every green and have 20 feet, no matter where the flag stick is. It really comes down to who’s going to make putts.”

Woods said the 7,075-yard, par-71 course is playing similarly to the last time it hosted the US Open in 2010, when Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell won.

“We’re all going to be playing from virtually the same spots, and especially if it dries out,” Woods said.

source: philstar.com

Tiger wins 15th major title with spectacular Masters victory

AUGUSTA – Tiger Woods completed an epic comeback from career-threatening injury and scandal by winning the 83rd Masters on Sunday (Monday Manila time), capturing his 15th major title to end an 11-year major drought.

The 43-year-old American superstar, who underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2017 due to chronic back pain, seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open.

"It's overwhelming just because of what has transpired," Woods said. "I could barely walk. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't walk. Couldn't do anything.

"To have the opportunity to come back, it's one of the biggest wins I've ever had for sure."

Winning a fifth Masters title, and his first since 2005, cemented a fairytale comeback to the pinnacle of golf for Woods, whose career imploded after a 2009 sex scandal and nagging knee and back injuries that required a total of seven surgeries.


"It's the best I've felt with a driver in years," Woods said. "I felt in control of my long game and it really paid off."

With fans chanting his name, an emotional Woods walked off the 18th green and hugged his mother Kultida, daughter Sam and son Charlie just as he had embraced his late father Earl there after his first major victory at the 1997 Masters.

"It has come full circle," Woods said. "This tournament has meant so much to me and to have everyone here means so much to me and my family.

"Now to be the champion -- 22 years between wins is a long time -- it's unreal for me to experience this. I just couldn't be more happy, more excited. I'm just kind of at a loss for words."

Racing to finish before an oncoming thunderstorm, players created their own electric atmosphere, spectators roaring repeatedly for sensational shotmaking on one of golf's iconic stages.

Woods fired a final-round two-under par 70 to finish on 13-under 275 for a one-shot victory to capture a $2.07 million (1.82 million euros) top prize and the green jacket symbolizing Masters supremacy.

An all-American trio of three-time major winner Brooks Koepka, world number two Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele shared second on 276.

Jack says 'Well done'

It was the fifth Masters title for Woods, his first since 2005, and it moved him three shy of the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus.

"A big well done from me to Tiger," Nicklaus tweeted. "I'm so happy for him and for the game of golf this is so fantastic."

Woods has won majors at Bethpage and Pebble Beach, where next month's PGA Championship and June's US Open will be played, but he's not chasing Nicklaus.

"I'm sure I will probably think about it going down the road. Right now it's a little soon. I'm just enjoying 15," Woods said.

"I don't know if he's worried or not. I'm sure he's home in West Palm (Beach, Florida) just chilling and watching."

The triumph was the first major victory for Woods when he did not lead after 54 holes, having started the day two adrift of reigning British Open champion Francesco Molinari.

Woods served notice he had returned to form by contending last year at the British Open and PGA before snapping a five-year title drought by capturing the Tour Championship.

"It's the best I've felt with a driver in years," Woods said. "I felt in control of my long game and it really paid off."

Woods grabbed the lone lead on a jam-packed leaderboard with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 15th, a four-foot birdie putt following at the par-3 16th to double the advantage, allowing him to bogey the last and still win.

"I was as patient as I've been in a number of years out there," Woods said. "I was controlling my shot placement, especially seeing that board. It was a who's who.

"All these different scenarios keep flying around. It was an amazing buzz to follow what was going on and yet still focus on what I was trying to do out there. I liked it."

Woods parred 17 and walked up to the 18th green to crowds 20-people deep applauding with delight, but he kept a stoic visage until the job was complete, a tap-in for bogey followed by a fist pump and a scream of joy in celebration of one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.

"You couldn't have had more drama than we all had out there," Woods said. "Now I know why I'm balding. This stuff is hard."

One shy of Snead's mark

Woods, one shy of matching Nicklaus for the most career Masters wins, won his 81st career US PGA victory, leaving him one win short of the all-time record held by Sam Snead.

He became the second-oldest Masters winner, trailing only Nicklaus at 46 in 1986.

Woods also set a record for the longest gap between Masters triumphs, the 14-year spread one year longer than the old mark set by South African Gary Player from 1961 to 1974.

Augusta National moved the final round to Sunday morning due to expected afternoon storms.

source: philstar.com

Tiger Effect creating excitement for Ryder Cup and next year

Tiger Woods wasn’t the only one celebrating after he won the Tour Championship. Golf announcers and network executives are excited about the momentum Woods’ comeback season can generate for ratings.

All three of the sport’s major US broadcasters have reasons to look forward to the next nine months.

CBS’ Jim Nantz saw signs of Woods working his way back into contention at the Honda Classic last February in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, as well as The Memorial in Columbus and at the PGA Championship, where he finished two strokes behind Brooks Koepka.

“I saw him working his way through it and never doubted that he would win again,” Nantz said. “It could have happened earlier but he would have trouble over the last nine holes and lose some shots. But you don’t say it was ever over with him because he will outwork everyone.”

The immediate beneficiary is the NBC Sports Group, which has this weekend’s Ryder Cup on Golf Channel and NBC. It also had last weekend’s Tour Championship and saw a ratings increase of 178 percent. Sunday’s final round had a 4.45 Nielsen rating. The round also had 18.4 million minutes streamed across NBC’s digital platforms according to the network.


NBC Sports’ Mike McCarley, who is the president of the network’s golf coverage, said last weekend’s FedEx Cup finale and this weekend’s Ryder Cup present two interesting story lines.

“Last weekend he was squaring off against a generation of players who watched him. Now he is teaming up with them this week,” McCarley said from Paris. “It sets up a good story line for next year where Tiger will be squaring off with younger players who were inspired by him and attempted to fill the void. Whether it is in the spring or summer it is shaping up as a pretty dynamite season.”

NBC and Golf Channel have 30 hours of Ryder Cup coverage Friday through Sunday. Golf Channel will air Friday’s coverage and NBC will have Saturday and Sunday.

Justin Leonard was paired with Woods at the 1997 Ryder Cup and will be a part of NBC’s crew this weekend. Leonard said what he is looking forward to this weekend is seeing how Woods and Phil Mickelson work together on the same team.

“I don’t think we’ll see a Tiger-Phil pairing, but it will be fascinating to watch how this unfolds, seeing how at the beginning of the year, we didn’t think either of these players would be on this team, and now here they are,” he said.

With Woods back in regular contention, Nantz is hoping that the spotlight will also spread to other players like it did when Woods was at his peak.

“Now that he is re-credentialed as a winner again, hopefully players that win tournaments where he competes will get recognized more,” Nantz said. “I’m excited for the game and next season because of the depth.”

Fox is hoping that the Tiger Effect will be at its best in June, when the U.S. Open returns to Pebble Beach. With the tournament being on the West Coast, that means most of the coverage will be in prime time in the Eastern and Central time zones.

The 2015 US Open, which was the last time it was held out West, averaged 3.5 million viewers. By comparison, last year’s coverage on Fox and Fox Sports 1 averaged 2.85 million viewers, which was an improvement from 2017 (2.67 million) when Woods did not compete.

“It’s going to be at a course where he is very comfortable and lapped the field in 2000,” Fox’s Joe Buck said. “Believe me, if we could package him in bubble wrap between now and next June we would.”

Even though most are looking ahead, Nick Faldo is still marveling over the comeback season that Woods had and said it has been a phenomenal run.

“Tiger didn’t think he was going to play again, ever, and he’s competed for the last two majors which has been an incredible, incredible turnaround,” Faldo said. “He must be excited that every week he plays, he plays a little bit better. I think, you know, having Tiger back is phenomenal for everybody, both inside the ropes and outside the ropes. It’s great having him back.”

source: philstar.com

Future bright for Woods after PGA, but Koepka is in the way

ST. LOUIS — Over an ear-splitting afternoon in which most of the cheers weren't for him, Brooks Koepka got a taste of what golf feels like when Tiger Woods is in the hunt.

And in his exhilarating but ultimately futile attempt to catch Koepka at the PGA Championship, Woods got a taste of what it's going to take to get back on top in the majors.

Woods provided the thrills Sunday (Monday Manila time) — a fist-pumping, club-slamming, roller-coaster ride of a final round in which he threatened from beginning to end but couldn't knock Koepka out of the lead, or deny him the trophy.

Koepka heard the commotion in front of him all day — "You could hear a different roar like every 30 seconds, so we knew what was going on," he said — but did what he does best at the majors: He put on a calm, collected show of precision golf to hold off Woods by two shots and become only the fifth person to win a US Open and PGA Championship in the same year.

When it was over, Woods had a warm hug and a huge smile for the guy he calls "Brooksy."


"It's tough to beat when the guy hits it 340 down the middle," Woods said. "When a guy's doing that and hitting it straight, and as good a putter as he is, it's tough to beat."

Koepka set the PGA Championship record with a four-day score of 16-under 264. His best shot over a final round of 4-under 66 was a lasered 4-iron to the 16th green that landed 6 feet away and set up a birdie. That gave Koepka a two-shot cushion that allowed him to coast into the finish, much the way he did at Shinnecock earlier this summer, and at Erin Hills in last year's US Open.

Drama? That was Woods' domain.

Boy did he deliver.

Over a wild first nine holes, Woods didn't hit a single fairway off the tee but got up and down from everywhere. He needed a grand total of 10 putts to make the turn in 3-under 32 and stay within two shots.

He hit a poor approach on No. 11, but stared down a 30-foot putt for birdie that would have kept momentum on his side. The ball came to rest on the inner-edge of the cup — much like the famous chip-in on the 16th hole at Augusta in 2005. That one went in. This one stayed out, and Woods bent down and dropped his hands to his knees in agony.

But he did not quit. He hit an approach to 5 feet for birdie on 12, then a tee shot to 10 for another birdie on 13.

Roars echoed through the trees at Bellerive.

"We didn't mention it at all," said Koepka's caddie, Ricky Elliott. "It was pretty evident what Tiger was doing."

Woods could've made it louder.

He had a 20-foot putt on No. 16 to capture a share of the lead, but pushed it barely off line. He followed by blocking his drive on 17 to the right of a creek that skirts the right-hand side of the par-5 hole. He scrambled for a par there when he really needed a birdie and was three back once he reached the 18th fairway.

For one final flourish, Woods sank a 19-foot putt for a birdie that got him to 14 under and pumped his fist to celebrate.

"Making that putt at least gave me a chance," Woods said.

He needed Koepka to collapse over the last two holes.

It wasn't going to happen.

Koepka is proving to be the prototype player for his generation and beyond — a 28-year-old workout nut who splits time between the weight room and the driving range. He's got deft touch and a pure putting stroke, but is more about overpowering golf courses than overthinking them.

He has now won three majors over the past 14 months — and joins Jordan Spieth, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Woods as the only players since World War II with three majors before turning 30.

Getting the best of Koepka sets up as a daunting challenge for Woods, though the 42-year-old, 14-time major winner could easily argue he's been through worse.

He's had multiple back surgeries, and as recently as 11 months ago, wasn't able to swing a golf club.

He has now contended on the back nine on Sunday in consecutive majors — making it clear that Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Spieth and the rest of that generation could very well have to deal with him, and all the baggage that comes with him, in majors in 2019 and beyond.

"This is the first real Tiger effect I've experienced, with that many people," said defending champion Justin Thomas, who played two groups ahead and finished tied for sixth.

While Woods has never been one to celebrate a loss, he couldn't help but feel good about the road he's taken over the past year — one that ended with a tantalizingly close call at Bellerive.

"I'm in uncharted territory," Woods said. "I had to kind of figure this out on my own and it's been really hard — a lot harder than people think. And I'm just very pleased at what I've done so far ... going from where I've come from, to now over the last year, it's been pretty cool."

source: philstar.com

This version of Woods seems like a nostalgia act

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — All around him on a windy summer day on the links of Carnoustie, the leaders were imploding as Tiger Woods moved into the lead at the turn. It felt like old times at the British Open, as familiar as his Sunday (Monday Manila time) red shirt and the swarm of fans that cheered his every shot.

Then Woods imploded, too, and there's something that's become increasingly familiar about that.

If this was the Woods of 15 years ago, he likely would be "the champion golfer of the year," as they say over here, and have his name on the claret jug a fourth time. The fans felt this could be the culmination of the comeback. Twitter told late-rising Americans to get to their screens, and fans at church services checked the scores from Scotland incredulously.

But what felt like old times for a brief moment ended up as just another collapse story, like the ones Woods' fans have seen more recently.


Francesco Molinari, Woods' partner on Sunday, won the tournament with no bogeys over the final 37 holes . Woods finished tied for sixth.

Woods flinched when it mattered most, the nerves of a 42-year-old on display for all to see. Just when he took the lead and everyone's imagination began to swirl about what might be, he kicked away his best chance of breaking a decade-long drought in major championships.

Even a long hug from his two children afterward wasn't enough to ease the sting.

"A little ticked off at myself, for sure," Woods said. "I had a chance starting that back nine to do something, and I didn't do it."

Woods had the tournament in his hands after hitting a brilliant fairway bunker shot to make par on No. 10. He walked to the next tee with a one-shot lead.

Then his tee shot went right, and his second shot veered way left. Woods got a break by hitting someone in the gallery, but then left his pitch hanging precariously on the side of a pot bunker.
When he missed an 8-footer to make double bogey he was out of the lead. Another bogey on the next hole, and he was basically out of the tournament.

It used to be that Woods was steely and superhuman, and no one dared get in his way. Now he's more of a nostalgia act teasing fans with sparks of his past greatness.

"He wouldn't tell you, but he's human," Jordan Spieth said. "That kind of pressure that he would have felt leading the Open on a Sunday is no different than anybody else, especially having not experienced it for so long."

Spieth had his own issues, of course, kicking away a share of the lead on his way to a fat 76 in the final round. But Spieth is a 24-year-old with three major titles and many years to get more.

Woods is in a race against time — and that's a race no one ever seems to win.

"It didn't feel any different," he insisted. "It didn't feel any different to be next to the lead and knowing what I need to do. I've done it so many different ways."

But it was different, as different as his bald spot is to the full head of hair he had in his prime.

It wasn't like the course wasn't gettable. Molinari didn't make a bogey on his way to a 69 while playing alongside Woods. A Brit named Eddie Pepperell shot 67 with a hangover to end up tied with him.

"Sometimes I have a few drinks," said Pepperell, who finished as Woods was in the lead. "Tiger is minus-7, he didn't have a drink last night, I bet. Proper athlete."

Of that there is little doubt. Woods looks as strong as he did in his prime, even though he's had surgeries, a sex-scandal, a divorce and a drug-related DUI.

But good muscles don't mean calm nerves. And throughout his comeback year Woods has misfired every time he has gotten near contention.

It might be because there is so much as stake, despite a legacy from his earlier years that is already in golf's record books.

Another major would have validated years of struggles. A tie for sixth means nothing.

Woods embraced his two children, telling them he hoped they were proud of him for trying hard. He spoke about it later, in a rare personal admission for a player who grew up as a celebrity and has fought hard to keep his privacy over the years.

"It's pretty emotional because they gave me some pretty significant hugs there and squeezed," Woods said. "I know that they know how much this championship means to me and how much it feels good to be back playing again. To me, it's just so special to have them aware because I've won a lot of golf tournaments in my career, but they don't remember any of them."

It was a tender moment between a father and his kids, but also another reminder that Father Time waits for no one.

Not even Tiger Woods.

source: philstar.com

McIlroy off to solid start at Masters, keeps Slam in sight

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy wanted to get off to a solid start at the Masters, his latest shot at a career Grand Slam.

Saving par on the final three holes in the opening round Thursday helped him keep it in sight.

McIlroy shot a 3-under 69, breaking 70 in the first round at Augusta National for the first time since 2011. He shot a 65 that year and looked like he would win a green jacket before a final-round meltdown.

McIlroy heads into the second round Friday three shots behind Jordan Spieth, who made five consecutive birdies on the back nine to build a two-stroke lead over Tony Finau and Matt Kuchar.


"You look at it and not anyone is really getting away," McIlroy said. "Jordan had a pretty strong finish there. But this is my best start in a few years. And, yeah, it's such a hard golf course to play catch-up on. If you start to chase it around here, that's when you start to make mistakes.

"But to be right up there and have the ability to stay patient because of the position I'm in, that's a nice luxury I have over the next few days."

He can thank a few timely shots down the stretch.

McIlroy sank an 8-footer for par at No. 16, holed a sweeping, downhill, 13-footer for par on the next green and then chipped to a couple feet to save another par on 18.

"It's not always the birdies that stick out in your mind," McIlroy said, calling those shots the highlights of his round. "Those three holes. Big for momentum. I don't feel like I'm going out trying to get those two shots or whatever back (Friday) morning. I can just be relaxed going on to the first tee, not being too concerned about trying to get those birdies back. So, yeah, they were huge."

The first time McIlroy had a chance for the Grand Slam at the Masters, he opened 71-71 and found himself 12 shots back because Spieth ran away with it.

"Obviously it was very benign for us coming in the last few holes," McIlroy said. "I'm not surprised about (Spieth) at all. He loves this golf course. He plays well around here. He always has. And he's going to be tough to beat this week."

source: philstar.com

Rory McIlroy wins dramatic shootout to capture PGA title

LOUISVILLE – Rory McIlroy put himself among golf’s greatest legends Sunday by winning his fourth major title in dramatic fashion, capturing the PGA Championship in a shotmakers’ showdown at rain-softened Valhalla.

Three weeks after winning the British Open, the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland rallied on the back nine to take his second major victory in a row and third consecutive triumph overall in impressive fashion.

“Amazing. Incredible. I’m not sure I’ll ever have another summer like this,” McIlroy said. “I’ve got a lot of golf left to play this year, but I have to enjoy what I’ve just done.”

McIlroy fired a three-under par 68 in the final round to finish 72 holes on 16-under par 268 and edge five-time major winner Phil Mickelson by one shot with Sweden’s fourth-ranked Henrik Stenson and American Rickie Fowler two adrift.

McIlroy’s hat-trick of victories after the British Open and a World Golf Championships event last week give him the longest win streak since Tiger Woods completed a run of five in a row in 2008.

McIlroy became the fourth-youngest man to win his fourth major — trailing only Young Tom Morris, Woods and Jack Nicklaus — and has taken four of the past 15 majors contested.

“I try and put all this talk aside every time it comes up, but Tiger and Jack are two of the most successful players in our sport of all time,” McIlroy said.

“I’m on a nice track at the minute and I’m on a nice path. I’ve still got a long way to go, but to be in their company at this age is very special.”

McIlroy is the first man to win two majors in a row or in the same year since Ireland’s Padraig Harrington took the British Open and PGA in 2008.

Combined with German Martin Kaymer’s US Open triumph in June, McIlroy’s double means Europeans have won three of four majors in a year for the first time.

McIlroy took the Wanamaker Trophy, even grabbing the lid as it fell during the awards ceremony, and a $1.8 million (1.34 million euro) top prize.

Eagle lets McIlroy soar

A backstretch trophy battle worthy of anything the Kentucky Derby horses at nearby Churchill Downs ever produced came on a course weakened by 2.2 inches of rain over three days.

Bogeys at the third and sixth holes dropped McIlroy from the lead and even after a birdie at seven he made the turn three off the pace set by penultimate pair Mickelson and Fowler.

At the par-5 10th, McIlroy smashed his second shot 274 yards and made a seven-foot eagle putt to pull within one stroke of the leaders.

“That was the turning point in the whole tournament for me,” McIlroy said. “I struggled on the front nine and then to get myself within one of Rickie and Phil, I felt like I had a really good chance.”

US left-hander Mickelson found the rough at 16, bounced his bunker shot over the hole and left a 10-foot par putt just short for bogey.

McIlroy found a fairway bunker at 17 but hit to 10 feet and curled in the birdie putt for a two-shot lead.

An earlier rain delay had forced the players to race nightfall to finish, with dark clouds looming as the drama reached the par-5 18th hole.

McIlroy found a greenside bunker with his approach, made while Mickelson and Fowler were on the green in the dimming light.

“It was a classy move for those guys to let us come up because they didn’t need to,” McIlroy said. “They could have let us just stand there and wait in darkness and make it a little bit more difficult. True sportsmanship. They called us up and it was a classy move.”

Mickelson missed an 70-foot eagle bid but tapped in for birdie to pull within one of McIlroy while Fowler settled for par to end his title hopes.

McIlroy blasted out to 34 feet, left a birdie putt inches short and tapped in to win.

Defeat hurts for US duo

“It was good for me to get back in the thick of it, to compete in big tournaments,” said Mickelson, whose only prior top-10 effort this year was a January runner-up finish at Abu Dhabi.

“I’m disappointed in the outcome. Had I been able to finish those last five or six holes strong, could have totally flipped the way I look at this year.”

Fowler, the US and British Open runner-up who also shared fifth at the Masters, matched Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to finish in the top five at all four majors one year, the first since Woods did it in 2005 but also the first to do so without a win.

“This is probably the one that hurts the most for me with the majors this year,” Fowler said. “I just wish I could have given myself a couple of better looks on the last couple holes.”

source: interaksyon.com