The Masters, Play Off Win For Broomstick Scott

Adam Scott won the Masters in a play-off against Grand-dad Angel Cabrera, using the soon to be banned Broomstick putter.

Adam Scott / Ehrmann / Getty Images

Adam Scott won the second play-off hole at the Masters with a birdie, using the broomstick putter. He is the first Australian to win the title, so cements his place in history. Lucky for him the R&A and the USGA seem to be waiting a long time before banning the use of  the long anchored putter. Adam had a last round of -3 under par 69, for a total of -9 under par.  Four of the last six Major champions used a putter pressed against their belly or chest, a stroke that might be banned in 2016.

Adam said about his win;

” We like to think we’re the best at everything. Golf is a big sport at home, and this is the one thing in golf we hadn’t been able to achieve. It’s amazing that it’s my destiny to be the first Australian to win. It’s incredible.”

Some of us with long memories know the lengths Australians will go to avoid defeat in sport, but to be fair to the man the authorities have not yet banned the use of this putter, will be interesting to see him defend the title next year with a conventional putter. Steve Williams was responsible for reading Adam’s winning putt, Adam asked Steve;

 ” Do you think it’s just more than a cup?”

Steve replied;

‘It’s at least two cups. It’s going to break more than you think.”

Afterwards Steve remarked;

“The winning putt might be the highlight putt of my career, because he asked me to read it.”

Steve Williams, probably the best Caddie in the world, must be laughing up his sleeve at this win. Everyone knows that if he had been Tiger Woods caddie, he would not have let Tiger play an illegal shot, Steve is too professional for that kind of mistake.

Angel Cabrera knocked his approach shot on eighteen for an easy birdie, and a -2 under par round of 70, to tie the scores and head off into the play-off. He was such a gracious loser;

“Such is golf, Adam is a good winner.”

Jason Day, the Aussie everybody thought was going to win today, finished in third place, at -7 under par. Jason had a two-shot lead when he stepped to the 16th tee. Jason said;

“I think the pressure got to me a little bit.”

 

Brandt Snedeker, who was tied with Angel Cabrera for the lead going into the final round, sadly closed with a last round 75, and finished five shots behind. He was naturally upset at not being able to convert a winning position into a win;

“Any time you have a chance to win the Masters and you don’t come through, my lifelong dream,  you’re going to be upset, you’re going to cry, but I’ll get through it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Masters. Aussie Assault at Augusta

Three Aussies have made a third day assault on the Masters at Augusta National, Adam Scott in third place, followed by Marc Leishman and Jason Day tied in fourth place. They are vying to be the first Aussie to win the Masters Title. For them to accomplish that feat they will have to overcome the two leaders at the top of the board.

Angel Cabrera and Brandt Snedeker / Getty Images

Angel and Brandt both completed the third round in -3 under par,  for a tournament total of -7 under par. Brandt has made a bold statement about being here to win;

” I’ve spent 32 years of my life getting ready for tomorrow, I’m going to be disappointed if I don’t win. Period. I’m not here to get a good finish, I’m here to win.”

Angel, who won here in 2009, is a two-time Major winner, and you would think that he has the extra experience to overcome the mental factors of coming down the stretch in a Major contest, Angel had this to say, via an interpreter;

” I’ve been working very hard for this moment, and I’ve got to take the opportunity.”

Adam Scott said it would be fantastic to win the Masters, I think that is an under statement;

” Obviously, to win the Masters would be incredible, it would be great for Australia. We’ve never looked better odds-wise going into a Sunday, except that one year in 1996. It’s going to be a hell of a round tomorrow.”

Jason Day lead the tournament for most of the day, but made bogey on the last two holes;

“My favorite tournament of the year, I love this place. Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders, being from Australia and no Australian has ever won the event. They have been very, very close, but I’ve just got to try to get that out of my mind and just plug away.”

The day started with some high drama as Tiger Woods was penalized two shots, following his violation of the rules in dropping his ball yesterday, after his shot had hit the pin and found it’s way into the water. Tiger dropped his ball to replay the shot, but instead of dropping according to rule 26-1; ” Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot the original ball was last played.” Tiger went two yards further back, to give himself the correct distance for the shot. In a game of political maneuvering the tournament committee handed Tiger a two shot penalty. There are a lot of people who felt that he should have been disqualified. Ultimately what saved Tiger, was a new rule, just two years old, that states disqualification will not be handed down when the complaint has come from someone watching TV. Seems like a fair assessment to me, a TV pundit gets umpteen replays, officials on the course get one look. You could argue that Tiger and his caddie should know the rules, I bet Steve Williams would not have let his man violate a rule.

Tiger admitted the mistake;

“I went back to where I played it from, but went two yards further back and I tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit, and that should land me short of the flag and not have it either hit the flag or skip over the back. I felt that was going to be the right decision to take off four yards right there. And I did. It worked out perfectly.”

Tampa Bay Championship. It’s Tight at the Top.

It’s tight at the top of the Tampa Bay Championship after the conclusion of the third round at the Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead course. Kevin Streelman, Justin Leonard and George Coetzee share the lead at -6 under par.

Kevin, Justin and George /Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Kevin Streelman had the best round of the day, a -6 under par third round that catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard as yesterdays leaders fell away to leave the tournament wide open.

At the start of play today Shawn Stefani held a slender one-shot lead over Aussie Adam Scott and K.J. Choi. Both Adam and K.J. fell back with third rounds of +5 over par 76s, and Shawn made the turn at +4 over par before rescuing his round by salvaging a 74 that leaves him two shots back of the leaders.

Right behind the three leaders are four players on -5 under par, they are Jim Furyk, Ben Kohles, Greg Chalmers and Tag Ridings.

Jim Furyk could have stayed at home to  handle the details for Monday’s upcoming event that benefits the charitable foundation that bears his name, along with wife Tabitha.

Jim joked;

” I really avoided all the work this week, being here. I made a couple of mistakes here and there, but I really feel like my game has gotten stronger every day. I feel more confident with the putter in my hand. I’m seeing a couple more putts go in, and I think that’s giving me confidence as well. That’s why my scores are getting better.”

Another shot back and you have the quality of World Number 3, Luke Donald making his presence felt with a bogey free -4 under par. Luke is tied at ninth position along with, Bryce Molder, Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman and Shawn Stefani.

Luke said there is a fine line between the top spot and 30th place;

” It’s a fine line between success and finishing 30th, I think a lot of my fans and myself, you know, have always expected to see me in the Top Ten, and up at the top of the leaderboard every week and sometimes golf is just not that easy. It was nice to go around this course and not make a mistake, not drop a shot, and you know, I wanted to shoot five or six under, nearly got there, a couple missed putts and didn’t birdie any par fives. Could have been a really low round today. But yeah, certainly moving in the right direction, as I said, I feel like my game has been close, and obviously starting to show with some results”

It will be a big shoot out tomorrow, and I expect one of the more experienced players to master the conditions and lift the trophy.

Tampa Bay Championship. It’s Still Shawn at The Top

After the second round of the Tampa Bay Championship, Shawn Stefani is still at the top of the leaderboard, the rookie proving that his first round effort was no fluke.

Shawn Stefani / Greenwood/Getty Image

Shawn Stefani completed his second round of the Tampa Bay Championship, presented by EverBank, at the Innisbrook Copperhead course, in -1 under par, for a tournament total of -7 under. The rookie is still at the top of the leaderboard, by just one shot, from the very experienced pair of Adam Scott and K.J. Choi, who are tied in second spot, at -6 under par for the tournament.

Shawn had to scramble more today that he would have preferred, although he did manage to convert all the putts he felt he was supposed to make in his second round;

” Today was a little bit more of a struggle, didn’t really drive it super great. Didn’t hit some of the best iron shots. But I scrambled well and I putted really great. When you putt good, that usually keeps rounds going, and that’s pretty much what happened today.”

Adam was pretty happy to go bogey free today, and set himself up nicely for the week-end;

“ To go bogey-free anywhere is good, and I think here is particularly good. It’s quite a tricky golf course, and mistakes are easily made, very pleased with that. I got myself right in contention for the weekend, which I’m pleased about.”

K.J. Choi is pleased with his position, just a shame I think that he is now using the claw grip on his putter;

“Sometimes very nervous, but I keep going more in line. But still, -6 under par, a very good position. My confidence is very well.”

There are four players tied in fourth place at -5 under par, they are, Harris English, Brian Harman, Jason Duffner and Peter Tomasulo.

World Number Three Luke Donald struggled again today, with a +1 over par 72, and way down the list tied in 31st place. I suppose really he was lucky to make the cut for the week-end. I hope he puts together a good round tomorrow.

WGC- Championships. Cadillac Championship, It’s Tigers Trophy.

Tiger Woods won the WGC-Championships, Cadillac Championship at The Blue Monster, Trump Doral.

Tiger Woods / Chris Condon / Getty Images

Tiger Woods had a last round at The Blue Monster of -1 under par, 71, it was good enough to win the tournament by two shots from Steve Stricker. Steve must now be regretting the putting advice he gave to Tiger before the tournament started.

Tiger said any time he can win before Augusta, it is good;

” Thank you to Steve for the putting lesson. It was one of those weeks where I felt pretty good about how I was playing, made a few putts and got it rolling. That’s how I know I can play, that’s the thing. To be able to bring it out a couple times so far this year, and then be able to close and get the Ws on top of that, that’s nice. Any time I can win prior to Augusta, it always feels good.”

Tiger was asked if he still would have won with-out the putting lesson;

” I would like to say I probably would have, but I’ve been putting at home and it just still hadn’t felt right. I still was a little bit off.  He basically got me in the same position that I was at Torrey. So once he put me in there where I felt comfortable, I said, Well, this is not too foreign. This is what I was a month or so ago, and I started rolling it and it felt really, really good. Majors and World Golf Championships are the best because you know you are playing against the best players, that’s what makes wins like this special, that’s why I love to compete.”

Steve had to settle for second place, at -17 under par, his last round of -4 under par 68, not quite good enough to upset Tiger and his legions of adoring fans. He could only laugh about the putting lesson;

“At times you kick yourself, he’s a good friend. We talk a lot about putting. It’s good to see him playing well.”

There was a four-way tie for third place between Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickleson and Graeme McDowell, the man who had kept Tiger in his sights for most of this tournament.

Making a welcome return to form was Rory McIlroy, with a last round of -7 under par 65, to finish the tournament in a four-way tie for eighth spot.

Rory said his game is not so far off the mark as everybody keeps saying;

“Just goes to show, it’s not as far away as you think, that’s been one of my problems. I always think when I’m playing bad that it’s further away than it is. That’s just where I have to stay patient, and know that if I put in the hard work, that the results will bear fruit. Whether that’s sooner or later, it doesn’t really matter.”

Adam Scott had the low round of the tournament with eight birdies in his last round of 64.

Emirates Australian Open, Advantage to Broomsticks in the Wind.

 

Peter Senior / The Daily Telegraph

Veteran Aussie, 53 year-old Peter Senior won the Emirates Australian Open, leaning on his broomstick in the gale force winds. Peter achieved his win shooting par in the last round to win by one shot at -4 under par. In second place was Brendan Jones at -3 under par, also another of the Broomstick brigade. If you have ever had any doubts about the advantage gained from using a Broomstick, this tournament was a glaring example of the advantage in windy conditions. It was plain to see that both players were standing steady on the greens over their putts, anchored to the ground before stroking the ball.  Peter said after his round;

” These are the conditions I thrive in,  if the conditions were good, the really good players would have shone this week,”

Peter becomes Australia’s oldest winner of the Stonehaven Cup, surpassing the great Peter Thomson, who won as a 43-year-old in 1973.

Cameron Percy was in third place at -2 under par with world number four Justin Rose finishing tied in fourth place with Kieran Pratt and Kim Felton. Justin Rose struggled with the putter in the terrible conditions, so bad were the winds that play had to be suspended for over three hours. The howling wind blew over a television tower and a marquee got crushed during the mayhem, which finished in near darkness, Justin Rose summed it up;

” It was like a day-night match,  I’ve never played a hole with shadows from a spotlight.”

 

Emirates Australian Open, John Senden Regains Lead

John Senden / emiratesaustralianopen.com.au

John Senden regained the lead of the Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes, Sydney, with a battling third round of  -2 under par, 70 and a tournament total of -7 under par.  John takes a handy two-shot lead over Justin Rose of England into tomorrow’s final round, the second year in succession that he has led the national championship through 54 holes, but last year at The Lakes he was reeled in by Greg Chalmers. That statistic is something that John is acutely aware of, he mentioned it in his report, along with his Eagle at the par 5 eleventh;

“I know where I stand,’ I have to deal with that and go out tomorrow and play my game. You have to be able to control the ball any time you play golf, but in these conditions you have to be really on your game. I had a good number I was planning on just hit through the shot. If it goes a little long, that’s okay’. I took a risk there and pulled it off.’’

John is also mindful of the speed of the greens. and hopes the tournament organisers are also thinking about the course set up, the putting surfaces were running at 11 on the stimpmeter at the start of today’s round, but were much quicker by the end.

“If they’re predicting windier conditions tomorrow, they’ve got to make sure they take care of that,’

World number four Justin Rose  is in second place alone at -5 under par, he was superb with his control, not making a single bogey until the 17th hole, and had possession of the lead for some time. But then the Englishman chipped off the green and dropped a shot, then missed the 18th green to the right and could not make par there either, Justin finished with signing for a -2 under par, 70, and will start two shots adrift of John Senden, but will be playing along side of him in the final pairing tomorrow. Justin said the conditions got tougher as the day went along;

“It got progressively tougher as the day went on, by the end of the round it was tough to even tap in, to be perfectly honest with you. Even from three feet you were getting buffeted around, the wind’s moving you. It’s very difficult to get the ball in the hole. Whoever literally stands up, the last man standing will win the golf tournament. I think it’s going to be a battle.’’

There are three Aussies tied in third spot at -4 under par for the tournament, Matthew Jones, Kieran Pratt and veteran Peter Senior.  2009 Australian Open champion Adam Scott is not quite  out of the running just yet.Adam is at two-under-par for the tournament, just five shots back of the lead, especially if he gets the type of generous early morning conditions that most of the players have experienced this week.

Marcus Fraser had a disastrous third round of +4 over par 76, and he also will need something special on Sunday if he wants to get up and contend this trophy.

 

Emirates Australian Open, Marcus Fraser Leads with a Hole in One

Marcus Fraser / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Aussie Marcus Fraser leads the Emirates Australian Open at the conclusion of the second round at The Lakes golf course in Sydney, with another -3 under par, 69 round, and a tournament total of -6 under par. Marcus, who played in the mornings calm conditions has a one shot advantage over John Senden and Brendan Jones. Marcus aced the par 3 fifteenth hole to cap off a remarkable seven weeks playing golf in seven different countries. Next week he will travel to Malaysia to see if he can win the Asian Tour money title. Marcus spoke of his ace, and his grueling schedule;

” To have one go in like that, it turned the round and the tournament around from where I was. I’ve been playing so much I feel like I’m going with the flow a little bit, playing week-in, week-out you’re going through the same routine every day and it feels like another golf tournament. At the same time it is the Aussie Open. Definitely it’s the pick of the bunch of the eight weeks for me.”

Take a look at the late season schedule of Marcus, starting  September in Malaysia, then China WGC-HSBC Champions, the Barclays Singapore Open, the UBS Hong Kong Open, the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, then a failed attempt to secure a 2013 PGA Tour card in California last week, and back to Malaysia next week.

John Senden played in the windy afternoon conditions and could only manage a +1 over par round, falling back to -5 under par for the tournament and tied in second place with Brendan Jones, who carded a -1 under par second round, for his -5 under par total.

On his own in fourth place is another Aussie, Nick Cullen, he had a second round of  -2 under par and a total of -4 under for the tournament.

World number four, Justin Rose started well, with four birdies on the front nine to move into the lead at -7 under par, but unusually fell behind with four bogeys in six holes in the windy afternoon conditions, leaving him with a +1 over par 73, tied in fifth position at -3 under par. Adam Scott managed a -1 under par second round and is five shots off the pace.

Story of the day was made by 63 year-old Tom Watson, who fired in a second round -4 under par 68, to make the cut by one shot after his terrible start to the tournament sinking to a first round total of 78. Tom expressed his desire to succeed;

” I hate missing cuts, I really do, that means you’ve failed.”

Tom”s playing partner, Greg Chalmers also just made the cut by one shot, and was not happy with his performance in the easier morning conditions;

” Three par fives on the back nine and I bogeyed two of them. That’s not going to work if you want to have a good score out here. I guess I’m going to get to play on the weekend so I get to go out and shoot a low score, but certainly I’m probably going to start a long way back.”

It certainly looks like the winner of this tournament will be the player who can master the windier afternoon conditions for the next two days.

 

 

Emirates Australian Open, John Senden Sizzles in 1st Round

 

 

Emirates Australian Open

 

 

John Senden / australianpga

John Senden certainly sizzled in the opening round of the Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes golf course in Sydney, shooting a -6 under par 66, to lead by one shot. John has had another consistent year on the  US PGA Tour, earning five top ten finishes, and he capitalised here as he took advantage of the light winds earlier in the day. The afternoon players had to contend with a stiff breeze, which made the going a little bit more difficult. The 41 year-old John reckons he is playing some of the best golf of his life;

“ I’ve been playing some of the best golf I’ve played in my life,’ I just need to believe in that and keep going forward. I’ve played with them all. I know how they are. It’s about standing on the stage and being comfortable. That’s where it’s at. I feel like I’m getting better at that. I’m moving forward, slowly getting better, that’s where my whole career’s been going. I need to continue in that direction and keep everything simple and just play.”

John has also been caddying for his son Jacob at Keparra Golf Club in Brisbane, his own Alma Mater, he spoke about Jacob;

” He’s starting to get to know the game of golf a bit. He’s always been able to hit the ball well but now’s the time I can get him on the golf course and learn a bit about walking six, seven, eight holes, learning a bit about etiquette. He’s starting to get the gist of it. He’s into every sport. He loves it. When I first took him out I took him in a golf kart and all he wanted to do was drive the golf kart. Now we’re walking, it’s fun being out there with him and hopefully he’ll continue to play the game and enjoy it.”

Five players are just one shot back of the leader, three Aussies, one Kiwi and one Englishman, in the shape of World number four, and one of the favorites here, Justin Rose.  Justin mentioned the early start time today;

” You assume the early morning round is the one you have to post a good number, all in all, it’s a good start.”

The three Aussies who also shot 68 and are at -4 under par are, Kim Felton, Richard Green and Brendan Jones. Joining that bunch is Kiwi Gareth Padison.

Adam Scott, one of the more fancied players to lift this trophy posted an even par round of 72, leaving him six shots off the pace at the top of the leaderboard. Adam admitted to being a little bit off;

“It was good conditions this morning but I tried to play quite aggressively my first nine and hit a few ordinary shots, nothing too bad but got in a bit of trouble and wasted opportunities out there. So I was a little bit off but I played fairly good the front nine in pretty tricky conditions with the wind getting up. That’s the tougher nine so not too much damage done but I’m certainly giving them a head start this week. I would have loved to have been a few shots better but there’s another 54 holes, that’s a lot of golf to play so a course like this. If you can have a good nine holes you’re right back in it.”

Adam is probably right, we will see how the broomstick performs on the greens tomorrow, after Adam had been practicing here with a conventional putter, before the tournament began.

 

 

Adam Scott to Banish his Broomstick

Adam Scott and his Broomstick/ Getty Images

Although any potential banning of anchored putters by the Royal & Ancient and USGA is unlikely to be enforced before 2016, Adam Scott is obviously keen to make the adjustment to sooner rather than later by banishing his Broomstick for a practice round with a conventional putter. Adam is practicing for the Emirates Australian Open at at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, coincidentally with Tom Watson who is in favor of the ban on the Broomstick. Tom said he endorses the ban with mixed emotions citing this reason;

” I say that with mixed emotions, “This  broomstick stroke is not a stroke of golf. That’s not a stroke but it makes it easier to play. My son Michael, with a conventional putting stroke, he couldn’t make it from two feet half the time, but he went to a belly putter and he makes everything. The game is fun to him now, so there lies the danger: Do we take the ability for people to have fun away?  Do we go to two sets of rules, where some people can use long putters in certain competitions, but the PGA Tour maybe can’t? So there’s a dilemma there.” 

It would seem that Tom is confused himself about what this rule change could do to golf generally. I have said previously that there is going to be trouble enforcing this rule at the local level. A player is going to call his opponent for anchoring, and the accused is going to reply, no I didn’t. This can only bring discontent and bad feelings out on the course, and that is not a good or healthy scenario.

Tom went on recount what Ernie Els said after his win at The Open;

“”I thought Ernie Els said it perfectly after he won last year’s Open championship, he was asked: ‘Why did you go with the long putter Ernie?’ and he said: ‘I’m cheating like the rest of them are’. Ernie’s a great player and he knows the difference between doing it the conventional way versus trying to do it with an anchored putter. The arc of your putter doesn’t change as much. He knows that difference and he knows it’s not right.”

The thing is every player has had the option to use the long putters if they wish, if it so much easier with a long putter, why haven’t they all swapped over ?  I say lets banish the ban and get on and play golf, everyone is welcome at our golf course, Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club. Make them welcome at your club, for the good of the game.

But if you are considering a new putter check out the White Dragon Putter, it is set to become a feature of putting in the near future, for more information email info@whitedragongolf.com.