Ballantine’s Championship. Noren Noses in front

Alexander Noren noses in front of the pack at the Ballantine’s Championship at the Blackstone Golf Club in third round in South Korea.

Alexander Noren /Getty Images

Alexander has a one shot lead going into the final round of the Ballantine’s Championship after a hectic third day, where some players had to  make up for lost time after delays on Thursday and Friday, half the field had to complete their second rounds early this morning. Eventually, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and José Manuel Lara got up to join Wade Ormsby and Arnond Vongvanij at the top of the leaderboard at the completed halfway stage, all on -7  under par.

Alexander had a -3 under par third round, for a tournament total of -9 under par, which was good enough at the end of the day to keep him on top of the board. Alex said it had been a long tough day;

“ It was a nice way to finish, and it was a long, tough day, a lot of wind. My short game I think held it together, and I didn’t have that many chances but I took care of them when I got chances for birdies and made the important pars when I needed.  So it was a big fight day.  I’m just trying to play well tomorrow, and it’s going to be a really fun day.  I haven’t been in the lead in a long time, and I’ve had some good finishes, but it will be a lot of fun.  But I’m just trying to play good and make birdies and try to make more birdies than the other ones. It’s easier for a player to come back when you’ve done something good in the past, you know you can score well around the track and good memories are always nice to have with you.”

Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal and Scot Peter Whiteford are tied in second place at -8 under par. Pablo had the lowest round of the day at -4 under par 68.

Pablo said he had played beautifully, only missing one green in regulation;

” I hit the ball beautifully today, I’m very happy with the round and to be in the fight again. I only missed one green in regulation which was something special. It will be good to be in the final group again, it’s been a long time.”

Peter had to start the day early, and had to play 28 holes in a long day of golf;

I was on the 5 am bus, first bus in, last bus out it looks like. It’s been a long day but that’s the job every now and then. My form has been pretty average, poor to be honest. I was hitting it half decent on the range and just not taking anything to the golf course, but this week has been better.”

Two Aussies are tied in fourth position, Brett Rumford and Marcus Fraser finished at  -7 under par. Brett rounded off his third round in some style, carding five birdies in succession.  They both agreed that the influence of compatriot Adam Scott was the inspiration of their good play,  following Adam’s victory at Augusta National.

Brett summed it up;

” With Adam winning the Masters it has inspired us all. The last couple of days have been interesting. It’s been pretty frustrating but rewarding at the same time. Hopefully tomorrow I can just eliminate all the silly errors.”

Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Lucas Leads.

Lucas Glover leads the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after the completion of the second round at TPC Louisiana.

Lucas Glover / Graythen / Getty Images

Lucas shot a second round of -5 under par 67, to lead the Zurich Classic tournament by just one shot at -12 under par, from Boo Weekley.

After his round Lucas emphasized the importance of good putting;

“I’ve been hitting it good for a couple months and finally started making some putts. I mean I was hitting it as good as I can hit it, but at the same time, if you putt poorly!”

Boo Weekley kept in touch with the leader with a total of -11 under par, carding a second round of  -4 under par 68. Boo successfully holed out with a wedge from 105 yards for an Eagle on the par-4 10th, and that was his first hole of the round. He could not see the bottom of the flagstick, so had no idea that it had gone in;

“I couldn’t tell it went in because it’s got a little bit of an upper lip in the front of it. I saw it bounce, and then I didn’t see it no more. Then the people in the background started hollering and whooping, I was like, `Wow, that really went in.’ I didn’t believe it.”

In third place alone is D.A. Points, at -10 under par, Darren also had a second round of -4 under par 68, to stay within sight of the leaders.

Morgan Hoffman occupies fourth spot at -9 under par, with Ernie Els close behind him at -8 under par. Big Ernie was the runner-up here last year, losing out to Jason Duffner in a play-off. Jason is a little off the pace this year with a modest tournament total of -3 under par.

Ernie said he really likes the TPC Louisiana course lay-out, and is expecting to challenge again this year;

“I like the course, I obviously played well here last year and I’m just trying to set that same game plan and really wait for the course to come to me.”

Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old Chinese amateur has completed the second round with a score of -3 under par 69,to go with his even par opening round, and has made the cut once again.  Two weeks ago in the Masters he became the youngest player to ever make the cut at Augusta National, and said Thursday that he will play in a U.S. Open qualifier in two weeks in Dallas. He reported that he played well;

” I think I played a very good round today. I made a lot of birdies and a couple of good up and downs.”

The 2011 winner here, Bubba Watson recovered well from his opening round of +1 over par 73, with a second round -7 under par 65 and tournament total of -6 under par. Bubba said that yesterday he was scared of the course;

” It was good, yesterday, I played really scared. I’m trying to play good. When you do that you don’t hit quality shots and you just struggle.”

 

Phil and Phrankenwood Fail at the Masters.

Phil Mickelson / Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports.

Phil and his much daunted new acquisition from Callaway, the driver hybrid christened Phrankenwood, failed miserably at the Masters. Phil finished tied 54th at Augusta National, the three-time Champion just not firing on all cylinders at all. All the hype surrounding the Phrankenwood driver substitute disappeared into the ether. Callaway must have been hoping for a good championship from Phil, and were probably gearing up for a big production run of Phrankenwood. Phil’s poor performance on the course has wrecked any chance of selling millions of the new driver hybrid.

Phil admitted he was very disappointed with his tournament, and blamed most of it on the schedule change which prevented him from his usual course, which was to play a tournament the week before the Masters. Obviously just knocking the ball around Augusta National with Condoleezza Rice was not good preparation for the Major ahead.

This is how Phil explained things;

” It’s disappointing for me because this is my favorite place to be. I expect a lot more out of my game. Today was the first time that swing coach Butch Harmon and I;  we had some good direction, and I’ll have something to work on these next two weeks before I play at Charlotte and The Players.  I had an off-year, played poorly, I don’t know what to tell you. I just wasn’t as mentally sharp as I needed to be. I need to find another way to prepare for big weeks if I can’t play the week before.”

I am still a big fan of Phil, and his golf, his wholesome lifestyle, and the way he conducts himself on and off the course. I trust that the golf side of things improves, soon.

 

 

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.”

Masters. Sergio Suddenly Surprises.

Sergio Garcia suddenly surprised everyone by sharing the first round lead of  the Masters at Augusta National with Aussie Marc Leishman.

Sergio Garcia / Reddington/ Getty Images

Sergio Garcia grabbed a share of the Masters lead on day one of the Masters with Aussie Marc Leishman, both players at -6 under par after their first round scores of 66. Having Sergio’s name at the top of the leaderboard came as a surprise to all the pundits, who were all of the opinion that he hated Augusta National;

” No, I mean, well,obviously, it’s obviously not my favorite, my most favorite place, but we try to enjoy it as much as we can each time we come here. Sometimes it comes out better than others, but today it was one of those good days. And let’s enjoy it while it lasts. But like I said before, every time I tee it off, I try to play as well as I can, hope that my best that week is really, really good, and if I manage to do that, I will have a chance at winning. If my best is not that good, then, I’ll struggle a little bit. Today my best was pretty good, and I’m looking forward to doing the same thing the next three days. We all go through those moments, the beauty and the bad thing about this game is that it can have such highs and such lows, because it’s a lot more mental than some of the other games. So you know, the most important thing is to make sure that you get through those nicely and learn from them. Sometimes I do feel like there is such a thing as being too hyper about something, you’ve still got to keep calm. I still get very excited about playing the game and every single week and trying to win tournaments. It’s obviously not the same feeling that I had when I was 19, 20 or 21. But that’s kind of normal.”

Keep it going tomorrow Sergio.

In third place alone is Dustin Johnson, who came through the first round at -5 under par. Many think that the big hitting American can do well here this week, and his opening round of 67 goes a long way to substantiating those claims.

There are six players tied for fourth spot, they are; David Lynn, Rickie Fowler, Gonzo, Trevor Immelman, Fred Couples and Matt Kuchar. These all had opening rounds of -4 under par, 68.

This is The Masters, so don’t be surprised if this top section of the leaderboard changes dramatically  tomorrow. Bad weather is forecast so anything could happen.

 

 

 

The Masters. Phil’s Secret New Weapon. Callaway Phrankenwood.

Phil Mickelson has announced he has a new secret weapon, the Callaway Phrankenwood, for extra fairway distance off the tee, which he will use in the Masters.

Phil Mickelson, during practice at Augusta National / AP

Three time winner Phil is nervous about this tournament, because he does not usually take the week off just before the Masters.

” I love this tournament so much and I’m nervous because I haven’t been in competition since the Sunday of the Houston Open. It will be 10, 11 days as opposed to three, and that’s what I’m nervous about, just those opening five or six holes, being mentally tuned in. Now, because I’m aware of it, I’m going to work hard on it to make sure that I am, but it’s always a challenge those first five or six holes when you haven’t been in competition to be really mentally focused and sharp. It comes from knowing I don’t have to play perfectly to play well here, I don’t have to hit perfect shots to make pars. There are a lot of holes here where I can make mistakes off the tee and my short game, I know I can recover. It’s not like the U.S. Open where if you make one little mistake, it’s costing you one or two shots because you don’t have the ability to recover. I think that’s what’s exciting about Augusta National is the recovery shot.”

To reduce the nervous tension Phil has been practicing with a new secret weapon which gives him extra distance and control of the tee. What is this marvelous new club ? Officially it has been named the Callaway X Hot Phrankenwood.  It is not a driver but a supercharged 8.5 degrees of loft 2 wood,  masquerading as a driver. Phil  Mickelson divulged the information on Tuesday during a press conference.

The Callaway X Hot Phrankenwood / Callaway

” It knocks the spin off the ball, my tee shots on nine are getting down to the bottom of the hill, and I haven’t been able to do that in years. My tee shots on 10 are going another 15 to 20 yards, giving me a club or two less than I’ve had in years. My tee shots on fifteen are getting down to where I have one or two clubs less.  The ball comes off  the club face fast, as well as low spin. It’s running, which is exactly what I wanted here. It’s a driver, but it just looks like a 3-wood, because our drivers are so big now, this one is smaller. It’s an enhanced 3-wood. It’s hot like our 3 wood, we had to put Hot in the name, it’s so hot.”

This is the same thinking as our White Dragon Putter, getting the ball to roll off the club face with top spin, producing a better forward roll of the ball, check it out here.  http://www.whitedragongolf.com/

 

 

Masters Warm Up, Phil and Condoleezza

  

Augusta National / photo from website

Phil Mickelson and Condoleezza Rice play a warm up round at Augusta National, in preparation for Phil’s challenge in the Masters.

Phil and Condoleezza  / Getty Images

Phil was full of praise for Condoleezza and her game, especially her prowess at putting, Phil spoke about the former U.S. Secretary of State;

“It was awesome. She’s one of my favorite people. She’s got the greatest personality and attitude, and she’s so much fun to be around. She’s so knowledgeable about world affairs. It’s just incredible. It’s a great experience. On the greens, she’s a phenomenal putter. As soon as I saw she was a member, I called her to work up a game, just like I did Arnold Palmer back in the days as an amateur. She’s just one of my favorite people to be around. She kept asking me about the course. And I kept asking her about countries. It was really fun. And she really can putt.”

Condoleezza was just as nice about Phil;

” He’s such a good friend, I’ve known him for years.” 

Condoleezza Rice in her Green Jacket / Getty Images

Putting Updates, Ernie and Phil making Changes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ernie Els, The Open Champion, is going to use his Belly Putter for the last time at a Major, during the Masters at Augusta National next week. He intends to  phase out the controversial Belly Putter ahead of a proposed ban by the R&A, and USGA.

Ernie Els / getty Images

The Big Easy used a conventional putter for his first three rounds at the Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand before taking 29 putts with his belly putter on Sunday in a closing two-under-par 70 to finish tied 14th in the Asian Tour event. Ernie explained about that last round use of the Belly Putter, and also said he went to Thailand to get his swing under control;

“I just wanted to play with the belly putter since it was my last competitive round before the Masters. Mentally, I was going to do the long putter at the Masters. I wanted to feel what it is like under a little bit of pressure. So far this year I’ve played some decent golf in parts, but I’m not quite there on the consistency front. All you can do is keep working hard, though. As we saw last year, your fortunes can change quickly in this game. I came here to get my swing under control, which I think it did. The short game is not too bad, everything is kind of there, it’s just the confidence search now. I’m hitting it nice again, I’m really glad I came here. I’ve had a great experience in Chiangmai,  I just wished I made more birdies.”

If you are still searching for a new putter Ernie, take a look at our website, and contact me.

Phil Mickelson has changed to a jumbo grip on his putter, but intends to keep using the claw grip, he explained;

” I’ll go back and forth because, again the claw grip, what it does is gets me in a better address position where I get rid of too much forward press.  I want a little bit but not as much as I’ve been getting.”

Phil Mickelson and jumbo grip / Scott Halleran / Getty Images

Looking at Phil in the picture above, I think he is a little too bent over, he needs to stand taller, looking straight down at the ball, this will free up the arms to get a nice pendulum motion. He looks to be reaching for the ball, standing taller will get his feet closer to the ball.

 

Trophée Hassan II. Marcel Marches On

Marcel Siem has taken control of the  Trophée Hassan II in Morocco, as he marches towards a much needed victory and his coveted place in the Masters.

Marcel Siem / Getty Images

Marcel had a third round of  -3 under par 69, to lead the Trophée Hassan II by four shots with a total of -15 under par, and is now in position to win the tournament on Sunday. He needs a victory at Golf du Palais Royal to give himself a chance of climbing into the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 50, just in the nick of time for an Augusta National invite.

Marcel was not too happy with the end of his round, he said he was happy until the 15th;

” Until the 15th I was really happy with the round, I got over a tough start with tough conditions and all the guys just behind me seemed to start really well and almost caught me up. I had to hole a few big putts just to stay ahead and then I managed to pull away a little bit. But then 15 and 17 were disappointing because you are really looking to pick up a couple of shots there but I managed to give one away. There was pressure there so it was great to make a few putts and pick up four in six holes. It is very nice to have the gap back for the start of the final round tomorrow. I am pretty confident at the moment so I know the swing is there when I trust it and just let it go. That will be very important tomorrow.”

Four shots back and tied in second place at -11 under par are Pablo Larrazabal, from Spain, England’s David Horsey and Mikko Ilonen from Finland.

Mikko was also unhappy with his poor finish to his third round;

“I think the momentum changed a lot on 11 when I had the penalty shot for the ball moving at address, I still made four, but after that I hit good and bad shots and I think that affected me. The one thing I did well throughout the day was putt well so I was really pleased with that. I am four back and would rather be a little bit closer but we have three guys four behind that can catch him but one of us will have to go really low tomorrow and I think the golf course will allow that. I have made enough birdies and eagles to know I can do it, but I just have to avoid the mistakes.”

There is no one else that can catch these four, and it looks like this tournament is Marcel’s to lose.