RBC Heritage. Three Tied at the Top, in Storm Hit Harbour Town.

Play has been suspended for the day with three players tied at the top of the leaderboard at the RBC Heritage on the Harbour Town Golf Links, at the rain affected end of the day. Kevin Streelman, Charley Hoffman and Steve LeBrun are at -6 under par for the competition.

Steve LeBrun, Kevin Streelman and Charley Hoffman / Lecka / Getty Images

In the wet, windy and difficult conditions Kevin and Charley both had second rounds of -1 under par, 70 for their totals, with Steve LeBrun shooting a second round -3 under par 68.

Luke Donald also had second round of -3 under par, and shares T4 with Bill Haas, who came home in -2 under par for the day, both of them at -5 under par.

The next group of players, seven in all, are at -4 under par, they are all handily placed to go forward in this competition tomorrow. They are; Johnson Wagner, Rory Sabbatini, Graeme McDowell, D.H. Lee, Pat Perez, and two Aussies, Stuart Appleby and Marc Leishman. All these players are in the clubhouse, but the cut line has still to be determined  with 17 players still to complete their second rounds. The current cut line is at +1 over par, but could easily move to +2.

Pat Perez said his trying to stay calm;

” I’m trying to stay level, which is always, for me, trying to stay on a high, I’ve really worked hard on it this year. I don’t have the ups and downs. It’s hard, especially for me, because I’ve done it my whole life. But to say, that’s not going to bring me down, let’s try to make 5 instead of 6. And the next hole it’s basically done. I didn’t think I’d make a lot of birdies, but I seem to be hitting it closer than I ever have out here.”

One of those players teetering on the current cut line at +1 over par is Jesper Parnevik, and he is on the 18th hole with an agonising five foot putt left for his par. If he misses that tomorrow, he would drop to +2 over and that would move the cut to that number as well.

Obviously there are other players on the course who could make a birdie and change things back again, it will be a very interesting early start tomorrow.

Of those who have definitely missed the cut are; Vijay Singh +4, Ernie Els +4, John Daly +10, those are just a couple of the higher profile guys who have struggled in this competition.

Could Miguel still win an Open ? Big John Has To Open His Cheque Book

Miguel Angel Jiménez/ Getty Images

Three time winner of the UBS Hong Kong Open Miguel Angel  Jiménez, could still win a Major, especially The Open, that is according  to Des Smyth. Miguel took away the title of oldest player to win on the European Tour from Des at Fanling, Hong Kong on Sunday. Des himself was neither upset or surprised to watch  the 48 year-old  Miguel beat his record, he believes that the Olive Oil and Rioja wine are keeping Miguel fit and flexible.

Not quite sure where the cigar smoking fits into those categories;  Cigar Man Miguel/getty images

Des was full of praise for the Spanish veteran;

” He’s a top quality player, naturally, the clock is ticking but Miguel clearly still can compete, especially on courses that suit him. I think he could even win an Open at this stage. Miguel has that type of game, he’s very controlling and straight-hitting. It’s a great boost to your confidence to know you can still go out there and beat the talented young guns on tour.”

 

Another vet in the news is Big John Daly;   John/getty image

Big John was playing in last week’s UBS Hong Kong Open, and was reported for throwing his putter into the trees during the second round, after being annoyed by fans using cellphones and cameras. Clearly upset, John went on to miss the cut after rounds of 72 and 75.  The  European Tour confirmed that it would fine John Daly, 46, an undisclosed amount. The Tournament director Mickael Ericsson gave a statement to reporters, he agreed crowd behavior was a problem, but that is no excuse for bad manners;

“Yes, the circumstances regarding crowd manners and behavior will be considered, but when it all boils down there is still no excuse for throwing his putter.”

Last year at the Australian Open John, a two-time Major Champion, threw his most  infamous meltdown of all time, when he proceeded to hit six balls in the water on one hole, and then stormed off the course. That prompted the then tournament director to remark;

” I would say this is the last time we will see John Daly.”

When questioned later about the incident John simply said he had run out of balls, and could not continue. In 2010, a PGA Tour personnel file revealed that John Daly had been cited 11 times for “conduct unbecoming of a professional” and another 21 times for “failure to give best effort.” Over the years, his fines have totaled more than $100,000, a piffling amount compared to Big  John’s earning potential.

 

 

 

European Tour Money Title for Rory ?

Rory McIlroy /thesidelinesagenda.com

Rory McIlroy can wrap up the European money title this week if he puts in a good performance at the Singapore Open. All his closest rivals will not be competing, and he already leads the race going into the tournament. Rory has already claimed the U.S. PGA Tour money list, and would love to repeat Luke Donald’s 2011 win on both sides of the Atlantic. Rory said he would like to have a strong finish to the season;

“I’m in the lead at the moment and it would be nice to increase that,” McIlroy said Wednesday, a day before the tournament. “There’s still a lot to play for in the next three weeks and I want to finish off the season as strong as possible.”

His nearest rivals, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, who won last week at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, and Branden Grace, have strangely decided not to compete this week. The field is still going to be a strong one, with the likes of Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomery, John Daly and Miguel Angel Jimenez all teeing it up for the tournament at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club.

The winners prize cheque this week is $1 million, and Rory will also be playing next week at  the Hong Kong Open, while most of his rivals again will not be competing. Rory did not play at the WGC event last week, because he watched his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki, play in a tennis tournament. A poor decision which bought him world-wide criticism, and especially by the golf tournament sponsor. Rory has admitted that the criticism against him was fairly laid.

“I think the criticism is fair. Shenzhen is a World Golf Championship event, one of the big ones. It was a tough one to miss. But I can’t play every week.”

He then went on to say;

”  If I had I would have played five in a row finishing the season and after playing Turkey and Ryder Cup and all the FedEx Cup stuff, it’s just too much. You have to say no and you have to be selfish sometimes and look after yourself, ; it doesn’t make you a bad person. You have got to put yourself first and foremost, and try to fit in the things you want to do. I’m in the fortunate position where I can dictate where I want to play, what I want to do, where I want to go.”

Seems that is what all the youngsters say these days; I do want I want, when I want to do it.

 

Justin Timberlakes Shriners Tournament, Blixt & Moore Tied at the Top

 

Jonas Blixt of Sweden is tied at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds  at Justin Timberlakes, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open,  at TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada. Jonas has produced two very steady rounds of -7 under par 64 and a tournament total of -14 under par. He shares the lead with Brendon de Jong from Zimbabwe, Brendon followed his opening round of -9 under par 62, with second round -5 and 66 for his -14 under par total.

Jonas thinks that having his family and some overseas friends with him this week, has helped him to relax and not think too much about playing golf;

“I think it’s a lot of things that make me play well this week. I got my family in town, my brother and my sister, a couple friends from overseas, which makes it really relaxed. We’re renting a house together and just having a good time. I don’t think about golf at all coming off the golf course. Just hang out with them. It’s easy to think about something else when you’re in Las Vegas, right. I’ve been working a lot on my ball-striking the last few weeks when I’ve been off, it’s not really there yet, but I got a hot putter and it’s been helping me out a lot the last two days.”

Just one shot behind them is first round leader Ryan Moore who had an amazing first round of -10 under par, 61. Ryan followed that with a modest -3 under pa, 68, for his -13 under par total. Ryan is very happy with his position after two days;

“It was a good, solid round, I definitely would have liked to have seen a few more of those putts drop. But I hit good putts all day. They were just burning the edges, lipping out. All in all, I like my position going into the weekend.”

The combination of desert air and altitude in Las Vegas helps the ball fly through the air more easily, there are 82 players that have averaged 300 or more yards per drive. That sort of distance off the tee for these professionals makes TPC Summerlin a breeze for quality players, the top scores are testament to that.

Major winner John Daly had eight birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to match the best round of the day, John said of his round today;

“Today, I hit the ball really well and I putted good the last two days, which is good for me. The greens are rolling really good, so it gives you an opportunity. If you hit it decent, you can make some putts. But on any tour it’s just putting. If you make some putts you can play really well. This course gives you a lot more opportunities than most courses.”

 

The Greenbrier Classic, Ted Potter Jr. Wins

Ted Potter Jr/Martin/Getty Images

The Greenbrier Classic 2012 was won by Ted Potter Jr, on Sunday at The Old White TPC, White Sulphur Springs, Western Virginia.      Ted spoke about all the missed cuts he has endured over the years;

“When you’re missing cuts every week, you get down on yourself, It’s hard to pick yourself back up. But the one plus side for me is I was still young. I was only 20 years old. I knew I had a long road ahead of me. I just like to win, I just always enjoyed coming down the stretch and having a chance to win. It was the thrill of that. Finally to win, I mean, I know it’s my first year out here, but just to win, period, I mean, it was just a big relief.”

Ted made a  4-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to beat Troy Kelly, both players had finished tied at -16 under par for the tournament. Ted had a last round -6 under par 64, and Troy also had a great round of -4 under par, 66, which left them both in the play-off.

A disappointed Troy Kelly earned his best career finish yet, and is looking forward to more of the same;

“I had a lot of fun, and looking forward to kind of getting in that position some more.”

Webb Simpson, the third-round leader, had gone 50 consecutive holes without a bogey in the tournament, but then made three of them in a row. Webb finished tied seventh, in the log jam at -11 under par;

“I felt really confident and then just got on a bad run there. I’m probably going to learn something from it. Have to learn the hard way.”

Tied in third place at -14 under par were, Charlie Beljan and Charlie Wi.

Footnote:

John Daly and Tiger Woods have teamed up to help Greenbrier owner Jim Justice to lose some weight. The 6ft 7in Justice is literally larger than life, but needs to lose some of those excess pounds. John and Tiger came up with a plan to help Jim by offering him $100 dollars for every pound lost, donated to any charity he pleases. John spoke to Jim on Sunday;

“I told him I’d give him $100 for every pound he loses, to any charity he wants, Tiger said he’d do it, too. We care about him. If we could get him to lose some weight and add about 30-40 years to his life, he’ll be happy. It’s time somebody did something for him after him always doing something for everybody else. He’s just got the biggest heart of any man I’ve ever known,” Daly continued. “I just want him to know that we all care about him. Every year I talk to him, his back is hurting him, and his knees are hurting him. I can get to my doctor and help him lose a ton of weight. He’ll feel better. We just want to help him. We want to add years to his life. “

Zurich Classic at New Orleans, TPC Louisiana

Jason Duffer sits atop the leader board at The Zurich Classic of New Orleans after the second round at TPC Louisiana. Jason had a -7 under par round of 65 to lead by one shot at -12 under par for the tournament. Just one shot back, after a magnificent round of – 8 under par, 64, for a tournament score of -11 under par is Russell Knox, from Scotland. Ken Duke and John Rollins are also at -11 after the second round, Ken continuing his good form.

Jason was really happy with round, including the eagle at 18;

Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

 ”Really nice start on the front-9, I had a couple putts, I had a couple of easy birdies. I don’t think I missed a fairway or a green. Just had some tough reads. The greens are kind of tough to read. Sometimes you get competing grains, competing slopes, so you get a putt that might break to the right but the grain is going left. That can be kind of difficult to judge. And then 18 I had just a really good number for my 5-wood to get somewhere on that green and had a putt that was down-grain and breaking to the left with the grain so that was a nice way to finish the day.

 Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Among the group at -10 under par, is Ernie Els who had a second round score of -4 under par which leaves him just two shots off the lead. Luke Donald was another player to have a -7 under par second round and at -6 for the tournament could manage to compete over the final holes come Sunday, assuming he has another good round tomorrow and stay in touch with the leaders.

Bubba Watson, the defending champion, had another 71 for his second round, leaving him just on the cut line, and he will be there to contest the final two rounds. A sigh of relief from the Watson fans, and I expect the sponsors.

Notables missing the cut were; Retief Goosen,73 and 71 at even and John Daly, 80 and 73 to finish at +9, a dismal tournament for John.

Paul Lawrie takes lead into final round of Qatar Masters in Doha

Paul Lawrie  shoots a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Nicolas Colsaerts into the final round of the Qatar Masters in Doha. He had to recover from a penalty for the silly mistake of dropping his ball on a marker, but still managed to lead the field at the end of play at -8 under par for the 54 hole tournament. Paul said of his round;

“I played very good again, hitting it beautifully tee to green.  Anytime you play as solidly as that and hit a few putts in there it’s a fair chance you are going to play well.”

The ball dropping incident  was a similar mistake to that made by Ian Poulter during a two-way playoff at the Dubai World Championship in 2010, when his penalty essentially gave the win to Robert Karlsson of Sweden. Lawrie seemed a little bemused by the ruling, commenting;

“I didn’t see it and no one else saw it so you have to take the penalty and kind of kick on. It’s one of these freak, stupid rules, it’s like Poulter in Dubai, the same thing. It’s one of those many rules that could do with changing a wee bit.”

 

Getty Images

 

 

Nicolas Colsaerts is just one shot back and feeling very comfortable with his game;

“I am playing very well even though I think I could have hit closer to some flags. ”I managed quite well, kept the ball in play and didn’t do anything stupid.”

John  Daly, the clubhouse leader when play was suspended struggled all day and finished tied for 17th place at -4 under par. He was pretty philosophical about his days play;

“I didn’t hit the tee-balls as good as I did Thursday. But I hung in there. Some of those bogeys I made could have been doubles or triples just as easy.”

Getty Images

Doha Wind Halts 2nd round in Qatar

45mph gusts of wind meant less than three hours’ play was possible on the second day of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and the competition has now been reduced to 54 holes.  David Probyn,  tournament director, announced  that the sponsors did not want the event to extend into Monday and the second leg of The European Tour’s Middle East swing has now been cut to 54 holes.

Probyn said;

“The course is still on the verge of playable, but there’s no point sending the guys out for an hour or two on a marginal course. The winds will be down a notch tomorrow and decreasing during the day, while the forecast for Sunday is for much calmer conditions.”

Play is scheduled to resume at 8.45am tomorrow and the aim is to complete the second round by the end of the day and then stage the third round on Sunday.

Fernandez-Castaño, the first round leader reported;

“It was windy when we went out and I had a few birdie chances, but then I bogeyed two holes into the wind. I hope tomorrow I can take advantage of the remaining ten holes I have. I didn’t have any balls moving, but certain shots you could hardly keep balanced. Being selfish I’m quite happy play was called off.”

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Getty Images)

As things stand, John Daly is top of the leaderboard, and he has yet to even start his second round but in these conditions anything could happen, so it really is anyone’s tournament. I will keep you posted.

Golf NZ Open

Aussie Brad Kennedy leads the field after day three of the New Zealand open at Clearwater in Christchurch. Sadly he is the highest ranked player left in the tournament with a world ranking of 144. The organizers need to find a way of attracting some of the worlds top players to N.Z. to give the tournament some kudos and gain worldwide media attention. Good luck to Brad Kennedy I hope he gets his win, it does not look like we can get a Kiwi winner. Brad usually has his best results when chasing the the field, he is not used to leading starting the final round, saying

“Most of my good finishes this year were coming from behind,” Kennedy said.

“I’ve just got to go out and attack whether I’m four or five ahead or one behind, two behind. If I don’t I can let everyone back in.”

http://www.nzherald.co.nz

The Hong Kong open is being lead by Spains Alvaro Quiros who had a superb third round, unlike Rory McIlroy who struggled and finds himself three shots behind the leader. Although he fell behind Rory said he could still challenge strongly in the final round. It should be a thrilling finish to the tournament. Rory admitted he was lackluster but issued this statement.

“I didn’t have anything out there. Mentally I’m not up to it and little things were starting to agitate me,” McIlroy said. “But I’m not out of it, still just three shots behind. If I can get off to a decent start, I will be able to put some pressure on the leaders.”

http://www.usatoday.com

I have heard an amazing story regarding John Daly and his meltdown in Aussie. Apparently the trouble started when he hit a wrong ball, which went into the lake. A course marshal who standing there let Daly hit the errant ball, before pointing to Johns ball not too far away. The wrong ball had been left there from a wayward shot off the practice fairway earlier. The question is, why did the marshal not guide John to the correct ball.