The Honda Classic. Michael Thompson Comes Up Trumps.

Michael Thompson / Franklin / Getty Images

Michael Thompson came up trumps in The Honda Classic at PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Florida. Young gun Michael cruised to a two shot win over the more experienced Geoff Ogilvy, with a last round of -1 under par and a tournament total of -9 under par. The win gets Michael into his first World Golf Championship next week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral, and qualifies for two more WGCs this year at the Bridgestone Invitational and at the HSBC Champions. He is also now  in the PGA Championship, gets to start next year in Hawaii and earned a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR.

Michael said in interview that the whole week had been magical, something he had been dreaming about for a long time;

“This week was magical, just had a groove and kept feeling it. This is everything, this is a childhood dream come true. I’ve dreamed of playing out here since I was 7 years old and to win, it’s just unbelievable. I just can’t put it into words, the whole day was awesome.”

He particularly enjoyed walking up the eighteenth fairway after his second shot on the par five landed in the greenside bunker, giving him the opportunity of an up and down birdie, and he did just that;

“That for me kind of sealed the deal, it allowed me to walk up the fairway and enjoy the experience, see the crowd and just finish strong.”

Geoff Ogilvy will also be at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral, thanks to putting together four good rounds of golf, for his total of  -7 under par.

Geoff admitted that he had already given himself next week off;

“I kind of penciled in a week off, so it’s nice, and it gets me back in the mix for the Masters.”

Geoff was also full of admiration for Michael, and the way he played this golf course;

“ You don’t have to do much wrong to be making a bogey out there, so it’s pretty impressive, it’s a great effort really. As you see by the rest of the scores, it’s a very hard golf course and it seems to get progressively harder in some ways. There’s a disaster waiting everywhere. There’s a lot of golf courses on tour that it might be easy to close out a golf tournament, or easier, but this is not one of them.”

Luke Guthrie, Michael’s sparring partner at the top of the leaderboard for most of this event fell back during the last round, carding a miserable +3 over par 73, and a tournament total of -5 under par, but it still left him alone in third place.

 

Sony Open, Rookie Russell Rips Up the Record Books.

Winning Rookie Russell Henley / Petersen/Getty Images

The Sony Open was won by rookie Russell Henley on his Tour debut, and doing so he ripped up the standing records for just about everything.

Russell  finished at -24 under par and a total score of 256, breaking by four shots the Sony Open in Hawaii scoring record, last set by Brad Faxon in 2001. Russell relegated Tim Clark into second place by three shots, Tim was himself on fire, he birdied seven of his last eleven holes and actually only made up one shot on Russell, the rookie from the University of Georgia.

Russell is now tied at the top the FedEx Cup standings in the company of Dustin Johnson on 500 points. The win was the second-lowest score for a 72-hole tournament in PGA TOUR history, two shots behind Tommy Armour III in 2003 at the Valero Texas Open. He also  set tournament records for the low 36-hole score after his 63-63 start, he shared the 54-hole record with Scott Langley and also set another tournament record with the lowest final round by a Champion.

Add to that he became the first PGA TOUR rookie to win his debut since Garrett Willis did at Tucson in 2001, and he will be going to the Masters in April, a local tournament for the boy from Macon, Georgia.

He said of his record breaking day that he had never been so nervous, you would not have imagined that watching him coming down the stretch on Sunday. He played the last nine holes superbly.

“I don’t really know what happened, honestly, this is the most nervous I’ve ever been. That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s been my goal to make it to the Masters my whole life. I’m kind of speechless right now.”

With the results  of his Web.com Tour season last year and this win Russell Henley has already made it into the world rankings inside the top fifty.  That ranking will get him into the Accenture-Match Play Championship for the top 64 in the world, the qualifying date is only a month away, and he should also be in line for the other WGC at the Cadillac Championship, and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, not forgetting the PGA Championship. All in all quite a PGA TOUR debut, I look forward to watching Russell this season, it will be interesting to see how far he can go, he obviously has the talent.

 

Do the Rules of Golf need an update ?

Carl Pettersson/getty images

During the PGA Championship Carl Pettersson incurred a two shot penalty when his club brushed aside a loose impediment, a leaf, while he was trying to extricate himself from a hazard. Carl had an official with him at the time, and asked the man if it was OK if his club brushed against the grass during the backswing. The official said yes, it was OK to brush the grass on the back-swing of the stroke, and he was correct in what he said, he just never mentioned the possibility of moving the leaves, and it would have been inappropriate of him to advise Carl. That is another rule concerning giving advice. Obviously Carl was not a happy camper;

 ”I double checked with the official to make sure I could brush the grass as long as I didn’t put any weight on the ground with the clubhead, and he said sure, I wish he would have mentioned the leaves, too. I was just trying to hit the ball. I didn’t even think twice about it.”

Not being able to remove loose impediments in a hazard is a good rule, remember Tiger Woods at the PGA Tour event held at TPC Scottsdale, Stadium Course. Tiger was playing the par-five 13th hole, his tee shot to the left of the fairway, well in-bounds but in the desert. His ball came to rest near a boulder that would interfere with his swing toward the green. The boulder was deemed to be a loose impediment so Tiger had a group of adoring fans ” roll the stone away” so that he had a clear shot to the green. Tiger went on to birdie the hole, but if the ball had been in an area that was a classed as a hazard he would not have been allowed to move the boulder. The point is, Carl was in a hazard and if he was faced with a boulder, or dead tree trunk or any loose impediment he would not have been allowed to move it. Neither should he be allowed, he should not have been in the hazard in the first place, that’s the penalty.

I do not agree that players are allowed to consult the officials about what is right or wrong, the player and his caddie should know all the rules. The officials should just be there to referee the match and make calls about the rules, not explain the rules chapter and verse to someone who should know them.

Talking about stupid rules, what about the temporary rule the PGA made about there being no bunkers on the course. Pete Dye designed the course with lots of well positioned bunkers in play, what a bad decision it was to nullify the effect of these hazards.

I have never before seen anybody raking a sandy area, it does not happen out on the course, so why should they rake green side sandy area’s. Does that not incur another penalty for improving the lie ? just another rule in the book.

Rory McIlroy, PGA Champion and World #1

Rory McIlroy/getty images

Rory McIlroy not only won the, PGA Championship he also captured the number one spot in the World Golf rankings from Luke Donald. Luke failed to perform at all in this tournament, and was lucky to make the cut, right on the number. Will Luke return to his former position, only time will tell, he has certainly been out of sorts for some time now.

Talking of the comparisons between himself and Tiger, Rory said;

” I don’t know. I mean, I’ve won my second major at the same age as he had. But he went on that incredible run like 2000, 2001, 2002 and won so many. You know, I’d love to sit up here and tell you that I’m going to do the same thing, but I just don’t know.”

Good Luck Rory, it would be great to watch you on a winning run like Tiger’s in 2000/2002.

PGA Championship. Play Suspended in Third Round.

Play was suspended during the third round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island on the Ocean Course due to inclement weather conditions, namely lightning. Lee Trevino once said if you get caught in a lightning storm on a golf course, you should walk around holding a one iron above your head, ” Even God can’t hit a one iron.” Personally I would not like to test Lee’s theory, I suspect God would be able to strike a one iron better than anybody.

At the suspension of play Rory McIlroy and Vijay Singh were tied at the top of the leaderboard, with a tournament score of -6 under par. Rory had completed the front nine at -4 under par, in-spite of  his tee-shot on the drivable third hole, becoming lodged in the branch of a tree. He took an unplayable lie penalty, dropped the ball and fired his third onto the green and then sunk the 7 foot putt for his par. Rory is keen to get back out on the course, and is happy with is position;

“I’m going into the final day of the final major of the season tied for the lead. All I wanted was to put myself into contention and I’ve done that. It was a great start today and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Rory McIlroy/GETTY IMAGES

Vijay has only played seven holes of the third round, his score at -2 under par and appears to be on cruise control, quite the opposite of his playing partner today, Tiger Woods. Tiger has lost some control and is at +3 over par for the first seven holes. He began the day as the joint-leader, but the putting touch which lit up his first two rounds unexpectedly deserted him, right from the start when he missed a three-footer for birdie off the first.

Adam Scott has completed nine holes and is handily placed at -5 under par for the tournament, his third round so far is -4 under.

So the leaders will have to start early tomorrow morning to complete their third rounds, before starting the final session of the day, quite a daunting and exhausting task. I hope they have the stamina to get through the day and be in contention at the end. It would be horrible to see them drop out of the race and lose the title to someone who has had to only play 18 holes on the final day.

PGA Championship, 3 Tied at the Top at Windy Kiawah Island

There are three players tied at the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of the second round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson share the top spot with a tournament score of -4 under par. Vijay Singh had the best round of the day, mastering the windy conditions well to conjure up a -3 under par round of 69, and is worthy of his position at the top of the board. Tiger Woods had a second round of -1 under par, but he had to fight hard and ride his luck on occasions. Carl Pettersson struggled to a +2 over par round, he started the day at -6 under, but could not hold on to that score. In all  only three players managed to shoot under par rounds today, if the wind keeps on blowing, just about anybody could still win it.

Vijay Singh/Ferrey/Getty Images

Vijay had to think his way round;

“After a while you don’t really think about your score. You just think about each hole, each shot and just try not to mess up. Those two-footers are important out here. I think 16, 17, 18, it was so hard just standing on the greens trying to make a putt. It was one of my better rounds. I didn’t strike the ball as good, but I scored really, really well, and I think that was the key. I just started believing that I can do it, I was so negative for a long, long time. I had great sessions on the driving range and just couldn’t take it on the golf course. I finally started to believe that I could do what I’m doing on the driving range. A little tweak to my golf swing during the British Open kind of helped, as well. Like I said, my head is in a better spot. I’m more focused and believing that I can do it has helped me a lot.”

Tiger said of his day;

“It was tough out there, wow. You can’t take anything for granted, simple tap-in is not a simple tap-in. The putter is oscillating all over the place and the ball is oscillating and you know, you have to make an adjustment, at least I was on my down swing and my putts, because the putter is being blown all over the place. It’s a tough day. I mean, your start lines, Holy Cow, we are starting balls so far   off-line, to have it comeback in. There’s so much drift to this wind. It was just a tough day.”

Tiger Woods/Ferrey/Getty Images

Carl was happy to still be in the mix;

” I thought 2 over today was probably like shooting 2 under yesterday, I played well. I hit some squirrely shots which is typical when it’s blowing 30 miles an hour, but I hit some really good ones, too. It’s just very difficult to get any rhythm in the round of hitting fairways and greens and my short game was good, which was nice on days like this.”

Englishman Ian Poulter is just one shot behind them at -3 under par, but should really have joined the leading group, as he came to the last hole at -4, found the green with his second, then somehow managed to three put for a bogey 5.

The cut at Kiawah came at +6 over par and included 73 players. Notables among those names that will miss the weekend are, recent U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, who defends his title at the Wyndham Championship next week; world No.4 Lee Westwood, Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and also some hopefuls for his Ryder Cup team, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney, Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker.

Amazingly Luke Donald made the cut, or to be correct, the cut line came back to him, his second round of +4 over par added to his first round of +2. it looked certain earlier in the day that Luke would be headed out the exit, but here his is, just on the cut-line of +6.

PGA Championship Kiawah Island

Carl Petterson/Kinnaird/Getty Images

Carl Pettersson leads the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island with -6 under par round of 66. Carl  has a one shot advantage over a group of four  players who are at  -5 under par, Gary Woodland, Gonzalo Fernandez-Costano, Alex Noren and one of the favorites for the title this week,  Rory McIlroy.

Carl was determined to take advantage of the good conditions, before the wind got up;

“There really wasn’t much wind on the front nine, so I knew I had to keep going low because I figured the wind would get up. The wind started blowing a little bit on the back nine, and I carried on solid play. So it was a great day for me.”

There is a large group on -4 under par, these include Major winner John Daly, who has found some form of late, and Adam Scott, who had a great chance to win The Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes. Tiger Woods is another shot further back, and in a good position after the first round.

John Daly said he played freely;

“To just free wheel it is the only way I can get my confidence back instead of worrying about bad breaks and worrying about this and worrying about what somebody else is doing. I only need to worry about what I’m doing and go out and attack and play golf and enjoy it.” 

Tiger was really happy with his start to the tournament;

“Anything in the 60s is going to be a good start in a major championship, and I’m right there.”

Adam Scott was also very pleased with his opening effort;

“So far, so good. It would be great to put two more rounds together and be coming here Sunday with a good look at the championship. If I don’t, then I’ll really feel like I’ve let it all slip this year for me. So I’d love to use this opportunity while I’m playing well to get in there and have a sniff on Sunday.”

Phil Mickelson shot a 71 to be at -1 under par, after spending most of the day scrambling from all over the course, he said;

“I fought hard today and I kept myself right in it for the most part and should get a bit of a weather break tomorrow morning. It actually felt a little bit closer than it has in a long time. I felt good on the green. My touch was back. I started hitting some shots at some pins.”

Among those who will be struggling to make the cut, currently projected at +2,  are World number one Luke Donald, and Rickie Fowler  who both  had a miserable day at +2 over par for the first round. Luke making his customary slow start to a tournament this year. Surprisingly Webb Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open Champion is already out of the hunt, shooting a +7 over par round. Lee Westwood is another who is unlikely to make to cut this time around.

I still can not believe that the USGA have ordained that the bunkers are not hazards for this tournament. It is really strange to watch a player in a green-side bunker taking practice swings in the sand to get the feel of how the ball will come out, madness.

Kiawah Island, Luke Donald Inspired by GB Olympic Team Performance.

 

Luke Donald/Getty Images

Luke Donald is drawing inspiration from the performance of Team GB in the London Olympics, and is hoping this will spur him on to win his first Major, at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. Speaking in interview yesterday he revealed;

“They’re all inspiring in their own way. The fact that you have one event every four years to really work hard, to see some of the guys who don’t perform and to see some of the guys that perform and win gold, I mean, there’s a lot of raw emotions there. And watching certainly has inspired me a lot in terms of having that wish to be there in four years, to have an opportunity to also win a gold medal. Coming off the US Open I was very disappointed how I kind of handled the situation mentally, I didn’t come in hitting the ball that great and maybe that added to some of the anxiety. But certainly I think there was a little bit of a breakthrough, just realizing at the Open Championship that no matter how I’m hitting it physically there’s always a way to mentally be on top. I did that very well and as a result I also played pretty well.”

The last sixteen Majors have been won a different player, and Luke obviously hopes that streak will continue, this time in his favor;

“I guess the longer the streak goes, the more encouragement it gives to those guys who haven’t yet won a major, like myself. But I’m not sure if it changes anything for me. I continue to focus on what I can do and hopefully give myself a chance on Sunday.”

The gamblers are talking about Kiawah, and they are certain that it will favor the long hitters like Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy. That would seem to be a safe bet, but these long tee shots have also to be straight, if not they will be in trouble, so a more consistent player could easily make an impact. It would be great for Luke ti finally win a Major, and get everybody off his back.