The U.S. Open Championship. Everything Came Up Roses For Justin.

Everything came up roses for Justin Rose as he won the 113th U.S. Open Championship at Merion Golf Club. Winning by two shots from Phil Mickelson and Jason Day, who were tied in second place at +3 over par.

Justin Rose and his 1st Major trophy / Getty Images

Justin is the first Englishman in 43 years to win the U.S. Open, The last English U.S. Open winner was Tony Jacklin in 1970. Nick Faldo was the last Major trophy winner in 1996 at Augusta. An even par total for the championship was the winning score for Justin, a great effort on the difficult and punishing course at Merion.

Justin said that when he walked over the hill down the 18th fairway to check on his tee shot, he knew it was his moment;

“When I came over the hill and saw my ball laying in the fairway, I thought. This is my moment. It was me hitting from the middle of the fairway. It wasn’t lost on me that today was Father’s Day. A lot of us come from great men and we have a responsibility to our children to show what a great man can be. For it to all just work out for me, on such an emotional day, I couldn’t help but look up to the heavens and think that my old dad Ken had something to do with it.”

On an amazing  day at Merion Golf Course, all the home supporters were rooting for birthday boy Phil Mickelson, sadly for him a couple of mistakes left him sitting in second place, again. Today was Phil’s 43rd birthday and it should have been a great day for him, but this is the sixth time Phil has been in second place at this event, the most coveted trophy missing from his display cabinet;

“Heartbreak, this is tough to swallow after coming so close. This was my best chance of all of them. I had a golf course I really liked. I felt this was as good an opportunity as you could ask for. It really hurts.”

Luke Donald was in position to challenge for this Trophy, but after his tee shot hit a female volunteer official on the third hole. It seemed to wreck his concentration, and everything fell apart after that incident.

As I predicted at the beginning of the week, the winner was not under par for the tournament.

U.S. Open. Phil is in Charge

Phil Mickelson is in charge, and the only player at the U.S. Open who is in red figures at Merion Golf Club, after three rounds have been completed.

Phil Mickelson / Getty Images

Phil had an even par round today, which was good enough to elevate him to the top of the leaderboard at the U.S. Open. He has recorded five previous second place finishes in this tournament, but is now in control at Merion, leading by one shot going into the final round. Saturday is usually referred to as moving day, but no one at  the top of the board moved forward today. The good thing for Phil is that this is the first time ever he has enjoyed having the 54 hole lead at a U.S. Open, that must auger well for him;

” It’s a hard challenge, but it’s a lot of fun, every shot requires such great focus because a penalty can bite you quickly. I can’t wait to get back and playing. I feel good ball-striking, I feel good on the greens. I think it’s going to take an under-par round tomorrow.”

One shot back at even par, and tied in second place for the tournament are; Hunter Mahan, Charl Schwartzel and Steve Stricker.

Another shot further back on +1 over par are; Justin Rose, Billy Horschel and Luke Donald.

Luke was cruising through his round, having had the outright lead until two equally poor swings on the last two holes. A 2-iron into the bunker on the par three 17th, that led to a bogey, and followed that with a shot into ankle-deep rough down the right side of the 18th green that led to a double bogey. And just like that, one of the best rounds of the day turned into a 71, and he was suddenly two shots behind. He also managed to miss three short putts as well earlier on, which in the end really hurt his final score.

Best round of the day went to Ricky Fowler, a -3 under par 67, but he is still at +3 over par for the tournament. It was tough going today for the players, but tomorrow will be even tougher, with some pins in the usual most difficult places. As I said a couple of days ago, the winner of this tournament may well not break par at the finish.

Asides;

Sad Sergio Garcia took a beating on the 15th hole, carding a 10 after going out of bounds with his tee shot,three times. He finished the round at +11 over par, when he could have been in contention.

World number one Tiger Woods had another disappointing day, a third round of +6 over par 76 has destroyed any ideas he may of had about making a late charge here on Sunday. He is currently at +9 over par for the tournament. Not fairing much better was his business buddy Rory McIlroy, the World number two finished one shot better at +8 over par, after his third round 75. The way these two are actually playing they may not be numbers one and two for too much longer.

Tiger Commented;

“It certainly is frustrating, I’m playing well enough to do it, and unfortunately just haven’t gotten it done.”

 

U.S. Open. Tight As At The Top, 2nd Day.

It’s Tight as at the top of the leaderboard when play was suspended due to darkness in the second round of the USGA U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.

Billy Horschel and Phil Mickelson, tied at the top / Getty Images

Billy shot a second round of  -3 under par 67 for his -1 under par total, hitting all eighteen greens in regulation,while Phil had a disappointing +2 over par to slip back to -1 under par.

Billy actually said he was not in the zone today;

“I was not in the zone, trust me, the golf course, even though it’s soft, is still a tough golf course. I know what in the zone is for me, I don’t get nervous, I just see the shot and go. And I saw the shot and went with it, but I was still nervous with a lot of them. Your misses here can be bad if you miss in the wrong spots. I was just focused on what I tried to do. I didn’t know I hit every green until I walked off 18. It’s a cool thing. I’ve done it plenty of times in my career; obviously it’s a U.S. Open, but I think the softness of the greens helped that.”

Phil managed to birdie the last hole to back into a tie for the top spot, at -1 under par, Billy and Phil are the only two players to finish under par on the day.

There are five players tied in third place, just one shot back at even par; Luke Donald, Steve Stricker, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, who was one of those who have not completed the second round, currently played 14. The Chinese amateur Cheng Tsung Pan, he played nine, and John Senden who had finished his round before the gloom took over.

Luke said it is getting harder;

” U.S. Opens get harder as the week goes on, the pins today were a lot more tucked. They were tougher to get to. A few were on little hills or slopes. It’s very difficult to make those putts when the ball is breaking so much.”

Tiger Woods, currently tied in 17th place at +3 over par, agreed with Luke’s statement about it being tough;

“It’s hard with the wind and the pin locations, they’re really tough. We knew they were going to be in tough areas, but we didn’t think they were going to be as severe as they are. Am I surprised? absolutely not. Unless you played practice rounds out here and you’ve seen the golf course, you don’t realize how difficult it is. Because the short holes are short, but if you miss the fairway, you can’t get the ball on the green. And the longer holes are brutal. And this is probably the stiffest set of par three’s we ever face. And then they’ve thrown some of the pin locations in that they have, and it’s really tough. Just keep grinding, you just don’t ever know what the winning score is going to be. You don’t know if the guys are going to come back. We have a long way to go, and these conditions aren’t going to get any easier. They’re going to get more difficult. As the fairways start drying out, the ball is going to pick up mud and you’re going to get bad breaks.”

Rory McIlroy is just happy to be tied with Tiger on +3 over par;

“I’m very happy, right in there for the weekend. I don’t think I’ll be too far away by the end of the day. In a nice position going into the last two days.”

The projected cut is at +7 over par, at the moment, but there are plenty of payers who still have to complete their second rounds, some of them only at the half way stage. It will be another long day tomorrow for them. My prediction of the winner not finishing under par still looks like a good bet.

 

 

 

 

U.S. Open. 1st Round Suspended, Luke Donald at the top.

1st round play was suspended at the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club with Luke Donald leading the way at -4 under par, after completing 13 holes. It is actually just like I thought it would be, a rain-fest tournament.

Luke Donald / Getty Images

Luke said he thought the greens were a bit slow, because of the rain;

“The greens are a lot slower than we thought they’d be, because of the rain. And you could be an a bit more aggressive with the stroke. I saw the lines pretty well today and made some good putts.” 

Phil Mickelson was tied in second place after he had completed his opening round at -3 under par, 67. Sharing the second spot with him is Adam Scott, who has yet to complete his round, having only played eleven holes.

Phil Mickelson / Getty Images

Phil is determined to win a U.S. Open but has some strange preparation ideas. He traveled to the course from San Diego, about 2,400 miles in the air and then another 7,000 yards on the golf course. He took a short nap on his private jet from San Diego and grabbed another one during a rain delay when he found a secluded corner of the library room in the Merion clubhouse. Phil has five wedges in his bag, but no driver.

“If I’m able, and I believe I will,  if I’m able to ultimately win a U.S. Open, I would say that it’s great, because I will have had a win and five seconds. But if I never get that win, then it would be a bit heart-breaking. Being able to tune in and tune out was kind of nice the last hole or two, it’s been a long day.”

The opening round will not be completed until Friday morning, giving Phil plenty of time to catch up on his sleep as he won’t have to tee it up again for another 24 hours.

Players from the afternoon tee times were the ones left with holes to complete, the farthest anyone had got around the course  was 14 holes and the last group to tee off was through just four. All will now have to return at 7:15 a.m.tomorrow to complete their opening rounds.

There are three players tied in fourth place, at -2 under par, Webb Simpson, eight holes, Matthew Goggin, six holes, and Alistair Presnell, who has also played six holes.

Rory McIlroy is at even par through eleven holes, with business buddy Tiger Woods struggling at +2 over par, and has a four-foot par putt to make on number ten when he returns first thing in the morning.

The leaderboard is tightly bunched, and the way things are going the winner may not even break par over the four rounds, to lift the Trophy.

FedEx St,Jude Classic. English Excels.

Harris English excelled his expectations with a win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind, in Memphis Tennessee.

Harris English / Badz / Getty Images

Harris had a final round of -1 under par 71 to win the FedEx St.Jude Classic, with a tournament total of -12 under par. A handful of old high school buddies had a calming influence from the gallery as Harris attained his first PGA Tour victory, with a two shot win at TPC Southwind in Memphis. He praised the support of friends and the influence of caddy Brian Smith;

“I had probably 10 high school friends out there today, and I know that if I make a birdie or a bogey, they’re probably going to be the same and they’re rooting me on. I was just really relaxed out there today. Bogeyed eight and nine, which was tough. But I knew if I kept it together on the back nine, I could make a run at the thing. I really didn’t think I’d be in this seat right here coming off nine.  I thought I kind of made some really dumb bogeys on eight, nine and kind of shot myself out of the tournament. But Smitty was saying, Hey let’s go beat this back nine. Let’s get back under par for the tournament for the day, and let’s get after it. So it was almost pedal to the metal. It’s quite an unbelievable feeling.”

Tied in second place at -10 under par were Scott Stallings and Phil Mickelson. Phil had a final round of -3 under par, 67 and was encouraged by the way he played going into the Major next week;

“I’m really encouraged with the way I hit my irons. Got to get the 3-wood in play a little bit more, although next week at Merion distance won’t be as critical as TPC Southwind. I’ll be able to hit higher and softer shots.”

Scott was looking good for a win, and was at  -12 under par at the turn, with four birdies on the front side. But he sadly finished with a double bogey, a birdie and a bogey in his final four holes. He hopes to have learned something from the experience;

“You have to learn from the experiences that you have like this today and hopefully I’ll get a little bit better break next time. Harris has played great coming down the stretch.”

Ryan Palmer was alone in fourth spot, he also had a final round of -3 under par for his tournament total of -9 under par, three shots off the pace.

FedEx St Jude Classic. Stefani Steals 3rd Round Lead.

Shawn Stefani stole the third round lead at the FedEx St. Jude Classic with a -4 under par round 66, despite carding a 7 at the par 3 eleventh hole.

Shawn Stefani / Lyons / Getty

Shawn recovered to birdie four of the final five holes to grab a one-stroke lead at -12 under par, but still it was that quad that was the talk of the FedEx St. Jude Classic tournament at TPC Southwind.

Shawn himself shrugged off the watery mishap at eleven;

“I hit a good tee shot on 12 and the drive on 12 is not the easiest drive on the course, and then the birdie on 14 is when I got more calm. I’m actually playing a lot better than I was in Tampa. Having the lead was great, but I’m more prepared with my game. I can’t worry about what Phil’s doing out there, Phil’s Phil. I’m just going to concentrate on what I’m doing.”

Just one shot behind in second place at -11 under par, is playing partner Harris English who had a more modest third round, at -1 under 69.

Harris said is was tough to watch Shawn struggle on the par 3;

“It’s tough to watch that, I don’t care who you are, but he brought it back beautifully.”

Three players are tied in third spot, Patrick Reed, Nicholas Thompson and Scott Stallings, all at -8 under par.

Phil Mickelson has made his intentions clear, with a move up the leaderboard today with his third round of -5 under par 65 and is now at -7 under par for the tournament. Five shots is a lot to make up but if anyone can do it, Phil can, especially if putts like the one on the second hole start dropping;

“I’ve played better each round and I’m encouraged by that, I had a few bogeys and I left a few birdies go, let a few shots slide. It’s certainly out there. The putt on two was bigger, it was going pretty quick but ended up catching the middle of the hole and going in. Five under was a pretty good score today, but not great given the setup. I could really get some glimpses of my game getting where I want it. Hopefully, I’ll put together a really low round Sunday and catch the leaders.”

Rookie Eric Meierdierks is also at -7  under par after his third round of -4 under, 66 which included a hole in one at the par 3 thirteenth hole;

” The 13th hole, 8-iron, spun back into the hole, always helps the putting stats, that’s what I was looking for. Probably going to get some calls with bar tabs I have to pay.”

The Players Championship. Sergio Surges, Castro Crashes.

Sergio Garcia surged to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of The PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP at TPC Sawgrass, while Roberto Castro, yesterdays first round hero crashed down the board.

Sergio Garcia / Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Sergio shot a second round -7 under par 65, to surge to the top of the leaderboard with a tournament total of -11 under par.

Sergio, a past winner here, in 2008, is his own man, and fears no one, not even second placed Tiger;

“I don’t have to measure myself against anybody, I know what I want to try to do, and any given day I can shoot a round like this and any other day he can shoot a good round and beat me. Like we always say, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. So there are going to be good days and not so good days, so just got to enjoy the good ones as much as possible. Fortunately for me, I’ve managed to play quite decent on this golf course, so any good thing that you can get in your head, it’s obviously positive and those kind of things always help. But it’s a different year. We’ll see if we can manage to do something similar.”

Tiger is just one shot adrift of the leader, at -11 under par, after his second round of -5 under par 67.

Tiger was pretty happy to be where he is;

“ I’m pretty pleased with where it’s at right now, I’ve just never been able to put it all together for this one particular week. But so far this year, I’m right there. Even though I haven’t played well in the past, I’ve still won here, actually, I’ve won here twice, technically. { Tiger was referring to the U.S. Amateur in 1994 }  I haven’t played my best here, but I’ve always felt that courses, even though it’s been a while I’ve won on them, I’ve still won on them, I know how to get around this golf course. This course, more than most, really tests every facet of your game. You have to drive the ball well. You have to hit your irons in the correct spots, and if you don’t hit your irons in the correct spots, you’re going to have some really funky up-and-downs. It’s trying to manage the ball in the correct spots, and I’ve done that the first two days.”

There are three players tied in third place, at -9 under par for the tournament; they are, Kevin Chappell, second round -6 under. Lee Westwood also with a -6 under,66, and Henrik Stenson, -5 under par second round.

Roberto Castro crashed down the leaderboard, struggling with a second round +6 over par,78, but he did make the cut.

Big name cut casualties include, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els. Quite a star-studded list.

Tomorrow is moving day, who will move out of the reckoning ?

 

Wells Fargo Championship. Derek Ernst Wins In A Play-Off.

It took a two way play-off to decide the winner of the Wells Fargo Championship. The only real surprise was that Phil Mickelson was not involved. Derek Ernst won the title, beating David Lynn at the first extra hole.

Derek Ernst / Getty Images

Six days ago Derek Ernst received a phone call telling him he was in the field of the Wells Fargo Championship. The Rookie has made the most of that opportunity by winning the event.

Derek and David finished the tournament at -8 under par, Derek made it courtesy of a super six iron shot on the last hole of regulation, to with-in four feet of the pin, that set up the then converted birdie opportunity. It was one of only four birdies on the hole all day. Phil Mickelson needed a birdie there to get into the play-off, and didn’t make it.

Derek said the week had been unbelievable, especially that last approach shot in regulation;

“I was trying to hit it as close as I possibly could. This feeling is unbelievable right now.”

David Lynn said he had never heard of Derek previously, but was full of praise for the way the rookie played;

“I’ve never heard of him, he’s a nice player. He said he was 180th on the FedExCup list when we were chatting on the way around. He played super. I mean, he could have won it quite easily in regular play. He played the finish really solid, and then he hit two really solid shots in the playoff. So every credit to him. Well done. I’ve not been particularly driving it well, so took that tee shot down in the playoff and obviously found a bit of a crooked spot and then didn’t play a great bunker shot either.”

Phil Mickelson finished in third position, one shot out of the play-off which he should at least have been in. Phil had a one shot lead heading into the Green Mile, the last three holes. Bogey at 16 and 17 meant he needed that birdie on the last.

“I felt like I was in control, and I let it slip away there the last few holes, so it was disappointing. I’m pretty bummed out, I thought that this was one I had in control. If I could have gotten that bunker shot up-and-down on 15, I would have had a two-shot lead heading into those last three holes, which I know are difficult holes, so it would have been nice to have that. There is just no excuse,” it wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary or difficult. I should have made par.”

Lee Westwood and Robert Karlsson finished tied in fourth place, both of these players could also have won this tournament, apart from crumbling over the Green Mile.

Wells Fargo Championship. Phil Fumbles, Nick Nips In.

Phil Mickelson fumbled at the end of his round today, allowing Nick Watney to nip in and tie him for the lead, at the Wells Fargo Championship, Hollow Quail Club. The pair of them are at -8 under par for the tournament.

Nick Watney and Phil Mickelson / Lecka / Getty Images

Phil’s third round was a mixture of the good, the bad, and the ugly, he finished at +1 over par. This was not the direction Phil wanted to be heading in on moving day. The good was the birdies at 5,8.10 and 14, the bad was the bogeys at 3,12 and 16, with the ugly being a double bogey at the par five 15th, a seven, no less. It was some pretty average golf and Phil admitted it was;

“It was some poor play coming down the stretch.After I made that putt on 14, I felt really good. I thought I could get one on 15. I got lucky on the tee shot that didn’t go out-of-bounds, I missed it so bad, but the second shot should not have been a problem.”

Nick had his own troubles, just when it looked like he would grab the lead on his own, and after a long, long wait on the 17th tee, Nick managed a double bogey on the par three, Thanks to a hackers shank off the tee, with a six iron;

” I can’t remember the last time I did that in a tournament, so it was a bit unsettling. The big picture,  I’m tied for the lead, and I would have taken that on Thursday morning. It’s a tough hole, and I’m sure guys hit shots they thought were good and it just hooked a little and went in the water and made double. It just so happened that I’m playing really well and it was on TV, so that’s where the embarrassment comes from. But the other thing is you like to put as much distance as you can between you and the other guys, so a bit of anger and definitely some embarrassment. If I have any chance of playing well tomorrow, I’m going to need to get past it and come out ready to go or else I’m going to get run over, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

In third place alone is George Mcneill, at -7 under par, after his third round of 72, just par. He missed a birdie chance on the 18th to join the two leaders. George, like many of us, thought Phil was going to run away with it, he didn’t;

” Phil looked like he was kind of moving ahead of everyone, and then I don’t know what he did on 16, but it looked like either 15 or 16 he had kind of a mess-up. Then Nick, with the shot that he hit on 17, that actually shook me up probably more than it shook him up. Honestly, I didn’t even know until I was standing on 18 green, and then I looked and I’m like, Oh, wow, I’m tied for the lead.”

There are a whole bunch of players on -6 under par, including Lee Westwood, Lee could only manage a par round today. This tournament is wide open now, almost anybody could still win it, someone will come out tomorrow and shoot a low round.

Wells Fargo Championship. Philly Mick Posts his Intentions

Phil Mickleson has posted his intentions in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

Phil Mickelson / Getty Images

Phil shot a second round -5 under par, 67 which moved him to the top of the leaderboard, leading by two shots at the close of play in the Wells Fargo Championship.

Phil is happy with his putting, despite the poor state of the greens, but his driving still leaves a lot to be desired;

” I got off to a good start. I birdied the first two holes, so that set a good tone for the round. The first 27, 28 holes I have not driven the ball very well which is, most people would say, not surprising. But before I came here, I was driving the ball phenomenal. I really am excited about the way I’ve been hitting it off the tee, and I’m looking forward to this weekend. After the 28th hole, after I played 10, I made a slight alignment adjustment and I was able to get it back to where I had been driving it. I think if I drive it well this weekend, it’s going to be a fun weekend and I fully expect to. I’ve putted really well. It’s been fun.”

Phil is a from horse, and it is difficult to beat a form horse to the finish line, unless of course there are some real thoroughbreds coming up behind. There are a few in this field, so Phil had better be aware.

Three players share second place at Quail Hollow, all at -7 under par for the tournament, they are; Scott Gardiner, Nick Watney and George McNeill. A -5 second round from Scott, -4 from George and a modest -2 under par from Nick.

Nick is excited about the week-end;

” I’m excited for the weekend. It’s always fun to play with Phil and Rickie. We had a good time, and I’m in good shape, so I’m excited.”

Scott was surprised to be where he is;

” Probably nobody’s more surprised than I am. But it’s really a treat to play on such a great golf course. I’ve watched this tournament for many years, and I’m just it’s great to be out here on the PGA TOUR and to play some good golf is nice too.”

George said there were some low numbers to be had out there;

“ There are some low numbers out there because the greens are soft. They’re not putting great, but the greens are soft, so you can still aim at the flags and try to get close in. So I didn’t feel like I had to shoot a low one. I just kind of plodded along and made some birdies here and there and not too many mistakes and we’ll see where I end up.”

A bunch of players are at -6 under par, including Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy. Lee had a second round of -4 under par while Rory could only manage a -1 under par 71.