Farmers Insurance Open. K.J. equals Brandt Snedeker for Lead

K.J. Choi has never liked Torrey Pines. In fact, he even sat out last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, as Brandt Snedeker went on to win. This year though he opened with a -7 under par 65 to tie defending champ Brandt Snedeker for the first-round lead. K.J. took on the tougher South Course in perfect conditions, but the forecast is not looking too good with rain predicted for Friday.

K.J. said in interview;

” The course is pretty long, the greens are pretty hard, so I felt like the course didn’t really fit me too well before, but I found something on the range this morning. Surprisingly, today all of my iron shots were kind of stopping into the green.”

Brandt Snedeker is also bemused why he always seems to play well, although the course does not set up well for him;

“It’s funny, you look at all the golf courses I should play well on, this should not be one of them. This is a long, difficult golf course with lots of rough and hitting a lot of iron shots. My strength is driving and putting, so it doesn’t really add up well around here, but for some reason, it’s been good to me.”

Brandt Snedeker / Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

By contrast Phil Mickleson could manage only even par on the easier North Course, and he is tied for 90th place with a round on the tougher South Course coming up. Phil has no illusions about the task ahead of him if he is to make the cut;

” I’ve got to shoot something in the 60s, and if I can get a couple of putts to go, I putted very poorly, I’ve got to get that putter going. If I can putt well, hopefully, the mid-60s. I’ve been playing better than this, and there’s no excuses. Very lethargic off the first tee, I’ve got to get my head a little bit more focused on the shots, and I haven’t been as mentally focused starting out. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to turn that around tomorrow and start a little bit more effectively in the future. It’s going to take some exceptional golf over on the South, but three of the rounds are on the South, and there are some low scores out there if you play the course right and effectively. There’s probably half the holes where you’ve got to play for par and the other half you can make some birdies. 

Tiger Woods said he thought he had done a good job shooting -4 under par 68 for his first round at the Farmers;

“After being 1 under and then 1 over, to battle back and get to 6 at one point was a good job. It is different this tournament, because we didn’t play this fast, we had some rain overnight last night, but still these fairways are zipping. At least the greens are receptive. The greens are a little more receptive than in the practice round. I knew I had two par fives on the front side so I could get it down to par, and then maybe get two or three on the back, I thought that would be a good score. And lo’ and behold, I get it rolling. Get to 6 and a chance to go to 7, so it can change quickly. But, we had the perfect conditions for it. We couldn’t ask for better conditions to score than we had today.”
There are eight players tied in third place at -6 under par, Josh Teater, Adam Hadwin, Luke List, Ross Fisher, Billy Horschel, Chucky Three Sticks, Mike Weir and Scott Stallings. Tomorrow’s bad weather will soon sort that bunched pack, it will be an interesting days play.

European Tour, Portugal Masters, Shane Lowery Wins

Shane Lowry /EuropeanTour

Shane Lowry beat England’s Ross Fisher by one shot at the Portugal Masters after a thrilling final day in Vilamoura and became another golfer to win his maiden tour event this year, as a professional. His previous victory on Tour earned him nothing because of his amateur status. Shane had a last round of -5 under par, 66 to finish with a winning tournament total of  -14 under par,  and a cheque for €375,000 in addition to the trophy.

Shane said he was over the moon with his win;

“I cannot believe this, I can’t explain how I feel really. It’s a dream come true, I’m over the moon. Everyone was referring to me as the fella who won the Irish Open as an amateur, but now I’ve won such a prestigious event I don’t know what to say. It was like playing in Ireland, it was crazy, it was great.

Ross Fisher, of England, had a short putt  on the 18th to force a play-of, but the sad effort lipped out, leaving Shane victorious, and Ross one shot back on -13 under par, with a mediocre  last round of -1 under par 70.

Alone in third place, “Welcome Back Michael Campbell”,  Michael finished the tournament at -12 under par. The Kiwi was the  2005 US Open Champion, and then suddenly encountered a serious loss of form since he beat Tiger Woods at Pinehurst. Michael even fell outside the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 1,300 at one point, and only two seasons ago had made just one cut in his 19 starts. This was Michael’s best finish in four years, amazingly the last time he had four rounds in the 60′s was nine years ago. Nice to see you in contention again Michael.

Kiwi Michael Campbell/European tour

Westy Wins In Sweden @ Nordea Masters

Lee Westwood (Getty Images)

Lee Westwood easily won his third Nordea Masters title in Sweden, at the  Bro Hof Slott GC, cruising to a five shot cushion over his rivals. Lee had a last round of -3 under par, 69 for a tournament total of -19 under par. Nearest man to him was compatriot Ross Fisher, Ross could only muster a last round of -1 under par and finished with a total of -14 under par, alone in second place.

Although it was a steady last round Lee was not too impressed with some missed chances;

“I missed a few short putts on the front nine, had a lot of chances the first ten holes and could have really put some breathing space between me and the field. Having said that when I needed to on the back nine, when they got a bit closer and put me under a bit of pressure, I managed to make a great eagle at 12, good birdie at 15 and pull away. I hit some really solid shots. It didn’t look like I was hitting it close on the last three holes but I can tell you those last three holes I hit it exactly where I wanted to every time.”

This is first Lee’s first European Tour victory since the 2011 Ballantine’s Championship, but is his 22nd European Tour International Schedule victory in his 408th European Tour event and keeps him in third spot in the World Golf Rankings, behind Rory McIlroy and number one Luke Donald.

Ross Fisher’s brave challenge really went awry when he found water at the 13th and double bogeyed that hole. The Ryder Cup star recovered brilliantly with a hattrick of birdies from the 15th giving him a 71 and solo second place on 14 under par.

The host country, Sweden ,saw their chance winning the trophy for third time in a row disappear, when Peter Hanson ran up a double bogey seven on the back nine at the 15th, and finished his final round at -1 under par, 71. This score saw him finish in a tie for third on -13 under par with Mikko Ilonen from Finland and Sergio Garcia of Spain.

Westwood still in control in Sweden @ Nordea Masters

Lee Westwood (Getty Images)

Lee Westwood is still in control in Sweden at the Nordea Masters after the conclusion of the third round at the  Bro Hof Slott GC.  Lee retained his three shot lead after recording a -4 under par third round of 68, for a tournament total of -16 under par. The round did not reach the same classic heights as his stunning second round 64, but it did leave him three clear of fellow Englishman Ross Fisher.  Lee said in interview;

“I played well. I hit a lot of good shots and it was solid stuff. I didn’t get into too much trouble, I had a bit of a flyer on the second and that was the only bogey I made all day.”

Ross Fisher was a happy camper after his beautiful -7 under par third round of 65, and a total for the tournament of -13 under par;

 “I’ve played really nicely, I’m gradually getting better. Hopefully I can continue the trend tomorrow. I’ve gone head to head with Westy a couple of times, he’s a world-class golfer and that’s how we judge our game, against the best players in the world.”

Swedish hopes of a third consecutive home win in this event seemed to have stalled, with Peter Hanson now four shots adrift of the leader after his -3 under par third round of 69. He is the best placed Swede to make a challenge, but he will have to produce something really special to loosen Lee Westwood’s firm grip on this trophy.

Alexander Noren continued with his remarkable recovery from an opening round of 74, carding a second successive 66 to move into fifth on ten under, alongside compatriot Michael Jonzon. Six shots behind an inform Lee Westwood would really seem like an impossible task.

Handa Wales Open @ Celtic Manor, Jaidee Wins

Thongchai Jaidee (Getty Images)

Thongchai Jaidee won the Handa Wales Open at a wet and windy Celtic Manor to claim his first European Tour win on European soil, all four of his previous victories on his home continent. Thongchai’s last round 72 gave him a tournament total of -6 under par, to win by one shot from Thomas Bjorn, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, Joost Luiten and Richard Sterne, who all finished at -5 under par.

Thongchai was really pleased with his win. albeit with rules officials assistance;

” I want to say thank you to all my family, all the supporters and the sponsors here. Conditions were quite tough for me. I tried to hit everything on the fairway, that’s the main thing, then hit the ball on the green. It was very, very tough for me, not like Thailand!”

 Ross Fisher finished at -4 under par and left with far less happy memories this time after being penalised a shot for slow play when one off the lead. Ross  fell foul of European Tour rules when he took too long over shots at the 11th and 14th holes, exceeding the allocated 40 seconds on both occasions. By comparison, Joost Luiten was told to speed up, but no penalty stroke awarded. Would be interesting if they used this 40 second rule on the USPGA Tour, the amount of time some of those players take, they could be in danger of losing a few players at each tournament.

So golf is now another one of those sports where the winner is decided by officials, rather than the team or player who actually performs better but just gets a contentious call from officialdom. Are all the officials on the course presented with a stop watch at the start of play everyday ?

Ross commented after the tournament;

” I don’t think it’s justice, but there you go.”

Handa Wales Open @ Celtic Manor,Thongnchai Jaidee leads by one.

Thongchai Jaidee (Getty Images)

Thongchai Jaidee has given himself an opportunity to register his first victory on European soil as a third round -4 under par,67  in the Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor puts him in the lead at  the top of the leader board. The Thai golfer now has an advantage in the ISPS Handa Wales Open,  over second round leader Ross Fisher, who could only muster a par third round and also Joost Luiten. Joost had an amazing third round of -7 under par 64, which propelled him up the leader board into tied for second place.

Thongchai is excited by the opportunity to win in on European soil for the first time;

 I’ve won a lot of times in Asia and I’ve played well a lot of times in Asia. In Europe, it’s very important for me to do well because the weather is going to be very difficult for me. I’ve learned a lot of things, how to play with these conditions. I think this time it’s a very good chance. You never know how it’s going to be tomorrow, but I’ll try to give it my best and look forward. If I keep my game plan like this, I have a good chance. I’ll play my own game, the best thing to do is to hit fairways, hit the greens and putt well. That’s my key tomorrow.”

The 42-year-old Thongchai birdied the par five 18th after an incredible drive measured at 410 yards,and then only needed a seven iron second to the 575 yard hole. He unfortunately pushed it into a bunker, but made a 12 foot putt for the outright lead.

 He was pleasantly surprised with the drive;

“I think 320 is the longest for me, so when we got to the top of the hill I asked ‘where’s the ball?’ and a marshal told me. I thought it was 390, but 410 sounds better.” He

Ross Fisher stubbed his toe in his hotel room on Friday night;

“There were a few expletives and it was extremely painful. I couldn’t put any weight on it and half-contemplated playing in trainers.
One of the toes is as purple as anything. I iced it and two of the toes were strapped together, but I hit it everywhere and I’m glad to finish. It would mean a lot to win. I set very high standards and I reached 17th in the world, so I know I have the game. “

“Given where I hit it that’s one of the best level par rounds I’ve ever had. I hung in there and dug deep.

Dutchman, Tim Sluiter is another shot further back after his third round score of  -3 under par, 68, and is alone with a tournament total of -5 under par.

Germany’s Marcel Siem has made a remarkable recovery from yesterday’s poor round, to shoot a third round -5 under par 66, which has put him in good position to maybe have a say in the outcome of this tournament tomorrow.

Handa Wales Open @ Celtic Manor, Ross Fisher Leads after 2nd round.

Ross Fisher (Getty Images)

Ross Fisher of England shot a -5 under par, 66, to lead the Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor by two strokes from yesterday’s first round leader Lee Slattery. Lee had an ordinary second round of just par following his 66 yesterday, while Marcel Siem had an awful +4 over par, 75 after his good start in the first round with a 68.

Ross likes this course, he said in interview;

“It’s always nice to come back to good hunting ground, familiar turf. The Ryder Cup was a great experience, I played really well that week and enjoyed it. There are certain spots that you think, yeah, the pin was there in The Ryder Cup, or I hit it here and holed this putt, or hit that shot from here.  You do try and remember those memories, and feed them into a positive outcome for this week.  I have some fond memories and I’ve had some decent results here, but it’s a course that I feel should suit me.

He explained about his shot into the par three third;

” I hit a nice six iron below the hole to about 12 feet, 15 feet and made that. I actually felt like I was going to hole that because I think either I had that putt or Poults had that in The Ryder Cup, so I knew exactly where I was going to hit it. There was no way I was missing that one.”

Lee Slattery had an eagle on the eleventh hole, which helped him recover from a wobbly start to the second round;

“I think the eagle on 11 was  the turning point in the round. The swing certainly didn’t feel as good as yesterday. I hit a lot of shots left but just managed to bounce back well.”

Ross is now at -6 under par for the tournament, with Lee Slattery at -4. Still in the hunt are three players on -3 under par, the are; Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay, Jaidee Thongchai from Thailand and England’s Chris Wood. Another name in the frame after the first round Tim Sluiter from the Netherlands also had a poor second round, a +1 over par effort that leaves him with a tournament score of -2 under par.

Dutchman Tim Sluiter remained upbeat despite bogeying three of his last five holes.

“On this course, anything around par is a good score. I’m very pleased where I am, and I kept myself in it.”