Arnold Palmer 1929 – 2016.
Arnie said
“Success in this game depends less on strength of body, than strength of mind and character.”
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Australia
Tour Championship. Three Way Tie at the Top.
There is a three-way tie at the top of the Tour Championship leaderboard at the end of round one at East Lake Golf Club. Dustin Johnson, Kevin Chappell and Hideki Matsuyama all shot opening rounds of 66.
Kevin Chappell / getty
Kevin, Dustin and Hideki have a one shot lead at the top of the Tour Championship leaderboard on day one at -4 under par.
Kevin could only play nine practice holes on Tuesday, because it was too hot;
“Why don’t we just treat it like it’s a normal week, I’ll play my pro-am tomorrow, and so I did that.”
“Today I had really good ball control, I think you can play anywhere with that.”
“I need to play 72 holes like I played the front nine here, probably not take my foot off the gas like it appeared on the back.”
“I felt like I gave myself a lot of good opportunities. The ball didn’t go in the hole.
“But I felt like I stuck to my process and did everything right.”
Dustin said he had played well at the last two tournaments
“I just hit the ball really well at both of those.”
“They were tough golf courses. This one, they’re kind of similar as far as toughness-wise.”
“You’ve got to hit it really well around here.”
“I felt like I was really relaxed out there today, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the game right now.”
“So I’m looking forward to this week and seeing how good I can play.”
Tied in fourth place at -3 under par, after rounds of 67 are Kevin Kisner, Si Woo Kim and World number one Jason Day, who has a niggling back injury.
In the next group at -2 under are Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey and Jordan Spieth.
Rory was happy to be where he is;
“I like being in the position after Saturday of last year, being in the last group.”
“That’s obviously the position we want to be in.”
“It’s easy to sort of remind yourself there’s such a long way to go; 72-hole tournaments are long.”
“A lot of things can happen. A lot of holes to play.”
“I was four over through three when I won in Boston a couple of weeks ago.”
Jordan mentioned that win by Rory;
“I look at what Rory did at Deutsche Bank.”
“He was three over through four holes and ends up winning by a couple of shots at 18 under.”
“I feel if I play really solid golf here, and it doesn’t have to be perfect golf, I can shoot 8 under on this golf course. I have no doubt.”
“It fits me really well. I feel like I have an advantage here. I knew if we could get it back to even par and in the red for the day after the first two holes, that would be really special and we’d still have a chance to win.”
KLM Open. Scott Hend Hits The Front.
Scott Hend hits the front in the third round of the KLM Open at The Dutch golf course in Holland.
Scott Hend
Scott had a -7 under par 64 in the third round of the KLM Open, which took him to the top of the leaderboard with a -14 under par total, and a one shot advantage going into the final round tomorrow. He struggled with his swing but the putting was good;
“It was just all about hanging in there today, I wasn’t really on top of it but I got the most out of it that I could.”
“The swing felt a little bit off out there today but I managed to hang in there and just stay patient and then I started hitting some really nice shots and that presented me with the opportunity to make some putts.”
Nino Bertasio is in second place at -13 under par, his third round score of -4 under par 67 keeping him in touch with the leader, he said he made a couple of monster putts today;
“It was another good solid day, I played very well again and made a couple of monster putts today which was a surprise because they all seemed to be close range yesterday.”
“I have been surprised how calm I have been out there and how much I have enjoyed this week. I just love the golf course and have been loving it out there.”
“We will see what happens tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it.”
“I know I will be playing with Scott which is great because we played together at the Olympics which was an amazing experience. We will have a good time out there tomorrow as well.”
Ben Evans, -3 under par 68 today, David Horsey, -4 under 67, Richard Bland, -5 under 66, and top Dutch player Joost Luiten with -2 under 69, are all tied in third place at -11 under par.
Home favorite Joost is pretty happy with his position;
“It could have been a little better than two under but overall I have to be pretty happy with it.”
“I left one out there with the three-putt on 16 and the putter wasn’t as good as yesterday when I managed to hole a couple of long ones. But that is golf – some days they go in and the next they won’t so I am happy with two under.”
“It was tricky today to get close to the pins, but anything under par is good round here and I am in a pretty good position for the weekend.”
“The birdie at the last is always nice, it was great to finish like that on a positive.”
“This has been the busiest I have ever seen at a KLM Open and the crowds have been amazing.”
“It’s only Saturday today so hopefully we can have even more here tomorrow and I can get a low round going and try and win this title again because that is what I came here to do.”
South African Brandon Stone carded a brilliant course-record -8 under 63 to join Tommy Fleetwood,-2 under 69, Simon Khan, -3 under 68 and Bernd Wiesberger, even par 71, at -10 under for the tournament.
BMW Championship. Two Tied at the Top.
There are two players tied at the top of the BMW Championship leaderboard after 36 holes at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Dustin Johnson broke the course record to join Roberto Castro, both with a commanding lead over the field.
Record Breaking Dustin Johnson / getty
Dustin carded a bogey free, record breaking -9 under par 63 to join Roberto, -7 under 65 today, at the top of the BMW Championship leaderboard at -14 under par. They will take a three shot advantage into the weekend.
Dustin used a new putter to great effect;
“I was just struggling to get the ball to come out on the line I was seeing.”
“No matter what I did, how much I practiced, training aids, whatever. It just wasn’t working. So just decided to switch it up.”
“I feel like I’m rolling it well. The irons could still need a little bit of work, I’m not hitting those quite as good as I would like to, but it’s getting there,”
Roberto is not too worried about the extra length of his nearest opponent;
“I think if you look at the TOUR, it sure helps to be long, but the guy who is striping it usually wins.”
“A couple of my best weeks have come on really long golf courses.”
“It always helps to be long, but really the best player that particular week will win.”
“You play great, get a chance to win, you have to finish it off.”
“If you’re shooting for third or fourth, you’re probably not going to win.”
Paul Casey shot -6 under 66, to be those three shots back at -11 under par.
Rory McIlroy, even par today, Jordan Spieth also even par 72 and World number one Jason Day, -5 under 67, are all in the big tie for 19th place at -4 under par for the tournament.
KLM Open. Bernd Wiesberger Is In Front
Bernd Wiesberger is in front in the KLM Open after 36 holes at The Dutch golf course in Holland.
Bernd Wiesberger / getty
Bernd carded a second round -5 under par 66 to lead the KLM Open at the half-way stage with a -10 under total, thanks mainly to some good putting;
“It was good to finally hole a couple of putts and get a score.”
“I’ve been playing alright, I’ve just not had breaks going for me, I’ve not had a good, solid week on the greens.”
“The long game has been steady but it feeds into a whole atmosphere if you can’t take advantage of that.”
“So far I’ve been really taking advantage of my chances and having a great time out there with Joost and Jake (Roos) and the support.”
Three players are tied in second place at -9 under par, Home town boy Joost Luiten, -7 under par 64 today, giving the home gallery some real hope that a Dutchman can win, Nino Bertasio from Italy, -4 under 67, and Mark Foster from England, -5 under par 66 in his second round.
Joost wants to repeat his second round score tomorrow;
“Tomorrow is a new day and I need to do the same as I did today.”
“If I can keep my irons like I hit today and create a lot of birdie chances and keep the putter warm, I’ll be alright.”
It was special out there, It was very busy from the beginning, it was a great day with the weather and the golf course is unbelievable so I’m very happy with a 64.”
“It’s great to feel the crowd behind you. The atmosphere out there was great, not only for me but for my playing partners, and that is what makes it so much fun to play in Holland.”
Nino has enjoyed a great year of golf and is looking forward to a good finish in the Race to Dubai;
“It has been a great year for me with going to the Olympics and keeping my Tour card so now I have to reset my goals and try to finish as high as I can on the Race to Dubai.”
“I am just looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get out there and make as many birdies as I can.”
Mark is returning to form and is hoping his experience will keep him in contention;
“I am getting back to my best, I haven’t had as many playing opportunities this year but when I can play I am enjoying it.”
“I have been out here a long time and I am a lot more chilled out than I was in my prime.”
“I certainly don’t sit at home crying about not being able to play – and my wife wouldn’t let me do that anyway!”
“I love this tournament, though, so I am really looking forward to the weekend. There are some great names up there on the leaderboard so it’s going to be a good weekend and hopefully I can stay near the top.”
BMW Championship. Roberto Castro Leads.
Roberto Castro leads the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club as play was suspended for the day due to darkness.
Roberto Castro / getty
Roberto, with his -7 under 65 opening round sits on top of the BMW Championship leaderboard, as play was suspended due to darkness, an earlier rain storm had caused a delay;
“It’s huge, it really is, I would love to be back. “
” It’s an awesome way to end the year.”
“I do better on tougher courses sometimes, it kind of snaps me into focus. And Pete Dye courses, there’s just a lot of shots where it’s do or die.”
“What a difference it makes if you’re pushing downhill instead of uphill.”
“I struggled getting it in play. For a year, it seemed like I was always two over through four holes. You can’t play from there.”
“More fairways mean more birdie looks and less stress.”
Brian Harman holds second place, a first round -6 under 66 a good way to respond from the nightmare 77 of his last round Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, when he was very much in contention;
“Monday was really hard for me to swallow.”
There are three players tied in third place at -5 under par, Dustin Johnston, Jason Dufner and Chris Kirk all shot 67.
Last weeks winner Rory McIlroy is doing well again, -3 under par thru 10 ten holes. There was an amusing moment on the first tee for World number one Jason Day, as he was introduced as Jordan Day, he broke into a smile and accepted the cheers from the gallery anyway.
Round one will resume tomorrow at 0800 local time.
Manulife LPGA Classic. Caroline Masson Wins Maiden Title.
Caroline Masson, from Germany, wins her Maiden LPGA Tour title, the Manulife LPGA Classic at Whistle Bear Golf Club, in Canada.
Caroline Masson / getty
Caroline shot a final round -5 under par 67 to win the Manulife LPGA Classic with a -16 under par total;
“It’s hard to believe, I mean it really is.”
“Obviously I was in a good position coming into today, and I was thinking, well, if I can shoot a really good round, I might have a chance, but I was totally not expecting it.”
“I always know that I can win a tournament on the LPGA, I obviously also know that a lot of things have to go right for that.”
“Golf is a funny game, and I was a little streaky this year. I played a lot of great golf, and I missed a lot of cuts and most of them actually by one shot which was really disappointing.”
“It was a really frustrating period this year. And you know, it’s all about just keep working and believing that you can do it, and that’s what I did and that’s what my team helped me with.”
Karine Icher, from France with -6 under par 66, Minjee Lee, Australia, -4 under 68 and Mi Hyang Lee, South Korea, -1 under 71, shared second place at -15 under par.
Minjee was upset at not winning, but happy with second anyway;
“I started off well, I was 4-under through the first nine, but I guess I couldn’t quite get it done and she was one shot ahead of us.”
“knew it was going to be pretty close.”
“I mean coming second is always worse than first, but it’s better than third.”
World number one Lydia Ko, -4 under 68, finished in a tie for fifth place with Suzann Peterson, -6 under 66, and Ariya Jutanugarn, -2 under 70, all with -14 under par totals.
Lydia thinks Golf Canada is looking after the youngsters really well’
“It seems like Canadian women’s golf is heading in the right direction.”
“We have a lot of great young players coming up, and Golf Canada has been working hard getting these players developed, and they have everything ;you know, really, they have great coaching, great nutritionists, they have great physio and workout, and it’s starting to show, I think.”
Alena Sharp was once again the top Canadian in the field, T 26 at -9 under for her home tournament;
“I feel like, okay, now I can relax for a week and enjoy my family tonight and get on the road tomorrow, drive, think about it for two days while we’re driving.”
“But yeah, I do feel like now I can rest and really enjoy these last three weeks, because I didn’t really get to enjoy last week that much because you get here and you want to stay focused.”
“So now I’m just going to enjoy playing well these last three weeks for sure.”
