February 2007 Archives
Brad Kearns just emailed in this tidbit about his farther, Walter, who now has 11 holes-in-one.
On Wednesday, February 28th, 2007, Walter Kearns hit his 11th career hole-in-one at his home course of Lakeside Golf Club. This one came on the 155-yard 15th hole, with a 6-iron. This is his seventh ace since turning 80 in 2002!
Congratulations, Watler. Most of us are still searching for our first hole-in-one!!!
Tiger Woods' PGA Tour win streak is over. It ends at seven matches. Woods just lost to Australian Nick O'Hern in the 20th hole at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. So much for trying to tie Byron Nelson's streak of 11 consecutive PGA Tour wins at the Masters. Won't happen.
Tiger's second shot went left and into the rough and O'Hern's went left into a green-side bunker. O'Hern's bunker shot was about 15 feet short of the hole and Tiger's shot out of the rough was about 18 feet short of the hole. Tiger missed his putt and O'Hern made his putt. It just caught the right side of the hole and didn't look like it would drop, but it did.
Tiger has played hardly any golf this on the PGA Tour this year. Just four rounds of the Buick Invitational and now three matches in the WGC. Wonder if he'll have enough competitive rounds before the Masters?
Tiger Woods just missed a four-foot putt that would've won his match against Nick O'Hern. There was complete silence from the the broadcasters and fans. Tiger NEVER misses those four-five-six foot putts. But he did today. Nick O'Hern missed his birdie putt on the extra hole. And, we're sure even he figured his day was done.
Tiger Woods was down four through seven holes to Nick O'Hern in the WGC-Accenture Match Play...The match was all square through 16 but O'Hern birdied the 17th...Woods needed to make a 5-footer on the 18th hole to extend the match to extra holes and keep his PGA Tour win streak alive. Did you have any doubt that he'd make that putt? Of course he did!
We're in sudden death now...next player to win a hole wins the match
Phil Mickelson's struggles continue. He just lost to Justin Rose, 3 and 1, in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships in Arizona.
Phil was spotted working with swing coach Butch Harmon on Tuesday, even though his swing coach is Rick Smith. It looked like Phil was back on track with the win at Pebble Beach, his first since his collapse at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open. But, after squandering a one-shot lead with one hole to go at the Nissan Open last week and losing Thursday, Phil will be hard-pressed to defend his title at the Masters in April, which is about six weeks away.
Tiger Woods easily defeated Tim Clark, 5 and 4...His bid to keep his consecutive win streak is still alive. If he wins match play, it will be eight consecutive PGA Tour events.
Phil Mickelson was spotted working with swing coach Butch Harmon before the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. That wouldn't normally be cause for news, but Mickelson already has a swing coach in Rick Smith. The timing is interesting, considering Lefty went left again on the 18th hole at Riviera on Sunday. He had a one-hole lead with one hole to go, needing only a par to win the Nissan Open. He bogeyed the hole, then bogeyed the third playoff hole and lost to Charles Howell.
Read below on the In the Rough golf blog to follow the Nissan Open's final round and sudden-death playoff Sunday as it happened. Daily News columnist Kevin Modesti was at Riviera Country Club to write the real-time chronicle of Charles Howell III's comeback and Phil Mickelson's disappointment. Scroll down to the entry headed "Live Nissan Open coverage" at 9:54 a.m. Sunday to begin, and scroll up from there to see how it all happened. And read Daily News golf writer Jill Painter's coverage by clicking here and here, and columnist Steve Dilbeck's take here.
Charles Howell III on his second PGA Tour victory and first in five years, achieved at the site of the most maddening of his 10 second-place finishes: "It's been a long time. I've always said Riviera is my favorite golf course other than Augusta. Not only because of all the great players who have played here in history, but because it's the kind of old-time golf course we don't play a lot. To win here, I'm beyond words."
Howell wins $936,000 and goes to the top of the PGA Tour's FedExCup points table.
Of the past 18 Nissan Open winners, Howell, 27, is only the fifth under 30 years of age.
Phil Mickelson on his disastrous chip shot from 90 feet away on the ninth green, where he chunked it, leading to a bogey: "I've practiced that shot a lot (with a 9-iron), and I've never had that happen, where the club just digs (into the grass). Normally it slides right underneath."
Mickelson on losing a three-shot lead: "I had the tournament in control. I just had to par the last hole (he bogeyed). I certainly will look back and say I let a lot of opportunities slip away."
For Mickelson, this snapped a streak of seven playoff victories on the PGA Tour, the only other defeat coming against Jesper Parnevik at the 2000 Byron Nelson Classic.
1. Charles Howell III, -16, won on third extra hole
2. Phil Mickelson, -16
T3. Ernie Els, Robert Allenby, Jim Furyk, -13
6. Sergio Garcia, -11
7. Padraig Harrington, -10
8. Pat Perez, -9
T9. Anthony Kim, Rocco Mediate, Jeff Quinney, Rory Sabbatini, -8
Attendance: 45,677, about 7,500 more than Sunday in 2006
Los Angeles golf fans discovered Charles Howell III five years, almost to the day, before his Nissan Open victory Sunday. He blistered the front 9 on the Saturday in 2002. Scroll down to read my column from that coming-out party.
Charles Howell's long two-putt on the 14th hole closes out Phil Mickelson in a three-hole playoff tha's the Nissan Open's longest in a quarter-century. No less than Tom Watson beat none other than Johnny Miller on the third extra hole in 1982 in what was then the Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open.
Phil Mickelson's putt from the fringe takes a hop and comes up maybe 10 feet short of the flagstick, and that's the final twist of a gut-wrenching Sunday at Riviera Country Club. Charles Howell's chip almost goes in, going four feet past on the right. Mickelson misses the par putt. Now it's up to Howell ... who hammers home the birdie putt for the win! Howell takes off his cap, looks skyward in relief, and accepts handshakes all around. Good for him, a smart, courteous, hard-working kid to whom this obviously matters a lot.
It's a 176-yard par-3. Phil Mickelson's 7-iron is way short, barely on the green. Charles Howell's 7 fluffs up right next to Phil's. Anybody know what time it gets dark out here? At the start of the playoff, all the pressure and significance was on Howell's shoulders, the 27-year-old from Augusta, Ga., having 10 seconds to go with only one win on the PGA Tour. Wonder if, as the playoff goes on, his nerves will have settled.
Phil Mickelson's long catches the rough and leaves him a 12-foot putt for the birdie and the win. The putt slides left of the cup and almost three feet past. Mickelson and Charles Howell both make their short putts, and we go to the 14th.
Charles Howell knocks his drive (a 3-wood) onto a cart path behind some trees to the left of the fairway on the 314-yard 10th hole. Phil Mickelson drives into the fairway. Howell could take a free drop but elects to hit right off the pavement to take advantage of a clear opening through the tree trunks. But his wedge shot strikes a tree branch and ends up in the rough left of the green. Howell hits again, his third shot, to within two feet of the cup. A weird, desperate par seems likely now.
Charles Howell sinks the pressure putt, and Phil Mickelson claps him on the shoulder as they walk on to the 10th tee, the second hole of sudden death. The 10th is where Howell lost the 2003 playoff to Mike Weir. Is this good stuff, or what? Yeah, it's good stuff.
Sudden-death playoff, 18th hole. Phil Mickelson's long putt fromthe right fringe almost bends in! He taps in for par to put all kinds of pressure on Charles Howell. And now Howell's chip comes up 4 feet short! The tournament comes down to this putt.
Phil Mickelson's second shot crosses to the right fringe of the green, and he'll have a long putt for birdie. Charles Howell's skips over the green, leaving a chip with little room to roll. Rate Mickelson a slight advantage.
They start at the 18th, and (if necessary) will go to the 10th, then the 14th, then the 18th. Phil Mickelson drives left, same as minutes ago on 18, which didn't work out too well. Charles Howell drives right, like last time, which worked out better. So they're in the rough, and stay tuned.
Phil Mickelson's 18-inch tap-in makes it a bogey on the 72nd hole and a tie with Charles Howell at -16. We'll drop the "III" after Howell's name, assuming you know it's not his father or grandfather out here. Phil shot a 68 today, Charles a 65 -- best Sunday among the leaders. The sudden-death playoff will start at the 18th tee.
Third place is settled. It's a tie for Ernie Els, Robert Allenby and Jim Furyk at -13.
Charles Howell chipped to 10 feet and sneaked the par putt into the left side of the cup. he's smiling for the first time in an hour. Phil Mickelson sets up from the left rough, the ball a little above his feet ... and leaves his approach shot short and left of the green. Mickelson must get up and down to win in regulation. Otherwise, it could be the Nissan Open's fifth playoff in the past decade. One of those, in 2003, Howell lost to Mike Weir. He's called it his most frustrating defeat.
Phil Mickelson left his 25-foot eagle putt at the 17th hole about a foot short, but he tapped for birdie to get back to -17 and take a one-stroke lead over Charles Howell III. A minute later, Howell's second shot on No. 18 came out of the right fairway rough weakly and rolled up short of the green. He'll have to get up and down to par and then hope Mickelson flubs on 18. And now this! Mickelson drives into the left rough on 18. It's far from over, and for the 10th year in a row, the Nissan is going to be won or lost on the 72nd green.
Basically, it's down to Charles Howell III (through 17 and in the right rough on 18) and Phil Mickelson (through 16 and 25 feet from an eagle on 17), tied at 16 under par. Robert Allenby (through 17) is two strokes back, Ernie Els finished at -13. Today's flop was Paddy Harrington, +3 through 16 and back in a tie for seventh.
Charles Howell III lagged a 50-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th to within three feet and ... we've typed that much before waiting, waiting ... eased in the birdie putt to tie Phil Mickelson at -16. It's the first time Mickelson has been tied today. Now we're thinking Phil's shirt isn't green, it's a sickly chartreuse.
A final welcome to the Daily News' live commentary on the final round of the 81st Nissan Open from Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. I'm columnist Kevin Modesti. To get you up to date as leader Phil Mickelson's group plays the 16th hole: Mickelson has been up by as many as three shots but has kept Charles Howell III (one shot back) and Robert Allenby (two back) in contention with a chunked chip shot at the ninth hole and a missed two-foot putt at 13. Howell, a two-time winner and 10-time runner-up on the PGA Tour, has gone from -12 to -15 in six holes.
Hay-fever-ridden Daily News columnist Steve Dilbeck is back from walking the course to report he twice had the urge to sneeze just as a player was about to tee off a few feet away. Dilbeck: "You know how they want you to be so damn quiet it's irritating?" He held off both times. Daily News golf writer Jill Painter got a sudden cough in a similar situation Saturday and managed to hold it down to a soft hacking noise. This is another good argument for never leaving the press tent.
My Pre-Tournament Pick Jim Furyk has gone from -10 to -13 in the span of six holes to pull within three of Phil Mickelson with three holes to go. Furyk takes fourth from Ernie Els, who bogeyed 15 and 16 (into the sand).
It's only a one-stroke gap again between Phil Mickelson and Robert Allenby -- and another shot back to Charles Howell III -- after another twist at the top. Mickelson had a two-foot par putt on No. 13 circle the cup and come out. He also bogeyed No. 13 on Saturday. The only thing that's pretty certain now is that Phil won't threaten the Nissan Open scoring record, the 20-under 264 by 1985 winner Lanny Wadkins.
Tiger Woods' first-round opponent in next week's World Golf Championships match-play tournament in Tucson has changed. Charl Schwartzel of South Africa has withdrawn to avoid a conflict with a competition at home. J.J. Henry moves into the 64th and last spot in the match-play field and will face Woods on Wednesday. Henry finished the Nissan 5 under par, shooting a 68 Sunday in his best round of the tournament, giving him a springboard to an, er, tough next outing.
Pat Perez (-9) and Studio City's Anthony Kim (-8) are finished. So are notables John Daly (-5), David Howell (-4), Corey Pavin (-2), Retief Goosen (even), Tom Lehman (+1) and Kirk Triplett (+1). Pavin and Triplett are Nissan Open winners.
Robert Allenby, the 2001 Nissan winner, birdied the par-5 No. 11 from six feet, pulling within a stroke of Phil Mickelson, only for Mickelson to birdie the same hole with a two-put from 18 feet. Mickelson is -17, Allenby -15, Ernie Els -13. Allenby won the '01 tournament in a six-way playoff. Of losers Brandel Chamblee, Toshi Izawa, Dennis Paulson, Jeff Sluman and Bob Tway, all either skipped this year's Nissan or missed the cut.
As the Nissan Open began Thursday, the press was abuzz about Phil Mickelson's decision to commute from the San Diego area by private jet each day so he could spend nights with his family. Would it help his golf? Would it distract him? The funny thing is that by Saturday, when Mickelson did a post-round press conference, reporters weren't even asking him about the commute anymore. Maybe it feels normal already. You know, if Mickelson (66-65-69 the first three rounds) wins the Nissan, he might inspire a trend. Everybody making $47 million a year is going to start flying back and forth during tournaments.
Having chunked that chip from the edge of the ninth green, leading to a bogey, Phil Mickelson just holed out from the back left fringe of the 10th, giving him a huge birdie. Mickelson drove to the right rough on the par-4, bounced his wedge shot over the green, then used a 3-wood to roll the ball in from 21 feet. He's 16 under par again and two strokes up on Ernie Els and Robert Allenby. Mickelson is rarely boring.
Phil Mickelson has bogeyed No. 9 after chunking a chip shot from nearly 100 feet -- it traveled about 15 feet. A minute later, Ernie Els birdied No. 10. Mickelson (-15) sees his lead go from three strokes to a nervous one. Here's the top 10 shortly after 1 o'clock: 1. Mickelson -15; 2. Els -14, 3. Robert Allenby -13; T4. Charles Howell III, Rich Beem -12; T6. Sergio Garcia, Paddy Harrington -11; T8. Rory Sabbatini, Jim Furyk -10; 10. Pat Perez -9.
Anthony Kim (Studio City) is -6 through 16 holes and -7 for the tournament, moving up to a tie for 13th. Minus 16 is the best Sunday round so far. Pat Perez is -5 today, -8 for the week, tied for 10th.
Ernie Els is through nine holes at 4 under par, 13 under for the tournament, tied with Rich Beem for second place. But they're still three back of Phil Mickelson. Els might come to curse a missed opportunity moments ago on 9, where a short birdie putt lipped out.
The galleries look huge again today, likely to top the 38,147 who attended Sunday at the soggy Nissan Open in 2006. Apparently L.A.'s golf fans forgot that because Tiger Woods' absence might reduce TV ratings, they weren't supposed to be able to enjoy the tournament. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that without Tiger, "they're shedding tears in the CBS production truck." I guess people here have the appropriate attitude about TV ratings -- they don't give a crying truck.
CBS's Jim Nantz just opened the Nissan Open telecast by saying Phil Mickelson is being chased by "a decorated assemblage."
Welcome again to live coverage of the Nissan Open from Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. It's being written by Daily News columnist Kevin Modesti. Birdies on the par-4 fifth hole by Phil Mickelson (from four feet) and Rich Beem have just sent Phil to -16 and Beem to -13. Ernie Els' birdie at the par-4 seventh made him -13 as well. But as the Daily News told you this morning in a chart showing the last nine Nissans were decided on the 72nd green or in playoffs, it would be a mistake to think anybody's about to run away with the contest. Mickelson has made four bogeys in the tournament, all on the back nine.
Geoff Ogilvy, the Australian who took advantage of Phil Mickelson's 72nd-hole disaster to win the U.S. Open, has shot himself out of contention at the Nissan Open. Ogilvy was -8 and tied for ninth overnight. He's +4 today and all the way down to T32nd. He cracked between holes 3 and 7, going bogey-bogey-double bogey-birdie-bogey.
Studio City's Anthony Kim, at 21 the youngest rookie on the PGA Tour, is four under par through 10 holes today and -5 for the tournament. He's up to a tie for 23rd, along with major winners Jose Maria Olazabal and Ben Curtis. Keep it up, and it's Kim's best showing this year.
Phil Mickelson is -2 through two holes and -15 for the week, while his third-round pursuer Paddy Harrington is even to drop into a second-place tie at -12 with Ernie Els, Robert Allenby and Rich Beem. Jim Furyk (my pre-tournament pick at the Words & Numbers blog) is hanging in, alone in sixth at -11. If he moves up, his name will change to My Pre-Tournament Pick Jim Furyk.
At the second tee, somebody the gallery yelled, "Come on, Phil! Tiger who?" This after a small group of Phil Phanatics on the first hole chanted a rhythmic "Let's go, Phi-il!" So we know who's the public favorite today, if we didn't know it before. These Nissan Open moments were relayed to me (Kevin Modesti) from Daily News golf writer Jill Painter and columnist Steve Dilbeck, who are walking the course with the leaders. You'll enjoy their tournament coverage in Monday's Daily News. More from the front: Phil Mickelson is wearing a green shirt and black pants, Rich Beem black over tan, Paddy Harrington red over black. "Sunday red," Jill points out.