Posts Tagged ‘phil mickelson’
Sunday, November 4th, 2012
Ian Poulter (Howard Cheng, Wikimedia Commons)
For the second time in his career, England’s Ian Poulter has won a World Golf Championship event.
On Sunday from Dongguan, China, Poulter shot a final round 65 to beat Americans Scott Piercy, Phil Mickelson and Jason Dufner along with British Open champion Ernie Els of South Africa by two strokes to win the WGC HSBC Champions event.
Poulter finished up at -21 on a course that seemed to play very easy. In the third round, England’s Lee Westwood shot a 61 and American Brandt Snedeker shot even better as he went an amazing twelve under par in the third round alone by shooting a 60.
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Tags: brandt snedeker, david howell, ernie els, ian poulter, jason dufner, lee westwood, martin kaymer, paul casey, phil mickelson, retief goosen, scott piercy, tiger woods, world golf championships
Posted in PGA |
Saturday, September 29th, 2012
Phil Mickelson (Steven Newton, Wikimedia Commons)
The 39th Ryder Cup is currently taking place just outside of Chicago. On Day 1, the Americans took an early 5-3 lead on Europe thanks to some brilliant shot making by Keegan Bradley, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner.
On day two (Saturday, NBC, 7am), there will be four foursome matches in the morning, followed by four fourball matches in the afternoon. The best morning matchup will be Bradley and Mickelson against England’s Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. An interesting morning omission by Davis Love III is Tiger Woods, who played much better in the afternoon on Friday in four ball action than he did in the foursome with partner Steve Stricker in the morning.
Another golfer to watch out for on Saturday is Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, who will be teamed with Spain’s Sergio Garcia against Americans Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner. Colsaerts had eight birdies and an eagle on Friday afternoon.
The Ryder Cup will then conclude Sunday with singles play (NBC, 10am).
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Tags: andy pettitte, british columbia lions, bubba watson, derek holland, eli manning, ervin santana, green bay packers, jason dufner, jordan zimmermann, keegan bradley, kyle lohse, lee westwood, los angeles angels of anaheim, luke donald, michael vick, new orleans saints, new york giants, new york jets, New York Yankees, nicolas colsaerts, phil mickelson, philadelphia eagles, ricky romero, ryder cup, saint louis cardinals, san francisco 49ers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, sergio garcia, texas rangers, tiger woods, toronto blue jays, travis lulay, washington nationals, zach johnson
Posted in CFL, MLB, NFL, PGA |
Saturday, April 7th, 2012
Phil Mickelson (Wikimedia Commons)
I know that Peter Hanson of Sweden has a one stroke lead heading into the final round of the first major of the 2012 PGA season, but the bottom line is he is not the favourite to win the championship.
That person right now is clearly American Phil Mickelson, the three time Masters Champion and four time major winner. Mickelson went birdie, par, birdie, eagle, par, birdie in a magical six hole stretch to begin the back nine. He went from -2 to -7 in almost a blink of an eye.
Hanson may be 25th in the world and at -9, but he doesn’t have the experience of playing in a major like Mickelson. Another key statistic is that 18 of the last 20 winners of the Masters have played in the final grouping. Only Zach Johnson in 2007 and Charl Schwartzel last year weren’t among the final two to tee off. Another interesting statistic is that eight different golfers had the lead Saturday.
Tags: charl schwartzel, masters, peter hanson, phil mickelson, zach johnson
Posted in PGA |
Saturday, November 19th, 2011
The Edmonton Eskimos are only one win away from the 99th Grey Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia next weekend.
On Sunday, they will have to find a way to beat the Lions without star running back Jerome Messam. As I mentioned earlier in the week, I find the possibility of the Eskimos’ running game getting going is still there because the Lions’ defensive line and ability to stop the run has sometimes been a weakness, even with Solomon Elimimian and Brent Johnson leading the way.
But the Eskimos will need to find a way themselves to do a better job in stopping quarterback Travis Lulay, the Western Division nominee for the Canadian Football League’s most outstanding player award. In the Lions’ 29-20 win over Edmonton on October 29, Lulay had three touchdown passes for 322 yards.
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Tags: brent johnson, british columbia lions, buck pierce, calgary flames, carson palmer, chicago bears, Chicago Blackhawks, detroit lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Edmonton Oilers, ernie els, hamilton tiger-cats, houston cougars, iowa state cyclones, jim furyk, minnesota vikings, minnesota wild, new york giants, nick watney, oakland raiders, phil mickelson, philadelphia eagles, phoenix coyotes, president's cup, saint louis blues, san diego chargers, San Jose Sharks, solomon elimimian, southern methodist mustangs, terence jeffers-harris, travis lulay, winnipeg blue bombers
Posted in Amateur Sports, CFL, NFL, NHL, PGA, University Sports |
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Jim Furyk (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The United States remain in the lead of the International squad 7-5 after Day Two of the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia.
On Thursday (Friday in Melbourne), the Americans and the International team split the six four ball matches.
Two American teams have impressed me significantly to date. Yesterday I was very impressed with Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. They won again today defeating Ernie Els of South Africa and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan 3 & 1.
I was also very impressed with Jim Furyk, the 2o03 United States Open Champion, who won his second consecutive match by pairing up with Phil Mickelson. The duo defeated Australian Adam Scott and South Korean Kyung-tae Kim 2 & 1. But the real reason the Americans got the point was because of Furyk’s putting, which was terrific in extremely windy conditions.
Once again, Tiger Woods lost. This time with Dustin Johnson to the Australian duo of Jason Day and Aaron Baddeley 1 up. Woods is the only American not to get on the scoreboard yet.
In other action, the American duo of Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar defeated Y.E. Yang of South Korea and Robert Allenby of Australia 4 & 3. Australian Geoff Ogilvy, with a terrible mustache, and South Korean K.J. Choi defeated Bill Haas and Nick Watney 1 up and the South African duo of Charl Schwartzel and Retief Goosen defeated Hunter Mahan and David Toms 2 & 1.
Tags: aaron baddeley, bubba watson, charl schwartzel, jason day, jim furyk, k.j. choi, matt kuchar, phil mickelson, president's cup, retief goosen, steve stricker, webb simpson
Posted in PGA |
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Webb Simpson (Yahoo! Images)
While most sports news outlets are discussing Adam Scott’s blowout victory with K.J. Choi over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, I am taking this blog into a different direction.
The Americans, except for Woods and Stricker, played almost flawlessly on Wednesday night taking a 4-2 lead over the International squad after Day One of the President’s Cup in Melbourne, Australia.
In last night’s foursome play, the one American golfer I was impressed with the most was Webb Simpson, who is starting to become a household name in the sport. He teamed up with Bubba Watson and surprisingly took out Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa 4 & 2.
If you haven’t heard of Simpson, it is now time. The 26 year-old native of Raleigh, North Carolina finished second on the PGA Tour money list last season after winning the Wyndham Championship in his home state and the Deutsche Bank Championship during the Fedex Playoffs.
Simpson, who seemed to be nervous early in his round, credits Watson for significantly calming him down.
In other impressive American victories yesterday, David Toms and Hunter Mahan defeated the South Korean duo of Kyung-tae Kim and Y.E. Yang 6 & 5, while Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk beat Robert Allenby and Retief Goosen 4 & 3.
Getting back to K.J. Choi who helped Scott beat Woods and Stricker 7 up, Choi almost made one of the most remarkable golf shots of all-time. With his back completely to the hole, he used the slope of a hill to the right of the hole to get his golf ball a few inches away from the cup.
Action continues to fourball this afternoon.
Tags: adam scott, bubba watson, david toms, hunter mahan, jim furyk, k.j. choi, phil mickelson, president's cup, webb simpson
Posted in PGA |
Sunday, August 14th, 2011
Keegan Bradley (Stan Badz, PGA Tour)
The quality of golf for the last hour of the PGA Championship one could say was below par.
Jason Dufner had a five stroke lead heading to the fifteenth hole before disaster struck. The 34 year-old Cleveland native bogeyed the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth holes, needing a playoff to win his first golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Dufner actually got his score into double digits at -11 before his tee shot went directly into the water on the fifteenth hole.
In his way was Woodstock, Vermont’s Keegan Bradley, who didn’t particularly play outstanding golf on Sunday either. Bradley, the nephew of LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley, triple bogeyed the fifteenth himself, before getting birdies on the sixteenth and seventeenth to force Dufner into a par putt and playoff.
In the three-hole aggregate playoff, Bradley birdied the sixteenth, while Dufner birdied the eighteenth, but bogeyed the seventeenth, allowing Bradley to win by one.
This was Bradley’s second career win, as he defeated Ryan Palmer in a playoff at the Byron Nelson Classic in Texas in May. Bradley also becomes the first American since Phil Mickelson at the 2010 Masters to win a major. Non-Americans had won six straight events.
I’m wondering if all of the waggling Dufner does before hitting from the tee helps or hurts him. I’ve never seen one waggle so often on the PGA Tour before. Sadly, Dufner will now be compared to France’s Jean Van de Velde, who blew a three stroke lead on the 18th hole at the 1999 British Open before losing to England’s Paul Lawrie in a playoff.
Tags: jason dufner, keegan bradley, pat bradley, paul lawrie, pga championship, phil mickelson
Posted in PGA |
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Adam Hadwin (Harry How, Getty Images)
It is extremely difficult to predict the performance of a golfer every week. A lot of different factors come into play.
I am in a fantasy golf pool, and I won’t share all of my secrets, but a major factor that comes into play in determining certain golfers is consistency on the weekend. The missed cut category has great significance.
I know Abbotsford, British Columbia’s Adam Hadwin has only played in two PGA events in 2011, the RBC Canadian Open at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver last week, and the United States Open at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington, D.C. last month. But the bottom line is that he has played all 72 holes in the two tournaments he has been in this year, and performed admirably in a tie for 58th in D.C. and a tie for for fourth in B.C. Both results made Hadwin the top Canadian.
I’m taking a hunch and selecting him this week along with Americans Phil Mickelson, Webb Simpson and Jeff Overton.
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Tags: adam hadwin, ben martin, fabian gomez, fran quinn, jarrod lyle, jeff overton, matt mcquillan, phil mickelson, stuart aplleby, webb simpson
Posted in PGA |
Sunday, July 17th, 2011
Darren Clarke (Paddy Briggs, Wikimedia Commons)
Northern Ireland is now the world capital in golf.
On Sunday, Darren Clarke won the British Open, becoming the third player from Northern Ireland over the last two years to win a Major. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 United States Open and Rory McIlroy won the 2011 United States Open.
Northern Ireland also becomes the first nation outside the United States to have two different golfers win back-to-back majors since Scotland in 1910. That year Alex Smith won the U.S. Open and James Braid won the British Open.
Clarke, also set a record for the golfer to participate in the most British Opens before winning the Claret Jug. This was Clarke’s twentieth appearance at the British Open. Nick Price of Zimbabwe won the British Open in his 15th appearance in 1994.
Clarke, who shot -5, defeated Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson by three strokes.
Mickelson, who started the day at even par, was brilliant on the front nine, shooting a -5, and got to -6 on the tenth. But then he had four bogeys in six holes on the back nine to put him out of contention.
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Tags: alex smith, alison campbell, darren clarke, dustin johnson, graeme mcdowell, heather clarke, james braid, nick price, phil mickelson, rory mcilroy
Posted in PGA |
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Darren Clarke (Paddy Briggs, Wikimedia Commons)
When Darren Clarke’s wife Heather died of cancer in 2006, the entire golf community mourned. But in the last five years, Clarke’s life has turned around a little. Last year, he got engaged to Miss Northern Ireland Alison Campbell, and after round two of the British Open on Friday, Clarke and American Lucas Glover are tied for the lead at -4.
Clarke, who is 42 years of age, is trying to become the third golfer from Northern Ireland to win a major. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 United States Open and Rory McIlroy won the 2011 United States Open.
Glover, meanwhile, is no stranger to major success himself, as he won the 2009 United States Open at Bethpage Black in New York.
However, Clarke and Glover are just the co-leaders in southeast England and have a long ways to go. A remarkable 31 players are within four strokes of the lead. Martin Kaymer and Miguel Angel Jimenez are in a group at -3, Americans Tom Lehman, Davis Love III and Dustin Johnson are in a group at -2, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson and English amateur Tom Lewis are in a group at -1, and Y.E. Yang, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia are in a group at even.
TSN’s coverage begins at 4am Saturday morning. I’m waking up when Garcia is teeing off, at 5:25am Mountain Time.
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Tags: abby wombach, adam scott, alison campbell, boston red sox, british columbia lions, british open, c.c. sabathia, darren clarke, davis love iii, dustin johnson, Edmonton Eskimos, eric tillman, graeme mcdowell, hamilton tiger-cats, heather clarke, homare sawa, hope solo, jered weaver, jerome messam, kevin glenn, los angeles angels of anaheim, lucas glover, martin kaymer, maurice mann, miguel angel jimenez, New York Yankees, oakland athletics, phil mickelson, ricky romero, rory mcilroy, saskatchewan roughiders, sergio garcia, steve stricker, texas rangers, tom lehman, tom lewis, toronto blue jays, trevor cahill, women's world cup, y.e. yang, zach johnson
Posted in CFL, MLB, PGA, Soccer |
Sunday, June 5th, 2011
Steve Stricker (Bing Images)
We now know who is the best American golfer today.
Nope, it’s not Tiger Woods and it isn’t Phil Mickelson either.
On Sunday Steve Stricker passed Mickelson to move into number four in the World Golf Rankings.
In winning the Memorial Tournament, a course in Columbus, founded by Jack Nicklaus, Stricker shot a -16 to defeat Matt Kuchar and Brandt Jobe by a stroke.
But what everyone will remember from the 2011 Memorial tournament will be Stricker’s remarkable shot making. He recorded an ace on the eighth on Friday and then followed that with two eagles on Saturday.
Stricker, at 43 years of age, might have won the most significant singles golf tournament of his career on Sunday. I would give the Memorial Tournament equal status to the Western Open which he won in 1996 with the Northern Trust Open which he won in 2010.
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Tags: brandt jobe, jack nicklaus, lee westwood, luke donald, martin kaymer, matt kuchar, phil mickelson, pierre fulke, rory mcilroy, steve stricker, tiger woods
Posted in PGA |
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
K.J. Choi (Wikimedia Commons)
For the fourth consecutive year, a golfer not from the United States won the Players Championship.
Sunday outside of Jacksonville, Florida, K.J. Choi of South Korea defeated American David Toms by a stroke to win golf’s fifth “unofficial” major.
The last American to win the Players Championship was Phil Mickelson in 2007.
Choi won in a playoff by recording a par on the 17th hole. Toms recorded a bogey after missing a par putt from three and a half feet.
It was remarkable that Toms missed the easy putt in the playoff because he drained a long birdie putt to force the playoff on the eighteenth hole.
With the win, Choi wins $1.71 million.
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland had the lead after the third round, but shot a 79 in round four, and finished tied for 33rd.
The top three golfers– Choi and Toms at -13 and American Paul Goydos at -11 are all over forty years of age.
The next most significant event on the PGA Tour is the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. This is the event that is hosted annually by Jack Nicklaus. That takes place from June 2-5.
Tags: david toms, graeme mcdowell, jack nicklaus, k.j. choi, paul goydos, phil mickelson
Posted in PGA |
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Tiger Woods (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
I won’t be able to get up in the middle of the night this weekend to watch golf (have a darn head cold that has got in the way), but will get up as early as I possible can the next three mornings.
The Ryder Cup is this weekend from Newport, Wales. The best golfers from Europe play the best golfers from the United States in a fourball and foursome competition Friday and Saturday, then on Sunday, there are exciting head-to-head singles matches for spectators to enjoy.
But, amazingly, NBC’s coverage on Saturday will be on tape delay.
Here are the events I’ll be watching this weekend.
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Tags: atlanta braves, barry zito, bubba watson, Calgary Stampeders, chicago bears, clayton richard, corey pavin, dustin johnson, Edmonton Eskimos, eli manning, golf, graeme mcdowell, hamilton tiger-cats, ian poulter, jeff overton, jim furyk, lee westwood, luke donald, martin kaymer, matt hasselbeck, mike martz, MLB, montreal alouettes, new york giants, NFL, padraig harrington, phil mickelson, rory mcilroy, ross fisher, ryder cup, san diego padres, san francisco giants, seattle seahawks, st. louis rams, steve stricker, steven jackson, tiger woods
Posted in CFL, MLB, NFL |
Friday, August 6th, 2010
Tiger Woods (Wikimedia Commons)
Over the last several months, Tiger Woods has struggled significantly with his golf game. He is 142nd in driving accuracy, 93rd in putting average, 134th in putts per round and 124th in greens in regulation percentage from the fairway bunker.
But on Thursday, his struggles went to new career lows. On a course he has dominated in the past, Woods shot a +4 after round one, and after a poor performance of +2 on Friday, sits at +6 and is 75th out of 82 golfers at the World Golf Championship’s Bridgestone Invitational this weekend from Akron, Ohio.
Woods’ domination of Akron in years past is an understatement. He has won the tournament 7 out of 10 times. In 2000, he beat runner-up Justin Leonard in Akron by 11 strokes.
Unfortunately for Tiger he has no where to hide on the weekend. At the World Golf Championships, all 82 golfers entered make the cut. So unless Woods does the Robert Allenby route and pull out because of injury, he is faced to continue to plug away at Akron on Saturday and Sunday, and will continue to hear criticism from the Golf Channel/CBS if he doesn’t speak to their reporters afterwords.
So what’s wrong with Tiger? I think he has finally drained mentally. I think the negative press about his sex life has finally caught up with him, and I think he needs to be a little bit more aggressive on the golf course as a whole, because unlike just a few years ago, the world is no longer afraid of Mr. Woods.
This week he has the potential to be passed by two golfers in the World Golf Ranking. Yes, Masters Champion Phil Mickelson and the recently ailing Lee Westwood (playing with a sore ankle) have the potential to move into number one.
There is also the issue of the Ryder Cup now becoming an issue. His poor performances on the PGA Tour have him outside the top eight in the American Ryder Cup Standings. Woods, who is currently sitting ninth in the standings, would have to be picked by US Captain Corey Pavin, if the standings were to be decided today.
Tags: bridgestone invitational, pga tour, phil mickelson, struggling, tiger woods
Posted in PGA |
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