Tiger Woods posts worst score in a major

Tiger Woods posts worst score in a major











Eric Adelson June 16, 2013 5:44 PMYahoo Sports






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Tiger Woods reacts after putting on the eighth green at the U.S. Open. (AP)ARDMORE, Pa. – Tiger Woods wearing red. Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Open. Grandstand overflowing with fans holding their breath as a ball rolls toward the cup, Swoosh rolling over itself again and again.



It's an iconic image – in fact, if you were born in 1990 or after, it might be the only iconic image you associate with the game of golf. And yet here at Merion Golf Club, on this U.S. Open Sunday, all the drama belonged a thousand yards away from Woods' thousand-yard stare. His par putt on 17 veered right and left him at 13-over par for the tournament. He would finish there and card the worst score to par in a major in his professional career.

Just one bad event for the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world? Easy to say, especially on a brutal course that's about as suited to his game as the city of Philadelphia is to Mai Tais with little umbrellas. This is the course that caused Jason Dufner to toss his wedge in the drink and pushed Rory McIlroy to bend his club into disrepair as if he was Bo Jackson after a strikeout.





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Tiger Woods finished the 2013 U.S. Open at 13-over. (Yahoo! Sports)But Woods is supposed to be better than them, tougher than them, and able to bend even the nastiest courses to his will. Now he's got a left elbow injury of unknown severity, two horrendous performances in a row, and five full years without a major championship.



Tiger Woods the legend is cemented in history. Tiger Woods the 30-something golfer with a history of knee surgeries? Well, hmmm.

Here are the two issues that should worry fans of Woods:

1. His putting: The old Woods could make a 12-foot putt simply by scaring it into the hole with his menacing glare. This version of Woods? Mediocre. He had some reasons – detractors will say excuses – for his problems this week, including the greens being "grainy" and the pin placements being only a step away from a ridge leading down to trouble. He called Merion "tricky," which is the same word he used earlier in the week to describe a Westchester course that also gave him trouble.

2. His weekend play: Woods' overall progress since the fire hydrant episode in 2009 has been upward, but he tends to fall away on the weekends, especially in majors. He was 3-over going into Saturday's third round, and he ended up 10 shots worse than that. Now, is this a coincidence? Is it because of the putting struggles? Or is it because of the wear on his surgically repaired legs? Woods is a terrific athlete, yet let's face it: He puts a lot of torque on that left knee every time he swings the club. That can add up on any man who's been playing a sport as aggressively as Tiger has for his entire life.

Woods sure didn't seem vexed after his round. Asked what he did well and what he did poorly this week, he shot back, "I did a lot of things right. Unfortunately I did a few things wrong, as well."

Positive self-talk is a hallmark of great golfers and great champions, but Woods did more than a few things wrong at Merion – he scored bogey or worse 21 times vs. 10 birdies.

A lot of us take dramatic Sundays with Tiger Woods for granted. But that iconic Woods moment – the one we can replay in our memory over and over again – seems quite far away now.

Horschel joins pantheon of colorful golf pants

Horschel joins pantheon of colorful golf pants











PGA.COM June 16, 2013 6:07 PM

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"Well here they are! The highly anticipated highly controversial....Octopus pants!," tweeted Billy Horschel …



ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) -- Considering the history of outrageous pants in golf, Billy Horschel had to go a long way to stand out.

But the Octopus-print pair he donned for Sunday's final round at the U.S. Open did the trick. Somewhere, John Daly, long considered golf's leader in the clubhouse for colorful fashion, is rummaging through his closet for a response.

Horschel, a former University of Florida golfer, teed off in eighth place at 3 over, four strokes behind final-round leader Phil Mickelson. While Mickelson went with an all-black ensemble, Horschel tweeted a photo of himself in the navy and white giant squid-patterned slacks, set off by a magenta-toned polo shirt, before heading over to the course.

"Well here they are! The highly anticipated highly controversial....Octopus pants!"

Strange as the pants looked, few people should have been surprised by the unusual fashion statement. Eclectic only begins to describe Horschel; according to his PGA Tour bio, he also devoured the Twilight young-adult vampire novels in the span of two weeks and is "a believer in Bigfoot and UFOs."

But as far as fashion, Horschel is hardly alone. Loud pants are such a staple of the sport that a number of amateur tournaments are organized each year requiring participants to show up in stunningly wild slacks.

At the professional level, Englishman Ian Poulter has long been considered the front-runner in today's game, wearing everything from his native flag to something best described as an old TV test pattern. Rickie Fowler has pushed the boundary in terms of color, but usually wears the same tone from head to toe.

But just like those two, Horschel has no problem making a "look-at-me" statement. Anybody who saw him pumping his fists and hopping around while celebrating his first tour win in New Orleans earlier this year -- after rolling in a 20-footer to win -- knows that.

Woods matches his worst-ever score in a major

Woods matches his worst-ever score in a major












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Tiger Woods shot a 4-over 74 Sunday, which gave him his worst 72-hole score as a pro in the U.S. Open, and tied his high score in any major at 13-over 293.(Getty Images)

PGA.COM June 16, 2013 7:47 PM


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press

ARDMORE, Pa. -- This isn't the kind of record Tiger Woods had in mind at the U.S. Open.

Woods went out-of-bounds on his second tee shot of the final round at Merion on Sunday and closed with a 4-over 74. That gave him his worst 72-hole score as a pro in the U.S. Open, and it tied for his high score in any major.

"I did a lot of things right," Woods said. "Unfortunately, I did a few things wrong, as well."

Woods finished at 13-over 293.

His previous high score in a U.S. Open was 290 at The Olympic Club in 1998 and Shinnecock Hills in 2004. Woods shot 294 at Oakland Hills in 1996 as an amateur.

Just two days ago, Woods was four shots out of the lead and very much in the hunt to end his five-year drought in the majors. Then, he went 76-74 for his worst weekend in a major championship. Just over two weeks ago, the world's No. 1 player had won three of his last four events on the PGA Tour and was starting to establish his dominance.

But he looked ordinary at Merion.

Starting the final round 10 shots behind, Woods made a birdie putt on the opening hole. Instead of a fist pump, he offered only a mild wave. Whatever hopes he had of at least getting his name on the leaderboard ended quickly. Woods pushed his tee shot to the right on the par-5 second hole, over the trees and out-of-bounds. His next tee shot was close to going out-of-bounds, stopping a few yards away in front of a tree. He wound up with a triple bogey.


It was his only big number of the week, though his 20 bogeys were startling.

"I struggled with the speed all week," Woods said. "These greens are grainy. It's one of the older bent grasses -- creeping bent. I struggled with the speed, especially right around the hole. Putts were breaking a lot more. I gave it a little more break and then it would hang. That's kind of the way it was this week."

The 293 matched his high score at any major, last year at the Masters when he tied for 40th.

Woods didn't mention any pain in his left elbow, though he kept that a mystery throughout the week. He was flexing and shaking his left hand on shots out of the rough early in the week, saying only that it was painful. He later revealed that he first hurt it at The Players Championship last month, which he won. But he didn't mention the shot or even which round it happened.

Merion remained a mystery for Woods throughout the week. For the first time since Olympic in 1998 -- the year he was rebuilding his swing -- he failed to break par in any of the four rounds at a U.S. Open.

"It played tricky. The rough was up," Woods said. "They were raking the rough up every morning into the grain, and the pins were really tough."

Woods plays again in two weeks at the AT&T National at Congressional, where he is the defending champion. His next major is the British Open at Muirfield, where in 2002 he was going for the calendar Grand Slam until he got caught in a vicious weather pattern of a cold, sideways rain and shot 81 to fall from contention.

The final major of the year is at Oak Hill for the PGA Championship, where 10 years ago Woods never shot better than 72 and wound up at 12-over 292.

"There's always a lesson to be learned in every tournament, whether you win or lose," Woods said. "I'll look back at the things I did right and the things I did wrong."

Golf-Park wins third consecutive major with Women's Open title

Golf-Park wins third consecutive major with Women's Open title










June 30, 2013 6:26 PM



June 30 (Reuters) - South Korean Park Inbee became only the second LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season when she roared to a four-stroke victory at the U.S. Womens Open on Sunday.

The world number one held steady with a final-round two-over-par 74 to finish at eight-under 280 at Sebonack Golf Club in New York.

She earlier this year won the Kraft Nabisco Championshipand the LPGA Championship.

Only Mildred (Babe) Didrikson Zaharias has previously won the first three womens majors in a season. She did it in 1950, winning the Titleholders Championship, the Women's Western Open and the U.S. Women's Open.

Fellow South Korean I.K. Kim matched Parks 74 and took second at four-under 284 but was never able to really challenge Park.

Ryu So-Yeon was third at one-under 287 with Americans Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford and England's Jodi Ewart-Shadoff tied for fourth at one-over 289. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, Editing by Gene Cherry)

Golf-Perry ends heartbreak with Senior Players title

Golf-Perry ends heartbreak with Senior Players title










June 30, 2013 6:43 PM



June 30 (Reuters) - Kenny Perry seized his long awaited first seniors major title with a stellar final round at the Senior Players Championship on Sunday.

Perry shot a six-under 64 to vault past overnight leaderFred Couples and finish at 19-under 261 as he claimed a two-shot victory at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh.

Perry, 52, had suffered playoff losses at the 1996 PGA Championship and 2009 Masters before losing last month's Senior PGA Championship despite a two-stroke lead.

This time, he trailed Couples by two heading into the last round but forged a comeback with a bogey-free round.

After Couples three-putted at No. 15 to give Perry a one-stroke lead, the eventual winner hit consecutive approach shots to tap-in range on the 16th and 17th holes.

Couples had a final chance to tie on the par-5 18th, but after he reaching the green in two shots his 45-foot putt slid past the hole.

Couples finished at 17-under 263, tied with Duffy Waldorffor second.

Michael Allen and John Huston shared fourth at 12-under 268. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, Editing by Gene Cherry)

Park wins third consecutive major with Women's Open title

Park wins third consecutive major with Women's Open title










June 30, 2013 6:47 PM

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nbee Park of South Korea holds the 2013 Harton S. Semple Trophy after winning the 2013 U.S. Women's Open …



(Reuters) - South Korean Park Inbee became only the second LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season when she roared to a four-stroke victory at the U.S. Womens Open on Sunday.

The world number one held steady with a final-round two-over-par 74 to finish at eight-under 280 at Sebonack Golf Club in New York.

She earlier this year won the Kraft Nabisco Championshipand the LPGA Championship.

Only Mildred (Babe) Didrikson Zaharias has previously won the first three womens majors in a season. She did it in 1950, winning the Titleholders Championship, the Women's Western Open and the U.S. Women's Open.

Fellow South Korean I.K. Kim matched Parks 74 and took second at four-under 284 but was never able to really challenge Park.

Ryu So-Yeon was third at one-under 287 with Americans Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford and England's Jodi Ewart-Shadoff tied for fourth at one-over 289.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, Editing by Gene Cherry)

Part-time strategy works well for Tour veteran Stricker

Part-time strategy works well for Tour veteran Stricker

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July 10, 2013 8:55 PM

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Steve Stricker of the U.S. hits from a bunker on the fourth hole during the final round of the 2013 U.S. …


(Reuters) - Like a connoisseur of fine wines, Steve Stricker prefers quality to quantity and his decision earlier this year to cut back on his PGA Tour schedule seems to have been a master-stroke by the veteran American.

He has recorded four top-10s in only seven starts on the U.S. circuit and is among the pre-tournament favorites for this week's John Deere Classic at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, where he is a three-times former champion.

"I don't know if my game has improved, my attitude is fresher," Stricker, 46, told reporters on Wednesday about the success of his part-time strategy on the 2013 PGA Tour. "I am excited to be at each and every event that I tee it up in.

"I still work at my game at home, just not as much. There are times now when I am home for two or three weeks I can set the clubs down for a week or two and then pick them up the week prior to get ready to come to an event.

"I am enjoying the down-time at home where I don't feel like I have to practice every minute. And that's been fun," said the American, who will miss next week's British Open to be at home in Wisconsin with his wife Nicki for their wedding anniversary.

A 12-times winner on the PGA Tour, Stricker said he had cut back on his playing schedule because of his desire to spend more quality time with his family while also retaining his love for competitive golf.

"This is my 20th year on tour and I want to make sure that I am fresh when I come out," said the softly-spoken Wisconsin native, who has long been regarded as one of the best putters in the game.

"I don't want to get to the point where I dread coming out. I am too old for that. I've seen guys through their career just feel like they have to come out and play for some reason and I don't want to be that guy.

"I want to be a guy who comes out and be excited to play, want to be there and put all my effort into playing well that week that I am there."


So far, so good for Stricker who has finished second twice this season, at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and the elite WGC-Cadillac Championship among a string of good performances.

GOOD POSITION

In his most recent start, at last month's U.S. Open, he put himself in good position to clinch a first major title before fading in the final round on the way to a tie for eighth.

"Just getting it right in my mind at the start of the year that this is what I wanted to do was a big step in my own mind, knowing that I am doing the right thing," Stricker said of his curtailed PGA Tour campaign.

"And I feel good about what I am doing. That helps me play the way I have been playing too, I think."

Since his top-10 at the U.S. Open, Stricker has taken three weeks off but will launch his bid for a fourth victory at the John Deere Classic, in one of his favorite events, when he tees off in Thursday's opening round.

"It's always nice to be back and kind of re-hash some of the memories that I have had here, especially over the last four years," said the American, champion at the TPC Deere Run for three years in a row from 2009.

"I get excited to practice and get ready for this event. It's a fun tournament. It's kind of the way the tour used to be, in a smaller market ... where the town, the city, the volunteers really rally behind it to have an event.

"This is one of the more fun events I come to every year. I always look forward to coming here."

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom)