little_bill's Golf Thread

[Lin Sunderland]

Well done to Webb Simpson.    I am sure that honesty will make him a popular guy and who knows he could go on and do it all again this time without any hitches. 

[The Schofield Kid]

The golfing world will mourn this great champion.

RIP Seve. 

Seve Ballesteros, the charismatic Spanish golfer who won the Masters twice and the British Open three times and helped propel Europe’s rise in the Ryder Cup competition with the United States, died early Saturday at his home in northern Spain, where his struggle with brain cancer had gained wide attention in the sports world. He was 54.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/sports/golf/08ballesteros.html

[Southern cat]

I'm shocked at that news. RIP Seve

[Lin Sunderland]

I am saddened by the news.   After his surgery a couple of years ago it was hoped all would be well.  Golfing has lost a great man.

RIP Seve

[The Schofield Kid]

FAILURE TO PREPARE, YOU PREPARE TO FAIL

This was the expression that kept going through my head after the first 9 today as it was apparent I was in for a long day. I hadn't played in three weeks and I hadn't even touched my clubs since that last game. I also didn't take the opportunity of getting on the practice green before tee off and go through my little 10 minute putting drill so I only have myself to blame.

I just didn't feel right all day. Standing over the ball with things going through your head and not one of them refer to what I'm trying to do, just isn't going to work.

Par 71. Score = 95 - 16 Handicap = 79 (8 over)

Fairways Hit = 5/13 (Woeful)

Greens In Regulation = 2/13 (Woeful)

Par 3's In Regulation = 1/5 (Woeful)

Putts = 35. (The greens were nice and slick, just the way I like them but again concentration let me down)

3 Putts = 3 (Disappointing)

Stableford Points = 29 (12 on the front, 17 on the back)

4 Pars, 8 Bogeys, 4 Double Bogeys, 2 Triple Bogeys.

So, we'll see what happens next week. 

[The Schofield Kid]

A vast improvement on last week's round although it was a scramble for the most part of the day. I never really got going into any sort of groove. On the first six hole holes, I either had double bogies or pars. I just couldn't get any consistancy going. Towards the end of the round I butchered a great opportunity to finish with my best score of the year but poor irons on the last three holes after setting myself up well off the tee, destroyed any chance of that.  

Par 71. Score = 88 - 16 Handicap = 72 (1 over)

Fairways Hit = 8/14 (An improvement on previous rounds)

Greens In Regulation = 2/14 (Woeful)

Par 3's In Regulation = 0/4 (Woeful)

Putts = 28. (The greens were nice and slick, although with the dew taking so long to dry out, it was tricky trying to work out the pace. I sunk some putts I didn't expect to, but missed a few I thought I should have gotten)

3 Putts = 2 (Disappointing)

Stableford Points = 35 (17 on the front, 18 on the back, we played the back nine first)

7 Pars, 6 Bogeys, 4 Double Bogeys, 1 Triple Bogeys.

EDIT: For some silly reason, I put down the wrong score earlier. 

[The Schofield Kid]

The less said about today's round the better. Maybe I shouldn't have played, but I'm not using my hand injury as an excuse as I was able to get around the first 9 with 15 pts.  

Par 71. Score = 103 - 16 Handicap = 87 (16 over)

Fairways Hit = 7/13

Greens In Regulation = 0/13 (Woeful)

Par 3's In Regulation = 0/5 (Woeful)

Putts = 32.

3 Putts = 2

Stableford Points = 22 (15 on the back, 7 on the front, we played the back nine first)

3 Pars, 5 Bogeys, 6 Double Bogeys, 3 Triple Bogeys, 1 Other (10)

[The Schofield Kid]

It's the second Major of the year, this week. The US Open, from The Congressional Country Club in Maryland. Tiger Woods withdrew last week due to injury but there is still a world class field. 10 Aussie's will start the tournament and hopefully one of them can emulate Geoff ogilvy's win in 2006.

The tee times for the first two rounds have been announced.

http://www.us-open-golf.org/tee-times.html

[The Schofield Kid]

Rory McIlroy leads after the first round of the 2011 US Open.

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/index.html#!

[The Schofield Kid]

Rory McIlroy leads by 6 strokes after the second round of the 2011 US Open.

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/index.html#!

[The Schofield Kid]

Ireland's Rory McIlroy who lead the tournament for the first three rounds had a round to forget which happens every year in Majors when he finished with an 8 over 80. It was such a shame because he was so consistant on the first three days but we see it every year and not just from rookies that they have a horrendous round to finish. Don't worry the kid will bounce back I'm sure.

And how has the kid bounced back!

Like he did at Augusta, he has lead from the beginning. At the Masters McIlroy had a 4 shot lead going into the final round. At the US Open he has an 8 shot lead. He has shot the lowest ever 54 hole score for the Open. An amazing -14 for the championship.

Will history repeat itself tomorrow in the final round or will McIlroy make it back to back wins for the Irish at the US Open after Graeme McDowell's win last year?

Best of the Aussie's is Jason Day at -5. Tied for for third.


http://www.usopen.com/en_US/index.html#

[KC]

Not to steal SK's thunder, but ... (from the link he posted above):

[Lin Sunderland]

Very well done to McIlroy.  Brilliant and he is only 22, so there is plenty of time for him to win much more.   I wonder how he will perform against Tiger?

[The Schofield Kid]

I was on assignment all day and didn't get to see the final round but from the little I saw on the news, the demons from Augusta have certainly been buried after that performance. And a big hand for Aussie Jason Day, his third top ten finish in a row in a major. His 8 under par would have won the US Open on any other occassion, apart from Tiger's score in 2000 and Rory's today.

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/index.html#

[The Schofield Kid]

I'm not quite sure what to make of this and I'll never be able to see Bubba Watson on the golf course again and not think of him wearing nothing but overalls.

The Golf Boys (Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler & Hunter Mahan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM2NocuEihw

[The Schofield Kid]

This week is the 140th Open Championship. This year it's being played at Royal St.George's for the first time since 2003. It was here in 1993 that Greg Norman won his second Open Championship. Tiger is again missing through injury but as we saw in the US Open last month, there are plenty of young guns on the tour now to keep the fans happy.

Will the year 1 curse strike again this year. In 2001 David Duval won and has been in a slump ever since. In 1991 Ian Baker Finch won only to see his game capitulate even worse and he now commentates instead and in 1981 Bill Rogers won and quickly faded away with very few wins before retiring in 1988.

Round 1 tee times:

http://www.opengolf.com/en/TeeTimes/TeeTimes.aspx

[The Schofield Kid]

A TEARFUL Thomas Bjorn returned to the scene of his former heartbreak to grab a share of the lead in the British Open.
Ironically the Dane shares the lead with a man half his age - 20-year-old English amateur Tom Lewis.

On a day when patchy rain and stiff sea breezes early on allowed Royal St George's to bear its teeth at the 156-strong field, the  41-year-old Dane seized the lead with a five-under 65 that included seven birdies.That stood firm for most of a marathon day before the unheralded Lewis made his move in the early evening when conditions were considerably better. One stroke back from that pair was 47-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, along with two Americans, 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover and Open debutant Webb Simpson.

Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy, the newly-crowned US Open champion, ended a three-week break by bogeying two of his first three holes, only to steady the ship and fire a one-over 71. Top American hope Phil Mickelson, now 41, was just ahead of them at level par.

The Australian

http://scoring.opengolf.com/leaderboard.sps?iTourNo=2011060&optsel=pos&lang=en

[The Schofield Kid]

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover of the United States shared a one-shot lead halfway through the British Open, edging clear of a congested field of rivals heading into the weekend.

Clarke carded a 2-under-par 68 for the second day running to move to 4-under at the halfway stage, while 2009 US Open champion Glover shot a solid level-par 70 for a 36-hole aggregate of 136.

But Clarke and Glover will be looking nervously over their shoulders at a large cluster of challengers who are within a few shots of the lead.

The chasing pack includes Germany's US PGA champion and world number three Martin Kaymer, one of four players just a shot off the pace at 3-under.

Kaymer was joined by first-round leader Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, cigar-chomping Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and America's Chad Campbell.

A cluster of seven players - including US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel - were two shots off the lead at 2-under while five players, including Australia's Adam Scott and world number six Phil Mickelson, were grouped at 1-under.

Masters runner-up Scott backed up his opening round 69 with a level-par 70 to be the best of the Australians, two strokes ahead of Jason Day (70), Richard Green (71) and Robert Allenby (72).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-16/clarke2c-glover-lead-british-open/2797082

http://scoring.opengolf.com/leaderboard.sps?iTourNo=2011060&optsel=pos&lang=en

[The Schofield Kid]

Adam Scott must play the round of his life and rely on his rivals to falter in Sunday's final round of the British Open.

The Australian three-putted twice in the opening four holes at Royal St George's on Saturday in his three-over 73 to be seven shots off the pace.

Scott is two over for the tournament behind leader Darren Clarke (69) of Northern Ireland, who holds a one-shot lead over American Dustin Johnson (68).

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/australian-tilt-falters-at-the-open-20110717-1hjla.html

http://scoring.opengolf.com/leaderboard.sps?iTourNo=2011060&optsel=pos&lang=en

[The Schofield Kid]

Five years after the death of his wife, veteran Northern Irishman Darren Clarke has won the first major championship of his career at the age of 42, holding his nerve in testing conditions to take out the British Open at Royal St George's. On a final day beset by bursts of belting rain and violent winds, the burly Ulsterman shot an even-par 70 to finish with a five-under total of 275, prevailing by three shots ahead of Americans Dustin Johnson (72) and Phil Mickelson (71). Clarke becomes the first home nation winner of the coveted tournament since Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999 and the oldest champion in 44 years.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/golf/darren-clarke-wins-british-open-20110718-1hkiv.html

http://scoring.opengolf.com/leaderboard.sps?iTourNo=2011060&optsel=pos&lang=en