A small consolation for Pampling, qualifies direct for US Open
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) -Australian golfer Rod Pampling qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday, a small consolation for his last-hole loss to Phil Mickelson at Colonial the day before.
Even though he lost a two-shot lead on the back nine to Mickelson, Pampling's tie for second at the Crowne Plaza Invitational was enough to move him from No. 69 to No. 47 in the world ranking and avoid a 36-hole qualifier on Monday.
Also getting into the U.S. Open through the world ranking were Ian Poulter, Stuart Appleby, Robert Karlsson, Sean O'Hair, Martin Kaymer, Justin Leonard, Mike Weir and J.B. Holmes.
Ryuji Imada, Anthony Kim and Jeff Quinney earned spots by being in the top 10 on the U.S. PGA Tour money list. Miguel Angel Jimenez defeated Oliver Wilson in a playoff at the BMW Championship in England, and both qualified for the U.S. Open as Nos. 1 and 2 on the European tour's Order of Merit.
Seventy-two players were exempt from qualifying, including defending champion Angel Cabrera and Tiger Woods, who was exempt in 10 categories. That leaves 84 spots available at 36-hole sectional qualifiers next Monday.
The U.S. Open will be held from June 12-15 at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Erica Blasberg thrives in the cold at Corning Classic; Rosie Jones hangs tough
CORNING, New York (AP) -A well-wrapped Erica Blasberg shot a 7-under 65 on a chilly Thursday to take a two-shot lead over Na On Min of South Korea and Karine Icher of France in the first round of the Corning Classic.
Sitting atop the leaderboard was an uncustomary position for Blasberg, an American whose best career finish in 66 U.S. LPGA Tour events was a tie for eighth at Turtle Bay in February.
If this is the final Corning Classic for 51-year-old Sherri Turner, who's contemplating retirement, she seems determined to leave her favorite tour stop on a positive note. The 1988 Corning champ shot a 4-under 68, only her second round in the 60s in six events this year, and was tied for fourth with Na Yeon Choi, Sandra Gal, and 2005 Corning champ Jimin Kang.
Another shot back among seven players was surprising Australian rookie Anna Rawson in only her fifth U.S. LPGA event. Rawson, who also is a model, equaled her best round this year - she also opened last week's Sybase Classic with a 69 before a second-day 84 sent her packing.
Paula Creamer, runner-up here last year and the only player competing with a victory in 2008, never got her game going in tough conditions and finished at 2-under 70, four shots better than defending champ Young Kim.
Two-time Corning winner Rosie Jones, the only repeat champion of the event (1996-97), came out of retirement to help celebrate the tournament's 30th anniversary. Playing on a sponsor's exemption, Jones shot 2-over 74 in her first appearance on tour since the 2006 U.S. Open.
The elements made it a challenging day. No need for the customary Corning swing, that backhand motion players and spectators always have to make to shoo the pesky gnats that swarm the course each spring. The temperature was in the low 40s F (below 10 C) when play began under gray skies and players had to contend with intermittent rain instead.
Through it all, Blasberg never flinched. She started at No. 10 and made three birdies before the turn that included a 30-foot putt at the par-4 13th hole. She went to 4 under with a tap-in birdie at No. 4, recovered from a bad tee shot at the fifth hole and made birdie from 10 feet, then hit 8-iron to 3 feet for another birdie at No. 6.
Blasberg completed her best round since turning pro in 2004 by making a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 9, just her 27th putt of the day.
"I don't really put pressure on myself, like I have to get a win," said Blasberg. "I know I'm playing good golf, and I know the more I work on my game, eventually it'll come. The only thing that's holding me back is those birdies that can save a round. It's definitely in my mind, but I'm not going to dwell on it."
This wasn't as easy as her scorecard made it look.
"I was a little worried this morning when it was about 38 degrees (3 C). I started out with seven layers, and it wasn't happening," Blasberg said. "But my hand warmers are still working."
Jones, a crowd favorite and the all-time leader in money won at Corning with more than a half-million dollars (?320,000), retired because her aching body couldn't withstand the rigors of the tour. For a player who relished hitting in the heat of summer, Jones did all right considering the conditions and long layoff.
"Everything is escalated when you get under the gun," said Jones, who stumbled with bogey at the difficult par-4 first hole and never displayed the deft putting touch that helped her win more than $8 million (?5 million) on tour. "I didn't hit the ball that solid, but I felt like I kept it up there. If I can just get the old putter rolling on these greens again. I'd love to make it for the weekend. That's when it's fun."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Tucker wins Duramed Futures Tour event
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -Sweden's Kristina Tucker won the El Paso Golf Classic for her first Duramed Futures Tour title, closing with a 1-under 71 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory.
The 27-year-old had an 11-under 205 total on the Underwood Golf Complex's Sunrise Course. She opened with rounds of 66 and 68.
"It was a lot of fun and I'm proud to represent my country," Tucker said. "It's my fifth year out here and I finally got it together. My heart was pounding coming up the last green."
She closed with a birdie, hitting a 190-yard, 5-iron approach to 2 feet.
"I've never hit a 5-iron that long before," Tucker said. "I usually only hit it about 165 yards. It was the shot of my life."
Tucker, a former contestant on the Golf Channel's "Big Break" series, earned $11,900 (?7,700) to jump from 32nd to fourth on the money list with$14,444 (?9,344). The top five at the end of the season will earn 2009 LPGA Tour cards.
Mexico's Sophia Sheridan (68), South Korea's Stella Lee (68) Leah Wigger (73) tied for second at 86 under.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Drug testing delayed for British Open
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) -Drug testing at the British Open at Royal Birkdale will be delayed a year because some international players have not been exposed to doping education programs.
Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson said Tuesday the British Open was not ready to begin the testing program because of the tournament's international qualifying system. He expects anti-doping controls will be in place for the 2009 championship at Turnberry.
The professional game adopted an anti-doping policy in November and testing was expected to begin on the PGA and European Tours in July. It had been expected that testing would be conducted at the British Open from July 17-20.
International qualifying events have already been held in Asia, South Africa and Australia, and the players at those events have not had the same doping education program open to those in Europe and America.
"We have decided that drug testing will not take place at this year's Open, but we very much plan and hope, and intend, that it will take place next year," Dawson said at a news conference. "Slightly unsatisfactory that. It is a function of timing."
Dawson said the R&A, which runs the British Open, had played a big part in the new anti-drug stance.
"The PGA Tour and the European Tour have both announced that they expect to start drug-testing round about July of this year," he said. "Both Tours are engaged in quite extensive and very important player education programs. It is very important that players understand what drug testing is all about.
"If the Open was in October we would probably be drug-testing this year," he said.
Even with no actual testing this year, the R&A has a "no drugs" clause in the championship entry form.
On the eve of last year's championship at Carnoustie, three-time winner Gary Player made headlines with claims that a number of players were using performance-enhancing substances.
"I know for a fact that some golfers are doing it," the South African said last July. "And the greatest thing that the R&A, the USGA and the PGA can do is have tests at random. It's absolutely essential that we do that.
"We're dreaming if we think it's not going to come into golf."
Under golf's doping program, penalties for a positive test range from a one-year suspension for the first offense to a lifetime ban if a player is caught three times.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Back-to-back Boo at Verizon Heritage
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) -Boo Weekley's first Verizon Heritage victory was a surprising relief. His latest? A joyful celebration that was a year overdue.
Weekley successfully defended his title Sunday at Harbour Town, closing with an even-par 71 for a three-stroke victory over Anthony Kim (71) and Aaron Baddeley (71).
Last year, Weekley needed chips-ins on the 71st and 72nd holes to beat Ernie Els by a stroke on a Monday morning for his first PGA Tour victory.
On Sunday, Weekley strode up the 18th fairway with the win very much in hand and the gallery chanting, "Boooo! Boooo!"
"I thought that you really won is when you stand there and pull the ball out of the hole and turn around to the crowd and say, 'You know, hey, I am the champ,"' Weekley said. "I chipped it in back to back last year, and I didn't get to stand there and turn to the crowd and do the fist pump."
And Weekley was ready to oblige. He gave the gallery a thumb's up as they loudly cheered, "Boooo!" He bowed to the fans and threw up his hands in triumph.
"I wanted to do the moonwalk, the belly-roll," Weekley said.
Weekley took a three-shot lead into the final round and watched it grow by mostly staying trouble free, and seeing competitors struggle to try and catch up.
"It was a lot easier than last year, wasn't it?" a smiling Weekley said to his group on the 17th hole after his routine par.
Kim trailed by three at the start and, paired with Weekley, was in the best spot to pressure the leader. But Kim's chance at a first PGA Tour title disappeared with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth.
Jim Furyk, ranked ninth in the world, was the hardest charger early, cutting a six-stroke deficit in half with three birdies in the first five holes. Furyk, though, fell back with a bogey on the 11th.
He shot a 69 to finish fourth, his third top-five finish in the past four Verizon Heritages.
No one else, including former Verizon Heritage champs Baddeley and Stewart Cink, could make a run at Weekley.
"I just struggled," Weekley said. "I reckon everybody struggled."
Not that Weekley didn't add his own pizazz to the round. He made bogey on No. 8 after botching a chip, then looked in trouble on the 10th with a difficult pitch over a bunker. And Weekley killed it - right into the cup for a birdie that put him up by five.
Weekley grinned as the gallery chanted his name over and over.
He did it again four holes later, slam dunking a 30-footer for birdie from the fringe that if it didn't hit the cup might have rolled into the water off the edge of the peninsula green.
"Well, it didn't," Kim said.
Weekley earned $990,000, and a second straight invitation to the Masters. He tied for 20th at Augusta National to miss qualifying for 2009.
The even-par finishing round ended Weekley's string of seven rounds here in the 60s.
Weekley's the first with consecutive victories here since five-time winner Davis Love III in 1991 and 1992. The late Payne Stewart (1989, 1990) was the only other to go back-to-back in Harbour Town's history.
Both those stars had played this tournament several times before that success. Weekley just teed it up here for the first time last year.
Perhaps more important for him, Weekley can revel in his Harbour Town title for another year.
He's charmed the galleries with his "Hee Haw" demeanor in a country club world full of starched collars and hushed tones.
He proudly calls himself a redneck. He chews tobacco at times during his round. "It's just a habit," he says. "It's a bad one, but it's a habit."
He says the winner's trophy will probably sit in the barn for a few weeks until his new house is built. He's thrilled to get a second plaid champion's jacket. "I can wear one on Saturday, one on Sunday," he said.
Weekley's just as likely to rake a bunker or give a ball to a young fan - as he did to one adorable blonde pre-schooler during Saturday's round - as to shoo away autograph seekers.
What would you expect from some one who got his nickname from Yogi Bear's cartoon sidekick, Boo Boo.
It's clear that Weekley knows Harbour Town better than your aa-ver-age golfer.
Although, how long he keeps going at it is anyone's guess. The 34-year-old says the game's too stressful. "This golf is a crazy game. That's why I only want to do it for so long and then get out of it," he said.
What would Boo do? "Where you been?" he asked. "Huntin' and fishin"'
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
A quick turnaround, and a Masters victory for Immelman
AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -Trevor Immelman felt goose bumps as he listened to a phone message left by Gary Player, his childhood idol and the last South African to slip on a green jacket at the Masters.
Player told him to believe in himself, to be strong through the adversity that was sure to find him during the wind-whipped final round at Augusta National.
"I took that all to heart," Immelman said after a three-shot victory. "And I'm sure he's proud of me."
For more than just his golf.
Only four months ago, Immelman was in a hospital in South Africa as doctors prepared to remove a tumor from his diaphragm, learning only after the operation that it was benign. On Sunday, as he stood over a slippery 20-foot putt for par as Tiger Woods was trying to make a charge, Immelman passed his biggest test in golf.
Immelman came up clutch around Amen Corner, stretched his lead to as many as six shots, and held on for a 3-over 75 to become the first South African since Player in 1978 to wear the coveted green jacket.
"This has been the ultimate roller-coaster ride, and I hate roller coasters," Immelman said.
He wins a tournament in South Africa. He's in the hospital a week later as doctors slice open his back to remove a tumor. He struggles to contend when he returns to golf. And only last week, he misses another cut on the PGA Tour.
"Here I am ... Masters champion," Immelman said. "It's the craziest thing I've ever heard of."
Reached by telephone in Abu Dhabi, Player told his assistant: "I am so proud of Trevor. What a thrill it was to see him come back from major surgery and beat Tiger. I can't wait to see him and shake his hand personally."
Player is among five players to have won the career Grand Slam. Among active players, Immelman becomes the third South African to capture a major, joining Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
As for that calendar Grand Slam, that will have to wait until next year for Woods.
He never got within five shots of the lead when he was on the course. He twice missed birdie putts inside 8 feet. And he had to settle for a 72 for his fifth runner-up finish in a major.
"I learned my lesson there with the press," Woods said with a smile. He was the one who started the talk about a Grand Slam by stating three months ago that winning all four majors in the same year was "easily within reason."
The only slam possibilities now belong to Immelman, a 28-year-old with a polished swing and quiet determination.
"I knew he was going to make a run," he said, referring to Woods. "To win a major while he's playing, and he's playing at his peak ... it's a hell of an achievement. I'm not sure if I'll ever get it done again, but I'll be trying my best."
Even after Immelman dunked a 7-iron into the water on the 16th hole with a five-shot lead, he regrouped to make double bogey, saved par from a bunker on the 17th and hit the final green despite his tee shot landing in a deep divot.
He tied Arnold Palmer (1962) for the highest final round by a Masters champion, but all that did was make it look closer than it was. The three guys behind Immelman going into the last round were a combined 18-over par. Only four players broke par.
Immelman finished at 8-under 280 and earned $1.35 million (?850,000) for his second PGA Tour, and ninth worldwide. His other U.S. win came two years ago in the Western Open, where Woods was a runner-up.
Immelman applauded the gallery and offered a strongman pose before walking off the green and into the arms of his wife, Carminita, and his 1-year-old son, Jacob, who clasped the flag from the 18th hole.
It was quite a contrast to Brandt Snedeker, who briefly shared the lead on the second hole and was still trying to catch Immelman until hitting another shot into Rae's Creek on the par-5 13th, one of several mistakes.
Snedeker sobbed into a white towel after closing with a 77, leaving him in a tie for third with Stewart Cink (72).
"I went from extreme highs to extreme lows, and that's what you don't want to do around here," Snedeker said.
Immelman made a 10-foot par save from the bunker at No. 9 to keep a two-shot cushion, but continued to look shaky. Immelman missed the 11th green well to the right when his chip didn't quite reach and he was left with a 20-foot putt that was slick and dangerous.
Ahead of him, Woods was gaining momentum.
Woods holed a 70-foot birdie putt on the 11th, made an acrobatic escape from the trees on the 13th and spun a wedge down the slope on the par-5 13th that left him 5 feet away for birdie.
Immelman holed his par putt. Woods missed, just as he has done the last two years on the back nine of a major he once dominated. That turn of events kept Woods five shots behind, and he three-putted the 14th to end his hopes.
The first blast of wind hit Amen Corner an hour before the leaders teed off, a sign of how tough it would be in the final round. And that didn't account for the pressure on four guys contending for the first time in a major - at Augusta, no less.
The first to fall was Paul Casey, two shots out of the lead until it took him two shots to get out of the bunker on No. 4 for double bogey. Casey dropped six shots in a five-hole stretch, including the par-3 sixth, when he called a penalty on himself for his ball moving a fraction of an inch as he stood over a 3-foot putt. Casey closed with a 79.
Next was Steve Flesch, who was even par through 11 holes and only two shots behind as he stood on the 12th tee, trying to guess whether the swirling wind would be on his side.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Trip Kuehne winds down golf career on his terms, crossing paths again with Tiger Woods
AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -Trip Kuehne will always be remembered as the other guy, the one who played a pivotal supporting role on that summer day when Tiger Woods revealed to everyone just how special he was going to be.
Who knows how their lives would have turned out if Woods had not rallied from five down with 12 holes to play to win the first of three straight U.S. Amateur championships in 1994?
Well, Woods likely would have survived the disappointment and still gone on to be the world's greatest golfer. But there's no way Kuehne's life would have been the same.
"My whole life would have been different," he said. "I wouldn't be married to the great woman I am today. I would not have my son. I would have turned professional."
Kuehne had an epiphany at the TPC Sawgrass, as he watched Woods hoist a trophy that was supposed to be his. Maybe professional golf wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Maybe he wasn't going to be the game's No. 1 player. Maybe he should consider another line of work.
Kuehne did just that, going into the investment business and playing golf on the side as an amateur. He now runs a Dallas-based company that deals in hedge funds, though he did find time to squeeze in a victory at last year's U.S. Mid-Amateur championship, earning him a spot in the Masters.
He's come full circle. For two days at least, Kuehne will be on the same course as Woods, the childhood friend who bested him 14 years ago and sent their lives veering off in strikingly different directions.
"I learned you can play your best, give it your all and still not come out on top," Kuehne said Tuesday, looking back to his landmark duel with Woods. "But it very much made me the person I am today. It's great to always be linked with Tiger in that tournament."
As the runner-up to Woods, Kuehne got a chance to play in the 1995 Masters. He was gone in two rounds, then had to wait 13 years to get invited back.
"The course was a lot shorter then," he recalled. "I made every rookie mistake a guy could make. I was under the grand illusion that I could do pretty well. When I didn't do it, I was more crushed and depressed than anything."
He's under no such illusions now. He's a family man with a rambunctious 8-year-old nipping at his heels. While Kuehne talked with family, friends and business associates just outside the stately clubhouse at Augusta National, young Will pulled on his dad's slacks, chewed on a green felt pen and played with a Pokemon toy.
Kuehne insists there are no regrets. Even in a family that sent brother Hank and sister Kelli to the pros, the eldest of the siblings charted his own unique path. He'll leave the office at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, go to the range to hit balls, and still be home in time for dinner.
"Golf is my stress release," he said. "Some people after work drink a couple of beers. Some people run. Some people lift weights. I hit golf balls for an hour and a half. It just relaxes me."
This is where the golfing part ends for Kuehne, at least on the competitive side. At 35, it's getting harder and harder to keep it up with all those big hitters coming up through the college ranks. He can think of no better place to call it a career than Augusta, which was founded by greatest amateur golfer there ever was, Bobby Jones.
Kuehne wishes there were more people who followed his and Jones' path, though he knows amateur golf doesn't stand a chance against the big money being thrown around on the PGA Tour. Still, the not-for-pay ranks have given him a chance to play some of the world's greatest courses, some of the world's most prestigious tournaments.
In addition to making the Masters twice, he's been in four U.S. Opens (making the cut in two of them). He's also represented the U.S. on three Walker Cup teams and at the World Amateur.
"If you play golf well, you can get a phenomenal job that still allows you to play five or six tournaments a year," Kuehne said. "You can get the thrill of the competition, but you don't have to worry about making a 6-foot putt to put bread on the table for your family. It was a great decision for me."
He played a practice round Tuesday with Phil Mickelson, his one-time college roommate. For Kuehne, it was only further confirmation that he made the right call to pursue business instead of golf.
"If we were keeping score for 18 holes, Phil probably would have beaten me by 15 strokes," Kuehne said. "Never in my lifetime could I beat him. I always wanted to see that, and I got to see it today. He's truly special. I love watching people who are best at what they do when they're playing their best."
Mickelson enjoyed catching up with his old roomie.
"I respect the fact that he has put his family life and his business life first," Lefty said. "He didn't want to travel, wants to be in one place and be able to raise his son and be with his wife. I have a tremendous amount of respect for that."
A day earlier, Woods and Kuehne bumped into each other on the putting green. They talked briefly, then moved on to more important things. The world's greatest golfer has a fifth green jacket to win, an unprecedented Grand Slam to get started on. Kuehne has the rest of his life in front of him.
"They're living their dream, I'm living my dream," Kuehne said. "This is just a chapter in my life coming to an end. Hopefully it will be Sunday, not Friday."
Woods still remembers that week in Florida.
"I hit the ball well," he said. "Trip played well in that final and I just got hot at the right time in that second round (of the 36-hole final) and got ahead somehow."
Kuehne is glad it worked out that way.
Seriously.
"The good Lord was looking out for me when he gave Tiger a couple of nice bounces," Kuehne said, managing a slight grin. "I'm not ashamed of how I played. Yeah, I'm disappointed I lost. But I've told people on many occasions: Two winners, two champions came out of that day.
"Tiger Woods became the golf champion he is. And I get to live a much easier life than Tiger Woods."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
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