Lincicome feels less pressure as she preps to defend Canadian Open title

COQUITLAM, British Columbia – Defending champion Brittany Lincicome has some high praise for the CN Canadian Women's Open.

"It's such a wonderful event and an event that I look forward to defending or not defending," said Lincicome, preparing for the start of play Thursday. "I would never miss this event unless I broke a leg."

Last year, Lincicome beat Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis by a stroke at Hillsdale in Mirabel, Quebec

"it is going to be a little easier defending (by) not playing the same golf course," said Lincicome, coming off a second-place tie last week in the Safeway Classic in Oregon. "(It's) not the same pressure. I haven't played this golf course eight times back to back to back. It's a little different."

Top-ranked Yani Tseng tied for 11th last week, a promising sign after a string of poor finishes.

"I'm not really angry," said Tseng, a three-time winner this year. "I feel more disappointed and feel upset a little bit. Every time I'm struggling, I'm kind of second-guessing myself."

unlike many in the strong field, Tseng is familiar with the Vancouver layout. She won her first pro tournament on the same links in 2007 while competing on the Canadian Women's Tour.

"I was trying to get into the Canadian Open," she recalled.

Wie won in 2010 at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was eighth last week, her first top-10 finish of the season.

"It's been my toughest year so far," Wie said. "but I think that I've really tried to see positives through it and done a good job with that. I've enjoyed every single week. even though I didn't play as well, I still try to take the positives out of it, because the game is tough enough without beating yourself up too much."

She visited Vancouver's Chinatown and other areas in a bid to experience the city's culture.

"I'm loving it here," she said. "It's like Asian-food Heaven."

Lincicome feels less pressure as she preps to defend Canadian Open title

Golf roundup: Jimmy Walker fires 62 to take lead

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jimmy Walker left the booming, highlight-reel drives to his playing partner. A low score was good enough for him.

Walker shot an 8-under 62 on Friday to take the lead at 12-under 128 after two rounds in the Wyndham Championship.

Defending champion Webb Simpson (63) was one stroke back. First-round leader Carl Pettersson (68), Tim Clark (67), Sergio Garcia (63) and rookie Harris English (64) were at 10 under.

Tim Herron matched the tournament record with a 61, but was still nine strokes back.

Play was halted for 1 hour, 17 minutes late in the day when a system of thunderstorms passed through the central North Carolina Triad.

Walker, who began the day four strokes back, had eight birdies in compiling one of the best two-day scores in event history. only Pettersson at 125 in 2008 was better than Walker through 36 holes at Sedgefield Country Club.

“I was playing with J.B. (Holmes), and he was bombing the driver everywhere, and I was just kind of bunting the 5-wood around and hitting good approach shots,” Walker said. “It was pretty boring-looking golf — not a lot of drivers, not a lot of 3-woods. There’s a lot of 5-woods and some irons, and it’s just kind of placement around the golf course.”

Walker hopes his strong round proves that he’s getting back to the form from earlier this year, when the winless 33-year-old Texan finished in the top 10 in three of his first six tournaments.

Things went south when he tore his left meniscus, so instead of going to the U.S. Open, he went to the doctor for a cortisone shot to reduce the swelling.

Now that he can bend down and read greens again, he can do some damage with his putter. he used it just 26 times Friday, and didn’t even need it on no. 2 because he chipped in from 50 feet.

“If it wouldn’t have gone in, it probably would have rolled over the back of the green,” he said.

Herron rebounded from a first-round 76. he became the fourth player in five years here to shoot a 61 and the first since Kevin Na in 2010.

“I didn’t really have anything to lose,” Herron said. “I kind of zoned in a little bit today and just kind of kept rolling and making putts.”

It might have been just the strong round he needed to secure himself a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Herron arrived at no. 133 on the points list and has to crack the top 125 to qualify for The Barclays next week.

Golf roundup: Jimmy Walker fires 62 to take lead

Golf: Walker leads Wyndham Championship after 62

Saturday, August 18, 2012 12:00 AM | Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend | Comments

GREENSBORO — Jimmy Walker left the booming, highlight-reel drives to his playing partner. A low score was good enough for him.

Walker shot an 8-under 62 on Friday to take the lead at 12-under 128 after two rounds in the Wyndham Championship.

Defending champion Webb Simpson (63) was one stroke back. First-round leader Carl Pettersson (68), Tim Clark (67), Sergio Garcia (63) and rookie Harris English (64) were at 10 under.

Tim Herron matched the tournament record with a 61, but was still nine strokes back.

Play was halted for 1 hour, 17 minutes late in the day when a system of thunderstorms passed through the central North Carolina Triad.

Walker, who began the day four strokes back, had eight birdies in compiling one of the best two-day scores in event history. Only Pettersson at 125 in 2008 was better than Walker through 36 holes at Sedgefield Country Club.

“I was playing with J.B. (Holmes), and he was bombing the driver everywhere, and I was just kind of bunting the 5-wood around and hitting good approach shots,” Walker said. “It was pretty boring-looking golf — not a lot of drivers, not a lot of 3-woods. There’s a lot of 5-woods and some irons, and it’s just kind of placement around the golf course.”

Walker hopes his strong round proves that he’s getting back to the form from earlier this year, when the winless 33-year-old Texan finished in the top 10 in three of his first six tournaments.

Things went south when he tore his left meniscus, so instead of going to the U.S. Open, he went to the doctor for a cortisone shot to reduce the swelling.

now that he can bend down and read greens again, he can do some damage with his putter. he used it just 26 times Friday, and didn’t even need it on No. 2 because he chipped in from 50 feet.

“If it wouldn’t have gone in, it probably would have rolled over the back of the green,” he said.

Pettersson, who shot a 62 on Thursday while playing in the morning, found his familiar Sedgefield course to play tougher in the afternoon. The Raleigh resident and member of the country club’s board of directors had two bogeys in a three-hole span midway his round, then came on strong with consecutive birdies on Nos. 9-10 and an eagle on the par-5 15th.

he broke his driver on the next-to-last hole of the first round, used his backup driver Friday and will stick with it the rest of the weekend.

“I struggled today,” Pettersson said. “Didn’t have much today, but I thought it was a good comeback. … Two-under par was OK for the game that I had, and hopefully I can hit the ball better on the weekend and have a chance.”

Simpson, a native North Carolinian and U.S. Open champ who’s defending a title for the first time in his career, got hot on the back nine with birdies on four of his final five holes to rocket up the leaderboard.

“To play a round on a golf course this tricky without a bogey is always a good thing,” Simpson said.

Herron rebounded for a first-round 76. he became the fourth player in five years here to shoot a 61 and the first since Kevin Na in 2010.

it might have been just the strong round he needed to secure himself a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Herron arrived at No. 133 on the points list and has to crack the top 125 to qualify for The Barclays next week.

The field is littered with players trying to prolong their seasons for at least one more week. among those on the borderline who made it to the weekend were No. 122 Trevor Immelman, No. 129 Y.E. Yang and No. 133 Chez Reavie.

No. 126 Brendan Steele appeared to be in trouble before a run of four straight birdies pushed him to 3 under.

For others, there was bubble trouble. No. 121 Boo Weekley and No. 125 Jhonattan Vegas missed the cut of 1 under.

DICK’S SPORTING GOODS OPEN

ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Bernhard Langer topped the leaderboard at 7 under when first-round play in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open was suspended because of rain.

Golf: Walker leads Wyndham Championship after 62

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Info and schedule

John Kuntz, the Plain DealerTiger Woods has won at Firestone at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational — and the NEC Championship before that — 7 times.

When: Today-Sunday. See schedule below for details.

Where: Firestone Country Club, South Course, 452 E. Warner Road, Akron. call 330-644-2299 or visit worldgolf-championships.com (no hyphen in address).

Format: 72 holes, stroke play. No cut.

Course: Par 35-35—70, approximately 7,400 yards.

Field: Approximately 75 players.

Purse: $8.5 million.

Winner’s share: $1.4 million.

FedExCup points: Winner receives 550 points.

Defending champion: Australian Adam Scott shot a final-round 5-under 65 for a 72-hole score of 17-under 263 to win by four shots over Rickie Fowler and Luke Donald. it was Scott’s first win with caddie Steve Williams, who formerly worked for Tiger Woods.

Tickets: Wednesday’s practice-round gallery tickets are $25. Daily tickets, Thursday-Sunday, are $45. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, by calling 330-644-2299 or through worldgolfchampionships.com.

Military tickets: Sponsored by Lockheed Martin, all active and retired military personnel — as well as accompanying spouse and children 18-and-under — will be admitted free with valid military identification.

Children ticket policy: Children 18-and-under are admitted free if accompanied by a ticketed adult. No limit on children.

New parking info: For the first time, it will cost $5 to park in the previously free area at Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems & Lockheed Martin, 1204 Massillon Road, near the intersection of Ohio 224 and Waterloo Road. Follow the signs. Cash only, and fee cannot be purchased in advance. Shuttles will transport spectators beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and 6:45 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Shuttles will operate for one hour after play ends each day.

Alternative parking: Residents along East Warner Road and some adjacent streets sell reasonably priced parking spots in their yards within walking distance. No shuttle provided.

Hospitality parking: Follow signs off all major highways for the designated lot number.

Handicap parking: Available at 2234 Arlington Road. Follow posted signs for directions. A state-issued handicapped tag must be displayed. Special-needs carts staffed by volunteers will be available.

Will call: the will call office is in the Metro Parks parking lot on Warner Road, less than one-quarter mile from the main entrance to Firestone. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today; 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Cellphone policy: Cellphone use is permitted in designated areas only. Phones must be turned to silent. taking pictures is prohibited once the tournament begins. No video is allowed. Violations result in confiscation or removal from the tournament.

You also can bring: Cameras during practice round, fanny packs and small folding chairs.

Prohibited items: Coolers, signs, periscopes, radios, stepladders, weapons, food and beverages, bags and backpacks larger than 6x6x6. Cameras are not permitted once the tournament begins.

Just suggesting: Depending on the weather, drink plenty of fluids before you arrive and while you are at the course. use sunscreen. do not wear high heels. Wear comfortable, light and appropriate clothing. Concession stands will accept cash and credit cards.

TV coverage: Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, Golf Channel, noon-1:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, WOIO Channel 19, 2-6 p.m.

SCHEDULE

Today: Course closed to public. Executive Women’s Day, 8:30 a.m. Event is sold out. WOIO Channel 19 anchor Romona Robinson moderates an event that includes speakers, a behind-the-scenes tournament tour, a luncheon and nine holes of golf on the North Course. Speakers include Canton’s Renee Powell, PGA first Lady of Golf Award winner; Virginia Albanese, president and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical; Jennifer Deutsch, executive vice president/general manager of Doner Advertising; and Christine Karbowiak, chief administrative officer, Bridgestone Americas inc. Acme Fresh Market Cup, Raymond C. Firestone Public Course, 600 Schwartz Road. the first Tee chapters from Akron, Canton and Cleveland play nine holes with shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday: Practice round. Ticket required. Gates open at 7:30 a.m.

Thursday: first round, 8:30 a.m. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. Twosomes off first and 10th tees.

Friday: second round, 8:30 a.m. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. Twosomes off first and 10th tees.

Saturday: third round, 8 a.m. Gates open at 7 a.m. Twosomes off first tee. Birdies for the brave military appreciation ceremony hosted by CBS analyst David Feherty, 10 a.m., Patriots’ Outpost next to the 14th green.

Sunday: Final round, 8 a.m. Gates open at 7 a.m. Twosomes off first tee. Pink Out in support of breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink.

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Info and schedule

Tiger Woods practices on The Ocean Course

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Tiger Woods has played The Ocean Course as he gets ready for next week's PGA Championship.

Course officials said Woods, Adam Scott and Graeme McDowell got in some practice this week before the year's final major. the PGA Championship starts Aug. 9.

Woods and Scott are playing in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone event in Akron, Ohio, starting Thursday. Woods has won the event seven times, while Scott is the defending champion.

Woods will be seeking his first major tournament victory since the 2008 U.S. Open when he comes to Kiawah Island. Scott led much of the way in last month's British Open before bogeys on his last four holes gave that title to Ernie Els.

McDowell was the U.S. Open winner in 2010. (Related Photos: The Ocean course at Kiawah Island)

Tiger Woods practices on The Ocean Course

Stacy Lewis leads Evian Masters 2012

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Stacy Lewis had seven consecutive birdies and tied the Evian Masters record with a 9-under 63 in the opening round on Thursday.

Her birdie flurry from holes 5-11, plus two more on 17 and 18, helped Lewis to a two-shot lead over Hee Young Park of South Korea.

Lewis matched three-time champion Helen Alfredsson's round of 63, set by the Swede in 2008.

“I know I've made six (birdies) in a row before, but I don't know if I've made seven … I almost made eight,” Lewis said. “I definitely think this is one of the lowest rounds I've ever shot.”

It marked Lewis' career-low round. Her previous low was 64, which she shot in the second and fourth rounds of the LPGA Classic in June.

Park, who used a belly putter for the first time, made five straight birdies on the front nine.

South Korea's Ilhee Lee finished three shots behind Lewis. Colombia's Mariajo Uribe and Japan's Mika Miyazato are four behind after 67s. American Paula Creamer shot a 68.

Defending champion Ai Miyazato, who also won in 2009, had three bogeys on the back and finished with a birdie for a 71. she was joined by Juli Inkster and Cheyenne Woods, Tigers Woods' niece, who trailed the leader by eight shots.

Michelle Wie, who tied for second place in Evian six years ago, shot a 73. Top-ranked Yani Tseng had a 76, compounded by a wild shot into the rough on the 18th.

Park, who failed to make the cut at the U.S. Women's Open three weeks ago, had a bogey on the fourth hole before her run of birdies. she added three more on the back nine. after shooting 6 under in the pro-am tournament on Wednesday, she sensed the belly putter would work for her.

“I have been playing 15 years, and I have never used the belly putter before,” said Park, who won her only LPGA Tour title at last year's season-ending Titleholders. “Then, like 10 days ago, I just changed (to) the belly putter.

“My people around me (were) saying `Did you know that Ernie Els won (the British Open) last week with the belly putter? did you see that?' Then I got more confidence.”

Wie struggled with her putting.

“I felt like I played a lot better than my score,” Wie said. “I hit it good, but it didn't go in, that was a bit frustrating and affected my momentum.

Tseng's shot on No. 18 landed deep in the rough at an awkward angle, just above the water. the five-time major winner saved par, but finished with five bogeys and one birdie.  

Stacy Lewis leads Evian Masters 2012

Woods to spearhead star-studded cast in 2012 CIMB Classic

Posted on August 7, 2012, Tuesday

PUTRAJAYA: Golf icon Tiger Woods will make a comeback to the Malaysian shores after a 13-year hiatus spearhead a star-studded cast at the CIMB Classic 2012 to be held at the Mines Resort and Golf Club from Oct 25-28.

Confirming his participation in the tournament via a recorded video message at the official launch of    the  CIMB  Classic 2012 here  yesterday, Woods said: “I look   forward    to   coming   back to Malaysia at the end of October.

“I played the World Cup in 1999 and have fond  memories of the country and the people. I’ve heard  that CIMB does a good job staging the event. It has traditionally boasted a strong field and I look forward to being part of it this year,” he said.

Also returning to the prestigious golf competition in the Asian region are defending champion Bo Van Pelt and 2010 champion, Ben Crane.

The CIMB Classic 2012, formerly known as the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, was officially launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here yesterday.

Meanwhile CIMB Group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak later told a press conference that the competition would become a full fledged money event on  the PGA Tour and would be part of the FedEx Cup from next year.

He said in line with its elevated status, the 2013 event would have a field of 78 players instead of the current 48 and the prize money would also be increased from US$6.1 million (RM19.52 million) to US$7.0 million (RM22.4 million).

“The plan has always been to become a full fledged event of the PGA Tour, so this is fantastic news for us, for Malaysia and for the region,” said Nazir.

He said CIMB had signed a new 5-year agreement from 2012 to 2016 with the PGA Tour effective this year and the tournament would be managed and operated by the PGA Tour itself.

This year’s competition remains a 48-player competition comprising 30 from the top FedEx points winners, 10 from Asian Tour Order of Merit and eight sponsor exempted players.

Last year, Malaysia was represented by local pros Shaaban Hussin and Danny Chia. — Bernama

Woods to spearhead star-studded cast in 2012 CIMB Classic

Tiger Woods synonymous with winning at Firestone

AKRON, Ohio – No one is more at home on the South Course at Firestone Country Club than Tiger Woods.

The No.2 player in the world, the only three-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, has won the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational a record seven times on the tree-lined South Course.

“I look forward to playing it,” Woods said with a big smile Wednesday on the eve of the third WGC event of the season. “This is one of my favorites. It’s straightforward. It’s right in front of you.

“There are no tricks, no hidden things.”

Woods won the Bridgestone in 1999-2001, 2005-07 and 2009. in 48 rounds here, he has broken par 31 times and averaged 68.3 strokes.

“Everyone pretty much knows he won almost every year since 2000,” defending champion Adam Scott said. “You just know that. And obviously when you’re talking of Tiger, it doesn’t matter where you go, you think he’s a factor starting the week. But certainly it’s not something that you’re thinking about while you’re out playing. your mind should be on the job yourself.

“But I guess at times certain guys have success on certain different courses, but probably none more so than Tiger and this one.”

Adding punch to Woods’ status as the pretournament favorite is his success before every major played this season. Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks before finishing in a tie for 40th at the Masters; he won the Memorial two weeks before finishing in a tie for 21st at the U.S. Open and he won the AT&T National three weeks before finishing in a tie for third at the British Open. next week is the PGA Championship, the last major of the year.

“I feel very comfortable where I am at because everything is progressing,” Woods said of his season up to now. “This year I’ve taken the steps headed in the right direction and shot better scores and been more consistent. When you make changes like I’ve made in my game, it takes a little bit of time, and things are starting to click in now.

“And to have three wins this year, it’s headed in the right direction.”

Woods faces a formidable field that features 49 of the top 50 players in the world, including top-ranked Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson and British Open winner Ernie Els.

But with a win this week, Woods would ascend to another place he feels right at home — atop the official world golf ranking. Woods, who has spent a record 623 weeks at No.1, including a record 281 consecutively, can overtake Donald for the top spot. Woods has to win and Donald finish no better than solo third.

“Well, it would be nice to get back there because obviously it meant that as far as I had dropped, to build my way back up to this point. … I’ve had some wins, I’ve had some very high finishes, I’ve been consistent,” Woods said. “That’s how you get to be one of the top players in the world. To be ranked as low as I was and then come all the way back to, as of right now, No.2, that’s pretty good.”

Tiger Woods synonymous with winning at Firestone

PGA Tour Fantasy Golf: Previewing the 2012 Open Championship

We’re in for a major week, pun intended. Given that there are only four (official) majors on the PGA Tour, each weekend is roughly equivalent to one round of postseason action in one of the other major sports. in other words, this is potentially a bigger deal than Ron Burgundy.

This holds true in fantasy golf as well. The prize money is bigger. The points are sometimes doubled, or even tripled. There are individual fantasy pools just for the Open Championship. Doing well here is very important in season-long events. Piece of cake, right?

Please note, we will also be making some picks for the true South Classic this week, as it is a secondary PGA Tour event. The tournament will be held at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Mississippi. The defending champion is Chris Kirk. The winner will take home $648,000 and 250 FedEx Cup Points.

Our primary tournament this week is the Open Championship (commonly referred to as the “British Open”). The tournament will be held at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, England. Darren Clarke is the defending champion. The winner will take home $1,452,078 and 600 FedEx Cup Points.

Despite my earlier optimism, this is not a “piece of cake” to figure out. Royal Lytham is a links-style golf course with 205 bunkers. that is not a typo. There are 205 sand traps on the golf course. And these aren’t the bunkers you find at your local course. Some of them are nasty pot bunkers that can prevent you from being able to advance the ball towards the green.

How do we choose who we are going to use this week? Very carefully and probably incorrectly, but we will try. this isn’t the week to blindly select golfers. look at the recent major tournament winners. The last nine winners were all first-time major champions. The last fifteen majors have been won by fifteen different golfers.

What are we looking for this week?

• Course management
• Bogey avoidance
• Accuracy off the tee
• The ability to hit a ton of greens
• Overall ball-striking ability
• Bounce-back performance
• Overall putting

Yep, we’re looking for quite a bit. There is no perfect formula here, much like a U.S. Open. You want to select golfers who can score, but don’t make a ton of mistakes. The more aggressive players may find themselves in more trouble than they can come back from. in addition to the many bunkers, the rough here is brutal and we will even see balls lost in it. It’s long and thick and it will punish you for missing the fairway.

Golfers that have been playing well are nice, but not totally necessary. The Open Championship was also held here back in 2001, so there are a few golfers in the field with experience here, but the course has been changed somewhat since then.

Without further ado…..

Yahoo! Weekly Lineup Game

Group A

Matt Kuchar (Starting)

Kuchar has been great in 2012 and very good in the major tournaments so far. he hasn’t found much success in the British Open, but that could change this year.

Statistically, he’s all you could hope for this week. On the PGA Tour, Kuchar ranks 32nd in Driving Accuracy, 13th in Greens in Regulation, 13th in Sand Save Percentage, 22nd in Ball Striking, 10th in Scrambling, 2nd in Scrambling form the Rough and 19th in 3-Putt Avoidance.

He’s also ranked 2nd in Par 4 Performance, which is important here and he ranks 27th in Proximity to Hole from Sand which is also very important this weekend.

Donald is the no. 1 ranked golfer in the World Golf Rankings for a reason. He’s a really good golfer. in every tournament that is NOT a major. he has literally played his worst golf in the biggest tournaments. But he’s a really good golfer. that makes him a bench play, not a start here.

Going off of stats alone would lead you to think that Donald should be great here. On the PGA Tour, he ranks 17th in Driving Accuracy, 4th in Strokes Gained – Putting, 1st in GIR Percentage from Fairway Bunkers, 19th in All-Around Ranking, 1st in Scrambling, 1st in Scrambling from the Rough and 24th in 3-Putt Avoidance.

Also worth using: Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia 

Group B

Lee Westwood (Starting)

If I were to create my own overall “Power Rankings” for the Open, I would place Westwood at the very top. He’s a very trendy pick this week, and for good reason. He’s got an excellent all-around game and he has performed well in major tournaments recently, despite his failure to win one of them.

On the PGA Tour, Westwood ranks 2nd in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 3rd in Sand Save Percentage, 23rd in Total Driving, 2nd in All-Around Ranking, 7th in Ball Striking, 32nd in Bounce back, 13th in Par 4 Performance and 4th in Proximity to the Hold from Sand.

Justin Rose (Starting)

It feels like every time I’ve started Rose this season he’s under-performed, but he’s actually been a very good golfer in 2012. There’s no reason that should change this week. Rose finished T8 at the Masters and T21 at the U.S. Open.

On the PGA Tour, Rose ranks 34th in Driving Accuracy, 4th in Greens in Regulation, 11th in Sand Save Percentage, 5th in All-Around Ranking, 5th in Greens in Regulation Percentage from Fairway Bunkers, 15th in Ball-Striking, 11th in Scrambling, 5th in Par 4 Performance and 4th in Scrambling from the Rough.

Els isn’t going to look like that great of an option this weekend. yet, he might very well be in the hunt on Sunday. Els finished T3 here back in 2001, so he’s had success on this track. He’s been excellent in the British Open with twelve top-10 finishes in his career.

Statistically, Els isn’t overly impressive. But he ranks 19th in Scoring Average, 31st in Scrambling and 29th in 3-Putt Avoidance.

I can’t tell a lie here. whenever I start Tiger, he’s lousy, when I use him as a bench option, he’s great. So don’t say that I didn’t warn you. There’s a reason that Tiger Woods currently sits atop the FedEx Cup leaderboard. It’s because he’s been a very good professional golfer this year. But not in the majors. while he’s been a very good PGA pro, he still isn’t up to his previous personal standards.

Woods has been amongst the best statistical golfers on the PGA Tour as well as the money leaders. Woods ranks 11st in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 22nd in Strokes Gained – Putting, 5th in Total Driving, 10th in All-Around Ranking, 3rd in Ball Striking, 23rd in Scrambling, and 12th in Par 4 Performance.

Also worth using: Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Hunter Mahan

Group C

Padraig Harrington (Starting)

Harrington is generally pretty good at the British Open. as a matter of fact, he’s won the tournament twice. that alone doesn’t make him worth starting, but his solid play as of late does. in his last four PGA events, Harrington has finished no worse than T15. he finished T37 here back in 2001.

Good thing for Harrington that we’re not basing this on stats alone, although he does have his strengths. On the PGA Tour, Harrington ranks 5th in Scoring Average, 26th in All-Around Ranking, 28th in Scrambling, 8th in Bounce back and 1st in Proximity to the Hole from Sand.

Dufner has been awesome in 2012. He’s won two tournaments and played well at both the Masters (T24) and the U.S. Open (T4). Dufner has three top-4 finishes in his last three events and he’s won two of his last five events.

On the PGA Tour, Dufner ranks 16th in Driving Accuracy, 6th in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 3rd in All-Around Ranking, 26th in Sand Save Percentage, 3rd in Ball Striking, 16th in Scrambling and 32nd in Bounce back.

Also worth using: Francesco Molinari and Graeme McDowell

Picks for The Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge

The Open Championship (Event 1)

Group One: Lee Westwood

Group two: Zach Johnson

Group three: Padraig Harrington

Group four: Tim Clark

True South Classic (Event 2)

Group two: Dicky Pride

Group three: Lee Janzen

Group four: Shaun Micheel

Picks for  ESPN Best Ball Majors

Golfer 1 – Lee Westwood

Golfer 2 – Matt Kuchar

Golfer 3 – Bo Van Pelt

Weekly Survivor/Eliminator/Earnings Leagues (Full Season)

The Open Championship

I’ve used a decent amount of the “big dogs”, so I don’t have as much to choose from here as I would like. There are a few options that jump out at me: Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Francesco Molinari.

Of that group I am eliminating Tiger and Ernie Els. I’d rather save Tiger for a different venue and while I like Els this week, I don’t think he’s got a real shot to win the tournament.

That leaves me with two European golfers to choose from. I like both this week, but due to his very strong history in this event, I’m going to go with Padraig Harrington. not to mention the fact that Harrington has been playing very well as of late.

The three favorites here are Brednon de Jonge, Blake Adams and Ken Duke. I’ve already used de Jonge, so he’s out. that leaves Blake Adams and Ken Duke.

I don’t plan on using either golfer anywhere else, so there’s no issue there. Adams has been playing very steadily lately, having made the cut in his last nine events. Ken Duke has been move inconsistent, but with more upside as he’s managed two T7 finishes in his last three events.

Neither golfer gives me a strong feeling, so I am going to go with Blake Adams based on his strong recent play and his T9 finish here last season.

Already Used: Bryce Molder, Steve Marino, Bill Haas, D.A. Points, Martin Laird, Hunter Mahan, K.J. Choi, Rory McIlroy, Jarrod Lyle, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Charl Schwartzel, John Senden, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Bo Van Pelt, Fredrik Jacobson, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson, Ben Curtis, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Brendon de Jonge and Sean O’Hair.

Weekly Survivor/Eliminator/Earnings Leagues (Season 2)

The Open Championship

None of the options that I would seriously consider have been used yet. I said earlier that I would rank Lee Westwood as my no. 1 golfer here this week. So why wouldn’t I use him if he was available to me? going with Lee Westwood to win his first major this weekend.

The same logic as above applies, but I do have Brendon de Jonge available to me. that does actually make a difference to me. in his last four tournaments, de Jonge has three top-20 finishes. in his last two appearances at this event, de Jonge has finished T13 and T3. I see no reason not to go with Brendon de Jonge this week.

Already Used: Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and Steve Stricker

Good luck to all this week. if you have any comments or questions, please use the comments feature or reach out to me on Twitter.

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PGA Tour Fantasy Golf: Previewing the 2012 Open Championship

2011 Scottish Boys Golf Championship tees off tomorrow at Dunbar Golf Club : Golf Irons City

Talented young golfers from 151 different clubs across the country will be aiming for glory in one of Scotland’s most prestigious golf events when they tee off tomorrow in the Scottish Boys Golf Championship at Dunbar Golf Club (11 – 16 April).

A field of 256 players will be gathered at the famous Open Final Qualifying venue for the seventieth staging of the event and the traditional start of the domestic golfing season, commencing just a few hours after the conclusion of the US Masters.

Full coverage on a round by round basis, with all the golf news, golf scores and golf results shall be provided by GolfbloggerUK. For access to a copy of the draw, please CLICK HERE.

Defending champion Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) will start as one of the favourites having demonstrated skill and determination in coming through the field at West Kilbride last year. being much closer to home on the East Lothian coastline this time around should help the 17-year-old Scotland Boys international, aiming to become the first player to win back-to-back titles since Scott Henry’s achievement in 2004-05.

Deeside’s Craig Lawrie (15), son of former Open Champion Paul Lawrie, makes his championship debut this year and having seen his dad triumph in the recent Andalucía Open in Malaga, the four-handicapper will be keen to add to his family’s trophy haul.

Another 15-year-old making a name for himself in junior golf is Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neill, winner of the Scottish Boys Under-14s Championship for the past two years, and also the current holder of the equivalent English title. Neill exited at the third round stage last year having pushed one of the favourites Jack McDonald all the way to the third extra hole, but with an additional year’s experience and numerous titles already under his belt, he will certainly be one to watch.

McDonald, a first year maths student at Stirling University, has his final tilt at the trophy in his last year as a junior, hoping to add to the national stroke play title he collected in 2008 having reached the semi-finals twelve months ago. The 18-year-old is one of seven players from Kilmarnock (Barassie) competing in the event, more than any other club in the country. Drumpellier and Dunblane new each have representation from five competitors.

Famous names on the trophy include former Ryder Cup star Andrew Coltart, who won the title at Dunbar in 1987, European Tour player Steven O’Hara (1998), former European Tour player turned manager Brian Marchbank (1976) and the host town’s John Huggan (1978), now a highly respected golf journalist. Recent winners include Michael Stewart (2008) and David Law (2009), both of whom went on to lift the Scottish Amateur Championship.

SGU Chief Executive Hamish Gray is looking forward to the Championship getting underway

“It’s wonderful to see representation from so many clubs across Scotland, highlighting the great work being done at junior level through clubgolf, our national development programme, with support from many PGA professionals and volunteers.

“As an Open Qualifying venue, Dunbar will provide a superb challenge for our young golfers and we are indebted to them for their continued support of this championship, this being the nineteenth time they have staged the event,” he added.

Live scoring and updates from the Championship will be available throughout the week via the SGU website at ….org., while highlights from the event will be broadcast on the SGU’s YouTube TV channel the following week.

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2011 Scottish Boys Golf Championship tees off tomorrow at Dunbar Golf Club : Golf Irons City

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