Mark Calcavecchia, Joe Daley tied at Senior Players

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Playing in the final group for the third round of the Champions Tour's third major, relative unknown Joe Daley outplayed an ailing Fred Couples and held off a charging Tom Lehman.

It was another one of the tour's biggest names who ended the day with a long putt to ensure Daley wouldn't have sole possession of the lead as he searches for his first tour victory.

Mark Calcavecchia holed a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 6-under 64 on Saturday, moving him into a tie with Daley atop the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Senior Players Championship.

“Capping the day with a 50-footer on the last hole always helps,” said Calcavecchia, who won the Montreal Championship last week. “It always makes dinner taste a little bit better. … all in all, I thought I played great.”

Calcavecchia's bogey-free round matched the best of the day and allowed him to match Daley at 12-under 198 at Fox Chapel. Daley, winless on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, had a 68.

Lehman and Couples, the second-round leader and winner last year at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y., were a stroke back. Couples had a 70, and Lehman shot a 66. Lehman won the Regions Traditions in his last start.

After two consecutive days of temperatures in the mid-90s, the third round was played in slightly more bearable conditions.

Daley appeared as if he might wilt – not because of the weather but because of the pressure of playing in the first group with a pair of major tournament champions in Couples and Lehman.

Daley bogeyed Nos. 3 and 4 after Lehman and Couples each had already birdied No. 2. But Daley recovered with a birdie on No. 5 and avoided mistakes the rest of the way.

Currently with no status, a victory would ensure Daley a full exemption on the Champions Tour for a calendar year. The $405,000 first-place prize also would go a long way toward solidifying his place inside the top 30 on the final money list, which would earn him full status through 2013.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” said a grinning Daley, who tied for fourth last month in the Senior PGA Championship. “When you stay on that positive forward can-do page, things happen and it's good.”

Couples struggled with back problems, saying he felt “horrible” and that he was “tired of feeling like this.”

Couples first had spasms while hitting out of the rough on the second hole, and the stiffness persisted throughout a round in which he was moving gingerly and had trouble bending over.

“I feel very badly for him and have a lot of empathy for him,” Lehman said. “He's the kind of guy that would never really talk much about it, but he hit a shot on the second hole and I think he almost went to his knees. and I think he really struggled the rest of the day.”

Still, Couples endured through the even-par round that kept him playing in the final group Sunday. Couples is attempting to join Arnold Palmer as the only player to successfully defend the title.

Palmer, from nearby Latrobe, won the tournament in 1984 and `85. he was on hand Saturday for the announcement of a youth golf endowment in his father's name.

“I just was really sore and couldn't get loose, but at the same time I'm one behind, so I'm in great shape,” Couples said.

Jeff Freeman was 10 under after a 70, Fred Funk was another stroke back after a 64, and Bill Glasson was 8 under after a 68. Freeman needed only 11 putts on a back nine that featured four birdies and an eagle on 15. Funk eagled the par-5 third hole and had a stretch of five birdies over seven holes on the back nine.

Kenny Perry had a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th and finish with a 67 to join Michael Allen (70), Roger Chapman (66) and Olin Browne (69) at 6 under. Perry used a 6-iron at the 185-yard hole.

After winning last week, Calcavecchia has progressively improved his score each day, opening with a 69 and shooting a 65 on Friday. The 1989 British Open champion has four top-five finishes in Champions Tour majors but has never won one.

Lehman extended his streak of rounds in the 60s to 11, which equals the third-longest streak of sub-70 rounds in Champions Tour history.

“I was really, really pleased with the way I played today,” Lehman said. “It was probably the best I've played of the three rounds so far.”

Mark Calcavecchia, Joe Daley tied at Senior Players

SteelFiber announces it shafts captured top 10 at Travelers

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Aerotech Golf’s SteelFiber shafts, the no. 1 composite iron shafts in golf, earned another top 10 money position at this weekend’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., and is well on pace to score the best season record in the company’s history.

Playing SteelFiber shafts in his Bridgestone irons, the 12-year pro shot one eagle and 18 birdies for a 11-under-269 for a share of the top money. SteelFiber composite shafts feature a high-modulus graphite core with 59 miles of steel fiber lacing the shaft surface — a performance-paced combination that provides players with the power of graphite and the stability of steel.

“Composite iron shaft technology is making waves across the pro tour, and we’re very excited to lead the industry in this innovative technology. so far this season on the PGA TOUR, we already have ten top 10 finishes, including two wins and one of those being the PLAYERS Championship. unlike any other shafts in golf today, SteelFiber composite iron shafts provide the consistency and stability that players really appreciate in steel shafts as well as provide greater vibration dampening that reduces player fatigue and risk of injury. It’s the best of both worlds,” said Aerotech Golf President Chris Hilleary.

SteelFiber shafts were the no. 1 composite irons shafts on the PGA Tour in 2010 and 2011. SteelFiber shafts combine graphite and steel fiber to seamlessly create a perfect blend of power and stability. the shafts deliver extreme performance through innovative composite engineering that combines a high-modulus graphite core with 59 miles of steel fiber lacing the shaft surface. while the shaft’s graphite core provides vibration dampening, increased clubhead speed and maximum distance, the steel fibers produce optimum weighting for a solid feel at impact and add stability and control for pinpoint accuracy. Originally developed for irons the SteelFiber technology now enhances the performance of hybrids, fairway woods and drivers.

Aerotech Golf specializes in innovative, performance-enhancing golf shafts, and has supplied shafts to such renowned golf club manufactures as Nike Golf, Cleveland Golf, Adams Golf, Miura, Srixon, Lynx, KZG, Nakashima, Scratch Golf, Zevo and Pure Spin among many others.

For more information on Aerotech Golf and Aerotech shafts, call 888.733.8988 or visit aerotechgolfshafts.com. Also check out the Aerotech page on Facebook: facebook.com/aerotechgolf.

SteelFiber announces it shafts captured top 10 at Travelers

What they said after the second round of the U.S. Open

Matt Kuchar was the darling of the 1998 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. As an amateur that year, he tied for 14th.

“I see it’s just much firmer than I remember. this course, the ball is running a lot in the fairways, the fairways are firm and the greens are just really firm,” Kuchar said of the difference in the course between 1998 and this year.

Kuchar claimed his biggest PGA Tour win earlier this year when he claimed the Players Championship. He also tied for third at the Masters and has three other top-10 finishes.

The 33-year-old mixed three bogeys, two birdies and a double bogey in a round of 73 on Friday.

“Par is a great score for sure. You have to hit it well just to have a good chance at a par. if you’re not hitting it well, you are hoping to make par, but it’s even surviving just to make bogey sometimes,” Kuchar said. “You really have got to be driving it well and be accurate with the irons. with the greens as firm as they are, it’s hard to make birdies. It’s just a difficult setup to make birdies. with as firm as these greens are and as tough as the conditions are.”

Here’s what other players were saying after the second round of the 112th U.S. Open.

- RORY MCILROY carded a 3-over 73 to miss the cut by two strokes. on his second round, the 2011 champion said: “Obviously disappointed. it wasn’t the way I wanted to play. I left myself with a lot of work to do after yesterday’s round, and to be honest, overall, I don’t feel like I played that badly for the last two days. It’s just such a demanding golf course. You really have to be so precise out there and if not, you’re going to get punished.”

- GRAEME MCDOWELL, the 2010 winner at Pebble Beach, fought hard to stay in contention: “It’s just tough to have fun out there, I got to be honest with you. It’s just a brutal test of golf. Disappointed to bogey three of the last four [holes] today. Very happy to be where I am. I think I played some really nice golf the last two days, made enough birdies to kind of offset some mistakes which I think’s key.”

- LUKE DONALD, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, never got anything going all week: “A little better today, but little consolation, obviously. It’s not going to be good enough to play the weekend and obviously my troubles started yesterday. I was a little off. I think I missed nine putts inside 10 feet yesterday and just couldn’t get the feel for the greens, the reads, the speed. But it wasn’t to be and I’m trying to learn from it and come back stronger next time.”

- CASEY MARTIN, who tied for 23rd at the Olympic Club in 1998, just didn’t have enough to make it to the weekend: “Wasn’t really happy with how I played today. Just missed a lot of putts and hit a few loose shots when it was important. But it’s wonderful competing. I haven’t done it in so long it really feels great to get out there and grind away.”

- DENNIS MILLER, whose birdie putt in a playoff at the qualifier hung on the lip momentarily before falling and giving him a spot in the field, missed the cut by a mile, but was realistic about what his chances were:”You’ve got to realize that it is hard. and you’re playing the best players in the world. I’m a club professional. every shot requires full concentration. it requires your full attention and you can really look silly out there on just about any hole.”

- BEAU HOSSLER, the 17-year-old amateur that had the lead briefly on Friday: “I just felt pretty comfortable out there. Pretty nervous starting the round. Just like any other event I’m normally pretty nervous on the first tee, but once I got through the middle of the round, I found out I had the lead. after hole one, I felt pretty comfortable. I felt I was getting into a little bit of a zone. Unfortunately, I kind of lost it coming in. I was able to salvage one on seven with that chip in, but it was pretty solid overall.”

What they said after the second round of the U.S. Open

Memorial Tournament: Woods finds some consistency

When he last played a round on the PGA Tour, three weeks ago at the Players Championship, TigerWoods characterized his third straight also-ran finish as one in which he played well “in spurtsagain. I just need to be a little bit more consistent.”

Yesterday “was certainly one of those days where I was very consistent,” he said after he shot2-under-par 70 at Muirfield Village Golf Club to finish the first round of the Memorial Tournamentfour strokes off the lead.

“I think I was able to make some nice changes over the break here and work on some of the thingsthat I think I needed to work on, and I’m very pleased with that,” said Woods, whose double bogeyat no. 18 — his ninth hole — was his only blemish. He had four birdies and made three par-savingputts.

“I didn’t do anything great and I didn’t do anything poorly. I was just very consistent.

“I think with the golf course being the way it’s set up, you just have to be that way. you haveto drive the ball well. you have to position it on these greens. And you’re going to have to makesome tough putts. these greens are at a pace where it’s hard to get the ball close, and you’regoing to have some tough ones out there.

“Over the next three days, hopefully, I can play as well as I did today.”

Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March for his first PGA Tour victory since 2009.since then, he has tied for 40th place twice and missed the cut in the three tournaments he hasplayed.

He was noticeably sniffling during and after his round but said he is not under the weather.

“It’s just my allergies are killing me,” he said. “Is it cottonwood that’s flying around here?Whatever that white stuff is, it got me pretty good today.

“Thank God I had a big towel.”

Memorial Tournament: Woods finds some consistency

Kuchar Comes Up Clutch At Sawgrass

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Matt Kuchar looked beyond the edge of the 16th green at a scene packed with enough stress it could wipe away even his smile.

Across the water was an island green that was awaiting him Sunday in the Players Championship. the guy dressed all in orange and pumping his first was Rickie Fowler after making a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to cut Kuchar’s lead to two shots.

Kuchar stepped over his 15-footer and answered with a birdie just as big.

“Yeah, absolutely I saw the putt,” Kuchar said. “Watched the thing disappear and he gave a big fist pump. I knew it got him to within two shots and he could birdie 18 to bring it within one. That could have changed the whole scenario of how I would have approached and played 18. so I was really excited to drop that birdie on 16. That was big.”

Everything was big for Kuchar on the TPC Sawgrass — most of all, that smile.

After a three-putt bogey he could afford on the 17th, and a tap-in par on the final hole with his family watching, Kuchar closed with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory, his fourth career win and by far the biggest in so many ways.

It was his first win in 38 starts on the PGA Tour, dating to the Barclays in 2010. he won $1.71 million, the richest prize in golf, and moved to No. 3 in the Ryder Cup standings and a career-high No. 5 in the world ranking. his parents moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, so he stayed with them all week and delivered the perfect gift on Mother’s Day to the woman who taught him to have fun while playing golf.

Even at scary Sawgrass, that was never a problem.

Not so for Kevin Na.

Already struggling with a pre-shot routine of practice swings, waggles and a few intentional whiffs so he could start over, Na heard it from the fans who heckled him with chants of “Pull the trigger!” and “Hit it!” he lost the lead for good with four bogeys in a five-hole stretch to finish the front nine, and when he hit his tee shot in the water on the par-3 13th, fans serenaded him with, “Na-na-na-na … good-bye.”

He closed with a 76, keeping a peculiar record intact — since the Players moved from March to may in 2007, the 54-hole leader has not shot better than 74 in the final round, with an average score of 76.3.

“I backed off and they’re booing me,” Na said. “I said, ‘Look, guys, I backed off because of you guys.’ … but it is what it is. I also felt that a lot of people were turning towards me and pulling for me, which I really appreciate.”

Fowler missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the last hole — the difference of $399,000 — and shot 70 to settle for a four-way tie for second. he was joined by Ben Curtis, who holed a 10-foot birdie on the last hole for a 68; Zach Johnson, who shot 68; and Martin Laird, who made bogey on the 18th for a 67.

Laird made the strongest run on a cloudy, breezy afternoon, tying for the lead with his third straight birdie on No. 12. Laird lost his momentum with a poor tee shot on the 14th that led to bogey, and with a bogey on the final hole, he needed big mistakes from Kuchar that never came.

Luke Donald finished alone in sixth after a 66, not quite enough to replace Rory McIlroy at No. 1 in the world.

Tiger Woods shot 40 on his front nine and rallied for a 73, at least finishing the Players Championship under par. That was the smallest of consolations. Far more alarming was that he tied for 40th, the first time in his career that he has finished no better than 40th in three straight tournaments. the streak began after a five-shot win at Bay Hill for his first PGA Tour title in 30 months.

“just keep working. Keep working,” Woods said when asked what he could take out of the week.

Kuchar opened with a tee shot into the woods and a bogey, though that was his only significant mistake until he could afford one with the three-putt at the 17th. the key shots turned out to be pars in the middle of the back nine.

With a one-shot lead and on the upper shelf of the green on the 13th, he two-putted from 60 feet to stay in the lead. his next tee shot went into the bunker, just over the water, on the 14th. he blasted that out from 181 yards, just over the bunker and safely onto the green to secure another par.

“just doesn’t seem like anything is going to upset him too much,” Laird said. “That’s obviously a good attitude to have when you’re out here on Sunday on this golf course.”

That smile has been around for a long time.

It first showed up in 1998 when Kuchar won over the crowds with his easy smile and demeanor while contending as an amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open. Through wins and having to go back to the Nationwide Tour, it never seems to leave him.

“It’s completely a natural reaction,” Kuchar said. “I love playing the game of golf. I have fun doing it. I’m a golf junkie. I have to force myself to take vacations where I cannot play golf, because the game is just always so challenging. And I think it’s that challenge that’s addictive to me. … the smile is there because I’m having a good time.

“now, granted, if I’m shooting 10-over par, you’re probably not going to see my real happy. I’m hopefully going to behave myself appropriately, thanks to my mother, but I’m not going to be near as happy as when I’m making birdies.”

Suffice to say Kuchar, who finished on 13-under 275, was thrilled Sunday.

“It’s such an amazing feeling — playing amongst the game’s best, to come out on top, to do it on Mother’s Day … it really is magical,” he said.

Curtis, who started the season without a full PGA Tour card, now has three top 5s in the last month, including a win at the Texas Open. he was slowed by a double bogey on the par-3 eighth, and simply couldn’t catch up.

Even though Laird is the only player who actually tied for the lead at one point, Fowler generated the biggest buzz in his all-orange attire and free swinging ways. Coming off his first PGA Tour win last week at Quail Hollow, he got in the mix with two birdies in the opening four holes, only to take a double bogey on No. 5 and a bogey on the seventh. Even so, he ran off four birdies after that and never went away until missing the short birdie at the end.

“the last few holes were a lot of fun,” Fowler said. “It’s a rush out there. Get yourself in contention Sunday at the Players, it’s a lot of fun.”

(© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

Kuchar Comes Up Clutch At Sawgrass

Golf Capsules: Poulter, Laird tied at Players Championship

That might explain why Ian Poulter and Martin Laird were atop the leaderboard Thursday in The Players Championship at 7-under 65, even if their mood was for entirely different reasons.

Poulter finally moved in his new home at Lake Nona that took nearly three years to build and caused him enough grief that he said he could write a book. It took so long to unpack boxes last week that he barely had time to practice, but at least his head was clear.

“All of the hassle and stress is over, and I can just go out and play golf,” Poulter said.

Laird recently parted with his longtime caddie, and hired a new looper who also is a friend and closer to his age.

“It was kind of nice to be out on the course and be able to chat away to someone that’s my age and is like a friend as opposed to a caddie,” he said. “That definitely helped keep me a little more relaxed on the golf course, and it feeds through all parts of your game, down to your putting.”

It wasn’t like that for everyone.

Four players withdrew with various injuries and high scores. Sunghoon Kang opened with a quadruple-bogey 9, followed with eagle-par-birdie and lost four shots over the last four holes. Jerry Kelly made four birdies and shot 82.

Tiger Woods brought a small degree of normalcy, not necessarily a good thing for him at Sawgrass. He has never broken 70 in his 15 years at The Players Championship, and he extended that streak with a sloppy 74. this might be costly, however, because it put him in a tie for 100th and put him in serious danger of missing the cut for the second straight week. He has only missed eight cuts in his career.

“Just one of those days,” Woods said, and there seems to be a lot of those lately.

Poulter ran off four straight birdies around the turn and birdied all of the par 5s, key for this golf course. Laird was the only player without a bogey on his card. He made birdie on his final hole to catch Poulter, although his focus was more on his scorecard than the leaderboard.

“I knew I hadn’t made a 5 all day, and that was kind of a little goal I had,” said Laird, who finished on the par-5 ninth. “Nothing to do with getting to 7 under. It was, ‘I don’t want to make a 5 all day.’”

They were a shot ahead of Blake Adams, with Ben Crane and Kevin Na another shot behind. The 11 players at 68 included Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Ben Curtis and FedEx champion Bill Haas. There were 27 players who shot in the 60s, and more than half the field broke par.

Woods was not among them. not even close.

“I just didn’t score,” Woods said. “It was frustrating in the sense that my good shots ended up in bad spots, and obviously, my bad shots ended up in worse spots.”

The conditions were ideal for scoring for those hitting it where they were aiming, and making their share of putts.

Adams ran off five straight birdies early in his round and kept the mistakes to a minimum. Na shot 30 on the back nine.

Sawgrass, though, punishes even the slightest mistakes.

Rory McIlroy, the world No. 1, was 2 under for his round until coming up just short of the island-green 17th and making double bogey. He wound up with a 72, while Phil Mickelson had a 71 in his first round after being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Lee Westwood had a 71, irritated only because of seven birdies on his card.

Poulter’s new home looks more like a hotel, and it took about as long to build. It became such a headache for him that when asked to go over the problems he had with contractors, Poulter looked at his watch and said, “How long you got?”

With that out of the way, his mind was free for golf, on a course that seems to suit him well. He was runner-up three years ago, four shots behind Henrik Stenson. but Poulter found the right recipe on a sunny, warm day at Sawgrass. his birdie putts on the par 5s were all within about 5 feet. When he started missing greens on the back nine, he chipped close for par. He hit 9-iron to a front pin on the island-green 17th to about 10 feet for birdie, then made it through the 18th without drama.

“I played really solid today and holed the right putts at the right times,” Poulter said. “I feel like I’m back to normal, and I feel like I’m out there playing the golf I feel I should be playing.”

Adams is playing this event for only the second time — he missed the cut last year with rounds of 72-76 — and hasn’t been getting much out of his game this year. He told his caddie and coach that it was time to stop trying to hit the perfect shots and enjoy himself, and a 66 left him thrilled.

“I was just trying to make every putt,” he said about his run of birdies.

Sawgrass took its share of victims, as usual.

The star group of the morning was Woods, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, the only player with two wins this year. None of them were particularly impressive. Fowler, the winner Sunday at Quail Hollow, failed to save par when missing greens that killed his momentum and shot 72, while Mahan hit two shots into the water on his way to a 74.

Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera played a solid round, if only golf were a 16-hole round. He went over the 11th green and into the water, leading to a double bogey. and then he reached the island-green 17th, which proved to his undoing. his first shot went into the water. Cabrera went to the drop area and saw two more balls sink to the bottom of the pond for a 9. He played those who holes in 8 over and shot 78. He withdrew for “personal reasons.”

Na opened with a 30 on the back nine was feeling good until his ball got stuck in a tree and never came down on the first hole, leading to a double bogey.

“I made the turn at 30 and I’m thinking, ‘A few more on this side to have a chance for a course record. I don’t know what the course record is — 63?” he said. “I figured if I got two or three more … it was very doable. but right off the bat, I made double, so that was a pipe dream.”

It’s dangerous to look ahead on this golf course. Poulter was tempted — not so much for the crystal trophy, but what he could do with the $1.71 million winner’s check.

A new house, perhaps?

“I’ll buy another car, for sure,” he said. “Ferrari Enzo. Been looking for one of them for a while.”

Woods in jeopardy of missing another cut

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The last two years, Tiger Woods was gone before The Players Championship ended because of injuries. 

This time, it might be from his golf. The TPC Sawgrass got the best of Woods again on Thursday when he couldn’t give himself birdie chances with a wedge in his hand, had only one birdie on the par 5s and wound up with a 2-over 74.

Woods once went nearly eight years without missing the cut. Now he’s in danger of missing the cut for the second straight week.

“It certainly wasn’t the most positive start,” Woods said. “Any kind of momentum that I would build, I would shoot myself in the foot on the very next hole. Just one of those days.”

Woods is a notoriously slow starter on the Stadium Course. in his 15th year at The Players Championship, he has yet to break 70 in the opening round. in this case, however, conditions were ideal for scoring under warm sunshine, with the wind not picking up until the middle of the round.

Ian Poulter opened with a 65, and 13 other players from the morning wave shot in the 60s.

Woods was never under par at any time in his round, and he traded bogeys with birdies around the turn. From a fairway bunker on the 15th, he pulled it left of a bunker and took two shots to reach the green. after a birdie on the island-green 17th, Woods was in the fairway on the 18th when he came up short and to the right, leading to another bogey.

Perhaps the most troublesome part of the round occurred when he was 108 yards away on the first hole and wound up with a bogey. his wedge came up short and with spin, catching the slope and rolling off the green, and he took three putts from there. after his lone birdie on a par 5 at No. 2, he went long of the green going after a back pin and was left a difficult up-and-down. another bogey.

There was a collection of everything that wasn’t quite right — poor wedges from the fairway, mediocre chipping, not making nearly enough putts.

“I just didn’t score,” Woods said. “The best shot I hit all day was on 3, and it ended up in a spot where I really couldn’t play from. It was frustrating in the sense that my good shots ended up in bad spots, and obviously, my bad shots ended up in worse spots.”

Woods withdrew in the middle of the final round at the 2010 Players Championship with what turned out to be a neck injury. A year ago, he stopped after a 42 on the front nine with an injury to his Achilles tendon that kept him out of golf until August.

At least he has his health. Now if he can only find some form.

It extends a peculiar stretch for Woods — withdrawing from Doral in the middle of the final round with tightness in his Achilles tendon, a five-shot win at Bay Hill two weeks later, his worst performance as a pro at the Masters (tie for 40th), then a missed cut by one shot at the Wells Fargo Championship.

When asked the problem between taking his game from the practice range to the first tee, Woods replied, “It’s golf.”

“Just be patient with it. Just keep plugging along,” he said. “Obviously, in the last few months I’ve put together some good rounds, won a couple of tournaments. so it’s there. I just need to continue doing it.”

The goal is to be able to continue doing it on the weekend, and he’ll need a good round Friday to simply make the cut.

Notebook: Harman gets to play, but all by himself

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Brian Harman, the first alternate, made his debut in The Players Championship and shot 73. It was a round he won’t easily forget, for reasons not the least bit related to his score.

In a bizarre situation that no one could recall happening before, Harman was assigned a separate tee time and had to play as a single Thursday because he could not be found when D.A. Points abruptly withdrew on the first tee because of back spasms.

Ordinarily, the alternate would not get in if he were not around. but this was no ordinary case.

Points, whose back was bothering him on the range, was announced on the tee when he took a few practice swings and realized he couldn’t make it. Harman, who had been on the practice range all morning, said he called officials and told them he would be in the clubhouse. He was playing ping pong with his caddie when they called.

Carl Pettersson had already teed off. Points told the starter he couldn’t go, and Robert Garrigus was announced and hit the next shot.

“It happened very quickly,” rules official Mark Russell said. “We didn’t have time to react. but once we were able to sit down and get our heads around this, figure out exactly what the situation is, we decided Brian Harman had done everything we asked him to do.”

Garrigus said he looked back toward the tee, expecting to see Harman. even after hitting his second shots toward the green, he figured Harman would be joining them. but they completed the first hole, and they were on their way.

“It got botched by everybody,” Garrigus said, though he said it was the right decision to let Harman play.

Alternates typically know the players who might have to withdraw. Harman said he knew of a few, but Points was not one of them.

“I saw him on the range and he looked fine,” Harman said.

Most players will let the alternate know if there’s a chance they can’t play so the alternate can be ready. Points, however, did pull out before hitting a tee shot and thus did not keep the alternate from playing.

Garrigus said it was a long day as a twosome playing in a field of threesomes, which wasn’t easy. Harman said it was so quiet out there it felt like a practice round.

For Russell, it was the second straight decision he had never made before. At the Wells Fargo Championship last week, Tiger Woods lost a ball on the fifth hole of the second round and it was never found. He was not penalized because some in the gallery said a fan had taken his golf ball.

And now this.

“In my 31 years on the golf tour, I can never remember a player withdrawing right before he’s supposed to play,” Russell said.

Harman originally was supposed to be first out Friday morning as a single. but when Paul Casey withdrew Thursday, he agreed to take his spot in that threesome.

WILD DAY: Sunghoon Kang was distraught after opening with a 75 — not because of the score, but how he got it.

He opened with a quadruple-bogey 8, going long of the green into an area of bushes and taking a couple of hacks to try to free his ball. ten holes later, Kang was 1-under par. but he finished with four 5s on his card, including a ball in the water on the island-green 17th hole for a double bogey.

“I’m right back to where I was after the first hole,” he said to his caddie, Steve Hulka, as he walked in the tunnel of the clubhouse.

Not quite, but point taken. It was an amazing comeback from an 8, and it was helped by an unusual pep talk from Hulka.

“We walked off the green and Steve said, ‘There’s a big elephant, and we’re going to eat it one bit at a time,’” Kang said.

On the par-5 second hole, Kang hit a 4-iron to 15 feet.

“I told him, ‘You just bit off the toe,’” Hulka said. “And when he made the putt for eagle, I told him, ‘There goes the leg.’”

Alas, the elephant returned by the end of the round, which concluded with a three-putt bogey. Kang headed for the range, trying to remember that there was some pretty good golf in the middle of his round.

FALDO TALKS BACK: Tiger Woods was sarcastically dismissive of comments from six-time major champion Nick Faldo that Woods has lost his self-belief.

Faldo, an analyst for CBS Sports and Golf Channel, made the remark in a conference call Tuesday for The Players Championship. Woods looked bemused and said he finds it interesting to hear such comments because “they’re not in my head.”

“They must have some kind of superpower I don’t know about,” he said.

During the telecast Thursday, Faldo defended his opinion because of his experience.

“I hated it when analysts and commentators were saying, ‘He’s thinking this. He’s thinking that,’” Faldo said. “But this analyst here, I’ve walked the walk. I’ve been there and the bit I’m trying to describe is self-belief. I’ve had self-belief when I was playing my best and I also lost self-belief, and that’s obviously when you get to the end of your career. I can generally recognize when a player is on the range, striping it, which Tiger’s been doing basically all season.

“But for a player, if you cannot walk from the practice ground to the first tee … for me, he doesn’t have the self-belief he really needs.”

SCHWARTZEL IN SOUTH AFRICA: Masters champion Bubba Watson skipped The Players Championship to bond with his newly adopted son. Dustin Johnson is recovering from a back injury. As for former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel? his agent said he simply didn’t want to come all the way from South Africa.

Chubby Chandler said Schwartzel faced a trip halfway around the world to Florida, and then would have to go to Spain next week for the World Match Play Championship. after that Schwartzel is playing the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, then Memorial. after a week off, he has the U.S. Open and then the Travelers Championship.

To be at Sawgrass would mean six tournaments in seven weeks and an itinerary that went South Africa-Florida-Spain-England-Ohio-California-Connecticut.

SHRINKING FIELD: The 144-man field at The Players Championship is shrinking even before the cut is made Friday.

Five players withdrew from the opening round Thursday, and only one of them (D.A. Points) did not start and was replaced in the field.

Angel Cabrera, who made a 9 on the par-3 17th, withdrew for “personal reasons” after a 78. Simon Dyson withdrew with a bad back after a 76. Hunter Haas only made it through three holes (he already was 4-over par) when he stopped with a bad back. Paul Casey withdrew with a shoulder injury after a 42 on the front nine. Casey injured his shoulder snowboarding over the holidays and missed the first two months of the season.

It was the second year in a row that a player withdrew after a 42 on the front nine. A year ago, that was Tiger Woods with a left Achilles tendon. Odds are Casey will play again before August.

DIVOTS: No one has ever won back-to-back at The Players Championship, a streak that looks to be intact after K.J. Choi opened with a 75 and was 10 shots behind. … Gary Woodland, playing for the first time since he withdrew after the third round at the Masters with a wrist injury, opened with a 77. … Ryder Cup captain Davis love III shot 72.

Former President Clinton talks with Golf Channel

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — There were no “Billigans” recorded when former President Bill Clinton recently sat down with former golf pro David Feherty to reflect on golf and the nation’s highest office.

The former president opened up for the May 14 episode of Feherty’s Golf Channel show, “Feherty.” Clinton, during his time in the public eye, earned a reputation for taking free second-chance golf shots known as mulligans, or in his case “Billigans.” Feherty retired in 1997 with 10 professional golf wins.

“He’s kind of the Arnold Palmer of politicians,” said Feherty, who was admittedly more serious than normal for his interview with the former president. “He makes you feel like you’re the most important person in the room.”

The conversation drifted back and forth between politics and golf.

Clinton told Feherty that dialogue is a sign of respect that should be shown when talking with foreign leaders.

“People used to tell me if you do this you’ll look weak. and once in a while we’d say we have to bomb this place— if we don’t do it today we’ll look weak.”

Clinton said he always had the same answer: “I have one question? can I kill them tomorrow? and if the answer was yes, then I’d say, ‘Then we’re not weak because if we kill them today I can’t bring them back tomorrow.’ I regret I didn’t do more of it.”

Clinton reflected on the stresses that accompany the leader of the free world, but said the job was worth it.

“It’s a good thing we have a two term limit,” Clinton said. “I’d have made them vote me out or take me out in a pine box.”

The 42nd president shared his list of who his all-time list of ideal golf partners would be.

“I would like to play golf with Harry Vardon and Bobby Jones … and probably Byron Nelson,” Clinton said. “I’d like to see what it was about the way his body worked and his mind worked that allowed him to win all those tournaments in a row. “

One topic Feherty didn’t touch on was scandals.

“I’m sure I’ll take some heat for that,” he said. “I just don’t care. I’m not interested.”

International

Velasco’s 8-under 64 leads at Madeira Islands Open

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands (AP) — Alvaro Velasco of Spain shot an 8-under 64 Thursday to lead after the opening round of the Madeira Islands Open. Oliver Wilson of England had six birdies in a 66, joining five others behind Velasco.

Velasco’s 64 included nine birdies — four straight from the ninth hole — and one bogey. He had the fewest putts (25) on the mountainous Santo da Serra course.

“I played very consistent all day long and gave myself a lot of birdie chances,” Velasco said. “It’s been a long time since I played this well. I didn’t realize I had four birdies in a row as I was just so focused.”

Also at 6 under were Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Parker, Morten Orum Madsen, Magnus Carlsson and Joakim Largergren.

Golf Capsules: Poulter, Laird tied at Players Championship

Woods says he’s finally healthy for this year’s Players Championship

A perfect storm of personal problems, swing changes and injuries has knocked Tiger Woods out of the top of the World Golf Rankings and off the leaderboards of most significant events since he won the 2008 U.S. Open.

Especially the injuries.

Indeed, Woods believes the progress he’s been trying to make with current swing coach Sean Foley would have been faster had it not been for a series of ailments, two which forced him to withdraw from The Players Championship in each of the last two years.

“I’ve been hurt a majority of the time, so I haven’t been able to put in the time … it takes time,” Woods said Tuesday during a news conference at the TPC Sawgrass Media Center. “It takes a lot of reps.”

Whether one believes that Woods needed to change swing coaches twice since his prime years of 1999-2002 (when he won 28 times and half of his 14 major championships), it should be obvious that being unable to practice hampers progress in a game that requires repetitive training and muscle memory.

He said that’s not currently the case and enters the week with no physical problems.

“It’s nice to be actually healthy again and to do all my training and everything I need to do to get ready to play,” said the 2001 Players champion. “That’s something I could not do at the time (of the Players in 2010 and 2011).”

However, there’s always the chance that Woods could tweak something, and his body has not been kind to him since July of 2007, when he ruptured the ACL in his left knee while jogging on a golf course.

He disdained surgery then and went on to win five of his last six starts, including the PGA Championship.

But since the end of the 2007 season, Woods has had three surgeries, has missed four major championship starts, has either missed or withdrawn from The Players three times, has won only one major (the 2008 U.S. Open, which he played with two stress fractures of his left tibia).

In fairness, Woods has still found a way to win 11 times and capture the 2009 FedEx Cup championship. for most other players, that would be a nice career.

For Woods, who has 72 victories and remains stuck four majors short of Jack Nicklaus’ record, it’s frustrating.

Woods has injured his left knee and left Achilles tendon multiple times. he also has injured his right Achilles tendon, his right ankle and his neck.

Woods and his camp aren’t always forthcoming about the nature or scope of his injuries, and the PGA Tour does not have an injury reporting policy, leaving it up to the individual player.

Hank Haney, Woods’ former swing coach, has written in his recent book that Woods was injured twice while undergoing rigorous training, such as Olympic-style weightlifting and working out with Navy Seals.

Woods refuses to address any of Haney’s assertions.

But answer could be less dramatic: Woods has played a lot of golf since he was a toddler, and his swing, according to golf instructors and doctors, makes him vulnerable to exactly the type of injuries he has suffered.

Jacksonville University golf coach Mike Blackburn, who has has taught pros such as 10-time PGA Tour winner mark McCumber, said everything involving equipment — balls, shafts, clubheads — is geared towards enabling players to swing harder.

“In the old days, with persimmon clubs, steel shafts and balata balls, if you swung as hard as you could and mis-hit it, the ball would leave the golf course,” Blackburn said. “But with graphite shafts, the big clubheads and the modern ball, there’s no question guys can hit it harder without the fear of missing the golf course.”

Kevin Murphy, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Heekin Orthopedic Specialists, said the result is an incredible amount of torque placed on the left knee, ankle and Achilles tendon for right-handed golfers.

“You had that adage in the old days that you shouldn’t swing the driver hard, so you could keep it in the fairway,” Murphy said. “But the younger golfers have been able to swing close to 100 percent and the ball still goes straight. When you do that, you put a lot of pressure on the knee, your ankle rolls over and you’re at risk for Achilles injuries. There are a lot of swing practices, such as Stack and Tilt, which have the potential to cause injury.”

Sounds like most of Woods’ medical history — and he admits that in retrospect, he might have changed his swing or practice regimen.

“I think I would have swung differently, absolutely,” Woods said. “If I would have known that in order to prolong my knee where it felt great every day, then I wouldn’t have swung the club the way I did for a number of years.”

But would Woods have been the same player who won 14 majors in 11 years?

“There are things he could have done to alleviate the stress put on his knee,” Murphy said. “There’s always a risk. but guys can avoid unloading all the stress on that front knee.”

Murphy said that knee injuries may even become the most prevelent golf-related injury in the 21st century.

“Before, it was backs, wrists, shoulders … areas like that,” he said. “But guys are more athletic, with a stronger core, and that can limit back injuries. The tradeoff is the stress being put on the knee.”

Blackburn said it’s almost painful for an old-school player such as himself to watch.

“There’s a lot more effort all the way through the body and that left knee posts up and snaps when they hit that hard,” he said.

At this stage in Woods’ career (he’s is in his 17th professional season and will be 37 in December) it may be pure chance as to whether he can stay relatively injury-free enough to finish his quest at Nicklaus’ record. and he had to withdraw from a tournament as recently as March, when soreness in his left Achilles tendon prompted him to withdraw from the World Golf Championship in Doral during the final round.

Woods will always say he hopes for the best: starting with this week.

“It’s great to be back,” he said of a tournament where he’s had only one top-10 finish in nine starts since he won. “You can’t fake it on this golf course.”

Especially when something hurts.

Woods says he’s finally healthy for this year’s Players Championship

Poulter, Laird tied at Players Championship

Ian Poulter is enjoying his new digs _ his newly built home and his spot atop the leaderboard Thursday in the Players Championship.

Poulter, finally finished with a house at Lake Nona that took nearly three years to build, ran off four birdies around the turn and birdied all the par 5s at TPC Sawgrass for a 7-under 65 and a share of the lead with Martin Laird.

Laird, playing in tougher conditions in the afternoon, was the only player without a bogey in the opening round. he made birdie on his final hole to catch Poulter, although his focus was more on his scorecard than the leaderboard.

“I knew I hadn’t made a 5 all day, and that was kind of a little goal I had,” said Laird, who finished on the par-5 ninth. “Nothing to do with getting to 7 under. It was, `I don’t want to make a 5 all day.’”

Poulter finally had his mind at ease after getting moved into his new home, which left him little time to practice. If nothing else, it was good to think only about golf.

“It’s no surprise to me to be fresh in the mind this week, to know that I’m finally in the house and I’m relaxed and the family is happy, and all of the hassle and stress is over and I can just go out and play golf,” he said. “And I have felt relaxed this week.”

That’s not easy to do at Sawgrass _ Tiger Woods can certainly attest to that _ yet it helped Poulter that he had nine straight one-putt greens, a streak that ended with a long two-putt for par on the 18th.

They were a shot ahead of Blake Adams, with Ben Crane and Kevin Na another shot behind. the 11 players at 68 included Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Ben Curtis and FedEx champion bill Haas. There were 27 players who shot in the 60s, and more than half the field broke par.

Woods was not among them. not even close.

He opened with a bogey and was never under par in a round of 74. Coming off a rare missed cut at Quail Hollow, Woods was in jeopardy of missing consecutive cuts for the first time in his career, and leaving before the Players Championship was over for the third straight year.

“I just didn’t score,” Woods said. “It was frustrating in the sense that my good shots ended up in bad spots, and obviously, my bad shots ended up in worse spots.”

The conditions were ideal for scoring for those hitting it where they were aiming, and making their share of putts.

Adams ran off five straight birdies early in his round and kept the mistakes to a minimum. Na shot 30 on the back nine.

Sawgrass, though, punishes even the slightest mistakes.

Rory McIlroy, the world no. 1, was 2 under for his round until coming up just short of the island-green 17th and making double bogey. he wound up with a 72, while Phil Mickelson had a 71 in his first round after being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Lee Westwood had a 71, irritated only because of seven birdies on his card.

Poulter’s new home looks more like a hotel, and it took about as long to build. It became such a headache for him that when asked to go over the problems he had with contractors, Poulter looked at his watch and said, “How long you got?”

“I could write a book,” he said.

With that out of the way, his mind was free for golf, on a course that seems to suit him well. he was runner-up three years ago, four shots behind Henrik Stenson. but Poulter found the right recipe on a sunny, warm day at Sawgrass. his birdie putts on the par 5s were all within about 5 feet. when he started missing greens on the back nine, he chipped close for par.

He hit 9-iron to a front pin on the island-green 17th to about 10 feet for birdie, then made it through the 18th without drama.

“I played really solid today and holed the right putts at the right times,” Poulter said. “I feel like I’m back to normal, and I feel like I’m out there playing the golf I feel I should be playing.”

Adams is playing this event for only the second time _ he missed the cut last year with rounds of 72-76 _ and hasn’t been getting much out of his game this year. he told his caddie and coach that it was time to stop trying to hit the perfect shots and enjoy himself, and a 66 left him thrilled.

“I was just trying to make every putt,” he said of his run of birdies.

Sawgrass took its share of victims, as usual.

The star group of the morning was Woods, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, the only player with two wins this year. none of them were particularly impressive. Fowler, the winner Sunday at Quail Hollow, failed to save par when missing greens that killed his momentum and shot 72, while Mahan hit two shots into the water on his way to a 74.

Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera played a solid round, if only golf were a 16-hole round. he went over the 11th green and into the water, leading to a double bogey. and then he reached the island-green 17th, which proved to his undoing. his first shot went into the water. Cabrera went to the drop area and saw two more balls sink to the bottom of the pond for a 9. he played those who holes in 8 over and shot 78.

Sunghoon Kang made a quadruple-bogey 8 on the opening hole and still played the front nine in even par. he made 3 on his next three holes _ eagle, par, birdie. trouble was, he finished with four straight 5s for a 75.

Na opened with a 30 on the back nine was feeling good until his ball got stuck in a tree and never came down on the first hole, leading to a double bogey.

“I made the turn at 30 and I’m thinking, `A few more on this side to have a chance for a course record. I don’t know what the course record is _ 63?” he said. “I figured if I got two or three more … it was very doable. but right off the bat, I made double, so that was a pipe dream.”

It’s dangerous to look ahead on this golf course. Poulter was tempted _ not so much for the crystal trophy, but what he could do with the $1.71 million winner’s check.

A new house, perhaps?

“I’ll buy another car, for sure,” he said. “Ferrari Enzo. been looking for one of them for a while.”

Poulter, Laird tied at Players Championship

Fred Klauk prepares Sawgrass for The Players Championship

Fred Klauk will wrap up a 23-year stint as the Golf course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Class a superintendent at TPC Sawgrass by prepping for the Players Championship one last time, May 8-11 on the Players Stadium course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

The 32-year GCSAA member announced his retirement last fall and will take on responsibilities as a project manager for the PGA Tour, consulting with his successor, Tom Vlach (pronounced vlack) on the 2009 and 2010 Players Championships, and assisting with the renovations planned for TPC Sawgrass’ Valley course. Vlach, a GCSAA certified golf course superintendent, comes to TPC Sawgrass from Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. He previously worked at TPC Sawgrass as Klauk’s assistant.

“We congratulate Fred on an outstanding career,” said GCSAA President David S. Downing II, CGCS. “He has been integral to the success of TPC Sawgrass and the Players Championship. the respect he has from his peers, the administration and Tour professionals is a testament to his character and skills.”

“Fred’s numerous contributions to the Tour during his 25 years of dedicated service (at TPC properties) will be dearly missed,” said David Pillsbury, president of PGA Tour Golf course Properties, and member of the board of trustees and advisory council for GCSAA’s philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf. “Fred leaves an extraordinary legacy of superb golf course maintenance and tournament agronomy excellence. we wish him the very best as he begins this next chapter in his life, and we are pleased that he will remain a valued and integral part of the PGA Tour family.”

In a Florida Times-Union column last week by Garry Smits, Klauk said that the setup for the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course will have more teeth in it for the 2008 tournament. Although the rough will be nowhere near the 4-to-6 inches it was when the course was overseeded for a March playing date prior to 2007, it will be a bit deeper than the two-inch bermudagrass that was grown for the first May Players.

“We didn’t want the course, with all the changes, to go over the edge,” Klauk said. “But we feel confident that we can challenge them a little more this year.”

“I am personally indebted to Fred for his outstanding leadership, willingness to help and consistently positive attitude,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, GCSAA’s 2001 Old Tom Morris Award winner. “Fred’s contributions to the elevation of the Players Championship have had and will continue to have a dramatic and lasting effect.”

An accomplished golfer and former club champion, Klauk is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Among the numerous awards he has received over the years, Klauk earned Golfweek’s 2000 Golf Father-of-the-Year award, having passed his love for golf down to his three sons, all of whom are excellent players. his son, Jeff is a player on the Nationwide Tour and is currently ninth on the money list; son John, a former NCAA All American golfer at Texas, works for Merrill-Lynch in Los Angeles; and son Jason works as an investment banker for FBR in Washington, D.C.

Klauk looks forward to trading in his signature straw hat for a fishing cap and to traveling with Peggy, his wife of 34 years.

“I’d like to caddy for my son, Jeff, on the Nationwide Tour a little this summer and maybe do some other things I haven’t had the opportunity to do all these years,” said Klauk.

For more on Klauk passing the torch to Vlach, read “Players dances to swan song” published in the May 2008 edition of GCSAA’s monthly magazine, GCM.

Built in 1982 on a marshland, TPC Sawgrass is a unique golf course in both design and philosophy. Klauk played an integral role in the $60 million renovation following the 2006 Players Championship. it is a fully-certified golf course in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. Klauk is a 2007 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards chapter resort winner.

GCSAA is a leading golf organization and has as its focus golf course management. since 1926, GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to more than 21,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. the association’s philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf, works to strengthen the compatibility of golf with the natural environment through research grants, support for education programs and outreach efforts. Visit GCSAA at gcsaa.org.

For more information contact:Fred Klauk, GCSAA Class a superintendent, TPC Sawgrass, at 904-273-3246Bill Newton, GCSAA media relations manager, at 800-472-7878, ext. 3688 (mobile: 785-550-3938)

Fred Klauk prepares Sawgrass for The Players Championship

Golf-Woods Returns to Course

Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf at this week’s Players Championship after hardly striking a ball since suffering a knee injury at last month’s Masters.  

The American former world number one, without a tournament win in 18 months, is even listed by bookmakers as the favourite to win the tournament considered the “fifth major” by players.

Woods played TaylorMade R9 SuperMax Fairway Wood at the TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday, which marked the first time he has been out on a course since he finished tied for fourth at the year’s first major.

He suffered strains to his left knee and left Achilles’ tendon while hitting an awkward shot from pine straw to the left of the 17th fairway at Augusta National during the third round of the Masters.

It didn’t feel good on Sunday. That was tough. he played TaylorMade R9 SuperMax Fairway Wood, but it was one of those things. “I was in the midst of playing and competing and had to power through it, so I did,” Woods told reporters on Tuesday. “I was able to shut it down for a little bit and able to take care of it.”

Woods put himself in position to claim a fifth green jacket with that final round performance but had to miss his scheduled appearance at last week’s Quail Hollow tournament due to injury problems he says surfaced at the Masters.( TaylorMade R9 SuperMax Fairway Wood)

Woods, who has been taking anti-inflammatory medicine and receiving soft-tissue massage, said he did not start hitting balls until Monday.

The injury has clearly been a frustration for a 14-times major winner who had finally started to show glimpses of his winning form at Augusta.

“That’s the way it goes. I have a slight injury and you’ve just got to take some time off, listen to the (doctors) and do the proper rehab,” he said.

Woods has not won since his victory at the Australian Masters in 2009, a drought that is unprecedented in his career, although he said his struggles around 1998, when he won by TaylorMade R9 SuperMax Fairway Wood just once in 18 months, have helped him handle the winless streak.

“If I hadn’t gone through it before, I probably wouldn’t have handled it like this,” said Woods.

“That period was brutal because I had never gone through a stretch like that. if I had never gone through that, this period would have been just as brutal.”

Golf-Woods Returns to Course

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