Posted onMay 14, 2012bymattd|Comments Off on Kuchar Holds Nerve To Win The Players Championship
Matt Kuchar kept his cool to win by 2 shots at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
The American, who teed off in the final round one shot behind leader Kevin Na, overcame an uncertain start and a nervy 3-putt on the 17th to fire a two-under par 70 and claim golf’s biggest prize – a cool $1.71m – with a winning total of 13-under 275.
Rickie Fowler was looking good until finding a bad lie on the front nine and carding a double bogey, followed by another bogey but fought back well and if he and Martin Laird could’ve holed 5 footers on the last hole it might have put Kuchar under a bit of pressure. But it wasn’t to be.
A well deserved victory for one of golf’s consistent players and a guy who is always smiling, which is great to see.
Luke Donald carded a final round 66 to finish on nine under and just failed to regain that ever changing No.1 spot from McIlroy.
Comments Off on Kuchar Holds Nerve To Win The Players Championship
Posted onOctober 3, 2011bymattd|Comments Off on Kevin Na Wins First PGA Tour Title
The 28-year-old South Korean Kevin Na closed with a 6-under 65 for a tournament winning-record 23-under 261 total at TPC Summlerin in the Fall Series opener. Watney, a two-time winner this year, shot a 67.
Na tied for the lead with Watney entering the round, Na sealed the breakthrough victory with a 42-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th. Na and Watney both parred the par-4 18th. Na was overjoyed with his victory.
“I’m just very excited about my first win,” said Na, who starting playing golf a year after his family moved to the U.S.A from South Korea when he was 8. “It wasn’t easy. Nick was coming right behind me. It looked like any time he was going to make a move, and I tried the best that I could to stay one step ahead of him. I think the putt on 17 basically sealed the deal for me.”
The winner had five birdies and a bogey on the front nine to reach 21 under. He parred the first four holes on the back nine, then dropped a stroke on the par-3 14th to fall into a tie with Nick Watney.
Kevin pulled ahead with his great birdie on the par-4 15th and both players birdied the easy par-5 16th.
“Fifteen was definitely disappointing to not make birdie,” Watney said. “I would love to have that bunker shot back. … Sixteen, I played very nice. Seventeen, I hit a good shot then he made a 40-footer. That kind of stuff happens when you win. It’s tough to beat. “One thing I relearned this week was how serious I was taking it, how badly I wanted to play well the last couple of months. That doesn’t always translate into good golf, so this week I came here with no expectations. I took it very easy and played pretty nice.”
Paul Goydos and Tommy Gainey had 68s to tie for third place at 18 under, and David Hearn (65), Carl Pettersson (68), Jhonattan Vegas (68), Tim Herron (69) and Spencer Levin (68) followed at 17 under.
Na and Watney broke the record by two strokes in the event that switched from 90 to 72 holes in 2004.
“This golf course you have to get off to a good start,” said Na, who earned $792,000. “The reason why is because like all the guys out here say, ‘You have to go low, and if you’re not making birdies, somebody else is.’ So, if you’re even par through six you feel like you’re two shots behind everybody, and it puts more pressure into your back nine.
Comments Off on Kevin Na Wins First PGA Tour Title
Posted onApril 15, 2011bymattd|Comments Off on And You Thought McIlroy’s Meltdown Was Bad…
Every now and again, a golfer usually at the top of his game will have a meltdown.
A nightmare.
Will take a position where it seems hard to lose, and somehow make it happen.
Snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Rory McIlroy, at just 21 years old, was the latest player to endure this indignity, having built his way up the leaderboard and stayed there for three days, two disastrous holes in his final round cost him dearly.
Some players are actually defined by these moments, one of the best examples of this is Jean Van De Velde playing at the 1999 Open Championships at Carnoustie.
Van de Velde was the clear leader playing the closing holes, and arrived at the 18th tee needing only a double-bogey six to win this historic tournament, and become the first Frenchman for over 90 years to do so.
Despite a three-shot lead, and having birdied the same hole twice already in previous rounds, Van de Velde drove to the right and only just avoided the water. Van de Velde decided to go for the green with his second shot – a decision that everybody except for him thought was suicidal – particularly given that he could afford to lay-up. His shot went right again, smashed into the grandstand next to the green, hit a rock, and then flew backwards into knee deep rough.
On his third shot, Van de Velde’s club got tangled in the rough on his downswing, and his ball flew into the Barry Burn. In purely farcical circumstances, he then removed his shoes and socks and waded through the water – seemingly considering trying to actually hit the ball out of the water.
Thankfully he decided to take a drop, but then played his next shot into a bunker! He got out of the bunker successfully and holed a tricky six-foot putt for a triple-bogey seven, dropping him into a three-way playoff with Justin Leonard and Paul Lawrie, which Lawrie won – virtually to his disbelief.
Anyway as it’s Friday it seems wrong to show you the video of Van De Veld, it’s incredibly painful to watch, although if you want to have a peek through your fingers, it’s here.
Instead, here’s a video of a player called Kevin Na, who had the misfortune this week to take a 16 in a tournament in Valero, Texas. Enjoy!
Comments Off on And You Thought McIlroy’s Meltdown Was Bad…
