WGT Golf News : golf

Free TruGolf Weekend on WGT

WGTwildcat — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

As a thank you to all our players, we're waiving the greens fees on TruGolf courses this Saturday and Sunday.

If you've never played Cabo Del Sol or Chateau Whistler, this is a great chance to play them for free, with lots of birdie and eagle opportunities, plus beautiful ocean and mountain views. Enjoy while you're watching the pros play at TPC Sawgrass over the weekend.

Play WGT

Note: Cabo Del Sol or Chateau Whistler are developed by WGT partner TruGolf, and regularly require greens fees to play, 60 WGT Credits for 18-hole stroke play and 40 WGT Credits for 9-hole stroke play, and always free for 9-hole closest-to-the-hole games.

*Special offer this weekend only, 5/11/13-5/12/13 for all WGT players. Play Cabo Del Sol and Chateau Whistler virtual golf courses on WGT without the 40 or 60 WGT Credit greens fee.

Talking The Talk On The LPGA

WGTwildcat — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:49:00 GMT

By Mike Purkey for GlobalGolfPost

It’s great and everything that Stacy Lewis is the first American woman in 18 years to win the Rolex Player of the Year award on the LPGA Tour. But the most groundbreaking, wide-ranging, hand-clapping event to happen to the LPGA in years took place in a minute or less on Golf Channel during the telecast of the CME Group Titleholders last Thursday.

In that segment, So Yeon Ryu and Sun Young Yoo (yes, as a matter of fact, I did have to go look up their names) talked – in remarkable English – about the differences in their names, their games and their personalities. I found out more about two prominent Korean players on the LPGA Tour in 30 seconds than I knew in the past five years.

In case you were wondering, So Yeon Ryu is this year’s Rookie of the Year even though she won the U.S. Women’s Open last year. And Sun Young Yoo won the Kraft Nabisco, the first of the women’s major championships, earlier this year. Yeon and Young sound alike, while Yoo and Ryu are pronounced the same way. And on Golf Channel, the players had fun telling us about the differences and similarities.

Whoever thought of this should get an expensive bottle of wine, a steak dinner and next weekend off. And they should be asked to do it again – and again. We’ve been waiting a long time for someone to tell us more about the young (or is it Yeon?) women on the LPGA Tour who come from Korea.

Everyone knows about the language barrier. Until now, the Korean women have been reticent to learn English. Carolyn Bivens, the previous LPGA commissioner, was right even though her bedside manner was wrong when she said that the Koreans needed to make an effort to bridge the gap.

Yani Tseng, the current No. 1 on the Rolex World Ranking, comes from Taiwan and knew little or no English when she first appeared on the LPGA Tour. But she has worked tirelessly on her second language and is wonderful in interviews both on television and in print. She proved it could be done.

Now, if this Golf Channel segment is any indication, more progress is being made. The Koreans aren’t the only foreign-born players on the LPGA Tour. The continental Europeans – Suzann Pet-tersen, Sandra Gal and Azahara Muñoz, for instance, were taught English in school and their command of the language is practically flawless.

But it’s apparently much more difficult for the Koreans because the languages are so different and they don’t get any training in school. Yet, that’s not an excuse. Like it or not, the LPGA Tour is based in the U.S. and most all the pro-am participants speak English, so the Koreans owe it to the Tour to at least make an effort to make a contribution off the course by learning the language.

It’s no accident the LPGA uses its most prominent American players in its television advertising campaign. Like it or not, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel, Michelle Wie, and Brittany Lincicome, among others, are the faces of the Tour. And, along with Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson, the Tour needs marquee Americans to win more often to drum up more interest for women’s golf in this country.

Which is why Lewis’ four victories and 16 top-10 finishes this year was such a boost to the game. Not since Beth Daniel in 1994 has an American been Player of the Year. Granted, in between we’ve had Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Tseng, with Laura Davies and Karrie Webb sprinkled in, who dominated the Tour during those years.

This is not to imply that Lewis is the next dominant player. But she is wonderful for the women’s game. Her story is inspiring: She had scoliosis as a child and spent seven years, 18 hours a day in a body brace before she had spinal fusion surgery at age 18, with the possibility that she might never play golf again.

Remarkably, she has five wins on Tour, including last year’s Kraft Nabisco. She is the top-ranked American player at No. 2. However, the LPGA Tour is full of talented players and the pool is deep with women from all over the world.

Inbee Park leads the money list, Pettersen won in back-to-back weeks in Asia, Jiyai Shin is back to good form, Kerr got back into the winner’s circle and Tseng is working her way out of a slump.

But that alone doesn’t solve the problems of the LPGA Tour. It still needs more events, particularly in the U.S., and in an uncertain economy, title sponsors in this country are harder and harder to come by.

The product, however, is in its best shape in years, thanks to the quality of players on the course and off. If the players keep finding ways to be embraced by fans and sponsors alike, the women’s game can, in turn, find ways to grow.

Success, which comes through winning by everyone involved, is easily translated into any language.

PHOTO: Getty Images

In Defense Of Guan Tianlang

WGTwildcat — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:24:00 GMT

By Brian Hewitt for GlobalGolfPost

A cooler head prevailed last week at the Magic Kingdom. And it had nothing to do with the outcome of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic or the final disposition of the PGA Tour money list.

This tempest in a tea kettle was all about a bunch of Mickey Mouse blowback from grownups because a 14-year-old Chinese boy had earned a spot in the 2013 Masters a week earlier.

When Guan Tianlang hung on to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur it was a cause for celebration in his homeland of China.

It was also apparently a cause for raised eyebrows, second-guessing and outright sniping thousands of miles away in the U.S., where more than one PGA Tour player questioned the legitimacy of Guan’s achievement.

Former PGA champion Steve Elkington wondered on Twitter why The Masters had approved a policy that allowed for a 14-year-old to play at Augusta.

Tommy Gainey, who won the McGladrey Classic last month but didn't receive a Masters invite because The Masters doesn’t recognize Fall Series winners, also spoke out.

“I feel like I deserve the opportunity as well,” Gainey said at Disney. “And him being 14, he’s young enough. He’s got plenty of time. But I’m 37.”

Never mind that few complained when accomplished Japanese amateur Hideki Matsuyama gained entry to The Masters by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2010 and 2011. Matsuyama made the cut at Augusta both years and was low amateur in 2011.

Never mind that Guan conquered a 2012 Asia-Pacific field that included Matsuyama.

And never mind that Guan wasn’t at Disney to defend himself.

That left it to Trevor Immelman, a former Masters champion and one of the coolest heads in all of golf, to make the teenager’s case.

And he did so clearheadedly.

“The Augusta National golf course and The Masters committee is always going to uphold the amateur game,” Immelman said Thursday at Disney. “They feel like it’s up to them, with the fame that they have and the notoriety they have, to try and do their part to grow the game.

“And they felt the best thing to do was to grow the game through the amateur ranks in Asia. So, I have absolutely no problem with this.”

Nevertheless, critics were clucking their tongues and insisting that Guan’s 250-yard drives won’t be nearly enough for the big ballpark that Augusta National has become at 7,435 yards.

To which Immelman shook his head.

“I played with Gary Player there once when he was 72 years old and we calculated that he couldn’t reach 11 of the par 4s,” Immelman said. “And he still shot 78 that day. I’m not worried about how this kid does.

“At the end of the day the rules were made. He won the tournament that gets him in. So for us to argue over whether he should be there or not is really irrelevant.”

Immelman, who will turn 32 next month, has battled injuries without complaint for several years. He arrived at Disney No. 126 on the money list and quietly reminded questioner after questioner that he was not on a top 125 bubble. His exemption from winning the 2008 Masters extends through 2013.

On Thursday, he found himself grinding over a five-footer on the final hole at the Magnolia Course. He made the putt, signed for 80 and politely shook the hands of his amateur playing partners.

Asked outside the scorer’s trailer to talk about Guan he was both patient and measured despite having just signed for an 8-over-par score.

Immelman was 19 at his first Masters and he, too, had qualified as an amateur by winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links.

“I think it’s a very good thing,” Immelman said. “At the end of the day the spirit of the tournament was really founded by Bob Jones, the greatest amateur of all time and maybe one of the greatest players of all time.”

Asked what advice he would offer Guan, if asked, Immelman said, “Playing The Masters is the most nervous a professional will be. So, he’ll definitely be nervous. But everybody will be.

“I think the media now is probably a little more intense now. And he will have a billion people from his own country following his progress. But he really has nothing to lose.

“He should just try to have fun. He’s only 14. It’s hard to say it will be the greatest experience of his life because he hasn’t been around that long. It’s going to be a lot for him, but he’ll be working hard between now and then and I think he’ll be ready to go.”

For years, the Lords of The Masters have been criticized on all sorts of issues. On occasion, they have deserved the criticism.

Allowing a 14-year-old Chinese youth to play in the 2013 Masters is not one of those occasions.

The Masters has made a clear and concerted effort at reaching out globally to grow the game. For this they should be commended.

And for his strong and eloquent support of Guan Tianlang, Trevor Immelman should be commended, too.

PHOTO: Associated Press

Rory Be Wary

WGTwildcat — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:53:00 GMT

By Mike Purkey for GlobalGolfPost

So, fellow travelers, what to make of this little bromance between Tiger and Rory, them suddenly looking like best buds and all?

Every time you look up lately, they are strolling down some fairway, side by side, smiling and chatting like they’re fraternity brothers. They’ve played together a handful of times late into this season, the last being this one-day exhibition in China in which each was paid a small boatload of money to turn up.

What do you suppose they talk about? Do they dissect the Celtic-Rangers football match? Or whether Ray Allen will get the Heat another NBA title? Did Tiger give Rory the name of his real estate agent and housekeeper? Well, maybe not the housekeeper. Did Tiger invite Rory over to throw something on the grill and play X-Box deep into the night?

Do you think they discuss what it’s like to have a famous girlfriend except in a good way?

If this is the new Tiger, we can’t be sure how to figure this one out. The old Tiger would have never given McIlroy the time of day, much less engage in some harmless convo during a competitive round of golf. Woods would have stared a hole through Rory the size of a cannonball and would have no other thoughts than to beat the living daylights out of his biggest challenger.

McIlroy is No. 1 in the world and Woods is No. 2. That in itself would normally have been enough for Tiger to keep Rory at arm’s length while he goes about the business of regaining the top ranking.

Woods certainly didn’t treat any other of his closest rivals, if you could call them actual rivals, anything like civil. He didn’t have any use for Phil Mickelson, not even for a minute, and when they played together, the only contact they had was a handshake and a nod on the first tee and the 18th green. In between, nothing, absolutely nothing.

The reason Tiger and Phil didn’t win either of their Ryder Cup matches together in 2004 was because both of them had contracted frostbite from the Arctic iceberg between them that prevented them from speaking a word to one another. Go get ’em, pards.

But now, they are Ping-Pong partners in the Ryder Cup team room and, according to Phil, are a dominant force. If Mickelson finds out that you play Pong, he’ll buy a table, set it up and bet you $100 he can kick your ass. Maybe he ought to try that in golf. Just saying.

Where were we? Oh, yes, is it possible that Tiger has turned into a docile house cat at age 37? Has the world’s greatest competitor decided he has nothing to prove? In the beginning of Jack Nicklaus’ career and for years thereafter, he was Arnold Palmer’s bitter rival. But when Arnie and Jack were no longer trying to beat each other’s brains out, they became friends, and now no one is closer than these two of the game’s most prominent citizens.

Or is Tiger a little more content to sit back and count his considerable coin and enjoy the good life that 14 majors bring?

Tiger has all the money that he will ever need and McIlroy is getting there. At the China exhibition, it was reported that Tiger received $2 million and McIlroy half that. Pretty good payday all around but it still demonstrates that Tiger still not only moves the needle but he is the needle.

Now, we see that Rory and Tiger are going to be teammates of sorts, as McIlroy is about to sign a big, long-term deal with Nike. Reported at $200 million – or more – for 10 years, McIlroy is about to rise near the top of off-course earnings among professional golfers. However, it’s not entirely certain what Woods is making but you can bet it’s more than that.

As the late, great Sen. Everett Dirksen used to like to say, “A billion here, a billion there and sooner or later, you’re talking about real money.”

And, it was reported that Woods and McIlroy have already shot their first Nike commercial together, engaging in some of what you call your light-hearted banter about the company’s new driver and what kind of insane distance they get from it.

It has been rightly pointed out that if McIlroy moves to Nike, he will get the equipment he needs to continue playing his best golf. There’s really nothing to worry about here. Nike has one of the best club designers in Tom Stites and golf ball builders in Rock Ishii. The company will make certain that it does whatever is necessary and go to whatever source is required to get something in McIlroy’s hands in which he has the utmost confidence.

So if golf’s new power couple shares a brand, do they share the same hunger to be the No. 1 player in the world? On the surface, Tiger and Rory look for all the world like best mates – but what’s underneath?

It is thought that Chinese general Sun-Tzu (The Art of War) once rightly said, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

PHOTO: Global Golf Post

New MAX Control Putters

WGTwildcat — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:38:00 GMT

Improve your putting with the newest addition to the MAX virtual golf equipment line, the MAX Control Putters.

These sleek new putters feature the maximum amount of control with more swing meter increments and greater precision, helping you make more putts, especially those 10 footers!

New MAX Control Putter for Amateur+ Players

New MAX Control Putter for Master+ Players

Available in the Pro Shop now.

Golf And Turkey: Who Knew?

WGTwildcat — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:18:00 GMT

Contributed by John Hopkins for GlobalGolfPost

Merhaba. That’s what they say to one another by way of greeting in Turkey. Merhaba or hello.

The buzz word in golf at the moment is momentum. And momentum right now is with Turkey, where big tournaments, amateur and professional, have been staged for the past three weeks.

First came the Espirito Santo, the women’s world amateur team championship in Antalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. This was followed by the Eisenhower Trophy, the men’s equivalent at the same venue. Last week, it was the turn of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, an eight-man spectacular involving Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, among others, playing at a medal-matchplay format with a purse of $5.2 million and a first prize of $1.5 million. There were posters all around Antalya: “Masters meet in Turkey. Tiger v Rory.”

As if this wasn’t enough, midway through the matchplay event the European Tour and the Turkish Golf Federation announced that from November 7-10 next year the Turkish Open will take place at the Montgomerie course for a purse of $7m and a field of 78 players. Significantly, this event will be immediately before the season-ending Race to Dubai World Championship, which could be the start of an end of season series of events on the European Tour to rival the FedEx Cup in the US.

“For years the PGA Tour in the US has been drumming into us that we need new venues and new countries,” Chubby Chandler, the promoter of the matchplay event and the Turkish Open, said. “Now we are.”

What was it we knew Turkey for? Turkish baths, Turkish Delight (note: a sugar-coated jelly sweet), Turkish coffee, cold turkey, turkey shoot. Now, it’s golf in Turkey. They’re trying to make a country that has fewer than 6,000 golfers and not even 25 golf courses, a Turkish delight.

The reason for this is a forthcoming Olympics. Istanbul, Turkey’s second city, is bidding to be the host city for the 2020 Games. Madrid, one of the other candidates, is surely out of the race because of Spain’s well-documented financial woes. Tokyo has already held the summer games (and Sapporo in that country the winter games). This leaves Turkey and Istanbul in prime position, which is why Turkish Airlines put up perhaps $15 million to stage the World Golf Final and why Turkey is blowing its own trumpet so loudly at present.

“We believe our bid is strong because Turkey has become one of the strongest economies in the world in the past decade,” Suat Kilic, Minister for Youth and Sports, said. “More importantly, Turkey hosted a number of huge events in this time frame and, furthermore, it proved to the world what it is capable of as a country by way of making the best of these events.”

In Belek in Antalya there is a 15-mile strip of land adjoining the Mediterranean that has been turned into something of a golfers’ paradise, and attracts 135,000 golfers each year, mainly from Germany, the UK and Scandinavia.

“It’s the only compact golf venue in the world,” Ahmet Agaoglu, president of the Turkish Golf Federation, said. “There are 15 courses on a 15-mile coastline and 52 four-star hotels. Not bad, eh?” At that, Agaoglu, who has the slight build and flat stomach of a former 800m runner (“my best time was 2.04. Even the turtles can go faster than that nowadays.”) gave a satisfied smile.

David Jones, the former European Tour player, has had a hand in the design of many of the courses on this stretch of golfing territory.

“You used to be able to fly to Antalya, drive down to Belek and go along the road and to the right there was nothing, not even a rusty old shed,” Jones said. “Now, you need only a wedge to hit a ball from Tat to Novila, a distance of 15 miles, and only in one place, from the Montgomerie course to the Gloria course, would you need any club longer than a wedge.

“Of the 14 courses, eight are Tour standard,” he added. “You’d have to go a long way to find so many good courses in such a small space of land.”

For pure golf, the only areas that match it are those in the Sand Belt in Melbourne, Australia, the Lancashire coast in England, and the west coast in Scotland.

For all this enthusiasm for golf though, the past few weeks in Turkey haven’t gone as well as the enthusiastic (sometimes over-enthusiastic) members of the host nation would have wished. There have been the continuing rumbles of trouble with Syria, 500 miles away, and on Wednesday night a Syrian plane en route from Moscow to Damascus was forced down and detained at Ankara airport.

In an embarrassing incident, Agaoglu got involved in a scuffle with photographers. And then it rained very heavily and one day’s play in the matchplay event had to be abandoned barely one week after one day’s play had been wiped out in the Eisenhower Trophy.

Suddenly, the future of golf in Turkey did not seem quite so rosy as it had at the start of the week. As anyone who has overseen the growth of a child knows, the first steps are the most difficult.

Gule gule (good-bye).

PHOTO: Getty Images

Ryder Cup Team USA Finalized

WGTwildcat — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:39:00 GMT

Ryder Cup captain of Team USA, Davis Love III, announced his 4 captain’s picks today, including Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Steve Stricker, to finalize the American golfers playing in the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Left off the American Ryder Cup team were top players Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan and Nick Watney.

Below are the final 12 golfers on Team USA competing in the Ryder Cup 9/28 to 9/30 at Medinah Country Club in Chicago.

Ryder Cup Team USA

Keegan Bradley
Jason Dufner
Jim Furyk
Dustin Johnson
Zach Johnson
Matt Kuchar
Phil Mickelson
Webb Simpson
Brandt Snedeker
Steve Stricker
Bubba Watson
Tiger Woods

Team USA official site

Read more at WGT

Check out Team Europe’s Ryder Cup Picks

Ryder Cup 2012 Team USA Golf Players

WGTwildcat — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:28:00 GMT

The 2012 Ryder Cup features the world's best PGA and European Tour players in a head-to-head battle at Medinah Country Club in September.

The following professional golfers from America qualified on 8/12/12 to represent Team USA in the 2012 Ryder Cup...

POS	PLAYER	POINTS
1	Tiger Woods	6,014.184
2	Bubba Watson	5,815.054
3	Jason Dufner	5,697.302
4	Keegan Bradley	5,551.206
5	Webb Simpson	4,635.500
6	Zach Johnson	4,491.544
7	Matt Kuchar	4,448.942
8	Phil Mickelson	4,233.108

American golfers on the bubble who could be selected as the four potential coach's picks by Davis Love III include...

POS	PLAYER	POINTS
9	Hunter Mahan	4,082.228
10	Steve Stricker	4,015.069
11	Jim Furyk	3,369.616
12	Rickie Fowler	3,313.338
13	Brandt Snedeker	3,176.787
14	Bo Van Pelt	3,152.315
15	Dustin Johnson	3,040.020
16	Robert Garrigus	2,604.580
17	Bill Haas	2,546.017
18	Ben Curtis	2,457.284
19	Scott Piercy	2,416.346
20	Kyle Stanley	2,341.219

Other past Team USA Ryder Cup players include: David Toms, Nick Watney, Sean O'Hair, JB Holmes, Boo Weekley.

See more at official Team USA Ryder Cup website

Team Europe

Reflections from 2011 Virtual U.S. Open Champion: mrenn29

WGTwildcat — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 20:01:00 GMT

As last year's Virtual U.S. Open Champion, WGT golfer mrenn29 got to enjoy his Grand Prize trip a few weeks ago up to San Francisco to experience the 2012 U.S. Open Championship at The Olympic Club. His week included a round of golf with some WGT employees, a happy hour to meet a few more, and then attending the U.S. Open as a special guest of the USGA – to see all the professional action first-hand.

After returning home and getting some time to reflect on this awesome trip, mrenn29 had this to say...

First off, let me say thanks to WGT and the USGA for the opportunity to attend the U.S. Open at Olympic club this year. Definitely was a memory that will last a lifetime. The trip started off with a very nice gesture on WGT's part by taking us out for a round of golf at Claremont Country Club. Even though I didn't really play all that well (got a few meter glitches lol) it was a great time playing with a few of the guys at WGT on a very nice, private country club. Pete, Rich, thanks again, you guys went above and beyond for me and I thank you! After the round of golf we all went to an Irish Pub in San Francisco for some happy hour fun. Getting to meet the folks behind the scenes of WGT and discuss the game over a few beers was priceless. Everyone at WGT was very welcoming and I had a great time.

On to the Golf. First day we got to the course, we went straight to the grandstand and sat on hole 9. The amazing part of seeing the course live is that after playing WGT, you can really relate to how the course plays. Being from California, I know San Francisco can get pretty cold, however we were very fortunate to have perfect weather throughout the tourney until Sunday at about 2pm. After we watched some action on 9, we went up to the USGA hospitality tent. This was awesome due to the fact they had food and drinks with about 20 tv's covering the tournament while you were there. So I grabbed some food and headed outside the tent where there was a nice patio looking out to the practice facility. So it was great to be able to watch the pro's practice and have lunch without the crowd. Day 2 I wanted to go over to one of the more action packed holes so I decided to sit at 17. Sure enough Ernie Els goes right of the green about 20 yrds. He took his time on the chip up onto the green and drained the chip for eagle and the crowd including myself went crazy! After hole 17 we did a little walking around to various holes and see how the whole course.

I really couldn't take many photos because technically you were not supposed to have a phone or camera at all inside. Well, I snuck my phone in to take a couple photos of the course and where I was seated. The final day I wanted to watch everyone play the long par 3 #3 which played 247 on the final day. I watched 23 groups come though and only 3 players made a birdie. It was also hard to follow the ball due to the fog that had rolled in. Adam Scott hit the closest shot out of all the players there. Tiger ended up making a double bogey. The course seemed to play fair and rewarding to the right shots. I have included a picture of hole 18 from where I was seated. Overall this was a trip to remember!

Thanks again WGT and the USGA for putting this all together, the hospitality was outstanding!!

Hole 18 at The Olympic Club. Photo by: mrenn29

(Please visit the site to view this media)

mrenn29 making an eagle putt at Claremont Hole 18 (Editor's Note: he shot an 81 at a very tough course...he's very modest!)

Leishman Waits To Win Travelers

WGTwildcat — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:38:00 GMT

By GlobalGolfPost

Marc Leishman sat in the clubhouse for a couple of hours, wishing on the one hand, knowing on the other. He had, after all, shot 62 in the final round of the Travelers Championship and had the clubhouse lead a 14 under par. But he was certain that someone, anyone on the leaderboard would go at least one better before the day was out.

One by one, the contenders dropped from the leaderboard, and at the end of the day Leishman’s total was good enough for his first PGA Tour victory.

"I said to my caddie on the range this morning that we would probably have to get to 15 under to have a chance," Leishman said after the long wait. "When we finished at 14 (under), I was pretty confident it wouldn't be (enough). It's really a funny game."

Not so funny to Charlie Hoffman, who had gotten to 16 under with five holes to play and had a two-shot lead on Leishman, three ahead of assorted others. But Hoffman, who has one PGA Tour victory, hit his tee shot in the water at the par-4 17th and made double-bogey. And he followed that with a bogey at the home hole to fall back to 13 under, one back of Leishman.

Leishman, a 29-year-old Australian, finished 72 holes at 266 on the par-70 TPC River Highlands course just outside Hartford, Conn. Although the Travelers was Leishman's first PGA Tour victory, he is no stranger to winning. He has won four times worldwide, including three wins in Australia. And he has a victory on the Nationwide Tour.

But to win on the big Tour, it took a big day. Leishman began Sunday's final round tied for 20th at 6 under. He went out in 5-under 30, including four birdies in a five-hole stretch, beginning at the par-4 second.

He made back-to-back birdies at the par-5 13th and par-4 14th but didn't make birdie at the drivable par-4 15th. A birdie at the 17th capped off his 8-under round and started the long wait.

A number of players had chances to catch Leishman but all came up short. Former champion and Masters winner Bubba Watson finished one shot back but only made one birdie on the final nine, that at the reachable 13th.

Tim Clark was another shot back at 12 under but failed to birdie the 13th or the 15th and missed a short par putt at the 17th. And if Brian Davis had managed to make a couple of short putts that he missed coming home, he'd have his first PGA Tour victory. Instead, he made bogey at the par-5 13th and another at the 10th to finish two back of Leishman.

Webb Simpson's Weekend To Remember

WGTwildcat — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:52:00 GMT

By Brian Hewitt for GlobalGolfPost

Webb Simpson said he had "a peace all day" Sunday.

Now he owns a large piece of golf history.

By scorching a nails-tough Olympic Club layout with a pair of weekend 68s, the 26-year-old Wake Forest grad from Charlotte, N.C., won the 112th U.S. Open by a shot ahead of little-known American Michael Thompson and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion.

"One of my thoughts on the back nine," Simpson said, "was 'I don't know how Tiger's won 14 of these things.' "

But an important part of the "peace" he mentioned clearly came from swing work he had done after missing the cut at The Memorial in May, his last start. Then, last week, Simpson went on a buddy’s golf trip to Pinehurst to clear his mind in advance of the Open.

It all worked.

In the end, McDowell needed a 25-footer to force an 18-hole Monday playoff on the 72nd hole and missed it left. Third-round leader Jim Furyk, playing in the final pairing with McDowell, also arrived at the final hole needing a birdie to tie Simpson. He bunkered his second and made bogey to drop into a five-way tie for fourth with David Toms, Padraig Harrington, John Peterson and Jason Dufner.

"Nerve-wracking," said Simpson when asked what it was like watching McDowell and Furyk on their final hole.

Playing in his second U.S. Open, Simpson became the 15th different player to win in the past 15 majors.

Furyk held at least a share of the lead throughout the final round until he snap-hooked a drive on the par-5 16th and had to settle for a bogey that dropped him one behind the charging Simpson, whose four birdies in a five-hole stretch in the middle of his Sunday proved to be the difference.

"This course," Simpson said of Olympic, "is so hard."

The tipoff on how difficult Olympic was going to play last week came Thursday afternoon when the grouping of Luke Donald, defending champion Rory McIlroy, and Westwood combined to shoot 19-over par.

Donald, McIlroy and Westwood are the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 players in the world rankings, respectively. Neither Donald nor McIlroy survived the cut that came at 8 over par.

"There's an 80 lurking," said Masters champion Bubba Watson, who opened with a 78 and also missed the weekend.

The usual player carping was mostly muted. But there was enough to elicit a rare non-conciliatory response from USGA executive director Mike Davis.

"We made it very clear," Davis said in a moment of frustration. "Some don't like it, I guess they can tune out by this week or not file an entry if you're a player."

Earlier, Davis had described the purposed inconsistency of the lies in the rough as being a "little bit like an Easter egg contest."

Davis also went the extra mile during a post-round TV interview between Simpson and announcer Bob Costas. When an interloper attempted to run into NBC's shot, Davis grabbed him and yanked out of the camera's reach.

Later, McDowell said he enjoys tough tests. But, he added, "I'm not sure you can have your 'A' game on this course. It’s just impossible. It beats you up."

Tiger Woods looked for all the world like a winner the first two days and was tied with Furyk after 36 holes. Alas for him, his driver, iron game, and putter deserted him Saturday on the way to a 75. When he bogeyed the first two holes and doubled the third Sunday his bid to join Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Willie Anderson this year as the only men to have won four U.S. Opens died aborning.

Woods closed with a 73 and a 7-over total of 287. It was good for a tie for 21st.

Phil Mickelson celebrated his 42nd birthday Saturday and little else at the major championship he still hasn't won. His 72-hole total of 296 was a whopping 16-over par and left him tied for 65th.

The feel good story of the week was the performance of 17-year-old amateur American Beau Hossler. Just four shots back of the leaders after 54 holes, Hossler hung on with a Sunday 76 to gain second-low amateur honors. Jordan Spieth was low amateur.

In the end, there was the wait. "I did not want to play in a playoff for a lot of reasons," said Simpson, who watched in the locker room with his wife, Dowd, as the final drama unfolded.

All he really wanted to do this year, he said, was to continue to get better. "I don’t care if I make a million dollars as long as I keep getting better," he said.

Better, for now, for Webb Simpson, is best.

Photo: USGA

Johnson Walking Tall In Memphis

WGTwildcat — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:36:00 GMT

Contributed Content from GlobalGolfPost

While Dustin Johnson was gone, he certainly was not forgotten and he clearly remembered how to win. Johnson broke away from a tightly bunched pack with birdies late in the final round to win the FedEx St. Jude Classic on Sunday.

Johnson, 27, won his sixth PGA Tour event and has now won at least one tournament in each of the past five years. And he heads into this week’s U.S. Open running on a high in confidence and form. Johnson had missed 11 weeks on Tour because of a back injury and returned just two weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament.

Johnson shot a final-round 66 to finish 72 holes at 9-under 271 on the par-70 TPC Southwind. He wound up winning by one over John Merrick, but it was much closer than that in the early afternoon in Memphis.

Players were started early Sunday morning in threesomes, hoping to avoid a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms so the competitors could easily get out of town to travel to San Francisco today for the U.S. Open.

About midway through the back nine, 11 players were within one shot of the lead that was held at times by Johnson, Merrick, Rory McIlroy, Chad Campbell and Nick O’Hern.

But Johnson made birdies on the par-5 16th and the par-4 17th to take the lead for good. He safely found the fairway on the treacherous par-4 18th and two-putted from 30 feet to capture the win.

McIlroy, Campbell, O’Hern and Merrick all stood on the 18th tee needing a birdie to catch Johnson, and only Merrick was able to make as much as a par. McIlroy drove it in the water off the tee and made double-bogey, O’Hern drove in the water and saved bogey, while Campbell missed the the green with his second and couldn’t get up and down. Merrick drove in the right rough, couldn’t reach the green and saved par from the right of the green.

Merrick, who started the day in a three-way tie for the 54-hole lead with O’Hern and Davis Love III, shot 68 on Sunday to finish second, one behind Johnson at 8-under 272. It was by far Merrick’s best finish of the year. He had missed seven cuts in 15 events and his best finish was a T33 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Ryan Palmer shot a 4-under 66 on Sunday and tied for third at 7 under with Campbell, O’Hern and Love. Ken Duke tied for low round of the day with a 65 to post a tie for seventh with McIlroy, Seung-Yul Noh and Robert Allenby.

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PHOTO: Associated Press

Tiger Roars In Jack’s Den

WGTali — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:07:00 GMT

Contributed by Vartan Kupelian of GlobalGolfPost

Nothing gets Tiger Woods' adrenalin flowing or his golf game soaring like the thought of matching a Jack Nicklaus record.

Woods went one better Sunday. Not only did he move into a share of second place with Nicklaus on the all-time list of PGA Tour winners – with 73 – Woods did it in Nicklaus territory. He did it at Muirfield Village Golf Club on a course Jack built and at Jack's Memorial Tournament.

"It’s awfully special to have won and do it here," Woods said. "Just makes it that much more special."

It was the fifth victory for Woods at the Memorial Tournament. He birdied three of the last four holes – including an uncanny hole-out at the 16th hole – to chase down the faltering duo of Rory Sabbatini and Spencer Levin.

Woods shot a final-round 5-under-par 67 for a 279 total, 9-under par. Sabbatini shot 72 to tie Andres Romero (67) for second, two shots behind Woods. Levin shot 75 to tie for fourth at 283.

The victory enabled Woods to complete the Legends Slam this year. In March, Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for his first victory in 27 Tour events. It was the seventh time Woods won that event.

And now only Sam Snead, with 88 career victories, is ahead of Woods and Nicklaus.

Nicklaus called the hole-out at the 16th hole, "The most unbelievably gutsy shot I’ve ever seen."

"Leave it short, the tournament is over," Nicklaus said. "If it goes long, it's in the water and the tournament is over. He takes a full swing and lands it exactly where you have to land it and it trickles into the hole like a two-foot putt."

Right. And the tournament was over.

"I’ve seen a lot of shots in golf," Nicklaus said. "I don’t think I've ever seen a better one under the circumstances."

For good measure, Woods finished with a birdie at the 18th hole. He also made birdie at the par-5 15th to start the key sequence.

Woods' victory comes two weeks before the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club and once again entrenches the man who has won 14 major championships as a favorite.

"I had it all," Woods said of his ball-striking at Muirfield Village. "To birdie three of the last four holes was a nice finish. To pull off that shot at 16 was pretty sweet, too ... I went for it and I pulled it off. For it to land as soft as it did was kind of a surprise. I didn't think it was going to get there."

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WGT GOLF UPDATE: Dufner Gets Second Win of 2012 at Byron Nelson Championship

WGTwildcat — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:09:00 GMT

Jason Dufner is a happy man these days after getting his second PGA Tour win this weekend at the HP Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons. This comes within a month of his first victory on April 29 at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, and getting married the following week.

Dufner finished the golf tournament Sunday with a one-stroke victory over Dicky Pride with a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole. That closing birdie wrapped up a 3-under 67 round for an 11-under 269. Pride finished 3-under 67 for a 10-under 270 on the tournament.

Phil Mickelson finished tied for seventh place with 6-under 66 and last weekend's Players Championship winner, Matt Kuchar, ended up tied for 15th with 4-under 70. Both remain steady in the FedEx Cup Rankings: in fourth and sixth places, respectively.

This win makes Dufner the second two-time winner this season, along with Hunter Mahan, and also knocks Mahan out of the #1 spot in the FedEx Cup rankings (now #2) -- replaced by Dufner, who was #12 last week.

Full leaderboard

PHOTO: Associated Press

WGT GOLF UPDATE: Kuchar Gets His Wins First Win of 2012 at Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass

WGTwildcat — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:38:00 GMT

After an exciting day of golf Sunday at TPC Sawgrass for the final day of the 2012 Players Championship, Matt Kuchar finished at the top with a 2-under 70, giving him his first win of 2012. Pars in the middle of his back nine holes turned out to be the key to his leaderboard top spot with a 13-under 275 total.

Kuchar beat out Martin Laird (67), first-time winner Rickie Fowler (70), Zach Johnson (68) and Ben Curtis (68), all tied for second, while Na dropped to tie for seventh at 280 with a 76 after leading Kuchar by one shot going into the final day. Na struggled to focus while spectators continued to heckle him and the importance of golf's mental game became very clear.

The win at TPC pushed Kuchar from #28 to #6 in the FedEx Cup standings. Phil Mickelson, who finished tied for 25th this weekend, remains in the #4 spot, while Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy sit at the top.

Kuchar celebrated his fourth career win on the 18th green with his wife, two sons and parents, and is now ranked #5 in the official world golf ranking.

PHOTO: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images