June 2008 Archives

Inbee Park, 19, became the youngest winner at the U.S. Women's Open. The Korean shot a 2-under 71 on Sunday to win by four shots.

The Mark Korff GG Foundation Charity Golf Tournament is August 4 at Porter Valley. Here's info on registration and the tournament:

Angela Park, who prepped at Torrance High, has a one-shot lead in the U.S. Open. She had the 36-hole lead at the U.S. Open last year, too.

Here's a release from the College of the Canyons on four golfers who will play Division I golf next season.

Maria Jose Uribe shot a 4-under 69 in Thursday's first round of the U.S. Open. Since Uribe is the defending U.S. Amateur champion, she played with defending U.S. Open champ Cristie Kerr and British Open champ Lorena Ochoa. Uribe is two shots off the lead.

Read Rick Orlov's storyon the rate hike at city-owned golf courses.

Tiger Woods had surgery on his left knee today. Here is the story from the Associated Press:

Alison Lee of Valencia tied for first in the ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior at Mission Hills Country Club after shooting a first-round 72. Here's the press release:

Johnny Miller issued a statement of apology through NBC regarding his statements about Rocco Mediate during television coverage of the U.S. Open. Miller said Rocco Mediate ``looks like the guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool.'' He also said ``Guys with the name Rocco don't get on the trophy, do they?''
Miller's apology is below.
I didn't take offense to Miller's comments and believe Miller was, in fact, trying to pain a picture of Mediate as a regular guy rather than someone you'd expect to win a major. Mediate had just two top-10 finishes in the last five years.

Cal State Northridge freshman Nick Delio (who prepped at Saugus) won the 97th California Amateur at Lakeside today. Delio beat 15-year-old Austin Roberts 7&5 in today's 36-hole final in match play format. Delio was the first alternate and got in the tournament only after a friend suffered an injury and withdrew from the event.

Cal State Northridge's Nick Delio will play in tomorrow's California State Amateur final at Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. The 36-hole match play begins at 7:30 a.m. The second 18 holes begins at Noon. Delio will play Austin Roberts of Carmichael for the title. Roberts is just 15, and if he wins he'll be youngest ever to win the California amateur title.

Brett Favre has withdrawn from the American Century Celebrity
Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe next month. Does this mean he's coming out of his NFL retirement? Perhaps. The story follows:

Here is astory about Rocco Mediate's caddie, Matt Achatz, who was caddying at Sherwood Country Club in January and five months later was carrying Mediate's bag in the U.S. Open playoff.

Here is a story from the Associated Press on Tiger Woods, who will have season-ending knee surgery. He has a torn ligament in his left knee (that he revealed happened last July) and a double stress fracture of his left tibia. Woods made the announcement on his Web site. Click here to read his announcement on the Web site.

Here's a presser from NBC. Ratings for the 19-hole playoff between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods of Monday's U.S. Open were the best in 30 years.

From the Boston Herald....
Around 50,000 golfers have signed up to have Tiger Woods serve as their caddie for a round at Torrey Pines Golf Course, the site of Woods' U.S. Open win yesterday, and Buick, which is running the promo, "expects thousands more by the Sept. 27 deadline," according to Jerry Kronenberg of the BOSTON HERALD. As part of the "Win Tiger as Your Caddie" contest designed by Digitas, Boston, Woods will caddie a round for one contest winner at the course. Buick Golf Marketing Manager Larry Peck said when Digitas proposed the idea to auto execs, "everyone thought it was a hit." Woods also "teed up to the plan when Peck sounded him out separately." Peck: "The first thing out of Tiger's mouth was a big chuckle. Then he said, 'Do you really want me to carry the bag?'" Fans can enter the contest at TeeOffWithTiger.com.

Matt Achatz caddied for Rocco Mediate and landed a big pay day since Mediate won $810,000. He tied for the lead in the U.S. Open but lost in a sudden-death playoff. Achatz landed with Mediate recently when Mediate was in a pinch and needed help. Achatz was front and center on the grandest stage on Monday.

There's no telling how bad Tiger Woods' left knee is, but it's likely he re-injured it. He said he's not good at listening to doctor's orders.
Asked if he was told he could further injure it if he continued to play, Woods nodded.
Asked if he did re-injure it?
Woods said, ``hmmmmm. maybe.''
So, it's likely he re-injured it. If he didn't, he would've said no.
He also said he was going to ``shut it down for a little bit here.''

Tiger Woods has won 14 majors, but this is his best victory yet, and that's according to Woods.
``This is probably the best ever, all things considered,'' he said. ``I don't know how I ended up in this position, to be honest with you.''

By winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods won his 14th major and needs just four more to tie Jack Nicklaus' record. Woods now has won each of the majors at least three times.

Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open over Rocco Mediate. The two were tied after 72 holes and again after today's 18-hole playoff. Woods won by parring the seventh hole, the first extra hole. Woods at one point had a three-shot lead, which he squandered. Mediate rallied and played as well as anyone has going toe-to-toe against Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods made a 15-foot putt on the 18th hole to send the U.S. Open to a playoff. He'll play 18 holes with Rocco Mediate tomorrow for the championship.

Tiger Woods bogeyed the 15th hole, and Rocco Mediate moved into sole possession of first place. Mediate, who's 45, has never won a major. NBC analyst Johnny Miller said: ``It's hard to believe Rocco Mediate might win this U.S. Open.'' Mediate leads by one over Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods.

Rocco Mediate birdied the 14th hole, and Woods bogeyed the 13th, so Mediate moved into the lead by one shot over Tiger.

Tiger Woods birdied the ninth hole and parred the 10th at the U.S. Open. He's now in a three-way tie with Rocco Mediate - playing in the group in front of him - and Lee Westwood. Eight holes to go.

Phil Mickelson, who grew up playing at Torrey Pines, is done. He shot a 3-under 68. But to tell you how far out of it Mickelson was, he's already done with his round and Tiger Woods hasn't even teed off yet! Woods is teeing off in 10 minutes. He has a one-lead over Lee Westwood.

Here is the press release from NBC regarding Saturday's ratings of Tiger's incredible 1-under 70 round that featured two eagles and a crazy chip-in birdie that hit the flagstick.

Tiger Woods walked into Torrey Pines without much of a limp this morning and is working on the practice putting green. He said yesterday he would get a shooting pain his leg upon impact, but it wasn't on every swing.

Click here to read today's article on Tiger Woods' amazing performance on the back nine yesterday. He leads the U.S. Open by one shot heading into today's final round.

It should be interesting to see how Tiger Woods responds today after he played through enormous pain in the third round. He's 13 for 13 in wins in majors when he's leading after the third round.

Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 70 in what was a roller-coaster round with some unbelievable shots. He had one double bogey, three bogeys, two eagles, two birdies and ten pars. He made a crazy chip-in birdie that one-hopped the green and hit the flagstick and went in on No. 17. He made a 40-foot putt on 18 to close out the round and claim the outright lead.

Tiger Woods was rolling right along, until his tee shot on the 15th hole, that's when Woods hit his drive, kind of jumped up and leaned over in obvious pain because of his knee. Tiger touched the ground with his right hand but never fell or sat. He started walking down the fairway, using his driver as a cane.

Tiger Woods made an 80-foot putt on the par-3, No. 13 for eagle to pull within two shots of Rocco Mediate. It was an unbelievable putt because it was so far away, it was downhill and there was a break. That's Tiger for you. As the ball was nearing the hole, and you knew it was going in, Woods jumped up and down backing up, then did a ton of fist pumps and yelled.

Rocco Mediate is playing well. He grabbed the U.S. Open lead early on Saturday. He has a two-stroke lead with six holes to play. Tiger Woods is 2-over-par today and is tied for third, four shots back.

Phil Mickelson just quadruple-bogeyed the No. 13 hole. He hit his approach shot and it was short and rolled back. HIs fourth shot missed the green and rolled back. His fifth shot missed the green and rolled back. He hit his sixth shot over the green, then three-putted. Ouch!

I just talked to a USGA official, who said there would be no disciplinary action taken against Tony Navarro, the caddie for Adam Scott. Navarro went under the ropes and, according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, was involved in an incident with fans. The two fans, a father and son, Thomas W. Campbell and Thomas J. Campbell, were rowdy and unruly and said something to Scott's caddie. Then, Scott went unter the ropes and a scuffle ensued.

Phil Mickelson has the driver back in his bag after taking it out for the first two days. He was using a 3-wood off the tee so he could have another wedge in the bag.

Here is an interesting story from yesterday's round from the San Diego Union-Tribune involving Adam Scott's caddie and some fans. Click hereto read it.

Tiger Woods shot a 3-under 68 and is one shot back in the U.S. Open after two rounds. Woods made six birdies on the back nine, including four of five. Woods, who's playing in the second-to-last group, doesn't tee off until 2:50 p.m. The networks are airing this in prime time, which means the third round should be done at about 10 p.m. on the East Coast and 7 p.m. on the West Coast.

Ian Poutler withdrew from the U.S. Open with three holes left due to a wrist injury. But his playing partner, Luke Donald, wasn't sure what happened.
``No idea, he just said he was off so he left us,'' Donald said. ``He just said goodbye and good lcuk.''

Tiger Woods just needed a 27-hole warmup, that's all. Woods has just birdied four of the last five holes and is 1-under for the tournament and tied for fifth with four holes to go in today's round. It's a stark difference from his front nine in which he was 3-over par.

Jason Gore's fairytale in U.S. Opens didn't continue at Torrey Pines. He played in the final group Sunday in the 2005 Open at Pinehurst, but Gore shot 79-76--155 in the first and second rounds at Torrey. He'll be able to spend Father's Day at home in Valencia with his son, Jaxon. His wife, Megan, is scheduled to deliver the couple's second child, a girl, in September.

Rocco Mediate, Oliver Wilson and Stuart Appleby all share the lead at the U.S. Open at 2-under. Tiger is tied for 12th at 1-over par, and Phil Mickelson is tied for 16th at 2-over par. Tiger and Phil are through 12 holes.

D.J. Trahan shot a 2-under 69 and is 1-under for the U.S. Open.

Water was applied to the greens Thursday night. Some changes to the course today from yesterday are as follows:
Hole 3 is playing much longer at 198 yards (Kevin Streelman, who was the co-leader, tripped up on this hole, where he triple bogeyed.
Hole 8 - 183 yards
Hole 11 - 230 yards
Hole 13 - 599 yards (forward of back two teeing grounds).
Hole 16 - 220 yards
Hole 18 - 535 yards
Also, it's sunny out. The forecast is for 71 degrees at 2 p.m., which is 30 minutes after Tiger, Phil and Adam Scott tee off.

Phil Mickelson commanded a big group of fans out at the practice green as he was working on his usual putting routine more than three hours before his round.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson tee off at 1:37 p.m. today. Maybe today's round will be a little more exciting than yesterday's. Woods shot a 1-over 72 and Mickelson was even at 71.

Kevin Streelman was co-leader of the U.S. Open after the first round, but he fell out of the lead on the par-3 third hole, which he triple bogeyed. His tee shot went into a hazard on the right side of the green. He hit out of it and way past the hole, and his putting was even worse.

Kevin Streelman bogeyed his final hole of the first round, otherwise he would've had the outright lead at the U.S. Open. Streelman shot a 3-under 68 and is tied with Nationwide player Justin Hicks. There are still players on the course.

Jason Gore was thrilled to qualify for the U.S. Open, but this U.S. Open doesn't have the beginnings of his dream outing at Pinehurst in 2005. Gore is 5-over through eight holes. He went double bogey, bogey, double bogey on holes 4, 5 and 6.

Mark Calcavecchia withdrew during today's round with a heel problem.

Justin Hicks, a Nationwide Tour player, leads the tournament right now at 3-under 68 and that score should stick. Tiger Woods shot a 1-over and Phil Mickelson shot even 71.

Tiger Woods double-bogeyed the 14th hole, and Phil Mickelson birdied it. Woods had three shots on Phil, but they all evaporated on that hole. Woods started the day, his first competition since the Masters, with a double bogey, too.

In case you didn't see it, here's a story on Brian Kortan, a journeyman golfer who suffered a heart attack two years ago at age 35. Click hereto read the story.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are teeing off now in the same pairing at the U.S. Open. Tune in to the blog for an update on all things Phil and Tiger. I'll be inside the ropes, which will be the only way to guarantee a look at Phil and Tiger on each hole, since most of the crowd of 42,500 is expected to follow Tiger, Phil and Adam Scott. I'll post more when I return from their much-anticipated round.

June gloom has set in this morning. The forecast at 8 a.m. - when Tiger and Phil tee off is 61 degrees, cloudy and negligible wind. By 10 a.m., there should be decreasing clouds. By noon, it should be mostly sunny here at Torrey Pines.

Tiger Woods was working on his putting, and Phil Mickelson was just working on his chipping. It's a little less than an hour until Tiger and Phil tee off in the same group. Phil is wearing a black jacket and grey slacks, and Tiger is wearing a blue shirt and black slacks.

Jason Gore has a coin in his pocket from 1965 to use as a ball mark. Players don't like to look down at coins from the 1970s or 1980s. He used to have a coin from 1959 but said it must have gotten lost in the laundry.

Adam Scott, the world's third-ranked player, never showed up for a scheduled morning press conference on Wednesday. Scott is the forgotten man in the pairing with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson tomorrow, so perhaps he didn't want to get bombarded with the unending Tiger-Phil questions.

Jason Gore of Valencia couldn't be happier the U.S. Open is at Torrey Pines. He was laughing and smiling during Wednesday's practice round in which he played nine holes. Of course, being a Southern California boy means plenty of family and friends need tickets. And Gore doesn't have enough.
``I would be more jazzed if I had enough tickets. Any time you get to play in the national championship and it's in your home state, it's a really cool thing,'' Gore said. ``It's good they are at a new venue. I would love to play at Pebble too (in 2010). I think it's cool to be a Southern California guy playing here. This is home. When I was heard it was going to be here, I really wanted to be part of it.''

Sean O'Hair withdrew from the U.S. Open today because of a pulled chest muscle. Gary Wolstenholme of England, an alternate, will take his place in the field. Wolstenholme is a 47-year-old career amateur.

In case you hadn't heard, the USGA chose Chambers Bay to host the 2015 U.S. Open and 2010 U.S. Amateur.

Normally, there's always hangliders hovering over the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, but you won't see that at the U.S. Open here. The air space over Torrey Pines has been closed for the week, meaning there's one less distraction. Of course, the event is sold out at 42,500 fans per day, and undoubtedly most of them will try to follow Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as they are in the same pairing for the first two rounds.

Neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson played practice rounds on Wednesday, but both are practicing at Torrey Pines. Woods was just on the putting green.

Here is the transcript of Tiger Woods' news conference from earlier today at Torrey Pines. The U.S. Open begins Thursday.

The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines is extremely important to Phil Mickelson, but who knew it was this important?
Mickelson grew up in San Diego playing Torrey Pines, and he's never won a U.S. Open.
He's changing his routine, too. Very little media (although he had a news conference today) and fewer autographs. Mickelson said he wants to make sure he keeps his energy up.
``This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to compete in the U.S. Open on the course I grew up on in the prime of my career,'' Mickelson said. ``And so I want to give myself every opportunity to play my best golf this week. So I've minimized my time commitments. in fact, I've eliminated them to give myself the best chance to prepare, get my game ready, to understand and know the golf course and play my best.''

A little boy had a giant-sized golf ball that he was trying to get autographed. Of course, he was trying to get Tiger Woods' autograph, but Woods had long since finished his nine holes for the day.
When told he could try to get Phil Mickelson's autograph, who was on the green at No. 8 where the boy was, he said: ``Who's that?'' His mom, looking alarmed, said he was more into baseball right now.

Tiger Woods had his news conference at Torrey Pines this morning. Asked if his surgically repaired left knee was fully recovered, Woods said: ``Is it fully recovered? Probably not.''
Woods was evasive about his knee through the end of the news conference, saying ``it's fine'' and smiling to some questions.
He has yet to walk 18 holes since the final day at the Masters, but it was unclear if that was planned or a product of how he was feeling.
``Both,'' Woods said. ``It's because that's the way I was feeling. That's the way I was playing.''

Here is a story from the Associated Press on Tiger's nine holes from Torrey Pines this morning.

Check out the pairings for the first and second rounds of next week's U.S. Open. The highlight - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are in the same group. Here's the rest of the pairings:

Read thisarticle to see the backlash of Tiger Woods' anti-hockey comments.

Tiger Woods played a round at Torrey Pines today. No media was allowed on the course while he was playing. Cick here here to read the story from the Associated Press:

Here's the list of the 156 players who have qualified for the U.S. Open, courtesy of the Associated Press. Jason Gore (Hart, Pepperdine) and Anthony Kim (Studio City) are a couple of locals on the list.

Jason Gore (Hart, Peppderdine) will play in the U.S. Open again for the first time since 2005, when he was the darling of Pinehurst. Gore qualified with a 67-73--140 at Lake Merced on Monday. Here is the press release:

Tiger Woods will have a press conference at media day for the PGA Championship this morning at 11 a.m. Watch the press conference live on pga.com. I'm sure he'll talk about his knee and health going into the U.S. Open, which is next week at Torrey Pines.