March 2009 Archives

Jason Gore received an exemption from Arnold Palmer to play at Bay Hill and he made the most of it, finishing tied for eighth. By virtue of finishing in the top-10, Gore automatically made the field for this week's Shell Houston Open.

Jason Gore is leading the Bay Hill Invitational and is playing on a sponsor's exemption. If you think that's cool, continue reading this part of the transcript of how Gore met Arnold Palmer - who gave him the exemption - when he was 11.

Jason Gore (Hart High, Pepperdine) shot a first-round 65 and has a one-shot lead at Bay Hill.

LPGA golfer Anna Rawson has a new deal with godaddy.com Rawson is a professional model, too.

Dan Forsman made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th, to beat Don Pooley in the AT&T Champions Classic at Valencia Country Club.
It was the first Champions Tour victory for Forsman, who joined the tour last year after turning 50 on July 15.

Joey Sindelar shot a 2-under 34 on the front nine to maintain a one-stroke lead over Don Pooley in the final round of the AT&T Champions Classic at Valencia Country Club.
Sindelar is at 12 under, with Pooley at 11 under. Jay Haas is alone in third at 9 under, with two-time winner Tom Purtzer and Dan Forsman tied for fourth at 7 under.

Joey Sindelar made one of only three birdies on the par-3 16th Saturday to regain the lead at 10 under, one stroke ahead of Don Pooley.

Don Pooley surged into the second-round lead, shooting a 7-under 65 to move to 9 under. He has a one-stroke advantage over Joey Sindelar, who is even through 13 holes, and two over Steve Thomas, Tim Simpson and Jay Haas.
Tom Purtzer is 1 over through 13 and is in sixth place at 6 under.

Ken Green was 5 under through the first 13 holes of his second round at the AT&T Champions Classic to move into a tie for third place, one stroke behind co-leaders Jay Haas and Joey Sindelar.
Sindelar and Haas are at 7 under, with Tom Purtzer and Tim Simpson tied with Green.

First-round AT&T leader Joey Sindelar, a native of Horseheads, N.Y., intently watched Syracuse's six-overtime victory against No. 3 UConn in the Big East Conference men's basketball tournament Thursday night.
"Why do you think I played so well today," Sindelar joked.
In 1976, an 18-year-old Sindelar teamed with Mike Hulbert, another Champions Tour player, to defeat newly appointed Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and his partner to win the Country Club of Ithaca best-ball tournament.
"I can't wait to call Boeheim and talk about (Thursday's) game," Sindelar said.

Joey Sindelar shot an 8-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the AT&T Champions Classic at Valencia Country Club.
Tom Purtzer was a stroke back after a 65, and David Edwards was in third with a 5-under 67.

Rich Contreras, who works at Valencia Country Club and got a sponsor's exemption into the field, received a nice ovation as he walked off the 18th green after completing his opening nine holes Friday.
Contreras, who started on No. 10, shot a 3-over 39 on the back nine.
Contreras was playing with MIchael Turner of Sherman Oaks, who had a 35 on the back.

Among those playing for the first time at Valencia are 1987 Masters champion Larry Mize, 1991 British Open champion Ian Woosnam, 1983 PGA Championship winner Hal Sutton and Sandy Lyle, who won the 1985 British Open and 1988 Masters.

Gary Player is making his first appearance in this event since 2002. The 73-year-old South African, one of only five players to win all four major championships (the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA), opened with a 6-over 42 on the back nine.

Tom Lehman, the former Wood Ranch assistant pro, is eligible to join the Champions Tour after turning 50 last Saturday.
"Turning 50 is a milestone," Lehman said in a news release provided by the tour. "As a golfer, I've always been competitive and always wanted to play my best. I've enjoyed my years on the PGA Tour, but at some point, I'll know when it's time to move on.
"The Champions Tour is something I look forward to with a lot of anticipation. There's a great camaraderie on the Champions Tour, but it's also very competitive. It's a great situation to be in, and I really look forward to that."
Olin Browne (Occidental) turns 50 on May 22 and Tom Pernice Jr. (UCLA) reaches that age on Sept. 5.

Those playing in the AT&T Champions Classic with L.A. ties are: Craig Stadler (USC); Mark O'Meara (Long Beach State); Dave Stockton (USC) and John Jacobs (USC).

Fuzzy Zoeller shot a 5-under 31 on the front nine, and Joey Sindelar started his round with a 5-under 31 on the back nine to share the early lead at the AT&T Champions Classic.

PGA Tour player Henrik Stenson hit a shot out of the mud in nothing but his white boxer briefs yesterday while playing in a group with Tiger Woods. Are you appalled? Did you think it was funny? Stenson explained that he didn't want to get his clothes all muddy, but PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem would probably rather have had him send him a bill for the dry cleaning than look at him in his skivvies. Do you think Finchem will suspend Stenson? Someone finally found a way to divert the attention from Tiger.

Fuzzy Zoeller was at 5 under through seven holes to take the early lead in the first round of the AT&T Champions Classic on Friday at Valencia Country Club.
Joey Sindelar was a stroke back, with seven players tied for third at 2 under.

Sylmar resident Rich Contreras is living his dream this week at Valencia Country Club. Contreras, 53, is the outside services manager at Valencia Country Club. He received a sponsor's exemption and will make his pro debut in the AT&T Champions Classic. Contreras is one of the good guys, and he'll be a fan favorite out there.

The Second-Annual Provident Financial Management Golf Classic benefiting the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program and
Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy is Monday at Sherwood Country Club. For more info, check out the Bogart Foundation Web site.