Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal failed to qualify for the British Open on Monday when he took bogey on the third hole of a playoff. Darren Clarke, slowly returning after coping with the death of his wife two years ago, also failed to earn a spot at Royal Birkdale in the 36-hole qualifier for European Tour players at Sunningdale.
Tiger Woods does not know when he can play golf again, but he said Monday his rebuilt left knee has been sore his entire PGA Tour career and he looks forward to playing on two good legs. “My left knee has been sore for 10 to 12 years,” Woods said during a conference call for his AT&T National tournament, his first public comments since reconstructive surgery last Tuesday.
Kentucky, Kenny Perry is coming home. Perry shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win the Buick Open by a stroke at 19 under, likely locking up a spot on the Ryder Cup team that will face Europe at Valhalla about 40 miles from his birthplace. “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It really won’t sink in until I’m actually putting on the red, white and blue.” Perry was amazed he won at Warwick Hills for a second time…
Inbee Park woke up in the middle of the night 10 years ago when she heard cheering from the living room of her tiny apartment outside Seoul. Her parents were up at 3 a.m. to watch Se Ri Pak become the first South Korean and the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Open. The 9-year-old girl sat down with them to watch, half asleep, but definitely paying attention.
Justin Hicks, the co-leader after the first round of the U.S. Open, won the Wayne Gretzky Classic on Sunday for his first Nationwide Tour title, beating Casey Wittenberg with a two-putt par on the first hole of a playoff. “I don’t know if I can put this into words,” the 33-year-old Hicks said. “I grew up playing hockey for about five or six years before I quit to take up golf.
Paula Creamer strutted to the first tee box for the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open cloaked in her trademark pink and just one shot off the lead, her first major championship there for the taking. By the time she made the turn with two double bogeys and a 41 on her card, it was already clear that she would keep getting questions about when she will win a major.
Kentucky, Kenny Perry is coming home. Perry shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win the Buick Open by a stroke at 19 under, likely locking up a spot on the Ryder Cup team that will face Europe at Valhalla about 40 miles from his birthplace. “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It really won’t sink in until I’m actually putting on the red, white and blue.” Perry was amazed he won at Warwick Hills for a second time…
This wasn’t exactly the way Annika Sorenstam thought it would end, if this actually was the end. It might not be, because Sorenstam conceded earlier this week there was an outside chance we may not have seen the last of her in the U.S. Women’s Open just quite yet. For now, though, the plans of the greatest female player of her generation are to retire at the end of the year and start a family before…
Loren Roberts lived up to his nickname. Known as “The Boss of the Moss” for his deft putting, Roberts made a 29-foot, double-breaking birdie putt on the par-5 17th Sunday. That put him in front by two strokes in the Commerce Bank Championship and he went on to his first Champions Tour victory of the year.
Spanish rookie Pablo Larrazabal won the French Open for his first European Tour victory Sunday, closing with a 4-under-par 67 to finish four strokes ahead of Colin Montgomerie. Larrazabal, who had to qualify for this event, completed his four rounds in 15-under 269. Montgomerie shot a 68 and ended one stroke in front of Soren Hansen.