“Scott can relate to the youth movement in golf” plus 3 more |
- Scott can relate to the youth movement in golf
- Man Arrested for Drunk Driving Golf Cart
- PREVIEW-Golf-Storylines abound at Sawgrass, Mickelson aims high
- Golf store offers free rounds and gift cards
| Scott can relate to the youth movement in golf Posted: 05 May 2010 04:43 AM PDT PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The future of golf never looked stronger than when two young players on different continents won tournaments that had their colleagues raving two days later. Rory McIlroy shot a 62 at Quail Hollow to break the course record by two shots. Ryo Ishikawa shot a 58 to break the record of any course on a major tour and win The Crowns in Japan. McIlroy turned 21 on Tuesday. Ishikawa, 18, graduated from high school two months ago. And to keep with the timing, 16-year-old Matteo Manassero is making his professional debut this week in the Italian Open. He made the cut at the Masters. Adam Scott wasn't sure which amazed him more. "I wouldn't have broken 90 at Augusta when I was 16," he said. "I'm not just saying that as a throwaway line. I mean that. I wasn't anywhere near that level at his age." Scott wasn't too shabby, however. He turned pro when he was 20 and earned his European Tour card in eight starts. Over the next decade, he reached as high as No. 3 in the world and has won 15 times around the world, one of those The Players Championship when he became its youngest champion in 2004 at age 23. Scott was born the same year as Sergio Garcia, who reached No. 2 in the world and counts The Players among his 18 wins worldwide. McIlroy, Ishikawa and perhaps Manassero might be the next crops of kiddies, and Scott sees a trend. "Every generation learns from the one before," he said. "Tiger won early and Sergio learned from that, and he did it early. I was doing it at a fairly early age. Now you have Rory and Ryo. They've learned from guys like Tiger. Look at Ryo. He's 18 and he's been doing this for three years. He's already played a Presidents Cup. That's hard to get your head around." That begs the question: Who did Woods learn from? Scott recalls Woods playing Augusta National as an amateur with Greg Norman, not to mention Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. "I think he learned from the best of his time," Scott said. "He's a special athlete who always had an extra sense. From what I remember hearing from Butch Harmon, Tiger soaked up information from everybody." CHANGING SIDES: Phil Mickelson hit his tee shot in the water on the island-green 17th at Sawgrass during a practice round Tuesday. Not to be alarmed. He was hitting right-handed, and this time, there wasn't a tree in his way. Mickelson practiced with two-time Pebble Beach winner Dustin Johnson, and they decided to switch clubs when they got to the most famous hole at The Players Championship. "He and I had a little contest," Mickelson said. "He was going to hit it lefty, I was going to hit it righty, and neither one of us hit the green. I at least reached the water. Dustin struggled with that." ISLAND SOD: Because of the harsh winter in Florida, the condition of the Players Stadium course is not as good as it has been. The fairways and greens are running well, although there are splotches of green. On the famous island green at No. 17, there is a patch of sod from where the grass did not come in. That means the back left hole location might not be used this week. "A couple more chances for a hole-in-one, I guess," Jim Furyk said. He was referring to the front of the green, where players can land the ball in the ridge and allow it to funnel back to the cup. The back left location is considered the toughest, as players must make sure they hit it beyond the ridge without going too far into the water. "It's enticing," Furyk said. "It makes you want to fire at it, even though you shouldn't. I actually won't miss it, to be dead honest." The other area of concern is chipping from around the greens, where the lie can be bare. J.J. Henry was behind the 13th hole when he chose to bump a 2-iron instead of chipping. Phil Mickelson has opted for the putter. "It reminded me a lot of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2005 when there was a very bare area around the green and a lot of sand, and you weren't able to get a wedge underneath it," Mickelson said. "I found myself putting a lot from off the green, which I expect to do here just because you just can't get a wedge underneath the ball." TIGER TIMES: As expected, Tiger Woods will be teeing off Thursday afternoon from the first hole. That's only significant because it means he will start on No. 10 on Friday morning (8:18 a.m.). The 17th hole is the rowdiest at The Players Championship, especially on Friday afternoon when fans have had plenty to drink and are at their most vocal. When Woods gets to that hole Friday, it will be just before 11 a.m. He had the early-late rotation last week at Quail Hollow. Over the last 10 years at The Players Championship, this is only the third time Woods has had the late-early rotation. He will be playing with Ian Poulter and Hunter Mahan. POULTER ON THE MEND: Ian Poulter says he is back at full strength after injuring his knee playing basketball. "Happy days," Poulter said Tuesday on the range at the TPC Sawgrass. "The knee is good, the fluid is fully dissipated, full strength. There are no issues." Poulter, who won the Match Play Championship in February for his first American victory, pulled out of New Orleans because of his knee. He had been playing basketball with his son in the driveway when a few friends showed up, and they went at it for an hour. "Guys in the NBA only play 48 minutes," said Poulter, a regular at Orlando Magic games. "What was I thinking?" DIVOTS: This is the first time Tiger Woods has played the week after missing the cut. ... Camilo Villegas and his younger brother, Manny, will be playing together on the PGA Tour for the first time in the St. Jude Classic. Manny Villegas has received a sponsor's exemption. ... Bob Estes showed up Tuesday wearing trousers that look as though they were made from his grandmother's quilt. He got them from John Daly, the "Loudmouth" variety. "If John can't be here, someone should wear them," Estes said with a laugh. But he won't wear them during the tournament rounds. ... Tiger Woods has never held the lead at The Players Championship except for after the final round in 2001, the only time he won. STAT OF THE WEEK: Rory McIlroy (No. 13) was the highest-ranked player to win a tournament where Tiger Woods missed the cut. FINAL WORD: "The first time I won here was the first year that I stopped trying to make a 2 on that hole and just accepted 3 as being a good score, even though I've got a wedge in my hand." - Phil Mickelson, on the island-green 17th at the TPC Sawgrass. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Man Arrested for Drunk Driving Golf Cart Posted: 05 May 2010 08:08 AM PDT BRADFORD, Vt.-- Vermont State Police say a man was charged with suspicion of drunken driving after being pulled over in a golf cart, with an open can of Bud Light. Twenty-eight-year-old Christopher Rice, of Orleans, Mass., was cited while driving the cart on Route 5 in Bradford at just after midnight Saturday. He told police he'd just left a road rally at the Connecticut Valley Fairgrounds and was driving to a gas station to get gas. The Caledonian-Record reports that Rice told police he'd had four or five cans of beer. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| PREVIEW-Golf-Storylines abound at Sawgrass, Mickelson aims high Posted: 04 May 2010 06:05 PM PDT By Mark Lamport-Stokes PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, May 4 (Reuters) - Golf fans are spoilt for choice with a plethora of mouthwatering storylines for this week's Players Championship where Phil Mickelson has a chance to replace Tiger Woods as world number one. While Mickelson could take over at the top for the first time, Woods will be aiming to bounce back from his woeful performance at last week's Quail Hollow Championship where he missed the cut for only the sixth time as a professional. In other intriguing scenarios, Britain's Rory McIlroy will be seeking a second successive PGA Tour victory following his scintillating display at Quail Hollow and Swede Henrik Stenson will be defending the title he won by four shots last year. Mickelson's bid to reach the top of the world rankings has attracted most of the attention in the build-up to Thursday's opening round at the TPC Sawgrass, although the American left-hander prefers not to be distracted by the topic. "It's certainly something that I have been striving for but have not achieved yet, so it would mean a lot to me," Masters champion Mickelson told reporters at Sawgrass on Tuesday. "But for me to accomplish that, I can't focus on that. I've got to go out and get ready to play this golf course because it's not an easy challenge. I've got a lot of work ahead." The only way for four-times major winner Mickelson to take over at the top would be if he wins on Sunday and Woods finishes outside the top five. Woods, who has been world number one for 258 consecutive weeks and for a total of 598 in his glittering career, was unfazed by the prospect of being dethroned. "I've had it happen before," the 14-times major champion said, referring to former world number ones David Duval and Fijian Vijay Singh. "The whole idea to be No. 1 and continue being No. 1, you have to win tournaments and I haven't done that in a while." PRESSING CONCERN Regaining consistency is a much more pressing concern for Woods who missed the cut last week after a surprisingly inept performance at Quail Hollow where he shot 74 and 79. "It's getting better, no doubt," the 34-year-old said of his game. "It couldn't get any worse. It's just one of those things where I just need a little bit of work, to tighten things up a little bit." Although Woods has recently returned to golf after a self-imposed break of five months following sordid revelations about extra-marital affairs, Mickelson expects him to flourish at Sawgrass. "He has one of the most impressive records, if not the most impressive record, in the history of the game," Mickelson said. "I won't ever underestimate him. "Regardless of what he did last week, knowing the type of competitor he is, I expect him to come back and be the Tiger that we are used to seeing on the golf course." The outstanding competitor last week was Northern Irishman McIlroy who, two days shy of his 21st birthday, blew away the field with a course record 10-under-par 62 to win his first PGA Tour title by a commanding four shots. "I'm delighted for Rory that he won and did it in such great style," Stenson said. "It's good to see him in the winner's circle." The Swede is also delighted to be back at Sawgrass for the tournament considered the "fifth major" by the players after producing mixed results this season. "I've been kind of struggling most of the year … but I'm feeling I'm moving in the right direction," Stenson said. "It's great to be back here. It's a course I love playing." (Editing by Rex Gowar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Golf store offers free rounds and gift cards Posted: 05 May 2010 12:54 PM PDT Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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