Singh pulls out of Wells Fargo event

Singh pulls out of Wells Fargo event










The Sports Xchange May 1, 2013 10:20 AMThe SportsXchange



A back injury forced Vijay Singh to withdraw from the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., the PGA Tour announced Wednesday.

Singh, 50, made news on Tuesday when he was cleared by the tour of violating its drug policy for using a deer-antler spray that could contain a banned substance. He said he was unaware when he used the spray that it potentially contained a performance enhancer connected to human growth hormone.

The World Anti-Doping Agency no longer prohibits the use o deer-antler spray and the PGA Tour dropped its case. Singh had appealed the tour's sanctions against him in February.

Singh, a three-time major champion, won the Wells Fargo event in 2005. He joins six others, including Dustin Johnson, who have withrawn this week from the tournament.

Deer antler spray gets a pass, so now what?

Deer antler spray gets a pass, so now what?











Eric Adelson May 1, 2013 8:48 PMYahoo Sports


Oh deer.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the forest, there's breaking news in the deer antler spray saga that began more than two years ago and reached a fever pitch at this year's Super Bowl.

This week, the World Anti-Doping Authority, which provides the list of banned substances that most sports leagues follow, announced that deer antler spray is not in violation of its rules. Deer antler spray, you may remember, was at the center of a media frenzy that engulfed Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVII. Sparked by a Sports Illustrated story published during Super Bowl week, Lewis found himself at the center of a "controversy" for allegedly using a product that contained a banned growth hormone, IGF-1.






View gallery.

Mitch Ross speaks about The Ultimate Spray at Super Bowl XLVII. (Getty Images)But after determining that "The Ultimate Spray," the deer-antler product Lewis allegedly took, contains only "small amounts" of IGF-1, WADA announced it is not considered prohibited.



The athlete immediately impacted by the determination is golfer Vijay Singh, who had been sanctioned by the PGA Tour after he admitted using the spray in the same Sports Illustrated story. Upon WADA's determination, the PGA retracted its punishment of Singh.

"We're talking about a determination that was made by scientists at WADA that relate to the consumption through deer antler spray of a technically violative substance, IGF -1," PGA commissioner Tim Finchem explained this week. "But in looking at it, the scientists concluded it resulted in infinitesimal amounts actually being taken into the recipient's body."

The bigger question in the wake of WADA's decision is what this means for athletes and use of the spray going forward.

Yes, they can use it in the sense that WADA no longer prohibits it, and those athletes who feel it helps them can proceed. (An unnamed pro golfer told Jason Sobel of The Golf Channel, "I'm going on it as soon as I get home.")

But there remains a risk in that WADA still has IGF-1 on its banned list.

An email to WADA was not immediately returned, however Gary Wadler, former chair of the committee that determines WADA's banned list, told Yahoo! Sports, "Growth factors are a very significant issue in performance enhancement."

So it's sprayer beware. Use of "The Ultimate Spray," a product sold by a former bodybuilder named Mitch Ross, will likely not trigger a positive test, though use of IGF-1 is still not permissible. Much like speeding on the highway, IGF-1 is not permitted … but you can probably get away with it to a point.

"We ban and test for substances, not products," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email to Yahoo! Sports. "IGF-1 is on our banned substance list; same as it is on WADAs."

Confusing? Definitely.

The bottom line, though, is that more athletes will likely take their chances with the spray, even though it's still not clear how well it works, or even if it works at all. Athletes are always looking for an edge of any sort, and here's one WADA has cleared. The hard truth is that even if the spray was loaded with IGF-1, there's no widely accepted urine test for it anyway.

"There is only a blood test for IGF-1" Aiello said, "and the [player's] union has refused for two years to begin testing for growth hormone as it agreed to do in the new CBA."

And here's the major problem with both IGF-1 and HGH: We still don't know who's using because we still don't have blood testing in pro leagues like the NFL. On Tuesday, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted an anonymous NFL player who said HGH use in the NFL is "like clockwork."

"Not tested and it's easy to get," the player said. "Nowadays, dude? In 2013? (Expletive] yeah. I'm just being real."

Ross has always dreamed of finding an alternative to steroids (hence the name of his company: Sports With Alternatives To Steroids, a.k.a. SWATS). When his spray became the focal point of a controversy leading up to Super Bowl XLVII, Ross flew to New Orleans to hold an impromptu press conference to "clear the air." Now he feels the WADA decision has lifted a cloud that's enshrouded him since the Sports Illustrated story came out and Lewis distanced himself from SWATS in the days thereafter.

On Wednesday, Ross said he felt "vindicated." He also said he's working with two new clients: Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson. His website has videos of both boxing legends talking about the benefits of SWATS products, including the deer antler spray.

"If it didn't work," Ross said of his spray, "wouldn't it just go away?"

Blood Brothers: Greg Norman Has It Right on Drug Testing

Blood Brothers: Greg Norman Has It Right on Drug Testing











Ryan Ballengee May 2, 2013 1:04 PM


COMMENTARY | Drug testing in golf is a joke.



No, not the notion of it. That's completely kosher. However, the PGA Tour's drug-testing policy -- adopted and enacted five years ago this July -- does not go far enough to test for performance-enhanc
ing drugs.





Greg Norman suggested the same thing this week, saying the PGA Tour must go further to ensure its players are indeed good because of their raw talent, not thanks to a needle injected here and there.



"You only have to look at what happened to Vijay Singh just recently to know the drugs issue is there," Norman told The Australian newspaper.



Singh, for his part, admitted to Sports Illustrated in a Jan. 28 piece that he had taken a substance known as deer-antler spray, which purportedly contains a growth hormone, called IGF-1, banned under the PGA Tour's anti-doping program. For three months, no decision came from the PGA Tour on what punishment Singh should suffer for a tacit admission of breaking the rules.



Could it be a suspension? A fine?



On Tuesday, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem laid down the law on Singh. Well, he was supposed to anyway. Instead, Singh was determined to not have violated the anti-doping program, allowing the 50-year-old Fijian to keep on playing as though nothing happened.



How could this be? After consulting with the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose guidelines served as the basis for the PGA Tour's policy, it was determined Singh's admission to using the deer-antler spray was not enough alone to sanction him.



WADA told the PGA Tour it does not consider deer-antler spray a banned substance and that only a positive (blood) test for IGF-1 should result in penalties. Ingesting any form of IGF-1 orally would not produce a positive test anyhow; it needs to be injected.



To summarize: Singh admitted to breaking the rules, but the rules were then retroactively changed to allow the three-time major winner to escape penalty because the PGA Tour does not conduct the kind of testing required to prove if Singh really did break the rules.



QED, Norman had it right.



If the PGA Tour did conduct blood tests on its players, rather than the urine samples it currently does (predominantly at tournament site), there is a better chance Singh would have been caught. Maybe he is suspended. Then again, under the policy the commissioner can choose to not suspend a player who has violated the policy. It's the performance-enhancing-drugs equivalent of Tiger Woods and Rule 33-7 from the Masters.



The PGA Tour must do several things in the wake of this protracted incident.



First, it has to take up Norman's suggestion that blood testing be the standard for its anti-doping program. What difference in discomfort is there in drawing blood than collecting urine? If it means the PGA Tour can actually test for all of the substances it says are banned, very little.



Second, it must test more often, away from tournament site, when players are not competing. In a February 2013 New York Times piece, Woods said he has never been tested off-site by the PGA Tour. The same claim was made by the likes of Rory McIlroy and former world No. 1 Luke Donald. With top stars taking lengthy breaks during the season to recharge for important stretches, an occasional knock at the door from a drug tester would improve the program's perceived credibility.



Finally, it has to appoint an independent arbiter to manage the program -- including doling out penalties -- and remove commissioner Finchem from the role. Golf's anti-doping program deserves an ombudsman (no pun intended) that is not working for the players, but rather to uphold the game's noble reputation.



In almost five years, the PGA Tour's anti-doping program has identified a single player, Doug Barron, with a positive test and followed through with an announced suspension. Ultimately, Barron's case was adjudicated to his satisfaction outside of the program's guise.



Basically, the anti-doping scorecard reads: five years, no positive tests. That means one of two things: (1) golfers are pristine and have no temptation to take a banned substance, or (2) some cheaters have been allowed to slide. It's likely the latter, even if somewhat unwittingly.



Heck, if Tiger Woods -- who said "rules are rules" -- can't remember the regulations around a simple drop, how likely is it that Vijay Singh isn't the only player to accidentally ingest a substance that might help him make a few more bucks every week?



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel.

Michaels sets course record, but Korda leads

Michaels sets course record, but Korda leads










The Sports Xchange May 17, 2013 8:20 PMThe SportsXchange



MOBILE, Ala. -- Sydnee Michaels broke the course record by two shots during the second round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic on Friday. But it's Jessica Korda who holds the lead at Magnolia Grove heading into the third round.

Michaels shot even par in the first round, but put eight birdies and an eagle on her scorecard Friday for a 10-under-par 62.

Korda shot a 7-under 65 to move to 13 under for the tournament. The 20-year-old from Bradenton, Fla., is one stroke ahead of Karrie Webb. Webb shot a 9-under-par 63 on Friday - a score that would have broken the course record, except Michaels beat her to it in the morning.

Six players are at 10-under or better after two rounds. Stacy Lewis won last year's tournament at 17-under.

Chella Choi stands at 11-under, with a pair of golfers from Thailand -- Pornanong Phatlum and Thidapa Suwannapura -- at 10-under.

First-round co-leader Lexi Thompson is at 9-under after a second-round 70. An eagle on the par-5 16th got her under par on Friday.

Thompson shared Thursday's lead with Eun-Hee Ji. Ji finished where she started at 7-under.

Also at 9-under are Azahara Munoz, Ariya Jutanugarn and Mina Harigae.

Munoz holed out from the 18th fairway for an eagle on her way to an 8-under 64.

Jutanugarn is a 17-year-old playing on a sponsor exemption. She has not finished worse than fourth in her four LPGA outings and had a 6-under 66 in the second round.

Korda's seven-birdie second round came without a missed fairway in her second straight bogey-free round. The long-hitter played the four par-5 holes in 3-under on Friday. All her birdies have come on par-4 and par-5 holes.

Korda is in tournament competition for the first time since hurting her wrist while playing in the LPGA LOTTE Championship on April 20.

"Honestly, right now it's Friday," Korda said, "so I think the tournament starts on the back nine on Sunday. So right now, it's great to have the lead, and I feel good. I'm healthy, somewhat, so I'm happy just to be here and playing right now."

Webb had 25 putts in the second round. The Australian stood at 1-over with six holes to go in her first round on Thursday. She was 4-under over the final six holes on Thursday and 4-under over the final five holes on Friday.

Michaels had missed four straight cuts. Her best previous LPGA round was 7-under.

"It feels so good to finally have a good round because I've been struggling the last few weeks and going through some swing changes," Michaels said. "And the week off last week, I just said, 'You know what? I'm just going to go back to what feels good.' So I hit a lot of balls and just kind of got back to where I was feeling good over the ball again. So it feels good to finally have a good round."

Lewis, the defending champion, was tied for 33rd after duplicating her 70 of the first round.

Only golfers at even or better made the cut, which included 80 players.

Former U.S. Open champ, longtime broadcaster Venturi dies

Former U.S. Open champ, longtime broadcaster Venturi dies










The Sports Xchange May 17, 2013 8:40 PMThe SportsXchange



Ken Venturi won only one major championship during his professional career -- the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional in Bethesda, Md. He endured scorching temperatures and high humidity to come from two strokes back on the final day -- which included 36 holes -- to win the title.

The former PGA Tour golfer won 14 PGA Tour events and retired in 1967. For the next 35 years, he wasn't far away from the greens as he enjoyed a long career as a broadcaster with CBS Sports. Venturi died Friday afternoon at the age of 82.

Venturi was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last week, but poor health prevented him from attending the ceremony in St. Augustine, Fla. He was inducted under the Lifetime Achievement category.

Jim Nantz, who worked alongside Venturi for years, paid tribute to his partner at the ceremony.

"You did it your way, Kenny. There will never be another one like you. Thank you for the ride. You have left a stamp not just on my career, Kenny, but on my soul."

For his efforts at the 1964 U.S. Open, "Sports Illustrated" named Venturi its Sportsman of the Year.

Venturi turned 82 on Wednesday.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Venturi had survived a bout with prostate cancer in 2000-01 and had quintuple heart bypass surgery in 2006.

During his career on the course and in the broadcast booth, Venturi overcame more than his share of hurdles. He had a severe stutter, and suffered two heartbreaking losses in the Masters. A 1961 car accident left him with lingering injuries and he disappeared into a long, maddening, career-threatening slump, the Chronicle reported.

But when his final putt dropped at the 1964 U.S. Open, Venturi was stunned.

He raised his arms, mumbled, "Oh my God, I've won the Open!" and began crying when he saw tears streaming down the face of fellow competitor Raymond Floyd.

Twists of Fate Gave Us the Gift of Ken Venturi

Twists of Fate Gave Us the Gift of Ken Venturi











Ryan Ballengee May 17, 2013 9:09 PM


COMMENTARY | Ken Venturi's father once said to him, "Son, when you're as good as you are, you can tell everybody. When you're really good, son, they'll tell you."




> Mr. Venturi, you were really good. And we'll really miss you.





The 1964 U.S. Open champion and long-time institution in the 18th-hole tower for CBS Sports died on Friday. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame just 12 days ago, unable to attend the ceremony in person because of health complications that had kept him hospitalized for two months.



Venturi was voted in on the Lifetime Achievement ballot, truly indicative of what he gave to the game. There are few people who can say they were standout figures in two different generations of the game for completely different reasons.



Fellow broadcasting legend Jack Whitaker liked to say of Venturi's career, "Fate has a way of bending a twig and fashioning a man to his better instincts."



Were it not for a strange series of coincidences, maybe fate, we all would have been denied the full breadth of Venturi's gifts.



Ken Venturi grew up with a severe stuttering problem. Before he went to high school, Venturi was told it was incurable. It's that problem that drove him to take up the game in the first place, the first step on a path to immortality.



"I said (to his mother) I'm taking up the loneliest sport I know, and picked up a set of hickory shafts across the street from a man and went to Harding Park (a municipal course in San Francisco) and played my first round of golf," he said at the 2011 U.S. Open.



He won a pair of California State Amateur titles, in 1951 and '56, He teamed that year with high-profile amateur Harvie Ward to take on mentor Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson in what's still known simply as "The Match," However, were it not for a pair of extra strokes in Augusta that year, Ken Venturi never would have enjoyed the career he did.



In the 1956 Masters, Venturi nearly won Bobby Jones' invitational as an amateur. He lost by a stroke to Jack Burke Jr. Had he won, Venturi's life would have taken a different path entirely.



"If I had won the Masters as an amateur I wouldn't be a pro today. I would have stayed there and would have been the chairman, as Bobby Jones said," Venturi said at Congressional.



Instead, Venturi turned pro at the end of '56, winning 14 times on the PGA Tour in a career that lasted just a dozen years. The California native won his only major in 1964, surviving -- in every sense of the word -- in triple-digit heat to win the U.S. Open at Congressional. It was the last time the U.S. Open concluded with a 36-hole final day, but Venturi shot 66-70 to beat the field, as well as severe dehydration and heat exhaustion to win the national title. That was the pinnacle of Venturi's pro-golf career; carpal tunnel syndrome forced him to retire in 1967.



His place, for the next 35 years, was in the booth for CBS Sports, anchoring coverage from the 18th tower for so many years. The broadcast booth could not have been in a more ironic setting for his second career, but Venturi was the blueprint for a color commentator: humble but authoritative, insightful but not verbose, respected and respectful.



Even if you didn't like what he had to say, it was awfully hard not to like Ken Venturi the man.



Venturi had been out of the booth for a decade when the U.S. Open returned to Congressional that year. Almost a decade after his last broadcast, a full room gathered to ask him about that special Saturday he won the Open and to reflect on his incredible life.



Perhaps most striking in his comments was that he could not imagine a better place to have captured his signature championship.



"Not rudeness to anybody, but if I had to pick a place to win the U.S. Open Championship, it would be at Congressional in our nation's capital," Venturi said. "It doesn't get any better than that."



The Open was the one he dreamed of winning, the tournament he thought of capturing when he said, "This is for..." while practicing putting. It wasn't The Masters. Maybe those were his better instincts Jack Whitaker so often mentioned.



Ken Venturi overcame a lot in his life to etch his name forever in golf lore. People noticed. Lots of people noticed and appreciated the grit it took and the grace with which he did it. And it's how people will recall him now that he is sadly gone from our midst.



"The greatest reward in life is to be remembered," Venturi said last October when he was voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, "and I thank [you] for remembering me."



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee.

Rutledge caps week with tournament-low 64

Rutledge caps week with tournament-low 64












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Jim Rutledge soared 29 spots into a tie for seventh with his scorching 64 on Sunday.(Getty Images)

PGA.COM May 26, 2013 6:27 PM


By John Kim, PGA.com Coordinating Producer

ST. LOUIS - He might not be taking home the Alfred S. Bourne trophy, but Jim Rutledge left an impression that will be remembered a long time by golf fans at the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid - and especially those that know Bellerive Country Club pretty well.

Rutledge, a Champions Tour player from Canada, set a blistering pace Sunday morning and went on to shoot the lowest round shot of the tournament - and one of the better scores ever at historic Bellerive - a 7-under par 64 that included five birdies on the front nine. (For context, the course record is an 8-under 62, set by Jim Furyk at the 2008 BMW Championship when the course played to a par 70.)

"We knew we had a good score out there because we put together some good stretches of holes," Rutledge noted after his round. "We just hadn't put it all together at once. But today was the day."

After the round, Rutledge stated that he didn't play flawless golf on Sunday, but was still able to put together a bogey-free card.


"We hit it in a couple of spots there where we had some difficult up-and-downs, but we managed to chip it close and never had any real long putts for pars," he said.

Making his feat even more remarkable was that for the better part of two days, Rutledge looked as if he'd be leaving St. Louis long before the weekend play started. In his own words, he "floundered for the first 27 holes in the tournament" (Rutledge was 5 OVER as he made the turn on Friday). But then something clicked on the back nine of his second round, and he went 5 under on the nine holes including an eagle 3 on the 17th hole.

"We knew we shouldn't be going home from this golf tournament so early," he said. "And we just kicked it into gear. My wife kicked me into gear, you might say."

It should be noted that when his wife Jill wants to kick him into gear on the golf course, she doesn't have to go far to do it. For the last few years, she has also been his caddie.

"She put the pedal to the metal there and got me going," Rutledge smiled.

Rutledge jumped 29 spots up the leaderboard on the final day to finish in a tie for seventh.

Idoki of Japan wins Senior PGA Championship in his first visit to United States

Idoki of Japan wins Senior PGA Championship in his first visit to United States












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Kohki Idoki, 51, closed with a 6-under 65 to finish at 11 under at Bellerive Country Club.(Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

PGA.COM May 26, 2013 9:00 PM


ST. LOUIS -- Kohki Idoki erased a five-stroke deficit againstKenny Perry with room to spare, charging to a two-stroke victory Sunday in the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid.

It was the third bitter final-round major tournament failure for the 52-year-old Perry, who led by three strokes with six holes to play but settled for a second-place tie with Jay Haas.

The 51-year-old Idoki closed with a 6-under 65 to finish at 11 under at Bellerive Country Club and win $385,000 and become the first player to win the tournament on his first attempt since Michael Allen in 2009.

Idoki got a beer shower from fellow Japanese players Joe Ozaki and Kiyoshi Murota after finishing ahead of Perry's final group.

Perry shot a 72, and Haas had a 70. Perry squandered a two-stroke lead with two holes to go in the 2009 Masters and also let victory slip away in the 1996 PGA Championship.


Mark O'Meara was fourth, three strokes back after 65 including an eagle on No. 17. Murota was another shot behind after a 67.

Perry staggered to the finish line, beginning with a double bogey on No. 13 that dropped him into a tie with Idoki. Another bogey on No. 16 dropped him out of the lead he had held or shared since the end of the second round, and he bogeyed No. 17 after shooting sideways out of deep rough in trees on No. 17.

Perry lost his lead three-putting from the fringe up against the edge of the rough on No. 13, running it past the cup from about 3 feet before holing out to put him at even par for the day.

He arched his back in disappointment after leaving a long birdie putt just short on No. 14.

Idoki climbed into contention with four birdies and no bogeys on the front nine, and added two more birdies in a flawless finish.

Jim Rutledge closed with a 64 for the best round of the tournament. He tied for sixth with fellow Canadian Rod Spittle, Russ Cochran, Kirk Triplett and Duffy Waldorf. Rutledge had seven birdies, five on the front nine, with no bogeys and no long putts to save par.

Perry leaves Bellerive wondering what happened

Perry leaves Bellerive wondering what happened











PGA.COM May 26, 2013 9:24 PM

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Kenny Perry was three shoes ahead with six holes to play at Bellerive on Sunday, and then everything …


By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

ST. LOUIS - The final tally will show that Kenny Perry tied for second with Jay Haas in the 74th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, two shots behind surprise winner, Japan's Kohki Idoki.

How that happened for Perry, however, is likely something the friendly Kentuckian will be wondering for some time. Perry is too nice to slam his trunk when he leaves Bellerive Sunday night, but there's no doubt his ride home to Franklin, Ky., will call for some serious head scratching.

Perry entered the final round at Bellerive sporting a two-shot lead over Jay Haas and was five ahead of Idoki, who began Sunday at 5 under.

With the way he'd been playing all week - Perry was the only player in the field with three consecutive rounds in the 60s over the first 54 holes - it seemed as though Sunday at Bellerive would finally be Perry's coronation from great player to major champion.

Through five holes in the final round on Sunday, Perry had increased his lead to three shots over Haas with three birdies in his first four holes. Not only did Perry seem poised to erase the heartache he suffered in playoff losses at the 1996 PGA Championship and the 2009 Masters, but he looked well on his way to winning his first major in stunning fashion, with authority.

Sure, there was that bogey on the par-3 sixth hole, but that wasn't a big deal. It played as the hardest hole at Bellerive all week and only allowed four birdies in the final round.

"I birdied three of the first four again," Perry said. "I was 3 under again, like yesterday, off to a great start. And then that sixth hole kills me. I can't play that hole to save my neck. That little par 3 just, I bail out left every time. And I bogey it every time."

By the time Perry finished up the 12th hole, he was 2 under for the day with his three-shot advantage still intact. He was just six holes away from that elusive first major championship win.

Then came the 190-yard par-3 13th hole. That's where disaster struck and the outcome that appeared inevitable suddenly came into question.

The worst part about it all for Perry is the fact that he felt he'd hit the perfect shot.

With a 6-iron in hand on the tee box, he watched in disbelief as his ball sailed over the green and into some thick rough. A chip out of the spinach rolled out to about 20 feet. From there, he three-putted for a shocking double bogey.


"I hit a good shot," Perry said. "I could have stood there and told you, when that ball was in the air, I was thinking that thing is in the middle of the green. I couldn't believe it flew the green. So either I got a bad yardage or something ... I don't know. It's one of those deals. I can't explain it."

Up ahead, Idoki had birdied the 14th hole and in the blink of an eye, Perry went from a three-shot lead to a share of the lead with Idoki at 10 under.

Ouch.

"That kind of shell-shocked me a little bit," Perry said. "I couldn't believe it went that far, for one thing. And then I was in jail the whole time. So to make double on a hole that you think you can make birdie on, or at least par, that hurt."

After a bogey on No. 16 - another par-3 where Perry flew the green, this time with a 7-iron - Idoki had birdied the par-5 17th hole. It was another brutal swing for Perry. In a matter of six holes, he went from a three-shot lead to a share of the lead to two behind with two to play.

"On 16 or something I looked over and saw that he [Idoki] was at 11 ... or was it 17? I was like, where did he come from? You know," said Perry, who played the four par-3 holes at Bellerive in 4 over par on Sunday. "I knew I saw him around 9 and wasn't paying a lot of attention to the board. And then when I saw him at 11, I was like, good grief, I went from 2 up to 2 down in a hurry."

Needing a birdie at worst on the par-5 17th, Perry took an aggressive line and paid for it. The tee shot sailed way right into some heavy rough. Blocked out by trees, he needed to pitch out sideways. Ultimately, he would take another bogey to fall three behind with one to play just as Idoki was signing his card for a 6-under 65.

Game over.

On the 18th hole, Perry holed a 50-foot putt for birdie to close out a final-round, 1-over-par 72. Under any other circumstance, he probably would have been thrilled to see the putt drop. That wasn't the case, however.

"That didn't mean anything," he said. "No. I mean I was just trying to get out of the way, get done and move on."

There will be plenty more major tries on the Champions Tour for the 52-year-old Perry. But, for a little while anyway, this one is going to sting a bit.

"It was a great tournament," said Perry, with a body language that suggested he was still trying to fathom what the heck had just happened. "PGA of America [events] are the ones I covet the most, because I'm a golf course owner, I love the men and women who really make golf what it is today. They do all the groundwork, they promote the game of golf. Of all the ones I could have won, the PGA Senior, regular tour, this tour, that would be the one I would covet the most."

Perry will have more chances going forward, but until the next one, this is another major that just slipped away.

2013 U.S. Open: Golf Tee Times, Pairings for Rounds 1 and 2

2013 U.S. Open: Golf Tee Times, Pairings for Rounds 1 and 2











Bradley Ryder June 11, 2013 4:01 PM




COMMENTARY | The 113th U.S. Open takes place at the Meri



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on Golf Club on June 13-16 in Pennsylvania.





Pairings and tee times are set for the par-4 golf course, slightly soggy in the wake of Tropical Storm Andrea. While all eyes are on Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, defending 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson hopes to repeat.



U.S. Open 2013: Rounds 1 and 2 (groupings and starting times)

Note: All times in Eastern Standard Time (Thursday, tee 1/Friday, tee 11)

1. Cliff Kresge, Roger Tambellini, Ryan Yip: 06:45 a.m./12:45 p.m.

2. Rikard Karlberg, Yui Ueda, John Parry: 06:56 a.m./12:56 p.m.

3. Nick Watney, Peter Hanson, Hunter Mahan: 07:07 a.m./01:07 p.m.

4. Lucas Glover, Paul Casey, Bill Haas: 07:18 a.m./01:18 p.m.

5. Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini, David Lingmerth: 07:29 a.m./01:29 p.m.

6. George Coetzee, Martin Laird, Marcel Siem: 07:40 a.m./01:40 p.m.

7. Jerry Kelly, Charley Hoffman, John Huh: 07:51 a.m./01:51 p.m.

8. Henrik Stenson, Ryan Moore, Robert Garrigus: 08:02 a.m./02:02 p.m.

9. Ryan Palmer, Simon Khan, Ted Potter Jr.: 08:13 a.m./02:13 p.m.

10. Shawn Stefani, Michael Kim, Nicholas Thompson: 08:24 a.m./02:24 p.m.

11. Chris Doak, Andrew Svoboda, Douglas LaBelle II: 08:35 a.m./02:35 p.m.

12. Kevin Sutherland, Matt Weibring, Randall Hutchison: 08:46 a.m./02:46 p.m.

13. Cory McElyea, Ryan Nelson, John Hahn: 08:57 a.m./02:57 p.m.

14. David Toms, Darren Clarke, Jose Maria Olazabal: 12:30 p.m./07:00 a.m.

15. Geoff Ogilvy, Angel Cabrera, Paul Lawrie: 12:41 p.m./07:11 a.m.

16. Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer: 12:52 p.m./07:22 a.m.

17. Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell, Zach Johnson: 01:03 p.m./07:33 a.m.

18. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott: 01:14 p.m./07:44 a.m.

19. Thongchai Jaidee. G. Fernandez-Castano, Thorbjorn Olesen: 01:25 p.m./07:55 a.m.

20. Webb Simpson, Steven Fox, Ernie Els: 01:36 p.m./08:06 a.m.

21. Kyle Stanley, Joe Ogilvi, Luke Guthrie: 01:47 p.m./08:17 a.m.

22. Josh Teater, Yoshinobu Tsukada, Eddie Pepperell: 01:58 p.m./08:28 a.m.

23. Edward Loar, Morten Orum Madsen, Jung-Gon Hwang: 02:09 p.m./08:39 a.m.

24. Max Homa, Russell Knox, Matt Bettencourt: 02:20 p.m./08:50 a.m.

25. Adam Hadwin, John Nieporte, Jim Herman: 02:31 p.m./09:01 a.m.

26. Brandon Brown, Grayson Murray, Jesse Smith: 02:42 p.m./09:12 a.m.

27. Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Nicolas Colsaerts: 07:00 a.m./12:30 p.m.

28. Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley: 07:11 a.m./12:41 p.m.

29. Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose, Brandt Snedeker: 07:22 a.m./12:52 p.m.

30. Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Tim Clark: 07:33 a.m./01:03 p.m.

31. Sergio Garcia, Stewart Cink, Padraig Harrington: 07:44 a.m./01:14 p.m.

32. Ian Poulter, Jason Dufner, Boo Weekley: 07:55 a.m./01:25 p.m.

33. Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero, Jason Day: 08:06 a.m./01:36 p.m.

34. Y.E. Yang, Fredrik Jacobson, Hiroyuki Fujita: 08:17 a.m./01:47 p.m.

35. Scott Stallings, John Peterson, Robert Karlsson: 08:28 a.m./01:58 p.m.

36. Jay Don Blake, Brandt Jobe, Michael Campbell: 08:39 a.m./02:09 p.m.

37. David Hearn, Mike Weir, Jaco Van Zyl: 08:50 a.m./02:20 p.m.

38. Kevin Phelan, Wil Collins, Harold Varner III: 09:01 a.m./02:31 p.m.

39. Cheng-Tsung Pan, Mackenzie Hughes, Geoffrey Sisk: 09:12 a.m./02:42 p.m.

40. Justin Hicks, David Howell, Brian Stuard: 12:45 p.m./06:45 a.m.

41. Brendan Steele, Estanislao Goya, Peter Hedblom: 12:56 p.m./06:56 a.m.

42. Marc Leishman, John Senden, Marcus Fraser: 01:07 p.m./07:07 a.m.

43. Scott Langley, Chris Williams, Morgan Hoffmann: 01:18 p.m/07:18 a.m.

44. Michael Thompson, Michael Weaver, Casey Wittenberg: 01:29 p.m./07:29 a.m.

45. K.J. Choi, Francesco Molinari, Carl Pettersson: 01:40 p.m./07:40 a.m.

46. Scott Piercy, Kevin Chappell, Jamie Donaldson: 01:51 p.m./07:51 a.m.

47. Bo Van Pelt, Kevin Streelman, D.A. Points: 02:02 p.m./08:02 a.m.

48. Branden Grace, Sang-Moon Bae, Russell Henley: 02:13 p.m./08:13 a.m.

49. Hideki Matsuyama, Billy Horschel, Jordan Spieth: 02:24 p.m./08:24 a.m.

50. Mathew Goggin, Steven Alker, Alistair Presnell: 02:35 p.m./08:35 a.m.

51. Matt Harmon, Gavin Hall, Bio Kim: 02:46 p.m./08:46 a.m.

52. Zack Fischer, Ryan Sullivan, Brandon Crick: 02:57 p.m./08:57 a.m.

2013 U.S. Open date: June 13-16

U.S. Open location: Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.

Quote from Rory McIlroy (World No. 2) on playing with Tiger Woods (World No. 1) and Adam Scott (World No. 3) in the first and second rounds of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion: "It's always nice to be a part of a group like that. It's something I'm excited about. It's a good think I like it and enjoy it because there will obviously be a lot of attention come Thursday afternoon on our first tee shots."



(Via U.S. Open/USGA website)

Bradley is a professional writer, journalist, sportswriter, and avid fan of the NBA, Motorsports, NFL, PGA and all things tennis. He keeps a watchful eye on Miami Heat developments.

Tiger Woods deserved more from PGA Tour after Sergio Garcia's racist comment

Tiger Woods deserved more from PGA Tour after Sergio Garcia's racist comment











Eric Adelson June 11, 2013 5:42 PMYahoo Sports





ARDMORE, Pa. – Tiger Woods did the game of golf a favor by the way he handled Sergio Garcia's tone deaf and racist joke at his expense.

Unfortunately, the leaders of the sport did nothing in return.

The PGA Tour whiffed in its response to Garcia's "we will serve fried chicken" barb, announcing no punishment where one was clearly needed.

Garcia is sorry – he said so multiple times on Tuesday at Merion Golf Club, where he's preparing for the 113th U.S. Open – but PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem should be just as sorry for staying silent on the matter. He was in the room when Garcia dropped his stink bomb last month at an awards dinner.

"We don't comment on player disciplinary matters," said Tour spokeswoman Laura Neal in reply to an emailed question about whether Garcia was sanctioned.

"No comment" is not enough. The game of golf has a long history of unfair treatment toward minorities, notoriously keeping African-American members out of Augusta National until the 1990s. This was an opportunity to show progress, to show awareness.

Opportunity lost.

Just recently, NBA star Roy Hibbert made an off-color comment in a press conference, and he was heavily fined. When Kobe Bryant used a derogatory epithet, he was punished. Commissioner David Stern made it perfectly clear that insensitive remarks will be met with fines or worse, calling Bryant's gay slur "offensive and inexcusable." We are in an era where racist, sexist, and discriminatory remarks are rebuked quickly and forcefully – even when they're intended as humorous.





View gallery.

Sergio Garcia emerges from a meeting with George O'Grady, CEO of the European Tour (L) and Tim Finchem, PGA Tour …But apparently not in golf.



Finchem did meet privately with Garcia. "Following our meeting," said European Tour CEO George O'Grady, speaking on behalf of Finchem, "we have accepted his full apology, and we consider the matter closed."

Perhaps a reprimand was dealt. That's not nearly enough, though. Garcia's joke, although made at a private dinner, went viral. The response should be public too. "Behind closed doors" is exactly golf's problem, not its solution. Finchem didn't even follow up on O'Grady's comment that most of Garcia's friends are "colored athletes."

Instead, it was left to Woods and Garcia to address the media. Both did so admirably. Woods could have justifiably skewered Garcia, fueling another news cycle. Instead he said it was time to move on and play golf.Garcia opened his remarks Tuesday by apologizing again. He could have and should have apologized in person on Monday when he saw Woods on the practice range, but he did write Woods a note and he has been public in his expressed contrition. His chief sponsor, TaylorMade, is reviewing its agreement with Garcia, and the golfer is scared (if not scared straight).

The temptation is to move on. And, with such a distinguished tournament about to start on this jewel of a golf course on Thursday, few will complain about placing the game front and center.

But in moving on, the leaders of the sport have set a bad precedent. If the No. 1 player in the game is the victim of a joke like that, and no official word of punishment ever comes, what's the implicit conclusion about the sport's commitment to openness?

Finchem can get away with his silence. Few will call him out, on or off the course. ESPN's Bob Harig and the Boston Globe's Michael Whitmer both demanded punishment for Garcia. But that's hardly a groundswell of an objection.

The shame of the situation was brought into high relief Tuesday when a reporter for The Trentonian, L.A. Parker, sat in the front row and told Garcia his words were "stinging" not just because of the affront to a minority golfer, but also to himself and other African-Americans who love golf.

Garcia said he felt the weight of the responsibility. He took the charge seriously. "I can obviously see that I hurt a lot of people," he said. Yet Parker is still quite upset not only at the situation, but at Finchem.

"Finchem should have done a better job with this," Parker said. "Is he serious about this or not?"

Parker rightly pointed out that this controversy has become wholly about the two men involved – Woods and Garcia. It's become a soap opera – a diversion from a deeper problem. Will they be paired together over the weekend? Will animosity linger? Will we see the aftereffects in their individual games?

Enough of that. The two men have done a great deal publicly to put the incident behind them. Woods deserves to focus on his game, and Garcia, despite his abhorrent comments, should be taken at his contrite word. (Though a face-to-face apology would still be appropriate.)

The Tour? It did nothing to protect its modern pioneer, the man who has lined everyone's pockets and kept the game from the fringes of irrelevance. It made no sound when it should have been screaming that it would make the sport a discrimination-free zone for minorities of all backgrounds.

This week is a celebration of accessible golf: Merion is located a short train ride from one of the most diverse cities in the nation. Simply by holding the U.S. Open here, the USGA took a step closer to making the sport approachable for those living far from gated communities and fenced-in pools.

The sport is better because the U.S. Open is here. The sport is better because Tiger Woods is here.

The sport should also be better from this racist incident. Sadly, it's not.

Merion seeks sunshine as U.S. Open week opens

Merion seeks sunshine as U.S. Open week opens











PGA.COM June 11, 2013 6:36 PM

.

View gallery
an already-soggy Merion got three more downpours on Monday.(Getty Images)


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press

ARDMORE, Pa. -- The most popular piece of equipment Merion was not a golf club but a squeegee.

More heavy rain at the U.S. Open flooded a bunker by the 11th green and filled fairways with large puddles and tiny stream. The course was closed for four hours during the first full day of practice, and then shut down for good later in the afternoon.

Brandt Jobe played three holes when he heard a horn to stop play. Jim Herman managed to play one hole. Practice rounds are important because only a dozen or so players have ever seen this 100-year-old course, which has not hosted a U.S. Open in 32 years.

Workers were busy running squeegees across the greens and fairways during the afternoon before another downpour arrived.

"After the rain this morning, it's going to be very sloppy now," Ernie Els said. "You're not going to see a firm U.S. Open this year, I'm sorry. I don't care if they get helicopters flying over the fairways, it's not going to dry up. We're going to have a soft golf course this week -- all week."

The forecast was for mostly dry conditions Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a 40 percent chance of rain on Thursday for the opening round.

Merion received more than 3 inches of rain on Friday, and Monday's downpours -- three of them -- didn't help. The low point on the East Course is the 11th hole, and a bunker was filled with water from an overflowing stream.

Course Superintendent Matt Shaffer said the base sand was left alone. Workers removed the silt and put about three tons of new sand in the bunker, tamped it down and "we were ready to go."

For now, officials are hopeful.


Shaffer said Merion has had two big rains, and both times the 11th green has stayed above water. And while there were tiny streams running through fairways and large pools of water on sections of the greens, the water appeared to drain quickly.

"This golf course is not built on sand, so it's got the heavier soils," USGA Executive Director Mike Davis said. "But it is maybe the best draining golf course I have ever seen. If you walk this course, you know there's hardly any flat lies at Merion."

Merion is 6,996 yards on the scorecard, the shortest U.S. Open course since Shinnecock Hills in 2004. The rough is thicker than usual compared with most recent U.S. Opens, though soft greens are a recipe for low scoring no matter the golf course.

Congressional was softened significantly by rain, and Rory McIlroy shattered the scoring record at 16-under 268 for an eight-shot win. As for the week, it rained so much at Bethpage Black in 2002 that the tournament barely finished 72 holes on Monday, with Lucas Glover winning.

Els mentioned the firm fairways because that's what can make Merion tricky. Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy were among those who came to Merion early, and they all spoke about the experience necessary to find the right angle off the tee to keep the ball in the fairway. Geoff Ogilvy played Sunday for the first time and mentioned the best driver would fare well -- but not necessarily the straightest driver.

With soft fairways, it becomes more of a target.

"Obviously with it being a little soft, it becomes a little more simple than what it was," Scott said. "The ball is just going to stop where it lands."

Davis said the USGA would try to move the hole locations to some of the higher spots on the greens to avoid standing water if it rains on Thursday. As for the fairways, even with standing water, the U.S. Opencould be played as long as players could move the ball to a dry spot that didn't add significant distance to their shots.

The next two days could be crucial.

"We just need a little bit of sunshine," Shaffer said.

Golf-European Tour BMW International Open scores

Golf-European Tour BMW International Open scores











June 23, 2013 10:56 AM


June 23 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the European Tour BMW International Open at the par-72 course on Sunday in Munich

270 Ernie Els (South Africa) 63 69 69 69

271 Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 68 69 65 69

272 Alexander Levy (France) 65 68 68 71

273 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 66 68 71 68

Martin Kaymer (Germany) 64 71 69 69

Alexander Noren (Sweden) 64 71 66 72

274 Huang Wenyi (China) 71 69 69 65

Darren Fichardt (South Africa) 70 66 69 69

Sergio Garcia (Spain) 71 69 65 69

275 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 68 69 71 67

Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands) 64 72 70 69

John Parry (Britain) 67 72 67 69

Paul Waring (Britain) 66 73 67 69

Marcel Siem (Germany) 67 68 69 71

Brandon Stone (South Africa) 66 71 67 71

Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 69 68 67 71

Peter Uihlein (U.S.) 70 66 67 72

276 Dustin Johnson (U.S.) 66 71 73 66

Ross Fisher (Britain) 68 69 69 70

Danny Willett (Britain) 69 65 70 72

Matthew Baldwin (Britain) 64 69 69 74

277 Shane Lowry (Ireland) 69 69 74 65

Matteo Manassero (Italy) 68 69 71 69

Bernd Ritthammer (Germany) 68 70 69 70

Matthew Nixon (Britain) 65 71 70 71


278 Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 67 70 71 70

Tommy Fleetwood (Britain) 66 69 72 71

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 68 67 72 71

279 Justin Walters (South Africa) 67 73 74 65

Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 67 69 72 71

Peter Fowler (Australia) 67 71 70 71

David Higgins (Ireland) 67 71 70 71

Oscar Floren (Sweden) 68 70 70 71

Tjaart Van der Walt (South Africa) 70 68 69 72

280 Brett Rumford (Australia) 70 68 74 68

Jaco Van Zyl (South Africa) 75 65 72 68

Callum Macaulay (Britain) 69 68 74 69

Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 68 73 70 69

Oliver Fisher (Britain) 69 69 72 70

James Morrison (Britain) 68 70 70 72

281 Richard McEvoy (Britain) 68 72 71 70

Felipe Aguilar (Chile) 70 69 71 71

Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 66 74 69 72

Andreas Harto (Denmark) 68 73 69 71

Dawie Van der Walt (South Africa) 70 71 68 72

282 Robert Rock (Britain) 73 68 76 65

Seve Benson (Britain) 71 67 76 68

Anthony Snobeck (France) 70 71 72 69

Gary Stal (France) 68 68 74 72

Mark Tullo (Chile) 68 69 73 72

Alexandre Kaleka (France) 72 68 70 72


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Raphael Jacquelin (France) 73 67 68 74

283 Paul Casey (Britain) 71 70 72 70

Shiv Kapur (India) 69 68 75 71

Martin Wiegele (Austria) 69 69 74 71

Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina) 72 69 70 72

Victor Dubuisson (France) 68 69 73 73

284 Morten Madsen (Denmark) 74 65 75 70

David Horsey (Britain) 68 73 73 70

Scott Jamieson (Britain) 68 70 74 72

Gregory Bourdy (France) 68 73 70 73

285 Lorenzo Gagli (Italy) 69 71 74 71

Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 70 71 73 71

Jorge Campillo (Spain) 66 70 77 72

Chris Doak (Britain) 72 69 72 72

Magnus Carlsson (Sweden) 69 71 72 73

David Drysdale (Britain) 68 72 72 73

286 Romain Wattel (France) 67 72 75 72

Mikko Korhonen (Finland) 71 69 74 72

Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 69 72 72 73

Pontus Widegren (Sweden) 71 70 72 73

287 Gary Orr (Britain) 73 68 73 73

Marco Crespi (Italy) 69 72 72 74

288 Chris Paisley (Britain) 69 72 74 73

Joakim Lagergren (Sweden) 66 73 75 74

Estanislao Goya (Argentina) 66 74 74 74

291 Kristoffer Broberg (Sweden) 70 71 77 73

Marc Warren (Britain) 72 68 76 75

Bubba's Emotions Keep Him from Being Great

Bubba's Emotions Keep Him from Being Great











Adam Fonseca June 23, 2013 11:17 AM


COMMENTARY | Two years ago, Bubba Watson was deadlocked in a pressure packed extra-hole playoff at the 2012 Masters. Standing in the right tree line on hole No. 10 at Augusta National, Watson pull
ed off what could arguably be one of the greatest shots inmajor championship history.







Moments later, Watson holed out his final putt to officially become a major champion for the first time. He would then be seen celebrating on the green in typical Bubba fashion: tears streaming down his face while hugging everyone in sight. It was one of the more heartfelt and genuine sports reactions anyone had seen in a long time.

Unfortunately for Bubba, the tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve is also preventing him from becoming one of golf's all-time greats.

A glaring example of Watson's inability to control his emotions was seen during Saturday's third round of the Travelers Championship.

While standing on the tee at hole No.17 after having just made bogeys at the 13th and 15th, Watson was noticeably agitated moments before addressing his tee shot. He brought his club up to the top but suddenly halted on his downswing, distracted by a conversation being held by two men in the gallery behind the tee box. Watson glared in their direction while his caddie scolded the onlookers, just as any good caddie would do. Seconds later, Watson made a terrible swing and hacked his tee shot into a greenside bunker en route to another dropped shot.

I don't blame Watson for stopping his swing while two knuckleheads were chatting away yards behind him. Most players on tour would have done the same. However, it was quite obvious that Bubba was "on tilt" at that stage of his third round, thus allowing his three-shot lead to slowly disappear. The incident on hole No. 17 only made matters worse.

While he has improved greatly over the years, Watson has a history of letting his emotions - and temper - get the best of him. After having already earned a reputation of being cantankerous on the golf course after his 2006 Tour debut, an on-camera incident involving Watson and playing partner Steve Elkington in a 2008 New Orleans tournament remains a blemish on Bubba's locker room reputation. In recent years Watson has preferred to voice his opinions over social media, preferring Twitter as his online sounding board whenever he is so inspired.

Watson enters Sunday's final round of the Travelers Championship in a three-way tie for the lead with Charley Hoffman and Graham DeLaet. If he can find a way to keep his emotions under control for 18 holes, Bubba has the chance to earn his fifth PGA Tour victory of his career.Then again, that's a pretty big "if".



Adam Fonseca has been covering professional golf since 2005. His work has been published on numerous digital outlets including the Back9Network and SB Nation. Follow Adam on Twitter at @chicagoduffer.

Els holds on to win BMW International in Munich

Els holds on to win BMW International in Munich











June 23, 2013 1:54 PM


(Reuters) - South Africa's Ernie Els held off final round challenges from Thomas Bjorn and Alexander Levy to seal a one-shot start to finish victory at the BMW International Open in Munich on Sunday.

The British Open champion led the field from the opening round and started Sunday tied with France's Levy and Sweden's Alex Noren.

The 43-year-old's lead slipped during the final round to both Denmark's Bjorn and tour rookie Levy, but his third consecutive card of three-under par 69 was enough for an 18-under par total, following his stunning 63 on the opening day.

"I just felt good this week," Els told the europeantour.com website.

"I just felt my game was there and lucky enough it was one shot good enough.


"I really had it going and then I made it tough for myself again. Thomas was playing great, he stumbled on 14, I was watching the kid - I played with him yesterday and he looked like he had a great game - but he stumbled as well on the back nine.

"It's great to get my name on this wonderful trophy.

"Obviously it gives you a lot of confidence. Wire-to-wire you've got the pressure, every night you've got to sleep on it, guys are chasing you. So this is quite a week for me."

Bjorn finished one shot behind Els and was left to rue a double-bogey on the 14th hole, with 22-year-old Levy two shots behind the winner.

The victory was Els' 28th on the European Tour, but first title since winning his fourth major at last year's Open.


His defence of that title begins at Muirfield from July 18.

(Reporting by Josh Reich; Editing by Mark Meadows; mark.meadows@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 7933; Reuters Messaging:; mark.meadows.reuters.com@reuters.net; To sign up for our Global Sports Forum chatroom, click on https://forms.thomsonreuters.com/global_sports_forum)

Golf-Els aims to be king of the castle at Scottish Open

Golf-Els aims to be king of the castle at Scottish Open










July 2, 2013 9:21 AM



July 2 (Reuters) - World number 15 Ernie Els will prepare for his British Open title defence by going for his third Scottish Open victory next week.

The 43-year-old South African previously won the British Open warm-up event in 2000 and 2003.

"Playing the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open is not only the perfect preparation for The Open, it's also a tremendous tournament in its own right," Els said in a European Tour news release on Tuesday.

"I have very fond memories of my two wins in the Scottish Open and if I can win it a third time next week it would be the perfect platform for my defence of The Open."

World number six Phil Mickelson will also compete at the Castle Stuart course in Inverness from July 11-14.

This year's British Open will also be held in Scotland, at Muirfield the following week. (Writing by Tony Jimenez in London; editing by Clare Fallon)