Charley Hoffman Wins Deutsche Bank Championship; Tiger Finishes T11

Filed under: PGA, FedEx Cup

NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Charley Hoffman was rolling in so many putts he lost track of how many birdies he made Monday. His final stroke on a Labor Day masterpiece was his 11th birdie, more than enough to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The question is whether it was enough to make him a last-minute pick for the Ryder Cup.

Hoffman ran off four straight birdies early to erase a four-shot deficit, seized control by holing a bunker shot on the 13th and closed with a 9-under 62 on the TPC Boston for a five-shot victory over Geoff Ogilvy, Jason Day and Luke Donald.

Tiger Woods had three rounds in the 60s for the first time this year. He closed with a 69 to tie for 11th, and kept his No. 1 ranking in the world when Phil Mickelson imploded again.

Mickelson needed only to finish fourth to become No. 1 for the first time in his career. Instead, he took two double bogeys on the back nine and shot 76 to tie for 25th. A month ago, Mickelson had an equally good chance at Firestone and shot 78.

Even if he doesn’t make the Ryder Cup, the FedEx Cup is looking pretty good for Hoffman.

He was No. 59 in the standings and arrived at the TPC Boston wanting to make sure he advanced to the third round of the playoffs next week outside Chicago. He wound up a winner, moving to No. 2 in the standings. That assures him a shot at the $10 million bonus, and puts him in all four majors next year after not playing any of them this year.

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As for the Ryder Cup? U.S. captain Corey Pavin will make his four selections Tuesday morning in New York. The frontrunners are Woods, Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink, with no one standing out as the fourth choice.

Pavin had said earlier in the week that no one should assume a good week at the Deutsche Bank would put him on the team.

Hoffman, oozing California cool with his blond locks flowing from under his cap and kelly green pants to match his shoes, made a strong impression with his game and his words.

 

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Jason Day Edges in Front; Tiger 10 Back at Deutsche Bank

Filed under: PGA, FedEx Cup

NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Jason Day capped off an exciting day with a routine birdie to take the lead Sunday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, setting up a Labor Day finish with all sorts of possibilities.

Day watched a three-shot lead evaporate in two holes, only to get it back on the par-5 18th with a shot just off the back of the green, leaving him a simple two-putt for birdie and a 5-under 66. He had a one-shot lead over Brandt Snedeker, who made a mess of the 18th until chipping in for par and a 67.

Just like so many other times at this tournament, the Deutsche Bank Championship could be up for grabs.

And so could the No. 1 ranking.

Tiger Woods could only manage one birdie over the last 11 holes and shot a 2-under 69, leaving him tied for 23rd and 10 shots out of the lead. That set the stage for Phil Mickelson or Steve Stricker to end his five-year run atop the world ranking.

Stricker is closer to the lead. Mickelson has better odds.

Both of them might have a tough time catching up to Day, the 22-year-old Australian who won the Byron Nelson Championship in May and is starting to play his best golf during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Day was at 17-under 196, matching the 54-hole record at the TPC Boston set by Mike Weir two years ago.

Luke Donald, winless on the PGA Tour in more than four years, was steady again in his first tournament since being picked for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. He birdied the last hole for a 66 and was two shots behind.

Defending champion Stricker played his third straight round without a bogey for a 67 and was at 13-under 200 with Charley Hoffman, who had a 69.

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Deutsche Bank Championship Roundtable Preview

Filed under: PGA, Golf Odds and Ends, FedEx Cup

The PGA Tour Playoffs roll on to the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston this week. The top 100 players on the FedExCup points list are in the field, and only 70 will advance to the BMW Championship next week.

Last year at the Deutsche Bank Championship, Steve Stricker (pictured) pulled off a late push to win the tournament with style, finishing with a final-round 67 after sinking two clutch putts for a one-shot victory.

Arriving on the 17th hole, Stricker was one shot back of then-leaders Jason Dufner and Scott Verplank. Stricker proceeded to hit his approach shot to within 15 feet on 17, and then stuffed the birdie putt to take the lead.

Then on the par-5 18th Stricker nailed a drive straight down the middle of the fairway, pounded a hybrid approach shot 234 yards and through the green. His chip shot came to rest within a few feet of the cup, leaving Stricker a tap-in to win.

The victory moved Stricker to a career-high No. 2 world ranking and allowed him to eventually finish third in the FedExCup. “It’s been a lot of fun,” said Stricker, “It’s a lot of fun getting in contention like that, and it’s even more fun when you can pull it off like I did today.”

And then there was Padraig Harrington.

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The three-time major champion held the lead at 16 under when he made the turn, then came apart. Paddy made bogey on 10 and double-bogey on 12, both resulting from poor drives that incurred penalty strokes.

This year, Tiger Woods is on the bubble for next week’s BMW Championship and a hurricane could swoop in and knock the whole tournament off its feet. How will the storm affect the tournament? What must Tiger do to qualify for the BMW? The answers, and of course, our picks are all in this week’s FanHouse golf roundtable.

 

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PGA Tour Suspends Rule That Led to Jim Furyk’s Barclays Disqualification

Filed under: PGA

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has suspended the regulation that resulted in Jim Furyk’s disqualification last week from the Barclays after he was late to his pro-am starting time.

For the remainder of the year, a similar situation will be handled as a matter of unbecoming conduct. A player guilty of a similar offense will be required to participate in the remainder of the pro-am round and may be required to perform additional sponsor activity. A player who misses his pro-am obligation in its entirety will still be ruled ineligible for the tournament unless he has been excused in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.

The matter will receive further discussion at the Policy Board meeting in November.

Phil Mickelson made a solid argument why the old rule was a bad one: not all players are required to participate in pro-am competitions.

“The rule itself applies to only half the field,” Mickelson says. “So if you’re going to have a rule that does not apply to everybody, because not everybody played the pro-am, you cannot have it affect the competition.

“It’s got to be a different penalty. It can’t be disqualification if it only applies to half the field. So this rule — it’s not protecting the players. It’s not protecting the sponsors. It applies to only half the field and yet it affects the integrity of the competition.

“I have no idea how the commissioner let this rule go through.”

 

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Matt Kuchar for Player of the Year? Yeah, It’s Been That Weird of a Year

Filed under: PGA, Ryder Cup, FedEx Cup, Sports Business and Media

The only way the PGA Tour 2010 season could get much stranger is if right in the middle of this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston — the second in the four-event FedEx Cup playoff series — a hurricane hits the New England coastline and …

Uh, oh.

So far this year Tiger went tabloids and Phil went to an arthritis specialist, meaning the top two players in the world ranking have a combined one victory. Three guys who couldn’t get through the clubhouse buffet line without photo ID when the year began have won the last three majors. Dustin Johnson learned that a bunker does not always look like a bunker. Jim Furyk, not exactly a night stalker, overslept and was disqualified from last week’s FedEx opener. And Matt Kuchar suddenly is the leading candidate for player of the year.

Unless he gets blown away this weekend.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center is projecting a strong possibility of Hurricane Earl swiping New England, warning coastal residents from North Carolina to Maine to watch the storm closely. Early predictions suggest a weekend arrival.

 

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Tiger Woods Struggles in Second Round at The Barclays

Filed under: PGA

PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Jason Day can’t get a straight answer from doctors on the mysterious health issues sapping away at his energy. He at least knows exactly where he stands after two rounds of The Barclays.

A tournament that once looked as though it might belong to Tiger Woods shifted late Friday to the hands of the 22-year-old Australian, who showed some of his great promise with three late birdies for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot lead.

Nine players had at least a share of the lead at some point during the second round until Day’s late surge. He was at 8-under 134, one shot clear of Kevin Streelman (63) and Vaughn Taylor (70) going into the weekend of the FedExCup’s first playoff event.

“I just tried to stay as patient as possible, and it just kind of fell in my lap, which was really good,” he said.

Woods didn’t so much lose his patience as much as his putting stroke. Part of that was playing in the afternoon on greens that became bumpy under foot traffic and a day of blazing sun, as Woods expected.

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He wasn’t planning on missing a 20-inch par putt on the fifth hole, or failing to make a single birdie on the easier front nine.

“I didn’t hit it bad at all,” Woods said. “I hit it really good. As I said, I didn’t putt really well. I hit it as good as I did yesterday. If I don’t make putts, I don’t score.”

He wound up with a 73, eight shots worse than his opening round.

 

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Tiger Woods Plays Best Round of Year to Share Barclays Lead

Filed under: PGA, FedEx Cup

PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Yes, that really was Tiger Woods‘ name atop the leaderboard.

In his first tournament since his divorce, Woods finally looked like the No. 1 player in the world Thursday at the Barclays when he opened with a 6-under 65, his lowest score of the year, to share the lead with Vaughn Taylor. It was his first time leading after any round on the PGA Tour since the Tour Championship last September.

“It’s exciting to hit the ball flush again,” Woods said. “It’s something I’ve been missing all year.”

He didn’t miss much at Ridgewood Country Club. Woods hit all but one fairway and putted for birdie on all but two holes. And while he hit his driver only twice, they were two of his best shots of the day — including on the 291-yard fifth hole, where his drive landed pin-high and settled 15 feet away.

Was it just a coincidence that his game showed up so soon after his marriage was dissolved?

“I can’t really say that’s the case,” he said. “As far as golf, it was nice to put it together.”

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Woods and Taylor both played in the morning, when the greens were smooth and the conditions were only breezy. They had a one-shot lead over Adam Scott, Brian Gay and Ryan Palmer. Scott played in the afternoon, where a gust of wind played tricks on him at the final hole and led to bogey.

Scott endured a long day in the pro-am Wednesday and didn’t think Ridgewood would serve up a 65 to anyone.

 

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The Barclays Roundtable Preview: We’re Talkin’ About Playoffs

Filed under: PGA, Golf Odds and Ends, FedEx Cup

Last year, Heath Slocum reminded us all what playoffs are about. He was the feel-good story of last year’s FedExCup, not to mention its biggest surprise.

First, he only made the post-season playoff series by the smallest of margins, getting into the 125-player field as No. 124 on the points list.

Then Slocum found himself in a tense final-day battle with some of the biggest names in golf: Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els.

But Slocum closed with a 4-under 67 to win for the third time in his career and first time in four years. The victory zoomed him up all the way to No. 3 in the FedExCup race and he eventually finished eighth in the final standings.

He made it all happen by holing a 21-foot put for par on the final hole, claiming a one-shot decision over Els, Stricker, Harrington and Woods.

Slocum’s nerve-defying final putt came only a short time after Woods missed from seven feet on the same green, a stroke that cost him dearly.

“It was an incredible day, incredible experience,” Slocum said. “I was just kind of lucky to come out on top. A lot of good players. At the end of the day, that putt on the last was magical. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”

Woods probably remembers it also, but for different reason.

It was his first tournament back after losing a two-shot lead Y.E. Yang in the PGA Championship and he let another title get away.

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After a clutch 6-iron from 189 yards to seven feet on the final hole to give himself a chance to tie for the lead, the birdie putt did not hit the hole.

 

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Notebook: Tiger Woods Still Has Chance in FedExCup

Filed under: PGA, Ryder Cup, FedEx Cup

The PGA Tour’s FedExCup, a four-tournament playoff series that culminates with the Tour Championship and a boat-load of bonus money for the ultimate winner, gets under way this week with The Barclays. And the more things change the more they have remained the same.

As has been the case since the postseason competition was introduced in 2007, Tiger Woods will draw much of the focus. He has won two of the three years, giving way to Vijay Singh in 2009 only when he was missing because of knee surgery.

This year, however, the attention is being created by the very-real possibility that the playoffs will advance without the world’s No. 1 ranked (at least for now) player.

The top 125 players off the current points list earned invitations this week to Ridgewood CC in Paramus, N.J. After play is completed Sunday, the top 100 advance to the second round.

 

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The Ryder Final Four, Another Golf Scandal and Lefty Inching Toward No. 1

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Sports Business and Media

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin now has eight of the 12 players who will go Wales to compete against the Europeans in early October.

There are four Ryder Cup veterans: Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan. There are four who will be making their first appearance in the team competition: Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.

In three weeks Pavin will make his four captain’s picks that complete the squad. So how does the current roster impact the captain’s selections?

In Watson and Johnson, the team will have two of the longest hitters in golf. Does Pavin attempt to build around that?

“I believe the eight players that have qualified are really going to allow a lot of flexibility for the four picks,” Pavin said. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any better for the eight players that are on the team and the types of players that are there.

“So I believe that there’s going to be many choices to be made there. I think it’s not just going to be about a type of player. I think there’s going to be a lot of room for maneuvering, which I’m very pleased with.”

The first question, of course, is whether Pavin will use one of his picks to invite Tiger Woods?

Most likely, he will.

 

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