Noticias WGT Golf

By Stephanie Wei

Doffing his cap to the gallery, a misty-eyed Tom Watson made his way up to the 17th green for probably the last time at a US Open. Next to him was his son, Michael, who was carrying his bag on Father’s Day. To their right, the crowd lining the fairway to the fans sitting in the grandstands had broken out in a warm standing ovation. At the foot of the stands, I clapped while I tried to soak in the moment and looked on in awe of Watson, particularly the memories he shared with the 17th hole at Pebble Beach on US Open Sundays.

It was here that Watson chipped in from the thick rough left of the green to a difficult back left pin placement to clinch victory at the ’82 championship by a shot over Jack Nicklaus. On this Sunday — 28 years later — the flag was in a similar spot, where Watson knocked his second shot from the bunker to tap-in range to save par.

As he and playing partner Edoardo Molinari and their caddies were walking off the green, they stopped while Watson gestured toward something in the direction of the pin — perhaps he was explaining the hour glass shape of the green or maybe he was recalling his incredible shot in ’82. Who knows, but I’ve been kicking myself because I forgot to ask him when he spoke to reporters later.

After hitting a beautiful drive down the middle on 18, he tipped his cap and smiled at the fans all the way down the fairway. “Tommy!” and “Tom!” cheers roared the entire time.

I could feel the chills going down my spine and I started to get a little choked up. There’s something about these sentimental moments in sports that make me very emotional (I mean, I cried for nearly a week after Watson lost the British Open. And yes, I admit to it.).

His second shot on the par 5 flew into the bunker just short and right of the green. He looked down at the ground in disappointment after he realized the ball didn’t end up where he wanted.

As Watson walked up to the 18th green the hole-long standing ovation continued. By the time he reached the green, tears were running down his face. But he managed to hit another beautiful shot from the sand for the second hole in a row, knocking it to about three feet for birdie.

Unable to see through his watery eyes, he missed the putt, but made the comeback for par.

“There were a lot of emotions going on there on 18 today,” Watson said. “Even with my son on the bag and all the memories, great memories I’ve had here.”

Surrounded by a handful of reporters behind the 18th green (including yours truly), Michael was also fighting the emotions when asked about the putt. With his eyes hidden behind dark shades, he took a second to collect himself and quietly said, “He missed. He missed..it was tough in the moment.”

By Stephanie Wei

After Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell two-putted from 30 feet for par to clinch the US Open title, he looked to the sky, fists clenched and let out a sigh of relief. The grueling battle against Pebble Beach was finally over and he had outlasted the field to win his first major and to become the first European to win the event in 40 years.

On a day where the groans were more frequent than the cheers, McDowell shot a ho-hum 74, three-over, to win by a stroke over Frenchman Gregory Havret, a virtually unknown name in the US whose world ranking was 391 entering the championship. For the people who watched the trainwreck action at home, some probably want a refund on those five hours of their time. And for the players who slogged and punted their way around the course, all — with the exception of McDowell and perhaps Havret — probably wish they could have theirs, too.

With his only birdie of the day coming on the par 3, 5th, McDowell posted four bogeys in the final 10 holes to get back to level par for the championship. If there hadn’t been a pretty trophy afterward, the round was forgettable. Pebble Beach was playing just that hard.

The course was firm, the pins were tight, mistakes were punished, egos were bruised — and welcome to the US Open. a true test in golf designed to examine every aspect of a competitors game. And perhaps better known by the players as a test in torture (whose wails are heard loud and clear the second after they walk out the scoring trailer).

As it happened, McDowell was the survivor, who deserves credit where it’s due. McDowell minimized his mistakes both physically and mentally, and played the most consistently from tee to green over the course of 72 holes.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” he said. “I work so hard at being calmed and disciplined out there today that I’m still feeling a little too calm right now.  I need to get a beer in my hand or something.”

Sitting in McDowell’s press conference, I quickly realized, he’s the kind of guy I’d enjoy bantering with over some pints. Perhaps he’s not the most sexy winner — I mean, he’s no Tiger, Phil, Ernie or even DJ — but he’s a very gracious and likable one with a salty sense of humor.

“I was surprised that Gregory Havret was the guy closest to me,” he said. “No disrespect to Gregory, he’s a great player, but when you have Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els obviously there, you’re not expecting Gregory Havret to be the guy you’ve got to fend off.”

/interview room explodes with respectful laughter

Forget the cliched robotic answers. He spoke candidly and freely, which was refreshing, and answered questions thoughtfully and patiently — similar to the way he played.

I was proud of myself the way I stayed calm today,” he said. “To win at Pebble Beach, to join the names, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Tiger Woods, me — wow.  I’m not quite sure if I belong in that list, but, hey, I’m there now.”

McDowell also has a customary cold beer after a long day — on the night before winning the US Open, it was an Amstel Light (but he doesn’t have a beer of choice) with his dinner at Montrio’s in Monterey. He slept in until 9:30 on Sunday morning before having a cup of coffee at Monterey Plaza.

In the ’90s, he was a big fan of Ernie Els and for some reason when he thinks of the US Open, it reminds him of Ernie winning it in ’94 at Oakmont and again in ’97 at Congressional, which was around the time he decided he wanted to be a competitive golfer. His brother is a scratch golfer and the two grew up playing at Portrush. The European Tour is his home tour and will continue to be, but he’s been playing to get his PGA Tour card next season to play more in the US.

As a big soccer fan, he’s been waking up early to watch the World Cup. He’s going to bring the trophy back to the other side of the pond later this week, where he’ll consume a few beverages from it. And he’s not sure when he’ll sober up.

See how much I learned about Graeme in just one press conference? If only all players spoke so freely.

Someone get the man a beer already.

[Photos by: Allan Henry/Golf Chronicles]

Happy father's day!  Join us in celebrating all the dads out there by entering The Glenlivet Father's Day Open for a chance to win one of three The Glenlivet-branded premium golf bags.  Happy hitting!

 

by WGTNiv

• dud_doodle notches the ever elusive Double Eagle from 235 yards out on Kiawah's Par 5 11th.
• diprivannap battles the terrain and a stiff left to right crosswind to card his first career HIO on the Par 3 11th hole at St. Andrews.
• mrboo exhibits an exquisite touch with this fantastic chip that trickles its way into the hole on the difficult first green at Oakmont.
• imperialrockshows us how to properly use the slope on the 6th hole at Oakmont to record a HIO.
• And finally, from the "Wow, did you see that?" department, Trapflyer turns a seemingly impossible pitch from in front of the green on the 9th hole at Oakmont into a "routine" hole-out with a little help from the slope.

 

By The Armchair Golfer

THE 2010 U.S. OPEN gets underway on Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Lucas Glover defends in an international field of 156 players.

Purse: $7.5 million
Winner’s share: $1.35 million
Defending champion: Lucas Glover

The field
Player bios
Groupings and tee times
Player interviews
Pebble Beach hole by hole (including fly-over video)
U.S. Open news
U.S. Open on Twitter
Photo gallery
Past winners
U.S. Open records

2010 U.S. Open Leaderboard
2010 U.S. Open hole-by-hole summary
2010 U.S. Open statistics

TV SCHEDULE

More than 30 hours of TV coverage are scheduled for the 2010 U.S. Open.

Thu, June 17
ESPN 1-3 PM ET
NBC 3-5 PM ET
ESPN 5-10 PM ET

Fri, June 18
ESPN 1-3 PM ET
NBC 3-5 PM ET
ESPN 5-10 PM ET

Sat, June 19
NBC 4:30-11 PM ET

Sun, June 20
NBC 3-9 PM ET

(Images: Keith Allison/Flickr)

By Stephanie Wei

The USGA released the US Open pairings on Friday afternoon (way to mess up my plan to start happy hour early). As some of you may know, the USGA enjoys putting together amusing pairings. In the past. Apparently this year they lost their sense of humor — unless I’m totally missing the joke behind some of the groups (which might be the case). Well, there are still the traditional obvious ones, which I’ve highlighted, along with my spin on a few. Don’t got me wrong, though, they’re still fantastic pairings. So, here they are and please feel free to top me or point out other connections. Enjoy!

Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Angel Cabrera — Past US Open Champions

Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby — Awesome Aussies

Matt Kuchar, Justin Leonard, Scott Verplank — Past US Amateur Champions

David Duval, Tom Lehman, Ben Curtis — Past British Open Champions

Sergio Garcia, Steve Stricker, Paul Casey — Best Players Never to Win a Major (Yet)

Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Ricky Barnes — Hey Brah, You See That Hot Chick?

Tom Watson, Ryo Ishikawa, Rory McIlroy — Two Kids and a Legend

Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Y.E. Yang — Tiger Nemeses

Lee Westwood, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els — Three Damn Good Players

Stewart Cink, Ben An, Lucas Glover — A USGA Tradition Unlike Any Other: British Open, US Amateur and US Open reigning champions

Stuart Appleby, Rory Sabbatini, Stephen Ames — Is This the *** Group?

Ian Poulter, Yuta Ikeda, Henrik Stenson — My Eyes, My Eyes! Can’t Miss ‘Em

Alvaro Quiros, Ryan Moore, Michael Sim — Young Dudes That Don’t Suck

Andrew Putnam (a), Ty Tyron, Hugo Leon — In Need of a Big Break

Vijay Singh, Dustin Johnson, Davis Love III — At One Point the Longest Hitter on Tour (DJ is currently and Love and Singh were in their younger days. By the way, if I’m Davis — who is far too nice — I’d punch Vijay on the first tee for getting a free pass when Davis had to qualify with a similar career resume and didn’t play last year because he failed to qualify. You know, just saying.)

Here’s the tee sheet in full:

Thursday (June 17), hole #1; Friday (June 18), hole #10

7:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Deane Pappas, South Africa; Gary Woodland, Topeka, Kan.; Paul Sheehan, Australia

7:11 a.m. - 12:41 p.m. - Steve Marino, Tequesta, Fla.; Gregory Havret, France; Charles Warren, Greenville, S.C.

7:22 a.m. - 12:52 p.m. - Toru Taniguchi, Japan; Soren Hansen, Denmark; Edoardo Molinari, Italy

7:33 a.m. - 1:03 p.m. - Francesco Molinari, Italy; Soren Kjeldsen, Denmark; Hiroyuki Fujita, Japan

7:44 a.m. - 1:14 p.m. - Tim Clark, South Africa; K. J. Choi, Korea; Mike Weir, Canada

7:55 a.m. – 1:25 p.m. - Adam Scott, Australia; Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; Robert Allenby, Australia

8:06 a.m. - 1:36 p.m. - Matt Kuchar, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Justin Leonard, Dallas, Texas; Scott Verplank, Edmond, Okla.

8:17 a.m. - 1:47 p.m. - Stewart Cink, Duluth, Ga.; A-Byeong-Hun An, Korea; Lucas Glover, Simpsonville, S.C.

8:28 a.m. - 1:58 p.m. - Ian Poulter, England; Yuta Ikeda, Japan; Henrik Stenson, Sweden

8:39 a.m. - 2:09 p.m. Trevor Immelman, South Africa; Robert Karlsson, Sweden; David Toms, Shreveport, La.

8:50 a.m. - 2:20 p.m. - Jason Gore, Valencia, Calif.; Arjun Atwal, India; Jim Herman, Port St. Lucie, Fla.

9:01 a.m. – 2:31 p.m. - A-Andrew Putnam, University Place, Wash.; Ty Tryon, Orlando, Fla.; Hugo Leon, Chile

9:12 a.m. - 2:42 p.m. - Kent Eger, Canada; A-Alex Martin, Liberty Twp., Ohio; Jon Curran, Hopkinton, Mass.

Thursday (June 17), hole #10; Friday (June 18), hole #1

7:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Rafael Cabrera - Bello, Spain; John Mallinger, Long Beach, Calif.; Stephen Allan, Australia

7:11 a.m. - 12:41 p.m. - Mikko Ilonen, Finland; Derek Lamely, Ft. Myers, Fla.; James Morrison, England

7:22 a.m. - 12:52 p.m. - Brian Gay, Windermere, Fla.; Simon Khan, England; Bo Van Pelt, Tulsa, Okla.

7:33 a.m. - 1:03 p.m. - Camilo Villegas, Colombia; Zach Johnson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Luke Donald, England

7:44 a.m. - 1:14 p.m. - Retief Goosen, South Africa; Jim Furyk, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Angel Cabrera, Argentina

7:55 a.m. – 1:25 p.m. - Stuart Appleby, Australia; Rory Sabbatini, South Africa; Stephen Ames, Canada

8:06 a.m. - 1:36p.m. - Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Padraig Harrington, Ireland; Y. E. Yang, Korea

8:17 a.m. - 1:47 p.m. - David Frost, South Africa; Kaname Yokoo, Japan; Eric Axley, Knoxville, Tenn.

8:28 a.m. - 1:58 p.m. - Nick Watney, Las Vegas, Nev.; Hunter Mahan, Colleyville, Texas; Ricky Barnes, Phoenix, Ariz.

8:39 a.m. – 2:09 p.m. - Jason Dufner, Auburn, Ala.; Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand; Ross McGowan, England

8:50 a.m. – 2:20 p.m. - Kevin Na, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; A-Ben Martin, Greenwood, S.C.; Matt Bettencourt, Greenville

9:01 a.m. – 2:31 p.m. - Craig Barlow, Henderson, Nev.; Kent Jones, Albuquerque, N.M.; Bobby Gates, The Woodlands, Texas

9:12 a.m. - 2:42 p.m. - Dan McCarthy, Syracuse, N.Y.; A-Joseph Bramlett, Saratoga, Calif.; Travis Hampshire, Tampa, Fla.

12:30 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. - Steve Wheatcroft, Jacksonville, Fla.; A-Morgan Hoffmann, Wyckoff, N.J.; Rikard Karlberg, Sweden

12:41 p.m. - 7:11 a.m. - Marc Leishman, Australia; Rafa Echenique, Argentina; John Rollins, Colleyville, Texas

12:52 p.m. - 7:22 a.m. - Tbd, Far Hills, N.J.; Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Shaun Micheel, Collierville, Tenn.

1:03 p.m. - 7:33 a.m. - David Duval, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; Tom Lehman, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Ben Curtis, Stow, Ohio

1:14 p.m. - 7:44 a.m. - Sergio Garcia, Spain; Steve Stricker, Madison, Wis.; Paul Casey, England

1:25 p.m. – 7:55 a.m. - Bob Estes, Abilene, Texas; Brendon De Jonge, Zimbabwe; Brian Davis, England

1:36 p.m. - 8:06 a.m. - Lee Westwood, England; Ernie Els, South Africa; Tiger Woods, Windermere, Fla.

1:47 p.m. - 8:17 a.m. - Ben Crane, Westlake, Texas; Peter Hanson, Sweden; Jerry Kelly, Madison, Wis.

1:58 p.m. - 8:28 a.m. - Martin Kaymer, Germany; Sean O’Hair, West Chester, Pa.; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa

2:09 p.m. - 8:39 a.m. - Heath Slocum, Alpharetta, Ga.; Oliver Wilson, England; John Senden, Australia

2:20 p.m. - 8:50 a.m. - Mathias Gronberg, Sweden; Azuma Yano, Japan; Harrison Frazar, Dallas, Texas

2:31 p.m. – 9:01 a.m. - Jason Preeo, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; A-Kevin Phelan, St. Augustine, Fla.; Mark Silvers, Savannah, Ga.

2:42 p.m. - 9:12 a.m. - Kenny Kim, Korea; A-Bennett Blakeman, Burr Ridge, Ill.; Blaine Peffley, Lebanon, Pa.

Thursday (June 17), hole #10; Friday (June 18), hole #1

12:30 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. - Terry Pilkadaris, Australia; Rich Barcelo, Reno, Nev.; Gary Boyd, England

12:41 p.m. - 7:11 a.m. - Jean-Francois Lucquin, France; Chris Stroud, Houston, Texas; Gareth Maybin, Northern Ireland

12:52 p.m. - 7:22 a.m. - Simon Dyson, England; J. J. Henry, Fort Worth, Texas; Alex Cejka, Czech Republic

1:03 p.m. - 7:33 a.m. - Michael Campbell, New Zealand; Seung Yul Noh, Korea; Paul Goydos, Coto De Caza, Calif.

1:14 p.m. - 7:44 a.m. - Aaron Baddeley, Australia; Pablo Martin, Spain; Rhys Davies, Wales

1:25 p.m. – 7:55 a.m. - Alvaro Quiros, Spain; Ryan Moore, Spanaway, Wash.; Michael Sim, Australia

1:36 p.m. - 8:06 a.m. - Vijay Singh, Fiji; Dustin Johnson, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Davis Love III, Sea Island, Ga.

1:47 p.m. - 8:17 a.m. - Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Tom Watson, Stillwell, Kan.

1:58 p.m. - 8:28 a.m. - Kenny Perry, Franklin, Ky.; Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain; Fred Funk, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

2:09 p.m. - 8:39 a.m. - Ross Fisher, England; Brandt Snedeker, Nashville, Tenn.; Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa

2:20 p.m. - 8:50 a.m. - Daniel Summerhays, Farmington, Utah; A-Scott Langley, St. Louis, Mo.; Matthew Richardson, England

2:31 p.m. – 9:01 a.m. - Erik Compton, Coral Gables, Fla.; A-Russell Henley, Macon, Ga.; Jason Allred, Scottsdale, Ariz.

2:42 p.m. - 9:12 a.m. - Erick Justesen, Sacramento, Calif.; Jerry Smith, Oskaloosa, Iowa; A-Hudson Swafford, Tallahassee, Fla.

By Stephanie Wei

Golf Digest’s made-for-TV US Open Challenge was played on Wednesday and it was a grind-it-out kind of day for the three celebs, Mark Wahlberg, Wayne Gretzky and Drew Brees, and reader’s pick, Peggy Ference.

Teeing up from the championship tees, Marky Mark, the highest handicap in the foursome, was the only one to break 100, firing a 97. Sandbagger!

Meanwhile, apparently if Tony Romo and Drew Brees were to face off on the links, Romo would dominate. Brees, a 3-handicap, opened the round by hitting his first drive on the roof of the spa bordering the hole. He finished with a 102, but the AP report excuses him for being “rusty” because he had just flown in on Tuesday after a trip to the oil spill cleanup effort in the Gulf Coast.

Gretzy almost broke 100, but triple-bogeyed the 18th to shoot 100.

And how about Peggy? The 51-year-old amateur had a rough time reaching most of the fairways from the back tees and shot 118. But she was a good sport and appreciated the experience.

While Ference didn’t meet her goal of breaking 100, she celebrated small victories during her round, such as when she cleared the 150-yard chasm on the eighth hole to stay dry. After the shot, she raised her arms, turned to her caddie Pavin and gave him a hug.

“This was really about the game of golf and how anybody can play it from any set of tees in any conditions,” Ference said. “I have so much appreciation for what the PGA Tour players encounter, not just in the U.S. Open but regular tournaments too.”

I saw some criticisms on Twitter over how poorly she was playing, but seriously, guys, what do you expect? It’s not like any past sweepstakes winners have ever broken 100. But this got me thinking — perhaps I should apply next year. That could be a really fantastic experience to write about, but not sure if I qualify since I guess I’m considered media now. Still, maybe they’d make an exception. I mean, it wouldn’t be a bad PR move. Plus, I played at a high level at one point (no, I’m not talking about Ivy League golf) and with some practice, I think I could break 100 from the big boys’ tees in US Open conditions.

Well, just a thought.

Congratulations to AvatarLee and GLADSTONESCREWER, who won the 2010 USGA Front 9 Challenge and the 2010 Virtual Open Front 9 Challenge, respectively.

For conquering the front 9 of Oakmont, AvatarLee has won a $250 gift certificate for the USGA Online Store, and for beating out the competition on St Andrews, GLADSTONESCREWER will take home The 150th Open Limited Edition Print. 

Congratulations guys!  And good luck to all in the Qualifying Rounds of the Virtual Majors going on now.

Are you on Twitter?  Follow us @worldgolftour and stay up to date with the latest news and updates from the WGT team.

 

 

Compete for the Championship Title and Incredible Prizes

The Virtual Majors kick off an exciting phase today with the stroke play Qualifying Rounds of both The USGA Virtual Championship at Oakmont Country Club and The Virtual Open Championship 2010 on the Old Course at St Andrews. Additional events include new Back 9 Closest-to-the-Hole Challenges on both courses. Prizes worth thousands of dollars and experiences money can't buy are up for grabs!

From now until July 11, compete on all 18 holes of Oakmont from the championship tees in the The USGA Virtual Championship Qualifying round. It’s unlimited play and your best scores will automatically post to the leaderboard. The top 156 players plus ties will make the cut to compete in the 36-hole Championship. Those who qualify for the Championship will not only win a 1-year membership to the USGA, but will also have the the opportunity to compete in the Championship round with a grand prize trip for two to the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional as a guest of the USGA. Anyone who posts an 18-hole score will also be entered into a sweepstakes drawing with a chance to win a $500 gift card to the USGA online store.

From now until July 18, compete from the championship tees on all 18 holes of the Old Course at St Andrews in the Qualifying round of the The Virtual Open Championship 2010. The top 156 players plus ties will make the cut and play in the 36-hole Championship to determine this year's winner. Each qualifier will win an official Open 2010 Imperial Cap and will have the opportunity to compete for the grand prize, a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to Scotland to play golf on the Old Course. Anyone who posts an 18-hole score will have a chance to win a $500 gift card to OpenGolfShop.com via a sweepstakes drawing.

Win Trip for Two to the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional or a Golf Trip for Two to St Andrews!

 

 

*Prize eligibility for each event is subject to their official rules. Be sure to read them.

New! Experience Historic U.S. Open shots on Pebble Beach

When you need a break from competing in the Virtual Majors, try testing your skills against those of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Ernie Els, and more! Watch official archived videos of the best shots from previous U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach, then try to hit those very same shots yourself, and see if you can beat the Pros!

Just go to to USOpen.com and click on the button depicted below to experience US Open History.

Equip yourself for the challenge with the latest new clubs

We have new clubs in our Pro Shop that offer increased distance and power, perfect for hitting from the Championship tees and edging out the stiff competition to make the cut in the Virtual Majors. Check them out in the Pro Shop, and compete with the latest gear.