Monday, November 18, 2013

Harris English wins OHL Classic

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Harris English won the rain-delayed OHL Classic for his second PGA Tour title, pulling away for a four-stroke victory in a 29-hole Sunday finish at Mayakoba.
English closed with a 6-under 65 after completing the third round in the morning with a 68. He moved into contention Saturday morning in the second round, matching the lowest round of his tour career with a 62.

"I guess I found something in my swing -- a little swing key that helping me out," English said. "I hit the ball really well all week. It got a little windy the first two days and I struggled a bit with my driver, but I found it down the stretch."
The 24-year-old former University of Georgia star finished at a tournament-record 21-under 263.
"My first time at Mayakoba," English said. "It's such a great tournament. Had a great time this week. Stayed down in Playa. Had some great beach time. Had some good golf course time."
He won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June in Tennessee for his first PGA Tour victory.
"I was a lot more comfortable out there than I was a Memphis," English said.
English and Rory McIlroy are the only current players under 25 with multiple PGA Tour victories.
Brian Stuard shot a 67 to finish second.
Third-round leader Robert Karlsson had a 72 to drop into a tie for sixth at 15 under.
"I've been struggling with the long shots, in general," the 44-year-old Swede said. "Usually, you get found out sooner or later. ... I'm still very, very pleased."
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Adam Scott defends Aussie title

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Adam Scott successfully defended his Australian Masters title for his second victory in two weeks, scrambling Sunday for an even-par 71 and a two-shot victory over Matt Kuchar at wind-swept Royal Melbourne.
Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April.
American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Kuchar had a 68 to finish second.
Vijay Singh, one of four players tied for second at the start of play, finished third after a 71, four behind playing partner Scott. The 50-year-old Fijian was attempting to win for the first time since 2008.
Scott, who finished at 14-under 270, began the day with a comfortable lead, lost it on the back nine, then wrestled it back.
He will now try to win the so-called Australian Triple Crown at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney in two weeks. Before that, he will partner Jason Day for Australia at the World Cup next week, again at Royal Melbourne.
Kuchar took the lead when Scott made a double bogey on the 14th as he dealt with a plugged lie in a bunker, while Kuchar in the preceding group made a birdie at the 15th.
The situation was reversed a hole later when Scott also birdied the 15th and the American bogeyed the 16th.
Scott had led by four strokes at the start of the round and by five shots late on the front nine. His faltering on the back nine revived memories of the 2012 British Open when he bogeyed the final four holes to lose by a shot, but this time he was able to recover and finish on top.
"I usually like looking at the leaderboard, but it wasn't enjoyable today," Scott said of the numerous lead changes. "I made a lot of errors, but I managed to hang on despite being a little shaky out there."
His day got off to an ominous start. His birdie putt from three feet lipped out while Singh had a tap-in birdie to reduce the lead to three, but a Singh bogey on the second restored the four-shot gap.
While Scott and Singh dueled in the final group, Kuchar, who will team with Kevin Streelman for the United States at the World Cup, moved up the leaderboard.
The American bogeyed the first hole, but birdies on five of the next eight left him as Scott's closest pursuer. He birdied the 11th and then the 15th to take the lead for the first time in the tournament before his late collapse.
"It's never fun, the 72nd hole, but it can happen any time," Kuchar said. "I tried on the last hole to stay aggressive and hit a good quality shot and I thought I had.
"The thing about Royal Melbourne is you can really pay the price for just being off if you play aggressively. It's certainly a rough way to end it but that's kind of the nature of the game."
Jarrod Lyle, playing in his first tournament in 20 months since his recovery from his second bout of leukemia, finished with an 8-over 79, including bogeys on his final three holes. He didn't expect to make the cut.
At the 18th, the large gallery applauded, even playing partner Michael Long, as Lyle walked gingerly around the green.
"I played five days in a row, including the pro-am, and the last nine holes I started to feel it," Lyle said. "I got around, and it's not the end I wanted. But it's better than I thought it would be: three good rounds and one shocker, that's golf."
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Jason Day will play in Melbourne after typhoon tragedy


Australian golfer Jason Day is to compete in the World Cup in Melbourne this week after losing eight relatives in Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The 26-year-old's mother, Dening, migrated to Australia from the Philippines 30 years ago.

Day's grandmother was one of those who died in the typhoon, which has claimed more than 3,500 lives.

"We feel devastated for all who have been affected by this horrific tragedy," Day said in a statement.

"While I understand the media's interest in this matter and hope that any coverage can spread awareness to assist with the relief efforts that continue in the Philippines, I hope that all will respect my family's privacy during this difficult time."

World number 18 Day is partnering Adam Scott at the World Cup,  which starts on Thursday.

He spoke further about the tragedy after practising on Monday, and had to pause several times to compose himself.

"It's been toughest on my mother - there's been no communication,'' Day added.

"Everything got wiped out in the area around where my grandma and my relatives lived. The only way we could communicate with anyone was with our relatives in Manila through Facebook. They did the searching.''
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Oliver Wilson: Ex-Ryder Cup player misses out on Tour card

 
Former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson was among the names to miss out at the European Tour's Qualifying School at PGA Catalunya Resort in Spain.
 
The 33-year-old played against the USA in the 2008 tournament in Valhalla.
But the Englishman has suffered a dramatic loss of form and has been playing on the European Challenge Tour.
He missed out on a card by two shots with Spain's Carlos Del Moral leading the scorers for one of the 27 cards for next season's Race to Dubai.
It was Del Moral's fourth time in six years to come through the final stage of qualifying and he finished five shots clear of Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti.
Among the others who failed to gain a card were 2011 Czech Open champion Oliver Fisher and two-time Tour winner Bradley Dredge.
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