Inbee Park wins North Texas Shootout

Inbee Park wins North Texas Shootout










Michael Eldridge, The Sports Xchange April 28, 2013 8:40 PMThe SportsXchange



IRVING, Texas -- World No. 1 Inbee Park shot a 4-under 67 to move past Carlota Ciganda in the final round to win the inaugural LPGA North Texas Shootout by a stroke at Las Colinas Country Club on Sunday.

Ciganda, the leader to begin the day and searching for her first career win, led Park by two strokes after 10 holes Sunday and still led by a stroke until the par-4 15th. Ciganda's second shot bounced off the right side of the green and into the water to open the door for Park. Ciganda had to settle for a double bogey 6, giving the lead to Park, who recorded a par.

Park finished with a bogey-free round to win her third tournament of the year.

"Today, coming into the final round, I was two shots back, and I didn't really think about winning so much," Park said. "The front nine I was given a lot of birdie chances out there, and nothing seemed to be going in, so I was a little bit frustrated."

Park and Ciganda each hit toward the green on their second shots at the par-5 18th with Park leading by a stroke. Ciganda's ran beyond the green while Park was just short, but closer to the pin. Park would match Ciganda's birdie with a 4-foot putt to claim the championship. Ciganda finished with a 1-under 70 in her final round.

"Overall, I'm happy," Ciganda said. "I played under par but it was a shame on the 14th and 15th holes. I think I played good golf on the week. I played great yesterday but Inbee played awesome golf. That's why she is the No.1 player in the world."

Park's day opened with a birdie on the par-4 first before adding another on the eighth. She began the back nine with a birdie on the 10th and then cruised through the remaining holes mistake-free.

"I was just trying to be really patient out there, and finally a couple dropped for me at the end," Park said.

Ciganda had a chance to get a shot back on a birdie attempt on the 16th with a 15-foot putt. Her fast-paced strike went just inside the left lip of the hole but rolled out.

Suzann Pettersen made the biggest charge in the final round. Pettersen entered the day tied for ninth at 5-under but a she finished at 10-under overall after at 66 in the final round.

Pettersen's day began with three consecutive birdies on the second, third and fourth holes before adding another on the seventh. Pettersen gave a shot back on the par-3 11th with a bogey but rallied to close with a birdie on holes 15 and 18.

"I got off to a pretty good star," Pettersen said. "I played very good. Made one bogey, hit maybe the wrong club on the par-3 and just didn't hit a good bunker shot. After two days I thought 10-under would be a pretty good job, and I got to the number, but knowing that I maybe left a few out there in early rounds."

Hee Young Park made a run of her own to move into the top five of the North Texas Shootout.

H.Y. Park posted a 3-under front nine with birdies on the fourth and seventh before dropping three consecutive birdies from the ninth to the 11th. Park continued her run with back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 to close out with a 7-under 64 and finish 9-under overall and in sole possession of fourth.

Caroline Masson continued to struggle in the fourth round. The first- and second-round leader had trouble with the opening hole for the second day in a row. After posting a double bogey on the first on Saturday, the German opened her final round with a bogey.

Masson bogeyed the 11th before her second double bogey of the tournament on 12. Masson closed with back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th for a 4-over 75 final round. She finished 5-under and a tie for 15th.

Notes: Jee Young Lee entered the final hole in a tie for 15th. However, after hitting her drive out of bounds twice, Lee finished with a 10 to drop back to even overall... Inbee Park's first-place finish marked her fourth top-10 showing in 2013, and her third win of the year... Hee Young Park shot a day-best 7-under 64 to finish in a tie for fourth with So Yeon Ryu.

Lateral Hazard: Emotionally charged Billy Horschel gives life to Zurich Classic with antics, play

Lateral Hazard: Emotionally charged Billy Horschel gives life to Zurich Classic with antics, play











Brian Murphy April 28, 2013 10:13 PMYahoo Sports





View gallery.

Billy Horschel reacts after making a putt for birdie on the 18th hole Sunday. (Getty)
Last year at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, the uber-mellow Jason Dufner registered his first career win and showed us all just how implacable, stoic and detached a human being can be from his environment.





This year at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, the human adrenaline surge that is Billy Horschel registered his first career win, and showed us all how PSYCHED and FIRED UP and WOOOOO!! I JUST WON!!! a player can be in the moment.

Horschel may stop fist-pumping by Wednesday.

If you added up Dufner and Horschel, and divided by two, I think you’d come out with the average of a normal human being’s emotional range.

[Watch: Billy Horschel delivers priceless reaction after winning Zurich Classic]

And how much fun was that to see? In this post-Masters, pre-Players Championship stretch of golf, it helps to see potential stars born, especially ones that pile up birdies as frequently as visceral exhortations. Horschel leads the entire Tour in birdies (his 220 top Jimmy Walker’s 189), and tore off six in a row on Sunday in his sweet final-round 64, looking as on fire raining home putts as Steph Curry draining 3-pointers for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA playoffs.

None was finer than Horschel’s 72nd hole work on the par-5 18th at TPC Louisiana, when he was actively engaged in hand-to-hand combat with D.A. Points for the win. Remember, Points clipped Horschel by a stroke in Houston last month. While that stung, it signaled Horschel as a comer, part of three consecutive top-10s for the hot 26-year-old. So Horschel owed Points one. Probably the mere sight of the ‘LEGO’ belt buckle worn by Points had Horschel ready to chew nails.




View gallery.

Billy Horschel moves to shake hands with D.A. Points after Horschel's win. (AP)



A couple of things were at work: One, Horschel was in a bit of trouble 27 feet from the hole, while Points was six feet from the hole, and Horschel was barely clinging to a one-stroke lead. Two, the omnipresent PGA Tour weather delay had added to Horschel’s body tension, with the weather siren blowing when the two players were in the 18th fairway (!) for about a 40-minute delay.

(By the way, enough with the weather on the PGA Tour. It’s damn near apocalyptic. The whole scene down in NOLA felt that way, with the gators at TPC Louisiana reportedly crawling around the golf course, and play halted one day for a swarm of bees on the course. It’s like they were filming the sequel to ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ on Tim Finchem’s dime.)

Anyway, back to the 18th green. Horschel needed a big one to fall and when his golf ball traversed 27 feet exactly, expiring in the cup for the birdie that clinched the win, well, his reaction was one of the year’s best – filled with whoops and hollers and happiness, over and over.

[Watch: Louis Oosthuizen hits 500-yard drive … with help of cart path]

It all makes for an easy metaphor, since Horschel has been charging like a thoroughbred all year. He currently holds the longest cuts-made streak on Tour (23) and his 2013 had been filled with everything but a win: tie-10th at the Humana Challenge; tie-11th in Phoenix; the runner-up in Houston to Points; a tie-3rd in Texas; a tie-9th at Harbour Town.

The scarlet letter on Horschel’s game was ‘S’ for Sunday. He toted the Tour’s 108th-ranked Sunday scoring average into the final round in Louisiana, and as if to prove it wasn’t a fluke, had recently wrote down ‘74’ on his card after Sunday’s round at Harbour Town last week, when he had a chance to win. Could this Florida Gator close it out, finally, in front of a bunch of real live gators?

The Sunday 64 spoke as emphatically as one of Horschel’s fist pumps or war whoops. Not a bad weekend, either, considering he shot 66 on Saturday. Horschel has a buzz about him, a Keegan Bradley-like intensity that makes for fun watching. Even his ride in a golf cart is enjoyable, as he opted to go ‘Ben Hur’ on the back of the cart that carried him away during the weather delay on 18, hardly the look of a stressed-out player.

[Related: Watch Horschel's highlights from New Orleans]

After the win, he hugged darn near everyone in sight, got a congratulatory tweet from fellow Gator Tim Tebow and is now a player you should think about when it comes to this fall’s President’s Cup team.

This is who Horschel is. In his days as a decorated amateur, Horschel’s in-your-face emotion spurred a young Rory McIlroy to uncharacteristically woof back in a tense Walker Cup match. McIlroy got him that time, and felt good about it. Years later, Horschel’s battle cries are saying: I’m still here, and this may only be the start of something good.

SCORECARD OF THE WEEK

67-70-67-67 – 13-under 271, Inbee Park, winner, LPGA North Texas Shootout, Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas.

Remember when Stacy Lewis took over the No. 1 spot in the women’s golf world rankings last month, and American golf fans stood proud for Old Glory here in the U.S. of A.? Lewis was a great story, overcoming scoliosis and a fused spine and was a dynamite player to have atop the world rankings.

Yeah. Not so much anymore.

It’s not Lewis’ fault. She’s still good. She just has to live in Inbee Park’s world.

Inbee Park is a baller, and backed up her Kraft Nabisco major from three weeks ago with a birdie on the 72nd hole in Texas for a one-stroke victory – her third win of the year, and fifth in her last 18 starts.

She’s No. 1, and with that many wins in that few starts, who does this 24-year-old think she is, Tiger Woods? Oh, wait. She has a major in the last five years. Never mind.

BROADCAST MOMENT OF THE WEEK

“He’s either being chased by an alligator, or he’s taking the slow play warnings to extremes.” – Nick Faldo on CBS, commenting on TV shot of 14-year-old Guan Tianlang running to catch up with his playing group on Sunday.

There’s that 14-year-old kid from China again! And you thought he was just a one-trick pony: show up at the Masters, make a cut and disappear from your lives forever.

Not so fast. Haven’t you heard about kids today, doing everything faster than we used to?

Good news is, despite Faldo’s riff, Guan was not assessed a slow-play penalty this week. Even better news is, the kid made another cut. He’s 2-for-2 on the PGA Tour. He hasn’t had a 15th birthday party yet.

[Also: Guan Tianlang, 14, makes second cut in a row at the Zurich Classic]

A 77-74 weekend slowed his roll a little bit, and he finished 71st of the 71 players to make the cut. Then again, he was one of 71 players to make the cut. Half a world away from home. In a place with different food, language, beds and TV shows. Wait, what am I saying? The kid is 14, and no 14-year-old kid watches TV; they stream whatever they want on their phone. If I could figure out how to do that, I would. Maybe I’ll ask Guan Tianlang.






View gallery.

Spectators and at least one marshal were startled when an alligator roamed the course Sunday. (AP)There are, of course, skeptics who wonder what the rush is, why a 14-year-old kid from China needs to spend all this time in the States chasing what, exactly. He’s playing as an amateur, so it’s not money. Glory? Greatness? Resume builders for his freshman year ‘What I Did With My Summer’ essay back home in high school?



And how long he can continue to thread the needle of competing on this level while playing with an enormous distance disadvantage is yet to be seen. Guan was hitting 3-woods into holes when his playing partners were hitting mid-irons. Mike Weir ranks 185th of 185 players on Tour in driving distance at 269.5 yards, and he’s Dustin Johnson compared to this kid.

Guan will play in a U.S. Open qualifier, and we shall see what the kid has up his sleeve for us next.

MULLIGAN OF THE WEEK

D.A. Points wasn’t kidding around when he won Houston last month. It was the first D.A. Points sighting in over a year, and after he received all the necessary plaudits and praise – remember how he used his mother’s putter to win? – we all moved on to the Masters and Adam Scott and 14-year-old Chinese kids.

But since hooking up with new swing coach Gary Gilchrist, Points is fired up, and ready to wear the ‘LEGO’ belt buckle for the foreseeable future on a TV near you.

A 66-68-70 start in New Orleans landed Points alongside Horschel in the penultimate grouping, two shots behind third-round leader Lucas Glover. By the time Points and Horschel reached the 71st hole, it was theirs for the taking. Horschel had a one-shot lead and hit a strong tee shot, leaving him 20 feet for bird. He’d make par.

[Watch: Three-legged alligator crosses fairway at Zurich Classic]

But Points’ tee shot? Ouch. He fanned it, and never had a chance at birdie. He missed the green entirely to the right, and actually had to pull of a delicate and luscious chip shot to save par.

Point is, the drama was set up for Points to stick it close on 17, inside of Horschel and ramp up the adrenaline. His missed green sort of killed his momentum, and he couldn’t have been happy with the swing he made.

So, in an effort to make an already-entertaining Zurich Classic even more so, let’s go back to the 17th tee box, remind Points to take dead aim and . . . give that man a mulligan!

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

It’s on to Quail Hollow, and for those of us obsessed with Rory McIlroy’s golf game (raising hand), we’re all excited. Rors is lined up to play the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, and there’s history here. He won in 2010 with that final-round 62, and lost in a playoff last year to Rickie Fowler (with D.A. Points in that playoff, too.)

So for a kid who’s scuffling along in 2013, looking to gorilla dunk on all the haters who have wondered what happened to his game (raising hand), here’s a perfect chance for McIlroy to turn the ignition on his golf season.

He’ll have company – 10 of the world’s top 25 are playing, including Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson. No Tiger Woods, though. Rumor is, he doesn’t like the greens at Quail Hollow. Also, he was photographed attending Michael Jordan’s wedding this past weekend, so he’s got other things going on.

After all, partying with M.J. is not exactly the ‘Breakfast of Champions’ when playing tournament golf within the next week.

Course Source: Pine Needles Lodge, Pinehurst Resort

Course Source: Pine Needles Lodge, Pinehurst Resort










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 29, 2013 2:30 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

THE LAYOUT: Only a 10-minute drive from the famed Pinehurst Resort, Pine Needles -- which hosted the 2007 U.S. Women's Open won by Cristie Kerr -- is a Donald Ross masterpiece in the Sandhills of North Carolina.

Although it is located at a resort, the course is open to the public.

The course was renovated in 2005 under the direction of Arizona-based designer John Fought to make it more closely resemble the course that opened in 1928. Tee boxes were lengthened, greens and bunkers were restored to their original sizes and positions, and native turf grasses were re-established.

Pine Needles, which plays to a par of 71, has been lengthened by about 300 yards to a total of 7,015 yards.

You can take a lesson from famed instructor Peggy Kirk Bell, whose family has been a presence at the resort for three generations. Bell now owns the resort. Also on the teaching staff is Donna Andrews, winner of six events on the LPGA Tour, including the 1994 Nabisco Dinah Shore, and Pat McGowan, who was Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour in 1968.

GENERAL MANAGER, DIRECTOR OF GOLF: Graham Gilmore.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Michael Campbell of New Zealand set up camp at the Pine Needles Lodge the week before the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst with his Florida-based instructor Jonathan Yarwood, who refined Campbell's chipping and putting strokes for the inverted saucer greens at Pinehurst.

After Campbell's remarkable victory at Pinehurst on the No. 2 course, perhaps' Ross' most famous layout, the winner returned to celebrate on Sunday night at the "In the Rough" Lounge at Pine Needles.

Pine Needles boasts an exceptional set of par 3s, three of them from elevated tees, so choosing the correct club is a must. The 145-yard third, the signature hole and shortest on the course, is the most picturesque, requiring a tee shot over a lake and wetlands area to a green that slopes dramatically from back to front.

The sixth hole, a 459-yard par 4, might be the best on the course. You hit your tee shot up to the fairway, and long hitters can catch the downslope atop the knoll to get an extra 30 yards of roll. The approach plays downhill to the green.

As part of the 2005 renovation, the 14th and 15th holes, perhaps the best on the back nine, have reverted to their original shot values. No. 14 is a daunting 454-yard par 4, followed by the 530-yard par-5 15th.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: Pine Needles' sister property next door, the Mid Pines Inn, boasts another Ross classic, Mid Pines Golf Club. Of course, a few miles down the road is Pinehurst Resort and Club, with eight courses, including the prized No. 2 course.

Also in the neighborhood are the Mid South Club in Pinehurst, designed by Arnold Palmer; Legacy Golf Club in Aberdeen, designed by Jack Nicklaus II and host of the 2000 Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship; National Golf Club in Pinehurst, designed by Jack Nicklaus; and Tobacco Road Golf Club in Sanford, an innovative course designed by Mike Strantz.

Others worth a look are the Pit Golf Links, Talamore Golf Club, Little River Farm and Pinewild Country Club.

WHERE TO STAY: The Carolina Hotel is a National Historical Landmark in the center of Pinehurst that has been offering exquisite service to go with Southern charm since 1901.

Four U.S. presidents have stayed at the Holly Inn in Pinehurst, which opened its doors in 1895.

The Manor Inn has been one of Arnold Palmer's favorite hangouts since he visited Pinehurst with his father as a boy.

In addition to Pine Needles Lodge and the Mid Pines Inn, other quality accommodations may be found at Amble Inn Acres Bed and Breakfast in Vass, the Blacksmith Inn in Carthage, Hyland Hills Resort in Southern Pines and the Old Buggy Inn in Carthage.

ON THE WEB: www.pineneedles-midpines.com




THE LAST RESORT: Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C.

THE LAYOUT: There are eight championship courses at Pinehurst, one of the finest golf resorts in the world, four designed by architectural giant Donald Ross.

The others were designed by George and Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Dan and Ellis Maples.

Pinehurst No. 2, of course, is Ross' masterpiece -- which has been recognized since its opening in 1907 as one of the most challenging layouts in the world. It plays to 7,252 yards from the tips, with a par of 72, and has a 75.9 USGA rating with a slope of 138.

No. 2 has been the site of more big-time championships than any other course in the United States, and it was the host the 2005 U.S. Open, in which Michael Campbell of New Zealand held off Tiger Woods to win by two strokes.

The United States Golf Association will stage the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst No. 2 on consecutive weeks in June 2014, the first time a course will host national championships on consecutive weeks.

DIRECTOR OF GOLF: Chad Campbell (not the one who plays on the PGA Tour).

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The beauty of the No. 2 course belies the difficulty, with the subtlety of Ross' design coming into view only after the golfer lands in a strategically placed bunker or has his ball trickle off one of the crowned greens.

However, the course is playable for even the weekend golfer because the fairways are wide and forgiving.

Make your birdie or par on the easier third and fourth holes, because the diabolical fifth, a 483-yard par 4, and sixth, a 225-yard par 3, await with as punishing a one-two punch as golf can provide.

No. 14, at 471 yards to a green with trouble everywhere, is considered to be among the best two-shot holes in America.

Many a duffer has stood on the 18th green and tried to see if he could sink the same 15-foot putt the late Payne Stewart drained to beat Phil Mickelson and win the 1999 U.S. Open.

A statue of Stewart in his fist-pumping pose after sinking the putt overlooks the 18th green.

Ben Hogan won for the first time as a pro on No. 2, beating Sam Snead by three strokes in the 1940 North and South Championship.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: If you don't get enough golf at Pinehurst, there is plenty nearby in the Sandhills of North Carolina to keep even the golf-aholic busy all day, seven days a week.

Ross also designed gems at Pine Needles Lodge and Mid Pines Inn, both in neighboring Southern Pines.

Others in the neighborhood are the Mid South Club, designed by Arnold Palmer, in Pinehurst; Legacy Golf Club in Aberdeen, designed by Jack Nicklaus II and host of the 2000 Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship; National Golf Club in Pinehurst, designed by Jack Nicklaus, and Tobacco Road Golf Club in Sanford, an innovative course designed by Mike Strantz.

Others worth a look are the Pit Golf Links, Talamore Golf Club, Little River Farm and Pinewild Country Club.

WHERE TO STAY: The Carolina Hotel is a National Historical Landmark in the center of Pinehurst that has been offering exquisite service to go with Southern charm since 1901.

Four U.S. presidents have stayed at the Holly Inn in Pinehurst, which opened its doors in 1895.

The Manor Inn has been one of Arnold Palmer's favorite hangouts since he visited Pinehurst with his father as a boy.

Other quality accommodations may be found at Pine Needles Lodge in Southern Hills, Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club in Southern Pines, Amble Inn Acres Bed and Breakfast in Vass, the Blacksmith Inn in Carthage, Hyland Hills Resort in Southern Pines and the Old Buggy Inn in Carthage.

ON THE WEB: www.pinehurst.com