Golf Swing articles golfswing001.blogspot.com: 08/27/13

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Ko, Hull paired together in Canada

August 21, 2013AP - Sports

Europe's Charley Hull, from England, reacts after making a birdie putt on the 17th hole during a fourball …

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Lydia Ko made history last year at Vancouver Golf Club when she won the Canadian Women's Open to become the LPGA Tour's youngest winner and fifth amateur champion.

Fellow teenager Charley Hull starred last week in theSolheim Cup, helping Europe rout the States 18-10 at Colorado Golf Club.

They will play alongside each other in the first two rounds at Royal Mayfair, starting play Thursday morning in a group with young Canadian player Jennifer Kirby.

''She obviously proved herself out there last week, and she's obviously a really great player,'' Ko said about Hull.

Last year, Ko won at 15 years, 4 months. The South Korean-born New Zealander broke the age record of 16 set by Lexi Thompson in the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic.

''Time flies and lots of things have happened since then,'' Ko said. ''I've been really enjoying it the last year.''

Ko has two other victories in professional events, the New South Wales Open last year and New Zealand Women's Open this year. She's making her 10th LPGA Tour start of the season.

''You know, I've been getting a whole new experience, because courses change,'' Ko said. ''I've been getting a feel for all these different types of golf courses in different countries and situations. I've been really enjoying it. It doesn't feel like I've played 10 already, but yeah, it's been really cool to have that opportunity to play this many.''

Hull, from England, was 2-1-0 in the Solheim Cup, capped by a 5-and-4 singles victory over Paula Creamer.

''It was amazing, because you're always dreaming of being able to play, and getting to Solheim, especially with it being my first year on tour, it was just a dream come true,'' said Hull. ''I absolutely loved every moment of it.''

South Korea's Inbee Park, second last year behind Ko, has six victories this year. She won the first three major championships of the season, then finished 14 strokes behind winner Stacy Lewis in the Women's British Open in her bid to become the first professional to win four straight majors in one season.

''I feel like I'm a lot more relaxed now,'' Park said. ''I mean, I experienced some big pressure in British Open. That week was big, and it could have been great if I could have played a little bit better, but some weeks you don't play your best. But I had a great experience there, so I think that experience will help me throughout this season and my career.''

Park returned home to South Korea for the two weeks.

''When I was in Korea I obviously met up with my family and friends and I did some charity work,'' Park said. ''I did some stuff for sponsors. Everything kept me really busy. I really enjoyed my time there. I feel like I'm more refreshed, feel like I'm ready to go again.''

Lewis also is in the field along with Sweden's Caroline Hedwall, the first player in Solheim Cup history to win all five of her matches.

For Woods, still some work to do this year

DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer) August 21, 2013AP - Sports

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) -- This might be the best way to measure Tiger Woods' season. Sam Snead is getting more attention than Jack Nicklaus.

Woods said again Wednesday at The Barclays this already has been a great season, and it's difficult to argue. His five wins - including two World Golf Championships and The Players Championship - are three more than anyone else on the PGA Tour. He is leading all the right indicators, such as the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average, the money list ($2.6 million more than anyone else) and the No. 1 seed going into the FedEx Cup playoffs that start Thursday.

The standard for Woods, however, always has been the majors, and he was shut out for the fifth straight year.

''His lack of winning a major is the only thing talked about, which I think is sad,'' Bill Haas said. ''I think it's ignorant. But that's what we are basing his year on. He may even say, 'Oh, I'm disappointed because I didn't win a major. But he's not winning the smaller events. He's winning the WGCs and Bay Hill. And yes, it makes what he's doing that much more impressive, absolutely.''

Woods is stuck on 14 majors, leaving him four short of the Nicklaus standard. The five wins this year, after three wins in 2012, has put him at 79 career wins, moving him closer to Snead's record 82 wins on the PGA Tour.

''I tell you what, I never thought I would ever get there this quick,'' Woods said. ''It's been an amazing run to get here. One of the things I'm most proud of is winning five or more tournaments 10 years in there. That's one of the stats that I look at as one of the ones I'm really proud of. This is one of those years.''

The next chance to add to his wins starts Thursday at The Barclays, the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events against some of the strongest fields of the year.

Yes, the majors are over.

There is still plenty up for grabs - for Woods, British Open champion Phil Mickelson and even someone like Rory McIlroy.

Even though Woods has twice as many wins as anyone else, Mickelson could make a case for PGA Tour player of the year if he were to win a playoff or event (or two), particularly the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. Despite two decades of greatness and a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame, Mickelson has never won player of the year, a money title or the Vardon Trophy.

Haas didn't hesitate when asked who had the best year - Woods.

Neither did Masters champion Adam Scott.

''It's hard to pass up looking at five wins,'' Scott said. ''I think the next best guy might have two, is that right? That's a great year to win that many times. It's all personal opinion. If you think winning a major is what you base success on, then if you haven't (won), you haven't had a great year. But winning ... I've always based it around winning events, and I don't think one major makes up for five tournaments.''

That led to another question posed to Scott: Would he trade seasons with Woods?

''I'd rather have mine, that's for sure,'' said Scott, who collected his first major at Augusta National. ''He may want mine. I mean, No. 15 is proving to be difficult for him, so that would have given him that. But they've all got to get tougher the more you get.''

Woods only played nine holes of his pro-am Wednesday at Liberty National, the course along the Hudson River across from the Statue of Liberty. He experienced stiffness in his neck and back from what he attributed to a soft bed in his hotel, and Woods decided only to chip and putt on the back nine as a precaution.

It was the latest nagging injury this year - a tweaked back during the final round of the PGA Championship, an elbow injury in the summer that caused him to miss two tournaments - though Woods was not concerned and said he was fine during his week off at home in Florida.

He is facing one of the toughest fields in the year featuring the top 125 players on the PGA Tour, all of whom are in form, some of whom are desperate to go as far as they can in these lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Only the top 100 advance next week to the Deutsche Bank Championship.

McIlroy has an easier time defining his season to date. It hasn't been very good. He jokes with caddie J.P. Fitzgerald that he effectively has taken six months off, and now it's time to get to work.

The good news for the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland is that golf is starting to feel more like play than work again.

He was swinging free during his pro-am, finally comfortable with his driver and launching them high and relatively straight. McIlroy feels like he turned the corner at Firestone a few weeks ago, and he rallied at Oak Hill to at least flirt with contention for the first time in a major.

A year ago, McIlroy won consecutive playoff events, tied for 10th at the Tour Championship and Brandt Snedeker walked off with the FedEx Cup and the $10 million prize.

''Maybe it will be the other way around,'' McIlroy said. ''That's the beauty of it. You look at basketball, baseball, football. Teams squeeze in and make a great playoff run and win. I'm in that position where I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.''

Woods looks to add to 'great' year with FedEx win

Larry Fine August 21, 2013

Tiger Woods of the U.S. tees off on the third hole during the third round of the 2013 PGA Championship …

By Larry Fine

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) - Tiger Woods has gone a fifth season without winning a major but still considers his five tour titles a "great year" and is looking to add more in the FedExCup series starting on Thursday withThe Barclays.

Woods, who has long measured success by his hardware from golf's major championships, sounded philosophical on Wednesday when asked to assess his 2013 season ahead of the opening round at Liberty National.

"You're going to have years where you don't win major championships and years that you do," said Woods, whose stated pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and his record 18 majors has stalled since winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

But failure to end his majors drought did not diminish his achievements this year, Woods said.

"This year's been a great year so far," the 37-year-old American told reporters.

"I've won at two of my favorite venues (Torrey Pines and Bay Hill), plus winning two World Golf Championships and a Players (Championship) in there. It's been pretty good," he added with a smile.

The five tournament victories from 12 starts this year have put him firmly atop the world rankings and brought him to a total of 79, three away from the record 82 won by Sam Snead.

Woods said his PGA Tour wins column was something he was very proud of.

"It's been an amazing, amazing run to get here," he said. "The consistency is one of the things I'm most proud of, winning five or more tournaments, 10 years. That's one of the stats that I look at as one of the ones I'm really proud of. This is one of those years.

"I'm second on the all-time list on both, whether it's majors or all-time wins. That's not bad at my age."

Woods has twice won the FedExCup competition, in the inaugural 2007 series and again two years later, but his 2009 triumph began with a contentious start at The Barclays, which served as the coming-out party for the Liberty National venue.

The American was very critical about the layout, especially the heavily undulating contours of the greens.

Woods remarked to a player in his pro-am group the day before the tournament began that "maybe Tom (co-designer Kite) did this course before his eye operation."

Kite shed his thick-lensed eyeglasses after having Lasik surgery in 1998, six years after first considering the challenge of turning the former landfill site into a world-class venue.

"The golf course is obviously very different than the last time we played it," Woods, who still managed to tie for second in the 2009 event, said about the 74 changes made to the layout since then.

"They made some really nice improvements. Some of the landing areas have been changed. Some of the greens have been changed, and a couple bunkers have been repositioned, but they have made some really nice, positive improvements."

Woods said his goal was to add to his wins total and play his way into the top five on the points list - which ensures that victory at the Tour Championship finale would clinch the FedExCup title and its $10 million bonus.

With all that winning, Woods was asked would the 2013 season be better with six titles, or none of those and one major.

"I think the major," admitted Woods. who tied for fourth at the Masters, tied for 32nd at the U.S. Open, was tied for sixth at the British Open and finished tied for 40th at the PGA.

(Reporting by Larry Fine, Editing by Simon Evans)