McIlroy heads to Oak Hill still searching for confidence

McIlroy heads to Oak Hill still searching for confidence

Mark Lamport-Stokes August 5, 2013







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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland watches his tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the …


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

(Reuters) - Twelve months ago Rory McIlroy went into thePGA Championship at Kiawah Island on a high, having ended a run of poor form with an encouraging tie for fifth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational the previous week.

The mop-haired Northern Irishman took full advantage, clinching the season's final major by a record-breaking eight shots before going on to win twice more on the 2012 PGA Tour as he stormed back to the top of the world rankings.

This year, however, is very different, and McIlroy will launch his PGA Championship title defense at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York on Thursday still searching for confidence and consistency in his driving.

His bid last week to replicate that 2012 turnaround in his game at the Bridgestone Invitational was not as successful: he carded rounds of even-par 70, 71, 69 and 72 to finish joint 27th at Firestone Country Club in a field of 73.

"I definitely had a better week last year, coming out of Firestone with a lot of confidence going into the PGA, feeling good about my game," world number three McIlroy told reporters.

"I keep saying my game doesn't feel too far away. It's obviously not where I want it to be, but it's not a million miles away."

Though McIlroy signed off at Firestone with his worst score of the week, he was somewhat encouraged by the improvement in his ball striking.

"It was okay," the 24-year-old said. "I thought I struck the ball much better (in the final round) than I did the previous three days, which was great, which was a good sign.

"Obviously I didn't score very well the first day, then I didn't hit it particularly well in the middle two rounds, but actually my short game was good and was able to keep myself around par.


"(On Sunday) I played nicely, just a couple of bad holes on the back nine. It's definitely going in the right direction."

McIlroy, who claimed the order of merit on both sides of the Atlantic last year, certainly needs his game to be heading in the right direction after enduring a roller-coaster ride this season, both on and off the course.

LUCRATIVE DEAL

He has mainly struggled for form since switching his club brand at the start of the season to Nike in a lucrative deal reported to be worth as much as $250 million over 10 years, recording just four top-10s in 12 starts on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy has also been criticized for the amount of time he spends with his girlfriend, former world number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, many suggesting that his private life has taken up too much of his potential practice time for golf.

The Northern Irishman readily admits the past 12 months have been "up and down" for him, with a tendency of late to become "a little bit too emotionally involved" with his game.

"I've let it either get me excited or get me down, where I should really just not get too high or too low about it at all," McIlroy said.

"But I have put in a lot of work for the past couple of weeks and I definitely feel things are going in the right direction.

"Once I get my long game back on track, I feel like my short game is exactly where it needs to be. If I can start hitting some fairways, hopefully I can challenge for some tournaments."

McIlroy will tee off in Thursday's opening round at Oak Hill in the company of former champions Vijay Singh of Fiji (1998) and Germany's Martin Kaymer (2010).

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Julian Linden)

12-year-old Ye to play at European Masters

12-year-old Ye to play at European Masters
August 5, 2013AP - Sports









CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) -- Twelve-year-old golfer Ye Wocheng of China is set to play at the European Masters in September.

Tournament organizers say he has been accepted for the Sept. 5-8 event in the Swiss Alps, which is jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

Ye became the youngest player in a European Tour event after qualifying for the China Open in May. He missed the cut after shooting two rounds of 79.

Ye's record-setting appearance followed weeks after Chinese golfer Guan Tianlang made history at The Masters by playing at age 14.

PGA Championship 2013: Tiger’s Year Already Great

PGA Championship 2013: Tiger’s Year Already Great

Adam Fonseca August 5, 2013








COMMENTARY | Upon the conclusion of this week's PGA Championship at Oak Hill on August 11, another major championship season will come to a close.



After the final putt is holed and the Wannamaker Trophy is hoisted that Sunday afternoon, golf fans everywhere will be chomping at the bit to opine if Tiger Woods' season was a success or a disappointment.





Let me make this very simple for everyone: Tiger's 2013 season is already a huge success. Period.

That declaration is not meant to excuse Woods should he play poorly this week. There is no doubt that he has been anything but memorable in majors over the last five years. For one reason or another, Tiger has not been able to card major No. 15, despite being the consistent tournament favorite (this week's PGA is no different). It is a trend that is both frustrating and disappointing for those of us who want to watch him succeed.

It is easy to overlook all that Tiger has accomplished this season. However, we would be wrong to do so.

Five tournament victories in one season is something any professional golfer would love to accomplish once in his career. With his victory at last week's WGC Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger has now accomplished that mark 10 times. His wins this season include The Players Championship -- widely referred to as the "unofficial" fifth major -- and two World Golf Championship events. He is basically a lock to win Player of the Year honors. Not only is Tiger winning huge tournaments, but he is also doing so against the best players on the planet.


Yet, as Yahoo!'s Brian Murphy points out, there are those who feel that it's all about the majors, baby.

There are two trains of thought one could follow on that point. On one hand, players of any sports should focus most on winning "The Big One." Golf is unique in that there are four opportunities to do so every year. Tiger himself has repeatedly said his main focus is to peak four times a season and win majors. He once said winning a major makes one's year "great"; anything less falls short of that designation. By that end, Tiger has technically given us the blueprint by which he wants to be measured. How nice of him.

On the other hand, all of this talk about "Jack's Record" has taken away some of the pomp and circumstance surrounding Tiger's pursuit of Sam Snead's win total (82 career PGA Tour wins). While Tiger is still four majors away from tying Nicklaus' 18 trophies, he only needs three tour wins to tie Snead. He could literally do that by December.

If we are to go by how Woods would like to be remembered -- major victories -- then we are possibly depriving ourselves of recognizing his real greatness. There is a reason why the same man does not hold both records. The mere possibility that Woods still has an opportunity to break both is astounding.



No, Tiger Woods does not have to win the PGA Championship to have had a great season. He would just make it easy for everyone to say he has by winning No. 15.



Adam Fonseca has covered professional golf since 2005. His work can also be found on the Back9Network. Follow Adam on Twitter at @chicagoduffer.

Matsubara advances in US Women's Amateur

Matsubara advances in US Women's Amateur
August 7, 2013AP - Sports








CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Qualifying medalist Yumi Matsubara won her opening match Wednesday in the U.S. Women's Amateur, beating Italy's Bianca Maria Fabrizio 2 and 1.

Matsubara, the 14-year-old Japanese player making her first appearance in the event, had a tournament-record 7-under 64 on Tuesday at the Country Club of Charleston in the final round of stroke-play qualifying.

''I'm glad to win this match,'' Matsubara said through June Nagashima, an official with the Japan Golf Association. ''I did well, score-wise, so that's the point for me. ... I just try to play just like stroke play, so I don't have a special strategy for match play. I just focus on the scores.''

In the second round Thursday, Matsubara will face 17-year-old Lauren Diaz-Yi of Thousand Oaks, Calif. Diaz-Yi, the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links winner last month, beat Desiree Dubreuil of Santa Ana, Calif., 4 and 3.

''I wasn't striking the ball as well as yesterday,'' said Diaz-Yi, set to play for the University of Virginia. ''My putting saved me a lot. Once I got the putts going, I was able to make the critical putts.''


NCAA champion Annie Park of Levittown, N.Y., also advanced along with four-time U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion Meghan Stasi of Oakland Park, Fla.; and 2012 U.S. Girls' Junior champion Minjee Lee of Australia.

The 34-year-old Stasi reached the second round for the first time in nine tries, beating Austria's Carolin Pinegger 2 and 1.

''It was a great match,'' Stasi said. ''Just made a few birdies and it was really just a fun match. She played great and I just snuck it out.''

The 17-year-old Park, coming off her freshman season at Southern California, beat Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, S.C., 4 and 3. Lee routed Elizabeth Nagel of Dewitt, Mich., 6 and 4.

Lydia Ko, the winner last year at The Country Club in Cleveland, is skipping the tournament.

Fox lands U.S. Open golf coverage

Fox lands U.S. Open golf coverage
The Sports Xchange August 7, 2013The SportsXchange









Fox Sports is set to tee it up in the world of Grand Slam golf, landing a 12-year deal with the U.S. Golf Association to televise the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open and the U.S. Senior Open.

The contract runs from 2015 to 2026, and it represents Fox's first foray into golf's major events. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The Fox deal will encompass 146 hours of televised golf on Fox and the soon-to-be-launched Fox Sports 1, with a minimum of 70 hours from the three top USGA events. The rest will come from such events as the U.S. Amateur. Multimedia coverage is also a part of the agreement, including mobile-app integration.

"This is an exciting and remarkable day for the USGA, as our partnership with the Fox Sports is a game-changer for our organization and for the game of golf," USGA president Glen Nager said in a statement. "The game is evolving and requires bold and unique approaches on many levels, and Fox shares our vision to seek fresh thinking and innovative ideas to deliver championship golf. This partnership will help us to better lead and serve the game in new and exciting ways."

Fox Sports co-president and co-chief operating officer Eric Shanks said in a statement, "We're looking forward to Fox Sports becoming home to the preeminent golf championship in the world. We're committed to elevating coverage of USGA events on every level, infusing them with a new energy and innovation that will make every championship the best golf event on television."

The move to Fox will end NBC's run of covering the U.S. Open, which began in 1995. The NBC crew, featuring outspoken analyst Johnny Miller, will call its last U.S. Open next year at Pinehurst in North Carolina. Fox takes over the following year when the event is played at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

Fox Sports gets US Open in 12-year deal

Fox Sports gets US Open in 12-year deal
DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer) August 7, 2013AP - Sports







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FILE - This Aug. 10, 2010, fie photo shows Johnny Miller answering a question at a golf clinic during …


PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- Fox Sports is in as the next broadcast partner for the U.S. Open starting in 2015. Johnny Miller appears to be out.

In a surprising announcement Wednesday night, the U.S. Golf Association said it has signed a 12-year multimedia deal with Fox network and Fox Sports 1 to be the domestic broadcast partner for the U.S. Open and other USGA championships.

Though financial terms weren't disclosed, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said the Fox bid was in the neighborhood of $100 million a year, more than double the previous contract. The person wasn't authorized to release details and spoke on condition of anonymity.

NBC Sports had been televising the U.S. Open since 1995 at Shinnecock Hills, with Miller as its shoot-from-the-hip analyst who became as much of the show as the golf itself.

''It was a big bummer,'' Miller told The Associated Press from his home in Utah. ''For some reason, I told Dan Hicks at the U.S. Open this year, 'I don't think we're going to keep the U.S. Open.' I just had a hunch it would be ESPN or Fox that stepped in and made a high bid. I know we tried.

''I feel bad for the USGA in a way that money was more important than basically a good golf crew.''

The deal runs through 2026. The first U.S. Open for Fox will be from Chambers Bay outside Seattle.

NBC's last U.S. Open will be next year at Pinehurst No. 2 - the U.S. Women's Open will be played on the same course the following week.

''This is an exciting and remarkable day for the USGA, as our partnership with the Fox Sports is a game-changer for our organization and for the game of golf,'' USGA President Glen Nager said. ''The game is evolving and requires bold and unique approaches on many levels, and Fox shares our vision to seek fresh thinking and innovative ideas to deliver championship golf. This partnership will help us to better lead and serve the game in new and exciting ways.''

Along with NBC Sports televising the final two rounds - and two-hour segments on Thursday and Friday - ESPN showed the two opening rounds. NBC is owned by Comcast, which also owns Golf Channel.

''The combination of NBC and Golf Channel will continue to be the dominant voice in golf coverage going forward. We've enjoyed our 19-year relationship with the USGA, and will continue to serve the golf fan every day,'' NBC Sports Group said in a statement.

ESPN also released a statement, saying: ''We've had a rewarding relationship with the USGA. We look forward to televising the U.S. Open and other USGA championships in 2014 and wish them the best in the future.''

USGA spokesman Joe Goode said in an email that signing with Fox was not a reflection on NBC or ''simply the financials.''


''Rather the decision is consistent with our strategy for delivering golf in new and innovative ways, which can be achieved with a partner that has a completely fresh perspective on the game,'' he said.

Under the deal, Fox Sports will deliver 146 hours of USGA golf. That includes at least 70 hours of its three biggest events - the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. The other hours will be spent on amateur competitions, such as the U.S. Amateur and the new U.S. National Fourball Championship.

Fox Sports 1, the company's new cable channel, launches Aug. 17. Fox has been aggressively chasing rights to bolster its content, but there weren't a lot of options in the immediate future because of the increasing length of sports deals.

Randy Freer, the co-president and chief operating officer of Fox Sports, said the amateur events give Fox extensive content for its national and regional sports networks and that the deal could bring new viewers to Fox Sports 1.

Freer said it was too early to determine how Fox will cover the events or which announcers it will use.

Miller said it was unlikely he would go to Fox even if offered a chance. He said his contract with NBC runs through 2015.

''It was the highlight of my year of work for me,'' Miller said. ''The U.S. Open has always been the tournament. It's a big bummer for me and Dan Hicks.''

Hicks, the NBC's golf anchor, said on Twitter: ''Will always love the U.S. Open. It becomes a part of you after so many yrs. Our national championship. What a privilege it has been.''

NBC has three FedEx Cup playoff events, the Ryder Cup, the Florida swing and Houston Open leading up to the Masters, and The Players Championship.

''I don't know what they're going to do,'' Miller said about Fox. ''You can't just fall out of a tree and do the U.S. Open. I guess the money was more important than the performance. No way they can step in and do the job we were doing. It's impossible. There's just no way. I wish Fox the very best.''

Freer said Fox was ''committed to elevating coverage of USGA events on every level, infusing them with a new energy and innovation that will make every championship the best golf event on television.''

Freer said Fox would tap into the expertise of David Neal, a former NBC Sports executive hired to lead Fox's World Cup coverage, and that Fox also offers the USGA the opportunity to better differentiate the U.S. Open from the other majors.

''We don't have the past to hold onto,'' Freer said. ''We'll work with the USGA to develop the best possible presentation of golf that we can do.''
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FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2012, file photo, Johnny Miller, left, and Nick Faldo, right, laugh while bei …

The PGA Tour has TV contracts with NBC, CBS and Golf Channel locked up through 2021.

The USGA's deal with Fox includes:

- Integrating the network's multiplatform assets, including its upcoming mobile app ''Fox Sports Go.''

- Elevating the visibility of the USGA's amateur events.

- Transforming U.S. Open week into a ''powerful showcase and entertaining celebration'' of golf.

- Supporting and highlighting the USGA programs such as the Rules of Golf, equipment standards, handicapping, the USGA Museum and the USGA Green Section.

''This partnership represents a promising new future for both organizations that will be marked by broadcast innovation, new approaches and fresh thinking,'' USGA executive director Mike Davis said. ''We could not be more energized by what we will be able to accomplish together to make golf better, both now and for future generations of players and fans who love the game.''

The decision to go with Fox is the latest development for the USGA, which this year has adopted a new rule that bans the anchored stroke used with long putters starting in 2016. It also eliminated the U.S. Amateur Public Links starting in 2015, and it launched a campaign against slow play called, ''While We're Young.''

The timing was peculiar. It was the second time in five years that the USGA made a major announcement during the PGA Championship - it announced a change in the size and shape of grooves in golf clubs at the 2008 PGA Championship.

The PGA of America was the most outspoken against the USGA's ban on anchored strokes.

''Given the very nature of major media and broadcast deals, they have a way of taking on a life of their own,'' Goode said in an email. ''Rest assured, it was not our intent and it is not our style to disrupt a partner's event.''

---

AP Sports Writer Rachel Cohen contributed to this report.

Dufner takes run at PGA leaderboard and history

Dufner takes run at PGA leaderboard and history

Steve Keating August 9, 2013







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Jason Dufner (L) of the U.S. shakes hands with compatriot Steve Stricker on the 18th green during the …


By Steve Keating

ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - Jason Dufner brightened up a dreary day with a charge up the PGA Championship leaderboard and a run at golf history, carding a seven-under 63 on Friday to match the best score for a round at a major.

Just hours after Webb Simpson thrilled the rain-soaked crowd with a 64, equaling the Oak Hill course record, Dufner went one better, becoming just the 24th player to shoot 63 at one of golf's four major events.

His bogey-free round also shot the laid-back American to the top of the leaderboard with a two round total of nine-under 131, giving him a two shot advantage over Australia's Adam Scott (68) and the American pair Matt Kuchar (66) and Jim Furyk (68).

Britain's U.S. Open champion Justin Rose (66), Swede Henrik Stenson (66) will start Saturday's third round one stoke further back at six-under.

Tiger Woods, stuck in a five-year major-victory drought, was unable to work his way up the leaderboard, scrapping to a level par 70 to sit a distant 10 back of the leader.

"It's tough when you're chasing history," Dufner told reporters. "You will be the first one to do something. I don't think I've been the first to do anything in my life.

"So it was a little nerve-wracking for a Friday. It's usually the pressure you might feel towards the end of the tournament but I got through it.

"I made a couple of pars, and I wish I had that putt on the last hole back again."

While the galleries were electrified by the 36-year-old's composed and masterful display, Dufner was typically blasé, showing not a hint of emotion when his approach at the second spun back into the cup for an eagle or when his approach to the 18th landed 12-feet from the hole.

As Dufner walked onto the green sizing up the historic putt, the crowd fell quiet, then groaned when it slowly rolled to halt short of its target.

"Obviously had a fantastic day today in a major championship, chased a little bit of history," said Dufner. "Came up a little short on that last putt but all-in-all I'm excited."


As the rain disappeared and the sun began to peak out from behind the clouds, there was more drama unfolding with the late starters attacking a defenseless East course with gusto.

With the sun-setting, K.J. Choi was poised to challenge the record, reaching six-under for the round with two holes to play but a bogey ended his run and he signed for a 65.

The early starters were greeted by dark skies and pounding rain at stately Oak Hill Country Club but the soggy conditions could not prevent some of the contenders from getting off to hot starts.

Scott, the joint overnight leader alongside Furyk, teed off on the back nine in the worst of the conditions but the Masters champion was unbothered by the downpour, picking up a birdie on his opening hole.

"It was raining pretty hard on and off and the course was playing tough," said Scott.

"So it was nice to get off to a good start while the tough conditions were out there and I managed to hang on.

"The course is obviously softening up and I'm sure some guys will take advantage of that but so far so good for two days."

The heavy favorite coming into this week after romping to a seven-stroke victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday, Woods was unable to take advantage of the soft conditions.

"I made my share, I missed my share. Just the way it goes," he said. "Obviously I'm going to have to put together a really good weekend.

"I'm going to have to do my job and shoot a good round."

Defending champion Rory McIlroy (71), eager to turn his game around after a poor season by his standards, looked headed for an early exit until a late turnaround down the stretch.

The Northern Irishman's play was as gloomy as the early weather until he roared back with four birdies over his final seven holes to get back to level par 140 for the tournament and make the cut.

(Reporting by Steve Keating' Editing by Julian Linden)