FRENCH LICK, Ind. — David Paeglow shot a 5-under 65 on Sunday on The Donald Ross Course at French Lick Resort to take the lead during the suspended first round of the PGA Professional National Championship.Paeglow, the head pro at Kishwaukee Country Club in DeKalb, Ill., eagled the par-4 eighth, hitting a gap wedge 30 feet past the hole that spun back in. He also had four birdies and a bogey in the rain-delayed round.”This is a first for me,” said Paeglow, who failed to qualify last year after missing three straight cuts in the tournament. “I have got to keep my composure, keep hitting the shots I’ve been hitting and putt well. My goal is to stay focused.”Forty-five of the 312 players were unable to complete the round because of darkness.The final top 20 will earn spots in the PGA Championship on Aug. 12-15 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.Jeff Hull and Troy Pare were tied for second. Hull, the PGA teaching pro at the University of Georgia Golf Course, shot a 67, and Pare, the head pro at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I., was 3 under with a hole left — both on the Ross Course.”I played well,” Hull said. “It gets my confidence up, but it doesn’t mean a thing.”Paeglow and Hull set course records.Defending champion Mike Small, Bob Gaus, Sonny Skinner, Grant Masson and Brian Thornton had 68s on the Ross Course. Small is the University of Illinois golf coach.Rich Steinmetz, Barry Evans and Jeffrey Martin had 1-under 71s on The Pete Dye Course, the site of the final two rounds. Keith Ohr (two holes left) and Samuel Kang (three to play) also were 1 under on the Dye Course.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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Bubba Watson
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Bubba Watson Wins Travelers Championship
CROMWELL, Conn. — Bubba Watson really wanted to play well at the Travelers Championship to impress U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin.He did.Watson overcame a six-stroke deficit Sunday to force a playoff with Pavin and Scott Verplank, then beat Verplank with a par on the second playoff hole.Watson, the long-hitting left-hander from the Florida Panhandle, closed with a 4-under 66 to match Verplank (64) and Pavin (66) at 14 under. Pavin dropped out on the first extra hole.
Travelers Championship Leaderboard
1. Watson-x (-14)
T-2. Verplank (-14)
T-2. Pavin (-14)
4. Riley (-13)
T-5. Four tied at -12
x — won in playoff
• Scores
But he didn’t quit. He hit his tee shot 396 yards off the cart path, and made a 6-foot birdie putt to get into the playoff.”I guess you can’t say I choked, because I came back and birdied the next hole and now I’m the champion,” he said.No player in the first three groups made it into the playoff.Rose held the lead until he missed a 10-foot par putt on 10 and moved into a three-way tie with playing partner Ben Curtis and Verplank.Rose lost the lead after a bogey on the 12th hole, then hit his tee shot on 15 into the water on his way to a double bogey.Curtis, who bogeyed just two holes in the tournament coming into Sunday, hit his tee shot on 12 out of bounds to the left, and made a double bogey. Both he and Rose bogeyed 16. Curtis finished with a 73 to tie for 13th at 10 under.Chris Riley began the day at 8 under, but eagled the par-4 14th from 155 yards and was 5 under on the back nine. He finished a stroke out of the playoff at 13 under.”I bogeyed my first two holes and, I was like, ‘Ho, hum. Here we go,’” he said. “I was in something like 45th place. What makes this course so great is you can make up ground.”Watson ended Europe’s tour winning streak at three. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell won the big prize last week at the U.S. Open. The Memorial was Rose’s first tour win, and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood won the St. Jude Classic.Watson earned .08 million and moved into eighth place in the FedEx Cup rankings.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Soaked in champagne and poised to become the first American ranked first in the world, Cristie Kerr was left amazed and near speechless after completing one of the most dominating performances at the LPGA Championship — and any other major for that matter.”It’s a dream performance,” Kerr said Sunday after winning her second major title by a whopping 12 strokes at Locust Hill Country Club. “It’s like you wake up or you dream — I can’t even speak right now. Winning by two or three is great, but winning by 12 shots is ridiculous. It’s obscene.”Kerr, the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion, closed with a 6-under 66 for a 19-under 269 total. She led wire-to-wire, opening with rounds of 68, 66 and 69.
LPGA Championship Leaderboard
1. Kerr (-19)
2. Kim (-7)
T-3. Miyazato (-5)
T-3. Shin (-5)
T-5. Kim (-4)
T-5. Webb (-4)
• More scores
Kerr began the final round with an eight-stroke lead on a humid, overcast day. She opened with six straight pars before birdieing three of her next four holes. She added four more birdies on the back nine, and began celebrating while walking up the 18th fairway, having stuck her approach shot within 5 feet. She raised her arms, broke into a wide smile and hugged playing partner Jimin Kang.After sinking her birdie putt, Kerr pumped her fist and raised her arms before breaking into tears. She was then doused by champagne by friend and fellow LPGA Tour player Natalie Gulbis.This was Kerr’s 14th win in 14 years on the tour. It’s also her second victory — and fourth top-three finish — this season after winning the State Farm Classic two weeks ago.The only question was whether she would pass Miyazato in the rankings. Miyazato matched Kerr in carding the day’s low round despite the bogey on No. 18.Kerr’s rise comes with women’s golf going through a changing of the guard. In April, Lorena Ochoa followed Annika Sorenstam into retirement, leaving a vacuum at the top.Kerr was set to become the third player at No. 1 in three weeks. Miyazato supplanted Shin last week by winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic, her fourth victory of the year.Americans have won only four of the past 14 majors, with Kerr winning two of them. Americans also have won only four of the past 30 LPGA Tour events, with Kerr winning three times.Kerr intends to skip the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Ohio next weekend to rest up for the U.S. Women’s Open that starts July 8 at Oakmont, Pa.After winning this weekend, Kerr’s aware the expectations on her will be even greater.”I’m there now, but I have to prove that I deserve to be there,” Kerr said. “So there is still a lot of work ahead. But it feels awfully good right now.”
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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Bubba Watson
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Bubba Watson Wins Travelers Championship
CROMWELL, Conn. — Bubba Watson stands 6-foot-3. Corey Pavin measures in at 5-foot-9. Watson’s drives routinely reach more than 300 yards. Pavin would need a friendly cart path bounce to get that far. Watson ranked T-58 in driving accuracy at this week’s Travelers Championship. Pavin was No. 1.
Travelers Championship Leaderboard
1. Watson-x (-14)
T-2. Verplank (-14)
T-2. Pavin (-14)
4. Riley (-13)
T-5. Four tied at -12
x — won in playoff
• Scores
When it comes to playing golf, the two have nothing in common, right? The pair, along with Scott Verplank, faced off in a playoff Sunday at the Travelers Championship in which Watson brought home his first PGA Tour victory after shooting a final-round 66.”If you look at Corey, [we] are just alike, except he’s won 15 times and he’s the Ryder Cup captain,” Watson said with a laugh. “But we’re just alike. He shapes the ball more than anybody, and I shape the ball more than anybody. I’m just younger, so I hit it a little bit farther than he does. That’s it. Love you, Corey.” The simple fact that two players with diametrically opposite styles of golf games can reach a playoff in the same tournament proves that this week’s PGA Tour event is one of the fairest tests in golf. Pavin echoed that fact after being eliminated on the first extra hole Sunday evening. “Bubba’s one of the longest hitters on tour, and he won, and you can look at short hitters that have done well [here] in the past,” Pavin said. “So it’s just a golf course that fits my game. I feel comfortable on it.” Maybe Watson and Pavin aren’t all that different despite the overwhelming statistical evidence. At least that’s what aspiring Ryder Cup hopeful Watson said after the victory in an overt attempt to curry favor with the man who will lead the U.S. squad against the Europeans in Wales. How big was the disparity off the tee? On the 18th hole in regulation, Watson hit his drive 396 yards (with a little help from a cart path). Pavin’s drive on the same hole before the playoff, which he admittedly popped up, was just 242 yards. That’s a difference of 154 yards, or a likely 9-iron in Watson’s case. After the victory, Watson jumped up to 13th in the Ryder Cup point standings. The top eight after the PGA Championship in August automatically qualify, and Pavin will make his captain’s picks Sept. 7, just weeks before the Oct. 1-3 matches in Wales. Watson, a native of Bagdad, Fla. — also the home of PGA Tour players Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum — made no mistakes about using this experience in front of Pavin to prove he can hit the clutch shots when everything is on the line. In the playoff, Watson’s second shot on the par-4 18th stopped inches from the hole, just shy of ending the playoff with an eagle. After Verplank made his 10-foot birdie putt, Watson’s tap-in was just a formality, and the two went off to the par-3 16th while Pavin exited. In their careers, Pavin owns 15 victories and a major championship and Watson’s win total just hit one. Granted, Watson is 31 and Pavin just turned Champions Tour-eligible with his 50th birthday this past November. But there’s no telling what’s in store for Watson. The Americans’ 2008 Ryder Cup victory at Valhalla included long bomber J.B. Holmes. If Pavin were interested in having a prodigiously long driver of the golf ball to help change the complexion of some matches, he could do much worse than having Bubba Watson on his side at Celtic Manor.
Kevin Maguire is the golf editor for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Kevin.Maguire@espn.com.
ESPN Golf
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Cristie Kerr shot a 3-under 69 despite persistent rain Saturday and extended her lead to a tournament record eight shots after three rounds of the LPGA Championship.Kerr, the top-ranked American seeking her second career major victory, opened the day with a five-shot lead at Locust Hill Country Club. Her advantage entering Sunday’s final round tops the mark of seven set in 1961 by winner Mickey Wright.Mika Miyazato double-bogeyed No. 18 to finish at 72 and fall into a three-way tie for second with rookie Azahara Munoz and Jimin Kang after both finished with 70s.
LPGA Championship Leaderboard
1. Kerr (-10)
T-2. Miyazato (-5)
T-2. Park (-5)
T-4. Yang (-4)
T-4. Lincicome (-4)
• More scores
Kerr has played near-flawless golf since an opening 68 Thursday put her in a three-way tie for the lead.On Saturday, Kerr took charge on the back nine while it rained for about two hours. After a bogey-5 on No. 10, Kerr responded with three straight birdies. She then bogeyed No. 14, but came back with an 8-foot birdie on the par-3 15th.Kerr’s run came after Miyazato, playing in the same group with Kerr, cut the lead to three strokes after she birdied No. 10 and Kerr settled for bogey after just missing a 15-footer for par.With thunderstorms forecast to roll in early in the afternoon, officials moved up the tee times by 90 minutes, and had the players go off in threesomes and off both tees in a bid to squeeze in the third round. The rain began about noon, and grew heavier an hour later as the final group reached the 14th green.The forecast for Sunday calls for the possibility of afternoon thundershowers.After showing little emotion on the course during the first two days, Kerr was much more animated Saturday.She was visibly scolding herself for hitting her tee shot into the rough on No. 14. Two shots later, she tapped her iron to her forehead after her chip shot to the green landed well short of the hole. Kerr also dropped her putter in frustration after coming within a few inches of sinking a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 ninth.Kerr is a 13-time LPGA Tour winner — her only major win came at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open. She opened the week fifth in the world standings while already enjoying a solid year in which she’s posted three top-three finishes, including winning the State Farm Classic two weeks ago.A win Sunday would put Kerr in a position to challenge Ai Miyazato for the top spot in the world rankings. Miyazato shot a 70 for a 54-hole score of 1-over.Jiyai Shin, the No. 2 ranked player, shot a 70 to move into a tie for fifth with Song-Hee Kim (69). This is Shin’s first tournament since an appendectomy two weeks ago.Only three Americans have won the past 13 majors and only five of the past 33 tour events — with Kerr winning two of them, including the Michelob Ultra Open in May 2009.Kerr finally showed a few signs of struggle after carding just one bogey through the first two rounds.She bogeyed the par-4 second hole after just missing the green near the pin and following to slide her chip seven feet past the hole. Kerr rebounded with birdies on the next two holes, both times draining 15-foot putts.Munoz got as low as 3-under for the round before a bogey-5 on No. 14. She birdied the next hole but gave back a shot with a bogey-6 on 17. Munoz closed her round with a par-saving, 8-foot putt.Also playing in the final threesome was Inbee Park, who struggled to a 75 to fall 2-under for the tournament.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
ESPN Golf
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PITTSFORD, N.Y. — As confident as Cristie Kerr is playing, the top-ranked American was left surprised with how she ran away from the pack in the second round of the LPGA Championship on Friday.
LPGA Championship Leaderboard
1. Kerr (-10)
T-2. Miyazato (-5)
T-2. Park (-5)
T-4. Lincicome (-4)
T-4. Yang (-4)
• More scores
“I played awesome today,” Kerr exclaimed. “I don’t think anybody expected anybody to be in double digits after two days. But you know what, keep my head down and keep going.”The 14-year tour veteran, and 13-time winner, is two rounds from claiming her second major title after shooting a 6-under 66 to take a five-stroke lead at 10-under on the Locust Hill Country Club course. The 2007 U.S. Women’s Open Champion opened the day in a three-way tie for the lead before taking control by scrambling out of trouble several times to produce a bogey-free round.She birdied four of her last five holes to pull away with the low score of the round.Inbee Park, the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open champion, and Mika Miyazato were tied for second at 5-under after 70s. Brittany Lincicome (69) and Amy Yang (67) were 4-under in a field that has only 17 players at below par in the tour’s second major.Park was impressed by Kerr’s score but wasn’t prepared to concede anything just yet.”No, not at all. It’s still two days of golf left out there,” Park said. “Anything could happen on this golf course.”Much did happen to Kerr, and she managed to overcome it.Despite hitting only five of 14 fairways, Kerr muscled through the heavy rough that protects the narrow 6,506-yard course. That included a perfectly placed 135-yard shot she punched through a small opening between a pair of trees to bounce it on the green to save par on No. 16. She holed a 23-footer for birdie on No. 17 and then tapped on 18 for her final birdie in after hitting a 6-iron within a foot.”Weightlifting,” Kerr cracked, referring to playing out of the rough. “I ended up getting some pretty good lies, some not so good lies, but I managed. When you are in the rough, don’t try to be a hero.”She also credited the new putter she began using the before winning the State Farm Classic two weeks ago.”I’ve been searching for a a while,” Kerr said. “I’ve always been a good putter, but when I found a putter that feels right, I can make almost anything I look at. So I found it.”In two rounds, Kerr has made just one bogey while being particularly sharp on the back nine, which she has played a combined 8-under 66.The cut was at 4-over 148, knocking out several notables, including Se Ri Pak (10-over) and Pat Hurst (11-over).Sun and a light breeze made for good conditions a day after a heavy downpour briefly delayed play. With thunderstorms in the forecast for mid-Saturday, officials have taken efforts to ensure the third round will be completed.Start times have been pushed up 90 minutes to 7 a.m. And the groups will go off in threesomes rather than twosomes, while also going off both the No. 1 and 9 tees in a bid to complete the round by 2:30 p.m.Kerr is scheduled to tee off in the last group with Park and Miyazato at 9 a.m.Opening the week ranked fifth in the world, Kerr is proving serious about her objective in taking a run at top spot, which is currently held by Ai Miyazato — 3-over after rounds of 76 and 71.”I feel like I’m poised to do it,” she said. “I’ve won a lot of regular tournaments. It’s really time.”Jiyai Shin, the No. 2 player in the world, was 2-under after rounds of 72 and 70 in her first tournament since having an emergency appendectomy two weeks ago.Kerr also is eager to show that the U.S. contingent on the LPGA Tour can be competitive in the post-Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam era.”I think it’s very important,” she said, noting the cheers she’s getting from the large galleries at Locust Hill. “I can feel they want an American winner just in the way they’re cheering for me.”Lincicome, from Florida, agreed with Kerr, but with one exception.”It is important for Americans to win majors,” Lincicome said. “Hopefully, Cristie Kerr is not running away with it, so I can have a chance.”Lincicome got as low as 5-under for the tournament before a bogey-5 on No. 16. She then salvaged her round by sinking a 10-foot par putt on No. 18.Park produced four birdies and two bogeys to move into second. That’s an improvement a day after shooting a 69 despite carding four bogeys.”Only two bogeys, I think I can take that every day,” Inbee said.Mika Miyazato, who started on 10, was even for the round before scoring birdies on the par-3 fifth and par-5 eighth.”Today was all about keeping my patience and keeping my game steady,” Miyazato said.Juli Inkster (74) dropped to 1-over for the tournament, a day after shooting a 71 on her 50th birthday. Michelle Wie was 2-over, following an opening 72 with a 74.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
ESPN Golf
CROMWELL, Conn. — Justin Rose shot an 8-under 62, birdieing five consecutive back-nine holes for the second straight round, to take a four-stroke lead over Kevin Sutherland on Friday in the Travelers Championship.
Travelers Championship Leaderboard
1. Rose (-14)
2. Sutherland (-10)
T-3. Singh (-9)
T-3. Lunde (-9)
T-3. Pavin (-9)
T-3. Wi (-9)
• Scores
Rose, the Memorial winner three weeks ago who failed to qualify for the U.S. Open last week at Pebble Beach, broke the tournament record for the first 36 holes, finishing at 14-under 126. The 62 was one off the course record at TPC River Highlands.”Yesterday’s finish was amazing, ran five birdies in the last six and then again today, managed to get five in a row again,” said Rose, who started his second round on the 10th tee. “Birdied 10 of the 12 holes, so from just cruising, suddenly I went to the top of the leaderboard just like that and began to get a nice little lead there.”Sutherland shot his second straight 65. Vijay Singh (66), Corey Pavin (66), Bill Lunde (63) and Charlie Wi (67) were five strokes back at 9-under.After making 162 PGA Tour starts without winning, Rose broke through at the Memorial three weeks ago. This was his first start since.”I think I’m just on a nice streak,” Rose said. “I’m not getting in my way. I’m letting it happen. It’s nice to not field the question, ‘Can this be your first win?’ I must say. That helps. Having done that, that’s one question that it’s just something less that I have to think about.”Winning a tournament in its own right is difficult. So, when you have the added expectation of it trying to be your first, that can be harder sometimes,” he said.Sutherland won’t be complaining about consistency after his 65s.”I’m very pleased. I’ve hit the ball very well,” Sutherland said. “I’ve had 10 birdies for the two days and haven’t had a bogey yet. I’m playing real consistent, real solid.”Lunde eagled Nos. 13 and 15.”That’s something on this golf course,” said Lunde, who also started on the 10th tee. “On the back nine, you got some opportunities to make some eagles and make a lot of birdies. It’s nice to get off to a quick start, to get the momentum going early.”Singh birdied his first two holes.”It started off, and I thought, ‘Here we go. It’s going to be a good one,’ and then I didn’t take the opportunities on the front nine,” said Singh, who played only par golf over the next seven holes.Pavin’s birdie bid on the ninth hole, his last of the day, stopped a revolution short.”It’s all fine by me,” Pavin said. “I’ve been here a long time. I guess the ones who are still alive are still cheering for me.”All eight of Rose’s birdie putts were inside 11 feet. His putts on the 13th and 15th holes were tap-in birdies after a pair of chip shots.”Really, I felt under-prepared coming in here,” Rose said. “I got to tell you. Didn’t do a lot of practice. I’m doing a lot of things well. My feel’s really good.”For a while, I was chasing results because I knew I was playing well, instead of just letting it happen. So, it’s a very fine line out here. It’s very subtle, and I haven’t really changed much. Suddenly, my name’s up there, and you think, ‘Well, what’s different?’ But really, nothing is different. It’s just suddenly happening,” he said.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
ESPN Golf
CROMWELL, Conn. — Justin Rose birdied five of his final six holes for a 6-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead Thursday in the Travelers Championship.Rose, the Memorial winner three weeks ago who failed to qualify for the U.S. Open last week at Pebble Beach, missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18, leaving him tied with morning starters Padraig Harrington, Charlie Wi and Mathew Goggin.Rose was 1 under through 12 holes, before making his run, which included a 34-foot birdie putt on 17.
Travelers Championship Leaderboard
T-1. Rose (-6)
T-1. Goggin (-6)
T-1. Harrington (-6)
T-1. Wi (-6)
T-5. Seven tied at -5
• Scores
“I was more than happy to walk off there with a par,” he said. “But sometimes when things are going your way, you roll in a 30-footer and suddenly, I was like, ‘Things are going right now.’”Harrington and Rose are trying to run Europe’s tour winning streak to four.”As I’ve been saying for quite a while, European golf is very strong and there’s a lot of good young players finding their way in the game, learning how to win, given the opportunity,” Harrington said. “You’ve seen three in the last three weeks and a few others during the year.”Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell won the big prize last week at the U.S. Open. The Memorial was Rose’s first tour win, and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood won before that at the St. Jude Classic.Harrington, Goggin and Wi all capitalized on perfect morning conditions, finishing well before high wind and heavy rain hit the area in the afternoon, forcing a 90-minute delay.Harrington birdied his first three holes and was 4 under at the turn.Goggin made his run on the back nine, birdieing Nos. 13, 15 and 17.Both Goggin and Wi played bogey-free rounds. Wi made four back-nine birdies, including three straight on 12, 13 and 14 to pull into even.”The conditions were perfect when we teed off,” Wi said. “The wind didn’t start blowing until about the seventh hole so I was able to make some birdies when the conditions were perfect.”Vijay Singh shot a 65 in the afternoon despite wind gusts in the area of up to 25 mph.”It wasn’t totally into us, except for six holes, I think,” Singh said. “It wasn’t awfully bad. It was gusty, but if you timed it well, it wasn’t that bad.”Six others also shot 65s, including 50-year-old former U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin, who hit all 14 fairways in regulation.”It’s really important to hit the fairways, keep it in play, hit some nice shots into the greens and take a birdie when you can get it,” he said. “And it’s not a course generally where the scoring is tremendously low, but it can be, but you have to play smart golf here and play your own game.”Last year, Kenny Perry won by shooting 22-under par. Harrington said knowing scores could go that low forced some aggressive play.”You got to think you got to make birdies,” Harrington said. “You really do. You gotta poach first and take your chance every now and again that you will get yourself in trouble, but hopefully you’ll recover. But you’ve gotta take a chance to make plenty of birdies.”The shot of the day came from Chad Campbell, who used a 6-iron to ace the 165-yard 16th hole. Campbell knocked the ball just above the pin and watched it roll back into the cup.”There wasn’t much reaction on the green,” he said. “We didn’t know if it was going in. It was so early, it was pretty much just marshals back there. We didn’t know for sure it was in.”Campbell said he has 10 aces in his life and this was his second on tour. It was the 30th ace in the history of the Connecticut tournament.For his effort, Campbell won a ,000 shopping spree at a jewelry store.He followed the ace with a birdie on 17, and finished the first round at 3 under, three shots off the lead.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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