Inside the Ropes: Memorial field gets preview of Presidents Cup course

Inside the Ropes: Memorial field gets preview of Presidents Cup course










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange May 27, 2013 2:10 AMThe SportsXchange


Tiger Woods has won the Memorial Tournament a record five times, but the iconic moment at Muirfield Village comes from none of those victories.

The most enduring image from the events at Jack Nicklaus' course in Dublin, Ohio, is of Spain's Seve Ballesteros spraying champagne from a giant magnum on his European teammates after they won the Ryder Cup for the first time on American soil in 1987.

It rubbed many of the Americans the wrong way, but it was a turning point in Ryder Cup history, and not only because the Euros won on the course of the greatest player of all time while he was serving as captain.

The United States had dominated the Ryder Cup until that time, but the Euros started an 8-4-1 run on that Sunday. The passion that originally came from Ballesteros has permeated the event since, making it a major sporting event on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Presidents Cup, which hasn't produced nearly the same emotion, is hoping for the same type of boost when it comes to Muirfield Village in September.

That's why a number of players who figure to be on the U.S. and International teams in a few months, and others who hope to be, are in the field this week for the Memorial.

Captain Fred Couples, who plays mostly on the Champions Tour, also will tee it up at Muirfield Village, where he claimed the title in 1998 by four strokes over Andrew Magee.

Among those playing this week who figure to be in his team room, or at least be in the running, come September are defending champion Woods, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Hunter Mahan, Zach Johnson, Nick Watney, Bill Haas and Kevin Streelman.

Nick Price of Zimbabwe, captain of the International team, isn't in the field but also will be at Muirfield Village this week to scout some of the projected members of his squad.

"I think it's a spectacular golf course for match-play format," Price said. "I think we saw that in the Ryder Cup back in '87, and I know the changes that have been made.

"In fact, I have to come up and start checking and see all the changes because it's been a while since I've played, but all the players really love the changes. ... But I think it's a spectacular back nine for match play."

Australia's Adam Scott, the Masters champion, leads the International contingent, which also includes Ernie Els of South Africa, Jason Day of Australia, Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea, Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, Y.E. Yang of South Korea, Branden Grace of South Africa, Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, Brendon De Jonge of Zimbabwe, George Coetzee of South Africa, K.J. Choi of South Korea, John Senden of Australia, Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Marc Leishman of Australia.

The players on both sides will get a feel for the course, but they will not get a taste of the atmosphere Nicklaus expects for the Presidents Cup.

"It's going to get a little bit loud and raucous (in September)," said Nicklaus, a four-time captain of the U.S. team in the Presidents Cup. "I'm very pleased with what has happened here. We've had the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup and now the Presidents Cup. It's pretty neat."

Of course, this week it's about whether Woods can win at Muirfield Village for the second consecutive year and the sixth time overall. His other titles came in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2009. His average margin of victory in his five victories is 3.4 strokes.

Not only that, but he has won four times in six stroke-play events on the PGA Tour this season, including the Players Championship in his last outing.

"I always look forward to playing in Jack's tournament," Woods said when he committed to the Memorial. "It's a wonderful course, and we are always treated well.


"We, as players, are very appreciative of what he has meant to the game."

Last year, Woods closed with a 5-under-par 67 to win by two strokes over Rory Sabbatini and Andres Romero, carding three birdies in the last four holes to erase a two-shot deficit.

Woods tied Nicklaus with his 73rd PGA Tour victory and did it after running a temperature of 102 degrees on Friday and Saturday.

When Woods hit his tee shot on the par-3 16th hole over the green in the final round, it appeared his chances to win were slipping away, but he holed a remarkable chip shot from 50 feet for birdie.

"He had one place to land the ball," said Nicklaus, who was watching from the television booth. "He's playing a shot that if he leaves it short, he's going to leave himself again a very difficult shot. If he hits it long, he's going to probably lose the tournament.

"He lands the ball exactly where it has to land. Going in the hole was a bonus. But what a shot. I don't think under the circumstances I've ever seen a better shot."

It's the kind of shot in the arm the Presidents Cup could use.



COMING UP

PGA TOUR: The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on CBS, and Sunday, noon-2 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 2:30-6 p.m. EDT on CBS.

LAST YEAR: Tiger Woods birdied three of his last four holes while closing with a 5-under-par 67 to claim a two-stroke victory over Andres Romero of Argentina and Rory Sabbatini of South Africa, winning the tournament for a record fifth time. Woods, who tied tournament host Jack Nicklaus with the 73rd victory of his PGA Tour career, was two strokes behind Sabbatini, who carded a bogey on the 16th hole en route to a closing 72, opening the door. Woods, who birdied the par-5 15th, knocked his tee shot over the green on the par-3 16th, but chipped in for birdie from 50 feet to take the lead. He added a nine-foot birdie putt on the final hole. Romero closed fast with an eagle on No. 15 and a birdie at No. 18 to shoot 67 and tie Sabbatini.



CHAMPIONS TOUR: Principal Charity Classic at Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday through Sunday.

TV: Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. EDT, and Sunday, 7-9:30 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Jay Haas put together rounds of 66-65-66 at Glen Oaks Country Club to run away with the title by five strokes over Kirk Triplett and Larry Mize, becoming the first player to win the tournament for the third time, all in the last six years. Haas, who also won the tournament in 2007 and 2008 and has 16 victories on the Champions Tour, posted a 54-hole total of 16-under-par to tie the tournament record set by Gil Morgan in 2006, and matched the largest margin of victory in 2012 on the Champions Tour. Triplett closed with a tournament-record, 9-under-par 62, breaking the mark of 63 held by four players. Mize finished with a 68.



LPGA TOUR: ShopRite on the Bay Course at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J., Friday through Sunday.

TV: Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Stacy Lewis carded five birdies in the first eight holes of the final round to build a nine-stroke lead at the turn and coasted to a four-stroke victory over Katherine Hull of Australia despite struggling on the back nine and closing with a 1-under-par 71. Lewis, who took charge of the tournament by opening with rounds of 65-65, won for the second time in her last three events, also having won the Mobile LPGA Classic a few weeks earlier. Even though Lewis carded a bogey on the ninth hole, a double bogey on the 11th hole and a bogey on the 12th, she was never challenged and righted the ship by holing a 35-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole. Hull sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to close with a 68 and finish alone in second place.

Golf notebook: Euro captain adds wild-card pick for '14 Ryder Cup

Golf notebook: Euro captain adds wild-card pick for '14 Ryder Cup










The Sports Xchange May 27, 2013 2:11 AMThe SportsXchange


--Captain Paul McGinley of the European Ryder Cup team announced that he will have three wild-card selections to complete his team for the 2014 matches, which will be contested at Gleneagles Resort in Scotland on Sept. 26-28, 2014.

McGinley will have one more wild-card selection that his predecessor, Jose Maria Olazabal, had to fill out his 12-man squad for the matches won by the Euros last year at Medinah, near Chicago.

Tom Watson, captain of the United States team, announced in March that he was reducing his wild-card selections from four to three. The other nine spots on both teams will be determined by point standings based on tournament performance.

The Americans have one list, while four players for McGinley's team will come from the European Points List, with another five coming from the World Points List.

"I have said on a number of occasions that if something ain't broke, then don't fix it, and I think that applies to the qualification process for the European Ryder Cup team," said McGinley, whose proposed selection criteria received unanimous backing from the European Tour's Tournament Committee during a meeting at Wentworth. "You only need to look at the record books to see that we haven't done too badly of late, so I didn't see the need to make sweeping changes.

"I've kept the qualification list order the same as Olly had it for Medinah, the only difference being that I've increased the number of picks from two to three. I've done that to give myself a little bit of extra flexibility when it comes to making my selections. Hopefully this will ensure that I have the right players to face the examination paper that Gleneagles will set out next September."

The European Points List will consist of points gained by a player from all Race to Dubai tournaments during the qualification process, with one point equaling one euro.

The World Points List will be comprised by Official World Golf Ranking points gained in officially sanctioned tournaments around the world during the qualification process. The qualification system will begin at the ISPS Handa Wales Open on the European Tour at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales from Sept. 5-8, 2013.

--Even though Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia have not been together since the Players Championship, the war of words in the media between the two wouldn't go away, so it probably was inevitable that it got out of hand.

It all started when Woods, surrounded by fans and deep in trees to the left, pulled a club from his bag as Garcia was preparing to hit from the other side of the fairway on the second hole in round three of the Players at TPC Sawgrass.

Garcia claimed the reaction of the crowd to Tiger pulling a wood, rather than an iron to lay up, bothered him in his backswing as he hit the ball into the right trees, leading to a bogey.

Side-by-side replays showed that Garcia actually was still addressing the ball when the crowd reacted, and Woods was unapologetic later.

"Obviously, he doesn't know all the facts; the marshals told me he had already hit," Woods said. "I pulled the club and played my shot. Then I hear his comments afterward. Not really surprising that he's complaining about something."

Last week, on media day for the AT&T National that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, Woods was asked if might consider contacting Garcia and bringing the feud, which has simmered for years, to an end.

Woods had a one-word answer: "No."

The next day, Garcia was speaking to the media at Wentworth in England, where he would play in the BMW PGA Championship later in the week.

Naturally, the topic came up again.

"(Woods) called me a whiner," Garcia said. "He's probably right. But that's also probably the first thing he's told you guys that's true in 15 years. I know what he's like. You guys are finding out."

The following night, Garcia was at the European Tour's annual awards dinner when he was asked about Woods again.

Steve Sands of the Golf Channel asked him on stage if he would invite Woods to dinner in two weeks during the U.S. Open at Merion.

"We will have him round every night," Garcia said. "We will serve fried chicken."

Later, Garcia issued this apology through the European Tour: "I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during the European Tour Players' Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made toward me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner."

Garcia apologized again at a news conference the following day.

While Woods has made it known that he does not like Garcia, the war of words has been almost as one-sided at Tiger's domination of Sergio on the golf course, with Garcia taking most of the shots and Woods responding.

On the course, Woods has beaten Garcia head-to-head the last seven times they have played on the weekend, and Woods has gone on to win the tournament each time.

They were not paired together Sunday at the Players, but they were tied for the lead late in the final round when Garcia had a chance to get at least a little bit of redemption.

Then he hit two balls into the water at the famed island green on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass and another at No. 18, handing the title to Woods.

There were cheers from the crowd as Garcia's ball splashed down, and it will be interesting to see how the crowd greets him when he gets to the U.S. Open at Merion in two weeks.

--Josh Teater, a 34-year-old with 107 starts on the PGA Tour, shot 64-69--133, 7 under par on the Queens Course at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, Texas, to win International Final Qualifying-America for The 142nd Open Championship.


Teater led eight qualifiers for the Open, which will be played at Muirfield on July 18-21.

"I am really looking forward to playing in my first Open Championship," said Teater, who also will be playing in his first major championship.

"You always want to get off to a quick start in these qualifiers, but I went out and bogeyed my first hole of the day. I think that may have been good for me because I was able to refocus."

The 78 players battled difficult conditions, with winds from the south at 20-25 mph, gusting to 35 mph.

Johnson Wagner and Camilo Villegas of Colombia shot identical scores of 68-66--134 to tie for second.

Wagner, who has three victories on the PGA Tour, earned his second trip to the Open Championship after missing the cut last year at Royal Lytham.

Villegas, who has won three times on the PGA Tour, will be making his fifth start in the Open Championship and 22nd overall start in a major, but his first since 2011.

Scott Brown shot 71-64--135 and tied for fourth with Brian Davis of England, who finished at 66-69.

Brown made two eagles in his second round, holing out with a pitching wedge on the par-4 fifth hole and then sinking a 20-foot putt on the par-5 10th hole.

"I'm usually not as good at qualifiers to be honest," said Brown, who earned his first PGA Tour victory this year at the Puerto Rico Open. "I am really excited to earn a spot in my first major.

"I played the World Junior Cup at St. Andrews years ago, so I have some experience playing in Scotland."

Luke Guthrie (65-71--136), Bud Cauley (70-66--136) and Sweden's Robert Karlsson (67-69--136) earned the final three spots by surviving a playoff. Each recorded a par on the first extra hole.

Andres Echavarria of Colombia shot 67-69--136, but he carded a bogey on the playoff hole and was eliminated.

Davis Love III, who has made 26 consecutive starts at the Open Championship dating to 1987, shot 70-72--142 and failed to qualify.

--The PGA of America and the PGA Tour made it clear that they were against the proposed ban of anchored putters from the time the United States Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews announced their intentions in November.

So, with the ban coming down last week, with the implementation of Rule 14-1b scheduled to take place in 2016, where do they go from here?

"It's hard for me to answer that question right now because I really haven't thought much about that," said Ted Bishop, president of the PGA of America, when asked if his organization might ignore the anchoring ban.

"I held out hope really all the way up through the week of the Players Championship that there might be some consideration given to this compromise. I hadn't thought too much about it, seriously thought about it, as being a potential real next step. But I think those are the two options: Either you follow the rule or there's potentially another set of rules created.

"I don't think I'm going out of school by making that statement. I don't see us as an association going down that road. But I think we'll sit back and wait to see what the PGA Tour does for sure."

There are those who believe Keegan Bradley winning the 2011 PGA Championship, Webb Simpson capturing the 2012 U.S. Open and Ernie Els claiming the 2012 Open Championship set the wheels in motion for the ruling, as all use belly putters.

By that line of thinking, Adam Scott sealed the deal earlier this year when he captured the Masters while using a putter anchored to his chest, completing what has been called the Anchor Slam.

Commissioner Tim Finchem, with input from the organization's Player Advisory Council and Policy Board, said during the comment phase that the PGA Tour is against the ban.

"We will now begin our process to ascertain whether the various provisions of Rule 14-1b will be implemented in our competitions and, if so, examine the process for implementation," the PGA Tour said in a statement.

"In this regard, over the next month we will engage in discussions with our Player Advisory Council and Policy Board members. We will announce our position regarding the application of Rule 14-1b to our competitions upon conclusion of our process and we will have no further comment on the matter until that time."

Adam Scott, Tim Clark, Carl Pettersson and six other players on the PGA Tour who use anchored putters have retained an attorney, Harry Manion, to represent them, indicating legal action could be possible if the PGA Tour goes along with the ban.

Stay tuned.

--Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, who played college golf at Oklahoma State, said they will take part in the donation drive to help citizens of Moore, Okla., which was devastated by a tornado last week that killed at least 24 people.

Fowler, who played for the Cowboys from 2007-09, said he would be participating in a donation drive that started last week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

"I'm going to be matching the first $100,000 brought in by spectators," Fowler said. "I will be matching that and see if we can get the spectators involved here, and thanks for Crowne Plaza and the Crowne Plaza Invitational for giving me the opportunity to do it."

Mahan played college golf at Oklahoma State in Stillwater in 2002-03. He was selected as Big 12 Conference player of the year in both seasons after transferring from USC following his freshman year.

He said he would to make a donation through the Red Cross.

"It's a tough thing because it's so sudden," said Mahan, who lives in Colleyville, Texas, a suburb of the Dallas. "You really can't imagine ... how people's lives change so drastically and so fast, and how they lose so much in a matter of minutes."

"I think (the Red Cross) seems like the best place for it. They drop everything to go help out, and they always do a great job. People need so much right now, it's really crazy. It's crazy to think what the people are going through right now."

Several sports figures have donated to the Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund, including Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose check to the Red Cross was for $1 million.

Kuchar, Westwood Show Winning from Final Group a Challenge

Kuchar, Westwood Show Winning from Final Group a Challenge
Boo Weekley is Latest Example of a Hot Player Rallying to Win from Behind on the PGA Tour











Mark McLaughlin May 27, 2013 10:32 AM




COMMENTARY | Boy was I wrong about Lee Westwood.

In my post on Saturday, I predicted that Westwood's


0017.html">strong showing at the BMW PGA Championship, where he started the final round in the last pairing, would bode well for the future.



Instead, Westwood's game totally fell part with the lead. He hit more drives in the woods than the fairway at Wentworth and an improved short game reverted to its old, mediocre form.

"I'm struggling in my swing a little bit at the moment," Westwood said after a final round 73 that left him three shots out of a playoff won by Matteo Manassero. "You know, when you're in the last round, it just gets found out."

Matt Kuchar couldn't blame a faulty swing for his near miss at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. He was run down by a streaking Boo Weekley, who fired a final round 4-under-par 66 to hold off Kuchar by a stroke.

''It's difficult at the moment coming just one shot short but you can't control what other guys do,'' Kuchar said afterward.

Kuchar and Westwood did share one thing in common: They started in the final pairing on Sunday, which is becoming quite a difficult spot from which to lock down a win.

Only two winners in the last 10 events on the PGA Tour have started the day in the final group. Before Sang-Moon Bae's win last week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, you have to go back to Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March to find another last group champion.

And of the last four major winners, only Rory McIlroy has closed the deal from the final pairing. Graeme McDowell couldn't get it done from the final group last summer in both the U.S. Open and British Open.

What makes it so tough to close the deal playing in the final twosome of the day? Besides Woods, no one else on the PGA Tour feels totally comfortable in the driver's seat.

During that latest stretch since Woods' Bay Hill win, the likes of major champions Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, and Webb Simpson as well as veterans Sergio Garcia and Brandt Snedeker have failed to convert from the last pairing.

Billy Horschel broke through for his first win by firing a final round 64 to overtake the leaders at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after failing to convert from the pole position a month earlier at the Valero Texas Open.

Horschel says he learned from the disappointment in San Antonio not to scoreboard watch during the final round, something that's tough to do when the rest of the field is ahead of you.

"I was finally able to do my thing on the final round and not worry about who I was playing with or what the people in front of me or behind me are dealing with,'' Horschel said after his win. "So that was a big turning point. Knowing that I could go ahead and be focused on what I wanted to do and not be caught up in anything else that's going on the golf course. ''

Mentally, the players in the final pairing may approach their final round trying not to make mistakes while those pursuing them feel less pressure and have nothing to lose by being aggressive. Adam Scott couldn't hold on down the stretch at last year's British Open but he fired a final round 3-under-par 69 to capture the Masters. Scott's win was made possible by an aggressive, clutch birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Cabrera.

In Westwood's case, his downfall at the BMW PGA was a faulty swing that he covered up for three days. In Kuchar's case at Colonial, a hot putter simply cooled down at the wrong time.

The pro tours are chock full of talented players who can throw a 64 or 65 on the board early in a final round before the greens get hard and crusty and the nerves start fraying for the leaders. Anyone who plays golf knows how tough the game is under normal conditions. Throw some pressure and high expectations into the mix and nailing down a win gets that much more difficult.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter@markmacduke.

The secret to winning the U.S. Open?

The secret to winning the U.S. Open?











Eric Adelson June 12, 2013 5:02 PMYahoo Sports






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Pine Valley hasn't held a tournament since the 1985 Walker Cup.ARDMORE, Pa. – Before he won the PGA Championship at Baltusrol in 2005, Phil Mickelson played there. Before he won the U.S. Open at Congressional in 2011, Rory McIlroy played there. And on Tuesday, another major winner played there in preparation for the 113th U.S. Open, which kicks off Thursday.



"There" is Pine Valley Golf Club, home to an 18-hole track most of America has never seen on TV or, perhaps, never even heard of. It's never hosted a major. In fact, it's hardly ever hosted a tournament. Yet over most of the last 30 years, Golf Digest, which has been in the rankings business for a half-century, has ranked it the No. 1 course in the United States.

Not Augusta National. Not Pebble Beach. Not Shinnecock Hills. Not Winged Foot.

It's Pine Valley Golf Club, only 20 minutes from Philadelphia – 30 from Merion Golf Club, site of this week's U. S. Open – and it's been a little bit of a good luck charm for some of the top players in the world.

"We've had an interesting group of people play here before they won major tournaments," says Pine Valley's general manager, Charley Raudenbush.

No wonder, when you consider any other course is (arguably) a step down from Pine Valley. Even Merion, historic and beloved, ranks No. 6 on the Golf Digest list. Pine Valley, located just across the border in New Jersey, was the No. 1 course in the world from 1985 to 2000, then from 2003-08, and again this year after losing the spot to Augusta National.

So why hasn't Pine Valley ever hosted a U.S. Open?

"The facility isn't conducive to it," says Raudenbush. "We have a small clubhouse. We don't have room for spectators."

The course doesn't have much room for anyone. There are only 125 rounds or so played there on a busy day. (On Wednesday, that included five former U.S. Open champions.) Babe Ruth has played there. Michael Jordan has played there. Women are allowed to play only on Sundays. Invitations are as rare as winning lottery tickets, as there are only 1,000 members and their identities are kept mostly secret. The public is allowed on the grounds only one day per year.

"I've played over 750 courses in my life," New York Daily News writer Hank Gola told the Star-Ledger (N.J.). "It was one of the greatest days of my life."

To golf experts, Pine Valley has the best of everything: a blend of European flavor and American roots. Holes don't run parallel to each other, so each fairway is a world of its own – hideaways within a hideaway. The bunkers are not raked. "Robert Trent Jones felt it had more classic holes than any other," writes Golf Digest, "and regarded it as the first course that truly tested every club in the bag." Pine Valley has the highest possible slope rating (golf's degree of difficulty) at 155.

So while Merion becomes even more famous this week, at least in the public eye, its top-ranked neighbor across the state line will continue to revel in privacy. It's even difficult to find – "Behind an amusement park and nestled between two towns," Raudenbush says. One of the entrances is hidden, almost like a secret passageway.

So who's the famous pro who has made the trek from Merion to Pine Valley this week to play a round? Raudenbush, true to form, would rather not reveal his identity. It's not Tiger Woods, who has been invited but hasn't played there yet. But it is someone who has won a major fairly recently.

Perhaps he'll talk about it if he wins. But probably not. Like most other aspects of the best golf course in America, this sliver of Pine Valley lore will likely remain far away from public view.

After 20 tries, Nieporte in first U.S. Open

After 20 tries, Nieporte in first U.S. Open











PGA.COM June 12, 2013 6:46 PM

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Merion Golf Club is the host of the 2013 U.S. Open, where PGA Professional John Nieporte will make his …


Since becoming a professional golfer in 1993, 46-year-old John Nieporte has tried 20 times to qualify for the U.S. Open.

In 19 consecutive tries, a trip to the national championship remained a dream unrealized -- until last Tuesday.

In his 20th attempt, Nieporte finally leaped over that final hurdle in the sectional qualifier at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club, when he birdied the third hole of a playoff with 15-year-old David Snyder of McAllen, Texas, to punch the third and final ticket from the Bradenton, Fla. qualifier to Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. this week.

"It's like my father-in-law always tells me," Nieporte said, "you never do anything the easy way."

Nieporte, the PGA Head Professional at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., will be the only PGA Professional teeing it up in the 113th U.S. Open.

What Nieporte did to qualify is nothing short of amazing. The Monday before U.S. Open week, known as, "Golf's Longest Day," is a 36-hole qualifier at various sites throughout the country with very limited spots available.

Nieporte played 38 holes that day -- the 36 for the qualifier and two holes of a playoff with Snyder, before electing to stop playing Monday evening due to darkness and return the next morning with that coveted U.S. Open berth hanging in the balance.

"It was tough," Nieporte said about the decision to return Tuesday morning. "It can be agony if you dwell on it. A good friend caddied for me and was a calming influence. We talked about our jobs - we both work at Trump International - and things we'd like to do differently next year. I slept about 3 hours on Monday night. I stayed in the moment. I never consciously admitted to myself what I was doing."

What he'd already done was, well, remarkable.

On the second nine of his second round on Monday, Nieporte caught fire beginning on No. 2 -- his 11th hole of the round and 29th hole of the day.

"I had been 3 under through four holes, but had a couple of hiccups," Nieporte said. "When I made the turn, I knew I'd have to make a move because that was the scoring nine. Of course, you never really plan for the stretch that I ended up having."

That stretch went like this: Birdie on No. 2; hole-in-one on No. 3 (Nieporte's ninth career ace and eighth in competition); birdie on No. 4; par on No. 5; and birdie on No. 6.

"I've been hitting my irons real well," Nieporte said. "On the second hole -- my 11th hole -- it was a good birdie. Then I hit a 7-iron 4 inches left of the cup and it went in for an ace at No 3. On No. 4, I made a 40-footer for birdie. The funny thing is I hit a great iron shot to five feet at No. 5 to set up a pretty easy birdie putt. I missed the thing because I tried to jam it in there. But I bounced back with another birdie on the next hole, a par 5."

When the 36 holes were over, Nieporte was battling with Snyder for that third and final available spot atMerion. Amateur Kevin Phelan of Ireland and John Hahn Jr., of Hudson, Ohio, had already secured the first two spots.

Nieporte and Snyder each parred the first two holes of the playoff -- Nos. 18 and 10 -- before darkness halted play for the evening.


The next morning, the two returned to play the 17th hole. Nieporte ended things swiftly by holing a 15-foot birdie putt and -- suddenly, after two decades of trying -- he realized a dream.

Imagine, 20 years of trying to accomplish a monumental goal and a teenager was the one standing in the way. Older, wiser, whatever - Nieporte, for one, certainly didn't underestimate his opponent.

"Being a teaching pro, I know the game has changed in the last 15 years," he said. "David was totally composed. He stayed focused and stuck to his routine. Every sport has changed. It's a shame to a point because they're not really kids anymore, but that's the way it is. It seems every parent wants their kid to be the next Tiger Woods.

"It was fun though," Nieporte added. "My emotions were in check throughout the qualifier. I've been through so many over the years. You try to downplay it. You don't focus on what you're trying to achieve. I got emotional after I did it, because I was thinking about the history. It's the U.S. Open and it's at Merion for the first time since 1981 and Merion's history it was overwhelming."

The "Nieporte" history in the U.S. Open is pretty neat too.

John Nieporte is the son of Tom Nieporte, the former longtime PGA Head Professional at famed Winged Foot Country Club. The elder Nieporte competed in 13 U.S. Opens, the highlight of which was a tie for 17th in 1958 at Southern Hills. Tom Nieporte also spent several years on the PGA Tour, where he counted Julius Boros and Billy Casper as two of his closest friends.

"When you follow in your father's footsteps, it makes this even more special," John Nieporte said. "He played at such a high level. To experience a glimpse of that is something else. He was great friends with Billy Casper, Julius Boros and others. I wasn't even born yet when they were truly in their heyday, but when the Senior Tour started, my parents would have parties at our house with those guys when the tournaments were in town. It was a lot of fun to listen to their stories."

Now, no matter what happens at Merion, the younger Nieporte will have fun stories of his own to share for years to come. His brother, wife and four daughters will be among those following his every step at Merion. He's also got the support of his world-famous boss -- Mr. Donald Trump...

...And that's another story.

"I played mini tours, got married, had a baby, quit golf all together and then got pulled back into it by a friend as a teaching pro at North Hills Country Club in New York," Nieporte explained. "I won the New York State Open at Bethpage Black and that got a lot of attention in the newspapers. At the time, I was caddying for Mr. Trump at Trump National. Circumstances had it that Mr. Trump was looking for a teaching pro. I caddied, he played 9 holes well, and I was hired as a teaching pro under Lee Rinker on the spot. That's when I got in the PGA Program and did that for four years. Then the head job opened at Trump International in West Palm Beach. After a grueling interview, Mr. Trump gave me the job before I was even a full-fledged PGA member; but I was still in the program. It was difficult doing both my job and the program simultaneously, but I'm glad I did it."

After six years of working toward earning his certifications, Nieporte officially became a PGA member in 2012.

"It's great to know Mr. Trump," Nieporte said. "His respect for the game runs deep. He always says golf parallels life. He's a great putter too. He rolls it in from everywhere and I've never even seen him practice putting. I'd put him against Tiger Woods with a 10-foot putt, that's how good he is. He loves golf, as evidenced by all the courses he's acquiring. He loves looking at holes and asking, 'what can we do to make it better?' Add tees, a bunker? I saw him add a waterfall in three days at one course and then remove it in three days because he thought it looked ridiculous! He's a competitor on the course, in business and in life. It's fun to play with him. Those are all the qualities the guys I'm playing with at Merion this week possess, so I don't think I'll be intimidated. I'm going to enjoy it."

Nieporte is savoring his week at Merion already. He spoke to PGA.com early Monday morning and had already played 18 holes on Sunday.

Nieporte's Sunday tee time was at 2:30 p.m., which meant he was the last player to leave the course -- as darkness set in, naturally.



By: T.J. Auclair, PGA.com

Notebook: Trevino returns to relive happy days

Notebook: Trevino returns to relive happy days












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Lee Trevino famously says that Merion is where "I beat that guy," meaning Jack Nicklaus.(Getty Images)

PGA.COM June 12, 2013 6:58 PM


By Joseph White, Associated Press

ARDMORE, Pa. - After beating Jack Nicklaus in a playoff to win the U.S. Open at Merion in 1971, Lee Trevino famously quipped: "I love Merion, and I don't even know her last name."

If a joke works, it's worth repeating.

"I'm still trying to figure out what her last name is," Trevino said this week as he returned to the historic course. "I know I fell in love with her when I was here."

Trevino and David Graham, winners of the last two U.S. Opens at Merion, were among the featured guests at the champions dinner Tuesday night. They found the place to be the same, yet different.

"Our press conference, when Nicklaus and I were here, was on a bench in the locker room," Trevino said while meeting with reporters in the expansive media tent, one of the modern-day necessities shoehorned into the relatively intimate confines of the suburban Philadelphia golf club.

Merion is "where I beat that guy," Trevino said, meaning Nicklaus. And he did so after pulling one of the great golf pranks of all time - pulling a rubber snake out of his bag at the first hole of the playoff.

LONG RIDE TO FIRST TEE: It's quite the ride from the driving range to the first tee at Merion, and that's going to take some getting used to this week at the U.S. Open.

"That's an interesting challenge," said Matt Kuchar, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year. "I think that there's a number of people who like to go straight off the driving range, hitting that last tee ball and trying to envision them being on the first tee and replicating that same tee shot."

A 12-passenger van will shuttle the players, and Kuchar said the elapsed time from final practice swing to first competitive swing could be some 20 to 30 minutes.

"I think the guys that have to rely less on timing in their golf swing will certainly fare better on the opening tee ball and first couple of holes," Kuchar said. "The guys that are more relying on timing and have to come straight from the range quickly to the first tee to kind of be fresh and ready to go may struggle a little more."


USGA Executive Director Mike Davis said the rules allow for a player to avoid a penalty or disqualification if a tee time is missed because of a breakdown in the shuttle service, but he's not expecting any problems.

"Ultimately," Davis said, "it is the player's responsibility to get to his first tee ground on time."

GREEN SPEEDS: Davis says in good weather, the speed of the greens will be up to 13.5 on the Stimpmeter at the U.S. Open. At least on 17 greens.

The fifth green at Merion is the toughest on the golf course, canting severely to the left. If that green were the same speed as the others, it would be difficult for balls to stay on the putting surface. That green will be running around 12 on the Stimpmeter.

"Players have been notified of that," Davis said. "We've done this exact same thing in past championships here, and it works for that."

As for the other 17 greens, they'll have the speed used in the 2005 U.S. Amateur and the 2009 Walker Cup.

"That seems to be Merion's - for a championship - ideal green speeds," Davis said, "where you don't lose hole locations, but you're also really testing the players and ... the movement in the greens really come alive. So that's what we're shooting for."

Wednesday was the first time the staff was able to get the greens at that speed because of rain earlier in the week.

FRIENDLY SERGIO: Sergio Garcia was an accommodating figure at Merion as he finished the back nine of his final U.S. Open practice round Wednesday, stopping multiple times to sign autographs.

Fans were supportive in return, yelling out occasional encouraging words. There was no sign, at least over the final few holes, of any fan backlash over his recent exchanges with Tiger Woods, which hit a low point when Garcia said he would serve fried chicken if he had Woods over for dinner during the Open. He has since apologized for the remark.

Garcia's only visible clash was, well, truly visible. Even those with no sense of fashion whatsoever were quick to realize that his bright fuchsia shirt didn't mesh at all with the orange worn by his caddie.

Golf notebook: Williams, top-ranked amateur, turns pro

Golf notebook: Williams, top-ranked amateur, turns pro










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange June 24, 2013 12:00 AMThe SportsXchange


--Chris Williams, the No. 1 amateur in the world, turned pro last week and signed with Nike before making his debut in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.

The 22-year-old Williams recently was selected winner of the Ben Hogan Award as the top player in college and amateur events.

"Joining the Nike family is a dream come true," Williams, who played college golf at Washington, said in a statement. "They have the most talented athletes, and I am excited to be a art of this elite group."

Williams also collected the Mark H. McCormack medal as the No. 1 amateur in the world, which earned him a spot in the U.S. Open.

In his final event as an amateur, Williams shot 75-74--149 and missed the cut by one stroke in the U.S. Open when he carded a bogey on the difficult 18th hole at Merion.

"I missed the cut, but I had (my pro debut) to look forward to right around the corner," said Williams, who grew up in Moscow, Idaho. "It was a good week, but I was ready to move on and start my professional career, and it was nice to be able to hop on that 45-minute charter and come right up here (to River Highlands)."

Williams also has received sponsor exemptions to the AT&T National, the Reno-Tahoe Open and the Wyndham Championship. PGA Tour non-members can receive as many as seven sponsor exemptions per season.

Last year, he captured the Western Amateur and was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Amateur. In 2011, Williams won the Sahalee Players Championship and the Pacific Coast Amateur in addition to teaming with Justin Thomas and Steven Fox in leading the United States to the World Amateur Team Championship.

In his first tournament as a pro, Williams posted a tie for 30th in the Travelers, shooting 68-69-69 in the last three rounds after opening with a 1-over-par 71.

--Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain will receive his country's most prestigious sports award, the Prince of Asturias prize, it was announced.

The 47-year-old Olazabal, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009, has won 31 professional titles around the globe, including the Masters in 1994 and 1999.

Last year, he captained the European team that made a memorable rally in Sunday singles to beat theUnited States at Medinah.

"One of the best golfers in history, with two Masters titles at Augusta and four Ryder Cup wins, a competition in which he also showed his leadership qualities, as captain helping the Europe team to an epic comeback in 2012," the jury said in announcing its decision.

The jury added that Olazabal was a "worthy successor" to the late Seve Ballesteros, his friend and compatriot, who won the award in 1989.

"I'm over the moon," Olazabal said when he received the news at the BMW International Open in Munich. "First of all, I want to thank the Royal Spanish Federation for nominating me as a candidate, and also my colleagues for their support.

"I got a little bit emotional when I got the news this morning, because it's a very special award. Some great sportsmen have won it in the past, including Seve, so to follow in his footsteps is fantastic.

"It's very difficult even to get nominated for the award, so I never thought I'd win it, to be honest. Without question this is the most prestigious award I've ever received, so it's a real honor."

There are eight Prince of Asturias awards across different social categories including arts, science, sports and literature.

Previous recipients of the award in all categories include Nelson Mandela, Woody Allen, Mikhail Gorbachev, J.K. Rowling, Arthur Miller, Placido Domingo, John Glenn, Susan Sontag and King Hussein I of Jordan.


Crown Prince Felipe will present the awards at a ceremony in October in the northern city of Oviedo.

--Organizers of the Humana Challenge announced that its pro-am, which has been an important part of the tournament for its 55 years, will be expanded next season.

Humana, which partners in the event with the Clinton Foundation, announced that for the first time the top amateur players will play in the final round with the professionals, as is done in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

"We wanted to improve on an already fantastic format by doing even more to upgrade the experience for our amateur competitors," said Bob Marra, executive director of the Humana Challenge, which will be played Jan. 16-19 in La Quinta, Calif.

"Humana has implemented a variety of programs since its sponsorship began to raise the stature of the tournament and the experience for its guests in the pro-am. The opportunity to make the cut for those players who have performed the best in the amateur competition will significantly enhance the experience."

Under the new format, the three amateurs with the lowest net scores and three amateurs with the lowest gross scores after the first three rounds will play in Sunday's final round with two professionals, starting on the 10th tee on the Palmer Private Course at PGA West.

The amateurs will not benefit from the pro's score, but will play individual stroke play from the amateur tees.

The Palmer Private Course is the host venue of the Humana Challenge, with the first three rounds also played on the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club.

Until 2012 in what was once the Bob Hope Classic, amateurs played only the first four rounds of the then five-round tournament. In 2012 and 2013, amateurs played only the first three rounds of what is now a four-round event.

In addition, the tournament has added the Club Team Challenge Pro-Am, an event that will feature three amateur members from the same club, a PGA Tour professional and a PGA Club pro.

The Challenge will be played on Monday, Jan. 13, on the Jack Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West.

--Jarrod Lyle of Australia is pointing toward a return to the PGA Tour in the middle of the 2014 season after beating acute myeloid leukemia for the second time in 14 years.

The 31-year-old Lyle reported recently that tests have shown no signs of the illness following four months of chemotherapy, for which he stayed in a Melbourne hospital away from his wife and daughter, and stem cell transplant.

"It'd be different if I was just coming back from a torn hamstring or something like that," Lyle told PGATour.com. "But it's not, and there is still a lot of unknown about things like how much flying I'll be able to do, and until all the questions like that are crossed off, I don't know when exactly I'll be back.

"It's a matter of getting all the way healthy and staying healthy and making sure that this horrible disease doesn't come back again."

Lyle tied for fourth in the Northern Trust Open last year but did not feel well after tying for 37th the following week in the Mayakoba Golf Classic, so he returned home to tests that showed the leukemia he had beaten at 17 had returned.

Before leaving his home in Shepperton, Australia, for his four-month stay in Melbourne, Lyle got to hold his newborn daughter, Lusi Joy, but then had to leave his wife, Briony, and their first child behind.

"That was hard, having to leave them there, but also the best thing because I did get to see (Lusi)," Lyle said. "But then came the whole unknown thing of whether I would see her again, whether I'd get out of hospital, whether I'd be there to see her grow up. That was the hardest part of this whole deal. ...

"When I look at them now, I feel like I'm the luckiest man alive. And now, we've finally got our health. And just walking around, I couldn't be happier."

Other than the moments with his family, Lyle said the best part of the process was watching a 40-minute video of well wishes from PGA Tour members put together by commentator Tripp Eisenhower of the Golf Channel.


Lyle viewed the video for the first time in the hospital after his first session of chemotherapy.

"Guys like Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia, all the Aussies, caddies, (PGA) Tour officials, everybody out there," said Lyle, who has won twice of the Web.com Tour but has yet to break through on the PGA Tour. "I cried for 45 minutes. It was just amazing to me, first that Tripp would put this together.

"I'm lying there in hospital, and to know that these guys I'm trying to beat week in and week out actually care about how I'm doing? To me, that's pretty humbling."

Normally 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Lyle has put back some of the 45 pounds he lost during chemotherapy and has been going to the gym several times a week to rebuild his strength.

Lyle has played some golf, and when he is up to it, he plans to play in a series of four-day pro-ams, with the primary goal to walk the golf course from start to finish.

--The PGA Tour has filed a motion in the New York Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Vijay Singh in May.

Singh, 50, admitted in a Sports Illustrated article that he was using Ultimate Spray, which contained IGF-1, a growth factor like human growth hormone that was on the circuit's banned substances list at the time.

Even though Singh was later absolved of any doping violation after the World Anti-Doping Agency said deer-antler spray was no longer prohibited, Singh filed his lawsuit last month, the day before the start of the Players Championship, the PGA Tour's flagship event.

The suit alleges the tour damaged Singh's reputation.

"This case is about bullying, and we are trying to prevent the bully from bullying," said Jeffrey Rosenblum, Singh's attorney, who added that the PGA Tour wants the case dismissed because players sign a contract when they become members that says they can't sue the Tour.

Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour's executive vice president of international affairs and communication, declined to comment on the motion, saying that the organization does not discuss ongoing litigation.

--Bernard Hunt, two-time captain of the European Tour Ryder Cup team and a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, died at the age of 83.

Hunt, who was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire, captured 30 titles during his career and played on eightRyder Cup teams between 1953 and 1969, posting a 6-16-6 record in the event, including 4-3-3 in singles.

"Bernard Hunt was one of Britain's truly great Champions and has been a steadfast ally to all of us involved in the growth of the European Tour," said George O'Grady, chief executive of the Euro Tour.

"He was enormously respected by all of his fellow players, as was evidenced when he was appointed Ryder Cup Captain in 1973 and 1975, and Captain of the PGA in 1966 and again from 1995 to 1997."

Hunt was one of Europe's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s and played for Great Britain in the famous Ryder Cup victory over the United States at Lindrick in 1957, before the rest of Europe was added to the team from the other side of the Atlantic.

In 1963 he and his brother, Geoff, became the first brothers to play in the same Ryder Cup team.

Hunt, who turned professional in 1946, captured the Harry Vardon Trophy by topping the Order of Merit, which was then based on points rather than money, in 1958, 1960 and 1965.

Although he never won a major title, he posted four top-five finishes in the Open Championship and was particularly fond of St Andrews, where he tied fifth in 1955, tied for third in 1960 and finished solo fourth in 1964.

By the time the European Tour was introduced in 1972, he was past his playing best but still finished in the top 20 on the money list in 1973 at the age of 43.

Hunt followed in his father John's footsteps as head professional at Hartsbourne Golf Club, and later became the first head professional at Foxhills Golf Club in Ottershaw, where he served for 25 years and where one of the courses bears his name.

He is survived by his wife, Meg, and three children, Matthew, Sophie and Viv.