Trevor Immelman wins Masters

AS IF the nerves and pressure of securing the first major title of his career were not enough to contend with, the addition of a gusting wind and quickening greens at Augusta yesterday made life devilishly complicated for Trevor Immelman as he became the first South African in 30 years to win the Masters.

The slippery conditions were so treacherous that the 2008 tournament resembled a giant game of snakes and ladders in which every advance seemed to be countered by a calamity of tumbles. Immelman, who had coped with the lead or a share of the top spot since Thursday, was steadier than any of his rivals on a day when par was glorious.

Signing for 75 and 280, eight under par, Immelman even had enough leeway near the end to survive a few wobbles and close out the competition. His nearest rival, Tiger Woods, finished three shots adrift. The measure of the South African's achievement was that he became the first player since Seve Ballesteros in 1980 to lead the Masters from first to last.

"It was so tough," recalled the new champion. "I was trying to be tough myself and hang in there. There was a disaster waiting to happen around every corner. I got a message from Gary Player who told me to believe in myself. That meant so much."...
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The Masters - Day 3 Wrap

Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker were supposed to fade Saturday at the Masters, but instead they flourished.

Phil Mickelson was supposed to lurk on the leader board, but instead he limped almost entirely out of contention.

And Tiger Woods? Well, Tiger gave the fans at Augusta National something to roar about on a few occasions. He shot four-under-par 68 to climb within six shots of the lead and set the stage for today's final round.

Immelman birdied three of his last six holes and shot three-under-par 69. That put him at 11-under 205 and increased his lead to two shots over Snedeker, who rallied from potential disaster with three straight bogeys at Amen Corner. Snedeker birdied three of his last five holes for a 70.

Steve Flesch shot 69 and was in third at eight-under. Paul Casey shot 32 on the front nine but collapsed on the back nine with a 37 and was at seven-under.

Next was Woods, alone in fifth place at five-under. While Woods has never won a major while trailing after the third round, his competitors are far from comfortable.

"Who is the guy in fifth place?" joked Snedeker. "Oh, Tiger Woods. Yeah, that guy.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's going to be a factor. His name is going to be on the leader board somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be there on the back nine."

If Woods' back-nine charge Saturday was any indication, he could have a good chance. He made one birdie on his first nine holes, then stormed to three birdies on the back and made a big par save on the 18th hole, hitting an eight-iron off the pine straw and through the trees that reached the green.

"I got a lot of work to do tomorrow," Woods said. "Obviously, with the conditions are supposed to be pretty blustery tomorrow and a little cooler. And again you got to hang in there and be patient out there because it doesn't take much to make a high number out here."

Mickelson could attest to that. He began the round three shots off the lead and finished nine shots back at two-under after a 75...

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The Masters - Round 2 Wrap

Twelve months ago, Trevor Immelman left the Masters with an intestinal parasite that caused him to lose 20 pounds off his slender frame.
Now he's halfway to a possible green jacket.
Tiger Woods owns four Masters trophies, but no one would blame him for reaching for the antacid with the mountain left for him to scale this weekend.
Immelman's second consecutive 4-under-par 68 was good enough for a one-shot advantage Friday, grabbing the clubhouse lead even before Woods could be summoned to the first tee.
Back-to-back birdies to end his round left Immelman at 8-under 136, the lowest 36-hole Masters total in three years.
"Yeah, this year is special," said the South African, who has just one bogey through his two tours of Augusta National. "To shoot two 68s in the first two days is probably beyond my expectations, so I'm pretty thrilled right now."
Brandt Snedeker stayed one stroke off Immelman's pace after his own 68, also carding birdies on his final two holes. Two-time champion Phil Mickelson was another two shots back in a tie for third with England's Ian Poulter (69) and Steve Flesch, whose 67 was the week's best.
Woods found himself seven shots back after a 1-under 71, the 11th straight Masters round in which he's failed to break 70.

The Masters - Round 1 Wrap

While pre-tournament favorite Tiger Woods plodded his way to an even-par 72, Rose and Immelman both fired 68s. The first round was delayed an hour because of fog, but the field finished just before dark.

"I think what (the trip) did was it took the pressure off the practice days this week," Rose said. "I was just trying to hold myself back and not get too excited."

Rose started 2 over after five holes before making birdie on six of the next eight. He holds a share of the first-round lead for the third time in four Masters appearances. He led last year and finished tied for fifth. He was also in the lead in 2004 but ended up tied for 22nd after a third-round 81.

"I have learned you can't count your chickens too early," Rose said.

Immelman, the last player to record a hole-in-one at the Masters in 2005, has just one top-50 finish in five previous Masters appearances. He shot a 34 on both sides.

"You know in major championships, you can't get too far ahead of yourself and you can't get too overconfident," Immelman said.

No first-round leader has won the Masters since Ben Crenshaw in 1984, and the two friends certainly have plenty of company.

On a course Woods said played tough as some U.S. Open courses, only 18 players broke par, but 42 are within six shots of the lead.

Brian Bateman, Brandt Snedeker and Lee Westwood are one shot back after carding 69. Poulter, Robert Karlsson, defending champion Zach Johnson, Stephen Ames and Jim Furyk fired 70s.

Among the eight players at 71 are two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and former winner Mark O'Meara.

Shell Houston Open - Preview

The last PGA Tour stop before the Masters will have an Augusta-like feel to it this week at the Shell Houston Open.

First off is the quality of the field: Houston boasts four of the top 10 players in the world rankings, and six of the top 12: Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Adam Scott, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy and Padraig Harrington.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods is not playing this week, as he rarely does in the few weeks before a major, and No. 3 Ernie Els pulled out due to a virus.

In addition, the folks at Redstone Golf Club are tailoring their course as best they can to look and feel like Augusta next week. The greens are prepared to run at very fast speeds and there are areas around the greens where there is little rough in an attempt to recreate Augusta-like conditions.

This week’s winner qualifies is the final qualifier for the Masters - if he hasn’t already done so.

However, since 1934, only five players have won the week before they earned a green jacket.

Mickelson, in the field this week, was the latest to do so in 2006, when he won the BellSouth Classic. He is joined by Sandy Lyle (1988 Greater Greensboro Open), Art Wall (1959 Azalea Open), Sam Snead (1949 Greater Greensboro Open) and Ralph Guldahl (1939 Greater Greensboro Open).

This is Lefty’s fourth career start at the Shell Houston Open. He missed the cut in his first appearance in 1995, tied for 30th in 1998 and tied for 28th in 2003.

Adam Scott is the defending champion here, capped by a 48-foot putt to get up-and-down on the 18 th and secure the victory. He was the 6th Australian to win the Shell Houston Open and was the youngest champion this tourney had seen since David Duval's win in 1998. He played his final 36 holes at Redstone without a single bogey.

Players from outside the U.S. have won seven out of the last nine in this event, dating to 1999.

Aussies have won this event on four occasions in the last nine years with Stuart Appleby winning twice and Scott and Robert Allenby once each. So maybe that bodes well for Geoff Ogilvy, who is playing this week for the first time since ending Tiger’s win streak at Doral.

The biggest stories of the masters

1. Tiger Woods

Even with his high standards, Woods caused a stir when he said in January that the calendar Grand Slam was "easily within reason." Then he won his first four starts of the year, including a back-nine charge at Dubai on the European Tour. Along the way, he surpassed Arnold Palmer and caught Ben Hogan on the PGA Tour's career victories list.

2. Drug Testing

Golf does not begin drug testing until July, but mandatory meetings to outline the process was such an eye-opener that some players have begun asking about the need to form a union. Augusta National is part of the World Golf Foundation, meaning drug testing likely will take place at the Masters next year.

3. Slow Play

The PGA Tour has twice changed its cut policy to limit the size of fields on the weekend, particularly the final round, which has led to outrage among players who feel as though playing opportunities are being taken away. But it has renewed focus on the real problem - slow play - and more players are being singled out as the culprits. Two getting the most attention are J.B. Holmes and Sean O'Hair.

4. Phil Mickelson

He remains an enigma on the golf course. Mickelson appeared to hit his stride when he won at Riviera, giving him a victory at every PGA Tour stop in California and winning for the 16th time on the West Coast. But he didn't get out of the second round at Match Play, and he didn't finish inside the top 20 at Bay Hill or Doral.

5. The Golf Channel

It won't be a part of the Masters telecast, but it drew the wrong kind of attention in January when anchor Kelly Tilghman, responding to Nick Faldo's suggestion that players gang up on Tiger Woods, suggested they "lynch him in a back alley." It took four days for Golf Channel to act, suspending Tilghman for two weeks. The editor of Golfweek magazine lost his job for putting a noose on the cover. Woods forgave Tilghman, saying she meant no harm.

6. K.J. Choi

He emerged with a new title after winning the Sony Open - best Asian to have never won a major. Choi finished a career-high fifth on the money list last year after winning tournaments hosted by Jack Nicklaus (Memorial) and Tiger Woods (AT&T National), and his victory at the Sony Open was his seventh on the PGA Tour, and fifth since 2005. He comes to the Masters among the top 10 in the world.

7. Vijay Singh's meltdown at Pebble

It was only one tournament and it has happened to all great players, but it was no less shocking to see Singh blow a three-shot lead with five holes to play at Pebble Beach. He made two straight bogeys from the middle of the fairway and eventually lost to journeyman Steve Lowery in a playoff. Singh now has gone more than a year without winning, his longest drought since 2001.

8. Ernie Els

The Big Easy had gone 3 1/2 years and 47 tournaments without winning on the PGA Tour when he finally broke through at the Honda Classic, posting a score and letting everyone else tumble behind him. A week later, he revealed that his son has been coping with autism, and Els now has an "Autism Speaks" logo on his bag.

9. Masters criteria

The change back to awarding Masters invitations to PGA Tour winners has been a big hit. Daniel Chopra (Mercedes-Benz Championship) and Sean O'Hair (PODS Championship) were as thrilled about going to Augusta National as winning. Big-hitting J.B. Holmes earned his first trip to the Masters by winning in Phoenix.

10. Ryder Cup

There typically is more conversation about the Ryder Cup on the other side of the pond, but this year is different with the new selection criteria for Americans. It is based on money, leading to wild fluctuations in the standings. One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned on the PGA Tour, and the Masters will be the first time those points are doubled.

Associated Press

Asian golfers invited to the masters

Asian Tour stars Liang Wen-chong, Jeev Milkha Singh and Prayad Marksaeng have expressed delight after receiving special invitations to compete in The Masters tournament in April.

The trio were over the moon Tuesday after learning they will compete in the year's first major and have vowed to perform admirably at Augusta National Golf Club to reinforce the rise of Asian golf.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said their invitations were further recognition of the Tour's growing stature.

"We are delighted for our three players. It is another endorsement for the Asian Tour," said Kyi, adding that he was grateful for the "belief and vision for golf in Asia".

"I am confident that Liang Wen-chong, Prayad Marksaeng and Jeev Milkha Singh will fly the Asian Tour flag proudly at Augusta National in their quest to challenge the world's best golfers."

Augusta National chairman Billy Payne announced the names for the April 10-13 tournament on Monday.

"These three individuals are successful, accomplished and talented golfers deserving of a Masters invitation," Payne said. "They are outstanding representatives of their respective countries."

More Asian players can qualify for the Masters by winning a US PGA event or placing among the top 50 on the world golf rankings in the week before the tournament...

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My Thoughts

I have been saying it for a while now, but golf in Asia is gaining strength all the time. When Asians get a chance to play in the English Premier League the TV money follows and I think that golf will also reap the rewards. However, I don't think that this is purely a marketing ploy and I am sure that the Asia players will do themselves and their countries proud.