The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Thompson holds off Ogilvy to capture first PGA title
- Maiden European Tour win for Van der Walt
- US duo share the lead but Westwood and Ogilvy are in the frame
| Thompson holds off Ogilvy to capture first PGA title Posted: 03 Mar 2013 06:54 PM PST PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida: American Michael Thompson birdied the final hole to hold off Australian Geoff Ogilvy and capture his first PGA title, winning the $6 million Honda Classic by two strokes on Sunday. Thompson, last year's US Open runner-up, played the back nine at level par on his way to firing a one-under par 69 in a windy final round to finish on nine-under par 271 with 2006 US Open winner Ogilvy second after a closing 69. "Really, I just stuck to my game plan," Thompson said. "All week I'm just trying to find it in the dirt. "This week, it was magical. I just tried to keep feeling it, keep believing it." Thompson, who began the day with a share of the lead, eagled the par-5 third hole with a putt from nearly 50 feet away and answered a bogey at the fourth with a birdie at the par-3 fifth to move three strokes clear of the field. He stumbled at the end of the front nine with bogeys at the par-3 seventh and par-4 ninth around a birdie at the par-4 eighth, but his short game saved him when he blasted an approach off the pine straw at the 10th and barely cleared the water at 11, each time rescuing par. Thompson made bogey at 16 to open the door to Ogilvy, who has not won since 2010 and whose only prior top-10 tour finish in the past 15 months was a share of ninth at last year's British Open. Ogilvy opened with 13 pars before a bogey setback but a birdie at the 16th put him in the hunt. "I played really well," Ogilvy said. "It was frustrating with the putter. I played it great the last two days. Anything under-par out here the last two days is pretty great. "I thought if I birdied the last two holes, I had a chance." Both men parred 17, setting up drama at the par-5 18th. Ogilvy gave himself a 66-foot eagle putt and was just short, settling for a birdie that kept the pressure on Thompson. "I was braver than I really wanted at 18," Ogilvy said. Thompson found a greenside bunker 28 yards from the cup on his approach but blasted out to four feet and sank his birdie putt for the victory. American Luke Guthrie was third on 275 with England's Justin Rose and David Lynn joining Americans Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover and Erik Compton in a share of fourth on 277. South African Charl Schwartzel, British player Lee Westwood, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Graham DeLaet of Canada shared ninth on 278. World No. 2 Tiger Woods fired a final-round 74 to finish on 284, sharing 37th, despite a closing eagle. Woods also had two double-bogeys, two birdies and four bogeys in the round after firing par-70s each of the first three days. -AFP |
| Maiden European Tour win for Van der Walt Posted: 03 Mar 2013 06:31 PM PST PRETORIA: Dawie van der Walt won his first European Tour tournament Sunday by finishing two shots ahead of fellow South African Darren Fichardt in the Tshwane Open. Van der Walt fired a five-under-par final round 67 for a total of 267 over the Ernie Els-designed Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate while Fichardt closed with a 69 on the 7,791-yard (7,124-metre) layout. A two-metre, 110-kilogram giant, western Cape-born Van der Walt was one shot ahead of four-time European Tour winner Fichardt at the turn and extended it with a birdie at the par-five 15th on a hot, overcast afternoon. Both title challengers parred the last three holes and Van der Walt collected a 237,750-euro ($310,690) cheque and a three-year exemption from qualifying for European Tour events. The 30-year-old winner of the inaugural Tshwane Open was a model of consistency over the four days of a tournament hit by delays on Friday and Saturday when thunderstorms rolled over the course south west of here. He had only one bogey over his 72 holes - at the par-four 10th during the closing round - and a solid tee-to-green game set up an unexpected success in a 156-field that included three former Major title-holders. "I hit the ball really well this week and probably missed only six or seven greens in regulation," said the slightly nervous champion after receiving his cheque and trophy. "My tee-to-green game was good, my putting solid, and to bogey only one hole throughout the tournament on such a long and challenging course was really awesome. "Among the turning points was dropping a birdie putt at 12 - I was desperate for another birdie to get to five-under and once the ball went into the hole I felt I was in control. "My goal was to shoot 10-under for the wekend and my focus was reaching five under for the round today. I am really happy that I played well and won because you can play well and not win." Van der Walt said the victory lifted a major concern off his shoulders as he was beginning to wonder if he had the ability to win a tournament at the highest level. "You start doubting yourself and, at 30, you start to wonder if you are good enough. This victory proves that I am. Golf is a game where you do not get a lot of chances to win and to do it is fantastic." The often hot putter of Fichardt cooled during the final round and he never looked like overtaking Van der Walt during the closing holes while co-overnight leader Charl Coetzee of South Africa closed with a par 72. Chilean Mark Tullo, the other member of the quartet topping the leaderboard after the third round, crumbled to a 77 after needing 42 strokes to cover the back nine. Former British Open champion Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland closed with a 69 and there was a 75 from 2012 Ryder Cup-winning captain and twice US Masters title-holder Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain. -AFP |
| US duo share the lead but Westwood and Ogilvy are in the frame Posted: 03 Mar 2013 04:38 PM PST PALM BEACH GARDENS (Florida): England's Lee Westwood and Australian Geoff Ogilvy charged into contention at the US PGA Honda Classic on Saturday but an unheralded pair of Americans clung to the 54-hole lead. Rookie Luke Guthrie, in only his ninth PGA event, and Michael Thompson each stood on eight-under 202 after the third round of the US$6mil tournament with Westwood and Ogilvy both two strokes off the pace. "I'm in a pretty good place, I think," Ogilvy said. New local resident Westwood, Ogilvy and Thompson each fired a par 70 in the third round, while Guthrie, the 36-hole leader, settled for a 71 in cool and windy conditions. "It was tricky," Westwood said. "We didn't have wind the last two days, so it came as a bit of a surprise. I acclimatised pretty quickly. I played quite nicely." World No. 2 Tiger Woods fired a 70 for the third day in a row. The 14-time Major winner birdied two of the first three holes, added another at the eighth, then began the back nine with a bogey and made double bogey at the par-three 17th. Woods was making a charge until finding a bunker at the 10th and missing an eight-foot par putt. At the 190-yard 17th, the player saw his tee shot roll back into the water and he two-putted from 20 feet after a drop to share 32nd. "I thought realistically 5- or 6-under par would be a good score," Woods said. "I thought if I posted that, I would be within six or seven shots of the lead going into tomorrow at worst." But he acknowledged that he was "probably just not quite driving it as well." Westwood, who turns 40 next month, birdied the par-five third but took bogeys at the par-three fifth and two more to close the front nine. He answered with birdies at the 14th and par-three 17th. Having recently moved to a nearby home has helped Westwood's victory bid this week, the British citizen said. "It's nice to go home and sleep in your own bed and do some of the normal things you do, like take the kids to school," he said. "I've never had the opportunity before. There was never a tournament so close to my home in England." Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion, has managed only one top-10 tour finish in the past 15 months, a share of ninth at last year's British Open and won the most recent of his seven PGA crowns in the 2010 season opener. — AFP |
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