The Golf Blog: John Daly in second place at Qatar Masters
The Golf Blog says: Here’s John Daly in the first round of the Qatar Masters. Daly shot -5 and is one shot back of leader Gonzalo Fedez-Castano.
Click here for the Leaderboard.
Thanks to Johan Rivera for sharing some of his photos from Qatar. You can follow him on Twitter: @HobbiesPlus.
The Golf Blog: Video of Kyle Stanley triple bogey on final hole of Farmers Open
The Golf Blog says: Kyle Stanley collapsed on the final hole with a costly triple bogey, a la Jean Van De Velde. It was painful to watch. Wait for 1 minute into this video.
The Golf Blog: Kyle Stanley loses 5-shot lead, triple bogeys last hole, and loses Farmers Open in a playoff
The Golf Blog says: Kyle Stanley was on cruise control taking a 5-shot lead into the final round. After 71 holes, Stanley still had a 3-shot lead as he played the final hole. After laying up his approach shot on the par-5, Stanley put too much spin on his wedge from the fairway as it bounced near the hole but then spun off the green-and then slowly down the slope into the water. Ouch.
From there, Stanley hit his approach long and then managed to three-putt for an 8. Double ouch.
Brandt Snedeker suddenly found himself in a playoff, while Gary McCord, Ian Baker Finch, and other CBS announcers heading to the airport suddenly had to turn around back to the course. Both players birdied the 18th, the first hole in the playoff. Stanley, however, missed his par putt from 10 feet on the second hole of playoff after three-putting again, while Snedeker parred it after an up-and-down from off the green.
Stanley deserved to win, but he collapsed on the 18th hole, a la Jean Van De Velde. It was not a pretty sight. After the round, Stanley said, “I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock.”
The Golf Blog: Tiger Woods loses in Abu Dhabi as Robert Rock plays solid golf; McIlroy finishes second
The Golf Blog says: Tied for the lead after 3 rounds, Tiger Woods could not close things out in Abu Dhabi. Tiger finished at 11-under, tied for third place. Robert Rock won at 13-under, with Rory McIlroy finishing in second at 12-under. If this were the Tiger of old, he would have made Rock crumble in the final group. But Tiger may not yet be fully back. We’ll see. A good tourney, nonetheless.
The Golf Blog: Tiger Woods tied for lead in Abu Dhabi after 3 rounds, will he win on Sunday?
The Golf Blog says: Tiger Woods continued to play steady, unspectacular golf, and is now tied for the lead at 11-under with Robert Rock of England at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi. Tiger hit all but 2 greens in regulation and went bogey free for the round. This is Tiger’s first tourney in 2012 and he looks poised to get his first victory right out of the box.
Masters 2012, anyone?
The Golf Blog: Rory McIlroy discusses 2 stroke penalty for brushing sand on fringe at Abu Dhabi
The Golf Blog says: Rory McIlroy brushed away sand on the fringe, preparing for his putt. Luke Donald, in the same group, suggested to Rory that “I don’t think you can do that.” Sure enough, brushing the sand away on the fringe is not allowed, so Rory got a 2 stroke penalty. Had he signed an incorrect scorecard and forgotten about the rule, Rory would have been disqualified. So thanks to Luke Donald!
The Golf Blog: Rory McIlroy bests Tiger Woods in first round at Abu Dhabi
The Golf Blog says: Rory McIlroy was paired with Tiger Woods and Luke Donald in a marquee group at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Tiger played a steady 2-under par, while McIlroy shot a 5-under, 67. Tiger looked good, but he couldn’t buy a birdie–not even with the $1 million appearance fee he will receive.
The Golf Blog: Phil Mickelson hits 1,500 balls with wedge per week, 90% within 1 yard of target
The Golf Blog says: Phil Mickelson had his pre-tournament interview at the Farmers’ Open at Torrey Pines. Last year, he had his caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay tend the pin on 18 as Phil tried to hole out with his wedge from the fairway. He almost did.
When asked about that shot a year later, Phil said he wasn’t surprised he almost holed out because he practices hitting 1,500 balls with his wedge a week. Phil claimed that he hits 90% of the 1,500 balls–or 1,350 of the 1,500 balls–within 1 yard of his target. Wow!
The Golf Blog: Tim Tebow can’t play with Tiger Woods in AT&T Pebble Beach
The Golf Blog says: Sorry, golf fans, it looks like Tim Tebow won’t be able to join Tiger Woods and Tony Romo at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Tebow suffered a punctured lung and torn cartilage in his playoff loss to the New England Patriots. More here.
Maybe next year for Tebow Time, and Tiger.
The Golf Blog: Bill Clinton pars No. 9 at Humana Challenge (video)
