Golf Talk

So, I had a feeling about Mike Weir. I had him on my fantasy team all week, until of course, I watched that stupid Dr. North segment on ESPN and he felt really strongly about Geoff Ogilvy. I thought to myself that in my opinion Ogilvy is great in the spring, but he seems to fade away going into summer. [I'm sure he had a great tournament in July last year or something, I don't feel like looking it up and I'm sure someone will correct me about anyway] But nonetheless, I switched out Weir for Ogilvy.

I should have switched out for Tiger Woods. Pee-ew. 4 over, wtf?

But then again, it’s just the first round and a half for Mike. The first round of the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black was rained out yesterday. And how. Sure sucked to be ESPN, set up for their exclusive first round coverage, only to have it rained out. In fact, it is the rain’s fault that I don’t have Weir on my A-squad. If it had not of been raining, I would have watched golf instead of “Dr. North.”

Sigh.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

I really hate covering these truncated rounds, but here goes. Mike Weir came out this today and shot a 64 to up the ante in the US Open. He was the leader after the first round at 6 under, but there was just enough time to play half of the second round. Weir dropped two strokes through nine holes and currently sits at 4 under and in a tie for 3rd with Todd Hamilton and Peter Hanson. Hanson was in second going into his second round, but he is par through 11 holes; no matter, as Ricky Barnes surpassed Hanson by a stroke and sits at 5 under through the back nine.

I already mentioned Tiger. Adam Scott is finally doing well after a 69 in the first round and he’s 1 under through 11 (he started on the back). Phil Mickelson is at 1 under through one and a half rounds. Sean O’Hair is a stroke ahead of Phil. Still Major-less Sergio Garcia struggled or so it seemed, but he did shoot par, which ain’t that bad for Bethpage Black. He’s at 1 under through the back 11 in a tie for 25th with the-name-I-love to say Rory McIlroy.

Of course, the golfer I am leaving out is Lucas Glover. He has shot up into the lead by shooting 5 under through 13 holes so far…

Glover is currently leading the US Open going into the third day/second round at 6 under. But truly, this is anyone’s tournament. Most of the field has yet to tee off for the second round.

US Open, golf, Tiger Woods, Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Weir, PGA, ESPN, Bethpage Black, Todd Hamilton, Peter Hanson, Ricky Barnes, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Sean O’Hair, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Lucas Glover

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Nick Wass

After the very tall Anna Nordqvist traded spots with Nicole Castrale after the second round to take the lead, she never looked back. Going into Sunday, she held a one stroke lead over Lindsey Wright with three holes to go in the third round, which was delayed due to weather. When it was all said and done, Nordqvist took home the 2009 McDonald’s LPGA Championship (Presented by Coca Cola — geez, I feel like such a tool when I have to add that kind of stuff) trophy with a 4 stroke lead at 15 under.

Lindsey Wright, who herself has been having a great year with a 4th at the Kraft Nabisco and a tie for 3rd at the Michelob Ultra Open, came in second after a 2 under 70 in the final round for an 11 under for the tournament and $182,950. Now that’s walking around money.

Jiyai Shin came in solo 3rd at 10 under, and Kyeong Bae took solo 4th at 9 under. First round leader Castrale had a rough day on Saturday with a 74, but made a fight of it on Sunday, shooting a 3 under 69 to stay in the top 5 in a tie for 5th with Angela Stanford (70-71-70-69) and Kristy McPherson (all 70’s).

...Wie gives it up for her eagle after holing out from the fairway on the 1st hole Sunday. (Wass)

Looking at the rest of the field, Paula Creamer came in a tie for 16th with Katherine Hull and In-Kyung Kim at 3 under. Natalie Gulbis came in one stroke shy of that at 2 under and in a tie for 21st (which won her about $21,000). Michelle Wie went 2 under in the final round to place in a tie for 23rd with Lorena Ochoa, who carded a 1 over on Sunday.

With the win, Nordqvist got herself an exemption to the US Women’s Open in July. No qualifiers for her, no ma’am.

golf, LPGA, Anna Nordqvist, Nicole Castrale, 2009 McDonald’s LPGA Championship, LPGA Championship, LPGA majors, Lindsey Wright, Jiyai Shin, Angela Stanford, Kristy McPherson, Paula Creamer, Katherine Hull, Natalie Gulbis, Michelle Wie, In-Kyung Kim, Lorena Ochoa

And by the way, who is Bryce Molder? All I know is that he went out there today and shot a 7 under 63. That and he’s ranked 374th in the world. And that 63 beats his best round this year by three strokes. Oh, and when he was born, he lacked the pectoral muscle on his left side, and his left hand is smaller than his right hand because he has Poland Syndrome. And…and…he had surgery to un-web three fingers on that left hand. Ha, seems I know quite a bit about Molder, who is playing his third non-consecutive season on the PGA Tour.

And that 63 today vaulted Molder from a tie for 36th after the first round into a tie for 2nd with Robert Allenby. However, Allenby still has three holes to finish, so it is possible for Allenby to knock Molder down from the runner-up spot. But that may be moot, as it is Brian Gay who has a firm grip on the lead in the 2009 St. Jude Classic in Memphis.

Brian Gay shot 7 birdies in his second round, but those strokes came back when he bogeyed three holes. He added to his first round score of 64 with a 66 today, going 10 under for the tournament. He sits at two strokes ahead of Allenby, but like I said, Allenby is still playing his second round, so who knows how things will lie after tomorrow morning.

This is no time to laugh...

I hate weather suspensions, as sometimes it can be a real hassle in determining whom one plays on her fantasy team for the third round. Example: I have on my A-Squad (Yahoo fantasy league) both Sergio Garcia ( I love him, therefore I play him whenever I can, much to my score’s detriment — luv u, anyway, Serg) and Justin Leonard. I know, stupid move on the both picks. And Sergio missed the cut, with a 3 over today, and Leonard has not finished his round. If I switch to him, I use a start, even if he misses the cut. What to do, what to do? Easy decision this time, as Leonard is six over with four holes to go. You suck, Leonard! Luckily, I have Brian Gay on my B-Squad. Go Gay! [Note the lack of comma]

Heath Slocum also shot a 63 today and moved up from 82nd to a tie for 7th. Woody Austin, David Toms, and Camilo Villegas are also having strong second rounds at 4 under (Toms and Villegas are still playing, but Austin carded a 66). Phil Mickelson is playing well, but not great, but hey, who can blame him? It is just great to see him out there. He is sitting at 2 under (4 under total) with three holes to go.

And then there is John Daly.

He is sitting right on the cutting edge of fashion…er, I mean, the cut line. If someone, say Allenby, makes it to 9 under, that will push Daly into something higher than the tie for 70th he is currently in at even par for the tournament. And that will be the end of Daly’s prodigal return tournament to the Tour.

If you are looking for LPGA “news”, I wrote about the LPGA Championship in a separate post today.

On the European Tour, there is no event this week. I’m sure everyone is gearing up for the…oh, what’s that tournament next week, oh yeah, the Saint-Omer Open.

I mean the US Open, of course. I’m just being silly.

golf, PGA, Bryce Molder, Poland Syndrome, Robert Allenby, Brian Gay, 2009 St. Jude Classic, Sergio Garcia, Justin Leonard, Heath Slocum, Woody Austin, David Toms, Camilo Villegas, Phil Mickelson, John Daly

Castrale (AP)

It’s the second Major on the LPGA Tour, so I decided to break up my commentary into separate posts for the ladies this week.

The 2009 (and final) McDonald’s LPGA Championship got off to a rip-roaring (what exactly does that mean?) start at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, Maryland. 30-year-old Nicole Castrale took the lead after the first round with an impressive 7 under 65. One stroke off the lead was rookie and freshly-turned-22 Anna Nordqvist (check out her website — she’s so cute). Shanshan Feng, in her second year on Tour, came in at 5 under. Michelle Wie shot 2 under 70. Lorena Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis shot even par in round one.

...Nordqvist (AP again: Gail Burton)

Round Two and Nordqvist traded spots with Castrale for the lead, shooting a 2 under to Castrale’s par. ShanShan blew up, shot an 82 and didn’t make the cut. Also not making the cut this weekend — the season’s first Major winner Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, and the usually entertaining Christina Kim.

Katherine Hull and Lindsey Wright are sitting behind the swapping leaders at 6 under for 18 holes. Lorena Ochoa went 3 under today to go 3 under for the tournament, which is good enough for a tie for 11th. Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster are languishing at even in a tie for 32nd.

LPGA, golf, McDonald’s LPGA Championship, majors, LPGA Championship, Bulle Rock Golf Course, Nicole Castrale, Anna Nordqvist, Shanshan Feng, Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, Natalie Gulbis, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Christina Kim, Katherine Hull, Lindsey Wright, Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster

Go Red Wings!

And so it was written…

Tiger Woods did what he had to today, going 7 under in the final round (12 under total) and forcing home the fact that the Memorial Tournament was his for a fourth time. For all the Tiger-doubters, those who kept asking what was wrong when he placed in the top ten instead of winning, this win puts an ellipses in Tiger’s return to golf after knee surgery. A win next week at the US Open will be an exclamation point.

At the beginning of the final round, a 32-year-old rookie named Matt Bettencourt had a share of the lead with Mark Wilson. As the day went on, Jonathan Byrd made an eagle on #7 and a couple of birdies to go up by two strokes, but then geez, he just feel apart. But then if you want to talk about falling apart on the last two holes, let’s talk Davis Love. I hope he gets over that bogey-triple bogey before he tees off for his 36-hole qualifier for the US Open tomorrow.

Jim Furyk shot 3 under and almost coulda’ been a contender if he could have birdied out the last holes, or an eagle on the last, but he just couldn’t muster more than one birdie on 18. He took solo second at one stroke behind Woods. The tie for 3rd went to Byrd and Wilson at 8 under. Matt Kuchar shot 1 under to go to 6 under, which was good enough for a tie for 5th with Love and Bettencourt.

On the LPGA Tour, In-Kyung Kim took out Cristie and Kristy (Kerr and McPherson) to win the ‘09 State Farm Classic at 17 under. This was one of those tournaments where you had to go low every day to stay on top, and Kim was only hovering in the top 20 when she shot a 3 or 4 under. It wasn’t until she went 7 under on Sunday that put her ahead of Rounds 1 and 2 leader Se Ri Pak, who shot 6 under in the final round. Paula Creamer also shot 7 under on Sunday and finished in a tie for 6th at 14 under. Michelle Wie redeemed herself a bit today, after shooting a 77 on Saturday, and shot 3 under.

In Wales, Jeppe Huldahl held on to the lead to win the Celtic Manor Wales Open. Yep. Maybe I should start covering the Nationwide Tour, but then it will be a bunch of guys I’ve never heard of, just like this week on the European Tour. Ah well.

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Memorial Tournament, Tiger Woods, Matt Bettencourt, Mark Wilson, Jonathan Byrd, Davis Love, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, In-Kyung Kim, Cristie Kerr, Kristy McPherson, Paula Creamer, Se Ri Pak, Michelle Wie

That funky Furyk swing works...

Before getting into who played well today in the second round at the Memorial Tournament, let’s look at who really screwed up. Thomas Aiken, that’s who. You thought I was going to say Luke Donald, didn’t you? Thomas Aiken was tied for second before he started playing golf today, and maybe the pressure got to him. He shot an astounding 11 over and is going home for the weekend.

Speaking of Luke Donald, yes, he kind of blew it today as well, shooting a 4 over 76, but that only dropped him down into a tie for 7th at 4 under for two rounds. It was Jim Furyk who took over the top spot along with Jonathan Byrd. Furyk added a 2 under today to his 5 under yesterday, moving up from a tie for 2nd. Byrd went 4 under today, one stroke off the low round of the day (Chris DiMarco and Matt Kuchar, both of whom moved up to 7th from 48th).

Mike Weir and Mark Wilson are one back at 6 under. Ryuji Imada and Matt Bettencourt are at 5 under. Ernie Els is at 4 under with Davis Love, who shot a 68 today. And for all the hubbub, Tiger Woods shot a what’s-wrong-with-him 2 over. He is at 1 under in a tie for 24th with Rocco Mediate and Paul Casey.

...Se Ri Pak has an awesome golf shirt.

Se Ri Pak held on to her first round lead with a 68 today in the 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic. Yesterday’s co-leader Jee Young Lee fell back one stroke, and Suzann Pettersen moved up to take a share of the lead in her stead. Pettersen shot 6 under today and is at 10 under for the tournament with Pak. Michelle Wie went 4 under to move up into a tie for 16th, four strokes behind the lead with Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel. Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis are at 4 under.

In the Celtic Manor Wales Open, all three co-leaders from the first round fell apart today, and now it’s a Scot and two Brits in the top spots. Scot Richie Ramsay shot a 4 under 67 to take the lead at 7 under. Ross Fisher and Robert Rock, 4th and 9th respectively in the Race to Dubai (kind of like the Fed Ex Cup, but you win more money thanks to the Euro being strong), are tied for 2nd at 6 under. Jeev Milkha Singh is at 5 under, Colin Montgomerie is 4 under, and Corey Pavin barely made the cut.

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Memorial Tournament, Thomas Aiken, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Jonathan Byrd, Chris DiMarco, Matt Kuchar, Mike Weir, Mark Wilson, Ryuji Imada, Matt Bettencourt, Ernie Els, Davis Love, Tiger Woods, Rocco Mediate, Paul Casey, Se Ri Pak, 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Celtic Manor Wales Open, Jeev Milkha Singh, Richie Ramsay, Ross Fisher, Robert Rock, Colin Montgomerie, Corey Pavin

His putter is Cylon technology...

Wow, ok, it seems that Luke Donald’s bogey on the first hole only seems to have granted him super birdie powers for the remainder of his first round at the 2009 Memorial Tournament. Donald only needed to putt 20 times during his 18 holes and 9 birdies. That’s a (w)hole lot of one-putts.

Many golfers tried to match Donald’s low round of an 8 under 64, but alas, no one comes come closer that 5 under. One of which being Jim Furyk, who himself had 7 birdies. Too bad he also had 2 bogeys. Australian Jason Day almost matched Donald, and was playing strong with nothing but birdies (7 of them actually) until he hit 17 and 18 and bogeyed out both holes. Ted Purdy and South African Thomas Aiken are also in that 5 under tie for 2nd.

Last week’s playoff contender Steve Marino is just behind at 4 under with Stewart Cink and Mark Wilson. Tiger Woods is lurking behind at 3 under and in a tie for 9th with nine other guys including Reiner Saxton, an amateur with a truly awesome name.

While the men are in Dublin, Ohio, the Ladies are in Springfield, Illinois at Panther Creek (sounds so fierce, doesn’t it?) playing the LPGA State Farm Classic. Jee Young Lee and Se Ri Pak are leading at 6 under after round one. Natalie Gulbis and Suzann Petersen are 2 strokes back at 4 under. Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel are at 3 under with a gazillion others — it goes from a tie for 7th to a tie for 36th on the leaderboard, which is where we find Michelle Wie at 2 under.

On the European Tour, it’s the Celtic Manor Wales Open in Newport, Wales (that’s the Celtic Manor to the right). Not much to report as it’s a bunch of guys no one really hears about all that much. It’s a four-way tie at the top at 5 under and in that tie are Thomas Bjorn, Nick Dougherty, David Frost and Alan McLean — see what I mean?

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Memorial Tournament, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Jason Day, Ted Purdy, Steve Marino, Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Reiner Saxton, LPGA State Farm Classic, Jee Young Lee, Se Ri Pak, Natalie Gulbis, Suzann Petersen, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Michelle Wie, Celtic Manor Wales Open

...who needs the green jacket when you can have this?

It was only fair that Steve Stricker won in the the playoff at the end of regulation play at the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He had a share of the lead after the first round and took the lead outright after shooting another 63 Friday. He did trip up a bit in round three, allowing Tim Clark to move ahead of him, and it looked as though Clark wouldn’t relinquish that lead, but then again, Clark has a history of being the perpetual bridesmaid on the PGA Tour.

Then again, let’s not overlook the efforts of the other Steve, Steve Marino, who catapulted into a tie for second with a lower-than-anyone-else-all-week round 62 on Saturday. Marino has been quietly amassing top 25’s, with 8 so far this year including 3 top-tens with this week’s 2nd. Could Marino be poised to move on up in the World Rankings? He’s already moved up 37 spots from last season.

But really, the story of the Colonial goes to Tim Clark. He had a two stroke lead going into Sunday, and you’d think that after shooting 63-64-66, he would be able to do better than par in the final round, but you’d be wrong. Not only that, but the guy is third on Tour for lowest scoring average. Come on, Clark! Oh, I don’t mean to beat up on the guy, I’m sure he’s frustrated enough. And he did get me 68 points this week. More than that Sean (what the hell happened this weekend?) O’Hair…

On the other side of the pond, at the European Open at the London Golf Club, in what must have been an affront to the English spectators (and anyone who detests slow play), Frenchman Christian Cévaër won with a final round 74. 74?! Yes, it’s true. Cevaer was tied for the lead at 9 under with Jeev Milkha Singh going into the final round. Singh shot a 76 to fall back into a tie for 5th. Meanwhile, Gary Orr and Steve Webster shot 71’s to move ahead of Singh into a tie for 2nd. Alvaro Quiros shot par to remain at 6 under and into that same tie for 2nd.

Rory McIlroy stumbled in the final round with a 75 after moving into 3rd after a third round 68. He dropped back to 12th, just ahead of the Sunday scramble of Sergio Garcia and his final round 68.

PGA, European Tour, golf, Steve Stricker, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Colonial, Tim Clark, Steve Marino, European Open, Christian Cévaër, Jeev Milkha Singh, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia

Steve Stricker gives good divot...

The second round of the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at (Tour favorite) Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas featured Steve Stricker following up an opening round 63 with a second round 63 to take the lead going into Saturday’s third round. That put him just ahead of Tim Clark, who shot a 64 after an opening round 63.

With the leader at 14 under after two rounds, I think it is safe to say that conditions at Colonial are near perfect for golf this week.

And that incorrigible Vijay Singh went 64-64 to sit at 12 under in 3rd place, one stroke ahead of he-who-is-having-a-great-year Sean O’Hair, who matched Singh’s second round 64 (but shot a 65 Thursday). Australian Jason Day (who did dick for me when I had him on my fantasy team back in March at the Transitions) is playing well enough to find himself at 10 under after two rounds and in solo 5th place.

First round co-leader Woody Austin faltered a bit, shooting a second round 68 to fall back into 6th place. Rounding out the top ten, we find Ryan Palmer in 7th after shooting a second round 63. And there is a four-way tie for 8th after Friday’s round: Steve Marino (66-67), Paul Casey (66-67), Luke Donald (68-65), and James Driscoll (69-64).

Missing the cut were Davis Love, JB Holmes, Trevor Immelman, Paul Goydos, and Ryan Moore (who I keep thinking is going to start playing well for more than one round, but just doesn’t).

...(Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

On the European Tour, the European Open is hosting some big names from both the non-European and European PGA Tour this week, including that other Singh, Jeev Milkha Singh, who is in a tie for first with Michael Lorenzo-Vera at 8 under after two rounds. Sergio Garcia had a rough second round, shooting 3 over to fall back into a tie for 40-something. Also shooting a 75 was Lee Westwood. Rory McIlroy shot a 73 to find himself back in a tie for 25th with Shaun Micheel (71-71).

Oh, yeah, and John Daly did not make the cut. Shooting a 71-76 will do that. However, he did win the best-dressed consolation prize.

golf, PGA, European Tour, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Colonial, Steve Stricker, Tim Clark, Vijay Singh, Sean O’Hair, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, European Open, Jeev Milkha Singh, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, John Daly

Maybe I predicted it earlier this week. Vijay Singh, last year’s Fed Ex Cup winner, seems to have come this week to contend, rather than hang back in the middle of the field. Singh shot a 6 under 64 to end the first round of the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in a tie for 4th with Kenny Perry.

But the real stars of the first round were Woody Austin, Tim Clark and that upstart Steve Stricker. These golfers went low for the day, each shooting impressive 63’s to share the lead going into the second round. Austin and Clark did it early, and Stricker did it later on in the afternoon, but really, the conditions were beautiful, if not a bit hot, so weather should not have been much of a factor in round one.

Tim Clark is taking his cues from the NHL playoffs...

But being Texas, and at the start of hurricane season, who knows what the weekend will have in store…although, checking the weather channel’s website, it looks like Fort Worth is not expecting rain (isolated thunderstorms, actually) until Tuesday. So play on, gentleman.

The ladies of the LPGA have the week off.

And the European Tour finds itself again in England this week for the European Open at the London Golf Club in Kent. There are a lot more bigger name (US) PGA players in the tournament this week, so I don’t have to just focus on the continuing saga of John Daly. But I will start with him — Daly shot a 1 under 71 in the first round to end his day in a tie for 53rd. Also in that tie is Shaun Micheel. Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie did it one stroke better at 70. Even better than that, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia shot 3 under. American Ben Curtis went 4 under. And Jeev Milkha Singh did it one better than Curtis. But it was Anders Hansen that took the lead after shooting a 65 in the first round.

golf, PGA, European Tour, 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational, European Open, London Golf Club, Vijay Singh, Kenny Perry, Woody Austin, Tim Clark, Steve Stricker, John Daly, Shaun Micheel, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis, Jeev Milkha Singh, Anders Hansen

First off, sorry for the delay in these results — it was simply too nice outside for me to sit inside, bent over my computer. Hope everyone had as fun a weekend as me…

And I don’t know why he drives me crazy, but no matter, Rory Sabbatini won the 2009 HP Bryon Nelson Championship. He did it quite decisively, too; winning by 2 strokes (should have been three but he kind of flubbed a short-ish putt at the end) over Brian Davis. He who shared the lead with Rory going into the final round, John Mallinger, faltered a bit on Sunday, shooting par, which dropped him to a solo 6th place finish.

Round of the day goes to Scott McCarron, who shot a 62. That 8 under helped McCarron jump up to a tie for 4th (with Dustin Johnson) from 17th. Also making a big move was John Senden, who turned in a 64 to jump up from a tie for 23rd into a solo 7th.

Not that there were many big names in the tournament this week, but among the few that played, Freddy Couples had a great tournament, finishing at 11 under and tied for 8th. It’s not a tie for 3rd like he got at the Northern Trust or the Shell Houston Open, but it’s great to see Couples doing well. If only Davis Love could get something going on…

Also, last year’s Fed Ex cup winner Vijay Singh went low on Sunday with a 66 to move on up the leaderboard into a tie for 16th (from a tie for 40th) with Justin Leonard and Mike Weir. Is Vijay finally going to start playing real golf again? I mean, the man is currently in 88th place in the Fed Ex cup points race; if he even hopes to make the playoffs, he’s better start making some birdies, or better yet, those eagles for St. Jude’s.

On the LPGA tour, Yani Tseng took over the top spot in the LPGA Corning Classic with a final score of 21 under. She followed up her 62 on Saturday with a 67 on Sunday to creep ahead of Saturday’s co-leaders Mika Miyazato and Soo-Yun Kang (who placed in 4th and a tie for 2nd, respectively). And check this out, sharing that runner-up spot is Paula Creamer, who shot a final round 65 to earn about 4 times the money she would have if she had remained back in 11th.

Despite John Daly rallying to make the cut in the 2009 BMW PGA Championship, he blew up over the weekend with a 77 and a 75. He finished the tournament at 8 over. Way to go, JD. Hope this isn’t a bad omen for your illustrious return to the PGA Tour.

Meanwhile, Paul Casey held on to his lead and walked away with the trophy and just shy of a million dollars for his efforts. He won by one stroke over Ross Fisher. Oh, and as for the other Rory, as in McIlroy, he finished in 5th.

PGA, LPGA, European Tour, golf, 2009 HP Bryon Nelson Championship, Byron Nelson, Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis, John Mallinger, Scott McCarron, John Senden, Vijay Singh, Fred Couples, Davis Love, Justin Leonard, Mike Weir, Yani Tseng, Mika Miyazato, Soo-Yun Kang, Paula Creamer, John Daly, Paul Casey, Ross Fisher, Rory McIlroy, BMW PGA Championship, LPGA Corning Classic

Today was an interesting day for big moves to avoid the cut for such names as Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, and to a lesser extent Vijay Singh. Leonard came out swinging today, going 7 under to improve his chances of playing this weekend. He began the day at 5 over, so to come back from that kind of self-defeating deficit makes me wish I had played him instead of the do-nothing-but-so-cute Ryan Moore on my fantasy team.

What is it about Sabbatini that makes me want to punch him in the face? (photo: M. Feldman)

However, the real glory of round two of the 2009 HP Bryon Nelson Championship goes to Rory Sabbatini and John Mallinger. I had written off Sabbatini after Quail Hollow, but who knew, the boy came to play. Sabbatini shot a 64 today (6 under –70 is par in this tournament) to move up from a tie for 19th to share the lead at 8 under with John Mallinger. Mallinger on his part went 5 under to move up from 7th.

In fact, 7 out of the top ten spots at the top of the leaderboard shot 4 under or better today. The exceptions were yesterday’s leaders James Nitties (68) and Ken Duke (69). Robert Allenby went 3 under.

Davis Love shot 6 under, Vijay Singh turned in a 67, and Freddy Couples is beating both of them so far by shooting 66 today. Those who lost their way today include Bat-Boy Charles Howell III, Scott McCarron, Brad Adamonis and that hockey-lovin’ Mike Weir. The biggest screw-up today goes to some guy names Spencer Levin, who parred himself out of making the cut. He began the day in a tie for 7th. Way to go…home.

And talk about screwing up a good tournament, Hee Young Park shot a 1 over 73 to fall from a share of the lead in the LPGA Corning Classic to a tie for 20th. The other co-leader from yesterday, however, did not falter; in fact, Karine Icher is kicking *ss. Icher shot a 66 after a 64 in the first round to take the solo-lead at 14 under — after two days. Very impressive,ladies. Icher’s nearest challenger, Hee-Won Han is 2 strokes back at 12 under.

...Wie's picture was better than Icher's, I swear. (ap photo: Kevin Rivoli)

Also impressive today — Michelle Wie shot 5 under to make the cut. Insert Lucas slow clap.

Englishman Paul Casey took the lead in Surrey, England at the BMW PGA Championship. Casey’s 5 under today put him two strokes ahead of yesterday’s co-leader David Horsey, who could only muster a 1 under. And despite the lead being at 8 under, John Daly’s 1 under today cancels out his 1 over yesterday, and par is good enough to make the cut this week. Guess I made the wrong call yesterday.

PGA, LPGA, European Tour, golf, HP Bryon Nelson Championship, Corning Classic, BMW PGA Championship, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh, Ryan Moore, Rory Sabbatini, John Mallinger, James Nitties, Ken Duke, Robert Allenby, Fred Couples, Charles Howell III, Scott McCarron, Brad Adamonis, Mike Weir, Hee Young Park, Karine Icher, Hee-Won Han, Paul Casey, John Daly

Duke missed a birdie putt on the 18th...

Ken Duke did it early. James Nitties did it later. But both golfers went low today to take a share of the lead after 18 holes in the 2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship — a down-home affair at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas in Texas. Too bad you have to go back to 1993 before you find a first round leader that went on to win the tournament.

Ken Duke started slowly, but picked up a series of birdies around the turn to shoot a 65 today. The wind picked up by the afternoon, but James Nitties matched Duke’s 65 with birdies on the last four holes. For most of the day, it was Mike Weir that held second place by shooting a 66, but as it sits going into the second round; Brad Adamonis, Scott McCarron, and a sneaky Charles Howell III joined Weir in the tie for 3rd.

And this is interesting…Nearly every one of the golfers at the top of the field had only one bogey during their round and all before hole #5. Howell is the only exception.

Defending champ Adam Scott shot 1 over and may not make the put unless he can get something going on tomorrow. Vijay Singh shot par, and Anthony Kim is at 1 under. Chris DiMarco went bogey-free and shot a 3 under. Who woulda thunk it?

Park at the 2007 Kraft Nabisco

It’s the LPGA Corning Classic for the ladies of the green this week. Hee Young Park and Karine Icher share the lead at 8 under. Nice job, ladies. Five others sit in a tie for 3rd at 7 under: Sarah Lee, Minea Blomqvist, Soo-Yun Kang, Hee-Won Han, and Sandra Gal. Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel are at 6 under. Michelle Wie is in a tie for 103rd, so yeah, not sure if we’ll be seeing her this weekend.

On the European Tour, it’s a Horsey (groan from the gallery) race at the BMW PGA Championship with a three-way tie for first after round one: Englishmen David Horsey and Anthony Wall share the lead at 5 under with Spaniard Gonzalo Fdez-Castano. Sideshow John Daly shot a 1 over 73 to put himself in a very good position to miss the cut tomorrow.

PGA, LPGA, European Tour, golf, HP Byron Nelson Championship, Ken Duke, James Nitties, Mike Weir, Brad Adamonis, Scott McCarron, Charles Howell III, Vijay Singh, Anthony Kim, Chris DiMarco, LPGA Corning Classic, Hee Young Park, Karine Icher, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Michelle Wie, John Daly

Amy Mickelson has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Phil Mickelson is leaving the PGA Tour to be there for her and the kids.

You know, I have made fun of the Mickelson clan in the past — for all the blondness and the ExxonMobil sponsorship, but there is something to be said for the family that sticks together. Phil is leaving the Tour at the top of his game (although that could be debated considering his recent performance at the Players Championship) and though I’m sure that was not an easy decision, it was the only decision he could have made.

Breast cancer is no joke, but then again any cancer is no joke. Amy Mickelson and her family faces a hard fight ahead of them, and it is telling what kind of person Phil is that he puts her and his family first. Not that any pro wouldn’t — I mean, come on, it’s just golf. Besides, the man has made enough money to take care of anything his family may need in the future, so it’s not like he’s a regular joe that has to continue to work through his wife’s illness in order to be denied for treatment by their insurance provider. But that’s a whole other story, and one not appropriate for this site…

Golf Talk Online sends out its best wishes to the Mickelson family. As someone who has recently lost her mother to an illness, I can only hope that they have caught Amy’s cancer in the earliest stages and that she will make a full recovery.

Stay positive, Amy!

Phil Mickelson, Amy Mickelson, breast cancer, Tour, PGA, golf

What was I doing Sunday? Obviously, I wasn’t watching the final round of the Valero Texas Open. Maybe I should have. What seemed like a dull day turned quite exciting, given a shoot-out between Zach Johnson and James Driscoll. But hey, the Red Wings were playing the Blackhawks in game one of the Western Conference Finals, and I can only watch so much television a day…

But to sum up last weekend on Tour(s), Zach Johnson won the 2009 Valero Texas Open, although it seems the big story was James Driscoll. Driscoll began the final day in a tie way back there in 22nd. However, coming out strong and shooting a 62 will definitely improve your standing on the leaderboard. Driscoll did exactly that.

Driscoll (at right) had been playing well in the three rounds prior, with a 67-69-67. I don’t know what he had for breakfast Sunday, but I want some. Maybe it was because he was way back in 22nd, and no one was expecting much from the native Bostonian, but whatever it was, Driscoll found himself at 15 under for the tournament.

Johnson could easily have put this one away without the need for a play-off, but he just could not make a birdie to rise above the 15 under mark. He parred out the last five holes, which must have been agonizing for Driscoll to watch.

Paul Goydos, the leader for a good part of the tourney and second going into Sunday, was at 16 under going into the final two holes, but two bogeys later and Goydos fell into a tie for 3rd with Bill Haas, who himself was at 15 under before a bogey on 17.

Aw, she's too cute...(AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

On the LPGA Tour, there seemed to be a curse on whomever was leading to come out the next day and blow up. First, Helen Alfredsson went low Thursday to shoot a 76 Friday. Brittany Lincicome almost avoided the curse, taking over the lead Friday, but losing it Saturday and blowing up with a 77 Sunday. However, Ji Young Oh played (s)low and steady for four days to win by 4 strokes at the end of the 2009 Sybase Classic. This is Oh’s second win in her two plus seasons on Tour.

And speaking of slow and steady, Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer went stroke for stroke all four days (70-69-68-73) to move from T13th to a T6th to T4th to finish in a tie for 3rd. This is Creamer’s third 3rd place this year. And the 3rd place finish is Wie’s best finish since her 2nd place at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay — but check this, she made more money with the 3rd place ($10,000 more).

...Do not feed after midnight...(GETTY IMAGES)

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Zach Johnson, James Driscoll, Paul Goydos, Valero Texas Open, Sybase Classic, Ji Young Oh, Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Shane Lowry, Irish Open, amateur