Saving wedge gives Mickelson Colonial victory
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -Phil Mickelson was asked to describe the 72nd-hole birdie that gave him a one-stroke victory at the Crowne Plaza Invitational.
"Well, it was a last-hole driver, and a wedge, 8 feet and make it for birdie," Mickelson said, with a smile.
Lefty only made it look that easy.
Having just gotten back into a share of the lead after playing partner Rod Pampling's bogey at No. 17, Mickelson hit his final drive Sunday well left - into heavy rough and under the trees 140 yards from the hole. Pampling then drove into the middle of the fairway.
Play it safe and chip back into the fairway? Not Mickelson, who is second to Tiger Woods in the world rankings.
"I didn't see that option," he said. "If there is at all a chance, I'm going for it. ... You have to take some risks to win."
Mickelson hit a wedge shot under one tree and over another, the ball clipping branches while headed sky-high - "it just came off perfectly," he said. But Mickelson couldn't see it through the trees, so he jogged into an opening just in time to see the ball fall back to earth near the flag.
"That's what No. 2s in the world do," Pampling said. "Those guys make those kinds of shots."
Pampling left his approach 38 feet away and his second putt went in after Mickelson had already made his birdie - actually from 9 feet, but no need quibbling over a one-foot difference after that shot Mickelson called "probably top five" in his career.
"Just lucky," he said, with a smile. "I'm as surprised as anybody I was able to make a 3 from over there."
The miracle birdie closed out a round of 2-under 68 that got Mickelson to 14-under 266, a stroke better than Pampling (68) and Tim Clark (66) for his second victory at Colonial. Stephen Ames (70) finished fourth at 269, a stroke ahead of Ben Crane (67).
It was the 34th career victory for Mickelson, who also won the Northern Trust Open in February and is the only person on the PGA Tour with multiple victories in each of the past five seasons.
"I felt like before I came here that this tournament needed to be the start of my run to the U.S. Open," Mickelson said.
Pampling had birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 9 to make the turn at 14 under and with a two-stroke advantage over Mickelson, who like the day before fell behind before regaining the lead on his final putt.
After driving into the right rough at the 394-yard 6th hole, Mickelson's second shot hit a tree branch and ricocheted left into the fairway, though he managed to save par after hitting the third shot within 3 1/2 feet. But Pampling made a 48-foot birdie putt off the fringe, after coming out of his stance once because of a noisy spectator.
Then at No. 7, Pampling outdrove Mickelson by 60 yards and made a 7-foot birdie to get to 13 under, before an approach to 4 feet at No. 9.
"He looked like he was in control," Mickelson said. "I was obviously very fortunate to come out on top."
Mickelson got back within a stroke after getting on the green at the 611-yard 11th in two, then two-putting from 33 feet. Pampling, the Australian native who lives in nearby Flower Mound and gets to play Colonial often, had a 13-foot birdie chance stop right by the hole.
They kept matching pars after that - until No. 17, when Pampling drove way right toward a ditch. He had to take a penalty stroke after a drop - though that put his ball where it could be seen rather than buried in heavy rough at the edge of a concrete gully. He managed to get the approach shot into a bunker, then blasted to 4 feet. That came after Mickelson had two-putted from 28 feet for par.
"At times I got nervy, I was trying to relax, do breathing and focused on what I have to do. I was fine out there," Pampling said. "It was bad swing on 17. It was the only one I was disappointed in."
At the par-3 16th, Pampling's hand slipped on his tee shot and the ball wound up in a greenside bunker. But he blasted within 9 feet and saved par.
Pampling still may have done enough to get into the top 50 for a spot in the U.S. Open.
Clark, who has never won on the PGA Tour, had birdies at Nos. 16 and 17 to get to 13 under.
As Mickleson and Pampling were finishing No. 17, Clark's 14-foot birdie chance at the closing hole curled just short. He finished second for the sixth time in his career.
"I wasn't trying to force anything. I was playing the course the way I did the first few days," Clark said. "I made some good shots coming in and made a few putts. It was disappointing I left 18 short."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Singh withdraws with muscle injury
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) -Vijay Singh withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship before it began Thursday because of a muscle injury.
The former top-ranked player injured a muscle below his ribs on his left side. He said it happened after he arrived Monday.
"Perhaps I started hitting balls a little cold after the long trip, or didn't warm up properly," Singh said. "Coming off the flight I was fine and I was excited about playing."
Singh, who tied for third in last year's championship, said he still hoped to play when he went to the range Thursday morning.
"It was OK until I hit a 3-wood and it kind of started catching me again," he said. "It is a very sharp pain which was unbearable at times. I don't get injured that often and this is a weird one. It is not my ribs, it is not my back. It is the oblique muscle in my ribs. I think there might be a little tear in there as well."
Singh said he would return home to Florida and would try to play at the Memorial next week.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Creamer finishes strong to win in Tulsa
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) -Paula Creamer blew another lead late in the final round and found herself in another playoff.
Instead of getting nervous, she got mad at herself.
After losing a two-shot lead on the final hole, Creamer held off a spirited bid from Juli Inkster by making an 8-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to win the SemGroup Championship. It was her second win of the year and put a stop to Lorena Ochoa's bid for a record-tying fifth straight LPGA Tour victory.
"I was not going to lose this week," Creamer said. "I was going to win. This was my turn this time."
She just didn't expect to work so hard for it.
Creamer had a two-shot lead and was in the 18th fairway at Cedar Ridge when it all turned around. She hit 5-iron over the green and under the TV tower, chipping to 10 feet and missing the par putt. Inkster, a 47-year-old trying for the second time in Tulsa to become the LPGA Tour's oldest champion, stuffed her 8-iron into 18 feet and watched it fall for birdie on the final turn.
Inkster also lost in a playoff at Cedar Ridge last year, but playoff memories lingered far more vividly for Creamer.
A week ago in south Florida, she had a one-shot lead over another Hall of Famer - Annika Sorenstam - until Creamer made a careless bogey on the 16th hole. She lost on the first playoff hole at the Stanford International Pro-Am by leaving a 6-foot par putt short. Creamer later said she felt her hands shaking in the playoff.
On Sunday, it was a wonder steam wasn't coming out of her ears.
"I think it made me upset," she said. "I had so much to overcome from last week. There was no reason to be in a playoff."
Creamer closed with a 1-over 72, the first time in her six career victories she won with a final round over par. She finished at 2-under 282 and earned $270,000.
Inkster lost in a playoff at the SemGroup Championship last year to Mi Hyun Kim, but this was one particularly tough to swallow.
She missed five putts inside 10 feet, and one of those came on the 10th hole from about the same spot where Creamer sank her winning putt in the playoff.
I just knew it was a matter of time before she made one," said Inkster, who closed with a 70. "I had the exact same putt for birdie on the 10th hole, and I just knew she would roll that in. It's disappointing, because I definitely played good enough to win."
But the seven-time major champion did herself proud with one big putt on the 18th, splaying her arms and lifting her left leg when it fell, another celebration that won't earn her any style points.
"Unbelievable," Creamer said. "She wants everything so badly."
Lost in a terrific duel was the end of Lorena Ochoa's winning streak. Going for a record-tying fifth straight victory, Ochoa never got on track, even in a final round absent of much wind. She closed with a 2-under 69 to tie for fifth, five shots behind.
"It's done," Ochoa said. "I tried really hard and it didn't work. Hopefully, I'll start a new streak next week."
The 21-year-old Creamer won for the first time without her parents at the tournament, another small step in proving she can do it all by herself. She immediately called Nancy Lopez, her former Solheim Cup captain and mentor who was in Florida last week consoling Creamer.
This time, Creamer was beaming. She only smiled when asked if Lopez was crying.
Creamer was fuming after some of her mistakes, slamming the end of her putter into her bag after a three-putt on the 13th, then leaving the tee box during a delay to use the concrete crease in a cart path to check her alignment.
But this win was all about resiliency. Even before letting it go to a playoff, Creamer answered all three of her bogeys in regulation with a birdie, including a 25-footer down the slope on the third hole after a nervy shot from a fairway bunker.
The biggest birdie was in the playoff, and Creamer looked as relieved as she was excited.
"I'm done," she said. "I'm mentally done right now."
Ochoa's bid to join Lopez and Sorenstam with her fifth straight LPGA Tour victory never got off the ground. She broke par at Cedar Ridge for the first time all week, but starting eight shots behind, it wasn't even close. She had to settle for her eighth consecutive top 10.
"I don't know why, but this was a tough course for me, especially on the greens," Ochoa said. "It's the way it is. It's golf. But I'm happy. I look forward to the next week."
Despite a welcome respite from the whipping wind that made Cedar Ridge a little more forgiving, no one challenged the final pairing. Creamer and Inkster put on quite a show, right to the very end.
Creamer and Inkster both played the front nine in even par, but there were momentum shifts at every turn, including two-shot swings on consecutive holes that created a brief tie for the lead.
Inkster had a chance to tie for the lead on the fifth until missing a 4-foot birdie putt. One hole later, she fell two shots behind when she chipped weakly and missed a 6-foot par putt. Creamer gave it right back, however, when she three-putted the seventh after Inkster hit her approach into 3 feet.
But on the next hole, Inkster hooked her tee shot into the hazard and had to get up-and-down from 40 yards for bogey, while Creamer's 7-iron grazed the cup and settled 18 inches away.
They settled down with pars after that until Creamer showed some resiliency. After a three-putt bogey on the 13th, she hit a sand wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the 14th, restoring her lead to two shots until the 18th.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Phil Harison, a familiar voice on 1st tee of Masters, dies at 82
AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -Phil Harison, who introduced everyone from Ben Hogan to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods during his 60 years as the starter on the first tee of the Masters, has died. He was 82.
He died Sunday of natural causes, Augusta National Golf Club said.
Harison was one of two people to attend every Masters since it began in 1934, and he became a familiar voice to the many fans who grew accustomed to his American Southern drawl and understated manner of announcing each player.
"Fore please, Jack Nicklaus now driving," he would say.
Harison recovered from a car accident that badly injured his back to serve as the starter one last time in 2007, mustering enough strength to announce only the first couple of groups.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Phil Harison," Masters chairman Billy Payne said Monday. "Phil was a cherished member who made significant contributions to the Masters. As the starter on the first tee, he was the face of the Masters to many patrons. He did a wonderful job in that role."
Harison grew up in a house that was beyond the first green at Augusta National and has since been torn down. He joined his father and brother as a member when he was 21.
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Boo Part Deux: Weekley wins second straight at Harbour Town
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina (AP) -Boo Weekley successfully defended his Verizon Heritage title and captured his second career U.S. PGA Tour event at Harbour Town Golf Links on Sunday.
Weekley shot an even-par 71 for a three-shot victory over Anthony Kim (71) and Aaron Baddeley (69).
A year ago, Weekley needed miraculous chips on the 71st and 72nd holes to edge Ernie Els by a stroke. In this one, Weekley took a three-shot lead into the final round and watched it grow by mostly staying trouble free, and seeing competitors struggle to try and catch up.
"It was a lot easier than last year, wasn't it?" a smiling Weekley said to his group on the 17th hole after his routine par.
Kim trailed by three at the start and, paired with Weekley, was in the best spot to pressure the leader. But Kim's chance at a first U.S. PGA Tour title disappeared with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth.
Jim Furyk, ranked ninth in the world, was the hardest charger early, cutting a six-stroke deficit in half with three birdies in the first five holes. Furyk, though, fell back with a bogey on the 11th.
He shot a 69 to finish fourth, his third top-five finish in the past four Heritages.
No one else, including former champs Baddeley and Stewart Cink, could make a run at Weekley.
"I just struggled," Weekley said. "I reckon everybody struggled."
Not that Weekley didn't add his own pizazz to the round. He made bogey on No. 8 after botching a chip, then looked in trouble on the 10th with a difficult pitch over a bunker. And Weekley killed it - right into the cup for a birdie that put him up by five.
Weekley grinned as the gallery chanted his name over and over.
He did it again four holes later, slam dunking a 30-footer for birdie from the fringe that if it didn't hit the cup might have rolled into the water off the edge of the peninsula green.
Again, the crowd ate it up as Weekley pumped his fists in celebration.
Weekley earned $990,000 (?627,500), and a second straight invitation to the Masters. He tied for 20th at Augusta National to miss qualifying for 2009.
The even-par finishing round ended Weekley's string of seven rounds here in the 60s.
Weekley's the first with consecutive victories here since five-time winner Davis Love III in 1991 and 1992. The late Payne Stewart (1989, 1990) was the only other to win two in a row in Harbour Town's history.
Both those stars had played this tournament several times before that success. Weekley just teed it up here for the first time last year.
Perhaps more important for him, Weekley can revel in his Harbour Town title for another year.
He's charmed the galleries with his "Hee Haw" demeanor in a country club world full of starched collars and hushed tones.
He proudly calls himself a redneck. He chews tobacco at times during his round. "It's just a habit," he says. "It's a bad one, but it's a habit."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Lorena Ochoa wins Corona Championship, qualifies for LPGA Tour Hall of Fame
MORELIA, Mexico (AP) -Lorena Ochoa wasn't distracted when the fans chanted her name on only the second hole. She stayed focused on her game, even as the crowd grew to thousands by the end of the day.
But by her last stroke on the 18th hole Sunday, the emotions were too much. The Mexican star had just won her third straight tournament and qualified for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, all at home, surrounded by family, friends and fans. She was overcome.
"I did fine, but once I was on 18, and had a short putt, everything came into my head," she said. "I'm glad I had a short putt."
That's when the crowd went crazy. Shouts, whistles, songs, they all echoed in the mountain valley. Ochoa held up the Mexican flag, and was sprayed with champagne. A sign hung from a clifftop home read: "Super Lorena," with the insignia of Superman.
This was no ordinary tournament win. This was Mexico celebrating one of its finest.
Ochoa didn't just win the Corona Championship. She claimed the victory by 11 strokes for her fourth win in five starts this year.
The Mexican star became the second-youngest player to qualify for the Hall of Fame, though she still must be a tour member for 10 years - in her case, until 2012 - to be eligible for induction.
"It was very special to do it here in my home country," Ochoa said after earning the 27th and final point needed to qualify for the Hall of Fame.
The LPGA Tour had previously said incorrectly that Ochoa would be the youngest to qualify at 26 years, 4 months, 29 days. But the youngest was actually Karrie Webb, who was 25 years, 7 months, 2 days when she qualified at the 2000 U.S. Women's Open.
The tour awards a point for every victory and major award and two points for a major victory.
Ochoa said she was honored to be among players she has always admired.
"They are my motivation, and when I played college, I always looked up to them and I wanted to be like them, so just to be part of that group is a very special feeling," she said.
After opening with three straight 7-under 66s, Ochoa closed with a 69 for a 25-under 267 total. She earned $195,000 for her 21st victory on the LPGA Tour.
It also was her second win in three years on the rugged Tres Marias course, a par-73 layout carved into a mountain valley in western Mexico.
After winning eight times last year, Ochoa opened the season with an 11-stroke victory in the HSBC Champions in Singapore, tied for eighth in the MasterCard Classic at Bosque Real in the tour's first Mexican event of the year, then successfully defended her Safeway International title with a seven-stroke romp. Last week, she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship by five strokes for her second straight major victory.
Ochoa had a seven-stroke lead entering play Sunday. She birdied the first, sixth and eighth holes, but dropped three strokes with a triple bogey on the 11th hole. She came back with birdies on the 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th holes.
She had described her play at the tournament as among her best.
"It was an amazing week," she said.
South Korea's Song-Hee Kim (72) was second at 14 under.
Ochoa has brought thousands of players to the game in Mexico, where it was traditionally played mostly by super rich Mexican men and vacationing foreigners.
Those who followed her play this weekend showed that her success translates across age, gender and even economic lines. She was trailed by small children carrying plastic golf clubs and women in three-inch high heels and matching designer handbags. Even course employees collecting trash would pause and watch in awe as she passed.
Monica Garcia, 30, and her husband, Luis Ortiz, were among the crowd and described themselves as "Lorena fanatics." They bring their two children to watch her play each year at Tres Marias.
"She's a role model for all Mexicans," Ortiz said.
"And even more so for women," added Garcia, her family's only golf player. "She makes you believe you can do anything you want and be the best at it."
Ochoa was always thankful for the support, spending time signing autographs and stopping in the middle of press conferences to acknowledge a group of fans. She savored her homecoming Sunday, kissing her trophy as she was serenaded by a mariachi band. Several times, she put her hand on her chest and looked around in wonder. She seemed to fight back tears.
"This is a best I have ever felt, and it gives me goose bumps," she said. "It feels very nice."
But, before long, she was focused again on the game. Asked how she would celebrate, she said: "I'm going to go home, right now. I need to unpack and pack because tomorrow I leave to Orlando at 9 a.m. (for the Ginn Open)."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
So much talk about a major sweep for Woods, but a big test awaits at Masters
AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -Seven players stood on the first tee in the morning chill of Augusta National on Tuesday, a half-dozen more waiting on the practice green behind them. They had about 10 minutes before the course opened for practice at 8 a.m.
The quiet was shattered by the crack of Tiger Woods hitting his 3-wood off the 10th tee.
He was playing alone, getting an early start before anyone in a green jacket could stop him. It was a scene that set the stage perfectly for this Masters: Tiger against the field.
Woods is a four-time Masters champion, the favorite just about every year and everywhere he plays. Part of that is a product of being the No. 1 player in the world for the better part of a decade. Part of it comes from having won eight of his last 10 tournaments.
And then there was that declaration this year that the calendar Grand Slam was "easily within reason."
"I'd like to bet against him, like the whole field here this week," Ernie Els said Tuesday. "But it's definitely in his reach. He's definitely capable. I don't think we've seen a player like him ever. He's really one of a kind, and that's saying a lot."
Woods didn't do much on Tuesday, playing only the back nine before calling it a day. He will forgo the Par 3 Tournament on Wednesday as he has done the last couple of years, saying it has become too much of a distraction before teeing off in the Masters.
He has spoken openly about his odds of winning the Grand Slam, even before his first tournament of the year, and he was asked if anything has happened in the last three months to change his outlook.
"No," Woods said, waiting for the snickers to fade before explaining.
"You have to understand why I said that," Woods said. "Because I've done it before. I've won all four in a row. The majority of my career - I think this is my 12th or 13th season out here - nine of those years, I've won five or more tournaments. So (I've) just got to win the right four. That's what it boils down to."
Woods is the only professional to hold all four majors at the same time, sweeping them in a span of 294 days from the 2000 U.S. Open to the 2001 Masters.
And he showed up at Augusta last year going for his third straight major.
But the modern Grand Slam that Arnold Palmer created on his way to the 1960 British Open means doing it in a calendar year. Except for 1971, when the U.S. PGA Championship was held in February, that means it starts with the Masters.
If he doesn't win this Masters, the slam is over.
"This major is so important to all of us," he said. "It's a special event. You always want to win this event. I've been lucky enough to have won it four times. But in order to win all on the calendar, you have to win here, yeah. Hopefully, I can get it done this year and move on."
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
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