INCAgolf All you ever wanted to know about golf (well almost)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Already No. 1 in the world, Luke Donald left little doubt who was No. 1 on the PGA Tour.

Believing his only chance to capture the PGA Tour money title was to win at Disney, Donald ran off six straight birdies on the back nine Sunday and closed with an 8-under 64 to come from five shots off the lead and win the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

“This is one of the most satisfying wins of my career,” Donald said.

Donald, who trailed Webb Simpson by $363,029 coming into the final tournament of the year, was two behind Simpson when they made the turn. Then came a performance that ranks among Donald’s best, even in his greatest season of golf.

He holed four straight birdie putts inside 8 feet, took the lead with an 18-foot birdie on the par-5 14th hole, then sealed his stunning rally with a 45-foot birdie on the 15th hole.

“Everything was on the line,” Donald said. “I’m thrilled and over the moon.”

It was his second PGA Tour win of the year. Donald also won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average. With no one else winning more than twice this year, Donald established himself as a heavy favorite to be PGA Tour player of the year.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/doug-ferguson/disney-round-4-wrapup/?hj=xfs

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Ben Crane wasn’t sure why he was even playing the McGladrey Classic. The real mystery came Sunday afternoon, when he sat down next to a shiny silver trophy.

“What the heck am I doing here?” Crane said.

His wife is expecting their third child, though a Caesarian section is scheduled for Monday in Dallas. Crane thought about withdrawing five minutes before his tee time Thursday because of a sore hip that was getting worse.

And with 11 holes left in the tournament, he was seven shots out of the lead.

Crane ran off four straight birdies around the turn, then another batch of four straight birdies for a 7-under 63. He wound up winning in a playoff when Webb Simpson missed a short par putt on the second extra hole.

“I’m in a little bit of shock — a lot of shock,” Crane said. “I don’t know how those guys played, but I know I played just about as good as I can play.”

Michael Thompson, a 25-year-old TOUR rookie who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, stretched the margin to three shots on the front nine until he stalled. He hit his tee shot into a hazard on the 18th hole, made bogey and shot 69 to finish one shot out of the playoff.

Billy Horschel, also playing in the last group, imploded early and late and shot 75.

Simpson closed with a 66, despite not making a birdie over his last seven holes. The playoff — the 18th this year on the PGA TOUR to extend a record — looked as though it might go longer when Crane made a 5-foot comebacker for par on the 17th. Simpson only had to knock in a putt just over 3 feet for par, but it caught the right edge and spun away.

“As soon as I hit it, I looked up expecting it to be going in, and saw it catching the right lip,” Simpson said. “It was unfortunate to end that way.”

Despite missing a chance to become the PGA TOUR’s only three-time winner this year, Simpson’s runner-up finish gave him a commanding lead over Luke Donald in his late bid to win the TOUR’s money title.

Shot of the Day
Ben Crane drains this 22-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole.
Crane, who earned $720,000 for his first win this year, and Simpson finished at 15-under 265 at Sea Island.

Starting the day five shots out of the lead, Crane thought a 63 or 62 might be enough. He really didn’t pay much attention, not realizing until he saw a leaderboard on the 16th hole that he was still in the game.

His 7-iron on the 14th stopped a foot from going in. His 3-wood on the par-5 15th set up a two-putt birdie from long range. Once he knew the score, Crane was at his best with the putter, holing birdie putts of about 20 feet on the 16th and 17th.

“I thought, `Well, I need to make two birdies in three holes.’ Do you guys have any idea how many times we say that to ourselves? And how many times does it actually happen?”

It did on Sunday, giving Crane is fourth career win.

http://www.pgatour.com/2011/r/10/16/wrap-McGladrey-4/index.html

SAN MARTIN, Calif. — A male spectator ran onto a green shouting Tiger Woods’ name and then threw a hot dog at him Sunday during the final round of the Frys.com Open in Northern California.

“I could hear the security behind me. I was still bent over my putt. And when I looked up (the hot dog) was already in the air.”– Tiger Woods

The unidentified person was quickly subdued and Woods was not in any danger. In fact, within a minute, he had settled back over the putt he was attempting.

“I looked up and the hot dog was in the air,” Woods said of the incident that occurred on the seventh hole, his 16th of the day. “(The fan) wanted to be in the news. I guess he is now.”

The tournament’s director of security, Dan Diggins, would not disclose the person’s name. “He’s just an idiot,” Diggins said. He added the 31-year-old man didn’t get within 40 feet of Woods, who was finishing up the Frys.com Open with a final-round 68.

Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara County police department said the 31-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor. He was escorted from the property.

Cardoza said only that the man was from Santa Rosa.

“He was very cooperative,” Cardoza said. “They said, ‘Why did you do this?’ He just shook his head in guilt or remorse. He didn’t give a reason why he did it.”

Cardoza said the man claims he wasn’t throwing the hot dog at Woods, rather tossing it in the air. He said the man acknowledged having a drink earlier in the day, but that the man was not drunk.

Harig: Tiger’s Momentum Lost?
Tiger Woods’ game appeared to turn the corner at the Frys.com Open, but whether he can capitalize on it remains to be seen, writes ESPN.com’s Bob Harig. Column

“How weird was that,” said Arjun Atwal, one of the other players in Woods’ group. “That guy could have been shot the way he ran out there with that hot dog. The cops could have thought it was something else. The hot dog flew across Tiger’s (putting) line and onto my line. The bun kind of fell at his feet. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Woods said that it appeared the person wanted and expected to be arrested.

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/7081746/golf-fan-arrested-tossing-hot-dog-tiger-woods

SAN MARTIN, Calif. — Bryce Molder knows better than most that there’s no sure thing in golf.

That wasn’t the case when he left Georgia Tech nearly a decade ago after being an All-American all four years. And it certainly wasn’t the case Sunday at the Frys.com Open in the longest playoff of the year on the PGA Tour.

Molder captured his first tour victory by making a 6-foot birdie putt on the sixth playoff hole to outlast Briny Baird.

Harig: Tiger’s Momentum Lost?
Tiger Woods’ game appeared to turn the corner at the Frys.com Open, but whether he can capitalize on it remains to be seen, writes ESPN.com’s Bob Harig. Column

“It’s a little surreal right now,” Molder said.

Molder and Baird were stuck in time, going from the 17th hole to the 18th hole in three cycles, matching birdies and pars, both players feeling at various points that they were going to win.

Three times, Molder hit driver on the 284-yard 17th hole over the water and had eagle putts for the win, each one a little closer to the hole than the previous one, all of them sliding by the side of the cup.

On the fourth extra hole, Baird felt like a winner when Molder drove into the hazard. Molder was able to get to the front of the green from the junk, while Baird’s wedge hit the top of the flag and spun back some 12 feet. He missed.

After nearly two hours, Baird blinked and Molder finally made a putt to win.

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/7082654/bryce-molder-wins-cordevalle-6-playoff-holes

Oct 2 (Reuters) – Known for being one of the slowest players on the PGA Tour, Kevin Na had to wait until almost the end of his eighth year on the U.S. circuit before celebrating his first victory.

The South Korea-born American finally broke through after holding off the challenge of world number 11 Nick Watney at the Las Vegas Open on Sunday, triumphing by two shots at the TPC Summerlin. [ID:nN1E79105F]

“It wasn’t easy,” Las Vegas resident Na told reporters after earning a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a cheque for $792,000 with his long-awaited victory.

“Nick was coming right behind me, and it looked like any time he was going to make a move. I tried as best as I could to stay one step ahead of him. The putt on 17 basically sealed the deal for me.”

Na rolled in a 43-footer at the par-three 17th to stretch his lead to two shots, a putt he prayed would break right shortly before the ball reached the cup.

“It was left off the start and the putt goes right at the end,” the 28-year-old said. “It was perfect, right on line where I wanted it, just left of the hole about three inches.

“Then I just kneeled down on one knee and was just praying that thing would come back. And sure enough it did. When I made that putt, I felt like I had the tournament in the bag.”

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/10/03/golf-pga-na-idUKN1E79108D20111003