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

HAINAN, China — Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland ended the United States’ 11-year drought in golf’s World Cup by shooting a 5-under 67 on Sunday to win by two strokes.

The American pair fired six birdies in the alternate-shot final round at Mission Hills Blackstone course to finish at 24-under, 264 overall, notching the 24th U.S. win in the history of the tournament.

Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar helped the United States end its 11-year victory drought in golf’s World Cup by shooting a 5-under 67 on Sunday.
English pair Ian Poulter and Justin Rose had the final day’s best round with a 63 to tie for second at 22-under with Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka (69).

Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell led by two strokes going into the final round but could only manage an even-par 72 to finish tied for fourth with Australia, the Netherlands and Scotland.

The American victory was the first since Tiger Woods and David Duval claimed the title 11 years ago. The event was annual up until 2009, and this year’s tournament was the first in the new biennial format.

“We really clicked. It’s fantastic to win for the U.S.,” Woodland said.

The U.S. duo built a two-point lead over Germany midway through the round and after a rare slip with a bogey at the par-3 11th, the Americans responded with birdies on the next two holes and then pars the rest of the way to claim victory.

“Undoubtedly the shots on the 12 and 13th were key. It was a great moment and to shoot a par when you expected a bogey,” Kuchar said.

England seemed well out of contention heading into the final day eight shots off the lead, but soared into contention. However they needed more than one of the leading teams to falter. Instead it was only Ireland that came back to the field.

World No. 2 McIlroy was well below his best, hitting some loose shots, including a putt on the 18th which would have given Ireland a share of the runner-up check. The tournament favorites had a run of misfortune, including a penalty stroke on the 6th and four bogeys on the card.

They shared fourth with Australia’s Richard Green and Brendan Jones (69), plus Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and Martin Laird (66) and the Dutch pairing of Robert-Jan Derksen and Joost Luiten (68).

Like Ireland, South Africa also had a pair of major winners who faltered on the final day, with Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen only able to record a 74 to quickly drop out of contention.

Defending champions Italy, represented by Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari, also had a final-round 74 to finish 17th, 10 shots back.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Nov 21 10:48a
by Kevin McCauley
Coming into team tournaments like the Presidents Cup, much like major tournaments, all eyes are on the highest ranked players in the world. The exception for the 2011 Presidents Cup was captain’s pick Tiger Woods of the USA, who didn’t exactly have a golf season that suggested he was one of the best 12 American golfers on the PGA Tour. Fred Couples picked Tiger for his experience and ability and that pick paid off, but he was far from the team’s biggest star in the Americans’ 19-15 win over the International team.

Instead of Woods or any of the top-ranked golfers on the United States team, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan were the best performers for their squad. Furyk was perfect, going 5-0 as he played all five rounds of action. He partnered Phil Mickelson in their wins in the first three rounds of competition, then partnered Nick Watney in a huge one-up win over Ernie Els and Adam Scott in Saturday four-ball. On the final day, he defeated Els easily, 4&3, after the USA had lost six of the first eight singles matches.

Mahan was nearly as good. Though him and David Toms lost in Friday four-ball, he competed in and won in all four other rounds, capping off his performance with a 5&3 victory over Jason Day in singles that broke up a string of four-straight International wins on the final day.

This is now the sixth consecutive time the USA has won the Presidents Cup and the fourth straight time that they have won it outright, with the lone tie in the competition’s history coming in 2003. Since the Presidents Cup started in 1994, the International team has won just once.

Incagolf Photo by Pat Eastman

PALM HARBOR, FL, Nov. 13, 2011 – Michele Redman answers to the title of “Coach” these days, but today, she added the title of “champion” to her 2011 list of accolades.

The LPGA Tour veteran, who became the new head women’s golf coach at the University of Minnesota in August, emerged as the winner of the ISPS Legends Tour Open Championship presented by Publix and Kraft Foods.

Redman posted rounds of 72-70 to win the Legends Tour’s season-ending tournament at 2-under 142 on the Island Course at Innisbrook – A Salamander Golf & Spa Resort.

She edged out last year’s champion Rosie Jones, who finished second at even-par 144 with a final-round score of 3-under 69. Redman was runner-up to Jones at the 2010 tournament.

“I really didn’t expect much,” said Redman, 46, a second-year member of the Legends Tour and a two-time LPGA Tour winner. “I just came down to Florida to have some fun and to go on vacation next week.”

But Redman had a few extra cheerleaders heading into today’s final round. After Saturday’s opening round, she received text messages and emails from her Minnesota Golden Gopher players, telling the coach to go low.

And today, Coach Redman played like the LPGA Tour veteran who won the 1997 JAL Big Apple Classic, the 2000 First Union Betsy King Classic and who was a scrappy former U.S. Solheim Cup team member who used to drive her opponents crazy because she’s the classic “Steady Betty” under fire.

Redman bogeyed the first hole when she three-putted from 45 feet, but she answered with a birdie from 18 feet on No. 3 and a 45-foot birdie on the eighth hole. She chipped in from 15 feet on the 10th hole and played the remaining holes at even-par, intentionally not looking at leaderboards on the course.

“I think I’m getting smarter,” said Redman, who pocketed the $40,000 winner’s prize. “Honestly, I’ve been so busy with my new job, I haven’t thought about winning, but I putted well today. This was a lot of fun.”

Celebrating her 52nd birthday in today’s final round, Jones knew she needed to post a low score to have a chance to break away from the pack to defend her title.

“I knew I was still in the game if I could go out there and make some birdies today,” said runner-up Jones, who recently served as captain of the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team. “But this is a tight golf course and you really have to be in touch with your putter. You can’t make any mistakes.”

Finishing third at one-over 145 was Cindy Figg-Currier (70). Tied for fourth at 3-over 147 was Christa Johnson (72) and Legends Tour rookie Liselotte Neumann (73).

Canadian Lorie Kane, who started today’s final round tied for the lead with Redman, struggled today with a 4-over 76 to finish sixth at 4-over 148. A second-year Legends Tour member, Kane carded a double-bogey on the second hole and could never catch Redman, with whom she was paired in the last group.

“She played steady, just as she always does,” said Kane of Redman’s performance.

And steady wins golf tournaments.

- Lisa D. Mickey

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