Thursday, August 29, 2013

Mickelson 'not going to worry about' poor PGA showing

Mickelson 'not going to worry about' poor PGA showing

PGA.com 
Mickelson 'not going to worry about' poor PGA showing
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Phil Mickelson spent too much time on the beaten path to be a factor at the PGA Championship.(Edward …
By Stan Awtrey, PGA.com Contributor
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Phil Mickelson completed a week that he would rather forget. He didn't go from first at the Open Championship to last at the PGA Championship, but he came closer than he would like.
Mickelson finished with a 72 on Sunday, leaving him at 12-over 292 for the week. It was his worst performance at the PGA since 2009, when he shot 12-over and finshed 73rd at Hazeltine.
"I didn't play well the last two weeks," Mickelson said. "I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to go home and take a few weeks off, get my short game sharp and start back up in four or five days for the FedEx Cup. I'm not going to worry too much about it."
It likely cost him a chance to be the 2013 Player of the Year. At the very least it was a disappointing conclusion to a summer season that saw him with the Scottish Open and the Open Championship in consecutive weeks.
Mickelson was upbeat Sunday when he finished. He got cleaned up and headed for the front entrance of the Oak Hill clubhouse and signed autographs before getting his car and leaving for home.
The No. 2 ranked player in the world just missed by three shots playing by himself in the first group off the tee. Instead he was paired with Stephen Gallacher of Scotland, only the second time they had played together. Gallacher said Mickelson was good company and enjoyable to play with and the galleries were spirited as usual. But Gallacher admitted if he was going to play with Mickelson on the final day of a major, "I'd rather it be at the sharp end than the blunt end."
Mickelson's front nine was a disaster again. It included a triple bogey at No. 5 and a double bogey at No. 7 en route to a 39. He steadied things with two birdies on the back to close in 33.
The high numbers bothered Mickelson all week. He had four double bogeys and two triple bogeys over 72 holes. The 461-yard par-4 seventh hole was problematic all week; he played that hole in a cumulative six over par.
Accuracy off the tee derailed Mickelson at Oak Hill. He hit only 28 of 56 fairways.
Mickelson will take next week off. He plans to schedule a date with wife Amy. He'll return for the Barclays, the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, in two weeks.

Golf-Tiger lacks bite at year's final shot to end major drought

Golf-Tiger lacks bite at year's final shot to end major drought

Reuters 
By Frank Pingue
 ROCHESTER, New York, Aug 11 (Reuters) - There was a period in his career when it seemed only a matter of time before Tiger Woods would accomplish his lifetime goal of winning a record 19 major championships.
But after concluding the PGA Championship well back of the leaders on Sunday, the 14-times major winner ensured his drought at golf's elite events will spill into a once-unthinkable sixth year.
 "Didn't seem to hit it as good and didn't make many putts until the last few holes today," said Woods, whose even-par 70 left him at four-over for the tournament.
"But I didn't give myself many looks and certainly didn't hit the ball good enough to be in it."
Critics will point to Woods's barren run at the majors since his U.S. Open triumph in 2008 as a sign that his best golf is behind him, but the world number one has nine top-10 finishes in the 18 majors he has competed in since then.
That includes a tie for fourth at the Masters in April and a share of sixth place at last month's British Open, results that convince Woods he has no reason to panic about his form in the top events.
"Is it concerning? No. As I've said, I've been there in half of them. So that's about right," Woods said.
"If you are going to be in there three-quarters or half of them with a chance to win on the back nine, you have just got to get it done."
Woods got it done in brilliant fashion at last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, romping to a seven-shot victory that made him an overwhelming favourite at Oak Hill, site of the year's final major.
But surprisingly, Woods was essentially out of contention by the midway point of the PGA Championship, where he failed to break par in any of four rounds.
In fact, Woods was so far down the leaderbaord after three rounds that he signed off on Sunday nearly an hour before the leaders even teed off.
Outside of golf's four majors, it has been yet another great year for the 37-year-old world number one, who is the only player with five PGA Tour wins this season.
When Woods arrives at Augusta in April for the next major tournament on the schedule, he will be 38. The only player to win five majors after turning 38 is Ben Hogan.
For Woods, being out of contention at a major is a tougher pill to swallow than falling just short down the stretch.
"It's more frustrating not being in it. Having a chance on the back nine on Sunday, I can live with that," said Woods, who was three-over for the day after nine holes on Sunday before a trio of back-nine birdies brought him back to even par.
"It's always frustrating going out there, and I'm three-over today ... and I'm grinding my tail off coming in just to shoot even par for the day. And I'm nowhere in it. That's tough.
"I'd much rather have it like at Augusta or at the British when I have a chance."

Tiger lacks bite at year's final shot to end major drought

Tiger lacks bite at year's final shot to end major drought

Reuters 
Woods walks to the first tee during the final round of the 2013 PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester
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Tiger Woods of the U.S. walks to the first tee during the final round of the 2013 PGA Championship golf …
By Frank Pingue
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) - There was a period in his career when it seemed only a matter of time before Tiger Woods would accomplish his lifetime goal of winning a record 19 major championships.
But after concluding the PGA Championship well back of the leaders on Sunday, the 14-times major winner ensured his drought at golf's elite events will spill into a once-unthinkable sixth year.
"Didn't seem to hit it as good and didn't make many putts until the last few holes today," said Woods, whose even-par 70 left him at four-over for the tournament.
"But I didn't give myself many looks and certainly didn't hit the ball good enough to be in it."
Critics will point to Woods's barren run at the majors since his U.S. Open triumph in 2008 as a sign that his best golf is behind him, but the world number one has nine top-10 finishes in the 18 majors he has competed in since then.
That includes a tie for fourth at the Masters in April and a share of sixth place at last month's British Open, results that convince Woods he has no reason to panic about his form in the top events.
"Is it concerning? No. As I've said, I've been there in half of them. So that's about right," Woods said.
"If you are going to be in there three‑quarters or half of them with a chance to win on the back nine, you have just got to get it done."
Woods got it done in brilliant fashion at last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, romping to a seven-shot victory that made him an overwhelming favorite at Oak Hill, site of the year's final major.
But surprisingly, Woods was essentially out of contention by the midway point of the PGA Championship, where he failed to break par in any of four rounds.
In fact, Woods was so far down the leaderbaord after three rounds that he signed off on Sunday nearly an hour before the leaders even teed off.
Outside of golf's four majors, it has been yet another great year for the 37-year-old world number one, who is the only player with five PGA Tour wins this season.
When Woods arrives at Augusta in April for the next major tournament on the schedule, he will be 38. The only player to win five majors after turning 38 is Ben Hogan.
For Woods, being out of contention at a major is a tougher pill to swallow than falling just short down the stretch.
"It's more frustrating not being in it. Having a chance on the back nine on Sunday, I can live with that," said Woods, who was three-over for the day after nine holes on Sunday before a trio of back-nine birdies brought him back to even par.
"It's always frustrating going out there, and I'm three‑over today ... and I'm grinding my tail off coming in just to shoot even par for the day. And I'm nowhere in it. That's tough.
"I'd much rather have it like at Augusta or at the British when I have a chance."