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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Mallon missed out on celebration as a player

EDDIE PELLS (AP National Writer) August 14, 2013AP - Sports

PARKER, Colo. (AP) -- One minute, Meg Mallon was running down the fairway, celebrating one of the biggest victories of her career. The next, she was being loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital.

The U.S. captain's last turn as a player in the Solheim Cup was in 2005, when she made a par putt to clinch the American victory at Crooked Stick outside of Indianapolis. A typically raucous celebration ensued, but shortly after,Mallon started feeling lightheaded.

At the time, officials thought it was a simple case of heat exhaustion from a long weekend of golf in the summertime heat of Indiana.

As it turned out, Mallon's heart rate was buzzing along at 300 beats per minute. She was taken to the hospital and diagnosed and treated for Supraventricular tachycardia, an ailment that causes the heart to beat very fast for reasons other than exercise or rest.

''It turned out to be a blessing because I had been misdiagnosed with (a different) heart ailment for almost 20 years,'' Mallon said.

Mallon was fine. She got to enjoy a celebration in 2009 when she was an assistant captain on the winning U.S. team.

This year, she's running the show and hoping she'll get another chance to make up for what she missed in 2005.

''At the end of the day, it was great for me,'' she said of the 2005 drama, ''but it sure was a buzz kill for the party.''

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YOUTH MOVEMENT: Paula Creamer made her Solheim Cup debut when she was 19. She earned a spot on the team and was bold enough to say in the weeks leading up to the matches that the Europeans should prepare to be beaten.

Creamer did her part, going 3-1-1 and trouncing Laura Davies in singles.

This year, being a teenager is no longer that big of a deal.Europe has the youngest player in Solheim Cup history, 17-year-old Charley Hull of England. The Americans have Lexi Thompson, who is 18 and already a two-time winner (once on the LPGA Tour, once on the Ladies European Tour).

Creamer said she only sounded fearless.

''I thought I knew what it was like to walk out on the first tee and I was like, 'I got it.' I can't tell you how nervous I really was,'' Creamer said.

It helped that she played before a home crowd at Crooked Stick in Indianapolis.

''Lexi is really lucky that this is her first one here in the States,'' Creamer said. ''There's nothing better than having the homefield advantage. You really understand that when you do go over to Europe.''

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REDEMPTION: Cristie Kerr has a little extra motivation to win back the Solheim Cup for the Americans.

Two years ago in Ireland, she played four matches with an injured right thumb and could not hit a ball more than 10 yards warming up Sunday morning. Kerr had no choice but to withdraw, conceding the match to Europe.

Europe went on to win, 15-13.

''Nobody knows but me how much I gave that week and how much I played through,'' Kerr said. ''Yet again, you've got to play singles. So it was very disappointing. Everybody has incredible motivation, but I have a little extra. So I am looking for some special stuff out there this week, and I am going to be there for my team. I'm looking forward to it.''

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WHAT'S IN A NAME: Because Inbee Park finished 42nd at the British Open earlier this month, she will not sweep all five of the women's majors.

Still, if she wins at the Evian Championship next month, she'll win her fourth major of the year. In the men's game, or in tennis, they would call that a Grand Slam. But in women's golf, which added Evian as its fifth major this year, there's some debate of where to rate - and what to call - the accomplishment.

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon would simply call it ''an exceptional year.''

''I don't know why we have to get caught up and have to label it,'' she said. ''Because it takes away from the performance this girl's had this year.''

Even with her finish at St. Andrews, Park is No. 1 in the world golf ranking and on the LPGA money list. She has six victories this year.

She isn't present this week at the Solheim Cup, which is an America vs. Europe event.

Only American Stacy Lewis, who won the British and is second on the money list, has an outside chance to say she's had as good a 2013 as Park, and even that would be a stretch. Park and Lewis will tee it up at Evian in four weeks.

''If she wins Evian, 'Best Player in the World,''' Mallon said of Park. ''That's a pretty good title in and of itself.''

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A teenager shines as Europe on cusp of Solheim Cup

DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer) August 17, 2013AP - Sports

PARKER, Colo. (AP) -- Everywhere she turned, U.S. captain Meg Mallon saw one great shot after another Saturday in the Solheim Cup.

Almost all of them were by the other team.

Mallon was standing behind the tee on the par-3 17th whenAnna Nordqvist hit 7-iron into the mile-high air to a back pin, never leaving its target until it bounced into the cup for an ace and an abrupt end to a foursomes match. Nearly eight hours later, she was behind the 18th green and hopeful of getting a half-point out of the last match to at least salvage some momentum going into the last day.

Karine Icher rolled in a 45-foot birdie putt from just off the green and yet another European point.

That was the final blow for a European team that stunned the Americans with a shutout in the afternoon for a 10 1/2-5 1/2 lead, matching the largest margin in Solheim Cup history and leaving the Europeans on the verge of their first victory away from home.

''It's obviously my dream to be able to win this cup over here for the first time,'' European captain Liselotte Neumannsaid. ''So to make some history, it will be amazing.''

Mallon still managed a smile when she sat down to go over the Sunday singles lineup. She removed her sunglasses and said, ''Can you see the shock on my face?''

Europe owned the day.

Neumann rested her three top players. She sent out five rookies for fourballs, starting with Jodi Ewart-Shadoff and 17-year-old Charley Hull who combined for nine birdies in a 2-up win over 18-year-old Lexi Thompson and Paula Creamer. Carlota Ciganda was spraying the ball all overColorado Golf Club until meeting up with assistant captainAnnika Sorenstam on the range. She ended her match with a 12-foot birdie putt for another European point.

''Today for the Europeans, it was a magical day for that team,'' Mallon said.

The star for Europe has been Caroline Hedwall of Sweden. She is the only player on either team who will play all five matches, with a chance to become the first player in Solheim Cup history to go 5-0.

Mallon can only hope for some history of her own, and it's a long shot.

No team has ever rallied from more than two points behind going into the Sunday singles. The Europeans only need to win three matches and halve another out of 12 singles to capture the cup away from home for the first time, and retain the cup for the first time since this event began in 1990.

''It's a wonderful feeling,'' Neumann said. ''These girls played their hearts out. It's awesome. It was a fantastic afternoon.''

Hull and Ewart-Shadoff were all square when the precocious English teen hit 9-iron just over the bunker on the par-3 17th to 4 feet for a birdie to go 1 up. Ewart-Shadoff did the rest, smashing a tee shot some 30 yards by the big-hitting Thompson, leaving only a 9-iron into the green on the 435-yard, uphill closing hole. Her 10-foot birdie putt was conceded, and European blue filled the rest of the scoreboard.

Mallon had spoken earlier Saturday about the importance of the last match to take momentum into Sunday.

''Every Solheim Cup, it seems, comes down to that Saturday afternoon last much, and momentum that happens after that,'' she said. ''I'm hoping, in this case, that it's a momentum of my team turning it around tomorrow. Obviously, it's daunting. I'm not being Pollyanna about this, but I really feel like the lineup I have, and this team, can do it.

''They all played their hearts out today,'' she said. ''No one gave up on me today, not one player. And I know they're not going to give up on me tomorrow.''

She has stacked her lineup, sending Stacy Lewis, Creamer, Brittany Lang and Morgan Pressel out first.

Mallon felt much better after the morning session of foursomes, when Wie and Lang rallied from 2 down at the turn to beat Beatriz Recari and Suzann Pettersen, and Lewis won her first point by teaming with Creamer for a 1-up win. Her team had a chance to tie the score until Catriona Matthew holed a 7-foot putt as she and Masson won the last two holes to earn a halve.

Still, the Americans closed the gap to one point and had momentum.

It didn't last long. The Americans didn't have the lead in a single fourballs match on the back nine.

Leading the way was Hull, who was dynamic in the best match of the day. Hull and Ewart-Shadoff combined for a better-ball score of 63, making five straight birdies at one point. Creamer and Thompson shot 31 on the front nine and still trailed.

Hull twice rolled in birdie putts around the turn with the Americans in close for birdie. Ewart-Shadoff hit driver on the 295-yard 14th hole, a shot that never left the flag and settled some 25 feet behind the cup for a two-putt birdie to win the hole and regain the lead.

With the match all square, Hull hit a 9-iron to a front pin on No. 17 that looked good all the way.

''I never had a hole-in-one before, so I thought when it pitched on the ground, I thought, 'Well, this could be my chance to get one.' But it rolled up about 4 feet,'' Hull said. ''And then I was quite nervous over the 4-footer, and then I rolled it in. It was just great.''

Still, the dagger came from Icher that that remarkable putt.

''I just tried to find a good speed for the putt, because I was downhill and the putt went in,'' she said. ''So it's very important to have won this match. A half-point is always a half-point. Tomorrow it can make the difference.''

The Solheim Cup endured another black eye in officiating, this time on a different hole. A rules official allowed Ciganda to take an incorrect drop on the 15th hole after a 30-minute ruling on the opening day. On Saturday, Recari and Cristie Kerr both went into the hazard on the 16th hole, and neither player could agree where it entered the hazard. After 31 minutes, they both took their drop. By then, the entire American team had gathered around the 18th green to watch the finish. It should have known the outcome.

Europeans put heat on Americans in Solheim Cup

Denis Georgatos, The Sports Xchange August 18, 2013The SportsXchange

PARKER, Colo. -- A stunning momentum swing and a heated green-side exchange among players mixed in with some exceptional play on the course set the stage for a dramatic final round Sunday in the Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club.

The Americans, trying to prevent the Europeans from winning the Cup for the first time on U.S. soil, trail 10.5-5.5 going into the final day of competition when all 12 members from each team square off against each other in singles match play.

"I know they're upset. I know they're motivated," U.S. team captain Meg Mallon said of her players. "But there's 12 points to get out there (Sunday). We can do it."

The Americans began the second day of the event down two points to the Europeans and still steaming over a blown official's ruling allowing an improper drop that helped swing a critical day one match against the Americans.

Initially, the Americans cut the deficit to a point despite losing one of the four morning matches on a hole-in-one by Sweden's Anna Nordqvist.

But the European women fought back in the afternoon four-ball session, sweeping all four matches, combining grit with motivated, skilled play to stun the Americans.

"It was literally shocking to see us lose all four matches in the afternoon," Mallon said. "Today for the Europeans was a magical day."

The Europeans clinched the afternoon sweep when Karine Icher of France chipped in on the par-4 18th hole.

"I couldn't imagine that it was going to look like this coming into the singles," European captain Liselotte Neumann said. "These girls played their hearts out. It's awesome. It was a fantastic afternoon. I'm so proud of them."

The final shot of the day allowed the Europeans to halve the hole, giving Icher and Beatriz Recari a 1-up victory over Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel in a match that included another prolonged rules dispute over a drop when Recari put a shot into a hazard on the 16th hole.

Earlier in the afternoon session, Carolina Masson and Caroline Hedwall were 2-and-1 winners over Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda; Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz beat Gerina Piller and Angela Stanford 1-up, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Charley Hull won 2 up over Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson.

The tournament has been tightly contested and intense with emotions on both sides occasionally boiling over. That was the case on the green at the seventh hole when Creamer got into a verbal exchange withEwart Shadoff and other members of the European contingent in full view of the gallery.

In a game known for its decorum on the course, it was a surreal scene more reminiscent of an ill-tempered baseball batter jawing with a pitcher who just threw a brush-back pitch.

After Ewart Shadoff, who was teamed with 17-year-old Hull, hit an approach shot to tap-in distance for a conceded birdie on No. 7, Creamer's long birdie attempt came up a few feet short. As she lined up to tap in the par putt, the Europeans made a last-minute concession, forcing Creamer to pull off the shot and pick up her ball.

Creamer, wanting to take the shot to help teammate Lexi Thompson with her line on her upcoming birdie putt attempt, was visibly angered by the move and let the Europeans know it.

A rules official intervened to try to calm the situation and apparently reiterated the Europeans' right to concede the putt.

Mallon said later that European assistant captain Annika Sorenstam was at the hole and suggested out loud that the shot should be conceded and then Ewart Shadoff's caddie yelled out for the concession request, which was honored by the officials and triggered the angry response from Creamer.

Only player-issued concessions are supposed to be recognized.

Mallon said that while officials told her Sorenstam didn't break any rules because they didn't believe her remark technically constituted prohibited on-course "advice," the U.S. captain said in her view "it wasn't good etiquette."

Ewart Shadoff said she did not want to talk about the episode. Creamer said both Hull and Ewart Shadoff later apologized to her.

Thompson, at 18 the youngest ever to play on the American squad, punctuated the brouhaha by draining a birdie putt to keep the match square. But the tie was short-lived as a fired-up Ewart Shadoff drained a birdie putt on the par 4 eighth hole as the Europeans went 1-up.

The Americans came back to square the match when Creamer sank a 5-foot birdie putt on the par 5 16th. On the par-3, 180-yard 17th, though, both Thompson and Hull, the youngest player in Solheim Cup history, landed their tee shots within a few feet of the hole. Thompson just missed her birdie putt and Hull sank hers, pumping a fist and then wiping her brow with her forearm and sighing in relief as the Europeans again went 1-up.

The Europeans won the final hole, and in a sign of some conciliation after the blowup on No. 7, Creamer and Thompson both gave congratulatory hugs to Ewart Shadoff and Hull.

At the same hole during morning session, Nordqvist, who was paired with fellow Swede Caroline Hedwall, put the Europeans up 6-3 when she aced No. 17 using a 7-iron. The ball took a couple of bounces on the green and rattled in off the flagstick, clinching a 2-and-1 victory over Pressel and Jessica Korda.

"It's definitely one of the highlights of my career," Nordqvist said. "It's one of the moments that I'm really going to remember for a long time."

The Americans nearly completed a sweep of the three other matches in the morning session. However, Catriona Matthew of Scotland, teamed with Masson, drained a birdie putt on No. 18 to win the hole and halve the match for the Europeans.

Wie and Brittany Lang were as many as four holes up early in their match against Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Recari. The Europeans fought back to square it before Wie made a short birdie putt on the 17th hole for a 1 up-victory for the United States.

Lewis and Creamer were 1-up winners for the U.S. over Munoz and Icher in the morning session.

Golf-U.S. PGA Tour Wyndham Championship scores

August 18, 2013

Aug 18 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the U.S. PGA Tour Wyndham Championship at the par-70 course on Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina

Patrick Reed wins play-off at the second extra hole

266 Patrick Reed (U.S.) 65 64 71 66

266 Jordan Spieth (U.S.) 65 66 70 65

268 Brian Harman (U.S.) 67 66 69 66

John Huh (U.S.) 68 62 70 68

269 Matt Jones (Australia) 65 71 71 62

Matt Every (U.S.) 67 67 68 67

Zach Johnson (U.S.) 67 68 66 68

270 Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 67 66 72 65

Andres Gonzales (U.S.) 69 67 70 64

Bob Estes (U.S.) 67 66 68 69

271 Webb Simpson (U.S.) 71 67 70 63

Jim Herman (U.S.) 67 66 72 66

Brendan Steele (U.S.) 71 67 66 67

Robert Garrigus (U.S.) 65 69 68 69

272 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 70 65 71 66

273 Henrik Norlander (Sweden) 67 68 72 66

Martin Flores (U.S.) 67 72 71 63

Bryce Molder (U.S.) 66 69 71 67

David Toms (U.S.) 72 66 73 62

274 Ernie Els (South Africa) 71 68 70 65

Ricky Barnes (U.S.) 69 69 69 67

Bill Haas (U.S.) 69 66 71 68

Martin Kaymer (Germany) 70 68 73 63

Park Jin (South Korea) 67 69 70 68

Charlie Beljan (U.S.) 69 67 69 69

275 Ryo Ishikawa (Japan) 70 69 69 67

Brendon Todd (U.S.) 68 68 75 64

Tim Clark (South Africa) 69 70 72 64

276 Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 69 68 72 67

Paul Haley II (U.S.) 69 68 72 67

Steven Bowditch (Australia) 71 66 72 67

John Senden (Australia) 66 70 72 68

Will Claxton (U.S.) 68 67 72 69

Jeff Overton (U.S.) 68 71 72 65

Sergio Garcia (Spain) 65 70 70 71

Alistair Presnell (Australia) 67 71 67 71

277 Andrew Svoboda (U.S.) 65 69 74 69

K.J. Choi (South Korea) 69 68 72 68

Colt Knost (U.S.) 69 67 72 69

Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 67 70 71 69

Robert Streb (U.S.) 68 70 70 69

Boo Weekley (U.S.) 69 67 73 68

Chris Stroud (U.S.) 64 72 73 68

Trevor Immelman (South Africa) 65 71 70 71

278 Jerry Kelly (U.S.) 68 71 68 71

J.J. Henry (U.S.) 68 70 71 69

Shawn Stefani (U.S.) 67 70 70 71

Justin Leonard (U.S.) 69 70 71 68

Nick O'Hern (Australia) 68 71 67 72

Doug LaBelle II (U.S.) 67 72 71 68

Stuart Appleby (Australia) 66 70 76 66

279 Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) 70 68 70 71

Chris DiMarco (U.S.) 70 68 70 71

Greg Chalmers (Australia) 69 69 71 70

Ross Fisher (Britain) 64 69 74 72

Tommy Gainey (U.S.) 68 69 73 69

Scott Gardiner (Australia) 67 72 67 73

Jeff Maggert (U.S.) 69 68 70 72

Bae Sang-Moon (South Korea) 68 70 72 69

280 Charlie Wi (South Korea) 68 65 75 72

Tom Gillis (U.S.) 69 68 73 70

Cameron Percy (Australia) 68 68 74 70

George McNeill (U.S.) 69 68 75 68

Greg Owen (Britain) 68 69 75 68

281 Chris Kirk (U.S.) 66 71 72 72

Morgan Hoffmann (U.S.) 65 69 75 72

Steve LeBrun (U.S.) 68 70 72 71

William McGirt (U.S.) 70 68 73 70

David Mathis (U.S.) 71 68 73 69

282 Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 70 66 75 71

283 Arjun Atwal (India) 69 70 78 66

284 Nicholas Thompson (U.S.) 70 69 75 70

285 Kevin Chappell (U.S.) 69 69 75 72