Posts tagged Round
Carl Pettersson closes with final-round 67 to capture RBC Canadian Open
Jul 26th
By: Chris Johnston, The Canadian Press
TORONTO – The party started for Carl Pettersson before he even made the cut at the RBC Canadian Open. Little did he know it would continue right through the weekend.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I still can’t believe I won the tournament.”
Pettersson’s path to victory started on Friday night when he made a 10-foot par putt at No. 18. He was well back of the lead at that point and headed to the clubhouse at St. George’s Golf and Country Club unsure if he’d be booking a flight home.
“I walked in the locker-room and Jay Williamson had all the (cut) scenarios written out, and he’s like, `Grab a beer,”‘said Pettersson. “Before you know it, I’d had seven beers. Made the cut. And my caddie had to drive me home.”
The next morning he got in contention by shooting a course-record 60 — narrowly missing a 30-foot birdie putt for a 59 — and on Sunday afternoon he pulled out a one-shot victory over Dean Wilson by closing with a 67.
Even that seemed unlikely early in the final round when Wilson held a four-shot lead. But Pettersson turned the heat up with consecutive birdies from Nos. 13-15 and held on for his fourth career PGA Tour win and a first-place cheque of US$918,000.
“You know, if you would have asked me Thursday if I was going to win, I would have laughed at you,” he said. “I’d probably have thought: `Have you been drinking seven beers or what?”‘
It was a crushing loss for Wilson, who got into the $5.1-million tournament on a late sponsor’s exemption and had the chance to secure his tour card for the next two years with a win.
The 40-year-old had been struggling with his game and earned his best finish since winning the 2006 International. Wilson now shares something in common with former college roommate Mike Weir, who finished second at the 2004 Canadian Open after getting beat in a playoff by Vijay Singh.
“He’s always cheering for me,” Wilson said of Weir. “I got a text from him, he told me: `Go get them.’I'm a little disappointed I didn’t do it. But you know, I’m not as disappointed as when he didn’t win it in 2004.
“There was a tear in my eye (that day) — I was really cheering for him and I was out there.”
The low Canadian this week was Adam Hadwin, who finished off his first PGA Tour event in style by hitting an approach within inches at the 72nd hole. He shot 71 to tie for 37th.
The 22-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., was happy to have justified the exemption he earned through the Canadian Tour’s money list.
“I just wanted to come in and play well and represent Canada and show that the Canadian Tour really does deserve these exemptions and show them that we can play at this higher stage,” said Hadwin. “It was fantastic. A great week.”
The sun came out and wind picked up on the final day at St. George’s, making it tougher than it had been earlier in the week. It was the only round during the tournament where the field averaged over par.
“There was definitely more wind and (it was coming from) a slightly different direction,” said Luke Donald, who shot 66 and finished third. “It made it play a little bit different. I think it made the par-5s a little bit longer. Probably not quite as many scoring opportunities.”
Wilson’s grip on the lead started to slip at the 12th hole, where he left a chip short and made bogey. He did the same thing on No. 14 — falling one stroke behind when Pettersson made a 25-footer for birdie.
He never quite recovered.
“I paid the price,” said Wilson. “When you get it in that rough, it’s just really tough to judge chipping what it’s going to do out of there. Carl had a good shot in there and rolled in a 25- or 30-footer, so it was a big swing.”
Pettersson is a more accomplished player than the last two champions of the tournament — Chez Reavie (2008) and Nathan Green (2009) — but was still a longshot. He entered the week as the 207th-ranked golfer in the world and beat a field that featured eight players inside the top 30.
The portly 32-year-old has travelled an interesting road. Born in Sweden, his family moved to England before eventually settling in North Carolina when he was about 15 — where he continues to live today.
He developed into one of the tour’s more consistent performers until seeing his game decline a year ago after losing 30 pounds.
“I guess the timing of the swing and everything was thrown out,” he said. “I’d love to be fitter, but I’m not going to go down that road again.”
Pettersson has decided to do things his own way. He couldn’t help but get a little emotional after sinking a putt on Sunday to pull out the most unlikely of victories.
“Last year my game left me,” said Pettersson. “You start to question yourself: `Am I good enough to play? Am I ever going to win again?’ I was feeling it coming up the last hole.
“This is the most important win for me.”
Notes:Jon Mills of Oshawa, Ont., shot 72 and was 48th while Calgary’s Stephen Ames had a 70 and was 59th … Pettersson was one of the players who came back on the Canadian Open charter from the British Open in 2007 and didn’t play in the tournament. He’s entered every year since … Longtime Toronto Star columnist Dave Perkins was honoured by Golf Canada in the media centre after the tournament. He’s due to retire next week.
More Thoughts on the Final Round of the Evian Masters
Jul 25th
Well, just watched the final round of the Evian Masters play out on Golf Channel, and my earlier assumptions were correct. This was one fantastic finish to a golf tournament. In case you missed Jiyai Shin get the win, you can catch another replay of the final round tonight at 9:30 PM ET. Here’s a few more thoughts on today’s final round action.
- Again, it’s hard to understate just how good of a finish that this was. If you check out the post that I highlighted above from earlier, you’ll see all the big birdies on the back nine from the key players in this tournament. But obviously, the biggest of all was by Shin on the 18th hole. And trust me, the putt wasn’t all that easy either. It had a little left to right to it, but Shin hit a nice stroke to knock it in. Clutch putt. That’s about all you can say.
- Speaking of clutch, 15-year-old Alexis Thompson’s putt on 18 was just that as well. She knocked down a lengthy birdie putt that put her in a tie for the lead, until Shin hit her putt to win it. But it was mentioned on the broadcast, and it seemed evident that this girl has nerves of steel. Almost every single time an opportunity presented itself today, she took advantage, which is why she fared so well. While it was good to see Shin hit the big putt to take home the victory, I would have been OK had she missed it too, because I would have loved to see Thompson’s play in the playoff.
- You really have to feel bad for Morgan Pressel, as she just couldn’t get a whole lot going in today’s round. And then to top it all off, she had her putt just rattle out on the 18th, which would have put her in a playoff with Shin. While both putts were of similar length, Pressel’s was certainly more difficult, since it was going more downhill. Still though, she should be proud of a great effort this week, and if she keeps playing like this, she’ll get a win this season.
- It may seem like Na Yeon Choi was the odd person out, but she really wasn’t. Even though all the attention was on the Shin-Pressel grouping, and the excellent finish by Thompson, Choi shot a final round 66 which gave her the tie with Pressel and Thompson in second place. She went on a nice little birdie streak on 14, 15, 16, and 17, before having to settle for par on the final hole. While she may be disappointed that she couldn’t force a playoff, she’s already won once this year, and will probably do so again. It simply wasn’t a case of she losing the tournament today, because she definitely made her run. It was just a matter of Shin winning the tournament by making key putts.
- Someone else that may get less respect that they deserve for a great final round is Suzann Pettersen, who was a few putts away from putting herself in the mix as well. She only finished one shot behind the 13-under trio, and her final round 66 could have been even lower with a putt here or there. She started off hot with five birdies on the front nine, but could only manage one on the back nine while the players in front of her were reeling off big shots on the final nine holes. Still though, it was a very good performance by her that shouldn’t be overlooked.
- Defending champion Ai Miyazato bounced back from a third round 74 to shoot 68 in the final round, but it was still nowhere near enough to put her in contention. She finished nine shots off the lead at 5-under for the tournament, and lost her number-one ranking in the world in the process. Shin will now be atop the women’s golf rankings, but with the way that Miyazato has played this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her back at the top during this season.
- And there’s one more little intriguing tidbit from the final round that shows just the precision of the game of golf. If you check out Shin’s approach shot on the 18th hole, you’ll see just what I’m talking about. Her approach hits the back of the green, and the tiniest bit of front spin on the ball would have sent it into the rough, and a whole lot of pressure would have been taken off of Pressel. But Shin got a fantastic bounce, which sent the ball going back towards the hole, where it gave her the shot to win the tournament. But hey, that’s golf. A bounce here or there can change an entire tournament.
Now I want to hear your thoughts. What did you think of the final round of the Evian Masters?
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Wilson takes 4-shot lead into final round of Cdn. Open
Jul 25th
Dean Wilson watches his tee shot in the pouring rain on the eighth hole during the third round of the Canadian Open on Saturday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)
Overcast skies greeted golfers at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto as the final round of the RBC Canadian Open got underway.
Dean Wilson holds a four-shot lead over Carl Pettersson, Tim Clark and Bob Estes.
Wilson and Pettersson will be paired together in the final group and are scheduled to tee off at 1:45 p.m. ET.
Calgary’s Stephen Ames was among the early starters, playing his first eight holes in 1-under.
That left him three shots behind Jon Mills of Oshawa, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., in the race for low Canadian. The two started the day nine shots back of the leader.
Wilson’s lone PGA Tour victory came from behind at the 2006 International.
He entered the week sitting 522nd in the world rankings and is bidding to become the third straight unlikely champion at the Canadian Open following Chez Reavie (2008) and Nathan Green (2009).
Tim Clark Favored At Canadian Open Heading Into Saturday’s Third Round
Jul 24th
July 24, 2010 – By Scott
The key to playing successful golf at St. George Golf and Country Club relies on the ability to hit the ball straight. The fairways are narrow and the hilly, tree-lined course favors those PGA golfers this weekend who can keep the ball in play. After two rounds at the 2010 Canadian Open, Tim Clark and Dean Wilson are tied atop the leaderboard and have played the course very well.
“Driving the fairway is a huge key on the course and I’ve done that,” said Clark.
Clark, who won the 2010 Players Championship back in May, shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 on Friday. The South African rebounded from an opening round of 66, four shots off the lead held by Brent Delahoussaye, to move into a tie for first with Wilson.
“I certainly didn’t expect to be scoring like that around this course,” Clark said. “I felt like it was going to be pretty tough.”
Wilson matched his opening round score of 65 on Friday to gain his share of the lead. He used a critical 20-foot par putt on the 18th to secure his share of the lead after missing the fairway on his drive.
“That was a nice way to finish off the day,” said Wilson, the 2006 International champion. “You can’t ask for a better position.”
Delahoussaye fell into a second place tie with Steve Wheatcroft. Delahoussaye, a day after setting the Canadian Open record with a round of 62 on Thursday, followed up that spectacular round with a 69 on Friday. Despite losing the lead, Delahoussaye was pleased with his day on Friday.
“It’s tough to follow up an 8-under-par round,” Delahoussaye said. “So, I figured anything under par today would be great for me. I’m pleased with the round.”
Kevin Sutherland was the story of the day on Friday though. After an opening round of 73, he kept his hopes alive in the second round and matched the Canadian Open record with a round of 62 to put him in a tie for 21st heading into Saturday. After getting to 5 under on his first four holes, Sutherland capitalized on the par-5 11th and scored an eagle in route to his great day.
“It got kind of silly,” Sutherland said. “The hole just got so big for me. I was just making putts from everywhere. I made a putt on the last hole that I don’t even know how far it was. Seventy feet? I’m guessing, 60 feet.”
Clark is the favorite to win the 2010 RBC Canadian Open according to PGA sportsbooks with his odds set at 5/2 heading into the third round. Hunter Mahan, who is at 8-under has his odds at 6/1, while Wilson is at 12/1.
