Golf-Europe lead U.S. 5-3 after day one at Solheim

 

August 16, 2013

* Inspirational Pettersen shines in her seventh Solheim Cup

 * Europe set tone for day by winning foursomes 3-1 (Updates at end of first day)

 Aug 16 (Reuters) - Inspired by Norway's world number three Suzann Pettersen who won her first two matches, holders Europe seized control of the 13th Solheim Cup to lead the United States 5-3 after the opening day in Parker, Colorado.

 Pettersen putted superbly in the morning's foursomes atColorado Golf Club as Europe opened up a surprise 3-1 advantage, then virtually single-handedly paved the way to a second victory in the afternoon fourballs, which were split 2-2 overall.

 In tandem with Cup rookie Beatriz Recari of Spain, Pettersen won a tight foursomes match 2&1 against Americans Brittany Lang and Angela Stanford before linking up with another Spaniard, Carlota Ciganda, to beat Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson one up.

"This competition never gets old," smiled the 32-year-old Pettersen, who is competing in her seventh Solheim Cup along with six rookies on the European team. "It just brings out the best of you.

"I am really enjoying playing with these youngsters. I am so proud of them. And Carlota, she was a super star. She hung in there tough. This was a fantastic point."

 Pettersen and Ciganda earned Europe's fifth and final point of the day as they recovered from two down at the turn to beat Women's British Open champion Lewis and Thompson in the first fourball match out.

 The Americans had claimed the first point of the afternoon when Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang came back from one down after five holes to beat Anna Nordqvist and Giulia Sergas 4&3.

"We always play well together," said Lang, who sank a four-foot putt at the par-five 15th to seal victory. "We have similar personalities, we have fun out there and we feed off each other.

"We did a really good job today when one person wasn't doing too well to pick up the slack. That's clutch."

CLOSE CONTEST

 Caroline Hedwall and Caroline Masson never trailed before winning a close contest against AmericansAngela Stanford and Gerina Piller 2&1 and the U.S. levelled the fourballs when Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie beat Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull 2&1.

"I played really, really well and made a lot of putts," said Kerr. "I just tried to keep us in there, make a big putt when I needed to and I did that a few times."

 However, the tone for the day was set in the first match out when Swedes Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall earned Europe's first point with a 4&2 win over Lewis and Lizette Salas.

"We have been playing pretty solid the last couple of weeks and I think we were both very excited," said the statuesque Nordqvist, 26. "It feels like both our forms are really good. It was just so much fun out there today."

 Pettersen and Recari followed suit with their victory over Lang and Stanford before Morgan Pressel and Jessica Korda put the first red number on the board for the U.S., beating Matthew and Jodi Ewart-Shadoff 3&2.

 Europe, who are bidding to win the trophy on American soil for the first time, ended a memorable morning when Azahara Munoz and Karine Icher upset the heavyweight U.S. duo of Kerr and Paula Creamer 2&1.

Former major winners Kerr and Creamer, playing in the anchor match, had not previously lost in three encounters together but were undone as their opponents took control with three successive birdies from the eighth.

 "We just didn't seem to get any momentum right off the bat," said Kerr, who is also playing in her seventhSolheim Cup.

"We missed a couple of greens and they threw some long bombs at us on eight, nine and 10. We really didn't get the momentum until the last few holes and then it's too late," she said greenside. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Tony Jimenez/Ian Ransom)

Europe lead U.S. 5-3 after day one at Solheim

 

August 16, 2013

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Suzann Pettersen of Team Europe (L) celebrates sinking a long birdie putt to win the sixth hole with …

(Reuters) - Inspired by Norway's world number threeSuzann Pettersen who won her first two matches, holdersEurope seized control of the 13th Solheim Cup to lead the United States 5-3 after the opening day in Parker, Colorado.

 Pettersen putted superbly in the morning's foursomes atColorado Golf Club as Europe opened up a surprise 3-1 advantage, then virtually single-handedly paved the way to a second victory in the afternoon fourballs, which were split 2-2 overall.

 In tandem with Cup rookie Beatriz Recari of Spain,Pettersen won a tight foursomes match 2&1 against Americans Brittany Lang and Angela Stanford before linking up with another Spaniard, Carlota Ciganda, to beat Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson one up.

"This competition never gets old," smiled the 32-year-old Pettersen, who is competing in her seventh Solheim Cup along with six rookies on the European team. "It just brings out the best of you.

"I am really enjoying playing with these youngsters. I am so proud of them. And Carlota, she was a super star. She hung in there tough. This was a fantastic point."

 Pettersen and Ciganda earned Europe's fifth and final point of the day as they recovered from two down at the turn to beat Women's British Open champion Lewis and Thompson in the first fourball match out.

 The Americans had claimed the first point of the afternoon when Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang came back from one down after five holes to beat Anna Nordqvist and Giulia Sergas 4&3.

"We always play well together," said Lang, who sank a four-foot putt at the par-five 15th to seal victory. "We have similar personalities, we have fun out there and we feed off each other.

"We did a really good job today when one person wasn't doing too well to pick up the slack. That's clutch."

CLOSE CONTEST

 Caroline Hedwall and Caroline Masson never trailed before winning a close contest against AmericansAngela Stanford and Gerina Piller 2&1 and the U.S. levelled the fourballs when Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wiebeat Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull 2&1.

"I played really, really well and made a lot of putts," said Kerr. "I just tried to keep us in there, make a big putt when I needed to and I did that a few times."

 However, the tone for the day was set in the first match out when Swedes Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall earned Europe's first point with a 4&2 win over Lewis and Lizette Salas.

"We have been playing pretty solid the last couple of weeks and I think we were both very excited," said the statuesque Nordqvist, 26. "It feels like both our forms are really good. It was just so much fun out there today."

 Pettersen and Recari followed suit with their victory over Lang and Stanford before Morgan Pressel and Jessica Korda put the first red number on the board for the U.S., beating Matthew and Jodi Ewart-Shadoff 3&2.

 Europe, who are bidding to win the trophy on American soil for the first time, ended a memorable morning when Azahara Munoz and Karine Icher upset the heavyweight U.S. duo of Kerr and Paula Creamer 2&1.

Former major winners Kerr and Creamer, playing in the anchor match, had not previously lost in three encounters together but were undone as their opponents took control with three successive birdies from the eighth.

 "We just didn't seem to get any momentum right off the bat," said Kerr, who is also playing in her seventhSolheim Cup.

"We missed a couple of greens and they threw some long bombs at us on eight, nine and 10. We really didn't get the momentum until the last few holes and then it's too late," she said greenside.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Tony Jimenez/Ian Ransom)

Europe takes 5-3 lead in Solheim Cup

Dennis Georgatos, The Sports Xchange August 16, 2013The SportsXchange

PARKER, Colo. -- Carlota Ciganda regrouped after a wayward shot to help the European women take a 5-3 lead over the Americans on Friday in the first of three days of match-play competition in the Solheim Cup at the Colorado Golf Club. 

The Americans, meanwhile, were trying to understand the officials' reasoning in awarding Ciganda a favorable drop.

Team captains from both squads were meeting with rules officials to try gain clarity on the ruling following the afternoon's four "Four Ball" matches, which were split by the teams after the Americans dropped three of four in the morning matches.

 Europe's Suzann Pettersen and Ciganda were 1-up winners over Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson but not without controversy over the drop on the par-5 15th hole. 

Ciganda, who had struggled all day in her long and short game, put her second shot into a rolling stand of trees and scrub brush. In a confusing sequence, course officials took some 20 minutes to sort out the appropriate spot for her drop.

Eventually, she was allowed to take a drop on the fairway and got her fourth shot within 12 feet of the hole. She ended up saving par, keeping the match all squared after Lewis missed a birdie putt.

One hole later, on the 16th, Pettersen made a birdie to give the Europeans a one-stroke advantage, which they hung on to the rest of the way to win the match.

"Carlota, she was a superstar," Pettersen said. "She hung in there tough. I'm proud of her."

Ciganda conceded she didn't play her best golf.

"It was very stressful at the time," she said, adding, "It was a great match and we won. And that's the most important."

 Americans Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie beat Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull, at 17 the youngest to play in the Solheim Cup, 2 and 1. Brittany Lang and Brittany Lincicome also earned a point for the Americans, beating Anna Nordqvist and Giulia Sergas 4 and 3 after Lang buried a short birdie putt on the par-5 15th. 

Lang produced a big shot to put the match firmly in their control on the 14th when she holed a shot from a bunker on the fringe of the green.

The "drop" controversy overshadowed some exceptional golf, particularly by Wie, who helped silence any lingering criticism over her selection to the team by U.S. captain Meg Mallon.

Wie stoked momentum for her team when she chipped in a long-distance birdie putt on the par-4 13th hole from beyond the edge of the green. Wie pumped her fist and shared a celebratory hand slap and hug with Kerr after the ball dropped in the hole.

"When it went in, we just went crazy," Wie said. "I think we really needed that and it felt awesome."

 Caroline Hedwall and Caroline Masson took another afternoon match for Europe with a 2-and-1 victory overAngela Stanford and Gerina Piller. 

Europe won the last Solheim Cup in Ireland two years ago, but the Americans are 6-0 in Solheim Cup play in the United States.

The European squad got off to a strong start by taking three of the four morning matches in "Foursome" play.

 Jessica Korda and Morgan Pressel accounted for the lone U.S. point from the morning session when they beat Matthew and Jodi Ewart Shadoff 3 and 2. 

"I think we both played well out there today," said Pressel, who teamed up with Korda for birdie putts on the 11th and 13th holes to pull away. "We were a little shaky early, a little bit nervous. But we didn't make many mistakes, and we were able to make some really good par-saving putts."

Swedish golfers Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall put the first point on the board for Europe when they defeated Lewis and Lizette Salas 4 and 2 in the opening match.

 Norway's Pettersen and Spain's Beatriz Recari gave Europe its second point when they beat Texans Brittany Lang and Angela Stanford 2 and 1. 

 A 2-and-1 victory by Azahara Munoz of Spain and Karine Icher of France against Kerr and Paula Creamerrounded out the morning session. Munoz and Icher strung together consecutive birdies on Nos. 8, 9 and 10 to seize the momentum in the match. 

"We played well from the beginning and we had an amazing stretch on 8, 9 and 10 making bombs. That was huge for us," Munoz said.

Creamer said problems in their short game cost them.

"We just didn't make a putt," Creamer said. "We had so many lip-outs and it's just that's the way it was."

Golf-Fitzpatrick ends England's wait for U.S. Amateur title

 

August 19, 2013

Aug 19 (Reuters) - Teenager Matthew Fitzpatrick became the first Englishman to win the U.S. Amateur Championshipin 102 years after he defeated Australian Oliver Goss in the 36-hole final on Sunday.

 The baby-faced 18-year-old from Sheffield, whose younger brother acted as his caddie, sunk a par putt on the 33rd hole to close out a 4&3 victory in the matchplay format tournament held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

 "I mean, it's absolutely amazing," said Fitzpatrick, who won the title on the same course where amateur Francis Ouimetclaimed his famous U.S. Open victory in a playoff against Harry Vardon and Ted Ray a century ago.

"I can't really describe how I'm feeling at the minute. That's sort of what everyone wants in golf, wants to achieve, and I'm pretty sure Justin Rose said that after his U.S. Open that it's nice to go down in the history books."

 Rose became the first Englishman in 43 years to win the U.S. Open when he won his first major at theMerion Golf Club in June.

 The amateur, who grabbed attention last month when he won the silver medal at the British Open as leading amateur, ended England's wait for a victory in the tournament since Harold Hilton lifted the trophy in 1911.

The win earns Fitzpatrick, who is soon to begin a golf scholarship at Northwestern University in Chicago where former world number one and fellow Briton Luke Donald studied, an exemption into the 2014 U.S. Open provided he remains an amateur.

 He is also exempt from next year's British Open and is likely to receive an invitation to The U.S. Masters at Augusta.

Fitzpatrick led the 19-year-old Goss by one after the morning round but the Australian tied the match on the opening hole of the second when his opponent missed a seven-foot par putt.

The Englishman, who came into the event as the number two ranked amateur in the world, won the next two holes to take the lead for good.

"I'd probably say this week what's come out most is that my short game has just been really, really top drawer," Fitzpatrick said. "I'd say my weakest part of my game was into the greens.

"What's come out more than anything is I've just putted really well." (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by John O'Brien)

Liberty National has face-lift since last Barclays

 

Larry Fine August 20, 2013

By Larry Fine

 JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) - Liberty National burst into prominence as a golf venue with its great looks at New York harbor, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline but it took a face-lift to smooth some rough edges for The Barclays.

 Liberty National, built on reclaimed landfill on the banks of New York harbor, had its high-profile "coming out party" in hosting The Barclays in 2009 but the long, narrow layout designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp was not universally embraced.

Tiger Woods remarked to a player in his pro-am group that "Maybe Tom (Kite) did this course before his eye operation", in ripping some of the severe undulations on the greens.

Kite, who shed his thick-lensed eyeglasses after having Lasik surgery in 1998, fell in love with the project in 1992 and was determined to create with Cupp a world-class venue.

"We probably pushed it a little, but to get to host a tournament of this stature, you want it to stand up to them and be a challenge," Kite told a pair of reporters in a chat by the practice area on Monday.

"When I look back, a couple of greens might have pushed it a little bit."

A total of 74 changes were made to the course, many of a subtle variety involving 15 of the 18 holes.

 "I think it is a very fair golf course," said Cupp, who added that some of the changes were made to comply with PGA Tour wishes. "The tour likes to see the boys making birdies."

Five greens were entirely rebuilt and another six were adjusted. Thirteen landing areas were altered and 11 tee boxes were expanded or moved, among the changes.

Thick rough has been cut back, allowing players to rescue drives that settle before reaching the tangly fescue that lines many of the holes.

The finishing hole is using a back tee box that enabled organizers to move the green forward and open up a dramatic view beyond the 18th green.

 Kite and Cupp worked with Steve Wenzloff, the PGA Tour's vice president in charge of design services and player liaison, on some of the changes needed to ensure the venue's place in the New York-area rotation used for The Barclays.

"It's still a hard golf course, and there's nothing wrong with that," Wenzloff said. "The teeth will still be in it, just the teeth won't sink as deep into your skin."

 (Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

LPGA teen sensation Charley Hull back to work

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August 20, 2013AP - Sports

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Charley Hull returned to work Tuesday, a New York Yankees baseball cap on her head and the British flag on her golf bag.

The 17-year-old made headlines and raised expectations on both sides of the Atlantic with a brilliant performance in the European victory Sunday over the Americans at the Solheim Cup.

But Hull said nothing has changed before she hit the driving range at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club to prepare for the CN Canadian Women's Open.

''I've always aimed high, so I'm not really bothered by anyone's expectations. It's what I think and what I want to do,'' said the golfer from Kettering, England.

The youngest to ever play in the Solheim Cup, Hull racked up an impressive 2-1-0 record and dismantled American Paula Creamer 5 and 4 in Sunday's singles at the event near Denver.

''I didn't feel it (the pressure) as much as I thought I would. I felt like it was just another game of golf, you know,'' Hull said.

''The crowds were really, really big. People can find them intimidating, so I just kind of tried to trick my mind (to shut the crowds out) and go out and play my own game.''

Hull, who turned pro in March, will play in Edmonton as a sponsor exemption. However, she has already received permission from the LPGA to play on tour before she turns 18.

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Europe's Charley Hull, of England, lines up a birdie putt on the 17th hole during four-ball matches  …

She'll participate in the second stage of Q-school in October, and if all goes well she will be on tour starting Jan. 1.

She has already been tearing up the courses on the Ladies European tour, with five runner-up finishes. But she says she wants to tee it up with the best.

''I want to get on the LPGA,'' she said. ''Everything seems bigger. The players are better. It's just playing in front of bigger crowds more, so it's more fun.''

Hull has already made an impression by not standing out. She has not courted sponsors in order to avoid distractions.

Her red and black Titleist golf bag is a monument to minimalism. Aside from her name, there is little to distinguish it - no puppet heads or cutesy club covers.

''That's not me,'' she said.

The only personalized item is a fist-sized stuffed heart hanging on the side, wrapped in the flag of Britain.

Does it have special meaning?

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Europe's Charley Hull, from England, reacts after making a birdie putt on the 17th hole during a fou …

Sort of.

''My friend gave it to me, so I thought rather than just put it in the (rubbish) bin, I'll put in on the golf bag,'' she said.

How about the Yankees hat? Big fan of America's iconic sports franchise?

No, she said, it's just something she picked up in England.

''I wear this hat because it's more comfortable on my head than the other hats. I don't even know what the (NY) symbol means.''

Hull is already known for her plain speaking. Recently she said it's ''silly'' for some golf courses to have male-members-only policies, adding, ''We are all equals and should be treated as such.''

Hull's father, David, said she got some of that from him.

''I've always brought her up to tell the truth and be honest,'' he said. ''I think that's what people should do in life. Say what you see.''

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Europe's Charley Hull, left, from England, is congratulated by teammate Jodi Ewart Shadoff, also fro …

David said he could tell early his daughter was wired for golf.

''When she was 4, she just picked it up. She was so gifted. A natural, the way she could hit a golf ball,'' he said. ''I could show you a video of her swing when she was seven. Her swing was pretty similar (to what it is now).

''She could use her hands. (The club) seemed to be a part of her. It was strange.''

It wasn't in the genes, he added.

''I didn't start playing golf till I was 45. It doesn't come from me.''

He said his daughter practices 6 hours a day, and she thrives on the challenge.

''When she was little they used to say 'Oh, you're a girl, you have to play off the ladies' tees,''' he said.

''She would say, 'I don't want to do that. I'm playing with the boys. I want to challenge them.' So they let her play off the back tees with the boys.''

That's why the LPGA is the next step.

''There's a lot more competition here,'' he said. ''If she wants to get better that's what she wants, so I'll have to come with her until she's 18.

''I'll babysit her,'' he said, laughing.