Players Championship: Martin Kaymer holds on to claim win

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS (US UNLESS STATED)
-13: M Kaymer (Ger) -12: J Furyk -11: S Garcia (Spa) -10: J Spieth, J Rose (Eng) Selected others: -9 L Westwood (Eng), F Molinari (Ita), R McIlroy (N Ire)
Martin Kaymer overcame a weather delay and a nervy finish to clinch a dramatic one-shot victory over Jim Furyk in the Players Championship at Sawgrass.
Kaymer had held a three-shot lead on the 14th when play was suspended for 90 minutes because of a thunderstorm.
The German double bogeyed the 15th but a superb curling 29-foot par putt on the 17th, and par on the last, saw him post a one-under 71 to win on 13 under.
Furyk's closing 66 left him one clear of Sergio Garcia (70) in third.
Analysis
Image of Iain Carter
Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent
"On the last, Kaymer two-putted from off the front of the green to secure his first win since 2012. He has thrust himself back in the European Ryder Cup team picture and is the first player from the continent to win in America this year."

England's Justin Rose shared fourth place with American Jordan Spieth, who had been joint overnight leader going into the final round.
Rose had a two-shot penalty rescinded during the day following a review by the game's governing bodies and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.
Furyk had a par putt on the 18th when play was halted but the American returned to hole out.
The former US Open champion watched on as German Kaymer wobbled before holding on to claim his win in near darkness and become only the fourth European to triumph in the tournament.
"It's always very difficult to come back after a little break, you see the leaderboard, you see where you are," said Kaymer.
"When you are playing the first 14 holes you are in it and just keep going. Then I made a couple of wrong decisions.
"On 15 you give yourself a chance for par, you don't be that aggressive and try to go for it. And then on 16 you have to chip it, it was not the right decision but it was a big putt on 17. It feels like a major win."
Kaymer holed the putt which ensured Europe retained the Ryder Cup in 2012 and is hoping his latest win can help him make the team for this year's staging.
"I'm still a few points behind but I will do everything I can to make the team," he said. "It will be really nice to part of it again - once you've done it once you always want to be there."

Antipolo City — Coming off a big victory at ICTSI Sherwood two weeks ago, Charles Hong goes for higher stakes this time – the Order of Merit lead – as he tries to make two-in-row in the P2 million ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge beginning today at the Valley Golf Club here.

Antonio Lascuña
Antonio Lascuña
Hong moved within P39,000 off OOM leader Antonio Lascuña following his one-shot triumph at ICTSI Sherwood where he rallied from behind to beat young Micah Shin and pocket a whopping P650,000 purse in one of the four P3 million events lined up in this year’s circuit sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
But Lascuna, still in the OOM lead with P885,000 in winnings, is back after a three-leg stint on the Asian Tour, raring to nail his first win after a runner-up and top four finishes at ICTSI Splendido and John Hay with a confidence boosted by his joint 11th place finish at The Championship in Singapore last Sunday where he won P1 million.

“I’m in good shape, my ball-striking and iron game are quite okay but I still need to polish my putting which could spell the difference here,” said Lascuna after yesterday’s pro-am tournament. “But it will be tough with so many good players in the field.”

Lascuna hopes to come out strong in an early flight at 7:30 a.m. on No. 10 in the company of Jhonnel Ababa and Canadian Rick Gibson while Hong drew a late tee-time of 11:10 a.m., also on No. 10, with Anthony Fernando and Miguel Tabuena, who is also coming off the Asian Tour campaign.

Jay Bayron, winner at Splendido, also goes for a second leg win in the 11:30 a.m. group on No. 1 with Ferdie Aunzo and Zanie Boy Gialon, while Jun Rates, who ruled the John Hay leg, is paired with long hitting Rey Pagunsan and Clyde Mondilla in the 11:10 a.m. flight on No. 1.

Mondilla, one of the country’s rising stars, served notice of his title bid by winning the pro-am tournament, teaming up with Bernie Gatapia, Joaqs Tolentino and Cecil Esguerra for a 10-under 132 to foil Lascuna, Rey Raquel, Jun Lucas and Edgar Quiao in the

Elmer Salvador, along with JB Borromeo, Mike Liamzon and Rudy Panaguiton, placed third with a 136.
Rufino Bayron, who won here as an amateur in late 2008, is also tipped to contend for the top P360,000 purse in this fifth leg of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Nike Golf, KZG, Titleist, Cleveland, Pacsports, Srixon, Callaway, Sharp and FootJoy.
Custom Clubmakers, the pioneer and the only certified professional clubmakers in the country, is also offering P50,000 for the Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

Shin, meanwhile, hopes to come out of his Sherwood foldup a tougher player as he slugs it out with veteran campaigners Salvador and Mars Pucay in the 7:30 a.m. flight on No. 1 while Cassius Casas, winner of this year’s The Country Club Invitational, drew Dante Becierra and Rufino Bayron in the 11:20 a.m. flight on No. 1.
Also fancied to crowd the favorites is Valley pro Benjie Magada along with Dutch Guido Van Der Valk and Koreans Kim Chang Hoi, Park Jun Song and Nam Ji Soo.

We'd vote for these six trailblazers for the World Golf Hall of Fame -- if we still had a ballot!
Golf.com Staff
By Golf.com Staff,
Follow Golf.com on Twitter.
Published: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 | 01:56:14 PM    
 

Eddie Lowery, Francis Ouimet
COURTESY OF THE USGA ARCHIVES
Lowery was on the bag for Ouimet's historic Open win, but that was only the beginning of a fabulous career in golf.

Eddie Lowery

That massive edifice in St. Augustine, Fla., is not called the Hall of Tournament Winners or the Hall of Contributors to the Sport. It is the Hall of Fame, and the most celebrated, important and, yes, famous moment in golf history is the 1913 U.S. Open. Francis Ouimet, a slender 20-year-old caddie from the wrong side of the tracks, hit all the shots to beat Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff, but what gave the event so much romance was Ouimet's pint-sized caddie, Eddie Lowery. He was only 10, and the picture of Lowery and Ouimet marching side by side at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass., is what brought the victory so much fame. In recent years the Hall has welcomed bureaucrats, writers and course designers, but still no caddies. Given his prominent role in history, Lowery deserves to be the first.

His candidacy is strengthened by the remarkable golfing life that followed Brookline. Lowery was an accomplished player who won the 1919 Massachusetts junior championship and later the state amateur. He never finished high school, but he became a self-made millionaire who would take membership in America's greatest golf clubs, including Cypress Point, San Francisco, Augusta National and Seminole. He became a fixture at the Crosby Clambake, winning the pro-am portion alongside Byron Nelson in 1955. Lowery served on the USGA executive committee, working tirelessly to improve the science of turf management. He also chaired the 1956 U.S. Public Links Championship and served as president of the Northern California Golf Association and later the International Seniors Amateur Golf Society.

Lowery delighted in giving back to the game that gave him so much, sponsoring numerous young players, notably Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. In 1956 he brought them together at Cypress to play the Match versus Nelson and Ben Hogan. As a bit of folklore, it's one of the few moments in golf history that can approach the 1913 U.S. Open. For his myriad contributions, Lowery came to be known simply as Mr. Golf. It's time for this sport's Hall of Fame to recognize one of the most fascinating characters from its past.

—Alan Shipnuck

Read more: http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/world-golf-hall-fame-should-induct-eddie-lowery-tony-lema-and-ian-woosnam#ixzz30zlRnFet

Cyna reigns by five in ICTSI Orchard golf

(The Philippine Star) | Updated May 1, 2014 - 12:00am

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite, Philippines - – Cyna Rodriguez fended off Chihiro Ikeda’s early charge with clutch pars and a birdie then cruised to a five-shot romp over Jayvie Agojo on a closing one-under 71 in the P500,000 ICTSI Orchard Golf Ladies Classic at Orchard’s Player Course here yesterday.

Rodriguez shook off a scrambling start then hit a 10-footer for birdie on No. 8 to pad her overnight four-shot lead to five at the turn then finished off her rivals with routine pars to complete a dominant start on this year’s ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

“When Chihiro birdied No. 1, I thought she would make a run (at the title). But she dropped a shot on the next and that calmed me in the next 16 holes,” said Rodriguez, who totaled a four-under 212, including a 69 in the second round that put her four ahead of Ikeda heading to the final round of the 54-hole tournament sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“It was a very good week overall. There were misses and near-misses but I am happy to come out on top,” said Rodriguez, who ruled the Eagle Ridge and Wack Wack legs in last year’s inaugurals of the country’s first-ever ladies pro tour organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Ikeda birdied the opening hole to close in, only to yield the stroke on the next. She rolled in a six-footer for birdie on the fourth but bogeyed the seventh to fall farther back by five at the turn, flubbing a couple of birdie putts from close range.

“I was actually hitting it good but I just couldn’t make the putts that I normally make,” said Ikeda, who three-putted No. 10 for a double-bogey and dropped two strokes after an errant drive on No. 17 for a 75. “Those double-bogeys were killers.”

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Those mishaps also enabled Agojo to snatch runner-up honors at 217 after the former Philippine Ladies Open champion shot the day’s best two-under 70 in another challenging day at the par-72 layout, dropping Ikeda to third at 220.

Agojo, who fell behind by six with an awful 77 Tuesday, gunned down four birdies against two bogeys after 13 holes but missed a couple of birdie putts coming home.

“My putting was terrible. I missed around four easy 3-4-footers,” said Agojo. “Everything was good except putting and knowing Cyna, she played well enough since she knew she was in the lead.”

Amateur Daniella Uy fumbled with a 75 after two 73s but still ran away with the low amateur honors with a 221 while finishing fourth overall, ahead of veteran Anya Tanpinco, who had a 222 after a 75, in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports , Custom Clubmakers and Sharp.

Lovelynn Guioguio blew a superb 33 card at the front with four bogeys and a double-bogey in a birdie-less backside stint for a 75 for sixth at 230 while Sarah Ababa wound up seventh at 231 after a 74 and amateur LK Go placed eighth at 234 after a 77.