Australian Senior Golfer

BUBBA WATSON has a slim lead but Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day are just a shot back after the third round of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC Boston.

Strong winds made it difficult for all competitors and led to a traffic jam at the head of the leaderboard of what is the second FedEx Cup Playoff event.

Watson fired a 1-under 70 to finish at 11-under, a shot ahead of Day (67), Scott (71), and Americans Brendan Steele (67), Chez Revie (68), and John Kelly (68).

In a very bunched field another five players were on 9-under including Luke Donald (68) and Charl Schwartzel (72), with a group  of seven on 8-under, including a resurgent Geoff Ogilvy who was clawing his way onto the Presidents Cup team with rounds of 69, 70 and 66.

John Senden (67) was on 7-under, Greg Chalmers (71) on 5-under, Marc Leishman (66) 4-under and Robert Allenby (69) on 2-under.

Even Phil Mickelson who started the round 11 shots behind the lead  now finds himself only four back on 7-under after a sizzling 63.

“Anybody has a chance,” Watson said.

The tournament is traditionally held a day later than usual because of the Labour Day holiday in the US, giving it a Tuesday morning finish Australian time.

Scott was feeling confident about his chances at a tournament he won in 2003 but said the strong winds and firm greens had made things difficult.

“I think the wind certainly strengthened while I was on the range. It wasn’t that easy to get it close to the hole on a lot of holes, so I didn’t feel like there were that many great opportunities out there. I kind of plodded my way around. I played really well, but nothing really happened for me today,” he said.

Ogilvy had a great start and acknowledged he was fighting to stay in contention in the playoffs and force a Presidents Cup spot.

“Yeah, it was pretty good. It could have been better probably. When you’re 3-under after 4 you kind of feel like you have a chance at a really low one. I needed to have something under par today to give myself a chance to have a decent finish here. [….]. I’m going to need a low one tomorrow,” he said.

“[…] I’d like to have a good enough one to guarantee Atlanta, guarantee Presidents Cup, win the tournament. I just want to keep playing. If I have a half decent round tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll get to Chicago. Then I’ve got to find some way to have four decent rounds around there. Just trying to play well.”

Scott wins first world title

Showing his new found flair with the broomstick putter and with the obvious urgings of his new caddie Steve Williams, Scott shot a five-under par 65 to beat the world class field by four strokes.

Scott said he was “stoked” with the win and with the patience he had displayed during what was a bogey free round.

“To win here at a world golf championship, it’s huge,” the 31 year old said. “I’ve been enjoying coming here for a few years but to finally win on this track is great.”

Scott finished on 17 under, the lowest score at the championship since 2000. It was his eight PGA Tour win and his first world title.

In second place on 13-under after firing joint 66’s were young American Rickie Fowler and current world No.1 Luke Donald, who emerged with a late run.

Ryo Ishikawa and Jason Day had earlier seemed the major threats but both fell away. Their 69’s saw them tied for fourth.

Day was hitting the ball well but just couldn’t sink a putt. The 23 year old was full of praise for his elder rival.

“Yeah, I walked on the range this morning, and he [Scott] looked confident. He looked — I knew he was going to be tough to beat today, and he was hitting it great on the range, too. I hear that he didn’t make a bogey, which is phenomenal out there in the last round of a very big event. So you know, he deserves it, definitely.”

Unusually, Scott’s caddie Steve Williams was interviewed by the American television network straight after the win and really put the cat among the pigeons by saying “it was my best win ever” and “the greatest week of my caddying in my life.”

Strong sentiments, especially since the Kiwi had accompanied the winner of the event on seven previous occasions – not to mention the 13 majors and nine other world championship wins. But that was with another golfer, one Williams is obviously not looking at too favourably at present.

Scott on the other hand was more than happy with his new pairing. Asked about Williams’ influence on his win, Scott said: “Around this place are you kidding me. He knows this place better than anyone.”

Scott and Day should now be full of confidence when they head this week to the year’s final major, the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta.

Also buoyed will be Aaron Baddeley, who hit a final round 65 to be the next best Australian at eight-under in a tie for 11th.

Geoff Ogilvy (67) and Richard Green (70) finished at 1-over while Robert Allenby (70) was 3-over.

Stuart Appleby’s final round of 72 was his best of a  tournament he will be hoping to quickly forget.

Adam Scott 2011 WGC Bridgestone Media Conference (18 Minutes)

Scott leads in Ohio

ADAM Scott and Jason Day have snatched first and second spots after the opening round of the 2011 World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

Out early, Day fired a sensational bogey–free 7-under par 63 to lead the field by three strokes for much of the day.

That was till Scott came up with an even better performance in the afternoon to overtake his younger rival in his closing stages to finish with an 8-under 62.

The nearest challenger, in what is essentially an invitational tournament featuring many of the world’s best golfers, was American Nick Watney with a 5-under 65, three behind Scott.

The opening day of the tournament, at the Firestone Country Club in

Akron, Ohio, also saw the return to golf of Tiger Woods – not a bad first outing that featured his first birdie in four months (since the US Masters).

Scott put on a great show, displaying his new found talent with the long putter, his usual faultless swing and crisp ball striking, and what looks to be a growing success with his new caddie Steve Williams.

“I’ve said a couple times already about Steve, I think he really understands how to manage a game well around the golf course. That was one of the first things that was really obvious to me,” Scott said.

Scott said he was very happy with his game and had been surprised but unperturbed to see Day’s score before he hit off.

“I was surprised. I actually saw that when I got on the first tee because there was a leaderboard right there, and I thought 7 under was pretty low. But you know, there were so many other good scores. I knew if I could play well and get that putter going today, there was a good score out there for me.”

Day played with Phil Mickelson for the first time in front of a huge gallery and stamped his mark on the tournament immediately by putting his opening tee shot on the par three tenth a metre from the hole

“I hit driver well and hit a lot of good quality iron shots into the greens,” the new world No.8 said, commenting that he was playing “boring “ golf to score well.

“I didn’t stomp it all day, but I hit it to a good 15 to 20 feet all day. My putter was good all day. I hit a lot of good quality putts and felt it was a boring kind of a game.

“It was down the middle, on the green, and every two or three holes was a birdie which was nice.

“But I’ll take a boring seven-under all the time.”

Woods, bound for the 2011 Australian Open in Sydney this year, looked to be playing with much improved tempo an rhythm and to have some of his old mojo with the putter back.

“The amount of progress I made in my golf swing,” he said after finishing with a 2-under 68. “The amount of compression I had in the golf ball, the shots I was hitting. I was hitting proper shots out there, and the distances I was hitting the golf ball. I hadn’t hit the ball like this. This was fun, to be able to hit the ball with that much flush feeling through the golf ball and speed I had. It was pretty nice.”

Of the other Australians, Geoff Ogilvy and Aaron Baddeley are still well in the mix after posting solid two-under-par 68s.

Richard Green had an up and down round with six birdies countered by five bogeys for a 1-under 69 while Robert Allenby carded an even-par 70.

Stuart Appleby’s struggles continued with a three-over 73 leaving him tied 64th in the 76 player field.

2011 WGC Bridgestone Invitational Leaderboard and TV Times

The 2011 WGC Bridgestone Invitational is being broadcast in Australia on ONE HD on the Ten Network.

1st Round Friday 4am to 8am; 2nd Round Saturday 4am to 8am; 3rd Round Sunday 2am to 8am; Final Round Monday 2am to 3.30am; 4am to 8am.

Scott won't be defending his Singapore Open title

ADAM SCOTT is the latest to sign on the 2011 Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club after abandoning his defence of his Singapore Open title.

Scott will join recent signings Tiger Woods and Jason Day in what is truly shaping as a blockbuster event.

Already committed to the Open are defending champion Geoff Ogilvy, Presidents Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples and the American duo Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson.

There were fears Scott, the 2009 champion, would miss the event because of the calendar clash with Singapore but the Open/Presidents Cup fortnight lure has proven to great.

“It was a tough one for me, as Barclays and the Singapore Open have been big supporters of mine but the Australian Open is really tough to pass up and I am going to be playing in Sydney,” Scott said.

“I think it’s the right move for me and I really want to get down there and win the Australian Open again. “If I win the Australian Open, I’ll be very happy going into the Presidents Cup.

Scott is in Ohio preparing for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational along with six other Aussies, including his 2011 US Masters joint runner-up Jason Day.

Jason Day wants a piece of the action

Day was already lobbying to be paired with Woods in Sydney.

“I’d really love to be paired with Tiger,” Day said in Ohio. “I have met him a few times but never been paired with him and I think it would really bring out the best in my golf.

“It’s great for Australian golf to have Tiger and the other big names playing in the Aussie Open. It’s going to be awesome and a real thrill to play in front of big crowds. Hopefully it’s a shot in the arm for the game in Australia as well.”

That was said by the now very self-assured 23 year old who currently sits as the world No. 8 while Woods has dropped to 28th.

Many remembered what Day said as a very cocky 19 year old in 2007 fresh from winning the US Nationwide Tour.

“I’m sure I can take him (Tiger) down. My goal is to be the No.1 golfer in the world and I want to chase Tiger. I want to measure myself against Tiger Woods. I just want to work really hard and take him down.”

Of course in the meantime Woods’ personal life dramas and latterly injury concerns have seem him fall dramatically from his former lofty status, but there is no doubt he will still be a huge drawcard in Sydney.

Hopefully for everyone, he will be injury free and back in good golfing form.

In Ohio, Woods was talking up his enthusiasm in vying for the Stonehaven Cup.

”I’d love to get my name on the trophy. The feel of it with the history and the champions list is pretty remarkable, really.”

So would Day.

“Obviously because of my early career comments (about Woods) I’m sure there will be a bit of talk about it but it will still be great fun,” Day said.

“I said I want to be the best in the world back then and nothing has changed, I still want to be.”

“As for the Australian Open – I really want my name on that trophy. I still want to be the best golfer to come out of Australia and I feel to do that you need to have your name on the Stonehaven Cup and some other Australian titles.

“I think people will expect me to win or do well and that might add some pressure but I certainly want to give myself the best chance to win it.”

Defending champion Ogilvy has also welcomed Woods’ to the event.

“It’s exciting. The Australian Open is our biggest tournament and he adds a touch of something to the field that anyone else can’t do,” Ogilvy.

“This will be the best field the Australian Open has seen in years and the best one I have ever played in.

“We have eight guys in the top 100 in the world, so we should have a prestigious event like this – we have the level of players to support three or four big tournaments on the world stage.”

The Australian Open will be staged from November 10 to 13.

Woods shows long time caddie Steve Williams the door

KIWI caddie Steve Williams will now work fulltime with Australia’s Adam Scott after being axed by Tiger Woods.

Williams is not that happy about being sacked by Woods after 13 years of service, particularly after having stuck by him during his recent personal and injury problems.

However, the 47 year old said he was excited to be working with another Australian after starting his career with greats Peter Thomson and Greg Norman.

Williams has worked for Scott recently, carrying his bag at the US Open and British Open and that relationship will now be “permanent”.

The news comes as quite a shock to the golfing world as it means the end of one of the sport’s most successful partnerships.

Since his public “demise”, Woods as made wholesale changes in his personal life, his coach, his swing and elsewhere and now his loyal caddie is included.

Williams was Woods ever present sidekick for 13 of his 14 major victories and 63 of his 71 PGA Tour titles, earning an estimated $US4.73 million from tournament wins alone (at 5 percent of the prize money).

Williams reacted to the news with what was reported as “thinly-veiled fury”.

“I am no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change,” Williams said. “After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock. Given the circumstances of the past 18 months working through Tiger’s scandal, a new coach and with it a major swing change and Tiger battling through injuries I am very disappointed to end our very successful partnership at this time.”

The upside will be for Scott, a golfer who of late has gained increasing confidence since turning to the broomstick putter and whose quest for his first Major can only be advanced by having the experience of Williams permanently by his side.

“I have had the opportunity to work of late for Australian Adam Scott and will now caddy for him on a permanent basis,” Williams said.

“Having started my caddying career with Australian great Peter Thomson and working for Greg Norman in the ’80s I am excited about the future working for another Australian.”

Woods confirmed the decision on his website, saying: “”I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stevie for all his help, but I think it’s time for a change. Stevie is an outstanding caddie and a friend and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments. I wish him great success in the future.”

The short announcement published Wednesday in the US concluded that:  “Presently, a replacement has not been named. Woods continues to rest and rehabilitate his left leg. No decision has been made when he will return to competition on the PGA Tour. “

AMERICAN Nick Watney has won the AT&T National golf championship with Aussie golfers Adam Scott and Robert Allenby tied for third and sixth respectively.

Watney shot a final round 66 for a very impressive 13-under to take his second PGA Tour title for the year.

K.J. Choi was runner up two shots behind with a closing 67.

Scott had shared the lead with his opening round 66 but a mediocre second round 71 put him behind the eight ball.

He closed with rounds of 66 and 68 and should be happy with his overall form leading up to the British Open in a couple of weeks.

Allenby too showed signs of good touch, opening with a 71 but improving as the tournament progressed with rounds of 68, 68 and 65.

Green off the pace at French Open

At the French Open at Le Golf National second round co-leader Richard Green fell by the wayside with a final round 75 putting him in a tie for 11^th.

The French fans were delirious with local countryman Thomas Levet firing a final round 70 to pull off an upset win.

Levet’s seven-under par total of 277 left him one stroke clear of Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark and Mark Foster of England.

It was 42-year-old Levet’s fifth European Tour title and his first since he took the 2009 Spanish Open.

ADAM  SCOTT has equalled his best PGA Tour round of the year to share the lead after the first round of the AT&T National golf championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.

Seeking his eighth tour win, Scott shot a four-under-par 66 to be joint leader with American Hunter Haas.

“I think the key to my round was hitting a lot of fairways, which gave me an opportunity to hit the greens. The few fairways that I did miss, I didn’t get into too much trouble. It was kind of a stress-free round, which is a nice way to start,” the 30 year old said.

The leaders have a one stroke advantage over Americans Dean Wilson, Joe Ogilvie and Kyle Stanley and Venezuela’s Jhonattan.

The next best placed Australians were Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby who are five shots off the lead at 1-over par.

2011 AT&T National Live Leaderboard

Green shares French Open lead

Aussie golfer Richard Green shot a six-under 65 at Le Golf National overnight to grab a share of the French Open first round lead with former winner Graeme Storm of England.

Green raced away to seven-under through 14 holes but a bogey on the 17th cost him the outright lead.

“I like the layout of the golf course very much,” said Green, who has had a couple of second place finishes in the past on this course.

“I like the way it plays bouncy. I tend to sort of mentally like difficult golf holes and I think I focus a little bit harder for that very reason. This golf course offers a lot of difficult golf holes.”

2011 French Open Leaderboard

Scott will again use Williams as caddy

JUST two weeks out from the 2011 British Open some of Australia’s top golfers will be using the AT&T National in Pennsylvania this week to get their games back on track.

Twelve Aussie goflers will line up for the US PGA Tour event including Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby, Michael Sim, Marc Leishman, Steven Bowditch, Matt Jones, Greg Chalmers, Nick O’Hern, Stuart Appleby, Rod Pampling and Steve Elkington.

Scott will once again be using Tiger Woods caddy Steve Williams on his bag and with the American former world No.1 likely to miss the Open due to his ongoing injuries the pairing may be rehearsing for a joint showing at Royal St George’s from July 10.

Ogilvy and Allenby are two Open contenders who in particular have had disrupted schedules of late.

Ogilvy usually skips the AT&T but has already missed big chunks of the year firstly with a cut finger then of late with a shoulder strain.

“I’ve effectively had an off-season between the Masters and the US Open so I just need to get my schedule a little more fluid,” Ogilvy said this week.

“Generally I take this time off but the injury has changed things for me. Getting another tournament under my belt on a tough and good golf course will hopefully get me a little closer to real form in the lead up to the quality events to come.”

Allenby has been going through off-course personal issues and is not only looking to an improved showing in the coming two majors but also wants to shore up a spot in Greg Norman’s Presidents Cup team.

“I don’t want to be relying on a captain’s pick,” he said.

“I’m feeling a lot better after having a week at home and sorting some things out. I’m looking forward to playing some really good golf over the next two months to be sure I’m in the team. It’s a main goal of mine definitely.”

The 2011 AT&T National Golf Championship will be played at the Aronimink Golf Club and will be televised live in Australia on Fox Sports.

Live TV Times:

Ist Round : Friday 5 – 8am; 2^nd Round: Saturday 5 – 8am; 3^rd Round: Sunday 3 – 4.30am,  5 – 8am; Final Round: Monday 3 – 4.30am, 5 – 8 am.

Other Fox Sports live and delayed telecast golf this week include the Open De France from  the European PGA Tour and the US Champions Tour event in Montreal.

2011 AT&T National Live Leaderboard

DEFENDING champion Adam Scott is just one stroke off the leaders after the first round of the 2011 Valero Texas Open.

Coming off his runner-up finish at the Masters Scott shot a four-under 68 behind joint leaders J.J. Henry and former British Open Champion Stewart Cink.

Scott was tied for third along with Charley Hoffman, Jhonattan Vegas, Vaughn Taylor and Kevin Chappell.

Geoff Ogilvy was on three-under tied for 8th, followed by fellow Aussies Aron Price (70), John Senden and Michael Sim on one-under and Steve Elkington even.

The day’s spotlight was unfortunately on Kevin Na who almost set a PGA Tour record with a 16 on the par-4 ninth.

Na, who finished 4-under on the other 17 holes, watched his first shot on the 9th veer badly off course. The next wasn’t any better and it just got worse.

“I got done with the hole and I said (to my caddie), ‘I think I made somewhere between a 10 and a 15,” Na said. “But I think it’s close to a 15.” The final count was 16, not quite enough to beat John Daly, who had an 18 on the par-5 sixth hole at Bay Hill in 1998.

Ogilvy and Scott were in the group following Na and watched the whole sorry saga unfold.

“There’s some rocks in there and some pretty nasty stuff,” Ogilvy said of the 474-yard ninth. “You don’t have to do a whole lot wrong to have three or four attempts to try and get it out. It becomes a comedy of errors sometimes.”

Australian Television Times

The 2011 Valero Texas Open is being telecast on Fox Sports:

Saturday 2nd Round 5am to 8am

Sunday 3rd Round 5am to 8am

Monday 4th Round 5am to 8am

2011 Valero Texas Open Leaderboard  

FRESH from his US Masters performance Adam Scott has moved to San Antonio for this week’s 2011 Valero Texas Open, where he is defending champion.

Scott should be chock full of confidence following his T2 with Jason Day at Augusta and his new-found expertise with the long putter.

Added to that Scott has won four of his seven tour victories in Texas and he’s entitled to be a raging favourite.

Maybe the only negative will be getting over the almost-won-it Major blues.

“It’s certainly a big let down I think mentally or emotionally after any major, whether you’re in the mix or not,” Scott said in Texas today.

“It certainly does take a lot out of you, it’s not just the tournament week but it’s the weeks before, a lot of practice and the weeks leading up to it. So … it was important for me to have a couple days where I did not much and it was nice to be at a nice resort here to do that.

“Hopefully (I can) get back in the swing of it today in the pro-am and, you know, hit a few balls and recalibrate and ready to go for tomorrow.”

Scott won the title by one shot over Fredrik Jacobson last year on the Greg Norman designed TPC San Antonio.

Fellow Masters runner-up Jason Day won’t be playing but other Australians shooting for the title include Geoff Ogilvy, Marc Leishman, Steve Elkington, John Senden, Michael Sim, Steven Bowditch, Jarrod Lyle, Matt Jones, Nathan Green, Nick O’Hern and Aron Price.

Australian Television Times

The 2011 Valero Texas Open will be telecast on Fox Sports:

Friday 1st Round 5am to 8am

Saturday 2nd Round 5am to 8am

Sunday 3rd Round 5am to 8am

Monday 4th Round 5am to 8am

2011 Valero Texas Open Leaderboard