Australian Senior Golfer

AUSTRALIA’S golfing heart has once again been broken at the US Masters.

South African Charl Schwartzel snatched the title an Australian has never won with four straight birdies coming home to take the 2011 championship with a final round 66 early today.

Just minutes before, Adam Scott and Jason Day had stood on the 18th congratulating each other as joint clubhouse leaders on 12 under.

Watching them walk up to the 18th and briefly shake hands after both had played exceptional rounds warmed the heart.

There was more pride as 23 year old Day sank a tough downhill putt for birdie to tie Scott on 12 under but there was also a knowing that Scott really needed to sink his birdie putt to have a chance.

When that didn’t happen Schwartzel just needed par to win and his birdie was a fitting climax to a round that began with a chip in birdie on the first and an eagle from the fairway on the second.

He obviously had the momentum and sometimes you just can’t buck history.

50th anniversary of Gary Player victory

The 26 year old ended up donning the green jacket on the 50th anniversary of compatriot Gary Player becoming the first international player (and first South African)to win the Masters.

The final round leader board was acknowledged as one of the most turbulent in the event’s history after four-stroke overnight leader Rory McIlroy imploded on the back to leave the field wide open.

There were at times 10 golfers jockeying to win and twice coming home there were five golfers sharing the lead.

On the second occasion that included three Aussies, Scott, Day and Geoff Ogilvy (67), who posted six straight birdies from the 11th hole on.

Scott took the outright lead on the 14th and was briefly two strokes in front before Schwartzel and then Day rounded him up.

Scott and his broom stick putter were just amazing but the 30 year old Queenlander probably lost the tournament with a wayward second shot from the middle of the fairway on the 17th. He scrambled and made a clutch putt for par but it ruined a great opportunity to get a couple of strokes on Swartzel.

Scott’s putting a revelation

Scott finished with a 67, his second in succession, to be two behind the winner, but if that success with the big putter continues he has a formidable future ahead.

“To be right in the mix is everything I’ve dreamed of. It just didn’t pan out,” Scott said. I’ve got to be pretty proud of the way I played over the weekend. Obviously I can’t control Charl.

“When you birdie the last four holes at the Masters when you’re around the lead, that usually wins. I’m disappointed I didn’t win when I held the lead with a few holes to go. It’s exciting to be in the mix at a major, something I haven’t been able to talk about before.

“It would have made the Masters exciting for [Australian golf fans] to have three guys contending on the back nine on Sunday. It’s been a while.”

Day happy

His playing partner Day (68) had a magnificent first appearance at the Masters and after being joint leader on a number of occasions and losing that spot, held his nerve in a way that his playing partner of the first three rounds – McIlroy, didn’t.

“I couldn’t do any more than what I did today. Adam and I played wonderful golf and Charl played even better golf,” Day said.

“I’ve known Adam since I was 15. We’ve been good mates since then. We had a lot of fun today. “It was really really good to be in the hunt for the Masters.”

McIlroy still held a one-shot lead when he teed off at the 10th but a triple bogey began the decline.

He collapsed to finish with an 80 and equal 15th but for a 21 year old showed remarkable maturity afterwards to acknowledge it was a steep learning experience that will stand him in great stead in the future.

A learning experience for McIlroy  

Tiger Woods also made a big charge and looked ominous with an eagle on the 8th but missed another short putt for eagle on the 15th and remained on 10 under for the rest of the day.

All in all, it was a heart in mouth finish for Australian spectators and despite the ultimate heartache they can take much from the fact that golf down under is in a very good place.

WIN or lose, Jason Day and Adam Scott will share their experience of the 2011 US Masters final round at Augusta National early Monday.

The two Australian golfers will hit off together in the third last group and both need to do something special, and have leader Rory McIlroy help their cause, if either is to become the first from this country to win a Masters green jacket.

Day has shown composure far beyond his 23 years so far in the tournament and his even par 72 in the third round sees him four behind McIlroy, who finished on 12-under.

Day is tied in second place with Argentine Angel Cabrera (67), South African Charl Schwartzel (68) and Korean K.J. Choi (71), all on eight-under.

“I didn’t know I was leading until I walked down (hole) six and saw my name on the leaderboard,” Day said. “It was very short-lived. I didn’t play myself out of the tournament. I could have played better but I’m very happy with where I am.

“I felt pretty good, had a good warm up and came out of the gates firing. There were a few mental errors and I didn’t hole the putts that I did yesterday but I didn’t feel like I played too differently. I made a few disappointing choices.”

Scott and his new broomstick putter roared into contention with a five-under par 67 that matched the lowest round of the day while Day briefly took the lead with a hat-trick of birdies after the fifth hole.

“I struggled for my rhythm the first couple of days but today on the range it fell into place,” Scott said. “I got off to a good start, which is something I seem to struggle with here.

“To get a couple of birdies in early and then keep the momentum going into the back nine was nice and certainly what I needed to do.”

Geoff Ogilvy is the other Australian in the top ten after a one-over 73 saw him tied for 9th along with Tiger Woods (74), Fred Couples (72), Bubba Watson (67) and Ross Fisher (71).

Ogilvy will play in the sixth last group with Couples and with seven strokes to make up on the leader either will need something approaching a miracle to win. But in golf, particularly at Augusta National, such things sometimes happen.

If it can’t be an Aussie, it would be hard not to cheer for 21 year old McIlroy to take his first title and be the youngest Masters Champions since Tiger Woods in 1997.

Jason Day knows it is going to be hard to beat the Northern Irishman.

“Rory, the way he’s hitting the ball, he can shoot a couple under-par I think and probably win,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure on us to make some birdies early and put some pressure on him.”

Australian television coverage on Ten an One HD starts at 4am AEST.

2011 US Masters Leaderboard

JASON Day has set the second round of the 2011 US Masters alight with a sizzling eight under 64 to put him just two short of current leader Rory McIlroy, who sits on 10-under for the tournament.

The 23 year old Australian fired three birdies on the front and five on the back to be just one shy of the course record. He had the best ever second round by a debutante.

Twenty one year old McIlroy had a 69 to go with his first round 65 and became the youngest leader after two rounds since Tiger Woods in 1997. Perhaps as an encouraging omen for the young Northern Irishman, Woods went on to take his first of a series of green jackets that year.

Geoff Ogilvy hit his second successive 69 to be at 6-under, tied with big hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros just four behind McIlroy.

Perhaps the other big storyline was Woods, who hit a 66 to be 7-under tied with K.J. Choy.

In days of yore that would have been just Woods changing from second to third year in anticipation of getting it into top somewhere on the weekend and streeting the field.

But it remains to be seen if the round was just a flash in the pan, as he has done for one round on occasions in recent times, or a big shift in his momentum back to the top. Even though he has currently slipped to be ranked 7th in the world a win here would put him back at No.1, a position Phil Mickelson is unlikely to occupy come Monday unless there is a huge shift in his fortunes.

Fifty one year old Fred Couples was another big improver today with a 68 moving him up to 5-under. He is tied for 7th along with Rickie Fowler (69), Ricky Barnes ( 71) and Y E Yang (72).

Adam Scott carded a 70 to be at 2-under while Aaron Baddeley just scraped into the weekend on the cut line of plus one. Robert Allenby just missed out with a bogey on the last and Stuart Appleby finished 3 over.

At Couples’ end of the age range people are starting to look forward to being able to shoot their age.

Today the young guns playing together, McIlroy, Day and Barnes (aged 22) combined to shoot their mean age under handcap.

McIlroy and Day will now play in the final group in the third round – telecast live in Australia from 5.30 Sunday morning (AEST). An event not to be missed.

2011 US Masters Leaderboard

NORTHERN Irishman Rory McIlroy and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros sit on seven-under and lead the 2011 US Masters by two strokes after the first round at Augusta National.

Geoff Ogilvy carded a 69 and is the best of the Australians. He trails the joint leaders by four strokes.

McIlroy, 21, is the youngest first-round leader in the tournament’s history and broke a record set by the then 23-year-old Seve Ballesteros in 1980. Ballesteros went on to win the green jacket.

“I would take 65 all day long, but it could have been lower,” McIlroy said, referring to a missed birdie chance at the last and an eagle attempt on the 15th that went agonisingly close, amongst other opportunities.

“I feel very comfortable with my game and it was nice to see a few putts drop in and hopefully I can build on it.”

It was the young Ulsterman’s best round to date at Augusta by five shots and the best opening round since Greg Norman’s course record of 63 in 1996.

Quiros had the crowd in awe with 340 yard drives and a sizzling back nine.

The 65 by the joint leaders put them two clear of South Koreans Yang Yong-Eun and K.J. Choi and three strokes clear of the first Americans on the leaderboard, Matt Kuchar and Ricky Barnes.

England’s Ross Fisher, Americans Brandt Snedeker and Gary Woodland, Spain’s Sergio Garcia, South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Trevor Immelman, were a further shot back with Ogilvy.

“I’m pretty happy with the way I played,” Ogilvy said. “If I’d had a crazy putting day I could have gone pretty low but it was a pretty fair score.

“I haven’t been lucky enough to play this course in weather like this very often. The pins aren’t savage, the weather’s perfect.

“I shot 70 in the first round the first time I played here, which was very satisfying, but I like how I played today.

“Obviously there are a few guys who had a few lower but three more (69s) and I’ll probably be looking semi decent.”

Adam Scott started with a disastrous double bogey on the first but with his new broomstick putter working reasonably well fought back to finish on even, along with Aussie debutante Jason Day.

“I wasn’t super sharp with anything, not quite in my rhythm but I haven’t shot myself in the foot,” Scott said.

“For me here over the years, two-over through six (holes) is about even, so it would be really nice to get off to a good start one of these days.

“I was in poor shape from the get-go. It was just a bit of a grind. I’m certainly going to need to play some good golf from here on, but you don’t win it today, although you can certainly lose it.”

Pre-tournament favourite Aaron Baddeley was very disappointed with his driving and finished with a 75 along with Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby, who is battling a back injury.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson had a not unusual wayward driving day but at least led the television cameras into some interesting parts of the course and some attractive garden areas.

In his usual manner he scrambled well and didn’t post a bogey till the last. He finished at two-under still well in the hunt for his fourth gold jacket.

“I scrambled well to stay in (the tournament), but I also let four or five birdie opportunities slide,” Mickelson said.

Searching for his 15th Major and first win in 18 months, Tiger Woods posted a reasonable 71 and was happy with his putting, just one area of his game that has been a shadow of his former self.

“I hit beautiful putts all day – couple of bad ones, but the round should have been 68 or 69,” Woods said.

World No.1 Martin Kaymer had something of a shocker and struggled to a 78 while Ireland’s three-time major winner Padraig Harrington had a disappointing 77. World No.2 Lee Westwood had an even par 72.

2011 US Masters Live Leaderboard

PHIL MICKELSON can not only claim his fourth green jacket at the 2011 US Masters come Sunday but the win would also see him realise his long held dream of being World No.1.

Mickelson will tee off at Augusta National early Friday Australian time for the first time a clear favourite over his arch nemesis Tiger Woods.

But the world rankings list is so crowded at the top these days that six of the top seven players could claim the top spot with a Masters win, and that includes current No. 7 Woods.

Obviously, any of those seven, and a host of others, have the game to win on Bobby Jones’ hallowed course.

The seven includes current No. 1 Martin Kaymer, followed by Lee Westwood, Mickelson, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Paul Casey and Woods. Casey is the only player among the top seven who could not reach No. 1 even by winning at Augusta because he has played more tournaments than Woods.

Whilst an in form Mickelson is the top choice of the “experts” and the bookies, there are plenty of others who could hoist the trophy without too much surprise.

The tournament is wide open and as CBC Sports analyst Nick Faldo said this week: “I’ve got 40 names that I believe are possible winners.”

Six Australians in the field

In the mix are six Australians, and wouldn’t the nation’s golf fans love to finally have a home-grown US Masters winner.

Of the Aussies, Aaron Baddeley has perhaps shown the best form of late, with his much publicised return to his original swing already helping him to one tour win this year and he went close at the Shell Houston Open again last week.

Robert Allenby wasn’t that far behind him in Houston, only one stroke at the end in fact, but you’d certainly rather have Baddeley putting for you if the chips were down, especially on the super slick Augusta greens.

Adam Scott chose not to play in Houston and instead has been toiling away at Augusta. Maybe that has been a smart move, especially since he has had to introduce his new broomstick putter to the course.

Speaking this week, Scott was confident about his game

“This is my 10th year coming here and I should know something and not fear the golf course, like I have at times,” he said. “I feel a lot more comfortable doing things how I want and not just following the mould like everyone else. I’m itching to get out there and compete. I haven’t played for three weeks.”

Whilst Allenby has been saying he was inspired by a chat with Jack Nicklaus to plan to play the course a little more conservatively, US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy is thinking of going the other way, more in the Phil Mickelson vein.

Ogilvy has never been in contention at Augusta on the final day.

”Maybe I play a bit too cautious. The course lends itself to playing cautiously but the guys who win, they’re aggressive.” he said this week.

Jason Day is the only Australian debutante this year and the course has never been good to newcomers. But maybe Day, a young player with loads of talent, can change all that.

The final Australian in the field is the one with the most experience at Augusta.  Stuart Appleby has made 13 attempts at the title, with his best effort in 2007 when he led into the final round and ended up 7th.

Appleby is the sort of player who comes in under the radar then bobs up when least expected. People say: “Oh yeah, that’s the guy that shot 59 and has all those wins.”

If I was a betting person though, and I’m not much at the present, I’d have something on Hunter Mahan. Just a hunch really but he has had some top ten finishes at Augusta and he just looks so unflappable at times.

The good thing about the internet is that around morning tea time on Monday I could come back to this story and scrub the last bit out, especially if Mahan misses the cut for the first time in six appearances. But I won’t.

2011 US Masters 1st Round tee times

2011 US Masters Live Leaderboard

2011 US Masters Australian television schedule

IT is that time of year again and fortunately for Australians the 2011 US Masters is one golf event that gets the kind of television coverage it deserves.

The US Masters will be telecast live on Channel 10 and ONE HD on free to air television and there will be midday and prime time replays for those who have Fox Sports pay tv.

Channel 10 and One HD 2011 US Masters Golf Coverage

To watch the live Channel 10 and ONE US Masters coverage you will need to be up early with coverage beginning at 5am on Friday and going through to 9.30am.

Those times will basically repeat over the weekend except with a 5.30am start on Sunday and 4am for the final round on Monday.

ONE will also have a special The Pro Shop: Masters Preview episode on Thursday night at 11pm and repeated Friday at 4am for one hour before the Masters begins.

10 & One TV Schedule:

Friday: 1st Round Live, 5am to 9.30am

Saturday:  2nd Round Live, 5am to 9.30 am

Sunday:  3rd Round Live, 5.30am to 9am

Monday: Final Round Live, 4am to 9am

Fox Sports Pay TV 2011 US Masters Coverage

Fox Sports will have delayed coverage of the 2011 US Masters starting around 11.30/midday and then repeats in prime time, except for Saturday evening.

Fox Sports US Masters Schedule (Delayed Coverage):

Friday: 1st Round, Fox Sport 2: 11.30 to 4pm; FS1: 7.30pm to 11pm

Saturday: 2nd Round, FS3: 12.00 to 4.30pm; One hour highlights package at Midnight.

Sunday: 3rd Round, 12.30pm to 4pm; 7pm to 9.30pm.

Monday: Final Round, 12.30pm to 5pm; 9.30pm to 12.30pm.

(All times AEST and as published as of 11.30am  6/4/11 so check your local guides)

US MASTERS defending champion Phil Mickelson has firmed as favourite to take back to back green jackets following a three shot victory at the 2011 Shell Houston Open today.

Following his superb 63 in the third  round, Mickelson held his game together to card a seven-under 65 to reach 20 under at the Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas.

Australia’s Aaron Baddeley started the day just one stroke behind Mickelson and jointer leader Scott Verplank but fell away on the back nine to finish seven behind the leader on 13-under.

Despite the effort, Baddeley showed enough to suggestion his return to his “original” swing and current form will make him a real threat at Augusta this week.

The 46 year old Verplank (68) finished tied for second with fellow American Chris Kirk (67) while Baddeley (71) was T4 with Steve Stricker (69).

Robert Allenby (69) finished just one behind Baddeley tied for 6th while Greg Chalmers (71) finished at 11-under tied for 8th.

It was Mickelson’s first win since the Masters last year and for the first time in his career he has passed his long time arch nemesis Tiger Woods in the world golf rankings.

The win took Mickelson to World No.3 while Woods has slipped to 7th.

“I’m very pleased to have played well,” Mickelson said. “I’m just trying to get my game ready and it’s not just the physical ball-striking and short game and putting and so forth.”

“I’ve got to maintain my focus throughout the round. There were two points out there where I just lost focus. Next week at Augusta, that golf course can be very penalising.”

2011 Shell Houston Open Final Results

AUSTRALIA’S Nick O’Hern shot an impeccable 65 to be the club house leader for much of the first day of the Shell Houston Open but was knocked off late by a course record-equalling 63 by American golfer Jimmy Walker.

The West Australian left hander helped himself to seven birdies for a seven under round but in the end it wasn’t enough and after the first round sits two behind the leader tied for second with American Josh Teater.

Australian Nathan Green also had a fine round and was sitting second for much of the day but his five-under 67 saw him finish tied for fifth with five others including Steve Stricker.

One shot further back was a big group on four-under that included Aussies Steve Elkington, Robert Allenby and Jarrod Lyle.

Marc Leishman shot a 69, Mark Jones and Greg Chalmers had 70’s and John Senden finished even with the card. Aaron Baddeley on one-over was the best of the rest of the Aussies.

The tournament is the last chance for non-exempt players – including O’Hern and Green – to earn a spot at the Masters next week.

The Redstone Golf Course, at Humble outside Houston, Texas,  is one of the toughest on the PGA Tour in many statistical areas and is set up so players face many of the issues that will greet them at Augusta next week.

Walker’s score matched the record set by Adam Scott (who has chosen to practice at Augusta this week rather than play in Houston) and Johnson Wagner in the first round of the 2008 tournament. Wagner went on to win that year.

The score matches the lowest of the American’s career.

“When you putt well it cures a lot of ills, for sure,” Walker said.

Most of the big name players using Houston to fine-tune their games for next week were still in the hunt today.

Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington were in the large group of players at four-under, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen were at two-under and former Masters champions Angel Cabrera and Fred Couples were one-under.

2011 Shell Houston Open Leaderboard

Marc Leishman eagle video below.

THE 2011 Shell Houston Open begins Friday morning Australian time with four of the Australians in the field hoping to use the event to help fine tune their games before the US Masters next week.

Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day will all be playing at the Redstone Golf Club outside Houston before heading to Augusta National next week.

Marc Leishman, who finished equal third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend, along with Michael Sim, Steven Bowditch, Jarrod Lyle, Matt Jones, Nathan Green, Greg Chalmers, Nick O’Hern, John Senden, Steve Dartnall and Steve Elkington will also tee it up at Redstone and still have a chance to qualify for Augusta – all they need to do is be the last man standing come Sunday.

Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy will also be competing in the Masters and have chosen to prepare for the first Major of 2011 in their own fashion.

Reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson is contesting the Houston title along with a swag of other big names, including current world No.1 Martin Kaymer and the tournament’s defending champion Anthony Kim.

No-one has ever won the Houston event and gone on to hoist the Masters trophy, but records like that are meant to be broken.

The big record of course is that no Australian has ever won the Master…maybe this year.

The Open will be telecast on Fox Sports from 6am to 9am Friday and Saturday, Sunday 5am to 8am and Monday 3am to 8am.

2011 Shell Houston Open Leaderboard.

WITH both personal and golfing heroics, Phil Mickelson has won his third green jacket at the US Masters today.

The extended hug with wife Amy afterwards perhaps said it all.

This was more than just about sport. It was about remembering to savour the special moments in what is a transient life.

Mickelson, wearing a pink ribbon on his cap to acknowledge the fight his wife and mother daily undertake against breast cancer, seemed to spend an awful lot of the final round at Augusta National hitting out of the pine trees.

In a day that started with Englishman Lee Westward one stroke in the lead and the returning Tiger Woods looming ominously a few strokes back, Mickelson was at his nerve wracking best.

His daring shot from the pine needles on the 13th was touted as perhaps the best of his career.

With the lead on the line, and seemingly blocked by a tree and with only a few feet of gap, Michelson hit it 204 yards, over Rae’s Creek, and within three feet of the hole.

“Don’t do it Phil”

It was one of those classic Mickelson shots when you are internally screaming “Don’t do it Phil” and you think he is moments from disaster, only for him to pull off the miraculous.

Despite all the pine cone exploring and the clutch pars, it says on his card there were no bogeys and five birdies.

A final round 67 that saw him finish at 16 under, three ahead of the hapless yet again major runner up Westwood.

With a seven under final round Anthony Kim was third, a struggling Tiger Woods tied for fourth with the usually unflappable K J Choi on 11 under, and a constantly threatening but never quite there Fred Couples next on 9 under.

“It feels incredible,” Mickelson said of his fourth major win. The third Masters jacket means he joins a hallowed list that includes Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo and Jimmy Demaret.

There were visible tears from the Masters winner as he hugged Amy for an extended period in front of the large 18th green crowd and worldwide television audience.

“It has been an emotional year,” he said later. “I’m very proud of the fight and struggle she has been through. It has been very difficult and very emotional. To be on the other end and feel the jubilation is incredible.”

On the other hand, if one expected Woods to be gracious in defeat and happy with his fourth placing after his five months layoff, then one would be disappointed.

Perhaps you don’t get to be a champion like Woods by accepting anything less than victory under any circumstances.

“I finished fourth. Not what I wanted,” Woods said after finishing with a final round 69.
“As the week went on, I kept hitting the ball worse. I only enter events to win. I didn’t hit it good enough. Consequently I’m not there.”

Woods said he was going to “take a little time off and re-evaluate things”.

Scott an eagle, Green a hole in one

There were some moments of joy for the Australians but for extended happiness they will have to ponder the positives of competing and look to next year.

Adam Scott sinking his approach shot for eagle on the par-4 seventh hole – an Augusta special that seemed to sit there for a while, then agonisingly slowly take a very leisurely and circuitous route several metres down to the hole -and Nathan Green acing the 176-yard par-3 16th hole were the highlights.

Scott was the best of the Australians finishing with a share of 18th place at one-under, Geoff Ogilvy carded a 74 to finish one-over for the tournament, Robert Allenby finished at 10-over while Nathan Green had the ace, two eagles, five bogeys, a double and a triple in a topsy turvy final round three-over 75 and a tournament total of 14 over.

US Masters 2010 Final Leaderboard