Rousseau à Augusta : Fleetwood, DeChambeau et le Tigre
Collaboration spéciale d’André Rousseau et du site lescoulissesdusport.ca
AUGUSTA, Géorgie — Tommy Fleetwood et Bryson DeChambeau ont été parmi les premiers golfeurs à se rendre dans la salle d’entrevues avant le 83e tournoi des Maîtres. Je suis allé les voir parce qu’ils ont tous les temps un style très particulier. Fleetwood a l’air de Jésus-Christ Superstar ou encore d’un guitariste du groupe Kiss, ce qui n’enlève rien à son talent pour frapper la balle. Quant à DeChambeau, on peut l’appeler le « physicien du golf » par sa façon d’analyser la situation sous tous les angles possibles.
« Il ne fait aucun doute que cette semaine est différente des autres, a dit Fleetwood. Il y a tellement d’options qui se présentent à toi sur ce genre de parcours. L’atmosphère n’est pas la même, d’autant que c’est le premier tournoi majeur de l’année. Pour avoir du succès ici, il faut rester dans sa bulle, que tu joues avec Tiger Woods ou avec un autre. Moi, je joue toujours dans le but de finir premier. Plus tard, je ne veux pas raconter à mes petits-enfants que j’ai terminé 5e à Augusta ou 3e au TPC. Je sais ce que je dois faire pour gagner. Si mon bois-1 fonctionne bien, ça me facilitera la tâche ».
Après avoir expliqué pourquoi tous ses fers avaient la même longueur, DeChambeau a fait une suggestion intéressante pour accélérer le jeu : « Que les gars marchent plus vite pour se rendre à leur balle ! »
« La semaine du Masters est absolument unique, a-t-il ajouté. Je me prépare du mieux que je peux et j’étudie attentivement les verts. Je pense que l’expérience est un facteur important à Augusta. J’en apprends plus chaque fois que je joue ici ».
Fleetwood a terminé deuxième à l’Omnium des États-Unis, l’an passé. Il s’est même permis une ronde de 63 à Shinnecock Hills. Quand il tombe « dans la slot », il joue du grand golf. DeChambeau a gagné 3 tournois l’an passé et un autre durant les derniers mois. Il est lui aussi capable de grandes performances. Il a remporté sa plus belle victoire quand il a gagné le tournoi de Jack Nicklaus en Ohio. On verra ce qu’ils ont dans le ventre cette semaine.
Tiger y croit encore
Tiger Woods n’a pas gagné un tournoi majeur depuis bientôt 11 ans, une chose absolument impensable en 2008, mais il n’a pas perdu espoir de renverser la vapeur et d’inscrire sa 5e victoire à Augusta, dimanche prochain.
« Non, je n’ai pas besoin de gagner ici, mais je veux vraiment gagner ! », a-t-il déclaré avec son plus beau sourire dans une salle d’entrevue remplie à craquer. « Ma victoire à East Lake l’automne dernier (dans le championnat de fin de saison) m’a fourni la preuve que j’étais encore capable de gagner un tournoi d’envergure après tout ce que j’ai vécu durant les dernières années, a-t-il poursuivi. J’ai beaucoup amélioré mon jeu durant les 12 ou 14 derniers mois et j’ai la certitude que je peux encore gagner un tournoi du Grand Chelem ».
À la blague, Tiger a dit qu’il aimerait être capable de frapper la balle 40 verges plus loin que tous les autres joueurs, comme il le faisait à ses débuts, mais ces jours ne reviendront jamais.
Pas plus que l’époque où il calait presque tous les coups roulés de 10, 15 ou 20 pieds. Quoi qu’on en dise, le fer droit était son meilleur bâton.
« Je sais encore quoi faire avec le putter, mais mon dos m’empêche de passer des heures et des heures sur le vert d’exercice, a-t-il ajouté. C’est aussi vrai pour l’ensemble de ma partie ».
Du haut de ses 43 ans, l’ancien roi du golf a aussi déclaré :
- « Je n’oublierai jamais l’électricité qu’il y avait autour du 16e trou lorsque j’ai réussi mon chip miracle en 2005. Ce sont les spectateurs qui font du Masters un tournoi aussi extraordinaire. Les gens sont très respectueux, peut-être un peu moins en début de semaine, et ils te font sentir comme un roi lorsque tu réussis un bon coup ».
- « Le trou numéro 5, allongé de 40 verges, ne sera pas une sinécure. Si tu expédies la balle dans la fosse de sable (sur la gauche), tu ne peux pas atteindre le vert en 2. Ils savent faire les choses ici. Quand ils effectuent un changement, tu penserais que le trou est dessiné comme ça depuis 100 ans ! »
- « Notre défaite en coupe Ryder a été très frustrante. J’ai perdu mes 4 matchs et n’ai pas été en mesure d’aider l’équipe. Il n’est jamais amusant de perdre, surtout par une aussi grande marge ».
- « En 2019, le Masters est un mélange de tradition et de technologie nouvelle. Un tournoi fascinant ».
- « Bravo aux dirigeants du club pour la création d’un tournoi féminin juste avant le nôtre »
En bref…
- ANDRÉ RAYMOND, D.G. du club de golf La Tempête visite aujourd’hui le sanctuaire du Masters avec sa belle CAROLE. Ils ont aussi fait un saut à PINEHURST.
- TIGER WOODS a joué 65 en ronde d’exercice avec JEFF KNOX, membre émérite du club Augusta National. Ça ne veut rien dire, mais il semble complètement remis du malaise au cou qui l’a empêché de participer au tournoi Arnold Palmer le mois dernier.
- Le grand ÉRIC MERCIER, adjoint-pro au club Hillsdale, est venu faire son tour au Centre de presse avec son frère ANDRÉ, de Sherbrooke. Éric est aussi habile avec un bois-1 qu’avec le volant d’une automobile !
- GHISLAIN DELAGE a complété sa saison de golf en Floride avec un TROU D’UN COUP au club Eagle Trace. Le 3e de sa longue carrière. Faut croire que ça valait la peine de rater le gala des Rondelles d’Or !
- Le 9 avril 2006, PHIL MICKELSON signait sa 2e victoire à Augusta
- SERGE THIVIERGE, vétéran de la PGA du Québec, fête ses 63 ans
U.S. Open Local Qualifier moving to TPC Toronto
Due to extenuating circumstances, the 2019 U.S. Open Local Qualifier previously scheduled at Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario will be changing courses.
The US Open Local Qualifier will now take place at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario, on Monday, May 13th.
TPC Toronto reached out to Golf Canada after hearing news of the winter course damage at Beacon Hall and are pleased to add this qualifier to their schedule. Already committed to host the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier on Thursday, May 16th, the club will host both qualifiers on the North course that week. In addition to these qualifiers, TPC Toronto is home to the Osprey Valley Open, the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada’s only Greater Toronto Area event. TPC Toronto is a tremendous facility and will prove to be a strong host for the U.S. Open Local Qualifier.
Canadian pair of Sharp, Henderson share 17th place at ANA
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Jin Young Ko won the ANA Inspiration for her first major title, celebrated with the traditional winner’s leap into Poppie’s Pond and will jump to No. 1 in the world ranking.
The woman who said this year that her goal was to be the happiest player on the course was thrilled about the first two.
“I still can’t believe,” Ko said. “I’m really happy.”
She wasn’t all that excited about the No. 1 spot in the world.
“I just try to focus on my game on the course,” Ko said. “It doesn’t matter about world ranking. I don’t like numbers like No. 1 or No. 2. I’m just playing on the course.”
She did that better than anyone else over four days on the Mission Hills course made more difficult by thicker rough, tighter fairways and some longer holes. On Sunday, the 23-year-old South Korean closed with a 2-under 70 in hot and mostly calm conditions for a three-stroke victory over Mi Hyang Lee.
“If ball goes right or left it doesn’t make me happy, but I’m still trying to be happy,” Ko said. “Also, I really try, don’t think about future, doesn’t matter. Just focus on my swing, on the putting. That’s why I win this week.”
After bogeys on 13 and 15 cut her lead to a stroke, Ko made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and closed with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th. She also had a rough back-nine stretch Saturday, allowing In-Kyung Kim to cut a five-stroke deficit to a single shot going into the final round.
“Yesterday was a little bit hard for me,” Ko said. “I’m not robot. We are human.”
Ko won for the fourth time on the LPGA Tour, completing a desert sweep after taking the Founders Cup two weeks ago in Phoenix. She leads the money list and has five top-three finishes in six events this year.
Is she surprised by her start?
“No, no, no,” Ko said. “I had really hard practice in winter training off-season in Palm Springs.”
Ko gave caddie David Brooker his third victory in the event. The Englishman also leaped into Poppie’s Pond with Grace Park in 2004 and Lorena Ochoa in 2008.
“He knows this course,” Ko said. “He helps me all the time on the course. So really say thank you for my caddie.”
She finished at 10-under 278.
Lee parred the final six holes in a 70.
“This is really good momentum for me,” said Lee, also from South Korea. “I’m so happy with this week.”
Ko had a three-stroke lead at the turn and faced little pressure until stumbling with the two bogeys. Her drive on the par-4 13th jumped into the thick right rough and her long approach ended up short of the green in the left rough. After missing a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th, she hit into the left greenside bunker on the par-4 15th and missed a 12-foot par try.
“I had couple miss shot, but I think it will be fine,” she said.
It was.
Lexi Thompson was third at 6 under after a 67.
“My caddie, Benji (Thompson), helped out tremendously,” Thompson said. “I was getting down a little bit, but he just kept me right in there playing aggressively the whole day – making those birdies and just firing at every pin I could.”
Kim closed with a 74 to tie for fourth at 5 under with Carlota Ciganda. The 30-year-old South Korean lost a chance to win the event seven years after missing a 14-inch putt on the final hole of regulation and losing on the first hole of a playoff.
Kim declined to comment after the round.
Ciganda finished with a 68.
Brooke Henderson (72) of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) tied for 17th at 2-under par.
Canadian Corey Conners wins Valero days after qualifying, will play Masters
SAN ANTONIO – Canadian Corey Conners claimed his first PGA Tour victory and earned an invite to the Masters on Sunday, winning the Valero Texas Open less than a week after qualifying.
Conners only entered the tournament field Monday, and he’s the first golfer to win on the PGA Tour after qualifying on a Monday in nine years. He made three birdies in the final five holes, shooting a 6-under 66. He was 20-under for the tournament, winning by two shots over Charley Hoffman.
Next stop for Conners: Augusta, Georgia, for next week’s Masters.
Hoffman, the 2016 Texas Open winner, shot 67 for 18-under on the weekend.
Ryan Moore closed with an 8-under 64, a shot off the course record, and was third at 17-under.
Si Woo Kim, The Players Championship winner in 2017, led the opening three rounds but dropped to a tie for fourth with Brian Stuard (15-under) after an even-par 72.
Conners, the 2014 U.S. Amateur runner-up, will play in his second Masters. Two of the top three finishers last year at Augusta missed the top 10 this week. Rickie Fowler was tied for 17th while 10 strokes back at 10-under with a final-round 69, and Jordan Spieth (72) was 7-under.
Incredible performance from @coreconn. What a battle, and what a champion ??? pic.twitter.com/PnembdLq9q
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 7, 2019
Stuard finished with 66 to get to 15-under. Kevin Streelman closed with an 8-under 64 and was 14-under. He missed tying the course record when, after four-straight birdies, he hit his approach from the 18th fairway into the gallery and bogeyed.
Mackenzie Hughes (73) of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson (70) of Surrey, B.C., tied for 42nd at 5 under. Nick Taylor (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 52nd at 4 under.
It was a wild round for Conners, a native of Listowel, Ont., who had not won on any of the PGA Tour’s affiliated circuits. He had 10 birdies and four pars that sandwiched four consecutive bogeys on the front nine.
He had a one-stroke lead when he rammed home a 34-foot birdie putt at No. 12, and stayed a stroke up with a tap-in birdie at the 14th.
Moore joined Conners at the top of the leaderboard with an 8-foot putt at No. 16 that was his fourth birdie in five holes.
Moore missed a birdie opportunity on the next hole when he couldn’t convert on a putt from inside 10 feet. Minutes later, Conners sank a 10-footer to save par at No. 15, then hit to four feet to set up a birdie at the 175-yard par-3 16th. His birdie at No. 17 gave him a three-shot lead walking up the final hole.
Conners looked like he would tuck this one away early. He birdied four of the first five holes at TPC San Antonio. Trailing by a shot going in the final round, he benefited from a three-stroke swing on the leaderboard on the third hole with a 10-foot putt on the par-3. Kim hit into the water fronting the green and double-bogeyed. Later in the day, Kim was grabbing at his right upper body with an apparent injury.
Conners was two strokes ahead, and with birdies on the next two holes he led by four over both Kim and Hoffman.
But Conners bogeyed the next four, and three of those came after tee shots put him in nice position either from the middle of the fairway or close to it.
The other bogey, on a par-3 at No. 7, he hit his tee shot into a bunker, then blasted over the green.
He made the turn and clicked off three consecutive birdies. The last player to qualify on Monday and win a PGA Tour event was Arjun Atwal in 2010 at the Wyndham Championship. That was the first time it had been done in 24 years.
Canada’s Nicole Gal wins Drive, Chip and Putt division at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Canadian streak at the Drive, Chip and Putt championship continues with a victory from Oakville, Ont., native Nicole Gal.
Gal, 15, won the Girls’ 14-15 age division by a one-point margin, finishing with 23 points total to edge out the competition. Gal collected the most points at the chipping portion, nabbing nine out of a possible 10 points, followed by eight at chipping and six at driving. Click here to view the full leaderboard.
Words from the #DriveChipPutt champ, Nicole Gal ??
Canada is so proud! ?? pic.twitter.com/VrdrU6nRNi
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 7, 2019
This is the third Drive, Chip and Putt title for Canada—Vanessa Borovilos won her division in 2018 and Savannah Grewal captured Canada’s first title in 2017.
Gal was joined by four other Canadians on the grounds at Augusta:
Name: Vanessa Borovilos | Finished 6th with 16 points
Competition Category: Girls’ 12-13
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Began playing golf: Age 12
Favourite golfers: Tiger Woods and Brooke Henderson
Name: Carter Lavigne | Finished 10th with 4 points
Competition Category: Boys’ 7-9 (qualified at Winged Foot Golf Club)
Hometown: Moncton, New Brunswick
Began playing golf: Age 4
Favourite golfers: Jordan Spieth and Brooke Henderson
Name: Andy Mac | Finished T5 with 17 points
Competition Category: Boys’ 10-11 (qualified at Winged Foot Golf Club)
Hometown: Candiac, Quebec
Began playing golf: Age 5
Favourite golfers: Jordan Spieth and Lydia Ko
Name: Anna Huang | Finished 3rd with 19 points
Competition Category: Girls’ 10-11 (qualified at Chambers Bay)
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Began playing golf: Age 4
Favourite golfer: Tiger Woods
Canada’s Sharp, Henderson inside top 10 ahead of ANA Inspiration finale
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Jin Young Ko turned a four-stroke deficit into a five-stroke lead in only 10 holes Saturday at the ANA Inspiration. She nearly gave it all back, setting up a final-round shootout in the first major championship of the golf season.
Ko ended up with a one-shot advantage over second-round leader In-Kyung Kim, shooting a 4-under 68 in unexpected calm conditions at tree-lined Mission Hills to reach 8-under 208.
Kim birdied the par-5 18th for a 73, giving herself a chance to win the event seven years after missing a 14-inch putt on the final hole of regulation and losing to Sun Young Yoo on the first hole of a playoff.
Four strokes behind fellow South Korean player Kim entering the round, Ko walked off the 10th green with the five-shot lead after a quick three-stroke swing. Ko holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-4 10th minutes after Kim snap-hooked a drive into the right-side trees and made a double bogey on the par-5 ninth.
Kim rallied to birdie the 10th, her first birdie of the day after making eight of them in a second-round 65, and pulled within two strokes when Ko hit into the water short of the green on the par-3 14th and made a double bogey of her own.
Ko followed with a bogey on the par-4 15th, cutting her lead to a single stroke. Ko pushed the margin back to two with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th. She missed a 10-foot birdie try on the 18, and Kim closed with a 5-footer in the final group.
Mi Hyang Lee and Danielle Kang were 5 under. Lee had a hole-in-one on 17 and birdied 18 in a 68. Kang shot 70.
Two Canadians are in the top 10. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp jumped into a tie for fifth after a 5-under 67 pushed her to 3 under for the tournament.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for eighth at 2 under. She shot 71 on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Ko won the Founders Cup two weeks ago in Phoenix for her third LPGA Tour title and leads the money list. She tied for second last week in Carlsbad for her fourth top-three finish in five events this year.
The 30-year-old Kim struggled with the 2012 loss at Mission Hills before finally ending a long victory drought late in 2016. Her confidence restored, she won three times in 2017, capped by a major victory in the Women’s British Open.
Ko played the front nine in 5-under 31. She birdied the par-5 second, ran in a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-4 fourth and tied Kim for the lead at 7 under with an 8-footer on the par-3 fifth. Ko pulled ahead with a birdie on the water-guarded sixth, driving inches short of the rough a few feet short of the pond fronting the second tongue of fairway and hitting a 9-iron to 6 feet. She increased the lead to two shots with a birdie on No. 9, hitting a wedge to 6 inches.
Canada’s Corey Conners one stroke off lead heading into final round in Texas
SAN ANTONIO – Si Woo Kim‘s narrow miss of a second hole-in-one on consecutive days at the Valero Texas Open was deceiving.
It was another highlight shot, but he missed the following birdie putt and his four-shot lead was trimmed to one over Canada’s Corey Conners, a Monday qualifier, after Saturday’s third round at the PGA Tour’s last stop before the Masters.
Kim aced the 16th hole at the TPC San Antonio on Friday, and he missed it by inches on the way to a third-round 3-under 69 after opening with consecutive rounds of 66. He was at 15 under and Conners, trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour since 2010, was a stroke back after shooting a 6-under 66.
“Yeah, I think about yesterday, like I can’t believe it, and then it was pretty close today, too,” Kim said of the near-ace. “I saw that first bounce and then I thought it would go in for sure.”
Charley Hoffman, the 2016 Texas Open winner, moved up the leaderboard with a birdie-birdie-eagle finish and the week’s best round of 64. He was two back of Kim at 13 under.
Scott Brown turned in a second straight 67, and Jhonattan Vegas also shot 67. Both were at 11 under with Kyoung-Hoon Lee (69) and four strokes back.
Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth started the day tied for second, four shots back. Both finished eight shots out of the lead after shooting 73s.
Kim flirted with the 16th hole on the second bounce on Saturday. This time, the ball rolled past the hole to inside four feet for what looked like an easy birdie. He missed, Conners made his from inches shorter and they shared the lead again.
“I thought it went in again,” Conners, of Listowel, Ont., said. “That was a heck of a shot. There was a bit of a distraction there. I was able to get refocused and hit a nice one after him.”
But Conners returned the favour on the next hole, missing a birdie from inside seven feet.
Kim, winner of The Players Championship in 2017, got out of a greenside bunker at the par-5 18th and sank a four-foot birdie to get the one-stroke advantage.
“Playing with Corey, the first six holes, crazy, like every shot is right on it and then he putted good,” Kim said. “I was just trying hard myself. Just trying to hit my shot, just trying to hit my putt. That’s why it was a pretty good back nine.”
Conners is trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour since Arjun Atwal nine years ago. Before that, no one had done it in 24 years. The winner is invited to the Masters if not already eligible – Conners is looking for an invitation.
Conners birdied the opening three holes, including a near-ace at the third, and almost had a fourth to start the day when his 58-foot putt rested a couple of inches from the cup on No. 4.
He birdied again at the fifth, which gave him a share of the lead with Kim, and joined Kim in birdieing the seventh.
Conners, 27, was a finalist in the 2014 U.S. Amateur, but he has not won on the PGA Tour or any of its affiliate tours. This season he has finished second in the Sanderson Farms Championship and after Monday qualifying was third at the Sony Open.
“I’ve been in this position a few times before where I’ve been near the lead,” Conners said. “I’ve got some good experiences to draw off of and hopefully I can get over the edge.”
Conners, who has only partial status on tour this year, has two top-three finishes this season. He is 66th in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 125 at season’s end get full cards for next season
Hoffman’s hot finish came with a birdie at the 14th. He wrapped it up with a 22-foot birdie putt at 16 and a 15-footer at 17 before he reached the green in two at the downwind 607-yard finishing hole.
“It was a big number (250 yards) to get it to the front of the green,” Hoffman said. “It was all of a 3-wood. I flushed it right up there. The only question was whether it would hold the green or not.”
Fowler bogeyed his first two holes, part of five on the day. Even with an eagle on the 18th, Fowler dropped 14 spots to 16th and 7 under.
Spieth was in the last group of the day with leaders Kim and Conners, but he quickly joined Fowler in going the other way. He didn’t hit a fairway until the 11th hole and by that time had two double bogeys.
After his front-nine 42, Spieth’s first birdie came on the 12th. He added four more on the backside.
“I actually look at today as progress,” Spieth said. “I needed the start today to recognize there are things that still need adjustment. I made those adjustments mid-round and was able to shoot 5 under. The back nine today was by far the best I’ve played, the most control I’ve had of the ball and the best I’ve felt putting in a couple of years.”
Kupcho wins at Augusta National with charge on back 9
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The charge on the back nine at Augusta National was among the best, this one by a woman.
NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho, trailing by two shots and coping with remnants of a migraine Saturday, hit hybrid to 6 feet on the par-5 13th for an eagle and finished with three birdies on the last four holes to become the first woman to win at the home of the Masters.
The 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion closed with a 5-under 67 for a four-shot victory over Maria Fassi in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
“You’re now part of the history at Augusta National,” club chairman Fred Ridley told her in Butler Cabin, where Masters champions receive their green jacket.
Kupcho hit the opening tee shot on Wednesday at Champions Retreat, where the opening two rounds were played. More importantly, she hit the final shot with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Augusta National to cap off a big week for her and for women’s golf.
The club didn’t have a female member until 2012, and now there are six. Ridley announced last year the creation of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to provide a spark for women’s golf.
“I think we’re going to really start something great in women’s golf,” Kupcho said at the trophy presentation.
It featured all the heritage of Augusta National, including honorary tee shots by Nancy Lopez, Lorena Ochoa, Se Ri Pak and Annika Sorenstam. The crowd was larger than any of the 30 players who made the cut had ever experienced.
Kupcho did her part with a bold finish at perhaps the most iconic venue in golf.
“Just to play here at Augusta and have that kind of treatment, I think the woman’s game is really going to come out stronger,” she said, adding later that “there’s no bigger stage than this for amateur golf.”
Kupcho, the No. 1 player in the women’s amateur ranking, finished at 10-under 206 and won a silver bowl as the trophy, along with a piece of crystal – another Masters tradition – for making the only eagle of the tournament.
Sorenstam and Lopez say they had to fight tears when they walked to the first tee and soaked up the reality of a tournament for women at Augusta National. The crowd featured more women than typically seen during the Masters, especially young girls with their parents. Sorenstam and her daughter walked with the final group.
The golf was superb, at least at the top of the leaderboard.
Only six women finished under par, and no one challenged Kupcho or Fassi, a senior at Arkansas from Mexico. Both sent a message of their own long before the tournament by earning LPGA Tour cards last year and deferring until after they finished college.
Fassi, who started one shot behind, took her first lead with a pitch over the mounds to 2 feet for birdie on the par-5 eighth. Kupcho had reason to believe she was in trouble when a migraine surfaced, causing vision so blurry she couldn’t see the line she marks on her ball while putting. She three-putted the 10th to fall two behind, and sat on a bench at the 11th tee to gather herself.
“It started to go away, and I was able to see,” she said. “I knew I was going to be able to do it.”
She learned in the practice round on the 13th fairway that even with the ball above her feet on the severely sloped fairway, the shot tends to go straight. From 211 yards with a 3-hybrid, she took dead aim and the shot settled 6 feet above the hole for eagle.
“Probably one of the best shots I’ve ever hit,” she said.
Fassi answered with a 10-foot birdie putt to regain the lead, and Kupcho decided to aim her 3-hybrid to the bunker right of the green on the par-5 15th. Instead, it came out with a sharp draw, with enough distance to roll by the pin just over the back, setting up a birdie.
“She’s not afraid to be great, and that’s what makes her great,” Fassi said.
Tied again, she delivered the winner with a 7-iron on the par-3 16th that caught the ridge and fed down to the hole. Fassi’s tee shot stayed on the top shelf, leading to a three-putt that put the tournament in Kupcho’s hands.
“It’s amazing what we were able to have out here today,” Fassi said. “The ending wasn’t what I would have liked. She was hitting great shots. I did all I could. She played a great game and I’m really proud of her.”
Along the way, their friendship and sportsmanship was on full display. Fassi hugged her when Kupcho hit 6-iron to 2 feet on No. 6 for birdie. Kupcho patted her friend’s shoulder when Fassi answered with a shot that rolled back to a foot for birdie on the next hole.
That’s what Kupcho hopes young people took out of the moment, as much as women playing at Augusta.
“I think both of us just wanted to send the message that golf is about having friends, and to be out there with her, we were cheering each other on, and that’s kind of how golf is supposed to be,” Kupcho said. “And to make it look fun. It is fun. So to make it look that way for everyone watching, I hope it encourages people to pick up a club and go play.”
Corey Conners shares 2nd midway through Valero Open
SAN ANTONIO – Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are successfully fine-tuning their preparations for the Masters.
However, they haven’t been able to match Si Woo Kim so far at the Valero Texas Open.
First-round leader Kim used a late-round hole-in-one Friday to build a four-shot lead at the halfway point of the PGA Tour’s last stop before the Masters.
Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner, led by one heading into the second round before shooting a 6-under 66.
Kim aced TPC San Antonio’s 16th hole and is 12 under through 36 holes. He leads six players at 8 under, including Fowler and Spieth.
“The first days here,” Kim said, “I’ve been feeling good. I don’t want to change anything.”
Fowler led on the back nine until consecutive bogeys late in the round.
“Yeah, at 15 and 16, kind of a little unforced errors,” Fowler said. “That happens. I hit some good shots out there and made a few putts. I’m happy with it. Obviously in a good spot going into the weekend.”
Joining Fowler and Spieth – both shot 68 – are Harold Varner (66), Adam Schenk (66), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (67) and Monday-qualifier Corey Connors (67). Lee got it to 9 under before a bogey at his final hole of the day.
Conners, from Listowel, Ont., birdied his final three holes on Friday. He has only a partial PGA Tour card this year after finishing 130th in the FedEx Cup standings last year – the top 125 get full cards.
“It was really solid ball-striking. I was able to make some putts. Basically took care of the holes that you need to take care of, the par 5s, and No. 5, a short par 4, I was able to make birdie,” said Conners. “Other than that, just kept it pretty simple. There’s a few pins that are close to some slopes, so played a little safer on some shots, but struck it really well.
The Team Canada alumnus is well aware of the significance a win would have on his season (and career).
“Yeah, it would be pretty big. I’m not trying to get too far ahead of myself. Any event that you have a chance is amazing. Yeah, to be a Monday qualifier and just pumped to be out here. Yeah, a win would be awesome, but we’ll try and take care of business tomorrow and see where we are.”
Kim’s ace at the 167-yard 16th bounced up toward the flagstick, landed next to the lip of the cup and dropped in. He’s gone 26 holes without a bogey and has nine birdies along with the ace.
“I was trying to hit to the left edge of the bunker, with the wind,” Kim said. “It was a 9-iron. I saw the bounce, but I never saw it go in.”
Byeong Hun An (68), Matt Jones (68), Rory Sabbatini (68), Scott Stallings (69), Brian Stuard (70), Josh Teater (68) and Jim Knous (67) are 7 under.
Graeme McDowell, who won for the first time since 2015 last week at the PGA Tour’s event in the Dominican Republic, has shot consecutive 69s and is joined at 6 under by Scott Brown, Hank Lebioda, Ryan Moore and Jhonattan Vegas. Brown had a 67, Lebioda and Moore 70s and Vegas a 71.
Nick Taylor (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Dundas, Ont., were tied for 36th at 3 under. Adam Svensson (69) of Surrey, B.C., was tied for 48th at 2 under. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., missed the cut.
Fowler, who drove the green at the 327-yard fifth hole and eagled, held a lead early on the back nine. After the eagle, he made birdie putts of 43 feet, 10 feet and 25 feet.
But he three-putted from 23 feet at the 15th and barely got out of a greenside bunker on the 16th, leaving a chip and putt for another bogey.
“At 16, I actually hit a great tee shot,” Fowler said. “I was just expecting the wind to hold it a bit better, and obviously it didn’t.”
He got a stroke back with a birdie at the 17th, but his attempt to reach the par-5 18th in two landed him in a stream in front of the green. He chipped up and finished with a par.
Spieth had no late-round hiccups. Instead, he holed out from 113 yards for an eagle on his 17th hole. Earlier in the day, he chipped in from off his second green.
“I just slid under the ball really nicely on that chip shot, landed right on my spot, just trickled in,” Spieth said. “Certainly a bonus on the hole out. In the air, I thought it was going to be pretty good.”
Kim surged to a two-shot lead when he chipped to a foot away on the par-5 14th hole and tapped in for birdie. He got up-and-down from a bunker at the 15th, putting from almost 10 feet to save par. He wouldn’t need the putter on the 16th.
Jennifer Kupcho heads to Augusta with 1 shot lead; Canada’s Thibault out
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jennifer Kupcho took care of the preliminaries in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and now has a shot at a title that never seemed likely: A chance to become the first woman to win at the home of the Masters.
Her only regret was that her one-shot lead was not bigger.
Kupcho, the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, battled her swing down the stretch on a blustery Thursday at Champions Retreat and held on for a 1-under 71, giving her a one-shot lead over Maria Fassi of Mexico, who had a 70.
The final round is Saturday at Augusta National, the first time women have competed on one of the most famous golf courses in the world.
“It’s going to be a tight race all the way to the finish,” Kupcho said.
Seo-yun Kwon of South Korea was 10 shots behind and just as excited.
The 72-player field was cut to 30 players for the final round, and Kwon flubbed two chips for double bogey on the 16th hole to seemingly lose her chance. But she saved par from a bunker on the 17th with a 10-foot putt, saw a leaderboard and knew only an eagle would suffice on the par-5 closing hole.
Her 4-hybrid came up a little short, 10 yards away.
“I said, ‘Let’s chip this in,”’ said Dave Thorpe, an Augusta National caddie working for Kwon this week. “I don’t know if she understood me or not, but she did it.”
That put her in an 11-way playoff for the last 10 spots to get the field to 30 players. Kwon was among nine players who made par on the first extra hole, all of them advancing when Alessia Nobilio of Italy and Ainhoa Olarra of Spain made bogey.
Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., missed the cut. She was the lone Canadian in the field.
On the second playoff hole, Olarra made a 25-foot birdie putt to get the last spot.
Augusta National announced its Women’s Amateur last year at the Masters, creating an opportunity for some of the best amateurs in the world to showcase their skills on a course where Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods have created so many big moments.
Women have played Augusta National for years, though it was not until 2012 that the club had its first female members. Kupcho is among several players in the field who have played as guests, usually with their college teams.
Friday will be a practice round at Augusta National, even for the 42 players who missed the cut.
Kupcho, who started on No. 10, was 3 under for the round through 10 holes and poised to stretch it even more when she missed a short birdie putt on the next hole.
“Lost my confidence a little bit,” she said.
The Wake Forest senior made her first bogey of the tournament with a 4-foot putt that rimmed out on No. 5, and she started to fight her swing. She narrowly cleared the rock-framed creek on the par-3 eighth and chipped poorly for another bogey, and she had to make a 4-footer on the par-4 ninth to avoid another dropped shot.
No matter. She was at 5-under 139 and plays in the final group with Fassi, one of the longer hitters in the field.
Kaitlyn Papp (69), Pimnipa Panthong (70) and Sierra Brooks (70) were two shots behind.
Fassi, the top college player among women last year as a junior at Arkansas, was dynamic as ever with five birdies and an eagle to offset plenty of mistakes. She was five shots behind toward the end of the round when she used her power to set up easy birdies on the reachable par-4 seventh and the par-5 ninth.
“I knew I had to post an under-par score to be in contention for Saturday, and it was just exciting to see that I made so many birdies,” she said.
Kupcho has played before big crowds at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Saturday figures to be a new experience, on the fairways and greens of Augusta National on the weekend before the Masters, with thousands of fans able to see the course for the first time all year through separate tickets they were able to buy through a lottery.
NBC Sports is televising the final round. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur has its own logo and even its own theme music for the broadcast.
Kupcho hopes the rest of it will look familiar.
“We both are good friends, so I think it will be a lot of fun, and we’re both good at golf – really good at golf,” she said. “So I think we’ll make a lot of birdies, and it will be pretty fun to watch us.”