Fresno State's Grant Doverspike was named the WAC Golfer of the Week for Feb. 11-17.
Doverspike, a sophomore from Bakersfield, Calif. (Stockdale HS), won the CSU San Marcos Invitational with an 8-under 208 (70-69-69). He won the event after playing through a sprained thumb. This is his second win of his collegiate career. His effort also helped Fresno State to the team title in the tournament.
The other nomination was Utah State senior Jeremy Pack.
Pebble Beach has often been a place for redemption.
Add Steve Lowery to the list of AT&T National Pro-Am champions who found their way back to the winner’s circle after a long absence - in Lowery’s case, 199 tournaments and seven years.
“I couldn’t play the front nine any better than I did. I made birdie on 1 with a really tough pin placement, and I played some good shots there on 7, 8 and 9 to make birdies. I think that was probably the key of the round, shot 5-under on the front nine with the wind blowing,” Lowery said regarding his front-nine 31.
The champion was helped by the stunning collapse of third-round co-leader Singh. After a Lowery bogey on the par-five 14th hole left Singh three shots up, the three-time major winner proceeded to bogey the next three holes. Lowery’s birdie on 17 gave him a one-shot cushion. Singh’s best shot on the incoming nine was a stiffed 50-yard wedge on the 18th that set up a tie and the first playoff in the AT&T since 1992.
Vijay Singh’s shaky play on the back nine cost him
the championship.
But Lowery was able to capitalize on more sloppy play from Singh as the two competitors played Pebble’s 18th hole a second time, making birdie as Singh hit into two bunkers. The Birmingham, AL native was playing on a medical exception and was given eight tournaments to earn $282,558 to keep his card. The $1.08 million winner’s check made short work of that. The championship also comes with a two-year PGA Tour exemption and an invitation to the Masters in April.
Lowery joins past champions such as Johnny Miller (1994), Peter Jacobsen (1995) who found some form of redemption by winning the AT&T. A year ago, champion Phil Mickelson rejuvenated his career by jump-starting his 2007 season after a tumultuous end to his 2006 campaign. Mickelson missed the cut after a disatrous 11 on Pebble’s 14th hole during the third round.
At age 47, Lowery becomes the oldest AT&T champion in the event’s storied history. The win is the third of his career, all three coming in playoffs.
Third place was shared by another veteran with major-championship pedigree, 48-year-old Corey Pavin, and second-year player John Mallinger of Escondido, who placed in the top five at the AT&T for the second straight year. Mallinger and Pavin finished one shot out of the playoff at 9-under-par.
View a photo gallery from first-round action at Poppy Hills.
The No. 10 Stanford men’s golf team captured its first tournament crown of the season last week at the 18th annual University of Hawaii-Hilo Invitational in Kona, Hawaii. The Cardinal finished with a three-round 16-under-par total of 813, just three strokes ahead of the two runners up, No. 46 Arizona State and No. 8 Southern California.
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#gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8519 Senior Rob Grube lines up a drive at a tournament in 2007. Grube shot just 199 at the University of Hawaii-Hilo Invitational, tying with teammate Sihwan Kim for 2nd indiviually.
After concluding a tough first round in fifth place, Stanford came through in the clutch in the later rounds to solidify their place in the top spot. Rounding out the top five of the tournament were No. 4 Georgia Tech at 824 and No. 16 Texas Tech at 829.
“The guys were playing great all week,” coach Conrad Ray said. “It was the type of course that, if you got momentum, you could shoot a really good score which we talked about after the first round. The guys have the ability to make birdies and after the first round we just focused on getting each day off to a good start.”
The Cardinal’s victory can be attributed to substantial individual improvements made in the second round of the tournament by all five golfers. Most notably, freshman No. 20 Sihwan Kim, after getting off to a slow start in the tournament, shot a seven-under-par score of 63, which launched him up the individual ladder into a four-way tie for third place with fellow teammate, senior No. 65 Rob Grube. Kim kept up with Grube for the rest of the tournament, concluding the final round with a three-under-par performance which secured his place in a two-way tie for second with the senior captain.
Grube showed his familiarity with the course and played consistently throughout the tournament, helping lead his teammates and carrying the Cardinal to its first tournament victory as a team. He started off strong with a five-under-par score of 65, placing him in the runner-up spot in the individual competition. Grube cemented his rank at number two by scoring a three-under 67 in both the second and third rounds. He was runner-up last year in the individual competition as well.
Sophomore No. 102 Jordan Cox was undaunted by the strong 18-program field and he remained at par throughout the tournament, shooting an even 70 for each round. His consistency landed him in a tie for 26th.
Junior Daniel Lim and freshman Steve Ziegler tied for 34th, concluding the tournament with a one-over-par total of 211. Ziegler showed improvement from the first to the second round. He started off slow with a five-over score of 75 for the first round but cut ten strokes off the next day to seize a five under score of 65.
“Hats off to the guys,” Ray said. “Steve came back and made his score count as this was only his second collegiate tournament. He definitely helped to contribute. We really counted on Sihwan and Rob, who made the majority of our birdies.”
The Cardinal showed no sluggishness after the long winter break, winning in its first competition since the fall season. This is the second year in a row that Stanford has taken the Hawaiian crown. It was the first collegiate tournament win for Kim, Ziegler and assistant coach Matt Tight.
“The results of this week really showed that we put in a good team effort,” Ray said. “It was really close coming down the stretch. The guys were really into the tournament and wanted to win.
“I think that we have had a competitive team throughout the year, but wins are hard to come by, no matter how good you are. It’s exciting to see that we have some depth to the team this year. The guys and I feel good about moving forward in the spring.”
Stanford next competes at the Ashworth Collegiate Invitational on March 3 in Westlake Village, Calif.
Northern Trust takes over for Nissan as the title sponsor of the event Hogan's Alley. That moniker comes from Ben Hogan who posted three wins and a second- place finish here, all in the 1940s.
As the tour returns to Riviera, the best of the best of the PGA Tour are coming out as well. Eight of the top 10 and 17 of the top-20 players in the world will tee it up this week.
Missing will be World No. 1 Tiger Woods, who has never won here. However, European stars Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, as well as reigning British Open champ Padraig Harrington, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia are all playing this week. All but Harrington are making their first PGA Tour start of the year.
Scott won here in 2005 when the event was shortened to 36 holes due to weather problems. He has already won this year, firing a final-round 61 to win the Qatar Masters.
The PGA Tour has had back-to-back playoffs and three in the first six events this year. This event needed a playoff in two of the last three years to determine a winner.
Last year, Charles Howell III closed with a 65 last year, then parred the third playoff hole to beat Phil Mickelson. Prior to Howell's win, seven of the previous 10 winners were foreigners.
The Golf Channel and CBS will again split coverage this weekend. There are two events next week with the first being the first World Golf Championship event of the year.
To date, 155 of the 206 active chapters of The First Tee nationwide have been recipients of either a PGA of America or Nicklaus/PGA teaching grant. The combined PGA and Nicklaus/PGA grants total $1,810,000.
Since 2001, The PGA of America and Nicklaus have partnered to create a $2 million endowment to provide teaching grants to certified chapters of The First Tee that utilize PGA Professionals for instruction.
"The PGA of America is proud to kick off this New Year with our partner Jack Nicklaus to extend Nicklaus/PGA Teaching Grants coast to coast," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "The wonderful messages and reports we receive are that these grants continue to produce success stories in communities. The First Tee momentum has helped grow the game of golf and brought many young people into the game."
The program continues to highlight The PGA of America's commitment to partner with its PGA Professionals to grow participation in golf.
The current Nicklaus/PGA teaching grants totaling $5,000 each have been awarded to The First Tee Chapters in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
Since its inception in 1997, there are 206 chapters of The First Tee in operation and 264 golf-learning facilities that have introduced the game of golf and its values to more than 2.2 million participants and students (which include the students of the National School Program). The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.
The PGA Growth of the Game Program is one of a number of initiatives administered by The PGA of America through its PGA Foundation
The PGA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, is dedicated to enhancing lives through the game of golf. The Foundation provides people of every ability, race, gender, and social and economic background an opportunity to experience the game and learn vital life lessons. The PGA Foundation achieves its mission through programs which provide instruction and access to playing the game of golf along with enriching those lives by providing educational, employment and scholarship opportunities.
For more information about the PGA Foundation, visit www.pgafoundation.org, or call (561) 624-7612.
Nicklaus/PGA of America Teaching Grant - $5,000 awarded to each chapter
The First Tee of Greater Trenton - Hamilton, N.J.
The First Tee of The Tri-Valley - Pleasanton, Calif.
The First Tee of Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The First Tee of Columbia Basin - Pasco, Wash.
The First Tee of New Orleans - New Orleans, La.
The First Tee of Albany - Albany, Ga.
The First Tee of Clearwater - Clearwater, Fla.
The First Tee of Modesto - Modesto, Calif.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Essex County - Newark, N.J.
The First Tee of Northern Nevada - Reno, Nev.
The First Tee of Eagle County - Edwards, Colo.
The First Tee of Idaho - Boise, Idaho
The First Tee of the Lake Norman Region - Cornelius, N.C.
The First Tee of Central Louisiana - Pineville, La.
The First Tee of Harford County, Md. - Aberdeen, Md.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Nassau County - East Meadow, N.Y.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Golf Club at Chelsea Piers - New York, N.Y.
The First Tee of Brazoria County - Lake Jackson, Texas
Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.
By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the $195 billion golf industry.
By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere.
The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.
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A day at the Madison Club is an experience to be savored with all the senses | ||
By Jonathan Abrahams Give a golf course architect a blank slate and a limitless budget, and there’s a real danger of ending up with the golf course equivalent of a blinged-out Cadillac Escalade: a towering waterfall here, the longest par 5 in the state there, a mini-volcano, etc. Which is why Tom Fazio deserves some credit for his restraint at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California. He created a stern but ultimately fair test that feels more like a monument to its members than its developer. And why not: The 225 folks lucky enough to join are required to shell out up to $5 million for homesites—on top of hefty initiation fees and dues. Not that the course lacks flashes of extravagance. Madison has massive refrigeration systems buried under each green to cool the heat-hating bentgrass on the putting surfaces that Stimp at 12. But on the whole, the course is more substance than flash. “We wanted to create something with an old-school feel in the mold of Bel-Air or Riviera,” says Michael Meldman, CEO of Discovery Land Company, which developed the 500-acre Madison for a cost of about $200 million. “If you look at those clubs, the houses are high above the golf course, so not only are the views beautiful, but there’s a sense of privacy for residents and golfers.” Those L.A. clubs lack desert surroundings—as does Madison, in defiance of its location. Fazio moved more than 5 million cubic yards of dirt and imported 3,500 mature deciduous trees to create a lush, rolling sanctuary. Consider the par-5 18th hole: A creek tumbles down the right side into a tranquil pond. A 50-foot elm guards the narrow, undulating green. Golfers play their approach shots against a backdrop of the snow-capped Santa Rosa mountains and a vintage railroad-style bridge that leads to the classically styled clubhouse, which, when completed, will sit high on a hill. “The idea from the beginning was to make people forget they’re playing in the desert,” says Meldman. Fazio received a similar directive when he manifested Shadow Creek Golf Club out of another desert landscape outside Las Vegas in 1989. And yet, because of the residential element of Madison, it was a completely different process. “There will be lots of talk about all the dirt we moved to make this course,” says Fazio. “But we began by trying to figure out how much dirt we had to move in order to create 225 outstanding lots.” To do so, Fazio carved a series of huge channels in the desert. The homes are sited between the channels and look over the course, laid out in the shallow canyons below. “It’s nice when the native land gives you some hints on what to do, but that also comes with some complicated realities,” says Fazio. “You see a lake that you’d like to build a dogleg around, but environmental laws tell you not to do anything within 70 yards of it. So you’re making compromises. At Madison, there were no compromises. We just built the lakes ourselves.” At more than 7,400 yards, Madison challenges every club in the bag without being ridiculously punitive. Fazio’s trademark mounding gives the course some receptiveness off the tee, while the undulating, well-bunkered fairways and greens provide obstacles from the approach shot in. Dipping in and around the hillocks and ponds here is a bit like listening to a symphony; there are plenty of beautiful elements, but the combination is what’s most memorable. And one tends to forget that it’s all man-made. The subtly orchestrated trio of holes closing out the front nine reflects the entire experience. After a 200-yard carry over water and sand to the par-3 7th tightens the screws, the gently ascending par-5 8th seems to offer options, if not relief: A bubbling brook splits the fairway, creating a narrow chute on the left for those who want to go for the green, and a wider landing area to the right for laying up. Any sense of comfort is fleeting: The maddeningly small, undulated green demands a precise short game. When the construction is finished in the fall of 2008, there will be multiple restaurants, a spa and fitness center, and a pool designed in the mold of the see-and-be-seen hotspot at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It’s Vegas meets the Kennedy compound, and one gets the sense that if the Rat Pack were still around, they’d hightail it down Highway 111 from Palm Springs and make Madison their joint. For example, the first four holes are beautiful and challenging. But before the 5th tee is a “comfort station” that is more like a Bacchanalian feast crammed into a small hut. Aside from any drink imaginable, the offerings include sopressatta, homemade beef jerky made from filet mignon, and something called duck crackle—thick, delicious chunks of marinated duck that clamor for a glass of Chardonnay and a shady spot under an oak tree. (With rarely more than 50 rounds a day, it’s unlikely there would be anyone around to object.) While Meldman is the visionary, many details come from general manager Mike Abbott, who has a more pragmatic take on his boss’ philosophy: “The truth is, most people get out on the golf course and don’t play well,” says Abbott. “We just figured we ought to make the experience enjoyable anyway.” Mission accomplished. Golfers who find themselves with an invitation to Madison should not pass it up; it just might be the most enjoyable golf experience money can buy. | ||
