Natalie has always been one of my favorite LPGA golfers. Yes I know many of the reasons are apparent. But I just found myself rooting for her as she got so close to winning over the last few years. The way she handles the losses was really a testament to her as a person. I think this is one of the reasons she is so popular on the LPGA tour.

So good going Natalie, and here’s hoping you win many more!

“Gulbis grabs first LPGA victory

ASSOCIATED PRESS

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Natalie Gulbis broke through at the Evian Masters, winning her first LPGA title with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff with Jang Jeong of South Korea on Sunday.

Jang and the 24-year-old American finished the fourth round tied at 4-under 284. Gulbis had a final round 70, and Jang birdied the last hole to finish with a 72.

“Obviously it was meant to be for me,” said Gulbis, in her sixth season on the LPGA. “Before the playoff, I was very upset at myself because I felt like I had given away this tournament. I thought I needed to get to 7 under to win and I end up at, what, four? Going in today, I never thought that four under would have won this tournament.”

Jang, the 2005 Women’s British Open champion, birdied three of the last four holes to tie Gulbis. At the first extra hole, the 18th, Jang missed the green with her second shot, but Gulbis did not.

“I usually can’t reach that green in two,” Gulbis said. “I hit a really good drive and hit my rescue club in. It was about 25 feet and I thought the eagle putt was in. Fortunately, it ended about a foot away and I tapped it in. I wouldn’t have wanted it to be much farther than that.”

For the entire story, click here.

I was pulling for Sergio, but there is no doubt that Padraig Harrington is an able competitor. I’m glad he didn’t put a Van de Velde, but that is what he almost did. I watched Sergio putt all day, hit good putts and have nothing drop. Hopefully he can take this as a good omen for the future, his putting didn’t kill him, his luck did. I see Sergio running off with3-4 majors over the next few years, he is really that good and now his putting won’t hold him back.

I heard an interesting comment about Tiger Woods about his eye surgery giving him problems. What’s wrong with contacts? If I had his money I’d be suing…

My I hope this isn’t true. He still hits is so unbelievably better than anyone on any tour I would hate to have him have these kinds of problems leading him not to achieve his full potential. And as long as he is winning he will continue to play. So win Tiger!

Sergio has always been a great striker of the golf ball. His putting has let him down many times in the past. Now with the belly putter he appears more relaxed and confident over the putter than he has sinceprior to his “waggling period”. Maybe this is what he needs to push him into being a Major winner.

Update: Sergio sets the first round low record at Carnoustie with 6 under 65 round.

TNT coverage has been very “British” and is focused on the exploits and good play of  young Rory McIlroy.

Oops now its 3.

More to come.

“It changes with the wind,” Mickelson said. “Each hole can go from being a birdie hole to just trying to make par. You don’t know how to attack the course until you get on it. You have to come up with three or four different ways to play based on the three or four different winds that we’ll see.”

I really didn’t make this up. I am a major fan of Phil’s. Partly because he is really intelligent. But I think his intelligence gets in his way many times. As good as he is and as good as he swings I think he can get analysis paalysis. Then with his coterie of swing gurus, short game strategists, technologically super tested equipment good for all occasions… well my brain hurts already.

Good luck Phil. I hope the free swinging, confident player pops out of the quagmire of thinking too much. Just play!

For the rest of the story, click here.

With the theme of more and younger golfers in the US appearing and playing in tournaments (see latest blog about 16 year old Tadd Fujikawa turning pro), Daniel Summerhays turned the Nationwide Tour upside down with his victory. So much for a development tour. I guess the NCAA does a pretty good job too.

Another stat I heard Sunday while watching Jonathan Byrd’s come from behind victory over Tim Clark of South Africa: Only 2 under 30 U.S. golfers has more than 2 PGA victories: Byrd who now has 3 and Charles Howell III who now has 2 thanks to his win at Riveria this spring.

Hurray for old farts like 31 year old Tiger Woods.

“Summerhays makes N’wide history

GOLFWEEK STAFF

BYU senior Daniel Summerhays shot 2-under 69 Sunday at Ohio State Golf Club’s Scarlet Course to win the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational and become the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event.

Summerhays, 23, finished at 6-under 278, two shots ahead of Chad Collins (69) and Chris Nallen (71). Summerhays birdied Nos. 10 and 12, then parred the final six holes for the victory. ”

For the rest of the story…

I think professional golfers, at least the ones from Hawaii, are getting into the act earlier. It will be interesting to see how Tadd fares against the big boys week in and week out. He seemed to hit it a long way, but then he was very familiar with the course making it more comfortable to take a big rip. Plus there is no rough in Hawaii, so you can be offline and still get away with it.

You can’t blame him with his charisma and how advertisers are probably standing in line to sign him up to significant paydays. It is not unlike what kids get for playing major league baseball or pro basketball. There is no difference. Sponsors line up for potential. Sometimes potential is all there is to sell, but the return when potential turns into greatness is incredible. Good luck Tadd.

“Tadd Fujikawa, the youngest player to ever qualify for the U.S. Open and second-youngest to make a cut on the PGA Tour in the last 50 years, has turned professional.

He will make his debut in three weeks at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Fujikawa, 16, was scheduled to announce his intentions at 9:30 this morning at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, where he stole the show – and the spotlight, from Michelle Wie – at the Sony Open in January with his tie for 20th.

Last night, Fujikawa called his friend Kimberly Kim to deliver the news.

“I was like, ‘You should play college golf. These guys are stronger than you, they’re bigger than you, they hit it longer than you and it’s more competitve,’ ” said Kim, winner of last year’s U.S Women’s Amateur. “I don’t think he realizes how good (pro golfers) are. And they’re doing it every week. It’s their job. We just do it for fun right now.

“I asked him how much they were paying him (to turn pro). He said, ‘A lot.,’ ” Kim said. “I think it’s too early and he’s making a mistake, but he’s making a lot of money.”

For the entire story, click here.

Amazing what a few weeks of rest and rehabilitation (and no wind) can do a psyche and physique. Keep it going Phil!

“Mickelson’s wrist better, leads in Scotland

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LUSS, Scotland – Phil Mickelson shot a 6-under 65 Thursday to share the lead in the first round of the Scottish Open.

The two-time Masters champion had an eagle and five birdies in the British Open warmup at Loch Lomond.

“We had a great day to score low,” Mickelson said. “There wasn’t much wind and the greens were putting very well. It’s a fun test of golf and it was fun to play well the first day.”

For the entire story, click here.

Great article by Jeff Rude today on Golfweek. Rude tells how Tiger knew about the pregnancy complications of his wife, but played in the US Open anyway. It must have been a difficult week knowing all was going to be okay… but not really knowing. That is now two US Opens in a row that Tiger has had significant family distractions. Of course we are all blessed that this one had a very happy turnout.

“One major and a baby- Jeff Rude

Tiger Woods knew. He knew all four days of the U.S. Open. That’s right, he knew wife Elin was admitted to a hospital with pregnancy complications the first day of the Open at Oakmont. With all that on his mind all week, he almost won anyway, finishing one stroke behind surprise champion Angel Cabrera.

It’s hard enough playing a U.S. Open under the best of circumstances. It’s even harder when the tournament is in Pennsylvania and you’re playing while you have one eye on Orlando and you’re keeping a big secret. Woods would play our national championship on one of the country’s hardest golf courses, then get daily updates from his wife and then pretty much keep it all to himself.

Here’s what made it easier: Double permission and a sense that all would be OK in that Florida hospital.

“Everything was all right,” Woods said Tuesday in his first public interview since the birth of daughter Sam Alexis by Caesarean section early June 18. “I mean, it wasn’t life-threatening or anything, but she just had a few problems and had to be admitted. It was not easy (playing) because I wanted to be there. And the doctor and Elin said ‘There’s nothing you can do. So go out there and just get a ‘W.’ ”

A “W” didn’t come. A baby did.

“That was infinitely more rewarding than any ‘W’ ever could have been,” Woods said from Congressional Country Club, where he’s preparing for his first tournament back, the inaugural AT&T National event that he is hosting.

To read the entire article, click here.

Great golf, great theater last weekend at the US Women’s Open. Would Ochoa finally breakthrough to win her first major tournament? Could Morgan Pressel summon some last round heroics? Instead it was American Cristie Kerr who provided the final knock out punch to all competitiors with a tremendous birdie on the difficult 14th and 4 straight tough pars to bring it home. Well done Cristie!

“Cristie’s first: Kerr wins U.S. Open

By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Even with the silver trophy at her side, Cristie Kerr felt uneasy sharing the premonition she had all year about coming to Pine Needles and winning the U.S. Women’s Open.

She might not have scripted it quite like this.

With a swing she spent the weekend trying to fix, Kerr played the final 45 holes with only two bogeys. She three-putted only once all week on the treacherous Donald Ross greens by using a putter she purchased at a pro shop in South Korea.

And going head-to-head with the No. 1 player in the world Sunday afternoon, Kerr drilled an 18-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole to take the lead and then watched as Lorena Ochoa made another series of mistakes down the stretch in a major.

“When I stepped on the grounds this week, it was just magic,” Kerr said after closing with a 1-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Ochoa and Angela Park to end her 0-for-41 drought in the majors.”

For the entire article, click here.