LPGA: Park takes over No. 2 in world rankings

LPGA: Park takes over No. 2 in world rankings










The Sports Xchange April 8, 2013 3:00 PMThe SportsXchange





Korea's Inbee Park move up two spots to No. 2 in the Rolex World Rankings following her dominating victory Sunday at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of 2013 on the LPGA Tour.

She trails American Stacy Lewis by only 11 hundredths of a point for the top spot. Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng made the cut, but was never in contention and has slid to No. 3.

Korea's Na Yeon Choi also fell one spot, while countrywoman So Yeon Ryu rose four spots to close out the top five following her second-place finish at the Kraft Nabisco.

Rounding out the top 10 are Norway's Suzann Pettersen, Korea's Jiyai Shin, China's Shanshan Feng, Japan's Ai Miyazato and American Paula Creamer.

Wounded WW II veteran John Heard had a unique rehab assignment - play Augusta National

Wounded WW II veteran John Heard had a unique rehab assignment - play Augusta National











PGA.COM April 8, 2013 4:29 PM

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John Heard, a member of the 308th Engineering Combat Battalion assigned to the 8th Army at the Battle …


Tom Heard had never heard his father, John, talk about golf, and he had never seen him play. John was a farmer and poultry inspector in rural Georgia, and he spoke occasionally about his days playing baseball. But golf never came up.


Then in 1975 Tom and his brother sat in the living room to watch an epic final round of the Masters as Jack Nicklaus won over Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller. As the CBS cameras showed panorama shots of the 13th hole with azaleas and dogwoods in full bloom, Tom said, "Wow that is beautiful."

He was shocked when his father said, "Yeah, that is a pretty place, but it's a tough hole."

The boys looked at their father and asked, "You've been to Augusta National?"

John said, "Sure. I played it every day I was there."

Tom said, "I never knew you played golf."

His father said, "I don't. Augusta National's the only place I ever played."

The fact that John Heard played the only golf of his life at Augusta National, not once but numerous times, came as almost a big a shock to his sons as the fact that he had never mentioned it before. But men of that generation kept a lot of things locked away. More often than not, it was for good reason.

John Heard was with the 308th Engineering Combat Battalion assigned to the 8th Army at the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944. On a snowy December morning, a member of their unit tripped a large German mine buried in the French countryside. An entire squad was blown to bits. John was the only survivor.

With shrapnel in his shoulder, back and hip, he was medically evacuated to Paris, and then flown to England for several weeks. When he was strong enough to travel, John returned stateside on the Queen Mary, and was transported by train to the Army's Camp Gordon Hospital in Augusta for rehab.

Physical therapy wasn't much of a science in the 1940s, so John's rehab consisted of whatever calisthenics he could do, followed by golf in the afternoon at a local club, Augusta National, which opened its doors to wounded veterans.

John played the National almost every day for six months. He had never played the game before and never played it after. Like most parts of the war, he put that piece of his life away never to be visited again.

Those who knew Bob Jones and Clifford Roberts personally would not be surprised by John's story. Roberts discovered Augusta and the old Berckman's Nursery during his time in the Army at Camp Gordon (now Fort Gordon), and Bob Jones was a captain in the Army Air Corp and landed in Normandy on D-Day plus one.

For years Roberts and Jones allowed any uniformed serviceman free admittance to the grounds for the tournament. That was how Arnie's Army got its name. And for decades the club provided aid and support to military families in the area.

But Augusta National members kept quiet about the good deeds they did for wounded heroes like John Heard, just as they remain silent to this day on matters big and small. You won't hear anyone at the National speak about the extraordinary charity work the club does, not just in Augusta but throughout the country, nor will the men in green jackets utter a peep about their ongoing support for wounded veterans and their families.

The best charity is always the quietest. That is something to remember when the lazy criticisms of Augusta National are trotted about again this year. The privacy they so jealously protect does not conceal some nefarious conspiracy.

Sometimes, as in the story of John Heard and the wounded heroes of World War II, it is for the good.

Stricker turns to Woods for advice on Augusta

Stricker turns to Woods for advice on Augusta











PGA.COM April 8, 2013 10:33 PM

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The Masters is the only major in which Steve Stricker has never been in serious contention.(Getty I …


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Steve Stricker wouldn't mind if Tiger Woods returned the favor, only it's not that easy.

Woods is back to No. 1 in the world, a return to the top that received a boost last month at Doral when Stricker worked with him for nearly an hour on the putting green.

He noticed that Woods needed a slight adjustment in his setup, and when the light came on, Woods seemed to hit warp speed. He won Doral, he won Bay Hill two weeks later and showed up at the Masters as the favorite to win.

Now if only Stricker can get Woods to show him how to win a green jacket.

The Masters is the only major in which Stricker has never been in serious contention. He was runner-up in the PGA Championship at Sahalee. He played in the final group in the British Open at Carnoustie. He was tied for the lead going to the back nine at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.

For some reason, Augusta National has his number. He tied for sixth in 2009, his best result, though he was never a factor that day.

"I've had a couple decent tournaments here," Stricker said Monday. "For the most part I've struggled here a little bit. I'm starting to feel a little bit more comfortable going around here, but there's still a few things I haven't figured out -- or I've gotten in my way a few times here, too. Just not committing to shots, not committing to lines, feeling a little overwhelmed about this place at times, I think.

"So there's been some issues, not only physically, but I think mentally here, as well," he said. "It's a challenging spot and it's a challenging course."

Time is not on his side.

Stricker began the second chapter in his career in 2006 and since then has won nine times on the PGA Tour, reached as high as No. 2 in the world and has been part of every Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team. But no major. And no Masters.

Stricker spent last week in the thawing snow of Wisconsin, hitting out of his heated, three-sided trailer at the club, and even taking a few shots from the grass when enough of the snow began to melt. He arrived on Sunday and got in 14 holes of practice with Woods.

"We were talking about pitching and chip shots and little wedge play," Stricker said. "We were talking about that a lot. I was asking him what he does and what he tries to do, and his action on the way back and on the way through. It's mutual. We try to help out one another every once in a while.

"He's ranked No. 1 now again, and it's fun to bounce some ideas off him here and there."

The Masters means so much to Stricker that he still remembers how he qualified for his first trip to Augusta National in 1996. But if there's a mental block about this place, perhaps because he wants so badly to do well, some of that might be alleviated by this stage of his career.

Stricker decided to go into semi-retirement, with a schedule of no more than about 11 tournaments. He has played only four times this year -- two runner-up finishes, a quarterfinals loss in the Accenture Match Play Championship and middle of the pack in Houston.

He feels fresh. He's hitting the ball well.

"And I don't feel like there's any pressure on me at all, which is a good thing," he said.

Angel Cabrera helped re-start Adam Scott's career

Angel Cabrera helped re-start Adam Scott's career











Jay Busbee April 14, 2013 10:20 PMYahoo Sports






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Adam Scott reacts after making a birdie putt to win the Masters. (Getty Images)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Adam Scott wasn't just in a swoon. He was in an absolute free-fall.



It was September 2009, and Scott was in the midst of the worst stretch of his professional career. He'd seen his world ranking drop from 3rd after the 2008 U.S. Open to 53rd. He'd missed cuts in 10 of his last 14 events and in four of the pri five majors. He'd broken up with a longtime girlfriend and had made some dubious business decisions, like the purchase of a Gulfstream G450 jet.

Fellow Australian Greg Norman knew all this and still selected Scott for the 2009 Presidents Cup team.

Norman came under withering criticism for picking the underachieving Scott, criticism which served to motivate Scott that much more.

[Related video: Cabrera, Scott talk about dramatic Masters playoff]

"It was kind of a gut-check time," Scott said on Sunday evening. "My game was in a bit of a rut, to be fair, and I wasn't enjoying it. But Greg as the captain had a lot of faith in me, and belief that I could win a point for his team, and he gave me a pick, and I didn't want to disappoint him."





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Adam Scott hugs Angel Cabrera after winning the Masters. (AP)What Norman would do in 2009 would contribute, more than three years later, to one of the most dramatic playoffs in golf history. Scott was radioactive, playing so badly that he was almost contagious. So Norman connected him with someone whom he thought could help steady Scott's nerves and game: the then-reigning Masters champion, Angel Cabrera.



"Nobody wanted to play with Adam [in the Presidents Cup]," recalled Charlie Epps, Cabrera's swing coach. "Angel said, ‘I'll play with him.' " Standing in the light of the Augusta National clubhouse Sunday immediately after Scott's Masters victory – winning in a two-hole playoff against … Cabrera – Epps smiled at the memory – and the irony.

[Related: Scott, Cabrera save the Masters]

"That was Greg's decision, and it was a good one," Epps said. "Greg had faith in Adam. It was the start of a great relationship [with Cabrera]."

Scott and Cabrera would lose the only match they played together, but they weren't alone. Norman's International Team would lose to Fred Couples' United States team 19½ to 14½.

Still, Cabrera and Scott got along well, and at one point, Cabrera pulled Scott aside and told him, "You're a great, great player." On Sunday night, wearing the green jacket, Scott nodded at the memory. "Something I didn't forget," he said, "and really nice of him."

Perhaps it's a coincidence, perhaps not, but Scott's career turned around after that Presidents Cup, first slowly and then with avalanche speed. He missed only one cut in the 2010 majors. He notched two top-10s in the 2011 majors, including a runner-up in the Masters. And he appeared headed for his breakthrough victory at the Open Championship in Royal Lytham last year before falling apart in the last four holes. And now, a green jacket.

Cabrera's warmth and generosity toward Scott even extended to their playoff. As they were walking down the 10th fairway, playing their second playoff hole, likely as tense a moment as either man had ever experienced, Cabrera looked out from under his umbrella and gave Scott a thumbs-up. It's not a gesture many other golfers would have done for a rival.

[Related video: Controversial putter a game-changer for Adam Scott]

"Angel is a great man," Scott said. "To do that at that point is very nice. I think, with limited abilities to converse, you know, we would consider each other friends and have a lot of respect for each other."

Just minutes after Cabrera gave Scott the thumbs-up, Scott's birdie putt on the second playoff hole dropped into the hole. Cabrera embraced Scott, later saying he told Scott how happy he was for him, and how much Scott deserved this moment.

"Unfortunately in playoffs, it's one-on-one, head to head," Cabrera said afterward. "And there's got to be only one winner, and he was able to win."

If Cabrera's able to take comfort from this loss at all, it's that he can take at least some small measure of credit for Scott's success. That's not nearly as good as a green jacket, true, but in a game that prizes sportsmanship, it's essential nonetheless.

A Lesson Learned: Set up to Drive Well

A Lesson Learned: Set up to Drive Well











Jon Tattersall April 14, 2013 10:28 PM


A lot will be made of the extraordinary birdie putts Adam Scott holed, first at 18 and then at 10 in the playoff, to win the Masters. But Scottie wouldn't have been in that position if he hadn't driven the ball with such deft precision all week.


Sure, the old adage "drive for show and putt for doe" still applies, but at a course like Augusta National, where playing to the right spots on the greens in vital to have any chance at making a putt, the driver is the second most important club in the bag.

Adam Scott hit perfect tee shots coming down the stretch, piping it down the middle at 14, 15, 17, 18 twice, and at 10 during the playoff. In every one of those cases, he was able to hit the ball hard because of his perfect balance. And while the average golfer will never achieve the kind of clubhead speed Scottie generates with a driver, you can learn from what he does to get himself into position for those quality swings.

Scottie has one of the best setups in golf, especially with the driver. His feet are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, which gives him a solid base around which to turn.

His posture is perfect -- shoulders back, chest out, chin high, knees slightly flexed and he bows at the hips. And his ball position is just right for power, far enough forward that the left arm and the club shaft form a straight line. That allows him to make contact with his tee shots just slightly past the bottom the arc. By catching the ball as the club is traveling slightly upward, the driver shots fly on a flat trajectory, high but with very little spin. That insures maximum length and great accuracy.

His swing is a thing of beauty. That was especially true at Augusta National where he hit some of the best shots under pressure in recent memory. Unless you are a gifted athlete, you won't be able to replicate that swing. But you can work to imitate his setup.

Photos of Scottie won't be hard to come by. Stand in front of a mirror and try to mimic his setup, including the forward position of the ball with the driver. Once you master the feel for an Adam Scott-style address, you will be in great shape to make a simple turn and return to the ball.

It won't win you a green jacket, but a good setup is the start of all great shots. And if you can only mimic one player's setup with the driver, make that player Adam Scott.

Jon Tattersall is co-founder of Golf Performance Partners and a certified strength and conditioning specialist in addition to his PGA credentials.

Australians worldwide jubilant over Scott's win

Australians worldwide jubilant over Scott's win











PGA.COM April 14, 2013 10:46 PM

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When Adam Scott slipped on the Masters green jacket, all of Australia rejoiced.(Getty Images)


By Dennis Passa, Associated Press


BRISBANE, Australia -- It began overnight on social media in Australia, hours before three of the country's best golfers teed off among the top five in the final round of the Masters in that elusive pursuit of a green jacket.

Adam Scott and Jason Day were trending on Twitter. Marc Leishman was also a popular subject.

Golf fans anxious for Australia's first win at Augusta National even developed their own hashtag: #itsourtime.

The 32-year-old Scott obviously thought it was, too.

The affable Queenslander beat Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff. That finished at 9:40 a.m. Monday local time on Australia's east coast, nearly five hours after the keenest of fans woke up -- at 5:00 a.m. -- to watch the start of the telecast from Georgia.

Finally, the drought had ended. It was Scott's first major, and the only major an Australian had never won.

Tom Watson, who missed the cut at Augusta this year, tweeted: "You showed great courage Adam ... and resiliency from last year's disappointment at Lytham." Scott bogeyed the last four holes last year to lose the British Open by a shot to Ernie Els.

Golf Australia tweeted "quite simply, the most magnificent Monday imaginable." Australian pro Marcus Fraser, who plays mostly on the European Tour, said "still speechless!"

Jarrod Lyle, an Australian golfer recovering from leukemia, posted: "you (censored) beauty Scotty. Great win well deserved."

American Jessica Korda, a member of the LPGA Tour who won last year's Women's Australian Open, tweeted: "Adam Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A million girls just fell in love."

Before the result was known, The Australian national newspaper underscored some of the frustration -- and pressure -- on the country's golfers.

"Three Aussies share Masters burden," blared a headline on its website, with the first line of the story reading: "This time, a nation's expectations won't fall on to the shoulders of just one man."

But the Australian telecaster, Network Ten, may have jinxed at least one them.

The network sent a TV crew to the Warnambool Golf Club in southern Victoria, Leishman's home club. They did live crosses to the clubhouse during the telecast, but there were few cheering opportunities as Leishman finished with a 72 and was tied for fourth with Tiger Woods, four behind the closing 9-under totals of Scott and Cabrera.

Day, who shot 70 along with Cabrera, finished third, two behind the leading pair.

Scott and Day came close in 2011 at Augusta but were left stranded by South African Charl Schwartzel's late run of four consecutive birdies, and the Australians finished tied for second.

Another Australian, 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, was also in the hunt that year, but finished tied for fourth, four shots behind. Surprisingly, Ogilvy didn't qualify this year.

Greg Norman had a couple of high-profile losses at Augusta. In 1986, Jack Nicklaus shot a 30 on the back nine to take the green jacket from him. In 1987, Larry Mize chipped in from 140 feet during a playoff to leave Norman second. In 1996, a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo wasn't enough when Norman shot a final-round 78.

In his victory speech Sunday night, Scott was gracious in thanking his mentor: "Greg Norman has been incredible to me and all the young golfers in Australia. Part of this definitely belongs to him."

There was a minor faux pa Monday from the sport's national governing body, the PGA of Australia. Late in the final round, it sent out a tweet saying: "We need a mistake from the big hitting Argentine down 13."

A few minutes later, the PGA was criticized by a California follower: "Really? #badssportsmanship."

The PGA of Australia quickly tweeted a reply: "We shouldn't wish bad luck for anyone and the previous tweet was bad sportsmanship Clearly let our enthusiasm get in the way."

Cabrera hit into the creek on the 13th and later bogeyed the hole to fall out of the lead.

Social media was set to be the haven for suggestions for next year's champions dinner at Augusta, with Scott getting to call the shots on the menu.

Will it be crocodile canapés, emu burgers, kangaroo steaks or even koala-shaped cupcakes for dessert? Whatever, it should probably be pretty interesting after waiting all these years.