Golf - Latest: US PGA Championship, Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, New York (8-11 August)

[busybeeburns]

1 shot penalty drop:

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Ian Baker-Finch doesn't know definition of embedded ball on that Kuchar shot. Ball driven into bank is not embedded. Dec 25-2/6.No free drop</p>— Jon Guhl (@mapgaceo) <a href="https://twitter.com/mapgaceo/statuses/366619177001291776">August 11, 2013</a></blockquote>

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[Reilly]

Golf's a cruel game :( But not as cruel as you Ian for just showing me the same horrific clip again. :(

[busybeeburns]

^ sorry my copy and paste broke!

 

From: http://www.usga.org/rule-books/rules-of-golf/decision-25/

 

Rule 25-2/6

Ball on Steep Bank Driven Straight into Ground

 

Q. A player's ball lies on a steep bank in the fairway. He plays a stroke and drives the ball straight into the bank, i.e., the ball is never airborne. Is the player entitled to relief without penalty under Rule 25-2?

 

A. No. Under Rule 25-2, relief is provided if a ball is embedded in its own pitch-mark. The word "pitch-mark" implies that the ball has become airborne.

 

13/4

Ball Completely Embedded in Lip of Bunker

 

Q. A player's ball is completely embedded in the vertical lip of a bunker. The lip is not grass-covered, so it is part of the bunker. Is the ball considered to be lying through the green? If so, the player would be entitled to drop the ball behind the bunker if he deems it unplayable.

 

A. No. An embedded ball is considered to be lying in the part of the course where it entered the ground.

 

25-2/5

Ball Embedded in Grass Bank or Face of Bunker

 

Q. Are grass banks or faces of bunkers considered to be "closely mown areas" under Rule 25-2 (Embedded Ball) and may relief be taken from them under that Rule?

 

A. No, not unless they are cut to fairway height or less.

[busybeeburns]

clear as mud!

[Reilly]

Now I must apologise for being dum, I don't understand :huh:

 

Well first of all, I assumed the ball was airborne it just shot straight into that bunker, he'd have to get it badly wrong to still hit it firm enough to roll up the sand and hit the edge at that speed. And secondly, I don't understand why it matters, he hit the ball, it's a stroke, why does this matter.

[Reilly]

clear as mud!

 

Oh ok I don't feel as dum now.

[busybeeburns]

McIlroy and Westwood both duffed their teeshots on the 1st. A few nerves out there!

[busybeeburns]

Oh ok I don't feel as dum now.

looks like he wasn't penalised after all :inquisitive:

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>During the Final Round of the <a href="https://twitter.com/PGAChampionship">@PGAChampionship</a>, Matt Kuchar received a free drop under Local Rule for an embedded ball through the green.</p>— PGA of America (@ThePGAofAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePGAofAmerica/statuses/366633366327533568">August 11, 2013</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>By definition, this grass covered ground is not part of the bunker and relief under the Local Rule was available.</p>— PGA of America (@ThePGAofAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePGAofAmerica/statuses/366633937226842114">August 11, 2013</a></blockquote>

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[busybeeburns]

Bogey, double bogey; bye bye Westwood!

[busybeeburns]

Stenson, Blixt and Scott all drop shots and Dufner stuck behind a big tree.

 

And finally Nicklaus has buggered off from the studio! He's the Jamie Carragher of golf :laugh3:

 

edit: McIlroy in the wet stuff.

[Reilly]

looks like he wasn't penalised after all :inquisitive:

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>During the Final Round of the <a href="https://twitter.com/PGAChampionship">@PGAChampionship</a>, Matt Kuchar received a free drop under Local Rule for an embedded ball through the green.</p>— PGA of America (@ThePGAofAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePGAofAmerica/statuses/366633366327533568">August 11, 2013</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>By definition, this grass covered ground is not part of the bunker and relief under the Local Rule was available.</p>— PGA of America (@ThePGAofAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePGAofAmerica/statuses/366633937226842114">August 11, 2013</a></blockquote>

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My brain can't handle it

[busybeeburns]

Latest:

 

Dufner -11

Furyk -9

Stenson -9

 

Dufner yet to drop a shot today, it's his to lose

[busybeeburns]

US PGA 2013: Jason Dufner wins maiden major title at Oak Hill

 

 

US PGA 2013: Jason Dufner wins maiden major title at Oak Hill

 

FINAL ROUND LEADERBOARD

-10: J Dufner (US)-8: J Furyk (US)-7: H Stenson (Swe)-6: J Blixt (Swe)-5 : A Scott (Aus), S Piercy (US)Selected: -3: R McIlroy (NI)-2: G McDowell (NI), M Warren (Sco)+3: L Westwood (Eng)+4: T Woods (US) +8: I Poulter (Eng)+12: P Mickelson (US)

 

Jason Dufner held his nerve to clinch his maiden major title with victory at the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

 

The 36-year-old American overhauled countryman Jim Furyk with a final-round 68 to win by two shots at 10 under. Furyk, 43, led overnight but 71 was not good enough to add to his 2003 US Open. Henrik Stenson was seven under with fellow Swede Jonas Blixt six under. Rory McIlroy (70) ended three under, with Lee Westwood three over after 76.

 

The enigmatic Dufner, a two-time PGA Tour winner, came closest to a major title when he squandered a five-shot lead with four to play on the way to losing to Keegan Bradley in a play-off for the 2011 US PGA title. But he played imperious golf at Oak Hill on Sunday, hardly hitting a bad shot, to open his major account in upstate New York.

 

Dufner, who equalled the lowest score in major history with a 63 on Friday, trailed Furyk by one going into the final round, but was sharing the lead with the eight-time Ryder Cup star after a birdie on the fourth and had a two-shot gap after the ninth. A tentative birdie putt on the 10th, followed by almost missing the next, were virtually the only outward signs of nerves - until both players bogeyed the 17th and 18th - as Dufner maintained his distance on Furyk all the way to the giant Wanamaker trophy.

 

"I can't believe this is happening to me," said Dufner, who is the 18th different winner in the last 20 majors. "To come back from a couple of years ago in this championship when I lost to Keegan in the play-off, to win feels really, really good. The last two holes were a little unfortunate. I wish I could've closed out with no bogeys but I am happy to get the job done. It's a big step for my career."

 

Furyk, who won the last of his 16 titles in 2010, said: "I needed to keep the pedal down and make pars there and keep the pressure on him and I just didn't do it. "If I could go back I would have to try and make par at 17 and 18 and try and put some heat on him."

 

Stenson and Blixt were bidding to become the first Swedish man to win a major title, but both had up-and-down days and carded rounds of level-par 70. For the resurgent Stenson, who dropped from the world's top 10 to as low as 230th in early 2012, it was his third straight top-three finish after coming second in the Open and third behind Tiger Woods at Firestone.

 

Masters champion Adam Scott began four shots adrift but was also unable to make an impression and his 70 left him five under alongside American Scott Piercy, who surged up the leaderboard with a 65.

 

McIlroy, who missed the cut in the Open to cap a miserable season up to then, was looking likely to miss another cut after 10 holes of his second round. But the Northern Irishman fought back well over the closing stretch to make the weekend and at six shots adrift, he had an outside chance of defending the title he won by a record eight shots at Kiawah Island last year.

 

The 24-year-old began in promising fashion with a birdie at the third, but a triple bogey via the water on the fifth derailed his challenge and he was always playing catch-up. He salvaged the three shots back with birdies at the ninth, 10th and 13th but a bogey on 16 knocked him back again and he finished in a tie for eighth, his first top 10 in a major this season.

 

McIlroy's playing partner Westwood also started three under but his 63rd major quickly turned into another without a victory. A bogey at the second and a double bogey at the third set the tone, and three more dropped shots followed to go out in 41. Birdies at 10 and 14 made some amends, but Westwood's putter problems continued and he dropped final shots at the 15th and 18th.

 

World number one Tiger Woods could only finish tied for 40th at four over after carding rounds of 71,70, 73, 70 - a week after shooting 61 on his way to winning the WGC-Invitational for his fifth title of the year. The 37-year-old has now gone 18 majors and five years without a major title and will have to wait until the 2014 Masters at Augusta to try to resume his quest for a 15th Grand Slam victory.

 

"I've been there in half of them so that's about right. If you are going to be in there three-quarters or half of them with a chance to win on the back nine, you have just got to get it done," said Woods. "I was right there and certainly had a chance to win the Masters and the British this year. The other two, I just didn't hit it good enough. Just the way it goes."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/23662410

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Lee Westwood Twitter: English golfer says sorry for rant

 

 

Lee Westwood Twitter: English golfer says sorry for rant

 

Golfer Lee Westwood has apologised for his Twitter outburst on Monday. The world number 14, who finished 13 shots behind US PGA winner Jason Dufner on Sunday, sent messages criticising users who had tweeted him abuse.

 

He also dismissed comments by pundit Colin Montgomerie who had been critical of his final round of six-over 76. The 40-year-old later tweeted: "Sincere apologies to my sponsors and true followers for my earlier comments. It was out of order and out of character."

 

The English golfer was angry with criticism he was receiving on the social media website about the fact he had yet to win a major, having had five top-three finishes. He told users over a three-hour period, "Will you get a life first", "You minions need to live from the inside out rather than the outside in" and "Come on you girly boy trolls! I've only won just over 2 mill [million] on course this year! Need you to keep me entertained a bit longer than this!".

 

When asked, "Has someone hacked your account Lee? Drink doesn't solve anything!", he replied "Oh it does! Plenty!" And, in response to someone asking about former Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie's criticism of his performance, Westwood responded with "who?".

 

The Worksop-born player has since deleted some of the more expletive-ridden tweets, but not all the critical ones.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/23673003