John Daly turned back the clock at St. Andrews, the site of his 1995 British Open win
John Daly turned back the clock at St. Andrews, the site of his 1995 British Open win, writes Paul Mahoney.
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Teen sensation Thompson to become LPGA member
Teenage sensation Lexi Thompson will be going to work full-time on the LPGA Tour next year.
Fleetwood, Hoey leaders at Dunhill Links
Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Hoey left a trail of big names behind them, sharing the second-round lead at the Dunhill Links Championship on Friday.
LPGA approves Lexi Thompson’s petition for membership in 2012
It’s official: Lexi Thompson is coming to the LPGA Tour. The 16-year-old phenom who two weeks ago won the Navistar LPGA Classic by five shots, had her petition for full-time membership approved Friday by LPGA commissioner Mike Whan. Here is the full statement:
LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan today approved Lexi Thompson’s petition for LPGA Tour membership beginning in 2012. “Lexi Thompson is a unique talent who continues to grow, develop and mature both on and off the golf course,” Whan said. “I recognized her unique talent when I gave her the opportunity to earn her way onto the LPGA via the 2011 Qualifying Tournament. In the process of earning her way onto the Tour, she beat an elite field at the Navistar LPGA Classic that featured 15 of the top 20 players on the Rolex Rankings and 45 of the top 50 on the LPGA Official Money List. Additionally, her ability to handle the success and disappointment inherent to this game testifies to a level of maturity that I believe makes her capable of handling the emotional rigors of professional golf at the highest level. Therefore, effective at the start of our 2012 season, Lexi will officially become a member of the LPGA Tour.”
Thompson’s win at the Navistar LPGA Classic was her first official LPGA victory and qualified her for the season-ending CME Group Titleholders at Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 14-20, 2011. She also jumped 80 spots on the Rolex Rankings to 44th in the world with the victory. “Clearly, there is great enthusiasm and excitement as Lexi begins her LPGA career,” Whan said. “I think her future is bright and I hope she makes the most of this opportunity.” By rule, a player between the ages of 15 and 18 years of age must petition the Commissioner for special permission to apply for membership, which Thompson’s management group did on Thursday, Sept. 29.
Truth & Rumors: NFL kicker’s clubs stolen, traded for drugs
There are at least three ways a deliveryman can draw the ire of his customers: show up late, show up with the wrong order, show up and steal their golf clubs. Such was the fate of Atlanta Falcons placekicker Matt Bryant [right], whose sticks—valued at more than $ 3,000—were swiped from his garage by a Chinese-food deliveryman a couple weeks ago. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the bizarre details:
"He went into the open garage, took the clubs, delivered the food and went on his way," said Braselton Police Assistant Chief Lou Solis. Kristian Vail [the deliveryman], who was arrested on Sept. 22, faces felony burglary charges.
Maybe he was looking for Maxfli Noodles?
Investigators found the clubs on the Internet using their serial numbers, Solis said. Vail had traded the clubs and golf bag to Michael Gibson, 22, for 80 Ecstasy pills, Solis said.
All but three of the clubs have been recovered, Solis said. A Midtown jazz club owner returned one club that he said he bought from Gibson for $ 120, according to Solis. He won't be charged.
One of Bryant's prized clubs—a Scotty Cameron putter—has yet to be recovered. "Matt Bryant wasn't too happy about that," said Solis.
For Gustafson, talking more nerve-wracking than playing
Pressure isn’t standing over an eight-footer to win a decisive match. Pressure is answering questions under hot, bright lights, in front of a rolling camera, while battling a maddening speech impediment. That’s the challenge Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson faced in the run-up to last week’s Solheim Cup when she agreed to sit for a rare interview with Val Skinner of the Golf Channel. Gustafon this week told Golf Digest’s Stina Sternberg:
"I told Val, ‘this is worse than actually playing in the Solheim,' even though I was alone in a room with the camera rolling. I probably sat there for an hour talking, answering questions they had written down. Once I'd done a decent job I tried to improve on it. Then the Golf Channel had to cut out the bad stuff."
When asked if she'd do it again, Gustafson says, "I'd love to do more of this, but it remains to be seen if anyone out there would be interested in putting in the time. It's hard, because I never think [my stutter] is as bad as it actually is. I guess I should know better by now."
Gustafon is too modest to say it, but it was as clutch a performance as we saw all week:
The icing: She went a perfect 4-0 in Ireland to win MVP honors for the Euros.
Mediate recalls the putt “for my life”
This week marks the one-year anniversary of Rocco Mediate’s thrilling win at the Frys.com Open, which was “the golfing equivalent of a wild game of H-O-R-S-E, with Mediate pouring home shot after improbable shot,” writes Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle. Battling a balky arm, Mediate jarred an ace on Thursday and holed out from the fairway for eagle in each of the three ensuing rounds. On Sunday, he faced a five-footer at 18 for the win.
…Mediate knew exactly what was at stake. He would earn a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour if he made the putt, taking him to his 50th birthday in December 2012.
Mediate suspected the arm problem was serious, so missing the putt was not something he wanted to contemplate.
He made it.
"It wasn't for the money or the trophy—it was for my life," Mediate said, not above occasional hyperbole. "In essence, I was finished [on the PGA Tour] if the putt didn't go in. … It was the whole world, everything."
The next day, an MRI exam showed tendon tears in Mediate's arm, near his elbow. The injury wasn't severe enough to require surgery, but it proved troublesome enough to persist well into 2011, despite various attempts at rehabilitation. He called the injury "an absolute nightmare" and described his arm as "OK at best" heading into this week's tour event in Las Vegas.
In other words, don't expect a repeat performance.
Tweet of the day
An early start (or a late night?) for Kevin Chappell, who is in the field at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Vegas:
[Matt Bryant photo by Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE]
Gary Van Sickle’s Mailbag: FedEx Cup, spike marks, and my future as a golfer
Should the FedEx become a major? Should the rule on spike marks be changed? Find out in my mailbag.