Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:32:33 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Golf :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/golf istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/american-team-wins-the-ryder-cup/86269/ Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:22:14 EST LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Ryder Cup is coming back to America. Led by a brash kid from L.A., a country boy from Florida's Panhandle, and two native sons, America beat Europe today to win golf's greatest team prize for the first time since the "Miracle at Brookline" in 1999. Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley, and Kentuckians Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes provided crucial wins for the Americans, who clinched it when Europe's Miguel Angel Jimenez conceded a short par putt to Jim Furyk at the 17th hole to assure... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/us-looks-to-end-streak-of-biennial-humiliation/86125/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The fun and games are nearly over. The jokey jabs between Europe captain Nick Faldo and U.S. counterpart Paul Azinger, the playful exchanges, the poker, fishing and golf shenanigans on TV, are a distant memory. As Faldo remarked at Heathrow Airport on Monday, the friendly banter between the two stopped weeks ago. And though the occasional smile was seen at Monday's press conference, they were nervy, edgy smiles — the sort people give when they're, well, edgy and nervous. Of the two, Azinger has... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/players-to-watch/86126/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST America Phil Mickelson World Ranking: 2 Appearances: 6 Record: 9-12-4 What he brings: Preparation, experience, the capacity for other-worldly golf, willingness to bond ... for a week at least. What he lacks: Tiger's dominating, intimidating, brooding focus. Kenny Perry World Ranking: 20 Appearances: 1 Record: 0-2-0 What he brings: The crowds and the desire. No one wants to perform in front of the Louisville crowd more than Perry who lives 150 miles or so south of Valhalla. Kentuckians will... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/villegas-wins-first-title-singh-all-but-clinches/85339/ Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ST. LOUIS — For three years, Camilo Villegas managed to make a name for himself without winning. He was the young Colombian with model good looks and chic clothing, limber enough to strike a pretzel-shaped pose on the green to read putts, earning him the nickname "Spider-Man." Trouble was, not many of those putts went in. That changed yesterday at the BMW Championship. Clinging to a one-shot lead on the back nine at Bellerive, Villegas saved par with a 12-foot putt, followed that with two... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/singh-wins-deutsche-sapping-playoff-of-drama/84983/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST NORTON, Mass. — Vijay Singh kept pouring in birdie putts, 35 feet on one hole, and 60 feet on the next, as cheers turned from disbelief to sheer amazement. That might be the last bit of excitement for this edition of the FedEx Cup. Despite a volatile new points system designed to give more players a chance, Singh took the suspense out of the PGA Tour Playoffs with an 8-under 63 yesterday to win the Deutsche Bank Championship in record fashion. It was his second straight victory, giving him such... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/harrington-takes-back-to-back-majors-with-pga/83628/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Before he won last year's Open Championship, Padraig Harrington was considered Europe's bridesmaid with 24 career second place finishes and a game that was certainly sufficient to earn him a living but wasn't likely to give him anything but a fleeting mention in golf's history books. Now, instead of being nearly the man, he is just "the man." Actually, he was the man after repeating that 2007 Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale last month, when he shot an inward 32 on Sunday in a tough... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/padraig-harrington-takes-pga-title/83542/ Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:32:40 EST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Padraig Harrington rallied from three shots behind today to win the PGA Championship, closing with a 4-under 66 at Oakland Hills to become only the fourth player to win the British Open and PGA in the same year. If the winner was familiar, so was the finish. Harrington shot a 32 on the back nine, just as he did at Royal Birkdale last month, and he came up with three big putts down the stretch. He made a 12-foot par on the 16th to catch Sergio Garcia, took the lead... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/six-players-to-watch-at-pga/83375/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The game is surviving without Tiger Woods. Since he left the scene following his win at the U.S. Open in June, we have watched compelling finishes at the Open Championship and last week's WGC Bridgestone Invitational. Anthony Kim's explosive play has filled much of the gap that Tiger left, and Kenny Perry's march toward Ryder Cup qualification, not to mention his somewhat curious scheduling choices, have maintained many people's interest. The only problem, of course, is that picking a winner... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/only-six-players-break-par-in-pgas-first-round/83500/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The PGA Championship looked a lot like the U.S. Open, with only six players able to break par Thursday among the early starters who got the best of the weather at Oakland Hills. It sounded like a U.S. Open, too. "A great test of golf and patience," Jeev Milkha Singh said after a 2-under 68, joining Robert Karlsson of Sweden atop the leaderboard before afternoon thunderstorms delayed the first round for about 90 minutes. It was easy to lose patience even after the round ended on a course that... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/can-a-european-conquer-the-monster-of-michigan/83275/ Wed, 6 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The last time golf fans saw Oakland Hills — the venue for the 90th PGA Championship, which starts tomorrow — was during the 2004 Ryder Cup, when the Americans suffered one of the event's all-time drubbings. Captain Hal Sutton's perceived masterstroke of pairing Tiger Woods with Phil Mickelson, the game's top two players, in a virtual remake of the 1971 and 1973 Jack Nicklaus/Arnold Palmer pairing, completely backfired. The pair posted zero points from two matches, thus giving the Europeans a... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/singh-wins-his-first-world-golf-championship/83114/ Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST AKRON, Ohio — Vijay Singh nearly threw away the Bridgestone Invitational by missing three putts inside 8 feet on the back nine at Firestone. He won his first World Golf Championship by making the last one, which was all that mattered. Singh ended an 0-for-34 drought on the PGA Tour by swirling in a 3 1/2-foot par putt on the final hole yesterday to close with a 2-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Lee Westwood and Stuart Appleby. "What a relief," Singh said. "I didn't think I could finish it... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/harrington-holds-onto-his-british-open-crown/82237/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Anyone who plays this game and has made the trip across the water to play on Britain's unsheltered and often bleak coastline knows how difficult it is to shoot 69 at a 7,000+ yard links course. Those who have played Royal Birkdale, even from the midweek tees, know how good you have to be to go under par. You can safely assume you will never play with anyone who beats 70 at Birkdale in 35-50 mph winds. And anyone who does so to win a major championship — with a dodgy wrist — must be a very... DOUG FERGUSON http://www.nysun.com/sports/harrington-makes-it-a-repeast-at-the-british-open/82213/ Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:22:09 EST SOUTHPORT, England — Turns out Padraig Harrington's wrist was strong enough to hit all the right shots in the British Open. Better yet, it was strong enough to lift the silver claret jug. Harrington became the first European in more than a century to win golf's oldest championship two years is a row, smashing a pair of fairway metals into the par 5s today that allowed him to pull away from misktake-prone Greg Norman and hold off a late charge by Ian Poulter for a four-shot victory. Even in the... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/on-a-blustery-day-in-britain-mediate-picks-up/82170/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST SOUTHPORT, England — From sunny San Diego to bleak and blustery Royal Birkdale, the expression on Rocco Mediate's face didn't change. He watched one final birdie tumble into the cup for a 1-under 69 and a three-way share of the lead in the British Open, straightened his 45-year-old back, then dropped his jaw into a smile that said, "How did that just happen?" Others must have been wondering the same thing yesterday. Ernie Els was playing some of his best golf in the worst weather until taking... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/five-of-birkdales-best/82041/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Royal Birkdale differs slightly from many of Britain's great links courses in that its holes run between the sand dunes, not over them. The fairways are therefore relatively flat, meaning unanticipated kicks from the short grass into the rough (fairly thick this year due to 50% more rain in the last two months than is usual) will be few. But this is a major championship, of course, so although it measures only 7,180 yards from the back tees, Birkdale will be anything but easy. And if the wind... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/five-players-to-keep-an-eye/82042/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Tiger's not here, but as Peter Dawson, secretary of the R&A, said yesterday, he hasn't won eight of the 11 Open Championships he's played in, so the odds are whoever does win this week would have won anyway. Here are five players that will entertain the crowds in Tiger's absence. Anthony Kim (America) This is the Californian's first trip to the Open Championship, so it will be interesting to see how he copes in conditions that he has admitted are totally alien to him. His practice round with... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/mickelson-looks-to-end-run-of-disappointing-opens/81968/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Phil Mickelson made his debut in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale 17 years ago. A prodigious talent, he had shown the world just how prodigiously talented he was six months previously by becoming only the fourth amateur in history to win on the PGA Tour when he beat Tom Purtzer by a shot at the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Ariz. He continued to impress throughout the spring and summer that year surviving the cut at the Masters, Memorial Tournament, and U.S. Open. A junior at Arizona... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/inbee-park-becomes-youngest-to-win-us-womens-open/80948/ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST EDINA, Minn. — Two weeks away from her 20th birthday, Inbee Park became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Open yesterday by closing with a 2-under 71 as everyone around her faded away at Interlachen. Park didn't make a bogey over the final 10 holes, pulling away with three clutch putts early on the back nine and building a fourshot lead going to the final hole. She finished with a tap-in birdie, and a few of her fellow South Koreans doused her with beer. The victory came 10 years after... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/cink-finally-closes-one-out-wins-travelers/80460/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST CROMWELL, Conn. — Stewart Cink had a reputation as a good golfer who just couldn't finish off a tournament. His collapse during the fourth round of the PODS Championship in March left him with just one victory in the nine career events where he had the lead going into the last day. Yesterday, he put that behind him, holding off a late charges from Tommy Armour III and defending champion Hunter Mahan to win the Travelers Championship by a stroke. With the victory, Cink was projected to go to a... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/golf-must-now-adapt-to-a-tigerless-world/80288/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST In the increasingly glamorous, highly publicized, multi-billion-dollar golf industry (it's bigger even than the movie industry), there can sometimes be a question mark hanging over people's motives for announcing anything. However, there's absolutely no reason to believe that Tiger Woods's desire to shift the spotlight away from his knee last week and back on to the USGA and the U.S. Open was anything but genuine. What, after all, would he have to gain from spilling the fairly newsworthy beans... DOUG FERGUSON http://www.nysun.com/sports/report-tiger-woods-will-miss-rest-of-golf-season/80239/ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:28:41 EST Tiger Woods is done for the year, but not without one last major that capped off a painful 10 months. Woods said today he will have season-ending knee surgery, revealing he has had a torn ligament in his left knee since last July. And he suffered a double stress fracture of his left tibia while preparing to return to the PGA Tour last month, which forced him to miss the Memorial and was the source of his pain at Torrey Pines when he won the U.S. Open. "Now, it is clear that the right thing to... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-drives-forward-on-plans-for-new-golf-course/80129/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST The city is reviving plans to build a world-class public golf course at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, entering into negotiations with a developer, Sanford Golf Design, to complete the long-troubled project. The parks department in 2000 awarded a $22 million contract to Ferry Point Partners LLC to create an 18-hole course at the park, a former landfill, but the plan went out of bounds in 2006 after the city had poured more than $14.8 million into the project with little to show for six years of... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/91-holes-later-tiger-takes-us-open/80143/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Very little, it seems, can stop him. Left knees that have been operated on three times try but fail, and 45-year-old journeymen, deploying the undeniably potent force of knowing they really have nothing to lose, come up agonizingly short too. Perhaps the only players Tiger Woods has any reason to fear are not the game's other superstars, who probably feel constant frustration at not being able to match his physical and mental attributes, but those way down in the world rankings who recognize... DOUG FERGUSON http://www.nysun.com/sports/sudden-death-for-woods-mediate-at-the-us-open/80079/ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:28:16 EST SAN DIEGO — With a throbbing knee and a pounding heart, Tiger Woods made one last improbable escape today and won the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate, his 14th career major and maybe the most amazing of them all. One shot behind on the 18th hole after a collapse no one saw coming, Woods birdied the 18th hole to force sudden death at Torrey Pines against a 45-year-old with a creaky back who simply wouldn't go away. RELATED: A Miracle Putt. But that one extra hole was enough to... DOUG FERGUSON http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-outlasts-mediate-to-win-his-14th-major/80080/ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:57:34 EST SAN DIEGO — With a throbbing knee and a pounding heart, Tiger Woods made one last improbable escape Monday and won the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate, his 14th career major and maybe the most amazing of them all. One shot behind on the 18th hole after a collapse no one saw coming, Woods birdied the 18th hole to force sudden death at Torrey Pines against a 45-year-old with a creaky back who simply wouldn't go away. But that one extra hole was enough to doom Mediate, trying to... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/a-miracle-putt/80072/ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST After a pulsating day in which story angles changed every five minutes, the 108th U.S. Open Championship is exasperatingly unfinished. Tiger Woods hit a clutch 15-foot putt on the 18th hole to lift himself into a tie with Rocco Mediate, and the two will play an 18-hole playoff today to decide the tournament's winner. As if yesterday's events weren't TV-friendly enough, the players filling in today's final chapter come from the two extremes of the field: One is the world's no. 1, the man... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/mediate-catches-tiger-by-the-tail-heads-for-play/80029/ Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:58:16 EST SAN DIEGO — Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods have finished in a tie at the U.S. Open, forcing an 18-hole playoff for the first time since 2001. The playoff at Torrey Pines will be tomorrow. Woods will try to win his 14th major, while Mediate, 45, will try to become the oldest player to win the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open is the only major to play an 18-hole playoff. The last time it happened was seven years ago, when Retief Goosen beat Mark Brooks at Southern Hills. Woods shot 2-over 73 to tie... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-mickelson-in-the-hunt-at-torrey-pines/79967/ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods grimaced and pursed his lips, unable to disguise the pain Thursday in the U.S. Open. No, it wasn't his left knee, though that was still tender from surgery. It was more the three-putt to end his round at Torrey Pines and leave him four shots behind a pair of surprising leaders and one behind Phil Mickelson. Nothing torments Woods more than that. He expected soreness in his knee. He didn't expect his first double bogey in 416 holes. What no one saw coming — certainly not... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/five-to-watch-other-than-the-obvious-two/79716/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST With nine Buick Invitational wins at Torrey Pines between them, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are obvious contenders this week. There are too many good players in good form for it to be a two-man show, however. Here are five more who are definitely capable of stealing the limelight. Sergio Garcia Few would have considered him a possible winner of the U.S. Open prior to his victory at the Players Championship in May. But with his improving putting stroke and the confidence that must have... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/us-open-has-makings-of-a-gem/79648/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott are playing together for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. A great pairing. The no. 2 and no. 3 in the world. Mickelson's showing some excellent form this season with two wins already, and he's won the Buick Invitational at this course three times. Scott, meanwhile, shot a final round 61 to claim the Qatar Masters on the European Tour in January and won in Dallas several weeks back. Should be exciting to watch. Now if only... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/leonard-wins-st-jude-in-playoff/79573/ Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Justin Leonard thought he won on the final hole of regulation only to see his ball go left of the cup. Then he was a foot away from victory on the first playoff hole. Luckily, his ball rolled one last turn into the cup on the next hole. Leonard won the Stanford St. Jude Championship in a playoff yesterday, holing a 19-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to beat Masters champion Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby. Leonard blew a one-stroke lead with two holes left to drop... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/mickelson-garcia-aim-at-another-tiger-less-event/78871/ Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 EST Who will be thanking Tiger Woods for not being here this week? Three Sundays ago, it was Sergio Garcia who showed his gratitude after the world no. 1 scratched from the Players Championship in Florida. And with Woods still not fully recovered from his April 15 knee surgery, and not scheduled to appear until the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in two weeks' time, the door is open again at the Memorial this weekend. Of course, even though his play in the early part of the season possibly surpassed even... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/garcia-wins-players-in-playoff-ends-loss-streak/76237/ Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EST PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Sergio Garcia, the best player without a major, got the next best thing yesterday. Garcia ended the longest victory drought of his career by making a clutch par putt to force a playoff and hitting the island-green 17th on the first extra hole to defeat Paul Goydos in the Players Championship. Haunted by putting problems that kept him without a victory the past three years and 53 PGA Tour events, Garcia came up with a 45-foot birdie on the 14th to get back in the game... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/all-the-makings-of-a-major-just-without-tiger/76073/ Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 EST The tournament so desperate to be hailed golf's fifth major begins its 35th edition at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida today with the no. 1 player in the world absent. That Tiger Woods chose April 15 for surgery on his left knee rather than three weeks before the Masters, or any of the other majors, suggests the Players Championship still ranks considerably lower on his to-do list than PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem would like. The arthroscopic procedure to repair cartilage damage was carefully... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/tiger-woods-has-surgery-to-miss-a-month/74790/ Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee yesterday to repair cartilage damage, his second operation in five years on the same knee. He is expected to miss at least a month while he recovers. The surgery, announced on his Web site, came two days after Woods finished two shots behind Trevor Immelman in the Masters. He likely will miss The Players Championship, but should return in time to play the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. "I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule the... LEONARD SHAPIRO http://www.nysun.com/sports/immelman-hangs-tough-and-tops-woods-to-win-masters/74652/ Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST AUGUSTA, Ga. — He grew up not far from the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of South Africa, and on a treacherous, windblown course thousands of miles away, Trevor Immelman turned the collective hopes of his countrymen into riveting reality in yesterday's final round of the 72nd Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. On an afternoon of billowing breezes gusting to 25 mph, Immelman held off his jangling nerves and the lurking specter of Tiger Woods. But the greatest player in the game, who... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/one-day-in-tight-field-atop-the-masters/74549/ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose has the first round of the Masters down pat. It's the rest of the tournament he must master. Rose shot a 4-under 68 that put him atop the leaderboard on a warm, sunny opening day that featured Ian Poulter's hole-in-one, a solid start to Zach Johnson's title defense and Tiger Woods poised for a run at another green jacket. Sound familiar? It should. In 2004, the Englishman led after the first and second rounds but faded to a tie for 22nd. Returning to Augusta National... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/probables-possibles-and-also-rans-10-to-watch/74407/ Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST TIGER WOODS (AMERICA) Even money with bookmakers around the world, Woods is seeking his fifth green jacket — one more than Palmer, one short of Jack Nicklaus. His swing looks better than ever, his putting stroke looks typically solid, and no one wants it more than he does. How could you not pick him? VIJAY SINGH (FIJI) After making big changes to his swing over the winter (it has become more upright) and with three top-three finishes already this year, the Fijian is ready for another green... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/guide-to-amen-corner/74430/ Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST 2008 is a good year for anniversaries at the Masters. It's 10 years since the second-cut was introduced; 20 since Sandy Lyle played the brilliant fairway bunker shot that set up a closing birdie to beat Mark Calcavecchia by a stroke, and 40 since Roberto De Vicenzo's infamous scorecard gaffe. Arnold Palmer won his first green jacket half a century ago, and, also in 1958, Herbert Warren Wind referred to the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes as "Amen Corner" for the first time. Birdies are always on... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-begins-hunt-for-grand-slam/74325/ Tue, 8 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST Tiger Woods's march to the calendar year grand slam begins at Augusta National this week. He's already managed one slam, of course, but because his previous impregnable quadrilateral, improbable quartet, implausible foursome — whatever you want to call it — involved some overlap from 2000 into 2001, it didn't count for many people who thought it should go by a different name: the "Tiger Slam." Not discounting the 142 consecutive cuts made from February 1998 to May 2006, nine Player of the Year... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/ogilvy-holds-lead-at-doral-woodss-winning-streak/73494/ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST DORAL, Fla. — Tiger Woods' unbeaten streak lives another day. Barring a big comeback, it'll live for only one more day. Geoff Ogilvy got to 17 under through nine holes and held a two-shot lead over Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh at the soggy CA Championship, which won't finish until today because of a three-hour weather delay during the final round. Furyk was 15 under through 10, Singh through nine. Retief Goosen and Graeme Storm were three shots back and Steve Stricker made a huge charge, shooting... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/tiger-two-shots-off-the-lead-at-the-blue-monster/73373/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST DORAL, Fla. — Tiger Woods kept his head down as the rain fell harder and never broke stride as he followed a series of winding stairs and back doors, each step taking him farther from the Blue Monster. A security guard politely asked for an autograph, and Woods reached for a pen and forced a smile. A tough day at the office. He shot 67 and was two shots off the lead yesterday at the CA Championship. Woods hasn't lost a tournament since September, a streak that includes six official victories... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-buries-25-foot-putt-to-win-bay-hill/73030/ Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST ORLANDO, FlA. —Tiger Woods made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole yesterday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one shot, extending his PGA Tour winning streak to five and keeping intact a perfect season in golf. In his biggest challenge since this streak began seven months ago, Woods outlasted 45-year-old Bart Bryant and won with a birdie putt on the final hole for the first time in seven years. He turned and slammed his cap to the ground, letting out a roar to celebrate his 64th... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/tiger-joins-the-tours-florida-swing-at-bay-hill/72822/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST It's part of a group of tournaments known collectively as the Florida Swing, but the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (still "Bay Hill" to those not overly concerned with PGA Tour propriety or giving the corporate sponsor a mention) really stands alone. Twenty-nine years after Palmer upgraded the Florida Citrus Open by moving it across town to his new winter home, the tournament is enjoying a stature and prestige not far short of the majors, despite the fact that it changes... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-overwhelms-cink-for-his-fifth-straight-win/71794/ Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST MARANA, Ariz. — Tiger Woods still rules the world of golf, perhaps now more than ever. With a record-breaking victory yesterday in the Accenture Match Play Championship, Woods won his fifth straight tournament and captured his 15th World Golf Championship, holding all three world titles for the first time. Golf is not a fair fight at the moment. Stewart Cink found that out at Dove Mountain, where Woods overwhelmed him with 14 birdies in 29 holes for an 8-and-7 victory, the largest margin in the... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/tiger-begins-his-season-in-dominating-fashion/70289/ Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods joined the King, and left everyone else at the Buick Invitational feeling like paupers. In his most dominant start to a season, Woods built an 11-shot lead Sunday until his game and the fickle weather turned cold on the back nine. A birdie on the last hole gave him a 1-under 71 and an eight-shot victory, giving him 62 for his career to tie Arnold Palmer on the PGA Tour list. "I'm sure that there are many, many more coming in the future," Palmer said. "There isn't any... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-mickelson-tee-off-season-with-the-buick/70072/ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST As the old saying goes, no one remembers who came second. Well, outside households where the Golf Channel isn't on at all hours of the day, most people would have trouble telling you who came first at the PGA Tour's opening three events of the season. That's not to say they were dull; far from it in fact. Daniel Chopra eventually beat Steve Stricker in a thrilling four-hole playoff at the Mercedes Championships in Maui. K.J. Choi held off a typically spirited Rory Sabbatini in Honolulu to land... TONY DEAR http://www.nysun.com/sports/woodss-slam-chase-may-overshadow-ryder-fedex/68890/ Thu, 3 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST The PGA Tour cranks into action in Hawaii again today with the Mercedes-Benz Championship, but, unlike last year, when controversy, confusion, doubt, and a healthy (or rather unhealthy) dose of anxiety surrounded the introduction of the FedEx Cup, 2008 kicks off in a relative calm. Despite the avalanche of bad press the FedEx Cup took in the first half of last season, when skeptics voiced fears concerning the seemingly complex points system, the scheduling of the playoffs, and the manner in... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/woods-closes-year-with-target-victory/68162/ Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST Ten weeks later, nothing has changed with Tiger Woods and the rest of golf. Woods won the final golf tournament of the year yesterday, closing with a 4-under 68 to match the tournament record at the Target World Challenge and set a record for the largest margin of victory, by seven shots over Masters champion Zach Johnson. Woods had not played since September 30 at the Presidents Cup, but he didn't show much rust in winning his tournament for the fourth time and becoming the first player to win... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/sports/weir-upsets-woods-but-americans-take-home/63711/ Mon, 1 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST MONTREAL — The United States won the Presidents Cup. Mike Weir gave Canada quite a consolation prize. The Americans won enough of the singles matches Sunday to capture the Presidents Cup for the second straight time, giving them an international victory in cup competition for the first time since 1993. That didn't stop the relentless cheers that rocked Royal Montreal on a spectacular autumn day, especially when Weir won the final two holes to beat Tiger Woods and send his country home feeling...