John Smoltz just learned how hard US Open golf really is

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Though John Smoltz may have felt very much alone on the wind-whipped, sun-baked Broadmoor course, he wasn’t.

The pitching Hall of Famer spent Day 1 at the US Senior Open in much the same position as the rest of the field — gouging out of ankle-high rough, then scrambling to put himself in position for par putts on tricky, mountain greens that left player after player shaking his head.

“I’m just being honest,” Smoltz said after a round of 15-over 85 that left him tied for 150th place. “I don’t have enough game for this course yet.”

He wasn’t alone.

The ultimate test for the seniors produced only eight below-par scores Thursday, and not a single player — not even leader Jerry Kelly — finished 18 holes without a bogey on his card.

Kelly gave it a run, though.

After saving par from the rough on the 559-yard, par-4 17th — he was holding his right elbow after digging out the approach — Kelly was one 4-foot putt away from going bogey-free. But when that slid a fraction to the right at the cup, his flawless day was history.

Kelly still shot 4-under 66, which was good enough for a two-shot lead over Miguel Angel Jimenez, Kevin Sutherland, Deane Pappas and Rocco Mediate.

“I was pretty disappointed with that three-putt on the last hole,” Kelly said. “But it gave me a lot today. I played very well, but it gave me some shots, too.”

 

Mediate found himself in the mix again for a national championship 10 years after his epic, 19-hole playoff loss to Tiger Woods at the US Open at Torrey Pines. Whether it’s the regular Open or the seniors, Mediate insists the tough USGA setups suit him, even though he missed the cut the last two years in this event.

“It looks like a US Open golf course,” Mediate said about the Broadmoor. “It is a US Open golf course. It will show you quickly that it is, if you hit it in the wrong place. That’s what I love most about the setup.”

Also lurking was defending champion Kenny Perry, whose 71 included only a single birdie.

“Here, the greens, they’ve got you on edge,” said Perry, whose title last year gave him entry into the US Open earlier this month. “I feel like I’m at Shinnecock again.”

Smoltz, whose day job is broadcasting baseball games for Fox, walked onto the Broadmoor for the first time this week. He hired a local caddie, Colin Prater, who was a Division II All-American at Colorado-Colorado Springs.

Almost immediately, though, the pitcher-turned-golfer received a crash course in the difference between casual rounds of golf and the sport at its most difficult.

“I never expected to get that many bad lies,” he said. “Nothing I could do about it. And I had a lot of tough shots that I have not practiced and that I am not used to hitting.”

A few times during the round, Smoltz had to stop, take off his shoes and tape up his toes, which were raw and aching. Lesson: Don’t break in new golf shoes at the US Open.

“It was fun to have him out here,” said Bob Ford, who was in the threesome with Smoltz. “But I didn’t expect him to break 80. I know how good he is. But this is just another world. It’s not his world.”

Smoltz’s first turn through this world will end after Friday’s round.

Kelly — he set himself up to be in a good spot heading into the weekend.

“I hit three bad shots, and I shot 85,” Smoltz said. “It just tells you, from an amateur standpoint, and for people sitting at home, how great these players are.”

 

Sources: nypost.com

Tiger Woods shoots 72, birdies final two holes to keep chances of making U.S. Open cut alive

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A promising start to Tiger Woods’s second round of the U.S. Open didn’t last, but his finish might have been enough to keep him around for the weekend.

Woods birdied his first hole of the day and suffered some bogeys and a double in between before finishing birdie-birdie to keep his chances of making the cut alive.

He signed for a two-over 72 and sits at 10 over for the tournament. The cut is likely to be at nine or 10 over, meaning Woods will have to wait and see how the afternoon wave fares to see if he’ll advance to the weekend.

Dustin Johnson, who played in Woods’s group, shot 67 and is the clubhouse leader at four under.

After his birdie at the first hole — a good wedge led to a kick-in putt on the par-4 10th — Woods made two bogeys and one birdie to close his opening nine and turn in even-par 36.

But a missed green in regulation on the par-4 1st, the same hole Woods triple-bogeyed Thursday, led to a double bogey. He added two more bogeys on the 2nd and 6th before making birdie putts on 8 and 9.

Players battled rain in the morning but the weather has cleared for the afternoon groupings, which might make for a softer, more scorable course.

Source: golf.com

Important Info about the Course

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WE ARE CLOSING… BUT NOT FOR LONG!

In order to accommodate the high volume of patrons and the heavy traffic expected for this weekend’s Country Summer Music Festival at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, we are closing our 9-hole course and driving range after play Tuesday, June 12.

We will re-open early Tuesday, June 19.

We greatly appreciate our customers – regulars and newcomers – and apologize for the late notice. The short break will allow us to tackle some projects we had been planning for our usual summer break during the Sonoma County Fair, including work on the golf course and inside and outside the pro shop. Again, we are sorry for the late notice, but hope to see you back at the Fairgrounds Golf Course on June 19. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Feel free to check out our website at Fairgroundsgolfcourse.com for more information, news, & upcoming events!

Five golfers among Forbes’ highest-paid athletes

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Tiger Woods led a group of five golfers included among Forbes Magazine’s annual list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world.

The ranking combines both “salary/winnings” and endorsement money, with boxer Floyd Mayweather taking the top spot with a combined $285 million. Woods came in at No. 16, sandwiched between boxer Canelo Alvarez and NFL quarterback Drew Brees, with $43.3 million, of which $42 million came from endorsements.

Three other golfers landed in the mid-20s, with Phil Mickelson ($41.3 million) listed at No. 22, Jordan Spieth right behind him at No. 23 ($41.2 million), and Rory McIlroy at No. 27 ($37.7 million). Spieth had the most on-course earnings of the trio with $11.2 million, but his $30 million in endorsements trailed both Mickelson ($37 million) and McIlroy ($34 million)

Justin Thomas was the only other golfer to crack the top 100, listed at No. 66 with a haul of $26 million.

At age 47, Mickelson was the oldest athlete to make the list, followed by 42-year-old Woods and 41-year-old Mayweather.

Outside of Mayweather, the top American-based athlete to make the list was LeBron James at No. 6 with $85.5 million. Stephen Curry ($76.9 million) and quarterbacks Matt Ryan ($67.3 million) and Matthew Stafford ($59.5 million) occupied the final three spots in the top 10.

 

Source: golfchannel.com

June Newsletter ☀️

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Stay up to date with all our events, classes, tips, and tournaments at Fairgrounds Golf Course by reading our monthly newsletters.

Our June Newsletter is available now!

Feel free to check out our website at Fairgroundsgolfcourse.com for more information, news, & upcoming events!

McIlroy pleased with opening 67 at BMW PGA

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While a short miss on the final green denied him a share of the clubhouse lead, Rory McIlroy had plenty of reason to smile after opening the BMW PGA Championship with a 5-under 67.

McIlroy won the European Tour’s flagship event in memorable fashion in 2014, erasing a seven-shot deficit on the final day. But the West Course at Wentworth has otherwise been a house of horrors for the Ulsterman, as he missed the cut in his three other appearances since 2012 and has played the course in a combined 10 over in his eight career appearances.

This marks his first return to the event since 2015, and he’s now one shot off the early pace after a round that at times offered glimpses of his commanding form from recent years.

 

Full-field scores from the BMW PGA Championship

 

“I think I did everything pretty well,” McIlroy said. “I drove the ball much better, put the ball in play off the tee a lot more than I’ve done the last couple weeks, so that’s been really good. I thought I gave myself a lot of chances, and I took most of them.”

McIlroy started slowly, and a bogey on No. 9 after a poor approach from the middle of the fairway meant he made the turn in just 1 under. But he got that dropped shot back on the next hole, then added birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 to climb up the leaderboard. He appeared poised to add at least one more tally, but was unable to birdie either of the two closing par-5s at Wentworth including a miss from inside 4 feet on No. 18.

“A little frustrated that I couldn’t get a birdie or two out of the last couple holes, but overall a really good start,” he said.

Making his first start since a missed cut at The Players Championship, McIlroy sits two shots behind Lucas Bjerregaard with hopes for “more of the same” from his game over the weekend on a course that has often had his number.

“If I can hit the ball like I did today over the next three days,” McIlroy said, “I think I’ll be right there.”

 

Source: golfchannel.com

FREE Golf for Military on Memorial Day!

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We cordially invite active and retired military personnel to take advantage of our Memorial Day Golf Special on Monday, May 28, 2018. Thank you for your service!

SAVE TIME, BOOK ONLINE!

GIVE THE GIFT OF GOLF!

The perfect gift for any occasion.

SUMMER JUNIOR GOLF CAMPS!

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SUMMER JUNIOR GOLF CAMPS

Attention all Junior Golfers! Come join one of our Summer Golf Camps if you want to improve your golf game and have fun this summer! Our Head Golf Professional Taylor Battaglia will be the instructor of each 3 day camp where you will learn life skills, rules of the game of golf and practice all different areas of the game. There will be a variety of activities as well as a tournament on the last day of camp! For more information or to get signed up, please email Taylor by clicking the link below!

$175 PER JUNIOR

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

9:00am to 12:00pm Each Day

June 13th – 15th  · June 27th – 29th ·  July 11th – 13th

Want to Sign Up for a Lesson?

Click the link below!

Summer Adult Golf Classes at the Fairgrounds!

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Hello there, check out our summer classes!

LADIES SUMMER GOLF CLASS

Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30pm

June 13th – July 11th

$100 per person for the 5 week class

Looking for a fun summer golf class to help improve your game? Here’s your chance! Our Head Golf Professional Taylor Battaglia will teach the class. Each class ladies will go over a golf rule and a golf skill. It’s a great environment for beginners as well as intermediate players that are looking to get their game back into shape! For more information or to get signed up, please email Taylor by clicking the link below!

ADULT COURSE MANAGEMENT CLASS

Wednesdays 6:30 – 7:30pm

June 13th – July 11th

$125 per person for the 5 week class

Looking to get out and play more golf this summer? Well here is your chance! Our Head Golf Professional Taylor Battaglia will teach this exciting golf class where each week students will join Taylor on the golf course to improve their game and their course management skills. If you ever have questions about the rules or you’re not sure what to do in certain situations out on the golf course then this is the class for you! For more information or to get signed up, please email Taylor by clicking the link below!

Jordan Spieth: Tiger ‘certainly playing well enough’ to win soon

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tiger Woods left a lot of money, world-ranking points, FedEx points and his Bridgestone golf ball at the bottom of the water in front of the 17th green Sunday.

You would hardly know it based on his positive reaction after he tied for 11th at the Players Championship, shooting a final-round 69 after earlier being in a tie for second place behind eventual winner Webb Simpson.

“I really played really good today. I hit it so good,” Woods said after shooting rounds of 72-71-65-69. “I had control of it from tee to green. I made some putts. I felt good on basically every facet of the game, and it’s weird — not to really mishit a shot today and only shoot 3 under par is just weird … because I played much better than that.”

Woods began the day tied for eighth, 11 strokes behind Simpson. By the time Woods teed off, he had dropped to a tie for 17th.

He steadily climbed the leaderboard with birdies at the second, third, fourth and ninth holes. He added birdies at the 11th and 12th and was 6 under par for his round. At that point, he had closed to within four strokes of Simpson and was tied for second at 14 under par.

But like Saturday, when he was 8 under through 12 holes, the round stalled at the par-4 14th and this time was compounded by a tee shot into the water at the par-3 17th.

In both cases, Woods hit a sand wedge approach, but he said he did not misplay either shot.

“No. 14, it’s blowing downwind, and it’s off the left, and [the pin] is on top of that crown, and I thought it [the ball] was going to skip,” Woods said of the shot from 110 yards. “I thought I was going to have a hard time keeping it up top, and I spun it off the ridge. Left it short and hit a good putt. Just didn’t go in.”

The hole has been something of a nemesis for Woods. It is where he hit his tee shot in the water — leading to a controversial drop — on his way to victory in 2013. He bogeyed the hole Saturday. This time, he pounded a driver 355 yards into the fairway and had the short distance to the flag.

After it came up short and rolled off the front of the green, Woods elected to putt and left it 8 feet short then missed the par putt.

After failing to birdie the par-5 16th for the second straight day, he arrived at the par-3 17th and watched Jordan Spieth stick his shot to a few feet from a precarious pin that is typically on the right side on Sundays.

“I think I messed him up,” Spieth said. “He went and looked in my bag, and I had a 52-degree [sand wedge], which is a pretty aggressive play. I had to draw it from the water. And then he hit one, and the wind is just going like this the whole day, and if he caught this, he’s a tap-in birdie. It was unlucky there.”

Woods said Spieth’s shot did not impact him and that it was simply the wind.

“It was blowing downwind, and then, unfortunately, it switched in my face,” Woods said.

The resulting double-bogey bounced Woods out of the top 10, which meant a significant difference in prize money, FedEx points and the world ranking.

Woods finished at 277, 11 under par and seven shots back of Simpson and three back of second-place finishers Charl Schwartzel, Jimmy Walker and Xander Schauffele.

After beginning the week ranked 92nd in the world, Woods will move up to 80th. He would have been pushing the top 50 with a second-place finish. The drop also cost him approximately $600,000 in prize money, as the three players who tied for second each received $821,333, while Woods got $225,500. He will move from 53rd to 48th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Having won 14 major championships and 79 PGA Tour events in his career, Woods is not much concerned with where he is in the various rankings. But he noted Sunday that he would like to qualify for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August.

“One of my goals is to get into Akron, one last time, before we leave there,” Woods said of the tournament he has won eight times at Firestone Country Club. It is moving to Memphis, Tennessee, after this year. “I’ve won there eight times, and I would like to get there with one more chance. But I’ve [got] to do some work between now and then.”

 

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/995726211975294976

 

Short of a victory, Woods needs to be ranked among the top 50 in the world as of July 23 or July 30 to qualify.

“He’ll win sometime soon enough,” said Spieth, who tied for 41st after a final-round 74 that included an 8 at the last hole. “He’s certainly playing well enough to do so. All in all, I think he played like a 5- or 6-under round, almost shot 7 or 8 and ended up with 3.

“So his game, if I compare it to other guys that are winning golf tournaments that I’m playing with day to day, it’s right up there.”

Woods will take the next two weeks off and is expected to return at The Memorial Tournament, held May 31-June 3, that he has won five times but hasn’t played since 2015. That year, he shot his highest score as a pro, a third-round 85.

He has come a long way from those days. Some 13 months after spinal fusion surgery, he has played nine worldwide events — eight on the PGA Tour — and posted five top-12 finishes. He has jumped from 1,199th in the world to 80th. And he has some confidence.

“I felt comfortable with every facet of my game today,” Woods said. “Everything felt good. I had control, I was hitting it high, low, right, left, didn’t matter what it was. I felt like I had control of it today.”

 

Source: ESPN.com