Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Top Five
|
||||
 Mark O'Meara finished tied for second at the Toshiba Classic (Photo: Mark Susson). The first leg of the Champions Tour’s two-leg trip through Southern California was intriguing, as Eduardo Romero held off local favorite Mark O’Meara to win. Now, the senior circuit heads north to Los Angeles County for the AT&T Champions Classic at Valencia Country Club. 1. Can O’Meara contend again? Among Southern California golfers, the one who made the biggest splash at Newport Beach Country Club over the weekend was O’Meara. The former Long Beach State All-American, who used to play Newport Beach when he was on the golf team at Mission Viejo High School, nearly gave fans a thrill with his first Champions Tour victory. But the 1998 Masters and British Open champion didn’t putt well enough to keep pace with Romero. “I’ll learn from this and hopefully putt better next week and have a chance in Valencia,” O’Meara said. In two previous appearances at Valencia Country Club, O’Meara finished tied for 10th in 2007 and tied for 20th in 2008. The par-72 Valencia layout is significantly longer than Newport Beach (6,973 yards to 6,584 yards), so the length O’Meara displayed at Toshiba could be more of an advantage this week. Others to keep an eye on include: Eduardo Romero: The Argentine has won four of his last 10 senior starts — if he keeps up his hot putting, that streak could easily become 5-for-11. Denis Watson: The defending AT&T champion was in the hunt at Toshiba before bogeys on his final two holes dropped him into a tie for fourth at eight-under par. John Cook: A return to Valencia could be just what the Corona Del Mar resident needs to jumpstart his game — he tied for fifth there last year. Bernhard Langer: The reigning Champions Tour Player of the Year is always a threat to win every time he tees it up, but his final-round 73 at Newport Beach was disappointing considering he was the defending champ. Fred Funk: Funk, whose 2009 debut was delayed because of a staph infection in his right knee, posted three rounds in the 60s at Toshiba en route to a tie for fourth. View more information on the AT&T Champions Classic here. 2. He’s baaaack. That would be Tiger Woods, who makes his second PGA Tour start of ’09 at Doral for the WGC-CA Championship. His return from knee surgery at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship lasted only two days thanks to Tim Clark, but this time, Woods is essentially guaranteed to play four rounds since there’s no cut. In six starts at Doral, Woods, a Cypress native, has won three times and has never finished outside the top 10. Other Southern Californians to watch include: Phil Mickelson: Technically, the San Diegan beat Woods at Match Play by advancing to the third round. Let’s see what happens in stroke play.  Anthony Kim (pictured): Much has been made of the Los Angeles native’s globe trotting in the early part of his 2009 schedule. Meanwhile, Kim didn’t crack the top 20 in either of his two overseas events and has done next to nothing in America since a tie for second at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.Hunter Mahan: Did you know the Orange native has already made over $320,000 this year? Not bad considering he hasn’t been a factor in a single tournament he’s entered. Pat Perez: This will mark the first time the former Torrey Pines High School student is competing in a World Golf Championship stroke-play event. Perez finished tied for 11th at Doral as a rookie back in 2002, when the course played host to the Genuity Championship. Charley Hoffman: The Poway native played in this tournament when it first came to Doral in 2007. Hoffman hasn’t played since the Northern Trust Open, so it will be interesting to see how he performs after a brief layoff. 3. Did you know… The PGA Tour also is in Puerto Rico this week for the Puerto Rico Open? There are lots of players with Southern California ties in the field – keep your eyes on those looking for win No. 1 (David Berganio Jr., John Merrick, John Mallinger, Peter Tomasulo, Kevin Stadler) and veterans looking to rise up while the elite are at Doral (Jason Gore, Steve Pate, Dennis Paulson, Corey Pavin, Chris Riley). Just make sure you pay attention to this tournament if you’re tired of keeping track of Tiger. As if. 4. Samsung World Championship settles on Torrey Pines. It had been rumored that the LPGA Tour’s Samsung World Championship would be held at San Diego’s Torrey Pines Golf Course this season, and that rumor has become reality. The elite 20-player event will be held September 16-20 on the South Course, the annual site of the PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational and the 2008 U.S. Open. Let the over/under on the course yardage begin – my money’s on 7,150. It’s great that the LPGA Tour has made more of an effort to increase its presence in Southern California, particularly in larger media markets. The Tour already has announced that an annual event for the Los Angeles area will kick off next year, and while there’s no guarantee the Samsung will be held regularly at Torrey Pines, a strong tournament could generate repeat visits. 5. Golf Fest returns to San Diego. The venue is different, but the theme remains the same. A variety of exhibitors will be on hand at the San Diego Golf Fest, which runs from March 13-15 at Riverwalk Golf Club. Club manufacturers, golf apparel companies, courses, instructors and others will be on hand, and there will also be plenty of contests and prizes. Plus, attendees get freebies like a complimentary pass to the San Diego Celebrity Classic. Admission is $10 for adults, while kids 10 and under are free. For more, visit www.golffestshow.com. |
||||
RSS SubscribeReaders Feedback:
Wow! Great thiinkng! JK
| Comment at 5/25/2011 |
dqNVcA , [url=http://caihqcqdqaom.com/]caihqcqdqaom[/url], [link=http://pmnkawczbsgj.com/]pmnkawczbsgj[/link], http://jgrljnurzory.com/
| Comment at 5/26/2011 |
ISUfRJ , [url=http://dailduotbrvz.com/]dailduotbrvz[/url], [link=http://klpdncfebbwo.com/]klpdncfebbwo[/link], http://sthklolmabtq.com/
| Comment at 6/1/2011 |
