Ultimate springtime golf fitness tips for "real" golfers

By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor

For those of you unfortunate enough to live in the North, you must be salivating at the thought of the spring golf season.

Hold on, Tiger. You ain't the man you used to be. You can't just jump up and go straight to the golf course after a long winter of sloth and mold.

Now, you will find any number of charlatans willing to sell you their total golf fitness regimens. These sleazoids always assume you're a golfer interested in a cleaner, healthier way of living and golfing. I've seen you out on the course, and I know that's not the sort of thing you're "into."

So here is my total golf fitness regimen for the "real" golfer:

• For God's sake, you have to strengthen your core! This involves eating really hard food, like jawbreakers. Eat a bag of those and have your neighbor punch you in the gut to see if your core is all it can be.

Options: Month-old fudge, Purina Dog Chow, pine bark.

• You also have to really work your obliques, I mean really work the hell out of them. Here's the perfect exercise for that. Lie flat on your back with knees bent slightly wider than your hips. If you have really fat hips, you're either going to have to really stretch your knees like in a cartoon, like The Elastic Man from India, or just skip this exercise. In fact, if you have really fat hips, just skip playing golf, nobody wants to see you out on the course.

Now, you slim-hipped people reach your hands to the ceiling like you're crying out for the Lord Jesus Christ to spare you from your miserable existence. You can hold light hand-weights, or not. What do I care? Lift your head and chest toward the ceiling and rotate to reach both hands just outside of your fat, right knee. Repeat on the left side. Now, take a breather. Ask Christ for forgiveness.

• Breathing exercises: Breathing properly and deeply is critical, especially for those tense moments on the course when normally you would start crying.
This deep-breathing exercise involves attending your local adult movie house, or calling up one of those sites on your Internet browser. Follow your instincts. It's either that or follow mine, and then you're looking at jail time.
• Horizontal abduction/adduction: I can't give you much help here, because I always get "horizontal" confused with "vertical," and I have no idea what adduction is. Who came up with that word, anyway? It's a stupid word and should be eliminated from the English language, if it's even English.

• Standing hip rotation: Don't do this. It makes you look like a girl.

• Alcohol fitness: How many times have you lost $2 Nassaus because while you were getting hamboned, your playing partners were just holding up that bottle of Jack Black pretending to drink?

Well, no need to waste good liquor. You can still drink and maintain your competitive edge. You just need to build up a tolerance. Stand upright in a dark closet, with a wide stance, and suck it down. Keep drinking until your wife leaves you.

• Aerobics: Ha! Don't make me laugh. This is golf!

• Putting: Don't bother to practice putting. Putting in golf is overrated. I play golf maybe 200 times a year and I've yet to meet anyone who can putt. You either make it or you don't. If you miss, just keep putting until the ball goes in the hole. Simple.

• Seniors: As we age, our bodies react differently, so seniors must prepare for golf differently than young punks. An important thing to remember is that there is an inverse relationship of increased ear hair to laughably short drives off the tee.

So keep those ear hairs trim and neat. If you're proud of your thick mane of ear hair, don't sweat it. If you're short off the tee, you're probably small in other areas, and I think you know what I'm talking about.

• Excuses: A healthy psychological outlook is a must for Better Golf. If you can convince yourself that the snap hook you hit into the weeds over there is not your doing at all, you'll retain the confidence needed to excel in the game.

The first time you smack one of your all-too-typical lousy shots, turn to your playing partner and snarl," "Will you stop that!" Look at him, looking all hurt and everything. Who would have thought golf fitness could be so much fun?

• Torque development in the downswing: This is so important, I can barely contain myself. This is vital to any golfer who has ever wanted to improve his score. You could even say it is absolutely critical in terms of reaching your full potential as a golfer and knowing what it is to be truly human.

• Alignment and posture: Face the target squarely and stand erect, with your rump jutting out slightly. Feels a little silly, doesn't it? Can you think of another situation in life where you would position yourself in such an odd manner? I can't.

Cox & Greer 2-Man Champs at Smoky Mtn C.C.

Jonathan Cox & Ryan Greer kept their winning streak as a two-man team going and put an end to another streak in the Smoky Mountain 2-Man Scramble. Their smooth 10-under (62) back-to-back rounds was good enough to hold off Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron who were three-for-three at Smoky Mountain when combining the Mountain/Berry and Scramble wins. At the beginning of the round on Sunday, after fighting a day of occasional drizzles on Saturday, Greer & Cox were tied with Bodie Bible & John Bernard of Greeneville. While Bible & Bernard slipped to a 64 on Sunday, Ricker & Catron improved by one shot for the second place finish.

Cox & Greer will be focusing their attention on the River Islands 2-Man Scramble next weekend where they are the defending champions.

Freshman Walter State golfer Caleb Whaley joined forces with the "Boss of Moss" at Smoky Mountain, Mr. Jim Fred Ramsey to win the First Flight by two shots over former Knox Country 2-Man Champions Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner as well as Smoky Mountain locales Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill. Ramsey & Whaley birdied the last three holes to come from one down while Makin & Zenner slowed to a par pace the last five holes. Bradshaw & Hill eagled the par-5 13th and birdied two of the last five to finish tied for second.

In the Second Flight locales Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton found the flat side of the putter on Sunday to improve by eight shots for a three shot win over Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass. Smoky Mountain owner Cecil Gilland and Kenny Brown landed in a tie for third after improving one shot over Saturday. Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger improved by seven shots to pull even with Gilland & Brown.

The Third Flight featured a shoot-out between three teams pushing each other to the limit as Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson, one-up going into the round, shot a seven better 66 on Sunday to stay one-up on Jeff Webb & Mike Jones and Fudd & Whitney Ball who also posted 66 rounds.

The Burchetts, David & Brad finished tied for first with a one-under 71 on Sunday to save-off the fast charging team of Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes. Terry & Jake Quinton fell short by one shot to land in third place.

Competitors looking for a fair game, need look no further than the Smoky Mountain tournaments. Owner, Cecil Gilland divided the field into five flights and paid well above average to the prize winners for a 60% of the field payout. Golf News Superintendent of the Year, Shannon Shelton was also on top of his game as the greens were healed from aeration and running smooth.

The next Smoky Mountain event is May 17-18, the 2-Man Scottish Lowball. Call the pro shop for details and registration.

Results:
Championship
1st- Ryan Greer & Jonathan Cox 62-62--124
2nd- Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron 63-62--125
3rd- Bodie Bible & John Bernard 62-64--126
4th- Shannon Moore & Randall Irwin 64-63--127
First Flight
1st- Caleb Whaley & Jim Fred Ramsey 67-64--131
2nd- Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner 67-66--133
2nd- Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill 68-65--133
Second Flight
1st- Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton 70-62--132
2nd- Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass 69-66--135
3rd- Cecil Gilland & Kenny Brown 69-68--137
3rd- Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger 72-65--137
Third Flight
1st- Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson 73-66--139
2nd- Jeff Webb & Mike Jones 74-66--140
2nd- Fudd & Whitney Ball 74-66--140
Fourth Flight
1st- David & Brad Burchette 76-71--147
1st- Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes 78-69--147
3rd- Terry & Jake Quinton 76-72--148

Cox & Greer 2-Man Champs at Smoky Mtn C.C.

Jonathan Cox & Ryan Greer kept their winning streak as a two-man team going and put an end to another streak in the Smoky Mountain 2-Man Scramble. Their smooth 10-under (62) back-to-back rounds was good enough to hold off Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron who were three-for-three at Smoky Mountain when combining the Mountain/Berry and Scramble wins. At the beginning of the round on Sunday, after fighting a day of occasional drizzles on Saturday, Greer & Cox were tied with Bodie Bible & John Bernard of Greeneville. While Bible & Bernard slipped to a 64 on Sunday, Ricker & Catron improved by one shot for the second place finish.

Cox & Greer will be focusing their attention on the River Islands 2-Man Scramble next weekend where they are the defending champions.

Freshman Walter State golfer Caleb Whaley joined forces with the "Boss of Moss" at Smoky Mountain, Mr. Jim Fred Ramsey to win the First Flight by two shots over former Knox Country 2-Man Champions Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner as well as Smoky Mountain locales Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill. Ramsey & Whaley birdied the last three holes to come from one down while Makin & Zenner slowed to a par pace the last five holes. Bradshaw & Hill eagled the par-5 13th and birdied two of the last five to finish tied for second.

In the Second Flight locales Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton found the flat side of the putter on Sunday to improve by eight shots for a three shot win over Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass. Smoky Mountain owner Cecil Gilland and Kenny Brown landed in a tie for third after improving one shot over Saturday. Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger improved by seven shots to pull even with Gilland & Brown.

The Third Flight featured a shoot-out between three teams pushing each other to the limit as Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson, one-up going into the round, shot a seven better 66 on Sunday to stay one-up on Jeff Webb & Mike Jones and Fudd & Whitney Ball who also posted 66 rounds.

The Burchetts, David & Brad finished tied for first with a one-under 71 on Sunday to save-off the fast charging team of Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes. Terry & Jake Quinton fell short by one shot to land in third place.

Competitors looking for a fair game, need look no further than the Smoky Mountain tournaments. Owner, Cecil Gilland divided the field into five flights and paid well above average to the prize winners for a 60% of the field payout. Golf News Superintendent of the Year, Shannon Shelton was also on top of his game as the greens were healed from aeration and running smooth.

The next Smoky Mountain event is May 17-18, the 2-Man Scottish Lowball. Call the pro shop for details and registration.

Results:
Championship
1st- Ryan Greer & Jonathan Cox 62-62--124
2nd- Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron 63-62--125
3rd- Bodie Bible & John Bernard 62-64--126
4th- Shannon Moore & Randall Irwin 64-63--127
First Flight
1st- Caleb Whaley & Jim Fred Ramsey 67-64--131
2nd- Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner 67-66--133
2nd- Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill 68-65--133
Second Flight
1st- Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton 70-62--132
2nd- Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass 69-66--135
3rd- Cecil Gilland & Kenny Brown 69-68--137
3rd- Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger 72-65--137
Third Flight
1st- Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson 73-66--139
2nd- Jeff Webb & Mike Jones 74-66--140
2nd- Fudd & Whitney Ball 74-66--140
Fourth Flight
1st- David & Brad Burchette 76-71--147
1st- Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes 78-69--147
3rd- Terry & Jake Quinton 76-72--148

VU's Curran is SEC Men's Golfer of the Week

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Vanderbilt junior Jon Curran has been named the SEC Male Golfer of the Week, conference officials announced on Monday.

The Hopkinton, Mass. native, finished as a runner-up in the Furman Intercollegiate, held March 28-30 at the Furman University Golf Course in Greenville, S.C.

Curran fired a tournament scorecard of 71-72-71 for a total of 214, one shot behind tournament winner Jonathan Hodge of Chattanooga. He finished in the top two in his third consecutive tournament after winning the Seminole Intercollegiate and placing in a tie for second at the Kauai Collegiate Cup.

Curran leads Vandy with a 72.54 scoring average over 24 rounds and has shot par-or-better in eight of his last nine rounds. He is also ranked 50th in the nation by Golfweek.

The honor marks the fifth weekly award of the 2008 SEC spring season. The next SEC Male Golfer of the Week will be selected on April 15 while the next SEC Female Golfer of the Week will be named on April 2.

UT Ranked #10

NCAA Men's: Division I Teams

Division II - Division III

                                   Adjusted   Avg.            
                        Division   Scoring   Drop   Versus#  
   Team                  *Record   Average  Score   Top 25    Wins@
  1 Alabama, U. of        289-  0    71.32   76.99    23- 0      5
 2 Georgia, U. of        288-  1    71.35   76.45    19- 1      2
 3 UCLA                  287-  2    72.24   76.57    13- 2      2
 4 Charlotte             286-  3    71.34   75.37    16- 3      4
 5 Southern California   285-  4    72.64   76.80    15- 4      1
 6 Oklahoma State U.     281-  8    72.64   76.72    13- 6      1
 7 Georgia Tech          281-  8    72.09   77.98    11- 8      0
 8 Florida, U. of        280-  9    72.67   77.65    14- 9      1
 9 Stanford University   280-  9    72.41   76.88     8- 8      1
10 Tennessee, Univ. of   279- 10    72.25   77.01    12-10      2
11 Duke University       278- 11    72.70   76.99    11- 9      1
12 Florida State Univ.   277- 12    73.16   76.94    10-11      2
13 Auburn University     275- 14    71.88   76.17    10- 8      1
14 Wake Forest Univ.     275- 14    72.69   77.66     9-11      1
15 South Carolina        275- 14    72.61   77.51     9-12      1
16 Clemson University    271- 18    72.77   77.51     3-14      0
17 Mississippi, U. of    269- 20    72.50   78.53     4-10      4
18 UCF                   269- 20    73.04   78.55     5-18      1
19 Tenn.-Chattanooga     269- 20    71.92   76.40     2-13      2
20 UNLV                  269- 20    71.71   75.96     3-13      2
21 Indiana University    268- 21    73.39   77.62     4-13      1
22 UAB                   266- 23    72.69   77.87     6-11      1
23 Texas Tech Univ.      266- 23    72.69   77.31     3-15      3
24 Louisville, U. of     265- 24    72.92   77.42     6-10      1
25 Michigan State U.     264- 25    73.64   77.60     3-13      1 

Ricker & Catron capture Yukon Open at Smoky Mtn C.C.

For the first time in several years Mother Nature was smiling on East Tennessee as the Yukon Open at Smoky Mountain played to excellent weather conditions. The record setting field of 46 teams played the course in perfect winter conditions prepared by Golf News Superintendent of the Year Shannon Shelton and his staff.
The Greeneville duo of Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron set the pace on Saturday with a 12-under 60 round and never looked back. Their lead of three-shots was not challenged as Jerry Cureton & Jimmy Green finished second. Ricker & Catron always play well at Smoky Mountain and laid claim to two titles last year in the 2-man and 3-man events.
In the first flight Dwayne Yarbrough & C. Talley set the course on fire Sunday with a 61 to win by two-shots over three teams tied for second. Bounds & Bounds, Messer & Thornton, and Skeen & Hatcher finished with 130 totals for the tournament.
The second flight was won by Gallen & Hodgsen with a nine-shot turn-around on Sunday. The beat Brown & Payne by two-shots and Fender & Hopson by three.
The third flight was won by Shumate & Wolfenbarger by two shots of the wounded Makin & Zenner duo.
Watch the Golf News for the tournament calendar to include the balance of the tournaments at Smoky Mountain.

CHAMPIONSHIP
1st- Ricker & Catron 60-65-125
2nd- Cureton & Green 64-64--128
3rd- W.T. Daniels & Smith 63-66--129
4th- Whittenburg & Honeycutt 66-67--133
FIRST FLIGHT
1st- Yarbrough & Talley 67-61--128
2nd- Bounds & Bounds 67-63--130
2nd- Messer & Thornton 67-63--130
2nd- Skenn & Hatcher 68-62--130
SECOND FLIGHT
1st- Gallen & Hodgsen 72-63--135
2nd- Brown & Payne 70-67--137
3rd- Fender & Hopson 71-67--138
THIRD FLIGHT
1st- Shumate & Wolfenbarger 73-69--142
2nd- Makin & Zenner 73-71--144
3rd- Barrett & Knight 73-72--145
3rd- Cagle & Taylor 74-71--145

---

2007 Best of the Best Golf Course Awards

Here are the award winners for 2007
Read the presentations in the December issue
of Golf News at your local course Friday

Best Overall Golf Course
Willow Creek Golf Club
Farragut

Best Public Golf Course
River Islands Golf Club
Kodak

Best Private Course
The Country Club, Inc
Morristown

Best Semi-Private Course
Woodlake Golf Club
Tazewell

Most Improved Course
Lambert Acres Golf Course
Maryville

Best Nine Hole Course
Creekside Plantation
Seymour

Best Par-3 / Executive Course
Executive Meadows
Lenoir City

Best Traditional Style Course
Pine Lakes Golf Course
Rockford

Best Value Course
Laurel Valley Golf Club
Townsend

Best Greens
Patriot Hills Golf Club
Jefferson City

Best Tournament / Outing Course
Three Ridges Golf Course
Knoxville

Best Layout
Three Ridges Golf Course
Knoxville

Best Snack Bar
Millstone Golf Club
Morristown

Best Hot Dog
Pine Lakes Golf Course
Rockford

Best on Course Restaurant
Angelo’s on the Green
Baneberry Golf & Resort

Best Competitive Tournament
Clinchview 2-Man Scramble
Bean Station

We Try Harder Award
White Pine Golf Course
White Pine

Dick Horton to be on 104.5 The Zone

(Golf House Tennessee, Franklin, TN) - Tune in on Tuesday, March 4 at 3:00 p.m. to hear Tennessee Golf Foundation President Dick Horton live on 104.5 The Zone's The Sports Zone. Mr. Horton will be joined on the show by Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed to promote the upcoming Screaming Eagle Pro-Am on Saturday June 28, 2008 at Gaylord Springs Golf Links. The proceeds from this event will benefit soldiers of Ft. Campbell and their families.

Mr. Horton is a native of Hamilton, New York and graduate of Wake Forest University. He has taken Tennessee golf from an office in his apartment in 1973 to the progressive institution at Golf House Tennessee 35 years later. He was instrumental in uniting the amateur (TGA) and professional (TPGA) associations to work cooperatively with each other as opposed to competing and conflicting. As president of the Tennessee Golf Foundation his full energy is focused on growing the game through the Foundation's endowment fund.

Mr. Reed has been President and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment since May of 2001. Prior to coming to Gaylord, Mr. Reed was CFO at Harrah's Entertainment Group. He is very active in the Nashville community serving on several area boards including: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Mr. Reed is an avid golfer who carries a golf handicap of 9.6. He will serve as honorary tournament chairman for the event.

Govs improve by 14 strokes in second round of Ron Smith/USF Invitational

DADE CITY, Fla. – After struggling to find any type of rhythm Friday, Austin Peay State University men’s golf team posted a 14-shot improvement, Saturday, and currently sits in 12th place after two rounds at Ron Smith/USF Invitational, being played at Lake Jovita Golf Course.

The Govs shot 289, Saturday, after an opening-round 303, on the par-72, 5,900-yard course. The Govs 592 team total is 25 strokes off the pace set by Middle Tennessee, which continues to leads with a 567. Southeastern Louisiana sits second at with a 577, six shots ahead Ohio Valley Conference rival Jacksonville State. Individually, Jacksonville State’s Julian Colmenares leads the field firing a two-day total of 137.

“I was pleased with how our guys battled back today,” said head coach Kirk Kayden. “We had some guys really stepped up. This continues to be a tough course, but I thought we putted better today and that gave a chance to really lower our total strokes and move up some spots.”

Individually, the Govs had two of its five golfers make big moves in the second round. Freshman Brian Balthrop climbed eight spot, after starting the day tied for 25^th, firing an three under-par 69 (76-69=145) sits in 17th. Joining Balthrop was junior Matt Coles (77-71=148), who moved up 29 spots and currently sits in 32nd. Sophomore Erik Barnes (75-75=150) finished the day tied for 53rd, while after struggling yesterday, senior Grant Leaver (78-74=152) bounced back finishing t-59th. Freshman Luke Sherrod (74-78=152) round out the Govs scores in 59th.

“It was exciting to see some of our younger players lead us,” said Kayden. “I was proud of Brian and Matt for shooting well. I’ve told our team that this spring our goal is to improve every round and I thought we took a step in the right direction today.”

The tourney’s final round will be played Sunday, with live stats available at www.Golfstat.com.

A-SUN TEAMS SHINE

MACON, Ga. - The A-Sun continues to post stellar performances on the course. A-Sun teams experienced great success this past week, as four teams took home team and individual tournament victories while another notched an individual win and a second place team finish.

For the women, Belmont and Campbell recorded tournament victories as well as individual honors. On the men's side, USC Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast accomplished the same feat, while Stetson crowned an individual champion and placed second.

The Belmont women finished the Jacksonville Spring Invitational with a 36-hole team score of 617 to win their third team title in the program's history. Junior Lorie Warren broke her own school record for lowest 36-hole score (143) when she put together a 141 on her way to winning the tournament's individual title, the fourth individual victory of her career.

The Campbell women claimed victory at the rain-shortened Fighting Camel Spring Classic on Tuesday. The course was deemed unplayable due to wet conditions on Tuesday, resulting in Monday's final team score 301 becoming the final. Leading the way for the Camels was senior Maite Ortiz de Pinedo and sophomore Belen Diaz Cisneros, who tied with Elon's Samantha Widmer for the individual crown, as each shot a 74. The team victory is Campbell's first of the season.

The USC Upstate men dominated the competition at the BSC Classic on Tuesday, as they distanced themselves from the nearest competitor by 34 strokes to take the team title with a final three-round score of 902. Tyler Tucker tallied a final score 224 to win the tournament's individual title. The team win is the second for the Spartans this season, and Tucker's individual honor is the third for the squad this season.

Four Florida Gulf Coast Golfers turned in top ten performances at the 2008 Bethune-Cookman Spring Invitational last Saturday and Sunday as the Eagles earned their first team victory of the season. Florida Gulf Coast compiled a team score of 568 over the 36-hole tournament, beating out conference foe Stetson by three strokes. Kyle Hammond was the top performer for the Eagles, shooting a 139 and tying Stetson's Dave McAndrew as the tournament's individual champion. McAndrew and and Hammond traded scores from Saturday to Sunday, as McAndrew opened with a 67 and closed with a 72 and Hammond did just the opposite.

MEMPHIS

Memphis finished in third place at the Fighting Camel Classic in its first tournament of the spring... Memphis finished the event just one stroke behind Elon... The tournament was originally scheduled for 36 holes, but heavy rains and thunderstorms washed out the second round... Sophomore Leslie Grabeman led the Memphis with a tie for fourth place in her debut tournament... Grabeman posted a 76... Junior Rachel Larson tied for 12th a 78... The Tigers will return to action when they travel to Pinehurst, N.C. to compete in the Pinehurst Challenge, March 9-11.

Vols Tie For 3rd at Hayt Invite

The No. 10 Tennessee men’s golf team shot a final round 7-over-par 295 and finished tied for third as the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational concluded Tuesday at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach. Fla. The Vols finished with a tournament scorecard of 291-300-295--886.

Sorenstam wins season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title

KAHUKU, Hawaii (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam waited 17 months to collect a T-shirt from her sister and a bottle of wine from a friend with No. 70 proudly displayed on them.

"It's probably dusty," she said. "I'm ready to collect it now."

Sorenstam won the season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title and first since September 2006, birdieing two of the last three holes Saturday for a 3-under 69 and two-stroke victory.

"It's great to win tournaments and there's some tournaments that mean a little bit more and they come in a special time, and I would say this is one of them," she said.

The 37-year-old Swedish star, coming off an injury-shortened season where she failed to win last year for the first time since her rookie season in 1994, finished with a 10-under 206 total. It also was her second straight win in Hawaii.

"We've talked so much about '07, it's time to talk about '08," she said. "My clubs did the talking this particular week."

Rookie Russy Gulyanamitta (68), Laura Diaz (70) and Jane Park (70) tied for second. Angela Park (69), the 2007 rookie of the year who was assessed a two-stroke penalty, and Japanese rookie Momoko Ueda (71) tied for fifth, three strokes back.

Sorenstam dropped to a knee and shook her fist as she calmly sank a 24-foot downhill putt on the par-4 17th that ended any suspense.

"That was huge," said Sorenstam, who has won 47 times when holding the lead going into the final round. "That's one of those putts I'm going to remember for a long time."

She then waved both arms in the air and hugged her caddie after putting for par on the 18th hole.

"It's been a while," caddie Terry McNamara said as they hugged.

Sorenstam was limited to 13 events last year because of neck and back injuries and had six top-10s finishes, but couldn't add to her trophy collection.

In the first event of 2008, the world's former No. 1 looked like her old self -- relaxed, focused and dominant.

"This means so much to me," she said. "Last year was not a year I wanted to remember inside the ropes. I was determined to come back."

Sorenstam smiled as she walked the fairway on the par-4 16th after hitting a wedge to 4 feet, which she dropped for the outright lead that she wouldn't lose.

Sorenstam said she was a little hesitant and trying to protect her lead until she reached the turn when she told McNamara, "Let's play some golf."

She first went up by two strokes on the par-4 10th by sinking a 14-foot birdie putt, but quickly lost a stroke when her long birdie putt whizzed 8 feet passed the cup on the next hole. She three-putted for her only bogey of the day.

Ueda and Jane Park each birdied to tie Sorenstam for the lead at 8 under. Jane Park made a long putt on No. 15. Seconds later, Ueda rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 14, drawing a roar from the sizable Japanese gallery.

However, no one could keep pace with Sorenstam.

Sorenstam was playing at Turtle Bay for the first time and beginning her season a month earlier than usual. It was her first appearance in Hawaii since winning the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic at Waikoloa.

Gulyanamitta, who earned just $4,411 in her previous 17 events, jumped around the 18th green after sinking a long birdie putt. She made $75,867 Saturday.

Like Sorenstam, Diaz also was hungry for a win. She hasn't hoisted a trophy since 2002. Diaz shared the lead with Sorenstam until a double bogey on No. 7 dropped her into a crowd.

Angela Park (69) was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play on the par-4 10th that gave her a triple bogey and cost her a shot at the lead and about $60,000. Park then birdied three of the next four holes to get back within a stroke of the lead before Sorenstam's late birdies.

Park said she wasn't holding up play. "I really don't think it's fair especially because I was in contention. I don't think it's fair at all."

Rules officials said Park's second, third and fourth shots on the hole all exceeded the time limit. Park disagreed and was visibly upset, in tears after her round.

"I was so mad out there," she said. "I was flying through the course on the back nine. I was so frustrated."

Without the penalty, Park would have finished 9 under, alone in second place for $100,458. Instead she earned $40,872.

Conditions were unusually calm on Oahu's North Shore. Even the normally roaring Pacific Ocean was peaceful. It was also balmy, forcing the players to find shade anywhere they could.

Ueda used an umbrella. Sorenstam hid under the ironwood trees.

Sorenstam and Erica Blasberg (74) were co-leaders heading into the final round at 7 under. Blasberg was playing in the final group for the first time in her career.

Her troubles started when she pulled her drive near the water hazard and had to pitch out on No. 7 for bogey. Blasberg tied for eighth with Cristie Kerr (73), In-Kyung Kim (71) and Yani Tseng (69) at 5-under 211.

Defending champion Paula Creamer closed with a 69 to finish at 4 under. She hit 18 greens in regulation but putted 34 times.

"I was grinding it out there," she said. "I saw the leaderboard and I think I got a little anxious."

Quinney makes an ace, but Mickelson keeps the Northern Trust Open lead

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson lost his cushion, but not the lead Saturday at the Northern Trust Open.

Mickelson watched Jeff Quinney make a hole-in-one on the fabled sixth hole at Riviera that erased a four-shot margin, but saved par on the 18th hole for a 1-under 70 to stay in the lead and move one step closer to adding this trophy to his West Coast collection.

Quinney made a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 67 that set up what appears to be a two-man race in the final round.

Mickelson, whose 15 victories on the West Coast Swing have come in every city but Los Angeles, was at 11-under 202. He missed the green to the right on the final hole, chipped 7 feet by and saved par.

"I thought it was a good, solid round," Mickelson said. "It should be an interesting and tough day tomorrow."

Quinney delivered the best shot, and maybe the worst.

Along with his hole-in-one that he could hear, but not see, Quinney bladed a wedge over the green on the par-5 11th that led to a two-shot swing in Mickelson's favor, then spent the rest of the gorgeous afternoon trying to catch up.

Quinney was at 203, four shots ahead of everyone else.

John Rollins fell back with consecutive bogeys and had to settle for a 69 that left him at 6-under 207. Scott Verplank, who opened his round with a four-putt from 30 feet on the fringe, shot 71 and was another shot back with Stuart Appleby (69) and Vaughn Taylor (71).

"Other than Tiger, he's probably the next best front-runner," Verplank said of Mickelson, who is 21-7 with a 54-hole lead. "He's awful good. So I'm going to have to play exceptionally well, and probably then would need a little bit of help."

Mickelson also had a one-shot lead last year going into the final round, losing in a playoff to Charles Howell. There were five players within three shots of the lead a year ago, but only Quinney, a former U.S. Amateur champion who has not won on the PGA TOUR, appears to be in his way this time.

"He's going to bring a lot to the table," Quinney said. "I have to bring my best to the table."

Quinney did not sound the least bit concerned about a four-shot deficit to Mickelson, saying after his second round that Riviera is not the type of course where one has to shoot 64 to make up ground.

Then, he looked as though he might do just that.

Quinney birdied the first hole with a long chip across the green on the par 5, then gained another shot when Lefty three-putted for bogey on No. 4. Quinney then holed a 20-foot birdie putt to reduce the lead to one-shot going into the sixth hole, famous for having a bunker in the middle of the green.

He thought that's where his 7-iron was headed. But it landed just to the side, rolled down the slope and into the cup.

Back on the tee, Quinney had already turned away and was looking over his shoulder when he heard the crowd erupt, the sure sign that he had made ace. He ran toward his caddie, unsure whether to hug or high-five, and it turned out to be a clumsy celebration.

"We need to get that organized," he said.

That gave him the lead, but only for as long as Mickelson hit 8-iron to 5 feet and made birdie, putting both at 10 under.

They matched birdies at No. 10 -- Quinney with a wedge to 2 feet, Mickelson by driving to the front of the green -- and neither showed signs of backing down. But everything changed with one swing.

Mickelson was on the par-5 11th green in two, Quinney just short of the bunker. Quinney caught two much ball, however, and it sailed over the green. He chipped back to 15 feet and did well to escape with bogey.

Even so, it was a two-shot swing after Mickelson made birdie, and Lefty kept his margin.

Mickelson had the 54-hole lead at Riviera last year, only this time the odds are even more in his favor. Five players were separated by three shots last year, while this appears to be a two-man race.

"Daylight is up front, first and second," Appleby said. "If I can shoot a good round tomorrow, 4 or 5 under, that would be a good score. Now, what's that mean for the tournament? Does that threaten the top? Probably not. It's not really an open tournament."

Divots: Pat Perez isn't any more optimistic about the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship than he was last week, when he thought he was playing Tiger Woods in the first round and didn't want to embarrass himself. He was told Saturday morning he would be playing Phil Mickelson. "Yeah, that's much better, because he's playing like (dirt) right now," Perez said with typical sarcasm. J.B. Holmes will play Woods and had a different outlook. "I'm in," he said. "That's all that matters." ... Marc Turnesa was on his way home Saturday morning until John Merrick missed a 4-foot par putt, meaning 78 players made the cut at 3 over. Turnesa then shot 67 and moved up to a tie for 29th at 1-under 212.

The Honors Course Makes Golf Magazine's Top 100

The Honors Course, TN, USA

9^th hole, 370 yards; A hole of uncommon difficulty despite its length, the green slopes from right to left toward the lake. Trying to steer his approach and avoid the water on the left, Justin Leonard missed the 9th green to the right by four yards. Upon seeing his opponent in a similar situation chip across the green and into the water, Leonard wedged his ball 90 yards back into the fairway, wedged onto the green, two putted and won the hole! The Dyes provide a generous fairway but then they make you hit this green - or else.

11^th hole, 560 yards; A favorite design feature of the authors, this three shotter rewards the golfer who can advance the ball as long down the fairway in two as possible. Such golfer has a clear look down the length of the green while his opponent, if he has strayed at all, will be forced to flirt with a pair of deep bunkers. Architects must reward the better golfer with some advantage for having played two well struck shots on a par five. Dye used a similar strategy to effect at the 7^th hole at The Medalist in Florida but the Tennessee landscape makes this a more appealing hole.

An approach from the right comes down the length of the green. An approach from
further back in the fairway must clear this pair of bunkers on the left.

12^th hole, 355 yards; The master of the short/medium length two shot hole has done it again. The prettiest hole on the course plays toward the far hillside with the green in its own pocket. It is perfectly situated on a hummock and is guarded by six bunkers. However, its real defense is the cleverly sloped left to right green which places a premium on keeping the approach beneath the hole.

The view from the 12th tee sums up the charms of The Honors Course.

The well protected 12th green.

The front right bunker must be avoided at all costs and the green contouring
allows the golfer to do just that.

14^th hole, 155 yards; Originally a waste area stretched from green to tee but that has wisely been replaced by native grasses. The horseshoe bunker that guards the front third of the long green makes any up and down unlikely. Finding such a challenging one shotter that is only 155 yards from the back markers and has no water is an infrequent delight.

The rugged, natural appearance of the teasing 14th at The Honors.

The front hole location is particularly ticklish because of the horseshoe bunker. The back
locations are made tough by the green contouring and back drop-off.

15^th hole, 445 yards; Compare this hole with the home hole at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and one can appreciate why The Honors Course remains a joy for its members to play on regular basis: Pete Dye provided a bail-out area for the approach shot. Off the tee, there are similarities but at TPC you must hit the green or best case, face a brutal up and down. Here, the weaker golfer can bail toward the right and has a reasonable chance of a chip and putt par. The hole still remains highly satisfying for the Tiger who must shape a perfect draw into the green. The Dyes struck a perfect balance for all golfers with this one.

Note the bailout area to the right of the 15th green and how the green
accommodates a bouncing approach.

18^th hole, 455 yards; Dye had designed the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and Long Cove immediately before the Honors Course. Lupton repeated on numerous occasions to the Dyes that he wanted a straightforward course or as Pete Dye describes it 'a formidable golf course but one that held the line when it came to trickery.' There would be no manufactured blind shots ala the 5^th at Long Cove here. The gentle dogleg to the right 18^th characterizes the natural, honest nature of the Honors Course as well as any other hole as it flows across the rolling terrain.

Imagine playing this course when it first opened in 1983. Seeing limestone edged lakes right beside the fairway and greens ala 7, 8, 9, 15, and 16 would have been both startling and terrifying all at once. Almost twenty years later, such use of water hazards flush against the playing surfaces is more commonplace. While the 9th and 15th are among Dye's finer, the water holes are no longer what lingers the most in the golfer's mind. What truly separates The Honors Course from so many courses is the texture within the other holes that David Stone has created over a seventeen year period of closely working with nature.

The Honors is a throwback to the Pine Valleys and Oakmonts where autocrats once saw to it that things were done once and done right. Jack Lupton was friends with Bob Jones and Jones's views on amatuer golf shaped much of Lupton's thoughts on the subject. If alive today, Jones would no doubt be struck by the natural presentation of The Honors Course - and instruct his folks in Augusta to promote more of the same.

The practice field is fifty yards from the front door of the clubhouse.

Holston Hills Makes Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses

Holston Hills Country Club, TN, USA
Greens Keeper: Ryan Blair

The timless appeal of Ross is well evidenced at Holston Hills; pictured here are bunkers that
start 60 yards shy of the thirteenth green and wrap around to the green's right.

Located just east of Knoxville near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Holston Hills is as well a preserved Donald Ross course as can be found. Built in 1927, Holston Hills immediately was recognized as the finest course in the state and hosted every important regional tournament, including a PGA Tour event.

Little has changed in the ensuing seventy plus years: the fairways are broad, the trees, though mature, remain back from play and once again, Ross chose to defend par at the green site. When the club engaged Tom Doak's Renaissance Design in 1997, little was required. Renaissance assisted with the restoration of a handful of grass faced bunkers, convinced the board to thin some trees, and helped determine the mowing lines, including perimeters for the new USGA greens.

Why has Holston Hills avoided the same fate as so many Ross designs that have been tampered with by lesser architects who didn't understand Ross's design philosophy? Ironically, one reason is that the club is located on the 'wrong' side of Knoxville from a social point of view, and thus it never attracted the money/big budget normally associated with such a quality course and facility. Without superfluous money, the club has left well enough alone and the golf world is lucky indeed to have such a pure example of Ross's design talent.

Students of Ross's dozen or so finest works sight his ability to route eighteen holes over a piece of property in such a manner as to maximize the property's finest natural features, all the while avoiding any forced or contrived holes. Such is most definitely the case at Holston Hills.

In fact, anyone interested in studying how Ross found the green sites and then worked backwards to find the best string of holes should come study Holston Hills. Situated on what was treeless farmland, the property features gentle movement with many natural land forms five to fifteen feet in height. By positioning the green sites on top of such hillocks, Ross created attractive targets that give the golfer plenty to think about in the fairway. Greens such as the third, sixth, eleventh, fifteenth, and sixteenth feature a fearsome amount of slope, given today's green speeds. Elsewhere, Ross benched greens into upslopes such as at the ninth, twelfth and fourteenth greens and let the flow of the land create the challenge. From a strategic point of view, the golfer can tell in the fairway (and often from the tee) where he should leave himself in relation to the hole. Far too many modern courses have segmented greens that make no sense from the fairway, thus robbing the hole of strategic merit. Not so with a Ross course in general and with Holston Hills in particular.

The sixth green is another well placed Ross green atop a hillock (the second hole
flag can be seen just to the left of the sixth's flag).

Situated along a ridge, Ross pushed up the one shot eighth green a few feet to
make an exacting target for this hole of 140 yards.

The clubhouse overlooks play of the ninth, where Ross benched the green complex into the hillside.
Again, this green follows the land, meaning putts from back to front are quite quick.

As one strolls around the 150 acres, no distractions prevent one from enjoying his game. No holes have been modernized or incongruent features added. An overforced simplicity exists that allows one to enjoy his time with nature.

While there is no such thing as a 'Ross bunker,' the genuine ones at Holston Hills demonstrate
there is more to a Ross bunker than bringing a grass face straight down.

Holston Hills isn't cluttered with trees as most Ross courses.
Here is a view of the fifteenth green complex.

Holes to Note

Second hole, 415 yards; One of Ross's few Cape holes, this one features a 'bite off as much as you dare' tee shot from one high bank across a lake to another (yes the lake was always there). The green is open in front and if the golfer has found the bermuda rough off the tee, he will have to bounce the ball onto the putting surface. Greens Keeper Ryan Blair and his crew provide uniformly excellent fim conditions throughout the course. From the fairways, to the all important but oft overlooked area directly before the greens, to the putting surfaces themselves, Blair strives to make the course play quick. Seeing approach shots from the rough on this hole hit in the middle of the green only to roll off and down the back shaved bank is a good indication of the challenges that lie ahead.

Third hole, 405 yards; The bunker complex on the inside of this gentle dogleg is the exact sort that so many clubs have either removed all together or allowed the tree line to encroach to where the bunkers are no longer the principal hazard. Such is not the case at Holston Hills were the bunkers remain true to Ross's intent.

The third fairway bends to the right past this four bunker complex.

As seen from just short of the third green, one imagines Ross spotting this location on the far side
of a gulley as one of the course's more obvious green locations. The front left hole
position shown above is one of the toughest on the course to get near.

Golfers Visit Florida for Hayt Invitational

Coming off its team championship at the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate in January, the No. 10 Tennessee men’s golf team travels this weekend to the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla., at the Sawgrass Country Club, a par-72, 6,895-yard course.

The 54-hole tournament runs Sunday through Tuesday beginning at 7:45 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday, and 8 a.m. Eastern time on Monday and Tuesday.

The field for this event includes seven teams ranked in Golfweeks’ top-25: No.1 Alabama, No. 3 Charlotte, No. 5 UCLA, No. 9 Florida, No. 19 Indiana, No. 20 South Carolina and No. 24 Central Florida, along with Costal Carolina, Georgia State, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, UAB, Vanderbilt and host North Florida.

The Tennessee lineup will feature Chris Paisley, Robin Wingardh, David Holmes, Philip Pettitt, and Charlie Ford.

Paisley earned SEC Golfer of the Week honors after he tied for second place at the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate with a total score of 205. The top-10 finish was his third in his last three tournaments. He leads UT and the SEC with a 70.53 scoring average and has carded a team best nine rounds of par-or-better.

Wingardh has two top-10 finishes this year, a tie for fifth at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate and a tie for tenth at the PING Arizona Intercollegiate.

Holmes has three appearances in the Tennessee lineup this season and over those nine rounds has complied two top-10 finishes, a 70.22 scoring average and five rounds of par-or-better.

Pettitt finished 19th at the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate with a scorecard of 69-73-72--214. The senior has carded nine rounds of par-or-better this season.

Ford has competed in every tournament for the Vols this season and ranks second on the team with a 71.67 scoring average.

Competition begins with 18 holes on Sunday followed by the same Monday and Tuesday. Live results will be available at utsports.com and golfstat.com.