Golf center acquires new swing technology

Golf club Totally Driven said Monday it entered an agreement with Max Out Golf to license its proprietary swing-analysis tools.

Oakdale-based Totally Driven, a golf improvement center, said it would license Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Max Out Golf's technology, which aims to assist golfers in developing better swings.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Totally Driven is owned by Andrew Thompson, Jon Weedman and Lynn Anderson. has been in business since March 2005.

Max Out was founded by 1991 U.S. Amateur Champion, Mitch Voges, works exclusively with custom-fitting/performance centers and not retail locations.

GOLF: Sudden death Windsor win for Eldoret ace

Eldoret Golf Club’s Ernest Mutema beat Muthaiga’s Massimo Vinaccia in the fourth hole of a dramatic sudden death play-off to claim the Windsor Classic title, the fourth event in the 2008 Kenya Data Networks Golfer of the Year series at Windsor Golf and Country Club at the weekend.

The 19-year-old Mutema, who now moves from sixth to fourth with 18.25 points in the KDN GOTY series, had tied with Massimo on nine over par 225 gross. As a result, the two went into a play-off where, after tying in the first three holes, Mutema parred the fourth hole by hitting a long 365-yards driver, pitched onto the island green where he holed for four to win his first national title this year.
Mutema said his victory was as a result of his long driving ability.

“The course was very wet this weekend, and the balls were not running on the fairways. Fortunately, I can hit the ball a long way and I was able to attack most of the par fives in two, giving me a few birdie chances,” Mutema said.

“I really expected to come in third. Lee Njoroge had played so well and had he not faltered today (Sunday) victory was surely his.”

Njoroge from Vet Lab took the third prize with 226 gross while Muthaiga’s Paul Thuo won the nett title on 221 nett, beating John Muchiri by three strokes and in third place, after losing to Muchiri on countback, was W. Smith.

Pradip Shah won the subsidiary event with 40 points ahead of Jack Hartman with 36 points and Raksha Shah was third with 35 points.

It Nyali, veteran Coast golfer, Musa Odada, posted 38 points to claim the men’s prize during the Eagle Africa Insurance Brokers Kenya sponsored Golf Day.

Playing off handicap five, Odada fired 21 points to start his campaign for his first outright victory this season where despite bringing home 17 from the back nine, he was able to beat Gurbax Singh (16, 20) and Dimple Mehta (16, 20) by two points.

However, the weekend’s best score of 40 points was posted by the lady winner Kiran Patel who fired 20 points in each nine to win by one point from B. Bundotich.

Jon Stokes was the guest winner on 36 and Frances Lagoussis was second with 35 points. Francis Karuiru won the staff prize with 31 and Watthew Wahome claimed the junior title with 34 which was two points better than senior winner And Burnard.

Ochoa seizes the lead

World number one Lorena Ochoa seized the lead after the third round of the LPGA Safeway International.

Ochoa, the defending champion, birdied the final hole in a four-under 68 for a 16-under total of 200, one stroke in front of South Korean Jee Young Lee and American Angela Stanford, who had held the lead after both the first and second rounds.

Stanford posted a 70 and Lee had a flawless 67 in her quest for her first victory on US soil.

"It was a good day," said Ochoa, the defending champion. "Started the day, I was in second place, and I ended up on the lead with one stroke, and I feel good.

"I had a great start today, made four birdies in the first five holes, I think, and then it was just kind of slow.

"I give myself a lot of chances to miss a few short putts and not get frustrated. And this golf course is one of those that you can shoot really low, so anything can happen. So I'm just going to be really alert and try to be aggressive and just get a low round tomorrow."

Former world number one Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, who won the season-opening SBS Open and is a three-time winner of this event, had a slightly disappointing 72.

She gave up shots at the 16th and 17th and finish seven strokes adrift on nine-under.

Ochoa and Stanford both birdied the first two holes. Ochoa added more at the fourth and fifth but dropped a shot at the 12th before her birdie at 18.

Stanford, who opened with a course-record 10-under 62 on Thursday, fell back after a couple of mid-round bogeys, but capped her round with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 to keep a second career victory within reach.

Stanford's only title to date came at the 2003 ShopRite LPGA Classic.

"I really just tried to stay within my own game and play my own game, and I need to do the same thing tomorrow, and I need to just keep giving myself chances and not get ahead of myself," Stanford said. "I think I kind of got ahead of myself going into 13, 14, 15. I think I started to press a little bit, and I need to just, one shot at a time, and just give myself chances."

Lee, who won the LPGA Tour's 2005 Nine Bridges Classic in her native South Korea, came close to her first victory in the United States last year when she lost to Norway's Suzann Pettersen in a playoff at the Michelob ULTRA Open.

On Saturday Lee picked up shots at the second, fourth and seventh and added birdies at the 13th and 16th as she posted her third straight 67.

South Korean Inbee Park (65) and Briton Lindsey Wright (66) were tied for fourth at 12-under 204.

See Also
Ochoa seizes lead at Safeway International LPGA

Bubba sorry for locking horns with Elk

New Orleans: Steve Elkington has not let a fiery on-course encounter with Bubba Watson affect his play, with the Australian in contention at the US PGA Tour's New Orleans Classic title.

Peter Lonard headed a group of four Australians on a day when heavy storms and lighting disrupted play, but Elkington's clash with Watson during the second round was the talking point at the Louisiana course.

On Friday Elkington, Shigeki Maruyama and members of the gallery copped abuse from Watson when the long-hitting American lost his temper on the 10th hole and engaged in a heated on-course altercation with Elkington, a 45-year-old PGA Tour veteran and major winner.

The incident, which was captured by Golf Channel cameras, created an awkward second nine holes for the group and required arbitration by tournament officials after the round, and Watson apologised for his outburst. "There's no issue with Steve and no issue with Shigeki," Watson told the Times-Picayune newspaper. "It's just one of those things where I heard something and took it out on them, and I shouldn't have done it. We're cool now."

Watson was not cool as he prepared to hit his second shot on the par-four 10th and was distracted and pulled away as Elkington walked behind him.

"You gonna stop walking, man? Damn!" Watson was heard to say. "You did it all day yesterday. I'll tell you what, veterans can kiss my ass!"

Watson snubbed Elkington when he attempted to speak with him about the incident.

"Bubba got irritated about Elkington making sound and [being] noisy and walking around him," Maruyama said through an interpreter. "And Elkington wanted to talk to him about that stuff, but Bubba just ignored it. And a bad word, the 'F' word."

After the round, Elkington and Watson did not shake hands. They met officials to discuss the altercation.

Elkington declined to be interviewed, but Watson was apologetic. "I shouldn't have done it," he said. "Who knows why I did it. I consider myself a good person, but you make mistakes. Everybody in this world makes mistakes. There's nobody that's perfect.

"[Steve] wanted to pull me aside there when it happened and talk to me as a veteran and how to overcome it and not to take it out on them. Me being a newcomer, obviously, I've got to take the blame for it."

Lonard was able to play only four holes of his third round but a birdie on the par-five second ensured he was tied for the lead with Briny Baird, Woody Austin and Nicholas Thompson.

John Senden shot a 66 to be one shot off the pace and the clubhouse leader on 209. Elkington was tied with Senden and three others after eight holes. Nathan Green was two shots off the lead.

Ochoa seizes lead at Safeway International LPGA

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Arizona (AFP)
Lorena Ochoa of Mexico hits her tee shot on the 15th hole during the third round of the Safeway International, at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, on March 29, in Arizona. Ochoa, the defending champion, birdied the final hole in a four-under 68 for a 16-under total of 200, one stroke in front of South Korean Jee Young Lee and American Angela Stanford.

World number one Lorena Ochoa seized the lead Saturday after the third round of the LPGA Safeway International.

Ochoa, the defending champion, birdied the final hole in a four-under 68 for a 16-under total of 200, one stroke in front of South Korean Jee Young Lee and American Angela Stanford, who had held the lead after both the first and second rounds.

Stanford posted a 70 and Lee had a flawless 67 in her quest for her first victory on US soil.

Former world number one Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, who won the season-opening SBS Open and is a three-time winner of this event, had a slightly disappointing 72.

She gave up shots at the 16th and 17th and finish seven strokes adrift on nine-under.

Angela Stanford of the US pitches to the 14th green during the third round of the Safeway International at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, on March 29, in Arizona. Lorena Ochoa of Mexico birdied the final hole in a four-under 68 for a 16-under total of 200, one stroke in front of South Korean Jee Young Lee and Stanford, who had held the lead after both the first and second rounds.

Ochoa and Stanford both birdied the first two holes. Ochoa added more at the fourth and fifth but dropped a shot at the 12th before her birdie at 18.

Stanford, who opened with a course-record 10-under 62 on Thursday, fell back after a couple of mid-round bogeys, but capped her round with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 to keep a second career victory within reach.

Stanford's only title to date came at the 2003 ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Lee, who won the LPGA Tour's 2005 Nine Bridges Classic in her native South Korea, came close to her first victory in the United States last year when she lost to Norway's Suzann Pettersen in a playoff at the Michelob ULTRA Open.

On Saturday Lee picked up shots at the second, fourth and seventh and added birdies at the 13th and 16th.

South Korean Inbee Park (65) and Briton Lindsey Wright (66) were tied for fourth at 12-under 204.

Aussies massed for title challenge

Peter Lonard heads a group of four Australians mounting a bid for the US PGA Tour's New Orleans Classic title.

On a day when heavy storms and lighting badly disrupted play, Lonard was able to play only four holes of his third round but a birdie on the par 5 second ensured he was tied for the lead.

He was locked at eight-under with three Americans - second-round leader Briny Baird, Woody Austin and Nicholas Thompson.

With less than two weeks to go before the Masters, John Senden shot into calculations by firing a 66 to be one shot off the pace and the clubhouse leader on 209.

He was one of only three players in the top 21 spots on the leaderboard to finish their rounds.

Veteran Steve Elkington was tied with Senden and three others after managing eight holes of his round.

And New South Welshman Nathan Green was also right in the hunt, in a large group two shots off the lead after playing 10 holes.

The players were set to return to the course in Avondale, Louisiana early on Sunday morning to complete the third round before the start of the fourth.

Tiger prefers to quit than being a mediocre

ORLANDO, Florida: Tiger Woods said on Wednesday he would rather quit golf than become mediocre and that he would know when to call it a day.
The world number one has enjoyed an outstanding run of recent form, winning seven tournaments in succession worldwide before finishing two shots behind winner Geoff Ogilvy at Monday’s WGC-CA Championship in Miami.
Although retirement was not on the horizon for Woods, he told Reuters in an interview he had worked out his exit plan.
“For me it is very simple, it is when my best isn’t good enough any more,” said the 32-year-old. “I could not live with myself going out and practising and preparing as hard as I do and knowing that if I go out and play my best someone is just going to beat me.
“But that happens, your skills diminish, guys get better, they are more athletic. You have your time in the sun, there is nothing wrong in walking away from it.
“I have accomplished so much in the sport already and hopefully I can continue to do that for as long as I possibly can but when that time comes, well, every athlete knows when that happens,” added the 13-times major winner.
Woods, who is chasing Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major triumphs, said he would find it tough to carry on competing when he was not at his best.
“I am trying to prolong it, that early exit,” he said. “One of the great things about our sport is you can play as long as you want. But do you want to play in mediocrity? That is the thing that I would have a hard time with.”
Woods said he was a long way yet from reaching that stage.
“I am 32 and I feel like I am just entering my prime,” said
the American. “Every sport is slightly different.
“I think MJ (Michael Jordan) would probably say his best years (in the NBA) were his early 30s whereas most (NFL) running backs would probably say it is their mid-to-late 20s.
“In our sport your best years are generally in your 30s, some guys are able to sustain that into their early 40s.”
Woods said he was still hurting after failing to win on Monday.
“Losing is never fun,” he said. “(But) there were some nice positives that came from it...yes, there were some three putts, there were some mistakes, and yet I was only two shots back.
“I feel I should have won the tournament. But I didn’t. That is how close the gap is, you can’t make many mistakes against that kind of field.”
His purple patch has coincided with disappointing spells of form for two of his closest rivals, countryman Phil Mickelson and South African Ernie Els, but Woods said a challenger could emerge from anywhere on the PGA Tour.

Golf: Double major winner Lyle delight

A SECOND member of European golf’s ‘Big Five’ is to play in Wales this summer – double Major winner Sandy Lyle has confirmed he will compete in the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open.

Former Open and Masters champion Lyle will join Ian Woosnam at Conwy in June, having celebrated his 50th birthday last month.

Apart from hoping to make an impression on the European Seniors Tour, Lyle wants to develop strong links with Wales as he hopes to be the European Ryder Cup captain at Celtic Manor in 2010.

Lyle – who was one of Woosnam’s Ryder Cup deputies in 2006 – became, in 1985, the first Briton to with The Open since Tony Jacklin 16 years earlier.

He was also the first Briton to win the Masters in Augusta and is credited with helping to transform the face of European golf along with Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer.

Among the star names joining Lyle to battle it out for the £75,000 first prize fund will be former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance and Ryder Cup players Costantino Rocca and José Rivero.

Defending champion Carl Mason, of England will be looking to make it a hat-trick, having also won the event in 2005.

“It will be an honour to play in the 2008 Ryder Cup Wales Seniors,” said Lyle.

“Many people already know of my desire to be Ryder Cup captain and I hope this is the start of an exciting relationship with the Ryder Cup Wales team.

Andy Stubbs, managing director of the European Seniors Tour, said, “The name of Sandy Lyle is instantly recognisable around the world.

“I’m sure the Welsh public and golfing fans from across the British Isles will turn out in their droves to welcome him home.”

Golf Capsules

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Ariz. — Angela Stanford shot a career-best 10-under 62 on Thursday to break the Prospector Course record and take a three-stroke lead over defending champion Lorena Ochoa in the Safeway International.

Stanford, the 2003 ShopRite LPGA Tour Classic winner, had a bogey-free round at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. She had six birdies in a front-nine 30 and birdied the final two holes for a back-nine 32.

The 30-year-old Texan broke the course record of 63 set by Cristie Kerr in 2004, and topped her previous career best of 64 in the first round of the 2006 Canadian Open.

Ochoa, the Mexican star who won the tournament last year for the first of her eight 2007 titles, had nine birdies and two bogeys. She won the HSBC Champions on March 2 in Singapore for her 18th LPGA Tour title.

Sherri Steinhauer was third after a 66, and Karen Stupples, Jee Young Lee and Yani Tseng and Heather Young shot 67s. Annika Sorenstam birdied the final two holes to match Paula Creamer with a 69. Sorenstam shot the first 59 in women's tournament history in her 2001 victory at Moon Valley. The 70-time LPGA Tour winner also won in 2004 and 2005 at Superstition Mountain.

Zurich Classic

AVONDALE, La. (AP) - Refreshed after a couple of weeks off, Dean Wilson birdied three of the last four holes in windy conditions for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Zurich Classic.

Wilson played eight straight tournaments before taking the break.

Briny Baird, Peter Lonard and Chez Reavie opened with 67s. Baird eagled the par-4 sixth hole, holing out from 208 yards with a 5-wood.

Steve Elkington, Vaughn Taylor, Jay Williamson, Cameron Beckman and John Mallinger opened with 68s, Woody Austin topped a group at 69 and defending champion Nick Watney had a 71 on the TPC Louisiana.

Andalucia Open

PUERTO BANUS, Spain (AP) - Defending champion Lee Westwood shot a 7-under 65 to take a the first-round lead in the European tour's Andalucia Open.

The Englishman had a one-stroke lead over 20-year-old amateur Danny Willett, also from England, and Norway's Jan-Are Larsen on the Aloha Golf Club course. Spanish star Jose Maria Olazabal, playing his first tournament after a nine-month layoff because of rheumatic pain in his shoulders and groin, opened with a 71.

MARBELLA, Spain (Reuters) - Holder Lee Westwood made a blistering start in Thursday's Andalucia Open first round with a flawless seven-under-par 65 securing a one-stroke lead.

Westwood's excellent opening was almost overshadowed though by 20-year-old Danny Willett.

The European Tour debutant, ranked the world's top amateur by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, could have shared the lead with his fellow Briton but for a bogey at his final hole.

Two eagles helped Willett tie for second place on 66 with Norwegian Jan-Are Larsen.

Westwood reeled off seven birdies as he improved on his opening round of 2007 by seven strokes.

The 2000 European number one, riding high in third spot on this year's order of merit, is pleased his game is in good shape with the U.S. Masters looming in two weeks' time.

Westwood told a news conference he had taken every step to ensure it was, including going through a video putting session with his father and coach John on Tuesday.

"I'm playing with a lot of freedom at the moment and a 65 shows I've got a lot of confidence," said the Ryder Cup stalwart.

"I used a similar game-plan to last year but my game's always a work in progress. I've got a few things I'm working on with one eye on the Masters."

SPANISH TITLE

Willett's recent Spanish Amateur title impressed the tournament sponsors enough to hand out an invitation to the youngster and he took immediate advantage by eagling his first hole.

"I was quite nervous for my first European Tour event," said the Englishman. "There was quite a bit of pressure to try to play well because of the invitation.

"The eagle took a lot of first-hole nerves away and relieved the pressure. I just enjoyed myself then."

Willett is planning to try for his professional card at the end of the year but said he would leave the amateur ranks instantly if he won on Sunday.

"I'd have 14 days to decide but the thought of the (tour) exemption would be too much of a temptation," said Willett.

The only amateur to win on the tour, 2007 Portuguese Open champion Pablo Martin of Spain, did not turn professional right away but was allowed to keep his exemption under rules at that time.

A win over Northern Ireland's teenage prodigy Rory McIlroy in the British Amateur championship last year inspired Willett to believe he could be as successful as the 18-year-old, he said.

"I played with Danny on Tuesday and I knew he was playing well," said McIlroy after carding a 68.

"He's got the talent to do as well (as me) and I won't be surprised if he stays up there all week."

Twice former U.S. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, returning after seven months out with injury, began promisingly with a 71 on a windy afternoon.

"My back got a little tired towards the end but I scored better than I expected," said the Spaniard.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds aces online play

There were dozens of us to start, but in the end, the tournament was mine to lose.

I was playing my best nine-hole round yet in Sony's PlayStation 3 exclusive Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds: Eight under after eight holes. I held a two-stroke lead heading into the final hole, a six-hundred yard par five. No one was going to get home in two here, so a par would probably do the trick. A birdie would cinch it.

I crushed a 300-yard drive—terrific length for the novice golfer I had been saddled with for this particular online match. I figured I'd play it safe: Knock a 4-iron to a hundred yards, maybe get up and down for birdie.

And that's when it happened: My wireless controller lost connection with the console. It wasn't entirely unexpected; I've experienced the problem maybe once a week since purchasing my PlayStation 3 in early 2007. It lasts only a couple of seconds, and it's never before happened during a critical game moment...at least not until now.

I tapped the X-button once to start my swing, a second time at the apex of the arc for maximum power, and a third time at impact, but somewhere between the second and third taps the connection conked out. My golfer almost completely missed the ball, duffing it into the rough a couple of yards in front of me.

It was all downhill from there. My next shot hit the top of a low tree directly in front of me and careened into the water. It took three more strokes to get it into the cup and finish at six under, one behind the winner.

I sat motionless for a few seconds. Then I slowly turned red (so said my wife) as I put all of my strength into squishing the malfunctioning controller between my hands.

Of course, this is no slight towards the game, which I quite like. Out of Bounds is the first of Sony's cartoonish Hot Shots Golf games to feature online play, and I'm a big fan of how they've gone about taking the franchise's signature arcade-like action into a large, multiplayer arena.

Players create little Mii-like avatars that run around clubhouses text chatting with one another as they wait for tournaments, which begin at fifteen-minute intervals and can accommodate up to 50 players. It's simple, accessible, and fun—unlike the convoluted and sometimes buggy online modes found in EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour games.

My only beef is that the tournaments involve substantial waiting time between holes. All participants golf concurrently and have a set amount of time in which to finish each hole. The problem is that the clock continues to tick after everyone finishes, sometimes for more than a minute after all players are ready to move on to the next hole. Players can send text messages and scroll through details of how each player faired on the preceding hole, but there is an awful lot of idle time.

Still, I'm not terribly worried about the wasted minutes. As I noted last week, I can always find ways to fill time during lags in games. Indeed, I've been punching out this post during the minutes I've spent waiting between holes in two tournaments.

I'm more concerned about my faulty wireless controller. I never used to fret over those occasional drops in signal, but now I think it might be time for me to buy a new peripheral. The question is, can I hold off until Sony's new rumble-enabled controller comes available? I'd like to. But if I suffer another defeat like the one I described above, I may not have any choice but to buy a new one now—there's a good chance my current controller will be smashed to pieces from being hurled across the room.

Chia leads four Asian qualifiers for British Open

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Malaysia's Danny Chia will make his second appearance at the British Open this July after carding a three-under-par 69 for the second successive round at Asia's International Final Qualifying tournament on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old sank crucial birdie putts on the 16th and 17th at the Sentosa Golf Club to lead all qualifiers on six-under-par 138, securing a second trip to the sport's oldest major after playing in the 2005 Open at St. Andrews.

Chia, who won the Taiwan Open in 2002, will be teeing off at Royal Birkdale on July 17 along with Australia's Adam Blyth, Singapore's Lam Chih Bing and Angelo Que of the Philippines as the four qualifiers from the 64-player field.

"I didn't putt well today but I played good," Chia told reporters.

"I played within myself and made two birdies coming back when I needed them the most.

"It's going to be very exciting to go back to the Open. I was there in 2005 and hopefully I've learned from that and will use it in Royal Birkdale."

Blyth, who will be appearing at his first major, fired a bogey-free 66 to finish a shot behind Chia, while Que and Lam emerged from a three-man playoff after signing for two-day totals of 140 in a share of third place.

"The putts just went in today," the 26-year-old Blyth said.

"I played scrappy yesterday but managed to get myself into position this morning. I'm stoked to get into my first major."

apan's Tomohiro Kondo was the man to miss out in the playoff after firing a second successive two-under-par 70 in regulation play.

Local hope Lam, who played in his first Open at Carnoustie last year, was the first to seal his place at Royal Birkdale from the playoff with a birdie on the second extra hole, played over the 18th.

Que then became the first Filipino since Frankie Minoza in 1998 to qualify for the Open in superb style, holing a monster 40-foot birdie putt at the fourth extra hole to snuff out Kondo's hopes.

(Reporting by John O'Brien; Editing by Sonia Oxley)

Woods: Shutter snap at No. 9 halted momentum

Tiger Woods is growing more frustrated with photographers snapping pictures of him during his swing.

In an interview on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday. Woods addressed an incident at last week's WGC-CA Championship at Doral, Fla., when he reacted to the click of a camera in his backswing with an obscenity-laced threat.

Woods' intense competitive streak is well-known, and he's also been known to curse when his results don't meet his high expectations. But on Sunday, in a threat punctuated with profanity, he threatened bodily harm to the next photographer who snaps during his swing.

"It's been frustrating because that's what been happening lately," Woods told ESPN's First Take. "It's one of the things that comes with playing in the last group, one of the distractions we have to deal with."

What's more, Woods said, the distractions have affected his play.

"Each time it's happened, well three out of four times, I made bogey," Woods said. "At the time I needed to make birdie, I flinched on it. [The photographer] got me in transition on my downswing.

"You have no idea what's been said on the golf course all the time, in any sport really," Woods added. "It was the heat of the moment. That one shot took the momentum that I had built on No. 8."