Woods to end three-month layoff at Firestone

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods returns to golf under a new set of circumstances. He no longer has the caddie he employed for the last 12 years, having fired Steve Williams a month ago. He no longer is among the top 20 in the world, his lowest ranking since Allen Iverson was an NBA rookie. And he might not even be eligible to play on the PGA Tour after a couple of weeks. After missing two majors during an 11-week break to make sure his left leg was fully healed, Woods announced Thursday evening on Twitter and on his website that he would return next week at the Bridgestone Invitational. "Feeling fit and ready to tee it up at Firestone next week. Excited to get back out there!" he tweeted. By missing three months - but only four tournaments he would typically play - Woods has gone from No. 81 to No. 133 in the FedEx Cup standings. Only the top 125 players qualify for the opening round of the playoffs at The Barclays, likely leaving him only the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship next week to make up ground. Otherwise, he would have at least five weeks off without being able to play on the PGA Tour. This was the third-longest layoff of his career, and there is as much uncertainty as ever about his future. He has gone more than 20 months without winning, and was last seen in golf shoes on May 12 at The Players Championship when he hobbled off the course after a 6-over 42 on the front nine and withdrew. He already has had four surgeries on his left knee, and the left Achilles' gave him just as much trouble. He hurt both of them during the third round of the Masters, although the injuries were described as "minor" when he first mentioned the pain in May. Along with his health, there has been change off the golf course. Woods left IMG when the contract of longtime agent Mark Steinberg was not renewed. The only endorsement deal for Woods since he returned from a devastating sex scandal was with a Japanese company to promote a heat rub. Then came the firing of Williams, who caddied for Adam Scott at the U.S. Open, then angered his boss by working for the Australian again at the AT&T National without seeking permission. The Golf Channel reported Thursday night that Bryon Bell, a childhood friend and president of Tiger Woods Design, would caddie for him at the Bridgestone Invitational. Bell has caddied for Woods three times - a win at the 1999 Buick Invitational, a tie for second at the Buick Invitational when Woods gave him a chance to help defend, and a tie for second in 2003 at the Disney Classic when Woods gave Williams the week off for a car race in New Zealand. Steinberg declined to confirm Bell would be on the bag, saying in a text message that "no long term been discussed yet as he just decided tonight he was fit and ready to go next week." Bell would bring a level of familiarity to Woods, although Bell was implicated during Woods' sex scandal as allegedly arranging travel for one of his mistresses. Woods has plunged to No. 21 in the world - his lowest ranking since Jan. 26, 1997 - and he could not get back to No. 1 even if he were to win his next three tournaments. During his absence, Luke Donald rose to No. 1 in the ranking and 22-year-old Rory McIlroy shattered his scoring record in the U.S. Open at Congressional. Woods had said in July, when he appeared at the AT&T National because it benefits his foundation, that he learned his lesson and would not play again until he was fully healed. Swing coach Sean Foley said he has talked with Woods twice in the last few weeks, although he has not been with him on the practice range. Woods said on his website that he only recently began practicing. At least he is returning to a friendly course - Woods has won seven times at Firestone, matching the most he has won on any course as a pro. However, he was at his low point on the course in the Bridgestone Invitational last year when he finished 78th in an 80-man field with the worst 72-hole score of his career. Before that, Woods had never finished out of the top five. Woods missed the second half of the 2008 season following reconstructive knee surgery, then sat out five months after crashing his car into a fire hydrant on Thanksgiving night in 2009, changing his career on and off the golf course. His image tarnished, he lost four major corporate endorsements and still has not found an endorsement for his bag. He was divorced in August 2010 and shares custody of his two young children. On the course, Woods has lost the aura he built while becoming the sport's most dominant figure in the last 40 years. He remains stuck on 14 majors - the last one was in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines - and he nearly missed the cut the last time the PGA Championship was played at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2001.

Simpson, de Jonge share lead at Greenbrier Classic

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Brendon de Jonge rode a wave of Hokie fever to a share of the second-round lead at the Greenbrier Classic. De Jonge shot a 3-under-par 67 Friday and was tied with Webb Simpson at 7 under midway through the tournament. Among those failing to advance to weekend play were Phil Mickelson, whose streak of making 17 straight cuts ended, and defending champion Stuart Appleby. Both finished 3 over, missing the cut by two strokes. With shouts of encouragement all around him, de Jonge, a former Virginia Tech golfer, is flourishing for the second straight year at The Greenbrier resort, less than two hours from his college stomping grounds. "It's a little bit of adrenaline," de Jonge said. "Keeps you going. It's always a little pick-me-up if you're struggling a little bit. It's fun. It's nice to hear 'Go Hokies' on every tee." De Jonge has played the Old White TPC course many times and he finished third in last year's inaugural tournament at 17 under. It was one of three third-place finishes in 2010 that helped him earn a career-best $2.2 million. The native of Zimbabwe is the tour leader in birdies, yet admits he needs to work on eliminating the bogeys. His only one Friday was a three-putt on No. 11. "I think the biggest thing is just getting out of my own way," de Jonge said. "It's very, very difficult to win out here. It's difficult to win anywhere. Staying in your own routine, I guess, is the best way to put it." Simpson couldn't get any momentum going until he made three birdies on the back nine and shot 68. The former Wake Forest golfer is playing less than five hours from his old campus. He grew up in North Carolina and moved to Charlotte earlier this year. His own cheering section will get a bit bigger on Saturday. "I told my wife today I'm going to go out and be in the lead, so you've got to come for the weekend," Simpson said. Both Simpson and de Jonge are chasing their first career victories. The tournament champion will earn a spot in next week's Bridgestone Invitational. Like last year, when Appleby came from a seven-stroke deficit and shot 59 in the final round to win, it's anyone's tournament. Thirty-five players were within five shots of the lead entering the third round. Simpson and de Jonge were the only two of the top 10 from the first round to break par in the second. The cut was three shots higher than last year. First-round leader Trevor Immelman made just two birdies, shot 70 and was at 6 under. Looking for his first win since the 2008 Masters and less than two years removed from wrist surgery, Immelman isn't thinking about how far he has come if he can advance to Bridgestone. "It would be fantastic," he said. "And I'd love to be there. But (it's) the furthest thing from my mind." Tied at 5 under were Scott Stallings (65), Michael Letzig (66), Gary Woodland (70), Brian Davis (64) and Derek Lamely (70). Lamely was tied for the lead before a stretch of three bogeys and a double-bogey over seven holes. Canadian Chris Baryla made five birdies in an eight-hole stretch in his morning round to rocket to the top of the leaderboard at 8 under, then made triple-bogey on the par-4 sixth. He shot 69 and was in a group of six at 4 under. Australian Steven Bowditch moved to 6 under after an early birdie, but had a double-bogey and three bogeys on his final four holes to fall to even par. NOTES: Brett Wetterich eagled the par-4 first hole to help him advance to the weekend at even par. ... Garrett Willis had six birdies in his round but made the cut on the line after needing three shots to get out of a fairway bunker on the par-4 11th and making an 8. ... Chris Kirk, who had his tour-best streak of 10 straight below-par rounds snapped with a 71 on Thursday, started another one with a 69 Friday. ... Michael Sim withdrew before the second round with a shoulder injury. Michael Putnam withdrew during the round with an injured wrist.

Mickelson headlines Greenbrier, Carnoustie hosts Women's Open and more to watch this week

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Phil Mickelson has tinkered for years to get just the right formula for peaking at the majors. Just 15 days before the start of the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, the popular lefty is playing the Greenbrier Classic for the first time as he settles into a three-week stretch of tournaments that he hopes will end with his fifth major championship title and second Wanamaker Trophy. "I had a good tournament there at the British [Open, where he tied for second place], and I felt like I kind of turned a corner," Mickelson said after a session on the driving range prior to his noon tee time in the Wednesday pro-am. "I'm starting to put things together slowly, be a little bit more patient and enjoy my time on the course and be more creative hitting shots again. It was a good week for me for that, and I'm excited about the next three-week stretch here." Mickelson, No. 6 in the world, is by far the biggest name in the Greenbrier field, which features only three of the top 40. He has never played the course but said he liked the look of it on TV last year, when Stuart Appleby won with a final-round 59. Jim Mackay, Mickelson's caddie, walked the course Tuesday. "He really liked it," Mickelson said. "He thought it was going to fit well." Carnoustie hosts its first Women's British Open Cristie Kerr ran into Jean Van de Velde at the Evian Masters last week, but she didn't mention that she was about to play the Ricoh Women's British Open at Carnoustie — the course where Van de Velde famously lost the 1999 British Open. "It honestly really didn't come up," Kerr said. "We talked more about wine because he really loves wine. It was the gala dinner last Saturday night at the Royal Hotel in Evian, so it was more about wine than Carnoustie. He just wished me good luck." The weather has been benign so far, but there's rain in the forecast, and players are getting ready for the worst and hoping for the best. "I normally carry a 5- and a 7-wood," said Paula Creamer. "This week I have some rescues and hybrids, and I put in a 4-iron and a different 5-iron in my bag, and I only have three wedges instead of four. You do have to adapt." Suzann Pettersen spoke at Carnoustie about the horrifying bombing and shooting spree that killed a reported 76 people in her home country of Norway. "Really, what's amazing through all this is how we all stick together," she said. "We stay strong together. Obviously no one can do anything about what actually happened, but we can all stay together for the future. It's just so sad." The Women's Open will feature the top 15 players in the Rolex Rankings and players from 25 countries. Strange trivia: Nikki Foster , a 19-year-old amateur who shot 69 Monday to get into the field, is the daughter of Trevor Foster, who led the 1988 British Open as an amateur after 11 holes. Bernhard Langer defends at U.S. Senior Open Bob Tway, whose son, Kevin, just turned pro, hopes for a repeat victory at this week's U.S. Senior Open at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, where Tway holed out from a bunker to beat Greg Norman at the 1986 PGA Championship. This marks the second senior major in a row for the 50-and-over set, which played the Senior British Open last week at Walton Heath. Russ Cochran, playing with his son Reed on the bag, won and moved to second place in the Charles Schwab Cup points race, behind Tom Lehman. Third-place Tom Watson chose to play the Greenbrier this week, as did Tom Pernice, Jr., who tied for second at the PGA Tour's Viking Classic two weeks ago. Cochran now has three career victories on the Champions Tour while Mark Calcavecchia, who finished second to Cochran at Walton Heath, has none. Who would have predicted that? Not me. Amateurs cleaning up on Nationwide Pros in search of a ticket to the PGA Tour head to the Nationwide's Utah Championship at Willow Creek Country Club in Sandy, Utah, but the focus is on the amateurs. Harris English became the second amateur and second University of Georgia Bulldog to win on the Nationwide this season at the Children's Hospital Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, last weekend. English was paired for the final two rounds with Georgia teammate Russell Henley, who won the Nationwide's Stadion Classic in May. "The amateurs today are pros," Tom Watson said Tuesday. "They are not amateurs. They play a lot of competition, and they have the trainers like the pros do, they have the coaches like the pros do, they have the video equipment like the pros do. What do you call them? A.I.N.O.s — Amateurs in Name Only, I guess." Clarke back in action at Irish Open Darren Clarke will go for a British-Irish double at the Irish Open at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, where he'll have competition from his countrymen Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington. Ross Fisher defends. Short game Seven Days in Utopia , a golf movie featuring Robert Duvall and Oscar winner Melissa Leo, will premiere at Atlanta's Performing Arts Centre on Aug. 8, the Monday of PGA Championship week. … Dale Douglass will tee off in his 26th straight U.S. Senior Open this week, surpassing Arnold Palmer's 25 straight. … Five players have competed in every Champions Tour event in 2011: Gary Hallberg, Tom Kite, Mike Reid, Jeff Sluman and Rod Spittle. … While Reed Cochran caddied for his dad at the Senior British Open, his brother Ryan caddied for Mike Goodes, who tied for seventh. … The Ladies Golf Union and IMG confirmed that Royal Birkdale will host the 2014 Ricoh Women's British. … Mickelson and Tom Watson, who will play the first two rounds together at the Greenbrier, both have 39 career victories. … Three men have had two top-10s in the majors this year. Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel come to mind immediately, but not so the third member of the threesome: Sergio Garcia, who tied for seventh at the U.S. Open and tied for ninth at the British. He's at the Greenbrier, where he played mixed doubles tennis on Tuesday afternoon. Tweet

Meena Lee takes 2-shot lead at Women's British

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) — Meena Lee of South Korea overcame wet conditions and shot a 7-under 65 Thursday for a two-stroke clubhouse lead in the first round of the Women's British Open. She had seven birdies and no bogeys in a round played mainly in heavy rain. Brittany Lincicome of the United States started her round early in better conditions and finished with a 67. American Angela Stanford, South Korea's Amy Yang, Germany's Caroline Masson and Sweden's Sofie Gustafson were among a group three shots behind the leader. Twice a winner on the LPGA Tour in her first two seasons after turning professional in 2005, Lee is making her second visit to Scotland. She played in the British Open at St. Andrews in 2007. "I like links golf," Lee said. "It's very different to what we play on the LPGA Tour and I really enjoyed it today, despite the weather." Lee opened with a birdie when she hit her 7-iron to 6 feet. She birdied the long sixth hole after hitting a sand wedge to 12 feet, made a 20-foot putt for birdie at the seventh and holed from nine feet at No. 9. Putts for birdies from similar lengths followed at the 11th and long 14th. At the 17th, Lee hit two 5-woods to 45 feet and took two putts for her final birdie. Lincicome made her charge starting at the 12th, where she made a 15-foot birdie putt. She hit a 7-iron to 7 feet at the 13th and holed the putt. Lincicome hit a huge drive on the 14th - "must have been 300 yards," she said - and then a 6-iron to 10 feet and holed that for an eagle. She also birdied the 17th. "I played really well," she said. "I didn't take advantage of some chances on the front nine, but then really got going from the 12th. This is a great golf course and it seems to suit my game really well, so I'm looking forward to the next three days." American Paula Creamer had two eagles and finished with a 69, along with Swedish rookie Caroline Hedwall, Japan's Momoko Ueda and Mika Miyazato, South Koreans Na Yeon Choi and Song-Hee Kim, Taiwan's Amy Hung and Canadian Lorie Kane. Morgan Pressel and three-time winner Karrie Webb shot 70s, one better than defending champion Yani Tseng of Taiwan. Cristie Kerr had a 72, while Michelle Wie had a 74. American Kristy McPherson made a sensational start and reached the turn in 5-under 31, but faltered on the back nine and finished with a 71, the same as Natalie Gulbis. Last week's Evian Masters winner Ai Miyazato of Japan bogeyed the first five holes en route to a 76, while former three-time winner Sherri Steinhauer slumped to a 78.

Clarke targets Irish Open after British win

KILLARNEY, Ireland (AP) — After establishing Ireland as the focal point of golf, newly crowned British Open winner Darren Clarke, U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy and two other local major winners will descend on Killarney for the rejuvenated Irish Open. Clarke's three-shot victory at Royal St. George's sealed Northern Ireland's third major in 13 months after Graeme McDowell and McIlroy's triumphs in successive U.S. Opens. That followed three wins in grand slam events between 2007-08 for Padraig Harrington of Ireland. Clarke is aiming to become only the third player to hold both British and Irish Open titles, after Nick Faldo of England and Harrington, who is also competing this week. "It would be a hell of an achievement - a dream come true - to have The Open and Irish Open trophies on display back home," Clarke said on the European Tour website. "I've been close on a number of occasions and never quite got the job done - a bit like The Open you could say." Following his victory two weeks ago, the Northern Irishman's exuberant celebrations received a lot of attention on radio shows. Clarke defended his behavior, suggesting it shouldn't have become an issue. "I won a golf tournament and people are concerned about whether or not I had one pint too many. I mean, get a life - it's sport," Clarke said Wednesday, according to the British Press Association. "People are entitled to their opinion, but there are bigger and more important things than me winning a tournament." The 42-year-old Clarke's first appearance on the European Tour came at the Irish Open, as an amateur in 1990. He finished 50th, 18 shots behind winner Jose Maria Olazabal. The favorite this week at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club is McIlroy who, alongside Clarke, was made an honorary life member of the European Tour on Wednesday for their achievements in this year's majors. Despite his success this season, McIlroy said it would still be special to win the Irish Open. "To win your national Open is a huge goal of anyone's. You want to win your national Open and it would be a huge achievement." McIlroy said on the website. "I think with Darren doing what he did a couple of weeks ago, and myself winning in the U.S., I think there's a tremendous atmosphere and a great buzz about the tournament." After the Irish Open, McIlroy will return to his preferred climate and conditions in America, competing in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship. With two Northern Irishmen leading the challengers, along with the presence of McDowell and Harrington, organizers are expecting record crowds of 100,000 for the tournament, which starts Thursday. Despite the anticipation, the event has overcome several obstacles. The official sponsors pulled out in favor of backing the Irish soccer team, meaning the prize money was reduced by 50 percent. Before the successes of McIlroy and Clarke, ticket sales were slow, partly because of the Irish economy. Along with the favorites, Irish hopes will be on former Ryder Cup vice-captain Paul McGinley and 2009 champion Shane Lowry. Lowry defeated Robert Rock of England in a playoff for the victory as an amateur. Englishman Ross Fisher will look to his defend title, having won the tournament by two shots ahead of Harrington. He was helped by a second-round, course record 10-under-par 61.

Russ Cochran wins Senior British Open by 2 strokes

WALTON ON THE HILL, England (AP) — Russ Cochran toasted a family victory at the Senior British Open on Sunday, capturing his first major title with his son as caddie to maintain the United States' recent dominance of the tournament. With his 25-year-old son Reed carrying his bag, Cochran shot a second straight 5-under 67 in the final round at Walton Heath to win by two shots over compatriot Mark Calcavecchia. "He relaxed me out there," Cochran said of Reed, who is on his summer break from law school. "He made me smile and was great to be with." Ryan, the 52-year-old Cochran's eldest son, was also present to witness his father's first victory on this year's Champions Tour - he was caddying for another American, Mike Goodes. "It's a big hump I've got over there," said Cochran, whose victory qualifies him for next year's British Open at Royal Lytham. "To do it in a major and on this golf course means so much. And to do it with the kids here, it's even better." Cochran became the eighth player from the U.S. in the last nine years to win the Senior British Open. He achieved the biggest victory of his career by staying consistent on the tee and rolling in a series of pressure putts, closing the tournament at 12 under to claim a winner's check of $310,000. He made six birdies in the first 10 holes - two coming on the first two holes - to open up a five-shot lead as Calcavecchia, who shared the overnight lead with Cochran and South Africa's David Frost, dropped back by four-putting from 15 feet on the par-3 No. 9. Cochran's bogey on No. 14, combined with Calcavecchia's birdies on Nos. 12 and 15, trimmed the lead to two shots. But the champion-elect parred his way home, looking completely unruffled. The 61-year-old Tom Watson, looking for a record fourth Open title, rolled back the years with a vintage 67 to finish tied for third with 2010 runner-up Corey Pavin at 9 under - leaving the U.S. with the top four placings. England's Barry Lane (70) was the highest-placed European, a shot back in fifth. Nothing more than a journeyman on the regular tour with only one victory to his name - at the 1991 Centel Western Open when he overhauled Greg Norman in the final round - Cochran has blossomed in his three seasons on the senior circuit. He won back-to-back tournaments in a three-week span in September last year and has played himself into regular contention at the majors, finishing third at the Senior U.S. Open in 2009 for a key breakthrough and a check for $175,152. That qualified him for the tour's high-profile events and he tied for third at last year's Senior British Open at Carnoustie. "I've actually mentioned it to my boys on more than one occasion, that I felt that if I was going to do some damage in a major and win a major, it probably would be here," Cochran said. "I enjoy the type of golf it is. I am more single-minded over here, and I just love the golf over here." His only previous British Open came in 1992, when he tied for 28th at Muirfield. Cochran was playing just his second tournament after injuring his wrist during the second round of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament in late April, keeping him out for two months. He returned at Pebble Beach two weeks ago for the Nature Valley First Tee Open, finishing tied for 10th. "I liked him better when he was injured," Calcavecchia said, with a smile. The 51-year-old Calcavecchia was bidding to become the fourth player to achieve the British Open double, after his success as a regular-tour player at Troon in 1989, but stumbled with an all-too-familiar lapse in focus. He was at a loss to explain how he needed three putts from 2 feet on the short No. 9, shaking his head ruefully as he trudged off the green. A minute later, Cochran birdied No. 7 and that three-shot swing proved decisive. "The four-whack on the ninth hole, those usually hurt you," Calcavecchia said. Frost shot 72 to finish sixth at 7 under, a stroke clear of Australia's Peter Fowler (70) and American trio Fred Funk (66), Lee Rinker (71) and Goodes (71). Cochran heads to next week's Senior U.S Open brimming with confidence and will look to emulate Bernhard Langer, who crossed the Atlantic last year to win back-to-back majors. "I'm certainly the kind of guy that carries those good feelings," Cochran said. "All I can say is I'm going to try to go there, do the research on getting my legs underneath me and my sleep patterns right, throw it in there and go from there."

Vandals pour bleach on green at Canadian Open

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A case of vandalism on one of the greens didn't affect play Saturday at the RBC Canadian Open. Grounds crews discovered bleach had been poured on the grass on the eighth green, a par-3 hole at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country. "When they found it, they did all they could to wash it out," said Bill Paul, the tournament director. "We are investigating it right now with Vancouver police. That's all there really is." The damage was discovered at around 6 a.m. when superintendent Rob Barr was inspecting the course. Some brown streaks could be seen on the green, but it didn't affect play in the $5.2 million tournament. "I'm sure it soaked it but it hasn't affected the play at all," Paul said. "(Barr) got to it on time. There is no doubt some of it got into the roots of the grass." The eighth hole is a secluded part of the course, near residential homes. That might be one reason why it was targeted. "I'm going to assume it's access," Paul said. "I don't know why." Paul called the damage an isolated incident. "We've had some damage to a green where somebody has driven a stake into it or something like that, but I've never had it where somebody has dumped a chemical on it," he said. Paul said organizers are considering adding extra security at night.

Miyazato plans to aid Japan relief after Evian win

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Ai Miyazato clinched her first title of the year at the Evian Masters on Sunday and pledged to share her prize money with the people still suffering in the aftermath of the disasters back home in Japan. Miyazato shot a 2-under 70 to protect her two-shot lead and hold off a surge from Stacy Lewis of the United States, the Kraft Nabisco winner who missed a golden chance to even the scores on the 16th hole. The 26-year-old Miyazato will now donate at least part of her $487,500 first prize to the relief efforts in Japan. "I haven't decided yet, whether it will be all of the amount or some of it," she said. "This year I was playing for Japan." Miyazato played with consistency throughout the tournament, dropping shots on just five of the 72 holes overall and finishing with a 15-under total of 273. Lewis also shot a 70 to finish two shots back in second, with a trio of players another stroke behind. "It feels amazing, this is my favorite tournament so I'm really happy that I could win this again," Miyazato said. "Especially (because) right now, Japan's having a tough time. So I am just really happy to bring some happiness to Japan." Miyazato had not won a title since the Safeway Classic last August, and she now has seven LPGA titles overall. She won her first at Evian in 2009, and added five more last year. "There was so much happening at the beginning of the season, to be honest," Miyazato said, referring to the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. "I always have Japan in my thoughts, it gives me motivation to play." Miyazato raised both arms in the air after she sank her winning putt, and several players ran on to the green to soak her with water. Miyazato joins two-time winners Laura Davies of England and Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, and needs one more Evian win to tie Sweden's Helen Alfredsson, the inaugural tournament champion and record-holder with three. "I want to win it as many times as possible," Miyazato said. "I am looking forward to getting more opportunities." Lewis, the Kraft Nabisco winner, kept the pressure on and moved one shot behind Miyazato with a birdie on the 15th. "We played in the same group yesterday, she played well without mistakes," Miyazato said. "Even though she was in front of me I knew she would play solid today." But, with a birdie chance to level the match on the next hole, Lewis three-putted for a bogey to be two adrift of Miyazato again, her chances slipping away. "That's the one shot I wish I could go back and hit again. Just left myself in a really bad spot," Lewis said. "When I missed that putt, I looked up and saw (Miyazato) had fallen back to 15 under, so I was kind of disappointed with that." Lewis had been self-critical after all her previous three rounds, saying she lacked a cutting edge in the last few holes of the day. "I knew I was in (contention) when I made the putt on 15," Lewis said. "Just kind of disappointed with 16." Lewis' luck had clearly deserted her when her putt for birdie on the 17th stopped agonizingly short. She could only make par on the 18th, a hole designed for attacking. Miki Saiki of Japan, Angela Stanford of the United States, and South Korea's I.K. Kim all finished three shots behind Miyazato. Kim had moved into contention at 10 under following a brilliant third round of 64, but the South Korean's bid was undone by three straight bogeys on the front nine Sunday. Miyazato started with three birdies and no bogeys on the front nine. On the fifth, Miyazato's drive hit the lip of the green and rolled back, leaving her a 15-yard uphill putt for birdie. She got it close enough to comfortably make par, and then birdied the sixth and had another on the eighth to surge ahead at 16 under. At that point, it looked as if it would be a comfortable victory. Miyazato then showed signs of nerves on the back nine. A bogey on the 12th and a birdie from Hong, Miyazato's playing partner on the day, trimmed her lead to just one shot. Miyazato bounced right back with a birdie on the next hole, while Hong then bogeyed to drop three behind and give Miyazato some breathing space, which she needed after another bogey on the 14th. "I was nervous this morning, but I had a really good feeling with my game and I really trusted myself," Miyazato said. "Even when my lead was down to one I was never in a hurry, I expected that to happen."

Williams: I wasted two years being loyal to Woods

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Steve Williams says he wasted the last two years of his life standing by Tiger Woods through injuries and eruptions in the golfer's private life. In frank interviews about his dismissal published Friday in his native New Zealand, the 47-year-old caddie said he had lost "a tremendous amount of respect" for the game's biggest star. Williams told the New Zealand Herald "realistically I could look back, and I've wasted the last two years of my life because he's played infrequently, he's been injured and played poorly." "I was prepared to hang in there through thick and thin," Williams said, "so I find the timing extraordinary." Williams said he had no idea he was going to be fired after a dozen years as Woods' caddie until Woods called him to a meeting at the AT&T National tournament two weeks ago. "Sometimes you get an inkling that something's going to happen ... And I basically didn't have much to say with him. I was somewhat in a state of shock, but I just listened to what he thought," Williams told the Herald. "I didn't agree with what he was telling me but at the end of the day that wasn't going to make a difference so I just took it on the chin." Williams told the newspaper he was not upset at being fired, but at its timing and after his staunch loyalty to Woods' during the upheaval in his private life. "I understand that's part of the game ... To be let go after staying incredibly loyal during the most difficult time in his life and then for him to decide that he needs a change, I think that the timing has been very poor," he said. "When Tiger went through the Tiger scandal, as it's known, I was obviously very disappointed in him, as everyone was. Obviously I lost a tremendous amount of respect for him ... and I told him that he had to earn back my respect. Whatever respect he may have earned back, he's just lost." Williams said he had not spoken to Woods since their working relationship was terminated. In a separate interview with Television New Zealand, Williams said he felt his loyalty to Woods had not been repaid. "I'm a very big stickler for loyalty and I stuck with Tiger through his difficult period when a lot of people thought I should have left his side," he said. "That was the most difficult period that I've ever been through in my life. I'm pretty hardheaded and took it probably a lot better than my wife and family did, but there's no way that I should have been put through that." Williams said he felt like he'd been considered guilty by association after sticking with Woods during the scandal. "My name should have been cleared immediately. It wasn't and that's what makes it even more disappointing what's transpired." he told TVNZ. "I never really got pardoned from that scandal so the timing of it is extraordinary. You could say I've wasted two years of my life." Williams also repeated his previous assertions he had no knowledge of Woods' extramarital affairs. "I had no idea what was going on and that was the hardest part ... it was a difficult time," he told the New Zealand Herald. "I'm a straight-up person, I'm a loyal person - if I knew something, then I'd say I did." Williams is often described as New Zealand's highest-paid sportsman - a definition stretched to encompass the caddie who may have banked around $9 million during his association with Woods. He operates a charitable foundation which makes regular donations to an Auckland children's hospital and is highly respected by New Zealanders.

Saiki takes 2nd-round lead at Evian Masters

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Miki Saiki of Japan took a one-stroke lead at the Evian Masters on Friday, shooting a 5-under 67 in the second round to move to 9 under as the drenched course started to dry. Saiki leads Americans Angela Stanford, whose 66 included seven birdies, and Kraft Nabisco winner Stacy Lewis (67). Also challenging at 8 under are former Evian champion Ai Miyazato of Japan, who finished with a 68, co-overnight leader Maria Hjorth of Sweden (69) and South Korea's Ahn Shin-ae (69). "From yesterday, I was hitting the ball really well and it kind of continued today," Saiki said through a translator. "Yesterday there was a lot of rain and you didn't know what you were going to get. Today you had no wind, the greens were consistent." Paula Creamer (67), Cristie Kerr (69) and Karren Stupples (70) were two shots behind the leader. Kerr had an eagle on the ninth and followed with a birdie on 10. Stanford's plan was to attack from the outset. "Before we went out (we) realized the course could be scoreable with some of the pin placements," Stanford said. Players were relieved not to have the burden of the teeming rain to deal with, although more showers are forecast for Saturday. "We didn't have our umbrella up the whole time, so that was nice," Stanford said. Lewis picked up her form after going 3-over in the last four holes at the end of her rain-soaked first round Thursday. Starting the day at 3 under, the Lewis decided she would take a positive attitude and finished with seven birdies. She wrote a single word on her glove to cheer herself up. "I just wrote 'confident.' Just to trust what I'm doing," she said. "I just started making birdies and putts." Ahn was pressuring for a share of the lead again until she hit a wild tee shot into the rough on the 18th, managing par. Creamer was only 18 when she beat 15-year-old Michelle Wie to win at Evian in 2005. She has not won it since, and admits that early success resulted in unrealistic expectations. "Every year I've come back and I've expected myself to do it over and over again," she said. "In reality, I put a little too much pressure on myself." Meanwhile, Wie shot 73 and missed the cut at 5 over, despite birdies on the last two holes. Seven-time major champion Juli Inkster also failed to make the cut, finishing 3 over. Miyazato is looking forward to better conditions in the third round. "The greens are still soft, so everyone's going to shoot a low score," she said.

Stupples shares 1st-round lead at Evian Masters

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Former British Open champion Karen Stupples of England shot a 5-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead with Sweden's Maria Hjorth and South Korea's Ahn Shin-ae at the Evian Masters on Thursday. Stupples, who won her only major in 2004, recovered well from a double bogey on the ninth hole to make six birdies for a 30 on the back nine as heavy rain soaked the course at regular intervals during the day. "Obviously the weather was pretty grim to start with. It's been a while since I've played in conditions like that," the 38-year-old Stupples said. "After I made that double bogey on nine, it was almost like the kick I needed to get going." Cristie Kerr, the 2007 U.S. Open champion, had a consistent day with six birdies and only two bogeys for a 68, tied with 2009 champion Ai Miyazato of Japan. Defending champion Jiyai Shin of South Korea made a solid start with a 69, including three birdies in the first four holes, before bogeys on No. 6 and 8 slowed her down. The 23-year-old Shin is still looking for her first title of the year. Stupples used the pace of the slick, rain-soaked greens to her advantage to shoot a brilliant 30 on the back nine, after going out in 37, where she had a bogey on the sixth hole. "With the kind of rain we've had here, it's made the greens a bit like dart boards, so you can really fire at all the pins," she said. "I was hitting my irons well, confident with my putter too. The greens are absolutely perfect, I've never seen them in as good a condition as they are now." Kerr, who was third at the recent U.S. Open, has yet to win a tournament this season. She finished runner-up at three consecutive tournaments - the Sybase Match Play Championship, ShopRite LPGA Classic and State Farm Classic. Kerr feels a tournament win will come if she stays patient. "Just trying not to put too much pressure on myself and execute well," she said. While Stupples birdied the last three holes, Hjorth did the opposite, going from 8-under to 5-under with bogeys on the last three holes. Still, on a good day for veterans, the 37-year-old Hjorth was in upbeat mood. "I've been putting great today. The greens are the fastest they've ever been, and I've been playing here for 15 years," Hjorth said. "I played really solid, obviously not the finish that I would have liked. But you could have three bogeys anywhere. But I take five-under any day." Kraft Nabisco champion Stacy Lewis looked well set to take the lead at 6-under with four holes remaining, but a double bogey on the 15th meant she finished the day level with Shin and five others on 69. "I played really well for 14 holes," Lewis said. "I just missed a couple of short putts and hit a bad chip and that kind of compounded my mistakes. The weather was all over the place: it was rainy, it was cold, it was hot." Lewis lost balance as she was preparing to tee off on the 15th, and then lost more ground after a bogey on the 18th. "Off the tee my foot slipped a bit and I pulled my tee shot," she said. "It was a bad chip. I chipped in earlier in the day so it wasn't like my chipping was bad today, I just hit a bad shot." Michelle Wie struggled with a double bogey, three bogeys, and only one birdie in a 4-over round of 76. Wie first played at the event in 2004 as an invited 14-year-old amateur, and she tied for second the following year behind winner Paula Creamer - who ended the day with a 2-under 70. Late in the afternoon, Wie was back out on the practice greens, where she chipped for several minutes, before taking her frustrations out on the driving range.

Bubba Watson is that rare Tour star who packs a punch on the course but drops his gloves off it

Bubba Watson wants to win majors and cash big checks and play in more Ryder Cups, but if it doesn't happen, well, c'est la vie. "I don't let stuff worry me," says Watson, who has climbed to 12th in the world rankings with an enviable combination of power and finesse. "Golf is a job. It's not my life." Don't be fooled. The left-hander hasn't always been so carefree. Working his way up the ranks from his native Bagdad, Fla., Watson used to beat himself up, cursing and scowling and brooding when things didn't go well. Then, in 2009, his father, Gerry, was diagnosed with cancer, and soon after so was Bubba's wife, Angie (she later learned that she had been misdiagnosed). Golf suddenly seemed insignificant to Watson, which ironically made him a better player. Not obsessing over every mis-hit and lip-out, he says, freed up his mind and his game. He won his first PGA Tour title in 2010, and nearly his first major. A year later he's backed that up with two more victories and is a lock for the Presidents Cup team. "Every year I've gotten better on Tour," Watson says. "And just like any amateur, my aim is still to get better." In 2010 you faced tragedy off the course while reaching some important goals on the course. What did you take away from that season? I think everything happens for a reason in life. My worst year off the course turns out to be my best year on the course. My dad was diagnosed with throat cancer in November 2009. We thought my wife, Angie, had a brain tumor, but we found out it was misdiagnosed. What I believe is that to get my dad and my family through it, it was important [for them] to see me on TV a lot and playing good golf. Your father died in October, nine days after you returned from the Ryder Cup. How were your last days with him? It was great. We spent a lot of time sitting on the front porch. The doctor told us that he was going to have days where he wasn't going to do anything. But he never had those days. So we never felt like his death was coming. I mean we knew it was coming but he never stopped moving. He always wanted to go and do something. An hour before he passed, he met with the plumber. With your dad in your thoughts, how difficult was it to concentrate in those matches? It was harder than I could ever have imagined. Every night I would call the house to talk to my parents to see how they were doing. That was my dad's Ryder Cup. He wanted to make sure that he was alive for it. He went to the doctor every day to get an IV so that he could stay hydrated enough to stay up to watch the matches. He kept telling the nurses that his goal was to just make it through the Ryder Cup. I didn't play as good as I wanted to, but obviously I had more important things on my mind. After you earned your first career win at Hartford in June 2010, you said that winning wouldn't change your life and that golf wasn't the most important thing to you. Do you still feel that way? Golf is the way I make a living. If I retired from the game today I would still play golf every day with my buddies. If I had been wealthy I never would have turned pro. I would have been like Bobby Jones and just tried to be the best amateur and try to go to the Masters by winning the U.S. Amateur. So winning a golf tournament doesn't change me as a person. I'm still going to be goofy Bubba from Bagdad, Fla. You came awfully close to winning your first major at the PGA last year. Did losing in a playoff to Martin Kaymer gnaw at you? Not at all. My biggest goal last year, outside of winning an event, was making the Ryder Cup. My main goal each year is to get into the team event. I don't let bad rounds or bad tournaments gnaw at me. You and Kaymer were tied on the third playoff hole when your drive came to rest in a bad lie in the right rough on 18, a par 5. Kaymer's ball was nestled just in front of yours in another difficult lie. Why did you go for the green? I was trying to win the tournament. I didn't know how it was going to come out of that lie. There was no way to predict how it was going to come out of that rough. So I thought it was going to do one thing and it came up way short. If you look back at the video, I didn't know where my ball finished. I didn't think there was any way that it was that far short in the [creek]. I thought it was short in the bunker. It must have been tough for your regular caddie, Teddy Scott, to not be with you that week. He took off to be home for the birth of his child. Teddy is best friends with Mark Carens, who stepped in to caddie for me that week. Mark was having some tough financial times. So we wanted to help him. Some people have caddie shares that call for the full-time caddie to get some money regardless of whether he works or not. But we didn't do that. All the money went straight to Mark and his family. So the whole PGA experience was a lot deeper than most people know. Are you surprised with how your game has matured over the last two years? Not really. I was working on a few things with my putting. The game of golf is so messed up that you could hit the ball great and not win and then hit the ball bad and win. It's the putter. If you're rolling it well, you're going to win out here. We're always trying to get better from six feet and in. When I can make those I know that I'm going to have a great week and a great year. At this year's Masters you started the final round five shots off the lead, but closed with a 78. What happened? I knew that a big week would probably get me in the top 10. I was thinking too much about climbing the world ranking and not enough about golf. You don't have a swing instructor and you've never taken a formal lesson. How much do you practice? In the winter I play golf almost every day. On Sundays I go to church and hit balls afterward and take off on Monday. From Tuesday through Saturday I play with the boys at the Estancia Club in Scottsdale, where I'm a member. Sometimes I'll play against the best ball of three players. I start out in these matches taking it easy for the first three holes, but eventually I start grinding if the match is close. As one of the game's biggest hitters, do you believe the distance craze is good for the game? I don't think we should be lengthening courses. I'm the long hitter so it doesn't bother me. It's to my advantage. But I think the golf industry is going the wrong way. We're the only ones changing our sport. No one else is changing their game so much with technology. Basketball isn't going to 12-foot rims because the guys can jump higher. Golf is supposed to be providing a great atmosphere for the amateurs and the weekend golfers. We should want to grow the game for the people. Why would anyone want to play an 8,000-yard golf course? Do you look at driving statistics? I know I had the driving distance title for the first few years on Tour and I've lost it the last few, but otherwise I haven't really paid much attention to it. I would rather win golf tournaments and be the shortest hitter in the world than be the longest hitter and not win. If the longest hitters on the PGA Tour had a driving contest, who would win? If we were just on a big open field I would put my money on J.B. Holmes. I think, though, that if Alvaro Quiros was on our tour he'd be the longest. Dustin Johnson is the longest into the wind because like Quiros he hits a low bullet, whereas J.B. and I fly it a long way in the air. What's your best long-drive tip? Since I'm not a big muscle man, I've really concentrated on creating a big arc. The bigger the arc the greater the clubhead speed, no matter how fast you're swinging. On YouTube there are dozens of videos of you hitting various trick shots using fruit and persimmon clubs. What's that all about? It's like Jackass for golfers, without the injuries. It's the same concept but nicer and cleaner. I've done about 60 movies so far. What's the hardest trick shot you do? Hitting a bunker shot with a driver. I tee it up a little bit in the bunker but you still have to get up over the lip. You have about 130,000 Twitter followers. Have you gotten to know any of them personally? There was one guy who played college golf from Chicago and I could tell from the things that he was saying in his tweets that he really knew about golf. So when he came down to the Phoenix Open I met him and gave him tickets. Once I met him I invited him to come out and play golf with my caddie and I at Estancia. So now we play Xbox online and we've become friends. Do your Twitter followers ever alert you when they're in the gallery? At last year's British Open there was a Scottish woman in the gallery who had won a contest for one of my drivers. While I was there she wanted to know how she could get in touch with me to thank me. So I gave her a special word to say to let me know that she was in the gallery. I do this all the time with people. What kind of code words do you use? It's not any words that you would ever hear at a golf tournament. And they are never the same from person to person. At the 2008 Zurich Classic of New Orleans you cursed out Steve Elkington for repeatedly moving while you were hitting. How is your relationship today? The way I handled myself with that was wrong. I'm not embarrassed that it happened because you learn from mistakes. I got my point across to him. We made up and since then I've met his wife and we're friends. Is etiquette generally good on Tour? The way I feel about etiquette is that if I'm shooting 100 and I'm going to miss the cut, I'm going to play as fast as I can to not get in the way of a player who still has a chance. But the hard thing about etiquette is that sometimes you're so focused on what you're doing that you forget there's another player in the group. So sometimes you might disrespect a player and not intend to. You've acknowledged that you're a bit of a "head case." Have you seen a sports psychologist? I approached Ben Crane as a fellow Christian and Tour pro about who was the best psychologist to help me. He told me that the best help would be the Bible because it was going to show me that golf doesn't mean anything and that there were bigger things in life, like doing good for others. Do you struggle with being a good person? I have my biggest downfalls on the golf course. I'll use bad language every once in a while. I don't mind saying that I cuss on the course because you need to be able to talk about your issues. I'm not happy about it and then I'm mad at myself for not being mad at myself when I mess up. So then I'm just fighting myself. So I'm trying to get better on the course. To help me mentally I had to realize that it's just a game and that I should be having fun. Tweet

American performance at Royal St. George's bodes well for future majors

As the 140th Open Championship came to a close and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland was crowned champion golfer of the world, a plaintive wail rang out across Royal St.;George's: What's wrong with European golf? The long overdue first major championship victory for Clarke, 42, merely highlighted the ongoing underachievement of his majorless contemporaries. Crowd favorite Miguel Angel Jiménez, 47, was in position to challenge for the claret jug, but he closed with an eight-over 78 and tumbled to 25th place. First-round leader Thomas Bjorn, 40, couldn't break par the rest of the way and endured a slow, agonizing fade to fourth place. Clarke's wingman, Lee Westwood, 38, missed the cut, while Colin Montgomerie, 48, failed to even land a spot in the field and made headlines only with his threat to quit the sport in favor of full-time TV commentating. Yes, Clarke's victory was the fourth by a Euro in the last six majors, but that's clearly a statistical anomaly given that Americans have won 69.8% of the majors since World War;II. And yes, Clarke's victory is a wonderful valedictory to a star-crossed career, but it is the young lads who must carry the banner for European golf, and they had a rough go of it last week. World No.;1 Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter all missed the cut, while Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer stumbled badly on the weekend. Going forward they will have to tangle with a suddenly rejuvenated U.S. side. Five of the top seven finishers at the Open were Yanks, including the three most talented innocents abroad: Dustin Johnson, Anthony Kim and Rickie Fowler. Phil Mickelson, 41, put a huge charge into this Open with a Sunday surge during which he played the first seven holes in five under par to briefly tie for the lead. He ultimately fell short, but Mickelson has found a new confidence and playing style on the linksland that should make him a contender at future British Opens. Befitting the rugged individualism of their homeland, the U.S. players were not necessarily reveling in their collective surge. Phil used the word fun seven times following his round on Friday; the only time his mood soured was when he was asked about the "American drought" in the majors. Phil, is that something you think about, and do you feel extra motivation to get the U.S. a win? "No and no." Still, it was impossible not to notice all the red, white and blue on the leader board, which would explain the perma-grin worn by Davis Love III, the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, who, it should be noted, tied for ninth, a stroke ahead of countrymen Steve Stricker and Lucas Glover. While actually winning the British Open is nice, you can make the case that the Americans traded short-term glory for long-term gain, with a host of players learning valuable lessons that will stand them in good stead for the future. Mickelson's abysmal record at the Open -- contending only once in two decades -- has always been one of golf's great mysteries, given that these wild and woolly, rolling courses should be ideal showcases for his touch and creative shotmaking. Part of the problem was Mickelson's stubborn attempts to impose his game on the Open, playing by air and not by land. He brought a more open-minded approach to St. George's. "I'm entering this year kind of like a fresh start," Mickelson said on the eve of the championship. "I'm going to try to learn and enjoy the challenge of playing links golf. I'm trying to pretend like it's my first time here. I feel excited and kind of reinvigorated to come over here and try to learn this style of golf and play it effectively." Instead of his usual towering ball flight, he often employed a low, stinging driver that got on the ground quickly and ran for days. Without any ballooning foul balls, Mickelson avoided making a double bogey at a tournament where he has often been undone by big numbers. A missed two-footer on the 11th hole on Sunday blunted Mickelson's comeback, but he chose to accentuate only the positives after his seventh runner-up finish in a major. "Oh, man, that was some of the most fun" -- there's that word again -- "I've had competitively," he said. Part of Mickelson's buoyancy was having his family join him at an Open for the first time. "I think we're coming back," Amy Mickelson said on Sunday. That's the ongoing theme with Johnson -- the guy simply keeps coming back ... from his final-round 80 at last year's U.S. Open ... from the brutal 72nd-hole penalty that cost him a spot in the playoff at the PGA Championship ... and, last week, from illness and a disastrous start that left him four over par through his first 13 holes. Johnson proceeded to go birdie, birdie, ace, birdie to salvage his round. A trip to the doctor helped him cope with glands that had swollen to the size of golf balls and were bulging over the collar of his polos. (With a nod to Johnson's soul patch, Justin Leonard joked that if Dustin had let a few whiskers on his neck grow, it would've look as if he had three chins.) Back-to-back 68s earned Johnson, 27, a spot in the final pairing for the third time in the last six majors. On Sunday he was four strokes back after Clarke's eagle on the 7th hole, but Johnson made birdie there and kept fighting, birdieing the 10th and 12th holes to get within two strokes of the lead. After a perfect drive on the par-5 14th;hole -- and after Clarke had laid up -- Johnson unsheathed his two-iron. "It was definitely a go situation," Johnson said. But he made a mediocre swing, and his ball drifted into the rarest real estate on a links course: out of bounds. His bid was over, but it's clear Johnson remains fearless enough to keep putting himself in position to have his heart broken, a prerequisite to finally breaking through. "Dustin really doesn't think about a whole lot," Fowler said afterward, and he meant that as a compliment. "I don't think he's going to be too worried about it. He's someone who gets over things quickly. He'll be fine." Like Johnson, Fowler continues to patiently build his résumé. At his Open debut last year on the Old Course, he showed a natural flair for links golf, placing 14th despite a jittery 79 to open the tournament. A quintessential feel player, Fowler seems more at home at the British Open than on the manicured playing fields of the PGA Tour, a phenomenon diagnosed by Tom Lehman. "This tournament brings out the creativity that a lot of the guys have but they're not forced to use," says Lehman, the 1996 British Open champ. Fowler put on an audacious display of the art of scoring at the close of his second round. "I made probably my worst swings I have all week the last five holes and I somehow played them one under," he said. The highlight came on the 17th hole; 170 yards from the hole, he flew his approach only 125 and let it bounce and roll and trickle until his ball cozied up near the flag. On Saturday, Fowler was paired with golf's new boy king, McIlroy. They've had a nice little rivalry going back to the 2007 Walker Cup, when Fowler was pivotal in a crucial second-day foursomes match over McIlroy in the U.S.'s eventual one-point victory. Fowler, for all his flash, approaches his career with the solemnity of a middle manager, and he is keenly aware that McIlroy's recent achievements have devalued his own. (Rookie of the Year in 2010, 11 career top;10s on the PGA Tour but no victories.) Fowler is too modest to say it, but he took immense enjoyment in thumping McIlroy on Saturday, 68-73. On Sunday, Fowler's putter went cold, and he could do no better than par the first 13 holes, falling too far behind to make a run at Clarke. But Fowler saw the pint glass half-full after his tie for fifth. "I really haven't been in contention come Sunday in a major, so it definitely felt nice," he said. Kim was similarly bullish after his own tie for fifth. Since his stellar near-miss at the 2010 Masters he has been derailed by wrist surgery and subsequent swing problems. Two months ago Kim, 25, went back to basics with his action, telling his coach, Adam Schriber, "Let's start over, like I'm a beginner." His motivation has also been renewed by all the attention lavished on golf's other bright lights. "I definitely feel like I've been forgotten," Kim says. Trying to keep up with the other guys helps explain how tiny Northern Ireland has produced three major champions in the past 13 months, fueling the notion that American golf is in trouble. It was left to accidental philosopher Bubba Watson to sum up his countrymen's productive week in England. "Bad golf is bad golf, and good golf is good golf," Watson said. "It don't matter where you're from. It just so happens that this week we're playing good golf." It is, indeed, only one tournament. But even with all of the lads coming up short on Sunday, their showing in the Open bodes well for a U.S. contingent that has needed some good news.

Dustin Johnson makes another huge blunder on the big stage

SANDWICH, England (AP) — Dustin Johnson was right in the mix again, playing in the final group at a major championship, just two strokes off the lead as he stood over his ball in the 14th fairway. He surveyed the green up ahead and reached into his bag for a 2-iron, knowing he needed at least a birdie on the par-5 hole to put some heat on Darren Clarke. "It was definitely a go situation," Johnson would say later. "It was pretty much dead in, so it wasn't all that difficult." Clearly, this 27-year-old American doesn't lack for bravado. But one of these days, he'll have to quit making huge blunders at the most inopportune times. On Sunday, Johnson sent the ball sailing out of bounds, leading to a double-bogey that turned the final four holes into nothing more than a victory lap for Clarke. The Northern Irishman coasted to his first major title by three strokes. Johnson's breakthrough will have to wait a little longer. "If I had to do it over again," he said, "I'd hit a 3-wood instead of a 2-iron." But the pros can't take mulligans. Johnson must live with the final round of last year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he threw away a three-stroke lead with a brutal 82. He must live with missing out on a playoff at last year's PGA Championship, where he didn't bother to read the rules about all those obscure bunkers at Whistling Straits and took a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club on the 72nd hole. And, now, he'll have to live with picking the wrong club and hitting a brutal shot, ruining any hope of snatching away the claret jug on a wet, windy day at Royal St. George's. "It was brutal out there," said Johnson, who limped in with a 2-over 72 that left tied for the runner-up spot with Phil Mickelson. "I think I held up pretty well. I hung in there all day, made some birdies on the back to get back in there and just unfortunately made the double-bogey on 14, which really just took all my momentum out." Indeed, Johnson showed plenty of resilience on a week that started quite poorly. He came down with a mysterious infection, his glands swollen up the size of grapes during the opening round. He played the first 12 holes Thursday at 4 over, looking as though he might be headed home before the weekend. Johnson got himself going with a hole-in-one, posted two straight rounds in the 60s and earned a spot in the final group of a major for the third time. Now, he's just got to finish one. "Like I say all the time, the more I put myself in this situation, the more I learn, the more I understand my game and what happens in this situation," Johnson said. "I think I did a pretty good job. It was very tough." No one thought Johnson would have a problem recovering from this latest disappointment. "He's one of the most resilient players I've ever seen," said his coach, Butch Harmon. "He'll be back. He just made one bad swing with a 2-iron that cost him a chance to win." Fellow American Rickie Fowler tried to express a similar sentiment but may have given some insight into why Johnson keeps making inexplicable mistakes. "Dustin really doesn't think about a whole lot," said Fowler, who also struggled to a 72 in the final round. "I don't think he's going to be too worried about it. He's someone that gets over things pretty quickly. He's a great player. I love the way he plays the game. He can hit the ball a long ways,and I wouldn't worry about Dustin. He'll be fine. There were plenty of Americans on the leaderboard, but none of them could chase down Clarke. Mickelson made the most impressive charge, playing the first 10 holes at 6 under and briefly pulling into a tie for the lead with an eagle at the seventh. But Lefty's putter suddenly went cold and he staggered to the end with four bogeys, winding up tied with Johnson at 2-under 278 after shooting a 68 that could've been so much better. Fowler, Chad Campbell and Anthony Kim tied for sixth, five shots off the pace, giving the U.S. five of the top seven finishers. None of them occupied the only spot that really matters, extending an American drought that already was the longest in the modern Grand Slam era to six in a row. Mickelson began to fade after missing a 2-footer at the 11th. Johnson, who had struggled to a 1-over 36 on the front side, finally got a couple of birdie putts to drop at the 10th and 12th, re-emerging as Clarke's main challenger. Two holes later, Johnson tried to pull off a little low draw with his 2-iron. He envisioned the ball curling right up next to the flag, which surely would've given him a shot at the birdie he needed to get within a stroke of Clarke. Instead, the ball went right and disappeared into the thick, tall grass. "I had a great week," he said. "I came down with a little bit of illness, wasn't feeling that well, so I didn't know what to expect. I fought all week, and I didn't have my best stuff this week for sure. But I hung in there and just fought around, and I think I did very well." Maybe next time, he'll finish it the right way. Tweet

Clarke wins British Open for 1st major title

SANDWICH, England (AP) — No matter how long it grows or even how quickly, the list of major champions from the tiny country of Northern Ireland just wouldn't feel complete without Darren Clarke. He doesn't have the majestic swing of Rory McIlroy or the putting prowess of Graeme McDowell, the last two U.S. Open champions. He hasn't contended in a major for the last 10 years, wasn't even eligible for the last three majors and was no longer among the top 100 in the world. No matter. Clarke's three-shot victory in the British Open was met with unending applause Sunday, the loudest saved for the closing ceremony when he was introduced as the champion golfer of the year. More than that, Clarke is a man of the people. "I'm a bit of a normal bloke, aren't I?" Clarke said, the claret jug at his side. "I like to go to the pub and have a pint, fly home, buy everybody a drink, just normal. There's not many airs and graces about me. I was a little bit more difficult to deal with in my earlier years, and I've mellowed some. Just a little bit. But I'm just a normal guy playing golf, having a bit of fun." He was extraordinary at Royal St. George's. A cigarette curled under his fingers as he barreled down the fairways, Clarke held off brief challenges from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson and held up under the pressure until no one could catch him. Mickelson, who needed only seven holes to made up a five-shot deficit, stepped aside by missing too many short putts. Johnson, in the final group of a major for the third time in the last six, made another blunder with a major at stake. This time, he was two shots behind on the par-5 14th, tried to lay up with a 2-iron and hit it out-of-bounds to make double bogey. They shared second place, stretching the American drought to six straight majors without winning. Despite meaningless bogeys on the last two holes, Clarke closed with an even-par 70. "Pretty amazing right now," Clarke said. "It's been a dream since I've been a kid to win the Open, like any kid's dream is, and I'm able to do it, which just feels incredible." The weather was so wild that heavy rain switched over to sunshine, back and forth all afternoon, in a relentless wind. Clarke was steady through it all, never allowing himself to think about what it mean to hold the claret jug until he stepped onto the 18th green. Clarke removed his visor to salute the gallery. His hair is almost all gray now, the result of a 42-year-old who has gone through more hard times than he cares to remember, the worst of it losing his wife to cancer five years ago. "Bad times in golf are more frequent than the good times," he said. "I've always been pretty hard on myself when I fail because I don't find it very easy to accept that. And there's times I've been completely and utterly fed up with the game." The advice from friends, family and agent Chubby Chandler were always the same. "Get out there and practice and keep going, keep going, keep going," Clarke said. "And that's why I'm sitting here now." With a one-shot lead over Johnson going into the final round, there was a sense that Clarke wouldn't be able to hold up. But he holed a 12-foot par putt on the first, a downhill 8-footer for par on the third. A 20-foot eagle putt on the seventh, not long after Mickelson made eagle to tie him, gave Clarke the lead for good. Northern Ireland had gone 63 years - since Fred Daly in the 1947 British Open - without winning a major. Now it has three of the last six. "Northern Ireland...... Golf capital of the world!!" McIlroy tweeted as Clarke played the last hole. "We're blessed to have two fantastic players in Rory and GMac, and I've just come along, the only guy coming along behind them," Clarke said. "We have fantastic golf courses, we have fantastic facilities, but to have three major champions from a little, small place in a short period of time, it's just incredible." They are so close that a week after McIlroy won the U.S. Open, Clarke pulled out of a tournament in Germany so he could return to Northern Ireland and join the celebration. Maybe McIlroy, who shot a 73 and complained the weather didn't suit him at the British Open, can return the favor. "He missed Munich for mine, so I don't think I'll miss a tournament for his, but I'll definitely be there," McIlroy said. "And I'll definitely be one of the last ones to go to bed." The celebrations also seemed to be for someone else, and Clarke had reason to believe his time had gone. Surely, nothing could top playing a Ryder Cup on home soil in Ireland five years ago and leading Europe to victory just one month after his wife, Heather, died. He is engaged now, yet his thoughts were with his wife. "In terms of what's going through my heart, there's obviously somebody who is watching down from up above there, and I know she'd be very proud of me," Clarke said. "She's probably be saying, 'I told you so.'" Indeed, this was overdue. No one had ever gone more than 15 starts in the British Open until winning, and this was the 20th try for Clarke. Yet even as he struggled with his game and the adjustment of raising two boys without their mother, and as the spotlight shifted to youth, Clarke never gave up on his dreams. "I always believed I would get myself back up here," he said before heading out to the 18th green to collect the oldest trophy in golf. "I always believed I had enough talent to challenge and win one." He delivered on the demanding links of Royal St. George's to hold off two Americans. The last hour was a coronation for Clarke, long a popular figure not only in Europe but around the world. Puffing away at cigarettes as he barreled down the fairways, he never looked to be in any trouble. And the few times he did, the golfing gods came to the rescue. He twice hit shots that were headed for pot bunkers well short of the green, only to hop over them or around them, keeping him in control. He posed with the claret jug that was empty, but not for long. He promised some "nice, Irish black stuff" by evening. And when asked about the celebration, Clarke promised only that it would be "long." "And I'll be very, very hungover," he said. He finished at 5-under 275 and became the first player in his 40s to win a major since Vijay Singh at the 2004 PGA Championship. Only two other players were older than Clarke when they won their first major - Roberto De Vicenzo (44) in the 1967 British Open, and Jerry Barber (45) in the 1961 PGA Championship. For the Americans, their longest drought without a major since the Masters began in 1934 will continue at least until the PGA Championship next month. They had plenty of contenders, from Mickelson to Johnson to Rickie Fowler and Anthony Kim, but none came through. Mickelson's problems started on the par-3 11th, when he missed a par putt from just inside 3 feet. "It was just a dumb, mental error," Mickelson said. "I just lost focus there, and it hurts to throw shots away like that when I'm behind." He wound up with a 68, which felt more like a 78, and had his seventh runner-up finish in a major. It might have been more devastating for Johnson, who never lost his composure even as he fell four shots behind on the front nine. Johnson made a 6-foot birdie on the 10th and a 15-foot birdie on the 12th to get within two shots. Just like that, it was all over. Johnson had an 8-foot birdie attempt at No. 13 as Clarke went over the green. Instead of a potential two-shot swing, however, Clarke saved yet another par, and Johnson missed his putt. From the middle of the 14th fairway, Johnson tried to lay up with a 2-iron, playing a draw back toward the flag. The wind caught it and took it beyond the white stakes, and Johnson hung his head and dropped another ball in the fairway. It was another wasted opportunity - the 82 in the final round of the U.S. Open with a three-shot lead, then taking a two-shot penalty on the last hole of the PGA Championship when he didn't realize he was in a bunker. "The more I put myself in this situation, the better," said Johnson, who closed with a 72. "The more I learn, the more I understand my game and what happens in this situation." Thomas Bjorn, who threw away the British Open in a bunker on the 16th hole eight years ago, acquitted himself nicely. He never got closer than three shots all day, but his 71 put him in fourth place and at least earned him a trip back to the Masters next year.

Tom Watson shot an impossible 72 during a storm at Royal St. George's

SANDWICH, England — Tom Watson is Hemingway's stubborn Old Man. The links is the Sea. The claret jug is the marlin. Watson simply refuses to give up chasing it. He got stranded in the teeth of the storm that ripped through Royal St George's from mid-morning to mid-afternoon of the third round on Saturday. Carnage reigned on the links. Paul Casey got blown away with a 78 and 1999 champion Paul Lawrie drowned in an 81. But Watson took everything that the Kent clouds could chuck at him. He refused to yield. He shot a two-over-par 72 at a time, he said, when par was more like 77. If he'd had a later tee time when the big bright yellow thing re-appeared in the sky, Watson might have been one of the leaders. After his round, Watson looked like he had just driven through a car wash and forgotten to roll up the windows. Soggy Sandwich, anyone? " You just love to see us pros suffer, don't you?" Watson said laughing. Just how bad was it out there? "It can tear you up and spit you out," he said. Not Watson, it didn't. Not this time. "I enjoyed that," he said, sounding like the Marquis de Sade after a particularly demanding party. "It was fun. There were some great escapes out there." He said his putter saved him. "I just had that feel for some odd reason ,"Watson said. "I hope it continues tomorrow. Now I know why I won all those Opens before. That putter was always pretty good back then, too." This wasn't even the worst storm Watson had endured during his Open campaigns. That dubious honor goes to Muirfield in 1980. He shot 68. Watson sure knows how to scramble his way around a links in a hooley — that's a wind not a Harley for pensioners. Watson is 61 and the oldest player to make the cut in Open history. He beat a 59-year-old T. Watson who made the cut at Turnberry in 2009. But Watson doesn't just aim at making cuts. Hell, two years ago he was one putt away from staring in The Greatest Sporting Story Ever Told. The fire still burns in his belly. Watson really believes he can tie Henry Cotton and win a sixth Open championship before he retires. When he awoke Saturday to see the sideways rain and a fellow with a beard building an ark on the beach (it wasn't Lucas Glover), he must have secretly smiled. "I'll never tell," he said, grinning. "I kind of like that challenge when it's nasty out there. 'Dastardly,' as Peter Alliss calls it." Watson doesn't hail from the University of Bish, Bash, Bosh that so many modern players seem to have graduated from. He's from the Old College of Tickle, Tweak and Coax. He handed out a free lesson in the dark arts of links golf to his playing partner, 30-year-old Ricky Barnes from California. The 495-yard fourth was playing straight into the howling wind. Watson was so far back after his tee shot that he chose to caress a driver off the fairway sending it scudding off toward its target. He saved par. Genius. Under such impossible conditions, did Watson think the R&A could have made the fourth hole into a par five? "It doesn't matter," Watson said. "Call it a par three if you like. Players will be coming off saying, 'Ah I got a five, a double bogey.'" The lesson was that par doesn't matter. The only number that counts is yours against the field. Lesson two for the young generation: you don't have to smack the logo off the ball. "The kids hit it so far past me," Watson said. "You see a lot of them trying to hit low hard stingers. I can't hit it hard. I'm 61! But it also takes some guile, luck and wits." So take THAT, witless whackers. You know who you are. Maybe Dustin Johnson has been paying attention in class. One of the biggest bashers on the PGA Tour is just one off the lead held by Darren Clarke at five under par. He's clearly doing more than just driving for show. Physically, Watson knows he is fighting above his weight class against Johnson and Rickie Fowler (two under par) and the new generation of gym-junkie golf athletes. But mentally, he knows he can still beat them. "Let's do without the rain and have some wind," Watson said. "And see what happens." The look in his eyes revealed he still believes he can win. But Watson is four over par and nine shots adrift of Clarke. Hemingway's Old Man didn't know when he was beaten, either. Tweet

Tom Watson's ace was a thrill for the fans who saw it, and the golfer himself

SANDWICH, England — The first thing Tom Watson saw on television here Friday morning was an Open Championship highlight show that featured Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington talking between clips. And the first clip Watson saw? Footage of 71-year-old Gene Sarazen holing a 5-iron shot for an ace on the famous Postage Stamp hole at Troon in 1973. A lucky thousand fans or so who were parked at Royal St. George's par-3 sixth hole saw another bit of Open history Friday morning when Watson, 61, followed Sarazen's example and knocked a 4-iron shot into the cup for a dramatic hole-in-one. "Maybe that inspired me," Watson said of the Sarazen video. Maybe so. There is no question that Watson knows how to play links golf as well as any living man. Which explains why he used a 4-iron for a 160-yard shot into the wind. "The kids are hitting 6-irons," he joked. From the tee, Watson said he couldn't see the ball go in. But it landed, took one big bounce and burrowed into the cup like an Olympic diver hitting his mark. The crowd cheered wildly and Watson put his arms out and said in surprise, "It's a one!" Then he did some fist-bumps with the caddies and his playing partners, amateur Tom Lewis and Henrik Stenson. In a post-round TV interview, Watson caught a glimpse of the replay. "It was a slam dunk," he said with a big grin. "If it missed the flag, it would've gone 30 feet by. But it was lucky. They're all lucky when the go in. But that's what I was aiming at." The ace, which Watson followed by making birdie at the seventh, helped him shoot 33 on the front nine. He finished with an even-par 70 and a two-over, 142 total to make the cut. It was the 15th ace of Watson's life. Asked if he remembered them all, he laughed and answered, "No, I just remember the number." It was not his first major championship hole-in-one, he said. He aced the fourth hole at Baltusrol during the first round of the 1980 U.S. Open. "Maybe they're bookends," Watson said of his latest shot. He also recalled a hole-in-one he made during the 1969 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont. Watson got off to a bad start and was four over par through the first seven holes. At the eighth, a monster then at 230 yards, he drilled a 3-iron shot into the cup. That turned his day around and he eventually shot 75. The U.S. Amateur was a stroke-play event then, and Watson finished fifth, which earned him an invite to the next year's Masters and jump-started his career. Of course, he still fondly remembers his first ace. He was 11 or 12, he said, and playing at Kansas City Country Club, his home course. He was playing by himself when he holed out at the second, a short par 3. He was so excited that when he finished the ninth hole, he rushed into the pro shop to tell someone. "I'd read in Golf Digest , I think, that if you made a hole-in-one with a Dunlop ball and sent it in, they'd send you a plaque, a wooden No. 1 plaque," Watson said. "The only guy in there was John Cosnotti, the assistant pro. I told him, John, I made a hole-in-one, I want to get that plaque." So Cosnotti dug up the ad, read it and told the young Watson there was a problem. He needed a witness, somebody who was there for the whole round. "My elation went from here," Watson said, holding his hand out high and then dropping it, "to here. Oh, man." Then Cosnotti walked over to the golf shop window and looked down the 400 or so yards to the second hole. "He said, 'You know, Tom, I saw that go in,'" Watson said. "And he put his signature on my scorecard." Watson still has that hole-in-one plaque, and the No. 4 Dunlop ball he used still sits on it. He was asked what he did with the ball from this latest ace. "I gave it to my wife," he said, smiling proudly. Tweet

Thomas Bjorn, Tom Lewis share lead on day when nothing went as expected

SANDWICH, England — The clouds were a smeared gray on Thursday morning when the Open Championship began. If not for angry whitecaps, it would've been difficult to tell where the sky ended and the North Sea began. It was breezy with a hint of rain at Royal St. George's — in other words, typical Open weather. It was a typical Open start as well: nothing went as expected and everything you thought you knew was tossed on its head. By the end of a day full of surprises, there were only two sure things — Rory McIlroy isn't going to win the Open wire-to-wire like the way he romped at the U.S. Open at Congressional, and weather forecasts aren't worth the napkins they're written on. That's the way it should be. It wouldn't be the Open if it the opening round wasn't a buffet of gasps. For instance… McIlroy, the game's new reigning superstar, bogeyed two of his first three holes-oops! This just in-apparently Rory is not perfect. Still, McIlroy fought back to shoot a one-over-par 71 — not bad. Luke Donald, the No. 1 player in the world and one of the pre-tournament favorites because of his exceptional short game, couldn't buy a putt with a credit card Thursday and also posted 71. "It could have been a very good round if I'd had the putter going," a bemused Donald said. The forecast called for a warm, dry day with strong winds howling at over 30 mph. Instead, there was a brief morning spritz, followed by a stray passing shower and steady winds of 15-20 mph, enough to keep flags flapping but not enough to turn this Open into the demolition derby it sounded like it might be. "Certain holes are very, very tough with this wind direction," said Ian Poulter, who shot 69 in the morning. "You don't feel quite so bad if it's south, southeast or southwesterly. You've got quite a few chances. When it's this direction, the downwind holes are not easy. You can't stop it anywhere near the pin. You actually feel relieved when you get into the wind because you've got a chance to stop a 5-iron, as opposed to not being able to stop a wedge shot downwind." The wind actually eased off markedly as the afternoon wore on, which was when a majority of the lower scores were posted. It was still a plenty tough day at Royal St. George's, even though two players made it look like it wasn't. Denmark's Thomas Bjorn was the official First Shock of the Day when he reached six under par after making a short birdie putt at the 16th, the hole where he lost the 2003 Open when he took three shots out of a greenside bunker. A minor bobble on the last hole left the 40-year-old Bjorn with a stunning 65, a story that was too good to be true eight years after his memorable loss. Especially since Bjorn's game had been a shambles of late and he was an alternate to the field, getting into the Open only Monday after Vijay Singh withdrew due to injury. Bjorn had a streak of three birdies in a row on the back nine, capped by that putt at the 16th, where he lofted a 9-iron shot close. "I was talking to Ernie Els on the 11th tee and we were like, how is Thomas six under par out there?" McIlroy said later. "It was a three-club wind. I was hitting 8-irons 125 yards." It was a phenomenal day for Bjorn, who admitted he's been uncomfortable on the course for some time and spent time this week working on the range with Pete Cowan, his swing coach. Bjorn went back out to the range with Cowan after his 65. Even more impressive was that Bjorn shot the day's best score (later tied by amateur Tom Lewis) in the day's toughest conditions. "Only time will tell if I can last all the way until Sunday," Bjorn said. "But I'm very, very delighted with today." The official Big Shock of the Day came late in the evening when Tom Lewis, a 20-year-old English amateur from Welwyn Garden City, fired a front-nine 32 and spent most of the afternoon on the leaderboard. He has blond hair and a baby face and looks like he might be only 12 years old. He caught the easiest conditions, as the flags were nearly limp when he rolled in a three-footer to save par at the final hole and tie Bjorn for the first-round lead at 65. Lewis was a shock but maybe not to the locals. Lewis is a highly regarded amateur, having recently won the St. Andrews Links Trophy. He's also got some history and local knowledge here. He captured the 2009 British Boys Amateur at Royal St. George's. After stepping off the course into a BBC interview, Lewis was asked what it was like to be tied for the Open lead. "I don't even know what happened out there," a sheepish Lewis said. "I can't remember." Lewis was paired with Open legend Tom Watson, which was an amazing coincidence since his parents named him Tom in honor of Watson, who finished two-over. The Toms got a huge ovation from fans still in the stands at the 18th, a fitting end to a startling day. Thursday's other big surprises, in order of shock value: Most interesting man in the Open: Miguel Angel Jimenez, the venerable Spaniard, was other major surprise, shooting a bogey-free 66 at the age of 46. In windy conditions on links courses, Jimenez said, it's all about experience. Like when he played his iron shot past the pin at the 17th and used the slope there to bring his ball back toward the pin for an easy birdie. Jimenez is known for his ponytail and his love of red wine and big cigars. The biggest surprise was that one writer actually asked what he thought about being compared to the "Most Interesting Man in the World" character of American television beer commercial fame. Jimenez said he's heard something about that, but in general he doesn't think people should be compared. Most sizzling finish by a bearded player: All right, it was probably the most sizzling finish by anyone, but Lucas Glover has gotten nearly as much mileage for growing his thick beard as he did for winning the U.S. Open a few years ago. Glover had a quiet one-under-par round in progress until he birdied the last three holes for 66 to tie Jimenez for second. Glover showed that he's back in form in May when he lost a playoff for the Wells Fargo Championship to fellow ex-Clemson star Jonathan Byrd. Most amazing start: Rickie Fowler's approach shot finished just off the back of the first green, a popular spot since that hole was downwind and the green was very firm. He left the pin in and holed a ridiculously long putt for birdie. How long was it? "Long enough," Fowler said with a laugh. "It was 60, 70, 80 feet. I don't want to re-hit it." Best comeback: Dustin Johnson complained about a sore throat and not feeling 100 percent, but he wasn't complaining about his turnaround. Johnson was four over par through 13 holes, then went birdie-birdie-ace-birdie. His hole-in-one came at the 163-yard 16th hole. "Standing on 14, I wanted to make a few birdies to get back in this thing and if you would have bet me money that I would be one under par standing on the 18th tee, I would have taken it." Johnson, the lanky American best known for his final-round meltdown at Pebble Beach and bunker mishap at the PGA Championship last year, finished at even-par 70 and did, indeed, get back in this thing. Johnson said he has a sore throat and swollen glands and he is taking antibiotics for an unknown infection. Most surprising Low Irishman: Well, it wasn't Rory. And while it wasn't a shock that former U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell shot 68 late in the day with a birdie-birdie finish, it was an eye-opener to see longtime Ryder Cup warhorse Darren Clarke shoot 68. Clarke, 42, scored his first victory in three years when he won the Iberdrola Open earlier this year and he hasn't had a top-20 Open finish since he tied for 15th in 2005 at the Old Course. Most remarkable senior moment: Mark Calcavecchia, 51, teed off in the second threesome because Royal & Ancient boss Peter Dawson knows Calcavecchia likes to play early and he likes to play fast. With his wife, Brenda, on the bag, Calcavecchia clawed his way to a solid 69, leaving a par putt short and in the jaws on the 18th. The 1989 Open champ played only five practice holes Wednesday because it was so windy and also because his three playing partners bailed out on him so he was behind a pair of foursomes by himself. "I played 1, 2, 9, 17 and 18, see ya," Calcavecchia said. He's eligible to play the Open until he's 60 as a former champ and he promises to keep showing up for his favorite tournament "unless I'm lame or something." Best performance by an Open rookie who didn't expect to be here: Former Clemson University star Kyle Stanley was a bit surprised to learn he'd qualified for the Open last week even after Steve Stricker edged him with a last-hole birdie to win the John Deere Classic. Stanley admitted that until he finished his round, he thought only the JDC winner got the British Open invite. Luckily, he brought his passport and after his runner-up finish, boarded the tournament's chartered jet to England. Stanley bogeyed the 18th hole Thursday to shoot 68 and looked pretty cool afterward. He credited his recent hard work on his wedge play and his putting for his run of good play. As for links experience, he said he doesn't have much, other than Bandon Dunes and a Walker Cup appearance. His home state of Washington, he said, is wet but not windy. "So you don't grow up hitting it low, you hit it high for carry because it's wet," Stanley said. Worst start by a recent No. 1: England's Lee Westwood made par on the first two holes, then bogeyed the next three. It was reminiscent of his slow start at Congressional, where he shot 75 in the first round and eventually rallied to place third, although he was ten shots behind McIlroy. Westwood battled back with three birdies on the second nine to shoot 71. Worst display of math skills: The official Open bulletin described how Jerry Kelly kicked off the Open by hitting the first tee ball at 6:30 a.m. The release said he hit the fairway but three-putted for a bogey, which was eight shots better than the last time he teed off at Royal St. George's first hole on the opening day in 2003 when he made an 11. Kelly had a 5 this time. Let's see, 11 minus five is six, not eight. "The rough at No. 1 was up to the waist [in 2003], now it's just up to the knees," said Kelly, who said he considered it an honor to be sent off first. "I enjoyed that. I recognize the irony in it after what happened last time." Tweet

All eyes on Rory McIlroy at quirky Royal St. George's

SANDWICH, England — Rory McIlroy has given us many reasons to believe in him on the eve of this week's 140th British Open at Royal St. George's. Perhaps the most encouraging sign for his fans was what he verbally confirmed Tuesday. "I'm the sort of person," McIlroy said, "that likes to have people watching." That's nice, because the only people watching him this week are the ones with a pulse. Is Rory McIlroy up for saving golf? Can he do it when everyone fully expects him to? No pressure — we're just wondering. McIlroy's U.S. Open theatrics at Congressional — an eight-stroke win over Jason Day — were so enthusiastically received that he became the golf equivalent of Oprah handing out Volkswagens, but now we want more. Can Rory keep on going? Will he leverage one victory into the next, like his onetime idol, Tiger Woods, once did? With Woods again sitting out to rest his injured leg, McIlroy's emergence and its meaning is merely the biggest headline going into the year's third major. Lee Westwood, 38, is still aiming for his first major championship victory. So is world No. 1 Luke Donald. Both would love to win their first major on home soil, and Donald, whose short game is the envy of the Tour, may be the right man on the right course this week — to listen to players, caddies and the press tell it. That's in part due to the quirkiness of St. George's, where balls carom off the fairway mounding, and greens are more severe than at most other Open courses. Variable wind directions can alter strategy 180 degrees and leave players gnashing their teeth. No one will be able to play the course without drama, making short-game wizardry even more important than usual. "We've been playing since the weekend, trying to see it in every wind," said Miguel Rivera, Charley Hoffman's caddie. "It changes dramatically day to day." "You've got to be able to control the flight of your ball here, more so than in the States," said Ben Curtis, the surprise winner at St. George's in 2003. "And you've got to figure out how much roll you're going to get after the ball lands." Phil Mickelson, 41, hasn't had a top-10 at the British Open since he finished third at Troon in 2004, but he's making noise about having found a breakthrough, perhaps, on the slower British greens. Can he make some kind of mark in this storied tournament before his career is over? He thrives on being written off. "I'm entering this year with a fresh start," Mickelson said. Graeme McDowell, last year's U.S. Open champion, has been quiet in 2011 but seems to be lurking around the lead deeper and deeper into tournaments. Day, 23, is trying to climb the final rung after a T2 at the Masters and solo second at the U.S. Open. Alert bettors could have had him at 40-to-1 odds to win earlier this week, a nice payout for a not-so-crazy outcome. Americans have not won a major since Mickelson at the 2010 Masters, and, uh-oh, the press have begun asking about it. Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Nick Watney and Bubba Watson are among the best hopes for the stars and stripes, but Curtis's victory eight years ago reminds us of one of golf's elemental truths: It's almost impossible to predict which player will pop up and have a career week. When he was in his prime, Woods inspired a rare kind of bet: Tiger vs. the Field. No one is talking about McIlroy, with his three career wins, in such certain terms, although he isn't shying away from his new leading role. "They can make the [Woods] comparisons," McIlroy said. Told that there had been two separate bets of 20,000 pounds on him to win, and asked if it was the act of shrewd or desperate men, McIlroy said with a laugh, "I'll go for the first option." He has stuck to his schedule — not playing a competitive round in the three-week stretch between the U.S. and British Opens — despite second-guessers. He has tried to keep distractions to a minimum. "The first 10 days after winning the U.S. Open, it was a bit hectic trying to see everyone and going here, there and everywhere," he said. "But the last 10 days has been good. I've got back into my routine, been practicing a lot. I was here last week for a couple of days and got two good practice rounds in. So I feel as if my preparation has been really good coming in here." With his every move magnified, shown on TV, replayed, analyzed, Woods in his prime not only played well, he hit new highs. That's a rare talent. More common is what happened to McIlroy when he followed his winning, final-round 62 at Quail Hollow with a one-year dry spell. Louis Oosthuizen cruised to a seven-shot victory at St. Andrews last summer, but other than winning the Africa Open at the start of this year, Oosthuizen hasn't made much noise since. "You know how the game is; I'm just trying to get it in that same rhythm I had going into the Open last year," he said. "And it took longer than expected." McIlroy and his fans hope to keep dancing as if no one changed the music. Tweet

Will Royal St. George's produce 'fluke' winner?

SANDWICH, England (AP) — Ben Curtis is no fluke. At least not now. After winning the British Open eight years ago at Royal St. George's as a rookie, Curtis has gone on to win twice more on the PGA Tour. He played on a winning Ryder Cup team (not many Americans can say that). And he nearly won another major in the 2008 PGA Championship until two bad tee shots over the last five holes made him a runner-up, two shots behind Padraig Harrington. Some players wouldn't mind a career like that. Even so, any conversation about a "fluke" winner at a major invariably includes Curtis, and he's probably higher on any such list than he should be. What made Curtis such a surprise in 2003 at Royal St. George's was that not many outside his immediate family knew who he was. That included the local caddie he hired for the week, Andy Sutton, who's first reaction to being told of an American in need of a caddie replied, "Ben who?" Then again, Curtis was a 26-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour. He only got into the British Open two weeks prior with a tie for 13th in the Western Open, his best finish of the year. He was No. 396 in the world ranking. And he was playing his first major. By all accounts, that's the very definition of a surprise. A big surprise. The harshest comment that week came from Davis Love III. He was frustrated like so many others by the goofy bounces at Royal St. George's, and when Curtis was holding the claret jug, Love said, "The Open got exactly the champion it deserved." An unpredictable links, a winner no one imagined. Curtis felt at times as though people expected an apology from him. The leaderboard featured an All-Star cast of contenders, from Vijay Singh to Tiger Woods, from Love to Kenny Perry. And the championship belonged to Thomas Bjorn until he took three shots to escape a greenside bunker on the 16th and squandered a two-shot lead on Sunday. "It didn't really bother me what other people thought," he said. "I know what I did that week." He had the lowest score, which all that ever counts. What makes Curtis stand out is that he was on the practice range, having finished well before the final group, when Bjorn made par on the last hole and Sutton leaned out of the scoring trailer next to the range and said, "Ben, you're the Open champion." He was a surprise because no one really saw it coming until it was over. Shaun Micheel was different. In the very next major, at Oak Hill for the PGA Championship, Micheel shot 68 in the second round to take the lead and he never lost it. Leading by one shot on the final hole, he hit 7-iron to within inches for a signature moment on an otherwise nondescript week. It was his fifth season on the PGA Tour. He was No. 169 in the world. He had never won in 160 previous starts as a pro on tour, and he had only one finish in the top three, the previous year at the B.C. Open. Was that a fluke? His golf sure didn't look that way at Oak Hill, especially considering Micheel had to cope with being atop the leaderboard over the entire weekend on a difficult golf course. Since then? He went three years without once getting into contention or finishing among the top three, a stretch of 83 tournaments that ended when he was runner-up at the PGA Championship, although he was never a factor at a major that Tiger Woods won by five shots. The PGA Championship remains his only win, although Micheel has been slowed by health issues in recent years. Just what is a surprise when it comes to majors? "You could say I was a surprise," Justin Leonard said. Most wouldn't agree with him. Leonard was so good in college that he won a U.S. Amateur and made it on tour without ever going to Q-school. He had already won twice on tour when he arrived at Royal Troon in 1997. But hear him out. "You've got Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik in the last group," he said. "I'm playing with Fred Couples. Now, out of those four guys, how many people would have thought I would win?" A dozen years later, it was a surprise when Leonard didn't win the British Open. He was part of a three-way playoff with Jean Van de Velde and Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie, the major famous for Van de Velde's comical collapse on the 72nd hold to make triple bogey, and Lawrie setting a record by coming from 10 shots behind on the last day to eventually win. Lawrie, no doubt, would get plenty of votes in the category of shock winners. Most players would define surprise as someone who had never won before, who had never seriously contended in a major, who had never played in a major or who did not look like he would win until he showed up at the trophy presentation. John Daly was the ninth alternate in 1991 PGA, spared any talk of a fluke because of how far he hit the ball, and by winning at St. Andrews four years later. Louis Oosthuizen, the defending champion at this British Open, is loaded with talent and one of the sweetest swings. Even so, he had missed the cut in seven of his eight majors, and the lone exception was when he was dead last in a PGA. Then he won at St. Andrews by seven shots. Perhaps the biggest surprise is one of the most celebrated wins by an American - Francis Ouimet, playing in his first major in 1913 at Brookline, across the street from his house, beating the great Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. Even more stunning was in 1955 at Olympic Club, when Jack Fleck's late heroics got him into a playoff with Ben Hogan and then beat him the next day in a playoff. And don't forget Orville Moody, who's only win came at the 1969 U.S. Open. They all had one thing in common. "It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done," David Duval said. "You had the best score of anyone else that week." Think someone like Colin Montgomerie wouldn't love to be able to say that?