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Tour notebook: Presidents Cup, 59 watch and Audi giveaways

Tour notebook: Presidents Cup, 59 watch and Audi giveaways

Haas and Mickelson get the nod for Presidents Cup
 

Haas keeps it in the family for Presidents Cup

Last week the Haas family all took a holiday to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Bill and family and his dad, Jay, the Presidents Cup captain.

Earlier in the week Jay picked his son as one of his two picks, the other was Phil Mickelson, for the matches on October 8-11.

The International captain Nick Price went with Sangmoon Bae, who will be playing on home soil in Korea, and Aussie Steven Bowditch.

But before any whiff of nepotism rears its ugly head Haas (Bill) finished just one spot outside the automatic spots and the player in 11th place has received a pick in 10 of the 11 matches.

“I’ll be honest: I probably would have picked the 11th person regardless of what their name was,” Jay Haas said. “I feel like Bill deserves this as much as anybody.”

Which was pretty much the way he described Mickelson’s selection, the first time the left-hander has needed one.

“If anyone deserves a pick, it’s Phil Mickelson,” Haas said. “He is without question the leader of our team in the team room, on the golf course. The guys on the team trust him 100 per cent.”

This will be Mickelson’s 21st consecutive appearance for America in either the Ryder or Presidents Cup.

All of which means Brooks Koepka looks to be the most hard done by while JB Holmes, Brandt Snedeker and Robert Streb also miss out.

Price revealed that his final pick came down to either Bae or Matt Jones and he went for Bae as he has won back to back at the tournament site.

It will be the Korean’s final event before he begins a mandatory 21-month term of military service.

GB&I regain the Walker Cup in style 

 

59 watch: Lawrie has a glance at history

 

 

There was a moment at the KLM Open where a first 59 on the European Tour might have been on the cards.

Paul Lawrie, starting at the 10th, had an eagle and four birdies to go out in 28 and then added three more. The Scot, playing with a bad back, then needed two birdies to make history, albeit with preferred lies.

But a pulled tee shot found sand at the 8th, he saved par, and a par at the 9th meant it was ’just’ a 61, still his lowest round in his European Tour career. Previously his best was 63 from 1,916 starts.

“Sixty-one – it sounds good, doesn’t it?” Lawrie said. “I played very nicely and putted very well again. I hit a lot of really good shots and it couldn’t have been much lower than that. I’m usually moaning that I could have been three or four less, but that was pretty much all I could have got.

“The 59 did cross my mind. I had a long putt on the seventh for eagle after a lovely three wood in there, and had that popped in one birdie in the last two holes would not have been asking too much.

“In the back of your mind it’s in there, but 61 is still a good effort.”

He went on to finish in a tie for 10th, after rounds of 61-71-63-71.

 

Walker Cup player ratings

 

59 watch2: Fitzpatrick comes even closer

 

 

A day later Matt Fitzpatrick got as far as his 18th hole with a chance to make history, again on preferred lies.

The Sheffield, youngster, third in the Czech Masters and second at Crans, began his week with two doubles in a front nine of 39. He closed his first round out with a 71.

But Friday, starting at 10, was an altogether different matter as he birdied five on the bounce from the 11th, added another hat-trick at 5, 6 and 7 and had putts at the 8th and 9th from around 30 and 25 feet. His final effort came up about four inches shy.

“I was thinking about the 59 after the front nine to be honest! I was already celebrating going out in 28 actually so to give myself a shot at that magic number was great. “Shame that putt at the end came up short but I’ll take 60 any day of the week!”

The 60 was his lowest round in competition or practice, his previous best (61) coming in a game with his mates at Abbeydale GC.
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“I probably would have picked the 11th person regardless of what their name was” – Jay Haas
Ace time for Watson in Holland

 

 

Tom Watson recorded his 17th hole-in-one in the Netherlands. Apparently the 66-year-old is yet to receive a prize for an ace and he’s still waiting as his came in Wednesday’s practice round.

Watson shot rounds of 69-68-68-68 to finish inside the top 50.

Lydia Ko captures her first Major

More aces on the Challenge Tour

 

 

Two cars were won at the Kazakhstan Open as Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl and Maarten Lafeber had holes-in-one on the Challenge Tour.

All five of the par 3s at Nurtau had a new Audi on offer and Huldahl holed out at the 1st, his 10th, on day two.

His wedge shot won him an Audi A4 and a watch valued at over $100,000.

Within half an hour Lafeber knocked in a 7-iron at the 16th to win an Audi A6.

Huldahl said: “I didn’t really believe it when it went in. I’ve made two holes-in-one before but never in a Challenge Tour event, this was the first.

“It’s the best feeling, I was a bit dizzy afterwards and didn’t really know what to do! It’s just a great bonus – you don’t stand on the tee thinking about winning the car. I don’t know how many times I’ve played par threes and not won the car that’s on offer, so it’s never in your mind.”

For Lafeber his outstanding shot came on the back of successive bogeys.

The 40-year-old Dutchman, who missed the cut, added: “I’d just made two stupid bogeys in a row and I was disappointed, so I thought I’d just hit a 7-iron, and I actually looked at the car one more time before I hit it and thought ‘why not?’ It was just one of those moments.
“It went straight at it, never left the pin, just hopped once, checked and dropped. I actually drive an A6 at home and was looking for a new car right now, so this is perfect timing for me to get a new one.”

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