Golf External News 847

Laurie Canter leads fellow Englishman by two through two rounds of Italian Open

21 hours ago Golf External News, , , , , , ,


BRESCIA, Italy — Laurie Canter is eyeing a maiden European Tour title after adding a second-round 68 to his spectacular opening 12-under 60 to keep the lead at the halfway stage of the Italian Open on Friday.

At 16 under, the Englishman leads by two from compatriot Ross McGowan, with South Africa’s Dean Burmester two shots further back in third.

“You can’t take your foot off around here, the scoring is going to be good, (and) a lot of good players behind,” Canter said.

He got off to a flying start on a gloomy day in Brescia, with three birdies in the first four holes. Another birdie at the ninth looked like setting him up to establish a commanding lead, but after a poor tee shot at the 11th led to a bogey, he lost his momentum before birdieing the last.

Full-field scores from the Italian Open

McGowan reeled off eight birdies in a flawless 64.




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Watch: Matt Wallace hits power line, make birdie at Italian Open

1 day ago Golf External News, , , , , , , ,


Matt Wallace isn’t exactly your prototypical power player. The Englishman ranks outside the top 100 on the European Tour’s driving distance list at an average clip of 293.8 yards.

So, while Wallace likely won’t outdrive the field at this week’s Italian Open, he already paces the pack in another power category: power lines hit.

In something that is rarely seen at the highest levels of professional golf, this week’s venue, Chervo Golf Club in Brescia, Italy, features power lines that are in play on at least four holes, so much so that European Tour chief referee Mark Litton predicted the power features would affect play several times during the event.

“I will be amazed if this doesn’t occur a few times during the week because there are certainly two holes where shots are being hit between the cables,” Litton told EuropeanTour.com.

One of those holes is the par-4 12th, where Wallace hit a power line with his approach shot during Thursday’s opening round, his ball appearing to ricochet into a pond.

Luckily for Wallace – and any other players who may hit a power line this week – the stroke does not count per local rules. This according to Local Rule E-11: “If it is known or virtually certain that a player’s ball hit a power line or tower or a wire or pole supporting a power line during the play of specify hole number, the stroke does not count. The player must play a ball without penalty from where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6 for what to do).”

Rule 14.6a states that the next shot must be replayed “within one club-length” of where the previous stroke was made.

Wallace’s second approach ended up 5 feet from the hole, and the Englishman made the putt for one of his six birdies on the day. Wallace is T-28, eight shots back of leader Laurie Canter, after his opening 4-under 68.




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Adam Scott pulls out of Zozo Championship after COVID-19 diagnosis

2 days ago Golf External News, , , , , ,


THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Adam Scott has withdrawn from the Zozo Championship after testing positive for COVID-19. He’s the 15th PGA Tour player to test positive for the coronavirus and the third top-20 player to test positive in as many weeks on Tour.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson withdrew from last week’s CJ Cup after testing positive, a week after Tony Finau, No. 17 in the world, withdrew from the Shriners Open following his positive test result. Johnson also withdrew from this week’s event as he continues to deal with COVID-19 symptoms.

Scott was one of the last players to rejoin the Tour following the restart in June. After returning home to Australia during the quarantine, he played his first event in August at the PGA Championship.

“While it’s difficult news to receive – as I really looked forward to playing this week – my focus is on recovery for the final stretch of the fall,” Scott said in a statement.

Scott was replaced in the field by Jim Herman.




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Collin Morikawa didn’t get autographs at Sherwood, but he’d love a win there

3 days ago Golf External News, , , , , , ,


THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Historical context is always relative for Collin Morikawa.

It’s easy to forget that the three-time PGA Tour winner and major champion is just 23 years old, until you get an answer like Tuesday when he was asked about the last time he played Sherwood Country Club.

“The last time I would have played here was my senior year [of college], so … 2019 spring,” Morikawa, a former Cal Bear, said with a laugh.

It was a similar moment when Morikawa explained his history with Sherwood, which is located about an hour’s drive from where he grew up in La Cañada, California. The Hero World Challenge, the unofficial event hosted by Tiger Woods, was played at Sherwood from 2000 until 2014, when it was moved to the Bahamas.

Zozo Championship: Full-field tee times | Full coverage

Although he couldn’t remember what year it was or how old he might have been, Morikawa does remember waiting by the clubhouse for an autograph.

And not getting any.

“I’m sure I was either waiting for Tiger or Phil. But when fans are out here and you’re just a small little spec in the fans out there, it’s tough,” he said. “It didn’t ruin my day. It wasn’t like that was going to make my life or not, whether I was going to make it out here, but I do remember waiting underneath one of these balconies for something.”

Morikawa is at the end of a notable stretch following back-to-back starts in Las Vegas, where he now lives, and now in Southern California, where he grew up.

“Every time we’re able to play a tournament in California it always means a little more to me, so it’s good to have another home event I guess three weeks in a row for me now,” said Morikawa, who won the PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco.

Last week’s CJ Cup was relocated from South Korea to Las Vegas this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and this week’s Zozo Championship was originally scheduled to be played in Japan.




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New Donald Trump golf course cleared for development in Scotland

4 days ago Golf External News, , , , ,


London – Authorities in Scotland have approved plans by President Donald Trump’s family business to build a second golf course in Aberdeenshire, despite campaigning from environmental activists.

The Aberdeen council published documents Friday showing it gave full planning permission for the development, subject to some conditions such as measures to minimize the flooding risk at the site, located on Scotland’s northeast coast.

The 18-hole golf course, to be named MacLeod after Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, would be built next to the original Trump International golf resort on his Menie Estate, north of Aberdeen, which opened in 2012.

Local district officials had already approved the plan for the second course in September. Friday’s decision came from the larger Aberdeen council and is expected to be final.

Environmentalists have criticized the first Menie golf course for partially destroying the coastal sand dunes in the area, and say the second course could cause the dunes to further erode.

“The council sided with Trump International,” said Bob Ward with the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. “They accepted the economic case over the environmental case.”

The existing golf course and luxury hotel at the estate have not been profitable since they opened. Trump also owns another luxury golf resort, Turnberry, on the other side of Scotland.




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Adrian Otaegui fires 63 to win Scottish Championship at Fairmont St. Andrews

5 days ago Golf External News, , , , , , , ,

FIFE, Scotland – Spaniard Adrian Otaegui captured his first stroke-play title on the European Tour after shooting 9-under 63 in the final round of the Scottish Championship to win by four shots on Sunday.

A hot streak of eight birdies in 11 holes, beginning at the fifth hole, saw Otaegui overhaul third-round leader Matt Wallace, who began the day with a three-stroke advantage but could only finish with a 71.

Full-field scores from the Scottish Championship

Otaegui’s previous two wins on the European Tour were match-play events – and one of them was in Scotland, too, at the Paul Lawrie Match Play in 2017. His other was at the Belgian Knockout the following year.

Otaegui started the week shooting 62 in the first round and almost matched that on Sunday thanks to a remarkable display of putting, which included a long putt from off the green at No. 13 for one of his 10 birdies overall. That capped a run of three birdies, which he also had at Nos. 7-9 as he accelerated away from his rivals around the turn at Fairmont St. Andrews.

Highlights: Otaegui wins Scottish Championship with closing 63

Highlights: Otaegui wins Scottish Championship with closing 63

Otaegui was 23 under overall for the week.

Wallace shot 65-67-66 in his first three rounds but couldn’t replicate those performances on Sunday as he sought his fifth European Tour title, and first since September 2018.

Wallace bogeyed No. 1 as Otaegui made birdie, and had lost his overnight lead by the time he dropped another shot at No. 8.

Aaron Rai, who won the Scottish Open at the start of the month, closed with a 66 to finish in outright third place.




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