A Golden Anniversary for the Golden Bear

A Golden Anniversary for the Golden Bear

PGA.COM August 5, 2013







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The temperatures were so hot at Dallas Athletic Clubin 1963, Jack Nicklaus had to use a towel to hold …


By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com

A Golden Anniversary will take place for the Golden Bear when the 95th PGA Championship tees off Thursday at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

When Jack Nicklaus won the 1963 PGA Championship at Dallas Athletic Club 50 years ago, it was the third of the Golden Bear's record 18 major titles. And -- for the purposes of this Golden Anniversary -- it was the first of five PGA Championship victories for arguably the greatest golfer in history.

With the victory, Nicklaus at age 23 joined fellow legends Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, and Ben Hogan as the only winners of all three American majors -- the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Nicklaus would go on to complete the first of his three career grand slams three years later at Muirfield in the 1966 Open Championship.

Coincidentally, Oak Hill was also the host venue for the 1980 PGA Championship, where Nicklaus won the last of those five PGA Championships to tie Walter Hagen, a Rochester native, for most all time.

For several years in the 1960s, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship were played in the month of July in consecutive weeks. Imagine that -- not only back-to-back major championships, but also both contested on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Travel then for top players certainly wasn't what it is today.

"In those days you didn't have the jets to get back," Nicklaus said. "So we got right back and went right straight to Dallas so I went from a 55-degree temperature to a 110-degree temperature. Big change ... a lot of the guys had a hard time with it. I didn't seem to have a hard time with it except that I knew that I absolutely soaked my clothes everyday and I remember when I picked up the trophy I couldn't pick it up. I had to take a towel. I mean you could've cooked your breakfast on the trophy sitting out there it was so hot."

That 1963 Open Championship was contested at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Nicklaus finished third, one shot out of the 36-hole playoff won by New Zealand's Bob Charles. Though it was five decades ago, Nicklaus remembers quite well what it was like to come so close in England before the start of the PGA.

"We had just finished and I felt like gave away the British Open the week before," he said. "At the British Open I bogeyed the last two holes to lose my shot. That was a great learning experience for me ... it was just like stupidity. You know, I didn't have to do that. I just bogeyed them. I just played them dumb."


The learning experience from that bitter end at Royal Lytham & St. Annes would serve Nicklaus well at Dallas Athletic Club.

"I think that the experience I had at the British Open helped me a lot in the PGA Championship because I knew how dumb I had been," Nicklaus said. "And so I played far more intelligently coming down the stretch and I remember the 17th hole I hit it in the rough off the tee. It was a hole that went down a hill, across water, to an elevated green and I hit it in the rough.

"And instead of being stupid, I did just pitch it out. I took my medicine. I think Dave Ragan was on my tail at the time, and then I hit it up there on the green and I can't remember whether I made the putt or not but I won the tournament. Whereas, had I been there the week before, I probably would've tried to hit it out of the rough over the water, probably put it in the water and I would've lost the PGA Championship.

"But you learn from your mistakes -- that's how you learn to play golf," Nicklaus added. "You learn from your successes but you also learn from your failures. And I put the two together."

The win at Dallas Athletic Club was, of course, special. But along with the victory, Nicklaus picked up a memento that he's carried with him throughout his career from a long-drive competition he won at the PGA Championship that same week.

"I have a money clip that's in my pocket right now and it's been in my pocket for 50 years," Nicklaus explained. "It says, 'Driving Distance Winner' -- that's what it says across the PGA Championship [money clip]. That drive was 341 yards, 17 inches. I do remember that, too. That was an 11-degree wood driver, 42¾-inch shaft, Dynamic S shaft, and nobody had a preference on what golf ball was hit."

Seventeen years later in the 1980 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Nicklaus put on a dominating performance. He was the only player to break par at the PGA Championship that year, finishing at 6-under-par 274 to win by seven shots over Andy Bean. That was a record margin of victory and it stood for just over 30 years until Rory McIlroy's eight-shot romp a year ago at Kiawah Island.

For some perspective on just how difficult a course Oak Hill is, consider this: In the previous two PGA Championships held there in 1980 and 2003, only four players finished with a 72-hole total score under par.

"I remember that was the year that I came to Oak Hill having won the U.S. Open at Baltusrol and I remember following that, I had a letdown and I had a hard time getting myself back up from a ball striking standpoint," said Nicklaus, who also finished second at Oak Hill to Lee Trevino in the 1968 U.S. Open, where they were the only two players with an under-par total.

"I was up there playing the weekend before with my son, Jack. We were playing, and I was hitting the ball fair, but I was just putting awful. And Jackie gave me a putting lesson on taking the heel of my putter through the line and breaking it off; I was breaking off my stroke. And anyway, that week, I never did hit the ball very well, but I absolutely ran the tables with my putter. Everything I drew back went in the hole. It was one of those weeks that I just turned around and I make a mistake, and all of a sudden I hole a 30 footer and I just started chuckling and I'd think, 'OK, here we go, let's keep on going.' But it was fun. I love Oak Hill."

Adams making best of time away after surgery

Adams making best of time away after surgery

PGA.COM August 5, 2013







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Blake Adams finished in the top 10 at Kiawah, but will watch on TV this year.(Getty Images)


By Stan Awtrey, PGA.com Contributor

A year ago Blake Adams fought through the difficult conditions at Kiawah Island, as well as the nerves that come along with playing in the PGA Championship, and posted his first career top-10 in a major tournament.

Adams didn't get flustered by the winds that rattled many of the more experienced players and wound up tied for seventh. That was good enough to earn him an automatic exemption into the 2013 PGA Championship.

But as the field assembles this week at Oak Hill, Adams isn't among them. He's back home in Swainsboro, Ga., impatiently recovering from hip surgery that ended his 2013 season after only four competitive rounds. Instead of teeing it up at Oak Hill, he'll be watching on his big screen.

Adams, 37, learned in 2008 that he needed hip replacement surgery, but he played through the pain thanks to a series of semiannual shots that eased the discomfort and helped with mobility. He was also told that the shots would eventually stop working, a reality that hit him this year at the Humana Challenge in Palm Springs, Calif. He tried to play the next week at Torrey Pines, but withdrew and flew to Colorado for surgery.

Dr. Marc Philippon of Vail., Colo., who operated on 2012 Tour Championship winner Brandt Snedeker, removed three bone spurs and a large cyst, and shaved and reshaped Adams' femur. He then drilled holes in the femur and filled them with stem cells that are expected to grow and replace the damage.

One doctor was amazed that Adams dealt with the pain for so long, but walking away isn't easy when you've made $3.3 million over the last three seasons and started to establish yourself as a player.

It took Adams a decade to become an overnight sensation. He played three years at Georgia before transferring to Georgia Southern, where he graduated, and turned pro in 2001. After scuffling around on the mini-tours, Adams earned a spot on the Web.com Tour.


He got his PGA Tour card in 2010 and has made steady progress. He made his first appearance in a major last year and tied for 21st at the U.S. Open. He followed that with that tie for seventh at the PGA Championship.

So just when Adams seemed poised for a breakthrough season - and possibly earn a spot in the Masters that he craves so badly - he found himself immobile. He spent eight weeks on crutches during the rehab process, learning how to do rudimentary tasks while hobbling around the house.

"It was a very humbling experience," he said. "To be playing on the PGA Tour one day and the next you can't climb stairs or carry a bowl of cereal to the table."

He's back to swinging a club again. Right now he's worked his way back up to a 5-iron and has set a goal to be playing on the Tour again in October. He's even considering a test run at a Web.com Tour event later this summer.

In the meantime, he's been busy helping start the Blake Adams Academy of Golf at the Lane Creek Golf Club outside Athens, Ga. Adams said he has dreamed of establishing a teaching center for about 10 years, and has seriously pursued it for the last two, while his career has been in full bloom.

Since his surgery in January, Adams has had a lot of time to help get the teaching center up to speed. His personal instructor, PGA Professional John Tillery, will run the academy. Tillery also works with PGA Tour winner Scott Brown. Adams has been spending a lot of time on-site. Last week he arrived every day at 7:00 a.m. and turned the lights off around 9:00 p.m.

"Having hip surgery gave me the time to dive into it," Adams said. "But I found out it is a time-consuming endeavor."

Adams has had a chance to watch some golf on television, an opportunity he rarely got when he was playing every week. He'd rather be competing, but admitted he has learned by being a spectator.

''To watch from the fan's point of view and see how guys go about their business and win a golf tournament has been really neat,'' he said. ''I've learned that golf is not a game of perfection. You're never going to be perfect all the time. You realize that the more you watch.''

LPGA: Lewis cuts into Park's lead atop rankings

LPGA: Lewis cuts into Park's lead atop rankings
The Sports Xchange August 5, 2013The SportsXchange









Stacy Lewis closed the gap a bit with her victory at the British Open on Sunday, but South Korea's Inbee Park still enjoys a comfortable lead as the No. 1 player in the Rolex World Rankings.

Park has 12.91 points, still well ahead of Lewis (9.74) despite finishing in a tie for 42nd at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Norway's Suzann Pettersen (8.26) and South Koreans Na Yeon Choi (7.94) and So Yeon Ryu (7.16) round out the top five. Choi finished in a tie for second, two shots behind Lewis, on Sunday, while Pettersen finished another shot back in a tie for fourth place. Ryu finished in a tie for 17th.

Yani Tseng, the world's top-ranked player entering the year who missed her fourth consecutive cut, remains No. 14.

Wednesday Notebook: Brooks out, Henry in

Wednesday Notebook: Brooks out, Henry in

PGA.COM August 7, 2013







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The Champions Dinner is always a highlight of PGA Championship Week.(Megan Blank/The PGA of America …


By T.J. Auclair, Stan Awtrey and The PGA of America

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- On the eve of the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, 1996 championMark Brooks withdrew due to an injury. J.J. Henry took his place.

Ironically, Brooks and Henry are great friends. Such great friends, in fact, that Brooks once took a little time off from playing on the Champions Tour to caddie for Henry on the PGA Tour.

FAMILY MEN: We recently heard the story of Hunter Mahanleaving - while leading - the RBC Canadian Open before the start of the third round to rush back to Dallas to be with his wife for the birth of the couple's first child.

Was it the right thing to do? Of course it was.

On Wednesday, 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson relayed a similar, very special story of his own.

"I can only tell you a personal experience," Watson said. "In 1979, in September, at the Greenbrier, the Ryder Cup Team amassed there on Monday. My wife was very pregnant at the time and I advised the PGA that if my wife had the baby that I was going to retire and that there should be somebody else to take my place, and that happened on Thursday morning, 3:00 a.m. in the morning, and I did retire, and left there with mixed emotions of course. But the most important emotion was the birth of my baby."

FUN WITH BEEMER: Rich Beem, the 2002 PGA Champion, always seems to have fun with the fans. While walking to the 18th tee, Beem asked a man dressed in a bright pink shirt and fluorescent yellow shoes, "How much did you have to drink last night to wear that today?" The crowd laughed and Beem even invited the object of his derision to cross the ropes and have a photo taken.

HARRINGTON FOCUSES ON FINISH: If he's in contention on Sunday, Padraig Harrington should be ready for anything he sees on the final hole.

Harrington, the 2008 PGA Champion, spent about 30 minutes working on and around the 18th green. He hit long and short putts to every possible hole location. He dropped balls in the rough on the hill in front of the green and hit wedges. He worked on downhill shots from the collar behind the green.

Harrington stopped only long enough to acknowledge the fans carrying a large Irish flag who were standing near the right bunker.

Harrington played his first nine holes with Englishman Danny Willett, but he headed for the clubhouse after checking a few spots on the green. Left alone and with no group close behind, Harrington was able to spend an unexpected amount of time at the finishing hole.

PROGRAMMING REMINDER: Beginning Thursday, PGA.com will provide several viewing options for the 95th PGA Championship.

During the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday (8:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m. ET), you can enjoy our special, live video coverage of the day's marquee groups. On Thursday, the morning marquee group will feature Tiger Woods, Keegan Bradley and Davis Love III when the trio tees off at 8:35 a.m. ET.

On Thursday afternoon, you can follow along beginning at 1:45 p.m. ET, when our marquee group consists of Masters winner Adam Scott, U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson, who triumphed for the first time in the Open Championship just a few weeks ago at Muirfield.

On Friday, the Marquee groups will be flipped, with Mickelson, Rose and Scott in the morning, and Woods, Bradley and Love in the afternoon.

PGA.com will also offer marquee group coverage (with the players to be determined) from 11:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to the coverage of our marquee groups, PGA Championship Live will also enable viewers to follow coverage of Oak Hill's par-3 holes - Nos. 3, 6, 11 and 15. Par-3 coverage will run from 8:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m.-7:00 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.

Finally, on Saturday and Sunday, you can watch live coverage of the PGA Championship on PGA.com thanks to a CBS simulcast of the live television broadcast from 2:00-7:00 p.m. ET.

LET'S GET IT STARTED: PGA Club Professional Rob Labritz of Pound Ridge, N.J., will hit the opening shot of the 95th PGA Championship, on the first tee at 7:10 a.m. Thursday. John Senden and Shane Lowry are in the group with Labritz.

Charley Hoffman hits the first shot off of the 10th tee, at 7:15 a.m. PGA Club Professional Bob Sowards and Matt Every complete that group.

A DINNER FIT FOR 18 CHAMPIONS: From Doug Ford, the oldest living PGA Champion, to Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, 18 PGA Champions in all gathered Tuesday night to continue a grand tradition at the Champions' Dinner, held in the Oak Hill clubhouse.

McIroy, as the host, selected Duet of "Irish" Beef Tenderloin as the Main Course, preceded by Goat Cheese and Beet Root Salad. The dessert was Oak Hill's Traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding.

As is also custom, McIlroy called on two PGA Champions to relate what the Championship, and the dinner, means to them. McIlroy selected Dave Stockton (1970 and 1976 PGA Champion) and 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley.

"We had a great night last night at the dinner, getting to meet a lot of guys who have won the Wanamaker Trophy," McIlroy said. "I got to serve them some of my favorite food and it was just a great night. It was really entertaining. I got to spend time with some great people and it's a nice little perk about being a PGA Champion.

"Everyone definitely enjoyed the last two courses. I don't know how the appetizer went down."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOUG: Ford, the 1955 PGA Champion, celebrated his 91st birthday yesterday by attending the Champions' Dinner.

RORY'S A PGA CHAMPIONSHIP KINDA GUY: Rory McIlroy begins defense of his 2012 PGA Championship title at 1:25 p.m. Thursday on the first tee. McIlroy has thrived in his first four PGA Championship appearances, finishing tied for third in consecutive years (2009 and 2010). His scoring average over 16 PGA Championship rounds is 70.56, with five rounds in the 60s.

STRAIGHT SHOOTERS: Putting the ball in play of the tee is a premium this week, according to the many contenders who joined us in the Media Center. Of the 25 players who rank highest in "Fairways Hit" this year on the PGA Tour, 10 are in the field this week:

Henrik Stenson (ranked second); Ken Duke (fourth); Jim Furyk (seventh); Graeme McDowell (11th); Zach Johnson (12th); Roberto Castro (16th); K.J. Choi (17th); Jordan Spieth (21st); Ryan Moore (24th); and Boo Weekley (25th).

Other notable players and where they rank in Fairways Hit:

Justin Rose (50th) Tiger Woods (77th) Adam Scott (107th) Rory McIlroy (159th) Phil Mickelson (168th)

GREAT CONDITIONS: Kerry Haigh, the Chief Championships Officer of The PGA of America, has set up PGA Championship courses for more than two decades. He said Wednesday that GCSAA Superintendent Jeff Corcoran and his staff have the East Course at Oak Hill in superb shape.

"This is my fourth major championship that I've been involved with here at Oak Hill, and golf course-wise, I could not be happier with the overall conditioning of the golf course," Haigh said. "The overall playing conditions of the surfaces are second to none and the conditioning of this course is just unbelievable."

SPECIAL DAY FOR MICHEEL FAMILY: Shaun Micheel was back Wednesday at the exact location where he pulled off the incredible - a perfectly struck 7-iron that stopped just inches from the hole on the 18th green during the final round of the 2003 PGA Championship.

His family, including his wife and two children, joined him at the dedicated plaque on site at Oak Hill, which sits just in the first cut and under the famous tee on the 18th hole.


Micheel showed his children that plaque proudly, reliving what will go down as one of the greatest shots in PGA Championship history.

THE PETTERSSON FAMILY CONNECTION TO THE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD: Among the PGA Tour Wives Association volunteer force that teamed with PGA of America Spouses for the Habitat for Humanity Build project was DeAnna Pettersson, wife of PGA Tour Professional Carl Pettersson.

Carl is among the 37 returnees to the PGA Championship from the 2003 Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. This Friday, the couple will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary at the 95th PGA Championship.

"We met in school at North Carolina State," said Deanna. "We married in Hilton Head, N.C., then Carl and I went right to the PGA Championship in 2003 at Oak Hill. There really wasn't any time for a honeymoon. After two children, we finally did get in our honeymoon. Now, 10 years later, here we are again in Rochester and Oak Hill."

From 7:00 a.m. to noon Wednesday, DeAnna and the other volunteers associated with the Flower City Habitat for Humanity put the finishing touches of exterior paint and landscaping on the home at 170 Whitney Street in Rochester's JOSANA neighborhood. The home rests in a diverse community near Center City, where there is focused revitalization. The benefactors were the family of Nelson Galetti and Vanice Rosario, who have three children: Eva, 9, Elisha, 8, and Caleb, 1.

"It was such a great day of fulfillment for all of us associated with the Habitat for Humanity Build project," DeAnna said. "You come away feeling grounded, that you truly gave something of yourself when you leave. It's all about helping another family. It was the second build project that I've been involved with, and it was terrific."

Flower City Habitat for Humanity has built 210 homes in Rochester and has 4,000 volunteer applicants annually.

"It was hard to keep from tearing up when the family got up on the porch and gave their thanks," said DeAnna.

HE SAID IT: "Set my alarm for 10 o'clock and I'll have probably 12 hours kip. It's easy. For me, I love sleeping; I'm half man, half mattress." -- Ian Poulter, when asked about how he'll prepare for his 1:55 p.m. tee time.

YOU PICKED 'EM: The PGA of America asked credentialed media here at Oak Hill to let us know who they thought would win the Season's Final Major. Here's what we heard:

Pete McDaniel, African-American Golfer's Digest Pick: Tiger Woods "I'm picking Tiger to end his major championship drought here at Oak Hill primarily because his short game is finally approaching the consistency he displayed during the better part of his pro career. From his pitching to his chipping, the short game is spot-on and he'll need it to be sharp on this difficult track as everyone will miss some greens. If he putts anywhere near as well as he did last week at Firestone, it will be a wrap by sundown Saturday."

Neil McLeman, Daily Mirror Pick: Henrik Stenson "The hottest European player on the planet - and his winner's press conference would be hilarious."

Ronald Montesano, BuffaloGolfer.Com/Golfwrx.Com Pick: Hunter Mahan

Vartan Kupelian, InsideDetroit.com Pick: Bill Haas "This one is for you, Pop."

Leo Roth, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle Pick: Tiger Woods ''Coming off his fifth with of the season, on this course that he's learned to respect and now knows how to play, on this giant stage he knows so well ... it's hard to pick against the world's No. 1 player who just seems closer and closer to ending his 0-for-17 streak in majors.''

Don Jozwiak, PGA Magazine Pick: Ian Poulter "He will build on his Ryder Cup heroics by claiming his first major."

Gene Battaglia, SportsRadio 950 ESPN (WROC-AM) Rochester Pick: Ian Poulter "He's been close in majors before. The key for him will be getting off to a better start.

Craig Potter, RochesterNyLive.com Pick: Phil Mickelson "I expect even to 1 or 2 under par to be the winning score, due to the toughness of the course, I think Phil has the best chance of achieving that score at Oak Hill."

Bernie McGuire, Irish Star/Scottish Herald Pick: John Senden "When it rains, it pours. Adam Scott's Masters triumph opened the floodgates for a number of Aussie success stories about the globe this year. Senden is a fellow Queenslander. He knows how to win and could very well continue riding the crest of that Adam Scott Augusta National winning wave."

Mike Johnson, Golf World/Golf Digest Pick: Henrik Stenson "With the high rough keeping the ball in the fairway and then getting it on the green is going to be a key to success and no one does it better than Stenson, who is T-6 on tour in driving accuracy and second in GIR. A pair of consecutive runner-up finishes at the British Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational show his game is on form, too."

Mallory Crosland, The PGA of America Pick: Brandt Snedeker "Not only has he had one of the best years on tour, I think this course sets up for his style of play like East Lake in 2012. He's finished in the top-20 in every major this year. He's a great putter, and his putting will shine this week. Plus, this would be a great course for Vanderbilt to have a major champion alum crowned on!"

Bob Denney, The PGA of America Pick: Adam Scott

Dan Reardon, KMOX Radio Pick: Matt Kuchar

Joe Juliano, Philadelphia Inquirer Pick: Zach Johnson

Ben Everill, Australian AP Pick: Adam Scott "He's in the zone, hitting the ball beautifully and believes this is his era of golf. There is no longer as much pressure on his shoulders after the Masters. This will be number two of at least six majors."

Dave Shedloski, Golf World Pick: Jason Dufner

Paul Gerrity, NEPA Sports Radio The GAME Pick: Angel Cabrera "He only cares about the majors, so it's hard to count him out even when he is playing poorly. Actually, I'm not sure if he cares about the majors, either, but he's a lot of fun to watch."

Steve Slocum, Golfweek Custom Media Pick: Steve Stricker "What a story that would be ... a great man winning a great championship would bring a tear to everyone's eye, especially Strick's."

Dennis Danheiser, Buffalo News Pick: Rory McIlroy "He's overdue, played well at Oak Hill back in May on Media Day and said he likes the course. He can hit it long and hopefully straight. Rory goes back-to-back in the PGA."

Mike Davis, ESPN 950 Pick: Steve Stricker

Jeff Neubarth, Golf Channel Pick: Joost Luiten

Luke Elvy, ElvisGolf Pick: Adam Scott

Jeff Babineau, Golfweek Pick: Hunter Mahan "Top ballstriker who has been gaining valuable experience on Sundays at the majors."

REES JONES BOOK SIGNING THURSDAY: Acclaimed golf course designer Rees Jones, author of GREEN Glory, a visual tribute to the courses of the major championships, will be signing copies of his book along with renowned photographer Patrick Drickey, Thursday, (Aug. 8) from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Golf Shop here at Oak Hill.

95th PGA CHAMPIONSHIP ... BY THE NUMBERS

4: Players in the current field who finished inside the top 10 of the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill (Shaun Micheel, Tim Clark, Ernie Els, and Charles Howell III) 9: Number of times a player has won the PGA Championship after finishing the first round as the leader 63: Low first-round score in PGA Championship history (Raymond Floyd, 1982; Michael Bradley, 1995; and Steve Stricker, 2011) 63: Low score in any round in any major championship 66: Low first-round score in the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill (Phil Mickelson and Rod Pampling) 67: Low first-round score in the 1980 PGA Championship at Oak Hill (Craig Stadler) 2000: The last time a player who led after the first round won the PGA Championship (Tiger Woods at Valhalla)

PGA Professionals fit in with best at Oak Hill

PGA Professionals fit in with best at Oak Hill

PGA.COM August 7, 2013







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Rob Labritz hit a tee shot earlier this week as PGA Tour players Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson looked …


By Rachel Cohen, The Associated Press

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Last time Rob Labritz checked, the YouTube video of the shot of his golfing life had more than 7,000 views.

He isn't sure that quite counts as viral, but the way he qualified for his fourth PGA Championship has Labritz seeing good omens everywhere.

Labritz is one of the PGA Professionals who earned spots this week at Oak Hill by finishing in the top 20 at the PGA Professional National Championship in Oregon in late June. He and three others were competing in a playoff for the last spot when he holed a wedge shot from 95 yards.

His wife is eight months' pregnant and his mother was declared cancer-free just last week, so why shouldn't he set a goal for a top-15 finish?

''I just want to keep riding the wave,'' Labritz said Wednesday, a day before teeing off in the first group of the PGA Championship.

For these 20 PGA Professionals, golf is their job, but they often work on everything but their game. Rod Perry, who won this year's PGA Professional National Championship, estimates he maybe plays once a week.

''I might play on a Friday afternoon with one of the member's groups, or I might play in a section event maybe on a Monday or something like that,'' said the 39-year-old Perry, the head professional at Crane Lakes in Port Orange, Fla. ''But I know there was a couple stints over the winter where two or three weeks would go by and I wouldn't play at all.''

Mike Small's job carries different demands but the same conundrum - a lot of time around the course but not much playing. He's the men's golf coach at the University of Illinois, the runner-up at this year's NCAA Championships.

Small played a practice round Wednesday with former Illini teammate Steve Stricker and one of his former players, Luke Guthrie.

Small has a much longer playing resume than many of his competitors in Oregon -- he was on the PGA Tour in the 1990s and is in his ninth PGA Championship and 12th major. He was the low PGA Professional in 2007 and '11.

Still, this is just Small's third tournament of the year as a player. He'd like to practice more with his Illini, but it often just doesn't work out.


Since qualifying in late June, he's held two camps and hit the road for three recruiting trips.

However rare, entering tournaments is worth it. The competition. The break from the routine of the job. The chance to learn from the best players and toughest courses.

''It's part of who I am,'' Small said.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt in recruiting.

''It differentiates us from other teams. Each program has its own niche, and this is ours,'' he said, an orange ''I'' plastered on his cap, shirt and bag.

Labritz generally plays in 10-15 events a year. The owners and members at GlenArbor in Bedford Hills, N.Y., about 45 miles north of New York City, enjoy seeing him representing the club well.

''I've got probably one of the best jobs on the planet,'' he said. ''They allow me to play and practice as much as I feel I need to keep my game at the highest level.''

But a berth in the PGA Championship looked unlikely on the second playoff hole June 26. Six players had started the playoff for three spots, and two qualified with birdies on the first hole.

Labritz then found himself with a bad lie when his tee shot landed in a fairway bunker. He had to punch out while the other three played onto the green on the par-4 11th at Sunriver Resort.

He wound up being the only player to birdie the hole. Labritz celebrated with a swinging fist pump and leaping high-five, a clip that made its way onto ESPN.

Labritz received thousands of emails of congratulations and admiration through his website, many from people he'd never met.

The only PGA Professional to make the cut at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, this acknowledged late bloomer is confident he can compete this week at age 42. He played a practice round Tuesday with Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner.

''You know what?'' Labritz said. ''There wasn't any difference.''

McIlroy looking for the kid who won the PGA

McIlroy looking for the kid who won the PGA

PGA.COM August 7, 2013







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''I love proving people wrong,'' says Rory McIlroy about his doubters. (Getty Images)


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The curls no longer spilled from under his cap, a big change for Rory McIlroy. Prompted to reveal the rest of his free haircut, he removed his hat and wild brown locks sprang to life.

''Still a little bit on the top,'' he said Wednesday with an easy smile.

Only then did McIlroy resemble the Boy Wonder who dominated golf last summer, starting with his win at thePGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record margin. He didn't walk down the fairways that week, he bounced. He was No. 1 in the world, and looked every bit the part.

McIlroy would love to rediscover that kid at Oak Hill this week.

In its place is a 24-year-old from Northern Ireland who has reason to feel much older. He hasn't won a tournament, and only once did he even come close. He has finished over par in all three majors, with only two rounds at the Open Championship. He has failed to make the cut five times this year, which includes walking off the course in the Honda Classic with sore wisdom teeth that still haven't been removed.

Among betting favorites, he was second only to Tiger Woods at the Masters at 5-to-1. For the PGA Championship, the odds are 30-to-1, higher than two players (Henrik Stenson and Brandt Snedeker) who have never won a major.

And he can't wait to get to the first tee Thursday afternoon.

Inspiration comes from videos he has been watching of his eight-shot win at Kiawah Island, along with his back-to-back FedExCup playoff wins against some of the strongest fields of the year. Some of what he noticed was technical, such as the position of his club in the swing. What really stood out was the body language.

''It's how you carry yourself. It's all that sort of stuff, your little mannerisms,'' McIlroy said. ''I guess it's just trying to remember those feelings and remember how I felt that week and trying to carry some of that into this week and just get those good, positive thoughts going.

''I think everyone sees when I walk and I'm playing well, I have that little bounce in my step.''

What would go a lot longer at Oak Hill is keeping the ball in play on a traditional, tree-lined course -- so many trees that even being in the fairway doesn't mean a clear shot at the green if the ball is slightly out of position. The greens are small and slope toward the front. Oak Hill is a hard golf course, and the evidence comes from the previous five majors held on this Donald Ross design -- only 10 players in those five majors have finished under par.

''This may be the toughest golf course, but the fairest golf course that we play,'' said Tom Watson, playing this major for the 32nd time. ''Somebody is going to win this thing, and that person is going to play awfully well, awfully good golf this week. Wish I could say that's me.''


Watson was joking. Not so funny is that the way McIlroy's year has gone, there isn't much reason to believe it could be him, either.

Most of the attention is on Woods, even though he has gone five years and 17 majors without winning one. Woods won the Bridgestone Invitational last week by seven shots, sparked by a 61 in the second round that tied his personal best. That gave Woods five wins this year, which is five more than McIlroy.

Phil Mickelson opened with a 65 in 2003 the last time thePGA Championship was played at Oak Hill until fading badly in one of his worst seasons as a pro. He is coming off an astounding win at the Open Championship, where his 66 in the final round is regarded as one of the best closing rounds in a major. If he could pick off another PGA Championship, Mickelson would be a shoo-in as PGA Tour player of the year, an award he has never won.

McIlroy, meanwhile, has been largely forgotten through ordinary play and endless questions about a season gone wrong from his opening tournament when he missed the cut in Abu Dhabi. Some of his troubles have been attributed to a wholesale equipment change, others to his decision to change management companies.

McIlroy said his switch to Nike is no longer an excuse, not with 15 tournaments under his belt. He says it has taken longer than usual to work his way out of bad habits.

''I guess every time you play and you don't play well, it sort of chips away at your confidence a little bit,'' he said.

McIlroy has gone through this before. Only a year ago, he had gone five months without a win and missed the cut in four out of five tournaments. With a spark at Firestone, he showed up at Kiawah Island and overwhelmed the strongest field in golf in ways only Woods used to do.

''I love proving people wrong,'' McIlroy said.

Ian Poulter's advice was everyone to ''give him a break.''

Poulter tied for third -- by nine shots -- last year at Kiawah Island and has watched the fall of a kid who looked one year ago that he would be on top of golf for a long time. Now it's back to Woods and Mickelson at Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, with the kid trying to claw his way back.

''I think sometimes we forget how young he is and what he's been able to achieve at a very early age,'' Poulter said. ''So the second he feels comfortable again, whether that's with his swing or equipment or whatever it is, then Rory will be winning golf tournaments. That natural swing of his doesn't just disappear overnight.''

Despite all the scrutiny -- on everything from his new equipment to new management, to girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki and moving from Northern Ireland to south Florida -- McIlroy hasn't dodged the questions for which he has no tangible answers.

''I'd definitely rather be up here talking about more positive things, but I guess that's the way it is,'' McIlroy said. ''Should you lay off me? That's not for me to decide. I'm here and I'm answering your questions and that's all I can do. As I said, it would be nicer just to sit up here, talk about some more positive things. But the way the year's gone, it's understandable why I'm not.''

Jason Dufner lights up PGA Championship with 63

Jason Dufner lights up PGA Championship with 63

Eric Adelson August 9, 2013Yahoo! Sports










ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The golfer made famous by a photo of him passed out has made history by being unconscious.

Jason Dufner, the portly 36-year-old who spawned the Internet meme "Dufnering" when he dozed in front of a room of schoolchildren, bulldozed through Round 2 of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club to tie for the best round in major championship history. The Cleveland-born golfer with the classic golf name shot a 63, hit 15 of 18 greens and holed out an approach shot that would have been the moment of the day if the whole day weren't such a moment. Fridays aren't always known for buzz at these tournaments, but the blend of cult hero worship and sterling golf stirred a rain-drenched crowd into a certifiable frenzy.

Just ask "Dufs Dips," a band of Ottawa boys who drove four hours here to see their favorite pro and give him a red shirt they made with #Dufnering printed on the back. The Canadians were giddy as Dufner tore through the course with an array of perfectly-arced fades and clutch putts, stopping only to smile and tuck some tobacco into his lower lip.

"It's the lifestyle, man," raved one of the Dips in a Blue Jays cap, when asked about Dufner's appeal. He didn't elaborate about what aspect of the lifestyle, or even whether he was referring to Dufner's lifestyle or his own. No matter; on this day, the "lifestyle" was throwing darts.

Dufner did what some of the world's best golfers did not: take chances. He used driver on a course where it wasn't recommended, realizing the rains would soften and widen the fairways. Dufner's approach completely belied his soporific style, as he was fearless and aggressive all the way up until his 18-foot uphill putt for a 62, which he left short. No matter, the 63 was good enough to put him at 9-under for the tournament, two strokes in front of Jim Furyk, Matt Kucher and Adam Scott.




A group from Ottawa, Canada shows their support of Jason Dufner. (Yahoo! Sports)Dufner knew about the record, as he's a student of golf history. His Twitter icon is of the famous Hogan hole at Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia, where the U.S. Open was held this year. He refers to the historic golfer as "Mr. Hogan," even though Mr. Dufner has now torched Hogan's Oak Hill course record.



Dufner knew the all-time record for low round in a major was in reach as he worked his way up the back nine, attacking every pin as if it was a practice round. Behind the 16th green, a course official whispered, "I haven't seen any birdies here today." And Dufner promptly dropped a birdie putt. Behind the 17th hole, another course official whispered the exact same thing, and Dufner barely missed another. The final holes were that kind of difficult on Friday, and Dufner was that kind of incredible. His two-day total of 131 is a tie for the best 36 holes in PGA Championship history.

Dufner has flirted with golf destiny before. He got into a playoff at this tournament two years ago in Atlanta, and said it was the best golf he's ever played. But poor playoff putting doomed him, and he watched Keegan Bradley win his first major. Dufner tied for fourth in the U.S. Open at Merion this year, but he's only won two Tour events in seven years on tour. He's a mix of sure-shot and long-shot, and fans who love an everyman eat that up.

The final hole Friday was proof. He striped his drive and had 203 yards from the middle of the fairway. Stuck between a five-iron and a six, he went with the latter and let adrenaline do its work. Then he unleashed one of the most beautiful shots you'll ever see, a rainbow bending to the left and then back to the right, up against the blue sky and then the packed grandstand. The ball landed just below the hole and the crowd exploded in not only cheers, but giggles. The guy just had it. Overhead, a plane carried a huge banner saying, "Y'all Look Hungry." It was all just too perfect.

The missed putt will probably gnaw at him, but he'd already made a lifetime memory for the Dips. The boys found Jason's wife, Amanda, and gave her the shirt. She thanked them and then went to wait for her husband. Tiger Woods' swing coach, Sean Foley, walked up to her and said, "What's up, Mrs. Duf"? He noticed the shirt and she smiled as she mentioned the boys.

"They were pumped!" she said.

For the next several minutes she waited with the gift until Dufner came out to do his flurry of interviews. "It's tough to chase history," he explained to reporters in his deadpan way. "I'm not usually the first to do anything."

The boys were a few dozen feet away, hanging along a fence by the putting green, chanting, "63! 63! 63!" He grinned and waved, as always spending just enough energy to complete the task.

Moments later, in front of the clubhouse, officials hurried to put up another rope. "Dufner's coming!" one elderly woman shouted, as if it was the president. He emerged from a door and grinned again. "Jason!" one fan said, "can I have an autograph?!"

"Jason!" the fan said again, "can I have a 63?!"

Dufner got into a golf cart and slouched against the seat with his arms tucked by his sides – the exact pose that started a viral sensation.

This time, though, he was wide awake.