Why Can't Justin Rose Win the Big One?

Why Can't Justin Rose Win the Big One?











Travis Mewhirter March 26, 2013 12:00 PM




COMMENTARY | Unless you currently reside under a sporting rock, you are well aware that the greatest holiday of the year, March Madness, is in full swing.




And as paper shredders feast on broken bracket upon broken bracket -- thank you, Florida Gulf Coast, Harvard, and Wichita State -- there was still golf being played, while the second greatest holiday of the year, the Masters, looms just around the corner.

Tiger Woods gobbled up all the scraps of attention left over from the NCAA tournament with his 77th PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, his second in a row and third this year, and resumed his all too comfortable position as the No. 1 player in the world and in the FedEx Cup standings.

So, naturally, everybody is talking Tiger. But another name should have turned a few heads this weekend:Justin Rose.

Rose finished in second -- his third top 10 finish this season -- alone behind Woods to ascend to No. 3 in the world, the best ranking of his career. And with this success comes the nagging question: Why can't Rose win the big one?

Ardent golf supporters may remember Rose when he was 17 and made history as the youngest player to ever compete in a Walker Cup. Others might remember him from his first major start in the Open Championship in 1998 where he finished tied for fourth.

Now, however, Rose may be known as the newest president of the club that Phil Mickelson served several terms for: Greatest Player Never to Have Won a Major.

It's baffling to think that Rose, now 32 and in his ninth year on tour, hasn't won a major yet. He was still a teenager when he stormed Royal Birkdale back in 1998 to finish in the top five. He was barely allowed to legally drink for his next top five in the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields. And, in 2007, his worst finish in a major -- his first year making the cut in all four of them -- was 12th.

It seemed only a matter of time before the gates were opened and major championships came by the pair.

But they haven't.

All in all, Rose has 35 career major starts dating back to 1998, making the cut in 22 of them. In that 22, he has posted 16 top 25 finishes, seven top 10s and four top fives.

But, again, he hasn't won.

Whether it's fair or not, winning the big ones is the barometer used in judging a golfer's career success. If that wasn't the case, and we used regular-season tournaments as our measuring stick, Sam Snead, who won seven majors, would be the only possible candidate for the best golfer in history.

But that's not the case. So we look to Palmer, to Woods, to Jack Nicklaus, and to Gary Player as golf's Mount Rushmore.

Many might say that Bubba Watson has had a better career than Rose because of his awe-inspiring win at Augusta National last year, when he bent a pitching wedge so sharply out of the woods that it's a wonder how his grooves weren't inspected for spin-inducing technology. But this is flawed logic.

Watson, as genial and affable a character as there is on tour, has had a career that can't even hold a candle to Rose's. Same goes for other major one-timers such as Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell, even tour brawler Jim Furyk -- all great players, but all slightly overrated because of their one shining moment.

The good news for Rose: He is absolutely dynamite at Augusta. In seven starts, his worst finish is T39 (2003), and he has graced the top 20 in four of the last five, although he didn't play in 2010.

The better news for Rose: The Masters is just three weeks away, and the timing ostensibly couldn't be better as he is rapidly approaching the zenith of his career. With his second-place finish at Bay Hill this weekend, he moved up to the No. 3 ranking in the world, his highest ever, sitting behind just Nike posterboys Woods and Rory McIlroy. Not bad company to be in.

But, for now, without a major win under his belt, he resides with different company: his Greatest Player Never to Have Won a Major club.

And lord knows he wants to get kicked out.

Travis Mewhirter has been working in the golf industry since 2007, when he was a bag room manager at Piney Branch Golf Club in Carroll County, Maryland, and has been involved, as a player, since 2004. Since then, he has worked at Hayfields Country Club, where the Constellation Energy Classic was formerly held, and has covered golf at the high school, college, and professional levels.

Five golfers who could claim first major at Masters

Five golfers who could claim first major at Masters












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Could Matt Kuchar claim his first major title at the Masters?(Getty Images)

PGA.COM March 26, 2013 12:48 PM


By T.J. Auclair PGA.com Rod Crowley, a contributor for BleacherReport.com, offers up a list of five golfers who could claim their first major title in two weeks at the Masters.


Writes Crowley:

Tiger Woods has hit his form at the perfect time as he aims to secure his fifth Masters win in a couple of weeks.

His win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Monday and a subsequent return to the number one spot in the World Rankings have been enough for bookmakers to expect him to finish atop the leaderboard in the opening major of the year.

Woods odds to win his 15th major are just plus-350 (7/2), giving him an 18 percent chance to be on top when the final round concludes on April 14 at Augusta National.

However, a strong field will assemble in Georgia, with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson among the favorites to add to their trophy cases. There is also the usual multitude of top players who will be looking to make a name for themselves on golf's biggest stage.

Here are five PGA challengers ready to make their presence felt on the Augusta leaderboard as they look to end their wait for glory in a major.

Check out Crowley's list here.

For reference, four of the last six Masters champions (Zach Johnson, 2007; Trevor Immelman, 2008; Charl Schwartzel, 2011; and Bubba Watson, 2012) claimed their first major title at Augusta National.

Follow T.J. Auclair on Twitter, @tj_auclair.

Course Source: TPC Scottsdale, The Stadium Course

Course Source: TPC Scottsdale, The Stadium Course










Derek Harper, The Sports Xchange March 26, 2013 3:21 PMThe SportsXchange


COURSE SOURCE


THE RESORT: TPC Scottsdale - The Stadium Course, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

THE LAYOUT: Watching Phil Mickelson shred The Stadium Course over Super Bowl weekend in 2013 - tying the tournament record at 28-under and lipping out on 18 to narrowly miss carding a 59 in the opening round - it's easy for the amateur to daydream about going low at a PGA Tour facility.

The Stadium Course indeed offers a nice blend of playability and significant challenge to go along with a great history. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the course was built in 1986 and played host to its first PGA Tour event - the Phoenix Open - the following year.

One of the advantages of playing at a PGA Tour facility is no expense is spared in maintaining pristine course conditions. While most course superintendents in the area are working with stricter budgets and balancing seeding and water schedules, The Stadium Course - and to a slightly lesser degree the accompanying Champions Course - are in nearly immaculate shape year-round.

The Par 71 Stadium Course can be stretched out to 7,216 yards (74.6/138) from the black tees. However, unless you're a bomber off the tee and enjoy long irons to the green, the 6,525 yards (71.1/129) from the blues is more than enough test for most golfers. The whites play 6,049/68.7/125, shortening many of the challenging par-4s.

For the ladies, the 5,455 yards includes several drives that require moderate carries over - or through - the desert, but nothing too daunting.

There's no denying The Stadium Course is a treat. If you're planning a visit during the peak-season rates that hover around $300, do yourself a favor and play in the morning or early afternoon, when very knowledgeable forecaddies who travel the Arizona/Wisconsin in-seasons are included with your green fee (minus tip) and really help make the experience.

The Stadium Course is littered with PGA Tour history - from the boulder fans moved to help Tiger Woods recover from a wayward tee shot in 1999, leading to a change in the rules of golf, to the famous Par-3 16th, where 25,000 raucous fans annually congregate in golf's loudest venue. Every hole seems to have a signature moment - "The Chez Reavie hole," "The B.J. Holmes hole" - and your forecaddie can add to your outing by narrating the most memorable shots from the Waste Management Open.

GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Grove

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The direction of the grain on the greens is critical playing anywhere in the Phoenix area. It typically grows away from Pinnacle Peak in north Scottsdale and toward the valley. Get to the course early enough to spend some time on the greens and let your forecaddie drop a little knowledge that will help sink a few extra putts.

While the front nine is solid a features a few memorable holes - including the Par-3 fourth with a big, sloping green, the character of the course really begins to come out as you approach the turn. Keep an eye out on No. 9. Push your drive far enough to the right and you might take out a Tour or Web.com player minding his own business on the facility reserved for professionals.

The 10th hole is where the fun really begins. A 376-yard Par-4 from the blue tees, it requires a well-placed drive for a lengthy uphill approach shot. If you struck the drive well enough to have a look at the green, you're likely to also get your first good look at the famous grandstands surrounding the 16th hole as you approach your ball.

It takes four-and-a-half months to erect and a month-and-a-half to bring down the grandstands at a hefty price tag of around $1 million in both directions.

The first glimpse of one of the most famous holes on the PGA Tour puts a real charge into the round, but focus on that approach shot. There is a pot bunker just off the right side of the 10th green and two bunkers protecting the front left. All things being equal, miss to the left - anything right, especially to a right pin placement - is in jail trying to get back to the green that slopes back to front.

Survive that test and you're greeted with the No. 1 handicap on The Stadium Course. It's a bear of a Par-4 at 439 yards from the blues with water all down the left side. It's easy to bail toward the less intimidating right side, but there are trees and small bushes likely to prevent a clear look. There is a big premium on hitting the fairway on No. 11, and a mid- to long iron that hits the front half of the massive green will get plenty of roll.

The Par-3 12th provides a mental breather before one of the most interesting holes on the course. The Par-5 13th presents the option of going left or right around a big swatch of sand and trees. At 552 yards from the blues and 528 from the whites, the shorter route is to the right. If you don't have the distance to get there in two, play it safe to the left side and there is a big landing area for your second shot.

The smallish green is protected by a deep bunker on the front right, but you don't want to over-club with your approach shot because the hole typically plays downwind.

The 419-yard 14th hole plays back into the wind and finally brought someone in our group to whimsically ask the forecaddie, "Let me guess, it's another long Par-4 and 'get all I can get' on the drive!"

With the 16th grandstands back in view and starting to get the heart pumping, a good drive off the tee at the Par-5 15th can present the best risk-reward opportunity on the course. At 468 yards from the blue tees, the hole is definitely reachable in two. There's only one problem.

Well, 360 of them, depending on your point of view.

With a long iron or hybrid in hand, you're also looking at an island green. It's another huge putting surface that slopes back to front and there are bunkers on the left and front right, but the reality is anything off-target is likely to splash down.

But you didn't come this far to lay up, so grip it and rip it.

If you play TPC during one of the six months the 16th grandstands are being worked on, you'll come off the 15th green, walk under the stands and pop out on the tee box for a bit of that Tour feeling. From a golf perspective, it's the second-easiest hole on the course and plays only 143 yards downhill from the blues to a decent-sized green. After snapping a few pictures, hit a decent short iron and you'll have a good opportunity to tell your friends you birdied the 16th at The Stadium Course.

The Par-4 17th is another risk/reward. Big, accurate hitters will be tempted at only 292 yards downhill from the blues, but the green is protected by water to the left and in back. Another option is a layup to a comfortable distance and a very manageable approach.

The Par-4 18th is pretty finishing hole. A fairway plaque commemorates J.B. Holmes' 359-yard drive in 2008 that led to his playoff victory over Phil Mickelson. Most mortals will face around 150-160 yards into a big green with a false front on the left side. No galleries are greeting you, but a well-struck approach might draw a small applause from those overlooking the green from the outside seating area at the restaurant and bar.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: It's hard to go wrong in the Phoenix area, and there are more courses than even the locals have time to get tired of.

Many of the top facilities feature two courses worthy of lining up a 36-hole day for, including Troon (Pinnacle, Monument) and Grayhawk (Raptor, Talon) in Scottsdale, We-Ko-Pa (Cholla and Saguaro) in Fort McDowell and the Boulders (North, South) in Carefree.

Talking Stick, owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, is another Troon establishment with a pair of consistently top-ranked tracks.

WHERE TO STAY: The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess provides an all-in-one experience for the family or business traveler. The course even skirts along the hotel on the front nine, where your family or jealous co-workers can watch you sink a birdie putt on the Par-3 fourth and then rip a drive off the tee box on No. 5.

The TPC website offers stay-and-play packages at the Fairmont or nearby locations including the Hilton Garden Inn and Zona Resort Suites. The Sheraton Desert Oasis is also about a five iron away down the block.

On the web: www.tpc.com/tpc-scottsdale.

Phil Mickelson Rebounds From Rocky Start to Salvage First Round

Phil Mickelson Rebounds From Rocky Start to Salvage First Round
Lefty Optimistic About Building on Strong Back Nine, Hopes to Go Low Friday











Mark McLaughlin April 12, 2013 11:12 AM




COMMENTARY | Give Phil Mickelson credit, he knows what to expect from his game.


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On the eve of the Masters, Lefty said he was worried about the rust of not playing in a tournament the week before as has been his custom. He usually plays in Atlanta or Houston ahead of Augusta but a calendar quirk had the Valero Texas Open as the run-up tournament, a course setup that Mickelson says wouldn't have prepared him well for the year's first major.

Sure enough, Mickelson got off to a poor start in Thursday's first round. A three-putt bogey on the short, par-4 third was the first of three front-nine bogeys that caused him to make the turn in an ugly 2-over-par 38.

All it took for the Mickelson roller coaster to get back on track was a laser wedge shot to four feet on the par-3 12th hole for birdie. He went on to birdie both par-5s (13 and 15) and added a bonus birdie after a pretty 9-iron approach to the par-3 16th hole.

In a little over an hour, Mickelson jumped from 2-over to 2-under and smack in the middle of the contention for his fourth green jacket.

But never one to grind conservatively to the finish, he went on to bogey 17 then lipped out for birdie on the final hole to finish with a 1-under-par 71.



He's tied for 23rd on a day that saw nine players shoot 68 or better. Mickelson described Thursday's playing conditions as a "birdiefest" to ESPN and added that Augusta National was set up too soft and forgiving.

Phil's opening round may also have been a bit soft, but it couldn't have been much worse. He hit more greens than anyone in the field (15 of 18) but struggled once he got there, taking an atrocious 34 putts. Only four players took more putts Thursday.

"I feel like I'm rolling every one on line. I feel really good with the putter," Mickelson said afterward.

That confidence leads me to believe that if he can get the flat stick straightened out overnight - anyone know if putting guru Dave Stockton is around for quick lesson? - Mickelson will be right in the mix for the weekend.

"I can't wait to get back on the course tomorrow," Mickelson said. "I think I can really light it up."



To do so, Lefty must improve on Augusta's par-4s. He was fine on most of the brutes, parring holes 1, 10, and 11, but bogeyed the 350-yard third then failed to get up and down on the 455-yard fifth, the 450-yard seventh, and the 440-yard 17th.

Dustin Johnson Finally a Factor

With his length and talent, it's a wonder it took Dustin Johnson this long to post a good score at the Masters.

On the strength of the only eagle of the day on the par-5 13th hole, DJ fired an opening round 5-under-par 67, his best score in 13 rounds at Augusta National, to sit solo third. Johnson bested playing partner Fred Couples by a shot as Freddy's Masters mojo rubbed off on the game's best 20-something this side of Rory McIlroy.

Johnson's rare combination of power and touch will come in handy if he's in contention over the weekend. He led the field in driving distance Thursday with an average blow of 317 yards and needed only 24 putts around Augusta's softened greens.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter@markmacduke.

Top Five Winners From the Opening Round at the Masters

Top Five Winners From the Opening Round at the Masters











Travis Mewhirter April 12, 2013 11:24 AM


COMMENTARY | The Masters is here, and everybody is really a winner over the next four days.


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The players win by simply getting another chance to play Heaven on Earth or, as it is formally known, Augusta National. Everybody else wins because it's the Masters, golf's unofficial opening day, the first truly meaningful tournament of the year.



But, while the Masters will be a sublime experience for all, I will narrow down Thursday's opening round to the five biggest winners of the day.



1. Tianlang Guan



What were you doing when you were 14 years old? Maybe you were in eighth grade, like our youngest competitor in Masters history, Tianlang Guan, is. Maybe you were at the top of your middle school's food chain. It was probably a phenomenal year. Maybe you were in high school, a hot-shot freshman who made a varsity team. You probably felt pretty slick at the time.



That's great and all, but here's what you did not do when you were 14 years old: You did not play Augusta National. You did not play in the Masters. You did not receive a personal invitation from Tiger Woods to play in a practice round. You did not finish your first ever major championship round at 1-over-par, one-upping a U.S. Open champ (Lucas Glover) and Open Championship winner (Louis Oosthuizen) while taking a two-shot lead on the most recent player to don a green jacket (Bubba Watson).



Even if the kid shot in triple-digits, he still would have been the day's winner. Because he's 14. And he's playing in the Masters.



2. Marc Leishman



This one shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. His opening-round 66 has him at the top of the leaderboard tied with Sergio Garcia and four up on the No. 1 player in the world, Tiger Woods. Every major championship seems to have its dark horse these days. Leishman, if he holds up throughout day two, appears to be the most recent addition to our ever-expanding list.



His best finish at the Masters is a missed cut in 2010 in which he shot 79 to follow up an even-par opening round, so a strong showing Friday would be a 180-degree turnaround from his previous appearance. Along with seeking his first major championship, Leishman could also become the first Australian to win the Masters. Imagine that: Marc Leishman, not Adam Scott or Jason Day, as our first Australian-born Masters winner. Something to think about as this one plays out.



3. Tiger Woods



Why not Garcia, Dustin Johnson or Rickie Fowler in this spot? Because this is where Tiger wants to be. He has posted a 2-under 70 opening round four times and gone on to win three of those (his other win came off a 74 in 2005 when he went on to beat Chris DiMarco). Sure, his opener was a little disappointing, considering the torrid rate he has been playing lately, but four shots back after the first day is quintessential Tiger territory.



4. Sergio Garcia



It's always with a little hesitation that I put Garcia at the top of many lists, no matter how well he plays in a four-hour span, simply because, by tour standards, the guy can't putt. There aren't many out there who can strike a golf ball like he does, as shown by his bogey-free 66, and he managed 18 holes without a single yip. If he can put together four straight rounds without fighting his putter, he could very well end his 14 years of major disappointment. But it's still day one. More proof will be needed on the greens to see if Garcia can hang around until Sunday evening.



5. Rickie Fowler



This one was a tossup between Fowler, Johnson, Leishman's dark-horse pal David Lynn, and Fred Couples. Why Fowler? He's been one of the tour's brightest young stars out of this new generation that has stormed the World Golf Ranking over the past two years.



But our 2010 Rookie of the Year -- an award he beat out Rory McIlroy for -- is still waiting for that breakthrough moment that some of his peers have been able to enjoy. McIlroy is the clear frontrunner of the up-and-coming generation, what with his decimation of Congressional to win the 2011 U.S. Open and his comfortable 8-shot triumph at last year's PGA Championship.



A green jacket could very well be the impetus Fowler needs to put his career in the same zip code as McIlroy's.





Travis Mewhirter has been working in the golf industry since 2007, when he was a bag room manager at Piney Branch Golf Club in Carroll County, Maryland, and has been involved, as a player, since 2004. Since then, he has worked at Hayfields Country Club, where the Constellation Energy Classic was formerly held, and has covered golf at the high school, college, and professional levels.

McIlroy's mistakes negate overall good play

McIlroy's mistakes negate overall good play











PGA.COM April 12, 2013 1:38 PM

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Rory McIlroy wasn't too pleased with his 72 on a day when 32 players broke par.(Getty Images)


By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The 18-footer for birdie on the final hole slid by on the left, another chance lost on a day filled with missed opportunities. Rory McIlroy walked off the green and gave his putter a gentle spank, as if to punish it for letting him down when he needed it most.

His even-par 72 wasn't awful by any means and might have been a score he would have settled for in another Masters. But on a day when 32 players broke par, the No. 2 player in the world wasn't exactly pleased.

He got a kiss and hug from girlfriend Caroline Wozniackiafter signing his scorecard, but any overtime work on the putting green would have to wait. It was getting dark and, just as McIlroy was beginning to talk about what went wrong, the weather sirens sounded and he was hustled inside the Augusta National clubhouse.

All year long the worry about McIlroy was the way he was hitting the ball with his new Nike clubs. But in the opening round of the Masters, it was the putter that let him down.

"I felt like I played well," McIlroy said. "Just silly mistakes and a couple of 3-putts on the back nine."

A day that started with promise for McIlroy -- he was 2-under after making birdie on No. 6 -- turned bad on the final nine as he made four bogeys coming in. McIlroy played like he was rusty, the very thing he played two weeks in a row coming into the Masters to avoid.

He was six shots back of co-leaders Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman, a margin that's certainly not insurmountable with three rounds left on Augusta National. But McIlroy will have to find a way to make the short putts he missed if he wants to be in contention going into Sunday.

The Northern Irishman came to the first major of 2013, hoping to jumpstart a year that so far has been a disappointment. He played well to get in contention at the Texas Open last week, finishing second with a final round 66, and expected to be in contention here.

But bad strokes on greens putting slower than usual made for one frustrating days.

"I'm hitting the ball well," he said. "It's just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities and eliminating mistakes.

McIlroy looked to have gotten the worst of the draw with a pairing in the penultimate group as thunderstorms threatened. But the wind didn't gust as much as expected and the rain held off until just after McIlroy came out of the clubhouse after signing his card.

McIlroy started the day like he couldn't wait to get in contention. He barely missed holing a 50-yard pitch for eagle on the second hole and came close to making a second straight birdie on No. 3.

But after holing a putt for birdie on No. 6 he gave it right back with a poor second shot on the next hole, the first of a series of miscues that he was never able to recover from.

McIlroy conceded earlier in the week that the adjustment to his new clubs -- which came as part of a huge endorsement deal with Nike -- had taken some time. But he said his driving had improved greatly and he was gaining confidence with every round he played.

But McIlroy's problem in the first round came from his flat stick, not his driver. He hit 9 of 14 fairways but had 32 putts, including the two 3-putts.

If there was a positive for McIlroy it is that he seems to be beginning to feel very much at home on Augusta National, where he famously imploded in 2011 after taking a four-shot lead into the final round. A year ago, he was one off the lead going into the weekend, only to close with 77-76 and tie for 40th.

"Everything felt good but every time I did something good I gave it back," McIlroy said. "And around this course you can't do that."