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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 31, 2021 5:14:15 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2000 BUICK INVITATIONAL at Torrey Pines South - Round 2
A stronger wind was on the menu today but some overnight downpours made the greens markedly slower. All the guests had better rounds but not good enough to trouble the leading group. Randy Grant (68), Charlie Roberts (69) and Les Souter (71) still had a few putting problems and found themselves at the foot of the leaderboard come the end of the day. Hans Kunok's 68 saw him just above the aforementioned trio, while Bob Fletcher's excellent 65 elevated him into a share of 22nd, and it was one of those rare rounds when almost everything went right. Ian McKinley also fired a super 65, and he is now tied 13th, but still 5 shots behind the leaders, so not completely out of contention but with a lot of work to do...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 1, 2022 6:44:51 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2000 BUICK INVITATIONAL at Torrey Pines South - Round 3
I think it's safe to say that the guests will be leaving Torrey Pines empty-handed this week. The course has caused too many problems and has been too tough to conquer, at least on this visit. It was quite breezy out there and the greens were quick, but nobody expected the carnage that followed. The saying 'from the sublime to the ridiculous' summed up Bob Fletcher's last two rounds - in the last round he could do almost no wrong, but today he could do nothing right, and he paid a heavy price with a jaw-dropping 80. Les Souter and Charlie Roberts didn't escape without some damage either, both carding a 74 and left wondering why this course is so difficult. Randy Grant battled his way to a 73, the best guest score of this round, but still not enough to lift him away from the foot of the leaderboard. Ian McKinley's disheartening 76 dropped him into a share of 45th, and I think everyone will be glad when this tourney is over...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 2, 2022 11:22:32 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2000 BUICK INVITATIONAL at Torrey Pines South - Round 4
It was still windy but torrential rain during the night left the greens completely saturated, meaning that putts had to be well struck to reach the cups. Charlie Roberts' 77, his worst score of the event, left him rock bottom and looking to produce a huge improvement at Riviera next week. Randy Grant (71), Bob Fletcher (70, thanks to a final hole eagle) and Ian McKinley (72), all finished way down the field and looking forward to a change of course. Les Souter finally produced the goods when he fired a fine 67, but still only lifted him into a tie for 39th. The best guest performance came from Hans Kunok, who inexplicably carved out a fantastic 63 today, the best round of the tournament, which elevated him into a share of 14th spot. The eventual winner was tour pro Phil Mickelson, who cantered home 4 strokes ahead of his nearest rivals, one of whom was Tiger Woods who increased the earnings gap between himself and the guest players in the process. Hopefully the guests will be able to compete at Riviera in the Nissan Open next week...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 6, 2022 5:20:19 GMT -5
Event 7 - 2000 NISSAN OPEN at Riviera C.C. - Round 1
Unusually, there was not a breath of wind for the opening round, but the greens will be lightning fast with a few tricky pins to negotiate. Bob Fletcher had a complete nightmare of an opening round, everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and his week was effectively ended by a 78. Les Souter started perfectly with an eagle on the first hole, then struggled for the remainder of the round and could only card a 74. Hans Kunok's game also wasn't quite there and he wouldn't be pleased with his eventual 73. The unpredictable Randy Grant had a satisfactory opening round of 70, while Ian McKinley's solid 68 saw him well-placed. Rich Urban looked like he'd put in some serious practice over the holiday season, and it paid dividends by helping him to a fine opening 66. Charlie Roberts showed real intent today, firing a magical 63, devoid of any dropped shots, to head the field by one stroke, and he even claimed a HOLE-IN-ONE on the 6th!! I think we have another fascinating week in store...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 7, 2022 6:27:19 GMT -5
Event 7 - 2000 NISSAN OPEN at Riviera C.C. - Round 2
A bit of wind greeted the players this morning, but the greens were not as fast as they were yesterday, although they were faced with tricky pin positions. Bob Fletcher put his poor opening round behind him by hitting a pretty solid 68, but last place is still beckoning. Les Souter shot a steady 69 which included a 3-putt on the 11th, the only blemish on his card. The other guests all feature near the competitive end of the leaderboard. Ian McKinley's second 68 saw him tied 9th with a number of tour pro's as well as Charlie Roberts, who described his poor 73 as "forgettable" and identified the problem as not getting the putting distances correct. Randy Grant recorded the equal best score of the round, a super 65, to slide into a share of 6th spot, just 2 strokes off the pace, while Rich Urban's 68 saw him currently positioned as the best guest, having moved into a tie for 3rd, just 1 shot behind the co-leaders. A 70 from Tiger Woods saw him languishing unusually back in a big group tied for 27th place, so this is an opportunity for the guests to gain ground in the earnings table...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 9, 2022 6:59:31 GMT -5
Event 7 - 2000 NISSAN OPEN at Riviera C.C. - Round 3
The wind had strengthened for today's round but the greens had slowed to a normal speed, theoretically making putting less precarious. Hans Kunok and Bob Fletcher both shot a 73 to leave them already looking towards next week's event and hopefully better prospects. Les Souter hit his best round so far, a fine 67 that would have been even better but for a couple of shortish birdie putt misses. The remaining four guests dominated the top of the leaderboard. Opening day leader Charlie Roberts' 68 left him in a tie for 4th, but five strokes adrift of the leader. In a share of 2nd were Ian McKinley (65) and Randy Grant (66), who will be looking to bridge the 2-shot gap in the final round between themselves and the new tournament leader. That is Rich Urban, who continued to greatly impress, today with a 65 that now gives him a great chance of notching up his first PLAYPGATOUR win - if he can hold his nerve for one more round...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 10, 2022 6:56:20 GMT -5
Event 7 - 2000 NISSAN OPEN at Riviera C.C. - Round 4
A little wind and very fast, firm greens were on the menu for today's climax to the tournament. Bob Fletcher failed to avoid finishing in last place, in spite of an improving 71. Les Souter's putting issues continued and he finished the week as he had started it, with an unsatisfacory 74. Hans Kunok, however, had his best day of the event, carding a good 68, but which still only elevated him into a share of 47th spot. Charlie Roberts again failed to recapture the form that saw him record the best score of the tourney in the opening round, carding a disappointing 72 to finish in a tie for 8th place. Overnight leader Rich Urban had a 2-shot lead going into the final round, but he suffered a mini-collapse today and, although it was not quite of Greg Norman-esque proportions, his 75 saw him drop down into a share of 5th. One of Rich's main threats, Ian McKinley, usually loves the kind of conditions we had today, but his game failed him and his 71 was always going to be too high to taste victory, so again he was the bridesmaid instead of the bride, ending the tournament tied 2nd with tour pro Kirk Triplett. He can sparkle, he can be as dull as dish water, you never quite know which Randy Grant is going to turn up. But this week he held everything together, playing consistently to sign off with a very good 67. His winning margin of 4 strokes was not flattering at all, and this first win of the season for him almost certainly won't be his last! See you in Arizona next week...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 10, 2022 7:19:18 GMT -5
Although he had a relatively poor showing at Riviera, Tiger Woods still tops the Winter Trophy earnings table. After his win last week Randy Grant has emerged as Tiger's nearest rival and, with four events to play, and with Tiger deciding not to travel to Arizona for the Tucson Open, the guests still have a chance to stake a claim for the trophy...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 13, 2022 7:37:48 GMT -5
Event 8 - 2000 TOUCHSTONE ENERGY TUCSON OPEN at Arizona National - Round 1
A desert breeze and dry conditions weren't the main threat to scoring well today. The course's length and a lot of strategically placed bunkers demanded that course management was up to the job. Les Souter took an instant dislike to the course and could only card a 74, while Bob Fletcher and Rich Urban also struggled, both carding 73. Randy Grant had putting problems but still managed a respectable 70, and Ian McKinley spent more time in the desert than he did on the fairways but was still able to post an acceptable 69. Hans Kunok was the 'best of the guests' today, firing an impressive 67 to leave him just 3 strokes behind the opening day leaders.
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 14, 2022 6:22:18 GMT -5
Event 8 - 2000 TOUCHSTONE ENERGY TUCSON OPEN at Arizona National - Round 2
The desert was very dry and very still today, with not even a hint of a breeze in evidence. Easy conditions? Well, apparently not! Randy Grant nearly walked off the course on the short par 4 15th when he attempted to drive the green, only to look on in horror as his ball disappeared into the 'Ravine of Death', and his eventual score of 81 was mainly because of that one mistake. Rich Urban (75), Bob Fletcher (74) and Hans Kunok (74) all had problems, while Les Souter needed a strong finish to his round to card a good 69. That was also Ian McKinley's score today, matching his opening round effort to place him 7 shots off the pace, and this course is proving to be something of a brute, even in favourable weather...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 16, 2022 7:20:19 GMT -5
Event 8 - 2000 TOUCHSTONE ENERGY TUCSON OPEN at Arizona National - Round 3
A gentle breeze and perfect greens made for ideal conditions today and, for the first time this week, every guest went under par for their round. However, Bob Fletcher (70), Randy Grant (69) and Rich Urban (68) are all anchored to the bottom of the leaderboard, while Charlie Roberts (69) and Les Souter (68) are a little further up the roster in a tie for 53rd. But the big mover today was Ian McKinley who gave himself a very realistic chance of a win this week by firing the best round of the day, a simply stunning 63. That has propelled him into a share of 4th spot, just two strokes behind the leader. Incredibly, on the back nine, he birdied 8 of the 9 holes for a 29 and, if he can replicate that form on the final day, surely he will register his first victory of the season...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 17, 2022 7:36:45 GMT -5
Event 8 - 2000 TOUCHSTONE ENERGY TUCSON OPEN at Arizona National - Round 4
Only slight wafts of wind were detectable today, and the greens were fast, but not overly so. There were plenty of scoring opportunities, it was just a question of taking them. Randy Grant completed what he described as "a brutal week" with an unsatisfactory 74, while Rich Urban and Bob Fletcher carded their second sub-par rounds of the event with a brace of 71's. Charlie Roberts fired a 'clean' 65 to finish on a high and in a tie for 19th, and Les Souter's round was heading the same way until an unfortunate bogey on #16 spoiled his card, but he still managed a superb 64, the best of the day, to earn a share of 14th place. If he was to grab victory this week Ian McKinley had to outscore 4 tour pro's, starting as he did trailing the leader by 2 strokes. Ian completed his part of the winning formula by shooting an impressive 66, although he did wobble temporarily with bogeys on #16 and #17. Then, surprisingly, his four main rivals all tripped over the final hurdle. Stephen Ames (76), Jonathan Kaye (75), Ted Purdy (74) and Tom Scherrer (72) were all leapfrogged and helped Ian claim a deserved victory by a 2-shot margin, his first of the season!!
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 17, 2022 7:52:59 GMT -5
We have a new leader!! Ian McKinley's win in Arizona, combined with Tiger Woods' absence, sees Ian now heading the earnings table, as well as becoming the 5th different guest tournament winner in 8 events.
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 20, 2022 9:11:05 GMT -5
Event 9 - 2000 DORAL RYDER OPEN at Doral Golf Resort - Round 1
A light breeze and quick greens could have been a recipe for some low scoring today. Unfortunately that didn't apply to Charlie Roberts who was breaking in a new set of clubs, and whose 90 suggested it might be a while before he gets used to them. A really mixed bag of a round, including a couple of water balls, restricted Bob Fletcher to a score of 71, while Les Souter commented on the course's difficulty after negotiating it in 70 strokes. Randy Grant was also trying out a different set of clubs and, after a shaky start, settled down to card a good 69. Ian McKinley, winner of last week's Tucson Open, maintained his good form to register a fine 68 - although he still trailed the co-leaders by 3 strokes at the close of play...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Jan 20, 2022 20:37:00 GMT -5
Event 9 - 2000 DORAL RYDER OPEN at Doral Golf Resort - Round 2
Virtually no wind and perfect greens were on offer today, so only a few tricky pins stood in the way of good scoring. Charlie Roberts is gradually getting to know his new clubs and he carded an improved 78 today. Bob Fletcher had expected to shoot lower than his 69, but another water-shot on the 4th and a misfiring putter, at least for the majority of holes, held him back. Les Souter's fine 66 was marred by a 3-putt on the 7th, the only stain on his card, while Randy Grant's impressive 66 contained 3 bogeys, something he might possibly regret in the final reckoning. Ian McKinley remained the best-placed guest by also shooting a very adept 66 which was bogey-free, leaving him placed tied 7th but still 5 shots adrift of the leader.
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