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Gloom to Glory A Short Step for Mickelson
Woods Upbeat despite Open Flop
Thongchai Takes Cautious Approach at Open
Kapur Upbeat after Open Experience
Mickelson Wins British Open
GULLANE, July 21, 2013 (AFP) - Phil Mickelson won the British Open for the first time at Muirfield on Sunday, one month after his heartbreak at the US Open where he was runner-up for a record sixth time.
The 43-year-old lefty saved his best for last as he came down the brutal back nine at the famed links course east of Edinburgh in 32, birdieing four of the last six holes, for a five-under 66.
That gave him a three under total of 281, three strokes clear of Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who had a closing 70.
Third place was shared by English pair Lee Westwood (75) and Ian Poulter (67) as well as Australian Adam Scott (72) who birdied the 18th.
Mickelson won in what was his 20th Open campaign and it was his fifth major title after the Masters of 2004, 2006 and 2010 and the PGA Championship of 2005.
It came just one month after he had endured the agony of a record sixth runner-up finish at the US Open behind Justin Rose and vaults him up to second in the world rankings behind Tiger Woods and ahead of Rory McIlroy.
"This is such an accomplishment because I never knew whether I'd be able to develop my game to play links golf. I played arguably the best round of my career, and shot the round of my life," he said.
"The range of emotions I feel are as far apart as possible after losing the US Open. To win this feels amazing.
"You have to be resilient in this game. These last couple of weeks, these last couple of months, I've played some of the best golf of my career."
Westwood, who started the day with a two stroke lead over the field, once again found himself coming up agonisingly short at a major tournament, the 62nd of his career.
"I didn't really play well enough today. I didn't play badly, but I didn't play great. It's a tough golf course, and you've got to have your "A" game," he said.
"Phil obviously played well. He shot the round of the day, 5-under par, I think. And birdied four out of six (last holes). That's a pretty special finishing in a major championship."
Scott, who squandered a four shot lead with four to play at last year's Open said: "I let a great chance slip.
"It's a shame. But the game is there. I'm going to look forward to keeping it sharp next week and going to the World Golf Championship and another major in the next couple of weeks. I like where I'm at."
Mickelson started the final round five strokes adrift of overnight leader Westwood, but held steady going out and then stormed down the back nine in a superb 32 at a time when all of his rivals were stumbling in the tough conditions.
It was the third straight Open won by a golfer in their 40s with Ernie Els and Darren Clarke both 42 when they won at Royal Lytham and Royal St George's, respectively
Mickelson also became the first player in history to win the Scottish Open and then go on to win the British Open the following week.
Woods started the day tied for second, just two off the lead, but he failed to find any spark and his record of never having won a major when trailing after 54 holes held firm as he came in at two over 286 after a 74.
Throughout the day it was a bruising battle of wiles and wills among the the world's best golfers with no quarter given and the mighty Muirfield links showing no mercy to the faint-hearted.
The lead changed hands at regular intervals, but in the end it was the experience and the expertise of the popular Mickelson that carried the day to secure the Claret Jug that goes to the winner of the British Open.
England's Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter set the early clubhouse target of one over 285 thanks to a magical putting display that saw him follow an eagle at nine with three straight birdies en route to a 67.
And with the sea breeze stiffening as the leaders worked their way around the turn and a cold mist drifting in from the Firth of Forth, he looked to be in good shape.
Scott had motored past Westwood to lead at two over at that stage with the Englishman one adrift alongside Stenson.
The Swede faltered at 12 and 13 and it was Mickelson who bounded up to near the top of the leaderboard.
Westwood then drifted away and back-to-back bogeys from Scott at 13 and 14 suddenly saw Mickelson with the lead.
He birdied the 17th to move two ahead and then had the 18th hole grandstand crowd on their feet as he sunk a 10-footer for birdie at the last.
That left Scott and Westwood needing a miracle to match him and neither looked likely of conjuring that up.
Mickelson had won The Open and the major tournament that had always been the hardest for him to compete in throughout his stellar career.
Gloom to Glory A Short Step for Mickelson
GULLANE, July 21, 2013 (AFP) - From US Open despair to British Open delight, Phil Mickelson has gone through the entire gamut of emotions in the space of five short weeks.
The 43-year-old American was left distraught at Merion Golf Club outside of Philadelphia on June 16 when he finished runner-up for a record sixth time at the US Open, losing out this time to Justin Rose.
It was a huge blow to a player who is entering the twilight of his career and one many thought would be too tough for him to overcome.
Certainly not at the British Open where Mickelson has struggled over the years with the intricacies and special demands of links golf.
A third place finish at Troon in 2003 and a tie for second at Royal Lytham two years ago was all he had to show for 19 previous campaigns and there was little to suggest it would be any different this time.
But instead of licking his wounds at home, Mickelson got on the plane, family in tow, and flew to Scotland to play in last week's Scottish Open at Castle Stuart near Inverness.
He won that, his first ever senior level tournament win in Europe, and carried the momentum with him down to Muirfield to the east of Edinburgh where on Sunday he had what he called the most fufilling moment of his entire career.
"It's a huge difference in emotions, as you can imagine," Mickelson said, his right hand grasping tightly the Claret Jug that goes to the winner of golf's oldest tournament.
"And being so down after the US Open, to come back and use it as motivation, to use it as a springboard, knowing that I'm playing well and to push me a little bit extra to work harder, to come out on top, in a matter of a month to turn it around it really feels amazing.
"I thought that it could go either way. You have to be resilient in this game because losing is such a big part of it. And after losing the US Open, it could have easily gone south, where I was so deflated I had a hard time coming back.
"But I looked at it and thought I was playing really good golf. I had been playing some of the best in my career. And I didn't want it to stop me from potential victories this year, and some potential great play.
"And I'm glad I didn't, because I worked a little bit harder. And in a matter of a month I'm able to change entirely the way I feel."
He agreed though that learning to play on the links, of which there are very few in the United States, had been a long, and at times painful, process.
Mickelson's first taste of the links came when he played at Portmarnock, outside Dublin in the Walker Cup amateur team competition in 1991.
He enjoyed that experience and thirsted for more, but his focus at that time was on learning how to compete effectively on the non-links US PGA Tour.
"The conditions and the penalty for missed shots in The Open Championship are much more severe than we played then. And it took me a while to figure it out, I would say," he said.
"It's been the last eight or nine years I've started playing it more effectively, but even then it's so different than what I grew up playing. I always wondered if I would develop the skills needed to win this championship."
Next up for Mickelson is probably the greatest challenge of his sporting life -- to complete the career Grand Slam by finally winning the US Open after so many near misses. He has already won the Masters three times and the PGA Championship and British Open once.
That would truly seal his legacy as one of the golfing greats, he believes.
"I think that if I'm able to win the US Open and complete the career Grand Slam, I think that that's the sign of the complete great player," he said.
"And I'm a leg away. And it's been a tough leg for me. But I think that's the sign. I think there's five players that have done that.
"And those five players are the greats of the game. You look at them with a different light. And if I were able to ever win a US Open, and I'm very hopeful that I will, but it has been elusive for me. And yet this championship has been much harder for me to get."
Woods Upbeat despite Open Flop
GULLANE, July 21, 2013 (AFP) - For Tiger Woods, the long wait for a 15th major title win goes on and on, but he believes he could end his drought at next month's PGA Championship.
The world number one started Sunday's final round of the British Open at Muirfield perfectly placed in a tie for second, just two shots behind leader Lee Westwood.
He had looked confident and threatening during Saturday's third round and there was no sign of the left elbow injury that dogged him at last month's US Open.
On Sunday he was looking to do something he had never done before -- win a major championship while trailing going into the final round.
He never looked like getting that monkey off his back.
Woods dropped a shot at the opening hole and by the time he reached the turn in 38, he had already slipped down the leaderboard.
There was still time to turn the tide as players struggled to make birdies in the tough conditions, but bogeys at 10 and 11 virtually doomed his hopes as old rival Phil Mickelson sped past him to win his first Open.
It was all to do with the speed of he greens, he said.
"I had a hard time adjusting to the speeds. They were much slower today, much softer," he said.
"I really had a hard time and left myself a couple of long putts early on when it was really blowing, and left them way short and didn't make those putts.
"I didn't really play that poorly. I hit a couple of bad shots at 10, 11, that was about it and at 3. But other than that I really hit the ball well today. I just couldn't ever get the pace of these things."
Woods has now gone 17 major tournaments without a win, his last coming at the 2008 Torrey Pines US Open -- 18 months before his life was turned upside down by a sex scandal that wrecked his marriage and sullied his reputation.
Injuries and enforced swing changes followed that episode, although he has bounced back this year with four tournament wins to regain the world number one spot.
Still success in the majors, which he craves most in order to close the gap on the all-time record of 18 wins set by Jack Nicklaus, has eluded him, and his failure to convert from a good position at Muirfield will raise further question marks over his abilities.
Woods though feels that he is in with a good chance at next month's PGA Championship, which is being held at Oak Hill, Rochester, a course he knows well.
"I've won 14 (majors) and in that spell where I haven't won since Torrey, I've been in there.
"It's not like I've lost my card and not playing out here. So I've won some tournaments in that stretch and I've been in probably about half the majors on the back nine on Sunday with a chance to win during that stretch.
"I just haven't done it yet. And hopefully it will be in a few weeks."
Thongchai Takes Cautious Approach at Open
GULLANE, July 21, 2013 (AFP) - Thai star Thongchai Jaidee took a more cautious approach in the final round of The British Open on Sunday when he shot a one-over 72.
Thongchai kept his driver in the bag for most of the day due to the blustery conditions at the challenging Muirfield course.
He played solidly for the day and was on track for his third straight even-par score for the week before his tee shot on 18 found the fairway bunker, which resulted in a bogey.
"I only pulled out two drivers on 10 and 17 because the wind was blowing very strongly. I played solid for three rounds," said Thongchai, who registered nine-over-par 293.
Currently ranked 61st in the world rankings, Thongchai will now set his sights on breaking into the top 50 in the world when he plays at the PGA Championship, the year's fourth and final Major, in August.
"I enjoyed my experience a lot. Luckily I made the cut! I know the course is tough. It is a good finish for me. I'll take a break and then I'll play in the PGA Championship. I've been playing for seven weeks now so I'm a bit tired.
"I wanted to break into the top 50 in the world but unfortunately I couldn't this week. I only had two bad holes for the week (two triple bogeys on Thursday). It happens on this golf course. You need some luck here to avoid the bunkers," said Thongchai.
Playing at The Open for the fifth consecutive year, the Thai legend believes he is more accustomed to links golf.
"I've been playing in Europe for about 10 years so I'm quite familiar with links golf. You need to have experience when you play links golf. The wind direction changed every day. That's links course for you. Luckily it didn't rain today," he added.
Kapur Upbeat after Open Experience
GULLANE, July 21, 2013 (AFP) - Shiv Kapur of India will take away bittersweet memories from the British Open after ending his campaign with an even-par 71 on Sunday.
Kapur will leave Muirfield with his head held high after a dramatic week where he led briefly in the first round before settling for a 68.
He was still in the mix after a second day 77 but struggled in the penultimate round when he returned with an 83.
His opening day heroics, where he shot six birdies in his opening seven holes, earned plaudits from the elite field.
"It gave me a lot of confidence knowing that I can be up there on the leaderboard because it shows that I can compete with the best players. I just need to be more consistent and sharpen each area of my game a little bit so that I can be right there in the mix," said Kapur.
The Indian, who is playing in The Open for the second time after 2006, restored some pride when he made a stunning 15 feet birdie putt on the last to end his week at Muirfield on 15-over-par 299.
"I started on such a high with the adrenaline rush. Yesterday was a bit of a disappointment when I got off to a rough start but I finished with a little bit of pride and my head held high today.
"You don't want to walk off the 18 green with drooping shoulders and not being happy with what you've done. I'm glad the bad round was yesterday and not today so I can walk away with a smile," he said.
Seeing his name up on the leaderboard, albeit for a brief moment in the opening round will forever be etched on his memory.
"It is easy to pick out the best moment. It had to be when I saw Kapur leading in the best tournament in the world. For years and years I've watched The Open and I thought it would be nice to have my name on that yellow leaderboard. That dream came true, though momentarily," he smiled.
"I learnt a lot, it has been a great experience and I won't trade it with anything. It was great to be on top the leaderboard and great to learn from yesterday. I just have to move on, box on, take the positives and brush away the negatives,' said Kapur
Collated final round scores in the 142nd British Open played at par-71 Muirfield on Sunday:-
281 - Phil Mickelson (USA) 69-74-72-66
284 - Henrik Stenson (SWE) 70-70-74-70
285 - Adam Scott (AUS) 71-72-70-72, Ian Poulter (ENG) 72-71-75-67, Lee Westwood (ENG) 72-68-70-75
286 - Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 71-73-72-70, Zach Johnson (USA) 66-75-73-72, Tiger Woods (USA) 69-71-72-74
287 - Hunter Mahan (USA) 72-72-68-75, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 69-74-72-72
288 - Ángel Cabrera (ARG) 69-72-73-74, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 68-79-69-72
289 - Justin Leonard (USA) 74-70-74-71, Miguel Ángel Jiménez (ESP) 68-71-77-73
290 - Eduardo De La Riva (ESP) 73-73-75-69, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 75-68-76-71, Danny Willett (ENG) 75-72-72-71, Harris English (USA) 74-71-75-70, Matt Kuchar (USA) 74-73-72-71, Keegan Bradley (USA) 75-74-70-71
291 - Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 76-70-76-69, Darren Clarke (NIR) 72-71-76-72, Richard Sterne (RSA) 75-75-68-73, Rafael Cabrera (ESP) 67-74-76-74, Sergio García (ESP) 75-73-68-75
292 - Ernie Els (RSA) 74-74-70-74, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 72-78-73-69, Paul Lawrie (SCO) 81-69-70-72, Jason Dufner (USA) 72-77-76-67, Stewart Cink (USA) 72-75-76-69, Steven Tiley (ENG) 72-75-73-72
293 - Oliver Fisher (ENG) 70-78-77-68, Bubba Watson (USA) 70-73-77-73, Dustin Johnson (USA) 68-72-76-77, Ryan Moore (USA) 72-70-72-79, Fred Couples (USA) 75-74-73-71, Bud Cauley (USA) 74-75-71-73, Jamie Donaldson (WAL) 74-71-71-77, Y.E. Yang (KOR) 78-70-73-72, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 79-71-71-72, Jason Day (AUS) 73-71-72-77, Martin Kaymer (GER) 72-74-72-75, Shane Lowry (IRL) 74-74-75-70
294 - Shingo Katayama (JPN) 73-77-69-75, Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 75-75-72-72, K.J. Choi (KOR) 76-74-71-73, Tim Clark (RSA) 72-76-76-70, Mark Brown (NZL) 77-73-72, Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) 72-75-75-72, Martin Laird (SCO) 70-71-81-72, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 76-73-77-68, Jordan Spieth (USA) 69-74-76-75, Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 73-76-73-72
295 - Carl Pettersson (SWE) 74-76-70-75, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 73-74-76-72, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño (ESP) 70-79-73-73, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 73-75-77-70
296 - Boo Weekley (USA) 74-76-71-75, Mark O'Meara (USA) 67-78-77-74, Tom Lehman (USA) 68-77-75-76, Johnson Wagner (USA) 73-72-73-78, Richie Ramsay (SCO) 76-74-72-74, Graeme McDowell (NIR) 75-71-73-77
297 - Chris Wood (ENG) 75-75-75-72, Ben Curtis (USA) 74-71-80-72, Webb Simpson (USA) 73-70-77-77, Ken Duke (USA) 70-77-73-77, Grégory Bourdy (FRA) 76-70-74-77, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 71-74-75-77, Branden Grace (RSA) 74-71-77-75
298 - George Coetzee (RSA) 76-71-75-76, Gareth Wright (WAL) 71-78-75-74
299 - Jimmy Mullen (ENG) 71-78-75-75, Todd Hamilton (USA) 69-81-70-79, Russell Henley (USA) 78-71-75-75, Kim Kyung-Tae (KOR) 73-76-77-73, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 73-74-72-80, Shiv Kapur (IND) 68-77-83-71
300 - Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 72-78-76-74, Peter Senior (AUS) 74-76-73-77, Kevin Streelman (USA) 74-71-82-73
301 - Josh Teater (USA) 72-76-75-77
303 - Graham DeLaet (CAN) 76-72-76-79
307 - Sandy Lyle (SCO) 76-72-80-79