Quinney makes an ace, but Mickelson keeps the Northern Trust Open lead

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson lost his cushion, but not the lead Saturday at the Northern Trust Open.

Mickelson watched Jeff Quinney make a hole-in-one on the fabled sixth hole at Riviera that erased a four-shot margin, but saved par on the 18th hole for a 1-under 70 to stay in the lead and move one step closer to adding this trophy to his West Coast collection.

Quinney made a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 67 that set up what appears to be a two-man race in the final round.

Mickelson, whose 15 victories on the West Coast Swing have come in every city but Los Angeles, was at 11-under 202. He missed the green to the right on the final hole, chipped 7 feet by and saved par.

"I thought it was a good, solid round," Mickelson said. "It should be an interesting and tough day tomorrow."

Quinney delivered the best shot, and maybe the worst.

Along with his hole-in-one that he could hear, but not see, Quinney bladed a wedge over the green on the par-5 11th that led to a two-shot swing in Mickelson's favor, then spent the rest of the gorgeous afternoon trying to catch up.

Quinney was at 203, four shots ahead of everyone else.

John Rollins fell back with consecutive bogeys and had to settle for a 69 that left him at 6-under 207. Scott Verplank, who opened his round with a four-putt from 30 feet on the fringe, shot 71 and was another shot back with Stuart Appleby (69) and Vaughn Taylor (71).

"Other than Tiger, he's probably the next best front-runner," Verplank said of Mickelson, who is 21-7 with a 54-hole lead. "He's awful good. So I'm going to have to play exceptionally well, and probably then would need a little bit of help."

Mickelson also had a one-shot lead last year going into the final round, losing in a playoff to Charles Howell. There were five players within three shots of the lead a year ago, but only Quinney, a former U.S. Amateur champion who has not won on the PGA TOUR, appears to be in his way this time.

"He's going to bring a lot to the table," Quinney said. "I have to bring my best to the table."

Quinney did not sound the least bit concerned about a four-shot deficit to Mickelson, saying after his second round that Riviera is not the type of course where one has to shoot 64 to make up ground.

Then, he looked as though he might do just that.

Quinney birdied the first hole with a long chip across the green on the par 5, then gained another shot when Lefty three-putted for bogey on No. 4. Quinney then holed a 20-foot birdie putt to reduce the lead to one-shot going into the sixth hole, famous for having a bunker in the middle of the green.

He thought that's where his 7-iron was headed. But it landed just to the side, rolled down the slope and into the cup.

Back on the tee, Quinney had already turned away and was looking over his shoulder when he heard the crowd erupt, the sure sign that he had made ace. He ran toward his caddie, unsure whether to hug or high-five, and it turned out to be a clumsy celebration.

"We need to get that organized," he said.

That gave him the lead, but only for as long as Mickelson hit 8-iron to 5 feet and made birdie, putting both at 10 under.

They matched birdies at No. 10 -- Quinney with a wedge to 2 feet, Mickelson by driving to the front of the green -- and neither showed signs of backing down. But everything changed with one swing.

Mickelson was on the par-5 11th green in two, Quinney just short of the bunker. Quinney caught two much ball, however, and it sailed over the green. He chipped back to 15 feet and did well to escape with bogey.

Even so, it was a two-shot swing after Mickelson made birdie, and Lefty kept his margin.

Mickelson had the 54-hole lead at Riviera last year, only this time the odds are even more in his favor. Five players were separated by three shots last year, while this appears to be a two-man race.

"Daylight is up front, first and second," Appleby said. "If I can shoot a good round tomorrow, 4 or 5 under, that would be a good score. Now, what's that mean for the tournament? Does that threaten the top? Probably not. It's not really an open tournament."

Divots: Pat Perez isn't any more optimistic about the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship than he was last week, when he thought he was playing Tiger Woods in the first round and didn't want to embarrass himself. He was told Saturday morning he would be playing Phil Mickelson. "Yeah, that's much better, because he's playing like (dirt) right now," Perez said with typical sarcasm. J.B. Holmes will play Woods and had a different outlook. "I'm in," he said. "That's all that matters." ... Marc Turnesa was on his way home Saturday morning until John Merrick missed a 4-foot par putt, meaning 78 players made the cut at 3 over. Turnesa then shot 67 and moved up to a tie for 29th at 1-under 212.

Sorenstam wins season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title

KAHUKU, Hawaii (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam waited 17 months to collect a T-shirt from her sister and a bottle of wine from a friend with No. 70 proudly displayed on them.
"It's probably dusty," she said. "I'm ready to collect it now."
Sorenstam won the season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title and first since September 2006, birdieing two of the last three holes Saturday for a 3-under 69 and two-stroke victory.
"It's great to win tournaments and there's some tournaments that mean a little bit more and they come in a special time, and I would say this is one of them," she said.
The 37-year-old Swedish star, coming off an injury-shortened season where she failed to win last year for the first time since her rookie season in 1994, finished with a 10-under 206 total. It also was her second straight win in Hawaii.
"We've talked so much about '07, it's time to talk about '08," she said. "My clubs did the talking this particular week."
Rookie Russy Gulyanamitta (68), Laura Diaz (70) and Jane Park (70) tied for second. Angela Park (69), the 2007 rookie of the year who was assessed a two-stroke penalty, and Japanese rookie Momoko Ueda (71) tied for fifth, three strokes back.
Sorenstam dropped to a knee and shook her fist as she calmly sank a 24-foot downhill putt on the par-4 17th that ended any suspense.
"That was huge," said Sorenstam, who has won 47 times when holding the lead going into the final round. "That's one of those putts I'm going to remember for a long time."
She then waved both arms in the air and hugged her caddie after putting for par on the 18th hole.
"It's been a while," caddie Terry McNamara said as they hugged.
Sorenstam was limited to 13 events last year because of neck and back injuries and had six top-10s finishes, but couldn't add to her trophy collection.
In the first event of 2008, the world's former No. 1 looked like her old self -- relaxed, focused and dominant.
"This means so much to me," she said. "Last year was not a year I wanted to remember inside the ropes. I was determined to come back."
Sorenstam smiled as she walked the fairway on the par-4 16th after hitting a wedge to 4 feet, which she dropped for the outright lead that she wouldn't lose.
Sorenstam said she was a little hesitant and trying to protect her lead until she reached the turn when she told McNamara, "Let's play some golf."
She first went up by two strokes on the par-4 10th by sinking a 14-foot birdie putt, but quickly lost a stroke when her long birdie putt whizzed 8 feet passed the cup on the next hole. She three-putted for her only bogey of the day.
Ueda and Jane Park each birdied to tie Sorenstam for the lead at 8 under. Jane Park made a long putt on No. 15. Seconds later, Ueda rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 14, drawing a roar from the sizable Japanese gallery.
However, no one could keep pace with Sorenstam.
Sorenstam was playing at Turtle Bay for the first time and beginning her season a month earlier than usual. It was her first appearance in Hawaii since winning the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic at Waikoloa.
Gulyanamitta, who earned just $4,411 in her previous 17 events, jumped around the 18th green after sinking a long birdie putt. She made $75,867 Saturday.
Like Sorenstam, Diaz also was hungry for a win. She hasn't hoisted a trophy since 2002. Diaz shared the lead with Sorenstam until a double bogey on No. 7 dropped her into a crowd.
Angela Park (69) was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play on the par-4 10th that gave her a triple bogey and cost her a shot at the lead and about $60,000. Park then birdied three of the next four holes to get back within a stroke of the lead before Sorenstam's late birdies.
Park said she wasn't holding up play. "I really don't think it's fair especially because I was in contention. I don't think it's fair at all."
Rules officials said Park's second, third and fourth shots on the hole all exceeded the time limit. Park disagreed and was visibly upset, in tears after her round.
"I was so mad out there," she said. "I was flying through the course on the back nine. I was so frustrated."
Without the penalty, Park would have finished 9 under, alone in second place for $100,458. Instead she earned $40,872.
Conditions were unusually calm on Oahu's North Shore. Even the normally roaring Pacific Ocean was peaceful. It was also balmy, forcing the players to find shade anywhere they could.
Ueda used an umbrella. Sorenstam hid under the ironwood trees.
Sorenstam and Erica Blasberg (74) were co-leaders heading into the final round at 7 under. Blasberg was playing in the final group for the first time in her career.
Her troubles started when she pulled her drive near the water hazard and had to pitch out on No. 7 for bogey. Blasberg tied for eighth with Cristie Kerr (73), In-Kyung Kim (71) and Yani Tseng (69) at 5-under 211.
Defending champion Paula Creamer closed with a 69 to finish at 4 under. She hit 18 greens in regulation but putted 34 times.
"I was grinding it out there," she said. "I saw the leaderboard and I think I got a little anxious."

Myopia Hunt Club Makes Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses

Myopia Hunt Club, MA, USA

As seen from the 12th tee, Myopia Hunt enjoys the finest links characteristics.

The golf course at the Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton has as much character per hole as any course in the United States.

Common with other courses that are packed with character like Pine Valley, Oakmont, National Golf Links of America, and Pinehurst No. 2, one man lavished constant attention on the design for an extended period of time. However, unlike the driving forces behind those four famous courses, not nearly as much is known about Myopia Hunt Club or its architect Herbert Corey Leeds.

What is known is this: H.C. Leeds was a great all-around sportsman and excelled at baseball, football and yatching, and even penned books on the subject. However, at the age of 40, he was bit by the golfing bug while at The Country Club at Brookline. Within two years, he was a scratch golfer and tired of the rudimentary 9 hole course at Myopia Hunt that had been originally laid out by the Master of the Fox Hounds (?!).

Leeds convinced the membership to improve their course and they appointed him as the man to do it. Always one to excel at a given task, Leeds first went and studied the (first) 18 hole course that was in play at Shinnecock Hills. In particular, the natural placement of the green sites impressed him and he took that knowledge to South Hamilton.

The first nine was completed in 1896 and the second nine in 1901. Much was immediately written about the design of Myopia Hunt on both sides of the Atlantic. The numerous use of bunkers (there were almost 200 at one point) and the interesting green contours were its distinguishing design trademarks relative to other US courses of that time.

A true cross bunker, as seen on the 11th hole.

The random placement of hazards and the shape of the bunkers remain particular highlights to this day. The scattered bunkers on the 255 yard brute 3^rd hole leave the golfer few bail-out options. The stream that cuts across the 6^th can dictate as little as a six iron off the tee if the golfer is unwilling to carry it. The forty yard long, four yard wide cross bunker that slashes across the 11^th fairway is unique. The bunkers that front the 4^th and 9^th greens could only be found at Myopia. To see such original and unique hazards is every bit as invigorating today as it must have been to the early players and writers who praised Myopia at the turn of the century.

One consequence of its bunkering is that the rifle straight driver enjoys a huge advantage at Myopia Hunt and such was Leeds� intention. However, the sloping fairways do ask the better golfer to shape certain drives. Fades on the awesome 12^th and the 14^th stand a better chance of holding the right to left pitched fairways, just as a draw does on the left to right pitched 11^th and 17^th fairways.

To miss either the 10th or 11th fairway to the right is to end up in Jonesville, so named after
Bob Jones' visits into these pits while attending Harvard Law School.

As for the greens, Leeds was determined that they would not ressemble the basic, level greens found around Boston. Several of the greens (the 4^th, 6^th, 8^th, and 11^th) feature such fearsome pitch that there are only three or four hole locations, given the speed of today�s greens. Many of the other greens are mere extensions of the fairway and the golfer must bounce the ball in to get near many hole locations. The 18^th green is the largest on the course and features exemplary green contours.

Unfortunately, over time, some of the subtle design features were lost. For instance, take the 1^st hole. This 275 yard hole features a blind uphill drive to a smallish green that is open in front. Doesn�t sound like much? Well, fifteen years ago it wasn�t. A collar of rough surrounded the green. A straightforward chip remained if the green was missed.

Enter Greenkeeper David Heroian in 1987. He took one look at the bunkers six yards down the left bank from the 1^st green and realized that it had become completely disjointed from the green and Leeds� original intent. Heroian shaved the left bank and brought the bunkers back into play. A ball that hits the left shoulder of the green can even kick down into these bunkers, from where a double bogey or worse may result. What had become an innocuous opener of little interest is now an immediate test of judgement for the golfer.

As seen from behind the 1st green, a slightly tugged approach can find its way into the left
hand bunkers. The ball from the resulting bunker shot can easily return to your feet.

Heroian and his well trained crew of professionals assembled from other leading golf clubs have painstakingly restored much of the original playing charcateristics to the course. Another example involves the removal of a row of dense pines that separated the parallel 7^th and 8^th holes. The ill-advisedly planted pines obscured the sweeping views across the rolling New England terrain and covered up sand pits that Leeds had so carefully built. These pines along with 180 other trees were felled by Herioan and his crew.

With the removal of the trees, the links nature of the course is once again fully exposed, which would please Leeds to no end, given how taken he was with links golf during his 1902 trip to Scotland. Leeds would also be pleased at the lack of any senseless flower or shrub planting program. Golf at Myopia Hunt is striped down to the essentials. The clutter that wrecks so many United States courses is well and truly absent.

The view from the 2nd tee is another example of the work done to promote the links characteristics.
Orchard trees that once separated the 2nd fairway (pictured left) and the 13th fairway
(pictured right in the shade) have been replaced by irregular shaped mounds
that are common throughout the course.

Indeed, Leeds was mightily impressed by what he saw in Scotland. In particular, the minimal movement of dirt was a lesson well learned and in all the years he worked on Myopia Hunt, never was much land moved. Some erroneously think that the creation of the irregular shaped mounds throughout the course is a sign of superfluous or decorative land movement. This is not the case: rather, there were old stone boundary walls that ran through the property and Leeds did not think that a stone wall was a fair or safe hazard for a golf course. Therefore, he piled dirt on top of them. Whether the formation of these particular chocolate drop mounds were the inspiration for Donald Ross at nearby Essex County remains unclear.

Kittansett Named #64 Golf Course in U.S. by Golf Magazine

Kittansett, MA, USA

Suffice to say, weather is a key factor on the wind swept point where Kittansett is located.

The Kittansett Club has long been highly regarded and was selected to host the Walker Cup in 1953. Indeed, many consider it only behind The Country Club for stature within the golf rich state of Massachusetts. However, when the authors first played the course in the fall of 1986, such recognition seemed due more to its romantic location than because it possessed holes full of character/interesting features.

True, the celebrated one shot 3rd lived up to its pictures, but the other holes seemed more pleasant than engaging. That impression is now materially changed, thanks to a successful restoration project that the Kittansett Club carried out with architect Gil Hanse in which many of the course's original design features were recaptured.

For instance, many of Fred Hood's novel grassed over rock formations had been buried underneath tree growth. According to Hanse, 'We removed hundreds of trees from the various mounds around the course. These were rock and debris piles during construction that Hood used as features to line many of the holes, and as diagonal hazards on some holes. For the most part they had been swallowed up by the tree lines over the years. We cut back the trees, and restored the native grasses to the mounds for what is perhaps the most unique feature at Kittansett. When we got there you could barely see the mounds.'

The view from behind the 4th green is indicative of three aspects: first, many of the green
pads are built 2-3 feet above the fairway level, secondly, the slightly elevated greens
are relatively small targets (especially in the wind) and thirdly,
the mounds are no longer obscured by trees.

In addition, Hood's bunkering had lost its original size and rugged appearance, so Hanse and Jim Wagner, working side by side with Green Keeper Lennie Blodgett and his crew, re-constructed each bunker. Working primarily with fine fescue sod to replace the existing grasses, wherever possible they kept patches of native grass, moss, and even rocks in the bunker faces to add some instant maturity. Every bunker was restored to its original shape and size. In addition, three bunkers that had been filled in were restored, those being on the left side of 1st fairway in combination with the cross rough, one in the middle of 2nd fairway, and the one to the rear of the 14th green. Not surprsingly, two of the three bunkers that had been filled in where in the direct line of play.

Hanse restored the 9th greenside bunker so that once again it comes back some thirty yards
toward the golfer. In 1998, this bunker was only greenside.

Also, Hanse and Wagner enhanced some of the links characteristics of the course. Drainage was improved on many of the inland holes and a plan for capping the flat 1st fairway is presently being considered. Without firm playing conditions, the golfer was robbed of playing the kind of low running shots often dictated by the wind at Kittansett. Now, once again, all options are available to the golfer.

Finally, Hanse removed hundreds of trees from between holes 16,17, and 2. When they arrived, the 16th green had a solid backdrop of trees, and a wall of trees to the left. These trees also provided a wall between the 2nd and 17th holes. Through the removal of these trees, Buzzards Bay is in full view from the 16th tee and the point has been restored to its links-like condition. In the members' eyes, this has been the most dramatic improvement, and - ironically - it was the one that they fought against the hardest.

A low profile tee, such as the one pictured here at the 4th, was
typical of the courses built during the 1920s.

As for Kittansett's design, credit must be shared. While William Flynn routed and designed on paper the holes, Fred Hood (who owned the property and hired Flynn) was on site and drove the entire construction process. Furthermore, he fine-tuned the course over the next twenty years until his death in 1942.

Holes to Note

2nd hole, 425 yards; Length is not the issue as the 2nd generally plays downwind. Rather can the golfer successfully judge where to fit his approach between two front greenside bunkers so that it bounds up and stays on the small 4,000 sq. ft. green which is several paces from the edge of the Buzzards Bay? His chances are greatly improved if he first hits the fairway.

Downwind, the drive on the 2nd must carry this grassy knob at the 230 yard
mark from the tee and sit down before it reaches the newly uncovered
bunker some forty yards ahead.

3rd hole, 165 yards; Apart from the obvious, what the authors enjoy about this hole is the random treatment that can befall two tee balls. The typical summer wind is essentially from left to right across the hole and many a golfer misjudges the effects of the day's wind, especially early in the round. Hence the green is frequently missed. One tee ball can land on the beach and gain a perfect lie on a slight upslope. The resulting recovery splash is straightforward and often results in a par. Player B hits a similar tee ball but his ball lands in a heel print on the beach. That player can struggle mightily for a double bogey. Such random treatment is as nature would have it, and seeing the effect on each man is most interesting.

No place to hide from the wind on the exposed 3rd tee.

Looking from the tee across the Bay to the green surrounded by beach, the picture doesn't capture
the hole's primary defense: the wind. The hole is more manageable on a tranquil day
like when this picture was taken than in a four club cross wind!

As taken from the edge of the green with a view back toward
the tee on the far point, the golfer can only hope that an
errant tee ball finds a good lie on the beach.

Country Club at Brookline Named to Golf Magazines's Top 50 Courses

The Country Club, Brookline, MA, USA
Green Keeper: Bill Spence

America's first country club wasn't initially founded with golf in mind and it is still the site today for
numerous other worldclass pursuits apart from golf. The pond behind the 3rd green was
used by Tenley Albright in preparing for her figure skating gold medal.

While The Country Club enjoys a glorious place at the heart of golf's development within America, its influence within the field of golf course architecture is less obvious.

On the one hand, in 1882, it became the first American club formed in the country for the pursuit of outdoor activities. In 1894, it was one of five charter clubs to form the Amateur Golf Association of America (later re-named the United States Golf Association). Finally, in 1913, fame was thrust upon it by hosting the U.S.Open, which, by virture of the victory by the unknown American Francis Ouimet over two British legends, sparked an interest in golf in the United States that has never abated.

On the other, The Country Club's influence in the development of American golf course architecture is more subtle, in large part because the design never had a strong central figure like Fownes at Oakmont, Macdonald at National Golf Links of America or Crump at Pine Valley. Indeed, the evolution of the course is a hodgepodge.

The first six holes were laid out in March, 1893 by Messrs. Hunnewell, Curtis, and Bacon. Then, the Scot Willie Campbell was hired as the professional in 1894 and helped oversee the expansion of the course to nine holes that summer.

For the next several years, the vast majority of the members of The Country Club remained focused on their equestrian pursuits and tolerated the golfers, despite their clamoring for more land. The slow progress in furthering the challenge of this nine hole course prompted member Herbert Leeds to pursue creating a more engaging course elsewhere, and the members at the Myopia Hunt Club are forever glad that he did in 1896.

By 1899, the course at The Country Club had expanded to 18 holes, thanks in part to the acquisition of an additional 17 acres (the newly acquired land is where holes # 3-6 reside today). The Country Club hosted its first U.S.G.A event in 1902, the Women's Amateur, but the invention of the Haskell ball later that year meant that the original eighteen hole course needed to be further lengthened and expanded. A professional architect was still not brought in but rather two more members, this time, Messrs. Windeler and Jacques, drove the acquisition of an additional 30 acres of land. In 1908, three more holes, today's holes 11-13 of the members' course, emerged from this rock strewn, unwanted jungle that bordered the back of the club's property. It was on this course that Francis Ouimet won.

Finally, to complete the puzzle, in 1927, William Flynn added the Primrose nine, of which three and half holes are borrowed for today's major events.

Despite such a start or because of such a start, the course at The Country Club remains unique among American courses to this day. Common with other Massachusetts courses like Charles River and Eastward Ho! that make the most of their distinctive New England topography, The Country Club doesn't remind the golfer of any other course. Its greens are among the smallest targets in golf, and are almost one third the total size of the greens at Yeamans Hall, for instance.

While its famous Composite or Open course has been the scene of historic events, it isn't the one that the members play on a regular basis and thus, it isn't the one profiled here. Rather let's look at the course as the members regularly play it.

This narrow, twenty-five yard long bunker along the left side of the 8th green is
reflective of the course's old fashion charms.

Holes to Note

3rd hole, 450 yards, Risk/Reward; Along with the ones at Royal County Down and National Golf Links of America , this is the author's favorite third hole in the world. The one of a kind topography sets a grand stage whereby there is an seventy yard range that golfers of varying skills can aim for - from far right by the tiger in an effort to carry the rock ledge and shorten the hole to well left, thereby making the hole a three shotter. No player is forced into playing the hole in a particular manner but rather, the golfer is left to his own to figure it out. Such an attribute represents the zenith of golf course design and yet ironically, similar with The Old Course at St. Andrews, no one man is responsible for this outcome.

The tiger may attempt to carry the rock ledge on the right and if successful,
be left with a wedge into the green.

However, the rest of us will have this view for our approach, and
be reaching for some kind of long to mid iron.

4th hole, 335 yards, Hospital; A hole full of possibilities. With the last seventy yards of the fairway leading downhill onto the open putting surface, today's tiger is tempted to have a go at the green from the tee. However, the green is tiny - a mere 2,100 (!) square feet - and any recovery shot, especially from the rough, is difficult to get close. Such holes are fascinating how they affect the better player's mind who becomes frustrated when his expected birdie fails to materialize. Just like the 10th at the West Course at Royal Melbourne, the hole lends itself to a team match play format, whereby one man is sure to have a crack at the green.

A view of the tiny 4th green from 90 yards back.

7th hole, 195 yards,The Oldest Hole; Iroincally, this is both the only hole that remains from the original 1893 six hole course and the hardest hole in relation to par at the last U.S. Open here (1988). Its fascinating double plateau green is set at a 45 degree left to right angle to the player on the tee, making a high fade clearly preferred. When the hole is on the front plateau, the golfer must land the ball short of the green and it is in this area - the area right before the greens - that Green Keeper Bill Spence and his crew particularly excel, as the ground is always ideally presented. Its uniform and firm conditions allow the golfer to bounce the ball onto this green, as well as the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 14th, and 15th holes. Given that the holes were designed 90-107 years ago when the ground game was king, there would be a complete disconnect between how the holes were intended to be played and how they play today unless Spence did such an excellent job in this oft overlooked area right before the greens. Course after classical course in the United States is compromised when the water overlaps from the fairway sprinklers and the greenside ones, creating conditions that are too soft in front of the greens; not so at The Country Club.

The highly underrated 7th at The Country Club, with the oldest double plateau green in the United States.