So, has everyone recovered from the exciting final weekend of action watching the FedExCup Playoffs at Eastlake? The reality of the situation is that if I polled 100 people at Riverside Golf Course this week and asked them to explain how the playoff system worked, 99 of them would not know and the one who did know probably has way too much time on his hands. It should be noted that many of the players actually playing on tour don’t even know for sure how the system works. It may be a confusing system, but our two former Fresno State players, Nick Watney and Kevin Sutherland, once again represented our Bulldogs and the community well during the 2009 playoffs.

Nick Watney. (Photo courtesy: Donald Miralle, Getty Images)

Nick finished 12th in overall earnings for 2009 and 12th in the FedExCup points. He made it all the way to the final playoff event, The Tour Championship, and fired rounds of 70, 69, 71, 71, on the Par 70 course at Eastlake CC, good for 13th place. During his four days at the Tour Championship, Nick had his ups and downs on the course, but he always managed to keep his final score right around par. He hit less than half the fairways off the tee, but he was in the top 10 in putts per round and he was tied for 4th in birdies made. His final two rounds each had three bogeys and a double-bogey, but he still managed to shoot 1-over par 71 both days. This is a testament to Nick’s mental toughness.

Nick is continuing to prove what I have been saying about him for a couple of years now. He is quietly becoming one of the best players on tour because he is solid and steady. He does not wow anyone with wild clothes or memorable quotes. He does not do anything to draw attention to himself by being controversial or outspoken. He simply plays golf very well. Do not be surprised if you see Nick battling Tiger or Phil for a major championship late on a Sunday afternoon sometime very soon; I won’t be.

Kevin Sutherland. (Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Kevin Sutherland finished 64th in overall earnings for 2009 and 44th in the FedExCup points. Kevin did not play the final week at Eastlake because only the top 30 in points advance to the Tour Championship. Don’t feel too bad for Kevin though because he still made over a million dollars and made it through to the third week of the four week playoff system. A twenty three year veteran of professional golf, Kevin is still a force on tour. He made the cut in 22 of the 25 events he entered and is ranked 60th in the world.

Now, as for the playoff rules, I was going to detail them for you, but instead I am just going to give you a brief summary of how it works. This is the third year of the playoffs and the second time the rules have been tweaked.

•Players are awarded points for playing well in each regular season tournament
•The top 125 in points make it into the playoffs
•Each week the number is reduced until they get to the Tour Championship with only 30 players left
•The points are then recalculated based on their ranking to help level the playing field and prevent someone from clinching the title in the first three weeks
•If you are in the top 5 entering the final week, you are guaranteed the title by winning the last event
•Players 6-30 still have a mathematical chance to win the overall title depending on how everyone else finishes.

The bottom line is the tour has succeeded in creating interest in the late-summer events after the majors are over, but most of us are just not sure why.

Boys 16-17 division, blue tees (6429 yards)
25 players, 70.2 / 133 Slope

1 Mikey McGinn, Springville (74-1st place)
2 Kris Kennel, Springville (75-2nd place)
3 Matthew Stewart, Lodi (75-3rd place)
4 Luke Schuh, Lemoore 76
5 T.J. Masters, Clovis 76
6 Landon Polterock, Fresno 76
7 J.T. Smart, Fresno 77
8 Will Thiersch, Modesto 78
9 Quin Guadiana, Clovis 79
10 Troy Sweeney, Clovis 79
11 Shawn Clarkson, Fresno 80
12 Kyle Kelly, San Anselmo 81
13 Andrew Curiel IV, Merced 81
14 Quinn Procter, Springville 82
15 Tyler LeQuia, Coarsegold 82
16 Brandon Shin, San Jose 83
17 Jeff Johnston, Friant 84
18 AJ Hebert, Pleasanton 84
19 Hunter Radich, Fresno 85
20 Jonathan Maertens, Clovis 86
21 Joseph Quevedo, Cutler 88
22 Matthew Hepworth, Tulare 89
23 Clint Walterman, Fresno 89
24 Michael Sandoval, Clovis 91
25 Tanner Manser, Fresno 93

Sierra Meadows Country Club-Oakhurst

Boys 14-15 division, blue tees (6429 yards)
34 players, 70.2 / 133 Slope

1 Cody Neal, Lemoore (72-boys overall champion)
2 Max Chang, Dublin (73-1st place)
3 Brian Waterhouse, Fresno (75-2nd place)
4 Jordan Koelewyn, Lemoore (75-3rd place)
5 Andrew Leung, Burlingame 76
6 Chad Bell, Fresno 77
7 Justin Tang, Clovis 77
8 Tommy Lutton, Fresno 78
9 Brandon Dizon, San Leandro 78
10 Aaron Tam, San Francisco 78
11 Travis Rowney, Pleasanton 78
12 Tyler Kuwamoto, Clovis 79
13 Grant Yamaguchi, Fresno 80
14 Taylor Fallahsafa, Fresno 82
15 Matthew Sheehan, Fresno 82
16 Justin Saco, Alameda 82
17 Michael Yuan, Palo Alto 82
18 Tim DeSandres, Mariposa 83
19 Brennen Berry, Clovis 83
20 Jason Pugatch, Fresno 84
21 Russell Takeuchi, Fresno 84
22 Edward Pulpan, Saratoga 86
23 Ricky Fitzgerald, Parlier 87
24 Carter Duerksen, Tracy 87
25 Nathaniel Souryasack, Visalia 87
26 Logan Hepworth, Tulare 88
27 Christian Wick, Ahwahnee 88
28 Davis Holland, Clovis 89
29 P.J. Chan, Fresno 89
30 Hunter Statham, Fresno 89
31 Spencer Suvanto, Clovis 94
32 Carlo Maskarino, Hanford 95
33 Garrett Baher, Mariposa 97
34 Matthew Ashley, San Jose 100

Girls 15-17 division, white/red tees (5829 yards)
18 players, White Rating 68.4 / 124 Red Rating 68.9 / 122
16 holes white, 2 holes red

1 Asia Adell, Fresno (77-girls overall winner)
2 Hillary Billingsley, Lemoore (81-1st place)
3 Alison Ross, Fresno (81-2nd place)
4 Morgan Thomas, Fresno (82-3rd place)
5 Amanda Rudd, Oakhurst 83
6 Kirsten Keyser, Ahwahnee 84
7 Nina Souryasack, Visalia 84
8 Carly Althoff, Clovis 87
9 Kristen Lee, Los Altos 88
10 Andrea Mersino, Fresno 89
11 Laura Arellano, Modesto 92
12 Ysabel Cabreira, Oakley 92
13 Jamie Thomas, Fresno 92
14 Katie Allio, Danville 96
15 Maridel Terciano, Vallejo 109
16 Alicia Kmiec, Manteca 114
17 Allison Go, Fresno 119
18 Sara Martin, Fresno 130

Boys 12-13 division, white tees (6063 yards)
19 players 68.4 / 124 Slope
1 James Trevino, Fresno (75-1st place)
2 Isaiah Salinda, South San Francisco (77-2nd place)
3 Christian Torres, Fresno (78-3rd place)
4 Israel Garcia, Dinuba 78
5 Ryan Gronlund, Pleasanton 80
6 Anthony Bonales, Ceres 81
7 Timothy Yang, Modesto 82
8 Sebastian Crampton, Aptos 82
9 Chad Kubes, El Dorado Hills 84
10 Nicholas Ounesavath, Fresno 84
11 Jeffrey Yamaguchi, Fresno 86
12 Joshua Pulpan, Saratoga 87
13 Max Lutton, Fresno 88
14 Charlie Chapman, Fresno 89
15 Brandon McQueen, Fresno 95
16 Luke Shrestha, Fowler 100
17 Alec Harold, Fresno 100
18 Teddy Ford, Walnut Creek 102
19 Trent Nishimura, Fresno 106

Boys 10-11 division, red tees (2619 yards)
10 players 68.9 / 122 Slope
1 Cameron DeLaere, Fresno (40-1st place)
2 Colin DeLaere, Fresno (41-2nd place)
3 Drake Jones, Exeter (43-3rd place)
4 Alex Roxas, Millbrae 43
5 Nicholas Souryasack, Visalia 43
6 Ryan Sakamoto, Fresno 48
7 John Rowe, Merced 51
8 Nick Cathey, Woodside 57
9 Joel Applin, Hanford 67
10 Julian Medina, Nippanawassee 87

Girls 10-11 division, red tees (2619 yards)
5 players 68.9 / 122 Slope
1 Jacqueleine Ngo, Friant (42-1st place)
2 Netanya Hernandez, Merced (49-2nd place)
3 Noor Ahmed, Folsom (50-3rd place)
4 Fericia Terciano, Vallejo 53
5 Emma Laramie, Fresno 56

Boys 7-9 division, red tees (Move Up) (2205 yards)
5 players
1 Wesley Harper, San Jose (44-1st place)
2 David Trevino, Fresno (44-2nd place)
3 Seth Maxwell, Fresno (50-3rd place)
4 Alejandro Mendibles, Fresno 55
5 Reno Gonzales, Visalia 59

Girls 7-9 division, red tees (Move Up) (2205 yards)
6 players
1 Lillian Torres, Fresno (46-1st place)
2 Maya Pugatch, Fresno (46-2nd place)
3 Morgan Pimentel, Los Banos (49-3rd place)
4 Madison Nii, Fresno 60
5 Savanna Innes, Walnut Creek 66
6 Claire Oetinger, Oakhurst 80

Girls 12-14 division, white/red tees (5829 yards)
11 players White Rating 68.4 / 124 Red Rating 68.9 / 122
16 holes white, 2 holes red
1 Madeleine Ngo, Friant (82-1st place)
2 Paulette Maskarino, Hanford (87-2nd place)
3 Nadine Innes, Walnut Creek (89-3rd place)
4 Christina Trujillo, Visalia 89
5 Jordan Keyser, Ahwahnee 96
6 Katrina Mendez, Salinas 98
7 Taylor Vaughn, Fresno 103
8 Jessica Rudd, Oakhurst 105
9 Krista Twet, Clovis 105
10 Miranda Dubler, Clovis 109
11 Brittany Tam, San Francisco 128

Boys' overall champion Cody Neal with Tournament Director Kent Keyser.

Girls' overall champion Asia Adell with Tournament Director Kent Keyser.

By Mike Firpo
VSP Golf Columnist:

San Joaquin Country Club has developed a program that will enhance the life experiences of deserving youth in our community. The First Tee of Fresno uses the game of golf to instill a valuable set of life skills that participants can use in their everyday life as they grow into young adults. Together, they have identified and selected two junior golfers who will receive the benefits of an “honorary membership” at the private golf club.

Alanna Loyd and Kirsten Keyser were selected through an interview process that included a question and answer session conducted by a San Joaquin CC panel and a golf skills demonstration on the driving range.

San Joaquin Country Club will welcome in two very special members this year.

“We are very grateful to San Joaquin Country Club for offering these memberships to hard working kids. This type of program is a great way for the country club community to have a positive impact on our youth,” said Rusty Oetinger, Program Director for The First Tee of Fresno.

Alanna is a Clovis East High School Sophomore and Kirsten is a Senior at Yosemite High in Oakhurst. Both play on their school’s golf team and both excel in the classroom as well as in the community. Both of these young ladies will be great ambassadors for The First Tee of Fresno and San Joaquin CC. They will each enjoy one year memberships at the course.

Only junior golfers whose families are economically unable to join a country club are allowed to apply. The membership allows them access to a country club environment that would not normally be accessible to them. The First Tee of Fresno was a perfect match for the club to partner with since their participants come from all socio-economic backgrounds.

The program launched August 1st. Once the applications were reviewed, the applicants were interviewed in person. While it is important to San Joaquin CC to find good golfers, they are just as focused on finding good young people who are well rounded. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or better and be involved in community service.

“We really want the recipients to take full advantage of the opportunities created from this program,” said Simon Buckle, Head Golf Professional at San Joaquin CC.

By creating this membership program, San Joaquin Country Club is opening its doors to deserving youth who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to be exposed to the benefits of a country club membership. This isn’t just about golf. These juniors will have the ability to socialize with business professionals and learn more about college and career opportunities. Beyond that, they have access to a premier practice facility where they can work to get the most out of their game.

MIKE FIRPO’S BIO:

Mike Firpo is a Fresno native and he has been a golf professional since 1993. Currently Mike’s full-time job is as the Executive Director of The First Tee of Fresno, a youth development non-profit. He is also an assistant coach for the Bullard High School Boys Golf Team and a staff golf pro at Riverside golf course. Growing up in the junior golf scene here in Fresno and now working in the golf industry as a professional, Mike has a good feel for what is going on in the golf community.

Prior to working as a golf professional, Mike played many regional amateur events and then joined the Golden State and Texas Mini-Tours in 1993. He was named Ping Club-Fitter of the Year in 1997, and in 2003 our local PGA chapter honored him for his work with junior golf.

Check out the First Tee’s website here:
www.thefirstteefresno.org

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

By Mike Firpo
VSP Golf Columnist:

Ahhh, The British Open Golf Championship has come and gone once again. To those of us who are golfaholics, it is simply The Open, because it is the original Open Golf Championship and it pre-dates the US Open by 29 years.

Now, I want to keep a local theme to this article, but considering Scotland is 5,161 miles away (give or take a few) all Americans could be considered local. There are a total of 44 Americans playing, which is 28% of the field. Nick Watney and Kevin Sutherland are the only truly local connections to this year’s tournament. Let’s back up for a minute.

This was the 138th Open Championship and was played at the Ailsa Championship Course at Turnberry Resort in Scotland. Open courses, including this year’s, are completely different than US Open courses. Open courses rely on weather and natural terrain for the most part to create the challenge. US Open courses are “tricked up” or should I say “set up” to create the challenge.

You will notice when watching The Open that the golf course is relatively boring in its design, compared to what we (Americans) are used to seeing. Ailsa is known as a links course, which by definition is a seaside course with little or no alteration to the natural terrain. There are very few, if any, trees and the bunkers are deep. Most people think the bunkers are deep in order to make the course play tougher, but they are actually deep in order to keep the seaside winds from blowing the sand away. The fairways of a links course are not watered on a regular basis and they are usually very hard and fast. A true links course routes out and back. The first hole begins at the clubhouse and the front nine plays straight out so that the ninth is farthest hole from the clubhouse; the direction turns back in at #10 and the course ends with #18 back at the clubhouse.

Stewart Cink won the British Open, but Tom Watson stole the spotlight. (Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Now, I will get to our local boys in a minute, but how can we talk about The Open without mentioning Tom Watson? He said after Sunday’s loss in a playoff to Stewart Cink that it could have been a great story. Correction, it was a great story. Not all great stories have to have a historical ending. Tom was phenomenal for 72 holes, except for one putt on eighteen Sunday. That 10-footer 30 years ago would have gone in or four feet by if he missed, but at 59 years old and after four days of build-up, Tom succumbed to the moment and let it affect his stroke. But, let’s not forget that Cink shot two under par for the four-hole playoff and he earned the victory. Well done Tom. You know you have done something special when Jack Nicklaus is glued to his set and admits to becoming emotional watching you do more than just turn back time.

Okay, back to Nick and Kevin. They both spent their college career at Fresno State so we like to call them locals. This was Nick’s second trip across the pond to play in The Open and it was only Kevin’s third. This is an event that is best played after you have some experience with what is a very different style of play. When was the last time you saw a player in a US tournament land a shot 50 yards short of a green on purpose; not because the green is a long way away but because it is the best way to end up on the green.

Nick is a very intelligent golfer and he knows how to make adjustments without letting the conditions get to him. Watney (71, 72, 71, 70) was very consistent and patient, which is a good thing in an Open format. After being in a tie for 53rd place after Friday’s second round, Nick shot a combined +1 on the final two days and moved up to finish in a tie for 27th and earn $47,793.63. Unlike most PGA tournaments, shooting +1 is a good thing in The Open. He did this by making par or birdie on 29 of the final 36 holes and not allowing mistakes to lead to a big number on any given hole. It is safe to say that Nick has a lot of Open Championships in his future and each round will help as he becomes a contender more and more often.

Kevin is a veteran of a couple decades of professional golf so he has learned how to manage a tournament. The Open is not your ordinary event, but when you have played as much as Kevin has, you can draw on experience when you are faced with new challenges. Sutherland was in good shape after two rounds. He was tied for 41st place at +2, but ran into a few bad holes on the weekend that knocked him out of contention. In round three Kevin went +4 on a stretch of six holes on the front nine and still managed to shoot +3 for the day. Round four was a matter of one hole. A very rare quintuple bogey, nine, on the par 4 fourteenth hole was the only significant blemish on his final round, but it cost him 26 places on the leaderboard and he finished in a tie for 60th place. Sutherland shot 69, 73, 73, 75 and earned $17,012.67.

Both players represented Fresno State and the community well considering only 73 players from all over the world made the cut and we can claim two of them.

Nick (10th on the season in earnings with $2,647,480) is taking this week off, but Kevin (77th with $774,758) is back at it in Canada at The Canadian Open.

MIKE’S BIO:

Mike Firpo

Mike Firpo is a Fresno native and he has been a golf professional since 1993. Currently Mike’s full-time job is as the Executive Director of The First Tee of Fresno, a youth development non-profit. He is also an assistant coach for the Bullard High School Boys Golf Team and a staff golf pro at Riverside golf course. Growing up in the junior golf scene here in Fresno and now working in the golf industry as a professional, Mike has a good feel for what is going on in the golf community.

Prior to working as a golf professional, Mike played many regional amateur events and then joined the Golden State and Texas Mini-Tours in 1993. He was named Ping Club-Fitter of the Year in 1997, and in 2003 our local PGA chapter honored him for his work with junior golf.

Check out the First Tee’s website here:
www.thefirstteefresno.org

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer:

Former Bulldog All-American Kevin Sutherland didn’t have the best four rounds of golf of his career, but his 70 on the Bethpage Black course Monday was good enough to finish in a tie for 33rd place in the 2009 U.S Open. Sutherland, who sandwiched a pair of 73’s between his opening round of 71 and final round of 70, takes home $47,404 for his efforts. He was seven over par (287).

Kevin Sutherland struggled, but still took home over 47-thousand dollars. (Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Lucas Glover (-4) won the first major of his career, taking home 1.35 million dollars. Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Stockton native Ricky Barnes, who led after three rounds, finished tied for second at
-2. Mickelson has now been the runner-up at the U.S. Open five times, the most second place finishes in tournament history.

Tiger Woods (even) finished tied for sixth place. Former Fresno State All-American Nick Watney failed to make the cut.

FINAL LEADERBOARD:

Lucas Glover, $1,350,000 69-64-70-73–276
Phil Mickelson, $559,830 69-70-69-70–278
David Duval, $559,830 67-70-70-71–278
Ricky Barnes, $559,830 67-65-70-76–278
Ross Fisher, $289,146 70-68-69-72–279
Tiger Woods, $233,350 74-69-68-69–280
Soren Hansen, $233,350 70-71-70-69–280
Hunter Mahan, $233,350 72-68-68-72–280
Henrik Stenson, $194,794 73-70-70-68–281
Rory McIlroy, $154,600 72-70-72-68–282
Matt Bettencourt, $154,600 75-67-71-69–282
Sergio Garcia, $154,600 70-70-72-70–282
Ryan Moore, $154,600 70-69-72-71–282
Stephen Ames, $154,600 74-66-70-72–282
Mike Weir, $154,600 64-70-74-74–282
Anthony Kim, $122,128 71-71-71-70–283
Retief Goosen, $122,128 73-68-68-74–283
Ian Poulter, $100,308 70-74-73-67–284
Michael Sim, $100,308 71-70-71-72–284
Peter Hanson, $100,308 66-71-73-74–284
Graeme McDowell, $100,308 69-72-69-74–284
Bubba Watson, $100,308 72-70-67-75–284
Lee Westwood, $76,422 72-66-74-73–285
Steve Stricker, $76,422 73-66-72-74–285
Oliver Wilson, $76,422 70-70-71-74–285
Sean O’Hair, $76,422 69-69-71-76–285
Vijay Singh, $56,041 72-72-73-69–286
Francesco Molinari, $56,041 71-70-74-71–286
Azuma Yano, $56,041 72-65-77-72–286
J.B. Holmes, $56,041 73-67-73-73–286
Johan Edfors, $56,041 70-74-68-74–286
Stewart Cink, $56,041 73-69-70-74–286
Kevin Sutherland, $47,404 71-73-73-70–287
Jim Furyk, $47,404 72-69-74-72–287
Camilo Villegas, $47,404 71-71-72-73–287
Carl Pettersson, $42,935 75-68-73-72–288
a-Nick Taylor 73-65-75-75–288
Adam Scott, $42,935 69-71-73-75–288
Todd Hamilton, $42,935 67-71-71-79–288
Tim Clark, $38,492 73-71-74-71–289
Dustin Johnson, $38,492 72-69-76-72–289
a-Drew Weaver 69-72-74-74–289
Billy Mayfair, $38,492 73-70-72-74–289
Kenny Perry, $35,536 71-72-75-72–290
Thomas Levet, $33,319 72-72-71-76–291
John Mallinger, $33,319 71-70-72-78–291
Rocco Mediate, $27,409 68-73-79-72–292
Andres Romero, $27,409 73-70-77-72–292
K.J. Choi, $27,409 72-71-76-73–292
Tom Lehman, $27,409 71-73-74-74–292
Geoff Ogilvy, $27,409 73-67-77-75–292
Gary Woodland, $27,409 73-66-76-77–292
a-Kyle Stanley 70-74-74-75–293
Jean-Francois Lucquin, $22,501 73-71-75-75–294
Andrew McLardy, $22,501 71-72-75-76–294
Angel Cabrera, $22,501 74-69-75-76–294
Ben Curtis, $21,385 72-71-74-79–296
Jeff Brehaut, $20,630 70-72-81-74–297
Trevor Murphy, $20,630 71-69-77-80–297
Fred Funk, $19,921 70-74-75-82–301

PALM HARBOR, FL. (Associated Press)-

Nick Watney is playing so well that he doesn’t even realize it.

Coming off a wrenching one-shot loss to Phil Mickelson at Doral, Watney kept right on rolling Friday with a 4-under 67 at the Transitions Championship to share the 36-hole lead with Steve Stricker.

“I guess I’m playing very well, but it really seems like this is just what I’m supposed to be doing,” Watney said.

Nick Watney has a one stroke lead after two rounds. (Photo courtesy: Sam Greenwood, Getty Images)

Stricker, who also had a bogey-free 67, is playing quite well this year, too.

Take away one bad patch — a 77 in the last round to lose the Bob Hope Classic, followed by a missed cut in Phoenix — and Stricker has shot par or better in every round this year. This was his 10th straight sub-par round.

“I know that I’ve been playing well,” Stricker said. “I know I’ve been shooting some good scores. But no, I haven’t paid attention to that. I look at my stats and I realize I was up there in the stroke average. Obviously, I must have been shooting some decent scores.”

They were at 6-under 136 on a Copperhead Course that is among the strongest tests on tour. It has become even tougher with sunshine that is baking out the greens and strong wind in the afternoon that makes it field more like June than the Florida swing.

“You don’t play this course thinking you’re going to make a bunch of birdies,” Charles Howell III said after a 66 put him in the large group at 5-under 137. “At least I don’t. Maybe that’s my problem.”

The bigger problem is finding separation at a tournament that doesn’t seem to allow it. Some two dozen players were within four shots of the lead going into the weekend.

Jonathan Byrd reached 8 under through 11 holes until he kept finding the bunker and making bogeys. He had to settle for a 70 and joined Howell in the group at 137 that included two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (68), Stuart Appleby (67) and former Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman (69), who turned 50 last week.

“This is a golf course that it kind of scrunches the field a little bit,” said Joe Ogilvie, who joined that group after a 66. “You’re not going to see a guy … well, (Jim) Furyk might get it to 10 under … but you’re not going to see a guy shoot 62 on this golf course.”

Ogilvie spoke too soon.

Furyk opened with a 65 for his first lead on the PGA Tour in nearly 20 months. He was 13 shots worse on Friday while playing in the afternoon, and had to two-putt from 30 feet on his final hole simply to make the cut. He wound up with a 78 to finish at 1-over 143.

Ryo Ishikawa, the 17-year-old from Japan, had a 73 to finish at even-par 142 and make his first PGA Tour cut. He missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut last month at Riviera.

Masters champion Trevor Immelman had consecutive sub-par rounds for the first time since the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, shooting a 70 to join the group at 4-under 138 that included Rich Beem and Steve Flesch, who each had 67.

Stricker made his blunder early in the tournament when he took double bogey on the second hole from a plugged lie in the bunker and a three-putt, which really irritated him. But he has been solid ever since, and was especially happy about two birdies on the par 3, the last one coming on No. 8 with a 5-iron to 15 feet.

“If you play the par 3s well here this week — play them at even par or better — you’re doing well,” he said.

Watney seems to be everything well at the moment. He attributes most of that to a putting aid called “Inside Down the Line Putting Track” which swing coach Butch Harmon asked him to try. That was in October, and Watney has been rolling ever since.

First came his victory in the Buick Invitational with birdies on two of the last three holes, then a spirited duel with Mickelson in which Watney came up an inch short on a birdie putt at Doral to force a playoff.

“I’m keeping the game pretty simple and putting well,” Watney said. “Hopefully, that will continue.”

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer-

Call it an economic decision or going in a different direction, but any way you slice it, Save Mart is no longer part of the annual Save Mart Shootout. The Shootout is now without its biggest sponsor, jeapordizing this year’s tournament and possibly shutting it down for good.

“For years we were proud that the Save Mart Shootout brought excitement and charitable dollars to Fresno and the rest of the Central Valley,” said Save Mart Owner and CEO Bob Piccinini in a statement.

Riverbend Golf Club has hosted the Save Mart Shootout every year since 2002. (Photo courtesy: Riverbend Golf Club)

“I think to the community at-large it’s a pretty big loss,” said Mike Firpo, Executive Director of the First Tee of Fresno. “Fresno’s always been looking for large scale events that are successful and this is definitely one of them. Thousands of people come out every year and we get arguably the biggest names in golf here. What other sport do we draw the biggest names in that sport to come to the valley for an event? And with this event we have. I’d hate to see it disappear, so hopefully someone in the community will step up and sponsor it.”

There is no word of any company replacing Save Mart as the top sponsor for the Shootout. The contract between Save Mart and Peter Jacobsen Sports expired after the 2008 event. Jacobsen, one of the most popular golfers on tour, brought the Shootout to the valley in 2002, and his group continued to operate it during its seven year run at Riverbend.

“Riverbend is always here to support the Shootout or any professional event,” said Riverbend General Manager Mike Stieler.

Jacobsen released a statement about the state of the Shootout this morning, and says he wants to keep the tournament going.

“While we were disappointed to learn of Save Mart’s decision to withdraw their title sponsorship of the Save Mart Shootout, we appreciate their tremendous support of this fantastic event. I would like to join the thousands of golf fans who attended the tournament over the past seven years in thanking Save Mart and CEO Bob Piccinini for their dedication and commitment,” Jacobsen said.

“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of such an impactful event, and help to raise more than $1.5 million for local charities. We are currently exploring other options for this annual event, as it has become an important part of the golf community in the greater Fresno area.”

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer

DORAL, Fl. – Former Fresno State All-American Nick Watney eyeballed his putt on the fringe on 18. Make it, and possibly force a playoff with one of the greatest golfers of all-time, Phil Mickelson.

Nice stroke and right on target.

But less than an inch short.

Watney hid his face in his cap in disbelief, then watched Mickelson seal the deal for the first win of his career in a World Golf Championship event. Nick finished at 18-under 270, Mickelson 19-under 269. It’s the biggest payday in Lefty’s career, taking home $1.4 million dollars at the CA Championship. Watney earned $840,000. Not a bad consolation prize.

Nick Watney gave Phil Mickelson all he could handle this weekend. (Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The aforementioned Tiger Woods finished tied for 9th at -11.

Watney's pitch for birdie on 9 was the shot of the tournament. (Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Watney then nailed an eagle putt on ten to catch Mickelson at -20, but bogeyed the next two holes. Mickelson made par on 11 and bogeyed 12, but kept a one shot lead for the rest of the tournament.

There were seven lead changes between the two. Mickelson was treated for heat exhaustion and mild dehydration last night, but had the strength to endure the Florida heat and Watney being hot on his tail all day.

Mickelson moves into second place in the FedEx Cup Standings. Watney is third.

Watney will play next week at the Transitions Championship in Tampa Bay, Fl.

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer-

DORAL, Fl. – Nick Watney bogeyed for the first time at the CA Championship today, but made up for it with six birdies, catching Phil Mickelson after three rounds and practically leaving everyone else in the dust, including Tiger Woods.

Watney fired a 67 today, matching Friday’s score. Mickelson shot a 69. Both players are at -16.

“Yes, definitely pleased,” Watney told Chris Reimer of pgatour.com. “I just wanted to go out there today and really get into my round and not worry too much about the scoreboard or playing against Phil directly. So I’m pleased with the way I handled it.”

Nick Watney is focused on winning for the second time on the PGA Tour this year. (photo courtesy: Jamie Squire, Getty Images)

Many people wanted to see a Phil vs. Tiger showdown at Doral, but that’s not going to happen. Woods is nine shots off the pace at -7.

Watney and Mickelson share the same coach, Butch Harmon. The two also bantered back and forth with each other during the round.

“I like Nick a lot, and not only do I have respect for him as a player, but as a person, too. We had fun today, Mickelson told pgatour.com. “I would expect that he and I would be able to separate competition from personal relationship and be able to converse throughout the round and have a good time, as well as compete against each other. But if that helped him in any way, then I will probably stop it tomorrow (laughter).”

Watney birdied four of the first six holes and finished the day with a tough par save on 18. He was asked about the big check he’ll be getting no matter what tomorrow’s outcome will be. Nick said he’s not thinking about the money.

“I would love to get my hands on that trophy,” Watney said. “That’s why I’m playing.”

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer

Doral, FL. – The soft-spoken Nick Watney lets his golfing do the talking, so if his clubs could talk, they wouldn’t shut up.

Watney is in second place at -11 after two rounds of the CA Championship in Doral, Florida, as part of the World Golf Championships. He trails only Phil Mickelson on the leaderboard. The two will be paired in Saturday’s third round.

Nick Watney has not bogeyed after two rounds. (photo courtesy: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)

Watney, who has already won on tour this year (Buick Invitational), carded a 67 this afternoon. A very clean five birdie 13 par day. He’s two shots behind Mickelson (-13). Watney shot a 66 Thursday.

Tiger Woods is back of the pack at -3.