Ogilvy Leads at Doral
Monday 24th March 2008
By Fergus Bisset
Co-Sanctioned
WGC-CA Championship
Doral Resort and Spa, Florida
March 20-23, purse $8,000,000, par 72
Australia's Geoff Ogilvy leads the WGC-CA Championship by two strokes with nine holes to play. The Australian was -17 as darkness forced the competitors off the Blue Monster Course at Doral.
A three-hour rain delay yesterday means the competition will finish on a Monday for the first time in it's ten year history.
Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh are tied for second place on -15 and Retief Goosen lies a further shot back alnog with England's Graeme Storm. The 30-year-old from Hartlepool was +3 through nine holes of the first round but fought back with a fabulous third round of 63 and still has a chance of victory when play resumes this morning.
Tiger Woods has his work cut out if he's to extend his winning streak. The World Number One is five shots off the pace with just seven holes of his final round left to play.
A full report will follow at the conclusion of the final round.
European Tour
Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal
Santo de Serra, Madeira
March 20-23, purse 700,000, par 72
After a thrilling final day, Scotland's Alastair Forsyth won the Madeira Islands Open and claimed his second European Tour title.
The 32-year-old fired a closing round of 67 to catch South Africa's Hennie Otto and force a playoff. Forsyth had the momentum and a birdie at the first extra hole was enough to secure the trophy, a winner's cheque for 116,660 and a two-year exemption on the European Tour.
Prior to this week, Forsyth had endured a poor start to the season, missing his first five cuts. But, working hard with coach Bob Torrance, the Scot was sure his game was moving in the right direction.
I've been playing all right over the past couple of weeks so I felt as if a good result was just around the corner. He said. Some people at home were asking me what was wrong with my game? It was the worst start to a year I had ever made. But I had trust in my game and faith in my ability and a lot of trust in Bob who told me I was swinging well. If he tells you that, it is good enough for me, and he was right.
It was a case of history repeating for Otto. 12 years ago he lost to Forsyth in a playoff for the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play title. The 31-year-old had a five shot lead going into the final round and was in no doubt as to what part of his game let him down.
I had over 30 putts for the first time this week and that just shows you if you make over 30 putts you will lose the tournament, He said. If I made under 30 putts, even just 29, I'd have won.
England's Gary Clark closed with a birdie to finish alone in third and two further Brits: John Bickerton and Gary Orr, recorded top tens.
1 Alastair Forsyth (Sco) 70 70 66 67 273 116,660
2 Hennie Otto (RSA) 67 67 67 72 273 77,770
3 Gary Clark (Eng) 72 71 64 70 277 43,820
4 Sven Struver (Ger) 66 72 71 69 278 35,000
T5 John Bickerton (Eng) 69 72 68 70 279 25,060
T5 Alvaro Velasco (Esp) 73 70 68 68 279 25,060
T5 Fredrik Widmark (Swe) 68 70 70 71 279 25,060
8 Gary Orr (Sco) 72 70 67 71 280 17,500
9 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 73 71 68 69 281 15,680
Key Moment: Forsyth birdies the fifth while Otto makes a bogey. The two-shot swing is the turning point in the final round.
Note: Player in bold signifies Titleist ball usage.
PGA Tour
Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular
Trump International Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
March 20-23, purse $3,500,000, par 72
America's Greg Kraft has won the inaugural Puerto Rico Open by one stroke from countrymen Jerry Kelly and Bo Van Pelt.
It was a momentous victory for the 43-year-old as, after 16 years on tour, it was his first official title. "I wish I could describe how I feel," Kraft said. "Maybe justice." The winner's cheque of $630,000 was more than Kraft has earned on the tour since 2003. The win also gives him an exemption to the end of 2010.
Kraft began the day one shot behind Van Pelt but a supremely steady round featuring only one bogey saw him climb to the top of the leaderboard after nine holes and hang on to the top spot.
Kraft won the Deposit Guaranty Classic in Mississippi in 1993 but, as it was hosted the same week as the Masters, it was not recognised as an official PGA Tour Event. Despite that, it seemed Kraft was destined to step up to the next level. But he struggled to progress and contracted an illness in 2002 that he couldn't shake. The tough road to this victory made it taste all the sweeter for Kraft.
That crystal trophy that I'll lug home, I'll look at that every day." He said.
1 Greg Kraft (USA) 69 66 69 70 274 $630,000
T2 Jerry Kelly (USA) 67 66 72 70 275 $308,000
T2 Bo Van Pelt (USA) 64 68 71 72 275 $308,000
T4 Briny Baird (USA) 67 68 69 72 276 $154,000
T4 Kevin Stadler (USA) 70 69 70 67 276 $154,000
T6 Tommy Armour III (USA) 72 67 67 71 277 $117,250
T6 Marco Dawson (USA) 68 69 69 71 277 $117,250
T6 Tim Wilkinson (NZ) 71 67 70 69 277 $117,250
9 Brenden Pappas (RSA) 67 69 69 73 278 $101,500
Key Moment: Van Pelt makes back-to-back bogeys at the eighth and ninth.
Note: Player in bold signifies Titleist ball usage.
