Jacquelin takes over top spot in India

Delhi, India (Sports Network) - Raphael Jacquelin managed an even-par 72 in windy conditions Saturday to move into the lead after three rounds of the Indian Masters.

Jacquelin, who trailed by two entering the round, completed 54 holes at six- under-par 210.

Second-round leader Damien McGrane struggled to a three-over 75 to slide into a share of second place at five-under-par 211. He was joined there by Graeme McDowell (73) and Jose Manuel Lara (71).

Arjun Atwal and S.S.P. Chowrasia are one stroke further back at minus-four.

During an up-and-down round, four different players owned at least a share of the lead. Jacquelin did not take over the top spot by himself until an eagle on the par-five 14th at Delhi Golf Club...Full Story

Warren wins playoff at Johnnie Walker

Perthshire, Scotland (Sports Network) - Marc Warren capped an up-and-down Sunday with a birdie at the second playoff hole to beat Simon Wakefield and become the first Scotsman to win the Johnnie Walker Championship.
Warren made just four pars in a final-round, four-under 69 that was marked by equal stretches of inconsistency and steadiness. He holed a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole in regulation to tie Wakefield for the lead at 12-under 280.
Tied for the third-round lead, Wakefield played in the final pairing and needed a successful up-and-down from in front of the 18th green for a birdie and the win. But he left his chip 12 feet short, then missed his birdie try on the right edge to settle for a 70 and force the playoff...Full Story

Warren leads by one at Gleneagles

Perthshire, Scotland (Sports Network) - Scotland's Marc Warren opened with an eight-under-par 65 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Warren, whose lone win came last year at the Scandinavian Masters, has struggled of late. He has missed the cut in six of his last eight starts and owns just two top-10s all season.
"The last few months have been frustrating because I haven't been getting the results that I want," said Warren. "But over the last couple of weeks I have noticed a couple of things and (my coach) Bob Torrance has been working hard with me on them this week to put it right and today was a glimpse of that."
Nicolas Colsaerts is one stroke behind Warren at minus-seven. Jeev Milkha Singh was joined in third place by Miles Tunnicliff at six-under-par 67 on the par-73 PGA Centenary Course at The Gleneagles Hotel.
Warren started his round on the 10th tee and birdied his opening hole. He came back with birdies on 12 and 14 to get to three-under.
The Scotsman made another birdie at the par-three 17th. Around the turn, he kept rolling...Full Story

Ilonen claims second win of 2007

Stockholm, Sweden (Sports Network) - Mikko Ilonen birdied the par-three 18th Sunday, then watched as Martin Kaymer closed with a double-bogey.
Kaymer's closing double handed Ilonen his second win of the season. Ilonen completed the event at six-under-par 274 thanks to a final-round 68.
"Unbelievable finish. First I dumped it in the water on 16, then I miss a birdie on 17," Ilonen stated. "Then for the first time, I hit that green on 18 and make birdie. I'm out of words."
The 22-year-old Kaymer, who was going for his first win, shot three-over 73 and ended in a share of second at minus-four. He was joined there by Peter Hedblom (69), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (68), Christian Cevaer (69) and Nick Dougherty (70).
Kaymer and Ilonen, who hails from Finland, battled throughout the round. After both players birdied the par-five 15th, it looked as though the 16th at Arlandastad Golf Club would be the turning point...Full Story

Padraig Harrington wins 2007 British Open Championship

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff on Sunday to earn his first major at the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Harrington took the aggregate, four-hole playoff 15-16.
This was the first major championship for Harrington, who became the first European to win a major since Paul Lawrie titled here in 1999.
Harrington took a commanding lead right away in the playoff. At the first, he hit his approach to eight feet, while Garcia drove into the right rough, then found the front bunker.
Garcia blasted out to 12 feet and missed the putt. Harrington sank his birdie try to lead, 3-5. Both parred the par-three 16th to allow Harrington to maintain his two-shot lead...Full Story

Garcia and Harrington headed to British Open playoff

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington are headed to a four-hole playoff to decide the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.
The duo, who finished regulation at seven-under-par 277, will play the first, 16th, 17th and 18th holes.
The conclusion conjured up the ghost of Jean van de Velde from 1999.
The last time Carnoustie hosted the Open Championship, Van de Velde squandered a three-shot lead on the 18th hole. He lost to Paul Lawrie in a playoff and both competitors in this year's extra session made a mess of 18 as well...Full Story

British Open Third Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Any golf fan who went to Carnoustie would dream of an opportunity to meet the two-time defending champion and world No. 1, Tiger Woods.
A 60-year-old woman had that chance on Saturday at the sixth hole.
It could have gone better.
Woods missed his second shot well right at the par-five hole. His ball struck the woman in the head and Woods went over to check on her before hitting his third.
"I went over there and the lady was bleeding all over the place," said Woods. "I felt really bad. I've done that before. You don't ever feel good about it. You have kind of a pit in your stomach...Full Story

Woods' sliced shot results in spectator needing 2 stitches to head

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- A woman was hit in the head by Tiger Woods' ball when he sliced an approach at the British Open on Saturday. She needed two stitches to close the wound.
Jennifer Wilson, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, was treated by medical staff after being driven away in a golf cart. Woods had earlier apologized and given the 63-year-old an autographed glove.
Wilson was struck just short of the green at the par 5 sixth hole at Carnoustie, where she was standing with her husband... Full Story

Swedish golfer fined $1,028 for whacking tee marker

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Sweden's Henrik Stenson was fined more than $1,000 for whacking a tee marker on the eighth hole at the British Open.
Stenson swung at the marker in disgust after a poor shot Friday, taking out half of it. He was fined 500 pounds -- the equivalent of $1,028 -- under the European Tour's disciplinary procedure.
Stenson made triple bogey on the par-3 hole and wound up shooting a 5-over 76. He missed the cut by one stroke.

2007 British Open Second Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - It has been quite a golfing week for Spain.
On Monday, Seve Ballesteros, a three-time champion, and Spain's greatest golfer in history, announced his retirement from competitive golf. He had been hampered for years by a bad back, but his statement at Carnoustie brought an end to an era in Spanish golf.
Then, one day later, Jose Maria Olazabal, a two-time Masters winner and Ballesteros' long-time Ryder Cup partner, withdrew from the British Open Championship with a knee injury
Things did not look good for Spanish golf.
By Friday afternoon, that country became the toast of Scotland...Full Story

2007 British Open First Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Who was the only player in the field to go through Carnoustie on Thursday without a bogey?

Would you believe an 18-year-old Northern Ireland amateur named Rory McIlroy?

He shot a three-under 68 to put himself in a tie for third with two of the last three U.S. Open champions. That 68 could have easily been a 66 and a share of the lead with Sergio Garcia."This is just awesome," said McIlroy. "I really enjoyed myself out there today. To play Carnoustie with no bogeys on your card, probably the toughest Open course, that's pretty good."McIlroy birdied the par-four fifth hole, then added another at 10. At the par- three 13th, McIlroy hit a seven-iron inside three feet and holed the birdie putt to reach three-under par for the championship...Full Story

McGinley in front early at Carnoustie

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Ireland's Paul McGinley shot a four- under-par 67 on Thursday to grab the clubhouse lead during the first round of the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell birdied the 17th hole to post a three-under 68. Markus Brier, Lucas Glover, an alternate who got in when Shingo Katayama withdrew earlier in the week, and 1995 champion John Daly are three-under par on the course.Tiger Woods, the two-time defending champion, managed a two-under-par 69 and is two behind McGinley in his quest to become the first player to win three consecutive claret jugs since Peter Thomson did it from 1954-56....Full Story

Rose trying to end British Open slump

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Justin Rose failed to qualify for the past three British Opens. Now he's back and hoping to end an eight-year shutout in majors for British golfers.
Paul Lawrie's victory at Carnoustie in 1999 was the last time any British -- or European -- golfer won a major, and that has become almost as embarrassing to the locals as Colin Montgomerie's failure to win even one.
The return to Carnoustie has fueled hopes of a British repeat here, and Rose appears to be the leading candidate. He tied for fifth at the Masters and 10th at the U.S. Open after being close to the lead early in both.
"Having played well in the last two majors, beginning to believe that's where I belong and just that alone makes it much easier to go out there and let it happen," Rose said Wednesday...Full Story

Olazabal pulls out of British Open

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Jose Maria Olazabal has withdrawn from the British Open Championship.
Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, has not played since last month's U.S. Open at Oakmont. He has battled a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from events in France and Scotland the last two weeks.
His best finish at the British Open was a third in 1992 and a tie for third two years ago at St. Andrews. In 1999 when the British Open was last played at Carnoustie, Olazabal missed the cut...Full Story

2007 British Open Championship Preview

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Needless to say, the last time Carnoustie hosted the British Open Championship, it was quite a memorable tournament.
The year was 1999 and you might remember a certain obscure Frenchman named Jean van de Velde coming to the 72nd hole of the tournament three shots ahead of the equally unknown Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard, the Open Champion two years prior.
From there, most Americans remember the sound of ABC's Curtis Strange calmly losing his mind as Van de Velde made a complete mess of the 18th at Carnoustie.
Not just any mess, but one marred by horrible shot-making and even worse decisions. Who could forget Van de Velde, pants rolled up his leg, trying to pull off a miracle shot from the burn? What most don't recall is that Van de Velde ended up holing a seven-footer for triple-bogey just to get into the playoff...Full Story

Woods, Rose, Lawrie headline British Open pairings

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Two-time defending champion Tiger Woods was paired with Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie for the first two rounds of the 136th British Open Championship, which tees off Thursday at Carnoustie Golf Club.Woods won the last two Open Championships at St. Andrews in 2005 and last year at Royal Liverpool. Lawrie won the last Open played at Carnoustie in 1999.
Rose, playing as an amateur, was the darling of the 1998 British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he shared fourth place behind playoff winner Mark O'Meara.
That threesome will tee off Thursday morning at 9:09 a.m. local time, which is 4:09 a.m. (et). They then tee off Friday at 9:20 a.m. (et)...Full Story

Mickelson moves one clear at Loch Lomond

Glasgow, Scotland (Sports Network) - Phil Mickelson carded a three-under 68 Saturday to move one stroke clear of the field after three rounds of the Scottish Open.
Mickelson completed 54 holes at 12-under-par 201. Gregory Havret, who shared the second-round lead, managed a one-under 70 and is one stroke back at minus-11.
Steve Webster used a third-round 69 to move into third place at nine-under-par 204. Louis Oosthuizen fired the round of the day with his seven-under 64. That moved him from 52nd place, which was the cut line of minus-one, into a share of fourth at minus-eight. He was joined there by Phillip Archer (69).
Ernie Els, a two-time winner here, shares sixth at seven-under-par 206 with Mikko Ilonen and Jose Manuel Lara, who led with Havret after round two....Full Story

Edberg shoots 65 to lead European Open

Straffan, Ireland (Sports Network) - Bolstered by a pair of 60-foot birdie putts and recognizable only by the red bandana he wore on his head, unheralded Swede Pelle Edberg fired a five-under 65 on Friday to take the lead midway through the Smurfit Kappa European Open.
The 28-year-old Q-school graduate posted six birdies and just one bogey on the shortened K Club course to finish two rounds at eight-under 132, one shot better than Colin Montgomerie and Niclas Fasth...Full Story

Lafeber's 64 leads wet European Open

Straffan, Ireland (Sports Network) - Maarten Lafeber fired a six-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Smurfit Kappa European Open.
Niclas Fasth, Gregory Havret, Jyoti Randhawa and Robert Rock shared second place at five-under 65.
Defending champion Stephen Dodd was at 66 alongside Soren Kjeldsen and Patrik Sjoland. Eight players were tied one shot further back at 67, and there were 49 players who broke par overall.
The low scores at the K Club were a result of more than just good play.
The weather forecast called for 40 mph winds and a driving rain, but the conditions were more benign than that. When it did rain, umbrellas were a common sight...Full Story

Twenty-eight players qualify for British Open

Bloomfield Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Michael Putnam won a British Open qualifier at Oakland Hills on Monday, shooting rounds of 69 and 67 to lead a group of 12 players who earned exemptions to Carnoustie in two weeks.
Putnam won the qualifier with a four-under 136 total, beating John Senden and Ryan Moore by two shots.
In England, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell posted rounds of 67 and 64 to lead a qualifier at Sunningdale, where 16 players earned berths in the Open.