Having returned from an almost two week hiatus for the 4th of July, I must look back at two great tournaments that I watched and read about but didn’t get to cover. I will take a look back now to briefly visit the AT&T National and John Deere Classic before diving into the upcoming British Open at Turnberry.
First, the AT&T National, hosted (and won) by Tiger Woods was a great event from start to finish. It was nice to see Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan break out of their post-Ryder Cup slumps and challenge Woods on Sunday. Kim started the week as defending champion and broke the course record in the first round. Mahan kept the pressure on Woods on Sunday shooting 62 in the final round. But, Tiger didn’t falter…as if anyone expected him to. Woods won for the third time in 2009 and has eight top 10 finishes in eight stroke play tournaments. Woods heads into the Open Championship with a lot of momentum.
Then, the John Deere Classic needed a 36-hole final day to add some excitement to the lead in to the British Open. Steve Stricker came out on top with a final round 64…not bad for the second round of the day. Stricker has played well in 2009 highlighted by the two wins over the last four weeks. Stricker heads overseas with a little hop in his step, and is one to watch heading into the PGA TOUR’s third major.
PGA TOUR Recap
First, the AT&T National, hosted (and won) by Tiger Woods was a great event from start to finish. It was nice to see Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan break out of their post-Ryder Cup slumps and challenge Woods on Sunday. Kim started the week as defending champion and broke the course record in the first round. Mahan kept the pressure on Woods on Sunday shooting 62 in the final round. But, Tiger didn’t falter…as if anyone expected him to. Woods won for the third time in 2009 and has eight top 10 finishes in eight stroke play tournaments. Woods heads into the Open Championship with a lot of momentum.
Then, the John Deere Classic needed a 36-hole final day to add some excitement to the lead in to the British Open. Steve Stricker came out on top with a final round 64…not bad for the second round of the day. Stricker has played well in 2009 highlighted by the two wins over the last four weeks. Stricker heads overseas with a little hop in his step, and is one to watch heading into the PGA TOUR’s third major.
Now, can Padraig Harrington repeat this week?