FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Padraig Harrington found a way to take some of the attention away from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on Thursday. He made six birdies on the tough back nine of Bethpage Black and opened the FedEx Cup
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Padraig Harrington found a way to take some of the attention away from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on Thursday. He made six birdies on the tough back nine of Bethpage Black and opened the FedEx Cup playoffs with a 7-under 64 for a one-shot lead at The Barclays.
And that surely got the attention of Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal.
Harrington has to rely on a captain’s pick to make his seventh straight European team, and that looks to be unlikely. Not only has the three-time major champion gone four years without winning against a strong field, he and Olazabal are not the best of friends after a dispute at the Seve Trophy from nine years ago.
Harrington came to life on the back nine with four straight birdies to cap his 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Nick Watney and Brian Harman among the early starters. The hotter it became, the crustier the greens were, and it was unlikely anyone would catch him. No one did.
Sergio Garcia was part of the group at 66, while defending champion Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, both trying to make their own impression as potential picks by U.S. captain Davis Love III, were in the group at 67.
There were 73 players from the 123-man field at par or better, not the kind of scoring associated with Bethpage Black.
Thousands of fans chased after Woods and McIlroy in the marquee group based on their standing in the FedEx Cup — Woods at No. 1, McIlroy at No. 3. Both of them got off to a reasonable start. Woods scrambled nicely to recover from a few errant shots and scratched out a 68. McIlroy smashed one driver after another to set up short irons into the greens, and while he had three birdies through six holes, he let the good start get away from him and settled for a 69.
Tseng leads Canadian Women’s Open
COQUITLAM, British Columbia — Top-ranked Yani Tseng shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Canadian Women’s Open.
Emerging from a midseason slump, Tseng had eight birdies and a double bogey at The Vancouver Golf Club. The Taiwanese star opened the season with victories in three of her first five events, then had a series of missed cuts and poor finishes before tying for 11th last week in Oregon in the Safeway Classic.
“If I miss a couple shots, I don’t worry about it, not like I did before, so I feel that this is the way I used to play,” Tseng said.
She won a Canadian Women’s Tour event in 2007 on the tree-lined course.
“I wish I didn’t finish today,” Tseng said. “I wish I could keep going — keep playing. But 18 holes are finished. (Friday) is a new day, but I’ll try to keep that momentum going and try to do the best I can.”
U.S. Women’s Open champion Na Yeon Choi was second.
Lydia Ko, the 15-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur two weeks ago, was two strokes back at 68 along with South Korea’s Inbee Park. In January, Ko won the New South Wales Open in Australia at 14 to become the youngest player to win a professional tour event.
Brittany Lincicome, the winner last year at Hillsdale in Mirabel, Quebec, opened with a 72.
Michelle Wie, the 2010 champion at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba, had a 74.
Rumford, Borsheim lead at Walker tourney
GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Nicolas Colsaerts shot a 3-under 69 in the Johnnie Walker Championship, leaving the Ryder Cup hopeful two shots behind the first-round leaders in the final event in the points races for the 10 automatic spots on the European team.
The big-hitting Belgian made five birdies — including four in five holes on Nos. 14-18 — to share eighth place. He must finish first or second to be assured of an automatic position in the matches next month against the United States at Medinah in Illinois.
Australia’s Brett Rumford and Norwegian playing partner Knut Borsheim shot 67 on Gleneagles Hotel’s PGA Centenary Course, the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout that will be the site of the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Five players, including Ryder Cup qualifiers Paul Lawrie of Scotland and Francesco Molinari of Italy were a stroke back.
