Ghosts of Jean Van de Velde Spook Yani Tseng

THE TOURNAMENT WAS SEEMINGLY OVER. Yani Tseng stood on the 18th tee at Carnoustie Golf Links with a three-shot lead over Brittany Lang. In a matter of minutes Tseng could claim her second consecutive Women’s British Open and fifth major title at the age of 22 years, six months and eight days. No one had won five majors so soon, not even Tiger Woods.

That’s when she was visited by ghosts of the past, if just for a moment.

In 1999 French golfer Jean Van de Velde walked to the 72nd hole of The Open Championship with a comfortable three-stroke lead. Then he strolled into history, but not at all like he or the aghast onlookers expected. Van de Velde splashed into the Barry Burn with his approach shot. All he needed was a double-bogey six and his name would be etched on the Claret Jug. He made a seven and lost the four-hole playoff to Paul Lawrie.

Tseng thought of Van de Velde as she walked to the final hole on Sunday. Maybe that was a good thing. She still had to take care of business. It was no time to get sloppy.

“When you come on this golf course, you’re going think about him,” Tseng said. “But I did think about it a little bit.

“I had a three-shot lead so I’d better hit a good drive here to win the tournament. I thought, okay, let’s hit a good drive, finish here.”

And she did, leaving herself about 135 yards to the hole. Still, the ghosts beckoned.

“I hit a 9-iron, and I was thinking about Jean Van de Velde.”

But Tseng isn’t Van de Velde. The Taiwanese star flew that “juiced” 9-iron straight at the flagstick and sank the short birdie putt for a four-shot victory.

Tseng is the new dominant force, not just in women’s golf, but all of golf. With the LPGA Tour adding a major to put five on the annual calendar, Tseng is looking like a serious threat to catch Tiger Woods and even Jack Nicklaus. She is already on a record pace.

−The Armchair Golfer

Paul Lawrie Ends Nine-Year Drought in Spain

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following piece from Brian’s Irish Golf Desk is used with permission.

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

Scotland’s Paul Lawrie ended his nine-year wait for a European Tour victory when he claimed the Open de Andulacia thanks to a brilliant back nine performance at the Parador de Malaga.

Lawrie battled back from bogeys at his first two holes and another dropped shot at the fifth by reeling off four birdies in five holes at the start of the back nine. He bogeyed the last but his level-par 70 and 12-under total were good enough for a one-stroke victory over Swede Johan Edfors (68).

Lawrie, who won the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, was understandably delighted with a win worth €166,660.

“It’s been a long time—2002 seems a hell of a time ago,” he said. “I’ve had a few second places in there, but all of a sudden we’re there again. It was going pear-shaped a little bit, but you’ve just got to keep going—that’s all you can do. I played lovely and the putter behaved better. I got on a nice run at the right time.”

Great Scots

In addition to Lawrie, fellow countrymen Martin Laird and Sandy Lyle have won in recent days. Laird was the first Scot to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational this past weekend. Two weeks ago Lyle won for the first time since 1992, capturing the inaugural ISPS Handa Senior World Championship.

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

Paul Lawrie and the Eight-Putt Green

“I felt physically sick and it is without doubt the most bizarre thing I’ve ever done.”
−Paul Lawrie

PAUL LAWRIE IS A EUROPEAN TOUR professional and the 1999 British Open champion, the beneficiary of the collapse of Jean Van de Velde who Lawrie beat, along with Justin Leonard, in a four-hole playoff. Last week at the Wales Open Lawrie had a misadventure on the second green that he won’t soon forget. Playing the back nine first, the Scottish pro had just put the finishing touches on a 30 and was two shots off the lead. I’ll let Paul tell you what happened next.

“I went to the turn today in 30 (-5),” he wrote at his blog. “I played awesome and could have birdied every hole. At the par-5 second hole (my tenth) I made an 11. I was on the green in three and then eight putted.”

Timeout here. I can’t remember a tour pro taking eight putts. Paul Goydos recently took five putts on the par-4 seventh hole at The Players Championship. I saw it on tape and remember feeling slightly embarrassed for Goydos. Watching it, I could see how it happened. It was one of those devious hole locations. Still, it was nothing compared to Lawrie. Eight putts!

Here’s how Lawrie described it:

“The pin was right next to a large slope and I misjudged my first putt then spent the next five minutes going up and down the slope. I felt physically sick and it is without doubt the most bizarre thing I’ve ever done. Yet again this week I’ve played really good in spells and got nothing.”

It’s definitely a mind bender. Shoot a 30, threaten the lead and then eight-putt for an 11 and miss the stupid cut. I’ve never heard that one before. Instead, it reminds me of too many sad tales at the 19th hole. “I was playing out of my mind, a career round. Right, Fred (elbowing Fred)? Tell him! Then I eight-putted ….”

I just realized something. Both players who have recently suffered a sudden putting disaster (or SPD, as I’ll call it, because everything has an acronym these days) are named “Paul.” Uh-oh. Could it be some sort of bizarre epidemic striking the “Pauls” of the pro golf world?

Maybe someone should warn Paul Casey, Paul Stankowski and Paul Azinger before they’re afflicted with an SPD.

−The Armchair Golfer