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[OnePiece]

Tiger charges, but McDowell clings to two-shot lead at Sherwood

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2012 | 06:25:04 PM

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Based on history alone, the most comfortable part of Graeme McDowell's position is being at Sherwood Country Club.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Graeme McDowell four birdies and no bogeys.

Ever since he first showed up at the World Challenge in 2009 as a last-minute replacement for tournament host Tiger Woods, McDowell has broken par in every round he has played. Saturday was no exception. He rolled in two long birdie putts early in the third round and stretched his streak to 29 holes without a bogey when he walked off the 18th green with a 4-under 68. As for his two-shot lead? That's not always his best spot from which to win. McDowell's last three wins started with at least a three-shot deficit. He has never won when he had the outright lead, although he started out tied for the lead four times. "I'm not sure how many times I've won from the front,'' McDowell said. "Hopefully, I'll add one tomorrow.''

All he knows is that it doesn't figure to be easy to pick up his first win in two years.
Keegan Bradley had to cope with more fallout on the proposed ban of the belly putting stroke when he said one man in the gallery called him a "cheater.'' It didn't keep the former PGA champion from a 5-under 67 to get into the final pairing with McDowell on Sunday.
Woods, a five-time champion at Sherwood, kept himself in the game. Even though Woods failed to birdie any of the five par 5s, he picked up a pair of birdies on the final two par 3s and added a third to salvage a 69 that left him five shots behind.
"I'm going to have to shoot a low one tomorrow and see what happens,'' Woods said.
McDowell was at 13-under 203, and will try to win from the front for the first time since he was tied for the 54-hole lead at the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2008. His specialty of late has been rallying on the last day - four shots behind at the World Challenge, three shots behind at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, four shots behind at the Wales Open, all of those in 2010.
On another overcast day with a light drizzle, McDowell picked up a pair of birdies he wasn't expecting.
He laid up on the par-5 second hole and hit his wedge with two much spin, the ball rolling back down a pair of tiers that left him some 40 feet away. He rolled that in for a birdie, and then holed about a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 4. McDowell's best swing of the day came at the ninth, with the pin at the far back of the green. He hit a 6-iron to about 6 feet for birdie, and picked up his fourth birdie with a two-putt on the 11th, the one par 5 he can reach in two.
The damp conditions all week have made some of the par 5s difficult to reach, even for some of the longer hitters, and birdies are no longer sure things. Woods found that out the hard way, missing the fairway badly to the right on No. 5 and having to lay up. Even when he was in position for birdie on the 11th, he three-putted for par. But he closed strong, and still has an outside chance.
Bo Van Pelt had a 70 and was tied with Woods at 8-under than 208. Jim Furyk was another shot behind after trading three birdies with three bogeys for a 72.
"I felt like I played decent enough to get to 10 under and just didn't do it,'' Woods said
Bradley and McDowell are the only players to post all three rounds in the 60s. A year ago, Bradley was 10 over for the tournament and never shot better than 73.
"I played so poorly here last year, it just feels so good to be in the hunt, and I'm striking the ball as good as I can,'' Bradley said. "A few putts go in tomorrow, I think I could have a good run at this.''
Bradley has been the center of attention all week, especially after the USGA and the R&A proposed a new rule on anchored strokes that would keep him from using the belly putter. The rule is not to take effect until 2016 at the latest, but some fans are passionate against it.
Already this week, Bradley told of getting a tweet from some follower who advised him to apply for a job at Burger King in 2016. And then he told of the man who told him he was cheating, which was unusual for Bradley because he can't ever recall getting heckled.
"There's always going to be people who are negative,'' he said.
The primary focus is catching up to McDowell, who is starting to feel right at home in this toney neighborhood. The runner-up finish in 2009 earned him enough ranking points that eventually got him into the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which he won for his first major, and that win assured him a spot in the Ryder Cup.
He won again in California with his comeback against Woods at Sherwood.
McDowell's only regret Saturday was not making another birdie after the 11th hole, although the pars didn't hurt him.
"I played disciplined golf to some of those tighter pins,'' McDowell said. "Couldn't seem to get anything to drop, but two shots ahead going into Sunday, I'll take that any week, anywhere, any time, and it's right where you need to be.''
It helps being at Sherwood.

[OnePiece]

Woods donates millions of his own money to keep his tournament going

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2012 | 02:35:05 PM

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Tiger Woods started his World Challenge in 1999, a chance to bring together top players from around the world for a tournament that amounted to a holiday exhibition to raise money for his foundation.

Warren Little/Getty Images Tiger Woods has won his own tournament five times and donated the winnings to his foundation.

It offered big money, even for the guy who finished last. And though it now awards world ranking points, it does not count as an official win on any tour. But it's serious business to Woods. When the tournament lost its title sponsor last year, and a deal with a major company unexpectedly fell through at the last minute in early September, Woods spent what is believed to be about $4 million of his own money to join presenting sponsor Northwestern Mutual in covering the operating costs. "We're going to be doing everything we can to keep the tournament going and keep all our programs going," Woods said.

He described the World Challenge earlier in the week as his "showcase event" that he created with his late father, Earl Woods. And while the trophy and a $1 million check will be presented Sunday at Sherwood Country Club, one of the more compelling moments came before the tournament even started.
Standing at a podium Wednesday night at a private pro-am dinner was Edgar Perez, a senior at Savanna High School, located in the same impoverished Orange County neighborhood where the 14-time major champion built his first Tiger Woods Learning Center.
Wearing a black suit and a red tie, standing tall before an audience of VIPs, Perez told of his family's business going bankrupt during the economic downturn when he was in the seventh grade. He described himself as "frail, socially awkward and apathetic." Upon hearing a presentation from a TWLC alum, the boy turned in his application and became a regular at the state-of-the-art center.
As a senior, he is the student body president and the school's highest achiever. He is likely to become an Earl Woods Scholar to pay for his education at Reed College in Portland, Ore. He would be the first person in his family to go to college, not unusual for the previous 77 students in the program.
Only at the end did his voice crack when he introduced Woods, who embraced him and said to the audience, "Wow."
"This is why we're here, people like Edgar," Woods said.
The message gets lost in another tournament, where the rich get richer. The 18-man field combined for about $65 million in PGA Tour earnings alone this year, and last place pays $120,000. Woods is not naturally gifted as a public speaker, and it's easy to tune him out when he talks about the foundation or the learning centers. Along with the original TWLC in Orange County, there are two campuses in the Washington, D.C., area, one in Philadelphia and another in south Florida.
The foundation says 100,000 kids have attended TWLC programs, and that 73 percent of TWLC students have a higher GPA that their school district's average.
Steve Stricker was at the pro-am dinner and said he "got teary-eyed" when Perez spoke, which is not alarming. Stricker once donated $100,000 of his earnings at the World Challenge to the foundation, though he was not aware how much Woods paid this year for operating costs. Nor was he surprised.
"It shows what this event means to him," Stricker said. "There's a lot of things Tiger does that people don't know about."
The World Challenge has raised $25 million for the foundation since it began, including prize money from Woods. He has won five times, which helps.
Only last year was it revealed that Woods also donates his prize money from every tournament that benefits the foundation - the AT&T National, which began in 2007, and the Deutsche Bank Championship, which began in 2003 and became a FedEx Cup playoff event in 2007. That total now stands at $14.2 million.
How much longer the World Challenge continues is uncertain.
Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said it has a reserve fund that supports operations and programs, such as the learning centers. He did not say whether the World Challenge could go another year without a title sponsor, saying only that it was "very important." The tournament has been given a date for 2013 - moved back one week to Dec. 5-8 - but that doesn't mean it will be played.
"Northwestern Mutual made a significant contribution as a presenting sponsor, but it left a shortfall," he said. "Tiger stepped up. Tiger's direct contributions are making up that shortfall."
The AT&T National contract is through 2014, though a wrinkle was added to renegotiating when AT&T announced on Friday that it become the new title sponsor of the Byron Nelson Championship in 2015.
But it's this event that holds special meaning for Woods.
"This is what started it all for us," he said. "If we didn't have this event, we wouldn't have the learning center here in Orange County. It brought awareness to what we're trying to do for kids. ... It's important to me to help these people and give these kids a chance."

[OnePiece]

Martin Kaymer takes one-shot lead into final round at Nedbank Challenge

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2012 | 11:45:06 AM

SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) -- Martin Kaymer rolled in a tricky 10-foot par putt on the last hole for a 2-under 70 and a one-stroke lead on Saturday heading into the final round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Warren Little/Getty Images Martin Kaymer birdied the 18th to grab a one-shot lead.

Europe's Ryder Cup star made three birdies and a bogey to move 5 under on an overcast and breezy day that ensured low scores were again out of reach at Gary Player Country Club. Louis Oosthuizen (69) is second at 4 under, while fellow South African Charl Schwartzel (70) is two back from Kaymer. Oosthuizen and Schwartzel are lined up for a final-day push for a first home win at Sun City since 2007, with Oosthuizen's 3-under-par round the fourth sub-70 score in three days of tough golf in South Africa.

Lee Westwood made a late move for an unprecedented third straight Nedbank title by shooting a 70 to sit three off the lead. Bill Haas of the United States stayed in contention with a 71 for a share of fourth with Westwood at 2 under.
With the narrow fairways and unforgiving rough already testing the 12-man field, muggy conditions made driving off the tee even more difficult.
The former top-ranked Kaymer holed the putt that retained the Ryder Cup at Medinah but he hasn't won anything else this year. He is in pole position for something else to celebrate in 2012 after a good par save on No. 12. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 helped him to a three-round total of 211.
"You cannot play too aggressive at certain holes," Kaymer said of his plan for Sunday, "and even if it is only a level-par round, it is still a good score. If you hit fairways here you have chances and that is my goal."
Kaymer's position means a German double at Sun City is possible this week after Bernhard Langer won the seniors event earlier Saturday.
"Golf is just a matter of sticking to your plan," Kaymer said of his subdued year away from the Ryder Cup. "I have another 20 years ahead of me. Maybe another 30 if you see Bernhard."
Oosthuizen had five birdies and two dropped shots. Schwartzel made three birdies and one bogey.
"All in all, the golf course is getting the better of everyone," Oosthuizen said.
Gary Player's course snagged overnight leader Paul Lawrie, with the Scot bogeying four of his first eight holes to battle to a 75 and slip down to sixth at 1 under. Francesco Molinari made a 78 to be equal eighth.
Westwood, the best player of the Sun City layout during the last two years, found some momentum with three birdies on his back nine but he also made back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 12 and 13 to slow his progress and leave him with a three-shot deficit to make up for a third straight triumph to make Sun City history.
Peter Hanson's 73 left him seventh on 2 over. Justin Rose had a 69 - after a 79 on Friday - to move to a tie for eighth alongside Carl Pettersson (74) and Molinari at 5 over.
An eagle on No. 9 made little difference for Nicholas Colsaerts, who shot a 74 for 11th. South Africa's Garth Mulroy is last at 7-over after a 75.

[OnePiece]

Graeme McDowell heads for finish line at World Challenge

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2012 | 04:15:04 AM

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Perhaps it was no coincidence that Graeme McDowell finally had a good night of sleep and then put together the best round at Sherwood Country Club, giving him a three-shot lead going into the weekend.

Danny Moloshok/Reuters Graeme McDowell hasn't won since the 2010 World Challenge.

Two weeks in China. A five-day holiday in Dubai. A tournament in Australia. Back to Dubai. One night at his new house in Florida. Then on to California. One reason McDowell feels so relaxed against an 18-man field at the World Challenge is that he can see the finish line. "Looking forward to hanging the clubs up for a few weeks for sure," he said. Suddenly, there is a little bit of work left for him. He birdied the opening three holes Friday and finished strong for a 6-under 66, giving him a three-shot lead over Bo Van Pelt (68), Keegan Bradley (69) and Jim Furyk (69). Tournament host and defending champion Tiger Woods had a 69 and was four shots behind.

McDowell has done a lot right this year, except for win. He now has one last chance to fix that.
He played in the final group in back-to-back majors, the U.S. Open and British Open, without winning. He was on the winning Ryder Cup team again, only he concedes his game wasn't there and he earned only one point.
"I would love to compete and play well this weekend, really to kind of put a little icing on what's been a mediocre year," McDowell said. "Despite the fact that I feel like I've played some decent golf this year, I really don't have a lot to show for myself, and this would be a nice way to finish."
McDowell was at 9-under 135.
Even though McDowell's win at Sherwood in 2010 capped a dream season - his U.S. Open title, the clinching point at the Ryder Cup - it was a runner-up finish in 2009 that set up all those spoils. He was a last-minute replacement for Woods, who didn't play as his personal life unraveled, and McDowell finished second. It was the first year the tournament received ranking points, and McDowell earned enough to get into the Masters and eventually the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which he won.
That U.S. Open title assured him of being in the Ryder Cup, where he holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole that carried Europe to a big win.
"Sometimes the stars align," he said.
His 66 gave him a cushion going into the weekend, but light rain overnight and for much of the day made the course soft and vulnerable. McDowell said the greens could only be rolled, not cut, making them substantially slower. That attributed to so many good scores, with half of the field in the 60s.
McDowell believes there's a 63 or 64 out there for someone, especially in these conditions, so his three-shot lead doesn't seem like much only halfway through the event.
Woods picked up easy birdie putts on the ninth and 10th, handling the par 5s without difficulty and getting to the top of the leaderboard. His momentum slowed with a bogey on the par-3 15th, and a poor chip from the rough to the left of the par-5 16th green that led to a par.
"I had a decent warm-up session, but the work I did last night was some of the best I've hit the golf ball all year," Woods said. "I just had to come out here and trust it, and when I did, I got into a nice little run there. I just need to do that all 36 holes on the weekend."
Nick Watney, who had a 67 on Thursday, fell apart late. His sand wedge from the middle of the fairway on the 16th landed over the green and kept right on going, leading to a bogey that felt like losing two shots to the field. He bogeyed the 18th for a 73, putting him five shots out of the lead. He was tied with Rickie Fowler, who had a 67.
"Just a terrible way to finish, but we're only halfway through," Watney said. "So we'll see if we can make a charge at those guys in the morning."
McDowell is mainly charging to the end of the season.
He plans to go home to Northern Ireland for three days, and then head to Orlando, Fla., where he just finished building a new home. McDowell slept in his new house for the first time Monday, flying to California the next day.
What will he do with more than two months off?
"Try and stay out of the bar as much as possible," he said with a laugh. "December will be very much recharging and relaxing and moving into my new house in Orlando and spending some time with friends and family. And January will be detoxing and practicing and getting ready to do it all again."

[OnePiece]

McDowell opens up three-shot lead at Tiger's World Challenge

Published: Friday, November 30, 2012 | 06:35:02 PM

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Graeme McDowell has done a lot right this year, except for win. He now has one last chance to fix that.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Graeme McDowell made seven birdies and a bogey.

Back on the course that has provided two key moments in his career, McDowell opened with three straight birdies Friday and finished strong for a 6-under 66, giving him a three-shot lead going into the weekend at the World Challenge. "A good day's work," said McDowell, whose day was not over until he was escorted away for a drug test. Bo Van Pelt got up-and-down from the drop zone for bogey on the final hole that gave him a 68, leaving him tied for second with Keegan Bradley and Jim Furyk, who each had a 69.

Tournament host and defending champion Tiger Woods was tied for the lead on the back nine until he stalled and settled for a 69. He was four shots behind.

This is the final destination of a whirlwind trip for McDowell, who spent two weeks in China, a short holiday in Dubai, a tournament in Australia, back to Dubai and then across eight time zones to California.
It's also been somewhat of a whirlwind year, filled with opportunity, but no trophies.
He played in the final group in back-to-back majors, the U.S. Open and British Open, without winning. He was on the winning Ryder Cup team again, only he concedes his game wasn't there and he earned only one point.
McDowell always feels relaxed at Sherwood Country Club, with an 18-man field and no cut and the finish line clearly in his sights. Suddenly, though, he has something at stake. The World Challenge doesn't belong to any tour. It offers world ranking points, though he isn't in dire need of them. But there's a trophy, and McDowell hasn't hoisted one of those since that birdie-birdie finish to beat Woods in a playoff at Sherwood in 2010.
"I would love to compete and play well this weekend, really to kind of put a little icing on what's been a mediocre year," McDowell said. "Despite the fact that I feel like I've played some decent golf this year, I really don't have a lot to show for myself, and this would be a nice way to finish."
McDowell was at 9-under 135.
Even though McDowell's win at Sherwood in 2010 capped a dream season - his U.S. Open title, the clinching point at the Ryder Cup - it was a runner-up finish in 2009 that set up all those spoils. He was a last-minute replacement for Woods, who didn't play as his personal life unraveled, and McDowell finished second. It was the first year the tournament received ranking points, and McDowell earned enough to get into the Masters and eventually the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which he won.
That U.S. Open title assured him being in the Ryder Cup, where he holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole that carried Europe to a big win.
"Sometimes the stars align," he said.
His 66 gave him a cushion going into the weekend, but light rain overnight and for much of the day made the course soft and vulnerable. McDowell said the greens could only be rolled, not cut, making them substantially slower. That attributed to so many good scores, with half of the field in the 60s.
McDowell believes there's a 63 or 64 out there for someone, especially in these conditions, so his three-shot lead doesn't seem like much only halfway through the event.
Woods fired at flag around the turn, picking up easy birdie putts on the ninth and 10th, handling the par 5s without difficulty and getting to the top of the leaderboard. His momentum slowed with a bogey on the par-3 15th, and a poor chip from the rough to the left of the par-5 16th green that led to a par.
"I had a decent warm-up session, but the work I did last night was some of the best I've hit the golf ball all year," Woods said. "I just had to come out here and trust it, and when I did, I got into a nice little run there. I just need to do that all 36 holes on the weekend."
Nick Watney, who had a 67 on Thursday, fell apart late. His sand wedge from the middle of the fairway on the 16th landed over the green and kept right on going, leading to a bogey that felt like losing two shots to the field. He bogeyed the 18th for a 73, putting him five shots out of the lead. He was tied with Rickie Fowler, who had a 67.
"Just a terrible way to finish, but we're only halfway through," Watney said. "So we'll see if we can make a charge at those guys in the morning."
McDowell is mainly charging to the end of the season.
He plans to go home to Northern Ireland for three days, and then head to Orlando, Fla., where he just finished building a new home. McDowell slept in his new house for the first time Monday, flying to California the next day.
What will he do with more than two months off?
"Try and stay out of the bar as much as possible," he said with a laugh. "December will be very much recharging and relaxing and moving into my new house in Orlando and spending some time with friends and family. And January will be detoxing and practicing and getting ready to do it all again."

[OnePiece]

Lee Dong-hwan leads PGA Tour Q-school

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2012 | 07:35:05 PM

LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- South Korea' Lee Dong-hwan shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday on PGA West's Stadium Course to take a two-stroke lead after the fourth round of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.
Lee had a 19-under 269 total in the six-round event. The final top 25 and ties will receive 2013 PGA Tour cards and the next 50 and ties will earn Web.com Tour cards.
The 25-year-old Lee has played the last five seasons on the Japanese tour, winning the 2007 Mizuno Open and 2011 Toshin Open. He was the tour's rookie of the year in 2006.
Edward Loar, Meen Whee Kim, Vaughn Taylor and Richard H. Lee were tied for second after their rounds on the Stadium Course. Richard H. Lee had a 64, Taylor shot 70, Loar 71, and Kim 73.
Sweden's Robert Karlsson, an 11-time winner on the European Tour winner, had a 75 on the Stadium Course to drop from second to a tie for 17th at 14 under. Camilo Villegas, a three-time PGA Tour winner, was tied for 20th at 13 under after a 72, and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton was tied for 24th at 12 under after a 71. They also played the Stadium Course.
Tom Pernice, the oldest player in the field, had a 64 on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to move up 60 spots into the 24th at 12 under.

[OnePiece]

Lee-Bentham, Jutanugarn top LPGA Tour Q-school

Published: Sunday, December 02, 2012 | 10:01:23 PM











DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Canada's Rebecca Lee-Bentham shot a 5-under 67 on Sunday to tie Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn for the top spot in the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament, leading the 20 players who earned full status.
Lee-Bentham and Jutanugarn finished the five-round event at 13-under 347 at LPGA International. Lee-Bentham birdied four of the last seven holes.
"I wasn't really thinking about coming in first or anything,'' Lee-Bentham said. "I just wanted to play well and focus on striking it well and making putts. I've been waiting for this for a while. It's been a long grind for everybody out here.''
The 18-year-old Jutanugarn shot a 74 after taking a six-stroke lead into the day.
"I'm so happy to get my card,'' Jutanugarn said. "I got it and that was my goal.''
Japan's Ayako Uehara was third at 12 under after a 69. Kathleen Ekey followed at 10 under after a 65, and Lisa McCloskey and Japan's Chie Arimura were 8 under. McCloskey had a 71, and Arimura shot 70.
Two-time tour winner Laura Diaz improved her status, tying for eighth at 6 under after a 72. Christina Kim, also a two-time tour winner, failed to improve her status, shooting a 74 to tie for 39th at 1 over.
Felicity Johnson also earned full status along with Karlin Beck, Stephanie Sherlock, Kayla Mortellaro, Kim Welch, Brooke Pancake, Austin Ernst, Caroline Masson, Austrian amateur Marina Stuetz, Lauren Doughtie, Nicole Jeray, Taylore Karle and Irene Cho.
Doughtie, Jeray, Karle and Cho survived a seven-player playoff for the final spots.
"By far the most nerve-racking putt of my life,'' Cho said about her 2-foot birdie try on the final playoff hole. "I learned a lot about my game this week. About my endurance and patience. But just a lot of emotions right now. I couldn't be happier.''
The 19-year-old Stuetz will be the lone Austrian player on the tour.
"I'm just overwhelmed,'' Stuetz said. "I can't describe how I feel at the moment. I'm so happy. I made my dream come true. I'm super excited. I told myself I would stay amateur to keep off the pressure, but that I actually made it in the top 20, of course, I will turn pro.''

[OnePiece]

Steven Bowditch leads PGA Tour Q-school

Published: Sunday, December 02, 2012 | 07:35:05 PM











LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Australia's Steven Bowditch shot an 8-under 64 on Sunday on PGA West's Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to take a one-stroke lead after the fifth round of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.
Bowditch had a 23-under 337 total in the six-round event. The final top 25 and ties will receive 2013 PGA Tour cards and the next 50 and ties will earn Web.com Tour cards.
Kris Blanks was second after a 66, and Derek Ernst (66), Steve LeBrun (67) and Edward Loar (68) followed at 21 under. They also played the Nicklaus course.
Sweden's Robert Karlsson, an 11-time winner on the European Tour winner, and England's Ross Fisher, a four-time European Tour winner, were in a group tied for 11th at 18 under. Karlsson shot 68, and Fisher had a 67.
Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton was tied for 15th at 17 under after a 67. Tom Pernice, the oldest player in the field at 53, also was 17 under after a 68.
Camilo Villegas, a three-time PGA Tour winner, had a 73 to drop from a tie for 20th to a tie for 46th at 12 under.

[OnePiece]

McDowell wins World Challenge for first title in two years

Published: Sunday, December 02, 2012 | 06:35:06 PM

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Graeme McDowell kept trying to convince himself and everyone else that his game was improving, even though he had gone two years without a trophy to prove it.

Stephen Dunn / Getty Images Graeme McDowell shot a 68 to win the World Challenge by three shots.

That's what made Sunday at Sherwood so sweet. With a pair of superb short-game shots on the back nine, McDowell closed with a 4-under 68 to win the World Challenge by three shots over Keegan Bradley, allowing him to head home for a 10-week break with a shot of confidence. "It's been too long. It's been a hell of a two years since I sat here as a winner," McDowell said. "We all put winning up on a pedestal as the ultimate goal. We like to say that it's all about the process and going through the motions and trying to get better. But let's be honest. We all measure ourselves by the win. I can say that now." The three-shot margin made it look easier than it was. Sherwood was playing longer than ever in a light rain, giving an advantage to a big hitter like Bradley, not to mention tournament host Tiger Woods. Even when McDowell built a four-shot lead through 11 holes, a careless three-putt bogey on the 13th brought Bradley within two shots with five holes to play. McDowell responded with a 75-foot putt that he lagged to tap-in range, a key moment for someone coming off a three-putt bogey. From a precarious spot behind the 17th green, he had to land his chip in the rough and hope it would hop onto the fringe and not run to far by the hole. He pulled it off perfectly.

"It was an inch away from sticking in the fringe, and about 1-16th of an inch away from going in the hole," he said.
He made one last birdie he didn't need, extending his dominance at Sherwood. It was the 10th time in 12 rounds at Sherwood that McDowell has shot in the 60s, and he now has two wins and a runner-up finish in his three trips to the World Challenge.
"This really caps off my season," McDowell said. "We try not to put winning on a pedestal, but this one feels very sweet because it's been a grind all year."
McDowell won for the first time since he beat Woods in a playoff at Sherwood to close out a dream season in 2010 that included his first major at the U.S. Open and the winning point for Europe at the Ryder Cup.
This win followed a year of frustration. He played in the final group of the U.S. Open and British Open but came up short, and he lost some enthusiasm going into tournaments late in the year. He talked all week about a 10-week break, some of it in Northern Ireland and the rest in Orlando, Fla., where he just built a new house and he's opening a tavern outside the gates of Lake Nona.
Bradley, who was within one shot after a birdie on the fifth hole, closed with a 69. Bo Van Pelt had a 70 to finish third. Woods, the tournament host and five-time champion, was never in the picture. He didn't make birdie until the 13th hole and shot 71 to tie for fourth.
"Graeme really likes this place," Bradley said. "Just when I thought maybe I'd have a good chance, he'd hole a putt or hit a chip like he did on 17. He's a champion. I don't expect anything less out of him."
McDowell finished on 17-under 271 and earned $1 million against the 18-man field.
A light rain fell for much of the round, as it has all week, making Sherwood play so long that McDowell had to hit a 5-wood into the par-4 fourth hole, and a 4-iron for his third shot in the par-5 fifth. His only bogey over the final 47 holes of the tournament came on the 13th hole.
"Certainly I will draw some confidence from this one," McDowell said. "The game hasn't given me a huge amount this year."
Woods needed a fast start and was stuck in neutral. He failed to birdie the par 5s on the front nine and dropped a shot on the seventh hole when his flop shot below the green came out heavy. He didn't make his first birdie until the par-5 13th.
"I struggled with my game a little bit this week," said Woods, playing for the first time in five weeks. "I just managed myself well to get around in these conditions."
Van Pelt opened with two birdies and tried to hang around in contention on the back nine.
But this was a duel from the start.
McDowell started with a two-shot lead and kept his distance until Bradley holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth. Bradley made back-to-back bogeys at the turn to fall three shots behind, and McDowell stretched his lead to four shots by starting the back nine with two quick birdies.
The par-5 13th then set the stage for a nervous final hour.
McDowell laid up, hit a poor wedge and then three-putted for bogey, ending his streak of 41 consecutive holes at Sherwood at par or better. Bradley made a 6-foot birdie putt for a two-shot swing, and the game was on.
The most important stroke might have been a putt he didn't make. From left of the 14th fairway, he had no choice but to punch it under a tree and run it up to right side of the green. From some 75 feet away, he used his putter to lag it up to inside a foot for a safe par to keep his two-shot lead.
"That lag putt was huge," he said. "If I go three-putting there, the question marks start coming. Great two-putt."
He made a 10-footer on the 16th to match Bradley's tap-in birdie, and then he effectively closed out the former PGA champion with the deft chip from behind the 17th green.
He typically calls his home clubs - Rathmore in Northern Ireland and Lake Nona in Orlando - and open the bar for free drinks when he wins. He expects that to be case at his new tavern called Nona Blue.
"Thankfully, it's not open yet," McDowell said. "So I'll save a few quid this time around."

[OnePiece]

Kaymer holds on in rain to win Nedbank Golf Challenge

Published: Sunday, December 02, 2012 | 09:45:05 AM

SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) -- Martin Kaymer of Germany shot a 3-under 69 to earn his first title of 2012, holding on for a two-shot victory Sunday in rainy conditions at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Warren Little / Getty Images Martin Kaymer won the Nedbank Golf Challenge by two shots.

Kaymer finished at 8-under 280, two ahead of Charl Schwartzel (69) of South Africa. Bill Haas of the United States was third after a 71. Kaymer was in trouble twice toward the end, pulling his tee shoot deep into the rough on the par-5 No. 14. He blasted out and made a brilliant birdie. He bogeyed No. 15 to allow Schwartzel to get within one shot, but recovered through the last three holes to close out his first win since November 20, 2011. Schwartzel's bogey on No. 17 helped Kaymer. "It was always tight. Charl played a great round of golf," Kaymer said, adding he only felt comfortable once his par putt on 18 dropped in. "I was telling (my caddie) I need a win. I need a win in 2012." South African Louis Oosthuizen (74) was fourth. Two-time defending champion Lee Westwood's run at Sun City ended with a 73, seven shots behind the winner. The rest of the 12-man field were over par through four rounds at a tough Gary Player Country Club layout, where narrow fairways, stubborn rough, gusty winds and - on Sunday - steady rain made scoring consistently difficult. No one shot better than 69 all week.

Kaymer's win was his first since the WGC HSBC Champions last year and earned him a $1.25 million check at the end of a memorable year, which included a special putt at the Ryder Cup.
"I will still never do a bigger putt in my life," Kaymer said.
Westwood's attempt to become the first player to win three straight Nedbank titles ended at the 14th hole, where the No. 6-ranked Englishman took two shots to get out of the rough, then found the bunker and missed a bogey putt to come away with a double-bogey 7.
Behind him, Paul Lawrie was sixth at 289, Francesco Molinari and Carl Pettersson were tied for seventh at 2 over and Peter Hanson was ninth at 3 over.
Nicolas Colsaerts, Justin Rose and Garth Mulroy were 10th, 11th, and 12th.