By Ray Bennett
Wednesday April 20, 2011
The University of Massachusetts football program is considered on of the best in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. Beginning in 2012, the Minutemen will take the next step into national recognition.
On Wednesday, the Mid-American Conference officially announced, in addition to joining the Football Bowl Subdivision, that UMass will become it's fourteenth member for football starting in the 2012 season. Currently, the team plays in the Colonial Athletic Association in FCS.
The Minutemen will not officially begin as a full time member of the conference until 2013 as NCAA rules state that a team moving to the FBS must play a partial schedule of teams of the same subdivision for two seasons, beginning this year and in 2012.
In addition to moving to FBS, UMass will play their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA in 2012 and 2013. This move allows the school to upgrade their current on-campus stadium, McGurik Alumni Stadium, to Division I FBS attendance standards. According to NCAA rules, teams that participate in the FBS level need to have a yearly attendance of over 15,000 for two seasons. McGurik currently has a maximum capacity of about 17,000. The school will pay for the stadium renovations from revenue generated from the games played at Gillette. Gillette Stadium is the current home for the NFL's New England Patriots.
The program will also receive an increase of the amount of football scholarships that the school offers. Scholarships at UMass will increase from 63 to 85 starting in 2012.
The Minutemen are just the third team in the past few years to leave the CAA. Many believe that the move to FBS was due in part by Northeastern and Hofstra ending their football programs just recently.
Not only does the Minutemen's move to the MAC help the conference as a mid-major power in football, it also helps their academic standing in the NCAA. The school was recognized as the 56th best academic school in the world by The Times World University Rankings in 2010.
UMass becomes the second football-only program in the MAC along with Philadelphia-based Temple, whose football program joined in 2007 after years in the Big East and as an FBS independent. Both school's play their other sports in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Including Temple, The Mid-American Conference has schools based in the Great Lakes region. The other twelve schools, which are full-time members of the conference includes Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan. All schools for football in the MAC are public universities.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Schwartzel wins 2011 Masters after back nine charge; Woods finishes tied for 4th; McIlroy collapses
By Ray Bennett
Sunday April 10, 2011
In a long rich tradition of South African golfers, names like Gary Player, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman come to mind. You can add another name to that list.
On Sunday, Charl Schwartzel, a 25-year-old from Johannesburg, became the third South African to win The Masters. He outlasted Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day on the final few holes to capture his first major championship. His win capped off a wild final round at Augusta, which saw many lead changes.
Schwartzel started out the day at -8. Paired with K.J Choi, Schwartzel started out his final round with a birdie on the first hole. Two holes later on a Par 4, Schwartzel chipped in an eagle for a tie for the lead at -11. He finish the front nine at -10 after a bogey on the fourth hole.
Schwartzel and the rest of the contending field caught a huge break on the back nine after a monumental collapse from Rory McIlroy. McIlroy held the lead through his run in the front nine at -11. He then hit the wall on the tenth hole. After his first shot went way off the course, McIlroy had to shoot out of many obstacles. This resulted in a triple bogey, knocking him out of the lead for the first time in the tournament. A bogey on the next hole and a double bogey on the Par 3 twelfth doomed his chances of becoming the second youngest golfer ever to win The Masters at the age of 21 years and 11 months. He finished the day shooting an 80 on the Par 72 course, finishing the tournament at -5 in a tie for fifteenth.
Once word spread of McIlroy's fall from the top of the leaderboad, the rest of the field took notice. Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods managed to recover from a terrible third round. Entering the final round on Sunday, Woods was seven strokes off the lead. After two birdies and a bogey on his first five holes, Woods started to show his once feared poise by hitting birdies on six and seven. On the Par 5 eight hole, Woods hit an eagle putt to take his score to -10 and a tie for second place.
Woods and Schwartzel were in a huge battle on the back nine with others that were near the lead. Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy started to make their move towards the lead. Ogilvy, who started the day at -5 with Woods, managed to get close to the lead on the back nine. After shooting an even 36 on the first nine holes, Ogilvy strung together five consecutive birdies on holes twelve through sixteen, ending the day at -10. Scott and Day teed off together in the final round. Scott had the upper hand on the front nine, shooting a 34 to Day's 36.
Scott made his move on the eleventh hole with a birdie to bring him to a five-way tie for second with Woods, Schwartzel, Choi and Angel Cabrera. Woods had many chances to take the lead on the back nine. After reaching the green on two shots on the Par 5 fifteen hole, Woods had an opportunity to take sole possession of the lead with an eagle. However, his shaky putting came back to haunt him as he missed the potential go-ahead eagle. He tapped in for birdie on his next putt. On the next hole, a 170+ yard Par 3, Tiger had a chance to tie for the lead. However, he missed his birdie putt, eventually saving for par. Woods finished at -10.
On the tail-end of the round, Schwartzel, Scott and Day made the final few holes very entertaining. Day got back in the hunt for the green jacket after getting birdies on thirteen and fourteen. After two Schwartzel birdies on fifteen and sixteen, Scott sunk a birdie putt on sixteen, bringing him to sole possession of first place for the first time in the tournament. After Scott hit par on seventeen, Schwartzel hit a key birdie put at seventeen to take the lead at -13.
Scott and Day entered the eighteenth and final hole in second and third place. After getting a 3 on seventeen, Day managed to get another birdie to bring his total tournament score -12. Day posted the best score from a golfer at his first Masters with a total of 276 strokes. Scott had a chance to tie with Schwartzel on his birdie putt. However, his putt broke away from the hole and Scott could only save it for par, finishing with a -12. This sealed the tournament for Schwartzel, who birdied the final hole when he only needed to two-putt to win.
This is Schwartzel's first win in a major tournament. With the victory, he joins Gary Player and Trevor Immelman as the only South Africans ever to win at The Masters. Player was first to win a green jacket in 1961. He added two more in the 1970s with wins in 1974 and 1978. Trevor Immelman, who finished this year's tournament tied for fifteenth at -4, won the tournament back in 2008. He also joins Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen as the fifth man from his country to win one of the four major tournaments (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and The PGA Championship). This is also Schwartzel's first victory on American soil in his first official year on the PGA Tour.
(This story correctly identifies Ogilvy as Australian. The previous three stories misidentified him as South African)
Sunday April 10, 2011
In a long rich tradition of South African golfers, names like Gary Player, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman come to mind. You can add another name to that list.
On Sunday, Charl Schwartzel, a 25-year-old from Johannesburg, became the third South African to win The Masters. He outlasted Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day on the final few holes to capture his first major championship. His win capped off a wild final round at Augusta, which saw many lead changes.
Schwartzel started out the day at -8. Paired with K.J Choi, Schwartzel started out his final round with a birdie on the first hole. Two holes later on a Par 4, Schwartzel chipped in an eagle for a tie for the lead at -11. He finish the front nine at -10 after a bogey on the fourth hole.
Schwartzel and the rest of the contending field caught a huge break on the back nine after a monumental collapse from Rory McIlroy. McIlroy held the lead through his run in the front nine at -11. He then hit the wall on the tenth hole. After his first shot went way off the course, McIlroy had to shoot out of many obstacles. This resulted in a triple bogey, knocking him out of the lead for the first time in the tournament. A bogey on the next hole and a double bogey on the Par 3 twelfth doomed his chances of becoming the second youngest golfer ever to win The Masters at the age of 21 years and 11 months. He finished the day shooting an 80 on the Par 72 course, finishing the tournament at -5 in a tie for fifteenth.
Once word spread of McIlroy's fall from the top of the leaderboad, the rest of the field took notice. Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods managed to recover from a terrible third round. Entering the final round on Sunday, Woods was seven strokes off the lead. After two birdies and a bogey on his first five holes, Woods started to show his once feared poise by hitting birdies on six and seven. On the Par 5 eight hole, Woods hit an eagle putt to take his score to -10 and a tie for second place.
Woods and Schwartzel were in a huge battle on the back nine with others that were near the lead. Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy started to make their move towards the lead. Ogilvy, who started the day at -5 with Woods, managed to get close to the lead on the back nine. After shooting an even 36 on the first nine holes, Ogilvy strung together five consecutive birdies on holes twelve through sixteen, ending the day at -10. Scott and Day teed off together in the final round. Scott had the upper hand on the front nine, shooting a 34 to Day's 36.
Scott made his move on the eleventh hole with a birdie to bring him to a five-way tie for second with Woods, Schwartzel, Choi and Angel Cabrera. Woods had many chances to take the lead on the back nine. After reaching the green on two shots on the Par 5 fifteen hole, Woods had an opportunity to take sole possession of the lead with an eagle. However, his shaky putting came back to haunt him as he missed the potential go-ahead eagle. He tapped in for birdie on his next putt. On the next hole, a 170+ yard Par 3, Tiger had a chance to tie for the lead. However, he missed his birdie putt, eventually saving for par. Woods finished at -10.
On the tail-end of the round, Schwartzel, Scott and Day made the final few holes very entertaining. Day got back in the hunt for the green jacket after getting birdies on thirteen and fourteen. After two Schwartzel birdies on fifteen and sixteen, Scott sunk a birdie putt on sixteen, bringing him to sole possession of first place for the first time in the tournament. After Scott hit par on seventeen, Schwartzel hit a key birdie put at seventeen to take the lead at -13.
Scott and Day entered the eighteenth and final hole in second and third place. After getting a 3 on seventeen, Day managed to get another birdie to bring his total tournament score -12. Day posted the best score from a golfer at his first Masters with a total of 276 strokes. Scott had a chance to tie with Schwartzel on his birdie putt. However, his putt broke away from the hole and Scott could only save it for par, finishing with a -12. This sealed the tournament for Schwartzel, who birdied the final hole when he only needed to two-putt to win.
This is Schwartzel's first win in a major tournament. With the victory, he joins Gary Player and Trevor Immelman as the only South Africans ever to win at The Masters. Player was first to win a green jacket in 1961. He added two more in the 1970s with wins in 1974 and 1978. Trevor Immelman, who finished this year's tournament tied for fifteenth at -4, won the tournament back in 2008. He also joins Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen as the fifth man from his country to win one of the four major tournaments (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and The PGA Championship). This is also Schwartzel's first victory on American soil in his first official year on the PGA Tour.
(This story correctly identifies Ogilvy as Australian. The previous three stories misidentified him as South African)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
McIlroy in command; Takes four stroke lead into Final Round of Masters
By Ray Bennett
Saturday April 9, 2011
Saturday was the time in which Rory McIlroy needed to assert his dominance at Augusta National. Everyone got their answer after he went to the clubhouse.
McIlroy shot a 70 on Saturday to bring his three day tournament total to -12. He holds the lead over four other golfers, 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera, South African Charl Schwartzel, K.J Choi, and young Australian Jason Day, by just four strokes, each at -8. McIlroy also became the second youngest at 21 to hold the lead after the first 54 holes of the tournament, a year behind Tiger Wood's performance in his first Masters championship at the age of 20 in 1997.
The young Northern Irishman started out his round in the last group with Day. After shooting an even 36 on the front nine, McIlroy ran into a little trouble with a bogey on the tenth hole. However, he managed to regain his composure on the remaining eight holes of the back nine by getting birdies on thirteen and fifteen. On what could be considered his defining moment of the tournament, McIlroy managed to sink a key birdie on the Par 4 seventeen hole to bring his score to -12.
His partner for the third round Jason Day got off to a fast start by putting in birdies on holes two, three and five, bringing his score to -11 and the tournament lead. After that, Day then hit the wall, by getting bogies on his next two holes. Another bogey on thirteen sunk Day's chances of catching McIlroy, finishing the third round where he started at -8.
Former Masters winner Angel Cabrera was the biggest mover up the leaderboard on Saturday by shooting a 67. Cabrera breezed right through the front nine, hitting birdies on holes two, seven and nine. His only hiccup of the day was a bogey on ten. Afterwards, he managed to stay in the hunt for his second green jacket with three more birdies on twelve, thirteen and fifteen. Cabrera will be paired with McIlroy in the last group on Sunday.
26-year-old South African Charl Schwartzel also moved into the four way tie for second after shooting a 68 on the course. After four birdies and two bogies on his first eleven holes, Schwartzel managed to hit a birdie putt on the Par 3 twelfth hole. He reached the tie for second after a birdie on fifteen.
K.J Choi shot a 71 on the Par 72 course on Saturday. He reached -9 after completing a consecutive string of birdies on eight and nine. After a par on ten, Choi bogied his next two holes. He could only manage to birdie thirteen to bring his score to -8 for Sunday.
Even though he's still in contention, Tiger Woods moved down to a tie for ninth place along with four others at -5. After a second round that saw Woods hit nine birdie putts, his short game hit another snag. Woods only birdied three and thirteen on the day, while he managed to bogey four holes in the third round. Tiger is tied for ninth place entering Sunday along with Ross Fisher, Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, and Geoff Ogilvy.
Last year's Masters winner Phil Mickelson could be out of the hunt for a fourth green jacket after only raising his score to -3 on Saturday. He is tied for eighteenth place with five others,which include Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and Alvaro Quiros. Other notables on Saturday include Ricky Barnes (-2, T-24), Ryo Ishikawa (-1, T-30), Sergio Garcia (-1, T-30), Camilo Villegas (+2, T-42) and former Masters champions Miguel Angel Jimenez (-2, T-24) and Trevor Immelman (-1, T-30).
Kyung-Tae Kim will be the first to tee off in the final round on Sunday at 10:30 A.M. McIlroy and Cabrera will be the final pair to tee off at 2:40 P.M. Weather at Augusta National on Sunday will be very hot and humid for the golfers, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 90 degrees.
Saturday April 9, 2011
Saturday was the time in which Rory McIlroy needed to assert his dominance at Augusta National. Everyone got their answer after he went to the clubhouse.
McIlroy shot a 70 on Saturday to bring his three day tournament total to -12. He holds the lead over four other golfers, 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera, South African Charl Schwartzel, K.J Choi, and young Australian Jason Day, by just four strokes, each at -8. McIlroy also became the second youngest at 21 to hold the lead after the first 54 holes of the tournament, a year behind Tiger Wood's performance in his first Masters championship at the age of 20 in 1997.
The young Northern Irishman started out his round in the last group with Day. After shooting an even 36 on the front nine, McIlroy ran into a little trouble with a bogey on the tenth hole. However, he managed to regain his composure on the remaining eight holes of the back nine by getting birdies on thirteen and fifteen. On what could be considered his defining moment of the tournament, McIlroy managed to sink a key birdie on the Par 4 seventeen hole to bring his score to -12.
His partner for the third round Jason Day got off to a fast start by putting in birdies on holes two, three and five, bringing his score to -11 and the tournament lead. After that, Day then hit the wall, by getting bogies on his next two holes. Another bogey on thirteen sunk Day's chances of catching McIlroy, finishing the third round where he started at -8.
Former Masters winner Angel Cabrera was the biggest mover up the leaderboard on Saturday by shooting a 67. Cabrera breezed right through the front nine, hitting birdies on holes two, seven and nine. His only hiccup of the day was a bogey on ten. Afterwards, he managed to stay in the hunt for his second green jacket with three more birdies on twelve, thirteen and fifteen. Cabrera will be paired with McIlroy in the last group on Sunday.
26-year-old South African Charl Schwartzel also moved into the four way tie for second after shooting a 68 on the course. After four birdies and two bogies on his first eleven holes, Schwartzel managed to hit a birdie putt on the Par 3 twelfth hole. He reached the tie for second after a birdie on fifteen.
K.J Choi shot a 71 on the Par 72 course on Saturday. He reached -9 after completing a consecutive string of birdies on eight and nine. After a par on ten, Choi bogied his next two holes. He could only manage to birdie thirteen to bring his score to -8 for Sunday.
Even though he's still in contention, Tiger Woods moved down to a tie for ninth place along with four others at -5. After a second round that saw Woods hit nine birdie putts, his short game hit another snag. Woods only birdied three and thirteen on the day, while he managed to bogey four holes in the third round. Tiger is tied for ninth place entering Sunday along with Ross Fisher, Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, and Geoff Ogilvy.
Last year's Masters winner Phil Mickelson could be out of the hunt for a fourth green jacket after only raising his score to -3 on Saturday. He is tied for eighteenth place with five others,which include Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and Alvaro Quiros. Other notables on Saturday include Ricky Barnes (-2, T-24), Ryo Ishikawa (-1, T-30), Sergio Garcia (-1, T-30), Camilo Villegas (+2, T-42) and former Masters champions Miguel Angel Jimenez (-2, T-24) and Trevor Immelman (-1, T-30).
Kyung-Tae Kim will be the first to tee off in the final round on Sunday at 10:30 A.M. McIlroy and Cabrera will be the final pair to tee off at 2:40 P.M. Weather at Augusta National on Sunday will be very hot and humid for the golfers, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 90 degrees.
Friday, April 8, 2011
McIlroy heads into weekend leader of Masters at -10; Woods, Day surge near top of leaderboard
By Ray Bennett
Friday April 8, 2011
Heading into Saturday's third round at The Masters, everyone will have their sights set on one 21-year-old Northern Irishman and a former four time champion.
Rory McIlroy retained his his first round lead by shooting a 69 to extend his tournament total to 10 under-par in Friday's second round of The Masters. Entering the day he was tied with two other golfers, Alvaro Quiros and Y.E Yang, who, at one point, was in the lead while shooing on the front nine.
McIlroy shot a 33 on the front nine, with birdies on holes two, five and nine. His only mishap of the day was a bogey on the twelfth hole. He quickly recovered on the next hole with a birdie and finished his round shooing for par on his remaining five holes.
Quiros was still at -7 entering the back nine. He ran into trouble on the Par 3 twelfth hole with a double bogey, sending his score down to -5. He finished the day at -6 after a birdie on the eighteenth hole.
Yang started his second round on a roll. After a bogey on the first hole, he quickly came back with three consecutive birdies on two, three and four. Yang held the tournament lead for the first time in his career after a birdie on the eight hole. However, that lead would be short lived as he bogied nine, ten and sixteen to finish the round back at -5 and tied for seventh.
The biggest mover of the day was 23-year-old Australian Jason Day. After shooting at par in the first round, Day dominated Augusta with eight birdies to lift him to just two strokes back of McIlroy. This is Day's first time competing at The Masters.
Not too far behind McIlroy and Day is Tiger Woods, who shot a 66 to a tie in third with K.J Choi at -7. Woods struggled to start his second round, with bogies on three of his first seven holes at even par. Once his group hit the eighth hole, we began to see the Tiger Woods of old, obtaining three consecutive birdies. He had another string of consecutive birdies on thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. He finished his surge with a 3 on the the Par 4 eighteen hole, ending the day with a back nine score of 31.
Friday was also the day the tournament had to cut the field down to just a handful of golfers. The cutline this year at Augusta was at +1. Only 49 golfers managed to get at or above the desired cutline. Among those who made it into the weekend was veteran South African Ernie Els. Els entered the day at three over par. After a bogey on the tenth hole, Els needed a miracle to stay alive. He got it in the form of an eagle on the Par 5 thirteenth hole. Els birdied the next two holes and finished the day with a 70.
Those who missed the cut include the world's number one ranked golfer Martin Kaymer, who only managed to shoot at +6 for his two days in the tournament. Other notable names that missed the cut include Anthony Kim (+2), Zach Johnson (+2), Lucas Glover (+2), Graeme McDowell (+3), Retief Goosen (+4), Padraig Harrington (+5), and former Masters champions Mark O' Meara (+6), Jose Maria Olazabal (+6), Tom Watson (+7), Vijay Singh (+10), and Mike Weir (+11).
The Third Round of The Masters begins at 10:45 A.M on Saturday with Ernie Els teeing off. The weather outlook at Augusta National calls for a possible thunderstorm in the afternoon and highs in the mid to upper 80s.
Friday April 8, 2011
Heading into Saturday's third round at The Masters, everyone will have their sights set on one 21-year-old Northern Irishman and a former four time champion.
Rory McIlroy retained his his first round lead by shooting a 69 to extend his tournament total to 10 under-par in Friday's second round of The Masters. Entering the day he was tied with two other golfers, Alvaro Quiros and Y.E Yang, who, at one point, was in the lead while shooing on the front nine.
McIlroy shot a 33 on the front nine, with birdies on holes two, five and nine. His only mishap of the day was a bogey on the twelfth hole. He quickly recovered on the next hole with a birdie and finished his round shooing for par on his remaining five holes.
Quiros was still at -7 entering the back nine. He ran into trouble on the Par 3 twelfth hole with a double bogey, sending his score down to -5. He finished the day at -6 after a birdie on the eighteenth hole.
Yang started his second round on a roll. After a bogey on the first hole, he quickly came back with three consecutive birdies on two, three and four. Yang held the tournament lead for the first time in his career after a birdie on the eight hole. However, that lead would be short lived as he bogied nine, ten and sixteen to finish the round back at -5 and tied for seventh.
The biggest mover of the day was 23-year-old Australian Jason Day. After shooting at par in the first round, Day dominated Augusta with eight birdies to lift him to just two strokes back of McIlroy. This is Day's first time competing at The Masters.
Not too far behind McIlroy and Day is Tiger Woods, who shot a 66 to a tie in third with K.J Choi at -7. Woods struggled to start his second round, with bogies on three of his first seven holes at even par. Once his group hit the eighth hole, we began to see the Tiger Woods of old, obtaining three consecutive birdies. He had another string of consecutive birdies on thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. He finished his surge with a 3 on the the Par 4 eighteen hole, ending the day with a back nine score of 31.
Friday was also the day the tournament had to cut the field down to just a handful of golfers. The cutline this year at Augusta was at +1. Only 49 golfers managed to get at or above the desired cutline. Among those who made it into the weekend was veteran South African Ernie Els. Els entered the day at three over par. After a bogey on the tenth hole, Els needed a miracle to stay alive. He got it in the form of an eagle on the Par 5 thirteenth hole. Els birdied the next two holes and finished the day with a 70.
Those who missed the cut include the world's number one ranked golfer Martin Kaymer, who only managed to shoot at +6 for his two days in the tournament. Other notable names that missed the cut include Anthony Kim (+2), Zach Johnson (+2), Lucas Glover (+2), Graeme McDowell (+3), Retief Goosen (+4), Padraig Harrington (+5), and former Masters champions Mark O' Meara (+6), Jose Maria Olazabal (+6), Tom Watson (+7), Vijay Singh (+10), and Mike Weir (+11).
The Third Round of The Masters begins at 10:45 A.M on Saturday with Ernie Els teeing off. The weather outlook at Augusta National calls for a possible thunderstorm in the afternoon and highs in the mid to upper 80s.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
McIlroy, Quiros tied after 1st round of Masters at 7-under-par; Michelson, Woods near top of leaderboard
By Ray Bennett
Thursday April 7, 2011
On a crystal clear 80+ degree day, professional golf's most prestigious tournament got underway in Augusta, Georgia. On the first day, two Europeans got off to a tremendous start.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Spain's Alvaros Quiros are tied at 7-under-par after the first round at The Masters at Augusta National Country Club. Both shot a 65 on the Par 72 course on Thursday.
21-year-old McIlroy was the first to shine on golf's biggest stage. Rory started off the day with three consecutive birdies on holes two,three and four. McIlroy added three more birdies on nine, fourteen and fifteen to cap off his first round, never getting a bogey or worse. McIlroy's best career finish at The Masters was a tie for tenth in 2009. He missed the cut the following year. He also became the youngest to ever hold or tie for the lead at The Masters.
Quiros also got off to a good start, shooting a 33 on the front-nine with birdies on two, seven and eight. After two more birdies on ten and thirteen, Quiros bogied on the fourteenth hole. However, he quickly recovered with a birdie on the Par five, fifteenth hole. He finished the day with two more birdies on the final two holes of the back-nine. The 28-year-old Quiros, a European Tour golfer, has never made the cut in his two previous appearances at Augusta.
Both McIlroy and Quiros lead South Koreans Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi by two strokes at -5. Yang, the 2009 PGA Championship winner, was once tied with McIlroy for the lead after a birdie on the sixteenth hole. However, he bogied seventeen and eighteen to end day one with a 67. Choi rallied late on the back-nine, getting birdies on five of the last seven holes after a bogey on eleven.
Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson finished his first round in a ten-way tie for fourteenth place, shooting -2. Michelson had a fairly decent day, making par on thirteen of eighteen holes. He bogied eighteen after reaching three-under through seventeen. The three time Masters champion is coming off a three stroke tournament win in last week's Shell Houston Open.
Four time winner of the fabled Green Jacket Tiger Woods is tied for twenty-fourth after shooting a 71 on the day at -1. Woods shot a 35 on the front-nine when he entered the tenth hole. However, he got into trouble with bogies on ten and eleven. Tiger quickly recovered with birdies on thirteen and fourteen, finishing the back-nine on par with 36.
Woods is tied along with 2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera, 19-year-old Japanese golf phenom Ryo Ishikawa, European Tour golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez, veteran Fred Couples, Texas' Ryan Palmer and 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink.
Other notables from day one include 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman tied for seventh at three-under par along with Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy among others. Englishman Lee Westwood shot even par along with seventeen others in thirty-first place, which also includes Steve Stricker and amateur Peter Uihlein. 25-year-old Californian Anthony Kim is tied for forty-ninth at one-over par. Two time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, ten year pro Bubba Watson and Englishman Justin Rose also shot +1. Other former Masters winners that finished above par include Vijay Singh (+4), Mike Wier (+4), Mark O' Meara (+5) and Tom Watson (+7).
The Second round on Friday will determine who will make the cut for the final two rounds over the weekend. The projected cut entering Friday is currently at +3. The first person is scheduled to tee off is at 7:45 A.M eastern time. Weather for Friday calls for a stray chance of a thunderstorm with a high in the lower 80s.
Thursday April 7, 2011
On a crystal clear 80+ degree day, professional golf's most prestigious tournament got underway in Augusta, Georgia. On the first day, two Europeans got off to a tremendous start.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Spain's Alvaros Quiros are tied at 7-under-par after the first round at The Masters at Augusta National Country Club. Both shot a 65 on the Par 72 course on Thursday.
21-year-old McIlroy was the first to shine on golf's biggest stage. Rory started off the day with three consecutive birdies on holes two,three and four. McIlroy added three more birdies on nine, fourteen and fifteen to cap off his first round, never getting a bogey or worse. McIlroy's best career finish at The Masters was a tie for tenth in 2009. He missed the cut the following year. He also became the youngest to ever hold or tie for the lead at The Masters.
Quiros also got off to a good start, shooting a 33 on the front-nine with birdies on two, seven and eight. After two more birdies on ten and thirteen, Quiros bogied on the fourteenth hole. However, he quickly recovered with a birdie on the Par five, fifteenth hole. He finished the day with two more birdies on the final two holes of the back-nine. The 28-year-old Quiros, a European Tour golfer, has never made the cut in his two previous appearances at Augusta.
Both McIlroy and Quiros lead South Koreans Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi by two strokes at -5. Yang, the 2009 PGA Championship winner, was once tied with McIlroy for the lead after a birdie on the sixteenth hole. However, he bogied seventeen and eighteen to end day one with a 67. Choi rallied late on the back-nine, getting birdies on five of the last seven holes after a bogey on eleven.
Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson finished his first round in a ten-way tie for fourteenth place, shooting -2. Michelson had a fairly decent day, making par on thirteen of eighteen holes. He bogied eighteen after reaching three-under through seventeen. The three time Masters champion is coming off a three stroke tournament win in last week's Shell Houston Open.
Four time winner of the fabled Green Jacket Tiger Woods is tied for twenty-fourth after shooting a 71 on the day at -1. Woods shot a 35 on the front-nine when he entered the tenth hole. However, he got into trouble with bogies on ten and eleven. Tiger quickly recovered with birdies on thirteen and fourteen, finishing the back-nine on par with 36.
Woods is tied along with 2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera, 19-year-old Japanese golf phenom Ryo Ishikawa, European Tour golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez, veteran Fred Couples, Texas' Ryan Palmer and 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink.
Other notables from day one include 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman tied for seventh at three-under par along with Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy among others. Englishman Lee Westwood shot even par along with seventeen others in thirty-first place, which also includes Steve Stricker and amateur Peter Uihlein. 25-year-old Californian Anthony Kim is tied for forty-ninth at one-over par. Two time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, ten year pro Bubba Watson and Englishman Justin Rose also shot +1. Other former Masters winners that finished above par include Vijay Singh (+4), Mike Wier (+4), Mark O' Meara (+5) and Tom Watson (+7).
The Second round on Friday will determine who will make the cut for the final two rounds over the weekend. The projected cut entering Friday is currently at +3. The first person is scheduled to tee off is at 7:45 A.M eastern time. Weather for Friday calls for a stray chance of a thunderstorm with a high in the lower 80s.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Opinion: After National Title, Where Does UConn Go From Here?
By Ray Bennett
Tuesday April 5, 2011
When the game clock hit 0.0 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX Monday night, The Connecticut Huskies claimed their third national title in Men's Basketball. After taking the long beaten path to Houston which started in the Big East tournament, Jim Calhoun's squad capped off an impressive eleven game winning streak to end the season.
Junior point guard Kemba Walker was considered the anchor of the team, leading the Huskies in scoring and assists during the tournament on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player. Other key players like freshman shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, sophomore center Alex Oriakhi and freshman power forward Roscoe Smith helped the Huskies in their historic run.
Entering the 2010-2011 season, the team, coming off an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament the previous season after losing in the 2009 Final Four, was far from the favorite to win the tournament. After hitting a bump in the road near the end of the regular season, many didn't believe that the Huskies would go far if they made it. Those doubts were quickly cast aside after UConn got hot at the right time of the year.
Now that the nets have been cut down, what happens next for the Huskies? Will Walker stay for his senior year? If Walker leaves, will others follow suit? And does Calhoun, who became the fifth head coach in NCAA history to win three or more national championships and the oldest to win one at the age of 68, call it a career?
After his high caliber performance not only in the tournament, but also in his three years up in Storrs, CT, There's no reason why Kemba would not consider leaving for the NBA. After setting career highs in points per game and free throw percentage in his junior year, Walker is considered by many draft experts as one of the best guards in the nation. If Walker foregos his final year of elegiblity, he could be selected as an early lottery pick within the first 5-10 picks. His shooting and ball handling skills can help a fledging team's bench if he does come out.
However, there are two things that might make Walker decide to stay for his senior year. One factor is the possible work stoppage that NBA might go through after the season. If the league and the player's union do not reach an agreement on a new C.B.A by July 30, a lockout might happen. Just like what might happen to incoming rookies in the NFL during a lockout, the new NBA players might have to wait until a new labor agreement is reached.
Another factor in Walker's decision is if any of his teammates will bolt for the NBA as well. Smith and Oriakhi, possibly along with junior forward Benjamin Stewart, could stay for another year. Their decisions will be based off of what Walker does and what the incoming freshman class will look like. Walker's decision on whether or not to leave for the pros is up to him. His stats in his three years at UConn make a case for his departure, while trying for a chance to repeat and getting his degree might influence him to stay.
In his 25 years at Conneticut, Jim Calhoun, like women's counterpart Geno Auriemma, has built one of the most elite basketball programs in the nation. With Calhoun's third national title, he joins other legendary college coaches such as John Wooden, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, and current Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches to have three or more national titles to their resumes.
At the age of 68, there is good reason for Calhoun to retire from coaching. A national championship, along with 850+ career wins in his 39th year of coaching, might be the reason for him to retire. He may also not want to deal with the NCAA again if something happens. He had to miss the first three Big East regular season game this past year after the NCAA found out he made illegal phone calls to recruits a few years ago.
On the other hand, he could try to join Wooden and Krzyzewski with four or more national titles. Calhoun is in decent physical health, even though he had to take a leave of absence back in 2009-2010 season. He might also want to see what his next class of recruits will look like as they try to go for back-to-back national titles. A third championship might warrent Calhoun's retirement. However, he might want to try to build momentum from the remarkable performance his team put out in this years tournament for next season. With his track record, Calhoun might want to stay for a few more seasons.
No matter what happens in the next few weeks, the future of the UConn Huskies will greatly be affected. If Walker decides to leave along with a few other players and if Calhoun retires from coaching, their chances of repeating as champions will possibly decrease. Playing in a tough Big East Conference, UConn will need Either Calhoun or Walker or both to defend their conference tournament crown. Their future's are up to them.
Tuesday April 5, 2011
When the game clock hit 0.0 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX Monday night, The Connecticut Huskies claimed their third national title in Men's Basketball. After taking the long beaten path to Houston which started in the Big East tournament, Jim Calhoun's squad capped off an impressive eleven game winning streak to end the season.
Junior point guard Kemba Walker was considered the anchor of the team, leading the Huskies in scoring and assists during the tournament on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player. Other key players like freshman shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, sophomore center Alex Oriakhi and freshman power forward Roscoe Smith helped the Huskies in their historic run.
Entering the 2010-2011 season, the team, coming off an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament the previous season after losing in the 2009 Final Four, was far from the favorite to win the tournament. After hitting a bump in the road near the end of the regular season, many didn't believe that the Huskies would go far if they made it. Those doubts were quickly cast aside after UConn got hot at the right time of the year.
Now that the nets have been cut down, what happens next for the Huskies? Will Walker stay for his senior year? If Walker leaves, will others follow suit? And does Calhoun, who became the fifth head coach in NCAA history to win three or more national championships and the oldest to win one at the age of 68, call it a career?
After his high caliber performance not only in the tournament, but also in his three years up in Storrs, CT, There's no reason why Kemba would not consider leaving for the NBA. After setting career highs in points per game and free throw percentage in his junior year, Walker is considered by many draft experts as one of the best guards in the nation. If Walker foregos his final year of elegiblity, he could be selected as an early lottery pick within the first 5-10 picks. His shooting and ball handling skills can help a fledging team's bench if he does come out.
However, there are two things that might make Walker decide to stay for his senior year. One factor is the possible work stoppage that NBA might go through after the season. If the league and the player's union do not reach an agreement on a new C.B.A by July 30, a lockout might happen. Just like what might happen to incoming rookies in the NFL during a lockout, the new NBA players might have to wait until a new labor agreement is reached.
Another factor in Walker's decision is if any of his teammates will bolt for the NBA as well. Smith and Oriakhi, possibly along with junior forward Benjamin Stewart, could stay for another year. Their decisions will be based off of what Walker does and what the incoming freshman class will look like. Walker's decision on whether or not to leave for the pros is up to him. His stats in his three years at UConn make a case for his departure, while trying for a chance to repeat and getting his degree might influence him to stay.
In his 25 years at Conneticut, Jim Calhoun, like women's counterpart Geno Auriemma, has built one of the most elite basketball programs in the nation. With Calhoun's third national title, he joins other legendary college coaches such as John Wooden, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, and current Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches to have three or more national titles to their resumes.
At the age of 68, there is good reason for Calhoun to retire from coaching. A national championship, along with 850+ career wins in his 39th year of coaching, might be the reason for him to retire. He may also not want to deal with the NCAA again if something happens. He had to miss the first three Big East regular season game this past year after the NCAA found out he made illegal phone calls to recruits a few years ago.
On the other hand, he could try to join Wooden and Krzyzewski with four or more national titles. Calhoun is in decent physical health, even though he had to take a leave of absence back in 2009-2010 season. He might also want to see what his next class of recruits will look like as they try to go for back-to-back national titles. A third championship might warrent Calhoun's retirement. However, he might want to try to build momentum from the remarkable performance his team put out in this years tournament for next season. With his track record, Calhoun might want to stay for a few more seasons.
No matter what happens in the next few weeks, the future of the UConn Huskies will greatly be affected. If Walker decides to leave along with a few other players and if Calhoun retires from coaching, their chances of repeating as champions will possibly decrease. Playing in a tough Big East Conference, UConn will need Either Calhoun or Walker or both to defend their conference tournament crown. Their future's are up to them.
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