Curtis misplaced his putting stroke somewhere

Curtis, 34, never lost his thirst for competition or his talent, but somewhere along the way he misplaced his putting stroke.

“I’ve always been a decent putter,” he said last week before the Zurich Classic at T.P.C. Louisiana. “I just wasn’t making the birdie putts I needed to make.”

For the first two rounds, Curtis was paired with Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell, the 2010 United States Open champion. They were his neighbors in Florida, and until Curtis moved his family back to Ohio, he used to play occasional practice rounds with them.

At the suggestion of Herb Page, who coached him at Kent State, Curtis moved his right hand over the top of his discount golf clubs left for his fourth start, in San Antonio. The payoff was immediate. He won last weekend’s Texas Open, sealing his two-stroke victory with the help of a 22-foot par putt on the penultimate hole.

Leonard, the 1997 British Open champion, is 10th on the career money list with more than $31 million in earnings, but can relate to Curtis’s struggles. Last year Leonard did not record his first top-10 finish until his final event and was prepared to enter qualifying school, if that’s what it took, to retain his tour status. Like Curtis, Leonard’s troubles began on the greens.

In the two years after he won the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George’s, Curtis missed 27 of 44 cuts. He did not have a top-10 finish in 23 events in 2011 and fell off the tour radar, his status so low he made only three starts — and earned one paycheck — in the first three months of 2012.

“It’s amazing what putting can do and how it bleeds into other parts of your game,” Curtis said. “Golf’s such a funny game. It’s 90 percent mental.”

“My wife said that before I made the putt, my 5-year-old got so excited, he was saying, ‘You’re going to make it, Dad!’ ” Curtis added, “For him to see me on TV and winning, it put in TaylorMade RocketBallZ fairway wood perspective what I actually do.”

Curtis entered the tournament ranked first in three-putt avoidance and second in strokes gained putting. His story was much different in 2011, when he was 114th in three-putt avoidance and 57th in strokes gained putting.

Last Sunday, Liam jumped up and down and pointed at the television in the family’s home outside Cleveland as Curtis made one clutch putt after another. None was bigger than the 22-footer for par on the 17th hole.

Having regained his confidence on the greens, Curtis said, he feels free to make aggressive swings because he trusts TaylorMade RocketBallZ Driver his putter to bail him out in the end. He felt so comfortable with his game, he did not play a practice round last week despite never having seen the course.

“Ricky would be telling me that Ben’s playing well and that he just needs a few putts to drop here and there,” McDowell said. The victory, he added, “really changes his year: he goes from playing off scraps to playing the best schedule in the world.”

New Zealand Women’s Amateur Championship t the Mount Maunganui Golf Club

“The putts were dropping a lot more today which was nice and Sarah played really well so it was nice to have that added pressure. It heightens the focus.

“I made a soft bogey on my 17th hole and I stood on the sixth tee and put a good one down there and made eagle to finish well at even par. I have a lot more momentum now.

Alvarez knows that three top players in Lydia Ko, Emily Perry and Chantelle Cassidy are not here this week but she still holds hopes of being selected for the Espirito Santo in September.

Wellington’s Julianne Alvarez won Callaway Razr X Tour irons the women’s qualifying after carding an even par 72 in round two to win by two shots from fellow New Zealand rep Sarah Bradley. I felt really confident that I was backing myself and that made me feel good,” said the 15-year-old from Manor Park.

“My aim for the tournament was to play good so I would still be looked at for the Espirito Santo team – a good solid performance will get me looked at for that team.”
“I am really looking forward to playing Match Play on this course because it is the perfect Match Play Mizuno MP-58 irons course – there is a lot of risk and reward out there. Hopefully I’ll make it through to the final on Sunday and would love to meet Julianne there.”

“Today was a grinding day,” said the Waikato rep Bradley

“I feel good about being the No.1 seed but you know Match Play is anyone’s game. It is there for anyone now Ping G20 fairway wood and it’s unpredictable. I am not taking anything for granted.”

With the two rounds of Stroke Play in qualifying complete the top 32 women players have been found to contest the NZ Amateur.

“It is good to have an opportunity to win this title. Julianne is a great golfer and she showed that today. I am taking the mindset that I am going to go for it and try and win this title.

Meantime Bradley was happy with her finish on the sixth hole that saw her come up with an eagle.

Obama added pressure on Augusta to drop its restrictive policy

"His personal opinion is women needs to be admitted," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters, saying he had spoken to Obama concerning the issue, as the prestigious Masters tournament got arrived in Augusta, Georgia.

In a very rare moment of agreement with Obama, Republican front-runner Mitt Romney, the Democratic president's likely opponent inside the November 6 election, said if it were approximately him, "of course I'd have women in Augusta."

The question of whether women needs to be able to become members on the home in the Masters has existed for a long discount golf clubs time. However it took on added significance after Ginni Rometty became ceo of IBM, one the tournament's longtime sponsors, in January.

Carney was asked whether Obama believed the men's-only Augusta club should open its ranks to women, especially given Rometty's position.

"It is obviously approximately the club to make a decision," Carney said on the daily White House briefing. "He believes Augusta should admit women. You already know, we're type of long over enough time when women needs to be excluded from anything."

Club chairman Billy Payne was pressed around the eve with the Masters on if the club would alter its policy.

Maintaining true with all the club's secretive traditions, he refused on Wednesday use a clear answer, saying that membership issues weren't for public debate.

DILEMMA WITH IBM

IBM, our planet's largest technology services company, is often a long-standing sponsor from the Masters and it is past four CEOs are actually granted membership to Augusta National. The club now faces Taylormade R11 irons a dilemma of if you should change its policy to allow for Rometty to become listed on or spurn among its major sponsors.

Augusta's invitation-only membership continues to be steeped in secrecy considering that the conservative club opened in 1932. Women can play in the course if asked by a part but cannot become members themselves. The club resisted pressure to desegregate for years simply admitted its first black member in 1990.

The club won't reveal its full set of members, thought to be around 300, although it may be known that a number of the powerful men from industry and finance, including Bill gates and Warren Buffett, are members.

When asked whether Obama - who may have played golf regularly throughout his presidency - would ever play in a men's-only club, Carney said, "I was without that conversation with him."

Carney pushed back up against the notion that Friday's White House conference on females and the economy had electoral implications, insisting it turned out meant to promote economic initiatives.

But Obama's re-election campaign has made not a secret of the efforts to court women voters, with his fantastic Taylormade R11 driver fellow Democrats have sought to depict the Republicans' concentrate on contraception and abortion as an attack on women's rights.

With a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Romney took care to not supply the Democrats any more ammunition.

"I'm not only a member of Augusta. I not really know basically would qualify - my golf game is certainly not good - but only were a member and if I could run Augusta, which isn't planning to happen, but of course I'd have women in Augusta. Sure," he was quoted saying.

Brown gives young golfers great motivation

Pete came along after Charlie so he didn't experience all the slings and arrows that Charlie did, but he experienced motor them that he will not forget that seem to be he received of disapproval. That's painful to him, too, but it's the way they handled it. Charlie internalized it. Pete just understood as well as perhaps with the help of his wife with his fantastic spirituality, maybe he was a bit more forgiving plus a somewhat more tolerant of people's intolerance. Charlie was chosen for that task. Pete wasn't chosen for your task though he might also have a disposition which was more appropriate for it. But Charlie sucked it.

Pete takes things in stride, she said. He still believes for everybody the method that you need to be treated. He's had the main things happen out there but it didn't cause him to bitter.

Brown's breakthrough moment arrived Ping G20 driver 1964 with the peak from the civil rights movement. At the Waco Turner Open in Oklahoma, he rallied from behind and beat Dan Sikes by having an up-and-down par around the last hole.

Hit one of the better shots I ever did within my life off them rocks' he stated.

Brown got support from your tournament's namesake, who carried two .45 revolvers on his belt constantly and demanded his gallery tow the line on tolerance.

People were real good, Brown said. Waco Turner owned the course and he informed me if anybody gave me trouble permit him know.

Brown's win six years later at Torrey Pines in the playoff against Tony Jacklin being bigger caused by a field that was rich with talent including many Masters winners.

Everybody was there like Jack Nicklaus, He stated. I was seven strokes behind Jacklin and the large guns. To win from that spot was unknown. I seriously didn't even desire to play because I couldn't win and didn't like Torrey Pines anyway. Combined with (Tom) Weiskopf the very last round. He's a timely player and i also was obviously a fast player. I loved to learn fast.

Despite the victory, Brown again didn't have an invitation from Augusta just as Sifford hadn't in 1967 or 69 as he won tour events in the period when tour winners didn't get automatic exemptions.

Before I won (in 1964) they were taking Taylormade Rocketballz Irons tournament winners, Brown recalls. And after i won they changed the guidelines. They had some sort of points system, like they do now with the FedEx Cup. I played good before Florida but never played good in Florida or I'd personally have made it. During the time, if you played good the previous champions could invite a gamer they thought played good enough to be invited to the Masters. Finished . about this may be the Masters delivered a listing of players they wanted these phones vote on. Which was another obstacle as if your reputation wasn't on that list you didn't play anyway. It was fine.

Charlie felt slighted and singled out, McDaniel said. He felt every time he reached the finish line, they moved it. Pete was grateful to be given the opportunity to use on the PGA Tour. He felt when he truly qualified for Masters they couldn't deny him. Maybe he didn't feel he accomplished around Charlie had.

Brown had the opportunity to win as soon as the Masters started giving exemptions to tour winners. He finished second within the 1971 Pensacola Open, exactly the same event Lee Elder won in 1974 to earn the first invitation for the black golfer inside Masters.

I really should have won the tournament he won, said Brown. I was leading and guys like (Lee) Trevino said, ??You better quit playing so competent or you're going to need to head to Augusta. Do you know what they've got awaiting you there

McDaniel believes that pressure to get rid of the discount golf clubs colour barrier with the Masters derailed several opportunities for black golfers.

Somehow within the last round they folded and would lose with a shot or two, McDaniel said. My thought can there be was so much pressure with them they failed as a result of weight of the. I think they sabotaged their victory.