PGA Results: Womens British Open

It has been another big weekend in the world of professional golf, from the PGA Tour to the LPGA to the Champions Tour. LPGA Tour This week on the LPGA was the women's British Open at the incredible Scottish links course Carnoustie.  Carnoustie is a very tough course.  So tough that many call it "Carnasty." Yani Tseng brought her #1 ranking into the Women's British Open as a defending champion.  After a bogey on the first hole, she was three shots back.  That bogey would be about the only blemish on the score card as Tseng would shoot a final round 69, thumping the closest competitor, Brittany Lang, by four shots. With this major championship, Tseng becomes the youngest golfer in history (22 years, 6 months, 8 days) to win five major titles, including men.  Tiger Woods was the previous holder of that distinction at 24 years, 7 months. Champions Tour The LPGA wasn't the only big league golf tour playing a major championship this past weekend.  The Champions Tour was playing the U.S. Senior Open. On the 8th hole Sunday, then leader Olin Browne made a bogey.  This put him in a tie for the lead with Mark O'Meara. Both Browne and O'Meara had separated themselves from the field, turning the championship into a two horse race.  That bogey on #8 would apparently fire up Browne, who would play the rest of the round in -1 to O'Meara's +2.  Browne would notch the biggest victory of his golf career, winning by three shots over O'Meara and four shots over the next nearest challenger Mark Calcavecchia.

"I guess from the middle of the back nine on it became a match-play situation, and I've got zero experience in match play.  But it's about putting your ball in play, keeping it out of the junk. The bottom line is minimize your mistakes, maximize your effort, and that's all you can do." ~Olin Browne on winning the 2011 U.S. Senior Open

PGA Tour How often is it that the PGA Tour plays 3rd fiddle in the tournament news department?  This week that is certainly the case. This week the Tour was playing the Greenbrier Classic, a fairly new tournament.  PGA Tour rookie Scott Stallings did anything but stall with an incredibly hot back nine in the final round which included six birdies.   The six birdies weren't enough for the win however.  A playoff ensued between Stallings, Bill Haas and tour veteran Bob Estes. On the first playoff hole, the 168 yard par-3 18th, Estes and Haas missed their birdie putts.  Stallings was left with a seven foot birdie putt for the win.  When the putt dropped it was all hugs and high fives between player and caddie.  The 6th PGA Tour rookie notches a victory wins this season and changes his golf career forever.  Many opportunities and tournament invitations, like the Masters and the Tour opener will follow.

"The Greenbrier has been absolutely incredible. The fans, volunteers, everybody that came and put the tournament together has been absolutely phenomenal. One of the best, if not the best tournament on TOUR, and I can't wait to come back." ~Scott Stallings