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Tarrant residents Collins, Mocio qualify for US Women's Open

Two golfers from Tarrant County, Colleyville resident Emily Collins and Fort Worth resident Chelsea Mocio, qualified to compete in the U.S. Women’s Open during today’s sectional qualifier in Plano.

Sarah Kemp won the qualifier at Prestonwood Country Club with matching rounds of 69-69 to post a 36-hole total of 138. Collins fired a 76-66 (142 total) and Mocio posted an effort of 72-71 (143 total) to grab the other two qualifying spots for the July 7-10 event in Colorado Springs, Colo.

A full list of qualifying results is below: 

U.S Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying
Prestonwood Country Club, Plano TX.

Par 71
Yardage 6,425

Q= Qualified A= Alternate

                Sarah Kemp, Breakfast Point - 69-69—138 (Q)
                Emily Collins, Colleyville, Texas - 76-66—142 (Q)
                Chelsea Mocio, Fort Worth, Texas - 72-71—143 (Q)
                Meredith Duncan, Shreveport, La. - 74-70—144 (A1)
                Adrienne McDonald, Gun Barrel City, Texas - 71-73—144 (A2)
                Jamie Hullett, Mesquite, Texas - 73-71--144
                Juli Erekson, Abilene, Texas - 76-68--144
                Taylor Leon, Fort Worth, Texas - 71-73--144
                Kelsey Vines, San Antonio, Texas - 75-69--144
                Talia Campbell, Dallas, Texas - 73-72--145
                Amanda McCurdy, Mansfield, Texas - 69-76--145
                Camilla Lennarth, Tuscaloosa, Ala. - 72-73--145
                Vanessa Ha, Plano, Texas - 73-73--146
                Jennifer Gleason, Clearwater, Fla. - 75-72--147
                Amy Ruengmateekhun, Garland, Texas - 72-77--149
                Shelly Martinez, Stephenville, Texas - 76-74--150
                Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas - 72-78--150
                Catherine Matranga, Fort Worth, Texas - 75-75--150
                Marissa Dodd, Allen, Texas - 74-77--151
                Rachel Smith, Mansfield, Texas - 78-74--152
                Gabriella Dominguez, Chilton, Texas - 79-73--152
                Victoria Vela, Mansfield, Texas - 74-78--152
                Hillery Wilson, Rogers, Ark. - 75-77--152
                Mina Hardin, Ft Worth, Texas - 77-75--152
                Summar Roachell, Conway, Ark. - 76-77--153
                Kelli McKandless, Granbury, Texas - 81-72--153
                Jessa Labarbera, Allen, Texas - 78-76--154
                Alexandrea Schulte, Fayetteville, Ark. - 78-76--154
                Tanya Wadhwa, McKinney, Texas - 77-77--154
                Sierra Sims, Austin, Texas - 74-80--154
                Jennifer Park, Carrollton, Texas - 78-76--154
                Paloma Nunez, Granbury, Texas - 77-77--154
                Chandra Alexander, North Richland Hills, Texas - 83-72--155
                Kelsey Kipp, Tyler, Texas - 79-76--155
                Allison Jordan, Helotes, Texas - 83-72--155
                Maria Laura Elvira, Buenos Aires - 82-73--155
                Mariana Sims, Austin, Texas - 77-78--155
                Katelyn Sepmoree, Tyler, Texas - 81-74--155
                Brooke Braun, Metairie, La. - 76-80--156
                Natalie Reeves, Fort Worth, Texas - 83-74--157
                Emily Campbell, Carrollton, Texas - 76-81--157
                Christine Lin, Austin, Texas - 79-78--157
                Carol Martin, Irving, Texas - 75-84--159
                Lila Barton, Dallas, Texas - 79-82--161
                Jordan Rose, Denton, Texas - 83-78--161
                Jacey Chun, Denton, Texas - 87-74--161
                Hannah Martin, Wichita, Kan. - 81-80--161
                Megan Vaughn, Little Rock, Ark. - 78-85--163
                Carly Dear, Red Oak, Texas - 82-81--163
                Tricia Allen, Dallas, Texas - 84-80--164
                Taylor Schmidt, Kincardine, ON - 79-86--165
                Taylor Slagle, Southlake, Texas - 83-85--168
                Brenna Moore, Burkburnett, Texas - 84-85--169
                Lindsey Hughes, Plano, Texas - 83-90--173
                Natasha Vincent, Hattiesburg, Miss. - 90-84--174
                Mariana Ramirez, Plano, Texas - 91-85--176
                Laura Deleonardis, Flower Mound, Texas - 94-90--184
                Elena Thomas, Waxahachie, Texas - 92-WD--WD
                Michelle Chen, Plano, Texas - 87-WD--WD
               
_  Jimmy Burch

Tarrant golfers hold five of top 25 spots on PGA Tour season money list

A runner-up finish at the HP Byron Nelson Championship by Colleyville resident Ryan Palmer means that five of the top 25 golfers on today’s updated PGA Tour money list live in Tarrant County.

Westlake resident K.J. Choi, winner of The Players Championship on May 15, is fourth on the money list with $2,941,699. Fort Worth resident Rory Sabbatini, who won the Honda Classic on March 6, is 11th at $2,150,431.

The remaining Tarrant golfers among the Top 25 money winners have yet to win this season but have been close on more than one occasion. Colleyville resident Hunter Mahan, No. 15 on the money list, has earned $2,008,402. Masters runner-up Jason Day, a Fort Worth resident who finished fifth at the Nelson, has collected $1,855,362 in tour earnings this season. He ranks 17th on the money list.

Palmer, a Colleyville resident who fell to Keegan Bradley in Sunday’s playoff at the Nelson, jumped 25 spots on this week’s money list and checks in at No. 25, with $1,516,768 in 2011 earnings. Palmer’s runner-up finish at the Nelson marked his top showing of the season.

In terms of world rankings, seven Tarrant Country residents rank among the world’s top 50 golfers based on today’s updated numbers: Choi (No. 16), Mahan (No. 18), Day (No. 19), Westlake resident Ben Crane (No. 39), Southlake resident Y.E. Yang (No. 40), Sabbatini (No. 46) and Palmer (No. 48).

_ Jimmy Burch

FW golfer Sabbatini withdraws from next PGA Tour event, discounts speculation about suspension

Fort Worth resident Rory Sabbatini has withdrawn from next week’s Memorial Tournament, citing fatigue after posting a second-round 82 to miss today’s cut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving.

Sabbatini has played the last four events in the wake of a May 4 report by The Associated Press, citing unnamed sources, that Sabbatini could soon be assessed a 30-day suspension from the PGA Tour because of inappropriate on-course conduct. Sabbatini did not mention disciplinary measures as a reason for next week’s withdrawl but he confirmed after today's round that his next two tournaments will be the U.S. Open and the British Open _ two events not sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

That means any suspension handed down by tour officials would not be valid at either of those major championships. The PGA Tour does not announce disciplinary measures, so any official confirmation would have to come from the player.

Sabbatini, who received an exemption into the U.S. Open field on Monday, said his status as a U.S. Open entrant removed the desire to compete at Memorial, a tournament in Dublin, Ohio that is followed by a U.S. Open qualifier in the same metropolitan area on the Monday after the final round.

“The only reason I was going to play was because I had to qualify for the Open. Now, I don’t have to,” Sabbatini said, reflecting on his reason for dropping his name from the Memorial commitment list. “After the way I played today, I definitely know I need some time off.”

Asked about his upcoming schedule, Sabbatini said: “I’ll play the (U.S.) Open and then I’ll be playing the British Open.”

Dates for the U.S. Open are June 16-19. Dates for the British Open are July 14-17. The PGA Tour sanctions five events that Sabbatini said he will bypass between now and the British Open: Memorial (June 2-5), FedEx St. Jude Classic (June 9-12), Travelers Championship (June 23-26), AT&T National (June 30-July 3) and the John Deere Classic (July 7-10).

Based on the AP report, Sabbatini has had two incidents of inappropriate on-course conduct this season, most recently a profanity-laced argument with Sean O’Hair during the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 28-May 1).

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Palmer leans on caddie, becomes surprise Nelson frontrunner

IRVING _ Colleyville resident Ryan Palmer, who has struggled in past visits to the HP Byron Nelson Championship, leaned on caddie James Edmondson to make the executive decisions during today’s round.

The move helped Palmer post a 5-under-par 65 at the TPC Las Colinas, moving him within one stroke of the lead. Afterward, Palmer said much of the credit belonged to Edmondson, a former Paschal High School golfer and two-time Colonial club champion (2006, 2007) who “told me what to do” at each tee in terms of strategy.

“He told me what side of the tee box to get on and what target he wanted me to hit. It was my job to hit the shot,” said Palmer, who acknowledged having a mental block about playing the Nelson, a tournament where he has missed the cut in six of seven previous appearances. Once on the greens, Palmer said the putting was “all me.”

With Edmondson picking clubs at each tee, including a 5-wood that led to a birdie at No. 18, Palmer said Thursday’s 65 _ three strokes better than his previous low round at the course _ “ came easy.”

The former Texas A&M golfer said Edmondson will continue calling the shots at each tee throughout tournament week.

“James has the reigns the rest of the week,” Palmer said. “If this keeps me this loose and free and not thinking as much, I’ll put his name on the bag.”

In addition to leanding on Edmondson, Palmer also broke out a fresh set of irons for the first time during today's opening round, at the urging of swing instructor Randy Smith.

"Randy said, 'Great time to put some new ones in. You don't play well here, anyway,'" said Palmer, whose career scoring average at the Nelson course was 72.69 before today's opening round. "I've never felt comfortable or positive about playing in this golf tournament and it was a lot of fun out there (today). I think James enjoyed it as much as I did."

_ Jimmy Burch

Course repairs from storm damage delay start of Nelson pro-am

Grounds crews will be working overtime today at the HP Byron Nelson Championship to repair hail damage to the course from Tuesday night’s storms.

Slugger White, PGA Tour vice-president of rules and competition, said this morning that hail “half the size of a baseball” pockmarked greens and caused crews to show up at dawn this morning to repair indentions and roll the greens before the start of today’s pro-am at the Four Seasons Resort in Irving.

Tee times for competitors in today’s pro-am were delayed by one hour but the pro-am competition is ongoing.

White said the overnight damage created “a mess” for course superintendent John Cunningham and his crew, who began doing repair work at 5 a.m. White indicated more repairs could be necessary at the conclusion of today’s pro-am to get the TPC Las Colinas layout in shape for Thursday’s opening round.

From all indications, the majority of course damage came from the hail storm that hit Irving on Tuesday night. The course showed evidence of debris this morning, with broken branches and displaced leaves, but no trees fell overnight. The course took on roughly 1.5 inches of rain in the storm.

_ Jimmy Burch

Sabbatini, Toms receive US Open exemptions

Fort Worth resident Rory Sabbatini and Colonial champ David Toms were among seven golfers who earned exemptions today into the field at the 2011 U.S. Open. Both golfers received their spots based on being among the top 50 in this week’s world golf rankings.

Other exemptions extended today went to Anders Hansen, Peter Hanson, Ryo Ishikawa, Matteo Manassero and Aaron Baddeley. The U.S. Open will be June 16-19 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

_ Jimmy Burch

Hamilton joins Nelson field

Westlake resident Todd Hamilton, the 2004 British Open champ, is among the latest additions to the field at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving based on spots that have opened via withdrawls since Friday’s commitment deadline passed.

Others late additions include Mike Weir, John Merrick, Cameron Percy, Lee Janzen and Chris Tidland. Golfers who have withdrawn include Angel Cabrera, Spencer Levin, Brandt Snedeker, Marc Turnesa and Johnson Wagner.

_ Jimmy Burch
 

Flores qualifies for spot in Nelson field

Nationwide Tour competitor Martin Flores, a former Mansfield High School golfer, earned a spot in Thursday’s opening round at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving by winning Monday’s rain-delayed qualifier in Frisco. Flores, a Dallas resident, posted a 65 to join Robert Gamez, Todd Fischer and Sam Smith among the final wave of Nelson competitors.

Smith, a 19-year-old amateur, is a college golfer at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls who played one season of college football at Abilene Christian before switching schools and turning his attention to college golf.

After checking in Tuesday with tournament officials, Smith said it felt “kind of surreal” to be making his PGA Tour debut in Irving. During his high school golf career, Smith made it to the Class 1A state tournament on two different occasions while competing for Archer City High School.

_ Jimmy Burch

Colonial enjoys TV ratings spike despite attendance drop in 2011

Officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial enjoyed a significant spike in weekend television ratings despite a dropoff in attendance from 2010 totals at last week’s event, tournament director Peter Ripa said today.

CBS’ overnight television ratings for Sunday’s final round in Fort Worth drew a 2.1 share, an increase of 110 percent from 2010’s final-round ratings. The Saturday telecast drew a 1.1 share, a boost of 22 percent from 2010.

Ripa said tournament officials were “tickled” by the ratings spike and by the fact that Colonial was the highest-rated sports telecast on Sunday afternoon. In terms of attendance, Ripa said the 2011 weekly total was 112,554, a dropoff of 15 percent from the previous year.

In calculating attendance figures, Ripa said Colonial officials count spectators at the course, not tickets sold.

The 2011 Colonial field featured only competitor ranked among the Top 10 in the world golf rankings (Matt Kuchar). By comparison, the 2010 Colonial field featured five of the world’s top eight golfers, including Phil Mickelson, as well as all four reigning major champions.

_ Jimmy Burch

Colonial, Nelson receive 2012 tournament dates

Dates for the 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will move back by one week on the PGA Tour schedule, Colonial tournament director Peter Ripa said Monday.

Ripa said Colonial officials have been assigned the week of May 21-27, 2012 on next year’s tour calendar. The dates overlap Memorial Day weekend, a stretch that belongs this year to the HP Byron Nelson Championship, which begins Thursday in Irving.

The shift of Colonial’s dates will trigger a more traditional running order in 2012 for the tour’s two-week swing through Dallas-Fort Worth: a stop at the Nelson, followed by a stop at Colonial. Nelson officials confirmed Monday that their 2012 dates will be May 14-20, 2012.

The D-FW events were flip-flopped on the 2011 schedule, causing Colonial to be played the week immediately after The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Colonial officials landed only one of the top 10 players in the world golf rankings (Matt Kuchar) for their 2011 tournament, which concluded with Sunday’s victory by David Toms. Ripa said having the extra week of separation from The Players on the 2012 schedule _ dates for the tour’s flagship event are May 7-13, 2012 _ will be helpful in luring elite players to Fort Worth.

The last time Colonial concluded on Memorial Day weekend, in 2010, the event drew five of the top eight players in the world rankings and all four reigning major champions.

“That’s ultimately going to help us with our field,” Ripa said of the date switch for 2012. “It’s a good spot for us on the calendar.”

Ripa said he was unsure if the move to a later date would free Colonial from direct competition with the Volvo Match Play Championship, a European Tour event that lured six golfers from the Top 10 _ all with primary loyalties to the European Tour _ to that event last week while PGA Tour competitors played in Fort Worth.

Nelson tournament chairman John Beckert said officials at his event are satisfied with their 2012 dates.
“We like playing in May when course conditions with Bermuda grass are optimal,” Beckert said. “We also like being adjacent to Colonial. It’s great to be able to bring two full-filled weeks to the Metroplex.”
The return to the traditional running order of the D-FW tour stops in 2012 means Nelson officials will crown two champions _ Sunday’s winner in Irving, plus the 2012 champ _ before another golfer has a chance to supplant Toms as the Colonial champion.

Follow Jimmy Burch on Twitter @Jimmy_Burch.

_ Jimmy Burch