Zhang at the age of just 17 – the US Women’s Amateur Champion – photo USGA

A missed putt from less than 3 feet at the 2^nd extra hole in today’s final of the US Women’s Amateur Championship in Rockville, Maryland, has cost Australia’s Gabriela Ruffels the opportunity to win the event for the second consecutive occasion.

In an incredibly hard-fought final against the 17 year old American, Rose Zhang, in which there was never more than two holes between the pair at any stage and only one over the last eighteen, Zhang saved a miracle par at the 36^th hole and then watched as Ruffels, three years her senior, failed to get up and down from behind the hole at the 38^th.

Zhang saved par at the 36th hole after her  drive found the left rough and she was unable to clear the rough with her second leaving herself still 90 yards or so for her 3rd. She would hit the most extraordinary pitch to less than two feet which was conceded but surprisingly she conceded Ruffel’s putt from three feet. The pair then moved into extra holes before Zhang parred the 38th and watched as Ruffels missed form very short range.

“Yeah, you can’t take any putt for granted out here,” said Ruffels. “These greens are crazy fast, and that did have a little break to it. I was playing it outside of the hole. I actually hit it on my line, it’s just kind of heartbreak seeing it horseshoe out.

“Rose played great today and got up-and-down. I got up-and-down when I needed to; I thought maybe I had it. But she deserves it.

“Rose was one of the toughest opponents. She never let the door open. Like she was dead straight down the middle, hits greens. What a good player. Her wedge game is amazing, putting is amazing. She’s so solid. I can’t believe she’s only 17. Yeah, all credit to her.”

Ruffels has a busy schedule ahead of her, earning starts in events because of her win in this very event last year.

“I’m going back to Orlando, and then I leave on Sunday for the British Open, and then I have the other three majors. So I have the ANA, then the U.S. Open at the end of the year. Hopefully college season, I’m not sure, but looking forward to the three majors.

“This week I’ll just have a little break, maybe a couple days off, and then — I mean, Scotland is definitely different golf. I’ve never played in Europe before, so just get out there and get some practice rounds in, and yeah, just kind of do the same thing that I’ve been doing.”

It was a gut-wrenching way for Ruffels’ valiant attempt at a second consecutive US Women’s Amateur Championship to finish but, despite her age, Zhang is a highly credentialed youngster and is actually ranked higher than Ruffels in the World Amateur Ranking.

Ruffels can feel very proud of her outstanding play in both attempts at this most significant of women’s amateur events but that will be of little consolation for her as she considers what might have been.

Ruffels in action in today’s final

 

Jason Day – on the 5th hole today – courtesy of PGA of America

Jason Day has recorded a third round of 70 at the PGA Championship near San Francisco and although now three shots behind the leader, Dustin Johnson, he remains very much in the hunt as the first major of the year heads into the weekend.

Day began the day perfectly when his approach at the first finished three feet from the hole to move just one behind the third round leader, Haotong Li.

On a layout which gives with one hand and takes with the other, Day would bogey his 6^th and 9^th holes although he kept in touch with a couple of nice bunker saves through the back nine before a birdie at the 16^th saw him finish three back.

It was a day when so many worked their way into contention however and Day slipped from a share of second place to a tied for 7^th. At just three behind he is one of many still very much in with a chance to win this significant title for the second occasion.

“I was 5-under coming into 16, I get to 16, I birdied that with a nice putt from about 20 feet away and then hit a nice one in close on 17, and then you’re sitting there going, I’m only two strokes back if I hole this putt.

“Unfortunately I didn’t, but it’s nice to be able to just hang in there, like major championship weekends you don’t have to do too much to move up the leaderboard, but you can do a lot to move away from the lead, unfortunately, by forcing things too much.

“I feel good about my putting, as well. I feel like that’s coming around nicely. Even though it didn’t look like I putted that great, I’m getting the lines right, unfortunately just not starting it on the line, and sometimes the speed may be just a little bit out, but overall I feel like I’m hitting good putts, just unfortunately they’re not going in.

“Tomorrow is another day, and you can wake up totally different tomorrow and feel great and everything is going to go in, so I’m really positive about how things are progressing.

“Overall it was a solid day even though I didn’t have a lot of birdies. I didn’t have a lot of bogeys, either. Hopefully that’s my poor round for the week and I can move on.”

Johnson leads by one over Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Champ with Collin Morikawa, Paul Casey and Brooks Koepka another shot back and one further back to five players tied for 7^th with Jason Day.

For Johnson this is the fourth time that he has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead at a major, having held that position at the 2010, 2015 and 2018 US Opens.  He finished those tournaments in 8th, 2nd and third places, respectively.

The only players with as many leads entering the fourth round of a major since 2010 are Jordan Spieth (6) and Rory McIlroy (5).  Spieth converted three of those six leads for victory while McIlroy converted four of his five chances.

DJ is the fifth player to start 0-for-3 in major which he had at least a share of a 54-hole lead, joining Harry Cooper, Dai Rees, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Lehman.  No player has ever started 0-for-4 when holding a 54-hole lead at a major.

“Yeah, I’m going to try my best not to do that,” said Johnson referring to that record after his round.

“All I can do is go out and play my game and shoot the best number I can. I’m going to just try and go out and shoot as low as I can tomorrow just like I did today. You know, just take what the golf course gives me and just keep on going because, you know, it doesn’t really matter what other guys are doing. All I can control is myself.

“I definitely have experience in this situation that definitely will help tomorrow. I’ve been in the hunt a bunch of times in a major. I’ve got one major, so having that experience is definitely going to be beneficial tomorrow.

“But it’s one of those things. Still going to have to go out and play really good golf. This is a tough golf course. Greens are getting really firm. They are fast. So I think the wind is going to blow again tomorrow, so it’s going to play difficult.

“I look forward to the challenge, and you know, I will definitely be relying on a lot of that experience that I have.”

Leader, Johnson – can he finally convert a 54 hole major championship lead?

Adam Scott retained an outside hope of a very low round tomorrow sweeping him into contention, his even par 70, losing ground in terms of position but something very special tomorrow might just open the door for him. He is seven shots from the lead.

Scott explained after his round just what he needs to do in order for that to occur.

“You can only be as aggressive as hitting the fairway off the tee. I mean, once you’re not in the fairway, you’re not aggressive. You have no control out of the rough.

“You might have a shot where you can get it on the green, but you’re not really in control. If I can hit a lot of fairways, there’s a low score out there somehow if I can dial in the irons.

“But I just haven’t had them starting on my line and doing what I want in the wind. It’s been difficult for me in that sense but I’m pleased I’ve putted very well.”

Twenty players are within five shots of Johnson, in fact at one stage today eleven players were within one of the lead  suggesting tomorrow might well be one of the most intriguing major championship finishes in recent times.

The make-up of those players has sixteen of those twenty yet to win a major title which may prove significant in tomorrow’s showdown.

We have waited a while for the opening major of the year but if the current leader-board is anything to go by then the final day is very likely to be well worth the wait.

Day hits his tee shot at the 9th – click to open – Photo courtesy of PGA of America

Jason Day might have lost his share of the lead at the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park near San Francisco, but he is well placed heading into the weekend of the first major of the year.

Day’s second round of 69 has him two behind the leader, Haotong Li, and tied for second place with Tommy Fleetwood, Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and Mike Lorenzo Vera.

After three early birdies, Day had a share of the lead with Li, who had started his second round early, before a messy double bogey at the lengthy par 4 12^th hole. He had chances to regain that lost ground in his closing holes but the putter deserted him.

He is, however, very well positioned with Li leading an event of this nature for the first time and the prospect of becoming China’s first male major championship winner, a huge task for the 25-year old.

Leader, Haotong Li – the weight of China’s expectations on his shoulders over the weekend.

“The course played a little bit — obviously a lot harder today for us in the afternoon,” said Day. “I know that the guys got a lot stronger wind yesterday. So to be able to walk off beating the golf course and shooting 69 today, I was pretty pleased with that.

“It’s a big golf course. It’s a big-boy golf course. The strange thing is when we have the southwesterly wind there’s a lot of side-wind golf shots, so you have to really control your ball flight.

“The greens, I think the last time we were here, they had a little bit more poa annua and they were a little more bumpy, but the green surfaces are playing tremendous. They are starting to get that little purple dry look to them, and with this wind, it’s definitely difficult.

“Obviously 12 was a bit of a mess. Wish I could have at least bogeyed that instead of doubled it, but overall, I gave myself plenty of opportunities coming in and just didn’t capitalize on them like I did yesterday.

“So, shooting 69 today, moving in the right direction, which is nice, if I can do that over the weekend, maybe shoot a couple more over the Saturday and Sunday round, hopefully I’m there; Sunday in contention.

“But the game feels good. I’m excited to come out and play every single day. I’m just going to try to tidy up the driving a little bit on the range and try to hole some more putts tomorrow if I can.”

Adam Scott stayed in touch with a round of 70 after being unable to take full advantage of an early tee time on day two. He mentioned after his round that he never felt he was moving forward.

“It was a bit of a mixed bag,” said Scott. “I guess overall my iron play wasn’t very good today, and my scrambling was pretty good. But a round where I never really had the momentum.

“I drove it a lot better than yesterday, which I was happy about, but I just couldn’t get it in there close enough to have really good looks at birdie, and I missed a few extra greens from the fairway, which is kind of not really my style.

“It was a bit of a grind. I’m definitely going to have to find my rhythm with my irons over the weekend.”

In Scott’s defence, it was just his second competitive round in five months so he has importantly kept himself in the mix for a possible run over the final 36 holes on a golf course that appears as if it will become even more demanding.

Of the other Australians, Cameron Smith improved with a second round of 60 to be at even par and tied for 44^th while Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert will have the weekend off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason Day in action today – photo courtesy of  PGA of America

Australian Jason Day has opened with a round of 5 under par 65 at the PGA Championship at the TPC Harding near San Francisco and shares the lead with American Brendon Todd at the end of day one.

That pair is one shot ahead of a group of nine players at 4 under 66 but despite 47 players breaking par on the lakeside layout west of San Francisco, the golf course proved to be demanding with no player able to go really low.

Day played early (7.33 tee time) and was bogey free, recording one of his best opening rounds in championship golf following on from several good finishes in recent weeks on the PGA Tour.

“Today I drove it really nicely, and when I was out of position,” said the 32 year old. “I left myself on the right side of the fairways to be able to at least get somewhere around the greens, and if I did miss the greens I left it in the right spot.

“Yeah, pretty sound the whole way around. I hit a lot of good-quality iron shots coming into the greens. Wasn’t overly aggressive. And there was a couple of shots on 9 and 17 where I hit it pretty tight, but overall it was very solid.

“There was definitely a lot of momentum coming in off the previous finishes that I’ve had, three top 10s, which has been nice. The game feels like it’s coming around. I’m pleased with it.

“I’m not like excited — I shouldn’t say I’m not excited. I am excited to come out and play every day, but I know that I can improve, and mainly my putting can improve a little bit more.

“I feel like I’ve been working very hard in the off-weeks and especially when I come to a tournament to be able to get my putting back to where it is because it’s always been a strength of mine, and I feel like the game is slowly coming around, the confidence is coming around because I’m starting to see the results, which has been good.”

Adam Scott has not played a PGA Tour event since February but he did very well to record a round of 68 to be three from the lead, more especially given he was required to overcome a slow start to a round in which he bogeyed three holes on the way to the turn.

“I just hit it in the rough a lot on the front nine, said Scott who played in the afternoon field today.

“Took me four or five holes to kind of figure out my comfort lines on the tee. You know, I’ll give myself a break on having not played any competitive golf for a while, that it took me awhile to find my rhythm out there, but I worked hard and it didn’t slip away from me, which I was really happy with.

“I ground it out on the back nine, because the wind got strong as we got around to around 13, which that was challenging with it coming in hard off the left shoulder. So I’m very happy with that score today.”

Of the other Australians, Matt Jones and Marc Leishman recorded rounds of even par 70, Cameron Smith a 71 and Lucas Herbert a 3 over par 73 in his first appearance at the PGA Championship.

 

 

Ruffels in action today – photo Chris Keane USGA

Victorian, Gabriela Ruffels, has made a promising start to the defence of her US Women’s Amateur Championship, the 20 year old daughter of tennis champions, Ray Ruffels and Anna-Maria Fernandez, and sister to celebrated young Australian professional, Ryan Ruffels, today finishing equal 5th in the stroke-play phase of the Championship at the Woodmont Golf Club in Rockville in Maryland.

In winning the title in 2019, Ruffels became the first Australian to win the coveted championship and with rounds of 72 and 71 on the demanding Woodmont Golf Club layout this week, she is well placed to advance through the match play phases which begin on Thursday (US time).

Currently ranked 9^th in the World Women’s Amateur rankings, Ruffels takes on  South Africa’s Kajal Mistry in the opening round.

Mistry survived a playoff to get into the field of 64 to contend the match play, bouncing back  from an opening round of 81 with a second round of 69 to scrape into the knockout field.

Ruffels, who currently attends the University of Southern California, will be joined in the early rounds of match play by fellow Australians Emily Mahar and Kirsty Hodgkins who finished in a share of 48^th place and take their place in tomorrow’s field.

Australian Emily Mahar is also into match play