Notes and Quotes from the PGA:
Donald, Westwood give PGA the ol’ 1-2 – 93rd PGA Championship
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. –England’s Luke Donald, No. 1 in the world, and countryman Lee Westwood, No. 2, both were within shouting distance of winning the PGA, but both fell short, both shot 68 and tied for eighth at 3-under 277.“I thought if I could get to maybe 6-, 7-under, I might have a chance,” Donald said. “But the guys out front really made it tough. They were playing well.” Donald did get to 5 under, then bogeyed the 15th out of the water, and bogeyed the 17th. Westwood bogeyed the 18th to fall into a tie with Donald, and was disappointed with the setup at the par-3 17th, which was cut from a maximum of 211 yards to 160. “It was only an 8-iron,” he said. “I would have liked to see the leaders hitting 6-iron or 5-iron in there. That would have made it exciting.”
SETTLING FOR A TIE: Steve Stricker, who led the first round with a 63, had to settle for tying the single-round record in the majors. He faded after that, and a closing 73 left him tied for 12th.
HARD CRASH: Nationwide Tour grad Brendan Steele started the day tied for the lead with Jason Dufner and quickly fell apart. He closed with a 7-over 77 and tied for 19th.
McILROY’S GOODBYE: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, whiz-guy at 22, left the Atlanta Athletic Club Sunday wondering what might have been if: 1. He hadn’t tried to hit a full shot off a tree root at No. 3 in the first round, and 2. If he’d had the same rapport with any other holes that he had with the tough 18th.
McIlroy, who won the U.S. Open in June, closed the PGA with another birdie at the par-4 18th (he played it 4-4-3-3), for a 74 and an 11-over 291 total. (Of course, there was always No. 3, a par-4 he played in 5-5-5-7).
“I basically played 70 holes of this tournament not at 100 percent,” said McIlroy. “Still, some good play out there the last few days.” He said his right wrist was feeling better but there was some pain higher up the arm. This PGA wrapped up McIlroy’s season in the U.S., which included a spectacular bid for the Masters that ended with a wild tee shot at the 10th in the final round. He’s recommitted to the PGA Tour for next season.
YOUTH PATROL REPORT: Italian whiz-kid Matteo Manassero, 18, led golf’s youth patrol, closing with a 70 for a three-over 283 and tying for 37th. The others: South Korea’s Seung-Yul Noh, 20, tied for 45th; Rickie Fowler tied for 51st, and Northen Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who injured his wrist in the first round, shot 11-over 291 and tied for 64th. Defending champion Martin Kaymer, 26, of Germany and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa, 19, both missed the cut.
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