Around The World
On a Sunday which, for the first time in two decades, included neither Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods, 28-year-old Scott Stallings charged from a three-stroke 54-hole deficit to claim his third PGA Tour win at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. Stallings made up much of his ground with a run of three birdies from the 11th through the 14th before nearly being derailed by a bogey at the par-3 16th. But under the gun, he logged the critical birdie he needed at the par-5 18th by reaching the pond-fronted green with a 4 iron, then two-putting from 40 feet. This last birdie then held up as the margin of victory when a long list of erstwhile contenders – at one point nine players were tied for the lead - eventually fell by the wayside. This list was headed by Gary Woodland, who stood eight-under-par before a crushing double-bogey at the 17th left him unable to utilize his length to tie at the last. Australian Marc Leishman then came up one shy when he could only birdie the last – a circumstance matched earlier by Jason Day, Graham Delaet and area native Pat Perez. Also sharing second was K.J. Choi, who finished well before the leaders with a 66, the week’s low South Course round. Less happy with their weeks were Mickelson (who withdraw Friday night with a back injury) and Woods, who failed to make the 54-hole cut after crashing to an ugly Saturday 79...................Sergio Garcia spent the first three days of the Qatar Masters flying almost completely under the radar, his opening rounds of 71-67-69 leaving him seven, seven and three shots off the lead respectively. But in a Saturday finale played under ideal conditions, the 34-year-old Garcia raced home with six birdies over his final 12 holes to card the day's co-low round (a seven-under-par 65) and charge into the clubhouse lead. Unfortunately, Garcia missed an eight-footer for birdie at the 72nd, and thus left the door ajar for Finland's Mikko Ilonen, who promptly holed a clutch 18-footer for birdie at the par-5 finisher to join Garcia on 272 and force a playoff. The pair were nearly joined by Denmark's 24-year-old Thorbjørn Olesen, who arrived at the last trailing by two but, after reaching the 589-yarder in two, he narrowly missed a 15-foot eagle putt to tie. Returning to the 18th for sudden death, Garcia too missed a makeable eagle putt on the first playoff hole, and both he and Ilonen birdied the hole on its second playing. But Ilonen was unable to match Garcia's birdie on the third go-round, and with a total of 10 birdies in 21 Saturday holes, the Spaniard clinched his 11th career European Tour victory. Olesen would share third place with third round leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain, who closed with a more-than-respectable 69.