Global Golf Post - February 20, 2012

the first time he had failed to play four rounds in a pro event.

“It happens to everybody, if you play,” Cantlay said of failing the cut. His previous worst round in a Tour tournament was a 75 in last year’s U.S. Open at Congressional.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again
for a long time. I just played poorly. Ev-
ery once in a while you’ll play a tourna-
ment like that.”
Cantlay, who will be 20 on St. Pat-
rick’s Day, will play in The Masters, U.S.
Open and Open Championship. He’ll be
back at Riviera for the NCAA Champion-
ship in May.

You almost could hear the echoes of the cheers that a year ago rolled down the coastal canyon in which Riviera is located. “Freddie, Freddie, Freddie,” was

the chant the final day of the 2011 Northern Trust when he briefly held the lead.

But in 2012, the man for whom they had yelled, didn’t make the final two rounds.

Fred Couples missed the cut for only the third time in 30 appearances in the event that used to be the Los Angeles Open. His 4-over par 70-76 – 146 was one stroke above the line to get into the final two rounds.

Couples, captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team in October, is now 52, and mostly playing the Champions Tour, but in the interviews before the first round spoke enthusiastically about returning, to “my favorite tournament,” which he won 1990 and 1992.

“I feel like I can play here,” Couples said, who with his 1-under-par score on Thursday showed he could. “When I’m fairly healthy, I play well. But if I was to come out and play the PGA Tour full time and play 16 events, I probably would have a lot of poor events. It’s just too tough.”

Until the Northern Trust, Adam Scott had been the only player of the top 10 in the world rankings not to play competitively in 2012. “I may have to introduce myself to a fair bit of people,” was his line to Doug Ferguson of The Associated Press.

Scott was going to play the Hyundai at Kapalua, the winners-only event, which traditionally begins the season, but he had his tonsils out in December in his native Australia and needed recovery time.

Holmes Battling Back PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA | J.B. Holmes was four shots out of the lead going into Sunday, which had to be encouraging as he battles back in a return after undergoing brain surgery Sept. 1 to relieve symptoms of Chiari malformations, which caused vertigo-like dizziness. A small piece of his skull was removed to relieve pressure on his cerebellum and a titanium mesh plate was affixed to the base.

sudden (at Spyglass Hill) I put up a
pretty big number (an 80). A couple of
bad things happened, and I didn’t putt well.”
But in the Northern Trust, his fourth
straight event, he seemed to break
through.

“I felt pretty good this week practicing,” said Holmes, “and coming up to this golf course. I really enjoy playing here. I like the layout of this golf course.” He had finished seventh or better the previous three years.

“It’s nice to get out here
and start hitting some shots
like I used to,” said Holmes.
“Just nice to be back.”
starved for tournament golf.”
five times a year the last few years and
when it occurred at the Deutsche Bank
Championship, he decided to finally do
something about it.

Mike Weir won the tournament in 2003 and 2004, only the sixth golfer to do it back-to-back, and underwent elbow surgery in August. His request for a sponsor’s exemption to the Northern Trust was refused, the exemptions going to Couples, K. T. Kim, Jason Gore and amateurs Cantlay and Jordan Spieth, all of whom missed the cut. Cantlay and Gore are from southern California.