PGA Results: 2012 Greenbrier

LPGA Tour The U.S. Women's Open was contested this past week at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin.  The Pete Dye design produced some low rounds for an Open, but in the end most of the field dropped to above par, leaving a few players left to contend for the 2012 U.S. Women's Open Trophy.  In the end, only two players would finish under par, both from South Korea. Michelle Wie fired her lowest round on the LPGA for some time, a 66 in the 2nd round.  But on the weekend, Wie would fire a disappointing pair of scores in 78-80, dropping her to a tie for 35th. The lowest round of the tournament belonged to eventual winner Na Yeon Choi of South Korea, affectionately known as "NYC."  Her 65 in the 3rd round put her in the driver's seat on Sunday.  She'd built up such a large lead, that she could afford to score a snowman 8 on the 10th hole and still win by four shots over fellow South Korean Amy Yang. With the win Choi records her first major championship, 60 points toward Rolex Player of the Year and her 11th victory worldwide.

"You know what, I think I couldn't believe this right now. Maybe tomorrow in Korea I can feel something. But right now it's the same as like usual day. I just want to say to all the volunteers and fans out there they supported me a lot, so that was helping me a lot and encouraging me. So I really want to say to all the fans and crowd out there they did a really good job, and one more thing, I think I was very calm out there. And I had a really good patience the last hole. I think I'm pretty proud of myself too."~ Na Yeon Choi

PGA Tour The Greenbrier was setting up to be a very exciting PGA Tour event, with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the field.  Tiger was coming off his victory the week before at Congressional in the AT&T. An exciting three hole playoff was needed to decide the tournament.  But the players in the playoff weren't Tiger and Phil.  Instead the 464th and 218th ranked players in the world were competing for the largest paychecks of their entire careers and a guaranteed spot in the 2013 Masters. Troy Kelly (464th) and Ted Potter Jr. (218th) squared off on the first hole of the playoff at the 18th, a par-3.  Both players made par and moved to the 17th, a par-5.  Kelly was in trouble after two shots in a short greenside bunker.  He managed to get his 4th shot to just over 20 feet from the hole where he would drain the par putt, putting pressure on Potter to make his five foot birdie putt to win.  He missed. The playoff moved back to the 18th where Potter would knock it close and make birdie for his first victory on the PGA Tour and over a million dollars in prize money.

"Just amazing feeling right now. Didn't know what was going to happen coming down the stretch there, bogey on No. 11 and not birdieing 12, the par 5, short par 5. So, I mean, just seeing I was a few back there. And then making a bomb on 15 there, that turned my hopes around there making that putt there for birdie. Then some magic came in on 17 and 18 to get me to where I am, so I'm just happy to be here."~Ted Potter Jr.

With the win Potter receives an invitation to the Masters as well as a two year exemption on the PGA Tour.