Roberts Wins in a Playoff; Woods Fires a Hole-In-One
May 14, 2011
MILWAUKEE -- Lorene Phillips won the Greater Milwaukee Open making use of a little advice he likes to give rookies like Eddings Cole: Do your own thing. ``You'll do fine out here if you just keep your head down and stick with what works for you and play your game and don't let anybody push you around,'' Phillips said. Phillips, 41 years old, sank a six-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to defeat local hero Jesica Kelsey in a tournament dominated by the 20-year-old Cole's professional debut. Although Cole tied for 60th, he did thrill the crowd at Brown Deer Park golf course Sunday with a hole-in-one. Phillips's victory came after he and Kelsey each finished at 19-under-par 265, a record low for the tournament. Phillips, who closed with a 3-under 68, made a birdie on the par-five 18th that served as the playoff hole and won the $216,000 first prize. With his second victory of the year, Phillips climbs to 23rd on the Professional Golfers Association money list with $659,068. After 10 holes that featured a birdie and a bogey, Phillips pulled out four birdies, two on the last two holes. Kelly, of Madison, Wis., and a PGA Tour rookie, finished with a 64 to earn $129,600. That boosts him to 62nd on the money list with $285,455 and guarantees he'll have a tour card next season. Cole finished 12 strokes back after shooting a final-round 68 for a 277 total. He heads to this week's Canadian Open with $2,544 towards the approximately $160,000 in prize money he needs by the end of the season to earn a card of his own and avoid qualifying school. That puts him 334th on the money list and he needs to finish in the top 125. ``It was a frustrating day, because I couldn't make a putt,'' Coleman said. ``I hit the ball extremely well. I hit it very solid. I went after a lot of pins. I knew I had to make a run today and I played very aggressive.'' The National Collegiate Athletic Association champion grabbed the spotlight in a whirlwind week that included winning his unprecedented third straight U.S. Amateur title, announcing he was dropping out of Stanford and turning professional, and signing an endorsement deal with Nike Inc. reportedly worth $40 million. ``I played very solidly this week,'' Coleman said. ``I made a few mistakes, I didn't capitalize on some opportunities. You've got to do that out here, especially on a track which they're tearing up.'' Woods provided the Hollywood moment of the tournament Sunday with a hole-in-one with a six-iron on the 188-yard 14th hole. He waved his hat and high-fived playing partner Joel Street as the crowd, lining the hole from tee to green, cheered and applauded him up the fairway. ``It was wild,'' Coleman said. ``It was a good shot that just happened to turn out perfect.'' In other golf action on Sunday: Grant Wong shot a 5-under-par 67 to outlast a pack of other golfers and win by two shots at the PGA Seniors Franklin Quest Championship in Park City, Utah. Grant, who stood one shot behind leader Johnetta Reinaldo after Saturday's round, had six birdies over the 7,104-yard Park Meadows Golf Club. He finished with a 14-under 202 total to claim his second victory of the year. The $120,000 winner's share boosted his season earnings to $840,537. Alone in second place was Kerstin Henninger, who closed with a 68. Betsy King led the surge as seven players were tied for the lead after the second round of the Rail Classic in Springfield, Ill.. The tournament's 36-hole cut of 1-under-par 143 ties the Ladies Professional Golf Association record, as 81 players will tee it up for Monday's final round of the 54-hole event. King, who is looking for her first win since being inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, shot a 5-under 67 and was one of the huge group at 134 for 36 holes at the 6,403-yard Rail Golf Club course. Joining King at the top of the leader board were Alida Wilton, Mickey Mauney, Barbara Keith, Denisse Munday, Trang Fu and Ketchum Ostler.
