Golf Update: Sunday happenings in the world of Golf- Ted Schulz wins the Champions Tour's First Tee Open golf tournament
Sunday is meant to be a weekend for most of the people but for some it is a time to attend the pro-am session or to post a victory after a tough playoff. Last night Ted Schulz posted a lead by scoring a 67 in the last round of the Champions Tour title at the Home Care & Hospice First Tee Open, which is taking place at the Pebbles beach links in Carmel in Northern California.
The 50-year-old American wrapped the last round with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole followed by a par. He was chased by Tom Pernice Jr who made a 67 and was one stroke away from the leader of the round. The lead margin was very small but for Ted Schulz it meant a lot, as this is his second victory on the PGA tour. Earlier it was Nissan Open back in 1991 where he claimed his first title.
Ted turned 50 this year and this tournament is one of the 12 starts for the player. His overall score card showed one eagle, one birdie and two bogeys in the final round. Talking to the press, Ted said that he was very happy over his victory as it added a whole new page to his career. Moreover, he was satisfied with his game which according to him was very solid, although it was not as good as the third round but the score of 2 under did the magic and gave him a victory. He further added that he was very nervous before the big day as it was like a comeback for him and in result he woke up four times in the night but as soon he took the charge after smashing an eagle in the front nine, he forgot all the anxiety and nervousness and performed solid throughout the day.
Ted Schulz quitted the PGA tour in 2000 and has been working as a director of golf at the University of Louisville. After a gap of ten years, Ted came back and won the prize money of $315,000 which was far greater than the money he banked on in 1991 at the closing ceremony of the Nissan Open.
Commenting on Ted’s victory, Pernice said that he did not know that Ted had birdied the 17th hole because if he knew then he would have opted for a different strategy and played the last hole with a different goal in mind. At the end, he said that he was happy for Ted, as he was not there for a long time and welcomed him. Apart from these two guys, other players too performed remarkably well. Their names are Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Kite; both carded a score of 69 and were tied for the third position. They were followed by Fred Couples who posted a 68 and was standing only one shot behind.
Moving forward to the next news, Ryo Ishikawa won the playoff at the Japan Tour's Fujisankei Classic on Sunday by posting a score of nine under at Fujizakura Country Club. She was followed by Shunsuke Sonoda.
This 18-year-old carried her three stroke lead into the final round and shot four birdies against three bogeys, which means when she finished she was nine-under. On the other hand, Sonoda, carded five birdies but her bogey at the last hole took one shot away from her, hence dropping her into a tie with Ishikawa on nine under. After reaching the playoff, both the players pared the first three holes but on their way to the last Ishikawa two-putted for par, while Sonoda missed a shot.
This is what happened on Sunday in the world of golf where Ishikawa won the Fujisankei Classic and Ted Schulz took a sip of his first victory on the PGA tour after turning 50. Therefore, this proves one thing that Sundays are not a weekend for the golfers.
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