NCAA MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Kampen Course, West Lafayette, Ind.
7,450 yards, par 72

Medalist: Kevin Chappell, UCLA (2-under 286).
Team champion: UCLA (42-over 1194).

UW team finish: 18-over-par 306. The Huskies finished the tournament at 56-over 1208, seventh alone out of 30 schools. In fact, four Pacific-10 Conference schools placed in the top seven.

UW individuals:
Nick Taylor (75)
Zach Bixler (76)
Darren Wallace (77)
Tze Huang Choo (78)
* John Wise (85)

On a day when scoring was high again, Taylor's 75 placed him in second with Indiana's Jorge Campillo (72). It is the UW's best finish at the NCAAs since James Lepp won the 2005 title over Tacoma's Michael Putnam (Pepperdine) in a playoff. Other Huskies include Bixler (303, tied for 23rd), Choo (310, tied for 55th), Wallace (313, tied for 64th) and Wise (323, 78th).

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This week: PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio.

Third-round score: 3-over-par 75.

Position: Moore (3-over 219) is tied for 28th, and trails leader Mathew Goggin of Australia by 11 strokes. Goggin is at 8-under 208.

Recap: Rain delays and errant approach shots led to the Puyallup native's undoing. He hit only seven of 18 greens in regulation, and was hitting chip shots from the rough much of the afternoon. Moore was standing in the fairway on the par-5 seventh when play was halted for two hours because of showers, and he returned to bogey two of his next three holes. Perhaps the par-5 15th summed up Moore's day the best. He found a greenside bunker in two shots, but the ball plugged in the sand. His third shot found the rough, and he missed a 30-foot par putt for his fourth bogey of the afternoon.

Tee time Sunday: 7:09 a.m. PDT with John Mallinger.

NCAA MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Kampen Course, West Lafayette, Ind.
7,450 yards, par 72

UW team finish: 19-over 307. The third round was suspended due to lightning storms, but the Huskies sit ninth at 38-over 902, and are expected to make the 15-school cut.

UW individuals:
Nick Taylor (73)
Zach Bixler (76)
Tze Huang Choo (77)
Darren Wallace (81)
* John Wise (82)

Taylor moved up one spot, and is tied with Clemson's Kyle Stanley in second place at 2-under 214. The Northwest duo trails UCLA's Kevin Chappell (210) by four strokes. Other Huskies include Bixler (227, tied for 43rd), Choo (232, tied for 85th), Wallace (236, tied for 120th) and Wise (238, tied for 130th).

Taylor's round: By far, golfers faced the biggest gusts of the week. That wasn't the worst of it. Lightning affected afternoon rounds, suspending them until Saturday morning, and the area was under tornado surveillance. Meanwhile, Taylor hit 13 of the 14 fairways, and was 5-under for the tournament at one point when he chipped in for birdie on the par-5 16th (his seventh hole). Back-to-back bogeys on the following holes set him back, and the wind kicked up over his final nine holes (another bogey on No. 5).

Taylor's comments: "I had some birdie putts on the back nine (Nos. 1 thru 9), but just didn't make them. It was tough to make them with the wind. (The wind) affected the shots the whole day, but the last eight or nine holes, it started to affect putts. It was tough to judge if there was a gust."

Hole of the day: The 481-yard, par-4 ninth is one of the meanest holes in NCAA golf, and on Friday, it played into the wind. On the brink of the cut line, the Huskies needed to keep their position, and made four pars on that hole.

* Wise's round did not count toward team total.

This week: PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio.

Second-round score: 1-under-par 71.

Position: Moore (even-par 144) sits tied for 18th, seven strokes behind co-leaders Kenny Perry and Mathew Goggin (137).

Recap: One of the changes this week to Muirfield Village was the high rough, and under 20 mph gusts Friday, scores were high. Three players broke 70, and 21 golfers shot 80 or worse. That is why the Puyallup native jumped up 29 spots on the leaderboard, even with his own rough stretch – a bogey at No. 1 (his 10th hole), and a triple bogey-7 at No. 2, which completely wiped out his three-birdie start on the opening nine holes. Moore recovered by making three more birdies in four holes – two coming on par-5s – before missing a 16-foot putt for par, finishing with a bogey. He was outstanding with the driver (hit 13 of 14 fairways), and was lights-out with his putting (23 putts). The cut of 6-over 150 is the highest at the Memorial since 1989. With rain expected to hit Saturday, tee times were pushed back because tournament officials needed extra time to get the course ready.

Tee time Saturday: 8:50 a.m. PDT with J.B. Holmes and Mike Weir.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Bank of America Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Glen Club, Glenview, Ill.

Second-round score: 2-over-par 74.

Position: Putnam (1-over 145) missed the cut by three strokes, and was tied for 99th. Skip Kendall leads at 11-under 133.

Recap: The Tacoma native rode the "bogey" train (Nos. 2, 6, 11, 15 and 16) out of his fourth consecutive tournament, missing the cut again. The Life Christian Academy product did finish with back-to-back birdies, including one out of the greenside bunker on the par-5 18th, but it was too little, too late.

Next: U.S. Open sectional qualifier Monday in Columbus, Ohio, but he's planning on skipping the Nationwide event, The Rex Hospital Open, starting Thursday at the TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, N.C.

NCAA MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Kampen Course, West Lafayette, Ind.
7,450 yards, par 72

UW team finish: 2-over 290, third-best team score of the second round. The Huskies are sixth at 19-over 595 through two rounds, six strokes behind leader Clemson (589).

UW individuals:
Nick Taylor (66)
Tze Huang Choo (72)
Zach Bixler (76)
Darren Wallace (76)
* John Wise (79)

Taylor sits in third at 3-under 141, followed by Bixler (150, tied for 32nd), Wallace (155, tied for 85th), and Wise and Choo (156, tied for 96th).

Taylor's round: UW coach Matt Thurmond called Taylor's 66 – the round of the tournament so far – one of the best in the history of the Huskies postseason, including James Lepp's final-round 63 that captured the 2005 NCAA championship. Taylor made a pair of sidewinding 30-foot putts for birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 (his fourth and fifth holes), finished his first nine in 31, then birdied the first and second holes on tap-in putts to go 7-under through 11 holes. He did bogey the 230-yard, par-3 fifth, and had a 10-foot birdie putt on his final hole that lipped out.

Thurmond's comments: "Honestly, we've played as well as anybody. We're the only team from the morning session (Wednesday) that is in the top six, so for us to be where we're at is actually more impressive … because that morning round was so difficult. We're in the hunt."

Hole of the day: Taylor's performance was certainly the Huskies' highlight, but the 600-yard, par-5 sixth was key late in both the rounds of Choo and Bixler. Choo birdied one of the course's longest holes, and Bixler made an eagle-3.

* Wise's round did not count toward team total.

This week: PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio.

First-round score: 1-over-par 73.

Position: Tied for 47th, Moore trails leader Matthew Goggin of Australia (65) by eight strokes.

Recap: The Puyallup native was a little off in his ball-striking – he hit half of the 14 fairways, and 18 greens in regulation – but shook off three consecutive bogeys on Nos. 8-10 by reaching the green on the par-5 11th in two shots, and two-putting from 18 feet for birdie. He had another birdie at No. 14.

Tee time Friday: 5 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Bank of America Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Glen Club, Glenview, Ill.

First-round score: 1-under 71.

Position: He's tied for 80th, eight strokes behind leader Kyle Reifers (63).

Recap: The Tacoma native got rolling with two birdies in his first five holes (No. 11 and 14), but for a guy who is 11th on the Nationwide Tour in par-5 birdie conversion (nearly 43 percent), his bogey on the par-5 18th was certainly disappointing. He had 31 putts on his round.

Tee time Friday: 5:30 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley knew if his putter obliged, he could make noise at this week's 111th NCAA Division I men's championships in West Lafayette, Ind.

It has.

And he's certainly in the hunt for the title.

Stanley, the sophomore at Clemson, carded the day's third-best round Thursday – a 4-under-par 68 – to trail Florida's Billy Horschel by one stroke at the midway point of the NCAAs on the Kampen Course at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.

After his tournament-best 67 Thursday, Horschel grabbed the outright lead at 5-under 139, while Stanley, the ex-Bellarmine Prep star who was the 2007 NCAA runner-up, sits at 140.

Stanley made four birdies on his final nine holes (Nos. 1 through 9) to move up the leaderboard.

"This is a good golf course, and a great test of golf," Stanley said. "It puts a premium on getting the ball in the fairway. I hit most of the fairways (Thursday), and if I didn't, I was only out a little bit where it wasn't too penalizing."

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Washington men's golf coach Matt Thurmond had heard rumblings coming in to the 111th NCAA Division I championships of how formidable the Kampen Course of Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex would play.

What he visualized, and what he saw when the team arrived Tuesday were two different animals.

Par will certainly be a good score in all of the four rounds in West Lafayette, Ind., and considering the Huskies played under dank and blustery morning conditions Wednesday, they came out all right at 17-over-par 305, which was third-best of the 15 schools that went out in that session, and is ninth overall.

Senior Zach Bixler led the UW with a 2-over 74, which is tied for 10th, three strokes behind leader Kevin Chappell of UCLA (69).

"We were playing really, really good, and in the last two holes (Nos. 17 and 18), unfortunately we were 10-over par as a team," Thurmond said. "Still, we played OK overall."

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This week: PGA Tour’s The Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio.

World ranking: 82nd.

2008 earnings: $987,228 (44th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Puyallup native placed tied for 52nd (1-over 281) at last week’s Colonial in Texas, and marking the third time in the past four tournament he’s made the cut. Oddly enough, he’s finished over-par in back-to-back events (The Players Championship on May 11 and Colonial). Moore’s scoring average has steadily dropped, now at 70.69 strokes per round. His career-best came in 2005 (70.49). One of the Cascade Christian product’s four runner-up finishes happened at last year’s Memorial where he birdied five holes in a row to end up a stroke behind winner K.J. Choi.

Moore's pre-tournament comments:
• On coming back to an event he almost won last year: "I look forward to this tournament probably more than any tournament all year. And to have played well here last year is just even more of a bonus coming back."

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This week: Nationwide Tour’s Bank of America Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Glen Club, Glenview, Ill.

World ranking: 510th.

2008 earnings: $43,478 (51st on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: Never had the Tacoma golfer missed three cuts in a row on the Nationwide Tour – until Friday when he exited last week’s Melwood Prince George’s County Open (1-over 145) in Maryland. Eight of his past nine rounds have been in the 70s, but Putnam said it’s been a “weird last four weeks, and very disappointing, because my game has been there.” In 2006, when this event was known as the LaSalle Bank Open, Putnam was tied for 34th at 6-over 290 during a stretch in which he made 13 consecutive cuts.

Tee time Thursday: 10:40 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Jason Allred and Tom Scherrer.

1, IN THE CLOWN's MOUTH
So, what is The News Tribune's golf writer working on these days? A wacky spin-off of the sport – miniature golf.

Last fall, TNT outdoors reporter Craig Hill and myself formed an idea for a spring-time package on "crazy golf," complete with course reviews, a story on the culture of it and a match with touring professionals Ryan Moore and Michael Putnam, both Pierce County products.

We met the 20-something duo at The Putting Zoo in Puyallup for a best-ball 18-hole match. We went into it 50-to-1 underdogs.

What we discovered is that putt-putt golf is not a teenager date-only activity, or family-fun affair. Putnam and Moore admitted they play miniature golf while they're out on tour.

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PGA TOUR's Memorial

Site: Dublin, Ohio.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Muirfield Village Golf Club (7,265 yards, par 72).

Purse: $6 million. Winner’s share: $1.08 million.

FedExCup points: 25,000. Winner’s share: 4,500.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.) and CBS (Saturday, noon-3 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.).

Last year: South Korea’s K.J. Choi won the first of his two 2007 PGA Tour titles, closing with a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over Ryan Moore of Puyallup, who notched his third runner-up finish in the process.

Last week: Phil Mickelson won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, holing a 9-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Tim Clark and Rod Pampling. Mickelson also won the 2000 tournament. He has 34 PGA Tour victories.

Notes: Tiger Woods is skipping the tournament as he recovers from knee surgery, meaning he likely will go to the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in two weeks without having played a tournament in two months. The 1999-01 Memorial winner had arthroscopic surgery April 15. … Jack Nicklaus founded the event in 1976 and won the 1977 and 1984 titles. He made his last competitive appearance in the tournament in 2005. … Vijay Singh withdrew Monday because of a rib injury sustained last week, but Ernie Els, who said on his Web site that he won’t be playing until next week, changed his mind and said he plans to play this seek. … The Stanford St. Jude Championship is next week in Memphis, Tenn.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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This week: The PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

Fourth-round score: 1-over-par 71.

Position: Moore finished four rounds in 1-over par 281. He tied for 52nd, 15 shots behind winner Phil Mickelson. Moore earned $14,082 to increase his season earnings to $987,228, ranking 44th on tour.

Recap: The Puyallup golfer started fast with three consecutive birdies. Overall, he had five birdies in his round, but he offset that with six bogies, including consecutive bogeys at No. 5, 6 and 7. Moore played Colonial’s fifth hole, a 472-yard par-4, in 6-over for the week. He had three bogeys and a triple. Moore’s 16 birdies tied for 11th in the field, and his average of 28 putts per round tied for 16th.

Next: The Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, May 29 to June 1 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Moore was runner-up to K.J. Choi at this event in 2007.

This week: PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Thursday through Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

Third-round score: 1-over-par 71.

Position: Moore (even-par 210) is tied for 53rd, 12 strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson (12-under 198).

Recap: An early birdie put the Puyallup native in the top 20. Then he plummeted quickly with a rare triple bogey-7 on the fifth hole, and he was never under-par again. He bogeyed the ninth to make the turn in 38, but rallied with a pair of back-nine birdies (No. 11 and 13). One of the tour leaders in total driving, Moore had one of his poorest driving performances in a while (hit six of 14 fairways).

Tee time Sunday: 6:38 a.m. PDT with Nathan Green.

This week: PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, today through Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

Second-round score: 2-under-par 68.

Position: Moore (1-under 139) is tied for 25th, six strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson (7-under 133).

Recap: The Puyallup native was strolling along (three birdies in first 10 holes), then abruptly stumbled (three bogeys in four holes at Nos. 2, 4 and 5) to fall back to even-par. But Moore rallied late for a pair of birdies, including a last one on the par-4 ninth when his pitching wedge approach set up a 6-foot putt the 69.

Tee time today: 9:01 a.m. PDT with Paul Goydos.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, Md.

Second-round score: 2-over-par 74.

Position: Putnam (1-over 145) missed the cut by one stroke, tied for 65th. Jeff Klauk leads at 10-under 134.

Recap: The Tacoma product is in a little bit of a rut, missing the cut for a third consecutive tournament. And the All-American from Pepperdine, who had recovered from an early double bogey with two birdies at Nos. 1 and 5, was above the cut-line heading to the eighth tee (his 17th hole). He bogeyed that hole, and needed a par on the ninth hole to still get into weekend play. But Putnam's tee shot on the par-3, 194-yard hole landed in rough. He missed a short par putt and was sent home.

Next: Bank of America Open starting next Thursday at The Glen Club in Glenview, Ill.

This week: PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Thursday through Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

First-round score: 1-over-par 71.

Position: Moore sits tied for 54th, eight strokes behind leader Johnson Wagner (7-under 63).

Recap: The Puyallup golfer recovered from three consecutive bogeys on Nos. 5-7 (hadn't done that since the second round of the PODS Championship in March), and actually got back to even-par with his 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 12th. He fell back a shot with his 16th-hole bogey. His 331-yard drive average Thursday was third in the field, and his best all season.

Tee time Friday: 4:41 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, Md.

First-round score: 1-under-par 71.

Position: Putnam is tied for 27th, seven strokes behind leader Jeff Klauk (8-under 64).

Recap: The Tacoma native was one of 38 under-par golfers (three birdies, two bogeys) on a tree-lined course that isn't very long (7,059 yards), but requires meticulous shot-shaping. Throw in a little wind, and the layout was more than a stern test. After two early birdies, Putnam fell back to even-par after a bogey on the 16th hole. He quickly responded with a birdie on the 17th hole.

Tee time Friday: 5:10 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

BELLEVUE – After a series of disappointments, Brian Nosler finally recorded a well-deserved highlight in his professional golfing career.

Nosler, the former University of Washington and Arizona State product who was thought to be a rising talent turning pro in 2002, captured the 82nd Washington Open Invitational on Wednesday at Glendale Country Club.

The assistant pro at Langdon Farms Golf Club outside Portland defeated amateur Derek Berg, of Duvall, on the first sudden-death playoff hole to win the championship, and break the stranglehold of Washington golfers on its most prestigious tournament.

The last time an Oregon golfer won the Washington Open was in 1983, when Columbia-Edgewater pro Mike Davis clinched the title at Wenatchee Golf and Country Club.

Nosler and Berg each shot 2-under-par 69s to finish at 207. Defending champion Tim Feenstra rallied behind the day's best round – a 67 – but fell a stroke short of the playoff, finishing in third at 208.

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This week: PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Thursday through Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

World ranking: 77th.

2008 earnings: $973,146 (40th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Puyallup native took the week off after finished tied for 27th at The Players Championship (5-over 293), earning a $67,450 check. It was his third-best finish of the season behind a tied for fifth at the Bob Hope (Jan. 20) and a playoff loss to Adam Scott at the Byron Nelson (April 27). Moore has made the cut in two previous appearances at the Colonial, including a tied for 65th placing after returning from a two-month layoff after wrist surgery in 2006.

Tee time Thursday: 10:11 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Cliff Kresge and Ryan Palmer.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, Md.

World ranking: 495th.

2008 earnings: $43,478 (49th on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: The Tacoma golfer missed the cut at last week's BMW Charity Pro-Am (3-under 212), marking the first time he's missed back-to-back cuts since the end of the 2007 PGA Tour season (missed five in a row, ending with the Frys.com Open in October). The tee-to-green statistics show Putnam should be showing better – he's 31st in total driving, 14th in greens hit in regulation (71.4 percent) and 30th in scoring average (71.58 strokes) – but he's not consistently making putts (nearly 31 per round, ranking 110th on tour).

Tee time Thursday: 10:15 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Joe Daley and Scott Dunlap.

PGA TOUR's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

Site: Fort Worth, Texas.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Colonial Country Club (7,054 yards, par 70).

Purse: $6.1 million. Winner’s share: $1,098,000.

FedExCup points: 25,000. Winner’s share: 4,500.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini beat Jim Furyk and Bernhard Langer with a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.
Last week: Ryuji Imada won the AT&T Classic for his first PGA Tour victory, beating Kenny Perry with a par on the first hole of a playoff. Imada won a year after losing a playoff to Zach Johnson at TPC Sugarloaf.

Notes: Phil Mickelson, the 2000 winner, is making his first appearance in the event since 2005. … Perry won in 2003 and 2005, finishing with tournament-record 19-under 261 totals. … Ben Hogan won his hometown event five times. … Tiger Woods, coming off knee surgery, hopes to return next week for the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio. The Stanford St. Jude Championship is June 5-8 in Memphis, Tenn., followed by the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. … After a week off, Puyallup's Ryan Moore is in the field this week.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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1, GEM OF THE SOUND
Go west to find golf-course greatness.

There is plenty to choose wisely from – Trophy Lake, McCormick Woods, Port Ludlow, and even the new Whitehorse Golf Club is getting rave reviews.

But the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain stands tallest at the most crucial times.

The first big test came at the 2006 U.S. Public Links Amateur championship. The best amateurs from public courses came out to play for one of the USGA's national championships at a site with little or no fanfare nationally.

That changed dramatically that summer – Gold Mountain's scenic layout, its variety of holes and its fast-but-fair greens were hailed as dynamic, especially for a public course.

But for last week's NCAA West Regionals, the Olympic Course was even better.

"I think every time you do one of these (tournaments), you learn things – the tiny things," said Scott Alexander, Gold Mountain's head honcho. "It's the little things for the players."

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Staying within the theme of newbies – top-flight courses that haven't yet celebrated a one-year anniversary – the United States Golf Association selected DuPont's The Home Course as the secondary course for the 2010 U.S. Amateur.

Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place will be the primary site for the championship, as well as the 2015 U.S. Open.

"We are very happy The Home Course will be our partner in this national event," Pierce County executive John Ladenburg said.

The Home Course, which opened in late June of 2007, was purchased by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association/Washington State Golf Association from the Weyerhauser Company last year, and is operated by both entities.

"We're obviously very honored. Our relationship with the USGA goes back a century," said John Bodenhamer, the PNGA and WSGA's executive director. "The reality is, this and a lot of other good things are happening because of Chambers Bay. Would we have gotten a U.S. Am on our own? I don't know. I'd hope we'd be considered. We're just really thrilled and happy, and it's an event that will really pump up this region."

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NCAA WEST REGIONAL MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gold Mountain's Olympic Course, Bremerton
7,111 yards, Par 72

Team champion: Southern California (2-under-par 862).

Medalist: Joey Benedetti, Oregon (9-under 207).

Round of the day: Stanford's Sihwan Kim was a birdie-making machine Saturday, helping the defending NCAA champion Cardinal dig out of a deep hole to make the cut for this year's national tournament in Indiana. Kim, a 2006 U.S. Amateur Public Links quarterfinalist at Gold Mountain, made eight birdies – five over the final nine holes (Nos. 11, 12, 14, 15 and 18). His 4-under 68 tied for the best round of the tournament, and he finished fifth overall (212).

Shot of the day: Washington's Nick Taylor chose to play 'Aquaman' on the par-3 16th hole after he tee shot spun off the green and into the water hazard. He took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs and went in to chip it out, which he did to the fringe. Then, Taylor made a 40-foot chip shot for par en route to a 1-under 71.

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This week: Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, Bright's Creek Golf Club and The Carolina Country Club in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Third-round score: 1-under-par 71 at Carolina CC.

Position: Putnam (3-under 212) missed the cut by one stroke, tying for 61st. David Mathis leads at 17-under 198.

Recap: The Tacoma native made enough birdies (14; tied for 27th in the field) to make the cut, but three back-nine bogeys (Nos. 11, 12 and 17) were his undoing, and he missed his second consecutive cut.

Next: Melwood Prince George's County Open starting Thursday at the Country Club at Woodmore in Mitchellville, Md.

NCAA WEST REGIONAL MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gold Mountain's Olympic Course, Bremerton
7,111 yards, Par 72

Team leader: Southern California (2-under-par 574).

Individual leader: Joey Benedetti, Oregon (6-under 138).

Round of the day: When you go 20 holes in between the only two bogeys you've made in two rounds, you get the nod. Benedetti offset a bogey on No. 1 (his 10th hole) by making a pair of 15-foot birdie putts on Nos. 4 and 6. The last one, coming after a nifty flop shot out of the rough on the par-5 sixth, helped him become the only player in the 141-man field to shoot both rounds in the 60s.

Shot of the day: During competition, coaches are permitted to give their players advice. Good thing Washington's Nick Taylor was listening on the tee of the 184-yard, par-3 16th when coach Matt Thurmond advised him to switch from a 5-iron to a 6-iron because of a "bouncy" green. Taylor's tee shot led to a 6-foot birdie putt, which he made en route to a 3-under 69.

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This week: Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, Bright's Creek Golf Club and The Carolina Country Club in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Second-round score: 1-under-par 70 at Thornblade.

Position: Putnam (2-under 141) is tied for 64th, and is 12 strokes behind leader David Mathis (14-under 130).

Recap: The Tacoma native appeared to be rolling early with two birdies in his first three holes, but found trouble – the deep woods – on the par-4 13th. He tried to get out, but hit a tree and stayed there, and ended up walking off the green with a triple bogey-7. To his credit, he made four more birdies after that hole.

Tee time Saturday: 7 a.m. PDT off the first tee at Carolina CC.

NCAA WEST REGIONAL MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gold Mountain Olympic Course, Bremerton
7,111 yards, par 72

Team leader: Southern California (4-under 284).

Individual leaders: Clemson's Phillip Mollica fired the tournament's best round – 4-under-par 68 – in the morning session to move up from tied for 64th into the top 15. USC's Rory Hie shot a 70, and was trailing overnight leader Joey Benedetti of Oregon by one stroke.

Mollica's round: The Tigers' No. 4 golfer flourished during one of Gold Mountain's gauntlet stretches – Nos. 7-9 – as he made four front-nine birdies. The 458-yard, par-4 seventh was playing easier with no wind, hitting his approach close, and sinking an 8-footer for birdie. He made a 10-footer on the par-3 eighth, and closed with three in a row on the par-5 ninth.

Comments: "I had a wild round (Thursday). I had a lot of offense as I made only four pars. So today, I calmed down a little bit, and got off to a good start," Mollica said.

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NCAA WEST REGIONAL MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Gold Mountain Olympic Course, Bremerton
7,111 yards, par 72

Team leader: Oregon (1-over-par 289).

Individual leader: Joey Benedetti, Oregon (3-under 69).

Round of the day: Afternoon conditions were considerably more difficult, and Pepperdine's Eric Shriver, the team's No. 3 player and senior, had the lowest score of that session. He birdied the par-3 16th to get to 3-under, but bogeyed the next hole before making a testy 6-foot par putt on the finishing hole for a 2-under 70.

Shot of the day: Defending NCAA champion Jamie Lovemark of Southern California didn't have his finest round, but he saved the fireworks for the reachable par-4 18th. Playing 324 yards, but downwind, Lovemark lofted a "very soft driver" that carried right over the flagstick, and he made a double-breaking 16-foot eagle putt to card an even-par 72.

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This week: Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, Bright's Creek Golf Club and The Carolina Country Club in North Carolina and South Carolina.

First-round score: 1-under-par 71 at Bright's Creek.

Position: Putnam is tied for 78th, and is seven strokes behind leader Rick Price (64 at Carolina Country Club).

Recap: The Life Christian Academy product made four birdies in his first 11 holes, and limped to the finish with bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18. He hit 15 of the 18 greens in regulation.

Tee time Friday: 5:30 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee at Thornblade.

NCAA WEST REGIONAL MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gold Mountain Olympic Course, Bremerton
7,111 yards, par 72

Team leaders: Oregon (1-over 289) and Washington (3-over 292).

Individual leader: Joey Benedetti, Oregon (3-under 69).

Benedetti's round: Even under overcast skies, the wind kicked up for the morning rounds. Benedetti was solid all day, beginning on the par-4 first by knocking a 9-iron approach to with tap-in distance for a birdie, and he made two critical par-saving putts on par-3s – the eighth (3-footer) and 12th (20-footer) – to keep the round going. On the reachable par-4 finishing hole, Benedetti played the same conservative strategy he, his teammates and coach Casey Martin had discussed the night before. He laid up with a 4-iron, and knocked his wedge to 15 feet and sank a downhill putt for a finishing birdie.

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BREMERTON – To catch the earliest glimpse of the upcoming challenge on the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain, the two favorites were off and running at 8 a.m. Wednesday, off opposite tees.

Come Saturday, top-seeded Southern California and No. 2 UCLA might be on course for more of a direct head-on collision.

There's plenty for the Trojans and Bruins to scale between now and then as the NCAA West Regional men's golf championships kick off Thursday.

For starters, the course is in peak form, set up to play as fast and fretful as it has ever has.

And 25 other schools, such as defending NCAA champion Stanford, 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference champion Florida State, even host University of Washington, are vying for the state title, and one of the 10 berths to the NCAA championships May 28-31 in West Lafayette, Ind.

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This week: Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, Bright's Creek Golf Club and The Carolina CC in North Carolina and South Carolina.

World ranking: 489th.

2008 earnings: $43,478 (46th on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: A rare missed cut on the Nationwide Tour for the Tacoma native, this time coming at last week's Fort Smith Classic (3-over 143). He's still made 27 of 36 cuts on this tour for his career. But Putnam is a little behind his 2006 pace in which he earned an automatic exemption to the PGA Tour. That season, he had 10 top-10 finishes; this season his lone top-1o came at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic last month. And he trails the No. 25 man on the money list, Kris Banks, by almost $20,000. Putnam's opening 75 last week was his worst first-round score on the Nationwide Tour since a 78 in his second event (the Livermore tournament in 2006). The Life Christian Academy product has been normally good in the first two rounds (71.22 scoring average, 13th on tour), but his 72.83 average in the third round is one of the worst for full-time players – an issue that has plagued him much of his career. … By the way, this is supposed to be a celebrity pro-am (former NHL star Wayne Gretzky is in the field). So who did they line Putnam, one of the tour headliners, up with? Todd Whitehead, a vice president from a bank in Ohio.

Tee time Thursday: 6:20 a.m. PDT at Bright's Creek with Bubba Dickerson.

The day at Tumble Creek Golf Club at Suncadia in Roslyn belonged to the purple-and-gold faithful Tuesday afternoon.

Joel Dahmen, a former University of Washington player, and also the reigning Washington State Amateur champion, was the medalist at U.S. Open local qualifying, shooting an even-par round of 70.

Others from the current Husky team who advanced included Tze Huang Choo and Zach Bixler (1-over 71), and John Wise (72).

Seattle's Ryan Benzel, the runner-up at last summer's PGA Club Professional championship who made the cut at the PGA Championship, also got through by firing a 71, as did Clarkston's Mike Roters.

Sumner's Brian Thornton was the only South Sound golfer to advance. The head teaching professional at Meridian Valley was one of four who shot 72.

Thornton said he wasn't surprised nobody in the 96-player field was under par.

"When you get 25 to 30 mph gusts, and greens as rock hard as a freeway, that's what you get," Thornton said.

Locals who did not qualify include Olympia's John Robertson (73, tied for 10th), Lakewood's Tony Robydek (75, tied for 17th), Puyallup's Derek Barron (76, tied for 23rd), Puyallup's Chris Griffin (77, tied for 26th) and reigning Tacoma City Amateur champion Tom Lewis, who carded a 78 and finished tied for 31st.

Sectional qualifying will be held at 13 sites around the country June 2 (and also at one course May 26 in Japan).

The U.S. Open is set for June 12-15 on the South Course at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Argentina's Angel Cabrera is the defending champion.

As part of the PGA of America's "Free Lesson Month," some of your local PGA and LPGA teaching professionals are available throughout May for a 10-minute lesson at no cost.

Areas of instruction range include stance and posture, improving tempo to add distance, putting mechanics and distance control, and bunker play.

The South Sound teaching professionals to contact include Jim Bennett (Southcenter Golf); Eric Bowen and Brent Hathaway (The Home Course); Michael Campbell and Matthew Ristine (Oakbrook); Steven Dubsky and Julian Shane (Jade Greens); Richard Giroux (Twin Lakes); Michael Givens and Molly Miller (Tacoma Firs); Eric Hinrichs, Joshua Immordino and Robert Petersen (Riverbend); William Jones and Bart Turchin (Glen Acres); Travis Kane and David Kendall (Sumner Meadows); Lorie Mulhern (Druids Glen), Jon Shabel (Auburn); Thomas Staskus (First Tee of Olympia); Joe Thiel (Joe Thiel Worldwide Golf Schools) and Brent Zepp (Chambers Bay).

Most instructors are recommending golfers to call to book the appointment.

Last year, more than 115,000 golfers nationwide turned out for free lessons. Every golfer who takes a lesson and sends in a PGA free lesson card is automatically entered for a two-day, two-night golf vacation at The PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with airfare and lodging included. The winner also receives a two afternoons of free lessons at the PGA Learning Center.

PGA TOUR's AT&T Classic

Site: Duluth, Ga.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Sugarloaf (7,311 yards, par 72).

Purse: $5.5 million. Winner’s share: $990,000.

FedExCup points: 25,000. Winner’s share: 4,500.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Zach Johnson beat Ryuji Imada with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. The 2007 Masters champion also won the 2004 event and tied for second in 2006.

Last week: Sergio Garcia won The Players Championship, making a clutch par putt to force a playoff and hitting the island green 17th on the first extra hole to beat Paul Goydos. After Goydos hit into the water in the playoff, Garcia hit his shot to 4 feet. The 28-year-old Spaniard has seven PGA Tour wins, the most by players under age 30. Puyallup's Ryan Moore finished tied for 27th.

Notes: Greg Norman, the TPC Sugarloaf designer, is making his first start in the event since 2004. ... Goydos is in the field, while Garcia is taking the week off. ... The Colonial is next week in Fort Worth, Texas. Tiger Woods, coming off knee surgery, hopes to return the following week for the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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1, STANLEY: FOR THE LONG HAUL
Few ever commented about Kyle Stanley's unconventional golf swing – flat backswing with an occasional over-the-top downswing tendency – back in high school at Bellarmine Prep, or even in his first year at Clemson because of the sheer power it generated.

And he won.

Imagine my surprise last week when Stanley popped up on the media teleconference for the NCAA West Regionals starting this Thursday at Gold Mountain Golf Complex in Gorst, talking about a new swing.

And imagine my shock when I found out after phoning his swing coach, Todd Erwin at Tacoma Firs, that Stanley refined his swing a bit without Erwin's consultation (and, of course, this is what makes for a good story, which will show up in The News Tribune later this week).

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This week: PGA Tour’s The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Final-round score: 2-over-par 74.

Position: Moore (5-over 293) finished tied for 27th, 10 strokes behind winner Sergio Garcia of Spain, who defeated American Paul Goydos in a sudden-death playoff after both finished at 5-under 283.

Recap: What a day, what a four days of golf. Gusts reached 40 mph, and the median score Sunday was more than 75. Moore had just his second double bogey of the tournament on the par-4 first, but battled back with three birdies on the par-5s, including a two-putt
from 20 feet on the 16th hole. The par-4 18th, playing 465 yards into the wind, averaged 4.85 strokes Sunday, and Moore bailed out where most players did – in the right rough, away from the water. He missed a 17-footer for par for his first bogey on the finishing hole all week. Moore tied for fifth in the field in fairways hit for the tournament (71.4 percent).

No. 17 at Sawgrass: Early in the day, the winds swirled, and Moore backed off his tee shot a couple times, especially after seeing playing partner Mark Wilson hit short into the pond. Finally, the Puyallup native struck a pitching wedge, which rode the wind back toward the right-back pin placement, and stopped on the back fringe, 12 feet from the hole. His birdie putt slid off the right edge, and Moore recorded his fourth consecutive par at the famous island green. He’s now hit land in the eight times he’s played the hole.

Next: Moore is taking this week off, but likely will tee it up at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial starting May 22 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Third-round score: 1-over-par 73.

Position: Moore (3-over 219) is tied for 34th, 10 strokes behind leader Paul Goydos (7-under 209).

Recap: Again, the winds were up at TPC Sawgrass, and again, the Puyallup native was out there grinding on a terribly fast course. He hit only seven of 18 greens in regulation, his worst mark of the week. But he made putts (26) –his best showing of the week – to stay within earshot of the lead. He was 2-over after five holes, but rallied with birdies on Nos. 7 and 9. After giving one back on the par-4 10th, he had an even-par back nine by making a birdie on the par-4 12th.

17th at Sawgrass: Moore kept it on land for a third consecutive day, but that doesn't mean he didn't keep in interesting on the island green. The hole was playing 123 yards Saturday, and his knockdown pitching wedge approach stayed left, and spun back to the fringe of the lower plateau. As he was lining up his birdie putt, he was so close to the pond, his back heel was over the edge. Fortunately, the pin was playing front center, and his 22-foot putt narrowly missed left, and he tapped in for his third consecutive par on the hole.

Tee time Sunday: 8:30 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Mark Wilson.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Second-round score: 2-over-par 74.

Position: Moore (2-over 146) is tied for 37th, eight strokes behind leader Kenny Perry (6-under 138).

Recap: Moore faced what might be the most difficult conditions he'll see all season – gusts turned an already-fast TPC Sawgrass into a diabolical monster – and the Puyallup product came out alright. He wasn't as sharp with his ball-striking as Thursday, but Moore rallied for three front-nine par-saving putts of eight feet or longer. He got up and down from the right rough on the par-5 ninth, and sank a 20-footer for his lone birdie to go 1-under, but he gave it back a hole later by three-putting from 75 feet. He made two more bogeys on Nos. 12 and 15, but, again, converted a spectacular par from the grassy sidewalk near the island green at the 17th hole. Moore's 27 pars are tied for second in the field through two rounds.

17th at Sawgrass: The hole played 142 yards Friday, and had a right-to-left crosswind that would be no help to Moore's cut shot. In fact, Moore's 9-iron stayed left of a back-left pin placement, and landed on the sidewalk behind the green (much like Sergio Garcia's fate 45 minutes earlier). After receiving a drop off the Astroturf, Moore lobbed a wedge shot close, and sank an 8-footer for par.

Tee time today: 7:30 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Tom Lehman.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Fort Smith Classic, Thursday through Sunday, Hardscrabble Country Club, Fort Smith, Ark.

Second-round score: 2-under-par 68.

Position: Putnam (3-over 143) missed the cut by five strokes, and tied for 118th. Darron Stiles, who defeated Putnam in a playoff for this tournament title in 2006, leads at 10-under 130.

Recap: The Tacoma native played much better Friday (five birdies, three bogeys) after his opening 75, which tied for his third-worst score of the season. Putnam hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation Friday, and rolled in three back-nine birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 16.

Next: BMW Charity Pro-Am starting Thursday at three courses (Thornblade Club, The Carolina Country Club and Bright's Creek Golf Club) near Tryon, N.C.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

First-round score: Even-par 72.

Position: Moore is tied for 36th, six strokes behind leader Sergio Garcia of Spain (6-under 66).

Recap: From tee to green, this is as intimidating a golf course the professionals play all year, and Moore was spectacular with his ball-striking (hit 12 of 14 fairways, and 15 of 18 greens in regulation). "Honestly, it was the best I've hit the ball all year – and maybe in my entire professional career," Moore said. "One fairway I missed with a driver, and it was just in the first cut, and another one was with a 3-wood. That was very encouraging." If he can get the feel of the greens – the Cascade Christian graduate had 32 putts – he might contend. The par-4 14th, playing 481 yards and into the wind, was the most difficult hole Thursday; Moore made a double bogey there after reaching the fringe of the green in two shots, and ended up three-putting. "I didn't do anything that bad there. It was a weird hole," Moore said. He rebounded with birdies on Nos. 2 and 4, making a 9-foot putt on the par-4 fourth to get back to even-par, and added another birdie at the par-3 eighth (18-foot putt) to keep that score.

17th at Sawgrass: The famous hole with the island green was playing 148 yards Thursday. Moore hit a pitching wedge to 12 feet, and made par. "The green is tiny … but in the morning, it was a lot more receptive. I shaped a good shot in there right at it," Moore said.

Tee time Friday: 10:54 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Fort Smith Classic, Thursday through Sunday, Hardscrabble Country Club, Fort Smith, Ark.

First-round score: 5-over-par 75.

Position: Putnam is tied for 146th, 11 strokes behind co-leaders Kris Cox, Tommy Gainey and Matt Weibring.

Recap: Not the start the Tacoma native was hoping for – five bogeys, a double bogey (on the 18th hole) and only two birdies – in a tournament he finished second in two years ago. Poor tee shots (hit five of 14 fairways) and putting (33 putts) were big factors in his slow start.

Tee time Friday: 11:10 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

World ranking: 81st.

2008 earnings: $905,696 (37th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: After his playoff loss to Adam Scott two weeks ago at the Byron Nelson Championship, Moore played last week's Wachovia Championship on fumes, and it showed. At one of his favorite events, on one of his favorite courses at Quail Hollow CC, Moore missed the cut (3-over-par 147) by two strokes. It was the Puyallup golfer's fifth missed cut in nine PGA Tour tournaments this season. Moore is really starting to find the touch with the putter. His 28.56-putt average per round ranks 37th on tour. Last year, Moore made his Players Championship debut, rallying to make the cut, and eventually finishing tied for 68th (5-over 293).

Tee time Thursday: 5:54 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Jason Bohn and
Kevin Stadler.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Fort Smith Classic, Thursday through Sunday, Hardscrabble Country Club, Fort Smith, Ark.
World ranking: 481st.
2008 earnings: $43,478 (41st on the Nationwide Tour).
Last tournament: Qualifying for, and playing in last week's Wachovia Championship on the PGA Tour was a gamble Putnam was willing to take. He missed the cut (6-over 150), and only time will tell if that decision will haunt his end-of-the-season standing on the Nationwide Tour. He should have good memories returning to this site. In his rookie season of 2006, Putnam led in the final round before losing in a playoff to Darron Stiles for this tournament title (when it was the Rheem Classic). This season, the Tacoma native has made six of eight cuts.
Tee time Thursday: 6:10 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Ben Bates and David Hearn.

NCAA WEST MEN'S REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

When: May 15-17.
Where: Gold Mountain Golf Complex (Olympic Course), Gorst.
Course details: Designed by John Harbottle III, the course is 7,104 yards, par 72. Slope is 135, and rating is 74.1.
Schedule: Three rounds of stroke play, all competition starts at 7 a.m., with the last tee times scheduled for approximately 1:45 p.m.
Participating teams (in order of seeding): Southern California, UCLA, Florida State, Stanford, Clemson, UNLV, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Central Florida, Arizona State, San Diego State, Texas, Louisiana State, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Oregon, California, St. Mary's, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Washington, Oklahoma, Kansas State, San Diego, Denver, Navy and Columbia.
Who advances: The top 10 teams and top two individuals not on an advancing team will move on to the NCAA championships, May 28-31, in West Lafayette, Ind.

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PGA TOUR

The Players Championship

Site: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Sawgrass, Players Stadium Course (7,215 yards, par 72).

Purse: $9.5 million. Winner’s share: $1.71 million.

FedEx Cup points: 27,500. Winner’s share: 4,950.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 6 p.m.-9 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.).

Last year: Phil Mickelson won the second of his three 2007 titles, closing with a 68 for a two-stroke victory over Sergio Garcia. Mickelson finished at 11-under 277.

Last week: Anthony Kim won the Wachovia Championship for his first PGA Tour victory. The 22-year-old Kim had a tournament-record 16-under 272 total for a five-stroke victory over Ben Curtis.
Notes: Tiger Woods is sidelined following knee surgery. He won the 2001 tournament. ... The Pete Dye-designed course was renovated after the March 2006 event. ... Fred Funk won the 2005 tournament to become the oldest champion at 48. In 2004, Adam Scott beat Padraig Harrington by a stroke to become the youngest winner at 23. ... Greg Norman set the tournament record in 1994. He opened with a 63 and finished with three 67s for a 24-under 264 total. ... Jack Nicklaus is the only three-time champion, winning in 1974 at Atlanta Country Club, 1976 at Inverrary and 1978 at Sawgrass Country Club. ... The AT&T Classic is next week in Duluth, Ga., followed by the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com.

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1, KIM'S ARRIVAL
Only 38 starts into his PGA Tour career, Anthony Kim found the winner's circle Sunday.

Never threatened in the final round, Kim's 16-under-par 272 total at Quail Hollow Country Club won the tournament by five shots.

Just 22, he became the 13th golfer since 1970 to win a PGA Tour event before his 23rd birthday.

Oh yeah, Kim's score broke Tiger Woods' tournament record by three strokes.

Kim is a special talent, and could break into the sport's elite class soon. Nobody would be surprised if he won again this season - and many tournaments from here on out.

"I'm not surprised. I thought he would win," said Tacoma's Michael Putnam, who was on the same 2005 U.S. Walker Cup team as Kim. "That's a hard golf course, and to shoot 4- or 5-under on that course every day is quite a feat. It was his time."

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82nd Washington State Open

Where: Glendale Country Club (6,582 yards, par 71), Bellevue.
When: May 17-21.
Schedule: Pro-am is May 17-18, followed by the the 54-hole championship, May 19-21, for 168 of the best professionals and amateurs in the Northwest.
Defending champion: Tim Feenstra, Broadmoor GC (10-under 203).
Last five champions: Feenstra in 2007; Josh Immordino (held at Canterwood) in 2006; Michael Combs (Meridian Valley) in 2005; Keith Coleman (Meridian Valley) in 2004; Todd Erwin (Glendale) in 2003.

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This week: PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Quail Hollow Country Club, Charlotte, N.C.
Second-round score: 3-over-par 75.
Position: Putnam (6-over 150) missed the cut, finishing 15 strokes behind leader Jason Bohn (9-under 135).
Recap: Putnam's driving (hit 10 of 28 fairways) let him down this week in his one PGA Tour stop of the season, and after being 1-under through four holes, he bogeyed three of the next five holes, including the difficult 17th and 18th holes.
Next: Fort Smith Classic on the Nationwide Tour starting Thursday at Hardscrabble CC in Fort Smith, Ark.

This week: PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Quail Hollow Country Club, Charlotte, N.C.
Second-round score: 3-over-par 73.
Position: Moore (3-over 147) missed the cut, 12 strokes behind leader Jason Bohn (9-under 135).
Recap: What an odd day at one of the most challenging layouts on the PGA Tour. Moore's downfall came over a two-hole stretch. He advanced a ball 30 yards out of the rough on the par-4 12th, and made a bogey. Then, the unthinkable happened for the Puyallup product – a four-putt on the par-3 13th, including three putts from 3 feet to fall to 3-over for the tournament. Needing a birdie on the finishing hole to make the cut (1-over), he ran his chip 14 feet by, and made a bogey to finish up a frustrating day (hit seven of 14 fairways, and had 30 putts).
Next: The Players Championship starting Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

This week: PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Quail Hollow CC, Charlotte, N.C.
First round score: 3-over 75.
Position: Putnam (tied for 122nd) trails leader David Toms (5-under 67) by eight strokes.
Recap: Putnam, the Tacoma native, was one of the last golfers to go out Thursday, and started poorly (bogeys on first two holes) and stumbled at the end (bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18). Blame it on his ball-striking (hit five of 14 fairways, and 10 of 18 greens in regulation).
Tee time Friday: 6 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Quail Hollow CC, Charlotte, N.C.
First round score: Even-par 72.
Position: Moore (tied for 48th) trails leader David Toms (5-under 67) by five strokes
Recap: Moore, the Puyallup product, wasn't as sharp as the last time he teed it up for the final round of the Byron Nelson Championship, but considering he only hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation, he relied on nifty up-and-downs to shoot a 72. He did it on the par-4 ninth (his final hole) by hitting a 42-yard wedge shot close, and making a 4-foot putt for par.
Tee time Friday: 10:30 a.m. PDT off the first tee.