We were fortunate to watch the conclusion of the 2012 Barclays Singapore Open this past weekend on the Golf Channel. Although there was a time difference, it was a great final round of golf to watch! For most players this year, it was a really long day on the course. Singapore is known for it’s tropical downpours, which the tournament fell victim to the first two days of the event. This created a backlog in the schedules and forced all golfers to finish their second rounds Saturday afternoon, as well as start their third round as the sun started to set.
It was a close tournament though, with 19-year-old Matteo Manassero holing a 12-foot eagle putt to beat Louis Oosthuizen on the third playoff hole. This gives Manassero three wins on the European Tour as a teenager – a record for the history books! It could’ve easily went Oosthuizen’s way though, as he barely missed a 4-foot putt for the win on the second playoff hole – it just lipped out! This is the second time Oosthuizen has lost in a playoff this year, the first to Bubba Watson at the Masters. There have been a lot of expectations put on Manassero as a young golfing phenom – he was the youngest British Amateur winner at 16 years old, the youngest golfer to play in the Masters and make the cut (16) and also the youngest European Tour winner at 17 years old. However, he hasn’t been back to the Masters since this debut, and he failed to qualify for this year’s British Open. He admitted that he felt frustrated and struggled at times, going through swing changes to add more power in a still-growing teenage body. Hopefully, he’s starting to put it all together!
Also a headline for the Barclays Singapore Open was Rory McIlroy’s attempt to win both the PGA Tour and European Tour money titles in the same season, a feat accomplished by Luke Donald last year. With a third place finish at 10-under, McIlroy clinched the Race to Dubai and became the second golfer to win both money titles. Many players are off to the UBS Hong Kong Open this coming weekend, which always draws a strong field.
The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic was also hosted at Disney World, Florida this weekend. Most of the players here were fighting for their Tour Card for the following season, including eventual winner Charlie Beljan. He didn’t just fight for his tour card though, he felt as though he was fighting for his life! Beljan “thought he was going to die” on the golf course on Friday, after having an elevated heart rate and numbness in his arm. He was actually brought to the hospital after his round Friday, despite leading the field. The symptoms appeared to be anxiety related though… the pressures that come with playing professional golf on the PGA tour…!
Source: Matteo Manassero, Golf
