Ernie Els wins 2012 Open Championship

JOKE time: A Pinoy golfer tried to qualify in the Open Championship last week, but did not make it. So, that night, he went to a British pub and had a few drinks. He noticed two very large women by the bar. They both had strong accents, so the Pinoy golfer asked, “Hey, are you two ladies from Scotland?” One of them turned to him and screamed, “It’s WALES, you IDIOT.” So, the Pinoy golfer immediately apologized, and said, “Sorry, are you two whales from Scotland?” Ummm, and then he got beaten up by the two women. Hehe.

Ernie Els is proclaimed winner of the 2012 Open Championship. His name is engraved in the Claret Jug, and he won more than $1.4 million dollars as prize money. Adam Scott finished in second place and won a little more than $800,000. What a different a stroke makes. The missed putt is worth $600,000. Ouch!

Adam Scott scored 75 during the final round, and that is 5 over par. He made a birdie in hole no. 14. But then, on the 15th, the 16th, the 17th and the 18th holes, he scored a bogey. And because of that, he lost by one stroke to Ernie Els. FYI, Adam Scott scored 64 on Day 1, 67 on Day 2, and 68 on Day 3, and then a 75 on the final day. Ernie Els scored a 68 on the final day. I feel sorry for Adam Scott. Pwede pa-hug? And kiss na rin. Hehe.

Here are the top players of the 2012 Open Championship. Champion – Ernie Els (273), 2nd place – Adam Scott (274), tied for 3rd place – Tiger Woods and Brandt Snedeker (277), tied for 5th place – Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald (278), tied for 7th place – Thomas Aiken and Nicholas Colsaerts (279), and tied for 9th place are—Zach Johnson, Thorbjorn Olesen, Mark Calcavecchia, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Vijay Singh, Alexander Noren, Ian Poulter, Miguel Jimenez and Geoff Ogilvy (280).

FYI, our very own Juvic Pagunsan was in the competition. And, he made the cut! He finished tied for 72nd place with a total score of 291. He won $17,339 as prize money.

Back to Adam Scott’s loss. I know he feels very bad about it. My words to him—Look at the bright side. It was not the worst loss ever in the Open Championship. Remember Jean Van de Velde? He is the French golfer who lost in the Open Championship in 1999. What happened? He too was leading up to the final holes of the tournament. On the 18th hole, all he needed to do was to score a double bogey. He only needed to score a 6 on the 18th hole which is a par 4. But, he ended up with a triple bogey (7), which led to a 3-way tie with Justin Leonard and Paul Lawrie. And Paul Lawrie won in the playoff. See. Van de Velde’s loss was worse than Adam Scott’s.

The pressure in golf is really something. Grabe! Many golfers can relate to this. Golf is not all about power and strength. It is also a mind game. Lakas ng loob, confidence, concentration, positive-thinking, NO FEAR! Easier said than done, right? I get the yipps and the jitters too. My hands shake sometimes when I need to make a crucial putt. And I have missed so many short putts because of my nervousness. And after a tournament, my body gets tired, but my mind is in worse shape. Totally drained. But then again, this is all part of the game.

For those who want to play golf, make sure that you are prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can get tough out there.

Congratulations to the winners of the 10th Monthly Medal of Rancho Palos Verdes held last July 20-22, 2012. Here they are: overall gross champion–Marc Lopez, overall net champion–Alex Rivera; class A gross champion–Vincent Gumapac, net champion-Leo Yap; class B gross champion–Lee Jae Un, net champion–Lee Byung Cheol; class C gross Champion–Louie Jacinto, net champion–Dong Woo Ha; class D gross champion–Bong Guerzon, net champion–Alex Suan; seniors gross champion–Joe Marfori, net champion–Alex Marfori; super seniors gross champion–Jess Falcon, net champion – Bill Donohoe; ladies gross champion–Beth Crisologo; jungolf (11-below) Champion–Camille Kuwahara, runner-up–Zeus Sara; jungolf (12-17 yrs old) champion–Billy Tapucar, runner-up–Melanie Kuwahara; guests div 1 gross champion–Chikoy Saavedra, net champion–Vic Hofilena; guests div2 gross champion–Cydric Tamayo, net Champion–Mon Santos.