Ryder Cup hopeful Peter Hanson trails by one after first round of Czech Open

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Peter Hanson, currently 15th in the Ryder Cup standings, would oust Paul Casey from the list of Europe's top nine automatic qualifiers with a victory.

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Shiv Kapur of India shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the European Tour’s Czech Open on Thursday.

Sweden’s Peter Hanson, a Ryder Cup hopeful, and Argentine Tano Goya both shot 67 to sit tied for second.

Kapur, seeking his first win on the European Tour, produced six birdies in a row and eight in total at the Prosper Golf Resort in the northeastern part of the country.

“I was 6 under through my first seven holes so it would have been nice to have added some birdies on the back nine,” he said. “But golfers are never happy.”

Following a near perfect start, Kapur had two consecutive bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes before fighting back with birdies on the 16th and 18th.

“I’ve never grown up on courses like this -- I did on flat courses -- but it suits my game as it is not a course that rewards long hitters,” Kapur said.

The year has so far been a disappointment for Kapur after the way he finished 2009, with consecutive top-10s at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and South African Open, where he was runner-up. This year he’s made it to the weekend only seven times in 19 events, and missed his last three cuts.

Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, who co-designed the 7,155-yard course, carded a 71.

“It’s not much of an advantage knowing the course as people practice a couple of days and get to know it,” said Jimenez, who is also hoping to nail down his Ryder Cup spot, and seeking his third victory of the year.

Next week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Scotland is the final event in the race for the nine automatic Europe Ryder Cup spots.

Hanson, 32, would oust Paul Casey from the list of Europe's top nine automatic Ryder Cup qualifiers with a victory. Hanson currently lies 15th in the points race, but as one of only two players in the world's top 50 in the field, he sees this as a golden opportunity.

Englishmen Simon Dyson, Oliver Wilson and Ross McGowan are also chasing a spot on Colin Montgomerie's side and they shot 70, 72 and 73 respectively.

Asked about the controversial decision of Casey -- and also Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald, both of whom are just outside a qualifying spot -- not to enter next week's race-ending Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Hanson clearly stated his view.

"If you have a chance to make the team or especially if you want a pick (like Justin Rose, another stay-away), it might be good to play," he said.

After two weeks in America during which he was eighth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational -- that made him top European -- Hanson made the long trip after asking for and receiving a sponsor's invitation on Monday.

"That gave me the chance to get into the team and the tournament organizers have been very nice to me," he added. "If I could put myself in position come Sunday, it would be fantastic."

Kapur led from the moment he had six successive birdies from the second after teeing off at 7:20 a.m.

"I think I was half-asleep and woke up around the turn," said the 28-year-old Indian, who has missed his last three halfway cuts and seven of the last nine.

Kapur, ranked 256th in the world and 100th on the European Tour this season, started the inward half with back-to-back bogeys, but then birdied the 16th and 18th to hold off the chasing pack.

Dyson shook off jet lag -- he could not get a flight back from the States until Monday night and then flew on to Prague and caught a train to Ostrava -- with four closing birdies.

"It was great to finish that way," said the York golfer, who tied for 12th with Casey in the PGA Championship. "I played the pro-am and was shattered, but got a good night's sleep."

McGowan, 11th on the points table and needing to come fourth to overtake Casey, started and ended with a double bogey, but the 16 holes in between were good enough to suggest he might yet have a say in things. Last year's Dubai World Championship runner-up has had wrist and shoulder injuries and made a late decision to play rather than rest.

Expect Competition At Center Next Year

Posted Jan 3, 2014

Ryan MinkBaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer@Ravens All Ryan Mink Articles



Center Gino Gradkowski feels like he got better each week and learned from mistakes.



Gino Gradkowski looks back on his first year as the Ravens’ starting center as a learning process. Gradkowski played every single offensive snap. He had his ups and his downs.

But there’s one important distinction in his and Head Coach John Harbaugh’s mind that may make Gradkowski the front-runner for the job in 2014.

He got better.

“There were some things I could have done better this year, but I feel like I continued to get better each week, which is good,” Gradkowski said Monday. “I’m proud of the way I fought through some tough times and learned from my mistakes.”

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Gradkowski started the year with five straight negative performances. His play leveled out after that. He had five games with either neutral or positive grades.

Gradkowski had a tough time with the New York Jets’ talented interior line, as well as talented Vikings rookie Shariff Floyd and Lions’ Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. Gradkowski finished the year with one of his best performances in Cincinnati, particularly in run blocking.

On the year, Gradkowski received a -5.9 on his run blocking and -14.2 in pass blocking from PFF.

“I think it was a matter of getting more comfortable in there,” Gradkowski said. “The game slowed down for me. I was able to play the game like I know how to play it.”

Specifically, Gradkowski said he got more comfortable making calls at the line of scrimmage and reading opposing defenses – both things that come with veteran experience.

Even Matt Birk, who retired last offseason after 15 seasons and six Pro Bowls, said he struggled during his first couple of seasons.

Birk ended his career like “an offensive line coach playing center,” according to Head Coach John Harbaugh. Birk would tell every lineman his job before the play. But acquiring that skill takes time.

Harbaugh also said he saw “major progress” from Gradkowski in terms of his communication.

“Gino would probably be the first to tell you that we had a lot of problems,” Harbaugh said. “That was part of the reason that we didn’t have a hat on a hat a lot of times early on, and that was a tough transition for us.

“And yet, Gino fights through it, and by the end of the year, he is making all those calls and doing a good job with that. [He is] a really smart guy, huge student of the game.”

Harbaugh said Run Game Coordinator Juan Castillo would put Gradkowski in front of the offensive line meetings and entire offensive meetings to communicate a lot of the calls they’re going to hear during the game, making sure they’re all on the same page.

“I’ve watched a number of those meetings, and he just does a great job with it,” Harbaugh said. “So, he’s grown a lot, and [it’s] something he should be able to build on.”

Still, there’s a good chance Gradkowski will have to compete for his starting job again next season. He beat out the more experienced A.Q. Shipley last summer.

Harbaugh said there will be a competitive situation at every spot on the offensive line except right guard, where Pro Bowler Marshal Yanda resides. That includes center.

Gradkowski will likely get pushed by Ryan Jensen, who didn’t play a snap as a sixth-round rookie partly due to an injured foot, Shipley and possibly another veteran the team could sign.

“If I have to compete again for the job next year, I will,” Gradkowski said.

“That’s out of my control, and that’s no problem. That’s just how this business is. Every year you have to compete. I think I gained a lot of great experience that will help me next year. I look forward to continuing to prove myself as the long-term guy here hopefully.”

初出場の川村昌弘は1オーバー52位タイも前向き

2013年10月31日18時50分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 R・マキロイ -7
2 J・ドナルドソン -5
G・カスタノ -5
4 トミー・フリートウッド -4
J・ローズ -4
ジョーダン・スピース -4
B・ワトソン -4
8 K・アフィバーンラト -3
ガガンジート・ブウラー -3
P・ケーシー -3


順位の続きを見る





やや出遅れたが状態は上々！（撮影：福田文平）









＜WGC-HSBCチャンピオンズ　初日◇31日◇シャーシャン・インターナショナルGC(7,266ヤード・パー72)＞

　今大会初出場となる川村昌弘は4バーディ・3ボギー・1ダブルボギーの“73”で1オーバーの52位タイで初日を終えた。

【関連ニュース】「奇跡でしょ」松山、満身創痍で28位タイ 背中痛でまともに振れず

　1番ティの最終組でスタートした川村は1番でバーディを先行させると、7番でもバーディを奪って一時は2アンダーまでスコアを伸ばして見せる。しかし、1アンダーと好位置をキープして迎えた17番、18番と上がり2ホールで連続ボギー。「最後が残念だったのでテンションは低いです。パープレーではいきたかった」と終盤でスコアを落としたことに悔しさをにじませた。

　それでも、「フェアウェイもヒットしているし、グリーン外したのも数えるくらい。パットのタッチもあっている」とショット、パット共に好調なだけに1オーバーにも悲観はしていない。「いい感じでしたけどいい方に行かなかった日だった」。ダブルボギーを叩いた8番ではハザードに入れてドロップして打った5打目がピンに当たって大きく戻ってしまうなど不運もあっただけに、スコアよりも状態の良さを前向きにとらえていた。

　こうした世界の大舞台に出場するのは初めてながら、ローリー・マキロイ(北アイルランド)、フィル・ミケルソン(米国)らが並ぶそうそうたるリーダーボードを見ても「よくわからないんです」と川村の自然体は変わらない。「4アンダーくらいは全然出る感じはあります。もうちょっといける」。海外志向の20歳は世界でも戦える手ごたえに目を輝かせた。

藤田寛之、3オーバー64位タイ「自分のゴルフを取り戻したい」

2013年10月31日19時15分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 R・マキロイ -7
2 J・ドナルドソン -5
G・カスタノ -5
4 トミー・フリートウッド -4
J・ローズ -4
ジョーダン・スピース -4
B・ワトソン -4
8 K・アフィバーンラト -3
ガガンジート・ブウラー -3
P・ケーシー -3


順位の続きを見る





3オーバー64位タイと出遅れた藤田（撮影：福田文平）







＜WGC-HSBCチャンピオンズ　初日◇31日◇シャーシャン・インターナショナルGC(7,266ヤード・パー72)＞

　中国にあるシャーシャン・インターナショナルGCで開幕した「WGC-HSBCチャンピオンズ」の初日。藤田寛之は2バーディ・3ボギー・1ダブルボギーの“75”でホールアウト。3オーバーの64位タイとやや出遅れた。

【関連ニュース】G-VOICEで徹底討論！松山英樹、石川遼はどこまで活躍できるか？

　藤田は6番でバーディを先行させると8番パー5もバーディとするなど上々の立ち上がりを見せる。ところが、「最初は良かったけど3パットしてからショットも悪くなってしまった」と中盤にスコアを落とし苦しい位置でのスタートとなった。

　先週のブリヂストンオープンから、フェードをより意識したスイングに取り組んでいるが、「自分の中で結構ずれているので今は手探り」とまだまだ仕上がりには程遠い。パッティングに関しても「ショットのイメージを変えているので、パットのイメージも変わってきている」と本来の力を発揮できる状態にないのが現状だ。

　だが、今大会は予選落ちのない4日間大会。戦いながら調子を取り戻していくには絶好の舞台ともいえる。「やるべきことをやって、自分のゴルフを取り戻したい」終盤の爆発へ賞金王が浮上のきっかけをつかむことが出来るか。

松山英樹が第2ラウンドスタート前に背中痛のため棄権

2013年11月01日10時30分






ボードにも棄権をしめす“WD”






＜WGC-HSBCチャンピオンズ　2日目◇1日◇シャーシャン・インターナショナルGC(7,266ヤード・パー72)＞

　「WGC-HSBCチャンピオンズ」の2日目。初日1アンダー28位タイにつけた松山英樹だったが、第2ラウンドスタート前に背中痛のため棄権を発表した。

【関連ニュース】「奇跡でしょ」松山、満身創痍で28位タイ 背中痛でまともに振れず

　初日も「CIMBクラシック」から引きずっている背中痛のためフルショットができない状態となっていた松山は「明日、起きて悪くなっていればやめる」と欠場を示唆していた。この日はいったんコースに姿を見せて練習はしたものの、プレーは不可能と判断。大会に棄権を申し入れた。

　松山は米ツアー第2戦「シュライナーズ・ホスピタルズ・フォーチルドレンオープン」でもスタート前に疲労性の胃炎のため欠場している。

松山英樹、無念の棄権「非常に悔しい」

2013年11月01日11時55分




＜WGC-HSBCチャンピオンズ　2日目◇1日◇シャーシャン・インターナショナルGC(7,266ヤード・パー72)＞

　中国で開催中の「WGC－HSBCチャンピオンズ」の2日目。第2ラウンドスタート前に背中痛のため棄権した松山英樹が関係者を通じてコメントを発表した。
　
　松山は「今朝コースに行って球を打ってみたけど、痛みがとれず思い通りのスイングができなかったため大事を取って棄権することを決めました」と棄権についてコメント。続けて「非常に悔しい思いが強いですが今後も戦いが続くので決断しました。今後の予定は日本に帰ってじっくり考えます。」と語った。

松山は初日28位タイで終えていたが、前戦から続く背中痛のためフルショットが出来ない状態だった。