Final round of four under par 67 sees Padraig finish in a tie for 12th place on a total of nine under par. Miguel Angel Jimenez won the event with a fifteen under par total. Padraig got off to a bright start with two birdies in his opening three holes but went dry after that to reach the turn in two under par. He picked up a shot at the par four 10th hole but gave that back at the short 13th hole where he missed the green with his tee shot. He rallied well with three consecutive birdies but yet again the short par three 17th cost him a penalty shot and he failed to birdie the par five 18th hole. All in all, a frustrating week on the greens, but also some good play looking forward!
Padraig adds a second round of three under par 68 to stand at five under par entering the final round at the Hoag Classic. Eleven under par leads. He currently sits in a tie for 21st place. It was a day to forget on the greens as he putted poorly, mixing five birdies with two dropped shots. The two dropped shots both came from bunkers which Padraig would normally be exoert at! A big push Sunday needed to get back up the leaderbord! He tees off at 5.35pm GMT with Steve Allan and Cameron Percy.
Padraig opens his defence of the Hoag Classic with a two under par round of 69. Seven under par leads after the opening round. He got off to a nice start with a birdie four on the par five 3rd hole but gave that back on the short 5th hole, where he found a bunker off his tee shot. He was out in level par but then picked up two shots in five holes but with two par fives left, failed to birdie either, as he found a bunker on the 15th and heavy rough on the 18th hole. Still, all to play for at the weekend!
Padraig defends a title he won last year at the Hoag Classic in Newport Beach, California. He won by one shot with a fourteen under par total and will be hoping to repeat the feat this year. He comes into the event in fine form on a course layout that he likes. The course plays to a par of 71 and can stretch to 6,725 yards!
Tee Times -> 1st round Friday at 7.10pm with Fred Couples and Miguel Angel Jimenez.