Bmwzeroes in on new home for ’13
The Conway Farms course in Lake Forest appears poised to take over as host when the BMW Championship returns to the Chicago area in 2013, ending Cog Hill’s long association with the golf tournament.
Todd Marsh, general manager at Conway Farms, indicated Thursday a deal is close to being final.
“There’s no contract signed,” Marsh told SunTimes Media. “We’re working out some of the details.”
A Western Golf Association official said an announcement on the change is expected in the next month.
The 2012 BMW Championship will be played at Crooked Stick outside Indianapolis. Cherry Hills, near Denver, will host in 2014.
Cog Hill president Kath- erine Jemsek said she hadn’t been informed of a change but seemed resigned to the 2011 BMW being Cog’s last taste of big-time golf for awhile.
“The Western Open has been here for 20 years,” she said. “Maybe they do need to try something else.”
Twenty months later, Dustin Johnson finally hit the drive hewanted at Pebble Beach. Ten years later, Tiger Woods must have wondered what kept him away from the Pebble Beach National ProAm in California.
On a spectacular day of scenery and scoring, Johnson blasted a tee shot on the third hole Thursday at Pebble Beach and pitched in for eagle from 41 yards in front of the green. He added another eagle on his way to a 9-under 63 and a three-way tie atop the first-round leaderboard.
Woods was five shots to par out of the lead, a solid start to his PGA Tour season. He had six birdies in a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill. Spyglasswas hardest of the three courses, though not by much. All three courses played about one shot under par.
Charlie Wi was over at Monterey Peninsula and had a shot at 59 without ever knowing it. Wi was 8 under after a tap-in birdie on the 13th hole, and needed three birdies in the last five holes. Trouble is, he had no idea that par on Shore Course was 70. He made one more birdie and had a 9-under 61.
“I was looking at the scorecard like, ‘What’s the par here?’ I did not know it was a par 70,” Wi said. “That 59 never crossed my mind.”
Joining them in the lead was former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee, who holed a bunker shot for eagle at No. 2 and holed out from the 11th fairway with a wedge for another eagle to match Johnson at 9-under 63.
Outfielder Nelson Cruz, 31, has agreed to a $16 million, two-year contract with the Texas Rangers, avoiding arbitration.
Thencaafootball rules committee has proposed moving kickoffs from the 30yard line to the 35 and limiting the running start by players on the kicking team to five yards as away of keeping players safer.
Staff and wire reports