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Video: Did Nick Flanagan get the luckiest bounce ever?

Monday, May 21, 2012 Comments

Jason Dufner's walk-off birdie on the 72nd hole at the HP Byron Nelson Championship rightfully received the most attention of any golf shot hit over the weekend. But what about a grandstand birdie on a tournament's final hole?

That's exactly what Nick Flanagan pulled off at the Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am. Trailing by a shot on the final hole, the 2003 U.S. Amateur champ blew his approach over the green and, well, you have to see what happened to believe it:

Following this stroke of luck, Flanagan converted the birdie and wound up winning in a playoff for his fourth career Nationwide Tour title. After winning the developmental tour's player of the year award in 2007, Flanagan was unable to stick on the PGA Tour, finishing 169th on the money list.

Related: Golf's Greatest Strokes Of Luck

His big break, though, will go a long way towards him getting back to the big leagues. Despite this being just his second Nationwide event of 2012, the win propelled him to 11th on the money list that guarantees a PGA Tour card for the following season with a top-25 finish.

-- Alex Myers

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Video: Dufner's dramatic birdie earns him second win in past month

Monday, May 21, 2012 Comments

If beating Ernie Els in a playoff to get his first PGA Tour win didn't elicit much of a celebration, it shouldn't be too surprising that Jason Dufner didn't exactly start doing cartwheels on the green after draining a 25-footer for the win on Sunday.

Dufner's dramatic birdie gave him a one-shot victory over Dicky Pride at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. It also led to one of the least-excited reactions you'll ever see for a walk-off putt. Check out the final-round highlights.

After waiting until after he turned 35 to collect his first tour win, Dufner now has two in the past month. Who knows, he might have won at Quail Hollow too -- if he didn't have to get married that week.

And how about Dicky Pride? Dufner's closing birdie kept him from a second career PGA Tour title as well, but considering that first win came in 1994 and he hasn't been fully exempt on tour since 2007, a solo second and a check for $702,000 must have seemed like a win. Judging by his reaction to his finish -- which guarantees him full status on tour -- it did.

-- Alex Myers

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Video: Fowler's fantastic finish at Quail Hollow

Monday, May 7, 2012 Comments
Not so long ago we were led to believe that a tournament loses much of its juice the moment Tiger Woods heads home for the weekend.

Let the Wells Fargo Championship remind us  that theory no longer makes sense. Already a respected tournament on a fantastic layout, this year's edition gave way to one of the most memorable finishes of the season, with Rickie Fowler outdueling Rory McIlroy (and D.A. Points) for his first career PGA Tour win.

See for yourself in the highlights below:

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Trending: Our own Ashley Mayo on CBS

Monday, April 30, 2012 Comments

If you were watching CBS' coverage of the Zurich Classic on Sunday then you probably caught this piece on the New York City golf haven, Chelsea Piers. Among the group of dignitaries profiled as some of NYC's biggest golf enthusiasts was our very own Associate Editor Ashley Mayo. Ashley probably would've posted this video herself, but true to her CBS title, she's out playing golf today.

-- Derek Evers

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Video: Dufner breaks through in the Bayou

Monday, April 30, 2012 Comments

It wasn't the most emotional reaction we've ever seen (OK, so it may have been the least emotional reaction), but Jason Dufner's win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans certainly was still a feel-good story. After several close calls, most notably losing in a playoff to Keegan Bradley at last year's PGA Championship, the 35-year old finally broke through for his first win on tour.

"To get the monkey off of my back, it's a great feeling," he said after.

Even more impressive was the manner in which it happened. Dufner found the water on 16, but made a 35-footer to save par, then made another clutch par save on No. 17. He then topped a three-time major winner, Ernie Els, on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Here are the highlights from an exciting final round that also included a charge by Luke Donald, who reclaimed the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking:

As for Els, the Big Easy may have come up just short in the Big Easy, but the result was more proof that he's finding the form that made him a Hall of Famer and a two-time winner on tour as recently as 2010. This was Els' third top-five finish in his last five starts, moving him up to No. 40 in the world ranking.

Related: An outside-the-box idea for the world ranking

With the win, Dufner moves up to a career-high of No. 20 in the ranking, though, he probably won't be thinking about that for too long. Next weekend will be memorable as well, but it won't involve the golf course. Instead, Dufner will be getting married. Not a bad week, indeed.

-- Alex Myers

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Trending: Kevin Na's redemption

Friday, April 20, 2012 Comments

Kevin Na returned to the site of his infamous 16 at TPC San Antonio yesterday and tried to put some demons to rest. His first trip back to the ninth hole, where one year ago he had a run in with the trees that would leave him with the fifth-worst score ever recorded in a PGA Tour round, was drama free on this day. On the scorecard at least. Na carded a pedestrian par, but took time out to memorialize the site of his meltdown by hanging the shirt he wore that notorious day in the trees. Unfortunately, things did not end well on this day either; Na finished his first round of the Valero Texas Open with a seven-over 79 -- only one better than his score from last year -- and proceeded to withdraw.

And in a twist of irony, Matt Every shot a course record 63 sending him into 4/20 as the tournament leader. I'll leave the jokes to you.

-- Derek Evers

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Trending: Bubba Watson on Letterman

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Comments

It wasn't a matter of if Bubba Watson would make an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, but when. Considering CBS has been airing The Masters since what feels like the dawn of time, it's become an annual tradition for the champ to take a seat next to the king of late night. And so last night, 2012 Masters champ Bubba Watson took his rightful position to the right (our left) of David Letterman, for a candid, somewhat personal interview that touched on many of the traits that make Watson a fan favorite (ie -- he never took lessons; be ready to hear that one for a few months). This is all well and good, and Bubba certainly is a charming guy, but can you blame me for hoping to see a "Top 10 reasons Bubba Watson was crying at the Masters" countdown?

-- Derek Evers

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Trending: Louis Oosthuizen's albatross

Sunday, April 8, 2012 Comments

There's not much to say. Those of us lucky enough to see this shot live on television -- let alone there in person -- have just witnessed history, literally. This is the first double eagle in Masters history at the par five second hole, and first in the tournament's history to be televised live. For those of you who took a chance on Oosthuizen's 90-1 odds earlier in the week, you can officially start getting excited.

-- Derek Evers

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Trending: The search for Phil's ball

Friday, April 6, 2012 Comments

Am I the only one who gets angry when I have to take a lost-ball penalty, while the pros have employed rangers stationed out on the course to pinpoint where every shot lands? It just doesn't seem fair. So excuse me if I took a little joy in watching Phil Mickelson search for his ball after an errant tee shot on the 10th hole during Thursday's opening round at The Masters. Then I took a lot of joy in watching the gallery come to his aide. To their credit, no one stopped to ham it up for the cameras, though I should point out the one guy at the very beginning holding a stack of four empty beer cups just watching and offering no help (three seconds in, screen right). And in true Augusta fashion, we don't see a woman come into frame for nearly 30-seconds (too soon?). I was only hoping to hear someone scream, "found one, what are you playing?", so I could say Phil and I have shared similar fates. Then again, I have played rounds where I've only hit eight greens, so I guess there's that.

-- Derek Evers

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Trending: Memorable Masters par 3 moments

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Comments

The Masters Par 3 Contest is rich in both history and stigma. The annual contest is always a fan favorite, and some players are even said to enjoy the event, which brings them together with family for a day reserved for fun on a course known for its stoic posture. Conversely, it is also the "Madden cover" of golf; no golfer has won the Par 3 and gone on to win the Masters. Still, it's hard to envision any professional taking a pitch-and-putt contest too seriously. So in the name of fun, let's take a look back at some of the most memorable moments on Augusta's par 3's, including the practice rounds where players attempt to skip the ball across the pond on 16.

Related: 2011 Masters Par 3 photo slideshow

I'll start by taking the liberty of posting an ace that occurred just this past Monday.

Martin Kaymer hole-in-one skip shot

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