Keith Ganzenmuller attended Skidmore College 2004 in Saratoga Springs, NY where he currently resides. He does sales for an internet marketing company and freelance sports writing for a weekly Saratoga paper. Ganzenmuller 's passion is sports writing and he hopes to pursue it as a full time career. He has always been very involved in sports. A three-sport varsity athlete throughout high school, he played four years of varsity basketball at division three Skidmore College. In college, Keith conducted a sociology study in which he surveyed over 200 athletes, wrote an extensive research report and received two post graduate grants. Ganzenmuller has become an avid golfer and golf-fan over the last several years. He is determined to improve his current 8 Handicap into the low single digits. He can be reached at kgkeith@hotmail.com. Journeyman Paul Goydos captured the Sony Open championship on Sunday, besting Luke Donald and Charles Howell III by one stroke. The Goydos victory marked the second of his PGA Tour career and his first since 1996.
Howell had sole possession of the lead for most of Sunday's final round. However, after several key missteps and a late charge by Goydos, Howell stood on the par-5 18th tee needing a birdie to force a playoff.
After failing to reach the green in two, Howell faced a tricky shot with little green to work with, to join to Goydos in the clubhouse at 14-under-par. Howell raced his chip sixteen feet by the hole. His downhill left to right birdie putt was badly pushed and never had a chance.
Donald, paired with Howell, had an eagle chip of his own to join Goydos at 14-under. The chip hit the pin, but failed to drop. Donald finished one back of Goydos in a tie for second along with Howell
The second place finish was particularly disappointing for Howell who hasn't won since the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in 2002. His second place finish at the Sony was his seventh since Kingsmill. Shortly after the defeat, Golf Channel coverage caught Howell with his head in his hands, visibly devastated.
Wie Fizzles; Fujikawa Shines
The lead story entering the 2007 Sony Open focused on Michelle Wie. Could the 17-year-old make the cut in a men's PGA tour event for the first time?
It didn't take Wie more than nine holes to shoot herself out of tournament. The Hawaii native shot a pedestrian 8-over-par 43 on the opening front nine, on her way to an 8-over-par 78 in Thursday's opening round. Wie would miss the cut by 14 strokes and her appearance turned out to be a non-story.
Another Hawaii native, 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, made the headlines at the Sony.
On Friday, Fujikawa shot 4-under-par 66, to make the cut by a comfortable 3- stroke margin. Fujikawa capped off the round in style by sinking a 15-foot eagle put on the par five 18th hole. As the putt dropped, Fujikawa fired a Tiger Woods like fist pump and the gallery responded with a roar usually reserved for the 18th hole of a major championship.
Fujikawa earned his spot in the Sony Open field through qualifying, in contrast to Wie who received a sponsor's exemption into the Sony and all other professional men's events in which she's competed.
Fujikawa is no stranger to competing on golf's biggest stage. As a 15-year-old, he qualified for last year's U.S open at Winged Foot, making him the second youngest in Open history.
Most fairy tale stories in golf don't last into the weekend where the cream usually rises to the top. Considering that Fujikawa missed the cut in a recent junior event, it was hard to imagine that the 16-year-old could remain in contention with the best players in the world. However, the Fujikawa magic continued on Saturday.
Fujikawa shot his second consecutive 66 on Saturday in tough scoring conditions to finish the third round in tie for 8th. Surprisingly, it wasn't a hot putter that propelled the 16-year-old into contention, it was his ball striking.
Fujikawa led the Sony field in greens in regulation (GIR's) through the first three rounds. Arguably the most important statistic in golf, Woods has led the PGA Tour in GIR's in three of the past six seasons, including last season and 2000 when he captured three major championships.
Standing at 5'1", Fujikawa was born three months premature, weighing less than two pounds at birth. Perhaps these obstacles help him put the game of golf in perspective. During his four rounds at the Sony, Fujikawa demonstrated composure and an ability to handle adversity, far beyond his years.
Fujikawa was surrounded by massive galleries all week and it was no different in the final round. On Sunday, paired with the second ranked player in world Jim Furyk, he shot a solid 1-over-par 71 to finish the week in a tie for 20th place.
Given her endorsement contract with Sony, Wie likely will receive another sponsor's invite for next year's Sony Open. Don't expect Fujikawa to earn a spot in next year's Sony Open field through qualifying though. In all likelihood, he won't have to. After this week's showing, you can bet that Fujikawa will receive a sponsor's invite from Sony to next year's event.