victory was mutu-
ally beneficial for the
champion and the
tournament, which
had officials tweak the
format for the second
time in four years by
extending stroke play
to three rounds and
reducing match play
to the top 16 players.
Director of tourna-
ment operations Brian
Fahey said the risk of
playing fewer than 18
holes with a first-
round match-play
loss—and the harm it
could do to a player’s
amateur ranking—
made some reluctant
to enter, hence 54
stroke-play holes for
everyone.
—Ryan Herrington
MISCELLANY
The fringe…
�� Troy Kelly might
not have won The
Greenbrier Classic,
but he got quite a
consolation prize: a
spot in the British
Open. Mark Leish-
man and Ted Potter
Jr. also earned berths
at Royal Lytham &
St. Annes. Leishman
and Potter claimed
them as the leading
earners on a six-
tournament money
list that culminated at
The Greenbrier. Kelly
earned his spot as the
top finisher at the Old
White course who was
not otherwise eligible
for the British. … John
Daly had his second
straight top- 20 finish
on the PGA Tour
with a T- 12 at White
Sulphur Springs. He
was T- 19 at the FedEx
St. Jude Classic last
month. … Morgan
Pressel withdrew
from the U.S. Women’s
Open at Blackwolf Run
with a hand injury
after playing 14 holes
of her second round.
Greenbrier Classic champion Ted Potter Jr., who missed only one fairway in rounds one and
two, had his worst statistical ballstriking round Sunday despite shooting 64. Potter hit eight
fairways (his lowest total on the week) and 12 greens (tied with Saturday for his fewest) in
the final round. He missed five fairways on the back nine all week, four on Sunday. … Potter
led the field in strokes gained/putting, averaging 2.016 strokes per round better than the
field. He gained more than three strokes during each weekend round, his biggest putt being a
49½-footer on 15 Sunday that gained him 1.215 strokes on the field. … Potter was T- 3 in fairways hit for the week with 45 of 56, but was a far cry from leader Jerry Kelly, who hit 51. Tom
Watson was second with 47 fairways hit. Watson, 62, who finished T-73 in a rare PGA Tour
appearance, was also one of 13 players who didn’t have a three-putt on the Old White TPC
course. Watson is the pro emeritus at The Greenbrier Resort. … Sean O’Hair hit all 18 greens
in regulation during a first-round 66. He’s one of 10 players to do so in 2012. … Three players
(Potter, Kelly and Billy Hurley) hit every fairway Friday, but Phil Mickelson didn’t have such
success. Mickelson hit six fairways, only one more than the least accurate players in the field.
He ranks 147th on tour in driving accuracy at 55.35 percent.
