Stricker + Van Pelt Win CVS Caremark Charity Classic 2013

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Sean Quinn, GoLocalProv Contributor

 

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The big winners this week at the CVS Caremark Charity Classic will be local charities; meanwhile, co-host Brad Faxon shakes hands with Rickie Fowler, while Bubba Watson looks on.

With a record breaking score of 25-under par, Steve Stricker and Bo Van Pelt are the 2013 CVS Caremark Charity Classic champions. The pair held the lead after day one and continued their dominance, finishing four strokes ahead of second place Bill Haas and his partner and tournament co-host Billy Andrade.

Up-and-coming superstar Rickie Fowler spoke to GoLocalProv following his fourth place finish and explained his decision to come to Rhode Island: “We're here for a great cause, we're here to help a few local charities but also to have some fun and play some golf at a great course,” said Fowler. “[Rhode Island] has a good feel to it. It feels very homey, similar to where I grew up and seems like a fun place to come and hang out.”

Day 2 action

Having shot a -12 59 on Monday, the Bo Van Pelt and Steve Stricker pairing held a one-stroke lead over both Rickie Fowler/Bubba Watson and Bill Haas/Billy Andrade coming into Tuesday’s final round action at the CVS Caremark Charity Classic at Rhode Island Country Club. The Stricker/Van Pelt twosome continued to dominate through the first nine holes on Tuesday, shooting an -8 28.

Haas and Andrade did their part to tighten the gap, shooting a -5 28 on the front nine at RICC to keep themselves within three strokes of the leaders. Birdies on 11, 12 and 13, however, sealed the victory for Stricker and Van Pelt who went on to break a tournament record with a remarkable score of -25. Haas and Andrade, who finished second, ended the tournament at a noteworthy 21 under par.

Bubba Watson, who has struggled a bit of late (a collapse on the par-3 16th on Sunday at the Travelers Championship saw him forfeit a one stroke lead and finish fourth in the tournament), seemed rather disappointed that he and teammate Rickie Fowler could only manage a fourth place finish (-18 for the tournament).

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Annika Sorenstam and Billy Horschel, who found themselves at the bottom of the table Tuesday morning having shot a 4-under 67 on Monday, didn’t do much to improve their positioning, shooting a 6-under 65 on Tuesday. The pairs rather underwhelming outing landed them (not surprisingly) in last place.

18-year-old phenom Lexi Thompson and partner Peter Jacobsen improved Tuesday after they found themselves in last place following a less than stellar -4 67. Thompson, who at age 12 became the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the US Women’s Open, eventually turned professional in 2010 at the age of 15 returned to Rhode Island for her second appearance at the CVS Classic. Although she and partner Jacobsen found themselves at the bottom of the scoreboard Monday evening, their 10-under 61 on Tuesday pushed them up to 7th place, -14 for the tournament.

Co-host Brad Faxon and partner Jeff Sluman also improved on their first round struggles (the two shot a -5 66 on Monday), shooting an impressive -11 60, bumping themselves into 5th place by tournaments end.

2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and his partner Nick Price struggled throughout the two-day tournament, shooting a -5 66 on Tuesday. Their two-day score of 130 placed them 9th, above only the Thompson/Jacobsen pairing.

Competition still there

While the players admit that charity tournaments are a bit more relaxed, there’s plenty of competition to go around. Stricker, whose daughter was on the bag for him while he dominated the course elaborated on the difference between playing a charity tournament such as the CVS Classic and a Major Tournament: “It’s a lot of fun. Were signing autographs in between holes, talking to some of the spectators and playing with a friend like Bo [Van Pelt] and [Brad] Faxon,” said Stricker, “But don’t get us wrong, were still trying to compete and do well.”

The 20 professionals who attending the 2013 CVS Caremark Charity Classic seemed to enjoy their time in Rhode Island as much as their fans did. And although the heat left most of the fans exhausted, the enjoyment of watching some of the games greatest talents coupled with the $100,000 donated made for a fantastic two days of golf.  

 

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