Defending champion Tommy Armour III eagled the 18th hole Friday at Spyglass Hill en route to a 1-under 71, joining Arron Oberholser in a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational. Oberholser shot a 6-under 66 with seven birdies and one bogey -- the day's low round -- at Spyglass Hill.
Robert Thompson shot a 2-under 70 on Friday to win the Champions Tour qualifying tournament, rallying on the back nine in the final round to finish one stroke better than third-round leader John Morse.
Robert Thompson shot a 2-under 70 on Friday to win the Champions Tour qualifying tournament, rallying on the back nine in the final round to finish one stroke better than third-round leader John Morse. Thompson was one back of Morse entering the final round and two behind at the turn. But he birdied Nos.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Thanks to back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16, Robert Thompson (Huntsville, Texas) captured medalist honors at the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament at TPC Eagle Trace. Thompson finished with a 72-hole total of 7-under-par 281, one stroke better than John Morse (Marshall, Mich.).
Standing in the center of a sun-drenched 18th green, as waves of cheers rippled from a packed gallery, Annika Sorenstam hugged caddie Terry McNamara and took the flag from his hand. She held it high, like a conquering hero, then slammed it into the hole. "It's over," she said. Sorenstam's tour career presumably ended Friday afternoon, when she failed to qualify for the third round of the ADT...
Even in the first few minutes of a presumed retirement, Annika Sorenstam was subject to drug testing. An LPGA official told Sorenstam shortly after her second and final round at the ADT Championship that she needed to submit to a random test, which Sorenstam said was her second in recent weeks. "I really don't know what's going on," Sorenstam said.
THE PLAYERS Championship contributes to a diverse group of charities throughout Northeast Florida, living by the PGA TOUR's mission to give back to the communities in which it plays. Since 1977, when THE PLAYERS moved to Ponte Vedra, more than $28 million has been contributed to Northeast Florida charities, ranging from health care to youth and education to human services. From Nov. 17-21, representatives from the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship, along with several TOUR players, will visit different charitable organizations in Jacksonville as part of "Giving Back Week." MORE: Photo gallery | Giving Back Week archive PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Put a golf club and ball in Fred Funk's hands, and he is unstoppable when it comes to THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. Put a Nintendo Wii controller in his hands and ... well, it's a different story.
Three years ago Jerry Kelly and PGA TOUR rules official Mickey Bradley were eating gumbo and having a beverage when an idea hit them. Why not put together a pro-am for the Katrina victims in Mickey's native Mississippi?
A Hong Kong teenager became the youngest player to ever make the cut at an European Tour event on Friday, breaking the record set by current world No. 2 Sergio Garcia.
In 1953 when the inaugural Canada Cup and International Golf Championship took place in Montreal, Canada, it was a relatively low-key event with just seven nations taking part.
Annika Sorenstam's final LPGA tournament of 2008 - and perhaps forever - came to an early end on Friday when she missed the second-day cutdown at the ADT Championship.
The 32-player...
HARTFORD, Conn. -- A new layer of competition and excitement has been added to the Travelers Championship, with the announcement that the tournament will be part of the Kodak Challenge, which tees off on the PGA TOUR in January 2009. Hole No. 15 at TPC River Highlands has been selected as a Kodak Challenge hole. The picturesque hole will be part of a new season-long competition that will capture players' performance on some of the most beautiful holes on the PGA TOUR.
Who is the youngest golfer ever to make a cut in a European Tour tournament? Before today the answer was Sergio Garcia, who was just over 15 years and 1...
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- John Cook shot a 10-under 62 on Thursday to take a three-stroke lead over Brad Martin after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational.
HONG KONG (AP) -- A Hong Kong teenager became the youngest player to ever make the cut at an European Tour event on Friday, breaking the record set by current world No. 2 Sergio Garcia.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Some 70 PGA Professionals, including many of The PGA of America's premier golf instructors, will be among the featured instructors at Play Golf America Day, Dec. 3, at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. There is no admission charge.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam has enjoyed plenty of great rounds at Trump International, a course where she won three times in a four-year span earlier this decade.
HONG KONG (AP) -- Louis Oosthuizen shot an 8-under 62 -- one shy of the course record -- to claim a share of the lead with English pair Oliver Wilson and Oliver Fisher and Thailand's Chawalit Plaphol after Friday's second round at the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open.
Louis Oosthuizen shot an 8-under 62 -- one shy of the course record -- to claim a share of the lead with English pair Oliver Wilson and Oliver Fisher and Thailand's Chawalit Plaphol after Friday's second round at the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open.
As we reported earlier, a federal court is set to ban Titleist ProV1 golf balls because they infringe the patented technology of Callaway. Today, Callaway is gloating over its victory and has paid for full page ad in the Wall Street Journal that reads as follows:
"It's no secret that the Titleist ProV1 is the most popular golf ball ever. What is not widely known is that after Titleist admitted its ProV1 golf balls infringed various Callaway patents, a jury found those patents valid, and a federal court has now ordered Titleist to stop making and selling infringing ProV1 and ProV1x golf balls after January 1, 2009.
The ad has a huge photo of Callaway's ball eclipsing Titleist ProV1 under the title: "The #1 Ball in Golf" was built on Callaway know-how.
Paul Azinger isn't the only person who wants another shot at captaining a Ryder Cup team. Nick Faldo, who led the losing European side in 2008, says he wouldn't mind captaining Europe in 2010 or beyond.
Make it two tours whose 2009 schedules are affected, negatively, by the global economic downturn. As mentioned previously, the LPGA Tour is contracting from 34 events on its 2008 schedule...
HONG KONG -- John Daly put himself within four strokes of joint leaders Wen-chong Liang of China and South African Richard Sterne, who both shot a 6-under 64 in the first round of the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open on Thursday.
Paul Azinger isn't lobbying, but he's open to the idea of returning to Ryder Cup captain's job in 2010, when the U.S. tries to retain the Cup in Wales.
Jack Nicklaus did not need a career-defining moment when he arrived in Augusta in the spring of 1986. His waistline was a little thick, his best days of golf were behind him. He had already built a resume of brick and granite -- 17 professional major championships, two United States amateur titles, a million memories. Jack Nicklaus was royalty, even if his clubs were rusty at the age of 46, as a columnist wrote that Masters week.
The struggling American and world economies have finally taken a toll on one of the world's major golf tours, and that tour is the LPGA. The LPGA Tour announced its...
Impact is the moment of truth in golf, so placing the ball in the correct position in your stance is critical to arriving at the correct impact position. Watch this...
You head to the practice green to work on putting. But after just a little bit of practice, your back starts to hurt. After a little more, your neck is...
India's Jeev Milkha Singh won a nail-biting Singapore Open on Sunday after Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els came agonizingly close to taking the $5 million Asian Tour event to a playoff.
Four second-stage qualifiers for the PGA Tour's final qualifying tournament were completed on Saturday, and some notable names made it through to Q-School finals ... while others didn't. Olin Browne...
Matt Bettencourt fully expected to be playing sports for a living when he grew up. The California native just thought it would be in baseball, not golf, after he earned his PGA Tour card for 2009, writes ESPN.com's Peter Yoon.
Wonderful news from Spain. After recovering from several brain surgeries to remove a tumor, Seve Ballesteros may be moved from the intensive care to the regular inpatient ward. The Golf Blog sends Mr. Ballesteros our prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Judge Sue Robinson in federal court issued this opinion:
“[T]he court finds that [Callaway] has made a sufficient showing on each of the four traditional factors [necessary to prove to win a permanent injunction]. A permanent injunction shall issue by separate order. The court will enjoin the production and sale of Pro V1 products commencing January 1, 2009.” (More)
The inaugural Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge took place at Torrey Pines this year prior to the start of the U.S. Open. The next one takes place the week before...
What's a "nitrogen-charged" driver? It's the PowerBilt Air Force One driver, whose clubhead holds nitrogen gas under pressures of up to 150psi. The gas, PowerBilt says, buttresses the clubface without...
Though a trip to PGA Tour Q-school isn't considered a yearly tradition for Chris Tidland, it might as well be. The 36-year-old -- who has been to the finals nine consecutive times -- has everything in perspective after falling from the last qualifying spot in the year's final event, writes ESPN.com's Peter Yoon.
The PGA Tour has released its schedule for the 2009 season. Well, most of it. Yet to be announced are the tournaments and dates for the Fall Series, and also...
Hard to believe but there's golf still going on in November. Sergio Garcia won the HSBC Champions tourney in Shanghai, to overtake Phil Mickelson for World No.2. With Tiger Woods injured, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Sergio overtakes Woods for No.1, if only briefly. A lot depends on when Tiger returns. It would be quite an achievement if El Nino became numero uno. (More)
News: USA Today has just reported on Sunday what appears to be Tiger Woods's first public comments on Barack Obama's historic victory on Tuesday. The comments were made on Saturday -- so The Golf Blog is very sorry for the last post suggesting that Tiger had not yet commented on the Election (it had just not been published at the time of our post).
Here's what the USA Today reports:
"It will be one of the great days in America to see a man of color in the White House." Woods said Obama's victory pleased him and it would have pleased his father, the late Earl Woods, who was a retired Army officer.
"My father hoped he would see a man of color elected president in his lifetime," Woods said. "He didn't see it, but I hoped that I would see it."
News: The Golf Blog may have been the first to report the noticeable omission in Tiger Woods's newsletter the day after the Election. Now, the Chicago Sun Times is covering it, too.
OK, it is possible that the Nov.5 newsletter from Tiger Woods was prepared before the Election. But it is very surprising that Tiger Woods still hasn't issued an official statement yet, even after so many of the most important athletes have. Tiger Woods is the most important, more recognizable athlete of this generation in the entire world. Forbes magazine says Tiger will be the first athlete to reach the $1 billion mark. Tiger has broken down barriers for so many young golfers. It is just surprising that not even a press release was sent out by Tiger Woods's PR people.
Here are prominent athletes and sports figures who have commented about Obama's victory:
1. Serena Williams 2. Venus Williams 3. LeBron James 4. NBA commissioner David Stern 5. Donovan McNabb 6. Grant Hill 7. Doc Rivers 8. Herm Edwards 9. Lovie Smith 10. Tony Dungy 11. Ty Willingham 12. Roy Jones, Jr 13. Omar Minaya 14. Doug Williams 15. Terrell Owens 16. Hines Ward 17. Dan Rooney
With so many high profile athletes like LeBron James publicly endorsing Barack Obama, it has been somewhat of a mystery that we've heard barely a peep out of Tiger Woods (although reports are that he contributed to Obama's campaign).
In November 5th's newsletter from Tiger, there's no mention of the historic election of this nation's first African American president as the 44th president.
Instead, here's what Tiger says:
This has been a busy stretch for me between rehabbing my knee, helping out with my foundation, keeping up with my three golf course design projects and fulfilling sponsor obligations. There hasn't been a lot of down time, although Elin and I took Sam to a Halloween party, where she dressed up as Tigger.
The knee is progressing. I'm working hard every day and there have been no setbacks. I've actually started to do a little chipping and putting, but no full swings. That's not going to happen until early next year.
We held our fourth annual Block Party and raised about $700,000 for our Learning Center. I want to thank Fred Couples and Chris Riley for helping me with the morning clinic at Pelican Hill. Freddie also helped out with our live auction and is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I also want to thank world-renowned chef Mario Batali for preparing a three-course gourmet meal - yes, I ate two steaks - and special thanks to Seal for putting on a great concert. Just seeing him perform again was absolutely incredible. He's a nice guy, too.
Mario is so fired up about his cooking. I didn't learn much, but told him I would drop by some of his restaurants instead. I boil water really well and can make eggs in the morning.
I'd also like to thank one of the most important guests of the night - Eric Leos, a TWLC student who spoke about how much the Learning Center has helped him. His story is pretty amazing and hearing how the Learning Center completely changed his life really hit home. I'd like to extend by heartfelt thanks to the Orange County community for their continued support of the TWLC and students like Eric. It's important work, and we're making a real difference.
I also announced my third golf course design project, Punta Brava in Ensenada, Mexico - about 65 miles south of San Diego. Like my other design projects, Punta Brava fits all the criteria I'm looking for when deciding to design a course. The site is spectacular. I knew during my first visit it would be an amazing project. I also found a great partner in The Flagship Group, and I've really enjoyed working with them.
Now it's up to me to create a fantastic design and take full advantage of this unique site. I like working with the land to design a course that is a good fit. So walking the site and thinking through the strategy and shaping of each hole are really important elements of my design process. Punta Brava is my first oceanfront design, and there are 17 tees and greens on the water. It's awesome.
One of the things I love most about golf is thinking my way around a course, and it's a lot of fun incorporating this into my course designs. Each project is unique - the desert oasis, a mountain meadow course and now an oceanfront course - but all of them have been designed to be fun for all skill levels and reward smart thinking.
I did sneak in a Dodgers playoff game while I was in Southern California and had a great time. I've been a life-long fan and was disappointed they didn't win it all.
While I was down there, I did a Buick outing at Torrey Pines, and it was the first time I returned since I won the U.S. Open last June. While it was great to be back, it was a little harder to reminisce than I thought. I was shocked to see what the course looked like without grandstands. I hadn't seen it like that since junior golf.
I also did outings for Nike and Gillette. During the two Nike days, John Cook and Anthony Kim helped me conduct a couple golf clinics. Both are outstanding players and interacted really well with the guests. Also with Gillette, Derek Jeter and I filmed a commercial together. Derek and I are also participating in the Gillette EA SPORTS Champions of Gaming Tournament which is going to be the biggest global multi-sport gaming competition. Gamers from around the world will compete against each other for the chance to play against me and other Gillette Champions. I'll probably get killed by these experts, but we'll have fun. Entries have begun, and it wraps up in February. During the filming of the TV commercial, we played a new EA boxing game "Facebreakers," I beat him the first time; he got me the second. The crew had plenty of video and pictures, but we weren't leaving. You can't have a tie! He won the last game and gave me a hard time, but that's okay. I would have done the same.
I'm looking forward to hosting the Chevron World Challenge presented by Bank of America. It's Dec. 17-21 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. We're excited about our new partnerships and celebrating our 10th year. We have a young, competitive field, so it should be a great week.
One last thing: Congratulations to my friend John Cook for winning the AT&T Championship on the Champions Tour. We play a lot of golf together, and I think the only reason he won was because he wore a red shirt on Sunday.
Seve Ballesteros suffered complications from his 1st brain surgery to remove a tumor (not yet revealed if malignant). Brain swelling resulted after the 1st surgery, which required surgeons to remove part of Seve's skull to relieve the pressure caused by the swelling. (More)
This is terrible news. But we are all praying and hoping for the best. Our thoughts are with Mr. Ballesteros and his family, and we hope he has a speedy recovery.
Seve Ballesteros, 51, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. A biopsy on Tuesday will be performed to determine whether it is malignant or benign. (More)
The Golf Blog sends our best to Mr. Ballesteros and his family, and wish him a speedy recovery.
Both Tiger Woods and Lebron James have supported Barack Obama with donations. Greg Oden (from Ohio State, now on the Portland Trailblazers) also endorsed Obama. King James has even campaigned for Obama.
The support from Tiger Woods should not be all that surprising after one of John McCain's surrogates mocked Tiger Woods in an attack on Barack Obama. Whether an attempt at a joke or not, that kind of comment probably did not sit well with Tiger.
1. Best player: Ian Poulter was absolutely sick, like a man possessed, playing all 5 matches and going 4-1, the best record of any player. He putted lights out. He played with passion. And to think, the nimwits in Europe questioned his selection by Faldo.
2. Worst player: Padraig Harrington went 0-3-1. As Johnny Miller said, Paddy was "wiping" at the ball with his clubface completely open. Paddy won 2 majors this year, but he played like a minor figure all week.
3. MVP: Really tough call. Justin Leonard would've been a shoe-in had he won his singles match on Sunday. The loss opened the door to Kenny Perry, Boo Weekley, Anthony Kim, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, and JB Holmes being in the conversation. Hunter did pick up the most points (3.5), but Justin Leonard did a lot of the heavy lifting while paired with Hunter, who also let the singles match victory slip away against Paul Casey on the final hole. Anthony Kim came up huge against Sergio Garcia in the 1st singles match, but AK's play with Phil Mickelson was both good and just average. AK is a stud, but my vote for MVP would go to Kenny Perry and Boo Weekley, who both played so consistently all week and who inspired the crowds -- though in different ways.
4. Biggest disappointment: For the Euros, it has to be Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Padraig Harrington going without a single victory. For the U.S., Phil Mickelson going 1-2-2 is disappointing, but not that surprising given his past record. What will Phil do next?
5. Biggest bonehead: Nick Faldo. You did pick Ian Poulter, but to stick him in Match 10 on Sunday made no sense. The hottest player on your team was made irrelevant, with the match decided before Poulter's victory could be posted. "Back loading" your big guns to Matches 9, 10, 11, and 12 completely backfired! (Sitting Sergio and Westwood on Saturday morning wasn't a bad idea, though, because they were not playing all that well.) Faldo, it was as if you didn't even know that Sam Torrance won the 2002 Ryder Cup by "front loading" the best European players, while Tiger Woods was relegated to the final match.
6. Biggest surprise: Graeme McDowell. Nobody's heard of you in the U.S., but you played brilliantly, going 2-1-1.
7. Best coaching: Paul Azinger. You had a 2-year strategy. It worked on Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3. Bravo! You finally stuck it to Faldo, your nemesis!
8. Biggest crybaby: Lee Westwood. Yes, the shabby Americans called you really disgusting names and Boo Weekley may have crossed the line by inciting the U.S. crowds while you and your partner still had to putt. But this is the Ryder Cup and you are in Kentucky, not Nottinghamshire. Man up, Westwood.
9. Most missed player: Tie. Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods. Hard to watch a Ryder Cup without them!
1. Thanks to Nick Faldo for assembling a European team/line-ups that in part helped the US overcome recent Ryder Cup demons. (The Euro press agrees.)
2. Thanks to Tiger Woods for staying home. Though it's unfair to blame Tiger for the uninspired efforts of US teams since he first joined, it is hard not to notice that the US performed much better without the distractions he unavoidably creates.
Maybe if we can get both Tiger and Phil to sit out in 2010, the US might have a real shot at retaining the cup across the pond.
My commentary and predictions follow the matches about which I have something to say. The pairings are very tight, some could finish "all square." But assuming all the matches had winners, my predictions on paper would end up giving the Ryder Cup to the Europeans. In a tie: 14-14, after winning 7 of the 12 singles matches. My "swing" match is actually Phil Mickelson v. Justin Rose. If Phil wins, the US wins the Cup.
12:03 p.m. Anthony Kim vs. Sergio Garcia This is the most anticipated match. Garcia played really well Saturday but wasn't his usual dominating Ryder Cup self, while Kim sat out the afternoon after a decent Friday with Phil Mickelson. Slight edge to Sergio, given his experience and surging play on Saturday.
[Incorrect: AK dusts Sergio.]
Sergio Garcia yells "Come on."
12:14 p.m. Hunter Mahan vs. Paul Casey Hunter Mahan was amazing with Justin Leonard, but then got paired with Phil Mickelson on Saturday and seemed to play like Phil -- inconsistently. Casey couldn't buy a putt, so Mahan should win.
[Halved.]
12:25 p.m. Justin Leonard vs. Robert Karlsson Justin Leonard was the clear MVP of the US team, making both chip-ins and crucial putts. Karlsson made 7 birdies by himself yesterday against Mickelson-Mahan. Great match! Leonard had rest and it's going to be hard for Karlsson to repeat 7 birdies the day after, so I give the edge to Justin.
[Incorrect: Karlsson wins.]
12:36 p.m. Phil Mickelson vs Justin Rose Phil Mickelson is playing well and making some crucial putts, but sprinkling in some terrible shots and missing a few putts. So what will Phil do next? Rose is very consistent, so Lefty could be in the fight of his life. The "safe" bet is on Justin Rose. But if you like to gamble, gotta go with Lefty.
[Correct. Justin wins.]
12:47 p.m. Kenny Perry vs. Henrik Stenson How can you not pick Kenny Penny in Kentucky?
[Correct. Kenny wins.]
12:58 p.m. Boo Weekley vs. Oliver Wilson Rookie Oliver Wilson sunk a crucial putt on the final hole to beat Mickelson-Kim. Boo Weekley has been carrying the very heavy JB Holmes the past 2 days and has been trying to pump up the fans on seemingly every shot with his arms. Wilson is in better shape than Weekley, but I'm going with Weekley.
[Correct. Boo wins.]
1:09 p.m. J.B. Holmes vs. Soren Hansen JB Holmes can drive the ball a mile, but the rest of his game is shaky. Hansen should win.
[Incorrect: JB pulls through.]
1:20 p.m. Jim Furyk vs. Miguel Angel Jimenez Great match. Jim Furyk.
[Correct. Furyk clinches Cup.]
1:31 p.m. Stewart Cink vs. Graeme McDowell Graeme McDowell played awesome yesterday, holing every crucial putt. Edge to McDowell.
1:42 p.m. Steve Stricker vs. Ian Poulter Great match. Stricker saved the day with his final putt yesterday and match Sergio Garcia shot for shot. Ian Poulter, however, has been almost demonic this Ryder Cup, going 3-0-1. Poulter.
1:53 p.m. Ben Curtis vs. Lee Westwood Ben Curtis was stuck in quicksand and could not make any shot or putt (only 1 birdie, I think, in 2 days). Lee Westwood should win.
2:04 Chad Campbell vs. Padraig Harrington Tough call. Neither is playing particularly well. But you gotta go with the double major winner, Paddy Harringon.
We received this news from Gear Patrol about a contest to win s TaylorMade driver and putter:
In celebration of Gear Patrol's 1000th post, we've teamed up with TaylorMade Golf for the Drive 4 Show, Putt 4 Dough Giveaway. This is your chance to win the TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver & Monza Rossa Spider Putter, a $600 value. Yeap, just in time for Fall golf. Arguably, the best season to hit the links.
How To Enter: Go to the Drive 4 Show, Putt 4 Dough Giveaway Page and use the Gear Patrol uber-simple sign-up form. Since we're feeling generous we'll even give you additional entries for every friend you tell about the contest. Drop in your buddies' email addresses when you sign-up and we'll take care of the rest. You can register once per day and tell up to three friends each time. What are you waiting for?
Leave it to Johnny Miller to stir pre-Ryder Cup controversy, saying he wouldn't have selected JB Holmes (over Scott Verplank) for the Ryder Cup. He also noted that Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Jim Furyk have a combined record of 25-37-8, which is not good.
Follow the action at the USGA Senior Amateur's Official Web site. Real-Time Scoring, news, blogs, photos, course information and more can be found. The USGA Senior Amateur is being held at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan.
Follow the action at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur's Official Web site. Real-Time Scoring, news, blogs, photos, course information and more can be found. The USGA Senior Amateur is being held at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.
Far Hills, N.J. - Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., has been selected by the United States Golf Association as the site of the 2010 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship. The dates of the championship are Oct. 9-14.
Far Hills, N.J. - Rickie Fowler, 18, of Murrieta, Calif., and Kyle Stanley, 19, of Gig Harbor, Wash., have been selected to complete the 10-man squad that will represent the United States of America for the 2007 Walker Cup Match. The Match is scheduled for Sept. 8-9 at Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
Far Hills, N.J. - A proposed amendment to the 2008 Rules of Golf regarding additional forms of club adjustability has been approved by the USGA. Any such adjustment(s), however, cannot be made during a stipulated round. All new forms of iron and wood adjustability must be approved in advance by the USGA.
2008 scandalz.net
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