Round 4: HP Byron Nelson Championship

May 20 2012

9:12 pm

Henry has ace but doesn’t get the win

Watch: Henry's long birdie putt

J.J. Henry drained a 32-foot birdie putt at the 15th on Sunday.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas — J.J. Henry couldn’t have asked for much more. An ace at the par-3 fifth that put him in the lead. A string of pars in the middle of his round. A couple of birdies down the stretch.

The local favorite, a resident of Fort Worth, had his cheering section and was closing in on his second PGA TOUR win. Until disaster struck.

He airmailed a 7-iron over the green at the par-3 17th, then three-putted from 27 feet. Having stood on the 17th tee with a one-shot lead, Henry was now behind, and would eventually finish in a four-way tie for third, two strokes behind Jason Dufner.

"Obviously it’s disappointing," Henry said. "I played great all day, and to be honest thought I had a great shot on 17. I hit the line exactly where I tried to, and it carried about 6 or 7 yards too far.

"It’s disappointing but that’s golf. You take the good with the bad."

When it was good for Henry on Sunday, well, it was very good. He used a wedge at the fifth hole to record his second hole-in-one of the year and third in his career.  (Click to watch)

"It just kind of landed downwind past the hole and trickle, trickle, and we saw it disappear and everyone went nuts," Henry said. "It was a great start to the day."

But not a great finish.

"It’s tough to be that close and to have it within your grasp with two holes left to play," Henry said. "But you know, we will take the positives and go and hopefully carry it over next week at Colonial."

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8:59 pm

Pride settles for the positives

Watch: Pride birdies the 17th

Dicky Pride birdied the par-3 17th during Sunday's final round.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas — Dicky Pride didn’t break his PGA TOUR victory drought of 17 years, 9 months and 19 days. Had he done so, he would have set a TOUR record.

Instead, after Jason Dufner drained a 25-foot, 5-inch birdie putt on the 72nd hole to edge Pride by one stroke Sunday at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, the 42-year-old Alabama native will have to settle for the second-best finish in his 380-event career.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is what could have happened, but didn’t.

"I hit shots I’m not happy with, but I’m going to continue to build on it," said the 42-year-old Pride. "Trying to take the positives and build on it."

But, he added with a chuckle, "I’m going to take 30 minutes, go break something because of a couple of shots I hit, and go from there."

Pride didn’t hit many bad shots on Sunday. He was a bogey-free 2 under through 11 holes and was in and out of the lead throughout the day. But then he bogeyed the 12 and 14th holes, forcing him to scramble the rest of the way.

"I mutilated the 14th hole," he said. "Hit a terrible rescue, had to chip out. Got basically lucky that wedge didn’t go in the water."

But then he reeled off three consecutive birdies and to move to 10 under. When J.J. Henry double bogeyed the 17th, Pride suddenly was in position to win or at least make a playoff.

His tee shot at the 18th, though, found the water when his right foot slipped during the shot.

"I tried to get it back to the right, but apparently my hand-eye coordination is not that good," Pride said. "It was an honest effort. Very proud of the fact that I regrouped myself, dropped a ball and gave myself a putt."

When Pride rolled in his 22-foot, 7-inch putt on the 18th green to save par, it looked like he was headed for a playoff. But then Dufner drilled home the winning putt a few minutes later on the similar line.

"I had a great putt, went in," he said. "Jason had a great putt and it went in, and the HP Byron Nelson Championship has a wonderful champion they should be proud of."

As for Pride, well, Sunday’s second-place finish was his third top-10 of the season and moves him up 74 spots in the FedExCup standings to 43rd. After a career in which he’s battled serious health issues and contemplated retirement from the TOUR — "I’ve looked at not playing golf for a living," he said — he’s now enjoying a renaissance.

The fact that his mother Sandra made a surprise visit to watch him play Sunday made it even more fun.

"I like where my game is," he said. "The whole idea is to put myself in position as many times as I can, and I have done a solid job about that."

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8:22 pm

With this victory: Jason Dufner

Jason Dufner picked up the second victory of this season — and his career — Sunday at TPC Four Seasons. With this victory, Dufner:

• Collects 500 FedExCup points and moves from No. 12 to No. 1 in the latest standings.

• Has won his first two TOUR events and gotten married in the last four weeks.

• Earns his 20th career top-10 finish and extends his fully-exempt status through the 2015 season.

• Becomes first 54-hole leader/co-leader to go on to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Adam Scott (2008).

• Has held or shared the lead after 10 of his last 32 rounds on TOUR dating back to his share of the lead after the first round of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.

• Joins Hunter Mahan as the TOUR’s only two-time winners this season and extends his consecutive cuts made streak to 12.

This victory is Dufner’s 2nd in 166 career TOUR starts. Here are Dufner’s two victories:

2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans; HP Byron Nelson Championship

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8:11 pm

Notes from inside the ropes

Live Report Image
Carroll/Getty Images
J.J. Henry took the lead early Sunday with an ace, but couldn’t close out a win.

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

IRVING, Texas — J.J. Henry rode the seesaw of emotion on Sunday at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. The highlight was on the fifth hole when a 9-iron from 153 yards found the cup for a hole-in-one. The lowlight came on the final two holes when he went double bogey-bogey to finish third despite holding a one-shot lead on the 17th tee. He was visibly shaken after the round, receiving consolation from friends.

Classy ending: When Jason Dufner rolled home his winning birdie putt on the 18th hole, Dicky Pride had an immediate reaction and it did not consist of hanging his head or slumping his shoulders. Pride clapped. Having lost his chance to win the tournament, Pride clapped for a full 30 seconds for Dufner and then walked over to congratulate Dufner’s wife. Pride should be proud of his week and comportment.

High-five:  Jonas Blixt introduced himself to the golf world on Sunday. His third-place finish gives him back-to-back top 10s, allowing the PGA TOUR rookie to likely keep his card for 2013. Blixt could not contain his enthusiasm on the 16th hole, when after making birdie to move to 10 under, he ran up the hill and handed out high-fives to fans.  

Full circle: On Thursday, Marc Leishman hit a 264-yard 2-iron and made eagle at the par-5 16th hole. On Sunday, Leishman hit the same 2-iron from 255 yards and had a putt for eagle. Alas, it did not quite come full circle as Leishman missed the putt and made birdie, going on to finish tied for third.

Foot slip: Pride stood on the 18th hole tied for the lead and hit his tee ball into the water after his foot slipped. Pride could feel it slide as he began the downswing and tried to save the shot by flipping his hand, but the damage was done. His ball started at the water, tried to fade but did not clear the pond. Pride still made par but it could have been a possible birdie if his foot had not slipped.

Par 3: Jason Dufner hit so many quality shots during his victory but one could be overlooked. After Henry aced the fifth, the whole golf course erupted in cheers. It would have been easy to be distracted but Dufner was nonplussed, calmly waiting for the applause to diminish before hitting his own 9-iron to within six feet and making the putt. Dufner won the tournament with a birdie on the 72nd hole but stayed in the tournament with that birdie at the fifth.

18th hole: You can’t blame Jason Day if he’s not a fan of the redesigned 18th hole. He played the 428-yard par-4 in 5 over for the week. He double-bogeyed the hole on Thursday and vowed to never hit driver off that tee again. True to his word, Day hit iron off the tee and still struggled, hitting it into the water again in the final round. Day finished tied for ninth at 5 under and was 5 over on that final hole.

Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and inside the ropes this week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.

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6:21 pm

Dufner now leads in FedExCup points

IRVING, Texas – Thanks to his second win of the season, Jason Dufner takes over the top spot in the FedExCup standings.

Dufner, who birdied the 18th hole on Sunday to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship, is 40 points ahead of Hunter Mahan, the only other two-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season.

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5:53 pm

Congratulate Dufner on his win

Jason Dufner picked up his second victory in four weeks Sunday at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Dufner’s win was also the second of his career and pushed him to the top of the FedExCup standings for the first time. Want to congratulate Dufner on his big win? Leave a message in the comments section below and we’ll send it to him!

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5:35 pm

Rd. 4 updates: Dufner wins

Live Report Image
Carroll/Getty Images
Jason Dufner is the 2012 champ of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

IRVING, Texas – Sunday’s final round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship is complete at the TPC Four Seasons Resort. Here are the real-time updates as they happened on Sunday, as well as a quick recap. Feel free to join the discussion as the final round unfolds.

MORE HP BYRON NELSON: Final-round scores | Shot Tracker | Projected FedExCup points


QUICK RECAP: FINAL ROUND

IRVING, Texas — It took Jason Dufner 164 starts on the PGA TOUR to win his first title. It took him two more starts to win his second one.

Dufner survived a tough start to make the most important putt of the day, a 25-1/2 footer for birdie at the 18th hole to claim the HP Byron Nelson Championship in a Sunday shootout at the TPC Four Seasons Resort.

By making birdie on the final hole, Dufner finished at 11 under and avoided a playoff with Dicky Pride, who had poured in a similar putt for par at the 18th to finish at 10 under.

“I’ve been in a couple of playoffs,” Dufner said. “Really didn’t want to get in another one.”

Pride was looking for his first TOUR win in nearly 18 years. Had he won, he would’ve set a PGA TOUR record for most time between wins.

Instead, Dufner gets his second in the last month, having claimed the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a playoff.

“Jason made a great putt,” Pride said. “He’s a really good player.”

Dufner bogeyed two of his first three holes, but immediately bounced back with two birdies en route to shooting a 3-under 67.

Four players finished tied for third – Joe Durant, Marc Leishman, Jonas Blixt and J.J. Henry.

Henry, playing with Dufner in the final group, had the lead to himself at 11 under through 16 holes. His round was jump-started with a hole-in-one at the par-3 fifth. But he double bogeyed the par-3 17th after a poor tee shot and a three-putt.

Phil Mickelson, starting the day six strokes off the lead, made some noise with four straight birdies on the front side. But pressing down the stretch, he finished with consecutive bogeys and drop into a tie for seventh with Ken Duke.


 

LIVE UPDATES: FINAL ROUND (all times ET)

5:34 p.m. – Jason Dufner wins the HP Byron Nelson Championship with a birdie putt of 25 feet, 5 inches at the 18th hole. It’s just the eighth birdie at that hole in the final round. It’s Dufner’s second win in his last three starts and moves him to the top of the FedExCup standings.

5:23 p.m. – What a par by Dicky Pride at the 18th. He found the water with his tee shot, but rolled in the par putt from 23 feet. That keeps him at 10 under and with a share of the lead.

5:19 p.m. – The par-3 17th may prove to be the decisive hole. J.J. Henry, with a 7-iron, airmailed the green, then three putted for a double bogey. Meanwhile, Jason Dufner also missed the green but made a nice recovery shot. The final group heads to the 18th with Dufner now at 10 under and Henry at 9 under. With Dicky Pride, also at 10 under, in trouble at the 18th, Dufner has the advantage.

5:15 p.m. – Jonas Blixt joins the crowded clubhouse at 9 under after shooting a 66. It was a good run for the rookie, who will be guaranteed his second straight top-10 finish.

5:04 p.m. – Both players in the final twosome of the day, J.J. Henry and Jason Dufner, birdied the par-5 16th with short putts after splashing out of the greenside bunker. Henry is now 11 under; Dufner is 10 under. Meanwhile, Marc Leishman has joined Joe Durant in the clubhouse at 9 under after shooting a 4-under 66.

4:58 p.m. – J.J. Henry is now the solo leader after Jonas Blixt birdied the par-3 17th following a poor tee shot. Henry could add to that lead, as he’s playing the par-5 16th.

4:54 p.m. – Joe Durant entered this weekend having posted just two rounds in the 60s in his last 24 rounds on TOUR dating back to late last year. Now he’s carded consecutive 65s here to finish at 9 under. He’s currently the clubhouse leader.

4:49 p.m. – Marc Leishman missed his 4-foot putt for par at the 17th. That drops him to 9 under and out of a tie for the lead.

4:46 p.m. – Add J.J. Henry’s name to the list at 10 under, thanks to a 32-foot putt at the par-4 15th. With the par-5 16th next, Henry has the advantage over his co-leaders, who have already played that hole.

4:45 p.m. – Jonas Blixt has a share of the lead at 10 under with a birdie at the 16th.

4:38 p.m. – Marc Leishman just took the solo lead with a birdie at the par-5 16th. That moves him to 10 under. Leishman is a bogey-free 4 under for the day.

4:35 p.m. – The five players atop the leaderboard have a combined six wins on the PGA TOUR. Joe Durant has the most, with four wins, but he hasn’t won since 2006. Neither has J.J. Henry, whose only TOUR win came that year. Rookie Jonas Blixt and past Rookie of the Year Marc Leishman are still looking for their first TOUR wins. And Jason Dufner won his only TOUR even last month.

4:32 p.m. – With five players tied for the lead on the back nine, a playoff is a definite possibility. It would be typical for this tournament. Sine 1968, the HP Byron Nelson Championship has had 17 playoffs, most on the PGA TOUR in that span.

4:28 p.m. – Phil Mickelson after his final-round 66: “It was a fun day. The wind was calm and left the golf course susceptible to bridies. I got hot with the putter … made a good move. The last couple of holes were disappointing but it was still fun.”

4:07 p.m. – While Phil Mickelson taps in for a bogey-bogey finish on the 18th, Jason Dufner avoids back-to-back bogeys with a 9-foot par-saving putt on No. 12. Dufner remains at 9 under, tied with Marc Leishman, J.J. Henry, Jonas Blixt and Joe Durant for the lead.

3:50 p.m. – A bogey by Jason Dufner at the 11th hole drops him into a tie for the lead again at 9 under.

3:46 p.m. – Any opportunity Phil Mickelson had of winning likely vanished at the par-3 17th. After a terrific tee shot put him inside 15 feet for birdie, Mickelson ran his birdie putt 3 feet past the hole, then saw his par putt horseshoe out as he suffered his first bogey of the day. It’s the third three-putt Mickelson has suffered this week. The bogey drops him to 7 under and three shots off the lead with just one hole to play.

3:35 p.m. – With his sixth birdie of the day, this one at the par-5 16th, Phil Mickelson moves to 8 under. But he’s running out of holes.

3:33 p.m. – Jason Dufner rolls in a 17-1/2 foot birdie putt at the par-4 10th to take the solo lead. J.J. Henry missed his birdie putt from 12 feet.

3:25 p.m. – Dicky Pride has joined the co-leaders at 9 under after draining a 26-foot putt at the 10th hole. He’s now in a four-way tie for first with Marc Leishman, Jason Dufner and J.J. Henry.

3:20 p.m. – The final twosome of Jason Dufner and J.J. Henry have just completed their opening nine holes. Dufner is 4 under on the back nine in the first three rounds; Henry is 8 under on the back nine and has been bogey-free on the back nine in the last two rounds.

3:07 p.m. – Marc Leishman has joined the leaders at 9 under, thanks to two consecutive birdies. He birdied the par-4 ninth with a putt from 8-1/2 feet and the par-4 10th with a 4-1/2 foot putt.

2:54 p.m. – Jason Dufner is back into a tie for the lead thanks to a birdie at the par-5 seventh. Co-leader J.J. Henry was unable to birdie the easiest hole on the front side.

2:52 p.m. – The final groups are still a few holes away from making the turn, but it’s evident that the TPC Four Seasons Resort course is playing easier than expected. The lack of stiff crosswinds is providing good scoring conditions, and SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio’s Dennis Paulson also noted that was a “lot more moisture on the greens” than anticipated. The current scoring average is 69.938, meaning it’s playing just under par.

2:47 p.m. – Dicky Pride birdied the par-5 seventh and moves to 8 under, one shot behind J.J. Henry. Pride had opened his final round with six consecutive birdies.

Live Report Image
Phil Mickelson

2:33 p.m. – After a string of three consecutive pars, Phil Mickelson posted his fifth birdie of the day, rolling in a 15-footer at the par-4 12th. That moves him to 7 under for the tournament and into a tie for third.

2:25 p.m. – Info on J.J. Henry’s hole-in-one … he used a pitching wedge … it’s his second ace of the year; he also had one in Puerto Rico … and his third career ace on the PGA TOUR … it’s the first hole-in-one in this event since 2010 when Ken Duke had one in the second round.

2:21 p.m. – After watching J.J. Henry’s hole-in-one, playing partner Jason Dufner answered with a birdie at the fifth, moving him within one shot of Henry’s lead.

2:17 p.m. – J.J. Henry just aced the par-3 fifth hole from 153 yards. That moves him to 9 under and gives him a two-shot lead. “That’s just crazy,” said John Maginnes on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio.

2:15 p.m. – Defending champ Keegan Bradley has yet to make anything happen. He’s 1 over for his round through eight holes and has yet to post a birdie.

2:11 p.m. – Jason Dufner has bounced back after two consecutive bogeys with a birdie at the par-4 fourth. That moves him back to 7 under. He’s now tied with Dicky Pride and J.J. Henry for the lead.

1:50 p.m. – Phil Mickelson pars the ninth, goes out in 31. He’s 3 under total on the back 9 this week at TPC Four Seasons.

1:45 p.m. — While Phil Mickelson waits in the fairway on the par-4 ninth, J.J. Henry birdies to take the lead at 8 under. Jason Dufner, a slow starter on the front nine this week, bogeys the second to drop to 7 under.

1:30 p.m. – Phil Mickelson’s on fire. He just posted his fourth consecutive birdie, rolling in a 30-foot putt at the par-4 eighth. That moves him to 6 under and into a tie for fifth, just two strokes off the lead.

1:27 p.m.  – J.J. Henry opened with a birdie, thanks to his approach shot at the opening hole that landed 3 feet from the pin. He’s now at 8 under and tied with playing partner and 54-hole leader Jason Dufner.

1:17 p.m. – Third consecutive birdie for Phil Mickelson, this one at the par-5 seventh with an 11-foot putt. He’s now at 5 under for the tournament and tied for seventh.

1:10 p.m. – David Mathis is having a good day; he’s 3 under through 10 holes, moving him to 4 under for the tournament. No surprise that Mathis is playing well today; he ranks second on the PGA TOUR in final-round scoring average this year. Click for stats

1 p.m. – About the lack of noise from Phil Mickelson? Well, he just woke up. Mickelson rolled in a birdie putt from 11 feet at the par-3 fifth, then followed with another birdie from 7 feet at the par-4 sixth. He’s now at 4 under for the tournament and into a tie for 10th.

12:55 p.m. – Local resident J.J. Henry, one shot behind playing partner Jason Dufner in the final twosome, may have a slight advantage over the rest of the field. “I was actually a player consultant with Harrison Frazar for the D.A. Weibring redesign (of TPC Four Seasons in 2008),” Henry said. “So I feel like I know this golf course pretty well.” Henry and Dufner will tee off at 1:15 p.m.

12:50 p.m. – Jason Day, the 2010 HP Byron Nelson champ who’s in a three-way tie for second going into the final round, said the strategy for winning Sunday is fairly simple: “The guy that obviously makes the least amount of mistakes out there (Sunday) is going to win. That’s just how things are going to go.” Day tees off in 15 minutes with playing partner Dicky Pride in the penultimate group of the day.

12:45 p.m. – Jason Dufner is at the top of the leaderboard entering the final round despite his putter. Through 54 holes, Dufner ranks 66th out of 71 players left in the field in strokes gained-putting. He’s given up 3.5 strokes to the field on the green this week. This is not unusual for Dufner – he entered this week ranked tied for 117th on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained-putting. Fortunately, his ball-striking has been impeccable – he ranks second in driving accuracy and first in greens in regulation in this week’s field.

12:35 p.m. – Phil Mickelson, starting the day six shots off the lead, was hoping to make some early noise, but it hasn’t worked out thus far. He missed a birdie putt inside 9 feet at the first hole and had routine pars on the next three holes. Click here to follow the rest of Mickelson’s round on Shot Tracker

12:30 p.m. – With the leaders teeing off in 45 minutes, a few players with earlier tee times have already jumped out to nice starts. D. A. Points has made the turn at 4 under on his round and is 5 under for the tournament. Ken Duke is 3 under for the day through six holes and also at 5 under. Alex Cejka has already finished, having posted his second 65 of the week; unfortunately, he shot 73-76 in the middle two rounds, leaving him at 1 under for the tournament.


5:34 pm

Watch: Pride’s 23-foot putt to save par

Pride's long par putt at 18

Dicky Pride saved par at the closing hole Sunday with a putt from 22 feet, 7 inches.

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5:30 pm

Mickelson makes noise on ‘fun day’

Watch: Mickelson birdies the 12th

Phil Mickelson rolled in a birdie putt from 14 feet, 10 inches at the 12th hole during Sunday's final round.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas — Phil Mickelson started Sunday’s final round six shots off the pace and figuring he had little chance to make a legitimate run at the lead. But perhaps if he made a little noise …

… which he did.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Mickelson reeled off four consecutive birdies on the front nine and would eventually climb into a tie for third at one point early on his back nine, just two strokes off the lead.

But pressing hard for birdies on the last two holes to give himself any shot, Mickelson finished bogey-bogey for a final-round 4-under 66 and a tie for seventh at 6 under, five shots behind eventual winner Jason Dufner.

"I had a great day today," Mickelson said. "The wind was calm and left the golf course susceptible to birdies. I got hot with the putter. I didn’t knock down the pins but I gave myself some putts and made a few and it was nice to see some of them going in."

During his four-birdie streak, Mickelson made putts of 11 feet, 7 feet, 11 feet and 30 feet, then added another 15-footer at the 12th hole. His short birdie putt at the par-5 16th kept his slim hopes alive.

But after a terrific tee shot at the par-3 17th, he missed a birdie putt from 14 feet, 4 inches, and that seemed to deflate him. The par-saving comebacker spun around the lip, and Mickelson’s bid was done. At 18, he found the water with his second shot before nearly holing his par-saving chip.

"I had a chance for a good putt and when I missed it, certainly I was disappointed," Mickelson said about his birdie putt at 17. "I felt like if I could get the last two, you never know."

Overall, Mickelson enjoyed his first start in this event since 2007. His young daughter Sophie flew into town, and the two were able to spend quality time together.

"It was a great week," Mickelson said. "It was my date weekend with my daughter, Sophie. We took in (two Texas) Rangers games, Six Flags, water parks, all kinds of things and had a great week."

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2:35 pm

Watch: Henry’s go-ahead ace

J.J. Henry's hole-in-one

J.J. Henry aced the par-3 fifth in Sunday's final round.

IRVING, Texas — J.J. Henry used a pitching wedge to record the third hole-in-one of his career, as he aced the par-3 fifth in Sunday’s final round of the HP Byron Nelson Champion.

Henry, who had been tied for the lead prior to hitting his tee shot, briefly took a two-shot lead with the ace. But playing partner Jason Dufner ended up with birdie on the same hole to reduce the lead to one.

The hole-in-one was Henry’s second of the year. He had one in the first rounf of the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com.

The ace was the first at the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Ken Duke aced the second hole in the second round of 2010.

Should Henry go on to win, he would be the first winner of a PGA TOUR event to have an ace in the same week since Steve Stricker at last year’s Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance.

Jonathan Byrd was the last champion to post an ace on the final day. His ace came in a playoff to win the 2010 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

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