Author Archives: mattd

Ryder Cup Points Could Produce A European Winner For PGA Championship

Posted on August 7, 2012 | Comments Off on Ryder Cup Points Could Produce A European Winner For PGA Championship

As many as 34 Europeans still have the dream of playing in The Ryder Cup alive as they head into the  final major of the year the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island as the qualification is coming to the end.

The top ten players who will qualify automatically have remained the same after last week’s WGC  Bridgestone Invitational, but they are just in a slightly different order.

Rory McIlroy extended his lead at the top of the European Points List – which will supply the first five players of the European Team and Captain José María Olazábal. The other five will come from the World Points List.

So this really is a decisive week especially with so many points up for grabs, and could maybe could produce a European winner as I’m sure all the players are desperate to make the team and also impress the captain to maybe scrape in through a pick.

 

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Keegan ‘Would Love It’ If He Could Win Next Week

Posted on August 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Keegan ‘Would Love It’ If He Could Win Next Week

Keegan Bradley doesn’t seem to know how to give up especially when he gets a sniff at winning, he’s like one of those annoying people at school that just won’t go away and i’m sure Jim Furyk felt exactly the same way yesterday as Bradley came back from six shots behind with just 13 holes to play to beat fellow Ryder Cup player Jim Furyk to the Bridgestone Invitational title.

It wasn’t all Bradley’s doing though, Furyk was one in front coming down the last, but double bogeyed the 18th to lose. But Bradley did scramble a par when he really never looked like doing so after a visiting a bunker on the 18th but managed to make a 20 footer which turned out to be the winning putt.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose were the best-placed Britons finishing level on eight under par and McIlroy showed signs that he was getting back to form just in time for the USPGA Championship next week which Bradley is defending and Said ” He would love to win next week”.

Tiger Woods showed good form on the final day, which will encourage him for next week also. He didn’t  break par in the first two rounds but the world number two signed off with a four-under-par 66.

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Harrington Wins Shot Of The Month

Posted on August 2, 2012 | Comments Off on Harrington Wins Shot Of The Month

Padraig Harrington has won Shot Of The Month with his superb chip during the Irish Open at Royal Portrush which was voted by fans from My European Tour.

Personally I thought there were a couple of crackers in the British Open, but hey what do I know?

The perfect pitch  from Harrington came on the 8th hole of the Dunluce Links, receiving  rapturous applause from the huge sell-out Northern Irish crowd who were hosting the event for the first in 60 year

The shot came from the right hand side of the fairway where he had found deep rough around 40 yards from the green, but the Irishman managed to conjure up a quite brilliant chip that landed on the front edge of the green before rolling into the centre of the cup for a birdie three.

What would your Shot Of The Month Been?

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The Major Winners So Far, But Who’s Next?

Posted on July 31, 2012 | Comments Off on The Major Winners So Far, But Who’s Next?

We’re coming to the end of the major season already and I for one can’t believe where the time has gone. The PGA Championship starts on the 9th August at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island.

Still can’t believe it was nearly four months ago we saw Bubba Watson hit that amazing miracle shot from out of the trees in a play-off with Louis Oosthuizen at Augusta National to claim the Green Jacket and The Masters title.

We then saw Webb Simpson claim the US Open and his first major title at the Olympic Club in San Francisco pipping Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell by one shot around a very tough golf course.

Of course fresh in our memory still is the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes which brought us great drama in the final stages and saw Adam Scott crumble under pressure to let Big Ernie win. All eyes were on Tiger Woods that week, and he did show signs of form and was in contention before a triple bogey in the final round left him with too much to do.

With so many of the top ranked players in the world not performing in the majors this year, will they see this as a chance to end the major season on high? The likes of Luke Donald and Lee Westwood will be hoping so, maybe just maybe they will get that monkey off their back!

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Adam Scott To Bounce Back After Open

Posted on July 30, 2012 | Comments Off on Adam Scott To Bounce Back After Open

Ernie Els and Adam Scott will be reunited for the first time since their Open Championship battle at this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Adam Scott will be defending his title and will also want to bounce back after the disappointment at Royal Lytham & St Annes a fortnight ago.

The big easy won his fourth Major Championship at Scott’s expense, but the Australian  from Adelaide will be looking to get revenge upon his return to Akron, having beaten a world-class field to seal his maiden World Golf Championship title there 12 months ago.

Els who has twice won the WGC-Cadillac Championship – boasts a relatively modest record at Firestone Country Club, with a fifth place finish on his first appearance back in 1999 his best performance in 12 visits to Ohio. Plus I think Els will still be on high from The Open and his mind won’t quite be on the job and he will struggle this week.

I’m going to be bold and go for a Adam Scott win, I think he will desperate to prove he can bounce back from what happened two weeks ago, not only to himself but to his peers.

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He Tamed The Tiger, But Can He Tame The Lyoness?

Posted on July 26, 2012 | Comments Off on He Tamed The Tiger, But Can He Tame The Lyoness?

The smiling Dane Thorbjørn Olesen was in  fantastic form today and showed no sign of taking his foot off the gas as he established a three shot lead after his second round in windy conditions at the Lyoness Open.

There are still players out on the course but none look like they will get anywhere near him at the moment. He has carried the confidence on from The Open where he finished ninth and was paired with Tiger Woods in the third round.

Olesen started the day a shot behind Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal, and having to complete four holes of the first round after lengthy rain delays on the opening day which he did in one under par courtesy of a birdie at the 17th.

Olesen looks like a young man in great form and in complete control of his game. He managed to tame Tiger last weekend but the question is can he tame the Lyoness?

 

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Larrazábal In Lead At Rain Hit Austrian Open

Posted on July 25, 2012 | Comments Off on Larrazábal In Lead At Rain Hit Austrian Open

Well it was back to normal on the European Tour this week after a great week at Royal Lytham & St Annes and a quite a few players who appeared at The Open headed off to the mountains and to the Diamond Country Club for the Austrian Open.

It was Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal who held an early three shot lead when play was suspended for heavy rain and not one player having completed 18 holes during the first round of the Lyoness Open.

The Spaniard who is a two-time European Tour winner got himself to six under par through 12 holes to be three clear of local hero Hamza Amin.

Larrazábal birdied the long tenth hole and then eagled the par five 13th, he then picked up more shots at the 14th, 16th and 18th holes to turn in 30.

The man from Barcelona parred the first three holes after the turn, before the heavy rain came down and play was suspended at 11.40am local time.

Larrazábal had spoken about his desire to hit form after finishing 45th in The Open Championship.

“I’m playing here and then having a week off before Kiawah [for the US PGA  Championship], which I am really looking forward to. I played in a Junior tournament there in 2003 and finished second, so it will be great to go back there.

Keep up to date with the live leaderboard here  – play resumes at 3.20pm

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My Picks For The Open Championship

Posted on July 19, 2012 | Comments Off on My Picks For The Open Championship

The 141st Open Championship got under way at 6.19am this morning with Barry Lane hitting the first tee-shot at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The weather was calm but the scoring was still tough with bogeys being made everywhere, and poor American James Driscoll reaching the turn at  ten over par and England’s Robert Rock double bogeyed the first and third holes to reach four over after six.

But there have been good starts from Scot Paul Lawrie who is currently leading at three under par and Lee Westwood second at two under par after birdies at the first two holes.. There is lots of golf still to come today as play will still be going at 7pm tonight. I for one will be watching most of it!

If you’re thinking of having a flutter this week and want some advice on picking a winner then here are my picks for this week.

Tiger Woods

Stewart Cink

Matteo Manassero 

Ian Poulter

Matt Kucher

Good luck and enjoy the golf! Click here for the live leaderboard

 

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Do Players Care About Winning Major Championships?

Posted on July 17, 2012 | Comments Off on Do Players Care About Winning Major Championships?

One player who believes he is ready to win more Major Championships is Martin Kaymer and feels that The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes could be the perfect stage for him to claim his second major.

Kaymer admits that early success in his career probably came sooner than expected for him when he was victorious at the 2010 US PGA Championship, before going on to claim the World Number One spot last year.

But Kaymer is only 28 and has a decent record at the British Open finishing tied seventh and tied 12th in the last two and feels his experience over the past two seasons means he would be fully prepared should further Major glory come his way over the next week.

I find it surprising that he said this…..

“It’s difficult to get more motivation if you achieve something so huge, so quickly in your career,” said the Ryder Cup player.

You don’t see the likes of Tiger Woods lacking motivation even after winning 14 majors, 74 PGA Tour titles and staying number one in the world for years.

Is life to easy in tour? Do the players have the hunger that they used to? Does it mean as much to win a major?

 

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Francesco Molinari Sets Castle Stuart On Fire

Posted on July 12, 2012 | Comments Off on Francesco Molinari Sets Castle Stuart On Fire

The Sottish  Open began this morning in fairly calm but fresh conditions in Inverness. There were a lot of scores under par but one player was making it look easy. That player was Francesco Molinari, the Italian continued his magnificent form to set the clubhouse target at ten under par during the first round at Castle Stuart.

Molinari made ten birdies in a bogey-free round and flawless round of golf. He had an amazing run making nine birdies in eleven holes and never looked like missing a putt at one stage.

Luke Donald who is defending the title this week began with a five under par 67, the World Number One did get to seven under himself with five to play – that after six birdies in seven holes – but he bogeyed two of the last four.

Molinari is on course to retain his Ryder Cup spot after last weekend, and leads by three from Soren Kjeldsen and by four from Robert Coles.

Will the wind get up tomorrow and bring the field closer together? Will Molinari’s form continue? Make sure you tune in to find out!

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