Category Archives: News Stories

US Masters: Day Three Summary

Posted on April 10, 2011 by | Comments Off on US Masters: Day Three Summary

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is edging closer to his first major title as he takes a four-shot lead into the final day of the Masters in Augusta.

McIlroy carded a two-under-par 70 to move to 12 under, four clear of 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Charl Schwartzel, KJ Choi and Jason Day.

England’s Luke Donald is on seven under (with a round of 69), currently tied with Australia’s Adam Scott (67).

Tiger Woods failed to capitalise on the progress he made on Friday, shooting 74 to finish five under and share that spot with Ross Fisher (71), Bubba Watson (67), veteran Fred Couples (72),  and Geoff Ogilvy (73).

Defending champion Phil Mickelson also dropped shots, carding a 71 to drop to three under.

Don’t forget you can follow the official Leaderboard here.

Remember that there is also a Masters App for the iPad where you can watch eight exclusive feeds – you can get this on iTunes now.

Otherwise make sure you catch the live coverage of the final day on Sky Sports, there is also live coverage on BBC2 from 7pm tonight.

Enjoy it – I’ve got a feeling we have a classic final day coming up!

 

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US Masters: Day Two Summary

Posted on April 9, 2011 by | Comments Off on US Masters: Day Two Summary

Rory McIlroy continues to lead The Masters going into day three of the tournament, having carded a decent three-under-par 69 on Friday.

That puts him on -10 for the tournament, however the round of the day belonged to Australian’s Jason Day. Partnering McIlroy, Day fired an incredible 64 – eight under on the day – to climb to second place.

Tiger Woods proved that he has still got what it takes and is now in contention – tied for third at -7 after a great 66 – with South Korea’s KJ Choi who shot a two-under-par 70.

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, who led overnight with McIlroy, slipped back to six under par after a one-over-par 73, alongside Australian Geoff Ogilvy (69).

Last year’s runner-up Lee Westwood (67), South Korean YE Yang (72), Americans Ricky Barnes (71), Rickie Fowler (69) and 51-year-old 1992 champion Fred Couples (68) are all tied at five under.

Check out the full leaderboard by visiting the official Masters site: http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html

Can’t wait for Day 3!

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US Masters: Day One Summary

Posted on April 8, 2011 by | Comments Off on US Masters: Day One Summary

What an amazing first day at The Masters!

Jonathan Byrd, Ross Fisher and Sean O’Hair got things underway and set up a memorable day’s golf, at the end of which Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy had hit a stunning 65 (seven under) as had Spaniard Alvaro Quiros for a share of a two-shot lead after the first round.

South Korean pair Yang Yong-Eun and KJ Choi are two shots behind after impressive 67’s.

American duo Matt Kuchar (one of my tips) and Ricky Barnes are hanging in there at four under with England’s Ross Fisher and Spain’s Sergio Garcia in a group on three under alongside Gary Woodland, Brandt Snedeker, Charl Schwartzel,2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman and 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy.

Defending champion (and another of my tips) Phil Mickelson ended two under, while Tiger Woods went round just one under par Lee Westwood on par.

You can check out the Live Leaderboard at any time by clicking here: http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html

 

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My Tips For The Masters

Posted on April 6, 2011 by | Comments Off on My Tips For The Masters

So with The Masters starting tomorrow, a lot of golf fans will be getting ready to place their bets, and use their golfing knowledge to try and take a few quid off the bookies over the weekend!

I have placed bets on this famous tournament for the last few years (with varying results!) and these are my tips for this year.

I’ve gone for Phil Mickelson as my tip to win. He has had three top ten finishes out of eight events so far this season  and has won the tournament on three previous occasions, including last year when his winning score of -16 was one of the best Masters scores ever recorded. He will also be looking to equal the records of Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods, who have each won the tournament on four occasions. He is the favourite at 6/1, displacing Tiger,  who has been favourite every year for as long as I can remember!

You can see some press conference coverage of both Phil and Tiger by clicking here.

I also like the look of the American, Matt Kuchar. He is having a solid enough season and is great value at 33/1.

I have also backed the following players each way – Luke Donald (25/1), Hunter Mahan (28/1), Ricky Fowler (66/1), Brandt Snedeker (125/1), and Bo Van Pelt (175/1) so if a couple of those players can finish in the top five places I’ll be very happy…

Let me know who your money is on…

(All odds quoted are from www.bet365.com)

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Mickelson Seals Houston Open Title

Posted on April 4, 2011 by | Comments Off on Mickelson Seals Houston Open Title

(From bbc.co.uk)

Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson sent a warning of intent ahead of next week’s Major with a three-shot victory at the Houston Open.

The left-hander carded a final-round, seven-under 65 to finish on -20, with US compatriot Scott Verplank and rookie Chris Kirk in joint second.

Joint overnight leader Mickelson put aside two early bogeys with five birdies on the back nine.

The victory moves Mickelson to third in the world rankings above Tiger Woods.

Houston Open Final Round Leaderboard:

  • -20: P Mickelson (US),
  • -17: S Verplank (US), C Kirk (US)
  • -13: S Stricker (US), A Baddeley (AUs)
  • -12: R Allenby (Aus), D Hearn (Can)
  • Selected others: -11:P Harrington (Ire)
  • -6: L Westwood (Eng)
  • -3: B Davis (Eng)

Please click here for the full article.

 

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Watch Live Masters Coverage On Your iPad!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by | Comments Off on Watch Live Masters Coverage On Your iPad!

Great news if you’re a golf fan with an iPad (as I am!) – the Augusta National Golf Club (where the Masters is held) has launched an app allowing you to watch live coverage of the prestigious event.

The app will cost around £1.50 and will feature nine live high- definition video channels, and on-demand video features and highlights.

Augusta National has also enhanced its website – www.masters.com. It will feature on-demand video, eight live video feeds and the Internet’s only three-dimensional video stream for users with 3D-capable computers.

Prior to the tournament, which starts next week, organisers will also update their free iPhone and Android applications, which also feature five live video channels.

 

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Tiger Woods Still Getting All The Attention

Posted on March 30, 2011 by | Comments Off on Tiger Woods Still Getting All The Attention

(From NBC Sports)

So many people surrounded the first tee that it was hard to see who was playing. The gallery stretched down the entire length of the 461-yard opening hole and wrapped around the back of the green on a sun-baked Sunday at Bay Hill.

Now on the tee, Tiger Woods.

He was in a tie for 29th. He was 10 shots out of the lead, no serious threat to win.

About four hours later, the final group of Martin Laird and Spencer Levin approached the fifth green with under 100 fans tagging along.

This is nothing new.

A few weeks earlier at Doral, the PGA Tour decided to group players based on their world ranking. Someone estimated the gallery at 85 people for the “Big Three” of Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. On the other side of the course, there were too many fans to count in the group of players ranked 4-5-6 — Graeme McDowell, Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Please click here to read the full article.

 

 

 

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Arnold Palmer Invitational Raises $4m For Medical Centre

Posted on March 29, 2011 by | Comments Off on Arnold Palmer Invitational Raises $4m For Medical Centre

So as the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill drew to a close on Sunday evening, thoughts will of course turn to the forthcoming Masters tournament in Augusta – the first ‘Major’ of the golf season.

But before this great tournament is consigned to the 2011 season archives, it’s worth remembering the amount raised for charity – an amount much more significant than the cheque for $1million plus that tournament winner Martin Laird will be cashing in.

The invitational — coupled with the other Palmer  partners (including himself) — will raise about $4 million for the Arnold Palmer Medical Center, which includes Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, both based in Orlando, Florida.

Please click here for full details.

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Martin Laird Wins Arnold Palmer Event At Bay Hill

Posted on March 28, 2011 by | Comments Off on Martin Laird Wins Arnold Palmer Event At Bay Hill

(From bbc.co.uk) Martin Laird defied the challenge of American Steve Marino over the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill to win by a single shot.

The Scot squandered his two-shot overnight lead, but recovered to overtake Marino with two holes to play.

A solid approach over water at the last and a two-putt from about 80ft ensured a second PGA Tour title for Laird.

England’s Justin Rose took a share of third at six under with a round of 68 that included a five-under back nine.

Laird began the day with a decent advantage over another American Spencer Levin but bogeyed the third, seventh and ninth to reach the turn in three-over 39.

The 28-year-old slipped further off the pace as he hooked into the water following a poor tee shot for a double-bogey six on the 11th.

His resurgence began with a birdie at the 12th and, despite a further bogey on 14 to fall three shots behind, the US-based Glaswegian picked up another two strokes at the 15th and 16th to restore a two-shot lead as the charging Marino faltered.

“I’ve had perseverance all week and it paid off,” said Laird, who lost a play-off in Las Vegas last year and also lost to Matt Kuchar in a play-off for the Barclays event in August after three-putting the 72nd hole.

He added: “I don’t know if I was nervous. I thought in the morning that I’ve let a few tournaments go and I came out today, I wasn’t joking around – this was going to be my tournament to win, and I felt comfortable.

“I never thought about not winning. At three down I didn’t have a choice, I had to make birdies – Steve was playing so well and he wasn’t going to drop all the way back to where I was.

“That was the focus – not a place finish, I was out there trying to get this trophy.”

Please click here to read the full article.

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Tiger Lags in a Movement He Helped Create

Posted on March 24, 2011 by | Comments Off on Tiger Lags in a Movement He Helped Create

When Tiger Woods smashes one off the tee at Bay Hill on Thursday — gets every bit of the club face on the golf ball — chances are he will not be strutting out to the longest drive in the fairway. In fact, he may not be walking to the second longest.

“I’ll be the Corey Pavin of my group,” Woods said, laughing about what it will be like to be paired with two of the game’s longest hitters, Gary Woodland, 26, and Dustin Johnson, 26, for the first two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“Seriously, I’ll just kind of put it out there in play and put it up on the green and try and make putts,” Woods added. “Those guys will be bombing it way out there past me.”

This is the new reality on the PGA Tour. Gone are the days when Woods could shift into overdrive and, on command, blow a tee shot past his fellow competitors. Gone are the days when Woods made seemingly every important putt he looked at. And though he had only one three-putt green at the W.G.C.-Cadillac Championship outside Miami, Woods has not putted well this year and is ranked 101st on tour.

The tournament host, Arnold Palmer, 81, said all good players reach the point where “all of a sudden, once in a while, the bounces go the wrong way or the putts rim around the cup rather than going in the cup.”

Please click here to read the full article.

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