Tag Archives: Beginners Golf Coaching London

Michelson Disqualified For Scoring Error In US Open Qualifier

Landon Michelson a 22-year-old amateur was trying to qualify for the US Open in a second qualifier at Quail Valley. The youngster had shot a pair of 71’s and was set to at least be in a play-off when it dawned on him that he had accidentally signed for a 70 in his second round.

Michelson then had to decide whether to admit the mistake or keep quiet about it and live with knowing what he had done.

He ended up doing the right thing and admitting his mistake and was subsequently disqualified which left him with no chance of chasing his dream any more.

It may seem a bit harsh on Michelson, but the rules are the rules, so next time you’re playing in a competition at your club or anywhere else, make sure that you’re signing for the correct score, otherwise you could be disqualified too!!

Westwood Desperate For Automatic Ryder Cup Spot

Next months US Open is going to an important tournament for Lee Westwood as he aims to get an automatic place in the Ryder Cup team to face the USA in September.

The big Englishman from Worksop is currently 14th in the points list and know that a really good week at Pinehurst could see him guarantee a place in the side for the showdown at Gleneagles.

You would like to think that even if he didn’t make the side automatically, he would get a captain’s pick from Paul McGinley as Westwood’s experience and record in the Ryder Cup is one of the best ever.

Westwood will fancy his chances in the second major of the year after his seventh place finish at Augusta back in April, and since leaving his coach Sean Foley, he seems to have a better grasp on his swing and feels more comfortable with what he’s trying to do.

The US Open starts two weeks tomorrow and will be live on Sky Sports. Make sure you tune in. I think we could see another European winner! 

Is 2014 going to be Sergio Garcia’s Year?

Well it’s fair to say that Sergio Garcia has had an up and down career, and especially over the past 5 years has been the hardest of all for him.

He has gone from being one of the best players in the game to totally falling out of love with the game, but it looks like he’s right back to his best and seems to be enjoying life on and on the golf course more than ever.

Since finding love, Garcia seems to in a much better place and is much more comfortable with himself and with his golf as his recent performances would indicate .

Since bursting onto the scene when he was just 19 years old when he finished second to Tiger Woods in the PGA Championship at Medinah in 1999 after an enthralling contest, and if you remember he hit a remarkable shot from behind tree to get himself and the crowed really pumped up.

Take a look at the shot here:

He has also always been a prominent force in the Ryder Cup matches, even when his form had deserted him he managed to find a way to get the job done under the upmost pressure to help guide Europe to victory on many occasion.

Last season he looked to recapture some of the form that we had previously witnessed from the young spaniard and had a steady finish to the 2013 PGA Tour season with three top 20 finishes including a tie for ninth place in the Tour Championship.  He also ended last season with a win on an Asian Tour event.

This season also started well with a win in the Qatar Masters and a handful of top 25 finishes.

Garcia has always performed pretty well in the majors throughout his career, and let’s hope that one of the three left in this season will belong to a player that undoubtedly deserves one.

My Betting Tips For The Masters 2014

The long wait is nearly over as the first major of the year is just around the corner and it feels like an eternity since we saw Jason Dufner lift the PGA Championship at Oakhill back in August last year. 

The players have arrived at Augusta today and they will playing their practise rounds, either on their own or in groups. For some players this will be a new experience, especially the likes of European players such as Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson and Joost Luiten. The last debutant to win The Masters was Fuzzy Zoeller back in 1979, so it doesn’t happen that often. Just to make the cut would be a major achievement for these players, and I’m sure they will be seeking advice for fellow European players before teeing it up on Thursday.

So the big question is….Who is going to win?

It’s always hard to pick a winner at any tournament, but even harder in a major championship. Augusta is a well known course, and The Masters is the only major that is held at the same golf course each year so you can kind of get an idea looking back through previous results who does well, and who doesn’t. So if you are going to bet, this is a good one to bet on.

Here are my tips for this year:

Phil Mickleson 12/1

Dustin Johnson 25/1

Rickie Fowler 66/1

Jimmy Walker 55/1

Zach Johnson 33/1

For more betting odds visit Paddy Power.

Good luck if you are having a bet and enjoy watching the golf this week, this really is a spectacular event that never fails to be exciting!

 

Tiger Woods Set To Miss The Masters For First Time In Professional Career

It’s been a tough start to the season for Tiger Woods, and he’s problems aren’t getting any easier.

With a fairly strong finish to his last campaign, everyone thought this could be the year when we saw him challenge again in the majors and maybe edge closer to the target of 18 majors set by Jack Nicklaus, but it hasn’t panned out that way as yet.

The back problems started when he pulled out halfway through the last round at the Honda Classic and then it flared up again at Doral especially in his final round of 78.

Woods has never missed The Masters throughout his professional career and it’s the only major he has never missed out of the four, so I’m sure he will be working hard to get himself back to full fitness for this one, although he won’t want to make the problem worse which could effect the rest of the season for him.

The next seven days will be vital for his recovery. The majors are never the same without the presence of Woods, so let’s hope he makes a quick recovery and can entertain the crowds once again.

Arnie Says ‘Hasta La Vista’ To Tiger Woods

The PGA Tour heads to Bay Hill today for the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the last leg of the Florida swing.

Unfortunately there will be no Tiger Woods in the filed due to his persistent back problems to the disappointment of Arnold Palmer, but it will still be a strong field nonetheless.

This event is one of the most prestigious on tour and for many players it is the last one before they hit the first major of the year at Augusta on April 10.

This would normally be the case for Woods, but he now has a race against time to get himself ready for The Masters and if fit enough may have to try and squeeze an extra event into his schedule to get himself prepared.

Woods, despite being hampered with injury was still the favourite going into this week but the door is wide open now for the likes of Justin Rose and the seven other Englishmen teeing it up in sunny Florida.

Should be another exciting week of golf. Next week a slightly lesser quality of filed will be heading to Texas for the Valero Texas Open whilst most of the top players will be trying to hone their game for the big one!

Live coverage is on Sky Sports 4 at 7pm tonight.

Gallacher Recovers From Poor Start To Win Desert Classic

Stephen Gallacher started the day two shots clear of Rory McIlroy who was Gallacher’s main threat standing on the opening tee.

The Scot who had been solid all week but got his round off to the worst possible start with bogeys on the first two holes and then again on the sixth and the eighth to leave him trailing by two.

But the 39 year old who seems to like the back nine of The Emirates managed to card birdies at the 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th to pip a shot victory from Emiliano Grillo from Argentina.

Unfortunately McIlroy never really got going and was struggling to hole birdie putts and the extremely fast greens which were up to 13 on the stimpmeter and probably the fastest greens the players will on the European Tour this season.

This win for Gallacher gets him a spot in the top 40 in the world and makes him eligible for the Masters if he can keep himself there or there about’s.

He will also have one eye now on the Ryder Cup which would be his first appearance and he won’t have a better chance than he does now.

Next it’s on to the Joburg Open for the European Tour where Richard Sterne is eyeing a hat-trick of wins!

Been watching the golf over the weekend and it’s giving you the buzz back? Why not book a golf lesson and get your swing ready for the summer!

Garcia Wins Thrilling Finale in Qatar

The Qatar Masters ended in dramatic style with a three hole play-off between Sergio Garcia and Mikko Ilonen.

Garcia managed to get in the clubhouse at 16 under par after a late surge for the second year running to post a 65 which included a missed 8 foot putt on the last which had left the door just slightly a-jar.

He looked certain to claim victory until Ilonen managed to hole a 20 foot putt on the 18th to force extra holes. A very similar situation to 12 months ago when Garcia and George Coetzee lost in a play-off to England’s Chris Wood.

So off they went back down the 18th which they both birdied without any fuss, but the second time around Garcia found trouble in the right greenside bunker after Ilonen had found the green in two, but a wonderful bunker from Garcia left him with no more than a tap in to halve the hole in four.

As the light was fading and so was the temperature you felt this was going to be the last hole available to play, Ilonen found the right hand bunker in two shots but his slight over hit shot left him with a tricky 20 foot putt down the hill which he failed to convert leaving Garcia with a simple tap in for victory.

A great finish to what was a great event to watch and which never seems to disappoint.

Next we’re onto the Dubai Desert Classic where we will see a lot of the worlds top 20 competing including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Oosthuizen One Shot Back In Disrupted First Day In South Korea

The first day of the Ballentine’s Championship was disrupted due to poor visibility and rain early on which caused two hours of play to be lost in South Korea.

Louis Oosthuizen finds himself one shot off the lead which is currently held by five players who are on five under par, but the South African can still catch them as he has only played 16 holes of which he birdied the first four.

He wasn’t able to keep the good form going as the wind got up in the afternoon but will still fancy his chances at joining the leaders first thing tomorrow and confident he can lead the event after two rounds and hopefully going into Sunday.