Tag Archives: james irons

Is Clarke The Right Man To Captain Europe?

Well as you all know by now Darren Clarke has been appointed European Ryder Cup Captain for 2016 which seems to be a popular choice among fans and player alike, and no doubt his current sponsors will be very happy with the publicity.

Clarke has won the Ryder Cup 4 times as a player which will stand him good stead as he prepares for seemingly one of the biggest weeks of his life next year in America. He has been victorious under the captaincy of Seve, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer and lastly Ian Woosnam in which Darren Clarke bravely lead Europe to victory in Ireland after the death of his wife a week earlier.

Next September the event will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Course in Minnesota, and Clarke will be up against good friend and opponent Davis Love III who will be trying to heal the wounded tiger that is the US team, after many years of domination by Europe.

The last time Europe were defeated in America was under the captaincy of Nick Faldo who didn’t conduct himself amazingly well in Valhalla in 2008. I really we hope we see a professional approach from Clarke as he is known as a bit of a ‘boy’ on the tour and does like to party, but I guess we will only find this out as time goes on…

I’m sure it will definitely be as fiercely contested as ever and will be another great spectacle for this game we all love. It’s a long time to wait, but I remember thinking that when I was waiting for the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, and look where that time as gone!

How to book a golf lesson in London

If you like me are looking for a new hobbie to get your teeth into this year, then why not come to Dukes Meadows and try your hand at golf?

Dukes Meadows Golf really is a little gem only a few miles from Central London and very accessible by public transport. When you arrive here, you wouldn’t believe where you were as you walk from the car park onto the beautiful terracing that overlooks a beautiful lake full of ducks and Canadian geese, and beyond that, a beautiful challenging 9 hole golf course.

The golf course was built in 1996 and has matured into London’s finest and is even a test for professional golfers with it’s fast and slopey greens. It is also host to the Middlesex small course championship every year.

Although it’s a test of golf, it is also the perfect place to come start learning and even have a coach like me take you out there to give you some tips. It only takes about 90 minutes to play 9 holes which allows you time to relax and have a drink outside on the beautiful promenade afterwards.

If you want to find out more about having a golf lesson on a golf course in London then please contact me and view my lesson prices and we can arrange a time for you.

 

Montgomerie Tips McIlroy To Win All Four Majors Next Year

Ex European Ryder Cup Captain and eight time Order Of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie has stuck his neck out and said that he thinks Northern Irishmen Rory McIlroy can win all four major titles next season.

He only has to win The Masters and the US Open next year to emulate the achievements of Tiger Woods who has held all four majors at once, but Montgomerie believes he can win all four and gain an unprecedented six-major sweep for the first time in the history of the sport.

The only player to win all four majors in one season was Bobby Jones but this came back in the 1930’s before The Masters was introduced and two of the grand slam tournaments were for amateurs.

There’s no doubt that McIlroy is the best player in the world right now and will dominate the game for the next 5 years, but winning all of the majors in one season is one hell of a task and something that I believe way beyond McIlroy’s dreams.

There are just too many good other players now compared to many years ago, and although McIlroy is way better than most, it only takes one off day in a major championship for him to be overtaken by someone waiting in the wings.

I’m not saying it’s impossible but it is highly unlikely, and be a betting man like am I will not even be looking at the odds for this one.

 

Lyoness Open Agrees A New Five Year Deal With European Tour

The European Tour have agreed a new five year deal for The Lyoness Open to feature in the Race To Dubai until 2019 .

The tournament held in Austria will see it’s tenth consecutive staging next year but also held the event between 1990 and 1996 in the past and has had famous winners with the likes of Bernhard Langer and Paul McGinley.

The prize money has increased a bit since those days, and as part of the new agreement the 2015 tournament will see the prize money increase by 50% from €1,000,000 to €1,500,000. Diamond Country Club will be the host again next year as it has been since 2010.

This years event was won by Mikael Lundberg after holing a 40ft putt in a play-off against home favourite Bernd Wiesberger who was the winner of the event back in 2012.

This is a really excellent tournament and to have it as part of the Race To Dubai until 2019 is a great thing for the tour and for the players.

David Lynn Hopes To Rediscover Form At Portugal Masters

This week the European Tour returns to Oceanico Victoria Golf Club for the annual Portugal Masters.

12 months ago it was David Lynn who was on top of the world after winning this event, but unfortunately it was the last time he won, and he is hoping that he can rediscover his form as his highest victory since is 21st place at the Omega European Masters last month.

Lynn’s form has taken an alarming dip in 2014, and playing on both sides of the Atlantic has probably not helped him as he has struggled to find consistency in his swing.

Another player searching for some form this week is Francesco Molinari who has a good record at this event, and he will be looking to put the disappointment of missing out on his third Ryder Cup in a row with a win here this week.

 

Adam Scott and Caddie Steve Williams Part Company

It’s come to light that after a three year long working relationship Adam Scott and Steve Williams will no longer be working together.

Australian Adam Scott made an announcement this morning saying that Williams’ dedication and professionalism have been without question and that he highly valued his friendship, but their priorities at this stage in their careers were different.

Williams joined Scott after Tiger Woods fired him in 2011 and after winning 13 majors. He then helped Scott to win The Masters in 2013 which Williams calls his career highlight.

It appears that Williams wants to spend more time with his family in New Zealand and is looking for more of a part-time role with a player.

Is there something fishy going on? Could Williams be getting with Tiger?

I’m sure we’ll find out sooner or later?

Can McIlroy Win Again? Of Course He Can

It was another great day at the office for Rory McIlroy yesterday as he put himself right into contention after a fairly lackluster couple of days at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.

The Northern Irishman carded seven birdies, to shoot a flawless round of 64 and find himself only 2 shots back from leader Russell Henley.

Henley himself had a good day and shot a credible round of 65 to take a one shot lead going into today from Billy Horschel.

Chris Kirk and Jason Day also join McIlroy on 10 under par with Webb Simpson a further shot back on 9 under.

All is set for another tight finish, and if McIlroy can get off to a fast start like he has everyday so far, it will be hard to see any other winner then him going into the final few holes.

Enjoy!

McIlroy Claims Fourth Major In Near Darkness

It wasn’t all plain sailing this time around for Rory McIlroy as he saw his overnight lead vanish after the first few holes in the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

McIlroy found himself 2 over par on the front nine, and strong starts from Mickelson, Fowler and Henrik Stenson saw him 2 behind the leaders at the turn.

But as a true champion McIlroy was to show that he wasn’t out of the tournament yet and with a tremendous second shot to eight feet on the par 5 10th which he holed for eagle, he suddenly was right back in the tournament.

As the other players were running out of steam and holes up ahead, he would go on to birdie the 13th and the 17th and claim a one-shot victory in what was pretty much darkness at the 18th green apart from the lights of the clubhouse which lit up a small part of it.

It’s been quite a few weeks for McIlroy and he has become the third youngest player after Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus to win four majors, but by the way this young man is going, he will be looking to break all records set by these great players and who’s to say anything can stop him at the moment.

If you followed my bets from earlier last week then well done on your winnings, and don’t spend all of the money at once!

 

My Betting Tips For The PGA Championship At Valhalla

Well it’s been an interesting few days in the golfing world. We’ve seen Rory McIlroy win again and go back to world number one, we’ve seen Tiger Woods injure himself again (getting boring now) and we’ve seen Dustin Johnson supposedly get banned from golf for 6 months for testing positive to cocaine. Just a normal week on the PGA Tour really!

Right, back to the important stuff…betting.

I’ve had a pretty good few weeks on the betting front, so you would be a fool not to at least take a look at these bets, I normally go ‘each way’ on these as picking an outright winner isn’t easy.

So here they are…

Rickie Fowler  – 25/1

Brandt Snedeker – 66/1

Rory McIlroy – 6/1

Gary Woodland – 125/1

Get all the latest odds from Paddy Power

Good luck if you are having a bet, and enjoy the golf!

 

Me and McIlroy are Both Winners!

Well I’m sure if you are a golf fan, you would have watch some of the golf from yesterday’s final round at The Open Championship, which saw Rory McIlroy claim his third major win in what no doubt is going to be a long and successful career.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the young Northern Irishman though as the players chasing him were all playing well and making lots of birdies, which really did put the pressure on him and at one stage his lead was cut to just two shots.

Garcia was looking the most likely candidate to catch him who was 5 under par through 10 holes after a fine eagle putt on the 10th, but his race looked to have been run after he left his bunker shot in the bunker on the par three 15th. But with birdies on 16 and 18 he was still in with a shout, but only if McIlroy was to falter.

McIlroy was to hold things together even if he did finish a little shakily after hitting his second shot on 18 into the bunker, but he still managed to make par and win by two clear shots over Garcia and Fowler.

If you had read my betting tips on Tuesday then you would have seen that I had backed Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler. I had  an each way bet on both of them so made myself a nice tidy profit overall.

The final major of the year is only a couple of weeks away, and the PGA Championship is being held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.