Tag Archives: Masters

Great Golf Courses | Number 3 | Augusta National

Augusta has to be one of my favourite courses of all time, it hosts the second biggest Major of the year ‘The Masters’. Every year when it comes around you can feel the excitement growing around all golf fans as it’s the sign that spring is here and the golf season is a about to get underway again!

Augusta is the most picturesque golf course in the world with its amazing array of flowers and shrubs. Augusta is known best for it’s fast and sloping greens which can make the best players in the world look foolish at times, and it’s usually the person that handles the greens the best that goes on to win.

The course has had to be extended over the years to cope with the advances of technology as it was playing a little bit to easy at one stage, but its back to its toughest again now stretching over 7,400 yards.  The course has 10 par 4’s, 4 par 3’s and 4 par 5’s.

Past Winners include:  Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods,and  Phil Mickleson.

Nick Price and Greg Norman share the course record which stands at 63.

The mystery of how Bobby Jones and course designer Alister MacKenzie  first met — and how Jones arrived at picking MacKenzie to design Augusta National Golf Club — has never been fully explained.

The golfer and architect created their masterpiece in the early 1930s, and it is the center of attention each spring as the home of the Masters Tournament.

 

Tiger Out Of AT+T National

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he won’t be taking part in next week’s AT+T International tournament due to his lingering knee and Achilles injuries. This adds even more misery to Tiger’s season as he actually hosts this particular event, which benefits his foundation.

He announced yesterday that he still plans to attend, even if he can’t play, saying in a Twitter post that it was “Doctor’s orders. Feeling stronger every day, but not 100%.’’

Woods’s next scheduled start would be the British Open in July, but it’s unclear if his health will allow him to play.

He’s been limited to just nine competitive rounds since the Masters. The AT&T begins a week from today.

 

Time To Practise! | Golf Needs Tiger

Good morning – another great day in West London!

Great to see the sun shining and also to see so many people coming to play golf over the last few days. This often happens after major tournaments and the combination of this and the good weather means that the golf season has officially started – it’s time to get out there and practise!

Of course it’s also the Easter Holidays and we are running some great camps for the kids over at Dukes Meadows – please click on the link on my homepage for full details of these or contact me at james@jamesironsgolf.co.uk .

I’ve just read this great article on why golf needs Tiger Woods – give it a read and let me know what you think:

http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2011/4/12/golf-needs-tiger/

Have a great day 🙂

James

US Masters: Final Day Summary

South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel has become the third South African to win The Masters, having come from through from the rest of the pack on the final day with an exhilarating round of 66 – which included birdies on each of the last four holes.

As I predicted yesterday, it was a classic final day of one of the finest Masters tournaments ever staged, certainly the best in my living memory.

Australian duo Jason Day (68) and Adam Scott (67) we tied for second place, meaning another year has past without an Australian winner, although it looked with a few holes to go that Scott was going to be wearing the famous green jacket.

Tiger Woods showed that he is still up there with the very best, at one point very much in contention having carded a superb 67 – he tied for third at 10 under with Luke Donald (69) and another Australian, Geoff Ogilvy (67).

Rory McIlroy, who led for the opening three rounds, had a nightmare couple of holes, and collapsed on the back nine, eventually going round in 80 to finish four under for the tournament.

“It was such an exciting day, with all the roars,” said Schwartzel. “The atmosphere was just incredible.”

His victory means that for the first time since 1994, none of the four majors are held by an American. He joins countryman Louis Oosthuizen, who won the Open last July, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell (US Open) and Germany’s Martin Kaymer (US PGA).

Schwartzel’s win, in only his second Masters, sees him climb to 11th in the world rankings.

There are some great final day photos on the BBC Website.

Also be sure to check out the final leaderboard.

As for my tips, well my main tip Phil Mickelson finished way down the leaderboard, but one of my each way tips Luke Donald tied for third place at 25/1 which will do me for now! Another of my tips, Bo Van Pelt at 175/1 came extremely close too, finishing on eight under – he’s definitely one to watch in the future…

 

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!

 

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!

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

 

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)

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.

 

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.