Tag Archives: Ryder Cup

Colsaerts Looking To Impress Olazábal In KLM Open

Posted on September 5, 2012 by | Comments Off on Colsaerts Looking To Impress Olazábal In KLM Open

The big hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts is looking forward to the opportunity of competing in the KLM Open on Thursday as he starts his preparations for the Ryder Cup in Medinah.

Colsaerts who finished 19th two weeks ago at the Johnnie Walker Championship, was handed a wild card pick for his impressive form this season, which included a win in a top class field at the Volvo World Match Play Championship back in May.

This will be the Belgian’s first appearance since the announcement, and this weeks tournament will be held at the Hilversumsche Golf Club, which is his penultimate tournament before his first appearance at the  in Medinah.

Colsaerts is the only rookie on Europe’s team and he will be playing alongside Olazábal and Europe team-mate Martin Kaymer, hopefully he will impress Ollie and start the first day in the showpiece event!

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McIlroy Ready To Lead Ryder Cup Team

Posted on August 31, 2012 by | Comments Off on McIlroy Ready To Lead Ryder Cup Team

Young Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy admitted he has not set a target in his mind regarding the number of majors he wants to win during his career. I personally think it’s too early to start talking about this kind of stuff, he has only won two majors, maybe let’s start talking about this when he has won another two major’s in the next two years.

McIlroy already has the US Open and USPGA victories under his belt but says he will not base his career on chasing Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major victories.

McIlroy’s victory earlier this month in the USPGA moved him back to the top of the World No.1  but  he said the success did not feel anything special to him.

“Life since winning the second one hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “It felt much different than the first. It felt normal, felt like this is what I’m supposed to do, these are the tournaments that I’m supposed to win.”

McIlroy will be the youngest winner of Europe’s Ryder Cup team in the showdown with the USA  in just over 3 weeks, he says he thinks he is ready to be a leader on the team captained by Jose Maria Olazabal.

 

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Colsaerts One Step Closer To Dream

Posted on August 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on Colsaerts One Step Closer To Dream

The big hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts was over the moon with his start at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles – if things were to stay as they are he would be going to Chicago with the rest of the European Team but unfortunately he still has three more rounds to negotiate and a lot of hard work in front of him.

You have to admire the start he’s made though, I know these guys get paid a hell of lot and have a great life but it takes a lot of guts and nerve to produce a great round of golf knowing you have to come in the top two to qualify for the biggest event in golf.

He managed to shoot a three under par 69 to be one behind the brilliant Thorbjørn Olesen and said: “Exactly the day I wanted – something not very stressful.”

Even if Colsaerts doesn’t manage a top two finish he must have a good chance of a wild card if necessary, but he rightly wants qualifying for the team automatically as he feels it would do his confidence the world of good heading into the match in Chicago.

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Lawrie Ready For Ryder Cup Battle

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Comments Off on Lawrie Ready For Ryder Cup Battle

13 years ago Paul Lawrie was  given the chance to hit the first tee shot of The 1999 Ryder Cup in Brookline, and the memories of it still give him the shivers today, but after making his debut (not long after his British Open win) in golf’s greatest team event Lawrie can’t wait for a second bite at the cherry.

The Scot has held a strong position on the Ryder Cup Qualification Lists, but for months has refused to accept he was a certainty for the 12 strong team bound for Chicago, and he now can’t be caught even in this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and is finally prepared to talk openly about his return to the Ryder Cup.

There is still one place remaining out of the ten automatic qualifiers with Nicolas Colsaerts bidding to become the first Belgian golfer to play in The Ryder Cup, needing a finish of no worse than second. Good luck this week Nicolas, I would love to see him in the team.

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Germany V Belgium – Who Will Win Last Spot?

Posted on August 21, 2012 by | Comments Off on Germany V Belgium – Who Will Win Last Spot?

It’s coming to the business end of the Ryder Cup and Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts comes into this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles chasing that all important final automatic spot in the star studded European Team. Sergio Garcia’s win in the states yesterday earned the Spaniard a place in what I think is going to be a great Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club.

Garcia took the eighth spot in the qualification standings after claiming his first  win for four years on the US PGA Tour and in the process pushed Martin Kaymer to tenth place and unfortunately Ian Poulter out of the automatic places. But I’m confident that Poulter will get a pick from captain Olazabal.

But as Kaymer  is not playing this week in Scotland, Nicolas Colsaerts has a great opportunity to claim the final place for the European Team, I was lucky enough to play golf with Colsaerts a couple of years ago and let me tell you, that boy can hit a golf ball! The Ryder Cup takes place at the Illinois venue from September 28-30.

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Mickelson Scrapes In By The Skin Of His Teeth

Posted on August 15, 2012 by | Comments Off on Mickelson Scrapes In By The Skin Of His Teeth

Fans favourite Phil Mickelson managed to cling on to the last qualifying position on the American Ryder Cup team even though a closing 74 dropped him out of the top 30 in the US PGA Championship on Sunday.  But by qualifying he will become the side’s record cap holder with his ninth appearance in the Ryder Cup matches.

Even if he hadn’t made the team by automatic qualifying i’m sure captain Davis Love III would have picked him, he makes a great fourball player as he makes so many birdies, I get the feeling he won’t be playing in many foursome matches after his display of driving on the first two day’s at the US PGA but you never know!

Bo Van Pelt was  Mickelson’s closest challenger needing to finish second to ensure himself a Ryder Cup debut.  But with Bogey’s at the 14th and 15th failed to do so.

Not long to go now, who will Jose pick as his wildcards?

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Harrington Has To Be Part Of Ryder Cup Team

Posted on August 10, 2012 by | Comments Off on Harrington Has To Be Part Of Ryder Cup Team

European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal has said publicly that Republic Of Ireland star and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington will have to produce an amazing performance at Kiawah Island this week if he is to keep his Ryder Cup spot, unless he wins of course which will take him into the automatic qualifying positions.

The Irishman currently lies 19th in the European qualifying list.

“He will have to do extraordinarily well here,” Olazabal said.

Harrington, with two British Open titles to his name has slipped to 63 in the world and needed a wildcard pick to be a part of the  winning team at Celtic Manor back in 2010.

He would certainly be one of my picks, he’s gutsy, he’s been there and done it before under pressure and has won 3 major titles, and he’s in pretty good form. There isn’t anybody else in the waiting list with those credentials. Has to be a dead cert to picked if he doesn’t qualify Jose.

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Ryder Cup Points Could Produce A European Winner For PGA Championship

Posted on August 7, 2012 by | 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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Will America ever dominate golf again?

Posted on June 11, 2012 by | Comments Off on Will America ever dominate golf again?

Congratulations to Great Britain and Ireland ended a 16-year wait for Curtis Cup glory by beating the United States in Nairn yesterday.

The USA had taken a one-point lead  going into the final day at with the scores at 6.5-5.5.

But an heroic final day performance from the home players won the final day’s play by 5-3, with Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow winning the crucial point as she beat Amy Anderson.

It means Europe or Great Britain and Ireland hold all the major trophies they compete for against the USA.

The Curtis Cup joins the Ryder, Solheim and Walker Cups on this side of the Atlantic for the first time ever in the history of golf.

Who would have thought that? It wasn’t that long ago that the USA dominated the world of golf and now it has completely swung the other way.

Will the USA ever dominate golf again?

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Great Golf Courses | Number 8 | Walton Heath

Posted on May 16, 2012 by | Comments Off on Great Golf Courses | Number 8 | Walton Heath

Walton Heath Golf Club is a located just outside Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey, England.

The golf course was founded in 1903 and open in 1904 and comprises two 18-hole championship courses, the Old and the New.

First to be opened was The Old Course and as of 2009 is 7,462 yards in length and is well known for it’s heather which covers most areas of the rough.

The New Course was originally a 9-hole course back in 1907 but was later extended to an 18-hole course by the end of 1913. It is now a 7,026 yards in length and also boasts large amounts of heather to make it even tougher!

Both the Old and the New were designed by Herbert Fowler who was later to become a designer of a number of courses in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The courses have held many a competition including the US Open qualifying rounds. But is better known for hosting the 1981 Ryder Cup  and hosting five editions of the European Open between 1978 -1991.

It also hosted the Senior Open Championship last year.

 

 

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