Tag Archives: the masters

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.

 

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?

Remembering Seve Ballesteros Three Years On…

Today three years ago we mourned the passing of one of the greatest golfers to ever play the great game we call golf.

It only seems like yesterday we heard the sad news that Seve’s condition has worsened and that he had then died at the age of 54 of two  two malignant brain tumours. Seve was diagnosed with the tumours back in 2008 and underwent several operations, but sadly never fully recovered.

Seve will be remembered for many great things. He won 5 major championships including The Open and The Masters. He won 6 European Tour order of merits with an incredible 50 wins on the European Tour and 96 in total world wide.

His Ryder Cup record was pretty good too with a total of 22½ points in 37 matches played, and of course, how can we forget when he captained Europe to victory in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama when Colin Montgomerie saw off Scott Hoch at the last hole in virtually pitch darkness.

We called talk about him forever with so many different stories, but the one moment that will stick in my head was the celebration when he won The Open in 1984. Catch the memories below….

He was always be known for his incredible shot making, putting and wayward driving, and will always be talked about in the history of the game. I’m just glad that I grew up when I did, so I was at least able to see some of the genius at work, even if it was for only a handful of years….

Tiger Woods Already Turning Thoughts To Augusta

Tiger Woods is set to make his third appearance of the year tonight as he tees it up in the Honda Classic and try’s to get his golf game in the best possible shape for the US Masters which is fast approaching now.

There is a high quality field out on show this week including Masters champion Adam Scott who will also be using this event to see where his game is at after an extended break from the game.

Woods has only managed finishes of 41st and 80th in his last two outings at Dubai and Torrey Pines respectively and is said to be surprised at well he’s been hitting the ball on the range and in practice.

There has been a lot of heavy rain in Florida recently so the course is expected to be playing a little tougher than normal and the greens are at a very even pace which the players will have to adjust to after playing on fast greens recently. There is more rain forecast today but the rest of the week is looking good.

Michael Thompson won this event last year but has only had two top 10 finishes and the last of those came in June at the Memorial Tournament.

My picks of the week would have to be Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler. Don’t say I didn’t tell you!

If you are interested in finding out more about golf and maybe even taking golf lessons please feel free to get in touch.

Will Tiger Finally Get Out Of The Woods This Year?

If  like me you’ve still got the Christmas blues and are still thinking about that last turkey sandwich you had and wish you still had some left then don’t worry…..you’ve got a great year of golf ahead!

One of the questions that will be asked again this year will be ‘Can Tiger Woods win his 15th major?‘ It’s a question that has been hanging over Tiger for quite a while now and I’m sure one that he will want to answer very quickly with a big resounding YES!

Tiger is without doubt the best player of his generation and some would argue the best player of all time and there will be no better place for him to take the next step into beating Jack Nicklaus‘ record than at Augusta in the first major of the year in April.

Woods has the best short game around maybe apart from maybe Mickelson and that is exactly what you need to win at Augusta with it’s heavily contoured and fast greens. 

Last year Woods was in contention until that silly mistake at the 15th which not only cost him 2 shots but more than anything seemed to cost him mentally when he dropped his ball in the wrong spot on the fairway.

His game seems to be in the best shape it has been in years and he more than anyone will want to get this monkey off of his back and will feel that The Masters is his opportunity of claiming the first of maybe two or three majors this year!

Can McIlroy Salvage His Disastrous Season?

Well as I’m sure you know, we  have another big weekend of golf ahead. It’s the Bridgestone Invitational in America, at Firestone Country Club, a tournament that has been dominated by Tiger Woods over recent years.

It’s the last tournament before the final major of the year at Oak Hill, and it seems like only yesterday we were talking about the start of The Masters! 

Rory McIlroy who won the US PGA last year will be hoping for a good week at Firestone so he can feel in good spirits when he goes to defend his title next week.

McIlroy says he feels in a positive frame of mind this week, and  feels even better than he did last year when he also had a bit of a slump before the same event.

It really is a big couple of weeks for McIlroy, he will want to get a top 10 finish in either of the next two tournaments and then carry that on until the end of the year. Once you get out of the habit of finishing in the top 10 every week, it can be very hard to get back into that habit, and he will be concerned however much he might come across as not being.

Clarke Returns After Hamstring Tennis Injury

Former Open champion Darren Clarke returns to action this week after missing nearly six weeks with a hamstring injury caused by playing tennis.

The injury forced him to miss the first major of the year at Augusta, but the Northern Irishman is back to full fitness and will be playing golf in this week’s Indonesian Masters in Jakarta. 

It’s been tough for Clarke sitting around doing nothing for the past few weeks, and very frustrating watching his fellow professionals battling it out at the Masters on television, but after a full recovery he can’t wait to be out on the fairways once again.

Laird Wins By Two Over In-Form McIlroy

A superb win for Scotland’s Martin Laird late last night in the Texas Open has ensured that he will be travelling to Augusta this week to compete in the Masters which starts on Thursday.

Laird started the day five shots behind leader Billy Horschel, but was soon to catch up with four birdies early on on in his round.

It was Northern Irishman and No.2 in the world Rory McIlroy who ended up being Lairds nearest rival. McIlroy will be going into the Masters feeling a lot better after a good competitive week of golf and being in the last couple of groups once again.

Well Thursday is all set to be a great day in the golfing calender as we see the start of one of my favourite tournaments in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will McIlroy End Up Chasing Tiger’s Tail?

Rory McIlroy decided not to play at the Bay Hill Invitational this week for reasons he will only know. He didn’t play last year either as he wanted to prepare for the Masters and seems to do this before every major to get his golf game tuned.

I find it a little strange I have to admit,  if you were No.1 in the world wouldn’t you want to deny the guy in second place  the chance of overtaking you? Especially as that guy happens to be Tiger Woods who won’t give the spot up easily after losing it for a few years now.

Even Arnold Palmer was surprised that the Northern Irishman didn’t want to  play at Bay Hill in Florida this week and opted to play in next week’s Houston Open instead.

Well McIlroy could find himself behind Tiger in the World Rankings when he tees it up in Houston and in my opinion could be chasing Tiger’s tail for a very long time!

It’s a great week of golf ahead and an exciting time of year to be interested in golf. Let’s just hope it lives up to expectation!

 

My Major Betting Tips Coming Soon

Well it’s coming to that time of year again, the sun is trying its best to come out, the golf clubs may have made an appearance on the course and you’re all wondering what my betting tips are for the majors!

This is a very exciting time for golf fans, all we can think about is the first major of the year, and for me The Masters is one of the greatest golf competitions in the world. It really is a pleasure to watch the best players in the world playing on the most beautiful golf course in the world, and because the BBC have some of the coverage as well it really does attract new golfers to come and try out this wonderful game, purely because they are mesmerized by the beauty of Augusta.

Those of you that took advantage of my betting tips last year will know that I backed Webb Simpson to win the US Open and nearly got the winner of The Masters! So keep your eye open for my tips that will be posted this Friday!

Take a look at last years betting tips for the four majors here