Tag Archives: Golf Lessons West London

Irish Open To Hit Record Sales

Today the European Tour announced that it’s taking the unprecedented step of telling all fans who are planning to attend the Irish Open to buy their tickets in advance to avoid disappointment of missing out on the action at Royal Portrush Golf Club in June.

At the Northern Ireland Tourist Board headquarters in Belfast, the European Tour, as event organisers, also told about detailed Traffic and Transportation plans including adding a Translink coach, rail and Park & Ride services. These are designed to ensure that spectators have ease of access to the event, and to minimise the disruption to the neighbouring community on the roads surrounding Portrush.

Pre-tournament ticket sales for the event, being staged in Northern Ireland for the first time in nearly 60 years, have exceeded all expectations.

The first day of the tournament is on the 28th June,

McIlroy Says Missing Last Years Players Championship Was A Mistake

Rory McIlroy (who is at number one again) is keen to improve on  a poor record at the £5.8m Players Championship, which starts at Sawgrass in Florida tomorrow.

The Northern Irishman has yet to brake par and has  missed the cut on two previous visits on the 7,215-yard par-72 course.

McIlroy and Westwood chose to miss the event off their calender last year but both have returned to the so-called fifth major.

“It wasn’t one of my brightest moments,” McIlroy admitted. “I’m glad to be back, it’s a very big tournament and one that I’d love to win one day.”

McIlroy lost in a play-off at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina, as American Rickie Fowler won his first PGA Tour title. So he is keen to put that behind him and come out all gun’s blazing on Thursday. Another interesting week ahead!

BMW PGA Championship – Strong Line-Up Announced

The world’s number one and number two golfers Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy will compete against a strong field at the forthcoming BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The line-up at the Surrey course boasts a host of major champions, including Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal and South African Ernie Els.

Donald beat Lee Westwood in a play-off to win in 2011, a victory which saw him lead the rankings for the first time.

The tournament starts on Thursday 24th May 2012 and runs across the weekend.

Wells Fargo Latest Scores

Rory McIlroy has returned to action for the first time since The Masters at The Wells Fargo championship in North Carolina.

You can check out the latest leaderboard by clicking here… 

McDowell withdraws as McIlroy sets his sights on victory in Quail Hollow

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has withdrawn from this week’s PGA Tour Wells Fargo event at Quail Hollow.

The 2010 US Open champion said that he was feeling “under the weather” at last week’s Zurich Classic in America.

” I Very much wanted to play Quail Hollow but didn’t want to go there undercooked. Practice and rest for me this week,” McDowell said on Twitter.

McDowell’s fellow countryman Rory McIlroy will be in action at the Quail Hollow event where he won his first PGA Tour win in 2010.

Super Rory will defend his US Open title at the Olympic Club in six weeks’ time and is expecting the course in San Francisco to be a lot tougher than last year’s venue at Congressional.

McIlroy knocked four shots off the US Open championship record when he shot 16 under par last year.

“The thing that made the scoring low was the fact they got so much rain before,” said McIlroy.

The US Open will be held between the 11th – 17th June

Dufner beats Els to gain maiden victory

Jason Dufner finally won his first PGA Tour event after beating Ernie Els in a play-off for the Zurich Classic.

Dufner has been knocking on the door now for a while and this was the third play-off of his career. Most recently losing out to Keegan Bradley in The PGA Championship last year in an incredible finish.

Els and Dufner were locked together after 72 holes after the South African had made up three shots on the overnight leader with a solid round of 67.

But Dufner, looked nervy down the stretch in a closing 70 and went into the play-off as the underdog as Els seemed to be the man on form.

So off down the 18th they went both hitting good drives and both missing birdie putts  – first Dufner from eight feet and then Els from slightly closer in – and so they went back down the par-five for the third time in the day.

This time Dufner rolled his long putt up nearer the hole with Els just off the green in three after finding the bunker off the tee.

Els was unable to threaten the cup with his birdie putt leaving the American to tap in for his maiden victory after three runner-up finishes.

I think we’ll be seeing Dufner feature a lot more now he’s got his first victory under his belt. He is a massive talent with a cool head.

Dyson ready for Irish title defence

It’s been 15 years since somebody successfully defend the Irish Open, but Simon Dyson will try and do so and take the trophy at the €2million event which takes place at Royal Portrush Golf Club from June 28-July 1.

Dyson shot 2 rounds of 67 over the weekend at last year’s Irish Open which earned him his sixth European Tour title, and the Yorkshireman is now trying to follow in the footsteps of Colin Montgomerie, who won the title in 1996 and 1997.

With only dropping 3 shots at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club last year in a fantastic display which he labelled his “best of the year”, Dyson is hopeful those memories will act as the catalyst for a successful title defence  at Royal Portrush who are holding the Irish Open for the first time since 1947.

Scott favourite for first win in Korea

Adam Scott is looking to tread on new ground this week in Ballantine’s Championship just outside Seoul.

Scott has won four titles on Asian Soil out of his eight European Tour titles. He’s had victory’s in China, Singapore and Qatar (twice) but no victory in South Korea.

The Australian hopes to put that right at the Blackstone Golf Club this week and he’s the favourite to do so.

“It’s true that I’ve enjoyed playing in Asia over the years and I have had a certain amount of success which is great,”

Scott’s last tournament was The Masters where he finished eighth so he’s happy with his game ahead of his 0730 tee-off time.

He is playing alongside Alex Noren and local Bae Sang-moon.

R&A lift ban on mobile phones for the Open Championship this year

Spectators at this years Open Championship will be able to use mobile phones after the R&A lifts its six-year ban on the devices.

There are going to be designated area’s to allow phone calls in, although photography will be definitely be banned during the four days of the championship.

“Allowing their use at the championship will enrich the Open experience.” said Peter Dawson.

I think this will be welcomed by many golf fans as today’s way of living has changed a hell of a lot in the past 3 years regarding technology on your phone. It will enable fans to check the scores on their phone apps and just make the whole experience a better one. Only if the fans respect it though.

Mobile phones were banned for the 2007 Open at Carnoustie after complaints from players about the number in use at the previous Championship at Hoylake.

The Open last visited Lytham in 2001, seeing David Duval lift the Claret Jug.

The course has changed since then,  14/18 have undergone redevelopment, with nearly 200 yards added making the 7,086-yard course a par 70 for the Championship in July.

 

13 year old Guan Tian-lang misses cut at China Open

Guan Tian-lang has sadly missed the chance to become the youngest golfer in history to make the cut in a European Tour event at the China Open.

The amateur, who on Thursday became the Tour’s youngest player at 13 years, 173 days, missed the cut by 10 shots leaving him on 12 over par for the two rounds.

The halfway lead is shared by Gary Boyd and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet on 11 under after they both shot 67 today.

Boyd, birdied five of his last eight holes, and said: “I had to stay patient and was one over playing my ninth hole but managed to get on in two and two putt for birdie and really get my round going.

Branden Grace who eagled the par 4 seventh is on his own in third place, while Nicolas Colsaerts is solely in fourth.