Tag Archives: james irons golf

Mark Wilson claims his fifth PGA title

Posted on January 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on Mark Wilson claims his fifth PGA title

Mark Wilson claimed his fifth US PGA Tour title in the Humana Challenge on Sunday.

After a shaky start Wilson saw a three shot lead quickly wiped out in the final round on the Palmer Course at PGA West, a front nine of 37 gave a  host of players a glimmer of hope.

But the 37 year old kept calm and regained his composure to play the last eight holes in four under par for a closing 69 and 24 under par total of 264.

That gave Wilson a two shot victory over fellow Americans Johnson Wagner – who won in Hawaii last week – John Mallinger and Robert Garrigus

Wilson bogeyed the third and did not pick up his first birdie of the day until the par five 11th.

However, he then holed out of a bunker on the 12th for another birdie and sealed the win as darkness closed in with further birdies on the 16th and 18th.

“I was amazed at the peace I had with the start I had,” Wilson said. “I just hung in there and it’s great to win.”

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Grace takes four shot lead in South Africa

Posted on January 20, 2012 by | Comments Off on Grace takes four shot lead in South Africa

The lead is still four after the second round at the Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt in South Africa – but it’s now the local man Branden Grace out in front rather than Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts who in all honesty had a bit of a shocker.

Grace, who was the last man into The European Tour’s winners-only event thanks to his victory at the Joburg Open last Sunday, shot 66 to reach 12 under par.

It was only last month 23 year old Grace was at The European Tour Qualifying School in Spain, but he came through that six-day ordeal in joint tenth place and has been in great form since.

Colsaerts, had a 76 – 12 more than his course record first round – to drop to joint fifth place.

Hopefully Colsaerts can go low tomorrow and put himself back into contention going into Sunday. He is a great talent and from a personal point of view would love to see him do well this season.

 

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Ernie keen to get back to winning ways

Posted on January 18, 2012 by | Comments Off on Ernie keen to get back to winning ways

Ernie Els is for looking for his local knowledge to give him a helping hand to get him back to winning ways again in this week’s Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt.

The 23-time European Tour winner has gone more than 12 months now since his last victory, but insists he is more determined than ever to get back to his best form.

“My work ethic and my determination, especially this year, is more than ever because I had such a dismal season last year,” said Els.

The 42 year old is under no illusions as to which part of his game needs to be improved on in order to reenter the winner’s circle.

“I’m hitting the ball beautifully,” he added. “Really I’m very happy with my ball striking. I’m still working on the flat stick. Hopefully that behaves itself this week, and I think I can have a very good chance.

Keep an eye on my updates to see how Ernie gets on!

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A Fully Fit Singh Targets Desert Classic

Posted on January 17, 2012 by | Comments Off on A Fully Fit Singh Targets Desert Classic

Jeev Milkha Singh says he can sense a strong finish on the way , if not  even a victory, when he tees it up being fully fit again at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, starting at the Emirates Golf Club from February 9-12.

The 40 year old, who last won on the European Tour back  in June 2008, endured a series of career-threatening injuries to his wrist, shoulders, ankle and lower back, forcing him to cut down his playing schedule considerably.

“Injuries did a take toll on my body. I won’t be able to play that many tournaments in a season as I used to, but good thing is that I have achieved the level of fitness I need to compete on the Tour,” said Singh,  the first Indian golfer to play in all four Majors and break into the top 30 of the world rankings.

He will be looking to put the last 2 years of injury behind him and hopefully have a strong season ahead.

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Does better course design mean better golf?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by | Comments Off on Does better course design mean better golf?

Even Tour players look at golf courses the same way most people look at them. They like course layouts where they tend to play well, maybe even more than the average golfer does. For a lot of amateurs the venue doesn’t have quite the same effect on their ability to enjoy the day.

It’s hard for even a top tour pro to love a course he has trouble scoring on. Look at Lee Trevino. He always had problems playing at Augusta National, and he was one of the best players of all time. So, generally speaking, players look at courses through glasses of whatever tint matches their ability to perform.

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How To Win Under Pressure

Posted on January 12, 2012 by | Comments Off on How To Win Under Pressure

I just saw a really good interview with Darren Clarke on winning The Open. The main point that stood out for me was when he was asked by interviewer David Livingstone ‘what was the key to controlling your nerves under pressure?’

Darren answered ‘sticking to my routine, that’s something we all practice on and focus on, and it’s key to stick to your pre- shot routine when the pressure is on.’

So next time any of you are doing well in a tournament try and keep your routine consistent, it shouldn’t matter if you’re leading The Open or playing a round of golf with a friend, to hit a good shot you have to be focused whether you’re under pressure or not!

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Great Golf Courses | Number 7 | Turnberry

Posted on January 11, 2012 by | Comments Off on Great Golf Courses | Number 7 | Turnberry

Can you Imagine the rolling hills, sandy dunes, a stiff breeze blowing off the Ayrshire coast. Before designer courses, before manicured greens and major championships, these lands inspired local Scots to play the game of golf.

The first course was built in 1901 and Turnberry’s fairways have been shared by the game’s elite and casual enthusiasts from around the globe. Even the conversion of its links to runways during two world wars could not stop the desire to play here, a place made for golf.

Turnberry has hosted The Open four times now, the first in 1977 and the most recent in 2009 when we nearly saw the most amazing Open win in history when Tom Watson had to par the 18th to win but made a five and then lost to Stewart Cink in a play-off. This is the 18th below.

Past winners of The Open at Turnberry are  1977 – Tom Watson, 1986 – Greg Norman, 1994 – Nick Price and 2009 – Stewart Cink.

018 Ailsa

www.turnberry.co.uk

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European Tour Boost For Race To Dubai

Posted on January 10, 2012 by | Comments Off on European Tour Boost For Race To Dubai

In 2008, the European Tour were shouting from the hill tops about the news of a massive influx of cash from the Emirate that would bring a whole new dimension to their schedule.

This year, that most lavish of launches has been replaced by an email telling of a reduced bonus pot available for this year’s exciting Race to Dubai.

Unfortunately it’s a sign of the current economic times that the Tour’s top players will not be able to cash in this year to the extent they have done  in previous ones.

Three years ago, just as the “Race to Dubai” was being launched, the world’s economic crisis began.

An immediate re-Jig of the deal was required to keep the concept alive. Instead of $10m being split between the top 15 in the Order of Merit, the fund to finance the newly branded Race quickly became $7.5m. (Still not bad considering it’s only a game and world was in supposed economic melt down)

The purse for the new season-ending Dubai World Championship was similarly reduced.

Last month,  Luke Donald became the third world number one to win the Race, the Tour announced a three-year extension to the running of the championship, with its prize money rising to $8m .

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Louis Oosthuizen wins the Africa Open title for the second time

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | Comments Off on Louis Oosthuizen wins the Africa Open title for the second time

Louis Oosthuizen successfully defended his Africa Open title in East London yesterday by beating fellow countryman Tjaart van der Walt by two strokes in a field dominated by South African players.

Oosthuizen had shared the overnight lead with rival Van der Walt, with Retief Goosen closely chasing behind.

But the Open champion of 2010 made sure of victory when he holed out for  birdie on the 17th, as Van der Walt could only make bogey.

Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth was the top non-South African, finishing in fifth place, five shots off the eventual winner.

Read more here

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Winner Of Free Golf Lessons Competition

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | Comments Off on Winner Of Free Golf Lessons Competition

Thanks to everyone that took part in my free lesson give away over Christmas. The winner of the free golf lessons competition was Lisa at FAST SIGNS in Kingston, look forward to seeing you soon Lisa! You can follow Lisa’s company on twitter on @Fastsigns869

I will be doing more of these special offers throughout the year, so keep your eyes peeled! The next one will be in March.

To keep up to date with my special offers then please ‘Like’ me on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/jamesironsgolf and follow me on twitter @jamesironsgolf if you haven’t done already.

Take Care

James

 

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