Tag Archives: james irons golf

McIlroy & Bradley share lead at Golf’s Grand Slam Event

Posted on October 19, 2011 by | Comments Off on McIlroy & Bradley share lead at Golf’s Grand Slam Event

Rory McIlroy carded four birdies on the back nine in a four-under 67 to share the first day lead with Keegan Bradley on his quest to become the PGA Grand Slam Champion in Bermuda.

The 22-year-old US Open champion from Northern Ireland holed from 30 feet at the 12th in the two-day competition for the four winners of the year’s major Championships.

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel shot a 74 and Open-winner Darren Clarke slumped to a 77.

McIlroy reached the turn at two-under, despite missing a series of short putts from inside 10 feet at the extremely tough Port Royal  Golf Course in Southampton.

He birdied the fifth after almost driving the 380-yard par-four but three-putted the 11th before his round was revived by the long putt at 12.

Bradley was out of the blocks quickly,  firing majestic six-irons to within two feet at both the second and seventh for his eagles to reach six-under but bogeyed the 14th and 16th to drop back to four under.

Today should make for interesting viewing, hopefully Darren Clarke can play some better golf and challenge the young guns for the title.

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Winter Golf Lessons And Practice

Posted on October 18, 2011 by | Comments Off on Winter Golf Lessons And Practice

It’s that time of year again where the fair weather golfers put their golf clubs back in the garage and decide that’s it over for 2011, but the hardcore golfers know that this is the time when they need to practice golf the most.

The winter is the perfect time to really hone your golf skills, even though it’s not the nicest conditions to practice in, but by the time spring comes around again you will be streets ahead of all your friends and fellow golf club members and ready to lift the Club Championship Trophy!

So see winter as an opportunity to practice more and a great chance to improve, it’s also a great chance to have golf lessons! Click here to see my teaching hours, and happy practicing!

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Golf Has A New Rising Star

Posted on October 17, 2011 by | Comments Off on Golf Has A New Rising Star

Englishman Tom Lewis birdied five of the last seven holes to win his maiden title at the Portugal Masters, in only his third professional start in golf.

The 20-year-old, who shot to fame by leading The Open as an amateur in July, beat a field that included Padraig Harrington and Martin Kaymer.

Lewis, who entered the closing stretch only in seventh spot, shot a closing 65 to finish with a 21-under-par 267.

“If you said that I’d finish 21 under, I’d have said ‘no way’,” he said.

“I’m a long way behind Rory in the Order of Merit so I’ve got a long way to go. But I’m really pleased.

“To shoot 65 in the last round, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be able to do that.”

Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello was the nearest challenger, finishing two shots adrift.

Tiger Woods needed five tournaments to land his first professional title, while McIlroy did not taste success until his 38th European Tour event.

Lewis two-putted the long 12th and then had four more birdies in a row from the 14th. He kept his nerve to par the dangerous final hole and had to wait the best part of an hour before victory was confirmed.

Instead of facing a trip to the Tour school in December – he entered the week 234th on the Tour money list and 621st in the world – he is now exempt for two seasons because of his win.

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Golf Courses Suffering In America

Posted on October 14, 2011 by | Comments Off on Golf Courses Suffering In America

Phil Mickelson is the beneficiary of an over-populated golf course market in Arizona.

The golf star and his agent recently purchased Sanctuary golf Course in Scottsdale for a cool $2.2 million. Not a bad price considering five years ago that course was probably valued near $20 million.

Golf clubs all over Arizona, from Superstition Mountain in Gold Canyon to Seven Canyons in Sedona, have been hurt. But the economic fallout is especially noticeable in Scottsdale, the pinnacle of the Valley’s sprawling golf landscape of close to 200 courses.

There are far too many golf courses for the metropolitan Phoenix market, an InsightLand and Investments partner who has sold golf courses for 25 years. Mississippi has just over 200 golf courses in the entire state. In metropolitan Phoenixalone, there are 200 courses. Granted, there are more people in Phoenix than in the entire Magnolia state, but you wonder how they ever thought they would be able to support all 200 plus golf courses.

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Harrington With New Golf Coach Pete Cowen

Posted on October 13, 2011 by | Comments Off on Harrington With New Golf Coach Pete Cowen

British coach Pete Cowen believes he can help his latest pupil Padraig Harrington put his recent woes behind him and return to the top of the game.

Three-time major winner Harrington has plummeted down the world rankings to 78th, from a high of third in 2008.

He turned to Cowen in August, hoping the Englishman could help him improve his swing and once-potent short game.

“With time, he’s now capable of getting back to being the best short-game player in the world,” said Cowen.

In July, Harrington parted company with his coach of 13 years, Bob Torrance – father of former Ryder Cup captain Sam – after hitting a new low by missing the cut at the Open and Irish Open.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON SELECTED 2011 RESULTS

  • Masters: 75th (missed cut)
  • US Open: 45th
  • Scottish Open: 14th
  • The Open: 72nd (missed cut)
  • Irish Open: 107th (missed cut)
  • Bridgestone Invitational: 59th
  • US PGA Championship: 64th
  • Dunhill Links Championship: 8th

This followed an alarming slump in form since winning the last of his majors, the 2008 US PGA Championship, which resulted in the Dubliner seeking out the advice of Cowen, whose many pupils include world number two Lee Westwood.

Harrington has already shown signs of improvement with an eighth-place finish at the Dunhill Links Championship two weeks ago, which he will be hoping to follow up with a strong showing at this week’s Portugal Masters.

“Padraig came and asked me at the Bridgestone [tournament] if I would give an opinion on his swing and what I thought might improve it,” said Cowen.

“He thought he was spending far too much time on his long game, to the detriment of his short game. Padraig won two majors in 2008 with the best short game in the world. He felt as though he’d neglected that and when you looked at the stats it proved it. He’d become almost non-competitive.

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The Open golf championship to return to St. Andrews in 2015

Posted on October 12, 2011 by | Comments Off on The Open golf championship to return to St. Andrews in 2015

The Open Golf Championship is set to return to the home of golf after it was confirmed the tournament will be held at St Andrews in 2015.

The announcement means the Old Course will have hosted the competition a total of 29 times, which is the most any course has ever hosted the event.

Golf’s governing body, the R&A, said St Andrews had proven itself a worthy host for the championship, which was last held at the course in 2010.

The sport is big business in Scotland, worth £220m to the economy.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said: “St Andrews has proved time and again that it is perfectly equipped to host The Open and I am certain we will yet again see a worthy winner lift the claret jug.

“Players, spectators and officials alike will welcome a return to the game’s spiritual home and I fully expect that we will witness another thrilling championship.”

The open will take place between 16 and 19 July 2015

Euan Loudon, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming The Open championship back to the links.

“There is always a special sense of anticipation when The Open is played on the Old Course and it promises to be no different in 2015.

“Almost every great champion in the game has played here and there is no more fitting celebration of the rich heritage of the home of golf than hosting golf’s oldest major championship.”

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open by seven shots with a 16-under par total of 272.

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Woods’ Golf Lessons Are Starting To Pay Off

Posted on October 11, 2011 by | Comments Off on Woods’ Golf Lessons Are Starting To Pay Off

Tiger Woods barely missed chipping in for birdie on the 14th hole, came within a hair of rolling in his long eagle putt on 15, lipped out his birdie chip on 16, and left his long birdie putt a half a rotation short on 17.

Woods was mostly dialed in for the third round of the Frys.com Open at CordeValle, but after his ball refused to drop on his front nine — the course’s back nine on the scorecard — and he made a few terrible mistakes on his back nine, he signed for his second straight 68.

“The golf course could have been had today,” Woods said.

”My Golf lessons have been paying off”

At four under for the tournament, he’ll almost certainly be too far back for a shot at the trophy Sunday. Because 53 players had to return to complete their second round at 7:30 Saturday morning, pushing back the start of the third round, officials sent players off both tees in threesomes.

Woods played with Louis Oosthuizen for the third straight day, and they were joined by Matt Bettencourt. The three played behind the lead group of Paul Casey, Ernie Els and Bud Cauley once those three teed off at 3:25 p.m.

With birdies on the first and second holes, his 10th and 11th of the day, Woods pulled to within three of the lead, but it wouldn’t last. He made a mess of the two par-3s on the front nine, and when Els rolled in a four-foot, seven-inch eagle putt on the par-5 ninth — just ahead of the Woods threesome — Tiger was eight strokes behind.

Woods birdied the hole, reaching the green in two shots and two-putting, and was six behind the leader Els after the big South African bogeyed the 10th. Woods was far from perfect in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title in more than two years, but he looked better Saturday than he did Friday, just as he’d looked better Friday than he’d looked Thursday.

“Absolutely it’s gotten better,” he said. “I felt so good over the ball today.”

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Bryce Molder Wins First PGA Golf Event

Posted on October 10, 2011 by | Comments Off on Bryce Molder Wins First PGA Golf Event

Bryce Molder edged out Briny Baird in a play-off to earn his first PGA Tour Golf win at the Frys.com Open, after Englishman Paul Casey fell away on the final day. The Golf was exciting and nail biting until the very end.

Casey started the day in a tie for second, but a final-round 71, including three bogeys and a double bogey, saw him finish joint seventh on 11 under. Casey walked off the golf course looking very disgruntled.

Molder chased down overnight leader Baird to finish tied on 17 under, holing a great birdie putt on the his last regulation hole, then winning on the sixth extra hole.

Tiger Woods finished in a tie for 30th after his third successive round of 68.

It was an encouraging return to the tour after two months out for the former world number one.

Baird, too, will have mixed feelings on a day that saw him allow a two-shot overnight lead slip.

The American has now not won in more than 12 years and 348 starts on the PGA Tour – although he has made more money than any player without a victory, with just over $11.9m (£7.65m) in career earnings.

“I finished second before four times, and only one of those four times did I really honestly think I had a chance to win,” he said afterwards. “Today I felt like I was out there to win the tournament. For me, that’s a big deal.”

Molder added: “It’s a little surreal right now. That’s a lot of golf today.”

Bud Cauley made it an all-American top three as he finished on 15 under, a shot ahead of countryman Shane Bertsch and South African Ernie Els.

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Tiger Struggles Again

Posted on October 7, 2011 by | Comments Off on Tiger Struggles Again

Tiger Woods suffered a difficult return to action at the Frys.com Open, firing a double bogey at the 12th on his way to a two-over-par 73.

Woods, playing his first tournament in nearly two months, started the day with a birdie but managed only one more as he finished the day six shots back from the leader.

“That’s probably one of the worst putting rounds I’ve ever had,” said Woods, who could miss consecutive cuts for the first time as a professional.

“I can’t putt any worse than today.”

The former world number one has not played since failing to make the cut at the US PGA Championship in August, after suffering injuries to his left knee and left Achilles tendon.

TIGER WOODS IN 2011

  • US PGA missed cut
  • WGC Invitational T37th
  • Players Ch’ship withdrew
  • Masters T4th
  • Arnold Palmer T24th
  • WGC Cadillac T10th
  • WGC Match Play T33rd
  • Farmers Insurance T44th

However, his putting aside, he was relatively pleased with his play as he looks to halt a slump that has seen him drop out of the world’s top 50 for the first time in almost 15 years and without a win since the 2009 Australian Masters.

“The rest of the game was not too bad,” said Woods, who was partnered by new caddie Joe LaCava for the first time.

“I hit some bad shots, yes. But also, I hit some really good ones. I’m very pleased at the shots I was hitting most of the day.

“But I got nothing out of the round on the greens. And whatever momentum I could have gotten by hitting good shots – you know, I just missed putts.”

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New Golf Equipment From Titleist

Posted on October 6, 2011 by | Comments Off on New Golf Equipment From Titleist

Titleist 712 MB and 712 CB Irons

The original MB and CB golf irons from Titleist were part of the company’s 710 series, introduced in 2009. Since then, according to Titleist, those MB irons have been the most-played irons on the golf tour.The 712 Series MB and CB iron sets are updates of those earlier models, and like those earlier models are forged irons aimed at better golf players.A lot of lessons I do come to me with muscleback blades and they can’t hit them because they are not good enough yet, so make sure you get the right iron head for you and even more importantly the right shaft.  Having the right equipment is the most important thing.The biggest difference between the two sets of golf clubs is obvious from the name: The 712 MB irons are traditional muscleback blades; the 712 CB irons have a shallow cavityback. A satin finish is common to both sets to give it the perfect finish.Another difference between the two sets is in the soles. The 712 MB sole has more relief (compared to the 710 MB) in the heel and toe, lessening turf interaction; the 712 CB sole is a little bit wider than the MB. The MB sole, Titleist says, is good for golferswith a shallow angle of attack who take little or no divot; the CB sole is better for golfers who take deeper divots.Both sets have constant blade lengths, but the 712 CB topline is a bit bigger, and the minimal offset is progressive in the MB set but constant in the CB irons.

A Dynamic Gold steel shaft is stock in both sets, as is a Titleist Tour Velvet Rubber by Golf Pride grip. Numerous custom shalf and grip options are available.

The Titleist 712 MB and 712 CB irons reach retail outlets on Nov. 18, 2011.  titleist.com

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