Tag Archives: Junior Golf Coaching

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Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has withdrawn from this week’s PGA Tour Wells Fargo event at Quail Hollow.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

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.

Pettersson won’t leave home to chase Ryder Cup

Carl Pettersson who was runner-up at the Sony Open and Houston Open before he won at Hilton Head last week. Three high finishes would be more than enough to put him at No. 10 in the Ryder Cup standings, except for one small little teenie weenie problem.

He is not eligible for Ryder Cup points.

”You have to be a member of the European Tour, which I’m not,”Pettersson said Tuesday.

Pettersson has lived in the states since he was a teenager, and last year became a U.S. citizen. He resides in North Carolina with his wife and two children, who are about to turn 5 and 8. He feels it is a priority for him to be at home instead of traveling the world to meet the minimum 13 European Tour tournaments to be a Tour member.

”It’s too hard to play two tours at once,” Pettersson said. ”It’s hard to compete on one, let alone two. I’ve seen others try to do two. It’s very difficult. Luke Donald did it last year. I know it’s a Ryder Cup year. But if I’m playing well, maybe they’ll take me.”

Luke Donald became the first player to win the money list on both sides of the Atlantic last year. For most members of both tours, they have the advantage of eight tournaments that count toward both – four majors and four World Golf Championships. Until he won last week, Pettersson wasn’t eligible for any of them.

For now Pettersson can get himself ready for the majors. The Masters was the only major he played in 2011. His win at Hilton Head made him eligible for the PGA Championship and the Masters next year. He is ranked No. 35 in the world and must stay in the top 60 for the U.S. Open and top 50 for the British Open.

This years U.S. Open in San Francisco

This years U.S. Open Golf Championship will be held at the historic Olympic Club, in San Francisco. The  dates for the Championship are June 14-17, 2012.

The U.S. Open has been hosted at this venue four times before. They were in 1955, 1966, 1987 and 1998. This event presents golfers around the world with the chance to watch the world’s best professionals compete on this classic and prestigious stage, and to play some of America’s finest public golf courses including Pasatiempo Golf Club, CordeValle, Pebble Beach, and Spyglass Hill.

It really is a truly beautiful setting in this part of the world, and all the top players love playing down the west coast of America with most of it’s courses having spectacular ocean views.

All the players will be looking to hone there game in time for June the 14th and will all be looking to lift that huge trophy. McIlroy will be defending this time around. I don’t know what to expect from him after his lackluster Masters performance a couple of weeks back. I get the feeling it will be much of the same?

I’m sure all the talk will be on him and Tiger again, let’s just hope they don’t let us down this time and give us something to get excited about!

I will be  covering this tournament in more detail nearer the time.

Until then….. Happy golfing

James

Louis shows great bouncebackability

Second at  the Masters. Third in Houston, but Louis Oosthuizen finally clinched the victory his recent form richly deserved at the Maybank Malaysian Open.

The South African soon got over the fact of losing in a play-off and being pipped to a second Major Championship by Bubba Watson at Augusta National last Sunday and the tiredness of a 30-hour journey and clocking up over 10,000 miles over the last 3 weeks to win by three shots at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.

When you factor in travelling across 12 time zones, and with storm disruptions on Friday and Saturday which left the 2010 Open Champion with 26 holes to play on the final day. This was a remarkable performance as Oosthuizen carded a closing 68 for a 17 under par total, with all four of his rounds sub-70.

Louis has always been a favourite of mine, and he has such a simple, beautiful golf swing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he challenge for another major this year and didn’t even win one. The South African players seem to have a grit and determination and greater mental strength that other players don’t.

The loss at the Masters must have been hard to take but like McIlroy showed last term you have to bounce back straight away otherwise it can effect you for years and it becomes harder to learn how to win again.

Well done Louis!

Donald is ready to win a major, but will he?

Luke Donald back at world number one will be looking to build on his impressive record at the Masters Tournament when he makes his eighth appearance at Augusta National next week.

A year ago Donald finished four shots behind winner Charl Schwartzel in a share of fourth place to take his total of top ten finishes at the first Major of the season to three in seven appearances, with tied third back in 2005 on his debut being his best finish yet.

Donald ran up a double bogey in the final round on the par three 12th hole, where his tee shot found Rae’s Creek adjacent to the green, the early momentum he had gained may have propelled him to his first Major title.

As it was, Donald was unable to stop the fast-finishing Schwartzel from claiming his first Green Jacket in spectacular fashion, but Donald is determined to make amends this time around after going so close last year.

Donald is ready to win, he has the talent to win and he is knocking on the door week in week out, but will he open the door next week?

The Masters starts next Thursday, the main coverage is on Sky now, but I think the BBC are showing highlights or maybe even a little bit of live coverage.

If you get the bug after watching the Masters and want a golf lessons to learn how the pro’s do it, then click here to send me an email and I will be more than happy to help.

James

Woods ends win drought at Bay Hill and is now eyeing up the Masters

Tiger Woods can now turn his attentions to trying to win a fifth Masters title after claiming his first PGA Tour title for well over 2 years at Bay Hill.

The 14 time major winner is now warming up for the first major of the year with a five-shot victory over Graeme McDowell at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“I’m excited about the Masters,” said the 36-year-old, who has won 14 majors.

Woods made an incredible recovery after pulling out of his last event two weeks ago with an Achilles tendon strain that initially seemed likely to threaten his participation at Augusta. Nobody could have foreseen this happening, not even Tiger.

Chasing a seventh Bay Hill title, and 98th professional victory, Woods held a one-shot lead over Northern Ireland’s McDowell going into the final round in Florida and carded a final-day two-under 70 to wrap up the win.

“It’s always fun to play there and I’m looking forward to going to Augusta with the momentum I’ve built here.”

I made a prediction a couple of months back that Woods and McIlroy would be fighting it out at the final day of the masters, let’s hope for great viewing that’s going to be the case.

Rock and Manassero fight it out for Augusta spot

Matteo Manassero and Robert Rock go head-to-head Today with a place in the Masters Tournament up for grabs.

Robert Rock beat Tiger Woods two months ago and since winning in Abu Dhabi Rock has slipped from 55th to 57th in the world, but he has this one last chance to climb into the top 50 and earn a debut at Augusta National.

The 34 year old  Englishmen could make it by coming first or second in the Trophée Hassan II at the Royal Palace course in Agadir, although a runner-up finish might see him thwarted by others – Ernie Els included – competing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.

For the young Italian, currently 61st, only a victory will do and his second place at the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol last Sunday takes him into the event full of confidence and high hopes.

Rock was one off the lead at halfway last year at this very same course, but rather than grabbing his first victory dropped back to 19th finishing eight strokes behind fellow Englishman David Horsey.

Should be an exciting week of golf, make sure you’re watching!