Tag Archives: PGA

Westwood and McIlroy have years of rivalry ahead

Posted on March 1, 2012 by | Comments Off on Westwood and McIlroy have years of rivalry ahead

Lee Westwood is relishing the current rivalry with Rory McIlroy as he prepares to partner Tiger Woods at this weeks Honda Classic.

Westwood who lost to McIlroy in the thrilling and quite brilliant WGC Match Play semi-final on Sunday as they both chased Luke Donald’s world number one spot.

“If I’m going to have a rivalry, I would like it to be with Rory,” said world number three Westwood.

“He’s arguably the hottest player on the planet right now.”

McIlroy, lost to American Hunter Mahan in the Match Play final to remain at number two in the world, but with Donald not playing this week, McIlroy can lead the way as No.1 if he wins at Palm Beach Gardens on Sunday and if he gets there he’s going to be hard to budge.

Owing to the number of world ranking points on offer, Westwood will have to wait until next week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami for his next opportunity to regain the top spot he relinquished to Donald at the PGA Championship at Wentworth last May.

If you want to improve your game and enjoy some great battles on the golf course yourself this year then why not contact me and I can advise you on how to do that!

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Torrance eyes win in Turnberry

Posted on February 15, 2012 by | Comments Off on Torrance eyes win in Turnberry

Sam Torrance is targeting a ‘home’ victory when he returns to Turnberry. The Senior Open Championship is being held there for a record seventh time from July 26-29.

The 2002 Ryder Cup Captain was born in Largs, less than 60 miles up the Ayrshire coastline from Turnberry, and he says that the iconic Ailsa Course is one of his favourite golfing backdrops. And that’s quite a statement considering the courses he has played throughout his career.

Torrance nearly won The Senior Open Championship in 2009 when it was played at Sunningdale, the course he is a member of close to his Surrey home, finishing two shots behind winner Loren Roberts.

Torrance hopes returning to his native west coast of Scotland can inspire him again as he attempts to become the first Scot since Brian Barnes in 1995 and 1996 to win The Senior Open Championship.

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My Tips For The Four Majors This Year

Posted on February 8, 2012 by | Comments Off on My Tips For The Four Majors This Year

Well golfers, this year is flying already and it’s great to see so many of you braving the cold weather and getting down to the range to hone your skills for the coming season.

It’s not the same for the tour players of course, as they are out in the desert sunning themselves up and only having to play 54 holes to win a tournament and a shed load of money! lol. Not that I’m bitter.

The players will have it in the back of their mind that the first major of the year is fast approaching and will be preparing harder than ever to qualify for The Masters if they haven’t done so already.

I’m sure some of you will be having a bet on one, if not all four major’s? So if your struggling to pick someone who you think has a chance of winning then have a look at my picks and see the top 4 players I think can win in all four majors. Good luck and enjoy watching them!

The Masters –  Tiger Woods                                                                                                                                            Steve Stricker                                                                                                                                          Luke Donald                                                                                                                                            Rory McIlroy

The US Open –  Jason Day                                                                                                                                                 Webb Simpson                                                                                                                                       Steve Stricker                                                                                                                                          Sergio Garcia

The Open –   Sergio Gacria                                                                                                                                          M. Mannasero                                                                                                                                        Rory McIlroy                                                                                                                                          Lee Westwood

The US PGA – Sergio Garcia                                                                                                                                           Luke Donald                                                                                                                                             Bubba Watson                                                                                                                                         Ricky Fowler

 

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Qatar Masters Cut To 54 Holes

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Qatar Masters Cut To 54 Holes

Winds of up to 45mph meant that less than three hours’ play was possible on the second day of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters which has now been cut to just 54 holes.

They decided at 2pm to call off play for the day and announced soon afterwards by tournament director David Probyn that the sponsors did not want the event to carry into Monday.

Many of the players are also entered for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic next week which they hope will go ahead.

“The course is still on the verge of playable, but there’s no point sending the guys out for an hour or two on a marginal course,” Probyn said.

“The winds will be down a notch tomorrow and decreasing during the day, while the forecast for Sunday is for much calmer conditions.”

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Clarke Parts Company With Open-Winning Caddie

Posted on January 31, 2012 by | Comments Off on Clarke Parts Company With Open-Winning Caddie

Darren Clarke has sacked the caddie that helped him win his first major championship in The Open at Sandwich in July last year.

Clarke’s team said that the split with John Mulrooney was amicable and had come after he missed the cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday.

The Northern Irishman will be looking for a new caddie as he practices over the coming weeks ahead of his return to competitive golf at the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona on February 22.

Clarke hasn’t been at his best since his victory at Sandwich, his best result a 20th-place finish at the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in South Africa a couple of weeks back.

He slumped to rounds of 72 and 81 last week in Abu Dhabi

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McIlroy blunder costs him the lead

Posted on January 27, 2012 by | Comments Off on McIlroy blunder costs him the lead

Thorbjørn Olesen overtook round one leader Rory McIlroy as the Northern Irishman incurred a two stroke penalty at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Just off the green in two, McIlroy made the mistake of brushing away sand that was not on the putting surface and the penalty was imposed. ( You can brush away sand that is on the green but not off it. )

Joint overnight leader with Swede Robert Karlsson, the US Open Champion had come back from a bad start with three birdies when his rules error came on the ninth hole.

The World Number Three also had a double bogey on the third and did well to avoid another on the 11th, but six birdies kept him in the chase for the title going into the weekend.

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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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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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