Austrian Open Golf: Norret out in front as Coles slips up with late bogeys

THOMAS Norret will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Austrian Golf Open after Robert Coles bogeyed three of the last six holes to slip off the pace in Atzenbrugg.The Dane birdied the 15th and 17th holes of his third round at Diamond Country Club en route to a two-under-par 70, which moved him to nine under overall and gave him daylight at the top of the leaderboard from English trio Coles (72), Kenneth Ferrie (67), Simon Wakefield (70) and Holland's Joost Luiten (72).

Ferrie made a rocky start with bogeys on three and five but a run of six birdies in nine holes from the seventh catapulted him into contention.

Norret, who won his only Challenge Tour title nine years ago, told www.europeantour.com: "I just have to go out there tomorrow and try to repeat the feeling I had today, try to relax and enjoy it. It will be tougher to do that in the final round and I will definitely feel the pressure but that's why I have been doing all the work on the mental side of the game.

"I felt relaxed for most of the day. I was nervous at the beginning of the round but then hit a great approach into the first and made birdie and that really calmed me down and took the pressure off. I have been putting well this week and keeping it all together so it is nice to get some forward momentum on a weekend."

Norret made early headway with a birdie on the first - a hole he double-bogeyed Saturday - but dropped a shot at the eighth to be level par at the turn.

He was a shot adrift of Coles at that stage but three birdies on the back nine - spoiled only by a bogey at the par-five 13th - ensured he will head into today as the man to catch.

Coles, in contrast, had a disappointing start, bogeying the par-four opening hole where he picked up birdies in each of his first two rounds. But he recovered well, picking up shots on three, eight and ten before faltering late on.

The pair were two of the four overnight leaders along with Luiten and India's Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Bhullar had a day to forget, carding a six-over-par 78 to fall to joint 30th - eight shots behind Norret.

New Zealander Mark Brown (69) and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson (67) were three shots off the pace with Swedish pair Joakim Haeggman and Christian Nilsson a further stroke adrift after 70s.

View the original article here

Amateur golf: Ballochmyle are club champions

Ballochmyle, represented by Craig Hamilton, Graeme Rowan and William Fleming, claimed the Scottish Club Championship at Falkirk Tryst.
They posted a two-round total of 279 to claim the title by four shots from Blairgowrie trio Glenn Campbell, Stuart Graham and George Brass.

Edzell (William Bremner, Gary Tough and Barry Petrie) were third on 285, a shot ahead of Duddingston's David Miller, Gary Thomson and Derrick Williams.

View the original article here

John Huggan: Alistair Low fires R&A into new era

JUST over a month ago, the now new captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews played the Old Course with three friends. Walking off the 18th green, Alistair Low's caddie told him he knew where he'd be standing when the time came (at 8am last Thursday morning) for the former Scottish international and British Youths champion to perform the annual driving-in ceremony fr om the most famous first tee in all of golf: "About 240 yards out and maybe ten yards left of where you are aiming."

As tradition demands, a local caddie returned the ball struck by Low in exchange for a gold sovereign. The ball will be encased in silver and take its place in the R&A trophy room. All of which is but the starting point for the myriad activities that will largely occupy the next 12 months of Low's life: club and county dinners across the UK, trips to the Asian Amateur Championship, the Masters and the US Open and, happily for a graduate of the University of St. Andrews, more time spent in the "Auld Grey Toon" itself.

Still, if anyone deserves a ceremonial break from more pressing matters it is Low, an actuary by trade. In his time, the 69-year old Dundonian, now resident in Gullane, has served as chairman of the Scottish Golf Union, captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and chairman of both the R&A's Championship Committee and General Committee. That represents a lot of time spent arguing the golfing toss around tables in darkened rooms.

Before that, Low was a golfer of some repute. A semi-finalist in the 1960 Scottish Boys Championship, he three times reached the last four of the Scottish Amateurs and twice represented his country in the Home Internationals. "I played for Scotland in 1964 and 1965, before I fell by the wayside," he says with a smile. "I never made Walker Cup. I started work in 1964 and it became more and more difficult to devote enough time to my game.

"The changes in amateur golf have been amazing. The first time I played for Scotland was the first time anyone got a sweater. And I still have mine. We didn't get any golf balls though. I remember telling Bernard Gallacher to take a few balls with him when he was capped. So changed days indeed."

It was in 1980 that Low first experienced administration R&A style. He said: "My first duty was at the Open that year, which shows how much things have changed in that sphere of golf, too. I didn't have to take any rules examinations or anything like they have to do today. It was straight in and get on with it. Nowadays it is so much more professional. And I think rightly so.

View the original article here

Senior tour golf: Quiros pips Smyth in title shoot-out

SPANIARD Juan Quiros defeated Irishman Des Smyth on the second hole of a play-off in the Cannes Mougins Masters to capture his first European Senior Tour title in three seasons after a dramatic final day in the south of France. Quiros had started the day three shots behind overnight leader Mike Harwood but fired a bogey-free closing round of 69 to finish on ten-under-par 206 at Cannes Mougins.

Smyth had earlier set the clubhouse target after a birdie on the last hole saw him sign for a 67.

View the original article here

Golf: North Berwick's Matthew shines in Solheim Cup win

NORTH BERWICK'S Catriona Matthew thumped Paula Creamer 6 and 5 and helped Europe regain the Solheim Cup with a thrilling 15-13 victory over the USA at Killeen Castle in Ireland.It was a day packed with drama including rain delays and a shock pull out from injured American Cristie Kerr - and the result eventually hinged on the final three matches.

At that stage the score was tied at 12½-12½ and the last three matches fav

oured the USA - but then the board became swathed in European blue.

It was Azahara Munoz, Matthew's young foursomes partner and one of five European rookies, who had the honour of clinching the vital point in the final match with a one hole win over Angela Stanford.

In the second last match, Caroline Hedwall, yet another rookie, was two down with two to play against Ryann O'Toole, but won the last two holes for a vital half point.

Suzann Pettersen, the world No.?2 and European number one, had started the great fightback against the equally feisty Michelle Wie. One down with three to play, the Norwegian birdied the final three holes for a final green triumph. It was all stunning stuff.

Tied 8-all overnight, the oh so reliable Matthew was sent out in the first match. She knew what she had to do - beat Creamer, who is one of the Americans' biggest names, put blue on the board and start the momentum swing. The 42-year-old Scot rose to the pressure in magnificent fashion. She made a monster putt for a two at the second, won the third and fourth and was four up by the time she eagled the long seventh.

Creamer had never been beaten in three previous singles and had taken 3½ points from her fist four outings in this, her fourth Solheim Cup.

But Matthew also had a great singles record, with five out of six wins and she ended this Solheim unbeaten, racking up three points from four starts. It was another huge career moment for the player who had clinched Europe's last win at Barseback in Sweden in 2003. "When I saw the draw last night I knew I had it tough," admitted Matthew. "But I'd been told I'd been out first for a reason and I knew that meant I had to win.

"In the conditions I was really just trying to make pars and birdies were a bonus. I was well in front after seven and then the rain came. I'm delighted to win. It's so good for Europe to win again. It was important for the event."

View the original article here

Challenge Tour golf: Sam Little lands second victory in a row

SAM Little proved he truly is the man of the moment with victory in the Allianz Golf Open Grand Toulouse in south west France, his second victory in consecutive weeks.Seven days ago, the 36-year-old Londoner showed his credentials with a stunning win in the M2M Russian Challenge Cup in Moscow and he was on the title trail once again at Golf de Toulouse-Seilh, a closing 68 giving him a 16-under-par total of 268 and a one-shot victory over Ireland's Simon Thornton who carded a 69 for 269.

Having been 43rd in the rankings two weeks ago, the back-to-back triumphs have propelled Little to second place behind Tommy Fleetwood.

View the original article here

Solheim Cup: Superb late rally sees first Europe win since 2003

IT started with Catriona Matthew scoring a thumping 6 and 5 win over Paula Creamer, and it ended with a dramatic swing in fortunes as Europe scored the most dramatic of victories over the USA in the Solheim Cup here in Ireland yesterday.Following rain delays, lightning threats and the shock withdrawal of Cristie Kerr, Europe finally regained the Solheim Cup in thrilling fashion with the narrowest of 15-13 victories over the USA.

It was first European win since 2003, and it all c

ame down to the last three singles and a enthralling final half hour of play. The scoreboard was favouring the USA, but then the pendulum swung firmly towards the home side.

Suzann Pettersen, the world No 2 and European No 1, had started the great fightback against the equally feisty Michelle Wie. One down with three to play, the Norwegian birdied the final three holes for a final-green triumph.

In the penultimate singles, Caroline Hedwall, one of five European rookies, was two down with two to play against Ryann O'Toole, but won the last two holes for a vital half point.

At the same time, Azahara Munoz, Matthew's young foursomes partner and another of the rookies, was putting herself in an unbeatable position in the final match against Angela Stanford by winning the 17th to go one up, and a half at the last confirmed a 15th point for Europe. It was all stirring stuff.

With the scores tied at eight points each overnight, Matthew was sent out at the head of the order by Alison Nicholas and she did her captain proud with a brilliant display against Creamer, the darling of the American team and a player who had never tasted defeat in her previous three Solheim singles.

But the North Berwick 42-year-old made sure she departed Ireland with a bitter taste in her mouth. Out early when the sun was shining, the rout started when Matthew holed a 40-foot roller coaster of a putt for a 4 at the long second.

Another birdie followed from 15 feet, a par was good enough to take the fourth and then it got even better when she made an eagle from ten feet at the long seventh. By then, she was four up and it was almost too easy.

At the short eighth, 25-year-old Creamer, with her parents both walking inside the ropes, showed her frustration when Matthew failed to give her a shortish putt.

View the original article here

Tour Championship golf: 'Stronger' Stricker in Presidents Cup boost

A DAY after fearing his Presidents Cup might be over due to lingering neck and shoulder pain, Steve Stricker had a smile on his face after experiencing no discomfort during Saturday's third round of the Tour Championship.The American world No 5, who withdrew from last week's BMW Championship at Cog Hill after two rounds and then had a cortisone shot last Monday, swung freely on the way to a one-under-par 69.

"It felt really good today, and I don't know why," a bea

ming Stricker said after posting a three-under total of 207 at East Lake Golf Club. "I felt a lot stronger today.

"I don't know if the heat helped, or the (cortisone) shot maybe just had another day to help. And I warmed up a little bit different today, too.

"I gave myself a lot more time before I went out, and I think that helped some, too."

On Friday, Stricker had battled to a level-par 70 and, for the first time, he felt he might not be able to represent the United States against the Internationals in the Presidents Cup in November in Australia.

"It was kind of a little bit of a downer yesterday," the 44-year-old said. "I just didn't have a good feeling about yesterday, how I played, how I felt, what was going on there with my arm.

"It was starting to affect how I play. I was doing things that weren't typical of my game. I started worrying about it (the Presidents Cup) a little bit, but I've got a lot of time in between now and then.

"I've got seven weeks to rest it, rehab it, or whatever he (the specialist) tells me to do to get it better. We've got that time period to get it better."

Australian Aaron Baddeley, bidding to secure one of the two final spots on the International team in his home country, shared the lead with Hunter Mahan heading into the final round at East Lake.

View the original article here

Austrian Open golf: Kenneth Ferrie sails to play-off win over Wakefield

KENNETH Ferrie came through a play-off with fellow Englishman Simon Wakefield to win the Austrian Open in Atzenbrugg.
The 32-year-old from Newcastle held his nerve to lift a third European Tour title, adding to his wins at the Canarias Open de Espana in 2003 at the Smurfit European Open in 2005.

He sealed the win on the 18th hole, being afforded two putts to do s

o despite his initial drive going wide of the fairway while Wakefield's landed on it.

Staffordshire's Wakefield, last year's Qualifying School champion, overhit his second shot into rough at the back of the green, though, and, after Ferrie had recovered with a beautiful second to within seven feet of the pin, the rest was a formality.

It had so nearly been a three-way play-off, with Holland's Joost Luiten dropping a shot on the par-4 18th to fall out of contention on 11-under.

Both Ferrie, who lost to Andrew McArthur in a marathon play-off in the Paul Lawrie Invitational at Deeside earlier in the year, and Wakefield ended on 12-under, both of them carding five-under 67s. Wakefield birdied the last to deny Ferrie the win in regulation time after the latter had missed a putt to win it on the penultimate hole.

A disappointing round of 72 - par for the course - denied overnight leader Thomas Norret the right to fight for the title, and he will be left to reflect on a disastrous 7 on the par-5 13th.

Helensburgh's Gary Orr finished as leading Scot, closing with a 70 to tie for tenth on six-under alongside Tom Lewis.

The young Englishman closed with a 68 and now moves on to this week's Dunhill Links Championship, which features five other players in the recent winning Walker Cup side at Royal Aberdeen.

Alastair Forsyth signed off with a second successive 70 to finish in a share of 14th on five-under and is up to 131st on the money-list.

View the original article here

Golf Solheim Cup: Laura Davies leads from the front

ONE-sided contests are never much fun and American victories at the Solheim Cup have become a rather monotonous par for the course over recent years. In fact, Europe arrived for the 12th version at Killeen Castle in Ireland this week with just three wins, the last way back in 2003.

But, come tonight, hopes still remain that it could be Alison Nicholas's team, including Ms Dependable in Scotlan

d's Catriona Matthew, that will be dancing an Irish jig.

With the 12 singles points to be scrapped out today, Europe and the USA are tied at eight-all.

In the singles, Matthew will play in the top match against Paula Creamer, who has never lost a singles in her three Solheims to date.

"We always knew it was going to about the singles and everyone is upbeat and ready for tomorrow," said Nicholas. "Now they all have to be selfish and go out and win their own point and Catriona is a great player to send out first."

One point ahead overnight, the home side won yesterday's foursomes 2?-1? but the holders hit back to take the fourballs 3-1, though Laura Davies slipped another entry into the history books. Already the only player to compete in all dozen contests, the 47-year-old became the highest points scorer with a 4 and 3 win over Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang, her total of 24? points overtaking Annika Sorenstam. But the top match was the only European fourballs point. The most exciting contest featured Suzaann Pettersen and Caroline Hedwall, who won the 15th and 16th to level against Morgan Pressel and Christie Kerr. But Pressel hit back with an eight-foot birdie putt at the 17th and the US sneaked victory on the final green.

Playing with fellow Englishwoman Melissa Reid, it was a classic Davies. She reeled off four birdies in a row from the third and with Reid throwing in an eagle three at the long 12th it was a stroll in sunshine. "To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing not to have the most points when I've played in every match," said the ever-frank Davies. "So it's great to have made it. Now I can relax a bit more in the singles."

This is Matthew's sixth Solheim Cup, and she is unbeaten in her three outings this week. In the morning foursomes she teamed up with Spanish rookie Azahara Munoz, and they claimed a vital half against Kerr and Paula Creamer. Never more than a hole between them, Matthew and Munoz mounted the final tee needing to win the tricky par 4 to salvage something from a match that was played in great spirit. They did the needful thanks to a solid par that the Americans failed to match.

View the original article here

Cup success top priority for Luke Donald

Luke Donald is top of the world rankings, top of the European order of merit and top of the American money list.But the 33-year-old is not where he wants to be in the FedEx Cup and that is the immediate priority as he tees off today in the second of the play-off series, the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.

Dustin Johnson's victory in New Jersey last Saturday pushed Donald down from fourth to fifth in the points standings.

It means Johnson plays the first two rounds with Matt Kuchar and Nick Watney, his two closest challengers, and Donald is paired with two more Americans, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker. "I'm not so much concerned with the money list. I'm more concerned with winning the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup," said the Englishman last week. "Winning trophies rather than the title of being leading money winner is much more important to me."

Donald's ten top-ten finishes are more than anyone else on the PGA Tour this season, but he was only 18th last weekend. His last two victories were both in Europe - the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth and the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

View the original article here

Gareth Wright and Neil Fenwick stay upbeat

LOTHIANS stars Neil Fenwick and Gareth Wright refused to be downbeat after losing out to amateur ace David Law in the Northern Open title hunt.
The 20-year-old, who was controversially left out of next weekend's Walker Cup team, produced a brilliant last-day performance to win the Aberdeen Asset Management-sponsored event at Meldrum House.

He stormed into the lead with a third-round 62 t

hen closed with a 68 for an aggregate of 14-under-par to win by two strokes from Hayston pro Stephen Gray.

Fenwick closed with a pair of 68s to finish third on 270, one ahead of former Mortonhall man David Patrick.

"I'm taking a lot of positives from the way I've played this week," said Fenwick, who is playing full-time this season after finishing his PGA training at Dunbar.

Wright, who shared the lead at the halfway stage, had to settle for fifth spot after closing rounds of 69 and 70.

But, coming on the back of a top-40 finish in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, the West Linton pro was also upbeat.

"I've hit the ball well again and it was only probably down to a bit of tiredness that I let some shots slip out there," said Wright.

Along with both Fenwick and Patrick, he's heading for West Lothian next week for the Scottish Young Professionals' Championship.

View the original article here

Amateurs poised for title tussle with pros

FOR the second year running, the scene is set for an exciting last-day tussle between the Tartan Tour's leading professionals and Scotland's top amateurs in the £25,000 Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open, with players in both camps hoping a band of rain forecast overnight would pass through in time to allow a more satisfactory conclusion in today's closing 36 holes.As was the case at the same venue 11 months ago, when the last two rounds were completely washed out, the invited amateurs are making their presence felt at the halfway stage. Seven are within three shots of the lead, including Glenbervie's Graeme Ro bertson, who is locked at the top of the leaderboard with Gareth Wright, a professional attached to West Linton, on seven-under-par 133.

Dunbar's Danny Kay, beaten finalist in this year's Scottish Amateur Championship, and Scott Crichton from Aberdour are backing Robertson up on 134 - the same mark as professionals Neil Fenwick, Stephen Gray, Chris Kelly and David Patrick - with Walker Cup selection James Byrne also in contention on five-under alongside Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol.

Add David Law, the two-time Scottish champion from Hazlehead, and Peterhead's Philip McLean, both on 136, into the mix, and the amateurs will be fancying their chances of providing the winner.

Thirteen of the 15 amateurs who started the tournament made the cut and Wright, for one, is not surprised to see so many of them in contention, and not just because he played with Robertson, a Stirling University golf bursar, in the opening two rounds. "You really can't call them amateurs these days," said the 29-year-old, who played for Wales in the Eisenhower Trophy in 2004 alongside Rhys Davies and Nigel Edwards, the Great Britain & Ireland captain at next weekend's Walker Cup.

"They are probably better prepared than most of the pros, playing and practising more. The support they get as an amateur now is great. They are playing some of the best championship courses week in, week out, so it does not surprise me one bit to see them doing so well here."

Wright, who tied for 38th in last week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, could be the man to thwart the amateurs if he can maintain the form that earned him opening rounds of 65 and 68. "There were some tricky pin positions today," he said. "I short-sided myself a couple of times after getting a bit lazy. But it was another good day's work."

Though Robertson was often 30 yards behind his playing partner off the tee, he put the shot-shaping practice he's put in with Dean Robertson, the Stirling head coach, to good effect as he signed for a 67.

View the original article here

Liberton and Musselburgh set for final

LIBERTON face Musselburgh in tomorrow's final of the Edinburgh Junior Golf League at Prestonfield.
It's the third year running that Liberton, a rising force in the junior game, have been involved in the title showdown.

They made it again after beating Dalmahoy 4-3 in a close-fought semi-final at Ratho Park.

Callum Cochrane, Josh Rooney and Graham Ross won for Dalmahoy but Ross Munro, Scott Finlay, Fraser Christie and John Butler delivered the all-important points for Liberton.

Musselburgh beat Silverknowes in the other semi-final.

Dalmahoy and Silverknowes also meet at Prestonfield tomorrow to decide the third team to represent the Edinburgh League in the Scottish Finals being held this year at Cardrona.

View the original article here

Scottish courses to lose out as Open qualifying made more 'convenient'

A CLUTCH of Scottish golf clubs have been handed a major blow after the R&A announced its latest change to final qualifying for the Open Championship.As from 2014, a new system is to be introduced whereby final qualifying will take place at four venues around Britain, regardless of where the Open is being staged, instead of four courses close to the host venue for the world's oldest major.

Glas

gow Gailes, on the Ayrshire coast, has been chosen as the Scottish venue and it is likely to host final qualifying for a period of four years along with Hillside in Lancashire, Woburn in Bedfordshire and Royal Cinque Ports in Kent.

"This alteration to the qualifying make-up offers a more geographically convenient way for competitors seeking to achieve a starting place in the Open Championship," said Rhodri Price, the R&A's assistant director of championships. "The R&A have maintained a very close relationship with all venues associated with the qualifying stages and this is a natural step towards continuing to offer competitors wishing to enter within Great Britain & Ireland a route into The Open Championship."

At the same time, however, it is sad news for the courses around Scotland that have been involved in the final qualifying process over the past 30 or so years and have played host to some top players as they battled to earn a crack at the Claret Jug.

In 1999, for instance, Paul Lawrie and Jean Van de Velde both qualified at Downfield before finding themselves involved in a play-off along with Justin Leonard less than a week later to become Open champion.

Australian Steve Elkington also came through a final qualifier at Dunbar when he made a play-off won by Ernie Els at Muirfield in 2002, while Lloyd Saltman won the Silver Medal at St Andrews three years later after he'd progressed at Scotscraig.

In 2006, the R&A moved final qualifying from the Sunday and Monday of Open week to the previous week, a change that was partly caused by the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond switching to a Sunday finish. It was then reduced to a 36-hole test over one day and, this year, final qualifying was held at four courses in south-east England a fortnight before The Open at Royal St George's.

Price revealed a decision by two Scottish amateurs, Michael Stewart and Ross Kellett, to forego their spots in Kent had played a part in the latest change.

"When final qualifying used to be held on the Sunday and Monday, it felt part of The Open as it followed nicely because players who qualified stayed on in the area," added Price. "For various reasons, including the Scottish Open starting up at Loch Lomond the week before The Open and not finishing until the Sunday, it became difficult to stage the final qualifying at the same time and it was moved to where we are now.

View the original article here

Nick Dougherty recovers his form in style

England's Nick Dougherty finally had something to smile about this season when he began the Ryder Cup race yesterday with an eight-under-par 63 at Crans-sur-Sierre.In a nightmare slump to 791st in the world, the 29-year-old has not made a single halfway cut since the Hong Kong Open last November.

But, after a horror run of 21 early exits in a row, Dougherty leads the Omega European Masters by two in Switzerland and does so against a field that includes Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer - three of the game's top six.

"It's quite a bounce-back," said Dougherty when interviewed afterwards by his wife Diana, golf presenter of Sky Sports.

"It feels great, obviously. I've not had a lot to be happy about and you've had to take the brunt of it and put up with me. It was difficult to find positives because there was nothing going my way, but today was super."

Kaymer and McIlroy shot 65s to share second place with England's Gary Boyd and Korean Lee Sung, while Open champion Darren Clarke was among those alongside Westwood four behind. Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal struggled to a 75, one better than his predecessor Colin Montgomerie.

View the original article here

Rory McIlroy shares lead in Swiss Alps despite disaster of double-bogey

WORLD No.6 Rory McIlroy surged into a share of the lead as the cream rose to the top in the European Masters second round in the Swiss Alps yesterday.
US Open champion McIlroy carded an eventful two-under-par 69 to join fellow Britons Simon Dyson (68), Gary Boyd (69) and Jamie Donaldson (66) on eight-under 134.

Last year's U.S. PGA champion Martin Kaymer (70) was in a group of five players one stroke off the pace. Also on 135 was overnight leader Nick Dougherty, the Englishman having returned a 72 to make his first cut of a woeful year.

World No.?2 Lee Westwood was a further shot adrift on 136 after a 69. Most of the field suffered on ragged Crans-sur-Sierre greens and McIlroy was no exception, though it was the fifth and ninth holes that influenced his round most. On the fifth the Northern Irishman slammed a stunning drive to just three feet and sank his putt for an eagle two. Then he undid his good work by three-putting from six feet on the ninth for a double-bogey seven.

View the original article here

Golf: Turnhouse land double

TURNHOUSE have pulled off a second Edinburgh Inter- Club double this year after their men's golf team matched the seniors' feat.They beat Dalmahoy 7 and 6 in the final at Craigmillar Park, where Steven Armstrong and Graham Robertson, survivors from last year's winning team at Prestonfield, were joined by Olly McCrone and Scott Young.

Armstrong and McCrone were always in control up against Dougie Hunter and Robert Carson in the top match, while Robertson and Young recovered from a slow start to eventually gain the upper-hand against David Marshall and Kevin Messer.

Ironically, both Marshall and Messer were Turnhouse members last year before returning to Dalmahoy. In fact, Marshall was in the title-winning team at Prestonfield.

In the semi-finals, Turnhouse thumped Bruntsfield Links 11 and 10 while Dalmahoy won 8 and 7 in their "derby" clash with Ratho Park.

View the original article here

Golf: Dunbar duo put pressure on Wright

WEST LINTON'S Gareth Wright had a Dunbar duo breathing down his neck heading into today's final 36 holes of the £25,000 Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open at Meldrum House.Wright, the joint first-day leader after a 65, held on to his place at the top of the leaderboard after a second-round 68.

But, as West Lothian's Alan Reid, the other pacesetter at the end of the opening day, slipped to a 71, he was joined at the

head of affairs by amateur Graham Robertson, who signed for a 67 to join his playing partner on seven-under.

Six players were just a shot back, including Dunbar's Danny Kay and Neil Fenwick.

Amateur ace Kay signed for a five-under 65 - the best score of the day along with Hayston's Stephen Gray.

And Fenwick also stayed in contention thanks to a second successive 67.

Kay bagged five birdies in a flawless second round, getting up and down to save par at the 16th after his only poor shot of the day found the water.

Former Mortonhall man David Patrick matched Fenwick's feat of two 67s to also be stalking the leaders.

Mark Kerr, one of the pace after his opening 66, slipped back after a 72.

But he was still in the title hunt while Scott Dixon, Lee Harper, Ally MacKenzie, James McGhee and Scott Grieve were also amongst a posse of Lothians players to make the cut.

View the original article here

Golf: Rory McIlroy one of four joint-leaders at European Masters

RORY McIlroy shares the lead at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, the first qualifying event for next year's Ryder Cup.
A two-under-par 69 was, somewhat surprisingly, good enough to put the US Open champion out in front on eight under alongside England's Simon Dyson and Gary Boyd and Welshman Jamie Donaldson. It came after overnight leader Nick Dougherty, who had miss ed his previous 21 cuts, added a 72 to his opening 63.

That dropped the 29-year-old Liverpudlian to joint fifth, but only a stroke behind as he tries to re-ignite his career and save himself from a return to the qualifying school at the end of the season. Struggling on bumpy greens, McIlroy said: "I gave myself a lot of chances and wasn't able to convert them, which was pretty frustrating. The greens were not as good as we got them yesterday morning and I got a bit tentative."

The Northern Irishman, 22, back in action three weeks after injuring his arm against a tree root at the USPGA Championship, made an eagle two on the driveable seventh, but gave the strokes back with a seven at the long ninth, driving into trouble and then three-putting from only four feet. His only deviation from par on the back nine was a birdie at the 516-yard 15th, and even there he missed a 14-foot eagle opportunity.

Dyson, trying to follow up his Irish Open success a month ago, shot 68. Boyd (69) and Donaldson (66) are chasing their first European Tour titles, but while 24-year-old Boyd is in just his second full season on the circuit, Donaldson, 35, has played approaching 250 events going back a decade. Dougherty admitted: "I had two things in my head - the tournament and getting the monkey of not making a cut off my back."

Former world No 1s Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood are only one and two shots back respectively.

Westwood had a 69, and Kaymer got round in 70, while current Open champion Darren Clarke fell back to four under with a 71.

View the original article here

David Law makes mockery of Walker Cup snub

DAVID Law may not have been considered good enough to earn one of ten spots in the Great Britain and Ireland team for next week's Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen but, with a perfect sense of timing, he left a field of seasoned professionals trailing in his wake to become the first amateur to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open in more than 40 years.Emulating his Hazlehead clubmate Sandy Pirie's feat at Cruden Bay in 1970, the 20-year-old Aberdonian spreadeagled the field with a stunning eight-under-par 62 - the best-ever score shot at this excellent venue but not a course record due to preferre d lies being in operation - to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of a fascinating event in the north-east.

And, though he was overtaken briefly by Hayston's Stephen Gray over that closing circuit, Law closed with a 68 for a 14-under-par total of 266, winning by two shots from Gray, who closed with two 67s, with Dunbar's Neil Fenwick two shots further back in third after he signed off with a brace of 68s.

The consolation for 37-year-old Gray was that he picked up the top prize of £4,000 and, in doing so, has moved to the top of both the Tartan Tour order of merit and money list heading into this weekend's 36-hole pro-am at Dumfries and Galloway.

But the day undoubtedly belonged to the likeable Law, though he refused to gloat about his undoubted good form as the GB&I team he was controversially left out of a fortnight ago were in St Andrews today to prepare for the biennial clash with the Americans.

"The timing of this is more important to other people than it is to me," said the Paul Lawrie protege, who had revealed earlier in the week that he'd been given the perfect escape from Aberdeen next week after receiving an invitation to play in the KLM Open at Hilversum.

Eyebrows had already been raised after Law was overlooked by captain Nigel Edwards and the other GB&I selectors following his impressive performance in winning the Scottish Amateur Championship for a second time in three years at the end of July by picking up four points out of six in the Home Internationals at Rosses Point in Ireland last month.

That decision now looks even more bizarre on the back of a last-day display here that was oozing with class from start to finish. Three off the lead at the start, he bagged eight birdies in a flawless morning round, an effort made all the more impressive given that a few of the tees had been moved back from earlier in the week.

An "edgy" start to the final round saw him three-putt the second from 12 feet and, after a birdie at the fifth, he dropped another shot at the seventh.

View the original article here

It's all about the course

As I tap this out, the first groups are off in the Open Championship and, predictably, the wind is blowing and there are a few drops of rain falling. It's expected to be a steady diet of 30 kph gusts all day.

This Open will be all about the elements. If the wind blows as is has for the past few days of practice rounds, then you can throw all the names up in the air and guess at the winner.

Royal St. George's is a course that can reward good play but it can also hand out healthy doses of good and bad breaks. Nothing wrong with that; it's links golf.

But it does tend to frustrate the players and that makes this low on their list of favourite Open courses. When asked once where he would rank this in the list of eight courses on the rota, Steve Elkington once famously answered: "10th."

This year, the R&A has tried to take steps to make the course more palatable. It has wisely taken out a lot of heavy rough just off the fairway that was there in 2003. That's allowed the players to get a bit more creative on second shots. Or perhaps it's better to say forced them to be more creative. Whatever the thinking, it's drawn lots of praise from the players.

But even the R&A won't be able maintain Mother Nature. If the winds come in off the English coast as expected, anything can happen. While watching Phil Mickelson play a practice round this week, I saw him come up short hitting a driver full-out on a par 3, the 243-yard 11th. And not just a little short, but a good 15 yards. On the next hole, Jeff Overton couldn't even get the ball to the fairway off the tee. That's the kind of stuff you see here which makes it fun for the fans and not so much fun for the players. Of course the No. 1 goal for any player is to stay out of those fairway bunkers which are so, so penal.

On the putting surfaces, it won't get any easier. The greens at Royal St. George's have more humps and rolls on them than any of the other Open sites and with the strong winds, it becomes a challenge to stay still and keep the putts on line. Martin Kaymer told me yesterday that when the wind is up, a four-footer can be blown off line six to eight inches.

That's why I think it's going to be tough to pick a winner here. You'll need good play and good breaks and, more than anything, patience. You might end up with a golfer who has a great short game to master recovery shots (Luke Donald) or one with lots of Open and links experience (Lee Westwood) or it might be any one of about 120 other players who get a break and couple it with some strong shot-making. Yes, even John Daly. Remember last time around here it was Ben Curtis who shocked the world with his win.

So good luck to all; the fun is already underway.

View the original article here

Heading for the mountains

This morning I'm off to Whistler to shoot for some future episodes of SCOREGolf TV. The four courses in Whistler are among my favourites in the country, and certainly represent a great collection of layouts in one area. Hard to beat this spot if you're looking for a vacation that combines golf with the great outdoors.

According to the info I got last night, I'm not only going to be going to the golf courses but also ziplining, target shooting, mountain biking and seeing the mammoth Peak to Peak gondola, showcasing everything this Olympic town has to offer.

Whistler, as with most of the country, has been hammered by bad weather over the spring so no one was too sad to see things change over to summer yesterday. Golf courses rely on good weather for success - duh - and when Mother Nature doesn't play along, it can be exceptionally tough. We've already seen courses tip over into receivership. Although not all of it was related to weather, it sure didn't help.

Of course golf isn't alone; any business that runs outdoors is in the same boat. I talked to a home builder the other day who told me his company was way behind because the spring has been too wet to pour foundations.

But many of these courses and areas are resilient and are fighting back, getting smarter with their operations.

The one good thing - if you're a golfer, not a course owner - in all of this is that there are tremendous deals out there if you're looking to get away for a little golf sojourn. It's a buyer's market, for sure, as operators fight to fill in as many tee times as they can.

View the original article here

The Open: first impressions

Royal St. George's was basking under a summer sun on Monday, with temperatures in the low 20s. It was also quite calm, a great day to play golf and many of the players in the field here took advantage of that with a stroll around the course.

When I first came here in 2003, I thought the place was one of the more difficult-looking links courses and I don't feel any differently this time. It's got more humps and bumps in the fairways than just about any course in the rota and you really see some hard-luck bounces here.

While walking around yesterday, I watched Charley Hoffman hit a tee shot down the middle of the seventh fairway only to watch it land on a knoll, veer left and then skirt around the top of a fairway bunker before ending up in some deep fescue. The ball probably ended up 30 yards left of where it landed. That's links golf. That's Royal St. George's.

The last winner here, Ben Curtis, was in the press room on Monday, talking about that victory, that was unexpected, even by him.

"But as far as expectations, really the only goal I had was to play four days and to see what it was like to play -- it was my first major, just to see what it was like and just to enjoy it. I never thought coming in here -- I said, this is the last time I might play in it. I didn't know it was one of 30 more to come."

One of the big differences between this year's Open and 2003 for Curtis is where he's staying. He described his accommodations last time as a tiny flat, but not this time.

"We went from the outhouse to the mansion."

Curtis is a guy you can like quickly. He's fairly quiet and composed, almost shy, but he has always had lots of game. It's just been inconsistent over the years and he admitted that right now, he's not playing well.

Of course most of the attention this week is on Rory McIlroy, the winner of the U.S. Open and Northern Ireland's favourite son at the moment. A headline in the local paper said ticket sales and accommodation requests are sky-high thanks to his presence.

In the Guardian today, Lawrence Donegen talks to his agent, Chubby Chandler, who says that it's possible McIlroy could become Britain's most successful sportsman. And the route to shoe riches might be a little different than you expect.

"One of my ambitions is to put a Chinese logo on Rory's hat because golf is going to be unbelievable big in China once it starts being an Olympic sport."

But he also said that managing all the demands will be a tall but necessary task.

"He is 22, the lad, and we have got to make sure he isn't a basket case by the time he is 25."

You can read the entire article here.

Rory will be in the press room today so we'll finally have a chance to speak with the man himself.

View the original article here

Why the tizzy over Izzy?

At 2:20 this afternoon, MDT, Izzy Beisiegel will hit the links at the ATB Financial Classic at the Bearspaw Country Club and cause a little excitement. She'll play along with Winnipeg's Matt Johnston and Carlos Sainz Jr. of the U.S.

If you've ever met Beisiegel, you know she makes Tony Robbins seem as if he's depressed. In her world, the fairways are made of chocolate and golf balls are candy drops. None of them with any fat or cholesterol. She is just about the most positive person you'll ever run into. She has an unfailing devotion to God and lives every moment of her life as a Christian. And she's always smiling.

So I'm guessing that none of the questions being asked or the eyebrows being raised about her play on the Canadian Tour bother her in the slightest. And good for her. They shouldn't.

Since she made it through the qualifying school a few weeks back. I've heard from a few folks, including a couple of ex-tour players who wonder what she's trying to prove or why she'd bother spending all this money to get thrashed by the boys.

It might seem pointless but her answer is to try and be the best player she can be. Who can blame her for that? When you consider what Beisiegel has been through, battling a hyperthyroid condition called Graves' Disease that left her constantly exhausted and almost ended her golf career, hitting the ball these days is easy no matter what tour, no matter who it's against.

Now I don't think she'll earn a nickel on the Canadian Tour but then again, I didn't think she'd earn her card. If she does finish dead last in every event in which she plays, so what? She's not taking anyone's spot in the field as she would with a sponsor exemption since she earned her way in. She'll likely be richer for the experience. And in case you were wondering, if she ever did pull off a miracle and got way up the money list, yes, she'd be eligible to get one of hte CanTour's exemptions and play in the RBC Canadian Open.

The Canadian Tour must be loving the attention too (see here and here), and it may even sell a few more tickets at the gate from people who will follow the girl with the flower in her hair.

So good luck, Izzy. Enjoy the ride.

View the original article here

Shut it down Tiger says Poulter

Although he hasn't announced anything, it's about 99.999999% certain that Tiger Woods won't play the British Open next week. The guy hasn't hit a golf ball since he aggravated an injury at the Players in May and showing up to Royal St. George's with that much rust on his clubs isn't something he's likely to do.

But now, he's being urged to shut things down for the rest of the year. That's coming from fellow player Ian Poulter, who told the Daily Mirror that he not only things Woods should skip the Open Championship but the rest of the year.

"He won't play and he probably shouldn't play," Poulter told the UK paper. "To be honest, all he needs to do is get himself fit. If he comes back too early, he is going to be back out of the game for a while. He has been so good for golf that I think everybody would like to see him fit, healthy and where he can just play with no injuries. If that means he has to take the rest of the year off, if that were me, I would be taking the rest of the year off. I don't think he should pressurise himself and I am sure he won't. He will come back when he's ready."

Heading into the Open, Poulter is ranked 14th and ahead of Woods, who is 17th and dropping, for the first time in his career. He did say that he thinks a healthy Tiger would still be a player to be feared.

"But when he is back, he will be a factor. Tiger was comfortably twice as good as anyone else when he got to 20 points in the world rankings.

"A half Tiger would still compete to be world No.1."

You can read the full article here.

View the original article here

Canadians getting Open bonuses

For Adam Hadwin and Wes Heffernan, Saturday was a bonus day. And Sunday will be the same. It's not to say that either one of the Canadian Tour players isn't deserving of his place in the final 72 players who survived the cut, but everything they're earning now is gravy.

First up is the cheque each one will earn. Even if they finish at the bottom of the pack, they'll earn roughly the equivalent of what the runner-up at last week's Western Championship picked up. Say what you will about not worrying about the money and playing for pride and all that, but it's significant for these guys who earn their living at this game.

Of course along with that bigger cheque comes larger expenses.

"My hotel room is $250 a night here," said Hadwin with a smile. "That's a long way from the $80 deal we get on the Canadian Tour."

Hadwin, of course, will get a cheque by virtue of some dramatics early Saturday morning. Returning to play one hole due to a weather delay that ended play early on Friday, he needed a birdie to make the cut. He did that thanks to a stellar 98-yard wedge shot to within six inches of the flag on the ninth hole, his final one of the second round.

There is also a big bonus of an exemption into second stage of the PGA Tour's Qualifying School. By making the cut here, they'll skip that first stage and move within one passing grade of getting a minimum of conditional status on the Nationwide Tour. That's huge for both these guys. For Heffernan, who has always come up short at both the PGA and European Tour schools, it's a helping hand. For Hadwin, who has made it to second stage each of the last two years, it's a big help up for a career that appears on the rise.

"You get the same thing for finishing first or second on the Canadian Tour so I won't have to worry about that now," said Heffernan, adding that he still wants to win the Canadian Tour's money list.

But most of all, both Hadwin and Heffernan are getting experience. Of playing an extremely tough golf course, of playing in front of huge crowds, of playing against the best in the world. There's no other way to get this other than to be here, to tee it up and play. Both Hadwin and Heffernan are doing that and will be all the better for it.

View the original article here

Friday Fringe: jolly old England edition

The Friday Fringe: Off to Jolly Old England Edition

* Nice to see Matt McQuillan break out in the opening round of the John Deere Classic. The Kingston, Ont., golfer had a stellar round of 64 and is in position to make just the second cut of his career. Was there anything different swing-wise or technically that he did that produced this round? Nope. He said he basically just free-wheeled it: "I got here on Monday and played the Pro Am, and practice round on Tuesday, and yeah, the course sets up very well for me. It's not an overly long course if you can drive it well, and there's a lot of wedges, and my wedges were really sharp today."

* Also in McQuillan's presser yesterday, this question about the golf season in Canada and remember this is coming from a reporter from Milwaukee, which isn't exactly Palm Springs:
Q. How long is golf played up there actually?
MATT McQUILLAN: Well, we usually get started about May, and if we're lucky, we could play into November, early November.

So in other words, about a month longer than you play in Wisconsin.

* If you're in the GTA and looking for an innovative golf day, SCOREGolf has a great men's day planned out at the exclusive Coppinwood GC on July 18. You get instruction from a CPGA professional featuring the latest and greatest technology from the Golf Lab; test out some of the newest golf gear, play a round at the course with instruction during the round, scotch tasting and dinner after golf. If you're interested, go here for more information.

* One Canadian you won't see at the RBC Canadian Open this year is Jon Mills who will take a pass in order to concentrate on his position on the Nationwide Tour money list. Mills currently holds down the 25th spot and the event opposite the Open, the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, has the second largest purse of the year. Mills also missed a number of weeks already due to the birth of his son and also to play in the US Open.

* Speaking of the Open, you have to think this is going to be the best field the tournament has seen since it got dumped into the week-after-the-British-Open spot on the calendar. And this comes during a year when the travel from the British Open is about as long as you can get, something many top pros try to avoid.

* The Canadian PGA. . oops, PGA of Canada . . . is celebrating a wonderful milestone this weekend - 100 years of existence. The association has a great history and will pay tribute to that with a gala dinner event at the Royal Ottawa GC, site of its founding, on Saturday.

* I know a lot of the field has yet to tee off, but Sue Kim's 17 holes at one-over par at the US Women's Open is pretty impressive. She also hit 15 of 17 greens, which is almost unheard of at a tournament with the set up such as this one.

* Stop me if you've heard this before but Phil Mickelson says he has a new plan heading into the British Open, a tournament in which he has a horrid record, relatively speaking: "The biggest reason is the greens. I have not putted well. The grass is a little bit more coarse, a little thicker, has a little bit more effect, and you need to putt with less break and more aggression is what I've come to find. I'm going to try to do that this week and next week and see if that doesn't combat some of the issues that I've had putting here."

View the original article here

LPGA coming to Waterloo

Later this afternoon, the LPGA will announce a new stop for 2012 in Kitchener-Waterloo. The event, which will reportedly have Manulife Insurance as the title sponsor, is slated to be held at Grey Silo, which should be interesting considering the clubhouse and the range. It might not be the best course for viewing either. I'll wait for the details on Tuesday before commenting further on those situations.

The course is owned by the City of Waterloo and managed by Golf North.

It's good news that the LPGA is coming to Canada for a second stop - heck, it's good it's going anywhere for a second stop! - and good news for golf fans in the Southwestern Ontario region.

One of the best parts about the LPGA Tour is that when it has an event, there's a good chance every big name will show up. That's because there aren't that many events to begin with.

And this will be the second big event in the country not run by Golf Canada, which hosts both the men's and women's Opens. The Montreal Championship Champions Tour event, underway this week, is the other.

View the original article here

Rory's story not over yet

Is anyone else a little antsy? Is anyone kinda anxious about this afternoon?

It seems everyone has already given the US Open trophy to Rory McIlroy, started the engraving and planned the victory parade.

I remember feeling the same way on Sunday morning at Augusta earlier this year, thinking there was no way this kid could lose based on his play of the first three rounds.

But as Yogi Berra liked to say, it ain't over 'til it's over. And it seems that Rory is the one trying to bring some sense to this coronation.

"Until you do these things, they don't mean anything," he said after Saturday's 68 that pushed him to a record-low 54-hole total of 199.

While Rory isn't likely to get the others in the field to roll over and concede anything just yet, a number of them told me yesterday that they'll be cheering for him. After what happened to him at Augusta was painful, they all say. But how he handled it was perhaps even more telling. He was full of grace and dignity, and stopped to talk to the press, no matter how humiliated he felt.

He wasn't in a snit more fitting for a five-year-old as another former US Open champion was that day.

Everyone likes Rory, it seems. It's hard to find anyone to say a bad thing about him. Especially the fans, who seem to have fallen for the mop-headed 22-year-old from - of all places - Holywood, Northern Ireland.

All around Congressional they were chanting his name and giving him standing ovations. And he acknowledged them. Quitely, with a smile.

The players have a very good sense that history is being made here and those who know Rory well, aren't surprised. But they are a little fearful for the repercussions of such a thrashing of a US Open golf course, if only in jest.

"Rory is a good player," said Lee Westwood. "When he plays well, he's capable of shooting low scores. So I guess we're all improving. If they make the golf courses longer, it will be 8,000 yards next year. We have Rory to thank for that."

But he still has to get it done on Sunday, still has to close the deal. Eight shots is a lot. But then again, so was four at Augusta. No one wants to see another anguishing disaster. He's too nice a guy for that.

View the original article here

Hadwin enjoying the ride

Adam Hadwin is going to think I'm some kind of bad-luck charm. Yesterday, I managed to catch up to the Abbotsford, B.C., native as he hit the ninth hole at Congressional Country Club, playing his first round in the U.S. Open.

At that point, he'd been going along quite nicely but his tee shot strayed to the right and found some of the deep rough. Wisely, he tried to chunk it out to the fairway to minimize the damage but with the narrow fairways here, the ball scooted across to the rough on the other side of the hole. From here, he tried to get it down to the lay-up area on this par 5, but left that in the rough. His pitch missed the green, his first chip on was chunky and two putts later, he had a seven.

That's the type of course in front of the players this week. It's not ridiculous, as U.S. Open courses in the past have been, but don't miss by too much (hello Phil Mickelson) or you'll pay the price.

Thankfully for Hadwin, the personable Canadian Tour player, that was about the worst of his holes. In fact, he actually hit the ball beautifully for most of his day and if his putter had warmed up at all, it could have been quite the day. The score of four over was still impressive.

"I had a lot of looks at birdies today," he said. "And good looks. . . 20-footers uphill all day."

Hadwin admitted there were nerves at the start of his round and who can blame him? This is his first major championship after all. But he turned those butterflies into adrenaline, launching some impressive drives that were soaring well past the 300 yard mark. And apparently it lasted all day. On the par-4 18th, a 523-yard monster, Hadwin hit driver, nine-iron. Wow.

"The way I'm hitting it, I'll be here for the weekend," Hadwin said, showing a great deal of confidence without a drop of cockiness.

That, of course will be decided Friday in the second round, which is certain to be tougher than his opening day.

The other Canadians were on the opposite side of the draw and finished their rounds as the sun was starting to set, having played through some rain earlier.

Wes Heffernan equaled Hadwin's four over score, with bogeys on the last two holes. Poor Wes, the quiet Calgarian, can't seem to get any respect from the USGA. In his first spin in the US Open back in 2001, the leaderboards had his name as Hefferman on several occasions. This time, the association used a photo of some unknown individual in Heffernan's spot in the media guide.

Jon Mills came in at five over after a four-over back nine. Despite playing well coming into Congressional, he didn't sound all the confident in the days leading up to the start. We'll see if he and the other two can improve that around on Friday and make the cut.

View the original article here

Tiger to stay on the shelf

These are words you never thought you'd hear Tiger Woods say:

"All the years of playing when my knee wasn't very good and playing through it, you know, unfortunately I broke my leg and still played. That's not exactly smart. I'm going to do it differently this time. I am going to come back when I'm 100 percent ready, which is different for me."

Yup, Tiger Woods, the guy who rarely listens to anyone save himself, the guy who played (and won) a U.S. Open on a broken leg against doctor's orders, who tried to play at the Players in April when medical experts suggested he wasn't ready, is going to sit back and take his time. For once.

That's kind of like trying to get a six-year-old who's just eaten three bowls of sugar to sit still.

Tiger Woods, you see, is stubborn. He doesn't like being told what to do or that he can't do something. Most of the time, he's made out OK, such as that US Open in 2008 when he hobbled around and still beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff. And I'm sure Steve Williams can give you a lengthy list of occasions when Tiger disregarded his advice and elected to play a low percentage shot . . . only to see it come off.

But it appears that Woods is finally going to listen to the experts and that likely means we won't see him at Royal St. George's for the Open Championship. Possibly even the PGA Championship.

"In retrospect, I probably came back too early at the Players," Woods stated at the presser at the AT+T event, which he hosts. "I pushed it too hard and hurt myself. I'm being smarter this time."

So two revelations there, one stated one not. The first, stated, is that Woods aggravated the injury he suffered at the Masters during his ill-advised Players nine and second, unstated is that Woods isn't likely to be at Royal St. George's for the British Open. With only two weeks before the first tee off and him not having taken a full swing since May 12 when he walked off TPC Sawgrass after nine holes, the timing just doesn't work to reappear at the British.

Woods also admitted had he not attempted to play at the Players, he likely would be ready now.

The longer Woods sits on the sidelines, the more he becomes pushed to the back burner. Rory McIlory's performance at the U.S. Open made people forget all about Tiger, for a week anyway. But as Woods said, he's a long way from done just yet.

"Yeah, I'm 35, I'm not 65," stated Woods, who admitted to being impressed by the Ulsterman's performance. "I've still got some years ahead of me."

For now, we'll have to take him at his word. Until Woods gets healthy, which seems as if it will be a while, and gets back on the course and has a chance to work on his swing, that's all we have.

View the original article here

MMO: Will Hadwin DQ hurt Open chances?

Monday Morning Observer: Fireworks hangover edition

* The best win of the weekend had to be Thomas Levet's win at his national championship, the French Open. Levet is an extremely likeable fellow and to see the emotion flow out after he was able, at long last, to earn his country's open was wonderful. You can watch the highlights here.

* John Cook's win at the Montreal Championship gives him a rare double. He won the Canadian Open back in 1983, defeating Johnny Miller in a six-hole playoff. (By the way, Miller once told me that was the toughest loss of his career; the Canadian Open was one tournament he really wanted to win.) Still tough to beat Mark Calcavecchia's record of winning two different PGA Tour events in Canada, both in Vancouver. He won the Air Canada Championship and the RBC Canadian Open when it was last at Shaughnessy.

* Adam Hadwin's DQ from last week's ATB Financial Classic may turn out to be quite costly. The Abbotsford, B.C., native, who signed an incorrect scorecard last week, fell to seventh on the Order of Merit, roughly $8,000 back of fifth place. The top five golfers after the Canadian Tour Players Cup get into the RBC Canadian Open, meaning there are just two events left to secure the spot. However, you'd like to think that Hadwin would get a spot even if it didn't come through the Canadian Tour's list.

* Great to see Mike Weir make a cut and play on the weekend for the first time since January. Hopefully it's a sign of progress, but making the cut at one tournament is no more a sign that his game is back than missing the cut at the previous 11 is a sign that he's washed up. Still it has to be good mentally for the guy.

* Bubba Watson may have ruffled French feathers with some of his comments after missing the cut at the French Open, but at least he had the decency to apologize after the fact. Here's a Tweet he sent out after getting back: I played bad, not the fans or the tournaments fault, I hit the shots. He'll get to experience more of the European tournaments as he plays the British Open, Scandinavian Masters and Schuco Open starting next week.

* For the record, the few events I've covered in Europe have been limited to British Opens but they are usually filled with people openly carrying cellular phones and even cameras, blatantly taking pics as well as talking. As Bubba said, it's not necessarily good or bad, just very different than what goes on at PGA Tour events. Although you see more and more folks with cell phones at regular Tour stops now - except, of course, the Masters, where being caught with a cel phone means getting turfed.

* Still, Bubba's lack of knowledge of the world (calling the Arc de Triomphe, "the arch way," and the Eiffel Tower, "that big tower" is pretty surprising. You'd think a guy would have some basic knowledge of the world. The best comment came from manager Chubby Chandler who chalked it up to the American golfer syndrome: "They don't get it because they have everything in America, don't they? Everything over there is easy for them. There's a lot of cash to play for. They don't see any reason why they should play outside America. And then they'll whine about the world rankings. It's a funny one. They're different to us. And yet a lot of our guys who go from here to there are not stimulated by playing in America every week, to go from Boston to New York to Chicago, it doesn't stimulate them. They'd rather be going from Jakarta to Seoul to Valencia, you know what I mean? That's just the way our guys are brought up. The Americans are brought up to think that America is it. They're conditioned to that mindset from a very young age."

View the original article here

MMO: Champions in Montreal

Monday Morning Observer: 50 and Over Edition

* One of the biggest golf events of the year in Canada begins today. Know what it is? The Montreal Championship, a Champions Tour event which was a success in its first year, gets going this week with about a dozen pro-ams and then the tournament itself starting Friday. It’s a bit of a surprise that this doesn’t get more attention than it does but organizers are doing the best they can to expose the tournament to all regions of Canada this year. The field, including defending champion Larry Mize, is very strong with the likes of Tom Kite, Tom Lehman, John Cook, Hale Irwin and Canadians Yvan Beauchemin, Danny Talbot, Rod Spittle and Jim Rutledge all competing. 

* Let’s see . . . a week ago Rory McIlroy wins the U.S. Open by eight shots and is front-page news. Yesterday, Yani Tseng captures the Wegmans LPGA Championship by a mere 10 strokes and is relegated to the back pages. For Tseng, it was her fourth major and she’s only 22. She deserves to be a bigger story. Oh and if you happen to be walking around Niagara Falls today, you might run into Tseng, who was planning to visit. 

* Congrats to Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., who won the Kinnear Glencoe Amateur over the weekend. The high-profile event, held at the Glencoe G&CC, annually draws one of the best fields in amateur golf. Hughes, a member of the national team, has had quite a year. He won the Mid-American Conference championship while playing for Kent State and helped lead his school to the team title. 

* Give credit to RBC and Bill Paul for lining up a stellar field for the RBC Canadian Open next month. It would appear to be one of the strongest since the national championship got saddled with the right-after-the-British Open date. Of course having six of the highest-profile golfers in the game under contract never hurts. Anyone who grumbles that this is appearance money should look around as RBC is only playing the same game every other tournament does in attracting top-flight players. Now with the players in order, will the fans show up? The didn’t last time, at least in large enough numbers to turn a profit. 

* Speaking of the Open, look for Matt Hill and Nick Taylor to officially receive exemptions into the RBC Canadian Open this week. Tournament director told us on Fairways, our Saturday morning radio program in Toronto, that he’d extend the offer to the two fledgling pros this week. 

* Congrats to Danny Sahl, who finally won a Canadian Tour event in his 80th try. Sahl, who spent two-and-a-half years as a PGA Tour caddy for Ben Curtis, captured the Syncrude Boreal Open in Fort McMurray. Perseverance pays off. 

* I spent much of last week out in Whistler and got to see all four courses there (although I didn’t hit a shot) and all are in top shape but could use a break with the weather. Big news there is that the Whistler Golf Club will be re-doing its greens starting later this year. The improvement will allow the course to have better greens earlier (and later) in the year in the mountain environment. 

View the original article here

Tiger and the Doc

An interesting day in the courtroom in Buffalo yesterday when Toronto sports doctor Tony Galea pled out to a number of charges connected with transporting drugs, including human growth hormone, into the United States.

According to this report in the Globe, with the plea deal, Galea will begin to name names and co-operate with the U.S. authorities, which I'm sure has a number of high-profile athletes sweating. As far as golf goes, the article points directly to Tiger Woods:

U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara looked down from his bench, and asked the question that has been on sports fans' lips since Canadian sport physician Anthony Galea was charged last year with smuggling unapproved drugs across the border.

"Who was receiving these drugs?"

Prosecutors had refused to confirm the names of Dr. Galea's patients. But at Wednesday's guilty-plea hearing, Judge Arcara bluntly ordered them to "come out with it."

They relented and offered up three big names: Golfer Tiger Woods, San Franciso 49ers linebacker Takeo Spikes and one-time NFL rushing leader Jamal Lewis. Moments earlier, Dr. Galea formally admitted he brought misbranded drugs to the United States and that, over two years, he crossed the border more than 70 times to practise medicine illegally.

The inference here might be that Tiger received some sort of illegal drug, but later in the same story, Galea's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, singled out Woods as not having received anything other than the Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy, which was to help heal his wounds. By the way, wasn't that treatment done on his Achilles? The one that's now injured again?

Another interesting aspect of the story was that Major League Baseball is investigating some of the happenings with its players who saw Galea. We don't know if Tim Finchem has ever talked to Tiger about his visits from the Canadian doctor or if he is simply taking Tiger's word that nothing untoward happened.

Galea will be charged in October.

View the original article here