Despite not playing as much golf as one might expect of a world leader, Lee Westwood has maintained his position at top of the world golf rankings for the 3rd week in a row. In fact, the only change in the entire top 10 ranked world golfers was the two Northern Irish players, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, who swapped positions to leave McIlroy down in 10th and McDowell up to 9th. Having finished 4th at the Australian Masters at the weekend, Tiger Woods has also stayed put, remaining in 2nd place behind the English world leader.
Outside of the leader board, Lee Westwood has won his 10th European Tour title by closing the UBS Hong Kong Open with a 22 under par aggregate of 258, causing him to leap 3 positions up the rankings, to world number 11! A single step higher for Poulter will make him the 4th Englishman in the top 10 ranked world golfers, along with Paul Casey, Luke Donald and, of course, Lee Westwood. Although that will bring England level with the USA in terms of the top 10, we mustn’t get too cocky as, after Poulter, the rankings are devoid of any English players until Justin Rose and Ross Fisher at 28 and 29.
New world number one Lee Westwood remains confident and, after his performance in Shanghai, who can blame him?
In his first round as world number one, Lee Westwood delivered a magnificent 66 – including 3 birdies in 4 holes – to be beaten only by a 65 from Francesco Molinari. Considering Westwood hasn’t played for 3 weeks, this is impressive work from the Englishman, especially considering his game plan was “just to go out there and enjoy myself and see what happened”. Despite a trio of birdies in the middle holes, Tiger Woods finished behind Westwood with a 68, though seemed happy with the result; “I hit a lot of good shots and also putted well.” the world number two stated.
Not everybody is convinced of Lee’s dominance of the world rankings, however. Nick Faldo, for example, has questioned the validity of naming a world number one who is yet to win a major title. In response, Westwood declared Faldo’s comments to be “Fairly obvious”, explaining that “the previous world No 1 players...have all won major championships. It would be nice to join that club as well”.
Westwood is clearly being realistic about his rise to the top of world golf. When asked about the rankings, he has said “it’s one thing getting there but it’s another thing staying there”.
After 281 weeks at the number one, Tiger Woods drops down to second place in the official world rankings.
Tiger lost out to English player Lee Westwood, who spent today "bumbling around Sainbury's" and "shopping for some rubber gloves and mashed potato" as officials calculated his win of top spot.
But Tiger Woods isn't disappointed, he told The Guardian Newspaper:
"You have to win in order to become No1 in the world and you have to win a lot to maintain it. That's just the way it goes."
Tiger Woods' last win was November 2009, days before the media frenzy regarding his private life. Woods took a five-month break from golf after his confessions of extramarital affairs, which led to him divorcing wife Elin Nordegren.
Now it's been reveled that tickets to see Tiger Woods play in Australia aren't selling with tickets still available for the Australian Masters, which saw tickets sell out in advance six weeks in advance last year.
David Rollo, speaking for Golf IMG Australia said the diminished ticket sales are nothing to do with Tiger's extramarital affairs, but rather, are due to this being the second year running that Tiger has visited Australia.
Rollo said "It was the first time he'd been here in 11 years [last year] and at that time I guess there were people who thought he may not be here for another chance to see him."
The official top 10 world rankings:
1 - Lee Westwood (ENGLAND) 8.29 points
2 - Tiger Woods (USA) 8.13 points
3 - Martin Kaymer (GERMANY) 7.98 points
4 - Phil Mickelson (USA) 7.83 points
5 - Steve Stricker (USA) 7.20 points
6 - Jim Furyk (USA) 7.09 points
7 - Paul Casey (ENGLAND) 6.14 points
8 - Luke Donald (ENGLAND) 5.70 points
9 - Rory McIlroy (N IRELAND) 5.44 points
10 - Graeme McDowell (N IRELAND) 5.43 points
Charlie Baron, Las Vegas golfing legend, is to be inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame tonight, alongside Joe Kelly. Although it’s been over 20 years since Baron helped establish the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, he has directed it with energy and passion since 1988. For this, along with his lifetime’s worth of contributions to local golf, Baron has earned his place amongst the likes of Dwaine Knight and Jim Colbert.
I, for one, leapt for joy at our victory at the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. However, jubilant though I was at seeing the Americans beaten, I still couldn’t help myself feeling a little bit sorry for Hunter Mahan, as I watched his choked and bumbling attempt to answer questions about his defeat to Graeme McDowell. Apparently, however, this isn’t abnormal for our cousins across the Atlantic:
Golf's biggest tournament is now over for another two years. To help ease your withdrawal symptoms we’ve got you a round up of all the tasty news, stories and gossip!
A win for Europe!
By now you probably know who won the cup for Europe: Irish hero Graeme McDowell. McDowell was overjoyed, calling the experience "crazy".
"This is crazy," added McDowell. "I was trying to do it for 11 team-mates, for all the fans, for the caddies, for Europe and for Monty - and we were all trying to win it for Seve (Ballesteros) too.
"The back nine at Pebble Beach felt like a back nine playing with my dad at Royal Portrush.
"It's so much pressure and this is a special feeling - there's nothing quite like it.
"Monty was amazing. For the last two years he has been up for this."
We want to say a MASSIVE well done for McDowell – what a great victory for Europe!
"Cigar Guy"
If you've been getting your golfing news online it was impossible to miss the Daily Mail’s fantastic shot of Tiger Woods hitting the ball straight into the camera - but in case you have click here to see it.
A Daily Mail photographer captured an amazing photograph of Tiger Woods hitting the ball; sadly Tiger mucked up the shot and aimed it straight at the camera, by mistake. In fact, the ball hit the lens, but not before the photographer caught it mid-flight in the air.
But, that wasn't the impressive part of the photo. The most interesting part of the photo was a man standing on the right that the Internet has since dubbed 'Cigar Guy'. Wearing a turban with a cigar hanging out of his mouth, the 'Cigar Guy' is the focal point of the image, stealing the glory away from the amazing ball, mid-flight.
Soon the Internet was all over the photo, with one blogger doctoring the original photo and pasting Cigar Guy's head onto every member of the crowd AND over Tiger's head too.
See it here: http://deadspin.com/5655370/
Rain rain go away…
Well, of course everybody should have expected the rain during the Cup matches: they were played in Wales after all, a country that's as famous for its rainy days as it is for superstar signer Tom Jones!
But sadly, the American golfers had a bit of an issue with the weather, or rather, the gear they were playing in.
The suits were taking far too long to dry, plus they were becoming bogged down in water. Bags the American team was provided with were reportedly soaked through, prompting complaints from several of the players' caddies.
Because of the rain, little golf was played during the Friday of the tournament, hurtling the waterproof rain suit malfunction into the sporting press as the ‘story of the day!’
Finally, PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka issued the following statement about the suits to Golf Digest magazine:
"All of the companies that produce this rain gear meet the technical specifications that you would want to have for extreme conditions," he said. "They do more testing than we could ever do on our own, and we look at the specifications and take them for what they are. And the fact of the matter is, they didn't perform as well as they needed to. Now, there are a number of players that were quite comfortable with the rain gear, but not everybody was, and you know, we have got to represent all 12 players and 12 caddies, as well."
The following courses are three of Yorkshire’s finest. Ganton and Moortown are great if you’re looking for a challenging course steeped in history and tradition, whereas Rother Valley is perfect if you’re looking for a bargain day out and a great round of golf.
Ganton Golf Club, North Yorkshire
Ganton golf club is steeped in history, since it was built in the summer of 1981, over 100 years ago.
The course comprises of 18 holes and is a challenging Championship Course, so is only suitable to golfers with a current handicap certificate.
It's located near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Ganton Golf Club accepts visiting golfers both during the week and at weekends. Times are subject to availability, so make sure you make the necessary arrangements first.
Ganton hosted the Ryder Cup in 1949 and more recently, the Walker Cup in 2003.
The fees are very reasonable: £80.00 per day midweek (peak season) and £90.00 per day at weekends/bank holidays.
Ganton Golf Club also boasts a thirteen acre practice range and a short game practice facility.
The club oozes charm and visitors have reported that the club is very formal, though pleasant to newcomers.
Moortown Golf Club, West Yorkshire
Founded in 1909, the Moortown Golf Club has seen a lot of history over the last 100 years, including a Ryder Cup win for Great Britain and several rounds of the English Amateur, Brabazon Trophy and European Tour.
The course is located in Alwoodley, near Leeds and accepts visiting golfers, who can select from two different packages for their visit:
The Gibraltar Package:
- Morning Coffee & Bacon Rolls on Arrival
- For Lunchtime Soup & Sandwiches on Arrival
- Warm Up Balls & Facilities
- 18 Holes of Golf
- Longest Drive & Nearest Pin Markers
- Two Course Dinner in the Ryder Cup Room
Cost £90 (per head)
OR:The MacKenzie Package:- Coffee & Bacon Rolls on Arrival
- Warm Up Balls & Facilities
- Morning Round
- Soup & Sandwiches Lunch
- Afternoon Round
- Longest Drive & Nearest Pin Markers
- Presentation Table
- 3 Course Evening Dinner in the Ryder Cup Room
Cost £105 (per head)
Previous visitors have told us that the club is ‘good quality with an old school feel.’
Rother Valley Golf Centre, South Yorkshire
Rother Valley Golf Centre boasts an 18-hole golf course that was recently voted by Society Golfers as the best golf venue in England for under £20.00. There is also a par 3 9-hole course too.
Rother Valley is cheap compared to the other courses listed here. There are numerous deals listed on their website, including a fantastic Ryder Cup deal: Get a great value bundle deal on 18 holes of golf, a meal and a beer. Prices start from as little as £20.00.
New: Rother Valley Golf Centre now take tee time bookings online - how convenient!
Feedback from golfers: 'This course is one of South Yorkshire's finest.'
We hope you like our Yorkshire golf course guide and found it very useful!
...and this time he's getting people arrested!
Two documentary film-makers were arrested on the site of Donald Trumps's Aberdeenshire golf resort, after the Trump organisation accused them of entering their offices and filming documents without permission. The journalists were were investigating complaints that Trump's contractor's "accidentally" cut off the water supply to local residents, including Trump's nemesis Michael Forbes.
Award-winning journalists Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney were arrested whilst interviewing Susie Munro, a resident of the area who objects to the development of Trumps' new resort. When they refused to stop filming, the police took their camera and handcuffed Baxter. Having been arrested for breach of the peace, the journalists were held for four hours and even had their DNA put on record! Their cameras were also held for five days, preventing them from filming.
"This is a blatant example of police interference aimed at stopping bona fide journalists from doing their job." said Paul Holleran, Scottish representative of the National Union of Journalists, "Their footage shows they were asking very pertinent questions in a mannerly fashion as befits professional journalists."
The Trump organisation claims the journalists were "photographing confidential documents" - something Baxter claims certainly isn't true. "We've the footage to prove it" he has said, "We were legitimately carrying out an interview with a member of Mr Trump's workforce at the site and he participated in that interview, freely exchanging information, over a period of time."
The countdown is on! In 21 days the world's largest golfing tournament takes place in Newport, Wales, and we’re going to bring you all the news, stories and information about the event over the next couple of weeks…
There’s only three weeks to go, so here’s the most recent news:
- Golf is good for the economy
- Newport residents cash in on Ryder Cup
- Event attracts Welsh stars like Shirley Bassey
- Ryder Cup officials warn about fake ticket scams
Golf is good for the economy:
It's Wales' first year hosting the Cup, which has been running since 1927. Wales, naturally, are very pleased to showcasing the event, which they're certain will create a host of jobs and opportunities for Welsh residents.
Website http://www.rydercupwales2010.com, which was set up by the Welsh Assembly Government, has stated that similar golfing events in the past has opened Wales up to an international audience, resulting in local businesses doubling their profits! For example,
Jacqueline and Glyn Roberts have run their business in Harlech for 15 years, but have seen it double in size over the past year. They attribute this spectacular success to their region's raised profile due to the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors tournament and golf marketing campaigns by the Wales Tourist Board.
We're hoping the Ryder Cup won't be any different and will help Wales' tourism industry boom!
So next time your wife moans at you for playing golf, tell her you’re just doing your bit for the economy!
Newport residents cash in on tournament:Newport residents are cashing in on the upcoming tournament, with locals renting their homes out to golf-loving visitors for huge sums of money.
Websites like http://accommodationfortheevent.com/rydercup/ are helping Welsh homeowners advertise their properties in front of an audience of Golf lovers.
Two-bedroom homes are being listed for as much as £8,000 per week, which makes the tournament very lucrative for the locals. If you reside in Wales, it may be worth shipping your family out to the local B&B for a week and letting your house out to Golf enthusiasts!
Event attracts Welsh stars like Shirley Bassey:The Ryder Cup usually attracts some of Golf's biggest names and this year is no exception, with players like Tiger Woods on the bill.
And, excitingly, some of Wales' most popular artists are also confirmed to be putting on performances, including Cardiff's very own Shirley Bassey, Katherine Jenkins, the Loftprophets, Only Men Aloud and Shaheem Jafargholi. Steve Jones will be hosting the events and Catherine Zeta Jones will make a guest appearance during the opening concert.
Ryder Cup officials warn about fake ticket scams:This week Ryder Cup Europe has voiced concerns over fake ticket vendors.
Golf fans are reminded that tickets are now non-transferable; this year all tickets contain photographic ID so you must ONLY buy your tickets from the official vendors.
Guide to avoiding pirate vendors:- Don't let any third parties buy tickets on your behalf.
- Only buy shuttle tickets from the 'Ryder Cup Travel Services', as most roads will be closed to other transport during the week.
- Only book tickets with Ryder Cup Europe official vendors.
We’ll be back with more Ryder Cup golf news soon!
Personally, I try to leave Tiger Woods alone. His affairs are none of my business and I'm not interested in who or what he has done. By contrast, other people have seen fit to make an entire documentary about the golfer. For those who are interested, here is some information.
A new, British documentary is set to portray Tiger Woods as "a deeply repulsive figure". In Tiger Woods: The Rise and Fall, Jacques Peretti claims, along with people who have known Tiger intimately, that he is a project dreamed up by his father, Earl, whilst he served in Vietnam. Designed to be a super-golfer, to infiltrate the white-world of golf, young Tiger was even hypnotized before big competitions, by an member of the U.S. Army.
Raised in an all-white neighbourhood, where he was bullied and introduced to racists at golf clubs, the documentary claims Tiger developed an "awesome arrogance" and sense of entitlement, that eventually led to his downfall. In short, where Michael Jackson's lost childhood meant he was forever a kid, Tiger's lost teenage-years seem to have trapped him in his arrogant adolescent mindset, whilst his talent has landed him with the money to use that arrogance however he pleases.
11:20 by
Golf Pro
, under
The Bag Boy Automatic Trolley is a product combining the elegance of both innovative technology and design. This three-wheel trolley is notable for its ease of use as it can be assembled and packed away in one smooth motion, making it unique amongst its rivals. The ease of which the Bag Boy Automatic is both collapsed and assembled is complemented by a low profile chassis, wide contact ergonomics, high speed bearings and a newly designed G Force wheel that has been designed to improve manoeuvrability. The addition of such groundbreaking technologies make the Bag Boy Automatic one of the most feature-laden trolleys currently available on the market.
There are a number of added extras that increase the value of an already excellent package. These include a special brake that allows the trolley to be parked in a specific location, an adjustable handle, a designated holster designed to carry refreshments and valuables, and a bag bracket system that caters for the ranging sizes of junior, ladies and men’s bags available.
The Bay Boy Automatic promises to provide golfers with everything they need in a push trolley, with the addition of some luxurious extras that seasoned players will especially appreciate. The perfect accessory for any golfer looking to travel around the golf course in style during the summer months, the Bag Boy Automatic Titanium Trolley is perfectly suited for golfers looking for a trolley that can fold away with consummate ease.
11:19 by
Golf Pro
, under
The new Mizuno MP-68 surpasses previous expectations by providing golfers with a club that combines all the best features of Mizuno's now legendary bladed irons with an additional enhanced feel of quality. The innovative 3D muscle pad has been designed to offset the often unwanted vibrations associated with a bladed club to create a new brand of iron specifically designed for the highly accomplished player.
Mizuno broke waves with their MP-33 design at the turn of the millennium but the new improved MP-68 has taken the PGA Tour by storm with the majority of the world's top players praising its much improved design and ease of use. A shorter hosel and muscle back design significantly improve the centre of gravity, combining with the muscle pad technology and precise weighting system to offer a penetrating ball flight that can be shaped in either direction for effortless total shot control. A new look sole shape has been implemented for crisper ball-striking, along with Mizuno's unique Grain Flow Forging construction to create a club that maintains its standards amongst the elite, whilst being more forgiving and easier to use for the low handicapped player.
The MP-68 is easy on the eye too, with subtle changes to the head design and a more compact PW offering the complete all round package for the talented golfer looking to take their game to the next level.
The big news in golf this week is that rapidly declining golfing legend Tiger Woods ended up finishing tied 78th in the 80-man WGC Bridgestone Invitational. This means that only one player finished with a worse score than Woods, and the winner finished an astonishing 30 shots ahead of the greatest champion of all time. The question is, then: how is it that a player performing so badly can still technically be ranked as the greatest player in the world?
This may certainly seem mysterious to newcomers and golfing laymen, but the answer is really quite simple. The world rankings are calculated using a points system: different tournaments and courses are designated varying amounts of points depending on their profile and difficulty. Players are then awarded points dependent on their finishing position.
At first, this may seem flawed: players will surely accumulate points over their careers, and the greatest contemporary player will be overshadowed by a retired legend! The answer is that each individual player's ranking is calculated from only the last two years of playing. Again, this may seem unfair on a player who has only recently gained form (or, as in Tiger's case, lost form). Of course, the system cannot compensate for this entirely, but some compensation is done through scaling down the points awarded over time: each tournament's value remains for 13 weeks only, and is then reduced in weekly increments until the end of the 2 year period. This way recent form is given priority whilst allowing for anomalous performances.
"Silly", "pointless", and "decadent" are just three of the polite words that come to mind on hearing the news that the brand new golf club in Oxfordshire (imaginatively named 'The Oxfordshire Golf Club') was opened this week by a ribbon-cutting robot.
The stunt was organised so that the Brazilian Director of High Performance Sports, Marco Klein, could officially open the new golf club without having to move from his office at the Brazilian Sports Ministry in Brasilia, over 6,000 miles away. The logic was that Mr Klein was essential in securing Brazil's bid for the 2016 Olympics, in which golf will be included for the first time since people first realised that it was a silly idea.
Asides from being rather odd reasoning for why the Brazilian should have anything to do with the opening of a golf club in Oxfordshire, the basic point remains that Mr Klein actually did not open the new golf club: a robot did. Certainly he sent the digital command that activated the process, but the same would have been the case if he had simply sent a text message to an underling who then did it for him. And that probably would have been considerably cheaper.
The General Manager of the club, Tim Pettifer, explained that they wanted to do something "unusual, entertaining, and which celebrated the global nature of golf". It is a testimony to the imagination and excitement of the golfing lifestyle that a robot with a pair of scissors fulfilled these criteria.
The summer holidays are finally here and, for many of us, that means golfing time! However, even the keenest golfer may find themselves a bit rusty, after some time away from the course, which is why we are bringing you this fantastic deal with livingsocial.com; 76% off a 30 minute golf lesson and 60 minute golf simulator - the perfect way to get back into form before showing your skills on the course!
Alternatively, this would make the ideal gift for a beginner who is keen to learn the foundations of the sport before breaking out some clubs and hitting the ball for real. Fully-qualified PGA golf professionals will analyse their swing and, after a hard hour and half of learning, they can even hit their bar to celebrate their success (or drown their sorrows.
Based in central London, it couldn't be easier to get to for the city-dwelling types, who can't always get away for 9 holes. Check it out here: http://livingsocial.com/deals/4660
The British Open is almost upon us and, in honour of the 'home of golf', we are pleased to present you with a selection of our favourite pictures of the Old Course at St. Andrews. Although I have had the pleasure of playing the course a couple of times, I'm sorry to say that carrying a camera around was the last thing on my mind, so none of these are my personal shots. Please follow the links the the respective websites if you wish to pay tribute to the photographers.
Aberdeenshire council has approved the latest stage of development for Donald Trump’s super-resort near Balmedie, meaning construction could start within a month. Trump himself has declared the course would be open within 18 months, which seems exceptionally ambitious – even for him!
Of course, Trump will still have to overcome the mighty Michael Forbes, who is still refusing to sell his farm to the Trump project. So far, even millionaire lawyers have failed to get any compulsory purchase orders bought upon Forbes, who has responded to their threats by spray painting his own buildings with anti-Trump slogans!
Conveniently however, the last couple of months have seen the passing of a new Scottish law, which allows the council to serve maintenance orders on homes and gardens, meaning Forbes will have to tidy up what Trump refers to as his “dump” of a property; “It is a pig sty. It's terrible, his barn is all rusty and falling down. The hotel has the chance to be something really outstanding but it's awfully hard when a window is overlooking a slum and you see rusting oil cans."
Perhaps Trump should consider that might be the effect Forbes is going for, after all the abuse he has received from the billionaire. Any way of being a thorn in Trump’s side seems like the kind of action Forbes will continue to take.
Unless the only reason you play golf is to get fit, there really is no reason to carry your bag of golf clubs all over the course. Not only is it bad for your back, it will render you tired and out of breath for all your important shots.
Golf trolleys take almost all the effort out of transporting golf clubs, especially if you invest in a motorised one! What’s more, they raise the bag off the ground; removing the need to bend over as far, every time you need to change clubs. Although this may seem like a minor point, an average course of 72 holes requires at least this many changes of club, which involves enough bending and straightening that many golfers actually suffer back problems. Of course, if you invest in an electric golf trolley, you should ensure you buy something durable and with enough battery power to get you around the course.
When you consider how much money people pour into trainers and clubs to get as much out their game as possible, it seems ridiculous to risk tiring yourself out early by carrying all your clubs around.
It's not often we get to report some good news from Aberdeen, where Donald Trump is still attempting to build his billion-pound golf rseort. In fact, the last few posts about the issue have been been infurating readers, as Trump seems to be willing to stop at nothing to build his resort - even demanding the rights to purchase the homes of people living in the area so he can force them to move out.
The Golf Blog is sorry to bring you tragic news today. Erica Blasberg, the 25-year old LGPA golfer, was found dead in her house at 03:00 on Sunday.
Posts
