Thai Chapchai beats Els’ Tour record with 32-under
When you shoot 62-62 in your first two rounds, you would be forgiven for entertaining thoughts of a world record of some sort. Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, though, would have you believe that the title was his main priority.
As it turned out, he got both. The 25-year-old nailed a birdie on the final hole of the SAIL Open in India to close with five-under 67 and set an Asian Tour record of 32-under-par 256.
Australian Richard Moir and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar trailed a distant 11 strokes behind as Chapchai beat the previous Asian Tour record of 29-under-par, achieved by South African Ernie Els when he won the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth.
According to an AP report, his performance was also believed to be the lower-ever round over 72 holes on any global tour. On the PGA Tour, Els scored a tour-lowest 31-under-par at the 2003 Mercedes Championship, a par 73.
His achievement also left his rivals in awe, with Moir shaking his head in disbelief at Chapchai’s huge drives, which the Australian said rendered the par-fours as if they were par-threes.
Chapchai, himself, made the understatement of his career when he said he was playing the best golf of his life. He was quoted on the Asian Tour website as saying:
“This win has given me a lot of confidence and I think I will now be able to take this momentum forward and probably win two to three more tournaments this year. My target was just to win and I did not think of the record so there was no pressure during the final birdie putt which helped me break the record.â€
American audiences may get a chance to see his booming drives next season because Chapchai plans to have a crack at the PGA Tour via the qualifying school.
Meanwhile, Argentina’s Estanislao Goya won the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal in only his sixth tournament as a fully fledged European Tour player.
The 20-year-old hung on for victory despite a closing round of 73 for a total of six-under-par 278. That was good enough for a one-stroke victory over Scotland’s Callum Macaulay, who finished strongly with a 64 but was just unable to catch the youngster from Cordoba.
Dutchman Wil Besseling (69) and Ireland’s Damien McGrane (72) shared third place on 280 while Englishman Anthony Wall finished with a 67 for 281 and fifth place.
Goya shoots up to 50, from 150, in the Race to Dubai standings and, with this win, is now looking for greater things in his career. The European Challenge Tour graduate said on the official website:
“It’s great for me – I am so happy to have made one of my dreams come true. I want to be one of the best players in the world and this is one of the steps that I have to take to do that. It’s amazing that I have my Tour card for the next two years and a win here in Madeira. It was just over a year ago that I was thinking how much I would love to play in Europe and here I am now having won – it has happened so quickly.â€
Goya was not the only newcomer to perform well. Macaulay, himself, is playing in only his fifth tournament. The Scot had a storming finish, hitting birdie on his final six holes to chase Goya all the way to the wire.
On the PGA Tour, South African Retief Goosen won his first title in four years when he took the Transitions Championship in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Goosen, the former US Open champion, fired one-under-par 70 in the fourth round for a total of eight-under 276 and a one-shot triumph over the American pair of Brett Quigley and Charles Howell III.
It was his first title since the 2005 international and came at an appropriate time with the US Masters just around the corner.
Mathew Goggin (67), Steve Stricker (69) and Charlie Wi (69) shared third place on 278.
Ace on debut for 62-year-old newbie
I’m sure anyone who has ever played golf remembers their first-ever shot. Mine was simply world-class.
Blissfully unaware of the difference between a swing and a hit, I crushed the ball straight down the middle of the fairway of a public course in Port Laoise, Ireland.
Then, with an approach shot so subtle that it would have had Tiger Woods taking notes, I reached the green in two … a career record of 100 per cent for greens in regulation.
The fact that I then putted six times before sinking the blasted ball in no way diminishes the quality of my debut performance. I thought no one would ever come close to doing what I did with my first-ever strike of a golf ball.
That was until Unni Haskell came along. The 62-year-old Norway native hit a hole-in-one with her very first shot on a golf course.
According to mlive.com, she had taken two months of lessons and then went to a nine-hole course in St Petersburg. Using a driver on the 100-yard opening hole, her shot avoided a left-side bunker, bounced on to the green and disappeared into the cup.
This is quite annoying news for some golfers, especially the low handicappers, who may have been playing for decades and have yet to hit an ace. These people would be even more irritated if they knew what she said afterwards.
Haskell, resplendent in her naivety, doesn’t know what the fuss is all about. She was quoted as saying:
“I didn’t know it was that big of a deal. I thought all golfers do this.â€
I wonder what would have happened if my first hole was a par-3 instead of a par-4. At least I didn’t need to practice for two months.
A Day In The Life
A couple of weeks ago I was playing a Hooters Tour event in Amelia Island in Florida. The tournament finished on Sunday and as we were so close we decided to make the quick drive down to the TPC at Sawgrass practice there on Monday. Although Sawgrass is a public facility (for those willing to pony up a mere $400) we were fortunate to have access to Sawgrass in a way that only a rare few have. I say we because my roommate I live with in Atlanta is David Skinns, an Englishman who plays on the Nationwide Tour. Being a member of the PGA or Nationwide Tours allows a player total access to any of the 29 TPC layouts throughout the continental US. And so, on a sunny Monday morning in March we drove into the Sawgrass parking lot in my dinged-up 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage with 213,000 miles on it and parked in the “player parking†section so close to the font door we might as well have been inside the club house. We were greeted in the pro shop by head professional Matt Borocz, who graciously showed us around the facilities, giving us a guided tour of the practice areas, clubhouse and closing holes on both nines. He then headed inside and returned with Titleist range balls and showed us to the back of the range where we were to warm up before our round.
The TPC at Sawgrass has a large practice range, and extensive greens for chipping and putting right next to the Spanish-inspired clubhouse, but we were not going to be using those facilities. No, the VJ Singh’s and Jim Furyk’s that practice at Sawgrass have their own area and that’s where we were warming up. The professional’s practice area is a sanctuary. Tucked away in the back corner of the range are two massive teeing grounds (one rumored to have been built just for VJ), a phenomenally large and undulating putting green that was running about 12 on the stimpmeter, and three chipping greens all in perfect condition. As we drove to the back of the range we could already see somebody back there. We had hoped that it was VJ himself, pounding ball after ball into the morning sun, but alas, it was only PGA Tour player Kevin Stadler. I hoped he didn’t see the disappointment on my face as I walked past him to warm up.
We warmed up and struck a few putts before Matt returned and told us that if we wanted to jump off the front nine immediately we would have the course to ourselves. And he wasn’t kidding. We hit off the 1st and never saw another player, barely even a maintenance worker, the entire time we were out there. To keep things interesting we had decided to put $10 on the outcome of the day, and as we turned to the back nine I had a one shot lead with an even par 36.
We were playing from the absolute tips as well, ignoring the tee markers and walking to the extreme back of every teeing ground. As we got deeper into the back nine, the holes, so memorable on TV, were becoming more and more familiar. On almost every hole there were small flags placed where plaques had been laid down to commemorate famous shots from The Players‘ champions like David Love III, Fred Couples and Hal Sutton, and we were now treading the same grounds as those legends.
As any golf fan knows the final three holes at Sawgrass are three of the most charismatic and dramatic finishing holes anywhere in the world. The drama and excitement of The Players comes down to the risk-reward par 5 16th, the iconic and dangerous par 3 17th and the merciless par 4 18th. We came to the 16th tee all square in our match.
Ordinarily the 16th is a pretty reachable par 5 for professionals such as ourselves, but today, with temperatures on the cold side, we would not have the opportunity to go at the green in two. There is a large fairway bunker on the right hand side of the hole and this is where my ball ended up. David’s was in the left rough.
Down the left hand side of 16 is a large tree which blocks out a safe lay-up down, which is the safe side to play if you want to avoid the water which hugs the right hand side of the fairway and cuts in behind the green. Showing a distinct lack of local knowledge we both laid up too far down the left side and were blocked out by the tree. I was slightly further back and elected to go over the tree with a 60 degree wedge. however, in avoiding the tree I couldn’t get the ball to the back of the green where the hole was cut. David got creative with his shot, punching one under the branches and scurrying his ball up to the middle of the green where my ball sat. I putted up and tapped in for par and waited for David to putt, gazing back across the pond, past the tree island in the middle of the water, towards the most intimidating hole on the PGA Tour. David putted out for par to keep the match all square and we drove over to the 17th just as a tour bus full of visitors pulled up behind the tee. We had a gallery for our match at last.
I assume they were after blood. Not actual blood of course, but metaphorical, golfing blood. They type of blood that they see on Sunday at the Players when Sean O’Hair dunked his ball into the water while trying to chase down Phil Mickelson. Or when Bob Tway, four shots off the lead and making a charge, airmailed the green not once, but twice on his way to making a 12. Yeah, that’s what they were after. It wasn’t 25,000 screaming fans on a Sunday at The Players, but this tour bus sure felt like something similar to us.
Most of the back portion of the tee was roped off to protect the grass for the tournament which was still two months away, but there was still a small section at the back of the tee pros could hit off. That’s where we teed off. The hole was cut on the front slope of the green, making the shot a lot shorter than it would normally play. However, from the tee it looked like the pin was sitting about 6 feet out into the water. It was intimidating to say the least.
We paced off the yardage and figured it to be 132 yards with the breeze helping a little from the left. Dave took a deep breath and hit first, his ball looked like it was going to be short the whole way, but the wind carried it all the way to the front of the green, pitching half way up the slope, taking one bounce forward before backing up to 6 feet from the hole. It was a hell of a shot and he drew enthusiastic applause from our audience. I was next.
Ordinarily, 132 yards is a very little nine iron for me, but with the wind helping I decided to try and jump on a wedge and take my chances. I tried as hard as I could to go through my routine, and struck the ball very, very well. The ball jumped off the club and my first impression was that I had hit it too far. Half way across the water the wind knocked it down a little and I thought it had to be wet. Then, as if according to plan, it landed just past the hole, took one bounce forward, spun, and began trickling back down the slope towards the hole. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t breathing as I saw the ball track back towards what had to be a hole in one. I’m still not sure how it missed, but it did. It ended up 4 feet below the hole.
As we drove around the pond we waved at our small gallery, the tour guide laughing at what great shots we had just hit. I’d love to tell you that we both brushed our birdie putts in with ease, but David’s putt broke across the hole, and he had to settle for par. I made my putt and walked to the 18th with a one shot lead.
If the 17th is a tough hole, the 18th is the double bogey on the cake. This is especially true if there is a tournament (or in our case, something much more important, on the line). It is 462 yards of terror; a slight dogleg left with water screaming down the entire inside of the hole with wood planks built into the side of the lake making it seem like the water and the fairway are on the exact same level, one blending seamlessly into the other.
Thanks to my birdie on 17 I was first to take the tee. I aimed at the small sliver of fairway and took an aggressive cut at the ball. But half way on my downswing I flinched slightly, my subconscious wandering towards the trouble on the left, and I bailed it out just into the right rough. David, who had been struggling with his driver, decided to unleash his best of the day, a 300 yard bomb down the middle. I was going to have my work cut out for me to win this one.
My ball had come to rest just behind a very small and thin tree that guards the right rough where many balls, trying desperately to avoid the water, end up. If I was to get to the green I was going to have to start the ball towards the water, and cut it back ten or fifteen yards to the middle of the green where the pin was cut, just on top of a tier. I chose a 5 iron and opened the face, taking an aggressive swing. The ball started left and started to fade and for a moment I thought it was perfect, but the wind, off the left again, pushed it a little too far and the ball came up just short and right of the green. David stepped up and flushed a 7 iron to fifteen feet behind the hole, now the pressure was squarely on me.
Watching golf on TV does a couple of things to the observer. One of the things it does is flatten out lumps and bumps. I can attest to this because the slope that runs through the middle of the 18th green at Sawgrass is much, much larger than it looks on TV, and I had to hit a chip that would have to tip-toe across the top of the slope, being careful not to trip and fall which would send the ball falling to the bottom tier of the green. I selected a 54 degree wedge and pitched the ball onto the top of the slope. It ran down towards the hole but slowed up quickly, like it had pulled a hamstring on the final straight, and settled 3 feet short, leaving me a tricky downhill putt for par.
David, still one shot behind, looked over his putt like it was the last he would ever hit and poured it in the middle of the cup for a birdie. He pumped his fist and looked at me with a grin that suggested he had just stolen the last cookie from the pantry. The ball was in my court. But with the near perfect greens it was going to be a hard putt to miss, and I got up and stroked it confidently, the ball hitting the back of the cup and bouncing slightly into the air before settling at the bottom.
It was a gentleman’s half, as we call it in strange countries over the seas, and we were happy with that. That was until Matt came to greet us as we drove towards the clubhouse.
“How’d it go guys?†he asked.
“Awesome, wonderful, fantastic.†we replied.
“Well, you’re in luck. VJ is at the back of the range hitting balls. You should go back and hit some with him.â€
We looked at each other.
“Or you could go out and keep playing, the course is wide open on the back nine still.â€
“Nine hole playoff?†I asked Dave.
“Let’s do it.†he said.
We thanked Matt and drove off towards the 10th tee again for a rematch with the back nine at Sawgrass. VJ could wait, he‘d probably be there a while anyway.
Mickelson overcomes health scare for Doral victory
Phil Mickelson reminded everyone that there is more to a World Golf Championship tournament than a Tiger Woods comeback story.
After being treated for exhaustion and dehydration overnight, Lefty returned to the Doral Resort course for the fourth round in a battling mood and ruggedly went about ensuring his first CA Championship and maiden WGC title.
Mickelson slotted home a routine putt on the final hole to score three-under-par 69 on the last day for a total of 19-under 269 and a one-stroke victory over Nick Watney, who closed with 70.
Watney fell inches short of a bogey putt that would have taken the proceedings into a play-off but in the end, after the lead changed hands seven times, Mickelson was a deserving winner as he triumphed over a stellar field.
Jim Furyk scored 67 for his total of 272 and third place while Indian player Jeev Milkha Singh fired 70 for a total of 274 and fourth place.
Woods, playing in his second tournament – and first stroke play event – after undergoing knee surgery last year, was hot over the final two days with back-to-back 68s, giving him a total of 11-under 277 and a share of ninth place with Australian Rod Pampling and American Kenny Perry.
But the day belonged to Mickelson, whose victory sent him into second place in the FedEx Series and his emergence in mid-March allows one more candidate to come into the picture as the first major of the season, the US Masters, approaches in April.
He admitted afterwards that it had been a physically draining effort for him. He ate little over the last three days and spent some time on Saturday night in the hospital receiving treatment for dehydration.
The tournament is on the schedule of both the US PGA Tour and the European Tour. In America, there are three events left before the Masters, starting with this week’s Transitions Champions in Palm Harbor, Florida. The Europeans head off to Portugal.
Meanwhile, the buzz in Doral centred around Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlory, the 19-year-old tipped by many for great things.
Now, even Woods has joined the chorus, saying McIlory could one day become world number one. He said in an agency article:
“The guy’s a talent. We can all see it, the way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip, get up and down. It’s just a matter of time and experience in big events. That takes time and I mean he’s only 19. He has the composure. He has all of the components to be the best in the world, there’s no doubt.â€
McIlroy made his European Tour breakthrough when he won the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year. At one stage he was only a single shot off the lead at the Doral tournament but an indifferent final round left him out of the top 10.
Woods ready for stroke play return
Having made a brief two-round appearance at the World Match Play a few weeks ago, Tiger Woods says he is now ready for the whole hog.
The world number one, on the comeback trail after eight months on the sidelines, has entered this week’s World Golf Championship CA Championship in Miami, Florida.
It will be his first PGA Tour stroke play tournament since he won the US Open in June, when he also needed a match play format to beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole play-off.
Woods underwent knee surgery during his long break and showed flashes of his old self during the Match Play, eventually bowing out in the second round. He said there were no ill-effect of his first tournament back in action, saying in an AFP article:
“It’s nice to have four rounds here and get into a competitive stroke play mode again. It was a big shot of confidence for me to get out there and play again and feel physically sound. It (the knee) was better than I thought. I thought I would be a little more sore than I was.â€
Woods, the winner of 14 major titles, is trying to be at his best for next month’s US Masters at Augusta, the year’s first major tournament.
He has won the CA Championship three times, from 2005-07, and is hoping for another good outing at Doral Resort’s Blue Monster course.
One of his main rivals will be Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who went on to triumph at the Match Play and is enjoying a rich vein of form.
The field is only 80-strong and his performance this week will give Woods a clear idea of his progress before the Masters.
UBS to end Hong Kong Open stint as credit crunch bites
The official media release tried to make it look as positive as possible: “UBS to complete commitment to the Hong Kong Open†was the headline in the communiqué from the Asian Tour.
However, reading deeper into the article, the reality of the global recession hits home. Yes, UBS is completing its five-year commitment to the Hong Kong Open this November. But after that, the tournament will be without a sponsor.
“UBS to end Hong Kong Open commitment†would have been a more accurate headline, though the release goes on to say that preliminary talks with potential new sponsors have already begun.
The Swiss-based bank has been the tournament’s most loyal sponsor for some time, helping to gain exposure for the event that is jointly sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours.
But the credit crunch is hitting banks hard, and golf will inevitably suffer. HSBC, one of the world’s biggest banks, recently announced a major drop in business and is poised to raise more than 12 billion pounds through Britain’s biggest ever rights offer.
The bank is now reviewing its sponsorship of the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament, which was held last week in Singapore.
Their five-year deal with the LPGA has expired and there is a danger that it could join three other events that have dropped off the LPGA Tour in the past few months.
Although professional golf has been holding firm against the economic downturn, it is not immune. The US PGA Tour has already lost Wachovia Corp as one of its tournament sponsors.
As for the Hong Kong Open, prior to UBS’s involvement, it was involved in an annual struggle to find sponsorship. Yet, it still survives today and remains the former British colony’s oldest professional sports tournament, having started in 1959.
David Ciclitira, chairman of promoter Parallel Media Group, was confident the popular Hong Kong event would continue to thrive in the future. He said in the release:
“All our secondary sponsors are committed to continuing with the tournament and preliminary discussions have started with potential new title sponsors. We are confident that with more than 15 support sponsors currently involved the tournament will grow in the forthcoming years.â€
Yang flies flag for Korea at Honda Classic
Yang Yong-eun became only the second Korean to win on the US PGA Tour when he lifted the Honda Classic, holding on in the final round to score a one-shot victory at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.
Joining compatriot KJ Choi as South Korea’s flag carriers on the global circuit, Yang is most famous for beating Tiger Woods at the HSBC Champions tournament in 2006 in Shanghai.
He proved that he belongs with a world-class crowd by two-putting from 50 feet on the par-five 18th to beat John Rollins to the title.
Although Woods was not in the field, Yang said this victory was more important than the Shanghai one, which helped him get to the 2007 Masters but also coincided with a drop in form. He was quoted by AFP as saying:
“This win is the biggest win of my career. It definitely takes over the HSBC Champions win in 2006. My dream was to play in the Masters. When I got invited, I had actually realised my dream. After that, I think my passion for the game went down a little bit. I took things for granted. After winning today, I realise that there’s a bigger goal out there. I would like to see myself achieve bigger things.â€
Yang shot two-under-par 68 in the final round for his total of nine-under 271, maintaining the one-stroke lead he held overnight. He was fairly comfortable for most of the round but bogeys at the 15th and 17th allowed Rollins to close the gap.
Rollins finished with a three-under-par 67 to just miss out on a play-off.
There was more glory for South Korea on the other side of the world with Shin Ji-yai winning the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament in Singapore.
The 21-year-old overcame a five-stroke overnight deficit to shoot six-under-par 66 and claim a two-shot triumph over Australian Katherin Hull.
It was her fourth victory on the LPGA Tour in and strengthened her status as one of the world’s best female players.
Hull had a four-shot lead at the 13 hole but then collapsed with four dropped shots on the next five holes to allow the fifth-ranked Shin an opening, which she grabbed with both hands as she totalled 11-under-par 277.
Tied for third place at eight-under were Angela Park (68), Paula Creamier (70) and Angela Standford (73).
Meanwhile, India’s Jyoti Randhawa captured his eighth title on the Asian Tour when he won the Thailand Open on the resort island of Phuket.
Randhawa, 36, shot a five-under-par 65 in the final round for a total of 263 and a two-stroke victory over Welshman Rhys Davies, who closed with 67.
Taiwan’s Lu Wei-chih was third, one stroke behind Davies on 266 after his fourth round of 65.
Ruffled RAF teed off over chopper golf sortie
A story out of UK tells of a Royal Air Force probe into why a search and rescue helicopter was used to drop off servicemen for a round of golf.
This instantly reminded me of the long and arduous trek I used to make every fortnight to play golf at the Kau Sai Chau Golf Course in Hong Kong, the territory’s only public course.
I lived nearly at the southern-most point in Hong Kong, near Aberdeen, and the journey involved an hour’s drive to Sai Kung on the north-east coast and then a 20-minute boat journey to the island of Kau Sai Chau.
For Hong Kong, that was a major trek, and how I could have used an RAF helicopter. It would have been especially useful on the way back home because the golf itself was hard work.
The course had more hills than a Welsh countryside and someone once commented that you needed to be a mountain goat to trudge the 18 holes, designed by South African great Gary Player.
An RAF chopper would have been quite appropriate as well because, before the island turned into a golfing facility, the British military used it for bombing practice.
It is quite possible that they might have even had a helicopter identical or similar to the yellow Sea King that landed at Willingcott Valley Golf Course near Woolacombe, Devon to ferry soldiers in and out the golfing island.
According to a PA report, about a dozen passengers were seen disembarking the chopper, which was from a nearby air base. They played nine holes. A Ministry of Defence spokesman was quoted as saying:
“There are strict rules in place regarding use of military aircraft and we are urgently investigating this incident to ensure regulations have been observed. Search and Rescue cover was not compromised in any way while this sortie took place.â€
Els hoping to defend title at home
It wasn’t so long ago that the Big Four in world golf included the Big Easy, Ernie Els. The smooth-swinging South African has fallen off the radar lately but he believes he is now ready for his Big Comeback, in terms of titles.
That could happen on the PGA Tour at this week’s Honda Classic at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Els is the defending champion and the venue is practically his home course owing to the fact that he lives only a commuting distance away. The former British Open champion is now ranked 14th in the world but feels his form is ripe for a return to winning ways. He said on his website:
“My whole game feels very close. I’m happy with my progress and I want to keep working hard and getting better. I’m really looking forward to going back to the PGA National Resort. Every tournament is a bit more special when you’re returning as defending champion. Plus I get to sleep in my own bed, which is always a bonus.â€
Els reached the quarter-finals of the Match Play Championship in Arizona last week after tying for 51st at the Northern Trust Open.
His victory last year ended a four-year title drought and Els certainly doesn’t want to go that long without success again. But he won’t have it his own way with Spain’s world number two Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas, of Colombia and Northern Ireland’s teen sensation Rory McIlroy in the field.
Tiger Woods, who reached the second round in Arizona in his comeback tournament, is not playing this week.
The European Tour takes a break following the Indonesia Open last week, while the LPGA Tour stays in Asia for the HSBC Champions tournament.
Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa won in Thailand last week and will be defending her title in Singapore at the Tanah Merah Country Club.
Ogilvy shows he is a match for anyone
Geoff Ogilvy is often left out when people talk about the current giants of the game. But he still keeps reminding us that he is out there and capable of competing, and beating, the best.
His second Accenture World Match Play title, after he defeated England’s Paul Casey four and three in the final, is proof of that. While the early hype in Arizona surrounded the comeback of Tiger Woods, Ogilvy quietly went about his way.
Woods defeated Brendan Jones and then lost to Tim Clark. Ogilvy was unnoticed as he accounted for Kevin Suntherland and Shingo Katayama.
Once Woods disappeared, the focus turned to Northern Ireland’s rising star Rory McIlroy, who knocked out Woods’ conqueror.
Former US Open champion Ogilvy, meanwhile, overcame Colombian heavyweight Camilo Villegas two and one to set him up for a last eight showdown with McIlroy.
He ended McIroy’s hopes with a two and one win and then disposed of Stewart Cink four and two before his convicing triumph against Casey, who lives near to the Aussie in Arizona.
It was Ogilvy’s second Match Play title and third World Golf Championship victory. In the end, his praise was not for himself but reserved for the vanquished McIlroy. He said in a Telegraph article:
“The whole weekend I played fantastic. I had to play that well to beat Rory who’s going to be one of the very best in the world.â€
It was left to his final opponent Casey to succinctly give the Australian his due. Casey, who watched world number four Ogilvy play the 33 holes of the final in 12 under with one eagle and 10 birdies, said:
“I threw him a lot and he didn’t flinch. Very impressive.â€
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Indonesia, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee set a record for most wins on the Asian Tour after he triumphed at the Indonesian Open in the resort city of Bali.
Thongchai won his 11th title on the Asian Tour and at the same time collected his first European Tour victory in four years. The tournament is co-sanctioned by both tours.
The world’s 88th-ranked player shot a final round of three-under-par 69 for a total of 12-under 276, which gave him a two-stroke victory over England’s Simon Dyson and Steve Webster and Sweden’s Alexander Noren.
Dyson closed with 69 while Webster finished with 68 and Noren had to settle for 70 as they failed to catch the overnight leader, who was an army paratrooper before he took up golf.
Thongchai’s $207,742 winner’s cheque takes him to second place on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, behind American Anthony Kang, who won the Malaysian Open.
Not far from Bali, in Thongchai’s home country, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa made her debut for 2009 and promptly emerged as champion.
Ochoa, the world’s number one player won the LPGA Thailand tournament at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya.
She closed with a 66 for a total of 14-under-par 274 for a three-stroke victory over Park Hee-young and the 25th Tour title of her career.
Paula Creamer, the joint leader with Ochoa after the second round, finished on 73 to finish third on 10 under, four strokes behind the winner.
Commercial Breakdown
The WGC Accenture Matchplay is being played this week and justifiably it is receiving a lot of air time on the Golf Channel here in the United States. This abundance of TV golf may appear to be a god send for the average golf fan, but in reality so much TV golf can be a double-edged sword.
The reason I say this is because plenty of time in front of the box watching the best in the world go at it on the greens also means putting up with an extraordinary amount of bad commercials. And you don’t have to be a regular watcher of TV golf to know how painful that can be.
It seems you can’t sit through a commercial break on the Golf Channel these days without being bombarded with commercials plugging financial companies (new advice: bury your money in the backyard) and erectile dysfunction pills. But scattered amongst these below average plugs there are some real gems of commercials, you just might have to sit there a while to find them.
Ping have a collection of ads right now that are very humorous with not a star golfer in sight. The basic premise of these ads sees a regular club golf become oblivious to their lack of ability because they are wielding one of Pings’ new drivers or putters. The best of this lot sees average Joe club player smacking a drive down the middle of the fairway, his playing partner offering an obligatory, “Good shotâ€. The player then goes into a rant about how well he is playing with his new Ping driver and is thus thinking about turning pro, getting is card and playing in all the majors. His partner, trying to add a dash of reality, asks what he is going to do about his job, his 401K, his kids’ college tuition etc. Average Joe replies deadpan, “Exactly. One good year and that’s all taken care of.†The voice over then comes on abruptly and implores Average Joe to not give up his day job. “Those guys will eat your lunch.†he says.
This commercial is great for a couple of reasons. The delivery of both actors is sensational for one, but it’s the small details of the ad that make it truly excellent. Average Joe is dressed head-to-toe in black for one, sporting a Ping baseball cap and mock turtleneck. In contrast, his partner has on a nondescript polo shirt and kakis with no cap. But the icing on the cake is the partners’ moustache. It is a solid handlebar, worn without a hint of irony, both serious and hilarious at the same time. It is a gem of a commercial, funny on all levels while still pushing the product.
Nike has long been the standard bearer for great golf commercials and with the greatest player in the game as their muse, it’s hard for them not to be. Who could forget Tiger juggling a ball on his club for 30 seconds, moving it around his body and between his legs before smashing it baseball-style down the driving range a good 200 yards away?
And Tiger has many great commercials in his back catalogue, both for Nike and his other companies. Tiger moonlighting as Carl from Caddyshack for American Express is one of his better ones. While his acting chops might not earn him a SAG award, he does a pretty good Bill Murray impression and the set design is a dead on in spoofing the greatest golf movie of all time. Even Tigers’ outtakes are good. A quick youtube search will also show a Buick ad with an over enthusiastic fan running onto the practice range, loading his arms with Tiger’s range balls and golf bag and making a break for it. In the commercial Tiger was supposed to simply yell at his assailant as he runs away, but Tiger instead improvises the scene, chases the fan down and crash tackles him bag and all. The commercial has become a viral hit with over 2 million hits on youtube.
But the best of Tiger’s current commercials captures the feeling surrounding his comeback perfectly. It’s a Nike ad depicting Nike’s other poster boys, Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink, Anthony Kim and Trevor Immelman living it up on the tour in Tiger’s absence. They smile as they dominate the tour, going from stop to stop, grabbing headlines and collecting trophies along the way. The four of them are hanging around the locker room, laughing hysterically at their good fortune when the great man himself walks in the room for the first time. Their smiles quickly turn to serious frowns. The message is simple- the party’s over. He’s back.
This is one of my current favorites but I’m sure you have a few of your own. It surely must be difficult to make a commercial that is both funny and informative, especially in a game like golf that can be so serious at times. I, for one, am just going to have to accept that there are going to be many more boring commercials than there are good ones. As long as Tiger is around, there will be something worth watching between the action. Let’s just hope he doesn’t start plugging Cialis any time soon.
Harmon keen to produce world-class Arab golfers
They have one of the richest tournaments in the world, they have one of the fastest growing golf industries around … now they want to produce the world’s best players.
United Arab Emirates is home to the Dubai World Championship, a US$20 million tournament that acts as the grand finale for the European Tour.
Dubai is leading the way in terms of golf tourism and course development. The Emirate has also established the Butch Harmon School of Golf, run by the former coach of world number one Tiger Woods.
You would be hard pressed to find a world-class Arab golfer but Harmon believes UAE has the ability to churn out quality players in the future, with his Dubai Sports City school at the forefront.
He said this can be achieved by focusing youth development on physical conditioning and hand-eye coordination along with, of course, working on their swing. He said in a media release:
“Golf is an athletic sport and it requires tremendous flexibility and strength to be played well. We believe young Emiratis will have a natural facility for golf because they have demonstrated similar athletic skills in more traditionally Emirati sports, such as sailing and horsemanship.â€
While Butch will have overall control, the day-to-day running of the school is the responsibility of his son, Claude Harmon III, who is the Director of Instruction.
The school is right next to The Els Club golf course, inspired by South Africa’s top player Ernie Els.
Dubai is hoping that golf tourism can help to soften the blow of the global financial downturn, which is hitting the city hard.
Over the past 10 years, they have invested heavily in the greening of the desert with golf courses aimed at American and European tourists, though they face plenty of competition from rival Gulf countries such as Oman and Qatar.
Tiger Shows Rust, as Well as Flashes of Brilliance in Victory
The eight month wait is over. The world’s number one player made his return to professional golf this afternoon at the Accenture Match Play Championships in Tucson, Arizona. Tiger Woods defeated the Australian Brendan Jones 3&2 in the first round, and will face South African Tim Clark on Thursday.
If Tiger was nervous at all for his 2009 debut, he certainly didn’t show it. Woods stormed out of the gate with an impressive birdie on the first hole. Then he answered any lingering doubts about the strength of his surgically repaired left knee when he UNLEASHED on a driver off the 2nd tee. When the dust settled, Woods’ ball rested in the fairway, 330 yards from the tee box. He followed that up by hitting a sky high 3 iron from 238 yards, which came to rest 3 feet from the hole. A conceded eagle putt later, Woods was two up, and three under par through two holes. Welcome back.
For all intent and purposes, the match was over after that display. Unfortunately for Brendan Jones, the moment was much bigger than he was today. Jones struggled throughout, and did not pose a serious threat to Woods all day. I found myself feeling sorry for Jones who was unlucky number 64 for this event. It almost reminded me of how I felt for Peter McNeeley. McNeeley was the punching bag that was hand selected to face Mike Tyson in his comeback fight. The fight was all about Tyson. McNeeley was just a side story, an obstacle before the post fight press conference. It kind of appeared that way with Brendan Jones, who looked nervous from his first swing.
Then again, why shouldn’t have all of the focus been on Tiger? He is the the best player in the world, as well as the world’s most recognizable athlete. Woods dazzled in the onset, but had his share of struggles as well. Woods followed up his awesome start with three bogeys on his front nine. The majority of the miscues were from mental mistakes (which could be attributed to Woods’ lack of course knowledge, having never seen the course until this week) or the result of the occasional loose swing. Coming into the event, Tiger had said that his short game had “never been better”. Typically when a player has a long layoff, the short game is the last aspect you get back. With Woods being unable to swing a golf club for such a long period of time, he kept his sanity by grinding on the practice green. That hard work was on display today, as Woods was solid on, and around the green, displaying a nice touch on a several occasions.
Woods may have won easily today, but he will have to play more consistently if he is going to advance against stiffer competition in the later rounds. Even though he hasn’t played in eight months, he is still the best player in the world, and someone is going to have to beat him to stop him from claiming his 4th Accenture Match Play title. No one is really sure what to expect from Tiger this week, but no one would be surprised if he is the last one standing on Sunday.
Two-legged Tiger brings hope to TV executives
If Tiger Woods is to be believed, many of the 14 majors he has won in his career was achieved with just one leg.
Now, with both legs to stand on, Woods believes he is stronger than ever. The world number one returns to competitive golf after eight months out at this week’s Accenture Match Play event – probably one of the sporting world’s most anticipated comebacks.
After winning the US Open in June, Woods underwent surgery on his knee ligaments, know as ACL. This is a major operation that many top athletes have undergone, few of whom return to action with 100 per cent of their previous abilities.
Woods, though, feels different, saying it is actually an addition to his armoury. A CNN report quoted him as saying:
“I feel a lot stronger in my left leg. Both legs have been stronger than they ever have been. Stability is something I haven’t had in years. So it’s nice to make a swing and not have my bones move. Since I had a lack of ACL for a number of years, no matter what I did, it was always moving. So I would try and hit into my left side, but the more I did it, the more it would move, hence one of the reasons why you saw me jumping off the ball. It’s nice to be able to hit into it for the first time.â€
Woods is the defending champion in this tournament in Arizona, and takes on Australian Brendan Jones in the first round.
His return to the limelight is like a US government stimulus package for a faltering economy, with golf likely to benefit more from Woods than anything Congress could approve.
Television executives are already licking their lips at what they expect to be a rise in golf viewership, which declined after Tiger started his break eight months ago.
NBC has said it would cover the weekend of the tournament, even though Woods has only reached the final rounds four times out of nine. Tommy Roy, golf producer at NBC, said his return is more than a mere golf story. He said in an AP report:
“This has gone from being a golf tournament to a news event. There’s a lot of people who aren’t going to be able to watch his play on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, if he makes it that far. There’s a definite buzz about golf and about this event that we know will carry over to the weekend.â€
Playing in Inclement Weather
We’ve all been there. You have a great round going, you are feeling it…then the clouds get dark and the skies open up. You go from stringing pars and birdies together, to barely being able to hang on to the club. The temperature drops in the blink of an eye, and before you know it, you are cold, playing poorly, and completely out of it. There really is nothing worse than having a great morning or afternoon ruined by poor weather. But, since you likely do not play on the PGA Tour, you will actually have to play through some bad stuff over the course of a season.
The bottom line is that no one is on top of their game during a stretch of poor weather. The key is to let it have as minimal an effect on you as possible. Because, even a 15 minute stretch of rain can ruin a round of golf, if you are not prepared to handle it, mentally and physically.
Half the battle with the elements is a mental one. In my competitive days I much preferred playing in terrible weather when I knew I was going to have to. Seeing an awful forecast for a big round of golf didn’t really phase me much. I would go into the round with the mindset that ‘it’s going to be a grind’ and ‘everyone else has to play in the same weather that I do’. This was always much better than having a beautiful day unexpectedly ruined by a downpour. But, when it does rain, you can’t let it bother you or get into your head. You will likely get frustrated, but half the battle is keeping your composure and playing through it.
If mentally preparing yourself is half the battle, the other half is preparing yourself physically. It is essential that you bring proper attire for whatever might come your way. My philosophy with rain gear has always been “light and tight”. Too much clothing will hold you back and make swinging the club difficult. Avoid sweatshirts, sweaters, and anything with cotton. Cotton will only soak up water and make your task even more difficult. It’s best to wear a tight top made from either spandex or polyester. I usually wear a GORE-TEX rain vest or jacket depending on the temperature and amount of precipitation. GORE-TEX rain pants are an absolute must for me too. They keep the entire bottom half of my body dry, I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Lastly, and most importantly, your hands. The only part of you that is actually attached to the golf club. If you can’t hold on to the club comfortably and confidently, you are done. You need to find yourself a really good pair of rain gloves, or an alternative. I personally have never found a pair of rain gloves that I like or can rely on. I tend to grip the club tighter than most players, so when the rain comes, I go with my bare hands. Everyone has habits or rituals they go to when the weather turns. Find a combination that works for you, and rely on it. Keeping your head focused on your game as opposed to the elements is all that you can hope for while playing inclement weather. The rest is out of your hands.
