Golf writers honour Harrington, Ochoa and Haas
The awards keep flowing for Ireland’s Padraig Harrington. The reigning British Open and PGA Championship champion has added to his vast 2008 honours list after being named Player of the Year for men by the Golf Writers Association of America.
Harrington has already won the prestigious PGA Tour Player of the Year Award as well as the European Tour’s Shot of the Year.
His newest award certainly ranks among the most prestigious and most respected of honours because it is given by those who are among the fiercest critics of golfers – the media.
He also ended world number one Tiger Woods’ three-year winning streak, garning 184 votes to 58 for Woods. Fijian Vijay Singh collected three votes.
Harrington has had a stellar year by successfully defending his Open title and then battling injury to win at the PGA Championship.
The 37-year-old became the first European to win two straight majors in the same season and fifth golfer in the past 20 years to double up in majors over a calendar year.
Woods, who won the US Open in an epic 19-hole play-off, was unable to play in the final two majors of the year but there is no denying that Harrington fully deserves his latest accolade: Tiger, or no Tiger.
Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa was voted women’s Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association, thanks to her seven victories in this year’s LPGA Tour and a second major title at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
She has taken over as the successor to Sweden’s newly retired Annika Sorenstam. Ochoa has held on to her world number one ranking and led the tour’s money list with more than $2.7 million in prize money.
She collected 232 votes to easily beat second-placed Paula Creamer, who gained 13 votes. In third place was Taiwan’s Tseng Yani, who received three votes.
Jay Haas took the honours in the senior category to become the first player to win three straight awards.
Haas won twice on the Senior PGA Tour this season, including the Senior PGA Championship. He finished second on the money list behind Bernhard Langer.
His victory was closer than for the other categories as he earned 115 votes to Langer’s 79. Eduardo Romero was third on 50 votes.
Tearful Sorenstams ends career with birdie
Even for an ice-cool Swede, the significance of a birdie-putt was too much and the emotion poured forth.
Annika Sorenstam has made thousands of birdies in her life, some to win major championships. But this one was different because this was the final birdie of her professional career.
Sorenstam birdied the 18th in her final round of 71, which enabled her to finish seventh at the Dubai Ladies Masters. Anja Monke won the tournament by three strokes but few would have noticed as the banner read “Dubai salutes Annika Sorenstamâ€.
After 10 major titles and 90 pro victories around the world, Sorenstam has called it a day, fulfilling her announcement earlier this year that she is walking away from the LPGA to pursue a normal life.
But there was no gut-wrenching at missing out on a 91st global title for the 38-year-old, having been in contention after the third round. She finished with a six-under total of 282. As she said in a Reuters story, there was only tears and peace.
“I felt at peace walking up the 18th hole. I really felt very content. I saw some players standing behind the 18th green; that gave me a tear. I saw my parents and my family and that gave me a tear. Life goes on. I am very happy about my decision to move on. I feel very happy and at the same time if you think about 15 years and all of the things that I have achieved, it’s sad.â€
Sorenstam turned pro in 1994, making an immediate impact by being voted Rookie of the Year thanks to her three top-10 finishes including a tie for second at the Women’s British Open.
She started her trophy collection in 1995 by winning the US Open, making her one of the rare golfers to make the Open as her maiden title. She won two more titles to win Player of the Year honours.
She continued to pile up the titles, finishing the 90s with 18 victories – which was more than any other player on the LPGA Tour. By then she had established herself as the Tiger Woods of women’s golf.
The best year of her career was in 2002 when she won 11 tournaments. This came one year after his collected eight titles on the circuit.
She had a difficult 2007 in which injuries meant she could only play in 13 events. It also marked the year Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa unseated Sorenstam at the top of the women’s rankings.
However, the Swede was determined to end her career on a strong note and, in 2008, she bounced back with three titles. But in the middle of the season, she announced that this would be her final year.
She did, though, hint that a comeback would always be possible. Whatever happens, her tearful final putt in Dubai closed the chapter on one of the greatest eras in the history of women’s golf.
Europe in mood to retain Royal Trophy
The European team led by Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal is confident of continuing their domination over their Asian rivals when they clash in the Royal Trophy in Bangkok next month.
The annual Ryder Cup-style shootout between the two continents will feature a strong European squad, with Olazabal recently adding former British Open winner Paul Lawrie and Denmark’s Soren Hansen into the squad for the January 9-11 tussle in the Thai capital.
Olazabal is taking over the captaincy from compatriot Seve Ballesteros, who is recovering from surgery to remove a tumour in his brain. He said in a Reuters article:
“We will be competing to defend European golf history, and we do not take it lightly. We are bringing to Thailand a fantastic European team heavy on team match-play experience and sharp on the production of highly efficient and precise golf. Make no mistake about it – Europe is coming to Bangkok to win.â€
Asia is likely to include Thai players Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng as well as Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa and South Korean star SK Ho.
Lawrie and Hansen will join England’s Oliver Wilson and Ireland’s Paul McGinley in the European squad with four more players to be named.
This is only the third Royal Trophy with the European Tour players winning both previous editions held at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok.
It is named the Royal Trophy because of the trophy donated by his majesty the King of Thailand. Apart from providing fans with great golfing entertaining, it has helped to enhance the popularity of the sport in Asia. As Ballesteros says the official website:
“The Royal Trophy is becoming the greatest force for the further development of golf in Asia, in the same manner that the Ryder Cup played such a role for the European Continent in the 1980s and 1990s.â€
Asian number one Jeev Singh hoping for rousing end to season
One of Asia’s best golfing products, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, has opted out of the South African Open to ensure that he winds up his excellent season at the place where it all started.
Jeev, the defending champion, has decided to compete in the Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, having already clinched the Asian Tour Order of Merit title for the second time with more than $1.4 million in winnings.
The highlight of the season was his play-off victory at the Singapore Open in November when he held off the challenges of golfing heavyweights Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson to snare the title.
He is also coming off a victory in the JT Cup in Japan, which has helped him move up to number 36 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
It was a particularly difficult tournament for Jeev because his wife had delivered their first child stillborn while in Japan. The golfer was about to withdraw from the tournament but his wife insisted that he play. He said in the Asian Tour website:
“I will dedicate this win to my wife. She is healthy now and better things are on the way. I am going to be there for the Volvo Masters of Asia. I will miss the South African Open, which is my sponsor’s event, but I want to be in Thailand to play the tournament and pick up the Order of Merit award at the gala dinner on the Sunday night.â€
Jeev, who celebrates his 37th birthday next week, has turned in some excellent performances this season.
Apart from winning the Sega Sammy Cup in Japan and the Bank Austria Open, he finished 25th at the US Masters in August and was ninth at the PGA Championship, where he was the first-round leader.
He has always considered Asia his home and has grown with the Asian Tour. Playing in the season-ending finale in Asia is a fitting way for him to end the season.
Wie earns her LPGA Tour card
It is never too late to start fulfilling your potential, and that is what Michelle Wie is doing. Still only 19, Wie claimed her place in next year’s LPGA Tour after securing a top-20 finish at the Qualifying School in Daytona Beach, Florida.
After years of hype, missed cuts on the men’s tours, big sponsorship deals and wrist injuries, Wie took the simple route to life as a professional.
She finished with a round of two-over-par 74 for a five-day total of 12-under 348 and a share of seventh place.
With former world number one Annika Sorenstam retiring from pro golf, Wie could end up as the new drawcard on the women’s tour, though she would have learned form her past lessons and tread wearily on her expectations.
It could be the re-birth of Wie, who burst on to the scene as a 14-year-old. As she said after her round in an AFP article, she doesn’t want a free lunch She said:
“I wanted to earn this. It’s really a gratifying moment right now. To go through the first stage, to go through the second stage, and finishing – it’s nice. It’s weird because when I was in rehab and trying to get the wrist better, I was just telling myself I want to get back to where I was. It’s impossible. You will never be who you were when you were 14 or 15, that’s sad if you are. You move forward. I’m a completely different person now.â€
While Wie provided a fresh face to the women’s pro tour, a handful of veterans from the men’s side revived their careers when they emerged through Q-School for the US PGA Tour next season.
Among them were former PGA Tour winners Notah Begay III, a former Stanford teammate of Tiger Woods, John Huston, Glen Day, Ted Purdy, Jay Williamson and Chis Riley.
But the star of the Q-School at La Quinta, California was Harrison Frazar, who scored a 59 on his way to a 32-under-par 400. He is also a former tour player, having played 300 events without winning.
Derek Fathauer, who played all four rounds at the US Open this year as an amateur, and James Nitties tied for second.
The re-emergence of Begay is a personal triumph for the golfer of Native American heritage. He has won four times on the tour but has struggled with personal problems.
He said after qualifying that he would often speak to Tiger and used the world number one as an inspiration to help him secure a place among the 28 golfers who earned their 2009 card.
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Harrington wins European Shot of the Year prize
His ball laying 249 yards from the hole, the imposing thought of Greg Norman lurking two strokes behind him prompted Irish Padraig Harrington to take out his five-wood earlier this year at the British Open.
Little did he know at the time that the incredible shot that saw the ball land just three feet from Royal Birkdale’s 17th-hole flag would win him The European Tour Shot of the Year prize for 2008.
Harrington converted the eagle-putt for a final round of 69 and a four-round total of 283, which gave the 37-year-old his second straight Open triumph.
In a dominant year for Harrington, he also won the US PGA Championship. The Dubliner described on the European Tour website exactly what was going through his mind when he made the decision to go for the green instead of laying up. He said:
“I was worried if I laid up and made par, I was giving Greg a great chance to get within one shot of me, and one shot is not comfortable in any shape or form going down the 18th. Once I hit it, it was perfect. It’s one of the few times I think I’ve ever heard my caddie say good shot to me before the ball is finished.â€
Harrington admitted he would have been happy simply to have the ball land on the green. The fact that it was only three feet from the hole was a major bonus.
That was not his only prize in the Tour shot awards. Harrington also took third place for a tee shot to eight feet that helped him to a birdie-two on the second-last hole of the US PGA Championship.
The runner-up was Graeme McDowell, for his seven iron at the third hole of a play-off with India’s Jeev Milkha Singh at the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.
More money and events in Asia despite financial woes
Despite no end in sight to the global economic downturn, golf officials maintain that their lot is safe.
Not so long ago the PGA Tour announced a new schedule that appears to make it impervious to the credit crunch. That was before General Motors, which sponsors two tournaments in America, said it was ending its US$7 million a year deal with world number one Tiger Woods.
Still, despite golf being depending on companies just like GM, confidence is high. Even the Asian Tour believes it can withstand the negative effects of potential sponsors looking to trim their expenses, if not pulling out all together.
Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han said in an AFP article that he doesn’t expect sponsors to start running away from the regional tour. In fact, he said the tour will expand to 33 tournaments in 2009, compared to 22 this year, with US$42 million in prize money. He said:
“I’m having problems getting dates for tournaments. So I think we’re still giving some value for money in our events, even from the banks. So even the banks have shown no signs of wanting to back down, not to the promoters and not to me.â€
Next year’s Asian Tour will feature three new tournaments, two in Thailand and a first-ever Asian Tour event in Europe – the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
Asia will also host several events co-sanctioned by the European Tour, which is also launching its Race to Dubai that is worth US$20 million.
Asian golfers will go to 11 countries next season including major markets such as China, India and Indonesia, all of whom seem to be putting more money into such events.
Whether Asia stays immune over the next 12 months remains to be seen. But if the region’s golfers share Han’s optimism, then Asia is ready for a bumper year on the tour.
Karlsson and Stenson win World Cup for Sweden
Swedish pair Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson staged a fighting comeback to lift the Omega Mission Hills World Cup at the Mission Hills club in Shenzhen, southern China.
The duo were lying four shots off the pace after the third round behind leaders Spain and Australia. But their dazzling score of nine-under-par 63 on the final day enabled them to overhaul their rivals for a stunning three-stroke victory.
The Swedes totalled 261 for the four rounds. The Spanish pair of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal combined for 70 to total 264 while the Aussies drifted away with a 76 to finish nine off the pace on 270.
They were tied with Japan’s Ryuji Imada and Toru Taniguchi, who turned in a fourth-round score of 68.
Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka were fifth on 272 after their 73, one stroke ahead of the English pair of Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.
Karlsson had a great season on the European Tour, topping the money list to go with his two titles. Stenson, though, was still looking for his first victory of the year before claiming the World Cup with his compatriot. He said in an AP article:
“I thought it was our turn today. I’m starting to run out of tournaments. This is my third last. So I’ve got two more to go in South Africa. But winning for Sweden is nice. It’s been a while.â€
Defending champions Scotland, with Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth, finished in tied 19th with Italy after their total of 281. The pair completed the final round in 72.
Karlson and Stenson scored five birdies on the front nine of the final round that laid the foundation for their victory.
They even had birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 15 as they ended up 23 under for the tournament.
The format of the tournament called for foursomes, where each golfer plays the same ball alternately, on Friday and Sunday. Thursday and Saturday are reserved for fourball, or best ball, where each golfer plays his own ball with the best score on each hole counting.
The Swedes shared US$1.7 million first prize as the tournament completed the second year of a 12-year contract with China’s Mission Hills, the world’s largest golf layout with 216 holes designed by some of the biggest names in the sport.
In Singapore, the International Team defeated Team Asia 12 and a half to 11 and a half in the 2008 Lexus Cup after Christina Kim two-putted from 20 feet on the 18th hole to halve her match and claim the winning margin.
Led by retiring Swedish star Annika Sorenstam, the International golfers claimed six and a half points in singles, which is what they needed to earn the victory. Sorenstam led the way with her three and two win over Team Asia captain Pak Se-ri.
Woods’ GM deal runs out of gas
General Motors was one of three auto giants who failed in their attempts to receive a US government bailout to help them through these uncertain economic times.
Clearly, something had to give. And that was the company’s multi-million dollar deal with the world’s top golf player, Tiger Woods.
Earlier this week, GM decided to end their deal with Woods, who has been faithfully displaying the Buick logo on his golf back for the past nine years.
The deal was reportedly worth US$7 million a year and the fact that GM pulled the plug one year before Woods’ contract expire probably indicates just how hard times are for ailing carmaker. In an AP story, GM official Larry Peck virtually said as much.
“Timing is everything. We’ve had such a great partnership with Tiger. It’s hard for us to walk away from that. But this frees up time for him. And it sure frees up a lot of money for us.â€
While Woods had benefited financially, GM also got much out of the deal. According to Peck, when the company launched the Enclave SUV model some years back, close to 80 per cent of those who bought the car did not previously own a Buick. Tiger is credited with increasing the number of converts to the car.
The company still plans to continue sponsoring two PGA Tour events – the Buick Invitational, which Woods has won six times, and the Buick Open, where Woods is a two-time winner.
As for Woods golf bag, it is unlikely to be without some sort of corporate logo for very long. Woods has been out injured since winning the US Open in June and is expected to return early next year.
Taiwanese beats McIlory in Hong Kong play-off
Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang rose above the big names of European golf to win the Hong Kong Open after a play-off win over Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Italian Franceso Molinari.
Lin shot a final round of 67 at the Hong Kong Golf Club to total 265, the same as McIlroy and Molinari, both of whom closed with 65s.
After missing a four-foot putt on the 18th that would have given him the title in regulation, Lin made no mistake with a tap-in birdie on the second play-off hole to deny McIlroy the title.
In the first play-off hole, McIlroy and Lin birdied the hole with the Taiwanese producing a great escape with his second shot after hitting a wayward drive. Lin said on the Asian Tour website:
“It cannot be described how I feel. All I can do is use my smile to say thank you to you all. I’ve always said that the trophy goes to the most well-prepared player, and I’m very well prepared this week. I really have been wanting to win. I think good preparation is the basis of success.â€
Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol and Pablo Larrazabal, of Spain, tied for fourth place on 267, two strokes behind the leading trio.
They were followed on 268 by Germany’s Bernhard Langer, England’s Oliver Wilson, Australian David Gleeson, South African Richard Sterne and Iain Steel, of Malaysia.
England’s Oliver Fisher and Indian Jeev Milkha Singh was among four golfers on 269, the others being Northern Ireland’s Graeme Mcdowell and Filipino Angelo Que.
Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie and China’s Liang Wen-chong were tied on 270.
Lin has had a solid season in 2008, winning the Asian Tour International in March and a third place in the BMW Asian Open in April, along with two runner-up positions.
He takes home US$416,660 for his victory after becoming the first Asian in a decade to win in Hong Kong. The tournament is jointly sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam failed to make the cut in her final appearance on the LPGA Tour at the ADT Championship.
The tournament was won by South Korean Shin Ji-ya, who became the first non-LPGA member in history to win three LPGA Tour events.
The 20-year-old Shin scored a final round of two-under-par 70. The tournament was played using the LPGA play-off format, where players are eliminated after two rounds, and then again after the third round.
Sorenstam, who has won 72 times on the Tour, was unable to be one of the 16 players who progressed after the first cut on Friday.
Sorenstam prepares for LPGA Tour farewell
A majestic era in the history of women’s golf will come to a close at the end of the week when Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam completes her final LPGA Tour tournament.
Sorenstam, who has dominated women’s golf over the past 10 years, is to make her farewell appearance on the Tour at the ADT Championship in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The 37-year-old will still be playing two more events before the year is up, the Lexus Cup in Singapore and December’s Dubai Ladies Masters. But as far as her bread and butter days on the LPGA Tour goes, that would be it.
Sorenstam turned pro in 1994 and has since racked up 10 major victories and consistently finished on top of the world rankings.
She had to curtail her appearances in 2007 because of injury and, earlier this year, announced that she would be retiring from professional golf.
The ADT Championship has special meaning for Sorenstam because she won it four times. As she said in a Reuters article, she cannot predict her emotions when she signs her card for the last time.
“I’m not really sure how I’ll feel or what the emotions will be. It’s been very different since I announced my stepping away. I’ve not played as well and I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been busy getting involved with tournaments, saying goodbye and engaging with fans and sponsors or unconsciously knowing I’ve made the decision and I’m having a hard time focusing.â€
Sorenstam, who won three times this season, said she wants to start a family and embark on business plans such as a golf academy in Florida, course design and charities.
Singapore Singh – Jeev holds off Harrington and Els
Indian Jeev Milkha Singh emerged from a stellar field that included Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els to win the $5 million Singapore Open at Sentosa Island over the weekend.
The son of a former Olympic runner shot a final round of two-under-par 69 for a total of seven-under 277 and a one-stroke victory over Irishman Harrington and South African Els.
Harrington, who has won the British Open and PGA Championship this season, closed with a 70 for his 278 while Els completed a 71 on the last day.
Australian David Gleeson and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy tied for fourth on 279, one ahead of Korean Charlie Wi.
Then came Dane Thomas Bjorn and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, on 281, with Mickelson following them on 282 after his closing round of 75.
Jeev is a product of the Asian Tour and has since successfully adapted to the European Tour, winning several high-profile events.
His victory in Singapore was worth $792,500 and should be enough to ensure that he ends the season on top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He said on the Asian Tour website:
“I could not have asked for more honestly – I think I am a very fortunate man to win, those boys put a good effort out there, Ernie and Padraig. The golfing gods are on my side so I am breathing much better now.â€
Jeev started the final round five strokes adrift of the leader but charged up the leaderboard and hung on despite two late bogeys.
Three-time major winner Harrington missed a five-foot birdie chance on 18 that would have forced a play-off.
Els did the same thing on the 18th, except from 15 feet as he settled for his second runner-up effort in this tournament.
On the LPGA Tour, soon-to-retire Annika Sorenstam lipped out with an eight-foot birdie attempt on the 18th, allowing Angela Stanford to win the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Playing in her penultimate event before retiring from the pro scene, multi-major winner Sorenstam totalled 12-under-par 276 after her round with Stanford shooting three-under 69 to finish on 275 and earn a one-stroke victory.
Sorenstam tied for second with Brittany Lang while tournament host Ochoa, the world number one, settled for 14th place at four-under.
Golf leaders go before IOC for Olympic bid
The saga of golf and the Olympics continues in what could be the most important week for sports wanting to be part of the 2016 Games.
Golf will be vying with six other sports for inclusion in the Olympics with representatives from each code set to make their pitches on Friday to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
PGA Tour communications chief Ty Vatow and Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club will be golf’s representatives.
They will have 50 minutes to make their presentation and will go second, after baseball, which was dropped from the 2012 roster.
According to reports, the pair have put together a slick 30-minute PowerPoint presentation after which they will be available for 20 minutes of questions and answers.
Only two of the seven sports will be accepted and the final decision will not be made until probably October next year.
High on the priority list for IOC executives is that the top names in each of the sports are willing to play in the Olympics.
For golf, summer time, when the Games are normally held, is close to major season, with the US Open and British Open occupying June and July and the US PGA Championship quickly following in August. Vatow, who sought opinions during the Beijing Games earlier this year, was quoted on CBS as saying:
“Clearly the feedback we received in Beijing was mainly about whether the top players would support it and whether the industry speaks with one voice. We feel this (presentation) speaks volumes to that point.â€
Apart from golf and baseball, officials from softball, karate, roller sports, rugby and squash will also make presentations before the 16-member IOC commission. Dawson added:
“I have no doubt that Olympic golf is comfortably the biggest grow-the-game opportunity that exists to help us bring golf to so many countries where it’s just starting up.â€
