Gary Player set to make 50th Masters appearance
South African Gary Player makes history in April when he tees up for his 50th US Masters at Augusta, tying the record set by another legend, Arnold Palmer.
The nine-time Major champion, now 71, is one of the most influential golfers in history and, as accomplished Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson points out in a tribute to Player, he was also a pioneer for international players in a once American-dominated sport.
Player was one of only 11 international golfers when he made his debut at the Masters in 1957. This year, 50 players from outside the United States will compete at Augusta, from such previously unlikely places as Fiji, France and India.
It will also be the first time in the tournament that the Americans are fewer in number than their foreign counterparts. And by the way, Player was also the first international golfer to win at the Masters, in 1961.
I first interviewed Player about 10 years ago, as a sports writer for the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong. He was opening the Kau Sai Chau Golf complex, the former British colony’s first public course carved out of an island previously used as a bombsite by Her Majesty’s forces.
He was a gentleman and true to his humble self, Player took more pleasure from the environmental impact of the golf course than his own contribution. He told a horde of journalists before hitting a symbolic tee-shot into the South China sea:
“There are more birds here now that there ever was before.â€
Ferguson writes about Player’s return two years ago to St Andrews for the British Open. One of golf’s most famous anecdotes is about Player sleeping under a dune during the 1955 Open because he couldn’t afford the hotel rates.
He was quoted as saying:
“I went to that same spot where I had slept. I knelt down and said a prayer. That’s where it all started.â€
And golf fans hope it will never end.
Ramsay on Course for Memorable Masters
Richie Ramsay completed the perfect warm up for his Masters debut by becoming the first ever Scot to win the Georgia Cup at the Golf Club of Georgia yesterday.
Ramsay’s US Amateur victory last year was the first by a Scot since 1898 and helped to propel him to pole position in the first world amateur rankings in January. His latest victory will be seen as a statement of intent before he tees off with defending champion Phil Mickelson at Augusta National.Â
In a scrappy match, fought out on typically treacherous greens, Ramsay contained his occasionally explosive temperament to beat the British Amateur Champion, Julien Guerrier.
After managing to keep the Frenchman in sight over the opening holes Ramsay reigned in his game and the match to dominate the back nine.
Phlegmatic as ever, Ramsay told reporters:
“I was disappointed with my performance but I hung in there and my caddie Jody Keepers was spot on with his numbers all day. In the end, a win’s a win.”
Having chosen to remain amateur this year after securing places in the Masters and British and US Opens, Ramsay will now be hoping that he his appearances with the professionals prove the wisdom of that decision and provide him with experience that most amateurs can only dream of.
Undoubtedly the excitement of the Masters is on a different level to playing in front of the 700 spectators who watched him yesterday.
Ramsay, however, is no stranger to playing – and winning – in America. It is unlikely the occasion will affect him, and confident of his form, he is more than likely to make an immediate impact at Augusta.
LPGA’S First Major of 2007
To me, the golf season doesn’t officially start until the year’s first major. And this year, The Kraft Nabisco Championship edges The Masters on the schedule by seven days – thus putting The LPGA front and center this week. So naturally there are some questions – such as, will Annika continue her dominance in 2007? Can she make one more run at the Grand Slam? Is Lorena Ochoa ready to take over as the world’s best player? Is Karrie Webb ready for a repeat? Will Michelle Wie be missed? Are any of the young Americans ready to win a major?
I think Annika will still have a solid year – probably winning 2-4 times – but her days as the dominant player are over. There has to be a peak with all top athletes and I believe Annika’s peak happened a couple years ago. However, her peak was so much better than any other pro – even on the way down – she is still scary good today. But no – I don’t think Annika will be this year’s best player and I don’t believe she will win the Grand Slam.
If not Annika – then who? My simple answer is Lorena Ochoa. She is the best player on tour right now – hands down. She won last week with a flurry of birdies on the final nine holes and brings a tremendous amount of momentum into the week. Will she win? Can’t say for sure if she will win this week – but it wouldn’t surpise me at all if she won 5-8 times this year. She’s that good!
I for one was happy to see Karrie Webb’s comeback last year. She is a classy lady and one of the all-time greats. I think last year was her answer to those who said she was done playing world class golf. Well, as last year showed – she is not even close to being done. She still has a lot of wins left and I’m sure will be a factor all year.
Michelle Wie has a tremendous record in the LPGA Majors the last few years – with tons of top-five finsishes. However, she is away this week with a wrist injury, which begs the question – will she be missed? Absolutely! She is maybe the greatest talent women’s golf has ever seen and once she gets a handle on her schedule – she will be incredible. And eventually take the LPGA to levels it only dreamed of.
Will Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel or Paula Creamer win a Major this year? Well, Natalie and Morgan still need to win their first tournament – let alone major – but they are surely capable. I suspect Natalie and Morgan will both get their first wins this year and Paula will also win 2-3 times. So yes, they could all win a Major event this year, as they all have big time games. Although if Paula wins – I do hope she does it without her pink golf balls.
Lawrie’s Return Opens Old Wounds
Strange as it may seem the one man who should most relish the Open Championship’s return to Carnoustie this year appears to be increasingly disgruntled by his position in the game.
Paul Lawrie, who so memorably held himself together in the driech Scottish weather back in 1999, is haunted by the idea that his Open victory will be forever undervalued.Â
The last European to win a major said:
“It is difficult for me. I am a major winner but I’ve never had that respect. But the Claret Jug sits in my sitting room and can never be taken away.â€Â
It is hard not to sympathise. A quiet, family man the feeling persists that Lawrie won the Open by “hanging on†as others disintegrated. Even amongst other Europeans – so many of who have lacked the ability to “hang on†– Lawrie appears the outsider, the unfashionable hacker whose Open triumph seems forgotten or ignored.
And, in a world where European major wins are as rare as American Ryder Cup triumphs, that is a shame. Over four days in 1999, when Carnoustie proved the ultimate unpredictability of links play, Lawrie was the man who stood unbowed in the face of one the severest Open tests for years.Â
That feat in itself deserves respect and recognition. That Lawrie is a humble, likeable guy and seemingly devoid of ego should make us cherish his moment of greatness even more. He himself feels that another major would seal his entry to the pantheon of golf.
If that doesn’t happen then he should still be satisfied that he will forever rank alongside Ben Hogan as an Open winner at Carnoustie.
Houston Open offers Masters-style tuneup for Augusta
This week’s Shell Houston Open should provide golfers with the perfect tuneup for the season’s first Major tournament, the US Masters, with organisers purposely setting up the course to mimic Augusta.
The tournament has also been brought forward by a month so it can act as a preparation event for the Masters, which is being held from April 5-8 with Phil Mickelson as defending champion.
Rees Jones, who combined with PGA Tour player David Toms to design the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course, said on pgatour.com.
“I think it’s going to be a very strong setup, and, yes, it’s going to have a lot of the same kinds of shots you’d see at Augusta,”
Just like in Augusta, Houston’s rough is cut to around four centimeters while many parts of the greens are shaved down. Organisers also expect the greens to be faster than in previous years given the earlier date.
Last year’s event was won by Stuart Appleby, who triumphed by a record six shots for his second Houston title.
The big-name golfers at this year’s event include Australian Adam Scott, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal, New Zealand’s Michael Campbell and Englishman David Howell.
England’s Justin Rose has been forced to withdraw after aggravating a back injury. Another notable absentee is Fiji’s Vijay Singh, a winner of three of the past five Houston Opens and who has never missed the cut. Rose and Singh hope to be fighting fit for the Masters, though.
Meanwhile, as the heavyweights gear up for the Masters, four golfers from the Asian Tour have fulfilled their dreams of playing in July’s British Open in Carnoustie.
Australian Adam Groom led the way with rounds of 66 and 69 at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore to win the Open International Final Qualifying tournament on Wednesday.
His 135 total, interrupted on Wednesday by rain, was one stroke better than Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing (70, 66), Scotland’s Ross Bain (72, 64) and another Aussie, David Gleeson (68, 68). All four have booked their tickets to Carnoustie from a field of 73 golfers.
Groom, playing in his second qualifier, was delighted with his achievement, as he said on asiantour.com:
“This is fantastic being able to make it for my first ever major. There is going to be some change in my schedule but I’m definitely looking forward to it.â€
Lam, playing on a familiar course, will also be competing in his first Open, which takes place just one month after he marries fiancé Sophie. Said Lam:
“I will spend my honeymoon with Sophie in South Africa before my trip to Scotland. I can’t wait as it has always been my dream to play in a Major. I hope to bring Sophie and my family along to Scotland. I’ve never been to Scotland.â€
Australia’s Lee Woon-jon (67, 70) and South Korean Park Jun-won (69, 68) missed out on qualification by one stroke, on 137, with Japan’s Sushi Ishigaki (67, 71) finishing on 138.
Asian Hopefuls Eye Ticket To Carnoustie
The year’s first major tournament, the US Masters, may be just around the corner. But for a group of 73 Asian Tour golfers, July’s Open Championship at Carnoustie is uppermost in their minds this week.
The players will battle it out at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club in The Open International Final Qualifying tournament for Asia, with only four places available.
Heading the field are India’s 2005 Asian Tour rookie of the Year Shiv Kapur, looking for his second straight Open appearance, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, a former winner on the European Tour, and veteran Filipino Frankie Minoza.
Kapur, who failed to make the cut last year at Royal Liverpool, is ready to focus on golf once again after watching the Indian cricket team getting knocked out of the ongoing World Cup in the Caribbean.
Kapur, who earned his 2007 European Tour card by finishing 116th last year in the Order of Merit, said on asiantour.com:
“I did not play much golf the past one week as I was just relaxing and watching a lot of cricket. It is always great playing in your first major, especially with the British Open, with all the history that’s attached to it.â€
The Asian qualifiers will be played over two rounds on Sentosa’s Tanjong Course. The 2007 British Open takes place from July 19-22 in Carnoustie with Tiger Woods the defending champion.
The Asian Tour took a short break after last weekend’s Bintan tournament and resumes with the Volvo China Open starting on April 12.
Tiger On Top Of The World In Miami
Having a strong mental approach to golf is one thing. Using that psychological brawn to disarm your opponents, though, is a special gift few athletes possess.
Which is why Tiger Woods is who he is. Woods fired a closing one-over-par 73 to win the World Golf Championships–CA Championship with a two-shot triumph over Brett Wetterich at Miami’s Doral Resort.
Four in front overnight, Woods finished 10 under, 278 for the tournament. Robert Allenby, Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy were tied for third at six under.
It was Woods’ third straight win at Doral and, despite an indifferent final round, he was able to nail putts at the right time to frustrate his rivals. It was only during the final few holes, when Wetterich birdied two of the last five, did anyone try to challenge. By that stage, Woods was practically home free.
“Very pleased,†was Woods’ assessment of his 13th World Golf Championships title in 24 attempts, his final tournament before the Masters in Augusta.
Wetterich said on PGA.com:
“It’s tough. No one really put any pressure on him today,â€
Woods’ mental strength is akin to taking legal steroids. It simply gives him that extra edge over his rivals.
Indeed, Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik can attest to the fair advantage offered by psychological coaching after his maiden victory on the European Tour over the weekend.
Vancsik shot a final round four-under-par 68 for an 18-under 270 total and a seven-stroke victory in the Madeira Islands Open BPI at the Santo da Serra Golf Club.
It was the largest winning margin of 2007 and Vancsik shared credit for his 116,660-euro payday with his personal psychologist and coach.
Vancsik was quoted as saying on Europeantour.com:
“My coach, José Cantero, worked with me a lot on my short game and my psychologist, Paulo Pecora, helped me a lot with my concentration. Before that, anytime I hit a couple of bad shots I would lose my mind completely.â€
South Africa’s David Frost and Spain’s 1995 winner Santiago Luna shared second place on 11-under 277, two strokes ahead of Frenchman Christian Cevaer, Scot Euan Little and Denmark’s Mads Vibe-Hastrup.
While Vancsik, 30, was getting his career off the ground, 47-year-old Australian Peter Fowler was trying to revive his fortunes on the Asian Tour.
The former Australian Open champion nearly pulled it off after finishing second to American Jason Knutzon in the inaugural Motorola International Bintan Open in Indonesia’s resort island of Bintan.
Knutzon scored a final round six-under-par 66 for a 14-under-par total of 274 and a one-stroke victory over Fowler, who closed with 67.
Fowler did little wrong as he tried to end a 14-year title drought but Knutzon’s six birdies were enough for the American to claim his second Asian Tour crown.
Fowler who has no full playing rights on any of the major tours said:
“My focus was to win this tournament. I’ve got no ranking on the Asian Tour, I don’t know when I’m playing next. It was all about winning this week, but 66 got me.”
The One Thing That Can Stop TIGER
As to date, golf fans have seen only greatness from Tiger Woods – one remarkable thing after another. In fact, we have become so used to him pulling off the unthinkable – we never entertain the thought he may actually fail. Simply, he has played an unprecedented ten-year stretch of high caliber golf since winning the 1997 Masters. 55 PGA Tour wins – 12 Majors – countless international victories – it has been incredible. Hands down the best ten-year stretch in the history of golf. Bobby Jones had quite the run in his day, but the strength of today’s fields clearly gives Tiger the nod. So we have seen arguably the greatest player in the history of golf playing better for a longer stretch than anyone before – will it continue?
First things first – I for one am not quite convinced that Tiger has eclipsed Jack Nicklaus as the greatest player ever yet. As much a fan of Tiger that I am – Nicklaus’ run incredible run of Major finishes was downright scary. Check out this link and review Nicklaus finishes in Major events. I think Tiger has to continue to play at a high level for the next 5-10 years to unseat Jack as the all-time greatest. And if he does play at that high level – then yes, he will be considered the best player ever. However, lets not assume it will just happen. There is one thing that could stop him from eclipsing Jack – and it’s not his swing, his wife, his impending family, his charity, his business obligations or the emergence of other players. I believe the one thing that could derail Tiger is his putting. That’s right – his putting. I know, I know – he has made everything since his first U.S. Amateur win. I agree – he has been the BEST putter in the history of the Tour to date. Before this year, he has made every important putt he attempted. I for one cannot remember him missing a putt he needed to make. Yet this year, I am starting to see signs of his putting letting him down slightly. First, he missed the four footer at the Match Play Championship to lose to Nick O’Hern. He also missed a number of shortish putts – with questionable strokes – at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Again, he missed a number of shortish putts at Doral. Now, these missed short putts may mean not mean anything – but I have never seen Tiger miss them before. And lets face it – Tiger has been Tiger because of all the putts he makes. If he had been just an above average putter over the last ten years – his record would look nothing like it does today.
Believe it or not, there has been recent precedent for the best player in the world, who was also the best putter in the world, to lose their stroke. Arnold Palmer was the best player/putter on tour until he lost his stroke. He went from winning multiple majors in his late twenties and early thirties, to being shut out in the Majors after age 34. Coincidentally, it was about that time he lost his putting stroke. Also, Tom Watson was the best player/putter in the world in the late 70’s and early 80’s – winning eight majors before the age of 34. Then, inexplicably he went from being one of the best putters ever, to someone who couldn’t hit the hole from 4 feet. He won only a few times after the age of 34 and stopped being a threat in the Majors. For anyone who watched these guys putt and play in the their prime, it would be unthinkable they could ever miss a putt. However, miss they both did and never again were they consistent factors in Major Tournaments. Of course, not all players lose their putting strokes. Nicklaus is probably the best example of this – who still putted great well into his forties.
So, what pattern will Tiger follow? Will he go the way of Palmer and Watson and start missing short putts? Or, will he continue on the Nicklaus trail and putt well for his entire career? If he does continue to putt like he has – then we are all very fortunate. Fortunate for being alive at a time to watch not only the greatest golfer ever – but the greatest athlete ever.
Charles Howell On His Masters Chances
There are no denying facts – and right now the facts are saying; Charles Howell has been the most consistent player on the 2007 US-PGA Tour. With a lot of soul searching and hard work, Howell has not only gotten back to the promising player he once was, but has taken his game to an entirely new level. This from a guy, who at the height of his desperation last year, left the only golf teacher he had ever known (David Leadbetter) to look for someone – anyone – who could help. He briefly worked with Orlando based instructor Brian Mogg, and actually had his best 2006 finish shortly there after. However, in the off season, Charles went back to Leadbetter and formulated a plan to finally reach his potential.
The gist of the plan was simple – score better! He didn’t necessarily need to swing better – but had to start capitalizing on his prodigious length. He ranked near the bottom of the statistics in getting the ball close from 100-150 yards. Also, his putting and up and down rankings were nowhere near the top rung of tour players. So, a few months of working almost exclusively on a knock down technique for short irons, as well as chipping, pitching, bunkers and putting has suddenly turned Charles Howell into America’s best player under 30 years old. Could it be Green Jacket time this Augusta native? Read what Charles has to say about his chances in 2007.
Masters Extra – Masters.org Offers One Additional Hour Of Live Action
With the Masters just around the corner, I suggest you head over to Masters.org in order get all the latest news including the current field.
As a visitor to Masters.org you will be able to see additional live action beginning Thursday, April 5. You will be able to view one hour of play-by-play action daily, exclusively on-line prior to the cable and network broadcast.
Also visit the official site for
Finally remember to receive periodic tournament updates in the form of the ePatron newsletter by submitting your email on the homepage.
Golf Writer Ian Wooldridge Dies At The Age Of 75
Sadly the great British sports journalist Ian Wooldridge OBE has died at the age of 75, after a long illness.
Though this blog is my vehicle to discuss golf related topics I feel it only appropriate to say a few words about a writer that transcended his specialist subjects of cricket and golf and wrote so eloquently about all sports.
Writing for the Daily Mail for over half a century, Ian Wooldridge was always a joy to read. In his time he covered 10 Olympics and won countless British newspaper awards.
For the record I will miss turning to the back pages, or in more recent times logging on, to see what this great writer had to say about the current sporting debate. I found myself reading about sports I would never have shown any interest in if it were not for his skill of touching on the human element of sport.
From the world of golf Colin Montgomerie paid this tribute:
“We have lost one of the real legends of sports journalism. He was damn good fun to be around.”
I recommend you read this great tribute by Jeff Powell in today’s Daily Mail and this portfolio of images featuring Wooldridge with some of the biggest names in sport.
He never retired and continued to write his regular Saturday column, often I learn from his hospital bed. I love the image Powell conjures up by saying:
“during the Ashes series in Australia, he defied exhaustion to watch through the night, snorting in exasperation and fortified by snorts of whisky”
He is survived by three sons from his first marriage to Verona, namely Kevin, Max and Simon.
Lastly my condolences go to Sarah his second wife, who I briefly knew while I worked at Mark McCormack’s IMG in Chiswick, London.
Sky Sports “Golf Night” Review
Following my blog on the fact Sky Sports have lost the USPGA Tour to the new Setanta Golf Channel I thought it would be useful to comment on Sky’s new offering. In place of their two previous golf programmes, one exclusively for the European Tour and the other for the USPGA, comes a new one called “Golf Night” for 2007, broadcast Thursday through to Sunday from 8pm.
Golf Night is presented by Robert Lee and Di Stewart and features live and recorded action from the latest European Tour event. In addition there are interviews with players and previews of forthcoming events with golf instruction tips and advice from experts such as Denis Pugh, Tim Barter and Scott Cranfield.
Lee won twice on the European Tour and his transition to main presenter over the past few years has been a great success, his strength is in never taking the game too seriously – this is part of his attraction. His co presenter Stewart has progressed through the ranks at Sky and first impressions are excellent.
Often they are joined in the studio by my favourite on course reporter Richard Boxall. This former European Tour player combines an invaluable knowledge of the game with great wit – always a pleasure to listen to.
With the lack of USPGA Tour coverage Sky have decided to feature more player interviews as a play of educating the viewer further about the European Tour.
The following three exclusives were recently featured on the show:
Butch Harmon explains how he came to coach the young Tiger Woods.
Ian Poulter talks to Mark Roe about his new clothing range as a way of having business interests once his playing days are over.
Notah Begay gives his views on golf having qualified through the European Tour Qualifying school last year.
This week Golf Night will feature live coverage from the first of the four World Golf Championship tournaments. Furthermore you can catch live action from the US Open and the USPGA Championship later on in the year.
What’s your view of “Golf Night”, please leave a comment below.
European 2008 Ryder Cup Process Remains Unaltered
The European Tour Have confirmed that the selection process for the The 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, from September 19-21, 2008 remains unchanged.
The same process was used for the 2004 win at Oakland Hills, Michigan, USA and the 2006 win at The K Club, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Both matches resulted in a winning margin of 18 ½ – 9 ½. Faldo was quoted as saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’
How To Qualify For the 12 Man team:
5 Places – Qualify through The Ryder Cup World Points List. A European Tour member wins points by winning World Ranking Points in all officially sanctioned tournaments between September 6-9 2007 and August 25 2008.
5 Places – Qualify through The Ryder Cup European Points List. Each point is equal to one euro earned from all officially sanctioned tournaments between September 6-9 2007 and August 31 2008
2 Places – Nick Faldo’s captains picks from any player who has Full Membership of The European Tour.
Read more on the selection process at EuropeanTour.com
Buy Discounted Season Tickets For The 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie
During 1954 to 1956 Peter Thomson won three successive Open Championships – thus the question on everyone’s lips is whether Tiger Woods will be the second ever golfer to match this feat in the modern era? Well up until the 31st January you have the opportunity to find out the answer in person at a much reduced price.
Currently the price of a season ticket to watch the world’s finest golfers for eight days of Championship practice and play at Carnoustie is just £150, almost a 50 per cent reduction on the daily ticket price. You can buy online at Randa.org
After this date the price rises to £170 and then on 1st May it increases by a further £20 to £190.
The price on the day for each of the four Championship days will be £50. Juveniles under the age of 16 will be admitted free of charge if accompanied by a responsible adult on the day or by prior application.
You can also apply in writing:
Ticket Office
The R&A
St Andrews
Fife, KY16 9JD
or by telephone on: +44 (0) 1334 460010.
The Seventh Course At The Home Of Golf Is To Be Called The “Castle Courseâ€
I can report that the seventh course at the home of golf will be called the Castle Course after careful selection by the Trustees of the St Andrews Links Trust. You may remember I and many others made their suggestions back in November!
In fact The St Andrews Links Course No 7 Working Party received more than 4000 entries and many suggested this name based on the fact that Kinkell Castle once stood on the headland to the south-east of St Andrews.
A random draw of the winning entries saw Edwin Burtnett from America win an invitation to the opening ceremony in 2008 where he will have the opportunity to be one of the first to play the course.
Alastair Dempster, chairman of Trustees said:
“In selecting the Castle Course as the name I think we have made an excellent choice. I am sure golf fans around the world, many of whom entered the naming competition, will have their own views and will debate its merits for years to come but I am confident that people will appreciate the Castle Course as a fitting identity for a younger sister to the Old Course.â€
I believe this is good name as it is easy to understand, relevant to the course and St Andrews and fits in with the other Links Trust’s names.
Click here for the latest photos of the Castle Course.
