Muirfield Hosts The Senior Open Championship, Presented by Aberdeen Asset Management on July 26-29 2007
I’m excited to hear that 2007 European Seniors Tour Schedule includes a visit to Muirfield for The Senior Open Championship, presented by Aberdeen Asset Management on July 26-29.
Muirfield is a firm favourite of mind and I have fond memories of watching Ernies Els win the Open Championship there in 2002. Though I can’t lie that the Saturday has to go down in history as the all time worst day to watch an Open. The weather was miserable and the crowds dwindled as the rain got harder – there really wan’t much of an atmosphere on that afternoon! Tiger shot an 81, which I believe is the highest score of his professional career. He did though repair some of the damage on the Sunday with a final round 65.
The final day was on the most part a beautiful sunny day and four players Stuart Appleby, Steve Elkington, Ernie Els, and Thomas Levet all tied after the regulation 72 holes. The four hole play off whittled it down to Els and Levet, with Els the eventual winner in the sudden death play off.
Great memories and I can’t wait to visit Muirfield again in the summer to see whether US Ryder Cup player Loren Roberts can successfully defend his trophy.
Click here to see the Seniors Schedule in full. Several more events are expected to be announced in the near future.
Oliver Fisher Climbs To 72nd position on the European Tour
Oliver Fisher has now made the cut in each of his four starts on the European Tour as a professional. The last of which was this afternoon at The Commercialbank Qatar Masters at Doha G.C. in Qatar. He finished in tied 11th with a bogey free final round of 68 on 9 under for his best paycheck to date – € 27720.66.
On this blog written back on 11th December 2006 I pointed out I was keen to see how this young rookie fared on the professional ranks. To date, with dad on the bag, it seems very well!
He has moved up to 72nd position on the European Tour with earnings of €41,941
No Mobile Phones At This Year’s Open Championship At Carnoustie
If you are thinking of visiting the Open at Carnoustie in July don’t bring your mobile phone – if you do you won’t get in!
The Royal and Ancient have listened to complaints from Tiger Woods and have said enough is enough. Security checks at the entrance gates will be place to spot anyone with a mobile phone. Unfortunately this will undoubtively mean long queues getting into the event.
The last time I went to a US major was the 1993 Masters and this was before most even owned a mobile phone, certainly the type you can put in your pocket! I learn today though that the Masters, the US Open and the USPGA Championship have a crackdown on mobile phones.
David Hill, director of championships for the R&A said yesterday:
“We have so far resisted the call to ban mobile phones on the grounds that it may be an inconvenience to the public. However, after receiving complaints referring to the numbers that were in use as play in The Open was proceeding, we feel there is no other reasonable option than a complete ban.â€
I can’t argue it will be a massive inconvenience, but it seems some golf fans this side of the Atlantic have already had to put up with it. This policy was in place for the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland.
I’m hoping the R & A will install additional public telephones in areas all over the course. If someone has an emergency it is important they don’t have to hike all the way to the tented village.
Let me know what you think of this policy. At last year’s Open I often saw people taking photographs with their cameras, even on a player’s downswing. I therefore find it hard to fault the R and A. This year it will be interesting to see how stewards deal with fans that actually get through security with their phones – will they be escorted off the course?
Sky Sports Lose The USPGA Tour To The New Setanta Golf Channel
Sadly for me the USPGA Tour can no longer be found on Sky Sports. Instead I find a new programme presented by Rob Lee and Di Stewart, showing the European highlights Tour and the features that used to be on World of Golf.
It was defintely a shock, but unfortuanately the news for me and everyone else in the UK is that as of January 2007 I can no longer relax on a Sunday night and tune into the last round of a live USPGA event.
Well not strictly true!
I can of course sign up to the new Setanta Golf channel hosted by Ronan Rafferty and Dominik Holyer at for £15 a month, in fact for Sky customers they are currently discounting the first three months to the tune of £10 a month. Though I did ring Setanta just down the road from me in Kirkcaldy, Fife to clarify that I would in fact be signing up a minimum one year contract. Thus if I want the same flexibility I had last year to watch any event on the European or USPGA Tour I need to find an extra £165!
So the big question is can I live without my fix of USPGA Tour golf?
With Setanta Golf I get 40 events on the main tour, including THE PLAYERS Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship, THE TOUR Championship and The Presidents Cup. In addition they offer coverage of events on the Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.
This has to be weighed up against Sky Sports coverage, if I’m not willing to spend the extra £165.
Sky Sports will be covering the US Open at Oakmont and the US PGA Championship from Southern Hills CC,Tulsa. In fact when I spoke to Sky they were also quick to point out the they will be broadcasting the 4 World Golf Championships in Arizona, Miami, Akron and Hong Kong. Not bad as I would hate not to watch all the majors (the Open and Masters continue to be on the BBC). Sky will also cover the Solheim Cup in September and the Ryder Cup in 2008.
Further research shows that Setanta’s package actually includes 9 sports channels, including Scottish Premier League matches, hurling, Gaelic football, MLB, NCL, CFL, NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football to name just some of the sports.
The problem is that I don’t care too much for the Canadian Football League or Major League Baseball – not enough to pay for it. All I really care about is watching the USPGA Tour from the comfort of my armchair. I guess the same is true of a die hard Celtic or Rangers fan, subscribing to Setanta, regardless of what else is offered.
Ultimately I have a decision to make, as it seems from reading John Plunkett’s blog in the Guardian, that the Setanta deal is for six years! It makes an interesting read and I thought this paragraph hit the nail on the head.
“Setanta will be looking to build its audience base in a number of ways – football fans who have never subscribed to Sky for whom 46 live Premier League matches a season is plenty; Sky subscribers who love football (and golf) so much that they will subscribe to both; and disillusioned Sky subscribers who want to save some cash but still want more live sport than the terrestrials have to offer.”
I have also looked to the forums to help me make my decision. It seems that there are many in the same boat as me – just not willing to pay an extra £15 a month for the Setanta Sports channels. The forum member mlt11 on DigitalSpy.co.uk (comment 17) points out the following:
“If Tiger Woods plays the same events in 2007 as he did in 2006 he will play in just 8 US Tour events on Setanta – less than one tournament every 6 weeks. Regular US tour events only drew around 30,000 to 35,000 viewers on Sky Sports.”
Obviously this was largely due to the death of his father, but the nevertheless it will be interesting to see how many Setanta covered events he plays in 2007. It could only be another 2 or 3.
If this forum is anything to go by, there are a lot of unhappy Sky customers – especially the dedicated football and golf fans.
Ultimately there is still too much quality golf coverage on Sky for a fan like myself to unsubscribe. Without doubt if I do decide to pay the extra for the USPGA coverage on Setanta I will be indeed be in the minority!
For the time being I will be listening to the live coverage and expert analysis on the PGA TOUR Network via XM Satellite Radio and catching up on the highlights show on Channel Five on Monday night.
To subscribe to SkySports click here.
To subscribe to Setanta click here.
Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship 2007
It is always a real treat to watch really good golfers play some of the best links courses in Scotland. One such course that springs to mind is Royal Dornoch, orginally designed by Old Tom Morris. In 1877 the first nine holes were laid out, with another nine created three years later. Interestingly you can read written records dating as far back as 1616 to see that golf was played on these links long before any formal course was set out.
From 1st – 3rd June 2007 the 40th Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship will be staged at Royal Dornoch for first time. Previous winners include Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallacher and Alastair Forsyth.
This is will be a great chance to take in the beauty of one of the best golf courses in the world. You simply have to look at some of the photographs of the official site to see why it is often listed in many people’s top tens!
Visitor Details:
Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Click here for green fee rates
Golf Road, Dornoch IV25 3LW, Sutherland, Scotland
Tel : +44 (0)1862 810219
Fax : +44 (0)1862 810792
Blogging The 2007 Open Championship At The Carnoustie Golf Links
One of the advantages of moving a few miles north west of St Andrews just over a year ago, was the fact that come July 2007 I will only be a 20 minute drive from Carnoustie for the Open Championship.
The Open Championship has a special place in my heart. The first one I ever went to was Bill Rogers’ win at the 1981 Open at Royal St George’s, being easily accessible for a 15 year old in his home county of Kent.
In fact as soon as one Open finishes I look forward to the next. I always make sure I have nothing booked for the third week in July. It is almost like a pilgrimage, having been to Lytham St Annes, Muirfield, Sandwich, Troon, St Andrews, and Hoylake in the past six years.
In 2005 my wife and I hired a lovely cottage two and half miles from the Old Course. It was amazing, arriving on the Saturday the week before, I went every single day. Often I would have to get up at half five in the morning, so as I had enough time to walk the two and half miles to the course in time to catch Tiger practicing. I always felt sorry for all the fans that arrived later on the practice day hoping to see the world number one on the course – oblivious to the fact that he likes to start his round at six in the morning. This means the crowds on the front nine can be as small as hundred people, fantastic for getting close up photographs – as seen below:
I guess I made a pact with myself during this week to at least discover more about St Andrews and hopefully move there one day. Little was I to know that just sixteenth months later I would have moved lock stock and barrel to the Home of Golf. Now fast track another thirteen months I’m looking forward to 2007 just around the corner and the Open at Carnoustie in July.
Through this blog I intend to write about the lead up to the Open Championship and give an account you won’t get in the main stream media.
One other blog doing the exact same thing is the excellent site Carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk/blog. This is a fun blog to visit and in particular there are a number of videos that give a great insight into the build up and preparation for the Open. I recommend you view the following short videos on:
The Head GreenKeeper:
Watch Sand Reid the head greenkeeper on the Carnoustie Championship course here.
The Links Superintendent:
Watch John Philp the links superintendent on the Carnoustie Championship course here.
The Caddy Master:
Watch Martin Roy talk about his day to day duties as the caddy master on the Carnoustie Championship course here and also here on YouTube.
The Head Tee Starter:
Watch Alec the head tee starter describe his daily dutirs on the Carnoustie Championship course here.
The Tea Hut:
This video features the famous Tea Hunt situated between the 10th green on the Championship and the 5th Green on the Burnside The Tea Hut. Here and also here on Youtube Robin Wardlaw chats about the importance of the tea hut and which famous players have signed the guest book!
The R and A:
Watch an interview with Fiona Gilbert the new Open Championship Administration Assistant from the R and A on this page or on YouTube.
Listen to an interview with Lynn and Karrie from the R and A on this page.
Sky Sports:
Watch an interview with Simon Golding a Sky Sports T.V. director during his visit to Carnoustie Golf Links for a Sir Steve Redgrave charity golf match here and here on YouTube.
Ernie Els Wins His Fourth South African Airways Open
Ernie Els views the South African Airways Open like a Major and that’s probably why he put so much into his final round of 65 to win by three strokes from fellow countryman Trevor Immelman. This was a marvellous effort considering the conditions were blustery on the final day at the Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth, South Africa (always consistently ranked as one of the top ten courses in South Africa.)
This fourth SAA Open win means Els has won at least one tournament every year since 1992, with 62 in total. Additionally, the world number eight, has now won twice since his knee surgery back in 2005.
Third place went to Patrik Sjoland of Sweden on a score of 20 under, with South African Darren Fichardt in fourth place on 16 under. Sjoland will have enjoyed this result having had to qualify at the 2006 European Tour Qualifying School Final in tied 11th place.
My tip for the top Oliver Fisher put in another sound performance, especially after a poor opening round, finishing in tied 40th on 6 under with rounds of 77, 67, 65 and 73. Though knowing how competitive is I’m sure he will be eager to land a top ten performance soon and catapult up from his current ranking of 132nd on the European Tour Order of Merit.
The European Tour now takes a break for Christmas resuming on the 11th January at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club in South Africa for the Joburg Open with a total prize fund of one million euros.
Tiger Woods Hosts The 2006 Target World Challenge Presented By Countrywide
Sixteen players start the Tiger Woods hosted Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide today at the 7,097 Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks, California. In terms of regular Tour events this offers the fifth largest purse at $5.75 million.
It’s remarkable that the player coming in last will still pick up $170,000, which is great news for sponsors invite John Daly. A quick glance at 2006 PGA TOUR Money Leaders shows Daly lying low in 193rd place with $192,134. A good showing this week and he can easily double or triple his earnings in 2006. Firm favourite for the first prize of $1.35 million is obviously Tiger Woods, who is also keen to raise as much as possible for the Tiger Woods Learning Center and Start Something program.
Tee Times are as follows:
9:40 Fred Couples – Davis Love III
9:50 Chris Di Marco – David Toms
10:00 Luke Donald – Paul Casey
10:10 Colin Montgomerie – John Daly
10:20 Tiger Woods – Jose Maria Olazabal
10:30 Padraig Harrington – Michael Campbell
10:40 Adam Scott – Geoff Ogilvy
10:50 Henrik Stenson – David Howell
All times are P.S.T
Oliver Fisher Plays All Four Rounds At The Alfred Dunhill Championship In South Africa
Oliver Fisher finished the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga, South Africa in tied 53rd position at 5 over par. No doubt the weekend finish of 77 75 will disappointment the Englishman, after his superb start of 71 70.
Things could have been different today, if it had not been for the five dropped drops on the back nine. Fisher had started out with seven straight pars and two birdies to conclude the front nine.
Spanish rookie Alvaro Quiros won the event on 13 under par. His closing 67 meant he won by one shot from South African Charl Schwartzel.
I will be watching Fisher’s progress carefully over the coming season. It will be interesting to see how he fares and builds on his current standing of 148 in the European Order of Merit with €2,750.
Next week the European Tour moves onto the South African Airways Open at Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. As a Category 11b player (Players finishing within positions 1-35 from the 2006 European Tour Qualifying School) Fisher will be playing in the event.
Germany Clinch The World Golf Championships-Barbados World Cup Over Scotland
Scotland pair Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren narrowly missed out to Germany in winning the World Golf Championships-Barbados World Cup at the Sandy Lane course. Montgomerie holed a 18 foot par putt on the last hole to force the sudden death play off, meaning both teams had finished on 16 under par.
Germany represented by Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem won the play off hole with a par, after Montgomerie and Langer had failed to find the target on the par three eighteen. Siem’s chip left Langer with a tap in whilst Warren’s chip meant Monty had to hole out from 5ft. This time the Ryder Cup player missed and the Germans took the honours and the $1.4m first prize for the second time, having won it in 1990.
Warren, current Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year said:
“We had a great chance to win but unfortunately that didn’t happen. It’s a shame for Scottish golf but hopefully this will give it a boost anyway.”
If it were not for the Swedish pair Henrik Stenson and Carl Petterson three putting the last after a 1 hour 43 minute suspension of play due to torrential rain, there would have been three teams in the play off.
The pre-tournament favourites England never really contended and Luke Donald and David Howell finished in a share for 15th place. Meanwhile the U.S. team of Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry finished at 13 under in tied fifth position.
Montgomerie will be playing in Tiger Woods’ event in California next week.
Oliver Fisher On Target To Make The Cut At The Alfred Dunhill Championship
The fifth event on the European Tour sees the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the Leopard Creek GC in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Not an event I usually pay much attention to, but this year things are different as I’m rooting for the new kid on the block Oliver Fisher. Fisher finished fifth at the European qualifying school and immediately announced his decision to turn professional. This event is his very first event and I was keen to see how he played. Currently he is tied 23rd with a score of one under 71, the round included four birdies and three bogeys.
The leaders, Charl Schwartzel, Alessandro Tadi Phillip Archer, Oliver Wilson and Wayne de Haas are all on four under par 68. This must be very encouraging for Fisher and to make the cut tomorrow will be first milestone in what promises to be a superb career.
The West Sands At St Andrews
Too many of us don’t practice. Well there’s nothing new in that statement. In fact if the truth be known many of us don’t enjoy practicing, don’t know what to practice correctly, can’t find the time to practice or simply would rather do something else. Regardless you will still hear golfers moan about their performance and swear next time they play they will at least get to the club forty minutes earlier to cram in a little practice. Unfortunately when the time comes the reality of putting the extra practice in isn’t too appealing compared to leisurely making your way to the first tee after a coffee in the clubhouse!
Watching the pros practice is another thing altogether. You can sit back admire and pretend that some how next time you will recreate the swings you are watching.
I really like to watch the pros practice, particularly Tiger Woods. No surprises there, who doesn’t want to want the number one in any sport perfect their art!
During the 2005 Open Championship at St Andrews I took much delight in watching Woods practice his putting stroke. He would line up about six foot from the hole on the practice green and place the ball between two tees. The tees were just a touch wider than the width of his putter. Like a robot he would putt five balls one handed into the hole, where upon his caddie Steve Williams would roll them back for another five putts. This seemed to go on for ever, and I stopped counting after about two hundred. It was like watching a machine. Though the machine would switch on and off, a fellow pro would come over for a chat – but then Tiger would resume putting without missing or seemingly lose any hint of concentration.
I took many photographs during the whole Open week, but I particularly like this one of Tiger practicing with the West Sands in the background. At the time I was living in Surrey about 460 miles away, but do remember thinking sooner or later I had to move to this beautiful part of Scotland.
The West Sands, is a glorious stretch of beach, famed for its appearance in the opening scene from the movie “Chariots of Fire” . You may remember the movie shows the British Olympic team training, though film buffs will be quick to point out that the credits are incorrectly given to Broadstairs beach in Kent.
The estuary of the river Eden lies at the northern end of the beach, where once there was a shipping port. Some say this is where the term “links†comes from, because the port was linked to the town at its Southern end. This may be so, but more over the term “links†was used to describe the areas of coastal sand dunes between the sea and farmland, that were not good enough for farming.
The Silver Claret Jug And The Royal And Ancient Golf Club Of St Andrews
Last Thursday saw me standing as close to the The Silver Claret Jug as I’m ever likely to get!
Every St Andrews Day the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews allow the general public to look around the trophy room and the two main clubrooms. Thus I took the opportunity to have a nose and get a few photographs.
To quote the official TheRoyalandAncientGolfClub.org:
“The Club began to formally collect and display historical objects in 1864 and since then has built up a significant collection of artefacts and paintings. These were in addition to its own medals and trophies.”
This is indeed evident with old paintings like this one of Old Tom Morris and rut iron clubs dating back to the mid to late eighteenth century. In addition the trophies are amazing with the The Silver Claret Jug and the Amateur Championship Trophy taking centre stage in the main Hall.
The Club was founded in 1754, though it was another 100 years before the Clubhouse was opened in 1854. Since that date there have been many expansions and it is fascinating to look at the old photographs and paintings to see how the building has been extended over the years.
The large clubroom with its majestic bay window are the heart of the clubhouse. It now houses among other pictures a remarkable painting by Anthony Oakshett of HRH The Duke of York driving in as Captain of the R&A back on 2003. He had the honour of being the Captain of the Club in its 250th Anniversary Year, the sixth member of the Royal Family to have captained the Club.
It was great to take in the view, if only for a few minutes!
Get To See The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews Trophy Room For Free
It isn’t often you get the chance to spend some time in the Trophy Room and the two main clubrooms at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Like many I have walked passed it many times, wondering what it is like inside. A few years ago I got the chance to walk around the club room at Royal Lytham and St. Annes and that was a fantastic experience.
This Thursday 30th November, St Andrews Day, members of the public have the opportunity to enjoy looking around the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews for free. The event is part of the St Andrews Festival 2006, where many tourist attractions are an open house to everyone, check out their website here.
I’m sure it will be great fun and I’ll let you know how it was on Friday.
One week to go…
Next Monday, a week today, I launch “The New Four Magic Moves To Winning Golf”. I’m so excited as this really is the chance for every golfer to discover the secrets to successful golf. Back in the early sixties Joe Dante wrote about the “Four Magic Moves” that have without doubt stood the test of time. The golf swing now seems so simple to me, it all boils down to four simple moves. Nothing more, nothing less.
What’s more…you will be able to benefit hugely from listening to the book whenever and where ever you want. Never before has this classic been updated for todays golfer and offered as a complete audio book.
Why you might skip the first 3 chapters – but don’t!
The first three chapters are the launch pad for the four magic moves. They lay the foundation and set you up for the important lessons ahead. So definitely don’t skip them!
As the books says:
“Now you are ready to start the swing, to uncover the first fatal flaws that appear, with the horrible shots they produce, and to learn the first of the magic moves that will cut strokes from your score.”
Download Chapter 4 Audio Sample here
I love chapter 4 and want to share the first part of it with you today. You simply have to click on this link.
It is nearly 4 minutes long and I have therefore saved it at a lower audio rate (48 kbit / 24000Hz) – so it is just over half a megabyte in size.
If you have any problems downloading and playing this mp3 file please email me so as I can help.
Even better news ….
I’m planning on offering some bonuses for everyone who claims their copy of “The New Four Magic Moves To Winning Golf” next week. More on this later.
Play well
Andy
Live From The Swilken Bridge At St Andrews
I took the opportunity yesterday to pop into St Andrews and record a short video for you. As I drove in, I thought when will it ever stop raining! Luckily after a cappuccina and bacon roll at my favourite cafe in St Andrews – namely Janetta’s, I was able to glimpse some blue sky and walk down to the Old Course. Â
You can see some of the casual water in the background on the eighteenth fairway. In fact the Swilken Bridge can get quite slippery after a downfall, and with the wind I was careful to not topple into the burn. Click on the image of me above to hear a short 35 second message – please excuse the sound quality.
I have to tell you this story!
As I was filming there were two tourists taking photos, literally five paces from the edge of the first green – and twenty five paces from the pin. In the fairway I could see one very angry golfer getting more and more annoyed, as he waited for them to clear away from the green. The couple were oblivious of where they were or of who they were annoying – just in their own little world. I made a bet with myself that the golfer would completely muck his shot up and sure enough he thinned it (grasshopper height) along the fairway luckily just short of the burn! Not sure why he didn’t shout “Fore!” – Anyway I had a good laugh to myself!
It made me think how difficult it is to focus on the golf course, especially when you believe events are aspiring against you. How the pros keep their concentration and focus is amazing.
Talking of professionals. I wanted to say well done to Oliver Fisher who firstly finished fifth at the European qualifying school and second has joined the professional ranks. I have followed Oliver’s performance for a number of years and he is definitely one class act! Most will have heard of him from making history by being the youngest player to appear in the Walker Cup. Oliver is now managed by The International Management Group (a company I once worked over eight years for) and sponsored by Nike – just like Tiger Woods. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went onto win a major in the next ten years.
In my last blog I mentioned that I wanted to give you an audio sample from the key chapter on “Chapter 3 – Getting Set: The Grip and the Stance”.
“There can be no doubt that the first mistakes a golfer can make are to hold the club with a defective grip and to stand up to the ball the wrong way. Either puts a heavy impost on a player before he makes a move to swing the club. Together they make a good shot almost impossible.”
I attach this sample taken from the first part of Chapter 3. This is the longest sample to date, at 2 minutes 43 seconds. I have saved it at a lower audio rate (48 kbit / 24000Hz) so it is under 1MB in size.
Over the next few days all the way up to launch date I will be giving you more of the meat from the “New Four Magic Moves To Winning Golf”. So stay tuned and regularly check the blog out for further news.
Don’t forget to bookmark Monday 4th December in your diaries!
Speak soon
Andy
