Seve ahead of the game again - he's discharged
ahead of expections from Madrid Hospital

Severiano Ballesteros has been discharged, ahead of schedule, from La Paz Hospital in Madrid.
Ballesteros, the winner of five major championships and 87 titles around the world, had been admitted to hospital in the second week of October and had the first of four operations after a brain tumour was detected. There had been no previous indication that the 51-year-old Spaniard would be allowed to leave hospital at this time.
“This is wonderful news,” George O’Grady, the executive director of the European Tour, said. “Seve is such an important person to us in terms of what he has done for us, for golf in Europe, indeed for golf around the world, that to hear this unexpected good news a few weeks before Christmas is specially heartening.”
A statement from La Paz hospital read: “The patient Severiano Ballesteros has been discharged by the department of neurosurgery. He will continue to have outpatients treatment in the department of radiotherapy and medical oncology.”

Inverness Fairways Target Golf League

By NEIL HAMPTON
With the Top Team Play-off places already secured, along with the wooden spoon, it is just the league title left to play for and it looks like it will go right down to the wire in next week's final games.
The Neverwillbees are still 2 points ahead of the Loch Ness Juniors but the youngsters have the far superior shots scored record so if the teams end up tied on points then the Juniors would steal it.
Next week the Juniors face Matthew MacPherson, the wooden spoon winners, and this should see them take the points quite easily while the Neverwillbees have a potential banana skin as they take on Trilight who are quite capable of knocking in a healthy score.
This could well be the deciding factors as this week the Neverwillbees showed a bundle of nerves with a very poor total of 19 but the gods were with them in their game against bottom team MacPherson who contrived to only score 14 and gift the Neverwillbees a lucky win.
Meanwhile the Juniors needed to be on their mettle as BM Trucks bounced back from their embarrassing nil points last week to score a healthy 33 but Juniors were up to it and their 49 secured the points.
Trilight profited from the bye and moved above BM Trucks into 3rd place and could well revel in their spoiling role next Monday.

Results:
Matthew MacPherson 14 – 19 The Neverwillbees
Loch Ness Juniors 49 – 33 BM Trucks
Trilight (Bye) 19.

The Top Team Play-offs and Captain's Cup take place on Wednesday, December 17 at 7.30pm

The Spring League will start week beginning Monday, January 12, 2009


TELL-TALE TABLE

1 The Neverwillbees 9-16.
2 Loch Ness Juniors 9-14.
3 Trilight 9-10.
4 BM Trucks 9-9.
5 M MacPherson 9-5.

Graham Dallas tackles a lofty subject

Graham Dallas has written an interesting article on how the lofts of golf clubs have been "tweaked" by the manufacturers over the past 20 or 30 years ... perhaps without the club golfer knowing what was happening.
Switch over to our sister website, www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk, to read it.

Suddenly Stenson is No 7 in the world

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson's nine-stroke win in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa on Sunday has rocketed him up the world rankings to seventh place - a one-tournament improvement of five places.
While Tiger Woods remained at No 1 and Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Robert Karlsson remained the top six players in the world, Stenson's move relegated Camilo Villegas to eighth and Ernie Els to ninth. Lee Westwood managed to hold on to the 10th position.
Geoff Ogilvy, a winner in Australia, moved up three places to 11th, Anthony Kim dipped three spots to 12th, Jim Furyk dropped two slots to 13th and Steve Stricker dipped one to 14th. Stewart Cink stayed at 15th.
Adam Scott was up one slot to 16th and Perry, who was runner-up to Stenson, was up two to 17th. Those moves dropped Choi to 18th and Justin Rose to 19th, while Miguel Angel Jimenez held onto his spot at 20.

Matthew Richardson lets US Tour chance
slip with final round of 76

Long-time leader Harrizon Frazar, the man who shot a 59 in his fourth round, finished up winning the US PGA Tour Final Qualifying School at La Quinta, California by eight strokes over the marathon six rounds. He had a 32 under par total of 400, finished ahead of Australian James Nitties and Derek Fathauer on 408.
In all the leading 28 won their US Tour players' cards for 209 - those finished with totals of 413 or better.
Matt Richardson, the only Britain to make it through to the Final Q School, needed a very good final round to have a chance of making the elite - but he went the opposite way. A 76, by far his worst of the six, relegated him to joint 97th place on 424.
Former Major winner Mark Brooks finished behind Richardson in joint 115th place on 426.

THOSE WHO EARNED PLAYING RIGHTS
Par 432
400 Harrison Frazar 69 64 72 59 69 67.
408 James Nitties (Australia) 69 63 69 70 67 70, Derek Fathauer 70 69 65 67 67 70.
409 Chris Stroud 69 69 72 66 677 66, John Huston 74 69 65 65 68 68.
410 Robert Garrigus 69 64 71 70 68 68.
411 David Berganio jun 72 66 71 69 68 65, Webb Simpson 69 68 68 70 69 67, James Oh 71 63 70 70 69 68, Glen Day 70 67 64 70 70 70.
Other successful totals:
412 Matthew Butchert, Jason Duffner, Troy Kelly, Tyler Aldridge, Gary Woodland, Notah Begay III.
413 Brian Vranesin, Y E Yang, Leif Olson, Aaron Watkns, Ted Purdy, Kent Jones, Bob Heintz, Chris Riley, Mathias Gronberg, Jay Williamson, Will Collins.
THOSE WHO JUST FAILED
414 Kris Coz, Garrett Willis, Bryce Molder.
415 Dustin White, Jason Gore.
Other selected totals:
424 Matthew Richardson (Eng) 67 74 65 73 69 76 (jt 97th).
426 Mark Brooks 66 69 70 72 76 73 (jt 115th).

TODAY'S TALKING POINT

If the US PGA Tour Qualifying School - and the European Tour equivalent - are so important that it is thought necessary to stage them over six rounds, why isn't the Open championship, and the other Majors, also played over 108 holes instead of just 72?

Padraig Harrington with a double handful of major trophies he won in 2008 - the US PGA Championship and the Open Championship (picture by courtesy of Getty Images). You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

Padraig Harrington named European Tour Golfer

of the Year for second season in a row

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR
Padraig Harrington has been named The 2008 European Tour Golfer of the Year, crowning a truly sensational season for the Irishman during which he firmly established himself as one of the top five players in the world.
In a glorious three week spell in mid-summer, the 37 year old Dubliner successfully defended The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale – the first European golfer to achieve the feat since Scotland’s James Braid in 1905-06 – before becoming the first European golfer since Scotland’s Tommy Armour in 1930 to win the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills; performances which helped him move into the upper echelons of the Official World Golf Ranking.
This notable double led to another as Harrington received The European Tour Golfer of the Year Award – voted for by a panel comprising representatives of the Association of Golf Writers (AGW), Television, Radio and The European Tour – for the second year in succession, having accepted the accolade in 2007 following his first Open Championship victory at Carnoustie.
The Irishman moves alongside Bernhard Langer and Lee Westwood as double winners of the award – first presented in 1985 – and joint fifth in the all time list which is topped by Colin Montgomerie with four wins, followed by Severiano Ballesteros, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo with three wins apiece.
Joining such illustrious company in the annals of golfing history is something the three time Major Championship winner admitted fills him with a considerable sense of pride and achievement.
“When you look at the names of the people who have won The European Tour Golfer of the Year over the past 23 seasons, it certainly shows the standing of the award in the world of golf,” said Harrington.
“It is very pleasing to be considered alongside these great players and also a great honour to have been voted ahead of some very fine contenders, not just this year, but last year as well. It has been a very strong couple of years for European golf which makes this achievement all the more memorable.
“I am sure that in 20 years time, when I am sitting back at home reflecting on my career, I might hear somebody – perhaps even one of my sons – say they’d heard some player or another had been announced as The European Tour Golfer of the Year. At that moment I’d be able to say to them; ‘Hey, I won that twice you know,’ and I’d be proud to do so.”
At Royal Birkdale, Harrington’s steely nerve and precise shot-making – which included a stunning five wood approach from 249 yards to three feet on the 17th hole on Sunday, a shot later voted The European Tour Shot of the Year for 2008 – saw him hold off the respective challenges of Ian Poulter and a resurgent Greg Norman to win by four shots; while, at Oakland Hills, a sensational joust with Sergio Garcia – reminiscent of their tussle at Carnoustie in 2007 – led to him holing crucial putts late on the Sunday afternoon to eventually emerge two shots clear of the Spaniard.
“I played very well early in the season, had a bunch of top fives and got in contention a few times, but the week of The Open Championship I went out and played great, I really did,” said Harrington. “I hit the ball superbly, especially on the Sunday, and it was a very, very satisfying win for me because of the quality of my golf.
“After you win a Major you get such a high out of it that, not surprisingly, there can be a little bit of a fall off. Therefore, to go out and win the US PGA Championship three weeks later was incredibly exciting. Holing those putts at the end and the way the win came about, I will never forget it – that was one of the most thrilling wins of my entire career.”
European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady led the tributes to Harrington. “Padraig’s remarkable accomplishment in successfully defending The Open Championship then, 21 days later, completing a unique double by capturing the US PGA Championship, quite rightly earned him The European Tour Golfer of the Year Award and, from many observers, also the accolade of the greatest sportsman in Ireland’s history.”
Emphasising the ever-increasing strength in depth apparent on The European Tour International Schedule, despite his double Major triumph, the one thing Harrington did not win in 2008 was The Harry Vardon Trophy; the accolade for finishing European Number One going to Sweden’s Robert Karlsson who ended the season with €2,732,748 to his name, some €273, 639 ahead of the Irishman who finished second with €2,459,109.
However Harrington, who won The Harry Vardon Trophy in 2006 and who has been in the top three an astonishing seven times in the past eight seasons, paid tribute to Karlsson who won the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in a season where he also recorded a further ten top ten finishes and won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Sweden in partnership with Henrik Stenson.
“I’m delighted that Robert won The Harry Vardon Trophy and became the first Swedish player to do so,” said Harrington. “He is a nice guy and he played great golf all year. This has shown the quality of his play and how much he has improved over the years and so, as much as I would have liked to have won it, I am thrilled that he did.”
Karlsson, for his part, returned the compliment. “It was a long time ago that any European player won two Major Championships in a single season and, for that alone, there is no doubt that Padraig Harrington is the Golfer of the Year,” he said.
“Obviously he played fantastic golf and is at the peak of a new and strong generation of European players coming through at the top of the game. There have been many guys expected to win Major Championships but Padraig did it twice in one year – that is fantastic for him and for Europe.”
One of the reasons Harrington has enjoyed so much success is his famous work ethic, a factor appreciated by no-one more so than his long-time coach Bob Torrance, who joined up with the Irishman after the US Open Championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in 1998 and who has been by his side on the practice ranges of the world ever since.
“He’s the hardest worker I have ever been involved with and I love that in a golfer,” said Torrance. “Years ago I said to my wife June that I would love to get a young man who was willing to work hard at his game. After Padraig had been seeing me for about two months, she said to me, ‘You’ve found him.’ That is the reason he has been so successful – his work rate.”
Living up to that reputation, the 14 time winner on The European Tour International Schedule admitted he is already looking ahead to the 2009 season and being a strong contender for The Race to Dubai.
“I have some serious gym work to do in my winter break and I also have some swing changes to make,” he said. “When I come out next year I will be focused on getting my game ready for every week and building up for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. I know the Masters will be the hardest Major for me to win because of the attention that will be on me.
“It is a lot easier to go into these things with a little less profile and stay patient for two or three days under the radar and finish it off on Sunday. But I won’t have that luxury at Augusta because right from the word go there will be focus on me.”
Having won three Major Championships in 13 months, many people might deem the Irishman’s planned winter overhaul as unnecessary, believing he should be more than happy with his game, even to the extent that he might consider it in the perfect state.
Harrington, however, had one simple reply to that notion. “The day I think that,” he said. “Is the day I will retire.”
The European Tour Golfer of the Year Award was first presented in 1985: Previous winners are:
1985: Bernhard Langer 1997: Colin Montgomerie
1986: Severiano Ballesteros 1998: Lee Westwood
1987: Ian Woosnam 1999: Colin Montgomerie
1988: Severiano Ballesteros 2000: Lee Westwood
1989: Nick Faldo 2001: Retief Goosen
1990: Nick Faldo 2002: Ernie Els
1991: Severiano Ballesteros 2003: Ernie Els
1992: Nick Faldo 2004: Vijay Singh
1993: Bernhard Langer 2005: Michael Campbell
1994: Ernie Els 2006: Paul Casey
1995: Colin Montgomerie 2007: Padraig Harrington
1996: Colin Montgomerie

Paul Azinger won't be US Ryder Cup captain
at Celtic Manor in 2010 - he says!

United States' winning Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger will not keep the job for the 2010 match at Celtic Manor, Wales.
Azinger said last night that he expected an announcement to be made on Thursday.
"All I can say is that it's not going to be me," he said.
he PGA of America is expected to name the US Ryder Cup captain for 2010 this week.
The US team have not had the same captain for two successive Ryder Cups since Ben Hogan in 1949.
The last time a captain with previous experience returned to lead the US team was Jack Nicklaus in 1987. He was also captain in 1983.