Beef from the Argentine will be on

Angel Cabrera's Masters menu

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
JACKSONVILLE, Flodida (AP) -- Defending Masters champion Angel Cabrera plans to give 100 friends who can't attend the Champions Dinner a preview taste of what they will be missing.
Cabrera is hosting a "preview dinner" on March 29 at the Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Houston that will feature the menu -- yes, plenty of meat from the Argentine -- that former Masters champions will be sampling a week later at Augusta National.
"There's not a golfer in the world who wouldn't want to attend that dinner," said Charlie Epps, his Houston-based swing coach.
It started with Cabrera wanting to raise money for his foundation, which he created two months before his 2007 US Open victory at Oakmont. The foundation helps improve the quality for needy people in his hometown of Cordoba, including the welfare of caddies, and helps fund the local hospital.
"There's so many fund-raisers that we needed a new idea to get people excited," Epps said.
Epps invited 100 associates who are paying $1,000 each to get a night with Cabrera, capped off with a dinner like no other.
Ping, his longtime equipment sponsor, plans to bring its tour van so guests can test equipment (and receive a putter). Cabrera will conduct a clinic, give everyone an autographed Masters flag, and then the dinner bell rings.
On a conference call Tuesday, Cabrera was asked if he had given any thought to his menu at the Masters.
"There's not a lot to think about," he replied through a translator. "A good Argentine 'asado.' Some good beef."
Epps said asado is a popular Argentine barbecue, and the menu will feature a five-meat course, including fillets, short ribs and sausages, including one known as "morcilla."
"There won't be a lot of carbohydrates at this dinner," said Epps, who grew up in Argentina.
There will be salad and bread to dip in a sauce that Cabrera will make himself, along with plenty of Argentine wine and music.

CAP AND GOWN: Ryo Ishikawa has shown poise and polish beyond his years in winning four times last year, along with his performance in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. A reminder of his youth comes next week at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, which the 18-year-old Japanese golfer won't play.
But the "bashful prince" has a good excuse: He's graduating from high school.
Ishikawa, who won his first Japan Golf Tour event as a 15-year-old amateur, will go through his graduation ceremony from Suginami Gakuin on March 8, the Monday of the World Golf Championships event.

BARTLETT AWARD: Ernie Els has been selected to receive the Charlie Bartlett Award from the Golf Writers Association of America for unselfish contributions to society.
The three-time major champion for more than a decade has been helping South African children from families of limited means get access to education and golf opportunities. Those kids include Louis Oosthuizen and James Kamte, each of whom played in majors last year.
Els has received more notoriety of late with the Els for Autism Foundation and the Els Centre for Excellence. He has become a passionate advocate for autism since his seven-year-old son, Ben, was diagnosed as a toddler. He and his wife, Leizl, are trying to raise $30 million for the centre in West Palm Beach, Florida, which will combine education, therapy and research for autistic children.
Els will be honoured April 7 in Augusta, Georgia, at the GWAA annual awards dinner.

RICKIE ON RISE: Rickie Fowler earned $875,431 on the West Coast Swing and achieved the first goal of his rookie season by securing his US PGA Tour card for next year.
The next step is getting into a World Golf Championships event. Fowler, who is playing The Honda Classic this week, is No. 13 in the FedExCup standings and would need to finish no worse than ninth to crack the top 10 in the standings and get into the CA Championship.
His first trip to Augusta National is a little tougher. Fowler's only chance of playing at this year's Masters would be to win a US PGA Tour event or to get into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking after the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Fowler is at No. 77, but his divisor will remain at the minimum 40 tournaments. He is assured of getting into Bay Hill because of the FedExCup standings.

FINAL WORD: "Obviously, I want Tiger to be there. He's the best. When he's there, he makes tournaments special" -- Masters champion Angel Cabrera when asked if he would like to see Tiger Woods at Augusta National next month.
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Westwood knee strain may rule him out of Honda Classic

Lee Westwood made his 2010 debut in America two weeks ago at Accenture Match Play. After a week off, he was hoping to be ready for the Florida Swing and then Augusta. Those plans may be on hold.
Westwood tweaked his right knee last week at home in Worksop. Although he is at PGA National this week for The Honda Classic, it may only be as a tourist. Westwood is contemplating withdrawing.
“If the tournament started today I probably wouldn't be able to play.” Westwood said today. “I strained my medial ligament and it’s seven to 10 days for a Grade 1 strain.”
Westwood was pulling a boot onto his foot last Thursday and strained the knee.
“I’d love to say snowboarding and man biking,” Westwood said laughing about how he injured himself. “I guess in most people’s line of work they don’t need to use the medial ligament quite as hard as I do.”
The Englishman said the injury is most difficult on his downswing, when the joint in his knee opens up.
Westwood will decide Wednesday if he has to withdraw.

John Daly disciplinary record runs to 456 pages!

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP) — John Daly has been suspended five times and cited 21 times for not giving his best effort, according to a 456-page disciplinary record file kept by the US PGA Tour that is now public record because of a libel lawsuit Daly failed to win.
The Florida Times-Union reported today on Daly's disciplinary file, which the tour had to give Morris Publishing Co. during Daly's libel lawsuit against a columnist who once worked for the newspaper. The Times-Union is part of the Morris group.
The lawsuit was dismissed in March 29.
The disciplinary file grew to 456 pages over 18 years of Daly's career, starting in April 1991 when the tour said Daly cursed a playing partner and ending in the fall of 2008, when Daly was suspended for six months.
The two-time major champion was placed on probation six times, ordered to go to counselling or alcohol rehab seven times, cited for conduct unbecoming a professional 11 times and fined nearly $100,000, according to the file.
Most of the incidents have been widely reported, such as Daly trashing a hotel room in 1997 during The Players Championship or getting into a scuffle at Firestone with a 62-year-old man whose son, Jeff Roth, said Daly had hit into him at the World Series of Golf. Even so, the US PGA Tour does not disclose its discipline, and Daly usually makes for good reading.
Despite the file becoming a public record, the tour stayed with its position of not commenting on discipline.
The Times-Union said the file also contains letters from fans and tournament officials, some flattering and some not. One fan wrote to former US PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman after Daly was suspended: "I'm disappointed the suspension is indefinite. Please reconsider and get John Daly back so many of us can get enthused about the PGA."
Another golf fan wrote, "How long does it take for this young man to grow up and remember that thousands of young junior golfers are out there watching him make an (expletive) of himself?"
Daly won the 1991 US PGA Championship as the ninth alternate, and won the 1995 Open at St. Andrews. His last victory was the 2004 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. He has not had a full status on the US PGA Tour since 2006 and is playing mainly on sponsor exemptions.

Howell reports Tiger 'looking good' on practice range

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
By Steve Elling, CBSSports.com Senior Writer
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida -- Now that Tiger Woods has begun picking up the pieces of his professional life, too, a couple of important questions remain unanswered.
As in, how does he look and when will he return?
(Fellow US Tour player) Charles Howell can answer one of those questions.
"I spent an hour with him yesterday," Howell said Tuesday at the Honda Classic.
As reported first on CBSSports.com, Woods was spotted hitting balls Sunday afternoon on the Isleworth Country Club practice range, located across the street from the house where his fateful car crash took place in the wee hours after Thanksgiving Day.
The world No. 1 was back on the range Monday, too, when Howell spotted him on the way to the club to work out.
Howell, who had just returned from finishing fourth on Sunday at the Phoenix Open, stopped and had his first lengthy exchange with Woods since, ironically, Thanksgiving Day, when they were both practising their games on the same range.
For those seeking an early scouting report, Howell said Woods looked well and was none the worse for rust.
"Honestly, he looked as good as he ever has," Howell said. "Seriously, he seemed like he was hitting it the same as he ever did."
Until the past two days, outside of a staged photo op before his public apology on February 19, Woods hadn't been spotted on a golf course in three months. Howell said they exchanged some friendly chit-chat Monday, but he didn't ask any probing questions. Woods will get enough of that eventually from others.
"Look, I am as curious as anybody about when he is going to play," Howell said. "But I didn't want to ask him about that. I just couldn't."
Howell was hesitant to say much. He and Woods have been friendly for years and Howell was one of a small handful of players who received an invitation to Woods' wedding. In fact, Howell made a joke when he was asked if he had happened to see anybody famous on the Isleworth range on Monday.
"Famous? Yeah, I saw Ryan Longwell, kicker for the Minnesota Vikings," Howell deadpanned. "You've heard of him, right?"
Longwell, like Woods and Howell, is an Isleworth resident and member, and Longwell is a former Isleworth club champion. But no, that's not exactly the trophy-winner to whom we were referring.
"Tiger looked good," Howell said. "He seemed in OK spirits, considering."
As for Woods' comeback plans, though, Howell didn't venture a guess. It seems logical for Woods to play in the unofficial Tavistock Cup, staged the Monday and Tuesday of the week of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which starts March 25. The two-day Tavistock event is not open to the public, is contested before a small crowd and will be played at Isleworth, and the Palmer event is played just a few miles from his suburban Orlando home on a course where he has won six professional titles.
Woods could play both events and would never have to leave town, so he could still tend to his considerable familial issues, which he said are his priority.
In fact, it's unclear whether Woods intends to play at the Masters in April, and if he skips the first major, there's no reason to rush back at all. But the fact that he's practising suggests that Woods is ramping up to something, no?
"Honestly, I have no idea," Howell said.

Lothians man improves from 77 to brilliant 65

Lloyd Saltman shows his class to

win £1,700 prize at Archerfield

If former Walker Cup and Open amateur ace Lloyd Saltman could put all his talents together more often, he could yet be a star on the European Tour.
The 24-year-old Lothians man, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, showed his class today at the Archerfield Links with a superb second round of seven-under-par 65 - the next best score on the day was a 71 - to win the £1,700 first prize Major Golf Tour's The Master Golf Championship for players aged 26 and under, a tournament organised by former England football international David Platt.
Trailing after a first-round 77, Saltman surged up through the field to win with a two-under-par total of 142 - a shot ahead of Danny Belch whose scores lurched the other way: a first-round 68 followed by a 75. Belch will have been happy to pocket a £1,000 cheque.
Greg McBain from Royal Dornoch earned £600 f0r finishing fourth with a 72 for 146 while former Scottish amateur stroke and match-play champion Kevin McAlpine from Alyth slipped back to fifth place on 147, slumping from a first-day 70 to a 77. Kevin's payslip was for £550.
And yet another Scot, Stephen Clark, who played on the US college circuit and is now a professional, finished sixth on 148 and earned £550.
Liam Jeffrey won the amateur event with a two-round Stableford total of 69 points, with tournament host Platt unable to repeat his first-round fireworks as he finished on 63pt.
+David Platt is a hands-on organiser. He personally supplied Scottishgolfview.com with all the scores and details of the money prizes. Well done, David!
FINAL TOTALS
Total prize fund: £7,000
Par 144 (2x72)
142 Lloyd Saltman 77 65 (£1,700).
143 Danny Belch 68 75 (£1,000).
144 Dale Marmion 73 71 (£700).
146 Greg McBain 74 72 (£600).
147 Kevin McAlpine 70 77 (£550).
148 Stephen Clark 73 75 (£550).
149 James Westwood 72 76, Ryan Riley 74 75, Steven Hume 74 75 (£392 each).
150 James McGhee 75 75, Ben Brierley 78 72, Ian Gregory 72 78 (£167 each).
151 Kenny Monaghan 76 75 (£100)).
152 Adam Taylor 78 74, Ryan Buckley 77 75, Jon Jones 79 73 (£59 each).
153 Thomas Higson 79 74.
154 Graham Neville 79 75, Stuart Hemming 78 76.
157 David Laing 75 82.
159 Zack Saltman 80 79.
160 Ryan O'Neill 81 79.
161 Declan Dixon 82 79.
163 Bobby King 84 79.
165 Scott Wilson 85 80.
170 Steven Mayer 86 84
171 Kyle Denham 86 85
Retired - Adam Partington 79 -, Stuart Burns 84 -.

Henderson and Hutcheon win Winter Four-ball at Montrose

The North-east pairing of Scott Henderson (Kings Links Golf Centre) and Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) won the Scottish PGA's Winter Series four-ball foursomes competition over the Montrose links today.
The tournament was postponed last Monday because of wintry conditions at the same venue.
Henderson and Hutcheon returned a seven-under-par 64 to win the £220 first prize on a countback from two other pairs who also returned 64s. Henderson and Hutcheon had a decisive better-ball inward half of five-under-par 30.
Pipped in the card play-off were Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) and Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), and Gary McFarlane (Clober) and Stuart Syme (Dumfries & Co). They tied for the second place prize of £135.
Three partnerships finished with 65s - Jamie Carver (St Andrews Golf Store) & Michael Rae (Alyth), David Ross & Jonas Hedberg (both Royal Aberdeen), and Craig Everett (Caldwell) & Stewart Savage (Dalmuir).

Improving Paul O'Hara ties for fourth place in Morocco

... despite a double bogey at the short 14th on final day

Rookie pro Paul O'Hara earned 1,376 Euros for a joint fourth place finish today in this week's EPD Tour event, the Samanah Classic at Marrakech, Morocco.
The man from Motherwell is improving. Last week he finished joint ninth and picked up 811 Euros in the Al Maaden Classic.
A par 3 at the short 14th in his last round of 69 instead of a double bogey 5 would have given the Scot third place and a pay-out of 1,624 Euros.
Earlier in the round, O'Hara had birdied the second, the fourth, the long ninth and the long 12th. After his disaster at the 14th, he bounced back by birdieing another par-5 hole, the 16th, for his best round of the tournament following scores of 73 and 70 over the par-72 course.
Portugal's Tiago Cruz won the top prize of 4,818 Euros, beating Germany's Benjamin Miarka in a sudden-death play-off after they had tied on 209. Ireland's Brian McElhinney finished joint fourth alonside O'Hara with idential rounds of 73, 70 and 69..

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
209 Tiago Cruz (Portugal) 74 69 66 (4,818 Euros), Benjamin Miarka (Germany) 73 69 67 (2,784 Euros). Cruz won sudden-death play-off.
211 Constantin Schwierz (Germany) 72 73 66 (1,624 Euros).
212 Paul O'Hara (Scotland) 73 70 69, Brian McElhinney (Ireland) 73 70 69 (1,376 Euros each).
213 Christoph Gunter (Germany) 74 74 65, Grant Jackson (England) 72 70 71, Leo Astl (Austria) 72 73 68 (1,117 Euros each).
Selected totals:
219 Stephen Grant (Ireland) 78 71 70 (jt 18th) (478 Euros).
220 Ben Parker (England) 74 75 71, Michael Lowe (Engl;and) 74 74 72 (jt 21st) (361 Euros each).
221 Tim Rice (Ireland) 74 72 75, Cian McNamara (Ireland) 76 74 71 (jt 30th) (261 Euros each).
222 Lee Corfield (England) 75 72 75 (jt 35th) (214 Euros).

Chris Doak remains upbeat about

his prospects in new season

FROM THE PGA E-BULLETIN
Chris Doak's rookie season on the European Tour last year may not have gone to plan but the Greenock PGA pro is
determined to regain his place at the top table.
The 32-year-old earned a card for the main circuit at the qualifying school in 2008 to set the seal on a glory-laden campaign which also saw him top the Tartan Tour's Order of Merit and win the PGA Play-offs.
Doak illuminated his debut season amid the elite with a share of 11th in the Andalucian Open and a tie for 19th in the Johnnie Walker championship at Gleneagles but he lost his playing rights at the end of year having
finished 168th on the money list.
The Scot is remaining upbeat, however, and with his 2010 schedule set to take in events on both the Challenge Tour and the domestic circuit, the two-time Northern Open champion is feeling positive ahead of the new season.
"There are not many players from qualifying school who keep their cards but I expected to
do it," said Doak. "That didn't happen but playing on the European Tour was a great
experience and a learning year."

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Kevin McAlpine, the former double Scottish champion, is handily placed at the halfway stage of The Master Golf Championship at Archerfield Links.
McAlpine, who turned professional towards the end of last year, opened the event for professionals aged 26 and under with a 70 to lie just two shots behind the leader, Dannny Belch.
Ian Gregory is lying third on 72, with Dale Marmion, a former winner on the PGA EuroPro Tour, alongside Stephen Clarke and James Westwood on 73.
Greg McBain, winner of a similar event at the East Lothian venue last October, shot a 74, one better than Turnhouse trainee James McGhee and fellow Scots David Laing and Steven Hume.
Lloyd Saltman, playing over his home course, looked to have left himself with a mountain to climb in today's second round after he could only manage a 77 in his opening round, while younger brother Zack signed for an 80.
In the amateur event, tournament host David Platt was setting the pace, the former England fooball star amassing 35 Stableford points in his first round to lead by a point from Ben Trengove and Liam Jeffrey.

FIRST-ROUND PRO SCORES
Par 72
68 Danny Belch.
70 Kevin McAlpine.
72 Ian Gregory.
73 Stephen Clarke, Dale Marmion, James Westwood.
74 Ryan Riley, Greg McBain.
75 David Laing, James McGhee, Steven Hume.
76 Kenny Monaghan.
77 Lloyd Saltman, Ryan Buckley.
78 Stuart Hemming, Adam Taylor, Ben Brierley.
79 Jon Jones, Adam Partington, Thomas Higson, Graham Neville.
80 Zack Saltman.
81 Ryan O'Neill.
82 Declan Dixon.
84 Stuart Burns, Bobby King.
85 Scott Wilson.
86 Kyle Denham, Steven Mayer.

LEADING AMATEUS
(Stableford format)
35 David Platt
34 Ben Trengrove, Liam Jeffrey.

Alan Tait tries again with

a Scottish mini-tour

FROM THE SCOTSMAN NEWSPAPER
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Alan Tait has a spring back in his step and rightly so. A few weeks after being dealt a devastating blow when he was fined by the PGA and asked to resign from the Scottish Region committee, the director of golf at Marriott Dalmahoy, pictured right, has picked himself up in a way his many friends and colleagues would, no doubt, have been expecting.
He's launching a new Scottish golf tour that will be open to both PGA and non-PGA professionals and is confident a schedule that will consist of seven 36-hole events this year will blossom into something much bigger in years to come.
The Xltec Pro Golf Tour, which will visit Whitekirk, Hilton Park, Dalmahoy, Westerwood, Spey Valley and Dundonald before culminating with an event at Hacienda Del Alamo Golf Rest, near the city of Murcia in south-east Spain, will be a self-funding circuit.
The professionals will play for their own money, having coughed up an entry fee of £100 per event to generate an estimated £10,000 prize fund at each Scottish venue. They won't get rich overnight but that's not the aim.
The leading 10 players at the end of the first six events, plus invitees, will compete in an all-expenses-paid, 36-hole pro-am at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Reosrt with a minimum prize fund of 12,500 Euros.
Scot Billy Sim is the director of golf at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort.
As was the case ten years ago when Tait launched the 2000+ Tour, a similar venture, it's about trying to give Scottish professionals more opportunities to cut their competitive teeth without having to fork out lots of money they probably can't afford for travel.
These days, we have the Alps and EPD Tours as well, both of which consist of events entirely on the continent. As for the Great Britain & Ireland-based PGA EuroPro Tour, a number of its events are in southern England.
"I said ten years ago when I set up the 2000+ Tour I felt there weren't enough playing opportunities in Scotland for our professionals, especially the younger, less experienced ones," said Tait.
"My views have not changed. In fact, the way things have been economically in recent times, there is probably even less opportunity for tournament golf than there was in Scotland in 2000. It also worries me that more and more of our young professionals are heading south to take part in similar Tours, which is financially crippling for them but are happy nonetheless to make that sacrifice in order to get more competitive tournament golf under their belts."
Paul Lawrie and Andrew Coltart are backing the new Tour. Both have vowed to play in some events if their European Tour schedules permit. Also on board are 110 Sport, the Stirling-based management company which has Marc Warren, Alastair Forsyth, Paul O'Hara and George Murray on its books.
They see the new circuit as a "great opportunity in an ongoing strategy for golf development". Some, of course, will see this as Tait's way at getting back at the PGA, having been left feeling devastated by the aforementioned punishment for his part in a young professional having been deemed to have been in breach of the training procedure.
It has been in the pipeline for some time, however, after Tait was approached by Xltec Solutions Ltd, an office equipment company based in Cumbernauld.
What's more, in addition to the fact he's made a promise that none of his events will clash with any PGA tournaments, Tait also had the decency to meet with Michael MacDougall, the Scottish Region secretary, last week to discuss the plans in full.
"I'm still a PGA member and Michael is now aware of our focus and commitment," said Tait, who is being assisted with the running of the Tour by Nigel Scott Smith, a close friend and fellow PGA pro who runs the Palacerigg Family Golf Centre in Lanarkshire.
"I hope at some point soon or, indeed, the future there may be a possibility that we will work with the PGA, which would be the icing on the cake for the development of the Tour.
"Players will pay £40 to join the new circuit, which is scheduled to get underway at Whitekirk on March 25-26. Events will also be held in April (Hilton Park), May (Dalmahoy), July (Westerwood), September (Spey Valley) and October (Dundonald).
The top ten players on the money-list – 'The Race to Spain' if you like – will be invited to take part in an all-expenses paid pro-am at Hacienda Del Alamo in November, when there will be a guaranteed prize fund of 12,500.
"When I dabbled by starting up the 2000+ Tour it was the wrong time," recalled Tait. "It was still frowned upon then for pros to be playing for their own money and it was not supported as I thought it might have been.
"At the start, 130 pros joined and 110 played in the first event. But the PGA then came out and said it didn't condone that sort of event and the field halved overnight as the pros got nervous about it.
"Things have changed now, though. There are mini-Tours like this in Britain and all over Europe. Scotland is crying out for something like this and, three years from now, I see this Tour comprising of 20-22 events. I think it will really take off."
He could be right. The circuit is already proving a talking point among fellow pros on Facebook.

2010 XLTEC PRO TOUR DATES
March 25-26: Whitekirk.
April 28-29: Hilton Park.
May 25-26: Marriott Dalmahoy.
July 28-29: Westerwood.
September 28-29: Spey Valley
October 6-7: Dundonald Links.
November 4-7: Hacienda del Alamo.

Rookie Fowler is flowering on US PGA Tour
Believe it or not, Rory McIlroy wasn't the outstanding player on show when Royal County Down staged the Walker Cup in 2007. As McIlroy misfired somewhat in that event – he registered one-and-a-half points from four matches in front of an expectant home crowd – the player who really caught the eye was another mop-haired youngster called Rickie Fowler.
As McIlroy was emerging last year as golf's brightest young star, Fowler was still at college and got another Walker Cup under his belt, winning all four of his matches as the Americans retained the trophy at Merion.
Having chalked up four top tens in eight events on the US PGA Tour since turning professional and already up to 77th in the world, Fowler is clearly something special, though be warned if you've not actually clapped eyes on him yet as this young man possibly has the brightest wardrobe golf has ever seen.
+The above article is published in The Scotsman newspaper today.