Mickelson to tee off 2011 at Abu Dhabi Ch/ship

FROM THE GOLFWEEK.COM WEBSITE
By Doug Ferguson
Associated Press
Phil Mickelson plans to start the 2011 in the desert, as he has done so often in his career. Just not the California desert.
Mickelson, who only recently began to expand his global horizons, said he is planning to make the Abu Dhabi Championship his first tournament of the new year. It will be held the same week as the Bob Hope Classic.

“I’ve wanted to go to the UAE (United Arab Emirates) for a hile, and this is the perfect time,” Mickelson said, adding his entire family and swing coach Butch Harmon will be going with him.
“It should give me great weather to work on my game, and it gives me a chance to get to the UAE. The whole family is going, and they’re pretty excited about it.”
This figures to be the second straight year that the Bob Hope Classic gets more attention for who’s not there.
A year ago, the US PGA Tour granted nine conflicting releases to players to compete in Abu Dhabi. Tournament officials at the Hope were not thrilled, although they overlooked the fact that six of those players were European and all nine were European Tour members. What caused such consternation is one release went to Anthony Kim, who went to high school in the Palm Springs area.
Mickelson is a two-time champion at the Bob Hope Classic, although he has lost interest in recent years when the tournament started moving away from its traditional rotation of golf courses.

The four-time major champion is taking an interest in playing overseas, and making the most of it. He is immensely popular in China, where he is building golf courses and teaching academies. There also is appearance money to be made, part of the game for years.

“I feel like there’s an obligation as a player to try to bring the game to different parts of the world,” Mickelson said. “The UAE, especially Abu Dhabi, and China seem to be our greatest growth opportunities.”

Mickelson will go straight from Abu Dhabi to Torrey Pines for the start of his busy West Coast swing. He plans to play Phoenix, Pebble Beach and Riviera, but is undecided on the Match Play Championship. He said that would depend on his kids’ spring break.


PLAYER OF THE YEAR: The US PGA Tour is starting to compile its ballots for player of the year, with Jim Furyk sure to be one of the candidates after his three-win season and capturing the FedEx Cup.

Furyk already has wrapped up one such award.

The PGA of America honour is based on points, which Furyk has clinched with 60. He received 10 points for each of his wins at Innisbrook, Hilton Head and the Tour Championship, and 18 points for being second on the money list and 12 points for being fifth in the adjusting scoring average.

Matt Kuchar won the money list and the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average, although he has only one victory. Phil Mickelson was the only US PGA Tour member to win a major, but he didn’t win anything else.

One thing Furyk and Kuchar share is a perk that often gets overlooked. Any US PGA Tour player who wins the money list or the FedEx Cup receives a five-year exemption on tour.

KODAK CHALLENGE: Troy Merritt is in decent shape to keep his US PGA Tour card as a rookie, at No. 121 on the money list, and some $37,000 clear of No. 125. He’s in even better shape to claim the $1 million prize from the Kodak Challenge, which goes to a player’s best cumulative score on 18 out of 30 holes from various tour events.
But it won’t be without a fight.

Merritt has a one-shot lead over Rickie Fowler and Aaron Baddeley, and both of them are coming to Disney. Baddeley withdrew from the Australian Masters, while Fowler is coming to Florida after tournaments in Malaysia and Shanghai.

“I didn’t want to just give it to Troy,” Fowler said with a grin. “Got to make Troy work for it.”

For the 21-year-old Fowler, it’s more than just $1 million.
He already has had a dream rookie season – more than $2.6 million in earnings, well inside the top 50 in the world ranking, a spot on the Ryder Cup team. The one thing missing is a trophy, and that’s another reason to go to Disney.
“I’m not in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions,” Fowler said, savvy enough to know the winners-only tournament at Kapalua only changed its name a few days earlier. “This is another shot at having a chance to win.”

CADDIE NIGHT: One of the best nights of the year is in Shanghai when the European Tour loopers gather downstairs at the hotel bar for their “Caddie of the Year” program.
Caddies vote throughout the week for the best caddie and a few other awards.

The main winner was Ken Comboy, voted caddie of the year. He works for Graeme McDowell, who had a decent year – U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach, two European Tour victories and that massive birdie putt at Celtic Manor to give Europe victory in the Ryder Cup.

John McLaren, now working for Luke Donald, got the award for worst dressed.

And the best switch of the year might have been unanimous – Craig Connelly, who began the year working for Graeme Storm until he got an offer to caddy for a young German named Martin Kaymer. They went on to three wins, including the PGA Championship.

It was standing room only for most of the night, a festive occasion that was attended by most of the caddies at the HSBC Champions no matter what tour they work, along with a host of players that ranged from Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Ryan Palmer and Rickie Fowler.

CARD TIME: Disney is the final US PGA Tour event of the year, and the last chance for players to finish among the top 125 on the money list to secure their full cards for next year.
Troy Matteson, already exempt for 2011 because of a win last season, is at No. 125 and has a lead of nearly $13,000 over Briny Baird.
Two players with a lot riding at Disney spent last week in Shanghai.

Heath Slocum is at No. 30 on the money list by $132 over Ryan Moore. That’s significant because the top 30 on the money list get into the Masters next year, and Moore already is eligible for Augusta National.

Richard S. Johnson of Sweden is No. 131 on the money list, and he qualified for the HSBC Champions by winning in Sweden. He was due to arrive in Florida sometime Monday, then try to shake off the jet lag and try to earn the $50,000 that might be necessary to finish among the top 125 on the money list.

DIVOTS: Tiger Woods failed to win a World Golf Championship for the first time since the series began in 1999 ... Padraig Harrington made an albatross on the 14th hole of the third round at the HSBC Championship, the seventh one of the year on the US PGA Tour. ... With the Presidents Cup in Australia next November, the European Tour is planning to push back its season-ending Dubai World Championship to the first full week in December.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Of the four majors and four World Golf Championships, Americans had only two victories this year – Phil Mickelson (Masters) and Hunter Mahan (Bridgestone Invitational).


FINAL WORD: “When I’m comfortable and when I’m happy, there’s not many people than can play better than me.” – Sergio Garcia.

Alan Lockhart's 69 best at stormy Montrose

By LEE SUTHERLAND
This week's Midland Golfers’ Alliance was held at a stormy Montrose Medal Links. Continuing his great run of form in the Alliance this winter, Ladybank assistant professional  Alan Lockhart won with a scratch score of 69, one over par.
Alan’s card included three double bogeys but also had six birdies, five of them coming on the back nine.
Edzell five-handicapper Ron Brownhill won the handicap prize by three shots with a net score of 70.
LEADING SCRATCH SCORES
Par 68
69 A Lockhart (Ladybank) ap.
70 G Brown (Montrose) ap.
72 A J Webster (Edzell) p.
74 P Jamieson (Dunblane New) p, M Brown (Monifieth).
75 K Harper (Carnoustie).
78 G Mitchell (Blairgowrie), J Crawford (Dunblane New), R Redpath (Scotscraig), R Stewart (Tulliallan), C Brunton (Monifieth).

79 D Mitchell (Panmure), R McDonald (Monifieth).
LEADING HANDICAP SCORES
70 R Brownhill (Edzell) (5).

73 A. Smith (Edzell) (7), J Crawford (Dunblane New) (5), R Redpath (Scotscraig) (5), C Brunton (Monifieth) (5), G Mitchell (Blairgowrie) (5).

74 R Beatt (Scotscraig) (13), P Rhind (Grange) (9).

75 D Mitchell (Panmure) (4), R McDonald (Monifieth) (4), A McEwan (Carnoustie) (14), D Adams (Carnoustie) (6), D Redford (Murrayshall) (7), C Westland (Alloa) (11), M Brown (Monifieth) (1), K Harper (Carnoustie)
K Harper (Carnoustie) (scr).



Qualifiers for the JTC Interiors Express Championship at Arbroath in April
G Brown (Montrose) ap.
K Harper (Carnoustie)


Qualifier for the McQueen Shield
R Brownhill (Edzell)

Next week’s meeting
Tuesday, November 16.
Crail (Craighead)
Tee reserve: 8.30 - 12.30


Lee Sutherland

Monty skippers Europe again in Royal Trophy match

FROM THE KALEEJ TIMES WEBSITE
BANGKOK - Colin Montgomerie will captain the European team for a second year running at the Royal Trophy in Thailand in January, organisers said today.
The Europeans narrowly defeated the Asians at the last edition of the tournament, which is modelled on the Ryder Cup but pits teams from the two continents against each other.

“In the previous edition of the Royal Trophy the matches were very close and Europe prevailed by a single point, earned on the final day of singles,” Montgomerie said.

“I am certain that we will face a strong Asian challenge but we will be prepared to play our best and to compete with great determination.”

The Asian side will be led by Naomichi “Joe” Ozaki, and include his compatriot Ryo Ishikawa.

At the last Royal Trophy, Henrik Stenson of Sweden clawed back from three holes down after 10 against Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee to earn a half point and secure victory for Europe with a seven-foot par putt at the final hole.

It was a repeat of Europe’s triumph in the maiden event in 2006 when Stenson beat Thongchai in the anchor match for overall victory. Europe also won in 2007 but were stunned 10-6 by Asia in 2009.

Spanish golf legend Seve Ballesteros pioneered the tournament and captained Europe to victories in 2006 and 2007 but is recovering from a series of brain operations.

The 2008 event was cancelled out of respect for the Thai king’s sister, who died in January of that year.

The fifth edition of the championship will take place from January 7 to 9 at Black Mountain Golf Club in the Thai resort city of Hua Hin.

Quality field for Nedbank Golf Challenge

Padraig Harrington is one of five European Ryder Cup-winning players that will take part in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa during early December.
The three-time major winner is joined by Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher as well as Italy's Edoardo Molinari and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez in the invited 12-man field.
The tournament which is played annually at Sun City is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2010.
Also amongst the participants will be three-time winner Ernie Els, along with fellow South Africans Tim Clark, Retief Goosen and Louis Oosthuizen, who won the The Open at St Andrews earlier this year.
Last year's winner Robert Allenby from Australia will also be playing at the Gary Player Country Club, while England's Justin Rose and Dane Anders Hansen complete the line-up.
Tournament director Alastair Roper said: "We can never hope to make accurate predictions, but judging by the form shown by our invitees this year it is fair to assume that we can look forward to a thrilling contest."

PRESS RELEASE

Ian Poulter still has

world No 1 ambition

NEWS RELEASE
Singapore, November 9: England ’s Ian Poulter will be on defence mode as he aims to extend his winning run at this week’s Barclays Singapore Open which tees off on Thursday.
Poulter, a member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team, is relishing the opportunity to retain his title at the US$6 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
He will be jo ined by an elite field comprising of world No. 3 Martin Kaymer of Germany, four-time Major champion Phil Mickelson of the United States, Asia’s first Major winner Yang Yong-eun of South Korea and 2008 Barclays Singapore Open champion Jeev Milkha Singh of India at the Sentosa Golf Club.
Italian Francesco Molinari, fresh from winning in Shanghai last week, will also be in the mix alongside Ryder Cup teammate Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland in the event where for the first time a field of 204 players will compete on both The Serapong and The Tan jong courses.
The flamboyant Poulter, ranked 15th in the world, got off to a superb start to the season when he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February and finishing tied 10th at The Masters.
His form took a slight dip midway through the season but he is hoping to rekindle with the winning feeling in Singapore after finishing in tied 15th place in China last week.
“I had a good start to the season, it got a little flat in the middle but I had a great Ryder Cup and hopefully that could help me to go on and defend this title,” said Poulter.
Expectations are high for Poulter to perform and the Englishman is confident of putting in a sparkling performance.
“If you perform well on a golf course the previous year, there’ll be expectations for you to do well again. I played exceptionally well last year and if I can put in a similar kind of performance it’ll be nice.
“I like this golf course and it sets up very nicely for me and I’ve got high expectations for myself. I’m sure other people have the same expectations for me as well and I don’t mind that,” added Poulter.
Poulter believes a good performance this week will fuel his ambitions of securing the world No. 1 position in the future.
“Look at the world rankings from a point perspective, Tiger Woods has dropped all of his points therefore he has come back to the pack. Nobody has really gone to him.
“With that in mind, anybody in the top-10 in the world who has a good six months can find themselves move up the world ranking higher enough to contend for that number one spot. And that’s something I’m aiming for,” said Poulter.

Oosthuizen pulls out of Singapore Open

Open champion Louis Oosthuizen has pulled out of this week's Singapore. The South African, after a month out recovering from an ankle injury received during a hunting trip, returned at last week's WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
With a specially fitted brace which he is supposed to wear for three months, he could only produce scores of 69, 80, 80 and 72 that left him well down the field.
"The problem is the brace is just too tight and along with the bandage I have to put around it, I feel as though I might be doing the ankle more harm than good," said Oosthuizen.
"Reluctantly I've had to pull out of this week's Singapore Open. I'm going to take another two weeks off and see if it's any better."
His withdrawal deprives the Singapore Open, which starts on Thursday, of the opportunity of having the year's four Major champions in the same field.

"It's disappointing, but I just can't go out there shooting 80s, and be struggling with my ankle, as that's no fun, at all," he said.
"I can't remember the last time I ever had back-to-back 80s in my career. Those scores certainly are not me and it's only because my ankle was causing me so much discomfort."

Oosthuizen, who won his first major at St Andrews last July, said he would now spend a fortnight in Dubai in the company of his trainer.

"We thought the best place to be was Dubai so that I'll be in the same place for three weeks, what with two weeks of resting the ankle and more treatment plus looking for a better brace ahead of the Dubai World Championship," he said.

"I've got a heavy schedule of golf up to Christmas what with the event in Dubai and then events in South Africa, including the South African Open that I am so much looking forward to contesting as the Open Champion."

Englishman's 414yd hit wins world long-drive title

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
Jamie Sadlowski, the two-time defending Re/Max World Long Drive champion, has been beaten in the semi-finals by England's Joe Miller, who went on to win the 2010 Re/Max in Mesquite, Nevada.
Sadlowski could only manage a 388yd drive in his semi-final with Miller, whose 396-yard drive knocked out the 22-year-old sensation from Alberta, Canada.

Miller, one of the top hitters in Europe, then went on to beat Domenic Mazza in the final with a 414yd smash that easily bested Mazza's 371-yard effort.

Sadlowski, whose relatively small size (5-11, 168 pounds) is rare in the sport, saw a few dangerous competitors fail to make the elite eight.

The quarter-finals featured neither Jason Zuback, a former amateur powerlifter from Alberta, Canada, who has won the title a record five times, nor Mike Dobbyn, a 6-8, 300lb mountain of a man who was the last person other than Sadlowski to win the Re/Max, in 2007.

That Sadlowski then failed to make the final two was perhaps the biggest shock of all. He is the youngest hitter to achieve stardom on the long-drive circuit, but he has maintained his titles are no sure thing.
Wind and temperature are huge factors in this event, which annually draws in excess of 10,000 competitors who attempt to qualify for the finals.
Temperatures were in the mid-70s with no wind.
The competition will air on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. ET USA on Christmas Day, and on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. on December 26.

Rory McIlroy latest European player to

snub US PGA Tour

FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND.WEBSITEBy BERNIE McGUIRE

Rory McIlroy joined the burgeoning ranks of leading European golfers to turn their backs on the US PGA Tour when he announced yesterday he would not be renewing his full-time membership.

The player held a meeting with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem in Shanghai on Sunday night, informing him he would not be renewing his membership in 2011.

Germany’s Martin Kaymer recently indicated he would not be taking up membership, having earned a 10-year exemption through his victory in the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Lee Westwood, the world No.1, reiterated last week in Shanghai that he would not be enticed into rejoining the US Tour, while Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who ended a six-year run without a win by capturing the HSBC Championship on Sunday, said he has no intention of joining, especially as his wife is expecting their first child in February.

It was exactly a year ago in Hong Kong that McIlroy expressed his joy that he was to join the US Tour from January 1. Fast-forward to September and the player from Holywood, Belfast, said he was certain of his decision to quit the US Tour while in America for the FedEx Cup play-off series.

"I don’t have a base in the States and, besides, I enjoy my time too much back at home," said McIlroy.

He had been up early one morning watching TV coverage of the Omega European Masters, the Swiss event where he was runner-up in 2008.

“I found myself in America last year, especially in the FedEx Cup play-off series, just not wanting to be there, especially on the golf course,” said McIlroy.

“I switched on the Golf Channel and began watching the Omega European Masters in Switzerland and thinking to myself I would rather be there instead. Sometimes you feel as though you have to be in America just to play the mandatory 15 tournaments and, at the start of this year, that was something I really wanted to do.
“I did that but I then realised it wasn’t for me. Of course, that doesn’t mean to say I don’t want to play full-time in the United States again. It would be easier if I had a place in the States and that would definitely make it easier to play both Tours.
“Besides, with the majors and the WGCs [World Golf Championships], plus a few other events such as my defence of the Wells Fargo Championship [previously Quail Hollow Championship] I will still play 11 or 12 there next year, and I will be happy with that.”
McIlroy admitted his decision was also influenced by a fondness for playing in Europe while a decision to increase the number of events to retain automatic membership to 13 from next season also tipped the scales.
“The decision that you have to play 13 tournaments [to keep your European card] does make it more difficult but I had made my mind up before the new rule was announced,” he said. “I don’t have a base in the States and, besides, I enjoy my time too much back at home.
“Holly [Sweeney, his girlfriend] also has another two years at university and we have two dogs, a nice house and I love my life back in Northern Ireland, back in Europe. I don’t want ever to give that up. [In any case] if I keep playing the way I have been playing, I will get all the invitations I need.
“After playing in the Ryder Cup, I got a great sense of the camaraderie out there and I got to know many of the European guys a lot better.

“If you are playing well in the States it’s a great place to be but, if you’re not, it can be a lonely place, whereas, if you are not playing well on the European Tour, you still have plenty of mates to hang out with.”

McIlroy was in Singapore yesterday for a corporate outing but has decided to return home to Northern Ireland for a week’s break rather than contesting the co-sanctioned Barclays Singapore Open which starts on Thursday.