Cadillac becomes World Golf Championships

title sponsor

General Motors Co is to return to sponsoring professional golf after severing its ties with the sport during its 2009 financial crisis.
GM's luxury brand Cadillac will sponsor the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship at the TPC Blue Monster Doral Golf Resort and Spa near Miami next March.
The United States PGA Tour and Cadillac announced a multi-year agreement whereby Cadillac becomes title sponsor of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and an umbrella sponsor of the World Golf Championships.
"We are absolutely delighted to once again partner with Cadillac, which has a long-standing history with professional golf," said US PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.
"We couldn't be more pleased to welcome Cadillac back through this sponsorship with the World Golf Championships. We believe that the World Golf Championships will provide Cadillac with an effective and valuable marketing platform that will provide an excellent return on its investment.
"In addition to today's announcement about the return of the World Golf Championships to Miami, we also look forward to exploring opportunities with Cadillac to bring US PGA Tour tournament golf back to Detroit."

Scots slip back on a rain-hit

 day on Algarve

FROM THE PGAs OF EUROPE WEBSITE
Denmark ended up in pole position at the end of a rain-ravaged day that curtailed the second round of the PGAs of Europe International Team Championship at Vale de Lobo on Portugal's Algarve coastline today.
Overnight and early morning rain not only delayed the scheduled start but, with its legacy flooding two fairways, PGA tournament director Ben Groutage was forced to alter the course to get the 72-hole tournament completed intact.
Consequently the affected holes on the Ocean Course, the par five third and sixth, became par 3s. The late start also meant just 11 teams of the 26-strong field completed the second round but, in doing so, the Danes failed to build on their first round score of four-under.
That remained the same after Rune Olsen (two under) and Christian Roare Melbye (two over) contributed while their star of the first round, Jacob Nordestgaard posted a three-over 71.
Nordestgaard’s round was a case of ‘After the Lord Mayor’s Show’ as his five-under-par 67 in round one had been the joint best of the day. That honour on day two went to Hungary’s Roland Hahn whose four-under-par 68 featured seven birdies and three bogeys.
With England and France both improving on their first round scores, Denmark’s hold on first place in the chase for the €6,000 first prize looks temporary, however. Likewise Norway’s grip on the runner’s up berth after they ended the second round on three-under.
England were 12-under after 27-holes and France a stroke further back at the same stage. Italy and Scotland, who slipped from six-under after the first round, were two-under after 27 holes, while Poland, one-under after 33 holes, were the only other teams under par when darkness called a halt to a disappointing and difficult day.

ROUND 2 POSITIONS
-12 after 27 holes ENGLAND.
-11 after 27 holes FRANCE.
-4 after 36 holes   DENMARK
-3 after 36 holes   NORWAY
-2 after 27 holes   SCOTLAND, ITALY
Level par after 27  SPAIN
+1 after 36 holes  POLAND
+2 after 27 holes  WALES, SWITZERLAND.
+2 after 33 holes   IRELAND, SWEDEN.
+2 after  36 holes  GERMANY.
+6 after 36 holes   GREECE
+7 after 33 holes   SLOVENIA.
+9 after 33 holes   HUNGARY.
+11 after 33 holes NETHERLANDS.
+11 after 27 holes FINLAND.
+12 after 36 holes AUSTRIA.
+13 after 27 holes BELGIUM.
+13 after 36 holes UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.
+15 after 36 holes SOUTH AFRICA.
+16 after 36 holes ICELAND.
+18 after 36 holes CZECH REPUBLIC.
+24 after 33 holes LUXEMBURG.

Scotland's Eisenhower Trophy heroes of 2008 miss out on top level pro action

Booth, Dear, Macaulay fail to make

it to Tour School Final Stage

The three Scots who, as amateurs, won the Eisenhower Trophy world team championship in Australia two years ago, all suffered major setbacks today to their fledgling professional careers when they failed to qualify for the Final Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School at PGA Catalunya, Spain from December 4 to 9. Macaulay and Dear were well out of the hunt in the Stage 2 72-hole eliminator at El Valle while Booth, playing at Hacienda del Alamo, was also only a shadow of the great amateur player he once was.
The good news is that Jack Doherty and Lloyd Saltman cruised through at Costa Ballena and there was more joy for the Saltman brothers at Hacienda del Alamo where Elliot qualified for the Final Stage.
The final round has not been completed at Arcos Gardens but Chris Doak looks in good shape to be one of the approximate 23 qualifiers from that venue and Elgin-born Joel Hendry might make it too if he has a very good fourth round.

COSTA BALLENA
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
Scots qualifiers . 
285 Jack Doherty 68 71 70 76, Lloyd Saltman 67 73 70 75 (Jt 15th).
*23 players with totals of 288 or better qualified for the Final Q School at PGA Catalunya from December 4 to 9.
Scots non-qualifiers
291 John Gallagher 659 73 68 81 (jt 34th).
292 Mark Kerr 72 69 76 74 (jt 40).
Field of 73 players.

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HACIENDA DEL ALAMO
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
Scots qualifier
283 Elliot Saltman 71 72 67 73 (jt 16th).
*23 players with totals of 284 or better qualified for the Final Q School.
Scots non-qualifiers
291 Stephen Gray 73 75 68 75, Wallace Booth 71 74 73 73 (jt 52nd).
293 Shaun McAllister 69 76 70 78 (jt 61st).
295 Eric Ramsay 75 77 70 73 (jt 62nd).
296 Andrew McArthur 73 72 76 75 (jt 66th).
Field of 72 players.

TO READ ALL THE FINAL TOTALS AT HACIENDA DEL ALAMO

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EL VALLE
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
*23 players with totals if 284 or better qualified.
Scots non-qualifiers
287 Graham Fox 72 67 72 76 (jt 29th).
292 Keir McNicoll 781 74 73 74 (jt 44th).
295 Callum Macaulay 76 71 74 74 (jt 52nd).
298 Gavin Dear 78 76 70 74.
Withdrew: Jason McCreadie 76 72 73 -
Field of 72 players.

TO READ ALL THE FINAL TOTALS AT EL VALLE

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ARCOS GARDENS
Fourth round not completed until Tuesday
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
Scots' scores
215 Chris Doak 72 74 69 (jt 9th).
*23 players currently on 217 or better.
219 Joel Hendry 71 76 72 (jt 27th).
226 Ross Bain 72 77 77 (jt 58th).
231 Craig Matheson 74 79 78 (65th).

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Ping give Open winner Oosthuizen

a multi-year contract

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED ON BEHALF OF PING
Reigning Open champion Louis Oosthuizen has signed a multi-year agreement to continue playing PING golf equipment, according to John A. Solheim, PING Chairman and CEO.
This summer, Oosthuizen captured his first major with a dominating, seven-stroke win in The Open Championship at St. Andrews, his second victory of the year and one of seven top-10 finishes for the season. His opening round 7-under 65 was the lowest opening round by a winner in the history of The Open Championship. He was No. 1 in driving accuracy and made 20 birdies for the week.
“Louis’ achievement at St. Andrews made everyone at PING very proud,” said Solheim. “He’s been with PING his entire pro career and we’ve watched him become a truly world-class player. We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with him.”
As part of the agreement, Oosthuizen will wear a PING hat, carry a PING staff bag and play a minimum of 11 PING clubs, including a PING driver and PING putter. Financial terms and the length of the agreement were not disclosed.
He’s currently playing PING’s new S56™ irons, Tour-S™ Rustique wedges, a Redwood™ Anser® putter, and a Rapture V2® driver. He has climbed to 23rd in the Official World Golf Rankings.
The 28-year-old Oosthuizen makes his home in Pinnacle Point, South Africa, and has two European Tour titles. “PING’s equipment allows me to get the most from my game and reach my potential,” he said. “And on Tour they’re always right there when I need them. They understand my game and give me a comfort level so I can go out and play with confidence.”
Further information on PING products can be found at www.ping.com

Poulter joins Westwood, Casey,

Donald in world's top 10

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
There are now four English players in the top nine of the world rankings.
Ian Poulter, up from 11th to eighth, has joined No 1 Lee Westwood, Paul Casey (seventh) and Luke Donald (ninth) with his runner-up finish at the Dubai World Championship.
Poulter would have moved ahead of Casey into seventh if he had won his play-off against Robert Karlsson, but lost it at the second extra hole after a one-shot penalty incurred when his marker flipped over after he dropped his ball on it.
Latest leading positions:
1 Lee Westwood 8.67pts, 2 Tiger Woods 7.88, 3 Martin Kaymer 7.70, 4 Phil Mickelson 7.31, 5 Steve Stricker 6.67, 6 Jim Furyk 6.66, 7 Paul Casey 6.05, 8 Ian Poulter 5.82, 9 Luke Donald 5.80, 10 Rory McIlroy 5.61
11 Graeme McDowell 5.60, 12 Matt Kuchar 5.09, 13 Ernie Els 5.02, 14 Dustin Johnson 4.83, 15 Francesco Molinari 4.59, 16 Robert Karlsson 4.42, 17 Edoardo Molinari 4.23, 18 Hunter Mahan 4.18, 19 Retief Goosen 4.17, 20 Adam Scott 3.88
Other leading Europeans:
 22 Padraig Harrington, 28 Justin Rose, 29 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 31 Ross Fisher, 40 Peter Hanson, 46 Alvaro Quiros, 49 Martin Laird, 50 Henrik Stenson, 59 Matteo Manassero, 61 Simon Dyson, 69 Rhys Davies, 71 Anders Hansen,72 Fredrik Andersson Hed, 75 Sergio Garcia, 76 Brian Davis, 77 Danny Willett, 81 Soren Kjeldsen, 83 Oliver Wilson, 88 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 89 Stephen Gallacher, 90 David Horsey, 95 Gregory Bourdy, 97 Raphael Jacquelin, 98 Jamie Donaldson,100 Darren Clarke.

India's top amateur Khan (19) turns professional

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
New Delhi: Rashid Khan, prodigious amateur and winner of the silver medal in the team competition at the just concluded Asian Games, has chosen the Hero Honda Indian Open to turn professional.
The 19-year-old Delhi golfer, who has been India’s leading and most high-profile amateur, had put off turning professional just to be able to play in the Asian Games.
“I always wanted a medal from the Asian Games. I am glad I got a silver medal in the team event for India. I was close in the individual but the more important medal was the team event.”
And no sooner had Khan returned to India, he decided to take the plunge and join play for pay ranks at the Hero Honda Indian Open which starts on Thursday.
“It is the National Open and there could not have been a better tournament to do so than the National Open. I already had an entry as an amateur, but I have now decided to play as a professional,” said Khan.
Khan is also a two-time champion at the Faldo Series Asia champion and a third time he came in third. He has also won titles on the amateur circuit in countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore besides representing India at events like Eisenhower Cup.

European No 1 Kaymer withdraws from Tiger's event

CBSSports.com wire reports
THOUSAND OAKS, California -- Fresh from winning his first European Tour money title, US PGA champion Germany's Martin Kaymer has withdrawn from the Chevron World Challenge.
Kaymer wrapped up the Order of Merit on Sunday when he shared 13th in the Dubai World Championship.
He has been replaced in the 18-man field at Sherwood Country Club by Nick Watney.
The Chevron World Challenge, hosted by Tiger Woods, starts on Thursday. All 18 players are among the top 50 in the world ranking.

O'Grady keen for Killarney to host Irish Open

FROM THE IRISHTIMES.COM WEBSITE
By PHILIP REID
George O'Grady, the European Tour’s chief executive, is set to take up Killarney Golf Fishing Club’s offer to again play host to the Irish Open next July 28th-31st.
Although no title sponsor has yet been found to replace 3, who withdrew a fortnight ago, the tournament was included on the 2011 schedule released yesterday.
O’Grady said: “Killarney have been kind enough to give me an option to take the tournament there, which would be my choice. Within the next week or two I will probably confirm that with Killarney, so that whoever comes in will be selling an Irish Open at Killarney, not wherever a new sponsor wants to go.
“The event at Killarney, in my opinion, was outstandingly successful and I’d like to recreate that for another year, albeit at reduced prize money, unless we get a commercial sponsor.”

Next year's Presidents Cup match at Royal Melbourne

Captain Couples picks Haas, Jordan as assistants

United States team captain Fred Couples has named Jay Haas and Michael Jordan as his assistants for next year’s Presidents Cup match, while International Team captain Greg Norman has nominated Frank Nobilo as one of his two assistants, with the second person to be named next year.
“Jay and Michael were instrumental in the U.S. Team’s success in 2009, and I knew as soon as I was asked to be captain again that I would need them both by my side to keep things running smoothly and ensure we have the best chance at retaining the Cup when we get to Melbourne,” said Couples.
“Jay has been one of my closest friends in golf for many years, and I really respect his instincts and leadership qualities.
"Michael is, of course, one of the greatest athletes of all time, and to have a champion like him in the cabin to help motivate and inspire the team is such a tremendous asset.
"At the end of the day, win or lose, we’re going to have a great time and make sure all the guys have a great Presidents Cup experience.”
Norman said, “Frank has been a friend for so many years, and he was my right-hand man for the 2009 event. I couldn’t have done it without him and I wouldn’t want to do it again if he wasn’t one of my two assistants.
"He shares with me the ultimate goal of winning The Presidents Cup for the first time since 1998, and what better time and place to do so than when we return to Melbourne for the 2011 event.”
Jordan, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, won six NBA Championship titles with the Chicago Bulls, five MVP awards, six NBA Finals MVP awards and numerous NBA scoring records.
In 1999, he was named the greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press’s list of athletes of the century.
In 2010, Jordan became the first former NBA player to become a majority owner of an NBA franchise with his acquisition of the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Presidents Cup 2011 returns to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, November 17-20, 2011.
The 2013 event will be staged at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
The Presidents Cup 2015 will be staged either in South Korea, Japan, India, South Africa or Argentina, which are all now going through a bid process.
The U.S. Team has claimed victory in five of the seven events played since the competition began in 1994 (the 2003 event resulted in a memorable tie when Tiger Woods and Ernie Els dueled into a twilight, sudden-death playoff).