Friday, January 07, 2011

VILLEGAS DISQUALIFIED AFTER TV VIEWER SPOTS INFRINGEMENT

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- The Tournament of Champions lost another star player today when Camilo Villegas was disqualified for a rules violation that a television viewer called in after the opening round.
Villegas was chipping up the slope to the 15th green when the ball twice came back at him. The second time, the Colombia casually swatted away a loose piece of grass by the divot as the ball was still moving down the slope.
That was a violation of Rule 23-1, and he should have taken a two-shot penalty. Villegas opened with a 72, so he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Villegas watched the video to confirm the penalty and did not protest. Making it worse, this is his 29th birthday.
On Thursday, two-time defending champion Geoff Ogilvy withdrew because of a freak injury to his finger.
Editor's comment: It must have made that TV viewer's day to get Villegas disqualified! To my mind, most of the Rules of Golf were drawn up more than a hundred years ago to stop or punish players who cheated. Was Villegas cheating when he "swatted away a loose piece of grass?" I think not.
Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

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ELLIOT SALTMAN STAYS IN HUNT BUT OTHER SCOTS SLIP

Elliot Saltman has stayed up with the Africa Open leaders, thanks to a second-round, two-under-par 71 today for a 36-hole tally of eight-under-par 138 at East London Golf Club on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
The 28-year-old Scot, who is attached to Archerfield Links in his native Lothians, birdied the two early par-5s, the first and third, before dropping a shot at the fifth but he birdied the eighth to be out in two-under 35. Elliot birdied another long hole, the 11th and then the 14th before a weak finish cost him at least a share of the lead. He bogeyed the short 17th and also the long 18th for 36 home and a 71.
Elliot, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, will start the second half of the tournament in seventh place, an outstanding performance for the rookie from the Lothians.
But younger brother Lloyd slipped badly with a 76, eight shots worse than his sparkling first round, for 144 - beating the cut by two shots.
Lloyd had six bogeys in halves of 40 and 36 - at the first, second, third, eighth, 16th and 18th. His only birdies came at the 11th and 12th.
Lloyd, who dropped to joint 42nd position, was not the only Scot to lose the plot on Day 2 after looking good in the first round.
Marc Warren slipped from 71 to 75 and Alastair Forsyth from 70 to 76. Both beat the cut with nothing to spare in joint 61st place.
The other Scottish qualifier was Motherwell's Steven O'Hara with steady rounds of 72 and 71 for 143 and a share of 26th place.
Scots for whom the tournament is over are David Drysdale (79 for 149), Scott Jamieson (82 for 153), George Murray (78 for 159) and Scott Drummond (83 for 161). The normally consistent Drysdale was eight over par for the 14 holes from the fourth to the 18th.

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE:
Miles Tunnicliff chipped in on the final hole to take one-third share of the halfway lead on a windy day.
The 42 year old Malaga-based Englishman from Leamington Spa,is playing on a sponsor's invite after losing his European Tour card last year - he agonisingly failed to keep at Qualifying School by one shot.
And with that birdie at the last the two-time European Tour winner reached ten under par to sit alongside South African Branden Grace and Austrian Markus Brier - who finished one shot ahead of Tunnicliff at November's Qualifying School to retain his playing privileges.
Having opened with a 67 - one behind overnight leader Brandon Pieters - Tunnicliff led for most of the day after racing out of the blocks with five consecutive birdies.
His progress was checked somewhat by bogeys at the sixth and ninth, but he retrieved those shots with further gains on the 11th and 12th, although he had consecutive dropped shots at the 15th and 16th before his heroics at the last.
Grace had six birdies and two bogeys in his round of 69, while Brier joined him on ten under with an eventful 66 that included an eagle, eight birdies and three dropped shots.
Open champion Louis Oosthuizen charged into a share of fourth, alongside Jaco Van Zyl and Ross McGowan, helped by a chip in for birdie at the ninth and five footer two holes later as he completed a six under 67.
World No 14 and one of the home favourites for the title, Retief Goosen, was the biggest name among those who failed to beat the cut at 147. He had rounds of 75 and 73 for 148 and was joint 87th at the end of 36 holes.
Another South African who had a miserable day was first-round leader Brandon Pieters. He slumped from a pacemaking 66 in the first round to a 77 in the second for a 143 tally.


HALFWAY LEADERBOARD
Par 146 (2x73)
136 Branden Grace (S Africa) 67 69, Markus Brier (Austria) 70 66, Miles Tunnicliff (England) 67 69.
137 Jaco Van Zyl (S Africa) 67 70, Louis Oosthuizen (S Africa) 70 67, Ross McGowan (England) 68 69.
138 Elliot Saltman (Scotland) 67 71.
139 Charl Schwartzel (S Africa) 69 70, Fredrik Ohlsson (Sweden) 67 72, Manuel Quiros (Spain) 71 68.

SCOTS' SCORES
143 Steven O'Hara 72 71 (jt 26th).
144 Lloyd Saltman 68 76 (jt 42nd).
146 Marc Warren 71 75, Alastair Forsyth 70 76 (jt 61st).

SCOTS WHO MISSED THE CUT (146 or better qualified)
149 David Drysdale 70 79.
153 Scott Jamieson 71 82.
159 George Murray 81 78.
161 Scott Drummond 78 83.

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A NEW ZEALAND DAY TO REMEMBER WITH SIR BOB CHARLES

FROM JIM HARDIE
Aberdeen businessman on annual winter holiday New Zealand
First of all a Happy New Year to all Scottishgolfview.com readers.
Regarding the NZ New Year's honour for Sir Bob Charles, it is all so well deserved. The man is simply an icon.
I already have Tuesday, January 4 etched in my brain cells. Why? Well, i spent all day playing golf with the great man.
It started at The Hills with breakfast with Sir Bob, Graham Marsh and his charming wife Julie, who are on a winery visit to NZ.
Sir Bob and I then played the Hills, owned, of course, by Sir Michael Hill, and the venue for the last three NZ Opens.
Beautiful weather, no wind, Sir Bob simply in unbelievable form. He shot 68, so yours truly had to buy lunch, which we decided to have at Millbrook, only five minutes from the Hills, and a resort course where Peter Smith was the Director of Golf.
After lunch Sir Bob says: "Well, Jim, I enjoyed that - do you fancy playing again?,"
Of course, I'm up for it. So off we go again. This time a much closer game but just to keep me in my place, i.e. SECOND, Sir Bob birdies the last two holes for 10 birdies on the day, beats his age yet again. What more can I sayI did have one little piece of glory, at the ninth on the Arrow nine as they call it. It's a par-3 with a complete island green, which is right in front of the club house. After a pushed eight-iron tee shot into a bunker, I holed the bunker shot for a 2, much to the delight of the spectators.
One guy says: "You are in trouble here, Sir Bob."
To which Sir Bob replies: "Oh yes, Jim can play a bit."

That was such a kind gesture.
To have spent a day with the great man is beyond words, his charm, his skill, his aura, what more can i say? To share a complete day with Sir Bob in his own country,listening to golf stories, hearing his various opinions, i simply am lost for words.
The day was over far too quickly. It seems like it only took about 10 minutes, but it was the definite highlight of this trip.
i had a one-hour drive back over the Crown Range back to Wanaka. so stopped at a lovely pub to have a beer and simply reflect on a day anyone would give their eye teeth for.
On days like January 4, the ups and downs of Life, illness etc are simply put to one side!
The great man has that effect on me. He is simply incredible!
Regards to all
Jim Hardie

+Picture of Jim Hardie by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

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TIGER'S FACE DISAPPEARS OFF COVER OF OWN VIDEO GAME

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By NICK COLLINS
Tiger Woods may have been hoping this year would be an improvement on the last but 2011 didn't get off to the best of starts after he was dropped from the cover of his own video game.
The fall-out from a high-profile sex scandal and his subsequent divorce meant 2010 was a year for Woods to forget off the course, while on it the world's most feared player resembled a shadow of his former self, losing his No 1 ranking to Lee Westwood.
His collapse in form and the savaging of his clean-cut image also saw Woods – formerly one of the world's most bankable athletes – dropped by sponsors including Gatorade, AT and T, Gillette and Accenture.
Now Electronic Arts has decided not to use the golfer's image on the cover of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, to be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii in March.
Instead, the cover will feature the iconic yellow flag at Augusta, the course where The Masters is played each year.
Woods will still be a playable character in the game and will appear on the front of the PlayStation 3 Collector's Edition of the game, which is more expensive and has extra features.

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ENTRY LIST NOW OPEN FOR EUROPRO TOUR Q SCHOOL

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE EUROPRO TOUR
Do you fancy becoming the next big name in golf and follow in the footsteps of some of the game’s biggest stars?
Entries are now open for Q School where the top performers will earn their spots playing on the 2011 EuroPro Tour.
The EuroPro Tour is the leading golf developmental tour in Europe and a host of former players have gone on to lift some of the biggest titles in the world.
Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open after playing on the EuroPro Tour in 2003, while Ross Fisher was a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team only five years after playing on the EuroPro Tour.
A number of players, including Lloyd Saltman and Daniel Gaunt, will also be playing on this year’s European Tour after playing on the EuroPro Tour in 2010.
Gaunt’s story should act as an inspiration to any hopeful golfer. He lost his European Tour card in 2004 but practised hard and was determined to get back.
He won the first EuroPro Tour event of 2010 – at Wensum Valley in Norfolk – and then struck a rich vein of form that saw him also finish twice on two occasions and third three times.
His performances on the EuroPro Tour saw him get a sponsors’ invite in to the English Challenge on the second-tier Challenge Tour and victory on that ensured he would spend the rest of the season playing on the Challenge Tour.
He then finished in the top 30 in nine out of ten Challenge Tour events to secure a return alongside the European golfing elite.
The 2011 EuroPro Tour season promises to be better than ever with a host of top venues already agreed to host tournaments in 2011.
Venues confirmed for 2011 include Wensum Valley (Norfolk), Burhill (Surrey), Galgorm Castle (Ballymena, Northern Ireland), Fota Island (Cork, Republic of Ireland), Longhirst (Northumberland), Players Club (Bristol), Formby Hall (Merseyside), Lingfield (Surrey), Mottram Hall (Cheshire) and Hunley Hall (North Yorkshire).
In another boost to the Tour, Network Veka and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) have agreed to sponsor the events at Mottram Hall and Players Club respectively.
Danny Nickless, Operations Manager for the EuroPro Tour, said: “The 2010 season was a great year on the PGA EuroPro Tour with the likes of Dan Gaunt, Lloyd Saltman, Elliot Saltman, Steve Lewton, Steve Tiley, Jaco Van Zyl, Sean Norris and Liam Bond all gaining their main European Tour playing rights.
“I hope they follow in the footsteps of ex PGA EuroPro Tour players to become winners. Players such as Richard Finch, Graeme Storm, Ross Fisher have won and in the last year we also had ex players james Morrison, John Parry and Louis Oosthuizen winning.
“They have all been members of the tour at one point over the last seven years and this is your opportunity to give yourself the chance to follow in their footsteps.
“This is an amazing opportunity for anybody who thinks they want to find out if they have what it takes and this is the best place to do that. I look forward to seeing you in 2011 and I welcome you to this fantastic tour.”
For more information on the EuroPro Tour, visit the official website http://www.europrotour.com/

To read the dates and venues arranged so far for the 2011 PGA EuroPro Tour:

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WIND-TAMER JONES LEADS VICTORIAN OPEN BY TWO

FROM THE PGA OF AUSTRALIA WEBSITE 
In what was a tough day for scoring at Spring Valley Golf Club, Steve Jones jumped to the top of the 2011 Victorian Open leaderboard as the majority of the field struggled to shoot under-par rounds.
In the hot, persistent winds Jones finished the day on two-under par 69 which was enough to take the outright lead at the end of play.
With a seven-under total of 135 (66-69), Jones is two shots ahead of Paul Sheehan (69-68 for 137) in second place while Luke Hickmott and Andrew Tschudin share third at three-under par.
Overnight co-leaders Cameron Percy and Adam Wilcox shared a similar fate on the second day, both shooting over-par rounds of 79 and 80 respectively to drop down the leaderboard.
But for Jones, who took the wind in his stride, it was all about maintaining focus throughout his round.
“I didn’t really expect to be in this situation after not really playing much over the last few weeks, but I feel relaxed mentally,” said Jones.
“It was tough, I’ve played in this wind a lot over the years being from Kingston Heath so you just have to manage yourself and play smart- and pars a good score.”
“I started to play pretty ordinary at the end there but my putting helped me out a fair bit today.”
Likewise second placed Sheehan felt in control and said he relished playing at home in the trying conditions.
“I love that you have to think over every shot. During the year when you’re playing overseas its very rare you get that. It’s just ‘pull out driver and hit it as far as you can and then hit a club into the greens’ and there’s not a lot of thought that goes into it, so I love coming back and playing in Melbourne.”
Having not won since 2006 Sheehan said he is starting to feel his form creeping back and is now looking to claw his way back into the winners circle.
“My game is starting to come around and it’s been showing signs in the last12 months so I’m starting to feel like I was a few years ago.”


CLICK HERE FOR THE PGA OF AUSTRALIA SCOREBOARD

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MACHRIE COURSE AND HOTEL, ISLAY GO INTO ADMINISTRATION

FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND.COM WEBSITE
http://www.heraldscotland.com/
By David Ross, Highland Correspondent
A world-renowned Scottish links golf course and hotel has gone into administration but hopes are high that a new buyer can be found before the start of the vital tourist season.
The Machrie Hotel and Golf Course on Islay is currently closed with 15 of the 18 employees having been made redundant.
The three remaining staff will assist the administrators in looking after the facilities and the maintenance of the golf course.
Machrie is on the south-west of the island, three-and-a-half miles from Port Ellen.
The par-71 course was designed by Willie Campbell, of Musselburgh, in 1891 before he emigrated to the US to design other prestigious courses.
When he first saw the land proposed for the course he was reported as saying it was “the best ground for a golf course that I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.”
It is one of Scotland’s oldest and most traditional links courses and has been named as one of the top 100 courses in the world, but is often confused with the nine-hole Machrie Bay on Arran.
The hotel and golf course was bought in 2004 by Graham Ferguson Lacey, an Isle of Man-based businessman, and others.
Mr Ferguson Lacey, who also owns the Isle of Man’s largest hotel company and its premier golf club, had plans for a significant expansion for Machrie.
However, it is understood that the economic downturn, along with reports of water supply problems at Machrie, have led to serious financial problems.
Blair Nimmo and Tony Friar of KPMG have been appointed joint administrators of Machrie Hotel and Golf Links Ltd and its associated property company Mendougal 21 Ltd.
Mendougal owns the Machrie Hotel and Golf Course, while Machrie Hotel and Golf Links Ltd operates the hotel and golf course. The group’s assets also include land for further development.
The hotel has 16 bedrooms, 15 separate self-catering lodges and on-site restaurant and retail facilities.
Blair Nimmo said yesterday: “Both the hotel and golf course have excellent reputations and are regarded as destination venues for visitors to Islay. Despite this, Machrie Hotel and Golf Links has unfortunately, like many other companies in the tourism and hospitality sector, been impacted from tightening consumer spending and troubled economic conditions.
“Taking Islay’s prominence as a tourist hot spot into account with its high number of whisky distilleries and other attractions, we are optimistic a buyer will be found for this quite excellent facility.”


FULL STORY IN TODAY'S HERALD NEWSPAPER

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MONTY AND RHYS LEVEL IT FOR EUROPE IN ROYAL TROPHY

Holders Europe shared the first-day foursomes honours with Asia, both sides winning two ties at the Royal Trophy match in Thailand.
Both sides had mixed showings, with Peter Hanson and Frederick Andersson Hed the front-runners for Europe, and Liang Wenchong and Noh Seung-yul Asia's best performers, making up for an abysmal outing by Thongchai Jaidee and Jeev Milkha Singh.

Welshman Rhys Davies made an impressive Royal Trophy debut alongside player-captain Colin Montgomerie, using his trademark slick putting in a confident display to carve out a 2 and 1 win over Ikeda and Kim Kyung-tae.

Montgomerie, who captains the team for the second year, said the competition at Hua Hin's Black Mountain course was as tough as he expected but believed his side would be leaders after the second day's four-balls.

"I knew these games would be close and it's all to play for but I'm very happy with the result," he said after his round.

"We have something to work on, we'll come out fighting and we want to be leading into the final day's singles. We've been given a stiff test, but it was a very positive start for Europe."

Hanson and last-minute call-up Andersson Hed played a solid round for the holders but the 7 and 5 win was more about the calamitous showing by Thongchai and Singh, who was passed fit despite carrying a back injury that was clearly taking its toll.

The Swedes surged to a four-up lead by the seventh hole as the misfiring Asians sank deeper and appeared to have conceded defeat by the midway stage.

"We were four up at the turn, and we were never going to give it up after that," Andersson Hed said.

"I never expect an easy game, but it was. Jeev has had problems, but this is a strange game, but he'll probably come out tomorrow and play great golf."

Asia captain Naomichi Ozaki was satisfied to be level after the opening day but had no regrets for choosing Singh over reserve Prayad Marksaeng, one of his best players last year.

"He (Singh) said he was ready. I feel he's not 100 percent right, but I still feel he will be back on top by tomorrow," the four-times Asia captain said.

"I'm happy with the team, it was a good day all round."

Asia levelled the score in the second match through Liang and classy Korean youngster Noh, who scored a confident 3 and 2 win over sluggish Royal Trophy regulars Henrik Stenson and Johan Edfors.

The Asians moved ahead with four birdies in the first seven as the Swedes struggled to find their form and won only one hole.

"We never got going. They were solid, they took the lead and we never recovered," Edfors said.

Ryo Ishikawa and Shunsuke Sononda put Asia ahead briefly after beating a patchy Matteo Manassero and Pablo Martin 3 and 2 but that was cancelled out when Montgomerie and Davies held on to beat Ikeda and Kim.


Saturday's four-balls match-ups


Noh Seung-yul/Liang Wenchong (Asia) v Colin Montgomerie/Rhys Davies (Europe)
Ryo Ishikawa/Shunsuke Sonoda (Asia) v Matteo Manassero/Pablo Martin (Europe)
Kim Kyung-tae/Jeev Milkha Singh (Asia) v Johan Edfors/Henrik Stenson (Europe)
Yuta Ikeda/Thongchai Jaidee (Asia) v Peter Hanson/Fredrik Andersson Hed (Europe)

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SADLOWSKI OUTDRIVES US TOUR'S LONGEST HITTERS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
By Cameron Morfit, Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine
KAPALUA, Hawaii — What happens when the can't-miss kid, the freak, the natural, the high-riser and big-bomber and everyone's Mr. Spectacular finally loses the big one?

In the case of Jamie Sadlowski, not much.
Sadlowski, 22, put on his usual display of jaw-dropping firepower under sunny skies and in a gentle, not particularly helpful breeze at Kapalua's Plantation Course, easily turning away the three longest hitters on the US PGA Tour, Robert Garrigus, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson.
The big show came exactly two months after Sadlowski, the two-time defending Re/Max World Long Drive champion, was upset in his bid for a threepeat, his stunningly pedestrian 388yd poke losing out to brawny Englishman Joe Miller's 396yd rocket in the semI-finals.
"One bad round in three years," Sadlowski said at Kapalua, referencing his loss.
As it turns out, it hasn't affected his bread and butter: corporate outings. Miller won't be stealing Sadlow's spotlight because he works in Europe. Neither will Domenic Mazza, whom Miller thumped in the finals, 414-371, because Mazza is still a 16-year-old amateur and not doing outings anywhere.
"I'm going home from here, then to the PGA Show," said Sadlowski.
"Then I'm going to Arizona for a bit, so I'm hitting it pretty hard here for the next two months." Sadlowski, a former hockey player known for his modest size (5-11, 168 pounds) in a specialty that's been dominated by giants, was doing just that this week. Each of the four players got three balls and four men became two when Sadlowski and Watson wound up with the longest drives.
In the finals, the kid from Alberta, Canada destroyed Watson, with all three of his drives (402, 394, 407) finding the fairway well ahead of Watson's best effort. All he and his fellow Tour stars could do was laugh and make jokes about the strange, new feeling of being thoroughly outclassed off the tee.
Watson: "Doesn't second place get a trophy, too?"
Johnson: "That's just stupid long."
Because of Sadlowski's length, youth, hand-eye co-ordination and technically sound swing, there is speculation about how he might do if he were ever to leave long-driving and try conventional competitive golf, and Watson himself seemed to be wondering the same thing when he said, "I see the other clubs in his bag besides the driver, so he must be able to play."
"Those are just for show," Sadlowski replied.
That's not entirely true. He can play, and has won club championships back in Canada, but the fact remains long-driving and regular golf are not compatible. The ultimate goal is completely different at the Re/Max and other long-drive derbies, which is why Sadlowski's driver points to his left foot at the top of his backswing. He wants to try to break Jason Zuback's record (five titles) before leaving the niche sport.
In the meantime, Sadlowski is happy meeting new people, rubbing elbows with the Tour pros, who do not seem to intimidate him and who clearly love the novelty of his gift, as well as his humility.
"Be honest, say you were at least a little nervous," Watson said.
"I was! I was more nervous for this than I was at the Re/Max," Sadlowski replied.
It was exactly the right response-even if he wasn't.

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PETTERSSON, BYRD SHARE LEAD ON 66 IN HAWAII

FROM THE SKYSPORTS WEBSITE
Carl Pettersson and Jonathan Byrd share a one-shot lead after day one of the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
The Swede and American both made headway in surprisingly calm conditions at the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course to shoot seven-under-par 66s in the first event of the PGA Tour season.
On a cool, overcast afternoon, Pettersson carded eight birdies and one bogey at the par-four sixth.
He then holed an eight-foot birdie putt at the last to join Byrd at the top of the leaderboard. The American had earlier holed out with a wedge from 111 yards to eagle the par-four 10th.
Ben Crane stands alone in third place after shooting a 67 while fellow Americans Jim Furyk, Bill Haas and Charley Hoffman all returned 68s.
"If you played well and made the putts, you were going to shoot low today," Pettersson said.
"It's unusual to see Kapalua play this way and I was fortunate to be able to take advantage of it."
The Swede, who booked his place in the field of 2010 Tour winners thanks to his success in last year's Canadian Open, said he had high hopes for this season after practicing hard over the last two months.
"I've probably worked harder on my game this off-season than I've done any other off-season," the 33-year-old added.
"My game felt good in practice but you never know how it's going to be in the tournament. It seems to be good so far."
Byrd made a strong start with four birdies in the first six holes before reaching the turn in five-under 31.
"I felt pretty good out there," the 32-year-old said. "I had a great front nine. I think I hit every green, hit both par-fives in two, hit one wedge shot real close and just kind of had an easy five-under start.
"It was so calm starting out. All in all, you could just be a little more aggressive."
Elsewhere in the 33-strong field, US Open champion Graeme McDowell shot a 71 while 2003 Kapalua champion Ernie Els three-putted the last from 11 feet for a 72.
Meanwhile, Ian Poulter shot a three-under 70 to lie four shots off the pace but was unhappy at not having performed better in the benign conditions.
"I am absolutely headless," the Englishman said after scoring four birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.
"I've had two three-putts, which is very silly, and the only other mistake was between my caddie and myself, choosing to hit a line for my second shot on the last and it didn't carry the hazard."
Poulter bogeyed the par-five 18th after missing a par putt from 12 feet.
"Clueless, the pair of us, so I am fuming," he added. "Two three-putts and a bogey on a par five you should be taking advantage of.
"I finished at three under and should really have been right there (with the leaders). So I need to play well now."
Geoff Ogilvy, champion for the last two years, withdrew from the tournament before the start of Thursday's opening round after cutting his right index finger.
The Australian, who was looking for a record-equalling third consecutive victory in the event, fell on coral while coming out of the ocean on the island of Maui on Monday.

SCOREBOARD
HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
The Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort, Hawaii
Total prize fund: $5.6million. Winner gets: $1,120,000.
FIRST ROUND
Par 73. Yardage 7,411. Weather: Light rain, temperature 66 degrees.
T1 Jonathan Byrd 66.
T1 Carl Pettersson 66.
3 Ben Crane 67.
T4 Bill Haas 68.
T4 Charley Hoffman 68.
T4 Jim Furyk 68.
T7 Robert Garrigus 69.
T7 Stuart Appleby 69.
T7 Anthony Kim 69.
T7 Francesco Molinari 69.
T7 Steve Stricker 69.
T7 Matt Kuchar 69.
T13 Bill Lunde  70.
T13 Heath Slocum 70.
T13 Ian Poulter 70.
T13 Ryan Palmer 70.
T13 Bubba Watson 70.
T13 Hunter Mahan 70.
T19 Graeme McDowell 71.
T19 Zach Johnson  71.
T19 Dustin Johnson 71.
T22 Arjun Atwal 72.
T22 Cameron Beckman 72.
T22 Derek Lamely 72.
T22 Jason Bohn 72.
T22 Tim Clark 72.
T22 Camilo Villegas  72

T22 Ernie Els 72.
T29 Matt Bettencourt 73.
T29 Adam Scott 73.
T29 Jason Day 73.
32 Justin Rose 75.
33 Rocco Mediate 79.
Withdrew: Geoff Ogilvy (injured).


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 OF THE PLAYERS' SCORECARDS,

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TIGER WOODS AND GOLF DIGEST END 13-YEAR RELATIONSHIP

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Doug Ferguson
Associated Press
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Tiger Woods has one less endorsement deal, ending his 13-year relationship with American golf’s biggest magazine when they couldn’t agree on how many hours he should devote to the job.
Golf Digest, with a circulation of 1.65 million, announced Thursday the mutual end of a relationship that began at the 1997 Masters. He made his debut in the magazine in June that year, and the endorsement had been his second-longest, behind Nike.
“We appreciate the insights Tiger has provided to our readers,” Jerry Tarde, chairman and editor-in-chief of the publication, said in a statement. Woods’ articles mainly were instructional tips.
Golf Digest never disclosed terms of the deal, although it was believed to be among the smallest financially for Woods – no more than $2 million a year. The value came from exposure, along with some content provided for Woods’ website.
“The reality is his deal was up at the end of the year,” said Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG. “Because we’re living in this digital world, they needed more time from him. He wasn’t ready to commit to any additional time at this point with everything going on – trying to work on his swing and other things.”
The announcement comes two weeks after Gillette said it would not renew its contract, which expired at the end of 2010. That brings to five the number of endorsements Woods has lost since he was caught in extramarital affairs. The other three are Accenture, AT and T and Gatorade.
Golf Digest put his column on hold last February while Woods took time off to sort out his personal life, resuming the column in September.
Woods’ last column will be in the February issue, an indication that both sides had been negotiating a new deal.
Other playing editors at Golf Digest include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson.
“I enjoyed my relationship with Golf Digest,” Woods said in a statement released by the magazine. “But we have decided it’s now time for a break. I wish my friends at Golf Digest continued success.”

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