TIGER WOODS IN FAVOUR OF BANNING BELLY LONG PUTTERS

FROM THE GOLF DIGEST WEBSITE
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
PEBBLE BEACH, California (AP) Tiger Woods has a solution to long putters - make them no longer than the shortest club in the bag.
Woods said Tuesday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am he has "never been a fan" of long putters that players either anchor into their belly or the broom-style putters that are pressed against the chest.
"I believe it's the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion," Woods said. "I believe that's how it should be played. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to that."
Woods said he has spoken to Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson the last several years about how the language could be written in the Rules of Golf that effectively would ban such putters.
"My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag," Woods said. "And I think with that, we'd be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring."
He said the putter still could be anchored to the forearm, as two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer once did.
Keegan Bradley became the first major champion to use a belly putter when he won the US PGA Championship. Bill Haas used the same style when he won the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup.
The belly putters gained momentum late last year with Bradley and Webb Simpson, who won twice late in the year and who nearly captured the US PGA Tour money title. Both considered themselves good putters who felt as though anchoring the club to their stomach made them even better.
For years, most players believed only players who were desperate to improve used such putters.
Ernie Els once criticised the use of belly putters, but switched to one late last year and said: "As long as it's legal, I'll keep cheating like the rest of them."
Phil Mickelson also experimented with a belly putter during the FedEx Cup playoffs last year. He since has gone back to a more conventional putter.
The R and A and USGA, while making no formal announcement, have said they would review such putters. While it would seem simple to ban long putters, it can help recreational players stay interested in the game, and any ban might also affect the equipment companies.
"If you look back at the interest in it, it really never changed for over 20 years," USGA executive director Mike Davis said Saturday at its annual meeting. "Then all of a sudden in 2011 ... this has become a much bigger topic. So the R and A and USGA have been talking about this at length, and we're looking at it from the perspective as ... what is good for the game for all golfers long term."
Davis said it would be premature to speculate on a direction the governing bodies are going, except to say they are not ignoring the issue.
"It is something that we have taken a fresh look at, because there are more players in the game, both on the elite level and on the recreational level, using it," Davis said.
"I think we just want to be sure that we're looking at all the angles and thinking about what is in the best interest, both the traditions of the game, the history of the game and what is what we think would be good for the game long term."

SGU FORMALISES SELECTION PROCESS FOR NATIONAL SQUADS

SGU MEDIA RELEASE
The Scottish Golf Union, the governing body for male amateur golf in Scotland, has moved to formalise the selection process for the Men’s National Teams and Squads.
The document outlines the criteria, timeline and process to be used for the selection of players to all SGU Men’s Training Squads and to represent Scotland in identified teams and competitions.
For the first time, there are opportunities both through the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and the SGU Men’s Order of Merit (OOM) for automatic selection.
To fulfil the automatic selection criteria, a player must be in both the SGU OOM top-15 and in the top-15 Scots on the WAGR on the selection date, as well as meeting the performance criteria outlined.
The selection policy puts the onus on players for their performances, ensuring that potential as well as achievement remains a key factor in the process of selection for the National Squad Programme.
Steve Paulding, Scottish Golf Performance Manager, said: “We recognise that selection and de-selection for National Squads and Teams can be a difficult area.
“We are continually reviewing our systems and processes with the aim to ensuring as far as possible that criteria being used for selection or de-selection are clear to all involved – players, parents and coaches.
“This document clearly outlines the systems we have in place as we strive to ensure both the most talented and potentially talented players are supported within our squad structure. The document also formally outlines how the SGU select players with the best chance of success to represent Scotland in major World and European competitions.”
Key team events this season include the Home Internationals (15-17 August, Gailes Links) and The Eisenhower Trophy (4-7 October, Turkey).
The SGU Men’s Squad is supported by national team sponsors, Aberdeen Asset Management and TaylorMade-adidas Golf.

HUTCHEON PLAYS WELL FOR PAR 72 IN COLD AND WINDY SPAIN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
If the six Scots who entered this week's Hi5 Pro Tour event - the Hacienda del Alamo Open at the Murcia golf resort in southeast Spain - were expecting to be swinging in a warm sun, they were in for a rude awakening today.
A 30mph northwest wind produced a chill factor that reduced the temperature to six or seven degrees Centigrade, marginally warmer than it was in Scotland today.
Banchory's Greig Hutcheon, picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c), a winner on Majorca in his last competitive outing, played well to match the par of 72 in the tough conditions over the long Dave Thomas-designed course.
Hutch birdied the third, long fourth, sixth, long ninth and 11th before he sagged a little down the home straight with bogeys at the short 12th and 17th in halves of 34-38 to be in third place overnight, four shots behind the English pacemaker, James Ruth.
Scott Henderson (38-35) and Scott Henry (36-37) are bracketed on the 73 mark.
Callum Macaulay (37-38) is sharing 19th place on 75 after being level par with eight to play and then bogeying the 11th, 13th and 16th.
Former Rangers and Dundee footballer Ian Redford (36-40) finished the day on 76 after starting with a double bogey 6 then birdieing the long fourth and getting an eagle 2 at the sixth.
Former Northern Open champion David Thomson is tied for 60th place in the cosmopolitan field of 67 players with an 84 which included a triple bogey 8 at the long ninth and double bogeys at the par-4 sixth and par-5 17th.
LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
Players from England unless stated
68 James Ruth.
71 Julien Clement (Swi)
72 Greig Hutcheon (Sco)
73 Nick McCarthy, Gustav Andersson (Swe), Scott Henderson (Sco), Lee Clarke, Scott Henry (Sco).
Selected scores
74 Jason Barnes, Paul Reed, James Maw, Adam Stott, Shaun Mills (T9).
75 Callum Macaulay (Sco), Jonathan Gidney (T19).
76 Ian Redford senior (Sco), Andy Scrimshaw, William Harrold, Jamie Abbot, Jason Timmis (T23).
77 Carl Siddall, Matt Allen, Matthew Tweddell, Eddie Pepperell, James Housby (T30).
78 Graham Roberts (Eng) (am).
79 Mark Smith, Charlie Lidyard, Will Johnson, Mathew Webb (am).
80 John Green, Liam Connolly (T45)
81 Gary King (T51).
84 David Thomson (Sco) (T60).

GREAT SCOTT! ADMIRABLE CRICHTON leads SGU SQUAD in S AFRICA

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Aberdour's Scott Crichton spearhead the seven-strong Scottish challenge in the first round of the South African amateur stroke-play golf championship at Glendower Golf Club today.
Crichton, who played on the US college circuit during his student days, shot a three-under-par 69 to be joint fifth in a field of 145, three shots behind the South African No 1 and pacemaker, Brandon Stone.
Crichton, 23, said: " I’m not unhappy with my round.”
He  had three birdies (long second, short third and long eighth, offset by two bogeys (fourth and seventh) in a front nine of 35 but completed a flawless inward half  of 34 with a brace of birdies at the short 14th and long 15th for a creditable starting round
“I played three practice rounds and worked out a game plan for the course, which I think worked well for me today,” he said.
“I had a few wayward tee shots on the front nine, but I played the back nine much better and it showed in my scores. I think it can only improve from here.”
Next best Scots were Conor O'Neil and Brian Soutar, sharing 12th place on 70. O'Neil was out in 33 with birdies at the fourth, long fifth, long eighth and ninth, but three bogeys cancelled out his sbirdies at the 11th and long 15th on the way home.
Soutar did it the other way round from O'Neil - out in 37, back in 33. Highlight of the Leven man's card was an eagle 3 at the long 15th.
Last year's Scottish championship beaten finalist Daniel Kay (Dunbar) had the best inward half of all the SGU squad - four-under 32 for a par 72 after having six bogeys in a row from the fifth to the 10th inclusive. He birdied five of the last eight holes.
Tied with Kay in joint 24th place is Fraser McKenna (Balmore) who had halves of 38 and 34.
Lundin's James White and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) had disappointing rounds of 75 and 77 respectively. White took 40 shots for the outward half, as did Shields who was four over par after only five holes.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72. Length: 6,442 metres.
Players from South Africa unless stated
66 Brandon Stone
67 Lionel Weber (Fra), Gert Myburgh.
68 Haydn Porteous.
69 Callum Mowat, Victor Lange, Desne Van den Bergh, J D Oosthuizen, Jason Froneman, Andrea Bolognesi (Ita), Scott Crichton (Sco).
Other Scots' scores:
70 Conor O'Neil, Brian Soutar (T12).
72 Daniel Kay, Fraser McKenna (T24).
75 James White (T63).
77 Paul Shields (T91).
Field of 145 players.

DREWITT v LAMBERT FOR NEW SOUTH WALES AMATEUR TITLE

Australians Brett Drewitt and Michael Lambert will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) in the final of the 2012 prestigous Men's New South Wales Amateur Championship at Elanora Country Club.
No 1 qualifier, England's Neil Raymond, was eliminated in the first round of the match-play stages.

TO VIEW THE MATCH-PLAY BRACKET WITH ALL THE RESULTS

CLICK HERE

WESTWOOD'S MUM MAKES HIS APOLOGISE FOR SWEARING ON TV

FROM THE BBC SPORT WEBSITE
Lee Westwood has revealed his mother told him to apologise for swearing on live television at the Qatar Masters.
The 38-year-old world number three's outburst came on the 16th tee during Sunday's final round.
"My mum was the first person on the phone and she said you might want to apologise," Westwood said ahead of this week's Dubai Desert Classic.
"I didn't think that down at four-under I would be on TV. It's amazing how sensitive these microphones are."
The tournament was reduced to 54 holes and Englishman Westwood closed with a three-under-par 69 to finish in a tie for 12th behind tournament winner Paul Lawrie of Scotland.

==========================
WESTWOOD'S BEST MAJORS
Masters: 2nd in 2010
US Open: 3rd in 2008, tied 3rd in 2011
The Open Championship: 2nd in 2010
US PGA Championship: Tied 3rd in 2009
==========================

Following the conversation with his mum, Westwood wrote on his Twitter account: "Sorry about swearing on the 16th tee. Came off like a rocket and thought it was going further! Wash my mouth out! Perils of live tv!"
Westwood, who finished in a tie for 17th in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago, also said he had mixed feelings about his early-season form.
"I've hit it a lot better than I normally do," he stated. "My putts are quite nice, I'm starting to roll a few longer ones in, but it's just been early-season sloppiness really, making too many bogeys and not making a birdie when I should.
"My wedge shots also haven't been quite as sharp as they ought to have been."

CRAW'S NEST TASSIE: 339 PLACES FIELD INSIDE 10 MINUTES!

NEWS RELEASE
Carnoustie’s Craw’s Nest Tassie can lay claim to the title of Britain’s most popular amateur golf tournament after all 339 places for the 2012 event were snapped up within 10 minutes of the competition’s online application system going live.
Such was the level of interest, a further 80 reserve places were also filled for the week-long event staged each September over the town’s Championship and Burnside courses.
“Over the last few years we have been accustomed to the Tassie selling out in a matter of minutes and this year, despite the current economic climate, it was no different,” confirmed Colin McLeod, the Golf Services Manager at the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee.
“The first entry hit our screens literally seconds after the system went live and we hardly had time to move before all 339 places were snapped up.
“This year’s we’ve received entries from America, Holland, Spain and Sweden as well as from all over the British Isles,” McLeod added. “Some of the entries are from first-timers but the vast majority come from competitors who come year after year”.
The Craw’s Nest Tassie, or Tassie as it is known by locals and regular competitors, is one of Britain’s most popular week-long amateur events and also one of the oldest, having been inaugurated back in 1927 by a group of influential local golfers who commissioned a tassie, or solid silver drinking bowl, in Celtic pattern from local jewellers, Messrs Crabb and McKenzie. The original trophy is still presented to the winner to this day.
The first event, staged later the same year, was won by local golfer, Alexander Mann, an ex Amateur champion of India, who defeated Len Nettleford, the reigning amateur champion of Australia. Subsequent winners include SKY TV commentator Ewen Murray and former Walker Cup players Sandy Sadler and Ian Hutcheon.
Until 1931, the Tassie was held in June but the date was then switched to September with a view to increasing the number of entries from England. The number of entries exceeded 200 for the first time in 1935, rising to 396 in 1966 and then 454 in 1969 before being capped at the current 339 for administrative purposes.
The Tassie is now played in the first week of September and begins with two qualifying rounds, one over the Championship course and the other over the Burnside.
From the starting field, competitors with the best 64 scratch scores are drawn to play match play over the Championship for the Tassie. 64 competitors with the best nett scores compete for the Maulesbank Trophy in a match play event over the Burnside course. Consolation events are organised on the Wednesday and Thursday for players who do not qualify for either.

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CHALLENGE TOUR'S INAUGURAL COLOMBIA CLASSIC MARCH 8-11

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR
The European Challenge Tour will break new ground when the inaugural Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic takes place at Barranquilla Country Club, nestled on the idyllic Caribbean Coast of Colombia, from March 8-11.
The tournament will be the first co-sanctioning of a tournament between the Challenge and Pacific Colombia Tours and is expected to attract a strong field, with a prize fund of $250,000 on offer to the 144-man field.
It will be the first time the Challenge Tour has visited Barranquilla Country Club, a challenging golf course set on the outskirts of the city of Barranquilla and adjacent to the picturesque estuary where the River Magdalena meets the Caribbean Sea.
The Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic will be the second Challenge Tour event on the 2012 Schedule, after the season started with Max Kieffer’s exciting play-off win at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in January, and follows the Abierto International Copa Antioquia held in Colombia last year, when Argentinian Joaquin Estevez was the victor.
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Colombia, this time for the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic.
“It is a country which has proved a fantastic venue for golf, and Barranquilla Country Club in particular is sure to impress the players. The location is stunning, and the winds which sweep across the course are sure to provide a stern test.
“This is our first time co-sanctioning an event with the Pacific Colombia Tour, and we hope it is the start of a long and happy working relationship.
“The likes of Tano Goya, Andres Romero and Daniel Vancsik are prime examples of young South American players who have progressed onto The European Tour through the Challenge Tour, so we are hopeful of unearthing another South American star at the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic.”
Goya, in particular, is a source of inspiration for many South America Challenge Tour hopefuls as he qualified for The European Tour via the Challenge Tour in 2008, finishing fifth in the Rankings, having won both the Abierto VISA del Centro 2008 presentado por Personal and the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final that year.
He subsequently entered The European Tour winners’ enclosure at the Madeira Islands Open in 2009.
The field in Colombia will be made up of 72 Challenge Tour players and 72 players from the Pacific Colombia Tour, and the tournament will be promoted by German Calle, Director of Sportlink, who has many years’ experience of promoting the game of golf in South America.

CLARKE AND McILROY WIN LAUREUS AWARDS FOR 2011 FEATS

                        DARREN CLARKE ... WINNER OF COMEBACK OF THE YEAR TROPHY

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR
Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy have both added a Laureus Award to the Major titles they won last year.
The two European Tour members were honoured at the Laureus World Sports Awards in London where McIlroy was voted the 'Breakthrough of the Year' Award winner and Clarke won the 'Comeback of the Year' title.
Tennis ace Novak Djokovic beat a stellar group in winning the 'World Sportsman of the Year' Award and Kenya's 5,000 and 10,000 metre world champion Vivian Cheruiyot edged out golf's dynamic Yani Tseng to claim the 'World Sportswoman of the Year' Award.
McIlroy, 22, claimed his award after capturing his first Major title with a dazzling eight-shot victory in the US Open Championship at Congressional. He was the youngest winner of the US Open since Bobby Jones in 1923.
His 43 year old compatriot, Clarke, won the comeback award after his fairy tale victory in The Open Championship at Royal St George's - also his first Major title.
Clarke received his award from Laureus Academy member Gary Player during the ceremony at Central Hall, Westminster while McIlroy was unable to attend in person as he prepared for this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
The recognition follows on from the successes last year in Abu Dhabi when Martin Kaymer collected the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award and the victorious European Ryder Cup team captured the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award.
Among the other award winners were double amputee Oscar Pistorius, who won the disability award. The South African 400-meter specialist known as 'The Blade Runner' won a silver medal in the relay at the able-bodied World Athletic Championships last year in South Korea, and had also been nominated for the 'Breakthrough' category won by McIlroy.
English football great Bobby Charlton was given the lifetime achievement award 54 years to the day after surviving the Munich air disaster that killed eight team-mates of his Manchester United team.
The 74 year old Charlton was unable to personally receive the award. Laureus officials said he fell ill on Sunday and returned to Manchester on Monday for unspecified minor surgery.
United manager Alex Ferguson accepted the award on Charlton's behalf. He said Charlton was fine but "very annoyed" at not being able to attend the ceremony.
The winners were chosen by the 47 world renowned sports stars who make up the Laureus sports academy.

ALL THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES:
(Winners names in bold type):

World Sportsman of the Year:
Novak Djokovic - Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Dirk Nowitzki, Sebastian Vettel, Cadel Evans

World Sportswoman of the Year:
Vivian Cheruiyot - Maria Höfl-Riesch, Carmelita Jeter, Petra Kvitova, Homare Sawa, Yani Tseng

World Sports Team of the Year
FC Barcelona - All Blacks, Dallas Mavericks, England Cricket Team, Japan Women's Football Team, Red Bull F1 team

World Breakthrough of the Year:
Rory McIlroy - Yohan Blake, Petra Kvitova, Li Na, Oscar Pistorius, Mo Farah

World Comeback of the Year:
Darren Clarke - Eric Abidal, Crusaders, Sergio Garcia, Liu Xiang, Queensland Reds

World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability:
Oscar Pistorius - Daniel Dias, Terezinha Guilhermina, , Esther Vergeer, David Weir, Irek Zaripov

World Action Sportsperson of the Year:
Kelly Slater - Jamie Bestwick, Philip Köster, Carissa Moore, Travis Rice, Shaun White