RYO ISHIKAWA RECEIVES SPECIAL INVITATION TO MASTERS

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
AUGUSTA, Georgia -  Ryo Ishikawa no longer has to worry about trying to qualify for the Masters. The 20-year-old from Japan received a special invitation for the second time.
Augusta National chairman Bily Payne says the Masters historically invites international players to expand the global reach of the first major championship of the season. He says Ishikawa will help increase interest in Japan and throughout Asia.
Ishikawa has won nine times on the Japan Golf Tour. He also received an invitation in 2009 when he was 17. He was the second-youngest player to compete in the Masters.
In the past 10 years, the only player not from Asia to receive a special invitation to the Masters was Greg Norman, in 2002.
Among those yet to qualify this year is Ernie Els of South Africa.

MEET-AND-GREET SERVICE STARTING APRIL AT GLASGOW AIRPORT

NEWS RELEASE

Scottish golfers can expect to save as much as two hours on their trip to and from Glasgow Airport soon, thanks to a new meet-and-greet parking service launching in April.

The new service run by Stress Free Parking will allow golfers to drive straight to Glasgow Airport’s departure terminal in their own car. On arrival, they will be met by a uniformed chauffeur who will then transfer their vehicle to a secure holding facility while they head inside to check-in.

On their return to Glasgow Airport, passengers will be met outside the arrivals exit with their vehicle ‘warmed and ready for their onward journey’.

According to recent research conducted by airport parking price comparison website Looking4Parking.com, airport meet and greet parking can save travellers up to two hours on their journey. This is something which will appeal to golfers, who often need to take a lot of equipment away with them, meaning taking the car is frequently the only option available to them.

Stress Free Parking already runs meet-and-greet operations at several other airports around the UK, including Heathrow, Luton, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Southampton. The launch of their Glasgow service, represents their first foray north of the border.

Stress Free Parking’s Managing Director, Martin Mansell said: “We’re extremely excited to be rolling out our meet-and-greet product in Glasgow and hopefully Scottish passengers will love the service as much as they do elsewhere in the UK.”

The new service launches on 5^th April and a week’s parking starts from £57 when booked via www.stressfreeairportparking.com.

O'HARA, THE MAN FROM MOROCCO, FINISHES THIRD IN SPAIN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Travelling can be tiring and Paul O'Hara's weekend switch from Morocco and the EPD Tour to Spain and the Hi5 Pro Tour perhaps caught up with the Motherwell man in the end.
Joint overnight leader with a windswept 74 in the Lumine Hills Open on the Costa Dorada, O'Hara could only match the par of 72 in much calmer conditions for the second round while England's William Harrold, pictured, and Germany's Florian Fritsch were able to shoot 67 and 65 respectively to relegate him to a third-place finish.
Norfolk-based Harrold, Pwho spent four years on the US college golf circuit as a student at Missouri University, won the top prize of 1,200 Euros with an aggregate of one-under-par 143 (76-67) while Fritsch collected 700 Euros for finishing one off the pace with rounds of 79-65.
O'Hara's reward had been in the region of 500 Euros for a total of 146 (74-72). A double bogey 7 at the long seventh after a bogey the sixth cost the Scot the three strokes he finished behind the winner.
O'Hara did birdie the third, fourth, eighth and 16th. He also bogeyed the 14th.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
143 William Harrold (Eng) 76 67.
144 Florian Fritsch (Ger) 79 65.
146 Paul O'Hara (Sco) 74 72.
152 Andrei Bashkrirov (Swi) (am) 79 73.
154 Paul Brown (Eng) 79 75.
155 James Housby (Eng) 81 74.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE

CELEBRATION OF 450 YEARS (at least) OF GOLF AT MONTROSE

NEWS RELEASE
In 1562, a Montrose schoolboy, James Melvill, wrote in his diary that he’d been taught how to use ‘the glub for goff’ on Montrose Links by his school master, Reverend William Gray. Exactly 450 years later, golf remains the favoured activity on Montrose Links – and this is to be celebrated in the Angus town from April 2012 onwards.
Montrose 450, as the year of celebration has been named, will highlight this historic milestone in the town’s golfing history and will feature several special events on and around the Montrose Links’ golf courses - Broomfield and Montrose Medal, one of Carnoustie Country’s Open qualifying courses and the fifth oldest golf course in the world.
Pictured above is the view from the second tee on the Montrose Medal Links
The fascinating history of golf in Montrose over the last 450 years is littered with anecdotes. For example, in 1629, the Marquis of Montrose abandoning his young bride only days after their wedding to play golf on the Links; 18th century gentry betting massive sums on a round played at night; and the golfers’ struggle over the centuries to save Montrose Links from the plough.
David May is chair of the group representing the three Montrose golf clubs organising the year of celebration.
“Montrose 450 will tee off on Monday, April 2, with a re-enactment of James Melvill and Reverend Gray’s 1562 game of golf on Montrose Links,” David revealed. “Golf may well have been played in Montrose before then but James Melvill’s note in his diary is the first recorded mention of the game in the town.”
The 450th anniversary celebrations will continue on Friday, April 13 when former Women’s British Open Champion Catriona Matthew will officially open Montrose Medal’s redesigned 11th hole, which has been extended to 450 yards.
In addition, Mrs Matthew will be conducting a golf clinic, providing local and visiting golfers with opportunities to pick up tips from one of the UK’s top golfers.
On April 28, Montrose Museum’s 450 Exhibition will open and will run until 16 June. This exhibition will cover 450 years of golf in Montrose and will also feature a variety of golfing photos and artefacts from the Angus Museums Collection, Montrose golf clubs and members of the public.
In June, a Weekend of Celebration will take place, with golfers from across the UK participating in golf competitions and other special events to mark 450 years of golf in Montrose.
Jason Boyd, PGA golf professional at Montrose, explained that there will be several Montrose 450 golfing competitions during 2012, including a Pro-Am Tournament on 21 July and an Open Week, sponsored by Astute, from 23 - 27 July.
“During the Open Week, around 300 golfers - Gents, Ladies and Juniors – will compete over five days,” said Jason, who added that, on October 6, the customary end of season Open Tri-Am Tournament will include the closing ceremony for Montrose 450.
As well as celebrating Montrose’s golfing past, Montrose 450 aims to promote golf’s future through a series of initiatives designed to encourage and support young golfers.
“The Legacy Project is a key aspect of Montrose 450,” said Jason. “This will include the Junior Open Day, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and Montrose Round Table, which we’re hoping will attract young golfers from all over Angus, and also the soon-to-be opened, redeveloped pitch and putt course at Montrose Links.
“Thanks to GlaxoSmithKline funding, junior golfers won’t have to pay to use this course, which should help to ensure Montrosians’ 450-year love affair with golf continues for another 450 years.”
For more information about Montrose 450, visit www.montroselinks.co.uk. To find out more about Carnoustie Country and its golf courses, visit www.carnoustiecountry.com.

SEVE'S WILL DIVIDES THE BALLESTEROS FAMILY

FROM STUFF.CO.NZ WEBSITE
A family dispute over the will of legendary golfer Seve Ballesteros is set to result in his two sons heading to court to fight for his image rights.
The Times reported that Javier and Miguel Ballesteros were upset with the instructions left by their celebrated father who died last year from cancer.
He left 90 per cent of his wealth to his three children.
The rest of his fortune went to the Severiano Ballesteros Foundation, which supports young golfers and research into the type of brain cancer from which he died.
The golfer's nephew Ivan Ballesteros heads up the foundation.
Ballesteros earned a significant chunk of his fortune from endorsing brands and his children are upset they must seek permission from the foundation and Ivan, to use their father's name or image.
Javier is reportedly training as a lawyer but has also talked about following his father into professional golf.
There was said to be obvious tension between family members at a fund-raising event in December at the Natural History Museum in London for the foundation.
The sons are being supported in their claim by one of Seve's brothers, Manuel.
Seve's eldest brother Baldomero told Spanish newspaper El Mundo the family wanted to keep the matter private.
"That's how Seve would have preferred it," he said.
Javier said: "I knew this would come out sooner or later but I am sorry I don't want to say anything."

RORY McILROY 5-1 FAVOURITE TO WIN THE MASTERS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
By MICK ROUSE
In case you hadn’t heard, Rory McIlroy is golf’s new World No. 1. That also means he is the favourite to win this year’s Masters, according to the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino Sportsbook, which released new Masters odds this morning.
Following his victory at the Honda Classic, the 22-year-old jumped from a 6-1 favorite to 5-1, separating himself from the rest of the pack, led by none other than Tiger Woods.
The Las Vegas Hotel and Casino’s odds for the top men are:
10 favorites to win the Masters are as follows:

5-1 Rory Mclroy
11-2 Tiger Woods
9-1 Phil Mickelson
15-1 Lee Westwood
20-1 Luke Donald
25-1 Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney.
30-1 Adam Scot, Jason Day
40-1 Martin Kaymer

TIGER WOODS CONFIRMS PLACE IN ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

Tiger Woods was expected to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, at the end of this month, and now it's official, reports Ryan Ballengee.
A six-time champion of the event, including four-consecutive titles from 2000-03 and winning with dramatic birdies on the 72nd hole in 2008 and ’09, it will be just one more opportunity for a resurgent Tiger to nab his first win of the season, something that may play a crucial part in his success at this year’s Masters.
The event will likely be Woods’ last before competing in the Masters. In all four years Woods won at Augusta National, he has tallied at least one US PGA Tour victory before taking the green jacket.