TIGER WOODS WINS BY FOUR SHOTS AT TORREY PINES

A week after missing the cut in the Abu Dhabi, Tiger Woods has chalked up his 75th win on the US PGA Tour.
He won the fog-extended Farmers Insurance Open over arguably his favourite course, Torrey Pines at La Jolla, Calfornia by four strokes with a 14-under-par total of 274.
Only in his par-matching last round of 72 did Woods fail to break 70.
Joint runner-sup on 278 were Americans Josh Teater and Brandt Snedeker who both signed off with 69s for 278.
 Phil Mickelson, by the way, finished 14 strokes behind Tiger in a share of 51st place.
England's Ross Fisher, well place after an opening 66, subsided to joint 21st place with subsequent rounds of 71, 73 and 73 for five-under 283.
Scot Martin Laird did not cover himself in glory. He finished joint 60th on one-over-par 289. Only once in the four rounds did Laird beat par.

WE'LL HAVE A FULL REPORT WITH QUOTES FOR YOU AT BREAKFAST TIME.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
Players from US unless stated
274 Tiger Woods 68 65 69 72
278 Brandt Snedeker 65 75 69 69, Josh Teater 66 70 73 69
279 Jimmy Walker 67 79 72 71, Nick Watney 69 68 71 71
280 Robert Garrigus 72 69 72 67, Rickie Fowler 77 65 70 68, Aaron Baddeley (Australia) 71 72 68 69

SELECTED TOTALS
283 Ross Fisher (England) 66 71 73 73 (T21)
285 David Lynn (England) 67 75 73 70 (T34).
287 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 69 74 75 69 (T44_
288 Greg Owen (England) 74 68 71 75, Phil Mickelson 72 71 75 70 (T51)
289 Martin Laird (Scotland) 72 71 73 73 (T60).

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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CRUNCH SEASON AHEAD FOR LEE WESTWOOD AT THE AGE OF 39

FROM THE BBCSPORT.COM WEBSITE

By IAIN CARTER 

Lee Westwood embarks on the most important season of his career when he tees off at the Dubai Desert Classic this week.

There are few players who have done more than the 39-year-old Englishman to seek the key to landing the grandest prizes in golf.
Now, though, he has made his biggest move - in every sense - in his quest to cure arguably the greatest anomaly in golf.
Back in October 2010, Westwood was the man who broke Tiger Woods's five-and-a-half-year reign as world number one.
  He spent 22 weeks at the top of the golfing world, yet an otherwise glorious career does not boast any of the game's top ten titles.
Westwood has been a prolific winner. He has 39 victories worldwide but none have come in the four majors, four World Golf Championships or in the flagship Players' Championship or BMW PGA at Wentworth.
These are glaring omissions from an otherwise stellar CV and Westwood knows it. Now he is going down the American route to try to find the winning touch in the most significant tournaments.
He has uprooted his family from their familiar Worksop base and Christmas has been spent settling into a new home in West Palm Beach.
When he speaks publicly for the first time in 2013 this week in Dubai you can guarantee some self-satisfied cracks about avoiding the British snow.
The underlying message, though, will be serious. With the Florida sun on his back and perfect practice facilities Westwood will feel he has never had better preparation for a season.
Effectively this move has put the Ryder Cup star on a similar footing to Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose, but Westwood lags way behind given how long it has taken him to shift stateside.
Has he made the move too late? Given his exceptional fitness there is every reason to believe this transatlantic flit can yield significant benefits for a player still firmly ensconced in the world's top ten.
In the last two years he has won six tournaments and his form of 2012 was perfectly respectable. But it was also symptomatic of Westwood's career.
Last year's victories came at the Nordea Masters and the Indonesian Masters. He needs to start winning at places where the only word ahead of Masters is THE.
He blew the chance to break his WGC duck in China last Autumn when he followed up a third round 61 with a 72, the joint-highest final round of any of the top 27 finishers.
There was a ruinous thinned pitch during that final round and there remains little sign that he has found a way to improve his short game.
This is his biggest concern. Tony Johnstone came and went as his latest chipping advisor towards the end of last year and joined a queue of ex gurus who could not impart a way to cure Westwood's biggest weakness.
Compared with his rivals Westwood simply does not have a reliable enough chipping game. Getting the ball up and down always seems stressful, never routine.
It is testament to his imperious driving and approach play that he has been so successful.
Maybe the plush short game complexes of his new home have helped him find a way to chip more efficiently. It is surely something that will have to come from within rather than be coached.
Equally Westwood must not become as hooked up about this weakness as his critics are. After all, they say you have to chip well to prosper at the Masters and he has been runner-up and third twice in his last four visits to Augusta.
Inevitably the Englishman's thoughts now are on making sure he is in peak condition for his annual drive down Magnolia Lane. His new American base is likely to help but he also knows the Masters will be his last major before turning 40.
The prime of Westwood's career has been peppered with high finishes, emphatic Tour wins - particularly in lesser tournaments in Asia - and near misses when the trophies that really matter have been at stake.
It feels like now or never for a man too talented to be remembered as a nearly man and this pivotal season starts this week on the Emirates Course.
It was the scene of another that got away 12 months ago when he finished second to Spain's Rafael Cabrero Bello.
What better way to exorcise the ghosts of seasons past than to make a winning start and join fellow Britons Scott Jamieson, Jamie Donaldson and Chris Wood in becoming an early season winner?
More important, though, is to set a platform for triumphs in the events that define careers. He has been waiting and striving for one of those for far too long.

NEWBURGH ON YTHAN GOLF REPORT

Newburgh hosted a full weekend of golf as the snow disappeared very quickly to let the 11th week of the Sunday Winter League go ahead. The scores were very high on yet another "Ladies Day" as Karen Shaw took first place with an outstanding 44 pts.
She just beat Shelley Johnstone whose second place took her back to second position in the League, just behind leader Stuart Mitchell.

Leading Scores Sunday Stableford Winter League, Sunday, January 27Karen Shaw (16) 44pts, Shelley Johnstone (14) 43, Ron Wilson (22) 42, Jeff Turner (22) 41, Jeff Winslade (24) 41, Bobby McClymont (17) 40, Dougie Morrison (11) 40, Peter McAllister (12) 39, Philip Milne (20) 39.
Winter League table after 11 Weeks (4 for a win, 3 for second, etc)Stuart Mitchell 13 pts, Shelley Johnstone 12, Stewart Clark 10,
Sheena Cruickshank 8, Wullie Dyker 8, Philip Milne 7, Ronnie Toal 7.

Monday morning brought a strong field of Seniors out for the January Medal. Ronnie Sinclair, John Stewart and Dave Mithen were in early with nett 62s but backmarkers John Gray and Zander Kirk took the honours with nett 61 each.

Leading Scores Seniors January Medal, January 28
John Gray (19) 61, Zander Kirk (21) 61, John Stewart (10) 62,
Alan Donaldson (20) 62, Ronnie Sinclair (12) 62, Dave Mithen (13) 62
Fred watson (21) 63; Billy Murray (15) 64.

Robert McClymont
Seniors Convener
Newburgh on Ythan Golf Club

01358 723869

TOM MORRIS VOTED BEST NEW BRAND AT ORLANDO SHOW

NEWS RELEASE FROM ST ANDREWS LINKS TRUST
 A new British lifestyle apparel collection inspired by the heritage of Tom Morris has won the Top Buyers Choice Award at the world’s biggest golf show.
The Tom Morris International collection for Autumn/Winter 2013 was debuted at the PGA Merchandising Show in Orlando.
A voting panel of top buyers attending the world’s biggest retail golf show selected Tom Morris as the best new brand and product at the show, which attracted 450 of the world’s leading apparel companies to Orlando.
The collection, which has a lifestyle feel but has been designed with Tom’s extraordinary achievements and charismatic personality in mind, proved an instant success with buyers dazzled by the design, quality, heritage and innovation of the collection.
Chairman of Tom Morris International Euan Loudon said: “We have worked tremendously hard to deliver a collection that clearly captured the imagination of everyone at the PGA Show. The debut collection marked the beginning of another wonderful chapter in the long and proud history of Tom Morris and it has truly been a launch worthy of Old Tom.
“We have clearly created a buzz with this first collection and we will, as we move forward, stay true to the legacy of Old Tom by continuing to place design, heritage, innovation and quality at the heart of everything we do.“
Working with Tom Morris International are partners TPD International, who have designed and developed iconic British brands such as Burberry Golf, Aquascutum Golf and more recently Aquascutum Golf for Bentley.
*Tom Morris Ltd is owned by St Andrews Links Trust, who in partnership with TPD International established Tom Morris International in 2012. 
St Andrews Links Trust run and maintain the seven courses at the Home of Golf including the world famous Old Course. www.standrews.org.uk
www.tpdinternational.com

CHARLIE GREEN - THREE TIMES SCOTTISH CHAMPION - DIES AT 80

STILL WINNING TROPHIES AT THE AGE OF 71 = Charlie Green with the Over-65s   Trophy in the 2003 British senior open amateur championship at Blairgowrie     Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency    By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com  Charlie Wilson Green OBE, one of the most successful Scottish amateurs golfers in the second half of the 20th Century, has died at home this morning. He was 80 years old and had been suffering from cancer since last August. The funeral service is on Monday (11.15am) at Cardoss Parish Church. Born in Dumbarton on August 2, 1932, Green was Scottish amateur champion in 1970, 1982 and 1983. He won the silver medal as leading amateur in the 1962 Open championship. Green played in five Walker Cup matches between 1963 and 1973. He was also captain of the GB and I Walker Cup team in 1983 and 1985. Long and lean, Charlie did not win the first of his three Scottish titles until he was close on 38 - he beat Hugh Stuart by one hole in the final at Balgownie - and Green  did not gain the first of many caps for Scotland until 1961 when he was 29. Scottish Golf Union Chief Executive Hamish Grey said: "Charlie Green was a legend, playing as he did in 19 consecutive Home International Matches from 1961 to 1979 and being the most capped Scottish International. He will be sadly missed." An affable character, Charlie once told me he "couldn't hit a barn door"as a boy golfer.

Fortunately, he persevered and the rest is history.  
He enjoyed an Indian Summer of a golfing career when he graduated to the over-50s ranks.
Charlie won the British senior open amateur title six times - four in a row from 1988 to 1991, and then two more consecutively in 1993 and 94.   
And, at the age of 71, he won the Over-65s Trophy in the British senior open amateur championship at Blairgowrie in 2003.
Arguably the last of the great Scottish career amateurs.
   

PETER SMITH SALVAGES PAR ROUND ON FIRST DAY OF SENIOR Q SCHOOL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Deeside teaching professional Peter Smith is lying joint 15th at the end of the first round of the European Senior Tour Final Qualifying School at the Pestana Golf Resort, Lagos on Portugal's Algarve coastline.Smith matched the par of 71, which was not a bad effort considering he had a double bogey 6 at the 11th and bogeys at the eighth and short 15th.The former Northern Open champion from Udny Station, Aberdeenshire - son of a Highland League footballer, compensated for his lapses with four birdies - at the short fifth, long 12th, long 16th and 18th in halves of 34-37.
Six full cards are up for grabs by the 75-man field.Terry Burgoyne is the second bes tScot in joint 22nd place on 72, a shot ahead of David James and Albert Macikenzie who are sharing 34th place on 73.Alan Saddington had a 74 for a share of 48th place while Robert Arnott needs something special in his second round after starting with a 76 which left him languishing in joint 64th place.Leadng the field with a four-under 67 is 49-year-old Englishman Simon Brown, a teaching professional based at a German golf club.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORESPar 7167 Simon Brown (Eng)68 Mark Wharton (Eng)69 Peter Dahlberg (Swe), Richard Masters (Eng), Robert Thonpson (US), Graeme Bell (Eng), John Martin (Aus).
SCOTS' SCORES71 Peter Smith (T15)72 Terry Burgoyne (T22)73 David James, Albert Mackenzie (T34)74 Alan Saddington (T48)76 Robert Arnott (T64(
 FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Simon Brown put on a master class from tee to green on his way to posting an opening round of 67 at the European Senior Tour Qualifying School Finals, in Portugal. 
The Englishman has recently been receiving lessons from renowned swing coach and Sky Sports TV analyst Denis Pugh – whose clients include the Molinari brothers – and the decision is proving an inspired one as Brown notched five birdies and an eagle on a glorious day at Pestana Resort’s Vale da Pinta course, in the Algarve.
Brown’s trio of bogeys were all the result of three-putts from distance, and the 49 year old – a teaching pro at Golf Club Rhein-Sieg near Bonn, Germany, for over 20 years – was understandably delighted with a display which makes him a strong early contender to claim one of the six full cards available for the 2013 Senior Tour schedule.
The highlight of Brown’s round came at the 12th hole – his third – where he chipped in for eagle from 20 yards.   
Brown, who finished in a tie for eighth place at last week’s First Stage, said: “That was definitely a bonus. I actually didn’t hit the best of drives and pulled my second shot a little, so I was maybe a little fortunate to walk away with an eagle – but I’ll certainly take it!
“The conditions were ideal and the course is in great shape, so I knew I needed to take advantage and get off to a fast start, and luckily I managed to do just that. 
“It was obviously a bit disappointing to have three three-putts, but these things happen. From tee to green I played very well, so I’m really happy with the way I’m hitting the ball. If I can putt a bit better over the next few days I should have a good chance, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Brown’s fellow Englishman Mark Wharton is currently in second place on three under par after a flawless display which featured birdies at the second, 12th and 17th holes.
Wharton has been a member of John O’Gaunt Golf Club, in Bedfordshire, for the past 40 years, and relinquished his amateur status three months ago with a handicap of plus three.    
He joined the professional ranks with the sole aim of securing a place on the Senior Tour, and moved a step closer to achieving his dream after winning the First Stage.
Wharton, who won the Sunningdale Foursomes in 2002, finished two strokes clear of the field on five under par at Silves Golf Course last week, and his fine form continued with a 68 which was the only bogey-free round of the day.
He said: “I found a bit of trouble at the 14th and 15th but managed to save par from 30 feet and ten feet, so that really kept my round going. I left my birdies putts inches short on the 16th and 18th but holed one from 25 feet on the 17th, so I left a couple out there but also holed a fair share of long ones, so overall a 68 was probably a fair score. I think I only missed two or three greens today, so it was very solid stuff for the most part.
“Winning the First Stage last week was a real morale booster, and I’ve carried that into this week. I thought if I putted well this week I’d give myself half a chance, and it’s working out very well at the moment. The game’s been in great shape since I turned pro in October, so I was quite confident coming into the two weeks and it’s a case of so far, so good.”
Third place is shared between the English duo of Graeme Bell and Richard Masters, Swede Peter Dahlberg, Australian John Martin and American Robert Thompson, who all signed for two under par rounds of 69.
Six full and eight conditional cards are on offer to the 75-man field, which will be reduced after three rounds, with all players within eight shots of the lead competing on the final day.
 
                     
   

DAVID LAW GOES THREE STROKES CLEAR IN TURKEY

DAVID LAW IN ACTION IN TURKEY TODAY David Law, bidding for a second win on the German PGA's EPD Tour - renamed Pro Golf Tour this year -  leads by three shots with a round to go in the Sueno Dunes Classic at Belek in southern Turkey. The 21-year-old Aberdonian, twice Scottish amateur champion, has crammed 14 birdies into scores of 62 and 65 for a 36-hole tally of ll-under-par 127. His first round was bogey-free but in the second circuit Law, who plays out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre,  dropped shots at the sixth, seventh and 18th as he birdied seven holes for the second day in a row - the second, third, fifth, 10th, 11th, 14th and 16th in halves of 33-32 over the par-69, 5,650 metre course . David leads by three shots from Germany's Marcus Schneider who is on 130 with scores of 63 and 67. Six players - five Germans and a Dutchman - are sharing third place on 132. But Law's PLGC team-mates, Jordan Findlay from Fraserburgh and Peterhead's Philip McLean both missed the cut which fell at 139. Findlay missed out by three with 72-70 for 142 and McLean was three too many with 70-73 for 143. SUENO DUNES CLASSIC Belek, Turkey LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES Par 138 (2x69) 127 David Law (Sco) 62 65 130 Marcel Schneider (Ger) 63 67 132 Benjamin Miarka (Ger) 65 67, Philip Mejow (Ger) 64 69, Bernd Ritthammer (Ger) 66 66, Bjorn Stromsky (Ger) 67 65, Floria de Haas (Net) 69 63, Sebastian Buhl (Ger) 69 63. SELECTED SCORES 135 James Wilson (Eng) 70 65 (T38) 137 NeilChaudhuri (Eng) 70 67 (T29) MISSED THE CUT (139 and better qualified for final round 141 Craig Farrelly (Eng) 70 71 142 Jordan Findlay (Sco) 72 70 143 Philip McLean (Sco) 70 73, Marcus Lester (Eng) 73 70 146 Tom Boys (Eng) 76 70, James Johnson (Eng) 74 72

TAYLOR MADE CHIEF URGES US TOUR TO IGNORE BELLY PUTTER BAN

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By James Corrigan

The chief executive of golf’s biggest company has sent shock waves through the sport by urging the US Tour to ignore the forthcoming belly putter ban, insisting that the governing bodies “will be nonentities within 10 years”. The Royal and Ancient and the United Golf Association are set to introduce new rules in March which will outlaw “anchoring” golf clubs to the body and thus negate the use of long putters. The regulation comes in the wake of three of the last five major-winners employing belly-putters.

While the European Tour has indicated it will adhere to the regulations, the PGA Tour is still to decide whether it will stick to tradition and obey the rule makers. Mark King, the chief executive of Taylor Made, the equipment-makers favoured by the majority of professional golfers, believes it should break away.

“The anchoring ban makes no sense to me at all,” King said. “If I were running the PGA of America I would write my own set of rules. I’d do it with the PGA Tour. The industry needs to come together without the USGA. Leave them out.”

King presumably also means exclude the R&A. The two bodies set the laws and, despite long putters being around since the Sixties, have only decided now to eradicate their use. It would be a drastic move for the PGA Tour to flout the custodians, but King feels it could happen as the likes of Keegan Bradley, Ernie Els and Webb Simpson fight their corner.

“I’m still not convinced the PGA Tour is going to completely embrace the long putter rule,” said King. “Here’s a prediction: the USGA within 10 years will be a nonentity, they will be a non-factor in golf because they are choosing to be on the outside and no one is signing up for what they represent. The industry is going to move away from them and pass them. They’re obsolete. I hate to say that but that’s their behaviour.”

King vows that Taylor Made, the clubs which are used more by the pros on Tour than the rest of their competitors combined, will keep making long putters regardless of the regulations. And he also pledges that if the long-mooted rule changes concerning the ball are introduced they will apply the same philosophy.
Bifurcation is the new buzzword in golf and in King’s mind two sets of rules – one for professionals and one for amateurs – are inevitable. “It’s coming and coming fast,” he said. “If Tim Finchem [the PGA Tour’s chief executive] says he’s going to use all the USGA rules except the long putter rule, there you go. You have two sets of rules.
“The whole world, not just golf, the whole world is about innovation and consumers only want what’s new and exciting. They don’t want last year, they want new, innovative cool stuff and if we’re going to stop that or limit that we’re going to kill the industry not just equipment but the playing of the game.
“So if the USGA doesn’t jump on board and lead this new way of golf, they’re just going to be obsolete. And if Finchem goes ahead and leaves the long putter in, it’s just the start. The USGA is going over the edge.”

US OPEN RETURNS TO WINGED FOOT VENUE IN 2010

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
The U.S. Open is returning to Winged Foot, the New York State club with a history of clutch moments and one unforgettable collapse.
The U.S. Golf Association will announce todaqy that the West Course at Winged Foot will host the 2020 U.S. Open. Only two other courses — Oakmont and Baltusrol — will have held the national championship more times.
"Winged Foot offers a spectacular setting in a dynamic market, and has justifiably earned its reputation as one of the premier U.S. Open venues in the nation," said Thomas O'Toole Jr., vice president of the USGA and head of its championship committee. 
"And it joins an impressive line-up of future U.S. Open Championship locations that players and fans alike can eagerly anticipate."
Winged Foot was designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1923 and hosted its first U.S. Open six years later, when amateur Bobby Jones delivered one of the biggest shots in championship history with a 12-foot putt on the final hole to force a 36-hole playoff. He won the next day by 23 shots over Al Espinosa.
The most recent trip to Winged Foot was memorable for all the wrong reasons — not for Geoff Ogilvy winning with a superb up-and-down from below the 18th green, but for Phil Mickelson blowing his best chance ever to win the U.S. Open.
Mickelson had a one-shot lead when his drive bounced off corporate tents to the left of the 18th fairway. He went for the green and his 3-iron struck a tree and dropped straight down, his next shot plugged in a bunker and he make double bogey to lose by one. "I am such an idiot," he famously said that day.
Mickelson referenced that moment just five days ago when discussing his mistake to go public with being unhappy about how much he days in taxes.
Winged Foot also is where former USGA President Sandy Tatum offered the defining comment for the U.S. Open. "Our intention is not to embarrass the greatest players in the world, but to identify them," he said in 1974, when Hale Irwin won at 7-over 287.
Billy Casper won his first U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 1959. Fuzzy Zoeller won in 1984 in a playoff over Greg Norman, who holed a long putt across the 18th green for par. Zoeller, thinking the Shark had made birdie, jokingly waved a white towel. It only got Norman into a Monday playoff, and the next day, Zoeller won so handily that Norman waved a white towel walking up the final fairway.
Winged Foot doesn't have a history of dull moments.
The Westchester course is known for the severe slopes on the greens and deep bunkers and doglegs along the tree-lined fairways. USGA executive director Mike Davis was in charge of setting up the Open for the first time at Winged Foot in 2006. He referred to Winged Foot as a "quintessential U.S. Open golf course."
"Winged Foot offers the best players in the world a spectacular test of golf and delivers to spirited New York golf fans one of the most exciting venues in the game," he said.
The U.S. Open returns this year to Merion, and then will go to Pinehurst No. 2 (2014), Chambers Bay (2015), Oakmont (2016), Erin Hills (2017), Shinnecock Hills (2018), Pebble Beach (2019) and then Winged Foot.
"I think it's great," Ogilvy said about the return to Winged Foot. "I'm excited for the club. It's one of the best clubs in America for that sort of thing. It's a true golf club in the original sense. They love playing golf. The courses are super busy. You meet Winged Foot members everywhere and they can't say enough about it. And it's got such a great history, really."