A GOLFING HOLIDAY TO PUT A SPRING IN YOUR STEP FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

                            FLY OUT MARCH 1. FLY HOME MARCH 8   
BETWEEN THESE DATES WAITING FOR YOU TO ENJOY IS  AN AFRICAN GOLF HOLIDAY PAR EXCELLENCE


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OLAZABAL CRITICISES EUROPEAN TOUR STANCE OVER ROYAL TROPHY

NEWS RELEASE
(Reuters) - Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal has criticised the European Tour's decision to launch the EurAsia Cup team match-play event next year and said they should have re-established ties with the Royal Trophy.
Olazabal is captaining Europe in the seventh edition of the ongoing Royal Trophy match-play event, which was launched in 2006 by his former Ryder Cup team mate and compatriot Seve Ballesteros and is backed by the Japan Golf Tour and China Golf Association (CGA).
The European Tour supported the venture before dropping it and then opted to launch a similar tournament in Malaysia next year with the Asian Tour, which used to host CGA tournaments before the Chinese opted to side with the rival OneAsia Tour.
"I know the European Tour sanctioned this event for two years and then a split occurred for some reason," Olazabal said in a statement released by the Royal Trophy on Saturday.
"But I do think they must sit down with the Royal Trophy people and work out their differences because it is such an important issue.
"The Royal Trophy will continue even if it is not sanctioned by the European Tour because it has great support from the Japan Golf Tour, the China Golf Association, and other important parties in Asia.
"But I know the organizers are keen to resolve this issue, and I would call on both sides to sit down and sort this thing out."
The Royal Trophy is being staged in China for the first time after Brunei hosted it last year and Thailand for the first five.
While the inaugural Royal Trophy boasted famed major winners Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam as well as then world number 12 David Howell, Swede Henrik Stenson and Ireland's Paul McGinley, the current edition lacks the same gloss.   
Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, No. 46, is the highest world-ranked player competing in China, while Howell is back but now No. 93. Spaniard Alvaro Quiros is the worst ranked of the 16 players at 278.
Thongchai will be team captain for the inaugural EurAsia Cup in March, but Olazabal thinks the new tournament is not necessary and European Tour chief George O'Grady should focus on finding new full field stroke-play events instead.
"We do not need another Asia v Europe match involving a maximum of twenty players when we already have a well-established Royal Trophy," said the twice U.S. Masters champion.
"But we do need more full field events, and I know other players feel the same way," he added.
The biennial EurAsia Cup will be held over three days at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur from March 27-29 with Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez playing and captaining Europe.
Former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and World No. 26 Jamie Donaldson of Wales, Frenchman Victor Dubuisson ranked 32 and Spain's World No. 35 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano have already committed to playing.
Four more players will qualify for the European team via the world rankings, while the Asia side will feature Thongchai and the leading four players from the Asian Tour order of merit, the top three available from the world rankings and two captain's picks.
"Our relations with players from Malaysia, China, India, Thailand, South Korea and Japan have been important to us for many years," O'Grady said last month at a promotional event for the new tournament which has been backed by the Ballesteros family.
"We see the development of the EurAsia Cup as a further commitment by us to assist in the development of golf throughout the region and to strengthening one of The European Tour's most important partnerships."

LAWRIE, GALLACHER LOSE AGAIN AS ASIA SET TO RETAIN ROYAL TROPHY IN CHINA

  ROYAL TROPHY NEWS RELEASE

Asia require three-and-a-half points from Sunday's eight singles matches against Europe to retain the Royal Trophy after the teams split Saturday's four-balls at the Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, China to give the holders a 5-3 advantage.

• 
  Eurosport - Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and Hiroyuki Fujita (AFP)

Leading 3-1 after Friday's foursomes, Asia stretched their advantage to three points thanks to Thai pair Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee's 2 and 1 victory over Scots Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher.

It was a second successive defeat for the Scots although not by such a big margin as they suffered - 5 and 3 - on Day 1. 
On his website report, Paul said that he and Stephen had played well but been outputted by their opponents.

Royal Trophy

Stevie and I lost again today by 2&1 we both hit it good but again the Thai boys out putted us which is typical matchplay , the overall score is now 5-3 to the Asian team with 8 singles matches tomorrow

- See more at: http://www.paullawriegolf.com/blog#sthash.dH1Qbg0i.dpuf

Stevie and I lost again today by 2&1 we both hit it good but again the Thai boys out putted us which is typical matchplay , the overall score is now 5-3 to the Asian team with 8 singles matches tomorrow

- See more at: http://www.paullawriegolf.com/blog#sthash.cIRcct1q.dpuf

Stevie and I lost again today by 2&1 we both hit it good but again the Thai boys out putted us which is typical matchplay , the overall score is now 5-3 to the Asian team with 8 singles matches tomorrow

- See more at: http://www.paullawriegolf.com/blog#sthash.cIRcct1q.dpuf

Europe, led by Ryder Cup-winning captain Jose Maria Olazabal, looked set for victory in the second match with England's David Howell and Scotland's Marc Warren two up on the 17th tee against Liang Wenchong and Wu Ashun only to crumble at the finish.
Chinese duo Liang and Wu went birdie-birdie over the closing holes to snatch what looked to be a crucial half with Howell and Warren only able to bogey the par-four 18th.
Austria's Bernd Wiesberger and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen managed Europe's only win of the day with a 2 and 1 victory over out-of-sorts Japanese pair Ryo Ishikawa and Hiroyuki Fujita to make the score 4.5-2.5 in Asia's favour.
South Korean duo Kim Hyung-sung and Kim Kyung-tae appeared on the verge of restoring Asia's three-point cushion in the final match but they too let slip a two-hole lead with two to play against Spain's Alvaro Quiros and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.
Quiros hit a brilliant approach from the trees to within four feet that set up a birdie on the last to grab the unlikely half and stay within two points of Asia.
Olazabal famously inspired Europe's Ryder Cup comeback at Medinah last year and hopes for a repeat performance. On that occasion, his team were four behind going into Sunday.
He said: "Getting a half in that last match has kept our hopes alive. If we have a solid start in the singles and put pressure on the Asian team then we can still turn it around."
Yang, meanwhile, is confident that his team can hang on and win the trophy back-to-back for the first time.
He said: "I'm a little disappointed with losing that final half a point and I was pretty nervous watching the last two matches. I hope we still have the momentum and that we can finish off the job in the singles."
RESULTS SO FAR
Day 1 - Asia 3, Europe 1.
Day 2 - Asia 2, Europe 2
Overall scoreline: Asia 5, Europe 3 

Royal Trophy

Stevie and I lost again today by 2&1 we both hit it good but again the Thai boys out putted us which is typical matchplay , the overall score is now 5-3 to the Asian team with 8 singles matches tomorrow

- See more at: http://www.paullawriegolf.com/blog#sthash.dH1Qbg0i.dpuf

CHRIS CARLIN LEADS DIXIE MEN'S AMATEUR BY TWO STROKES

FROM THE TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
In the Dixie Amateur Championship men’s division, being played at Woodlands Country Club, another ClubLink facility in Tamarac, Plantation (Florida) resident Chris Carlin had one of the two low rounds of the day, a six-under-par 66 to take a two-shot lead over McCormick Clouser and co-first round leader Richard Donegan. Carlin is at 136 while Clouser from Bluffton, Indiana, followed his first round 67 with a 71.

Donegan, from the small town of Okeechobee, Florida, was even for the day after his opening round 66. The other first-round leader, Iceland’s Andri Bjornsson is in a tie for 12^th after a 76. Adam Condello from Pittsford, New York, had the other 66 under windy conditions and is tied for fourth at 139

The third and final rounds of the men’s division now shift to Heron Bay while those who missed the cut are eligible to play in the inaugural Woodlands Winter Invitational.  A total of 73 players made the cut at plus 5, 149.

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TO READ ABOUT HOW SHANNON AUBERT FROM FRANCE WON THE DIXIE WOMEN'S AMATEUR TITLE
AFTER A PLAY-OFF
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TIGER TURNS UP IN FRANCE TO WATCH GIRLFRIEND SKI

FROM THE GOLF CHANNEL WEBSITE
In a blog post this week, world No. 1 Tiger Woods explained that he would be taking time away from the golf course in the coming weeks. One of Woods' first non-golf activities has taken him to France, where he will watch girlfriend Lindsey Vonn take to the slopes this weekend.
Woods landed Friday in Val d'Isere, France, where according to an AFP report he will be on-hand as Vonn participates in the World Cup downhill ski race Saturday. 
The race marks another milestone for Vonn as she looks to rebound from a recent knee injury, with the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia now less than two months away.
"It's been tough with my ACL injury, but I'm feeling good," Vonn told reporters this week.
Woods wrote Thursday that he is in a unique position to offer Vonn advice as she looks to rehab her injury.
"Having experienced reconstructive surgery on my knee and the ensuing rehab, and the amount of pain associated with it, it's really hard to explain to anybody else unless you've been through it," explained Woods. 
 "I've had my share of experiences in that regard - unfortunately - but I think it helps her in a sense because she can bounce ideas off me about what to expect."
According to the report, Saturday will mark Woods' first opportunity to see Vonn in competition since the pair made their relationship known to the public in March.