Mikey Stewart pips Scott Henry at Renaissance
  FROM JOHN HENRY
Big Johnson's Tour event today at Reinassance went well. Course in great condition and the weather was superb. Mikey Stewart took the winning spot with a score of one under par, pipping Scott Henry who was level par. 
The event was sponsored by Devel Golf  who kindly donated four of their new products for the first four places - Mikey Stewart , Scott Henry, Ian Redford  and Mark Loftus
All the boys had a great day and I'm sure all of them just enjoyed back being on a full golf course which was dry and in great condition !
Next event is on Monday, December 14. All pros welcome ... get in touch on Twitter @bigjohnsonstour or email johnhenry92@hotmail.com
 

Algarve's Quinta do Lago named European 

Golf Resort of the Year

NEWS RELEASE

The stunning Quinta do Lago, on the Algarve, has been named ‘European golf resort of the year’ for 2015 by Square Mile, the City of London’s leading lifestyle magazine.

The magazine, whose readership is described as ‘senior executives working in the financial services industries based in the City, Mayfair and Canary Wharf’, highlighted the resort’s three outstanding golf courses and the €50m investment which is continuing to raise it above its competitors on the European market.

Quinta do Lago’s €50m upgrade to its sports, leisure and lifestyle facilities is part of a six-year investment program, which has included the €9.6m redesign of its North Course by renowned American architect Beau Welling in close association with European Ryder Cup winning captain Paul McGinley.

Quinta do Lago’s investment will continue in 2016 with the creation of a new state-of-the-art sports centre, with the facility offering the very best amenities for sport lovers, with more than 25 activities available, as well as a cutting-edge, modern clubhouse.

The official winter training base for England Golf’s elite squads, Quinta do Lago is perfect for a relaxing family holiday in exquisite surroundings and offers the very best in award-winning sports and leisure facilities.

The resort’s three championship courses are matched by outstanding practice facilities, with a state-of-the-art TaylorMade Performance Centre – the only such facility in southern Europe – and new short-game area, in addition to the resort’s Paul McGinley Golf Academy.

Set among 2,000 acres of the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park, there’s plenty to keep guests occupied away from the fairways, with events, tennis, cycling and watersports just some of the extensive leisure activities available, plus 10 exclusive bars and restaurants.

For more information about Quinta do Lago, please phone + 351 289 390 700 or visit www.quintadolago.com

 Bulking up to blame

 for Tiger Woods' 

injuries, says Michael 

Campbell

 FROM SKYSPORTS.COM.

By ALI STAFFORD

Former US Open champion Michael Campbell believes Tiger Woods’ gym regime during his prime could be to blame for the 14-time major winner’s injury problems.

Woods, pictured top right, revealed last week that he had not started rehabilitation following his latest back surgery and that he had no idea if or when he'd be able to return to competitive golf.
The former world No 1 has seen his career blighted with injury in recent years and hasn't swung a club in over two months since having to undergo an unexpected follow-up procedure on his back in October.

Doubts remain as to whether Woods, who hosted this week's Hero World Challenge, will continue his playing career, with the 39-year-old admitting he is now prepared for the possibility of early retirement
But New Zealand-born Campbell, pictured above, who played alongside Woods on numerous occasions during his career and famously beat him to 2005 US Open victory, feels things may have been different had he trained differently during his peak.
Ahead of being part of Sky Sports' PGA Tour coverage from the Bahamas, Campbell said: "I remember playing a lot with him in 2000 and he was just awesome. He was strong but slightly built, whereas now I think he's gained too much muscle and put too much weight on his left knee.
"If you look at him physically from 2000 to now, or even to 2008, he bulked up too much. He worked so hard in the gym to the point he couldn't walk the next day.

"It's hindsight now, but I'd have said to him to try yoga or Pilates or something because he didn't need to get any bigger. I could be wrong, but I think it was for vanity reasons to be honest rather than for his golfing level.
"I had a conversation with a very good friend of mine, George Gregan, who said his secret for longevity and being able to play 139 times for the Wallabies was Pilates and yoga - it helped him get through so many tests.
"When you do come out and start playing again knowing you're 100% physically, there are still a lot of mental scars there. The mental scars are more noticeable than the physical ones.
"From my own personal experience, I had a wrist injury for a little bit and was out for six months and even when I started playing again, I still thought about it. It's the natural thing to do, it's human instinct.
"Tiger's nearly 40 now and the older you get the longer it will take to heel all the surgeries and injuries he has had, but for him to have been through what he has and had surgery seven times is just phenomenal."
Woods has been a household name in the sport for since turning professional nearly two decades ago, although there is now a new crop of players trying to be the dominant force that the 79-time US PGA Tour winner once was.
Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day will resume their battle for world No 1 in 2016, with Campbell expecting big things from golf's latest big guns.
"Tiger has changed the game completely and helped it evolve a lot," Campbell added. "He's obviously set the very high bar and everyone followed. They had to, or they would have just fallen behind
"When I first came out in 1993 there were no fitness instructors in the locker room, no physios and we just went straight from the 18th hole to the bar, but now that has changed completely.
"I think these four or five guys will keep pushing each other to the limit. It's great for the game and you can clearly see the future of golf is in very good hands - no question about that.
"These guys are down to earth, very personable and are really good guys, too, so the future of the game is looking very, very bright."

What is Pilates?

Pilates aims to strengthen the body in an even way, with particular emphasis on core strength to improve general fitness and wellbeing. Pilates exercises are done on a mat or using special equipment, such as the Reformer, the Cadillac and Wunda Chair. With its system of pulleys and springs, handles and straps, the apparatus can provide either resistance or support, depending on your needs.
Pilates was developed by German-born Joseph Pilates, who believed mental and physical health were closely connected. His method was influenced by western forms of exercise, including gymnastics, boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling. Pilates immigrated to the US in the 1920s and opened a studio in New York, where he taught his method – which he called contrology – for several decades.

Poulter and Westwood complete Clarke’s 

EurAsia Cup team for match in Malaysia

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Darren Clarke has named Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood as his Captain’s picks for the EurAsia Cup match which returns to Glenmarie Golf and Country Club, Selangor in Malaysia  from January 15-17, 2016.

The English duo complete a formidable 12-man European team for the second edition of the EurAsia Cup, which ended in a thrilling 10-10 draw at Glenmarie in 2014.
Poulter and Westwood will be making their EurAsia Cup debuts next month, but the pair will bring with them a wealth of Ryder Cup experience, having amassed a grand total of 36 points from a combined 14 appearances in the biennial match between Europe and the USA. 
Clarke said: “I am thrilled to announce Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood as my Captain’s picks for the EurAsia Cup. We have a very young and exciting team heading to Malaysia in January, and to add the vast experience of Ian and Lee into the mix gives us a very strong and balanced side as we look to take the EurAsia Cup trophy back to Europe.
“Having played in a total of 14 Ryder Cups, Ian and Lee have proven themselves two of the most fearsome match players in the game and  their presence in the team room and their ability to share their vast knowledge of the European team environment will be hugely important for us in Malaysia.
"They have seen and done it all in terms of Ryder Cups and team golf, so I am delighted they have joined the EurAsia Cup cause. We are going to Glenmarie to win that trophy and Ian and Lee can play a massive role for us in Kuala Lumpur.”
Poulter, the European talisman who inspired that unforgettable victory in the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012 by winning four out of four matches, said: “I don’t think it’s a secret how much I love playing match play golf and representing Europe, so it was an easy decision for me to make when Darren asked me to join his team
“I am looking forward to it. It will be the perfect way to start the year and I hope that my experience can help both on and off the course. 
"Playing for my team mates, Captain and the Continent of Europe brings a different level of intensity to golf for me and I can’t wait to feel that buzz again.”
Westwood, meanwhile, has been an ever-present for Europe since making his Ryder Cup debut in 1997, securing a total of 23 points to sit in fourth place in the all-time point scorers list behind Sir Nick Faldo (25), Bernhard Langer (24) and Colin Montgomerie (23.5). Westwood delivered two points for Europe in 2014 to overtake the great Seve Ballesteros (22.5) on the all-time scorers list.  
Westwood said:
“I’ve had a fair amount of success in Malaysia over the years – I have won the Malaysian Open twice – so hopefully I can keep that form going and help Darren and the team get the result we want down there. Myself and Poults will definitely bring a lot of experience to the team room as well."
The inclusion of Poulter and Westwood takes the number of players with Ryder Cup experience in Clarke’s side to four, with Frenchman Victor Dubuisson – who dazzled on his debut at Gleneagles last year – and 2010 team member Ross Fisher of England having also tasted success in the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.
That quartet will be joined in Kuala Lumpur by Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, the English quartet of Matthew Fitzpatrick, Andy Sullivan, Danny Willett and Chris Wood, Dane Søren Kjeldsen, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.   

    
Team Asia, captained by Jeev Milkha Singh of India, will name its 12-man team on December 15 following the conclusion of the Thailand Golf Championship.


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS