Labels: GOLF NEWS
Monday, February 15, 2016
One of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world might change its men's-only member status.
The
Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield is sending out a
postal ballot regarding the admittance of female members.
According to
the "Sunday Times," this voting format will increase the odds of the measure passing, encouraging more members to participate in the vote.
Muirfield
has come under increased scrutiny for its men's-only policy. Laura
Davies has been critical of the country's slow progress on the issue. In
2013, she recalled her treatment at the 1984 Curtis Cup at Muirfield as
a negative experience.
"We
weren't allowed in certain parts of the clubhouse and yet we were
playing in one of the biggest amateur international women's tournaments you could
possibly play in. It's one of those things, but was a bit weird, I have
to say."
Another vocal critic has been former Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond. A big golf fan, Salmond boycotted the 2013 Open at Muirfield, saying "I just think it's indefensible in the 21st Century not to have a golf club that's open to all."
Muirfield has hosted the Open Championship 16 times -- behind only the Old Course at St. Andrews and Prestwick.
Duncan Stewart lying 7th at MENA Tour Q
School in Spain
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Duncan Stewart from Grantown on Spey, now playing out of Turnhouse Golf Club, Edinburgh, is lying seventh in a field of 92 players at the end of the first round of the weather-hit MENA Tour Qualifying School at Almenara Golf Club, Spain.
The first day's play in the scheduled 54-hole event was cancelled because of bad weather and it is now a 36-hole tournament ith the leading 60 gaining Category 7 members of the MENA Tour.
Stewart shot a four-over-par 75 and is four shots behind the Spanish leader, Javier Gallego,
Former Scottish youths champion and Stirling University graduate David Booth from Rotherham is lying second with a par 72.
LEADERBOARD
par 72
71 Javier Gallego (Spa)
72 David Booth (Eng)
SCOTTISH SCORES
75 Duncan Stewart (7th)
78 Fraser Moore (T14)
90 Michael Stokes (84th)
91 Sam Macneil (T85)
Labels: PRO GOLF
Ulsterman Stuart Winsby's T2 finish in Titan
Invitational in Florida
By COLIN FARQUHARSON Stuart Winsby from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, a senior year student at Webber International University, Florida, has finished joint second in the Titan Invitational men's college tournament over three rounds at Suntree Country Club, Melbourne in Florida.
Stuart, pictured, had rounds of 68, 72 and 79 for a total of three over par 219.
He tied with Peter French (Johnson and Wales University, Florida) (73-72-74) whose team-mate Jake Bauer was the winner, a shot ahead on 218 with scores of 77, 69 and 72.
Winsby team-mates Sam De'Ath (79-75-74 for 228) and Olly Franklin (79-72-84 for 235) finished T17 and T38 respectively in a field of 69 players.
Johnson and Wales (883) won the team title by a single shot from Eastern Florida State (884) with Webber International (905) third in a field of 12 teams
TO VIEW NEWS FROM THE USA WOMEN'S COLLEGE TOURNAMENTS .... switch over to www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk
Invitational in Florida
By COLIN FARQUHARSON Stuart Winsby from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, a senior year student at Webber International University, Florida, has finished joint second in the Titan Invitational men's college tournament over three rounds at Suntree Country Club, Melbourne in Florida.
Stuart, pictured, had rounds of 68, 72 and 79 for a total of three over par 219.
He tied with Peter French (Johnson and Wales University, Florida) (73-72-74) whose team-mate Jake Bauer was the winner, a shot ahead on 218 with scores of 77, 69 and 72.
Winsby team-mates Sam De'Ath (79-75-74 for 228) and Olly Franklin (79-72-84 for 235) finished T17 and T38 respectively in a field of 69 players.
Johnson and Wales (883) won the team title by a single shot from Eastern Florida State (884) with Webber International (905) third in a field of 12 teams
TO VIEW NEWS FROM THE USA WOMEN'S COLLEGE TOURNAMENTS .... switch over to www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk
Labels: Student Golf
Sam and Daniel Torrance will tee it up
together in Sunningdale Foursomes
The draw has been made for next month's Sunningdale
Foursomes which features men and women pairings and professionals as well as amateurs.
A number of European Tour Members will tee
it up in the historic competition.
Sam Torrance, partnering son Daniel, Tommy Fleetwood, Eddie Pepperell and Robert Rock are among those entered into the event’s 82nd edition, which takes place fromMarch 8 to 11th (Tuesday to Friday),
Sam Torrance, partnering son Daniel, Tommy Fleetwood, Eddie Pepperell and Robert Rock are among those entered into the event’s 82nd edition, which takes place fromMarch 8 to 11th (Tuesday to Friday),
For the first time, the third round onwards will be played solely on the New Course.
Labels: Amateur Men, pros
McColl leading Scot after Day 1 on Algarve
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Jordan
McColl (Kingsbarns Pro Academy) maintained his recent run of good form
by finishing the first day of the 54-hole Algarve Pro Tour event at
Palmares, Lagos in joint sixth place in a field of 80.
McColl, pictured,
shot a three-under-par 69 with birdies at the third, fourth, sixth,
eighth, long 11th and short 14th in halves of 32 and 37. He bogeyed the
10th, 12th and 13th to be three shots behind the Portuguese leader,
Ricardo Santos.
Conor O'Neil was the next best Scot with a 70 for a share of 11th place.
Tartan
Tour No 1 Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) had a 71 with
birdies at the fourth, sixth and 11th in halves of 35-36 for a T15
position.
Craig
Lawrie (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) got his third birdie of the day at the
18th for a par 72 after bogeys at the 13th, 14th and 17th had more than cancelled
out birdies at the first and fourth. He is tied 20th.
ALGARVE PRO TOUR
Palmares Golf Resort, Lagos, Portugal
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
66 R Santos (Por)
67 D Wright (Eng), S Robertshawe (Eng), T Cruz (Por)
SCOTTISH SCORES
69 J McColl (T6)
70 C O'Neil (T11)
71 G Hutcheon (T15)
72 C Lawrie (T20)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: PRO GOLF
Phil Mickelson back in 20th world ranking
NEWS RELEASE
Vaughn Taylor is back inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking and Phil Mickelson is again a top-20 player.
Taylor defeated Mickelson to win the AT and T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, and moved from 447th to 100th in the world. He hasn’t been ranked this high since the beginning of the 2008 season.
Mickelson started the week at 29th in the OWGR and rose to 20th after his runner-up showing in California. Third-place finisher Jonas Blixt went to 125th from 198th, while Hiroshi Iwata and Freddie Jacobson each cracked the top 100, thanks to tieing for fourth. Iwata went to 91st, from 121st, and Jacobson to 94th, from 136th.
On the European Tour, Charl Schwartzel picked up 12 spots with his latest South African win. His victory at the Tshwane Open move him to 31st.
Jordan Spieth remains No. 1 in the world, but Jason Day jumped Rory McIlroy for the No. 2 spot. McIlroy was idle, while Day finished T-11 at Pebble Beach. The only other movement inside the top 10 was Branden Grace bumping Jim Furyk down to 11th. It’s Grace's first entrance into the top 10 and the first time since the summer of 2014 that Furyk has not been a top-10 player.
Here’s a look at the current top 10, in order: 1 Spieth, 2 Day, 3 McIlroy, 4 Rickie Fowler, 5 Henrik Stenson, 6 Bubba Watson, 7 Justin Rose, 8 Dustin Johnson, 9 Patrick Reed, 10 Grace.
And on the Tiger Woods front, he is now ranked 444th.
NEWS RELEASE
Vaughn Taylor is back inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking and Phil Mickelson is again a top-20 player.
Taylor defeated Mickelson to win the AT and T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, and moved from 447th to 100th in the world. He hasn’t been ranked this high since the beginning of the 2008 season.
Mickelson started the week at 29th in the OWGR and rose to 20th after his runner-up showing in California. Third-place finisher Jonas Blixt went to 125th from 198th, while Hiroshi Iwata and Freddie Jacobson each cracked the top 100, thanks to tieing for fourth. Iwata went to 91st, from 121st, and Jacobson to 94th, from 136th.
On the European Tour, Charl Schwartzel picked up 12 spots with his latest South African win. His victory at the Tshwane Open move him to 31st.
Jordan Spieth remains No. 1 in the world, but Jason Day jumped Rory McIlroy for the No. 2 spot. McIlroy was idle, while Day finished T-11 at Pebble Beach. The only other movement inside the top 10 was Branden Grace bumping Jim Furyk down to 11th. It’s Grace's first entrance into the top 10 and the first time since the summer of 2014 that Furyk has not been a top-10 player.
Here’s a look at the current top 10, in order: 1 Spieth, 2 Day, 3 McIlroy, 4 Rickie Fowler, 5 Henrik Stenson, 6 Bubba Watson, 7 Justin Rose, 8 Dustin Johnson, 9 Patrick Reed, 10 Grace.
And on the Tiger Woods front, he is now ranked 444th.
Labels: PRO GOLF
Love, perspective fuel Taylor's improbable comeback to win AT and T pro-am
-
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
-
- Vaughn Taylor celebrated his AT and T Pebble Beach Pro-Am win with his wife and son. (Laberge/Getty Images)
PEBBLE BEACH, California - Eleven years ago, Vaughn Taylor won his
second US PGA TOUR event. Like the first one, it came opposite a World Golf
Championships, so he knew he hadn’t exactly beaten the biggest names in
the game.
MORE: The Upshot | Wrap-up | Winner's bag
Leading final totals:
-17 Vaughn Taylor; -16 Phil Mickelson; -15 Jonas Blixt
Scroll down to end of article for more scores
In the ensuing years, he experienced both the highs -- a Ryder Cup spot -- and the lows -- losing his TOUR card -- of being a golf pro. But then his confidence deserted him. So did his game. Off the course, he narrowly avoided a tragic accident. Still, the positives outweighed the negatives – he met his wife Leot and they had a son, Locklyn.
A week ago, playing in his second straight Web.com Tour event in Bogota, Colombia, Taylor was stricken by a stomach virus so severe he needed nourishment from an IV and ended up withdrawing after just a handful of holes.
Last weekend, he flew to California on Saturday rather than return home to Georgia because the flight was cheaper. He had taken his small golf bag with him to avoid those pesky baggage fees that kick in after you exceed the 50lb limit, too. As first alternate for the AT ad T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his spot was not even guaranteed until Carl Pettersson withdrew.
So naturally, by the end of the weekend, there was Vaughn Taylor rallying from a six-stroke deficit to defeat Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson on one of golf’s most iconic courses.
Eleven years after that last victory, Taylor has job security again, fully exempt on the US PGA Tour through the 2017-18 season and ranked 15th on the FedExCup. He’s now headed for Los Angeles and this week's Northern Trust Open -- a tournament for which he had originally planned to Monday qualify.
And come April, the man who grew up and still lives in the Augusta, Georgia, area will be playing in his Super Bowl, which the rest of us call the Masters, for the first time since 2008.
"I just kept working, kept grinding." Taylor said almost shyly. "And I can't believe it actually happened today."
Taylor closed with a 6-under 66, surging into the lead with a string of four consecutive birdies and a back-nine 31. He then survived an anxious 20 minutes waiting to see whether Mickelson could post the tying birdie on the iconic 18th hole.
When Mickelson missed his 5-footer, Taylor claimed the $1.26 million paycheck. No longer will he have to worry about baggage fees or Monday qualifiers.
But it's not about the money. It never has been. Taylor just wanted to get back to the highest level of the game.
"You get out here, and you have success, and you expect to have it all the time," Taylor said. "And that's not really the way it works.
"The best players in the game don't play good every week and in my case, I didn't play well for quite a few years. And looking back on it, I wish I could have done it a little differently and appreciated it a little bit more and enjoyed the ride. ... I'll enjoy this, though."
Making sure that Taylor does will be the woman he calls his "rock," Leot, the petite blonde uber-positive mother of their rambunctious two-year-old Locklyn, who amused himself by playing on the stage, clutching a stuffed Mickey Mouse, while his dad was interviewed Sunday after the win.
"She's the one that keeps me going, and we're lucky enough to have that little guy with us, too," Taylor said. "It's all for them. They deserve it just as much as I do. Ever since I met her I knew there was something special about her, and she always has my back."
And now what Leot called a "lull" was finally over.
"To say you've been on a Ryder Cup team, I think that's the epitome of golf, and we're just really appreciative," Leot said. "You need the lows to appreciate the highs in anything you do. This is a business. I don't know any business that's had 10 amazing years. ...
"So it's a tough game. ... Anyone, any day that enters this field can win and I really say that genuinely because I have a lot of friends out here. I have a lot of friends -- husbands, and wives. These guys are good."
Adding to the perspective? What Taylor calls a "life-changing moment" two years ago when he was fishing in the Savannah River near their home, the same water where he once caught a record 56-pound striper (fish) - and the boat capsized.
Taylor was alone, caught in the fast-moving current. He wasn't wearing a life jacket, one of several mistakes he made that day. The water temperature was in the low 50s even though it was a hot summer day.
"You think it's easy to swim or that, but it really changes when the water's up to your nose and you don't know what's happening," Taylor said. "It was pretty scary. I really thought for a minute that this could be it. Once the panic kind of wore off and I realized, OK, let's get your self together, then I kind of calmed down and I knew I was going to be okay."
Taylor's tackle box came floating toward him. He grabbed it to see if he could stop swimming and rest. Finally he was able to catch his breath and assess his situation. A park ranger was able to guide Taylor to shore.
He used the ranger's cell phone to call Leot, who did not know what had happened. She didn't recognize the number, but she answered anyway. Her husband was in hysterics.
"I'm just thankful he's calling me," Leot recalled. "Tomorrow's a blessing. Life's too short. We're here on Valentine's Day. You appreciate the people you love. You appreciate God's gifts. Appreciate that we're here in this moment because there's no guarantees for anyone. I don't care who you are."
Taylor, who still loves to fish, knows he made mistakes that day. But he learned from what happened, and he knows now what is really important in his life.
"It really made me appreciate what I have in family and my wife and my son," Taylor said. "And I realized that life wasn't really about me, it's about them. They need me."
And they support him, too, just as they did on this Valentine’s Day at Pebble Beach.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
-17 Vaughn Taylor
-16 Phil Mickelson
-15 Jonas Blixt
-14 Freddie Jacobson, Hiroshi Iwata
-12 Patrick Reid, Justin Rose
SELECTED TOTALS
-7 Padraig Harrington, Jordan Spieth (T21)
-6 Luke Donald (T26)
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
MORE: The Upshot | Wrap-up | Winner's bag
Leading final totals:
-17 Vaughn Taylor; -16 Phil Mickelson; -15 Jonas Blixt
Scroll down to end of article for more scores
In the ensuing years, he experienced both the highs -- a Ryder Cup spot -- and the lows -- losing his TOUR card -- of being a golf pro. But then his confidence deserted him. So did his game. Off the course, he narrowly avoided a tragic accident. Still, the positives outweighed the negatives – he met his wife Leot and they had a son, Locklyn.
A week ago, playing in his second straight Web.com Tour event in Bogota, Colombia, Taylor was stricken by a stomach virus so severe he needed nourishment from an IV and ended up withdrawing after just a handful of holes.
Last weekend, he flew to California on Saturday rather than return home to Georgia because the flight was cheaper. He had taken his small golf bag with him to avoid those pesky baggage fees that kick in after you exceed the 50lb limit, too. As first alternate for the AT ad T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his spot was not even guaranteed until Carl Pettersson withdrew.
So naturally, by the end of the weekend, there was Vaughn Taylor rallying from a six-stroke deficit to defeat Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson on one of golf’s most iconic courses.
Eleven years after that last victory, Taylor has job security again, fully exempt on the US PGA Tour through the 2017-18 season and ranked 15th on the FedExCup. He’s now headed for Los Angeles and this week's Northern Trust Open -- a tournament for which he had originally planned to Monday qualify.
And come April, the man who grew up and still lives in the Augusta, Georgia, area will be playing in his Super Bowl, which the rest of us call the Masters, for the first time since 2008.
"I just kept working, kept grinding." Taylor said almost shyly. "And I can't believe it actually happened today."
Taylor closed with a 6-under 66, surging into the lead with a string of four consecutive birdies and a back-nine 31. He then survived an anxious 20 minutes waiting to see whether Mickelson could post the tying birdie on the iconic 18th hole.
When Mickelson missed his 5-footer, Taylor claimed the $1.26 million paycheck. No longer will he have to worry about baggage fees or Monday qualifiers.
But it's not about the money. It never has been. Taylor just wanted to get back to the highest level of the game.
"You get out here, and you have success, and you expect to have it all the time," Taylor said. "And that's not really the way it works.
"The best players in the game don't play good every week and in my case, I didn't play well for quite a few years. And looking back on it, I wish I could have done it a little differently and appreciated it a little bit more and enjoyed the ride. ... I'll enjoy this, though."
Making sure that Taylor does will be the woman he calls his "rock," Leot, the petite blonde uber-positive mother of their rambunctious two-year-old Locklyn, who amused himself by playing on the stage, clutching a stuffed Mickey Mouse, while his dad was interviewed Sunday after the win.
"She's the one that keeps me going, and we're lucky enough to have that little guy with us, too," Taylor said. "It's all for them. They deserve it just as much as I do. Ever since I met her I knew there was something special about her, and she always has my back."
And now what Leot called a "lull" was finally over.
"To say you've been on a Ryder Cup team, I think that's the epitome of golf, and we're just really appreciative," Leot said. "You need the lows to appreciate the highs in anything you do. This is a business. I don't know any business that's had 10 amazing years. ...
"So it's a tough game. ... Anyone, any day that enters this field can win and I really say that genuinely because I have a lot of friends out here. I have a lot of friends -- husbands, and wives. These guys are good."
Adding to the perspective? What Taylor calls a "life-changing moment" two years ago when he was fishing in the Savannah River near their home, the same water where he once caught a record 56-pound striper (fish) - and the boat capsized.
Taylor was alone, caught in the fast-moving current. He wasn't wearing a life jacket, one of several mistakes he made that day. The water temperature was in the low 50s even though it was a hot summer day.
"You think it's easy to swim or that, but it really changes when the water's up to your nose and you don't know what's happening," Taylor said. "It was pretty scary. I really thought for a minute that this could be it. Once the panic kind of wore off and I realized, OK, let's get your self together, then I kind of calmed down and I knew I was going to be okay."
Taylor's tackle box came floating toward him. He grabbed it to see if he could stop swimming and rest. Finally he was able to catch his breath and assess his situation. A park ranger was able to guide Taylor to shore.
He used the ranger's cell phone to call Leot, who did not know what had happened. She didn't recognize the number, but she answered anyway. Her husband was in hysterics.
"I'm just thankful he's calling me," Leot recalled. "Tomorrow's a blessing. Life's too short. We're here on Valentine's Day. You appreciate the people you love. You appreciate God's gifts. Appreciate that we're here in this moment because there's no guarantees for anyone. I don't care who you are."
Taylor, who still loves to fish, knows he made mistakes that day. But he learned from what happened, and he knows now what is really important in his life.
"It really made me appreciate what I have in family and my wife and my son," Taylor said. "And I realized that life wasn't really about me, it's about them. They need me."
And they support him, too, just as they did on this Valentine’s Day at Pebble Beach.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
-17 Vaughn Taylor
-16 Phil Mickelson
-15 Jonas Blixt
-14 Freddie Jacobson, Hiroshi Iwata
-12 Patrick Reid, Justin Rose
SELECTED TOTALS
-7 Padraig Harrington, Jordan Spieth (T21)
-6 Luke Donald (T26)
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
-
A winner's smile from Vaughn Taylor at Pebble Beach
Labels: US PGA TOUR
PGA Four-ball at Fairmont frosted off
Another PGA in Scotland Winter Series Four-ball competition has fallen a victim to this cold, frost and snowy winter ... today's scheduled affair at Fairmont St Andrews. "Frosted off on Sunday," reports PGA in Scotland secretary Shona Malcolm.
They certainly could not play it anywhere in the North-east after snow Saturday and Sunday.
The Winter Series should have teed off on January 18 but only two of the Four-ball events have beaten the weather so far - Craigielaw on January 25 and Glasgow Gailes on February 8.
Next scheduled attempt - Western Gailes on Monday, February 22.
Another PGA in Scotland Winter Series Four-ball competition has fallen a victim to this cold, frost and snowy winter ... today's scheduled affair at Fairmont St Andrews. "Frosted off on Sunday," reports PGA in Scotland secretary Shona Malcolm.
They certainly could not play it anywhere in the North-east after snow Saturday and Sunday.
The Winter Series should have teed off on January 18 but only two of the Four-ball events have beaten the weather so far - Craigielaw on January 25 and Glasgow Gailes on February 8.
Next scheduled attempt - Western Gailes on Monday, February 22.
Labels: PGA
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