Labels: GOLF NEWS
Sunday, February 21, 2016
The Golf Majors 2016
FROM ALUN EVANS
Just a short note to announce that the above is
now available (priced at $18.49/£12.99/ €16.99) on
Amazon, and secure PDF versions of the 2016 edition, as well as those for
2013-2015, are on sale on my web site, www.alunevansmajors.com (£4.99
and equivalents, via PayPal).
Apologies for its comparative lateness this year,
but I hope you'll find it useful still as we run up to the
Masters.
All the usual facts and figures are there, with
40 pages now allotted to the Records section. It is quite remarkable the impact,
stats-wise, that the dramatic emergence of Jordan Spieth has made –
he's made quite a mess of my records!
McIlroy nosedives ... Martin Laird heading to
be top Brit in Northern Trust Open
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
With Rory McIlroy nosediving with bogeys at the fourth, sixth, seventh, 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th - he did birdie the first! - it looks as if Martin Laird is going to head the seven Brits at the end of the final round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades in California.
Laird is back in the clubhouse and, at the time of writing (11pm UK time) is occupying T11 position after rounds of 68, 70, 69 and 69 for eight-under 276.
Justin Rose has finished on 277 with scores of 69, 68, 69 and 71
Paul Casey has totalled 281 with rounds of 73, 69, 71 and 68
Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington have both finished on 282.
Luke scored68, 72, 71 and 71; Padraig 71, 70, 66 and 75,
Jamie Donaldson finished on 284 (69-72-69-74) and Andy Sullivan totalled 288 (71-71-71-75).
Up at the sharp end of the tournament it could finish in a play-off with Jason Kokrak and Bubba Watson tie-ing for the lead with only a few holes to play.
FOLLOW THE LIVE SCORING SERVICE
CLICK HERE
be top Brit in Northern Trust Open
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
With Rory McIlroy nosediving with bogeys at the fourth, sixth, seventh, 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th - he did birdie the first! - it looks as if Martin Laird is going to head the seven Brits at the end of the final round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades in California.
Laird is back in the clubhouse and, at the time of writing (11pm UK time) is occupying T11 position after rounds of 68, 70, 69 and 69 for eight-under 276.
Justin Rose has finished on 277 with scores of 69, 68, 69 and 71
Paul Casey has totalled 281 with rounds of 73, 69, 71 and 68
Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington have both finished on 282.
Luke scored68, 72, 71 and 71; Padraig 71, 70, 66 and 75,
Jamie Donaldson finished on 284 (69-72-69-74) and Andy Sullivan totalled 288 (71-71-71-75).
Up at the sharp end of the tournament it could finish in a play-off with Jason Kokrak and Bubba Watson tie-ing for the lead with only a few holes to play.
FOLLOW THE LIVE SCORING SERVICE
CLICK HERE
Labels: US PGA TOUR
Strong field for Irvine event on Tuesday
FROM JOHN HENRY
Our Big Johnson's Tour competition on Tuesday at Irvine Golf Club has been kindly sponsored by The Golf Lounge, Glasgow http://www.thegolflounge.co.uk
We have 21 players booked in for the event at the moment, which is our biggest turn-out so far!
Attracting past and present European Tour players and Scottish PGA No. 1 Chris Kelly says it all.
FROM JOHN HENRY
Our Big Johnson's Tour competition on Tuesday at Irvine Golf Club has been kindly sponsored by The Golf Lounge, Glasgow http://www.thegolflounge.co.uk
We have 21 players booked in for the event at the moment, which is our biggest turn-out so far!
Attracting past and present European Tour players and Scottish PGA No. 1 Chris Kelly says it all.
We cannot take any more entries but would like to welcome any pros to come along and play in our future events!
The kitchen will be open from 10am for any players looking for rolls , teas and coffees etc . Spectators welcome as always!
Here is the draw
The kitchen will be open from 10am for any players looking for rolls , teas and coffees etc . Spectators welcome as always!
Here is the draw
Irvine Bogside
Tuesday 23rd February
10.30 -11.05
Sponsored by The Golf Lounge
10.30
Callum Macaulay
Paul Shields
10.37
Conor O'Neil
Mikey Stewart
Andrew McArthur
10.44
Chris McQueen
Greg O'Neil
Ian Redford
Johnny Mullaney
10.51
Johnny Pollock
Paul Robinson
Mike Paterson
Sam Binning
10.58
Jason Mcreadie
Duncan Stewart
Fraser Robertson
Anthony O'Donnell
11.05
John Henry
James McGhee
Chris Kelly
Ronan Rafferty
Labels: PRO GOLF
Aussie Marcus Fraser ends six-year winless drought in Kuala Lumpur with dramatic finish | ||
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Marcus
Fraser gave a short-game master class as he carded a closing 68 to win
the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia in a dramatic finish at
Royal Selangor Golf Club, Kuala Lumpur.
The
Australian was two shots behind Soomin Lee as he stood on the 16th tee,
but a double-bogey from the South Korean – coupled with a nearly-holed
chip by his playing partner – opened the door for Fraser to win a third
European Tour title by two strokes with a total of 269
A
clutch ten-foot putt on the 17th hole kept the 37 year old in a share
of the lead on 15 under par, and when Lee made another double bogey on
the last, a par putt from 18 feet was enough to make Fraser the first
ever winner of the Tiger Trophy.
That
closing blemish proved costly for Lee, who dropped into a share of
second place alongside Miguel Tabuena on 13 under par, a shot clear of
Spaniard Jorge Campillo and Frenchman Julien Quesne.
Fraser
had a seven-year gap between his first win at the 2003 BMW Russian Open
and his second at the Ballantine’s Championship, and returns to the
winners’ enclosure five years and 302 days after that victory in South
Korea.
Key quotes
Marcus Fraser: “It
feels unbelievable. Six years since the last one. I’ve had some serious
injuries and I’ve had my fair share of chances to win and completely
stuffed them up. That’s always at the back of your mind when you come
out and playing such a big tournament like the Maybank Championship.
It’s in the back of your mind and I went out there and I had nothing to
lose. Luckily enough it fell my way.
“On the last, I don’t know how I got that one to go in. That’s a pretty special feeling, that’s for sure. Six years ago it happened. It’s nice. Words just can’t describe the way I feel.
“I’m
not 100% sure but hopefully it gets me into some tournament in the
United States. For me with two young kids at home, my intentions this
year was to play in a lot less tournaments and play more in Europe at
the end of the season but I have to reassess that and talk to my wife.
My priority at the moment is my two young kids.
"They have a normal life
where they have to go to school. For me to be there to walk them to
school is the most important part. Tournament wise, I will still play in
a lot less but I’ll have job security in the next couple of years which
is always good.”
Soomin Lee:
“This week is very good for my golf life but I’m a little bit
disappointed. But it is okay because I have many more tournaments to try
and win. I have three top tens in three events now so it is okay.
“The last three holes are very important on this course. I was very nervous and felt pressured. I missed some short putts and that’s why I finished second. I still have one more tournament in Perth next week so I hope to play well again.” FINAL TOTALS par 284 (4x71). Yardage: 7,079 Yards
269 M Fraser (Aus) 66 69 66 68
271 S Lee (SKor) 66 68 64 73, M Tabuena (Phi) 66 68 69 68, 272 J Campillo (Esp) 65 69 69 69, J Quesne (Fra) 70 69 65 68, 273 P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 69 65 69, R Bland (Eng) 66 65 73 69, 274 N Holman (Aus) 64 65 73 72, 275 M Kawamura (Jpn) 66 70 67 72, P Uihlein (USA) 65 75 69 66, R Gangjee (Ind) 68 72 67 68, 276 M Ilonen (Fin) 71 69 64 72, L Oosthuizen (RSA) 67 70 73 66, P Marksaeng (Tha) 71 68 68 69, 277 R Rock (Eng) 68 70 71 68, T Fleetwood (Eng) 65 74 71 67, S Gallacher (Sco) 68 70 66 73, K Broberg (Swe) 69 72 68 68, J Morrison (Eng) 68 71 69 69, P Meesawat (Tha) 66 72 70 69, J Luiten (Ned) 72 67 70 68, R Wattel (Fra) 68 70 67 72, T Khrongpha (Tha) 70 69 70 68, 278 T Chuayprakong (Tha) 67 72 73 66, C O'Toole (USA) 71 67 69 71, K Kim (Kor) 66 71 71 70, K Horne (RSA) 70 70 69 69, L Bjerregaard (Den) 70 67 70 71, N Fung (Mas) 70 71 68 69, A Levy (Fra) 65 73 71 69, 279 A Lascuna (Phi) 71 70 70 68, Y Song (SKor) 71 67 71 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 68 71 71 69, B Munson (USA) 73 68 71 67, N Srithong (Tha) 69 71 69 70, 280 J Kruger (RSA) 74 67 65 74, C Plaphol (Tha) 69 68 69 74, C Nirat (Tha) 68 73 67 72, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 69 69 72 70, 281 A Wall (Eng) 69 72 71 69, G Bhullar (Ind) 67 71 71 72, A Que (Phi) 65 74 73 69, T Wiratchant (Tha) 69 67 74 71, R Karlberg (Swe) 70 71 74 66, 282 R Jacquelin (Fra) 72 69 71 70, D Lipsky (USA) 68 70 73 71, M Mamat (Sin) 70 70 71 71, B Hebert (Fra) 71 69 74 68, D Willett (Eng) 65 69 73 75 283 G Havret (Fra) 70 67 71 75, C Hsieh (Tpe) 68 72 74 69, S Rahman (Ban) 69 72 72 70, M Manassero (Ita) 70 69 71 73, 284 T Lawrence (RSA) 68 72 70 74, G Storm (Eng) 69 68 74 73, J Cheng (Chn) 70 70 69 75 285 K Baharin (Mas) 73 68 70 74, S Brazel (Aus) 71 69 74 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 71 70 72 72 286 E De La Riva (Esp) 69 71 71 75, S Yates (Sco) 71 70 75 70, W Ashun (Chn) 70 70 72 74, M Tran (Vie) 70 71 71 74, W Choo (Mas) 70 71 71 74 288 K Deng Shan (Sin) 69 72 73 74, K Richardson (Aus) 69 71 74 74 289 E Pepperell (Eng) 70 70 73 76, A Dodt (Aus) 69 67 76 77 292 S Hussin (Mas) 67 74 78 73 |
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
Tartan Tour four-ball at Western Gailes postponed
Monday's scheduled Tartan Four four-ball competition at Western Gailes has been postponed
Excessive rainfall has made the course unplayable meantime.
Rescheduled date will be posted when known.
Labels: Tartan Tour
Bubba Watson closing on second title at
Riviera Country Club, California
- Bubba Watson fired 4-under 67 in the third round of the Northern Trust Open. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, California -- Bubba Watson has the 54-hole lead at
the Northern Trust Open, and that might not even be the most fun he's
had this week at Riviera Country Club.
He took his 3-year-old son to hang out with Justin Bieber. The two-time Masters champion had a small part -- one line that he said required four takes -- in Disney Channel's show "Girl Meets World." And he couldn't wait to leave Riviera on Saturday so he could get to an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
"That's the advantage is that I'm friends with a lot of the guys, friends with Steve Ballmer -- I don't know if you know him, he's the owner of the Clippers," Watson said.
Winning at Riviera for the second time in three years? That might be gravy.
NORTHERN TRUST OPEN: Leaderboard | The Upshot | McIlroy two back after 67 | Highlights, interviews | Photo gallery
Watson put himself in prime condition on a gorgeous afternoon along Sunset Boulevard with a 4-under 67, which included an efficient up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 17th to break out of the pack and a par-save from the concession area down the hill and to the right of the 18th green.
Navigating the final 18 holes against a strong pack of contenders might be tougher than traffic on the 405.
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama are all among the 10 players within three shots of the lead going into Sunday's final round. Watson is at 12-under 201, one shot ahead of Johnson, Jason Kokrak and Chez Reavie.
"We all feel good about our chances, even the guy that's five back," Big-hitting left-hander Watson said. "For me, I'm going to go out and try to do the same thing, keep my head down, try to take deep breaths and try to slow it down and hopefully it works out."
Watson hit more fairways on Saturday (10) than in the opening two rounds combined. He's not concerned about being in the short grass as much as having the right angle (or left angle in his case!) to the green, and what has really left him at ease -- as much as Watson is ever at ease -- is making the short putts. He has made only three bogeys in 54 holes.
"Knowing that I've won here and knowing that I can play around here, obviously I have a little bit of an advantage on the guy that probably hasn't won here," Watson said.
He took his 3-year-old son to hang out with Justin Bieber. The two-time Masters champion had a small part -- one line that he said required four takes -- in Disney Channel's show "Girl Meets World." And he couldn't wait to leave Riviera on Saturday so he could get to an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
"That's the advantage is that I'm friends with a lot of the guys, friends with Steve Ballmer -- I don't know if you know him, he's the owner of the Clippers," Watson said.
Winning at Riviera for the second time in three years? That might be gravy.
NORTHERN TRUST OPEN: Leaderboard | The Upshot | McIlroy two back after 67 | Highlights, interviews | Photo gallery
Watson put himself in prime condition on a gorgeous afternoon along Sunset Boulevard with a 4-under 67, which included an efficient up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 17th to break out of the pack and a par-save from the concession area down the hill and to the right of the 18th green.
Navigating the final 18 holes against a strong pack of contenders might be tougher than traffic on the 405.
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama are all among the 10 players within three shots of the lead going into Sunday's final round. Watson is at 12-under 201, one shot ahead of Johnson, Jason Kokrak and Chez Reavie.
"We all feel good about our chances, even the guy that's five back," Big-hitting left-hander Watson said. "For me, I'm going to go out and try to do the same thing, keep my head down, try to take deep breaths and try to slow it down and hopefully it works out."
Watson hit more fairways on Saturday (10) than in the opening two rounds combined. He's not concerned about being in the short grass as much as having the right angle (or left angle in his case!) to the green, and what has really left him at ease -- as much as Watson is ever at ease -- is making the short putts. He has made only three bogeys in 54 holes.
"Knowing that I've won here and knowing that I can play around here, obviously I have a little bit of an advantage on the guy that probably hasn't won here," Watson said.
Kokrak, the 36-hole leader, made three birdies on the back nine
to salvage a 70 and remain in the final group. Reavie had a three-shot
lead at one point on the back nine, courtesy of a perfectly placed drive
that led to eagle on No. 10.
But he missed a pair of 8-foot par putts on consecutive holes and had to settle for a 69.
For all the birdies, the third round was shaped largely by pars on the 18th hole.
McIlroy, making his debut at Riviera, made three birdies on the back nine to reach 10 under when he pushed his tee shot too far right on the 18th for the second straight day.
This time, he played too much of a fade around the eucalyptus trees, and it tumbled down the hill next to the concessions stand. His chip raced by the hole, leaving a downhill putt from 18 feet that he made for par.
"That's one of the loudest cheers I've had in a while," McIlroy said. "It would be nice to hear something like that again tomorrow."
He shot 67 and was two shots behind, in a group that included Scott (67), UCLA alum Kevin Chappell (66), the resurgent K.J. Choi (67) and Marc Leishman (68).
"Everyone is playing good golf and it's whoever probably wants it the most tomorrow (that) makes it happen," Scott said. "Not everyone is just going to fade away. It's not that brutal hard-and-fast stuff where your slight miss is really punished and you can't get it up-and-down."
Watson's par from about the same area was even better. He was able to clip the ball perfectly, and it checked up just 3 feet above the hole.
Matsuyama, who won in Phoenix two weeks ago, made five birdies on the front nine to get into the mix, only to put four 5s on his card on the back nine. He shot 68 and was three shots behind, along with Troy Merritt (70).
It's still wide open, even with the experience at the top of Watson and Riviera, and the experience of winning anywhere by McIlroy, who's at No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
"It's one of these golf courses, if you just stay around, hang in there and not make too many mistakes, stay patient, your time will come and it will present itself with a few opportunities," McIlroy said. "And thankfully on the back nine, I was able to take some of them."
THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
But he missed a pair of 8-foot par putts on consecutive holes and had to settle for a 69.
For all the birdies, the third round was shaped largely by pars on the 18th hole.
McIlroy, making his debut at Riviera, made three birdies on the back nine to reach 10 under when he pushed his tee shot too far right on the 18th for the second straight day.
This time, he played too much of a fade around the eucalyptus trees, and it tumbled down the hill next to the concessions stand. His chip raced by the hole, leaving a downhill putt from 18 feet that he made for par.
"That's one of the loudest cheers I've had in a while," McIlroy said. "It would be nice to hear something like that again tomorrow."
He shot 67 and was two shots behind, in a group that included Scott (67), UCLA alum Kevin Chappell (66), the resurgent K.J. Choi (67) and Marc Leishman (68).
"Everyone is playing good golf and it's whoever probably wants it the most tomorrow (that) makes it happen," Scott said. "Not everyone is just going to fade away. It's not that brutal hard-and-fast stuff where your slight miss is really punished and you can't get it up-and-down."
Watson's par from about the same area was even better. He was able to clip the ball perfectly, and it checked up just 3 feet above the hole.
Matsuyama, who won in Phoenix two weeks ago, made five birdies on the front nine to get into the mix, only to put four 5s on his card on the back nine. He shot 68 and was three shots behind, along with Troy Merritt (70).
It's still wide open, even with the experience at the top of Watson and Riviera, and the experience of winning anywhere by McIlroy, who's at No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
"It's one of these golf courses, if you just stay around, hang in there and not make too many mistakes, stay patient, your time will come and it will present itself with a few opportunities," McIlroy said. "And thankfully on the back nine, I was able to take some of them."
THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
1 |
| T2 |
| T2 |
T10 | -9 | F | -1 |
T12 | -8 | F | -5 |
T12 | -8 | F | -3 |
T14 | -7 | F | -4 |
T14 | -7 | F | -2 |
T14 | -7 | F | -2 |
T14 |
T14 | -7 | F | -1 |
T19 | -6 | F* | -4 |
T19 |
T19 | -6 | F | -2 |
T19 | -6 | F | -2 |
T19 | -6 | F | -1 |
T19 | -6 | F | E |
T26 | -5 | F | -2 |
T26 | -5 | F* | -3 |
T26 | -5 | F | -1 |
T26 | -5 | F* | -4 |
T26 | -5 | F | -1 |
T26 | -5 | F | E |
T26 | -5 | F* | -5 |
T26 | -5 | F* | -5 |
T34 | -4 | F | -2 |
T34 | -4 | F | -1 |
T34 | -4 | F | -1 |
T34 | -4 | F* | -3 |
T34 | -4 | F* | -3 |
T34 | -4 | F | 2 |
T34 | -4 | F* | -4 |
T41 | -3 | F* | -1 |
T41 | -3 | F* | -1 |
T41 | -3 | F | E |
T41 |
T41 | -3 | F | 1 |
T41 | -3 | F* | -2 |
T41 | -3 | F* | -2 |
T41 | -3 | F* | -3 |
T41 | -3 | F* | -3 |
| T50 |
T50 | -2 | F* | E |
T50 | -2 | F | 1 |
T50 | -2 | F* | E |
T50 | -2 | F* | -1 |
T50 | -2 | F* | -1 |
T50 | -2 | F* | -1 |
T50 | -2 | F | 4 |
T58 | -1 | F | 2 |
T58 | -1 | F | 2 |
T58 | -1 | F* | 1 |
T58 | -1 | F* | -1 |
T58 | -1 | F* | -1 |
T63 | E | F* | 2 |
T63 | E | F* | 2 |
T63 | E | F* | 2 |
T63 |
T63 | E | F* | E |
T63 | E | F* | E |
T63 |
T63 | E | F* | E |
T63 | E | F* | E |
T72 | 1 | F | 4 |
T72 | 1 | F* | 2 |
T72 | 1 | F* | 1 |
T75 | 2 | F* | 2 |
T75 | 2 | F* | 2 |
77 | 3 | F | 5 |
Labels: US PGA TOUR
Copyright © Colin Farquharson
If you can't find what you are looking for.... please check the Archive List or search this site with Google