Written by Jake O'Reilly on Tuesday 16 April 2013
After a weather delayed start to the season, Britain’s newest professional golf tour – The Players Tour – finally kicked off their 2013 campaign at The Addington in Surrey last week. On a course, which according to the scores wasn’t playing the easiest to say the least, it was former British Amateur Champion Lee James from Dorset, who opened up his account...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Tuesday 16 April 2013
Golf sponsor HSBC has hailed Guan Tianlang’s historic Masters performance as the fulfilment of almost a decade of investment in Chinese golf. The 14-year-old prodigy became the youngest ever golfer to make the cut at a major at Augusta and HSBC believe his trailblazing achievement will clear the way for a new wave of Chinese golfing talent. The teenager from Guangzhou is...
Written by TG Instruction Editor on Monday 8 April 2013
The Today’s Golfer Fantasy Golf game returns for 2013 at this week’s Masters Tournament and there are thousands of pounds of amazing prizes to be won. The game is free to play and the top five managers at the end of the 31-tournament schedule will earn golf holidays to Las Colinas G&CC, La Manga Club, Quinta da Marinha, Monte da Quinta...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 5 April 2013
Former Wigan, Fulham and Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard has made it through to the First Stage of PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School as he looks to make the grade on the professional golf circuit. The 34-year-old shot rounds of 75 and 76 on the par-72 Constable Course at Stoke By Nayland Golf Club to finish his 36 holes seven-over-par and make it through...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 3 April 2013
De Vere Oulton Hall is set to host Stage 1 of the PGA EuroPro Tour Qualfying School this week after adverse weather in Northumberland meant De Vere Slaley Hall had to pull out. The championship standard and immaculate conditioned resort near Leeds has stepped, with the 36-hole stroke-play event now running on the 3rd and 4th of April. Oulton Hall already boasts a rich tournament heritage having hosted the prestigious...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Thursday 28 March 2013
World number 1,522 Jakub Svoboda has retired from the first round of the Trophee Hassan II on the European Tour after a score of 21-over-par through his first six holes. The Czech golfer, who qualified for the event in Morocco through Category 5 – a National/Regional Order of Merit – racked up four sevens and two nines before withdrawing. Playing round the tough Golf...
Written by TG Courses editor on Monday 25 March 2013
Emirates Golf Club, one of the world’s most iconic golf venues and home to the World Top 100 Majlis Course, has just celebrated its 25-year anniversary, underlining its status as a pioneer for golf in the Middle East and home to the region’s first all-grass 18-hole course. It was in 1988 that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 15 March 2013
A record prize fund of €4.75million – an increase of €250,000 on 2012 – will be at stake during the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this year. The 2013 champion will receive €791,660, which is over €40,000 more than Luke Donald collected for his second consecutive success in 2012. The total prize fund has also grown by €750,000 – and the first prize by just over...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Thursday 14 March 2013
An incredible prize fund of £100,000 is on offer to professionals competing in the Farmfoods British Par-3 Championship at Nailcote Hall this year. As Europe’s most prestigious par-3 tournament celebrates its 80th anniversary, the organisers have doubled the amount on offer to competitors with the winner this year taking home a cheque for £25,000, £10,000 more than last year’s first prize. Already one of the...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 13 March 2013
To an outsider, being a touring golf professional is the perfect life and although that may be the case for the top players in the world, the majority of aspiring professional golfers are still trying to achieve the dream and make to the very top level. For those that are still trying to reach those heights, The Players Tour offers aspiring and...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 11 March 2013
The PGA EuroPro Tour will make its debut at Moray Golf Club in July when Europe’s leading young pros play the Grant Property Investment Championship. The 54-hole Sky Sports televised event will be played on the Old Course at Moray, considered one of the finest links courses in Scotland. A classic designed by Old Tom Morris with deep bunkers, undulating gorse-lined...
Written by TG Courses editor on Thursday 7 March 2013
American Ryder Cup stars Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson, plus 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, will headline the field for this year’s Ballantine’s Championship. The trio of major winners will join home favourites YE Yang and KT Kim for the Championship’s sixth edition, which takes place from April 25-28 2013, at the prestigious Blackstone Golf Club in South Korea. This latest World-class...
Written by TG Courses editor on Thursday 7 March 2013
Mottram Hall, Cheshire, will kickstart De Vere’s championship golf season after being named as the new host venue for the ISPS HANDA PGA Seniors Championship from June 6-9. The announcement is recognition of the venue’s burgeoning reputation, which will be further underlined by the completion of a major £6 million renovation in April. Legends from the world of golf are expected to...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 6 March 2013
Just five days after his dramatic withdrawal from the Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy told the world’s press that walking off the course was a mistake, his new Nike equipment is just fine and he is not breaking up with Caroline Wozniacki. The 23-year-old started a frank and honest pre-tournament press conference by joking “I’d give myself a red card for last...
Written by Chris Hanson on Tuesday 5 March 2013
Away from the glamour of the European Tour there are thousands of golfers trying to make enough money to support their dreams and their families. In this TG online feature we follow the highs and lows of 2011 EuroPro Tour Order of Merit winner Chris Hanson, as he tries to adjust to life on the Challenge Tour. This week was...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Tuesday 5 March 2013
Rory McIlroy has admitted he was wrong to withdraw from the Honda Classic, telling US magazine Sports Illustrated that “it was a reactive decision” and he now regrets that he stopped playing. The Northern Irishman walked off the course halfway through his second round and orignally told reporters as he left the course that he was in a “bad state mentally”, before later...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 4 March 2013
PGA Tour stars Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan have released the encore to their popular ‘Golf Boys’ video entitiled “2.Oh”. The foursome filmed the golf based rap song to raise money for charity:water. On their donation page the golfers said: “We’ve had a lot of fun making the Golf Boys videos. We hope you enjoy them, too. One of our...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 4 March 2013
The European Tour has confirmed its support for the R&A and the USGA and their proposal for rule 14-1b – the prohibition of anchoring – in a statement that will put them against the PGA Tour. George O’Grady CBE, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “The European Tour has been fully involved in the consultation process which ended on February...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 1 March 2013
Defending champion and world number one Rory McIlroy has dramatically withdrawn from the Honda Classic citing severe tooth ache. The Northern Irishman was seven-over-par through eight holes and had just found the water at the 18th – his 9th – when he made the decision to retire. “I sincerely apologise to the Honda Classic and PGA Tour for my sudden withdrawal,” he...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 1 March 2013
The R&A has released a statment saying they will “work closely with the USGA in moving towards a final resolution,” after the end of the 90-day period where golfers could comment on the proposed anchoring ban. The governing body is in favour of Rule 14-1b, but PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem recently revelaed that the PGA Tour opposes the ban on anchoring. A R&A spokesman said: “We believed...