Written by Golf World on Wednesday 12 January 2011
The European Tour brings its South African sojourn to an end this week with the richest of the country’s four co-sanctioned events, the €1.3 million Joburg Open. Following hugely successful tournaments in Malelane and Durban before Christmas, followed by last week’s event in East London, the city of Johannesburg takes centre stage this week and the beautiful Royal Johannesburg and...
Written by Golf World on Wednesday 12 January 2011
Rory McIlroy has split from his long-term girlfriend Holly Sweeney. The two began dating when Rory was sixteen and Holly was fourteen, while they were both growing up in their hometown of Holywood, near Belfast. Since McIlroy hit the big time in both fame and bucks he’s been pretty good about avoiding the late night carousing scene and has spent most of...
Written by Golf World on Wednesday 12 January 2011
Ernie Els has reached a point in his career where he will not be traveling as far, and making decisions based as much on his business ventures as the golf itself. One of the first tournaments to go is the Scottish Open, which he has won twice and played the last nine years. Els signed an endorsement deal with the Royal Bank...
Written by 2-FORE!-1 Golf on Wednesday 12 January 2011
Popular 2-FORE!-1 venue Stapleford Park in Leicestershire will host the second edition of the ISPS Handa Senior Masters presented by the Stapleford Forum on June 3-5. Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, sponsors ISPS are once again backing the tournament, which attracted some of the leading Senior Tour players in 2010 including Sam Torrance, a former club captain...
Written by Gary Wolstenholme on Monday 10 January 2011
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you enjoyed a well earned rest over Christmas and you are ready for what should be a great year in golf. I have decided to offer my predictions on what may happen for the following year and who will be taking the spoils at the end of it. I don’t expect everyone to...
Written by Golf World on Monday 10 January 2011
Dustin Johnson and Natalie Gulbis are the new first couple of golf. The talented twosome quietly began dating after having competed alongside each other at the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge in early November. The romance went public on Saturday when Gulbis followed Johnson on the back nine of his third round at the Tournament of Champions. She was dressed in head-to-toe adidas...
Written by Golf World on Monday 10 January 2011
Jonathan Byrd had a silver trophy at his side and a lei draped around his neck, a winner Sunday in the Tournament of Champions, even if the playoff didn’t end the way anyone imagined. “Pretty overwhelmed,” he said. The emotions went beyond his victory in the PGA Tour’s season opener when Robert Garrigus, the biggest hitter on tour, missed a 3-foot par...
Written by Golf World on Monday 10 January 2011
Louis Oosthuizen birdied the first play-off hole to win the Africa Open and deny Chris Wood and Manuel Quiros a maiden European Tour title. All three had finished tied on 16 under par at East London Golf Club after an enthralling last round which saw no fewer than seven different leaders on the final day. Playing the 18th as the first extra hole...
Written by Chris Jones, Golf World Editor on Tuesday 4 January 2011
Graeme McDowell has signed a multi year contract with Srixon, leaving Callaway. McDowell will play Srixon irons, Cleveland wedges and the new Srixon Z-STAR XV ball, which will be officially launched at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando at the end of January. He will also wear a Srixon hat and glove and carry a Srixon bag. The announcement comes...
Written by Golf World on Sunday 26 December 2010
Procter & Gamble Co. will not renew its endorsement deal with Tiger Woods at the end of the year, adding another name to the list of companies that cut ties with the golfer after last year’s revelations of marital infidelities. The company used Woods, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and dozens of other athletes as part of its three-year “Gillette Champions” marketing...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 21 December 2010
Steve Webster, the two-time European Tour winner from Nuneaton, has signed a contract with Wilson Golf that will see him play exclusively with the highly-rated Wilson Staff FG Tour irons next season. The man who beat Tiger Woods to the amateur Silver Medal at the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews began playing with the FG Tour irons during the summer...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 21 December 2010
The success of European Tour Members across the globe in 2010 has been abundantly reflected as the year draws to a close with the announcement of several prestigious individual Awards and recognition for The 2010 Ryder Cup Team. Europe’s Ryder Cup Team won the accolade of BBC Team of the Year award while Captain Colin Montgomerie collected Coach of the Year...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 21 December 2010
Rickie Fowler and Sean O’Hair are the only Americans among 13 players who have qualified for the Masters through the world ranking. There are no tournaments the rest of the year, so the final 2010 ranking became available Monday. The Masters invites players who are in the top 50 at the end of the year. The criteria is mainly for international players...
Written by Golf World on Monday 20 December 2010
The European Tour’s finest were set a challenge for a new prom video; to smash a clay pigeon with a golf ball. BMW PGA Champ Simon Khan, David Horsey and Johan Edfors all took part in the challenge, at the Dubai World Championship last month. The results are incredibly, as you can see for yourself on this video…...
Written by Golf World on Wednesday 15 December 2010
Annika Sorenstam announced on Twitter this morning that she is pregnant with her second child: “Mike and I are happy to share that our family will be a foursome by early summer. Ava is ready to be a big sister.” So we can all forget about the Hall of Famer’s imminent return to action. Maybe in 2012?...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 14 December 2010
Stuart Appleby has been voted the PGA Tour comeback player of the year after going from his worst season to a magical win. Appleby won The Greenbrier Classic by closing with a 59, making him one of only two players to hit golf’s magic number in the last round. His historic win followed a year in which he finished outside the...
Written by Gary Wolstenholme on Monday 13 December 2010
The Mauritius Commercial Bank Open What a fascinating weekend in Mauritius in the beautiful setting of the Constance Belle Mare Plage! After my flurry of birdies on Friday I thought I put myself in the reckoning for the title, but unfortunately it was not meant to be as I slipped a little on Saturday but recovered well to finish third. My congratulations go to...
Written by Golf World on Monday 13 December 2010
Pablo Martin survived a triple bogey to successfully defended his Alfred Dunhill Championship title Sunday, shooting a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory. The Spaniard had a 7 at the par-4 17th but recovered to birdie the last for an 11-under 277 at Leopard Creek Country Club. He was two clear of Thorbjorn Olesen (66), Charl Schwartzel (70) and Anthony Michael...
Written by Golf World on Monday 13 December 2010
Australia’s Peter Senior won the rain-delayed Australian PGA on Monday, beating Geoff Ogilvy with a par on the second hole of a playoff to become the oldest player to win a major professional tournament in Australia. The 51-year-old Senior, a regular on the Champions Tour, made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation for a 1-under 71 to...
Written by Golf World on Monday 13 December 2010
Golf World columnist Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson won the Shark Shootout on Sunday, shooting a 13-under 59 in the scramble format to beat Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell by two shots. Johnson and Poulter took the lead with birdies on their first four holes and had no trouble the rest of the way in finishing at 30-under 186. Clarke and McDowell...