Written by Golf World Editor on Tuesday 7 April 2009
Trevor Immelman said that even if he wins this week tonight’s Champions dinner is going to be the highlight of the week for him. “Just seeing all those legends tonight is going to be awesome,” he said. “I came down here a month ago to play a couple of rounds, and the thrill of walking into the Champions Locker Room...
Written by Golf World Editor on Tuesday 7 April 2009
Padraig Harrington denied he is under more pressure because he is trying to win his third major championship in a row. “This is a major championship,” he said in his pre-tournament press conference, “and there is always pressure in majors. Any extra pressure is not significant. I’m always going to be under pressure in majors for the next few years,...
Written by TG Editor on Tuesday 7 April 2009
Trevor Immelman won the 2008 Masters – but only after a last-minute tip from his brother Mark. Trevor had been having a torrid time on the greens and had slumped to 202nd on the Tour stats. His brother – a top teaching pro turned up at Augusta just before the tournament started and asked for half-an-hour on the putting green. He asked...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 7 April 2009
The Masters is up and running and producing some amazing golf and some real talking points. Tiger Woods is attempting to bounce back after a nine-month lay-off and get back on the Major-winning trail. Our own Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwwod will be just a few Brits trying to pip him to the winning post. Then there’s teenage sensation Rory...
Written by TG Editor on Monday 6 April 2009
Rory McIlroy says he is not easily overwhelmed and sees no reason why he should let the occasion get the better of him when he tees off in his first Masters on Thursday at just 19 years old. Here we reveal his thoughts as he begins his Masters adventure. Q: How are you coping with your new star status? A: I love it.
Written by Golf World on Monday 6 April 2009
Gary Player will compete in his final Masters golf tournament this year. The South African legend – winner of nine Majors, including three Green Jackets, admits the course Player participated in his first tournament at Augusta in 1957, at the tender age of 21. He is one of only seven Masters champions that has won three or more green jackets, and this year...
Written by Golf World on Monday 6 April 2009
The field for the Masters 2009 is set – the winner of the weekend’s Houston Open (Paul Casey), could have got in, but JB Holmes missed out in a playoff with the Englishman. So here it is – the 96 men who will tee it up on Thursday bidding for the Green Jacket… Allenby, Robert Ames, Stephen Appleby, Stuart Baddeley, Aaron Baird, Briny Cabrera, Angel Campbell, Michael Campbell,...
Written by TG Editor on Monday 6 April 2009
SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 7.34pm Phil Mickelson came, he saw and he oh-so-nearly conquered. He was on a proper charge. And just when all the aggression, all the momentum seemed to be leading to one inevitable conclusion, the wheels on the battlebus came abruptly off. They were, in fact, thrown into Rae’s Creek on the 12th hole. He tried to put them back on...
Written by Golf World on Monday 6 April 2009
Geoff Ogilvy played a practice round at Augusta National last week in preparation for the Mastrers 2009, accompanied by writer John Huggan for a big interview in the next issue of Golf World. This is what the Aussie had to say: After playing Augusta National a few times, I know it fairly well, but it is still almost the ultimate ‘local...
Written by Golf World on Monday 6 April 2009
The Masters 2009 doesn’t officially start until today, but Augusta National Golf Course was a hive of activity yesterday… Tiger Woods, complete with a goatee, played nine holes and hit a 3-wood on the 10th before walking over to get a sandwich.He has not won the Masters Tournament since 2005, and if he doesn’t win this week, it will be the...
Monday 6 April 2009
Paul Casey somes into The Masters after sealing his first PGA Tour win. Casey, 31, beat JB Holmes in an epic play-off to clinch victory at the Shell Houston championship. Casey already has a pretty impressive record at The Masters – a tied sixth, a tenth and an eleventh – and now has got to be riding high. He was choking back...
Written by Peter Masters, Golf World on Thursday 2 April 2009
He’s better than Tiger Woods was at the same age. He’s the most naturally gifted golfer to come out of Europe since Seve Ballesteros. He’s 19 years old and 15th in the world. It’s fair to say that when Rory McIlroy headed up Magnolia Lane for the first time last week, the optimists were expecting fireworks. Can this boy stagger the...
Written by Golf World on Wednesday 1 April 2009
1 Tea Olive Par 4, 445 yards ORIGINAL INTENT: “A drive that is long and straight will be in a favourable position for the second. It is difficult to obtain par figures from any other position.” ALISTER MACKENZIE RECENT CHANGES: Back of tee reduced 10 yards, scorecard changed from 455 yards to 445. IT IS… One of the hardest...
Written by Jock Howard, Golf World on Wednesday 1 April 2009
If Padraig Harrington wins a Green Jacket on Sunday, he will have won four of the last seven Major championships. Here, the Irishman talks exclusively about his preparations for Augusta, and going for the Paddy Slam. After 10 years, do you feel you are getting closer to winning at Augusta? I do have a fair idea of what to expect from...
Written by TG staff writer on Wednesday 25 March 2009
Colin Montgomerie today (wed) gathered some of his close golfing friends around him in Seville on the eve of his 500th appearance as a professional on The European Tour – and proved that you can have your cake and eat it! The 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain marked the occasion alongside two-time Masters Champion José Maria Olazábal, the course designer this...
Written by By Kevin Brown on Thursday 19 March 2009
Watching Spaniard Alvaro Quiros prepare for the Transitions Championship in Florida this week, reminded me of the one and only Seve Ballesteros. The huge-hitting Quiros is very much a chip off the legend’s block. He stands out from the crowd and not just because he’s 6ft 3ins and wears straw, boater-style headwear. He’s swashbuckling, he oozes charm and charisma and is an...
Written by Kevin Brown on Wednesday 18 March 2009
The sunshine state of Florida has become the Land of the Rising Sun. Well, for this week anyway… OK, there’s no Tiger or Phil Mickelson at the Transitions Championship which gets underway tomorrow, so left to take centre stage is teenage Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa. And following Ryo practically wherever he goes at the US PGA Tour event at Innisbrook Golf Resort...
Written by TG Staff Writer on Monday 16 March 2009
The Betfair ‘Team of the Week’, in preparation for the double-weighted Arnold Palmer Invitational, is as follows: Matthew Goggin ($1.0m) Australian Matthew Goggin is sneaky long off the tee, and his all-round game has really stepped up a gear in recent months. Indeed, Goggin is on the verge of a maiden appearance in the Masters Tournament and a decent finish...
Written by Chris Jones on Monday 16 March 2009
Posted by Chris Jones, April 16th: HSBC Champion of Champions Returns for 2009 One of the biggest competitions in amateur golf is back for 2009 – the HSBC and Golf World Champion of Champions. We’ve joined forces with HSBC to relaunch the prestigious contest, which is open to every reigning club champion in the UK – and it’s FREE to enter. Titleist and...
Written by Kit Alexander on Friday 13 March 2009
Henrik Stenson showed he wasn’t shy stripped off down to his boxer shorts to play a shot at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The Swede found his ball in mud after a wayward tee shot at the third, his 12th, so he opted to derobe to play his second shot to avoid having to play the rest of his round in dirty...