Written by TG Editor on Thursday 9 April 2009
They say you can’t win the Masters until you’ve played in the Tournament several times, but England’s Ross Fisher wasn’t listening. In the first round, he played like a veteran, shooting a 3-under-par 69, which could have been even better. He led the Tournament when he was 4-under after 8 holes, and was 5-under after a birdie at the 16th, but...
Written by TG Editor on Wednesday 8 April 2009
Greg Norman is already making headlines at The Masters – and the tournament hasn’t even started yet! The Great White Shark had his glamourous wife Chris Evert on his bag and he even earned himself a kiss with an astounding hole-in-one on the sixth hole of the par 3 contest. There has never been an ace on this hole but Norman knocked...
Written by Golf World Editor on Wednesday 8 April 2009
This may be Gary Player’s 52nd and final Masters tournament, but The Chairman of Augusta National, Billy Payne, very much hopes he can persuade the South African some time over the summer to hit the first tee shot next year with Arnold Palmer. “I only found out a couple of days ago that this was going to be Gary’s last Masters,” he...
Written by Jock Howard, Golf World on Wednesday 8 April 2009
It is tough to think of a more moving story this week at Augusta than Greg Norman finally winning the Masters at the age of 53. Maybe Fred Couples winning runs it close (Both Fred’s wives have died, his second only a couple of months ago) but a Norman victory would certainly go into Masters folklore. It’s his 23rd appearance here,...
Written by TG Stafff Writer on Wednesday 8 April 2009
One by one, his golfing dreams have so far turned into glorious reality. And although his next target – capturing the US Masters before he’s 21 – might seem of Mount Fuji-esque proportions, Ryo Ishikawa is undeterred. Ishikawa will be 17 years, 6 months and 23 days when he drives down Magnolia Lane for the first time – only amateur Tommy...
Written by Golf World Editor on Wednesday 8 April 2009
Vijay Singh achieved something even rarer than a hole-in-one at Augusta’s par-3 16th yesterday. He holed his shot after skipping the ball across the water! It’s a practice round tradition that players try to reach the green by hopping it across the pond, and usually they’re just happy to reach the green. But after three bounces, Vijay’s ball rolled across the putting...
Written by Golf World Editor on Tuesday 7 April 2009
People have thought for some years that Tiger might not be human. He has seemed for some years now to be able to ‘will’ the ball into the hole, when and where he wants. If this is true, he was certainly not admitting as much. “I don’t have telekinesis,” (the direct influence of the mind on a physical system) he said,...
Written by Golf World Editor on Tuesday 7 April 2009
Several times during his pre-tournament press conference, Phil Mickelson was asked about his rivalry with Tiger Woods, but on each occasion he side-stepped the issue with all the dexterity of a wing three-quarter. The world yearns a Tiger/Phil showdown on Sunday. Finally, a question came which opened him up. “Of your two Masters victories, which did you enjoy more; Mike Weir...
Tuesday 7 April 2009
The pairings for the first two rounds of the 2009 Masters have just been released… and there are some real mouth-watering match-ups. Lee Westwood will tee it up with Bernhard Langer and Greg Norman at 2.50pm UK time. Other groups to look out for are: 2.28pm: Gary Player, Luke Donald, Stephen Ames 3.12pm: Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Angel Cabrera 3.23pm: Vijay Singh, Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie...
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...