Monday 5 January 2015
When George O’Grady steps down as the chief executive of the European Tour in early 2015, his successor will face some serious challenges. Whilst O’Grady’s nine-year tenure has been a largely successful one, more and more players are basing themselves in America, and weakened European fields do not please the all-important money men. The European Tour has already lost key events...
Friday 2 January 2015
Rory’s swing wouldn’t suit everyone. People try to copy the swings of top players like him, but they don’t have the same natural athletic gifts as someone like Rory. He swings like that because of his immense ability; you don’t see many golfers with that talent. The basics were ingrained in it at the start and all I’ve done with Rory...
Friday 2 January 2015
Ernie Els won his first Major 20 years ago. Finishing tied with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts in the US Open at Oakmont Country Club, the South African bounced back from a triple-bogey on the first hole of an 18-hole play-off to finish level with Roberts. A birdie on the second hole of sudden death was enough to give the...
Wednesday 17 December 2014
Bubba Watson has released this hip-hop video of him dressing up like Santa, calling himself ‘Bubbaclaus’ and promoting his #Bubbaclaus movement on Twitter, where he gives gear away to fans. We’ll warn you now – it’s not pretty. In years to come, people will be saying “I just don’t feel Christmassy until I hear Bubba Watson’s Christmas song”… Celebrate Christmas with the TG...
Monday 15 December 2014
Charley Hull has made history as the youngest winner of the 2014 Ladies European Tour ISPS HANDA Order of Merit title, just 12 months after being named Rookie of the Year. Watch our video interview with Charley (above). The 18-year-old from England capped her second season on tour with a tied fifth place finish in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on...
Monday 15 December 2014
Lee Westwood claimed a unique Thailand Golf Championship double when he staged a fabulous fight back with a final round five-under-par 67 to win the US$1 million Asian Tour event on Sunday. Watch our round-up video (above). The former world number one won the inaugural edition in 2011 and made it another victory to remember by signing off with a four-day...
Friday 12 December 2014
In the old days without Trackman and similar devices, Bernhard Langer would have to take his old driver out and hit it alongside his new driver to see which went further. now, He can test 10 drivers in 10 minutes thanks to the technology of Trackman. The precision of such a device allows the pros to really focus on the...
Thursday 11 December 2014
Rory McIlroy remains the odds-on favourite with the firm at 4/9 following his triumphant summer, winning both The Open and PGA Championship, however a late gamble is developing on Lewis Hamilton who is now just a 13/8 shot. One punter who was that confident in the Irishman’s chances of landing the elusive prize placed a wager of £10,000 on him doing...
Tuesday 9 December 2014
Jamie Donaldson made his European Tour debut in 2001. Ten years later, plagued by back issues, he seemed destined for nothing more than journeyman status. Then, in 2012, he won the Irish Open. It heralded a dramatic upturn that would see him win again in 2013 and 2014, amass some £5m in tournament winnings, make the Ryder Cup team and...
Tuesday 9 December 2014
If Paul McGinley is in any doubt as to the effect a successful Ryder Cup captaincy would have on his life, they are surely dispelled as he drives a golf cart across the 18th fairway of the North course at Quinta do Lago in the Algarve. As he negotiates a route a five-year-old could have managed, spontaneous applause breaks out...
Tuesday 9 December 2014
We look at four vital statistical categories to reveal the golfers who made the biggest gains last year. 1. Rickie Fowler +11.1 yards 1. Ryo Ishikawa +1.20 1. Darren Clarke up 22% 1. Matt Every up 0.831 2. Marc Leishman +11 yds 3. Bubba Watson +10.6 yds 4. Angel Cabrera +9.7 yds 5. Charles Howell III +9.3 yds 2. Ricky Barnes +1.01 3. Jonathan Byrd ...
Written by James Henderson on Monday 8 December 2014
As crowds lining Tower Bridge watched on, and the River Thames glistened underfoot, a hapless Boris Johnson swung aimlessly into the water. Standing alongside him was a smiling Ulsterman, partaking in promotional duty in London, looking every inch the global icon. Rory McIlroy, the Lionel Messi of golf? “I don’t need another year like this one,” laughed the four-time Major...
Monday 1 December 2014
Standing on the small street leading to Lee Trevino’s expansive and expensive Dallas home, it’s nearly impossible to see the size of the lodging from outside the front gate. There is a long, winding concrete driveway, a large creek on the right side and towering trees overshadowing the house. Not until you’re almost touching the window-paned front doors do you...
Monday 1 December 2014
Although Tiger Woods has had several high-profile coaches, he has been very much his own man when it comes to nurturing his technique. Whereas in many player/coach relationships the responsibility for developing the blueprint for success lands on the coach’s shoulders, it is clear the reverse is true when dealing with Tiger. During his time working with Butch Harmon, for example, a...
Monday 1 December 2014
Your favourite club? I’ve been asked this many times, it’s all 14. They have to be. In order to win a golf tournament, you’re going to have to use all 14 of them, and they’d better do exactly what you want. You don’t want to have any surprises out there, like hitting a long iron into a tight pin and it’s...
Monday 1 December 2014
In the 20 years since he won his first US Amateur Championship, Tiger Woods has dominated the game like no other player in history. With the exception of Nick Faldo’s dismantling of Greg Norman at the Masters, 1996 will not be remembered as a particularly vintage year for the major championships. If ever a sport could be accused of living up...
Monday 1 December 2014
Only a privileged few have had the chance to sit down with Tiger Woods, to talk one-on-one and gaze into the eyes that have instilled so much fear and intimidation down the years. Thankfully, the situation in which we are looking at them is not on a golf course during the back nine of a Major championship. It’s on the...
Monday 1 December 2014
Tiger’s career has been defined by miracle shots that most other players wouldn’t even contemplate, let alone attempt. Here is our shortlist of his very best. Second shot, 16th hole, final round It’s the final 18 holes of a tournament he prizes above nearly all the rest. He is playing alongside his closest challenger – Chris DiMarco, a player who will not...
Monday 1 December 2014
Woods has been a hero and inspiration for everyone connected with golf over the last two decades. We asked players, officials and journalists to share their favourite personal anecdotes. Henrik Stenson “He gave me a nice present when we played the Tavistock Cup the week after I played the underwear shot at Doral back in 2009. The whole Isleworth team had signed...
Monday 24 November 2014
Henrik Stenson is eyeing a first Major Championship in 2015 after defending a title for the first time in his career at the DP World Tour Championship. The Swede carded a closing 70 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to finish 16-under-par, two shots ahead of World Number One Rory McIlroy and fellow Ryder Cuppers Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson. Victory also assured...