Wednesday 14 January 2015
Four of the world’s top 10 squeezed in an unexpected spot of short game practice in a unique ‘pitch n’ paddle’ challenge on Yas Island ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 10-year milestone. Firing biodegradable ‘fish food’ balls from a jetty against a backdrop of mangroves between the ninth and 18th holes of Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Rory McIlroy...
Written by Today's Golfer on Tuesday 13 January 2015
Patrick Reed took a step closer to becoming a “top five” player when he beat Jimmy Walker in a playoff for the $5.7 million Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Monday to clinch his fourth PGA Tour title. Reed, who jumped into contention by holing out from the fairway to eagle the par-4 16th, sank an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-5...
Friday 9 January 2015
The BBC and BSkyB are battling for The Open live coverage rights from 2016. The tender process for the 155-year-old competition was well under way on Thursday night, with British golf’s governing body facing one of its biggest decisions over whether to embrace pay-TV for the first time. The R&A has stood by the BBC as exclusive rights holders for more...
Wednesday 7 January 2015
Thanking the press at Muirfield in 1992 “If you watch the video, you can see me start to say, ‘I want to thank the press from the bottom…’ and then I say, ‘…the heart of my bottom.’ The truth is that it really was all done in jest. In those days the press were brutal. In 1990, I had won two...
Wednesday 7 January 2015
Billy Horschel’s 2014 is the perfect example of how quickly things can turn around in golf. Heading into September, he had only recorded two top 10s and looked like he’d struggle to match an encouraging 2013 where he’d earned his maiden PGA Tour victory, notched a tied-4th at the US Open and finished 16th in the FedEx Cup. Three weeks...
Tuesday 6 January 2015
Paul McGinley’s inspirational leadership made a mockery of the idea that Ryder Cup captains don’t matter, and in doing so changed the role forever. From now on, Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America will look for captains with the following qualities. 1. Experience “I made the natural progression from player to vice-captain to captain,” reveals McGinley. 2. Focus McGinley wasn’t...
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...
Monday 5 January 2015
The HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour has assembled a stellar line-up of courses for its 2015 season. The Tour, which recently announced a 25% increase of prize funds to £50,000 per event, will visit some of the best venues across the UK and will also team up with the Paul Lawrie Foundation for an event at Newmachar Golf Club in June. The EuroPro Tour’s...
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...
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...
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
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
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
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...
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...
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 ...
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...