Written by Jake O'Reilly on Thursday 7 February 2013
After the almost embarassing final round of the the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the USGA have finally decided to act upon the slow pace of play on the PGA Tour. The ‘Pace of Play Initiative’ will analyse courses, looking at factors such as length, green-to-tee walks, location and number of hazards and the gaps between tee times The resulting data will create...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 17 June 2013
Want to learn some tips from the new US Open Champion? We recently spoke to Justin Rose about how he handled the pressure at Medinah at last year’s Ryder Cup, to see what the average golfer can learn from the Englishman. 1 – Getting into the right mind-set For me it started on the 17th green. My reaction was somewhat unique; I...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 11 February 2013
South African Richard Sterne produced a faultless closing round 64 to claim a seven-stroke victory over Charl Schwartzel at the Johannesburg Open. The 31-year-old from Pretoria set a new tournament record of 27-under-par and in doing so secured his place at the lucrative Accenture Matchplay event in Arizona this month. Sterne was never troubled after overnight joint-leader Trevor Fisher Jr saw his challenge collapse...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 13 February 2013
Chris Wood has been named The 2013 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month for January after he secured his maiden win with a stunning eagle at the final hole of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club. The Englishman, who receives an engraved alms dish and a Jeroboam of Moët & Chandon champagne, battled back from...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 13 February 2013
Former amateur star Lucas Bjerregaard begins his rookie season on the European Challenge Tour at the Barclays Kenya Open this week and the Dane believes he has what it takes to live up to his billing as one of Europe’s top up-and-coming stars. The 21-year-old had a glittering career in the unpaid ranks, winning two European Boys Team Championships with his...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 13 February 2013
The USGA will administer drugs tests at the US Amateur and US Women’s Amateur Championships for the first time in 2013. The news comes after a high profile few months for drugs in sport, after the Lance Armstrong doping scandal and recent Vijay Singh deer antler spray revelations. Drug testing programs have been part of the US Open and US Women’s Open since...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 22 February 2013
It was a day of shocks and surprises at the WGC Matchplay as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Jason Dufner and Charl Schwartzel were all sent home in round one. However, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald – who is now the highest ranked player in the tournament – moved into the next round. Most of the talk will focus on world...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 25 February 2013
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem threw a spanner in the works during the WGC-Accenture Matchplay by announcing that the PGA Tour opposes the plan to outlaw the anchored putting stroke. Finchem argued that the lack of evidence to suggest players had an advantage by using a long putter meant “there is no overriding reason to go down that road.” In his press conference...
Written by TG staff writer on Tuesday 26 February 2013
Four of the world’s top women golfers “walked on water” in their business suits today to launch the sixth HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. The spectacular event was held at Marina Bay with World Number One Yani Tseng, defending champion Angela Stanford, and two other world-class golfers, Suzann Pettersen and Paula Creamer. The golfers, armed with both golf and business paraphernalia, looked...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Thursday 28 February 2013
In the videos below TG’s Instruction Editor Joel Tadman interviews Titleist star Jason Dufner about his 2012 season, the Ryder Cup at Medinah, what his tips are for amateur golfers and some random quiz questions. In this first video TG asked the American about his breakthrough 2012 season, his mixed feelings and memories from the Ryder Cup at Medinah and his...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 1 March 2013
The European Challenge Tour will return to Northern Irish shores for the first time in 10 years when Galgorm Castle Golf Club, Ballymena, hosts the Northern Ireland Open Challenge from August 29th until September 1st. Michael Hoey, a four-time winner on The European Tour, will headline the field at the Country Antrim venue, hoping to add to his trophy haul, having also...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 1 March 2013
The R&A has released a statment saying they will “work closely with the USGA in moving towards a final resolution,” after the end of the 90-day period where golfers could comment on the proposed anchoring ban. The governing body is in favour of Rule 14-1b, but PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem recently revelaed that the PGA Tour opposes the ban on anchoring. A R&A spokesman said: “We believed...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Friday 1 March 2013
Defending champion and world number one Rory McIlroy has dramatically withdrawn from the Honda Classic citing severe tooth ache. The Northern Irishman was seven-over-par through eight holes and had just found the water at the 18th – his 9th – when he made the decision to retire. “I sincerely apologise to the Honda Classic and PGA Tour for my sudden withdrawal,” he...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 4 March 2013
The European Tour has confirmed its support for the R&A and the USGA and their proposal for rule 14-1b – the prohibition of anchoring – in a statement that will put them against the PGA Tour. George O’Grady CBE, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “The European Tour has been fully involved in the consultation process which ended on February...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Monday 4 March 2013
PGA Tour stars Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan have released the encore to their popular ‘Golf Boys’ video entitiled “2.Oh”. The foursome filmed the golf based rap song to raise money for charity:water. On their donation page the golfers said: “We’ve had a lot of fun making the Golf Boys videos. We hope you enjoy them, too. One of our...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Tuesday 5 March 2013
Rory McIlroy has admitted he was wrong to withdraw from the Honda Classic, telling US magazine Sports Illustrated that “it was a reactive decision” and he now regrets that he stopped playing. The Northern Irishman walked off the course halfway through his second round and orignally told reporters as he left the course that he was in a “bad state mentally”, before later...
Written by Chris Hanson on Tuesday 5 March 2013
Away from the glamour of the European Tour there are thousands of golfers trying to make enough money to support their dreams and their families. In this TG online feature we follow the highs and lows of 2011 EuroPro Tour Order of Merit winner Chris Hanson, as he tries to adjust to life on the Challenge Tour. This week was...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 6 March 2013
Just five days after his dramatic withdrawal from the Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy told the world’s press that walking off the course was a mistake, his new Nike equipment is just fine and he is not breaking up with Caroline Wozniacki. The 23-year-old started a frank and honest pre-tournament press conference by joking “I’d give myself a red card for last...
Written by TG Courses editor on Thursday 7 March 2013
Mottram Hall, Cheshire, will kickstart De Vere’s championship golf season after being named as the new host venue for the ISPS HANDA PGA Seniors Championship from June 6-9. The announcement is recognition of the venue’s burgeoning reputation, which will be further underlined by the completion of a major £6 million renovation in April. Legends from the world of golf are expected to...
Written by TG Courses editor on Thursday 7 March 2013
American Ryder Cup stars Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson, plus 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, will headline the field for this year’s Ballantine’s Championship. The trio of major winners will join home favourites YE Yang and KT Kim for the Championship’s sixth edition, which takes place from April 25-28 2013, at the prestigious Blackstone Golf Club in South Korea. This latest World-class...