Archive for August, 2007

Keeping Up With The FedEx Play-Offs

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup play-offs are upon us and many are wondering how significant that is. Indeed, many question whether it has meaningful attraction for golf fans or if it is one big yawn.
World number one Tiger Woods was not involved in the first tournament, citing exhaustion. That, in itself, is a major minus [...]

Missing Out On Vijay’s Former Training Partner

Monday, August 27th, 2007

The Johor Open ended on Sunday with Filipino-Japanese Artemio Murakami claiming a maiden Asian Tour title with a one-stroke victory over compatriot Tony Lascuna and Scotland’s Simon Yates.
However, despite being there as a stringer for Reuters, I didn’t write a line about the tournament. My aim was to interview Kyi Hla Han, executive chairman of [...]

Twiddling My Thumbs At The Johor Open

Friday, August 24th, 2007

The Asian Tour has come to my neck of the woods this week. Well, sort of. It’s a four-hour drive from my home just outside Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru for the Iskandar Johor Open.
I thought I’d make the journey so I could cover the tournament for Reuters, for whom I am on a retainer, [...]

Tour Triumphs for Snedeker and Ilonen

Monday, August 20th, 2007

Rookie Brandt Snedeker took advantage of a quiet week on the PGA Tour before the PGA Play-offs to add to the list of first-time winners this season.
The 26-year-old from Tennessee shot a nine-under-par 63 to win the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina and take home his highest-ever pay-cheque of $900,000.
Snedeker finished on 22-under 266 [...]

Don’t Be Like Woody Austin

Saturday, August 18th, 2007

I have lived in Woody Austin’s hometown of Tampa, Florida for over twenty years — and have had the pleasure of his company on many occasions. So, as you can imagine, I was delighted to watch his performance at last weekend’s PGA Championship. Now, I’m not claiming us as life-long friends – but we have [...]

Aussie Hend Looks Beyond Asian Tour

Friday, August 17th, 2007

Scott Hend is among a host of Australians who are using the Asian Tour as a stepping stone for greater things.
Hend is currently in third place in the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit as he tried to chase down leader Liang Wen-chong, of China, with half of the season still remaining.
Hend has $332,460 in [...]

Golf, But Not As We Know It!

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

On a trip to New Zealand I noticed with amusement that a few towns advertise cliff top driving ranges as tourist attractions. That is driving ranges where you hit the ball out to sea. At some of them there is a floating target and cash prizes. At others you just do it for fun.
But hey, [...]

Another Major Season Ends With A Minor

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

And so the major season ends for another year. 2007’s big four will be remembered for a variety of reasons. Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington clinched their first major wins. If they are to be breakthrough wins only time will tell.
But at the USPGA it was a return to form. Tiger was the [...]

Tiger Closes Major Season with No. 13

Monday, August 13th, 2007

When talking about Major titles, there can be no more appropriate incongruity than Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods.
Those two are at the extremes of the Major tournament scale. Monty for his lack of Major success and Tiger for continuing to rack up the titles. It is especially worth sparing a thought for Monty when Tiger [...]

Check Out The Tiger Trap!

Monday, August 13th, 2007

Check out this great video I found on YouTube of Tiger Woods in a relaxed mood playing for fun and challenging unsuspecting golfers to a nearest the pin competition – winner takes home a Buick Rainier!
It seems so real but then one of the ‘camera’ men runs right through the screen and the golfers at [...]

Mickelson Ready to Make HSBC Debut

Friday, August 10th, 2007

As Phil Mickelson wonders whether or not his wrist is 100 per cent at the US PGA Championship, Asian golf fans will certainly hope that he is full fit by November.
Lefty scored 73 in the first round, eight strokes adrift of leader Graeme Storm. Though his wrist felt good, a series of poor shots on [...]

Tiger Tunes Up for PGA Assault

Tuesday, August 7th, 2007

It is hard enough winning one tournament on the PGA Tour, let alone two in a row. So, is winning a week before a Major a blessing or a curse?
How many times have we held up a pre-Major winner as one of the favourites only to see him fail to make the cut.
Then again, there [...]

Asians Among Euro Contingent For PGA Championship

Sunday, August 5th, 2007

A recent article on the European Tour website highlighted the “record number of European Tour members” competing at this year’s US PGA Championship, the final Major of the year at Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It claims to have 48 golfers due to take part at Southern Hills Country Club from August 9-12 but some of those names have [...]

Sergio Faces Greatest Challenge

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

As young Patrick Harrington asked his daddy if he could put ladybirds in the Claret Jug he had no idea that eyes of the world were on him.
But as daddy celebrated, one man knew only too well that he had strode onto a global stage and blown his lines. Sergio Garcia looked like he wanted [...]

Summer of Golf Provides Sunshine in the Gloom

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

Sports and marketing. The curse of the modern era. The English Premiership is the “Greatest Show on Earth!” Lewis Hamilton is the “British Tiger Woods.” So it was inevitable that the last month would be Scotland’s “Summer of Golf!”
No matter that any use of the word “summer” is somewhat ironic with the weather pretty much [...]