Golf 2013: High Drama and Dufnering

Golf in 2013 wasn't all birdies and pars: Recreational rounds played by amateurs continued to be in the doldrums. But the pros provided ample entertainment in a year of outstanding majors, resilient champions and career-changing stretches of brilliant play by off-the-radar players.

Phil the Thrill

For golf satisfaction, nothing beat Phil Mickelson's final-round 66 at the British Open at Muirfield. Starting the day five strokes behind leader Lee Westwood, he birdied four of the final six holes for a back-nine 32. At 43 years old, Mickelson now lacks just the U.S. Open for a career grand slam, a feat achieved by only five men: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen. For Mickelson to join them at Pinehurst, he will have to shrug off a most troublesome monkey: his record six second-place finishes at U.S. Opens, including this year at Merion.

The Masters

Adam Scott, after his agonizing, four-bogey finish at the 2012 British Open, to lose by a shot to Ernie Els, drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Augusta to claim a spot in a playoff against Angel Cabrera. With darkness falling, he holed another birdie from 12 feet to beat Cabrera and become the first Aussie to model a green jacket. In a fitting hero's return this fall, Scott won the Australian Masters and its PGA tournament. Then he nearly won its Open. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice became one of Augusta National's first two female members.

The U.S. Open

Mickelson's familiar misfortune on the back nine Sunday (he misplayed two easy wedge shots, resulting in bogeys) was Justin Rose's gain. The Englishman won his first major by nailing a four iron on the final hole at Merion, outside Philadelphia, from nearly the same spot that Hogan hit his famous one iron at the 1950 Open. For the U.S. Golf Association, the shindig at land-squeezed Merion was a triumph, opening the door, golf fans hope, for more Opens at classic courses hitherto considered obsolete.

The PGA Championship

Jason Dufner's 63 on Friday tied the majors record for a single-round score, and he never seemed to miss a fairway or green at Oak Hill after that. But Dufner's first major win wasn't his main claim to fame in 2013. That would be Dufnering, the Internet craze sparked by a posted photo of his inert slump against a classroom wall in March, subsequently mimicked by thousands of Dufnerites around the globe, including scores of Tour pros.

The Swedish Strongman

Henrik Stenson, who two years earlier was ranked 230th in the world and playing in his club championship, caught fire in the second half of 2013. He finished second at the British Open, third at the PGA and won two of the four FedEx Cup Playoffs events, plus the playoffs' $10 million bonus. Eight weeks later he captured the European Tour's Race to Dubai crown and that tour's money title. His revival was an inspiration to slumping golfers everywhere. "I'm not sure how I top it, to be honest," Stenson said. Perhaps with a major in 2014?

The Texas Tornado

Jordan Spieth blew into 2013 without a PGA Tour card and ended the year as a captain's pick on the victorious U.S. Presidents Cup team. Spieth parlayed a March sponsor's invitation to the Puerto Rico Open, where he finished second, into five more top-10 finishes by July and a playoff win over Zach Johnson and David Hearn at the John Deere. At 19, Spieth was the youngest PGA Tour champion since 1931

Major LPGA Forces

Inbee Park won the first three majors and captured the golf world's imagination as she went after her fourth at the British Women's Open. Stacy Lewis, whom Park toppled as world No. 1 in April, ended up winning at St. Andrews with a terrific birdie-birdie finish, in a sign of how tightly competitive women's golf has become. Suzann Pettersen, with a three-win, late-season surge, almost beat out Park for LPGA Rolex Player of the Year. Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the 16-year-old phenom with four victories as an amateur in professional events, turned pro in October and promptly won again. Ko now ranks fourth in the world behind Park, Pettersen and Lewis.

Whither Rory?

Rory McIlroy, the world's dominant player in 2012, struggled for most of the year, and his confidence abandoned him. His win this month at the Australian Open, his first in more than a year, gives him a boost, but 2014 could go any which way.

Tiger Woods

The PGA Tour's rightfully elected Player of the Year had five strong victories in 2013, including the Players Championship and two WGC titles. He regained his spot as world No. 1. But Woods didn't contend in a major, despite four good starts, and was ensnared in a couple of rules snafus that he didn't handle gracefully. Woods, who turns 38 this month, is now playing for his legacy. He already owns the greatest stretch of play in golf history, from 1999 to 2009, when he won 64 times and all but the first of his 14 majors. With 79 career PGA Tour victories, he could break Sam Snead's record of 82 next year. But to be universally regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, which once seemed almost a given, Woods will have to win more majors. He wouldn't necessarily have to eclipse Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors, but he will have to prove, through the crucible of winning again at Augusta or the Opens or the PGA, the enduring strength of his character, his body and his game. The greatest of all time, in whatever arena, don't encounter hardships at age 33 and fail to respond. Hogan won six of his nine majors after his car hit a bus head-on when he was 36 years old. Nicklaus won seven of his after turning 33, and the last four between 38 and 46. Woods's biggest challenge starts now.

Read More

No comments

Pressure on Vonn as Tiger appears in Alps

Lindsey Vonn will take to the piste for Saturday's World Cup downhill in Val d'Isere under increased pressure as high-profile boyfriend Tiger Woods pitched up in the glitzy French resort.

While Vonn has been a regular spectator of the world's number one golfer, it will be the first time Woods has been seen at one of his girlfriend's ski races since they confirmed in March they were a couple.

Her return from injury to racing at Lake Louise, Canada, coincided with the World Challenge golf tournament in Thousand Oaks, California, that Woods hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation.

The 14-time Major champion and Vonn were spotted in a cafe on the main drag of Val d'Isere, after Woods' car was barred from driving up to the doors of his swanky hotel as the street was pedestrianised for the bib draw for the downhill.

"It's been tough with my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury, but I'm feeling good," Vonn told the crowd after she drew number 19.

Vonn was referring to a savage crash at last February's World Ski Championships in Schaldming which left her needing reconstructive knee surgery and 10 months of rehabilitation.

After Woods, wearing a dark puffa jacket buttoned to his chin and hood up, hands dug deep into the pockets, realised he had been spotted by photographers, he quickly sought sanctuary in the hotel used for the World Cup event.

Woods had hinted in a posting on Thursday on his tigerwoods.com website that he was going to pass on golf for a while to spend more time with Olympic downhill champion Vonn and his children.

"I'm going to put my clubs away for a while to spend more time with my kids and support my girlfriend Lindsey Vonn as she tries to prepare for the Sochi Olympics," Woods said.

"Having experienced reconstructive surgery on my knee and the ensuing rehab, and the amount of pain associated with it, it's really hard to explain to anybody unless you've been through it.

"And then coming back on it athletically, to trust that it's going to be there, that's a whole different ballgame.

"I've had my share of experiences in that regard - unfortunately - but I think it helps her in a sense because she can bounce ideas off me about what to expect. It is a frustrating process and really difficult to go through."

Woods also admitted to having found a sychronicity with the American skier.

"We see our sports through the same looking glass in how we approach them," he acknowledged.

"We both work very hard and are prepared for our seasons. And when we're ready to go, we give it everything we possibly have and there's no holding back. I think that's some of our commonalities.

"But she has to be way more aggressive in her sport than I have to be in mine. You're trying to make your way down a mountain at 80-plus mph, and you have to have the adrenaline and the aggressiveness to do it.

"But for me, I'm trying to tone everything down mentally. I'm trying to play within myself and do all the little things. So that part of it is way different."

Woods added: "I think it's the preparation that we both appreciate and the fact that we can do it time and time again, and we've done it for a long period of time.

"It's not a flash in the pan, and you just don't do it for one year -- she's done it for 13 years, and I've done it for 18 years. As far as Lindsey competing in Sochi, we're very hopeful. It all depends on how that knee is."

Vonn has credited Woods with making her a "better athlete" for showing her unprecedented levels of professionalism, dedication to fitness and a mental toughness to resist pressure.

"This experience with Tiger will really help me at big events," she told the January edition of the Red Bulletin.

"At the Olympics or World Cup, it's not just about the one-and-a-half minutes of racing: you're there for two weeks and permanently in racing mode, everything's significant, everyone's looking at you."

Read More

No comments

PGA Tour Latinoamérica announces 2014 schedule

The PGA Tour announced Friday that the NEC Series-PGA Tour Latinoamérica will have an increased schedule of events in 2014, visiting a total of 10 different countries throughout South and Central America.

The season schedule will be split into two waves in 2014, with the first featuring eight events in seven different countries from February to May. The season-opening event will be in Colombia, with the Tour contesting a pair of events in Mexico in addition to tournaments in Guatemala, Argentina, Uruguay, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

The second wave, with events from September through December, will also feature tournaments in Brazil, Chile and Peru. In total, the schedule includes 16 events, 13 of which have confirmed venues, with each tournament offering a $150,000 prize purse.

"We are delighted by the NEC Series-PGA Tour Latinoamérica's growth as we continue to expand playing opportunities to players internationally," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem as part of the release. "We have graduated 10 PGA Tour Latinoamérica players up to the Web.com Tour and one to the PGA Tour, which is the main mission of this tour - to provide a pathway to the best players in the region to the upper levels of professional golf."

Here is a look at the full 2014 schedule to date:

Feb. 19-23: Colombian Open (Bucaramanga, Colombia)

March 19-23: Transamerican Power Products CRV Open (Guadalajara, Mexico, venue TBD)

March 27-30: Guatemala Open (Antigua, Guatemala)

April 3-6: Mundo Maya Open (Merida, Mexico)

April 17-20: 83 Abierto del Centro (Cordoba, Argentina)

April 24-27: Roberto de Vicenzo Invitational Copa NEC (Montevideo, Uruguay)

May 15-18: Dominican Republic Open (La Romana, Dominican Republic)

May 22-25: Buenaventura Championship (Rio Hato, Panama)

Oct. 2-5: Colombian Classic (Bogota, Colombia)

Oct. 9-12: Mazatlan Open (Mazatlan, Mexico, venue TBD)

Oct. 16-19: (New) Mexico Event (venue and location TBD)

Oct. 30-Nov. 2: Lexus Peru Open (Lima, Peru)

Nov. 6-9: Aberto do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Nov. 13-16: Abierto de Chile (Santiago, Chile)

Nov. 27-30: Personal Classic (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Dec. 4-7: 109 Abierto de la Republica presentado por Peugeot (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Read More

No comments

McGinley refusing to write a book after Ryder Cup in 2014

Paul McGinley insists he will not cash in by writing a book on what goes on behind the scenes at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

In previous years, Mark James and Paul Azinger have spoke about their time in charge of Europe and the United States in 1999 and 2008, but McGinley admits he won't be doing the same. McGinley was part of the team that won in Chicago last year, as vice-captain when Europe fought back on the final day to win - in what was described as the 'Miracle at Medinah'. He recently received the 2013 PGA recognition award for his outstanding service and contribution to the game of golf, as he prepares to help Europe defend their crown. He has been part of three winning teams, including the win at The Belfry in 2002 when he holed the winning putt. The Dubliner is keen to build a strong relationship with the players and has confirmed he won't be writing a book about the team's experiences. He said: "I want the players to know that what happens behind the scenes next year stays there and they can be free and open. I won't write a book."

Read More

No comments

Reviewing the historic 2013 LPGA season

Inbee Park turned her putter into a scepter.

She ruled over women’s golf with it this year.

Stacy Lewis turned her 5-iron into a magic wand.

She used it to hit one of the great shots in major championship history on her way to winning at the birthplace of golf.

Suzann Pettersen turned the second half of the LPGA schedule into her personal playground. She won three of her final seven starts, including a major, in a run so hard she nearly overtook Park as the Rolex world No. 1 at year’s end.

With Park, Pettersen and Lewis combining to win all the majors and nearly half of the tournaments on the 2013 schedule, they established themselves as the LPGA’s Big Three. They’re 1-2-3 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, respectively.

Still, they left more than crumbs in a season filled with delicious storylines.

Here are the highlights:

Queen Bee reigns – Park ran away with the Kraft Nabisco Championship in a four-shot victory, nearly collapsed at the Wegmans LPGA Championship before beating Catriona Matthew in a playoff and then cruised to another four-shot victory at the U.S. Women’s Open at Sebonack. No woman had won the first three majors in a season since Babe Zaharias in 1950. Park would go on to win six LPGA titles overall, claim the Rolex Player of the Year Award and the LPGA money title and rise to No. 1 in the Rolex rankings. She is the first South Korean to be the LPGA’s Rolex Player of the Year.

Euro shocker – Europe pulled the year’s great upset, knocking off the United States in a rout to win the Solheim Cup for the first time on American soil. The 18-10 shellacking was the largest margin of victory since the event made its debut in 1990. Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall became the first player in Solheim Cup history to win five matches and England’s 17-year-old Charley Hull won a name for herself with her shot-making and charm. Captain Liselotte Neumann’s quiet confidence and Suzann Pettersen’s fiery leadership were a perfect combination.

Road Hole magic – Stacy Lewis set up her win at St. Andrews with a brilliant 5-iron into the wind at the Road Hole, one of the great shots in major championship history. She birdied that hole, No. 17, then birdied the 18th to win the Ricoh Women’s British Open, where Park’s bid to become the first man or woman to win four professional majors in a season ended.

Sizzling Suzann – With Park racing to six wins in the first half of the season, three of them majors, it seemed inconceivable anybody could challenge her No. 1 ranking before the year was out. Pettersen did just that, winning three times in her last seven starts, including her second major title, the Evian Championship in September. Going into the year’s final event, Pettersen had a chance to overtake Park with a first- or second-place finish, but fell just short. She’ll begin 2014 with a chance to push Park some more.

You Ko girl! – Lydia Ko stunned the women’s game by winning three professional titles as a 16-year-old this year. She won the CN Canadian Women’s Open as a 15-year-old two seasons ago, becoming the youngest winner in LPGA history. And she won it again this past summer. She started her year winning the New Zealand Women’s Open on the Ladies European Tour and ended it winning the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters on the Korean LPGA Tour. In between, she nearly won a major, pushing Pettersen to the end at the Evian Championship. Ko didn’t surprise anyone turning pro near year’s end and getting a waiver of the LPGA’s rule requiring members be at least 18. She will end the 2013 season as the No. 4 player in the Rolex rankings. She’ll start 2014 as a 16-year-old LPGA member.

Another teen wonder – With two late-season victories, Lexi Thompson, 18, leaped back into the spotlight. After winning an LPGA event as a 16-year-old, she reminded what promise her game possesses. Victories at the Sime Darby Malaysia in October and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November helped her climb among the top 10 in the Rolex rankings.

Shanshan’s storybook win – Playing under enormous pressure in the first LPGA event in mainland China, Shanshan Feng delighted her fellow countrymen in October, winning the Reignwood Classic in a duel with Lewis. Feng came from behind with an eagle at the last to win. Feng made a statement adding another title at the season-ending CME Group Titleholders.

Read More

No comments

Woods arrives in France to cheer on Vonn

In a blog post this week, world No. 1 Tiger Woods explained that he would be taking time away from the golf course in the coming weeks. One of Woods' first non-golf activities reportedly took him to France, where he will watch girlfriend Lindsey Vonn take to the slopes this weekend.

Woods landed Friday in Val d'Isere, France, where according to an AFP report he will be on-hand as Vonn participates in the World Cup downhill ski race Saturday. The race marks another milestone for Vonn as she looks to rebound from a recent knee injury, with the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia now less than two months away.

"It's been tough with my ACL injury, but I'm feeling good," Vonn told reporters this week.

Woods wrote Thursday that he is in a unique position to offer Vonn advice as she looks to rehab her injury.

"Having experienced reconstructive surgery on my knee and the ensuing rehab, and the amount of pain associated with it, it's really hard to explain to anybody else unless you've been through it," explained Woods. "I've had my share of experiences in that regard - unfortunately - but I think it helps her in a sense because she can bounce ideas off me about what to expect."

According to the report, Saturday will mark Woods' first opportunity to see Vonn in competition since the pair made their relationship known to the public in March.

Read More

No comments

Newsmaker of the Year No. 6: Inbee Park

Inbee Park wasn’t as impervious to pressure as we thought she was.

She wasn’t as unflappable in competition and as at peace chasing history as we all believed she was in her record-setting season.

She told us so when her remarkable run was over.

She confided in the end how she struggled with the attention and scrutiny that accompanied her growing success.

And that only made what she did in 2013 all the more impressive.

Park, 25, was a model of grace under pressure becoming the first woman to win the first three major championships of the year since Babe Zaharias in 1950. Mona Lisa’s smile betrays more angst to all the folks who study her hanging in the Louvre than Park’s face did this year. Winning six times overall, rising to Rolex world No. 1, winning the LPGA money title and becoming the first South Korean to win the LPGA’s Rolex Player of the Year, Park never betrayed the slightest vulnerability.

“You wouldn’t know whether she’s winning a tournament or whether she’s losing, and that’s what you need in a major,” Stacy Lewis said with Park in the midst of her hot run. “As a player, you’d like to know if she’s human, to see if she actually feels the nerves like the rest of us do.”

Park’s face may be the most impenetrably placid in the game, but she revealed at year’s end that there was a lot going on behind that wall of serenity.

“Many people say I look effortless when I play golf,” Park said in her acceptance speech as Rolex Player of the Year at year's end. “They also say I’m emotionless. Some even started calling me the `Silent Assassin.’ I think that’s a great nickname. It means I get my job done without making an unnecessary mess. However, just because I don’t show my feelings, doesn’t mean that I don’t feel anything.

“I went through the biggest waves of emotions on the tour this season.

“What I have gone through this year, what I have experienced, has been the most challenging task I’ve ever had to go through. The season seemed endless. Every tournament, every round, was a constant battle. I felt as if I was chased. There wasn’t a single moment this year where I felt completely relaxed. I felt as if I wasn’t left alone for one second.”

Park didn’t just handle the challenges between the ropes. She handled them outside. She signed autographs, granted interviews and made appearances without a hint that they may have inconvenienced her.

Little did we know . . .

“I just felt so uncomfortable standing in front of a crowd whose eyes were all on me,” Park said. “But now, I also realize, it is part of the job, so I want to feel as comfortable standing here as I do on the golf course.”

Park looks as comfortable over a putt as any player in the game. She didn’t dominate overpowering courses. She dominated with her flat stick. She dominated with the smoothest putting stroke in the game. She demoralized competition holing putt after putt after putt.

Park led the LPGA in putts per greens in regulation for the third time in her seven seasons on tour. Notably, she has no putting coach, never has. While her fiance, Gi Hyeob Nam, was instrumental in honing her swing, Park tends to her own putting stroke.

“Putting has been my instinct and my feeling,” Park says.

Nobody was better suited to deal with the confounding undulations at Sebonack, where Park won the U.S. Women’s Open for her third consecutive major.

At year's end, though, Park said her real secret this season wasn’t putting or ball striking. It was something internal.

“So to answer the media’s question: Who is the `Silent Assassin?’” Park said in her POY acceptance speech. “Well, I am someone who believes in finding happiness. My goal at the beginning of the year was simple: Let’s be happier than last year. At most, let’s win one more tournament.

“Don’t we all want to be happy? Aren’t we all doing whatever we do in order to be happy? Unexpectedly, as soon as happiness became my goal, I achieved more than ever.”

Read More

No comments

2013 Rexys: Excellence (not always) in golf

In recognition of one of the most contentious years in golf, we asked PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and Vijay Singh to co-host this year’s Rexy award soiree, but the commish was concerned there was IGF-1 in the Moët and the Fijian’s lawyers didn’t have time to file a confidentiality agreement with the court. So you’re stuck with your scribe.

• Snowman Award (Non-scorecard division): This goes to the unknown attendant at Dove Mountain who dug through the storage room during the blizzard of 2013, also known as the WGC-Accenture Match Play, to find a pair of gloves and a stocking cap for your correspondent to weather the wintery storm.

As an aside, Charlie Beljan won the actual Snowman Award after carding 2013’s first 8 in Round 2 at the Humana Challenge. But Beljan’s miscue was not nearly as entertaining as the Blizzard of ’13.

• Dufnering Crown: Give it to the man himself for sparking a viral sensation, but the list of honorable mention candidates for the first-year award is extensive. From Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter to a flight of Blue Angels aviators and Ted Bishop, the president of the PGA of America, Dufnering’s 15 minutes was fun for everyone.

• Jim Cantore Award: The folks in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., took on Mother Nature in 2013 and lost. All total, 22 of 40 events were impacted by weather delays last season, from heavy fog at Torrey Pines and frost at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to the winter wonderland that became the WGC-Match Play.

Things were so bad in ’13, the word is the Tour plans to have Cantore double as next year’s first-tee announcer to hand out hole locations, scorecards and weather reports.

• NFL (No Fun League) Cup. Only the Tour – only the Tour! – could turn something as harmlessly entertaining as the annual caddie races at TPC Scottsdale and Colonial into a good run spoiled.

The Tour nixed the races, in part, out of concerns for caddie safety and because the event had become a “carnival show.” Yes, we wouldn’t want a carnival atmosphere at TPC Scottsdale’s 16thhole, would we?

• The Sausage Silver. The inaugural award goes to the European Tour’s Ryder Cup captain selection process. The scene in the Abu Dhabi hotel, where Paul McGinley was named next year’s skipper, was surreal and the politicking that went on to land the Irishman the gig would make a Washington politico blush – but the system worked.

The players got the captain they wanted. It was like sausage – you don’t want to know how it’s made; you just want to enjoy the end product.

• The Worst Timing Award. Because of Tour regulations, Si Woo Kim, who earned his card at last fall’s Q-School, wasn’t able to enjoy the benefits of membership until his 18th birthday on June 28. As a result, the South Korean played just eight times and didn’t cash a check.

Yeah, happy birthday. You’re headed back to Q-School.

• Top Outdoor Butler Bowl. We pinched this award from Kip Henley, Brian Gay’s longtime caddie, and the inaugural recipient is a runaway winner – Jim “Bones” Mackay.

Bones helped loop Phil Mickelson to the one title that few outside Camp Lefty thought he’d ever win, in July at Muirfield. It’s time to add another line to the caddie credo, show up, shut up, keep up and, now, step up.

• Game of Thrones Chalice. Compromise was a rare commodity in 2013 and the list of potential candidates for this award reads like a who’s-who roll call of the game’s powerbrokers.

From Bishop and R&A chief executive Peter Dawson’s public dustup over the proposed – and eventually passed – ban on anchoring, to the reported coup attempt by outgoing president Glen Nager at the U.S. Golf Association, 2013 was characterized by not-so-quiet contempt.

On the bright side, however, we may have touched on a cure for slow play. Put that group in a threesome and watch how fast they blaze through 18 holes.

• Velvet Underground Award. Vijay Singh admitted to using the Ultimate Spray, which is derived from deer-antler velvet and contained IGF-1, which is on the circuit’s list of banned substances; he was sanctioned by the Tour for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy; he was later cleared of any wrongdoing and subsequently sued the Tour for, among other things, public humiliation.

If it seems like nobody wins in this scenario it’s because nobody does.

• Best Selfie Award: No, not the self-portrait that has become the social media norm. The “Best Selfie” goes to Tiger Woods for a performance that looked a lot like those historic campaigns in 2000 and 2006.

While it has become good sport to pick apart Woods’ play in the majors and his caustic relationship with the Rules of Golf in ’13, he won five times, claimed his 11th Player of the Year Award, secured the winning point for the U.S. side at the Presidents Cup and looked, well, a lot like the old guy.

• King of Cool Cup. The Rexy committee voted to retire this award in honor of Fred Couples, who again proved to be the most interesting man in the room in ’13 after completing the Presidents Cup trifecta at Muirfield Village and joining the World Golf Hall of Fame.

“This is the coolest night of my life,” Couples said through tears in May at the induction ceremony.

Couples, once and for all, answered the question, “Who do you want to be when you grow up?” Freddie.

Read More

No comments

McGinley won't spill the beans

Paul McGinley says he won't be cashing in on his stint as Ryder Cup captain by releasing a tell-all book.

Previous captains like Mark James and Paul Azinger have released behind-the-scenes accounts of their Ryder Cup experiences, but McGinley won't be following their lead.

"I want the players to know that what happens behind the scenes next year stays there and they can be free and open," he said. "I won't write a book."

Not that the Irishman was unwilling to divulge any details of last year's famous 'Miracle at Medinah', when the Europeans fought back from a 10-6 deficit heading into the final day to claim a single-point victory.

"We had a team meeting on Saturday night around 10pm which lasted for 20 minutes and if you had sat and observed a team that was four points behind, you would have come out and called your bookie to find out what their odds were," said McGinley.

"It was not a case of 'Braveheart' and standing on chairs but there was a feeling in the room that this was achievable."

He added: "It was horrible to be on the receiving end of an American onslaught but that was such a wonderful Ryder Cup for me in terms of my experience point of view," McGinley added.

"We had never been behind the way we were at Medinah.

"I'm glad it happened that way because I have that experience to fall back on and I learnt a lot from Jose Maria on Friday and Saturday night."

Read More

No comments

Westwood blames lack of continuity

Lee Westwood hopes the changes he made on and off the course in a winless 2013 will start paying off in the new year.

While he admitted it was hard to quantify, the Englishman feels there was too much upheaval in the past year for him to truly settle and play his best golf, resulting in his first winless season since 2008.

Aside from moving his entire family from England to Florida to allow for more practice in warm weather and a more PGA Tour-focused schedule, Westwood also began working with new coach Sean Foley and had a new caddie for most of the year before reuniting with long-time bagman Billy Foster.

"So many changes, really," said the 40-year-old. "It's impossible to quantify the effect that has. Starting with a new coach, changing tours, changing caddies the end of last year, all of it has an effect."

Westwood also blamed some swing troubles for his lack of success.

"I haven't been settled in a swing all year," he said. "When you're a professional, you can have good results without hitting it well. I haven't had a week where I hit it properly. I didn't even hit it well in the Open. I just know how to get around and I putted well."

Westwood's world ranking dropped from seventh to 25th in 2013, but he remains confident that the hard work he put in on and off the course will soon start to pay off, getting him back to winning ways.

Read More

No comments

Asia move into 3-1 lead after opening day of foursomes competition at Royal Trophy

Asia moved into a 3-1 lead over Europe after the opening day of foursomes competition at the seventh edition of the Royal Trophy.

The two highest-ranked players on the Asian team, Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, set the tone for the hosts at the Dragon Lake Golf Club's Asian Games Course in China as they cruised to a 5&3 victory over Scottish duo Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher.

The Thai pairing were always in control of the contest having moved four up through the opening six holes and wrapped up victory when Aphibarnrat rolled home a 35-foot putt for eagle at the 14th hole.

Ryo Ishikawa and Hiroyuki Fujita extended the home team's advantage with a 3&2 defeat of Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.

As in the top match, the Japanese duo made a fast start and were three up through four holes and then proceeded to hold their big-hitting opponents at bay.

Behind them, Koreans KT Kim and Kim Hyung-Sung combined in impressive fashion to secure a 4&2 victory over Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen.

Holed out

The highlight came early in the contest as Kim Hyung-Sung holed out from 150 yards at the fourth for an eagle and the home pairing did not let their opponents back into the match.

The only bright spot for Europe came in the bottom match as England's David Howell and Scotland's Marc Warren combined to claim a valuable point with a 2&1 success against Chinese duo Liang Wenchong and Wu Ashun.

All square through seven holes, momentum swung after Warren holed a remarkable bunker shot from a plugged lie at the par-five eighth and, after winning the next two holes, Europe ultimately eased to a much-needed triumph.

European captain Jose Maria Olazabal admitted it had been a disappointing start, stating: "It was a bad day for us. We didn't expect that start.

"Now we have to be spot-on for the last two days - and that's our goal. We have to play aggressively and go for it. We do not have much room to manoeuvre.

Read More

No comments