World Golf Championships Day 3.

A couple of impressive wins yesterday for two young European Tour players. Northern Ireland teenager Rory McIlroy and Ross Fisher from England both secured 4 & 3 wins in the Arizona desert yesterday.

McIlroy, who is playing his first tournament in America since turning professional, dominated his match against Tim Clark, who in the previous round had beaten world number 1 Tiger Woods. The Irishman is showing a lot of maturity for his age and never looked in danger against the South African.

Fisher had victory over former US Open champion Jim Furyk, a day after Furyk himself had a crushing victory of 6 & 5 over fellow American Pat Perez. Fisher was three up at the turn and eventually sealed the win at the 15th.
There were also victories for Ernie Els (2up ) over Luke Donald, Stewart Cink (1up ) over Phil Mickelson, 2 & 1 wins for Geoff Ogilvy and Sean O'Hair over Camilo Villegas and Ian Poulter respectively, Justin Leonard beat Oliver Wilson at the 19th and Paul Casey beat Peter Hansen by 3 & 2.

Quarter- finals and semi-finals are played tomorrow ( Saturday ).

World Golf Championship Day 2.

Tiger Woods return to tournament golf was short lived as Tim Clark defeated him by 4&2 in round 2 of the Accenture World Match Play in Arizona yesterday. After Tiger's easy victory on Wednesday, things got a little tougher yesterday, and although he played some good golf he seemed to lack the competitive edge that comes with playing every week.

In saying that, Clark thoroughly deserved his win, playing steady golf all day. As far as Woods is concerned, I would expect normal service to be resumed sooner rather than later.

Elsewhere in the field, there were some big wins for Ross Fisher (6&5) over Pat Perez, Paul Casey (6&4) over Mathew Goggin and Camilo Villegas claimed victory over Miguel Angel Jiminez by 5&4.

There were extra hole wins for Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald respectively, over Shingo Katayama and Vijay Singh. And Stewart Cink had to go to the 23rd hole to see off Lee Westwood.

Some good ties in prospect today, with the pick being Phil Mickelson against Stewart Cink and Rory McIlroy versus Tim Clark.

World Golf Championships Day 2.

Well, as expected Tiger Woods made it through safely to Round 2 after a rather tepid match yesterday, winning 3&2 against Brendan Jones. It was a comfortable win for the World number 1 as the Aussie didn't offer much resistance at all. Woods is up against Tim Clark in the second round later today.

There were a couple of big name exits yesterday with Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia tasting defeat. The matchplay format certainly throws up some shocks, when you have to perform over one round or go home.

Phil Mickelson only scraped through after apparently cruising against Angel Cabrera. The Argentinian won 3 of their last 4 holes to take the match in to overtime. Mickelson then produced a birdie at the 1st extra hole to claim victory.

World Golf Champioships.

Just about to settle down and watch the TV coverage of the Accenture Match Play WGC from Arizona.

All eyes will be on Tiger Woods as he makes his return to the course after having surgery to repair his damaged knee. Tiger plays Brendan Jones in the first round, and is expected to progress comfortably. And, depending on how his knee holds up, no doubt he will. You wouldn't expect him to be back on the golf course if he wasn't fully fit.

Early results already in for Anthony Kim ( 7&5 ) over Wen-Tang Lin, Lee Westwood (2&1 ) against Prayad Marksaeng and Camilo Villegas beat Australia's Rod Pampling ( 7&6 ).

Should be a great week of golf ahead. Another report tomorrow.

European Tour Has New Youngest Winner.

New Zealand teenager and amateur golfer, Danny Lee, made history yesterday when winning the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth to become the European Tour's youngest winner.

The Kiwi kid was two shots off the pace going into the last round and went ahead to birdie four of his last six holes for a 67 and 271 total to win by a stroke at The Vines.

At 18 years and 213 days, Danny is 77 days younger than South African Dale Hayes when he won the 1971 Spanish Open.

Lee said "It still feels like I am in dreamland. Hopefully no one wakes me up. But I played really well the last few days and it's pretty amazing what I've done - winning a European Tour event."

The youngster, who also won last year's Western Amateur title, is all set to turn professional after this year's US Masters in April.

Quick Putting Tip.

Just talking last night about the new golfing season only being about three to four weeks away. You know the sort of thing, what we felt were the good points of our game, what things we were doing right last season, and of course what parts of our game we felt we needed to brush up on.

During this discussion we remembered one game we had last year, just a friendly fourball on a weekday morning. We were playing for the usual small stakes, and although it was just a bounce game, they do get competitive!

Our opponents, Jack, a 12 handicapper, and Bob who plays off 1 are really nice guys, but Bob in particular doesn't like getting beat.

So we get to the 12th hole, and we're all square, but Jack in particular had missed three or four short putts to win holes which would have put them in a comfortable position. He was always up at the hole, or past it, but everything was slipping by either left or right. And Bob was beginning to quietly bubble!

So, when we get to the 14th, and Jack slides another one past the hole, Bob's had enough. He says " Jack, would you like a quick tip about short putting? " And Jack being eager to find out what he was doing wrong, nodded his agreement.

Bob looks him straight in the eye and says "AIM AT THE %*&%*&% HOLE."

More Picks For European Ryder Cup Team?

New European Ryder Cup captain, Colin Montgomerie, could be set for a struggle to increase the number of wild card picks he can have for next year's competition at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales.
The Scot will reveal his plans to change the selection system when Europe's tournament committee next meet in Ireland in May.
However, opinions on the Tour seem to be divided as to whether the captain should get more than the usual two picks.
Sergio Garcia says " We've won five of the last seven Ryder Cups with two picks. There's no need to panic, the system works."
But Paul Casey, one of Nick Faldo's wild card picks for the defeat at Valhalla in September, thinks that Monty would have a better chance of winning the trophy back if he was given more say in the make up of the team. "If I were captain, I would want as many picks as possible, it's the only way to make sure you have the best team available" says Casey.
In 1991 at Kiawah Island, where Montgomerie made his Ryder Cup debut, captain Bernard Gallacher was allowed three wild card picks for the 12 man team. But this changed in 1995, and since then the captain has only been allowed two picks.
What do you think? Should the European team captain be allowed more than two picks? Or can he still get his strongest team by leaving the system as it is at the moment?

Now Bob Wins A String Of Titles.

Padraig Harrington's coach, Scotland's king of swing Bob Torrance, is threatening to upstage the Irishman after picking up a string of coaching awards for himself.
After Harrington's back to back wins in The Open and USPGA, the Scot has been showered with titles of his own.
These include PGA of Europe Professional of the Year, PGA of Europe Five Star Professional of the Year and the National Coaching Foundation High Performance Coach of the Year.
Torrance, a remarkably fit 77 said "These awards mean a lot to me and I feel honoured to have been recognised by bodies operating at the very highest level."

Tiger Celebrates Birth Of Second Child.

Tiger Woods Has become a father for the second time. Wife Elin gave birth to baby boy Charlie Axel on Sunday. The couple already have a daughter, 19 month old Sam Alexis.

Woods said " both mother and baby were doing well, and the family would like to thank everyone for their sincere best wishes. Sam is so excited to have a little brother and we feel blessed to have such a wonderful family."

Tiger's fans are eagerly awaiting his next big announcement - when he will make his return to the golf course.

He has been out of action since last June, having to have reconstructive knee surgery after winning his 14th Major, the US Open.

He has been practicing for several weeks, but it may well be next month before we see him back on the golf course when the US Tour arrives in Florida, where he lives.

Harrington Gears Up For The Masters.

Padraig Harrington began his build up to the Masters at the weekend with a 24th place finish in the Buick Invitational. It was the first in a run of four American tournaments.

The three times Major winner knows all eyes will be on him. His main aim is to try and peak for Augusta in April, where he will attempt to become only the third player to win three different Majors in a row. It would be a dream come true for The Open and US PGA champion to emulate Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods.

Harrington, who returned to action last week in Dubai, was honest enough to admit his score of 17 under flattered him somewhat. He said "There were plenty of mistakes, but you get a good idea of how you stand after your winter break. Overall, I'm happy with how it went."

The Open qualifying in Australia.

Qualifying for the Open at Turnberry in July is due to go ahead in Melbourne today, despite the deadly bush fires in the state. Peter Dawson, the R&A chief executive, took the decision after talks with officials in Victoria.
Craig Parry will be in the field to try to reach his 19th open.

Golf On TV - How Television Has Influenced Golf

Television's Influence On Golf

Golf was not yet considered a distinguished sport until the mid-1950s. However, tremendous changes happened during the late 50's when television made its way into more and more homes. It was during this time then the rise of one man who would change the course of golf forever.

Meet The Great Arnold Palmer

The game made its way into the hearts of golf fans everywhere after the introduction of sports in television, along with the help of a professional golf player, Arnold Palmer, considered to be one of the greatest and most celebrated players in the history of golf.

Nicknamed “The King”, Arnold Palmer started as a young, enthusiastic golfer and brought an unconventional way on how the game was played. He conquered renowned golf courses with absolute success, and gained an enormous loyal group of followers who called themselves the Arnie's Army.

Television was able to cover this celebration. Every event was captured on the screen, and the rebirth of golf began. Since then, the game became a mainstream to the public.

Greg Norman In 2009 - The Shark Returns

Another great story of 2008 was Greg Norman turning back time at the Open at Birkdale. To arrive at Birkdale as virtually a weekend golfer, and play as he did, was a pretty special effort on Greg's part, even if he did come up short in the end. He rarely plays nowadays because of business commitments, but once he got going he remembered what to do, and came very close in the end. Whether that was enough to rekindle his passion for tournament golf only time will tell. One things for sure, for a 53 year old he's still in great physical condition, so don't be surprised if we see Greg in a few tournaments in 2009.

Golf Sun Glasses – The Sporty New Trend In Golf That May Also Be Healthy For You!

If you watched the Masters this year, you would have noticed Zach Johnson wearing some very fashionable glasses. And he isn't the only golf player who is adding golf shades to their list of must haves on the course. Sporty eye wear can be seen on the faces of Tiger Woods and Brett Wetterrich.

Why are so many professional golfers turning to eye wear to cover their eyes?

It is mostly due to more players being educated about possible damage from the sun.

Because golf is played for such long hours at a time, all spent underneath the sunshine, there is a good chance that eye damage can occur in time. In fact, nearly 30% of men and women over the age of 60 have vision impairments due to some light. As the age bracket climbs, this percentage rises.

If you are currently playing off without any protective gear for your eyes, consider investing in some specific golf shades and golf sunglasses that will not only protect your eyes from sun damage, you can also rest assured knowing that when you hit old age, golf will still be a sport you can enjoy as a result of taking care of your health early on.

Bunker Shot – How To Adjust Your Swing According To The Sand's Texture

The sand used to fill up bunker areas can vary from course to course. Some locations use very soft, fine sand. Other bunkers have tight, firm sand. Some courses may even have less sand in their bunkers than others. All of these conditions will require different techniques if your ball lands in a bunker.

You Can Look But You Can't Touch

If you enjoy playing by the rules, you should know that the regulations dictate that you are not allowed to test the sand's texture before playing a bunker shot. However, you can at least take the time to be conscious if the sand appears to be wet and hard, or soft and light.

Hard Sand: Bunker sand that is on the hard side will require that you slow down your swing speed a bit. This means that you will not take the club back as far as you normally would. The ball will pop out faster because there is no cushion of soft sand between the clubhead and your ball.

Soft Sand: Soft sand will require more speed from your swing. Because the sand is light and fluffy, there will be a lot of it coming between the ball and your clubhead. Soft sand actually slows down the club as it follows through.

Custom Golf Clubs - How To Choose The Right Custom Golf Clubs

You may want to have your golf clubs custom made to fit your body type, shape, and swing style. More and more of today's golf players are choosing to pay the extra money for a set of golf clubs that are specifically designed for the individual.

A man that stands over 6 feet tall should not have to play with the same clubs that suit someone who is much shorter. Likewise, if you have shorter arms and legs, you would need clubs that differ in size than a person who has the same stature, but with longer limbs.

Shaft Length Adjustment

The shaft length is one of the most important adjustments that will need to be custom fitted for personalized golf clubs. The club fitter will be the person to determine what length your clubs should be. This length can vary by as much as 12 inches in some cases.

Shaft Flex Adjustment

The second important adjustment that is made for a custom set of clubs is the shaft flex. This term describes the stiffness (flex) of your club shafts. They must be matched to the exact speed at which you normally swing your clubs. You will need to have your swing speed test to get the right adjustment.

Balance Drill – A Simple 2-Step Drill To Help Beginner Golfer's Perfect Their Swing Balance

A common problem that beginner golfers have on their downswing is properly transferring their bodyweight from the back foot to the front.

New golfers tend to be slightly tentative with their swing, so they end up hanging back a bit. The result from this bad habit ends up with scooped shots that veer off to the right with very little power.

In order to get your balance in order, there is a simple drill that is designed to help you feel the proper weight shift over to the front foot. The beauty of this drill is that there are only two results that can happen; A) You properly shift your weight, or B) You topple over.

1. Set up with your normal stance, but before taking your backswing, slide the back foot behind the right foot, leaving only the toe touching the ground for support. Yes, this will leave you unbalanced when you take your backswing, but that is part of the design.

2. Now when you have reached the top portion of the backswing, swing through the golf ball like you would on any normal shot. With your feet positioned as instructed in step 1 above, your body should automatically make the proper weight transfer to your front side.

Artificial Obstructions On The Golf Course

Artificial obstructions on the golf course are made up of anything man-made that gets in the way of the ball. There are two types of artificial obstructions that you will find; movable obstructions and immovable obstructions.

Movable Obstructions: Movable obstructions can be anything such as a cigarette, a soft drink can, shovel, food wrappers, etc. These items can be simply removed from the course so that you can play your ball from where it lies. If any of these objects are actually touching the ball, then you are allowed to mark the spot, lift the ball up, remove the item, then put the ball back in the original position.

Immovable Obstructions: The second type of artificial obstruction is known as the immovable type. Such examples include large trailers, sprinkler heads, grandstands, etc. Basically, anything that is too large or heavy to be moved by a golf player is considered an immovable obstruction. If your ball happens to land in or underneath one of these items then you are allowed to move the ball back into play without being penalized.

Windy Conditions – Why I LOVE Playing Golf In The Wind

One of the great things I enjoy about golf is the fact that the playing conditions on the course can change at any moment due to the weather. Now some of you might be wondering why rain, wind, or extreme temperatures gets me excited on the golf course. Well the answer is simple: I like the challenge!

Beginner golfers have the exact opposite attitude, and rightfully so, as they are just learning the basics and would like nothing more than to simply make contact with the ball each time they swing. Rain and heavy winds are not going to improve their day, only cause them to quit.

On the other hand, more experienced golfers, like myself, look up and smile when stormy weather comes to join me on the golf course. One of my favorite challenging weather conditions is high winds, blowing everything around on the course.

Embrace The Challenge

The next time you are playing golf and heavy winds start to interrupt your game, do not get frustrated, instead, try to embrace the new playing conditions. It is inevitable that your score is going to be higher, so except that truth and welcome the challenge. Once you can understand this, heavy winds will not be as stressful as usual and having a positive mental attitude will make the game more interesting for you.

Expect The Worst

Expect the wind to do its best to challenge each and every shot you make. A good wind tends to shorten a well-hit drive and increase the length of an approach shot that was perfectly hit, sending it flying past the green.

Perfect shots will be reduced to slices or hooks. The wind will blow your ball in every direction but its intended target. Long holes become twice as long. Dozens of golf balls may be lost in the adventure after being forced by the wind into the rough, heavy wooded areas, and water hazards.

What You Resist, Persists!

If you have not heard the old saying “whatever you resist, persists”, it simply means that the more you try to fight something, the more it fights you back. This is a perfect way to describe playing golf during windy conditions. The best way to handle this strong adversary of mother nature is to use the wind to your advantage.

For example, let's say that you are getting ready to tee off and the wind is coming in strong from the left and blowing hard to the right. This is a perfect opportunity to see how well you can work with the weather by teeing off your shot far left then you would have normally.

The wind is obviously going to push the ball towards the right, so it will be interesting to find out how well you can judge the wind strength by making a far left shot, and getting as close to your target is possible.