Golf International Magazine Online

November 2008 - Posts

• Scotland Out to Defend World Cup Title

  Colin Montgomerie is out to become the first player since Tiger Woods to retain the World Cup of Golf for his country when he takes up the Scottish cause at the $6 million, 28-team event in Shenzhen this week. The 45-year-old, partnered by Marc Warren, beat the United States in a playoff last year to take the World Cup back to the home of golf for the first time. He returns for his 10th appearance at the tournament alongside Alastair Forysth. “It took a long time for Scotland to win the World Cup so winning in the playoff at Mission Hills was a wonderful feeling. very, very special,” said Montgomerie. “I am looking forward immensely to defending the title with Alastair this time around.” Swedes Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson are the strongest pairing on paper, ranked sixth and 12th in the world, but rankings do not always count for much in team events. “We have only had one chance to play together before in the Ryder Cup and that worked well,” said Karlsson, the 2008 European order of merit winner. he U.S. have been champions 23 times in the various manifestations of the event over the 54 years since it started as the Canada Cup, but have not won since Tiger Woods and David Duval retained the trophy for their country in 2000. Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum came as close as a third playoff hole last year and 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis and Brandt Snedeker will represent the U.S. this time around. “In our sport you do not get the opportunity too many times to compete for your country and this is going to be a thrill for me,” said Snedeker. Rory Sabbatini was a winner with Trevor Immelman in 2003, one of two occasions the South Africans have triumphed this decade, and he will be back for another crack with Richard Sterne. Mission Hills, a huge complex of 12 courses which hopes to become as synonymous with the World Cup as Augusta is with the U.S. Masters over the next 11 years, again hosts the tournament on its Olazabal course. China have never won the trophy and will again be represented by last year’s Asian order of merit winner Liang Wenchong and the trailblazer of Chinese golf, Zhang Lianwei. “It was amazing to see the number of spectators who turned up to watch (last year),” said Zhang. “I am looking forward to another huge turnout this year which will motivate us to play well.” Thursday’s opening round will be played in a fourball format. Friday will feature foursomes action before the format switches back to fourballs on Saturday and then again to foursomes on the final day. Posted Nov 26 2008, 08:11 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Colin Montgomerie, Tiger Woods Foundation, 2008, World Cup of Golf

• Chapchai to Lead Region's Stars to Hana Bank Vietnam Masters

  Title holder Chapchai Nirat will be eager to cash in on the top prize for the second straight year when tees off at the US$500,000 Hana Bank Vietnam Masters next week. Although the big-hitting Thai star will defend his Asian Tour title at a different venue, he is determined to triumph at the Vietnam Golf and Country Club from December 4 to 7, 2008. A top field will headline the third from last event of a record-breaking 2008 Asian Tour season. Former Asian Tour number ones Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, Malaysia’s Ben Leong, India’s S.S.P. Chowrasia, Filipino legend Frankie Minoza and Australia’s David Gleeson are amongst the big names who will be out to dethrone Chapchai. A strong Korean contingent will also feature prominently in Vietnam’s biggest professional golf tournament. This season’s winners Mo Joong-kyung and Hwang Inn-choon will spearhead the country’s challenge alongside Suk Jong-yul, Young Nam and talented youngster Park Jun-won. Chapchai, 25, stamped his mark on the Asian Tour last season when he won the TCL Classic in China followed by a second success at the inaugural Hana Bank Vietnam Masters, which was held in Hanoi. The victories helped him finish second on the Order of Merit behind China’s Liang Wen-chong. With his form in good shape where he led into the final round of the star-studded Barclays Singapore Open and finished tied seventh recently, Chapchai is gunning for his third career victory in Vietnam. “It will be very exciting to return to the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters. I am ready to defend my title and I’m looking forward to it. It is too early to speak about my chances but I feel really good about my game,” said Chapchai. Chowrasia, Gleeson and Thaworn are all presently ranked in the top-10 of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit after recording victories this season while Thongchai, a two-time Asian number one, will be hoping to end his winless streak dating back to 2006. The trio will be widely regarded as genuine title contenders. The Vietnam Golf Association is playing a major role in the staging of the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters this year, in hope of creating a new generation of players who can bring honour to Vietnam on the golfing front. The Vietnam Golf and Country Club is located 20 minutes from Ho Chi Minh city. It is the first 36-hole golf club in the country and is regarded as Vietnam’s most renowned golf course. Hana Bank, one of the largest banks in Vietnam, is a staunch supporter of professional golf. The bank is also a major sponsor of the Kolon Hana Bank Korea Open, which forms part of the Asian Tour. The Asian Tour will stage an unprecedented 30 tournaments with nearly US$39 million in total prize money, an all-time high in Asian golf history, this season. Lu Liang-huan, known better as ‘Mr’ Lu, and Hsieh Min-nan triumphed in Australia over three decades ago to spark a golf boom in Chinese Taipei and Lin and partner Lu are determined to challenge for a victory in China to help boost the flagging fortunes of the professional golf back home. “Although Chinese Taipei golfers have achieved success in recent years with numerous wins on the Asian Tour, we don’t receive much support from sponsors. Maybe if we can win the World Cup again, then, the level of interests will be back to a good level,” said the 45-year-old Lu, who is a five-time winner in Asia and also the nephew to ‘Mr’ Lu. Mars Pucay, who qualified for the World Cup with Angelo Que for the Philippines, believes that an Asian team could well dethrone Scotland, which will be represented by Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth. “It’s been good to see the Asian players winning the big events over the last few weeks. Hopefully, the Asians will win the World Cup. It’s no longer impossible for us to win the big events as we’ve come a long way,” said Pucay. The last time an Asian team won the World Cup was in 2002 through Japan’s Toshi Izawa and Shigeki Maruyama, 45 years after the nation’s first triumph in the event. Other top contenders in Mission Hills include Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, Europe’s top-ranked player in 2008, USA’s Brandt Snedeker and Ben Curtis, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa and China’s Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Lian-wei. Posted Nov 26 2008, 08:10 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Chapchai Nirat, Hana Bank Vietnam Masters

• Prayad and Lin on a Mission at World Cup

  Asian Tour standouts Lin Wen-tang and Prayad Marksaeng are on a mission this week to bring honour to Chinese Taipei and Thailand at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup but their minds are also set on breaking into the world’s top-50. Victories over the weekend have propelled Lin and Prayad to 51st and 54th place respectively in the world rankings and with the year coming to a close, they are determined to achieve their goal, which will earn them a prized ticket to next year’s US Masters. Lin, who won a memorable play-off at the UBS Hong Kong Open, has added next month’s Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open onto his schedule before he heads to the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok. Smooth-swinging Prayad, winner at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament, will compete in Japan’s final event of the year next week, followed by Cambodia before defending his Volvo title at Thai Country Club. While utmost on their minds this week is to steer Thailand and Chinese Taipei to a strong showing at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup at Mission Hills Golf Club, they can’t help but think that they are so close to earning a trip to Augusta National for the year’s first Major in April. “I would like to get into the top-50 and get my way back to the Masters on merit,” said Prayad, who was extended a special invitation to compete in this year’s Masters but was forced to withdraw midway through his second round with injury. “I’ve got several more events to play this year and hopefully I can do it. But I want to play well in this week’s World Cup. We’re on form and hopefully we can pull something off,” added the Thai, who will partner Thongchai Jaidee at Mission Hills. Lin did not realise he had moved so high up the world rankings following his second Asian Tour victory of the season in Hong Kong, which was also sanctioned by the European Tour. “I’ve entered for Cambodia now and I’ll also play in our last event in Thailand. So that’s two chances for me to try to get into the top-50. It’ll be really nice to get into the Masters as it’s been a long time since a Chinese Taipei had played at Augusta National,” said Lin, who is second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. “However, I’m looking forward to this week as well. It’s my first ever appearance in the World Cup and I’m still feeling good after Hong Kong. I’ve got a slight problem with my shoulder but it’s not bad. I’ve been playing a lot of golf over the past two months and it’s wearing me down a little bit. “The Olazabal course is truly challenging. With the changes in elevation, the wind changes direction all the time and it makes it really tough. But the conditions are really good on the golf course. It’s a good test as it’s playing fairly long,” added Lin, who will partner Lu Wen-the this week. Posted Nov 26 2008, 08:10 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Prayad Marksaeng, Omega Mission Hills World Cup, Lin Wen-tang

• General Motors Ends Tiger Woods Endorsement Deal

  General Motors is bailing out on Tiger Woods. Woods, a global icon in sports with his 14 major championships, has been carrying the Buick logo on his golf bag for the last nine years and still had one year left on his contract. But General Motors Corp. was looking to cut costs and hoard cash while trying to survive the worst sales downturn in a quarter-century. And it said Monday the world’s No. 1 golfer wanted more time for himself, especially with a second child on the way. “Timing is everything,” said Larry Peck, golf marketing manager for Buick. “We’ve had such a great partnership with Tiger. It’s hard for us to walk away from that. But this frees up time for him. And it sure frees up a lot of money for us.” The endorsement deal, believed to be worth at least $7 million a year, was to expire at the end of 2009. Woods has endorsed GM products around the world and mainly has been seen in Buick commercials as the company tried to give the nameplate a more youthful image. Peck said during the launch a few years ago of the Enclave that its research showed 78 percent of consumers who bought the SUV previously had not been Buick owners. “We attribute awareness of our product to Tiger,” he said. Buick’s U.S. sales have dropped 54 percent from 2000, the first full year Woods worked with GM, to 2007, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank. The brand’s global sales, however, rose 17 percent during that span, according to GM. Buick is particularly popular in China. The average age of the brand’s buyers also dropped. Around 2001, the average age was in the low 70s, but it has since fallen to 66 for Buick sedans and 53 for the Enclave. GM has been making dramatic cuts in advertising as it tries to conserve cash. The nation’s largest automaker spent nearly $7 billion more than it took in last quarter and has warned that without federal help, it may reach the minimum amount of cash required to run the company by the end of the year. Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice president for North American marketing, said GM and Woods started discussing an end to the deal earlier this year, and it had nothing to do with the Detroit Three automakers’ quest for $25 billion in federal loans. But GM’s statement said the decision was made as part of “the search for budget efficiencies during a difficult economy for General Motors.” Woods’ agent at IMG, Mark Steinberg, said the decision to end the relationship one year early was “absolutely mutual.” “It was a combination of things,” Steinberg said. “Tiger was looking to gain some more time, and certainly it was an opportunity for GM to reduce its spending with everything going on.” Buick said last week that it would be cutting back on its deal providing courtesy cars at PGA Tour events. GM is so concerned about costs that it cut advertising during the 2009 Super Bowl, although it still plans to sponsor the NFL and likely air ads before and after the game. GM also has pulled out of the Oscars and Emmy Awards in 2009— the first time in more than a decade it is not running ads right before, during or after the two events. U.S. automakers, the single largest category of advertisers, cut their ad spending 18 percent to $1.37 billion in the second quarter compared with the same period in 2007, according to TNS Media Intelligence in New York. Foreign automakers also are trimming their spending on advertising in U.S. markets, with a 5.4 percent cut in the second quarter, for an overall 11 percent drop in U.S. auto ad spending to $3.27 billion, the 12th quarterly dip in a row. Woods has carried only two logos on his bag since he turned pro in August 1996. He was with Titleist through 1999 until Buick won a bidding war for its brand on a bag that gets more television time at tournaments than any other golfer. Woods has not played since season-ending knee surgery after winning the U.S. Open, and he is not expected to return until next year, most likely in early March, depending on his recovery. Steinberg said he would “expect there to be some exposure on the bag” when Woods next plays. “I’ve got a few ideas, and we’re in the process of working through that,” he said. Buick remains the title sponsor of two PGA Tour events—the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, which Woods has won six times, and the Buick Open outside Detroit, which Woods has won twice. Posted Nov 26 2008, 08:09 AM by Golf International with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Golf International, Tiger Woods, Buick, General Motors

• The Royal Trophy Returns to Tours' Schedules

  The Royal Trophy will return onto the Schedules of the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and European Tour in 2009 when Europe’s eight-strong team seeks a hat-trick of victories over Asia at Amata Spring Country Club, Thailand, from January 9 to 11. It will be the third edition of The Royal Trophy and replaces the contest planned for January 2008, which was postponed when Thailand entered a period of mourning over the passing of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the elder sister of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Europe’s attempt to win the match-play tournament for a third consecutive time will now take place at the exclusive Bangkok golf course at the start of 2009. The Royal Trophy features eight-man teams from Asia and Europe, led by non-playing captains, competing in 16 matches for stewardship of the Royal Trophy, which was graciously donated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Europe won the inaugural contest 9-7 in January 2006 and retained The Royal Trophy with a convincing victory last year. Thoughts, of course, will be with Seve Ballesteros, who led Europe to victory on both occasions, in his ongoing battle following surgery to remove a brain tumour. The Royal Trophy will once again see four foursomes matches open proceedings on Friday January 9, with four fourball matches following on Saturday January 10. The contest will close with eight singles matches on Sunday January 11. A team requires eight-and-a-half points for an outright victory. “The Royal Trophy will give us the opportunity to showcase Asia’s growing strength against Europe. The standard of golf in Asia is on the rise and we are confident of putting up a strong challenge for The Royal Trophy next year,” said Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman, Asian Tour. “The Royal Trophy has a great concept. It is not only a team competition between Europe and Asia, but it also plays a very important role in the promotion of the game of golf in the Asian region. With strong members representing the Asian Team, I believe we will have a very exciting match against the European Team;” said Tadashi Koizumi, Chairman, Japan Golf Tour. Keith Waters, Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said: “We look forward to the return of The Royal Trophy following last year’s postponement and I’m sure it will be as keenly contested, and played in the same spirit, as the first two. “Our thanks go to Seve who was instrumental in launching The Royal Trophy in 2006. Everyone connected with the event will be thinking of him during this year’s contest.” Posted Nov 26 2008, 08:08 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, The Royal Trophy

• Asia Ready to Take on the World in China

  Asia’s stars are ready to ride on the ‘feel good’ factor and challenge for top honours at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup which begins on Thursday. Lin Wen-tang’s memorable victory in Hong Kong on Sunday highlighted a memorable past few weeks for the Asian Tour which also celebrated wins from Jeev Milkha Singh and Prayad Marksaeng in Singapore and Japan respectively. All three players will represent their nations at Mission Hills Golf Club and confidence is running high that an Asian nation can dethrone Scotland of its World Cup crown. “Asians players are getting strong. Anybody can win tournaments these days. This week, we’ll have a good chance as well. We’ll try but sometimes, you need the element of luck to win,” said Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, who is a two-time Asian number one. Last year, Thongchai partnered Prayad, who is fresh off a third victory of the season in Japan at the Dunlop Phoenix Open, to finish tied 15th. The Thais will again wear coordinated colours this week in hope of enjoying a successful week at Mission Hills. “If we can win the World Cup, it’ll be very good for our country. We will try to win this week although it won’t be easy. We’ll be using the same colours, same golf bags, and our caddies will also be in same outfits. It’s a team event and we want to act as a team,” said Thongchai. Lin will make his Omega Mission Hills World Cup debut for Chinese Taipei where he will partner seasoned campaigner Lu Wen-teh, who is also making his first appearance in the prestigious team competition which was inaugurated in 1953. After pulling off a memorable play-off victory at the UBS Hong Kong Open, Lin, who has risen to 51st on the world rankings, is hoping to ride on his rich vein of form to reproduce Chinese Taipei’s lone victory in the World Cup dating back to 1972. “With the success of Asian players in recent weeks, there is a feeling that we can win the big events, even this week. Our confidence is high and we’ve got a feel good attitude now,” said Lin, currently second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. Lu Liang-huan, known better as ‘Mr’ Lu, and Hsieh Min-nan triumphed in Australia over three decades ago to spark a golf boom in Chinese Taipei and Lin and partner Lu are determined to challenge for a victory in China to help boost the flagging fortunes of the professional golf back home. “Although Chinese Taipei golfers have achieved success in recent years with numerous wins on the Asian Tour, we don’t receive much support from sponsors. Maybe if we can win the World Cup again, then, the level of interests will be back to a good level,” said the 45-year-old Lu, who is a five-time winner in Asia and also the nephew to ‘Mr’ Lu. Mars Pucay, who qualified for the World Cup with Angelo Que for the Philippines, believes that an Asian team could well dethrone Scotland, which will be represented by Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth. “It’s been good to see the Asian players winning the big events over the last few weeks. Hopefully, the Asians will win the World Cup. It’s no longer impossible for us to win the big events as we’ve come a long way,” said Pucay. The last time an Asian team won the World Cup was in 2002 through Japan’s Toshi Izawa and Shigeki Maruyama, 45 years after the nation’s first triumph in the event. Other top contenders in Mission Hills include Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, Europe’s top-ranked player in 2008, USA’s Brandt Snedeker and Ben Curtis, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa and China’s Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Lian-wei. Posted Nov 26 2008, 08:06 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Prayad Marksaeng, Jeev Milkha Singh, Omega Mission Hills World Cup

• John Daly Shoots a Stunning 62 in Hong Kong

  Troubled US star John Daly shook off years of poor play and off-course trauma with a sparkling 62 at the UBS Hong Kong Open on Sunday, raising hopes he could rescue his flagging career. The 42-year-old two-time Major winner snapped up eight birdies with no bogeys to finish just one off the par-70 course record and end the tournament at nine-under 271. Daly, whose problems include drink, injury, his weight, multiple divorces and a night in jail last month, was quietly hopeful of halting his desperate slide to 788 in the rankings. "I think I've made more money than I did all of last year on the US Tour, in one tournament! So you can tell where I've come from," he said. "I've come from close to Ground Zero all the way back up. But who knows? I've just got to keep working at it. Being healthy helps." The winner of the 1991 US PGA Championship and 1995 British Open had started well here with a pair of 68s to make the cut, only to fall back with a 73 on Saturday. The Californian, who underwent rib surgery in August, only reached weekend play in five out of 17 US tournaments this year, with tied 40th his best finish. Last month, Daly caused his latest sensational headlines when he was jailed overnight to sober up after a drinks binge at a Hooters restaurant, one of his sponsors. "It just makes you feel good to have a number like that. I don't know what place I was in going into today but I know it wasn't great," Daly said. "Hopefully I'll get a top 10 out of it, and I haven't had one of those for a long time. It feels really, really good and it feels like, yeah, maybe I still can play a little bit." Despite going eight-under for the first time since 2004, Daly put any celebrations on hold and he was flying to Melbourne later on Sunday for next week's Australian Masters. He then heads to Coolum for the Australian PGA Championship, scene of an infamous meltdown in 2002 when he threw his putter and ball in a lake and stormed off the course. "It's one of those things. I kind of screwed up," Daly said. "My mom had passed away that week and it was a very difficult week. I wasn't going to play but I let some buddies talk me into going down there. "I shouldn't have been there. It's my fault, I shouldn't have done it. But I heard the putter's framed on a wall there, so it is what it is." Daly relies on invitations after losing his US PGA Tour card and he is hoping three weeks' consecutive play will be the springboard for some much-needed success. "I can't remember when I had three weeks in a row when I could play, that's why I'm hoping I'll get a lot of invites to the European Tour and play four, five, six in a row," he said. "That's probably the only way I'm going to play good golf." He was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March for missing his pro-am tee-off time, a day after splitting from celebrated swing coach Butch Harmon, who accused him of preferring drinking to golf. Last year, Daly turned up at a tournament in Memphis with scratches on his face and said his wife had attacked him with a steak knife. Sherrie Daly later said the wounds were self-inflicted to cover up a sexual assault. After such difficulties, his performance here came as a relief. "I wasn't expecting that much this week and to shoot probably one of my best rounds in years, I'm pretty happy with it," Daly said. "I wouldn't say I'm confident, but I feel better anyway." Posted Nov 24 2008, 12:43 PM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: John Daly, Golf International, 2008, UBS Hong Kong Open

• Tommy Armour III Defends Pebble Beach Invitational Title

  Defending champion Tommy Armour III made a 36-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a three-way playoff with Scott Simpson and Brock MacKenzie on Sunday to win the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational. The 49-year-old Armour, a two-time PGA Tour winner, began the day with a five-stroke lead over Rich Beem. But Armour finished regulation with a 4-over 76 in a round that included four bogeys, a double bogey and two birdies. Simpson, a former U.S. Open champion, finished with a 70 after beginning the final round trailing Armour by six shots. MacKenzie, a former Nationwide Tour player without tour status for 2009, rallied from a nine-shot deficit with a final-round 67. “I hit some shots that were close to being really good,” said Armour, who earned $60,000 of the $300,000 purse. “They just didn’t turn out to be that good. But that’s part of the inner battle of winning a golf tournament.” The 37th annual event featured players from the four major tours. Champions Tour and women pros received tee shot advantages. Armour, the first repeat winner in the tournament’s 37-year history, ended a four-year winless streak with his Callaway victory in 2007. He last won on the PGA Tour at the Valero Texas Open in 2003, when he set the PGA Tour tournament record of 34 under par. “When the wind picks up at Pebble Beach it’s a challenge,” Armour said. “It wasn’t easy, but then again, winning a golf tournament is never easy.” Armour and Simpson, playing in the same foursome, were tied at 11 under after 15 holes. Simpson bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes to fall one shot behind Armour and MacKenzie, who had already finished. Simpson made a 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole to slip to 10 under. Armour missed a 24-foot birdie attempt for the win but made a 4-foot par putt to join the three-way playoff. “I just wanted a good finish,” said MacKenzie, a member of the 2003 Walker Cup team. “I started off really good. I saw that third place was about three shots away and all I wanted then was a good finish.” Vicky Hurst, who will be a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2009, shot a final-round 73 and led the three women who advanced to the final round at even par. Tom Purtzer of the Champions Tour had a final-round 67 and finished alone at 9-under. Second-year PGA Tour pro Nicholas Thompson (71), 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner Arron Oberholser (73), and former PGA Championship winner Beem (73) finished at 280. Posted Nov 24 2008, 12:42 PM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Tommy Armour III, Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational

• Ji-Yai Shin Captures $1m Prize

  Ji-Yai Shin began this year thinking she’d end up playing in the LPGA Tour’s qualifying school. A major title and a $1 million cheque changed all that. Shin, this summer’s British Open champion, held off Karrie Webb and an ailing Paula Creamer to win the ADT Championship on Sunday with a final round 2-under par 70 at Trump International. She captured the $1 million winner’s prize, by far the biggest on tour, after a four-birdie, two-bogey day. In her country’s currency, Shin collected 1.493 billion—yes, billion— South Korean won. That’s a lot of won for one win. “A really special year for me,” said Shin, who isn’t even a full-fledged member of the LPGA Tour yet—but won three times in those fields this year, has 21 wins worldwide since 2007 and will likely be an instant LPGA front-runner in 2009. Webb finished one shot back and Creamer, who spent Saturday night in the hospital because of an inflamed abdominal wall, finished tied for third with Seon Hwa Lee after both shot 74s. Creamer needed to win Sunday to finish atop the money list, something no American player has done since Betsy King in 1993. Instead, Lorena Ochoa—who didn’t qualify for the weekend at ADT—finished with the money title with $2,762,660. “I gave it all I had,” said Creamer, who fell ill Wednesday night and could barely eat since the tournament began, plus had to down some medicine on the 13th hole just to finish Sunday’s round. “I tried as hard as I possibly could. I wasn’t going to quit.” Creamer made two birdies in a three-hole span on the back side, but took a three-putt bogey at the par-5 15th, essentially ending her chances at her fifth win of the year and taking the money crown. For many, the ADT week was filled with drama, starting with Annika Sorenstam’s final tournament on the LPGA Tour—a farewell that ended Friday when she didn’t make the weekend field—and continuing with Creamer’s illness. She considered withdrawing Friday morning, almost unable to get out of bed, and wound up getting three CT scans and fluids through an intravenous tube in a South Florida hospital on Saturday night. “They got to know me really well,” said Creamer, who insisted that doctors released her by 7:15 a.m. Sunday so she could make her tee time. Meanwhile, Shin stayed steady, never too far up, never too far down. And her approach worked best. Of the eight players who remained in Sunday’s shootout for $1 million, Shin was the only one to never have her total score rise above par. She started with two birdies in her first three holes, and vaulted to the front when Webb strung together three straight bogeys on holes 11-13. Webb rolled in a long birdie on the 18th to get within one, but Shin merely needed a cool two-putt for the win. “I gave myself a chance,” Webb said. “Making it to Sunday was the minimum goal for the week, and today I played very solidly. I just probably needed a couple more putts to go in. I’m just glad I made Ji-Yai think about it on the last hole.” Eun-Hee Ji was alone in fifth with a 75, Angela Stanford was sixth after a 78, while Suzann Pettersen—who shot Saturday’s round of the day but struggled mightily Sunday—and Jeong Jang both finished with 79s. Posted Nov 24 2008, 12:37 PM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Paula Creamer, 2008, Karrie Webb, Ji-Yai Shin, ADT Championship

• Four-Way Tie at Top in UBS Hong Kong Open

  Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol nailed his second straight four-under-par 66 and was joined by South African Louis Oosthuizen, England’s Oliver Wilson and Oliver Fisher at the top of the pack at the UBS Hong Kong Open on Friday. Chawalit struck five birdies against a lone bogey in the second round at the Hong Kong Golf Club for an eight-under-par 132 total. He was matched by Oosthuizen who enjoyed a bogey free 62, Wilson who fired a 66 alongside Fisher who improved with a 65. Scotsman Colin Montgomerie and Sweden’s Johan Edfors were a stroke back when the duo shot matching 65s in joint fifth place. Australia’s Marcus Fraser also leaped to a tie for fifth spot after a 66 together with Richard Sterne of South Africa who posted a 69 and Italian Francesco Molinari who carded a 67. India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who virtually sealed the 2008 Asian Tour’s Order of Merit after his win in Singapore last week, blasted a 63 to lie in joint 10th place together with Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang who recorded a 69 for a 134 total. China’s Liang Wen-chong endured a slow 71 and was in the mix in 13th spot after a 135 total. Chawalit, who is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, relied on his accurate drives to steer him through to the top of the pack in the US$2.5 million event. “I tried to not use my driver. I did not play too aggressive. I wanted to make sure that I could be on the green so I could have a chance at making those birdies,” said the Chonburi-based player. Chawalit was pleased to have turned his game around this week since his top-10 finish at the Worldwide Selangor Masters in August. “I have not been having a good run on the Asian Tour so this is definitely turning out to be a great week. There is a lot of pressure to perform but I will try my best for a strong finish,” added Chawalit. Starting on the back nine, Oosthuizen, 26, was four under after nine holes before three straight birdies coupled with a final birdie on the seventh hole placed him in prime position heading into the weekend rounds. “It was good. I don't want to say it could have been more, but I played well. I hit 17 greens in regulation, and I made some putts,” said Oosthuizen, with three wins on the local circuit. Ryder Cup star Wilson, who teed off on the back nine, endured a bogey on the final hole before closing in with a 66. “I was really happy with yesterday, four under, but today I was a little disappointed bogeying the last hole. I played pretty steady holing some putts, which is the important thing,” said Wilson. Fisher improved with a 65 and was in the mix at the top of the field. “I just played really solid today. I hit the ball well and hit a lot of greens and took my chances. It was good. I'm in a good position going into the weekend and just go out there and enjoy it and have good time,” said Fisher. Montgomerie, with a record 31 wins in Europe, was pleased with his 65 while a stroke back was Singh who conquered the greens at the Hong Kong Golf Club this week. “The putting came together. Yesterday I hit the ball exactly the same but couldn't hole too many putts. But I’m really excited. I worked on it yesterday and got a little bit of feel on the greens. I went out there and holed some big putts, and I think that was the reason I shot a 63 today,” said Singh, who was the 2006 Asian Tour’s Order of Merit winner. “I am mentally very tired, but after this round, I think that I start thinking about other things and as the weekend comes, I think the mental tiredness is going to go. I think I've got to start thinking about good things and hopefully have a good week again,” he added. Local amateur Jason Hak Shun Yat emerged as the second youngest player to make the cut on the Asian Tour at 14 years and 304 days. He fired two straight 70s and was in a tie for 61st place. Chinese Taipei’s Lo Shih-kai was the youngest player to have ever made the weekend rounds at 14 years and 275 days back in 2003. Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain was also in a tie for 61st place after a 69. Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:55 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Oliver Fisher, Oliver Wilson, UBS Hong Kong Open, Louis Oosthuizen, Chawalit Plaphol

• Phil Mickelson Excited About 2009 Season

  Phil Mickelson regrets wasting a few golden opportunities during his 2008 campaign in the absence of Tiger Woods but is excited about his prospects for next season. Although the American left-hander failed to take advantage after Woods was sidelined for the second half of the PGA Tour, he believes he is close to regaining his best form. “We want to look forward,” world number three Mickelson said during a conference call to promote this month’s Skins Game in Indian Wells, California. “I look back on ‘08 and, even though it wasn’t what I wanted, there are some positives that I take from it. I try to take that into ‘09 and add to it. “It (2008) was a consistent year when I would have liked to have had more victories, but I thought I played week-in and week-out fairly well.” Mickelson won twice in 21 starts on the 2008 PGA Tour while piling up $5,188,875 in earnings but has not claimed a major title since the 2006 U.S. Masters. Many fans believed he was the best equipped player to take advantage when top-ranked Woods shut down his season to have reconstructive knee surgery after winning the U.S. Open in June. However, Mickelson tied for 19th and seventh respectively at the British Open and PGA Championship which followed, with Ireland’s Padraig Harrington triumphing in both majors. “As far as a missed opportunity, certainly Padraig took advantage of the opportunity and won a couple of majors,” Mickelson said. “That’s what I was hoping to do. “The only thing that I can look at is I just didn’t play my best and I need to find ways to get my best golf out. “This year I actually struck the ball quite well in every major but I did not putt anywhere near as well so I’ve been addressing that. Fortunately, the last four or five events I’ve played in, I’ve putted very well.” Although the timing of Woods’s return next year is not certain, the world number one is almost sure to return for the season’s first major, the April 9-12 Masters. “I certainly am excited for him to come back,” Mickelson said. “I know that’s probably not what you expect to hear but, as well as the entire golfing world, I can’t wait for his return. “I miss him as a player. I miss him as a person. I miss trying to track him down because that always is a great challenge.” Champion at Augusta National in 2004 and 2006, Mickelson is particularly looking forward to next year’s Masters. “I’m a little biased, having won it twice, but it is such an amazing place, an amazing experience,” the 38-year-old said. “As a professional golfer, that’s the tournament that I’ll be gearing for. “Having not won (a major) the last couple of years, I’m certainly hungry to get another major championship.” Mickelson will compete in the Skins Game at Indian Wells from Nov. 29-30 with fellow American Rocco Mediate, South Korea’s K.J. Choi and holder Stephen Ames of Canada. Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:54 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Phil Mickelson

• Big Names Struggle on First Day of the ADT Championship

  Annika Sorenstam arrived at the first tee Thursday morning, shook a few hands and got a kiss on the cheek from Donald Trump. Then she turned to the gallery and waved. On Friday, unless she moves a bit up the leaderboard, she’ll be waving goodbye. Sorenstam shot a 2-over par 74 in Thursday’s opening round of the ADT Championship, good for a tie for 23rd in the 32-woman event, her final LPGA Tour appearance before “stepping away” from competitive golf. The field gets trimmed to 16 after Friday’s play, meaning Sorenstam has some work remaining just to reach the weekend. Otherwise, her LPGA Tour career will come to an unceremonious end. “I was a little nervous. I feel like I’m playing good. I’m excited about the week,” Sorenstam said. “But I’m telling you, nothing went my way today.” Indeed, it was not a dominant round for the woman who once controlled her sport. She went barefoot into the water on the par-3 seventh to salvage a bogey and was 4 over through 10 holes, putting her into what seemed like a precarious spot. But as she’s done so many times throughout her 72-win career, the Hall of Famer rallied. Sorenstam put together consecutive birdies on the par-4 14th and par-5 15th to stop the bogey bleeding and eventually finished six shots behind Katherine Hull (68). “I think she wants to win a few more,” Hull said. “But I guess time will tell.” Sorenstam is a four-time ADT winner and a giant fan of the Trump International course, but in this double-cut, erase-the-scores format, she’s never even reached the weekend. The scores are erased after Friday’s play, then get wiped clear again after Saturday’s round, after which only the top eight get invited back Sunday to play for the $1 million winner’s prize. “You can’t really practice this format. It’s once a year,” said Sorenstam, who announced her plans to leave the game, start a family and tend to her business interests six months ago. “You just have to go out and play your best golf and see where you stand.” Hull, one of the hottest players on tour over the last three months, finished one shot better than Ji-Yai Shin and In-Kyung Kim. Three others—Ji Young Oh, Eun-Hee Ji and Na Yeon Choi—were two strokes off Hull’s pace. Oddly, little attention was paid to the top of the leaderboard. Most of the star power was off the first page. World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, the defending champion, was 6 over in one rough eight-hole stretch and finished tied for 26th after a 75. Cristie Kerr, last year’s U.S. Women’s Open champion and a member at Trump International, was tied for 29th—last—after shooting 78 and will play alone Friday morning. Inbee Park, the reigning U.S. Open winner, withdrew after starting a whopping 13 over through 14 holes. “A few birdies will help,” Ochoa said. “I can do that.” Paula Creamer, who could catch Ochoa for the money title if she wins this week, was tied with Karen Stupples and Christina Kim for seventh place, three shots behind Hull. Seven players, including hometown favorite Morgan Pressel— whose Boca Raton base is a mere 30 minutes south of West Palm Beach—were tied for 10th after even-par rounds of 72. Pressel said she made “less than nothing” in her opening round, lamenting that she wasted plenty of chances. “I think it’s probably set up the easiest since I’ve played here,” Pressel said. Not everyone came away with the same assessment. Far from it, actually. “I think this is probably the toughest the course has ever been set up for us,” said Karrie Webb, who had two birdies in her final three holes to salvage a 73. The format remains a mystery to some players, including Shin, who struggled to answer if she enjoyed the unusual ADT setup. “I think it’s very tough,” Shin said. “It is, I think, very funny. Yeah, very funny.” Hull, who won the Canadian Open to start a run of six top-10 finishes in her last nine events, might have been the only one who found the course “funny” on Thursday. She only made two bogeys, and answered each one immediately with a birdie. “Just tried to execute the game plan and have fun,” Hull said. Hull said she won’t play any differently Friday even though it would take a huge collapse for her to not qualify for Saturday. Sorenstam, set to make her last start in three weeks in the Dubai Ladies Masters, won’t change her approach either, even though she knows her spot in the weekend fields is hardly assured. “You just have to be patient, just fairways and greens,” Sorenstam said. “It’s worked in the past for me, so I’m not really going to change it. I just have to make a few more putts.” Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:54 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, 2008, ADT Championship

• John Cook Leads Pebble Beach Invitational

  John Cook shot a 10-under 62 on Thursday to take a three-stroke lead over Brad Martin after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational. Cook, 51, one of eight Champions Tour entrants in the tournament that features players from the four major tours, had 11 birdies and one bogey. He played on the Del Monte Golf Course, one of three Monterey Peninsula courses used in the tournament. “I just kind of had it working,” said Cook, who claimed his second career Champions Tour victory last month at the AT&T Championship. “I really hit some quality shots and put the ball into good spots.” Cook, whose first of 11 PGA Tour victories occurred in the 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, played on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour in 2007 before joining the circuit for players age 50 and older this year. Martin, 39, of Portland, Ore., a former assistant pro at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, had a bogey-free 65 on the Del Monte course, where eight of the top-10 first-round scores were posted. Defending champion Tommy Armour III, one of eight former event titlists in the field, had an opening-round 66, also at Del Monte. Former PGA Tour players Bubba Dickerson (Del Monte), the 2001 U.S. Amateur champion, and Brendon De Jonge (Spyglass Hill) trail Cook by five shots after shooting 67s. Dickerson and De Jonge both played on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. Jill McGill and Janice Moodie led seven LPGA entrants after both shot 68s at Del Monte. A Champions Tour player has never won the tournament. Juli Inkster, who edged Mark Brooks in 1990, is the only woman to win the event. Rocco Mediate, runner-up in this year’s U.S. Open and winner of the 1999 Pebble Beach Invitational, withdrew for personal reasons after a 74 at Del Monte. Following the 54-hole cut, the top 40 pros and 10 amateur teams will play the final round Sunday at Pebble Beach. The winner will earn $60,000. Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:53 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Champions Tour, 2008, John Cook, Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational

• John Daly in Contention After Opening 68

  John Daly put himself within four strokes of joint leaders Liang Wenchong of China and South African Richard Sterne, who both shot a 6-under 64 in the first round of the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open on Thursday. Liang and Sterne were a stroke ahead of Taiwan’s Lin Wentang—who recovered from a double bogey on the opening hole—and 48-year-old Frankie Minoza of the Philippines. Daly was 4-under after 15 holes, but bogeys on the last two holes cost him a share of fifth place in the jointly sanctioned European Tour and Asian Tour event. “I’m not too disappointed, being a little rusty. I haven’t played in a month. Two under par on the first round here is pretty good. I’ll take it,” the 42-year-old American told reporters. Daly, a former British Open and PGA Championship winner now ranked No. 788 in the world, said he feels he is striking the ball well but is struggling for rhythm because he hasn’t been able to qualify for consecutive tournaments. He has not had a PGA Tour card since 2006, when his two-year exemption expired from his last victory at the Buick Invitational in 2004. He made only five cuts in 17 starts on the PGA Tour this year and earned just over $56,000. “I need to play three or four weeks in a row to get anything out of my game. I haven’t been able to really do that in two years. The exemptions didn’t come in a row,” Daly said. “My drought hasn’t been quite as bad as Australia and the water situation, but it’s been close. You just keep fighting and keep working on it.” Daly has also had a tumultuous year off the course, going through a divorce and spending a night in jail last month after being found “extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,” police said, outside a Hooters restaurant in North Carolina. Liang, the 2007 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, shot seven birdies with only a bogey on the final hole preventing him from taking the lead. He said he played patiently and described his round at the 6,702-yard Hong Kong Golf Club in suburban Fanling as a “good start.” “Even though the course is short, there are many places where you can run into problems. When you’re not playing well, when you’re impatient, it’s very easy to make mistakes because the fairways are quite narrow,” Liang said. Sterne, who won the European Tour’s Joburg Open earlier this year, made an impressive debut in Hong Kong despite not even playing a practice round. “I’ve done it a few times before so I’m not really too fazed about it,” Sterne said. “It went pretty well. Sometimes it helps—you don’t know where all the trouble is.” The South African fired eight birdies, with bogeys on the eighth and ninth holes his only blemishes. Miguel Angel Jimenez got off to a disappointing start to his title defense and his bid to become only the third player to win at Fanling at least three times. The Spaniard made three bogeys and finished 1-over, seven strokes behind the leaders. “I ruined myself on the greens,” Jimenez said. Among the leading players, South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell were level with Jimenez after shooting 71s, while in-form Englishman Oliver Wilson stamped himself as a genuine title threat with a first-round 66. Six-time major winner and Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo shot a 72. Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:52 AM by Golf International with 2 comment(s) Filed under: John Daly, Golf International, Richard Sterne, 2008, Hong Kong Open, Liang Wenchong

• India Ready to Take on the World in China

  Indian duo Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa are hoping that a strong campaign at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup will bring further growth to the game in their country. Singh and Randhawa will team up for the first time for the 28-nation competition at Mission Hills Golf Club from November 27 to 30. While Randhawa featured in the team that finished ninth in 2005 for India’s best ever finish, Singh will be making his long-awaited debut and he is gushing with pride at the opportunity to fly his country’s flag in China. “We are very excited, we are very strong as a team,” said Singh, the Asian Tour’s number one in 2006 and virtually assured of this season’s Order of Merit title after securing victory at last week’s Barclays Singapore Open. “It’s great to have a chance to represent India. Golf in India is growing. If we can make things happen there, it’ll be good. We want to try and have a good finish. We have a good chance of doing well.” Singh has enjoyed a stellar season with victories in Europe, Japan and Asia which has lifted him back into the world’s top-50. With the year coming to a close, he wants to cap it off with a successful campaign in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup. “Although Jyoti and I haven’t played together as a team, I believe we’ll get on well together. The only thing that we are shy on is the alternate shot format. We’re not used to it but I’ve spoken to Jyoti that we shouldn’t say sorry to each other. “If he hits a bad shot or I hit a bad shot, we’re not going to say sorry. We are certainly going to put pressure on each other by leaving five or 10 footers for pars but this happens even when we play for ourselves. We should always take a stride forward and move on.” A renowned traveller on the international airways to play on the world’s finest fairways, Singh has often been forced to skip the World Cup due to his hectic playing schedule. “I’ve always had to defend a tournament or tried to keep my card somewhere,” said Singh, who usually clocks around 40 tournaments per season. “That’s why I’ve never had the opportunity to represent India but now that we’ve got a direct entry (through the World Rankings), I am excited at the prospect at playing in the World Cup.” Randhawa said he would be riding on Singh’s terrific form in China. “I just need to keep making pars and he’ll do the rest,” said Randhawa, Asia’s number one in 2002. “It’s a good team and we hope to do well. It is different playing in the World Cup as there is more pressure as you’re playing for the country and there is a lot riding on it. It’s a great event and I’m looking forward to it.” Randhawa and Singh are firm friends as they grew up playing professional golf during the 1990s, which the former believes will carry the team to a good showing in Mission Hills. “We’re comfortable being around each other, we are regularly having meals together on Tour. He’s a funny guy as well and I hope we don’t take it onto the golf course! We will certainly focus on our game and I’m looking forward to partnering him,” said Randhawa. The 28 nations and teams who will compete in the 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup are: Australia (Richard Green, Brendan Jones) Canada (Wes Heffernan and Graham DeLaet) Chile (Felipe Aquilar, Mark Tullo) China (Liang Wen-chong, Zhang Lian-wei) Chinese Taipei (Lin Wen-tang , Lu Wen-teh) Denmark (Søren Hansen, Anders Hansen) England (Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher) Finland (Roope Kakko and Mikko Korhonen) France (Gregory Havret, Gregory Bourdy) Germany (Martin Kaymer, Alex Cejka) Guatemala (Pablo Acuña, Alejandro Villavicencio) India (Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa) Ireland (Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley) Italy (Francesco and Edoardo Molinari) Japan (Ryuji Imada, Toru Taniguchi) Korea (Bae Sang-moon and Kim Hyung-tae) Mexico (Oscar Serna, Daniel De León) New Zealand (Mark Brown, David Smail) Philippines (Angelo Que and Mars Pucay) Portugal (Tiago Cruz and Ricardo Santos) Scotland (Alastair Forysth, Colin Montgomerie) South Africa (Rory Sabbatini, Richard Sterne) Spain (Miguel Angel Jiménez, Pablo Larrazabal) Sweden (Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson) Thailand (Prayad Marksaeng, Thongchai Jaidee) USA (Ben Curtis, Brandt Snedeker) Venezuela (Miguel Martinez, Raul Sanz) Wales (Bradley Dredge, Richard Johnson) Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:52 AM by Golf International with no comments Filed under: Golf International, 2008, Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Omega Mission Hills World Cup