GolfbloggerUK

May 2011 - Posts

• Nike Golf launches The Grind digital community to connect with other golf athletes

  As the industry leader in connecting athletes through various digital platforms, Nike Golf is continuing its forward stride with the launch of a new digital community -- The Grind.   Through www.nikegolf.eu., golfers will be able to join The Grind and connect with other golf athletes to ultimately improve their performance in the sport and attempt to answer the question, “Are you in golf shape?” The Grind is a digital destination where golf athletes can share their golf journeys as it relates to their swings, their equipment, personal training and much more. Members of The Grind will have access to insider content from Nike Golf’s product innovators, Nike Golf athletes, non-Nike Golf athletes, Nike instructors and industry experts. “We are excited to be able to take another step in doing what Nike does best – connecting with consumers,” said Mike Kelly, director of global brand marketing for Nike Golf. “Through The Grind, we are able to engage, connect with and inspire golfers. This is only the beginning of bigger things to come in Nike Golf’s new community. It is yet another example of how Nike Golf is the athletic golf brand of choice.” The new Nike Golf community is a holistic approach that will inspire and guide golfers to improve their games at all levels: To get in better golf shape, Nike athletes and athletic trainers will provide key personal training tips specific to the sport in the “Training” section on The Grind. To see how their golf swings measure up, community members can upload their swings, compare them side by side to their friends and/or Nike Golf athletes and share on their facebook and twitter accounts. To learn about the philosophy behind new technologies and designs, golf lovers will be able to get inside the fascinating minds of Nike Golf’s talented product engineers and designers. To learn about equipment, consumers can share what’s in their bags while also staying on top of what equipment is in Nike Golf athletes’ bags. They can then upload what’s in their bags for their friends to see. Bill Bowerman, the co-founder of Nike, Inc., said, “if you have a body, you are an athlete.” The Grind epitomises athletic golf. Posted May 31 2011, 09:57 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, Nike Golf, The Grind

• PGA Tour star David Toms red hot putting stats with Never Compromise Putters

  This past weekend saw Cleveland Golf Staff Player David Toms get his first win in five years with a 1 stroke victory over Charli Wi at the Crown Plaza Invitational. Toms continued his imperious form with rounds of 62, 62, 74 and 67 putting his playoff disappointment in the Players Championship at the hands of KJ Choi well and truly behind him. Key to Tom’s win in Carolina was his unmatched putting. Toms led the field in putts per green in regulation with an average of 1.577 leaving him second in birdies and eagles made for the week. However it’s not just recently when his putting has been strong for Toms sits 5th on the PGA Tour in putts made from 5-10 feet holing 64% of putts from this distance. Coinciding with Tom’s putting prowess is his choice to put Cleveland Golf’s newly launched Never Compromise Dinero Tycoon putter in his bag. Made out of super soft 303 stainless steel the “money putter”, as it is known for the engraving of numerous currency signs on the sole, has proved an ideal weapon for the firm and fast Carolina and Florida greens with his clutch 15 footer for birdie at the 18th at Sawgrass standing out. However it isn’t just his putting that has led Toms to be arguably the best player in the world over the past two weeks. His accuracy off the tee has also played a big part with Tom’s finishing first in fairways hit at Sawgrass and fourth at the Crown Plaza Invitational. For this Toms has been using a Cleveland Golf Launcher driver with 9.5 degree of loft and a project X 683 shaft. Toms, whose recent performances have seen him climb to 28th in the world rankings, will hope to continue his fine form for the rest of the season and in turn leading the 2001 USPGA Champion and former Ryder Cup star back to the highest echelons of the game. Posted May 26 2011, 10:14 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, Cleveland Golf, Never Compromise, David Toms

• HP Byron Nelson 2011 Draw for round 1 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort

  find listed below the 1st round draw for the PGA TOUR the HP Byron Nelson Championship 2011 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Las Colinas, Irving, Texas, which gets underway tomorrow (Friday, 27 May 2011). The 1st round draw with tee times, groupings and pairings &c. is detailed below. For all the latest golf news, draws, tee times, prizemoney, golf scores, golf betting odds, tv times and golf scores shall be provided on a daily basis, please stay tuned into GolfbloggerUK. This informaton can be obtained by  http://www.golfblogger.co.uk/pga-tour The Ed., GolfbloggerUK PGA Tour HP Byron Nelson Championship 1st Round Draw:- First-round times. All times are local. TPC Four Seasons Resort Tee #1 7:15 am Jobe, Brandt Stroud, Chris Gillis, Tom 7:25 am Cejka, Alex Quinney, Jeff Prugh, Alex 7:34 am Campbell, Chad McCarron, Scott Janzen, Lee 7:44 am Garrigus, Rt Bettencourt, Matt Allenby, Robert 7:53 am Hoffman, Charley Matteson, Troy Verplank, Scott 8:03 am Atwal, Arjun Beckman, Cameron Trahan, D.J. 8:12 am Romero, Andres Petrovic, Tim Beem, Rich 8:22 am Johnson, Richard S. McNeill, G Pampling, Rod 8:31 am Wilson, Dean Hamilton, Todd Adams, Blake 8:41 am Piercy, Scott Percy, Cameron Letzig, Michael 8:50 am Miller, Zack Mulroy, Garth Hicks, Justin 9:00 am Stallings, Scott Gordon, Scott Fischer, Todd 9:09 am Gutschewski, S Brigman, D.J. Putnam, Michael TPC Four Seasons Resort Tee #10 7:15 am Durant, Joe Bertsch, Shane Sim, Michael 7:25 am Mayfair, Billy Barnes, Ricky Chappell, Kevin 7:34 am O'Hern, Nick Blanks, Kris Connell, Michael 7:44 am Woodland, Gary Sabbatini, Rory Day, Jason 7:53 am Choi, K.J. Johnson, Dustin Garcia, Sergio 8:03 am Slocum, Heath Ames, Stephen Taylor, Vaughn 8:12 am Herron, Tim Molder, Bryce Ridings, Tag 8:22 am Austin, Woody Elkington, Steve Leishman, Marc 8:31 am Micheel, Shaun Estes, Bob Jones, Kent 8:41 am Mathis, David Bowditch, Steven Baryla, Chris 8:50 am Lyle, Jarrod Kang, Sunghoon Flores, Martin 9:00 am Tringale, C Stanley, Kyle Rocha, Alexandre 9:09 am Gomez, Fabian Thompson, Michael Strickler, Will TPC Four Seasons Resort Tee #1 12:00 pm DiMarco, Chris Baird, Briny Chalmers, Greg 12:10 pm Maggert, Jeff Riley, Chris Stankowski, Paul 12:19 pm Willis, Garrett Frazar, Harrison Wi, Charlie 12:29 pm Watney, Nick Kuchar, Matt Singh, Vijay 12:38 pm Bradley, Michael Kim, Anthony Leonard, Justin 12:48 pm Lamely, Derek Green, Nathan Weir, Mike 12:57 pm McLachlin, Parker Overton, Jeff Teater, Josh 1:07 pm Flesch, Steve Howell III, Charles Wetterich, Brett 1:16 pm Henry, J.J. Walker, Jimmy Collins, Chad 1:26 pm Haas, Hunter Smith, Nate Renner, Jim 1:35 pm Price, Aron Hearn, David Gonzales, Andres 1:45 pm Gates, B Summerhays, Daniel Spieth, Jordan* 1:54 pm Weibring, Matt Knost, Colt Quinn, Fran TPC Four Seasons Resort Tee #10 12:00 pm Gamez, Robert Dufner, Jason Merrick, John 12:10 pm Imada, Ryuji Davis, Brian Gainey, Tommy 12:19 pm Mallinger, John Driscoll, James Kirk, Chris 12:29 pm Points, D.A. Palmer, Ryan Gay, Brian 12:38 pm Pettersson, Carl Crane, Ben Kelly, Jerry 12:48 pm Rollins, John O'Hair, Sean Reavie, Chez 12:57 pm Ogilvie, Joe Senden, John Jacobson, Fredrik 1:07 pm Purdy, Ted Hayes, J.P. Waldorf, Duffy 1:16 pm Kim, Bio Turner, Jerod McQuillan, Matt 1:26 pm Bradley, Keegan McGirt, William Bramlett, Joseph 1:35 pm Tidland, Chris Martin, Ben Woodson, Rick 1:45 pm Berganio, Jr., David Piller, Martin Kisner, Kevin 1:54 pm Horschel, Billy Herman, Jim Smith, Sam* Posted May 25 2011, 03:03 PM by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, HP Byron Nelson Championship

• PowerPlay Golf’s exciting new ‘two flag’ format strikes a blow for Ladies’ Golf

  Golf has had its fair share of negative press, over the years, related to gender inequality. That could be about to change. PowerPlay Golf, the sport’s new short-form version which uses two flags on each green, is attempting to improve golf’s at times chauvinistic image by letting female professionals take on their male counterparts in its forthcoming global series of Tour-style golf events – the first time a tournament of this stature has made such a commitment. Women’s US Open Champion Paula Creamer will be the headline act from the ladies’ game in PowerPlay Golf driven by Saab: Ignition, which is the inaugural PowerPlay Golf televised professional event at The Celtic Manor Resort, City Of Newport, Wales, on Bank Holiday Monday May 30th 2011 at 1700 BST. Creamer is a popular and glamorous role model for ladies’ golf worldwide, and will take on some of the most famous names in golf such as Gary Player, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Paul Casey and John Daly in a stellar 12-person field¹. The inaugural TV event, sponsored by Swedish motoring giants Saab, will be shown by dozens of global TV networks – including a live broadcast on Sky Sports – ensuring the event will reach millions of homes worldwide and marks the first stage of PowerPlay golf’s strategy to launch its innovative nine-hole, two-flag golfing format worldwide. “I am really looking forward to taking part in PowerPlay Golf. It is wonderful that the event has such a great mix of players. Golf needs something different and this is certainly going to put our sport in the spotlight” commented Creamer, whose appearance alongside Graeme McDowell in the event represents the first time that the current Men’s and Women’s US Open Champions have competed against each other in a professional golf tournament of this status. Swedish tour pros Helen Alfredsson and Caroline Hedwall will join Creamer as the other two female golfers in the event. “Competing against the men will be tough but a lot of fun. It is fantastic that PowerPlay Golf is so keen to promote a mixed format as that can only be good for the future of the women’s game at all levels” commented Solheim Cup winner Alfredsson. A view echoed by Peter McEvoy, PowerPlay Golf’s Executive Director: “Our pilot schemes and extensive research suggest that PowerPlay Golf will be extremely popular amongst lady golfers. We are committed to including female tour players in future televised events and firmly believe the format will be a real hit with lady golfers at amateur level.” PowerPlay Golf is an exciting new short-form of the game which will captivate all TV sports fans. Played over nine holes, with two flags on every green, golfers use a limited number of ‘PowerPlays’ to score extra points when aiming at the harder Black Flag, creating exciting risk-and-reward decisions on each tee. Posted May 19 2011, 09:49 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, Golf Babes, Paula Creamer, PowerPlay Golf

• K.J. Choi uses the Titleist Pro V1 to record victory at The Player’s Championship

  Titleist Pro V1 loyalist K.J. Choi claimed the biggest win of his career this weekend, topping a leaderboard littered with Titleist golf ball loyalists to win The Player’s Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Choi’s par at the first extra hole saw him prevail in an all-Titleist golf ball play-off, winning golf’s unofficial ‘Fifth Major’ ahead of an all-Titleist top-5. Choi’s eighth career PGA Tour victory continues Titleist’s winning form around the world as the legendary Pro V1 franchise continues to be the choice of champions. Choi’s final round 2-under par 70, saw him finish on 13-under par, two ahead of Paul Goydos (New Pro V1) who finished alone in 3rd, and three ahead of Titleist Brand Ambassador Nick Watney (Pro V1x) and Pro V1x loyalist Luke Donald as the leading players all put their trust in the legendary Pro V1 franchise for their success. Completing Titleist’s strong showing at the top of the leaderboard was Titleist Brand Ambassador Jason Dufner (Pro V1) and Titleist golf ball loyalists J.B. Holmes (Pro V1x), Aaron Baddeley (Pro V1x) and Hunter Mahan (New Pro V1x) all of whom tied for sixth place with two others on 9-under par. The feel and control of the #1 Ball in Golf was also the choice of the majority of the field at TPC Sawgrass, with 90 players putting their trust in Titleist compared to 15 for the nearest competitor. Elsewhere, on the Asian Tour, Pro V1x loyalist Barry Henson topped an all-Titleist top-4 to claim his maiden Asian Tour crown at the ICTSI Philippine Open. Henson was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Titleist Brand Ambassador Jbe Kruger (Pro V1x) and Titleist golf ball loyalists Jay Bayron (New Pro V1x) and Digvijay Singh (New Pro V1x) who each relied on the control of the Pro V1 franchise in difficult weather conditions to complete the all-Titleist top-4. On the European Tour, Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Iberdrola Open with 97 players putting their trust in the feel and control of the Pro V1 or Pro V1x, compared to 19 for the nearest competitor. Victories on the PGA and Asian Tours this weekend increase Titleist’s 2011 worldwide golf ball win count to 49, compared to 10 for the nearest competitor. An eighth PGA Tour victory for Pro V1 loyalist K.J. Choi at The Player’s Championship, and a further victory on the Asian Tour to further boost Titleist’s impressive win count around the worldwide professional tours, continues to prove that the world’s best players opt for the matchless performance of Titleist for their success. Posted May 16 2011, 10:34 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, Titleist Pro V1x, K.J. Choi, The Players Championship

• Bubba Watson leads 2011 FedEx Cup Standings after the Wells Fargo Championship

  Big-hitting lefty Bubba Watson leads the 2011 FedEx Cup Standings after the PGA Tour 2011 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club. In 2nd place and 140 points in arrears is Luke Donald of England, followed by Mark Wilson (-152) and Phil Mickelson (-204). In 5th place is Martin Laird of Scotland. The top-200 places is detailed below. 2011 FedEx Cup Standings (after the PGA Tour 2011 Wells Fargo Championship):- 1     1     Bubba Watson     11     1,359     2     3         2     2     Luke Donald     7     1,219     1     6     140     3     3     Mark Wilson     12     1,207     2     3     152     4     4     Phil Mickelson     10     1,155     1     4     204     5     5     Martin Laird     11     1,064     1     5     295     6     6     Gary Woodland     11     1,050     1     4     309     7     7     Nick Watney     9     1,034     1     5     325     8     12     Rory Sabbatini     13     1,010     1     3     349     9     18     Jonathan Byrd     11     1,005     1     3     354     10     8     Brandt Snedeker 12     975     1     5     384     11     10     Webb Simpson     11     955     0     3     404     12     9     Aaron Baddeley     11     954     1     3     405     13     11     Matt Kuchar     10     843     0     6     516     14     13     Jhonattan Vegas 13     816     1     2     543     15     14     Charl Schwartzel 6     808     1     1     551     16     16     Hunter Mahan     11     796     0     5     563     17     17     Steve Marino     11     783     0     3     576     18     15     D.A. Points     12     773     1     2     586     19     25     Bill Haas     12     760     0     4     599     20     24     Vijay Singh     12     701     0     3     658     21     19     Brendan Steele     14     684     1     1     675     22     20     Spencer Levin     14     660     0     3     699     23     21     Dustin Johnson     10     659     0     3     700     24     26     Justin Rose     11     656     0     3     703     25     22     Jason Dufner     10     649     0     2     710     26     23     Tommy Gainey     15     649     0     4     710     27     147     Lucas Glover     8     622     1     1     737     28     32     Kevin Na     13     619     0     4     740     29     27     Y.E. Yang     8     581     0     3     778     30     28     Jason Day     9     573     0     4     786     31     29     K.J. Choi     10     561     0     4     798     32     30     Steve Stricker     8     559     0     3     800     33     31     Charley Hoffman 14     554     0     1     805     34     38     J.B. Holmes     9     500     0     3     859     35     33     Adam Scott     7     487     0     2     872     36     34     Chris Kirk     13     479     0     2     880     37     35     Brendon de Jonge 14     474     0     1     885     38     46     Rickie Fowler     11     455     0     2     904     39     36     Jimmy Walker     11     445     0     3     914     40     40     Charles Howell III 14     444     0     2     915     41     37     Brian Gay     11     441     0     2     918     42     42     Marc Leishman     12     434     0     2     925     43     39     Fredrik Jacobson 12     433     0     2     926     44     57     Robert Garrigus 11     431     0     2     928     45     41     Ryan Palmer     12     430     0     2     929     46     45     Robert Allenby     12     423     0     2     936     47     63     Pat Perez     13     422     0     3     937     48     54     Jim Furyk     11     420     0     2     939     49     49     J.J. Henry     13     418     0     1     941     50     51     Ryan Moore     9     411     0     2     948 51     43     Ben Crane     8     410     0     2     949     52     53     John Senden     12     408     0         951     53     56     Johnson Wagner     10     405     1     1     954     54     44     Geoff Ogilvy     8     403     0     2     956     55     47     Chris Couch     8     400     0     3     959     56     60     David Toms     9     399     0     2     960    57     48     Michael Bradley 10     394     1     1     965     58     50     Graeme McDowell 8     384     0     3     975     59     52     Ricky Barnes     9     378     0     2     981     60     55     Scott Verplank     6     373     0     2     986     61     58     Matt Bettencourt 14     364     0     2     995     62     71     Stewart Cink     11     358     0     1     1,001     63     59     Jerry Kelly     10     356     0     2     1,003     64     61     Troy Matteson     13     348     0     2     1,011     65     65     Brandt Jobe     13     342     0     2     1,017     66     62     Keegan Bradley     14     341     0     2     1,018     67     64     Hunter Haas     14     331     0     1     1,028     68     79     Brian Davis     13     328     0         1,031     69     91     Zach Johnson     10     324     0     1     1,035     70     85     Carl Pettersson 13     315     0     2     1,044     71     66     Nick O'Hern     12     304     0     1     1,055     72     80     Bo Van Pelt     12     303     0     1     1,056     73     67     Stuart Appleby     13     302     0     1     1,057     74     68     Ian Poulter     7     300     0     1     1,059     75     69     Tim Clark     3     299     0     1     1,060     76     70     Kevin Chappell     11     295     0     1     1,064     77     72     Chad Campbell     13     292     0         1,067     78     73     Bill Lunde     13     291     0         1,068     79     74     Anthony Kim     12     290     0     1     1,069     80     82     Jeff Overton     11     289     0     1     1,070     81     75     Tiger Woods     5     287     0     2     1,072     T82     T76     Tom Gillis     7     283     0     1     1,076     T82     T76     Vaughn Taylor     11     283     0         1,076     84     78     Roland Thatcher 10     282     0     2     1,077     85     81     Scott Stallings 12     267     0     1     1,092     86     87     Alex Cejka     14     266     0         1,093     87     90     Kyle Stanley     14     259     0         1,100     88     99     Matt Jones     11     258     0     1     1,101     89     86     Cameron Tringale 14     257     0     1     1,102     90     83     Greg Chalmers     11     256     0     2     1,103     91     84     Cameron Beckman 12     256     0         1,103     92     100     Trevor Immelman 9     255     0         1,104     93     105     Padraig Harrington 8     253     0     3     1,106     94     89     Billy Mayfair     13     249     0     1     1,110     95     88     Zack Miller     14     244     0     1     1,115     96     125     Bobby Gates     13     244     0     3     1,115     97     101     Tim Herron     13     243     0     1     1,116     98     92     Ernie Els     9     228     0         1,131     99     93     Justin Leonard     12     222     0         1,137     100     94     Blake Adams     14     219     0         1,140     101     95     Kevin Streelman 12     217     0         1,142     102     96     Paul Casey     6     216     0         1,143     103     112     Sergio Garcia     4     215     0     1     1,144     104     97     Chris DiMarco     14     213     0         1,146     105     98     Dean Wilson     12     210     0         1,149     161     160     Peter Tomasulo     11     106     0         1,253     162     161     Sean O'Hair     10     105     0         1,254     163     162     Fabian Gomez     13     104     0     1     1,255     164     165     Michael Thompson 10     101     0         1,258     165     178     Billy Horschel     11     100     0         1,259     166     166     John Cook     1     95     0     1     1,264     167     167     Derek Lamely     12     93     0         1,266     168     168     Martin Piller     10     92     0         1,267     169     169     Jeff Maggert     13     89     0         1,270     T170     T170     Shigeki Maruyama 2     88     0     1     1,271     T170     T170     Henrik Stenson     7     88     0         1,271     172     188     Jim Herman     9     85     0         1,274     173     172     Briny Baird     6     84     0     1     1,275     174     173     D.J. Brigman     10     81     0         1,278     175     174     Justin Hicks     9     81     0         1,278     176     175     Lee Janzen     8     75     0         1,284     177     181     Paul Stankowski 11     73     0         1,286     178     176     J.P. Hayes     10     71     0         1,288     179     177     Shaun Micheel     12     69     0         1,290     180     179     Frank Lickliter II 4     67     0         1,292     181     180     Chad Collins     13     66     0         1,293     182     182     Rod Pampling     5     63     0         1,296     183     183     Scott McCarron     8     62     0         1,297     184     184     Aron Price     6     62     0         1,297     185     185     Tom Lehman     2     60     0         1,299     186     186     Steve Elkington 8     56     0         1,303     187     187     Rocco Mediate     11     53     0         1,306     188     189     Rich Beem     9     53     0         1,306     189     190     Scott Piercy     6     50     0         1,309     190     191     Woody Austin     6     48     0         1,311     191     192     Sunghoon Kang     8     48     0         1,311     192     193     Dicky Pride     3     47     0         1,312     193     194     Alexandre Rocha 8     46     0         1,313     194     195     Troy Merritt     11     45     0         1,314     195     196     Tom Pernice, Jr. 3     44     0         1,315     196     197     Cameron Percy     4     43     0         1,316     197     198     Chris Tidland     4     43     0     1     1,316     198     199     Jason Gore     5     42     0         1,317     199     200     Kevin Kisner     11     41     0         1,318     200     201     Jeff Quinney     3     41     0         1,318 Posted May 10 2011, 11:40 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, FedEx Cup, Bubba Watson

• 2011 Volvo World Match Play Championship Field includes Donald, Vegas & Hansen

  World number three Luke Donald (pictured), Jhonattan Vegas and Anders Hansen confirmed today that they will play in the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesín from May 19-22, 2011. With all eyes on the current battle for the top spot on the Official World Golf Ranking, the Volvo World Match Play Championship marks the next time the three top ranked players in the world -Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald - will compete in the same tournament. The tantalising prospect of the three most in-form players in the world taking each other on head to head on the glorious stage provided by Finca Cortesín underlines the global significance the Volvo World Match Play Championship now has in the player’s schedules. Full coverage of this event shall be provided by GolfbloggerUK to cover news, field, draws, tee times, pairings, TV times, betting odds, 2010 scores, 2011 scores and results, so please stay tuned in! They head up a stellar field which includes Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey, Charl Schwartzel, Ian Poulter, Francesco Molinari, Retief Goosen,  Alvaro Quirós, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Y.E. Yang, Ryan Moore, Ross Fisher, Nicolas Colsaerts, Søren Kjeldsen, Johan Edfors and Paul Lawrie. World number three, Luke Donald, who won the Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this year and whose skill in the art of match play has been much admired in his three winning European Ryder Cups performances, said "I have had a great start to the year in the States and now I am really looking forward to returning to play in Europe. I grew up watching the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth and certainly dreamed of winning it as I watched so many of golf’s legends battle it out over the years. I love match play and it seems to suit my style of golf, so to have the possibility to hold both the WGC and the historic Volvo World Match Play Championship in the same year is a great opportunity.” He continued, “Obviously having Lee and Martin in what is a fantastic line-up, adds some extra spice to the week with the Number One spot up for grabs and with the ‘champions league’ format I will probably end up playing against several of my Ryder Cup colleagues which will be fun. Also, I’ve heard so much about the luxurious Finca Cortesín Hotel that I can't wait to get over there to see it for myself." Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, 26, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Bob Hope Classic earlier this year is excited to be making his debut, saying, “It is a real privilege to get the chance to play in such a historic Championship and, after everything I’ve heard about Finca Cortesín, I am looking forward to playing in my first Volvo World Match Play Championship very much. It is my first time to Spain and will be my first professional event in Europe so add that to the thrill of match play and it will be a very exciting week.”     Denmark’s Anders Hansen commented, "Qualifying for the Volvo World Match Play Championship was definitely one of my goals this year. With such a strong field and only 24 places available, I was delighted to hear when I had qualified. I've had some great finishes this season but no wins yet so where better to start than at Finca Cortesín in a couple of weeks." Per Ericsson, President of Volvo Event Management Golf, added, “We now have 21 fantastic players confirmed with the three last stars to announce next week. We are absolutely delighted with the quality of the field this year and all the buzz around the Number One Ranking certainly adds to the excitement of the week.” Guy Kinnings, Managing Director of IMG Golf, EMEA concluded, “The date, qualification and format changes have all been extremely well received by the players and all the ingredients are in place for a thrilling 46th edition of the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesín. Working with our partners Volvo, Finca Cortesín and the European Tour, I believe we have really moved this great Championship forward while preserving its heritage.” On arrival at Finca Cortesín in May the players will be divided into eight groups of three players to be played out on Thursday and Friday with 16 players progressing to Saturday in a knock-out format with the semis and final played on Sunday. The prize fund for the 2011 Championship has increased to €3.4 million with a first prize of €800,000, the highest on the European Tour outside of the Majors, World Golf Championship events and the Dubai World Golf Championship. For more information please visit www.volvoworldmatchplay.com FIELD UPDATE The field will comprise 24 qualifiers determined by the following criteria: i) Defending Champion Ross Fisher ii) Winner of the 2010 Volvo China Open YE Yang iii) The leading two players** (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2010 Andalucía Valderrama Masters Graeme McDowell  and Søren Kjeldsen iv) The leading player** (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2010 Dubai World Championship Miguel Angel Jiménez  (Robert Karlsson (Withdrawn) v) The top four players (not otherwise exempt above) from the final 2010 European Tour Race to Dubai Rankings: Martin Kaymer Lee Westwood Ian Poulter Francesco Molinari vi) The leading player** (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2011 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship Rory McIlroy vii) The leading player** (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2011 Volvo Golf Champions Paul Casey viii) The leading two players** (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2011 Open de Andalucía Paul Lawrie Johan Edfors ix) The leading player (not otherwise exempt above), based upon his nationality, listed on the Official World Golf Ranking, from each of the following regions following the completion of the 2011 US Masters (11/04/11): Europe: Luke Donald Africa/Middle East: Charl Schwartzel North America: Ryan Moore South America: Jhonattan Vegas Asia (comprising China, SE Asia, India, Japan and Korea) TBC Australasia (comprising Australia, Fiji and New Zealand) TBC x) The leading player (not otherwise exempt above) from the Official World Golf Ranking following the completion of the 2011 US Masters (11/04/11): Retief Goosen xi) The leading two players (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2011 European Tour Race to Dubai Rankings following the completion of the 2011 US Masters (11/04/11): Alvaro Quiros Anders Hansen xii) The leading player** (not otherwise exempt above) from the 2011 Volvo China Open (25/04/11) Nicolas Colsearts xiii) One sponsor invite taken from the top 50 from the Official World Golf Ranking following the completion of the 2011 US Masters. Posted May 04 2011, 11:05 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, Volvo World Match Play

• Lee Westwood wins the 2011 Ballantine's Championship in Korea

  World #1 Lee Westwood of England, who won the Asian Tour Indonesian Open last week, has won the European Tour 2011 Ballantine's Championship at Blackstone GC, Icheon, Korea. Westwood, fired a final round of -5, 67 for a total score of -12, 276, to edge Miguel Angel Jimenez (71) of Spain by 1 shot. Next best placed on -10, 278 was ang-hyun Park (69), followed by American Dustin Johnson (69) on -9, 279. A full list of golf scores is detailed below. Full coverage of this event shall be provided by GolfbloggerUK to cover news, field, draws, tee times, pairings, TV times, betting odds, 2010 scores, 2011 scores and results, so please stay tuned in by clicking here. 2011 Ballantine's Championship Final Scoreboard (par 72):- 1 Lee Westwood         ENG -12 72     68     69     67     276 2 Miguel Angel Jimenez    ESP -11 70     67     69     71     277 3 Sang-hyun Park     KOR -10 67     72     70     69     278 4 Dustin Johnson     USA -9     70     69     71     69     279 5 Soon-sang Hong     KOR -8     69     72     70     69     280 5 Alexander Noren     SWE -8     70     69     67     74     280 7 Jbe Kruger         RSA -7     73     70     69     69     281 7 James Morrison     ENG -7     69     69     72     71     281 7 Brett Rumford     AUS -7     71     63     73     74     281 10 Dae-hyun Kim     KOR -6     71     69     71     71     282 10 Kyung-tae Kim     KOR -6     69     71     72     70     282 10 Joong-kyung Mo     KOR -6     71     70     72     69     282 13 Rhys Davies         WAL -5     70     68     68     77     283 13 Robert-Jan Derksen     NED -5     73     69     71     70     283 13 Jamie Donaldson     WAL -5     72     69     71     71     283 13 Søren Kjeldsen     DEN -5     71     66     73     73     283 13 Shane Lowry         IRL -5     72     70     69     72     283 13 Gareth Maybin     NIR -5     72     70     72     69     283 13 Richard McEvoy     ENG -5     71     73     68     71     283 13 Damien McGrane     IRL -5     66     72     74     71     283 13 Richie Ramsay     SCO -5     68     72     69     74     283 13 Marcel Siem         GER -5     76     68     71     68     283 13 Matthew Zions     AUS -5     76     66     71     70     283 24 Shiv Kapur         IND -4     72     68     72     72     284 24 Rikard Karlberg     SWE -4     71     69     71     73     284 26 Christian Nilsson     SWE -3     74     67     74     70     285 27 Kiradech Aphibarnrat THA -2     71     72     70     73     286 27 Marcus Fraser     AUS -2     72     70     72     72     286 27 Hyung-sung Kim     KOR -2     70     75     72     69     286 27 Wen-chong Liang     CHN -2     74     66     74     72     286 27 Joel Holm         SWE -2     74     67     73     72     286 27 Mark Tullo         CHI -2     71     70     75     70     286 33 Grégory Havret     FRA -1     73     69     71     74     287 33 John Parry         ENG -1     72     70     75     70     287 35 Felipe Aguilar     CHI 0     67     74     74     73     288 35 Simon Dyson         ENG 0     77     68     75     68     288 35 Tetsuji Hiratsuka     JPN 0     73     71     71     73     288 35 Rick Kulacz         AUS 0     72     71     73     72     288 35 Seong-ho Lee     KOR 0     70     74     73     71     288 35 Sung Lee         KOR 0     79     66     71     72     288 41 Andrew Dodt         AUS 1     72     72     73     72     289 41 Thongchai Jaidee     THA 1     73     72     73     71     289 43 Hyung-tae Kim     KOR 2     75     69     71     75     290 43 Dong-seop Maeng     KOR 2     73     70     75     72     290 43 Unho Park         AUS 2     70     73     74     73     290 43 Mohd Siddikur     BAN 2     72     71     72     75     290 47 Scott Hend         AUS 3     71     72     76     72     291 47 Michael Jonzon     SWE 3     73     71     77     70     291 47 Ji-ho Jung         KOR 3     71     70     74     76     291 47 Kyung-nam Kang     KOR 3     74     71     73     73     291 47 KIM Do-hoon      KOR 3     70     75     75     71     291 47 Chinnarat Phadungsil THA 3     68     77     76     70     291 47 Fabrizio Zanotti     PAR 3     75     70     75     71     291 54 Jin-Ho Choi         KOR 4     73     68     76     75     292 54 Richard Finch     ENG 4     67     72     77     76     292 54 Peter Whiteford     SCO 4     75     69     76     72     292 54 Ji-Ho Yang         KOR 4     71     70     76     75     292 58 Jae-min Hwang     KOR 5     74     69     71     79     293 58 Ben Leong         MAS 5     73     69     74     77     293 58 Paul McGinley     IRL 5     71     70     78     74     293 58 Scott Strange     AUS 5     71     71     74     77     293 62 Min-kyu Han         KOR 6     74     71     76     73     294 62 Martin Wiegele     AUT 6     72     71     73     78     294 64 Joon Chung         KOR 7     74     71     75     75     295 64 Jae-hoon Jung     KOR 7     75     69     79     72     295 64 Mardan Mamat     SIN 7     71     73     77     74     295 64 Chapchai Nirat     THA 7     72     73     74     76     295 68 Todd Hamilton     USA 8     73     72     78     73     296 69 Gaganjeet Bhullar     IND 12     72     72     75     81     300 70 Michael Hoey     NIR 13     71     74     78     78     301 70 Wen-hong Lin     TPE 13     76     69     79     77     301 72 Danny Chia         MAS 18     72     73     82     79   Posted May 02 2011, 11:19 by GolfbloggerUK with no comments Filed under: GolfbloggerUK, Lee Westwood