Cabrera-Bello carrying home hopes
- Colsaerts cruises into last four
- Lawrie seals semi-final spot
- Graeme MCDOWELL
- Rafael CABRERA-BELLO
Rafael Cabrera-Bello came from behind to beat compatriot Alvaro Quiros and secure a tie with Graeme McDowell in the last four of the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
The Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner was three down after seven, but won six holes out of eight on the back nine for a 3 and 1 victory.
And with Northern Ireland’s McDowell knocking out Sergio Garcia at the first extra hole, Cabrera-Bello will be carrying local expectations on his own on the final day at Finca Cortesin.
“I got to play with a friend in Alvaro – I’m very happy for me but I feel sorry for him, and he’s such a good guy,” said the 27 year old, who earlier in the day beat Robert Karlsson in the last 16. “We had a good match today. I feel like I’m playing really good.
“This morning I recovered in a tough game, being two down with five to play, and now this afternoon, three down after nine and being able to win, I feel really proud of that.”
McDowell, a former US Open Champion and the man who holed the winning putt for Europe at The 2010 Ryder Cup will start as favourite, but Cabrera-Bello believes he is capable of upsetting the World Number 20.
“I have to play G Mac, and he has a lot of experience and is a Ryder Cup hero, so he’s obviously going to be a very, very tough guy to beat,” he added.
“I’m going to try my best and I’m playing good. Hopefully I can start as good as I did on my first two matches and if I don’t, I know I can come from behind and make it through. So we’ll just see what happens.”
McDowell was left to breathe a huge sigh of relief. He was comfortable enough against Richard Finch in the morning, but then had to go into extra holes against Garcia when he missed a five footer for the match on the last.
The Spanish star was favourite when they returned to the same hole, but charged a 15 foot putt for victory four feet past and missed it after McDowell had holed from five.
“It wasn’t exactly El Clasico and I feel like I dodged a bullet there,” said the 2010 US Open Champion.
“I kind of resigned myself to the fact that I was going home, but sometimes you have to win ugly and sometimes to win you need what just happened to me. I count myself lucky.”
Garcia was disappointed to go out, but was pleased to have reached the last eight despite not firing on all cylinders.
“I’m playing so badly this could happen at any moment,” he said.
“Making it to the quarter finals having played so badly means it was a good tournament. I had no good quality shots.
“He gave me some chances that I could not take and I have been saying it from the first day that I have not felt comfortable and I am not happy with my game.”
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Poulter & Rose suffer big defeats
Holder Ian Poulter and Justin Rose were knocked out of the World Match Play in the group stages as all five English players fell short of the last eight.
Spain’s Alvaro Quiros saw off Poulter with a 43 win, while Rose lost by the same margin to Nicolas Colsaerts.
Fellow Englishmen Tom Lewis, Robert Rock and Richard Finch also missed out.
Scot Paul Lawrie thrashed Thomas Bjorn 54 however to advance to a quarter-final with Retief Goosen, while Graeme McDowell will face Sergio Garcia next.
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“I’m 15 under for three rounds and going home. Unfortunately that’s the way the tournament is”
Justin Rose
McDowell, the highest seed left in the competition after Rose’s exit, saw off Finch 32, while Garcia ended Lewis’s challenge with a 43 victory and Goosen saw off Rock 32.
Poulter refused to blame the defeat on the second day when a buggy driver drove over his foot. He said: “I don’t need excuses. I had plenty of chances and didn’t take them – simple. I just didn’t play well enough.”
Discussing his exit, Rose said: “I actually boxed a good fight, but I ended up in the cuts room getting stitched up – Nicolas was seven under through 15 holes.
“I hit a drive out of my boots on 14 (353 yards), knocked it on the dance floor as he did and he rolled his in for eagle.
“I’m 15 under for three rounds and going home. Unfortunately that’s the way the tournament is.”
Lawrie’s success helped him step towards a possible Ryder Cup return. Bjorn bogeyed the first two holes and by the eighth had had three more.
The Scot said: “Thomas obviously didn’t play his best. I did what I had to do and played very solid.”
The quarter-final line-up was complete when Rafael Cabrera-Bello came from behind to beat Swede Robert Karlsson – a late stand-in for the injured Paul Casey – by getting up and down from a bunker on the last.
It meant an all-Spanish clash with Quiros for a spot in the last four.
Last-16 results
(Par: 72, Seeded positions in brackets)
(5) Sergio Garcia (Spa) bt (23) Tom Lewis (Eng) 43
(11) Paul Lawrie (Sco) bt (10) Thomas Bjorn (Den) 54
(4) Graeme McDowell (NI) bt (24) Richard Finch (Eng) 32
(18) Retief Goosen (SA) bt (15) Robert Rock (Eng) 32
(7) Brandt Snedeker (USA) bt (21) Camilo Villegas (Col) 32
(2) Justin Rose (Eng) lost to (14) Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 43
(8) Ian Poulter (Eng) lost to (12) Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 43
(16) Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) bt (13) Robert Karlsson (Swe) 1 hole
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Lawrie & McDowell into semi-final
Paul Lawrie and Graeme McDowell are into the semi-finals of the World Match Play in Spain after defeating Retief Goosen and Sergio Garcia respectively.
Lawrie was in fine form as he beat Goosen 65 without dropping a shot, while McDowell won in sudden death.
“The wind really picked up and [being] under par, you are going to be tough to beat,” said Lawrie.
The Scot now meets Nicolas Colsaerts in the last-four, and Northern Ireland’s McDowell faces Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
Lawrie’s good form at Finca Cortesin is also timely, as he bids for a place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for the first time since 1999 – the same year he won the Open at Carnoustie.
He currently stands fifth in the points race and has a chance to move into second spot this weekend, not least because he beat the incumbent Peter Hanson of Sweden during the group stage.
“I’m not thinking about that [the Ryder Cup], even if I win this week,” said Lawrie, who has decided not to compete at next month’s US Open.
The 43-year-old, who benefited from South African Goosen’s sloppy start, added: “If things go well then obviously it’s a step closer, but that’s all it is.
“There’s a lot of tournaments to be played.”
McDowell was made to work harder than Lawrie for his victory, and he missed a five-foot putt for victory on the final green.
That sent the match into sudden death, where home favourite Garcia three-putted the first extra hole, the 18th, to send McDowell through to Sunday’s semi-final.
“It wasn’t exactly El Clasico and I feel like I dodged a bullet there,” said the 2010 US Open champion.
“I kind of resigned myself to the fact that I was going home, but sometimes you have to win ugly and sometimes to win you need what just happened to me. I count myself lucky.”
His opponent in the last four, Cabrera-Bello, won six of the last eight holes to recover from a three-down deficit at the turn to win 31 against fellow Spaniard Alvaro Quiros.
In the other quarter-final, Belgian Colsaerts beat American Brandt Snedeker 43 to reach the last four for the second year in a row.
Quarter-final results
(seeded positions in brackets)
(11)
Paul Lawrie
(Sco) beat (18) Retief Goosen (SA) 65
(7) Brandt Snedeker (US) lost to (14)
Nicolas Colsaerts
(Bel) 43
(5) Sergio Garcia (Spa) lost to (4)
Graeme McDowell
(NI) sudden death after first extra hole
(12) Alvaro Quiros (Spa) lost to (16)
Rafael Cabrera-Bello
(Spa) 31
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European Tour stars join Chris Evans in new speed record
A celebrity team including Ryder Cup winning captain Colin Montgomerie and BBC radio and TV personality Chris Evans are claiming a new British record after playing 18 holes of golf today – in less than 11 minutes.
Evans joined a team of eight of the world’s top golfers at the London Golf Club, a European Tour Destination, near Ash, Kent, as they completed their round in 10 minutes and 53 seconds, with the Radio 2 DJ holing the final putt to beat the previous record by an impressive one minute and 54 seconds.
But not content with a British record, Evans has vowed to try to go one better with an attempt to break the world record of seven minutes 56 seconds when Golf Live stage a second endeavour on Sunday.
He said: “Adrenaline always gets you going. To be frank, we had a practice earlier in the day and weren’t sure how things were going to go, but everybody did brilliantly and played their part.
“I definitely think we can improve on our time tomorrow while the world record is not out of the question and I would urge everybody to come on down to Golf Live to see how we get on.”
The feat was completed on the London Golf Club’s Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage Course, with Golf Live’s big-name players completing nine circuits of the 10th and 18th holes – creating a 6,183-yard par-72 course.
Ryder Cup winning captain Colin Montgomerie and European Tour star Oli Fisher hit tee shots on the 10th and 18th respectively, while nine-time Major winner Gary Player, victorious Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas, Scottish teenage-sensation Carly Booth and Evans handled everything on or around the greens.
In between them, European Tour stars Rhys Davies and Benn Barham were positioned to play approach shots from the fairways along with Ladies European Tour player Melissa Reid.
While speed was valued over accuracy the players still managed to register an impressive four-over-par score of 76, after recovering from a disastrous eight on the opening hole.
The combination of Fisher, Davies, Barham, Player and Evans proved successful on the 18th as they failed to drop a shot with nine consecutive pars.
Montgomerie’s accuracy off the tee kept the grouping on the 10th hole on track, as seven of his nine tee shots hit the fairway, while on the green Nicholas holed two crucial birdie putts.
The all-star cast were ably assisted by a group of low-handicappers selected from Evans’ listeners, who were strategically placed around the course to play any errant shots in the direction of the green.
BBC commentators Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter provided the hundreds of fans present with commentary throughout the attempt, and a wave of euphoria swept the crowd as Cotter announced the official time and a new world record for Golf Live.
The record-breaking 18 holes was the finale to the second day of Golf Live, where thousands of golf fans have had the chance to get up close and personal with some of the game’s greatest players, marvel at their skills and learn their favourite hints and tips.
The three-day golfing extravaganza is taking place at the London Golf Club, Kent, until 6pm on Sunday and gives visitors the chance to enjoy a host of interactive features including free coaching, club-fitting and the chance to try out the latest equipment from all the big brands.
Tickets for Golf Live cost just £20 for adults while under-18s can gain free entry by registering on Golf Live’s website. For more information or to buy tickets visit www.golfliveevent.com
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Finch flying after thrilling win
- Poulter sees off Lewis to top group
- Robert Rock – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Rafael Cabrera-Bello – Volvo World Matchplay day 2.
- Ian Poulter – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Graeme McDowell – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Richard Finch – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Justin Rose – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Paul Lawrie – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Tom Lewis – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Thomas Bjorn – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Camilo Villegas – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Alvaro Quiros – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Robert Karlsson – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Retief GOOSEN
- Richard FINCH
England’s Richard Finch knocked out top seed Martin Kaymer as three Major Champions exited at the first round stage of the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
The World Number Nine from Germany missed a three footer on the last and, having also lost to Rafael Cabrera-Bello, there was no reprieve for the former US PGA Championship winner.
Finch, whose third-place finish in last month’s Volvo China Open qualified him for the 24-man field because top two Branden Grace and Nicolas Colsaerts already had places, next plays Graeme McDowell.
Northern Ireland’s 2010 US Open Champion made it two wins out of two, following his last-green success over Robert Karlsson with a 4 and 3 victory over South African Jbe Kruger.
Karlsson, who stepped in on Sunday for the injured Paul Casey, is still alive after beating Kruger in a play-off. He will meet Cabrera-Bello.
Scot Paul Lawrie, in his 500th European Tour event, won his group, but only in a play-off with Colombian Camilo Villegas after they halved.
It is Dane Thomas Björn next for the former Open Champion. Björn was involved in a three-way shoot-out with American Brandt Snedeker and Grace.
Snedeker, reunited with his own full set of clubs after they failed to arrive for the start of the event yesterday and he set off with ten borrowed ones, birdied the first extra hole and will now take on Villegas.
Retief Goosen won twice on day two to secure his passage into the last 16, where he will face Robert Rock.
Having beaten Colsaerts on the final green, the South African overcame compatriot Charl Schwartzel 4 and 3 in the afternoon to top his group.
Having halved their opening match on Thursday, Schwartzel and Colsaerts went into a play-off to determine the second qualifier and the Belgian prevailed with a birdie at the first extra hole.
The 2011 Masters Tournament winner and Kaymer were joined in an early trip to the airport by Open Champion Darren Clarke, who saw his hopes ended 6 and 5 by Justin Rose.
Clarke had also lost to Rock earlier in the day in a contest that went to the final green.
The 43 year old has yet to survive a halfway cut this season and has still to record his first top-ten finish since his memorable triumph at Sandwich last summer.
Rose, in contrast, has not gone beyond the 14th hole in either of his games – he beat Rock 7 and 6.
Rose went four up on the 574 yard eighth even though he hit only one shot there. Clarke pulled his drive into bushes, the ball was never found and he decided not to return to the tee, leaving Rose to face Colsaerts in round two.
Defending champion Ian Poulter, Rose’s great friend and Ryder Cup partner in 2008, is still going strong and they could meet in Sunday’s final.
After Australian John Senden lost to both Poulter and 21 year old Tom Lewis, the only thing at stake when the two Englishmen – both Hertfordshire players – clashed was who topped the group. Both were already through.
Poulter won it 4 and 3 to set up a meeting with big-hitting Alvaro Quiros, while Lewis, who won the Portugal Masters last October in only his third start as a professional, is also up against Spanish opposition in Sergio Garcia.
“I don’t think either of us were 100 per cent switched on – I guess it was hard to get that adrenaline rush you normally get in match play,” said Poulter, who beat Luke Donald in last year’s final.
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Finch shocks Kaymer at Match Play
England’s Richard Finch shocked German world number nine Martin Kaymer to advance to the last 16 of the World Match Play at Finca Cortesin, Spain.
Finch, ranked 218 in the world, recorded a one-hole win over the number one seed to become the seventh UK player to reach the second round.
Ian Poulter, Tom Lewis, Graeme McDowell, Paul Lawrie, Robert Rock and Justin Rose are all through.
But Open champion Darren Clarke has gone out.
Clarke, who has failed to survive a halfway cut this season, lost twice on Friday, by two holes to Rock and 64 to Rose.
In the morning session, Lewis’s one-hole win over John Senden secured his and defending champion Poulter’s progress.
After Poulter defeated Senden on Thursday, a half for Lewis would have have been enough to send Poulter through.
Lewis, the 21-year-old who led the Open as an amateur last year, did better than that, but had to go to the final green to secure victory.
Poulter then prevailed 43 when the pair met in the afternoon.
Lawrie, playing in his 500th European Tour event, got the half he needed against Camillo Villegas, while McDowell, who beat Robert Karlsson on Thursday, triumphed 43 over Jbe Kruger.
Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn and Retief Goosen were amongst those who also made the weekend.
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Garcia leads Spanish trio into last 16
- Finch flying after thrilling win
- Poulter sees off Lewis to top group
- Volvo World Match Play – Sergio Garcia Interview (42)
- End of Play Report – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Rafael Cabrera-Bello – Volvo World Matchplay day 2.
- Alvaro Quiros – Volvo World Matchplay day 2
- Sergio GARCIA
- Rafael CABRERA-BELLO
- Alvaro QUIROS
Sergio Garcia is looking to lead a strong home challenge over the weekend at the Volvo World Match Play Championship after winning his group.
Garcia faces 21 year old Tom Lewis in the second round after beating compatriot Alvaro Quiros and Japan’s Tetsuji Hiratsuka.
Quiros joins him in the last 16, having beaten Hiratsuka 5 and 4 in the morning session, with Rafael Cabrera-Bello making it a hattrick of Spaniards through after wins over Martin Kaymer and Richard Finch.
“I wasn’t hitting the best of shots, but somehow I found a way of getting the ball in play and hitting a couple decent iron shots, gave myself good birdie chances on 11 and 12 and 15, and rolled a good putt in to get things going,” said Garcia, after his 4 and 2 victory over Hiratsuka.
“I obviously got a little bit fortunate because neither of my playing partners played great the first two days. I got on a good run today after starting poorly the first seven holes.
“Overall I think it was a mix of hitting a couple of good shots at the right times, and getting a little bit lucky.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been fairly good at match play. As a professional, maybe not as good but as an amateur I was usually pretty good. It’s nice to get a couple of wins and hopefully we’ll play well tomorrow and have a chance of winning again.”
Quiros now faces defending champion Poulter, while Cabrera-Bello takes on Robert Karlsson after ensuring top seed Kaymer went out in the first round.
“I’m very pleased,” said the Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner after his morning win against Finch.
“I played really good today again. Richard fought back really hard so it was a really, really tough match.
“I was lucky enough that I could pull a few clear at the beginning, similar to the way I did yesterday, and the rest of the game, I protected my lead and managed to win a lot of holes again.
“It’s potentially a long weekend. I’m playing really good but this is match play and you never know what’s going to happen. I’ll just play one match at a time, one hole at a time, and hopefully we can have a long weekend.”
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Midland ace set for US Senior PGA debut
Paul Wesselingh’s blistering start to life in the senior ranks continues to hit new heights after he secured a place in next week’s US Senior PGA Championship.
The Kedleston Park pro earned his spot in the first senior major of the season, which is being held at Harbor Shores, Michigan, on the back of his stunning debut in the Mallorca Open Senior, where he finished tied second.
The six-time PGA Cup player claimed one of two exemptions on offer at Mallorca, the other going to fellow PGA pro Andrew Sherborne (The Kendleshire). The pair will be joined in the US by the top 18 players from last year’s Senior Tour Order of Merit.
Wesselingh had further cause to celebrate after winning the Senior PGA Professional Championship at Northants County on Friday to cap a memorable two weeks.
He admitted he was stunned to have secured a place in the $2m USPGA tournament and was left with a massive dilemma as the championship clashed with next week’s BMW PGA Championship, which he has also qualified for via the Titleist PGA Play-Offs.
But he revealed the choice was made much easier following a chat with Australian Mike Harwood, a former PGA Champion.
“As soon as I signed my card in the tournament office on Sunday I was given a pack by an official and told ‘there you are, you’ve got into the USPGA Seniors’,” said Wesselingh.
“I asked when it was and was told ‘next week’. I replied I’m playing at Wentworth and he said ‘well you’ve got to make your mind up by midday Monday’.
“I was stunned with that and Mike Harwood, who I had just played with, had heard the conversation and took me to one side. He asked me how many times I’d played Wentworth and I told him seven. He then said ‘how well have you done?’, and I told him I made the cut once.
“He said ‘It’s a no brainer, go to the States. If you play the way you did you could be competing for it’. I also learned that any money I win there will count towards the Order of Merit, which will help give me a head start on a lot of the other players, while there’s also the experience as well.”
The late change of plan has also benefited one of Wesselingh’s three children, who will be going to the US with him.
“Ryan was going to caddy for me at Wentworth and now I’m going to take him to America with me,” said Wesselingh.
“He’s getting a nice trip but that also means the others want the same so I have had to promise them that.”
Wesselingh’s withdrawal from the BMW PGA Championship has seen Elie’s David Patrick, winner of one Scottish Region Order of Merit this season secure a late-call up to The European Tour’s flagship event.
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Golf Show: Curse of the Journeyman pro
I always remember the withering comment of Jack Nicklaus back in the mid-1990s when professional golf really began to swill in sponsors’ money.
Nicklaus had a gripe about the fact that the PGA Tour in America had a whole bunch of players – the middle-rankers – who would scarcely be known by the public, and had scarcely won a tournament, yet were absolutely rolling in it.
“It’s too easy to become a dollar millionaire out here now,” said the Golden Bear of the US Tour at the time. “You don’t really have to push yourself too hard these days to make a very comfortable living out of the game.”
Guys like Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer tended to look at golf through rose-tinted spectacles, back to an age in the late 1950s when golfers had to slog from tournament to tournament without today’s riches.
This reflection tended not to tell the whole truth. But, nonetheless, there was something in it.
I’m sorry to admit that, when I look at the cast-list of Scottish professional golfers right now, I can’t help recalling Nicklaus’s comment of 15-plus years ago.
We’ve got a bunch of players slogging away on the European Tour who have made plenty of money but who are sometimes damned with the dreaded “journeyman” tag.
Last week, I interviewed Scott Jamieson, a top guy and a really good golfer, and I asked him about “making the grade” to a higher level of the game.
Jamieson, after only two years on the European Tour, has earned well in his career so far, but the holy grail for him remains – to ascend to something more than a little-known but wealthy golfer.
Last week on The Golf Show, we also had Stephen Gallacher in the studio. Gallacher, from a golfing dynasty, is also supremely talented, but I felt I had to put it to him that, having won only one event in 16 years on tour, it seemed a scarce haul of honours.
“It’s not as if I’m not trying,” Gallacher said when put on the spot about his lack of silverware.
The one tournament he did win – the 2004 Dunhill Links Championship – was a big one, carrying a fat cheque. But there is no doubt that he, like Jamieson and others, are striving hard not just to be rich but to be successful.
In Scotland, because we had the Torrance, Lyle and Montgomerie generation – and with Paul Lawrie making himself an Open champion in 1999 – we pine for another lot to make the breakthrough.
Lawrie, of course, is still going strong, while Glaswegian Martin Laird, still only 29, has a real chance of being something big in the USA.
Incidentally, Laird won $627,000 (nearly £400,000) for finishing second in the Players Championship last week. Enough to turn Jack Nicklaus green with envy.
Nicklaus’s comment of years back had a slightly barbed edge. But you can see where he was coming from.
My favourite golf courses: Elie
This fantastic – and by no means easy – golf course in the Fife holiday resort is typical of the richness of Scotland’s golfing landscape. Elie is one of those gems you savour going to play: it is short and linksy, boasting more than a few quirky and memorable holes.
Everyone knows about the first hole at Elie – you have to use a maritime periscope to peer over the hill to see if the fairway is clear for teeing-off. From there, you have three hours of enjoyable golf on a course whose greens seem to be in excellent condition virtually all the year round.
At the short 10th, you play an approach virtually down towards the rocky shore. Then the 466-yard coastline-hugging 12th taxes your longer game. I’ve played this golf course on baking summer days and wild winter afternoons and have never done anything but revel in the experience.
It helps, too, that in pubs such as the Ship Inn, Elie boasts a number of excellent post-match howfs.
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AUDIO: US fans less knowledgeable
Colin Montgomerie has told
that American golf fans are “not as knowledgeable” as British ones.
Speaking to Breakfast, the Scottish 48-year-old added that he regretted his infamous run-in with the crowd at the 1997 US Open, for which he blamed himself.
You can listen to other BBC Radio 5 live interviews by visiting the
page.
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Garcia victorious in all-Spanish encounter
- Poulter pleased with opening victory
- Snedeker beats Björn in Spain
- Sergio Garcia – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Sergio GARCIA
Sergio Garcia claimed the local bragging rights as the Spaniard kicked off his Volvo World Match Play Championship with a 2 and 1 victory over compatriot Alvaro Quiros.
The 32 year old went one up at the first when Quiros hooked his drive and double bogeyed, lost the second with a bogey but birdied the third to restore his advantage.
Quiros levelled with a par at the seventh, and went ahead for the first time with a birdie at the short tenth.
But Garcia birdied the 13th and 17th, and with Quiros losing the 14th after a bogey it was The Ryder Cup star who made a winning start to the group stage.
“I guess you could say it was a good battle, because it was a battle,” said Garcia. “That’s about it pretty much.
“I think the one that has the most credit today is the people that were following us for not walking off after nine probably, because I can’t really imagine that that was a lot of fun to watch. We weren’t playing very good.
“I had a stretch there on ten, 11, 12, where he did hit some good shots. I made a big putt on 11 to stay one down, and then he had a great chance on 12 from about probably five feet, no more than that, to go two up.
“If he would have made that, the way I was feeling, I would have struggled. You could see that he felt that, because after that hole, he struggled the next couple. He hit a couple bad drives and I managed to win both of them and got one up.
“I was fortunate enough to hit three really good iron shots coming in on 15, 16 and 17. So that was about it.”
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US golf fans ‘less knowledgeable’
Colin Montgomerie has said golf fans in the United States are “not as knowledgeable” as those in Britain.
The 48-year-old Scot told
he regretted his infamous run-in with the crowd at the 1997 US Open and blamed himself for the incident.
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“I made a mistake and answered back and I paid for it for about 10 years”
Colin Montgomerie
But he added: “I don’t think the golf fans in America are members of golf clubs in the way they are here.
“At
most of the fans will be golfers and understand and respect the etiquette of the game.”
Montgomerie, runner-up at the US Open on three occasions, said he now enjoyed playing in the United States but that his reaction to abuse from the crowd at Congressional in 1997 had cost him “most of [his] career”.
“The abuse from the American fans was my fault,” he said.
“I regret one particular moment when I was leading the US Open in 1997 at Congressional and I did the unthinkable and answered back.
“I was the biggest [European] threat, and I was leading at the time and I got the abuse because of it.
“I made a mistake and answered back and I paid for it for about 10 years.”
Admitting that he had sworn at a spectator, he added: “Somebody said the wrong thing at the wrong time, I’d just made a bogey, and I answered back and that was that.
“I enjoy going back now and there’s more respect for me there now than there ever was before.
“But it cost me about five or seven years over there, which when you think there’s three major championships there, tends to cost you most of your career.”
Montgomerie, who has never won one of golf’s four major championships despite five second places, says he envies Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy for having got over that hurdle so early in his career, winning last year’s US Open at just 22.
And he has words of caution for two of the UK’s other leading golfers, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, neither of whom has yet won a major despite having both been world number one.
“I had an opportunity [at the US Open at Pebble Beach] in 1992 when I was Rory’s age [Montgomerie was 28] and it didn’t happen and of course the pressure is then on, as has happened with Lee Westwood and is happening with Luke Donald.
“They need to break through now. Lee’s 40 this year and you don’t often improve over 40. Once he [wins a major] I think the floodgates will open, and I think he deserves one.”
Montgomerie, who has eight European Tour Order of Merit titles to his name but last year failed to qualify for the Open Championship for the first time in 22 years, says he has taken more pleasure from team triumphs than individual success.
Speaking in Ryder Cup year – the 2012 competition takes place at Medinah Country Club in Illinois from 25-30 September – Europe’s victorious captain from Celtic Manor two years ago says he “loves” the competition.
Named coach of the year at the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, the Scot’s record of 23.5 points is third on the all-time Ryder Cup list, while he has never lost in eight singles matches.
“I don’t know what it is with me and the Ryder Cup,” he said. “I much prefer being part of a team rather than an individual set-up.”
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Snedeker wins with borrowed clubs
American Brandt Snedeker needed to borrow clubs as he beat Thomas Bjorn on the opening day of the World Match Play Championship in Finca Cortesin, Spain.
Snedeker’s bag went missing en route from Florida and he was on the fourth tee when he was reunited with them.
The American was three holes ahead by that point and went on to a 54 win.
Justin Rose birdied the first five holes and was five up after six before beating Robert Rock, while defending champion Ian Poulter beat John Senden.
The 24 players in the field have been drawn into eight groups of three.
Each group will play in a round-robin format and the top two players from each group advance to the last 16, when the tournament reverts to a conventional knockout format.
Under the rules Snedeker, who also had to begin his round wearing his training shoes, was allowed only to add four clubs to those he had started with, but was so happy with the driver he had borrowed from Australian Senden and the putter he had chosen in the pro shop that he continued with them.
“The driver worked really well, so I think it’s mine now and no longer his,” the American quipped.
Bjorn, who has been suffering from a virus and pulled out of the last two events in America, bogeyed the first three holes and was five down after six.
Scot Paul Lawrie started his 500th European Tour event with a 21 victory over the higher-ranked Hanson, winning the 16th with a par to go one-up and then making a birdie from five feet on the next after his six-iron tee shot kicked off the bank on the right of the green.
There was also one halve, last year’s Masters champion Charl Schwartzel making a birdie on the last to square his match with last year’s semi-finalist Nicolas Colsaerts.
Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are among a long list of absentees this year, leaving world number nine Martin Kaymer as top seed.
Kaymer lost 32 to Dubai Desert Classic winner Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Spain’s other winner was Sergio Garcia, who came from behind to beat compatriot Alvaro Quiros.
World Match Play Championship results (seedings in brackets):
(8) Ian Poulter bt (9) John Senden (Aus) 3 2
(7) Brandt Snedeker (USA) bt (10) Thomas Bjorn (Den) 5 4
(6) Peter Hanson (Swe) lost to (11) Paul Lawrie 2 1
(5) Sergio Garcia (Spa) bt (12) Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 2 1
(4) Graeme McDowell bt (13) Robert Karlsson (Swe) 1 hole
(3) Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) halved with (14) Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel)
(2) Justin Rose bt (15) Robert Rock 7 6
(1) Martin Kaymer (Ger) lost to (16) Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 3 2
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Lawrie joins 500 club with a win
- Garcia victorious in all-Spanish encounter
- Poulter pleased with opening victory
- Paul Lawrie – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Brandt Snedeker – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Ian Poulter – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Justin Rose – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Rafael Cabrera-Bello – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Graeme McDowell – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Sergio Garcia – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Charl Schwartzel – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Nicolas Colsaerts – Volvo World Matchplay day 1
- Sergio GARCIA
- Justin ROSE
- Ian POULTER
- Paul LAWRIE
- Graeme MCDOWELL
- Rafael CABRERA-BELLO
- Brandt SNEDEKER
Scot Paul Lawrie started his 500th European Tour event with a 2 and 1 victory over Sweden’s Peter Hanson at the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
The former Open Champion won the 16th with a par to go one-up and then made birdie from five feet on the next after his six iron tee shot kicked off the bank right of the green.
“It came out absolutely beautiful,” said Lawrie, who beat Hanson into second place at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters earlier this year.
“But it wasn’t much of a game – neither of us holed any putts.”
Lawrie and Hanson now have to play Colombian Camilo Villegas, while Graeme McDowell next meets South African Jbe Kruger after his thrilling last-green win over Robert Karlsson.
The 2010 Ryder Cup hero trailed entering the closing stretch, birdied the 16th, got up and down from a bunker at the short 17th and then almost eagled the 568 yard last.
That left Karlsson, in sand for two, needing to hole from eight feet for a half, but he missed it.
“One down with three to play against a great player, I feel very fortunate,” said the Northern Irishman.
Top seed Martin Kaymer was beaten 3 and 2 by Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Spain’s other winner was Sergio Garcia, who came from behind to beat compatriot Alvaro Quiros 2 and 1.
There was one halved game, last year’s Masters Tournament champion Charl Schwartzel making birdie on the last to square things against last year’s semi-finalist Nicolas Colsaerts.
In a history going back to 1964 the event had never seen anything quite like Brandt Snedeker’s victory over Thomas Björn.
The 31 year old American began his opening group game with just ten clubs in his bag and yet won the first three holes before more arrived.
Snedeker was forced to seek replacements when his usual set went missing en route from Florida on Monday.
They eventually showed up at Malaga Airport this morning, then were driven to Finca Cortesin an hour away and taken to him on the fourth tee.
Under the rules he was allowed only to add four to those he had started with, but was so happy with the driver he had borrowed from Australian John Senden and the putter he had chosen in the pro shop that he continued with them.
“The driver worked really well, so I think it’s mine now and no longer his,” said the three-time US PGA Tour winner, who hopes to use this week to impress American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III.
“It was kind of a weird day to say the least. I didn’t like my chances at all actually – I knew Thomas was a world-class player and it was pretty windy, so I knew it favoured him.”
Björn, though, has been suffering from a virus lately – he pulled out of the last two events in America – and he could never recover from bogeying the opening three holes, falling five down after six and losing 5 and 4.
It was not the biggest defeat of the day, however. Robert Rock was beaten 7 and 6 by fellow Englishman Justin Rose, who birdied the first five holes, winning four of them, and later added two more.
Rock is the player, of course, who in January went head-to-head with Tiger Woods and beat not just him, but also world top three Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood in Abu Dhabi.
Under the revised format since Volvo took over sponsorship of the famous event, however, the week is not yet over for Björn, Rock, Hanson, Karlsson, Senden, Quiros or Kaymer.
They could yet make it through to the last 16 if they win their second games. Indeed Ian Poulter won the title last year after failing to win either of his group matches – he halved them both.
Second seed Rose said: “The game was good – I adjusted to the speed of the greens quickly and Robert didn’t.
“His only hiccup came when he missed from three feet on the ninth after his opponent had holed from eight.
“I had to remind myself to keep in it and play solid golf.”
To guarantee himself a place in the knock-out stages Rose now needs only a half against Open Champion Darren Clarke.
The same applies to Poulter against Tom Lewis, the 21 year old who led The Open Championship as an amateur last July and then won the Portugal Masters on only his third professional start.
Both are from Hertfordshire and Poulter was recently shown a picture of a ten year old Lewis caddying for him at Welwyn Garden.
“I think he’s a great player. Also very shy, very quiet – that to me is probably the bit that he needs to try and change in a way,” said Poulter after his 3 and 2 win over Senden.
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Wolstenholme seeking Spanish double in Benahavis
- Mason eyes more Spanish success
- New date for Benahavis Senior Masters
- Gary WOLSTENHOLME
Gary Wolstenholme will be hoping to complete a Spanish double as he travels to the Benahavis Senior Masters in two weeks’ time brim-full of confidence after his victory at the season-opening Mallorca Open Senior last week.
The Englishman claimed his second professional win in Mallorca after a final round of 69 sealed a two shot victory over the chasing trio of Mike Harwood, Paul Wesselingh and Chris Williams at Pula Golf Club.
It was a perfect start to the year for the 51 year old after a superb first full season on the Senior Tour which earned him the Rookie of the Year award. Despite not adding to his first victory at the 2010 Casa Serena Open, the six-time Walker Cup player only missed one cut in 21 appearances, racking up nine top ten finishes.
Indeed, the closest he came to victory last year was at the Benahavis Senior Masters, where he led going into the final day but finished tied second, three shots behind Carl Mason as the Senior Tour’s all-time leading money winner claimed his 25th Tour title.
Wolstenholme will be hoping to go one better this year as he attempts to build on his fine start to the season at La Quinta Golf and Country Club on the southern coast of Spain, just outside Marbella.
But his task has been made harder by the presence of 26 players from the top 30 of last year’s Order of Merit, who comprise what is arguably the strongest field in the tournament’s history.
The man whom Wolstenholme shared second place with last year, former Ryder Cup Captain Mark James, will be searching for his first win since 2009 – which came, coincidentally, at the Mallorca Open Senior.
Mason will return to a tournament which has brought him so much success as he aims to make it three Benahavis Senior Masters titles in the space of four years while Peter Fowler, the 2011 John Jacobs Trophy winner, also attends, in search of his third Senior Tour victory.
Amongst the local favourites at La Quinta will be the former Ryder Cup star who designed the course over which the Senior Tour’s third tournament of the season will be played, Manuel Piñero.
Four-time Senior Tour winner Juan Quiros is also in the field, as are his fellow Spaniards José Maria Cañizares, Antonio Garrido and Miguel Angel Martin, who will make his first appearance at the Benahavis Senior Masters having turned 50 earlier this month.
The fourth edition of the Benahavis Senior Masters has been moved to a new date on the Senior Tour Schedule, from October to the much earlier time of June 1 – 3, and has also benefitted from an increased prize fund of €200,000.
Entry to the tournament is free.
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Poulter primed for more Match Play success
- Rose keen to emulate Poulter’s Match Play success
- Man City pair celebrate in Spain
- Garcia warns of tough group
- Volvo World Match Play format explained
- Excitement builds after Match Play draw
- Paul Lawrie joins the 500 club
- Grace targeting ‘Volvo Slam’
- Ian POULTER
Defending champion Ian Poulter is determined to continue his remarkable match play record at the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
The 36 year old Englishman has a formidable Ryder Cup record, as well as having won the WGC-Accenture Match Play and this event at Finca Cortesin 12 months ago.
“Match play is one of the games which I love to play,” said eighth seed Poulter, who faces Australian John Senden and Portugal Masters winner Tom Lewis in the first round. “I love the buzz of it. I love the fact that the holes tick away pretty quickly, and I like looking straight at the guys you’re playing.
“I just like the buzz you get from it. It kind of puts you under pressure, and it’s a great format, which we don’t play enough of.
“John is a very consistent player, he hits a lot of greens in regulation. He will be a guy you will need to go out there and be patient, and try to pick your birdies.
“Tom is obviously a great young talent, winning last year, he’s going to be an exciting player in the future and one that’s going to be hard to play against this week.”
Poulter’s compatriot Justin Rose put his match play success down to his ability to hole clutch putts, but the 11-time European Tour winner feels everything about the format suits him.
“I get excited to play match play,” he added. “I like the fact of playing one on one with somebody. I like the pressure of you have to hole a putt to win the hole or you have to hole a putt to halve the hole, or you have to hole a putt to make your opponent hole his putt to halve the hole.
“I guess it’s pretty cutthroat – you have to do something. It’s black and white, if you miss, you lose the hole, dead simple. I like the fact of having been put under that pressure you know exactly what you have to do, where stroke play just doesn’t give you that mind set, at all.”
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Clarke awaits turnaround in form
Darren Clarke admits that his pride has been hurt by his poor form since his Open triumph at Sandwich in July.
The Northern Irishman, 43, has yet to make a halfway cut this season ahead of the start of the World Match Play in Finca Cortesin, Spain.
“I’ve been so frustrated with the whole thing because I’ve been trying so hard. Too hard probably – not to justify the Open win, but to back it up,” he said.
“I’ll just keep going – it will turn round at some stage.”
The only tournaments which Clarke has seen through to the final day so far this season are the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa, where he was 20th out of 35, and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami in which he was 43rd out of 72, but neither had a halfway cut.
World Match Play groups
- ‘Ian Woosnam’ group: Alvaro Quiros, Sergio Garcia, Tetsuji Heratsuka
- ‘Seve Ballesteros’ group: Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Martin Kaymer, Richard Finch
- ‘Assar Gabrielsson’ group: Justin Rose, Robert Rock, Darren Clarke
- ‘Mark McCormack’ group: Brandan Grace, Thomas Bjorn, Brandt Snedeker
- ‘Arnold Palmer’ group: Charl Schwartzel, Retief Goosen, Nicolas Colsaerts
- ‘Gustaf Larson’ group: Graeme McDowell, Robert Karlsson, Jbe Kruger
- ‘Greg Norman’ group: Peter Hanson, Paul Lawrie, Camilo Villegas
- ‘Gary Player’ group: Ian Poulter, John Senden, Tom Lewis
- After the round-robin matches, the top two in each group progress to the last sixteen.
His poor form has resulted in a slide to 70th in the world rankings and made a return to the Ryder Cup reckoning, mentioned by some in the wake of his Open triumph, a very distant possibility.
“It’s not as if I’m being lazy. Whenever I’m in Portrush I’m beating balls in all weathers,” he added.
“Hopefully one of these days my game will just click back into place. The bottom line is that I’ve just got to play better.”
Fellow veteran Paul Lawrie, also 43, is also in action at the World Match Play and will become only the 22nd player to appear in 500 European Tour events.
At fifth in the standings, he is far better placed for a tilt at Jose Maria Olazabal’s 12-man selection for Medinah, Illinios in September.
“If I get in the Ryder Cup it would be the biggest achievement of my career, so that’s the motivation,” he said.
“I really want to play on that team. It would be huge for me.”
The Scot’s only other appearance in the biennal match was when he picked up three and a half points in the 14½-13½ defeat at Brookline in 1999.
Former world number one Martin Kaymer is top seed for the event, while England’s Ian Poulter returns to defend the title he won with
a 42 final victory over compatriot Paul Casey in Arizona 12 months ago.
Elsewhere,
US PGA champion Keegan Bradley
returns to the TPC Las Colinas course in Irving, Texas where in 2011 he won his first tour title in the Byrom Nelson Championship.
“To know I was on the PGA tour for at least two and a half more years was huge,” he said of the victory that secured his card until at least the end of 2014.
“At the PGA I didn’t have that pressure of having to win my first tournament or having to worry about making enough money to keep my card, stuff like that, where rookies have to think about that.”
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Dale Farm gets in the swing for the Irish Open
Leading local dairy business Dale Farm is ‘teed up’ and ready for this year’s Irish Open, having agreed a major sponsorship deal for the tournament next month at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
As well as throwing significant sponsorship behind the Irish Open, the company will be the Official Supplier of Ice Cream and Dairy Products at Royal Portrush throughout its duration.
Brian Beattie, Head of Marketing for Dale Farm, said: “With the tournament returning to Northern Ireland this summer for the first time in almost 50 years and the quality of local golfing talent at an all-time high, Dale Farm is delighted to put our brand name to this year’s Irish Open, which will draw interest from right across the globe. The event is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our range of dairy products, made using the finest Northern Irish milk.
“Dale Farm backs local sport on many levels – from official dairy supplier to the Ulster Rugby team, to our Sports bursary awards for up and coming athletic and sports talent, to our grass roots school sports day initiative. We are very proud to add golf, and particularly the prestigious Irish Open, to our sponsorship portfolio.”
James Finnigan, Commercial Director for the Irish Open, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dale Farm as an Official Sponsor of the Irish Open. The welcome and interest from the Northern Irish community to the Irish Open has been exceptional and now the addition of one of UK’s leading dairy processing companies is a significant boost to the Irish Open. We believe the Irish Open offers Dale Farm an outstanding platform on which to promote their world-class range of products.”
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Watson ready to rekindle Turnberry love affair
- Watson to make emotional Turnberry return
- Tom WATSON
Tom Watson broke into a throaty chuckle as he listened to a description of the weather at Turnberry. Outside the clubhouse, where numerous images of the eight-time Major Champion beam down benevolently from the walls, the rain tapped insidiously against the window pane and, a few yards beyond, the 18th green flag cowered at a 45 degree angle against the bone-chilling wind.
“Just my kind of weather,” laughed Watson down the phone line as he participated in a conference call with the media to discuss the 2012 Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex and his enduring love affair with the Ailsa Course at Turnberry.
With typical humour, Watson gently chided the media ‘pack’ listening attentively to every word. “You guys playing today?” he asked, continuing: “Doesn’t sound as if too many of you are in a hurry to get to the first tee!”
In the event, the unseasonably cold and damp weather relented and suddenly Turnberry was bathed in glorious sunlight, just as it was those 35 years ago when the freckle-faced kid from Kansas went toe-to-toe with Jack Nicklaus for the 1977 Open Championship. The Golden Bear was in the prime of life, but he had to succumb to the brash, young upstart on that day of days – the iconic Duel in the Sun.
Turnberry has been both an alluring seductress and a cruel mistress to Watson. That Open in 1977 aside, he captured his first Senior Open title over the Ailsa Course in 2003 then suffered that final hole calamity in the most recent Open there three years ago. One par from immortality and a champion again at the age of 59. It wasn’t to be. A bogey five – where 32 years earlier he had made three at the final hole – enabled Stewart Cink to squeeze through by the side door.
Watson and Turnberry go together like Ailsa Craig and the famous Lighthouse, two of the familiar landmarks, along with the majestic Five Star Hotel, which combine to give Turnberry its fame and deserved popularity among golfing glitterati everywhere.
Despite missing out to Cink, 23 years his junior, and been forced to gaze forlornly at the Claret Jug he might have felt was rightfully his for a sixth time, Watson’s love for Turnberry burns as brightly as ever as he edges towards his 63rd birthday.
“That week only increased by love for the place” insisted Watson, who will line up in search of a fourth Senior Open crown from July 26 to 29. The response he received from so many people – people who thought they were too old to play golf anymore but were moved to play the game again after watching my performance that week – was uplifting.
“Going into the week I was playing very well but my putting was poor. Then on Tuesday I changed my putting and started to make everyone. I told my wife: ‘I can win this tournament’. It wasn’t just a bragging statement.
“Of course, on the Sunday night I was distraught. It tears your guts out when something like that happens. When the ball was in the air at the 27nd hole I said: ‘Just like 77’. It was going right at the flag but with the uncertainty of links golf maybe a gust of wind took it a bit further than it was meant to.
“I felt extreme disappointment, but one good was the response from around the world. I had thousands of people writing to me on a common theme, that they had quite golf because they felt too old but I had given them hope to work at it and go back and try again.”
Watson’s chances of winning again – he also triumphed at Muirfield and Royal Aberdeen at Senior level to add to his four Open Claret Jugs gained on Scottish soil – could depend on how quickly he recovers from a hand injury.
The three-time champion has spent a few days on a whistle-stop tour of the UK, taking in Royal Lytham and St.Annes in the process where he discussed the 2012 Championship with the new Presenting Sponsor, Rolex, The RA and the European Senior Tour Managing Director Andy Stubbs.
He added: “I’m not in very good stead at the moment because I have a never strength problem in my right hand. It was caused by mowing for a number of hours at my farm in Kansas. I woke up the next day with a little bit of soreness in my neck and three days later my strength in my right hand was diminished greatly. I can’t grip the club properly but the doctors say the strength will come back in time.
“I assume I will be ready and able to play in July and Turnberry will give me another of those great challenges to win again.”
As the wind abated and Turnberry glistened in the sunshine and stiff breeze, Watson must aloud about that expanse of green just outside the window.
“That 18th has sure seen some drama, hasn’t it?” he asked rhetorically. “I remember here at the Senior Open in 2003 I was very lucky to get into a play-off but Carl Mason made a mistake at the 18th and that let me in.”
A few minutes later and Watson signed off, again urging his attentive audience to get out and sample the course which has brought him so many memories. No-one can wait until Master and his Mistress are reunited in just over two months time.
TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY ROLEX, CLICK HERE.
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Paul Lawrie joins the 500 club
- Lawrie back into World’s top 50
- Lawrie conquers Qatar again
- Grace targeting ‘Volvo Slam’
- Poulter ready for cut and thrust of Match Play
- Paul LAWRIE
Paul Lawrie will add another honour to his glittering CV at this week’s Volvo World Match Play Championship when he makes his 500th European Tour appearance, joining an illustrious group of players to achieve the landmark feat.
The 1999 Open Champion was presented with a special engraved ice bucket by Keith Waters, the European Tour’s Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy, at host venue Finca Cortesin, in Spain, ahead of becoming the 22nd European Tour player to become a member of the exclusive 500 club.
He is only the second Major Champion to reach the milestone after 1991 Masters Tournament winner Ian Woosnam and the fourth Scot to reach 500 appearances, joining former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance, who holds the European Tour record with 706 appearances, Gordon Brand Jnr (597) and Colin Montgomerie (570).
Lawrie made his European Tour debut 20 years ago in the 1992 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic, winning his first of seven titles four years later in the Open Catalonia, and after a recent renaissance, he admits he is enjoying his golf more than ever as he continues to enjoy competing at the very top level.
“When I turned pro at 17 as a five handicap in 1986 and then got to play with these boys each week – anything that happened after that was a bonus,” he said. “I think that’s helped me, longevity‑wise. I still see it as, ‘I can’t believe I’m out here winning and competing’.
“I still enjoy playing. I think I play more for fun now than I used to do with my sons coming up and being good golfers. I think playing with them is a help. About three or four years ago, I thought I might just scale this down a bit and play a little bit less. Then the boys got pretty keen into golf and I started playing a bit more at home and I’ve kicked on a bit again.
He added: “I can see me getting to 600 appearances now. To get to 700, where Sam is at, is a huge number. Playing for 40 years is just an incredible record. I think we’ll leave Sam at the top for a while. I don’t think I’m in danger of overtaking him but I’d like to get to 600.”
Lawrie, who passed the €10million career earnings mark earlier this season, became part of golfing folklore with his career-high victory at Carnoustie in The 1999 Open Championship when he famously came from a European Tour-record equalling ten shots back to claim the Claret Jug, defeating Frenchman Jean Van de Velde in a four hole play-off.
“In the play-off it was amazing how this feeling came over me and everything was clear and I just knew what I was doing and I was focused and I wasn’t harassed,” he said. “There were people everywhere and there was a circus inside the ropes and I just remember being really, really calm. It’s amazing how you can get in that position.”
That performance helped him earn a place in the European Team for The 1999 Ryder Cup when he had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot, playing alongside Montgomerie. He went on to win an impressive three-and-a-half points out of a possible five, including defeating Jeff Maggert in his singles match, to equal the record points total gained by a rookie alongside Paul Way (1983) and Sergio Garcia (also 1999).
After receiving an MBE in 2000 and following his Open Championship victory by winning the Alfred Dunhill Links title in 2001 and the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open in 2002, leaner times followed, with Lawrie left contemplating his appetite for the game as he struggled for form.
However, with a renewed vigour for the game, he emerged from a nine year spell without a European Tour victory when he won the Open de Andalucía last season and he returns to Spain this week having already added another title in 2012, following success for a second time in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy in February.
That victory means he is seriously targeting a return to The Ryder Cup fold at the age of 43, an incentive that is spurring on the man from Aberdeen, who launched the hugely successful Paul Lawrie Foundation in 2001 to encourage and support the next generation of players.
“If I get in The Ryder Cup, it would be the biggest achievement of my career, so that’s the motivation,” he said. “I really want to play on that team. It would be huge for me.
“I’m 43, but I feel like there is a wee bit left in the tank yet.”
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