Sam Torrance: Man of the moment Scottie Scheffler has a wonderful golfing brain March 7, 2022 Until a few weeks ago, Scottie Scheffler was one of those players who you couldn’t believe hadn’t won on the PGA Tour yet. Now, suddenly, he is a two-time winner and up to No5 in the world rankings – but anyone who has been watching his progress won’t be surprised. Having got his first victory [...]
Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour team up for mixed golf tournaments March 7, 2022 The Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour have joined forces to organise two mixed gender tournaments this year. The Asian Mixed Cup and Asian Mixed Stableford are both scheduled to take place in Thailand next month. Each will feature 60 Asian Tour players and 60 Ladies European Tour players playing for the same trophy and [...]
KPMG ditches golfer Mickelson over Saudi breakaway tour row February 23, 2022 KPMG has terminated its long-standing sponsorship of Phil Mickelson in the wake of the US golfer’s comments supporting a proposed Saudi-backed tour. Mickelson apologised on Tuesday for remarks in which he pushed the case for a new circuit despite acknowledging Saudi Arabia’s “horrible record on human rights”. KPMG on Mickelson’s cap has been one of [...]
Sam Torrance: Fearless Joaquin Niemann is part of a classy new guard February 21, 2022 Joaquin Niemann has long been tipped for the big time, the former world No1 amateur mentioned alongside Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland as stars of the next generation. Were it not for the extraordinary success enjoyed by two-time major winner Morikawa and world No4 Hovland, Niemann’s own very promising first few seasons as a professional [...]
Saudi-backed golf tour ‘dead in water’, says Rory McIlroy February 21, 2022 Former world No1 Rory McIlroy believes Saudi-backed plans for a breakaway golf tour are “dead in the water” after more leading players turned their back on the talks. McIlroy also issued a stinging rebuke of Phil Mickelson after the US PGA champion indicated he would overlook his humanitarian concerns about Saudi Arabia in the name [...]
World No1 Rahm delivers another blow to Saudi golf league plans February 17, 2022 Men’s world No1 Jon Rahm has become the latest high-profile golfer to rule out joining a new Saudi-funded circuit. Leading players have been offered tens of millions of dollars to leave the PGA Tour and sign up to a new Super League competition fronted by Greg Norman and bankrolled by Saudi Arabia. “There has been [...]
Ed Warner: Spare a thought for golfers locked out of Saudi Arabia and Greg Norman’s gilded cage February 10, 2022 In the Year of the Sportswash it should be no surprise that Saudi Arabia is at the centre of the struggle for control of pro golf. But would the beefed-up Asian Tour arouse such a frenzy if it had a different backer? The PGA Tour has been accused of greed that is “beyond obnoxious” by [...]
Sam Torrance: Nicolai Hojgaard is destined to be a world beater February 7, 2022 Big-money tournaments elsewhere in the Middle East may have attracted the headlines but the best golf story of the weekend for me was Nicolai Hojgaard. The young Dane and his twin brother Rasmus are going to be world-beaters and Nicolai took the next step on that journey with an extraordinary victory at the Ras Al [...]
Asian Tour CEO Cho Minn Thant: Saudi alliance was ‘a no brainer’ February 1, 2022 “It’s the dawn of a new era,” says Cho Minn Thant, chief executive of golf’s Asian Tour, of this week’s Saudi International, a tournament that has shaken up the sport even before a ball has even been teed up. He is not wrong. The $5m event, which begins in Jeddah on Thursday, is the richest [...]
Sam Torrance: Thomas Pieters is playing the best golf of his life January 24, 2022 Thomas Pieters’ victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday wasn’t just the biggest of his career – it was also the best performance I’ve seen from him. Pieters was a picture of composure as he played beautifully all day, making 16 pars in a 72 to keep his nose in front of Rafa [...]