Golf Comment: Harrington vindicated over Ryder Cup captaincy stance March 3, 2015 WE GOT a huge indication of Padraig Harrington’s mindset when he was asked about the Ryder Cup captaincy in the run-up to Darren Clarke’s appointment last month. Would the three-time Major winner like to be in the reckoning, he was asked. After all, it had been almost seven years since he had won on either [...]
Housing crisis: Greenbelt golf courses cover an area twice the size of Kensington and Chelsea February 24, 2015 There isn't enough room in London to sustain its growing population, with an estimated 50,000 new homes needed each year just to keep up. In 2014, just 20,000 new homes were built in the greater London area – which is far from being on track to meet chancellor George Osborne latest target of [...]
Golf Comment: Lahiri has earned his shot at Masters debut February 23, 2015 AS FAR as winning bonuses go, they don’t get much better than a Masters debut, which is what Anirban Lahiri effectively cemented with victory on home soil at the India Open on Sunday. The setting might have been familiar but it was far from easy for Lahiri to claim his second title in the space [...]
Golf Comment: Time is right for classy Clarke to lead Europe’s Ryder Cup defence February 16, 2015 IT WAS four years ago that Darren Clarke gave the ideal illustration of his Ryder Cup captaincy credentials with a peerless acceptance speech, having ended his wait for a Major by winning the Open at Royal St George’s. Clarke is by no means the only worthy contender when a five-man selection panel meets imminently to [...]
Golf Comment: Day can rival McIlroy for No1 and why we mustn’t give up on Tiger February 9, 2015 WHEN he burst onto the scene with two runners-up finishes at Majors four years ago, Australian Jason Day looked bound to quickly establish himself as one of the main players in world golf. Day has by no means faded into obscurity, but for all his talent, further near misses at the big events and plenty [...]
Golf Comment: Grace impresses with assured win in Qatar January 26, 2015 TO HAVE won six European Tour titles at the age of 26 is impressive enough, but to have done so in the convincing manner that Branden Grace has is something else. The South African claimed his second win of the season on Sunday at the Qatar Masters, following up last month’s seven-stroke victory at the [...]
Riddle as Aussie golfer Allenby alleges kidnap, beating and robbery in Hawaii January 18, 2015 FBI AGENTS have been called in to investigate after Australian golfer Robert Allenby claimed to have been kidnapped, beaten and robbed following a tournament in Hawaii at the weekend. Former world No12 Allenby says he believes he may have been drugged before being abducted from a bar in Honolulu on Friday night, hours after missing [...]
Luxury extras for new London homes: From rooftop yoga in Hammersmith to virtual golf on the Thames January 15, 2015 New homes now come with luxury extras as standard to lure in Londoners with busy schedules. Developers are continually trying to outdo their competitors by incorporating extra leisure facilities into the service charge. And, in time-honoured property fashion, the need to keep up with the Jones’ has led to ever more outlandish services, from virtual [...]
Golf Comment: Sullivan enjoys stratospheric rise of different kind with maiden title January 12, 2015 BEFORE Sunday, Andy Sullivan was probably best known for shooting a hole in one at last year’s KLM Open in Holland that won him a flight into space from one of the tournament’s sponsors. The Englishman could have been forgiven for feeling like he had taken that prize already when he woke up yesterday morning, [...]
Golf Comment: A review of 2014 in golf: European Ryder Cup joy and McIlroy’s ingenuity December 22, 2014 Highlights from a vintage year and predictions for 2015 MOMENT OF THE YEAR MY FAVOURITE golfing moment of 2014 is immortalised in the now-iconic images of Jamie Donaldson surrounded by a throng of photographers and well-wishers after effectively winning the Ryder Cup. As one of Paul McGinley’s vice-captains, I was out on the course at [...]