Golf Comment: Super Swede the man to beat as Euro stars begin Gulf Swing January 13, 2014 ALL eyes will be on 2013’s indisputable star Henrik Stenson this weekend as the European Tour begins its Gulf Swing with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The golf world will be fascinated to see whether the Swede can maintain the form that saw him win both the European and US tours last term in his [...]
Golf Comment: McIlroy on rise but double Major aim may be setting bar too high January 7, 2014 A TREND of the last few years has been for one player to dominate on both sides of the Atlantic: Henrik Stenson in 2013, Rory McIlroy before that, and in the previous season Luke Donald. All-time history shows that is such a hard thing to do, though it seems that, with today’s advanced equipment, when [...]
Golf Comment: Race to Dubai schedule is a thorny issue for Tour November 25, 2013 THE DUST has settled on the Race to Dubai but debate rages on over the format of the climax to the European Tour season. Some players object to rules stipulating they can only play in the lucrative DP World Tour Championship if they have taken part in two of the three final series events that [...]
Golf Comment: That was greatest performance, tee to green, that I’ve ever seen November 18, 2013 HENRIK Stenson’s win on Sunday was not just the culmination of an extraordinary run of form; it was the greatest performance in a tournament, tee to green, that I have ever witnessed. From Thursday to Sunday, the Swede was sublime. He set a new course record of 25 under par, hit 68 out of 72 [...]
Golf Comment: Rose and Poulter the big threats to Stenson’s Race to Dubai quest November 11, 2013 I CANNOT remember a European Tour season with so many players still in with a chance of scooping the order of merit as they prepare to tee off in the final event. Nine men remain in contention to win the Race to Dubai heading into the DP World Tour Championship, which begins at Jumeirah Golf [...]
Golf Comment: Fine week for Europeans as season finale nears November 4, 2013 ENGLAND’S Ian Poulter threw the kitchen sink at him but in the end Dustin Johnson held firm to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai on Sunday. The American, who finished on 24 under par, beat Poulter by three shots but only after the lead changed hands several times on the final day. Johnson played fantastically [...]
Golf Comment: Don’t rule out consecutive wins for Gonzalo October 28, 2013 ONE European player impressed me perhaps more than any other at last month’s Seve Trophy, so it was no surprise to see Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano win the BMW Championship in China at the weekend. The Spaniard has a tremendous swing and a new grip appears to have helped him to overcome some problems with putting that [...]
Golf Comment: Lynn goes from his sickbed to fantastic Portugal Masters win October 15, 2013 AFTER seeing David Lynn so ill last week, I didn’t imagine he would even make it to the Algarve, let alone win the Portugal Masters. David was struggling with a virus when he was away with me at the Seve Trophy and he wasn’t going to play in his singles match on the Sunday against [...]
Golf Comment: Seve Trophy fun and a vital stepping stone for players on way to Ryder Cup October 7, 2013 I’M OFTEN asked whether today’s golfers have as much fun on the tours as we used to. I usually reply that I don’t know, but having spent the last few days with a fantastic bunch of players at the Seve Trophy I can report that the answer is an emphatic yes. Putting the result to [...]
Golf Comment: We may be Seve Trophy outsiders, but so were Europe at Ryder Cup September 30, 2013 THIS week’s column comes from France, where I’m excited to be preparing my Great Britain and Ireland team to face Europe in the Seve Trophy. The highlight of my career came as a captain, when Europe beat the United States to win the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry, and although this is a different [...]