Golf Comment: Garcia ready to end European Masters drought April 7, 2014 THE MASTERS can be devilishly difficult as a player and predicting a winner at Augusta isn’t easy either, with no shortage of candidates in with a chance of donning the green jacket on Sunday night. A muscle injury had clouded three-time winner Phil Mickelson’s hopes, but he eased those concerns by completing all four rounds [...]
Golf Comment: Bowditch win a lesson in patience March 31, 2014 PERSEVERANCE is a huge part of golf, and few wins will illustrate that better than Australian Steven Bowditch’s maiden PGA Tour victory, at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday. Bowditch has had more to contend with than most, having battled clinical depression, and endured a few nervous moments in his four-over-par final round of 76. [...]
Golf Comment: Old habits die hard for Scott despite Major breakthrough March 24, 2014 I THOUGHT that winning the Masters last year might have seen Adam Scott finally shake off his tendency to squander winning positions, but the latest signs are that it hasn’t. Scott was seven shots clear at the halfway point of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and carried a two-shot advantage into Sunday’s final round. Seeing out [...]
Golf Comment: Phenomenal Hull has work ethic to complement awesome talent March 17, 2014 THE ACHIEVEMENT is remarkable in itself, but the way in which 17-year-old Charley Hull claimed her first title on the Ladies European Tour on Sunday was nothing short of awesome. Hull shot a brilliant final round of 62 to come from five strokes behind Gwladys Nocera and force a play-off with the Frenchwoman at the [...]
Golf Comment: Ryder Cup role like being honoured by Queen March 10, 2014 IT’S a great privilege to be asked to be part of another European Ryder Cup team, and I thank Paul McGinley for making me a vice-captain and for his kind words. It’s like receiving an honour from the Queen; I’d known for some time that I’d get the role but hadn’t been free to speak [...]
Golf Comment: Bad weeks for McIlroy and Woods March 3, 2014 ABOUT this time of year, with five weeks until the Masters, you expect the world’s best players to be hitting their stride. Instead, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are showing some worrying signs. McIlroy blew a golden opportunity to claim his first title of the season in a comedy of errors at the Honda Classic [...]
Golf Comment: Upsets on the cards in welcome return to drama of match play February 17, 2014 I LOVE match play golf and I believe crowds really enjoy it too, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s WGC Match Play Championship in Arizona. It’s a totally different contest to stroke play and you really get to see the guts of a competitor. So it’s a great shame that three of the world’s top [...]
Golf Comment: In-form Walker shows Coetzee way February 10, 2014 WINNING that first big title can do wonders for a player, as one American is proving and a South African may be just about to discover. After 24 top-10 finishes, George Coetzee finally landed his first European Tour title on Sunday at the Joburg Open, coming from four shots back to win by three with [...]
Golf Comment: Gallacher stakes claim for home Ryder Cup February 4, 2014 AN HISTORIC second successive title at the Dubai Desert Classic for Stephen Gallacher on Sunday could prove a boost not just for the Scot but also for Europe at this year’s Ryder Cup. His successful trophy defence – the first in the event’s 25 years – puts him in a great position to qualify for [...]
Golf Comment: Putting demons behind him, it’s Garcia’s time to win Major January 27, 2014 WHEN conditions for golf are perfect it tends to mean the best individuals win, and that is why those tournaments held in the Middle East are enduringly popular among players. So it was great for the game and no surprise to see Sergio Garcia, regarded as one of the greatest natural ball-strikers since his teenage [...]