Posts tagged Dubai
Woods apologizes after fine for spitting in Dubai
Feb 17th
Woods apologizes after fine for spitting in Dubai
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Tiger Woods apologized after he was fined an undisclosed sum by the European Tour on Monday for spitting on the green during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
The tour said in a statement that tournament director Mike Stewart reviewed the matter and “feels there has been a breach of the tour code of conduct.”
“The Euro Tour is right — it was inconsiderate to spit like that and I know better,” Woods said on Twitter. “Just wasn’t thinking and want to say I’m sorry.”
The tour would not give the amount of the fine but it is probably between $400 and $16,000 for a minor breach.
Woods spit on the 12th hole after missing a par putt on his way to a 3–over 75. He began the final day one shot off the lead but never recovered after making two bogeys in his first three holes.
The 14–time major winner, now ranked No. 3, tied for 20th place at 4–under 284. Woods has gone 17 tournaments without a victory for the first time since turning professional in 1996.
Almost a year ago, following a sex scandal that ended his marriage and rocked the golf world, Woods promised to “make my behavior more respectful of the game.”
The tour’s code of conduct states that when a player becomes a member he “voluntarily submits himself to standards of behavior and ethical conduct beyond those required of ordinary golfers and members of the public.”
Television cameras spotted Woods spitting in an earlier round in the Dubai tournament. Ewen Murray, a commentator for Britain’s Sky Sports, said on air after seeing Woods spit on the second tee during the second round that it was “one of the ugliest things you will ever see on a golf course.”
On Sunday, after Woods spit on the 12th green, Murray said that “somebody now has to come behind him and maybe putt over his spit. It does not get much lower than that.”
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From topnews360.tmcnet.com
Tiger Woods’s drought continues in Dubai
Feb 15th
Alvaro Quiros played golf with swagger Sunday in the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic. His round of 68 included a hole in one, eagle and triple-bogey eight and the 28-year-old Spaniard’s aggressive play was crowd pleasing and good enough to win.
And it was reminiscent of how one of the tournament’s also-rans, Tiger Woods, used to play.
Woods had begun the day one shot behind co-leaders Anders Hansen, James Kingston and Rory McIlroy.
After bogeying two of the first three holes and finishing with an emotionless double-bogey seven on the final hole, Woods’ three-over-par 75 left him tied for 20th at four-under 284, seven shots behind the winner and still searching for his first tournament win since November of 2009
“There were quite a few positives this week but a couple of glaring examples of what I need to work on,” Woods told reporters in Dubai.
Woods let a moment of exasperation become public on the third hole. He yelled at photographers when he thought their cameras clicked during his swing on an approach shot that sailed left and led to a bogey.
He also garnered some negative attention on the 12th hole when, as he crouched over a putt, he spit on the green, a breach of etiquette that was described by the London newspaper the Mail as “a new low.”
Lawrence Donegan of the Guardian, another London newspaper, wrote, “He might want to ask himself how much it serves the cause of his post-scandal rehabilitation to be broadcast around the world spitting on the green.”
The final two rounds were played in a desert wind that made it tough for the golfers to get a feel for where the ball might be taken once it hit the air.
Large galleries followed Woods and Sergio Garcia, who were paired together after each had begun the day one stroke from the lead, and those fans were often ducking and running from errant shots. Garcia had a triple bogey in his final-round 75.
This is the second straight tournament where Woods had seemingly shot himself into contention on Friday and then finished with an uncompetitive final-round 75. It was the same two weeks ago for Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla.
Woods, in his first tournament since finishing in a tie for 44th at Torrey Pines, shot an opening-round 71 and then caused golf ears to perk up around the world with a 66 on Friday. Woods, 35, hung in with a 72 in Saturday winds, a workmanlike performance that had left him in contention.
But even after another disappointing finish, Woods said he felt optimistic.
“I hit the ball pure and that’s the thing,” he said. “When the wind blows, I have to shape shots and hit shots differently and all my old feels are kind of out the window. That’s the thing about making changes.
“I improved a lot considering where I was at Torrey Pines. Obviously I didn’t finish the way I needed to win. I did put myself there after two rounds and then just didn’t get it done,” he said.
Woods still seemed to have a chance when he teed off on the 14th hole only four shots behind the leader. But his drive ended up bouncing around decorative rocks and from there he knocked the ball in a bunker and all the trouble resulted in a bogey.
After that Woods’ shoulders sagged and he finished listlessly with three pars and a double bogey. Woods is next expected to play at the World Match Play Championships outside Tucson beginning Feb. 23.
Quiros finished a shot ahead of Hansen and Kingston.
diane.pucin@latimes.com
twitter.com/mepucin
Pucin reported from Los Angeles.
From www.latimes.com
Tiger Woods to Be Fined by European Golf Tour for Spitting on Dubai Course
Feb 14th
Tiger Woods will be fined by the European Tour after the former top-ranked golfer spit on the green while lining up a putt at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Woods was preparing for a bogey putt on the par-4 12th hole of yesterday’s final round when he spat, and television cameras picked up the move. The bogey — and another on the 14th hole — forced Woods out of contention. He was trying to win his first event since November 2009.
“The tournament director, Mike Stewart, has reviewed the incident and feels there has been a breach of the Tour code of conduct and consequently, Tiger Woods will be fined,” spokesman Paul Symes said today in an e-mailed statement. The organizers declined to say how much Woods will have to pay.
Woods said his retooled swing didn’t hold up in the windy conditions in Dubai, where he finished seven shots behind winner Alvaro Quiros.
Woods shot a 3-over-par 75 yesterday to finish in a tie for 20th. It was his worst performance in six appearances at a tournament he won in 2006 and 2008.
Woods, who started reworking his swing in August with new coach Sean Foley, was two shots off the lead with seven holes to play at Emirates Golf Club. His bogeys on the 12th and 14th holes were followed by a double-bogey at the par-5 18th, where he hit his third shot into a water hazard.
To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Elser in London at celser@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.
From www.bloomberg.com
Golf Roundup: Spaniard wins Dubai Classic
Feb 14th
Tiger Woods stumbled Sunday in a bid for his first victory in 15 months, leaving Spaniard Alvaro Quiros to win the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates with a wild round that included a hole in one and triple bogey.
Quiros, ranked 70th, shot a 68 to finish at 11-under 277, one stroke ahead of Anders Hansen of Denmark (70) and James Kingston of South Africa (67)
Woods had a 75 to end tied for 20th at 4-under 284.
“There were quite a few positives this week but a couple of glaring examples of what I need to work on,” Woods said.
He entered the round one stroke off the lead, but for the second day in a row he started with two bogeys in his first three holes. He managed to claw a shot back when his approach on the sixth ended up a few feet from the pin. But Woods offset two birdies with two bogeys on the back nine and then double-bogeyed the 18th.
“All my old feels [for the clubs] are out the window when the winds blow,” he said. “That’s the thing when you are making change. It’s fine when the wind is not blowing. But when you have to hit a shot when the wind blows … the new swing patterns get exposed.”
Coming into the final round, it was still anyone’s tournament and Woods was among the top players who seemed poised for victory. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was tied at the top with Hansen, but McIlroy tumbled to a 74. Twenty players, including Kingston, were within three shots of the lead and many of them made runs.
Quiros recovered quickly after a triple bogey with a birdie on nine and then a dramatic hole in one on the 11th, hitting a wedge 145 yards that landed on the green and rolled into the cup to give him the lead.
“It was the perfect shot. Once a year, it happens,” he said. “It was a big point in the round. After the 10th hole, I was second or third with some of the other guys and then after the hole in one I was the leader.”
• Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: D.A. Points captured his first PGA Tour victory and dragged along Bill Murray of “Caddyshack” fame to the pro-am title in California. Points holed out from 100 yards for eagle on the 14th hole and followed that with a 30-foot bending birdie putt that carried him to a 5-under 67 and a two-shot victory. He became only the fourth player in the past 20 years to make Pebble Beach is first PGA Tour victory.
• Allianz Championship: Tom Lehman birdied the final hole to finish at 13 under, breaking a tie with Jeff Sluman and Rod Spittle and winning in Boca Raton, Fla. Lehman shot a final-round 69 to win for the third time on the Champions Tour. Sluman had an eagle opportunity at the par-5 18th but had to settle for a birdie and a 69, while Spittle just missed his birdie putt and finished with a 70.
From www.post-gazette.com
Golf roundup: Tiger Woods fades badly in final Dubai round
Feb 14th
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 9:20 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The flashes of brilliance at the Dubai Desert Classic didn’t blind Tiger Woods to the signs that his new swing remains a work in progress.
Woods, just one stroke off the pace coming into Sunday, stumbled in the final round with a 3-over 75 to finish seven shots behind winner Alvaro Quiros.
“When the wind blows, I have to shape shots and hit shots differently, and all my old feels are kind of out the window,” Woods said of adjusting to his new swing. “That’s the thing about making changes. I’ve been through this before with my last two instructors and it will come around.
“This was a step in the right direction. I improved a lot considering where I was at Torrey Pines a couple of weeks ago. I’ve still got a few years left in me, you know.”
Woods, who had trouble staying on the fairway, opened with two bogeys on his first three holes. He came back with birdies on Nos. 6 and 11, but followed that with bogeys on Nos. 12 and 14, and then a double bogey on the last.
Woods, who won in Dubai in 2006 and 2008, has now gone 16 tournaments and 15 months without a victory after previously winning 14 majors and 82 tournaments.
“Yeah, very frustrating,” Woods said of his final round. “I got off to such a poor start, it was over quickly.”
Quiros shot a 68, surviving a wild round that included a hole-in-one and a triple bogey to finish at 11-under 277, one stroke ahead of Anders Hansen of Denmark (70) and James Kingston of South Africa (67).
Points wins Pebble Beach with Bill Murray
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — D.A. Points captured his first PGA Tour victory and dragged along his amateur, Bill Murray of “Caddyshack” fame, to the pro-am title.
One shot behind as he played the second-toughest hole on the course, Points holed out for eagle from 100 yards on the 14th hole and followed that with a bending 30-foot birdie putt.
He closed with a 5-under 67 for a two-shot victory in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Points became only the fourth player in the last 20 years to make Pebble Beach is first PGA Tour victory.
“Pebble Beach may be the most iconic place in America to play golf, and to win here, it’s just a dream come true,” said Points, who finished at 15-under 271 and earned his first trip to the Masters.
It was a rare occasion when the winner wasn’t even the biggest star.
Murray, famous for his role as assistant greenskeeper Carl Spackler in “Caddyshack,” has become a staple at this celebrity-rich tournament over the last two decades and once even tossed an elderly woman into the bunker.
He now gets his name on a plaque in the wall of pro-am champions below the first tee at Pebble Beach.
Hunter Mahan closed with a 66 and wound up alone in second, two shots behind.
Steve Marino, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, never caught up after Points made his eagle from the 14th fairway. On the 18th, Marino hit his third shot into the ocean and made a triple-bogey 8 to fade out of sight.
Lehman wins Allianz
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Tom Lehman birdied the final hole to finish at 13 under, breaking a tie with Jeff Sluman and Rod Spittle and winning the Allianz Championship.
Lehman shot a final-round 69 to win for the third time on the Champions Tour.
The 51-year-old former British Open champion had five birdies.
Tseng is new No. 1
GOLD COAST, Australia — Taiwan’s Yani Tseng has taken over the women’s No. 1 ranking after shooting a final-round 68 to win the Australian Ladies Masters by four strokes.
Tseng finished with a 24-under-par total of 264. Australian Nikki Campbell, with a final-round 64, and Stacey Lewis, who shot a 69, were tied for second.
From www.statesman.com
Tiger Scorches the Dubai Desert
Feb 12th
Reuters
Tiger Woods talks with Lee Westwood during the second round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Tiger Woods unexpectedly dusted the competition Friday at the European PGA Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic. Playing with world No. 1 Lee Westwood of England (above) and No. 2 Martin Kaymer of Germany, Mr. Woods—who has been hanging by a thread to his No. 3 world ranking–shot the event’s low round of the day, a bogey-free 66. Tied for fifth, he trails No. 7 Rory McIlory of Northern Ireland by four strokes.
—John Paul Newport 
Getty Images
Frank Chirkinian
The Producer Who Invented Golf on TV
After an emergency vote, the World Golf Hall of Fame announced that Frank Chirkinian will be inducted May 9. The longtime CBS producer pioneered many innovations that viewers now take for granted, from painting the inside of the cup white, which enhances visibility, to presenting scores as over and under par. Mr. Chirkinian, 84, is fighting cancer.
—J.P.N.
From online.wsj.com
Golf roundup: Tiger Woods is refreshed in desert, in contention in Dubai
Feb 12th
Strong off the tee and hitting his shots with exquisite control, Tiger Woods seemed like his old self.
He turned in the day’s best score with a 6-under 66 on Friday to surge into contention at the Dubai Desert Classic. The round put him four shots behind leader Rory McIlroy and gave him every reason to believe he can win for the first time in almost 15 months.
Woods was part of a powerhouse group that included top-ranked Lee Westwood and second-ranked Martin Kaymer. But on this day, Woods played as if he were unquestionably No. 1 again.
“It felt good. I hit a lot of good shots,” Woods said.
Woods added accuracy to his blistering drives and approach shots. And unlike Thursday, when he missed makable putts and hit approach shots wide of the green, Woods routinely gave himself chances. He finished with six birdies and was at 7-under 137 at Emirates Golf Club. He won this tournament in 2006 and 2008.
“I felt like I drove it pretty good,” he said. “I feel good.”
McIlroy followed his opening 65 with a 68. A shot behind at 10-under 134 were Sergio Garcia (67) and Thomas Aiken (67), followed by Steve Webster (68) at 8 under.
“I’m just concentrating on myself,” McIlroy said. “As long as I go out and shoot the numbers I want to, then that’s the most important thing.”
Westwood (70) was at 5-under 139 and Kaymer (71) at 4 under. Westwood had four birdies but bogeyed two of his last four holes. Kaymer’s three birdies in the first six holes were undercut by two bogeys.
“I didn’t give myself enough chances,” Westwood said. “It was just a plod round, really.”
Champions Tour: Jay Don Blake opened with an 8-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Tom Lehman at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla. Scott Simpson, Peter Senior, Tom Jenkins and Jeff Sluman shot 66s in the tour’s first full-field tournament of 2011.
From www.insidebayarea.com
Surging Woods is 4 behind leader McIlroy in Dubai
Feb 11th
Surging Woods is 4 behind leader McIlroy in Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Strong off the tee and hitting his shots with exquisite control, Tiger Woods seemed like his old self.
He turned in the day’s best score with a bogey-free 6-under 66 Friday to surge into contention at the Dubai Desert Classic. The round put him four strokes behind leader Rory McIlroy and gave him every reason to believe he can for the first time in more than a year.
Woods was part of a powerhouse group that included top-ranked Lee Westwood and second-ranked Martin Kaymer. But on this day, Woods played as if he were unquestionably No. 1 again.
“It felt good today. I hit a lot of good shots,” said Woods, who likened his game to the way he played at last year’s Chevron World Challenge, where he lost in a playoff to U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.
Woods, who has been outdriving his playing partners, added accuracy to his blistering drives and approach shots. And unlike Thursday, when he missed makable putts and hit approach shots wide of the green, the winner of 14 majors routinely gave himself chances.
He finished with six birdies and was at 7-under 137 entering the weekend at Emirates Golf Club. He won this tournament in 2006 and 2008.
“I felt like I drove it pretty good,” he said. “I feel good. We worked out a few of the things last night that I didn’t like.”
McIlroy followed his opening 65 with a 68. This course brings out the best in the 21-year-old golfer from Northern Ireland, who earned his only European Tour victory at this tournament two years ago.
A shot behind at 10 under were Sergio Garcia (67) and South Africa’s Thomas Aiken (67), followed by England’s Steve Webster (68) at 8 under.
“I’m just concentrating on myself,” McIlroy said. “I don’t mind who plays well over the weekend or who shoots what score. As long as I go out and shoot the numbers that I want to, then that’s the most important thing.”
Woods was tied for fifth with Jean-Baptiste Gonnet of France, Anders Hansen of Denmark, Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland and Brett Rumford of Australia. Westwood (70) was at 5-under 139 and Kaymer (71) at 4 under.
McIlroy has struggled since winning the Quail Hollow Championship last year. He says he’s approaching his game with more patience, and it seems to be paying dividends — he finished second in last month’s Abu Dhabi Championship.
McIlroy bogeyed the par-4 second hole but had five birdies over his last 12 holes, including the 18th for the second straight day.
“I thought after the start that I had, I really hung in there and stayed patient and just sort of picked up my birdies when I could,” McIlroy said. “I think I was 5 under from 7 onwards. So, really pleased with the round.”
Westwood had four birdies but bogeyed two of his last four holes, missing two makable putts. Kaymer never seemed to get going. His three birdies in the first six holes were undercut by two bogeys.
“I didn’t give myself enough chances,” Westwood said. “It was just a plod round really, a bit of a boring day.”
Westwood, who last year struggled with a calf injury, said his distance and control are not what they should be. It showed on approach shots that fell short, leaving him long putts on several holes.
“Distance control is poor when you are not striking it very well,” he said. “I’m just playing for the fat of the greens really and trying to make a few long ones which I haven’t, which is the reason I’m 5 under. Still in there with a chance.”
Aiken, ranked 97th and known as much for his shoulder-length hair as for his swing, has 67s in the first two rounds.
“Missed one green the whole day and I was on the fringe and I got to putt,” he said. “Just been putting the ball in the right positions, and these greens are so pure that you’re going to sink some putts.”
Garcia, once ranked No. 2 but now No. 79, has shown the consistency this week that had been lacking last year. He has had two bogey-free rounds.
“I think that probably putting has been the thing I’m doing the best these past three weeks,” said Garcia, who had a top-10 finish in Qatar last week. “It’s nice to see my game, my long game catching up with that.”
Westwood could lose the top ranking if Kaymer wins and he finishes lower than second, and if Kaymer finishes second and Westwood is out of the top 10. If Kaymer is tied for second, he could still become No. 1 for the first time if Westwood finishes out of the top 36. Woods could move ahead of Kaymer if he wins and Kaymer finishes outside the top five.
Woods suspects he could do even better going into a weekend when stronger wind is forecast. Still, he relished his second round, calling his sixth hole emblematic of his day.
Woods drove the fairway on the 485-yard, par-4 hole and hit an 8-iron about 160 yards to a foot of the pin, where he made an easy birdie putt. Much as he did with a monster drive on 18 on Thursday that led to an eagle, the shot brought cheers from the crowd and a reminder of how good Woods can be when his game is on track.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From www.usatoday.com
Golf-Woods fires 66 to roar into Dubai contention
Feb 11th
Tiger Woods roared into contention for a first title in 14 months after a six-under-par 66 in the second round on Friday moved the twice Dubai Desert Classic champion to within three shots of halfway leader Thomas Aiken.
Woods moved to seven-under (137) for the tournament, level with Dane Anders Hansen (68) and Briton Michael Hoey (67) while South African Aiken returned another 67 for a 10 under halfway total of 134.
Having started at the 10th hole world number three Woods birdied 12, 13 and 18 before he racked up three more in five holes from the second en route to his lowest round since December. Woods stole the show in the company of playing partners and the world’s top two players Briton Lee Westwood (139) and German Martin Kaymer (140), the Englishman carding a 70 to Kaymer’s 71.
The 14-times major winner relished the early start and easier conditions during his bogey-free round that contained just 25 putts while Westwood hurled his ball into the water after a final-hole bogey.
“Being out this morning also meant we had some clean greens which was nice, and all three of us hit them perfect, and made a few putts,” the American told reporters.
“As of right now I am three back so where that is at the end of the day I’m not sure but I’ve played my way back into the tournament.
“It felt good today as I hit some good shots,” the 35-year-old added.
Briton Nick Dougherty will be sidelined for some time with confirmation he has broken his right wrist.
Dougherty was forced to withdraw from the Dubai Desert Classic after slipping over in the shower in his Dubai hotel.
“The damage to my right wrist is worse than first thought as I have fractured bone in the back of my right hand and I will not be playing any more tournament golf for three weeks,” he said on his website (www.nickdougherty.com).
“That’s the bad news but the good news is that I pulled out of the Dubai Desert Classic just an hour before my first round tee time and avoided further injury.”
From uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Tiger Woods paid more than $50m for work on abandoned Dubai course
Feb 10th
Tiger Woods was paid more than $50m for his work on a golf course development in Dubai that has since been abandoned because of the collapse in the property market in the Middle East tourist resort, it has been reported.
The Dubai-based Arabian Business magazine claims the world No3 signed an agreement with Tatweer, a property developer owned by the Dubai government, on 22 August 2008 guaranteeing him $26,166,177 (£16.3m) and another $14,583,333 (£9.1m) within 10 days of his appearance at the official opening of the Tiger Woods Dubai – a golf course and “luxury” property development. Woods had already been paid $26.25m (£16.3m) in 2006 when he agreed to “design” an 18-hole course. The magazine claims the August 2008 agreement also included a clause guaranteeing the golfer a “one-time fee of $28.8m” (£17.4m) if he agreed to design another golf course for the developer. In exchange for the additional fees Woods agreed to give up his right to own a property on the development, according to the magazine. So far he has received $52.4m (£32.6m).
Earlier this week Woods, who is this week competing in the Dubai Desert Classic, was asked to comment on his agreement with Tatweer – which has since been taken over by Dubai Properties Group – but said “I am not going to talk about that”. Woods added that he and his representative were planning to have meetings with the developers this week.
Less than a month after the deal was signed in August 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank in New York sent the global property market into a downward spiral, with values in Dubai – which dropped an estimated 50% within months – among the worst effected.
The Tiger Woods Dubai resort was subsequently hit by a series of delays until in November last year the Observer reported that work on the resort had been stopped and virtually every member of staff laid off. Those who remained on site said they expected it to be abandoned – a move confirmed last month by Dubai Properites Group.
“This decision was based on current market conditions that do not support high-end luxury real estate. These conditions will continue to be monitored and a decision will be made in the future when to restart the project,” the company said in a statement, adding that it hoped to maintain its financial ties with Woods.
From www.guardian.co.uk
