Posts tagged Westwood
Westwood Moves On; Woods &Poulter Eliminated
Feb 24th
Westwood Moves On; Woods & Poulter Eliminated
Defending champion Ian Poulter went home early in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. The 34-year-old Brit fell on the 19th hole to Stewart Cink on Wednesday morning at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain near Tucson.
Meanwhile, the top seed and top-ranked player in the world, Lee Westwood, moves on after beating Sweden’s Henrik Stenson 3 and 2. Stenson, the 2007 winner of the Match Play Championship, replaced 64th-ranked Toru Taniguchi of Japan, who pulled out due to a neck injury.
In the second round Westwood will go against Nick Watney, who romped past Anthony Kim 5 and 4.
No. 2-ranked Martin Kaymer of Germany routed Seung-Yul Noh 7 and 6. Kaymer only had two birdies – and a bogey – Wednesday, but his South Korean opponent had a far more difficult day.
No. 3-ranked Tiger Woods, the top seed in the Sam Snead bracket, fell to Thomas Bjorn of Denmark on the 19th hole. Woods extended the match thanks to a clutch birdie putt on the final hole. But on the 460-yard, par-4 19th hole – the first, Woods pushed his drive into the desert and was unable to escape the detritus on his second shot. After punching back out to the fairway with his third, his fourth shot stopped 20 feet past the pin.
After missing his bogey attempt Woods, a three-time Match Play champion who had lost only once before in the first round – to Australian Peter O’Malley in 2001 – conceded to Bjorn.
“I had the momentum going into the 19th hole and I blew it,” said an obviously disappointed Woods in a televised greenside interview.
Bjorn, who won the recent Qatar Masters by four strokes, will face two-time winner Geoff Ogilvy, who beat three-time major Padraig Harrington 4 and 3. Ogilvy won the Match Play Championship in 2006 and 2009.
After opening a 2-up lead through 10 holes, Poulter watched as Cink reeled off three birdies to square the match. On the first overtime hole, the first, Cink carded a birdie to win the match and end Poulter’s hopes of retaining the title.
“I get my nose in front,” Poulter said afterward. “I really should have shut the match out, to be honest with you. Every credit to him, holed putts at the right time. That’s what you have to do in this format. You have to hole the putts. If you don’t hole putts at the right time, then you are going to get beat.
“I had all my chances today and I feel that I left some out there. He putted me off the golf course today. That’s what you have to do in this format. You have to hole putts at the right time. I did it last year and managed to go all the way. This year I missed my chances and therefore I have been punished.”
After a slow start, Cink finally saw his game come around. “It was like a Jekyll and Hyde kind of a round out there for me,” the 37-year-old American said. “I didn’t have much or on the front nine at all. Then my putter woke up. I made some crucial putts out there that got my confidence going a little bit. I didn’t hit the ball that great, but I birdied the holes you are supposed to birdie, the par 5s. And the 15th hole I drove it near the green and got it up-and-down. Ian didn’t birdie those holes. He did birdie 11, but he didn’t birdie the other two.
“I had some opportunities to make putts when I needed to keep the match going and chip away at the lead and finally, you know I had a chance to take the lead on the 19th hole and hit it in there close.”
Another upset occurred in the morning matches when 17-year-old Matteo Manassero took out newly turned 44-year-old Steve Stricker 2 and 1. Ranked 59th in the World Golf Rankings, the Italian teen carded four birdies and took a 1-up lead on the fourth hole until Stricker, who the event in 2001, eagled the par-5 eighth to go all-square. Manassero took the lead for good with a par on the par-3 16th, then birdied the par-4 17th for the win.
“I played really well,” Manassero said. “I achieved a victory against one of the best players in the world and defending champion – no, past champion of this event. So it’s just a big highlight for me.”
By a 6 and 5 score, Luke Donald got the best of Charley Hoffman, who struggled with his game. “Always nice to win your first match,” said Donald, who won an NCAA individual championship while attending Northwestern. “I played pretty solidly today. I don’t think Charley was in his best form. A win is a win, and going to the next round so it feels good.”
Another Italian, Edoardo Molinari, also advanced, beating Scotland’s Martin Laird 3 and 2. Reigning U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell beat four-time PGA Tour winner Heath Slocum by a score of 4 and 3. The Ulsterman got things rolling with an eagle on the par-5 second hole and took advantage of Slocum, who posted five bogeys in 15 holes.
“Heath didn’t play his best golf,” McDowell said. “But I played very solidly. I only made a couple of mistakes, just got a flier on 1, which just went over the back. But generally apart from that, drove the ball well, gave myself a lot of chances and just nice to win a match around this golf course, it’s my first one at this venue, and it feels pretty good.”
Another match in the Ben Hogan bracket wasn’t decided until the 20th hole, when Spain’s Alviro Quiros outlasted former PGA champion Y.E. Yang of South Korea. The long-hitting Quiros won with a birdie.
Rory McIlroy also advanced, beating Jonathan Byrd 4 and 2. After staying even through three holes, the Northern Irishman ignited his round with an eagle two on the par-4 fourth. He will meet Ben Crane, who beat Adam Scott 4 and 2, in the second round Thursday.
“I got off to a bit of a sort of shaky start, bogeyed the third,” McIlroy said. “But I made a nice eagle on the four, which sort of kick-started me, and was never down in the match from there. I played very solid golf, four birdies and an eagle. And had a couple of bogeys on the par-3s, but apart from that it was pretty good.”
Another Spaniard also moved on, as Miguel Angel Jimenez won 2 and 1 over Japan’s Yuta Ikeda. It took last year’s runner-up, Paul Casey, 19 holes to overcome Australian Richard Green. Tomorrow Casey will face another Aussie, Jason Day, who beat South Korea’s Kyung -Tae Kim of 3 and 2.
It’s been years since Day competed in a match-play event, but the 23-year-old Queenslander didn’t have any problems Thursday. He had two eagles and five birdies in his opening round to close out Kim on the 16th hole.
“I haven’t played match play since I was an amateur, so that’s going back since I was 18, so five years,” said Day, who won the Byron Nelson Championship last May for his first PGA Tour victory. “I’ve always been a pretty good solid match-play player, but it’s obviously different as a professional. I had a tough match. We were going back and forth. And then I won three straight holes, which made it a little easier out there today. But it’s just different strategy. I made him putt in a one-and a-half-foot putt on the first hole, just to, you know, say, I’m not going to give you any of those. Just to know that, you know, it’s going to be a hard match to play.”
Also moving on is Ernie Els, who beat American Jeff Overton with a concession on the 19th hole in an otherwise exciting match. “I just hung in there, kind of used my experience a little bit just to hang in there,” said Els. “Jeff wasn’t a hundred percent on his game, either. There was a lot of mistakes being made out there, but it was an exciting day.”
In the second round Els will face J.B. Holmes, a late replacement for Tim Clark, who withdrew because of an injured elbow. Holmes took out Camilo Villegas 4 and 2 thanks to three birdies and an eagle as the Colombian had an off-day, carding four bogeys.
Holmes arrived in Arizona Tuesday night after being notified he was in the 64-man field. Needless to say, the trip was pretty hectic for the laidback Kentuckian. “I was sitting in my house,” Holmes explained. “I was talking to my buddy. He was going to come over today and hang out. My agent called me and said hey, you are in. Start working on getting me a flight. I hadn’t unpacked yet from back from LA. I went and repacked and got the flight from – the flight was supposed to be at 4:40.
“I know I wasn’t going to get here in time to practice without any lights. Went back and went to the airport, got to the airport and found out that my flight was delayed and that it was an hour. That was going to make me miss my connection. So then I had to wait and sit in the airport for basically three or four hours. Supposed to leave at 7:00. Ended up leaving at 7:40. Got to Dallas at 9:10, 9:20. Got on a plane in Dallas around 10:00. Flew in. I think I landed here at 11:40, 11:45. I got in the bed at one o’clock.
“I was just happy to get in and played well,” Holmes said, adding that despite closing out the match on the 16th hole he continued on and finished the 17th and 18th holes on a course he’s never played before. “Hopefully I don’t have to play them this week. Yeah, I went ahead and played ‘em just to see them.”
Others moving on were Ryan Moore, who beat Molinari’s brother Francesco, 3 and 1; South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel, who needed 20 holes to edge Japanese teen sensation Ryo Ishikawa; Phil Mickelson, who routed Australian Brenden Jones 6 and 5; Bo Van Pelt, who upset British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa 2-up; England’s Ross Fisher got by Australia’s Robert Allenby 4 and 3; Robert Karlsson, a 5 and 3 winner over Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita; Hunter Mahan, who beat fellow American Sean O’Hair 4 and 3; and Ryan Palmer, a 2-up winner over Jim Furyk.
Mahan is keeping a straightforward approach to this Match Play Championship. “It’s only twice a year, it’s pretty simple,” the three-time PGA Tour winner said. “You have to play good. You have to beat the guy in front of you. There’s no unbelievable extra strategy involved in it. You’ve got to be good, better than the guy you’re playing.”
Mark Wilson bested long-hitting Dustin Johnson on the 19th hole. Wilson, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, will face another bomber, Bubba Watson, in the second round. Watson, who won the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, beat Bill Haas 3 and 2.
Of getting past Johnson and not being eliminated, Wilson quipped: “I’m thrilled to not pack my suitcase yet.”
Matt Kuchar downed Denmark’s Anders Hansen with a birdie on the 22nd hole to move on against Van Pelt. South Korea’s K.J. Choi beat South Africa’s Retief Goosen 1-up and will face Moore in the second round. Playing in his first Match Play Championship, Rickie Fowler vanquished Swede Peter Hanson 1-up and will compete with Mickelson Thursday.
Mickelson was pleased with his play in the first round and is looking for more of the same Thursday. “I love playing here in Tucson, it’s a special place for my heart,” the fourth-ranked player in the world and top seed in the Ben Hogan bracket said. “And I was able to make some adjustments with how far the ball was going and hit some good iron shots. But the key for me winning this match was driving it. I drove the ball well and kept it in play and didn’t give any holes away.
“My opponent is a heck of a player, but he hit two or three into the desert and ended up giving me a few holes, which ultimately was the difference.”
In the final match of the day, Justin Rose closed out Zach Johnson 2 and 1 with a birdie on the par-5 17th. The Brit will face Kaymer in the second round.
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From www.cybergolf.com
Golf-Rankings meaningless for Westwood in matchplay format
Feb 22nd
World rankings mean nothing to Britain’s Lee Westwood as he prepares for this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship where he will compete for the first time as the game’s leading player.
Westwood deposed Tiger Woods as world number one in November but he is well aware of the vagaries of the matchplay format at an event where he has never progressed beyond the second round in 10 attempts.
“There are no easy games,” the Englishman told reporters at Dove Mountain’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on a sunny Tuesday.
“You have the top-64 players in the world. Everybody expects the top 64 to be capable of shooting 65, 64. You get lucky in this format but you also know you have to play well.”
Westwood has compiled a 6-11 record at the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event and would dearly love to advance beyond Thursday’s second round.
“I’m wondering what Friday looks like in this tournament,” he said with a huge grin. “I have played pretty well here and (someone) had one of those hot days against me. You occasionally run up against people that are playing well.”
Westwood, a 20-times winner on the European Tour, said he felt no pressure to live up to his status as the game’s leading player.
“You guys are probably talking about it more than I am,” the 37-year-old said. “I’m fairly used to it. I’m used to not so much the tag of world number one but the demands that come with it.
“I’ve been fourth quite a bit and third and second but I didn’t realise the massive jump going to world number one (has with) demands on your time, doing interviews and things like that.
“So the main thing you have to get your head around is time management, saying no a lot.”
LUCRATIVE JUMP
Asked if becoming world number one for the first time had been a lucrative jump for him because of contractual reasons, Westwood replied bluntly: “Yes.”
When asked to elaborate, he replied with a smile, “No. I did answer your question, though, didn’t I?
“Some contracts have that clause and others don’t. It depends how smart a manager you’ve got.”
At the end of his news conference, a reporter asked Westwood how much money he had made by reaching the game’s pinnacle. “Lots,” he said with a broad grin.
Westwood will take on Henrik Stenson in Wednesday’s opening round, the Swede having been a late addition to the draw following the withdrawal of Japan’s Toru Taniguchi due to a neck injury.
“I’m looking forward to the week,” Westwood said. “It’s different from your usual stroke play. It’s exciting, you don’t know what to expect, it throws up some surprises.
“And the first day is probably one of the most exciting days of the year as far as golf spectators are concerned, watching all the different matches going on.”
From uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Golf-Young Frenchman in awe of world number one Westwood
Feb 12th
DUBAI Feb 12 (Reuters) – Victor Dubuisson was so overawed about partnering Lee Westwood at the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday the young Frenchman paid more attention to the world number one’s ball than he did to his own.
The 20-year-old Qualifying School graduate started the third round six shots behind overnight leader Rory McIlroy of Britain but his outside title hopes nosedived as he ballooned to a five-over-par 77.
“I didn’t play well … for the first 14 or 15 holes I was just watching Lee and not concentrating on my own game,” Dubuisson told reporters.
“It was the first time I have played with a very famous player and it was with the world number one. On the first two holes I started with two bogeys and I didn’t even realise because I was watching Lee playing.
“I watched his shot and then played mine but I was thinking about how he would play his next shot. There were more people watching than I am used to although I don’t think they were there to watch me.”
Dubuisson has long blond hair and the good looks of a Hollywood movie actor but he is a European Tour golf rookie and he felt tongue-tied when Westwood introduced himself before the round.
“When I was on the practice range he came up to me and said, ‘Hi, how are you? We are playing together today,” said the Frenchman.
“I felt so embarrassed because it was Lee Westwood talking to me. I didn’t know what to do.”
Dubuisson said he would take valuable lessons from Saturday’s experience. Continued…
From af.reuters.com
FESJC champ Westwood returning — World No. 1 commits to rare PGA appearance
Jan 25th
By Phil Stukenborg
Defending FedEx St. Jude Classic champion Lee Westwood will return to Memphis in June, a rare U.S. appearance on the PGA Tour for the world’s top-ranked golfer.
Westwood, a native of England and a member of the European Tour, confirmed at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships in the United Arab Emirates that he would defend his Memphis title. He won last year’s FESJC in a three-way playoff, and in October he overtook Tiger Woods atop the Official World Golf Rankings.
“We are the only PGA Tour event that has the world’s No. 1 golfer as its defending champion,” FESJC tournament director Phil Cannon said Friday. “We are going to take wholesale advantage of that in our marketing efforts.”
The FESJC will be June 9-12 at the Tournament Players Club at Southwind.
Westwood ended a 12-year victory drought on the PGA Tour at last year’s FESJC by outlasting Swede Robert Karlsson and American Robert Garrigus in the playoff. Garrigus blew a three-stroke lead going into the final hole of regulation and Westwood emerged victorious on the fourth playoff hole.
Westwood’s choice of allotted PGA Tour events in 2011 is attracting some attention. As a non member, Westwood, 37, is allowed to participate in only 10 PGA Tour events. Four will be majors and three will be World Golf Championships events, leaving three regular PGA Tour tournaments: the FESJC, the Honda Classic and the Shell Houston Open.
He’ll play the FESJC as a warm-up to the U.S. Open, the Honda Classic as preparation for the World Golf Championships in Miami and the Shell Houston Open as a warm-up for the Masters. The scheduling will leave no room for him to enter what is often dubbed the sport’s fifth major: The Players Championship May 12-15 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
“If I played (The Players Championship), then I would have no events to play leading up to that because I can’t have an invite for Quail Hollow (the week before The Players) because I’ve used up my (invitations),” Westwood said before the Abu Dhabi event. “That’s just the way it is. You have to adhere to the rules.”
During the five-week gap between the Masters and the Match Play in Spain, Westwood said, he intends to play at least two European Tour events, a schedule that will further preclude an appearance at the Players.
“It doesn’t fit into my schedule to be a member (on the PGA Tour) and (the European Tour),” Westwood said. “You just have to make your own choices.”
– Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543
Originally published by Phil Stukenborg stukenborg@commercialappeal.com .
(c) 2011 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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From www.americanchronicle.com
Westwood defends decision to miss Sawgrass
Jan 20th
By Bernie McGuire
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Lee Westwood has defended his decision not to play in golf’s unofficial fifth major at the Players Championship and criticised PGA Tour members for not coming over to Europe.
The British world number one finished joint fourth last year at one of the sport’s most lucrative events and his decision will not please the PGA Tour, which would want the world’s top-ranked player in the elite Sawgrass field.
“I am not a member of the PGA Tour so I don’t need to play the event,” Westwood told Reuters after posting a three-under-par 69 in the Abu Dhabi Championship first round on Thursday.
“After the two opening World Golf Championships (events) I would bracket our (European Tour) PGA Championship in May as just as important as it offers exemption for anybody in the world’s top 50 to play,” he added.
“I don’t see many of them (Americans) wanting to take up that offer. So you can’t really please everyone, can you?”
A non-PGA Tour member is entitled to accept three invitations, and if he is inside the top-50 in the world rankings, can contest the Players Championship.
Westwood has accepted invitations to play the Honda Classic in March, the Houston Open the week before the year’s first major at the U.S. Masters in April, and the St. Jude Championship in June where he is the defending champion.
The Englishman will also play three events in a row starting with the February 23-27 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Continued…
From af.reuters.com
Golf-Westwood salutes Ryder Cup captain-elect Olazabal
Jan 17th
World number one Lee Westwood hailed ‘Captain Fantastic’ Jose Maria Olazabal on the eve of the Spaniard’s expected appointment as Europe’s 2012 Ryder Cup skipper.
In recent years the new captain for the biennial team event has been voted on at a formal 15-man Tournament Players Committee meeting.
That has not been necessary this time with chairman Thomas Bjorn conducting a phone poll over the Christmas period and the popular Olazabal becoming a unanimous choice to succeed Colin Montgomerie after last year’s win over United States in Wales.
“Jose Maria has been a great Ryder Cup player and when he was involved with the vice-captaincy at Valhalla (in 2008) and at Celtic Manor (in 2010) he’s been superb,” Westwood told Reuters in an interview on Monday.
“When Jose Maria conducts a team talk or motivational talk everyone listens. He will bring leadership, experience and passion and is going to be fantastic when he leads the team at Medinah (near Chicago).”
The 44-year-old Olazabal’s appointment is set to be confirmed in a European Tour news conference at 1330 local time (0930 GMT) on Tuesday at the venue for this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship.
The 1994 and 1999 U.S. Masters winner is also making his debut at the Abu Dhabi Championship, the first event of the European Tour’s four-week Desert Swing that also ventures into Bahrain, Qatar and finally Dubai.
ARTHRITIS PROBLEMS
Olazabal has been dogged by injuries and ill-health, including losing two years to rheumatoid arthritis in his feet in the mid-1990s.
He has suffered with rheumatic pain in his back and shoulders for the past two years.
Olazabal’s manager Sergio Gomez told Reuters last month the Spaniard was still in some discomfort but that his fitness had improved and he planned to play all four tournaments in the Desert Swing.
He featured in only three competitive European Tour events in 2010 but Westwood said it would not matter how much the captain-elect played on the circuit in the build-up to Medinah.
“Everyone knows Ollie and no, I don’t see it as a problem if he is not around and playing that much,” said the Briton.
“He should play enough events that will keep him abreast of what the likely team members are doing so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Olazabal has played in seven Ryder Cups and combined with his good friend Seve Ballesteros to form the most successful partnership in the team event, winning 11, halving two and losing two of their 15 matches together.
From uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Golf-mad Penarth schoolboy plays with world number 1 Lee Westwood!
Dec 30th
Golf-mad Penarth schoolboy plays with world number 1 Lee Westwood!
8:00am Thursday 30th December 2010
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GOLF-MAD Penarth schoolboy Cameron Jones has called his recent round of golf with world No1 Lee Westwood “the best day of his life”.
The Evenlode pupil was given the once-in-a-lifetime chance thanks to a massive £90,000 charity bid by his uncle Gareth on the Chris Evans Radio 2 breakfast show, as part of the BBC’s Children in Need Appeal on November 17.
And along with his cousin, Cameron enjoyed the dream prize earlier this month.
The prize also included meeting radio star-host Chris Evans, and having Lee’s personal caddy Billy Foster carry a newly-customised set of Callaway clubs – given to Cameron by Sunningdale Golf Club, in Berkshire, where the match was played.
The 10-year-old admitting being “star-struck and nervous” when first meeting Lee, but said the Ryder Cup hero was the perfect partner.
“He was amazing, really friendly and fun to be with,” he said.
”He was very encouraging and gave me loads of advice, shouting ‘c’mon partner’.
“I remember him saying to me ‘work hard and play hard’.”
And Cameron couldn’t thank his uncle enough for the perfect Christmas present.
“I was surprised that there was more than 50 people following us round the course, watching,” he said.
“And when the Club President announced ‘on the tee we have from Wales and for Children in Need, Cameron Jones’, I thought I was famous!
“It was amazing, and want to thank my uncle and say that he doesn’t have to buy me any more presents for the rest of my life!”
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Westwood Laments Lack of Events in England
Dec 23rd
Westwood Laments Lack of Events in England
Lee Westwood is unhappy with the dearth of tournaments in England on the upcoming European Tour schedule. The 2011 calendar lists just two events in the home country of the newly crowned No. 1-ranked golfer in the world.
“I can’t get my head around it,” the 37-year-old from Nottinghamshire said. “English golf has never been so strong, we have 10 world-class Englishmen and we should all be getting together and playing an English Open or a European Open in England, even if the European Tour has to fund it.
Westwood feels that the current high rankings of fellow Brits warrant more events. That group includes Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher and Justin Rose.
“If the Tour wants me to be an ambassador for an English Open then I am quite happy to do that.”
The 2011 events include BMW PGA Championship in late May at the Wentworth Club in Surrey and the Open Championship in July at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent.
Though it remains to be seen whether his voice will be heard by European Tour officials, Westwood is getting national recognition. Earlier in the week he received the BBC East Midlands Sports Award.
The nation’s most popular golfer earned the accolade over such intense competition from English cricketer Graeme Swann and boxer Carl Froch.
“It means a lot,” Westwood said. “It’s obviously the place where I live and it’s nice to be voted for in the East Midlands. It’s lovely to be presented it by [Peter] who I have admired for a long time. He’s saved Forest many a game.”
Westwood was also one of the 10 athletes nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. Reigning U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell was also on the list, but jockey AP McCoy was named the winner.
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Race to Dubai Betting: Westwood to regain his crown?
Dec 22nd
Race to Dubai Betting: Westwood to regain his crown?
Race To Dubai / Mike Norman / 21 December 2010 / Leave a Comment
Lee Westwood is strongly fancied to win this season’s Race to Dubai
“Lee Westwood is extremely consistent in major championships – five top-three finishes since 2008 are testament to that assumption – and when it comes to the World Golf Championship and European Tour flagship events it’s not often he doesn’t pocket a lot of cash.”
If you’re looking for a golf bet that keeps you interested throughout the season then look no further than the Race to Dubai market on Betfair. Mike Norman gives his thoughts on who to follow in 2010.
This season’s Race to Dubai (R2D) promises to be an exhilarating battle, not just fought out between the cream of the European Tour’s golfers, but by some of the very best players in the world of golf.
Never before has European golf been so strong. Six of the top 10 ranked golfers in the world – including world number one Lee Westwood - hail from Europe, whilst the European Tour can boast three current major champions – Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, and Martin Kaymer – amongst its members.
And just in case the Tour needed another boost, world number three Kaymer turned down his offer of a full PGA Tour Card in favour of spending another season over here, whilst the world’s most exciting prospect – in my eyes at least – Rory McIlroy has also committed his immediate future to this side of the pond. Add all this to the fact that world stars such as Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Retief Goosen, Ian Poulter, Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington will play the required amount of tournaments to contest the R2D, then you can understand why this season-long battle promises to be the most exciting it’s been for many a year.
Westwood is understandably the favourite at [4.6] in this year’s R2D Winner market given his world number one status and the undeniable ability the man has. He won the inaugural R2D title in 2009 and finished a gallant third in 2010 despite playing in eight less tournaments (mainly because of injury) than eventual winner Kaymer ([6.0]).
Backers of Westwood – of which I’m one – have a lot of things in their favour. He is extremely consistent in major championships – five top-three finishes since 2008 are testament to that assumption – and when it comes to the World Golf Championship and European Tour flagship events it’s not often Westwood doesn’t pocket a lot of cash. Layers of Westwood will pin their hopes on him buckling under the pressures of holding on to the world number one slot whilst also hoping he fails in his attemp to break his duck in the majors. But I’m not convinced. Assuming he has fully recovered from the calf injury that derailed his R2D challenge last season, I have every confidence that Westwood will finish 2011 as Europe’s number one golfer.
If I’d have written this preview a fortnight ago then McIlroy would probably have been my selection. True, his odds have shortened in the last 10 days or so without him hitting a single shot (he is in from [7.2] to [5.6] second favourite), but this isn’t the main reason I’m deserting him.
On reflection, I still believe McIlroy has a lot to learn – the most obvious lesson being that sometimes a safe par is perfectly acceptable. His course management bewilders me sometimes. The exuberance of youth is fantastic, but going for a pin position that brings double and triple bogeys into play isn’t what you want to see in a player that you’ve backed to finish as high up on the leaderboard as possible every time he tee’s it up.
Of course, McIlroy’s game might have matured considerably since we last saw him, and the beauty of this market is that you can get on board or jump ship anytime you like. One high finish in a tournament isn’t going to see a player’s odds slashed dramatically; equally, one poor finish won’t lengthen a player’s odds to the same extent.
So my advice is watch the early part of the season closely. Look to see which players have altered their game, whether it be a change in swing, a change in putting style, or a change in mentality, and determine whether any change has benefited that player. For example, McIlroy might have a poor start to the season – but if his course management is great and his poor start is simply down to a few missed putts then I’ll be getting Little Mac firmly on my side.
At slightly bigger odds I rate the chances of Robert Karlsson ([18.0]) winning this season’s R2D very highly. The tall Swede topped the money list when it was called the Order of Merit in 2008 after an ultra-consistent year, but unfortunately he suffered a serious eye injury in 2009 and was forced to miss a huge chunk of the season. He came back strong last season however, winning two tournaments on the European Tour including the prestigious season-ending Dubai World Championship just a few weeks ago. Now back to full health and clearly getting back to the form he showed in 2008, Karlsson will be high on the R2D standings throughout the season.
As a back-to-lay option there could be some merit in backing Edoardo Molinari at [50.0]. The Italian followed an extraordinary 2009 Challenge Tour campaign by playing some wonderful golf last season. He is likely to play in all the lucrative early season tournaments and has gained entry to all the major and WGC events courtesy of climbing to number 18 in the world golf rankings.
Recommended Bets
Lee Westwood at [4.6]
Robert Karlsson at [18.0]
Edoardo Molinari at [50.0]
Westwood solidifies top spot; McDowell up to no. 7
Dec 7th
News Westwood solidifies top spot; McDowell up to no. 7
Graeme McDowell capped his wonderful 2010 season beating Tiger Woods in a play-off to win the Chevron World Challenge. Woods, who had been on top in Thousand Oaks all weekend, began the day with a four shot lead, but suffered his first bad round of the tournament signing for a 73. That gave McDowell his chance as he overcame two bogeys with five birdies, the last on the 18th, to force a play-off. McDowell holed a 20 foot putt for birdie at the first extra hole, very similar to the one he holed on the 72nd hole to match Wood’s birdie. The win takes McDowell to World Number 7, his career high and a jump of 4 places.
World Number One Lee Westwood produced another fine round to ease his way to a first Nedbank Golf Challenge victory at Sun City. The Englishman carded a four under par 68 at the Gary Player Country Club to end with a tournament total of 271 and a winning margin of eight strokes over his closest challenger Tim Clark – the South African finishing with a 71. Westwood closed his 2010 season with a chip-in for birdie at the final hole and ensures that he will finish 2010 at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Geoff Ogilvy won the Australian Open after a final round of 69 saw him triumph by four shots in Sydney. Starting with a five-shot cushion, the overnight leader took no chances and compiled a steady last 18 holes at The Lakes GC that featured four birdies and a bogey to finish on 19 under par. Alister Presnell and Matt Jones shared second on 15 under with 21-year-old Jordan Sheratt, who fired a 67, and John Senden tied for fourth on 12 under par. The win takes Ogilvy to World Number 31, an improvement of 12 positions.
Hiroyuki Fujita held off a final-day charge from Toru Taniguchi to land the Nippon Series JT Cup. The overnight leader began the final round with a three-shot advantage but found himself trailing Taniguchi by two shots coming down the 16th fairway after the latter fired a blistering nine-under 61. However, Fujita birdied the 16th and eagled the 17th to finish on 15 under par as the 41-year-old pipped his rival to the Japanese Golf Tour’s final event of the season by a shot with a final a 66 that also saw him save par from a greenside bunker at the last. The win takes Fujita into the World Top 50 with a 9 spot jump to 49th.
Rikard Karlberg birdied the final two holes as a final-round 70 proved enough to win the Hero Honda Indian Open by two strokes at Delhi Golf Club. The Swede drained a 20-foot putt on the 17th to move two clear of overnight leader Baek Seuk-hyun but threatened to give it all away on the last when he hit his third shot into a sponsor’s tent. However, Karlberg holed his fourth shot for a birdie to finish 11 under par and dash Baek’s hopes of a last-gasp victory. The Korean also birdied the 18th to finish second on nine under. Karlberg, already a winner on the Asian Tour this year, moves up 96 places to World Number 174.
