JamesCatledgeBio.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Plans for a Tiger Woods signature golf estate, including a boutique hotel and sheik-style palaces, have been shelved as Dubai’s financial downturn claimed another major project launched during the eye-popping boom years.

A statement Monday by the golf course developer — part of a conglomerate controlled by Dubai’s debt-squeezed ruler — said “market conditions” were behind the decision to suspend work on The Tiger Woods Dubai on the city’s desert outskirts.

“It’s been put on hold for right now. A lot of projects are out there,” Woods told The Associated Press on Sunday after he finished his season debut at Torrey Pines. “It’s still there. We’ve got six completed holes and a few that were about to be grassed before construction was halted. Everything is on hold.”

The announcement — just before Woods is scheduled to play in the Dubai Desert Classic next week — shows that Dubai’s property market is still wobbling.

The severe credit crunch that hit last year has stalled many headline-grabbing projects, including an even larger version of the manmade palm-shaped island that helped put Dubai on the map.

Sources told GolfDigest.com the course is no longer watered and that after Woods plays in Dubai, the project will “return to sand.”

But the golf course developer, part of Dubai Properties Group, left open the possibility that work could someday resume.

“These conditions will continue to be monitored,” according to a statement provided to The Associated Press following questions about the status of the long-delayed golf complex. “A decision will be made in the future when to restart the project.”

Only a few holes have been completed on the $1 billion course, planned as the centerpiece for a complex of 100 villas, 75 mansions, 22 palaces, a boutique hotel, a golf academy and 30,000 full-grown imported trees.

The first phase of the development had been promised by the end of 2009 — about the same time Dubai stunned world markets by announcing staggering debt for many of its state-linked companies.

The course is part of a far-larger leisure and living master plan known as Dubailand, which also has largely come to a standstill by Dubai’s fiscal crunch. Officials had planned to open multiple theme parks including Universal Studios, Legoland and Six Flags — none of which has been built.

Dubai Properties Group is part of a conglomerate known as Dubai Holding, which is controlled by the city-state’s ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Like a number of government-linked Dubai companies, the conglomerate is deeply in debt and has been locked in talks with creditors to renegotiate the terms of its liabilities.

Dubai property prices plunged by roughly half from their peak in mid-2008 in less than a year. They have yet to recover.

Woods was among the sports personalities who frequented Dubai during its free-spending boom years. He won the Desert Classic in 2006 and 2008 and never finished lower than fifth since he started playing in the emirate in 2001.

He missed the 2009 tournament due to a knee injury and was absent last year amid the turmoil surrounding his extramarital affairs.

Dubai officials, however, have sought to maintain close ties with Woods even as sponsors dropped away. The course developer said it and Woods “will retain our commercial agreement together.” Terms of that deal have not been disclosed.

An 18-hole course designed by Colin Montgomerie was launched in Dubai in 2006, and another by Ernie Els opened in 2008.

View article: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6076258&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

By Bob Harig

SAN DIEGO — For openers, Tiger Woods will take it.

The score certainly could have been lower, a few more putts could have dropped, but on a picturesque day beside the Pacific Ocean, a 3-under-par 69 at Torrey Pines in his first round of 2011 will do.

Playing the easier North Course in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open, Woods made three birdies and no bogeys in a rather mundane round that saw him fail to birdie any of the par 5s but never really get in trouble, either.

He is 5 strokes behind rookie Sung-hoon Kang of South Korea, who also played the North. John Daly, whose last victory came at this event in 2004, shot 67 on the more difficult South Course, as did Phil Mickelson, who has won this tournament three times.

“I’m happy with the way I played, absolutely,” Woods said. “It could have been a lot better if I took care of the par 5s a little bit more, but obviously I didn’t do that. So hopefully on the South Course I can take care of the par 5s and put together a little bit better round.”

Woods had not played the North course since his 2008 victory in this tournament, which he has won six times, including four straight from 2004. The U.S. Open, which he won in 2008, was played exclusively on the South course, where Woods will play Friday. After the 36-hole cut, the remainder of the tournament will be played over the South.

Playing with Rocco Mediate — whom he defeated in a playoff to win the Open in his last competitive round here — and Anthony Kim, Woods hit just 4 of 15 fairways but hit 15 of 18 greens.

Starting at the 10th hole, his first birdie of the year came at the par-3 12th, where he drilled a 3-iron to 3 feet. He added birdies at the 11th and sixth, but was unable to birdie any of the four par 5s, a big factor in his struggles a year ago.

Woods is coming off his first winless season as a pro, and registered just two top-10 finishes in 12 starts on the PGA Tour in 2010. He spent the offseason working on his swing under new coach Sean Foley.

“It feels good,” Woods said. “Obviously we need more work, but it’s progressing, which is good. This offseason was nice. We are able to really concentrate and do some work. Do a lot of talking about the swing and the mechanics and the feel and where I need to go and where I’ve been.”

Woods showed signs late last year of finding his game, especially at the Chevron World Challenge, where he lost in a playoff in his last event of the year.

“Tiger has improved since Chevron,” Foley said. “His swing is becoming his more and it is not overwhelmed with thought as it had to be initially. I am very pleased with his progress to date. He is very committed to trying to perfect this.”

Torrey Pines is a good place to put it to the test because the venue has been his haven. He first played here as a junior golfer and has had nothing but success since, winning the PGA Tour event seven times, including the U.S. Open. His 69 was his 45th under par in 48 career rounds as a pro.

Kim was among those at 68, a tribute to his great scrambling. He chipped in from 40 feet for par, holed a 30-foot par putt from the fringe and made two other par saves outside 10 feet.

The top of the leaderboard was filled with youth, starting with Kang, who earned his card through Q-school. Rickie Fowler was voted the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2010 on a ballot that included Alex Prugh; both trail Kang by a shot after opening-round 65s. Chris Kirk, who shot 6-under-par 66, finished second on the Nationwide Tour last year, when he hurt his wrist and couldn’t play the last two events.

On the South Course, rookies Fabian Gomez of Argentina and Keegan Bradley were among those at 67.

Kang had the recipe on the North Course that Woods couldn’t find.

“This course, all the par 5s are reachable, so I really tried to keep to the fairways and it worked really well,” Kang said. “And I really had a good chance on the par 5s. That’s why I played very well today.”

He played them in 4 under, including an eagle on No. 14 when he chipped in from 25 feet.

Daly has special memories of Torrey from his playoff win in 2004, but he wasn’t in such a great mood a year ago. He missed the cut after rounds of 79-71, and told a Golf Channel television crew that was taping a documentary that he was done. Some media outlets construed that to mean he was retiring, although Daly had made similar comments right after a bad performance.

“You get frustrated,” Daly said.

That wasn’t the case Thursday, a spectacular day of sunshine along the Pacific coast.

View More: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6065963&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

SAN DIEGO – Rory McIlroy won’t be at The Players Championship this year, making his intentions known in Twitter banter with Lee Westwood, who said last week he wouldn’t be going to golf’s richest tournament, either.

“I’ve decided no holes at sawgrass is better than my usual 36!” McIlroy tweeted, referring to his missed cut last year.

It appeared to be another slap at the PGA Tour from two European players who have decided not to take U.S. cards. Westwood said it would not make travel sense for him to go to The Players Championship without being able to play the week before in Quail Hollow because he is limited to 10 events on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy hinted two months ago he might skip The Players, mainly because he doesn’t feel he plays well on the TPC Sawgrass.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said he was disappointed, but not troubled by the decisions.

“I feel we’ll have an excellent field again,” Finchem said Tuesday. “It’s a premier tournament on a great golf course with a great pedigree of champions, the highest purse of the year. We’ll have a fantastic tournament. My only message to those guys is, you’re always welcome, and we’d love to have you back.”

There have been some suggestions in recent weeks that all tours should abandon policies that restrict how often players can compete if they are among the top 10 or even top 50 in the world.

Finchem sees no need for a change, and he doesn’t feel the PGA Tour is hurt by European players — Westwood, McIlroy and PGA champion Martin Kaymer are the most visible — who don’t join the U.S. tour.

“Candidly, I’m disappointed about players not playing here … because it helps our field,” he said. “But on the other hand, I feel like we have the right mix of international players on the tour. I see no need for us to have more international players. I also feel strongly that the European Tour needs to be a strong tour. It’s a very good thing for golf globally.

“They have struggled more than we have with this [economic] downturn,” he said. “They’ve had to morph their schedule into the Middle East and now Asia to find markets to support their tour. I applaud that. Candidly, it’s probably more important on the European Tour that some of those players play over there than it is for us that they play here.”

View More: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6059047&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii — It was a run that John Cook had never experienced in his long, successful career.

Cook birdied five straight holes after the turn to win the Champions Tour’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship on Sunday, shooting a second straight 8-under 64 for a two-stroke victory over Tom Lehman.

“I’ve hit some runs of birdies but never on Sunday on the back side to win a championship,” Cook said.

After two birdies on the front side, Cook scorched the back nine, dropping putt after putt. He birdied six holes during a seven-hole stretch to take home $305,000 and the hook-shaped trophy.

The win was Cook’s sixth on the 50-and-over circuit and his first in the islands since the 1992 Hawaiian Open at Waialae, which he considers one of his favorite wins.

Cook was relaxed and focused on Sunday, only distracted by the Pacific behind him.

“I get caught looking at the surf,” he said. “There’s a nice little left [surf break] behind the 17th green. I said, ‘Boy that would be nice right now — dig into one of those.’ ”

Cook began the day three strokes behind second-round leader Russ Cochran and surged to the top of the leaderboard with his five birdies after making the turn by aggressively firing for the pins. The run was capped by a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th.

After going up-and-down for a rare par on No. 15, he got back to the birdie clinic by sticking his 7-iron shot to 3 feet to reach 22 under at 16, which he called “the killer.”

He tapped in for par on 17 for his first two-putt hole on the back nine and missed a 10-foot birdie try on the final hole. But even with a big lead, he never felt he had it in the bag.

“I grind to the end. That’s the way I practice. That’s the way I’ve learned. That’s the way it was instilled in me playing whatever sport I was playing,” he said. “You just grind until the end.

“You just never know. But I know one thing: Playing the last hole with a three-stroke lead is better than a one-shot lead.”

Lehman, who closed with a 64, had an eagle, eight birdies and two bogeys.

“I felt I was playing real well, but John Cook just kept making birdies,” Lehman said. “I don’t know what he shot over the last 10 or 11 holes, but it had to be low.”

Defending champion Tom Watson couldn’t overcome his three bogeys on the front nine and shot a 68 to finish third at 19 under, two strokes ahead of Cochran (72) and Jeff Sluman(68).

“After three-putting nine, that kind of put me behind the eight-ball because if any one is playing well, you’re going to shoot well on the back nine like John and Tom did,” Watson said.

At 61, Watson was vying to become the seventh oldest winner on the Champions Tour.

“I had too many defeats today and not enough victories when it came to my shot-making,” said Watson, who missed three short putts.

Everyone was expecting a showdown between Watson and Cochran. But it was Cook taking control.

Cook pumped his fist twice after taking the outright lead for the first time at 18 under by bending in a left-to-right putt from about 30 feet on the par-4 11th where he nearly tumbled into the bunker.

He had an ugly, downslope lie a few inches off the bunker on his second shot. But his sweet putting came to the rescue.

Standing in the shadow of the palm tree, Cook holed a 3½-foot birdie putt to open up a three-stroke lead on 13.

Lehman made a move early with four birdies in the first seven to reach 16 under. He made back-to-back bogeys before the turn, but went birdie-par-birdie-eagle starting on No. 11 to put him back near Cook. Lehman birdied the final two holes to slip into second place.

“To shoot 20-under par and not win is tough to swallow,” he said.

Players had a third day of low-scoring conditions with just a gentle tradewind to contend with. Hualalai, surrounded by lava rock fields, $5 million homes and humpback whales in the ocean, has historically been the easiest course on the Champions Tour.

View Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6052294&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Jose Maria Olazabal will captain Europe’s Ryder Cup team when it defends the trophy against the United States at Medinah in 2012.

The 44-year-old Spaniard, who played in seven Ryder Cups and was Europe’s vice captain for the last two matches, was appointed captain Tuesday. He succeeds Colin Montgomerie, who guided Europe to a 14½-13½ victory over the U.S. at Celtic Manor, Wales, in October.

Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion and the unanimous choice among Europe’s leading players, described his appointment as the “proudest moment” of his career.

“This is a huge responsibility to be the next captain, and also, I have to say that it’s I think one of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge I will have in my career, especially at this time of my career,” Olazabal told reporters in Abu Dhabi. “All I can say is that I will try to do the best that I can, try to be close to the players.”

His goal, Olazabal said, would be “of course to keep the cup in our possession.”

Davis Love III is expected to be picked as the next captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team on Thursday. Love was a vice captain in October.

Olazabal has struggled with chronic back problems in recent years, limiting his appearances on tour to just three events in 2010, but said his health was improving.

“My health was the main concern,” he said. “I have to say that in the last couple of months, since I played Valderrama last year, I felt a noticeable improvement in my health condition and good health prevailing, there should be no problem.”

An essential requirement of the European Tour is that a captain plays a full tournament schedule in the year of a Ryder Cup to stay close to potential members of the team.

Olazabal also said he would consider changing the automatic qualification system.

“I can assure you that I’m not asking for any extra picks,” he said. “If anything, I’ll try to reduce it back to two. You know, the more picks you get, the less value I think you give to the players that finish from eight to ten.”

Thomas Bjorn, the chairman of the European Tour Tournament Players’ Committee, said Olazabal was the overwhelming choice of the players.

“It was probably the easiest decision we’ve ever have to make for Ryder Cup captain,” Bjorn said. “There was a general feeling from the whole membership that Jose needed to be the next captain. In today’s game, he is probably one of the very few players that all of the players on tour associate with what the Ryder Cup is all about — the passion and the determination.”

Along with being one of Europe’s most popular players over the years, Olazabal has also been one of the team’s most successful.

Olazabal has an impressive Ryder Cup record, winning 18 and halving five of his 31 matches. He has been on the winning side three times, in 1987, 1997 and 2006. He was also a member of the team that retained the trophy in 1989 with a 14-14 draw against the U.S. at The Belfry.

His partnership with compatriot Seve Ballesteros is the best in the competition’s history. The Spanish pair won 11, halved two and lost two of their 15 matches between 1987-93.

Olazabal was Nick Faldo’s vice-captain when the Americans won in Valhalla in 2008. He was a late addition to Montgomerie’s staff last year.

To read more:  http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6032727&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Jose Maria Olazabal will captain Europe’s Ryder Cup team when it defends the trophy against the United States at Medinah in 2012.

The 44-year-old Spaniard, who played in seven Ryder Cups and was Europe’s vice captain for the last two matches, was appointed captain Tuesday. He succeeds Colin Montgomerie, who guided Europe to a 14½-13½ victory over the U.S. at Celtic Manor, Wales, in October.

Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion and the unanimous choice among Europe’s leading players, described his appointment as the “proudest moment” of his career.

“This is a huge responsibility to be the next captain, and also, I have to say that it’s I think one of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge I will have in my career, especially at this time of my career,” Olazabal told reporters in Abu Dhabi. “All I can say is that I will try to do the best that I can, try to be close to the players.”

His goal, Olazabal said, would be “of course to keep the cup in our possession.”

Davis Love III is expected to be picked as the next captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team on Thursday. Love was a vice captain in October.

Olazabal has struggled with chronic back problems in recent years, limiting his appearances on tour to just three events in 2010, but said his health was improving.

“My health was the main concern,” he said. “I have to say that in the last couple of months, since I played Valderrama last year, I felt a noticeable improvement in my health condition and good health prevailing, there should be no problem.”

An essential requirement of the European Tour is that a captain plays a full tournament schedule in the year of a Ryder Cup to stay close to potential members of the team.

Olazabal also said he would consider changing the automatic qualification system.

“I can assure you that I’m not asking for any extra picks,” he said. “If anything, I’ll try to reduce it back to two. You know, the more picks you get, the less value I think you give to the players that finish from eight to ten.”

Thomas Bjorn, the chairman of the European Tour Tournament Players’ Committee, said Olazabal was the overwhelming choice of the players.

“It was probably the easiest decision we’ve ever have to make for Ryder Cup captain,” Bjorn said. “There was a general feeling from the whole membership that Jose needed to be the next captain. In today’s game, he is probably one of the very few players that all of the players on tour associate with what the Ryder Cup is all about — the passion and the determination.”

Along with being one of Europe’s most popular players over the years, Olazabal has also been one of the team’s most successful.

Olazabal has an impressive Ryder Cup record, winning 18 and halving five of his 31 matches. He has been on the winning side three times, in 1987, 1997 and 2006. He was also a member of the team that retained the trophy in 1989 with a 14-14 draw against the U.S. at The Belfry.

His partnership with compatriot Seve Ballesteros is the best in the competition’s history. The Spanish pair won 11, halved two and lost two of their 15 matches between 1987-93.

Olazabal was Nick Faldo’s vice-captain when the Americans won in Valhalla in 2008. He was a late addition to Montgomerie’s staff last year.

To read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6032727&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

HONOLULU – Mark Wilson barely had time to eat a sandwich, much less keep track of his round, when he arrived at the 17th green Sunday afternoon at the Sony Open and realized he had not made a single bogey during this 36-hole marathon.

His four-shot lead had dwindled to a stroke. Wilson was staring at a 12-foot par putt, and the closing hole was a par 5 that he had not been able to reach all week.

The thought was fleeting. The way his week had gone, the outcome was predictable.

“I thought about that before I hit the putt,” Wilson said. “I haven’t made a bogey all day, so why start now? It entered my mind, but when I was over the putt, I didn’t think about it.”

The putt curled in the side, and Wilson started his season with a win to earn his first trip to the Masters.

Wilson shot a 5-under 65 in the morning to take a one-shot lead into the afternoon round. With six minutes between rounds — enough time to get a chicken sandwich and a fresh box of golf balls from his locker — he closed with a 3-under 67 and held off late runs by Tim Clarkand Steve Marino on different sides of Waialae.

Wilson’s last trip to Augusta National was 2001 — as a spectator.

“I get goose bumps thinking about it,” he said.

He nearly got chills watching Marino give himself one last chance with a remarkable shot. Clark had already finished with a 64 and was on the practice range at 14-under par. Marino was 13 under and needed an eagle, which looked improbable when his drive splashed out of the bunker and onto the side of a hill.

With his feet in the sand, and the ball about chest-high on the hill, Marino lashed at it with a fairway metal and watched it hook onto the front of the green and stop 40 feet away.

“I saw the ball, and I thought, ‘OK, eagle is going to be pretty tough for him to make.’ It was one incredible shot,” Wilson said.

Marino’s eagle putt narrowly missed, and Wilson pitched to 4 feet and made a birdie he didn’t need. He finished at 16-under 264 and earned $990,000 for his third career victory.

Clark, who started the final round five shots behind, birdied three of his last four holes. He had a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 8 slide by on the left, and he narrowly missed a 15-foot eagle putt on the last hole.

“It’s a relief to get it in,” Wilson said. “I’m just thrilled to be the champion.”

Wilson played his final 40 holes at Waialae without a bogey. That proved significant twice during his final round, starting on No. 8. He hit a tree with his drive and had to punch out to the fairway, leaving him 150 yards away with his third shot and his lead at two shots. But he stuffed it to 7 feet for par, then birdied the ninth to expand his lead to four.

Jimmy Walker closed with a 68 to finish alone in fourth, while Matt Kuchar and Matt Bettencourtwere another shot back. Stuart Appleby and Shigeki Maruyama, who started Sunday tied for the 36-hole lead, never got going. Maruyama had rounds of 70-69 to tie for seventh, his first top 10 on the PGA Tour in two years. Appleby had a third-round 69, then didn’t make a birdie until the final hole of the last round and shot 72.

From top to bottom, 56 players were separated by only seven shots going into the final 36 holes, a recipe for anyone winning from anywhere. But on a quiet day near the shores of Waikiki, there was little movement.

Wilson chipped in from behind the third green for birdie and kept bogeys off his card at 65, the best score of the third round. It gave him a one-shot lead over Marino, who had a 66, but certainly not much room for error.

Kuchar pulled within one shot early in the fourth round, then dropped out with two straight bogeys. Marino stayed in the picture until a bogey on the eighth, failing to birdie the easy par-5 ninth, and hitting two poor wedges for a bogey on the short 10th.

The big move came from Clark, and he was on the other side of the course.

Because of the 36-hole final — forced by a washout in the first round Thursday — players did not change groups for the afternoon. Clark started the day six shots out of the lead, shot 66 in the morning and made his move on the front nine — his last nine holes. His birdie on No. 6 took him to 12 under, then he nearly made an ace on the par-3 seventh for a tap-in birdie and gave himself two good looks at the end.

“I kind of figured if you could get it going around here, I might still have a chance, even though we were on different nines,” Clark said. “This back nine, I kind of got it going there with some iron shots. A few putts would have helped, but very pleased.”

With the runner-up finish, Clark should move to No. 20 in the world. With Charl Schwartzelwinning the Joburg Open earlier Sunday, that means South Africans will occupy the first five spots in the Presidents Cup standings.

Wilson won the Honda Classic in 2007, and a month later Augusta National changed its criteria to invite most PGA Tour winners. He won in Mexico two years later, but that doesn’t count toward the Masters because it is an opposite-field tournament.

Wilson finally returns to Augusta as a player, and he can only hope his celebration ends by April.

“From what I’ve learned over the years is the more you succeed out here, the more people expect of you,” Wilson said. “But I’m going to enjoy this like crazy.”

View article: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6028923&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

HONOLULU – Ernie Els has reached a point in his career where he will not be traveling as far, and making decisions based as much on his business ventures as the golf itself.

One of the first tournaments to go is the Scottish Open, which he has won twice and played the last nine years.

Els signed an endorsement deal with the Royal Bank of Canada, the title sponsor of the Canadian Open. The third-oldest national championship in golf falls at an awkward time in the PGA Tour schedule — one week after the British Open, two weeks before the start of a grueling stretch that includes a World Golf Championship, the PGA Championship and four FedEx Cup playoff events.

The Big Easy said he would be there.

“Yes, but I’m changing it up,” he said. “I’m not going to play the Scottish Open.”

Els said he wants to focus more on America, where he now spends most of his time, and where his children are in school. He also is trying to raise money for an autism center in Florida.

Els now has a charity event for amateurs that will reward fundraising skills as much as good golf, hopeful it can raise upward of $3 million to help build the center for autistic children.

It’s called the “Els For Autism Golf Challenge,” and it will involve at least 32 tournaments across the country featuring two-player teams that qualify depending on how much money they raise for the project.

Els disclosed in March 2008 that his 8-year-old son, Ben, has autism. A year later, the South African announced plans to build the “Els for Autism Center of Excellence” in South Florida to be a research and education facility for children with autism.

“Years from now, people may remember me as a golfer and a major champion,” Els said. “But I’d like also to be remembered as somebody who took the issue of autism and did something with it.”

In building his global brand, Els has stated he’ll focus a bit less on the European Tour.

“I’m going to play less in Europe, play a bit more in Asia,” he said. “That’s good for the personal brand and stuff we do out there.”

On the list of tournaments he likely will play is the Asia-Pacific Classic in Malaysia, where he is designing golf courses. He said his wine label is doing well in South Korea, so he will be at the Ballantines Championship at the end of April.

“Then you look at China,” he said. “China is quite a big market in just about everything. You’ve got to show your face there every now and then. I’d like to do that at the end of the year.”

Els is taking a four-week break from golf after the Sony Open this week. He said he hasn’t done that, except for injury, since before he had children when Els and his wife would go home to South Africa. That means missing the Middle East swing on the European Tour. Els said his next event will be the Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

Keeping an eye on business would seem to indicate a shift in his priorities, although Els said this has been going on for a few years.

“I’m just trying to position myself,” he said. “Obviously the world has changed the last few years. We used to have quite a bit of business in the U.S. That’s a little bit out the window now. You’ve got to look for work where it is. Asia is where it is.

“I’m definitely not thinking of retirement,” he said. “But I’m definitely positioning myself for when that day comes.”

View ESPN Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6013458&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jonathan Byrd had a silver trophy at his side and a lei draped around his neck, a winner Sunday in the Tournament of Champions, even if the playoff didn’t end the way anyone imagined.

“Pretty overwhelmed,” he said.

The emotions went beyond his victory in the PGA Tour’s season opener when Robert Garrigus, the biggest hitter on tour, missed a 3-foot par putt on the second extra hole at Kapalua.

Just over three months ago, Byrd thought he might lose his card for the first time in his career. He was outside the top 125 on the money list, and not much was going his way.

Then came a hole-in-one in near darkness to win Las Vegas in a playoff, getting him to Maui for the Tournament of Champions. He made it two straight wins by closing with a 6-under 67, and winning despite the length advantage for Garrigus in the playoff.

“I can’t sit here and not think about where I was toward the end of the season last year, fighting for my card,” he said. “I’m just thankful, I’m overwhelmed, I’m grateful, all of the above.”

Garrigus — his name might as well be “gregarious” — was thankful, too, despite a tough way to lose. He had a 12-foot eagle putt on the last hole in regulation that would have been enough to win. He failed to take advantage of his length on the par-5 18th in the playoff, hitting a poor chip that fooled him. And with a 9-iron to the green on No. 1 in the playoff — Byrd used his 3-iron — he couldn’t get it closer than 40 feet.

Garrigus ran it 3 feet by the hole, and tried to jam it in from there and caught the right lip.

“If you had told me this — I’d have been in a playoff with one of the best players in the world — I’d have said, ‘Hey, bring it on and we’ll get ‘em next week,’ ” said Garrigus, who also shot 67. “It was a great week. I’ve lost about 133 golf tournaments, and it’s not that big a deal. I get a nice check, and I get to go next week and relax and have fun.”

They finished at 24-under 268.

Byrd had an 18-foot birdie putt in regulation to win. He had a 10-foot birdie on the 18th in the playoff to win. No putt came closer than his 50-foot effort on No. 1 in the playoff, the ball just touching the high side of the hole. He tapped in for par, and standing to the side of the green, began planning his next shot in the playoff at the par-3 second.

Garrigus put a sad end to it all.

“He just gave it a little too much gas, and missed the next putt coming back,” Byrd said.

Byrd won for the fifth time in his career, and this was the biggest. He had never won on tour earlier than July. He had never beaten a field this strong, with only PGA Tour winners from last year. And this one came with some perks. Byrd earned an automatic invitation to the Masters, and with his second win in the last two months, he is exempt for the U.S. Open.

Graeme McDowell nearly joined them in the playoff. The U.S. Open champion, coming off a dream season, matched the Plantation Course record with an 11-under 62 and finished one shot behind. McDowell had a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole that just missed.

Steve Stricker, tied with Byrd and Garrigus going into the final round, shot 71 and tied for fourth with Carl Pettersson (68).

McDowell started the final round six shots out of the lead, and he told one of the locker room attendants that he probably would need a 59 to have any kind of chance.

He gave it quite a ride. He ran off four straight birdies early in the round to make the turn in 30 and get within range. After scolding himself for missing an 8-foot birdie try on the 12th, McDowell responded with four straight birdies, including a 20-footer down the slope on the 15th after playing a safe pitch.

To read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6006742&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off

KAPALUA, Hawaii — The Golf Channel went to the PGA Tour opener with hopes of putting a microphone on players for the Tournament of Champions. The trick now is to find a few volunteers.

Jack Graham, executive producer for the Golf Channel, said it has been approved to put mikes on players for the year. The player must agree to wear the mike, and with two days left, it appears it might not happen at Kapalua.

Some players don’t want to do it. Others are interested, just not in the first tournament of the year. Graham said at some point he expects players will get comfortable with the idea.

And he believes it’s one that’s long overdue.

“If you look at where we are compared with other sports, we’re pretty far behind,” he said.

The Golf Channel miked players on the LPGA Tour last year.

Given the economy and growing entertainment choices — and especially with a new television contract to be negotiated this year — the PGA Tour is doing what it can to make broadcasts more interesting.

There already is some live chatter at tournaments from the “shotgun mike,” which is held some 10 yards away from players in the fairway. That can’t get anywhere near the green. When players are miked, it will not be live, but rather repackaged during the telecast.

“I think it will work if we get some cooperation,” Graham said. “But it’s problematic. Some players will do it. Some won’t.”

Meanwhile, the tour is allowing some flexibility in the pairings to help with TV.

The groups for Thursday and Friday rounds are determined by tour winners and those who have won recently, players from the previous money list and those with lesser status, such as Q-school and Nationwide Tour grads or other nonmembers.

Now, there will be some 20 featured players from the “A list” that can be moved around to accommodate television. That means certain players from that group would be chosen to tee off from No. 1 in the afternoon on Friday so Golf Channel could feature them on the back nine — where most of the TV towers are located — in the peak hours of the telecast.

It’s possible that one player could be pulled out of his group and placed in another group to create a story line. Slugger White, the vice president of rules and competition for the tour, said such movement would be rare.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the same group? That hasn’t happened on a Thursday and Friday in a regular PGA Tour event, although it could happen. Then again, there’s some thinking it is best to split them up for the two days to maximize TV time.

There was a push to allow those who have never won — Rickie Fowler is more than just an example in this case — to move into the winner’s category. The Players Advisory Council shot that down, believing that spot should be earned.

However, tour officials could move Fowler to a group next to the winner’s category to more easily feature him.

“We’re just trying to take care of our TV partners,” White said. “We’re all in this together. We’re trying to promote our sport.”

Read Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=5991232&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Tags: Golf by James Catledge
Comments Off