Johnnie Walker Classic - Day 2 Wrap

India's Shiv Kapur fired a 7-under par 65 on Friday to take a share of the lead with Unho Park of Australia after two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic.

Kapur sank an eagle and five birdies to log a two-round aggregate of 10-under par 134 and join Park, whose 6-under par 66 in the second round at the DLF Golf and Country Club featured eight birdies and two bogies.

In a tightly-packed leaderboard, world No. 5 Adam Scott and three-time major winner Vijay Singh were within striking distance of the lead, but Ryder Cup stars Colin Montgomerie of Scotland and England's Ian Poulter missed the cut at the $2.5 million (€1.66 million) event.

Japan's Taichiro Kiyota and Indian Jyoti Randhawa were one stroke behind the leaders, with Scott in a four-way tie for the fifth spot at eight-under par 136 along with Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and England pair Phillip Archer and Graeme Storm...

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Mock drug tests annoy golfers

LPGA players, miffed at a drug-testing procedure that took hours for some last week at the Fields Open in Hawaii, were slightly less than amused to find out the whole thing was merely a trial run and not the real thing.

Some of the players, in Singapore for the HSBC Champions, were whispering that the test had been compromised in some way, a charge flatly denied by LPGA officials.

"That's absolutely not true," Jill Pilgrim, the tour's general counsel, told Golf World. "We decided in advance to do a trial run so we could see the process in a real-time situation. The only thing we did not do was send the samples to the lab," she said, adding that the players were not told it was merely a trial.

"We learned some processes we need to tweak, such as seeing how the notification process works," Pilgrim said. "We did identify areas that did not work well."

When asked, she would not divulge what those areas were. "Every area across the board we could do better with," Pilgrim said.

The main complaint from players tested at the Fields Open was the amount of time testing took out of a competition day. Testing was done on the day of the first round, and those players who had morning tee times found there was not enough daylight left after testing to get in any practice.

"Some players took longer than others," Pilgrim said. "As soon as everyone gets up to speed on how the process works it will be more efficient," she said, stressing that as players get to understand the testing process better they will be able to assist in making it quicker.

Asked if the next test would be a real test, Pilgrim said: "We plan to move forward as soon as possible [with a real test]."...

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Bad credit or fairway bunker

Bad credit is like being caught on the lip of the fairway sand trap. It seems like there is no way out and it doesn't feel very nice at all. When stuck in bad credit you need some help and the best place to go is to a company that deals with the problem every day. Bad credit offers is one such company and they deal with lenders who will give people with bad credit a second chance. They have many products available including credit cards for bad credit.

Honda Classic - Day 1 wrap

uke Donald's opening round in The Honda Classic was far from perfect. He missed five greens and seven fairways, including five straight on the back nine.

And conditions at windy, cool PGA National were hardly optimal for scoring.

Yet somehow, Donald found a way to post the Honda's best score in three years.

A bogey-free 64 Thursday gave Donald a one-shot lead over Brian Davis and a two-shot edge on Matt Jones after the first round of the Honda — an event Donald won two years ago when it was at nearby Mirasol, a considerably easier track.

"I did a lot of good things around the greens and when I had my chances I took them," Donald said. "I didn't drive it particularly well. I need to improve that. I probably hit only half the fairways, which is not quite good enough. Apart from that, everything was very good."

Donald posted the lowest round at a Honda since Padraig Harrington shot a final-round 63 to win in 2005 at Mirasol, and the 64 was the best in 704 tournament rounds since the event moved to PGA National — where Mark Wilson's winning score a year ago was 5 under. Wilson shot a 73 on Thursday.

"Golf is just a tough game sometimes," Donald said. "It sometimes gets you down, and we've all been there before, but luckily right now I feel pretty confident about my game. I feel confident about where I'm heading, and I'm definitely going the right direction."

He wasn't alone in feeling that way.

Matt Jones (66) was alone in third, two shots off the pace, with a slew of others — including Ernie Els, the world's No. 4 player — three shots back. Els was one of only 10 players to make birdie at the arduous, 508-yard, par-4 10th, which was his first hole of the day.

"This is really my first full event, so to speak, of the year over here, so I needed to get off to a good start," said Els, whose PGA Tour campaign for 2008 began with a first-round exit last week in the Accenture Match Play. "I was a little nervy this morning to force myself to get off to a good start, and I've had that now, so I can start building on that."

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Accidents will happen

You could say there is an atmosphere of law in the air these days. People are always complaining to me that "everyone sues everyone these days." While this seems to be the case I am still of the opinion that people who are victims of accidents should be entitled to compensation to cover their medical bills and other losses. Now this doesn't mean I like to hear about people and million dollar lawsuits over hot coffee, but I do think people have the right to make Accident Claims where appropriate. I always tell people to remember that most people don't get millions of dollars in an accident claim, but it is those claims you hear about sensationalized in the media.

I have never made such a claim, but have many friends that have and they are certainly not instant millionaires. Most have simply been given their medical expenses back to them. Key point claims is a legal service offering accident compensation claims for injuries that were not your fault or for industrial related health problems (like asbestoses). I found their website to be very professional and well designed and if you have been injured in an accident or at work then it might be worth having a visit.

Johnnie Walker Classic - Day 1 Wrap

Social Network for golfers

Social networks are the big thing on the Internet at the moment and by the looks of it they will remain the big thing for some time. It seems a new myspace or facebook is popping up all the time and the biggest sites just keep getting stronger. Today I came across Stracka A Social Network for Golfers that looks the goods.

Stracka offers many features and services that golfers will find interesting and down right useful. They provide interactive yardage maps together with course information for many popular courses which include flyover tours. I can see this service being very popular and I would use it before playing an unfamiliar course. Some courses even have a Stracka line guide included which provides a 3D topographical map of each green so you will know what you are up against before you even step foot on the course. This truly is amazing technology!

Also included when you sign up is the service where you an post your scores and maintain your handicap. As it is a social networking site you will have the added benefit of access from any computer on the Internet. There are also forums where you an discuss the latest in golf, courses or your game and as the community grows this will become a very strong part of this site.

The features and services of this site make it a very worthwhile visit, however the best part about Stracka A Social Network for Golfers is that it is absolutely free to sign up - Amazing!

Tiger is on a different level?

World number five Adam Scott on Wednesday dismissed any notion of mounting a sustained challenge to Tiger Woods, who he said was on a "different level."

The Australian was tipped by coaching guru Butch Harmon as the biggest future competitor for the top-ranked Woods, whose dominance reached new heights last week with his sixth successive win.

"No pressure, right?" smiled Scott, who headlines the 2.5-million-dollar Johnnie Walker Classic here.

"I certainly have a desire to do that but it seems like I put together the pieces of the game very slowly so he always seems to be getting further and further ahead, which is not very encouraging," he said.

"I feel like I've developed a lot as a golfer over the last few years and I feel that I've got the right attitude and the right mindset in place to give myself the best opportunity.

"Still, realistically I don't see anybody challenging him week in, week out. I see the opportunity for a few players to have their moments where they can challenge him but he really is on a different level to us at the moment."

Woods has even talked of going this season unbeaten after his matchplay championships win in Arizona, which pushed him past Arnold Palmer's tally of career victories.

"Maybe he will win every week this year, we'll wait and see," Scott said. "But normally he doesn't win every week so let's see if there are opportunities to beat him."

Triple major winner Vijay Singh and European heavyweights Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter are also challenging for the Classic, which is being held in India for the first time.

Scott, who won in 2005, can emulate Woods, Nick Faldo and Ernie Els by becoming only the fourth two-time winner of the elite event which has toured Asia since 1990...

Read the complete golf news story

Bodybuilding and golf

While it is true that golfers don't have to be bodybuilders it certainly helps your game if you spend some time in the gym and take some muscle building supplements. In my opinion any legal advantage to your game is worth pursuing. Muscle and strength is a website where you can find The Best Bodybuilding Supplements as well as information on these products, and the latest news. They stock all kinds of supplements including the popular proteins, creatine, carbohydrates and many more. If you are interested it would be well worth visiting their site.

Tiger Woods Clinic - Dubai 2008 (part 2)

Yesterday I posted the first part of this video and this is the second part, which I promised.

Money worry

I was saying last week that I love to read blogs and news stories (especially finance related ones) - it's almost an addiction really. While reading today I found an article talking about lenders not passing on Interest cuts for their Mortgage products. I think that this is terrible really. Imagine the official interest rate falling, but your lender decides that it is not going to cut their rates to make another few million. We give these big lenders our loyalty and what do we get? Jacked up fees and sloppy customer service. If my lender didn't cut fees with the official interest rate falling I would be looking for a new lender!

Tiger Woods Clinic - Dubai 2008

This is a great video of the Tiger, O`Meara and Clarke swing clinic in Dubai earlier this year. There is some great information and swing tips that you can pick up from this video and it is well worth having a look. There are two parts and I will be posting the second part later today for everyone to see. Enjoy

Style, form and function

Furniture is one of those necessities that can also have a certain style. You can purchase furniture to match a theme, design or even a sport (like golf) if you really want to. My house is a little bit of a hodge podge probably because when I got married my wife brought her own stuff and it didn't really match with mine. So we are slowly getting rid of mine :-)

Furniture from home is one of those stylish design furniture sites. They have some of the most exquisite furniture I have seen that is being sold online. They stock everything from oak captains bed to living room furniture. The site is well designed and is easy to navigate and you can shop by room, style and color. If you are looking for stylish furniture like a storage bed (or anything else) to suit any home or style I recommend taking a look at their website.

Golf this week

PGA Tour - Honda Classic
PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

European Tour - Johnnie Walker Classic
DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India

Coming off their appearance at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Adam Scott, Colin Montgomerie, Vijay Singh and Soren Hansen all headed to India to try to take the crown from Haig.

LPGA Tour - HSBC Womens Champions
Tanah Merah Country Club, Singapore

Annika Sorenstam is off to a hot start with a win and a fourth-place finish. She will be joined in the field by Karrie Webb and Lorena Ochoa, who are both making their season debuts this week.

Golf, sports, horses and the rest

It is not really my sort of thing, but online gaming and betting has become big business and with the advent of faster Internet has become much more popular. You can have a bet on almost anything, including golf, but the old favorites like horse racing continue to go from strength to strength. If you are into gambling and betting online there are many companies that even have incentives for signing up. Online betting offers the advantages of being quick and easy, but you should always monitor your betting.

The online company betfair are one of the companies offering online betting including most of the major sports and horse racing. They are one of the biggest companies out there and offer a very reliable online system with full security protection in place. Betfair is available in most major countries and has dedicated sections for different currencies and languages. You can select your country/language from the drop down menu after the page loads. They even have a forum and radio program for users. The website is easy enough to use and is very well designed. If you are interested in sports betting then it would be worth having a look around their website. However, as I always say, remember to gamble responsibly.

Tiger wins the Accenture Match Play Championship

Tiger Woods romped to his eighth title in nine tournament appearances by crushing fellow American Stewart Cink 8&7 in Sunday's final at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Four up after dominating the morning round, the world number one reeled off three consecutive birdies from the 24th hole before sealing victory with a sparkling approach to two feet for a conceded birdie on the 29th green.

It was his third triumph in 10 editions of the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) events and his sixth successive tournament win worldwide.

In claiming his 63rd PGA Tour title, Woods edged ahead of Arnold Palmer into fourth place in the all-time standings. Only Sam Snead (82), Jack Nicklaus (73) and Ben Hogan (64) have won more.

Accenture Match Play Championship Day 4

Tiger Woods continues to push the bar even higher as he takes aim at his third Accenture Match Play Championship victory in the title bout where he’ll face Stewart Cink in an all-American final at The Gallery Golf Club just north of Tucson. Woods captured back-to-back Accenture tournaments in 2003 and 2004.

“It was fun to get into position and be able to execute,” said Tiger Woods after his semi-final round.

Two former Accenture Match Play champions produced a sensational semi-final match for the gallery. Henrik Stenson battled courageously before Woods prevailed, 2 up, and sent the Swede to the consolation match. It was the first time in the 10-year history of the storied World Golf Championships event that two former Accenture Match Play champions went head-to-head in a semifinal match.

Woods and K.J. Choi were locked in a tight quarterfinal duel before Woods turned it up a notch on the back nine, defeating the South Korean, 3 and 2, after 16 holes to move on to his semi-final match. Woods is 20-4 in match play against international players. Three of his four loses came at the hands of Australians; Peter O’Malley in ’02, twice to Nick O’Hern in ‘05 and ’07, and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke in the 2000 title round. Tiger Woods improved his Accenture Match Play record to 30-6 in his ninth year playing the storied event.

On his way to reaching the championship round, Stewart Cink put on a match-play seminar, making five birdies and one eagle through nine holes in his semifinal match against Justin Leonard as he cruised to 4 and 2 victory. Leonard will now face Henrik Stenson in the consolation match.

Accenture Match Play Championship - Woods escapes again

Tiger Woods could recall just one similar birdie slug-fest in his career after beating Australia's Aaron Baddeley over 20 holes in Friday's third round at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

"The only other match that was similar to that was the Match Play against O'Meara in '98, at Wentworth," twice winner Woods told reporters after racking up 12 birdies to Baddeley's nine in a tight battle of shot-making at Dove Mountain.

Woods lost to good friend and fellow American Mark O'Meara by a hole in a fluctuating final of the 1998 World Match Play Championship at Wentworth in south-east England.

"I think he was 11 under and I was 10 under. I thought that was a pretty good match."

On Friday, Woods and Baddeley treated the watching gallery to a thrilling exhibition of high-quality golf before the American world number one sealed victory with a 13-foot birdie putt on the par-four second, the second extra hole.

Woods had charged two up with birdies on the first two holes before his opponent piled on the pressure with six birdies in seven holes around the turn.

LEVELLED MATCH

Baddeley, 26, took the lead for the first time by rolling in a 10-footer on the 14th green but Woods levelled a tight match after hitting his tee shot to two feet at the par-three 16th.

"I felt that I was in control of the match the entire way around until I lost it on 14 and then went one down," Woods said after reaching the quarter-finals for the fifth time in nine appearances at the event.

"With four holes to go, I had to find a way to at least get that control back.

"It (the match) was unbelievable, really. I made, I think, two mistakes and gave him two holes, but he did the same. Every other hole it seemed like we birdied. It was unbelievable how many birdies we made out there today."

Woods, bidding for an eighth title in nine starts worldwide and a sixth in a row, will meet South Korea's K.J. Choi in the last eight on Saturday.

"K.J. is one of the best drivers out here," the 32-year-old said. "He drives it on a string most of the time and he's been very consistent over the last few years. I expect for that to be the case tomorrow and it will be a tough match."

Woods, winner of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa in 2003 and 2004, had not progressed beyond the third round for the last three years

Accenture Match Play Championship Day 2

Tiger Woods cruised, Colin Montgomerie clawed his way through and Phil Mickelson crashed out of the second round of the eight million-dollar WGC Accenture Match Play Championship on Thursday.

World No. 1 Woods, who had a narrow escape in Wednesday's first round, was never in trouble in a 3 and 2 victory over Arron Oberholser.

"I played a lot better today," Woods said. "I did some work last night on the range, then did some work in the room and came out today with a game plan of what I need to do to warm up."

Woods said he worked "in front of the mirror to make sure that what I'm feeling is actually what I'm doing.

"In this game, feel and real are usually two different things. I was making sure what I did last night on the range was exactly what I thought I was doing."

Woods will next face Australian Aaron Baddeley, who advanced without hitting a shot when scheduled opponent David Toms conceded the match because of a a back ailment.

Second seed Phil Mickelson was eliminated, beaten 2 and 1 by Australian Stuart Appleby in a well-played match.

Montgomerie, Europe's Ryder Cup hero, produced a blistering back nine to hold off American Charles Howell.

Howell took the lead with four straight birdies from the 10th hole, but Montgomerie birdied three of the next four holes en route to a one-up victory.

Montgomerie, 59th seed, who only barely qualified for the World Golf Championships event, was delighted to get through to the final 16.

"That's a good effort," he said. "Charles birdied the 11th to go all square and my caddie said, 'Right, Mr. Montgomerie, it's Ryder Cup mode.' I was four-under from then on, so he should say that more often in stroke play events.

"We're in the last 16 and delighted. I look forward to playing again tomorrow."

Montgomerie said the 14th hole was key. He hit a six-iron to three feet to win the hole and square the match.

"It gave me the initiative to birdie 15 as well," he said.

Both players battled on the tougher front nine at Dove Montain, but each made five birdies coming in.

"The front nine, the pins are extremely tight, and that's why you'll find that today the scoring is perhaps better on the back nine," Montgomerie said.

Montgomerie will get a shot at another potential US Ryder Cup opponent, Stewart Cink, who beat Ireland's Padraig Harrington 2-up.

Paul Casey was the only other Briton to join Montgomerie in the third round, outlasting fellow Brit Bradley Dredge 2 and 1.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia also bowed out, falling 3 and 1 to American Boo Weekley...

Read the complete golf news story

Golf, cowboys and curtains.

As a kid I loved cowboys. I had a huge cowboy bedspread and curtains, but the fad didn't last very long. However, it is good to know that the theme still runs strong and cowboy curtains are still available. I must admit they are much more sophisticated that the ones I had. I found them on the western cowboy home decor website, which is a really great site should you be interested in tastefully decorating your house with a western theme.

Accenture Match Play - Els heads home

Ernie Els became the first big name to fall by the wayside when he was crushed 6&5 by American Jonathan Byrd in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday.

The South African world number four bogeyed four of the first nine holes before losing the match on the 13th green, the fifth time he has lost in the tournament's opening round in eight appearances.

Byrd, world-ranked 63rd, reeled off six birdies in a flawless display at Dove Mountain's Gallery Golf Club for a winning start on his debut in the first World Golf Championships (WGC) event of the year.

"I feel good about where my game is and in a week like this you've got all to gain, nothing to lose," a beaming Byrd told reporters.

"I went out there and played some really good golf. I barely got in the field so I was excited about being here, and excited about having a good match with Ernie. It was fun."

Read the complete golf news story

More sales for your business - golf or anything else

I was talking earlier today about how good training can really set you up for a great career in your chosen industry. The training you receive can be the difference between landing your dream job or missing out on the opportunity all together. In the modern world training really is necessary no matter what job you plan on doing.

Training can also have other benefits. During my training I quickly learned that the job I was planning on doing wasn't for me and I was able to switch to a more appropriate training course before I had completely gone down the wrong path. Once I found an area I enjoyed it seemed like the training wasn't really work at all and I enjoy the job I have now (almost) every day!

AS-SA is a sales training, course and consultancy company in the UK. The are a 26 year old company that offers Sales Training UK, which is designed to help organisations improve sales performance. They have a great range of sales courses in many different areas including commitment selling, cold calls, writing and telephone techniques and many more. Their website is well designed and easy to navigate and if you are looking for sales training for your organisation I would recommend a look through their website.

Accenture Match Play - Montgomerie beat Furyk

Colin Montgomerie gained a major confidence boost by beating American Jim Furyk 3&2 in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship first round on Wednesday.

The eight-times European number one came from one down after two holes, a run of three birdies in four holes from the 12th helping him seal victory on the 16th green.

"I'm very, very happy," a smiling Montgomerie told reporters after advancing into the second round of the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event for the fifth time in eight appearances.

"I believe Jim Furyk, after Tiger (Woods) really, is one of the U.S.'s strongest match players and the toughest guys to beat. His Ryder Cup record suggests that.

"I've learned that I can still compete and I can still play this game. I've just beaten one of the U.S.'s top, top match players and toughest opponents. It's done wonders for me and done wonders for my confidence."

Montgomerie, whose world ranking has slipped to 62nd, was delighted to record five birdies and a lone bogey in 16 holes at Dove Mountain's Gallery Golf Club.

"I played particularly well," the 44-year-old Scot added. "I hit the fairways and got inside of him (on the greens) a number of times. And when I did that I took advantage a number of times...

Read the complete golf news story

When it isn't golf it's finance

I said yesterday that reading blogs is one of my favorite things to do, well I also like reading finance news too - even though I don't know a whole lot about it I still like to keep up with the latest in this area. Recently I was interested to hear that many homeowners are confused about which if the many Mortgages to choose from. I can certainly understand how this is the case, but it doesn't sound like it makes for a very good situation to be in. Buying a house is already stressful enough without adding to the pressure of having to choose from the many mortgages avalaible. I personally think that people should choose a good mortgage broker who will go through all the deals with you and also inform you of any hidden fees or charges that you should take into account. They really can help alleviate the confusion because they have access to all the major lenders and can quickly compare the differences between them and help you choose a mortgage. I guess the main problem at the moment is that people are worried about the stability of the world economy and that makes any financial decision very difficult at the moment. Lets hope it all settles down sometime soon!

Accenture Match Play - Tiger advances after a scare

Tiger Woods pulled off a spectacular Houdini-like escape to beat fellow American J.B. Holmes one up in Wednesday's opening round at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

The world number one came from three down with five holes to play at Dove Mountain's Gallery Golf Club to maintain his bid for a sixth successive title worldwide.

Tournament champion at La Costa in 2003 and 2004, Woods reeled off three birdies in a row from the 14th to level the match before rolling in a 36-foot eagle putt on the 17th green to go ahead for the first time.

Holmes, who had never previously played in competition with Woods, narrowly missed an eight-footer to birdie the last and take the match into extra holes...

Read the complete golf news story

Training - Life isn't all golf

There is probably nothing more important in life than receiving quality training in the area you are looking to work in. Whether you want to become a plummer or a manager of a business, quality training can land you the job you have always wanted. So it really pays to make sure the training service you are using is completely up to standard. Avand is a website that has been setup to takes away the pressure of doing this yourself. They simply collect your details and find the most suitable trainers in your area who will contact you . The best part about this great service is that they will only put you in contact with properly qualified trainers!

On of my mates is a trained plummer and he is thankful now he went through all the Plumbing Courses because he is making more money than many of our other management type friends. He has told me that the training was well worth the extra effort and helped land him a job with one of the biggest plumbers in town. Now he owns his own business and has people working for him!

If you are just starting out or are looking for a career change then I would recommend you take a look around their website.

Strange golf news - Elaine Joyce sues public club for men's only event

Elaine Joyce, a champion amateur golfer, and her father were looking forward to a weekend tournament last May at the respected public course on Cape Cod where they hold full memberships. But their names were not listed when officials posted the tee times for the event at the Dennis Pines course.

Joyce’s father, Pat, received a call from the club’s head pro, Russell Champoux, who said the tournament was not open to women. It did not matter that Joyce would play from the men’s tees. Or that she had won more than 20 club championships over the years. Or that she had captured the title in 2001 at an event for the state’s top female club champions.

Joyce complained to the town, but over the next several months, Robert Canevazzi, the Dennis town administrator, did not budge. When Joyce filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in July, the club said its actions were not discriminatory. In a letter, Canevazzi told Joyce that the club would begin scheduling men’s and women’s fields in all tournaments in 2008, giving women more weekend play. The club’s lawyer, Kristin Tyler Harris, reiterated the position. But women would not be permitted to play in men’s tournaments.

On Friday, Joyce, 43, filed a federal lawsuit in United States District Court in Boston to challenge the town and the golf officials. Her case confronts the tradition of men’s tournaments on morning weekends, events that are woven into the fabric of golf life at private and public courses...

Read the complete strange golf story

Golf blog, criminal law blog - it's all the same really

I love reading blogs, in fact that is probably a large part of the reason that I decided to start this very blog you are reading now. I read all kinds of blogs and one of my favorites is the Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog | California Criminal Law Forum. This is written by former LA prosecutor Dmitry Gorin (pictured below) who blogs about criminal law, latest law news or stories, courtroom defenses and many many more topics. If you are interested in criminal law or just keeping up with the latest in that area then I recommend you visit the blog.

Phil Mickelson new swing 2008 (Swing Vision Video)

I know there was a couple of people interested in seeing the video of Phil's new swing for 2008 and this video from the Northern Trust open captures the action. I found the commentators remarks interesting and it sounded like he wasn't overly impressed with this swing.

Enjoy the swing vision.

Chipping Tips

Chipping is an area of the game that can save you many shots a round. A player with a good short game will generally practice this part of the game for many hours. Time should be spent honing the correct technique and stroking the ball over an over until it feels as natural as possible.

This sounds all well and good, but many golfers need some help finding the correct technique for them and I have found some of the better golf chipping videos out there to help you in this area. Try all of the techniques and find the advice that suits your game the best and then hone these skills until chipping becomes a natural part of your game. The added benefit to this is that you will feel more relaxed next time you have to make a difficult chip or find yourself in a tense club tournament situation.

I hope these golf chipping tips shave a few strokes off your game

Mickelson Wins Northern Trust Open

American Phil Mickelson shot a final round 70 for a two-shot win over Jeff Quinney at the PGA Northern Trust Open on Sunday.

Mickelson, who grew up in southern California, finished at 12-under at the Riveria Country Club course.

It was his first victory at Riviera -- a tournament he first played as a 17-year-old high school student.

Mickelson duelled Quinney early in the round but he was the steadier of the two on the back nine.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods once against skipped the Riviera event, one of the few places he has been unable to dominate.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington and England's Luke Donald each fired 68s on Sunday to finish in a tie for third five shots behind Mickelson.

Golf News: Northern Trust Open Day 3 Wrap

Phil Mickelson held off a strong challenge from fellow American Jeff Quinney to grab a one-shot lead after Saturday's third round at the Northern Trust Open.

Four strokes ahead of the field overnight, Mickelson fired a one-under-par 70 in firm, fast conditions at Riviera Country Club to post an 11-under total of 202.

Former U.S. amateur champion Quinney joined Mickelson at the top of the leaderboard with an ace at the par-three sixth before slipping back into second place with a 67.

American John Rollins was a further four shots back at six under after shooting a six-birdie 69 on a breezy, sun-drenched day.

World number two Mickelson, in pursuit of his 33rd PGA Tour title but his first at Riviera, made a faltering start when he three-putted for bogey at the par-three fourth.

His playing partner Quinney had birdied the first and fifth, where he rolled in a 21-footer, and briefly snatched the outright lead with his spectacular ace at the sixth.

His tee shot pitched on the raised back portion of the green before his ball rolled down the slope and dropped into the cup. Quinney raised his arms skywards in celebration before sharing high fives with Mickelson and his caddie.

Mickelson, who struck his tee shot to six feet, then sank his birdie putt to regain a share of the lead...

Read the complete golf news story

Golf News: Northern Trust Open Day 2 Wrap

Phil Mickelson seems determined to add Los Angeles to his collection of West Coast trophies.

A year after losing at Riviera in a playoff, Mickelson played golf as spectacular as the weather Friday in the Northern Trust Open, finishing with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 7-under 64 and a four-shot lead.

Even after starting with a 68, Mickelson felt he was close to putting his game together. It started with a 3-iron to 12 feet on the par-5 first for a simple birdie, and built momentum with a 60-foot birdie on the fifth and never slowed.

When he finished his best score ever at Riviera, he was at 10-under 132 and in firm command going into the weekend.

"This is a tournament that has eluded me," Mickelson said of the only city in the West Coast Swing where he hasn't won. "The West Coast means a lot to me."

Robert Allenby, who won at Riviera in 2001 in the cold and rain, did OK in warm sunshine with a 66 that put him at 136 with Jeff Quinney, who made bogey on the final hole for a 67.

Mickelson and the top dozen players atop the leaderboard got one big break with the draw by playing early Thursday and in the afternoon Friday, essentially avoiding the strongest of the wind that gusted along the eucalyptus trees lining the fairways.

For those who faced a cold wind Thursday afternoon and more swirling breezes Friday morning, the best anyone could muster was David Toms (68) and Kevin Sutherland (69), each at 3-under 139.

"It was interesting, the last 27 holes that I've played with the wind and everything," Toms said. "You certainly had to think about it on your club selection. It made a lot of the holes play very difficult. Overall, I'll take the two rounds I've put on the board..."

Read the complete golf news story

Romantic Vacations (without golf)

As you all know Valentines day has come and gone again and while the day doesn't last very long the memories can last a lifetime. This Valentines day I spent some of the time reminiscing with my wife about the romantic New York city tours we took one Valentines day a few years ago. I don't get to the US very often, but I have just loved every visit I have ever made. Wandering through central park on Valentines day was a great, but very cold (I am a tropical boy after all), experience. My wife just loved the city (even though she is a bit of a country girl) and we spent days just exploring the city. We went on a great harbor cruise where we saw the Statue of Liberty in all her glory and took an informative double decker bus trip around the city.

If you are looking for tours in the most popular US cities then Trusted Tours & Attractions are a top notch company. Their website has heaps of available tours and vacation ideas that will have you planning your next holiday in no time. If you are interested in doing a tour or two in the United States then I can recommend a visit to their website. At the moment they are offering a chance to Win a free digital camera if you sign up for their informative newsletter.

Accenture Match Play Championship Draw is finalized

You were all waiting for it and here it is!

Accenture Match Play Championship Draw

No. 1 Woods vs. No. 65 Holmes

No. 2 Mickelson vs. No. 64 Pat Perez

No. 3 Stricker vs. No. 63 Daniel Chopra

No. 4 Els vs. No. 62 Jonathan Byrd

No. 5 Adam Scott vs. No. 61 Brendan Jones

No. 6 Jim Furyk vs. No. 60 Colin Montgomerie

No. 7 Justin Rose vs. No. 59 Rod Pampling

No. 8 Rory Sabbatini vs. No. 58 Bradley Dredge

No. 9 K.J. Choi vs. No. 57 Camilo Villegas

No. 10 Vijay Singh vs. No. 56 Peter Hanson

No. 11 Padraig Harrington vs. No. 55 Jerry Kelly

No. 12 Sergio Garcia vs. No. 54 John Senden

No. 13 Henrik Stenson vs. No. 53 Robert Allenby

No. 14 Angel Cabrera vs. No. 52 Anders Hansen

No. 15 Geoff Ogilvy vs. No. 51 Justin Leonard

No. 16 Zach Johnson vs. No. 50 David Toms

No. 17 Aaron Baddeley vs. No. 49 Mark Calcavecchia

No. 18 Lee Westwood vs. No. 48 Brandt Snedeker

No. 19 Luke Donald vs. No. 47 Nick Dougherty

No. 20 Trevor Immelman vs. No. 46 Shingo Katayama

No. 21 Martin Kaymer vs. No 44 Boo Weekley

No. 22 Stewart Cink vs. No. 43 Miguel A. Jimenez

No. 23 Niclas Fasth vs. No. 42 Richard Green

No. 24 Ian Poulter vs. No. 41 Soren Hansen

No. 25 Paul Casey vs. No. 40 Robert Karlsson

No. 26 Scott Verplank vs. No. 39 Nick O'Hern

No. 27 Stephen Ames vs. No. 38 Charles Howell III

No. 28 Toru Taniguchi vs. No. 37 Woody Austin

No. 29 Retief Goosen vs. No. 36 Andres Romero

No. 30 Richard Sterne vs. No. 35 Hunter Mahan

No. 31 Stuart Appleby vs. No. 34 Tim Clark

No. 32 Mike Weir vs. No. 33 Arron Oberholser

Golf Balls

I am always searching for good suppliers of new and used golf balls. The fact that I spend a bit of time in the trees probably accounts for my need to find a quality supplier. Golf Balls and Accessories is one site that I have used before and they certainly have the range I am looking for at the right price. I often buy a bulk pack of A and B grade balls for my practice rounds and it just doesn't hurt as much to lose one to a wayward shot or to one of the many lakes around my local course.

I have also used their mixed bags of nike golf balls, which I found to be of superb quality even for playing in my local club tournaments. However, they have all the major brands including Titleist, Nike, Callaway, Noodle, Dunlop, Lady, Precep and many more all in mint condition. You will even find brand new golf balls and equipment. They also stock all the usual golf related accessories and their bulk packs of golf tees are a great choice for anyone that wants to save a few dollars. All their prices including shipping costs are very reasonable and if you are looking for good quality golf balls I would recommend a visit to their website.

Golf News: Northern Trust Open Day 1 Wrap

South Korea's K.J. Choi shrugged off increasingly blustery conditions to go into an early one-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open first round on Thursday.

The 37-year-old, who won his seventh PGA Tour title at last month's Sony Open in Hawaii, fired a flawless six-under-par 65 at Riviera Country Club.

South Korea-born Kevin Na, who is now a U.S. citizen, was alone in second place after carding a five-birdie 65.

Americans Chad Campbell and Vaughn Taylor opened with 67s while world number two Phil Mickelson, the highest-ranked player in a strong field at Riviera, returned a 68.

Choi, who spent last week relaxing at his Texas home, made a fast start in calm early conditions with birdies on the first two holes.

With his approach play in sparkling order, he then picked up further shots at the fifth and seventh to reach the turn in four-under 31.

As the wind strengthened on the tree-lined layout, he struck a sand wedge approach to three feet to set up another birdie at the par-five 11th before rolling in a 12-footer at the 17th.

"I'm very happy," Choi told reporters, speaking through an interpreter. "In the past on this course, I've always had trouble putting and my iron shots have been a problem.

Northern Trust Open: The Tiger Controversy

I found this interesting little article this morning - I recommend you read the whole thing vis the link.


Eight of the top 10 players in the World Ranking will play in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club this week, the only exceptions being No. 4 Ernie Els and No. 1 Tiger Woods.

Despite winning here in 1999, Els has no particular connection to Southern California. But Woods is a SoCal native, and he made his first start on the PGA Tour here, missing the cut (72-75) as a 16-year-old in 1992.

"He couldn't afford the plane ticket," Charles Howell III joked.

"He's only about the majors," Stuart Appleby said. "He uses regular tournaments to prepare for majors, whereas most of us use everything to prepare for everything. Augusta's a long way away."

Do regular tournaments not count in Tiger's world? It sure seems like they do. Woods gets sufficiently revved up to throw upper-cuts in places like Akron, Boston, Chicago, Dublin (Ohio) — you could go right down the alphabet.

So his aversion must be to the course itself. But Woods, and the Tour, would be better off if he scanned the schedule and highlighted the historic venues where he hasn't won, places like Colonial Country Club and Riviera. If those courses don't fit his style of play, if they've given him fits, all the more reason to play there.

He has won 62 times on Tour, including 13 majors. He has amassed a gaudy 20.07 rating in the World Ranking, which means his enormous lead over second-ranked Phil Mickelson (9.01) is even greater than Mickelson's lead over 1,350th-ranked Brian Henninger (0.01).

Woods got his start at Riviera thanks to a sponsor's exemption. He's from here. And there is precious little left for him to accomplish. What's more, Woods has a famously long memory for slights both real and imagined, and Riviera has taunted him more than any other place on any tour.

Add it all up, and his absence this week, or any week that the PGA Tour stops at Riviera, simply does not compute...

Read the complete golf news story here

Is Scott the only challenge to Tiger?

Now I love Adam Scott - he is an Aussie and when on song he is a very good golfer, but Tiger Woods' former coach Butch Harmon has come out today with a very surprising prediction:

Tiger Woods's former coach Butch Harmon believes Australian Adam Scott is the only young player capable of giving the American a run for his money at the top of the world rankings.

"Adam Scott is the best player under 30 in the world by far," Harmon said of his protege.

"You may get an argument for Luke Donald or Sergio Garcia but I just think Adam Scott is above them. He's a truly great talent.

"He is the only one who can challenge Tiger Woods in the next four or five years.

"He's the only one I see of the young players with all the things it takes to get close to Tiger Woods," Harmon told Sky Television's Golf Night program.

World number five Scott showed his class last month when he fired a record final round of 11-under-par 61 to romp to a three-shot victory in the European Tour's Qatar Masters.

Harmon, who also coaches world number two Phil Mickelson, said the 27-year-old from Adelaide was hungry to take on the all-conquering Woods.

"He (Scott) is long off the tee, he's a good driver, he's worked on his putting and is putting consistently now, his wedge play has got a lot better and I think he wants it more," said Harmon.

"He wants to be the guy that challenges Tiger Woods."

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Cure your slice - golf instructional video

Slicing has always been my problem. Whenever I get a little tense or when trying to hit the golf ball a little bit too hard I usually slice the ball. Fortunately I am not the only golfer that suffers with this problem and there are many different articles and videos out there to help us. This little video I found today is from a former Nationwide tour winner and will show you a fantastic drill you can follow to cure your slice. I hope this helps someone out there because I know how frustrating it can be!

Lowery wins Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Steve Lowery had gone more than seven years and 199 tournaments without winning, a drought that would have continued Sunday at Pebble Beach if not for a stunning collapse by Vijay Singh.

Three shots behind when he stood on the 15th tee, Lowery made up quick ground when Singh made three straight bogeys, then won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with a 7-foot birdie. At 47, he became the oldest winner in the 71-year history of the AT ational Pro-Am.

Lowery closed with a 4-under 68 and won for the third time in his career, all of them in playoffs.

Singh recovered from his three bogeys with a wedge that stopped 2 feet away for birdie on the final hole for a 71 to force the playoff. Both players finished at 10-under 278.

But the Fijian's troubles only got worse playing the famous 18th hole at Pebble Beach a second time. His drive found a bunker to the right, and his second shot clipped the top of the bunker, leaving him 192 yards short of the green. A 4-iron for his third shot plugged into the side of another bunker, and he did well to blast out to 8 feet and make par.

Lowery's birdie putt was good all the way, an amazing victory for a variety of reasons, least of all Singh's collapse.

Lowery was No. 305 in the world when he arrived on the Monterey Peninsula. He finished 148th on the money list last year because of a wrist injury, and was given eight tournaments to make $282,558 to keep his card for the rest of the year.

That's no longer a problem. Lowery earned $1.08 million and a two-year exemption, sending Singh home to question whether his retooled swing can hold up under pressure.

The first playoff at Pebble Beach since 1992 didn't even seem remotely possibly when Lowery walked off the 14th green with a bogey. He was three shots behind Singh, who had just hit a brilliant flop shot to 6 feet to save par on the 13th.

Turns out that was a sign of sloppy play that followed.

Singh went at the flag on the 14th with a sand wedge from 92 yards, but it was a tad strong and spun down the slope, and the best he could do was chip to 20 feet and make bogey. He missed the 15th green to the left, chipped weakly and missed an 8-footer for par.

His fairway metal found a bunker off the 16th tee, and Singh powered that shot over the green, down the slope and into the back bunker. He blasted through the green and two-putted for bogey from the fringe to fall into a tie. Singh arrived on the 17th tee in time to watch Lowery hole a 20-foot birdie putt to take the lead, and if not for a couple of fortuitous bounces, Singh might not have been in a position for a playoff.

Singh's 3-foot par putt on the 17th swirled around the inside of the cup before falling, and his tee shot on the 18th was headed for a tree until it bounced off the trunk and deflected to the right. That gave him a clear shot at the green, setting up his wedge to 2 feet.

Dudley Hart, who started the final round tied with Singh, didn't make a birdie until making three in a row at the end for a 72 to finish one shot out of the playoff. He tied for third with John Mallinger (65) and Corey Pavin (66).

Jason Day, the 20-year-old from Australia, finished alone in sixth after a 70...

Read the complete golf news article

My Thoughts
After another amazing golf collapse (we have seen quite a few of these lately) you had to feel a little sorry for Vijay, but Lowery deserved his win as he made the best of the situation!

Chowrasia wins Indian Masters

SSP Chowrasia finally banished the gremlins and stunned a star-studded field to walk away with the Indian Masters title as the Delhi Golf Club witnessed a new star on Sunday.

Son of a greenkeeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, SSP -- monikered 'Chipputtsia' for his magical short game -- signed off with a blemish-free final round of 67 and his aggregate of 279 was enough to make him only the third Indian -- after Arjun Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh -- with an European Tour title against his name.

Thus, an Indian went on to win what was the first European tour event in the country.

"This is definitely the biggest title of my career. I did not have any inkling before the tournament that the title would be mine," said the beaming golfer.

"As I played the last three-four holes, I knew I had the title in my grasp and all I needed was to stay calm, which I did.

"Now that I have won it, I would play both in Asia and Europe before attaining my ultimate goal to play in the USPGA Tour," he said.

Chowrasia pocketed USD 416,660 for his exploits and finally laid his fingers on a prestigious title after finishing second in the Indian Open in 1999 and 2006.

Damien McGrane (281) of Ireland finished second after his final round of 70, two shots ahead of Jose Manuel Lara, who shot 72 today.

Digvijay Singh (70) and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin (74) shared fourth spot at 284.

My Thoughts
It's only fitting really that an Indian won the inaugural co-sanctioned event. It will be interesting to see whether he will eventually make his goal of playing on the US tour.

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Day 3 Wrap

Defending champion Phil Mickelson bemoaned a woeful putting display after missing the third-round cut by six shots at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Saturday.

Mickelson's title bid fell apart when he ran up a sextuple-bogey 11 on the par-five 14th at Pebble Beach Golf Links but he said the real damage was done by his total of 33 putts.

"That was probably the biggest score I can remember (on one hole) but that's not what really cost me the day or the tournament," the world number two told reporters after carding a six-over-par 78.

"It was missing all those putts because had I had anything go in today, I wouldn't have had to try to force something there at the end.

"I never felt good on the greens and I don't know what the deal is. They were rolling the best that I've ever seen them."

Mickelson hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and putted for birdie 16 times. However, the only birdie putt he made was from inside two feet at the par-four fourth.

A three-times winner at Pebble Beach, he began the day six strokes off the pace and felt he had to press hard after reaching the turn in one-under 35...

Read the complete golf news story

Golf News: Indian Masters Day 3 Wrap

Frenchman Rafael Jacquelin held a one-stroke lead over Ireland's Damien McGrane, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Spain's Jose Manuel Lara heading into the final round of the Indian Masters.

BMW Asian Open champion Jacquelin, who missed the cut in Dubai last week, scored a level-par, third-round 72 on a blustery day to remain at six under par at the Delhi Golf Club.

He got lucky over the closing holes, once rebounding out of the trees into the middle of the fairway - how nice it is to see an old-fashioned tree-lined course for a change; Tiger Woods's two-iron would certainly have been in the bag - and once stopping just short of out of bounds.

The top four are not exactly career winners. Jacquelin won for only the second time last year, McGrane has never won, Lara captured his first title last year and McDowell has not triumphed since 2004.

Overnight leader McGrane (75) slipped back into a tie for second after windy conditions disrupted the game plan which had helped him to a two-stroke overnight lead and faint hope of a maiden European Tour title.

"We had to change a lot of clubs which we don't like doing, but because the wind was so strong we had to change our game plan which made it difficult," he said.

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Day 2 Wrap

Tim Herron, affectionately nicknamed "Lumpy" due to his physical stature, posted a three-under 69 on Friday to grab the second-round lead of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

He finished at seven-under 137 and is one clear of several players.

Play rotates over Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills over the first three rounds before playing at famed Pebble Beach in the final round. The cut comes after the third round.

J.B. Holmes, the playoff winner last week at the FBR Open, carded a two-under 70 on Friday and is tied for second place with Robert Floyd (70), Michael Allen (70) and Nicholas Thompson (69). That group finished at six-under-par 138.

Defending champion and three-time winner Phil Mickelson, who lost the extra session to Holmes last week, only managed an even-par 72 at Spyglass Hill on Friday. He is tied for 53rd place at minus-one.

Mickelson will have a lot of work to do if he is to catch Herron.

Herron played Poppy Hills on Friday and began on the back nine. He two-putted for a birdie from 16 feet at the par-five 10th, then parred his next six holes.

Herron bogeyed the par-three 17th after a three-putt, but reclaimed the lost stroke with a two-putt birdie at the par-five closing hole.

On the second nine, Herron started with five consecutive pars. He converted a birdie putt at the par-three sixth to get to six-under par for the championship.

Herron grabbed sole possession of first place with a birdie at the par-five ninth. That gave him at least a piece of the 36-hole lead for the 10th time on the PGA Tour and for the first since the 2006 PGA Championship.

"Today I hit it fine," said Herron. "I got actually a couple good breaks off some drives. Other than that, I drove it good. I probably had two or three bad drives."

Herron is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, but his last victory came at the 2006 Colonial. He is a veteran of the circuit and knows that with 20 players within three of his lead, nothing is guaranteed...

Read the complete golf news article

Personal loan for golfing equipment

When I bought my first golf cart and clubs I actually used a personal loan. While I am not really into borrowing mountains of money a personal loan can be a great way to get what you want with a set payment that you can budget for. They can also be a viable alternative if you get into financial trouble, but always talk with a professional first! A Personal Loan can be used for almost anything you can think of and can be secured or unsecured, which simply means you can secure your loan with some form of collateral (like your property) to secure the loan. The benefits of this is that you will generally pay a lower interest rate. Unsecured loans do not require collateral, but the interest rates are often higher. You can read more about secured and unsecured loans here.

Personalloans.com.au is a great site for all your personal loan needs. It is really well designed and it is a snap to navigate to the appropriate section. They have some really good little articles about all sorts of different financial products and services like: debt consolidation, bad credit loans, personal loans as well as financial news. If you are looking for a loan or simply want to become a little better informed about it all then I would recommend a visit.

Golf News: Indian Masters Day 2 Wrap

Northern Ireland's Damien McGrane stroked a majestic 69 to take a two shot lead at the Indian Masters on Friday, as Ernie Els made amends for his disastrous opening round to scrape through the cut.

Another Irishman Graeme McDowell, who finished fifth behind Tiger Woods in Dubai on Sunday, shares second place with South Africa's Hendrik Buhrmann and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin at six under for the tournament on 138.

But on a cold and grey Delhi day first round leader Jyoti Randhawa lost the plot, firing a five-over-par 77 to be six behind McGrane.

Former Ryder Cup star Thomas Bjorn remains in the hunt at four under while US veteran Mark O'Meara is on the fringes of the leaderboard after a 73 left him six strokes adrift.

World number four Els, who was rattled by a nine on Thursday, looked to be heading for an early plane home after bogeying the first but he rallied with an eagle at the eighth and a birdie on the 14th.

And he fared much better on the par-5 18th that undid him in round one, sinking a birdie for a 70 to leave him nine behind McGrane.

"Just the one hole yesterday and it could have been a little bit different, but it was a tough day for me today. I find it very difficult scoring on this golf course," said Els.

"If I can somehow get to something like six under on Saturday, I might have a chance on Sunday."

McGrane, who is looking for his first European Tour victory, found the conditions were much harder than on the opening day.

"The temperature was really cold out there and it was a lot more difficult than Thursday," said the unassuming 36-year-old.

"So three-under for the day is a good number and I'm happy with that."

He forecast a winning score of around 16-under-par, and said he would stick to the same strategy over the weekend...

Read the complete golf news story

Jobs in Australia (maybe even golf jobs)

As many of you already know I work in Australia, but this probably is because I am an Australian. Even though I am a little biased Australia is a great country with a skills shortage at the moment so there are many high paying jobs available for those that are willing to work. At jobs.com.au you can find some great information about many of the available Jobs in Australia with links to places you can search for a job in Australia. The website is crisp and clean with a great design and layout (I am a little jealous!) . You will find everything from executive jobs to a comprehensive list of salary calculators. The website is really informative and would be worth visiting if you are looking for a job in Australia.

Golf News: Indian Masters Day 1 Wrap

Ernie Els shot a horror quadruple bogey to lag 10 behind leader Jyoti Randhawa at the inaugural Indian Masters on Thursday, with the local star eagling the last for a two shot lead.

Irishman Damien McGrane played two rounds with Tiger Woods at the Dubai Desert Classic last week and the world number one's magic clearly rubbed off as he fired a 67 to lie second, alongside Englishman Richard Finch.

Rejuvenated Dane Thomas Bjorn, Delhi resident Shiv Kapur, and Spain's Jose Mauel Lara lurk one further back at the 2.5 million dollars event, while US veteran Mark O'Meara rolled back the years with a 69.

Randhawa, who posted four top-10 finishes on the European Tour last year, used his local knowledge to good effect, putting together three birdies and two eagles.

But fellow Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, seen as a favourite to win, succumbed to the pressure with a poor 77.

Randhawa has won on the Lodhi course five times before and he thought back to those victories to tailor his game.

"My past performances helped a lot," he said.

"I've won a few times here before and I thought back to that and it helped. What I did before, I did again.

"As long as I can keep to the same things and handle the pressure this week, I'll be alright."

McGrane has never won a European Tour event but was boosted by playing with Woods, although he was reluctant to give credit to the world's best.

"I enjoyed playing with Tiger, he encouraged me all the way. It's nice to play with the world's top player and survive the experience," he said.

"But every week is a new beginning, a new start. It was all about making the birdies whenever possible today..."

Read the complete golf news story

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Preview

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, an event originally known as the Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur, or just the Crosby Clambake, is a PGA Tour golf tournament that is held every year at Pebble Beach, California, in the United States. The tournament is typically held during the month of February on three different courses, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hills Golf Course and Spyglass Hill Golf Course.

How it works
The starting field consists of 180 professionals and 180 amateurs. One professional is paired with one amateur. Each day, 60 2-man teams will play on one of the three courses. Then on the final day, those professionals and pro-amateur teams making the 54-hole cut will play on the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Only professionals may compete in the individual competition part of the tournament. Amateurs are restricted to playing only in the pro-amateur team competition. The local Pebble Beach tournament officials handle pairing of professionals with amateurs, while the PGA Tour's weekly tournament officials handle the assignment of tee times.

Last year

Phil Mickelson won by five strokes, closing with a 6-under 66 to match the tournament record of 20-under 268 set by Mark O'Meara in 1997. Mickelson also won the 1998 and 2005 tournaments.This years newsTiger Woods, the 2000 tournament and U.S. Open winner at Pebble Beach, is skipping the event for the sixth straight year. Davis Love III, winner in 2001 and 2003, is returning from a left ankle injury that required surgery to repair torn tendons. Greg Norman is making his first PGA Tour start since the 2006 International.

Interesting Fact

Since its inception only 3 non-US golfers have won this event:

1965 Bruce Crampton

1993 Brett Ogle

2004 Vijay Singh

Be careful on those golf carts

This is another strange golfing related story I thought I would share:

Police say a Glastonbury woman is on life support after falling off a golf cart after leaving a Super Bowl party in Florida.

A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach Country Sheriff’s Office says 43-year-old Audrey Hanrahan apparently lost her balance when she stood up to wipe something off the windshield. She fell and suffered severe head injuries.

The spokeswoman says the accident happened in Wellington, Fla., as Hanrahan was leaving a restaurant with Christine and Jonathan McCrea of Wellington. Christine McCrea was driving.

The spokeswoman says the sheriff’s office is investigating whether alcohol or drugs were involved.

AAP

Electric Shavers

I know it sounds vain, but before I walk onto the golf course for a club championship I like to be clean shaven and look my best. Maybe I think that I can intimidate my playing partners or something :-) Seriously though I don't feel quite right in the morning until I have used one of my electric shavers.

If you are trying to decide between one of the many electric shavers out there it is a good idea to take a look at consumer reviews of the available shavers. The website Wize is designed with the customer in mind. It lists literally thousands of products in all different categories and customers can rate their purchases. This means that anyone can visit the wize website and find out what other people are saying about a product, whether it is good or a complete lemon that you should avoid. Each product is also given a "wizerank," which is made up from expert and consumer reviews and is a score out of 100 that works like this:

• 90-100 Buy with confidence
• 75-89 Might meet your needs
• 50-74 Proceed with caution
• 0-49 Not Recommended

You will find products in all the major categories like electronics, video games, health and beauty and much more. I would guess that they have more than ten thousand products listed. Their electric shavers section alone lists over 250 products with ratings from current users of the product and experts. This website really is a must visit before any major purchases. If you are looking for an electric shaver or anything else that you want to check out before purchasing then it is worth taking a look around their website.

Exotic golfing destinations

I often think about taking a golfing holiday in an exotic location. I have played on a few courses you might term exotic, but that may just have been because of the rare and endangered weed growing on the green. The mind wanders to places like Fiji, Hawaii, Caribbean, South Africa, New Zealand (and the US for me) as well as many other great golfing destinations. Some of the courses in these locations have simply spectacular scenery and wildlife and there are always plenty of other things to do besides golf. However, even places like Hong Kong have some great golf courses and with flights to Hong Kong becoming so affordable these days an exotic golfing adventure is not that far out of reach.

Warm up stretches for golf (video: golf erercises)

Warming up for golf is very important, but unlike the tour pros most club golfers don't have 40 minutes or more to warm up. I am no expert so I have found a great video from Ramsay McMaster that will show you a fantastic 5 minute warm up. Ramsay has trained the likes of Arron Baddeley, Henrik Stenson and Geoff Ogilvy and really knows what he is talking about.

If you can get to the course 10 mintes early and perform these exercises I believe that you will be able to knock a few shots off your early hole scores.

Window Ads

When I first saw this today I just had to post it. Technology is advancing all the time and this means that advertising can utilize these advances to create completely new dynamic methods of getting your product noticed. The technology is from Window Gain and with this new technology you can display high definition live advertising material on a window from a projector (or two). You can display anything you like including High definition videos and still pictures, flash animation and even RSS feeds! The results are truly spectacular and can be seen even during the brightest sunlight. In modern society most people are ad blind (they can notice a static ad subconsciously and tune out), but with this unique form of advertising it will attract people to your product/business. It really is the perfect form of outdoor advertising and I would imagine that it will be quite popular in the future. If you are looking for this kind of unique advertising I would recommend you check out their website!

FBR Open - Holmes wins in a playoff

American JB Holmes had back-to-back birdies on the same hole just 30 minutes apart to edge Phil Mickelson in a playoff and capture his second FBR Open title in three years.

Holmes birdied the 18th hole to force a playoff then defeated Mickelson with by draining a seven-foot putt on the first hole of the playoff.

Holmes also won this event in 2006. Asked to compare the two wins he said this one really tested his determination.

"It is a little different," said Holmes, who shot a 71 Sunday to finish at 14-under 270. "I won the first time here and then everybody questioned why I couldn't win again.

"This one is more redemption to prove everyone was wrong."

Holmes watched his seven-foot putt sail straight in then stepped forward and punched his right fist in the air.

He sank a 10-foot birdie putt on 18 in regulation to pull even with Mickelson who started the day four shots adrift of Holmes.

My Thoughts

A really great win that many people wont even have seen because of an overlap with the superbowl. This guy is one of the longest hitters I have ever seen and held his nerve beautifully to drain two lovely putts!

Tiger Woods wins the Dubai Desert Classic

Tiger Woods birdied his last two holes Sunday to rally from a four-shot deficit and win the Dubai Desert Classic, starting his season with two victories that looked nothing alike.

One week after winning the Buick Invitational by eight shots, Woods had to birdie five of his last seven holes for a 7-under 65, then wait to see if Ernie Els could catch him.

Needing a birdie on the par-5 18th to force a playoff, Els hit his tee shot into the water and made bogey.

"To go 2-for-2, it's a pretty good start, isn't it?" Woods said.

This is the third time he has started a season with two straight victories, and it was another sign that the world's No. 1 player could be headed for a big year. Woods now has won his last four official tournaments, and six of his last seven dating to the Bridgestone Invitational in early August.

He also won his unofficial Target World Challenge by seven shots in December.

Woods birdied his last two holes for a 14-under 274 and a one-shot victory over Martin Kaymer of Germany. Woods had already finished when Kaymer, who won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship two weeks ago, closed with a birdie-birdie-eagle for a 66.

It was a devastating blow to Els.

The 38-year-old South African, who has finished runner-up to Woods more times (seven) than any other player, is in the middle of his three-year plan to become No. 1 in the world. He said recently he needed to start winning, and this was the perfect occasion.

Instead, the Big Easy closed with a 71 and tied for third at 276 with fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen. It was the second time in three years that Els hit into the water on the 18th at Dubai and lost to Woods. In 2006, it happened during a sudden-death playoff.

Woods lost momentum with bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes, but he poured it on along the back nine with seven birdies to capture the Dubai Desert Classic for the second time.

It was his 72nd career victory, 62 of those on the PGA Tour.

My Thoughts
Tiger is amazing - need I say any more? Could this be his best year yet?

Karrie Webb Wins her fourth Australian Open

Australia's Karrie Webb has won the Women's Australian Open at the second hole of a sudden death playoff from Korea's Ji-Yai Shin.

The win is Webb's fourth in her national championship, and her second in as many years.

After beginning the final round locked together, the pair swapped position throughout the day before Shin took a two shot lead when she birdied the par four 15th.

Playing ahead of Webb, Shinn safely negotiated the final three holes, arriving at the clubhouse in 67 shots, six-under par.

Webb duly birdied the 16th, a straightforward par four.

But with two of the toughest holes on the course ahead of her, Webb appeared to have little chance of pegging the Korean back.

She then showed her class by holing out from three metres at the par three 17th to level the score.

Webb stepped onto the par four 18th, a hole she had bogeyed in the second and third rounds, and played it perfectly in par to force the playoff.

A near identical effort at the first playoff hole - again the 18th - was matched by Shin and both players walked off the green with pars.

The 33-year-old Australian hit her third drive from the 18th to an almost identical position to her first two to be rewarded with a the shortest of her three putts which she holed from three metres.

AAP

My Thoughts

I was just thinking about it and I don't usually blog about womens golf, but I will certainly be doing it in the future. I watched the whole final round today and the finish was just spectacular. Ji-Yai Shin was superb and really looked like she had the tournament won.

Massage Chairs: Caring for your back (golf tip)

There is nothing more important for a golfer than caring for your body - especially your back. You can have the best clubs money can buy, but if your back gives out then you cannot even play the game. Just ask Greg Norman who's well documented back problems led to his downfall. Purchasing a well designed massage chair can really help in this area. Human Touch have a great range of Massage Chairs that have been designed to replicate a human massage and are simply a joy to use after a round of golf. Their website is well designed, easy to use and if you are looking for a massage chair then I recommend a visit to their website.

Ernie Els Swing Vision (video)

You can imagine that the big easy got his nickname because he doesn't get stressed or takes the game less seriously than some, but it is actually because of he makes swinging a golf club look so easy.

As I type this Ernie is leading the Dubai Desert Classic and while I was admiring his swing I thought I would try and find some swing vision to show my readers. It really is one of the best golf swings going around, and has been for some time - Enjoy!

Furniture for the golf lover (or anyone else really)

When I am staying with family I often sleep on a sofa bed and I am not a fan of them at all. Once I played a round of golf after sleeping on a particularly bad one and my back seized up terribly after 3 holes! When choosing a sofa make sure you get a really good quality one. It is equally important to have very good kid bedroom furniture as children need very good support for their growing bodies - and if they are going to support Mum and Dad playing on the PGA tour they really need a strong back!

Furniture from home have some of the highest quality furniture (including the dreaded sofa beds) I have ever seen. Their website is really well designed and a pleasure to use. Their range is enormous and if you are on the lookout for quality furniture I recommend giving their website a visit!

Dubai Desert Classic Round 3 Wrap

Tiger Woods hopes of a fifth consecutive tournament win nosedived here on Saturday when Ernie Els swept by him to take the lead after three rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Woods ended his run of 21 straight sub-par rounds dating back five months with a lacklustre one-over 73.

Els, looking for a record fourth win in Dubai, equalled the best round of the tournament to date with a seven-under 65 sparked by an eagle-three at the 10th.

The big South African, who lost to Woods in a playoff here two years ago had started the day trailing the American by four strokes, By the end of it he led him by four and was in pole position for Sunday's climax.

"All in all it was a round I really needed," said Els who was 11-under for the tournament.

"I probably needed two 64s to have half a chance in the tournament, and as it turned out, a 65 today and probably I need a low one tomorrow.

"I can't see Henrik (Stenson) with Tiger and the other guys not shooting low."

Woods said he had left himself with too much to do on the greens by hitting poor approach shots.

"Consequently I was lag-putting a lot. Never really gave myself a lot of looks at birdies."

It was far from being a two-horse race, however, as defending champion Henrik Stenson, who edged Els and Woods last year, stayed firmly in the hunt with a 68 which left him just one stroke off the lead and playing with Els in the final pairing on Sunday.

"I was two behind Ernie last year and now I'm one behind. I don't know if that's a good omen or not," said the Swede who finished second at both Abu Dhabi and Doha in the two lead-up events to Dubai.

In-form Englishman Lee Westwood (68) was tied for third with Ulsterman Graeme McDowell (69) a furter two strokes back, while Woods closing bogey dropped him into a share of fourth place at seven-under with six others including Sergio Garcia (70).

Colin Montgomerie's hopes of getting back inside the top 50 in time to qualify for The Masters were dealt a blow meanwhile when he could only manage a 73 leaving him well down the field...

Read the complete golf news story

FBR Open Round 1 Wrap

Darkness forced an early finish to the second round of the USPGA Phoenix Open in Scottsdale.

JB Holmes and Doug LaBelle II shared the clubhouse lead, both ending their rounds tied on nine under par 133.

Colombia's Camilio Villegas, whose first round was affected by a frost delay on Thursday and finished it early on Friday before beginning his second round, was also at nine-under par.

He shot a first round 66 and was four-under through 12 holes on his second, which he will have to complete on Saturday along with a number of other players.

Pat Perez and O'Hern shot 65s and were one behind the leaders at eight under. Charles Howell III, Appleby, Briny Baird and Allenby were seven under.

Holmes, whose only PGA Tour title came here in 2006, fired a six under-par 65 while LaBelle, who had to qualify for the tournament, was one shot better in front of a large crowd.

"The greens are pretty good and soft and the winds not so strong. It is there for the taking if you can do it on the fairway," said LaBelle, who looked to overcome his recent swing trouble.