Scott Strange Wins Manor Wales Open

IF the 2008 Celtic Manor Wales Open is looked back upon as the “Strange Open”, it will be because of one man’s complete dominance rather than any odd golfing goings-on.

Scott Strange left the rest of the field trailing in his wake from the very first day to claim his maiden European Tour victory, repelling a spirited challenge by former winner Robert Karlsson with a superb bogey-free round of 64.

At 22-under-par, Strange broke Ian Poulter’s record total for the tournament on the Wentwood Hills course by four strokes, and joined Poulter and Paul McGinley in becoming a wire-to-wire winner at Newport.

He had felt so unwell on the 15th tee during the third round that he almost collapsed.

But if the chasing pack, which included Nick Dougherty and Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke, were banking on the Australian producing a final-round wobble, they were soon sorely disappointed.

The first of seven birdies came on the par-five second, and having produced four more by the ninth hole, he reached the turn in just 31 shots.

Strange had one hand on the trophy, but Karlsson was doing his best to wrestle it from his grasp.

The statuesque Swede emerged as the Aussie’s nearest challenger, a string of birdies closing the gap to just two shots at one point.

But when Karlsson eventually slipped up, Strange marched relentlessly on, only an understandably anxious tee shot on 18 betraying any sign of nerves.

“I had no idea Robert was chasing me until I asked my caddie what sort of lead I had on 15,” said the 31-year-old, who picks up a winner’s cheque for £300,000.

“I was seven-under for the day, so I knew someone would have had to produce something exceptional to catch me.

“I think people were expecting me to slip up a little bit, but I had nothing to prove or lose and everything to gain.

“All you can do when you’re leading a tournament is go out there and play.

“If you start thinking about other players and what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.”

Strange confessed that the ill-effects he suffered on Saturday had not completely disappeared by the time he teed off for his final round on the brand new Ryder Cup course.

“I was still a bit dodgy this morning and wasn’t 100 per cent,” he said.

“As the day progressed, though, I got better and better.

“It was almost the perfect round of golf.

“There was a fair bit going on in my head on the final tee and I was a bit numb.

“I should have taken a few deep breaths, but pushed it into the rough.

“I calmed myself down, got it back in play and managed to finish it off.”

BMW PGA Championship - Round 1 Wrap

Paul McGinley has never made any secret of his love affair with the West Course and here yesterday he did everything but fall to his knees and start kissing Surrey's most famous piece of turf. An opening 65, that gave him the first round lead of the BMW PGA Championship, no doubt helped intensify this affection, although the Dubliner had a point to make amid all that salivating.

"When it's playing hard and like this, this is a real test of golf, a proper test," he declared. "We're not tested enough on course management anymore. A lot of the courses we play are soft and one-dimensional." McGinley did not go so far as to say that the modern golfer is thus soft and one-dimensional. Yet he would not be alone in believing it.

In fact, the demise of the shot-maker is lamented throughout the game. True, there is Tiger Woods, but how many chances does he get to parade these skills? Indeed, how many chances do any of the professionals get, including McGinley, who plotted his way around yesterday by chasing two-irons off the tee up the bone-dry fairways and, on the sixth, purposefully aimed a wedge 20 feet left of the pin? "It is the substantial majority," he confirmed when asked how many of the Tour's venues fall into the "long and one-dimensional" category. "Everyone just thinks 7,500 yards is the future of golf. But firm and fast is what makes courses tough for us.

Spanish Open - Day 1 Wrap

A stunning putting round earned Swede Martin Erlandsson a course-record 65 and the first-round lead in the Spanish Open on Thursday.

Erlandsson, seeking his maiden win in his fifth full year on the European Tour, needed only 23 putts in a flawless seven-under-par round to beat the previous Real Club record by a stroke.

The 34-year-old sank putts of 40-feet, 25-feet and two from about 18 feet as he carded seven birdies, three to finish, to lead by a stroke from Spaniards Ignacio Garrido and Jordi Garcia.

Gary Clark was a further stroke back.

"I was putting my head off today and I holed a lot of big ones," Erlandsson told reporters.

"I need to get used to being up there (on the leaderboard), avoid putting pressure on myself and make a few good rounds at weekends to take the (next) step," added the Swede, whose best finish was second at the 2005 Welsh Open.

This week in golf

LPGA TOUR

Ginn Open

Site: Reunion, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Ginn Reunion Resort (6,505 yards, par 72).

Last year: Brittany Lincicome beat Lorena Ochoa by a stroke for her second tour title, closing with an even-par 72 in windy conditions. Ochoa finished with a 77.

PGA TOUR

Verizon Heritage

Site: Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Harbour Town Golf Links (6,973 yards, par 71).

Purse: $5.5 million. Winner's share: $990,000.

FedEx Cup points: 25,000. Winner's share: 4,500.

Last year: Boo Weekley won his first PGA Tour title, chipping in on the final two holes to hold off Ernie Els by a stroke.

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR/ASIAN TOUR/CHINA GOLF ASSOCIATION

Volvo China Open

Site: Beijing.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Beijing CBD International Golf Club (7,321 yards, par 72).

Purse: $2.2 million. Winner's share: $367,740.

Last year: Austria's Markus Brier won at Shanghai Silport, finishing with a 4-under 67 for a five-stroke victory.

This week in golf

PGA TOUR

SHELL HOUSTON OPEN,
Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course, Humble, Texas

Last Years Winner: Adam Scott

EUROPEAN TOUR

ESTORIL OPEN DE PORTUGAL,
Oitavos Dunes, Estoril, Portugal -

Last Years Winner: Pablo Martin

Andalucian Open - Round 1 Wrap

Lee Westwood made a brilliant start to the defence of his Andalucian Open at the Aloha Golf Club with a first round seven-under-par 65 to lead the tournament.

The Englishman fired seven birdies and no bogeys to go one shot clear of 20-year-old amateur star Danny Willett, who shot a round of 66.

Veteran star Jose Maria Olazabal carded a decent round of 71 on his return from a seven month injury lay-off, while Darren Clarke could only manage to finish on one-over after suffering from blisters on both feet.

Leader Westwood said: "I'm playing with a lot of freedom at the moment and a 65 shows I've got a lot of confidence.

"I used a similar game-plan to last year but my game's always a work in progress. I've got a few things I'm working on with one eye on the Masters."

But the day really belonged to youngster Willett who was making his European Tour debut after he was invited to the tournament as a result of winning the Spanish Amateur Championships.

Willett got off to the best possible start as he eagled the first hole and he has admitted he will turn professional if he goes on to win the tournament.

"I was quite nervous, but starting with a 25-foot eagle putt took a lot of the nerves out of the way. I proved to myself I can play a professional golf course and play well," said Willett.

Golf this week

World Golf Championships

WGC-CA Championship

Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, Florida

Previous Winner: Tiger Woods

PGA Tour
Puerto Rico Open

PGA Tour's first-ever full- field event in Puerto Rico.

Trump International Puerto Rico, on a compilation of four nine-hole courses.

European Tour
Madeira Islands Open,

Santo da Serra Golf Club, Madeira, Portugal

McDowell wins Ballantine's Championships

Jeev Milkha Singh again faltered at the finish losing in the third play-off hole to Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell in the inaugural Ballantine's Championships on Sunday.

At one stage Jeev led McDowell by three shots, but the latter came back into reckoning with an eagle on the tenth. Then Jeev had a terrible tee shot on 17th to bogey the hole and that saw them finish in a tie, leading to a play-off.

This was the second runner-up finish for Jeev, who was also second at the Astro Enjoy Indonesia Open four weeks ago.

Jeev and McDowell, who shared the lead overnight, shot six-under 66 to finish the regulation 72 holes in 24-under 264 sending the clash in a play-off. After halving two play-off holes, Jeev missed a short putt and lost as McDowell picked his first title in four years.

Jyoti Randhawa (67) finished tied 11th while Gaurav Ghei (72) was 57th.

It was the fifth European Tour in succession in which Indians had at least one player in top five. Indians have won two events, finished second in two and took the fifth spot in one event.

Arjun Atwal wins Malaysian Open

Arjun Atwal, the Indian player involved in a fatal car accident last year, won the Malaysian Open on Sunday, beating defending champion Peter Hedblom of Sweden with a par on the second hole of a playoff.

Atwal, also the 2003 winner at The Mines, birdied the 18th to force the playoff. He finished with an 8-under 64 to match Hedblom (71) at 18-under 270 on the Kota Permai course. Both players parred the first extra hole.

Atwal, a three-time European tour winner, hasn't been charged in the March 10, 2007, accident in Orlando, Fla., that killed fellow motorist John Park. Witnesses have said Atwal and Park were street racing, with the Florida Highway Patrol estimating Atwal was going 128 k.p.h. in a 70 k.p.h. zone just before Park's speeding car flipped.

Australia's Kane Webber (65) and England's Simon Dyson (69) finished a stroke out of the playoff in the event sanctioned by the European and Asian tours. New Zealand's Mark Brown, coming off consecutive wins in India in the Asian Tour's SAIL Open and the co-sanctioned Johnnie Walker Classic, closed with a 69 to tie for 26th at 10 under.

Malaysian Open - Day 1 Wrap

Briton Nick Dougherty shot a career-low 10-under-par 62 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the $2 million Malaysian Open on Thursday.

Dougherty fired seven straight birdies in his 10-birdie round to lead English compatriot Simon Dyson and Australian Marcus Fraser, who both shot eight-under-par 64s.

South Africa's Keith Horne, Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen, Malaysian Danny Chia and Argentina's Daniel Vancsik were tied for fourth a further stroke behind.

"It was a great start to the tournament, it's my lowest round on Tour which is always nice," said Dougherty, whose maiden European Tour victory was in Singapore in 2005.

"I played well, I drove the ball well, I putted really well. All in all it was a superb round of golf."

The Malaysian Open is the fifth leg of the Asian Tour and is co-sanctioned by the European Tour.

Low scores were the order of the day with 98 golfers shooting under par.

Dougherty expects a winning score of 18 under or better at the Kota Permai Golf Club and hopes to bag his third Tour title.

"Inevitably, I am not going to shoot three more 10 under pars but certainly I am in a good position," he said.

New Zealand's Mark Brown, aiming for a third straight title after wins at the SAIL Open and Johnnie Walker Classic, opened with a six-under 66 to lie eighth with eight other golfers.

The Eglish Open is back on the european tour

The English Open will return to the European Tour schedule in 2009 after an absence of seven years.

Last played at the Forest of Arden golf club in central England, the event will return to its orginal home at St Mellion in Cornwall, south-west England. St Mellion last hosted a Tour event in 1995 when Australia’s Peter O’Malley won the Benson and Hedges International Open on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course. Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke was the last winner of the English Open in 2002, when he captured the title for the third time in four years.

Golf this week

PGA TOUR

PODS Championship
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, Tampa Bay, Florida
Title holder: Mark Calcavecchia

EUROPEAN TOUR

Malaysian Open
Kota Permai Golf Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Title holder: Peter Hedblom

Mark Brown wins Johnnie Walker Classic

Unheralded New Zealander Mark Brown surged up the leaderboard with a stunning back nine to capture the Johnnie Walker Classic title on Sunday.

Brown, who was four shots behind at the turn, fired four consecutive birdies and another at the last to reel in Taichiro Kiyata as the overnight leader faltered, winning by three shots with five-under 67 for 18-under-par 270.

The 33-year-old, who only recently returned to golf after a brief stint in the mid-1990s, landed the biggest payday of his career -- 420,000 dollars -- for his second straight victory after last week's Sail Open.

Japan's Kiyota carded 71 for 15-under-par 273, tied for second with Australian Greg Chalmers and Englishman Graeme Storm at the par-72 DLF Golf and Country Club.

Triple major winner Vijay Singh closed with 69 for nine-under-par 279 as his late charge ran out of steam.

World number five Adam Scott, the pre-tournament favourite, finished well down the leaderboard with seven-under-par 281 despite finishing with a flourish with an eagle at the last.

European stars Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter had failed to make the cut as lesser lights took centre stage at the 2.5-million-dollar tournament, one of Asia's premier events.

Scott, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo are among previous winners of the Classic, which has toured the region since 1990.

Johnnie Walker Classic - Day 3 Wrap

Unheralded Japanese golfer Taichiro Kiyota shot a 5-under-par 67 to take the lead Saturday in the third round of the Johnnie Walker Classic.

Kiyota, who eagled the par-5 sixth, had a 14-under-par, 202 total heading into the final round. He's one stroke ahead of New Zealand's Mark Brown (64) and India's Jyoti Randhawa (68), playing on his home course.

"This is unbelievable. I'm obviously very excited to be on top of the leaderboard. It's the first time for me to be in such a position," said the 27-year-old Kiyota, who hasn't won in five years as a pro. "I may not be able to sleep well tonight."

Vijay Singh shot a 69 and is tied for 10th overall in the tournament jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.

Brown, who at one point in his career gave up golf and took up an office job for three years, won on the Asian Tour last week.

"I had the ability, but I just didn't show it the first time round. I gave it up for three years and worked," Brown said. "Then I began getting an itch to start playing again."

Greg Chalmers, Phillip Archer and Graeme Storm were in a three-way tie for fourth at 11-under.

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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Johnnie Walker Classic - Day 1 Wrap

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.

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.

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.

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...

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