GolfShot for Golf News

The English Amateur Championships, the English Golf Unions oldest competition, is all set to be held in the western Lake District. The Silloth on Solway and Seascale golf clubs will be hosting the championships between the 30^th July and 4^th August 2012. For the first 2 days of the English Mens Amateur Championship will have the format of 26 hole stroke play, with the field split in half between the two courses over those first 2 days.

They will then switch over on the Tuesday, after which those with the lowest 64 scores, including those tied for 64^th, will play in the next round, which is the match play knockout, Silloth will host all of the knockout matches, every match consisting of a round of 18 holes, culminating in the 36 hole final, played on the Saturday, the 4^th August.

Established in 1892 Silloth-on-Solway was originally laid out by Davy Grant, with able assistance from prominent Scottish professionals Willie Fernie and Willie Park, who helped to help establish the reputation of the course. The course is ranked as Cumbria’s premier course, ranked 21^st  in England and 54^th in theUK.

Silloth-on-Solway golf course is a Championship links of over 6,641 yards, which has been laid out over the sand-hills, touched by some of the great classical golf architects, but mostly moulded by nature herself. Hazards consist of heather and bent; whin and broom; heroic bunkers and sandy wastes. Fairways are always wider than they seem from the tee, and having been laid with springy Cumberland turf, invite courageous fairway woods and crisp iron shots. Greens are subtle, firm, fast, and deadly true.

Founded in 1893, Seascale golf links was designed by Willie Campbell and George Lowe. The course is a traditional links which is maintained to the highest standards offering golfers of all levels of ability an ideal place to test out their skills. Seascale is ranked as Cumbria’s second best course and 80^th in England, also featuring in The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses publication.

Seascale golf course is described as a splendid natural links course, laid out over 6,495 yards, with undulating greens that are excellent all year round. You will need both length and control here to score well. Superb views of the Lakeland fells and out across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man make this a real hidden gem of a course.

Katie Read West Cumbria Tourism Manager said: ‘’The Western Lake District has so much to offer and we boast a fine selection of golf courses, the best known are Silloth-on-Solway and Seascale. They both have a long and enviable reputation and this is reaffirmed, as they prepare to host The English Amateur Championship 2012, during which both courses will be showcasing what the Western Lake District has to offer, offset by the dramatic Lakeland Fells and Irish Sea Coast.’’

To find out more about the Western Lake District, its food, activities and accommodation visit www.western-lakedistrict.co.uk

The Senior Open Championship is being held at Turnberry this year and the schedule has been changed rather sensibly so there is going to be a stellar field this year. The event will be taking place in late July and will be the final senior major events of the season. This is because the US Senior Open is going to be moved forward by three weeks.

Many players have publicly stated that they already looking forward to the event. Sam Torrance has stated that he is very much looking forward to playing in a major tournament again in his native area of Ayrshire.

He commented, “I was at Turnberry a few weeks ago and the course looks really wonderful. It is definitely one of the most beautiful courses anywhere and is certainly located in one of the most stunning parts of the world. There is no question it is a great golf course and I’m very much looking forward to playing there.”

The 1996 open champion is Tom Lehman and he is commented, “Turnberry would be a great place to win the senior open and doing so is definitely on my wish list. The golf course there is tremendous and it is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland.

The past two Scottish Senior Opens have been won by Barry Lane and he was also the runner-up in the order of merit for seniors in Europe. He commented about the course, “Turnberry is a fantastic course for the seniors and the fact that it has been chosen to appear on the open rota is a real delight and I’m already looking forward to playing golf there once again.” The event last visited Turnberry in 2006 where it was won by the American Loren Roberts.

Fancourt attracts big names

Many of the worlds top golfers will be heading out to Fancourt, on South Africa’s famous  garden route for the start of next weeks Volvo Golf Championship. Some of the top golfers who will be in attendance include Major winners Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. This event is being hailed as the first ever true ‘tournament of champions’ to be held on the European Tour.

The tournament tees off on Friday January 19^th , will last for 4 days and is the first fully sanctioned event on the European Tour ever to be played in South Africa. The world acclaimed Links at Fancourt are hosting the event, originally designed by legendary South African golfer Gary Player, this course was recently voted the best in the country.

Other  high-profile players competing  include Major winners Retief Goosen, Paul Lawrie, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, and European Tour stars such as Thomas Bjorn, Nicolas Colsaerts, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tom Lewis, Matteo Manassero, Colin Montgomerie and Alexander Noren in competing for a 350000 Euros (R3,6million) first prize, and a prize fund of 2million Euros (R21million).  Sadly, England’s Paul Casey will not be defending his title due to a shoulder injury.

“I love playing in South Africa and have won five of my European tour titles here,” said Els. “I have great memories of playing at the Links at Fancourt, in professional events and when on holiday here. South African golf is in great shape at the moment, which is apparent by the number of South Africans in the field.”

Three-time Major winner Harrington is also looking forward to a fresh start in 2012 with a recent return to form boding well for this charismatic man from Dublin.  Swede Robert Karlsson, winner of the 2010 Dubai World Championship, qualifies as a member of the elite group of tour stars including Goosen, Jimenez and Montgomerie, who have more than 10 career wins on the European tour. The rest of the field is limited to tour players who have won an event on the previous year’s international schedule.

For more information visit www.fancourt.co.za

Luke Donald has said that finishing on top of  the historic money list, which will be finishing in Dubai, would be the greatest achievement he has ever made in golf. The only challenger to him is Rory McIlroy and he said that if he wins he will be dedicate the game to his father who died just last month.

Donald is currently the world number one and recently was the champion of the PGA tour which finished in October. He is currently ahead of McIlroy in prize-money  by nearly £700,000.

The first prize for the champion in Dubai is nearly £800,000 and even if McIlroy finishes first, Donald would have to finish outside of the top 9 to not be crowned the highest earning player in Europe.

The Englishman said, “If I win on Sunday this is going to be the greatest achievement I’ve ever made in golf. No one has ever done this before and if I achieve this goal I will be very happy.” Tiger Woods has won the most money in golf, but he has not played enough tournaments in Europe to be the highest earning player in the region. Donald recently took a month off from golf due to his father’s death and the birth of his second daughter.

Recently he commented about his father, “He was the man who got me interested in golf and I owe everything I have to him. The emotions I felt during this time were deep and it was a very hard time for me. The birth of my new daughter is the only thing that brought light into my life in this dark time. When I play on Sunday I will be doing it for my father and I want the golf I play to be a tribute to him.”

Despite the odds being quite significantly in its favour he has commented, “McIlroy is a fantastic player and one of the most talented golfers in the game. Personally, I think that right now he is a more talented player than Tiger Woods. I think in terms of raw talent, Rory has a bit more than Tiger and when he won the US open this was really a testament to his sheer skill.”

McIlroy won the US Open earlier in the year in spectacular fashion. Previously in the year he had a four shot lead and looked like he was going to be the champion in Augusta at the Masters tournament but he blew it and his victory in the U.S. Open was an amazing event.

The two players will be teeing off together at 8:30 AM, GMT and they will be certainly taking centre stage at the event. However, many people will also be watching Sergio Garcia closely as he will be looking to achieve his third victory in a row as he recently won at Valderrama and Castellon.

The man in charge of World Cup Golf has said that he believes the sport will become more popular as the years pass. He has recently commented, “Golf has only been present in China for a quarter of a century, this suggests that there is plenty of room for the sport to grow.” Mission Hills is a golf company based in China and it was founded in 1993, it was met with such popularity that in 1995 that hosted its first international tournament, which was actually the first international tournament held anywhere in China.

Since this time, it has expanded its golf courses around the country and has recently signed an important deal which says that it will be the home of the World Cup until 2018. The chairman of the group is Ken Chu and he has recently commented about the sport, “I want to bring golf to the mass market, not just in China but in the world. Mission Hills is a golf resort which is open to anyone and doesn’t carry expensive fees, I want anyone to be able to come and enjoy a round of golf.”

It has recently been announced that his company will be working with Marriot hotels to build more golf resorts around the country. Golf is currently one of the fastest-growing sports in China but Mr Chu has recently said that the country needs more international level golf players.

He also commented that the Chinese can learn a lot from the Koreans on how to play golf and he has praised the performance of Pak Se-ri, the Korean women who has performed so exceptionally in international golf. He commented, “Seeing this kind of level of play encourages young people to take part in the sport and this is very valuable for the future of the sport in China.”

Two of Scotland’s most prestigious golf tournaments have lost their sponsors in the last few months.  In September, Barclays announced the withdrawal of its sponsorship for the Scottish Open, and this week Cleveland Golf/Srixon reported that it was ending its three-year sponsorship of the Scottish Seniors Open.  That news was a blow to officials and players, but the attitude is generally optimistic.

The Seniors Open will be celebrating its 20^th year in the upcoming 2012 event, and the expectation is that a new sponsor will come forward to take up the flag through the 2014 Ryder Cup.  For the last three years the Seniors Open has been hosted by the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews.

Director of the European Senior Tour, Andy Stubbs, expressed his appreciation for Cleveland Golf/Srixon’s three years of support, but said he hopes to introduce “a new and exciting era” in 2012.

According to Mr. Stubbs, discussions are in progress with all parties concerned, including Event Scotland and Fairmont St Andrews.

Stubbs indicated that they would like to keep Fairmont St Andrews as a host, but might change the event date if a new sponsor preferred.  A change of date might be a good idea in some respects, as the current scheduling puts the Senior Open in conflict with the Aberdeen Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield, an event that is also supported by EventScotland.

The first Senior Open was played at Royal Aberdeen in 1993 and Tommy Horton was the first winner.  Since then it has gained in prestige, with top golfers competing for the prize.  This year the total prize fund amounted to about £250,000, up £25,000 from 2009.  This year’s cup went again to Barry Lane, following his 2010 victory on the course.

The Ryder Cup, one of the biggest events in the world of golf, is finally returning to Scotland after 40 years.  In 2014 it will be staged at Gleneagles, and Scotland’s golfing associations are gearing up to make it a record-breaking attraction for the media and the public.

Ryder Cup Project Director for EventScotland, Robbie Clyde, has said that EventScotland and the Scottish golfing community have been studying up on the arrangements that will be needed and everyone is thrilled by the possibilities.  He also noted that the Senior Open is an important part of Scotland’s roster of world-class golfing events.  EventScotland is committed to its support through 2018, and will be working with European Tour officials to ensure a good exchange of ideas.

With the Ryder Cup sparkling in its future, Scotland’s Minister for Public Health and Sports, Shona Robison, is enthusiastic about the potential benefits for the game of golf and the country in general.

Upon the signing of the Host Nation Agreement in March this year, Robison said that the tournament is a great chance for Scotland to show off some of its greatest attractions to an audience of 600 million around the world, and an estimated 250,000 at the three-day event itself.

After the amateur English golfer Tom Lewis first burst onto the scene by sharing the first round lead at the British Open back in July, rumours soon started that this young man had pound signs dancing in his eyes and that while the potential for endorsement earnings was so high he would make the leap into the professional ranks.

20 year old Lewis, whose 65 in the opening round was the lowest score in the Open’s history by an amateur had delayed his decision about turning pro until at least September after the Walker Cup has taken place. This is the biennial tournament that is held for the leading amateur golfers from the UK, US and Ireland. The next amateur to join the elite may not have to face such a difficult choice.

The two ruling bodies at the forefront of gold, the R&A and the US Golf Association have released their first ever joint code regarding the rules of amateur status. They are permitting amateurs who are 18 and older to enter into contracts with sponsors and agents  with regard to their futures as professionals.

They must not, however, make any financial gains while they still have their amateur status, but associations and national golf unions can make payments to the amateurs to subsidise their general cost of living. These changes will come into effect on January 1^st and some purists have already said that they have made radical concessions to what is now a bug money game, and yet another sport blurs the line between amateur and pro.

The senior director for the rules if golf at the U.S.G.A is Thomas Pagel, and he has said that the association feels that the changes that have been made to the rules will clarify and also make the transition from amateur to pro a lot easier as some find this a very difficult and stressful time.

There is nothing new about agents courting amateurs, and the main focus on money has often in the past proved to be a distraction for many promising players. Although it worked out well for Lewis, who was in the victorious Walker cup side and was then the winner of the Euro Tour Portugal Masters on October 17^th, only his third start as a pro.

He is now is a position to start paying of those debts this his family accrued to help him realise both his dream and his potential. Although this new ruling is too late for  Lewis to benefit, he has voice his support for the changes. He has spoken in an official video from the R&A and U.S.G.A and says that these changes were very important as many players were having to turn pro earlier than they had intended due to financial problems.

The Scottish Open currently enjoys a position as the game that takes place before the Open Championship. The European Tour chief executive is George O’Grady and he has said that if the event does not manage to find a new sponsor before the year is out then they may lose this position.

O’Grady has said about the future of the Open, “Unfortunately we have ended our partnership with Barclays but we are sure that we will be able to find a new sponsor without much trouble before the end of the year. We are currently in talks with many potential sponsors.”

The cost of being the main sponsor of the event is £3 million and it is rumoured that Verizon, who currently sponsor the event in a secondary position may step up. It has also been said that there is a major car manufacture interested in the sponsorship deal. There have also been rumours circulating that some of the sponsors of the other tours in Europe are interested in sponsoring the Scottish Open as well.

O’Grady commented about the ending of the Barclays partnership, “It is a shame that they are no longer with us and we would have appreciated a bit more notice from the bank. We assumed that they would be renewing as they have for the past several years. Losing a sponsor is never easy and always makes you consider whether you should have done something more. Rather than dwelling on the past however we are looking forward to working with a new sponsor.

“The late notice has meant that we were not really searching for a sponsor and now we are having to get to it rather fast. We have had a great deal of interest but interest is not a closed deal. Of course I want to see the tournament continued but if we cannot find a sponsor then we might have to find something to fill its place.

“Right now it does seem very likely that we will be able to continue the event. If we cannot find a new major sponsor, two of the companies who already sponsor the event in a limited capacity have said they would be interested in taking over full sponsorship. If we don’t get a positive response from any party by the end of the year though, the tournament could be in trouble.”

Recent talks have been taking place between Donald Trump and O’Grady. Trump has recently purchased a golf course in Scotland and it seems as if the billionaire is keen on seeing the tournament played at the location someday. Unfortunately it won’t be ready to host a tournament for another three years.

“Trump has displayed an interest,” says O’Grady, “We are far away from anything concrete but he has implied that if we cannot find someone to sponsor the event then he may step in. Currently we are planning to hold the championship at Castle Stuart but the sponsor will be able to make the final decision.”

GOLF 9/12 could well become one of the biggest games of golf anywhere in the world. The game is being played by people all over the United States, at some fifty golf courses. The idea is that all players start teeing off at the same time, 2 o’clock New York time. The tournament will be using the latest technology to connect players from all of the golf courses together and they will be able to easily communicate with each other through a specially designed mobile application.

The purpose of the event in to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, which claimed thousands of lives a decade ago. The game will also be raising money for charities that are fighting for freedom and those that give people hope – especially in the most deprived areas. Each game will have the option of a gathering afterwards where funds can be pledged.

GOLF 9/12 has been organised by a group of people headed by South African’s Johan Immelman and Rich Davies. They have been assisted by Colonel Ray Horoho, who is now retired, but was in the Pentagon on the day of the attacks. Also helping with the organisation is Major General Patty Horoho, wife of the colonel.

Rich Davies has said of the events, “We have organised these games so that everyone can remember the tragedy that struck this great nation ten years ago. As someone who was born somewhere else and has come to this nation, the 9/11 attacks are a reminder of why we came. These games and the dinners afterwards are to remember the truly remarkable way that this country responded to this atrocity and a reminder of the value of freedom.”

The event will see some of the biggest names in golf tee-off at different locations around the country. At St Simons Island, golf champions Lucas Glover and Davis Love III will be playing. In Columbus the game will see Brian Bateman and Michael Sims play.

As well as golf champions there will be many public officials also playing. As well as golf there will be many other celebrations. In Maine the national anthem will be sung in tribute by Daniel Rodriguez. At Forest Hills Golf Club, which is a military club, there will be ceremonial escorts for the golf carts and they will stand at the tee off locations.

Johan Immelman, one of the creators of the event has said, “GOLF 9/12 will unite people so that we can feel, just a little, like we did after the 9/11 tragedy. It will be a grand celebration of the freedom that we are all so lucky to enjoy.”

Golfers have been invited to come back to the Celtic Manor Resort as part of the celebrations to celebrate the first anniversary of the dramatic victory that England achieved in the 2010 Ryder Cup. The invitation is for Monday 3^rd October, and golfers will take part in a special challenge match, this would be ideal for golf enthusiasts to take a UK short break.

In a recreation of what has since been dubbed ‘ Magic Monday’, the golfers will be given the opportunity to represent either Team Europe or Team USA, and soak up the superb atmosphere of the Ryder Cup by having breakfast in their chosen team rooms, and changing in the same locker rooms as the best golfers in the world, before attempting the amazing challenge that is the Twenty Ten Course.

Exactly a year on from what has been described by  many as the most thrilling Ryder Cup ever, competitors will be playing exactly the same pin positions that faced Graeme McDowell and all the rest of the golf heroes from Europe as they endured the nail biting one point triumph they achieved on the final day of the competition.

October’s ‘Ryder Cup Anniversary Challenge’ si to be played as a four-ball better ball competition, there will be a shotgun start and players will be able to keep in touch at all times with the overall match scoreboard during the whole day via the live scoring.

At the conclusion of play, the winning team will be announced and champagne will flow on the balcony of the Twenty Ten Clubhouse, just as it did when Captain Colin Montgomerie and his delighted team celebrated in front of their ecstatic fans a year before.

Players will also enjoy a three-course dinner in the Samuel Ryder Suite to round off a memorable day. Players wanting to take up this offer of a UK short break will all receive:

- 18 holes on Twenty Ten Course with live scoring
- Breakfast upon arrival in allocated team room
- Commemorative team shirt, sweater and hat
- Champagne reception on balcony of Twenty Ten Clubhouse
- Three-course celebration dinner in Samuel Ryder Suite

Those wishing to stay at Celtic Manor’s five-star Resort Hotel on the eve of the Challenge can do so from just £53.

“The Ryder Cup Anniversary Challenge offers an exclusive opportunity for amateur golfers to experience the atmosphere of golf’s most celebrated team competition,” says Dylan Matthews, Chief Executive of Celtic Manor.

“Test your golfing mettle and enjoy the camaraderie, pomp, pressure and elation unique to the Ryder Cup.”