Scott won't be defending his Singapore Open title

ADAM SCOTT is the latest to sign on the 2011 Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club after abandoning his defence of his Singapore Open title.

Scott will join recent signings Tiger Woods and Jason Day in what is truly shaping as a blockbuster event.

Already committed to the Open are defending champion Geoff Ogilvy, Presidents Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples and the American duo Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson.

There were fears Scott, the 2009 champion, would miss the event because of the calendar clash with Singapore but the Open/Presidents Cup fortnight lure has proven to great.

“It was a tough one for me, as Barclays and the Singapore Open have been big supporters of mine but the Australian Open is really tough to pass up and I am going to be playing in Sydney,” Scott said.

“I think it’s the right move for me and I really want to get down there and win the Australian Open again. “If I win the Australian Open, I’ll be very happy going into the Presidents Cup.

Scott is in Ohio preparing for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational along with six other Aussies, including his 2011 US Masters joint runner-up Jason Day.

Jason Day wants a piece of the action

Day was already lobbying to be paired with Woods in Sydney.

“I’d really love to be paired with Tiger,” Day said in Ohio. “I have met him a few times but never been paired with him and I think it would really bring out the best in my golf.

“It’s great for Australian golf to have Tiger and the other big names playing in the Aussie Open. It’s going to be awesome and a real thrill to play in front of big crowds. Hopefully it’s a shot in the arm for the game in Australia as well.”

That was said by the now very self-assured 23 year old who currently sits as the world No. 8 while Woods has dropped to 28th.

Many remembered what Day said as a very cocky 19 year old in 2007 fresh from winning the US Nationwide Tour.

“I’m sure I can take him (Tiger) down. My goal is to be the No.1 golfer in the world and I want to chase Tiger. I want to measure myself against Tiger Woods. I just want to work really hard and take him down.”

Of course in the meantime Woods’ personal life dramas and latterly injury concerns have seem him fall dramatically from his former lofty status, but there is no doubt he will still be a huge drawcard in Sydney.

Hopefully for everyone, he will be injury free and back in good golfing form.

In Ohio, Woods was talking up his enthusiasm in vying for the Stonehaven Cup.

”I’d love to get my name on the trophy. The feel of it with the history and the champions list is pretty remarkable, really.”

So would Day.

“Obviously because of my early career comments (about Woods) I’m sure there will be a bit of talk about it but it will still be great fun,” Day said.

“I said I want to be the best in the world back then and nothing has changed, I still want to be.”

“As for the Australian Open – I really want my name on that trophy. I still want to be the best golfer to come out of Australia and I feel to do that you need to have your name on the Stonehaven Cup and some other Australian titles.

“I think people will expect me to win or do well and that might add some pressure but I certainly want to give myself the best chance to win it.”

Defending champion Ogilvy has also welcomed Woods’ to the event.

“It’s exciting. The Australian Open is our biggest tournament and he adds a touch of something to the field that anyone else can’t do,” Ogilvy.

“This will be the best field the Australian Open has seen in years and the best one I have ever played in.

“We have eight guys in the top 100 in the world, so we should have a prestigious event like this – we have the level of players to support three or four big tournaments on the world stage.”

The Australian Open will be staged from November 10 to 13.

Scott will again use Williams as caddy

JUST two weeks out from the 2011 British Open some of Australia’s top golfers will be using the AT&T National in Pennsylvania this week to get their games back on track.

Twelve Aussie goflers will line up for the US PGA Tour event including Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby, Michael Sim, Marc Leishman, Steven Bowditch, Matt Jones, Greg Chalmers, Nick O’Hern, Stuart Appleby, Rod Pampling and Steve Elkington.

Scott will once again be using Tiger Woods caddy Steve Williams on his bag and with the American former world No.1 likely to miss the Open due to his ongoing injuries the pairing may be rehearsing for a joint showing at Royal St George’s from July 10.

Ogilvy and Allenby are two Open contenders who in particular have had disrupted schedules of late.

Ogilvy usually skips the AT&T but has already missed big chunks of the year firstly with a cut finger then of late with a shoulder strain.

“I’ve effectively had an off-season between the Masters and the US Open so I just need to get my schedule a little more fluid,” Ogilvy said this week.

“Generally I take this time off but the injury has changed things for me. Getting another tournament under my belt on a tough and good golf course will hopefully get me a little closer to real form in the lead up to the quality events to come.”

Allenby has been going through off-course personal issues and is not only looking to an improved showing in the coming two majors but also wants to shore up a spot in Greg Norman’s Presidents Cup team.

“I don’t want to be relying on a captain’s pick,” he said.

“I’m feeling a lot better after having a week at home and sorting some things out. I’m looking forward to playing some really good golf over the next two months to be sure I’m in the team. It’s a main goal of mine definitely.”

The 2011 AT&T National Golf Championship will be played at the Aronimink Golf Club and will be televised live in Australia on Fox Sports.

Live TV Times:

Ist Round : Friday 5 – 8am; 2^nd Round: Saturday 5 – 8am; 3^rd Round: Sunday 3 – 4.30am,  5 – 8am; Final Round: Monday 3 – 4.30am, 5 – 8 am.

Other Fox Sports live and delayed telecast golf this week include the Open De France from  the European PGA Tour and the US Champions Tour event in Montreal.

2011 AT&T National Live Leaderboard

IT IS going to cost one of his mates a tattoo and the weather was a big help but Australia’s Kurt Barnes is absolutely delighted to have won the SK Telecom Open at the weekend.

Barnes won the OneAsia event at the Pinx Golf Club in South Korea by one shot after the final round was cancelled due to fog.

It was his first tour win in two years and the big hitting 29 year old later revealed he was a doubt to even start in the event because of a shoulder injury.

In the end his up-and-down for par at the end of Saturday’s third round saw him sign for a five-under-par 67 to top the leaderboard at 14 under, one clear of Korea’s Kim Kyung-tae. The fourth round was cancelled after only seven minutes.

“It’s unbelievable. On Tuesday I probably wasn’t even going to play. It’s unlucky because I was looking forward to going head-to-head with Kyung-tae, but the delay has played in my favour and the fog hung around and I am the 2011 champion,” said Barnes, who moved into third place on the OneAsia Order of Merit.

“It means a massive amount to me. On Tuesday afternoon I was really considering pulling out and I went to some big lengths to try and play because I had a tour caddie on the bag. If I had just a house caddie on the bag, I would have probably pulled the pin on Tuesday afternoon without a second thought and got everything checked out. But I wanted the opportunity to play and work with Simon (Clarke) as a team and see how we gelled, so to be crowned champion is massive.”

“I now hope that this is a new beginning. I made a bet with a mate back in January that if I won a main tour event this year he would get a tattoo, so I will be sending him a text to let him know,” added Barnes, who last triumphed at the 2009 Sofitel Zhongshan IGC Open.

AUSTRALIA’S Nathan Green fired a bogey-free six-under 64 to be just two strokes behind the leaders after the first round of the 2011 Crowne Plaza Invitational in Texas.

After just a single birdie on the front nine, Green came to life after the turn with four birdies in six holes and another on the last to storm up the leaderboard of the US PGA Tour event at the Colonial Country Club.

The joint leaders are Americans David Toms and Chez Reavie on 8-under.

Toms shrugged off his sudden-death playoff loss to by KJ Choi at The Players Championship on Sunday to card a bogey-free round that included eight birdies.

Australians Rod Pampling and John Senden also made good starts tied for 9th after posting 65s, while Adam Scott and Marc Leishman are a further stroke back.

In second place is young American Rickie Fowler who would have taken the outright lead at nine-under, but a double-bogey on his final hole of the day – the ninth – ensured he finished one off the pace.

Jason Day, for the first time this week into the World top 20 rankings and playing on what is now his home course, had a putting shocker on the 12th and needed a birdie on the 18th to limit the damage to 1-over for the round.

No-one in his afternoon session challenged the morning leaders and Day will be hoping for a better score in the second round.

The event is being broadcast in Australia on Fox Sports.

2011 Crowne Plaza Invitational Leaderboard

Jeju-do, South Korea, May 19: OneAsia Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz outshone 2011 Players Championship winner KJ Choi to take a one shot lead over the veteran Korean and fellow Australian Scott Arnold after the first round of the SK Telecom Open today.

Indonesia PGA Championship winner Stolz defied the notorious wind at Pinx Golf Club to ship just a solitary bogey in a six-under-par 66 to set the pace at the US$1 million OneAsia event.

World number 15 Choi only arrived on the resort island of Jeju from Florida on Tuesday after beating American David Toms in a play-off at TPC Sawgrass, but was pleasantly surprised to post a 67 to join Arnold two shots clear of a group of four players.

“I played great early on,” said 41-year-old world number 267 Stolz. “It was tough with the wind and with some flags which were not many paces on. While you were also hitting against a wind which felt like a hurricane which made it hard to get on, but I was able to hit some pretty good shots.

“I hit some loose drives on the back nine, but all in all I am very happy with the day.”

After returning to the winners circle in Jakarta at the end of March, seasoned professional Stolz finished 41st at the Volvo China Open before missing the cut two weeks ago in Seoul.

But with his lead at the top of the Order of Merit under threat from GS Caltex Maekyung Open champion Kim Kyung-tae, Stolz’s only first round blemish came with a three putt bogey on the front nine before making amends by starting his second circuit with a timely eagle.

“I played great at Maekyung, but it was the first time I played there and I didn’t know what I was doing. I played good, but a crazy course got the better of me that week,” he added.

“It is also the first time I have played this course and I only played it once during the practice round on Tuesday, but it looks great. It’s windy like Australia and pretty firm and fast so it is chalk and cheese compared to the last one we played in Seoul.”

Former world number one amateur Arnold has missed the cut on all three OneAsia outings this season, but also dropped just one bogey during his hard-fought 67.

“I am very pleased because it is tough. I missed a couple of makeable birdie putts on my back nine, but made a couple of 40 foot putts on the front nine which was nice,” said the 25-year-old.

Korean duo Nam Young-woo and Park Sang-hyun and Australian duo Leigh McKechnie and Adam Crawford opened with rounds of 69 to sit tied for fourth, with a group of four a shot further adrift including GS Caltex Maekyung Open champion Kim.

The SK Telecom Open is being broadcast in Australia on One HD in overnight timeslots.

Leading scores round one SK Telecom Open 2011. Par 72. 7264 Yards. Pinx Golf Club.

66 – Andre Stolz (AUS)

67 – Scott Arnold (AUS), KJ Choi (KOR)

69 – Nam Young-woo (KOR), Leigh McKechnie (AUS), Park Sang-hyun (KOR), Adam Crawford (AUS)

70 – Guido Van Der Valk (NED), Kim Kyung-tae (KOR), Kim Hyung-tae (KOR), Lee Ki-sang (KOR)

71 – Kim Seung-hyuk (KOR), Terry Pilkadaris (AUS), Brad Shilton (NZL), Scott Laycock (AUS), Kurt Barnes (AUS), Mitchell Brown (AUS), Andrew Tschudin (AUS), Paul Spargo (AUS), Craig Scott (AUS), Ashley Hall (AUS)

THE 2011 The Players Championship, regarded by many as golf’s unofficial fifth major, is underway at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

The Players boasts one of the US PGA Tour’s deepest fields of the year, its biggest purse at $A8.9 million, and one of the toughest tests of golf.

With its distinctive island green on the 17th The Players is always a great spectacle.

After the first round America’s Nick Watney leads after a stunning 8-under 64 from Lucas Glover a shot behind.

Watney was one of the course record set by Fred Couples and later equalled by Greg Norman.

The 54 year old Mark O’Meara is a further shot back alone in third place on 6-under.

Robert Allenby, runner-up at the event last year, and Jason Day are the best placed Australians after 3-under rounds of 69 while Aaron Baddeley birdied the 18th, one of the tour’s toughest holes. to finish at 2-under.

Australians Matt Jones (72), Greg Chalmers (73) are still in there with something of a chance but the rest of the Aussie contingent will struggle. That includes Geoff Ogilvy (75), Stuart Appleby (76), Nick O’Hern (76), Michael Sim (76), Adam Scott (76), John Senden (76) and Marc Leishman (81).

Tiger Woods cited knee and Achilles tendon problems when he pulled out after 9 holes.

The Players is receiving extensive television coverage in Australia on Fox Sports.

The 2011 The Players Championship Leaderboard

STUART APPLEBY shot a four-under 68 to be well in contention after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow today.

Appleby helped himself to eight birdies but unfortunately also managed 4 bogeys to be four behind overnight leader Bill Haas at the US PGA Tour event in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Haas fired an eight-under 64 to lead inaugural winner David Toms and Jonathon Byrd by two strokes.

Former U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover and Pat Perez share fourth at five-under 67.

Appleby is tied for 6th along with Rickie Fowler, Vijay Singh, Carl Pettersson and Jim Herman.

Phil Mickelson struggled with the driver but still managed a three-under 69 while defending champion Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time in the U.S. since his final-round meltdown at the Masters, battled early errors to card a three-over 75.

“The story of the day for me was I just didn’t hit it very well,” the young Irishman said. “Which is unlike me, being the strength of my game.”

The next best placed Australians were Matthew Goggin and Matt Jones tied for 22nd on 2-under, with Jarrod Lyle and Steven Bowditch on 1-under and Robert Allenby on even.

Mickelson was tied in a group that included Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington.

The Wells Fargo Championship is being telecast in Australia on Fox Sports.

2011 Wells Fargo championship Leaderboard.

THE US Champions Tour’s first major of 2011 is underway in Birmingham Alabama with America’s Tom Lehman leading by a stroke after the first round.

Lehman shot a bogey free five-under 67 at the Regions Tradition at Shoal Creek.

Fellow former British Open Champion Nick Price is in second position along with Wayne Levi, Mark Calcavecchia and Taiwan’s Chien-Soon Lu.

Australia’s Peter Senior is just three strokes off the lead on the third rung of the leaderboard tied for seventh.

Senior mixed five birdies with a double bogey on the par-4 10th and a bogey on the 12th.

This is the Australian’s 6th event on the tour this season. He has been in solid form with top tens in his last two tournaments and he has not finished outside the top 20 all year.

The other Australian in the field is Wayne Grady, returning to the site of his 1990 PGA Championship win. This is the first professional tournament at the Jack Nicklaus designed course in suburban Birmingham since that event.

The nostalgia may have gotten to the Australian as he struggled with a string of bogeys to finish with an 80.

Hopefully his birdie on the 17th will spur in on to better things in the second round.

The 2011 Regions Transition is being telecast in Australia on ESPN2.

Scheduled times are: Saturday 7am to 9am; Sunday 5am to 8am;

Monday 9am to 12 pm. (Check for programming changes)

2011 Regions Transitions Leaderboard

AUATRALIA’S Brendan Jones has won his 10th Japan Tour title, Matthew Goggin had a close fought second on the Nationwide Tour in South Georgia and Matt Jones had his best result in 10 starts on the PGA Tour.

Brendan Jones defeated South Korean I.J. Jang in a playoff on Sunday to win The Crowns title and pocket $US295,000.

He fired an even-par 70 in the final round and then made a six-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th.

It was Jones’ first win on the Japan Tour since the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open in September 2010.

“I was thinking about that over the putt,” he said.

“I knew that it was for my 10th win, and I’m just so happy that it went in.”

Goggin runner-up on Nationwide Tour

Ted Potter Jr held of Nationwide Tour money leader Mathew Goggin to win his first title on the tour at the South Georgia Classic.

Potter Jr, who had to come through qualifying earlier in the week to take his place in the event, fired a four-under 68 in the final round to finish the tournament at 16-under to win by three strokes.

Goggin put up a good fight to the American but his three-under 69 on the final day wasn’t enough to get close to the leader at the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club.

Matt Jones 6th in Louisiana

Matt Jones had his best finish in 10 starts on the US PGA Tour, tied for 6th place three strokes behind Bubba Watson at the TPC Louisiana.

It was Watson second tour title of 2011, edging out fellow American Webb Simpson in a sudden-death playoff to win the Zurich Classic.

Simpson, in search of his first US PGA Tour title, was desperately unlucky when he incurred a rare one-stroke penalty late in his round when his ball moved after he addressed it to putt on the 15th green.

The extra shot counted heavily, forcing a playoff as both he and fellow overnight leader Watson carded three-under 69s to finish on 15-under 273.

Watson holed a three-foot birdie putt to win at the second extra hole.

Jones was joint leader with Watson after the first round but his closing two-under 70 put him three strokes behind the playoff mark.

FRESH from his US Masters performance Adam Scott has moved to San Antonio for this week’s 2011 Valero Texas Open, where he is defending champion.

Scott should be chock full of confidence following his T2 with Jason Day at Augusta and his new-found expertise with the long putter.

Added to that Scott has won four of his seven tour victories in Texas and he’s entitled to be a raging favourite.

Maybe the only negative will be getting over the almost-won-it Major blues.

“It’s certainly a big let down I think mentally or emotionally after any major, whether you’re in the mix or not,” Scott said in Texas today.

“It certainly does take a lot out of you, it’s not just the tournament week but it’s the weeks before, a lot of practice and the weeks leading up to it. So … it was important for me to have a couple days where I did not much and it was nice to be at a nice resort here to do that.

“Hopefully (I can) get back in the swing of it today in the pro-am and, you know, hit a few balls and recalibrate and ready to go for tomorrow.”

Scott won the title by one shot over Fredrik Jacobson last year on the Greg Norman designed TPC San Antonio.

Fellow Masters runner-up Jason Day won’t be playing but other Australians shooting for the title include Geoff Ogilvy, Marc Leishman, Steve Elkington, John Senden, Michael Sim, Steven Bowditch, Jarrod Lyle, Matt Jones, Nathan Green, Nick O’Hern and Aron Price.

Australian Television Times

The 2011 Valero Texas Open will be telecast on Fox Sports:

Friday 1st Round 5am to 8am

Saturday 2nd Round 5am to 8am

Sunday 3rd Round 5am to 8am

Monday 4th Round 5am to 8am

2011 Valero Texas Open Leaderboard