LEGENDARY Kiwi golfer Sir Bob Charles will turn 73 during the running of the New Zealand Open this Saturday but the World Golf Hall of Famer hasn’t been talking up his chances of making his second cut in a row at the event.

Charles turned the competition on its ear last time, finishing T23, twice shooting better than his age, coming home third best Kiwi and becoming the oldest player in history to make the cut at a major PGA Tour event.

With a sudden cold snap plummeting temperatures and bringing snow and soggy conditions to New Zealand’s south island, Charles didn’t fancy the effect it would have on his circulation or his run off the tee.

This will be Charles’ 47th and he says maybe his final appearance at the open. He first entered as a teenage amateur in 1954.

“It would be nice if I could have maybe one score at least around about my age but I don’t know what the weather is going to be,” Charles said this week.
“My hands are white; I have absolutely no feeling in these conditions so expectations are rather low.”

Charles, who says these days he is something of a fair weather golfer with poor circulation,  has won the event four times over the years, was British Open champion in 1963 and in all has won more than 70 titles.

For the previous open, Charles had practised extensively in the build-up, but his preparation has been limited this time.

“I’ve not played competitively this year – I’ve probably played six to 10 rounds, but I enjoy hitting balls and find time every other day to hit between 70 and 100.”

And while Charles admits an advantage over the 156 strong field in terms of course knowledge, his lack of length off the tee with the course so soft will be a huge problem. 
“I’ll be out of my depth on the eighth and 18th holes both being about 500 yards par-4 holes. I’d need an awful lot of run to get there in two. My 250 yard tee shots are not going to cut the mustard – everyone I play with hits it 50 yards past me.”

One of those is NZ’s current teenage sensation Danny Lee.  If Lee were to win he would become the third 18 year old amateur to do so, behind Charles in 54 and Australian Harry Berwick in 1956.

One suspects Charles wouldn’t mind passing on the baton in his likely final appearance.

“I think he (Lee) is fantastic,” Charles said this week. “As an 18-year-old he’s better than Tiger Woods was at that age.”

ACCORDING to the latest rankings, five out of the top ten players on the US Tour use Titleist golf balls.

That might give Titleist, who have just released their new Pro V1 model 2009 range, something to crow about.

But then again, not one of the world’s top three golfers use them. So there is a choice out there.

The chief stand out is of course a man named Tiger Woods, who you can’t have missed using Nike One Platinum balls.

Apart from Titleist, Srixon is the only other manufacturer with more than one entry.

The full list, using the March 1 player rankings is:

1. Tiger Woods (US): Nike One Platinum

2. Sergio Garcia (Spain):  TaylorMade TP Red

3. Crazy Phil Mickelson (US): Callaway Tour ix

4. Geoff Ogilvy (Australia): Titleist Pro V1

5. Padraig Harrington (Ireland): Titleist Pro V1x

6. Vijay Singh (Fiji): Srixon Z-Star X

7. Henrik Stenson (Sweden): Srixon Z-Star X

8. Robert Karlsson (Sweden): Pro V1x

9. Camilo Villegas (Colombia): Pro V1

10. Kenny Perry (US) Pro V1x

What is your favourite golf ball and why? Join the new ASG Forums

IMAGINE you’ve had an eight month lay off from golf, you’ve had major knee surgery, you’re on the first tee of your first competition game after spending all those months in rehabilitation.

Forget that you’re Tiger Woods and you have the added pressure of the eyes and cameras of the world on you, as you tee up your ball after being away for so long what are you thinking?

If you are Tiger Woods hitting of at the Accenture Match Play, what you are thinking is going to help you start back with a birdie, eagle on the first two holes, and to go on and comfortably win the match.

If you were a club golfer coming back after eight months with injury, with maybe just the pressure of a couple of mates watching, you’d be happy to just get that first shot on the fairway somewhere.

“I got off to probably an ideal start, birdie, eagle,” a laid back Woods said later at his post match press conference.

The media wanted to make much of how he felt when he was walking up to make his long awaited comeback. What his emotions were? How he reacted to the cheers? What it all meant to him? What he was thinking?

Unfortunately for the media’s visions of some grand themes and thoughts for their prose, Woods was very pragmatic.

Woods was thinking what any club golfer lining up to take a tee shot should be thinking, knee surgery and eight months layoff or not.

“Well, it felt like nothing had changed,” Woods said.

What he was thinking is that he was going to get his three wood out and hit a slight draw to a spot on the right side of the fairway that would give him the best angle into the flag.

Regrettably for his match play opponent, Aussie Brendan Jones, “it felt like business as usual”.

As Woods said: “I thought I would be more nervous on that first tee, but when it comes right down to it, it comes to placement off the tee, and hitting to the flag and second hole, hit it down the fairway, angle it. All different things that I – it just came back down to just playing the game again, and that felt good.”

Woods was pressed again later in the conference, surely he must have had all those human emotions that would make a better headline?

Q: We’re all human beings. Describe your emotions when you walk through up and to the first tee box and the adrenaline of actually striking the ball competitively for the first time and in the best part of the year.

Tiger Woods: Walking on the tee was just I was just in my own little world, just trying to make sure that I knew what the number was to the bunker, where the wind was coming from, slightly off left, am I going to hit a flat 3-wood, draw the ball, trying to decide what shot I want to hit. And that‘s basically how I am with every round going to the first tee. So that didn’t change. So over the tee shot it was just being able to hold a little draw up there and put it down the right side and give myself an angle at that flag, and I was able to do that.

Q: You make it sound as though it was just another shot.

Tiger Woods: Well, that‘s – it is. It really is when it comes down to it; it really is just another shot. Just because I’ve taken time off and away from a competitive environment doesn’t change the nature of how you execute a golf shot. At home or here, it doesn’t matter. It’s still a golf shot. And there’s a lot more pressure out here, granted, but still, it’s just when you tee it up, you make a swing and you go place it down the side of the fairway you want it to be on and go about your business.

Q: Did you learn anything new yourself today? Anything different that surprised you?

Tiger Woods: No.

Sorry media, same old boring golf stuff. Decide your best target. Decide which shot to play. Hit it. Walk up to ball. Repeat.

There must be some reason they all keep saying it.

MERCURIAL Briton Laura Davies has claimed her second Australian Open title after a sensational day of see-sawing fortunes at Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne.

In the clubhouse on 285, seven-under, after her final round 68, Davies watched as nearest rival Tania Elosegui of Spain imploded with a double-bogey six on the 72nd hole which she needed only to par to win.

The Spaniard, who had played with real composure throughout her round to accumulate six birdies and just the one dropped shot to that point, put her eight-iron approach into the front left bunker.

She splashed out to six metres, pushed her putt for the win a metre past the hole then missed the return putt for bogey that would have forced a play-off.

Elosegui said later she was under the mistaken impression that Davies was a shot further in front, and hadn’t realised that her bogey putt was ‘live’.

Elosegui finished alone in second place on six-under, one shot clear of Davies’ compatriot Melissa Reid and South Korean pair Lee Chang-He, the third-round leader, and Choi He-Young of South Korea who missed an outside chance to force a play-off when she, like Elosegui, three-putted the last.

Titleholder Karrie Webb (74) finished in a tie for sixth with fellow Australian and the winner of last week’s Australian Ladies Masters, Katherine Hull.

Davies’ ambush effectively began on Saturday when she carded a 67, the round of the day, to haul herself from among the wannabees tied for 46th to a spot in the top 10.

That provided the launching pad for a sensational front nine on Sunday. She was out in 34 and picked up another shot at the 10th.

The critical holes, however, were the back-to-back par fives at 14 and 15 which she eagled and birdied to open up a two-shot lead.

The 475-metre 14th was classic Davies - a monster drive downwind, long iron to 15 metres, then a ‘bomb’ of a putt that was never going to miss.

At various stages on Sunday, six different players - Davies, Elosegui, Reid, Choi, Lee and American Beth Allen - either led outright or jointly.

Starting the day just two off the pace, Webb would have fancied herself to be right in the finish, but while those around her advanced the four-time champ was stuck in a rut.

Round One  

MAKING every older golfer’s bones creak just that little bit more, two 12 year olds have qualified for the 2009 Women’s Australian Open Golf, which tees off at the Metropolitan GC, Melbourne, this Thursday.

But the two young schoolgirls will be hard pressed to make a dint on a quality field featuring a raging hot Katherine Hull.

The Queenlander was in the zone on the weekend, cruising to a five stroke victory at the ANZ Ladies Masters.

With a restricted Masters preparation due to the Queensland weather, Karrie Webb will benefit greatly from that outing and will be all out chasing her fifth Open title.

At 26, Hull is positively ancient compared with two of the 11 players who made the grade at Final Qualifying this week.

Of the qualifiers, two were Australians with the rest represent countries across Asia including Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

First off there is the extraordinary story of Su-Hyun Oh (Pictured. Photo Courtesy Women’s Golf Victoria), who at just 12 years of age shot a round of 71 to qualify for the Open field.

Rather than heading to school on Thursday morning, she’ll be heading to the tees to do battle with Hull, Webb and the likes of Laura Davies.

It won’t be the first time that the schoolgirl has stepped out on Metropolitan. Last year she won the Victorian Junior Championship in a 36 hole final round.

Not to be outdone, Victorian-based Korean Youngmin Chi, who is also 12, fired a round of 74 to also make it into the starting lineup at Metropolitan.

Two 12 Year Olds make qualifying history

MORE golf will be appearing on Australian free to air television following the announcement of an historic new agreement between the PGA of Australia and Network Ten.

The five year deal means that for the first time marquee golf tournaments from Australia, Asia and the United States will be broadcast on a single network.
The deal will see at least 12 live and exclusive tournaments per year broadcast on Network Ten’s new 24-hour sports channel ONE along with supporting coverage of selected events on TEN. In addition, exclusive highlights packages of a further 10 events per year will also be broadcast on ONE.
The partnership tees off this weekend with highlights of the Subaru Victorian Open followed next weekend by highlights of the Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship.

Exclusive coverage of the Moonah Classic and Australia’s oldest professional tournament, the Australian PGA Championship, headline the domestic events.
The deal also includes live and exclusive coverage of the Michael Hill New Zealand Open, the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, the three prestigious World Golf Championship events – the Accenture MatchPlay Championship, CA Championship and Bridgestone Invitational – as well as the Omega Mission
Hills World Cup.

Four key Asian events including the Singapore Open, Indian Open, Thailand Open and the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia complete the international component.
The deal adds to the Network’s existing portfolio of premium golf tournaments including the year’s opening two major championships, the Masters and the US Open, as well as the Johnnie Walker Classic and the ANZ Ladies Masters.
Network Ten’s general manager – sport, David White, said the Network was excited to be broadcasting such an extensive portfolio of elite golf to the Australian public through this landmark agreement with PGA of Australia.
“Our new 24-hour sports channel ONE will provide us with the platform to showcase golf on a live and exclusive basis, not previously seen in this country,” Mr. White said.
“Viewers will be able to watch extended golf coverage on ONE while also viewing the final rounds of many marquee events on both TEN and ONE.”
“We warmly welcome the sport of golf onto our expanded Network of TEN and ONE, bringing the game to a larger and more diverse audience than ever before,” he said.
Max Garske, CEO of the PGA of Australia said: “This is a key partnership for the PGA of Australia and we are delighted to form a long-term investment with Network Ten.”
“Golf in Australia is rapidly moving forward and to work with such a progressive network marries well with our vision.”
“It is wonderful news for the game and its supporters allowing them to see more of our domestic competition and provides a solid foundation for the development and promotion of our game as we move ahead.”
ONE will broadcast from late March in High Definition (HD) on Digital Channel 1 and also in Standard Definition (SD) on Digital Channel 12. Those events not appearing on TEN prior to late March will air on Ten- HD (Digital Channel 1).
It is not yet clear if the additional broadcasts will extend to the regional Southern Cross networks, which at present miss out on TEN HD coverage.

Editor’s Note 23/2/209 : Apparently Southern Cross Ten say they are still working on the “infrastructure” and will be screening TEN HD and the new ONE Sports channel “later this year”, whenever that is. Every time people ask they seem to put the date back and there is much unhappiness out there in regional tv land. SC10 are the broadcaster, apart from capital cities, down the eastern seaboard and that includes the Canberra area.

VICTORIAN Ashley Hall has held off the challenge from Scott Laycock and Craig Scott to claim the 2009 Subaru Victorian Open by two shots.
Twenty five year old Hall fired a final round two under 69 to finish on ten under par for the event, his second win on the Australasian Tour after he claimed the 2007 Victorian PGA Championship.
Hall defeated playing partner’s Laycock and Hall who both finished on eight under with Paul Sheehan and Aaron Townsend tied for fourth place on seven under and Peter Senior, Cameron Percy and David Diaz tied for sixth place a further shot back.
Hall started the day in equal first place on eight under alongside Laycock with Scott a further shot back setting the scene for a thrilling final day where the lead changed several times before Hall sealed victory.

Overnight leaders Hall and Laycock continued their tussle into the day and by the conclusion of play on the front nine, both were tied for the lead at 9-under the card. Scott, who was one shot off the pace after yesterday’s play, seemed to be out of contention when four bogeys on the front nine saw him drop to 3-under par.

An early birdie on the back nine took Laycock, a former winner of the Championship, into the lead. Hall steadied as three bogeys from four holes saw Laycock relinquish the lead. Just as it looked like a two-way battle for the title, Scott’s game was brought to life with four consecutive birdies.

A 17th hole bogey from Hall gave Laycock and Scott hope going into the final hole, but Hall remained solid taking the 54th Victorian Open Championship title. A stunning 6-under par back nine from Scott, secured him a tied second place finish.

For Hall it was a mixture of relief and pride to claim the win in front of a gallery of friends and family and pocket the $16,500 winner’s cheque.
“To be honest I just came into this event to get myself ready for the Johnnie Walker Classic and the bigger events but this is the best possible start to the year I could have hoped for. It means a lot to me, I played in every team for the VGA…juniors, colts and seniors, so it is really special,” Hall said.
“I’m a little bit relieved. A four shot lead turned into two pretty quickly at 17 but I figured if I just hit it into the middle of the green on the last I was always going to make par,” said the new Australasian Tour Order of Merit leader.
” I thought when I woke up this morning with it windy that it was going to play into my hands. I like the course the way it is when it’s windy. I tried not to think about what happened yesterday and just stuck to my routine and it worked. I suppose nothing can go wrong if you stick to your routine.”
After a tough week of extreme climates and changing conditions at the Spring Valley lay-out Hall said the win was a great confidence booster after he lost his status in Asia and he was looking forward to making the most of the next six weeks on the Australasian Tour. He will play in this week’s Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship, followed by International Final Qualifying for the Open Championship, the Johnnie Walker Classic, Moonah Classic, HSBC NZ PGA Championship and the Michael Hill New Zealand Open.
“It gives me the confidence that I wasn’t just a one hit wonder and that I can do it again,” said Hall. “I’ve done it a different way this time, I didn’t come from behind like I did at the PGA, I was in the last group for the last two days and I slept on a lead so I can take a lot of positives out of it and take them into the bigger events.”
For 2001 Victorian Open Champion Scott Laycock who lost his status after eight years on the Japan Golf Tour after a debilitating wrist injury, it was a positive way to start the new year.
“Like any player, I play to get into contention and it’s been a while for me so I am really happy with how I have gone this week,” said the 37 year old Victorian. “I played better this week than I have in a while for a whole tournament and it was nice to be back up there again.”
For Craig Scott a birdie finish saw the 25 year old from Sorrento move up to finish second alongside Laycock. His form was impressive this week as the Canadian Tour regular shot rounds of 71, 70, 65 and 70 displaying a consistency that he hopes will continue through the next few events and result in his first Australasian Tour victory.
“I’m playing well and I know it’s only a matter of time,” said Scott who will also be lining up at next week’s second Australasian Tour event for 2009.

It was a clean sweep for the Victorians with Bryden MacPherson leading the way for the Amateurs, returning a 2-over par performance. 18-year old MacPherson has continued a promising start to his golfing career after taking out leading amateur tournament, The Dunes Medal in December. His result at the 2009 Victorian Open has done little to disprove the prediction that MacPherson is one of the country’s brightest stars.

Favourable conditions saw strong crowds turn out to Spring Valley to watch the final round of the 2009 Championship.

The PGA Tour of Australasia now travels to Sanctuary Lakes tomorrow for the Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship. The Championship will feature a Junior Pro-Am (Monday),  Calloway Ladies Competition (Tuesday) and Celebrity/Corporate Pro-Am (Wednesday) before the competition proper tees off on Thursday January 5.

FINAL RESULTS FROM 2009 SUBARU VICTORIAN OPEN
Ashley Hall , VIC, -10, 68, 65, 72, 69, 274,
Craig Scott , VIC, -8, 71, 70, 65, 70, 276,
Scott Laycock , VIC, -8, 68, 68, 69, 71, 276,
Paul Sheehan , NSW, -7, 68, 70, 71, 68, 277,
Aaron Townsend , NSW, -7, 70, 68, 70, 69, 277,
Cameron Percy , VIC, -6, 68, 68, 72, 70, 278,
David Diaz , VIC, -6, 74, 69, 68, 67, 278,
Peter Senior , QLD, -6, 68, 72, 69, 69, 278,
Andrew McKenzie , VIC, -4, 74, 66, 69, 71, 280,
Terry Pilkadaris , WA, -3, 71, 71, 68, 71, 281,
Andre Stolz , NSW, -3, 66, 73, 69, 73, 281,
David Lutterus , SA, -3, 70, 70, 69, 72, 281,
Craig Spence , VIC, -3, 68, 65, 73, 75, 281,
Adam Porker , VIC, -3, 73, 68, 69, 71, 281,
James McLean , VIC, -3, 66, 71, 72, 72, 281,
Marcus Cain , QLD, -2, 70, 69, 72, 71, 282,
Michael Brennan , NSW, -2, 75, 68, 68, 71, 282,
Chris Downes , QLD, -2, 69, 67, 73, 73, 282,
Gareth Paddison , NZL, -2, 68, 72, 67, 75, 282,
Steve Collins , WA, -2, 70, 72, 68, 72, 282,
Heath D’Altera , VIC, -1, 66, 66, 76, 75, 283,
Josh Carmichael , NZL, -1, 71, 71, 67, 74, 283,
David McKenzie , VIC, -1, 68, 68, 77, 70, 283,
Adam Bland , SA, -1, 73, 66, 73, 71, 283,
Ryan Haywood , VIC, even, 70, 68, 73, 73, 284,
Tim Wise , VIC, even, 74, 69, 70, 71, 284,
Kevin Conlong , VIC, even, 74, 69, 71, 70, 284,
Rohan Blizard , NSW, even, 72, 67, 67, 78, 284,
Michael Clayton , VIC, +1, 74, 69, 68, 74, 285,
Leigh McKechnie , NSW, +1, 72, 70, 74, 69, 285,
Brad Andrews , QLD, +1, 74, 65, 69, 77, 285,
Matthew Millar , ACT, +2, 73, 69, 70, 74, 286,
Kim Felton , WA, +2, 70, 72, 69, 75, 286,
Kurt Barnes , NSW, +2, 75, 69, 68, 74, 286,
Bryden MacPherson (A), VIC, +2, 75, 68, 70, 73, 286,
Andrew Tschudin , VIC, +3, 71, 70, 71, 75, 287,
Ryan Haller , QLD, +3, 71, 70, 71, 75, 287,
Michael Curtain , VIC, +3, 71, 71, 70, 75, 287,
Tristan Lambert , NSW, +4, 72, 70, 71, 75, 288,
Matthew Ballard , QLD, +4, 73, 71, 70, 74, 288,
Adam Wilcox , NSW, +5, 74, 68, 72, 75, 289,
Mahal Pearce , NZL, +5, 68, 71, 70, 80, 289,
Stuart Bouvier , QLD, +5, 70, 73, 75, 71, 289,
Rudi Bezuidenhout , NSW, +5, 77, 67, 71, 74, 289,
Dean Meagher , NSW, +5, 69, 74, 74, 72, 289,
Heath Reed , VIC, +5, 70, 68, 75, 76, 289,
Andrew Tampion , VIC, +6, 77, 67, 68, 78, 290,
Clint Rice , TAS, +6, 73, 70, 70, 77, 290,
Hamish Robertson , NZL, +6, 73, 70, 73, 74, 290,
Andrew Martin , VIC, +8, 74, 70, 73, 75, 292,
Michael McGrath , VIC, +8, 74, 70, 73, 75, 292,
James McMillan (A), VIC, +8, 74, 67, 74, 77, 292,
Jason Norris , SA, +9, 74, 70, 74, 75, 293,
Damon Welsford , ACT, +10, 74, 70, 75, 75, 294,
Martin Doyle , VIC, +11, 73, 71, 76, 75, 295,
Ryan McCarthy (A), TAS, +12, 73, 70, 74, 79, 296,
Graydon Woolridge , NSW, +13, 68, 73, 78, 78, 297,
Tom Prowse , VIC, +14, 70, 73, 76, 79, 298,
Jens Nilsson , SWE, +17, 74, 69, 81, 77, 301,
Mathew Holten , NZL, +33, 73, 66, 72, 106, 317

PREVIEW STORY

THE past seven winners of the Victorian Open Championship will line up this week attempting to emulate their past triumphs.

Defending champion West Australian Kim Felton will be hoping to make it back-to-back titles when the tournament tees off on Thursday  at Spring Valley Golf Club.

Felton won the event when it was last played in 2007 and is facing stiff competition from former champions David Diaz (2006), Kurt Barnes (2005), Gareth Paddison (2004), Andre Stolz (2002), Scott Laycock (2001) and Brad Lamb (2000). *

The former champions will be competing against established talent and up and comers from across the country.

Amongst the local contingent are 2008 Cellarbrations NSW PGA Champion Victorian Tim Wise, Andrew Tschudin, returning home after success on the Korean tour and former Australian Masters Champion Craig Spence.

The local boys are up against some formidable interstate rivals. Paul Sheehan heads a solid line-up representing NSW, having made a name for himself at home and abroad with victories at the Jacob’s Creek Open and Japan Open.

West Australians Terry Pilkadaris and Jarrod Moseley will be looking to claim another tour victory, and Queenslander’s Andrew Bonhomme and Steven Bowditch both know what it takes to secure tour wins. Bonhomme claimed  victory at the 2007 Queensland PGA championship and Bowditch spent a year on the US PGA Tour after he claimed victory at the  2005 Jacob’s Creek Open.

Jason Norris winner of the 2007 WA PGA Championship, will join fellow South Australian David Lutterus, who received his 2008 US PGA Tour Card after a stellar 2007.

Peter Senior, Peter Fowler and Terry Price vying for first Victorian Open wins

Joining the former champions are seasoned veterans Peter Senior, Peter Fowler and Terry Price, each vying for their first Victorian Open win.

Also seeking further success to add to their 2008 tour victories are SA PGA Champion Heath Reed, Cellarbrations NSW PGA Champion Tim Wood and NSW Open winner Aaron Townsend. Leading the charge is 2008 Oceanique WA PGA Champion and overall winner of the Von Nida Tour Money List Michael Long.

Former Australian tennis professional Scott Draper continues his successful transition to golf, hoping to add a Victorian Open title to his 2007 NSW PGA Championship win. Joining Draper in the main draw are fellow Queenslanders Ryan Haller and Paul Donahoo, also winners on the Von Nida Tour in 2007.

Hot on the heels of a stunning win in the Victorian Amateur Championship is Luke Bleumink. With his victory the 23-year old Victorian state player joined a prestigious list of Amateur Champions, including Aaron Baddeley and Geoff Ogilvy and would like nothing more than to emulate their success with his first win at a senior event.

The Subaru Victorian Open Championship is being played from Thursday 29th January to Sunday 1st February at Spring Valley Golf Club, Heatherton Road, Clayton South. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $8 or Season Passes for $15.

 * The Victorian Open was not played in 2003 or 2008.

GOSSIPS might only see actress Kate Hudson pictured here with Adam Scott on the beach in Maui.

We just note Scott seems to have learned his lesson after a beach incident put him out of action in Australia and he is now wearing a knee brace in the surf.

Scott said recently that he and Hudson were “just friends” but it was noted they were getting very cuddly on their beach towels.

Scott was in Hawaii competing in the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Sony Open.

In December Scott withdrew from the Australian PGA Championship and subsequently the Australian Open after injuring his right kneecap running out of the surf at Coolum Beach in Queensland.

Lets hope his cautious state and relaxed attitude see him achieve big things in 2009.

Whatever Hudson was whispering in his ear on their towels later seems to have done wonders for his performance at the Sony Open.

Scott’s blistering final round in Hawaii

GEOFF OGILVY has started the 2009 golfing year in fine style for himself and the nation with a comfortable six-shot win at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in Maui.
It was Ogilvy’s fifth PGA Tour title and moves him from 11th to sixth in the world.

The wire-to-wire victory finished with a topsy-turvy five-under 68 on the final day to finish on 24-under-par, half a dozen strokes clear of Americans Anthony Kim (67) and Davis Love III (67) at 18-under.
Sean O’Hair had the day’s best round, a blistering eight-under 65 seeing him leap from a tie for 11th into outright fourth place at 17-under.
Justin Leonard (70) was fifth one stroke further back, while South African Ernie Els (67) and Americans Zach Johnson (67), Kenny Perry (70) and DJ Trahan (71) finished at 15-under.
Johnson Wagner rounded out the top 10 following a closing 69.
Adam Scott (70) failed to make any in-roads as he had to settle for a share of 18th place at nine-under.
Ogilvy, who started the day with a six-shot buffer, made a horror start with bogeys in the first two holes.
He recovered with birdies on holes five and six before again giving up shots at the following two holes to see his lead whittled to just one.
But a glorious eagle and five birdies over the next six holes saw Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion, extend his advantage once again before sealing victory at the $5.6 million ($A8 million) event with a par on the 18th.
Ogilvy is the third Australian to win the tournament after Steve Elkington (1992, 1995) and Stuart Appleby (2004-2006).
Ogilvy was relieved to get his game back on track after his rough start on a rain-softened track at Kapalua.
“I enjoyed the last two-and-a-half hours more than I enjoyed the first two hours today. It was obviously a very rough start,” he said.
“I had never had a six-shot lead before. That’s quite an uncomfortable feeling really.”
“It was tricky on the front nine and I wasn’t playing horribly. I just had a couple of loose shots and a couple of putts that I thought were pretty decent and didn’t go in, which is the sort of thing that happens when you’re leading, I guess.”
The Australian regained his composure when he reached the green in two at the 521-yard, par-five ninth and made eagle to enter the back nine with a more comfortable three-stroke lead.
“I had the two best shots of the week down the ninth hole, made my best putt and probably my best back nine of the week. So it was definitely a round of two halves,” Ogilvy said.
“A pretty poor first eight holes, and great last 10 holes, and I really enjoyed it. Once I got through nine, I really enjoyed every hole on the back nine.”
“All of a sudden I felt a lot better about everything, and played really well the last nine holes.”

GOLF hasn’t been played at the Olympics for over a century but now many of its leading players and governing bodies are pushing for its inclusion in 2016.

Much has changed in the sport since 77 golfers from just two countries – the USA and Canada - competed for men’s medals in individual and teams events at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis.

Golf is now played by 60 million people in nearly 120 countries  and pressure is mounting for it to be readmitted to the Ollympic fold.

Effectively, golf is now in a play-off against baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, softball and squash for inclusion.

Representatives of the International Golf Federation have formally presented their case for golf to become an Olympic sport during a meeting with the International Olympic Committee Program Commission in recent days at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Making the presentation were Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A and Joint Secretary of the IGF, and PGA TOUR executive Ty Votaw, Executive Director of the IGF Olympic Golf Committee.

Among the key points they highlighted were golf’s worldwide participation and diversity; the sport’s economic and charitable impact; and its commitment to the youth of the world. Golf, they noted, has grown significantly in these three areas and would continue to grow as an Olympic sport, thus influencing the relevance and attraction of the Olympic Games.

the current top-10 rankings for both men and women feature players from 12 different countries

Dawson said  golf was truly an international sport that continued to grow through

new initiatives being implemented all over the world to teach the game to both young and old.

“We believe the time is right for golf to be brought back to the Olympic Games,” he said.

During the presentation, the IOC Programme Commission was shown a series of short films that featured top players expressing support for golf’s bid. The films opened up with Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, the Number 1 ranked woman golfer in the world, and closed with World Number 1 ranked Tiger Woods. In between, the support of top players such as Annika Sorenstam from Sweden, Phil Mickelson from the United States, Suzanne Petterson from Norway and Vijay Singh from Fiji.

Also appearing in the films with statements of support were: Paula Creamer, United States;  Karrie Webb, Australia; K.J. Choi, South Korea; Ernie Els, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Ryuji Imada, Japan; Anthony Kim, United States;  Camilo Villegas, Colombia; and Mike Weir, Canada.

“We felt it was critically important to show that many of the game’s biggest stars are saying supportive and positive things about golf’s bid for the Olympics,” Votaw said. “We obviously believe there is a very compelling case as to why golf should become an Olympic sport, and today was the first official step in what essentially is a year-long selection process. Peter and I took the opportunity to highlight the growth and popularity of golf, its global impact and how it would benefit the Olympic Games.”

A special element to the presentation was the presence of the actual trophy presented to Canadian George Lyon for winning the individual stroke play in 1904 in St. Louis, USA. 

Showing just how international professional golf has become, Votaw pointed out that the current top-10 rankings for both men and women feature players from 12 different countries.

Professional golf is televised every week in 216 countries, translated into 35 languages, with a reach of more than 500 million households. Also of note is that 120 players, or half of the LPGA’s membership, are from countries outside the United States. Plus, the European Tour’s “Race to Dubai” in 2009 will feature 53 tournaments in 27 countries.

While specifics of the proposed Olympic format will be based on the input of top players and outlined in the formal bid, Dawson and Votaw presented an overview of the IGF’s initial thinking, which includes 60-player fields for both men and women playing in a yet-to-be determined individual competitive format.

“We envisage the individual athlete competing for his or her country to ensure geographic balance among the players and to maximise the number of countries that can earn a medal,” Dawson explained.

Dawson and Votaw also noted the ease with which golf would fit into any of the four finalists to host the 2016 Games due to existing golf facilities in those cities – Chicago, USA; Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan. Both the host city and selection of any new sports will be determined at the 121^st IOC session, scheduled for October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Local favorite Aaron Townsend has claimed the NSW Open by seven shots whist Michael Long has been crowned the 2008 Von Nida Tour Money List winner.  

Townsend and Long accepted their trophies at the final Von Nida Tour event held at The Vintage Golf Club in the New South Wales Hunter Valley on Sunday.

Townsend,  27, wrapped up his maiden Von Nida Tour victory with a final round three under 68 to win by seven shots from runner up Victorian Steve Jones.

Last week’s Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship winner Tim Wood finished in third place on eight under par while Sydney’s Jamie Arnold and newly turned pro Matthew Griffin were tied fourth a further two shots back. 

For Townsend, who is now heading for the second stage of US Tour School, the win comes after he previously finished second three times, the most recent this year at the OG Roberts South Australian PGA Championship.

“I can say enough about how special this is”, said a delighted and exhausted Townsend. “My first one, to win the NSW Open is tremendous.”

“I tried not to look at the leaderboard or too much that was going on around me and just tried to think if I play well and just try to take care of what I do then it will make it hard for anyone to try to catch me so I was really happy with how I played.”

“My confidence is at a high now and that’s what you need at this time of year so its an excellent time to be flying this high!”

Townsend played an impressive tournament, establishing what was to become an unbeatable lead on Day two. He finished the second round with a five shot lead, extending that to six by the end of the third round and finished off with a seven shot buffer.

Perth based New Zealander Long clinched the 2008 Von Nida Money List Trophy by $760.00 over Townsend. The 40 year old finished the year on a high with a win at the Oceanique WA PGA Championship two weeks ago and immediately backed up with a runner up finish at last week’s Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship, finishing on a total of $27,650.

“I’m very happy. There’s a lot great talent and great players on this Tour and it’s a great privilege to have won this trophy. It’s the first Order of Merit Trophy I have ever won!”

“It’s been a great three weeks”, said the semi retired New Zealand born WA resident. “I intend to enjoy my golf a lot more now and am enjoying the break. It’s really refreshing to be able to have a week off now, have a few drinks and then start again!”

Belmont teenager Brendan Smith finished as the leading amateur.

Final leading scores at the NSW Open at The Vintage.

1, Aaron Townsend, -17, 63, 67, 69, 68, 267

2, Steven Jones, -10, 65, 71, 70, 68, 274

3, Timothy Wood, -8, 73, 67, 68, 68, 276

T4, Jamie Arnold, -6, 62, 73, 70, 73, 278

T4, Matthew Griffin, -6, 67, 71, 71, 69, 278

6, Bradley Andrews, -5, 69, 74, 68, 68, 279

T7, Benjamin Burge, -3, 71, 68, 71, 71, 281

T7, Brad Lamb, -3, 69, 72, 68, 72, 281

T7, Peter Nolan, -3, 71, 71, 72, 67, 281

T10, Aaron Black, -2, 68, 70, 70, 74, 282

T10, Ryan Hammond, -2, 66, 72, 73, 71, 282

T10, Brendan Smith, -2, 71, 73, 67, 71, 282

T13, Michael Brennan, -1, 72, 69, 72, 70, 283

T13, Leigh McKechnie, -1, 70, 68, 73, 72, 283

T13, James Nitties, -1, 72, 70, 73, 68, 283

T13, Jason Norris, -1, 69, 72, 74, 68, 283

T13, Peter Wilson, -1, 75, 69, 69, 70, 283

T18, Matthew Ballard, E, 69, 70, 72, 73, 284

T18, Craig Scott, E, 70, 74, 69, 71, 284

T18, Tim Stewart, E, 69, 73, 71, 71, 284

T18, Michael Williams, E, 67, 74, 70, 73, 284