Showing posts with label Seve Ballesteros. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seve Ballesteros. Show all posts

5/14/2016

Christy O'Connor 1924 - 2016


INPHO
Christy O'Connor Senior died in Dublin on Saturday, aged 91.

The Galway native won more than 20 tournaments on the Irish and British circuit and finished in the top 10 of The Open on 10 occasions.

O'Connor competed in every Ryder Cup between 1955 and 1973 and was inducted into the prestigious World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.

He was uncle to Christy O'Connor Junior, who died in January aged 67.

O'Connor Senior won the British Masters in 1956 and 1959 and his best finish in The Open was tied-second at Royal Birkdale in 1965, two strokes behind Peter Thompson.

He often explained his chances of winning a major were greatly diminished by the fact he could rarely afford to travel to the United States.

O'Connor Senior also played in 15 World Cups, winning in 1958 with Harry Bradshaw.

He won six PGA Senior Championships between 1976 and 1983.

Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke said he learned the news with "great sadness".

"Christy was in many ways the father of Irish golf and his death, so soon after that of his nephew, Christy Junior, means that Ireland has lost two Ryder Cup legends in the space of five months.

"Christy Senior was a golf icon and a wonderful person as well. He did so much for the game he graced for many years while the Ryder Cup to some extent is what it is today because of his passion for it.

"Irish golf in particular and golf in general has lost one of its greatest heroes."

A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and his nephew Christy O'Connor Jnr, also a Ryder Cup player and died suddenly in January at the age of 67.

The older O'Connor, known as 'Himself' among his fellow players, achieved a best finish of second in The Open Championship.

Ryder Cup director Richard Hills said: "Today we have lost not only one of the greatest Ryder Cup players the game has even seen, but an incredible man.

"My abiding memory of Christy is phoning him with George O'Grady to break the news that he'd been elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009, and he wouldn't believe us.

"He said he'd only believe it if he saw it in writing, so I was dispatched to Royal Dublin to present him with a letter. As he read it, his face broke into a huge grin and he gave me a massive bear hug.

"The other thing that sticks out for me is how Seve Ballesteros used to watch him. When Seve, who as we all know was a genius of a player, first came out on tour in 1976, he would seek out Christy to watch him practise and watch his hands. Christy was built like a bull but he had incredible hands for golf.

"Christy did so much for the game of golf and his legacy will long live on. After the tragic, sudden death of his nephew, Christy O'Connor Jr, in January, golf has lost two of its greatest men.

"On behalf of everyone at the European Tour, our condolences go to the O'Connor family."


2/19/2015

Clarke Confirmed as Europe Captain


Darren Clarke has been named European captain for The 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota, from September 30 - October 2, 2016.

The 2011 Open Champion becomes the first Northern Irishman to lead Europe against the United States, having played in the biennial contest five times, featuring on the winning side on four occasions. He was also a vice captain under Colin Montgomerie and José María Olazábal in the European wins in 2010 and 2012 respectively, and succeeds Irishman Paul McGinley, who captained Europe to a 16 ½-11 ½ triumph at Gleneagles last September. 

Clarke takes the reins for the 41st Ryder Cup with the aim of leading Europe to a record fourth consecutive victory in the biennial contest. 

The 46 year old was chosen by a five man selection panel consisting of those three most recent European Ryder Cup Captains - McGinley, Olazábal and Montgomerie – as well as the Chief Executive of The European Tour, George O’Grady, and European Tour Tournament Committee member David Howell, which met at Wentworth Club today (Wednesday February 18). 

Clarke said: “I am naturally extremely proud to be selected as European Ryder Cup captain for 2016. The Ryder Cup has been a massive part of my life and my career, so to have the chance to lead Europe next year is a huge honour. 

“I am lucky to have played and worked under some fantastic captains in my seven Ryder Cups to date, and I look forward to the challenge of trying to follow in their footsteps and help Europe to a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup victory at Hazeltine next year.”

The 14-time European Tour winner made his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 at Valderrama in Spain under Seve Ballesteros, partnering Montgomerie to defeat Fred Couples and Davis Love III in the fourballs before losing narrowly to Phil Mickelson in the singles. 

He then contributed two points at each of the next two Ryder Cups, at Brookline in 1999 and The Belfry in 2002, and three-and-a-half points in Europe’s record 18½-9½ victory at Oakland Hills Country Club in 2004. 

But his most memorable, and emotional, Ryder Cup performance came two years later when he inspired Europe to victory by the same record equalling margin in front of passionate Irish galleries at The K Club, just six weeks after his first wife Heather passed away. 

Clarke won all three of his matches in Co. Kildare, joining forces with Lee Westwood to defeat Mickelson and Chris DiMarco then Tiger Woods and Jim Fuyrk in the fourballs, before beating Zach Johnson 3 and 2 in the singles. His two victories alongside Westwood mean the duo are joint second in the all-time list of most successful Ryder Cup partnerships, with six points from their eight matches together, while overall Clarke has contributed a total of 11½ points in the blue of Europe. 

He returned to The Ryder Cup fold four years later as a vice captain under Montgomerie at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, as Europe beat the United States by 14½-13½, and he gained further experience as part of the backroom team under Olazábal at Medinah in 2012. 

That came a year after the finest individual achievement of his distinguished career, when he held off Mickelson and Dustin Johnson to win The 140th Open Championship at Royal St George’s, adding the Claret Jug to the two World Golf Championship titles he won in the early 2000s, when he became just the second player after Tiger Woods to win more than one WGC crown. 

George O’Grady, speaking on behalf of the Ryder Cup Europe selection panel, said: “We are delighted to announce that Darren has accepted the invitation from the panel to captain Europe at The 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National. 

“Darren has an impressive Ryder Cup pedigree having featured five times as a player and twice as a vice captain, so he has a strong understanding of the attributes required to be a successful captain. He is also a popular figure among the players and has both the passion and knowledge to lead Europe in the quest for a record fourth consecutive Ryder Cup victory.”

Clarke is the first captain to be chosen using Ryder Cup Europe’s new selection process – the third method used to pick The Ryder Cup captain since players from Continental Europe joined the fold for the 1979 contest, under the captaincy of John Jacobs, at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

From then until 1997, when the late Seve Ballesteros led Europe in his homeland at Valderrama, the European Ryder Cup captain was identified by the Ryder Cup Committee, who selected Jacobs again in 1981, Tony Jacklin in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989, and Bernard Gallacher in 1991, 1993 and 1995.

However, in 1999, Mark James was the first European captain to be nominated by the European Tour’s Tournament Committee and ratified by the Ryder Cup Board, a process which went on to select Sam Torrance (2002), Bernhard Langer (2004), Ian Woosnam (2006), Sir Nick Faldo (2008), Montgomerie (2010), Olazábal (2012) and McGinley (2014).


10/25/2014

Golf Course Designers - J. Howes


Highlights for the JEFF HOWES GOLF DESIGN team include: Gowran Park Golf Course, Co. Kilkenny &ndash the company's first 18 hole project in Ireland was a particular challenge to design as the golf course had to be placed in and around the existing horse racetrack. 


The re-design of Fota Island, Cork in preparation for the hosting of the Murphy's Irish Open in 2001 and 2002 was Jeff Howes Golf Design next significant project. In 2006 Jeff Howes Golf Design added an additional 9 holes making Fota Island a 27 hole golf resort. 

Following on from Fota it was the restoration / upgrading of all the putting surfaces at Mount Juliet in preparation for the WGC American Express World Championships in 2002 and 2004 which preoccupied Jeff Howes Golf Design. 

The year 2004 saw The Heritage Golf & Country Club, Co. Laois - a co-design with Seve Ballesteros open to the public. It hosted the AIB Irish Seniors Open in 2005. 

International golf course designs include Golf Club Adamstal and Golf Club Foehrenwald of Austria and Thunersee Golf Course of Switzerland. 

Current projects include – Farnham Estate Golf Club, Radisson SAS, Cavan, Tramore Golf Club, Waterford and the Carrig Glas Golf Club, Longford, a co-design with Retief Goosen.

Westport GC, Dublin, Ireland
In February of this year Jeff Howes Golf Design remodelled the 13th green at Westport GC. Water ingress & poor turfgrass were the problems experienced by members & greenstaff. The remodelling process and the reconstruction of the green surface and immediate surrounds have eradicated these issues. Green was scheduled to open for play in May 2010.

Newlands GC, Dublin, Ireland
The Official Opening of the fully revamped course was in June, 2010. The main event of the day was a fourball exhibition match which included European Tour Professionals Peter Lawrie (Newlands Member) and Damien McGrane. There was a tremendous turnout of members to witness the opening by Peter Lawrie which was followed by refreshments in the clubhouse.
Farnham Estate GC, Cavan, Ireland

The 18 hole course at the Farnham Estate, opened to the public in April 2010 – the final element of the design – a practice putting green adjacent to the 1st tees was recently constructed and it is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2010.

Exploring New Markets - China
Jeff Howes has made two trips to China this year in a bid to enter this booming golf market.

Malahide, Dublin, Ireland
Malahide opened to great member acclaim in June of 2010. This 9 hole “Blue 9 Course” redesign project is the 2nd such project undertaken by Jeff Howes Golf design at the Club – the previous work involved the revamp of the “Red 9 Course”.
Tramore

Although the 3rd phase at Tramore GC is completed the course has yet to fully open all 27 holes. The last phase is due to open for play by members and the general public in August of 2010.

Jeff Howes Golf Design very recently completed the artwork for the Yardage Books of the 27 hole facility at Tramore GC and they will be on sale at the pro shop in the very near future.
Slade Valley, Dublin, Ireland

Slade valleys 3 hole extension has been in play for 6 months or so now and is proving a bit hit with the members. This 3 hole extension winding through coniferous woodlands offers some even more spectacular views of Dublin city & county to the golfer of this club.
Mount Juliet, Kilkenny, Ireland

Jeff Howes Golf Design recently completed a computer game and uploaded Photorealistic Computer Generated Flybys (to the club’s website) of the Jack Nicklaus Signature designed facility at Mount Juliet.

The game is free to download from the Club’s website and allows people to play the course in a virtual environment – try your hand at beating Tigers 20 under par WGC American Express winning score!

Hermitage GC, Dublin, Ireland
Jeff Howes Golf Design very recently completed the artwork for the Yardage Books, developed a computer game and uploaded Photorealistic Computer Generated Flybys (to the club’s website) of the 18 hole facility at The Hermitage GC.

The game is run on MicroSoft Links 2003 software (which can be downloaded for €5.99) and the game is for sale from The Hermitage GC’s website. The flybys themselves can also be downloaded to your phone and can be accessed while on the course whilst the yardage books are for sale in the Club Pro Shop.

GC Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria
Jeff recently made a trip to GC Adamstal our European Trophy Course as this progressive club continually seeks to improve the golfers experience. Discussions with the owner are currently underway to convert a par three to a par 4 and to introduce more water on the back nine.

Kilkenny Golf Club, Kilkenny, Ireland
In December 2009, Jeff Howes Golf Design were commissioned to develop a MasterPlan for this prestigious course in the South East of Ireland. Following extensive discussions with the Course Development Committee a MasterPlan for the existing golf course and adjacent lands owned by the club was agreed upon.

Bunclody Golf & Fishing Club, Wexford, Ireland
This relatively newcomer to the golf scene in Ireland has celebrated its 2nd year in operation by hosting an Irish PGA Pro-Am tournament in May, of 2010. Predictably it was won by resident Professional Mr. Ian Kerr who as a member of the Owners Consortium was present most days during construction and therefore had an unfair advantage over all others in the field.

Private Putting Greens Czech Republic & Paris
Recently Jeff Howes Golf Design teamed up with Mike Van Der Lee of GreenFields B.V. (Holland) to design two private practice putting greens whose putting surface is made of artificial turf.

Private Putting Greens Czech Republic & Paris
Jeff Howes Golf Design were appointed to draft a report on the playability of greens 1 & 6. This report has been furnished to the club for their consideration and action.


9/03/2014

Harrington Joins McGinley Team


Paul McGinley has named Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal as his final vice-captains for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles later this month. The tthree have 17 Ryder Cup appearances between them,

They will join Des Smyth and Sam Torrance in McGinley's back-room staff as the home side look to retain the trophy against the United States from September 26-28.

Olazabal played in the contest seven times and captained the side in the 'Miracle at Medinah' in 2012, while Harrington has made six appearances and Jimenez four. Jimenez was vice-captain to Seve Ballesteros in 1997 and Olazabal two years ago and was also made captain of the European team in the inaugural EurAsia Cup by McGinley.

McGinley said: "I know it's been common in the past to have three or four vice-captains but I've gone for five because I feel an extra person is justified due to the additional workload which comes from being the home team, in addition to how well I saw such a system working when we ended up having five vice captains under Colin Montgomerie at Celtic Manor in 2010 (Sergio Garcia was a late addition).

"Padraig is my oldest friend on Tour and is a guy I have known most of my life. We went to school together, came through the amateur ranks together and have been together in many contests for both Ireland and Europe over the years, so I know what he can bring to the team room.

"As far as Miguel is concerned, he is someone that the spectators love as well as being very popular with all the players. However, he is also a person that I respect very much. I have sat beside him for over a decade on the Tournament Players' Committee and have seen him exhibit an integrity on many occasions that is very admirable.

"Finally, Jose Maria's passion for the Ryder Cup is recognised the world over. It was obvious in his legendary partnership with Seve and was also so very apparent two years ago at Medinah, so I'm delighted he has accepted my invitation to be involved again, once more maintaining that important continuity."

"I have complete confidence and trust in all five of my vice-captains and the help they will give me in the difficult quest of trying to retain the Ryder Cup."

Harrington said: "I am really looking forward to being part of the Ryder Cup from a different angle to the playing side. That aspect of things is something that really interests me and I'm therefore delighted that Paul has given me the opportunity.

"Paul is a good friend of mine and I think he's done a great job in the captaincy thus far, therefore I don't necessarily think he needs that much help. But he knows I'm happy to get involved behind the scenes to give him and the players as much assistance as I can."

Jimenez, whose EurAsia Cup team secured a dramatic 10-10 draw in Malaysia in March, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed being captain of Europe at the EurAsia Cup which was a great opportunity for me and I am looking forward to bringing the experience I gained there to the team room at Gleneagles. I have a great relationship with all the players, having played alongside them regularly over the years."

Olazabal added: "Everyone knows how much the Ryder Cup has meant in my career and it's an occasion that I love being part of. It is a unique and special event - and I know that will be the case once again in Scotland in three weeks' time.

"I think we have a very good team in place but, as Paul said yesterday, we are under no illusions about how formidable a test the United States team will present. But he knows I will do everything I possibly can to help him and the players throughout the week."


7/14/2011

Seve remembered at Royal St George


All the players at this week's Open Championship in Sandwich have signed a book of remembrance for the late Seve Ballesteros.

Three-time winner Ballesteros, the most charismatic European golfer in history, died in May at the age of just 54 after a two-and-a-half-year battle with a brain tumour.

A number of other tributes will be made during the week, with an article in the official programme and numerous photos of the Spaniard around the site, while his image will appear on the drawsheets each day, with the proceeds from those being donated to his charitable foundation.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said: "We placed a book of remembrance at the registration for all the players to sign, and all of them have done so, and some of them have chosen - in fact the majority - to write a message in that book.

"That book will be passed on to Seve's family as a memento of this year's championship, of course, but more particularly of Seve's connection with The Open.

"The players were invited to give their messages in private and I don't think it would be right for me to publish them without a particular player's consent, but the thrust of all the messages was what a wonderful inspiration Seve had been to golfers the world over and particularly in Europe, and many of them actually said that Seve was their own inspiration to playing golf.

"He was the guy they all watched when they were kids and so on, and that he was going to be greatly missed. That was the general thrust of what everyone had to say."

Ballesteros won the first of his five Majors at Royal Lytham in 1979. He was 22 at the time and just a month older than new US Open Champion Rory McIlroy is now.

St Andrews in 1984 was the scene for his greatest triumph, his closing birdie denying Tom Watson the chance for a record-equalling sixth victory, and it was back at Lytham four years later that he shot a closing 65 to win again.