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6/08/2011
GMAC Expects Tough Congressional
Congressional Country Club
Graeme McDowell expects Congressional Country Club to provide one of the toughest-ever major tests when it hosts the US Open next week.
McDowell will head to the course just outside the nation's capital Washington DC as defending champion following his memorable triumph at Pebble Beach 12 months ago.
The Ulsterman is excited to be defending his crown and believes Congressional - which has had no fewer than seven US presidents as members throughout its prestigious history - will prove an outstanding venue.
"This is a great golf course; aesthetically it's beautiful, it's got that old-school look, tree-lined with great definition," he told Sky Sports News.
"It's just a quality, quality golf course and it just depends how the USGA set it up.
"They can make it as hard as they want, they could have ten-over par winning this tournament if they wanted to.
"The rough is going to be up, the greens are quite fast and quite undulating, it's as tough a test as I've seen - maybe tougher than Bethpage Black was a few years ago. This is a really, really tough test."
Congressional last hosted the US Open in 1997 when Ernie Els won with a four-under-par total of 276.
"They (USGA) can make it as hard as they want, they could have ten-over par winning this tournament if they wanted to. "
For this year's championship the course has been converted from a par 70 to a par 71 but will measure in excess of 7500 yards.
USGA executive director Mike Davis has acknowledged the Maryland track will be set up in typically challenging style, befitting a tournament widely regarded as the toughest test in golf.
"This is going to be a rigorous test and hopefully also a very complete test that will test all facets of the game," he told Sky Sports News.
"We want it hard but we also want some excitement to it. If a player is playing really well, let him shoot a low score."
He also pinpointed one of the closing holes as a potential tournament-changer, adding: "The 16th hole I think is going to be very, very pivotal in this championship.
"It's a green that sits up in the air and, up until this spring, there was rough around it and we just decided, let's strip out the rough and put in a closely-mown area. But since the green sits up in the air now and the balls will run off there's a lot more risk-reward to it."
6/07/2011
Tiger Tweets the Steinberg News
Woods and Steinberg at The Players
Tiger Woods has broken his long-term ties with sports management giant IMG, but has retained the services of former IMG agent Mark Steinberg.
He made that clear in a Twitter message on Monday.
The 35-year-old long-time World No 1 who is down to No 15 since his career was disrupted by personal problems and injuries, had been with Cleveland-based IMG since he turned professional in 1996 and has had Steinberg as his IMG agent for the last 12 years.
But Steinberg failed to renew his contract last week and left IMG, reportedly after the two parties failed to agree on the terms of a new contract.
Woods's Twitter message said: "Staying with Mark Steinberg. Total confidence in him. Excited about the next stage in my professional life. Fond memories of (late IMG founder) Mark McCormack."
Having made what clearly would have been a difficult business decision, Woods must now get his golfing career back on track as he works at overcoming his ankle and Achilles heel injuries and perfecting his latest swing change in time for next week's US Open at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland.
Woods withdrew last month from the Players Championship after just nine holes and missed last week's Memorial due to his injuries and, it has been reported, he has been wearing an immobilizing boot on his ankle and hopes various therapies and treatments will allow him to compete at Congressional..
The 14-time major winner, who needs four more titles to match the record 18 Majors won by Jack Nicklaus, tied for fourth at the Masters in April this year after a final-round charge, but did not play again until his Players debacle where he shot 42 for the only nine holes he played.
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McGinley and Lowry Miss Open Chance
Paul McGinley
Paul McGinley and Shane Lowry failed to make the make the field for the next month's Open Golf Championship following the final international qualifying event at Sunningdale on Monday.
10 places were up for grabs in the 36-hole qualifier, but McGinley with a combined total of 137 and Lowry on 141, were both well outside the score of 127 set by England's Graeme Storm.
The duo could still make Royal St George's with a top-five finish at either the French or Scottish Opens, while two spots are available through a mini-money list on the European Tour which continues at this week's Italian Open.
Colin Montgomerie saw his hopes of competing at a 22nd straight Open end when he finished last in the 36-hole qualifying event.
Wales Open winner Alex Noren and 2002 Open runner-up Thomas Levet booked their spots along with Gary Boyd, Peter Whiteford, Alejandro Canizares, Kenneth Ferrie, Gregory Bourdy, Richard McEvoy and George Coetzee.
In the United States Sergio Garcia, who only last month said he would not try to qualify, squeezed into the US Open by surviving a seven-man playoff for four spots in one of Monday's 11, nationwide, 36-hole qualifiers.
Vijay Singh's did not bother showing up for the 36-hole qualifier in Columbus, just one day after closing with a 65 at the Memorial.
He has not missed a major since the 1994 US Open, a stretch of 67 majors in a row which had been the longest current streak in golf.
6/06/2011
McGinley Gets Call for Lawrie
Paul McGinley
Paul McGinley will join Colin Montgomerie in the Open Championship qualifier at Sunningdale on Monday.
The former Ryder Cup player McGinley, 44, vice-captain alongside Montgomerie last year at Celtic Manor, has seen his world ranking slip to 573 and was not in the original 96-strong list who will battle for the 10 places at the Royal St George's course in Sandwich during July.
However, the Irishman has received a late call-up into the qualifier at his home course thanks to a fellow Dubliner, Peter Lawrie.
McGinley's world ranking of 551st at the close of entries had failed to earn him a place in a 96-strong field chasing 10 spots. But he came in as a reserve when Lawrie decided not to play after his wife Philippa gave birth to their fourth child – and first son – on Friday night.
The former world No1 Vijay Singh had already withdrawn after making the halfway cut at the Memorial tournament in Ohio.
The biggest name taking part is Montgomerie, who is desperate to make it 22 Open appearances in a row.
Liverpool's Nick Dougherty and the former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart also earned spots in the qualifier following the late withdrawals of Richard Finch and Felipe Aguilar.
Thomas Bjorn, who lost a three-shot lead in the last four holes when The Open was last at Sandwich in 2003, was among a number of late withdrawals from Monday's 36-hole qualifying competition at Sunningdale because of a back injury.
In a collapse for which he will always be remembered, Bjorn followed a bogey with a double bogey – he was in a greenside bunker and needed three attempts to get out – and then another bogey at the 17th.
A par on the last left Ben Curtis of the US the 2003 Open winner, playing the first major of his life, as the surprise winner and Bjorn in shock
At the Saab Wales Open last Friday, Bjorn missed the cut in his first tournament since the death of his father three weeks ago. There are still a number of avenues available to the Dane to be part of the starting line-up at Royal St George's next month.