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.

Related articles

• Tiger confirms that he's sticking with his agent (cbssports.com)
• Woods cuts ties with IMG but sticks with agent (reuters.com)

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.

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.

International Qualifying Europe - Scores

McIlroy Remains in Contention

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy remained in contention at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, with a second round 72  score left with a midway total of 138, six-under, in a four-way share of second place. 

Without a win since the Quail Hollow championship some 13 months ago, McIlroy’s 72 left him alongside Americans Ricky Barnes (70), Jonathan Byrd (67) and Australian Rod Pampling (67) on 138, three shots behind leader Steve Stricker, who shot a 67.

Although lacking the all-round flair of his opening round, the 22-year-old Ulsterman – critical of his approach play – was upbeat about his prospects heading into the weekend.

“It would mean a lot (to win). This is one of my favourite weeks of the year, on one of my favourite golf courses. To win here, with the list of champions that there’s been on this golf course, including (host) Jack (Nicklaus) himself, I’d love to put my name on that list,” said McIlroy.

Unfortunately for him, despite claiming six birdies, he simply made too many mistakes yesterday, including two bogeys on the front nine, where he had short irons in his hand hitting approach shots from the middle of the fairway.

“You can’t do that sort of stuff. But, you know, I was happy with how I handled stuff. I did make mistakes, but it seemed every time I made a bogey I came back with a birdie to rectify it. I just need to limit the mistakes going into the weekend,” he added.

After picking up three bogeys in his opening six holes, McIlroy responded well to be two-under on his round playing the Par 4 14th where he ran up a double-bogey six to a treacherous pin position.

“Some of the pin positions out there today were pretty tricky. It’s sort of reflecting why the scoring isn’t as low as sometimes it usually is here. . . I’m frustrated with some of the mistakes I made, but I’m happy enough.

“You know, I’m thereabouts going into the weekend. There’s still a lot of golf left to play. I know that and everyone else knows that. I just need to just limit those mistakes.”

Monty Sets Wrong Record in Wales

Colin Montgomerie has another memory of Celtic Manor to add to last year's Ryder Cup – his worst 36-hole score on European soil for more than 20 years.

On a day when Sweden's Alex Noren took over the lead in the Wales Open with a second successive 67 and has the defending champion, Graeme McDowell, only one behind, Europe's triumphant captain last October slumped out of the event at 15 over par. Montgomerie followed his opening 78 with a 79 and had no doubt what the biggest problem was – his age.

"I'm not 25 any more," said the Scot, who turns 48 in less than three weeks turns 48. "I think it does show sometimes. It's good being busy but it takes its toll trying to compete against guys less than half my age only doing this.

"Playing well last week [his seventh place at Wentworth was his first top 10 for almost three years] I thought I could perform well again. But I just played awful. I'm very disappointed not to be playing at the weekend, never mind contending. I'm one of the last names on the board."

The last time Montgomerie had two higher opening scores in Europe was the 1991 Benson and Hedges International at St Mellion. He shot 80-81 there.

Montgomerie failed to make it through a 36-hole US Open qualifying event on Monday and faces the same thing at Sunningdale this coming Monday to try to earn a place in next month's Open.

"It's become very important. I've not had a year where I've not competed in a major before [not since 1989 at least] – I've played in The Open 21 years in a row and I want to keep that record going."

If he is not part of the Sandwich action next month, it could be that the man with five runners-up finishes – three US Opens, one Open and one US PGA – will never play another major.

Noren is looking forward to his US Open debut, his first major in America, in two weeks after making it through with a stroke to spare at Walton Heath.

The 28-year-old from Stockholm won the European Masters two years ago but dropped from 25th to 85th on the money list last season and from a high of 50th in the world he now stands 127th. "I've always dreamed of playing a US Open and I'm so happy – so happy," Noren said. "It's He birdied four of the last five holes to take over at the top from South Africa's Keith Horne, who after starting with a 64 failed to conjure up a single birdie in his 73.

McDowell also had four birdies in five holes, in his case from the eighth, and just as important was his recovery from under the lip of a bunker to two feet at the short 10th.

"One of the boys said Seve would have been proud of that one," he said. "I'm on a course I enjoy and in a position I enjoy.

"This is absolutely perfect for the US Open (he defends there as well in a fortnight). I said I just wanted to get in the mix and get the juices flowing and it's kind of mission accomplished."