January

  • Justin Rose hits 250 European Tour starts

    Tuesday 3 February 2015

    It seems like only yesterday that a fresh-faced Justin Rose holed-out for birdie on the 72nd hole at Royal Birkdale to finish as the leading amateur in the 1998 Open Championship. But nearly two decades have passed since that young boy jumped for joy as his ball disappeared into the hole, and when the now 34-year-old Rose teed it up...

  • Practice secrets from the Tour

    Friday 30 January 2015

    Rory McIlroy “My favourite club is the one I practise most when I’m on the range. My 6-iron is right there between a long and a short iron. I can hit a bunch of different shots with it and over the years it’s really served me well on the range and the course. I’ve actually become pretty accurate on approach shots...

  • Interview: Martin Kaymer

    Friday 30 January 2015

    When you meet him in person, Martin Kaymer doesn’t really come across as the ruthless type. A humble, unassuming man who felt uncomfortable when the glare of the World No.1 spotlight was fixed upon him, Kaymer’s is nevertheless a name that fills rivals with dread when it appears at the top of a leaderboard. Put simply, if Martin Kaymer plays his...

  • Dubai champion Gallacher eyeing major after McIlroy advice

    Written by Joe Downes on Tuesday 27 January 2015

    ‘How are you feeling going into this week?’ It’s a stock question that usually prompts a stock answer, but rarely has my opening gambit been greeted with such steel as that displayed by Stephen Gallacher ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic. ‘Absoutely fantastic. I cannot wait for it.’ If ever there was a man with cause to be so bullish...

  • Fab Foursome take on ‘oar-some’ mangrove challenge!

    Wednesday 14 January 2015

    Four of the world’s top 10 squeezed in an unexpected spot of short game practice in a unique ‘pitch n’ paddle’ challenge on Yas Island ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 10-year milestone. Firing biodegradable ‘fish food’ balls from a jetty against a backdrop of mangroves between the ninth and 18th holes of Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Rory McIlroy...

  • Patrick Reed wins in Hawaii

    Written by Today's Golfer on Tuesday 13 January 2015

    Patrick Reed took a step closer to becoming a “top five” player when he beat  Jimmy Walker in a playoff for the $5.7 million Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Monday to clinch his fourth PGA Tour title.   Reed, who jumped into contention by holing out from the fairway to eagle the par-4 16th, sank an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-5...

  • BBC and Sky Sports battling for The Open live coverage rights

    Friday 9 January 2015

    The BBC and BSkyB are battling for The Open live coverage rights from 2016. The tender process for the 155-year-old competition was well under way on Thursday night, with British golf’s governing body facing one of its biggest decisions over whether to embrace pay-TV for the first time. The R&A has stood by the BBC as exclusive rights holders for more...

  • Nick Faldo: My life in photos

    Wednesday 7 January 2015

    Thanking the press at Muirfield in 1992 “If you watch the video, you can see me start to say, ‘I want to thank the press from the bottom…’ and then I say, ‘…the heart of my bottom.’ The truth is that it really was all done in jest. In those days the press were brutal. In 1990, I had won two...

  • 10 things Billy Horschel learned in 2014

    Wednesday 7 January 2015

    Billy Horschel’s 2014 is the perfect example of how quickly things can turn around in golf. Heading into September, he had only recorded two top 10s and looked like he’d struggle to match an encouraging 2013 where he’d earned his maiden PGA Tour victory, notched a tied-4th at the US Open and finished 16th in the FedEx Cup. Three weeks...

  • How to be the perfect European Ryder Cup Captain

    Tuesday 6 January 2015

    Paul McGinley’s inspirational leadership made a mockery of the idea that Ryder Cup captains don’t matter, and in doing so changed the role forever. From now on, Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America will look for captains with the following qualities. 1. Experience “I made the natural progression from player to vice-captain to captain,” reveals McGinley.  2. Focus McGinley wasn’t...

  • PGA EuroPro Tour launches 2015 schedule

    Monday 5 January 2015

    The HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour has assembled a stellar line-up of courses for its 2015 season. The Tour, which recently announced a 25% increase of prize funds to £50,000 per event, will visit some of the best venues across the UK and will also team up with the Paul Lawrie Foundation for an event at Newmachar Golf Club in June. The EuroPro Tour’s...

  • Is it time for a world tour?

    Monday 5 January 2015

    When George O’Grady steps down as the chief executive of the European Tour in early 2015, his successor will face some serious challenges. Whilst O’Grady’s nine-year tenure has been a largely successful one, more and more players are basing themselves in America, and weakened European fields do not please the all-important money men. The European Tour has already lost key events...

  • Rory’s Magic Move

    Friday 2 January 2015

    Rory’s swing wouldn’t suit everyone. People try to copy the swings of top players like him, but they don’t have the same natural athletic gifts as someone like Rory. He swings like that because of his immense ability; you don’t see many golfers with that talent. The basics were ingrained in it at the start and all I’ve done with Rory...

  • All aboard with Ernie

    Friday 2 January 2015

    Ernie Els won his first Major 20 years ago. Finishing tied with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts in the US Open at Oakmont Country Club, the South African bounced back from a triple-bogey on the first hole of an 18-hole play-off to finish level with Roberts. A birdie on the second hole of sudden death was enough to give the...