Golf Festival & Sport News

At 4.20 am on Thursday (Spanish CET) begins HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, first stop on the tour of the Desert. The tournament has, without question, the best roster of participants in its short history. Six of the top ten in the world and 16 of the first thirty (The one that comes up ).

A priori, if one likes to gamble, the question is (to paraphrase the famous car advert with the Madrid European Cups as a slogan) “and Paul Casey, what, again winning in Abu Dhabi? And that in view of the short list of winners of the tournament (2006 saw the first edition), English will have to win this season chronologically. To wit: in five editions have been only three winners. Chris DiMarco won in 2006, and then alternately did Casey (2007), Martin Kaymer (2008), Casey (2009) and again Kaymer (2010). In this series unheard and unprecedented in the world of golf, the German should give back the control to English.

Although well regarded, may be the name of Kaymer which have to be taken more into account, as in recent editions has been 1, 2 and 1, in that order … A real bestiality. Comes to the appointment, as well as winner of the Race to Dubai as the world No. 3, with options to unseat Tiger Number 2 (can not, however, Westwood snatch the number 1).

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Tiger Woods returned to his roots after a decade. It was the 60th anniversary of the arrival to the throne of  Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The American was the star of a golf tournament organized to celebrate the occasion.

Woods, an American father and Thai mother, confronted the Colombian Camilo Villegas, winner in the end, “the Englishman Paul Casey and Thai Thongchai Jaider a championship one day at Amata Spring Country Club  in Chonburi, a coastal province southeast of Bangkok.

The player, who has not won any tournament since his marriage Read the rest of this entry »

Nine years ago, Lee Westwood was the only present among the hundred best golfers in the world. Today, Luke Donald, 32, has allowed four Englishmen are already immersed in the ‘top-ten’ world: Donald himself, Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.

The artist’s brush, the man who chose to live in Chicago and marry an American surrounded by his best pictures, won a victory today and to perseverance, to the serenity and British phlegm. Only two gestures of rage, Luke Donald, the presumption of victory after 70 holes as leader of the Madrid Masters and 260 offered the reality hits that hid in his phlegmatic brain: at last he saw as a champion of a tournament after four years dry dock.

Donald remained calm, calculating, straight … and led for three rounds. At last, the “rookie” Welshman Rhys Davies, the Italian Francesco Molinari and Alvaro Quiros temperamental would test the calmness and coolness of Donald in a day of intense sun and 32 degrees. Nothing disturbed the Royal Society Donald. Not even his good shots, not bad (only four “bogeys” throughout the tournament). Pressure nor Davies, Molinari and Spanish Quirós a stifling day. Read the rest of this entry »

Ian Poulter (pictured) has exceeded 4 / 2 Paul Casey, in an all-English final on 36 holes, and won the Accenture Match Play Championship, the first of four races of this season’s World Golf Championships (WGC), which is disputed on the path of the Ritz-Carlton, in Marana, Arizona. In Finalino for third place (18 holes) swept the Colombian Camilo Villegas, Sergio Garcia (5 / 4), winning five holes and without conceding any. The last day started with the conclusion of the semifinal between Casey and Villegas, stopped after 23 holes the previous night, and English passed the turn with a bogey to par against the Colombian to 24th.

Casey in the final went ahead at the second hole, but Poulter has been equalized and then led the dance, forcing the opponent to a continuous, exhausting chase. The 14th and go 4 up, but Casey is back in race two holes before recovering halfway point. Poulter, however, is distributed as a fury to the recovery and the 20th is back up again 4. New reaction of Casey, who endorsed the holes 27 and 28, but it was the swan song, because Poulter closed the account with a birdie at 33 rd and a par at the 34th.

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After a long and terrible day of semifinals, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey have been found to play the final match.
Ian Poulter has done what he had to do at hole 16 – hit the green on the par-3 to much pressure as possible on his opponent.
Paul Casey, meanwhile, found the bunker left of the green. Read the rest of this entry »