Golf News

Tiger Woods recent injury woes have deepened following a statement on his official website saying that he will undergo a back operation immediately after The Masters.  It was widely leaked inside the ropes last week that Woods back spasms were hiding a more serious disc problem; a prognosis confirmed by the world number one in a statement posted in the last hour. "€œIt is with great regret that, sadly, the Masters will be my final tournament of this year,"Woods says in the statement before confirming the rumour that a herniated disc requires surgery.  However he claims to have been given a clean bill of health ahead of The Masters, referring to the pain as "€˜periodic"€™ and reassured fans "€œthat as of now, I am healthy and am very much looking forward to competing at Augusta." The news will come as a particular blow to fans who had looked forward to seeing Woods at the remaining three Majors of the season.  He will also miss the Ryder Cup at Gleneag...

The final round of the Valero Texas Open was like a grumbling appendix, a bloody painful experience. The pace of play was again a massive problem with an average time for the final groups of five and half hours. Despite officials approaching several players with bad times, no penalties were handed out. Andrew Loupe was one of the biggest offenders, with his farcical pre shot routine.  When handed a bad time then watched by the referee he hit his next shot within the allotted 40 seconds, when the ref moved on, Loupe slowed down to 1 min 15 secs. Even Zach Johnson, with God looking down on him from on high, blamed absolutely everything in an interview, except the PLAYERS for the scourge of slow play. And don'€™t get me started on not shouting "fore"€, the spectators must have felt like they were defending the Alamo, as they got peppered time and again by balls without any warning calls. The penalties need to be financial for this to stop. And where is John Param...

Earlier this year, months removed from the chaos of the Waste Management Open, I drove out to TPC Scottsdale to play an unassuming round of golf with some friends. I've lived in Scottsdale for years, but it seems the rounds at TPC Scottsdale are few and far between, a fault of my own but also a point of mine so I don't ruin the PGA Tour tournament course. I arrived at the par-3 16th hole, with no bleachers or grandstands or anything, just a lonely par-3 with some clouds framing it. The hole on paper is nothing special, just a short hole by PGA Tour standards that calls for a 9-iron or wedge depending on the hole location and wind. The thing that makes the 16th so special isn't the architecture behind the hole or even the sneaky bunkering that surrounds the small putting surface, but the tournament organizers realizing years ago that this would be their stamp on the golfing world. The 16th at TPC Scottsdale isn't just the most fun hole at this golf tournament, but ...

Favourites   Ready steady, the 2014 Major season is almost upon us! Those of you who regularly read my previews know that I rarely tip favourites because the pre-tournament prices are just too short for me to risk my hard earned cash and I’m in the business of providing advice that makes you money. Yes of course you can make a case for Rory McIlroy with his power and prowess, Adam Scott who is in form and even Tiger Woods with his amazing top six record since his last win in 2005 (which I examined in a separate post) but at average odds of 10/1 before the tournament that’s far too tight for me. Plenty of time for re-examining their odds after two rounds of the event! At this stage, I look for solid each way value and with The Masters paying top six there’s plenty of that to be had. So it’s time to nail my colours to the mast. Here’s my top five picks, my choice of top debutant, and a couple ridiculously long odds chances.   Follow @golfcentraldoc   Doc...

Woke up this morning just in time to catch the closing ceremony of the Erasure Cup.  Two very glum looking teams, one severely dehydrated and a Sue Barker lookalike. Luckily I didn’t see much of the golf but what I did see looked a sweaty borefest.  If you can convince me it was a good thing for Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and co to lose a stone in swelteringly humid conditions less than two weeks before the Masters, you are a better man than I. Pic: 80’s Syth Band Erasure lead singer Andy Bell presents the cup to Jimenez and Jaidee. From the bit I did see I recall Europe were 6-0 up so to see the match ended in a draw was a surprise. Follow @golfcentraldoc Fake Sue Barker said “nobody wins” and I think she was spot on. Thongchai Jaidee in his captain’s speech in broken English probably summed it up best however when he unwittingly said “We come back in two years, if we have time.” Then there was the presentation of the Erasure Cup to both capt...

I recently had the opportunity to test the new 2014 Callaway Big Bertha driver against the four RazR drivers that preceded it in the new Golfbidder store just outside London .   Yes you have to take indoor testing with a pinch of salt but given this is the daddy of all simulators, and we tested all the drivers in the same time period under the same conditions. I thought the results were very interesting.   Follow @golfcentraldoc We took 9.5 degree drivers, all fitted with the standard stock stiff retail shafts.  We took 10 drives with each and ditched the longest and shortest drives to get a representative average.   So is there really an appreciable difference between the new 2014 Big Bertha and her older brothers?  In short, not appreciably at my swing speed.  However when I did manage a couple of faster swings I certainly was rewarded by the Big Bertha.  It also looks amazing and has all that adjustment possibility to get it tuned.   H...

To be a good golfer you need plenty of tools, but one of the things that really talented golfers are the best at is recovering from a bad golf shot. Tiger Woods has made a career out of getting out of trouble when he hits a bad drive or finds himself in a precarious situation, as has Phil Mickelson and some of the other big names in the game. It's a skill just like putting and chipping, and it's what makes some of the professional golfers we watch week in and week out so amazing. Introduce Matt Wheatcroft, a gentleman who was playing in the British Par-3 Championship a few months back. Wheatcroft found himself almost out of bounds on the short fourth hole, just inches away from a post that basically gave him no swing at all. The logical play here would be to take an unplayable lie, try to make your bogey and move to the next hole. Wheatcroft had a different idea. He decided to go Roy McAvoy against the outhouse and bank it off the post, hoping to get a good bounce and get the b...

Bill Murray got a bad wrap at the Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews a few years ago.  He got exasperated and lost his temper at a posse of golf journalists and it was all caught on film. But as anyone who was in Portrush at the Irish Open will attest, the real Bill Murray is a gent. Not a great dresser, but a gent! Follow @golfcentraldoc Here he is yesterday at his own charity event sporting a Dalai Lama t-shirt as tweeted by Lindsey Boetsch. And in case you missed it, here’s just a snippet of what will no doubt go down as one of Bill’s greatest chat show appearances on the Graham Norton Show.  Norton always does an amazing job of warming his guests up, but how he took Bill Murray from one word answers to full-on storytelling was pure genius. I'm currently looking for an app developer to build me a wicked GolfCentralDaily app for my stories, funnies, and video. If you are an absolute legend in that area please contact me through  Facebook  or  Twitt...

Having checked out this Golf Monthly YouTube of GMac giving a quick flop shot lesson I took great heart from the fact that one of the biggest golf media institutions make the same errors as the rest of us when editing their videos. It wouldn’t matter if it was Tiger Woods or Rory McIroy on front of the camera,  giving the lesson then dropping a ball and executing the shot in one take, is tougher than winning a Major.   The key to looking good then rests in the hands of the editor, but it must have been near knocking off time when this guy started working on this. GMac does his talky bit, drops the ball onto the ground where he’s already obviously shovelled out a few divots, then just as he’s about to hit, another divot magically appears! Great lesson from Graeme, but they should done like at the rugby when the pitch is cutting up; move five yards infield! Tags: Video , GMac Flop Shot , Graeme McDowell

Amazing work by the team at ESPN putting all those US Masters stats together. “Tee” minus 13 days to ceremonial first drives by Jack, Arnie and Gary. While you are getting your shortlist together on the betting slip, here are a few stats that were of interest to me and might have you adding a name or two to your list. Since 2009 only eight players have played all four rounds Tiger Woods: 1,411 (Injury or not, Woods hasn’t missed a cut here since 1996) Angel Cabrera: 1,412 (Cabrera seems to save his very best for Augusta. A win and a close second to Scott last year. Hasn't missed the cut since 2005.) Lee Westwood: 1,414 (Split with Hank Haney a few weeks back. Can he find his old swing in time.) Phil Mickelson: 1,415 (He may be struggling off the tee at the moment, but Phil has every shot needed round Augusta.) Nick Watney: 1,435 (Now there is a surprise.) Steve Stricker: 1,438 (Very quiet this year to date, having took time out to be with his ill brother.) Sergio Garcia: ...

If there is one saying that Tiger Woods has stuck by all his career, it’s this one - “I play tournaments to win.” He has said versions of that all his career, leaning on it when things got tough, saying it after injuries and making golf fans believe that if this man is going to put a peg in the ground, he expects to leave with the trophy. In less than two weeks, Woods will either be on the first tee at Augusta National in hopes of a 15th major championship, or at home resting a bad back that has bothered him all season. If Woods is playing at Augusta, is he really doing it with the confidence that he can win that golf tournament? The facts go against him. Woods has never won the Masters when he entered the event without a win earlier in the season. He is coming in with little to no tournament experience over the last month, and if we know anything from Woods it’s that his golf game can get rusty when he doesn’t play in actual events. On top of that, Tiger hasn’t won...

One of my favourite bits of recent years especially in the run up to the Masters is when the golf companies release the outfits the players will wear each day.  They call it player scripting . Here’s the first batch I could find out there, including Rory McIlroy for NIke, Sergio, Dustin and Jason for Adidas and Rickie and Jonas Blixt from Puma. Follow @golfcentraldoc I’ll add to this post as more become available.   Rory McIlroy 2014 NIke US Masters Outfits     Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day 2014 Adidas US Masters Outfits     Rickie Fowler, Jonas Blixt 2014 Puma US Masters Outfits   Technorati Tags: Rory McIlroy 2014 US Masters Outfits , Sergio Garcia 2014 US Masters Outfits , Jason Day 2014 US Masters Outfits , Dustin Johnson 2014 US Masters Outfits , Rickie Fowler 2014 US Masters Outfits , 2014 US Masters Clothing , 2014 US Masters Scripting

Some people invest in gold, some in art, and others still in sporting memorabilia.  And lots don’t come much better than Ben Hogan’s actual 1953 set of MacGregor irons used to win the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. The clubs are currently up for online auction at Green Jacket Auctions (click on the link to enter their site).  The auction continues until April 12th 2014 and the current bid is $7320, nowhere near the reserve I’m guessing. Here’s the auctioneer's description: Follow @golfcentraldoc Ben Hogan's Irons from Magical 1953 Season        Offered here is the most significant set of irons to every grace our auction block - or quite possibly, any auction block.         These are Ben Hogan's actual set of MacGregor irons from his magical 1953 Season â€" when Hogan won all five official events that he entered, including the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open and British Open.    ...

I told you this would happen. Specifically that all that the faffing around trying to get Gil Hanse’s Olympic Golf Course in Rio built would come back to bite them in the arse. The project is so far behind now that even a blind man can see the utter embarrassment ahead for all concerned. After listening to months of bullshit words that everything was hunky dory from all concerned, finally the cracks are appearing and some of the head honchos are breaking ranks. The dogs in the street know there is a MAJOR land dispute and as anyone who has seen the film Elite Squad: The Enemy Within will know, disputes in Brazil are rarely resolved quickly or peacefully for that matter. Even this "test" event, a dress rehearsal for the Olympics, now looks highly unlikely. Peter Dawson visited Rio recently and finally called a spade a spade saying "€œWe are not satisfied. I was down there just recently and, while the design of the course looks really good, the progress...

I know it’s difficult to get excited about golfer this time of year, but Sergio Garcia’s caddie Katharina Boehm certainly did it for me at the weekend.  Boehm, 23, from Munich in Germany is  a Communications and Business Admin graduate out of Charleston University.   Boehm helped her boyfriend win the Thailand Golf Championship after holding off Henrik Stenson down the stretch.  The tantrums and tiaras were replaced with hugs and kisses as Garcia took his first win of 2013.   The win will hopefully soften Garcia’s image after another run in Tiger Woods involving fried chicken and The Players run in.   Easily known its Christmas! Related Post: Final Round Highlights of the 2013 Thailand Golf Championship here. Technorati Tags: Katharina Boehm Girlfriend Caddie , Sergio Garcia

Brandel Chamblee might have got some flack over his handing out grades last year, but the man talks a lot of sense.  In his latest piece for Athlon Sports Chamblee talks about Tiger’s ever changing swing compared to Michael Jordan who kept more of less the same technique throughout his NBA career.  He says people will look back on Tiger Woods and discuss his swing by the year or vintage like a bottle of wine. Follow @golfcentraldoc Because the Tiger Woods of 1997 was vastly different in form from the Tiger Woods of 2000, and different yet again in 2007, and different still today in 2014. Among his mind-blowing accomplishments, ascending to the number one spot in the world and dominating the world of professional golf with four completely different swings might be the most “in your face" feat ever achieved in sport. Compared to air Jordan. Michael Jordan worked harder than his peers to improve his form, but the mechanics he used to score over 3,000 points in the 198...

Sports writers toss around the cliche, "you don't see this everyday" a lot, but in the case of Jason Kokrak at the McGladrey Classic Pro-Am, we've seen this on the PGA Tour only once ... ever. Kokrak, a 28-year-old from Ontario, Canada, was playing in the pro-am at a PGA Tour stop on Wednesday when he got to the par-4 No. 5 hole at the Seaside Course in Sea Island, Ga. The hole measures 409 yards, but distance is king and Kokrak is about 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, so I guess he got a lot out of his tee shot. He not only reached the green, but his shot reached the pin, hit it, and disappeared for the incredible hole-in-one on a par-4. On a 409 yd. par-4 at the @McGladreyClssc Pro-Am!!! " @jaykokrak : Hole in one! pic.twitter.com/goeHnYxJPN ” â€" Cleveland Golf (@ClevelandGolf) November 6, 2013 How rare is such a feat? It has happened only once in the history of the PGA Tour, back at the 2001 Waste Management Open, and it needed assistance from someone in the gr...

This year GCD is honoured to have five time European Tour winner Michael Hoey write his Tour diary.  You can follow Mike on facebook here and on twitter here .   Hi everyone, Mike Hoey here, all ready and set for Mike’s Tour Diary with Donal this season. I’m always Michael Hoey on  the leaderboards but my friends call me Mike!   I’m really looking forward to getting into the meat of the European Tour season. I feel my game is in a good place; I have been working hard on it at home with Johnny Foster and in Dubai with Justin Parsons. The suitcase is bulging and the passport fresh for another go on the Tour merry go round. Let’s see, first I’m heading out to Dubai for a 10 day practice marathon, then on to Malaysia and China, then home for a flying visit before Spain, Wentworth and Sweden.   I have the iPod charged and loaded up with retro tunes. I wouldn’t know One Direction from Wrong Direction but I’m a big 1980’s music fan! If Deacon Blue...

You know when you are watching a soccer match on TV, you don’t hear the players talking to each other on the pitch?  In actual fact they are roaring at each other, cursing the opposition, bawling at the ref etc…. It’s kind of the same in golf, you rarely get to hear the player caddies interactions. Unless the host broadcasters sound men try really really hard. Follow @golfcentraldoc This is an absolutely brilliant clip of Matt Every’s caddie Derek Mason, telling it like is and advising his man, in the strongest possible terms, to be a good lad and lay up! Related: 2014 Valero Texas Open Betting Tips Technorati Tags: Video , Derek Mason , Caddie , Matt Every , 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational

It might seem unthinkable but yesterday Tiger Woods gave the clearest indication yet that he may be forced to miss The Masters due to injury. Asked at a media event in Washington DC would he be healthy enough to play the Masters, Woods replied: “For Augusta, it’s still a little too soon to be honest with you.  It’s kind of the frustrating thing about this. … I’m getting treatment, but as of right now, it’s still too soon.” It sounds from the answer “For Augusta” like his consultant has told Tiger he will be okay to play the next three Majors this year, but that possibly The Masters is a risk not worth taking and one which could impede his recovery.  You get the feeling this isn’t just a ruse to fool the media.   Follow @golfcentraldoc Withdrawing at The Honda then playing through the pain barrier the following week at Doral (just to appease the Trumps imho) are not the ideal build up of a world number one to a Major. Woods is now 11/1 with the ...

Each Tuesday for the remainder of the golf season we will be rolling out a mailbag, with any and all questions invited from readers and fans around the world. Have a good question you want answered? Hit me up on Twitter  at @shanebacon  and we will try to get to it in the coming weeks. Here we go ...   @shanebacon Given the chance to take the top 10 players in the world or the rest of the field at the Master, which way would you go? â€" Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) March 25, 2014 Bacon : Oh hey it's our old Yahoo pal Jonathan Wall, and yes, that is a very, very interesting question. First, here are the current top-10 in the Official World Rankings so we can look at who is going to make up one side of this group and who will make up the other side. Tiger Woods (No. 1), Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson round out our top-10, so I can either get all these guys or everyone el...

This is the story of Katie Brenny, the former women’s coach at the University of Minnesota who finally won her landmark sexual discrimination case three years after being fired. Brenny’s employment was terminated by the University after they found out she was a lesbian.  The action took three years to resolve but Brenny was finally awarded the maximum of $359,000 by Judge Thomas Sipkins in Minneapolis.   Follow @golfcentraldoc Just two months after starting in the job, Brenny’s “nightmare” started after her boss at the university, John Harris, took offence to the fact she was a lesbian, restricted her to office duties and forbade her from travelling anywhere with the golf team. Although Harris has since resigned, the university were not welcoming of the the ruling, releasing a statement which said  “With due respect to the court, we are disappointed with the decision and will closely review the findings, conclusions and order, and determine the appropria...

Here’s what’s in the bag of Matt Every after winning the 2014 Bay Hill Invitational.  In case you missed it here’s a link to the video of his 338 all or nothing yard drive in the final round with his Big Bertha driver. I’ll be working on an infographic later in the week but until then, here are the specs.   What’s In The Bag 2014 Matt Every   Driver: Callaway Big Bertha, 9.0 degrees with Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 7.0X shaft. 3 Wood: Callaway X2 Hot Pro with Aldila Tour Blue 75X shaft. 5 Wood: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast, 18 degrees with Nventix Nunchuk shaft. Irons (4-PW): Callaway Apex Pro with KBS Tour-V 125X shafts. Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy 2, (52, 56 and 60 deg) all with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts. Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro #9 with 2014 SuperStroke Flatso Ultra Rangefinder: Bushnell Tour Z6 Golf Ball: Callaway SR-3   Follow @golfcentraldoc     Technorati Tags: What's In The Bag 2014 Matt Ever...

The Course This will be the fifth year that the Oaks course in TPC San Antonio has staged the event. Traditionally a very stiff par 72 test was made a little easier when the course was given a facelift before the 2013 staging. That was evidenced by Martin Laird shooting a Sunday 63 to edge out Rory McIlroy, who doesn’t play this year. This event has been moved around the schedule so much it has to have affected its popularity. From being part of the Fall series, it was then held after The Players Championship. Last year Texas was the final tournament before the Masters, this year it swaps slots with Houston. Phil Mickelson is the marquee name competing as he tried to find form before The Masters.   Follow @golfcentraldoc   Jim Furyk 25/1   Played this tournament last year for the first time in 19 years and scored a T3 with some fine course management. That came after a poor week at Bay Hill, a tournament which Jim decided not to play in this season. That says to me...