In the Rough

After day one of the World Cup of Golf at Mission Hills in China it is the German pairing of Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka that lead the way after a brilliant start in the fourballs, which has left them on a combined ten under. World number 26 Kaymer gained a couple of strokes after a brilliant 80 foot birdie putt on the par five 7th.

Only a shot seperates the German’s and the Australian pairing of Richard Green and Brendan James who both finished well on day one.

Two shots off the lead on eight under is the three pairings of USA, Canada and  Spain. The United States team features Ben Curtis and Brandt Snedeker. With the Canadians having Graham DeLaet and Wes Hefferman competing for them. The Spanish team have a good mix of experience and rookie with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal together and sitting well in third place.

Buick have announced today that they are to part company with World Number One Tiger Woods even though their is still a year to run on the current deal.

Buick announced on Tuesday that they had mutually agreed to cut short the contract so Tiger Woods could spend more time with his family and other key ideas. The agreement also allows Buick to save on roughly about $7 Million dollars, which they would of paid Tiger for endorsements in 2009.

Buick have taken a hit in the current financial crisis and also are cutting back on providing courtesy cars for PGA events, advertising at the Oscar’s and Emmy’s and also some advertising at the NFL Superbowl. Buick though are thought to be still keen on some advertising in the Golf and American Football 2009 season.

The World Cup of Golf starts on Thursday 27th December at the Mission Hills Golf Course in Shenzhen, China.

Reigning champions Scotland are competing again this year but with a change of team. Colin Montgomerie remains in the team but partner from last year’s World Cup of Golf Marc Warren has been replaced by Alastair Forsyth.

The Scottish team start Thursday with a fourballs match against the host’s China. Last year the Scottish team beat the Americans to claim the prize.

England’s Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher start the World Cup of Golf against Mexico.

Colin Montgomerie is competing in his 10th World Cup of Golf this weekend.

American golf legend John Daly announced to the world on Sunday afternoon that he is back and is looking forward to a successful 2009 season.

Daly produced a magnificent final round at the Hong Kong open of 62 which included eight birdies and no bogeys.

The two time major winner has spent the majority of the last few years in the papers for his health problems, gambling addictions and alcoholism so it was good for him to be in for the right reason’s this weekend.

After completing the brilliant round Daly moved up to an overall tie for 17th place in the Hong Kong Open and pocketed more money than he did in the whole of 2008 during the first event of the 2009 season.

Daly said “I’ve come from close to Ground Zero. But who knows? I’ve just got to keep working at it. Being healthy helps”.

What would be the odds on American John Daly winning a tournament this year?

The nominations have been made today by the Professional Golf Association the 2008 tour player of the year.

The five name list consists of Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Kenny Perry.

World number one Tiger Woods is on the list even though he hasn’t played for six months of 2008. In his six starts in 2008 Tiger won four events and but for his injury would of surely added to that comfortably. Tiger also won what turned out to be his final event of the 2008 season the US Open.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington has had his best year yet with two major titles to his name. Padraig won the British Open and PGA Championship in 2008.

American Kenny Perry won three PGA tour titles in less than two months during 2008 and also helped the US to win the Ryder Cup at Valhalla with some impressive golf.

Fijian Vijay Singh who didn’t start to well in 2008 certainly made up for it during the year. Vijay won the Fed Ex Cup and also picked up $10 Million dollars prize fund for the privilege, not bad hey!

Camilo Villegas creeped into the nominations with two wins at the end of 2008. Villegas won two Fed Ex play-off events during the end of 2008.

Who will win???????? The results are expected mid December by the PGA.

American golfer JP Hayes may be sleeping easy with a clear conscience but when he wakes up he won’t be playing on the USPGA Tour in 2009.

Hayes himself was playing in the second round of the US Qualifying School in Texas when he used a different ball, which later turned out to be a ball not yet approved by the USPGA.

JP Hayes caddie threw JP a ball on the 12th Tee for the par three hole. This ball was a prototype Titleist golf ball that Hayes had been given to test three to four weeks ago and unfortunately it had found it’s way back into his golf bag.

Once Hayes had spotted the error he reported it to USPGA Officials and was given a two stroke for changing his golf ball during his round. It was then later that JP discovered that it was actually a ball not yet approved for tour use and he came clean to officials even though he knew it would cost him his place on the 2009 USPGA tour.

The final 32 golf players to secure a European Tour card have been decided after the completion of the 108 hole Qualifying school.

Back on the tour are former Ryder Cup players Andrew Coltart and Joakin Haeggman after missing the tour last year. Winner of the qualifying school was Sweden’s Oskar Henningsson. Henningsson led for five out of the six rounds of golf and was a deserved winner after also coming through the three previous qualifying rounds before Q-school.

The full list of the 32 golf players with European Tour Cards for 2009 is -

Oskar Henningsson (Swe)

Wade Ormsby (Aus), Carlos Del Moral (Spa)

Danny Willett (Eng)

Chris Wood (Eng), Joakim Haeggman (Swe)

Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor)

Michael Hoey (NIrl)

Ake Nilsson (Swe), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)

Gary Clark (Eng)

Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha), Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Andrew Coltart (Sco)

Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Chris Doak (Sco), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), David Drysdale (Sco), Matthew Millar (Aus)

Michael Curtain (Aus), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Marco Ruiz (Par), Callum Macaulay (Sco)

John Mellor (Eng), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Stuart Manley (Wal), Branden Grace (Rsa)

Federico Colombo (Ita), Santiago Luna (Spa), Jonathan Caldwell (NIrl), Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa)

Computer boffin Alan Deakins, 40 has decided to take fellow golfer Humphrey Leung Kwong-Wai to the Hong Kong High Court for 5.6 Million pounds. Mr Deakins who was employed by International Bank before the accident is taking the Chief Executive of the Microchip Company Solomon Systech to the court for loss of earnings and also for medical expenses.

The incident, which has caused all the controversy occurred on Christmas Eve 2006 at the Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club. Mr Deakins was walking down the 13th fairway when a wayward shot from the 14th tee struck him on the forehead.

Mr Leung himself is denying the charges of negligence and will fight the battle in court with his lawyers.

Mr Deakins is very unlikely to win this court case, however a court case similar has been heard in the past.

A female caddie back in 1999 won £7,700 in damages when the gentleman who she was caddying for hit a shot that struck her in the mouth. This incident occurred at The Hong Kong Golf Club.

The victorious US Ryder Cup Team were congratulated Monday afternoon at The White House by American President George W Bush. The US Ryder Cup team were the first team to beat the Europeans since 1999 and celebrated with The President by posing for pictures and having lunch.

George Bush himself stated he was an avid follower of the Ryder Cup and watched “every minute” of the US Ryder Cup Team’s win at Valhalla.

Seven members of the US Ryder Cup team were at The White House with captain Paul Azinger, vice captain Raymond Floyd and also Secretary of State Condolezza Rice.

The US Ryder Cup Team presented George Bush with a personalised Ryder Cup Golf Bag, the same Sunday red golf shirt and sweater vest worn by the victorious team. He also received a Ryder Cup money clip.

The body of a 45 year old man was found on a private country club in Mission, Texas on Saturday morning. Club officials reporting for work at 7am found the male body half submerged in a lake on one of the holes.

The male bodies bottom half was under water with his top half out of the water resting on some rocks. The man had a gunshot wound to his head and a mobile phone to his side. The death is being treated as suicide by Lt. Martin Garza who is leading the case from the Mission Police Department.

The club have refused to name the gentleman but have said he is a member at the golf club and a local resident.

Police officials are interviewing local neighbours to try and find out if anyone had seen anything suspicious.