In the Rough

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 Colin Montgomerie remains in the team but partner from last year’s World Cup of Golf Marc Warren has been replaced by Alastair Forsyth.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.

After the start of the European Tour began in Singapore over the weekend the latest World Rankings have been released -

World Number One is still American Tiger Woods, who despite his injury is still comfortably holding on to his number one status from Spain’s Sergio Garcia. Currently third in golf world rankings is American left hander Phil Mickelson.

After two major wins this year Irelands Padraig Harrington is  ranked number four. Making up the top five is  Vijay Singh.

After winning the European Order Of Merit this year Sweden’s Robert Karlsson is sixth in the golf world rankings closely followed by Camilo Villegas who has a brilliant season both sides of the Atlantic. South African Ernie Els is still in the top ten at number eight with Ryder Cup hero Anthony Kim at number nine in the world rankings. Making up the top ten is Englands Lee Westwood.

Golf legend Seve Ballesteros could leave intensive care this week at the La Paz hospital according to a statement realised on 14th November by hospital doctors.

Seve is still being closely monitored but they have said “he continues to improve” and once he is stable and well enough he will leave the intensive care unit.

Seve Ballesteros was admitted to hospital on 6th October after losing consciousness at Madrid Airport. He has since had three brain operations to try and remove a brain tumour.

A family statement realised on his website last week said - “With the help of God, the neurosurgeons and their teams, and those who are keeping watch over his state of health at the intensive care unit, we trust with unquestioning faith Seve will come out successfully from this hardship”

The 51 year old Spanish legend retired from golf last year.