In the Rough

At this weekends Open De Andalucia Golf Tournament 45 year old Colin Montgomerie reached the landmark of 500 appearances on the European Golf Tour.

The Scot has now been on the European Tour for 22 years and within that time has massed 1722 rounds of golf, which is a like walking from London to Brazil.

The record though for most appearances on the European Tour is held by former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance who in his playing career has appeared at 754 European Tour Events.

Unfortunately Colin Montgomerie didn’t win on his 500th European Tour Event and could only manage a level par overall score, which was 14 shots behind eventual winner Soren Kjeldsen.

South African Retief Goosen has finally ended his four year drought on the PGA Tour by winning the Transitions Championship in Tampa Bay.

Goosen shot a final round of 70 to win over the 72 holes by a single stroke from American duo Brett Quigley and Charles Howell (third).

Goosen finished for the four rounds on nine under par to record his first victory since way back in 2005.

The double US Open champion looked in good form over the weekend and must be starting to feel confident ahead of the Masters in April. A great chip in on the ninth and a long 17ft eagle putt on 11th set Goosen up well and he didn’t look back to claim the victory.

American Phil Mickelson is closing in on American World Number Tiger Woods in the latest world ranking figures released.

Their is now only a gap of two points between the two golfers and come the Masters in April it could be Tiger Woods world number two.

The current gap of two points is the closest it has ever been between the two players and more evidence that Mickelson is in the form of his life although the injury to Tiger has had an effect on his rankings.

Woods does have an opportunity to extend his lead though before Phil tee’s off as he is playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill this week.

After the success over the weekend of Argentine Estanislao Goya’s maiden European Tour Victory at the Madeira Islands Open it was yet more proof that currently in Golf it is the Golden Age for young professionals who are making a big name on the tour.

The win of Goya has followed wins from Rory McIlroy who is producing good performances all over the world presently and England’s Danny Lee.

In 2008 it was American Anthony Kim and German Martin Kaymer who where making waves on the golf circuit, now both players turn up to every event with the mind set of finishing well and even hopes of winning.

Argentine Estanislao Goya held off a good fight from Scotland’s Callum Macaulay to win the Madeira Islands Open by a single stroke.

Estanislao started the day with a comfortable three stroke lead but a course record of sixty four for Macaulay ensured it turned into a good finish and that the Argentine was going to have to fight to win this European Tour Event.

The final few holes became a roller coaster for Goya as a double bogey at 16 really put the pressure on but two pars of the 17th and 18th holes meant he finished a stroke ahead of the field.

Ireland’s Damien McCrane and Holland’s Wil Besseling tied for third spot with a four under par total.

Chapchai Nirat of Thailand has broken the long standing record for the lowest under par total at an Asian Tour event this weekend.

Chapchai who turned professional at just fifteen produced a magnificent display to break the record and also win the SAIL Open in New Delhi, India.

Chapchai also broke a 36 hole record for an Asian Tour event after he started with two rounds of 62.

The final round of 67 for the 25 year old ensured that he finished on a brilliant 32 under par.

The total of 256 was 11 shots clear of his nearest challengers for the SAIL Open.

World number one he is, the greatest ever golfer to play the game he may be, the biggest reason fans turn out to watch golf???

Well this is the thinking behind the organisers of the Australian Masters as American Tiger Woods will be making an appearance in Australia for the first time in over a decade, when the Australian Masters starts in November.

The organisers of the Australian Masters in Melbourne have opted to pay Tiger Woods $3 Million (£2.1 Million) to make an appearance alone.

The news has created some great debate with most people thinking it is a good thing for a golf and Tiger Woods playing in the Australian Masters alone could bring $9 Million to the Australian economy.

The $3 Million appearance fee will be made up from tax payers and the government support for the event scheme.

Many golfers out there are superstitious about there fortunes in golf, I’m sure they make a lot of prayers or promises if things work or go well for them in a tournament, then they will do something good for someone else in the future. But I’m wondering have they ever thought of asking a psychic if they can predict there fortune. One famous psychic is a gentleman and from personal experience an amazing accurate friendly professional, Mr, David Charles Psychic.

The Psychic has done readings for the rich and famous and is renown in the industry for honest accurate reading with the utmost professionalism.

David Charles Psychic advised myself and my partner and 90% of what he said was scarily spot on an as you expect 10% was based on generic scenarios which I’m not sure were related or not but still I was very impressed.

If you are going to try something like this stick to a professional psychic and try David Charles Psychic and see what the future holds for you.

This may seem like a bizarre title of an article but it is true.

The 2009 European Tour is already fifteen events down this year but has yet to actually physically happen in Europe. So far we have seen golf in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa but no European event has been held on the European Continent, well that is until this weekend.

The European Tour heads to Portugal with the Madeira Islands Open staged this week.

However it doesn’t have big names playing. The highest rank player at the Madeira Island Open is Anthony Wall who is only 81st in the World.

With the world number one American Tiger Woods just returning from a long injury lay off and American golfer Phil Mickelson producing some breathtaking golf and returning to the World Number two spot in golf are we about to see the Tiger Woods v Phil Mickelson battle we have been craving for years??

Okay so Tiger isn’t quite back to his best and maybe he is saving himself for the Masters on April 6 but over the next few weeks and at The Masters Mickelson really does have a good chance to lay down the gauntlet to Tiger and maybe even push for him for that Number One spot.