Little-known South African Anthony Michael was the clubhouse leader after day one of the Alfred Dunhill Championship after a round of six-under-par 66 put him one stroke clear at Malelane.
The 25-year-old was part of the morning field at the Leopard Creek Country Club, but his score was unmatched by the higher-profile afternoon starters, including compatriots Louis Oosthuizen, who is the Open champion, Charl Schwartzel and 2008 winner Richard Sterne.
Instead it was Englishman Robert Rock, a player that has finished fourth and second in the same co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour event over the last two seasons in joint-second place, after a bogey-free, five-under-par 67.
Three other players shared the same score - German Sebastian Buhl, Marius Thorp of Norway and another South African Dawie van der Walt.
Spanish pair Alvaro Velasco and Rafael Cabrera Bello, along with Klas Eriksson from Sweden, Keith Horne and Andrew Georgiou were all tied for sixth on four under after 68s, with defending champion Pablo Martin among six players on three under.
But there was no room in the leading pack for any of the big-name home favourites in what is the first tournament of the 2011 season.
Schwartzel, a five-time winner on the European Tour, was best among them after his round of 70 left him on two under par, while Sterne (73) was one over par after his 18 holes, with Oosthuizen, who is still searching for his best form after returning from an ankle injury, suffering a nightmare four-over 76.
Damien McGrane leads the Irish challenge and sits on level par after his round of 72, while Michael Hoey and Gary Murphy are both two-shots further back.
The story of the day, though, was that of Michael - a rookie on the tour having turned professional a year ago and who admits that his first love is baseball.
The Johannesburg golfer represented South Africa at junior level in baseball and even went to the motherland of the sport, the United States, to try and pursue his dream.
He attended the Oklahoma City University but then realised that golf was the way to go.
'I played baseball for South Africa on a trip to Japan when I was 10,' Michael said after his seven birdies and one bogey round.
'I was going to go to the United States to play baseball, but the sport kind of died in South Africa, so I decided golf was the way to go.'
Looking back on his round, Michael, who is still chasing the 'Best Rookie' prize on the 2010 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, added: 'I struggled a bit today off the tees, I hit only three fairways, but from the rough to the greens was good and on the greens was amazing.
'I came in with a lot of confidence and I had a good feel out there.
I find that I play pretty well under pressure. I'm not sure why, but I've always enjoyed the pressure.'
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Visa Taiheiyo Masters next in Japan
This week’s event is followed by the Dunlop Phoenix, The Casio World Open and the final event of 2010, the Golf Nippon Series.
The tournament has regularly brought together the best of the Japan Golf Tour but has often attracted several leading International players. This week, however, with conflicting events in Singapore, Florida and Melbourne the event is essentially made up of Japan Tour players but that will not stop it from being a great attraction for local fans.
This season’s multiple winners on the Japan Golf Tour, Kyung Tae Kim, Ryo Ishikawa and Yuta Ikeda are the likely favourites but there are many others whose credentials suggest they could easily be in the mix on Sunday.
One of those is Australian Brendan Jones who won this event in 2007 with a massive eagle putt across the last green to defeat Toru Taniguchi with Adam Scott in third position.
Jones rallied back from a slow start to last week’s HSBC event in China and as the recent winner of the Panasonic Open on the Japan Golf Tour he should do well.
Other Australasians in this 84 player field are Chris Campbell, Steve Conran, Eddie Lee and david Smail.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
New amateur tour event will be hold in Forest Park Golf Club
National television is to put Forest Park Golf Club fore-square in the spotlight.
The Stockton-on-the-Forest-based course has been selected as one of eight clubs to host a new tour event… for amateur players.
The Great North Golf Tour will tee off next March as the brainchild of Tyneside firm The Golf Locker TV and gives amateur players the experience of a professional tour under the glare of live coverage on Golf Locker TV which is broadcast on Sky Sport channel 203.
Forest Park GC has been selected as the penultimate venue for the eight-date event with the tour arriving at the club next year on September 30.
Mark Winterburn, the professional at Forest Park, was delighted by the new initiative which will give nationwide coverage to the parkland course off Stockton Lane.
“The company contacted us about a month ago to see if we would be interested in being part of the tour and we said ‘definitely’,” said Winterburn.
“Now that it has been confirmed we are very excited at the prospect.
“It is brilliant for the club to have a national golf tournament here. And to have the opportunity to be covered by Sky Television, well, who would not want to do it?
“To be part of a national tour and to be on television as well, how good is that?”
The Forest Park pro also paid tribute to the work of the club’s staff in being able to attract such an event.
“The standard that is provided at the club is exceptional, especially when you consider the course is relatively young,” he said.
“Fulford GC is by far the leading course around York for its prestige and history, but for us at Forest Park to be only 19 years old and attract an event like this is testament to the great work put in by the staff.”
Winterburn added how being involved in the national tour was a timely boost in the current straitened financial circumstances.
“Every golf club is looking for extra revenue and so having the Great North Tour here is a fantastic opportunity to promote the golf club and help to generate more income.
“It’s a great selling point for the club.”
The tour will start in March at Linden Hall in Northumberland and travel across the breadth of the north of England before finishing at Close House in Newcastle seven months later.
Tickets for each individual event, which is expected to cater for between 50 and 100 golfers, are priced at £45 per round plus refreshments, a bacon roll and entry into a prize draw.
The organisers of the Great North Golf Tour are also offering businesses the chance to become sponsors of the regional event by bidding for a share of limited, but potentially lucrative advertising space.
The top five highest bidders will win a sponsorship package worth £18,000.
The Stockton-on-the-Forest-based course has been selected as one of eight clubs to host a new tour event… for amateur players.
The Great North Golf Tour will tee off next March as the brainchild of Tyneside firm The Golf Locker TV and gives amateur players the experience of a professional tour under the glare of live coverage on Golf Locker TV which is broadcast on Sky Sport channel 203.
Forest Park GC has been selected as the penultimate venue for the eight-date event with the tour arriving at the club next year on September 30.
Mark Winterburn, the professional at Forest Park, was delighted by the new initiative which will give nationwide coverage to the parkland course off Stockton Lane.
“The company contacted us about a month ago to see if we would be interested in being part of the tour and we said ‘definitely’,” said Winterburn.
“Now that it has been confirmed we are very excited at the prospect.
“It is brilliant for the club to have a national golf tournament here. And to have the opportunity to be covered by Sky Television, well, who would not want to do it?
“To be part of a national tour and to be on television as well, how good is that?”
The Forest Park pro also paid tribute to the work of the club’s staff in being able to attract such an event.
“The standard that is provided at the club is exceptional, especially when you consider the course is relatively young,” he said.
“Fulford GC is by far the leading course around York for its prestige and history, but for us at Forest Park to be only 19 years old and attract an event like this is testament to the great work put in by the staff.”
Winterburn added how being involved in the national tour was a timely boost in the current straitened financial circumstances.
“Every golf club is looking for extra revenue and so having the Great North Tour here is a fantastic opportunity to promote the golf club and help to generate more income.
“It’s a great selling point for the club.”
The tour will start in March at Linden Hall in Northumberland and travel across the breadth of the north of England before finishing at Close House in Newcastle seven months later.
Tickets for each individual event, which is expected to cater for between 50 and 100 golfers, are priced at £45 per round plus refreshments, a bacon roll and entry into a prize draw.
The organisers of the Great North Golf Tour are also offering businesses the chance to become sponsors of the regional event by bidding for a share of limited, but potentially lucrative advertising space.
The top five highest bidders will win a sponsorship package worth £18,000.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
James Johnstone is the conduit between the world's most famous links and the people who play it
In another life James Johnstone was a Glasgow cop, a big man with a badge who thrilled at high-speed chases and worked his rugged beat without the backup of a gun. He didn't suffer fools. He made them suffer, like the drunk who tried to stab him (cuffed; tossed in the clink) or the woman who called him at 3 a.m. and asked if he could help her force-feed a hungry crow. ("Force-feed the bird a bullet," was the gist of his reply.)
It wasn't a bad gig, but it eventually aged, and so did Johnstone. So, for his second act, the man that friends know as "JJ" decided to swap his billy club for a buggy and restrict his crime fighting to combating slow play.
Four days a week, from dawn to dusk, JJ meets-and-greets golfers on the first tee and patrols the windblown fairways of the world's most famous links. It's a prestigious, if low-paying, post—starter and ranger at the Old Course at St. Andrews—and the duties aren't that much different from law enforcement, except that he encounters fewer thugs. Both require the soothing insights of pop psychology and the people-pleasing skills of public relations.
His job, as JJ sees it, is to ease people along and to quell the fears of foursomes as they face the terrors of the first tee. Never mind that the opening fairway is wider than an airfield, with scarce trouble to speak of other than the demons in each player's head.
"When they come to that first tee, most people are a bit nervous, and understandably so, since odds are they've been looking forward to it for a lifetime," JJ says. "My job is to get them relaxed, to inject a little humor and try to remind them that the goal is to have fun."
They make a fitting pairing, the ex-cop and the Old Course, both having mellowed and matured with time. In his younger years, JJ liked fast cars and the frisson of excitement that came with police work. Nowadays, flooring a golf cart is his version of a race. At 6' 4", he still cuts an imposing figure. But he's 63 years old, his hair is tinged with gray, and his broad expressive face and bemused demeanor lend him a friendly, avuncular look (think Uncle Leo from Seinfeld).
When JJ signed on at St. Andrews in 1998, after 19 years on the Glasgow force, the Old Course, too, was in mid-life transition. Long a tweedy venue with a stiff-lipped reverence for tradition, it was learning to relax, opening its arms to corporate outings and pricey golf packages booked overseas. A new clubhouse had been built. Emphasis had fallen on American-style service. Out went grouchy icons, like the gin-blossomed starter who growled at you to move it. In came guys like JJ, who spoke a local's brogue but was less of a curmudgeon than a company man.
"In the old days, you might have come across some crusty characters who could be quite intimidating, especially for someone coming to a course that already left them in a bit of awe," says Colin Dalgleish, the GB&I Walker Cup captain and director of Perry Golf, the largest golf tour operator in Scotland. "These days, service expectations are higher. But visitors still come looking for a starter who has that unique Scottish flavor."
It's a delicate balance, honoring the past while adapting to the present, all the more so around St. Andrews, where locals like their golf without frills or fuss. Some lament the changes at the Old Course. They pine for the days of the late Bob McCrum, a longtime ranger whose Sabbatini-esque intolerance of slowpokes often led to brusque evictions from the links. That era has passed.
In keeping with new policy, JJ gives laggardly groups three warnings before asking them politely to move up a hole. In 12 years on the job, he has never had to kick anyone off the course. "JJ is always very amiable," says one St. Andrews regular, who admits that he misses the old rule of law. "It's the iron fist in the velvet glove approach."
Since early tee times still go to locals, morning rounds require little intervention. Most wrap up in under four hours. But later in the day, when tourist play takes over, JJ's job demands diplomacy: urging golfers onward without forgetting that the customer is (almost) always right.
Unfolding his lanking frame from his buggy, he ambles up to offending foursomes, a smiling but skeptical onlooker, a sympathetic ear who has heard it all. He dismisses lame excuses.
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Aircel-Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) has announced the Aircel-PGTI Players Championship
The Aircel-Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) has announced the Aircel-PGTI Players Championship presented by Poona Club Ltd which will be held at the Poona Club Golf Course from June 22 to June 25. The tournament carries Rs 40 lakh prize money. The Pro-Am event will be played on June 26.
Jaideep Patwardhan, chairman, Poona Club Ltd. (Golf), said, “We look forward to hosting India’s top professionals during the Aircel-PGTI Players Championship. The course is in great shape and we expect a tough battle for top honours as the stakes are higher than ever before.”
Some of the players who will light up the fairways and greens of the Poona Club Golf Course include Gaganjeet Bhullar, C Muniyappa, Anirban Lahiri, Mukesh Kumar, Himmat Singh Rai, Rahil Gangjee, Mohd. Siddikur Rahman, Khan, Sujjan Singh, Vishal Singh, Gaurav Pratap Singh, Harmeet Kahlon, Digvijay Singh, Vijay Kumar, Harendra Gupta. Pune’s Gurki Shergill, who last year became the first Pune-based player to win a professional event, leads the local challenge along with Rajiv Datar, Dinesh Raghuvanshi, Jaideep Patwardhan and Pravin Pathare.
The course at the Poona Golf Club, laid way back in 1918, is today widely acknowledged as one of the most improved and finest in India. The last professional event at the Poona Club Golf Course, the PGTI Players Championship, played in September 2008, saw Bangladesh’s Mohd Siddikur Rahman post his first professional win in India.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Bayside had arguably the two best female golfers in New York City
For three years, Bayside had arguably the two best female golfers in New York City. Alice Choi won the PSAL individual championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008, while close friend and teammate Han Rin Lee won the individuals in 2009 with second-place finishes in 2006 and 2008.
But their excellence did not translate into team success for the Commodores. Due to a lack of depth, the pair never even saw the postseason in their first three years.
“We were hoping to win [a team championship] this year,” Lee said.
With an able third golfer, Sarah Kim, Bayside did just that, beating Susan Wagner back in November. And Monday night, Choi and Lee were both honored with the PSAL Wingate Award for girls golf at a ceremony at St. Francis College. The recognition goes to the best senior in a given sport, but Choi and Lee were so impressive together that it left the league no choice but to make it a co-award.
“It’s only fitting that there were two this year for golf,” Bayside coach Andrew Cogliati said. “With all their accomplishments, not just in high school but also in individual tournaments, it’s been unmatched.”
Choi and Lee met in seventh grade at the Golden Bear Driving Range in Douglaston and have been inseparable since. Competing against each other in outside tournaments, Choi said, has not put a damper on what has become a longtime friendship.
“We’re like best friends,” she said.
Both will play in the Big East next year. Choi has a golf scholarship waiting for her at Georgetown and Lee has the same at St. John’s. Choi, who didn’t compete in the PSAL individuals this season, was the top golfer at the New York State Junior Championships and the Tournament of Champions in 2009. Lee was the top golfer in her group at the International Junior Golf Tour in 2009.
But rather than all the personal accomplishments they racked up in a remarkable four years, the pair both pointed to winning the team championship this past season as the most memorable moment.
“That was icing on the cake for them,” Cogliati said. “It was our first playoff appearance. We were always missing a third golfer. They really helped out, too.”
The coach said Choi and Lee helped to raise the level of play in New York City girls golf. It has certainly helped his squad. After struggling to put together a competitive team year after year before they got to Bayside, Cogliati said he has eight solid players coming back next year.
“What they’ve done for the school and, I think the sport itself, is set the bar,” he said. “The other girls have followed them, they set the example, and they see they can succeed. We’re gonna miss them. I think the sport is gonna miss them.”
But their excellence did not translate into team success for the Commodores. Due to a lack of depth, the pair never even saw the postseason in their first three years.
“We were hoping to win [a team championship] this year,” Lee said.
With an able third golfer, Sarah Kim, Bayside did just that, beating Susan Wagner back in November. And Monday night, Choi and Lee were both honored with the PSAL Wingate Award for girls golf at a ceremony at St. Francis College. The recognition goes to the best senior in a given sport, but Choi and Lee were so impressive together that it left the league no choice but to make it a co-award.
“It’s only fitting that there were two this year for golf,” Bayside coach Andrew Cogliati said. “With all their accomplishments, not just in high school but also in individual tournaments, it’s been unmatched.”
Choi and Lee met in seventh grade at the Golden Bear Driving Range in Douglaston and have been inseparable since. Competing against each other in outside tournaments, Choi said, has not put a damper on what has become a longtime friendship.
“We’re like best friends,” she said.
Both will play in the Big East next year. Choi has a golf scholarship waiting for her at Georgetown and Lee has the same at St. John’s. Choi, who didn’t compete in the PSAL individuals this season, was the top golfer at the New York State Junior Championships and the Tournament of Champions in 2009. Lee was the top golfer in her group at the International Junior Golf Tour in 2009.
But rather than all the personal accomplishments they racked up in a remarkable four years, the pair both pointed to winning the team championship this past season as the most memorable moment.
“That was icing on the cake for them,” Cogliati said. “It was our first playoff appearance. We were always missing a third golfer. They really helped out, too.”
The coach said Choi and Lee helped to raise the level of play in New York City girls golf. It has certainly helped his squad. After struggling to put together a competitive team year after year before they got to Bayside, Cogliati said he has eight solid players coming back next year.
“What they’ve done for the school and, I think the sport itself, is set the bar,” he said. “The other girls have followed them, they set the example, and they see they can succeed. We’re gonna miss them. I think the sport is gonna miss them.”
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Junior golfers can knock a few strokes off their scorecards
Junior golfers can knock a few strokes off their scorecards after a summer of play, practice and competition.
Junior golf programs and camps begin the first week of June in Polk County. Many local courses have junior programs and clinics during the summer for boys and girls 6 to 18 years old.
Whether junior golfers are just learning or refining their swings, proper instruction is needed to make sure they're working on the right things.
The Junior Citrus Program at Cleveland Heights in June and July is the longest-running program in the county, ending with the Junior Citrus Open tournament.
PGA Professional Bob Schade is conducting a summer program at Cypresswood Golf and Country Club in Winter Haven from June 1 to Aug. 15.
The Florida Southern Moccasin Golf Camp at Lone Palm in mid-June draws many local juniors 11-18.
The First Tee of Lakeland has weekly summer camps for boys and girls 8-18 starting June 14.
And the MidFlorida Junior Golf Tour holds tournaments on Central Florida courses. The second of 11 tournaments is Saturday at River Greens in Avon Park, with events through August.
In addition to the Junior Citrus Open, the Bagwell Invitational June 5-6 at Avon Park and the Youth Villa Junior Tournament at Bartow June 19-20 are also major tournaments for junior players around Central Florida.
For junior programs not listed below, check with your local club pro.
Junior golf programs and camps begin the first week of June in Polk County. Many local courses have junior programs and clinics during the summer for boys and girls 6 to 18 years old.
Whether junior golfers are just learning or refining their swings, proper instruction is needed to make sure they're working on the right things.
The Junior Citrus Program at Cleveland Heights in June and July is the longest-running program in the county, ending with the Junior Citrus Open tournament.
PGA Professional Bob Schade is conducting a summer program at Cypresswood Golf and Country Club in Winter Haven from June 1 to Aug. 15.
The Florida Southern Moccasin Golf Camp at Lone Palm in mid-June draws many local juniors 11-18.
The First Tee of Lakeland has weekly summer camps for boys and girls 8-18 starting June 14.
And the MidFlorida Junior Golf Tour holds tournaments on Central Florida courses. The second of 11 tournaments is Saturday at River Greens in Avon Park, with events through August.
In addition to the Junior Citrus Open, the Bagwell Invitational June 5-6 at Avon Park and the Youth Villa Junior Tournament at Bartow June 19-20 are also major tournaments for junior players around Central Florida.
For junior programs not listed below, check with your local club pro.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Surya Nepal Masters will kick off on Teusday
Nepal´s golf tournament with the highest cash prize, Surya Nepal Masters, will kick off on Tuesday at the Gokarna Forest Golf Resort.
It is the major event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour and the winner of the event will get Rs 486,000 cash prize. For the first time ever, the tournament has a total prize purse of Rs 3 million.
The organizing committee informed the press on Monday that the event will be participated by professionals from Dubai, Malaysia and other countries.
"It offers a perfect setting for the Nepali golfers to gauge their growth against some of the better golfers and a shot at Nepal´s most prestigious golfing title," states a press note issued on Monday.
According to the organizers, the main competition will be supplemented by an international amateur tournament.
Sri Lankan Anura Rohana had won the pro title while his fellow compatriot Mithun Perera had not only clinched the amateur title comfortably but also put up tough competition to Rohana.
Ray Noronah, former MD of Surya Nepal, had initiated the tournament in 1990. Deepak Thapa Magar has been the only winner from Nepal in the history of the tournament. Thapa had won the tournament in 2007.
It is the major event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour and the winner of the event will get Rs 486,000 cash prize. For the first time ever, the tournament has a total prize purse of Rs 3 million.
The organizing committee informed the press on Monday that the event will be participated by professionals from Dubai, Malaysia and other countries.
"It offers a perfect setting for the Nepali golfers to gauge their growth against some of the better golfers and a shot at Nepal´s most prestigious golfing title," states a press note issued on Monday.
According to the organizers, the main competition will be supplemented by an international amateur tournament.
Sri Lankan Anura Rohana had won the pro title while his fellow compatriot Mithun Perera had not only clinched the amateur title comfortably but also put up tough competition to Rohana.
Ray Noronah, former MD of Surya Nepal, had initiated the tournament in 1990. Deepak Thapa Magar has been the only winner from Nepal in the history of the tournament. Thapa had won the tournament in 2007.
Monday, April 5, 2010
How are you Woods?
Sponsors who stuck by Tiger Woods are ramping up to profit from his return to the golf course.
Upper Deck Co. will sell memorabilia such as signed red shirts with price tags upward of $1,800. Electronic Arts Inc. has a new browser-based version of its Tiger-themed video game coming out next week.
And Nike Inc. reportedly has a TV commercial featuring Woods in the works, though it won't confirm that.
The big question is whether his tarnished image can work anything close to its old magic for them and the golf industry, which has been going through tough times of its own because of the weak economy.
It could be that all publicity is good publicity, as time passes since his admissions to extramarital affairs and he returns to golf after four months at the Masters, starting next Thursday.
Woods' value as a pitchman, the embodiment of professional perfection, may have suffered. He became sports' first $1 billion earner, but lost top endorsements from companies such as Accenture LLP and AT&T Inc. as the scandal unfolded.
But it's hard to see much falloff in sales of some Woods-branded wares.
Golfsmith, the nation's biggest chain of golf stores, and sports card and memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. say Woods' scandal, which erupted in late November, didn't dampen demand for his products.
Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. says sales of Woods-branded hats, shirts and belts (all made by Nike) grew 8 percent from October through mid-March this year compared with last year. Most of that period came after word spread that the quiet, clean-cut golfer had a sex addiction and partook in serial infidelities.
The company sold 9,564 Woods-branded hats, belts, shirts and other products made by Nike from October through mid-March, compared with 8,855 in the same period the previous year.
Woods' leave from golf will end in about a week at the Masters, the season's first major tournament.
"The tour wants him back. The players want him back. His endorsers want him back and like anybody with an economic interest in him, we want him back," Golfsmith CEO Marty Hanaka said.
Total revenue for the golf industry was $2.4 billion last year, down 11.6 percent from $2.8 billion in 2008, the firm said. People are delaying equipment purchases but they're still playing golf, said Tom Stine, co-founder of Golf Datatech LLC, a market research firm.
EA is releasing the browser version of "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" on Tuesday. The timing is good, though coincidental: The video game maker announced the launch date a day before Woods announced his return and now figures his return will just add exposure for its sites for the game and its Woods franchise.
"Sometimes you just get lucky," said Craig Evans, marketing director of the game, who added visits to the company's Woods sites have risen "significantly" since Woods said he'd return.
Former sponsors Accenture, AT&T and others who dropped Woods after his personal problems became public late last year have declined to say if they'll make any changes once he returns. Accenture merely referred to its December news release that announced it would drop Woods.
Experts say it likely will be at least a year before any major new companies sign Woods. Companies that distanced themselves from him, such as Procter & Gamble Co.'s Gillette unit, haven't announced plans to feature him in advertisements again, either. Spokesman Damon Jones said Gillette has no plans to use Woods "for the foreseeable future."
Upper Deck Co. will sell memorabilia such as signed red shirts with price tags upward of $1,800. Electronic Arts Inc. has a new browser-based version of its Tiger-themed video game coming out next week.
And Nike Inc. reportedly has a TV commercial featuring Woods in the works, though it won't confirm that.
The big question is whether his tarnished image can work anything close to its old magic for them and the golf industry, which has been going through tough times of its own because of the weak economy.
It could be that all publicity is good publicity, as time passes since his admissions to extramarital affairs and he returns to golf after four months at the Masters, starting next Thursday.
Woods' value as a pitchman, the embodiment of professional perfection, may have suffered. He became sports' first $1 billion earner, but lost top endorsements from companies such as Accenture LLP and AT&T Inc. as the scandal unfolded.
But it's hard to see much falloff in sales of some Woods-branded wares.
Golfsmith, the nation's biggest chain of golf stores, and sports card and memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. say Woods' scandal, which erupted in late November, didn't dampen demand for his products.
Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. says sales of Woods-branded hats, shirts and belts (all made by Nike) grew 8 percent from October through mid-March this year compared with last year. Most of that period came after word spread that the quiet, clean-cut golfer had a sex addiction and partook in serial infidelities.
The company sold 9,564 Woods-branded hats, belts, shirts and other products made by Nike from October through mid-March, compared with 8,855 in the same period the previous year.
Woods' leave from golf will end in about a week at the Masters, the season's first major tournament.
"The tour wants him back. The players want him back. His endorsers want him back and like anybody with an economic interest in him, we want him back," Golfsmith CEO Marty Hanaka said.
Total revenue for the golf industry was $2.4 billion last year, down 11.6 percent from $2.8 billion in 2008, the firm said. People are delaying equipment purchases but they're still playing golf, said Tom Stine, co-founder of Golf Datatech LLC, a market research firm.
EA is releasing the browser version of "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" on Tuesday. The timing is good, though coincidental: The video game maker announced the launch date a day before Woods announced his return and now figures his return will just add exposure for its sites for the game and its Woods franchise.
"Sometimes you just get lucky," said Craig Evans, marketing director of the game, who added visits to the company's Woods sites have risen "significantly" since Woods said he'd return.
Former sponsors Accenture, AT&T and others who dropped Woods after his personal problems became public late last year have declined to say if they'll make any changes once he returns. Accenture merely referred to its December news release that announced it would drop Woods.
Experts say it likely will be at least a year before any major new companies sign Woods. Companies that distanced themselves from him, such as Procter & Gamble Co.'s Gillette unit, haven't announced plans to feature him in advertisements again, either. Spokesman Damon Jones said Gillette has no plans to use Woods "for the foreseeable future."
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Liang Wenchong produced another flawless round of golf on Friday
Liang Wenchong produced another flawless round of golf on Friday to maintain his lead at the halfway mark of the 1 million U.S. dollars Luxehills Chengdu Open - the opening event of the season on OneAsia.
The Chinese No. 1 fired a six-under-par 66 at Luxehills International Country Club for a three stroke lead over Australian Kurt Barnes and Kim Bio.
Barnes matched Liang's opening round course record with a 64 while Kim, another of South Korea's impressive young golfers, shot a 66.
Liang leads the tournament on 14-under-par 130 after his second bogey free round.
"My coach Kel Llewellyn and I have been working on the basics of the golf swing. He is here this week and we have been keeping things simple and it has obviously been working well. I am playing some of my best golf," said Liang.
He is bidding to win for the second time on OneAsia as he also claimed the Midea China Classic last year in Guangzhou.
"The crowds here have been fantastic and it is great to see so many young people watching. I am from Zhongshan and so it is encouraging to see the game becoming so popular in this part of the country as well," added Laing.
He played both nines in three under and is in cruise control entering the weekend.
Since maturing as a golfer over the past few years he has made a habit of winning each season. He claimed the Singapore Masters in 2007, the year he finished as Asia' s number one. The following season he lifted the Hero Honda Indian Open trophy before a memorable victory on OneAsia in 2009.
Barnes was joint fifth in this event last year when it was part of the China Tour. He also won at the 2009 Sofitel Zhongshan Open on that circuit.
An eagle on the par five seventh (his 16th hole) saw him draw closer to Liang. He hit a four iron from 220 yards to three feet and holed out for the three.
"I am in a great position for the weekend. I just want to go out and play my own game and if I happen to be in the last group I know Liang Wenchong is going to have a lot of supporters out there. I have just to stick to my guns and stick to my game plan - it has worked the last two days - and do my best at the weekend," said the highly regarded Barnes.
Kim is just 19 years old and turned professional last year after a stellar amateur career highlighted by victory in the Japan and Korean Amateur Championships in 2008.
"I had a bit of luck today but my putting was really good and has put me in a nice position," said Kim, who also carded a bogey free round.
He has been playing on the Japan Golf Tour Organization and is expected to follow in the footsteps of his other talented young compatriots Bae Sang-moon and Noh Seung-yul.
Australians Terry Pilkadaris and Scott Arnold are four behind Liang after they both shot 67.
The halfway cut was made at three-under-par 141.
The Chinese No. 1 fired a six-under-par 66 at Luxehills International Country Club for a three stroke lead over Australian Kurt Barnes and Kim Bio.
Barnes matched Liang's opening round course record with a 64 while Kim, another of South Korea's impressive young golfers, shot a 66.
Liang leads the tournament on 14-under-par 130 after his second bogey free round.
"My coach Kel Llewellyn and I have been working on the basics of the golf swing. He is here this week and we have been keeping things simple and it has obviously been working well. I am playing some of my best golf," said Liang.
He is bidding to win for the second time on OneAsia as he also claimed the Midea China Classic last year in Guangzhou.
"The crowds here have been fantastic and it is great to see so many young people watching. I am from Zhongshan and so it is encouraging to see the game becoming so popular in this part of the country as well," added Laing.
He played both nines in three under and is in cruise control entering the weekend.
Since maturing as a golfer over the past few years he has made a habit of winning each season. He claimed the Singapore Masters in 2007, the year he finished as Asia' s number one. The following season he lifted the Hero Honda Indian Open trophy before a memorable victory on OneAsia in 2009.
Barnes was joint fifth in this event last year when it was part of the China Tour. He also won at the 2009 Sofitel Zhongshan Open on that circuit.
An eagle on the par five seventh (his 16th hole) saw him draw closer to Liang. He hit a four iron from 220 yards to three feet and holed out for the three.
"I am in a great position for the weekend. I just want to go out and play my own game and if I happen to be in the last group I know Liang Wenchong is going to have a lot of supporters out there. I have just to stick to my guns and stick to my game plan - it has worked the last two days - and do my best at the weekend," said the highly regarded Barnes.
Kim is just 19 years old and turned professional last year after a stellar amateur career highlighted by victory in the Japan and Korean Amateur Championships in 2008.
"I had a bit of luck today but my putting was really good and has put me in a nice position," said Kim, who also carded a bogey free round.
He has been playing on the Japan Golf Tour Organization and is expected to follow in the footsteps of his other talented young compatriots Bae Sang-moon and Noh Seung-yul.
Australians Terry Pilkadaris and Scott Arnold are four behind Liang after they both shot 67.
The halfway cut was made at three-under-par 141.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
SALTMAN is looking forward to meeting up with some old friends
LLOYD SALTMAN is looking forward to meeting up with some old friends when he lines up on home territory next week in an event being run by former England football star David Platt.
The Major Golf Championship is being held on Monday and Tuesday at Archerfield Links, where Saltman will be among just under 30 professionals competing for a £7000 prize fund.
Lloyd's younger brother, Zack, is also in the field and so, too, are former Scottish champion Kevin McAlpine and Craigielaw's David Laing.
"I'm looking forward to next week, primarily because it will be a good event at a great venue, but it's also going to give me the chance to hook up with some old faces," said the Aegon player.
The event is open to professionals aged 26 and under and sees them playing alongside amateurs who are competing for a separate prize. It is part of Platt's 'Major Golf Tour' and follows the success of a similar event held by the former Aston Villa, Arsenal and Juventus midfielder at Archerfield Links last October.
Turnhouse trainee James McGhee is also in the field that will play over the Fidra Links on Monday and the Dirleton Links the following day.
The Major Golf Championship is being held on Monday and Tuesday at Archerfield Links, where Saltman will be among just under 30 professionals competing for a £7000 prize fund.
Lloyd's younger brother, Zack, is also in the field and so, too, are former Scottish champion Kevin McAlpine and Craigielaw's David Laing.
"I'm looking forward to next week, primarily because it will be a good event at a great venue, but it's also going to give me the chance to hook up with some old faces," said the Aegon player.
The event is open to professionals aged 26 and under and sees them playing alongside amateurs who are competing for a separate prize. It is part of Platt's 'Major Golf Tour' and follows the success of a similar event held by the former Aston Villa, Arsenal and Juventus midfielder at Archerfield Links last October.
Turnhouse trainee James McGhee is also in the field that will play over the Fidra Links on Monday and the Dirleton Links the following day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
