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  • Annika Sorenstam Retires from the LPGA Golf Scene


    13 December 2008

    She used to practice for hour after hour after hour and not realise she'd missed dinner; the only hunger was a desire for success. But not anymore; in recent times she would belt balls for a while but her mind would soon wander towards other jobs that needed to be done.

    This is why women's golf is this week bidding farewell to probably the greatest player it has ever known. It is why Annika Sorenstam is playing competitively for the final time at the age of 38.

    She's looking forward to getting married, to starting a family and to developing her burgeoning business interests, but all of these could have been accommodated within a continued playing career if the overwhelming desire to win tournaments was still there.

    Sorenstam has acknowledged, though, the appetite for collecting trophies is no longer what it was and so the decision to quit professional golf was a relatively simple one.

    Annika Sorenstam

    "Two years ago I was washing my car in the driveway on Christmas Eve," the Florida based Swede revealed in a recent interview. "I saw Michelle Wie driving past in a cart with her golf clubs. I remember thinking I didn't know what was stranger; that she was practicing on Christmas Eve or that I was washing my car.

    "When that voice inside you starts to question your life, listen to it, have a conversation with it," she told Golf World.

    To have been as successful as Sorenstam was, the focus had to be without compromise.

    She undoubtedly made the most of her talents through relentless practice and with a physical development regime that brought athleticism to the women's game to match the impact of Tiger Woods in men's golf.

    In a 15-year career, Sorenstam has won 89 tournaments worldwide including ten majors and 72 victories on the LPGA Tour. These statistics barely scratch the surface of her achievements in a game she took up in preference to tennis, skiing and football when she was twelve.

    Painfully shy as a junior, she would deliberately three putt final greens to throw away wins to avoid making victory speeches. But once she overcame that fear she became a serial winner, amassing prize money in excess of $22 million.

    At the Moon Valley Country Club in Pheonix she opened her second round at the 2001 Standard Register Ping tournament with eight consecutive birdies. From then on the challenge was to keep emotions in tact and by the final green she two putted for par to become the first woman to shoot 59.

    The round contained 13 birdies; the longest par putt she faced was no more than 3 and a half feet from the hole. Sorenstam branded herself Ms 59 and relentlessly marched on winning eleven times the next year with a record low scoring average of 68.69.

    In 2003 her domination was so great it became a legitimate sporting question to ask how she might fare against leading male players. The Colonial Tournament was hand picked because the course wasn't the longest and the sponsors wanted to cash in.

    Sorenstam was in the spotlight like never before. The girl who hated public speaking had become the woman who at that time was the hottest interview in the game - not that she has ever been the most forthcoming in front of microphones.

    Even so she acquitted herself well in the press room and despite not making the cut she performed with credit on the course. Those two rounds and the publicity they generated were the bedrock of the brand "Annika" that she is now seeking to develop without the crutch of competition.

    She won the Women's British Open at Lytham in 2003 to complete her set of the biggest titles in the women's game and in 2006 won her final major when she claimed a third US Open.

    In seven Solheim Cup appearances she won 22 of 35 matches, but never managed to be on the winning side when Europe played away in the US.

    It's perhaps the one thing missing from her CV but she can cope with that. Sorenstam said: "I wouldn't say that put a dampener on my career at all. I guess there is always something but I have been part of many Solheim Cup teams and we had the win in Sweden which was huge.

    "I want to be remembered for my golf, sportsmanship and as somebody who enjoyed the challenge and wasn't afraid to push and get better," Sorenstam added.

    Rest assured she will be remembered for all those qualities and many more.

    Understandable as it is, Sorenstam's departure is a big blow to a women's game that, despite the wonderful Lorena Ochoa, is struggling to capture the imagination of the sporting public. The fact that Michelle Wie has secured her LPGA playing rights is welcome news but hardly compensates for the loss of a true great.

    For one more week we can enjoy Sorenstam's presence on Tour. It must be correct to assume that for this final appearance her desire for victory will be as strong as it was at the height of her powers.

    If she does win this career closing event, the Dubai Ladies Masters, she will have successfully defended that title for the second year running. Only the very brave would bet against it happening.

  • Trump's £1bn golf resort approved


    05 November 2008

    Donald Trump has said he is "greatly honoured" his £1bn golf resort plan in Aberdeenshire has been approved, but opponents expressed disappointment.

    US tycoon Mr Trump's plan to build two golf courses, as well as hundreds of homes, at Menie has caused business and environmental division for two years.

    The plan was called in by the Scottish Government after it was rejected by an Aberdeenshire Council committee.

    Finance Secretary John Swinney has backed it after a public local inquiry.

    First Minister Alex Salmond also hailed the news, citing 6,000 possible jobs.

    Donald Trump on the golf resort decision

    However, opponents of the project, such as RSPB Scotland, were angry at the news. Mr Swinney said outline planning permission was being granted - and that the significant economic and social benefit of the project was a major consideration in his decision.

    He said the Trump Organisation would need to make sure sand dunes and wildlife on the estate at Menie were properly protected.

    Mr Swinney has also ordered that no more than 500 private homes be built.

  • Heavy rain halts play in Volvo Masters


    01 November 2008

    It may not rain very often on the Costa del Sol but when it does rain, it really rains. After a steady downpour overnight that intensified in the morning, play in the second round of the Volvo Masters was suspended at 12.08pm before being stopped at 3.02pm. By which time only three of the field’s 57 competitors had completed their rounds — Justin Rose (81), Álvaro Quirós (76) and Nick Dougherty (73).

    The aim now at the season-ending event on the European Tour is to complete the second round by sending the players out in three balls from two tees starting at 8.30am today. This is expected to take about five hours to complete and, weather permitting, the third round will follow.

    The forecast, however, is not promising. “We had warning of one bad weather front moving through the area yesterday morning followed by a break before another bad weather front hit us,” David Garland, the tour’s director of operations and also the tournament director, said. “But when the two fronts combined the course became unplayable. If we have good weather then we should finish by Sunday. However, if only a few rounds remain to be played on Sunday night then we will finish on Monday. We will not schedule a full round for Monday.”

    Rose withdrew after his second round to fly to South Africa where his grandfather died on Thursday night. Miguel Ángel Jiménez, one of four men with a chance of winning the Order of Merit, must have wished the second round had been scrapped. Having started 5, 6, 4, 8, he was seven over par for his first four holes and nine over par overall. Robert Karlsson was three over par after four holes, Padraig Harrington five over after 13. Lee Westwood has not started his round.

  • Golfing trio set for order of merit showdown


    28 October 2008

    Robert Karlsson will attempt to become Sweden's first Order of Merit winner when the Tour finale Volvo Masters begins at Valderrama on Thursday.

    Karlsson is in pole position, having accumulated 12 top-10 finishes and won back-to-back tournaments this season.

    Double major winner Padraig Harrington is second in the money list, £230,312 behind, and needs the £562,485 first prize or second place to have a chance.

    Lee Westwood, winner of the 2000 Order of Merit, trails Karlsson by £361,318.

    Should Westwood finish second this week he would scoop "only" £374,990 so Karlsson would have to finish almost last to be overhauled by the Englishman.

    But colourful Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez's hopes of a maiden Order of Merit in the autumn of his career are even more remote.

    The 44-year-old is £523,968 behind Karlsson so would have to win and hope that the Swede finishes outside the top-20.

    Harrington is well aware of his task this week and said: "I've got to go out there and try and win the tournament, and there are two bonuses with that.

    "If I win the tournament, I win the Order of Merit so that's what's in my mind for the week.

    "Robert has played great all year. I think he's been very motivated on working on the right things the last couple of years and really has brought his game to a new level. If he wins on Sunday, he thoroughly deserves it.

    "Robert has performed more consistently in Europe than I have throughout the year, so consistency-wise, and that's what an Order of Merit is, he probably deserves it.

    "But that doesn't mean he gets it. We have to wait until Sunday to sort that out."

  • Golf Legend Seve Ballesteros in a stable condition after third operation


    25 October 2008

    Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros remains in a stable condition in intensive care after a third operation to remove remnants of a brain tumour and reduce swelling inside the skull, the Madrid hospital treating him said on Saturday.

    They added there would be no medical update over the next two or three days unless there was a change in his condition.

    The 51-year-old underwent 6-1/2 hours of surgery on Friday, after which doctors at Madrid's La Paz hospital said they had been successful in eliminating the oedema and the remnants of the tumour.

    Ballesteros is suffering from an oligoastrocytoma, a tumour that affects two types of brain cell, and spreads diffusely inside the brain cavity.

    He retired from competition last year after winning 87 titles including three British Open trophies and two U.S. Masters.

  • Quiros denies Karlsson at the Portugal Masters 2008


    20 October 2008

    Third round leader, Alvaro Quiras of Spain, has held off the chasing pack and marched on to his 2nd European Tour victory at the Portugal Masters.

    Quiras, a 25-year-old from Cadiz with a booming drive and an appealing smile, closed with a classy birdie at the final hole to finish with a 69 and a 19-under total at the Victoria Golf Club to win by three shots from former Open Champion Paul Lawrie with Order of Merit leader Robert Karlsson a shot further back in joint third place with Englishmen Steve Webster and Ross Fisher on 15-under after posting a 71

    Karlsson, who had been hot favourite to clinch his third successive Tour victory after wins in the German Masters and the Dunhill Links Championship, eventually had to settle for less than he had hoped for after a series of mistakes.

    Instead, the runners-up spot went to Scotland's Paul Lawrie, who produced his best tournament finish for three years.

    The 1999 Open champion had previously only managed one top-10 finish this year but after signing for a final-round 67, he sounded very relieved, saying "It feels great to be competitive again."

    But at the end of a week when all Spanish golfing attention has been devoted to the failing health of golfing legend Seve Ballesteros, the emergence of another exciting young star from that country will be welcomed.

    Quiros sign-posted his ability with his victory in the 2007 Dunhill Championship in South Africa, but that field could not compare to the one in Vilamoura, which contained six members of the recent European Ryder Cup team.

    It is not only his length that will attract golf fans across Europe, but his engaging sense of humour, which was evident from the first tee when he starting cracking jokes with his two playing partners.

    He had to get up early to complete his third round after a thunderstorm forced play to be abandoned early last night. And in completing five holes he moved one shot ahead of the field.

    It was an advantage he did not hold onto for long. After outrageously birdieing the opening hole with a 50-foot putt, he immediately bogeyed the second. It was the start of an afternoon when the lead was to change hands regularly.

    A birdie at the second, took Fisher to the top of the leaderboard and after an early dropped shot, Karlsson then produced three birdies on the trot.

    But the tournament was finally sorted on the back nine as Fisher dropped back with a run of three successive bogeys and Karlsson found water at the 17th.

    The Swede now only leads Padraig Harrington by around £246,000 in the money list heading for the Volvo Masters, when victory for Karlsson would have almost certainly settled the Order of Merit title.

    For Quiros there is now a place in the Tournament of Champions in Shanghai, and throughout his round Ballesteros was never far from his thoughts.

    "My caddy told me that Seve always wanted to beat everybody and today I drew inspiration from thinking about the way he played his golf," said Quiros.

    The lowest score of the final day belonged to Bristol's Chris Wood, who as an amateur finished tied for fifth place to take the Silver Medal in this year's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

    Having turned pro immediately after that achievement, and this weekend playing in the last of his permitted seven invitations, Wood's 65 produced his first top-10 finish in the paid ranks. However, it left him with a dilemma.

    He is now scheduled to attend the second stage of Q School at Jerez in Spain, working towards earning a Tour card for 2009, but his top-10 placing has also earned him the right to play in the coming week's Castellon Masters near Gerona.

    The two events run back-to-back and after playing seven of the last nine weeks, his energy levels are running low.

    "Q School and getting my card for next year has to be my priority," said Wood. "So I may not go to the Castellon."

    THE FINAL ROUND SCORES
    (Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

    269 Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 66 68 67 68

    272 Paul Lawrie 70 65 70 67

    273 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 69 67 66 71, Steve Webster 72 67 66 68, Ross Fisher 67 70 65 71

    274 James Kingston (Rsa) 69 71 64 70

    275 Soren Hansen (Den) 73 65 65 72, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 69 67 68 71, Simon Dyson 71 69 67 68

    276 Anthony Wall 72 66 70 68, Rory McIlroy 69 69 69 69, Chris Wood 73 70 68 65

    277 Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 67 75 66 69

    278 Stuart Manley 65 68 73 72, David Lynn 70 69 68 71

    279 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 68 67 73, Alexander Noren (Swe) 71 69 67 72, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 67 74 72 66, Lee Westwood 72 67 72 68, Bradley Dredge 70 70 67 72

    280 Sam Walker 67 73 69 71, Garry Houston 73 66 73 68

    281 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 68 68 72 73, Gary Orr 74 68 68 71, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 67 73 73 68, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 73 69 66 73, Mark Foster 66 71 73 71, Peter Lawrie 72 69 71 69, Darren Clarke 72 69 74 66

    282 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 69 66 72 75, Marc Warren 68 73 70 71, Paul Waring 71 71 68 72, David Howell 74 70 67 71, David Dixon 72 69 72 69, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 67 69 73 73, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 72 65 73 72, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 66 70 74 72

    283 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72 72 71 68, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 73 71 69 70, Jamie Donaldson 69 70 74 70, Oliver Fisher 73 71 71 68

    284 Graeme McDowell 67 74 73 70, Richard Green (Aus) 71 69 72 72, Phillip Price 69 70 74 71

    285 Peter Hanson (Swe) 73 69 70 73, Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa) 69 72 72 72, Johan Edfors (Swe) 70 71 72 72

    286 Stephen Gallacher 69 71 72 74, Gary Murphy 69 74 68 75, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 72 70 72 72, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 74 68 73 71, John Bickerton 71 73 69 73

    287 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 72 72 69 74, Robert Rock 72 72 72 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 71 73 73 70

    288 Henrik Nystrom (Swe) 70 73 73 72, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 73 71 73 71, David Frost (Rsa) 69 72 73 74

    290 Marcel Siem (Ger) 68 71 73 78, Antonio Sobrinho (Por) 70 73 73 74, Gregory Havret (Fra) 71 71 71 77

    291 Rafael Echenique (Arg) 72 71 71 77

    292 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 71 74 74, Nick Dougherty 70 70 73 79

    293 Sion Bebb 68 74 72 79, Robert Dinwiddie 72 68 72 81, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 73 69 74 77

    295 Graeme Storm 69 69 72 85

    297 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 69 73 83, Barry Lane 68 70 78 81