There were a number of rulings made by the R&A officials on day three of the Open but none was more interesting as that for Lee Westwood. And hats off to the 46 year-old Englishman who showed pure class and honesty in dealing with the situation.
Fourteen-year-old Kuang Yang clinched his place in the 2019 Volvo China Open by winning the Volvo China Junior Match Play Championship at Southern Wood Golf & Country Club in Fujian on Wednesday.
They needed it to be tough out there if they were going to challenge Shane Lowry but in the end, it was too tough and the conditions actually played in to the hands of the big man. For a man who grew up playing links golf up and down Ireland he was always going to be one of best equipped if the really high winds came.
Lee Westwood backed up a first day 68 with an impressive 67 and is currently tied in 3rd position with Tommy Fleetwood, just one shot off the overnight lead. Based on his recent form this is somewhat unexpected. What has changed you might ask? Well he’s brought Helen Storey, his girlfriend, in as his looper and, despite her not knowing much about golf, it just might provide the fairy tale story for one of the finest golfers never to win a major.
Hughie's is the 416 yards, par 4 first hole on the Royal Portrush course. There is out of bounds on both sides of the hole with most golfers most concerned with that on the right. However, as there are bunkers on the right and left of the fairway at 262 yards and 291 yards respectively, most pros will go with an iron.
Why is the golf now only on Sky TV in the UK with the BBC set to produce, if last year is anything to go by, a set of very ordinary highlights programmes? Who is to blame - Sky, the BBC, the politicians, the R&A or perhaps even Brexit?
ECCO GOLF has announced the signing of German golfers Esther Henseleit (24) and Freddy Schott (21) as brand ambassadors. Schott and Henseleit will be sporting shoes from ECCO GOLF’s innovative new SS23 collection when they begin their 2023 seasons.
Bio Kim has had a busy few weeks. Starting the month by giving the finger to a member of the crowd at the Daegu–Gyeongbuk Open, he won the event before being given a £6,500 fine and an unbelievably harsh three-year suspension. Luckily, the Korean Professional Golfers' Association have seen sense and reduced that ban to one year following a meeting between the Tour's board of directors.
Despite no mortal being able to move it on their own the answer is the boulder. As Tiger Woods found out to his benefit at the 1999 Phoenix Open when a friendly rules official suggested it was a loose impediment.
Congratulations to Gary Woodland who stood firm under the pressure of a charging Brooks Koepka, the world number one and winner of four of the last eight majors he had played in. Others launched a challenge, most notably England’s Justin Rose, but all faded away as Woodland stuck to his task.
From venerable golf clubs to courses in historic settings or alongside ancient buildings, the past is ever-present when you play golf in Northern Ireland.
It’s Manic Monday, so here is a very quick round up of all the results and stories from the weekend. Patrick Cantlay taking the memorial and more...
