CLARKE SPURRED ON BY BAD PRESS

Darren Clarke today gave an extra reason why he enjoyed his win in Shanghai on Sunday so much.

The Ryder Cup star still remembers that a journalist wrote last year that he was "continuing his inexorable slide towards oblivion".

CLARKE OUTLINES RYDER HOPES

Darren Clarke admits he is desperate to make the European Ryder Cup team this year after securing a long-awaited victory at the BMW Asian Open.

The 39-year-old edged Robert-Jan Derksen by a single stroke in a thrilling final-day encounter in Shanghai in which Clarke holed a birdie putt on the last to secure the win.

NO TESTS FOR DRUGS AT OPEN

No drug-testing will take place at the Open this July but there will be a tough stance taken on slow play - and mobile phones hidden in sandwiches.

Plans for the championship to become the first major to enforce the sport's soon-to-be-introduced anti-doping policy have been abandoned by the Royal and Ancient Club.

CLARKE AND DALY SET FOR SEVILLE

A pairing of the players ranked 112th and 595th in the world would not normally attract major interest on the European Tour, but it will at the Spanish Open in Seville starting Thursday.

Darren Clarke, back in the hunt for a Ryder Cup place after his first Tour win for five years in China on Sunday, partners larger-than-life John Daly in the first two rounds.

MONSTER PUTT SEALS TITLE FOR SCOTT

Adam Scott sank a birdie from nearly 50 feet to beat Ryan Moore in a play-off at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

After missing several much shorter putts during the final round, Scott found his range to see off Moore at the third extra hole at the Four Seasons TPC.

DOUGHERTY MOURNING MOTHER

Nick Dougherty's mother Ennis has died at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack nine days ago.

The 25-year-old from Liverpool, watched by both his parents when he made his Masters debut earlier this month, was lying 10th with a round to go in the Verizon Heritage tournament at Hilton Head in America when he was told she had collapsed in Florida.

NORMAN CALLS FOR OLYMPIC RECOGNITION

Former world number one Greg Norman has echoed PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem's call for golf to become an Olympic sport.

Finchem earlier this month stated his intention to get golf back on the schedule for the 2016 Games.

CLARKE HAILS BEST WIN

Darren Clarke hailed his emotionally-charged victory at the BMW Asian Open as the best of his illustrious career.

The 39-year-old edged Robert-Jan Derksen by a single stroke in a thrilling final-day encounter in Shanghai in which Clarke holed a birdie putt on the last to secure the win.

BACK TO REALITY FOR IMMELMAN

Trevor Immelman admitted he still cannot quite believe he is the new Masters champion as he prepared to return to competitive action for the first time since his Augusta National victory earlier this month.

Immelman tees off at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship on Thursday at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, 11 days after he donned the Masters champion's green jacket having held off Tiger Woods for a three-stroke victory.

CLARKE: CHINA IN MY HANDS

Darren Clarke admits he is revelling in his position at the top of the BMW Asian Open leaderboard as the Northern Irishman heads into the final round chasing an overdue victory on the European Tour.

The 39-year-old's last success on the circuit came at the WGC-NEC Invitational in 2003 and after his well-documented personal difficulties off the course in 2006 he has only fleetingly come close to adding an 11th victory on the Tour since.

OCHOA WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT TITLE

Lorena Ochoa continued her superb season on Sunday, winning the Ginn Open for her fourth straight title.

Ochoa became the first woman to win four straight titles since Annika Sorenstam in 2001. Mickey Wright (1961 and 1962) and Katey Whitworth (1969) also won four straight events.

WEEKLEY DEFENDS VERIZON TITLE

Boo Weekley successfully defended his Verizon Heritage title at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina after a even-par final round proved enough for a three-stroke victory.

Weekley carded a 71 to finish 15 under but none of his challengers could make the necessary move to overhaul him.

WILSON READY TO BREAK DUCK

Oliver Wilson feels he is ready to claim his maiden European Tour title after he put himself among the early pacesetters with an opening-round four-under-par 68 at the BMW Asian Open.

The 27-year-old from Mansfield has come close to securing that elusive win on a number of occasions in his four years on the circuit, most notably at the Johnnie Walker Classic and the Deutsche Bank Players' Championship last season.

BYRON NELSON INSIDE TRACK

The EDS Bryon Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, has a new look this year.

The TPC Four Seasons Resort Course has undergone a major redesign by DA Weibring and his partner Steve Walford, in association with PGA Tour players JJ Henry and Harrison Frazar.

STENSON HAS MAJOR TARGET

Henrik Stenson hopes to push on from his performance at the Masters earlier this month and secure a top-10 finish at a Major this season.

The 31-year-old Swede followed up an impressive year in 2007 with a fine start to the current season and was only knocked off the top of the European Tour Order of Merit after Trevor Immelman's success in Augusta.

NO REGRETS FOR KNOST

It is fair to say that not too many people, certainly not on this side of the Atlantic, noticed or even cared about the absence of Colt Knost from The Masters.

Yet he might have started a trend and if others do follow his example it ought to give the powers-that-be in golf something to think about in these fast-changing times.

WEEKLEY AT CAREER HIGH

American Boo Weekley is up to a career-high 23rd in the world after his successful defence of the Verizon Heritage tournament on the US Tour.

Ireland's Damien McGrane is now 148th after his maiden European Tour victory - by a massive nine strokes - at the Volvo China Open.

IMPRESSIVE McGRANE SECURES VICTORY

Damien McGrane admits he has fulfilled a childhood dream after securing his first European Tour title with an impressive nine-stroke victory at the Volvo China Open today.

The 37-year-old Irishman seemed to thrive in the wet and windy conditions at the Beijing CBD International Golf Club as he carded a one-over-par 73 in the final round to ease to an emphatic win.

McGRANE STICKING TO HIS PLAN

Volvo China Open winner Damien McGrane insists his maiden victory on the European Tour will not cause him to change the way he plays.

The Irishman has been searching for his first win during six seasons on the circuit but he finally broke his duck with an emphatic nine-stroke victory at the Beijing CBD International Golf Club on Sunday.

MAIDEN TITLE FOR ZACKRISSON

Sweden's Emma Zackrisson secured her first win on the Ladies European Tour on Sunday in her first LET event of the year at the Open de Espana Femenino in Castellon.

Zackrisson, who led after the second and third rounds, posted a final round of 71 to finish on a four-round total of seven-under-par 281.

HUDSON IN CONTENTION

England's Rebecca Hudson remains in contention for the Ladies Spanish Open but Sweden's Emma Zackrisson holds a four-shot lead going into the final day after a round of one under par 71.

Zackrisson, who led by one shot at the halfway stage, finished on a six-under-par aggregate of 210 after another windy afternoon at Panoramica Golf and Country Club near Castellon.

RYDER BOOST FOR McDOWELL

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell has moved back into sixth spot in the Ryder Cup qualifying race following his fifth-place finish in the China Open.

Nick Dougherty's withdrawal from the Verizon Heritage event in America because of a family illness - he was joint 10th with a round to go - means he stays in eighth place.

OLAZABAL: NO CUP OFFER ON TABLE

Jose Maria Olazabal insists he has not been invited to become Ryder Cup captain for Celtic Manor in Wales in two years' time.

Thomas Bjorn, chairman of Europe's players' committee, did speak to the Spaniard two weeks ago, but after missing the halfway cut at Augusta National Olazabal said: "The job was not offered.

FINCH HOPING FOR MAJOR PERFORMANCE

Richard Finch hopes he can produce another winning performance at the Volvo China Open this weekend and move himself closer to realising his goal of qualifying for the Majors.

The 30-year-old Yorkshireman carded a three-under-par 69 at the Beijing CBD International Golf Club to take the clubhouse lead midway through his second round.

GLOVER OUT IN FRONT

Lucas Glover carded a second successive 66 to claim a one-shot lead after the second round of the Verizon Heritage tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Defending champion Boo Weekley is a shot behind on nine under after a 64 but England's Nick Dougherty had to settle for a share of 14th despite holding the lead for a while.

SCOTLAND OUT TO EMULATE ENGLISH STARS

Zane Scotland feels he is on his way to returning to the form which once saw him hailed as Britain's answer to Tiger Woods after producing a four-under par 68 in the opening round of the Volvo China Open.

VERIZON HERITAGE INSIDE TRACK

The players are faced with a very different test of golf this week as the PGA tour moves to Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina for the Verizon Heritage Championship.

Length and strength are not required at this Pete Dye designed golf course, a Par 71, measuring just 6,973 yards from the championship tees.

FALDO BACKS RYDER CUP HEALTH PLAN

Nick Faldo has spoken highly of a plan to put candidates for his Ryder Cup team through a rigorous fitness examination.

The top 20 players in the points standings will be invited to attend one of the United Kingdom's most sophisticated medical facilities during the week of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next month.

PGA CHIEF KEEN ON OLYMPIC GOLF

PGA Tour chief Tim Finchem wants to see golf included in the Olympics by 2016.

The merits of golf's inclusion on the Olympic schedule have been discussed in the past and tour commissioner Finchem believes it is now time to reopen the debate.

WOODS GOES UNDER KNIFE

Tiger Woods will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee.

The 32-year-old, who finished second to Trevor Immelman at the Masters at Augusta last week, is now unlikely to defend the Wachovia Championship and his appearance at The Players Championship, which begins on May 8, is also in jeopardy.

FALDO AND AZINGER MEET

Nick Faldo had lunch with opposing Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger at Augusta on Thursday - 24 hours after saying "there's no beef between us at all".

What was on their plates is not known, but the meeting was a chance for the two to discuss the weekend's events when Azinger took shots at Europe's captain.

FALDO: IT WON'T BE A ROUGH RYDER

Nick Faldo insists he has no problem with opposing Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger after reports of a rift between the pair.

"There's no beef between us at all," Faldo said. "We've spoken several times and we'll probably go fishing at the end of the Ryder Cup."

Masters notebook: Brandt Snedeker emotional after coming up short at Augusta National

In this big-money era of professional golf, where fans are sometimes turned off by robot-like players mailing it in on Sundays and still collecting nice paychecks, Brandt Snedeker's reaction to coming up short in the Masters was likely viewed by many as a breath of fresh air.
Playing in the final pairing with eventual champion Trevor Immelman at Augusta National Golf Club, Snedeker shot a disappointing 5-over-par 77 Sunday and finished tied for third place with Stewart Cink. Afterwards, Snedeker simply couldn't keep his emotions in check as tears streamed down his face while he spoke to reporters, eventually burying his face in a towel to sob.

"It was a tough day. Trevor played fantastic," Snedeker told reporters. "I obviously couldn't get anything going [and] couldn't make any putts when I needed to. I'm still a little emotional, as you can tell, but it's one of those things: You've got to kind of pick yourself up, realize what you did wrong and go fix it."
Snedeker began the day two shots back of Immelman and certainly had his chances to be the one winning his first major title. Immelman shot 3-over 75 - the highest final round by a Masters champion since Arnold Palmer in 1962 - but the 2007 PGA Tour rookie of the year couldn't take advantage.

With a swirling wind that contributed to only four players breaking par in the final round, Snedeker's day was an absolute roller coaster. The 27 year old opened bogey, eagle, bogey in a round that included nine bogeys in all.

"You just never really felt comfortable, no matter how good you're playing or how well you thought you were striking the golf ball," Snedeker said. "The wind could come up or come down and affect your golf ball so dramatically, and it was the same way on the greens. It was just a day you never really felt comfortable."

Snedeker said his only hope is that he'll learn and grow from the experience of playing in his first Masters as a professional.

"Obviously, being in the final pairing two days is something I'm very proud of - to be coming back here next year, hopefully we won't end up here in tears all over again," said Snedeker, who earned an invitational to play in the 2009 Masters with his top-16 finish. "I found out a lot about myself today."

Trevor Immelman Wins Masters Golf

Trevor Immelman won the Masters with relative ease, completing a wire-to-wire victory for his first Major title. Immelman closed with a 3-over 75 yesterday following three straight rounds under 70, leaving him three shots ahead of Tiger Woods.

Immelman's victory comes four months after he had a tumor removed from his back, and a year after he was stricken with a stomach parasite at the previous Masters. He entered the final round with a two-shot lead before expanding his cushion while he and the rest of the field battled 30-mile-an-hour winds.

Immelman was as many as six shots ahead in the final round before a double-bogey on the par-3 16 made things interesting. He closed with back-to-back pars to finish 8-under for the tournament.

Woods never made a serious charge, carding three birdies and three bogeys for a 72 that left him at minus-5.

Brandt Snedeker finished in a tie for third with Stewart Cink after entering the fourth round alone in second. Snedeker took himself out of contention with five bogeys on the front nine before completing a 77 for a 4-under total.

CORRECTED - CORRECTED-UPDATE 3-Golf-Masters-Immelman leads by two at softene

AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 12 (Reuters) - South African Trevor Immelman held steady through the front nine and surged ahead with an impeccable homeward half on Saturday to seize a two-shot lead with one round to play at the U.S. Masters.

Immelman, the overnight leader at eight under par, posted a three-under-par 69 at rain-softened Augusta National for an 11-under 205 total.

The 28-year-old South African stood 18 holes from his first major tournament title, though 13-times major winner Tiger Woods was lurking in fifth place, six shots back.

In second place on 207 was American Brandt Snedeker, who overcame three successive bogeys from the 11th with birdies at 14, 15 and 18. American Steve Flesch shot 69 for 208, one better than Briton Paul Casey, who also registered a three-under 69.

Four-times champion Woods posted 68 for five-under 211.

Immelman, 28, pulled ahead of the pack with birdies at the par-five 13th and par-four 14th and then escaped danger at 15.

The South African's third shot to the par-five hole spun off the green and appeared to be headed down the front bank and into the pond before somehow stopping on the steep slope.

Immelman chipped back up to the green and holed a four-foot putt to save par.

He capped off his impressive round with a breathtaking approach to three feet at the last and rolled in his third birdie of the back nine.

World number one Woods, striking the ball beautifully but unable to take full advantage of opportunities, was frustrated with his performance but happy for a chance at a 14th major.

"Today was probably the highest score I could have probably shot," said Woods, who started his round shortly after play resumed following a 40-minute suspension for heavy rain and the threat of lightning in the area.

"I hit the ball well all day, hit a lot of good putts that didn't quite have the right speed or the right line. It was just a touch off," he said, "but, hey, I put myself right back in the tournament."

Round three and Tiger has joined the fight

Cheltenham's Paul Casey today faces the biggest sporting hurdle of his life as he moves into the final day of the United States Masters, the first Englishman since Nick Faldo to have a genuine chance of actually winning the year's first major.

To be fair, allow me to nail the Cheltenham thing. Yes, he was born there but he has homes now in Surrey's Weybridge and Arizona's Scottsdale, the desert state where he also attended college as an amateur and from where he was good enough to break Tiger Woods All-American scoring record.

And, naturally, he will need to break something else belonging to Tiger today - the world number one's heart this time - if Casey is to actually slip on a Green Jacket. After a day studded with action from here, there and everyone, the predicted winds staying away, the conditions damn near perfect, Woods inevitably drilled his way back into the heart of the action via a 68 that took him to five under par and close enough up behind Casey and his pals.

Slowly the old focus returned, slowly the putts began to drop, suddenly his name hit the leaderboards that stud this garden course and the collective sigh of resignation was, I swear, discernible as it whistled amid Augusta's pines while his relief as he glanced up at the names and saw his at last creep onto the bottom rung was obvious.

He knows the sort of signal this sends out to everyone else in this field. Until now the others have been able to play free of the Tiger factor, able, temporarily at least, to persuade themselves that he had turned left along Washington Road and got lost somewhere.

Not now they can't. It is still going to be a titanic battle for Woods to win this opening major but at least he has joined the fray now and with lousy weather, particularly high winds, forecast for this afternoon then anything remains possible. Certainly the smartest money currently suggests that while yesterday's surprisingly benign conditions encouraged low scoring, today's winds will demand defence rather than attack. And guess who can defend a score better than anyone?

'I guess 68 was about the worst score I could have had today,' he said. 'Obviously I've got a lot of work to do now if I'm to win this thing but if it does turn out blustery and cooler that could help. Whatever, I've put myself back into the tournament.'

This was a vital round for Woods. His surprising decision earlier this year to suggest that the grand slam was 'easily doable' flew in the face of his usual carefully considered rhetoric even if he is good enough for no one to snigger, least of all in this quarter, at such a suggestion. However, he was digging a big hole by issuing this statement of intent.

Fact is, ludicrously, that if he falls at this first hurdle of the golf year he will be judged as a failure for the first time in his career. If he then went on to miss out at the US Open in June, The Open in July and the USPGA Championship in Augusta, things would get worse and he would be viewed as an overly confident fool. This, believe me, Tiger Woods would not like at all.

Whether players such as Casey, young American Brandt Snedeker, old American Steve Flesch, South Africa's Trevor Immelman or the still lurking Phil Mickelson can stop Woods remains to be seen but it should guarantee one of the great finishing days at this most glamorous of the year's majors. Of these, my own feeling is that Immelman has an outstanding chance.

A long-time admirer of him, it was good to hear Gary Player compare his compatriot to Ben Hogan in terms of ball-striking. Immelman, who now lives in Orlando in Florida, should have taken at least one stride forward last year but first a desperately debilitating intestinal virus and then a big health scare when he was diagnosed with a tumour near a lung - it turned out to be benign - ruined his year. Here at Augusta the brilliance some of us suspected had been waiting to be unleashed has indeed appeared for public scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Casey apart, there is still hope wrapped around two other Englishmen, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Poulter is full of potential. Or so he claims. He may have covered himself in something distasteful when he chose to pose unclothed for a golf magazine and to suggest that if he ever unleashed his full potential then it would be all about him and Woods may have been hyperbole, and bad taste, taken to the limits but he is at least performing excellently here so far.

His hole-in-one on Thursday was a highlight but to move into the weekend tied for third place is a very decent effort and one I am pleased to see because, for his occasional foolishness, Poulter is a nice enough bloke who at least tries to step outside the usual mundane rut that is the favourite haunt of the average golf pro.

And then there is Westwood. Slim, trim and full of brio, the chap from Worksop is still in here punching. When I saw him in the clubhouse, he was eager to get on with it. His manager Chubby Chandler could not help but smile as he absorbed his player's mood.

'You know what?' said Chandler, grinning. 'Since he's lost all this weight, Lee thinks he is Brad Pitt, and that's not a bad thought to take with you out on to this golf course.' Except that it all turned ugly for Brad Westwood when he bogeyed 11, 12 and 14. More the pits than Pitt, unfortunately.

Golf in the Olympics? Why not have bloggers compete?

I’m well aware that golf is the big show right now in the U.S., with the Masters taking center stage and the best of the best competing for the Green Jacket. The first major of the year has thrusted golf back into the national spotlight as normally Tiger Woods is able. Now such names as K.J. Choi, Trevor Immelman, Justin Rose and others get their chance to put themselves in the media spotlight, ala Zach Johnson in 2007.

So when Phil Mickelson talks about making golf an Olympic sport, it’s understandable that he’s caught up in the excitement of it all.But that doesn’t change the fact that having golf in the Olympics is as stupid an idea as you’ll find this side of Washington, D.C.

“We seem to be stagnant in growth. We lose as many golfers as we gain each year in the United States,” Mickelson said. “If we could make this an Olympic sport, I think golf could really grow.”

Good idea, Phil. Of course, if we waterboarded all non-golfers and forced them to play, golf could really grow, as well. It doesn’t make it a good idea, however. Head over to the Louvre one day and check out the statues of ancient Greek athletes. You’ll notice that very few of them depict naked guys holding a five iron with a caddie next to them checking the wind. By all means golf is a great game, but it’s just not Olympiad worthy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for promoting stupid ideas. Hell, I picked Sergio Garcia to win the Masters. Twice. In fact, to make sure that my cornucopia of stupid ideas stays overflowing, how about this one - have a Golf Blogger competition in the Olympics. I mean, it would embody the spirit of the Olympics just as much as golf. Everyone on our Big List of Golf Blogs would be invited to participate. We could all get matching jackets and march with the American team. TV viewing would be scintillating, as cameras would focus on a group of guys sitting in their underwear and women sitting in their bathrobes hunt-and-pecking on the keyboard to produce quality golf blogs.

Yeah, this is a stupid idea worth pursuing. Mainly because I feel ultra confident I would win the Gold. In fact, I’d advise all other competitors to quit now, while the stupid idea is still in the stupid forming stage. Why have the embarrassment of losing when you could actually watch the action from home. Seriously, just quit now. You know who I’m talking to. Your blogs are worthless and weak.

Ok, sorry. I just got all caught up in the Olympic spirit. I see how it can affect people now. So I’ll forgive Mickelson for his enthusiasm. But golf in the Olympics is still a stupid idea and belongs in the Olympics just as much as golf blogging does.

Of course, golf blogging doesn’t have quite the corporate sponsorship that golf and the Olympics have. Gatorade, at very least, will spend billions on trying to get Tiger a gold medal so they can invent a new flavor of Gatorade Tiger.

So while golf in the Olympics is idiotic, we live in idiotic times. So look for golf to get a shot at the 2012 Olympics. Then at least the whole world will see how golf doesn’t belong anywhere near the Olympic games.

Golf courses driving in the cash

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. --- All the golfers are in the area to catch a glimpse of greatness at Augusta National. But, some are hitting the greens on other area golf courses too.

Augusta and across the river in South Carolina, golfers like John Vanrossem are teeing it up this Masters week.

"We love golf! We're golf fanatics. So, we're going to watch and play golf," says John.

"Play golf!" Those are two words River Club Golf Club Director Chris Verdery loves to hear.

"We're getting a lot of play from people around the world and it's a great opportunity to showcase our course," says Verdery.

A showcase for Steve Hogberg on his first Masters trip, "I think it's pretty darn nice to do both. Play some lovely golf courses."

News 12, "The grass here as green as it is at the National?"

Steve saying, "No. You don't see any brown over there!"

Maybe not as green on the course, but lots of green in the clubhouse. With greens fees about $200 person, 18 holes with 2 shotgun starts and 4 people per group, that's up to $28,800 this Friday alone.

"It's been a great week for us so far," says Chris.

But, it's not all roses.

"Masters this year, I think the economy has hurt a little bit of the traffic," says Chris.

Still, golfers and even an alligator out on the course all day long on Friday.

"Spending lots of time and lots of money to come out here to visit your town and to play," says a golfer.

Not just on the River Club Golf Club either. Steve and John are playing another course on Friday too.

This is a trip back home for Greg Carter, proving to have a sweet spot for golf.

"We're having a great time. We got done yesterday and we're playing this course today. And, going back to the Masters this afternoon," says Greg. "We had an awesome time when I loved here and played a lot of courses then."

Poulter's ace puts the focus on his game, not his clothes

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Among his many attributes, Tiger Woods has the ability to needle his competitors. And he relishes the opportunity to let Ian Poulter have it whenever he sees the English golfer, who is perhaps better known for his on-course attire than his acumen.

Of course, it didn't help when Poulter disrobed for a U.K.-based golf magazine in January and said in the accompanying article that when he plays to his potential, "it will be just me and Tiger." That brought Poulter plenty of unwanted attention. Since then, Woods has taken to calling Poulter -- a sometimes neighbor in Orlando, Fla. -- "No. 2." "Tiger laughs all the time about it," Poulter said Thursday after making an ace at No. 16 and shooting a 2-under-par 70 in the first round of the Masters. "He keeps calling me No. 2, which is nice. So I guess I got to just keep playing better golf, and I might get there."
Poulter, 32, took a small step in that direction Thursday at Augusta National, where his lime green pants were, for once, overshadowed by his golf. Poulter's hole-in-one gave him the lead, briefly, and he remained near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day. He made different headlines when he posed nude -- except for a strategically placed golf bag -- and made his comments for the March issue of GolfWorld (U.K.) magazine. "The trouble is, I don't rate anyone else," said Poulter, a seven-time winner on the European Tour who is ranked 24th in the world. "Don't get me wrong, I really respect every professional golfer, but I know I haven't played to my full potential, and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger." Uh-oh. Among the tabloid headlines:

"Poulter's mouth joins his trousers in being a bit loud." "It's Ian Poulter's Turn to Piss Off Tiger."

Poulter took a beating in tabloid-mad Britain and has suffered his fair share of abuse from other players. "It was tricky on the Thursday in Dubai, to be honest," Poulter said of the week the story came out. "I think I've weathered it pretty good. I was basically saying how good Tiger was and how achievable I really think it is to get to the No. 2 spot, and again, if you play well over a year period or even a twoyear period, you can get there, and that's what I'm trying to achieve right now. "Among the guys, it was friendly banter, but in the newspaper and seeing the comments in there and seeing what people think and comparing to Tiger … I wasn't comparing to Tiger. I wasn't saying I was going to win 84 tournaments on the PGA Tour; I haven't won one yet. To be compared to him was a little unfair." Poulter has not exactly lit up scoreboards around the world since his comments, with no top-10 finishes and a tie for 57th two weeks ago at the WGC-CA Championship. But Poulter has long been regarded as an up-and-coming player. Last year, he was one of just seven to make the cut in all four major championships, tying for 13th here at the Masters. It was less than 10 years ago that Poulter was working in a pro shop -- "selling Mars Bars and golf balls" -- while his peers were working on their games. Now he has mansions in Orlando and Buckinghamshire, England, and he has his top-25 world ranking. And, thanks to an 8-iron shot from 169 yards at the par-3 16th hole, he has some crystal from the Masters (a hole-in-one earns a large crystal bowl). Poulter's ball landed on the right of the green, then trickled ever so slowly toward the cup and dropped in. "Massive, unbelievable buzz," he said. "It was a special moment, and the hairs on the back of your neck were standing up. It was great."

That extra adrenaline likely led to Poulter's only bogey of the day, a 5 at the 17th hole, where he knocked his approach over the green with a 5-iron. The shot traveled 203 yards and left him shaking his head.

It was one of just two greens Poulter missed in regulation, the other coming at the 12th hole, where he got up and down for par. "Ian played extremely well [today]," 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara said. Poulter agreed. "It was a near-flawless round," he said. "I don't know if 2 under par was a true reflection of how well I played today, but it was one of the best rounds of golf I've ever played. If I sit back at home tonight and think about it for 10 minutes, I wouldn't want to putt the ball in any different positions from where I did today. "I just wanted to play good golf. It's not about proving anybody wrong, to be honest. I fully believe in my own ability. That's down to me to go out and just play good golf, and if I can get my mindset right, then I know I can go out there and achieve big things, but that's down to me to go down and do that."

The breakfast club

It's Masters Tournament weekend. Possibly that makes your putter flutter. Then again, maybe you openly scoff at golf, reiterating what a doubter said once — it's not a sport, it's just people in silly pants walking. Personally, I think you can do much worse than spend a splendid day outdoors on manicured greens while getting in a little exercise and a lot of beer.

That's what I was thinking last Sunday when spring finally came calling on Columbus, and offered us the kind of day that makes you want to maximize your al fresco time. With this in mind, and with an eagle eye toward a practice swing for the Masters (one of the few golfing events worth watching on TV), I decided to hit the links — the sausage links, that is.

It might not be Augusta National, but the OSU golf course is considerably closer — plus it's open to the public (though with limited availability). And on Sundays, the clubhouse restaurant lays out a brunch buffet for all takers. That fine munch will suit you to a tee if you're swinging to fill a hole in one hungry tummy. Sinking in at $17 (that includes drink, tax and tip), it's a lot of value for the green and you're sure to drive away happy.

Thus I found myself on that gloriously warm and sunny late Sunday morning listening to the reassuring, seasonal sounds of birds chirping and spikey shoes clacking across the OSU golf course parking lot. The restaurant's located in the Clubhouse — a pleasant, unimposing building with a stone facade and brickwork surrounding three stout wooden doors.

The dining area is one floor up. It's basically a large single banquet room sectioned in two by the steam-table lineup. With stone walls and wooden beams, the place has a sort of lodge-like feel, albeit one with banks of windows brilliantly positioned right above the golf course. While the vibe there was totally casual, many patrons had donned nice outfits. I suppose they came dressed up for either 11 a.m. church services or 11 a.m. tee times, depending on how they worshipped.

Either way, we all had communion at the buffet. In general, the spread was a mix of fresh breakfast favorites and lunchtime comfort foods but also some more interesting options. There were several healthy choices, and overall I'd say the buffet was nicely tended and executed just as well, or better, than many three-star hotels.

For the not-so-early birds, there were:

• excellent soft-scrambled eggs that never hardened or dried out
• standard sausage and bacon
• golden-brown, ungreasy, cinnamony, homemade beignets
• a quiche Lorraine that was properly custardy in the middle, and flaky and firm outside
• glistening "supremed" grapefruit and orange segments
• a fresh fruit cocktail starring melons

Some of the more lunchy stuff was:

• a crisp vegetable salad with broccoli, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, red peppers and cucumbers in a perky basil vinaigrette
• crunchy and fruity chicken salad with a French-like dressing
• crepes stuffed with asparagus and a sort of chicken tetrazini (with sherry, cream and cheese)
• spinach the way I like it, correctly sauteed with garlic
• super tender slices of juicy pork loin on a refreshing bed of blanched lettuce
• fried chicken in the forms of unsauced wings (crackly and old-school good) and tenders (a little dry)

As I made my way over to the table where slices of cakes and pies awaited (like very serviceable cheesecake and a thick, jumbo-pretzel-like rustic apple tart) I gazed out onto the golf course. I saw flags unfurling in the breeze, trees still trying to make leaves and a poor guy flailing away hopelessly in a sand trap. That's when I thought that sometimes the best way to enjoy golf is by watching it with a hunk of dessert stuffed in your face. The hell with that frustrating little ball.

AUGUSTA, Ga, -- University of Alabama senior Michael Thompson will live out a golfer's dream this week as he opens play today in the 2008 Masters at A

AUGUSTA, Ga, -- University of Alabama senior Michael Thompson will live out a golfer's dream this week as he opens play today in the 2008 Masters at Augusta National.

Thompson will be paired with two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw in the first and second round but should be over his case of nerves after playing a practice round with Phil Mickelson on Tuesday.

"It was just good to see where his game is right now and for me to kind of see where my game can potentially go," Thompson said. "He played very, very well and hit some shots that were very impressive. And it just made me look forward to getting out and playing professional golf and practicing more. He was a great guy and we had a lot of fun."

Thompson, an All-American who is one of 20 Division I golfers on the Jack Nicklaus Award watch list as the collegiate golfer of the year, earned the invitation a year ago after finishing second in the U.S. Amateur. He left for Augusta on Saturday and is one of three amateur golfers competing in the event, along with Virginia Tech junior Drew Weaver and Trip Kuehne.

"I'm thrilled," said Thompson, who plans to wear his Crimson Tide golf gear each day in his first professional golf tournament. "It's an honor to be in this situation, to have an opportunity to play in the Masters, a tournament I grew up watching on TV, playing with the guys I see on TV week in and week out."

Participants are allowed to practice on the course leading up to the event and Thompson has made five previous trips to Augusta National before he arrived at the course last Saturday. Since then, he has shared accommodations with Weaver and Kuehne in the famed "Crow's Nest," a dorm-style room located on the third floor of the Augusta National Clubhouse that is reserved for the amateurs.

On Monday evening, the amateurs were treated to a dinner in their honor.

"It was really special," Thompson said. "They had a whole bunch of Augusta National members, members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and from the USGA. It didn't hit me until when they started giving the speeches that that dinner was for us, the three amateurs. It was kind of surreal. It was just really cool because all of those people really want us to do well and that kind of support you don't see a whole lot in golf tournaments from the hosts."

Thompson got an additional taste of the surreal atmosphere on the course when he went through his first practice round on Monday. He said there were about 40,000 fans out on the golf course, who were all waiting in anticipation out on the No. 16 hole.

"The crowd tries to get the players -- after they hit their regular tee shots on this par 3 -- to skip a ball across the water and try to get it up on the green," Thompson said. "Then you hit off of a little down slope like at the front of the tee box close to the water, and you just try to skip it up there. When I went up to do it, I hit a 3-iron to begin with and chunked it into the water. There had to be 10,000 people on this one hole. And so everybody's going crazy, and when I chunked it, everybody booed me.

"I kind of walked to my bag with my head down and kind of sulking, kind of being dramatic and pulled out a 5-iron and a new ball. And everybody started cheering when I pulled out a new ball because they wanted to see me do it again. And so I stepped up, put the ball down and I hit a 5-iron and I skipped it along the water and it hopped up onto the green to about 15 feet and the whole place went nuts. It was just like I'd made a hole in one. It was unbelievable."

Thompson has played in front of big crowds before, but today he will be teamed with Crenshaw, who won the Masters in 1984 and 1995 and finished as runner-up in 1976 and 1983, and Nick O'Hern, who is making his fourth appearance at the Masters.

"To me, being out here feels normal," said the Arizona native. "This has been my dream for so long that I've really started to believe that being out here with these guys is where I want to be and where I'm supposed to be in terms of my career and my destiny. I haven't been very nervous just because when I go out and play I'm just telling myself, 'This is the same game you've been playing all your life. Just make a golf swing.' And more often than not, I hit it pretty well."

Alabama coach Jay Seawell isn't surprised. Thompson transferred from Tulane after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the New Orleans area and has helped elevate the Crimson Tide golf program to a No. 1 ranking this spring. Thompson was voted all-Southeastern Conference last year in his first year at Alabama and finished fourth individually at the NCAA Championships in 2007.

"Physically, he's just a great putter," said Seawell. "That's a trait you'll see in the successful PGA golfers: they putt extremely well. Mentally he's a very golf-smart guy. He's a smart guy anyway, but he's a very smart guy on the golf course."

Caddying for Thompson will be Tom Shaw, his former golf coach at Tulane who encouraged him to transfer to Alabama to play for his friend Seawell. Thompson's gallery in Augusta will include his parents, Mike and Beth Thompson, his younger brother Zach who attends the Air Force Academy, his sister and her family, his swing coach Susie Meyers, family friends, childhood friends, former teammates from Tulane, several of his Alabama teammates and Seawell who'll get back from coaching Alabama in the Morris Williams tournament in Texas just in time to see Thompson tee off in the first round.

The senior has set some simple goals for his first Masters appearance.

"No three putts, be completely committed to every single shot that I have and to make the cut," he said. "Other than that, I don't really care how I finish. I know if I do those, then I will play well and I will finish well."

Golf: Muted Masters buzz fails to faze Johnson

Augusta, Ga. - Zach Johnson and Tiger Woods shared the putting green near Augusta National Golf Club's first tee as noon approached Wednesday.

Cameras clicked as fans, six deep, watched. Their target was obvious.

"Get one of him, too," a father told his son, pointing to Johnson. "He's the defending champion."

Johnson, an Iowa native and Drake graduate, starts defense of his Masters golf title today. And he's done so by setting a new standard for flying under golf's radar - in an event watched by an estimated 41.4 million television viewers during last year's tournament.

"I'm trying to think of someone to compare him with," said Dan Jenkins, a noted author and Golf Digest columnist covering his 58th Masters. "Maybe Zach would be it. It's tough to find somebody else."

Tiger Woods' dominance this season and his quest to win all four major championships - the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship - in the same season have been the dominant storyline heading into this week.

So dominant that Woods is even-money to win this week in some betting circles.

"Isn't that wild?" Golf World columnist Bob Verdi said. "I know he's great, but this is bizarre."

Welcome to the Tiger Woods era.

"We're not talking about who is going to win the Masters this year," said Gary Van Sickle of Sports Illustrated. "We're talking about who is going to win the Grand Slam. It's already been conceded, apparently."

Flying under radar: 'I actually like it'

Johnson, who tees off at 9:23 a.m. in today's first round, has played second fiddle to Woods for weeks leading up to the season's first major.

"He might have to reintroduce himself again," Verdi said. " 'I'm still Zach Johnson from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.' "

If the lack of buzz bothers Johnson, he's not showing it.

"As far as Tiger and being under the radar as defending champion, I'm used to it," Johnson said. "I actually like it. Once again, I'm not supposed to win. The pressure might be a little different that last year. But why should it be?"

Johnson's father, David, isn't so diplomatic. He's seen all the Masters promos on CBS for weeks, featuring Woods, a good bit of Phil Mickelson, even some Arnold Palmer and a paucity of Zach Johnson.

"Who did win last year?" David said. "It was either Tiger or Phil. Maybe Arnie. I got a little tired of it. It just shows you how powerful the media is, and obviously Tiger drives the golf end of it."

This is not new territory for Iowa's top golf story.

After Johnson won last year, Sports Illustrated's cover photo a week later was a shot of Woods breaking his 4-iron while trying to negotiate a shot around a pine tree.

CBS, which will air a highlights show today and Friday and provide coverage of the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday, has no feature planned on Johnson.

"We do not usually do feature stories during Masters coverage," said CBS spokesperson LeslieAnne Wade. "It's primarily wall-to-wall golf."

The Golf Channel did produce a feature on Johnson. And ESPN, which has rights to the first two rounds, ran a Johnson feature on its preview show Wednesday.

Johnson's humility earns him acclaim

Mike Tirico, ESPN's lead commentator at the Masters this week, said Johnson's personality fits his under-the-radar tag this week.

"And he's very comfortable with it, which is neat," Tirico said. "There's no superstar quality to him. He's an everyday, regular guy."

Johnson's humble qualities stick in Tirico's mind.

"It's still like he's too good to be true," Tirico said. "He's 'I'm Zach Johnson from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.' That's just one of the greatest quotes of all time. That's the quote from last year's Masters that I'll remember most. It describes him."

ESPNEWS ran live interviews with just three players Tuesday - Woods, Mickelson and Johnson.

"They would not have been doing that 365 days ago," Tirico said. "That's the different world he lives in. The good news is that Zach is in a different world, but he's the same person."

That world, however, has been dominated by Tiger Woods this week - to almost no one's surprise.

"It's like that 'Brady Bunch' episode of Jan complaining, 'It's Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,' " said Doug Ferguson, national golf writer for the Associated Press. "It's all about Tiger, and rightly so."

Woods, who has won four of the last five tournaments he's played on the PGA Tour, has added fuel to the fire by bringing up his quest for a Grand Slam.

"You have to listen to that," Ferguson said. "Zach rolls into town and you say, 'How did you get here again? Oh, yeah, you won last year.' "

Woods, Mickelson grab most attention

Scott Van Pelt, who is anchoring ESPN's studio coverage at the Masters, said Woods, a four-time winner at Augusta, and Mickelson, a two-time winner, command the headlines despite what happened last year.

"It's not that Zach is underappreciated," Van Pelt said. "It's just that this course lends itself, in theory, to these other two guys so much that it's hard to allow yourself to believe that it could happen again."

But it did happen once.

"A story like Zach's was undeniable last year," Van Pelt said. "It's hard not to allow yourself to think back and say, 'Wow, what an amazing performance that was.' Would you have allowed yourself to think he could stare Tiger down on this course and win? I would not have."

Johnson did, however, and it's a memory David Johnson will never forget - no matter how far under the radar his son flies.

"You can't take anything away from the kid," David said. "I can still turn on that DVD and watch it any day of the week, and feel pretty good about it."

Golf: Masters Preview & Houston Open

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - Read our golf reporter's Masters picks, plus read how Virginia Tech alumnus Johnson Wagner won the Houston Open to secure the last spot in Augusta.

WAGNER WINS LAST SPOT AT MASTERS WITH HOUSTON VICTORY:

Former Virginia Tech standout Johnson Wagner snared the final spot in this year’s Masters’ Tournament by recording his first PGA Tour victory at the Houston Open in Humble, TX.

Here’s a round-by-round recap of a wild week in which Wagner shared or held the lead from start to finish:

Round One
Adam Scott broke the course record with a 63 on Thursday (Held by none other than Wagner), only to be tied atop the leaderboard at day’s end by – you guessed it, Wagner. Apparently he doesn’t like his record’s being broken. Some would say Wagner’s 63 was more impressive than Scott’s because he did it in the afternoon when the wind blew much harder. Scott, however, shot his 63 with a fever and sore throat. It wouldn’t be the last we would hear from the weather or Scott’s illness this weekend.

Charley Hoffman’s 65 was as close as anyone would get to the first round leaders, while Steve Stricker followed with a 66 and four others including Geoff Ogilvy shot 67.

And, of course, John Daly shot 78 and promptly withdrew.

Round Two
Weather wreaked havoc on the players who had the unfortunate afternoon draw as a one hour and forty-five minute rain delay halted play late Friday. When play resumed the temperature had dropped a good 15 degrees and it continued to rain the remainder of the round. Stricker, Ogilvy and Scott were all casualties of the afternoon squall, shooting 76, 73 and 76, respectively. Scott withdrew Saturday; unable to shake an illness he had been fighting all week.

Wagner shot a 69 Friday morning to hold the 36-hole lead at 12-under par. Chad Campbell had the round of the day shooting 64 thanks to a scorching putter. Hoffman stayed in the mix with a 70, three shots behind Wagner.

Michael Campbell, the 2005 U.S. Open champ at Pinehurst, continues to struggle with his game (and that’s being nice) shooting 81-85 to miss the cut by 22 shots.

Round Three
Maybe the hardest thing to do in professional golf, or in golf period, is to follow up a really low round with another the following day (unless your given name is Eldrick). That’s exactly what Chad Campbell did Saturday by firing a 65, one day after shooting a 64. At one point late in the third round Campbell was 16-under par over his last 29 holes.

Wagner continued to lead at 15-under after another 69, but Campbell was now only one back and Hoffman, who also shot 69, was three back along with Texas native Bob Estes who fired a 64 Saturday after recently going to an interlocking grip and using a glove for the first time in nearly a decade. Ogilvy, by far the best player within five shots of the lead, was just that at 10-under par.

As Wagner slept on the overnight lead again, it was clear that if he stumbled the winner would be one of those four players already double-digits under par.

Final Round
Billy Mayfair and Freddy Couples tried to prove that theory wrong as they both fired 66’s Sunday, but starting the day at –7 they were just a little too far back. Ogilvy looked poised to catch Wagner but a bogey at the par-3 14th and a par at the par-5 15th sealed his fate despite an unexpected birdie at the long, watery 18th. He would finish tied for second with Campbell, who couldn’t possibly shoot another below par round could he? The answer was no as he shot even par 72 and finished two shots behind Wagner at 14-under.

Yes, it was Wagner who had made only two cuts this year and had never won on Tour who led wire-to-wire and earned his first Masters invitation. Though it looked at times like he was about to falter, his nerves never affected his putting which carried him to victory with an assortment of deft lag putts and crucial five to ten-footers that kept his lead intact..

Pat Perez made the most lucrative jump of the day shooting 64, propelling him up the leaderboard after starting Sunday at T-41 and finishing T-8. Brett Quigley on the other hand, was spilling cash all day, going from T-7 to T-66 with a final round 82 that included an 8 on the home hole.

Masters Picks
The Favorite
Tiger Woods- Coming off a poor putting performance at the CA Championship at Doral should only help the world’s No.1. How many times has he putted poorly two tournaments in a row?

The Contenders
Phil Mickelson- Has really not given me a reason to think he can win at Augusta but since he is this generation’s Arnold Palmer and Palmer won the Masters every even numbered year four times I will give Mickelson a good shot at winning the tournament should Woods falter.

K.J. Choi- Has played well for stretches at Augusta before, and now has the short game and winning experience to breakthrough at a tournament like the Masters.

Padraig Harrington- When his meticulous putting style is working he has the ability to thrive on Augusta’s undulating greens; if he can stay away from the “blow-up hole” he has just as good of a chance as anyone outside of Woods.

Vijay Singh- Of all the guys who use the ridiculous belly-putter he and Stewart Cink have the most success with it, however, the problem with a gimmicky putter is that under the gun it usually fails. Singh, who has won here and a lot of other places, won’t be scared if he can get himself in position on the second nine Sunday.

Geoff Ogilvy- Probably playing the best of all the contenders heading into the tournament, putts and chips well, hits it high and long, and has won big tournaments before. Could become first Australian to win at Augusta.

The Sleepers
Fred Couples- I don’t think he can putt well enough for four rounds but crazy things can happen if he keeps himself in contention until Sunday. And the way he is striking the ball that is definitely possible.

Justin Leonard- This may look crazy at first but Leonard is similar to past winners Zach Johnson and Mike Weir. He’s won a major before and has come a long way in the past year so this may be a sentimental pick but he has a slim chance if others falter.

Brandt Snedeker- Last year’s Rookie of the Year hasn’t played his best so far this year but has the ability to get hot with the putter and usually plays well in big-name events.

Evolve Golf's Epoch tee played by winner of Shell Houston Open

OCEAN ISLE, N.C. -- Evolve Golf – maker of the No. 1 performance golf tee on Tour – announces its continued success, with the winner of last week’s Shell Houston Open relying on the Epoch tee.

A part of 99 major Tour wins – including 27 PGA Tour victories – since its 2004 debut, Epoch is the only performance tee with radius posts that span the width of a golf ball dimple. This unique feature creates the lowest coefficient of friction of any tee, eliminating deflection at impact and increasing ball speed and control off the tee. The Epoch has been scientifically proven via a series of rigorous independent tests to provide improvements of up to 12 yards distance and 9 yards accuracy.

“This week’s winner is among the long list of elite players on the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours who rely on the benefits our tees provide,” says Evolve Golf Founder and CEO, BJ Maloy. “They trust our advanced design because it provides an immediate and obvious improvement in distance and accuracy.”

In addition to its performance advantages, Epoch – like all Evolve Golf products – is completely sustainable. Made entirely from recycled and renewable materials, the mower-friendly design lasts 10-times longer than a wooden tee.

About Evolve Golf

Evolve Golf is the leading manufacturer of sustainable performance golf tees. Available at more than 2,200 marquee private clubs, daily-fee facilities, off-course and online retailers worldwide – including Edwin Watts, Golf Galaxy, Golfsmith, Target and TGW.com – Evolve Golf first developed a breakthrough prototype in late 2003. Its Epoch performance tee was launched on the PGA Tour in 2004 and quickly gained a devoted following.

Independently tested at Hot Stix and Golf Laboratories, Epoch has been proven, depending on swing speed, to provide a three- to 12-yard increase in distance and four- to nine-yard improvement in accuracy.

Website offers aerial views of golf courses

MILLERSVILLE, Md. — A Maryland company is giving golfers a reason to yell "Foresight."

GolfFlyover.com offers aerial views of almost 6,600 courses nationwide available for free. Officials said they are adding 700 new fly overs every week and may have all of them online before the end of the year.

"The long-term goal is to provide every course in America on our website," said Robert Nelsen of Millersville, chief executive officer of GolfFlyover.com.

If the company continues to add golf courses at the current pace, it should have all 18,000 in the United States on the site in four to six months, Nelsen said. He said GolfFlyover.com includes nine-hole public golf courses.

"Once we get there, we hope to go worldwide," said Perry Likakis of Perry Hall, vice president of marketing for GolfFlyover.com.

The company was started with personal investments from Nelsen, Likakis and his brother, George, and funding from private investors. GolfFlyover.com partnered with V-Empower, a consulting and information technology solutions company, which hired more than 20 employees in India to research maps of golf courses and design the fly overs. The website became operational in February.

"We've kept our costs extremely low by not having office space and being a virtual company," Nelsen said. The company plans to generate revenue through the advertisements on its site, and it plans on placing advertisements in the fly overs.

The fly overs can be viewed on Google Earth. While golf courses could previously be viewed on Google Earth, there was no way to figure out the order of the holes or where the holes and tees are. With fly overs, the golfer is given a complete guide to the course.

Jason Sparhawk, assistant golf professional for the Chartwell Golf & Country Club, said the fly overs have several advantages. People who don't want to spend money on a yardage device or yardage book can still get an idea of what they're up against, he said.

"It gives them an up as to what hazards are coming," Sparhawk said.

At least one pro in the golfing game expressed skepticism about whether the service would help the members at his club.

Matt Hoffmann, head PGA professional at the Crofton Country Club, said his club doesn't have much use for the fly overs.

As a private club, most of the golfers there know the layout of their club's course. But he acknowledged the service might be useful for someone who's shopping for a course to play elsewhere.

"That kind of technology may benefit more public golf courses, where people are looking for what place to play at," Hoffmann said.

Knowing that private clubs don't see much use in the fly overs doesn't seem to faze Nelsen or Likakis.

"The big customer we're looking at is someone who travels to a golf destination," Nelsen said. GolfFlyover.com will be particularly helpful to golfers traveling to tourist areas that have a large number of courses, Likakis said. If a golfer is planning a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., which has hundreds of golf courses, GolfFlyover.com can help narrow down the choices.

He added that in the future, GolfFlyover.com is hoping courses will link to GolfFlyover.com from their sites; fly overs will be installed on golf cart screens; and GolfFlyover.com will offer other golfer services, such as partnering with a site to help golfers plan trips.

Dominican Republic becoming a player on international golf scene

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic - Long known for silver sand beaches and merengue music, the Dominican Republic is raising its profile as a world-class destination for golf.

The country already hosts the most golf courses of any nation in the Caribbean — at least two dozen. Some are renowned for holes by oceanside cliffs and turquoise seas. Plans call for at least half a dozen more courses in a few years, amid a real estate and tourism boom on the country's sprawling and relatively undeveloped coasts.

Business and government leaders hope publicity for a Professional Golfers Association's Champions Tour event, which ends today, will lure more visitors and home buyers — including many from South Florida, just two hours away by jet and served by frequent flights.

"This is only the beginning of promotions of the Dominican Republic as a golf destination," Vice Minister of Tourism Magaly Toribio said last week at a trade show in the country's fast-developing east coast region of Punta Cana.
South Florida golf course designers and real estate firms are central to the push.

The PGA agreed to hold the senior tour event for three years, with an option for two more, at the Cap Cana real estate development, said Cap Cana Vice President Ellis Perez. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, the Palm Beach County-based designer who is building three signature courses on the 30,000-acre property, made several requests in favor of the location.

Cap Cana is investing more than $6 million to host the inaugural event, including $2 million in prizes. Some of that cash will be recouped this year from ticket sales and sponsors, such as Charles Schwab and MasterCard. But the greatest return should come on increased sales of apartments, houses and even Trump-branded residences at Cap Cana for years to come, Perez said.

Other Dominican Republic properties with golf courses should benefit too.

Golf course designers P.B. Dye and his father, Pete, both based in Palm Beach County, already have eight courses in the Dominican Republic, with three more under contract.

"There's plenty of land, plenty of labor and plenty of water" to develop many more in the Georgia-sized nation of 9 million people, P.B. Dye said.

The new courses tend to be eco-friendly, allowing for more sustainable expansion. Many use seashore paspalum grass, a salt-resistant hybrid that can be irrigated with recycled water. And some use sensors that measure rain and other conditions to minimize water use, according to P.B. Dye.

Big money is at stake in golf. Dye estimates a course now costs an average $8 million to $12 million, about double what it cost 15 years ago, partly because of higher prices for petroleum used to make water pipes and to haul sand.

Those outlays link into even bigger money for Dominican tourism and real estate. The country already has the most hotel rooms of any Caribbean island: more than 60,000, four times the number in Puerto Rico. And real estate development is exploding nationwide, especially on the east coast, where Cap Cana alone expects its build-out to cost several billion dollars, complete with luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences.

The PGA has been broadcasting the Cap Cana Championship on the Golf Channel, available in 80 million homes in the United States and more than 130 countries. Participants include Tom Watson, Craig Stadler and Bernhard Langer. The event is one of 29 on the association's Champions Tour circuit this year, with a combined prize of $55.5 million.

Practicing Thursday afternoon amid strong winds and rustling palm trees, Jacksonville-based golfer John McGough called the tournament's Punta Espada course at Cap Cana "the most beautiful" he'd ever played because of its ocean views and healthy greens.

Dominican tourism official Toribio hopes PGA players and viewers will turn such appreciation into more visits and real estate deals, securing the country "a top spot on the world map for golf."

UPDATE 1-Golf-American Wagner leads Houston Open by one shot

HOUSTON, Texas, April 5 (Reuters) - Johnson Wagner, aiming for his first PGA Tour victory, shot a three-under-par 69 to take a one-stroke lead over fellow American Chad Campbell after the Houston Open third round on Saturday.

Wagner, ranked 313th in the world, finished with a 15-under total of 201 as he chased the first prize of $1 million and a win that would earn a spot at next week's U.S. Masters at Augusta.

Campbell, wielding a hot putter, was tied for the lead before a bogey at the par-four 17th prevented him registering a second successive 64. His 65 put him on 202 at the Redstone Golf Club.

Campbell birdied three of the first four holes and rolled in a 60-footer for birdie at the sixth. The 2003 Tour Championship winner added an eagle at the par-five eighth hole when he spun an 88-yard wedge shot back into the hole.

Americans Bob Estes, who fired a bogey-free 64, and Charley Hoffman (69) were tied for third on 204.

None of the top four have yet qualified for the Masters, the year's first major.

Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, posted a 66 for 206 while fellow Australian Mathew Goggin carded a 72 for 207.

"(I) got a couple of great breaks off the tee on the par-fives on the back nine," Wagner told reporters. "I think I hit a spectator and kept it in play. Knocked it off a tree, came back into play.

"I had some lucky breaks, but, you know what, I've had a enough bad breaks not to feel bad about the good ones. It was a great day (and I) hit good shots when I needed to."

Thirty-six players returned early on Saturday to complete the second round which was suspended due to a long weather delay on Friday.

Holder Adam Scott of Australia, who complained of feeling ill earlier in the week, added a second-round 69 to his course-record opening 63 but withdrew before the third round because of fever and swollen glands.

American Davis Love III, who needs to win to qualify for the Masters and keep alive his streak of playing in 70 successive majors dating back to the 1990 British Open, was six under on 210.

Wagner said it was hard not to dream about competing at Augusta National.

"It's hard not to think about it," Wagner said. "But I'm not too worried about it. If I were to win here, then obviously that would be just an incredible bonus."

Singh back for second shot at Masters Golf

ATLANTA (US): India's Jeev Milkha Singh will return to the Masters Tournament next week with every intention of challenging for glory at Augusta National Golf Club.

The 2006 Asian Tour number one, the first Indian to feature in the Masters last year, admitted he was surprised to earn an invitation back but the Indian star intends to repay the faith placed on him with a strong showing. "It was a pleasant surprised. I never thought I would be invited back. I got a call on a Friday evening in Abu Dhabi in January while I was in bed with the flu," he recalled. "I couldn't have asked for a better invite in my life, I'll always cherish this."

His Masters debut came courtesy of a remarkable season in 2006 which saw him win four times around the globe and end the year in 37th place on the Official World Golf Ranking. Singh led the Masters briefly during the first round after making the turn in three under before finishing tied for 10th at the completion of the day.

At the halfway stage, he was joint 15th and by then, many Americans were asking questions which included if he was related to a more famous Singh - Vijay Singh - who is an honorary member of the Asian Tour. Further rounds of 78 and 79 on a tough and chilly weekend saw Singh wrap up his debut in equal 37th position, which in reflection was how his season eventually unfolded.

The son of an Olympic runner, Singh, who grew up in Chandigargh, will alter his game plan for next week's Masters assault but says he loves the layout at Augusta National. "I know the golf course now and it does suit my game. But you have to stay patient especially on the greens. I will have to follow my process and routine and see what comes my way. "I'm going to play it differently this time. I'm going to hit more drivers and I have decided which holes I'm going to hit with a driver and I'm looking forward to that," he said.

Golf China tours & NSW/ACT PGA expand boundaries

The NSW/ACT PGA and GOLF CHINA tours have signed an agreement to stage two new events at Mission Hills Golf Club in China.

The two events aimed at Club Professionals and Senior Professionals will boast $100,000 in prize money in each category.

Mission Hills is the world number one golf club with 216 holes, all designed by world renowned golfers including Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Annika Sorenstam.

The Tournaments will be run in a Pro-Am style format, over 54 holes and three different courses including the Olazabal Course which will hold the 2008 Omega World Cup.

Directors and Co-founders of GOLF CHINA Greg Carmock and Ben Champion released a joint statement confirming their commitment to the event

“GOLF CHINA is delighted to be able to present such a wonderful opportunity for Australian amateur and professional golfers. The superb quality of the golf courses, magnificent food, five-star luxury accommodation and all that China has to offer will combine to guarantee those attending will enjoy a great week.”

The event will be staged from 5-12 July 2008 with entries closing on 30 April 2008.

Golf: Scott defends Houston title as Masters looms

HOUSTON: Australian Adam Scott defends his Houston Open US PGA title here this week as golfers get their last chance to tune up for The Masters in Augusta. Scott became the sixth Australian to win the Houston title Last season, notching a three-shot victory over fellow Aussie Stuart Appleby and American Bubba Watson. Scott surged to the victory on the weekend, firing a seven-under-par 65 in the third round and following it up with a 66 on Sunday.

He had entered the final round in a five-way tie for second, three strokes behind Watson. Scott has not won in three US tour starts this year, but he did pull off a come-from-behind victory at the Qatar Masters on the European Tour, where he fired a final-round 61 at the rain-drenched Doha Golf Club. Appleby will be aiming to deny Scott a second Houston title - and claim a third of his own. In seven career starts in the event, Appleby has won twice and twice finished runner-up. In his last three starts at the Houston Open, Appleby has finished first - in 2006, and tied for second twice - in 2005 and 2007. Since the tournament moved to its current home at the Tournament Course at Redstone, Appleby is 33-under with seven rounds in the 60s.

“I’ve played well here. The other course, back I think when Freddie (Couples) won, I was second there and second last year and won the year before so, yeah, I’ve played well here,” Appleby said. “People ask what is it that brings it here or Houston because I guess I’ve won it twice over the years. I’m not really sure. Just seems to be a coincidence, if anything, but I’ll be looking for some form that I had here when I won in ‘06.” The last event before the first major championship of the year has drawn a strong field, including two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, South Korean KJ Choi, Justin Leonard, Steve Stricker and 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy of Australia. Stricker was happy to have a chance to warm up for Augusta in some less wintry weather than he has back home in Wisconsin. “We’re still not able to hit balls or play up in Wisconsin yet so it’s still kind of difficult for me to get into tournaments feeling totally prepared,” he said. “But it’s been a good start to the season and look forward to this week and next week at Augusta.” afp

GOLF GALLERY: In a league of her own

Friends back in Florida, Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods have sent each other a number of text messages over the years, whether it's wishing the other person luck in a tournament or chiding each other over who has the most majors. For a time, they both were in leagues of their own on their respective tours, so it seemed a natural friendship, one built out of immortality.

Obviously, it's time for Tiger to add Lorena Ochoa to his address book.

While no one it seems will match the super-human strength of Woods this season on the PGA Tour, the Mexican superstar certainly is playing Tiger-like on the LPGA Tour.

At the Safeway International in Arizona on Sunday, she won for the second time in three starts, giving her 16 wins dating back to April of 2006.

What's most impressive about the 2008 campaign so far is the way she's winning. In short, the women's No. 1 player is dominating.

She beat Jee Young over the weekend by seven shots, registering a record-setting 22-under-par 266 at Superstition Mountain. She posted rounds of 65, 67, 68 and 66 and surpassed the tournament scoring record by four shots.

It was her second rout of the year. A month ago at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore, she walloped the field by 11, again posting four rounds in the 60s for a 20-under 268. In an event in which only 13 players finished under par, Ochoa opened with rounds of 66 and 65 and turned in identical 69s on the weekend.

It was a dominating performance, one that drew comparisons to Woods' blazing start in 2008. Ochoa is as humble as any player in golf and is normally soft-spoken, but she was not shy when the Tiger line of questioning surfaced in a post-tournament press conference.

"When (Tiger) won the (Buick Invitational) by 10 (he actually won be eight), I had that in mind," she said. "You know, it can be done, and why not go and win my first tournament by 10."

She was later asked if her victory would send a message to the rest of the LPGA.

"Yes. I think yes," she said.

It also sends a message to Tiger that he has some company.

With the season's first two majors set to tee off over the next two weeks ---- the Kraft Nabisco Championship starts Thursday followed by the Masters ---- the focus will remain on golf's two best players. And talk has already surfaced over which player will have a better season. Comparing their 2007 seasons, it's a virtual dead heat.

Woods won seven times in 16 events, and also recorded three runner-up finishes and 12 top 10s. Ochoa, meanwhile, won eight times in 25 events, adding five runner-up finishes and two third-place showings. Her top-10 finishes totaled 21.

Woods and Ochoa each won a major, with Woods finishing in second in both the Masters and the U.S. Open. He tied for 12th in the British Open. Ochoa won the British Open, and tied for second in the U.S. Women's Open, tied for sixth in the LPGA Championship and tied for 10th in Rancho Mirage.

All that adds up to is a split decision.

This year, it may seem that Woods is having a better season ---- he has won four of five ---- but remember that the PGA Tour starts six weeks before the LPGA.

Ochoa wasn't even on anyone's radar until she started the season a month ago. Woods had already won three times around the world by then.

A 19-time winner on the LPGA Tour at age 26, Ochoa is making a run this season that already is drawing comparisons to Sorenstam's magical season in 2002 when she won 11 times. That was second only to the 13 Mickey Wright won in 1963. While it's still early, no one can doubt Ochoa's chances of challenging the record.

Certainly not Ochoa.

"I don't really have a number in my mind," she said. "Every tournament I play, I play to win."

Tiger-like indeed.

Golf Odds - PGA Tour - Shell Houston Open

The last PGA Tour stop before the Masters will have an Augusta-like feel to it this week at the Shell Houston Open.

First off is the quality of the field: Houston boasts four of the top 10 players in the world rankings, and six of the top 12: Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Adam Scott, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy and Padraig Harrington.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods is not playing this week, as he rarely does in the few weeks before a major, and No. 3 Ernie Els pulled out due to a virus.

In addition, the folks at Redstone Golf Club are tailoring their course as best they can to look and feel like Augusta next week. The greens are prepared to run at very fast speeds and there are areas around the greens where there is little rough in an attempt to recreate Augusta-like conditions.

This week’s winner qualifies is the final qualifier for the Masters - if he hasn’t already done so.

However, since 1934, only five players have won the week before they earned a green jacket.

Mickelson, in the field this week, was the latest to do so in 2006, when he won the BellSouth Classic. He is joined by Sandy Lyle (1988 Greater Greensboro Open), Art Wall (1959 Azalea Open), Sam Snead (1949 Greater Greensboro Open) and Ralph Guldahl (1939 Greater Greensboro Open).

This is Lefty’s fourth career start at the Shell Houston Open. He missed the cut in his first appearance in 1995, tied for 30th in 1998 and tied for 28th in 2003. He is the favorite on WagerWeb.com at +450.
Adam Scott is the defending champion here, capped by a 48-foot putt to get up-and-down on the 18 th and secure the victory. He was the 6th Australian to win the Shell Houston Open and was the youngest champion this tourney had seen since David Duval's win in 1998. He played his final 36 holes at Redstone without a single bogey.

He’s the second-favorite at +500.Players from outside the U.S. have won seven out of the last nine in this event, dating to 1999.

Aussies have won this event on four occasions in the last nine years with Stuart Appleby (+1500 this week) winning twice and Scott and Robert Allenby (+2000) once each. So maybe that bodes well for Geoff Ogilvy (+1000), who is playing this week for the first time since ending Tiger’s win streak at Doral.

Hunter Mahan (+2500) has been playing well of late, and his chances are good to improve on his 5 th place last year and his 11th place in 2006.

Steve Stricker (+1700) is coming off a missed cut in New Orleans but has consecutive top 10s here.

LPGA TOUR: The ladies’ first major of the year is at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and Lorena Ochoa is the overwhelming favorite at WagerWeb.com (-125), as she should be.

Ochoa won the Safeway International title last week by seven shots for her second victory in two starts this year.

Perhaps Annika Sorenstam (+500) can break Ochoa’s hold on the LPGA tour: Annika won this event in 2001, ‘02 and ‘05.

Last year, Morgan Pressel (+3500) became the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history, winning at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days. It remains her only title on tour.

Golf-Scott defends Houston title as Masters looms

HOUSTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Defending champion Adam Scott heads a strong field for this week's Houston Open at a Redstone Golf Club set up to mimic conditions at Augusta for the U.S. Masters later this month.

Scott will vie with other world top-10 golfers Phil Mickelson (2), Steve Stricker (4) and K.J. Choi (7) on the 7,457-yard layout edged by light rough and closely cropped chipping areas.

British Open champion Padraig Harrington is one of a large contingent of international players who will tee it up on Thursday and who are also gearing up for a run at the year's first grand slam championship.

The 12th-ranked Harrington finished 68-69 to tie for fourth at last week's New Orleans Classic.

"As I got more into contention my focus got sharper, and that's pleasing," the Irishman told reporters after his Sunday finish in New Orleans. "Only another four rounds of golf to make sure it's sharp the first day in Augusta."

The 27-year-old Scott carried on a Houston trend last year when he rolled in a 50-footer on the last hole to complete a three-shot victory over fellow Australian Stuart Appleby.

Scott became the sixth Australian to win the event following Appleby, who has won it twice, Robert Allenby, Bruce Crampton, Bruce Devlin and David Graham.

Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion who is ranked 11th, and Peter Lonard, whose second-place finish last week in New Orleans clinched him a berth in the Masters, are among others hoping to extend the Australian magic.

Scott has been wielding a magical putter this year, buoying his hopes of breaking through for his first major. Scott, whose five U.S. wins include the 2004 Players Championship and 2006 Tour Championship, ranks first in putting from 15-20 feet and is second-ranked from 10-15 feet on the tour.

Earlier this year Scott notched his eighth international win when he fired a final-round 61 at the Qatar Masters.

Houston marks the last chance for more than 100 players who have not yet qualified for the Masters to join the party at the year's opening grand slam event since victory in Houston brings an automatic invitation.

Among notable players still hoping to crack the Masters field is Davis Love III, who has struggled since having surgery on his ankle last season.

Love has played in every major since the 1990 British Open but will compete in Augusta only if he can win in Houston.

Thirteen years ago Love needed a victory the week before the Masters to qualify and he came through to win in New Orleans and finish runner-up in Augusta.

10 story lines in golf going into the Masters

For some, golf does not begin until Arnold Palmer's ceremonial tee shot to start the Masters. Here are 10 issues that have developed in the three months leading up to the Masters:

1. Tiger Woods

Even with his high standards, Woods caused a stir when he said in January that the calendar Grand Slam was "easily within reason." Then he won his first four starts of the year, including a back-nine charge at Dubai on the European Tour. Along the way, he surpassed Arnold Palmer and caught Ben Hogan on the PGA Tour's career victories list.

2. Drug Testing

Golf does not begin drug testing until July, but mandatory meetings to outline the process was such an eye-opener that some players have begun asking about the need to form a union. Augusta National is part of the World Golf Foundation, meaning drug testing likely will take place at the Masters next year.

3. Slow Play

The PGA Tour has twice changed its cut policy to limit the size of fields on the weekend, particularly the final round, which has led to outrage among players who feel as though playing opportunities are being taken away. But it has renewed focus on the real problem - slow play - and more players are being singled out as the culprits. Two getting the most attention are J.B. Holmes and Sean O'Hair.

4. Phil Mickelson

He remains an enigma on the golf course. Mickelson appeared to hit his stride when he won at Riviera, giving him a victory at every PGA Tour stop in California and winning for the 16th time on the West Coast. But he didn't get out of the second round at Match Play, and he didn't finish inside the top 20 at Bay Hill or Doral.

5. The Golf Channel

It won't be a part of the Masters telecast, but it drew the wrong kind of attention in January when anchor Kelly Tilghman, responding to Nick Faldo's suggestion that players gang up on Tiger Woods, suggested they "lynch him in a back alley." It took four days for Golf Channel to act, suspending Tilghman for two weeks. The editor of Golfweek magazine lost his job for putting a noose on the cover. Woods forgave Tilghman, saying she meant no harm.

6. K.J. Choi

He emerged with a new title after winning the Sony Open - best Asian to have never won a major. Choi finished a career-high fifth on the money list last year after winning tournaments hosted by Jack Nicklaus (Memorial) and Tiger Woods (AT&T National), and his victory at the Sony Open was his seventh on the PGA Tour, and fifth since 2005. He comes to the Masters among the top 10 in the world.

7. Vijay Singh's meltdown at Pebble

It was only one tournament and it has happened to all great players, but it was no less shocking to see Singh blow a three-shot lead with five holes to play at Pebble Beach. He made two straight bogeys from the middle of the fairway and eventually lost to journeyman Steve Lowery in a playoff. Singh now has gone more than a year without winning, his longest drought since 2001.

8. Ernie Els

The Big Easy had gone 3 1/2 years and 47 tournaments without winning on the PGA Tour when he finally broke through at the Honda Classic, posting a score and letting everyone else tumble behind him. A week later, he revealed that his son has been coping with autism, and Els now has an "Autism Speaks" logo on his bag.

9. Masters criteria

The change back to awarding Masters invitations to PGA Tour winners has been a big hit. Daniel Chopra (Mercedes-Benz Championship) and Sean O'Hair (PODS Championship) were as thrilled about going to Augusta National as winning. Big-hitting J.B. Holmes earned his first trip to the Masters by winning in Phoenix.

10. Ryder Cup

There typically is more conversation about the Ryder Cup on the other side of the pond, but this year is different with the new selection criteria for Americans. It is based on money, leading to wild fluctuations in the standings. One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned on the PGA Tour, and the Masters will be the first time those points are doubled.