MONTY STRUGGLES IN SEVILLE

Colin Montgomerie struggled to stay in touch on Friday as German Marcel Siem and England's Graeme Storm turned on the style at the Andalucian Open in Seville.

Playing his 500th European Tour event as a professional, Montgomerie was only one behind fellow Scot Chris Doak after an opening 67.

But Europe's new Ryder Cup captain, whose last top 10 finish was nearly nine months ago, managed only a level par 72 on his return and, with Doak taking 73, it was all change at the top.

Siem scored 67 to reach nine under and Storm a 66 to be only one behind along with France's Jean-Francois Lucquin. Montgomerie is four adrift in joint 11th place with Doak and, despite his gloomy mood, still very much in it.

After mixing five birdies with five bogeys, the last of them on the 18th when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker, the eight-time European No 1 displayed his disappointment by declining a request for a television interview.

Within minutes he was heading back to his hotel, commenting on his way: "I was just completely out of sync today.

"I played very badly and 72 is what you get when you play that way."

Having spoken the day before of how much more relaxed he was on the course following his Ryder Cup appointment, there was also an incident when he felt the need to have words with a photographer as his round threatened to fall apart.

Then came four birdies in the final six holes, but two more bogeys

left him far from happy.

The key to Siem's week is that he has managed not to lose his temper so far.

"I think I will never change completely, but I am pretty calm at the moment," commented the 28-year-old, who even kept his cool when three-putting the last for bogey.

"I said to my caddie that I feel like Retief Goosen - I don't have any emotions."

He told the story of two years ago in Cologne when he broke his driver after missing the cut.

"There were a couple of children around. I nearly cried, thought how can I do this, then went up to them and said 'Don't do this ever'.

"I should be a boxer or a footballer when I can show my emotions."

Storm is happy to be finding his form again after having his clubs stolen in Dubai last month.

"I was watching Liverpool against Chelsea on tv. At 10.30pm they were still there and at 10.45 gone.

"I put in a police report, but somebody is enjoying playing with them in the sunshine in Dubai.

"There was a two-iron I'd had for years, a lob wedge specially made for me and a new driver that I loved. It was a massive loss."

Jose Maria Olazabal missed the cut on four over in only his fifth event since last May, but said he still intends to be at The Masters in two weeks unless his health problems - rheumatism and fatigue - worsen.

Whether Dane Anders Hansen or Swede Peter Hanson are there looks doubtful now.

They both have to finish in the top three to have a chance of climbing into the world's top 50 just in time for Augusta, but Hansen is two under and Hansen, yet to play The Masters, needed three birdies in the last four to squeeze through the cut on level par.


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MENTAL MISTAKES COSTING MONTY

MENTAL MISTAKES COSTING MONTY

Colin Montgomerie insists he must stop making mental errors if he wants to end nearly two years without a win.

Second after an opening 67 at the Andalucian Open in Seville - his 500th European Tour event as a professional - Europe's Ryder Cup captain finished outside the top 30 after closing rounds of 75 and 74.

"I wasted dozens of shots this week and the last time I played," stated Montgomerie, who has not had a top-10 finish since the start of July last year.

"It's not good enough. I just seem to be making mental mistakes that I never ever made, there are so many creeping in that weren't there before.

"To compete and win I've got to stop them. I'll have a think, come back and try again."

Having failed to qualify for The Masters - he is down at 137th in the world - his next tournament is the Volvo China Open in three weeks.

Montgomerie is taking his family skiing before then, although he will not be taking to the slopes himself for fear of injuring himself.

The shot which had him most annoyed during the event was an eight iron into a bunker at the end of his third round.

"Just hopeless, terrible," commented the eight-time Order of Merit winner.

He ended the week with another gift, however. After a cake, an engraved ice bucket and some champagne came three bottles of wine bearing his nickname "Monty".


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WOODS LURKING AS GORE LEADS

Tiger Woods overcame a return of the red mist but also rediscovered his putting at Bay Hill for a solid start to the defence of his Arnold Palmer Invitational title in Orlando.

The world number one showed his angry side following some wayward driving off the tee but made amends by needing just 24 putts at Bay Hill to end the day with a two-under-par 68, three shots back on the first-round lead held by Jason Gore, who fired an opening 65 at the end of the day on the par-70, 7,239-yard course.

Woods, making his third start of the year following his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery last summer and coming off a tie for ninth at Doral in the WGC-CA Championship two weeks ago, got off to a flying start by chipping in at the first from 33 yards.

A double-bogey seven at the sixth hole began a mid-round wobble which saw him stuck behind trees from consecutive tee shots at the eighth and ninth.

Both times Wood scrambled for par before making four birdies in a row between the 11th and 14th holes, even after throwing down his driver at the 12th following yet another errant tee shot.

Woods bogeyed the 17th but was pleased with the way he had turned his day around.

Having been knocked out in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play on his return to competition in February and then finished in a tie for ninth at Doral two weeks ago in the WGC-CA Championship, Woods admitted Thursday's round at Bay Hill had been the first time during his comeback where he had had to deal with his anger.

"No doubt," Woods said. "The first two tournaments I didn't have it because I was hitting it so well.

"Today I was not hitting it well, and I had to scramble and grind it out and manage to score, and it's just really not too hard to shoot rounds under par when you're hitting a bunch of fairways and a bunch of greens like I did down at Doral.

"Today was different. I had to manage my game."

At Doral, Woods had been frustrated by missed putts along wrong lines but at Bay Hill, where he has already won five times, his putter proved his saviour, particularly at the ninth.

"I got a drop there and somehow hit up there around the green and just hit a terrible pitch, came out really hot, and it was nice to make about a 15-footer for par there just to keep momentum going on the back nine.

"It was nice to hit one on line and know what it was supposed to do."

Gore, playing on a sponsor's invitation from Palmer after falling outside the top 126 on the PGA Tour money list, had brought up the rear in one of the last groups out and finished with a flourish with three birdies in his last four holes.

"It's the first time in a long time I didn't suck," Gore joked.

Gore leads fellow Americans Tim Herron, the 1999 champion, and Jeff Overton by a shot with six players on three under, including veteran former US Open champion Lee Janzen and the in-form Nick Watney, also of the USA.

With only 21 players breaking par, Padraig Harrington was in a large group of players on level par after shooting a 70.

Sweden's Richard S. Johnson and Japan's Ryuji Imada also posted 70s while the latter's teenage compatriot Ryo Ishikawa suffered a quadruple-bogey nine at the sixth on his way to a 76.

India's Jeev Milkha Singh, Brian Davis of England and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell finished on one over par, as did reigning Master champion Trevor Immelman of South Africa, while England's Oliver Wilson was a shot further back after a 74.

It was a day of struggle for four Englishmen. Justin Rose finished at five over with Ross Fisher and Greg Owen, who closed birdie, bogey, bogey, double bogey, double bogey, on six over. Ian Poulter hit a 77 but Australian Jason Day fared worse, withdrawing after nine holes having complained of dizziness and nausea.

Collated first round scores in the USPGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by MasterCard, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida, United States of America

(USA unless stated, par 70):

65 Jason Gore

66 Jeff Overton, Tim Herron

67 Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, Lee Janzen, Stuart Appleby (Aus), Mark Wilson

68 J J Henry, Tiger Woods, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Chad Campbell, Brian Gay, Rocco Mediate, Skip Kendall

69 Kevin Na, Jerry Kelly, Steve Lowery, Heath Slocum, Johnson Wagner

70 Vaughn Taylor, Harrison Frazar, James Nitties (Aus), Webb Simpson, Tommy Armour III, Ben Crane, Bill Haas, Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Pat Perez, John Senden (Aus), Steve Flesch, Stewart Cink, Brad Faxon, Kenny Perry, Richard S Johnson (Swe), George McNeill, Mathew Goggin (Aus), Scott Verplank, Padraig Harrington (Irl)

71 Bart Bryant, David Toms, Nick O'Hern (Aus), Charles Howell III, Mike Weir (Can), Stephen Ames (Can), Brian Davis (Eng), Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Graeme McDowell (NIrl), Lucas Glover, Scott Piercy, Kevin Streelman, Robert Allenby (Aus), Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Mark Calcavecchia, D.J. Trahan

72 Bill Lunde, Zach Johnson, Kyle Stanley, Adam Scott (Aus), Oliver Wilson (Eng), Woody Austin, Tom Lehman, Todd Hamilton, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Peter Lonard (Aus), Billy Andrade, Boo Weekley, Corey Pavin, Marc Turnesa

73 Robert Gamez, Davis Love III, Chris DiMarco, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Bubba Watson, D.A. Points, Steve Marino, J.B. Holmes, Brandt Snedeker

74 Brendon De Jonge, Chris Stroud, Retief Goosen (Rsa), David Duval, Ben Curtis, Greg Kraft, Cliff Kresge, Jeff Klauk, Bob Estes, John Rollins, Vijay Singh (Fij), Paul Goydos, Brett Quigley, Ryan Palmer, Ken Duke, Nicholas Thompson

75 Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Erik Compton, John Merrick, Justin Rose (Eng), Cameron Beckman, Andrew Magee

76 Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn), Will MacKenzie, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), Ross Fisher (Eng), Jason Dufner, Greg Owen (Eng)

77 Michael Campbell (Nzl), Notah Begay III, Ian Poulter (Eng), Ted Purdy

78 Rodney Pampling (Aus), Jim Furyk, Carl Pettersson (Swe), Richard Sterne (Rsa)

79 Parker McLachlin

80 Billy Mayfair, Fred Couples

82 Steve Lamontagne


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NERVOUS WAIT FOR MARKSAENG

Swede Johan Edfors won the Black Mountain Masters in Thailand on Sunday and joint runner-up Prayad Marksaeng was left waiting to learn if his sparkling closing round had earned him a place in The Masters.

Marksaeng began the last day in 15th place but shot a 64 and shared the lead when Edfors double-bogeyed the 15th.

However, the former Scottish Open champion birdied two of the last three for a 68 and 17-under-par total and England's Chris Rodgers also finished with a birdie to join Marksaeng on 15 under.

The Thai golfer went into the tournament 50th in the world, but events in Europe and America meant he had to wait another day to see if he was still in the top 50 and therefore in the field for Augusta.

Collated final round scores & totals in the Asian Tour Black Mountain Masters,Black Mountain GC, Hua Hin, Thailand (Par: 72):

271 Johan Edfors (Swe) 64 68 71 68

273 Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 70 72 67 64, Chris Rodgers (Eng) 70 68 67 68

274 Anirban Lahiri (Ind) 69 70 67 68

275 Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) 71 71 70 63, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 69 68 71 67, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 71 69 67 68

277 Darren Beck (Aus) 69 66 75 67, John Parry (Eng) 74 69 66 68, Angelo Que (Phi) 68 73 67 69, Noh Seung-Yul (Kor) 66 71 70 70, Lu Wei-Chih (Tpe) 71 71 66 69, Peter Cooke (Aus) 67 70 70 70, Jason King (Aus) 68 68 69 72

278 Will Yanagisawa (USA) 70 71 71 66, Prom Meesawat (Tha) 70 69 72 67, Andrew Dodt (Aus) 71 72 68 67, Frankie Minoza (Phi) 67 68 75 68, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 69 69 71 69, Keith Horne (Rsa) 68 71 68 71

279 Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 71 73 68 67, Neven Basic (Aus) 67 74 70 68, Wu Ashun (Chn) 69 69 70 71, Kodai Ichihara (Jpn) 72 69 67 71, Chris Gaunt (Aus) 67 73 66 73

280 George Coetzee (Rsa) 67 70 78 65, Gary Simpson (Aus) 70 70 73 67

281 Scott Hend (Aus) 70 70 72 69, Lee Sung (Kor) 71 70 70 70, Artemio Murakami (Phi) 68 71 71 71, Simon Griffiths (Eng) 70 71 69 71, Kim Dae-Hyun (Kor) 74 66 70 71

282 Park Jun-Won (Kor) 72 72 71 67, Airil Rizman (Mal) 71 72 71 68, Antonio Lascuna (Phi) 71 72 68 71, Mitchell Brown (Aus) 75 65 70 72

283 Chawalit Plaphol (Tha) 74 67 75 67, Pavit Tangkamolprasert (Tha) 71 72 73 67, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 69 72 71 71, Sushi Ishigaki (Jpn) 72 72 67 72, Blair Wilson (Aus) 70 71 69 73

284 Wang Ter-Chang (Tpe) 70 71 74 69, Pariya Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 69 71 73 71, Rahil Gangjee (Ind) 71 71 71 71, Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa) 74 69 70 71, Anthony Kang (USA) 75 68 68 73

285 Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 72 70 72 71, Tetsuji Hiratsuka (Jpn) 72 71 70 72, Daisuke Maruyama (Jpn) 68 74 70 73, Richard Moir (Aus) 69 74 69 73

286 S. Siva Chandhran (Mal) 75 69 73 69, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 70 74 70 72, Rohan Blizard (Aus) 72 72 70 72, Himmat Rai (Ind) 73 71 70 72, Lin Wen-Hong (Tpe) 71 69 71 75

287 Mark Purser (Nzl) 69 72 75 71, Marcus Both (Aus) 69 73 74 71, Guido Van Der Valk (Ned) 71 73 71 72, Jason Norris (Aus) 74 68 71 74

288 Lien Lu-Sen (Tpe) 71 71 76 70, Namchoak Tantipokakul (Tha) 68 76 72 72, Zaw Moe (Mya) 72 68 74 74

289 Somkiat Srisanga (Tha) 68 73 79 69, Wilhelm Schauman (Swe) 72 72 70 75, Scott Barr (Aus) 69 71 72 77, Andrew Marshall (Eng) 70 72 70 77

290 Pijit Petchkasem (Tha) 72 72 75 71

291 Adam Blyth (Aus) 72 71 75 73

292 Jerome Delariarte (Phi) 74 70 73 75

294 Ross Bain (Sco) 70 72 75 77, Mo Joong-Kyung (Kor) 71 73 72 78

296 Ben Leong (Mal) 74 69 74 79

(re-opens) "I guess I made it too exciting, I wasn't planning on doing that," Edfors said of his double bogey on the 15th.

"I made a couple of poor shots and bad decisions and then had to really fight for it at the end.

"This is one of the nicest wins of my career as I've not had so many Swedes supporting me during my other wins."

Rodgers reflected on what might have been after missed chances down the stretch saw his chances ebb away.

"I gave it my all. I picked a couple of wrong lines and lost a bit of momentum," he said.

"The killer for me was not making birdie on 16 after Johan made double on 15. That was the moment for me to seize but I didn't."

RELAXED MONTY ON THE MARCH

A special week for Colin Montgomerie could become even more memorable after he began the Andalucian Open with a five-under-par 67 in Seville.

To mark his 500th European Tour event as a professional the new Ryder Cup captain has already been presented with a cake, an engraved ice bucket and some champagne.

But his seven-birdie display means Montgomerie is now also eyeing up the possibility of a 32nd victory - and his first for nearly two years.

"People say that being the Ryder Cup captain will hurt my game, but I think it will do the exact opposite," he said after a round which left him in joint-second, only one behind fellow Scot Chris Doak.

"I think it will improve my performances over this next year and a half.

"I'm very relaxed on the course, less uptight. I've thought about the captaincy every minute of every day since I was appointed, but it's nice to show I can still compete out here at 45 and I look forward to going forward from here."

During his amazing run of seven successive Order of Merits in the 1990s it was often said that other players were affected by a 'Monty Factor' whenever his name appeared on the leaderboard.

"I don't think it is so much the case now," he added.

"That was worth probably a shot a tournament and remember, out of my 31 wins 20 were by a shot, so it was a great deal."

Montgomerie, however, has had only three top-10 finishes in almost 18 months, and none since he was runner-up to Pablo Larrazabal at last June's French Open.

Four birdies in his first six holes were the perfect early boost and after going in the water for a bogey six at the long 16th, he made a 15-footer on the 18th to turn in 32 and started the front nine by holing from twice as far.

"I started the Johnnie Walker Classic with a 67 and I finished the Dubai Desert Classic with one. Things are looking up," he added.

"For me it's quite simple. If I have 25 putts I score 67. If I have 28 tomorrow I'll score 70. That's the way I play. I've always said that if I putt well I will be in contention."

At 137th in the world not even a win would get Montgomerie into The Masters in two weeks' time, except in the unlikely event that Augusta National invite him.

Doak is a 31-year-old from Greenock ranked 1,329 in the world. He won last season's Tartan Tour, then came through the qualifying school at the seventh attempt.

He did not drop a stroke and after collecting six birdies said: "Getting my card was fantastic, you just have to keep going."

Alongside Montgomerie are another Scot, Steven O'Hara, Spain's Juan Parron and France's Jean-Francois Lucquin.

O'Hara, a Walker Cup team-mate of Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty in 2001, is still waiting for his first Tour victory.

But the 28-year-old is back now at the course where he had his first top-10 finish five years ago and in his final four holes he had two birdies and also an eagle on the 16th.

Lucquin is the player who beat rising star Rory McIlroy in a play-off for the European Masters in Switzerland last September.

"That makes it even more special," he said after three birdies in his last four.

Jose Maria Olazabal, in only his fifth event since May last year, had two double bogeys in a 74, while Swede Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen - who need a top-three finish to have a chance of climbing into the world's top 50 just in time to qualify for The Masters - both shot 72.

Collated first round scores

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

66 Christopher Doak

67 Juan Parron (Spa), Colin Montgomerie, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Steven O'Hara

68 Stephen Dodd, Thomas Bjorn (Den), Marcel Siem (Ger), Andrew Coltart, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa), Soren Kjeldsen (Swe)

69 Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa), Marco Ruiz (Par), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Jamie Donaldson, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)

70 Carlos Del Moral (Spa), Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Jean Van de Velde (Fra), Graeme Storm, Simon Wakefield, John E Morgan, Raul Quiros (Spa), Matthew Millar (Aus), Markus Brier (Aut), Miles Tunnicliff, Gregory Havret (Fra), Bradley Dredge, Jan Are Larsen (Nor), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Scott Drummond, Seve Benson, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Carl Suneson (Spa), David Drysdale, Thomas Levet (Fra)

71 Christian Cevaer (Fra), Christian Nilsson (Swe), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Estanislao Goya (Arg), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Peter Lawrie, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Paul Broadhurst, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa), Marcus Higley, Andrew Oldcorn, Ignacio Garrido (Spa)

72 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Anders Hansen (Den), Benn Barham, Oliver Fisher, Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Peter Hanson (Swe), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Richard Bland, Zane Scotland , David Howell, Nick Dougherty, Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Stuart Manley, David Lynn, Simon Khan, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Paul McGinley

73 John Mellor, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Simon Dyson, Wil Besseling (Ned), Robert Rock, Stuart Davis, Chris Wood, Hennie Otto (Rsa), Anton Haig (Rsa), Steve Webster, Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Paul Waring, Phillip Price, Phillip Archer, Mark Foster

74 Francis Valera (Spa), Damien McGrane, Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa), Danny Willett, Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa), Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Callum Macaulay, Alastair Forsyth, Santiago Luna (Spa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Sam Little, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Richie Ramsay, Magnus Carlsson (Swe), Andrew McLardy (Rsa), Gary Lockerbie, Gary Clark, Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Taco Remkes (Ned), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Ross McGowan

75 Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Soren Hansen (Den), Branden Grace (Rsa), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Anthony Wall, Lee Slattery, Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Marc Warren, Eduardo De La Riva (Spa), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Michael Curtain (Aus), Michael Hoey, David Horsey, Rhys Davies, Alexandre Rocha (Bra), Stephen Gallacher, Jose carlos Gutierrez (Spa), Barry Lane

76 Jonathan Caldwell, Gary Murphy, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Kenneth Ferrie, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra)

77 Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Garry Houston, Patrik Sjoland (Swe), John Bickerton, Marc Cayeux (Zim), Ignacio Sanchez-Palencia (Spa), Pedro Linhart (Spa), Paul Lawrie, Wade Ormsby (Aus), Pablo Martin (Spa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Manuel Quiros (Spa)

78 Federico Colombo (Ita), David Dixon

79 Rafael Echenique (Arg), Emanuele Canonica (Ita), David Frost (Rsa)

81 Gabriel Perez (Spa)

WD: 80 Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), 85 Antti Ahokas (Fin)


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WOODS IMPRESSED BY CONFIDENT HARRINGTON

Tiger Woods can offer Padraig Harrington the benefit of his experience in dealing with the "eternity" between major championships when the pair tee off together in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week.

Harrington has won three of the last six major championships and the last two in a row, and can therefore become only the third player in history - after Ben Hogan and Woods - to win three majors in succession at next month's US Masters.

Woods of course won four in a row to complete the 'Tiger Slam', his victory in the 2001 Masters coming after wins in the US Open, Open Championship and USPGA Championship in 2000.

And the world number one is well aware of what Harrington will have to deal with as he continues his preparations for Augusta at Bay Hill this week.

Asked what will be most difficult to handle, Woods said: "It's going to be the expectations, the responsibilities that come with winning two majors in a row, the questions he's going to get asked week in and week out.

"It has been months (of that) because of obviously the big break between the PGA and the Masters.

"I remember in 2000 going into 2001, the time that it took to get from the PGA to the Masters just seemed like an eternity because people kept asking questions each and every day about what do you think about Augusta.

"But that's just something that he's had to deal with. He's had plenty of months to deal with it and it's just right around the corner now."

Harrington has famously racked up more than 30 runners-up finishes and was in danger of being one of the game's nearly men before winning the Open in 2007.

Even then the Dubliner almost had another second place to add to his collection, making a double-bogey six on the 18th at Carnoustie before beating Sergio Garcia in a play-off.

The 37-year-old's successful defence of the title 12 months later at Birkdale was more commanding, a back nine of 32 in the final round sealing a four-shot triumph, and another back nine of 32 also secured his USPGA win over the unfortunate Garcia at Oakland Hills.

"It's just confidence. Once you get it done once, it's amazing what that does for you," added Woods when asked to explain the transformation in Harrington's game.

"If you look at Paddy's career, all around the world, how many times did he finish second? But once he learned how to win, how many times has he won since?

"And once he won a major, he won two last year. It just shows you that you can do it.

"The way he came back after making a mistake at Carnoustie, his two back nines last year, I believe it was 32 on both of them. To do that on the back nine on Sunday of a major championship, that's awfully impressive.

"I think that's just his confidence. He works hard, there's no doubt, he's one of the hardest workers that we have in the game of golf.

"It's just a matter of proving to yourself that once you do it once, it becomes a little bit easier to do it again."


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BIG GUNS CHASING O'HAIR

Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods both made moves up the Arnold Palmer Invitational leaderboard at Bay Hill - but the major winners will have to reel in midway leader Sean O'Hair over the weekend in Orlando.

American O'Hair, on a course he played regularly as a child, put that experience and his Texas upbringing playing in windy conditions to good use and opened his second round with three straight birdies on another breezy day in central Florida.

He added three more on his way to a five-under-par 65 to take to a three-shot lead over the field at eight under for the week heading into Saturday's third round.

With good scoring again hard to come by, Open and US PGA champion Harrington made his move with a two-under-par round of 68 to take him to two under for the tournament while US Open and defending champion Woods will start the third round at three-under in fifth place following his one-under 69.

O'Hair, who had opened with a 67 on Thursday, moved into the lead with three birdies in a row starting from the 10th tee and he was headed for an even bigger lead before bogeying the ninth, his last hole of the day.

"I played well," O'Hair said. "It was just one of those rounds where you just kind of do everything well and it's nice to do it here.

"I've always been a good wind player, just because I'm from west Texas, so I'm used to wind. Florida is like nothing compared to Texas.

"You know, I'm very comfortable playing in Florida. I've lived here for a little bit and played a lot of junior golf here, especially at this golf course, and it's a place I feel very comfortable."

Overnight leader Jason Gore birdied the last for a round of 70 to return to five under and second place at halfway.

Tied for third a further stroke back are Robert Allenby of Australia, who shot a 65 on Friday, the only bogey-free round of the day, and Ryuji Imada of Japan, who carded a second-round 66.

There were contrasting fortunes for Harrington and Woods at the final hole of their round, the ninth, with the Irishman missing a nine-footer and three-putting for a five, his only bogey of the day.

Despite misgivings over his putting during the round, Harrington was satisfied with his day's work.

"It's always good to shoot two-under par around here but I am disappointed there, three-putting the last and missing three short birdie putts in the last six holes," Harrington said.

"Things like that happen at times, but still happy with the score.

"I haven't putted very well for the two days, so that needs to be a bit better. I just need to be a bit more trusting actually, all the way through my game."

Woods, meanwhile, had missed nine greens in regulation after another wayward day off the tee but again compensated with a red-hot putter.

Having needed just 24 putts on yesterday, Woods closed out his second round with his 25th putt of the day for par and despite his disappointing ball striking will be satisfied to have remained in touch with the leaders.

Vaughan Taylor had an ace at the par-three seven to help him to a 68, two under for the week in a tie for sixth with Harrington and his fellow Americans Lee Janzen, Hunter Mahan, Nick Watney, Mark Wilson and Tim Herron, the 1999 champion, who fell from four under overnight after a 72.

India's Jeev Milkha Singh shot a 68 to move to one under at the halfway point while Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell improved two shots on his opening 71 to reach level par after 36 holes.

England's Oliver Wilson fired an even-par 70 to remain at two over heading into the weekend, and compatriots Brian Davis, at four over, and Justin Rose, who started the day at five over before firing a 67 to finish on two over, also reached the weekend's play.

Retief Goosen of South Africa, crept in on the cut mark at five over, less than a week after winning the Transitions Championship but on the way home are Englishmen Greg Owen, at eight over after a second-round 72 and Ian Poulter, who added a 73 to his 77 to finish his tournament at 10 over.

Also heading for an early exit were Swedish duo Carl Petterson at 12 over following a 74 on Friday and Fredrik Jacobsen, nine over after a 73, as well as teenage Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa, who finished at seven over.

England's Ross Fisher is also on his way out but due to a disqualification, having incorrectly signed for a three instead of a four on the 14th.


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HARRINGTON SEARCHING FOR TOP FORM

FURTHER TREATMENT FOR BALLESTEROS

Seve Ballesteros has confirmed he will begin a fourth round of chemotherapy this weekend as he continues to battle a cancerous brain tumour.

The five-time major winner has revealed test results from his third stint of treatment confirmed he could go ahead with a fourth round.

"After completing a third round of chemotherapy, blood tests confirmed I can go ahead with the fourth round which will start this Saturday," he said on his website.

"My spirits are still high."


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MICKELSON CLOSES GAP

Even though neither of them played last week the gap between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at the top of the world rankings has come down to just 0.2 points - the closest it has ever been between them.

Woods plays the third event of his comeback at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill this week. If he fails to finish in the top two Mickelson, not in action again, would then have a chance to topple him at next week's Houston Open.

Retief Goosen's victory in the Transitions Championship lifts him from 39th to 22nd, while Argentina's Estanislao Goya is up from 195th to 99th after winning the Madeira Islands Open.

There is an even bigger leap for runner-up Callum Macaulay, who birdied the last six holes and eight of the last nine. The Scot, who has been a professional for only four months, improves from 1,009th to 407th.

Latest leading positions:

1 Tiger Woods 8.86pts, 2 Phil Mickelson 8.66, 3 Sergio Garcia 7.53, 4 Geoff Ogilvy 6.36, 5 Padraig Harrington 5.91, 6 Vijay Singh 5.86, 7 Camilo Villegas 4.94, 8 Robert Karlsson 4.88, 9 Henrik Stenson 4.87, 10 Kenny Perry 4.83.

11 Steve Stricker 4.37, 12 Paul Casey 4.34, 13 Jim Furyk 4.31, 14 Anthony Kim 4.28, 15 Lee Westwood 4.17, 16 Ernie Els 4.16, 17 Rory McIlroy 3.93, 18 Stewart Cink 3.73, 19 Mike Weir 3.67, 20 Martin Kaymer 3.46.

Other leading Europeans:

24 Justin Rose, 26 Alvaro Quiros, 27 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 29 Luke Donald, 32 Ross Fisher, 34 Ian Poulter, 37 Oliver Wilson, 44 Graeme McDowell, 54 Soren Kjeldsen, 55 Peter Hanson, 57 Anders Hansen, 59 Soren Hansen, 71 Carl Pettersson, 76 Darren Clarke, 80 Anthony Wall, 82 Francesco Molinari, 83 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 86 Alexander Noren, 87 Gareth Maybin, 92 Fredrik Jacobson.


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THREE IN A ROW WOULD BE A BONUS - POD

Padraig Harrington will gladly sacrifice the chance of a 'Paddy Slam' if he can be guaranteed more major championships in years to come.

Harrington successfully defended the Open at Birkdale last July - the first European to do so since 1906 - and three weeks later lifted the USPGA Championship for good measure.

The Dubliner can therefore become only the third player in history, after Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods, to win three majors in succession at next month's US Masters.

And victory at Augusta would keep alive hopes of a possible 'Paddy Slam' of all four major championships in succession going into June's US Open at Bethpage.

"It is nice that we can talk about it but if you had told me I was going to miss the cut in the Masters and win it next year, I'd be very happy with that," Harrington said ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, which gets under way on Thursday.

"It doesn't have to happen this time around, even though it is a nice thing to talk about.

"I don't think about it at all until I'm asked questions about it. It's nice to be included in a category that I can possibly win three majors in a row.

"It would be a nice bonus to win three majors in a row, but does it make much difference whether I win this one or win one in a year's time or two years' time? No, I'm quite patient, I'll wait for two years' time.

"I'm not going to get drawn into this, that if I go to the Masters and I don't win that there's a failure in that, that it takes away in any way from the last two majors."

Woods is also in action at Bay Hill as he continues his comeback from injury, although his position as world number one is under threat.

If Woods fails to finish in the top two this week, Phil Mickelson would have a chance to leapfrog his great rival at next week's Houston Open.

Woods has been world number one for the last 198 weeks and has been top of the standings for a total of 540 weeks in his career. Mickelson has never topped the rankings.


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HARRINGTON SEARCHING FOR TOP FORM
GARCIA: MAJOR MEANS THE MOST

DUO CHASING MASTERS BERTHS

Colin Montgomerie's 500th European Tour event as a professional in Seville this week is also a very important one for two other players in the field.

For Swede Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen the Andalucian Open is their last chance to qualify for the Masters in two weeks' time.

Next Monday's top 50 in the world rankings earn places at Augusta National and Hanson is currently 55th and Hansen 57th. Third place on Sunday would probably do it for them, although they may need second.

At least Hansen, twice a winner of Europe's PGA Championship at Wentworth and also twice a winner in South Africa earlier this year, has experienced Augusta before.

He made his debut there last April and crashed out after rounds of 80 and 75. Nobody needs to tell him how hard the course can play.

For Hanson, though, the chance is one every golfer dreams of and he has been so close that it would be agonising to miss out again.

Last November the 31-year-old finished joint third in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, just a stroke behind play-off pair Sergio Garcia and Oliver Wilson.

That lifted him from 57th to a best-ever 49th in the world and he was fully aware that at the end of the year the leading 50 earned Masters invitations.

One week later, however, he slipped to 50th, a week after that he was 52nd and he could not make it back up in time.

Now he has one final opportunity and it comes at the same Jose Maria Olazabal-designed Real Club course where he finished joint eighth in the Spanish Open last May.

Irishman Peter Lawrie won his first Tour title that week, while Montgomerie was down in 70th place and on a slide that saw him manage only three top-10 finishes all year, his worst return since his rookie season in 1988.

Now Ryder Cup captain, of course, the 45-year-old Scot is eager to mark his 500th event with a return to form.

Not that it would get him to the Masters. Montgomerie is down at 137th in the world and cannot be sure of playing in any of the majors this year. That has not happened since 1989.


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BENNETT DEBUT IN NEW ROLE

A former European Tour winner starts a new career this week - as a European Tour caddie.

Less than two months after taking the hard decision to resign from the Tour as a player because of a hand injury suffered in a road accident, England's Warren Bennett is back at the Andalucian Open in Seville.

The 37-year-old - who earned nearly Ј800,000 and won the 1999 Scottish PGA title at Gleneagles against a field which included Trevor Immelman - Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and David Howell, is working for Austrian Bernd Wiesberger the next two weeks.

From May onwards, he switches to the women's circuit alongside Solheim Cup player Trish Johnson.

"It's hard and it's going to take a while to get used to it, but I've got to move on," he said.

"Even last week, I played twice and could manage only six holes. The acceptance of my new situation will come - in fact it 90% has already.

"I look around and everybody is living the dream of playing on Tour, but I can't look back now. What I'm doing now is better than what I was trying to do until I took the decision to quit."

He is not the first to make such a switch. American Lance Ten Broeck played nearly 350 US Tour events before becoming caddie to Robert Allenby and Jesper Parnevik.

Bennett was tipped as a possible future major champion by Sir Michael Bonallack when he beat Tiger Woods in his amateur days, but then had a series of injuries and two years ago needed finger surgery after a car knocked him off his bike in west London.

The day after resigning his Tour membership, he stated: "I've been like a fighter who's against the ropes.

"I've tried to come out punching, but there just comes a point.

"I would love to keep going - but every time I play it's so painful.

"I can't keep floating like a cloud. It's sad and frustrating, because I really feel I can do something - and this should be the prime of my career. But that's not the hand I've been given unfortunately."


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HARRINGTON SEARCHING FOR TOP FORM

Padraig Harrington admits he still has "a few issues" to resolve in his game as he attempts to avoid burning himself out this season.

The demands on Harrington's time have gone through the roof since he successfully defended the Open at Birkdale last July - the first European to do so since 1906 - and three weeks later lifted the USPGA Championship for good measure.

The Dubliner can therefore become only the third player in history, after Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods, to win three majors in succession at next month's US Masters, but is wary of playing too much as he has been guilty of in the past.

"Ideally, if I were to be absolutely competitive and sharp, I'd probably have played 15 events by this stage, and that's not going to happen because I'll be worn out and burnt out by the PGA in August," Harrington said ahead of this week's Arnold Palmer invitational at Bay Hill.

"I'll have played seven or eight events going into the Masters, which I hope is enough. Maybe if I had played three or four more, it would be better, but I know I can't do that.

"I'm hoping to be ready for the Masters, but I'm also hoping not to burn myself out by the end of the PGA.

"There are a lot of balls in the air that have to be juggled to make sure you perform throughout the year and not just make short-term sacrifices that could cost you later."

Harrington was beaten by Pat Perez in the first round of the WGC Accenture Match Play last month and finished joint 20th the following week at Doral.

"I've been home for the last week doing a little bit of practice," Harrington added.

"Doral the week before was exactly what I needed in terms of going out on the golf course and seeing where my game was at and working on a few things on the course.

"I still have a few issues - I definitely drove the ball poorly in Doral - but last week was a very positive week going forward."

Harrington's time at home coincided with Ireland's rugby team winning their first Grand Slam since 1948, and the 37-year-old is grateful to be out of the spotlight for once.

The emergence of Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and the return to action of Tiger Woods has also helped in that regard, and Harrington admitted: "It's been a big bonus.

"Tiger is back, Phil (Mickelson) has been great, which has obviously taken huge amounts of the media attention in the US, and Rory McIlroy coming on the scene has taken a good bit of the attention at home, so it's all the better for me.

"That makes me better able to manage my own time and cope with what I'm doing.

"The attention is less when other things are happening. That's all good in terms of my preparation and lets me get back to sort of normality in how I prepare."


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HURST CLAIMS VICTORY IN MEXICO

American Pat Hurst birdied the final hole to card a four-under-par 68 and secure a one-stroke victory at the MasterCard Classic in Mexico.

Having started the day a shot off the top of the leaderboard, the 39-year-old made a solid start to the final round by carding three birdies without dropping a shot to reach the turn in 33.

A double bogey on the par-four 10th saw her momentarily drop down the leaderboard before she recovered with two successive birdies from the 11th.

A bogey on the short 14th again threatened to deny Hurst the victory but she birdied the 17th before picking up another shot on the last to snatch the win and the $195, 000 prize money.

World number one Lorena Ochoa, who had seen her strong start to the tournament undone by a 73 yesterday, carded six birdies but dropped three shots to finished tied second alongside Chinese Taipei's Yani Tseng (70).

Kim Song-hee of South Korea finished fourth after carding a three under 69 while American Cristie Kerr produced her best round of the tournament with a 67 to claim fifth.

Collated final round scores & totals in the LPGA Tour MasterCard Classic Honouring Alejo Peralta, Bosque Real Country Club, Mexico City, Mexico

(USA unless stated, par 72):

206 Pat Hurst 68 70 68

207 Ya-Ni Tseng (Kor) 68 69 70, Lorena Ochoa (Mex) 65 73 69

208 Song-Hee Kim (Kor) 70 69 69

211 Cristie Kerr 72 72 67

213 Ji-Young Oh (Kor) 69 74 70, Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 67 70 76, Eun Hee Ji (Kor) 74 68 71

214 Jee Young Lee (Kor) 73 70 71, Suzann Pettersen (Nor) 69 71 74, Katie Futcher 74 72 68

215 Grace Park (Kor) 69 71 75, Heather Young 74 70 71, Seon Hwa Lee (Kor) 69 74 72, Sun Young Yoo (Kor) 70 70 75

216 Lindsey Wright (Aus) 70 73 73, Teresa Lu (Tai) 72 72 72, Il Mi Chung (Kor) 74 72 70, Se Ri Pak (Kor) 70 69 77, Meena Lee (Kor) 73 72 71, Kristy McPherson 70 73 73

217 Vicky Hurst 72 73 72, Jane Park 71 71 75, Silvia Cavalleri (Ita) 73 73 71, Giulia Sergas (Ita) 75 72 70, Louise Stahle (Swe) 72 72 73, Brittany Lang 68 74 75

218 Mika Miyazato (Jpn) 70 78 70, Carolina Llano 73 74 71, Sandra Gal (Ger) 75 74 69, Kris Tamulis 74 73 71

219 Ji-Yai Shin (Kor) 74 74 71, Eunjung Yi (Kor) 71 74 74, Hee-Won Han (Kor) 72 78 69, Anna Grzebien 76 71 72

220 Paula Creamer 73 74 73, Stacy Prammanasudh 74 75 71, Anja Monke (Ger) 74 74 72, Natalie Gulbis 70 78 72, Meaghan Francella 74 73 73, Erica Blasberg 72 72 76

221 Young Kim (Kor) 74 73 74, Haeji Kang (Kor) 70 76 75, Kim Hall 72 71 78, Johanna Mundy (Eng) 70 76 75, Shiho Oyama (Jpn) 69 78 74, Birdie Kim (Kor) 72 72 77, Janice Moodie (Sco) 70 75 76, Marcy Hart 74 75 72

222 Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 74 76 72, Na On Min (Jpn) 75 75 72, Soo-Yun Kang (Kor) 71 75 76, Alena Sharp (Can) 72 76 74, Sarah-jane Smith (Aus) 73 76 73, Maria Jose Uribe (Col) 73 72 77, Leah Wigger 72 74 76

223 Laura Davies (Eng) 75 74 74, Beth Bader 75 73 75, Lisa Strom 76 74 73, Amy Yang 75 72 76, Sarah Kemp (Aus) 75 74 74

224 Mollie Fankhauser 74 74 76, Becky Morgan (Wal) 75 74 75, Allison Fouch 74 76 74

225 Brittany Lincicome 81 68 76, Candie Kung (Tai) 75 75 75, Kyeong Bae (Kor) 74 76 75

226 Marisa Baena 73 76 77, Jin young Pak (Kor) 73 76 77

227 Jimin Jeong 75 75 77, Charlotte Mayorkas 77 72 78, Russy Gulyanamitta (Tha) 75 73 79

229 Joo Mi Kim (Kor) 74 76 79, Shi Hyun Ahn (Kor) 77 72 80

231 Moira Dunn 76 73 82


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GOYA EDGES OUT MACAULAY

Argentina's Estanislao Goya survived a late scare and an amazing birdie burst by Scot Callum Macaulay to win a European Tour title at just the sixth attempt on Sunday.

The 20-year-old from Cordoba, a graduate from last season's Challenge Tour, won the Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal in Porto Santo by one with a closing 73 and six under par total of 278.

Macaulay, himself playing only his fifth event on the circuit and ranked 1,009th in the world, incredibly birdied the last six holes and eight of the last nine for an inward 28 that was just one outside the Tour record.

While equalling the course record with a 64 the 25-year-old, last year's Scottish champion and part of the three-man side which won the world amateur team title in Australia in October, thought he had left his blistering run too late to seriously trouble Goya.

However, the South American then double-bogeyed the 492-yard par four 16th and suddenly found himself needing to par the final two holes to grab the first prize of just under Ј107,000 plus the two-year Tour exemption which comes with it.

Goya held his nerve and managed it, leaving Macaulay - incredibly 11 strokes back with nine to play - to take the Ј71,309 runners-up cheque at the end of a week in which he backed himself at 200-1.

Irishman Damien McGrane and Dutchman Wil Besseling shared third place on four under, McGrane leaving himself with too much to do after double-bogeying the short 13th.

Goya's late double came when he went out of bounds on the 16th and after a drive into rough down the 603-yard last it required a seven-foot putt for him to lift the trophy.

"I felt a lot of pressure and was very nervous," he told European Tour Radio. "But this is an experience you have to go through.

"I'm so happy. My dream is to be one of the best players in the world and this is one of the steps you have to make.

"But I never thought it would happen so quick."

Macaulay, who came through all three stages of the qualifying school at the end of last year, stated: "I'm just delighted - absolutely ecstatic.

"I've not been able to get in a tournament for over two months and just came here to get ready for the next two weeks.

"I knew I had to come out all guns blazing, but I've never had a run of birdies like that before and I'm kind of speechless.

"If I play as good as I can I feel like I can compete. Most of the players at the top level hit the ball similar and it comes down to the short game.

"I worked hard on my putting the last couple of weeks. I had 22 yesterday and 10 in the last 10 holes today, which is just unheard of for me."

McGrane commented: "The course was very demanding. I stayed patient and did the best I could, but he was a worthy winner."

Collated final round scores and totals from the European Tour's Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal, Porto Santo Golfe, Madeira, Portugal (Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 71):

278 Estanislao Goya (Arg) 68 68 69 73

279 Callum Macaulay 74 74 67 64

280 Wil Besseling (Ned) 69 72 70 69, Damien McGrane 66 72 70 72

281 Anthony Wall 72 69 73 67

282 Michael Hoey 69 66 75 72

283 Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 66 70 75 72, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 72 69 71 71

284 David Drysdale 72 72 71 69, Jan Are Larsen (Nor) 71 71 76 66

285 Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 71 76 69 69

286 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 72 74 69 71, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 69 75 71 71, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 72 74 69 71

288 Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 75 72 71 70, Marcel Siem (Ger) 75 70 73 70, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 73 65 71 79

289 Carl Suneson (Spa) 68 72 78 71, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 73 72 71 73

290 Santiago Luna (Spa) 69 78 73 70, Scott Drummond 71 71 76 72, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 76 72 69 73

291 Richard Bland 78 64 75 74, Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 74 69 78 70, Michael Mcgeady 69 67 77 78, Ake Nilsson (Rsa) 73 74 71 73, David Horsey 73 73 72 73, Paul Broadhurst 70 72 78 71, Gary Boyd 72 76 70 73, James Kamte (Rsa) 76 71 73 71

292 Alexandre Rocha (Bra) 74 70 75 73, Andrew Butterfield 68 73 75 76, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 69 74 74 75, Stuart Davis 70 71 76 75, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 70 76 75, Robert Coles 74 74 72 72, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 74 74 73 71

293 Liam Bond 75 69 77 72, Branden Grace (Rsa) 72 72 77 72, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice) 73 70 78 72, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 74 69 76 74, Bradley Dredge 72 74 76 71

294 Garry Houston 71 73 80 70, John E Morgan 74 74 73 73, Roope Kakko (Fin) 74 72 75 73, Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa) 70 75 75 74, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe) 72 73 75 74, Javier Colomo (Spa) 71 74 80 69

295 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 76 72 72 75, Antonio Sobrinho (Por) 75 73 74 73, Ricardo Santos (Por) 74 73 74 74

296 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 76 69 75 76, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 71 72 73 80, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 75 68 72 81

297 Iain Pyman 76 70 75 76, Adilson Da Silva (Bra) 72 76 75 74, Matthew Mills 73 70 79 75

298 Gary Clark 71 73 79 75, Nuno Campino (Por) 79 69 77 73, Julien Clement (Swi) 77 71 74 76, Richard McEvoy 70 75 71 82, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 77 69 79 73, Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 75 69 74 80

299 Nathan T Smith (USA) 75 72 78 74, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 71 75 77 76, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 76 71 79 73, Phillip Price 75 73 77 74, Michele Reale (Ita) 71 73 78 77

300 Richie Ramsay 73 74 78 75

301 Petter Bocian (Swe) 78 69 80 74, Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 74 72 74 81

302 Costantino Rocca (Ita) 72 76 79 75, David Griffiths 72 74 81 75

304 Paul Waring 69 74 80 81


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NORMAN 'SHOCKED' BY AUGUSTA CHANGES

Greg Norman has been back to Augusta in preparation for his first Masters for seven years - and was stunned by what he found.

The 54-year-old Australian, who qualified for a return with his spectacular third-place finish in last year's Open, said: "Since I last played it they've added about 420 yards and I was absolutely shocked to tell you the truth.

"There are phenomenal changes right from the very first hole. The tee now is back where the old putting green was, so the thought of driving it over the bunker on the first hole is gone.

"I had a 176 yards into the green on Wednesday and back in the other days it was 120 yards.

"Seventh hole, dramatic change. Eleventh hole, dramatic change. It's going to be a lot harder to play for someone who doesn't hit the ball 320 than a player who does hit the ball a long way.

"A lot of the guys have told me that Zach Johnson never went for a par five in two and won The Masters, so it goes to show you can do it, but if the weather conditions stayed the same as what I just played last Wednesday it bodes well for the longer hitters.

"I was just surprised to what they did to some of the great short holes. I can understand the par fives, but for example the seventh hole was one of the great classic risk-reward short holes.

"I used to try to drive the golf ball way up in front of the green and pitch it up and that's gone now. And same with 14 - I remember trying to whip a driver around there and get as close to the green with a sand wedge as I could. You can't do that stuff now.

"I loved the challenges in the old days of the short holes of Augusta. They can either bite you in the rear end or not.

"I remember if somebody came into the back nine at Augusta probably six or seven or eight shots behind the lead and feel like they could win it.

"That was a great feeling. I think it's going to be a lot more difficult now for those type of low numbers."

As for how he might fare Norman added: "Not having played in the tournament for seven years I just want to make sure that everybody manages their expectations and I manage my expectations.

"There's a lot of interest involved in my return and I think that's wonderful, but at the same time I'm going to be going into this tournament just trying to enjoy myself and have fun.

"I think it's going to be harder (than The Open) to tell you the truth. I'm getting a lot of people saying they are flying over from Australia to see me play.

"Or every time I go to the golf club in Florida or Tennessee people saying that they are going to come down and watch me play. I'm just like 'just show up and watch golf, don't come down to watch me play'.

"Time will tell, but that having been said I'm practising more, I'm working out more, I'm making the effort to try to put my best foot forward and that was not the case at the British Open."


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GOOSEN BREAKS TOUR DROUGHT

South African Retief Goosen achieved the seventh US Tour victory of his career in Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The 40-year-old won the Transitions Championship by one from Charles Howell and Brett Quigley on the same Copperhead course at the Innisbrook Resort where he captured the 2003 Chrysler Championship.

Having chipped in for birdie at nine, a 17-foot eagle putt on the 575-yard 11th proved to be the decisive blow as two-time US Open champion Goosen ended four years without a victory in America.

From one behind, he went one ahead - and although Howell caught him with his third birdie in four holes at the 14th, the American followed with back-to-back bogeys.

Goosen, whose last title came at the Africa Open in his home country in January, failed to get up and down from sand on the 16th and found dense rough by the 17th green.

However, he played a great chip to three feet and then holed from nearly five feet at the 18th to take the 972,000 US dollar first prize.

He was round in a closing 70 for an eight-under-par aggregate of 276.

Howell and Quigley both had birdie chances on the last but missed from 25 and 24 feet respectively.

Quigley was also a joint runner-up in Puerto Rico last week and has now played 342 PGA Tour events without a victory.

Fifty-year-old Tom Lehman, seeking his first victory for nine years, led overnight - but three bogeys in an outward 39 dropped him into the pack, and he was unable to fight his way back into contention.

Lehman then drove into water for a double-bogey six on the 16th and finished down in eighth place place after a desperately disappointing 75.

Charlie Wi, trying to become the second Korean winner on the circuit in three weeks after YE Yang's Honda Classic victory, took over at the top with five birdies in his first 11 holes.

But the 37-year-old then bogeyed three times, while Steve Stricker's chances went when he finished with back-to-back bogeys. They shared fourth spot with Australian Matthew Goggin.

Goosen is 20 pounds lighter than he was last year, having received a reminder from Gary Player about the importance of fitness.

"I feel I'm a little more prepared for the game than over the last couple of years," he said two months ago

"I have been working hard on my fitness and everything.

"I'm probably the fittest now that I've been in the last five years."

After his latest victory, he added: "Obviously 11 was a turning point, and I scrambled my way in. The course was not easy."

Quigley added: "I played well. I shot three under and thought that would be close, so I'm happy with how I played."

Collated final round scores & totals (USA unless stated, par 71):

276 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 68 69 70

277 Brett Quigley 73 68 68 68, Charles Howell III 71 66 71 69

278 Charlie Wi (Kor) 68 73 68 69, Steve Stricker 69 67 73 69, Mathew Goggin (Aus) 67 74 70 67

279 Steve Flesch 71 67 72 69

280 Kevin Na 70 72 71 67, Bo Van Pelt 71 72 71 66, Tom Lehman 68 69 68 75, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 70 67 71 72

281 Nick Watney 69 67 74 71, Rich Beem 71 67 71 72, Matt Kuchar 72 68 69 72, Jonathan Byrd 67 70 71 73, Mark Wilson 68 71 74 68

282 Kenny Perry 67 74 71 70, Jason Dufner 71 71 70 70

283 Charley Hoffman 74 68 69 72, Jeff Overton 69 70 73 71, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 75 68, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 68 70 70 75, Briny Baird 70 71 71 71, Troy Matteson 69 68 72 74, Ryan Moore 70 72 71 70, Stephen Ames (Can) 66 74 72 71

284 D.A. Points 73 69 70 72, Kirk Triplett 73 70 72 69, Aron Price (Aus) 74 69 72 69, Bill Lunde 70 71 73 70, John Mallinger 69 73 71 71, Rocco Mediate 72 71 74 67

285 Jeff Klauk 71 70 71 73, Richard S Johnson (Swe) 69 72 72 72, David Toms 68 73 68 76, Woody Austin 69 73 69 74, Heath Slocum 71 69 70 75

286 Billy Mayfair 72 70 73 71, Ken Duke 71 70 74 71, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 69 73 71 73, D.J. Trahan 68 72 72 74

287 Joe Durant 73 67 69 78, Joe Ogilvie 71 66 73 77, Steve Lowery 70 70 73 74, Tom Pernice Jnr. 70 72 71 74

288 Brendon De Jonge 68 75 72 73, Michael Letzig 69 73 74 72, J J Henry 69 68 76 75, Brian Gay 71 69 78 70, David Mathis 71 72 71 74, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 72 71 73 72

289 Spencer Levin 70 73 77 69, Jim Furyk 65 78 72 74, Cameron Beckman 69 72 74 74, John Huston 70 73 69 77, Boo Weekley 71 72 70 76, Matt Bettencourt 70 73 72 74, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 70 72 75 72

290 Tim Herron 70 70 72 78, Eric Axley 71 71 72 76, Chris Couch 70 73 72 75, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 74 72 75

291 Jonathan Kaye 73 68 72 78, Ben Crane 68 74 73 76, Scott McCarron 69 69 77 76, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 72 76 72, Tommy Armour III 73 69 76 73

292 Brad Adamonis 71 71 77 73, Bart Bryant 72 70 74 76, Jason Bohn 74 68 76 74

293 Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 69 73 75 76

294 Will MacKenzie 70 71 75 78

304 Nathan Green (Aus) 68 74 83 79


TIME TO CELEBRATE FOR BRADLEY
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AMERICAN DUO AIM TO GO ONE BETTER

OCHOA LETS HER GRIP SLIP

Taiwan's Yani Tseng and South Korea's Na Yeon Choi have reeled in and overtaken Lorena Ochoa heading into the final round of the Mastercard Classic at Huixquilucan in Mexico.

Tseng, the World No 2, shot a 3-under 69 and Na Yeon Choi a 70 to take their 36-hole totals in this 54-hole event at the Bosque Real Country Club on Saturday to matching 7-under 137s and edge one shot clear of overnight leader Ochoa by a shot.

The Mexican World No 1, who opened with a 65 on Friday, could do no better than a 73 to on Saturday and slipped back into a third placed with seasoned American Pat Hurst.

Ochoa ran into trouble with double bogey at the 435-yard, par-4 8th hole and compounded her problems with a bogey at the tough, par 3 11th.

Birdies at the 12th and 14th righted the Lorena ship, but never by enough to catch the new leaders.

Ochoa has never really thrived at Boscue Real. To date she has failed in all four of her starts here, but her opening 65 as opposed to her 76 last year, has given her heart and she is not yet ready to throw in the towel.

Ochoa said gusting winds had made for difficult conditions, but she remained hopeful that she would make come-back on Sunday.

"The important thing is that I'm still in there," she said, her eyes glinting with determination.

Her opponents won't give ground easily though.

Choi said she was not going to allow herself to be pressurised by the local hero's strongly-supportive galleries

"I just want to play and enjoy and just keep doing it," she said.

Tseng is also looking relatively stress free.

"I had a bet with Lorena for bogey-free, and I'm like, 'Oh, my God, I made a bogey on the first hole,'" Tseng joked. "I had seven birdies today, but I also had one four-putt, and that's really bad."


OCHOA TAKES LEAD
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OCHOA TAKES LEAD

Lorena Ochoa climbed into a two-stroke lead after carding a seven-under-par 65 in the opening round of the Master Card Classic in Mexico.

The world number one enjoyed a faultless round at the BosqueReal course while adding five birdies and an eagle three on the par-five ninth.

Ochoa leads Choi Na-yeon after the South Korean shot a five-under 67 while Americans Brittany Lang and Pat Hurst and Yani Tseng from Chinese Taipei are tied third after carding 68s.

Seven players are tied for sixth at three under.

Defending champion Louise Freiberg had a round to forget as the Swede shot a nine-over-par 81 while Briton Laura Davies endured a round littered with bogeys to return to the clubhouse at three over par.

Ochoa is chasing her second title of the season having captured the Honda LPGA Thailand at the start of the month.


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AMERICAN DUO AIM TO GO ONE BETTER

But for Phil Mickelson, last week's WGC-CA Championship would have been won by Nick Watney and last month's Northern Trust Open by Steve Stricker.

The world number two is on a two-week break now and, in his absence, his two fellow Americans shared the lead going into today's third round at the Transitions Championship in Florida.

Watney and Stricker moved to six under par with 67s yesterday and are one in front of no fewer than eight players - Jonathan Byrd, 50-year-old Tom Lehman, Charles Howell, Troy Matteson, JJ Henry, Joe Ogilvie, Australian Stuart Appleby and South African Retief Goosen.

First-day leader Jim Furyk is seven behind and not even in the top 50, however, after a 78 that represented his worst round on the PGA Tour for nearly two years.

Watney, up already this year from 203rd in the world to 40th, commented: "I guess I'm playing very well but it really seems like this is just what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm keeping the game pretty simple and putting well.

"I think I'm still learning. Like last weekend was a new experience for me just to play in the last group with Phil in that kind of atmosphere.

"But I enjoy trying to get better and learning from different situations."

Stricker stated: "I made some dumb mistakes yesterday and I tried to clean that up today and I did."

Seventeen-year-old Ryo Ishikawa, the new star of Japanese golf, made the cut on level par on only his second PGA Tour start.

The only two Europeans to survive the halfway cut were Swede Richard Johnson on one under and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros on level par.


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McGRANE IN TITLE HUNT AGAIN

Damien McGrane was 17 years into his professional golf career when his first European Tour title finally came last April. Now a second is firmly in his sights.

The 37-year-old Irishman resumed the Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal in the joint lead in Porto Santo on Friday - thanks to holing a bunker shot on his final hole last night.

McGrane's two at the short ninth for a 66 put him alongside former Ryder Cup Swede Joakim Haeggman on five under par, and he agreed: "It was a spectacular way to finish.

"I thought I was right up on the bank and I was delighted to see that it had gone in the bunker to be honest.

"It was still an extremely difficult bunker shot but one of those rare things happened where not only did I put the ball on the green but I managed to get it in the hole.

"I hit it well and it came out perfectly, landed perfectly and rolled in, which was a bit of a bonus."

The County Meath player's breakthrough victory last April came in the China Open and he won it by nine strokes.

With a runner-up finish in the Indian Masters and two other top 10s he was a best-ever 30th on the Order of Merit, and he is 39th in the current Race To Dubai standings despite missing out on the two World Championships so far.

The absence of most of the circuit's stars means he is one of the favourites this week.

Haeggman has not won since the 2004 Qatar Masters and has had to go to the Tour qualifying school the last two years.

He finished joint fifth there in November, however, and, with a seventh place in the Joburg Open two months ago, appears to be re-igniting a career that saw him become the first Swede to play in the Ryder Cup in 1993 at The Belfry.


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JAIDEE HOLDS NERVE FOR WIN

FURYK ON FORM

Jim Furyk followed up his third place finish in last week's WGC-CA Championship by taking the lead when the Transitions Championship began at the Innisbrook Resort in Florida.

Without a win for over 18 months Furyk grabbed seven birdies on the demanding Copperhead course before dropping his only stroke two holes from home.

Another bogey was a distinct possibility at the last - actually the 430-yard ninth - when he was bunkered in two and splashed out to 10 feet, but the 38-year-old world number 11 rolled in the putt for a six under par 65.

Canadian Stephen Ames ended the day alone in second place one behind and joint third on four under are Americans Kenny Perry and Jonathan Byrd and Australian Mathew Goggin.

TeenageJapanese star Ryo Ishikawa, who missed the cut on his PGA Tour debut in Los Angeles last month, is only four shots back.

Furyk's round was his sixth in a row in the 60s and comes after one of the longest breaks of his career.

"I'm obviously very happy and I think the key really was I putted very well - I had 25 putts and 11 on the back nine, my first side," he said.

"Obviously you don't want to go out bogeying the last two. It would have been a disappointing feel after playing so well for the first 16 holes, so I felt good about knocking that putt in.

"I felt like I played a lot last year. I was tired, I needed some time off and I just wanted to have a good holiday with my family and I did.

"I was a little nervous about being rusty, but I seem to get back into it pretty quick.

"I played too much golf last year and just mentally was not in the right frame of mind of where I wanted to be. I wasn't excited about coming to the golf course, so it was time to put them away for a while and now I'm back in a much better frame of mind.

"I think the glaring weakness for me is that I'm very average length. I don't hit the ball that far. Most of the guys I play with hit it past me, so my strengths have to be in other things and I have to beat those guys in other areas.

"I would hope the last 15 years proved that you don't have to be long to be good. I don't go to a lot of golf courses where I feel it's just a bomber's paradise and I'm at a severe disadvantage."


MICKELSON HOLDS NERVE TO TRIUMPH
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MONTY SET FOR LANDMARK APPEARANCE

Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie's return to action in Seville next week will mark his 500th European Tour appearance as a professional.

That is still more than 200 fewer than the Tour record held by his fellow Scot Sam Torrance, but Montgomerie is proud to be joining an elite band of 18 players to have reached the landmark.

"I am very lucky that my career is also my passion," said the eight-time Order of Merit winner.

"I still enjoy the thrill of competing just as much as I did when I started out on the European Tour 20 years ago."

Actually it is 23 years since he first appeared as an amateur at the Scottish Open at Gleneagles, finishing joint 29th.

"Over the years and the 499 events I have been delighted and proud to be part of the Tour and to see it develop into the thriving worldwide tour it stands as today."

Since his debut the 45-year-old has rewritten the history books several times, having amassed total earnings of almost Ј20million, recorded 182 top-10 finishes, set 13 course records and won more times - 31 - than any other British player.

He might also have taken over from Nick Faldo as the highest points-scorer in Ryder Cup history if Faldo had picked him for last September's match, but his unbeaten singles record in eight matches is among his greatest achievements.

Tour statistician Steve Doughty has calculated that Montgomerie is a cumulative 1,597 under par for his 499 events and has earned Ј182 for each of his 121,525 shots.

Next week's event is the Andalucian Open at the Jose Maria Olazabal-designed Real Club in Seville. Thomas Levet is the defending champion, but the course is the one on which Ireland's Peter Lawrie won the Spanish Open last year.


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WOODS ENDS ON LOSING SIDE

Tiger Woods scored one and a half points for his Isleworth club but could not stop Lake Nona claiming the Tavistock Cup in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday.

The world number one, looking to continue his comeback from reconstructive knee surgery last summer, followed up his tie for ninth place on Sunday in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral with a three-under-par round of 69 at the Lake Nona club in a three-million dollar charity match between two clubs with memberships numbering a host of the world's best touring professionals.

Playing fourball singles medal match play, Woods halved his match with England's Ian Poulter but defeated Henrik Stenson, who could only shoot a four-over 76 for the Lake Nona team.

Woods' playing partner Charles Howell III also shot three under to halve with Poulter and defeat Stenson but Lake Nona emerged victorious for only the second time in the six-year history of the event.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell led the Lake Nona team captained by Ernie Els to overturn an overnight 6-4 lead held by Mark O'Meara's Isleworth side.

McDowell, hit a six under par 66 to claim the Payne Stewart Award as the low scorer and his round earned him two points with victories over Australians Nick O'Hern (one under) and Stuart Appleby (three under).

McDowell's partner Retief Goosen hit a two-under 70 to defeat O'Hern but lose to Appleby.

"I played pretty nicely today," McDowell said. "It's an interesting format and I think it's important we won this year or else they would have tried to find someone else to play against."

Ben Curtis and Justin Rose also contributed four-under-par scores to score two victories apiece, the American over compatriots O'Meara and John Cook and Englishman Rose over JB Holmes of the USA and Robert Allenby of Australia.

McDowell's compatriot Darren Clarke was the low Isleworth scorer, his four under defeating Els and Mark McNulty.


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PORTO SANTO MAKES EURO TOUR BOW

A new name will be added to the long list of European Tour venues on Thursday - Porto Santo.

For the first time the Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal is not being staged on Madeira, but on its neighbouring island at a new Seve Ballesteros-designed course.

In its own tourist literature Porto Santo is described as "one long beach with a bit of an island attached". It has a permanent population of only around 5,000 and is less than eight miles long and four miles across at its widest point.

The island, nibbled bare by rabbits centuries ago, has been undergoing a massive re-forestation programme, local residents even being offered free plants for their gardens at municipal nurseries.

Its volcanic sands - it is no longer active, the players will be relieved to know - have long been held to have curative powers and it was once home to Christopher Columbus.

The course, opened in 2004, features two distinct zones. Part is dotted with lakes and the other section played along spectacular clifftops.

Tournament director David Williams said: "A number of holes are the most dramatic you will find anywhere in the world.

"The players will relish the challenge of the 200-yard 13th and 393-yard 14th, back-to-back holes where you are playing across the clifftops with the sea 500 feet below."

Past champions taking part include Welshman Bradley Dredge, Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin and Frenchman Jean Van de Velde, who after the heartbreak of the 1999 Open at Carnoustie ended 13 years without a victory when he triumphed in 2006.


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TIME TO CELEBRATE FOR BRADLEY

World number 816 Michael Bradley reignited his career with victory in the US Tour's Puerto Rico Open on Sunday.

But at 42 the American is unsure how much he wants to capitalise on his first win for 11 years.

"I don't know when I'll play again, I really don't. I just want to go home and celebrate it with my wife and kids," said Bradley after a two-putt birdie on the long 18th gave him the US$630,000 title by one from his compatriot Brett Quigley and 21-year-old Australian Jason Day.

Last December, Bradley failed to come through the Tour qualifying school. This was his first tournament of 2009.

"I really didn't know what to expect - I didn't know how I would react being in the final group. It's been so long since I've been there," he added.

"I guess that's the perk of getting a little older - you have more experience. I have been there and won and you just try to pull on all the past experiences that you've had.

"But pressure is pressure. It doesn't matter. It comes in all shapes and sizes.

"I'm almost 43 and you don't know really how many opportunities you're going to have. I'm not Tiger Woods, so when I do have an opportunity to win it's probably a little more special."

Former world junior champion Day, whose chance went when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker at the last, said: "I'm disappointed that I couldn't finish it off, but I'm very happy with myself that I actually put myself into contention and I held my head up and I nearly won the tournament.

"I know there are going to be plenty more wins coming my way as long as I work hard and keep moving forward.

"I've been in this position on the Nationwide Tour, but it's totally different on the PGA Tour."

Quigley looked as if he might achieve his first win in 341 starts when, from four back, he birdied five of the last 10 holes for a 67.

The last of them put him alongside Bradley and Day, but they still had the 18th to come and Bradley was the one to seize the chance.


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PORTO SANTO MAKES EURO TOUR BOW

MONTY REVEALS OLAZABAL AGREEMENT

Jose Maria Olazabal has agreed to be assistant to captain Colin Montgomerie at next year's Ryder Cup in Wales, but only if he does not qualify for the side.

"The number one guy that I've always wanted since we first met, believe it or not, back in 1984 is Jose Maria Olazabal," said Montgomerie on Monday, recalling that it was the Spaniard who beat him in the final of the British Amateur 25 years ago.

"I'd like him to be part of the team. He has come to me - and I appreciate that - and said he wants to try to be playing.

"But if not he has accepted and I have taken it on board that he will be part of the back team."

Olazabal was vice-captain to Nick Faldo in last September's defeat in Louisville, but while he thought about whether to put his name forward for Celtic Manor, Montgomerie agreed to stand and was subsequently appointed by the European Tour's players' committee.

The twice Masters champion is expected now to do the job in Chicago in 2012.

"Apparently he was exceptional with Nick - I wasn't there - so he would be my number one choice and I have been thinking about others," Montgomerie added in an interview with Sky Sports News.

"I need a good team around to me to help. This is a campaign to regain the Ryder Cup and it starts now."

The next committee meeting is on the eve of the Irish Open in May and it is there that the number of European wild cards will be decided, with Montgomerie pushing for more.

In recent matches they have had only two, while American captain Paul Azinger was allowed four last year.

"I think options in life is always a good thing in life," said the 45-year-old Scotsman. "When you don't have them you struggle.

"The 10 and two situation for the European team was working because we were winning. Now we have lost do we change the system, do we go 9-3, 8-4 like the Americans?

"It will be discussed at length and set in stone. I have my own views - options are good and I would like a little more than I have now."


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MICKELSON HOLDS NERVE TO TRIUMPH

Phil Mickelson landed his second title of the year when he held off the challenge of Nick Watney at the WGC-CA Championship.

Mickelson, who had been treated overnight for heat exhaustion and dehydration, showed no ill effects from his visit to a hospital emergency room as he outfought fellow American Watney over the back nine at Doral having emerged from a see-saw battle with the world number 78 in the first half of the final round.

World number three Mickelson parred the final seven holes to collect the $1.4 million (Ј978,747) winner's cheque with a last-day 69 to finish at 19 under par, one shot better than his overnight co-leader Watney.

It was his first World Golf Championships victory and his 36th on the PGA Tour, adding to his Northern Trust Open win at Riviera Country Club last month.

Mickelson revealed he had been suffering from a virus for the past three days and was concerned about his health throughout his final round as he tried to stay hydrated by sipping frequently from bottles of Gatorade.

"I fought hard all day and wasn't really able to pay attention to some of the great shots that Nick hit because I was so worried about keeping my energy level high and steady throughout the round," Mickelson said.

"I haven't eaten much in three days and I fought hard. I knew I was playing some of my best golf coming in here and I was playing well so I'm very excited to have finished it off."

Jim Furyk was a strong-finishing third at 16 under par following a closing 67, with India's Jeev Milkha Singh fourth on 14 under.

England's Oliver Wilson scored his best finish on the US PGA Tour when he shot a 66 to finish in a tie for fifth place alongside Colombia's Camilo Villegas, with Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and Thomas Aiken of South Africa tied for seventh on 12th under.

World number one Tiger Woods produced his second 68 of the weekend to finish tied for ninth with Rod Pampling of Australia and fellow American Kenny Perry at 11 under, to maintain his record of always finishing in the top 10, both in WGC stroke play events and at Doral.

The lead had changed hands three times between Mickelson and Watney over the front nine with Watney holing in a chip at the ninth from 80 feet and from beneath the hole at the back of the green, and between a spectator stand and a television tower.

Both men birdied the 10th to go to 20 under but Watney dropped a shot at the 11th and they both bogeyed the 12th.

Furyk moved to 16 under with birdies at the 15th and 16th holes but Mickelson kept his nerve to par all his remaining holes and stay one shot ahead of his rival.

Watney had one final chance to put pressure on Mickelson on the last green with a birdie putt from 29 feet on the fringe but his ball stopped just a couple of feet short, and Mickelson putted from inside three feet for victory.

"I thought it was on a really good line," Watney said of his putt on 18. "I can't believe I left it short.

"Unfortunately I just didn't hit it hard enough.

"I'm pleased with the way I played. Right now it still hurts to finish second - disappointing to come up one shot short. But overall it was a positive week, and I've just got to keep working hard."

Wilson was delighted with his week and a final-round, six-birdie, no-bogey 66 on the par-72 Blue Monster course.

"It feels pretty good to be honest," Wilson said afterwards.

"Yesterday was probably one of the best rounds I've played for a while, shooting level, I really hung in and ground it out and it gave me a chance to do what I did today so it worked out pretty good."

Ian Poulter wrapped things up for a final-round 69 to finish on 10 under in a seven-way tie for 13th that included Soren Hansen of Denmark and Spain's Alvaro Quiros

Rory McIlroy's tournament ended in disappointing fashion with a bogey at the last for a final-round 73 but the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland still managed a second consecutive top-20 finish in the US having finished tied for 13th at the Honda Classic.

McIlroy finished in a tie for 20th at nine under par, the same mark achieved by, among others, Luke Donald (72), Ernie Els (70), Padraig Harrington (71) and Justin Rose (68).

Richard Finch had started his round with a four birdies in a row but ended his week with a double-bogey six at the last to card a 71 and finish at four under, one better than fellow Englishman Ross Fisher.

Collated final round scores & totals in the WGC-CA Championship, Doral Resort & CC, Miami, Florida, United States of America

(USA unless stated, par 72):

269 Phil Mickelson 65 66 69 69

270 Nick Watney 66 67 67 70

272 Jim Furyk 68 68 69 67

274 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 65 71 68 70

275 Oliver Wilson (Eng) 67 70 72 66, Camilo Villegas (Col) 67 68 69 71

276 Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 74 66 71 65, Soren Kjeldsen (Swe) 70 66 69 71

277 Kenny Perry 70 64 71 72, Justin Leonard 69 69 68 71, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 66 69 71 71, Tiger Woods 71 70 68 68

278 Steve Stricker 69 70 70 69, Charley Hoffman 68 70 67 73, Sean O'Hair 67 70 74 67, Soren Hansen (Den) 74 69 64 71, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 65 70 72 71, Ian Poulter (Eng) 69 67 73 69, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 64 69 73

279 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 68 66 72 73, James Kingston (Rsa) 66 74 67 72, Justin Rose (Eng) 73 70 68 68, Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 71 68 70, Luke Donald (Eng) 69 70 68 72, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 67 69 73 70, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 66 71 71 71

280 Tim Clark (Rsa) 71 71 69 69

281 Robert Allenby (Aus) 69 71 72 69, Davis Love III 70 71 70 70, Ben Curtis 71 69 71 70

282 Paul Casey (Eng) 71 66 72 73, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 71 70 72 69, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 72 72 68 70, Briny Baird 70 68 71 73

283 Dustin Johnson 70 66 71 76, Pat Perez 70 68 72 73, Mike Weir (Can) 71 69 70 73, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 73 68 70 72, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 74 69 69 71

284 Peter Hanson (Swe) 70 74 72 68, Richard Finch (Eng) 72 72 69 71, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 70 71 69 74, Ken Duke 71 75 67 71, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 73 69 70 72, Stephen Ames (Can) 72 70 71 71

285 Ross Fisher (Eng) 71 69 72 73, Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 70 70 72 73, Andres Romero (Arg) 67 71 77 70, Mark Brown 73 71 68 73, Darren Clarke (NIrl) 74 71 71 69, Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 70 70 72 73, D.J. Trahan 77 71 66 71

286 Hunter Mahan 71 74 68 73, Chad Campbell 72 70 70 74, Vijay Singh (Fij) 69 72 71 74, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 69 74 74 69, Zach Johnson 70 72 72 72

287 Anthony Kim 71 69 72 75

288 K J Choi (Kor) 73 73 72 70, Stewart Cink 73 73 69 73

289 Dudley Hart 71 75 73 70, Boo Weekley 69 75 75 70, Kevin Sutherland 74 76 68 71, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 71 71 69 78, Lee Westwood (Eng) 71 71 78 69

290 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 65 76 73 76, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 73 74 70 73, Adam Scott (Aus) 71 76 72 71, Wen-Tang Lin (Tai) 75 70 70 75

291 John Rollins 76 71 71 73, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 74 76 72 69

292 Bubba Watson 72 71 74 75

293 Richard Sterne (Rsa) 70 76 72 75

294 Yong-eun Yang (Kor) 73 70 73 78

295 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 69 72 76 78

297 Azuma Yano (Jpn) 77 71 76 73

298 Billy Mayfair 75 72 75 76, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 73 73 83

299 Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 76 71 75 77


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