Luke Donald Wins The Madrid Masters
Luke Donald held on at the Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo golf club to claim the Madrid Masters.
Donald, who narrowly missed out on victory at Wentworth last week, has clearly hit form after leading for the past few days.
Level with three to play with Rhys Davies, Donald hit a 252 yard fairway wood to 12 feet on the long 16th for his third eagle of the week. Davies made birdie and has a chance to force a playoff with a 20 footer at the last, but he never got the ball rolling on line.
The victory has lifted Donald from 13th to 9th in the world rankings, meaning there are now a phenomenal four English players in the worlds top ten. Donald’s last victory came at the Honda Classic in America in March 2006 and his last in Europe came in Switzerland in September 2004.
“It’s been a while since I won and to put last week behind me makes me very proud.
“The way I played today means a lot to me. The eagle was huge because Rhys put a lot of pressure on me.
“It’s happiness and relief – definitely some relief.”
You can view the leaderboard here.
Pro Golf Tips: Ben Crane
Titleist Tips From The Tour: Some great tips from Ben Crane on hitting shots out of the semi rough.
BMW PGA Championship: Round 4
Simon Khan wins the BMW PGA Championship from the West Course at Wentworth after coming from seven behind on the final day.
The World Number 471 shot a five under par 66 and posted the clubhouse lead, a couple of hours before the final paring of Chris Wood and Robert Karlsson finished. Luke Donald was tied for the lead with two holes to go and was expected to birdie one of the two par 5 finishing holes, but after a wayward tee shot on 17 found the bushes, Donald made double bogey which meant he had to make an eagle three at the par 5 18th to force a playoff. Donald almost did just that after hitting the most fantastic approach from 117 yards right down the pin, the ball took one bounce, almost went in, and spun back to three feet. A harder bounce would have surely let the ball drop into the hole. Who said the new 18th will only encourage boring shots…
The win was even more special for Khan, after him having to go back to Tour School last November to guarantee his tour card. The win brings him a five-year European Tour exemption and a place in July’s Open Championship at St Andrews as well as the 750,000 Euro first prize.
“This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing,” said Khan. “It’s as much for the family as it is for me – it’s unbelievable to be standing here right now.
“This means everything. This tournament is the reason I started playing golf and just being here is special this year.”
You can view the final leaderboard here.
BMW PGA Championship: Round 3
England’s Chris Wood leads by two shots from Danny Willett on -8 at the BMW PGA Championship from Wentworth.
Wood shot a terrific third round 67 which included six birdies and two bogeys. Wood got off to the best possible start after making birdies at 2, 3 and 4. He struggled a little coming home with drop shots at 13 and 15, but a fantastic sand save for par at 18 will give him a massive lift going into the final round.
Unfortunately for Wood, he has never shot better than 70 in any final round during his European Tour career. He said afterwards, “I never felt like I hit the ball my best, but I scored really well. It will be a new experience leading (with a round to go), but there’s no better position to be in.”
Danny Willett has kept himself in contention and is two shots back on -6 after shooting a one under par 71. Willett had the most unusual scorecard with seven birdies, four bogeys and one double.
The story of the day came from Robert Karlsson, who yesterday got a flight to Nice after thinking he had missed the cut, only to find out he hadn’t and had to fly to Paris and stay the night then get a private jet at 5am to be on the tee at Wentworth for 9am.
It was all worth it though after Karlsson shot an unbelievable 62 on the new West Course layout, which included nine birdies and no dropped shots.
Other notable players on the leaderboard are Luke Donald on -5 and Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, James Kingston, Marcel Siem and Stephen Gallacher all on -3.
View the leaderboard here.
BMW PGA Championship: Round 2
Luke Donald leads the BMW PGA Championship by 1 shot after a second consecutive round of 68.
Donald has only dropped one shot in 36 holes and showed the precision needed to play the new West Course. “I think the reason why it suits me is because you kind of have to plot your way around a little bit more now,” he said.
Day 1 leader Danny Willett could only manage a one over 72 to be one shot off the lead. “Got off to a really quick start,” he said. “Put a bit of space between me and the lads behind, but a few pitfalls, and the wind swirled around.
“Got a few long, went long on a few greens and struggled to get up and down from where the flags were. We hit it all right, but just didn’t quite hole the putts we did yesterday.”
The strong favourite going into the weekend will be Ross Fisher, who grew up playing the West Course. “There are a lot of guys in contention,” he said. “I’m right up there, one behind at the moment, so whatever happens at the end of today’s play, I’m pretty pleased with the first two days, and hopefully I can have two more good days.
“I felt like I played really, really nicely today. Gave myself a lot of good opportunities and just really struggled with the speed of the greens. Yesterday I felt like I putted really nicely – I think I had 25 putts yesterday. Today, it’s probably more like 32, 33, I just couldn’t buy a putt.”
View the leaderboard here.
BMW PGA Championship: Round 1
So it’s upon us, round 1 of the BMW PGA Championship from the West Course at Wentworth. Danny Willett produced the round of the day, with a 6 under par 65.
128th in the world, Willett fired nine birdies in his 6 under round. An old head on shoulders was clear at the 539 yard 18th, when Willett decided not to go for the green in two, instead opting for an 89 yard pitch which he hit to three feet.
One shot back on -5 is Australia’s Richard Green who had six birdies and a bogey on his way to a 66. Ross Fisher, Richie Ramsey, S S P Chowrasia and Steve Webster are all on -4.
Perhaps the surprise of the day came from Ian Poulter who shot a seven over 78, especially as he had been talking pre-tournament about catching Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to sneak into one of the world’s top two spots.
“I didn’t play very well,” he admitted. “You can see that from my scorecard. If you are not going to play well on this golf course it is going to punish you – it is a punishment today.”
The £6 million re-design of the West Course has taken some criticism this week, with Paul Casey saying “The idea was that maybe we should introduce a scheme along the lines that we have with historic buildings. I mean, Ernie has that beautiful house on the 16th with the thatched roof. He owns it, but that doesn’t give him the right to paint it pink and put a tin roof on it”.
You can view the leaderboard here.
I Can’t Wait For The BMW PGA Championship
I can’t wait for the BMW PGA Championship from the West Course at Wentworth, which starts this coming Thursday.
The famous West Course has been subject to much press interest over the past few months, after undergoing a massive architectural course change by Ernie Els. The biggest change comes at the par 5 18th, which now has a brook running across the front of the green. The green will hold a 3 wood or a long iron according to Els, but the shot has to be played correctly with plenty of height and a soft landing. This is likely to cause a few upsets whilst players debate whether to go for the green, or opt to lay up short.
Players confirmed for Thursday’s start include Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Matteo Manassero, the young Italian superstar, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Ernie Els.
Core Golf Strengthening
Core strengthening is an important aspect dismissed by many golfers, having a good core can reduce injury and help create more power and consistency in the golf swing. John Adam, a certified athletic trainer, demonstrates on Brad Faxon two exercises for the core, leg bridges and leg raise.
Angel Cabrera Golf Swing
Click on the video below to see Angel Cabrera’s Golf Swing.
Nick Watney Golf Swing
Click on the video below to see Nick Watney’s Golf Swing.
