Sports Then and Now

Paul Casey will look to build on recent success during the upcoming Masters.

Paul Casey has struggled during the past couple of years to produce some of his best form, but will be hoping his recent success at the Volvo Golf Championship in Bahrain is a sign of a brighter future. The tournament win in the Middle East was his first in 20 months and this year already looks to be progressing better than last season.

Casey will line-up at the US Masters next month with a strong record at Augusta which includes four top-20 finishes, the highlight being in 2004 when the 33-year old tied for sixth. There have been disappointments for Casey at the Masters though with missed cuts in 2005 and again last year, but if the Englishman’s game is as tight as it can be then he’ll definitely be one of those in the chase to be awarded the famous green jacket, even if the Masters Golf betting odds suggest he isn’t among the favorites. Read the rest of this entry →

Willie Anderson, four times winner of the US Open between 1901 - 1905.

It is hard to imagine nowadays but once upon a time Scotland dominated the US Open Golf Championship, winning twelve of the first sixteen tournaments, between 1895 and 1910. Amongst those early winners was Willie Anderson who won four times and remains only one of four golfers in the history of the event to have won that many. Anderson is also the only golfer to have won the tournament three times successively, a record that is likely to be in the books forever more.

The first American to win the prestigious US Open golf title was John McDermott, who won twice in succession in 1911 and 1912. His wins in fact sparked American dominance in their home ‘Major’ tournament and was hugely responsible for generating the sport’s popularity in the States.

Scottish success was not completely over however with Willie Macfarlane winning in 1925 becoming the last player from the ‘home of golf’ to have won; he was also the last non-American player to win until Gary Player, the great South African took the title in 1965.

Surprisingly Player only ever won the tournament once but over the years but there have been two golfers from South Africa to have achieved two wins. Firstly Ernie Els, who won in 1994 and 1997 and was followed in by Retief Goosen who claimed the title in 2001 and 2004. Other recent dual winners are the late Payne Stewart, Lee Janzen, Curtis Strange, Andy North, Lee Trevino and Billy Casper.

Tiger Woods is one of only two players to have a hat trick of wins his most recent coming in 2008 when he played his play-off round against Rocco Mediate with a serious injury to his left knee. Woods did not play again that year and has not won another ‘Major’ since. Woods also won in 2000 and 2002 and was second in 2005 and 2007. The other player with three wins is the very popular Hale Irwin, whose third win in 1990 made him the oldest player at 45 to have won the US Open. He also won in 1974 and 1975.

There are three players other than Anderson who have four titles and all three are regarded as legends of the sport of golf, they are Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones, the latter being the last amateur to have lifted the crown. Nicklaus who last won in 1980 was also runner up on five occasions but still holds the record for the most ‘Majors’ won of 18.

In the modern golf era one player who can count himself unlucky not to have won more than once is Phil Mickelson has finished up, like Nicklaus runner up or tied runner up on five times.

The defending champion is Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, who will be looking to join the illustrious list of multiple US Open winners when the 2011 US Open gets underway on the Blue Course at the Congressional Golf Club in Bethesda, Maryland on June 15^th and the US Open betting is sure to have the Ryder Cup hero and current world number four as a strong contender to do so.

His spitting incident in Dubai is just the latest negative setback for Tiger Woods.

On the back of a turbulent, controversial couple of years in Tiger Woods’ private life, Woods has this weekend been at the center of controversy for his actions on the course.

His etiquette and behavior was called into question as he was seen spitting on the Golf course and greens, as he took part in the Dubai Desert Classic in Saturday. He has consequently being fined $10,000 by the European Tour for breach of the tour code of conduct. Fans following the latest golf scores won’t have been impressed.

For all the good that Tiger has produced on the golf course, the dark side of Tiger was not welcomed by the golfing world with sky sports commentators referring to his actions as ‘arrogant and petulant’.  It is also claimed that Tiger was heard swearing on parts of the course. Read the rest of this entry →

Jose Maria Olazabal will have two wild card picks to make for the 2012 Ryder Cup.

New Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal will only have two wild card picks for the 2012 tournament after the tournament committee accepted his proposals to have the number reduced.

Previous Ryder Cup captains had the option of picking three wild cards in addition to the top nine European players in the world ranking list.

Another change sees the European money list take precedent over the world ranking list for automatic qualification for the team. The changes will help Europe’s plight to retain the cup in 2012, and bigfreebet will likely install them as favorites for the tournament.
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Davis Love III will be the U.S. Captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Davis Love III has been named the USA Ryder Cup team captain for the 2012 tournament. This may well be one of the worst kept secrets in sport, but it takes nothing away from the significance of the moment for the man himself, the players and American golf.

The announcement was made the day after Jose Maria Olazabal was named as the leader of the European team.

Much like the Spanish captain of the Europeans, Love is a very experienced man when it comes to the Ryder Cup. He has played in six of the tournaments and was vice-captain to Corey Pavin in last year’s event at Celtic Manor.

It was of course a very proud moment for Love as he faced the media to give his views on one of the most privileged roles in sport. To play in the Ryder Cup is one thing, to lead your fellow countryman in the best golf tournament of all is another – just ask Colin Montgomerie. Read the rest of this entry →

1996 US Masters winner, Nick Faldo, doesn't celebrate, opting to comfort Greg Norman, who threw away a final round lead

He teed off in the final round six shots clear of playing partner and nearest challenger, Nick Faldo, seven shots clear of Phil Mickelson and a country mile clear of the rest of the field. He had played impeccable golf for three rounds and appeared to have seen off the Faldo challenge in the third round by increasing his tournament lead from four shots to six. It was of course the 1996 US Masters and ‘he’ was the ‘Great White Shark’, Greg Norman.

Up until 1996, Norman had long been regarded as the best player in the world, Faldo did assume the number one ranking for a couple of years at the time when he was winning five ‘major’s in the late 80s early 90’s, but overall it was Norman who had the most ability. Indeed until the 1996 Masters he had finished second or tied second in seven ‘Major’s’ and had fifteen other top ten finishes in ‘Major’s’ but amazingly had only managed to win two, which had come in the Open Championship in 1986 and 1993. Surely the 1996 US Masters was to be his third!

Norman’s first tee shot of the day perhaps told the crowd more than it needed to, but he hooked it into the trees and went on to make a bogey. He followed that up with a long putt to save par on the third, but bogeyed the fourth and then hit his third bogey on eight. Faldo meanwhile was going about his business in his usual pragmatic manner, playing each hole on its merits, relying on course management to provide the ‘birdie’ opportunities and they came on the 6th and the 8th with birdies at each. Faldo was all of a sudden in contention and only 3 shots behind and the formidable Augusta 4 hole turn was coming up. Read the rest of this entry →