Thompson in as LPGA member, packed leaderboard at the Dunhill Links

Minutes ago LPGA commissioner Mike Whan announced as expected that 16 year old Alexi Thompson will be a member of the LPGA tour in 2012, making an exception to the rule that requires a member to be 18.

"Lexi Thompson is a unique talent who has continued to grow, develop and mature both on and off the golf course since turning professional in 2010," Whan said in a statement. "Her overall performance, most recently demonstrated by her win at the Navistar LPGA Classic, has currently placed her among the top 50 in the world on the Rolex Rankings. Additionally, her ability to handle the success and disappointment inherent to this game testifies to a level of maturity that I believe makes her capable of handling the emotional rigors of professional golf. Therefore, effective at the start of our 2012 season, Lexi will officially become a member of the LPGA Tour."


Meanwhile play has wrapped up for the day at the Dunhill Links Championship and unheralded Englishman Tommy Fleetwood 63 and Northern Ireland's Micheal Hoey 66 share the lead at -12, both played Kingsbarns.

Louis Oosthuizen who won the 2010 Open at St Andrews had an opening 66 at Kingsbarns for a share of the lead overnight carried on where he left off at Carnoustie where he shot 67 for a -11 total.

I went to university at Dundee, just down the coast from Carnoustie and in my final year we had to do a field study of a local community and I managed to wrangle Carnoustie. Well I spent the next 3 months with my trusty 7 iron and old putter, hiding on the beach beside the 9th hole called Railroad, then sneaking on through the trees with 3 golf balls when the way was clear, hitting into that green and trying to make the putt to win the Open Championship

The perfect sunny, breathless weather they have enjoyed for the last 2 days is the exception, trust me and as a result the scoreboard is jammed. Heavy rain and a high of 17 is moving in for the weekend, but not a lot of wind until Monday.

for live scoring click  http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011071/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

#1 Luke Donald 71 T51 -4..#2 Lee Westwood 69 T19 -7  #3 Rory McIlroy 67 T19 -7 all played Carnoustie.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

World's top 3 playing Kingsbarns.. final scores/leaderboards

As I said yesterday there is a ton of important golf to be played this year all over the world and today the European Tour kicks off it's final 12 events with a great tourney the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

It used to be an International team competition called the Dunhill Cup which was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000. It was for three man teams, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championship".

Each year sixteen teams competed in three days of round robin play to determine the semi-finalists. The semi-finals and the final were both played on the Sunday at the old course, in fact Canada won it in 1994 with Dave Barr, Ray Stewart and Rick Gibson.

In 2001 with the advent of Kingsbarns, a beautiful new course in Fife, the organizers changed it to a Pebble Beach style celebrity Pro-am and included Carnoustie and the old course at St Andrews in the 3 course rotation. The championship incorporates two separate competitions - an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and a team event in which the professionals are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers

This morning Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Rory McIroy are all on the Kingsbarns course with their celebrity partners, Martin Kaymer won it all last year. Dustin Johnson, John Daly,Ernie Els, GMac, Darren Clarke, Monty, Paddy etc etc are all in the field along with a bevy of international and British stars.

For tee times and courses click here http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011071/teetimes/index.html

For live scoring click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011071/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

update..play has just wrapped up for the day on the south east coast of Scotland on a glorious sunny fall day and many of the scores reflect the almost ideal conditions, which by the way are due to continue tomorrow.

Four players were tied for the lead.Former Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, Austrian Markus Brier, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Northern Irishman Michael Hoey were all -6 66.

Oosthuizen and Cabrera-Bello played Kingsbarns and Hoey and Brier, St Andrews
#2 Lee Westwood -4 68.... #6 Martin Kaymer -4 68..  #1 Luke Donald -3 69.. #2 Rory McIlroy -2 70 all on Kingsbarns.

Pro Am leaderboard click here http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011071/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles



Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Ames one of 4 Canucks in the Justin Timberlake tourney this week in Vegas

Trust me folks there is a ton o' golf left to be played in 2011 including the President's Cup and the Aussie Open in November, the Race to Dubai has 12 events left including this week's Dunhill Links at the Old course, Carnoustie and King's Barns which is the equivalent to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. They will travel through Spain, South Africa and out to the Far East before heading back to the Middle East (Dubai) for the season finale..

The PGA tour starts it's Fall Series in Vegas at the easy TPC Summerlin (ranked 48th of 51 in terms of difficulty) where Steven Ames, David Hearn, Chris Baryla and Matt McQuillan are in the field..

Tee times..http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r047/tee-times.html

Ames now 47 has had a poor season with only 2 top 10's in 18 outings. He has slippped from 33rd in the world to 244 and is 133 on the money list and is trying to get back inside the top 125. Hasn't played since August 7th at Reno. Just 3 years til the Champions Tour Dave...

Hearn... David has had his best year on the PGA tour, obviously the 2nd time round has been easier for him but he is 274 in the world, 129th on the money list so needs to make enough in this Fall Series to secure his card in the top 125. He has had 3 top 25's this year.

Baryla..At one point Chris missed 14 straight cuts, in fact made only 1 all year and will clearly need to catch lightning in a bottle or it's back to Q school. He tweeted " great life here on tour, play Thursday and Friday with weekends off"

McQuillan.. Matt is 396 in the world, 139 on the money list. He altered his swing in mid season with immediate results. He had missed 10 cuts in a row before the change and he then placed T3 at the John Deere in July, as well as T6 at Reno. Again, he is hoping to get into that top 125..

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

No surprises in Presidents Cup picks...

I'll miss not having Weirsy in the team this time round but there were no surprises for me in the captain's picks yesterday, Couples had to take Haas and Woods but for differing reasons. Haas was told he had to win the Tour Championship to get in and he did, and of course TV would not allow Freddie not to pick Tiger, especially when he would already be down there the week before playing in the Aussie Open.

Norman left out Oosthuizen who is #11 in favour of Allenby (13) who lives on the Royal Melbourne course and is a member, and Baddeley (14) who T3 at the Tour Championship. John Senden was his next choice.

Royal Melbourne GC., November 14-20

Click here for USA team standings....http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/prescup.html?140

Click here for International team standings http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/presidentscup/TeamInternational/

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Donald misses historic day by a shot in a wild sports weekend

What a weekend of sports including epic moments on either side of the Atlantic in golf.

My dear old Scottish rugby squad lost 13-12 in a hard fought match against Argentina in NZ and it was a particularly bitter pill because they were in possession with a minute to go right on the Puma's goal line after a magnificent 50 yard kick into touch, and after several attempts to score the try, they opted for a drop at goal, but a panic pass from the scrumhalf forced Parks onto his left foot under intense pressure and his attempt wasn't close. Now we have to beat the auld enemy England to progress. Canada plays Japan tonight 11.30pm est..

The Argos finally won an ugly game 25-24 which will be a huge relief to them all especially my pal Jim Barker. A bizarre ending with the winning point, a rouge after a FG miss which was preceded by a FG miss replayed due to a whistle being blown in the stands !!

Alison Nicholas and her Euro team had that thrilling win over a solid US squad and as always the emotions were raw and roamed back and forth right until the final green. It was a pleasure to watch and learn about many of these gals I don't follow as closely as I do the other tours. I wrote/ broadcast about it all weekend but suffice to say LPGA and in particular European women's golf was the big winner here

The unheralded Buffalo Bills 3-0 with the huge upset of the NFL weekend with a thrilling 2nd half comeback and last second FG to beat the NE Pats of all teams.

3 hr's by Jacoby Ellsbury in a twin bill vs the Yankees including a 3 run shot in the 14th inning of the nightcap to stop the Red Sox wild card slide while they are still a game ahead of the Rays. Jacoby who was drafted by the Rays is a Navajo Indian, one of only 3 native Indians in MLB. His career BA at Oregon State high school is .567, he was only caught stealing once, and in 1 game stole 7 bases..

So when Luke Donald rifled a 3 iron to 12 feet at the par 3 18th, then made the putt to get to -7 I was thinking this is huge. With Europe owning the Walker Cup (GB&Ire), the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup all I needed was Luke to win the Fed Ex Cup for the Slam of all time !!

As it turned out with Haas winning, Luke T3 and ended up 193 points and a shot shy of not only completing that slam, but to become the first golfer to win the Race to Dubai and the Fed Ex Cup, a historic day since it never has happened before.

Final Fed Ex standings click here..http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?02395

Haas made the shot of the year from the water hazard, you'll see it plenty..

Tiger has snatched veteran caddie Joe LaCava away from Dustin Johnson without calling Dustin first. Joe told Dustin after the Tour Championship and according to Brandle Chamblee, Johnson is pissed. LaCava was Freddie Couples caddy for 20 years so you can see the connection there with Freddie and Tiger in daily contact.

It was beautiful weather as well with tons of warm sunshine and oh yes did I mention that my home town St Johnstone beat Hearts 2-0 in the SPL ???

What a wild weekend.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Haas hits Fed Ex jackpot

" This is pretty cool" was how proud dad Jay Haas described what his son Bill had just accomplished on the 3rd playoff hole to win the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex points race that went with it.

Haas who had survived the 2nd playoff hole with Hunter Mahan, with what Rory McIlroy tweeted the "shot of the year", an explosion shot from a partially submerged lie in a greenside pond to within 2 feet will undoubtedly now be named to the Presidents Cup team by captain Freddie Couples.

In the Fed Ex Cup race Haas edged Webb Simpson by 15 points and Luke Donald by 200 to collect the $10m bonus

More details to follow on a fabulous Sunday in golf.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Europe wins the Solheim Cup in a thriller

Here are the 12 singles pairings as play is under way on a blustery Sunday morning in Killeen just outside Dublin in Ireland.

Click for live scoring..http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/TeamMatchLeaderboard.aspx

The match is level with 8 points to each team, the US needs 14 to retain the cup. Europe needs 14.5

Catriona Matthew leads off against Paula Creamer. Creamer hasn't lost yet at 3-0-1 and Matthew comes from North Berwick on the east coast of Scotland so has the advantage of growing up in windy days like today. 

Both captains, Rosy Jones and Alison Nicholas are looking to get momentum on their side early, and I might add they put their lineups out without knowledge of what the other is doing, so it is a coincidence that Julie Inkster and Laura Davies are paired together in what could be their final Solheim Cup matches.

I will be updating all morning and listen to my report on the ISR at TSN1050 radio between 8am-10 this morning.

update.. play has been suspended temporarily due to heavy rain pooling in the bunkers but officials say they could resume at 9am est.

Cristie Kerr has had to WD due to a sore wrist so Karen Stupples is awarded a 10&8 win to make the score 9-8 Europe. In a tearful interview Kerr said she simply couldn't hit the ball this morning. She said the problem started after the opening ceremony on Thursday but she felt well enough to play on Friday. She said she has been playing in a lot of pain and has a 2-1-1 record in 4 sessions. Needless to say there will be questions asked about when the injury occurred and whether she should have WD before she came over to Ireland and how much she told her captain Rosie Jones.

Right now Europe is up in 5 matches, the States in 3 with 3 AS..

update.. Catriona Matthew has just thrashed Paula Creamer 6&5   Now 10-8 Europe. Creamer was +6 thru 13 holes, Catriona -1 but the States are up in 3 and AS in 3, hardly the glum picture Gannon, Pepper etal are painting on the GC and while I'm at it quit bitching about the weather, you are not in Florida or California. It's Ireland in the Fall and your constant whining is what makes you the 'Ugly Americans'.

The rain delay has worked wonders for Morgan Pressel who was 2down when play was suspended and is now 3 up with 5 to play against Anna Nordqvist

update  things going USA's way up now in 6 and AS in another and they own 17&18

update  Gustafson wins 2up over Lewis on the 18th, Lang drubs a hapless Sandra Gal 6&5. so 11-9 Europe for now, but States up in 4.. Morgan Pressel beats Anna Nordqvist 2&1, now 11-10

Play suspended at 11.13am est rain, thunder, lightning...

update...The States are 12.5-11.5 up now. Laura Davies was 1 up playing 18 and she made bogey to let Inkster halve the match, Kim beat Hjorth 4&2 and Vicky Hurst beat Mel Reid 2up

Christel Boeljon has just beat Brittany Lincicome 2up and it is tied 12.5- 12.5 but the States are up in 2 and AS in the other...

Suzann Pettersen just beat Michelle Wie in a thriller on the 18th making 3 straight birdies and now Caroline Hedwall has won the last 2 holes to halve with Ryann O'Toole and  Azahara Munoz wins 1up on Angela Stanford  15-13 final !!

EUROPE HAS WON THE SOLHEIM CUP...but women's golf and in fact European women's golf is the big winner here

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

USA fights back in fourballs to tie Solheim Cup 8-8

After 2 days and 4 sessions there is nothing between the 2 teams as the US squad fought back in this afternoon's 4balls to win the session 3-1 and tie the event 8-8 going into Sunday's singles

click for scores....http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/TeamMatchLeaderboard.aspx

Laura Davies and Melissa Reid never trailed Brittany Lang and Michelle Wie and beat them 4&3 to set the pace early but the Yanks dug in.

Stacy Lewis and Ryann O'Toole were always just a hole ahead and hung on to edge Sandra Gal and Christel Boeljon 2&1

Paula Creamer and Brittany Lincicome won 3&1 over Hjorth and Munoz. Creamer is still unbeaten.

Suzann Pettersen set the crowd crazy with a huge putt to win 16 and square their match with Pressel and Kerr but Morgan made a birdie of her own on 17 and the sides halved 18 in 4's to give the States their 3rd point and the 8-8 tie.

I don't watch a lot of LPGA golf but like the Ryder Cup this is their best week of the year by far..They look great in their matching outfits and the golf overall is compelling.

Even the legend Peter Alyss tweeted this morning " I must say Paula Creamer is rather tasty, I would like to take her for tea and crumpets or something."

So I will post the singles match ups as soon as they are posted for what should be a great Sunday with the States needing just 14 pts to retain the Cup and inclimate weather in the forecast..

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Donald in the drivers seat at the Fed Ex Cup, as other leaders drop back

While 3 of the 5 top points leaders struggled yesterday at the Tour Championship, Mr Steady Eddie, Luke Donald shot a -2 68 to sit T3 at -6, just 2 shots off the lead.

Click here for leaderboard..http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r060/

The world's top-ranked player entered this week fourth in FedExCup points and has a reasonable chance of winning even if he were to finish second in the tournament. As long as Donald remains close to the leaders, then it's not necessarily a given that the TOUR Championship winner will also claim the FedExCup. And absolutely no one expects Donald -- who has the security of knowing that a tournament win guarantees him the FedExCup -- to just drift away this weekend.

He is of course poised to win the Fed Ex Cup and the Race to Dubai, never done before.

None of the three players at the top of the the FedExCup race could break par at East Lake on Friday. No. 1 Webb Simpson suffered four early bogeys and needed a late birdie and eagle just to salvage an even-par 70. No. 2 Dustin Johnson made two double bogeys en route to a 73. No. 3 Justin Rose matched his two doubles -- and tossed in a handful of bogeys -- in shooting a 75.


As a result, Simpson is barely afloat, seven shots off the pace, while Johnson and Rose take up two of the bottom five spots on the leaderboard. Through two rounds, each of the top 25 players in FedExCup now have the necessary scenarios to enable them to win the FedExCup should he win the TOUR Championship.

Adam Scott is the leader going into this weekend. Scott finished birdie-birdie for the second straight day on the tough closing holes at East Lake, allowing him to recover from a rugged start for a 5-under 65 to finish at 8-under 132 and a one-shot lead over K.J. Choi who also had a 65 and will be in the final group Saturday with Scott.


"I've got to win, and I imagine Webb (Simpson) must have to finish pretty low to give me a chance," Scott said of the FedExCup. "That's all I know. I just figured if I win this week, I'll be happy no matter what. I'll finish what I think has been a really good season."

Jason Day, who was paired with Scott on a balmy afternoon and shot 67 and is T3 with Luke.

Bubba Watson had the low round of the day at 64 and was three shots behind with a pair of Presidents Cup hopefuls, Bill Haas and Keegan Bradley, and also Hunter Mahan.

notes from pgatour.com

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Europe leads 7-5 after morning foursomes. fourball pairings..

It's a beautiful morning in Killeen Ireland, calm and sunny which is exactly how the European team is feeling as the Swedish pair of Caroline Hedwall and Sophie Gustafson have just trounced Angela Stanford and Stacy Lewis 6&5 in the first match of the day.

American captain Rosy Jones said " I went against my gut, but Stacy wanted to go out with Angela again today to prove something and this is a tough loss, it's a pretty big stage to learn a lesson on. these girls are two of my horses"

Click here for live scoring all day http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/TeamMatchLeaderboard.aspx

Maria Hjorth and Anna Nordqvist are 4 up with 6 to play aginst Julie Inkster and Brittany Lang, but the other 2 matches are AS as Creamer and Kerr battle Matthew and Munoz through 12 holes and Stupples and Boeljon lock up with O'Toole and Pressel playing 14.

The score is 5.5 -3.5 for Europe right now and I will be updating all day

update.. Morgan Pressel and Ryann o'Toole combined to win 3&2 over Christel Boeljon and Karen Stupples, now 5.5 - 4.5 Europe.

update.. Hjorth &Nordqvist have closed out Lang and Inkster 3&2 
6.5 - 4.5 Europe. The last match is a beauty with Creamer and Kerr AS playing 17 vs Matthew and Spanish sensation Azahara Munoz who just made a great putt on 16 to square the match. Paula Creamer has been brilliant and hasn't lost yet this week.

update..  Creamer and Kerr fail to get up and down on 18 make bogey, Match halved with Matthew and Munoz, right result after both pairs were great

Europe leads 7-5 going into afternoon fourballs

Click here for fourball pairings http://www.solheimcup.com/live_scoring.php?s=4

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Europe leads Solheim Cup 4.5 - 3.5 after day 1 in Ireland

Click here for live pairings...http://www.lpga.com/content/2011SolheimCupPairings.pdf

Click here for live scoring http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/TeamMatchLeaderboard.aspx

Europe leads USA halfway through the morning foursomes 3-1..
update.. the morning foursomes have finished at 2-2 with all but 1 match being very close.. Wie and Kerr won 16 &17 to edge Hjorth and Nordqvist 2&1 in the lead match, Creamer and Lincicomb down most of the match snatched a 1up win with a birdie on 18 over Stupples and Reid then Gustafson and Petterson returned the favour for the European team against Inkster and Lang. Catriona Matthew and her Spanish partner Azahara Munoz dominated Lewis and Stanford 3&2.

update the wind has gotten up for the afternoon fourballs and as it stands playing the back nine Europe leads in 3 with 1 match AS.

update  they are playing so slowly, 5.5 hours to get a 4ball in is ridiculous and they are running out of light and may not finish. Gustafson and Hedwall hammered Lincicomb and Hurst 5&4 so Europe 3-2 lead. They lead 2 others and 1 is AS but the US have fought back to make closer matches than they were 40 minutes ago...

update.  1 down on 17 tee Creamer and Pressel made 2 huge putts to steal a match from Laura Davies and Melissa Reid. Sandra Gal and Catriona Matthew led Christine Kim and Ryann O'Toole all afternoon, but the Yanks continued the US comeback, won 17 and halved 18 for a half point and the Swedish duo of Pettersen and Nordqvist beat Kerr and Wie 2up

Final score Europe 4.5 USA 3.5 after day 1..

Irish note.. since Ireland hosted the Ryder Cup when Europe thrashed US 18.5-9.5 Paddy Harrington has won 3 majors while his Irish brethren from the north Rory, Graeme and Darren have won 3 more..

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

"Holy smokes Batman, it's Bradley and Dufner again !!!!"

Recently on TCM the classic movie channel (no commercials) they played the old Adam West Batman movie resplendent with it's Bam and Smack and "holy smokes Batman" grahics from Robin, so corny, but if they were talking about round one of the Tour Championship, Robin would say"holy smokes Batman it's Bradley and Dufner again "
Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner atop the leaderboard in Atlanta should sound familiar. Only this was the FedExCup not the PGA Championship,and they were on East Lake, not 40 minutes up the road at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Bradley, who won the PGA Championship last month in a playoff over Dufner, ran off four birdies on the back nine Thursday for a 6-under 64 to build a two-shot lead in the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Dufner was surprisingly crooked off the tee, yet still managed a 66 and was tied for second along with Chez Reavie and Luke Donald, the No. 1 player in the world and one of five players in prime position to win the $10 million FedExCup bonus.

Click here for a full leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/r/leaderboard/

The field has been re-paired click here for tee times http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r060/tee-times.html

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Enjoy the tourney, forget the $10m..

Enjoy the tournament, forget the $10m, that is the message from many of the elite top 30 field as play begins this morning at the Tour Championship at the East Lake GC in Atlanta, the final leg of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs.

"I'm just going to play the best I can, enjoy the week and let the rest work itself out" said Dustin Johnson and most of the other guys echo his sentiments and I suggest you do the same.

I receive calls and emails at this time of year from many of you who think it is obscene that these rich pampered golfers are playing for a possible $11.4m this week, and I agree with you, as inured as I am to the gargantuan sums of money involved in pro sports around the world today, but it is what it is, at least Tiger's not getting it this year,

Forget the money, it's late September and you have 30 of the PGA's best on a tough course, so just enjoy and let's hope it comes down to a last putt..

Remember the top 5 guys on the points list control their destiny. If any of them win, they win the Fed Ex Cup and the loot.. Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Matt Kuchar..Others can also win, but these 5 can't be beat if any one of them wins..

pgatour.com has figured out what each guy needs to happen to win it all so just click here for that link http://www.pgatour.com/2011/fedexcup/09/20/scenarios/index.html

The field tees off at 11.35 in pairs according to their rank 30-1, so Simpson and Johnson are last off today.

Click here for today's tee times http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r060/tee-times.html

There is rain, thunder and lightning in the forecast for today and tomorrow, high of 27* with 90% humidity, typical hot sticky Atlanta weather !!

Join me here all weekend for this and the Solheim Cup which starts tomorrow in Killeen, Ireland just north of Dublin, and listen for me on the International Sports report Sunday morning between 8am-10am on TSN 1050 Sports radio.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

LPGA to bend rules for 16 year old Alexis Thompson

The LPGA is set to allow teenage phenom Alexis Thompson to become a member of their tour aged 16 as opposed to their normal 18 year old requirement and I for one applaud their decision,although it won't be announced until after this week's Solheim Cup in Ireland.

Simply put the LPGA needs a young American hero to sell to the public and Lexi is just that. She is colourful, fun, bubbly, young and most importantly bloody good, good enough to play week in and out against the flock of international stars, especially Asian who have been dominating for several years now.

Here is part of an AP release..
The agent for the 16-year-old golfer has indicated that a resolution is forthcoming next week which should see her granted LPGA membership. "We are not going to be in Venice, Florida," agent Bobby Kreusler told Golf World when asked about Thompson chances of taking part in Stage II of Q-School. "We are filing a petition, but we are not going to do anything that detracts from the Solheim Cup. ...I believe ultimately everyone will be on the same page."

Even LPGA commissioner Michael Whan appeared to soften his stance upon arriving in Ireland for this week's Solheim Cup event. "As you know, there is nothing for me to say or react to, until (or if) they petition," was his response to Golf World when asked if anything had changed with the Thompson situation.

Thompson became the youngest player in history to win an LPGA event last weekend, prompting many players and golf observers to call on the Tour to waive its 18-year-old age restriction and give Thompson immediate membership. Whan was cautious in his initial response, saying if she should qualify via Q-school, then she would be granted membership for the 2012 season .

That wasn't good enough for some with veteran player Juli Inkster saying it was "silly" to allow her to go through qualifying for what many percieved to be an inevitable outcome. Thompson easily won the first stage of Q-school by 10 strokes.

Kreusler added Thompson's win will not alter her development plan, telling Golf World she still intends to play between 15 and 18 events a year. “I'm not going to be playing on the men's tour,” Thompson said Tuesday when asked if she'd consider playing any PGA Tour events, as Michelle Wie did before she joined the LPGA Tour full-time. “I really just want to focus on women's golf. They're so good out here. You have to shoot 20 under every week to win.”

And while she said winning her first LPGA Tour event was “way more exciting” than getting her driver's license earlier this year, she needed a second or two to think it over.

“I have the same lifestyle as a lot of high schoolers — playing sports, just working hard,” Thompson said. “I have sacrificed a lot for this game but this is what I love.”


Unlike Wie, who was touted from grade school on as “the next Tiger Woods,” Thompson is only now beginning to catch the general public's attention. But she is personable and photogenic, and her deals with Cobra-Puma Golf and Red Bull could help the LPGA expand its appeal with that all-important youth market.

Just look at what Rickie Fowler is doing for the men's side. Fowler is in only his second year as a professional, but kids are showing up at tournaments in droves wearing his flat-billed Puma caps and trademark orange shirts.

“I want women's golf to be more well-known and to be out there. It is amazing to watch how the girls play and how low they shoot,” Thompson said. “There's a lot of great young players coming up and on tour. Fans just need to see it.”

In the 15 months since she turned professional, Thompson has played 14 events, had three top-10 finishes and earned more than US$500,000. She also is the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open, as a 12-year-old in 2007.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

What you need to know.

PGA Tour
Click here for complete leaderboard  http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/pga-tour/2011/bmw-championship/

Justin Rose 63,68,69 71 -13, just 1up with 2 to play, chipped in from just off the 17th green to beat John Senden by 2 shots and move to 3rd spot in the Fed Ex Cup standings, It was his 1st win of the year worth $1.4m

Click here for the final 30 in the Fed Ex points race http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?02395
The top 5 who control their own destiny next week at the Tour Championship are Simpson, Johnson, Rose, Donald and Kuchar.

Some fan favourites who are out include Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Ian Poulter, GMac, Jim Furyk.

LPGA Tour
Click here for the complete leaderboard http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/lpga/2011/navistar-lpga-classic/

Alexi Thompson is the youngest ever to win on the LPGA as she beat a stellar field to win the Navistar Classic 66 68 67 70 -17 by 5 shots and she will now petition the tour to let her gain full status. Currently she cannot until like Michelle Wie before her she turns 18.
Canucks  T59 +4 Alena Sharp, T59 +4 Samantha Richdale, T59 +4 Adrienne White, T65 +6 Lisa Meldrum, 64th +5 Jessica Shepley

Nationwide Tour
Click here for complete scoreboard http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/nationwide-tour/2011/albertsons-boise-open-presented-kraft/

Our own David Hearn T6 65 68 67 70 -14 just 4 shots behind the winner Jason Kokrak at the Boise Open. There are no Canadians in the top 25 who automatically get tour cards next year. Our top guy is Jon Mills at 55
Top 25 list click here http://www.pgatour.com/h/stats/info/?109


Current world rankings click here http://www.officialworldgolfranking.com/rankings/default.sps?region=world
Luke Donald is still #1 .. Tiger is now 49th

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

The Presidents 20 men...

The Presidents Cup is in Melbourne Australia from November 15-20 at Royal Melbourne.After this weekend's play the International 10 qualifiers remain the same but the US team will now include Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk while Bill Haas has lost out.

USA Presidents Cup qualifiers
David Toms went from No. 10 to No. 8 with his T10. Bill Haas would have claimed one of the 10 spots until he posted a 42 on the back nine and shot 78. His dad Jay is an assistant coach
Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk took the last two spots for the United States. The other seven are Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney, Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson.

International Team qualifiers
Its team is based on the world ranking. Geoff Ogilvy, who finished 3rd has qualified, moving ahead of Ryo Ishikawa to No. 9. The other eight players are Jason Day, Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel, K.J. Choi, K.T. Kim, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Y.E. Yang.

Captains Couples and Norman will make their final 2 picks after the Tour Championship next Sunday, Tiger is one of them for the States the other will be Fowler or Keegan Bradley.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Alexis Thompson wins the Navistar Classic at 16 years of age

Congrats to Scott Thompson, a great caddie better Dad to Alexis who just won her first of many LPGA tourney's over the LPGA's best by 5 shots..

She is just what the LPGA tour needs, a young American with a huge upside in a tour dominated by Asian girls.

more to follow

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Reasons to cheer on championship Sunday

While the 70 Leaf hopefuls are just wrapping up their 2nd day of practice down at the Mastercard Center as they begin their annual trek to futility, there is much to cheer for on a positive note in sports, not just golf on this championship Sunday

* Jay Don Blake who has not won since 1991 when his main sponsor was the Playboy Club has already won today in a 4way playoff in Korea, He beat Senior, Cook and O'Meara

* while Canada lost 46-19 this morning to a superb French team in New Zealand, they only enhanced their reputation as a fierce tackling never say die squad. They are 1-1 now after beating Tonga and still have the All Blacks and Japan to play

*Vasek Pospisil leading 2-0 and battling Amir Weintraub in the 3rd set in a fantastic Davis Cup tie in Israel has just won 6-4 to put Canada through !!,, Raonic has had to withdraw.

* David Hearn is just a shot behind the leader as he plays in the Boise Open on the Nationwide tour

* Alexis Thompson leads by 5 shots and more over every big star in women's golf in the Navistar Championship in Alabama, she is just 16 and is exactly the boost the LPGA needs in North America

* Justin Rose is the forgotten Englishman and leads by 4 at the BMW. He is coached by my pal Sean Foley..

* no one here cares about the Vivendi Seve Trophy but that fight back earlier this morning by the Continental team was fun to watch

*the sun is shining and I am off for a long walk listening to Al and Jerry call the Jays and the Jankees !!! will be back in time to see golf wrap up so get back to me here..

Click here for live scoring on all tours courtesy GC..http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

GB&I retain Vivendi Trophy despite brilliant fightback by Continentals

Believe it or not this match was actually tied at one point earlier this morning as Jean Van de Velde's team lead by Thomas Bjorn won the first 5 singles and while the final score was 151/2 - 121/2, it was much closer than that and turned out to be great viewing.

Here is a match report from europeantour.com
Britain & Ireland’s lower order clung on as they retained the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Bretèche - but only after a magnificent fightback from the Continental Europeans.

Trailing 11½-6½ overnight, Jean Van de Velde’s side won the first five single contests to square the match.

It looked as if they might end their 11-year wait for the title when Nicolas Colsaerts took a half off David Horsey late on, but rookie Scott Jamieson held firm to win a first point for Paul McGinley’s side.And when Ian Poulter snatched victory from Matteo Manassero on the final green and Mark Foster went one up on the 17th, it guaranteed the 14 1/2 points needed for victory.

It finished 15½-12½ but it was a tremendous effort by the Continental Europeans to take it to the wire after being thoroughly outplayed on the first and third days.

Van de Velde had loaded his top order with form players, and it immediately paid off as recent back-to-back winner Thomas Björn came from three down to beat World Number Two Lee Westwood 2 and 1.Westwood had looked unstoppable as he birdied the first from ten feet, the third from 30 feet and played his approach shot within inches of the cup at the fifth.But Björn used all his experience to hang tough and errors crept into Westwood’s game after he three-putted the sixth.

The Dane, captain when Continental Europe lost two years ago, holed a 30 foot putt on the 14th to lead for the first time and when Westwood pulled his approach left in to thick rough on the 17th and duffed his first chip it was all over.“Lee came out this morning and was sensational the first few holes,” said Björn.“It was just a case of hanging on and hanging on, but a couple of mistakes let me back in. I played some nice stuff near the end but it was a hard-fought battle.”

A wave of blue was sweeping over the leaderboard at that stage and Björn’s compatriot Anders Hansen secured a gritty one up win over Simon Dyson.The Englishman had won three and a half points out of four over the first three days, but went three down after seven.

Dyson played a magnificent wedge approach to the next to spark a comeback, but no sooner was last week’s KLM Open winner all square than Hansen struck a hammer blow with a 30 footer at the 14th.

A 20 foot putt at the 16th put Hansen dormie two, and although Dyson took the par five next Hansen displayed nerves of steel on the final green to roll in a birdie putt from 25 feet.

Francesco Molinari tapped in a two foot birdie putt on the 15th for a 4 and 3 victory over Jamie Donaldson.

The Italian was up-and-running with a par at the second after his Welsh opponent was forced to play his approach left-handed from behind a tree and never looked back.

Alex Noren then beat Robert Rock 4 and 3 - the Englishman failed to make a single birdie - and suddenly there was only one in it.

Like Hansen before him, the Swede had birdied the first two holes - the latter from 12 feet - and a 15 footer at the eighth helped him turn five up.Rock took the tenth and 12th with pars, but Noren won the 13th and drew the next two to make it four from four at the top of the order for Continental Europe.

McGinley might have hoped Open Champion Darren Clarke could stop the rot in game five but the Northern Irishman had a round to forget as he lost 4 and 2 to former Ryder Cup partner Miguel Angel Jiménez to leave the contest tied at 11½-11½.

At that stage both sides needed three points from the last five matches, all of which went to the final hole on a nailbiting day.

Horsey looked set to win a first point for Great Britain & Ireland as he continued his week-long putting masterclass with a 25 foot effort at the first.He was two up with four to play, but big-hitting Belgian Colsaerts tapped in for birdie at the par five 15th, scrambled par from a bunker at the short next and levelled the contest with an eight footer at the 17th before both players parred the last for a half.

Scotland’s Jamieson added a first win for McGinley’s side with a one up victory over Pablo Larrazábal, despite a brave fightback from the Spaniard.It was an impressive performance from the rookie, all the more so considering the drama that had been going on in the groups ahead.

Needing one and a half points from the last three groups, Poulter produced the goods as he has so many times in match play.Having been far from his best all week, the Ryder Cup star and former WGC-Accenture Match Play champion trailed for most of his round against Italian 18 year old Manassero.

One down at the turn, he made a vital 25 foot par save on the 13th, rolled in a 12 foot birdie putt at the 16th to draw level and, after watching Manassero stiff his approach at the last to 12 feet, played a remarkable shot from the rough to five feet.

That point meant Great Britain & Ireland needed only a half, and moments later Mark Foster guaranteed exactly that by going one up against Raphaël Jacquelin at the 17th.Veteran Foster held on at the last for a point, and Ross Fisher took a half off Peter Hanson in what had been an enthralling final contest.

click here for the final scores http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011067/leaderboard/index.html

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

GB&I poised to win Vivendi Seve Trophy

Great Britain & Ireland won six of the eight points available on day three of the Vivendi Seve Trophy to leave Continental Europe facing a mammoth task in Sunday’s singles.


Having won the last five stagings of the event – Continental Europe’s only win came in the inaugural event in 2000 – Paul McGinley’s side raced into an 11 ½-6 ½ lead with a day to go.

The holders will require only three points from the ten singles games to win the trophy.

For live scoring click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011067/leaderboard/index.html


Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Weekend leaderboards, storylines

European Tour
Play is well under way in the Saturday greensomes and GB&Ireland already have one point as Dyson and Donaldson have narrowly beaten Manassero and Coltsaerts 2&1

update  Score 9-5 after morning greensomes as GB&I won 3 and halved one. They play 4somes this afternoon and those matches are posted on the link below

Click here for up to date scoring at the Vivendi Seve matches http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011067/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

PGA Tour

Justin Rose 68 and local guy Mark Wilson 66 lead by 2 shots -11 131 over red hot Webb Simpson -9. Rose struck the ball "as well as ever" but didn't make the putts he did on Thursday (63). Mark Wilson lives in Chicago and considers Cog Hill his home course and Webb Simpson is trying to win for the 3rd time in 4 weeks, Tiger was the last player to do that.

Click here for up to date BMW scores  http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/


Champions Tour

Micheal Allen 68 -10 leads John Cook 67 -9 and Jay Don Blake 67 -9 by a shot in Korea.
Canadian Rod Spittle 71,66 -7 is T6

Click here for up to date scoreboard from the Posco E&G Sondo   http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/


LPGA

16 year old Alexis Thompson 68 -10 leads Stacy Lewis 68-8 and Becky Morgan 69 -8 by 2 shots in Prattville, Alabama

Canadian scores..Samantha Richdale T12 69 71 -4, Alena Sharp T23 72,69 -3, Jessica Shepley 72,70 -2 T29, Stephanie Sherlock 73 69 -2 T29, Adrienne White 72 71 -1 T42, Lisa Meldrum 74 70 E T54

Click here for the up to date scoreboard from the Navistar  http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/


Nationwide Tour

David Hearn 65 68 -9 is T6 at the Boise Open to stand 5 behind leader Jonas Blixt 62,66 -14

Click here for an up to date scoreboard fromthe Boise Open http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/nationwide-tour/2011/albertsons-boise-open-presented-kraft/

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Leaderboards ..PGA, LPGA, Champions tour, Nationwide

Click here for up to date leaderboards all weekend courtesy of Golf Channel http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/

The BMW is at Cog Hill in Chicago, the LPGA are playing the Navistar Classic in Prattville Alabama, the Champions are back in Korea at their richest event, the Posco E&G Songdo and the Nationwide has the Boise Open where David Hearn is currently T3
We have several Canucks in action and I will have all their scores later today

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Better showing this morning by Continentals at Vivendi

Trailing 4-1 coming into today's fourball matches Jean Van de Velde's side are playing better so far today, well into all 5 matches and are leading in 3 and just 1 down in the lead match with Bjorn and Jacquelin vs Donaldson and Dyson..

Click here for the latest scoring http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011067/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

update..Continental team has just completed a fine comeback after being beaten so soundly yesterday. They won 3 matches, halved 1 and lost 1 to score 31/2 points

Bjorn and Jacquelin fought back from 3 down to halve with Dyson and Donalson, Swedes Hanson and Noren teamed up to hammer Poulter and Rock 5&3, rookies Manassero and Colsaerts beat Fisher and Jamieson 2 holes, and the Spanish team of Miguel Jimenez and Larrazabal beat Clarke and Horsey 3&2

The only win for the GB&I team was an in form Lee Westwood and Mark Foster who beat Anders Hansen and Frankie Molinari 5&3.

The score is now GB&I 51/2  Continentals 41/2 with greensomes due tomorrow. I will post those matches asap

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Rose credits coach Sean Foley for "one of the best rounds of my career"

My pal Sean Foley has suffered some slings and arrows from certain quarters of the media recently, with Tiger's continuing woes and Sean O'Hair letting him go but if you know Sean he has all that speculation well in perspective as he gets on with his life.

Still it was nice for me to hear Justin Rose credit Sean with his remarkable -8 63 yesterday on a very tough Cog Hill course.

I have been following Justin since he broke onto the scene as a 17 year old amateur at the Open Championship in 1998 at Royal Birkdale, where he Monday qualified then went on to pitch in at the last to finish T4. He lived with his parents in a little English village in Hampshire called Hook. His dad Ken was his coach and I remember digging up their number with the help of an international operator, and having to talk my way through his mother, then Ken before getting him on the air.

He had the big debate with both of them about turning pro right away that night, and did so the next day. You might remember he went on to miss 23 consecutive cuts in his first year as a pro, he simply couldn't drive the ball in play on a regular basis.

He has come a long way since then and yesterday hit all 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens.

The 63 was Rose's best of the season by two strokes and included nine birdies. As I said he credits an hour-long session with Sean on Tuesday where he "cleaned up" a couple of things in his golf swing.Their aim was to get the club more on line at the top of his backswing.

"When I have it a little bit laid off, I can throw it quite quickly on the way down," Rose said. "When I have it nicely in the slot at the top of the backswing, the club just falls down nicely into the ball. ... I'm sort of managing to do it with a nice, simple thought, and I think that's the key, is if you can take simple thoughts from the range, that's how you're going to take them to the golf course."

Rose said Thursday's performance was on his "short list" of best rounds ever. Given the conditions and the severity of the golf course, Rose thought breaking 70 would have been "really, really good golf" so he was "ecstatic" about his final score.

Click here for complete scoreboard including projected Fed Ex points http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r028/

Red hot Webb Simpson and local favourite Mark Wilson are T2 with -6 65's.

Click here for today's tee times  http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r028/tee-times.html

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Fourball pairings for Friday at the Vivendi Seve Trophy

Here are the matches for Friday's 4balls with GB&Ireland up 4-1 and as expected Paul McGinley has stood pat and Jean Van de Velde has tweaked...

Friday matches just click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011067/leaderboard/index.html

McGinley has stuck with the same five pairings – Dyson and Donaldson face Björn and Jacquelin in game one, before Rock and Poulter take on Swedish pair Hanson and Noren.


Jamieson and Fisher will face Colsaerts and Manassero, Foster and Westwood have a chance for revenge over Hansen and Molinari and Clarke and Horsey will face Larrazabal and Jiménez

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Tee times for rounds 1&2 at BMW Championship

Play is underway at Coghill in the 3rd leg of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs.

For Thursday and Friday tee times click ..http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r028/tee-times.html

Remember the field has 70 players, no cut with the top 30 making it through to the Tour Championship next week. As I wrote yesterday 21 spots are already locked up with 9 spots to be determined and if you want to know what each player needs to do check out yesterday's blog.

It is wrong in my opinion, yet entirely possible that someone will win the $10m without winning a tournament all year !! Like Jim Furyk..

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

It's all Red as GB&Ireland dominate Day1 at the Vivendi Seve matches in Paris

Paul McGinley's GB&Ire team are in control as play is winding down on the day's fourball matches..

Click here for live scoring..
http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011067/leaderboard/index.html

Playing on a hybrid of the two 18 hole courses at the Saint-Nom-La-Breteche facility outside of Paris the only Continental pairing that are not losing are Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari who are AS with Lee Westwood and Mark Foster thru14.

The Continental team are in turquoise blue shirts and white pants while GB&Ire are in black trousers with light blue shirts, all with an emblem of Seve with his famous fist pumping pose captured on the 18th green at St Andrews when he won in 1984.

Scott Jamieson and Ross Fisher hammered Peter Hanson and Raphael Jacquelin 6&4 for GB&Ireland first point and red hot Simon Dyson and partner Jamie Donaldson have just beat Miguel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal 2&1 for their second.

update,,now 3-0 GB&Ireland as Poulter and Rock 5&3 winners over Bjorn and Noren

update,, finally a point for Continentals as Molinari just holed an 8 footer on 18 to give he and his partner Anders Hansen a 1up win over the pairing from Worksop, Westwood and Foster   3-1 now with the final match on 18..

update,, Clarke and Horsey just beat Manaserro and Colsaerts 1 hole

So the day ends with a resounding 4-1 lead for Paul McGinley and his team. I will post tomorrow's 5 fourball matches as soon as they are announced

John Van de Velde is bound to try new pairings for his Continental side.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Only 9 spots available for the Fed Ex finale this week

So the best 70 PGA Tour players remaining gather at Cog Hill GC outside Chicago for the 3rd leg of the Fed Ex Cup this weekend, there is no cut and the top 30 go through to Atlanta for the Tour Championship and the $10m Fed Ex prize...

21 of the 30 spots are already locked up so only 9 spots are available over 72 holes

Here are what every player must do to get into the final 30 according to pgatour.com

1 Webb Simpson Locked
2 Dustin Johnson Locked
3 Matt Kuchar Locked
4 Luke Donald Locked
5 Brandt Snedeker Locked
6 Jason Day Locked
7 Nick Watney Locked
8 Steve Stricker Locked
9 Chez Reavie Locked
10 Phil Mickelson Locked
11 Gary Woodland Locked
12 Bubba Watson Locked
13 Jonathan Byrd Locked
14 Vijay Singh Locked
15 K.J. Choi Locked
16 Adam Scott Locked
17 Mark Wilson Locked
18 Hunter Mahan Locked
19 Keegan Bradley Locked
20 David Toms Locked
21 Charles Howell III Locked

22 Bo Van Pelt 66nd
23 Fredrik Jacobson 62rd
24 Bill Haas 61st
25 Aaron Baddeley 50th                                                       
26 Rory Sabbatini 43rd
27 Charl Schwartzel 42nd
28 Y.E. Yang 29th
29 Jason Dufner 22nd
30 Kyle Stanley 16th
31 Martin Laird 14th
32 Charley Hoffman 13th
33 Brian Davis 12th
34 Justin Rose 12th
35 Jim Furyk 11th
36 Zach Johnson 11th
37 Rickie Fowler 10th
38 Steve Marino 10th
39 Ryan Moore 10th
40 Jerry Kelly 9th
41 Spencer Levin 9th
42 Brendan Steele 7th
43 Chris Kirk 7th
44 Robert Karlsson 7th
45 Lucas Glover 6th
46 Scott Stallings 6th
47 Camilo Villegas 5th
48 Ryan Palmer 5th
49 D.A. Points 5th
50 Jhonattan Vegas 5th
51 Jimmy Walker 5th
52 Carl Pettersson 4th
53 Sergio Garcia 4th
54 Tommy Gainey 4th
55 John Senden 4th
56 Sean O'Hair 4th
57 Blake Adams 4th
58 Chad Campbell 4th
59 Andres Romero 4th
60 Scott Piercy 4th
61 George McNeill 4th
62 Robert Allenby 4th
63 Brandt Jobe 4th
64 Brendon de Jonge 4th
65 Marc Leishman 3rd
66 Cameron Tringale 3rd
67 Johnson Wagner 3rd
68 Ernie Els 3rd
69 Geoff Ogilvy 3rd
70 Chris Stroud 3rd

You can see that guys well outside the top 21 need big weeks
Follow me all weekend right here and please add your comments

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Teams / format for the Vivendi Seve Trophy

This event is the brainchild of the late Seve Ballesteros and is a fun one to watch, as it has 4 days of play including fourballs, foursomes, greensomes and singles (greensomes: all 4 players drive, teams select the best drive then play alternative shots)

It doesn't have the cache of the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup but it is growing in popularity and has a strong field this week.

europeantour.com Lee Westwood believes Great Britain and Ireland start the Vivendi Seve Trophy as underdogs despite winning the last five contests against Continental Europe.


While the World Number Two is joined by Open Champion Darren Clarke and last week’s winner Simon Dyson in a strong side for Paul McGinley’s team, Westwood believes Jean Van de Velde’s men will start as favourites at St-Nom-La-Bretèche in Paris.

Asked whether Great Britain & Ireland were unbeatable having not lost the contest since its first staging in 2000, Westwood replied: “I don't know whether it's invincible. I think on paper the European side have got players higher in the World Rankings.
But golf is not played on paper; it's played on grass, and I suppose with that they are slight favourites. But I think a lot of the British players have played a lot of match play golf over the years and might have a few tricks up their sleeves.”

Westwood believes the return of 2009 winning captain McGinley could prove a key factor in France.“Paul has done it before and been successful,” he added. “There's a good few experienced players on the GB & I side that can lead the rookies along as well. It's a nice balance - I think if we play to our best then we'll have a chance.
“He's very good. When he talks he sounds like he has a lot of confidence in himself and a lot of confidence in the team and seems to have a plan. All of the boxes ticked for eventualities out there, and he has the experience of playing in a Ryder Cup Team and things like that so he's seen different captaincies, and when he talks, you listen.”

Westwood’s last appearance in the event came back in 2003, when he won three points from a possible five.“It's eight years since I played the Seve Trophy,” he added. “Vivendi have obviously come on board just recently and it's gaining in prestige every year. “Obviously there's a tinge of sadness this year with Seve passing away early in the year but it's nice that it's a good lineup this week, and I'm sure in the true Seve tradition, it will be as competitive as ever.”



Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th September 2011


Format
The event will be a match play competition between two teams of 10 players representing (a) Europe and (b) Great Britain and Ireland. On each of the first two days there will be a series of 5 fourball matches. On the third day there will be a series of 4 greensome and 4 foursome matches. On the final day there will be a series of 10 singles matches.

Eligibility
Each team will be chosen as follows: (a) The leading 5 eligible players from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday 5th September 2011 . (b) The leading 5 eligible players not otherwise qualified in (a) above from the Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the Omega European Masters (5th September 2011).

Continental EuropeJean van de Velde (capt)
Thomas Björn
Nicolas Colsaerts
Anders Hansen
Peter Hanson
Raphael Jacquelin
Miguel Angel Jiménez
Pablo Larrazábal
Matteo Manassero
Francesco Molinari
Alexander Noren

GB &Ireland
Paul McGinley (capt)
Darren Clarke
Jamie Donaldson
Simon Dyson
Ross Fisher
Mark Foster
David Horsey
Scott Jamieson
Ian Poulter
Robert Rock
Lee Westwood

Thursday fourballs
EUR Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ & Pablo LARRAZÁBAL 11:35 Simon DYSON &
Jamie DONALDSON GBI

EUR Peter HANSON & Raphaël JACQUELIN 11:50 Scott JAMIESON & Ross FISHER GBI

EUR Anders HANSEN & Francesco MOLINARI 12:05 Mark FOSTER & Lee WESTWOOD GBI

EUR Nicolas COLSAERTS & Matteo MANASSERO 12:20 Darren CLARKE &
David HORSEY GBI

EUR Thomas BJÖRN & Alexander NOREN 12:35 Robert ROCK & Ian POULTER

Miguel Jimenez will hit the first shot in honour of Seve..


Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Great win for Canada at Rugby World Cup

It's 3am and Canada has just polished off a tremendous 25-20 win over Tonga on a windy and rainy night in New Zealand.

They had a fierce wind in their face for the 2nd half, but still controlled the ball, scored 2 tries and tackled furiously right til the final whistle, it was inspiring and fills them with confidence for their match on Sunday with France.

Here is a full match report from the BBC

Two tries in the last 12 minutes helped Canada record the Rugby World Cup's first upset by beating Tonga.


Canada led 10-7 at half-time through Jebb Sinclair's converted try with Siale Piutau replying before the break.Piutau added his second try on the resumption, Kurt Morath converting and adding two penalties to make it 20-13.

Canada came roaring back and tries from Aaron Carpenter, after 68 minutes, and Phil Mackenzie seven minutes from time earned them a famous victory in Pool A.

James Pritchard, who plays for Bedford Blues in the English Championship, converted the latter as he kicked 10 points in all, including penalties in either half to help give Canada their first points of the World Cup.

Tonga dominated the first half but somehow found themselves 10 points behind. They started the game with some impressive rugby that lasted 15 phases, and that set the tone for the rest of a gripping opening period.

However, for all their dominance, Tonga were let down by poor discipline and some erratic handling and it was Canada who opened the scoring albeit against the run of play.

London Irish-bound lock Sinclair scored it, bundling over in the right corner after Glasgow centre's DTH Van Der Merwe piercing midfield break.

Pritchard added the extras but Tonga then missed two penalty opportunities with Morath experiencing an indifferent half with the boot.

More Tonga indiscipline resulted in Pritchard extending Canada's lead as they grew in confidence as the half wore on.
But on the stroke of half time Tonga were handed a lifeline with Piutau crossing after intense pressure that saw his side camped on Canada's line for several minutes. Morath added the conversion to make it 10-7.

Tonga's full-back levelled with the boot just a couple of minutes after the restart with Canada penalised for not releasing the ball at a ruck but Pritchard restored their lead with his second penalty soon after.

Piutau then grabbed his second converted try of the game to give Tonga the lead for the first time, with the centre going in under the posts after a clever reverse pass found his angled run.
Scrum infringement led to Morath sending over his second penalty to stretch Tonga's lead to seven points.

But Canada came roaring back with 12 minutes left, levelling through Plymouth Albion's Carpenter who bundled over in the corner after a Tonga handling error on halfway allowed them to break.

Pritchard missed the kick, and with it the chance to level, but with time running out Esher wing Mackenzie jinked his way through the desperate Tonga defence to score his side's third try of the game.

Pritchard converted it to give Canada a 25-20 lead.
Tonga had late opportunities but wasted two penalties and Canada managed to hold on.

"That was awesome. I'm so proud of the boys, the way they played," said Canada captain Pat Riordan. "Just awesome."
"It just shows what the Canadian boys can do."

It was a second loss in five days for Tonga after a 41-10 defeat to No. 1-ranked New Zealand in the tournament's opening match last Friday night.
"We didn't play the way we wanted to play," skipper Finau Maka said. "Credit to Canada, they came out and defended well ... controlled the ball well. They deserved to win."

Tonga: Morath, Vainikolo, Piutau, Fatafehi, Helu, Moa, Palu, Taumalolo, Taukafa, Pulu, Timani, Lokotui, Maka, Vaiomounga, Vahafolau. Replacements: Iongi for Palu (70), Tonga'uiha for Taumalolo (75), Ma'asi for Taukafa (64), Aulika for Pulu (52), Kalamafoni for Timani (54), Ma'afu for Vahafolau (49).
Not Used: Taufa.
Canada: Pritchard, Hearn, van der Merwe, Smith, P. Mackenzie, Monro, Fairhurst, Buydens, Riordan, Marshall, Sinclair, Cudmore, Kleeberger, O'Toole, Carpenter. Replacements: Trainor for Smith (64), Hamilton for Riordan (69), Franklin for Marshall (75), Dala for Sinclair (75), Hotson for O'Toole (32).
Not Used: White, Paris.

Att: 18,000
Ref: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa).

I'm going back to bed !

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

A drop of beer

Ever spilt beer on your keyboard ??

I dropped a wet coaster on mine last week on Wednesday evening and it has been out of commission until right now.

New keyboard on order, this one is a temporary lug plugged into my notebook, it has a big hump in the middle, perfect for people who were taught to type, but not for us old fast peckers..

What a hassle, all for a few drops of Coors Light..

Still, back in business in time for the BMW and Seve's Matchplay this weekend and for Canada's game vs Tonga tonight in New Zealand

More to follow

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Vandals / rain delay play at KLM Open

Have you ever got up to go to work, went out to your car to find that some pimply faced little punk had smashed your car window and gutted your glove compartment, leaving the contents scattered. It's happened to me four times and trust me if you could get your hands on the little beggar,.. well you'd be doing time right now.

That's how the grounds crew must have felt early this morning when after months of hard work on their Hilversumsche course getting the greens in pristine condition they discovered some misguided idiots had dug up 4 of those greens before crawling off to settle under their respective rocks..

However play did get underway before being halted again, this time by heavy rain, on an already wet course.. Only 5 players have completed their 1st round so far.

Play is set to resume at 1045am, meanwhile here is the early report from the course this morning..

After a delayed start caused by vandalism to four greens overnight, England's Simon Dyson and Robert Dinwiddie set a fast early pace at the KLM Open in The Netherlands.

While defending champion and World #3 Martin Kaymer struggled to three over par after ten holes, twice winner Dyson and Dinwiddie shared top spot at five under.

Dinwiddie, down in 135th place on The Race to Dubai after making just two cuts in his last 14 starts, birdied six of his first 12 holes, but drove into trouble on the next and bogeyed.

Dyson, meanwhile, eagled the par five 12th - his fourth - and finished the back nine with a hat-trick of birdies.

They led compatriot Seve Benson and Dane Anders Hansen by two.

Areas on the fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth had been dug up, leading to a 45-minute hold-up while the damage was repaired.The affected parts were marked off as ground under repair, allowing players to move balls away when necessary.

For an up to date scoreboard click.. http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011065/leaderboard/index.html

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Simpson beats Reavie in Deutsche Bank playoff... ho..hum..

Let's see, does any of this excite you ?  Royals vs Astros world series, Panthers vs Stars Stanley Cup, Buccaneers vs Bengals SuperBowl, Somalia vs Yemen World Cup final..... Reavie vs Simpson playoff...

Well I guess the answer is that it is terribly exciting for the teams involved, players and their fans, but of zero interest to the general public !!

Yesterday Webb Simpson beat Chez Reavie on the second playoff hole to win the Deutsche Bank, for his second win in three weeks and a new leader in the Fed Ex points race. Yes Webb Simpson, #213 in the world at this time last year and proof yet again how any of these guys are capable of beating anybody on a given day, or week or in Webb's case 3 weeks..

Great news for the Simpson family and friends and supporters, but I imagine that's all that were watching by the time he received another cheque for $1.4 m.

Look the guy shot 65 with some clutch putting, and I said in yesterday's preview that 66 would win or get you into a playoff, and that's what Reavie shot, so hat's off to Webb and his family and his oft mentioned Lord, but what a boring pair to contest the finale.

By the way if the name Chez Reavie rings a bell it's because he won our Open at a rain soaked Glen Abbey in 2008 and although he lost, he has come a long way this year after starting the season on a medical exemption following knee surgery, he has moved to #9 in the Fed Ex standings and is assured of playing in the Tour Championship, which automatically qualifies him in next years Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championships.. Our own Mike Weir would love a similar deal when he returns from elbow surgery in 2012.

The day started with such promise, 23 guys within 3 shots of each other, big names like Donald and Bubba, Day and Scott, Mickelson and Els, but for me it all just fizzled out, Luke shot 67 his day ruined with a double on 12 and a bogey on 16, Day shot 68, Mahan shot 66, many made their run but these two just made a couple more putts.

Still there was plenty of other exciting moments. Ernie Els (68th) and Geoff Ogilvy (69th) got into the next round with birdies on the 72nd hole and Chris Stroud (70th) made it by making an eagle !


Now the top 70 in Fed Ex points move on to the BMW in 2 weeks at Cog Hill where Dustin Johnson defends. Next week they are off, the NFL begins.. I hope there are some fans still around to tune in..

Here is the final scoreboard..
http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r505/

Here is the Fed Ex points list with Simpson now leading..
http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?02395

Here are the latest world rankings
http://www.officialworldgolfranking.com/rankings/default.sps?region=world

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Deutsche Bank up for grabs in Boston on Labour Day

Yesterday the early flight didn't have any wind to contend with and we talked about 63's and 64's, but in the afternoon the wind picked up and swirled and made the back nine " a very different golf course" according to the leader Bubba Watson (70) -11 total.

Well today there are 23 guys within 4 shots of his lead, and how they score will depend as it does so often on the wind, which is scheduled to blow at up to 25kph.

Last year Charlie Hoffman came from 4 shots back, fired a 62 to win but I don't see that happening today in the wind.

However it will separate the men from the boys and anyone of those 23 guys that shoots 65 or 66 will be the winner or in the playoff.

It's a strong group as it should be in the 2nd round of the playoffs so there are a ton of story lines like Jason Day -10 who has been solid all year and was 2nd here last year, Jim Furyk -9 now where has he been all year, Adam Scott -10 who started all this long putter craze, Luke Donald -9 going who can win both tours, Robert Karlsson -8, the hottest of the bunch over the last 45 holes, Mickelson -7 who is striking it as well as "I ever have"

Old guys, young studs, Yanks, Swedes, Aussie's, Springboks, an Englishman, all in contention, I'm betting they will need more than 18 holes..

It all starts at 7.35 this morning with the final pair off at 1.45pm. Tee times click
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r505/tee-times.html

Complete leaderboard click
http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r505/

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Early flight tearing up the TPC at Boston.. Mickelson fires -8 63

Some of the early flight today have posted great scores on the TPC Boston so the course is definitely there to be had

Phil Mickelson 6 birdies, an eagle and no bogey's for -8 63 to move up 58 spots T9 at -7. Robert Karlsson up 46 spots to T5 with his -7 64, -8 total. Charlie Hoffman and Camilo Villegas move up 41 spots with matching -6 65's, -5 totals T26. Mark Leishman's -5 66 moved him up 26 spots to T38 and my man Luke Donald is already -2 thru 3 holes -8 total.

The leaders Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Charl Swartzel are just about to tee off.

I will have a full report later this hot humid cloudy Toronto afternoon.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Back to back wins for Bjorn

Thomas Bjorn looked to be on the downside of a solid career for the last 2 years, until he won in Qatar earlier this season.

Since then he has regained the form that made him a top 10 player years ago.

He was in contention all the way at the Open Championship where he  finished 4th, he won last week in the 5 man playoff at Gleneagles and today fired 9 birdies and an eagle on his way to a  -9 62, -20 to win the Omega European Masters by 4 shots over Martin Kaymer 64,-16 with Rory McIlroy 68 -15, Jaco Van Zyl 64 -15 and Jamie Donaldson 70 -15 a shot further back.

The course record is 60 held by Jamie Spence 1992 and Baldovino Dassu 1971.

Final leaderboard click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011063/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

More details to follow

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

#1 Donald in contention at Deutsche Bank and #2 Westwood in Switzerland

PGA Tour
The Deutsche Bank Championship began Friday with two players on opposite ends of the Official World Golf Ranking -- Luke Donald at No. 1, Troy Matteson at No. 207 -- having their lowest opening round of the year on the PGA TOUR that was important to both of them for different reasons.


Matteson, facing elimination from the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, overcame a bogey on the first hole for a 6-under 65 and the outright lead after the first round. Donald, struggling of late to get off to a good start, had a 66 and was among those one shot behind.

Through it all, Mickelson brought attention to himself for two items that looked out of place.The day after he took batting practice at Fenway Park and wore a Red Sox jersey while throwing out the first pitch before the Yankees' 4-2 win, Mickelson wore pinstripes at the TPC Boston.

"Lost a wager with a friend and had to wear these today," Mickelson said. "What can you say? I've got to suck it up and bear it."

Stranger still was the sight of Mickelson sticking the grip of a long putter into his gut.
Mickelson became the latest to try a belly putter, and while he still missed his share of putts in a round of 70, he sounded as though he was willing to stick with it -- at least for the rest of the week.

Matteson is one shot clear of Donald, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel 66, former PGA champion Y.E. Yang 66 and Jerry Kelly 66. The group at 67 included Nick Watney, a two-time winner this year, while Dustin Johnson followed his playoff win at The Barclays with a 68. There are 13 guys on 68, including Keegan Bradley and Rickie Fowler.

For the complete leaderboard click http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r505/
For Saturday tee times click http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r505/tee-times.html

The earlies start off at 7.10am and the lates at 11.40  and remember this is round 2 today with the event finishing on holiday Monday.

European TourAn astonishing 31 players were separated by only two strokes as the overnight leaders prepared to tee off again at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

There was a four-way tie for the lead at the halfway stage, but that became a seven-way tie early this morning when Dane Thomas Björn, winner at Gleneagles last Sunday, birdied the first two holes, Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed covered the first 12 holes in six under and home favourite Damian Ulrich eagled the first.

They joined Rory McIlroy, Simon Dyson, Gary Boyd and Jamie Donaldson on eight under par, while there were 12 players one behind and 11 more on six under.

The changes at the top continue minute by minute.

Former World Number One Martin Kaymer was first to nine under with an eagle on the first, but was then joined when McIlroy and Willett birdied the same hole and Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti started with two in a row.

When play started at 1am est there were only 6 shots separating the entire field as the cut fell at -2.

For an up to the minute scoreboard click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011063/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Shootout looming at Crans sur Sierre

With round 2 winding down at the Crans sur Sierre course in Crans Montana, Switzerland there are only 2 shots between 25 players.

I've been watching this most beautiful of courses this morning, which doubles as an expensive ski resort in the winter, in fact one of the runs goes right over the 13th green, and it appears the cut will fall at -2.

It is a strong leaderboard with Westwood, Kaymer, McIlroy and Matteo Mannessero all in the mix.

Just click here for the latest leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011063/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

T1 DYSON, Simon* -8 18 -3 66 68 - - 134

T1 BOYD, Gary -8 18 -2 65 69 - - 134
T1 DONALDSON, Jamie* -8 18 -5 68 66 - - 134
T1 MCILROY, Rory -8 18 -2 65 69 - - - 65 69 134
T1 VAN ZYL, Jaco* -8 15 -4 67 - - - 67

Rory just missed another 5 footer for birdie at 18 and his -2,69 could have been 5 shots better if he had putted better. Jaco Van Zyl still has 3 to play.

It's clear Canada's Jerry Anderson's -27 total when he won in 1984 won't be touched this year.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Deutche Bank field set to tee off.. Dougherty will make cut in Switzerland

So far this morning the lead story coming out of round 2 of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs is that Phil Mickelson (off #1 at 12.28) has switched to the long or anchored putter for today at least.
Here are today's tee times from the TPC in Boston
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r505/tee-times.html

UP to date Fed Ex Cup standings
http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?02395

World #1 Luke Donald currently 5th in the standings continues his march towards the double, winning the Fed Ex Cup and the Race to Dubai..

European Tour
Play is well underway in Crans sur Sierre and overnight leader Nick Dougherty is in with a +1 72, -7 total which will ensure he plays the weekend for the first time in his last 21 starts !
Up to date European Masters leaderboard click http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011063/leaderboard/index.html

Notes
* Keegan Bradley threw out the first pitch at Fenway last night, while Mickelson took BP, badly...

* lost from many in the Tiger playing the Fry's dot com hoopla is the news that Tiger is about to sign a huge corporate deal with them. Financial details are not yet available.

* Canadian pro Jerry Anderson will be honoured when a bronze plaque representing his 1984 win in Crans Montana will be one of 55 laid in the tiny Swiss village that hosts the European Masters every year. He will join past winners like Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood etc. Anderson set the scoring record at -27.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Despite Tiger's uncertain future, PGA tour aces a new TV deal for the next 10 years

" These guys are good" is the PGA tour motto, and now they will have a chance to prove it right in your living room until at least 2021, with or without Tiger.

The last agreement which expires in 2012, was a bonanza for CBS,NBC and the Golf Channel with Tiger in his prime both on and off the course, however with Tiger's future in doubt and the country still reeling economically, I had some doubts about what the CBS and NBC network suits would be saying in their power meetings about the next contract.

However it seems following the Tiger saga to it's conclusion and the emergence of several brilliant young stars, along with strong audience numbers is enough to convince them to let the dice roll again, with a little extra in the pot..

Here is the official release..

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus announced Thursday the completion of unprecedented broadcast network television agreements that will secure the PGA TOUR's television rights for the next 10 years. With the current deals running through 2012, the new nine-year agreements with CBS and NBC will extend from 2013 through the 2021 season, coinciding with the remaining years of the PGA TOUR's exclusive 15-year cable television agreement with Golf Channel that began in 2007.

CBS will continue its current broadcast television package, an average of 20 tournaments through the life of the agreements, while NBC will continue to televise an average of 10 events per year.

Highlights of the CBS package include the majority of the popular West Coast Swing; a strong spring and summer schedule; the end of the FedExCup Regular Season including the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the play-in event to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, the Wyndham Championship; and coverage of The Barclays to begin the Playoffs. CBS will maintain more than 130 hours of live weekend coverage per year.

NBC will continue to have a strong first quarter of coverage including two World Golf Championships events -- the Accenture Match Play Championship and Cadillac Championship -- and the Southern Swing; extended coverage of THE PLAYERS Championship in May with limited commercial interruption; and the final three Playoff events: the Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship and the FedExCup season-ending TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. NBC also will continue coverage of the biennial Presidents Cup. In all, NBC will have more than 75 hours of live coverage annually.

Golf Channel will continue to open the PGA TOUR season with four-round coverage of the first three tournaments, provide exclusive early-round coverage of the tournaments televised by CBS and NBC, and provide four-round coverage of alternate events and the Fall Series. In addition, Golf Channel will continue to broadcast prime time replays of its early round coverage, and will have rights to expand its exclusive lead-in coverage and replays for every event televised by CBS and NBC.

Financial terms of the new television deals were not disclosed, as has been the case historically with the PGA TOUR and its network partners. However, Finchem indicated that rights fee increases in this new term will allow the PGA TOUR to grow financial opportunities for players, invest in digital assets for fans globally that will create more one-on-one interactions between players, tournaments and fans and will position the TOUR to allow for increasing charitable contributions.

The new agreements also will provide for innovative coverage on digital platforms and the Golf Channel designed to enhance and expand the viewing experience for PGA TOUR fans. This includes:
• A wide range of simulcast coverage of live tournament action on various PGA TOUR digital platforms starting with PGATOUR.COM, as well as CBSSports.com, NBCSports.com and GolfChannel.com

• Additional digital coverage of a number of tournaments featuring the ability to enjoy coverage from marquee holes, competition highlights and regular news updates from tournament sites; and

• In partnership with NBC and Golf Channel, innovative, new live complementary tournament coverage on Golf Channel, which will air along with NBC's coverage

These innovations, some of which will be implemented in 2012 and all of which will be implemented by 2013, will allow the PGA TOUR to connect with its fans in a much broader and diverse way, potentially doubling the hours of coverage available.

"CBS Sports is delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with the PGA TOUR," said McManus. "As we have for more than 50 years, we value our partnership with the TOUR and have tremendous confidence that the TOUR is well-positioned for continued growth and success. This deal continues CBS Sports' goal and strategy to renew our most important marquee properties in a way that is positive for CBS' business interests. The PGA TOUR and its sponsors have been great partners, and we look forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come."

"We are excited to continue our longstanding partnership with the PGA TOUR, as it is an important pillar for NBC Sports and Golf Channel," Lazarus said. "As we embark on another decade of coverage, we are proud to share an innovative vision with the PGA TOUR to utilize our diverse and unique array of assets to engage golf fans and grow the game in new ways."

Finchem cited the impact of several key factors in driving the success of the extensions: the TOUR's compelling mix of bright young talent and established veteran stars, the long-term commitment from the broad base of PGA TOUR sponsors, and the scope and quality of the PGA TOUR fan base and the uniqueness of the fans' appetite level for digital content.

Finchem elaborated by saying, "Our fans' depth of loyalty to our players has created and maintained a very strong cumulative audience with more than 165 million people tuning in to watch so far in 2011. In addition to solid viewership, our fans have taken to the young players while remaining loyal to our established stars. Not only is the fan base broad and loyal with exceptional buying power, it also is uniquely focused on digital applications.

"Our fans, in turn, are key to driving value to the sponsors that underpin our economic model," he added. "Over this economic downturn, not only have our sponsors stayed with the product, but in many cases have chosen to extend well into the future."

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles

Hapless Dougherty finds his form to lead the Omega European Masters

Of all the courses and countries the European tour plays on and visits this one, the Omega European Masters, a mile up in the Alps at Crans sur Sierre is where I think you may be closest to golfing heaven.

I know my pal Gordie Simpson, the Director of Golf for this tour and a regular guest on Fairways chose it as the spot to bring  his new bride several years ago, and he has travelled every inch of the tour.

Our own Jerry Anderson held the course record for years at -27 when he won by 5 shots in 1984, the ball carries so far, and there seems to be a breathtaking view with every shot.

They are 6 hours ahead so play is over for the day. Click here for a complete scoreboard ..http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2011/tournamentid=2011063/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y

England's Nick Dougherty put ten difficult months of golf behind him in stunning fashion.After missing 21 cuts in a row - his last pay cheque came back in November - the 29 year old Englishman shot an opening eight under par 63.
Dougherty outshone a field which included three of the Official World Golf Ranking's top six in Lee Westwood (67), Martin Kaymer (65) and Rory McIlroy (65).Westwood had two eagle 2's on short par 4's.

Dougherty from Liverpool, is mentored by Sir Nick Faldo and has 3 wins in his career and was a solid player up until last year when his form began to slump. He has dropped to 791 in the OWGR and continues to play a full schedule despite his hopeless lack of success this year. Just making the cut would be a step in the right direction.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles