Tiger to return at Augusta, but will his Jacket be Green in 2010?

Golfers across the world will be rejoicing in their respective 19th holes today with the news that Tiger Woods is due to return to competitive golf at the US Masters. Tiger’s rights and wrongs have been strewn across the tabloids in recent months following his indiscretions and as perhaps Sport’s Read more

Free Tickets for the London Golf Show

The London Golf Show returns for its sixth outing from April 30-May 2 and this year all golf club members are entitled to free entry.

For three days, Docklands’ ExCeL Centre will once more be home to everything golf, showcasing the entire spectrum of the sport under one roof. Read more

Ernie Els wins WGC-CA Championship

The final round of the WGC-CA Championship at TPC Blue Monster became a duel of the South Africans as Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel went head-to-head in the final round. And it was the veteran Els who came out on top as he taught his young countryman a lesson in golf.

Locked together on 204 after three days play, and one ahead of Padraig Harrington the duo served up a cracking finale in the tournament which saw several of the big names fail to perform. But take nothing away from either Els or Schwartzel as their own duel could have gone either way for much of the round.

For Schwartzel, it was the chance to play with the man who he considered his idol as he was growing up and learning the game. For Els, it was the chance to get back to winning ways since his last success in 2008 and also a chance to brighten a star which seemed on the wane in world golf.

With the wind blowing, Els played near faultless golf, and his bogey free final round 66 was enough to present him with victory. But with Schwartzel breathing down Els’ neck for much of the final day, it was perhaps the veteran’s crucial par-save on the 14th hole which finally swung the duel in his favour; Els holing a 25-foot putt to save his par. Had Ernie bogeyed that hole, he would have dropped back into a tie with Schwartzel, having nosed ahead at the 11th.

That blow was perhaps enough to rattle the younger Schwartzel and he promptly bogeyed the 15th hole after his ball became plugged in a front bunker and his recovery flew the green to land in a bunker at the rear. The dropped shot put him two behind Els with three holes to play, and another dropped shot on the 17th was the final nail in the coffin as Els rubbed a little salt into the wound with a birdie to go to the last with a four-shot lead.

It would have taken a monumental collapse by Els to relinquish his hold on a first win in two years, but he was never in danger of doing so and finished with a par to win.

There was a three-way tie for third place with Matt Kuchar joining European pair Martin Kaymer and Padraig Harrington - a trio of bogeys from the 13th putting paid to any hope of Harrington threatening Els’ lead. The three players finished three shots behind Schwartzel.

A further group of five players finished in a tie for sixth place and a further stroke behind – three of them Europeans. Paul Casey, Alvaro Quiros and Graeme McDowell rounded off a good week for European golf as Europe’s golfers filled half of the top-10 on the leaderboard. United States’ Bill Haas and Australian Alistair Presnell filled the other two spots.

Another veteran, Vijay Singh tied for 11th place, alongside Aussie pair John Senden and Robert Allenby while defending champion Phil Mickelson once again shirked his bookies’ favourite tag and never got in a blow at the leaders; eventually finishing in a tie for 14th place alongside Italy’s Francesco Molinari.

Of our tips, it was Anthony Kim who performed best of our three of the tee; the American eventually finishing in a tie for 22nd, some 13 shots off the pace. Geoff Ogilvy tied for 45th place, with a one-under total but biggest disappointment was Dustin Johnson who went from being in contention at halfway to also-ran after failing to cope with the blustery conditions over the weekend and eventually dropping well down the leaderboard to finish outside the top 50.

New furore over Trump golf resort plans

Donald Trump’s much-maligned project for a £1bn golf resort in Aberdeenshire has been subject to angry scenes as blueprints for the project were shown to the public for the first time today.

The details of the plan for Menie, north of Aberdeen, are being shown at a two-day event at the Udny Arms Hotel in Newburgh and several people turned out to voice their continued opposition to the plans.

The project has been blighted by Menie residents’ vociferous protests against the plans which could see them forced off their land to make way for the project by way of compulsory purchase orders.

One of the protesters, Mr David Milne was apparently invited to view the plans by the company but on arrival was told to ‘clear off’ by the project director, Neil Hobday.

The blueprints for the project included detailed information on environmental, landscaping, construction and infrastructure plans, and the project will be considered by Aberdeenshire Council later in the year.

At the time of the submission of the plans, Mr Trump said it was a giant step towards the tycoon’s goal of creating the world’s greatest golf course and resort.

A campaign – Tripping Up Trump – has been created to oppose the plans and has said it will support those families which are most at threat by Trump’s plans.

Schwartzel in front at Doral

South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel continued his fine start to 2010 by taking the first round lead in the WGC-CA Championship at TPC Blue Monster, Doral.

On a relatively calm day Schwartzel, who has two wins in his homeland in 2010, finished as the leader on 5-under par, one shot ahead of Robert Allenby and veterans Vijay Singh and Ernie Els.

Schwartzel’s round was the only bogey-free round of the first day but could perhaps consider himself fortunate that the wheels came off Allenby’s round in such a spectacular fashion. Allenby had threatened to burn up the course after reaching the turn six-under par courtesy of four birdies and an eagle. He then continued to rack the birdies up with a further two at the 10th and 12th before inexplicably giving four shots back to the course as he bogeyed in from the 15th hole.

Both Ernie Els and Vijay Singh fell foul of the tough 18th hole with both men finding the water; going on to card bogey and double bogey respectively. The hole recorded an average score of 4.647 making it the toughest on the course.

England’s Paul Casey lays in a tie for fifth place with New Zealand’s John Senden, World Cup winner Francesco Molinari of Italy, Denmark’s Soren Hansen and American duo JB Holmes and Dustin Johnson all of whom carded three-under par rounds of 69.

A further six players tie for eleventh place, after carding rounds of 70, including Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald while Henrik Stenson – playing his first round since conceding his opening match in the WGC Accenture started off with a one-under par 71. Defending champion and world number three Phil Mickelson also opened with a one-under round of 71 as did Honda Classic runner up Anthony Kim

World number two Steve Stricker opened with a one-over par round of 73 while last week’s Honda Classic winner Camilo Villegas went one better with a level-par 72. Also finishing level for the day were WGC-Accenture World Match Play champion Ian Poulter, Phoenix Open winner Hunter Mahan and New Zealand’s Geoff Ogilvy.

Some heavy rain has been forecast for Friday’s second round and PGA officials have elected to move forward today’s tee times by three hours in a bid to defy the weather.