Gleneagles Final Show Down

So Peter Hedblom has managed to charge back in and beat his fellow Swede Martin Erlandsson to win the Johnnie Walker by a single shot.

But what a round by Erlandsson - a 10 under 62 thanks very much! Which no surprise was the best round of his life. But he'd started from six behind, so it wasn't quite enough as Hedblom wasn't exactly marking time with a tasty 67.

Paul Lawrie shared third place with Gregory Havret, the defending champion. So not a bad week for him, although he couldn't quite find the form he had for the first two days.

Right back get down the range. Working on the handicap for the forthcoming Show Me the Golf Berk Central. Lots of golf, several Berks, some beer. What possible harm!

JohnD

Scores on the doors Gleneagles

So much for my post this morning. Paul Lawrie won't be joining Paranvik and that other fella whose name now escapes me, in not scoring under the card through the whole round.

A 73 today, and he's back to earth with a smallish bump. But given it's moving day, he still in good position for a shot at the title tomorrow. It's getting tight at the top though, with 16 players bunched between the leader, Peter Hedblom, at 8 under and the back of the following group at -4.

So it's anyone's tournament, and anyone's guess. Hedblom, O'Hara, Bland and Hevret all shot low today, and need to carry that form into the final day.

I'm going to check in our golf bet guru at Show Me the Golf to see if he can offer me some wisdom, and more importantly, some value.

JohnD

Paul Lawire hitting form & Golf Pub Ammo,

So far so good. 8 under after two days, and leading by two at the Johnnie Walker at Gleneagles, Lawrie hasn't actually dropped a single shot on the course yet.

OK, so there's a fair bit to go, and we shouldn't get over excited at this stage, but it's an interesting fact that only two European players have ever completed a European Tour tournament without dropping a single shot. David J Russell in 1992 and Jesper Parnavik in 1996.

I have to thank Andrew Lomax of the Daily Telegraph for that one. But as far as quality golf pub ammo goes, this is out the top drawer.

A trawl around the web for other bit of glorious info have so far yielded the following:

1. There is a Putting Green on the Whitehouse front lawn

2. The US military operate 234 golf courses

3. There are 24 golf courses in Alaska.

Not quite up to the same standards as the 'not dropping a single shot' contribution. That could be coming to a fiendish pub quiz near you before long, so make sure that you've got that one firmly in the locker.

I think a Golf Pub Ammo section could be coming to Show Me The Golf before too long. Any contributions warmly welcomed....

JohnD

Thomas Bjorn Brain Scan

Thomas has been feeling a bit off colour recently. So what to do? Well, get a brain scan of course.

The great news is that a a brain was discovered - his words not mine.

That shouldn't come as too great a surprise as he is the Chairman of the Players committee of the European Tour , so there must be something going on.

But then again, appointing Monty as Ryder Cup Captain might suggest otherwise. I'm very much looking forward to being proved wrong, but I'm sure someone in the media is going to get Monty's goat, and it's not going to be trouble free.

But after Faldo's opening ceremony speech last time, I'm confident that Monty will be an improvement. And we all know just how much he loves the Ryder Cup.

Anyway, I'm a great fan of the volcano dust eating Dane, and bore personal witness to his shocker at the 17th at Royal St George when he blew up in the 2003 Open. It still pains me.

Better get the Whiskey out.

JohnD

Christina Kim Calm Down

I've read a few comments going around about Christina Kim over the last few days. We've had

GolfDigest's John Huggan read on the matter, and he wasn't impressed.

One other lowlight -- at least some of the time -- was the behavior of Christina Kim. The extrovert American clearly has a big heart and a kind heart given her obvious affinity and loud interaction with the spectators. But there is a line that must never be crossed with this sort of thing. And, at the risk of being portrayed as a bit of a fuddy-duddy, it must be pointed out that Kim, on occasion, veers into a place where opponents are -- however inadvertently -- treated with something less than proper respect. The time to gee up crowds is between holes, not while a competitive situation exists.

Personally, I think that's kind. Far too generous. I think she behaved like a brattish teenager who'd been on the vodka and Redbulls.

JohnD

Solheim Cup done and dusted

After an exhausting day in front of the TV watching England triumph in the Ashes, it was time to come back down to earth, which I was comfortably able to do by tuning into the last session of the Solheim Cup.

For a moment there was hope, but suddenly the board turned red and it was all over. It had been a great effort to get to level points after two days, but from the moment Angela Stanford put the first point on the board for the US, it was all one way traffic.

Paula Creamer followed up with a point from a comfortable 3 an 2 win over Suzann Pettersen. And Michelle Wie stepped up to the plate with a one hole victory over Helen Alfredsson. It had really been Wie's week, and there's been a lot of talk about her finally coming out of her shell and truly engaging with the grown-up game.

Laura Davies was going along nicely taking a two hole lead to the 17th, where she proceeded to lose her ball. She then left the door wide open on the 18th for Lang to come through and grab a half point.

So it was not to be. Even Christina Kim beat Elosegui by two holes. I shouldn't really say even - it's just Kim's general behaviour over the course of the tournament really got my goat. According to her Twitter profile.. HI!! I'm LPGA Tour player Christina Kim (duh) and I love golf, photography and working to conserve and save our planet and all those that inhabit it!!!

Enough said I think.

Our master plan for next time round is to bring back Melissa Reid! That should do the trick.

JohnD

Solheim Cup Day Two

Oh dear, it's looking like a familiar story. The European team managed to share the afternoon foursomes with America but the American's still have a very comfortable 4 1/2 - 3 1/2 lead after the first day of the Solheim Cup.

A 20-footer for par on the 17th by Paula Creamer gave her and Juli Inkster a 2 and 1 victory over Europe's Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie in the afternoon's last foursomes match - giving the Americans their one-point lead.

That spells trouble for Europe. Only once in the previous 10 of the USA v Europe tournament has a team come back and captured the trophy after trailing after day one.

And the Europeans didn't field Melissa Reid, who is Show Me the Golf's resident female golf pro. Well, she lives near Derby actually.

,

JohnD

The Official GolfGym Golf Fitness Blog: Congratulations to Y.E. Yang on His Impressive Victory at the PGA Championship

The Official GolfGym Golf Fitness Blog: Congratulations to Y.E. Yang on His Impressive Victory at the PGA Championship

And so say all of us. Opps, sorry Tiger.

Prince Andrew shock horror

Oh my gawd. The modernization of golf could be put back by several generations if the news I'm reading on Yahoo is true. Prince Andrew to go pro! Let's calm down a minute. The real news is that he is now playing off 4, which needs some kind of good work recognition. But that's about it. I never liked the way he muscled his way into the R&A, and his golf free loading, whilst something to be admired by any golf junkie, has just not felt right. I'm not going to go all indignant of Tunbridge Wells on his arse, but I wish he stick to polo or stag hunting or ping pong - no one can harm ping pong. Golf just doesn't need the Royal endorsement.

So we've decided to go Royal free on Show me the Golf. We've torn up our Royal Warrants, and are now adopting a nobility free membership policy. We are still accepting memberships from minor European royal houses, but no one with a Windsor post code of SL4 1 is getting in.

Windsor - it's really Slough isn't it!

JohnD

Solheim Cup

Well that's it for Majors this year, but thankfully there's a Solheim Cup to enjoy.

It's being played away at Rich Harvest Farms, near Chicago.

The event was set up by Karsten Solheim of Ping fame, and the US are leading 6-3. And they've never been beaten on home soil.

I'll be keeping a watching brief for Show Me the Golf as the tournament progresses.

JohnD

Tiger and the end of an aura

I think the media have been going a little bit over the top about Tiger's recent performance. He's getting it in the neck for not being gracious enough in defeat, and now rather than being Mr Invincible, he's 'Vinny Vincible.' Steady lads. He just had a bad day on the greens. OK, a very bad day. But if that putt on the 1st had gone in and think we'd have seen a different story emerge.

Nothing, but nothing happened for him on the Sunday. He either couldn't read them, or he hit them badly. But how much can you read into one bad day on the dancefloor? I think he'll back to his best before too long, although the recognition of his own golfing mortality has to spur on other players when they've got the chance to toe to toe it with him.

On the Yang front, he already being called the Tiger Killer in Seoul. It's been a long time coming for an Asian player - 38 years from when Taiwanese Lu Liang-Huan came within one shot of winning at the 1971 Open at Royal Birkdale. Bit before my time.

And before I forget, there's an opportunity to win Justin Rose's watch - just go to Show Me the Golf for your chance to win.

JohnD

Yang Time

Now that was a bit of drama! Great composure from Yang to see off The Tiger. And what a fantastic second shot at the 18th. And in the end a convincing 3 shot win. And, and , and. And in the end the Show Me the Golf didn't all go down the pub to watch. Instead we booted up Twitter, cracked open various different forms of alcohol ( I went for Sainsbury's Irish Single Malt Whisky), and got stuck into some serious golf consumption. Jay Townsend was our extra pair of eyes on the ground, and we Twittered away with him and other companions. It really added a different dimension.

And what a great final round - Westwood and McIlroy hung in there to come joint third, and Padraig blew up in the most spectacular fashion.

But when push comes to shove Tiger just didn't get the putter going. A 75 in a final round has to be a bit of a disaster by his standards. He was pretty much faultless tee to green - the odd voyage to the undergrowth, but it all went wrong - or just didn't happen - on the greens.

Cannot believe that we are all majored out until The Masters next year. Just doesn't seem right. I am going to have to find something else to do with my life. Well, maybe not. I'm very patient.....

JohnD

PGA Shaping Up Nicely

At the start of the third round there was no one within 3 shots of Tiger. It seemed a done deal. But after 9 holes, there were six.

By the end of play Stenson's had gone round in 68, Yang had a 67, and Harrington's had charged through with a 69.

So Tiger goes into the final round with a 2 shot lead from Harrington and Yang, which sets up everything for round 2 Tiger v Harrington. That's something I'm not about mix. Liverpool v Tottenham will just have to wait.

But in my heart of hearts, I can't see anyone else picking up the Wannamaker Trophy. It's what everyone, including the US PGA, seem to want. So I'm thinking 15 down, and 3 to go.

The Show Me The Golf team will be assembling in the pub to cheer on Harrington for all his grit and determination, but I think we are all looking for Tiger to take another step along the fairway to ever-lasting golfing greatness.

JohnD

Bigger Hitters Only Need Apply

The mighty Alvaro Quiros of Espana is clearly the man for the job this weekend. At 6 foot 3, he is without a shadow of doubt one the big hitters on the European Tour. He topped the Driving Distance Category in the stats in both 2007 and 2008. I watched him dismantle one of the long par 5's. I think his length is even staggering Tiger. But for all that artillery, he's nowhere near Mr Woods.

What's all this being long, Tiger proofing nonsense about? At 7,674 yards Hazeltine is the longest ever track to host a US PGA Championship. And therefore, as we all know, perfect for Tiger. Just tighten up the fairways, and shorten the holes and viola - Tiger proofed. It's not really difficult is it?

Anyway our man in America, Mr Jay Townsend, will be reporting back to us at Show Me The Golf. He called Tiger, of course. If you missed his preview its here.

More Olympic Stuff

It appears that golf wasn't a shoe in to the Olympics. In fact anything but. Rugby 7's won a comfortable 9 out of 15 votes from the second round secret ballot of the IOC executive. Golf on the other hand nearly went out in the first two rounds - polling only one vote. It then benefitted from tactical voting from rugby supporters to win through in the fourth round. So thanks rugby - or rather rugby 7's. Bit of an odd one in itself, as 7's is the first sport to get in without the main form of the sport being present.

Tiger has got to be the other factor. He's just that bit too hard to ignore.

Format will be 72 holes for men and women, with 60 players in each field. The world's top 15 will qualify automatically. No idea how anyone else gets in though. Pre-Open style qualifying competitions?

Anyway, back to the USPGA. Jay Townsend's out there for Show Me the Golf, and has done us a brilliant piece for us.

Golf in the Olympics

So we're in - well golf I mean. Alongside women's boxing and 7 a side rugby. What a fitting place to be. At least the Olympic committee won't have to insist that the organizers build a new course for it specially - well, I take that back. Anything's possible with that lot. If it had been bought forward to the London Olympics, where would it have been? Would they have insisted on carving up Hyde Park, or could the London Club have got its hands on? or would the R&A have muscled in and insisted on St Andrews? I guess we'll never know, but some intriguing possibilities.

I guess we'd better take our poll down on Show Me The Golf now that this burning question has been answered.

JohnD

Olympic Decision Day

So the big day has dawned. Will golf become an Olympic sport by this evening? Or will it be Women's Boxing or Squash or baseball, or roller sports (?) or Karate? You can still vote in our Olympic poll at Show Me The Golf. We're still in two minds as it might interfere with the Gymnastics. Have your say now.

JohnD

Ryder Cup Ticket Draw

Well, the hotly awaited news has come through, and I am now almost the proud owner of 4 Ryder Cup tickets. For the Tuesday. For £120. For f***'s sake. £30 to watch a practice day! And that's before the car parking, petrol, beer ration ( very limited as driving), programme (bet that's a tenner), and something to eat. And, of course, because it's a Ryder Cup I'll have to get something from the merchandise tent, even if it's only a poxy tea towel or some such rubbish.

So I think my day in Wales is going to be about £100 - to watch them practice. Now, I'm keen, don't get me wrong. But I think I'm going to prefer to invest that money in having a few beers in the pub, and getting stuck in that way.

So if anyone wants 4 tickets to the Tuesday practice day, just let me know. Actually, don't bother you'll need to be my doppelganger as it's all ID'up.

Grumble over.

Will cheer myself up by watching our new video, lovingly shot in La Manga - now that's somewhere I'd save up for.

JohnD

Playing not Blogging

Busy week on the golf front with 2 games played and it's only Thursday. Playing again tomorrow, then 36 on Saturday, followed by a warm down 18 on Sunday. At which point I will be completely golfed out. The aim this summer is to do some work, and get down to a 16 handicap - a drop of 8 shots in 2 months. It's not exactly up to the work of John Richardson and his new book, 'Dream On'. He couldn't break 100 and set himself the challenge of beating par in a year. 363 days later he shot a one under par 70 at this local track. The title 'Dream On' actually came from our Sam - sorry, Mr Torrance to me. And Darren Clarke told him it would take three years. So 363 is no bad shout.

JohnD