Before a golf ball has been hit at the BMW PGA Tour Championship there is already speculation that one of the top English players will make a move for the number 1 golf ranking. Tiger Woods the current number 1 will miss this tournament due to injury and also due to the distraction of his off course antics.
At a press conference leading up to the championships the three English players that are in the top 10 rankings, Les Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, all spoke of their ambition to move up to the top ranking. The current number 2 ranked player Phil Mickelson has had an up and down performance over the last few outings but his win in the Masters in April 2010 puts him in a position to also push for the number 1 ranking.
Tiger Woods has held the number 1 ranking for 258 weeks but his performance of late has been less than consistent with injury problems and family issues affecting his performance on the course. The three English men as well as Mickelson are all threatening Tiger Woods reign at the top.
Westwood explained at the pregame press conference that he felt the top rankings 1 and 2 were for the first time in many years an achievable goal. He explained that Tiger Woods game and performance are unpredictable at the moment and that Mickelson had showed some great form but rankings rely on your performance being consistent.
Westwood’s game has been very consistent with wins and placings in the top 10 for the last couple of outings. The current 6th placed player, Ian Poulter has also spoke of his desire to work his way further up the rankings but realizes that there are at least four people that are currently battling it out for the top spot. The next couple of tournaments, the US Open and the British Open have quite a few points up for grabs which would make things interesting at the top of the rankings if one of these players managed to string a few wins together.
Casey won the BMW PGA Championship last year by beating out Ross Fisher with two birdies on the last two holes. Casey is eager to defend his title from last year however he admits this may be a difficult task as the course has had some major works since last year that means it feels like a new course.
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BMW PGA Championship
Golf Course Reviews
For the average golfer the chance to play on a world class golf course is the dream of a life time. There are hundreds of great golf courses both in the United States as well as around the world. You can use a golf course finder to do some research but for people who don’t have enough time and money to play all the great golf courses I have narrowed the field to five golf courses which have been nominated due to a certain aspect or feature of the course. The five courses and the category they represent is as follows.
The most difficult golf course is widely regarded as the Cypress point golf course. This golf course is a private coarse which features a single eighteen hole course. See picture above. Cypress point is well known for its views over the Pacific Ocean and the 16th hole…
Aussies Are Playing Well in the US PGA Tour
The PGA Tour in Cromwell Connecticut is proving a great tournament for the Australian golfers with Matthew Goggin sharing the lead with Britain’s Justin Rose after he scored a six under par 64 in one of his personal best performances. After the first round the leader board is very crowded with the other Aussies in the field, Matt Jones and Aron Price scoring a five under par 65 to be in second place with five other international players.
Rose played an excellent first round and was unlucky to not hold the outright lead after he scored birdies for six of the last seven holes. Rose was not to disappointed as the tournament still has a long way to go and anything can happen when playing in the PGA.
Goggin was equally happy with his first round of the tournament putting him in first place tied with Rose. The Australian had…
Tiger Woods to Play 2010 Australian Masters and Defend His Title
The Australian Masters in Melbourne last year (2009) was the last tournament that Tiger Woods played in and won before news of his personal life and extra marital affairs became the headline news. There was some controversy over the amount of Victorian tax payer money that was spend to convince him to come to Australia and play the tournament however the tiger mania that resulted from his visit to Australia meant that this amount of money was justified and increased the interest in the golf tournament and also contributed a great deal of extra money into the Victorian economy.
This year the Victorian government has decided to encourage Woods back to Australia to defend his title from last year in the Australian Masters. The tax payers in Victoria will foot half the bill for Woods to visit which this year will be 1.5 million, a figure that the Victorian government…
Top US Golf Course Oakmont Country Club
Golf is a hugely popular sport in the US which is probably the reason that most of the top ranked golf courses are located in North America. Most golfers have a list of top courses that they would like to play and many of those courses include places where championships have taken place such as Oakmont Country Club. The golf course at Oakmont has hosted the most golfing events of all the golf courses in the US and many who have played here considered this course to be one of the toughest in any weather conditions.
Oakmont Country Club is located in the Pennsylvanian hills near Pittsburgh and has been in existence since the early 1900s. The course was originally designed by Henry Fownes and from its opening in 1903 has been regarded by many within the sport of golf as the most difficult golf course located in the US. …
Top US Golf Course Shinnecock Hills
North America is home to over 20,000 public and private golf courses giving the US more golf courses than any other country. This number of golf courses is more than all the other countries combined and explains why many of the lists of top golf courses contain golf courses from North America especially the US. Top ranked golf courses that make these lists generally have some feature that either challenges the golf player or a unique feature involving, but not limited to the history, environment and the location of the golf course. One golf course that consistently makes the top 10 of many top US golf courses is Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and course which is located in Southampton New York.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club has a long and distinguished history which is still evident today in many of the old traditions that are still observed at the club. The…
Top US Golf Course Bandon Dunes
Golfers in the United States are fortunate to have many of the world’s top rated golf courses. Many of these golf courses have been designed by people who have a deep passion for the game and want people to enjoy the unique challenge that is the game of golf. A large number of these top golf courses in America also combine and use many of the local features of the landscape which results in a beautiful golf course which looks right at home in that environment. An example of where the natural environment has been use to great effect is at the Bandon Dunes golf resort course which is one of the top rated courses in the US.
The Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is located near the seaside town of Bardon in Oregon. This golf course is suitably located near the Oregon regional airport which has flights daily to Bandon…