Golf Bets for 2011!

Not long to go until the start of the 2011 tour season, well I think the 2011 European Tour started in 2010 but that’s a different story to be told at a different time. We thought we’d give ye a run down of some of the best and worst golf bets for this coming season.

If Stuart Appleby tees it up at Kapalua for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions expect him to be in the top 3, he has pretty much the best record of any players there and the Aussies seem to love this track in Hawaii. No odds yet but Appleby would be my pick for the first golf bet of the year!

Tiger is not suprisingly favourite for the US Masters at 3/1 with most bookmakers at this stage although the value bet at Augusta remains Phil Mickelson (13/2) – rarely out of the top 5 every time he has teed it up at the gorgeous Georgia course over the past 10 years. Ian Poulter (33/1) has upped his game again over the last 12 months and his performance in the Ryder Cup and the concluding tournaments in the Race to Dubai should give him early confidence to start the 2011 season with. G Mac also has the game to win at Augusta, hits and draw and putts well, and at 33/1 has every chance.

No real prices for the US Open at Congressional yet but I would go with Ernie Els this time around, his return to form is very encouraging and he won back there in the 1990s so I see more of the same this time around. Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson would be my other two picks to contend but, of course, a lot will depend on form and prices come June.

The Open at Royal St George’s will be, like most Open Championships, a very open affair and tough to call. Tiger is favourite at 5s, not sure if I would be tempted to have a flutter on him at this early stage but could be a good shout if he does come back to a bit of form. There are simply too many good players now vying for the Majors and the World No.1 spot as well. The one positive for Tiger is that he was only 2 shots off 2003 winner Ben Curtis when the Open was last played at the 2011 venue. Another good shout would be Padraig Harrington at 25/1, the course should suit his game well and it will be bang in the middle of the season so hopefully Paddy can regain some of his 2008 form. Luke Donald (40/1) has the precision game for Royal St George’s as well, he was in great form towards the 2010 season’s end and he is likely to be in the top ten of players who will have missed the least amount of fairways over the 4 rounds.

The US PGA at the Atlanta Athletic Club is another tough one to call. David Toms won there back in 2001 with the lowest aggregate score in the Championship’s history so expect the low shooting players to be to the fore again. Phil Mickelson went very close back in 2001 and I would not be surprised to see him do the same again this time around.

So, to summarise all the above ranting and raving!!

Hyundai Tournament of Champions – Stuart Appleby (Price TBC)

US Masters – Phil to win (13/2) but back each way of course, G Mac and Poulter each way (33/1)

US Open – Ernie Els (Price TBC)

The Open – Harrington 25/1 and Donald 40/1 each way. Tiger for the win depending on form at 5s

US PGA – Phil Mickelson each way (Price TBC)

More tips to follow over the course of the year!

G Mac to receive MBE

Graeme McDowell’s year has well and truly been topped off with the announcement he will receive an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. An amazing 2010 for G Mac has seen him win his First Major in the form of the US Open at Pebble Beach along with sealing the winning point at the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and also triumphing at Cetlic Manor earlier in the year at the Wales Open, toppling the Tiger in the Chevron while gaining victory at Valderrama in the Andalucia Masters.

Fair play Graeme! Will 2011 result in a big push for more Majors and maybe the World No.1 spot?

JD wins custody of his 7-year old son

Rumours of a Loudmouth golf kids range are abound since the announcement that John Daly has been awarded custody of his 7-year old son by a Tennessee court on Friday. Daly’s ex, Sherrie, has also been to three days in jail for contempt of court.

Sherrie had been awarded custody of Little John in February, when her divorce became final, but in the intervening months she interfered with Daly’s court-ordered visitation rights and, according to this story in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Little John was not receiving the speech therapy he needed, while accumulating excessive absences from school.

Daly, the story said, intends to “take his son on tour with him and will arrange for tutors and online schooling.”

Daly posted his reaction via Twitter: “The best Christmas gift a father can ask for & a great day in this 2 year journey for what is best for my son. So, proud being awarded full custody today!” Delighted for you JD, queue the Loudmouth pants for his youngster on tour with his dad on Tour!

Waldman drops the Bag!

Breet Waldman, who has caddied for Camillo Villegas over the past few seasons, will give his own Professional chances a go as he will take his spot on the Nationwide Tour next season. Waldman said on Wednesday he will play the Nationwide Tour next year instead of working for one of golf’s top players. He has earned that opportunity by completing an amazing ride through Q-school and shooting a 68 in the sixth and final round.

“It’s just a dream,” Waldman said. “I don’t want to look back knowing that I had the chance to do it and not doing it, and hating myself for it. I would always look back and say, ‘What if?’ There’s a reason I got to where I am. I might as well chase the dream.”

Waldman, who played college golf at Kansas State and Central Florida, had not played competitively since he was eliminated from the second stage of Q-school in 2002. He went to work as a caddie for his cousin, Tom Pernice Jr., for Ben Crane and eventually Villegas.

For all former bagmen who have wished for the chance at the bigtime on Tour we all wish Brett Waldman the very best. His next and probably most important step, finding a caddie for the former caddie!

Ollie looking good for Ryder Cup Captaincy

Jose-Maria Olazabal, one of the Ryder Cup’s best ever players, looks set to be named the 2012 European Ryder Cup Captain next month in one of golf’s worst kept secrets over recent weeks and months. Ollie, a widely respected player having won 2 US Masters titles among other tournaments, is seen as the ideal candidate to take over from Monty as the European team goes to the US in 2012 to defend the trophy they won in such dramatic style in Wales .

As a player, Olazábal formed the most successful partnership in Ryder Cup history with his friend and compatriot Seve Ballesteros. He has also been a member of the European team’s backroom staff, serving as a vice-captain for Nick Faldo at Valhalla in 2008 and again at Celtic Manor, where he was drafted in midway through the event to help Montgomerie.

The passion displayed by Ollie and Seve during their partnership should stand him in good stead in the US where he has enjoyed plenty of good moments on the golf course and some bad – the 17th green at Brookline in 1999 comes to mind! Here’s to hoping Olazábal’s reign as European Captain will be a winning one!

Transcript of Supposed Letter from Monty to Pavin before Ryder Cup found!!

Is Wikileaks at it again?!!? Supposed taunts from Monty to Pavin found, very vague though….

You Will Suffer Humiliation When The Sports Team From My Area Defeats The Sports Team From Your Area

As you can see from the calendar, the Ryder Cup is coming up this weekend. I’m sure you are as excited for it as I am, as our teams are rivals and have been for quite some time. Your confidence in your team is high, but rest assured, you will suffer humiliation when the sports team from my area defeats the sports team from your area.

On numerous occasions, you have expressed the conviction that your area’s sports team will be victorious. I must admit that every time I hear you make this proclamation, I react with both laughter and disbelief. “Ha!” I say to myself with laughter. “What?!” I say to myself in disbelief. How could you believe that your sports team could beat my sports team? It is clear that yours is inferior in every way.

When the sporting contest begins, the players on your team will be treated as though they are inconsequential. It will be remarkably easy for my team to accumulate more points than yours. There are many reasons for this, starting with the inferior physical attributes of the players representing your area. Strength, skill, and character are just three of the qualities that the players on the team from your area lack. The players representing my area, on the other hand, have these traits in abundance.

I would not be a bit surprised if the individuals on the team from your area were sexually attracted to members of their own gender. That is how ineffective they are on the field of battle.

Underscoring your team’s inferiority is its choice of colours. It is ludicrous to believe that your team’s colours inspire either respect or fear. Instead, they appear to have been chosen by someone who is colour blind or, perhaps, bereft of sight altogether. The colours for my team, on the other hand, are aesthetically pleasing when placed in proximity to one another. They are a superior colour combination in every way.

If you need another reason why the team representing my area is superior, look no further than the supporters for the two sides. Not only are the supporters of the team from my region more spirited, but they are also more intelligent and of finer breeding than you and the rest of your ilk. In addition, the female supporters of the team from my area possess more attractive countenances and figures than yours. Some of the women from my side that I have observed could make a living by posing for pictures for major men’s magazines. The women who cheer for your team, I’m afraid, are far too unattractive to do so.

One of the more pathetic aspects of the team from your area is the fact that only people in your immediate area possess an affinity for it. By means of contrast, the team from my area inspires loyalty and affection in individuals who live in many other geographic locations.

To illustrate this point, let me tell a brief story: Recently, I was on vacation in an area of the country far away from my own, and I saw many individuals wearing items of clothing that bore the insignia of my team. I approached one such individual and asked him if he originated from my area. He said no, explaining that he simply liked the team from my area and had for many years. Interestingly enough, during this trip, I saw no clothing or other paraphernalia bearing the insignia of your team.

Do you still doubt that the team from your area is inferior to the one from mine? Just look at our teams’ respective histories. In the past, we have defeated you on any number of occasions. Granted, there were times when your team beat my team, but those were lucky flukes.

The day of the game will soon be at hand. And no matter how hard you pray to a higher power or how many foam accoutrements you wear in support of the team from your area, your team will be defeated. We will win and you will lose. This is your fate.

Prepare for humiliation. It shall be upon you at the designated hour.

Can G Mac add Sports Personality Award to Golf Writer’s Trophy?

mygolfsociety.ie Fan, US Open 2010 champ and all-round good guy Graeme McDowell continues to pick up the trophies even after he has probably played his last competitive round of golf this year.

G Mac may have had to share the European Tour Golfer of the Year award with Martin Kaymer, but he is the clear winner of the Golf Writers’ Trophy. McDowell is the first player from Northern Ireland and the fifth Irish golfer to win an award which dates back to 1951.

The 31-year-old made history at Pebble Beach by becoming the first European winner of the US Open since Tony Jacklin 40 years ago and then clinched the winning point at the Ryder Cup. He also added the Wales Open at the Celtic Manor, the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama and the Chevron World Challenge to his already bulging trophy cabinet.

G Mac remarked on yet another accolade: “I am hugely honoured to win such a prestigious award and especially in a year when European golf as a whole has achieved such amazing things”.

He added: “Beating Tiger in California a week ago didn’t do the Ulsterman any harm either. Terrific stuff”.

“To win a major championship and to hole the winning putt in the Ryder Cup, these are absolute, ultimate golfing dreams for me”.

“It has definitely been a life-changing experience the last few months and I feel incredibly lucky”.

“I can’t get my head around it for sure now, but I feel very fortunate and privileged that I’ve had the opportunity”.

“Every golfer wants to win majors, but the Ryder Cup was another stratosphere – trying to win it not just for me, but for 11 team-mates, for Colin (captain Colin Montgomerie), for all those fans, for Europe”.

“I have never been so nervous. That 16th hole, they were the three greatest shots of my career”.

“Under that pressure it was an amazing feeling, particularly as I was told on the fairway before I hit my second shot, that a half-point would not be enough and that I needed to win the match”.

“It’s been a phenomenal few years for European golf in general and in particular British and Irish golf. Look at the number of players at the top of the world rankings and, of course, right at the top is Lee”.

“He has been our most consistent player the last few years. He has worked extremely hard and thoroughly deserves to be up there. It has given all of us the belief that one day we may also reach that top spot”.

“I cannot thank the team around me, my family and management, enough for their support this year and in the years ahead”.

“I will have the same attitude in 2011 as I did in 2010, to work hard and to try to win some tournaments”.

“How I perform will all be heavily scrutinised and that is understandable, but I’ll never try and compare it to 2010”.

“I’m very aware of the pitfalls, complacency, expectation levels, really trying to change my game now that I’m a major champion and in the top 10 in the world”.

“I’m looking forward to it and I know I have a huge amount of room for improvement, particularly in and around the greens and just sharpening up my whole game generally”.

Here’s to another great year for G Mac in 2011 and don’t forget to vote for him to become 2010 Sports Personality of the Year: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/default.stm

Irish Open 2011 confirmed for Killarney

Killarney Golf & Fishing Club will host the 2011 from 28th -31st July next year. This news was confirmed last night by European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady and Fáilte Ireland Chairman Redmond O’Donoghue at the Irish Links Society Dinner in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin and will be the fourth time in history that the tournament has been staged at the renowned County Kerry venue.

This year’s event was a fantastic renewal of the tournament and many Irish golf fans will welcome a return again next year to Killarney, which also hosted the Irish Open in 1991 and 1992. The Bank Holiday date should also help keep the Irish Open at the forefront of the European Tour calendar and help bolster the crowd numbers that came out in their drooves to wacth Padraig Harrington’s Seve Ballesteros impression around the Killeen course this year.

Maurice O’Meara, General Manager of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club said: “Killarney Golf and Fishing Club is delighted and welcomes the announcement that the 2011 Irish Open will return to Killarney to be played on the world-class Killeen Course. Following the amazing success of last year’s Irish Open, we hope that we can build on this success and add even more to this year’s event.

“We look forward to working closely with The European Tour, Fáilte Ireland and all of the  local businesses in Killarney to make the 2011 Irish Open one of the Irish sporting events of the year. Having welcomed the leading European Tour players in 2010 we hope that they and their families will return again in 2011 for a Bank Holiday festival of golf.”

Best of luck for 2011 Maurice, we hope to make it down to see the golf in 2011. Here’s hoping for an Irish winner next year!!

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