Ian Poulter: Plays Alvaro Quiros in the last 16

Defending champion Ian Poulter moved smoothly into the last 16 of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain after topping his group with a comfortable 4&3 victory over Tom Lewis.

But Lewis, the youngest player in the field at 21, is also through to the knockout stage having celebrated his debut in the event by beating John Senden in Friday’s morning session.

That result meant Poulter and Lewis were already through before their afternoon match even started.

The pair, who are good friends, were level at the turn in their clash to decide the Gary Player group winner but it was the Ryder Cup star who pulled away as he won four of the next five holes.

Lewis now takes on home favourite Sergio Garcia, who hit back from two down after seven holes to crush Tetsuji Hiratsuka 4&2.

The Japanese star needed to win to advance having suffered a 5&4 mauling from Alvaro Quiros, but Garcia reeled off six birdies in a sparkling nine-hole stretch to advance.

Quiros, meanwhile, will now take on Poulter.

Crashed out

Peter Hanson crashed out after a 6&4 defeat to Camilo Villegas, who had an early four-hole lead whittled down to one before winning five of the next six holes.

But Paul Lawrie topped the Greg Norman group after a play-off with Villegas, and the Scot now takes on Thomas Bjorn while Villegas faces Brandt Snedeker.

Bjorn bounced back from his heavy defeat against Snedeker by beating Branden Grace, who in turn beat the American in the afternoon.

It meant all three went into a play-off which saw Snedeker progress first to win the group and then Bjorn take the other spot after Grace double-bogeyed.

Retief Goosen won both his Friday matches to go through, firstly edging out Nicolas Colsaerts by one hole and then beating compatriot Charl Schwartzel in the afternoon.

That sent Colsaerts and Schwartzel into a play-off and it was the Belgian who prevailed after a 12 foot birdie putt.

Colsaerts will play in-form Justin Rose for a place in the last eight.

The Englishman, who mauled compatriot Robert Rock 7&6 on Thursday, had another shortened day as he beat out-of-sorts Darren Clarke 6&4.

Clarke now heads home while Rock takes on Goosen in the last 16.

The final match of the day saw pre-tournament favourite and number one seed Martin Kaymer crash out after his three foot par putt on the last horseshoed out and handed victory to Richard Finch.

The Yorkshireman now takes on another major winner in the form of Graeme McDowell.

The 2010 US Open champion made it two wins out of two with a 4&3 victory over South African Jbe Kruger, who then went on to lose a play-off with Robert Karlsson.

The Swede beats Ballesteros Group winner Rafael Cabrera-Bello who continued his fine form this week with a 4&2 win over Finch in the morning.

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Alvaro Quiros (L) is congratulated by Ian Poulter (R) after his victory over the Englishman

Holder Ian Poulter and second seed Justin Rose were amongst the casualties as England’s five-strong contingent at the Volvo World Match Play all crashed out on Saturday morning.

Tom Lewis, Robert Rock and Richard Finch also departed in the round of 16 as the tournament’s big-hitters took centre stage.

Poulter, after eight matches unbeaten in the event, was seen off 4&3 by Spain’s Alvaro Quiros who has led the driving distance statistics for four of the last five seasons.

Rose, who crushed Rock 7&6 and Open champion Darren Clarke 6&4, went down by the same margin to Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts – the man who, with an average of 316 yards off the tee, is three yards longer than Quiros this season.

It was not so much of a surprise that 21-year-old Lewis lost to Garcia – another 4&3 game – or that Rock and tournament outsider Finch, conqueror of top seed Martin Kaymer on Friday, exited at the hands of Goosen and McDowell respectively.

Poulter refused to blame the defeat on a foot injury, bizarrely picked up when a buggy driver drove over his foot on day two.

“I don’t need excuses. I had plenty of chances and didn’t take them – simple. I just didn’t play good enough,” he said afterwards.

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell did win through to face Sergio Garcia, though, and Scot Paul Lawrie set up a clash with Retief Goosen as his 500th European Tour event continued to go well.

Snedeker continues run

McDowell and Goosen both won 3&2, while American Brandt Snedeker won by the same margin against Colombian Camilo Villegas.

After topping his group former Open champion Lawrie thrashed Dane Thomas Bjorn 5&4 to take another step towards a Ryder Cup return.

Bjorn, who squeezed through his group in a play-off, bogeyed the first two holes and by the eighth had endured three more.

It is a big week for the 43-year-old from Aberdeen, already fifth in the Ryder Cup points race and with a chance to move to second – especially after beating Swede Peter Hanson, the man currently in that spot, when they met in the group stage.

Lewis, who led The Open as an amateur last July and then captured the Portugal Masters in only his third start as a professional, fell four down to Garcia after only eight holes.

It was uphill from then on and the Spanish star sealed his win by holing a 20-footer on the 15th and seeing Lewis miss from 12.

Rafael Cabrera-Bello was the last man to seal his spot in the quarter-finals as he beat Robert Karlsson on the final hole of a tense encounter.

All square heading down the last, both men found greenside bunkers with their second shots to the lengthy par-five, but it was the Spaniard who got up-and-down to seal a 1up victory that earns him a showdown with compatriot Quiros in the last eight.

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Paul Lawrie: has rediscovered his best form at the age of 43

Paul Lawrie’s golfing resurgence continued as he surged into the semi-finals of the Volvo World Match Play with a 6&5 victory over Retief Goosen at Finca Cortesin in Spain.

Playing in his 500th European Tour event, the 43-year-old from Aberdeen did not drop a stroke in crushing the two-time US Open champion in the blustery conditions.

Lawrie is already fifth in the Ryder Cup points race and with a chance to move to second – especially after beating Swede Peter Hanson, the man currently in that spot, when they met at the group stage.

Lawrie has not played in the match since 1999, the year he came from a major record 10 shots back at Carnoustie to beat Jean Van de Velde and Justin Leonard in a play-off.

The 1999 Open champion will play Nicolas Colsaerts in the semi-finals after the Belgian – runner-up to Ian Poulter last year – beat American Brandt Snedeker 4&3.

Rattled in

Rafael Cabrera Bello was a hole up on his fellow Spaniard Alvaro Quiros on the 16th, when he rattled in a 25-foot putt from off the green for a birdie and a two-up lead.

His approach to the short 17th went to four feet and that was good enough as Quiros failed with a 30-foot birdie try, Cabrera Bello knocking in the birdie putt for good measure and a 3&1 win.

After leading for almost their entire match, Graeme McDowell missed a four-foot putt on 18 to beat Sergio Garcia and the pair had to go down the par five again.

Both men missed lengthy birdie tries, then McDowell holed from five feet for his par. Garcia had a four footer to take the match into a 20th hole but the Spaniard’s well-documented putting demons duly popped up again as he shoved a poor attempt right of the hole.

The Northern Irishman will play Cabrera Bello in Sunday morning’s semi-finals.

Quarter-final results (seeded positions in brackets, GB & Irl unless stated):

(11) Paul Lawrie bt (18) Retief Goosen (SA) 6&5
(14) Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) bt (7) Brandt Snedeker (USA) 4&3
(15) Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) bt (12) Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 3&1
(4) Graeme McDowell bt (5) Sergio Garcia (Spa) 19th hole

By 2-FORE!-1 Golf

Course News

17 May 2012 20:30

This week we check out the pick of the 2-FORE!-1 crop of courses in the county of Hampshire. Don’t forget, if you’re in possession of a 2-FORE!-1 voucher you can tee it up at any of the venues below for half-price.

*Marriott Meon Valley – an impressive stay and play venue just outside Southampton. Plotted within over 225 acres of exquisite parkland, this Marriott country club is regarded as one of the leading golf venues in the South of England. Besides the outstanding 18 hole main Meon course, it also boasts a splendid nine hole layout as well as an on-site Marriott hotel comprising first-class facilities.

*Old Thorns – outstanding stay and play venue near Liphook. Fast greens and plenty of hazards make this a wonderful test of parkland golf.

 *The Hampshire GC – excellent modern venue with top facilities. This rolling layout is set in 240 acres of rolling Hampshire countryside in the  Test Valley and provides wonderful views.

*New Forest GC – short-but-sweet heathland layout but being located at Lyndhurst in the heart of the picturesque New Forest you would probably expect that.

*Hartley Wintney GC – long established par-71 parkland, usually in fine conditiion.

 Macdonald Botley Park - splendid par-70 parkland layout backed-up by an on-site Macdonald hotel. Mature trees line many fairways while there are several water features too, including the 9th, 11th and 18th holes.

Laura Davies (left) gives some handy tips at the Handa Academy.

By TG Courses editor

General News

18 May 2012 17:21

Golf star Laura Davies witnessed at close quarters how an initiative to help more blind and disabled golfers receive expert tuition from PGA professionals is going from strength to strength.

The Ladies European Tour star took time out from the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield Links to watch PGA pro Craig Thomas coach three blind and partially sighted golfers.

Thomas gave the lessons under the auspices of the ISPS Handa PGA Academy Programme which is committed to equipping PGA professionals with the skills to coach blind and disabled golfers and create more opportunities for them to enjoy the sport.

Davies is an ambassador for ISPS Handa which through its high profile sponsorship of golf tournaments is committed to creating sporting opportunities for blind and disabled people.

The 45-time winner on the LET took time out to meet the golfers and demonstrate some of her practice techniques.

“Laura was great and gave a very inspirational talk to the golfers, showed them how she practiced and them watched as I delivered a coaching session,” said Thomas.

“It was very well received and I think the biggest positive to come out of the session was that the pupils like the simplicity of the coaching.

“That is an important message to get across. Often it is the case they just want to improve a little bit rather than have a complete swing overhaul. They are not looking to be the next European Tour star but they appreciate a little tweak here or there which benefits their game but isn¹t a complete overhaul.”

One of the recipients of the lesson was Ally Reid from the International Blind Golf Association who praised both Thomas and Davies.

“Craig is a great communicator and explains himself clearly. He does not try to make professional golfers out of us rather he works with what is there,” said Reid.

IRVING, Texas — Standing over his ball in a swale behind the 18th green, Jason Dufner would have been content with a par and a spot in the big group tied for the lead in the Byron Nelson Championship.

Instead, Dufner had the lead to himself Friday. He finished by chipping in from 37 feet, his fourth birdie in five holes, after driving wide right and having his approach roll over the green.

“No, that wasn’t in the thought process,” Dufner said. “Pretty lucky for it to go in, but that’s part of golf. Sometimes you get those breaks.”

His second long chip-in wrapped up a 4-under 66 for a two-round total of 7-under 133. That put Dufner a stroke ahead of a group of six players that included Matt Kuchar, the world’s fifth-ranked player who won The Players Championship last week.

Dufner got married the week after his first PGA Tour victory at New Orleans last month, and returned to play last week.

He has the 36-hole lead for the fourth time this season, including the Masters, and the seventh time in his career. The experience of having a victory can provide a different mindset while leading at the halfway point again.

“Maybe a little bit,” he said. “I’m confident with my game and happy with where my game is right now.”

Kuchar shot a 68 to join first-round leader Ryan Palmer (70), Chad Campbell (66), Pat Perez (67), Dickey Pride (68) and Marc Leishman (69) at 6 under.

Defending champion Keegan Bradley (68), who last summer won the PGA Championship three months after becoming a first-time winner in a Nelson playoff against Palmer, was two strokes behind the leaders along with Ryuji Imada (68) and Charley Hoffman (69).

Kuchar recovered from a miserable early stretch when he had two bogeys and a double bogey in a four-hole span.

After a birdie at No. 10 to start his second round, Kuchar had a bogey at the 455-yard 12th when his approach from the rough landed in a bunker. His approach at No. 14 went in the water, leading to a double bogey before he again wasn’t able to get up-and-down out of a greenside bunker at the par-4 15th.

“I got on the wrong side of things,” Kuchar said. “Par 5, took advantage of that. So I was pleased that I was able to hang in there and bounce back.”

His approach at the 546-yard 16th was inside of 5 feet. That was the first of his five birdies without another bogey over his final 12 holes.

Kuchar still has chance to become the first PGA Tour player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win in consecutive weeks. Woods also was the last player to win in his next start after winning The Players Championship. That was in 2001, two years after David Duval pulled off that feat.

The only other top 10 player in the field is Phil Mickelson, who had a fitting finish in a round of 69 with a double bogey after his tee shot at No. 18 went in the water and his approach after the drop went over the green.

“I hit it terrible today, there was no other way around it,” Mickelson said. “I’ve just got some mechanical issues where I was not striking the ball very solid. I was able to hit decent shots on the backside to make birdies and make a run, but that last hole stunk.”

Dufner was 4 under when he caught a glimpse of a scoreboard early in his back nine and noticed the crowd near the top with little movement on a day with steady winds.

“I was kind of around par for the day, trying to stay patient a little bit, maybe get a birdie or two,” Dufner said.

Even after a bogey at No. 12, when his approach landed in a greenside bunker, Dufner did much more than he hoped for down the stretch.

That started with three birdies in a row. There was a 21-foot putt at No. 14 before he holed a 35-foot chip at No. 15, then made a 21-foot birdie putt at No. 16.

“Ended up getting birdie on four of the last five, couple of chip-ins, which you don’t expect, especially the one on 18,” Dufner said. “It was a nice way to finish.”

Before his last hole, which he preceded with consecutive birdies, Mickelson had only one bogey despite being in trouble several times.

There was the par save at No. 8 after he missed the fairway but knocked his second shot from the rough to inside 4 feet. His tee shot at No. 9 landed under a tree and he used a 5-wood to punch the ball under branches. It rolled up onto the green and he made a 17-foot birdie putt.

The consolation for Mickelson is that he is within six strokes of the lead with two rounds to play.

“There will be a bunching on the leaderboard,” he said. “If I give myself some more chances (Saturday), I ‘m starting to feel a little bit better with the putter, and I should be able to make some.”