Golf, by TourMiss

Paul Lawrie never admits to setting himself goals but after the thrill of being a part of a winning Ryder Cup team he tees-up this week in the BMW Masters in Shanghai staring at breaking through the £2m barrier in season earnings for a first time in his career. A third Tour success this year in the Chinese financial capital was see Lawrie presented with a £721,379 first prize cheque to take his yearly winnings to some £2.09m and some £1/2m more than a prior best earning year in 2002. As well, ...

Darren Clarke’s ‘cigar-chomping, Guinness-drinking’ ways would be best suited for the 2016 Ryder Cup captaincy in the States leaving the door open for Paul McGinley to captain Europe in two years time at Gleneagles. That’s the view of Graeme McDowell ahead of this week’s $7m BMW Masters in Shanghai, and his first event since playing a part in last month’s Miracle at Medinah. McDowell’s found himself in a Ryder Cup reunion in the Chinese financial capital with 11 of the winning European ...

Welshman Stephen Dodd made ammends for his recent Abu Dhabi Open defeat to dig deep into his experience and capture the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open, the fifth and the penultimate event on the MENA Golf Tour, at Al Badia Golf Club on Wednesday. Starting the final round one behind, the three-time winner on the European Tour closed with a 69 to go 11-under for the tournament, winning the title – his first since the 2011 Welsh National PGA Championship — by a good two shots ahead of English duo ...

When Darren Clarke visited the BMW Masters Media Centre here in Shanghai this afternoon he was carrying one of his wedges in his hand. Of course, it’s common for players to arrive with a putter or a wedge with them, given they usually time their visit after the end of a practice session. In Clarke’s case he’d came off the short-game practice range at the Lake Malaren Golf Club.   However my mischievous manner got the better of me and I remarked:  “Oh, look out ...

England’s Justin Rose can unseat World No. 1 Rory McIlroy atop of the Race to Dubai money list with a top-two finish in this week’s BMW Masters in Shanghai. With six official events remaining this season Rose arrived in China’s financial capital currently trailing Euro 437,334 behind the Northern Irishman. However for Rose to go ahead of the double Major winning McIlroy, then McIlroy, as the tournaments defending champion, would need to finish outside the top seven on the Lake Malaren Golf ...

Michael Campbell has set himself the goal of qualifying for a first-ever Dubai World Tour Championship title later next month. Campbell has put himself in frame to be eligible for the elite season-ending event after finishing third in the Portugal Masters. It was the New Zealander’s best finish in four years. But in bigger picture Campbell moved to 86th on the Race to Dubai and 26 places outside of the top-60 who will tee up in the $US 8.5m event starting in Dubai on November 22nd. Campbell had ...

I first noticed it a few years back when he attended the HSBC Champions in Sheshan and it was again evident last November when I attended the Mission Hills World Cup of Golf. Then at the very first press conference ahead of this week’s BMW Masters we again learnt the Chinese just struggled to pronounce Rory McIlroy’s surname. A year ago on Hainan Island, McIlroy was introduced:  “Ladies and gentleman – On the tee, Rory Mac Roy”. McIlroy attended a press conference ...