Golf, by TourMiss

If Europe is going to retain the Ryder Cup they are going to have to do it without the support of partners. Just eight of the dozen Europeans will arrive in Medinah tomorrow with a wife or partner. Heading those flying solo to Chicago will be World No. 1 Rory McIlroy. McIlroy’s girlfriend, Caroline Wozinacki will be competing in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Japan and coming off her victory in the Korean Open. And Wozinacki is probably delighted she has a tournament to contest as the Dane would ...

The traditional driving-in ceremony for the new Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews took place on the first tee of the Old Course today (Friday). Pierre Bechmann began his year in office with a drive at precisely 8am as a cannon fired alongside the tee. A large crowd gathered to witness the ceremony and saw Mr Bechmann hit a long drive down the middle of the fairway running to around 30 yards short of the Swilcan Burn. Mr Bechmann becomes the first Captain of The Royal and Ancient ...

Tiger Woods and England’s Justin Rose bloomed on day one of the PGA Tour Championship shooting four under par 68s as World No. 1 Rory McIlroy trailed three shots back in signing for a 71. Woods easily scored a points win over McIlroy while Woods also wound up finishing the tournament ahead of McIlroy in each of the first 10 PGA Tour events in which Woods and McIlroy both played. Woods also has posted a lower first-round score (excluding events from which Woods withdrew). In the last two ...

European Ryder Cup captain, Jose Maria Olazabal heads the exodus of hopefuly victorious team members set not to tee-up in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The only Medinah stars returning to the Home of Golf for the $US5m event will be inaugural champion, Paul Lawrie, 2003 winner Lee Westwood, 2010 champ Martin Kaymer and Sweden’s Peter Hanson. And European Tem captain, Jose Maria Olazabal is a late withdrawal citing the short turnaround time between the Ryder Cup and one of the richest ...

The Irish Independent’s Karl MacGinty again reminded us of Nick Faldo’s mindless manners. Karl was in Turin last week and thrilled to cover for a first time in his career, the BMW Italian Open. But then last Thursday the handfull of UK-based media present, including myself and ‘Tour Miss’, were distracted by this conversation Karl was having on the ‘phone. As it turned out, Karl was speaking with six-time Major Champion, Nick Faldo. Karl had been invited to interview Faldo ...

The BMW Italian Open ended with a Spaniard winning Italy’s national open just as an Italian had won the Spanish Open earlier this year in Seville. So congratulationxs to Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano who won a second BMW Italian Open title by two shots from the very talented and good friend of www.golfbytourmiss.com, Garth Mulroy. The night before myself and Rubee King were joined for dinner by leading Irish-born golf photographer, Fran Caffrey (www.golffile.ie), Scotland’s golfing doyen, ...

European Team captain, Jose Maria Olazabal produced his lowest score in three years on the final day of the BMW Italian Open and then  assured the golf world there would not be a repeat of mindless °Opening Ceremony° remarks delivered by Nick Faldo four years ago at Valhalla. Olazabal bogeyed the first but then birdied three in a row on route to a seven under par 65 for a seven under par tally. Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano made ammends in missing out on Ryder Cup selection winning a second ...