Golf, by TourMiss

A Ryder Cup without fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington. It will be hard to believe but unless the triple Major Champion wins this week then his chances of contesting a seventh straight Ryder Cup seem minimal. And given a long-time frosty relationship with European Team captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, that both players say is dead and buried, one only has to read Olazabal’s comments today on Harrington’s chances of making the team (see other story on www.golfbytourmiss.com) to clearly understand ...

European Ryder Cup captain, Jose Maria Olazabal has delivered Padraig Harrington one last chilling Ryder Cup ultimatum – “Do extraordinary well this week, and you can make the team”. Harrington is currently nine places outside of automatically qualifying for the European Team and with just three events qualifying events remaining. However at this stage Harrington will play just two – this week’s PGA Championship and the first event of the FedEx Cup Series, the August ...

The withdrawal of American Ben Crane, due to a neck injury, has spoilt an historic World Rankings first at this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. Crane is currently ranked 56th in the world and prior to his withdrawal this week’s Major boosted the strongest field, in the World Rankings, ever with the top-103 in the world to tee up on the storm drenched Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.  

Rory McIlroy’s literally got the bug for PGA Championship glory this week at storm-drenched Kiawah Island in South Carolina. There has been five weather stoppages so far this week before a shot has been fired in anger on the course lying just south of the island fortress of Fort Sumter, and the scene of the start of the American Civil War. And if the persistent storms are not enough, there’s alligator infested ponds including a six-foot long ‘gator guarding the 17th green plus biting mosquitoes. “We’re ...

While Paul McGinley would dearly love to be contesting this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, he has instead accepted an invitation to compete in the $US 1m Thailand Open as part of the OneAsia Tour. And while McGinley is pleased for the competition, there was no escaping an event taking place next month in Chicago, and also answering questions relative to two years time when the Ryder Cup returns to Europe and the Gleneagles course in Scotland. McGinley is a short-price favourite ...

After spending two weeks relaxing on the sun-splashed shores of the Bahamas and finding life a beach, Darren Clarke now faces a PGA Championship reality check along the shores of the Kiawah Island. Since missing the cut in the defence of his British Open title, Clarke has been chilling out at the Abaco Resort and setting aside eating, fishing and the odd drink in tackling the Green Turtle course. But then after a 28-hour journey, when he could easily have headed to Australia, Clarke arrived from ...

It has to be one of the best viewing positions on the whole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island – the water hazard guarding the green at the par three, 17th. But the only problem the pond is the domain of just one creature – an alligator. The alligator was a specatator for all the practice rounds today and whether it’s a he or a she, the alligator certainly drew a lot of comments from the players and caddies. Here’s a few shots of the alligator along with the red lateral ...