Golf, by TourMiss

Antonio Garrido reminded everyone of the special place he enjoys in the history of the European Tour. Garrido, and the father of current Tour member Ignacio, captured the 1972 Spanish Open at the Pals course in north-east Spain near Girona. He became the European Tour’s official first-ever winner and still remembers the emotion in winning in a play-off. “It is so long ago since I won the Spanish Open and my memory is not all that good but I do remember the play-off as I beat Valentin Barrios ...

Rory McIlroy celebrated his 23rd birthday with news he is now the 12th richest GB & I golfer. McIlroy’s personal fortune is now Euro 13m for the reigning U.S. Open champion to be lying joint 23rd in the overall top-100 highest money-earners in the UK and Ireland. Former F1 World Champion heads the UK’s wealthiest with earnings of nearly Euro 60m. Six-time Major winner, Nick Faldo is the richest golfer with a net worth of Euro 41m, and with Faldo having added Euro 2m after tax to his fortune ...

England’s Chris Wood is again struggling with back pain just months after taking a near three month break from the game. Wood is among a group who carded a level par 72 on the first day of the rain-lashed Spanish Open in Seville. However the 23-year old and six foot five inch tall Wood then revealed he had to undergo further treatment on his lower back immediately upon returning home to Bristol following two weeks competition in the Far East. Wood had more than three months on the sideline late ...

Paul Lawrie stressed a shock decision not to contest next month’s U.S. Open is all about cementing his return to the Ryder Cup later this year. Lawrie admits a move not to tee-up in the June 14th commencing U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco will raise plenty of eyebrows but it’s all to do instead with being on the flight to Chicago in late September. The former Open Champion confirmed his decision ahead of this week’s 100th anniversary of the Spanish Open in Seville where he ...

Irish golfer Peter Lawrie is lending his support to a new ‘Green i’ satellite system that could lead to stamping out Tour tortoises. ‘Green i’ is a Finland developed satellite system that will be able to plot the exact position of each golfer no matter their whereabouts in a tournament. Lawrie, who is lending his ‘time and support’ to the system, indicated the system also possesses the capability of being able to time golfers and establish the exact root causes of slow play. London-based ...

Rory McIlroy returns to competition this week for a first time since his disappointing showing in finishing 40th in the Masters. However to McIlroy’s enormous credit there is one positive aspect in his return and that is he did not boycott talking to the media on the eve of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. Here with thanks to www.pgatour.com is a full transcript of McIlroy’s press conference in front of the media attending the tournament. Moderator: I’d like to welcome ...

South African Thomas Aiken is determined to become the first ever player in the 100-year history of the Spanish Open to win the title for a second year in succession. Thomas Aiken and fiancee Kate Midgley Aiken captured his European Tour victory last year in Barcelona and in very emotional circumstance following the passing early on the second day of the event of the great Seve Ballesteros. Aiken has travelled this week to Seville with the goal of winning the event and just weeks before he gets ...