Golf, by TourMiss

Ireland PGA No. 1 Barrie Trainor is among the first to confirm his place in the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush. The European Tour looked set to confirm the famed Dunluce course at Royal Portrush as the venue this year for Ireland’s premier event. Trainor, who turned 30 last August, earned his place not only in the Irish Open but also a tee time in May’s European Tour flagship event, the BMW PGA in finishing first on the Irish PGA Order of Merit in 2011. Last October, Trainor captured the ...

The PGA Tour Kick’s Off 2012 with Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Maui reports Suzanne Kemper in Hawaii. This favorite season opener, no cut, for winners only in 2011 on the PGA Tour has 28 players teeing it up over the challenging Plantation Course, par 73, 7411 yards, from January 5-9th.  Jonathan Byrd is defending his title after winning in a play-off with 24-under 268. Prizemoney this year is $5.6 Million in prize money with a winner’s cheque of $1.2m. Keegan Bradley, brilliant ...

In a huge boost for the potential return of the Open Championship to Ireland, the 2012 Irish Open will be staged this year at the famed Royal Portrush course. The European Tour is expected to make an announcement at the club Friday by confirming the tournament will return to Porturush for the first time since 1947. It was only just a couple of months ago when news was released that the Northern Ireland Government was working to bring the Irish Open back to Northern Ireland. And despite three ...

Double U. S. Open winner and also double European Tour No. 1, Retief Goosen added another honour to his illustrious golfing CV when he launched the 2012 Race to Dubai by hitting the opening tee-shot of the new season at the curtain-raising Africa Open.  Goosen’s drive at East London Golf Club heralded the fourth edition of the season-long Race to Dubai, which will consist of a minimum of 46 tournaments spread across 11 months, 25 countries and five continents.   “It is a great honour ...

Affable Irish golf star Damien McGrane intends to hit the ground running at this week’s Africa Open.   After the scare of nearly losing his European Tour card, McGrane commences a 10th straight season at the East London Golf Club where former British Open winner, Louis Oosthuizen defends his title.   However it had been an anxious few days early last month for McGrane when he missed the halfway cut in the UBS Hong Kong Open.   McGrane posted scores of 76 and 77 and headed home hoping he would ...

Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke were among several sportsmen named by the Queen in her traditional New Years Honours List Clarke, 43, was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), five months after winning the British Open at Royal St. George’s while reigning U.S. Open champion McIlroy, 22, received the Member of the Order British (MBE), the first rung on Britain’s honours ladder. “I have had a fantastic year and this just caps it off,” said Clarke. “It ...

Luke Donald’s historic winning season gets better with the Englishmann be honoured by the American Golf Writers Association (GWAA). Donald, Yani Tseng and Tom Lehman were named by the Association as the major recipients of their 2011 Players of the Year awards. It is the first GWAA ‘Player of the Year’ award for  Donald and the second for both Tseng and Lehman. They will be officially honored at the GWAA’s Annual Awards Dinner April 4, 2012 in Augusta, Ga. All three players ...