Golf, by TourMiss

Aussie Elvis Smiley hit all the right notes in seizing a one-shot lead in the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship in Brisbane. Smylie, 22 brilliantly birdied three of his closing four holes in a six-under 65  on the rain-softened host Royal Queensland course in the Queensland capital. Four players – Frenchman Victor Perez, Swiss Joel Girrbach, Colombian Cristobal Del Solar and Aussie Matias Sanchez – share second thanks to rounds 66. Eight others, including three-time past Australian ...

The hosting each year of the Link Hong Kong Open rekindles so many fond memoies for this golf writer. I made my debut at the Hong Kong tournament in 2003 and the then third year hosting of a joint Asian Tour and European Tour tournament that was first staged in 1959. The timing each year of the Hong Kong Open was ideal for me as it was late in the European Tour season and in those earlier career visits, it would break the long journey from my UK base and onwards to Australia to join family and friends ...

Scotland’s David Drysdale tees-up in this week’s Link Hong Kong Open clearly buoyed by his efforts in a Champions Tour qualifier last week in Florida. Drysdale and caddying wife Vicky shared seventh place in the four-rounder that finished last Friday on the Buckhorn Springs Golf & Country Club course at Valrico near Tampa. It qualifies Drysdale for next month’s final qualifying event in Phoenix, Arizona and with the leading five place-getters earning a start on next year’s ...

Jason Day has not been home to Australia in seven years but he got dietary priorities correct with one of his first stops after his plane had landed was to visit his favourite Forest Lake bakery a for a meat pie. The humble meat pie is staple food item for Australians the country over. For those not familiar it is a a hand-sized pie containing diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms or cheese. And it comes as no surprise Day should seek out a meat pie within a short time ...

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay has warmed ahead of contesting the duo of co-sanctioned Australian events by tackling the country’s No. 1 rated golf course. Ramsay will tee-up in this week’s BMW Australian PGA Championship at the Royal Queensland club in Brisbane and then will head south to Melboure for next week’s ISPS Handa Australian Open being staged at the Kingston Heath course. This week marks the 10th occasion the Australian PGA Championship has been co-sanctioned by the DP ...

Six-time European Ryder Cup star Justin Rose has weighed-in on the controversy surrounding reports the USA team will be paid to tee-up next September at Bethpage Park Black in New York State. The news has neither been confirmed or denied by the PGA of America but nonetheless it has generated plenty of negative comment slamming the Americans if they were paid to play. One of the more vocal opponents was now six-time DP World Tour No. 1 Rory McIlroy who declared last fortnight in speaking to the BBC ...

Eight major championship winners will be heading to Saudia Arabia early next month for the sixth hosting of the US$5million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. The season-ending Asian Tour International Series event is being held from the 4th to 7th December and for a first time at the famed Riyadh Golf Club in the Saudi capital. Major champions include five former Masters winners Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia, Charles Schwartzel, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed and they ...