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International News
Justin Rose won the Memorial Tournament
presented by Morgan Stanley with a brilliant 66 at Muirfield Village to
claim his first PGA Tour victory. Rose ran off three straight birdies before
the turn, made a 20-foot par putt to keep his momentum, then seized control
when Rickie Fowler took a double bogey with a tee shot into the water on the
12th hole. Fowler shot 73 to finish three shots behind and break into the
World Top 50 in 32nd position. Winner Rose moved back into the World Top 50
with a 33 place jump to Nº 33.
Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell also
consolidated his position in the World's Top 50 with victory at the Celtic
Manor Wales Open for an eight place jump to World Number 36. A closing 63 for
a 15 under par total of 269 gave McDowell, (winless since the 2008 Barclays
Scottish Open), the €350,940 first prize by three and left Rhys Davies a
runner-up for the second week running, but with the consolation of a place
in the World Top 50 at 45th.
Other winners that week were Katsumasa
Miyamoto at the Japan Golf Tour Championship ShishidoHills on the Japan
Tour, Tommy Gainey at the Melwood Prince George's County Open on the
Nationwide Tour, Martin Wiegele at the Karnten Golf Open by Markus Brier
Foundation on the Challenge Tour and Brock MacKenzie at the Times Colonist
Open on the Canadian Tour. |
Lee Westwood won the battle of the European Number
Ones in America when he beat Robert Karlsson and Robert Garrigus in a
play-off for the St Jude Classic on the PGA Tour. It was the fourth European
victory on US soil this year, following previous successes by Ian Poulter in
the WGC - Accenture Match Play, Rory McIlroy in the Quail Hollow
Championship and Justin Rose in the Memorial Tournament last week. Westwood
retained his third place in the Official World Golf Ranking and moved closer
to Phil Mickelson in World Number 2. Westwood will have the chance to move
to World Number 2 at the US Open with the World Number 1 spot only just out
of reach.
Thomas Bjorn returned to winning ways in fine style with a
comprehensive five shot victory at the Estoril Open de Portugal. The Dane
saw off a fine challenge from Richard Green with a closing 68 for a 23 under
par aggregate total of 265. Australian left-hander Richard Green got within
one before a decisive swing in Bjorn's direction at the 14th and 15th gave
the 39 year old his tenth European Tour title and first for more than four
years. The win took Bjorn to World Number 114, a jump of 79 positions.
George Murray secured his first professional victory in his homeland at
the Scottish Hydro Challenge after a superb final round performance at the
Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course in Aviemore. The 27 year old compiled an
outstanding final round of five under par 66 to take the title by four shots
from Sweden’s Magnus A Carlsson, with England’s Lee Slattery sharing third
place with Norwegian Marius Thorp on ten under par. Murray moved to World
Number 246 and a leap of 128 positions.
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Graeme
McDowell of Northern Ireland won the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach
with a final round of 74 for a level par total and one stroke victory over
French Qualifier Gregory Havret. McDowell becomes the first European winner
of the US Open since Tony Jacklin 40 years ago. Ernie Els finished third on
two over par after a 73 and the world's first and second-ranked golfers
Woods (75) and Mickelson (73) tied for fourth a further shot back. The win
took McDowell to a career high World Number 13, and an improvement of 24
places.
Martin Wiegele shot a final round 68 to make up a three shot
deficit to overnight leader Jamie Elson and claim his maiden European Tour
title at the Aa St Omer Open. He finished two clear of a chasing pack that
included the third round leader and home favourite Raphael Jacquelin on his
way to a victory that made him only the second Austrian to win on the
European Tour after Markus Brier. The win sees Wiegele jump over 150 places
up the rankings to Nº 229 with a points average of 0.78.
A Sunday 64
saw Chris Kirk claim his first professional victory at the Nationwide Tour's
Fort Smith Classic. The Georgia native won by one from Kyle Thompson and a
jump to the top of the Tour money list. This victory sees Kirk climb over
100 places to Nº 218 on the Ranking with a points average of 0.82.
Japan's Tetsuji Hiratsuka birdied the 72nd hole to claim his second title of
the year at the Queen's Cup on the Asian Tour. The 12-foot birdie putt on
the last saw him edge out local favourite Thaworn Wiratchant by a solitary
shot and saw the 38-year-old climb further into the top 100 with an average
points total of 1.77. That places him 83rd on the ranking.
Christopher Ryan Baker became only the tenth player to win on his Challenge
Tour debut after a bogey free round of 68 saw him win by two at the Moroccan
Golf Classic. The American had trailed by two entering the final round but
his play on Sunday saw him enter the Official World Golf Rankings at Nº 462
with an average points tally of 0.30.
David Horsey
won the BMW International Open at Golfclub München Eichenried with his third
successive 67 with a one stroke win over Ross Fisher who eagled the par five
18th to take the runners-up spot. Horsey climbed into the World Top 100
cutting his World Ranking in half from 188 to 94.
Left-hander Bubba
Watson won his maiden title on tour at the second play-off hole from United
States Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank at TPC River
Highlands near Hartford. Watson, the long-hitting left-hander from the
Florida Panhandle, closed with a 4-under 66 to match Verplank (64) and Pavin
(66) at 14 under par. This win takes Watson into the World Top 50 at 45th, a
jump of 31 places.
Other winners that week were Shunsuke Sonoda at
the Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic on the Japan Golf Tour,
Jamie Lovemark at the Mexico Open Bicentenary on the Nationwide Tour and
Alvaro Velasco at the Fred Olsen Challenge de España on the European
Challenge Tour.
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GRAEME McDOWELL - GOLFER NEWS |
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Graeme McDowell was back in
action for the first time since his US Open victory riding the crest of a
wave. He has won his last two events, the Celtic Manor Wales Open and the US
Open and is now eyeing a hat-trick with his sights trained on the Barclays
Scottish Open, a title he won in 2008.
And then a week later he has
another chance to enter the record books at The Open, celebrating its 150th
anniversary at St Andrews. Only seven players in history have won both the
US Open and The Open in the same year, but only three of those in successive
Majors - Lee Trevino in 1971,Tom Watson in 1982 and Tiger Woods in 2000.
Indeed
two of the four winners of the US Open at Pebble Beach have gone on to win
The Open in the same year. But before that he has the Barclays Scottish Open
to focus on. The last player to win on three successive appearances was
Woods in 2006 and the last European was Nick Faldo in 1989. Seve Ballesteros
also won on three successive appearances in 1986.
It’s been a
busy fortnight for the Ulsterman, with plenty of media requirements but one
of the first things he did when he got home was to have a game of Rory
McIlory, a quiet game between friends. Now it is back to business and
McDowell is hungry for more success.
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