What’s going on here? South African Jbe Kruger winning in India? I thought Jbe only came out of hibernation for two weeks in January for the Joburg and Africa Opens?

Well yesterday I got my answer when Jbe resurfaced in New Delhi of all places to win his first European Tour title and €300,000 thanks to a solid final-round of three-under par 69.

The day started with three shots between the top 15 but it was the 25 year old that held his head to beat Spaniard Jorge Campillo and Marcel Siem who bettered his fourth place finish of last week.

Unfortunately for the European Tour, the event was soured by the bizarre disqualification of Peter Whiteford who was within one shot of Kruger after three holes of his final round. The disqualification was for a penalty when it was deemed that his moved ball on the 18th fairway during his round on Saturday. At the time Whiteford checked with his caddie, Jean Baptiste Gonnet and the cameraman behind man, all of who said they didn’t see the ball move.

The incident was reported bya number of viewers including one “armchair referee” that apparently had the highlights recorded on Sky plus, noticed the ball move and emailed the European Tour to complain.

The Tour rules committee reviewed the incident on Sunday morning and chief referee John Paramor took the decision to disqualify Whiteford three holes into his final round. A statement was then issued saying.

“On the 18th fairway during the third round while playing his approach shot, Peter Whiteford felt that his ball may have moved and for confirmation asked his caddy, a fellow competitor and a TV cameraman, who said they didn’t think it had, and so he continued on to finish the hole and sign his scorecard for 72.

Overnight several viewers contacted the European Tour website saying that Peter Whiteford’s ball had in fact moved on the 18th hole. This was reviewed by the Rules Committee who were able to determine that the ball had in fact moved. Peter Whiteford should have incurred a penalty of one stroke and replaced the ball. As he did not do so, he was disqualified for signing for a score lower than taken for failing to include the penalty he had incurred.

The Rules Committee considered the decision 33-7/4.5 which allows a committee in certain circumstances to modify the disqualification penalty and apply a penalty shot if the player had reasonably known he had incurred a penalty. If Peter Whiteford had contacted a member of the Rules Team before signing his scorecard, the footage would have been reviewed at the time and he would have averted the disqualification penalty.”

Whiteford didnt comment after being hauled off the course but on reviewing the video it is clear that he was looking towards the green and was addressing the ball when it appeared to move.

This issue came to the fore last year when Padraig Harrington incurred a penalty when his ball moved on the green, and though the rule was amended thereafter to assist players whose ball was moved by an outside agency, it didn’t seem to be invoked in this case.

Rule 8-1. By Outside Agency

If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. Note: It is a question of fact whether a ball has been moved by an outside agency. In order to apply this Rule, it must be known or virtually certain that an outside agency has moved the ball. In the absence of such knowledge or certainty, the player must play the ball as it lies or, if the ball is not found, proceed under Rule 27-1.

It seems clear from the video that in Whiteford’s there was an absense of knowledge or certainty that the ball moved, since he was looking away at the time.

Furthermore the new Rules book covering 2012-2015 says

Following an exhaustive, four-year review of golf’s 34 playing Rules, nine principal Rules have been amended to improve clarity and ensure penalties are proportionate. Significant changes include:

Ball Moving After Address (Rule 18-2b). A new exception is added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.

Some may say “the referee is always right” but in this case it’s debatable. And whatever we decide it will bescant consolation to Peter Whiteford.

Meanwhile over in California it was one for the sadists as the Riviera Country Club again got the better of the field at the Northern Trust Open. Bill Haas, the 2011 FedEx Cup Champion and Tour Championship winner emerged triumphant from a three man playoff with Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley.

It was almost like Haas wasn’t supposed to be in the playoff as Mickelson and his young apprentice Bradley battled each other and the course dramatically all day. However when Haas came up on the rails and posted 7 under it was as if someone told the cameraman “hang on a minute, this guy over here could win”. The first shot the cameraman got of Haas all day was on the range hitting balls to get ready for the playoff.

Mickelson and Bradley both came to the final hole one shot behind Haas and found themselves both making clutch birdie putts amid rapturous crowd scenes to force a three was playoff.

Haas, clearly not the crowd favourite on this occasion then made a 43-foot putt on the second playoff hole to clinch his fourth PGA Tour win. The other big winner of the week was the course. Solid, tough and without tricks, it surely deserves to be considered as a future US Open venue.

Last week in the desert and even though the big guns like Westwood, McIlroy and Kaymer were all in contention coming into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic it was Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello who tore up the script to claim his biggest win.

On Thursday Cabrera-Bello started with nine birdies in 11 holes on his way to a 63 but even then few expected the 27 year old to add to his sole victory at the 2009 Austrian Golf Open.

However in tougher conditions the Spaniard, in his 151st Tour start, kept bogey off the card shooting 68 to post 18 under and hold off Lee Westwood and Scot Stephen Gallacher by one shot.

Westwood lead by two going into the final round and when he eagled early, looked nailed on win. However time and again the putts failed to drop and the Worksop pro had to settle for second (tied) here for the third time in his career. Westwood can content himself however with the news that his week’s earnings take him back to number two in the world at the expense of Rory McIlroy who was never at the races during his last 36 holes.

Dubai has been a happy hunting ground for Spanish players and Cabrera Bello’s name will be etched on the same plaque as Ballesteros, Olazábal, and the last two winners Jiménez and Quiros. Rafa bagged €315,532 for his win and won’t have to worry about his card until after the 2014 season.

Rory McIlroy tied for fifth with Kaymer slumping to tied 13th.

In the USA the golfing world got 50% of what it wanted with a Phil Mickelson Tiger Woods final round pairing at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Perhaps spurred on by his arch nemesis It was Mickelson who emerged victorious for the fourth time at the iconic venue.

A giant 30 foot putt for par after watching Tiger chip in for birdie on 12 was the key moment of Phil’s round. The reigning Masters champ, with his old blade back in the bag, poured in another 40 footer for par on 15 on his way to a bogey free 64, 11 shots better than Woods on the day. Woods swing deserted him down the stretch along with his putting from inside three feet which could only be described as atrocious.

“I didn’t hit it as bad as the score indicated, but I putted awful,” Woods said. “As good as I felt on the greens yesterday, I felt bad today. Anything I tried to do wasn’t working. Consequently, I made a ton of mistakes on the green.”

Afterwards Mickelson made reference to his love of Pebble Beach where his Grandfather, aged 13, travelled to by train, to caddie. Amy Mickelson who continues to battle breast cancer was on hand behind the 18th green to congratulate the clearly emotional champion.

`It’s one of the more emotional victories for me than I’ve had, and the reason is I’ve had some doubt these last couple of weeks, given the scores I’ve shot,” Mickelson said. “Having these great practice sessions, I started to wonder if I’m going to be able to bring it to the golf course. So this gives me a lot of confidence and erases the doubt.’

Overnight leader Charlie Wi struggled with the pressure early but recovered from an outward 39 to finish second thanks to some pin point irons and clutch putting. Wi edged out Ricky Barnes with Aaron Baddelely who defends this week, in fifth.

When you get a tournament reduced to 54 holes because of WIND the go-to guy on Tour is Paul Lawrie and so it proved as he won in Qatar for the second time in his career. The forty something Scot known as Chipppy inside the ropes, lived up to his nickname as he chipped in twice on his way to a four shot victory.

Lawrie’s last win in windswept Qatar was in 1999 and he went on to win The Open six months later at Carnoustie. This year’s Open is in Royal Lytham and Chippy is chipper with paddypower at 66/1 for another win. As Sky Sports on course commentator ‘Radar’ so eloquently put it “this guy could play in a wind tunnel”.

Lawrie’s victory over Jason Day and Peter Hanson propels him in into the world’s top 50 from a low of 272 one year ago. Since then he was won in Andalucia and pushed Alvaro Quiros all the way at the 2011 season ending Dubai World Championship.

The win gaurantees Lawrie a place in the big money Accenture and Volvo matchplay events this year and tees him up for a possible Masters trip. It also elevates him to fourth in the Ryder Cup points list with earnings so far this year of just over €1.15 million.

Defining Moment: Shot of the day and the tournament defining moment was Lawrie’s exquisite chip in at the par five ninth for eagle. At the time he had just been tied for the lead by Sergio Garcia but when Chippy’s perfect chip dropped it immediately opened a two shot lead again, from which he would never look back. Birdies on the 11th, 14th and 16th and another chip in on the 17th made Lawrie’s walk up the last very sweet.

The surprise package of the week was invitee John Daly who, though he hadnt picked up a club in weeks, finished fourth. Daly travels to Dubai for another European Tour start this week.

Across the pond in the Arizona desert, the golfing Gods took the opportunity to redress a travesty of justice of seven days earlier when Kyle Stanley this time held his nerve to claim the Phoenix Waste Management Open.

One week ago Stanley held a six shot lead going into the final round of The Farmers at Torrey Pines but ended up losing a playoff to Brandt Snedeker. This time around it was Spencer Levin who began the final round in the Phoenix Open with a six shot lead, but by the 13th Stanley joined him as a co-leader at 14 under par.

Stanley was hitting ridiculous numbers like a 159 yard pitching wedge into the cauldron par three 16th but also displayed a deft touch around the green getting up and down for a most impressive par among the cactus.

Speaking of cactus, Levin’s caddie was busy extracting needles from his player’s right buttock after he used his putter to get out of a situation on the 15th after a hooked drive. The ensuing double bogey effectively ended his chances and brought Golf Boy Ben Crane into the mix as Stanley’s nearest challenger.

Defining Moment: Shot of the day and tournament sealer for me was Kyle Stanley’s second shot from a desert bush of his own on the driveable 17th hole. From a seemingly impossible situation Stanley hit a Seve-esque recovery shot and saved par.

After seeing another character testing putt drop on the last, Stanley had completed an eight shot come from behind fairytale first PGA Tour win. Oh the agony and the ecstasy of golf!

Just weeks after securing his card at Q School Branden Grace was holding aloft the Joburg Open trophy after winning his first European Tour title. Grace’s final round of 72 was just about good enough to hold off another Q School graduate Jamie Elson who has an eye for the dramatic. The Englishman who held a monster putt on the 18th in Catalunya to earn his card, this time shot a blistering 63 to surge through the field and almost catch Grace.

In the end however the 23 year old playing on home soil held his nerve to card a Faldo-esque 72 with 16 pars to finish on 17 under, one ahead of Elson. The win was worth €206,050 and sees him exempt on Tour until the end of 2013. His nearest challengers at the start of the day, Richard Finch and George Coetzee had a tough day at the office and slipped quietly down the leaderboard.

Six players tied for third including four South Africans and two Scots.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Grace after. “It’s nice to win in front of a home crowd and I wouldn’t exchange it for anything else.” Grace then paid tribute to his caddie saying “I think there was one big key today, Zack [Rasego] on the bag kept me calm throughout the whole day so big thanks to him.”

With just one more event on South African soil, The Volvo Golf Champions, to play this week the question is will another South African player win? The rainbow nation have now won four of the last six European Tour events. These include Garth Mulroy (2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship), Hennie Otto (2011 South African Open Championship), Louis Oosthuizen (2012 Africa Open) and Branden Grace (2012 Joburg Open).

On the PGA Tour moustache wielding Magnum PI lookalike Johnson Wagner proved that hard work pays off in winning the Sony Open in Hawaii. He spent the holiday season training and working on his game and came into the event almost 1.5 stones lighter than his last.

Johnson shot a three under 67 on a very windy Sunday at Waialae, and went bogey free for the last 12 holes for a two-shot victory. Six players had or shared the lead at some point in the final round.
“I was definitely telling people to expect something early this year, which is a nice feeling,” Wagner said in the press conference after. “Usually, my confidence is low. I’m kind of shy in a little shell. And for some reason, I just had way more energy and confidence going into this year.”

The win is Wagner’s third on Tour and sees him gain an exemption to the Masters as well as almost a million dollars in prizemoney. Of course much of the fun after was centered around his Movember charity moustache which he chose to retain claiming “This is potentially a 10-year mustache.”

Long time leader Matt Every with “that putter” fell away quickly in the final round but recovered somewhat to finish in a tie for sixth. He was replaced by ex Swede and now newly Americanized Carl Pettersson, Sean O’Hair, Harrison Frazar and Charles Howell who all tied for second.

It’s more than just golf that links Luke Donald and Louis Oosthuizen at the moment with the world number one changing nappies and the South African also stocking up on them. But before he welcomes the latest addition to the Oosthuizen family Louis kicked off the 2012 Race to Dubai in some style with a calm and assured defence of the Africa Open title at East London Golf Club.

Backed in to 5/1 and the overwhelming favourite at the start of the week Oosthuizen shot a closing 67 for a two shot win over countrymen Tjaart Van der Walt and from three over Retief Goosen.

Indeed such was the ease with which the man they called “Shrek” handled the pressure on the back nine, many commentators are already discussing the possibility of his winning a green jacket in 2012. Indeed with drives like his 370 yarder on the 11th during the final round yesterday and impressively high ball flight his early paddypower odds of 66/1 seem a multiple of what they should be.

While Oosthuizen dominates the headlines, the low key African Open produced some other nice stories like that of Tjaart Van der Walt who battled a couple of cases of jangly knees to finish second and bag €115,000. The 37 year old who has been on Tour for 15 years is already a long way towards eclipsing his 2011 season earnings of €160,000 and for now sees himself second in the 2012 Race To Dubai.

Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth, without full playing prividges displayed serious guts to finish fifth and thus secure himself a place in this week’s Joburg Open.

With a Monday finish scheduled for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii I’ll be back tomorrow with a report on that but over the first three rounds the man to beat is Steve Stricker who signaled a return to top form early in this Ryder Cup year.

Can you believe Luke Donald got on a plane to Australia immediately after winning the Race To Dubai? What about exhaustion or even jet lag? The world number one must be made of precast concrete; he told the organizers he would be there, and he was. He even finished in a very respectable tie for 12th. Not bad for being half comatose.

Of course the Aussie golfing public hate nothing more than an Englishman beating them at cricket, rugby, golf or any sport for that matter and they piled into the Victoria Course on Sunday to see a dream realized and the headline written – Hometown Boy Ogilvy Comes Good.

As often happens in sport however, the Pom in tied 12th was not all the Australians had to worry about. There was another Englishman on the prowl with cardigans, belts and tartan trousers to sell online for Christmas. And there’s no better way of getting yourself some free exposure…!

Poulter closed with a four under round to reel in and pass Ogilvy and subliminally flog some IJP tanktops in the process.

The season might be over but there was another big pot of gold available in Thailand at the weekend also and although the organizers were dealt a body blow when Rory McIlroy pulled out at the last minute, golf’s knight in shiny white pants Lee Westwood came to the rescue with a virtuoso performance.

Westwood bounced back (though he tweeted he wants to get in better shape over the Christmas) from a poor third round to decimate the field by seven shots at the Amata Spring Country Club.

In truth the event was all over bar the cardboard cheque after two rounds, one of which Westwood completed in 60 shots after which he expressed disappointment in missing out on the magical 59. Talk about having your cake and eating it!

So that brings the curtain down on a fantastic 2011. Rory’s gone home to Holywood to be a kid again, Luke is gone to change nappies and tot up those airmiles, Lee is gone to dress up as Santa in the Worksop Christmas Play and Tiger is gone getting busy to come back.

Happy Christmas to all!

Doc

It has been another marvelous season on the European Tour capped off with an event that must have had the Americans green with envy. The tall dark smoldering Spaniard, the longest hitter in the world, draining a 40 foot miracle putt on the 72nd hole to win the tournament. The world number one powering through the field like a Red Bull starting from the pits. You simply could not have written a better script.

Alvaro Quiros’ putt on the last was an end befitting the Dubai World Championship.

The fact that Paul Lawrie, the unlikely hero who had his moment in the sun in 1999 and won for the first time since earlier this year, held his birdie putt for solo second was some kind of rare golfing justice that also sent the Scot home delighted.

It was sweetness and light all through the podium as the third placed man Luke Donald probably went home the happiest of them all as he became the first golfer in history to win both the US and European money titles.

The early round nerves that threatened to distract Donald from his goal of having to finish tied ninth or better to claim the Race title were finally gone as an exhausted Rory McIlroy faded away like a boxer who had punched himself out, leaving the World Number One centre stage to put on a show.

Afterward Donald spoke in a strangely subdued manner, as if more relieved than delighted to have made history. Perhaps having seeing his father pass away and bringing a second child into the world within the past two months had taken their toll.

“You know, this is something I’ve wanted for the past few months, to try and win both money lists,” Donald said. “It’s very strange because I looked at the leaderboard on 13 and couldn’t see Rory. I couldn’t see Rory’s name on there and the leaders were playing well, and at that point, I kind of knew I had made history and the last six holes were kind of surreal.”

Quiros won with a 19-under total on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates thanks to some mammoth driving (on average 310 yards for the week) and unerring greens in regulation numbers. Indeed many would argue the 40 footer he held on the last was in stark contrast to the countless short putts the Spaniard missed throughout the week.

However his swashbuckling style that saw him take on the money shot and reach the final green in two really summed up the win. The big putt was the icing on what was already the tastiest of cakes.

Many had questioned Quiros nerve going into the final round with this stellar field closing in. Just one week ago he had a three-shot lead going into the final dayof the Hong Kong Open which he let slip through a bout of bad driving and poor putting.

Afterward Quiros paid tribute to Paul Lawrie who kept pushing him throughout the final round and actually overtook him at one point. “I was hitting good shots all day but, as I said, Paul was marvelous,” he said. “He was holing every single putt. He was in contention every single time. I think he was just one or two times in trouble and the second one was on 12. From this moment onwards, it changed the situation completely.”

Afterward Quiros also paid tribute to Luke Donald’s achievements urging the golfing public to look past his own spectacular long driving and claiming that Donald’s shorter more measured game is the real way to play golf.

Off the course Rory McIlroy was diagnosed with a mild case of Dengue Fever which may have accounted for his conceding the Race To Dubai money title with a round to go. It’s thought Rors picked up the virus from a mosquito in China or Korea a few weeks ago. On doctors orders the World Number two is to pull out of the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship.

Symptoms of the virus, also known as Breakbone Fever are rash and joint pain. Rors is due back on the golf scene in the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 12. He told reporters on Sunday “Can’t wait to not have to get up and practice or hit a shot or people telling me what to do or where to go, or just have a few weeks off would be nice.”

So that, Golfbidder friends is it for 2011. Next up we will be reviewing some of the highlights of a truly memorable golfing year. Happy Christmas everyone!

It was like one of those once in a lifetime moments when all the stars align and something very special happens. Or at least that’s how they are treating Tiger Woods win at the end of season Chevron World Challenge in the States. Such was their desperation to fill column inches with Tiger stories they had even counted the 700 and something odd days since he last won.

In fairness it’s great to see the world’s most decorated player back winning again. Just 12 months ago GMac canned a raker in the playoff to beat Tiger at the same tournament, after which he was again declared clinically “slumped”. Last Sunday it was a birdie birdie fist pumping, teeth gritted finish to edge out Zach Johnson and set 2012 up as being one of the most eagerly anticipated years ever in Major golf.

Of course some commentators, like Mark Roe and Denis Pugh from Sky Sports thought Tiger had a serious dollop of luck in his final round, with dodgy hops and plenty of lucky lies from loose shots, but hey, golf needs Tiger, and judging by his reaction in winning, Tiger needs golf.

What made the weekend even more special was the young pretender to Tiger’s throne Rory McIlroy winning the Hong Kong Open. His reaction after holing out from a greenside bunker on the final hole to win by two was equally charged with emotion.

It’s hard to believe Rory is still only 22 as he quickly overhauled a three shot deficit in what now is rapidly becoming workmanlike fashion on Sundays. Five birdies, no bogeys and McIlroy is starting to clock up the wins. Interestingly the top three in Hong Kong were all Europeans with Gregory Havret and Peter Hanson finishing second and third.

Over in Sun City South Africa Lee Westwood, former BFF of Rors, was busy nailing his colours to the mast for 2012. Most people who witnessed his Saturday 62 hailed it as being one of the greatest exhibitions of all time and helped him cruise to the top of the select 12 man leaderboard. Okay the adrenaline ran dry when he needed 11 shots extra to complete the final 18 but the Worksop pro still got the job done with some ease.

Though both men won on Sunday, Rory McIlroy stays ahead of Lee Westwood in the World Rankings. Whether points should be awarded at all for invitational end of season events is an entirely different debate. Even Tiger Woods jumped up some 30 odd places by winning his own event while some of those ranked above him were out doing their Christmas shopping.

It’s not Lee Westwood that will be occupying Rory’s mind this week however, but another Englishman. Luke Donald remains one rung above him on the European Tour ladder, with just this week’s Dubai World Championship to go.

The overall Race to Dubai title is still up for grabs between the two men with the final event on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week.

For Rory to win the Race, he needs to win the event and hope that Luke finishes outside the top nine. If Donald ties for ninth with one player, by our calculations the Englishman would win the Race by €5! If he ties ninth in a group of three or more and McIlroy wins, McIlroy wins the lot. Clear??

So it’s down the wire, as intriguing as golf can get. Rory is exhausted but winning, Donald is a Dad again but one of the most consistent players on the planet. And as for tying ninth? That is exactly what he did exactly that this time last year!

Another action packed weekend of golf and they say this is the off season!

The 56th Omega Mission Hills World Cup of Golf saw a smash and grab raid by Team USA’s Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland. They shot a foursomes 67 to end on 24 under as Ireland and Germany watched down the fairway.

A real pressure cooker putt for par on the last from Alex Cejka saw Germany secure a tie for second with England who were men of the day with Rose and Poults carding an off the charts foursomes 63. Now that’s what I dovetailing.

Pre round favourites Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell failed to live up to their billing at the business end of the round with some errant driving leaving Ireland finished tied for fourth on 22 under after a 72.

Both Justin Rose and Ian Poulter of the English Team and Rory McIlroy head to Hong Kong this week for the UBS Hong Kong Open and all three were quickly made pre tournament favourites by the bookies. Poults defends here, and he’s no doubt thinking about what a win might do for sales of his IJP tartan trousers on his website.

It’s the 24th win by team USA but the first since 2000. Gary Woodland was unanimously crowned in the press room as the player of the tournament.

After the tournament a spokesman for Omega, the title sponsor of the World Cup made it quite clear that he didn’t care for the Tour’s apparent lack of respect in the scheduling of Asian events. Stephen Urquhart told reporters, “The big problem with golf at present is a calendar issue and we’ve told all the Tours that they have to stop being so greedy. There are too many tournaments and they are adding tournaments all the time.” Clearly on a roll Urquhart went on to say “And to treat Asia as the stopgap as they do with this week’s World Cup is not right. It’s wrong and the Tours are not going to win if they keep treating Asia as a stopgap. They need to show Asia more respect. Why can’t there be a big event like the World Cup here in Asia in June. What’s the difference in taking a flight from London to Beijing or London to Los Angeles?”

The South African swing of the European Tour continued with Hennie Otto adding his name to one of the most historic trophies in golf when he won the South African Open at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate.

Otto went into the final round with a handsome lead but a topped bunker shot on the back nine lead to a major crisis and the frittering away of all his spare shots. The fiery South African had his seven iron bent across his knee as if to break it at one stage, then a duffed greenside chip had him at boiling point.

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger had a fantastic second place finish and was out on the range in anticipation of a playoff throughout Otto’s last half hour.

However it was testament to Otto’s state of mind that the dug deep and made a crucial birdie on the drivable 17th to regain his lead, then held his nerve to make a par on the last for the win. They say winning isn’t easy and Hennie Otto certainly displayed every aspect of the agony and the ecstacy involved in the process.

Across in Australia, Greg Chalmers who until lately claimed the high point of his year was knocking a coke can off a wall (truth!!) was busy bagging his second win in three weeks at the Australian PGA Championship. The left-hander had won the Australian Open in Sydney two weeks ago and this time beat Marcus Fraser and Robert Allenby in the playoff.

Golf fans will know Allenby is famous for having an exceptional playoff record but many are also associating the Aussie with having a pretty nasty temper. He lost his concentration in the playoff when a spectator with a camera put him off before a shot and the when Marcus Fraser found a pond, a par was good enough for Chalmers to claim the win.

Though Chalmers bagged the trophy, it’s Allenby who the media were focusing on afterwards. He said he “hated” the greens at The Lakes and said the greens at Royal Melbourne were too “real” for him.

He also had a pop at anyone who had a pop at him for his dismal performance in the President’s Cup. “Everyone’s making me feel like I’m playing s***.”

He blamed Retief Goosen for missing several putts after “I hit it inside 10 feet” their foursomes match and then said Y.E. Yang made him feel like he was playing alone in their fourball match. He even had a go at fellow Aussie Geoff Ogilvy who “hit me in the tree three times off the tee and I had to chip out three times” when they were paired in foursomes.

Probably no surprise so that following Allenby’s playoff loss yesterday Ogilvy said on Twitter “Nice to see Robert playing so well this week!”

Another President’s Cup came and went at the weekend as silently as our sleep. There wasn’t even the odd snore to wake us up!

With yet another American victory and precious little in the way of team spirit from the International line-up, the President’s Cup has become little more than an end of season exhibition for the elite and looks set to remain the poor relation of the Ryder Cup.

The only victory the International Team have ever had was 13 years ago, in Australia. Captain Greg Norman was hoping that a return to Oz might shift the balance in favour of his team but it wasn’t to be. Norman had gone to great lengths to anti-Americanize the course making the greens among the “hardest surfaces” ever used in competition to eliminate the dart-throwing style golf seen regularly on the PGA Tour. It was a move that was to bite Norman on the proverbials as his own team couldn’t cope with the concrete conditions. They then tried back tracking, not cutting or rolling, and it even rained, but nothing could be done to arrest the slide. In truth the match was over before the final day singles.

Player of the week, ironically enough was Jim Furyk, who bagged five straight points for the US Team, only the fourth man ever to do so. His course management and putting for the week were top drawer, it seemed Furyk solved the puzzle of the greens that noone else could.

The media proclaimed Tiger Woods yet again to be “back” after he destroyed Aaron Baddeley 4 and 3 in the singles. Woods even got in on the celebrations wearing the official green cap and high fiving fans.

When Steve Stricker dispatched Y.E. Yang the final score was 19-15.

Elsewhere there was plenty of golf with two events on the European Tour schedule with a spattering of players also in action in Japan.

Dutchman Joost Luiten, the Dirk Kuyt lookalike who we’ve been biggin up for the past few weeks in our tips finally got his mucj deserved win at the Iskander Johor Open in Malaysia.

The event was, like Singapore last week, again dogged by bad weather and had to be reduced to 54 holes. Daniel Chopra who recently regained his PGA Tour playing rights through the Nationwide Tour looked to have the event in the bag after 36 holes until Luiten came smashing back up the leaderboard with a six under par 65 to nick the Swede by one shot. The Dutchman had carded a 63 to lead after the first round but slipped back with a 70 on Friday.

Padraig Harrington the defending champion coming into the week had his best finish for ages , tying third with James Morrison and Rhys Davies. Luiten’s win now puts in on the edge of the bonus pool pot of $7,500,000 which the top 15 players will split at the end of The Race to Dubai.

The other “European” Tour event of the weekend was in South Africa where the annual sunshine swing kicked off. It’s typically a chance for the South African players to contend and it proved no different yesterday as Garth Mulroy won the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

It was a nip and tuck affair for Mulroy as Jbe Kruger drew level on the front nine, then Scot George Murray battled with him on the back. In the end nobody could quite catch Mulroy as Kruger fell away after a double bogey and Murray parred the last three to notch up his best Tour finish coming second. Mulroy’s shot of the day was a monster downhill birdie putt on 16 which got him to 19 under, good enough to take the title.

Ironically, like Chopra in Malaysia, Mulroy’s good form comes straight after regaining his PGA Tour via the Nationwide Tour.
Our top Golfbidder tips for the week South Africans George Coetzee and Jaco van Zyl finished in joint third place with Peter Whiteford, and also Chilean Felipe Aguilar.

Shane Lowry produced another good display in Japan to finish in a tie for third at the rain shortened Dunlop Phoenix Open. The event was won by Toshinori Muto who overhauled Gonzo Castano with a final round of 63.

Castano will be happy with his two weeks work having won in Singapore last week. That sees the Spaniard leapfrog Tiger Woods in the World Ranking’s top 50.

Muto carded nine birdies for his final round and not even a bogey on the last could take away from his four shot win.