Tour players will help sponsor three events in 2015

Rory McIlroy, Paul Lawrie, and Ian Poulter have been long-standing supporters of the European Tour.  Next season, they will be big reasons why events will be staged.  McIlroy's foundation, The Rory Foundation, will be the "host" of the Irish Open.  Lawrie will actually have his name in the following tournament's title: Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay.  And, while not formally announced by the Tour, Ian Poulter will be "host" of the British Masters (October 8-11), to be held at Woburn GC, Poulter's home club in England.  The British Masters was last played in 2008.

Lawrie's involvement in golf continues.  The Paul Lawrie Foundation has provided an abundant amount of money for Scottish youngsters to get involved with the game and Lawrie is very involved in everything the foundation does.  The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was staged in Lawrie's home city of Aberdeen at Royal Aberdeen GC and he wanted to get another event in the "Granite City."  Murcar Links GC will be the host venue for the 64-man matchplay event, which will be staged the week after the Open Championship.

The news of another event in England is welcomed on all fronts.  The British Masters will be "hosted" by Justin Rose, Luke Donald, and Lee Westwood, separately, over the next four years.  Each player will have the choice of host course when it comes to their year to host the tournament.  I still think that there needs to be more English tournaments.  The revival of the English Open has been discussed in recent years, but nothing has come to fruition.  Tour officials have been saying for years that there will be more English events, that everything goes in cycles.  Woburn has had a history of hosting prestigious tournaments, most recently on the European Senior Tour.  According to Poulter, the Queen's Course will be the course used during the event.

The news that Tour players are giving back to their home Tour is a great sign.  Players like Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia helped organize events in Spain in the past, so it is not like it has not been done before.  All the credit to these three players and I hope that more players follow their example.

2014 European Tour bests (in my opinion)

Best player: Rory McIlroy

Best moment: Oliver Wilson's win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Best tournament: (tie) Open de España and the U.S. PGA Championship

Best shot: Charl Schwartzel shot's shot off the cart path in the Volvo Golf Champions

Best round: Nicolas Colsaerts' 59 in the first round of the Portugal Masters

Best atmosphere: 16th hole at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort (Made in Denmark)

Best dominating performance: Martin Kaymer's eight-stroke win in the U.S. Open

From Turkey to Indonesia to South Africa, three players grab much-needed wins

The last wins for John Daly, Padraig Harringon, and Danny Willett came in 2004, 2010, and 2012, respectively.  Today, those winless streaks have come to an end.  The 48-year-old and two-time major winner Daly won the Beko Classic, a pro-am event in Turkey sanctioned by the PGAs of Europe.  Three-time major Harrington won by two strokes in the Bank BRI Indonesia Open on the Asian Tour.  Willett won by four strokes one of the biggest events on the European Tour outside Europe in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.  

Daly's last win came at the Buick Classic on the PGA Tour.  Although his win won't garner him any world ranking points, it definitely will do wonders for his confidence heading into 2015.  Next year, I expect him to play sort-of a mixed schedule between the PGA, Web.com, and European Tours as he bides his time before turning 50 and joining the Champions Tour.  The key for "JD" is to stay healthy, take advantage of sponsor's invites when he gets them, and play four good rounds.

Harrington's last win was also in Asia at the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia (although he did win the 2012 Grand Slam of Golf, which only had four competitors).  The Irishman had fallen all the way to 385th in the Official World Golf Rankings, but maintained the belief that he was close to playing really well.  Although the field in Indonesia wasn't the greatest, a win is a win.  Following the win, Harrington said, "Winning is a good habit to have. It gives you a lot of confidence and I need that confidence." The now 29-time winner around the world added, "I didn't start too well but I came through and I got the win.  This win brings a lot of confidence to my game and hopefully it will show up next year."  2015 will be an interesting year for Harrington as he lost his PGA Tour card after last season and will have to rely on sponsor's invites, which he shouldn't have trouble securing.  Still fully exempt in Europe, I expect him to play more tournaments on the European Tour than in previous years because he's had his best results in recent seasons in Europe, not America.  How will he spend the holiday period?  By taking 49 days off from competition and making 100,000 swings!  Typical of the Dubliner, as he's arguably one of the hardest workers in the sport.

Willett's last win was the most recent, but he has so much potential that it's a wonder why he went such a long time between victories.  He won the 2012 BMW International Open in Germany for his first European Tour win, and had 11 top-10s in the previous two seasons.  The Englishman has been hovering around the 75-100 mark in the world rankings and this win should take him inside the top-70.  He had to hold off challenges from fellow countrymen Ross Fisher and Luke Donald, but prevailed in the 30-man field.  I'm looking for a big 2015 from the Yorkshireman. 

Next week, the European Tour stays in South Africa for the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek CC, a popular venue with the players.  Home players Charl Schwartzel (trying to win the event for the third straight year), Louis Oosthuizen, Richard Sterne, Branden Grace, George Coetzee, Thomas Aiken, and Hennie Otto will be looking to maintain their dominance in Tour events in their home country.  International players looking to change that trend include Willett, Francesco Molinari, and Morten Ørum Madsen.  

Qualifying School: Second Stage recap

2014 European Tour Qualifying School: Second Stage

While the "big boys" of the Tour have been playing in the money-filled Final Series events, those who will be looking to gain a European Tour card at the Final Stage (November 15-20) were battling it out for 17 spots at four Second Stage sites across Spain.  Here is a rundown of the notable qualifiers from each site, as well as those who failed to advance:

Las Colinas Golf & Country Club (results)

Those who qualified:  Several Englishmen made it through (seven of the 17), including the winner Chris Paisley, Sam Walker, Jamie Elson, and Richard McEvoy.  Asian Tour regulars Carlos Pigem and Jaako Makitalo also progressed.  

Those who failed to qualify:  Budding stars of the future, Nathan Holman and Jordan L. Smith, did not advance.  Keith Horne, Raymond Russell, Joel Sjöholm, and Gary Boyd were a few shots too high to finish among the top-17.  

Campo de Golf El Saler (results)

Those who qualified:  Matthew Fitzpatrick, the 2013 U.S. Amateur winner, finished tied-fifth.  Tim Sluiter and Espen Kofstad will look to regain their places on the main Tour after struggling the past few seasons.

Those who failed to qualify:  Dominic Foos, a promising talent from Germany, missed out.  2014 European Tour members Jamie McLeary, Jack Doherty, and Andreas Hartø all failed to advance.  

Lumine Golf & Beach Club (results)

Those who qualified:  Ricardo Gouveia, the winner of this event, has had an incredible last month or so, with a win in a Challenge Tour event being the highlight.  Garrick Porteous, Nathan Kimsey, Jason Scrivener are potential stars of the future who also made it through.

Those who failed to qualify:  2014 Tour members James Heath, François Calmels, and Jens Dantorp failed to advance.  1999 Ryder Cup team member Jarmo Sandelin (five European Tour wins) and Mathias Grönberg (four European Tour wins) were among those who did not qualify.

Panoramica Golf & Sport Resort (results)

Those who qualified:  English prodigy Toby Tree finished second.  Joël Stalter, who turned professional this year, finished in a tie for third.  Hadyn Porteous (no relation to Garrick) is a South African with loads of talent.  Renato Paratore will be the next Italian big name on Tour.

Those who failed to qualify:  2014 Tour members Adam Gee and Brinson Paolini did not make it through to the Final Stage.  Young South African Brandon Stone did not advance.  Longtime Tour member Maarten Lafeber, who lost his card last season, did not qualify for the third and final stage.     

The week in review

Marcel Siem triumphed in a playoff over Ross Fisher and Alex Levy in the first event of the Final Series, the BMW Masters in Shanghai, China.  The German moved to number four in the Race to Dubai and recorded his fourth European Tour win in the process.  Siem had undergone two surgeries already this season and was struggling with a knee injury prior to the event.  The emotional and fiery player moved to 70th from 143rd in the Official World Golf Rankings.  Levy, who had a four-stroke lead going into the final round, shot 78 but he continues to have a breakout season.  Fisher shot an impressive 67 and was lucky to get into the playoff, but it was nice to see the Englishman return to form in time for the Turkish Open next week and the Dubai World Tour Championship the following week.

On the Challenge Tour, I was absolutely delighted to see Nick Dougherty finish in a tie for ninth place.  The three-time European Tour winner lost his main tour card in 2011 and has struggled for the most part since then, with five top-tens (all on Challenge Tour) being his best results since then.  But there has been reason for optimism based on his last three events.  His missed the cut by one stroke in the Wales Open, finished T58th in the Dunhill Links Championship, and then his top-ten last week.  With the final stage of Qualifying School (November 15-20) fastly approaching, the Englishman is coming in with some form and I expect him to perform well in Spain.

Two tournaments this week, but my focus is on the Hong Kong Open

After an incredibly frustrating week at the Portugal Masters in which the event was reduced to 36 holes due to rain, the European Tour comes back this week with two events.  The Volvo World Match Play Championship, the 50th anniversary of the event's initial staging, began today at The London Club in Kent, England.  The Hong Kong Open, which will be included twice on this season's schedule (the event was also staged in December), is once again being held at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling.  Both tournaments have their unique history, but I must admit that my focus will be mostly directed towards the event in Hong Kong, due to the course and the players fighting to get inside the top-110 on the Race to Dubai to keep their playing rights.  That being said, the Match Play being staged in England is quite exciting due to the country's lack of events, but there is positive news on the horizon in terms of tournaments being staged in England, which I will explain in a separate blog entry.

In Hong Kong, Miguel Angel Jimenez will be going for his third consecutive win in the event that he has won a total of four times.  The tournament became a co-sanctioned event with the European Tour in 2002 and boasts winners such as Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, and Padraig Harrington.  The old-fashioned course measures only 6,699 yards, but the rough is thick and the greens are small, so accuracy off the tee and into the greens will be paramount this week.  While the field is not its strongest, their are still some notables taking part: Jimenez, Ernie Els, Nicolas Colsaerts, Soren Hansen, Anirban Lahiri, Y.E. Yang, and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

The pre-tournament favorite has to be Jimenez, even if his form has not been up to his usual standard over the past couple of months.  But you cannot discount the fact that the ageless Spaniard is a four-time winner of the event.  Another favorite is Colsaerts, who has recorded two top-five finishes in his last two events (T4 in Wales and 2nd in Portugal).  The "Muscles from Brussels" seems to have rediscovered the form that saw him qualify for the 2012 Ryder Cup.  With the short course this week, he could have a field day.  Plus, his putting has been better of late, which was on display in last Thursday's 60 (-11) in Portugal.

The main reason I am interested in the Hong Kong Open is the battle for the top-110.  Lucas Bjerregaard is the man sitting in the 110th spot, but he is by no means safe.  Any player outside the top-100 should be playing this week and next week in the ISPS HANDA Perth International in Australia.  It is certainly a nerve-racking time for players in that situation, but two solid weeks should be enough to get the job done.  Sometimes players play great golf when faced with a challenge such as this.

It should be an enthralling week in England and Hong Kong, with prestigious titles up for grabs.  For viewers in the United States, Golf Channel provides the coverage of both events:

Volvo World Match Play Championship 

Thursday (6:30-11:30 AM)
Friday (6:30-11:30 AM)
Saturday (6:30-11:30 AM)
Sunday (7:30-11:30 AM)

Hong Kong Open (*tape delayed)

Thursday (11:30 AM-2:30 PM)
Friday (11:30 AM-2:00 PM)
Saturday (11:30 AM-2:00 PM)
Sunday (11:30 AM-2:00 PM)

Luiten wins ISPS Handa Wales Open for 4th career European Tour victory

Joost Luiten (-14) held his composure on the 18th hole at the Celtic Manor Resort to beat Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke in possibly the last Wales Open.  It was the Dutchman's 4th European Tour win and he continues a very solid season, in which he now has a win and six other top-10s.  The win should propel him to somewhere around the mid-30s in the Official World Golf Rankings.  The 28-year-old was in contention for a Ryder Cup spot but I firmly expect him to be on the 2016 team.

Lowry shot one-under today and Fleetwood looked completely out of it before he made his way to the back nine, but shot 30 to finish tied-2nd.  He'll be sickened at the double-bogey he made on the par-3 12th hole, but it's another great week for the young Englishman.

Sadly, this is the last time the 2010 Ryder Cup course will host the Wales Open, at least for the for the foreseeable future.      Tournaments in Britain are always top-class, but maybe that means a tournament in England will make its way onto the 2015 schedule.  The Wales Open could still be held next year, but on a different course.  We'll have to wait and see.

Several players stepped up who needed big weeks for either keeping their card or moving closer to the top-60 in the Race to Dubai.  Nicolas Colsaerts finished tied-4th and will look to continue that form in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in just under two weeks.  Robert Rock closed with a 65 to finish tied-9th and, from all accounts, it has been a long time coming.  Andrea Pavan, sitting 139th in the Race to Dubai before the event, also finished T9 and needs one or two decent week to secure his playing privileges for next season (the top-110 on the Race to Dubai have full playing rights for the following season).  The English duo of Anthony Wall (108th on R2D) and Steve Webster (109th on R2D) finished in a tie for 12th to cap off good weeks.

Updated Race to Dubai rankings for above players:

Luiten (10th)
Lowry (14th)
Fleetwood (30th)
Colsaerts (77th)
Rock (96th)
Pavan (120th)
Wall (98th)
Webster (99th)

Four European  Ryder Cup team members took part in the event this week, with very mixed results.  Jamie Donaldson was the highest finisher in his home open with a T4.  Thomas Bjorn finished T58, but sounded upbeat about his game in his post-round interview.  Lee Westwood finished T60 and he is clearly the weakest link on the European side so it'll be interesting to see how much Captain Paul McGinley plays him.  Stephen Gallacher missed the cut after rounds of 78 and 70 but his mind was probably more on next week.  I think "Stevie G" is going to be a real dark horse and will be inspired by the home fans.

The golfing world shifts its focus to Gleneagles for next week's Ryder Cup, an event that I have been looking forward to since that epic Sunday at Medinah in 2012.  It is my favorite sporting event and I cannot wait to watch both teams battle it out over the three days.  In the United States, coverage begins at 2:30 AM on Friday so I'll be looking to get some extra sleep in the days leading up to the competition.  I'll plan on providing blog entries throughout the week

Ryder Cup teams finalized

On Tuesday, September 2, the European and United States Ryder Cup teams were finalized.  The European captain, Paul McGinley, and American captain, Tom Watson, had three picks each.  McGinley chose Stephen Gallacher, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood.  Watson chose Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan, and Webb Simpson.  In addition, McGinley today announced that Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Jose Maria Olazabal would be vice-captains, joining Des Smyth and Sam Torrance in assisting the Irishman.  So far, Watson's assistant captains are Raymond Floyd, Andy North, and Steve Stricker.

I was certain that Gallacher and Poulter would be chosen, but the third pick could have gone to three players in my opinion: Westwood, Luke Donald, or Francesco Molinari.  In the end, the captain chose the eight-time Ryder Cup player because he will provide a veteran presence and has the ability to partner different players due to the fact that he's played with nine different partners in the Ryder Cups dating back to 1997.  Donald had a strong April and May, but has not had his usual consistent season.  Molinari has had a great season so far, with a ton of world ranking points earned, but no wins which probably cost him a pick; the Italian has only won three times on the European Tour and that's clearly an underachievement.

On the U.S. side, I was confident that Watson was going to select Bradley and Mahan, but the third pick was up in the air.  Bill Haas, Chris Kirk, Simpson, and Brandt Snedeker were all in consideration.  In the end, Simpson's record in the 2012 edition proved to be too hard to overlook, plus his potential partnership with Bubba Watson gave him an advantage over the other candidates.

With only 23 days until the first ball is struck at the PGA Centenary Course at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland, the excitement level is already pretty high among players and fans.  I, for one, cannot wait because the Ryder Cup is, without a doubt, the greatest sporting event in the world.

European Tour returns to Denmark for the first time since 2003

Tournament: Made in Denmark
Course: Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort
Location: Aalborg, Denmark
Purse: €1,500,000
Yardage: 7,033

Preview

The Tour's eagerly-anticipated return to Denmark begins in earnest this week, with the country's most successful golfer, Thomas Bjorn, headlining the field.  A 15-time winner on the European Tour, Bjorn needs one more good result to book his third Ryder Cup appearance.   Over 70,000 spectators are expected to be in attendance over the four days so the Danish fans will be hoping for a home winner.  17 Danes are in the field, with the only notable absentee being Soren Hansen, who is out with an injury.  According to Lucas Bjerregaard, who is playing his first season on Tour and is a member at Himmerland, the winning score should be somewhere around eight or ten under par, depending on if the wind blows.  The course recently underwent a renovation of all greens and bunkers, but it looks like it will provide a stern test.

The international challengers include Paul Lawrie, Nicolas Colsaerts, Marc Warren, Chris Wood, David Horsey, David Howell, Gregory Bourdy, Simon Dyson, Michael Hoey, and Peter Uihlein.  Lawrie is dealing with a back injury and may not tee it up, but let's hope he does because he's been working hard on his game and I'm confident a very good result is in store very soon.  Colsaerts, outside of a tied-second performance at the Maybank Malaysian Open in April, has had an abysmal season in both Europe and the United States; let's hope the month's break will see him play the golf we know he's capable of beginning this week.  Warren finished tied-15th last week at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club and sits 33rd in the Race to Dubai; I firmly expect the two-time Tour winner to bag a victory before the season ends.  Wood also played at Valhalla last week and put in a respectable performance by finishing tied-47th; the tall Englishman has all the tools to be a top-50 player but needs to put four rounds together on a more consistent basis.  Horsey won the M2M Russian Open three weeks ago in a playoff over Damien McGrane to complete a wire-to-wire victory and has to be one of the favorites in this week's event.  Howell has shown signs of a return to form, most notably a tied-15th finish in the Open Championship and looks to improve on his 63rd ranking in the Race to Dubai.  Bourdy has made 12/15 cuts this season with two top-10s, but he has way too much talent to be 68th in the Race to Dubai and 134th in the Official World Golf Rankings.  Dyson has played so much golf this season, but has been surprisingly consistent in making 13 cuts out of 20 events and has already earned more euros than he did all of last season; like Warren, I'd be shocked if Dyson didn't win by the end of the season.  Hoey has had his most consistent season on Tour, only missing five cuts in 21 events, but picked up an injury in the Open Championship so it's uncertain how he's going to perform this week.  Uihlein has had a torrid time over the past five or six months, both through injury and poor play; since the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March, the American has yet to make it to the weekend but hopefully this week is the beginning of a strong end to the season for him.

Notable groupings for the first two rounds (all times United States Eastern Time; first round/second round)

Morten Orum Madsen, Felipe Aguilar, and Paul Lawrie (2:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.)
Marc Warren, Thomas Bjorn, Nicolas Colsaerts (2:10 a.m./7:10 a.m.)
David Howell, Richie Ramsay, Anders Hansen (2:20 a.m./7:20 a.m.)
Raphael Jacquelin, Peter Uilein, Chris Wood (7:00 a.m./2:00 a.m.)
Thorbjorn Olesen, Kristoffer Broberg, Brett Rumford (7:10 a.m./2:10 a.m.)
Gregory Bourdy, Julien Quesne, Soren Kjeldsen (7:20 a.m./2:20 a.m.)


TV Coverage in the United States (Golf Channel)

Thursday and Friday (5:30-7:30 a.m. and 9:30-12:00 p.m.)
Saturday (7:00-11:00 a.m.)
Sunday (6:30-11:00 a.m.)

Why this year's European Ryder Cup team will look drastically different than 2012

The race to qualify for captain Paul McGinley's team is nearing its final stages, with only five events left in which to earn points (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, US PGA Championship, Made in Denmark, D+D REAL Czech Masters, Italian Open).  The next two events offer enormous amounts of points and represent the make or break for those on the outside looking in.

As the European team takes shape, it's amazing to see how different this year's team looks versus the 2012 version.  Here was the 2012 team:

Rory McIlroy
Justin Rose
Paul Lawrie
Graeme McDowell
Francesco Molinari
Luke Donald
Lee Westwood
Sergio Garcia
Peter Hanson
Martin Kaymer
Ian Poulter (captain's pick)
Nicolas Colsaerts (captain's pick)

As it stands now, the 2014 squad would look like this:

Rory McIlroy
Victor Dubuisson
Jamie Donaldson
Henrik Stenson
Sergio Garcia
Justin Rose
Martin Kaymer
Thomas Bjorn
Luke Donald
(captain's pick)
(captain's pick)
(captain's pick)

Out of the nine players currently in the top-9, four were not on the last Ryder Cup team (two rookies).  Luke Donald is trending downward with Graeme McDowell coming fast and furious.  Where is Ian Poulter?  "Poults" is currently 7th on the European Points List (top-4 qualify) and 12th on the World Points List (top-5 not already qualified).  Unfortunately, he's had a poor season and has missed his last two cuts.  He recently was stung by a horsefly in England and had to go to the hospital, and it's unsure if he'll play in the WGC this week.  But we all know what kind of record the Englishman has in this competition so it's very hard to think he'll miss out on a captain's pick if he doesn't qualify automatically.

Another Ryder Cup stalwart not having a good season is Lee Westwood.  The eight-time Ryder Cup team member won the Maybank Malaysian Open in April but is still 20th and 16th on the points lists.  Assistant captain and 2002 Ryder Cup-winning captain Sam Torrance said a few weeks ago that Westwood should be a lock.  If "Westy" doesn't perform well in the next month or so, he could be missing out on his first Ryder Cup.

Where are Lawrie, Molinari, Hanson, and Colsaerts?  Only Molinari is within shouting distance of automatically qualifying for the team. The Italian sits 14th on both lists and I expect him to do everything in his power to qualify for the team (i.e. playing all five events to gather more points).  Wouldn't it be awesome if he won his national open and, by doing so, qualified for the team?

Lawrie (75th and 91st) would be a really compelling pick if he wins an event or finishes well in one or two.  Being a Scot and McGinley stating that he'd love Scottish representation in the team like the Irish team had in 2006, it's not completely over for "Chippy."  The 45-year-old has had an atrocious year with the putter and has seen his world ranking fall to 215th.  He is scheduled to play in the Made in Denmark event so if he performs well, McGinley could give him a thought.

Colsaerts (69th and 73rd) and Hanson (51st and 50th) have both had a rough time since the Ryder Cup and they need to set their sights on the 2016 edition.  We'll see lots more of them in Europe due to Colsaerts announcing that he's finished playing the PGA Tour after he couldn't get adjusted to life in America and Hanson's poor play has seen him probably, barring a miraculous turnaround, lose his PGA Tour card.

Stephen Gallacher is currently 12th and 11th on the lists, but only around eight points (world ranking points) behind Donald for the 9th spot.  He's having the best season of his career and certainly looks like someone who's going to qualify automatically.  Being Scottish doesn't hurt his case either.  There's no way a Ryder Cup in the Home of Golf cannot have a Scotsman in the team.

Two other dark horses are Joost Luiten (10th and 15th) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (11th and 13th).  Luiten's play has tailed off recently but he has the game to perform well in the next two weeks to give himself a better chance.  The "most interesting man in golf" has won twice this season on the European Tour and once on the Champions Tour in the United States.  Like Luiten, the Spaniard has not performed to his usual standard in previous weeks, but it's remarkable to think that a 50-year-old is in contention for a Ryder Cup spot.  Don't rule out the "Mechanic!"

The next two weeks should see the team look about 75% set.  After that, it's up to players outside the top-9 to impress the captain with their play in the next three events, whether they be on the European or PGA Tours.  It obviously makes for compelling viewing!

The 40th Ryder Cup will take place at the PGA Centenary Course at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland from September 26-28.

Despite the limited field, M2M Russian Open could be a stepping stone for players

After the recent stretch of five massive events, this week sees the Tour touch down in Moscow, Russia, for the M2M Russian Open. The €1,000,000 event has been won twice by Mikael Lundberg before a hiatus from 2008-2012. The tournament returned to the schedule last season, with Michael Hoey triumphing over a host of players. The host course is the Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus. The length is 7,491 yards (par 72) and let's hope that the weather is better after last year's rainy conditions. Hoey was planning on returning to defend his title, but had to withdraw after picking up an injury in The Open Championship. The favorite has to be Scott Jamieson, who finished T8 in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open to book his place in the year's third major, where he missed the cut. Other contenders should be Morten Orum Madsen, Thomas Pieters, David Horsey, and Craig Lee. Personally, it would be great to see Nick Dougherty, David Higgins, Fredrik Andersson Hed, Gary Boyd, Phillip Price, Liam Bond, and Alistair Forsyth perform well in this extremely weak field. Former tennis #1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who turned professional three years ago, is looking to make his first professional cut after numerous missed cuts after he's struggled to break 80. Unfortunately, the quality of the field is probably the worst of the season, but it does provide a chance for those players way down on the Race to Dubai or players without their playing rights to possibly win or claim a nice chunk of the prize fund. The field of 112 is the smallest of the season for a "full field" Tour event. TV coverage in the United States is on Golf Channel (Thursday and Friday: 8-11am; Saturday and Sunday: 6-9am).

U.S. Open preview

The 114th U.S. Open
Pinehurst Resort and Country Club (Course No. 2), Pinehurst, North Carolina
Yardage: 7,562 (Par 70)

It is time for the second major of the season, with the U.S. Open beginning tomorrow.  Pinehurst No. 2 has staged two previous U.S. Opens, 1999 and 2005, but a redesign in 2011 by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore has seen it transformed back to its original design by Donald Ross in 1907.  The word "native area" will be used quite a bit this week, but it is much easier to hit out of than usual U.S. Open-style rough.  Some 200-300 yards have been added since 2005, but the course is supposed to play firm and fast, although rain is expected over the next four days.  The course will play almost like a links course, but with the greens being so firm, it will be very beneficial to hit the fairways and aim for the middle of the greens (as usual in U.S. Opens).

Phil Mickelson, a six-time runner-up in this event, would be the fairytale winner.  However, "Lefty's" game heading into the U.S. Open has not been Phil-esque.  With only one worldwide top-10 in 2014, the five-time major champion will need to improve his putting if he is to complete the major grand slam this week.

From a European Tour perspective, Rory McIlroy has to be the favorite.  He won the BMW PGA Championship just three weeks ago and his game has been trending upwards for quite some time.  The Northern Irishman will become an even greater favorite if rain ends up falling, which would make the course play longer.  In today's press conference, he said that he is really enjoying his golf, a pleasant comment following his breakup with fiancée Caroline Wozniacki three weeks ago.  Look for the two-time major champion to remain in the mix throughout the week.

Of course, Englishman Justin Rose defends the title after winning last year at Merion.  Rose's play this season has been good enough to deliver wins, but he has not been able to get over the line.  You just have to wonder if being defending champion will prove to be too much to handle.  However, I highly doubt this.  I expect Rose to be in contention when he comes to the back nine on Sunday.

Other European hopefuls include Graeme McDowell (2010 winner), who's game is tailor-made for U.S. Opens; Henrik Stenson, who looks poised to win a major very soon; Martin Kaymer, the Players Championship winner on the PGA Tour; and Lee Westwood, who seems to always be in contention on the back nine on Sunday of a major.  Sleepers include Stephen Gallacher, Paul Casey, and Joost Luiten, and Francesco Molinari.              

Get ready to see plenty of pars and bogeys this week, but there will certainly be a worthy winner come Sunday evening.

The difficulty and challenge of winning national Opens

With this week's Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity being Austria's only Tour event, it is certainly the fifth major for Austrian golfers.  In fact, most golfers will say that their national open or, if their country only stages one event, is their fifth major.  Over the years, homegrown players have found it difficult to win their national opens.  This is due to the immense pressure that both players and fans put on the event, and the difficulty of the golf courses.  Here is a list the national opens on Tour and the success rate of home players:

1. South African Open Championship (Tour event since 1997; South African winners/number of stagings: 12/18; 66%)
2. Hong Kong Open (Tour event since 2002; Hong Kong winners/number of stagings: 0/13; 0%)
3. Maybank Malaysian Open (Tour event since 1999; Malaysian winners/number of stagings: 0/16; 0%)
4. Volvo China Open (Tour event since 2005; Chinese winners/number of stagings: 0/11; 0%)
5. Open de Espana (Tour event since 1972; Spanish winners/number of stagings: 7/43; 16%)
6. Nordea Masters (Tour event since 1991; Swedish winners/number of stagings: 6/24; 25%)
7. Lyoness Open (Tour event since 1990; Austrian winners/number of stagings: 2/15; 13%)
8. U.S. Open (Tour event since 1972; American winners/number of stagings: 31/42; 74%)
9. The Irish Open (Tour event since 1975; Irish winners/number of stagings: 4/39; 10%)
10. Alstom Open de France (Tour event since 1972; French winners/number of stagings: 3/42; 7%)
11. Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (Tour event since 1972; Scottish winners/number of stagings: 1/31; 3%)
12. Open Championship (Tour event since 1972; British winners/number of stagings: 6/42; 14%)
14. M2M Russian Open (Tour event since 2003; Russian winners/number of stagings: 0/7; 0%)
15. Made in Denmark (first year of event)
16. D+D REAL Czech Masters (Tour event since 1994; Czech winners/number of stagings: 0/7; 0%)
17. Italian Open (Tour event since 1972; Italian winners/number of stagings: 3/42; 7%)
18. Omega European Masters (Tour event since 1972; Swiss winners/number of stagings: 0/42; 0%)
19. KLM Open (Tour event since 1972; Dutch winners/number of stagings: 2/42; 5%)
20. ISPS Handa Wales Open (Tour event since 2000; Welsh winners/number of stagings: 0/14; 0%)
21. Portugal Masters (Tour event since 2007; Portuguese winners/number of stagings: 0/7; 0%)
21. Turkish Airlines Open (Tour event since 2013; Turkish winners/number of stagings: 0/1; 0%)

*The European Tour formed in 1972
*This season, Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Open de Espana in his 27th attempt, which represents the only home player to win his national open this season so far.

Struggling players look to perform at Nordea Masters

Q-school grads are running out of events before the first re-rank of the season.  Last season, the re-rank occurred the week after the U.S. Open (BMW International Open).  If that holds true, the Lyoness Open will be the last event prior to the re-rank.  While playing opportunities for the qualifying graduates, especially those far down on the list, have been sparse, there have been success stories.  Italian Marco Crespi, who finished 3rd at the 2013 Final Stage of Qualifying School, won the NH Collection Open, a dual-ranking event counting for both the European and Challenge Tours.  Englishman Daniel Brooks, who finished 19th at q-school, won the Madeira Islands Open, also a dual-ranking event, in what ended up being a fog-shortened, 36-hole event.  Others have made great starts to the 2014 campaign, such as Thomas Pieters (68th on the Race to Dubai), who lost out in a playoff at the Open de Espana two weeks ago; Wade Ormsby (71st), who has two top-10s; Carlos del Moral (82nd), who continues to play well following a poor season in 2013; and Fabrizio Zanotti (85th), who is looking to make last season's 140th finish a distant memory.  These four players are looking good to be the top-four on the re-rank.

For others, it's been a tough start to the season, with starts few and far between.  These players have not been eligible for the upper-echelon tournaments on Tour, often gaining entry into lower purse events.  Out of 24 completed events, several players have played in less than half.  John Hahn, Adrien Saddier, Brinson Paolini, Simon Wakefield, Mikael Lundberg, Alastair Forsyth, and James Heath (10 events each); Estanislao Goya, Adam Gee, Jack Doherty (9 apiece); Mikko Korhonen (eight); and Patrik Sjoland (seven).  So this week's €1,500,000 Nordea Masters in Malmo, Sweden, and next week's €1,000,000 Lyoness Open in Atzenbrugg, Austria, will likely be do or die for these players far down on the Race to Dubai.

How this year's q-school grads have fared (ranking based on finish at 2013 Qualifying School):

1. Carlos del Moral (8 made cuts/13 events, 82nd on Race to Dubai, €146,593)
2. Fabrizio Zanotti (7/13, 85th, €144,691)
3. Marco Crespi (7/13, 66th, €189,169)
4. Gary Stal (9/12, 110th, €99,759)
5. Mikael Lundberg (4/10, 181st, €22,160)
6. Adrien Saddier (4/10, 118th, €89,124)
7. John Hahn (5/10, 109th, €100,441)
8. Connor Arendell (3/8, 186th, €19,072)

9. Wade Ormsby (9/12, 71st, €169,701)

10. Stuart Manley (5/12, 102nd, €114,775)

11. James Morrison (9/11, 125th, €77,669)

12. James Heath (2/10, 207th, €13,150)

13. Simon Wakefield (5/10, 138th, €59,105)

14. Jens Dantorp (7/11, 137th, €62,308)

15. Brinson Paolini (4/10, 163rd, €34,953)

16. Patrik Sjoland (4/7, 206th, €13,855)

17. Kevin Phelan (4/11, 129th, €68,765)

18. Andreas Harto (0/11)
19. Daniel Brooks (9/11, 94th, €132,491)
20. Thomas Pieters (3/12, 68th, €184,452)
21. Lucas Bjerregaard (9/11, 107th, €105,423)
22. Jason Knutzon (5/7, 144th, €51,545)
23. Mikko Korhonen (4/8, 148th, €48,552)
24. Estanislao Goya (4/9, 179th, €24,080)
25. Jack Doherty (2/9, 237th, €6,000)
26. Adam Gee (4/9, 188th, €17,490)
27. Alastair Forsyth (5/10, 168th, €32,631)

News and notes

• This week's event is the Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, held at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.
• It is the 60th anniversary of this event.
• Defending champion Matteo Manassero will look to triumph over a field that comprises 17 of the world's top-50 players.
• World number 10 Rory McIlroy comes into the event with a notable distraction, having recently ended his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
• The pre-tournament favorite, in my opinion, is Justin Rose (T14, T8, 5, T4 in his past four global events and also lost in a playoff here in 2007 and finished second in 2012).
• Several Europeans will look to gather much-needed Ryder Cup points this week, most notably Lee Westwood, Francesco Molinari, Jonas Blixt, Stephen Gallacher, Manassero, Paul Lawrie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Joost Luiten, and Ian Poulter.
• There always seems to be an off-the-radar player who gets himself into contention, maybe even win, such as Simon Khan (winner in 2010) and Eddie Pepperell (T6 last year).  Who will it be this time around? 
• There has been much debate over the changes Ernie Els made to some of the greens a few years ago, so it will be interesting to see if the debate continues on this week with players.
• With the world's top-50 being exempt into this event, it's only a matter of time before a top American plays.
• Here are some notable groupings for the first two rounds (Round 1 tee time/Round 2 tee time):

(8:00/12:30) Darren Clarke, Thongchai Jaidee, Padraig Harrington

(8:15/12:40) Thomas Bjorn, Retief Goosen, Stephen Gallacher

(8:25/12:50) Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer

(8:35/13:00) Charl Schwartzel, Henrik Stenson, Luke Donald

(12:20/7:50) Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Chris Wood, Alvaro Quiros

(12:30/8:00) Joost Luiten, Peter Hanson, Simon Khan

(12:40/8:15) Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter, Jonas Blixt

(12:50/8:25) Matteo Manassero, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood

(13:00/8:35) Ernie Els, Jamie Donaldson, Rory McIlroy

• Reigning US Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick of England will turn pro following this year's U.S. Open.  His first event as a professional will be the following week's Irish Open.  Fitzpatrick has signed with International Sports Management (ISM), headed by Chubby Chandler.  Fitzpatrick will look to earn his European Tour card from seven invites, similar to what Rory McIlroy did when he first turned pro.

Podcast: Masters Tournament preview

Paul Lawrie faces uphill battle for Ryder Cup spot

According to Paul Lawrie's Twitter account, he will play the Volvo China Open (April 24-27) and The Championship in Korea (May 1-4).  The event in China will be his first event in nearly three months after last playing at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic ending on February 2.  Due to not being inside the world's top-50, he has not been eligible for the two World Golf Championships and chose not to play the European Tour events in Africa during that time.  During his time off, he played in the North-east Alliance Championship, a Scottish mini-tour event (two rounds), shooting 65-73 to finish second.  He also planned on playing the Trophée Hassan II, but attended his beloved Aberdeen FC's Scottish League Cup Final match instead.  He's been working a lot on his putting, but not so much on his swing.  He has been struggling with a neck injury that was bothering him when he played in Dubai.  In terms of his goal of playing in this year's Ryder Cup, he's currently sitting 72nd on the European Points List and 86th on the World Points List, so he needs to get a move on.  He will be playing a ton of golf from late April until late August, so this lengthy break might be a blessing in disguise.  There will be plenty of opportunities for him to gain valuable points for this season's biennial competition at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland (September 26-28).  

Lawrie's projected schedule leading up to the final qualifying event for the 2014 Ryder Cup (Italian Open):

Volvo China Open (April 24-27)

The Championship (May 1-4)

Open de España (May 15-18)

BMW PGA Championship (May 22-25)

Nordea Masters (May 29-June 1)

U.S. Open (June 12-15)*must pre-qualify

The Irish Open (June 19-22)

BMW International Open (June 26-29)

Alstom Open de France (July 3-6)

Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (July 10-13)

143rd Open Championship (July 17-20)

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (July 21-August 3)*must meet qualification guidelines

U.S. PGA Championship (August 7-10)*must be inside the top-100 in the world rankings

D+D REAL Czech Masters (August 21-24)

Italian Open (August 28-31)

After early exits from the Match Play, there is a cause for concern for some Europeans regarding 2014 Ryder Cup

After the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, many of Europe's top players were left booking an earlier flight home than they had originally planned.  Ian Poulter, the 2010 winner of this event, was one of the favorites due to his supreme matchplay record in both individual and team competitions.  Poulter lost 2 & 1 to Rickie Fowler.  In 2014, Poulter's results haven't been up to his usual high standards, with a T47, missed cut, and 59th being his results, all in America.

Lee Westwood, who recently split with coach Sean Foley, lost 5 & 3 to Harris English.  The former world number one is now down to 33rd in the world and has not won since the 2012 Nordea Masters.  The Englishman's results in 2014 have been better than his friend Poulter's, with a 47th, missed cut, and 20th being his finishes, also all in America.

Another former world number one, Luke Donald, has been undergoing swing changes with his new coach, Chuck Cook.  As a result, he's now 20th in the world rankings, but successfully defended the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour at the end of last year, so he seems to be going in the right direction.  The 2011 winner of this event lost to a similar player in Matteo Manassero 5 & 4 in this year's staging.  Donald played his first two events of this year in the Middle East, with results of 37th and 57th.

Lastly, Martin Kaymer, yet another former #1-ranked player in the world, has struggled to recapture that form.  Down to 49th in the world, the 2010 PGA Championship winner lost to Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama 2 & 1.

Despite these first round big-name European casualties, there was an "upset" produced by a European trying to get back to full fitness.  Peter Hanson defeated Dustin Johnson, considered by some to be the pre-tournament favorite, 4 & 3.  The two-time Ryder Cupper has struggled with a back injury since the beginning of last season, but some positive results over the last 5-6 months has him optimistic about a return to form.

Jamie Donaldson, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Stephen Gallacher, Mikko Ilonen, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Pablo Larrazábal, Joost Luiten, and Francesco Molinari, who are all looking to earn Ryder Cup spots in captain Paul McGinley's team, lost in their first round matchups.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: Larrazábal plays under control, beats McIlroy and Mickelson by one shot

Pablo Larrazábal beat a star-studded field in Abu Dhabi to record his third European Tour win and first since 2011.  The 30-year-old Spaniard triumphed by one shot over Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.  "Only me and my team know how much we've worked during the last three years," Larrazábal said.  He ranked third in the field in terms of putts per round (26.8).  He has always been a player who seems to let his emotions get to him sometimes, for better or worse.  He seemed to be slowing down yesterday, so as to conserve his energy and focus 100% on every shot.  He is definitely a player who I would like to see on a Ryder Cup team because of the way he gets fired up.  Currently, he lies 12th on the European Points List and 11th on the World Points List.  Courtesy of the win, he moved up to 53rd in the Official World Golf Rankings and now will be looking to getting inside the top-50 so that he can qualify for the Masters.  He will almost certainly qualify for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and WGC-Cadillac Championship, two events with guaranteed money for all participants.

McIlroy recorded his fifth top-5 finish (seven appearances) in Abu Dhabi, and his third second-place finish in the event.  He will rue the two-stroke penalty (incorrect drop in third round) that arguably cost him a victory.  The Northern Irishman ranked first in driving distance (308.1 yards) and greens in regulation (81.9%) over the course of the four rounds.  While he was disappointed to not come out with the win, the world number seven said, "I came in here telling everyone that I'm really happy with my game and done some good work and felt like it was coming together for me at the end of last year.  I've continued that on, so I’m really excited for the rest of the season."  This was his first event since winning the Emirates Australian Open (November 28-December 1, 2013).  It was also his first event since becoming engaged to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.  McIlroy will not play this week at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, but will tee it up in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, a tournament where he recorded his first professional victory in 2009 and has recorded three other top-10s in six other appearances (last appearance was 2012).

Mickelson was leading by two strokes as he stepped onto the 13th tee, but took a triple-bogey seven after being assessed a penalty stroke for double-hitting a chip-out from under a bush.  To the American's credit, he fought back with three birdies to get back to -13, but it was one short.  After not recording a birdie on the first day and making the cut by one shot after his second round, Mickelson made the biggest move on the weekend, shooting 63 (-9) on Saturday and 69 yesterday, which could have been three strokes better.  All in all, it was a productive week for the five-time major champion, who ranked 5th in driving distance (296 yards) and 5th in putts per round (27).  His new driver worked wonders and his putting is as good as it ever has been, so 2014 looks to be a memorable one for "Lefty."

Other notable performances included George Coetzee (tied-fourth), who is still looking for his first European Tour win, but seems to have rediscovered some form ahead of his appearance in Qatar, where he finished tied-second last year.  The South African ranked first in putts per round (25.8).  Joost Luiten (sixth) recorded yet another top-10 finish and is now up to 43rd in the world rankings.  Robert Karlsson and Stephen Gallacher (both tied-eighth) will take confidence heading into the two remaining events of the Desert Swing, as they have been working very hard on their respective games.  It was Karlsson's third top-10 finish in his last four worldwide starts, a culmination of both mental and technique improvement as he makes his way back to where he belongs.  Gallacher's performance was noteworthy because he is in desperate need of world ranking points as he tries to qualify for WGCs and the Masters.  This year's Ryder Cup is on his mind, but he needs to get a move on as he is 29th and 28th on the points lists.                 

Other notes:

Two-time Tour winner Robert-Jan Derksen will be retiring after this season, according to his website.  Translated from Dutch, his website said, "Although I have pretty eas[ily] maintained my playing privileges every year, and have sometimes been close to win[ning] a tournament the last few years, it has been more difficult to keep myself motivated to perform on this level," said Derksen.  He recently finished 4th in the Hong Kong Open in December, so I expect good things this season from the 40-year-old Dutchman.  Hopefully he will be able to feed off of the performances of Luiten and Daan Huizing, who, along with Derksen, make up the three fully-exempt Dutch players on Tour.