Charl Schwartzel eventually won the Masters by two shots (14 under par) by playing some truly amazing shots but most of all by playing a steady, confident round.  He appeared to be unfazed by the pressure and said it was helpful playing with another steady player KJ Choi.  But from the off Schwartzel’s chance of slipping on the famous green jacket was given a kick start with a chip and run for a birdie on the first and an amazing eagle at the third.

By contrast, it was sad and rather distressing watching Rory McIlroy fall apart and eventually breakdown in front the cameras and capacity crowd at the famous Augusta Golf Course.

McIlroy had lead from day 1 and had previously played three great days of golf as he went into the final day with a four shot lead that had everyone convinced he was finally going to win his first major. The boy from Hollywood, Northern Ireland will turn 22 next month but for the past four years, since turning pro when anyone was asked they said it was only a matter of time until Rory McIlroy starting winning majors.  Over the past few years he has won plenty of championships, but like Britain’s young tennis star Andy Murray, has fallen shot when given the chance to win a major.

On Sunday McIlroy looked nervous, quickening his pace and from the off the lead began to shrink.  But as he went into the back nine he was still leading by one shot from the likes of Charl Schwartzel, K J Choi, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods who was playing some sublime shots and looked to have returned to his best.

As McIlroy fell apart at the 10th with a triple bogey that included hitting two trees and shot to pieces through Amen Corner, the chasing pack was joined by Luke Donald and Geoff Ogilvy.  Rory literally broke down on the 12th hole with a four putt, it was the reason I don’t watch reality TV.  I was watching a young person’s world shatter and it was uncomfortable viewing.  Rory McIlroy finished the day with a round of 80!

With three holes to go the young Australian, Adam Scott had edged into the lead from his playing partner and fellow Australian Jason Day, and Charl Schwartzel.  But it was Scwartzel who remained calm while playing some sensational shots who eventually won the US Masters by two shots.  A very worthy winner that seemed appropriate exactly 50 years after fellow South African, Gary Player became the first overseas golfer to win the Masters.

Charl Schwartzel won with 14 under from Adam Scott and Jason Day on 12 under.  While Luke Donald was the best placed Britain tied in fourth on 10 under par along with Tiger Woods and Geoff Ogilvy.

It was good to see Rory McIlroy get a great reception as he walked towards the 18th hole.  He had started the final day on 12 under but finished on 4 under, and everyone felt his pain.  And though he was magnanimous in defeat and faced the media soon after, showing a maturity beyond his years, I wondered if this was just another experience that Rory McIlroy will place under his belt to win a major or would he follow in the golf shoes of Sergio Garcia, who also received global accolades and showed all the promise as a teenage golfer but choked on several occasions when it looked like he was about to win a major.  Sergio Garcia is now 31.

Yas Links Golf Course in Abu Dhabi

Links Abu Dhabi, the new Kyle Phillips designed golf course is the “best course in the Middle East” according to the latest issue of Golf Course Architecture magazine.

The world-class development on Yas Island, home to the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit, venue of the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and the spectacular Ferrari World, the world’s largest indoor theme park, has received widespread critical acclaim.

It is the first Middle East design for leading course architect Kyle Phillips, creator of World Top 100 Course Kingsbarns, Scotland, as well as the highly rated Verdura Golf & Spa Resort (Sicily), Dundonald (Scotland), and The Grove (London), who has created an extraordinary links overlooking the Arabian Gulf that rides rolling sand hills along three kilometers of coastline, and features nine seashore greens.

This championship course is located on the west shores of Yas Island and includes a 5750 m2 (57000 ft2) luxurious clubhouse and world-class, floodlit practice ranges and academy of golf.

In a unique twist, Phillips was able to design not only the golf course, but the coastline along which the course runs. That’s because the channel along the western edge of Yas Island had to be dredged to produce the 1.8 million m3 (cubic metres) of fill used to construct the golf course. The result is a coastline that lends itself perfectly to exciting golf holes, and one that is also benefiting from an approved environmental programme that has introduced 130,000 mangrove plants.

Yas Links General Manager, Chris White, said: “Kyle has created a breathtaking golf experience at Yas Links and one that is unique in the Middle East. It is a rolling, heaving golf course, weaving through sand hills and wending its way along the shoreline with views of the Arabian Gulf on all 18 holes.

The course opened in March 2010 as a semi private golf club offering both golf and social membership as well welcoming guest play; and in January 2011 some of the world’s top golfers will experience Yas Links for themselves in 2011 when the world’s most prestigious one-day Pro-Am tournament moves to Abu Dhabi.

The Invitational on January 17, 2011, hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah, will see some of the world’s best players join forces with 50 invited amateurs for a day of great competitive golf. World No.1 Lee Westwood, reigning US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia and Ross Fisher plus more to confirm.

For more information visit www.yaslinks.com.

Putts4Charity helps raise funds for good causes by challenging the general public to make a successful “one putt” on specially constructed greens at various stops along The European Tour. For each successful one putt made at the Madrid Masters, the Genworth Foundation makes a €1 donation to charity. Similarly, every one putt made by professionals competing in the tournament will raise €2, helping to boost the total even further.

This exclusive web video shows top golfing professionals including Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez Castano performing big money putts and talking about the great cause that will benefit from this year’s funding, the SOS Children’s Villages.

Tiger Woods

Woods had started the day with a bogey on the first, hooking the ball into a fairway bunker, but the world number one gradually fought his way back into contention with five birdies and ended the day at the with a share of the lead.

Round one leaders Rory Sabbatini and Steve Marino had mixed fortunes on the second day at Illinois, Sabbatini finished the day sharing second place on six under, but Marino had an awful time, going from five under to one over, with five bogeys and two double bogeys on his way to a pretty awful round of 77.

Sabbatini shares second place with three other players, Padraig Harrington, Marc Leishman and Bo Van Pelt, all hanging on to the shirt tails of the leaders and just one point behind.

England’s Luke Donald hit 69 to move into 13th a place he shares with Sergio Garcia amongst others, while Ian Poulter ended the day two under and in 19th.

Y.E. Yang secured his first PGA Tour victory yesterday as he emerged victorious in the Honda Classic at Florida’s PGA National. The Korean managed to hold onto his lead to win by one-shot ahead of second placed John Rollins.

It was a tense finale, but Yang held his nerve on the final hole where he needed a two-putt from 50 feet to secure the win. His final round of 68 left him on nine under overall, a shot ahead of American John Rollins who said that ‘it’s not easy’ to do what Yang did on the final green. Especially when you consider what was at stake.

Elsewhere on the leader board, England’s Greg Owen managed to sink six birdies in his final round of 66 to finish on two under par alongside Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Spain’s Sergio Garcia.

Speaking of Rory McIlroy, he has admitted that he was ‘disappointed’ with the way he finished the tournament. At this moment in time, he is bidding to become the youngest ever winner of a PGA Tour event, but failed this time around after consecutive bogeys left him tied for 13th.

Rory McIlroy went on to say that having got himself into an excellent position, he ‘just let it slip’ at the wrong time. The youngster’s frustration was clear to see, but he will know as well as anyone that time is very much on his side. He will have plenty more opportunities in career playing professional golf.

The tournament belonged to South Korea’s Y.E. Yang though who, as well as securing a place at the Masters, booked his place in next week’s World Golf Championships at Doral.

Nick Faldo’s team went down 16 ½ – 11 ½ to Paul Azinger’s Americans in Kentucky and the Spaniard believes the fact that Team Europe were only given a small dressing room played it’s part.

The World No.2 – who failed to win any of his four matches – has revealed that the locker room his team had was ‘really small and uncomfortable’. He went on to say that it only had ‘two showers’. Overall, he believes that the US team ‘played their cards well’.

Not content on laying into the facilities though, Sergio Garcia went on to criticise his captain Nick Faldo by saying that his opening speech ‘went on too long’ and that the team needed more than one vice captain.

Sergio Garcia didn’t even stop there though as he went on to admit that Padraig Harrington was ‘not my best friend’ and that it would be best for them ‘not to be paired together’ in the future.

These are certainly some interesting views from Sergio Garcia. Who knows, maybe the golf odds would have been more likely to favour a European victory if they had more showers?!

As for his comments about Padraig Harrington, I imagine that is just his competitive nature coming through. They are both fighting to become the No.1 ranked golfer during 2009, after all.

However, Chubby Chandler is insisting that Lee Westwood is ‘slowly recovering’ from the illness and that there is ‘no concern’ as to whether he will be fit enough to take part in the Ryder Cup. One thing that was admitted by Chandler though and something that will concern all European Golf fans, is that Lee Westwood is by no means 100% fit.

Going into the Ryder Cup without much recent playing time behind you is a big risk and it could affect the way Lee Westwood performs for Nick Faldo’s team. It is even more frustrating when you consider the form he was in before being struck down with the illness. Arguably in the best shape of his life, Lee Westwood finished 3rd in the US Open, climbing to number 12 in the world. I just hope that he can recapture this form when called upon by Team Europe. I’d be a lot happier placing my golf betting money on a European win if Lee Westwood is firing on all cylinders – that’s for sure.

Something that cannot be doubted is Lee Westwood’s record in the Ryder Cup. The 35-year-old has secured 15 ½ points for his team during his five appearances and has been Europe’s leading scorer – along with Spain’s Sergio Garcia – in the last two Ryder Cups. These type of statistics show why it is so important that Lee Westwood is available come next Friday.

Looking at Team Europe, he is one of the more experienced members of the side and his presence would be greatly missed. Along with Lee Westwood, the likes of Padgraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez bring with them a lot of Ryder Cup experience and the loss of any of them would certainly affect Europe’s chances of making it four wins in a row.

Like Lee Westwood’s agent though, we must remain positive. If he says that Lee Westwood is going to be fit, why shouldn’t we believe him? Keeping my optimistic hat on, I would say that Lee Westwood will simply be refreshed and raring to go as he looks to close the gap on Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup record of 25 points.

Sergio Garcia was played exceptionally well all weekend and beat Paul Goydos at the first play-off hole, after they had both finished on 5 under.

Paul Goydos is 169th in the world rankings

Sergio Garcia became only the second European in the tournament’s 35 year history to win The Players, which is known as the fifth major. Sandy Lyle won The Players in 1987.

Today Garcia is $1.7 million richer.  Not bad for a weekend of golf!

“It would definitely be good to go one better in both these last tournaments this year,” Garcia told reporters today.

“I have had five second places in the last three years. That is good and bad. It’s great because second shows I’ve played well but at the same time it is a little bit disappointing I couldn’t win.

Garcia, who won this title on his debut in the event in 2004, has never been outside the top-two in Mallorca. Good luck to Sergio – he deserves it.