Rory McIlroy wins the Hong Kong Open to keep alive his contest with Luke Donald at the top of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.
Rory McIlroy made an impressive comeback in the fourth and final round to win the Hong Kong Open today and with it keeps the pressure on Englishman Luke Donald for the coveted European Tour’s Race to Dubai championship.
Rory McIlroy won with a final round of 65 by two strokes with a 5 under score. The 22 year old from Northern Ireland was delighted to seal the victory and told reporters:
“It is very special to win this. No matter how prestigious tournaments are, this is one of my favourites and I’m really happy to win it,” he said. “To be able to win a golf tournament when you are not at your best is something. Tiger Woods did this all the time. This is a great win, to come from behind and to be able to draw level and then close it out.”
There has been much pressure on the young Irishman’s shoulders since he turned professional in 2007 and eventually won his first major – the US Open – earlier this year.
McIlroy beat off challenges from France’s Gregory Havret who finished second, two strokes behind, and Sweden’s Peter Hanson on 9 under. Ian Poulter was looking to retain the title he won in 2010 and shot a good final round to finish joint fourth on 8 under with Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul.
After failing to win the Hong Kong Open, Ian Poulter told reporters:
“It’s disappointing obviously. I came to defend and I’ve come up shy. I thought I had a chance when I got to 9 under, but I just flushed it on the 15th. It was a costly bogey at the wrong time,”
Last week Lee Westwood announced that he would be joining the US PGA Tour next year which I assume is to give him a better chance to win either the US Open or The Masters. By doing so Westwood may forfeit the chance to win the Race to Dubai, based on the highest prize money on the European Tour in a given season, but the US is where the big money is.
If like Lee Westwood you are looking to win your share of prize money then why not check out the golf betting competition at BettingExperts.
They are offering a massive a £5,000 in a free to enter competition. The competition covers all golf tips for major, minor tournaments including PGA and European Tour during the competition date. The top ten golf tipsters with the highest profit (measured in units) on golf shares the prize pool, which will be paid in free bets & prize giveaways. Tipster with the most overall gets the first prize.
Golf breaks are a great way to relieve the stresses and strains of the busy 9-5 or spend time with the family. Here are three of Marriott’s top UK golf hotels perfect for teeing off and winding down.
Hanbury Manor Hotel & Country Club
A stately Jacobean mansion set in 200 acres of scenic Hertfordshire parkland, Hanbury Manor is the kind of place where the world stops a while and you can get your breath back. In situ there’s a Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole PGA Championship golf course which offers fairways fringed by ancient woodlands and picturesque water hazards. It looks beautiful and plays superbly and greens and tees are all to USGA specification – offering the best of putting surfaces and guaranteed great golfing all year round. As you’d expect, along with hosting keen amateurs on golf breaks, the course has also provided the setting for numerous major pro events including the European Tour Men’s English Open and the Women’s European Open. Once you’ve played your shots, unwind tired muscles with a massage or a steam in the hotel’s wonderful spa, relax in front of a log fire in the fine wood panelled library and dine on award-winning food in the Zodiac restaurant.
Meon Valley Hotel and country club
Meon Valley Hotel and country club is a modern style hotel close to Southampton. Surrounded by 225 wooded acres of rolling countryside on England’s southern coast, it enjoys a secluded environment near the motorway and is just over 1 hour from London. A plethora of streams, ponds and ancient oak trees offer an ideal setting for 27 championship holes of golf. Choose from the 18-hole Meon Course or the 9-hole Valley course. Both were designed by famous British golf course designer Hamilton J. Strutt. The hotel is also well located for exploring the history and culture of this corner of England; the historic old town of Winchester offers a glorious cathedral and ancient cobbled streets and the wild landscape of the New Forest is ideal for strolls and more strenuous hiking too. After all your exertions you can relax completely in the hotel’s top quality spa which offers scrubs, wraps, facials and more.
Sprowston Manor Hotel & Country Club
An attractive red brick country house hotel, Sprowston Manor combines historic Victorian charm with top quality modern conveniences. In its 170 acres of leafy grounds there’s one of Norfolk’s finest golf courses – 18 holes of challenging greens and fairways surrounded by rolling countryside. The club here also participates in Marriott’s family golf scheme which makes it ideal for all the family – offering free tuition, free clubs and free play for children under 16 when accompanied by a paying adult. Nearby Norwich is one of the UK’s best kept secrets for culture offering a stately Norman cathedral, ancient streets and surprisingly busy nightlife all wrapped around an atmospheric historic centre. But you may struggle to leave the hotel – fine dining to tempt the most discerning palate is on offer at The Restaurant 1559 whilst more relaxed contemporary drinking and eating is to be had within sight of the 18th hole at the ZEST Cafe Bar & Grill. The luxurious on-site Fontana spa completes the package.
If you fancy a golf break at one of these hotels visit the Marriott website for their best hotel deals.
After finishing joint third in today’s WGC Champions tournament in Shanghai, Rory McIlroy will be officially unveiled as golf’s world number 2 tomorrow.
Oakley are offering you the chance to play a round of golf against the current US Open golf champion, Rory McIlroy in the second of a series of great interactive video games.
The video sets scenarios as you play the famous Wentworth golf course. The set questions test your golfing prowess as you weave your way around the course making decisions as to which club to use and where you should be aiming your ball.
The answers you give affect the outcome of the video, which is shot in a realistic point-of-view style.
The video is the second in Oakley’s You Vs. series. The first, ealrier this year offered gamers the opportunity to race against the UK’s hottest cycling property, Mark Cavendish.
Rory McIlroy
Taking part in the game is fun enough, but by doing so you can enter Oakley’s exclusive competition too, simply by ‘liking’ the Oakley Facebook page. And if you are so good that you manage to beat Rory McIlroy over 18 holes, then you have the chance to be selected as the lucky winner who gets to meet Rory and have the honour of caddying for him, walking around the Wentworth golf course.
Firstly, Like the page, select some Oakley sunglasses to wear, and then start exercising your golf expertise for a chance to win a prize any golf-fan would go crazy for!
Everyday Golf Coach, the best-selling coaching app for iPad and iPhone has returned with a new app that will help golfers increasetheir power – hitting longer and straighter shots.
Everyday Golf Coach Power follows on from the original comprehensive coaching app that has been downloaded more than 100,000 times worldwide, and takes golfers through the mechanics of power, utilising a comprehensive new coaching package to help them increase their ball striking power.
This new coaching package, provided by the creator of Everyday Golf Coach and pioneering PGA Professional Noel Rousseau, delivers a library of high definition coaching videos as well as a unique interactive SwingSequence feature that combines Rousseau’s coaching insight and clear delivery with the advanced capability of the Apple software to provide the user with a visually outstanding and fun training tool.
Filmed using the latest super slow-motion Phantom HD camera, the Power app gives users a unique insight into the different aspects of the golf swing that enable the professionals to generate extreme swing speed, power and more distance.
The SwingSequence feature covers the key body movements of the golf swing in super slow motion, allowing the user to learn the concept of power and the dynamic relationship between all the moving parts of the golf swing.
“When this is performed in the right sequence it can generate more power and thus create extra distance,” said Noel Rousseau, who regularly features in best-selling golf magazines. “During the SwingSequence, 11 hot spots appear on the model golfer – the user simply taps on a hot spot to view an in-depth coaching video explaining therelevant movement. Alternatively, manual mode allows the user to scroll through the entire swing under the fine control of the swipe of their finger.
“The Phantom camera is so technologically advanced the user can scroll through the swing to reveal every minute detail of the movement in crystal clear definition.”
As with it’s predecessor Rousseau delivers high quality coaching to accompany the videos with comprehensive and easy-to-understand notes, making it clear and simple for every golfer to follow.
As you would expect from a PhD student, Rousseau’s content is well researched. It also contains a fascinating interview with sports scientist Dr Matt Bridge that explains the concept of kinematic sequencing through his presentation ‘The Science of Power’.
Judging by the first reviews on the app store, users have been extremely pleased with what they see and appreciate the honest and personal approach to golf coaching.
Pjlawson said: “Fantastic app. Really clear insights into how to create a powerful swing. The interaction between the library and theswing sequence section is seamless and really impressive to use. The best teaching app out there!”
Steven Terence added: “If you are looking to buy your first golf tuition app then go no further and buy this. If you already have some,delete them all and just use this. Simple, informative and put together verywell. There is no better golf app out there.”
Everyday Golf Coach: Power is available now on iTunes for both iPhone (£3.99) and iPad (£4.99). For further details visit www.everydaygolfcoach.com.
An important new reciprocal arrangement with Mission Hills China will help to introduce golf in Cyprus to one of the most exciting golf markets in the world
Eléa Golf Club in Cyprus, part of the prestigious Eléa Estate development near Paphos, has signed a reciprocal agreement with the World’s largest golf facility, Mission Hills China.
The arrangement will see members of Eléa Golf Club receive privileges to use the members’ facilities at Mission Hills, – a development that boasts golf courses designed by some of the game’s modern-day greats including Sir Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam and Ernie Els. Mission Hills’ members will also be offered the same courtesy when visiting Cyprus.
Ross Robertson, Director of Golf Operations at Eléa Estate said: “Our aim has always been to create a golf course in Cyprus that operates and upholds the ethos and values of the great golf courses of the world – both Eléa and Mission Hills have golf courses designed by Sir Nick Faldo so we already have a common link.
“Mission Hills is, without doubt, one of the world’s great golf destinations and a development we are proud to have a reciprocal arrangement with. We look forward to a strong and valuable partnership and welcoming the first Chinese guests to Cyprus in the very near future.”
Eléa Golf Club, opened by six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo in October 2010, has rapidly built a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting new golf destinations.
It recently won ‘Best European Leisure Development’ and ‘Best European Golf Development’ at the 2011 International Property Awards in London and has also been recognised by one of the World’s largest consumer golf journals, Golf Magazine in the USA, as one of the ‘Top 10 new international golf courses of 2010’.
Ross added: “China is set to become one of golf’s great superpowers in years to come and it is key Eléa Estate creates strategic relationships with major developers, like Mission Hills, going forwards. In just 12 months, Eléa Estate has helped create a global awareness of golf in Cyprus and associations like this are instrumental when introducing our brand to emerging markets around the world.”
