Mav's European & Challenge Tour Weekly Edition - Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Firstly congratulations to Ken Ferrie on his victory in Austria, his first on the ET since 2005 and fine return to form after it didn’t work out for him in the US.

And so we return to St Andrews again for the Dunhill. This year the home of golf really is hosting one of the strongest fields it’s had in a long time for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Should be a good amount of OGWR points on offer this week with 15 of the world top 50 ranked players showing up for the event.

So what do we know of this event.
1. St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns will be hosting the event in which Martin Kaymer looks to become the 1st ever defending champion to take back to back titles.

2. Major winners in attendance include Padraig Harrington, who is chasing a hat-trick of Alfred Dunhill Links Championship victories, Darren Clarke, Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen, Michael Campbell, John Daly, Todd Hamilton, Paul Lawrie and Sandy Lyle.

3. Dustin Johnson makes his Debut in the event and after a good showing at the Open championship will be relishing links golf, the big question for DJ this week that fans want answered is “who’s on his bag” following LaCava’s departure to Tiger land.

4. It really is a veritable who’s who in the field this week, whilst the ET will be delighted with the caliber of players in the field this week. There also seems to be a certain amount of rumbling under currant at the amount of invites that have been offered out this year to amateurs and amateurs turned pro, e.g. Lewis and Cutler. A lot of the guys fighting to get their cards are left out in the cold and are hoping for withdrawals so they get their chance’s to retain their cards in an event they would usually be eligible for but cannot play due to invitees filling the spaces.

5. Celebrities in the field this week range from Film stars to Rock legends, Sporting heroes to Knights of the Realm, here’s the pick of the bunch.

Hugh Grant – Sometimes Brit Actor
Don Felder of the Eagles
Tico Torres, Bon Jovi Drummer
Huey Lewis – Fun Loving Criminal
Cricketers – Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan and Alan Lamb
Sir Ian Botham
Sir Bobby Charlton
Sir Matthew Pinsent
Sir Steve Redgrave
Skiing legend Franz Klammer

That’s just to name a few, not to forget the likes of “Tiger” Tim Henman, and even 10x World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater and the household name DJ Spoony. The list is endless but you get the point…..

ET News:

The 2012 ET early season schedule has now been announced and sees the usual big events in place, no real changes to speak of at the moment though some maybe subject to change, rather than me listing the schedule it’s fully available at http://www.europeantour.com/mm/document/static/static/14/58/70/145870_pdf_english.pdf

Challenge Tour:

Sam Little goes back to back with his wins in Russia and last week at the Allianz in Toulouse. Which see’s him move up to number 2 in the CT rankings over taking Ricardo Santos. Santos has missed the last 2 cuts, but has said that missing those 2 cuts it has helped him refocus and now he want’s to push on and take the #1 spot from Tommy Fleetwood and qualify for next years ET proper as the top player from the Challenge Tour.

There are only 3 events left before the big end of season CT Grand Final, which was last year won by Matt Haines, who is not fairing to well so far on the ET this year. So all players on the CT will be going into overdrive from this week trying to qualify for the big “one”

That see us move onto the Fred Olsen Challenge de Espana this week at La Gomera in the Canary Islands, many players stating it’s one of the best stops on the tour, which has led to this being the 3rd consecutive year it has hosted the event.

Maverick wrote:Huey Lewis – Fun Loving Criminal

He wasn't a FLC, he was the News! (and music teacher in Back to the Future)

Possibly his greatest moment though was playing harmonica on Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous album though

Looking forward to the Dunhill though!

Davie apologies got carried away there it was actually Huey Morgan in the FLC, was listening to them whilst writing this and made the typo as a result of writing the name Huey whilst listening to FLC. But I;ll leave it in the original thread for all to take the urine out of.....

Lol Mav - thought it might be Huey Morgan you were thinking of but even more explicable if you were actually listening to them at the time!

Can't really imagine Huey Morgan as a keen golfer but then you could say the same of Tico Torres and Alice Cooper!

Alice Cooper has a severe addiction to the game, the one I thought odd was Kelly Slater

Is anyone going to be attending the event?

I imagine I might pop along and watch at Kingsbarns or Carnoustie on Saturday. Free entry on first three days.

I've always enjoyed watching the Dunhill even though the coverage does tend to be a bit Old Course centric. Would prefer much more coverage of the Kingsbarns and Carnoustie play.

Good to see people like DJ make the effort to come over as well (I suppose he likes the format having won what I would class as the PGA tours equivalent, the AT&T, twice.

Did I also catch something on the news this morning that JD will have his kid playing with him or did he just have him out for a practice round (it was before my first coffee of the day so brain wasn't in full function mode)

Odd Mav? Golf and surfing are my favourite 2 pastimes as well, does that make me odd...actually yes it does

I was thinking of going up on saturday or sunday, as it is only £15 for the sunday.

JAS, just didn't expect that totally cool dude Kelly Slater to play what many see as a completely uncool sport. Just shows no matter what you do or hobbies you are, if you like it then you like it.

Golf will always have an image problem I think and will never be "cool".
A woman is never impressed to hear you play golf.

super_realist wrote:Golf will always have an image problem I think and will never be "cool".
A woman is never impressed to hear you play golf.

How true is that SR. Reminds me of a friend of mine who is now happily married and a club pro down in hertfordshire. When he was an aspiring assistant and we used to go out for drinks and a bit of pulling, he soon learnt that telling the ladies he was a pro golfer (in the making) they were turned off and would turn and ask what I did and when they found out it was quite manly they would want to take me home. After a few months he changed tack and told them he was an aspiring hair dresser that partook in cage fighting in his spare time and all of a sudden he was this cool man's man that understood women and he was then inundated with offers, it was how he met his future (current) wife imagine her disappointment when she found out her man was actually a golfer..... Still together now though and she plays to

Do you happen to work for the BBC Mr Maverick?

First you're accusing Chubby Chandler of working for IMG then you're accusing Huey Lewis of being in the Fun Lovin' Criminals.

With regards to golf not being cool as Mr Lewis once said "It's Hip to be Square."

Hibbz wrote:Do you happen to work for the BBC Mr Maverick?

First you're accusing Chubby Chandler of working for IMG then you're accusing Huey Lewis of being in the Fun Lovin' Criminals.

With regards to golf not being cool as Mr Lewis once said "It's Hip to be Square."

Hibbz thats 2 weeks in a row you come on this thread and offer nothing but insult or Wummery. I acknowlegded the chubby thing last week and if you read back over this thread instead of just ciming up with tripe you'd see why i wrote what did about lewis....

As for working for the BBC no I actually work for a living! So how about next time something constructive to the debate

Indeed Mav, Slater is cooler than cool in the surf world and probably has the pick of the worlds top women..I bet though if he's chatting one up, the conversation is more likely to be about he dropped into a gnarly 20 foot Banzai Pipeline barrel than how he got up & down from the road hole bunker!!

Mav

Cool down, I think hibbz was just making a little joke.

JAS I think women know what slater does is so cool he could even talk about how he 3 putted from 3 feet and they would still be drooling.

Mac I'm always cool

Cue item about Timmy's handicap!
Anyone know if the celebs pay an entry fee for this

McLaren wrote:Mav

Cool down, I think hibbz was just making a little joke.

Nah it we;re all just a "typo" their.

Sorry Mav, loves ya really.

Well worth a visit on the Saturday providing the weather is okay. All the best players play the same course and you get much closer than other big events (and much closer than at St Andrews on the Sunday). This year we have the best 3 in the world and 5 out of the best 6 in the world.

At Kingsbarns, I think 4 years ago, the practice range was brillient. All the top guys practicing together and we were within 10m.

I've been trying to find out which course the top guys are playing on Saturday but the draw is not on the ET web site yet.

Go and watch live Saturday, then watch the final round on the TV.

Draw is on: www.alfreddunhilllinks.com > Information > The Draw

Rory McIlroy and DJ playing together for the first three days
- I'm off tomorrow so will be heading to Kingsbarns

Gareth,

Thanks for the link but the IT police at work prevent me viewing the draw.

The top guys are playing Kingsbarns on Thursday from your e-mail. Can you tell me which course they are playing on Saturday? I am guessing Carnoustie as I can't see them playing St Andrews two days in a row, but maybe not.

Cheers.

Finally managed to open the draw. the top guys are playing St andrews Saturday and Sunday.

I dunno, I just can't get interested in this tournament until the final day, I'm not interested in watching a load of hackers on TV, even if they are famous. The final day is good though.

Cabrera-Bello tearing up kingsbarns from the off -3 through 4 holes so far. Think the good weather this week will see some low scores unless the winds get up

When I was up in St Andrews last month the strength of the wind seemed much greater than I had experienced for a while in the town. I was hoping the pro's would face TOC and the others in the same conditions as the last few opens and Dunhills in the area have not seen very high wind speeds.

Shock of the day, McDowell is under par -2 for 7 holes, will it last after such a poor year form wise

Maverick wrote:Shock of the day, McDowell is under par -2 for 7 holes, will it last after such a poor year form wise

Make that -3 after 8. Maybe he's been reading 606v2?

Cabrera-Bello -4 through 6 holes.

Conditions up here are tremendous. Expect scoring on TOC and Kingsbarns to be very low.

Even King Louis Oosterwotsit is now going low early on Kingsbarns, looks like we'll need help from the best links in Scotland Carnoustie to help bring scores down

Is it just my connection or is the Europeantour.com leaderboard on the blink? Hasn't seemed to be updating properly this past couple of weeks.

??

The live leaderboard isn't functioning as it should for me either Kwini, where it used to auto update you now have to physically refresh the page but this does give the updated scores then not ideal but workable

It does update sometimes - just not as often as it should

Good to see Tom Lewis up there at -3 after 8 also

Carnoustie or should that be Carnastie is showing it's a tougher test so far than Kings Barns or TOC with scoring on that nowhere near as low. Would think anyone that gets around Carnoustie in say -1/-2 would fancy a pop at a low round on one of the others to have a shot at the Win

Low scoring on the Challenge Tour this week... Garcia-Heredia -8 thru 10, at one stage was -7 thru 7, don't think I've ever seen that before! They seem to be starting on the 1st and 12th there, slightly odd.

Ned

Certainly some good early scoring out in the Canaries for the Fred Olsen. If he keeps up the scoring could we see the magic number 59!

Also a very continental feel to the leader board unlike last couple of weeks where the brits have ruled. Re: the 2 tee start, is an odd way to do it, but can only imagine its the layout that dictates this and they feel they can manage the gaps to get people through the first when they get there

Henrik Stenson? Graeme McDowell?

Who are these players towards the top of the leaderboard? Anyone know them?

Sandy Lyle -2 through 15 at Carnoustie

Looks like Kenny Ferrie's been celebrating perhaps a little too much . . . . .

Am very surprised that John Daly is allowed to play in The Dunhill. Is there going to be any disciplinary hearing or is his behaviour last week OK?

Wouldn't be surprised if no more is said about it Kwini. Wrongly so though, JD feels he has a right to be where he wants and do what he wants, just like he doesn't bother going to Q school and living off the invites poor form all round...

Great start from king Louis but maybe a bit late with the President'sCup picks already made And you'd expct him to play again well on the Old Course with his recent history there... Also very impressive again from young Lewis. A bit dissapointing from Rors and DC though...

Lots of parallels between Daly and Duval.
Both complicated people, both lost their game.
One chooses to respect the game, its structure and his fellow pros.
One doesn't.
Too bad.

Does John Daly have a life membership to the Euro Tour as an Open Championship winner?

EmmDee no he doesn't he had the exemption which allowed him to play on EuroTour as aresult of his win but that expired many, many years ago now he is living off invites to the party like some unfavourable kid hoping to go to the party

Please, no more John Daly! He has had his time. Leave the spot for other players.

Sandy Lyle is also playing on an invitation. Why? Isn't his time over as well?

Leave Sandy alone Pedro besides he is justifying his invite by shooting a 69 at Carnoustie. Continuing his form on from last week's Champions Tour. Hopefully he'll win this week's event and push for a Ryder Cup place. Could you imagine......?

EmmDee, Sandy would be fine in the Ryder cup, it is in the states so the cold wouldn't bother him

Great recovery by McIlroy today. Two 6's on his card one of those at a par three and he comes roaring back with 5 under on his back 9 to finish the day at -2. Get in there