Golf-World rankings

Golf-World rankings

August 5, 2013









Aug 5 (Reuters) - World rankings on Monday (U.S. unless stated, last week's positions in brackets): 1. (1) Tiger Woods 14.19 average points 2. (2) Phil Mickelson 8.56 3. (3) Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 8.32 4. (4) Justin Rose(England) 7.60 5. (5) Adam Scott (Australia) 7.44 6. (6) Matt Kuchar 6.64 7. (7) Brandt Snedeker 6.59 8. (8) Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 5.94 9. (9) Luke Donald(England) 5.40 10. (17) Keegan Bradley 5.10 11. (19) Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 5.09 12. (10) Lee Westwood (England) 5.07 13. (11) Steve Stricker 4.92 14. (13) Charl Schwartzel(South Africa) 4.72 15. (14) Ernie Els (South Africa) 4.65 16. (12) Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 4.65 17. (15) Ian Poulter (England) 4.61 18. (16) Sergio garcia (Spain) 4.59 19. (18) Bubba Watson 4.31 20. (20) Jason Day (Australia) 4.26 (Editing by Caroline Helly)

Golf-Woods the favourite at Oak Hill after Firestone win

Golf-Woods the favourite at Oak Hill after Firestone win

August 5, 2013








By Mark Lamport-Stokes

Aug 5 (Reuters) - The PGA Championship has often been the most unpredictable of all four majors but this week, at Oak Hill Country Club, Tiger Woods will start out as a heavy favourite after coasting to his 79th PGA Tour victory on Sunday.

Though the American world number one has not claimed a major title since his remarkable playoff victory at the 2008 U.S. Open, his runaway triumph at Firestone Country Clubon Sunday suggested that every component of his game is in top order.

Granted, Woods was competing at one of his favourite venues but, by firing a brilliant nine-under-par 61 on Friday, he distanced himself from an elite field before romping home by seven shots to win the event for a record eighth time.

It was his fifth PGA Tour victory of the year and the 10th time he has piled up as many wins in a single season.

"Any time you can go into a major tournament, or any tournament, with a win under your belt it's nice," Woods told reporters at Firestone. "It validates what you're working on and you have some nice momentum going in there."

While Woods was a dominant figure at Firestone, with the quality of his iron play particularly impressive, he will once again come under the spotlight after failing to add to his career tally of 14 majors over the past five years.

He has often played his way into contention over the first two rounds only for his game to fade over the weekend with his driving and putting the main contributors.

Has his title drought in the majors sharpened his appetite to win more as he strives to get closer to the record 18 piled up by his childhood idol Jack Nicklaus?

"No, it's the same," said Woods, a four-times winner of the PGA Championship. "Those are the events that we try and peak for and try and win.

"There's four of them a year and each and every major, I always want them. I've been successful 14 times and hopefully (Oak Hill) will be 15."

Woods has been installed as the tournament favourite at 7-2 by British bookmakers William Hill.

However, unpredictability has been the predominant theme going into all the majors in recent years and this week's PGA Championship par-70 East Course at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, is no exception.


UNPREDICTABLE TREND

Eighteen different players have combined to win the last 20 majors and that trend could continue with players such asEnglishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood andAmericans Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker aiming for their first grand-slam crowns.

"In general, golfers and fields are getting closer," said former world number one Donald who has recorded eight top-10s in the majors, including a tie for third at the 2006 PGA Championship.

"It's becoming tougher to win these days. There's a lot of great talent out there and technology has probably brought golfers a little bit closer. It's all about finding that right time when it (winning a major) happens."

Oak Hill's heavily tree-lined East Course, a par-70 layout measuring 7,163 yards off the back tees, will be staging its third PGA championship and the players are preparing for a stiff challenge.

"The rough is extremely long and thick, as long and thick of rough as I've seen in a long time," said British Open champion Phil Mickelson who played a practice round at Oak Hill a week ago.

"It's really pristine but it's difficult, as you can imagine, like any major championship. Like a U.S. Open, it will have a premium on getting the ball in play off the tee and so forth."

Northern Irish world number three Rory McIlroy, who romped to victory in last year's PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record eight shots, liked the look of Oak Hill when he played there in June.

"When I think of the PGA Championship, I think of courses like this," McIlroy said. "This course is timeless. It's not only long but it's hard to drive the ball well.

"You've got to shape a lot of shots at Oak Hill. The par-threes are strong holes, and you're going to have to hit some good iron shots. You've got some (birdie) chances out there but then again you've got a tough finish."

Of all the majors in recent times, the PGA attracts the strongest field - this week 99 of the world's top 100 are scheduled to compete - and yet it has often been the most likely to throw up a surprise winner.

The championship was won in consecutive years from 2002 by unheralded Americans Rich Beem and Shaun Micheel, underlining that any player is capable of victory.

Keegan Bradley, in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, clinched the 2011 title in a playoff with fellowAmerican Jason Dufner after starting the week ranked 108th in the world, and both players are likely to contend again this week.

Also likely to flourish are Masters champion Adam Scott, fellow Australia Jason Day, U.S. Open winner Justin Rose of England, Americans Bubba Watson, Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan, and South African Charl Schwartzel. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Clare Fallon)

Golf-Groupings for first two rounds at PGA Championship

Golf-Groupings for first two rounds at PGA Championship

August 5, 2013








Aug 5 (Reuters) - Tee times and groupings for the first two

rounds of the PGA Championship being played at Oak Hill Country

Club in Rochester, New York, from Thursday (times are local, for

GMT add four hours; U.S. unless stated):

Thursday, Aug. 8, first hole-Friday, Aug. 9, 10th hole

0710-1220: Rob Labritz, John Senden (Australia), Shane Lowry

(Ireland)

0720-1230: Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Bob Gaus, Luke

Guthrie

0730-1240: Marc Leishman (Australia), Josh Teater, Pablo

Larrazabal (Spain)

0740-1250: Tommy Gainey, Ryan Palmer, David Hearn (Canada)

0750-1300: Michael Thompson, Marcel Siem (Germany), Bo Van Pelt

0800-1310: Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, Mark Brooks

0810-1320: Richard Sterne (South Africa), Scott Brown, David

Lingmerth (Sweden)

0820-1330: Ben Curtis, Marcus Fraser (Australia), Peter Hanson

(Sweden)

0830-1340: Stewart Cink, Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Rafael

Cabrera-Bello (Spain)

0840-1350: Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark), Brian Gay, David Lynn

(England)

0850-1400: Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), David McNabb, Branden

Grace (South Africa)

0900-1410: Caine Fitzgerald, Kevin Streelman, Bernd Wieseberger

(Austria)

0910-1420: J.C. Anderson, Matt Jones (Australia), Jaco van Zyl

(South Africa)

Thursday, Aug. 8, 10th hole-Friday, Aug. 9, first hole

0715-1225: Charley Hoffman, Bob Sowards, Matt Every

0725-1235: Mark Sheftic, Robert Garrigus, Hiroyuki Fujita

(Japan)

0735-1245: Hunter Mahan, Paul Casey (England), Billy Horschel

0745-1255: Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Steve Stricker, Jason

Dufner

0755-1305: Sergio Garcia (Spain), Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler

0805-1315: Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland), Ernie Els (South

Africa), Bill Haas

0815-1325: David Toms, Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Yang

Yong-eun (South Korea)

0825-1335: Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Dustin Johnson, Charl

Schwartzel (South Africa)

0835-1345: Davis Love III, Keegan Bradley, Tiger Woods

0845-1355: Peter Uihlein, Jim Furyk, Thomas Bjorn (Denmark)

0855-1405: K.J. Choi (South Korea), Ryan Polzin, Jonas Blixt

(Sweden)

0905-1415: Scott Stallings, Jason Kokrak, Jeff Sorenson


0915-1425: Scott Jamieson (Scotland), Roberto Castro, Stuart

Smith

Thursday, Aug. 8, first hole-Friday, Aug. 9, 10th hole

1225-0715: John Huh, Ryo Ishikawa (Japan), Danny Balin

1235-0725: Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland), Tom Watson, Paul

McGinley (Ireland)

1245-0735: Kohki Idoki (Japan), Rod Perry, Nick Watney

1255-0745: Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium), Jason Day (Australia),

Brandt Snedeker

1305-0755: Tim Clark (South Africa), Lee Westwood (England),

Bubba Watson

1315-0805: Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Webb Simpson, Angel

Cabrera (Argentina)

1325-0815: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Vijay Singh (Fiji),

Martin Kaymer (Germany)

1335-0825: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Luke Donald

(England), Jordan Spieth

1345-0835: Adam Scott (Australia), Justin Rose (England), Phil

Mickelson

1355-0845: Lucas Glover, Ian Poulter (England), Zach Johnson

1405-0855: Kevin Chappell, Christopher Wood (England), Mike

Small

1415-0905: Kevin Stadler, Chip Sullivan, Chris Stroud

1425-0915: Sonny Skinner, Gary Woodland, Richie Ramsay

(Scotland)

Thursday, Aug. 8, 10th hole-Friday, Aug. 9, first hole

1220-0710: Mark Brown, Scott Piercy, Brooks Koepka

1230-0720: Derek Ernst, Jeff Martin, Charles Howell III

1240-0730: Ken Duke, Matteo Manassero (Italy), Jimmy Walker

1250-0740: Danny Willett (England), Joost Luiten (Netherlands),

Russell Henley

1300-0750: Freddie Jacobson (Sweden), George Coetzee (South

Africa), Harris English

1310-0800: Boo Weekley, Francesco Molinari (Italy), Thongchai

Jaidee (Thailand)

1320-0810: Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Ryan Moore, Alex Noren

(Sweden)

1330-0820: Brett Rumford (Australia), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia),

John Merrick

1340-0830: Bae Sang-moon (South Korea), Woody Austin, Martin

Laird (Scotland)

1350-0840: Carl Pettersson (Sweden), D.A. Points, Mikko Ilonen

(Finland)

1400-0850: Graham DeLaet (Canada), Kirk Hanefeld, Kyle Stanley

1410-0900: David Muttitt, Charlie Beljan, Brendon de Jonge

(Zimbabwe)

1420-0910: Lee Rhind, Chris Kirk, Marc Warren (Scotland)

(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)