Tiger at the Masters: 'I'll
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have to watch what I say

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on TV' - Peter Alliss

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FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
Peter Alliss is 79-years-old. Or, as he prefers to put it, "seven-over-par". In a week's time, he'll be heading for Georgia to tee off his 23rd season as the BBC's main golf commentator. Covering events like The Masters have almost become second nature to Alliss yet, on this occasion, he admits to feeling a sense of trepidation.
The reason is the name on everyone's lips. Unlike most, however, Alliss isn't too worried that Tiger Woods might not be strong enough mentally to be making his return after a near five-month absence at the opening major of the season. His concern is about the words he utters when the world No1 is framed within the TV cameras at Augusta National.
Famed for his flippant remarks, Alliss was going about some business quietly recently when, out of the blue, it dawned on him. Woods won't be the only person in the spotlight at The Masters. A word out of place by commentators, he says, could have disastrous consequences.
"I've got to be very mindful in two weeks time about what I say," he remarked. "I can sometimes get a bit silly, romantic or whatever. I will have to be very mindful that I am not too flippant, I'm not too supportive, I'm not too down on him. It's almost (got to be] as if nothing has ever happened.
"I would think it could be one of the biggest tests of my career. I hadn't thought about it until the last two weeks, to be honest, but I've got to be very careful because I could destroy myself. And I'm not going to do that after 40 years on bloody Tiger Woods' sh******."
Every man and his dog has wanted to talk to Alliss about Woods over the last few months. During a visit to Glasgow before Christmas to attend a lunch hosted by the Scottish Region of the PGA, he suggested the world's top golfer should appear on a celebrity chat show and confess he was a sex addict.
"It would appear that if you declare yourself as an addict of something in America and have treatment for it, you get sympathy," said Alliss back then. "If he's going to declare he's a sex addict, like Michael Douglas, the actor did, and went to a clinic for treatment, and says he is trying to get back on track, that could be in his favour."
While Woods has stopped short of admitting to such an addiction, the 34-year-old has been receiving therapy. Alliss, though, still shakes his head in disbelief any time he reflects on the spectacular nature of Woods seeing his life fall apart.
"I know there are certain people addicted to certain things – that's a fact of life," he said. "Some people are addicted to sunbeds or sunshine, others to gardening or booze or something. However, I think for a man it is very difficult to be addicted to sex.
"In a way, and this is just an opinion that may be unfounded, I get the feeling that Tiger might have been suppressed as a kid under his father's thumb and under his mother's guidance, almost prepared to be a Catholic celibate priest, you might say, until, he became the kiddie in the sweetie shop.
"They were all there and he found he could have anyone he wanted. As for his selection of women, for an intelligent man and probably one of the 20 most famous faces in the world, how he thought he could go to places that were a little bit, well you know what, and get away with it is beyond my comprehension."
Warming to the theme, Alliss added: "It's almost as if he's done this ten years too late (in life]. In doing so, his behaviour has thrown a cloak of tardiness over his life."
Even Alliss has been surprised by the enormity of the story. "I know plenty of golfers who've sh***** more women than he's ever waved a stick at but no-one has ever known anything about it," he remarked.
"Because he was found out and who he is – and also because of the press we live with today – it's a huge story. It's been as big a bloody story as the world recession, for goodness sake. Tiger's been doing this, he's been doing that is all we've heard for weeks now."
It's likely to be pretty much all we'll be hearing over the next couple of weeks as well. After endless speculation, Woods has decided to make his comeback in the full glare of the opening major of the season.
"His presence at The Masters could take away from the tournament, it certainly could," observed Alliss. "It would have been very interesting if the Augusta people had said, 'sorry we aren't accepting your entry' but that would have been construed as being very petty.
"Nevertheless, I think they are in a position to get a member of the committee to tell him, 'Mr Woods, you have come to our club and you will behave yourself otherwise you might not get back'.
"Although he has won there in the past, if he mucks it up, then he might not be invited back again. I think they have an opportunity to fire a shot across his bows without letting the world know about it."
Woods was criticised for making his first public statement since admitting "transgressions" during the Accenture World Match Play Championship earlier in the year. Last weekend, he gave his first TV interviews on the final day of another big tournament.
"When Ernie Els said Tiger was 'selfish' I thought that was a bit of a childish thing to say at first. But he's right," said Alliss. "He could have taken away a bit of the glamour from (Jim] Furyk (the winner of last week's Transitions Championship], though I don't think Jim would really have minded because he's off with the cheque.
"You could easily say Tiger has always been selfish. But that's what life is about. People are selfish. Whether you are Branson with his Virgin brand or whoever. Everything these people do is done is motivated to do something for them."
Perhaps it was the Yorkshire air – he was at Oulton Hall on the outskirts of Leeds to launch a new golf membership concept for the De Vere Group – or, alternatively, it may have been another example of him not caring these days about being politically correct. Whatever the reason, "The Scotsman" seemed to catch Alliss on a day when he was keen to express robust opinions.
The Masters tournament itself got him a bit hot and bothered, though not nearly as much, bizarrely, as the literacy rates in Scotland or, to a lesser extent, the lack of Scottish support for an event he has hosted in the home of golf for more than 20 years.
"While I would defend the Augusta people with my dying breath, they are a strange bunch and I certainly don't agree with everything they do," he opined. "There are certain things I would do at Augusta that I think would make it better. In fact, I have written to them but have never even had a reply.
"I found it interesting having been there for 40 years, for example, that there was that great furore a few years ago about the old stars taking up places in the field. I would still want them to be there and I would have a competition for them that started at the tenth.
"There are 30,000 people in there each day from 9am yet they go down the bottom of the course and don't see any golf for five hours. Put the old boys off at the tenth, put them off front tees and give them buggies if they want. They'd play nine holes every day and at the end of it present the winner with a piece of Waterford Crystal.
"You're not telling me that a cavalcade of champions, if you like, would detract from the occasion. I'm sure the spectators would love it. I think it would be a cracking idea."
While born in Germany and regarded by many as standing for middle England, Alliss has an affinity for Scotland. His father, Percy, served with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in the First World War, Alliss himself won the Tooting Bec Cup (awarded to the PGA member with the lowest single-round score) for a 67 at Muirfield in the 1959 Open and many of his most treasured commentaries have been on Scottish soil.
He obviously keeps a close eye on non-golfing matters north of the Border, too. In an extraordinary response to a straightforward golf question about whether he felt it was a disappointment that, for the third year running, Sandy Lyle would be flying the Saltire on his own at The Masters, Alliss launched into an unsolicited social commentary on 21st century Scotland.
"The biggest disappointment for me about Scotland in the last ten years – and I am listening to all this bull**** coming out from the government about education being wonderful – is that Scotland has 17 per cent illiteracy at the moment," he said in reply.
"I'm reading this and telling myself, 'hold on a minute, calm down'. When I was a young lad 50 years ago, the Scots took education and engineering around the bloody world. Yet now I'm reading about this level of illiteracy and I can't believe it.
"If I were a Scot, I'd be saying: 'Hang on a minute, this is ridiculous.' We used to be 100 per cent literacy'."
Turning his attention to the Alliss Masters, an annual event held at Elie to raise money for powered wheelchairs, he added: "I love Scotland but I find many things about Scotland strange. I've done an Alliss Masters at Elie for 23 years and we've given away hundreds of powered wheelchairs as a result of that event.
"However, not one Scottish club contributes. My partner in the event, Dr Hamish McLeod, says he can't understand that and I can't either. It is extraordinary, as the Scots are so passionate about some things."
When Alliss eventually gets on to talking about Lyle, it has nothing to do with The Masters. "If I was Sandy Lyle, I think I would be disappointed with the cards I'd been dealt," he remarked. "Maybe something has happened behind scenes I don't know about. I've heard it rumoured that his wife isn't popular but that can't be right. She's always been all right with me.
"Whether Sandy has been too English, too docile or something, I don't know. But, he deserved to be Ryder Cup captain. I deserved to be Ryder Cup captain yet never had a look in. Neither has Sandy – and he won't get it now."
Alliss has seen it and done it. A professional at 16, winner of 23 major tournaments and member of eight Ryder Cup teams, he has worked for the BBC at every Open since 1961, having been signed up by the corporation after Ray Lakeland, a producer, sat near him on a flight from Dublin and marvelled at his humour.
A few years ago a newspaper organised a poll asking readers to vote on whether Alliss was past his sell-by date and should he go. They were compelled to announce that it was eight to one in favour of Alliss staying. A member of the staff phoned him to whisper that the real figure was more than 10 to one.
Alliss will head for Augusta National – he has high hopes of commentating on a British winner this year, with Rory McIlroy and Ross Fisher the two players he believes have the game to do well there – with a heavy heart following the death earlier this week of Harry Carpenter, a former member of the BBC golf team.
"I was talking about Harry today and I nearly had a tear. Heck, I'm going to do it now," said Alliss. "I have never thought about death and I am 80 next birthday. I don't feel 80 and I feel I can hold conversations with anyone about myriad subjects. I want to pack it in before they say it is time to go.
"They ended Harry's time without telling him properly. I was at the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews and one of the stage hands came up and asked me if I knew that this was Harry's last tournament. I'm supposed to be one of the stars yet a stage hand knew before me and, sure enough, his contract had come to an end and no-one called him, and they let him go."
+The full article above appears in The Scotsman newspaper today.

Coming soon ... Details of the inaugural Morocco Golf Festival

Watch this space later this week for details of the Morocco Golf Festival.
Based at Marrakech, it will offer the chance to play five top courses in the area.
It's an amateur golf week with competitions for senior men, senior women, men, women, Under-16 boys and girls & Under-18 boys and girls.
It will be held from October 9 to 16 and the Tournament Director will be the man who started the successful Hacienda del Alamo Women's/Girls' Festival in Spain - yes, Colin Farquharson.

Tiger has Nike's support however long he stays out of golf

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
Nike will continue to support Tiger Woods even though the world's best golfer has taken an indefinite leave from the game to deal with personal issues.
Nike brand president Charlie Denson said today does not want Woods back on the course until he sorts out his private life, which has been in the public spotlight since a car crash outside his Florida home last November.
Woods issued a public apology last week for his infidelity and has sought in-patient treatment.
"Under the circumstances, the more he deals with the issues and the better he deals with them, the better off he'll be when he does return," Denson told The Associated Press.
The sports giant's $650 million golf sector has been one of the hardest-hit segments of its business during the global recession, but Nike is standing by Woods, despite any damage done to its image by his high-profile transgressions.
AT&T and Accenture dropped Woods from their roster of sponsorships, and others like Procter & Gamble Co.'s Gillette and Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer de-emphasised him in their marketing.
"We've been supportive of Tiger since the story broke and we continue to be supportive," Denson said. "He's got issues he needs to deal with and he's dealing with them. We are looking forward to him getting back on the golf course."
Woods said last week that he spent 45 days in treatment and he planned to seek additional therapy. He did not say when he'll return to the course.
"We've been in touch with his camp," Denson said. "We're very comfortable with where he's at, how he's dealing with it and we're looking forward to his return."

David Feherty becomes US citizen - and that's no joke!

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
CBS golf analyst and Golf Magazine columnist David Feherty turned briefly serious and emotional this week as he officially became a United States citizen at the new Citizenship and Immigration Building in Irving, Texas.
Feherty, a Northern Ireland native who moved to the Dallas area in the late 1990s, bypassed the wisecracks that have made him famous, saying he was honoured and humbled to finally become an American citizen.
Feherty, who is off this week from his CBS duties, had to pass the citizenship test. Then he was one of two dozen new citizens to take the oath of allegiance to his new country. He was one of the few people selected to talk to his fellow new citizens about what becoming an American meant.
After the official ceremony, Feherty, 51, was surprised by his wife, Anita, with a party. The participants included long-time friend and golf legend Tom Watson and several wounded combat veterans. Feherty has been active in supporting charities that help wounded soldiers, including organising golf tournaments and travelling to Iraq with other golfers.
Watson, Feherty and long-drive champion Art Sellinger have all been to Iraq together to visit the U.S. troops.
"It was a very special and emotional day for David and all of us," said Sellinger. "You know how passionate he is about our military. All of his special friends were there, and it is no secret how close he and Tom are."
A native of Bangor, Northern Ireland, Feherty played on the 1991 European Ryder Cup team and was a regular on the European Tour, where he won several times.
The highlight of the celebration lunch came when some of the wounded soldiers presented their friend with a folded American flag that had flown over a U.S. base that Feherty had visited in Iraq.

Crisis-hit Irish golf clubs desperate for new members

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Golf club memberships in Ireland have plummeted by 25 per cent — and waiting lists at once exclusive clubs have now disappeared.
Crisis-hit clubs are now begging for new members and are dramatically reducing membership and green fees.
Kevin Mulcahy, from Golf Management and Marketing Services, says: “Membership numbers are down by about 25%. It ranges from 20 to 30%, depending on the golf club.
“Green fees are also down by the same amount.
“A busy golf club might have earned around €1m a year, but now they're down by €250,000, which is a huge cut off their income.”
Golf clubs are now “in a very serious situation” and the industry needs to change in order to adapt to the recession, according to the management expert.
He added: “The golf clubs that will be able to survive the recession are those that are reducing their fees and advertising attractive golf resort packages.”

Golf writers an endangered species on both sides of Atlantic

FROM THE GOLFWEEK.COM WEBSITE
By Alex Miceli
Sitting in the rain at Riviera, I thought it might be nice to spread some good news for a change about the golf industry.
Jeff Shain, formally of the Miami Herald, has hooked on at the Orlando Sentinel as – believe it or not – the newspaper’s golf writer.
Now this is REAL news, a welcome change from what we had become all too accustomed to hearing with newspaper after newspaper dropping both golf writers and a considerable amount of golf coverage.
This week alone, outside of the local newspapers, only Larry Dorman of the New York Times is reporting at the Northern Trust Open.
In the old days, five or six newspapers from places such as Boston, Orlando, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Dallas used to make the trip on a annual basis.
With the fact that the Florida papers have not seen a US PGA Tour stop in a long time, having Shain joining the Sentinel can only be a plus for golf coverage.

COMMENT FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
The Scottish/British public are probably not aware and wouldn't care anyway but the number of full-time newspaper staff golf writers/reporters is dwindling just as much on this side of the Atlantic as it is in the States.
When I was a young general sports reporter cutting my teeth at Scottish golf tournaments back in the 1960s-1970s, there could be as many as eight, nine or 10 staff golf writers sent by the sports editors of Scottish morning and evening newspapers to tournaments such as the Northern Open, the Scottish professional championship, the Scottish amateur championship, etc.
But these are increasingly hard times for newspapers. Their income from advertising is diminishing, their circulation figures are going through the floor as readers get their news from TV or even websites such as this!
Live scoring offered by some tournament organisers on websites means sports editors don't have to authorise expensive hotel stays and daily meals away from home. Their man can report on a tournament without leaving his office desk, although without access to players' quotes.
Newspapers still devote a lot of space to top-level professional tournaments, sometimes covered by an agency, but carry increasingly less about smaller, domestic competitions.
Where will it all end? I don't think golf writers as a breed will go the way of the Dodo ... but they are an endangered species. Cherish them while the few survivors are still among you!

Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Paul Lawrie signs sponsorship deal with Cloud9 personal aviation

NEWS RELEASE
Paul Lawrie has signed an exclusive sponsorship agreement with Cloud9, the international personal aviation company.
Lawrie, from Aberdeen, has not only achieved success on golf’s European Tour with four tournament wins, but has also managed one of golf’s greatest ever achievements by winning the Open championship in 1999.
Cloud9, based in New York and Edinburgh, have also developed into an established player in its own field of private aviation, where it prides itself on an elite level of service to an elite group of private and corporate clients. Through its global network, Cloud9 is perfectly placed to provide flights and servicing to its clients worldwide.
CEO Andrew Mason commented: “We are delighted to form a relationship with Paul Lawrie, who is one of Scotland’s greatest achievers in the game of golf. To have Paul promoting and supporting Cloud9 when he plays events all over the World is a fantastic marketing tool for us. The demographic of golf and golf professionals is a perfect target audience for the elite air travel service that we offer.”
On signing the agreement, Lawrie was similarly pleased to be partnering with a company dedicated to providing a first class personal service to its clients. He stated: “I’m really excited to be starting a relationship with Cloud9 and I look forward to using their fleet of aircraft to travel back from a number of tournaments this year. We’ve been very impressed by their dedicated team and the service that they provide.”
The agreement will see Lawrie wearing the Cloud9 corporate logo on his clothing in the coming year.

About Cloud9:
Cloud9 International is one of the leading aviation companies operating globally and offering a range of services including jets, helicopters, limousines, concierge and close protection. Its client base is drawn from music and entertainment, celebrity, sports, private wealth and corporate. For more information on the incredible range of membership benefits, go to
www.cloud9-jets.com

Jim Thorpe (60) jailed for a

year for tax evasion

Winner of three US PGA Tour events and 13 times on the US Champions (Senior) Tour, Jim Thorpe, now 60 years old, has been jailed for 12 months for failing to pay more than $2 million in income tax.
An Orlando, Florida court ruled that Thorpe must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by April 1 and that his sentence be followed by two years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service.
Thorpe must also make efforts to repay the tax while on supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the offence last September.
Thorpe played in more than 450 tournaments on the US Tour and had three top-10 finishes in majors -- two in the US Open and one in the US PGA Championship.
He has won 13 times, including one major, in more than 300 events on the US Champions (Seniors) Tour.
Thorpe has more than $13 million in career earnings as a professional golfer, according to the US PGA Tour website.
Prosecutors said that for 2002, 2003 and 2004, Thorpe did not file an individual tax return until after he was confronted by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to court documents, the amount of unreported income for the three years was $5.36 million and the tax loss was $2.06 million.

Advice to golf clubs: Stick with winter greens

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
The Scottish Golf Union has teamed up with one of Britain's leading turf specialists to offer advice to golf clubs as their courses recover from the recent bad weather.
In conjunction with the SGU, the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) has issued guidance outlining the potential impact of the cold weather and advice on how greenkeepers and club committees can cope with the problems caused by the snow and ice that has covered golf courses over the past few weeks.
"With many golfers eager to get back on to the golf course following a longer than average winter lay-off, the guidance notice also offers advice on getting your golf course back on track in preparation for the 2010 playing season," said Kevin Weir, the SGU's Golf Services Manager.
The guidance notice has been circulated to club secretaries and, at many courses, it looks as though it is going to result in winter greens being in operation with clubs being advised to resist the temptation to rush back on to putting surfaces.
"It is the prolonged period of frost and ice cover that is an unknown quantity for many turf managers in the UK," the STRI notes in the guidance.
"As this is fairly uncharted territory in the UK, we are unsure of the potential damage that may be caused. Once the ice has been removed, it will be important to provide some rest to the greens to allow the turf to overcome the period of stress and recover from any damage that may have occurred.
"Do not be tempted to open surfaces for play too quickly."
Tommy Shepherd says the recent weather is the worst he has experienced in his 20 years as the head greenkeeper at Monktonhall.
"We've been closed for almost five weeks, although, with the temperature up and a thaw on, I'm hoping to get nine or ten holes open today," he said.
"The snow is almost away and it is mainly ice damage that's left. From the agronomy side of things, it is better to let nature takes its course because you can start doing damage if you chip away at the ice."
Another problem is that the sun can magnify through the ice and burn the grass a bit – I've experienced that before."

Tiger Woods Foundation to help Haitian people

The Tiger Woods Foundation may be providing as much as $3 million to help relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Haiti.
Greg McLaughlin, the president of the Foundation, said his staff were evaluating "the most appropriate role" to help the Haitian people.
"Our plan is be part of the relief effort to help rebuild Haiti by supporting organisations that provide critical resources to young people, which is consistent with our mission and previous efforts regarding Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami," McLaughlin said in a statement.
McLaughlin said he had not received any information from rap mogul Russell Simmons, who made the claim about Woods' donation on his Twitter page.
Woods has not been seen in public since a November 27 car accident that touched off a media frenzy over marital infidelity. He said in December he would take an indefinite break from golf to address issues in his personal life.
Woods established the foundation when he turned professional in 1996. It focuses on providing educational resources and opportunities to disadvantaged youth.
Woods' foundation gave $100,000 to tsunami relief efforts in 2004 through Give2Asia, with the money directed toward two groups providing sanctuary and relief to children.
It also gave the Baton Rouge Area Foundation $200,000 to set up a Hurricane Katrina educational fund.

Now Tiger loses his "wheels" arrangement with GM

Car-making giant General Motors (GM) has said an arrangement that allowed troubled golf star Tiger Woods free access to its vehicles is over.
The world's No 1 golfer had an endorsement contract with GM's Buick brand, but that ended in 2008.
However, an arrangement remained that allowed him to keep several GM motors on loan. A company spokesman has now said the deal ended at the end of 2009.
Woods has lost a number of endorsements since crashing his car on 27 November.
A GM spokesman said the loan arrangement had previously been scheduled to end on December 31. But for the sudden revelation of Tiger's catastrophic image -wrecker, there can be no question that General Motors would have continued the grace-and-favour gesture.

A side view of the East Kilbride clubhouse from the club's website.

East Kilbride clubhouse destroyed in evening blaze

East Kilbride GC clubhouse was destroyed by fire last night.
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said they had been called around 6pm on Tuesday night to deal with a blaze at East Kilbride Golf Club, located in the town’s Chapelside Road. There are no reports of casualties.
A spokesperson from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue stated: "The initial appliances and crews attending were faced with an established and rapidly developing fire within the clubhouse premises. Due to the severity of the fire and very limited water supplies, an early call for further assistance and appliances was made."
At least eight fire appliances were in attendance in the blaze. The fire service added that their efforts to deal with the blaze were "severely hampered by poor water supplies, strong winds and rapid hidden fire spread through roof voids".
An investigation has now been launched to determine the cause of the blaze.
Firefighters are expected to be in attendance for some time, the spokesperson concluded.
The club, founded in 1900, has moved three times, and is currently at the edge of the Lanarkshire town. The current 6,402 yard, 18-hole course celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007

Jack Nicklaus can see the day when China

will dominate World of Golf

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE

Jack Nicklaus has singled out Ireland's Padraig Harrington as Tiger Woods' closest current rival, but believes the game will be dominated by China in the future.
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Links to more golf stories:
Nicklaus joins Palmer as honorary Masters starter, shouldn't stop now
Woods never seeks golf advice from Nicklaus, who says that's okay
Nicklaus cheered by Watson's amazing week at Open last summer
===========================

Woods remains peerless among his contemporaries with 14 major victories -- 11 more than Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh and only four short of Nicklaus' all-time record. However, since a knee injury forced him to miss the 2008 British Open and PGA Championship, Woods has not won any of golf's premier events.
Harrington took advantage to win the two tournaments in which Woods was absent, and with Mickelson playing a reduced schedule due to his wife's battle with cancer, Nicklaus believes the Irishman has proved himself a worthy challenger.
"Tiger is the only one who has been in the middle of it almost every time you turn around," said Nicklaus. "Harrington seems to do a pretty good job of it, certainly in the last couple of years.
"In the heat of the battle he has done very well," he added. "Vijay Singh did for a while but Tiger seems to have it pretty much by himself."
However, Nicklaus expects to see one nation, rather than one man, dominate the sport in years to come -- especially as golf has been added to the Olympics for 2016 and 2020.
"With the numbers in China and the way they approach their sport, I would not be surprised to see five of the world's top 10 in the next 20 years be Chinese," he added.
"They plan to build 1,400 public courses in the next five years if it becomes an Olympic sport, so they will obviously go after it and learn," he explained. "For me, that is fantastic because it grows the game on a worldwide basis.
"I don't think the Olympics will affect America and Britain as much as it will the rest of the world," he said. "The Olympic movement will be the most influential thing for the game. It will explode in the Asian countries.
"From their standpoint it will help produce some really good players. There will still be good US players and good British players but there will be more good players from around the world who will compete," he said.

"Golf is an international game. I couldn't care less whether it comes from America, Britain, Africa, Asia -- it doesn't make any difference."
Woods' loss to Korea's Y.E. Yang at the 2009 PGA Championship was the first time in his professional career he had lost a major having led heading into the final day, but Nicklaus still expects Woods to surpass his 18-major record.
"I would assume he will. I think everyone assumes he will," added Nicklaus. "My guess is he will break it and will probably break it fairly easily -- but he has yet to do it.
"When he does it that is fine, but don't put the cart before the horse," he explained. "What happened at the PGA was very unusual. Tiger has always played good solid golf down the stretch and then usually makes a birdie and all of a sudden everyone falls away.
"On this occasion he played solid golf down the stretch, but when Yang proceeded to play well, Tiger lost his patience," he said. "He made the kind of mistakes everyone else has been making, so it will be interesting when he comes back."

PA SPORTS

CHANGES to the DECISIONS on the RULES OF GOLF

From January 1, no relief allowed from divot hole or repaired divot hole

By RON MENZIES
As usual, half way through the four-year life of an edition of The Rules of Golf, the R&A has published a new Decisions Book. This contains some 30 new decisions and amended versions of further 49 revised decisions which come into effect on January 1, 2010.
Many of these merit detailed consideration only by serious students of the rules, budding referees and quiz masters and require a thorough knowledge to understand their complexity. However, there is one change that will require immediate action by many club committees and the awareness of all golfers.
New decision 33-8/34 now removes the authority for a committee to make a local rule “providing relief without penalty from a divot hole or a repaired divot hole (i.e. filled with sand or seed mix)”
At least half the golf clubs in Scotland have such a local rule and these must be withdrawn immediately before any qualifying competitions for handicap purposes can be played. Such a local rule contravenes Rule 13-1 which states that a ball must be played as it lies and has generally not been used in professional and major amateur competitions.
It is often mistakenly believed that this rule protects the golf course. If relief is given or indeed demanded from a seeded divot hole, a second divot hole is created and requires repair, leaving two seeded divots holes. If the ball is played from the original hole it may require repair but only one hole remains.



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Sergio Garcia arguably the biggest disappointment of 2009

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
The end-of-year world professional rankings are out - and they make pretty clear who are the stars of 2009 and who are the flops.
INTO the game's top 10 from a year ago have come Northern Ireland's 20-year-old Rory McIlroy, England's Paul Casey and Americans Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry.
OUT go Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, Robert Karlsson, Camilo Villegas and Ernie Els.
The biggest climbers are US PGA champion Y E Yang, who started the season 478th and finishes it at 31st, and Italian Edoardo Molinari, who has climbed from 653rd to 48th.
The biggest fallers are 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who suffered a wrist injury and crashed from 20th to 133rd, Australian Aaron Baddeley (36th to 139th) and Swede Carl Pettersson (62nd to 212th).
Tiger Woods stayed at the top all year but came close to losing the world number one spot in March as a result of his eight-month lay-off following knee surgery, and the gap is bound to close again now that he has announced an indefinite break to try to sort out his personal life.
As Woods approaches his 34th birthday on December 30 - not much to celebrate, you would think, either for him or his wife Elin when she turns 30 on New Year's Day - it is interesting to note that the majority of players in the world's top 50 are now younger than him.
Chief amongst them, of course, are McIlroy, up from 39th to ninth, and 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa, who has climbed from 60th to 30th.
But the old guys still had their moments. Kenny Perry, 50 next June, almost won The Masters and, far more amazingly, Tom Watson nearly captured a sixth Open title two months before he reached 60.
From a European perspective the biggest disappointment had to be Garcia. He started 2009 second in the rankings and had a chance to topple Woods, but never managed a top-three finish all year.

Trump buys two courses in

north-east America


Donald Trump not only builds golf courses, he buys ready-made ones.
The American billionaire has paid undisclosed sums to become the owner of one course in the south of New Jersey State and another in Hudson Valley, New York State.
Dan Scavino, executive vice president of the Trump Organisation's Trump Golf Division, said that the Pine Hill Golf Club in Pine Hill, New Jersey, would be renamed Trump National Golf Club-Philadelphia. Scavino would not say how much his boss paid for the Tom Fazio-designed course, which offers views of the Philadelphia skyline. The more widely-known Pine Valley Golf Club is a neighbouring course.
Scavino said the company plans to convert the semi-private course into a luxury private members club.
Trump also has bought Branton Woods Golf Club at Hopewell Junction, New York. It will be renamed Trump National Golf Club-Hudson Valley.

Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Tiger Woods named Athlete of the Decade

Tiger Woods has been voted Athlete of the Decade by members of the Associated Press, a worldwide news agency which supplies newspapers, TV and radio with reports.
Tiger's 10 years of incomparable golf outweighed nearly three weeks of a salacious sex scandal.
Just like so many of his 64 victories worldwide and 12 majors dating to 2000, it wasn't much of a contest.
Woods received 56 of the 142 votes cast by AP member editors. More than half of the ballots were returned after his November 27 car accident which set off the sensational tales of infidelity that have tarnished Woods' image.
Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France six times this decade, finished second with 33 votes, followed by tennis Grand Slam champion Roger Federer with 25 votes.
Woods had more US PGA Tour titles in one decade than all but four of golf's greatest players won in their careers.
+According to the Daily Telegraph website, Elin Nordegren, Tiger Woods' wife, has made up her mind to divorce him and plans to make their separation permanent in the New Year.
The former Swedish swimwear model, is "not going to be one of these 'stand by your man' women", an unnamed friend told the US television news station MSNBC.
"She's a strong woman, this is beyond embarrassing, and she has a daughter and son she has to think about, who will know about this one day."

Seve 'too sick' to travel to London for launch of foundation

Severiano Ballesteros had to pull out of the launch of his foundation in London last night due to ill health. The Spaniard had been due to attend the event at London's Mandarin Oriental Hotel but was too sick to leave home, a spokesman for the charity said.
"Seve can't be at his launch because he is just too sick to travel," said the spokesman. "He obviously hoped to be in London for this but he has not recovered in time to make it. This has been unforeseen and unfortunately he is still sick."
Instead the function went ahead without the planned question and answer session hosted by Gary Lineker and a video message recorded by the 52-year-old was played to the guests.
The charity was set up in June to help raise funds with Cancer Research UK to fight brain cancer.
The three-time Open winner was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour after collapsing at Madrid airport in October 2008. He underwent four operations at Madrid's La Paz hospital before being allowed to go home before a course of chemotherapy a year ago.

Lee Westwood wins 2009 Golf Writers Trophy,

Catriona Matthew runner-up in annual poll

European No 1 Lee Westwood has won the Golf Writers’ Trophy for a third time and joined the legendary Seve Ballesteros as the only three-time recipients.
Catriona Matthew, who won the Ricoh Women’s British Open just 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter Sophie, was the clear runner-up in the annual poll (of members of the Association of Golf Writers) which saw Northern Ireland’s emerging star Rory McIlroy finish in third place and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist fourth.
After narrowly missing out at the Open Championship at Turnberry, the 36-year-old Westwood won twice in the closing weeks of the season, including the inaugural Dubai World Championship, to pip McIlroy for the Race to Dubai title. It was the second time Westwood had won the order of merit on the European Tour, although his triumph in 2000 was followed by a slump in form that saw the Worksop golfer fall out of the world’s top-250.
Westwood, who also claimed the Golf Writers’ Trophy in 1998 and 2000, said: “I am delighted to receive the award once again. It is a particular honour to have been chosen for the third time and to become one of only two players, alongside Seve, to have won it three times.
"That means an awful lot to me, especially when I consider the great players we have had on the European Tour. It is Seve who stands out in my mind for his record and his charisma and to be linked with such a great champion makes the award all the more special.
“I would also like to mention Catriona Matthew. She would have been worthy of the award considering what she achieved this year. To have won the Women’s British Open just weeks after giving birth to her second child was a spectacular achievement. I have no idea how she managed it.”
Westwood, who will receive the trophy at the Association’s annual dinner prior to the Open Championship at St Andrews in July, added: “It will be good to pick up the trophy on the week of the Open. Hopefully that will be a good omen, especially as it is at the home of golf. My priorities next year will once again be to challenge strongly for the majors. I came close this year and hope to do well in all four in 2010. Hopefully, this time I’ll win one.
“To have come through a bad patch and to have returned to the top of my game is really pleasing. I shall fine tune my game over the winter and return for the Middle East swing in January before heading for the States to prepare my run-in to the Masters.”
Catriona Matthew became the first Scot and only the fourth British player to win a major championship in the women’s game following a superb performance at Royal Lytham, which included a course record inward half of 30 in the second round. The 40-year-old North Berwick golfer had only returned to the tour the week previously at the Evian Masters, where on the eve of the tournament she and her husband had to flee a burning hotel. On Saturday Matthew was named as the Players’ Player of the Year on the Ladies European Tour.
Matthew said: “It is fantastic to be honoured in this way, alongside great players like Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Anna Nordqvist who have all had fantastic seasons. My season has obviously been a short one, not starting until July, but very successful and certainly above my expectations. I think Sophie changed my life quite a lot! A few sleepless nights but we’re getting into a routine now. I’m looking forward to spending Christmas at home with the family in Scotland.”
McIlroy, 20, won his maiden title in Dubai early in the season and narrowly missed out on being the youngest winner of the order of merit since Ballesteros in 1976, while Nordqvist, 22, won her first major, the LPGA Championship, in only her fifth start as a rookie professional.
Matteo Manassero, who at 16 became the youngest ever winner of the Amateur Championship and was then the leading amateur at the Open at Turnberry, finished fifth in the voting, alongside compatriots Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, who won the World Cup for Italy for the first time. Both enjoyed their finest seasons to date, with Edoardo claiming the Challenge Tour title and winning the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan.
Also featuring in the annual poll of members of the Association of Golf Writers, which dates back to 1951, were Paul Casey, winner of three titles including the BMW PGA Championship, Players champion Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and Shane Lowry, who won the Irish Open as an amateur.
Lewine Mair, chairman of the Association of Golf Writers, said: “The breadth of accomplishment represented in this poll is remarkable and shows that European golf is blessed with a wealth of talent. While we can expect to hear much more from youngsters such as Rory McIlroy, Anna Nordqvist and Matteo Manassero, the same applies to Lee Westwood and Catriona Matthew.
"Both have shown how long-term dedication and experience can be very effective weapons when it comes to having the upper hand on their more youthful rivals. At the same time, both serve as great role models.”

Free agent Andrew Shinie ready to listen to offers

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Any North-east golf club/centre looking for a ready-made, highly experienced club manager/secretary will be interested to know that Andrew Shinie is a free agent, ready to listen to offers.
Andrew made a name for himself as an administrator at Inchmarlo Golf Centre, Banchory over the past six years.
"I'd be delighted to hear from any golf clubs who may feel they could use my experience," says Andrew.
At Inchmarlo (July 2003 to November 2009) Shinie took care of all club administration and event management. Among the large events he managed were the Scottish Ladies County finals, the Scottish schoolboys championship, the Paul Lawrie Foundation regional Jug qualifier, the Royal Deeside Golf Classic, Magners Scottish championship regional qualifiers, various Deeside League tournaments (Scott Trophy, Barclay Harvey Cup, Kincardine and Deeside Pennant) plus numerous charity fund-raisers - the Emmerdale Days, Meningitis Research Foundation and Tenovus days being the largest.
"In addition I managed around 50 to 60 corporate days per season. I would be happy to be considered for any administrative positions at any golf club within reasonable distance of Aberdeen," says Andrew who can be contacted at andrewshinie@yahoo.co.uk

+PGA professional Andrew Locke, one of the best golf coaches in the North-east and a member of the Inchmarlo Golf Centre staff for several years, has become head of golf operations.

Watchmaker removes Tiger Woods placards from stores

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer is removing placards of Tiger Woods from jewellery stores across Australia, but says the timing is unrelated to the champion golfer's recent transgressions.
Tag Heuer is one of Woods's major sponsors, and its move this week follows Woods' spectacular fall from grace after revelations of alleged extramarital affairs.
Woods endorses the company's "Link" range of watches, and was involved in the design of the high-end titanium "Professional Golf" watch.
Smales Swiss Watch Centre manager Pino Martello said the controversy over Woods's personal life might actually increase sales.
"[The watches] are still good sellers and I believe they will continue to be good sellers," he said.
"I believe that, when things like this happen, circumstances like this can actually boost sales.
"I have seen it before."
Mr Martello said Woods's private life was irrelevant to his golfing reputation, but acknowledged the golfer's transgressions had affected people's attitudes to Tag Heuer's advertising.
"We're getting people walking past and they're looking at the range in the wrong way," he said.
"They're looking, smirking and grinning."
Meanwhile, a Californian lawmaker has shelved plans to award Tiger Woods a Congressional Medal.
"In the light of the recent developments surrounding Tiger Woods and his family, I will not pursue legislation awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal this session," Joe Baca said in a statement.
The Democratic representative introduced legislation in March 2009 seeking to award Woods the prestigious honour for "service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship and in breaking barriers with grace and dignity by showing that golf is a sport for all people".
The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian honours available in the United States.

Torrey Pines' 'famous' tree blown down in storm

A storm has blown down a cypress tree on the North Course at Torrey Pines, San Diego, that was one of the city's most photographed trees.
The cypress was located behind the downhill, par-3 sixth hole that offers a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. Its trunk was snapped near its base Tuesday morning, one of 18 trees lost on the North and South courses at Torrey Pines.
City golf manager Jon Maddern says the wind reached 58 mph during the storm.
Maddern says arborists will determine how to treat the tree, estimated to be 40 feet. The damage begins about 12 feet from the base.
Both courses at Torrey Pines will host the San Diego Open, which starts on January 28.

Driving ban for Colin Montgomerie

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Patrick Hill
Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie was yesterday banned from driving after being caught speeding. Montgomerie, 46, reached the legal maximum of 12 points on his licence when he was given three points, having been caught travelling at 37mph in a 30mph zone.
His black BMW X5 was clocked breaking the limit on the A69 eastbound in the village of
Corby Hill, near Carlisle, Cumbria, in November last year.
The European Ryder Cup captain did not attend on either day of his two-day trial at Carlisle Magistrates' Court. He pleaded not guilty through his solicitor, Michael Shrimpton. His defence counsel unsuccessfully tried to question the accuracy of the LGi2020 laser device used to record the speed, claiming it was "not foolproof" and prone to interference from side-beams.
But District Judge Gerald Chalk told the court: "I reject the defence argument. This is a Home Office-approved device. It is type approved, and whether it is vulnerable to side-beams is not something I can, or would want to, adjudicate on."
"I am satisfied Mr Montgomerie was using excessive speed. I endorse his license with three points, and as he is liable to the 12-point totting-up procedure, I am disqualifying him for six months."
Judge Chalk ordered Montgomerie to pay an £850 fine, £4,000 costs and a £15 victim surcharge, pending an appeal launched by the golfer's lawyer.

Tiger Woods apologises to family for 'transgressions'

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Tiger Woods has apologised to his family for recent "transgressions", in a statement that alluded to "personal sins" and the forced exposure of "intimate details" of his life.
He apologised today in a statement that alluded to "personal sins" and the forced exposure of "intimate details" of his life.
The 33-year-old billionaire was cited yesterday for careless driving and told he must pay a fine of $164 dollars (£98.57) in relation to an accident in the early hours of Friday morning outside his home in Florida.
==============================================
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Woods' image still worth millions
Rachel Uchitel says Tiger Woods affair rumours 'ridiculous'

==============================================
Since the incident, speculation has mounted over the golfer's personal life, with tabloid allegations that he had an affair with a New York nightclub hostess.
Recent tabloid rumours have linked the world's number one golfer with three women, Rachel Uchitel, who denies claims of an affair, Jaimee Grubbs and Kalika Moquin.
Grubbs, a waitress who claims she had an affair with Tiger Woods, has alleged that the golfer sent her a message warning: “My wife has been through my phone and may be calling you."
In a statement posted on his website he said:
"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behaviour and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
"Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realise the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives.

"The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
"But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realise there are some who don't share my view on that.

"But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions.
"Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it's difficult.
"I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology."

Luke Donald's caddie-brother switches to Paul Casey

Christian Donald is at the Chevron World Challenge. His more famous brother, Luke Donald, is not.
Christian Donald, who has been his brother’s caddie for most of the decade, said they decided last month to part ways. Luke Donald has won four times, along with the World Cup with Paul Casey and Tiger Woods’ charity event.
“It’s been eight years,” Christian said. “That was a good run.”
He figured their relationship as brothers took precedence over the strain of working with each other inside the ropes. Christian Donald now caddies for Casey.
Lee Westwood has celebrated his stellar season by signing a new multi-year deal with Ping Golf. The biggest change for Westwood is that the Ping logo will return to the front of his cap.
Vijay Singh started and ended his 2009 season the same way – with knee surgery. The Fijian went winless this year for the first time since 1996.

Tiger Woods to be fined for careless driving over

mysterious car crash

Tiger Woods will be fined for careless driving over his mysterious car crash in which he ploughed into a fire hydrant and a tree in the early hours of last Friday morning.
He will be fined up to $164 (£99) and receive up to four points on his driving licence but will not face criminal charges, police said. It is the equivalent of a ticket for a traffic violation.
The Florida Highway Patrol said its investigation is complete and it will not seek an order to obtain Woods’ medical records.
============================================
Click on these links for more news:
Rachel Uchitel says Tiger Woods affair rumours 'ridiculous'
Tiger Woods' tainted image still worth millions
Woods' sponsorship deals
Woods 'should tell the truth'
Sponsors Nike stand by Woods
============================================
It also said no-one involved in the incident had made claims of domestic violence.
Major Cindy Williams, of Florida Highway Patrol, said: “Mr Woods is at fault in the crash. Any person operating a vehicle is required to drive in a careful and prudent manner and not to endanger the life, limb or property of other persons.”
But she said after consultation with the local attorney’s office there was no evidence to take the matter further.
The crash happened at about 2.25am on Friday and left Woods unconscious for several minutes and suffering from cuts to his face.
He and his wife Elin Nordegren, 29, three times declined to speak to police about the cause of the accident, leading to a swirl of speculation that they had rowed before the crash.
Woods was under no obligation to do so and had provided his driver’s licence, registration and insurance documents as he was required to do, police said.
The crash came two days after a tabloid newspaper published unsubstantiated allegations about his private life.
After the crash Woods issued a public statement praising his wife for “courageously” helping him out of the crash wreckage.
She told police she used a golf club to smash the rear window and help him out.

Graeme McDowell steps into 18-player field in California

Tiger pulls out of Chevron World Challenge on medical advice

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By OLIVER BROWN
Tiger Woods announced on Monday night that he would not be taking part in this week’s Chevron World Challenge in Los Angeles, an annual charity event to benefit his own foundation, due to injuries sustained in the car crash outside his Florida home four days ago.
Has hosted the event for the past nine years.
It is understood the world No 1 golfer took the decision on doctors’ advice rather than in any attempt to avoid adverse publicity.
Amid lurid conjecture over the events that led to the accident, which prompted a growing clamour on Monday on Woods’ website for his privacy to be respected, he responded with a statement confirming his withdrawal.
“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,” Woods said on the site. “I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m very sorry that I can’t be there.”
=====================================
Click on these links for more golf news:
Florida police to seize Tiger Woods medical records
Five questions Tiger Woods must still answer over crash
'Golf needs Tiger Woods'
Tiger Woods crash: how TMZ contradicted wife's story
From 9/11 symbol to tabloid target
====================================

Woods cited the reason as “injuries sustained in a one-car accident”. He was taken to hospital early last Friday morning with cuts to his face and is understood to have been advised not to travel to California due to headaches and soreness. At the scene of the accident he is reported to have faded in an out of consciousness.
A Woods press conference scheduled for on Tuesday has also been called off, thwarting hopes that the 14-time major winner would use it to offer more details about the crash and so end a torrent of media speculation. Greg McLaughlin, president and chief executive of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said: “We support Tiger’s decision.”
Woods will now not return to competition until next year. The financial implications of his absence were expressed yesterday by John Daly, who said: “Tiger’s the biggest asset the tour has had for a long, long time.
“Whatever happened, as long as he’s OK that’s all that matters. We need him, probably more than anybody on the tour, to keep things going, the way the economy is. Golf needs him badly, no doubt.”

It's an ill wind ... McDowell takes Tiger's place

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell will take place of Tiger Woods in the 18-player Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.
At 55th in the world rankings, McDowell suddenly has a chance to climb into the end-of-year top 50 and with it secure a place in April's Masters at Augusta. This is the first year that the World Challenge has carried ranking points.Vijay Singh is another withdrawal and he has been replaced by American Justin Leonard.

A Royal Aberdeen golf course view painted by Stephen Shankland.

Scottish artist Stephen Shankland commissioned

to paint Arnold Palmer portrait

NEWS RELEASE BY HELEN HEADY
Scottish artist Stephen Shankland has been commissioned by one of golf’s most prestigious magazines, Kingdom, to paint the legendary Arnold Palmer for the front cover of its Winter edition.
An award-winning figurative artist, Shankland caught the eye of Kingdom’s publishers, TMC USA, following his first foray into golf art earlier this year when he produced a series of landscape paintings depicting some of Scotland’s most renowned golf courses.
“This issue of Kingdom reviews some of the many special celebrations and accolades bestowed upon Mr Palmer in honour of the King’s 80th birthday and we wanted to mark this momentous occasion with a front cover would give the magazine special gravitas and a commemorative feel,” commented John Halnan of TMC USA.
“We decided that a painted portrait of Mr Palmer would give us the feel we were looking for and perceived Stephen as the perfect choice to portray him given his tremendous talent for producing breathtaking portraits backed up by his association and involvement in golf art.”
In the main, Kingdom is exclusively gifted to existing and new members at over 200 Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses across the United States such as the Bay Hill Golf Club and Sawgrass Golf Club and at a number of Palmer-associated events.

The magazine is also available at selected premier resorts, Palmer affiliates and on subscription and contains editorial of the highest calibre written by some of the best known names in golf journalism, covering just about every aspect of the game.
This commission marks the second time Stephen has been called upon to paint a professional golfer. In 2006 the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club employed him to depict the then US amateur champion, Richie Ramsey. It was during the sittings for this portrait that Shankland’s interest in golf course landscapes was ignited and he realised that golf courses have infinite potential for abstraction using figures and landscapes together.
Since then he has focused his artistic attention on three of his homeland’s most recognised golf courses; the iconic Old Course in St Andrews, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, the sixth oldest club in the worldand home to the 2011 Walker Cup and Turnberry, host to the 2009 Open Championship.
“I am extremely honoured to have been asked to produce a portrait of Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest golfers ever, given the relatively short time that I have been involved in the world of golf art,” comments Stephen. “It is my new passion and I am looking forward to adding to my collection of golfing scenes and bringing to life in paint the interaction between the landscape and players.
“I paint my golfers with great attention to detail in order to give the viewer a real sense of the game in action and their emotional experience that in turn plays off against the expressive or impressionistic style which I utilize to paint the landscape.”
The result is an energetic and vibrant look at the game that gives a modern take on golfing action that has rarely been seen in golf art in the past.
Shankland is currently looking to extend his golf portfolio by painting Carnoustie, Royal Troon and Muirfield golf courses and then to travel to the US to capture some of America’s most revered courses.
For a taste of Stephen Shankland’s golf art, please log on to http://www.auldkirk.com/ or for more information on Kingdom, visit http://www.arnieskingdom.com/.

Editor’s Notes:
About Stephen Shankland
Born in Irvine, Stephen Shankland has an outstanding figurative pedigree; he graduated from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen with a 1st class BA (Hons) degree in Design and has since won a number of awards including the 2004 BP Portrait Award which led to an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The 38-year-old is also a member of The Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
Amongst his most notable commissions are portraits of Sir Peter Mansfield, which hangs at The National Portrait Gallery and Peter Chapman, Lay Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral for the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's.
“Painting for me is not always about faithfully copying what is in front of you. In fact the real magic in a painting is found when the artist makes a variety of individual judgments and decisions, whether that choice is in texture, brush marks, colour harmonies or composition. Using these techniques in the golf environment, I am able to transcend the basic game of golf into a work of fine art that appeals to golfers and non-golfers alike as it is both realist and expressionist simultaneously,” explains Shankland, who is represented by the Auld Kirk Gallery in Aberdeen.
“Stephen has captured something quite unique in his study of golf courses; he has managed to accurately portray golfers in action in the correct stances as well as to suggest different weather conditions, the subtlety of the light and the ruggedness and drama of golf course terrain,” comments Ronnie MacAskill, owner of the Auld Kirk Gallery and Royal Aberdeen GC's director of golf..
“This is something very new, exciting and different and there are no golf paintings in the world just now that are quite like them. Most of what I’ve seen are illustrations of the courses themselves whilst Stephen manages to add the human involvement of the golfer with the course in a truly exceptional fashion.”

David Law brutally attacked by 'scum
=
of the earth' in Aberdeen city centre
=

FROM TODAY'S PRESS AND JOURNAL
By DECLAN HARTE
One of Scotland's most promising young golfers has been brutally attacked in Aberdeen city centre.
David Law, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, could not attend an award ceremony on Saturday night when he was due to be honoured for winning both the Scottish men's amateur championship and the Scottish boys' match-play championship as he was still nursing his injuries.
A city councillor labelled those responsible for the assault "the scum of the earth."
The 18-year-old was knocked unconscious when he was punched in Union Street early on Thursday. He was then kicked repeatedly as he lay on the ground.
Law was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and treated for cuts and bruises and received stitches on his face.
The attack happened near the junction with Bon Accord Street about 2.15am.
The golfer said: "I was knocked unconscious by the first punch and the next thing I can remember is being helped up off the ground by my friends.
"The side of my face and lip are swollen and scraped. I had to have two stitches above my lip and my left hand is also badly swollen. It could have been much worse."
He had returned the day before from Argentina where he had been competing in two international tournaments over two weeks.
Law, of Stanley Street, in the Queen's Cross area of Aberdeen, had been invited to accept a special award at its annual dinner at The Marcliffe Hotel on Saturday evening from the North-east District Association of the Scottish Golf Union to mark his double championship success.
He chose not to attend the event as his face is still badly bruised and swollen.
City centre councillor Bill Cormie called the attackers "the scum of the earth."
"Our reputation in Aberdeen city centre at night is really becoming very, very serious," he said. "These despicable beatings on fellow human beings cannot go on."
One of the attackers had ginger hair and wore a black top with blue jeans, while the other had brown hair and wore a white top with blue jeans. Both were described as in their mid-30s.


Any comments? Send them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Padraig Harrington has lost millions in downturn, report claims

FROM THE GUARDIAN.CO.UK WEBSITE
By Lawrence Donegan
Twice Open champion Padraig Harrington and Dermot Desmond, the major shareholder of Celtic Football Club, have lost £16m after the collapse of a British-based technology company, it was reported yesterday.
The Dublin-based Sunday Business Post said the two men had invested heavily – to the tune of £21.8m – in the company U4EA Technologies, which went into administration in July. Court documents show that Desmond's investment company, IIU, and Harrington will suffer a shortfall of approximately £16m.
Earlier this year Harrington, who will travel to California this week to play in Tiger Woods' charity event, the Chevron World Challenge, addressed rumours circulating in Dublin that he had lost significant sums of money in the aftermath of the global financial downturn.
"Nasty things have been said about me and I really don't want to lend credence to them by making any comment. For instance, one of the tabloids wanted to know if it was true that I had lost 20 million in investments with [Bernie] Madoff, [Allen] Stanford and a few others. They were obviously keen to cover all the bases," he said.
"The answer is that I haven't lost greatly in any ventures. I will not suggest that I was immune from everything but nothing has happened that has had any material effect on me, financially."
Prior to that the Irishman conceded his investments had lost about a quarter of their value.
"I am like everybody else, looking at investments down 25% and thinking, hey, that's OK. The greatest plus for somebody like me compared to someone on the street is that I have an earnings potential going forward and would be able to sustain ups and downs. As somebody said to me the other day, birdies are recession-proof," he said.
Desmond is reputed to be one of Ireland's richest men, with earning said to be in the hundreds of millions. Harrington, meanwhile, has made an estimated £20m in a professional golf career stretching back to 1996.

Tiger Woods says 'I'm only human' after mystery crash

and claims his wife was not to blame

By NICK ALLEN in Los Angeles & PAUL THOMPSON in Orlando
Tiger Woods has issued a statement saying he was "human and not perfect" following his bizarre late night car crash in which he hit a fire hydrant and a tree.
In his first public comment since the incident in the early hours of Friday, the golfer said his wife Elin Nordegren, 29, was not to blame.
He paid tribute to her for "courageously" helping him following the accident outside their home in Orlando, Florida.
Woods, 33, said: "I have some cuts, bruising and right now I'm pretty sore. This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect."
Woods has faced a string of claims that his wife confronted him over allegations about his private life in a tabloid newspaper and then chased him down the drive.
But Woods said there had been "many false, unfounded and malicious rumours." He said: "The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false."
Woods said the accident was a "private matter" and he wanted to keep it that way.
But his decision not to go into further detail meant speculation continued to swirl about the crash.
Last night police made a third attempt to speak to Woods and his wife about the accident but the appointment was cancelled. The star has now hired a lawyer and will only talk to police investigating the crash in his presence. The interview is expected to take place on Monday.
Elin Nordegren, 29, originally told police she had used a golf club to break into the Cadillac Escalade to rescue the her husband after he fire hydrant and a tree.
But yesterday it emerged that a number of windows on the vehicle had been smashed and police are now trying to establish how it happened.
According to one report by the celebrity entertainment website TMZ, the player told a friend that his wife had "gone ghetto" on him, scratching his face hours before the accident.
The website said she had confronted Woods following allegations about his private life in a tabloid magazine and that when he drove off she chased after his car.
The accident came two days after the National Enquirer magazine published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters.
The woman, Rachel Uchitel, has vehemently denied any romantic connection with Woods and hired a lawyer to counter the allegations.
Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Kim Montes said they wanted to speak to Woods and his wife.
She said: "We consider her a witness and she will be interviewed along with her husband."
Florida Highway Patrol released a recording of a 911 call by an unidentified neighbour.
The neighbor says: "I have someone down in front of my house. I heard it and came out to see. It's a car accident. They're laying on the ground." Asked if the person is unconscious, the neighbour replied "yes". He is then asked if the person is breathing the man replies: "I can't tell right now." In the background a woman can be heard screaming: "What happened?"
The man, who does not identify the unconscious man as Tiger Woods, replies: "We don't now what happened, we are finding it all out."
Officers went to Woods' home in the exclusive Isleworth development in Orlando on Friday but were told by his wife that he was sleeping.
They returned on Saturday and Sunday only to be told by the player's agent that both he and his wife were unavailable.
Woods does not have to make any statement to police, who under Florida law are only required to see his driving licence, insurance documents and car registration.
A Florida Highway Patrol spokesman said: "If Mr Woods chooses not to say anything we will just continue with our investigation. We want to give him every opportunity to tell us what happened.
"We are still investigating this as a traffic accident, but if we received other information then we can proceed in another direction."

THE STORY THAT WILL MAKE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

News agency speculation over cause of Tiger

Woods' accident involves wife Elin

FROM THE AGE.COM.AU WEBSITE
By JOHN ELDER
Two days after a lurid story broke about Tiger Woods having an affair with a New York nightclub hostess, the golfing superstar was found by police lying on his back outside his Florida mansion, incoherent and bleeding - with his distressed wife standing over him with a golf club in her hands.
Woods' car was also in bad shape: it had apparently hit a fire hydrant before crashing into a tree in a neighbour's yard at 2.25am (local time) on Friday .
Elin Nordegren reportedly told police her husband had crashed after pulling out of the circular driveway, and she had been in the house when she heard the accident.
She said she had used the golf club to smash the back window to help get her husband out of the car.
Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor said the front windows of the Cadillac SUV were not broken and ''the door was probably locked''.
Mr Saylor said: ''She supposedly got him out and laid him on the ground. He was in and out of consciousness when my guys got there.''
Mr Saylor said Highway Patrol officers found Ms Nordegren ''frantic, upset'' and that Woods ''was mumbling but didn't say anything coherent''.
He said Woods had cuts to his upper and lower lips, and blood in his mouth. He was given first aid by police until an ambulance arrived, then treated at a local hospital and released in ''good condition''.
Some news agencies are speculating that Ms Nordegren had been arguing with her husband over the reported affair with New York hostess Rachel Uchitel, who was in Melbourne while Woods competed in the Australian Masters.
Ms Uchitel has denied an affair.
Celebrity news website TMZ claims that Woods told ''a non-law-enforcement type'' that Ms Nordegren scratched his face during an argument over the affair and that when he fled the mansion she followed him with the golf club. The report claims that as Woods drove off, his wife struck the vehicle and he became distracted and crashed.

Tiger Woods' wife rescued him from car crash

by smashing window with golf club

By NICK ALLEN
Tiger Woods’ wife rescued him from the wreckage of a late night car crash by smashing a golf club through the window, police said.
Elin Nordegren, 29, dragged her husband to safety after he hit a fire hydrant outside their £1.5 million Florida mansion and then veered into a tree on a neighbour’s property at 2.25am local time on Friday.
Police arrived minutes later and found Woods, 33, lying in the street drifting in an out of consciousness as his wife hovered over him.
He had cuts on his lips and blood in his mouth and officers carried out first aid, said local police chief Daniel Saylor.
Woods was then taken to hospital in an ambulance but was later released.
Mrs Nordegren told police she was inside the couple’s house in a gated community in Orlando, Florida when she heard the accident and ran outside.
She grabbed a golf club and smashed the rear window of the black Cadillac Escalade to get to her husband.
Woods was on his own in the car and no other vehicles were involved. It was unclear where he had been intending to go at that early hour.
The Florida Highway Patrol said alcohol did not play a part in the crash but it was still under investigation and charges could be pending. They were trying to piece together how Woods, the world’s number one golfer, had managed to hit the fire hydrant and tree, which were on either sides of the road.
Airbags in the car did not deploy which suggests that it was travelling at less than 33mph.
The golfer’s agent, Mark Steinberg, said last night that Woods was “fine”.
A joint statement issued by Woods’ office and the hospital said: “Tiger Woods was in a minor car accident outside his home last night. He was admitted, treated and released today in good condition.”
The accident happened on a day when unsubstantiated rumours about the golfer’s private life were circulating on the internet.
Woods lives in a suburb of Orlando with his wife and their daughter, Sam Alexis, two, and son Charlie Axel, nine months.
His wife is a Swedish former model who was working as an au pair when the couple met at the 2001 Open.
They married in October 2004 at the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados in a ceremony that reportedly cost more than £1 million.
Their home is set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighbourhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars.

Tiger Woods hurt in car crash but released

from hospital with face lacerations.

Earlier reports that Tiger Woods had been "seriously injured" in a car crash near his Florida home at 2.30am (local time) seemed to have been exaggerated.
He did crash his car but he was later released from hospital with facial lacerations, according to later news.
The "Orlando Sentinel," newspaper, quoting the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), said Woods' 2009 Cadillac sport utility vehicle struck a fire hydrant and a tree in a neighbour's garden in Florida's Isleworth community, near Orlando shortly after pulling out of his driveway.
It is understood the crash was not alcohol-related.
Woods (33) was transported to a hospital in Ocoee but reports suggest the car's airbags were not deployed, indicating the vehicle was not travelling more than 33mph.
The incident is believed to have taken place around 2.30am local time.
A spokesman added that the incident was still under investigation and charges were pending.
Woods recently returned to America after winning the Australian Masters in Melbourne by two shots.
The 14-time major winner is scheduled to host his own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, next week in California.
Officials close to accident investigation told the "Orlando Sentinel" that Woods received facial lacerations. He was treated at Health Central early this morning and released.
"It seems like a very strange accident that occurred," Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn told CNN. "Basically it was facial lacerations, and as I'm understanding it, nothing that serious."

Gregory Havret, 10 years a pro, joins the I M G Stable

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY I M G
Frenchman, Gregory Havret, announced today that he has signed with the global sports management company, IMG.
Gregory, 32 years old, turned professional back in 1999 following an impressive amateur career that saw him win the French amateur championship three years in a row from 1997 to 1999. He finished 60th on the Order of Merit in 2001, with a maiden European Tour victory at the Italian Open at Is Molas in Sardinia.
Havret won the biggest title of his career when he defeated then World No 3 Phil Mickelson in a play-off for the 2007 Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, a victory that helped him break into the top 20 of the Order of Merit for the first time. He became the second Frenchman to win the title after Thomas Levet in 2004.
In August 2008, Havret continued his love affair with Scotland, winning the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, his third victory on the European Tour. This year, Havret has had mixed fortunes but again put in a fine performance at the Johnnie Walker Championship in which he tied for third place.
Guy Kinnings, Managing Director of Golf at IMG, whose team represents the world’s best golfers including Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen, Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, and Michelle Wie, said “Gregory is undoubtedly one of the most successful golfers to emerge from France, as well as being a great player he also has a great personality and charisma. We are delighted that he has selected IMG to represent him around the world and look forward to being part of his team.”
Gregory Havret will join a stack of top French golfers currently represented by IMG including Raphaël Jacquelin, Thomas Levet, Jeff Lucquin and François Delamontagne. Gregory will be managed by Michael Jones, vice-president IMG Golf.

North man Stuart Rennie is named Toro Golf

Course Architect Student of the Year 2009

NEWS RELEASE
Stuart Rennie (29) of Keppie, the leading UK architecture practice, has completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Golf Course Architecture from the European Institute of Golf Course Architects with Distinction.

The landscape architect, pictured right, has also been awarded the coveted Toro Golf Course Architect Student of the Year 2009. The prestigious qualification is the only accredited Golf Course Architectural diploma running in the world and attracts students from across the globe.

Stuart is now one of the few qualified golf course architects practising in Scotland, which creates a unique selling point for Keppie. The practice intends to provide specialist design advice to both new and existing golf clubs across the UK and internationally.

The practice’s capabilities now include environmental assessment, design reviews and expertise, masterplanning, landscape design and landscape and habitat management plans.
With Stuart’s specialist environmental knowledge gleaned from his course and dissertation research as well as professional practice experience, Keppie can also help clubs gain Environmental Certificates from the Scottish Golf Environmental Group.

Stuart Rennie’s first golf-related project delivered is the synthetic turf nine-hole putting green at Maxim Office Park in Lanarkshire off the M8 link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The putting green, designed to provide a leisure activity for the office park, was constructed by European Golf and endorsed by Alastair Forsyth, PGA Professional.
Stuart Rennie, Landscape Architect at Keppie, said: “I’m delighted to have completed my post graduate studies in Golf Course Architecture and very much looking forward to putting it to use at Keppie. There is a massive market for both new courses and existing clubs looking to upgrade or gain environmental accreditation.

"With so few multi-disciplinary architectural practices specialising in this area, we have identified a gap in the market and hope to develop opportunities with new and existing clients. With Scotland being the home of golf, it makes perfect sense to give it a shot.”
A keen golfer himself, Stuart has been a member of Muir of Ord and Royal Dornoch Golf Clubs since a young age, both courses which inspired Stuart to the career path he is on. He played for the North of Scotland golf team, competing at junior, youth and senior level before moving to Edinburgh to study.

Stuart studied Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art and received a scholarship for golf playing for the Heriot-Watt University team. He has now been working in professional practice as a landscape architect for three years and is working towards his Chartership.