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 Italian teenager has eyes on home-soil victory

The 18-year-old Italian arrives on home soil in good form after his runner-up finish in Andalucia two weeks ago was followed by a tie-for-sixth in Morocco on Sunday.

Manassero, a winner of two Tour titles - the second of these in Malaysia last year - would have qualified for next month's Masters had he won last week but admits he is not too disappointed at missing out.

He told the European Tour's website: "I don't feel like I have missed out on Augusta. I don't have any sadness about not going there because I have a great chance to win in Italy this week.

"And that would be a great achievement. I think everybody would love to win in their home country and I am the same."

As for his chances this weekend, he added: "Last week was a great week and I played some great golf but I made too many bogeys in the final round and Michael (Hoey) played so well that it wasn't to be my week.

"But I have played great in my last two tournaments, so the confidence is there and I feel good about my game, and I am really looking forward to Sicily now."

 Former Ryder Cup captain pleased to see Woods back to winning ways

The former world number one ended his two-and-a-half year wait for a victory on the PGA Tour when he cruised to a five-shot triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend. Torrance - who posted 21 wins on the European Tour during his career - believes a fully-fit and in-form Woods brings an added dimension to the sport. However, the Scot is of the opinion that the 36-year-old will never again be the kind of domineering presence that he became at the very peak of his powers a few years ago.

"I want to see him back winning majors, it's much more exciting when he's playing and playing well," Torrance told Sky Sports. "There's no question about that, just because of who he is and what he's done. "But I don't think he has the fear factor anymore, I don't think the players are as scared of him as they were ten years ago. "At the beginning of the 90s the golf he was playing was just... (holds hands up) 'hands up, you've got it pal, carry on'. But now they're very strong, his competition now is much stronger. But I would never write off Tiger."

World number one makes it consecutive victories on LPGA Tour



World number one Yani Tseng cruised to a six-shot victory at the Kia Classic in California to make it back-to-back wins on the LPGA Tour.

The 23-year-old from Taiwan triumphed in the Founder's Cup last week and has now won three of the five tournaments in which she has played this year and is the second youngest player ever to reach 15 LPGA Tour wins - Nancy Lopez was 22.Tseng closed with a two-under-par final round of 70 at the La Costa's Legends Course in Carlsbad to finish well clear of the field on 14-under and complete a wire-to-wire victory.Starting the day three shots ahead of Jiyai Shin of South Korea, Tseng extended her lead with birdies at the fifth, ninth and 15th holes, while her nearest competitors failed to make up any ground.

Tiger feeling confident at top of Bay Hill leaderboard



Tiger Woods insists he feels comfortable sitting at the top of the leaderboard as he goes into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational looking to end his long title drought.

The former world number one is seeking his first win on the PGA Tour since September 2009 and holds a one-shot lead at Bay Hill ahead of Sunday's final round.The 14-time major winner had a four-shot lead until he bogeyed the 14th and then double-bogeyed the next, after hooking his drive out of bounds and into a neighbouring garden.

Woods is 37-2 when leading going into the final round, but does have Graeme McDowell, who came from behind to beat him at the 2010 Chevron, just behind him.Live on Sky SportsLive PGA Tour Golf2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational: Day FourMarch 25, 2012 6:00pmRemote RecordRobert Rock got the better of Woods when they started the final round in Abu Dhabi earlier this year tied for the lead, but Woods insists he is comfortable with his position. - http://www1.skysports.com

Tiger Woods emerged unscathed from the two-day Tavistock Cup and will continue his build up to the Masters at Bay Hill this week.



The 36-year-old was back in action for the first time since walking off the course after 11 holes of his final round at the WGC-Cadillac Championship with an Achilles problem.

 And he showed no signs of discomfort in the exclusive four-team event and will play in Wednesday's pro-am at Bay Hill in advance of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.Woods has suffered with both knee and Achilles problems over the past few years but he confessed that leaving the Doral course when he did was the best decision and enabled him to rest and return after just a few days away from the action.

 The body might be fine but the 14-time major winner is still struggling for consistency and does not seem happy on the greens and he carded a 72 on Tuesday as his team, Albany, finished last in the exhibition event.But he will have the chance to get four solid rounds under his belt before taking a week off to prepare for Augusta and a possible fifth Green Jacket.

 Woods will also have to deal with the fall-out from former swing coach Hank Haney's book which goes on sale next week, in which he reportedly reveals secrets about Woods and exposes his views on other golfers.With the majority of those players set to tee it up at the Masters, there could be a few frosty exchanges between the stars and it will be another distraction that the Florida resident could do without.

 But he has bounced back from controversy before and has shown a vast improvement in his game from tee to green in 2012.Whether he can beat the likes of Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald remains open to question as the body appear fine, with question marks over the state of his mind. - http://www.setanta.com/

American shoots nine-under with Rose at Tavistock Cup



Tiger Woods made an impressive return from injury as combined with Justin Rose to shoot a nine-under par round of 63 in their better-ball partnership on the first day of the Tavistock Cup in Florida.

Woods was representing Albany against Lake Nona, Isleworth and Queenwood in the annual two-day four-club challenge.The 14-time major-winner was back in action eight days after pulling out of the final round in the Cadillac Championship with an Achilles tendon strain.

"I did the smart thing and prudent thing this time, hence I'm back in a week," Woods said."I've done it before and played through not just pain, but injury and set myself back quite a bit. That's what I did last year and missed two major championships because of it. - http://www1.skysports.com

Italian star needs cartilage removed but will play on until September



Edoardo Molinari will undergo surgery on his injured left wrist later this year.

The Italian, who helped Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2010, revealed after last week's Open de Andalucia that he'd been carrying the injury for four years.Edoardo, the older of the two Molinari brothers who played in Colin Montgomerie's winning side atCeltic Manor, said he originally had tendinitis in the wrist. However, after returning home from the European Tour's recent Middle East swing he was told by doctors that he has cartilage that needs to be removed.

The 31-year-old had two cortisone shots and played with his wrist taped in Spain but wants to play in this year's majors before going under the knife in September.Molinari earned his place in next month's Masters by finishing tied 11th in 2011. The top 16 from the previous year are all automatically invited back 12 months later. - http://www1.skysports.com

Retief Goosen and Jim Furyk share the lead of the Transitions Championship following Saturday's third round at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.



Goosen shot a six-under-par 65 on Saturday, with Furyk hitting a 66, to leave the pair on 11-under for the tournament, one stroke clear of Korea's Sang-Moon Bae and Jason Dufner, who had led at the halfway stage.
 
Furyk, meanwhile, played a battling round, getting out of trouble on several occasions. The American commented: "I made some birdies out of the rough today, and was able to knock some putts in and keep the round going.

 "I played very patiently, and when I struggled - no putts were going in - I didn't let it bother me."

John Mallinger and Ken Duke are a shot further back, with Chez Reavie, Ernie Els and England's Luke Donald in a share of seventh place on eight-under.Ireland's Padraig Harrington could only manage a one-over 72 on the third day. The Dubliner broke the course record on Thursday, hitting a 61, but followed that up with a disappointing 73 on Friday. His seven-under total leaves him well in contention for the title, but back in a share of 10th place with a host of other players. - http://www.setanta.com

 

Remember Padraig Harrington? The golfer was on top of the world after winning consecutive majors in 2008. However, he has not won a PGA or European Tour tournament since the 2008 PGA Championship. He has 14European Tour wins, five PGA Tour wins, and three major titles overall.



Harrington's round was flawless. He had five birdies on the front nine and five birdies on the back nine. He was as sharp as he has ever looked, and that includes his play during his three major wins. This was the best professional round of his career. On a day when a lot of golfers managed to put up impressive numbers, Harrington still managed to distance himself from everyone. Now he just has to hold that lead and break his drought

There were 19 golfers that finished at least four shots under-par in the first round. Jim Furyk, John Senden,Jason Dufner, Luke Donald, Justin Rose, and David Toms were among those players. Ordinarily, those golfers would be within a sniff of the lead. Instead, they all have a hill to climb because of the way Harrington played. There is still a lot of golf left and any one of those players could make a dramatic move in the second round. However, it looks like there is something special going on with the leader. I would like to see it continue

So far in 2012, Harrington has looked a lot better. He finished seventh at Pebble Beach earlier this year and seems to be hitting the ball better. If he can sustain this kind of play it could be the start of a great year. In the last eight majors, Harrington has not finished better than 22nd. He has missed the cut in five of those tournaments. He won the British Open in 2007 and 2008 but has not finished better than 65th since then. He is too good of a player to have fallen off as much as he has. - http://sports.yahoo.com

19-year-old three handicapper from Wales makes history



The iconic 10th hole at The Belfry has finally conceded its first hole-in-one

Welsh three-handicapper Dan O'Connor has done what Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and so many other superstars failed to do by hitting his tee shot over the water and into the hole for an albatross on the famous par four.

The hole measured 301 yards on the day and the 19-year-old from Maesteg said: "It's my first hole-in-one and definitely the highlight of my golfing career so far." Since its opening in 1977 the hole has figured in four Ryder Cups and 11 European Tour events. A plaque was laid down after Seve Ballesteros became the first just to hit the green when playing against Nick Faldo in the 1978 Hennessy Cup. - http://www1.skysports.com

Englishman jumps 15 places after securing WGC glory

Rose jumped from 22nd to seventh after his victory at Doral while the top four players, all Europeans, held their places.It means Rory McIlroy is world number one for the second week running, with Luke Donald second, Lee Westwood third and Martin Kaymer fourth.McIlroy strengthened his position at the top by finishing in solo third at Doral, where Donald was tied sixth, Westwood tied 29th and Kaymer tied 20th.

Steve Stricker is the highest ranked American at five while Masters champion Charl Schwartzel moved up from ninth to sixth after he took a share of fourth at Doral.Dustin Johnson has fallen out of the top 10 - dropping from eighth to 12th - after finishing tied 35th.George McNeill, who won the other PGA Tour event played last week, improved from 106th to 70th after his two-shot win in the Puerto Rico Open. - http://www1.skysports.com/

Bubba Watson extended his lead to three shots at the Cadillac Championship following the third round of the tournament on Saturday.



After a superb 62 on Friday, Watson led by a stroke from Justin Rose, but his five-under 67 on the third day was enough for him to move clear at the top, on seventeen-under overall.Rose dropped into a share of second place alongside Keegan Bradley after a 69, but the Englishman is relatively confident ahead of the final round.

"Three back, it's a lot to Bubba on this golf course," he said. "But at least there's not a lot of guys ahead of you. There's only one guy at 17 under, and the rest of the pack is right there, so it doesn't take much

Rory McIlroy shares eighth place with a number of others, including Tiger Woods, after a fine 65 on Saturday. It could have been even better for the world number one, however, who was nine-under for his round after 12 holes, before striking bogeys on the 14th and 16th.

"You're thinking four (birdies) of the last six and here we go," McIlroy said, dreaming of the course record at TPC Blue Monster. "But obviously, it didn't happen like that." - http://www.setanta.com/

Former British amateur champion Stuart Wilson is to captain Europe in this year's Junior Ryder Cup in America.



The match takes place on September 24-25 at Olympia Fields, close to the Medinah course where the Ryder Cup starts three days later.

Previous junior team members include Rory McIlroy Sergio Garcia, Matteo Manassero, Suzann Pettersen and Hunter Mahan.Wilson, who won the silver medal as leading amateur at the Open Championship in 2004, will also be in charge for the 2014 match on his home soil in Scotland. - http://www.sportinglife.com/

Ian Poulter is determined to defy his recent illness and play in this week's WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral Golf Resort & Spa.



The 36-year-old was forced to withdraw from last week's Honda Classic on doctors' orders after being diagnosed with pneumonia following a chest X-ray.

But he has recovered after resting for the past few days and is determined to take his place in the starting line-up in Florida for the year's second World Golf Championship event.

"Flying down to Doral in the morning," he said on Twitter."It's going to take more than pneumonia to keep me out for long. Itching to get back. Mind over matter."

Poulter has been criticised by sections of the media for his lack of focus this season after a below-par showing in 2011, with a few pundits feeling that his mind is elsewhere during events.But he hit back at his critics and made it clear that he is practising as hard as ever and will soon regain his form. - http://www.setanta.com/

Tiger sets sights on seventh victory at Arnold Palmer Invitational



Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will tee up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational later this month.

The 36-year-old, whose sensational closing 62 earned him a share of second place behind Rory McIlroy at the Honda Classic, will be bidding for his seventh victory at the Bay Hill Country Club.The event will be his final tune-up for the Masters in April, and he insisted his eight-under effort at PGA National proves his form is peaking at the right time to tackle Augusta National.

"I've been close to shooting this score, or scores like this," he said. "It was just a matter of time before things all fell in to place."Overall, my finishes have been pretty good since Australia on. And it was just a matter of keep building, keep sticking with it, the process.

"Each tournament I've progressed, I've gotten better. And it's just a matter of time before I put it all together for an entire tournament."I'm thrilled at the fact that each and every week, my game has gotten better. Each tournament it's gotten better, and that's the whole idea heading in to April." - http://www1.skysports.com/