Sam Torrance: Europe’s big-hitters timing their form perfectly for the Ryder Cup September 10, 2018 The conclusion of the BMW Championship may have been delayed by heavy rain in Philadelphia on Sunday, but the weather didn’t stop Europe’s best from putting on a show. Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn will have been delighted watching on as Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari all played to their [...]
Sam Torrance: Thomas Bjorn’s Ryder Cup decision over Matt Wallace rests on rookie factor September 4, 2018 I find it unbelievable that a player can win three times on the European Tour this year and still not earn an automatic place on the Ryder Cup team, but that’s the case for Englishman Matt Wallace. Wallace was magnificent at the weekend to win the final tournament of the qualifying process in Denmark – [...]
Sam Torrance: European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn is facing his day of reckoning August 27, 2018 Thomas Bjorn is facing a tricky time as his plans for the European Ryder Cup team begin to solidify. This week’s Made In Denmark tournament is the last event that counts towards qualification; a few days after that, Bjorn will name his four captain’s picks. He will consider the assets of all the potential candidates, [...]
Rory McIlroy may not be winning but I’m sure he’s on the cusp of another prolific run March 20, 2017 He may have been beaten to the Arnold Palmer Invitational by a great finish from Marc Leishman, but Rory McIlroy looked magnificent once again over the past few days at Bay Hill. It could have been a different result if Rory had been able to apply more pressure on the back nine on Sunday, but [...]
Arnold Palmer Invitational offers Rory McIlroy a chance to win before the Masters but Jason Day needs a performance more than most March 13, 2017 The first staging of the Arnold Palmer Invitational since the great man’s passing last year is sure to be a sad yet special occasion, as well as the fantastic week of golf at Bay Hill that we have come to expect. As always there is a very strong field, with some of the leading contenders [...]
Why cool customer Dustin Johnson is cream of the American crop March 6, 2017 Dustin Johnson provided a snapshot of his character when his ball got stuck up a tree during the WGC-Mexico Championship on Saturday. Some players might lose their temper, but Johnson just laughed. That unflappable temperament helped the new world No1 clinch victory 24 hours later, in his first tournament since hitting the top of the [...]
Rickie Fowler’s Honda Classic win is a timely reminder that he belongs in the top bracket February 27, 2017 It feels like a while ago that Rickie Fowler responded to being voted one of the most overrated players on the PGA Tour by his peers with a burst of impressive victories. Fowler started by winning the Players Championship in May 2015. He followed it up at the Scottish Open a couple of months later [...]
Becoming a Major champion has freed Dustin Johnson to realise his potential – now the new world No1 can become a prolific winner February 20, 2017 It became apparent towards the end of last year that Dustin Johnson was bound for the top of the rankings and on Sunday at Riviera he followed it through by winning the Genesis Open. Victory lifted Johnson to world No1 for the first time in his career and he did it in magnificent style. He [...]
Jordan Spieth is rediscovering his all-conquering 2015 form just as the Masters looms February 13, 2017 In his book about coaching Tiger Woods, The Big Miss, Hank Haney emphasises just how much the leading players focus on the Majors above all else. With the Masters just a few weeks away, many will already have one eye on Augusta. So it is interesting to see who has already hit their stride this [...]
Sergio Garcia and Hideki Matsuyama underline their Masters credentials February 6, 2017 The Masters may still be a couple of months away but we got a glimpse of two possible contenders over the last few days as they swept to wins on the European and PGA Tours. Sergio Garcia produced his usual magnificent golf to claim a commanding wire-to-wire victory at the Dubai Desert Classic, his first [...]