Unheralded Jamie Donaldson outshines Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

• By Michael Casey
• AAP
• January 17, 2013 11:48PM

Jamie Donaldson ... is a shock first-round leader at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Source: Kamran Jebreili / AAP

Unheralded Jamie Donaldson outshone Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship by shooting an opening-round 5-under-par 67 for an early one-shot lead on Thursday.

McIlroy, playing with new clubs following his multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Nike, finished with a 3-over 75 and risks missing the cut.

He repeatedly missed fairways including a shot on his 12th that hit a tree and ended up in a car park that led to one of his two double bogeys.

His other double bogey came when he muffed a chip in thick rough on his par-3 6th. He also putted poorly, missing a par putt on his 17th and a birdie putt on the 18th.

Mclroy insisted his difficulties had more to do with rusty strokes than the new equipment.

While he repeatedly slumped after a bad shot or frowned following a missed putt, the 2012 European Tour and US PGA Tour money winner seemed resigned to the fact that it would take time for him to adjust to the new Nike clubs.

"When you go out and you've got new stuff, you are going to be a little anxious and hopefully you play well," McIlroy said.

"But I guess I can learn from it and move on and go into tomorrow and try and play a bit better. It's about playing yourself into the weekend."

Woods, meanwhile, finished a rollercoaster round at even par after ``grinding it out.''

The 14-time major winner had four birdies to go along with four bogeys and ended his round by three-putting his 18th for a bogey when he hit the second putt too hard.

"I'm still right there," said Woods, who was five shots behind Donaldson.

"You know, if I two-putt that last hole I'm in I think 12th or 13th or something like that. There's not a lot of guys going low out there. These fairways are tiny to begin with, but there are a lot of crosswinds."

"I put something up there and lost it,'' Woods said of his bogeys on the back.

It was left to the 47th-ranked Donaldson to show how to master the narrow fairway and overcome the windy conditions. He had six birdies - including holing a bunker shot on his 12th - to go along with a bogey.

"Solid start, played some pretty good golf out there," said Donaldson, who was looking for his second European Tour victory.

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Adam Scott is preparing to abandon his broomstick putter ahead of Thursday's Australian Open

• By Darren Walton
• AAP
• December 04, 2012 4:48PM

Adam Scott ... Preparing for life after the broomstick. Source: Glyn Kirk / AFP

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Appearing resigned to the inevitable, Adam Scott is preparing to roll the dice and ditch his beloved broomstick putter as he chases a second Australian Open crown.

World No.7 Scott raised eyebrows when he played his practice round at The Lakes on Tuesday without his trusty long wand, indicating he's seriously considering leaving it in the locker room for Thursday's opening round at The Lakes.

With golf's rule makers poised to outlaw putters anchored to the body, Scott is clearly already planning for life after the broomstick which he has wielded with such great effect while reviving his career over the past two years.

Playing alongside American great Tom Watson, who prior to teeing off on Tuesday endorsed the proposed ban of long putters, Scott instead used an oversized traditional blade.

Although it was marginally longer than a regular short stick, Scott's putter - significantly - was not anchored to any part of his body.

There was a clear gap of about six to eight centimetres between Scott's midriff and the putter handle.

The Australian No.1 did, however, retain the so-called claw grip, presumably to minimise any change to his putting routine.

While any potential banning of anchored putters by the Royal & Ancient and USGA is unlikely to be enforced before 2016, Scott is obviously eager to make the adjustment sooner rather than later.

The 32-year-old clinched the Australian Masters last month using a broomstick putter, but has secured 16 of his 19 professional wins with a traditional putter.

Still, ditching the long putter as he eyes a second Stonehaven Cup and while in pursuit of Australian golf's coveted triple crown would be quite the gamble.

Watson, for his part, believes golf officials are right to ban long putters.

"And I say that with mixed emotions," said the eight-times major champion.

"This (a broomstick stroke) is not a stroke of golf. That's not a stroke but it makes it easier to play.

"My son Michael, with a conventional putting stroke, he couldn't make it from two feet half the time, but he went to a belly putter and he makes everything.

"The game is fun to him now, so there lies the danger: Do we take the ability for people to have fun away?

"Do we go to two sets of rules, where some people can use (long putters) in certain competitions, but the PGA Tour maybe can't?

"So there's a dilemma there."

Three of the past five major championship winners have triumphed using long putters, including South African Ernie Els when he capitalised on Scott's collapse at the British Open in July.

"I thought Ernie Els said it perfectly after he won last year's Open championship," Watson said.

"He was asked: 'Why did you go with the long putter Ernie?'

"And he said: 'I'm cheating like the rest of them are'.

"Ernie's a great player and he knows the difference between doing it the (conventional way) versus trying to do it (with an anchored putter). The arc of your putter doesn't change as much.

"He knows that difference and he knows it's not right."

Last week Greg Norman backed the planned ban on anchored putting despite its effect on his good friend and protege Scott.

Scott, meanwhile, will tee off alongside English drawcard Justin Rose in the feature group for the first two rounds of this week's Open in Sydney.

World No.4 Rose and seventh-ranked Scott are the top two players in the 156-man field and will tee off at 7.10am (AEDT) on Thursday.

Rose and Scott will be joined by Chinese No.1 Liang Wen-Chong.

Watson has been paired with defending champion Greg Chalmers and rising star Jake Higginbottom in Thursday's marquee afternoon grouping.

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The Secrets To Improving Golf Swings For The Willing

It's a perpetual desire among golfers of all abilities to improve the ole golf swing. This article, all alone on the net, has the power to improve your golf swing, and that's no kidding. Today, right now we are about to talk about some proven tips that you can put into action for improving your golf swing. After you learn the following, then you have to do your part and devote as much practice a your significant other will allow. You simply must practice because one thing you will be doing is creating strong muscle memories. The vast majority will never be a pro golfer, but no matter because you can still seek perfection while enjoying the day on the course.

Most people automatically assume that one has to hit the ball harder when going into the wind, and that is a falsehood. You do not want the ball to rise high into the wind with spin, and that is what happens when you hit it hard. So what actually suffers, in addition to your mental state, is the ball will be harder to control; plus your accuracy will go down the drain. What you want to do is make the ball closer to your stance by about a couple inches. Also, you want to make sure your hands are kept forward. So for your club in this situation, you'll want to use one that is longer than usual. Do not hit the ball harder, rather hit it just as you would without the wind. After doing it, come back and tell us how much better your accuracy plus greater control... we'll wait.

When hitting the ball, be sure to focus on hitting through and down. You'll have to follow through to get the club to lift, and that will make the ball lift. The ball will not rise because you somehow tried to do an upswing motion on the club. Just don't do that because it's the wrong way to hit the ball. There are a range of effects including hitting the ball just a little distance with too much height - head's up! You can avoid the pain of seeing the ball go fairly straight - only up, and then gravity takes over and it comes straight down, head's up again!

If there's too much wind, more than desired, then just swing a little bit easier. We discussed windy conditions, but again if you hit too hard your trajectory will really suffer from it. Here's a little mnemonic device created by Mr. Greg Norman; always "swing easy into the breezy." Hitting into the wind just naturally makes people feel like they need to hit it harder. But it's just that force and power are not always necessary. Plus, you will have increased control when you swing easier. OK, now you know, and never again let the wind make you think wrong thoughts.

As you know, with golf there are a thousand different methods and philosophies. Try to avoid letting golf get your blood pressure up, and then go out there and have a helluva great time on the course. If you know you did your best, and you keep improving your golf swing, then that's enough and that's great. Every golfer wants a perfect golf swing with lots of power - fine, go get it and work on it. Sure, knowledge is important and great, but you have to practice on your swing as much as possible. We hope you found these golf swing tips helpful for improving your swing.

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Get A Complete Golf Accessory

A golfer fundamentally wishes nothing less than clubs, a golfing bag, and the balls to play. But having a good game to your name doesn't come just with that - you'd need several golfing accessories also. Golfing accessories are sometimes employed by executives and non-professionals for the smoothness of their game.

It is true that a complete golf accessory set is not necessary to play the game, but having one of them would definitely help to make your game even better.

A complete golf accessory set would comprise of secondary golf bags, carts, shirts and tees, club head covers, hats or caps, training and practicing aids, traveling bags, golf shoes, sunglasses, golf gloves and golf stockings.

Need for a Better Golfing Experience

A secondary golf bag is generally referring to a carry bag, and this kind of golfing accessory is extremely useful and reasonable. It's the littlest sort of golfing bags, which is made of less expensive materials like PVC and plastic, and is ready to hold basic gear like he balls and shoes, as well as the shirts and other golfing clothing.

A golfing cart, another critical golfing accessory, helps us to hold heavy loads. It does 2 things at a time ; save our energy and works more effectively and quicker than us. It fundamentally reduces your burden of carrying about your heavy load of hardware from one hole to another and all round the course.

Shirts and tees here don't refer to the basic required golfing accessory a golfer wishes to wear to enter a golfing course. It makes reference to the special golfing cotton shirts which last against the hot sun and differing types of weather. The majority of them are manufactured by known brand shirt makers,and are of very top of the range.

A club head cover is another golf accessory that is very important when it comes to protecting your golf clubs. These covers are there to protect the heads from being damaged, which can happen in any form or time, such as during transporting or when moving about your golf bags along the game. The accidents that can occur would definitely cause dents on your club head, and this will affect the performance of your game, because these dents can lower the accuracy level.

There are listless other golfing accessories that you might keep on purchasing over time as your love for the game and the time you can give to it - increases.

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Impress Your Golf Buddies With These Great Golf Tips!

Understanding how golf scores are kept is a good tip to know. Knowing your score is helpful for determining your status as a player. Each stroke is counted as one point of your score and you can keep track of how many stokes it takes to complete each hole. In golf, you want to get the fewest strokes possible.

If you take the time to practice, you can keep yourself from making common errors like slicing. The problem is that the clubface incorrectly hits the ball which as a result, curves to the right. Line your entire body up in a fluent stance that is parallel to your target, from your shoulders to your toes. As for you swing, you need to make sure most of the power on your downswing comes from your hands and arms, not the rest of your body.

Before you go out and spend thousands of dollars on gold clubs, you should find a set that will work best for your game. Just think, one hundred years ago, people only used wooden gloves to play. Do you really need that high-priced titanium club?

Shots that are too far right are generally caused by moving to the left when you swing. Concentrate on releasing your hands to the ball quickly during the downswing. If you can release your hands fast and in a consistent manner, you will have a far more accurate shot.

You will stay motivated if you truly enjoy playing golf. Golf is a game that continues to offer learning opportunities. Talk with and observe experienced players, and spend as much time as you comfortably can practicing. Your game will soon improve.

Line your front foot with the ball when driving. For other swings, position yourself so that the golf ball is evenly between your feet. The only exception to this stance is when the ball is on a slope.

Taking practice swings at the driving range can help you with any weight-shifting issues you are having with your swing. Using a baseball swing type of motion can prove beneficial. By slightly lifting your front foot during your backswing and then stepping it back down through your shot, you are able to better discern just how exactly your body should move it's weight during the swing.

When you are gripping the putter and standing over the ball, your left hand should be in front of the ball. Maintain proper posture and hand position throughout your swing. This will allow you to firmly grasp the club during the stroke and keep the ball from skipping off the club's face at contact.

As stated in the beginning of this article, golf can be quite confusing if you have never played before. You now have the information that you need about golf. Judge the sport on your own terms and give it a try, to see if this is a sport that you could get into!

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Cyprus Golf Courses Clubs And Resorts

Although golfing is a relatively new sport on Cyprus, it has the advantage of being one of the few places in the world that offer golfing as a year round sport. In other areas of the world, tourism often slows during the colder winter months. Due to the location and year round mild climate of Cyprus, the island is becoming one of the best places in the world for year round golfing and other tourist activity.

Golf courses, clubs and resorts on Cyprus range in difficulty from beginner to professional level. The Cyprus Golf Federation (CGF) is golf's official ruling body on the island. Five of the major resorts on Cyprus offer luscious 18-hole golf courses. They offer special training areas for beginners, some in the form of a golf academy. Aphrodite Hills Golf Club and Korineum Golf and Country Club both offer three-hole academy courses to accommodate beginner golfers.

Aphrodite Hills Resort

The Aphrodite Hills Golf Course is named after the area it overlooks: the birthplace of the Goddess Aphrodite. Located near Paphos, where it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, the Aphrodite Hills Golf Course was designed by Cabell Robinson and built in 2002. This 578 acre golf course encompasses the resort, offering great views of the hotel and village center. A dramatic ravine between two of the course's plateaus offers a unique golfing opportunity. Surrounding the golf course is a protected forest.

Korineum Golf and Country Club

The Korineum Golf and Country Club is a private club. It was the first 18-hole golf course built on the northern part of Cyprus. The course offers great views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Five Finger Mountain Range. Located near Esentepe, the course consists of 18-holes, a driving range, Korineum Golf Academy and a shop where golfers may purchase or rent equipment. The Club House houses a fitness center, spa, massage parlor, hairdresser and sauna, as well as executive meeting rooms, conference rooms, restaurants and bars.

Secret Valley Golf Course

Considered one of the most prestigious golf courses on Cyprus, the Secret Valley Golf Course is situated about 11 miles east of Paphos. The resort offers an excellent golfing experience for beginners to expert golfers. The Club House offers facilities such as a shop where golfers may buy or rent equipment, a bar, a restaurant and a locker room. The verandas of the resort's primary restaurant overlook the golf course and provide amazing scenic opportunities. Guest villas and apartments were built to accommodate the many visiting golfers it receives each year.

Tsada Golf Course

At 500 meters above sea level, the Tsada Golf Course is an incredibly beautiful, scenic course. Completed in 1994, the Tsada Golf Course was the first full grassed 18-hole golf course built on Cyprus. The gently sloping fairways are lined with fruit trees and grape vines. Nearby Coral Bay offers golfers the opportunity to relax and enjoy one of Cyprus' best and most popular beaches. As with most other golf clubs, Tsada offers academy-style training. What sets Tsada Golf Course's training apart from others is the fact that training is provided by a PGA professional.

Vikla Golf and Country Club

Designed by Robin Houry and built in 1992, the Vikla Golf and Country Club is open to the public and one of the most relaxed golf clubs on the island. For just over 25 pounds (or $30), you can golf all day. Club rental, golf balls, tees and water are included in the price. The Club House offers a wide variety of activities for golfers and non-golfers alike. Non-golfers can enjoy the swimming pool and other amenities while their golf-loving counterparts enjoy a day filled with golfing enjoyment.

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Welsh Flanker Arrested For Driving A Golf Buggy

Welsh rugby flanker Powell's victory over Scotland In the six nations cup alongside his team mates has all ended in tears after taking his celebrations a step too far.

The 28-year-old flanker was arrested and later charged for drink driving a stolen golf buggy along the M4 between junctions 33 and 34.

After returning from a vodka bar in Cardiff to the hotel golf and spa resort where the national team were staying, he and a friend from his hometown took the slow moving buggy for a spin along side the hard shoulder in search of breakfast.

Police picked up the Welsh flanker and another man said to be a friend from his home town at a service station on February the 14th where the duo had navigated the low speed vehicle in want of breakfast.

Mike Burton Mr. Powell's agent has told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Andy does not excuse or condone drink driving in any form and it was a misjudgment. he is disappointed and embarrassed to find himself in this position and will face up to it, He does not excuse or condone drink driving in any form and it was a misjudgment. He is sorry and he will face up to it."

Powell is indeed dealing with the consequences of his actions after being dropped from Wales' Six National Squad, he is also awaiting a trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on 2nd March - where he could lose his driving license.

Alan Phillips Wales' team manager has not revealed when Powell can expect to return to the side, Powell has also been told to alongside to the members of the hotel staff.

A person is guilty of a drink driving offence if he drives or attempts to drive a motor vehicle on a road or other public place when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.
(Road Traffic Act 1988 S5(1)

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