Mark Wilson Wins Humana Challenge

Wilson made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to clinch his fifth career victory Sunday, beating Robert Garrigus, John Mallinger and Johnson Wagner by two strokes in a dramatic dusk finish to the wind-delayed tournament.

(For more on the Humana and Tiger’s upcoming season debut, read this week’s PGA Tour Confidential.)

Wilson’s day started before sunrise and ended after sunset. In between, he finished his third round, got his kids ready for daycare at his in-laws’ house, and then held off several hard-charging contenders during the final round amid the growing dark and desert chill in the Coachella Valley.

Wilson closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 24 under, taking the $1,008,000 winner’s share of the $5.6 million purse despite the conditions. While most everybody else pulled on sweaters for the final holes, the Wisconsin native stayed in his polo shirt out of superstition and familiarity.

“It’s a feel thing,” Wilson said. “I’ve been playing with short sleeves all day. I didn’t just want to put it on and get a new feeling, because everything was going well.”

Moments after Garrigus barely missed a 35-foot eagle putt that would have given him the lead, Wilson coolly made his birdie try in the disappearing light before celebrating with his wife, two sons and a surprisingly fragile trophy from the erstwhile Bob Hope Classic. Even on a day chock-full of uncommon obstacles, Wilson handled everything with style.

“Robert and I, going back and forth, we really enjoyed that,” Wilson said. “It just came down to 18, and I didn’t want to give him a chance to make that putt to tie me. … That’s what we play for. You want somebody to win it, not necessarily to lose it.”

Eight players were within two strokes of the lead when the final group neared the turn, but Wilson weathered every challenge with solid shot-making that added to his reputation as a fast starter. Wilson won twice in the first few weeks of last season, and each of his five career victories have come before mid-March.

“The only thing I can think of is the break in November and December,” Wilson said. “I clear my mind of golf. I tend to remember the good things I did in the season before, and when I’ve come out the last two years, I’ve really had a clear mind focused on what I’m doing.”

Wilson led by three strokes Sunday morning after finishing the final three holes of his third round at La Quinta Country Club, which got the most damage from Saturday’s ferocious wind. After a quick trip back to his in-laws’ place nearby, he quickly lost the lead on the low-scoring Palmer Private course, but played bogey-free over the final 15 holes.

Every other competitor dropped back – including Garrigus, who fell out of the lead when he missed a 5 1/2-foot par putt on the 17th.

“We really couldn’t see much,” said Garrigus, who finished a third-round 61 earlier Sunday. “I could barely pick up the flag on 18. We had a great day, and it got pretty dark. I wish I could have read that putt a little better.”

The first three rounds were dominated by low scores, but Jeff Maggert made the biggest move in the final round, moving up to fifth with a bogey-free 64.

Wagner, who won the Sony Open last week in Hawaii, birdied two of his final three holes, hitting a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th to finish at 22 under. Mallinger then pushed a 15-foot birdie putt inches wide on the 18th, barely missing the chance to move into a first-place tie.

Mallinger, a Southern California native who matched his best PGA Tour finish, didn’t blame the miss on the darkness.

“I’ve played golf for 20 years. I know how to read a putt,” he said. “But it was fun.”

The exciting finish in the gathering darkness capped a revitalizing week for the former Hope tournament. It signed its first title sponsor in four years and partnered with the foundation of former President Bill Clinton, who serves as its new host.

The revamped pro-am dropped its traditional fifth day of competition and boosted its purse, attracting the best professional field in several years. Attendance also increased sharply, with crowds gathering to watch Phil Mickelson and the celebrity competitors over the first three days – including Clinton, whose round was interrupted by wind Saturday.

Wilson holed a bunker shot on the par-3 12th to reclaim sole possession of the lead at 22 under, pulling one stroke ahead of Mallinger and Garrigus. Mallinger caught up on the 14th with a short birdie putt, and Garrigus joined them moments later in the next group.

Wilson and Garrigus then both holed tough birdie putts on the 16th, but Garrigus’ tee shot on the 17th landed on the fringe. He missed his par putt, dropping back to 22 under while Wilson grinded out a par.

Garrigus easily reached the 18th green in two, but his long eagle putt over a rise barely missed the hole, going 9 feet past. Garrigus played the tournament’s first 17 holes at 6 over before going 28 under in the final 55.
Sourced: golf.com

Johnson Wagner wins Sony Open

He worked harder than ever in the offseason and lost 20 pounds. He grew a mustache and developed thick skin from the reaction to it. And he told his friends and family that he would win early in the year and go to the Masters.

Wagner backed it all up Sunday in the Sony Open.

He played bogey-free over the last 12 holes, a winning recipe on a tough day at Waialae, and closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory that filled him with even more confidence about his game and the rest of the season.

“I was definitely telling people to expect something early this year, which is a nice feeling,” Wagner said. “Usually, my confidence is low. I’m kind of shy in a little shell. And for some reason, I just had way more energy and confidence going into this year.”

It was his third career victory on the PGA Tour, and it sends him to the Masters, along with allowing him to book another two-week working vacation in Hawaii next year.

Wagner, who finished at 13-under 267 and earned $990,000, was among six players who had at least a share of the lead at some point in the final round. He was the only guy to stay there.

Harrison Frazar took the outright lead with a birdie on No. 10, but had to settle for pars the rest of the way for a 67. Charles Howell III was paired with Wagner and stayed with him until a three-putt par on the par-5 ninth. He birdied the last hole for a 69. Sean O’Hair narrowly missed a 30-foot eagle putt on the last hole and shot 67, while Carl Pettersson overcame a double bogey on his second hole with four birdies on the last six holes for a 67.

They all tied for second.

“My first top 10 as an American,” said Pettersson, the Swede who became a U.S. citizen during the offseason.

They were all chasing Wagner, who seized control with a 9-iron into the 15th that was pin-high, just off the green. He rolled that in for birdie, and then didn’t come close to making a mistake until he nearly missed a tap-in par on the 18th.

Coming into the year, Wagner had only seven top 10s – including two wins – in 139 tournaments. He had never made it to the Tour Championship and played in only four majors.

But what a transformation. Along with his work ethic, he began jotting notes and goals into a notebook, using the green cover he received in 2008 from his lone Masters appearance.

With respect to his mustache – Frazar made a “Magnum P.I.” reference at Kapalua – the biggest change with Wagner was his attitude.

“I love being out here. There’s so many great players,” he said. “But why are they any better? Why are the people in the top 50 better than me? I’ve always struggled a little bit with believing in myself.”

As for that mustache getting so much attention?

Wagner didn’t shave during Thanksgiving and kept the mustache.

“Kind of made a deal with myself in December that if I was to get into the Masters, then I was going to keep the mustache for at least this year,” he said. “Everybody said, `Oh, is it a Movember mustache? Well, it’s December, time to shave it.’ I said, Look, this is not a one-month mustache. This is potentially a 10-year mustache.’

“So I think it’s going to be around for a while.”

Jeff Maggert and Matt Every, tied for the lead going into the last day, both collapsed early. Every was 4 over through six holes and rallied for a 72. Maggert missed a slew of short putts and shot 74.

Considering all the attention Every received this week – his comments about his marijuana possession arrest two years ago his awkward television interview – he said Saturday night that “I’m just ready to get it over with.”

And that he did. He was tied for the lead with Maggert, and quickly spent the day in hopeless pursuit.

Every made bogey from the bunker on the first hole, drove into the water at No. 2, three-putted for bogey at No. 4 and three-putted again from 4 feet on the sixth hole for a double bogey.

Maggert was scrambling from the start, too, and while he holed par putts of 8 and 15 feet on the opening two holes, it caught up with him.

They were still in the hunt at the turn – and so was everyone else.

PGA champion Keegan Bradley hit 8-iron into about 6 feet for eagle on the par-5 ninth, creating a five-way tie for the lead along with Maggert, Every, Frazar and Wagner.

Bradley fell back when his long bunker shot sailed 20 yards over the 10th green, turning a birdie chance into a bogey. Frazar hit his easier bunker shot on the 10th to a foot to take the outright lead, only to be joined a short time later by Wagner, who birdied the ninth. Michael Thompson joined them briefly in the lead until a bogey on the 17th.

Wagner was the only player who kept it going.

He started the back nine by driving safely into the front left bunker and holing a 10-footer for birdie to take the outright lead, and he never gave it back. No one else made enough birdies, and Wagner didn’t make any mistakes. He seized control for good on the 15th when his approach settled just on the fringe about 15 feet away for birdie and a two-shot lead.
Sourced: golf.com

Augusta National Golf Club host of 2012 Masters

2012 Masters at Augusta Invitees and Player List:

Aaron Baddeley
Sang-moon Bae
Thomas Bjorn
Keegan Bradley
Jonathan Byrd
Angel Cabrera
a-Patrick Cantlay
Paul Casey
Kevin Chappell
K.J. Choi
Stewart Cink
Tim Clark
Darren Clarke
Fred Couples
Ben Crenshaw
Jason Day
Luke Donald
Jason Dufner
Simon Dyson
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Ross Fisher
Rickie Fowler
Harrison Frazar
Jim Furyk
Sergio Garcia
Robert Garrigus
Lucas Glover
Bill Haas
Anders Hansen
Peter Hanson
Padraig Harrington
Charles Howell III
Trevor Immelman
Fredrik Jacobson
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Dustin Johnson
Zach Johnson
Robert Karlsson
Martin Kaymer
Kyung-Tae Kim
a-Kelly Kraft
Matt Kuchar
Martin Laird
Bernhard Langer
a-Randal Lewis
Sandy Lyle
a-Bryden Macpherson
Hunter Mahan
a-Hideki Matsuyama
Graeme McDowell
Rory McIlroy
Phil Mickelson
a-Corbin Mills
Larry Mize
Edoardo Molinari
Francesco Molinari
Kevin Na
Sean O’Hair
Mark O’Meara
Geoff Ogilvy
Jose Maria Olazabal
Louis Oosthuizen
Ryan Palmer
Ian Poulter
Alvaro Quiros
Chez Reavie
Justin Rose
Rory Sabbatini
Charl Schwartzel
Adam Scott
John Senden
Webb Simpson
Vijay Singh
Brandt Snedeker
Craig Stadler
Scott Stallings
Brendan Steele
Henrik Stenson
Steve Stricker
David Toms
Bo Van Pelt
Scott Verplank
Johnson Wagner
Nick Watney
Bubba Watson
Tom Watson
Mike Weir
Lee Westwood
Mark Wilson
Gary Woodland
Tiger Woods
Ian Woosnam
Y.E. Yang

Tiger Woods President Cup 2011

Tiger Woods played great in his clinching singles match against Aaron Baddeley at last week’s Presidents Cup. He played so great that it’s tempting to pronounce that Tiger has returned from his slump and will soon retake his rightful place as the world’s No. 1 golfer. However, we just don’t have enough evidence to say that yet.

Don’t get me wrong. Tiger is going in the right direction. He played well on a difficult Royal Melbourne course, and except for one round he was excellent at the Australian Open the week before. I’ve been hearing that he’s been having a lot of 36-hole and 54-hole practice days, and that’s just what he needs to get in tournament form. If Tiger is healthy and playing often, he’ll be good with whatever swing he uses — he can’t help it — but we shouldn’t read too much into how Tiger played at the Presidents Cup and the Australian Open.

The first reason is that the Presidents Cup is a match-play event. Remember how he dusted Francesco Molinari at the 2012 Ryder Cup? That didn’t mark the beginning of Tiger’s comeback. In fact, things got worse the following year. If I were picking someone to play one match, I’d choose Tiger 100 times before I picked another guy. With his six USGA amateur match-play titles (three U.S. Junior Amateurs and three U.S. Amateurs), he might be the best match-play golfer in history. In match play, Tiger is always going to find a way to compete no matter how he’s striking the ball.

The other reason not to overreact to Tiger’s play in Australia is that the tournaments weren’t that important. Let’s be honest. The Presidents Cup is nothing like the Ryder Cup, which inspires so much passion and bad blood. The Presidents Cup is exactly what it was intended to be, an exhibition of sportsmanship to promote the game globally. That’s admirable, but as a gauge of where Tiger’s game is, the Presidents Cup is pretty meaningless.

We all know that Tiger keeps score with major championships, and until we see him execute his new swing under major pressure, we won’t know if the changes have worked. The true test is whether he can rely on his swing under the pressure of a major on Sunday. Sure, he looks a lot more comfortable with his swing changes now, but they haven’t been tested by fire yet. I don’t think we can make any judgments based on a couple of decent rounds in Australia.

If you’re a Tiger fan like I am, there were reasons for optimism last week. For one, he looked healthy and he was moving around the course better. I thought his short game looked better. The putting wasn’t totally there — I saw him miss an important putt low that he would have made a much better run at before — but these things will come in time. He also looks like he’s having fun. It was telling to see Tiger and Mickelson yukking it up. In the past, Tiger wouldn’t let his guard down like that, at least not publicly. It’s nice to see Tiger animated and enjoying the team camaraderie.

So when will we know if Tiger is back? Everything we know about Tiger tells us he’s focused on April 2012. It ought to be fun to watch. Everybody loves a comeback story, but this one hasn’t really started yet.

Sourced: golf.com

Presidents Cup Phil Mickelson

For a group of independent contractors who allegedly are disinterested in being a unit, these Americans not only can play some golf. They’re terrific actors.

When the shiny gold Presidents Cup was brought into their cabin adjacent to Royal Melbourne late Sunday afternoon, even serious ping-pong games at two tables screeched to a temporary halt. It was time for pictures. Players with their wives, players with their caddies, caddies with their wives, wives with the girlfriends of players or caddies who didn’t have wives.

There was only one prop that qualified for all photographs: the Presidents Cup that had been earned an hour or so earlier with a 19-15 victory over the Internationals. To delve into another constant, one had to lend an ear to a veteran voice.

“I said this years ago, and it’s still true,” mentioned Jim Furyk. “This stuff about how we aren’t close and how we can’t come together as a group, it’s just not accurate. We will win some of these events like the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, and we’ll lose some. But whatever we do, we’ll do it as a team. Since I’ve started playing in these, I’ve always loved them. But so do all the guys. They all care. Look at Tiger and Phil in his room. Do they look like they don’t care about what we just accomplished? Did they look like they didn’t care the last four days on the course?”

Furyk is not a rock star, only a rock. His clubs arrived here after him — we will not identify the airline. However, when they showed up, he was ready. Furyk did not have a banner season on the PGA TOUR, primarily because the putter was not his friend. But on Royal Melbourne’s devilish greens, through all kinds of weather, Furyk found his stroke over four days during which he posted a 5-0 record.

“Best I putted all year, for sure, and best in a long time,” said Furyk, who secured the Americans’ 17th point by ousting the great Ernie Els in singles, 4 and 3. Previously, Furyk shared three wins with Mickelson, who is his friend. He asked for Furyk as a partner in the foursomes and fourballs, and Furyk credited the effervescent left hander for greater golf through bonding. You would not imagine a consummate professional such as Furyk needing inspiration, but this is a mind game that ravages confidence and self-esteem.

Meanwhile, Woods got a putting tip from who else? His pal, Steve Stricker. Woods grew progressively stronger during the competition, and Sunday, he rolled over Aaron Baddeley to clinch the Cup. Months ago, Woods declared that he wanted to be on the United States roster, and Captain Fred Couples’ defied convention by announcing Woods as a wildcard. Whether Couples, dumb like a fox, thought the experience might also help ease Woods’ re-entry into the golf community, the captain isn’t saying. But Tiger did everything he was asked, then profusely thanked Couples for allowing him to do it. What is they say on the PGA TOUR? Together, anything is possible.

“Perfect,” Furyk continued as ping-pong derby resumed. “Fred’s a terrific leader by keeping things loose, Tiger leads in his own way. This group really meshed.”

This group really had to mesh, because the Internationals won the first four matches in the Sunday lineup — K.T. Kim, Charl Schwartzel, Ryo Ishikawa and Geoff Ogilvy. However, quite significantly, the first point of the afternoon was registered by American Hunter Mahan, who defeated Aussie Jason Day to complete an excellent week. So, when the United States nailed its 14th point, the Internationals still were stuck on 9. After Mahan lost the deciding and final match in the 2010 Ryder Cup to Graeme McDowell, amateur psychologists suggested he might be ruined for life, or at least the golf portion of it. But after cracking during the immediate post-mortems, Mahan decided that it was better to have competed and had his heart broken rather than to have not competed at all. Athletes think that way. The rest of us don’t get it. Similarly, Adam Scott, a very classy fellow, said that this week’s defeat will not affect his recollections of special occasion on his home soil.

“A fantastic week,” said Scott. “One I will remember for the rest of my career.”

Various and sundry local experts predicted, or at least wished, that the Americans would be hopelessly out of their element on a sand belt course after making a living of target golf on the PGA TOUR. The variable winds, the nuances of Royal Melbourne, the heat and humility of performing halfway around the world before partisan audiences would be too much for the visitors, or so it was projected. We’ve all heard how Aussies characterize Americans as travelers: like prawns on a hot day.

But the Americans, six Presidents Cup rookies in tow, were comfortable with the pressure and the challenge. Couples never bought into the prawns comparison. He said newcomers could develop a working knowledge of a course without camping out for a month. He also credited his staff, namely assistants John Cook and Jay Haas, along with caddies for reconnaissance missions. Whether aspersions cast upon their ability to navigate Royal Melbourne motivated the Americans might be a stretch. Anger probably wouldn’t apply either. Let’s just say they were puzzled.

For local flavor, Norman invited the “Fanatics,” a gaggle of men who are ubiquitous at sporting events in Australia. The semi-official designation of these lads is a “cheer squad,” but they also create songs to support their favorites. Sunday, the “Fanatics” had a hymn for each International player beside the first tee, yet weren’t the least bit rude to the Americans. Norman insisted that even if the “Fanatics” can’t carry a tune, they carry on the traditions of golf etiquette, and they respectfully obliged. Witness the U.S. team members who joined the cheer squad’s scrum after the final match. Furyk left the arena in one of their yellow and green shirts, and it won’t be a loaner. It’s a keeper. Wisely, Furyk passed on the knee socks.

Thomas AIKEN South Africa
Robert ALLENBY Australia
Fredrik ANDERSSON HED Sweden
Aaron BADDELEY Australia
SM BAE Korea
Kurt BARNES Australia
Lucas BJERREGAARD (A) Denmark
Gregory BOURDY France
Gary BOYD England
Markus BRIER Austria
Jonathan BYRD USA
Angel CABRERA Argentina
Mark CALCAVECCHIA USA
Chad CAMPBELL USA
Alejandro CANIZARES Spain
Paul CASEY England
KJ CHOI Korea
Stewart CINK USA
Darren CLARKE Northern Ireland
George COETZEE South Africa
Nicolas COLSAERTS Belgium
Lee CORFIELD England
Ben CRANE USA
Ben CURTIS USA
John DALY USA
Rhys DAVIES Wales
Brian DAVIS England
Jason DAY Australia
Floris DE VRIES Netherlands
Luke DONALD England
Jason DUFNER USA
David DUVAL USA
Simon DYSON England
Simon EDWARDS Wales
Ernie ELS South Africa
Bob ESTES USA
Kenneth FERRIE England
Ross FISHER England
Rickie FOWLER USA
Harrison FRAZAR USA
Hiroyuki FUJITA Japan
Jim FURYK USA
Stephen GALLACHER Scotland
Sergio GARCIA Spain
Robert GARRIGUS USA
Lucas GLOVER USA
Retief GOOSEN South Africa
Richard GREEN Australia
Nathan GREEN Australia
Bill HAAS USA
Todd HAMILTON USA
Anders HANSEN Denmark
Peter HANSON Sweden
Padraig HARRINGTON Republic of Ireland
Gregory HAVRET France
Craig HINTON (A) England
Tetsuji HIRATSUKA Japan
Charley HOFFMAN USA
JB HOLMES USA
Charles HOWELL III USA
Jung-Gon HWANG Korea
Yuta IKEDA Japan
Trevor IMMELMAN South Africa
Ryo ISHIKAWA Japan
Fredrik JACOBSON Sweden
Raphael JACQUELIN France
Thongchai JAIDEE Thailand
Scott JAMIESON Scotland
Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Spain
Zach JOHNSON USA
Dustin JOHNSON USA
Andrew JOHNSTON England
Robert KARLSSON Sweden
Hiroo KAWAI Japan
Martin KAYMER Germany
Jerry KELLY USA
Brad KENNEDY Australia
Simon KHAN England
Anthony KIM USA
KT KIM Korea
Jason KNUTZON USA
Matt KUCHAR USA
Rick KULACZ Australia
Martin LAIRD Scotland
Chih-Bing LAM Singapore
Bernhard LANGER Germany
Pablo LARRAZABAL Spain
Mark LASKEY Wales
Paul LAWRIE Scotland
Tom LEHMAN USA
Justin LEONARD USA
Spencer LEVIN USA
Tom LEWIS (A) England
Simon LILLY England
Davis LOVE III USA
Joost LUITEN Netherlands
Sandy LYLE Scotland
Bryden MACPHERSON (A) Australia
Hunter MAHAN USA
Matteo MANASSERO Italy
Steve MARINO USA
Martin MARITZ South Africa
Prayad MARKSAENG Thailand
Graeme McDOWELL Northern Ireland
Richard McEVOY England
Francis McGUIRK England
Rory McILROY Northern Ireland
Prom MEESAWAT Thailand
Phil MICKELSON USA
Matthew MILLAR Australia
Francesco MOLINARI Italy
Edoardo MOLINARI Italy
Ryan MOORE USA
Kevin NA USA
Seung-Yul NOH Korea
Alexander NOREN Sweden
Geoff OGILVY Australia
Sean O’HAIR USA
Thorbjorn OLESEN Denmark
Mark O’MEARA USA
Louis OOSTHUIZEN South Africa
Jeff OVERTON USA
Ryan PALMER USA
Ian POULTER England
Alvaro QUIROS Spain
Robert ROCK England
Justin ROSE England
Rory SABBATINI South Africa
Neil SCHIETEKAT South Africa
Charl SCHWARTZEL South Africa
Adam SCOTT Australia
Thomas SHADBOLT England
Webb SIMPSON USA
Vijay SINGH Fiji
Andy SMITH England
Brandt SNEDEKER USA
Kyle STANLEY USA
Henrik STENSON Sweden
Graeme STORM England
Kevin STREELMAN USA
Steve STRICKER USA
Tadahiro TAKAYAMA Japan
Chris TIDLAND USA
Peter UIHLEIN (A) USA
Bo VAN PELT USA
Camilo VILLEGAS Colombia
Nick WATNEY USA
Bubba WATSON USA
Tom WATSON USA
Lee WESTWOOD England
Peter WHITEFORD Scotland
Danny WILLETT England
Mark WILSON USA
Gary WOODLAND USA
Adam WOOTTON England
YE YANG Korea

Claret Jug

The Claret Jug, or to use its proper name, The Golf Champion Trophy, is presented to each year’s winner of The Open Championship. Yet it is not the original prize. When the Championship began at Prestwick in 1860, the winner was presented with the Challenge Belt, made of rich morocco leather, embellished with a silver buckle and emblems.

The Silver Claret Jug

The impetus to provide the Challenge Belt had come from the Earl of Eglinton and derived from his keen interest in medieval pageantry. He was pre-eminent in encouraging sport throughout the social spectrum and was a leading light in setting up The Open Championship. The Earl donated many trophies for competition, including a gold belt for competition among the Irvine Archers. The original Challenge Belt was purchased by the members of Prestwick Golf Club.

According to the first rule of the new golf competition: “The party winning the belt shall always leave the belt with the treasurer of the club until he produces a guarantee to the satisfaction of the above committee that the belt shall be safely kept and laid on the table at the next meeting to compete for it until it becomes the property of the winner by being won three times in succession.”

The Search For A New Trophy

In 1870, just 10 years after The Open Championship began, Tom Morris Junior won for the third consecutive time and became the owner of the belt. The future direction of the Championship was discussed at Prestwick Golf Club’s Spring Meeting in April 1871, during which a key proposal was put forward by Gilbert Mitchell Innes: “In contemplation of St Andrews, Musselburgh and other clubs joining in the purchase of a Belt to be played for over four or more greens it is not expedient for the club to provide a Belt to be played for solely at Prestwick.”

The motion was passed, but no final decisions were reached about venues or the involvement of other clubs, with the result that The Open Championship was not played in 1871. Moves to revive the competition resumed the following year. The minutes of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, dated May 1, state that the green committee had been “empowered to enter into communication with other clubs with a view to effecting a revival of the Championship Belt, and they were authorised to contribute a sum not exceeding £15 from the funds of the club”.

Agreement was finally reached on September 11, 1872 between the three clubs that were to host The Open — Prestwick, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. They decided that the winner would receive a medal and that each of the three clubs would contribute £10 towards the cost of a new trophy, which was to be a silver claret jug, instead of another belt. Its proper name was to be The Golf Champion Trophy. These decisions were taken too late for the trophy to be presented to the 1872 Open Champion, who was once again Tom Morris Junior. Instead, he was awarded with a medal inscribed ‘The Golf Champion Trophy’.

Claret Jug

The Golf Champion Trophy

The Golf Champion Trophy, now commonly referred to as the Claret Jug, was made by Mackay Cunningham & Company of Edinburgh and was hallmarked 1873. The first Open Champion to receive the new trophy was the 1873 winner, Tom Kidd, but Tom Morris Junior’s name was the first to be engraved on it as the 1872 winner.

In 1920 all responsibility for The Open Championship was handed over to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Following the 1927 Open, which was won at St Andrews by Bobby Jones, the club’s Championship Committee took the decision to retain the Claret Jug in future years and to present the winner with a replica. In 1928, Walter Hagen won the third of his four Open titles and accepted the replica Claret Jug, having already been presented with the original in 1922 and 1924. During the half-century in which the original Claret Jug was used, twenty-eight different players held it aloft, including Harry Vardon on a record six occasions.

In 1990 a further replica was made for display in the new British Golf Museum at St Andrews and in 2000 a third was made for use in travelling exhibitions, and a fourth was created in 2003 for the same purpose.

The original Golf Champion Trophy is on permanent display in The Royal and Ancient Golf Clubhouse. It sits alongside the original first prize, the Challenge Belt, which was donated to the club in 1908 by the grandchildren of Tom Morris Senior.

Open Medals

The first time a medal was given to the winner was in 1872, when no trophy was available. Unlike the Claret Jug, which must be returned in time for the next Championship, the Gold Medal is kept by the winner. The early Gold Medals, which in fact were silver gilt, were large ovals with a central design of a shield and crossed clubs. Around the edge was the inscription ‘Golf Champion Trophy’. During the late 1880s and early 1890s, the design of the medal underwent several changes. The circular medal was first introduced in 1893 and the basic size and shape has not changed since then.

That same year, the medal was assigned a value of £10 and this was deducted from the advertised purse for the winner. In 1920, the value of the winner’s medal was increased to £25 and again deducted from his share of the prize fund. This practice stopped after the 1929 Open Championship and from 1930 onwards, the winner no longer had to ‘pay’ for his medal.

The Leading Amateur

It had been suggested as early as 1922 that some recognition should be given to the leading amateur in The Open, but it was not until 1949 that a silver medal of the same size and design as the winner’s medal, was presented. It bore the inscription ‘Golf Champion Trophy’, with the addition of the words ‘First Amateur’. Frank Stranahan of the United States was the first to receive the silver medal and he went on to win it again in 1950, 1951 and 1953.

From 1972 all amateurs, other than the leading amateur, who have played on the final day of The Open Championship, have received a bronze medal.
Sourced: opengolf.com

Royal St George Golf Club

Players List – 2011 Open Golf Championship at Royal St George

Robert ALLENBY AustraliaFredrik ANDERSSON HED SwedenAaron BADDELEY AustraliaKurt BARNES AustraliaLucas BJERREGAARD (A) DenmarkJonathan BYRD USAAngel CABRERA ArgentinaMark CALCAVECCHIA USAChad CAMPBELL USAPaul CASEY EnglandStewart CINK USATim CLARK South AfricaDarren CLARKE Northern IrelandNicolas COLSAERTS BelgiumBen CRANE USABen CURTIS USAJohn DALY USARhys DAVIES WalesBrian DAVIS EnglandJason DAY AustraliaFloris DE VRIES NetherlandsLuke DONALD EnglandDavid DUVAL USAErnie ELS South AfricaBob ESTES USARoss FISHER EnglandRickie FOWLER USAHiroyuki FUJITA JapanJim FURYK USAStephen GALLACHER ScotlandLucas GLOVER USARetief GOOSEN South AfricaRichard GREEN AustraliaNathan GREEN AustraliaBill HAAS USATodd HAMILTON USAAnders HANSEN DenmarkPeter HANSON SwedenPadraig HARRINGTON Republic of IrelandGregory HAVRET FranceTetsuji HIRATSUKA JapanCharley HOFFMAN USATrevor IMMELMAN South AfricaRyo ISHIKAWA JapanRaphael JACQUELIN FranceThongchai JAIDEE ThailandMiguel Angel JIMENEZ SpainZach JOHNSON USADustin JOHNSON USARobert KARLSSON SwedenMartin KAYMER GermanyJerry KELLY USASimon KHAN EnglandKyung-tae KIM South KoreaJason KNUTZON USAMatt KUCHAR USARick KULACZ AustraliaMartin LAIRD ScotlandChih-Bing LAM SingaporeBernhard LANGER GermanyPaul LAWRIE ScotlandTom LEHMAN USAJustin LEONARD USASpencer LEVIN USADavis LOVE III USAJoost LUITEN NetherlandsSandy LYLE ScotlandHunter MAHAN USAMatteo MANASSERO ItalyMartin MARITZ South AfricaGraeme MCDOWELL Northern IrelandRory McILROY Northern IrelandProm MEESAWAT ThailandPhil MICKELSON USAMatthew MILLAR AustraliaFrancesco MOLINARI ItalyEdoardo MOLINARI ItalyRyan MOORE USAKevin NA USASeung-Yul NOH South KoreaGeoff OGILVY AustraliaSean O’HAIR USAMark O’MEARA USALouis OOSTHUIZEN South AfricaJeff OVERTON USARyan PALMER USAIan POULTER EnglandAlvaro QUIROS SpainRobert ROCK EnglandJustin ROSE EnglandRory SABBATINI South AfricaNeil SCHIETEKAT South AfricaCharl SCHWARTZEL South AfricaAdam SCOTT AustraliaBrandt SNEDEKER USAHenrik STENSON SwedenKevin STREELMAN USASteve STRICKER USAChris TIDLAND USADavid TOMS USAPeter UIHLEIN (A) USABo VAN PELT USACamilo VILLEGAS ColombiaNick WATNEY USATom WATSON USABubba WATSON USALee WESTWOOD EnglandDanny WILLETT EnglandMark WILSON USAGary WOODLAND USATiger WOODS USAYE YANG South Korea

Royal St George Golf Club

To stride towards the first tee at Royal St George’s, towards the thatched-roofed starter’s hut, is to embark upon one of the sternest tests in the world of golf. In mid-July, fairways are firm and running, and greens are fast and true. And the rough is up.

Teeing-off towards the south, the front nine is characterised by blind shots, imposing dunes and terrifying bunkers, like the enormous, railway-sleeper-surrounded hazard on the fourth, which is set into a sand hill that rises almost 50 feet into the Kent air. The elevated fifth tee offers the chance to catch one’s breath and enjoy a magnificent view of the coast, before striking the tee-shot towards the sea.

The back nine, which occupies the northern half of the course, is largely without the dunes of the outward half, though the fairways feature no fewer undulations and the greens are arguable trickier. Holes 14 and 15, live coverage from which will appear on the three-hole channel during the Championship, along with the 16th, are perhaps the most daunting. Indeed, the 15th, along with the perhaps more famous 17th at St Andrews, can stake a claim to being the toughest hole in Open Championship golf.

And then comes the home stretch, by no means respite from what has gone before, will offer the opportunity for those in contention to realise their dreams. Some will falter, while one will grasp the opportunity and play his way down, past the clubhouse, to the amphitheatre of the 18th green, before lifting the famous Claret Jug.

Royal St George Golf Club